1
00:00:01,095 --> 00:00:04,738
OK, as an attorney,
as a political commentator,

2
00:00:04,762 --> 00:00:07,492
and frankly, as a former
White House official,

3
00:00:07,937 --> 00:00:09,768
I used to think I knew a lot

4
00:00:09,792 --> 00:00:12,180
about how America picks a president.

5
00:00:12,204 --> 00:00:14,386
I was wrong, I did not know.

6
00:00:14,410 --> 00:00:15,569
And this year,

7
00:00:15,593 --> 00:00:18,284
I've been doing some research
into some of the fine print

8
00:00:18,308 --> 00:00:21,228
and all the different things
in our constitution

9
00:00:21,252 --> 00:00:22,625
that we never talk about,

10
00:00:22,649 --> 00:00:25,377
and I've discovered some legal loopholes

11
00:00:25,401 --> 00:00:26,877
that shocked me,

12
00:00:26,901 --> 00:00:28,678
I guarantee will shock you,

13
00:00:28,702 --> 00:00:30,886
and could determine the way

14
00:00:30,910 --> 00:00:34,194
that the presidential election
of 2020 turns out.

15
00:00:34,218 --> 00:00:38,128
For instance, did you know
that under our constitution

16
00:00:38,152 --> 00:00:42,493
a presidential candidate
could actually lose the popular vote,

17
00:00:42,517 --> 00:00:45,183
fail to get a majority
in the electoral college,

18
00:00:45,207 --> 00:00:47,139
refuse to concede,

19
00:00:47,500 --> 00:00:50,236
manipulate hidden mechanisms
in our government,

20
00:00:50,260 --> 00:00:54,974
and still get sworn in as the president
of the United States of America?

21
00:00:55,371 --> 00:00:56,625
That's a true fact.

22
00:00:56,649 --> 00:00:59,371
I know it sounds like some crazy
"House of Cards" episode,

23
00:00:59,395 --> 00:01:00,569
and I wish it was,

24
00:01:00,593 --> 00:01:02,806
because then we could just
change the channel,

25
00:01:02,830 --> 00:01:06,514
but I just described to you
a real-world, real-life possibility

26
00:01:06,538 --> 00:01:10,183
that could occur this year,
the year I'm talking, in 2020,

27
00:01:10,207 --> 00:01:11,849
or in some other year,

28
00:01:11,873 --> 00:01:15,516
if we don't fix some of these
glitches in our system.

29
00:01:15,540 --> 00:01:17,151
So if you think, though,

30
00:01:17,175 --> 00:01:21,395
that the American people's choice
in a US presidential election

31
00:01:21,419 --> 00:01:24,689
should actually be sworn in
to become president of the United States,

32
00:01:24,713 --> 00:01:26,347
please pay attention to this talk.

33
00:01:26,371 --> 00:01:30,562
I'm going to teach you
how to stop a coup, OK?

34
00:01:30,586 --> 00:01:32,186
Now, where to begin?

35
00:01:32,625 --> 00:01:33,784
Alright, how about this:

36
00:01:33,808 --> 00:01:38,529
It turns out that one of the main
safeguards of US democracy

37
00:01:38,553 --> 00:01:40,855
is not in the constitution at all.

38
00:01:40,879 --> 00:01:42,934
It's not in the law at all.

39
00:01:42,958 --> 00:01:46,188
It's actually just a little tradition,
it's a little custom.

40
00:01:46,212 --> 00:01:50,664
And yet, this one voluntary gesture

41
00:01:50,688 --> 00:01:52,228
is one of the main reasons

42
00:01:52,252 --> 00:01:55,561
that you almost never have riots,
and bloodshed and strife

43
00:01:55,585 --> 00:01:57,185
after a US election.

44
00:01:57,633 --> 00:02:00,307
What I'm talking about
is a concession speech.

45
00:02:00,331 --> 00:02:01,482
OK, it's ironic,

46
00:02:01,506 --> 00:02:04,704
it's the one speech no presidential
candidate ever wants to give,

47
00:02:04,728 --> 00:02:07,879
and yet, it is that public address

48
00:02:07,903 --> 00:02:09,776
that is most important for the health

49
00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:12,077
and the well-being of our nation.

