1 00:00:01,680 --> 00:00:05,720 Speaker 1: Hi, Brian Hik. Now, this is very exciting. We're on location, 2 00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: which we don't do that often, but we're in Aspen, Colorado, 3 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: beautiful Colorado, at the Aspen Ideas Festival. And when we 4 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:16,400 Speaker 1: found out that Mitch Landrew was going to be here, 5 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:20,919 Speaker 1: we immediately thought, what a great podcast guest, because he's 6 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 1: very much been in the news of late, not only 7 00:00:23,239 --> 00:00:26,080 Speaker 1: because he's head of the U S Conference of Mayors, 8 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:29,680 Speaker 1: but also because that incredible speech he gave about taking 9 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 1: down the Confederate statues in New Orleans. And he comes 10 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:36,680 Speaker 1: from a really storied New Orleans and Louisiana family. His 11 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 1: dad was the last white mayor of New Orleans. Before him, 12 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:43,880 Speaker 1: he was known as a real progressive on civil rights. 13 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:48,040 Speaker 1: He desegregated the city. His sister was a senator from 14 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 1: Louisiana for many years. He's the fifth of nine kids. 15 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:53,560 Speaker 1: He's got a lot of interesting stuff to see. He's 16 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 1: a music of theater nuts. So he had me at 17 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 1: Jesus Christ Superstar. So we have so much fun talking 18 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:03,760 Speaker 1: to Mitch. He told me I could call him Mitch 19 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:06,680 Speaker 1: instead of Mr. Mayor. Honestly, you were a little disappointed 20 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 1: that he didn't go full man of La Manchro No 21 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 1: I really wanted that. You know, I made up for 22 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:14,800 Speaker 1: his shyness by belting out a few of those songs myself. 23 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:17,199 Speaker 1: But we talked to him about life in the big easy, 24 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:19,480 Speaker 1: and we talked to him about climate change, and of 25 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:23,399 Speaker 1: course we talked to him about that incredibly well received, 26 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:28,200 Speaker 1: an eloquent speech. So here he is, Mitch landru I 27 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:31,600 Speaker 1: became the president of U S Conference of Mayors yesterday. 28 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:35,480 Speaker 1: Congratulation so much. And but I'm really intent in this 29 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:38,280 Speaker 1: time of getting people to think that although we think 30 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 1: about Washington all the time, and it's appropriate that we 31 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:44,480 Speaker 1: do so, the national policy doesn't just get set in Washington. 32 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:47,199 Speaker 1: Mayors across the country really doing innovative things. We're learning 33 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:51,800 Speaker 1: from each other and we're creating national policies from local 34 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:55,560 Speaker 1: action and that's really exciting. And before we talk more 35 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 1: about the Conference of Mayors and about that extraordinary speech 36 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: you made on May nineteenth about Confederate memorials coming down 37 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 1: in New Orleans, I want to give our listeners a 38 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:09,240 Speaker 1: better sense of who you are and where you come from. 39 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:13,400 Speaker 1: Is that from the greatest place in where all New Orleans, Louisiana, 40 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:16,480 Speaker 1: The soul of America. You're you're the fifth of nine kids. 41 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:20,600 Speaker 1: Your dad was the story real quick. My father was 42 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: one of two children. His mother had a third grade education. 43 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:26,640 Speaker 1: His father worked as an employee of the city in 44 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 1: the public service building. He turned the lights on and 45 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:31,799 Speaker 1: off in the city. He grew up in a house 46 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 1: that was seventeen feet wide, literally slept in a storehouse. 47 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 1: He he found a way to get himself through Jesuit 48 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 1: High School and then Loyola Way. He met my mother 49 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:42,960 Speaker 1: and uh, they fell in love and they wanted up 50 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:46,160 Speaker 1: getting married, and they went right away to the Pentagon 51 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:49,639 Speaker 1: when my dad served, and in the next eleven years 52 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 1: they had nine children. So my oldest sister is Mary, 53 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:55,680 Speaker 1: who people remember is now as the United States Senator, 54 00:02:55,720 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 1: but sure appreciates she's bossy. But there were nine of 55 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:05,360 Speaker 1: us and we grew up in the first integrated neighborhood 56 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:08,680 Speaker 1: in the city of New Orleans. My dad got himself 57 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:11,200 Speaker 1: into the state legislation, didn't know anybody, and this first 58 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: act in office was to vote against the governor's plan 59 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:17,239 Speaker 1: to keep the schools segregated in the state. He was 60 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:19,840 Speaker 1: one of two people and uh, on that day that 61 00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:23,040 Speaker 1: he voted for that Leander Perez, who was a great racist. 62 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: Shaff suck his finger in his chest and said you're dead. 63 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 1: And from that moment, from there until today. You know, 64 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 1: our family kind of grew up in the Broadmoor neighborhood 65 00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 1: of New Orleans. As I said, my mother had nine 66 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:38,880 Speaker 1: children in eleven years. And he was known and and 67 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 1: is known as a hero of civil He was the 68 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:45,280 Speaker 1: one that integrated. That's true. Joined it's because we grew 69 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 1: up how we grew up in Whale. We grew up 70 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:49,040 Speaker 1: in a middle class neighborhood. We both we all went 71 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: to parochial schools, the same school. We walked to school 72 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 1: every day, we caught the bus to school. All of 73 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:56,520 Speaker 1: us have gone on to you know, grow up and 74 00:03:56,520 --> 00:04:00,080 Speaker 1: get married. We have thirty eight children between us on 75 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:05,320 Speaker 1: the landry side of the family. You give make got 76 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:07,320 Speaker 1: to make sure you get you get to the table first, 77 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:09,720 Speaker 1: I would say that. And so we grew up in 78 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 1: the city of New Orleans, and we've been part of 79 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 1: the city for a long time. And uh, and it's 80 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:16,440 Speaker 1: been a great experience. And politics are sort of in 81 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:19,360 Speaker 1: your I mean, it's just you marry and your dad 82 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 1: because your mom Verna said, I told you, Mitchell, you've 83 00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:27,120 Speaker 1: got politics and the Mary Well, the reason she says 84 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:28,960 Speaker 1: that is because I was a very bad little boy, 85 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:30,800 Speaker 1: and as I told you, she had nine kids, and 86 00:04:30,839 --> 00:04:33,479 Speaker 1: I kept running outside. So she she chained me to 87 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:37,080 Speaker 1: the front porch with a leash. She did, she did. 88 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:42,359 Speaker 1: It's terrible and she didn't. She actually tied me to 89 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:44,800 Speaker 1: the front porch and so I stood out there all day. 90 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:46,359 Speaker 1: We were planning because we all played in the streets, 91 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:48,880 Speaker 1: so I wasn't by myself and U she said, that's 92 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:50,400 Speaker 1: what you learned how to tell people hello, Okay, you 93 00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:51,760 Speaker 1: kept trying to get them to let you go. Because 94 00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:55,600 Speaker 1: she was managed to survive and so she she's mortified 95 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 