“Humiliated!” Republicans’ huge plan BACKFIRES in devastating fashion

This is Democracy Watch. Mark, you and I. have spoken at length about the Save. America Act, which is something that. Donald Trump says will guarantee. Republican victories for the next 50. years. We are now at the moment that we. have been waiting for, which is. Republicans are now trying to get this. thing through, but they seem to have hit. a pretty damning obstacle. Can you. explain what just happened in the. Senate? Yeah, this whole thing seems. very humiliating for the Republicans. I. mean, they were going to put on some. great show where they were going to. force the Democrats to filibuster the. Save Act, and you know, we were all. supposed to be quaking in our boots. Has. anyone even heard from these guys? No,

they're they're in the Senate doing all. the talking. I mean, Mike Lee every. every 10 minutes is telling us how hard. he's working to pass the Save Act. He's. not working to pass anything. Hey guys, Republicans, here's the key. A. filibuster is when you make the other. side hold the floor and talk. That's not. what the Republicans are doing. They're. just doing all the talking because they. are afraid, Brian, that if they actually. had to bring to a vote this bill, it. would fail. And it would sure as hell fail if they.

had to bring it forward with the. amendments that have been offered by. Senator Schmitt, uh that uh give Donald Trump what he. wants, which bans mail-in voting. So, John Thune right now makes Mike Johnson. look like a giant with a steel backbone. I mean, John Thune is like curled up in. the fetal position in a corner of an. office someplace being like, "Please let. me out of this. I don't know what to do. I've got Mike Lee talking. The Democrats. are all sort of sitting around. My. caucus is furious at me because they.

just uh you know, missed uh time off. from. being back in their in their states. And. I don't have an end game. I don't have. any way to land this plane because guess. what? I don't have the votes to pass the. Save Act. I definitely don't have the. votes to pass it with Donald Trump's. crazy amendments, but if I just say, "Guys, this is done," then I'm going to. get attacked by Donald Trump and his. cronies. So, talk to me about the. difference between what it would mean to. actually nuke the filibuster, which is. their option to get this thing passed. with a simple majority, versus what the.

Republicans are actually doing right. now, which is what they're trying to. frame as like this quasi filibuster, kind of reversed. Yeah, it's not a filibuster at all. So, let's just start with the proposition. that a filibuster is when. someone opposing a bill holds the floor. and talks and talks and talks and talks. and talks with the goal that the people. who favor the bill will want to go home. or move on or go to sleep or whatever, and they'll give up, right? So, that's. what a filibuster is. A filibuster is.

you're holding the floor to prevent some. floor action from taking place. Now, Republicans have talked about two. different scenarios leading up to this. past week. The first was that they would. force a filibuster. and then. vote to essentially do away with the. filibuster, right? They would by 50. votes or 51 50 votes plus the vice. president. change the rule of the Senate when it to. essentially change the rules so there.

wouldn't be a filibuster. So, that's. That's the sort of plan one. And Mike. Johnson has been making clear to anyone. and everyone who will listen at 1600. Pennsylvania Avenue and elsewhere that. there are not the votes in the US Senate. to do that. So, that led Mike Lee and the geniuses. uh in the Republican hardline caucus. to say, well, what we at least ought to. do is a talking filibuster, which is All. right, maybe we can't do away with the. filibuster, but we should make the. Democrats hold the floor.

for a prolonged period of time, and if they give up, then we call the. question, right? So, So, essentially. what they're saying is, look, it. shouldn't be enough that the Democrats. just say that they'll hold the floor. We. should make them hold the floor. Now, there are a lot of reasons why that was. not attractive to John Thune. Basically, Democrats could first of all hold the. floor for a really long time because. they could each take turns and then they. get to. speak again, but also, they could make. Republicans vote on really unpopular. things. So, lots of reasons why John. Thune thought that was a bad idea. But. what has happened is just an utter. defeat and humiliation for the.

Republicans. Which is they're not making. the Democrats hold the floor at all. Mike Lee is holding the floor. Eric. Schmitt is holding the floor. All of. these Republicans are holding the floor. What, I guess to filibuster their own. bill, Brian? Right, this isn't a. filibuster at all. So, really there's nothing actually. there's nothing that the Democrats have. to do here other than just listen to. Republicans try to sell a bill that at. the end of the day is doomed because. there aren't enough votes in the Senate.

They're not actually willing to nuke the. filibuster. And even if they were, Donald Trump is offering so many poison. pills that it makes it that it makes it. impossible for even his own conference. to sign on to this thing. Right, this is. the point. Like, I think in the end Mike. Johnson's got to figure out how to land. this plane, and it's not going to be. easy because it is quite possible that. if he put this up for a vote, it would. go down on a 50-vote threshold. In other. words, there may not be 50 votes in the. Senate for for what it is that Donald. Trump wants. In fact, I strongly suspect.

there are not 50 votes, which is the. why, as we record this, Donald Trump's. amendments, they've been offered, they. haven't been voted on, and I think. that's because if you're John Thune, what do you do? Right, you've got you've. got a president who thinks that they. should pass with 60 votes. You've got. actual senators who don't want to vote. for it at all. And so, as a result, it. is the Republicans who are just making a. laughing stock fool of themselves, talking endlessly to themselves, you. know, and maybe a handful of their. supporters, Yeah. while the rest of the.

