Speaker 1: I know every time I did with technology, I go nuts.
Speaker 1: You and me, both you and me? Both okay, were ready?
Speaker 1: Let's jump right in. What's up everybody. I'm Gammy and
Speaker 1: welcome to my very first episode of Positively gam. In
Speaker 1: this episode, we're going to be discussing the presidential election.
Speaker 1: We're only a couple of days away, so remember to
Speaker 1: be on the right side of history and vote. Joining
Speaker 1: me today is former senior advisor and friend to President
Speaker 1: Barack Obama, author, lawyer, mother, and businesswoman Valerie Jarrett. Welcome
Speaker 1: Valerie to Positively gam. I am so excited, Thank you,
Speaker 1: thank you for taking the time. I'm delighted to be here.
Speaker 1: I've been looking forward to it. How are you doing.
Speaker 1: I'm fine, I'm so excited. Is everyone good? Fine? Yeah,
Speaker 1: everybody is fine. And during this time in COVID and
Speaker 1: I've pray that all of your families is well. They are.
Speaker 1: And when you ask people that, now you really mean it,
Speaker 1: because so many people are not fine. I know, I know,
Speaker 1: I just I'm so excited to have you here because
Speaker 1: I'm not a political person I never have been, and
Speaker 1: I just think that it's so important right now, and
Speaker 1: I just think you are the perfect person to talk to.
Speaker 1: But I want to go back a little bit and
Speaker 1: just have you give us a little story about yourself
Speaker 1: and your career path, because you really started out as
Speaker 1: a boss too. Michelle Obama. Yes, back in a long
Speaker 1: time ago, I was a deputy chief of staff from
Speaker 1: Mayor Daily in Chicago, and I interviewed this bright young
Speaker 1: woman whose name was Michelle Robinson. So she wasn't even
Speaker 1: Michelle Obama back there, and she had been practicing law
Speaker 1: of big law firm as I had to before I
Speaker 1: joined local government, and I should say I joined when
Speaker 1: Mayor Harold Washington, the first black mayor of Chicago, had
Speaker 1: just been re elected and four years later in Marks's elegant,
Speaker 1: oh before her years, striking, le gorgeous woman and I'll
Speaker 1: never forget her, and she just pulled me over, offered
Speaker 1: her a job on the spot. She was so impressive. Wow, wow,
Speaker 1: you know, tell me then how you got to be
Speaker 1: a senior advisor for President Obama And what did that mean?
Speaker 1: What what is your job description or what was your
Speaker 1: job description in that role? So we met, I met
Speaker 1: the Obama's n one and in fact, before she agreed
Speaker 1: to take that job, offer I gave her. She said,
Speaker 1: my fiance doesn't think it's such a good idea. We
Speaker 1: have dinner with us, and I did, and that was
Speaker 1: the beginning of not only a work relationship that I
Speaker 1: had with her, but a friendship I had with the
Speaker 1: With them, we clicked and she and I worked together
Speaker 1: for a couple of years at city Hall. She went
Speaker 1: to the University of Chicago after running public Allies. I
Speaker 1: was on the board there. I chaired his finance committee
Speaker 1: for his campaign when he ran for Senate after I
Speaker 1: tried to talk him out of running for senate, so
Speaker 1: he forgave me for that and gave me the chairman
Speaker 1: of the finance committee. And we lived in the same neighborhood.
