Live from Atlanta Wednesday morning on The John Fredericks Show – live weekdays on WNTW AM 820/ FM 92.7 – Richmond, WJFN FM 100.5 – Central Virginia, WMPH AM 1010 / FM 100.1 / FM 96.9 (7-9 PM) Hampton Roads, WBRG AM 1050 / FM 105.1 – Lynchburg/Roanoke and Live Weekdays 6-10 am and 24/7 Stream – host Fredericks welcomed Congressman Morgan Griffith to the show.
During the program, Griffith weighed in on what he saw going on in Washington with Republicans in a position to win 12 seats. He also discussed briefly the quandary many Democrats face with a choice of voting with Speaker Pelosi or with their districts.
Fredericks: Joining us now Congressman Morgan Griffith. Republican southwest Virginia represents the Ninth District of Virginia. Congressman great to have you.
Griffith: Good to be with you as well.
Fredericks: Congressman first of all thank you for your sponsorship to help us bring transparency and light to Georgia. Thank you.
Griffith: Well glad to help out a little bit.
Fredericks: What’s the mood there now in Washington? I mean it looks like Congressman, it looks like Republicans are going to pick up 12 seats. Is that
accurate?
Griffith: Well we’re going to pick up a fair number. I’m looking at the numbers and sometimes they’re changing. There are some close races out there.
Fredericks: What do you think?
Griffith: Still to be called. But I think we’ll be in the 210, 212 range yes. And that’s going to be a very beneficial thing for us. It’d be better for us to be in control. And having a different Speaker, of course, the Speaker’s race when it gets to the floor is going to be very interesting. But that being said I think we’ll be able to stop some bad legislation.
There will be some people who will be forced to vote with Republicans. That didn’t matter as much last time but now Pelosi is only going to have a handful of votes that she can give the wink and the nod to that they can vote the other way. And we’re going to probably see some true colors come out. And that will help us in the next round.
Fredericks: Congressman if the Republicans gained 12 seats and that if I had to predict it now that’s what I think it’ll be. you’re ahead in 10. I mean you’re going to win 10. You’re ahead in two others and you actually got a third one in New Jersey where you have a shot at it. But I don’t think you’re going to win that.
Griffith: They keep holding out hope for that one. But I agree with you with the numbers that I can see.
Fredericks: Yeah, they’re not going to win that.
Griffith: Others may know something, I don’t see that happening.
Fredericks: Yeah well they keep holding out hope and it’s too bad too because I think that’s Tom Kean’s son if I’m not mistaken. I go back with Tom Kean because I used to be from New Jersey. Great guy. He’s just a great guy. When I played baseball at Fairleigh Dickinson Tom Kean was the Chancellor at Drew University which was across the street who we played in baseball obviously. It was a rivalry so he was always that that was a big game.
So that was kind of fun. Just for the record, I shut them out three times. (Griffith laughs) Now I don’t talk about that. Too old too many years back. We were D one they were D two or three or something so they really couldn’t hit me. So let’s get to what happens. If you get 12, Pelosi’s got a five-seat advantage. I mean can she even survive? Because remember the last time Spanberger voted against her and the bunch of people that voted against her. Now Spanberger got on the phone call and blasted her to smithereens. They had a big fight. What is up with that?
Griffith: Well and I don’t know what’s up either. Spanberger, I mean I think she was speaking with what she thought. But it was then you know the audio was then released. Either somebody released it from the progressive side of their party which is about two-thirds of it at this point. Or she released it herself to show that she was fighting you know for the cause to try to make the Democrats a little less…
Fredericks: I don’t think she released it herself because she was thrown around the f-bomb. I mean she’s a mother. She’s got, children. I don’t think you want to have that. I listened to tape three times and I have to say I laughed. I just have to admit it was like comedy hour. But she was screaming on the phone and she was like f this and f that.
Griffith: She’s going to have to make a decision as to whether or not she’s voting for Pelosi this time because they can’t give as many buys they were able to. They were able to say yeah we know you’re in a tough district but you don’t have to vote for Pelosi. And there’s going to be a lot of other issues like that where she’s going to be having to choose no matter how you dress it up, she’s going to have to choose whether she’s going to vote for that pig or not. And unfortunately, I’m not talking about Pelosi, I’m talking about that bill.
But when you know when you’re talking about you know voting for a bill that’s that’s bad and you know your district isn’t going to like it the Democrats are not going to have much leeway. And they’re going to have to put a lot of pressure on their members to vote for things that are bad in their district. And you know I mean that’s how i got elected.
There was a district that leaned at that time a little bit Republican now a lot Republican. They leaned on the member to you know compromise and make a deal on cap and trade. And he ultimately did because they didn’t have enough votes without him. And he changed the course of that legislation. He amended it slightly and then came home to try to say it was really a good thing. Voters didn’t buy it.
Fredericks: Exactly
Griffith: That’s up to Congress and that’s what’s going to happen to some of these. You know you look at Conor Lamb and you look at Abigail Spanberger. And you look around the country and some of these folks that did hold on this time are going to have to make a choice. They’re going to have to choose whether they do what Nancy Pelosi tells them to do or whether they do what’s right for the district. And either way, the American people win I believe because if they vote with Nancy Pelosi we may lose in the short run, but the Republicans will get that seat back.
Fredericks: Let me ask you about that seat in the Seventh District. I really thought Nick Freitas ran a great race he came up short looks like about 5,000. Last time Abigail Spanberg who’s a great candidate by the way. You have to got to give credit where it’s due. She’s a really really good candidate. And I know you’ve met her.
Griffith: I agree that. She’s very bright. She’s very personable. And she knows how to you know to say things that make people feel comfortable even though she’s leaning to the left more than I think the district does.
Fredericks: The other thing is she’s a very genuine person warm and she’s always very pleasant and very nice. I mean it’s tough. she’s the tough one not to like. I mean every time I see her she gives me a big hug and I’m really against her policies five days a week 24 hours a day. And she always gives me a big hug a big smile. she’ll come to take a picture. Asks me how my family is how Joseph’s doing. It’s like okay so she’s tough but what’s not to like. She’s really nice. But I think Nick ran a great race.
But now you look at that district and she beat Dave by 6,000. Nick by 5,000. I think in 2022 she’s in big trouble there especially if Biden does get inaugurated. So let’s go to that. Where is this going? I mean you guys haven’t been cooperating. The White House hasn’t been cooperating with the transition team. Still, a lot of people like me, think Trump is going to get inaugurated on January 20. What have you heard?
Griffith: Well, we’re holding out to see what happens. And you know there are a couple of states that are still in play. You’re in one of them. Georgia. And Pennsylvania where we have to make sure that all the legal votes are counted we have to make sure it’s done right. But I was pleased to hear you talk today about Virginia when one of your callers called in because you know there are always going to be some problems but there’s not enough to justify the numbers in Virginia. But in some of these other states, there may be. And we just have to wait and see how it turns out and let the process work. And then in the end Congress takes a vote as to whether or not we believe that each of the states was fairly done and seated in the electoral college.
Listen to the full show here:
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Background Photo “Voting Booths” by Tim Evanson. CC BY-SA 2.0.
