1 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:07,880 Speaker 1: On this episode of News World. My guest is a 2 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:11,160 Speaker 1: woman of firsts. She was elected to the Hawaii State 3 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:14,200 Speaker 1: House of Representatives at the age of twenty one. As 4 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 1: a reservist in the Hawaiian Army National Guard, she completed 5 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:21,200 Speaker 1: two tours of duty in the Middle East. In twenty twelve, 6 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 1: she was elected to the US House of Representatives in 7 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:28,240 Speaker 1: Hawaii's second congressional district. She is the first American Samoan 8 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:31,440 Speaker 1: ever elected to Congress, and she ran for president on 9 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:36,040 Speaker 1: the Democratic ticket in two twenty. On Tuesday, October eleventh, 10 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 1: she announced she is leaving the Democratic Party for good 11 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:41,760 Speaker 1: because an I quote, it's now under the complete control 12 00:00:42,159 --> 00:00:46,520 Speaker 1: of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness unquote. 13 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:49,840 Speaker 1: I couldn't have described the modern Democratic Party better myself. 14 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 1: But more importantly, I have known my guest for a 15 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: good while. She is a remarkable person. She's a fun person. 16 00:00:56,120 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 1: I'm really pleased to welcome my guest. Taulsy Gabbert, former Engresman, 17 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:04,200 Speaker 1: former presidential candidate. I think she has a great future 18 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 1: ahead of her and whatever she does. She's now campaigning 19 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:10,679 Speaker 1: for some key Republicans leading into the twenty twenty two 20 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,919 Speaker 1: mid terms, and her latest project is her new podcast, 21 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 1: The Taus Gabber Show, which I recommend highly because I 22 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:29,280 Speaker 1: know it's going to be fascinating. Welloha, Tulsi, welcome and 23 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 1: thank you for joining me on news World. Thank you. 24 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:35,240 Speaker 1: It's an honor to be here to talk to you. 25 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:38,440 Speaker 1: And I feel like, at different pivotal moments for as 26 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:40,919 Speaker 1: long as we've known each other, I get little notes 27 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 1: from you, and just so you know, they're always welcome 28 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:47,080 Speaker 1: and perfectly timed. Well, thank you. And I have to 29 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 1: say I didn't realize though, when you were elected in 30 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 1: two thousand and two, at twenty one, you were the 31 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:57,000 Speaker 1: youngest person elected to public office and the history of Hawaii. Yeah, yeah, 32 00:01:57,040 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 1: that's true. I didn't know any better. What led you 33 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: to run? Yeah, growing up in hawaiis you can imagine, 34 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 1: it's a beautiful place. And I grew up surfing and 35 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:11,640 Speaker 1: swimming and hiking and just appreciating our home. And I 36 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:15,839 Speaker 1: got pretty frustrated at different moments when I saw our 37 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:19,400 Speaker 1: state lawmakers so disconnected from the need to protect our 38 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 1: natural resources, to protect our home. And so when there 39 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:25,000 Speaker 1: was an opportunity to run for the state House, an 40 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 1: open seat came up after the two thousand census, and 41 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:32,919 Speaker 1: I thought, well, what better way to walk the talk 42 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:36,720 Speaker 1: than to actually put myself forward and ask people for 43 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:38,680 Speaker 1: the opportunity and privilege to serve them so that I 44 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:41,120 Speaker 1: could start to bring to action some of the things 45 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 1: that I had been talking about and trying to push 46 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:46,120 Speaker 1: our state lawmakers to do. Okays. Which island did you 47 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:48,639 Speaker 1: live on. I grew up on the island of Oahu. 48 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:51,440 Speaker 1: When you ran for reelection, you lost in the Democratic 49 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:53,760 Speaker 1: primary in two thousand and four. How did you cope 50 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:55,680 Speaker 1: with that? I mean, all of a sudden, it's great 51 00:02:55,720 --> 00:02:58,880 Speaker 1: to success and then boom. There's more to that story there. Actually, 52 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:01,799 Speaker 1: I was campaigning for re election my first reelection campaign 53 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:04,359 Speaker 1: in two thousand and four to the State House. You know, 54 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:07,720 Speaker 1: all the filing deadlines had passed, we were approaching our 55 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 1: primary election date when our National Guard Brigade Combat Team 56 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:15,240 Speaker 1: was called up for an eighteen month long deployment to Iraq. 57 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 1: I had just enlisted in the National Guard a year prior, 58 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 1: was serving in a headquarters medical unit, and my commander 59 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:24,160 Speaker 1: called me and said, hey, Tulsa, I know you heard 60 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:27,360 Speaker 1: about the deployment. Almost everyone's going, but you don't have to. 61 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:29,840 Speaker 1: Your name's not on the roster because your job's already 62 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 1: been filled by somebody else. And I knew almost immediately. 63 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 1: I told him there's no way I'm staying home and 64 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 1: watching you guys go and deploy to Iraq without me. 65 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 1: So long story short, I volunteered. I've got trained up 66 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 1: in and filled a job they needed someone to fill, 67 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:48,960 Speaker 1: and I withdrew from my reelection campaign, but it was 68 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:50,840 Speaker 1: too late to get my name taken off the ballot. 