Speaker 1: They watched my daughter grow up. I was there for
Speaker 1: their wedding, and they enjoyed the births and seeing their
Speaker 1: two amazing daughters grow up. So we were really inextractably
Speaker 1: LinkedIn I think. When President Obama was elected, and obviously
Speaker 1: I had worked on his campaign, I was a senior
Speaker 1: advisor on the campaign and shared was one of the
Speaker 1: co chairs of his transition and he said, look, I
Speaker 1: want you to come with me. I had run a
Speaker 1: business I had that experience. We were in the middle
Speaker 1: of this recession. I had worked at both state and
Speaker 1: regional government, and he wanted to make sure that he
Speaker 1: had the pulse of where people were on the ground,
Speaker 1: and our mayors and our governors, all the elected officials
Speaker 1: who weren't members of Congress were in my portfolio. And
Speaker 1: then I also ran the Office of Public Engagement, which
Speaker 1: was the gateway through which the American people interface with
Speaker 1: the White House. And then I chaired the White House
Speaker 1: Counsel and Women and Girls, which allowed me to continue
Speaker 1: my lifelong passion for gender equity. So he gave me
Speaker 1: a portfolio responsibilities in addition to senior Advisor. And what
Speaker 1: that means is every decision that went onto his desk
Speaker 1: came through his senior team first, and as one of
Speaker 1: his three senior advisors, got to weigh in on every
Speaker 1: single issue, every decision that he made. Wow, I know
Speaker 1: it was daunting. It was quite daunting. I was terrified
Speaker 1: every single day for eight years. I stayed all eight years,
Speaker 1: the only person in history, which kind of surprises me
Speaker 1: that stayed all eight years. In fact, I weighed goodbye
Speaker 1: when he and Michelle went off to the inauguration. So
Speaker 1: I was there longer than they were, But you know what,
Speaker 1: I was old enough to appreciate the awesomeness of my
Speaker 1: responsibility to serve not only our country, but for a
Speaker 1: president that I both respect and love. Consider him my
Speaker 1: younger brother, although I'm gonna stop saying that because his
Speaker 1: hair is just too great right now. I gotta call
Speaker 1: him my big brother pretty soon. But our relationship was
Speaker 1: so close, and so to have a chance to be
Speaker 1: there and help him in any way that I could
Speaker 1: was just you know, he was an honor. Yeah. And
Speaker 1: obviously you guys are are still close because you and
Speaker 1: Michelle are still very good friends. Michelle is your good girlfriend. Absolutely,
Speaker 1: the three of us are still close. Yeah, and you
Speaker 1: sit on the board of Michelle's nonprofit, the when we
Speaker 1: all vote. Yeah, And voting is, like we said at
Speaker 1: the top of the show, that the election is right
Speaker 1: around the corner. Why do you feel like it's so
Speaker 1: important for people to vote. I've been voting, of course,
Speaker 1: my entire life. And though I'm not politically inclined and
Speaker 1: I don't always know who are the best people to
Speaker 1: vote for, I asked, and I talked to people that
Speaker 1: I feel close to, and people that I trust. I
Speaker 1: remember when I first started voting, I would have conversations
Speaker 1: with my parents, and even as I got older, I
Speaker 1: would rely on my husband's but I understood the importance
Speaker 1: of the vote. And it's just baffling to me that
Speaker 1: we're still trying to encourage people and make people understand
Speaker 1: how important their vote is. I know, and we shouldn't. Well,
Speaker 1: it is hard to imagine that in the last presidential election,
Speaker 1: a hundred million people who were eligible to vote did
Speaker 1: not vote. And that's what really got Michelle thinking about
Speaker 1: how do we change the culture around voting in our country.
Speaker 1: And when I was growing up, my parents took me
Speaker 1: to the polls with them before the elections. We discussed
Speaker 1: the candidates even when I was a young person. They
Speaker 1: wanted me to be informed and I watched them and
Speaker 1: they were great role models. Not everybody has that, And
Speaker 1: so our thought was, how do we reach people where
Speaker 1: they are with people who they look up to in trust?
Speaker 1: And since Michelle Obama is the most popular person in
Speaker 1: our country, who's a better ambassador for this than she?