50
00:02:12,101 --> 00:02:13,395
It's that speech, you know,

51
00:02:13,419 --> 00:02:15,148
when a presidential contender gives,

52
00:02:15,172 --> 00:02:18,033
it's after the advisers come
and the media tells them,

53
00:02:18,057 --> 00:02:21,561
"Look, you're not going
to get enough votes

54
00:02:21,585 --> 00:02:26,682
to be able to hit that magic number
of 270 electoral college votes.

55
00:02:26,706 --> 00:02:28,396
You're just not going to get there.

56
00:02:28,786 --> 00:02:30,515
At that moment,

57
00:02:30,539 --> 00:02:32,309
you don't think about this,

58
00:02:32,333 --> 00:02:35,165
but that fate of the entire republic

59
00:02:35,189 --> 00:02:37,966
is in the hands of a single politician

60
00:02:37,990 --> 00:02:40,252
and their willingness to walk out there

61
00:02:40,276 --> 00:02:43,490
and stand in front of their family
and stand in front of the cameras

62
00:02:43,514 --> 00:02:45,435
and stand in front of the whole nation

63
00:02:45,459 --> 00:02:48,568
and say, "I am conceding
the race, voluntarily.

64
00:02:48,592 --> 00:02:50,567
Thank you to my supporters.

65
00:02:50,591 --> 00:02:53,513
The other person has won now,
congratulations to them,

66
00:02:53,537 --> 00:02:56,783
let's unite behind them,
let's move on, let's be one country.

67
00:02:56,807 --> 00:02:58,220
God bless America."

68
00:02:58,244 --> 00:03:00,276
You've seen it a thousand times.

69
00:03:00,300 --> 00:03:02,561
Make no mistake,

70
00:03:02,585 --> 00:03:06,113
this is a remarkable tradition
in our country.

71
00:03:06,137 --> 00:03:07,463
Because at that moment,

72
00:03:07,487 --> 00:03:10,406
that candidate still has at her command

73
00:03:10,430 --> 00:03:14,879
a nationwide army of campaign activists,

74
00:03:14,903 --> 00:03:16,974
of die-hard partisans,

75
00:03:16,998 --> 00:03:19,315
tens of thousands of people.

76
00:03:19,339 --> 00:03:21,529
They could just as easily take up arms,

77
00:03:21,553 --> 00:03:22,720
take to the streets,

78
00:03:22,744 --> 00:03:24,506
they could do whatever they want to.

79
00:03:24,530 --> 00:03:28,585
But that concession speech
instantly demobilizes all of them.

80
00:03:28,609 --> 00:03:30,993
It says, "Hey, guys, stand down.

81
00:03:31,017 --> 00:03:32,535
Folks, it's over."

82
00:03:32,559 --> 00:03:34,472
Moreover, that concession speech

83
00:03:34,496 --> 00:03:39,543
helps the tens of millions of people
who voted for that person

84
00:03:39,567 --> 00:03:41,295
to accept the outcome.

85
00:03:41,319 --> 00:03:44,009
Acknowledge the winner,
however begrudgingly,

86
00:03:44,033 --> 00:03:45,850
and then just get up the next morning,

87
00:03:45,874 --> 00:03:47,112
go to work, go to school,

88
00:03:47,136 --> 00:03:48,438
maybe disappointed

89
00:03:48,462 --> 00:03:51,379
but not disloyal to America's government.

