MSNBC "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" - Transcript

Interview

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Let"s the turn to Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva, member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, also co-chair of the Progressive Caucus.

Great thanks once again for your time tonight, sir.

REP. RAUL GRIJALVA (D), ARIZONA: Thank you, Keith.

OLBERMANN: We"ll get to the GOP, but let me start with "La Promesa."

How much trouble do you think the Democrats will have with that--

GRIJALVA: None.

OLBERMANN: -- in November? None?

GRIJALVA: I think there is a level of frustration and disappointment that is palatable in the Latino community based on the issue of immigration, as one factor, but others as well. And--but I think--going into the election, I think the Latino community understands its sense of place in this country is going to depend on its participation in this election.

I thought you said it well. There"s a sense of insecurity as to where their political allegiances should be. But I don"t underestimate the intelligence or maturity of the Latino voter.

We understand who is vilifying us, and while there"s frustration and disappointment with the Obama administration and with Congress regarding immigration particularly, there"s also a sense that the vilification of Latinos by the Republican Party and the Tea Party is an eminent and long-term threat to the overall security and the integration of our community into the society. I think that is bigger than people have given credit to.

OLBERMANN: Do you fear of the three choices, though--Republicans, Democrats or the couch--do you fear the couch more than the Republicans?

GRIJALVA: I think the couch worries me. If we don"t turn out in the numbers that we need to, it is not just an expression of frustration and disappointment, we"re also going to be potentially hurting very good candidates that we need as advocates in Congress, and we"re going to be by omission allowing some of the more extremist elements that have been the ones vilifying our community for the last 18 months the opportunity to get elected.

OLBERMANN: And to discuss those and about the GOP, Mrs. Angle in Nevada--how unusual is this for a--for a congressional or a Senate candidate, especially in a--in a state that has 25 percent Hispanic population, to not even bother to send out ordinarily routine news releases to--let alone return phone calls--from Hispanic media?

GRIJALVA: Yes. It"s not only unusual, it"s stupid.

OLBERMANN: Yes.

GRIJALVA: Politically stupid.

And, you know, but I think it"s part of a strategy, Keith, that the Republican Party and the more extreme elements of that party have undertaken: first to vilify, then to demonize, then to make immigration the third rail in this election, and then now--and part of the strategy will be to ignore, and the next part of the strategy will be to try to suppress that vote.

I think those are all going to fail as we go along in this process. But, yes, it is a--I think it"s a calculated strategy not to involve Latinos in any aspect of Republican politics at this point because they see that that vote is potentially not theirs. So, the idea is to ignore and suppress.

OLBERMANN: I refer to the big tent Republican Party idea that used to exist. We"re seeing so many candidates now openly appearing--appealing to fears, to prejudices of a segment of white Christian America.

What"s the--what"s the end game to this? It certainly can"t--simply, mathematically, it can"t work, can it?

GRIJALVA: No. Demographically it won"t work, and--but I think the damage that is being done to the social fabric of this nation--

OLBERMANN: Yes.

GRIJALVA: -- at this point, we should all be concerned about. This is--this is an end game to win an election in the immediate term. On the long term, the divisions, the polarization, and the impunity in which people are making comments about the Latino community, candidates for office here in the state of Arizona, as well--McCain--flipping and now making that community the reason why we have problems in this nation.

I think the Latino community understands who their friends are in this fight, and they are now coming to the clear, crystal conclusion about who their enemies are. That"s why I think they"re going to vote.

OLBERMANN: Enemies might be complimentary as we"re going along here, Congressman.

Congressman Raul Grijalva of Arizona--it"s always a pleasure. Thank you, sir.

GRIJALVA: Thank you, Keith.

OLBERMANN: Maybe the idea of the Republican big tent now is: we don"t just hate gays and blacks. We can hate Hispanics, too, and especially Muslims. A bid to deny them the right to build any more places of worship in our country.

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