Speaker 1: But she has brought together a broad array of co
Speaker 1: chairs and ambassadors to go out there and talk about
Speaker 1: what are the issues you care about and who are
Speaker 1: the people that can affect those issues in a positive way,
Speaker 1: And challenge people to do just what you said you do,
Speaker 1: which is asked questions, become informed, do your homework, and
Speaker 1: in a sense, this excruciating year we've all been through
Speaker 1: with the COVID nineteen and the racial unrest, and which
Speaker 1: to me, the positive force of demonstrations that are out there,
Speaker 1: non violent demonstrations pushing for change. It's been a bit
Speaker 1: of a civics lesson, right. If you don't think that
Speaker 1: the police chief is doing a good job, who's the
Speaker 1: mayor who pointed that police chief? If you think that
Speaker 1: the prosecutors aren't being fair, you get to vote for
Speaker 1: your prosecutors. If you think that the governors aren't giving
Speaker 1: proper information about the COVID nineteen and how to protect
Speaker 1: yourself and doing everything they can to keep their states safe,
Speaker 1: you should vote for the governor. And then obviously the
Speaker 1: President and Congress are important offices as well. So we're
Speaker 1: trying to talk about it from the perspective of challenging
Speaker 1: people to think about the issues that they care about
Speaker 1: as a way of getting them to see the connection. Yes,
Speaker 1: demonstrations are fabulous. It's how we've seen change in our lifetime.
Speaker 1: The civil rights movement, the women's rights movement, that l
Speaker 1: g B t Q rights movement, all of those came
Speaker 1: from activism coupled with voting. Yeah, and right now people
Speaker 1: still feel powerless. They still feel like their vote doesn't matter,
Speaker 1: and it's just such an I almost feel like it's
Speaker 1: a betrayal not to vote when you think about it.
Speaker 1: In the year where we lost Congressman John Lewis, an
Speaker 1: icon of the civil rights movement who put himself in
Speaker 1: harm's way and suffered greatly walking across that Edmund pettes Bridge,
Speaker 1: I was hit in the head when news went from
Speaker 1: under me. I thought I was going to down Bridge.
Speaker 1: He is the most abigious person I've ever met. Two
Speaker 1: people struggle and s to make it possible. Right to go,
Speaker 1: And I think we have to share our history with
Speaker 1: our children so they'll appreciate that we stand on the
Speaker 1: shoulders of people who gave up much in order for
Speaker 1: us to have this right. And look, nobody's asking us
Speaker 1: to count the number of jelly beans in a jar,
Speaker 1: or take a literacy task or pole tax. Now we
Speaker 1: are seeing voter suppression in parts of our country, and
Speaker 1: that should make us angry. Somebody tells me I can't
Speaker 1: do something that I have a right to do, it's
Speaker 1: gonna make me want to do it even more. And
Speaker 1: which is why we see a record number of people
Speaker 1: standing in line waiting, bringing their holding share and their
Speaker 1: picnic basket and some music and just sit there and wait.
Speaker 1: I do believe this is the most important election of
Speaker 1: our lifetime. It really is. It really is value. And
Speaker 1: I listened to one of an interview you did with
Speaker 1: someone else, but you said, don't abdicate your responsibility and
Speaker 1: disenfranchise yourself. And it's just so important because this process
Speaker 1: is all we have right now. I believe that so
Speaker 1: many things about the government and the way and politics
Speaker 1: and the way that it's run needs to change, but
Speaker 1: right now, this is what we have. And when you
Speaker 1: don't participate, you're taking away all of your power. And
Speaker 1: if you if your vote doesn't matter, then why are
Speaker 1: all these measures being taken to keep us from Well,
Speaker 1: that's the question I want people to ask yourself. If
Speaker 1: they didn't appreciate the fact that you are a threat
Speaker 1: to their power, they wouldn't be working so hard to
Speaker 1: disenfantise you, and we were seeing laws in the past,
Speaker 1: We've seen policies and practices. We've seen even the presidents
Speaker 1: calling on his supporters to go to the polls and
Speaker 1: inevitably try to intimidate voters. That should make us more
Speaker 1: determined than ever to vote. Absolutely, And I know here
Speaker 1: in California recently there were the Republicans admitted to putting
Speaker 1: out these ballot boxes that were not official. That's against
Speaker 1: the law. They got busted then, and but nobody seems
Speaker 1: to be like nobody's who's taking responsibility for that? Like
Speaker 1: why are there no that's elite? And I hope they're
Speaker 1: going to be some consequences. I hope that the local
Speaker 1: law enforcement are looking at that, because that is absolutely illegal,
Speaker 1: interfering with an election. You're not allowed to do that,
Speaker 1: and there should be some consequences because one of the
Speaker 1: real pillars of our democracy is an open and fair election,
Speaker 1: an election with integrity where we know that we can
Speaker 1: count on the results. That's what a democracy is all about.