1: by that story, but it's true. But she's otherwise a 96 00:04:57,440 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 1: lovely woman and a great mother and a great grammar 97 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:02,039 Speaker 1: as a chad of thirty eight kids. Wow. One of 98 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:04,760 Speaker 1: the fun things we learned about you, Mitch is that 99 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:07,080 Speaker 1: you were really into musical theater when you were in 100 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:12,080 Speaker 1: high school and the East start in Anna You're this 101 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:19,400 Speaker 1: does extensive research, and you were in Jesus Christ Superstars 102 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:21,960 Speaker 1: and tell me who it was and what were you 103 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:25,039 Speaker 1: in Jesus You were Jesus. That's the part you want. 104 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:29,800 Speaker 1: You want the title because he has the best song. 105 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:33,240 Speaker 1: He does. So you're Jesus Christ. You were the great 106 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:36,520 Speaker 1: Jesus Christ proved to me that you're awful. Walk across 107 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:40,360 Speaker 1: by the way. You've got to sing something for us, 108 00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:45,520 Speaker 1: no little to dream, the impossible dream, the impossible dream. 109 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:49,440 Speaker 1: I'm not saying that whole thing. I'll come on one more. 110 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:52,720 Speaker 1: I know the worst to fight, Right to fight the 111 00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:56,239 Speaker 1: unbeatable foe. Right, that's where to bear with unbearable, Sorry, 112 00:05:56,279 --> 00:05:58,320 Speaker 1: to go with a brave They're not go. This is 113 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:02,440 Speaker 1: my quest. Right to fight, no matter how hopeless, no 114 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:05,120 Speaker 1: matter how far, to strive for the right to be 115 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:08,680 Speaker 1: doing great. You're discovering a real musical theater junkie. Yeah, 116 00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:10,799 Speaker 1: I'll tell you like I'll tell you how this happened. Actually, 117 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:14,039 Speaker 1: And in seventh grade a new nun came to St. 118 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:16,080 Speaker 1: Matthias School named was Sister Jane, and she decided to 119 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:19,160 Speaker 1: have a Christmas cantata. And everybody tried, I don't want bed, 120 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:21,200 Speaker 1: but I had tonsilitis. I got my tonsil was taken out. 121 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:23,039 Speaker 1: Would you know when I came back, I could actually sing? 122 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:25,640 Speaker 1: And so she said you're in it, and I saying 123 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:28,320 Speaker 1: it came upon a midnight clear and everybody thought, well, 124 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:31,320 Speaker 1: he can kind of sing. And then about a month later, 125 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:33,600 Speaker 1: my mother and father took me to the theater. It 126 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:35,280 Speaker 1: was right around when The Jungle Book was coming out, 127 00:06:35,279 --> 00:06:37,960 Speaker 1: which I was mesmerized by, and then I saw Oliver 128 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:40,080 Speaker 1: and then I thought, that is what I want to do. 129 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:43,320 Speaker 1: I want to be I'm going to Broadway. And I 130 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:46,440 Speaker 1: actually did theater at Jazzuba for four years. I became 131 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:48,479 Speaker 1: a trot out for a professional show and I was 132 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:51,760 Speaker 1: sixteen and got my equity card and started doing professional work. 133 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:55,400 Speaker 1: And besides Man of Flamanche and Jesus Christ Superstar, were 134 00:06:55,440 --> 00:06:57,680 Speaker 1: you ever in Oliver? No, I never got to Oliver. 135 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:03,080 Speaker 1: I'm crushed by it. But but I attend the Catholic 136 00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:06,040 Speaker 1: University of American got a double degree in theater and 137 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:08,159 Speaker 1: political science. We knew that. And then you went on 138 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:10,680 Speaker 1: to loyal like that. Well what happened was I really 139 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 1: wanted to. When I finished, I had gone on a 140 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 1: couple of USO tours and when I finished, my father said, 141 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:19,240 Speaker 1: you know, it's really a tough business. You ought to 142 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:21,240 Speaker 1: think about having something to fall back on. So why 143 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:23,480 Speaker 1: don't you come home and go to law school? And 144 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:25,400 Speaker 1: if after you finished law school you want to go back, 145 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:28,400 Speaker 1: then go. And I went to Loyola Law School, and 146 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:30,320 Speaker 1: of course I met my soon to be wife on 147 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:33,080 Speaker 1: the first day of law school. We got married, then 148 00:07:33,080 --> 00:07:35,160 Speaker 1: we had five beautiful children and the rest of this history. 149 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:36,840 Speaker 1: So I'm stuck. So I really want to be an actor. 150 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:39,960 Speaker 1: I don't this politics stuff is. Well, maybe maybe you 151 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 1: could have a second career. That's where I'm going. That's 152 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:44,440 Speaker 1: where I'm heading too. I'm going to Broadway if they'll 153 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 1: have me. But I think maybebe I can only mop 154 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:48,880 Speaker 1: up the stage now. Well, you know, I think there 155 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:52,160 Speaker 1: is some theater in politics, right because they're in in 156 00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:55,480 Speaker 1: a positive way. And one of the things we really 157 00:07:55,520 --> 00:07:57,560 Speaker 1: wanted to talk to you about today, Mitch, is that 158 00:07:57,640 --> 00:08:01,040 Speaker 1: extraordinary speech that that Brian meant and that got so 159 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:05,240 Speaker 1: much attention. A lovely op ed by Frank Brooney in 160 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:07,280 Speaker 1: The New York Times. In fact, I was going to 161 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:10,720 Speaker 1: read the uh the first part of it. The title 162 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:13,720 Speaker 1: is Mitch Land who reminds us that eloquence still exists? 163 00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:21,080 Speaker 1: And Frank wrote it to interview. Well, listen, I I 164 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 1: believe in giving props where props are deserved, and he writes, 165 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:27,760 Speaker 1: these are hard days. Of course, language of tweets and 166 00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:29,960 Speaker 1: cat calls that appeal to the worst in us, not 167 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:33,040 Speaker 1: the best. Maybe that's why a big, sweeping, old fashioned 168 00:08:33,040 --> 00:08:35,640 Speaker 1: speech delivered in New Orleans on Friday made such an 169 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:38,720 Speaker 1: impression on me. It was a reprieve, It was an 170 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:42,320 Speaker 1: antidote at let's talk about why you gave that speech. 171 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:46,720 Speaker 1: It was all about taking down four Confederate statues. But 172 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:49,240 Speaker 1: can you give us the context, because this was a 173 00:08:49,320 --> 00:08:53,720 Speaker 1: combination of a very long process getting New Orleans to 174 00:08:54,120 --> 00:09:00,000 Speaker 1: face It's not so it would careful history is that history, 175 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:04,160 Speaker 1: But generally from the day that I was born a 176 00:09:04,160 --> 00:09:05,800 Speaker 1: couple of months later was when my father took that 177 00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:10,040 Speaker 1: first vote. So really, our entire political life, aside from 178 00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:12,360 Speaker 1: trying to make government work well for people and trying 179 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:16,000 Speaker 1: to solve difficult problems, some of which have not yet 180 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:17,600 Speaker 1: been solved, around the kind of things that we talked 181 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:20,839 Speaker 1: about every day, from healthcare to education to crime, all 182 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 1: that kind of stuff, race has been a very important 183 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:29,040 Speaker 1: part of our need to move New Orleans. It could 184 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:31,040 Speaker 1: this could be related to other places, but this is 185 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:33,560 Speaker 1: where I grew up, so this is my wheelhouse, and 186 00:09:33,679 --> 00:09:35,960 Speaker 1: the South to a better place. So there's always been 187 00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:38,280 Speaker 1: this concept of the new