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Speaker 1: This is Gavin Newsom. So we're talking a lot about

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Speaker 1: the future of the Democratic Party, what the Democratic Party

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Speaker 1: represents the people today, the brand that is the Democratic Party.

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Speaker 1: No better guests than the former chair of the Democratic

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Speaker 1: National Committee. This is Jamie Harrison. Yeah, we're jumping right in, brother.

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Speaker 1: What at our table? What was the I mean was

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Speaker 1: the idea was just to sort of create a relaxing

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Speaker 1: environment where people feel they can really engage around the

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Speaker 1: table of table top conversations or conversations you'd have at

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Speaker 1: the kitchen table. Is that was the idea?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, the kitchen table because for me growing up, you know,

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Speaker 2: I was raised by my grandparents. So at our table,

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Speaker 2: all of the big decisions were me but also all

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Speaker 2: the real conversations were had. And so when my grandfather said, okay,

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Speaker 2: everybody sit down, let's sit down at the table, that

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Speaker 2: that meant something in our house. And sometimes, you know,

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Speaker 2: at the end of each episode, I have this award

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Speaker 2: I give I call it the sit your ass down

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Speaker 2: Award because sometimes my grandfather would say, boy, you better

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Speaker 2: sit your ass down, like you're a little too big

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Speaker 2: for your bridges. You're feeling yourself a little bit. And

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Speaker 2: so every at the end of every episode, everybody gets

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Speaker 2: to present who they would present their sit your Ass

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Speaker 2: Down award too. And it's been funny.

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Speaker 1: So your grandfather was an outsized role.

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Speaker 2: My grandparents so so governor. My mom was sixteen when

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Speaker 2: she had me. Yeah, and so literally my grandparents were

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Speaker 2: my pseudo parents. My mom often says she got home

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Speaker 2: from the hospital with me, and you know, in those days,

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Speaker 2: you didn't have all those warnings that babies can't sleep

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Speaker 2: in the bed with the parents and all. But she said,

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Speaker 2: I slept with my grandparents as soon as I got home,

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Speaker 2: and I was just, you know, their seventh child, I guess.

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Speaker 2: And so when my mom left South Carolina to try

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Speaker 2: to find work, she went to Georgia. I stayed with

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Speaker 2: my grandparents, and eventually my mom got settled and she

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Speaker 2: she wanted me to come with her, and I just

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Speaker 2: decided to stay in South Carolina because I had created

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Speaker 2: this my grandparents. I created this relationship. They didn't have

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Speaker 2: a whole lot of education, but I was, you know,

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Speaker 2: I was a gifted reader, and I picked up stuff quickly,

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Speaker 2: so I would read their bills and all that other

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Speaker 2: type stuff while they took care of me, right so

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Speaker 2: it was it was that type of relationship. And so

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Speaker 2: they really were like my parents. My grandma just passed

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Speaker 2: away this right before East on Good Friday, and man,

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Speaker 2: that hit me hard. It hit me hard because we

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Speaker 2: were really, really close.

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Speaker 1: I love that. What I mean, did you ever were

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Speaker 1: you were they? I mean the tutelage they gave you.

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Speaker 1: Was it about social justice? Racial justice, economic justice? Was

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Speaker 1: there sort of a prism of service that they instilled

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Speaker 1: upon you. I mean, what was the journey from there

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Speaker 1: to becoming the head of the damned Democratic Party?

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Speaker 2: It was? It was hard work, right. My grandfather had

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Speaker 2: a four grade education. He paved roads and worked construction.

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Speaker 2: My grandmother had an eight grade education. She picked cotton,

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Speaker 2: clean houses and then took care of the family. And

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Speaker 2: so I mean, those they were two of the hardest

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Speaker 2: working people have ever met in my life. I mean

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Speaker 2: they they worked, I mean really fingers to the bone

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Speaker 2: and very very humble, very giving, even though they didn't

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Speaker 2: have a whole lot themselves. If you ever came to

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Speaker 2: the house, you left with a plate wrapped in tenfoil.

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Speaker 2: And you know, that's just who they were. They they

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Speaker 2: love people, and they love taking care of people and

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Speaker 2: they would give their very last in order to do so.

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Speaker 2: And so that's how I picked up. You know, I

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Speaker 2: am who I am because of them, and it is

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Speaker 2: you never give up. You have a tremendous faith in God.

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Speaker 2: As my grandma would say, the Lord will never put

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Speaker 2: more on you than you can bear. And so sometimes

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Speaker 2: it may be hard. Sometimes you may have a plan,

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Speaker 2: but that that's not his plan. And so you just

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Speaker 2: kind of focus on what you can control and what

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Speaker 2: you can what you can do. And you always treat

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Speaker 2: people right. You treat them the way that you want

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Speaker 2: to be treated. And so you know, they just encourage

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Speaker 2: me to just do better, right, do better than they did. Uh.

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Speaker 2: And they tried to do everything that they could to

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Speaker 2: make sure that any opportunity that prevailed itself to me,

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Speaker 2: that I was able to take advantage of it.

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Speaker 1: And so uh, you know.

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Speaker 2: And then and then Governor, I'm blessed because I had

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Speaker 2: some I call him, sort of guiding angels that popped

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Speaker 2: into my life at the right moments. You know. Of course,

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Speaker 2: my grandparents are there and my mom was there. But

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Speaker 2: there was one man, Earl Middleton, Tuskegee Airman. He was

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Speaker 2: the first black man to get a cool banker. Middleton

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Speaker 2: real estate practice in the state of South Carolina in Orangeburg.

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Speaker 2: He was a state rep for a long time. He

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Speaker 2: was you see, mister Earl, He's this six two sixty three, distinguished,

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Speaker 2: sort of lanky guy. Distinguished, always had a cigar in

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Speaker 2: his mouth, either lit or not or sometimes able they

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Speaker 2: have AI And I met him my senior year in

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Speaker 2: high school because I was elected mayor for a day

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Speaker 2: in my high school and I got a chance to

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Speaker 2: shadow the mayor of Orangeburg. And so in shadowing the mayor,

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Speaker 2: we went to a kawanas meeting and in the back

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Speaker 2: the mayor said he pointed to mister Middleton. He said, Jamie,

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Speaker 2: do you know mister Middleton. I said no, sir. He said,

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Speaker 2: I want you to meet him. You need to meet him,

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Speaker 2: And so I went into back. I introduced myself. Mister

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Speaker 2: Earle was there with a cigar, not lit, but it

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Speaker 2: was in his mouth, and he shook my hand and said,

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Speaker 2: young man, you seemed like you got your head on right.

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Speaker 2: He said, I'm going to give you my card, and

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Speaker 2: if ever anything I can do to be helpful to you,

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Speaker 2: you called me, so I kept it put it on

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Speaker 2: my Dresser. Fast forward, Governor. I gotten April second, nineteen

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Speaker 2: ninety four. I got into Yale, first in my family

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Speaker 2: to go to college. Mind you got into Yale. They

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Speaker 2: sent my financial aid package almost a full ride, with

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Speaker 2: the exception of about twenty five hundred dollars. And you know,

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Speaker 2: nobody twenty five hundred dollars in my family at that

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Speaker 2: time was like twenty five thousand or two hundred and

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Speaker 2: fifty thousands. I mean, it was the thought that we

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Speaker 2: would get that is unbelievable. And so then they said, well,

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Speaker 2: you can get a personal loan. Your parents can get

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Speaker 2: a personal loan. Well, my grandparents that credit was good.

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Speaker 2: They couldn't go to a bank and get a loan.

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Speaker 2: And so it got to the point where I didn't

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Speaker 2: know where to turn. And I saw that card from

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Speaker 2: mister Earle, and I called him up and I said,

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Speaker 2: mister Earle, I met you a few months ago, Jamie Harris.

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Speaker 2: I'm at ow I got into Yale, but I am

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Speaker 2: twenty five hundred dollars short, and I don't know what

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Speaker 2: to do, and if I don't find it, I can't go.

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Speaker 2: So he said, I want you to bring your letter

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Speaker 2: to my office tomorrow you come there, bring you a letter,

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Speaker 2: and let's talk about it. I did that. Come to

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Speaker 2: mister Earl's office, Cigar in his mount sitting back in

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Speaker 2: his chair. You read the letter, he said the young man.

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Speaker 2: I'm proud of you, he said, this is what we're

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Speaker 2: gonna do. You're gonna work for me this summer. You

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Speaker 2: drive me around and you do whatever. I'll make sure

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Speaker 2: that you have the money to send there. I'm also

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Speaker 2: gonna make sure you have a computer and whatever you

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Speaker 2: need to start school. So Governor again, this is when

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Speaker 2: this is Parklay. Why I believe what my grandma said

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Speaker 2: that the Lord has a plan for you, and things

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Speaker 2: will happen when they need to happen, and all because

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Speaker 2: in every step of my life, there have been people

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Speaker 2: like mister Earl that have stepped in. It was mister Earl,

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Speaker 2: it was Jim Clyburn. You know, I can come up

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Speaker 2: with a number of folks along the road that have

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Speaker 2: really like stepped in in those moments in which there

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Speaker 2: have been nothing but despair or darkness. And I didn't

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Speaker 2: had no clue what the next step was going to be.

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Speaker 2: But guess what, there's a step forward. And so I

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Speaker 2: am blessed and highly favored, and I am so grateful

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Speaker 2: to have been on this journey and to try to

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Speaker 2: do the good things that I've tried to do.

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Speaker 1: Good God blessed, mister Earl. And for everyone listening, I

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Speaker 1: imagine you those people like them, mister Earl, that touched

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Speaker 1: their lives, and they're thinking about them right now. I

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Speaker 1: appreciate that. What is when you got into I mean

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Speaker 1: remarkable first in your family to go to college and

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Speaker 1: here you are at Yale, which is next level. I mean,

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Speaker 1: when did you really start to feel the public service

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Speaker 1: bug in particular?

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Speaker 2: Well, you know, my interest in politics actually started when

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Speaker 2: I was twelve years old watching Jesse Jackson speak at

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Speaker 2: the nineteen eighty eight convention. And was this not because

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Speaker 2: I wanted to watch Jesse Jackson's speak. It's because in

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Speaker 2: my grandfather's house, you watch whoever the hell he on

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Speaker 2: the television. There was one TV, and if he's watching,

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Speaker 2: you're watching the same thing. But I watched that, and

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Speaker 2: you know, the Rev was talking that night. He was

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Speaker 2: specifically talking to young people about hope and making the

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Speaker 2: world be what it wanted, what you wanted it to be,

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Speaker 2: And I really felt like he was talking to me. One.

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Speaker 2: To see a black man on that type of stage

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Speaker 2: at that time was just, you know, it was mind blowing,

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Speaker 2: you know, particularly coming from where I came in Orangeburg,

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Speaker 2: South Carolina. And so that just planted a seed in

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Speaker 2: me about exploring and learning more about politics. And then

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Speaker 2: roll around ninety two and Bill Clinton, this man from

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Speaker 2: the South, the man from Hope, Arkansas. That same year,

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Speaker 2: Jim Clarvern's running for Congress, the first black He had

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Speaker 2: the ability to become the first black man elected to

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Speaker 2: Congress since reconstruction the eighteen hundreds here in South Carolina.

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Speaker 2: And so, so I'm in high school and I'm just

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Speaker 2: so interested. I mean, I think I'm assuming I was

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Speaker 2: a sophomore in high school at the time. So I

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Speaker 2: volunteered on the Clinton Gore campaign. I volunteered to try

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Speaker 2: to help Cliburn. Then Cliburn wins, Bill Clinton wins, uh,

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Speaker 2: and I'm just enthralled. I mean, I'm really like I

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Speaker 2: caught the bug at that time, and then I just

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Speaker 2: never stopped. I invited Cliburn to come to my high

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Speaker 2: school to speak. He actually was crazy enough to come.

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Speaker 2: He said, if if a so or he is a

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Speaker 2: young man from Orangeburg, Wokinson High School has the goal

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Speaker 2: to invite his congressman to come and induct him as

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Speaker 2: the president of the National Honor Society. He said, I

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Speaker 2: wanted to meet him, and he did, and uh, and

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Speaker 2: I guess I was. He calls me a bad penny

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Speaker 2: because he just hadn't been able to get rid of

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Speaker 2: me because I asked him. I one I said, Congressman,

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Speaker 2: I wanted to work in your office one day, and

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Speaker 2: he said, well, you need to go to college first,

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Speaker 2: and then he gave me an intern, and then you know,

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Speaker 2: you know, the rest is history. I went to law

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Speaker 2: school and worked in his office at the same time.

