democracynow--2020-12-07--Georgia Runoffs: Democrats Aim to Take Senate as Republicans Back Trump Attack on Election Integrity

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
, democracynow.org , The Quarantine Report .
I ’ m Amy Goodman .
We begin today ’ s show in Georgia , where , well , one-and-a-half debates were held Sunday night , ahead of Georgia ’ s January 5th runoff election , which will decide who controls the U.S. Senate .
Today is the last day for new voters to register in Georgia .
In the most closely watched debate of the night , Republican Senator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Raphael Warnock .
Loeffler is the richest senator in the country and was appointed to her seat in January by Governor Kemp .
She refused to say that President Trump lost the election .
AMY GOODMAN : Senator Loeffler repeatedly attacked her challenger , Reverend Raphael Warnock .
In fact , she almost never said his name without prefacing it by saying “ radical liberal Raphael Warnock.
” But Warnock , who ’ s the pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church pastored by the Kings , pushed back .
AMY GOODMAN : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the projects of Savannah , Georgia , with his opponent , Senator Loeffler , the richest member of the U.S. Senate , and accused her of using her position for personal gain , saying she publicly played down the pandemic but sold stocks earlier this year after receiving a coronavirus briefing .
AMY GOODMAN : At the other Georgia Senate debate that took place last night , well , only one candidate showed up .
This is how the debate began .
AMY GOODMAN : This marks the second time the Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jon Ossoff .
He also pulled out of the final debate prior to the November election , after Ossoff described him as a “ crook.
” Perdue is facing increasing scrutiny over trading stocks of companies overseen by committees he sits on in the U.S. Senate .
The New York Times revealed last week Perdue has traded stocks , bonds and mutual funds nearly 2,600 times over the past six years — by far the most of any U.S. senator .
He sometimes reported 20 or more transactions in a single day .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ after President Trump traveled to Valdosta , Georgia , for a campaign rally with Perdue and Loeffler .
It was Trump ’ s first public rally since losing the election , but Trump spent most of the rally falsely claiming that he won .
He also attacked Georgia ’ s Republican Governor Brian Kemp , who he had earlier supported .
Earlier on Saturday , Trump called Kemp to urge him to call the Republican-led state Legislature back into session so it could appoint Trump-supporting electors to the Electoral College , essentially to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do so .
To talk more about Georgia , we ’ re joined by three guests .
Carol Anderson is with us .
She is a professor at Emory University , the author of White Rage : The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide .
Her most recent book is One Person , No Vote : How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy .
She ’ s joining us from Atlanta .
We ’ re also joined by Democratic state Representative Bee Nguyen of Georgia .
Her district includes Atlanta .
And Cliff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ co-founder and executive director of Black Voters Matter and a 2020 Soros Equality Fellow .
Cliff Albright had a watch party last night for the debate .
There is much to talk about .
Professor Carol Anderson , let ’ s begin with you .
Quite an active weekend for the whole country to watch in Georgia , since Georgia will determine the balance of the U.S. Senate .
If both Democrats were to win these races in the runoffs on January 5th , the U.S. Senate would be 50-50 Republican-Democrat , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kamala Harris , being the tiebreaker .
But what happens still remains to be seen .
So , there were one-and-a-half debates this weekend , last night .
David Perdue did not attend his , so it was Jon Ossoff ’ s alone , and then the highly contentious debate between Warnock and Loeffler .
Talk about what you watched this weekend .
CAROL ANDERSON : I watched a series of lies .
I watched Loeffler mastering soundbites without any kind of depth , but a way to try to define Reverend Warnock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ base that is bereft of evidence .
I saw an attempt to a coup , an attempt to overthrow an election , and I saw the weakness of both Perdue and Loeffler in challenging that .
So , even when Loeffler is asked point blank about the election , she says , “ Well , it doesn ’ t matter .
It ’ s not about who won.
” Yes , it is .
But what we ’ re are seeing is that as she was casting aspersions out there , that this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Republicans have sown for decades .
And it is now really taking root in a most horrific , horrific way .
And it is a lie .
It is designed to cast aspersions on the American citizenship , the right to vote for African Americans , for Asian Americans , for Hispanics .
That ’ s what I saw this weekend .
AMY GOODMAN : State Representative Bee Nguyen , if you can talk about the significance of what ’ s taking place in your state , and what is at stake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ REP. BEE NGUYEN : Well , as all eyes are on Georgia , we know that the country is watching us and watching the response to our election .
As Dr. Carol Anderson said , the Trump administration , backed by other Republicans across the state of Georgia , with the exception of our governor , the lieutenant governor and the secretary of state , are pushing forward conspiracy theories .
They are pushing forward lies about the election with no substantiated evidence .
We just had Rudy Giuliani here in the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he brought forward witnesses who did not understand the complexity of Georgia election laws , who did not have any evidence to back up their claims .
And they separated the secretary of state from that hearing so there was no opportunity to respond and to refute these arguments that have already been refuted nationally , have already been refuted in our state .
And that resulted in increased death threats for election workers .
It resulted in death threats to two of our sitting senators who pushed forward the truth , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And what we ’ re seeing is a referendum on the Trump administration .
The last four years , they have wreaked havoc , and Georgia voters are tired of that .
The country is tired of that .
What we ’ re also seeing is , the last four years , the Trump administration has sanctioned violence and encouraged violence , and we ’ re seeing those threats play out in real time .
We ’ re also seeing the combination of the pandemic play out in these election hearings and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with COVID yesterday , and he ’ s put every single one of those senators in that room at risk .
He was there without a mask .
There were many other people there without a mask .
We have two sitting senators who deny that there is a pandemic and who continue to allow the president to push these lies that undermine our democracy .
AMY GOODMAN : If you could go more into — what do you mean , the two senators , Perdue and Loeffler ?
Again , Loeffler was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Kemp — who she refused to fully back up versus Trump in the debate .
But what do you mean ?
What are they saying about coronavirus , where there is , like in other — all over the country , a major surge in Georgia ?
REP. BEE NGUYEN : Well , they ’ re not really saying anything .
And the fact that Perdue didn ’ t show up at the debate yesterday is indicative of his leadership in Georgia .
He just not has shown up for the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They have not followed science on the virus .
They continue to hold rallies without encouraging social distancing , without telling their supporters to wear masks .
And we are seeing the results of what happens when people come in close proximity with each other when large gatherings are happening .
They have not pushed forward a stimulus package .
You know , you mentioned earlier that Americans are waiting for another round of stimulus .
I have constituents who reach out to me every single week telling me they have not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filed for many , many months ago .
People are losing their homes .
They ’ re getting sick .
They are unemployed , losing their cars .
Working families need our senators to respond to the pandemic , to follow science , to show them that they understand what it means when we have a public pandemic that is just ravaging us economically .
These two senators understood that this was going to be an issue , and instead of informing the public , they took advantage of that information and used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that is not the type of representation that we need here in Georgia or in our Senate .
AMY GOODMAN : I want to go back in history to the last time Senator David Perdue debated Jon Ossoff .
After this , he refused to debate him again .
This is Jon Ossoff speaking to Perdue in the debate in late October .
AMY GOODMAN : So , state Representative Bee Nguyen , this pretty much blew him off the stage for the rest of debates .
He also called him a criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him or his handlers in Washington , is it really worth selling your soul , he said , for doing what was happening .
Carol Anderson — rather , state Representative Nguyen , if you can talk about the significance of what he was saying ?
REP. BEE NGUYEN : Yeah .
I mean , Jon Ossoff has called Perdue out .
He is not being shy about calling him out for who he is .
He is speaking the truth about the sitting senator , who is xenophobic , who is racist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ standing by Trump side by side , who is not pushing forward any policy solutions .
He is ready to take healthcare away from Americans during a pandemic .
He has no policy issues to stand behind .
In fact , when Jon Ossoff was visiting a small business , Slutty Vegan , one that is Black-owned , who has done just a tremendous job of expanding their entrepreneurship throughout the city of Atlanta , Perdue ’ s response was to make fun of Jon Ossoff for visiting this business .
You know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state of Georgia who need support economically , who need us to uplift the small businesses .