South, and well we never 188 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:40,840 Speaker 1: really got there versus the old South, and why other 189 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:42,680 Speaker 1: parts of the country were growing and why we warn't. 190 00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:45,360 Speaker 1: And when I became the mayor after haven't been a 191 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:48,920 Speaker 1: legislator for sixteen years and lieutenant governor for six I 192 00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:51,840 Speaker 1: had a very strong desire based on what Mary had 193 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:53,720 Speaker 1: done and my dad had done, to to really have 194 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:56,880 Speaker 1: a conversation about race and for the city to think 195 00:09:56,880 --> 00:09:59,040 Speaker 1: about not building the city back the way it was 196 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:01,840 Speaker 1: because it Katrina didn't cause all of our problems. It 197 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 1: didn't create our education problems are raised problems problems. It well, 198 00:10:07,559 --> 00:10:10,520 Speaker 1: here's what it did. It made everything that was real 199 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:15,000 Speaker 1: that much more noticeable. So that which was beautiful and 200 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:17,800 Speaker 1: rich and deep and made it much more so. And 201 00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:19,560 Speaker 1: and the kind of things that we saw after Katrina, 202 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:23,120 Speaker 1: people helping each other just really is a is a 203 00:10:23,160 --> 00:10:25,000 Speaker 1: message to the rest of the country about even in 204 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:27,040 Speaker 1: our darkest times, we can find unity, which is why 205 00:10:27,080 --> 00:10:30,120 Speaker 1: I'm hopeful about the country. But it also put a 206 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:33,200 Speaker 1: magnifying glass on a really dirty stuff and the nasty 207 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:36,000 Speaker 1: stuff and the bad stuff. And so as we started 208 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:40,320 Speaker 1: rebuilding the city physically, it's easy to build a city 209 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:43,240 Speaker 1: back physically than to repair of city soul. And so 210 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:46,360 Speaker 1: the mantra that we use preparing for our three hundred anniversary, 211 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:49,840 Speaker 1: which is next year, was to build a city back 212 00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:51,480 Speaker 1: the way it always should have been if we would 213 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:53,520 Speaker 1: have gotten it right the first time. So that's not 214 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:55,160 Speaker 1: just a physical thing. So if you come to New 215 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:57,839 Speaker 1: Orleans now, we've rebuilt thirty two new schools, or a 216 00:10:57,880 --> 00:11:00,280 Speaker 1: bunch of health care centers, were building a new airport, 217 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:02,880 Speaker 1: we're building a new riverfront. The issue then got to 218 00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:05,280 Speaker 1: be about the public spaces, and this came from Went 219 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:06,839 Speaker 1: and Went and Marcelo, So I said, Went, and I 220 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:08,600 Speaker 1: need you to help me carry the three on the universary. 221 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:10,720 Speaker 1: He said, do you know Lewis Armstrong left because of 222 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:13,199 Speaker 1: those statutes? And I said what statutes? He said, I want, 223 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:15,320 Speaker 1: I need you to think about those statutes. And I said, 224 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:17,400 Speaker 1: when what statutes are talking about? He said, Roberty Lee. 225 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:19,360 Speaker 1: I said, what's your problem with Roberty Lee? He said, 226 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:21,360 Speaker 1: have you ever thought about who he is, what he 227 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:24,280 Speaker 1: stands for, why they're there? And I said, you know, honestly, 228 00:11:24,360 --> 00:11:26,520 Speaker 1: when I never really did. I was kind of like 229 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:29,000 Speaker 1: everybody else. He said, well, look, you think about them. 230 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:31,840 Speaker 1: So I started thinking about him, and it became fairly 231 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:35,720 Speaker 1: obvious to me, fairly quickly that those particular statutes, and 232 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:37,600 Speaker 1: I picked those four for a reason, will put up 233 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:40,439 Speaker 1: by the same group of people over the same period 234 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:43,200 Speaker 1: of time, for a specific reason, which was to send 235 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:46,000 Speaker 1: a clear message that even though the Confederacy lost the war, 236 00:11:46,040 --> 00:11:49,240 Speaker 1: they were still in control, because what sixteen years after 237 00:11:49,320 --> 00:11:51,280 Speaker 1: the end of the Civil War. Yes, way, they will 238 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:53,880 Speaker 1: put up substantially after, and they will put up with 239 00:11:53,920 --> 00:11:56,640 Speaker 1: a specific purpose. And the specific purpose was enunciated when 240 00:11:56,679 --> 00:12:00,480 Speaker 1: they put them up, which was too demn me straight 241 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:04,240 Speaker 1: that the South was on the right side, that even 242 00:12:04,240 --> 00:12:06,800 Speaker 1: though the United States of America one, that they were wrong, 243 00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:08,600 Speaker 1: and that the South was not going to concede. And 244 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:10,280 Speaker 1: it was to send a message to who was still 245 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:15,280 Speaker 1: in control, and that white supremacy was superior, specifically to 246 00:12:15,480 --> 00:12:19,080 Speaker 1: African Americans. We were genetically and in every other way 247 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:22,800 Speaker 1: and spiritually superior. Now in a city that six African 248 00:12:22,840 --> 00:12:27,000 Speaker 1: American forcing African Americans to walk by public property that 249 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:30,600 Speaker 1: they own, having statutes standing above them in reverence seemed 250 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:33,520 Speaker 1: to me to be perverse. It was property Lee and Robberty, 251 00:12:33,559 --> 00:12:37,199 Speaker 1: left Buregard, Jefferson Davis or the three. And then there 252 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:39,280 Speaker 1: was another monument called the Liberty Monument that was put 253 00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:44,520 Speaker 1: up in the eight nineties to celebrate, no, to celebrate 254 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:47,000 Speaker 1: the fact that a number of police officers were killed 255 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:50,480 Speaker 1: who were trying to protect a buy Ratio police department. 256 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:52,720 Speaker 1: So it was actually done to honor the people who 257 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:55,240 Speaker 1: killed the police officers for the wrong reason. And it 258 00:12:55,280 --> 00:12:56,840 Speaker 1: was put up by the clan. And I want to 259 00:12:56,840 --> 00:13:00,120 Speaker 1: give our listeners a sense of the speech if they 260 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:02,960 Speaker 1: haven't heard it. These statutes are not just stone and metal. 261 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:07,800 Speaker 1: They're not just innocent remembrances of a benign history. These 262 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:12,760 Speaker 1: monuments celebrate a fictional, santitized Confederacy, ignoring the death, ignoring 263 00:13:12,800 --> 00:13:16,120 Speaker 1: the enslavement, ignoring the terror that it actually stood for. 264 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:20,880 Speaker 1: Why do you think for so long we were okay 265 00:13:20,920 --> 00:13:25,120 Speaker 1: with all of this Confederate celebration. Listen, I think that 266 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:28,920 Speaker 1: race is really hard for us. It's hard for everybody 267 00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:31,120 Speaker 1: to talk about. And I've said many times on this issue, 268 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:34,160 Speaker 1: we have made a lot of progress. I mean, John Lewis, 269 00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:36,200 Speaker 1: will remind us of that every day, who is one 270 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:39,960 Speaker 1: of the great heroes of our time. But when I finished, 271 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:43,959 Speaker 1: and this whole notion of of aspiring to a more 272 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:47,079 Speaker 1: perfect union is something that Americans really ought to think 273 00:13:47,080 --> 00:13:50,760 Speaker 1: about on a regular basis given this last election. And 274 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:52,880 Speaker 1: by the way, we started this well before the election, 275 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:55,600 Speaker 1: so it really didn't contemplate anything having to do with 276 00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:59,360 Speaker 1: the politics of what exists today. But even before that, 277 00:13:59,840 --> 00:14:04,040 Speaker 1: we were really thinking about how the country could come 278 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:08,640 Speaker 1: together on issues of criminal justice, equity, police community relations, 279 00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:12,120 Speaker 1: and just straight up racial stuff that we had. And 280 