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Speaker 2: But I saw politics as the avenue to help people

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Speaker 2: like my grandparents. It really was. And when I thought

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Speaker 2: about all of the people who were really fighting for

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Speaker 2: folks like that, people who didn't have a big voice

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Speaker 2: themselves but worked hard every day and got screwed over

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Speaker 2: by the system. I saw the political leaders in my community,

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Speaker 2: Jim cliber and and Earl Middleton and folks like that,

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Speaker 2: who were the folks that were helping. And I saw

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Speaker 2: that as the avenue to do something very similar, and

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Speaker 2: so I was interested in it. And then you know,

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Speaker 2: luckily I found people like Clyburn who taught me along

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Speaker 2: the way.

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Speaker 1: Well you're and we're going to talk more about Clyburn

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Speaker 1: in a moment, but you brought me back to that

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Speaker 1: moment in nineteen eighty eight. I think it was a

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Speaker 1: speech where Jackson, I mean, one of the one of

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Speaker 1: the great speeches, because he talked about, I mean, the

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Speaker 1: campaign didn't work out the way he intended to anybody

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Speaker 1: talked about you know how this campaign had not been

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Speaker 1: in vain and he said if in my low moments

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Speaker 1: where my grape has turned into a raisin target to

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Speaker 1: my head, not to my heart. I remember that. I'm like, oh,

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Speaker 1: come on, so good, So paint a picture so vivid,

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Speaker 1: And it was such a it was I love that

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Speaker 1: you were inspired by that. I was as I was

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Speaker 1: as well in eighty eight. And of course you know

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Speaker 1: Bill Clinton, and that's that that ninety time ninety two campaign.

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Speaker 1: So we're I think we're agent. We're tracking it similar

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Speaker 1: times of life and state of mind. And I would

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Speaker 1: argue quality of imagination, and I want to get to

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Speaker 1: that in a moment. But you found yourself at those

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Speaker 1: moments being inspired by these leaders, by their example, and

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Speaker 1: and anchored by your grandparents and these mentors that that

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Speaker 1: came in your life at the right time, and the

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Speaker 1: pursuit in politics you took in a pretty profound way.

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Speaker 1: And I remember you coming on the national scene ubiquitously

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Speaker 1: when you ran for the United States Senate I think

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Speaker 1: at the time, and correct me please if I'm wrong,

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Speaker 1: but I think it was one of the most invested

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Speaker 1: in campaigns in US history. It's like one hundred and

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Speaker 1: thirty two million dollars or something, is that right?

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Speaker 2: That's it. We've raised more than anybody else in a

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Speaker 2: regular campaign. I think also with his after the uh

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Speaker 2: the special elections and the runoffs kind of topp that.

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Speaker 2: But we raised it in the normal campaign. One hundred

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Speaker 2: and thirty two million dollars. And why was it? And

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Speaker 2: it's sinful, It is actually sinful that you know, you

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Speaker 2: need that amount of money to run for all.

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Speaker 1: And we're going to talk about that in a moment,

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Speaker 1: because we're going to fast forward about you know what,

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Speaker 1: may you know reflecting on the last a few months

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Speaker 1: and years, but in relationship to money in politics. But

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Speaker 1: I'm curious, just in that campaign, what was it remind

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Speaker 1: folks you know, what was your why, what was the

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Speaker 1: you know, was was it? What was the burning desire

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Speaker 1: to be in the United States Senate? But also why

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Speaker 1: do you think that race galvanized the country and became

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Speaker 1: so nationalized? Why you why the moment? What do you

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Speaker 1: reflect upon in terms of that Senate race.

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Speaker 2: Well, it really is interesting because I you know, yes,

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Speaker 2: I was interested in politics and running for office, but

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Speaker 2: I had no idea that I would ever run for

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Speaker 2: the Senate, and let alone not run against Lindsay Graham.

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Speaker 2: I actually, for a long time actually thought of Republicans.

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Speaker 2: Lindsay was pretty decent, right like.

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Speaker 1: Some of us. I think there are plenty of us that, yeah,

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Speaker 1: we consistently are disappointed in that respect.

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Speaker 2: Oh yeah, And so it really wasn't It really wasn't

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Speaker 2: until the Kavanaugh hears that the idea was planning. And

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Speaker 2: you know, my wife and I were watching my wife

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Speaker 2: who I married up way way, way off, but who's

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Speaker 2: a law professor at University of South Carolina, and she

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Speaker 2: and I were watching hearings, and you remember that moment

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Speaker 2: when Lindsey Graham does his Oscar performance, which, my god,

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Speaker 2: if you Democrats want power, so blah blah, blah blah,

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Speaker 2: and I sat there and I was just disgusted by

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Speaker 2: by it all. And I remember, you know, chatting with

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Speaker 2: my wife and it was like, we got to find

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Speaker 2: somebody to run against this guy. And I remember the

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Speaker 2: pause and it was like, well, aren't you somebody? And

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Speaker 2: I don't know if she was joking or whatever, but

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Speaker 2: it sort of planted a seed in my head and

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Speaker 2: I just started toying with the idea well maybe maybe, maybe,

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Speaker 2: and then eventually an exploratory committee came up because one

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Speaker 2: of the things that I realized with Lindsay is that

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Speaker 2: he had changed. He was no longer the person who

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Speaker 2: was focused on improving the lives of the people in

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Speaker 2: South Carolina, no longer the person who was focused on

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Speaker 2: working across the isle to try to get things done,

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Speaker 2: because that's you know, that's what Lindsay that I knew

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Speaker 2: from working in Jim Clarbon's office that if anytime we

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Speaker 2: needed to work with a Republican and delegation, we could

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Speaker 2: always work with Lindsay in order to get something done

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Speaker 2: for South Carolina. That was the magic that that strom

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Speaker 2: Thurman and Fritz Hollins, who were our two senators before,

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Speaker 2: always had that yes, they would. They would fight to

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Speaker 2: see who could do more for South Carolina, even though

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Speaker 2: they were Democratic and Republican, and they would fight to

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Speaker 2: see who could get more done. And so, but that

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Speaker 2: Lindsay was no longer. This was a Lindsay who was

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Speaker 2: so focused on his own power and his own stuff

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Speaker 2: that he had forgotten the fact that in this great

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Speaker 2: state of virus. You know, we have fifteen or forty

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Speaker 2: six counties with obgyns that in this state, because Republicans

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Speaker 2: refuse to expand Medicaid, five or six of our rural

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Speaker 2: hospitals have closed. That there's no broadband that was in

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Speaker 2: many of our rural counties. And the question is, well,

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Speaker 2: who's actually going to go to Washington, DC and stay

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Speaker 2: in the center and fight for those people, not fight

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Speaker 2: to get in front of a damn TV camera, but

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Speaker 2: actually fight for the people to improve the quality of

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Speaker 2: lives that these folks have. Because we got a governor

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Speaker 2: and you'll find us as you come to South Carolina. More.

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Speaker 2: There's an area in South Carolina called the Court of SHAMEE.

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Speaker 2: Think about that. Think about having a whole area, a

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Speaker 2: group of counties, mostly black, majority black counties. It's called

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Speaker 2: the quarter shamee, where the schools are falling apart, where

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Speaker 2: the water is not clean, and so we needed somebody

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Speaker 2: in DC who was going to fight for us, and

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Speaker 2: we weren't getting that from We got it from Jim

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Speaker 2: Clarpbern in the House, but we were not getting that

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Speaker 2: equivalent in the United States Senate. And I decided, you know,

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Speaker 2: if not, if not me, you know, I just needed

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Speaker 2: to step up. And so that's what I did.

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Speaker 1: What did did you take away anything, something indelible lessons

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Speaker 1: learned in that process? What did you what was if

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Speaker 1: you distilled sort of the essence of that experience, does

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Speaker 1: it come down to a single sentence or does it

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Speaker 1: come down to sort of a thought.

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Speaker 2: Well, well, Governor, there was you know, I reflect on

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Speaker 2: that race a lot. I mean, there was so many curveballs,

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Speaker 2: one COVID, which really up upset how we did the campaign.

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Speaker 2: We wanted to put together the largest fuel operation in

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Speaker 2: the history of the South Carolina Democratic Party, and we

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Speaker 2: had the resources to do it. Because of COVID, we

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Speaker 2: didn't want to expose people. We weren't able to do that,

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Speaker 2: so we had to do all TV and all that.

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Speaker 2: And that's not the way I would run a campaign,

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Speaker 2: and then the October surprise when RBG passed away Justice

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Speaker 2: RBG Ruth Bader Ginsburg. That then gave Lindsey Graham the

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Speaker 2: opportunity to chair the appointment. So that was my October surprise.

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Speaker 2: We had him on the defensive. You remember he was

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Speaker 2: crying on Fox News, oh yo, please send me a

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Speaker 2: contribution because they're killing me down here.

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Speaker 1: We literally and people listening literally, yes.

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Speaker 2: Yes, I mean, I mean we were kicking his ass.

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Speaker 2: I mean on the debate stage, on everything, every metric.

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Speaker 2: We were out doing this guy who had been in

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Speaker 2: the US Senate for a long time, the chairman of

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Speaker 2: the Senate Judiciary Committee. But then when he got that

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Speaker 2: opportunity to chair that hearing, it changed. It put me

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Speaker 2: on the defensive, and it changed the dynamis of the

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Speaker 2: race because now here he's being a champion of conservatives,

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Speaker 2: He's getting this conservative woman on the court. Uh. And

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Speaker 2: it literally we saw it in our pold like its swapped.

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Speaker 2: So but the thing that I took from that is that, yes,

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Speaker 2: we ended up losing, but Governor, we ended up getting

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Speaker 2: one point one million people to turn out and vote

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Speaker 2: for a Democrat that has never happened in the history

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Speaker 2: of South Carolina. The most before it was Barack Obama

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Speaker 2: and he got about eight hundred and some thousand folks

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Speaker 2: to vote. We came fifty thousand short of the vote

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Speaker 2: total that Donald Trump got four years prior when he

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Speaker 2: beat Hillary Clinton by thirteen points. And so, you know,

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Speaker 2: we put some cracks in that wall, and we gave

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Speaker 2: people hope. And particularly I think if the kids in

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Speaker 2: South Carolina could vote, I would be the center right

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Speaker 2: now because most kids parents come up to me in

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Speaker 2: the airport and they say, my son or my daughter

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Speaker 2: absolutely loved you because they saw all your ads on YouTube.

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Speaker 2: But we gave people a hope that we could actually

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Speaker 2: send somebody to Washington to fight for them, and so

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Speaker 2: much so now that some folks are calling me now saying, well,

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Speaker 2: why aren't you runn against Landsay or why don't you

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Speaker 2: run for governor? But you know, one of the things

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Speaker 2: that I have also learned is that you also have

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Speaker 2: to put your family first. And for six years I

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Speaker 2: have been running hard to help a lot of folks,

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Speaker 2: you know, two years running for the Senate, four years

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Speaker 2: it's DNC chair. And then sometimes you realize that you

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Speaker 2: also need to spend some time at home and raising

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Speaker 2: two black boys in this type of atmosphere. It's really

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Speaker 2: really important. My dad was not there in my life,

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Speaker 2: and so it's just really important for me that I'm

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Speaker 2: there for my boys of that.

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Speaker 1: And I want to talk about your family and in

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Speaker 1: a moment, but let's talk about this larger family, the

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Speaker 1: Democratic Party. Yes, you know, so you you referenced you

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Speaker 1: went from the Senate and that opened up so all

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Speaker 1: of a sudden, once a mind is stretched, never goes

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Speaker 1: back to its original form. You've nationalized your name. I

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Speaker 1: d You're ubiquitous on TV. I remember every damn night

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Speaker 1: you were on some I mean literally when I say

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Speaker 1: every night, forgive me on every cable network. There's that

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Speaker 1: Harrison guy again. Unbelievable, Really another three dollars I got

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Speaker 1: to send this guy. It wasn't even three. I think

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Speaker 1: you were calling for real, some some more significant numbers

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Speaker 1: from folks like me. But you you decide to jump

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Speaker 1: put your hat in. Was this again your inspiration? Was

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Speaker 1: it your family? Was it your wife again saying come on, Jamie,

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Speaker 1: let's not give up. Let's let's let's get to d

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Speaker 1: C by another route. Let's uh run for the DNC.

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Speaker 1: How the hell that happened?

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Speaker 2: Well, it actually happened. The night of my election. President

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Speaker 2: Biden called me and you know, they had called race

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Speaker 2: probably about eight something or whatever, and I get us

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Speaker 2: call undisclosed, and I'm getting ready to move to go

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Speaker 2: to UH concede to Lindy and I'm driving over to

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Speaker 2: the place where we're having or after the election party

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Speaker 2: and there's this number and I pick up and it's

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Speaker 2: Joe Biden and he says to me, he said, Jamie,

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Speaker 2: we don't know what tonight will end up on the

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Speaker 2: presidential level, but I wanted to call you about your race,

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Speaker 2: and I just want to say one I am proud

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Speaker 2: of you. I'm grateful that you ran, and I want

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Speaker 2: you to know when we pull us off, I need

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Speaker 2: you to be a part of my team.