And quite frankly , you know , I don ’ t know of any American on either side of the aisle who support demeaning and belittling a small business .
And it just shows how out of touch Senator Perdue is with working Georgians .
AMY GOODMAN : You mentioned death threats against state legislators .
You , yourself , state Representative Bee Nguyen , have a fascinating background .
You ’ re the daughter of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first Vietnamese American state representative .
Your family then went on to help settle a Syrian refugee family in 2015 .
Can you talk about how your own life story informs what you do today and your response to the politics of Georgia and the divisions right now ?
REP. BEE NGUYEN : Absolutely .
I mean , my life story and my lived experience informs me on policies and informs me on humanity , quite frankly .
When my parents left Vietnam , they fled in the middle of the night on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it was President Jimmy Carter who expanded the number of Vietnamese refugees being accepted into America .
And it was a Republican governor , Governor Robert Ray from Iowa , who opened his state and said , “ We will accept as many refugees as we can into the state of Iowa.
” That bipartisan spirit is completely absent in today ’ s politics .
And growing up in a state like Georgia , I am part of what we call the New South , a coalition of Black , Brown , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who want to see a state and a country that embraces diversity and that understands that cultural differences and what we contribute makes our country unique and special .
And that ’ s what makes America great , quite frankly .
We ’ ve been battling the last four years the rise of white supremacy and nationalism , which we know has always existed in this country , but when it ’ s endorsed by somebody who is at the highest-sitting office , who has pushed forward this idea of violence against people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become a norm , you know , it ’ s a time and a place where being in Georgia is critically important , as the world is watching us and how we respond .
And I ’ m very disappointed in my colleagues who have not spoken up against the violence being directed to — our two sitting senators — to the secretary of state and his wife , to Gabe Sterling , to the governor .
It ’ s unacceptable .
It is not how we want to live in this country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Trump , and he — by Trump , and he has enabled this to rise to the surface .
And we really need to grapple with what that means for our country and for our state and how we can move forward , because we can ’ t take this anymore .
It is literally endangering the lives of people who are just doing their jobs , who are just trying to make this country a better place for everybody .
AMY GOODMAN : I wanted to go to Gabe Sterling , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Again , the state leadership of Georgia is Republican — the state election manager , Gabe Sterling ; the secretary of state ; and , of course , Brian Kemp , the governor .
I want to go to Gabe Sterling , who made this emotional plea last week around the Republican leadership of our country , around President Trump and Giuliani , who was just there , now tested positive for COVID-19 , after not clear how many people he posed with , none of them was he wearing a mask .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ : That was Gabe Sterling .
I want to go back to the debate that took place last night .
In August , players with the WNBA ’ s — the women ’ s basketball league — Atlanta Dream urged fans to elect Senate Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock .
Senator Kelly Loeffler is the co-owner of the franchise .
Several players arrived at the league ’ s coronavirus bubble in Florida wearing black T-shirts that read “ Vote Warnock ” in white letters .
The action came after Loeffler slammed the WNBA ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ season , saying any alignment with the Black Lives Matter movement sends a message of exclusion , as they seek to defund the police .
This is debate panelist Lisa Rayam questioning Loeffler .
AMY GOODMAN : Carol Anderson , can you talk about this constant refrain of Senator Loeffler as she would continually attack Reverend Warnock ?
CAROL ANDERSON : Yes .
I mean , this “ defund the police , ” “ radical leftist , ” “ leftist radical , ” “ defund , ” those are like putting , like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ base that is feeling , as Trump said , victimized .
They ’ re victims .
But the real problem here is that it is a racist dog whistle .
And that ’ s what we have to understand .
It is deliberately misunderstanding what Black Lives Matter is really all about .
It is designed to wipe that away , the same way they called Martin Luther King a communist , is what she was doing to Reverend Warnock yesterday .
And what this is about is — what she didn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 46 seconds .
George Floyd had a knee on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds .
Loeffler will not deal with that .
She will not deal with seven bullets in the back of Jacob Blake .
She will not deal with a basic no-knock warrant that ended up killing Breonna Taylor .
So , this is what Black Lives Matter is talking about , is the use of state violence against Black people .
Instead , she engages in these dog whistles that are designed to create this fervor for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will overturn everything , overturn the American dream .
It is marketing — racist marketing 101 .
AMY GOODMAN : We ’ re going to break and then come back to this discussion , and we ’ ll be joined by Cliff Albright , who is suing the Georgia secretary of state — his organization — for pulling something like 200,000 voters off the voter rolls .
Carol Anderson is a professor at Emory University .
Georgia Representative Bee Nguyen is in the Georgia Legislature .
And we ’ ll be joined by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the co-founders of Black Voters Matter .
Stay with us .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The Quarantine Report. I’m Amy Goodman. We begin today’s show in Georgia, where, well, one-and-a-half debates were held Sunday night, ahead of Georgia’s January 5th runoff election, which will decide who controls the U.S. Senate. Today is the last day for new voters to register in Georgia.
In the most closely watched debate of the night, Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler sparred with Democratic challenger Reverend Raphael Warnock. Loeffler is the richest senator in the country and was appointed to her seat in January by Governor Kemp. She refused to say that President Trump lost the election.
SEN. KELLY LOEFFLER: You know, it’s unfortunate that the focus is on a debate about who won the election when this process is still playing out. And President Trump has every right to every legal recourse. But we also have to make sure that Georgians know that we have a process that works, that their vote is counted and that no illegal votes are counted.
AMY GOODMAN: Senator Loeffler repeatedly attacked her challenger, Reverend Raphael Warnock. In fact, she almost never said his name without prefacing it by saying “radical liberal Raphael Warnock.” But Warnock, who’s the pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church pastored by the Kings, pushed back.
REV. RAPHAEL WARNOCK: Look, it’s clear to me that my opponent is going to work very hard, spending millions of dollars of her own money, trying to push a narrative about me, because she’s clearly decided that she does not have a case to be made for why she should stay in that seat. … I do not want to defund the police, and Kelly Loeffler knows it. But she keeps saying this because she wants to distract from her own record. The truth of the matter is, were it left up to her, Georgians would not have received the $600 of expanded unemployment insurance, and they haven’t seen any relief in months. And she hasn’t done anything — she’s done nothing — to provide relief for ordinary people, the folks I’m seeing all across this state who are in pain in the middle of this pandemic.
AMY GOODMAN: Reveren Warnock contrasted how he grew up in the projects of Savannah, Georgia, with his opponent, Senator Loeffler, the richest member of the U.S. Senate, and accused her of using her position for personal gain, saying she publicly played down the pandemic but sold stocks earlier this year after receiving a coronavirus briefing.
REV. RAPHAEL WARNOCK: When you received the private briefing regarding the coronavirus pandemic, you dumped millions of dollars of stock in order to protect your own investments. And then, weeks later, when there came an opportunity to give ordinary Georgians an extra $600 of relief, you said you saw no need and called it “counterproductive.” Why do you think it’s counterproductive to help ordinary Georgians in the middle of a pandemic.
SEN. KELLY LOEFFLER: Well, thank you for that question, because I’ve been completely exonerated. Those are lies perpetrated by the left-wing media.
AMY GOODMAN: At the other Georgia Senate debate that took place last night, well, only one candidate showed up. This is how the debate began.
RUSS SPENCER: The candidates are, in alphabetical order, Democrat Jon Ossoff. He is CEO of Insight TWI, a media production company that investigates corruption, organized crime and war crimes for international news organizations. Republican David Perdue has served in the U.S. Senate since 2015. Before his election, he sat on the board of five major corporations and co-founded Perdue Partners, a global trading company. Senator Perdue declined to participate in this debate and is represented by an empty podium.
AMY GOODMAN: This marks the second time the Republican Senator David Perdue has refused to debate Jon Ossoff. He also pulled out of the final debate prior to the November election, after Ossoff described him as a “crook.” Perdue is facing increasing scrutiny over trading stocks of companies overseen by committees he sits on in the U.S. Senate. The New York Times revealed last week Perdue has traded stocks, bonds and mutual funds nearly 2,600 times over the past six years — by far the most of any U.S. senator. He sometimes reported 20 or more transactions in a single day.