Republicans in the Senate are like being. like, "What the are we here for?". Right. Well, it's looming above all of. this, of course, is the threat that. Donald Trump himself made, which is that. even absent legislative action, he's. going to find a way to usher this stuff. through. So, I want to talk to you about. about the possibility or the likelihood. of some executive order, but before we. do that, I just want to note that the. best coverage online of all things Save. Act, Save America Act, voting rights. legislation is happening at Democracy. Docket, which is the news outlet Mark.

founded to focus on everything voting. and elections. If you at all care about. any of this stuff, democracy, voting. rights, anything in this whole realm, legal news, please make sure that you're. subscribed to Democracy Docket. I'm. going to put that link right here on the. screen and also in the post description. of this video. That way it'll help help. support Mark's work, not just in the. courts, but also in the media space. where we need to elevate his voice. So, again, that link is right here on the. screen and also in the post description. So, Mark, as I was asking before, this. idea that Donald Trump, absent any. legislative action, will still be able.

to get this stuff done. Yeah, so, look, Donald Trump is going to. try, but I think this whole Save Act thing. has set him back by a lot. You know, it. would have been one thing if Donald. Trump had just said, "Look, you know, Congress is not going to pass the Save. Act, and I'm going to act, and I'm going. to violate the Constitution, I'm going. to violate my oath of office." He would. have issued an executive order, my law. firm and I would have gone to court, we. would have sued them, we would have won, just like we sued and won last time he. issued an unconstitutional. executive order on voting, and that.

would have been like fine. Instead, he. raised the stakes up and up and up and. said, you know, "I'm not going to. support any senator who doesn't vote for. it." I think he at one point said he was. going to hold up all legislation until. this bill was passed. So, now he looks. like a paper tiger. Now Donald Trump. looks like a clownish fool that can't. even control his own Senate members. Right. >> And so, who's afraid of Donald Trump? I. don't know, not me, not you, none of no. one out there watching this should be. afraid of Donald Trump. And his. executive order? He'll issue it, it'll.

get struck down, we'll move on. So, this is not the kind of thing, if he. does issue an executive order, where he. issues it, it takes effect only until. and unless it's struck down by the. courts. This is the kind of thing that. for it to take effect, it would have to. be upheld affirmatively upheld by a. court. Well, look, I mean, I do worry. that there will be Republican states. that will use even the thinnest fig leaf. >> Right. of an excuse to say that they. have to follow his executive order or.

his wishes. And so, my message to them. is if you do that, you're going to get. sued and you're going to lose. Okay? Like that's just like a simple message. You know, Ron DeSantis, if you're. watching this, you promised me you were. going to sign. your own mini Save Act. You know, you. you talked a big game. I told you we. were going to sue you the moment you. signed it and now where are we? Where. are we, Ronnie? No Save Act in Florida. Anyway, there going to be Republican. governors that are going to talk a tough. game and they'll get sued and they'll. lose. But, you know, the bigger fight.

here, the bigger um story is just how. foolish the Republicans wound up looking. on what was the big issue. Remember, this was the thing that Donald Trump. wanted to have the fight over in the. first quarter of an election year. You. know, he made it a centerpiece of his. State of the Union. He has posts on. social media about it. He's issued press. conference after press conference about. it. And here he is looking like a. powerless fool while Mike Lee, I don't.

know if you saw this, uh and I don't know if you have the clip. of Mike Lee went on Maria Bartiromo. >> Yeah, let's do it. >> Talk about the easiest interview in the. world, right? I mean, like it's legal he. might as well just be interviewing. himself and he got stumped by Maria. Bartiromo on hey, how many people. committed voter fraud in 2020 and 2024. and this is what we got from him. Excuse. Senator, how big of an issue do you. think this really is in terms of secure. elections? For example, how many people.

do you estimate voted in 2020 and in. 2024 that were not legal. I I don't know those numbers, but what I. do believe is that there are at least. tens of thousands, probably hundreds of. thousands, by the time all the research. is done, uh of people who have registered to vote. in elections in one state or another, and regardless of how many of those have. voted in the past. Uh we have to.

remember that there are 30 million plus. non-citizens in this country, 10 or 15. million of whom came into this country. illegally between 2021 and 2024 alone. So, [snorts] regardless of how many may. have voted in the past, what you have to. look for is how many have registered and. how many could register if we don't. close this gap. Because, Maria, all you. have to do right now, if you're a. non-citizen, legal or not legal, go into. a DMV in almost any state, fill out a. driver's license application form, and.

