United states of scandal with jake tapper new episode tonight at nine on cnn welcome to the whole story. Im Anderson Cooper, a year ago, a gunman armed with two assaultstyle weapons and a handgun, shot and killed three children and three adults. The Covenant School in nashville. It was one of the Deadliest School shootings in tennessees history. Theres led to a Renewed Push For Gun Control with thousands of people protesting in the state capital i dont three democratic lawmakers joined that protests and two of them were then expelled from the state house representatives. And unusual move that highlighted the power of the republican its in the state Legislature Tennessee is considered one of the most conservative states in the country, with some of the most restrictive laws and abortion and Voting Rights. But it wasnt always run by republicans for decades, democrats rule the legislature and the Governors Office than the party shared power until about a decade ago so how did this state end up with a republican Super Majority . Cnn political commentator van jones grew up in tennessee as a democratic activists. He wanted to find out how and why republicans came to dominate his home state what he found surprised him for the next hour, hell show you not only how deep the divide is between republicans, democrats, but also how the two sides are not as different as you might think. The gop dominant i didnt house voting to expel two Young Democratic lawmakers because theyve taken part in a guncontrol protest representative Justin Pearson, both black, were expelled from their seats representative johnson, who was white, was nearly spared it struck me, yeah. So real im like thats my home state legislature. I used to work in that building and now its being broadcast All Around The World talk, to my family who lives in tennessee, but i wasnt really on top of what was going on after the expulsion that started paying a lot more attention i actually saw it as tennessee again, being part of this national tug of war over the direction of the country and really over democracy itself. Expelling State Legislators is something that happens very rarely throughout American History presented also, the gentleman shows no remorse. Its clear that he wants to be expelled. He and two other representatives effectively conducted a mutiny. A mutiny, which to this body into the state has been unknown in its 227 year history. You simply cannot allow one much less a group of members to hijack proceedings on the floor of the house. What that represented was more norm erosion legislative norms of bipartisanship that you dont expel a legislator because they Say Something that you disagree with. And this showed again, republican can sort of out in front on those eroding norms. So you have a Democracy Index and tennessee is dead last. Why is it when we think about electoral democracy, what im were talking about free and fair elections, where every individual voter has an equal say, an equal voice in setting what the government from it does and who is elected to office and so i use 51 different variables in this measure. All of this comes together to make tennessee that 50th out of 50 as of 2018 the makeup of tennessees general assembly, it is a republican supermajority jordi, as you can see, that Super Majority holds true in the senate as well. Its becoming more and more difficult for democrats to be heard. You get the gerrymander. It gives one party control. So theres really they know democracy with the super majorities we have in both the House Of Representatives and the state senate were able to pass legislation without actually negotiating with anyone on the other side of the aisle. All right. Well, left her long time ago coming back and say very different place i just dont understand how did things get to that point. I hope i can find out this week are you doing hey good to see february get younger. I have done with regard to the expulsions when they happen, were you surprised no i wasnt surprised. They wanted to make an example of, you can not come in here and do this can you walk me through how you go from having a bunch of kids and a Private School gunned down to chew black lawmakers getting so now, it does seem like how did that happen i think part of that goes back to the issue of the Super Majority. The Super Majority can silence the minority and so the tennessee three felt like the only way for them to really be heard was to do something completely an orthodox rather man who this see how you doing, sir. No, well, welcome to the peoples house. Is that what it is hopefully, its good to see you. Thank you for shining some light. Here. I was born on the welcome back to your home state the first time you came in in this building, how did it feel to you . I mean, do you remember my first we can legislature the Senate Republican leader as want you to know that youre worthless. You dont belong here. And that was my welcome to this place. He said to your face, to my face i dont think people understand the level of Youth Activism which you were part of. Yeah. I was arrested when i climbed up and we cover the statue Nathan Bedford forrest, the first grand wizard of the kkk and enslave or competitive general with a black sheet to say that this is not a symbol we wanted our state anymore theres another statue over here of the first