The Sunday night debates came one day after President Trump traveled to Valdosta, Georgia, for a campaign rally with Perdue and Loeffler. It was Trump’s first public rally since losing the election, but Trump spent most of the rally falsely claiming that he won. He also attacked Georgia’s Republican Governor Brian Kemp, who he had earlier supported. Earlier on Saturday, Trump called Kemp to urge him to call the Republican-led state Legislature back into session so it could appoint Trump-supporting electors to the Electoral College, essentially to overturn the election. Kemp refused to do so.
To talk more about Georgia, we’re joined by three guests. Carol Anderson is with us. She is a professor at Emory University, the author of White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide. Her most recent book is One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy. She’s joining us from Atlanta.
We’re also joined by Democratic state Representative Bee Nguyen of Georgia. Her district includes Atlanta.
And Cliff Albright is with us. He is co-founder and executive director of Black Voters Matter and a 2020 Soros Equality Fellow. Cliff Albright had a watch party last night for the debate.
There is much to talk about. Professor Carol Anderson, let’s begin with you. Quite an active weekend for the whole country to watch in Georgia, since Georgia will determine the balance of the U.S. Senate. If both Democrats were to win these races in the runoffs on January 5th, the U.S. Senate would be 50-50 Republican-Democrat, with the vice president, that would be Kamala Harris, being the tiebreaker. But what happens still remains to be seen. So, there were one-and-a-half debates this weekend, last night. David Perdue did not attend his, so it was Jon Ossoff’s alone, and then the highly contentious debate between Warnock and Loeffler. Talk about what you watched this weekend.
CAROL ANDERSON: I watched a series of lies. I watched Loeffler mastering soundbites without any kind of depth, but a way to try to define Reverend Warnock in ways that would resonate with a base that is bereft of evidence. I saw an attempt to a coup, an attempt to overthrow an election, and I saw the weakness of both Perdue and Loeffler in challenging that. So, even when Loeffler is asked point blank about the election, she says, “Well, it doesn’t matter. It’s not about who won.” Yes, it is. But what we’re are seeing is that as she was casting aspersions out there, that this is the lie of voter fraud that the Republicans have sown for decades. And it is now really taking root in a most horrific, horrific way. And it is a lie. It is designed to cast aspersions on the American citizenship, the right to vote for African Americans, for Asian Americans, for Hispanics. That’s what I saw this weekend.
AMY GOODMAN: State Representative Bee Nguyen, if you can talk about the significance of what’s taking place in your state, and what is at stake, both statewide and also nationally?
REP. BEE NGUYEN: Well, as all eyes are on Georgia, we know that the country is watching us and watching the response to our election. As Dr. Carol Anderson said, the Trump administration, backed by other Republicans across the state of Georgia, with the exception of our governor, the lieutenant governor and the secretary of state, are pushing forward conspiracy theories. They are pushing forward lies about the election with no substantiated evidence.
We just had Rudy Giuliani here in the state of Georgia last week, in which he brought forward witnesses who did not understand the complexity of Georgia election laws, who did not have any evidence to back up their claims. And they separated the secretary of state from that hearing so there was no opportunity to respond and to refute these arguments that have already been refuted nationally, have already been refuted in our state. And that resulted in increased death threats for election workers. It resulted in death threats to two of our sitting senators who pushed forward the truth, who pushed back on Giuliani’s team.
And what we’re seeing is a referendum on the Trump administration. The last four years, they have wreaked havoc, and Georgia voters are tired of that. The country is tired of that. What we’re also seeing is, the last four years, the Trump administration has sanctioned violence and encouraged violence, and we’re seeing those threats play out in real time.
We’re also seeing the combination of the pandemic play out in these election hearings and these rallies. Giuliani was just diagnosed with COVID yesterday, and he’s put every single one of those senators in that room at risk. He was there without a mask. There were many other people there without a mask. We have two sitting senators who deny that there is a pandemic and who continue to allow the president to push these lies that undermine our democracy.
AMY GOODMAN: If you could go more into — what do you mean, the two senators, Perdue and Loeffler? Again, Loeffler was not ever elected; she was appointed by Kemp — who she refused to fully back up versus Trump in the debate. But what do you mean? What are they saying about coronavirus, where there is, like in other — all over the country, a major surge in Georgia?
REP. BEE NGUYEN: Well, they’re not really saying anything. And the fact that Perdue didn’t show up at the debate yesterday is indicative of his leadership in Georgia. He just not has shown up for the state of Georgia and working families in Georgia. They have not followed science on the virus. They continue to hold rallies without encouraging social distancing, without telling their supporters to wear masks. And we are seeing the results of what happens when people come in close proximity with each other when large gatherings are happening.
They have not pushed forward a stimulus package. You know, you mentioned earlier that Americans are waiting for another round of stimulus. I have constituents who reach out to me every single week telling me they have not even seen unemployment that they’ve filed for many, many months ago. People are losing their homes. They’re getting sick. They are unemployed, losing their cars. Working families need our senators to respond to the pandemic, to follow science, to show them that they understand what it means when we have a public pandemic that is just ravaging us economically. These two senators understood that this was going to be an issue, and instead of informing the public, they took advantage of that information and used it to trade their stocks. And that is not the type of representation that we need here in Georgia or in our Senate.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to go back in history to the last time Senator David Perdue debated Jon Ossoff. After this, he refused to debate him again. This is Jon Ossoff speaking to Perdue in the debate in late October.
JON OSSOFF: You’ve continued to demean yourself throughout this campaign with your conduct. First, you were lengthening my nose in attack ads to remind everybody that I’m Jewish. Then, when that didn’t work, you started calling me some kind of Islamic terrorist. And then, when that didn’t work, you started calling me a Chinese communist. It’s ridiculous.
AMY GOODMAN: So, state Representative Bee Nguyen, this pretty much blew him off the stage for the rest of debates. He also called him a criminal and said, whether it’s him or his handlers in Washington, is it really worth selling your soul, he said, for doing what was happening. Carol Anderson — rather, state Representative Nguyen, if you can talk about the significance of what he was saying?
REP. BEE NGUYEN: Yeah. I mean, Jon Ossoff has called Perdue out. He is not being shy about calling him out for who he is. He is speaking the truth about the sitting senator, who is xenophobic, who is racist, who does have a history of standing by Trump side by side, who is not pushing forward any policy solutions. He is ready to take healthcare away from Americans during a pandemic. He has no policy issues to stand behind.
In fact, when Jon Ossoff was visiting a small business, Slutty Vegan, one that is Black-owned, who has done just a tremendous job of expanding their entrepreneurship throughout the city of Atlanta, Perdue’s response was to make fun of Jon Ossoff for visiting this business. You know, these are small businesses in the state of Georgia who need support economically, who need us to uplift the small businesses. And quite frankly, you know, I don’t know of any American on either side of the aisle who support demeaning and belittling a small business. And it just shows how out of touch Senator Perdue is with working Georgians.
AMY GOODMAN: You mentioned death threats against state legislators. You, yourself, state Representative Bee Nguyen, have a fascinating background. You’re the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants. You’re the first Vietnamese American state representative. Your family then went on to help settle a Syrian refugee family in 2015. Can you talk about how your own life story informs what you do today and your response to the politics of Georgia and the divisions right now?
REP. BEE NGUYEN: Absolutely. I mean, my life story and my lived experience informs me on policies and informs me on humanity, quite frankly. When my parents left Vietnam, they fled in the middle of the night on a boat. And at the time, it was President Jimmy Carter who expanded the number of Vietnamese refugees being accepted into America. And it was a Republican governor, Governor Robert Ray from Iowa, who opened his state and said, “We will accept as many refugees as we can into the state of Iowa.” That bipartisan spirit is completely absent in today’s politics.