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Speaker 1: He said.

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Speaker 2: I don't know what it is, but I need you

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Speaker 2: to be a part of my team. And I was

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Speaker 2: so heartened by that. You know, my heart was broken

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Speaker 2: because of losing my race, but I was so hardened.

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Speaker 2: And again that's classic Joe Biden. Why I love Joe

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Speaker 2: Biden as much as I do, because here's this man

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Speaker 2: who is focused on he doesn't know whether or not

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Speaker 2: he's gonna win or not. Right he's still waiting to

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Speaker 2: see the results. But he is so focused on seeing

432
00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:13,560
Speaker 2: other folks and saying, you know, I'm not gonna leave

433
00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:15,800
Speaker 2: you behind. I want you to be a part of

434
00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:18,280
Speaker 2: my team. If I'm there, you're gonna be there with me.

435
00:25:19,560 --> 00:25:21,960
Speaker 2: And it's part of the love that I have for

436
00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:25,919
Speaker 2: Joe Biden, because he's a very special person. And so

437
00:25:26,359 --> 00:25:30,240
Speaker 2: really it was that, you know, that was the seed.

438
00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:34,159
Speaker 2: And then you know, Cliburne asked me, he said, you know,

439
00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:36,560
Speaker 2: the President told me he called you and this and that,

440
00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:38,720
Speaker 2: what do you want to do. I said, well, whatever

441
00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:42,199
Speaker 2: he wants me to do, and so he's you know,

442
00:25:42,280 --> 00:25:45,119
Speaker 2: I had run for DNC chair back in twenty sixteen

443
00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:51,240
Speaker 2: after the Hillary loss and I didn't of course I

444
00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:54,239
Speaker 2: didn't win, but I helped Tom Peres prevail. So I

445
00:25:54,240 --> 00:25:56,600
Speaker 2: had already been the associate chair of the DNC for

446
00:25:56,640 --> 00:26:02,240
Speaker 2: four years and so you know, I said, well, you know,

447
00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:04,280
Speaker 2: I can do the d n C. I know how

448
00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:09,040
Speaker 2: to do party building, and so that just became sort

449
00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:12,399
Speaker 2: of the avenue and the President and his team asked

450
00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:15,159
Speaker 2: me to do it. I think it was that December

451
00:26:15,280 --> 00:26:19,480
Speaker 2: or early January, and and you know, I when the

452
00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:23,560
Speaker 2: president calls, as you know, the only answer is yes.

453
00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:28,919
Speaker 1: And so you know, it's a hell of a journey

454
00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:31,240
Speaker 1: to be on to be the head of the Democratic Party.

455
00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:33,600
Speaker 1: And for those that are wondering, I mean the DNC,

456
00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:36,200
Speaker 1: the National Democratic Committee, what what is it? I mean,

457
00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:38,760
Speaker 1: are you the facto? Because I get this question all

458
00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:41,800
Speaker 1: the time, who who's who leads the Democratic Party? And

459
00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:43,359
Speaker 1: people say, was it the d n C?

460
00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:43,960
Speaker 2: No?

461
00:26:44,119 --> 00:26:46,439
Speaker 1: Is it Jeffrees? Is it? You know? Is it the

462
00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:47,760
Speaker 1: ex president's what?

463
00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:48,119
Speaker 2: What do you?

464
00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:51,240
Speaker 1: I mean, what did you your position at the time,

465
00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:54,520
Speaker 1: positioned with the support of the president, the incoming president

466
00:26:54,520 --> 00:26:57,960
Speaker 1: of the United States? Is he the head of the party?

467
00:26:58,119 --> 00:27:00,840
Speaker 1: It's Jamie Harrison, the had of party. What is the DNC?

468
00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:04,639
Speaker 1: Explain it to people what it means and what it's not,

469
00:27:04,960 --> 00:27:05,840
Speaker 1: perhaps too.

470
00:27:05,960 --> 00:27:08,879
Speaker 2: Well, Governor. The DNC is different and the role of

471
00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:10,920
Speaker 2: the DNC chair is different when you have the White

472
00:27:10,920 --> 00:27:12,639
Speaker 2: House and when you don't have the White House. It

473
00:27:12,680 --> 00:27:17,280
Speaker 2: is almost like two different organizations. And the responsibilities for

474
00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:20,040
Speaker 2: the chair are also very different. When you have the

475
00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:22,240
Speaker 2: White House. The president is the head of the party,

476
00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:25,760
Speaker 2: I mean, and you are an able lieutenant. It's almost

477
00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:30,080
Speaker 2: are the DNC is seen now. The question is should

478
00:27:30,119 --> 00:27:33,520
Speaker 2: it be seen like that? And that's for another discussion.

479
00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:36,200
Speaker 1: Well, we're going to talk about it today, Jamie, because

480
00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:38,080
Speaker 1: I want to discuss that. Yeah, yeah, because I think

481
00:27:38,119 --> 00:27:40,600
Speaker 1: it's an interesting question. But keep going because this is

482
00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:42,400
Speaker 1: really important, really important.

483
00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:45,480
Speaker 2: Well, the DNC traditionally has been when you have the

484
00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:48,040
Speaker 2: White House is the extension of the White House. It

485
00:27:48,119 --> 00:27:51,760
Speaker 2: is a political arm of the White House because the

486
00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:55,199
Speaker 2: president is seen as the head of the party and

487
00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:58,120
Speaker 2: so you really as the chair you get your mark.

488
00:27:58,359 --> 00:28:01,400
Speaker 2: And it's very similar to the cabinet secretaries, right where

489
00:28:01,440 --> 00:28:03,679
Speaker 2: the folks in the White House make decisions and then

490
00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:05,399
Speaker 2: they call and they pick up the phone and they

491
00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:07,960
Speaker 2: tell the secretary, well, we're going to do this, and

492
00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:10,840
Speaker 2: so that meant means for the secretary, you got to

493
00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:13,280
Speaker 2: do this. It's also the same thing at the DNC.

494
00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:16,679
Speaker 2: You know, the folks at the White House make the

495
00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:20,439
Speaker 2: call on terms of where the major expenditures go, what

496
00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:23,240
Speaker 2: we're doing in terms of party philosophy. That is not

497
00:28:23,280 --> 00:28:27,000
Speaker 2: to say that you don't have any input, and depending

498
00:28:27,040 --> 00:28:29,920
Speaker 2: on the White House, how much input you have changes right.

499
00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:33,439
Speaker 2: There are some White Houses that lean very heavily on

500
00:28:33,480 --> 00:28:37,200
Speaker 2: their DNC and the DNC chair and way on the

501
00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:40,640
Speaker 2: way the input. And there's some who who don't write,

502
00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:44,560
Speaker 2: who don't see the DNC as much to invest in,

503
00:28:44,640 --> 00:28:49,880
Speaker 2: and they do other things, and so, uh, you know,

504
00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:52,560
Speaker 2: my role was to make sure that the change the

505
00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:54,920
Speaker 2: trains keep running in terms of all of the things

506
00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:58,320
Speaker 2: that the DNC really is responsible for, and that that

507
00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:03,720
Speaker 2: gives folks. You know, the DNC is one slice of

508
00:29:03,760 --> 00:29:07,480
Speaker 2: a pie in the Democratic Party ecosystem, just one slice

509
00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:10,440
Speaker 2: of the pie. We don't control all things that are

510
00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:14,720
Speaker 2: Democratic Party. We only control that sliver of the pie

511
00:29:14,840 --> 00:29:17,320
Speaker 2: that we have, and that is influenced by the White

512
00:29:17,320 --> 00:29:19,400
Speaker 2: House in terms of what we do with that sliver

513
00:29:19,520 --> 00:29:22,760
Speaker 2: that we have. So the d Triple C, which is

514
00:29:22,760 --> 00:29:26,920
Speaker 2: the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee focuses on the House, the

515
00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:30,560
Speaker 2: d SEC Senate Campaign Committee focuses on the Senate, and

516
00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:34,200
Speaker 2: they all have chairs. The DGA, which you are part of,

517
00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:37,560
Speaker 2: is the Governor's Association. They have their own chair, and

518
00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:41,240
Speaker 2: so all of those in every other little position, mayors,

519
00:29:41,280 --> 00:29:44,640
Speaker 2: lieutenant governor's attorney general, secretaries of state, they all have

520
00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:48,560
Speaker 2: their organizations and we try to work together as a collective.

521
00:29:49,600 --> 00:29:53,680
Speaker 2: I used to try to convene a meeting of what

522
00:29:53,720 --> 00:29:58,200
Speaker 2: I call the sister committees, and that's the big the DGA,

523
00:29:58,320 --> 00:30:01,200
Speaker 2: the d TRIP in the DS and then the cousin committees,

524
00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:04,160
Speaker 2: which are the more junior ones, right, so that we

525
00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:07,959
Speaker 2: could align ourselves in terms of message and direction and

526
00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:11,080
Speaker 2: to let each other know where we're going on certain things,

527
00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:14,000
Speaker 2: to try to iron out anythings that happened. That is

528
00:30:14,040 --> 00:30:16,320
Speaker 2: not something that is mandated, but it's something that I

529
00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:18,960
Speaker 2: wanted to do as DNC chair, so I got a

530
00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:22,680
Speaker 2: sense of where the ecosystem and what the pie looked like.

531
00:30:24,720 --> 00:30:28,719
Speaker 2: We had in our four years. The Biden administration was

532
00:30:30,560 --> 00:30:33,800
Speaker 2: the president was probably one of the most pro party

533
00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:36,880
Speaker 2: presidents that we've had in a long time. Interesting leave

534
00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:41,080
Speaker 2: fundamentally in investing in the parties, and that's why we invested,

535
00:30:41,120 --> 00:30:45,000
Speaker 2: probably not probably at that time, we invested more than

536
00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:48,240
Speaker 2: any other DNC had in terms of state parties and

537
00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:51,280
Speaker 2: trying to rebuild the organization. And that's because of Joe Biden,

538
00:30:51,360 --> 00:30:53,960
Speaker 2: and I give him full credit for that. Now, some

539
00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:56,800
Speaker 2: of the people in his universe at the White House

540
00:30:57,720 --> 00:31:00,440
Speaker 2: did not always make it easy in terms of doing

541
00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:03,640
Speaker 2: the things that I thought we should have been doing

542
00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:07,440
Speaker 2: in order to strengthen the party, to rebuild the party's brand,

543
00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:12,320
Speaker 2: to really engage in the social media aspect. There are

544
00:31:12,360 --> 00:31:14,880
Speaker 2: a lot of plans that I had early on governor.

545
00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:20,440
Speaker 2: For you know, I wanted to create a YouTube channel

546
00:31:20,800 --> 00:31:24,040
Speaker 2: that I call DTV that would have been focused on

547
00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:27,880
Speaker 2: the Democratic Party and having us tell our own story,

548
00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:34,080
Speaker 2: our own highlighting our successes, getting different people that showcase

549
00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:37,240
Speaker 2: the diversity of the party out there on social media

550
00:31:37,280 --> 00:31:39,960
Speaker 2: where people are getting their information from. But I was

551
00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:44,120
Speaker 2: still that's not a big priority right now. Right. I

552
00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:47,160
Speaker 2: had a study on rebuilding the brand of the Democratic

553
00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:50,440
Speaker 2: Party because as somebody ran for office myself, I saw

554
00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:54,080
Speaker 2: that our brand was broken, right, But they tarred me

555
00:31:54,240 --> 00:31:57,520
Speaker 2: as somebody who believed in defunding the police. When my

556
00:31:57,600 --> 00:32:02,760
Speaker 2: grandfather was my my grandfather on my stepdad's side was

557
00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:05,680
Speaker 2: a police was in the police department for thirty plus

558
00:32:05,800 --> 00:32:08,480
Speaker 2: years in Detroit. I'm the last damn person that would

559
00:32:08,520 --> 00:32:11,000
Speaker 2: defund the police, right because I understand the importance of

560
00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:16,320
Speaker 2: policing in our communities and good policing, right, but that

561
00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:19,800
Speaker 2: I was tired with that, even though that was not

562
00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:23,480
Speaker 2: my position. That's p Kark. Basically, when your brand's broken,

563
00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:25,680
Speaker 2: they can put whatever the hell they want on right.

564
00:32:26,680 --> 00:32:28,960
Speaker 2: And so I wanted to study and I didn't want

565
00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:32,400
Speaker 2: I did not want political people to do the branding study.