69 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 1: But I was training in Gosh. I think we were 70 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:56,240 Speaker 1: training in Fort Bliss at the time of the election 71 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: taking place. What was it like being in the National 72 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:03,000 Speaker 1: Guard in Ara? It was an eye opening experience for 73 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:06,640 Speaker 1: me growing up in Hawaii. My world was relatively small 74 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 1: in the state of Hawaii, and what was happening in 75 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: my backyard and my home there, and so I wasn't 76 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:16,440 Speaker 1: paying a lot of attention, if any, to foreign policy 77 00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:19,159 Speaker 1: or what was happening in the world. And so it 78 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:21,359 Speaker 1: was nine to eleven that kind of triggered in me 79 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:25,720 Speaker 1: my desire to serve in the military. I decided to 80 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:27,640 Speaker 1: go the route of the National Guard because I could 81 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:31,359 Speaker 1: continue serving my state and my country, and so deploying 82 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:34,920 Speaker 1: to Iraq. We were about forty miles north of Baghdad 83 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:37,400 Speaker 1: in what was then called the Sunni Triangle, as you 84 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 1: know very well, and it was a very hot time 85 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:44,800 Speaker 1: kinetically in that war. Unfortunately, a lot of casualties, and 86 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:48,919 Speaker 1: that experience really started to open my eyes and shape 87 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:52,240 Speaker 1: my worldview. And when I came home, I couldn't go 88 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:55,200 Speaker 1: back to going into the State House again because I 89 00:04:55,279 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 1: had changed. My whole world had changed, and I wanted 90 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:01,400 Speaker 1: to find ways to impact in or fellow veterans and 91 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 1: impact foreign policy when I came home, and so I 92 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:06,720 Speaker 1: went and worked for Senator Akaca as a legislative aid. 93 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:08,520 Speaker 1: He was the chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee at 94 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 1: that time, and so went to Washington for a couple 95 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:13,440 Speaker 1: of years. He was a very effective senator. I would 96 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:17,479 Speaker 1: think that would be a pretty good mentor to learn from. Truly, 97 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:20,719 Speaker 1: he was effective. And you know still when I meet 98 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:24,320 Speaker 1: or bump into senators in the halls of Washington or 99 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:26,839 Speaker 1: out on the road, the ones who've been there for 100 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:30,960 Speaker 1: a long time remember him so fondly because he had 101 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 1: such a kind heart. He epitomized what we and what 102 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:38,480 Speaker 1: you call the Aloha spirit treating everyone with respect. There 103 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 1: was even a time when and again you know this 104 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:44,839 Speaker 1: better than anybody else, probably just the maschinations of what 105 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:46,960 Speaker 1: goes on behind the scenes. And for me as a 106 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 1: member of his staff, you know, someone wanted his job, 107 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:51,919 Speaker 1: someone else wanted to be the chair of the Veterans 108 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:54,840 Speaker 1: Affairs Committee, and they were trying to come at him 109 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:58,400 Speaker 1: and undercut him in ways that were very disrespectful and 110 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:01,479 Speaker 1: unkind to put it nice sleep and so I and 111 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:03,680 Speaker 1: others on the staff we were getting pretty fired up 112 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:07,000 Speaker 1: and you know, angry about these tactics that were being used. 113 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:09,320 Speaker 1: And you know, I remember talking to him in his 114 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:11,080 Speaker 1: office and we're telling him, hey, this is what's going on. 115 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:12,800 Speaker 1: This person is doing this, this is what they're saying. 116 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:16,280 Speaker 1: It's so unfair all this stuff. And he just had 117 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:20,760 Speaker 1: his calm, gentle smile on his face and he just said, 118 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:25,120 Speaker 1: you know what, whatever happens, we will continue doing our 119 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:28,800 Speaker 1: work for our veterans and the result is out of 120 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:30,719 Speaker 1: our hands. All we can do is do our job 121 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:33,480 Speaker 1: and do our best. And so as moments like that 122 00:06:33,480 --> 00:06:36,880 Speaker 1: that really taught me so much, and he remains my 123 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:40,120 Speaker 1: mentor in politics it's a great choice. I worked with 124 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:42,520 Speaker 1: Dan and I thought he was the kind of guy 125 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:45,800 Speaker 1: you could deal with honestly and who always was positive. 126 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:49,240 Speaker 1: I mean, it's just a remarkable guy, really amazing. So yeah, 127 00:06:49,279 --> 00:06:51,320 Speaker 1: that kind of training, coming out of the National Guard, 128 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:54,040 Speaker 1: working as a legislative aide to a Senator, and then 129 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:56,960 Speaker 1: you end up being elected to the Honolulu City Council. 130 00:06:57,520 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 1: What was that like? I mean, the city councils are 131 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:02,719 Speaker 1: totally differ from world totally different. So after I left 132 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:05,800 Speaker 1: Senator Caucus office, I had volunteered for another deployment with 133 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:09,159 Speaker 1: our Hawaii Guard unit, again back to the Middle East, 134 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:11,560 Speaker 1: where I had the privilege of leading a platoon of soldiers. 135 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:14,280 Speaker 1: Came back from that once again trying to see, like, 136 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:17,160 Speaker 1: how can I best be of service, And at that moment, 137 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:19,640 Speaker 1: serving on the city council was a way that I 138 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:23,240 Speaker 1: could directly impact my community and it was so gratifying. 139 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:25,240 Speaker 1: I met a guy a few days ago in Minneapolis 140 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 1: who excitedly told me he was running for city council. 141 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:29,600 Speaker 1: I just told him, man, that is one of the 142 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:33,240 Speaker 1: best jobs, because yes, you're dealing with things like sewers 143 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:37,720 Speaker 1: and you know, potholes and trash pickup, and you know, 144 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:40,840 Speaker 1: public safety in your community. Like all of these basic 145 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 1: essential things that are not super sexy topics for national television, 146 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:48,920 Speaker 1: but my gosh, if you do your job well, people 147 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:51,560 Speaker 1: are happy. If you don't do your job, you will 148 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:54,880 Speaker 1: hear about it immediately. But the coolest thing was just 149 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:57,000 Speaker 1: you know, for us in the Honolulu City Council, it's 150 00:07:57,040 --> 00:07:59,440 Speaker 1: one of the biggest in the country in the sense 151 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:01,760 Speaker 1: that every one of the nine members of the council 152 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 1: we had about one hundred thousand people in our district. 