MUST-SEE: FIERY Democrat issues smackdown OF THE YEAR

I'm joined by state Senator Louise Lucas. in Virginia. Senator Lucas, thank you so. much for joining me. You were a huge. huge huge player in the Virginia. redistricting uh situation that just. went down a few days ago. So, first off, congratulations. In light of the big win. in Virginia, what is your message to. other Democrats right now across the. country given the success that you've. had? Well, I'll tell you one thing. When I. was in uh a junior high school and the. bullies would approach me because they. were bigger, they swing, I'd punch back.

You cannot allow the bullies to to beat. you down. And so, what I would say is. that people like it when. they have their legislators to go out. and fight for them. That's why they got. elected in the first place. And so, when. we cower down, we lose. When we fight back, we win. And so, what. I would say to Democrats is now is our. moment to win because we're in the best. posture to take back the Congress, and I. will be spending every waking hour. trying to make sure that we do that. We. we need some more foot We need some more. boots on the ground. And so, I'm asking.

Democrats, JOIN ME IN THE FIGHT. If you. don't want to be on the front line, stand behind me, but because I'm. fortunate I'm going forward. You know, there are some Democrats who look at the. situation regarding redrawing these. maps, like for example, Bill Ferguson, the state Senate president in Maryland, who view this as kind of a race to the. bottom. And so, you know, the the way. that I look at that is, okay, you can. you can choose to practice good. governance till you're blue in the face. It'll eventually render you into. obscurity. And so, what is your message.

to the Bill Fergusons of the world who. view this who view engaging in this. fight, who view fighting fire with fire. as as, you know, um kind of just a a. scourge on the whole political process. Well, I'll tell you this. We know. history is watching us. And who wants to. be written as one of those people who. stood on the sidelines and said, "Let. things happen." when they were right. there and could have gotten involved and. made a difference. And I say to Phil. Ferguson and anybody else out there. who's in elective office, shame on you. if you don't seize this moment to try to.

save our democracy because there are too. many things that we stand to lose. I. mean, with this administration, they're. trying to turn back the hands of time on. all of the progress that we've made. And. it's shame on them if they don't join. this fight. Do you think that Democrats. are starting to recognize that the. posture here cannot be blind deference. to good governance, that it has to be. fighting with fire fighting fire with. fire? >> Absolutely. I absolutely And look, let me just say. this. I am as much in favor as.

non-parter and and a non-partisan. redistricting as anybody else. But we're. at a point where we have got to save our. democracy. All we're trying to do is. keep Donald Trump from having this power. grab that's going to render all of the. power in the Congress to him unchecked. because the members of Congress on the. Republican side, they have no heart, they have no soul, they have have no. interest in trying to do what is in the. best interest of our American people. And so, it's going to take us having to. do this a temporary kind of of situation.

to make sure that we fight back with. fire. Exactly. What do you say to those. Republicans who were conspicuously. silent when Donald Trump told Greg. Abbott that he was entitled to five. seats in Texas? Didn't say a word then, but are now clutching their pearls when. it comes to California and Virginia? Shame on them because they knew they. were wrong when it was all going down. And that is what's so disgusting about. all of this.

I mean, those guys have been there long. enough to know that once Trump started. to take power away from them, that there. was no end to it. I mean, they up, you. know, people all over the country, even. Republicans are saying they're damn. worthless. And so, who wants somebody to say that. about you when they elect when you you. have constituents who elected you to. fight for them. But you know what? They. are the most do-nothing Congress we've. ever had in the history of this of this. nation. How does the impending issues of There's. two things that are coming down the pike.

right now. There's the Cale case at the. Supreme Court, which will be the gutting. of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. That could mean one, two, maybe even. three dozen seats eliminated. Um and. there's also uh the census in 2030, which will see a bunch of blue states um. relinquish electoral votes to a bunch of. historically red states. How do those. two things kind of inform um. your thought process as it relates to. fighting back right now and trying to to. go on the offensive it in advance of.

those things happening? I think I might have said this to. somebody else before. If we don't do. something now, there will be a. continuing erosion of our ability to. stop this train. We are in a position to. make sure that it does not happen. And. you know, I I want history to write me. as being one who was down in the. trenches, making sure that I did my. part. And I think everybody has an. inescapable responsibility to make sure. that we keep America strong, that we.

keep our reputation, and that we remain. uh. the place to come to. Do you want to see nationwide. independent redistricting legislation? Yes, I do. And they had The members of. Congress had an opportunity opportunity. to make that difference. And if they. had, we wouldn't be in a position that. we're in now. Yeah, I I I I completely agree. In fact, the irony of all of that is that we have. seen um we have seen instances where.

Democrats have introduced legislation to. ban partisan gerrymandering nationwide. In fact, they did it in 2021 with the. Freedom to Vote Act. Every Democrat. voted in favor of it. There wasn't a. single Republican who voted for it. And. so, now to watch these Republicans have. fainting spells over the prospect of. Democrats actually returning a punch is. rich given the fact that when they had. the chance to eliminate the scourge of. gerrymandering, they all balked at it. That part right there. And I am so. extremely. disgusted with the Republican members of.