566
00:32:32,600 --> 00:32:35,360
Speaker 2: I actually tried to get people who from the nonprofit

567
00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:38,920
Speaker 2: and the corporate space who understand brands, like because you know,

568
00:32:39,240 --> 00:32:42,160
Speaker 2: their livelihood and their money is built on a good,

569
00:32:42,240 --> 00:32:45,280
Speaker 2: positive brand, to come in and look at the political

570
00:32:45,360 --> 00:32:47,800
Speaker 2: brand and give a different set of eyes on it.

571
00:32:48,280 --> 00:32:50,760
Speaker 2: I was told, no, we're not gonna spend time on that.

572
00:32:51,200 --> 00:32:53,800
Speaker 2: So and it wasn't for the president. It's some of

573
00:32:53,840 --> 00:32:56,360
Speaker 2: the people sometimes in the president's bubble who think they

574
00:32:56,400 --> 00:32:59,800
Speaker 2: know better, but in essence probably should just listen to

575
00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:02,360
Speaker 2: some of us that are on the ground. But I'll

576
00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:03,520
Speaker 2: leave that for another day.

577
00:33:04,120 --> 00:33:07,400
Speaker 1: It's interesting, so, I mean, because we can fast forward

578
00:33:07,400 --> 00:33:10,640
Speaker 1: and talk about the brand. The Democratic brand today is

579
00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:14,440
Speaker 1: more some have argued, and people don't like the word toxic.

580
00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:18,120
Speaker 1: But when you see twenty seven percent approval in early

581
00:33:18,200 --> 00:33:21,040
Speaker 1: this year in an NBC pall, twenty nine percent which

582
00:33:21,080 --> 00:33:23,040
Speaker 1: was a high water mark at the time in a

583
00:33:23,040 --> 00:33:26,200
Speaker 1: CNN poll, and people feeling we're out of touch, we're weak,

584
00:33:26,280 --> 00:33:29,680
Speaker 1: we're not quote unquote focusing on their priorities, we're focusing

585
00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:32,600
Speaker 1: on the elites, or we're focusing on being more quote

586
00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:37,280
Speaker 1: unquote politically correct. You it's interesting to hear you reflect

587
00:33:37,360 --> 00:33:42,320
Speaker 1: on aspects of that that you were battling prior. But again,

588
00:33:42,360 --> 00:33:45,560
Speaker 1: as sort of an incumbent party with an incumbent president,

589
00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:51,520
Speaker 1: your role in relationship to the White House is radically

590
00:33:51,520 --> 00:33:53,080
Speaker 1: different than being out of power.

591
00:33:53,040 --> 00:33:56,760
Speaker 2: Because you're the expectation is for you to focus on

592
00:33:56,800 --> 00:34:02,240
Speaker 2: the president, on the White House. Everything else sort of

593
00:34:02,280 --> 00:34:06,120
Speaker 2: falls by the wayside. But luckily, you know, again with

594
00:34:06,240 --> 00:34:09,800
Speaker 2: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, they really wanted to extend

595
00:34:09,800 --> 00:34:14,000
Speaker 2: that bubble out some right. But sometimes the people in

596
00:34:14,080 --> 00:34:16,720
Speaker 2: there in the universes that you are dealing with because

597
00:34:16,719 --> 00:34:18,640
Speaker 2: you're not always dealing with the president and vice president

598
00:34:18,640 --> 00:34:21,720
Speaker 2: because they got much bigger fish to deal with. But

599
00:34:22,040 --> 00:34:25,719
Speaker 2: the people who are that layer between you and them,

600
00:34:26,160 --> 00:34:29,960
Speaker 2: sometimes they are They're constantly getting you back to focus

601
00:34:30,040 --> 00:34:32,680
Speaker 2: on just that and not on the greater universe. And

602
00:34:32,719 --> 00:34:35,759
Speaker 2: what I believe needs to happen in terms of reforms

603
00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:39,000
Speaker 2: is that the DNC can't just focus on the White

604
00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:42,440
Speaker 2: House has to focus on the entirety of the party,

605
00:34:42,960 --> 00:34:45,520
Speaker 2: and it has to be all the time, not just

606
00:34:45,680 --> 00:34:47,799
Speaker 2: And that's not to say that you do less for

607
00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:50,680
Speaker 2: the White House. No, I'm not saying that whatsoever. But

608
00:34:50,760 --> 00:34:53,480
Speaker 2: what I'm saying is you can't put everything you got

609
00:34:53,520 --> 00:34:56,800
Speaker 2: on just the White House, because if you lose state houses,

610
00:34:57,040 --> 00:35:00,000
Speaker 2: if you lose government mansions, if you lose attorney generals.

611
00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:03,319
Speaker 2: We all see how important those roles are now when

612
00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:06,400
Speaker 2: you don't have the White House, when you don't control Congress.

613
00:35:06,520 --> 00:35:09,239
Speaker 2: Right though, that is the front line in terms of

614
00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:13,360
Speaker 2: the defense for democracy and our in the livelihood of

615
00:35:13,440 --> 00:35:16,799
Speaker 2: so many Americans right now. Uh. And if we had

616
00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:20,440
Speaker 2: not spent some time and energy and resources on that

617
00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:23,200
Speaker 2: right now, we really would be up shits creek, right

618
00:35:23,440 --> 00:35:27,160
Speaker 2: But but you know, and I'm grateful to the President

619
00:35:27,200 --> 00:35:29,960
Speaker 2: and the Vice President for pouring the resources in so

620
00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:32,440
Speaker 2: that we could be helpful to the other entities, but

621
00:35:32,560 --> 00:35:35,600
Speaker 2: the other parts of our party. But I think we

622
00:35:35,640 --> 00:35:39,239
Speaker 2: could even be in a much stronger situation have we

623
00:35:39,280 --> 00:35:42,759
Speaker 2: done even a little more. And I think, you know,

624
00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:46,520
Speaker 2: going forward, there needs to be some buffer between the

625
00:35:46,560 --> 00:35:50,960
Speaker 2: White House and the DNC to allow the DNC to

626
00:35:51,400 --> 00:35:57,520
Speaker 2: really flex that muscle fully. Uh and to invest across

627
00:35:57,560 --> 00:36:00,600
Speaker 2: the ecosystem and not just focus on sixty to Pennsvan.

628
00:36:01,080 --> 00:36:04,040
Speaker 1: I appreciate. So you you reflect, I mean you inherited

629
00:36:04,680 --> 00:36:07,080
Speaker 1: an incumb I mean, in this case, you were tapped

630
00:36:07,120 --> 00:36:12,919
Speaker 1: by a president elect. You inherited that mental sort of incumbency,

631
00:36:13,320 --> 00:36:17,120
Speaker 1: different mindset, different relationship to the White House, different relationship

632
00:36:17,120 --> 00:36:20,560
Speaker 1: in terms of the expectations particularly staff had in terms

633
00:36:20,560 --> 00:36:23,920
Speaker 1: of how their agenda was being reflected in your agenda

634
00:36:23,960 --> 00:36:27,200
Speaker 1: at the DANC. I reflect. You know, Howard Dean a

635
00:36:27,239 --> 00:36:31,719
Speaker 1: fifty state strategy under President Obama, the of a sort

636
00:36:31,760 --> 00:36:35,080
Speaker 1: of played a role. Uh. And and and you know

637
00:36:35,280 --> 00:36:37,919
Speaker 1: you just for those that are are watching, you saw

638
00:36:38,080 --> 00:36:39,720
Speaker 1: you said some thumbs down.

639
00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:43,480
Speaker 2: But the nfday is and I think President Obama Obama

640
00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:45,880
Speaker 2: would tell you this, that was one of the worst

641
00:36:45,920 --> 00:36:50,080
Speaker 2: decisions that administration made because what it did was it

642
00:36:50,200 --> 00:36:55,080
Speaker 2: crippled our state parties. You know, when I became under

643
00:36:55,120 --> 00:36:57,400
Speaker 2: Howard Dean, and I sort of see myself as a

644
00:36:57,440 --> 00:37:01,000
Speaker 2: Dean acolyte, the fifty state strategy was brilliant and it

645
00:37:01,080 --> 00:37:03,240
Speaker 2: was not an idea of Howard Dean. It was actually

646
00:37:03,280 --> 00:37:07,000
Speaker 2: created by the state parties who forced Howard Dean to

647
00:37:07,040 --> 00:37:12,080
Speaker 2: adopt it when he needed appreciated up, bottom up and so.

648
00:37:12,280 --> 00:37:14,640
Speaker 2: But it was brilliant because what it did was it

649
00:37:14,719 --> 00:37:18,839
Speaker 2: invested resources in state parties. It invested in the organizers

650
00:37:18,880 --> 00:37:22,360
Speaker 2: on the ground in these places, people who could disseminate

651
00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:25,840
Speaker 2: the message and connect with the grassroots operations across the country.

652
00:37:26,080 --> 00:37:28,520
Speaker 2: And as a result of doing that, we won, and

653
00:37:28,560 --> 00:37:31,000
Speaker 2: we won big. In two thousand and six, I was

654
00:37:31,040 --> 00:37:33,640
Speaker 2: the ED of the House Dem Caucus UH in the

655
00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:37,200
Speaker 2: House of Representatives, and Jim Cloudin was one of the

656
00:37:37,239 --> 00:37:40,400
Speaker 2: few members of leadership that supported Howard Dean in fifty

657
00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:44,279
Speaker 2: state strategy that year, Dean and Ram Emmanuel went at it.

658
00:37:45,040 --> 00:37:48,440
Speaker 2: Ram Emmanuel, you know, cursed Howard Dean out told him

659
00:37:48,440 --> 00:37:51,200
Speaker 2: to cut the fucking check, you know, write the damn

660
00:37:51,280 --> 00:37:53,920
Speaker 2: check and listen and that like he wanted five million

661
00:37:53,960 --> 00:37:57,360
Speaker 2: dollars from the DNC, But Dean stuck to his guns

662
00:37:57,560 --> 00:38:00,759
Speaker 2: and kept that money flowing into the state parties. That year,

663
00:38:00,960 --> 00:38:03,719
Speaker 2: we picked up seats in the House that was not

664
00:38:03,760 --> 00:38:07,160
Speaker 2: on the d triuble c target list. But what were

665
00:38:07,440 --> 00:38:11,200
Speaker 2: seats in Kansas and other places that we never thought

666
00:38:11,239 --> 00:38:13,239
Speaker 2: we would have won, but we did because we had

667
00:38:13,280 --> 00:38:16,000
Speaker 2: the money on the ground and investing. And I thank you, Governor,

668
00:38:16,040 --> 00:38:19,840
Speaker 2: because you understand that you have been investing in red

669
00:38:19,880 --> 00:38:23,120
Speaker 2: states across the country and that is so key for

670
00:38:23,239 --> 00:38:25,799
Speaker 2: the for the next phase in the battle. We have

671
00:38:25,920 --> 00:38:29,839
Speaker 2: to grow. We have to stop seating territory to the Republicans,

672
00:38:30,360 --> 00:38:32,160
Speaker 2: and we got to start growing the pie. And the

673
00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:34,520
Speaker 2: only way you do that is in investing places. Even

674
00:38:34,560 --> 00:38:37,160
Speaker 2: if you don't win right now, it's about a long

675
00:38:37,239 --> 00:38:39,800
Speaker 2: term investment. And you see that. And I want to

676
00:38:39,840 --> 00:38:43,320
Speaker 2: applaud you for that because it has been so helpful.

677
00:38:43,560 --> 00:38:45,160
Speaker 2: I go to some of these states and they tell

678
00:38:45,200 --> 00:38:49,000
Speaker 2: me Governor Newsom, my party here in South Carolina, we

679
00:38:49,080 --> 00:38:52,439
Speaker 2: want to thank Governor Newsom for his investment. He sent

680
00:38:52,440 --> 00:38:54,840
Speaker 2: out an email that raised them, you know X amount

681
00:38:54,880 --> 00:38:58,400
Speaker 2: of money Arkansas. They're thankful for you. I mean, I

682
00:38:58,440 --> 00:39:02,520
Speaker 2: can go down the Red States, the Old Confederacy. Thanks you, Governor,

683
00:39:02,560 --> 00:39:06,160
Speaker 2: because you have been investing in those states. And that's

684
00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:08,680
Speaker 2: what we need more of in this party for people

685
00:39:08,680 --> 00:39:11,560
Speaker 2: to see the long term value of doing that. But

686
00:39:11,760 --> 00:39:15,480
Speaker 2: that's what Howard Dean did. That is not what happened

687
00:39:15,520 --> 00:39:18,880
Speaker 2: during the Obama administration. I give Tom Perez credit because

688
00:39:18,880 --> 00:39:20,960
Speaker 2: he tried to go back to that once he became

689
00:39:21,040 --> 00:39:23,719
Speaker 2: d n C chair. But you see the difference is

690
00:39:24,320 --> 00:39:30,879
Speaker 2: Tom Well going even before Ron Brown, Howard Dean, Tom

691
00:39:30,920 --> 00:39:36,120
Speaker 2: Perez were all DNC chairs without the White House. Yeah, right,

692
00:39:37,600 --> 00:39:39,880
Speaker 2: But when you have the White House, it's very different.

