WHEN "ALL IN" STARTS RIGHT NOW.
>>> GOOD EVENING FROM NEW YORK.
I’M CHRIS HAYES.
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY ARE WAGING A
WAR ON THE VERY MECHANISMS OF
VOTING AHEAD OF THE UPCOMING
ELECTION IN NOVEMBER.
AND THEY’RE RUNNING SOME REAL
RISKS, NOT JUST FOR THEIR
DEMOCRACY BUT THEIR OWN
CAMPAIGN.
I’LL EXPLAIN.
>>> TLEEGSHERE’S A SITUATION WIT
POSTAL SERVICE.
WE TALKED ABOUT THAT ON THIS
SHOW BECAUSE IT’S PRESSING AND
IMPORTANT AND URGENT.
THE PRESIDENT INSTALLED HIS
CRONY, THAT’S HIM RIGHT THERE.
AS POSTMASTER GENERAL EARLIER
THIS YEAR.
AND THIS IS THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS, ALL APPOINTED BY
GOVERNORS, ALL APPOINTED BY
PRESIDENT TRUMP, A PRETTY -- AND
NOW DEJOY IS INSTITUTING CHANGES
AT THE POST OFFICE, ALLEGEDLY TO
KUS COST, THAT ARE SLOWING DOWN
MAIL DELIVERY NATIONWIDE,
CREATING PROBLEMS FOR MAIL-IN
VOTING, AS THE PANDEMIC RAGES
ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
AND IF THE MAIL TAKES TOO LONG
TO GET BACK INTO THE OFFICES,
THEY CAN’T COUNT THE BALLOTS.
NOT TO MENTION THAT IT’S HURTING
COUNTLESS SMALL BUSINESSES
ACROSS THE COUNTRY, IN RED
STATES AND BLUE STATES THAT
DEPEND ON THE POSTAL SERVICE.
AND THEN THERE’S THE LEGAL
BATTLE.
THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN IS SUING
ELECTION OFFICIALS IN
PENNSYLVANIA, SAYING THEIR USE
OF DROP BOXES FOR MAIL-IN
BALLOTS IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
THE CAMPAIGN IS ASKING A FEDERAL
COURT TO BAR THEM IN NOVEMBER.
THINK ABOUT THAT.
YOU CAN’T USE THE DROP BOXES, SO
YOU HAVE TO USE THE MAIL, WHICH
WE’RE SLOWING DOWN.
THAT’S THE PLAY.
IN NEVADA, THE STATE REPUBLICAN
PARTY AND REPUBLICAN NATIONAL
COMMITTEE SUED OFFICIALS IN JUNE
IN PART OF THEIR PLAN TO MAIL
ABSENTEE BALLOTS TO INACTIVE
VOTERS.
AND PRESIDENT TRUMP THREATENED
FURTHER LEGAL ACTION AFTER THE
GOVERNOR SIGNED A BILL ENSURING
THAT ALL OF THE CITIZENS CAN
VOTE BY MAIL IN NOVEMBER, A VERY
COMMON SENSE APPROACH WHEN IT
MIGHT BE DANGEROUS TO GO TO THE
POLLS.
IN FACT, THE RNC NOW LISTS A
TOTAL OF 17 STATE WHERE IS THEY
AND THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN ARE
ENGAGED IN LEGAL BATTLES RELATED
TO MAIL-IN BALLOTS.
OF COURSE, ASSAULTING THE
INTEGRITY OF THE ELECTIONS,
MAKING SURE PEOPLE CAN VOTE.
THIS IS A FULL, CONCERTED EFFORT
BY THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, WHETHER
THEY LIKE PRESIDENT TRUMP OR NOT
OR ROLL THEIR EYES OR NOT, BUT
THE WHOLE PARTY TO UNDERMINE THE
LEGITIMACY OF THE ELECTION, TO
CAST ASPERSIONS ON VOTING BY
MAIL, AN ATTEMPT TO VOTE PEOPLE
VOTING BY MAIL, ALL WHILE WE’RE
IN A DEADLY PANDEMIC THAT’S
KILLED ALMOST 160,000 OF OUR
FELLOW AMERICANS.
AND ABOVE ALL ELSE, THERE’S THE
CONSTANT RHETORICAL WAR LED BY
THE PRESIDENT.