153 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:08,240 Speaker 1: So it was significant, more constituents than a state senator 154 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:11,000 Speaker 1: or a state House member has in Hawaii. And it 155 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:14,640 Speaker 1: was so gratifying to be able to count to five 156 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:16,520 Speaker 1: and no I could get a bill passed or to 157 00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:19,600 Speaker 1: get funding for a local project, and to get that 158 00:08:19,640 --> 00:08:23,280 Speaker 1: immediate feedback from people in my community was just awesome. Well, 159 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:26,600 Speaker 1: I always like Hawaii. I have a very narrow view 160 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:29,040 Speaker 1: of cities, and you have a great zoo. That's how 161 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:32,360 Speaker 1: I measure cities, so I'm very fond of Honolulu. You 162 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:35,960 Speaker 1: also have a very nice cathedral that from a Catholic perspective, 163 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:38,600 Speaker 1: it's a great town and you are very fortunate there's 164 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:41,240 Speaker 1: a lot of history there. Yeah, then you turn around 165 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:46,120 Speaker 1: and in two twelve you run for the Congress and 166 00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:48,800 Speaker 1: you win decisively. You at fifty five percent in the 167 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:52,080 Speaker 1: primary and then seventy seven percent in the general. What 168 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:58,040 Speaker 1: drew you into the congressional race. It was the answer 169 00:08:58,120 --> 00:09:01,160 Speaker 1: to the question that I had been asking ever since 170 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:04,600 Speaker 1: I came back from that first deployment to Iraq, looking 171 00:09:04,679 --> 00:09:07,920 Speaker 1: for a way to take those experiences and actually be 172 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:11,040 Speaker 1: in a position to influence and impact the foreign policy 173 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:14,240 Speaker 1: decisions made in our country, the decisions impacting our men 174 00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:18,199 Speaker 1: and women in uniform, our national security, and our veterans. 175 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:20,880 Speaker 1: And so you know, in a state like Hawaii, where 176 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:24,920 Speaker 1: there's only two members of Congress, obviously two US Senators, 177 00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:29,080 Speaker 1: there aren't very many openings or opportunities really. Ever, So 178 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:31,520 Speaker 1: when that seat opened up, it was actually because Senator 179 00:09:31,559 --> 00:09:36,120 Speaker 1: Aca retired. Then Congresswoman Maisie Hirono left her seat to 180 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:39,120 Speaker 1: run for his seat in the US Senate. And I 181 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:42,720 Speaker 1: had almost zero chance of winning that race. According to 182 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:45,760 Speaker 1: the political pundits in Hawaii. I was going against a 183 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:48,280 Speaker 1: guy who had just run for governor, had one hundred 184 00:09:48,280 --> 00:09:51,520 Speaker 1: percent name recognition, had been the mayor of Honolulu had 185 00:09:51,559 --> 00:09:55,800 Speaker 1: all the contacts, connections, relationships, money, everything that if you 186 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:58,000 Speaker 1: were to read a book that you know you want 187 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:02,160 Speaker 1: to check those boxes to be a successful candidate on paper. 188 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:05,679 Speaker 1: He had all those things. But I was undeterred, even 189 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:08,200 Speaker 1: though just about everyone told me Tulsey, I like you, 190 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:11,439 Speaker 1: but she got no shot. I was undeterred because of 191 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:13,640 Speaker 1: that mission that I had had ever since coming back 192 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:17,439 Speaker 1: from that first deployment to Iraq, and an understanding that 193 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:20,160 Speaker 1: ultimately it's the people who get to make these decisions, 194 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:25,000 Speaker 1: not posters or union bosses or chambers of commerce or 195 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:27,760 Speaker 1: big business owners. It's the people who get to make 196 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:30,680 Speaker 1: that decision. Just a few months before election day, I 197 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:35,400 Speaker 1: was forty points down in the polls. Still people said 198 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:38,280 Speaker 1: you got no chance. But I focused every single day 199 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:40,600 Speaker 1: on reaching people, talking to them, letting him know, hey, 200 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:43,559 Speaker 1: I'm applying for a job from you and the opportunity 201 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:46,560 Speaker 1: to serve you in Washington, and then ended up winning 202 00:10:46,679 --> 00:10:49,120 Speaker 1: on election Day, which was our primary election, with a 203 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:51,880 Speaker 1: twenty percent margin of victory against the guy that everyone 204 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:55,280 Speaker 1: said was unbeatable. I'll never forget that. Because I didn't 205 00:10:55,320 --> 00:10:57,880 Speaker 1: have any party support, I didn't have any support from 206 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:02,080 Speaker 1: any big special interests. Won that primary election purely because 207 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:04,680 Speaker 1: the people of Hawaii said it's time for a fresh, 208 00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:08,359 Speaker 1: new leadership. And I have kept that at the forefront 209 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:11,120 Speaker 1: of being accountable to the people, to the voters all 210 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:13,240 Speaker 1: of my years that I served in Congress, and obviously 211 00:11:13,280 --> 00:11:18,160 Speaker 1: continue today. So you had almost a remarkable start. You 212 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:21,560 Speaker 1: get to Washington in twenty thirteen and your elected vice 213 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:24,520 Speaker 1: chair of the Democratic National Committee? Did that surprise? You have? 214 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:27,360 Speaker 1: That happen so quickly. I don't remember what day or 215 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:31,080 Speaker 1: date it was, but it was somewhere around President Obama's 216 00:11:31,080 --> 00:11:34,040 Speaker 1: second inauguration and I was in a car riding somewhere 217 00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:37,280 Speaker 1: and got a call saying, Hey, what would your answer 218 00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:38,920 Speaker 1: be if you were asked to be vice chair of 219 00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:43,440 Speaker 1: the DNC? And I was totally surprised, And my response was, 220 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:47,440 Speaker 1: what does the vice chair of the DNC do? What 221 00:11:47,520 --> 00:11:51,439 Speaker 1: are you actually asking of me? So it was unexpected, 222 00:11:51,520 --> 00:11:53,679 Speaker 1: to say the least. Did you find doing that as 223 00:11:53,679 --> 00:11:56,600 Speaker 1: well as being a congresswoman? Was that an education to 224 00:11:56,600 --> 00:12:00,760 Speaker 1: be that deeply involved in the Democratic National Committee? Yes? Yes, 225 00:12:00,880 --> 00:12:04,000 Speaker 1: like I said, to go from being a newly elected 226 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:07,800 Speaker 1: member of Congress to you know, Nancy Pelosi asked me 227 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:10,360 Speaker 1: to speak about veterans on opening night of the Democratic 228 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:14,520 Speaker 1: Convention that year to almost immediately within weeks of being 229 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:16,480 Speaker 1: sworn in as a member of Congress to be vice 230 00:12:16,559 --> 00:12:20,079 Speaker 1: chair of the DNC. I came in with an open 231 00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:24,640 Speaker 1: mind and pretty clear eyes and learned a lot, both 232 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:28,960 Speaker 1: the good, bad and ugly about our process and our 233 00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:34,280 Speaker 1: politics over those next few years. So in twenty sixteen, 234 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:38,000 Speaker 1: you resign from the Democratic National Committee so that you're 235 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:41,400 Speaker 1: freed up to endorse Bernie Sanders. What drew you to Bernie? 