693
00:39:40,080 --> 00:39:42,439
Speaker 2: And so part of the reason why we were able

694
00:39:42,440 --> 00:39:44,839
Speaker 2: to beat back the red wave was because we did

695
00:39:44,840 --> 00:39:47,880
Speaker 2: something that traditionally does not happen when you had the

696
00:39:47,880 --> 00:39:52,520
Speaker 2: White House. We invested significant resources on the ground a

697
00:39:52,640 --> 00:39:56,160
Speaker 2: year ahead of time in many of these states.

698
00:39:55,880 --> 00:39:59,279
Speaker 1: Over you're talking about just and Jamie, just you you're

699
00:39:59,320 --> 00:40:02,680
Speaker 1: talking about, So we'll understand you wildly outperformed as d

700
00:40:02,800 --> 00:40:06,279
Speaker 1: NC chair the Biden administration as an incumbent president in

701
00:40:06,280 --> 00:40:10,520
Speaker 1: that midterm. You broke with all I mean historical trends.

702
00:40:11,239 --> 00:40:15,600
Speaker 1: And you're saying that was not just a fluke, that

703
00:40:15,760 --> 00:40:19,640
Speaker 1: was not just happenstance. That was because you did what.

704
00:40:19,520 --> 00:40:25,480
Speaker 2: Again, that's because we invested unprecedented resources on building ground operations.

705
00:40:25,520 --> 00:40:28,680
Speaker 2: We had the largest voter protection program in the history

706
00:40:28,760 --> 00:40:33,879
Speaker 2: of the DNC in that mid term election. We I mean,

707
00:40:33,880 --> 00:40:38,120
Speaker 2: we literally had laureates all across the country being prepared

708
00:40:38,520 --> 00:40:42,719
Speaker 2: because we knew the high jinks that were going to

709
00:40:42,920 --> 00:40:47,360
Speaker 2: happen with Republicans. We had. We did voter registration for

710
00:40:47,400 --> 00:40:50,600
Speaker 2: the first time in twenty years. The voter registration had

711
00:40:50,680 --> 00:40:54,279
Speaker 2: been outsourced out to C three C fours instead of

712
00:40:54,320 --> 00:40:58,040
Speaker 2: being in house at the DNC, right, so we did that.

713
00:40:58,480 --> 00:41:00,520
Speaker 2: We put boots on the ground in all of the

714
00:41:00,520 --> 00:41:05,479
Speaker 2: battleground states a year ahead of time, North Carolina, in

715
00:41:05,600 --> 00:41:11,919
Speaker 2: Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, and as you saw,

716
00:41:12,160 --> 00:41:14,719
Speaker 2: we won almost I think we won almost all of

717
00:41:14,719 --> 00:41:16,560
Speaker 2: those governor's races. I think we won all of those

718
00:41:16,560 --> 00:41:19,000
Speaker 2: governor's races that year in all of those battleground seats.

719
00:41:19,080 --> 00:41:22,120
Speaker 2: Katie Hobbs in Arizona.

720
00:41:21,840 --> 00:41:24,720
Speaker 1: We struggled with in Nevada. Nevada was the exception.

721
00:41:25,239 --> 00:41:30,680
Speaker 2: Nevada was the exception. And so we just outperformed and

722
00:41:30,719 --> 00:41:34,000
Speaker 2: it was the best midterms election for Democratic incoming, I

723
00:41:34,040 --> 00:41:36,879
Speaker 2: think since the nineteen thirties when you take a look

724
00:41:36,880 --> 00:41:38,880
Speaker 2: at it. And we worked hand in glove with our

725
00:41:38,920 --> 00:41:42,440
Speaker 2: friends at the DGA, at the d Triple C, at

726
00:41:42,440 --> 00:41:47,799
Speaker 2: the d SC, and I think I would even go

727
00:41:47,840 --> 00:41:51,000
Speaker 2: on to say that part of the reason fast forward

728
00:41:51,040 --> 00:41:53,879
Speaker 2: into twenty twenty four, that we didn't get wiped out

729
00:41:53,920 --> 00:41:57,360
Speaker 2: in some of those other in those same battleground states.

730
00:41:57,680 --> 00:42:02,399
Speaker 2: Right even though the vice president lost the presidential race

731
00:42:02,920 --> 00:42:08,759
Speaker 2: in Arizona, in Nevada, in Michigan, in North Carolina, we

732
00:42:08,920 --> 00:42:13,320
Speaker 2: still won senate races there. We still won down ballot

733
00:42:13,400 --> 00:42:16,319
Speaker 2: races there. And you know, normally if the top of

734
00:42:16,320 --> 00:42:20,479
Speaker 2: the ticket loses, everybody loses. But the question is why

735
00:42:20,480 --> 00:42:23,680
Speaker 2: did we North Carolina's a perfect example. Why did we

736
00:42:23,800 --> 00:42:27,200
Speaker 2: lose the presidential North Carolina? But we won the governor's race,

737
00:42:27,239 --> 00:42:29,520
Speaker 2: We won the lieutenant governor's race, We want attorney general,

738
00:42:29,560 --> 00:42:32,080
Speaker 2: we won Superintendent of Public Instruction, we won a Supreme

739
00:42:32,120 --> 00:42:35,480
Speaker 2: Court race. It is partly because of the resources in

740
00:42:35,520 --> 00:42:39,120
Speaker 2: the infrastructure and a great state Party chair Anderson Clayton,

741
00:42:40,160 --> 00:42:43,719
Speaker 2: that we were able to invest in those areas so

742
00:42:43,760 --> 00:42:48,120
Speaker 2: that it's not so much just reliant on that presidential race.

743
00:42:48,400 --> 00:42:51,759
Speaker 2: But Democrats can have their message, we can organize, we

744
00:42:52,480 --> 00:42:55,960
Speaker 2: can disseminate, and so we saw that across the board,

745
00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:59,920
Speaker 2: and I think part of that is build infrastructure, Democrats.

746
00:43:00,080 --> 00:43:04,120
Speaker 2: If you built infrastructure, it can outlast whatever you have

747
00:43:04,280 --> 00:43:06,680
Speaker 2: the dynamics you have on the presidential level, and you

748
00:43:06,680 --> 00:43:09,560
Speaker 2: can still have Democrats win and be successful on a

749
00:43:09,600 --> 00:43:10,480
Speaker 2: local level.

750
00:43:10,280 --> 00:43:13,120
Speaker 1: And you also had democratic values on the ballot that

751
00:43:13,200 --> 00:43:15,239
Speaker 1: were successful. I think one of the most interesting to

752
00:43:15,280 --> 00:43:18,320
Speaker 1: me is Missouri, where I think it was plus twenty Trump.

753
00:43:18,360 --> 00:43:20,240
Speaker 1: Don't quote me, but I think it was plus twenty,

754
00:43:20,480 --> 00:43:23,239
Speaker 1: but we won Amendment three on abortion, We won the

755
00:43:23,239 --> 00:43:26,760
Speaker 1: fifteen dollars minimum wage, that same ballot that went plus

756
00:43:26,800 --> 00:43:31,359
Speaker 1: twenty four Trump, one abortion, one on fifteen dollar minum wage,

757
00:43:31,360 --> 00:43:35,399
Speaker 1: and one unpaid sickly, Which begs the question around the

758
00:43:35,440 --> 00:43:41,839
Speaker 1: party's challenge with positions versus messaging. Yes, there's this notion that, well,

759
00:43:41,880 --> 00:43:44,840
Speaker 1: the reason they're so unsuccessful from the swing state and

760
00:43:44,920 --> 00:43:48,360
Speaker 1: national perspective is that we're not aligned on the issues.

761
00:43:48,719 --> 00:43:52,640
Speaker 1: Do you reject that was Missouri and anomalists where these

762
00:43:52,680 --> 00:43:57,080
Speaker 1: down ballot issues just because of your successful infrastructure investments

763
00:43:57,520 --> 00:44:00,680
Speaker 1: but one off, one time, or do you think parties

764
00:44:00,800 --> 00:44:06,200
Speaker 1: positions are still majoritarian positions or do you think we

765
00:44:06,280 --> 00:44:10,080
Speaker 1: need to reflect on what just occurred and begin to

766
00:44:10,280 --> 00:44:13,560
Speaker 1: truly have a forensic on where we stand on some

767
00:44:14,560 --> 00:44:17,560
Speaker 1: on the majority or even just even if it's a

768
00:44:17,600 --> 00:44:21,400
Speaker 1: minority of key issues based the American people.

769
00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:25,000
Speaker 2: Well, Governor, I think of part of it is on

770
00:44:25,160 --> 00:44:27,719
Speaker 2: the issues, and I think we've always been there. I

771
00:44:27,800 --> 00:44:30,680
Speaker 2: think the American people are where the Democratic Party is

772
00:44:31,000 --> 00:44:33,920
Speaker 2: as it relates to issues, is released to education and

773
00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:40,520
Speaker 2: health care, a quality for all. I think those are

774
00:44:40,560 --> 00:44:43,640
Speaker 2: our values, are mainstream values as a release to that.

775
00:44:44,239 --> 00:44:47,680
Speaker 2: I think the disconnect is that people don't are not

776
00:44:47,800 --> 00:44:52,839
Speaker 2: always associating those issues with us or our candidates, right,

777
00:44:52,880 --> 00:44:55,279
Speaker 2: And I think that's part of the party brand. I

778
00:44:55,320 --> 00:44:58,000
Speaker 2: think what you have been hitting on, and what you

779
00:44:58,080 --> 00:45:02,760
Speaker 2: have done so well on is to show that because

780
00:45:02,800 --> 00:45:05,200
Speaker 2: what people are looking for, they're looking for somebody who's

781
00:45:05,200 --> 00:45:07,560
Speaker 2: going to fight for them. They're looking for somebody who's

782
00:45:07,560 --> 00:45:09,920
Speaker 2: gonna fight for them and their family and their community.

783
00:45:10,000 --> 00:45:13,759
Speaker 2: Somebody who is not scared to roll up their sleeves

784
00:45:14,040 --> 00:45:16,560
Speaker 2: and get a little dirty, right, somebody who is not

785
00:45:16,719 --> 00:45:21,560
Speaker 2: afraid to give as good as we get, right. And

786
00:45:24,320 --> 00:45:26,279
Speaker 2: this is part of the brand issue particularly, and I

787
00:45:26,320 --> 00:45:29,080
Speaker 2: saw it with you know, people say, well, you didn't

788
00:45:29,080 --> 00:45:31,080
Speaker 2: see the black men and the Latino men. I've been

789
00:45:31,160 --> 00:45:34,120
Speaker 2: ringing that damn bell for four four years, four plus

790
00:45:34,200 --> 00:45:37,719
Speaker 2: years because as I went to barbershops as I crisscross

791
00:45:37,800 --> 00:45:41,160
Speaker 2: this country, and I sat down with Latino men in Florida,

792
00:45:41,320 --> 00:45:46,239
Speaker 2: or black men and Milwaukee. Like. The things that they

793
00:45:46,239 --> 00:45:49,879
Speaker 2: don't like about our party right now is they see

794
00:45:49,960 --> 00:45:53,640
Speaker 2: us as soft. They see us as weak, They see

795
00:45:53,680 --> 00:45:57,200
Speaker 2: us as not standing up. And they even though they

796
00:45:57,280 --> 00:46:01,600
Speaker 2: disagree with Donald Trump on the issues, they see him

797
00:46:01,719 --> 00:46:04,960
Speaker 2: as strong in that sense, willing to fight and to

798
00:46:05,080 --> 00:46:07,799
Speaker 2: roll up his sleeves and part. And I've been saying

799
00:46:07,840 --> 00:46:10,840
Speaker 2: this for now four years. And you can talk to

800
00:46:10,880 --> 00:46:12,000
Speaker 2: this some on my staff and they be like, yep,

801
00:46:12,000 --> 00:46:14,600
Speaker 2: the chair's been talking about that. But Governor, that is

802
00:46:14,719 --> 00:46:18,200
Speaker 2: what we have to change. Nobody is going to give

803
00:46:18,239 --> 00:46:20,200
Speaker 2: you their vote if they think you are just going

804
00:46:20,280 --> 00:46:24,840
Speaker 2: to lay over and allow somebody to run over you anytime.