And growing up in a state like Georgia, I am part of what we call the New South, a coalition of Black, Brown, Asian, young folks, progressive folks who want to see a state and a country that embraces diversity and that understands that cultural differences and what we contribute makes our country unique and special. And that’s what makes America great, quite frankly. We’ve been battling the last four years the rise of white supremacy and nationalism, which we know has always existed in this country, but when it’s endorsed by somebody who is at the highest-sitting office, who has pushed forward this idea of violence against people and threatening people, where this has become a norm, you know, it’s a time and a place where being in Georgia is critically important, as the world is watching us and how we respond.
And I’m very disappointed in my colleagues who have not spoken up against the violence being directed to — our two sitting senators — to the secretary of state and his wife, to Gabe Sterling, to the governor. It’s unacceptable. It is not how we want to live in this country. And it is being pushed by the Trump, and he — by Trump, and he has enabled this to rise to the surface. And we really need to grapple with what that means for our country and for our state and how we can move forward, because we can’t take this anymore. It is literally endangering the lives of people who are just doing their jobs, who are just trying to make this country a better place for everybody.
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to go to Gabe Sterling, the election manager you talked about. Again, the state leadership of Georgia is Republican — the state election manager, Gabe Sterling; the secretary of state; and, of course, Brian Kemp, the governor. I want to go to Gabe Sterling, who made this emotional plea last week around the Republican leadership of our country, around President Trump and Giuliani, who was just there, now tested positive for COVID-19, after not clear how many people he posed with, none of them was he wearing a mask. This is Gabe Sterling.
GABRIEL STERLING: Mr. President, it looks like you likely lost the state of Georgia. We’re investigating. There’s always a possibility. I get it. And you have the rights to go through the courts. What you don’t have the ability to do — and you need to step up and say this — is, stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence. Someone’s going to get hurt. Someone’s going to get shot. Someone’s going to get killed.
AMY GOODMAN: That was Gabe Sterling. I want to go back to the debate that took place last night. In August, players with the WNBA’s — the women’s basketball league — Atlanta Dream urged fans to elect Senate Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock. Senator Kelly Loeffler is the co-owner of the franchise. Several players arrived at the league’s coronavirus bubble in Florida wearing black T-shirts that read “Vote Warnock” in white letters. The action came after Loeffler slammed the WNBA’s racial justice initiative for the 2020 season, saying any alignment with the Black Lives Matter movement sends a message of exclusion, as they seek to defund the police. This is debate panelist Lisa Rayam questioning Loeffler.
LISA RAYAM: You’ve called the Black Lives Matter movement fascist. You’ve alienated members of your own basketball team by talking about that stance, or taking that stance, rather. Is that still your view tonight, after seeing and hearing how it hits home with so many people personally?
SEN. KELLY LOEFFLER: The life of every African American is important, and there is no place for racism in this country. But there are organizations whose number one goal is to defund the police. And we know that that hurts minority communities more than anyone, and we have to stand with our men and women of law enforcement.
AMY GOODMAN: Carol Anderson, can you talk about this constant refrain of Senator Loeffler as she would continually attack Reverend Warnock?
CAROL ANDERSON: Yes. I mean, this “defund the police,” “radical leftist,” “leftist radical,” “defund,” those are like putting, like, chum in the water for a base that is feeling, as Trump said, victimized. They’re victims. But the real problem here is that it is a racist dog whistle. And that’s what we have to understand. It is deliberately misunderstanding what Black Lives Matter is really all about. It is designed to wipe that away, the same way they called Martin Luther King a communist, is what she was doing to Reverend Warnock yesterday.
And what this is about is — what she didn’t deal with was eight minutes and 46 seconds. George Floyd had a knee on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. Loeffler will not deal with that. She will not deal with seven bullets in the back of Jacob Blake. She will not deal with a basic no-knock warrant that ended up killing Breonna Taylor. So, this is what Black Lives Matter is talking about, is the use of state violence against Black people. Instead, she engages in these dog whistles that are designed to create this fervor for holding back this supposedly Black mass that will overturn everything, overturn the American dream. It is marketing — racist marketing 101.
AMY GOODMAN: We’re going to break and then come back to this discussion, and we’ll be joined by Cliff Albright, who is suing the Georgia secretary of state — his organization — for pulling something like 200,000 voters off the voter rolls. Carol Anderson is a professor at Emory University. Georgia Representative Bee Nguyen is in the Georgia Legislature. And we’ll be joined by Cliff Albright, who is one of the co-founders of Black Voters Matter. Stay with us.


democracynow--2020-12-07--Headlines for December  7, 2020

Headlines for December  7, 2020

Bahrain has become the second country to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine , after the U.K. , where the first doses of the vaccine are set to be administered starting Tuesday .
Meanwhile , Moscow began distributing its Sputnik V shot to clinics this weekend and said it is rolling out its nationwide voluntary vaccination program this week .
And Indonesia has received its first shipment of a Chinese-manufactured coronavirus vaccine from Sinovac Biotech .
In India , the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine could be available for purchase by March , according to a major manufacturer , in the first indication that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ private market in some places .
The World Health Organization ’ s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said coronavirus vaccines must be treated as public goods .
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus : “ We simply can not accept a world in which the poor and marginalized are trampled by the rich and powerful in the stampede for vaccines .
This is a global crisis , and the solutions must be shared equitably as global public goods , not as private commodities that widen inequalities.
” The WHO is also warning against complacency in other public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out , emphasizing “ vaccines do not equal zero COVID .
”

In California, San Francisco and four other Bay Area counties proactively went into a strict lockdown Sunday to prevent more infections, even though the area does not yet meet Governor Gavin Newsom’s threshold for a full lockdown. Under the new order, businesses including hair salons and spas, theaters, museums, sports venues and bars must close. Restaurants will be limited to takeout and delivery. Nearly 85% of California residents will now be under stay-at-home orders through Christmas.
In news from Washington, D.C., President Trump announced Sunday his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani tested positive for COVID-19. He was reportedly admitted to a D.C. hospital.
In immigration news, over 1,000 unaccompanied refugee children in U.S. custody have tested positive for COVID-19 since March.


democracynow--2020-12-08--In Blow to Drug War, House Backs Decriminalizing Pot as Voters OK Legalization Ballot Initiatives

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González .
In a historic move , the House of Representatives voted Friday to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level and expunge nonviolent convictions for marijuana-related offenses to , quote , “ address the devastating injustices caused by the War on Drugs , ” unquote .
Next year will mark half a century since President Richard Nixon declared drugs , quote , “ public enemy number one.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sales tax on marijuana products to be reinvested in community grants and programs , including job training , legal aid and substance abuse treatment for communities that were disproportionately targeted by the “ war on drugs.
” This comes as Arizona and New Jersey voters approved ballot measures last month to legalize the possession and use of recreational marijuana for adults aged 21 and up .
In South Dakota , voters approved both medical and recreational marijuana .
For more on this and other key ballot initiatives that passed this election , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , national political director for the American Civil Liberties Union .
We don ’ t have much time , Ronnie .
And thank you so much for joining us .
Why don ’ t you start on the marijuana legislation , both in the House and these ballot initiatives around the country ?
RONALD NEWMAN : Absolutely .
Thank you , Amy .
Very good to be here this morning .
You mentioned “ historic.
” That is the key fact to highlight about the vote in Congress .
Never before has Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
You also mentioned some of the key elements that came in that legislation , and those are elements that we , as an institution , care quite a bit about — the social justice aspects of that legislation : first , expungement , so people aren ’ t saddled with the collateral consequences of having a marijuana conviction on their record ; in addition to that , the reinvestment provisions that try to ensure that tax proceeds are funneled back into communities that have been destroyed over the last 50 years by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That action in Congress was a really big deal .
There ’ s more to do .
We still need to make it through the Senate , and that will take some time .
But that ’ s good news .
And the trendline is also strong .
You mentioned the ballot measures , in blue states , in purple states , in red states .
We are developing a collective consensus that we need not throw people behind bars for use of marijuana , and we should be happy about that progress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ give us a sense of the scope over these last 50 years ?
Are there numbers on the number of people who were arrested for marijuana-related crimes ?
RONALD NEWMAN : We are talking millions of people .
Even today , even after the progress that we ’ ve made , half a million people are arrested every year for marijuana possession .
And these arrests and convictions have consequences that stick with people for a lifetime .