IT ISN’T JUST BASELESS, IT’S
LUDICROUS.
IT DOESN’T EVEN MAKE SENSE.
IT’S JUST PURE DECEITFUL
PROPAGANDA, LIKE SOMETHING
STRAIGHT OUT OF NORTH KOREA.
THE PRESIDENT CAN’T EVEN KEEP
HIS OWN TALKING POINTS STRAIGHT.
>> SO WE HAVE A NEW PHENOMENA.
IT’S CALLED MAIL-IN VOTING WHERE
YOU SEND --
>> NEW?
IT’S BEEN HERE SINCE THE CIVIL
WAR.
>> NEW IN TERMS OF THE KIND OF
MILLS S
MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF
BALLOTS.
>> IT WILL BE BIGGER THIS YEAR
BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC.
>> NOT BIGGER, MASSIVELY BIGGER.
>> I DON’T UNDERSTAND THIS TOPIC
WITH YOU.
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS AN
EXTREMELY WELL-FUNDED VOTE BY
MAIL PROGRAM.
YOUR CAMPAIGN PUTS OUT EMAILS
TELLING PEOPLE TO VOTE BY MAIL.
>> CORRECT.
>> YOUR DAUGHTER-IN-LAW LARA
TRUMP SAID IT’S SAFE AND SECURE,
MAIL-IN VOTING.
>> LET ME TELL YOU, WE HAD NO
CHOICE.
>> THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN
SPEWING THIS ANTI-MAIL-IN VOTING
PROPAGANDA FOR WEEKS AND SEEMS
TO HAVE REALIZED IT MIGHT BE A
PROBLEM IN FLORIDA.
FLORIDA IS ALWAYS AN IMPORTANT
STATE, BUT THIS YEAR IT WILL BE
AN ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT
POSITION.
THE POLLS CLOSE RELATIVELY EARLY
IN FLORIDA ON ELECTION NIGHT,
7:00 P.M. EASTERN, AND THAT
STATE TYPICALLY COUNTS MAIL-IN
BALLOTS QUICKLY.
SO ADD IT UP TOGETHER, IF JOE
BIDEN WINS IN FLORIDA, IF THEY
WERE TO SAY EARLY IN THE NIGHT
JOE BIDEN WINS FLORIDA, IT WILL
BE DIFFICULT FOR DONALD TRUMP TO
WIN THE PRESIDENCY.
ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE.
AND AN ELECTION WHERE YOU SEE A
BIG INCREASE IN MAIL-IN BALLOTS.
JUST LOOK AT WHAT THE MAIL-IN
VOTING HAS BEEN IN FLORIDA.
AHEAD OF THE AUGUST 18th
PRIMARY, DEMOCRATS LEAD BY 11
POINTS.
A COMPLETE FLIP FROM THE 2016
PRIMARY WHEN REPUBLICANS LED
MAIL-IN BALLOTS BY 11 POINTS.
SO WITH THE CORONAVIRUS STILL
RAGING IN FLORIDA AND OF COURSE,
THE STATE FILLED WITH MANY,
MANY, MANY SENIOR CITIZENS, MANY
OF WHOM ARE REPUBLICANS WHO MAY
NOT WANT TO RISK GOING OUT TO
THE POLLS, AND WHY WOULD THEY IF
DUH.
THE PRESIDENT CANNOT AFFORD TO
DISCOURAGE HIS SENIOR FLORIDIAN
SUPPORTERS FOR VOTING BY MAIL
AND RISK LOSING IT ON ELECTION
NIGHT.
THIS WAS OBVIOUS TO EVERYONE
WATCHING.
SO TODAY HE JUST COMPLETELY REVERSED HIM SELF-TWEET --
>> THERE’S LIKELY GOING TO BE
>> THERE’S LIKELY GOING TO BE
ONLY ONE MORE BIG PIECE OF
LEGISLATION SIGNED BEFORE
ELECTION DAY.
THE COVID RELIEF BILL THAT’S
CURRENTLY BEING HAMMERED OUT IN
CONGRESS.
AND IF THERE IS ANYTHING TO BE
DONE TO MAKE SURE THE ELECTION
HAPPENS IN THE SAFEST, MOST