00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:15,520 Speaker 1: it started it occurred to me that the way we 281 00:14:15,559 --> 00:14:19,360 Speaker 1: curate our public spaces either informs that in a positive 282 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:21,200 Speaker 1: way or in a negative way. And if you just 283 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:23,960 Speaker 1: think from a mayoral perspective, and we're all into design 284 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:26,160 Speaker 1: and what our cities look like and how you build beautiful, 285 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:29,240 Speaker 1: world class cities, why would you have a public space 286 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:31,520 Speaker 1: that's the most central thing sending a message that has 287 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:33,880 Speaker 1: never been true about your city. And so as we 288 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:36,760 Speaker 1: began this introspection, the people of the city started thinking, Wow, 289 00:14:36,800 --> 00:14:39,280 Speaker 1: you know, this is a new awakening that we're having, 290 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:41,000 Speaker 1: so let's deal with it. So this just wasn't about 291 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:43,600 Speaker 1: the statutes. The statutes are much or just kind of 292 00:14:43,600 --> 00:14:48,040 Speaker 1: a physical way to talk about a much deeper problems. Badly, 293 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:50,680 Speaker 1: how many times we walk by things that we don't 294 00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:54,720 Speaker 1: notice every day. They're so symbolic and emblematic of sort 295 00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:56,560 Speaker 1: of race in general. I think one of the most 296 00:14:56,600 --> 00:15:00,960 Speaker 1: moving parts of the speech was when you talk about 297 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:06,440 Speaker 1: a friend, uh and how he would explain this to 298 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:10,560 Speaker 1: his fifth grade daughter. Let's listen to that. Another friend 299 00:15:10,600 --> 00:15:13,600 Speaker 1: asked me to consider these full monuments from the perspective 300 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:16,680 Speaker 1: of an African American mother and father trying to explain 301 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:19,800 Speaker 1: to their fifth grade daughter, why Robert E. Lee sat 302 00:15:19,800 --> 00:15:28,480 Speaker 1: the top of our city. Can you do it? Can 303 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:31,840 Speaker 1: you do it? Can you look into the eyes of 304 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:35,280 Speaker 1: this young girl and convince her that Robert E. Lee 305 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:39,040 Speaker 1: is there to encourage her. How much pushback did you 306 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:41,560 Speaker 1: get for this, because I imagine there were some people 307 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:45,760 Speaker 1: who were pretty hoping mat huge, huge, Well again, you know, 308 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:48,640 Speaker 1: I had been thinking about this. Meant three three and 309 00:15:48,640 --> 00:15:50,680 Speaker 1: a half years ago was when I think I had 310 00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:52,640 Speaker 1: the first conversation with It might have been three years ago, 311 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:55,520 Speaker 1: so as well before the election. It was well before 312 00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:59,920 Speaker 1: South Carolina. The city had been engaged in racial reconciliation 313 00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:02,600 Speaker 1: discussions that we put together called the Welcome Table, where 314 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:05,400 Speaker 1: people of color and whites met and talked in small groups. 315 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:07,120 Speaker 1: So this has been kind of part of what we did. 316 00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:10,840 Speaker 1: But then when South Carolina happened and Nicki Haley and 317 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:13,400 Speaker 1: the leaders did such a wonderful thing of taking that 318 00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:16,800 Speaker 1: flag down in such a beautiful way, um, I said 319 00:16:16,840 --> 00:16:19,200 Speaker 1: to myself, now is the time to call the question 320 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:22,960 Speaker 1: publicly about these monuments and basically said something really simple, 321 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:25,080 Speaker 1: which is, I think it's time for us to have 322 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:27,960 Speaker 1: a conversation about this. Well you would have thought that, 323 00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:30,720 Speaker 1: I mean it was. It really got rough. So we 324 00:16:30,760 --> 00:16:34,280 Speaker 1: had a bunch of community meetings that were all very aggressive, 325 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:36,920 Speaker 1: and then as soon as the legislator, as soon as 326 00:16:36,920 --> 00:16:39,080 Speaker 1: the city council vote had taken them down, lawsuits began. 327 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:40,960 Speaker 1: And so it took a two and a half year 328 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:44,000 Speaker 1: process with seven different courts, federal, state, and local, and 329 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:47,360 Speaker 1: thirteen different judges to confirm that we actually had the 330 00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:49,080 Speaker 1: authority to do what we were doing. Do you get 331 00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:53,320 Speaker 1: a lot of people angry on the streets, like, what's 332 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:55,880 Speaker 1: the worst thing someone has said to you? Well, there's 333 00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:58,520 Speaker 1: a beautiful park, in New Orleans. I rode around on 334 00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:00,720 Speaker 1: my bike every morning, and it is not uncommon for 335 00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:02,640 Speaker 1: people in that park to yell at me, like, get 336 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:04,880 Speaker 1: out of this park. This is not your park. You're 337 00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:07,719 Speaker 1: a dictator. We hate you. We hope that you've stopped 338 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:10,240 Speaker 1: being mayor tomorrow. There's actually one particular woman that does 339 00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:12,239 Speaker 1: this the other day, does this all the time to me, 340 00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:14,280 Speaker 1: which was really curious because when I went to church 341 00:17:14,320 --> 00:17:18,359 Speaker 1: the other day, she was actually a eucharistic minister. What yeah, So, 342 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:22,760 Speaker 1: I mean it's it really got hostile and bad. Now 343 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:25,000 Speaker 1: not everybody I have to be it just this is 344 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:26,680 Speaker 1: really clol I know my city really well. Most of 345 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:28,359 Speaker 1: the people in the city wanted to take these down, 346 00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:31,640 Speaker 1: but as you can say, this is a national issue, 347 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:35,200 Speaker 1: so people came from across the country into the city 348 00:17:35,240 --> 00:17:37,920 Speaker 1: to use us as an example for us. So the 349 00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:40,439 Speaker 1: alt right was there, you know, and a couple of 350 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:43,600 Speaker 1: other groups, and it got really dangerous and it required 351 00:17:43,680 --> 00:17:45,879 Speaker 1: us to take these things down because of security reasons. 352 00:17:45,880 --> 00:17:47,560 Speaker 1: Three of them at night, and then we had to 353 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:49,720 Speaker 1: take Roberty Lee down during the day for the same reason, 354 00:17:49,800 --> 00:17:53,360 Speaker 1: security reasons because of the electrical wires. But it required 355 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:56,399 Speaker 1: us to be very vigilant because subsequent to the election, 356 00:17:56,440 --> 00:17:58,320 Speaker 1: the temperature in the country has gotten really hot. We've 357 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:01,040 Speaker 1: gotten worse at talking to each other, and it wasn't 358 00:18:01,119 --> 00:18:04,960 Speaker 1: easy to do. But I think after the speech to 359 00:18:05,119 --> 00:18:07,320 Speaker 1: that credit, a lot of people have come up to 360 00:18:07,359 --> 00:18:10,200 Speaker 1: me and said, you know, I really wasn't down with this, 361 00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:13,040 Speaker 1: but now I get it and I understand. But there 362 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:15,680 Speaker 1: will be some people who will never forgive. And it's 363 00:18:15,680 --> 00:18:18,240 Speaker 1: one of these things that it's it's like abortion, or 364 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:20,680 Speaker 1: it's like the death penalty, or it's like war in peace. 365 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:23,119 Speaker 1: It is a seminal issue that if someone you know 366 00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:24,720 Speaker 1: is on the other side of it, no matter where 367 00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:27,879 Speaker 1: you are, it's like, that's a defining moment, and you know, 368 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:29,560 Speaker 1: you stole a lot history and I'll never be for you. 369 00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:31,960 Speaker 1: And I think for a lot of people it leads 370 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:34,640 Speaker 1: to a series of questions like where do you draw 371 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:37,480 Speaker 1: the line which people are okay to leave up and 372 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:39,160 Speaker 1: which people do you have to take down? I mean, 373 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:42,680 Speaker 1: do we do we tear down the Jefferson memorial because 374 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:46,240 Speaker 1: he was Actually I don't think it's that complicated. I 375 00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:49,960 Speaker 1: think that you cannot go back and relitigate whether a 376 00:18:50,040 --> 00:18:52,680 Speaker 1: human being was a good human being or not? Um. 377 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:54,960 Speaker 1: All of us come to life with our own faults. 