90
00:03:51,403 --> 00:03:53,291
And even more importantly,

91
00:03:53,315 --> 00:03:55,823
that concession speech
has a technical function

92
00:03:55,847 --> 00:03:58,244
in that it kind of allows
all the other stuff

93
00:03:58,268 --> 00:04:00,625
that our constitution requires
after the voting,

94
00:04:00,649 --> 00:04:02,680
and there are a bunch of steps like,

95
00:04:02,704 --> 00:04:05,252
you've got the electoral college
that has got to meet,

96
00:04:05,276 --> 00:04:07,688
you've got Congress
who's got to ratify this thing,

97
00:04:07,712 --> 00:04:09,514
you've got an inauguration to be had,

98
00:04:09,538 --> 00:04:12,511
all that stuff can just move ahead
on automatic pilot

99
00:04:12,535 --> 00:04:14,265
because after the concession speech,

100
00:04:14,289 --> 00:04:16,082
every subsequent step

101
00:04:16,106 --> 00:04:19,598
to either reinstate the president
or elevate a new president

102
00:04:19,622 --> 00:04:21,694
just happens on a rubber-stamp basis.

103
00:04:21,718 --> 00:04:24,283
The constitution requires it,
but it's a rubber stamp.

104
00:04:24,307 --> 00:04:25,529
But we sometimes forget,

105
00:04:25,553 --> 00:04:28,204
candidates do not have to concede.

106
00:04:28,228 --> 00:04:30,599
There's nothing that makes them concede.

107
00:04:30,623 --> 00:04:34,758
It's just a norm in a year
in which nothing is normal.

108
00:04:34,782 --> 00:04:39,273
So what if a losing candidate
simply refuses to concede?

109
00:04:39,297 --> 00:04:41,633
What if there is no concession speech?

110
00:04:41,657 --> 00:04:44,910
Well, what could happen might terrify you.

111
00:04:44,934 --> 00:04:46,149
I think it should.

112
00:04:46,173 --> 00:04:47,799
First, to give you the background,

113
00:04:47,823 --> 00:04:49,886
let's make sure
we're on the same page here,

114
00:04:49,910 --> 00:04:51,291
let me give you this analogy.

115
00:04:51,315 --> 00:04:55,061
Think about a presidential election
as a baseball game.

116
00:04:55,085 --> 00:04:56,435
The end of the ninth inning,

117
00:04:56,459 --> 00:04:59,458
whoever is ahead wins,
whoever is behind loses.

118
00:04:59,482 --> 00:05:00,703
That's baseball.

119
00:05:00,727 --> 00:05:02,633
But could you imagine a different world

120
00:05:02,657 --> 00:05:04,370
in which, in baseball,

121
00:05:04,394 --> 00:05:08,134
there were actually 13 innings,
or 14 innings, not just nine.

122
00:05:08,657 --> 00:05:10,879
But we just had a weird tradition.

123
00:05:10,903 --> 00:05:13,490
If you are behind in the ninth inning,

124
00:05:13,514 --> 00:05:15,641
you just come out and concede.

125
00:05:15,665 --> 00:05:16,823
Alright?

126
00:05:16,847 --> 00:05:19,149
So all those other innings don't matter.

127
00:05:19,173 --> 00:05:23,347
That's really how the presidential
elections work in America.

128
00:05:23,371 --> 00:05:25,577
Because the constitution
actually spells out

129
00:05:25,601 --> 00:05:27,552
two different sets of innings.

130
00:05:27,576 --> 00:05:31,012
You've got the popular election process
that everybody pays attention to.

131
00:05:31,036 --> 00:05:33,743
And then you've got the elite
selection process

132
00:05:33,767 --> 00:05:36,631
that everybody essentially ignores.

133
00:05:36,655 --> 00:05:38,585
But in a close election,

134
00:05:38,609 --> 00:05:40,569
if nobody concedes,

135
00:05:40,593 --> 00:05:43,276
the second invisible process,

136
00:05:43,300 --> 00:05:45,585
these extra innings if you will,

137
00:05:45,609 --> 00:05:47,291
they actually matter a whole lot.

138
00:05:47,315 --> 00:05:48,490
Let me explain.

139
00:05:48,514 --> 00:05:50,728
That first set of innings,
popular election,

140
00:05:50,752 --> 00:05:52,029
it's what you think about

141
00:05:52,053 --> 00:05:54,260
when you think about
the presidential election.

