PORTLAND, Maine — It was another busy week in politics. Our analysts discussed far-right lawmakers' calls to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson, a potential lawsuit over a 72-hour waiting period on gun sales, and pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses.
Ousting Johnson
In Washington, far-right Republicans are trying to oust the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. The speaker has been criticized by some for going ahead with aid for Ukraine in a spending bill last month. Leading the charge, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is promising to call a vote this week.
ZACH: "Joe, she's essentially forcing Republicans to choose a side here."
JOE: "Yeah, you know, it's too bad we all have our fringe people in our parties. I mean, Mike Johnson, when you're the Speaker of the House, you have a job to do and that is to run the House. He's doing, I think, a fairly good job at it, bringing Democrats and Republicans together in a vote on bills and getting them passed. Every party has its fringes. Republicans have the Marjorie Taylor Greenes and that Matt Gaetz group out there and it's not a good look for the party."
BETSY: "Well, yeah. I mean, I think what we're seeing is how divided the Republican Party is and the fact that they just ousted one speaker and now they have another one that is on the table. I think that they just can't figure out what their message is, how they want to do things, what it is that they want to concentrate on. And it goes all over the place. And I think, you know, so I think it's indicative of how split and in trouble the Republican Party is."
GENIUS: "I would actually have to agree with that. I really feel like for me, a lot of it was interesting to see Marjorie Taylor Green say that Democrats would be really upset with, you know, or, you know, people that were voting would be upset with actually working with Republicans. And I think that everyone is not as resigned to this horrific division as they might think. So I think actually that there might be some voters that see that as quite a great thing, that people are coming across the line. So I just, I don't buy into that rhetoric and that kind of negativity myself."
72-hour waiting period
A prominent gun rights organization, the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine, says it's planning to sue the state over a new law that establishes a 72-hour waiting period for all gun sales. It comes after last week Gov. Mills announced she wouldn't sign that bill or veto it, but allow it to become law without her signature. The governor says she hopes the law can be implemented to prevent suicide without infringing on the rights of responsible gun owners. Gun rights advocates strongly disagree.
ZACH: "Betsy, I know you've been advocating on this issue a lot in Augusta. Was this expected?"
BETSY: "We were very pleased. I think it was touch and go about whether she would let it go into law or not. So we're very, very pleased. This is huge for suicides, for mental health. And I think it's fascinating the Sportsman's Alliance is going to sue because there are other options to do a people's veto, write, go out, collect signatures, get everyone, and do a people's veto. It's happened many times in state government. They're not doing that because they know that people, the vast majority of people, support this 72-hour waiting period and support most gun safety legislation. So they're going the court route. And so I think it's fascinating that they're going to do that, and I don't think they're going to win."
ZACH: "Joe, the governor did veto a bill that included a ban on bump stocks and tried to walk a line with this waiting period with her explanation. Is there a middle ground here?"
JOE: "Look, I hate when governors allow laws that happen without their signature. To me as a governor, you're the leader of the state. Take a stand. Veto it or sign it. One or the other. Don't don't let it become law without your signature, because that just shirks your duty as the governor. Now, I don't know what the case is going to be from the Sportsman's Alliance. What grounds are they suing on? I have questions on that. But to me, every study out there shows that a 72-hour waiting period does very little to prevent suicide in this country. And that's true. I looked it up this morning and I went to every study out there, read it, and it says the effect is minimal or moderate at most."
BETSY: "No. I mean, in Connecticut, it was a 14% reduction. And honestly, if we prevent one child from going out and getting a gun--."
JOE: "Well. That's a typical liberal line. And we could say, 'if one person...,' well, great. You know, but the fact of the matter is, you are going to hurt many of the sportsmen's out there who buy guns and keep them and hunt with them and do whatever they want. But to go the 72 hours, you are inconveniencing a lot of people and a lot of people will not buy a gun if they have to come back three days later to pick one up."
ZACH: "Genius. I don't want to lose sight of the fact that this is all in response to the deadly Lewiston shootings as well. I think there obviously is the suicide part that's important. But where this all comes from."
GENIUS: "I mean, inconvenience for me is not a strong argument. I just got to say that I'm with that because there's lives, like we're not just talking about hunting. We're talking about other things that people do with guns. So for me, what was telling about the clip is that it was very dramatic and every example was negative. When people talk to me in a way where I feel like they can't even perceive a potential positive outcome, it really makes me question where they're coming from. So I have to agree. I wonder what that lawsuit's going to be about. I feel like it might not be about that much."
Campus protests
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators clashed with police on college campuses across the country this week. Police were called into a number of institutions to break up encampments and arrest protesters. Some argue the demonstrators calling for the institutions to divest from Israel have gone too far and are even antisemitic.
GENIUS: "There is no place for antisemitism, although it has been in America for a long time. But I will say that when I've been doing research, going online, looking around. And one of the things I'll note is that whenever I look at, let's say, conservative, conservative-leaning news outlets, all the protesters are considered anti-Israel. This is the language all the time. Hamas is mentioned, degradation, things being chaotic. These are all the words. These are all words that matter a lot to conservatives. But what I find is that in other outlets, the language is different. It's more pro-Palestine. People are worried about something that looks like a genocide. I think Americans are being pushed to think in extremes. But I happen to know that there were many Jewish students inside many of these encampments. And so I refuse to believe that the only energy there to protect Palestinians, Palestinian life is based on antisemitism. I don't buy that."
JOE: "Well, they're all flying the Palestinian flag. They're all wearing headbands. They have the Palestinian flag on them. It's pretty much a pro-Palestinian, you know, they're protesting for Palestinians. Now, Hamas has not even started negotiating about releasing hostages. You know, to say they're the ones who started this. Let's not forget that they're the ones who attacked Israel and killed thousands of people and grabbed hundreds of hostages. What they're doing on these colleges, college campuses is completely wrong. America does not like what is going on on those campuses. If I was a parent of a child going to school, they're paying $70,000 a year and watching this happen and saying, my son or daughter cannot go to school there because of these protests, I'd be really upset. And I think America is very upset by it."
ZACH: "Betsy, demonstrations on college campuses have been happening for decades."
BETSY: "Very long time. I mean, I'm a child of the sixties, so, you know, what I think is really the saddest thing here is we're not talking about what they're demonstrating against. Yes. So let's have those news cameras instead of telling us to look at the kids at Columbia or Bates or wherever they are. Let's look at what's happening. Those hostages are still being held. There are 30,000 people dead in Gaza. There are children emaciated from hunger. Turn your cameras there. This is a right of free speech is what they do. It's young people. This is a total distraction from what is actually happening. And is a shame."
JOE: "But that free speech has gone on to ruining college campuses, leaving garbage everywhere. You are beating up Jewish students. That's not free speech. That's terrorism."
BETSY: "Well, as you said, there's fringes on both sides. I mean, we're seeing it on both sides. And I think, again, I think that's what's put out in the media is the most dramatic stuff. And I think what you said, Genius, is really true. Most of the people there, if you look at the list of demands, it's about economic influence, it's about having justice, it's about stopping a genocide, it's about releasing the hostages. It's about all of those things. But those things aren't picked up and put out on the news media because it's not good news."
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