378 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:57,600 Speaker 1: And do you just watch people to confession as Catholics 379 00:18:57,640 --> 00:18:59,560 Speaker 1: health the time? Do you judge people by the standards 380 00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:01,359 Speaker 1: of their time or our time? Well, I don't. I 381 00:19:01,359 --> 00:19:03,960 Speaker 1: don't know that that's the issue either. In this instance, 382 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:06,920 Speaker 1: it is absolutely clear that you cannot rewrite history. History 383 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:10,560 Speaker 1: is history. The monument to down right, but the Civil 384 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:13,359 Speaker 1: War still took place, so we didn't need race history. 385 00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:16,960 Speaker 1: What we did do, though, is we course corrected something 386 00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:20,480 Speaker 1: that a mayor did in that was wrong, which was 387 00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:24,320 Speaker 1: to put in a place of reverence a statute that 388 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:28,560 Speaker 1: promoted a cause that denied humanity to millions of Americans. 389 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:33,919 Speaker 1: That act was wrong. We've got a lot more to 390 00:19:33,960 --> 00:19:37,160 Speaker 1: talk about with Mitch Landrew, the mayor of New Orleans. 391 00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:41,040 Speaker 1: Right after this New Orleans as he says, New Orleans. 392 00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:52,399 Speaker 1: And now we're back with Mayor Mitche Landrew talking to 393 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:54,920 Speaker 1: him from Aspen. I know Brian wants to talk a 394 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:57,720 Speaker 1: lot about cities and climate change, but I just want 395 00:19:57,720 --> 00:19:59,760 Speaker 1: to put a button on this because I'm curious, Mitch, 396 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:04,800 Speaker 1: have Mayorlandrew, you have other have have other Um mayors, 397 00:20:04,840 --> 00:20:07,879 Speaker 1: have other governors, have other leaders in the Deep South 398 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:12,080 Speaker 1: contacted you? Are they wrestling with these same issues or 399 00:20:12,119 --> 00:20:15,879 Speaker 1: would you like them to more? Well, you know, again, 400 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:18,320 Speaker 1: every city and every group of people take their own 401 00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:21,000 Speaker 1: You're being very diplomatic, but no, no, what I'm saying. 402 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:23,280 Speaker 1: I mean this seriously. I didn't like people not from 403 00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:25,440 Speaker 1: New Orleans tell New Orleans what to do. We had 404 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:27,320 Speaker 1: a right to determine with our own property what we 405 00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:29,639 Speaker 1: thought was appropriate. I will say to the people of 406 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:32,520 Speaker 1: America very clearly, though we clearly have an issue with race, 407 00:20:33,359 --> 00:20:35,280 Speaker 1: we also have one with class, and we also have 408 00:20:35,359 --> 00:20:37,000 Speaker 1: it around a whole bunch of stuff. And we don't 409 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:40,719 Speaker 1: talk to each other well about the things that divide us. 410 00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:43,240 Speaker 1: I happen to think they are a great source of strength, 411 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:46,880 Speaker 1: and I think it weakens us when we divide ourselves 412 00:20:46,960 --> 00:20:48,679 Speaker 1: the way we are and we can't even have a 413 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:51,359 Speaker 1: an adult conversation, so to the extent that it's a 414 00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:55,520 Speaker 1: conversation starter. Yeah, start the conversation, but you have got 415 00:20:55,520 --> 00:21:00,200 Speaker 1: to recognize, like white people need to recognize that Frican 416 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:03,560 Speaker 1: Americans were horribly offended by going past those monuments. Listen, 417 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:05,920 Speaker 1: I'm not judging anybody I had the same problem, and 418 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:08,520 Speaker 1: until went and told me about it, it never really 419 00:21:08,520 --> 00:21:10,199 Speaker 1: occurred to me to think about it. But once I 420 00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:12,240 Speaker 1: started thinking about it, and once I saw the truth, 421 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:14,280 Speaker 1: then I was like, all right, there's some things that 422 00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:17,399 Speaker 1: I can admit without having to feel awful that maybe 423 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:19,199 Speaker 1: I had somebody that fought on the wrong side of 424 00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:22,480 Speaker 1: the war. I mean, nobody today is responsible for anything 425 00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:25,600 Speaker 1: that happened during the Civil War in that regard, and 426 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:28,399 Speaker 1: you can't spend your life talking about whose fault it was. 427 00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:30,440 Speaker 1: I guess if people get excited about that, they can. 428 00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:33,320 Speaker 1: I can tell you whose responsibility it is to fix it. 429 00:21:33,880 --> 00:21:37,120 Speaker 1: It's ours. Some folks have called me and said, look, 430 00:21:37,160 --> 00:21:38,920 Speaker 1: I've thought about this, and I want the monuments and 431 00:21:38,960 --> 00:21:41,920 Speaker 1: send them to me. Some people have sent have said, uh, 432 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:43,919 Speaker 1: look I thought about this and I don't want to 433 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:46,440 Speaker 1: go as far as you went. How can you curate 434 00:21:46,480 --> 00:21:49,359 Speaker 1: these by being additive? Which is interesting, and you can 435 00:21:49,400 --> 00:21:51,320 Speaker 1: do that. And some people have said, yeah, I want 436 00:21:51,320 --> 00:21:52,679 Speaker 1: to do that too, and I said, good luck. But 437 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:54,720 Speaker 1: you know, really think a lot about this and be 438 00:21:54,760 --> 00:21:57,400 Speaker 1: careful and be thoughtful, and by the way, be hard 439 00:21:57,400 --> 00:21:59,600 Speaker 1: on the problem, soft on the people. There's a way 440 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:02,879 Speaker 1: to get through this that makes us better. And although 441 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:04,880 Speaker 1: it was hard in New Orleans, I have the full 442 00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:06,719 Speaker 1: confidence that the people in New Orleans are gonna get 443 00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:08,679 Speaker 1: past this and we're gonna be a better city because 444 00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:11,320 Speaker 1: of it. So, Mr Mary, the last time before your speech, 445 00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:14,960 Speaker 1: New Orleans was really in the national spotlight was around Katrina, 446 00:22:15,040 --> 00:22:17,720 Speaker 1: which you referenced earlier. I was looking at some of 447 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:22,560 Speaker 1: these stats in preparing for this interview. I was really stunned. 448 00:22:22,600 --> 00:22:24,879 Speaker 1: You know, more than eight percent of the city flooded, 449 00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:28,399 Speaker 1: seventy billion dollars of damage, more than a hundred thousand 450 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:31,240 Speaker 1: people homeless. But then I found another stat that that 451 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:34,560 Speaker 1: staggered me, maybe even more, which is that, according to 452 00:22:35,280 --> 00:22:38,560 Speaker 1: one study, which was a reputable group, a third of 453 00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:41,560 Speaker 1: New Orleans population was going to have to flee by 454 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:45,679 Speaker 1: because of rising sea levels. Basically in my daughter's lifetime. 455 00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:48,359 Speaker 1: They're not there may not be a New Orleans as 456 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:53,360 Speaker 1: we know it today. What can cities or even states 457 00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:56,720 Speaker 1: do on their own to fix this problem? I mean, 458 00:22:57,520 --> 00:22:59,320 Speaker 1: is it too late? Are we doomed to have to 459 00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:03,960 Speaker 1: manage the sens this? Well, it's getting too late. It's 460 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:07,040 Speaker 1: not too late yet. I was in Miami yesterday, and 461 00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:11,320 Speaker 1: Mary Levine has talked a lot about Miami. Everybody's focus 462 00:23:11,359 --> 00:23:13,320 Speaker 1: has always been in New Orleans, and New Orleans said, look, 463 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:16,200 Speaker 1: you know, we didn't we didn't get hit by Katrina 464 00:23:16,280 --> 00:23:18,919 Speaker 1: because we stay up lade drinking too much. You know. 465 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:21,720 Speaker 1: Although because most of your cities, some people thought that 466 00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:24,680 Speaker 1: we were since city, and you know, God visited evil 467 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:28,679 Speaker 1: upon our heads because of that, because well it was 468 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:30,920 Speaker 1: we We are the canary in the coal mine. There 469 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:35,840 Speaker 1: are tons of places around this country that are below yeah, 470 00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:38,440 Speaker 1: that are below sea level as a matter of fact, 471 00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:42,359 Speaker 1: whether Washington Monument is that hill is a berm that 472 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:45,280 Speaker 1: is supposed to be there for flood protection. And of 473 00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:47,320 Speaker 1: course people now have seen as a result of Sandy, 474 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:50,920 Speaker 1: unfortunately that the Northeast is vulnerable. When you look at 475 00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:53,080 Speaker 1: the at the list of the most vulnerable cities, New 476 00:23:53,160 --> 00:23:55,800 Speaker 1: Orleans is not at the top. Miami is there, and 477 00:23:55,800 --> 00:23:58,000 Speaker 1: by the way, a ton of other places. So this 478 00:23:58,119 --> 00:24:02,639 Speaker 1: idea of us being threatened by sea level rise is real, 479 00:24:03,320 --> 00:24:05,840 Speaker 1: it's imminent, and it's that outdoor step now New Orleans. 