On Monday, leftist CBS Mornings co-host Tony Dokoupil sat down for a softball chat with far-left activist and former Obama Attorney General Eric Holder, promoting the one-time Justice Department chief’s new book that proposes discarding significant portions of the Constitution just to help Democrats seize power. The friendly exchange came just one day after Holder was treated to a similar appearance on Sunday’s Face the Nation.
“Former Attorney General Eric Holder believes our voting rights are in serious danger right now and his new book, Our Unfinished March, is a history of voting in this country and a picture of the situation we’re in today, a dark picture at that,” Dokoupil ominously announced at the start of the interview. He then cited Holder’s hysteria arguing for the upending of the entire American system of government: “...our warped Senate, our gerrymandered House, our malapportioned Electoral College and our politicized Supreme Court – which are the reasons America is a democracy in need of serious renovation...”
Turning to Holder, Dokoupil observed: “You describe a picture of American democracy, flawed in all three branches of government and I want to get to that and the solutions, but I want to begin with the judicial branch.” He then predictably fretted over the leaked draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court was preparing to overturn Roe v. Wade: “If Roe is overturned, and abortion rights are no longer guaranteed in this country, you would support the end of the filibuster to pass a law providing access.”
Holder urged for Democrats to tear down Senate rules in order to circumvent the high court’s potential ruling:
But if Roe were to be overturned, and if we could get past the filibuster, you could pass a federal statute that would declare as the law of the land that women would have the right to reproductive choices that the American people support.
I think that’s something we have to understand here. The Supreme Court is about to do something that is inconsistent with the will of the American people and upon which the American people have relied for the past 50 years.
“Everything you write about in this book is about making sure majority rules in this country and we have a system at the moment where minority rules in some cases,” Dokoupil claimed. He added: “Removing the filibuster would be a way to make sure majority positions take hold.”
However, the host did at least gently challenge his guest: “One criticism would be that it creates a ping-pong effect. Republicans come into power, they ban abortion access. Democrats come back in power, they flip the light switch the other direction. What do you say to that?” Holder tried to dismiss the critique: “The ping-pong effect would be modified by the fact that through the electoral process, if a party comes in, takes power, and puts in place positions that are inconsistent, again, with the desires of the American people, they get voted out.”
Dokoupil wondered if Holder’s current successor could disregard the Court overturning Roe: “Before we move on, I have to ask, as a former Attorney General, would Merrick Garland have any options that you see if Roe is overturned?” Holder suggested that was a “possibility,” but ultimately concluded: “I think the real rejoinder to any decision that the Court might make would be federal legislation.”
Changing topics, Dokoupil teed up Holder: “What do you think the biggest threat is today to voting rights?” The Obama administration hack ranted:
I think it’s a whole range of things. We see voter suppression, we see gerrymandering. We see a whole range of ways in which you’re trying to keep the will of the American people from being expressed in the ballot box.
This is something that’s not inconsistent with what we have seen before and it’s what I talk about in the book, Our Unfinished March, where we have seen in the 19th Century, the 18th Century, the 20th century, attempts made to empower a few and disenfranchise the many.
Moving on to the subject of gerrymandering, Dokoupil rightfully noted: “Both parties do it, right?” Holder rejected that accurate statement: “Well, see, we can’t fall into some notion of equivalency here because in a lot of ways, that’s false....You’re comparing apples and oranges in a lot of ways.” He then wailed: “I’m committed to fighting for fairness because I’m also confident that if the process is fair, the Democrats, progressives will do just fine. We don’t have to cheat. Republicans have to cheat in order to win.”
Dokoupil’s only response to that incendiary comment: “I think they would disagree, but that’s strong statement there.” No attempt to fact-check the claim or demand evidence from Holder.
The anchor then listed more of Holder’s extreme, partisan agenda:
You have a lot of strong ideas in the book. Some of the proposals to increase majority rule in this country would be to term limit Supreme Court justices, to meter appointments from Presidents, you want to get rid of the Electoral College. You want to add two new states, Puerto Rico and D.C.
You yourself in the book, say some of these ideas might seem radical, is there one that you think we should focus on right now and could get done?
Holder assured him: “If we say they’re possible and work towards them, we can make it happen” Dokoupli wrapped up the segment by gushing: “And Mr. Attorney General, I now understand why you end the book an idealist.” Holder replied: “Yes, I’m an idealist because I believe in the American experiment, I believe in this country.”
In reality, Holder does not believe in this country because he wants to rewrite the Constitution in such a way as to make sure Democrats seize and keep power no matter what. If his party were still in danger of losing an election after rigging the system, he would likely propose a whole new slate of radical proposals to prevent an electoral outcome he disagrees with.
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Here is a full transcript of the May 9 interview:
7:30 AM ET
TONY DOKOUPIL: Former Attorney General Eric Holder believes our voting rights are in serious danger right now and his new book, Our Unfinished March, is a history of voting in this country and a picture of the situation we’re in today, a dark picture at that. He describes, quote, “our warped Senate, our gerrymandered House, our malapportioned Electoral College and our politicized Supreme Court – which are the reasons America is a democracy in need of serious renovation,” close quote.
Holder is chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which challenges electoral maps. And he joins us now. Mr. Attorney General, thank you for being here.