805
00:46:24,840 --> 00:46:28,080
Speaker 2: They'd rather just stay home, right, They rather not. And

806
00:46:28,120 --> 00:46:30,680
Speaker 2: it wasn't it so much that people were going out

807
00:46:30,680 --> 00:46:33,160
Speaker 2: and voting for Trump. Sometimes they're just like, shit, I'm

808
00:46:33,200 --> 00:46:34,920
Speaker 2: not going to vote for either one of you because

809
00:46:35,080 --> 00:46:37,840
Speaker 2: I don't like where Trump is, Like he's an ass

810
00:46:38,080 --> 00:46:40,840
Speaker 2: and y'all are weak as hell, So why am I

811
00:46:40,880 --> 00:46:42,799
Speaker 2: going to stand up and vote for you?

812
00:46:43,120 --> 00:46:43,319
Speaker 1: Right?

813
00:46:44,840 --> 00:46:49,080
Speaker 2: We got to get out of this academic cerebral thing

814
00:46:49,200 --> 00:46:52,000
Speaker 2: that we get into in our party and understand that

815
00:46:52,120 --> 00:46:54,680
Speaker 2: most people when they go and they go vote, they

816
00:46:54,680 --> 00:46:57,560
Speaker 2: are not thinking what is the policy. I didn't read

817
00:46:57,600 --> 00:47:00,840
Speaker 2: the policy paper from the Democratic Party or public. People

818
00:47:00,840 --> 00:47:03,840
Speaker 2: don't give a shit about that. It's about people vote

819
00:47:03,880 --> 00:47:06,479
Speaker 2: with us. And thus it is the heart and the gut,

820
00:47:06,880 --> 00:47:10,040
Speaker 2: right it is do I feel like you actually have

821
00:47:10,280 --> 00:47:13,360
Speaker 2: heart enough to fight? Do I feel in gut that

822
00:47:13,440 --> 00:47:17,239
Speaker 2: I trust you to fight? Right? It is not. I'm

823
00:47:17,320 --> 00:47:22,600
Speaker 2: doing this policy analysis and this chart to see which

824
00:47:22,640 --> 00:47:24,920
Speaker 2: one is the best one and which is rational and

825
00:47:25,520 --> 00:47:29,319
Speaker 2: all that people don't average people aren't doing that. And

826
00:47:29,360 --> 00:47:32,279
Speaker 2: so what we have to do as a party is

827
00:47:32,640 --> 00:47:37,080
Speaker 2: to find our spine again and to fight, to fight

828
00:47:37,160 --> 00:47:40,400
Speaker 2: for folks. So you pushing back against Donald Trump. That

829
00:47:40,640 --> 00:47:45,480
Speaker 2: is a demonstration to so many people like on this redition, like, hell,

830
00:47:45,600 --> 00:47:47,879
Speaker 2: if you're gonna go this way, I'm going this way.

831
00:47:48,080 --> 00:47:50,080
Speaker 2: If you want this to be a street fight, well

832
00:47:50,680 --> 00:47:52,879
Speaker 2: damn it, I'm gonna pick up my shoe or brick

833
00:47:52,960 --> 00:47:55,520
Speaker 2: or whatever I have to do because I'm gonna street fight.

834
00:47:55,760 --> 00:47:58,160
Speaker 2: This is gonna be a street fight. And yeah, I

835
00:47:58,239 --> 00:48:00,400
Speaker 2: might get my ass kicked, but guess what people go

836
00:48:00,480 --> 00:48:02,240
Speaker 2: to look at you and say, well, you got yours

837
00:48:02,320 --> 00:48:05,439
Speaker 2: kick two right like we got. We got to get

838
00:48:05,480 --> 00:48:08,080
Speaker 2: into that because that's what people want right now. And

839
00:48:08,120 --> 00:48:11,000
Speaker 2: I think when we get people that, man, we're gonna

840
00:48:11,000 --> 00:48:13,040
Speaker 2: blow out all of these elections because we're right on

841
00:48:13,080 --> 00:48:16,239
Speaker 2: the issues. We just got to be tough enough to

842
00:48:16,239 --> 00:48:17,520
Speaker 2: fight for them.

843
00:48:18,080 --> 00:48:21,239
Speaker 1: I love it, and and it just by the way,

844
00:48:21,360 --> 00:48:24,000
Speaker 1: just full descript could not agree with you more. I mean,

845
00:48:24,040 --> 00:48:27,960
Speaker 1: this notion of weakness goes to trust, goes to character,

846
00:48:28,920 --> 00:48:32,719
Speaker 1: goes to our conviction. Uh, it's foundational, and it's so

847
00:48:32,840 --> 00:48:35,120
Speaker 1: it's you know, you remember the old you know. I

848
00:48:35,120 --> 00:48:36,960
Speaker 1: thought Bill Clinton summed it up beautifully when we got

849
00:48:36,960 --> 00:48:39,560
Speaker 1: shellacked in one of those midterm elections. I can't remember

850
00:48:39,640 --> 00:48:43,200
Speaker 1: which one. He said, given the choice, given the choice,

851
00:48:43,560 --> 00:48:47,400
Speaker 1: the American people will always support strong and wrong versus

852
00:48:47,440 --> 00:48:50,880
Speaker 1: weak and right. Yes, And this notion of strength is

853
00:48:50,960 --> 00:48:54,200
Speaker 1: so important. And you see that reflected in the Democratic

854
00:48:54,239 --> 00:48:57,160
Speaker 1: brand appearing to be weak. And so I could not

855
00:48:57,239 --> 00:49:00,160
Speaker 1: agree with you more. The importance, the imperative of of

856
00:49:00,360 --> 00:49:03,920
Speaker 1: demonstrating strength, showing it strength, the conviction, having the courage

857
00:49:03,920 --> 00:49:07,319
Speaker 1: of our convictions. And no longer to You're right, just

858
00:49:07,360 --> 00:49:10,239
Speaker 1: the cerebral here's our ten point plan as opposed to

859
00:49:10,320 --> 00:49:13,840
Speaker 1: where the hell do we stand on these issues? It's Archimedes.

860
00:49:13,880 --> 00:49:16,120
Speaker 1: Give me a place to stand and I'll move the world.

861
00:49:16,520 --> 00:49:19,200
Speaker 1: And I think the Democratic parties and I appreciate you

862
00:49:19,200 --> 00:49:22,239
Speaker 1: had the dirt Road Democrats. You were focusing on that

863
00:49:22,320 --> 00:49:25,640
Speaker 1: framework around rural votes. You've been out there. It's interesting

864
00:49:25,680 --> 00:49:30,840
Speaker 1: people don't know that about your tenure is chair of

865
00:49:30,880 --> 00:49:33,759
Speaker 1: the party, but I think picking up that mantle right

866
00:49:33,760 --> 00:49:36,440
Speaker 1: now is essential. So it begs the question. Ken Martin's

867
00:49:36,440 --> 00:49:38,800
Speaker 1: in there, You've probably given him a lot of advice,

868
00:49:38,840 --> 00:49:42,440
Speaker 1: give them public advice, but probably sparingly, but you've certainly

869
00:49:42,520 --> 00:49:46,120
Speaker 1: given them private advice. Tell our listeners what it was, Jamie.

870
00:49:46,800 --> 00:49:50,239
Speaker 2: Yeah. You know, Ken has been a dear friend for

871
00:49:50,280 --> 00:49:52,600
Speaker 2: a long time. He and I became state party chairs

872
00:49:52,600 --> 00:49:54,560
Speaker 2: around the same time. He got in I think a

873
00:49:54,680 --> 00:49:58,840
Speaker 2: year before me, so he understands what state parties need

874
00:49:58,960 --> 00:50:02,680
Speaker 2: right now in order to in order to move forward.

875
00:50:03,080 --> 00:50:06,719
Speaker 2: You know, my advice to Ken really is it is,

876
00:50:07,880 --> 00:50:11,280
Speaker 2: you know, stick to your guns in terms of investing

877
00:50:11,320 --> 00:50:15,080
Speaker 2: in state party infrastructure, because that it is how we

878
00:50:15,120 --> 00:50:19,440
Speaker 2: won in six and I believe six is echoing twenty

879
00:50:20,160 --> 00:50:22,480
Speaker 2: twenty twenty six. It will be an echo of six.

880
00:50:23,280 --> 00:50:26,080
Speaker 2: I really do believe. I believe that. You remember, in

881
00:50:26,080 --> 00:50:27,960
Speaker 2: two thousand and four, we got to kick our two

882
00:50:28,440 --> 00:50:29,200
Speaker 2: teeth kicked in.

883
00:50:29,600 --> 00:50:33,640
Speaker 1: They won that loss, lost the popular vote, we lost

884
00:50:33,719 --> 00:50:34,600
Speaker 1: both houses.

885
00:50:34,800 --> 00:50:35,880
Speaker 2: Yep, we were toasted.

886
00:50:36,160 --> 00:50:39,160
Speaker 1: Everyone was talking about going to Applebee's or something. That

887
00:50:39,400 --> 00:50:42,000
Speaker 1: was over It was, you know, we all needed it. Yeah,

888
00:50:42,200 --> 00:50:44,040
Speaker 1: and that was that we were too elite. We were

889
00:50:44,040 --> 00:50:45,480
Speaker 1: to this, to that one hundred percent.

890
00:50:45,719 --> 00:50:48,600
Speaker 2: That's exactly right. And what happened then is you got

891
00:50:48,719 --> 00:50:52,319
Speaker 2: Republican overreach. And you see that right now. George W.

892
00:50:52,400 --> 00:50:56,239
Speaker 2: Bush tried to privatize social Security. You saw backlash in

893
00:50:56,320 --> 00:50:59,480
Speaker 2: terms of the Iraq War. People did not feel good

894
00:50:59,520 --> 00:51:02,560
Speaker 2: about the direction that Republicans were taking us. I think

895
00:51:02,560 --> 00:51:07,080
Speaker 2: you see reflections again an Thatcho right now, Republican overreach

896
00:51:07,120 --> 00:51:10,160
Speaker 2: on the redissriuting, Republican overreach in terms of the big

897
00:51:10,680 --> 00:51:14,800
Speaker 2: bastardized bill that he just passed, Like you see moving

898
00:51:15,160 --> 00:51:17,880
Speaker 2: forward in a way that American people don't like. I

899
00:51:17,880 --> 00:51:21,160
Speaker 2: think the other leg of that stool was an investment

900
00:51:21,200 --> 00:51:23,719
Speaker 2: in state parties that we never saw before. With Howard

901
00:51:23,760 --> 00:51:27,960
Speaker 2: Dean's fifty state strategy can just announced what I believe

902
00:51:28,080 --> 00:51:30,799
Speaker 2: is taking what I did and putting on steroids. I mean,

903
00:51:30,960 --> 00:51:34,399
Speaker 2: small states like South Dakota will get twenty two five

904
00:51:34,480 --> 00:51:37,560
Speaker 2: hundred dollars a month from the DNC starting this fall.

905
00:51:37,760 --> 00:51:39,120
Speaker 2: That's a game changer for a state.

906
00:51:39,239 --> 00:51:40,600
Speaker 1: I love that. That's great to hear.

907
00:51:40,840 --> 00:51:43,360
Speaker 2: And then the last component of that leg is a

908
00:51:43,760 --> 00:51:48,840
Speaker 2: massive focusing or two other legs focusing on the culture

909
00:51:48,880 --> 00:51:51,879
Speaker 2: of corruption. We see that culture of corruption right now.

910
00:51:52,000 --> 00:51:55,640
Speaker 2: Nancy Pelosi talked in six. I got tired of hearing

911
00:51:55,719 --> 00:52:01,160
Speaker 2: that phrase culture of corruption. She hit that bell.

912
00:52:01,680 --> 00:52:04,120
Speaker 1: And by the way, we thought it was bad in six,

913
00:52:04,200 --> 00:52:08,359
Speaker 1: give me a damn break. This next level corruption. I mean,

914
00:52:08,360 --> 00:52:13,200
Speaker 1: it's unprecedented in US history, the graft, the corruption of

915
00:52:13,239 --> 00:52:17,040
Speaker 1: this president. It's family. What's going on is job dropping,

916
00:52:17,600 --> 00:52:18,240
Speaker 1: jaw dropping.