480 00:24:05,880 --> 00:24:08,520 Speaker 1: As a couple of other problems, One we have coastly 481 00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:13,439 Speaker 1: erosion that is happening quickly for a lot of different reasons. 482 00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:15,439 Speaker 1: Some is because the Mississippi River is levied and the 483 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:17,520 Speaker 1: silt is not moving off into it naturally. Some is 484 00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:20,560 Speaker 1: because the island gas pipelines cut through it oreland gas 485 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:22,080 Speaker 1: that we produced for the rest of the country. And 486 00:24:22,119 --> 00:24:24,440 Speaker 1: some is just sinkage. So when you put all four 487 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:26,560 Speaker 1: of those things together, we have what I would consider 488 00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:29,720 Speaker 1: to be a slow moving but imminent threat, which is 489 00:24:29,760 --> 00:24:32,200 Speaker 1: why we're really focused on this. We've built a huge 490 00:24:32,280 --> 00:24:35,560 Speaker 1: levy system, but if we don't get in hands around 491 00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:38,480 Speaker 1: this climate issue, New Orleans as you know it, or 492 00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:40,440 Speaker 1: at least south of New Orleans, could cease to exist 493 00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:43,439 Speaker 1: by so could Miami, and so could a lot of 494 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:45,280 Speaker 1: other places. So it's not just such, which is why 495 00:24:45,359 --> 00:24:48,679 Speaker 1: mayors have been so engaged in this, from the Kyoto 496 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:50,600 Speaker 1: Protocols to the Paris. Of course, we had a thousand 497 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:53,680 Speaker 1: mayors from around the world in Paris. So in President 498 00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:57,080 Speaker 1: Trump erroneously wrongly said we're not going to stay. Bad 499 00:24:57,119 --> 00:25:01,080 Speaker 1: mistake for the country. We said we and abide by that. 500 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:03,480 Speaker 1: We have to keep going. We're not bound by the 501 00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:07,320 Speaker 1: federal government. We can create a national policy by acting locally. 502 00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:10,960 Speaker 1: And so mayors across America, Republicans, Democrat Jim brainded from 503 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:15,520 Speaker 1: like Indiana Republican, I mean republican red state said, you know, 504 00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:17,919 Speaker 1: I'm I'm into this, and you know a lot of 505 00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:20,040 Speaker 1: others have too. So we're actually trying to do the 506 00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:22,880 Speaker 1: best we can reduce our carbon footprint and to get 507 00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:25,600 Speaker 1: ahead of this so that we don't get so far behind. 508 00:25:25,640 --> 00:25:27,600 Speaker 1: And that's just something that mayors have decided to do 509 00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:29,760 Speaker 1: because we can't we have to govern. We can't wait, 510 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:31,720 Speaker 1: can you do it without the federal government? I think 511 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:33,080 Speaker 1: we can't. I mean, it would be much better to 512 00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:34,600 Speaker 1: have them with us. But there's a lot of things 513 00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:36,560 Speaker 1: we can do without the federal government. If two hundred 514 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:40,000 Speaker 1: and sixty cities get together and decide, look, we're gonna 515 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:42,240 Speaker 1: run a certain fleet of buses, We're gonna have a 516 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:45,320 Speaker 1: certain number of bike lanes. We're gonna retrofit all of 517 00:25:45,359 --> 00:25:48,400 Speaker 1: our buildings with you know, better stuff. We're gonna work 518 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:51,719 Speaker 1: on the utilities that reregulate in what the UH energy 519 00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:54,520 Speaker 1: mixes that's coming in. There's quite a lot that we 520 00:25:54,560 --> 00:25:57,680 Speaker 1: can do. So why do you think President Trump made 521 00:25:57,720 --> 00:25:59,919 Speaker 1: the decision he did. I mean, I know I know 522 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:04,440 Speaker 1: the reasons he gave were demonstrably false. I don't know. 523 00:26:04,960 --> 00:26:06,880 Speaker 1: I mean, I don't. I have no idea. I quit, 524 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:09,400 Speaker 1: I quit trying to figure it out. I can't. I don't. 525 00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:11,760 Speaker 1: I don't spend any time worrying about that, other than 526 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:13,879 Speaker 1: saying that's a shame, because that's a mistake for the country. 527 00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:16,200 Speaker 1: We're just gonna move past them, and I think that's 528 00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:18,960 Speaker 1: happening a lot. You know, again, we would prefer our 529 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:22,520 Speaker 1: mayors of America want a constructive relationship with who's ever 530 00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:25,480 Speaker 1: in Washington, d C. But we cannot wait, and we're 531 00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:28,360 Speaker 1: not waiting on anything. We're doing our own stuff on infrastructure, 532 00:26:28,400 --> 00:26:31,600 Speaker 1: We're doing our best we can we can on healthcare, 533 00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:33,600 Speaker 1: and then we're gonna solve as many problems as we can. 534 00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:37,680 Speaker 1: Mayor Bloomberg yesterday announced the two hundred million dollar Challenge 535 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:40,240 Speaker 1: grant across all cities so that we can share best 536 00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:43,040 Speaker 1: practices with each other. And we think the country can 537 00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:45,520 Speaker 1: learn the federal government can learn a lot from the 538 00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:48,080 Speaker 1: innovation that's happening in cities across America. He's been a 539 00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:51,560 Speaker 1: pretty phenomenal leader. He's just incredible. I mean, you know, 540 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:53,560 Speaker 1: a lot of people give a lot of money away 541 00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:55,840 Speaker 1: for a lot of causes, and that's all wonderful. But 542 00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:58,840 Speaker 1: he has really focused his attention on making government work 543 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:02,200 Speaker 1: better and then creating better partnerships from the private sector 544 00:27:02,240 --> 00:27:04,560 Speaker 1: to the government. And you know, the guy just is 545 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:06,399 Speaker 1: he's gold and he put his money where his mouth is. 546 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:09,000 Speaker 1: Not everybody agrees on all of his host stances, but 547 00:27:09,119 --> 00:27:11,280 Speaker 1: that's you know, He's given May's room to run. And 548 00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:14,320 Speaker 1: by the way, he helps cities at a Republican Democrat 549 00:27:14,359 --> 00:27:17,160 Speaker 1: that are left, that are right. He's into innovation and change, 550 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:19,160 Speaker 1: and he's given us a chance to compete with each other, 551 00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:21,320 Speaker 1: which we love to do, you know, and we and 552 00:27:21,359 --> 00:27:24,240 Speaker 1: we share best practices all the time we have. I 553 00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:25,879 Speaker 1: know you have to go to a dinner, but just 554 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:28,560 Speaker 1: I have to ask you. You You didn't mention Donald Trump 555 00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:33,639 Speaker 1: in your your now quite spa? No? No, But he 556 00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:35,840 Speaker 1: takes up enough air tone, don't you think? What do 557 00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:40,480 Speaker 1: you think of him? I think he's mostly wrong. I 558 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:44,639 Speaker 1: just think he's mostly wrong. There are some admirable qualities 559 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:48,000 Speaker 1: about him, actually, which makes it's so hard to watch 560 00:27:48,119 --> 00:27:51,320 Speaker 1: him do so poorly. Are admirable. Well, first of all, 561 00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:57,919 Speaker 1: he's he's got really um good instincts about other people 562 00:27:58,480 --> 00:28:01,639 Speaker 1: that serve him well in a negative way. You know, 563 00:28:01,680 --> 00:28:04,000 Speaker 1: you saw him take down a lot of different opponents 564 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:05,879 Speaker 1: that he should have never taken down because he's got 565 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:10,080 Speaker 1: an animal instinct for finding people's weaknesses that he can exploit. 