ERIC HOLDER: Thanks for having me.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: “Our Unfinished March”; Former AG Eric Holder Says Voting Rights Are In Trouble In New Book]
TONY DOKOUPIL: You describe a picture of American democracy, flawed in all three branches of government and I want to get to that and the solutions, but I want to begin with the judicial branch. If Roe is overturned, and abortion rights are no longer guaranteed in this country, you would support the end of the filibuster to pass a law providing access.
Tell me how that might work?
HOLDER: Yeah, I think that what’s likely to happen is that the decision may actually occur that Roe is overturned, I suspect the language that you saw in the leaked legal opinion will not appear, that’s caustic. I think that it is overheated.
But if Roe were to be overturned, and if we could get past the filibuster, you could pass a federal statute that would declare as the law of the land that women would have the right to reproductive choices that the American people support.
I think that’s something we have to understand here. The Supreme Court is about to do something that is inconsistent with the will of the American people and upon which the American people have relied for the past 50 years.
DOKOUPIL: Everything you write about in this book is about making sure majority rules in this country and we have a system at the moment where minority rules in some cases. Removing the filibuster would be a way to make sure majority positions take hold.
One criticism would be that it creates a ping-pong effect. Republicans come into power, they ban abortion access. Democrats come back in power, they flip the light switch the other direction. What do you say to that?
HOLDER: Well, we have to believe in the American people and believe in our system. The ping-pong effect would be modified by the fact that through the electoral process, if a party comes in, takes power, and puts in place positions that are inconsistent, again, with the desires of the American people, they get voted out.
So yeah, there is the potential for the ping-pong. But you know, we have to believe in the American people as opposed to debasing the systems that we have put in place that for too long, keep the will the American people from directing the way in which the nation should proceed.
DOKOUPIL: Before we move on, I have to ask, as a former Attorney General, would Merrick Garland have any options that you see if Roe is overturned?
HOLDER: You know, there’s the possibility, I suppose, of executive actions. But I think the real rejoinder to any decision that the Court might make would be federal legislation.
DOKOUPIL: All right, so let’s talk voting rights and voting access. What do you think the biggest threat is today to voting rights?
HOLDER: I think it’s a whole range of things. We see voter suppression, we see gerrymandering. We see a whole range of ways in which you’re trying to keep the will of the American people from being expressed in the ballot box.
This is something that’s not inconsistent with what we have seen before and it’s what I talk about in the book, Our Unfinished March, where we have seen in the 19th Century, the 18th Century, the 20th century, attempts made to empower a few and disenfranchise the many.
But I think the thing we have to get, and what I try to talk about in the book, is that ordinary people were able to fight those people who tried to hold on to power in an unjustified way, and actually empower the American people.
The arc that we have seen in this country has always been to empower more people, get more people the right to vote, and we can do that, again.
DOKOUPIL: Yeah, I mean, voting is the right that guarantees all the others. That’s very true. But on the subject of gerrymandering, and you’re committing your career to ending gerrymandering and improving voting access.
Both parties do it, right? So how do you get them to disarm and come to the table and agree on your solution, which would be the sort of independent commissions?
HOLDER: Well, see, we can’t fall into some notion of equivalency here because in a lot of ways, that’s false. What Princeton University said is what – they looked at the gerrymandering the Republicans did in the last cycle in 2012, and said it was the worst gerrymandering of the last half century.
Now, there have been some maps that Democrats would draw in this cycle that I don’t agree with, New York and Maryland among them, but those pale in comparison to what Republicans have done in Texas, Georgia, potentially, in Florida. You’re comparing apples and oranges in a lot of ways. And I am committed – I’m committed to fighting for fairness because I’m also confident that if the process is fair, the Democrats, progressives will do just fine. We don’t have to cheat. Republicans have to cheat in order to win.
DOKOUPIL: I think they would disagree, but that’s strong statement there. You have a lot of strong ideas in the book. Some of the proposals to increase majority rule in this country would be to term limit Supreme Court justices, to meter appointments from Presidents, you want to get rid of the Electoral College. You want to add two new states, Puerto Rico and D.C.
You yourself in the book, say some of these ideas might seem radical, is there one that you think we should focus on right now and could get done?
HOLDER: I mean, I think the possibility exists for all of them to get done. Because the reality is that, you know, if you look back at our history, everything seemed like it was impossible. We had to end an American system of racial apartheid. I’m sure Dr. King had moments where he thought, “We can’t pull this off,” and yet they did.
Women were not likely to get the right to vote. Alice Paul, somebody who we don’t talk about an awful lot, led the movement, and now women have the right to vote. So yeah, we could do away with the Electoral College, there’s a way in which you can do it without amending the Constitution.
We can end partisan gerrymandering, there is federal legislation that was considered and that should have been passed. All of these things are possible. If we limit ourselves and say they’re impossible, they will never happen. If we say they’re possible and work towards them, we can make it happen.
DOKOUPIL: And Mr. Attorney General, I now understand why you end the book an idealist.
HOLDER: Yes, I’m an idealist because I believe in the American experiment, I believe in this country.
DOKOUPIL: Thank you very much, appreciate you being here.
Our Unfinished March goes on sale tomorrow.