then check a box and sign your name. saying that you're certified to you were. legally allowed to vote in the United. States, and all of a sudden, you were a. registered voter. >> So, that's Mike Lee being like, "Well, I. don't really know how many it was in. 2020 or 2024." And by the way, that's. not going to make Trump happy, right? Because Trump Trump thinks he knows. And. the reason why Mike Lee is saying he. doesn't know is because he knows that. it's such a vanishingly small number. >> Right. That'll make him look even more. pathetic than he already looks. Well, the reality is, and you and I have.

spoken about this, but I think for. posterity, it's worth it's worth. bringing up here. I mean, there have. been studies of ballot fraud in this. country. There was one study that lasted. 14 years, looked at over a billion. ballots cast, and they found 31. instances of ballot fraud. And and, you. know, it it there were. You also, uh can you talk a little bit. about the the study that you talked. about on Democracy Docket in Utah? Yeah, right. Like Utah, so Democracy Docket. covered this extensively, and thanks for. telling people to subscribe, and I hope. you do. And I I hope you subscribe to.

this channel because uh Brian and I have. a lot of content coming up that's really. going to be valuable to you as we head. towards the midterm elections. So, Utah. did this big study of, you know, trying. to find non-citizen voting, exactly the. stuff that Mike Lee is talking about. He's, by the way, a senator from Utah, so he should be familiar with this. study, although he didn't obviously cite. it to Maria Bartiromo. Uh. when, you know, they went looking, they. found exactly one non-citizen registered. to vote. But, Brian, that person didn't actually vote. So, after studying all of these records, one.

person registered who wasn't supposed to. be, who then didn't vote. That's what. Mike Lee is holding up the Senate for. That's what Donald Trump is claiming. he's going to prevent him from signing. any other legislation. It's all a bunch. of an excuse, and a permission. structure for them to try to steal the. 2026 election by suppressing your vote, making it harder for you to vote, and. easier for them to cheat. Don't fall for. it. Last question here, on that exact. point. You know, people are going to.

listen to this and say, "Well, look, these people have the levers of. government at their disposal. Um Trump. obviously has a perfectly compliant. Republican Party who is often willing to. twist themselves into pretzels in blind. deference to him. These people aren't. reliant on any facts. So, you can go and. say, you know, look at what happened in. in Utah. They did a full study, a full. forensic analysis on what non-citizens. were registered vote. They found all of. one who never even voted." It's not. going to matter because they will still.

say, "Well, you know, Joe Biden let in. millions of illegal immigrants, and so. all of those people are likely voters. now, and you can't really know until we. take a look at all the ballots." And. you've got Tulsi Gabbard going down to. Fulton County and taking ballots herself. that nobody knows what's going on with. And so, what is your message to folks. who who see this and kind of have a. sense of despair at this idea that when. Trump says he's going to get the SAVE. Act passed, and it's going to mean that. Republicans aren't going to lose an. election again for 50 years, that they. believe him. Yeah, look, we can't give up hope and we.

can't give in to cynicism and despair. That's what Donald Trump wants. He wants. you to think that he's all powerful and. there's nothing we can do to fight back. The fact is what Republicans have been. doing for the last week with the Save. Act is just a joke and it reveals how. pathetically weak they actually are. Donald Trump is, you know, pacing the. halls of the White House at night. talking to the paintings of dead. presidents and firing off, you know, social media posts in all directions, many of which are quite dangerous to. world um security and um uh the. economics and the well-being of this.

country. But on the issue of voting, he's consistent. He wants to find a way. to cheat when they lose the control of. the the midterms. He knows they're going. to lose the house. He thinks they may. lose the Senate and so they're setting. up a structure. I'm actually celebrating. what we've just been watching with the. Save Act because it was such a fiasco. It was such an absolute defeat of Donald. Trump and a pathetic display by his. supporters that it's got me ginned up. and fired up and ready to go. So I'm, you know, I said to Ron DeSantis, you.

know, let me know when you're signing it. and I'll be right up here with Brian. again talking about another lawsuit. Awesome. Well, we will take the optimism. where we can get it. And again, for. those who are watching right now, to. support the invaluable work that Mark is. doing not just in the media space, which. is desperately needed even as more. legacy media outlets continue to. capitulate to this administration, but. in the courts, ground zero, where all of. this stuff is happening. Mark is. litigating nearly a hundred cases across. the country right now, including roughly. cases where the only thing standing. between your personal data, the voter. rolls being sent to the federal.

government, being sent to Trump, is his. law firm. So again, a small step that we. can all take to show some support for. the work that they're doing and to. elevate his voice in the media ecosystem. where it's desperately needed is to sign. up for Democracy Docket. I'm going to. put that link right here on the screen. and also in the post description of this. video. If you're not yet signed up, don't leave this video until you hit. that link and sign up. I'm Brian Tyler. Cohen. I'm Mark Elias. This is Democracy. Watch. >> [music].