566 00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:12,919 Speaker 1: And so, you know, I say it's admirable. It's kind 567 00:28:12,920 --> 00:28:14,120 Speaker 1: of a weird thing. Like when you see a war 568 00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:16,200 Speaker 1: you're fighting, You're like, that guy's got special skills because 569 00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:17,760 Speaker 1: everybody wants that he doesn't know what he's talking about. 570 00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:21,119 Speaker 1: That exactly what I'm saying is in a in a 571 00:28:21,119 --> 00:28:23,080 Speaker 1: warrior kind of way, you look at that and you go, wow, 572 00:28:23,119 --> 00:28:25,359 Speaker 1: that's impressive. That guy got to be president the United States. 573 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:28,320 Speaker 1: So you can't completely dismiss that. When people say he's 574 00:28:28,359 --> 00:28:31,480 Speaker 1: got no talent, that's not true. This is not a 575 00:28:31,520 --> 00:28:34,760 Speaker 1: man that's not smart. He is smart and and he 576 00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:38,400 Speaker 1: is he is tough in a bad way. And in 577 00:28:38,480 --> 00:28:42,400 Speaker 1: my opinion, his his unwillingness to think deeply about things 578 00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:46,320 Speaker 1: causes him to be half wrong all the time. And 579 00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:49,320 Speaker 1: when you're half wrong, you're never right because you know, 580 00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:52,840 Speaker 1: you never really think about things clearly and deeply. And 581 00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:55,880 Speaker 1: it's very, very troubling. I think that he has, in 582 00:28:55,920 --> 00:28:59,920 Speaker 1: a demonstrable way, made people who shouldn't agree with him 583 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:02,760 Speaker 1: think that he's fighting for them. And I think that 584 00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:05,240 Speaker 1: a lot of folks think, well, the pots on everybody's 585 00:29:05,280 --> 00:29:08,040 Speaker 1: house in Washington. You know, I don't really care about 586 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:10,280 Speaker 1: all of this other stuff. At least he's fighting for me, 587 00:29:10,360 --> 00:29:13,840 Speaker 1: and I'm hurting really badly, and somebody focus their attention 588 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:18,040 Speaker 1: on me, and so well, I don't. I think most 589 00:29:18,040 --> 00:29:20,440 Speaker 1: of the polls indicate that his base is not falling 590 00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:22,280 Speaker 1: away from him. And I think they know he doesn't 591 00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:25,400 Speaker 1: tell the truth. I mean, at the president, clearly he 592 00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:26,920 Speaker 1: doesn't tell the truth most of the time. And I 593 00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:28,600 Speaker 1: think it's just kind of a way of being. It's 594 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:31,600 Speaker 1: not a and And I think they don't care because 595 00:29:31,680 --> 00:29:34,360 Speaker 1: he has somehow demonstrated to them that I am fighting 596 00:29:34,400 --> 00:29:37,479 Speaker 1: for you. And in this moment, they they are feeling 597 00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:40,880 Speaker 1: so left out and so forgotten and so not known 598 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:44,240 Speaker 1: and so like people have been unaware of them that 599 00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:47,560 Speaker 1: the fact that he's focused on them, they forgive everything else. 600 00:29:47,600 --> 00:29:49,840 Speaker 1: So one of the things I learned about the monuments 601 00:29:50,600 --> 00:29:52,640 Speaker 1: is that when people are on your side and they 602 00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:55,640 Speaker 1: like you, they'll almost forgive anything that you do, and 603 00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:57,480 Speaker 1: when they don't like you, they will hate you for 604 00:29:57,560 --> 00:30:00,680 Speaker 1: everything that you do. So post my you meant talk 605 00:30:01,760 --> 00:30:03,800 Speaker 1: even people who are my friends before who are against 606 00:30:03,840 --> 00:30:05,800 Speaker 1: me now. I can't do anything right. I can't pick 607 00:30:05,800 --> 00:30:08,960 Speaker 1: the garbage upright. I can't drive my car right, I 608 00:30:09,040 --> 00:30:12,000 Speaker 1: can't fix the potholes right. Nothing's right. It's like when 609 00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:13,480 Speaker 1: you get in a fight with somebody that you love. 610 00:30:13,520 --> 00:30:16,440 Speaker 1: I mean, the fight's not always about what the fights about, right. 611 00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:19,680 Speaker 1: And meantime, the Democratic Party, your party is in the 612 00:30:19,720 --> 00:30:22,760 Speaker 1: weakest position that's been in nearly a hundred years. There's 613 00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:25,480 Speaker 1: a major divide between the kind of the pragmatic wing 614 00:30:26,320 --> 00:30:30,600 Speaker 1: um and the progressives led by Sanders and Warren. How 615 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:34,280 Speaker 1: do you think the party can come back? Because your sister, 616 00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:38,520 Speaker 1: for instance, was the last Democratic senator from the Deep 617 00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:42,040 Speaker 1: South and she lost in I'll tell you the premise 618 00:30:42,040 --> 00:30:45,160 Speaker 1: of your question is is interesting to me. It seems 619 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:47,760 Speaker 1: like the Republican Party is in complete and total shambles. 620 00:30:48,320 --> 00:30:50,160 Speaker 1: You've got Donald Trump and then you've got a whole 621 00:30:50,240 --> 00:30:53,640 Speaker 1: bunch of but they're running the White House and the legislatures. 622 00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:56,800 Speaker 1: That's true, But how long is that gonna last, what's 623 00:30:56,800 --> 00:30:59,280 Speaker 1: it gonna look like. Is this just a moment and 624 00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:00,960 Speaker 1: then we're gonna come out of it or are we 625 00:31:01,480 --> 00:31:03,720 Speaker 1: forming a new way of governing? And I think we 626 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:05,880 Speaker 1: don't know that yet. I think it's too early to tell. 627 00:31:06,560 --> 00:31:09,320 Speaker 1: I think it's pretty clear that the republic this. I'm 628 00:31:09,320 --> 00:31:11,480 Speaker 1: gonna get to the Democrats in a second, but they 629 00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:13,600 Speaker 1: have a bunch of different factions that are all over 630 00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:15,920 Speaker 1: the place, and you won't see this bust loose unto 631 00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:18,200 Speaker 1: whenever Donald Trump leaves office, which maybe in four years 632 00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:21,000 Speaker 1: or maybe in eight. But the next fight that that's 633 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:24,200 Speaker 1: gonna be very interesting. On the Democratic side, you see 634 00:31:24,280 --> 00:31:26,760 Speaker 1: us licking on wounds on the national level in a 635 00:31:26,800 --> 00:31:31,000 Speaker 1: pretty dramatic way. Um, and as every party begins to 636 00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:33,520 Speaker 1: rebuild itself, you're gonna start having fights about left, middle, 637 00:31:33,560 --> 00:31:36,520 Speaker 1: and center, and how that works out in some fashion 638 00:31:36,600 --> 00:31:40,160 Speaker 1: is gonna be related to how President Trump does in 639 00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:42,040 Speaker 1: the next couple of years and then with the public 640 00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:43,760 Speaker 1: se So you asked me a question before it does 641 00:31:43,760 --> 00:31:46,600 Speaker 1: you does his base still think that unless and until 642 00:31:46,640 --> 00:31:49,760 Speaker 1: his base starts peeling off of him, Congressman on the 643 00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:52,280 Speaker 1: Republican side are going to continue to back him that's 644 00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:55,960 Speaker 1: just how the politics works. Then not, in my opinion, 645 00:31:56,760 --> 00:31:59,400 Speaker 1: they'll be outflanked on the right. So that's a politically 646 00:31:59,400 --> 00:32:01,840 Speaker 1: equation of for them. And until that base starts eroting. 647 00:32:02,080 --> 00:32:04,320 Speaker 1: So everybody said, oh, it's terrible because as approval ratings 648 00:32:04,320 --> 00:32:05,840 Speaker 1: lowest has ever been, Well, let me tell you something. 649 00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:09,880 Speaker 1: His approval rating amongst his base is directly related to 650 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:12,320 Speaker 1: what the congressmen need to be secure in that district. 651 00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:15,920 Speaker 1: When they start feeling insecureing that districts, right, it's gonna 652 00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:17,239 Speaker 1: be interesting to see what happens with them when they 653 00:32:17,240 --> 00:32:19,560 Speaker 1: go home for healthcare this week and how that works. 654 00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:21,400 Speaker 1: But if they don't do that, they're gonna stay with 655 00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:24,520 Speaker 1: him because one of the kind of unspoken deals is, well, 656 00:32:24,560 --> 00:32:26,400 Speaker 1: even if I disagree with him, and even though I 657 00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:29,040 Speaker 1: think he's wrong most of the time, he's gonna help 658 00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:30,720 Speaker 1: us on tax reform. And by the way, we got 659 00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:34,000 Speaker 1: Gorsage and we're likely to get the Supreme somebody else, 660 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:35,840 Speaker 1: and then we'll have the Supreme Court for thirty years. 