Speaker 1: And when we start to erote it that, which frankly
Speaker 1: is I think what the president was doing when he
Speaker 1: started saying that absentee ballots were fraudulent. No, they're not.
Speaker 1: His own FBI director said that's not the case. We
Speaker 1: have a history of a smooth transition of power, and
Speaker 1: we need to demand that this time. And I know
Speaker 1: the thing I will also mention here because so many
Speaker 1: people are voting absentee ballots, and our postal service has
Speaker 1: a hard time as it is, let alone, with this
Speaker 1: huge influx that they're going to see. We may not
Speaker 1: know on election night the result of the election, so
Speaker 1: we have to so we have to be patient and
Speaker 1: make sure every ballot is counted and not just jumped
Speaker 1: to a conclusion based on what we see that night.
Speaker 1: We need every single ballot count and be patient because
Speaker 1: that's the way democracy works. Yeah, and I also want
Speaker 1: to mention in California, someone set some of the official
Speaker 1: ballot boxes on fire. That is not okay. You don't
Speaker 1: get to do that. You don't get to do that.
Speaker 1: You don't get to do that. And I have to
Speaker 1: keep my eye out on that and find out with
Speaker 1: the results because it's targeted in the black community, of course,
Speaker 1: and that shouldn't sense us. And then you mentioned it's
Speaker 1: going to take a couple of days or however long
Speaker 1: it takes. For us to get all of the ballots
Speaker 1: counted because everybody or many people are using the mail
Speaker 1: in ballot because of COVID. Yeah, and I did that.
Speaker 1: I voted by absentee two weeks ago. And in Chicago,
Speaker 1: you get a notice when your ballot has been received
Speaker 1: and marked as fulfilling the requirements. And so I breathed
Speaker 1: a sigh of relief. But I didn't wait till the
Speaker 1: last minute because I didn't want to take a chance.
Speaker 1: But then my mom, who's ninety one, she's been hearing
Speaker 1: all this talk about the mail and ballots being a problem.
Speaker 1: She insisted on going in first and last Saturday and voting. Unfortunately,
Speaker 1: because she's a very senior citizen, they moved her up
Speaker 1: and she only had to wait a half an hour,
Speaker 1: but she just insisted on doing it in person. And
Speaker 1: and I would far rather she'd done an absentee ballot.
Speaker 1: But what we want everybody to do is make a plan,
Speaker 1: figure out what you feel comfortable doing. But sitting this
Speaker 1: out is not an option, everybody. It is not. It
Speaker 1: is not. I've been voting since I was eighteen. I
Speaker 1: got an opportunity to vote for President Obama. Are you
Speaker 1: prepared to take the old Senator, I Barack Hussain Obama.