This misguided approach to drug use has hurt millions of people , and we must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is important to also note that it ’ s had a disproportionate impact on communities of color .
Again , even today , Black people are four times as likely to be arrested for marijuana possession , even though study after study has demonstrated the usage rates are roughly the same between Black people and white people .
So the damage has been significant .
AMY GOODMAN : And can you talk about some of the surprises in how states voted ?
I mean , we ’ re talking Oregon , Arizona , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
What surprised you most ?
And how will it change the laws in these states ?
RONALD NEWMAN : Yeah .
So , the cross-ideological and sort of bipartisan support for this direction is the most promising and most surprising piece .
I mean , take a state like South Dakota , where Trump won handily .
Sixty percent of the population voted for Trump , but they also voted , pretty convincingly , to legalize marijuana .
So there ’ s a cross-ideological consensus there .
Montana , same story : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican candidates won , and the race for the president and the race for governor and the race for Senate , but , despite that , marijuana legalization passed convincingly .
And so , that is important .
And that shows that the country as a whole is moving in the right direction .
I would like to take a quick second on Oregon , because that is historic and precedent-setting in a different , especially unique way .
For people that don ’ t know , in Oregon , the voters passed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for all drugs , not just marijuana .
But the population of Oregon made a collective judgment that for people engaged in low-level drug use , regardless of the drug , the best , most reasonable , most appropriate response is treatment , not prison .
And that also is a philosophical corner that we ’ re turning as a people that is something to be proud of .
So what we need to do now is we need to take Oregon to other states and , when we ’ re having this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oregon be the default , as opposed to the one-of-a-kind event that happened this electoral cycle .
AMY GOODMAN : We want to thank you , Ronald Newman , for joining us .
And we ’ re going to talk to you after the show and post it online about the right to counsel for people who are facing eviction in Boulder , Colorado .
Also we want to talk about low-wage jobs and what happened with legislation there .
Ronald Newman , ACLU national political director .
A very happy birthday to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Goodman , with Juan González .
Stay safe .
Wear a mask .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
In a historic move, the House of Representatives voted Friday to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level and expunge nonviolent convictions for marijuana-related offenses to, quote, “address the devastating injustices caused by the War on Drugs,” unquote. Next year will mark half a century since President Richard Nixon declared drugs, quote, “public enemy number one.” The MORE Act also authorizes a 5% sales tax on marijuana products to be reinvested in community grants and programs, including job training, legal aid and substance abuse treatment for communities that were disproportionately targeted by the “war on drugs.” This comes as Arizona and New Jersey voters approved ballot measures last month to legalize the possession and use of recreational marijuana for adults aged 21 and up. In South Dakota, voters approved both medical and recreational marijuana.
For more on this and other key ballot initiatives that passed this election, we’re joined again by Ronald Newman, national political director for the American Civil Liberties Union.
We don’t have much time, Ronnie. And thank you so much for joining us. Why don’t you start on the marijuana legislation, both in the House and these ballot initiatives around the country?
RONALD NEWMAN: Absolutely. Thank you, Amy. Very good to be here this morning.
You mentioned “historic.” That is the key fact to highlight about the vote in Congress. Never before has Congress passed a legalization bill of this nature.
You also mentioned some of the key elements that came in that legislation, and those are elements that we, as an institution, care quite a bit about — the social justice aspects of that legislation: first, expungement, so people aren’t saddled with the collateral consequences of having a marijuana conviction on their record; in addition to that, the reinvestment provisions that try to ensure that tax proceeds are funneled back into communities that have been destroyed over the last 50 years by the misguided “war on drugs.” That action in Congress was a really big deal.
There’s more to do. We still need to make it through the Senate, and that will take some time. But that’s good news. And the trendline is also strong. You mentioned the ballot measures, in blue states, in purple states, in red states. We are developing a collective consensus that we need not throw people behind bars for use of marijuana, and we should be happy about that progress.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And could you give us a sense of the scope over these last 50 years? Are there numbers on the number of people who were arrested for marijuana-related crimes?
RONALD NEWMAN: We are talking millions of people. Even today, even after the progress that we’ve made, half a million people are arrested every year for marijuana possession. And these arrests and convictions have consequences that stick with people for a lifetime. This misguided approach to drug use has hurt millions of people, and we must aggressively move beyond it. And it is important to also note that it’s had a disproportionate impact on communities of color. Again, even today, Black people are four times as likely to be arrested for marijuana possession, even though study after study has demonstrated the usage rates are roughly the same between Black people and white people. So the damage has been significant.
AMY GOODMAN: And can you talk about some of the surprises in how states voted? I mean, we’re talking Oregon, Arizona, New Jersey, Montana, South Dakota. What surprised you most? And how will it change the laws in these states?
RONALD NEWMAN: Yeah. So, the cross-ideological and sort of bipartisan support for this direction is the most promising and most surprising piece. I mean, take a state like South Dakota, where Trump won handily. Sixty percent of the population voted for Trump, but they also voted, pretty convincingly, to legalize marijuana. So there’s a cross-ideological consensus there. Montana, same story: Up and down the ballot, conservative Republican candidates won, and the race for the president and the race for governor and the race for Senate, but, despite that, marijuana legalization passed convincingly. And so, that is important. And that shows that the country as a whole is moving in the right direction.
I would like to take a quick second on Oregon, because that is historic and precedent-setting in a different, especially unique way. For people that don’t know, in Oregon, the voters passed a ballot measure that decriminalized drug possession for all drugs, not just marijuana. But the population of Oregon made a collective judgment that for people engaged in low-level drug use, regardless of the drug, the best, most reasonable, most appropriate response is treatment, not prison. And that also is a philosophical corner that we’re turning as a people that is something to be proud of. So what we need to do now is we need to take Oregon to other states and, when we’re having this conversation five years from now, have Oregon be the default, as opposed to the one-of-a-kind event that happened this electoral cycle.
AMY GOODMAN: We want to thank you, Ronald Newman, for joining us. And we’re going to talk to you after the show and post it online about the right to counsel for people who are facing eviction in Boulder, Colorado. Also we want to talk about low-wage jobs and what happened with legislation there. Ronald Newman, ACLU national political director.
A very happy birthday to Carla Wills! I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González. Stay safe. Wear a mask.


democracynow--2020-12-08--After Prop 22 Win for Uber & Lyft, Advocates Fear New Wave of Anti-Worker Laws Pushed by Big Tech

This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
, democracynow.org , The Quarantine Report .
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González , as we look now at how ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft scored a major victory against worker rights in the election with the passage of Prop 22 in California , and how they ’ re now pushing similar measures in other states .
During the campaign to pass Prop 22 , Uber and Lyft spent a record-setting $ 205 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with misleading advertisements and messages that promised minimum wage , healthcare and protections that are typically consistent with a full-time job .
One ad appropriated the words of the legendary poet Maya Angelou as it showed images of Black and Brown workers getting ready for their morning drive to pick up passengers .
AMY GOODMAN : One survey of California voters who voted yes to Prop 22 showed 40 % thought they were supporting gig workers ’ ability to earn a living wage .
But the measure will actually stop gig workers from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them from accessing the benefits of being on the payroll , such as contributions for Social Security and Medicare benefits and overtime pay .
Prop 22 overrides AB 5 , a major labor law passed in California in 2019 that extended employee classification to gig workers .
Now critics worry the proposition could have dire implications for labor rights across the country .
The proposition was also backed by DoorDash , Instacart and Postmates , which Uber now owns .
It was also pushed by Tony West , the brother-in-law of Vice President-elect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s chief legal officer .
For more , we go to California .
In Oakland , we ’ re joined by Cherri Murphy .
She is a Lyft driver and organizer with Gig Workers Rising .
She wrote a piece for The Guardian headlined “ Uber bought itself a law .
Here ’ s why that ’ s dangerous for struggling drivers like me.
” And Veena Dubal joins us , professor of law at University of California , Hastings , who writes extensively about the gig economy and says , during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of many critics subjected to online and offline attacks , including a massive Public Records Act request for her emails and text messages from one of the campaign ’ s PR firms .