236 00:12:41,920 --> 00:12:45,600 Speaker 1: I mean, in agents geography, you guys are pretty far apart, 237 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:47,880 Speaker 1: and in a whole lot of other ways. Really came 238 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:51,120 Speaker 1: down to foreign policy, and it came down to, you know, 239 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:53,200 Speaker 1: as a vice share the DNC, I was told, you know, 240 00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:55,719 Speaker 1: you're not allowed to weigh in. You got to be 241 00:12:55,760 --> 00:12:58,199 Speaker 1: a neutral arbiter in the Democratic primary, which is as 242 00:12:58,240 --> 00:13:00,960 Speaker 1: it should be. I found out that that wasn't the 243 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:04,040 Speaker 1: case for you know, the chair of the Democratic Party 244 00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:06,800 Speaker 1: at the time, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, as she was working 245 00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:09,240 Speaker 1: on tilting the scales towards Hillary. But there are a 246 00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:11,440 Speaker 1: number of things that led up to that, limiting the 247 00:13:11,520 --> 00:13:15,040 Speaker 1: numbers of debates that would be had in the Democratic primary, 248 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:19,200 Speaker 1: therefore limiting voters exposure to the choices that they would have. 249 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:22,840 Speaker 1: I saw, how you know, the people who were hosting 250 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:26,440 Speaker 1: those debates, even though in my heart of hearts and 251 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:29,400 Speaker 1: like to my bones, I know how real it is 252 00:13:29,440 --> 00:13:32,120 Speaker 1: that the most important responsibility the president has is to 253 00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:36,520 Speaker 1: serve as commander in chief, they were giving very little 254 00:13:36,559 --> 00:13:41,040 Speaker 1: time to that question, that responsibility, to inform voters on 255 00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:44,120 Speaker 1: the differences between Hillary and Bernie on that topic. And 256 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:46,559 Speaker 1: so that's why I resigned. I resigned as vice chair 257 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:50,320 Speaker 1: the DNC to endorse Bernie because of the vast difference 258 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:53,520 Speaker 1: between the two of them, at least at that time. Hillary, 259 00:13:53,760 --> 00:13:55,720 Speaker 1: I don't know of any war that she has ever 260 00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:59,040 Speaker 1: spoken out against or been opposed to. In fact, she 261 00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:02,079 Speaker 1: has led interventions in wars in one way, shape or 262 00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:04,439 Speaker 1: another for as long as she's been involved in politics. 263 00:14:04,840 --> 00:14:07,800 Speaker 1: Whereas Bernie, at least generally we don't agree on a 264 00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:10,880 Speaker 1: lot of things, but generally he has or had a 265 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:15,400 Speaker 1: more non interventionist view of foreign policy. And I took 266 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:19,080 Speaker 1: that opportunity to get on TV and get on different 267 00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:22,280 Speaker 1: platforms to drive home that point of the difference. You know, 268 00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:24,320 Speaker 1: at that time, people were saying, well, Hillary Clinton's the 269 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:27,400 Speaker 1: most qualified person ever to run for president. I never 270 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:29,480 Speaker 1: agreed with it, and I never understood it, and I 271 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:33,080 Speaker 1: saw her foreign policy record actually has an incredible weakness 272 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:36,760 Speaker 1: that even the Bernie Sanders campaign really wasn't talking about. 273 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:39,080 Speaker 1: So that was the reason why it took that step 274 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:52,080 Speaker 1: and took advantage of every opportunity that it gave. Hi, 275 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:54,960 Speaker 1: this is nude. We have serious decisions to make about 276 00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:59,080 Speaker 1: the future of our country. Americans must confront big government socialism, 277 00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:03,760 Speaker 1: which has taken over the modern Democratic Party, big business, news, media, entertainment, 278 00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:09,040 Speaker 1: and academia. My new bestselling book, Defeating Big Government Socialism 279 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:13,680 Speaker 1: Saving America's Future, offers strategies and insights for everyday citizens 280 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:17,280 Speaker 1: to save America's future and ensure it remains the greatest 281 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:21,000 Speaker 1: nation on Earth. Here's a special offer for my podcast listeners. 282 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:23,880 Speaker 1: You can order an autograph copy of my new book, 283 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:28,280 Speaker 1: Defeating Big Government Socialism right now at gingwishtree sixty dot 284 00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:31,000 Speaker 1: com slash book and we'll ship it directly to you. 285 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:34,400 Speaker 1: Don't miss out on this special offer. It's only available 286 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:37,560 Speaker 1: for a limited time. Go to gingwishtree sixty dot com 287 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:41,040 Speaker 1: slash book to order your copy now order it today 288 00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:55,840 Speaker 1: at gingwishtree sixty dot com slash book. There's somebody who 289 00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:58,280 Speaker 1: ran for Congress a fair number of times. You won 290 00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:03,160 Speaker 1: with seventy seven percent, seventy six percent, eighty one percent, 291 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:06,400 Speaker 1: and seventy seven percent. So clearly you could have stayed 292 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:10,360 Speaker 1: for a very long time. But on January eleven, twenty nineteen, 293 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:13,120 Speaker 1: you announce your running for president. I mean, that's a 294 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:15,240 Speaker 1: big decision. What led you to decide to do that? 295 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:19,680 Speaker 1: It is a big decision. The triggering thing that happened 296 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:22,640 Speaker 1: that caused me to start to think about that actually 297 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:26,240 Speaker 1: happened a year prior to that, in January twenty eighteen. 298 00:16:26,880 --> 00:16:31,040 Speaker 1: January thirteen, when every cell phone in Hawaii got a 299 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:36,400 Speaker 1: text message saying ballistic missile incoming to Hawaii. This is 300 00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:40,600 Speaker 1: not a drill, Seek immediate shelter. And this was about 301 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:44,240 Speaker 1: eight o'clock on a Saturday morning. The alarm started to sound. 302 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:47,840 Speaker 1: The television screen in the radio station started sounding that 303 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:52,760 Speaker 1: ear piercing alarm sound, causing everyone in the state, residents 304 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:57,800 Speaker 1: and tourists and everyone to really question, Number one, where 305 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:00,160 Speaker 1: is their shelter, they say, seek immediate shelter. Where is 306 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:04,000 Speaker 1: their shelter? And then number two, is this the end? 307 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:07,439 Speaker 1: Do we have this? Fifteen minutes before you what was 308 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:10,640 Speaker 1: assumed would have been a nuclear missile coming from North 309 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:15,240 Speaker 1: Korea to Hawaii and that turned out to be a 310 00:17:15,240 --> 00:17:18,879 Speaker 1: false alarm. But the fact that we all reacted in 311 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:22,880 Speaker 1: the way that we did really showed how much our 312 00:17:22,960 --> 00:17:25,119 Speaker 1: leaders have failed us, that this is the position that 313 00:17:25,160 --> 00:17:28,760 Speaker 1: we are in. And so that was what started getting 314 00:17:28,760 --> 00:17:32,320 Speaker 1: me to think about the failures of our current leaders, 315 00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:35,760 Speaker 1: my lack of confidence, and