Speaker 1: I problem swear, I Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear
Speaker 1: that I will execute the office of President to the
Speaker 1: United States faithfully, that I will execute the faithfully the
Speaker 1: President officer President of the President United States faithfully and
Speaker 1: will to the best of my ability, and will to
Speaker 1: the best of my abuilding, preserve, protect, and defend the
Speaker 1: Constitution of the United States. Preserve, protect, and defend the
Speaker 1: Constitution of the United States. So help you, God, So
Speaker 1: help me God. Congratulations, Mr Pragnice. And because we're going
Speaker 1: to have have to wait to get the results, President
Speaker 1: Trump has implied that he will not easily leave the
Speaker 1: White House. What are your thoughts about that. It's the
Speaker 1: first time in history we've had our president imply that
Speaker 1: perhaps he's not going to go nicely. And again, we
Speaker 1: as this beacon of hope for the world, have gone
Speaker 1: around and pointed fingers at other countries when they didn't
Speaker 1: have a smooth transition of power. And basically, what President
Speaker 1: Trump is saying is it unless he wins, then the
Speaker 1: election couldn't have been legitimate. How about Joe Biden just
Speaker 1: got more votes than he did, right, How about that
Speaker 1: as a possibility, a likely possibility if you look at
Speaker 1: the polls. But I hastened to add, do not pay
Speaker 1: it too much attention, because say it again, do not,
Speaker 1: because you know what, Hillary Clinton was ahead in the polls.
Speaker 1: And I even look back to when President Obama lost
Speaker 1: in the primary New Hampshire, Hillary Clinton, we were up
Speaker 1: by twelve points, boom gone, just like that. We can't
Speaker 1: take it for granted, which is why President Obama is
Speaker 1: out there. It's why you're gonna see Joe Biden, who's
Speaker 1: working hard now preparing for his debate coming up this week.
Speaker 1: It's why Senator Harris is back out on the campaign trail.
Speaker 1: They are not taking a single vote for granted. But
Speaker 1: the point you made is a good one in that
Speaker 1: you have two candidates on the ballot. Pick one, pick
Speaker 1: pick one, and in this case, to me, the contrast
Speaker 1: between the two is just enormous. It's so stark, it
Speaker 1: is so stark, and I'm just glad that I don't
Speaker 1: have young children because I don't think I let them
Speaker 1: look at television these days. And then social media is
Speaker 1: being weaponized, and I think part of what the message
Speaker 1: that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have that resonates with
Speaker 1: me as a mom and now as a grandmother, is
Speaker 1: that they are role models. It's really like Michelle Obama said,
Speaker 1: when they go low, we have to go high because
Speaker 1: the children are watching. And I want to have a
Speaker 1: president and of vice president who we can all be
Speaker 1: proud of. And one of the things Joe said the
Speaker 1: other day that really red sinated with me too, as
Speaker 1: he said, Look, I'm running as a Democrat, but I
Speaker 1: will be president for all of America. Yes, And frankly,
Speaker 1: I haven't felt in the last four years that I
Speaker 1: had a president looking out for me. Of course not.
Speaker 1: And this election is really going to be telling as
Speaker 1: far as where we stand as a country. Unfortunately, it
Speaker 1: may really tell us who we really are, and it
Speaker 1: may not be what most people believe and what most
Speaker 1: people want to hear, because right now, the country's moral
Speaker 1: fabric's fraid, to say the very least, and it has
Speaker 1: been fueled from the highest office in the land. But
Speaker 1: this is what I I still believe. It was a
Speaker 1: lot long ago that this country elected Barack Obama, not once,
Speaker 1: but twice. And I think most Americans are good and
Speaker 1: decent people and they're just trying to get through the
Speaker 1: day and provide for their families and retire and dignity
Speaker 1: and love their children, love their families. And what we're
Speaker 1: hearing is the toxicity. And it's in the airways, it's
Speaker 1: on social media, it's coming from the highest office. And
Speaker 1: part of my message is that we all have the ability.
Speaker 1: When you say people sometimes feel powerless, No, we actually
Speaker 1: have the ability to be good and decent and to
Speaker 1: treat each other well and to feel like I am
Speaker 1: my sister's keeper, I am my brother's keeper. And to
Speaker 1: heal this division, I think it comes from the ground
Speaker 1: and it comes from sending a strong message to the
Speaker 1: leaders about who we are. We define who we are. Yeah,
Speaker 1: that's exactly what's gonna be. My next question to you
Speaker 1: is how do we heal? How do we heal as
Speaker 1: a nation? It begins with each one of us. Are
Speaker 1: you Are we going about our day treating people and
Speaker 1: being decent? Are we electing people who reflect our values
Speaker 1: and our priorities? And so sitting at home isn't an option.