We welcome you both to Democracy Now !
Cherri Murphy , let ’ s begin with you .
You ’ re a Lyft driver for a few years .
This was billed as a way to bring financial security to people like you .
Is it financial security that you ’ re in fact getting , or do you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make a living and be secure ?
CHERRI MURPHY : Amy , thanks for having me .
As you mentioned , along with Lyft , Instacart , DoorDash and Postmates , these app companies spent more than over $ 200 million , some say $ 220 million — the most spent in any ballot campaign in U.S. history — to purchase Proposition 22 in California .
And with its passage , the law will now exempt drivers like me from basic wage and labor protections afforded to most workers in the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and recession .
And because of that , we will be afforded no paid sick leave , no family leave , no workmen ’ s compensation , no unemployment insurance , no overtime , and no protective equipment in the middle of a pandemic .
Most of the drivers are communities of color .
Fifty-six percent of them are immigrants .
No protection from discrimination based on immigration status or historical traits to race .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And , Cherri Murphy , what ’ s your response to what these companies are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these kinds of jobs offer a freedom and flexibility that normal workers would not be able to have , a way to realize your economic dreams ?
CHERRI MURPHY : So , these billion-dollar corporations can afford to provide workers flexibility and benefits , like I mentioned , unemployment insurance .
And there is nothing in the law that is taking away the drivers ’ flexibility .
But during the campaign , it was a major threat from these companies , because they know that it scared drivers .
We had a UC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say that these companies would still need the type of flexibility considering .
And there ’ s nothing flexible about cutting wages and healthcares for workers or weakening safety regulations or chipping away workers ’ rights , or even putting drivers and riders at risk .
These companies fought hard and ruthlessly to get here .
In your show , you mentioned that in the wake of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor , these companies included various platitudes about their commitment to racial justice in the Black community .
And many of us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support of Black lives , and complete of hollow words by well-paid public relations teams and absent of any real change .
And we rejected these attempts , because we know that racial justice is economic justice , and we saw this as an attempt to dodge their responsibility for the exploitation of Black and Brown workers every day .
Many of us know that this fight is not only about police killings and terror , but it ’ s about every institution that exploits and abuses Black and Brown people .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and their corporate cronies , they ’ re experts .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : I ’ d like to , if possible , bring in Veena Dubal , the professor of law at the University of California , Hastings .
I wanted to ask you about the role of these corporate Democrats with some of these key gig economy firms .
I think of , for instance , David Plouffe , who used to be one of Obama ’ s closest friends and aides , who first went to work for Uber , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Mark Zuckerberg ’ s charity .
You also had Anthony Foxx , the former Obama secretary of transportation , who became a top official at Lyft .
There ’ s Matthew Wing , who was a spokesman for Andrew Cuomo , who also became the spokesman for Uber .
All of these corporate Democrats ’ top aides going to work for these firms in the gig economy .
VEENA DUBAL : Yeah .
It ’ s striking that the law that is probably the most dangerous law to workers that we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was architected and heralded by corporate Democrats and not Republicans .
It is a far-right law .
The way that it was passed was anti-democratic .
It is extremely , extremely dangerous to the future , poses an extreme danger to American workers .
And yet , you are exactly right that the people behind it , including Tony West , who is now being potentially considered for attorney general , were corporate Democrats .
AMY GOODMAN : So , can you talk , Professor Dubal , about what you think was most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 58 % of Californians voted — or , of those who voted , voted for it .
AMY GOODMAN : And talk about it being used as a model .
You see this as one of the most serious attacks on labor in all of your studying of labor law in the United States .
VEENA DUBAL : Yes .
So , the reason that it is such a huge attack on labor is because it dismantles — it ’ s this corporate fantasy that they ’ ve been trying to accomplish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of the New Deal protections .
Workers no longer have access to a minimum wage , to overtime compensation , to unemployment insurance , to workers ’ compensation , to all the things that we know — you know , the very limited protections that working people have in the United States .
Those are all completely gone .
And these are the workers who most need those basic protections , as Cherri articulated .
These are low-wage , mostly people of color workers .
During the campaign — and I should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were spent on a variety of things , but they were mostly spent on bombarding the California electorate , or the voters of California , with misleading advertising on YouTube , on Facebook , on Instagram , on — you know , even when you were searching on Google , sort of the ad that popped up — emails , in-app messages .
I mean , just constant bombarding , bombardment of messaging , that was just inaccurate .
In California , it is legal to be misleading in political advertisements .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ I saw was that the advertisements alleged that workers would be making a minimum wage .
And that is the most important thing for your viewers and listeners to understand about Prop 22 and the danger that it poses , is that it takes away access to a time-based minimum wage , so people are no longer getting paid for all the time that they work .
They are only getting paid when they have an assignment .
So , all of the risks and liabilities traditionally associated with doing business are now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cherri can not , therefore , predict how much they will make in a given day or a given week .
It is at the whim and whimsy of both demand and the corporations themselves .
And if that spreads to other sectors , we are going to face increasing inequality , increasing precarity , the growth of the contingent workforce .
It is going to make it extremely , extremely difficult for working families to survive , to put food on the table .
And , you know , as we all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a big economic depression in the coming years .
And this is the absolute worst time for workers to not have access to just that very basic protection that we ’ ve come to understand is a limited right that Americans have , that ’ s just a time-based minimum wage .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And , Cherri , I ’ m wondering if you could talk about the experiences , especially during the pandemic , of Uber or Lyft drivers and others in the gig economy ?
CHERRI MURPHY : Yeah , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is , is that my views of Lyft were shifting prior to COVID-19 .
The past three years , Lyft has been my primary source of income , and I ’ ve driven over 12,000 rides .
And over the years , as the numbers of bonuses decreased while the demands to complete rides increased , making major cuts to take-home pay , it was becoming increasingly difficult to sustain a living .
And signs of a good deal , with that so-called flexibility , became painfully clear .
And my views of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement have pulled back the curtain and showed Americans diseases for which there still is no vaccine .
And I know about COVID-19 .
While we were seeking solace in our troubled land of Lyft and Uber , were nowhere to be found .
Drivers attempted to secure masks , hand sanitizers , sick time off , unemployment insurance and other protective measures , and we found obstacles and lack of transparency processes .
I couldn ’ t even find a place that was open at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s like to work for Lyft and Uber and these corporate greed app-based companies .
I ’ ve worked long hours with no guaranteed wage , no work breaks , no restroom facilities , no overtime , no protective equipment , no paid sick time .
I know what it ’ s like to always have the looming threat of an accident with no coverage , or a deactivation based on retaliation or discrimination , with no protections , no remedies in place .
I know what it ’ s like to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now , when you have your employer who ’ s denying you unemployment insurance in the middle of a pandemic .
I know what it ’ s like to have your company threaten to shut down because they can ’ t get what they want .
There are stories of drivers who have lost their lives in an effort to pay their bills .
There are stories of drivers who were symptomatic of the virus but yet continued to drive for fear of financial ruin .
AMY GOODMAN : Cherri , Prop 22 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Lyft to investigate customers ’ and drivers ’ harassment claims ?
CHERRI MURPHY : Yes , it does .
It eliminates required sexual harassment training , as well as the obligations on Uber and Lyft to investigate both customers ’ and drivers ’ harassment claims .
And a lot of us know that there are at least 6,000 claims for 2017 and 2018 that went untouched .
What ’ s even more disturbing , as Veena mentioned , is that these companies are promising to roll out this model nationwide , foretelling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this country .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And , Veena Dubal , about this effort to roll it out nationwide , there has been discussion of trying to get a federal law passed .
Could you talk about that ?
VEENA DUBAL : Yeah , they have announced that they are ready and willing to take this really dangerous law to the federal level .
They are already trying to replicate it in a number of states , including New York state .
They have — rolling out advertisements , similarly misleading advertisements to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you know , over the past — since Lyft hit the streets of San Francisco in 2012 , 2013 , over the past seven years , almost a decade , they have — at the company ’ s behest , a number of bills have been written , and even introduced , to do exactly what Prop 22 does , which is create a substandard category of worker under the U.S. law .