917
00:52:18,680 --> 00:52:22,520
Speaker 2: So again it's another echo of six. And the last

918
00:52:22,560 --> 00:52:26,520
Speaker 2: component is if there is a blue wave to be built,

919
00:52:27,200 --> 00:52:31,200
Speaker 2: you can't ride you can't win a big wave if

920
00:52:31,239 --> 00:52:33,920
Speaker 2: you don't have somebody to ride it. You've got to

921
00:52:34,080 --> 00:52:38,640
Speaker 2: recruit people in every seat. And I don't care all

922
00:52:38,680 --> 00:52:42,120
Speaker 2: four hundred and thirty five districts in Congress should have

923
00:52:42,160 --> 00:52:44,759
Speaker 2: a Democrat running for it. I don't care how hard

924
00:52:44,800 --> 00:52:47,920
Speaker 2: it is. Every single one, every governor's rate should have

925
00:52:47,920 --> 00:52:50,799
Speaker 2: a Democrat running for it. I don't care if it's

926
00:52:50,800 --> 00:52:53,160
Speaker 2: a state that we haven't won in twenty five years.

927
00:52:53,280 --> 00:52:55,960
Speaker 2: We need to have someone. We need to give people

928
00:52:56,000 --> 00:52:58,400
Speaker 2: an option. And then we got to recruit candidates that

929
00:52:58,480 --> 00:53:01,520
Speaker 2: are fighters. We got to crew people who were willing

930
00:53:01,520 --> 00:53:03,600
Speaker 2: to roll up their sleeves and said, yes, you know,

931
00:53:03,840 --> 00:53:08,160
Speaker 2: this is David versus Goliath, but guess what David won, right,

932
00:53:08,280 --> 00:53:11,160
Speaker 2: So let's do that. And if we do that, Governor,

933
00:53:11,320 --> 00:53:13,959
Speaker 2: I believe we will take back the House. We will

934
00:53:13,960 --> 00:53:16,280
Speaker 2: have a shot at the Senate. We'll win some governor's

935
00:53:16,360 --> 00:53:19,040
Speaker 2: races that people like, oh shit, what the hell happened,

936
00:53:19,320 --> 00:53:22,879
Speaker 2: because it will be too much for them to try

937
00:53:22,920 --> 00:53:24,960
Speaker 2: to try to play like they're gonna be playing wacka

938
00:53:25,040 --> 00:53:27,359
Speaker 2: mole because all of a sudden, the American people are

939
00:53:27,360 --> 00:53:29,600
Speaker 2: going to explode and said, we want change, we want

940
00:53:29,680 --> 00:53:32,799
Speaker 2: something different, we are tired of the Republicans. And so

941
00:53:33,320 --> 00:53:36,640
Speaker 2: I've told ken focus on those things. Make sure you

942
00:53:36,760 --> 00:53:41,560
Speaker 2: invest in state parties, make you really get the state

943
00:53:41,600 --> 00:53:45,600
Speaker 2: parties to recruit up and down the ballot, don't leave

944
00:53:45,719 --> 00:53:48,600
Speaker 2: anything open, because even the down ballots can help the

945
00:53:48,640 --> 00:53:52,080
Speaker 2: top of the ticket. Right now, you got somebody running locally,

946
00:53:52,960 --> 00:53:55,920
Speaker 2: you add a few hundred thousand, a few thousand votes here,

947
00:53:55,960 --> 00:53:58,160
Speaker 2: a few thousand votes there. You close the margin on

948
00:53:58,200 --> 00:54:00,040
Speaker 2: a state wide basis, and you give the time of

949
00:54:00,239 --> 00:54:04,120
Speaker 2: your ticket a shot. So you know, if we follow

950
00:54:04,200 --> 00:54:07,040
Speaker 2: the recipe and we look back to our history in six,

951
00:54:07,560 --> 00:54:11,160
Speaker 2: I think it really could give us a roadmap for

952
00:54:11,200 --> 00:54:12,520
Speaker 2: winning in twenty twenty six.

953
00:54:12,800 --> 00:54:15,120
Speaker 1: It's really interesting. So let me let me impact this

954
00:54:15,520 --> 00:54:17,160
Speaker 1: a little bit, and I want to stress test it,

955
00:54:17,200 --> 00:54:19,200
Speaker 1: and then I want to challenge you on a couple

956
00:54:19,760 --> 00:54:24,680
Speaker 1: a couple of small but significant issues. It's really interesting.

957
00:54:24,719 --> 00:54:27,799
Speaker 1: We're about to pick up the Virginia's governor's race, so

958
00:54:27,800 --> 00:54:30,200
Speaker 1: we're going to have net one there we're going to

959
00:54:30,280 --> 00:54:34,560
Speaker 1: hold with great But by the way, two extraordinary Democratic

960
00:54:34,560 --> 00:54:38,960
Speaker 1: candidates in not just Virginia but also New Jersey, which

961
00:54:39,000 --> 00:54:40,640
Speaker 1: I think is a proof point to this moment. I

962
00:54:40,680 --> 00:54:44,320
Speaker 1: think about four a lot because I couldn't agree. I

963
00:54:44,360 --> 00:54:46,520
Speaker 1: love that you brought it up and you said it

964
00:54:46,560 --> 00:54:49,279
Speaker 1: in the context of six, but it's what happened in

965
00:54:49,360 --> 00:54:51,640
Speaker 1: O four that you may have omitted, but not intentionally,

966
00:54:51,880 --> 00:54:55,040
Speaker 1: because you laid out brilliantly everything that was done from

967
00:54:55,080 --> 00:54:57,560
Speaker 1: the DNC and from the Democratic Party in restruction. But

968
00:54:57,560 --> 00:55:00,239
Speaker 1: there was a lot of also civic infrastructure. You had

969
00:55:00,239 --> 00:55:03,400
Speaker 1: Democracy Alliance that emerged, You had Center for American Progress

970
00:55:03,400 --> 00:55:06,040
Speaker 1: at really started to get more muscular and emerged. You

971
00:55:06,120 --> 00:55:09,799
Speaker 1: had media matters holding folks to account that were also

972
00:55:10,000 --> 00:55:12,160
Speaker 1: principled and part of this. And all of a sudden,

973
00:55:12,239 --> 00:55:14,439
Speaker 1: someone by the name because we forget at the time,

974
00:55:14,520 --> 00:55:16,960
Speaker 1: she was potent, she was precious to all of us

975
00:55:17,040 --> 00:55:19,799
Speaker 1: out here. She was in my district, Nancy Pelosi, but

976
00:55:19,880 --> 00:55:23,240
Speaker 1: she became Speaker Pelosi in six, and out of nowhere,

977
00:55:23,440 --> 00:55:27,080
Speaker 1: some guy named Obama wins the presidency in eight with

978
00:55:27,239 --> 00:55:29,879
Speaker 1: fifty three percent of the vote, more than any other

979
00:55:29,920 --> 00:55:33,640
Speaker 1: presidential majority since nineteen hundred and sixty four. That all

980
00:55:33,719 --> 00:55:38,640
Speaker 1: happened after four and instead of rolling over, instead of

981
00:55:38,680 --> 00:55:42,360
Speaker 1: giving into fierce cynicism and anxiety, we started that rebuilding

982
00:55:42,480 --> 00:55:45,680
Speaker 1: all of us, not just the party, but we the people,

983
00:55:45,960 --> 00:55:49,520
Speaker 1: and these civic organizations started organized. So I say all

984
00:55:49,600 --> 00:55:51,880
Speaker 1: that because I love what you just said. It reminds

985
00:55:51,960 --> 00:55:55,719
Speaker 1: me that we should maintain our optimism and our discipline

986
00:55:56,040 --> 00:55:59,200
Speaker 1: at the same time. But part of the discipline is also,

987
00:55:59,400 --> 00:56:03,840
Speaker 1: mister chair, reflecting on some lessons that we may not

988
00:56:03,960 --> 00:56:06,359
Speaker 1: have learned. And I think you talk about I love

989
00:56:06,360 --> 00:56:08,759
Speaker 1: that you talk about the barbershop and what you were

990
00:56:08,760 --> 00:56:12,160
Speaker 1: hearing about young men. You reflected not in terms of

991
00:56:12,200 --> 00:56:14,440
Speaker 1: young men, but you talked to men in terms of

992
00:56:14,640 --> 00:56:19,120
Speaker 1: men of color, African American men. You talked about losing

993
00:56:19,120 --> 00:56:22,840
Speaker 1: a little bit Latino men, young men. Generally, we lost,

994
00:56:23,280 --> 00:56:25,040
Speaker 1: and we lost badly. I want to talk about that.

995
00:56:25,400 --> 00:56:28,799
Speaker 1: Two we lost people on immigration. We may have taken

996
00:56:28,840 --> 00:56:32,280
Speaker 1: from the midterms the wrong lesson on immigration and border

997
00:56:33,040 --> 00:56:35,400
Speaker 1: and I'll tell you a lot of Democrats, including democratic

998
00:56:35,480 --> 00:56:37,960
Speaker 1: border state governor like myself, there was a lot of

999
00:56:37,960 --> 00:56:42,280
Speaker 1: frustration and that was expressed very pointedly to the White House,

1000
00:56:43,480 --> 00:56:46,000
Speaker 1: and we paid a price to that. I dare I say.

1001
00:56:46,320 --> 00:56:50,720
Speaker 1: There were some cultural issues, and I'm going to stand tall.

1002
00:56:51,160 --> 00:56:53,160
Speaker 1: When they talk about anti woke, they're talking about being

1003
00:56:53,200 --> 00:56:56,600
Speaker 1: anti black. I'm sick and tired of these guys rewriting history,

1004
00:56:56,680 --> 00:57:00,880
Speaker 1: censoring historical fact. The groat racism sickens medim core. But

1005
00:57:01,920 --> 00:57:05,120
Speaker 1: there were issues that were tougher and I've look, I've

1006
00:57:05,600 --> 00:57:07,719
Speaker 1: you know, I've gotten a lot of criticism on this,

1007
00:57:07,800 --> 00:57:10,200
Speaker 1: and I don't want to emphasize this because it's playing

1008
00:57:10,200 --> 00:57:12,600
Speaker 1: into their frame. But the tougher issues, you know, on

1009
00:57:12,760 --> 00:57:17,680
Speaker 1: just sports and fairness, you know, on transports, and it's

1010
00:57:16,960 --> 00:57:21,440
Speaker 1: not lack of love for the trans community, quite the contrary.

1011
00:57:21,440 --> 00:57:23,600
Speaker 1: And I have a record that can prove that. But

1012
00:57:23,920 --> 00:57:26,560
Speaker 1: there were some issues there that I also think we

1013
00:57:26,600 --> 00:57:29,960
Speaker 1: talked about where we're right on issues like minimum wage

1014
00:57:30,000 --> 00:57:33,120
Speaker 1: and sick leave and childcare and issues that I think

1015
00:57:33,280 --> 00:57:36,200
Speaker 1: to find the best of our party and healthcare, et cetera.

1016
00:57:36,520 --> 00:57:39,320
Speaker 1: But there are some issues where we're not necessarily where

1017
00:57:39,320 --> 00:57:42,479
Speaker 1: the American people are. In fact, we may be way

1018
00:57:42,480 --> 00:57:45,160
Speaker 1: off in terms of where the American people are. So

1019
00:57:46,040 --> 00:57:49,680
Speaker 1: unpack that a little bit your own reflection on that, No,

1020
00:57:49,960 --> 00:57:53,000
Speaker 1: young men, where do we start to lose our way

1021
00:57:53,000 --> 00:57:55,520
Speaker 1: in some of these issues. Did you see them as

1022
00:57:55,640 --> 00:57:59,000
Speaker 1: DNC chair? Did you raise them with the Biden administration?

1023
00:57:59,520 --> 00:58:02,800
Speaker 1: Are they legitimate issues? Am I off? Do we have

1024
00:58:02,840 --> 00:58:04,280
Speaker 1: to give voice to those concerns?

1025
00:58:04,680 --> 00:58:10,080
Speaker 2: No, Governor, I think you know one I did raise.