Speaker 1: You have to send a strong message. And I say
Speaker 1: this to people even if you live in like I'm
Speaker 1: in New York right now a very blue city, but
Speaker 1: it's important that we send a strong message of where
Speaker 1: the pulse of the American people are. Regardless of blue state,
Speaker 1: red state. Every vote matters when you're sending a signal,
Speaker 1: and you want people going in with the wind at
Speaker 1: their back and knowing that this is to your question,
Speaker 1: this is who our country actually is, right hopefully, prayerfully, hope, hope,
Speaker 1: hopefully you know what I know it is. I actually
Speaker 1: do know it is. I think the quest The only
Speaker 1: question in my mind is are people going to actually
Speaker 1: show up and vote? Because I know they're good, I
Speaker 1: know they're decent, I know they want to do the
Speaker 1: right thing, and many of them are afraid in the
Speaker 1: middle of this pandemic. And so put your mask on,
Speaker 1: wash your hands, keep your distance, but go vote. What
Speaker 1: do you say about the length of time that people
Speaker 1: are having to stand and wait in life. It's outrageous.
Speaker 1: It's outrageous from We're supposed to be the most advanced
Speaker 1: country in the world. Figure on that one. And this
Speaker 1: is why one of the things we've been asking for
Speaker 1: is for employers to give people a day off to
Speaker 1: go vote, not just two hours, because you may not
Speaker 1: be able to do it into hours, and you shouldn't
Speaker 1: have to choose between getting paid and exercising this right
Speaker 1: to vote. So we're asking every employer in the country
Speaker 1: give your workers a break, let them go vote, and
Speaker 1: let's tell them as long as it takes now, is
Speaker 1: it outrageous? Yes, and which is why if you were
Speaker 1: in a state where you have had to wait for
Speaker 1: twelve hours, you need a different secretary of state. That's
Speaker 1: who oversees the election in your state. So you need
Speaker 1: to do better than that by holding that person accountable. Again,
Speaker 1: we're not powerless here. We shouldn't stand for that. So
Speaker 1: be prepared, bring your stuff, go with somebody so one
Speaker 1: of you can get out of line and go to
Speaker 1: the bathroom if you have to come back and save
Speaker 1: your spot in line. And then many states also have
Speaker 1: drop boxes where you can fill out your ballot and
Speaker 1: just drop it and then you don't have to stand
Speaker 1: in line. But that means you've got to request it now.
Speaker 1: So today, make your plan. Man, you mentioned Kamala. Let's
Speaker 1: talk about Kamala Harris because she is an amazing can
Speaker 1: to it. I'm so excited about her. But the news
Speaker 1: media is often so critical of women in power, and
Speaker 1: specifically with Kamala Harris as the first black VP candidate.
Speaker 1: From her looks, her dress, dance, her tone of voice,
Speaker 1: or have strong thoughts on that look. A group of
Speaker 1: women from around the country got together before Joe Biden
Speaker 1: even selected Kamala Harris, and we sent a letter to
Speaker 1: the media and we said, look, you better do this
Speaker 1: differently this time. We were so sick and tired of
Speaker 1: seeing double standards, women treated differently, misogynistic or racist comments
Speaker 1: directed at women who are vying for higher office. And look,
Speaker 1: Senator Harris has been up against us since the first
Speaker 1: election that she ran, and it's an uneven playing field
Speaker 1: and she has mastered that uneven playing field. But she
Speaker 1: shouldn't have to. So we sent out this letter and
Speaker 1: we said we have her back. We knew he was
Speaker 1: going to pick a woman, whoever that woman was. We
Speaker 1: wanted to say we have that person's back, and now
Speaker 1: we stand with her firmly. But the point is that
Speaker 1: women are shouldn't have to be in the position of
Speaker 1: defending themselves. There should be other voices out there that
Speaker 1: call it, call people on it when we see it.