the others who were at 316 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:39,600 Speaker 1: least projecting that they are running for president and saying, ay, 317 00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:42,359 Speaker 1: let me try to do my part and offer what 318 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:44,919 Speaker 1: I can to serve the American people. It must have 319 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:48,000 Speaker 1: been imprinted on your brain forever, It truly is. And 320 00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:50,520 Speaker 1: I was just talking with some people. Actually, the second 321 00:17:50,560 --> 00:17:54,200 Speaker 1: episode of my podcast, I go into this experience in detail, 322 00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:58,360 Speaker 1: talking about the dangers of nuclear war. My podcast comes 323 00:17:58,359 --> 00:18:00,639 Speaker 1: out every Tuesday, so we just put that episode up 324 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:04,000 Speaker 1: and already have started getting comments from people saying, I 325 00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:07,199 Speaker 1: remember exactly where I was on that day. I was 326 00:18:07,280 --> 00:18:09,560 Speaker 1: at work, and I needed to try to find out 327 00:18:09,560 --> 00:18:13,320 Speaker 1: where's my wife? Where are my daughters? And really a 328 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:15,920 Speaker 1: guy very specifically said I had to choose which of 329 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:18,000 Speaker 1: my children I wanted to spend the last few minutes 330 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:21,200 Speaker 1: of my life with. In that moment, we had college 331 00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:23,720 Speaker 1: kids at the University of Hawaii sprinting. They had the 332 00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:29,719 Speaker 1: CCTV cameras catching kids sprinting in all different directions, like 333 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:33,840 Speaker 1: frantically trying to find a place where they could be protected. 334 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:36,280 Speaker 1: On a Saturday morning, a lot of the buildings were locked. 335 00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:38,600 Speaker 1: It was just chaos. A friend of mine has like 336 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:40,920 Speaker 1: seven kids. He crammed all his kids in the car 337 00:18:40,960 --> 00:18:42,720 Speaker 1: and went driving to the mountains to go find a 338 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:45,240 Speaker 1: cave to hide in. We have old World War two 339 00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:48,080 Speaker 1: bunkers in some of these mountains and people packing. It 340 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:50,960 Speaker 1: was just chaos, and others just sitting in their homes 341 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:55,440 Speaker 1: just saying, Okay, this is it God, and saying their 342 00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:59,640 Speaker 1: final prayers. It made a huge impact on me and 343 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:04,399 Speaker 1: confronting with that stark truth, which is we have leaders 344 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:07,160 Speaker 1: who are screwing up our foreign policy left and right, 345 00:19:07,359 --> 00:19:09,600 Speaker 1: who have put us in this position, who continue to 346 00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:12,639 Speaker 1: put us in this position. You know, they've got places 347 00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:15,920 Speaker 1: where they can go and bunkers and such, but they've 348 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:18,480 Speaker 1: left the rest of us and the American people out 349 00:19:18,520 --> 00:19:21,560 Speaker 1: to dry out to die in the event of a 350 00:19:21,640 --> 00:19:25,080 Speaker 1: nuclear attack. Not only is it wrong on so many levels, 351 00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:28,160 Speaker 1: it is what requires us to bring about a change 352 00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:29,920 Speaker 1: in our leadership, because we are literally talking about the 353 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:31,679 Speaker 1: future of our country in the world is at stake. 354 00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:35,920 Speaker 1: There's a book called Tomorrow by Philip Wiley, written about 355 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:40,320 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty six, and it's literally the minute by minute 356 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:44,560 Speaker 1: description of two neighboring cities in the Midwest, one of 357 00:19:44,560 --> 00:19:47,280 Speaker 1: which gets hit by a nuclear weapon. I recommend it 358 00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:49,639 Speaker 1: to anybody who has any doubt about what you're saying, 359 00:19:50,080 --> 00:19:54,560 Speaker 1: because whiley in Tomorrow is so clear and he's basically 360 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:58,239 Speaker 1: just taking what actually happened to Nagasakia and Hiroshima and 361 00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:02,560 Speaker 1: then applying it to an American city, when we mess 362 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:04,760 Speaker 1: around and we have the situation we had with Putin 363 00:20:04,880 --> 00:20:09,040 Speaker 1: right now and people talk glibly about armageddon, they have 364 00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:13,800 Speaker 1: no idea how horrible this would be and how much 365 00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:17,120 Speaker 1: we have to really think deeply about getting out of 366 00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:20,920 Speaker 1: the situation we're in. Not just with Russia, but there 367 00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:22,840 Speaker 1: are so many nuclear weapons in the world, and so 368 00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:27,400 Speaker 1: many countries getting them sooner or later, somewhere something truly 369 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:30,920 Speaker 1: horrendous is going to happen. But you decided to run. 370 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:33,640 Speaker 1: And I have to say, now I'm very biased because 371 00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:36,639 Speaker 1: I like you personally, but I was struck one that 372 00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:39,880 Speaker 1: you were very effective on the debate stage. Oh that's 373 00:20:39,920 --> 00:20:43,320 Speaker 1: a huge compliment coming from you, new Gang Rich Well, 374 00:20:43,359 --> 00:20:45,600 Speaker 1: I don't know about that. I was also very struck 375 00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:47,760 Speaker 1: that more than any other single person. I don't know 376 00:20:47,760 --> 00:20:49,760 Speaker 1: if it was deliberate or just the way it happened, 377 00:20:50,119 --> 00:20:53,520 Speaker 1: but you were the most decisive person in revealing why 378 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:56,240 Speaker 1: Kamala Harris shouldn't be the vice president. I mean, the 379 00:20:56,320 --> 00:20:59,680 Speaker 1: one interaction you had with her was so one sided 380 00:20:59,680 --> 00:21:02,720 Speaker 1: and it was so incapable of being on the same 381 00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:05,560 Speaker 1: stage with you that I thought it was very stark 382 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:10,320 Speaker 1: and very striking. It was. I was frankly surprised at 383 00:21:10,359 --> 00:21:13,680 Speaker 1: how ill prepared she was, and she had really no 384 00:21:13,800 --> 00:21:17,920 Speaker 1: response at all to the data points and the facts 385 00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:21,440 Speaker 1: that I brought up about her record on criminal justice, 386 00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:25,800 Speaker 1: on cannabis, on basically what she did as the DA 387 00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:28,280 Speaker 1: and the Attorney General for the state of California. Because 388 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:29,800 Speaker 1: all of those things that I brought up. I did 389 00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:32,680 Speaker 1: not have to dig for those at all. Anybody could 390 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:35,080 Speaker 1: have gone on Google very quickly on page one or 391 00:21:35,119 --> 00:21:38,800 Speaker 1: two found every single one of those truths and facts 392 00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:42,320 Speaker 1: about her record, and I think it is actually very telling. 