Late Night Tackles 2018 midterms
Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar tells Stephen Colbert how Democrats can beat Trump
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) was on Monday's Late Show, and Stephen Colbert began with "the obvious question": "You're up for re-election tomorrow, why are you here?" "I heard a rumor that you have a pretty big audience," she said. "If you want to remind everyone in the country to vote, I thought that might be a good idea." (Also, Klobuchar is widely expected to win her race.)
Klobuchar was also pretty upbeat about the midterms, generally. "I think we have to be very careful about taking anything for granted, but the energy out there is just palpable," she said. In 2016, Trump lawn signs were all over rural Minnesota, but this year Democratic signs dominate, she said, as voters weigh the realities of President Trump's health-care policies and tell her "they want to bring decency back to our politics."
"President Trump argues with emotions versus facts, and it's very effective," Colbert said. "How do you counter that?" "You counter emotion with emotion," she said. Trump "has been playing everyone like the audience, with cheers and jeers and one-liners," and "what do you do when he has that angry emotion? You take it head-on with positive emotion, and that's how you win."
Klobuchar had some advice for the new senators who win Tuesday, especially the new class of women: "Be careful where you eat," and "respect other people, be willing to find that common ground, to understand that courage isn't just standing in the corner of the boxing ring throwing insults, that courage is whether or not you're willing to stand next to someone you don't always agree with for the betterment of this country. And that you go where it is uncomfortable, not just where it's comfortable — and that's how we're gonna win the Midwest." We'll find out tomorrow if Minnesota Nice is a viable electoral strategy, but you can watch Klobuchar's interview right now, below. Peter Weber