142
00:05:54,284 --> 00:05:57,059
It's the primaries,
the caucuses, the debates,

143
00:05:57,083 --> 00:05:58,998
the conventions, it's election night,

144
00:05:59,022 --> 00:06:00,347
it's all that stuff.

145
00:06:00,371 --> 00:06:02,910
Most of the time,
the loser on election night

146
00:06:02,934 --> 00:06:04,519
at that point just concedes.

147
00:06:04,543 --> 00:06:05,704
Why?

148
00:06:05,728 --> 00:06:07,371
"The American people have spoken."

149
00:06:07,395 --> 00:06:08,561
All that.

150
00:06:08,585 --> 00:06:11,895
But according to the constitution,
the game is technically not over.

151
00:06:12,490 --> 00:06:14,387
After the cameras go away,

152
00:06:14,411 --> 00:06:16,339
after the confetti's swept away,

153
00:06:16,363 --> 00:06:19,640
the constitution requires
this whole other set of innings.

154
00:06:19,664 --> 00:06:22,014
This elite selection process stuff,

155
00:06:22,038 --> 00:06:24,164
and this is all behind closed doors,

156
00:06:24,188 --> 00:06:25,918
it's among government officials.

157
00:06:25,942 --> 00:06:30,333
And this process goes from the end
of the vote counting in November,

158
00:06:30,357 --> 00:06:32,563
through December all the way
and then January.

159
00:06:32,587 --> 00:06:34,024
You just never think about it,

160
00:06:34,048 --> 00:06:35,587
because for so many generations,

161
00:06:35,611 --> 00:06:38,690
these extra innings haven't mattered much

162
00:06:38,714 --> 00:06:41,898
because the election-night
loser just concedes.

163
00:06:41,922 --> 00:06:43,883
So this other stuff is just a formality.

164
00:06:43,907 --> 00:06:45,058
Even in 2000,

165
00:06:45,082 --> 00:06:46,950
vice president Al Gore gave up

166
00:06:46,974 --> 00:06:50,556
as soon as the Supreme Court
ordered an end to the vote counting.

167
00:06:50,966 --> 00:06:53,835
Gore did not continue the fight
into the state legislatures,

168
00:06:53,859 --> 00:06:55,367
into the electoral college,

169
00:06:55,391 --> 00:06:56,573
into Congress,

170
00:06:56,597 --> 00:06:59,272
he didn't try to discredit
the results in the press.

171
00:06:59,296 --> 00:07:03,581
Frankly, he didn't send his supporters
out into the streets

172
00:07:03,605 --> 00:07:04,918
with protest signs

173
00:07:04,942 --> 00:07:07,117
or pitchforks or long guns.

174
00:07:07,141 --> 00:07:10,125
As soon as the court said
the vote count is done,

175
00:07:10,149 --> 00:07:13,126
he just conceded to George W. Bush.

176
00:07:13,769 --> 00:07:15,960
Because that's what we do,

177
00:07:15,984 --> 00:07:18,325
that's just kind of how
we do things around here.

178
00:07:18,349 --> 00:07:20,317
You don't fight in the extra innings.

179
00:07:20,341 --> 00:07:23,125
Until maybe 2020,

180
00:07:23,149 --> 00:07:25,458
when one major candidate is already saying

181
00:07:25,482 --> 00:07:28,774
he may not accept the results
of the vote counting.

182
00:07:29,275 --> 00:07:30,810
Curse you 2020.

183
00:07:31,125 --> 00:07:32,925
So what can happen instead?

184
00:07:33,522 --> 00:07:34,713
Instead of conceding,

185
00:07:34,737 --> 00:07:40,224
a losing candidate could launch
a ferocious fight to grab power anyway.

186
00:07:40,248 --> 00:07:42,081
Or to hold onto power anyway.

187
00:07:42,105 --> 00:07:43,256
In the courts, yes.

188
00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:44,717
But also in the state houses,

189
00:07:44,741 --> 00:07:47,049
electoral college, even in Congress.

190
00:07:47,073 --> 00:07:50,410
They could file, for instance,
dozens of law suits

191
00:07:50,434 --> 00:07:55,053
attempting to block the counting
of millions of, like, mail-in ballots,

192
00:07:55,077 --> 00:07:57,950
saying they should all be thrown out,
they're all fraudulent.