393 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:44,320 Speaker 1: A couple of things stood out to me after the 394 00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:47,080 Speaker 1: fact as I look back. One was why was I 395 00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:49,920 Speaker 1: the first person to bring these things up? No other 396 00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:54,399 Speaker 1: candidate running for president dared to question her on her record, 397 00:21:54,440 --> 00:21:57,600 Speaker 1: which is surprising given how much crap I got from 398 00:21:57,600 --> 00:22:01,560 Speaker 1: everybody in all directions, But so like there was no 399 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:05,159 Speaker 1: serious questioning coming from any journalist or any host of 400 00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:08,920 Speaker 1: these debates about this record. That almost every day she said, 401 00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:13,280 Speaker 1: I will be the prosecutor president of this country. Okay, 402 00:22:13,359 --> 00:22:16,600 Speaker 1: let's look at your prosecutor record, if that's what you're 403 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:19,240 Speaker 1: saying you're going to be. And it just shows really 404 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:21,240 Speaker 1: what I experienced to be true, as both from the 405 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:24,159 Speaker 1: media as well as you know, the powers that be 406 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:27,200 Speaker 1: in the Democratic Party, they make their decisions of the 407 00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:29,119 Speaker 1: people they want to put forward, the people they like, 408 00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:33,280 Speaker 1: and give them the softball questions and the easy treatment, 409 00:22:33,359 --> 00:22:35,880 Speaker 1: and then try to flush out the rest, really taking 410 00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:39,280 Speaker 1: away the choice of voters to actually have a selection 411 00:22:39,280 --> 00:22:41,600 Speaker 1: opportunity of who they want to serve. They only get 412 00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:43,440 Speaker 1: to see who the party and the media want them 413 00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:46,040 Speaker 1: to see. When you were running, I thought that you 414 00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:47,879 Speaker 1: were so good at this. I thought that there was 415 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:52,200 Speaker 1: an opportunity to see the beginning of a real reform 416 00:22:52,800 --> 00:22:57,240 Speaker 1: Democratic Party around your candidacy. And Bill Clinton spent a 417 00:22:57,280 --> 00:23:00,560 Speaker 1: lot of time in the eighties and really tried to 418 00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:04,280 Speaker 1: move the party back towards the center, and ultimately failed 419 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:05,840 Speaker 1: because the weight of the party and the left is 420 00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:09,040 Speaker 1: so enormous now. But I really thought that you were 421 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:12,159 Speaker 1: head and shoulders above most of those candidates. Systems share 422 00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:17,960 Speaker 1: likableness and effectiveness and articulateness, and you were saying things 423 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:20,400 Speaker 1: that I suspect thirty or forty percent of the Democratic 424 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:24,639 Speaker 1: Party actually agrees with that would be a substantial counterweight 425 00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:27,359 Speaker 1: to the left. But whether it was the news media 426 00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:30,520 Speaker 1: or just the machinery of the system, it was kind 427 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:33,720 Speaker 1: of like you were hitting a brick wall. That's certainly 428 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:37,919 Speaker 1: what it felt like every day. It was unacceptable to 429 00:23:39,200 --> 00:23:42,280 Speaker 1: the other candidates the Democratic Party. There was no room 430 00:23:42,320 --> 00:23:45,120 Speaker 1: for anyone who said, hey, you know what, we got 431 00:23:45,119 --> 00:23:48,159 Speaker 1: to do better as a party and we got to 432 00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:51,200 Speaker 1: go back to our roots of being the big tent 433 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:55,639 Speaker 1: inclusive party of JFK, of Martin Luther King, the party 434 00:23:55,720 --> 00:23:59,520 Speaker 1: that respects individual rights and freedoms, that fights for civil liberties, 435 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:05,040 Speaker 1: those true kind of traditional liberalists principles and philosophies go 436 00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:07,560 Speaker 1: back to being the party that's the champion for the people, 437 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:10,760 Speaker 1: for the working men and women in this country. They 438 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:12,959 Speaker 1: did not allow for the space for that. And like you, 439 00:24:13,400 --> 00:24:15,800 Speaker 1: I think most Democrats, and I think most people in 440 00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:20,159 Speaker 1: this country would want a return to Democratic party of 441 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:23,119 Speaker 1: the past, but instead it has become this party that 442 00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:27,640 Speaker 1: is condescending, that is of buy and for the power elite, 443 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:31,000 Speaker 1: that has become the war party. You know, you can 444 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:34,119 Speaker 1: go down the laundry list of problems with today's Democrat 445 00:24:34,200 --> 00:24:36,240 Speaker 1: Party that ultimately all lead back to the same place 446 00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:39,520 Speaker 1: as they're out of touch with the people, and they 447 00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:44,120 Speaker 1: are opposed to and trying to undermine our fundamental principles 448 00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:48,040 Speaker 1: of freedom in this injustice and equality. This country was 449 00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:50,199 Speaker 1: founded upon it. That's what is so dangerous about them 450 00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:53,920 Speaker 1: being in power despite everything. When you did step down 451 00:24:54,320 --> 00:24:57,880 Speaker 1: and ended your campaign March nineteenth, twenty twenty, you did 452 00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:02,000 Speaker 1: endorse Biden. What was your reasoning and deciding that you 453 00:25:02,040 --> 00:25:05,040 Speaker 1: were still a party loyalist at that point. Yeah, I've 454 00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:07,960 Speaker 1: known him for a long time before then. I had 455 00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:10,520 Speaker 1: my first meeting with him after I was elected to Congress. 456 00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:14,080 Speaker 1: Got to know him and Jill and Bow and respected 457 00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:17,880 Speaker 1: him and hoped that he would listen to his better 458 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:19,959 Speaker 1: angels and do what he said he would do on 459 00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:24,760 Speaker 1: that campaign of working to try to end the divisiveness, 460 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:27,960 Speaker 1: of seeking that common ground, and trying to bring people 461 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:32,280 Speaker 1: together across this country, regardless of their political party, of 462 00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:36,440 Speaker 1: keeping us out of new interventionist wars, ending the ones 463 00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:38,600 Speaker 1: that we're in. He talks a lot about the things 464 00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:41,680 Speaker 1: that he wanted to accomplish on that campaign. I'm not 465 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:45,280 Speaker 1: naive to sit there and believe every single thing, but 466 00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:47,840 Speaker 1: I really hoped that the Joe Bide that I knew 467 00:25:48,359 --> 00:25:52,280 Speaker 1: would do his best to carry out those promises. And 468 00:25:52,480 --> 00:25:57,479 Speaker 1: unfortunately that hasn't happened. Almost from the get go, he 469 00:25:57,560 --> 00:25:59,879 Speaker 1: has gone directly against every one of those things that 470 00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:02,720 Speaker 1: promised the American people that he would do, to the 471 00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:22,680 Speaker 1: detriment of the country and the people. On your brand 472 00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:26,119 Speaker 1: new Podcastle Tulsi Gabber Show, a released on October eleventh, 473 00:26:26,119 --> 00:26:28,240 Speaker 1: which we're going to link to for all of our listeners. 