And I think they think they have a blueprint now .
They got this passed in California .
And as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California tends to spread all over the country and even the world .
And so , I think that we are going to see a flood of misinformation in states and on the federal level about what gig work is , the kinds of benefits supposedly that it offers .
We ’ re going to hear a lot of dishonest representations of what freedom and flexibility it offers and how people need this work .
And it ’ s so important for people to understand , for voters , for Americans to understand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the hard-won protections that workers have .
We are at a point in technology and history where we should be expanding workers ’ rights .
And instead , this law has completely stripped them away .
AMY GOODMAN : And , Veena Dubal , in just 30 seconds , if you can explain what happened to you as you campaigned against Prop 22 , the mass investigation that was done of you ?
VEENA DUBAL : Yeah .
I had extreme forms of harassment from the PR campaign , which is — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a result of disinformation and harassment .
It was very Trumpian in that sense .
I got massive text and email Public Records Act requests .
I was constantly harassed online and offline .
Someone put my home address up on Twitter .
I was doxxed .
It was a lot of misinformation on the right-wing blogosphere .
It was really something .
You know , they were scared of what I had to say .
And I will continue to say it , because if this spreads past California , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of inequality than we are already experiencing .
AMY GOODMAN : Finally , Professor Dubal , we at Democracy Now !
wanted to extend our deepest condolences to you on the loss of your brother , Sam Dubal — AMY GOODMAN : — the University of Washington anthropology professor .
He has been missing since early October , when he embarked on a solo 17-mile overnight hike on Mount Rainier in Washington state .
Friends and family say he ’ ll be remembered for his deep commitment to antiracism in medicine .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of your family , saying , quote , “ We carry your prayers , thoughts & good wishes for Sam Dubal as we begin to grieve & celebrate his remarkable life & kind soul .
After a thorough search , the outer limits of time for survivability have passed .
Our deepest gratitude to all , including the brave searchers & community.
” Your brother was an amazing researcher , antiracist academic .
If you want to share a few final thoughts about your brother ?
VEENA DUBAL : So kind of you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have his name mentioned on Democracy Now !
Sam was the kindest , most brilliant , most dedicated , ethical researcher , friend , community member , advocate that I have ever met in my life .
He was — truly , truly had the spirit of social justice lit his life and lit his soul .
He loved Democracy Now !
He loved you , Amy Goodman and Juan González .
And we miss him so , so very much .
I will do everything I can , with every day of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and to work in his memory , and that includes fighting this kind of economic injustice and inequality .
AMY GOODMAN : Well , Veena , thanks again .
And again , our condolences to everyone in your family .
VEENA DUBAL : Thank you very much .
AMY GOODMAN : Veena Dubal , law professor at the University of California , Hastings , who writes about the gig economy , and Cherri Murphy , Lyft driver with Gig Workers Rising .
Well , next , we will continue to look at ballot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote Friday by the House to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level .
We ’ ll be back in 30 seconds .

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The Quarantine Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González, as we look now at how ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft scored a major victory against worker rights in the election with the passage of Prop 22 in California, and how they’re now pushing similar measures in other states.
During the campaign to pass Prop 22, Uber and Lyft spent a record-setting $205 million to bombard voters and their own workers with misleading advertisements and messages that promised minimum wage, healthcare and protections that are typically consistent with a full-time job. One ad appropriated the words of the legendary poet Maya Angelou as it showed images of Black and Brown workers getting ready for their morning drive to pick up passengers.
MAYA ANGELOU: Lift up your eyes upon
This day breaking for you.
Give birth again
To the dream.
Women, children, men,
Take it into the palms of your hands,
Mold it into the shape of your most
Private need. Sculpt it into
The image of your most public self.
Lift up your hearts
Each new hour holds new chances
For a new beginning.
AMY GOODMAN: One survey of California voters who voted yes to Prop 22 showed 40% thought they were supporting gig workers’ ability to earn a living wage. But the measure will actually stop gig workers from being eligible for job protections and prevent them from accessing the benefits of being on the payroll, such as contributions for Social Security and Medicare benefits and overtime pay. Prop 22 overrides AB 5, a major labor law passed in California in 2019 that extended employee classification to gig workers. Now critics worry the proposition could have dire implications for labor rights across the country.
The proposition was also backed by DoorDash, Instacart and Postmates, which Uber now owns. It was also pushed by Tony West, the brother-in-law of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who is Uber’s chief legal officer.
For more, we go to California. In Oakland, we’re joined by Cherri Murphy. She is a Lyft driver and organizer with Gig Workers Rising. She wrote a piece for The Guardian headlined “Uber bought itself a law. Here’s why that’s dangerous for struggling drivers like me.”
And Veena Dubal joins us, professor of law at University of California, Hastings, who writes extensively about the gig economy and says, during the campaign for Prop 22, she was one of many critics subjected to online and offline attacks, including a massive Public Records Act request for her emails and text messages from one of the campaign’s PR firms.
We welcome you both to Democracy Now! Cherri Murphy, let’s begin with you. You’re a Lyft driver for a few years. This was billed as a way to bring financial security to people like you. Is it financial security that you’re in fact getting, or do you feel that this is subverting your ability to make a living and be secure?
CHERRI MURPHY: Amy, thanks for having me.
As you mentioned, along with Lyft, Instacart, DoorDash and Postmates, these app companies spent more than over $200 million, some say $220 million — the most spent in any ballot campaign in U.S. history — to purchase Proposition 22 in California. And with its passage, the law will now exempt drivers like me from basic wage and labor protections afforded to most workers in the state, in the middle of a pandemic and recession. And because of that, we will be afforded no paid sick leave, no family leave, no workmen’s compensation, no unemployment insurance, no overtime, and no protective equipment in the middle of a pandemic. Most of the drivers are communities of color. Fifty-six percent of them are immigrants. No protection from discrimination based on immigration status or historical traits to race.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Cherri Murphy, what’s your response to what these companies are constantly promoting in their advertisements, that these kinds of jobs offer a freedom and flexibility that normal workers would not be able to have, a way to realize your economic dreams?
CHERRI MURPHY: So, these billion-dollar corporations can afford to provide workers flexibility and benefits, like I mentioned, unemployment insurance. And there is nothing in the law that is taking away the drivers’ flexibility. But during the campaign, it was a major threat from these companies, because they know that it scared drivers. We had a UC Berkeley economics professor, in fact, say that these companies would still need the type of flexibility considering. And there’s nothing flexible about cutting wages and healthcares for workers or weakening safety regulations or chipping away workers’ rights, or even putting drivers and riders at risk. These companies fought hard and ruthlessly to get here.
In your show, you mentioned that in the wake of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, these companies included various platitudes about their commitment to racial justice in the Black community. And many of us know that their lip service was in support of Black lives, and complete of hollow words by well-paid public relations teams and absent of any real change. And we rejected these attempts, because we know that racial justice is economic justice, and we saw this as an attempt to dodge their responsibility for the exploitation of Black and Brown workers every day. Many of us know that this fight is not only about police killings and terror, but it’s about every institution that exploits and abuses Black and Brown people. And when it comes to Lyft and Uber and their corporate cronies, they’re experts.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: I’d like to, if possible, bring in Veena Dubal, the professor of law at the University of California, Hastings. I wanted to ask you about the role of these corporate Democrats with some of these key gig economy firms. I think of, for instance, David Plouffe, who used to be one of Obama’s closest friends and aides, who first went to work for Uber, then eventually left Uber and went to work for Mark Zuckerberg’s charity. You also had Anthony Foxx, the former Obama secretary of transportation, who became a top official at Lyft. There’s Matthew Wing, who was a spokesman for Andrew Cuomo, who also became the spokesman for Uber. All of these corporate Democrats’ top aides going to work for these firms in the gig economy.
VEENA DUBAL: Yeah. It’s striking that the law that is probably the most dangerous law to workers that we’ve seen since Taft-Hartley, that it was architected and heralded by corporate Democrats and not Republicans. It is a far-right law. The way that it was passed was anti-democratic. It is extremely, extremely dangerous to the future, poses an extreme danger to American workers. And yet, you are exactly right that the people behind it, including Tony West, who is now being potentially considered for attorney general, were corporate Democrats.