193
00:07:57,974 --> 00:07:59,275
Then, they could demand

194
00:07:59,299 --> 00:08:02,258
that the states refuse
to certify the election

195
00:08:02,282 --> 00:08:04,060
because of all this alleged fraud,

196
00:08:04,084 --> 00:08:06,575
or interference from a foreign power.

197
00:08:06,599 --> 00:08:12,132
Or the loser's party could send
a rival slate of electors

198
00:08:12,156 --> 00:08:14,466
to the electoral college or to Congress,

199
00:08:14,490 --> 00:08:16,164
and say, "We're the real electors,"

200
00:08:16,188 --> 00:08:18,283
and create a whole situation with that.

201
00:08:18,307 --> 00:08:20,958
Any of this stuff could create such a mess

202
00:08:20,982 --> 00:08:23,093
in the electoral college and the Congress,

203
00:08:23,117 --> 00:08:27,499
that the whole matter just winds up
in front of the house of representatives

204
00:08:27,523 --> 00:08:29,784
for the first time since the 1800s.

205
00:08:29,808 --> 00:08:33,427
Now, here's where it gets totally crazy.

206
00:08:34,086 --> 00:08:39,537
If the presidential election
winds up in the house of representatives,

207
00:08:39,561 --> 00:08:43,014
they don't have to pay any attention
at all to the popular vote

208
00:08:43,038 --> 00:08:44,549
or the electoral vote.

209
00:08:44,573 --> 00:08:48,144
It's like the election never happened.

210
00:08:48,493 --> 00:08:50,350
And then it gets even crazier.

211
00:08:50,374 --> 00:08:54,950
The final tally in the house
is taken not by delegates,

212
00:08:54,974 --> 00:08:56,490
but by delegation.

213
00:08:56,514 --> 00:08:57,696
In other words,

214
00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:00,624
individual congresspeople
don't get to vote.

215
00:09:01,006 --> 00:09:02,752
It's done by states.

216
00:09:02,776 --> 00:09:04,696
Now, get your head wrapped around this.

217
00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:08,498
In 2020, the majority of Americans
live in blue states,

218
00:09:08,522 --> 00:09:11,069
but there are more red states.

219
00:09:11,093 --> 00:09:13,688
So there's a possibility

220
00:09:13,712 --> 00:09:16,625
that the Republicans
in the house of representatives

221
00:09:16,649 --> 00:09:21,276
could just anoint their
candidate to be president,

222
00:09:21,300 --> 00:09:23,467
even without the popular vote,

223
00:09:23,491 --> 00:09:25,808
or a majority in electoral college.

224
00:09:25,832 --> 00:09:27,355
That could happen.

225
00:09:27,379 --> 00:09:29,561
Now some people would call that outcome

226
00:09:29,585 --> 00:09:31,839
a perfectly legal,

227
00:09:31,863 --> 00:09:34,426
perfectly constitutional coup

228
00:09:34,450 --> 00:09:38,934
against the very idea
of majority rule in the United States.

229
00:09:38,958 --> 00:09:41,720
That is possible under our constitution

230
00:09:41,744 --> 00:09:43,323
and it can happen this year.

231
00:09:43,347 --> 00:09:44,801
So what can you do about it?

232
00:09:44,825 --> 00:09:46,006
OK now, keep in mind,

233
00:09:46,030 --> 00:09:48,403
if the margin of the victory
is so massive,

234
00:09:48,427 --> 00:09:50,045
it's truly massive,

235
00:09:50,069 --> 00:09:53,418
the losing candidate's political party
is going to walk away

236
00:09:53,442 --> 00:09:55,347
and just let their leader go down.

237
00:09:55,371 --> 00:09:57,823
Nobody is going to risk
a constitutional crisis

238
00:09:57,847 --> 00:10:01,140
to save somebody who is super unpopular.

239
00:10:01,506 --> 00:10:04,442
But if the race is close,

240
00:10:04,466 --> 00:10:06,585
all bets are off.