661 00:32:36,120 --> 00:32:38,000 Speaker 1: So look, we'll put up with whatever the president has 662 00:32:38,040 --> 00:32:39,760 Speaker 1: to deal with. So that's kind of a that's the 663 00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:42,720 Speaker 1: deal on the Democratic side, I think, you know, the 664 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:46,640 Speaker 1: Democrats are trying to figure out what in the heck 665 00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:50,120 Speaker 1: went wrong and how did the Democrats lose being the 666 00:32:50,200 --> 00:32:52,680 Speaker 1: champions for the middle class. So we need to go 667 00:32:52,760 --> 00:32:55,120 Speaker 1: listen to people and they may be saying, you know what, 668 00:32:55,720 --> 00:32:58,640 Speaker 1: we're not gonna rely on Washington for anything anymore, and 669 00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:00,600 Speaker 1: we're gonna just really focus on what we have to 670 00:33:00,640 --> 00:33:02,240 Speaker 1: do in our day to day lives. Is that why 671 00:33:02,240 --> 00:33:05,920 Speaker 1: you would never run for president? Well, that's that's one 672 00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:08,160 Speaker 1: of the reasons why. I know it's an incredible thing 673 00:33:08,240 --> 00:33:10,120 Speaker 1: to say, but that might not be where the action 674 00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:12,920 Speaker 1: is in years to come. I know that's kind of 675 00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:14,600 Speaker 1: a crazy thing for people to think about. But the 676 00:33:14,640 --> 00:33:17,040 Speaker 1: most innovative stuff that's happening in the country is happening 677 00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:20,200 Speaker 1: on the ground, in the streets, in cities and in 678 00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:22,360 Speaker 1: country and in counties and in rural American And by 679 00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:25,040 Speaker 1: the way, this whole notion now that rural America is 680 00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:28,240 Speaker 1: divided from urban America. I don't want to say that's 681 00:33:28,240 --> 00:33:30,959 Speaker 1: a complete myth, but I'm telling you that I can 682 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:33,680 Speaker 1: prove to you in a very demonstrable way how urban 683 00:33:33,720 --> 00:33:37,040 Speaker 1: areas rely on rural areas for our lifeblood, and they 684 00:33:37,080 --> 00:33:39,880 Speaker 1: rely on us if you just think about farm to table, 685 00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:42,200 Speaker 1: if you think about getting fish from the Gulf into 686 00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:44,720 Speaker 1: the restaurants in New Orleans, if you think about getting 687 00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:47,800 Speaker 1: the corn from the fields in Iowa to where we 688 00:33:47,880 --> 00:33:51,120 Speaker 1: needed to put gas in our cars, we are inextricably 689 00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:57,960 Speaker 1: linked to one another. The reason, by the way, in 690 00:33:58,000 --> 00:33:59,720 Speaker 1: case anybody wants to read into that, the reason I 691 00:33:59,760 --> 00:34:02,959 Speaker 1: said that was because when Katrina hit and we closed 692 00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:05,560 Speaker 1: the port of New Orleans, the farmers in Iowa took 693 00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:08,960 Speaker 1: a dramatic hit because they couldn't export their goods. I mean, 694 00:34:09,000 --> 00:34:11,880 Speaker 1: so we we are. We are completely connected. And so 695 00:34:11,920 --> 00:34:14,839 Speaker 1: while people try to tear us apart and say, well, 696 00:34:14,920 --> 00:34:17,600 Speaker 1: you know that the different well, we read the same 697 00:34:17,640 --> 00:34:20,680 Speaker 1: Bible in New Orleans that we do in small towns. 698 00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:22,560 Speaker 1: But I don't think this is the media deal. I mean, 699 00:34:22,560 --> 00:34:25,760 Speaker 1: there's a massive political difference between the way rural Americans 700 00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:28,719 Speaker 1: vote in the way urban Americans, and also just attitudes 701 00:34:28,760 --> 00:34:31,399 Speaker 1: and values, and I think sort of, I think there's 702 00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:35,080 Speaker 1: a lot of class condescension between coastal and rural. Well 703 00:34:35,160 --> 00:34:36,759 Speaker 1: that's none that you're talking about the coast. I think 704 00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:38,759 Speaker 1: that's true, but all all cities are on the coast, 705 00:34:39,640 --> 00:34:41,560 Speaker 1: I mean, and and by the way, it's not all 706 00:34:41,600 --> 00:34:43,839 Speaker 1: people in the cities that think like that. So this 707 00:34:43,920 --> 00:34:46,600 Speaker 1: notion that the only elites that live in cities, well, 708 00:34:46,640 --> 00:34:48,920 Speaker 1: that's not true about New Orleans, and that's not true 709 00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:51,600 Speaker 1: about Louisville, and it's not true about a lot of 710 00:34:51,640 --> 00:34:56,360 Speaker 1: other cities. Albuquerque, you know, San Diego, all across America. 711 00:34:56,440 --> 00:34:58,319 Speaker 1: Cities are doing great things. And by the way, eight 712 00:34:58,920 --> 00:35:01,160 Speaker 1: of people in this in the country, you're gonna live 713 00:35:01,160 --> 00:35:04,399 Speaker 1: in cities, and that's where all the demographic trends are coming. 714 00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:07,280 Speaker 1: And so this notion that somehow we're different where aliens 715 00:35:07,560 --> 00:35:10,480 Speaker 1: are ones of Martian you know, that's that that that 716 00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:13,040 Speaker 1: is kind of of the moment that is going to 717 00:35:13,200 --> 00:35:16,560 Speaker 1: change over time as demographic trends change. And I would 718 00:35:16,560 --> 00:35:18,640 Speaker 1: just continue to say this, the more we can do 719 00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:21,280 Speaker 1: stuff together, the better we're gonna be. Diversity is a strength, 720 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:24,359 Speaker 1: not a weakness. Inclusion is better than exclusion, you know, 721 00:35:24,520 --> 00:35:26,480 Speaker 1: and hanging out with other people that are different from you, 722 00:35:26,480 --> 00:35:28,120 Speaker 1: you might learn something from time to time, and we 723 00:35:28,160 --> 00:35:30,399 Speaker 1: ought to do more of It's true. Brian Stevenson talks 724 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:33,360 Speaker 1: about the importance of being proximate, like getting out of 725 00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:36,360 Speaker 1: your stylo hanging out with people from different socio economically. 726 00:35:39,480 --> 00:35:41,400 Speaker 1: It's easy. Let me tell you this. It's easy to 727 00:35:41,440 --> 00:35:44,480 Speaker 1: scream something nasty across the tweet at somebody else. It's 728 00:35:44,560 --> 00:35:46,239 Speaker 1: really hard to do it when you're sitting across the 729 00:35:46,280 --> 00:35:50,920 Speaker 1: dent table. I know, and we need and we need 730 00:35:50,960 --> 00:35:53,200 Speaker 1: to have more face time with each other. Absolutely well, 731 00:35:53,200 --> 00:35:55,319 Speaker 1: Mitch Landrew, we're going to get in big trouble because 732 00:35:55,320 --> 00:35:57,480 Speaker 1: we're keeping you from your dinner. But we could talk 733 00:35:57,520 --> 00:36:00,120 Speaker 1: to you all night if if you'd let us. Thank 734 00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:08,799 Speaker 1: you so much back, A huge thank you this week 735 00:36:08,840 --> 00:36:12,520 Speaker 1: to the Aspen Ideas Festival for hosting and recording this conversation. 736 00:36:12,600 --> 00:36:16,600 Speaker 1: Thanks especially to Zach st. Louis from the Ideas Festival 737 00:36:16,640 --> 00:36:20,160 Speaker 1: for coordinating all of the technical details on the ground, 738 00:36:20,280 --> 00:36:24,839 Speaker 1: even Brian's airline tickets. So Zach, a big thank you 739 00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:26,960 Speaker 1: for that, Zack, You're in a special place in heaven. 740 00:36:27,320 --> 00:36:30,360 Speaker 1: As usual, Thanks to our producer Gianna Palmer, our sound 741 00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:34,560 Speaker 1: engineer Jared O'Connell, Alison Bresnik for her social media prowess, 742 00:36:34,880 --> 00:36:37,840 Speaker 1: and to Emily Bena and Nora Richie for their editorial 743 00:36:37,920 --> 00:36:40,880 Speaker 1: support as well. What would our theme music be without 744 00:36:40,920 --> 00:36:43,960 Speaker 1: Mark Phillips, I shudder to thank Katie. Thanks as always 745 00:36:43,960 --> 00:36:47,120 Speaker 1: to Mark, Katie Kirk and I are the executive producers 746 00:36:47,120 --> 00:36:49,560 Speaker 1: of this show. Thank you all so much for listening. 747 00:36:49,680 --> 00:36:52,920 Speaker 1: As always, we'd love to hear from you, so please 748 00:36:53,120 --> 00:36:55,879 Speaker 1: leave us a message at nine to nine to two 749 00:36:55,960 --> 00:36:59,480 Speaker 1: four four six three seven or email us at comments 750 00:36:59,520 --> 00:37:02,720 Speaker 1: at kurr podcast dot com. You have no idea how 751 00:37:02,760 --> 00:37:05,880 Speaker 1: excited we get when we get a comment or a 752 00:37:05,960 --> 00:37:09,160 Speaker 1: phone call. Giannic's forwards them to us on our email. 753 00:37:09,239 --> 00:37:14,200 Speaker 1: Brian and I squeal with delight anyway, little school girls 754 00:37:14,239 --> 00:37:18,480 Speaker 1: were all on Twitter. Also, speaking of Twitter, find us 755 00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:21,759 Speaker 1: on social media. I'm at Katie Curic on Twitter and 756 00:37:21,800 --> 00:37:25,319 Speaker 1: Instagram and Katie dot Kuric on Snapchat, and you can 757 00:37:25,360 --> 00:37:28,640 Speaker 1: find me on Facebook as well. And Brian, your Twitter 758 00:37:28,680 --> 00:37:33,440 Speaker 1: handle is at goldsmith b. Lastly, if you enjoy our show, 759 00:37:33,520 --> 00:37:37,319 Speaker 1: please make your appreciation known by rating and reviewing us 760 00:37:37,320 --> 00:37:41,240 Speaker 1: on Apple podcast. That keeps us in business everyone anyway, 761 00:37:42,239 --> 00:37:44,239 Speaker 1: that does it for us. Thanks for listening. We'll see 762 00:37:44,280 --> 00:37:45,960 Speaker 1: you next well, you'll hear us next time.