AMY GOODMAN: So, can you talk, Professor Dubal, about what you think was most misleading about this campaign? I mean, 58% of Californians voted — or, of those who voted, voted for it.
VEENA DUBAL: Yeah.
AMY GOODMAN: And talk about it being used as a model. You see this as one of the most serious attacks on labor in all of your studying of labor law in the United States.
VEENA DUBAL: Yes. So, the reason that it is such a huge attack on labor is because it dismantles — it’s this corporate fantasy that they’ve been trying to accomplish for the past century. It dismantles all of the New Deal protections. Workers no longer have access to a minimum wage, to overtime compensation, to unemployment insurance, to workers’ compensation, to all the things that we know — you know, the very limited protections that working people have in the United States. Those are all completely gone. And these are the workers who most need those basic protections, as Cherri articulated. These are low-wage, mostly people of color workers.
During the campaign — and I should say, these $200 million, they were spent on a variety of things, but they were mostly spent on bombarding the California electorate, or the voters of California, with misleading advertising on YouTube, on Facebook, on Instagram, on — you know, even when you were searching on Google, sort of the ad that popped up — emails, in-app messages. I mean, just constant bombarding, bombardment of messaging, that was just inaccurate. In California, it is legal to be misleading in political advertisements.
And probably the most misleading thing that I saw was that the advertisements alleged that workers would be making a minimum wage. And that is the most important thing for your viewers and listeners to understand about Prop 22 and the danger that it poses, is that it takes away access to a time-based minimum wage, so people are no longer getting paid for all the time that they work. They are only getting paid when they have an assignment. So, all of the risks and liabilities traditionally associated with doing business are now on the workers themselves. Drivers like Cherri cannot, therefore, predict how much they will make in a given day or a given week. It is at the whim and whimsy of both demand and the corporations themselves.
And if that spreads to other sectors, we are going to face increasing inequality, increasing precarity, the growth of the contingent workforce. It is going to make it extremely, extremely difficult for working families to survive, to put food on the table. And, you know, as we all are anticipating, we may be facing a big economic depression in the coming years. And this is the absolute worst time for workers to not have access to just that very basic protection that we’ve come to understand is a limited right that Americans have, that’s just a time-based minimum wage.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Cherri, I’m wondering if you could talk about the experiences, especially during the pandemic, of Uber or Lyft drivers and others in the gig economy?
CHERRI MURPHY: Yeah, certainly. So, what I know is, is that my views of Lyft were shifting prior to COVID-19. The past three years, Lyft has been my primary source of income, and I’ve driven over 12,000 rides. And over the years, as the numbers of bonuses decreased while the demands to complete rides increased, making major cuts to take-home pay, it was becoming increasingly difficult to sustain a living. And signs of a good deal, with that so-called flexibility, became painfully clear. And my views of Lyft were shifting.
And so, COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement have pulled back the curtain and showed Americans diseases for which there still is no vaccine. And I know about COVID-19. While we were seeking solace in our troubled land of Lyft and Uber, were nowhere to be found. Drivers attempted to secure masks, hand sanitizers, sick time off, unemployment insurance and other protective measures, and we found obstacles and lack of transparency processes. I couldn’t even find a place that was open at the time. So I know what it’s like to work for Lyft and Uber and these corporate greed app-based companies.
I’ve worked long hours with no guaranteed wage, no work breaks, no restroom facilities, no overtime, no protective equipment, no paid sick time. I know what it’s like to always have the looming threat of an accident with no coverage, or a deactivation based on retaliation or discrimination, with no protections, no remedies in place. I know what it’s like to be in the middle of a pandemic now, when you have your employer who’s denying you unemployment insurance in the middle of a pandemic. I know what it’s like to have your company threaten to shut down because they can’t get what they want. There are stories of drivers who have lost their lives in an effort to pay their bills. There are stories of drivers who were symptomatic of the virus but yet continued to drive for fear of financial ruin.
AMY GOODMAN: Cherri , Prop 22 eliminates required sexual harassment training and Uber and Lyft to investigate customers’ and drivers’ harassment claims?
CHERRI MURPHY: Yes, it does. It eliminates required sexual harassment training, as well as the obligations on Uber and Lyft to investigate both customers’ and drivers’ harassment claims. And a lot of us know that there are at least 6,000 claims for 2017 and 2018 that went untouched. What’s even more disturbing, as Veena mentioned, is that these companies are promising to roll out this model nationwide, foretelling a grim future for gig workers across this country.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Veena Dubal, about this effort to roll it out nationwide, there has been discussion of trying to get a federal law passed. Could you talk about that?
VEENA DUBAL: Yeah, they have announced that they are ready and willing to take this really dangerous law to the federal level. They are already trying to replicate it in a number of states, including New York state. They have — rolling out advertisements, similarly misleading advertisements to the campaign in California. And, you know, over the past — since Lyft hit the streets of San Francisco in 2012, 2013, over the past seven years, almost a decade, they have — at the company’s behest, a number of bills have been written, and even introduced, to do exactly what Prop 22 does, which is create a substandard category of worker under the U.S. law.
And I think they think they have a blueprint now. They got this passed in California. And as we all know, what happens in California tends to spread all over the country and even the world. And so, I think that we are going to see a flood of misinformation in states and on the federal level about what gig work is, the kinds of benefits supposedly that it offers. We’re going to hear a lot of dishonest representations of what freedom and flexibility it offers and how people need this work.
And it’s so important for people to understand, for voters, for Americans to understand, that this law takes away all of the hard-won protections that workers have. We are at a point in technology and history where we should be expanding workers’ rights. And instead, this law has completely stripped them away.
AMY GOODMAN: And, Veena Dubal, in just 30 seconds, if you can explain what happened to you as you campaigned against Prop 22, the mass investigation that was done of you?
VEENA DUBAL: Yeah. I had extreme forms of harassment from the PR campaign, which is — again, this proposition, it passed as a result of disinformation and harassment. It was very Trumpian in that sense. I got massive text and email Public Records Act requests. I was constantly harassed online and offline. Someone put my home address up on Twitter. I was doxxed. It was a lot of misinformation on the right-wing blogosphere. It was really something. You know, they were scared of what I had to say. And I will continue to say it, because if this spreads past California, we are headed for an even worse situation of inequality than we are already experiencing.
AMY GOODMAN: Finally, Professor Dubal, we at Democracy Now! wanted to extend our deepest condolences to you on the loss of your brother, Sam Dubal —
VEENA DUBAL: Thank you.
AMY GOODMAN: — the University of Washington anthropology professor. He has been missing since early October, when he embarked on a solo 17-mile overnight hike on Mount Rainier in Washington state. Friends and family say he’ll be remembered for his deep commitment to antiracism in medicine. In late October, you tweeted a photo of your family, saying, quote, “We carry your prayers, thoughts & good wishes for Sam Dubal as we begin to grieve & celebrate his remarkable life & kind soul. After a thorough search, the outer limits of time for survivability have passed. Our deepest gratitude to all, including the brave searchers & community.” Your brother was an amazing researcher, antiracist academic. If you want to share a few final thoughts about your brother?
VEENA DUBAL: So kind of you. He would be so honored to have his name mentioned on Democracy Now! Sam was the kindest, most brilliant, most dedicated, ethical researcher, friend, community member, advocate that I have ever met in my life. He was — truly, truly had the spirit of social justice lit his life and lit his soul. He loved Democracy Now! He loved you, Amy Goodman and Juan González. And we miss him so, so very much. I will do everything I can, with every day of my life, to continue his spirit and to work in his memory, and that includes fighting this kind of economic injustice and inequality.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, Veena, thanks again. And again, our condolences to everyone in your family.
VEENA DUBAL: Thank you very much.
AMY GOODMAN: Veena Dubal, law professor at the University of California, Hastings, who writes about the gig economy, and Cherri Murphy, Lyft driver with Gig Workers Rising.
Well, next, we will continue to look at ballot initiatives around the country and the historic vote Friday by the House to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. We’ll be back in 30 seconds.