Speaker 1: We saw it just the other day we saw the
Speaker 1: senator from Georgia's spewing out mispronouncing her name. Now he
Speaker 1: knows how to pronounce her name. He serves with her
Speaker 1: in the Senate, and what it is intended to do
Speaker 1: is to make her look like another different And we've
Speaker 1: seen this with black people all the time, where people
Speaker 1: pretend like they can't pronounce our name. It's disrespectful, it's diminishing,
Speaker 1: and it needs to stop. And he was called out
Speaker 1: and immediately, and we've been telling the press stop talking
Speaker 1: about her clothes. This is the standard. Is really the
Speaker 1: simple would just say the same thing about a man
Speaker 1: when they say, for example, she's ambitious, that is intended
Speaker 1: to be an insult. You tell me this, what man
Speaker 1: who is vice president is a vice presidential nominee or
Speaker 1: vice president doesn't want to be president? What person being
Speaker 1: considered for vice president is an ambitious? In our Asians history,
Speaker 1: they've all been ambitious. And then it's a good thing.
Speaker 1: I want the person who wants the most important job
Speaker 1: in the country and second most important job in the
Speaker 1: country to be ambitious. I don't want you to be ambivalent.
Speaker 1: I want you all in exactly. And so I think, look,
Speaker 1: she brushes it off because she's used to it. But
Speaker 1: I think we have to be mindful that it sets
Speaker 1: women up to be disrespected if we treat them differently
Speaker 1: than men. She can compete on any substantive issue you
Speaker 1: bring our way. We saw her in the debate. She
Speaker 1: was outstanding, She was prepared, She seemed like she was
Speaker 1: enjoying it. She wanted to be there, she was ready
Speaker 1: to mix it up. But when Vice President Pence interrupted her,
Speaker 1: she said, excuse me, I'm speaking. She's not going to
Speaker 1: take that. But we also have to pile on so
Speaker 1: that she's not out there by herself. And then when
Speaker 1: I say we, I don't mean just women. Men should
Speaker 1: be allies in this effort as well. So what are
Speaker 1: some of the changes that you hope to see from
Speaker 1: either administration come November three? Well, let's just say, if
Speaker 1: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are elected, and I sure
Speaker 1: hope they will be, everything will change. I think on
Speaker 1: day one, Joe Biden will sign on a series of
Speaker 1: executive orders reversing everything that President Trump did. He'll pull
Speaker 1: out of the lawsuit trying to in the affordable care acter.
Speaker 1: We are in the middle of a global pandemic, and
Speaker 1: they're in the Supreme Court of trying to repeal the
Speaker 1: Affordable Care Act. So twenty million people who have insurance
Speaker 1: will lose it, women who get preventive care without a
Speaker 1: copay will lose it. Hundred plus million people who have
Speaker 1: pre existing conditions, myself included, will be at risk of
Speaker 1: our insurance going up or getting dropped. Lifetime and annual caps,
Speaker 1: those will be off the table. So all of the
Speaker 1: benefits in the affordable character will just go away. So
Speaker 1: I think he will pull out of that lawsuit. I
Speaker 1: think all of the steps of the Obama Biden administer
Speaker 1: aation took to prevent our environment, like the climate deal
Speaker 1: we have with two under other countries. President Biden will
Speaker 1: get right back in on that deal, making sure that
Speaker 1: all of the environmental protections that the Trump administration through
Speaker 1: by the wayside, those will come back. He will let
Speaker 1: science dictate how we manage this COVID nineteen crisis. Anthony Faucci,
Speaker 1: with whom we had the honor of working all eight
Speaker 1: years when we were in Washington, he will be right
Speaker 1: there by Joe Biden's side, advising him on the science,
Speaker 1: and as the science evolves, as it should be with
Speaker 1: a noble virus. We've never had one like this before.
