RUHLE: “Next topic. The one other person who can work up a media frenzy as well as President Trump is Kanye West. We know Kanye West came out in support of the President yesterday. We don’t need to cover that, but what we do is Chance the Rapper tweeting somewhat in support, you could say, ‘Black people don’t have to be Democrats.’ What’s your reaction to that?”
MARTIN: “First of all, that’s true. It’s true. Historically, African-Americans after emancipation proclamation all the way through really — even significant numbers when it came to Nixon versus Kennedy in 1960 voted for Republicans. But the reality is, you had Barry Goldwater who ran in 1964 opposing the Civil Rights Act and that caused black folks to say sayonara, including Jackie Robinson, one of the most prominent black Republicans. The reality is, Republicans have also had a southern strategy. So the fact of the matter is, there’s two parts of this country. There’s Republican and there’s Democrat. And if you had to make a judgment who actually appeals to African-Americans when it comes to policy, it’s more than likely Democrats. I’ve long said Republicans could actually make an effort to compete for black votes if they tried to. Unfortunately, they’re scared of black people. They are the ones who are driving voter suppression. They are the ones who don’t want to deal with the issue of criminal justice reform. I can show you significant policies under Donald Trump, his Department of Justice, that do not appeal to African-Americans. So, yes, Chance is correct. He’s not wrong. But black people are some of the most sophisticated voters in America and they are making a judgment. GOP, Democrat, if I had to pick, ain’t going to be —“
VELSHI: “I will say I have talked to a few Republican members of Congress who are very into criminal justice reform and sentencing reform and things like that.”
MARTIN: “Where’s the bill?”
VELSHI: “Maybe a couple weeks. I heard there will be a bill in a a couple weeks.
MARTIN: “No, it’s not. No, it’s not. Senator Tom Cotton has been blocking that bill for the last years. They will not advance the bill.”
RUHLE: “Okay. Let’s focus on it. Our hearts and minds are open. And when they bring this bill forward, we’ll talk to you.
MARTIN: “Don’t hold your breath, then you probably won’t be here.”
(Via Breitbart)