black lawmaker who entered into this building, exactly 150 years ago. Samsung cable, the only statue of a person of color maybe someday youll have many statutes. You never know theyll vandalize it how are you, sir . Good to see a man in this lesson, that bless yes. And days back in the peoples house i worked in the summer of 1989 as the House Majority leader, jim naifeh, fees in turn. So last time i was here democrats ran this place. I believe it or not. So a lot has changed anything different in the state of tennessee . Probably one or two things are different than then democrats are not in the majority, are not on the way to being speaker of the house. And the next couple of years here its a longterm game i think one of the biggest changes are transitions that have happened is the radicalization of the conservatives in the Republican Party. I think were seeing White Supremacy codified in legislation in ways that probably would not this case in similar ways, then those are fighting words, those its true that her bill in the Tennessee Legislature would make it illegal to display the pride flag and a Public School representative, genome bolsa introduce that bill if i were to categorize, our representatives in the Republican Caucus in the house id say youd have the conservative members. Those who are more conservative those who are most conservative. And so when were looking at legislation it normally is debated between and among those different groups, which those three camps to place for something. I think im in the most conservative camp. I dont know if you heard advance, but there was a recording released of their Caucus Meeting after our expulsion. It just showed the mentality they really saw this as a continuation of the civil war hopefully, were at war fraud. Well, what was because they get the southeast game over . Have you got to protect is pretty republic here. That of ceo noah. All Go To Hell Home ive heard that there was an audio that was leaked. I have not heard it, but i was in the Caucus Meeting, obviously tennessee does represent values that our country has held since its founding. And so it cannot fall to the type of wokeness that weve seen go rampant. And some of the other states that are not doing so well. So as goes tennessee in many respects, so goes the country they need everybody on the same page or as theyre going to lose what they believe is some war. I dont want to sugarcoat it there was some wall political uses of power when the democrats controlled the state house but it wasnt this sense of, weve got to win at all costs because sorry. Retired culture is at stake. I hope brings us a White Supremacist wow. See that the job that youre walking town hall, that the greatest has ceased watson, disrespect to say that i chose to move to fire gallery has got to stop justin jones, who was expelled, then reinstated on monday. He has great democracy will win in the end of Justin Pearson has been reinstated now by a Tennessee County Board do you feel like it can be effective lawmakers in an environment like this . A good lawmaker isnt the one that just gets a law passed. Because if we wanted to pass a law to allow everybody to get an ar 15 tomorrow that might pass does that make you a good lawmaker . Ahead into the shoeshine place, an arcade where the citizens were that dissent is a message to the future. We may not have the votes now, but each time we did, we are letting the future know that theres still somebody who would not bow down that they were people who fought to make this state what it ought to be im just sending a listen to you talk and ive just feel like the proud, and also a little bit ashamed because i dont think that my generation kept that same fire we talked so much about ancestors. Do you think about what they endured and what they were called, depths away from earth, capital i think part of why people are so impressed with you, young people is that you didnt back down tennessee is the birthplace of the ku klux klan but also the Nashville Student Movement so we have this dual history and i think thats really the history of america i really felt talking to those young justins like i was talking to civil rights leaders from hamas a century ago, these young people made themselves people who could not. There must have been how it felt to talk to a john lewis agreed to be jonathan, justin, young people telling older generation they need to do better you dont realize sometime how far away you vered from your own values or your own shoe north until somebody reasserts it and when a young person reassert said its a specialty bracing, 321 like you said people have a good fight it together. You say in the right to breathe with so many choices on booking. Com, there are so many tina fey as i could be. So i hired body doubles to help me out, splurging. Tina loves a hotel near rodeo drive trena gina booked a farm stay to ride this horse glenn close was millions of possibilities you can book whoever you want to be. Thats my line booking. Com, Booking Dot Yeah could you kidding right on to western abby . Youve reached your destination one more one mole right on to Western Avenue id light in the all electric it for its the little things. So its a vw i am an unholy terror, but lately its just a ruse. I cant let them see. Im happy. Its prime video. All my shows and movies