474 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:31,159 Speaker 1: You talk about why I'm leaving the Democratic Party. I 475 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:36,480 Speaker 1: thought you were very articulate in explaining how much it 476 00:26:36,560 --> 00:26:39,680 Speaker 1: had ceased to be the party that you joined. And 477 00:26:40,040 --> 00:26:42,359 Speaker 1: I don't want to steal from everything you'd already said, 478 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:46,600 Speaker 1: but could you just summarize from your standpoint how big 479 00:26:46,640 --> 00:26:49,320 Speaker 1: the break had become between the party you belong to 480 00:26:49,720 --> 00:26:53,080 Speaker 1: and the party that now exists. The Democrat Party of 481 00:26:53,119 --> 00:26:57,920 Speaker 1: today is unrecognizable when I think back to what drew 482 00:26:57,960 --> 00:27:00,359 Speaker 1: me to join the Democratic Party in the first place. 483 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:03,480 Speaker 1: You know, we've talked about a few of those things. 484 00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:07,240 Speaker 1: Back in Hawaii, we had many immigrants who came to 485 00:27:07,320 --> 00:27:10,960 Speaker 1: Hawaii to work on the plantations. The plantations were owned 486 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:14,880 Speaker 1: by four major landowners. The Republican Party had control over 487 00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:18,399 Speaker 1: the state politics at that time, and bluntly, the people 488 00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:22,639 Speaker 1: working on those plantations were being abused. The working conditions 489 00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:27,080 Speaker 1: were absolutely atrocious. They were hardly paid anything, they had 490 00:27:27,119 --> 00:27:29,840 Speaker 1: no advocate and it was really the Democratic Party at 491 00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:32,199 Speaker 1: that point that went in and fought for them, just 492 00:27:32,280 --> 00:27:35,760 Speaker 1: for basic living conditions, basic working conditions. They were the 493 00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:39,359 Speaker 1: largest employers in the state at that time, and that's 494 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:43,639 Speaker 1: what really brought the Democratic Party into power in Hawaii, 495 00:27:44,040 --> 00:27:47,680 Speaker 1: and what I saw as the party that was focused 496 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:50,639 Speaker 1: on fighting for the people, fighting for the well being 497 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:54,439 Speaker 1: of people and their families, and the Republican Party in 498 00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:58,040 Speaker 1: Hawaii was really viewed as and represented themselves as the 499 00:27:58,119 --> 00:28:00,639 Speaker 1: party of the most rich and the most powerful, and 500 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:04,399 Speaker 1: the most elite, the very few in our state. And 501 00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:08,840 Speaker 1: when I look at today's Democratic Party, it's like there's 502 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:12,840 Speaker 1: been a complete reversal. The Democratic Party of today is 503 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:16,320 Speaker 1: the condescending party where if you do not believe in 504 00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:19,800 Speaker 1: whatever their issue of the day is, they will call 505 00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:22,800 Speaker 1: you names. You're an idiot, you're stupid, you're this, or 506 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:25,520 Speaker 1: you're that, or worse. If you dare to challenge or 507 00:28:25,600 --> 00:28:28,800 Speaker 1: question their positions, they will try to find ways to 508 00:28:28,840 --> 00:28:31,080 Speaker 1: smear your, silence you or shut you up by working 509 00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:34,160 Speaker 1: with their partners in big tech social media. To have 510 00:28:34,640 --> 00:28:37,920 Speaker 1: a party that has gone so far from its roots, 511 00:28:37,960 --> 00:28:41,240 Speaker 1: so much though, that it is undermining our fundamental freedoms, 512 00:28:41,320 --> 00:28:45,640 Speaker 1: freedom of speech. They're hostile towards people of faith and spirituality. 513 00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:50,360 Speaker 1: They are hostile towards our civil rights, our Fourth Amendment, 514 00:28:50,640 --> 00:28:54,520 Speaker 1: civil liberties. You go down the laundry list, and at 515 00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:57,960 Speaker 1: every step they are taking action that is undermining the 516 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:01,880 Speaker 1: foundation of this country, which is such a dangerous thing because, 517 00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:06,120 Speaker 1: as we know, when we start to lose these rights 518 00:29:06,120 --> 00:29:10,160 Speaker 1: and freedoms and the spirit of our country is being 519 00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:13,800 Speaker 1: squashed by those in power, it'll be very, very hard 520 00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:16,920 Speaker 1: to get them back. That's why I'm out here in 521 00:29:16,960 --> 00:29:20,080 Speaker 1: these final weeks of the election, going and helping different 522 00:29:20,120 --> 00:29:23,320 Speaker 1: candidates who I believe have their priorities straight, who are 523 00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:26,400 Speaker 1: committed to serving and putting the American people first and 524 00:29:26,520 --> 00:29:31,280 Speaker 1: supporting and defending the Constitution. Because we need to bring 525 00:29:31,320 --> 00:29:33,400 Speaker 1: about this change in leadership, and there needs to be 526 00:29:33,400 --> 00:29:35,600 Speaker 1: a check in balance now. We can't wait another two 527 00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:38,280 Speaker 1: years to bring about the kind of change that we 528 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:40,600 Speaker 1: need to stop this administration from doing what they're doing. 529 00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:43,280 Speaker 1: We need good leaders in Congress now to do that. 530 00:29:43,840 --> 00:29:47,000 Speaker 1: You were recognized the other night by the Independent Woman's 531 00:29:47,080 --> 00:29:50,360 Speaker 1: Forum for their Resilience Award, and I was very impressed. 532 00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:54,560 Speaker 1: During your speech, you talked about the transition from being 533 00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:57,520 Speaker 1: a party that defended women to being a party that 534 00:29:57,600 --> 00:30:00,440 Speaker 1: can't even define what a woman is. Do you find 535 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:04,560 Speaker 1: that kind of just weird? It's beyond weird. It's unimaginable. 536 00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:08,160 Speaker 1: It'd be like something you'd watch in some weird fantasy 537 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:11,600 Speaker 1: movie and laugh at because they've got no grip on reality. 538 00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:16,000 Speaker 1: They've got no grip on these biological truths that there 539 00:30:16,040 --> 00:30:19,760 Speaker 1: are in fact biological differences between the male and female sex. 540 00:30:19,760 --> 00:30:24,480 Speaker 1: And they're showing their hypocrisy because this is the party 541 00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:27,680 Speaker 1: that champion Title nine. Congresswoman Patsy Ming from Hawaii was 542 00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:31,080 Speaker 1: one of those leaders who worked very hard to get 543 00:30:31,160 --> 00:30:35,320 Speaker 1: Title nine enacted, and rightly so. It provided a level 544 00:30:35,320 --> 00:30:37,840 Speaker 1: playing field for women and girls in sports and other 545 00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:43,400 Speaker 1: professional opportunities. And so for them to now be so 546 00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:49,040 Speaker 1: quick to flush all of those advances down the drain 547 00:30:49,600 --> 00:30:54,960 Speaker 1: in answer to this so called woke, fanatical ideology that 548 00:30:55,120 --> 00:30:57,520 Speaker 1: now says anybody can be whatever they want to be 549 00:30:57,520 --> 00:30:59,920 Speaker 1: and there's no such thing as biology and there's no 550 00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:02,880 Speaker 1: such thing as truth. I don't know how to explain 551 00:31:02,920 --> 00:31:06,960 Speaker 1: it other than it is insane. It's insane. But I've 552 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:09,920 Speaker 1: actually been working on a paper that says they're now 553 00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:12,240 Speaker 1: two wings of the Democratic Party, the weird wing and 554 00:31:12,280 --> 00:31:16,959 Speaker 1: the insane wing. Yeah, gosh, the stuff is just when 555 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:19,240 Speaker 1: I grew up, the Democratic party had a huge element, 556 00:31:19,280 --> 00:31:22,960 Speaker 1: including John F. Kennedy that was actually pretty conservative, and 557 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:25,520 Speaker 1: it really repped on a very broad range of Americans, 558 00:31:25,520 --> 00:31:28,480 Speaker 1: and they'd be shocked. Now you have been on the 559 00:31:28,480 --> 00:31:31,040 Speaker 1: campaign trail. We were up with Don Baldock New Hampshire, 560 00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:33,360 Speaker 1: which I thought had to be very helpful to him 561 00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:36,440 Speaker 1: because New Hampshire estate that loves people who are independent, 562 00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:39,240 Speaker 1: and you brought a breath of fresh air. I watched 563 00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:42,800 Speaker 1: you thother night on television with Laura an earlier campaigning 564 00:31:42,800 --> 00:31:45,360 Speaker 1: with Carrie Lake in Arizona. I thought the two of you, 565 00:31:45,360 --> 00:31:48,040 Speaker 1: you and carry seem to have a chemistry that was 566 00:31:48,080 --> 00:31:51,760 Speaker 1: really amazing. Did you enjoy that just hanging out? It 567 00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:53,440 Speaker 1: was great. Yeah, we had a chance to. You know, 568 00:31:53,480 --> 00:31:56,600 Speaker 1: we'd only talked on the phone before my coming out there. 