241
00:10:06,609 --> 00:10:09,394
And then the fight could continue
long past election night.

242
00:10:09,418 --> 00:10:12,371
You could be, you know,
trying to deal impact

243
00:10:12,395 --> 00:10:14,958
this whole other process
you ever heard of before.

244
00:10:14,982 --> 00:10:17,609
You're going to have to be lobbying,

245
00:10:17,633 --> 00:10:20,061
protesting, speaking out,
contacting law makers,

246
00:10:20,085 --> 00:10:23,291
a whole other process
you've never done before.

247
00:10:23,315 --> 00:10:27,506
So landing in this completely
unfamiliar scenario,

248
00:10:27,530 --> 00:10:28,810
what can you do?

249
00:10:29,228 --> 00:10:31,442
How are we supposed to act?

250
00:10:31,466 --> 00:10:33,895
What are we supposed to do
in this situation?

251
00:10:33,919 --> 00:10:36,410
There's basically three
things that matter.

252
00:10:36,434 --> 00:10:39,389
Number one, get informed.

253
00:10:39,712 --> 00:10:42,990
A number of progressive organizations
are already working hard

254
00:10:43,014 --> 00:10:46,513
to warn Americans about this
growing threat to our democracy.

255
00:10:46,537 --> 00:10:49,623
Some organizations you could look into
and research for yourself:

256
00:10:49,647 --> 00:10:51,649
choosedemocracy.us,

257
00:10:51,673 --> 00:10:54,322
electiontaskforce.org,

258
00:10:54,704 --> 00:10:57,029
protectdemocracy.org,

259
00:10:57,053 --> 00:10:59,037
mobilize.us,

260
00:10:59,061 --> 00:11:00,696
allamericans.org,

261
00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:02,434
civicalliance.com,

262
00:11:02,458 --> 00:11:05,633
and the Fight Back table at demos.org.

263
00:11:05,657 --> 00:11:07,458
All these groups are working on this.

264
00:11:07,482 --> 00:11:10,291
Now, on the right,
if that's your cup of tea,

265
00:11:10,315 --> 00:11:11,617
you could also check out

266
00:11:11,641 --> 00:11:12,998
The Heritage Foundation

267
00:11:13,022 --> 00:11:15,117
or the Government
Accountability Institute.

268
00:11:15,141 --> 00:11:17,125
They are focused on voter fraud.

269
00:11:17,149 --> 00:11:20,086
But you've got to get informed,
no matter what side you're on.

270
00:11:20,110 --> 00:11:21,355
Also, number two,

271
00:11:21,379 --> 00:11:23,609
you've got to get loud.

272
00:11:23,633 --> 00:11:24,815
You've got to get loud.

273
00:11:24,839 --> 00:11:26,030
Situation like this,

274
00:11:26,054 --> 00:11:29,529
these days, everybody is a media channel.

275
00:11:29,553 --> 00:11:31,315
You are the media.

276
00:11:31,339 --> 00:11:32,863
So use your own voice.

277
00:11:32,887 --> 00:11:35,545
And when you do, my advice:

278
00:11:35,569 --> 00:11:40,395
speak to universal American values,
not the partisan stuff, OK?

279
00:11:40,419 --> 00:11:44,609
Speak to the American values
that every American should be down with,

280
00:11:44,633 --> 00:11:46,205
no matter what party they're in.

281
00:11:46,229 --> 00:11:49,142
The idea that every voter counts

282
00:11:49,166 --> 00:11:51,047
and that every vote should be counted,

283
00:11:51,071 --> 00:11:53,841
that's an American value, period.

284
00:11:53,865 --> 00:11:57,357
The notion that the majority
should rule in America,

285
00:11:57,381 --> 00:11:58,952
that's an American value.