Congress because is what what's good for. the goose is not good for the gander? Well, that's not the way it is from. where I came. I am a product of the Civil Rights. Movement and even though I may not get. physical, I am going to fight back. Do you Have you heard from other. Democrats? Like I I I have the the. pleasure of following you on Twitter and. for everybody who's watching and. listening right now, if you do not. follow Senator Lucas on Twitter, I could. not recommend a better follower a better.

follow. I told this to you before when. we were first logging on off off camera, but there is no there is no bigger. badass than you and I mean that in the. nicest way humanly [laughter] possible. It is exactly the fight mentality that I. wish so many Democrats um. kind of kind of. imbued here and so have you heard from. from other folks in the party. with regard to to how. your social media presence, which which.

you know, I I think I think speaks for. itself, how your social media presence. has maybe inspired other people to be a. little bit more authentic, a little bit. more aggressive. Well, I thank you for that question. because yes, I have but not just from. Democrats here in the Commonwealth, but. from Democrats all across the country. It's amazing. And what I say to them is. that you have got to demonstrate to your. constituents that you're willing to take. on this fight. And what better way to do. that than to go on social media. I mean.

because you can't just do it by sending. out postcards and old old school way of. kind of doing it. So, you know, I go to. social media and then of course you. know, I don't have any filters so I just. say it like it is and what I've learned. is that that's exactly what the public. wants. They want to know that you're. willing to get in there and slug it out. and that's who I am. That's what I do. Well, I think that's that's so important. because, you know, I think something that's lost in our. leadership is is actually leading, right? And it feels like politicians or. Washington are the last to get on the.

train. Like, you have people on social. media who have been begging and pleading. for Democrats to fight for as long as I. can remember because we are historically. the party of strongly worded letters. And and so, you know, to. to to see you actually take this step. and and to have been such an outspoken. advocate for for this stuff, I think is. refreshing because it's usually like the. it feels like the last people that get. on get on board with everything are. always the leaders, the people who. should be first. And so, I I use that as.

a leading to ask this question, which is. now that you've been successful in. Virginia, what's next on the docket? What is the. next fight that that you know, if it. needs to turn into a knockout uh uh uh. brawl, that you're going to be there, you know, willing to do that. Well, I'll tell you what, I'm willing to. go anywhere in the country to help. Democrats, prop them up, do whatever we. have to do to make sure understand, there is a freedom in fighting. I I'm. telling you, I feel so I mean, I'm just.

energized to go out and do even more. And I'm just hoping that others will. follow my lead and say, what have we to lose? We have. We could lose our democracy. >> Yeah. I On on that. >> And that is too important for me to not. be as fully engaged in this fight as I. can. On that point, do you to what. degree are you concerned uh about the. the speed with which civil rights, voting rights, election integrity is.

eroding under this administration? An. administration that seems to have given. up on on governing or being held. accountable by by by their own voters. and instead has just thrown their lot. 100% in on this idea of okay, we're not. going to try to make our case to the. voters. We're just going to engineer. victories wherever we can by by rigging. elections by. um. >> By rigging elections. Yeah. Well, that you know, then then you know. what you have. that helps frame what I want to say.

because I am a product of the civil. rights movement. I grew up in the city. doing massive resistance. I have a fight. for everything all of my life. So. there's nothing new about what I'm doing. now and I refuse to sit on the sidelines. and see our progress be rolled back and. so if ever there was a moment when. people need to get off the sideline and. get involved in this fight, that time is. now. I've not seen anything as egregious. as this since the 60s.

Since the 60s. You know, a a lot of people who watch. and listen weren't around then um and. and some folks who were around then, you. know, uh. don't have the same perspective as as as. you do and so, you know, coming from. someone who has seen this before, um. speaking to people who haven't, how can. you talk about the fight that we're in. right now from people who maybe just. assume because they've not lived it that. everything will be okay? Well, what I want to say to them is that.

if they don't think this is going to. affect them, their children and their. children's children, all they've got to do is keep breathing. I've lived through it before and just to. see this is almost like cyclical and. here we go again. Yeah. And so because. I've seen it before, I refuse to live. through it again and have my children. and my grandchildren have to inherit. something similar to what I grew up with. back in the 50s and the 60s. No, I can't. do that. People need to understand this. is critical. This is our moment to make.

a difference and people need to get. involved. Last question. >> get involved. Last question here. What. gives you hope in this moment? Waking up. every morning knowing that I got to get. into this fight for my children and my. grandchildren and the fact that more. young people are getting involved. That's what gives me hope because if you. go on my social media platforms, you. will see there's a huge following of. young people and they are beginning to. get more and more involved. As a matter. of fact, I I was asked to speak at the. uh Young Democrats uh state convention. and I was so amazed so amazed at how.

they gravitated to me because they, too, they, too, are looking for somebody who. will fight. And my age doesn't make a. difference to them and all of this gray. hair doesn't matter. They want somebody. who's in the ring fighting for them. And. I can tell you what, I can go with the. boxing gloves on or take the boxing. gloves off and go bare-knuckles with it. Anyway, I'm out there fighting for my. constituents. And I could not. >> I'm fighting for the Commonwealth and. I'm fighting for America. I could not be. grateful more grateful to have you in. this fight. I I know I speak on behalf.

of everybody who follows you in saying. thank you for your voice in this moment. It It's an honor to speak to you. Congratulations on the win in Virginia. Again, I don't believe it would have. happened without you. So, so thank you so much for for that work. and for taking the time today. Thank you for having me on. I do. appreciate it so much. >> [music].