569 00:31:56,600 --> 00:31:58,320 Speaker 1: I had not met her yet in person. So we 570 00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:00,400 Speaker 1: had a chance jumped in the back seat of a 571 00:32:00,400 --> 00:32:02,280 Speaker 1: car and got the chit chat a little bit and 572 00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:04,520 Speaker 1: get to know each other better, just at a personal level. 573 00:32:04,600 --> 00:32:07,719 Speaker 1: But I think the thing that attracted us both to 574 00:32:07,760 --> 00:32:10,560 Speaker 1: each other was just I guess courage is the word 575 00:32:11,080 --> 00:32:13,200 Speaker 1: that she used towards me and I use towards her. 576 00:32:13,360 --> 00:32:15,280 Speaker 1: Is it takes a lot. It takes a lot of 577 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:18,520 Speaker 1: strength to stand up in the face of the wrath 578 00:32:18,600 --> 00:32:22,680 Speaker 1: of the quote unquote establishment, the power elite. She did 579 00:32:22,680 --> 00:32:25,320 Speaker 1: it in her primary election, She's doing it now in 580 00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:28,400 Speaker 1: the general election. In my own way, I have done 581 00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:30,160 Speaker 1: my best to stand up for what I believe is 582 00:32:30,240 --> 00:32:34,000 Speaker 1: right and true. No matter how many times people tell me, 583 00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:36,600 Speaker 1: like Telsey, if you do that, you're committing political suicide, 584 00:32:36,640 --> 00:32:38,760 Speaker 1: you must be crazy, blah blah blah, all this stuff. 585 00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:41,920 Speaker 1: It's like, I'm not doing it for that. I'm doing 586 00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:43,840 Speaker 1: it because this is what I believe must be done. 587 00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:47,200 Speaker 1: Just the responses that I've gotten from people across the country, 588 00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:49,840 Speaker 1: people in New Hampshire when I was there with Don 589 00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:53,720 Speaker 1: they're looking for leaders. They're looking for leaders who will 590 00:32:53,760 --> 00:32:57,240 Speaker 1: actually fight for them, you know, not for one party 591 00:32:57,320 --> 00:33:00,320 Speaker 1: or another party, or one interest or another interest. That's 592 00:33:00,400 --> 00:33:04,720 Speaker 1: really where the simple solution lies is bringing into life 593 00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:07,880 Speaker 1: this vision our founders had for us, where we've said 594 00:33:07,880 --> 00:33:10,440 Speaker 1: the line, you know, thousands of times, a government of 595 00:33:10,480 --> 00:33:13,640 Speaker 1: the people, by the people, and for the people. But 596 00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:18,520 Speaker 1: that is such a profoundly powerful vision and statement, and 597 00:33:18,600 --> 00:33:20,959 Speaker 1: it's the solution to the problems that we're facing right 598 00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:23,560 Speaker 1: now we've got to get back to that. So I'm saying, 599 00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:25,760 Speaker 1: you're also going to campaign for Joe Kent up in 600 00:33:25,840 --> 00:33:28,280 Speaker 1: Washington's date for the House. Do you have any other 601 00:33:28,280 --> 00:33:31,280 Speaker 1: plans between now an election day? I do. I wish 602 00:33:31,280 --> 00:33:34,280 Speaker 1: I could show you my calendar, because pretty much every 603 00:33:34,320 --> 00:33:38,360 Speaker 1: day until election day, I'm getting different calls from different people, 604 00:33:38,760 --> 00:33:42,000 Speaker 1: all of them coming from districts who have great candidates 605 00:33:42,040 --> 00:33:45,200 Speaker 1: who are running and who are running in very close 606 00:33:45,360 --> 00:33:48,320 Speaker 1: races where it could swing one way or the other. 607 00:33:48,480 --> 00:33:51,840 Speaker 1: And so I've only packed a carry on bag when 608 00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:54,520 Speaker 1: i flew to DC for that Independent Women's Forum event, 609 00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:58,000 Speaker 1: and so I'm doing laundry everywhere I can because I'll 610 00:33:58,040 --> 00:34:01,080 Speaker 1: be on the road through election day. I'll be helping 611 00:34:01,160 --> 00:34:03,920 Speaker 1: Joe Kent in a few days, Mida Flores in the 612 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:08,240 Speaker 1: southern border at Rio Grand Valley in Texas. Yes, Lee Vega, 613 00:34:08,360 --> 00:34:11,200 Speaker 1: who's running in a tough race in Virginia, a very 614 00:34:11,280 --> 00:34:13,520 Speaker 1: very important race that I really believe she can win. 615 00:34:14,200 --> 00:34:17,880 Speaker 1: I'll be out helping Senator Mike Lee in Utah and 616 00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:20,799 Speaker 1: a few others. That's great. As I said to you 617 00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:23,239 Speaker 1: before we started taping, I was chatting this morning with 618 00:34:23,320 --> 00:34:26,080 Speaker 1: Kevin McCarthy about you. Is it really true? He was 619 00:34:26,120 --> 00:34:29,719 Speaker 1: at your wedding. He was Dave really thinks so view 620 00:34:29,800 --> 00:34:32,600 Speaker 1: as family was really interesting. He's just so thrilled and 621 00:34:33,120 --> 00:34:35,520 Speaker 1: so excited. But I think he loved you as a 622 00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:37,560 Speaker 1: Democrat and now he loves you as independent. He said, 623 00:34:37,600 --> 00:34:40,279 Speaker 1: he's known your whole family, and he just was very 624 00:34:40,280 --> 00:34:42,920 Speaker 1: excited and very positive about you. I want to thank 625 00:34:42,960 --> 00:34:45,560 Speaker 1: you for joining me. I have a hunch that after 626 00:34:45,640 --> 00:34:49,279 Speaker 1: you've done campaigning, in addition to doing the Tulsa Gabbard Show, 627 00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:52,400 Speaker 1: someplace down the road, there's at least a significant book coming, 628 00:34:52,760 --> 00:34:54,839 Speaker 1: and when that happens, I hope you'll come back and 629 00:34:54,920 --> 00:34:56,640 Speaker 1: talk to us about it. I look forward to that. 630 00:34:56,800 --> 00:34:59,560 Speaker 1: We are going to link to your new podcast, to 631 00:34:59,600 --> 00:35:02,840 Speaker 1: Tulsa Gabbert Show, which is available on Apple podcast or 632 00:35:02,840 --> 00:35:05,840 Speaker 1: wherever people listen to podcasts, and I encourage our listeners 633 00:35:05,840 --> 00:35:07,880 Speaker 1: to check it out. And I want to thank you 634 00:35:07,960 --> 00:35:10,760 Speaker 1: for joining me on Newts World and sharing your story. 635 00:35:10,760 --> 00:35:13,360 Speaker 1: And it's always great to be with you. Thank you, Nude, 636 00:35:13,360 --> 00:35:15,640 Speaker 1: it's been a pleasure and I look forward to next time. 637 00:35:19,200 --> 00:35:21,680 Speaker 1: Thank you to my guest, Tulsea Gabbert. You can get 638 00:35:21,680 --> 00:35:24,520 Speaker 1: a link to her new podcast, The Tulsa Gabbert Show 639 00:35:24,920 --> 00:35:28,080 Speaker 1: on our showpage at newtsworld dot com. News World is 640 00:35:28,120 --> 00:35:32,400 Speaker 1: produced by Gingwish three sixty and iHeartMedia. Our executive producer 641 00:35:32,760 --> 00:35:36,239 Speaker 1: is Garnsey Slump, our producer is Rebecca Howe, and our 642 00:35:36,320 --> 00:35:40,080 Speaker 1: researcher is Rachel Peterson. The artwork for the show was 643 00:35:40,160 --> 00:35:43,200 Speaker 1: created by Steve Penley. Special thanks to the team at 644 00:35:43,239 --> 00:35:46,560 Speaker 1: Gingwish three sixty. If you've been enjoying Newtsworld, I hope 645 00:35:46,560 --> 00:35:49,160 Speaker 1: you'll go to Apple Podcast and both rate us with 646 00:35:49,239 --> 00:35:52,400 Speaker 1: five stars and give us a review so others can 647 00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:55,520 Speaker 1: learn what it's all about. Right now, listeners of newts 648 00:35:55,520 --> 00:35:58,719 Speaker 1: World can sign up for my three free weekly columns 649 00:35:58,960 --> 00:36:03,560 Speaker 1: at gingwidge dot com slash newsletter. I'm Newt Gingridge. This 650 00:36:03,719 --> 00:36:04,400 Speaker 1: is Newtsworld.