286
00:11:58,976 --> 00:12:02,341
The idea that an incumbent president

287
00:12:02,365 --> 00:12:05,397
should concede honorably and graciously

288
00:12:05,421 --> 00:12:07,960
and ensure a peaceful transfer of power,

289
00:12:07,984 --> 00:12:10,277
rather than trying to use
every trick in the book

290
00:12:10,301 --> 00:12:11,468
to hang on to power,

291
00:12:11,492 --> 00:12:12,895
that's an American value too.

292
00:12:12,919 --> 00:12:14,410
If you stick with those values,

293
00:12:14,434 --> 00:12:16,569
you're going to be heard
by a lot more people

294
00:12:16,593 --> 00:12:18,347
and help bring the country together.

295
00:12:18,371 --> 00:12:20,519
And lastly, sorry folks,
voting is not enough,

296
00:12:20,543 --> 00:12:22,947
You're going to have to get
active, get involved.

297
00:12:22,971 --> 00:12:25,646
You could join and support
with your money.

298
00:12:25,670 --> 00:12:28,416
Some existing organizations,
powerful groups,

299
00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:30,714
like the Leadership Conference
on Civil Rights,

300
00:12:30,738 --> 00:12:32,222
the ACLU,

301
00:12:32,246 --> 00:12:34,524
NWCP, Legal Defense Fund,

302
00:12:34,548 --> 00:12:36,960
Indivisible, colorofchange.org,

303
00:12:36,984 --> 00:12:39,452
these groups are going to be
fighting in the courts,

304
00:12:39,476 --> 00:12:40,636
fighting in Congress,

305
00:12:40,660 --> 00:12:42,906
to try to make sure
that we have a fair outcome.

306
00:12:42,930 --> 00:12:45,651
Those groups could use
your help and your donations.

307
00:12:46,135 --> 00:12:48,088
But if it gets to the point

308
00:12:48,112 --> 00:12:49,699
where you feel

309
00:12:49,723 --> 00:12:51,934
that you have to take it to the streets,

310
00:12:51,958 --> 00:12:53,895
that you're going to have to go outside

311
00:12:53,919 --> 00:12:56,966
and demonstrate and march and protest,

312
00:12:56,990 --> 00:13:00,206
please do it peacefully.

313
00:13:00,230 --> 00:13:02,555
This is not just philosophy or morality.

314
00:13:02,579 --> 00:13:04,627
A lot of studies have shown

315
00:13:04,651 --> 00:13:06,785
that it's the peaceful protests

316
00:13:06,809 --> 00:13:10,442
that are more successful
at challenging these would-be dictators

317
00:13:10,466 --> 00:13:11,776
and reversing cue attempts.

318
00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:13,276
It's the peaceful ones, why?

319
00:13:13,300 --> 00:13:15,672
Because when the protests turn violent,

320
00:13:15,696 --> 00:13:19,759
all that chaos and carnage
actually chases away supporters.

321
00:13:19,783 --> 00:13:21,943
So rather than demonstrations
getting bigger,

322
00:13:21,967 --> 00:13:23,506
and the protests getting bigger,

323
00:13:23,530 --> 00:13:24,768
they start to shrink.

324
00:13:24,792 --> 00:13:27,831
Then the government looks reasonable
when it cracks down.

325
00:13:27,855 --> 00:13:29,529
So it's actually a lot better

326
00:13:29,553 --> 00:13:33,149
to follow the guidance of the late
great Gene Sharp.

327
00:13:33,173 --> 00:13:36,022
Now he has written beautifully and well

328
00:13:36,046 --> 00:13:40,553
about how strategically
you can roll back a coup

329
00:13:40,577 --> 00:13:45,339
just using very smart,
very disciplined, very nonviolent protest.

330
00:13:45,363 --> 00:13:48,712
And a lot of his best ideas
and people have been influenced by that,

331
00:13:48,736 --> 00:13:52,029
are available in a new guidebook called,

332
00:13:52,053 --> 00:13:53,537
"Hold the Line."

333
00:13:53,561 --> 00:13:54,752
You can look it up,

334
00:13:54,776 --> 00:13:58,188
it's called "Hold the Line,
the guide to defending democracy."

335
00:13:58,212 --> 00:14:02,069
You can get that at holdthelineguide.com.