are here. Its nonstop, Joy BoundlessMath Convulsions of for volatile so nice boston, all your screening and one app with one password prime video, find your happy place. When you stop wayfair, you get big deals for your home every day. So big i big deal you are because its a big deal when you get a big deal, wayfair deals so big that you might get a big head because what savings so real, you can get your dream sofa for the phrase wait there, its always a big deal. Way. You could just what i need we want young tennessee be there to make the democratic process works. So lets take a Step Back Convention Roles on the Keynote Speech kicks off the days big political activity he knows her as governor frank gq, climate of tennessee tennessee was run by Southern Denmark crafts through the 20th century, through the early 2000s, you had a number of moderate or conservative democrats. You had very Progressive Democrats from places like Urban Nashville and memphis. This created a more moderate state with a divided State Government and the 2010 wave election, tennessee becomes unified republican for the First Time Since really the civil war and reconstruction it seems like 2010 was a really Pivotal Moment obama came in 2008 there were some counties that are ruby red today that were actually obama counties and await here in our state we begin to see that shift after all of the Birth Certificate and the tea party and all of that hot, heated rhetoric if the message loud and clear one that i believe those individuals who were on the fence or just holding on to the party just because theyve been democrats all these years. Were now aligning themselves more racially and culturally than they were with party identification. But it wasnt so much the views of tennessee. Its changed. I think you had the Democratic Party that was continuing to lurch towards the left with what i really wanted to come to you. I am of republican. Good morning. Being seen as a party that is radical proabortion, anti gun soft on national security. Jackson, fire mental, i mean, to the point of extremism a lot of Southern Democrats now probably vote identify more as republicans democrats become republicans, counties that they had gone blue for obama and suddenly become red . Yes, absolutely. Thats 2010 thats the worst year for yall to get work because then they got they got a chance to redistrict that gave the republicans the power to gerrymander everything, correct . Thats correct. Do they use that power . They use it. Do they abuse it . Abuse it was surgical precision. Tuesday nights results were decidedly republican. Its a fair die she in our state. Republicans now have a super twothirds majority in the house and senate and in this moment, they start taking increasingly conservative Policy Changes around all sorts of policy areas. Guns, health care, abortion, but especially when it comes to Democratic Institutions like Voting Rights and distracting what happens in tennessee is going to happen in nearly any red controlled state after this time period. But tennessee is really leading the charge in many ways. I didnt learn the pass without a latenight deal. Tennessee lawmakers passed one of the countrys most restrictive Abortion Laws the first state in the country to restrict Drag Show Performances Hennessy Legislature has declared war on queer people in tennessee. The puzzle is, why do these parties stay in power and states when theyre passing things that are not all that popular. And part of that reason is restricting Democratic Institutions like Voting Rights, even with things like strict voter id law below average, wait times for inperson voting. Felon disenfranchisement in a series of other things that make it more costly and burdensome to vote a 60 of tennesseans in a president ial year will vote for the republican but if you look at the state House Republicans have 76 for some of the seats. If you look at the state senate, republicans have been 82 of the scenes i think that creates a situation where people feel like its, its useless are you visiting nashville . As he from nashville to yeah. Yeah. You might have. We talked to you. Now, go ahead. Come on. Come on. Thank you. Yeah, good guy. Grabs i would say the word that comes from long is a certain amount of just smear. The disappear part of it is. Does your vote counts does it make a difference . Especially in Bigger Picture of tennessee . I already described hilary as the redness of the red states. The rest of the red area to area the gerrymandering is definitely take nashville where when they drew the congressional lines instead of keeping a community together, they did whats called in the redistricting community, cracking and packing. So they cracked nashville to create more republican District Tricks and get rid of a potential democratic district this concept political maps being drawn in a way that might tend to Favor One Party more than another has been something thats been going on since the founding of our country do you believe that . But for gerrymandering, you would be in the us Congress Absolutely i went 75 of the vote here in nashville i was doing well. But they deliberately created a district that has 14 counties because in two different states to make it impossible for you to win, yeah, they crack nationally across every black community, the sounds too black vote and