Speaker 1: Joe Biden will make modifications to our approach. We have
Speaker 1: to get this virus under control, and then we have
Speaker 1: to rebuild the economy. And what he said is he's
Speaker 1: going to rebuild it better, not just back to where
Speaker 1: we were. Trump always wanted to go backwards. Why would
Speaker 1: we want to go back when we want to go
Speaker 1: forward and make sure that as it gets rebuilt, nobody
Speaker 1: gets left behind. And so protections for workers, for example,
Speaker 1: and opposed to protections from big corporations and billionaires. One
Speaker 1: more question before we move on, what is your feeling about,
Speaker 1: hopefully President Biden about extending the Supreme Court? You know
Speaker 1: what I think rightly, So he is saying, look, let's
Speaker 1: not left the Republicans off the hook. What they did
Speaker 1: by considering Judge Amy Connie Barrett right now when people
Speaker 1: are already voting going on right now, that's outrageous, particularly
Speaker 1: given what they did with Marrick Garland when President Obama
Speaker 1: nominated him in March of the prior year. So I
Speaker 1: think what we have to do is put the spotlight
Speaker 1: out there on that and recognize what she will do
Speaker 1: if she takes the seat, and so he does not
Speaker 1: want to distract people from the issue at hand, which
Speaker 1: is her nomination, by speculating about what he might do
Speaker 1: in the future. So it's naptime for my favorite segment.
Speaker 1: Wouldn't you like to know? That's the name of the
Speaker 1: segment where you the three rapid fire questions with the
Speaker 1: first phrase that comes to your mind. My first question
Speaker 1: to you is what book are you reading right now?
Speaker 1: I am in the midst of a book by Cecilian
Speaker 1: Munio said, she wrote who she served in our administration,
Speaker 1: and it's directed at women of color. So you're already ready,
Speaker 1: You're already prepared, and so I'm reading it for a
Speaker 1: second time because it's got all these pearls of wisdom
Speaker 1: and so many women of color. We hold ourselves back
Speaker 1: when we're already ready to do everything we need to do.
Speaker 1: What's the model you live by? The motto I live
Speaker 1: by is to those who much has given, much has expected.
Speaker 1: So true. I love that. Okay, one thing you want
Speaker 1: to get off your chest? I want to get off
Speaker 1: my chest. Why every single person is not there voting
Speaker 1: right this minute. That's it. That's it. Thank you, so much.
Speaker 1: We appreciate you. Okay, you all, You're wonderful. Thank you
Speaker 1: so much, and I hope I can come back another time. Okay,
Speaker 1: thank you. My takeaway from my conversation with Valerie Jarrett
Speaker 1: division is what the current administration has been promoting from
Speaker 1: day one. We want an administration that unites us as
Speaker 1: a nation. We are supporting the Biden Harris campaign. Your
Speaker 1: vote is important. Every vote is important. Please use your power,
Speaker 1: use your voice and vote. Thank you to my guest,
Speaker 1: Valerie Jarrett. I couldn't have been more honored to have
Speaker 1: her on as my first guest for Positively Gam and
Speaker 1: go pick up a copy of her books, Finding My Voice.
Speaker 1: When the Perfect Plan crumbles, the adventure begins. Show your
Speaker 1: support by following the show and leaving a review on Apple.
Speaker 1: Follow me on my Instagram at Adrian ban jil Nuri's
Speaker 1: using the hashtag positively gam. I'm here, I'm talking, and
Speaker 1: I'm listening. Don't forget to vote and stay grateful y'all.
Speaker 1: Positively Gam is produced by Westbrook Audio Executive producers Adrian Vanfield, Naris,
Speaker 1: Jada Pinkett Smith, Amanda Brown, and Fallon jethro Co Executive
Speaker 1: producer sim Hoti segment producer Ash Francis, associate producer Erica Ron,
Speaker 1: editor and mixer Calvin Bayliss. Positively gam Is in partnership
Speaker 1: with Art nineteen