336
00:14:02,093 --> 00:14:05,260
And that can give you
a real good framework

337
00:14:05,284 --> 00:14:07,549
to move forward in a smart, peaceful way

338
00:14:07,573 --> 00:14:10,365
if you feel that you've got
to take it to the streets.

339
00:14:10,723 --> 00:14:11,922
Now look,

340
00:14:11,946 --> 00:14:13,776
I know all this stuff is overwhelming,

341
00:14:13,800 --> 00:14:14,954
and I've got to admit,

342
00:14:14,978 --> 00:14:16,839
some of these steps may not be enough.

343
00:14:16,863 --> 00:14:18,649
A truly rogue president

344
00:14:18,673 --> 00:14:22,085
could call on private armed militia

345
00:14:22,109 --> 00:14:25,905
to try to intimidate law makers
into keeping him or her in power.

346
00:14:25,929 --> 00:14:28,588
Or they could just abuse
their emergency powers

347
00:14:28,612 --> 00:14:30,539
and try to stay in office indefinitely.

348
00:14:30,563 --> 00:14:32,936
So we've got some real
problems in our system.

349
00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:34,950
The best way to stop a coup

350
00:14:34,974 --> 00:14:37,585
is to update and strengthen
our democratic system

351
00:14:37,609 --> 00:14:39,212
as soon as this election is over.

352
00:14:39,236 --> 00:14:42,744
Maybe we need to rethink,
reimagine or just get rid of

353
00:14:42,768 --> 00:14:48,005
this whole electoral college,
extra inning thing in the first place.

354
00:14:48,323 --> 00:14:49,871
I know for sure

355
00:14:49,895 --> 00:14:52,737
we've got to do a better job
of protecting voter rights,

356
00:14:52,761 --> 00:14:55,276
of prosecuting voter intimidation,

357
00:14:55,300 --> 00:14:57,435
and also making sure
we've got the technology

358
00:14:57,459 --> 00:15:00,251
that nobody needs to be afraid
of voter fraud.

359
00:15:00,697 --> 00:15:03,133
These are the steps
that we're going to have to take

360
00:15:03,157 --> 00:15:06,656
to make sure that we have a democracy
and the democracy endures.

361
00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:09,379
Because never forget this:

362
00:15:09,403 --> 00:15:12,188
in the long sweep of human history,

363
00:15:12,212 --> 00:15:13,958
a democratic republic

364
00:15:13,982 --> 00:15:16,782
is the rarest form of government on earth.

365
00:15:17,292 --> 00:15:19,492
Democracies are fragile.

366
00:15:20,295 --> 00:15:22,715
Democracies can fail.

367
00:15:22,739 --> 00:15:26,628
And what citizens do or fail to do
in a moment of crisis

368
00:15:26,652 --> 00:15:30,172
can determine the final fate

369
00:15:30,196 --> 00:15:32,807
of government of, by and for the people.

370
00:15:32,831 --> 00:15:35,863
So let's do our best
to vote, but this time,

371
00:15:35,887 --> 00:15:38,037
we've got to stay vigilant and active,

372
00:15:38,061 --> 00:15:40,029
even after the ballots have been counted.

373
00:15:40,053 --> 00:15:42,172
We've got to stay active
all the way through

374
00:15:42,196 --> 00:15:44,141
to inauguration day.

375
00:15:44,165 --> 00:15:45,474
But I want to say to you,

376
00:15:45,498 --> 00:15:50,029
I will support the winner
of a free and fair election

377
00:15:50,053 --> 00:15:52,022
no matter which candidate wins,

378
00:15:52,046 --> 00:15:55,134
and I will oppose any so-called winner

379
00:15:55,158 --> 00:15:58,870
who prevails by twisting the process
beyond recognition.

380
00:15:59,196 --> 00:16:04,006
Because any American should be willing
to concede an election,

381
00:16:04,030 --> 00:16:06,262
but no American should concede

382
00:16:06,286 --> 00:16:09,674
the core principles of democracy itself.

383
00:16:10,349 --> 00:16:11,499
Thank you.