1026
00:58:10,360 --> 00:58:12,800
Speaker 2: I often tried because I was out there on the ground,

1027
00:58:13,080 --> 00:58:15,720
Speaker 2: and you know, people in DC are in the bubble, right,

1028
00:58:15,840 --> 00:58:19,440
Speaker 2: and all they're doing is reading Politico and seeing what

1029
00:58:19,680 --> 00:58:22,440
Speaker 2: MSNBC and CNN is talking about. But I'm actually like

1030
00:58:22,600 --> 00:58:24,840
Speaker 2: in the union halls or in the churches or in

1031
00:58:24,880 --> 00:58:28,040
Speaker 2: the barbershops and talking with real people and you're ringing

1032
00:58:28,040 --> 00:58:31,360
Speaker 2: the bells like folks, I am telling you, this is

1033
00:58:31,400 --> 00:58:33,560
Speaker 2: what we're this is what I'm hearing, this is what

1034
00:58:33,600 --> 00:58:35,880
Speaker 2: I'm seeing from folks on the ground. And I think

1035
00:58:35,920 --> 00:58:38,120
Speaker 2: what we have to do as a party is get

1036
00:58:38,240 --> 00:58:41,200
Speaker 2: less in the polling stuff. Well, the polling says blah

1037
00:58:41,200 --> 00:58:44,600
Speaker 2: blah blah blah. Actually go out and talk to folks, right,

1038
00:58:45,040 --> 00:58:48,560
Speaker 2: because posters can ask questions in different ways and get

1039
00:58:48,640 --> 00:58:51,880
Speaker 2: whatever they want to get to support the theory that

1040
00:58:51,920 --> 00:58:55,400
Speaker 2: they already have, right, But there is nothing like getting

1041
00:58:55,440 --> 00:59:00,080
Speaker 2: the real, raw sense of where folks are and how

1042
00:59:00,080 --> 00:59:03,360
Speaker 2: they feel about certain things. And one of the things

1043
00:59:03,440 --> 00:59:05,280
Speaker 2: that we have to understand as a party is that

1044
00:59:05,320 --> 00:59:08,120
Speaker 2: we have to go to where people are, not where

1045
00:59:08,160 --> 00:59:10,720
Speaker 2: we want them to be, but where they are right.

1046
00:59:11,160 --> 00:59:13,479
Speaker 2: And then that's not to say that we can't lead

1047
00:59:13,560 --> 00:59:16,840
Speaker 2: and help get people to a certain space. I mean,

1048
00:59:17,480 --> 00:59:20,960
Speaker 2: look at the issue of marriage equality, right, Eventually folks

1049
00:59:21,000 --> 00:59:24,440
Speaker 2: got we know doing when Bill Clinton. You know, the

1050
00:59:24,480 --> 00:59:26,800
Speaker 2: most we got to at that point was don't ask,

1051
00:59:26,880 --> 00:59:30,400
Speaker 2: don't tell, but think about how quickly things evolve over time.

1052
00:59:31,280 --> 00:59:34,000
Speaker 2: There was an evolution in terms of thought, and now

1053
00:59:34,080 --> 00:59:38,640
Speaker 2: it is the mainstream where most folks believe that marriage equality,

1054
00:59:38,800 --> 00:59:40,160
Speaker 2: that everybody should be.

1055
00:59:40,440 --> 00:59:43,560
Speaker 1: In full disclosure, despite the fact that Supreme Court may

1056
00:59:43,600 --> 00:59:46,480
Speaker 1: revisit it this, which is the concern we have about

1057
00:59:46,480 --> 00:59:49,440
Speaker 1: America and reverse and the regression that's going on with

1058
00:59:49,480 --> 00:59:51,680
Speaker 1: Trump and Trump is. But suffice to say, you're one

1059
00:59:51,720 --> 00:59:54,840
Speaker 1: hundred percent right. That's a proof point of progress and

1060
00:59:54,920 --> 00:59:57,600
Speaker 1: remarkable progress across party lines.

1061
00:59:57,320 --> 01:00:01,200
Speaker 2: And we have to celebrate progress, right because again, I

1062
01:00:01,200 --> 01:00:05,160
Speaker 2: had this wonderful conversation this week. It's Aaron at Our Table,

1063
01:00:05,240 --> 01:00:09,440
Speaker 2: our podcast with Sarah McBride, and we talked about that

1064
01:00:09,480 --> 01:00:11,360
Speaker 2: and told Sarah I said, part of I think the

1065
01:00:11,440 --> 01:00:14,480
Speaker 2: difficulty and we saw that transad that the Republicans ran

1066
01:00:14,560 --> 01:00:18,960
Speaker 2: against the Vice President Harris, I said, the part of

1067
01:00:19,000 --> 01:00:22,320
Speaker 2: the problem is that a lot of folks don't want

1068
01:00:22,360 --> 01:00:25,080
Speaker 2: to be offensive. The Democrats don't want to be offensive,

1069
01:00:25,120 --> 01:00:27,520
Speaker 2: but don't know how to talk about it, right, So

1070
01:00:27,680 --> 01:00:30,120
Speaker 2: either they don't talk about it at all, or they

1071
01:00:30,160 --> 01:00:33,160
Speaker 2: talk about it in a way to be less offensive.

1072
01:00:33,160 --> 01:00:38,960
Speaker 2: But then it is so it is so like lab

1073
01:00:39,080 --> 01:00:44,120
Speaker 2: tested that it is not authentic, right, And so one

1074
01:00:44,160 --> 01:00:46,480
Speaker 2: of the things that if we're a diverse coalition, one

1075
01:00:46,520 --> 01:00:47,960
Speaker 2: of the things that we have to understand is that

1076
01:00:48,000 --> 01:00:51,400
Speaker 2: people are in different places on different things. But it's

1077
01:00:51,440 --> 01:00:53,680
Speaker 2: incumbent upon us, who.

1078
01:00:53,720 --> 01:00:58,400
Speaker 3: Know better or no more, to educate folks and to

1079
01:00:58,520 --> 01:01:02,400
Speaker 3: help create a space where people learn and evolved and

1080
01:01:02,400 --> 01:01:05,680
Speaker 3: and but it's also important for you to other folks

1081
01:01:05,720 --> 01:01:09,480
Speaker 3: to hear where we are and to understand that.

1082
01:01:09,600 --> 01:01:12,880
Speaker 2: Right. I just think part of our problem in our

1083
01:01:12,880 --> 01:01:15,200
Speaker 2: party is that we've gotten to the point where we

1084
01:01:15,240 --> 01:01:18,800
Speaker 2: don't want to offend so much, or that we automatically

1085
01:01:18,840 --> 01:01:21,600
Speaker 2: are offended every single time that somebody isn't one hundred

1086
01:01:21,640 --> 01:01:25,960
Speaker 2: percent on the dial where we are, and we won't

1087
01:01:25,960 --> 01:01:28,439
Speaker 2: be a party if we continue down that road.

1088
01:01:29,040 --> 01:01:31,440
Speaker 1: Could not agree more. I mean what I grew up,

1089
01:01:31,520 --> 01:01:35,240
Speaker 1: my dad's party, my grandfather's Democratic Party, was a broad

1090
01:01:35,360 --> 01:01:40,760
Speaker 1: coalition conservative Democrats, liberal Democrats and are hard working folks.

1091
01:01:40,840 --> 01:01:43,280
Speaker 1: And you know, we can talk about you know, and

1092
01:01:43,320 --> 01:01:45,840
Speaker 1: I love you know, and I mean we'll close on

1093
01:01:46,240 --> 01:01:50,040
Speaker 1: a few of these points because you've not been you

1094
01:01:50,480 --> 01:01:51,280
Speaker 1: you get into it.

1095
01:01:51,360 --> 01:01:53,560
Speaker 2: I mean, you got into it. Cli back, you.

1096
01:01:53,560 --> 01:01:56,280
Speaker 1: Clap back, I mean because Bernie talked to like we lost,

1097
01:01:56,400 --> 01:01:59,960
Speaker 1: we weren't focused on working folks, and you you disagree

1098
01:02:00,240 --> 01:02:02,040
Speaker 1: with that, you called them out on that.

1099
01:02:02,120 --> 01:02:07,960
Speaker 2: Well, well it's because listen, government, I don't believe you know.

1100
01:02:08,120 --> 01:02:10,440
Speaker 2: I told one reporter the other day, I said, you know,

1101
01:02:11,160 --> 01:02:14,080
Speaker 2: it's like having a shiny, brand new car and every

1102
01:02:14,160 --> 01:02:17,040
Speaker 2: day you throw mud on your car, right, and then

1103
01:02:17,120 --> 01:02:18,800
Speaker 2: after three months you'll be like, well, why is my

1104
01:02:18,840 --> 01:02:21,080
Speaker 2: car as shiny as it used to be? And I

1105
01:02:21,120 --> 01:02:23,600
Speaker 2: sort of feel like that's what happens to the Democratic Party.

1106
01:02:23,600 --> 01:02:25,760
Speaker 2: I feel like people throw shit on the car all

1107
01:02:25,800 --> 01:02:28,919
Speaker 2: the time and then they wonder why the brand's so bad? Right,

1108
01:02:30,120 --> 01:02:34,000
Speaker 2: But this party is when we talk about walls and

1109
01:02:34,000 --> 01:02:36,720
Speaker 2: brick walls, we are the only brick wall. We are

1110
01:02:36,760 --> 01:02:40,720
Speaker 2: the brick wall that is holding back the flames of chaos.

1111
01:02:40,760 --> 01:02:43,920
Speaker 2: We are the brickwall that's holding back fascism. We are

1112
01:02:43,960 --> 01:02:47,560
Speaker 2: the brickwall that is saving American democracy as we know it.

1113
01:02:47,680 --> 01:02:51,160
Speaker 2: And if we faltered, the whole damn thing goes. And

1114
01:02:51,240 --> 01:02:54,280
Speaker 2: so we can't afford for them the other side to

1115
01:02:54,280 --> 01:02:56,360
Speaker 2: be taken away bricks off of our wall, and at

1116
01:02:56,360 --> 01:02:58,439
Speaker 2: the same time, on our side of the wall, we're

1117
01:02:58,480 --> 01:03:01,080
Speaker 2: taking things away too. In the end, that wall is

1118
01:03:01,120 --> 01:03:04,160
Speaker 2: going to falter and chaos is going to rain, and

1119
01:03:04,200 --> 01:03:06,720
Speaker 2: there's going to be nobody there in order to protect

1120
01:03:06,720 --> 01:03:09,320
Speaker 2: the most vulnerable in our society. And so that is

1121
01:03:09,360 --> 01:03:12,320
Speaker 2: not to say that we can't criticize our party, but

1122
01:03:12,360 --> 01:03:15,840
Speaker 2: there are moments where the critique is important. And then

1123
01:03:15,880 --> 01:03:18,040
Speaker 2: there are moments in which we have to rally together

1124
01:03:18,080 --> 01:03:20,280
Speaker 2: and say, yeah, we have not done the best that

1125
01:03:20,320 --> 01:03:22,400
Speaker 2: we can hear, but here are ways that we can

1126
01:03:22,440 --> 01:03:26,480
Speaker 2: get better and less rally together. As my grandma said,

1127
01:03:26,880 --> 01:03:30,080
Speaker 2: you track more bees with honey than you do vinegar. Right,

1128
01:03:30,760 --> 01:03:36,080
Speaker 2: And so you know, I don't like folks to say, well,

1129
01:03:36,240 --> 01:03:40,680
Speaker 2: Democrats haven't done anything for working people. That's bullshit. That

1130
01:03:40,840 --> 01:03:43,440
Speaker 2: is literally bullshit. When you look at the fact that

1131
01:03:43,480 --> 01:03:47,920
Speaker 2: we save pensions for the teamsters. That happened because of Democrats.

1132
01:03:48,120 --> 01:03:51,800
Speaker 2: A president that actually crossed the I mean that supported

1133
01:03:51,960 --> 01:03:54,520
Speaker 2: got on a picket line. When has that ever happened

1134
01:03:54,560 --> 01:03:59,439
Speaker 2: in history? Every major Bill Joe Biden, every single time

1135
01:03:59,440 --> 01:04:01,720
Speaker 2: he got out. You talked about how every bill from

1136
01:04:01,720 --> 01:04:04,520
Speaker 2: the American Rescue Plan to the Inflation Reduction Act to

1137
01:04:04,600 --> 01:04:12,800
Speaker 2: the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill was a good bill for union workers, right, unprecedented,

1138
01:04:13,080 --> 01:04:15,720
Speaker 2: So that is bullshit when you say that, it is bullshit.

1139
01:04:15,760 --> 01:04:18,400
Speaker 2: When you said that Kamala Harris wasn't fighting for working people,

1140
01:04:18,880 --> 01:04:22,560
Speaker 2: it is literally bullshit. Twenty five thousand dollars for first

1141
01:04:22,560 --> 01:04:25,560
Speaker 2: time home buyers, fifty thousand dollars in order to start

1142
01:04:25,560 --> 01:04:30,400
Speaker 2: a business, right, helping people in that Sandwich population right

1143
01:04:30,440 --> 01:04:34,520
Speaker 2: now who have families in nursing homes. So it's crazy.

1144
01:04:34,800 --> 01:04:36,760
Speaker 2: Do you want her? Would you have wanted her to

1145
01:04:36,760 --> 01:04:38,959
Speaker 2: do more? Say that, yes, it would have been nice

1146
01:04:39,000 --> 01:04:42,040
Speaker 2: to add these aspects, but don't go in the gate

1147
01:04:42,520 --> 01:04:44,919
Speaker 2: the good work that has been done in this last

1148
01:04:44,920 --> 01:04:47,960
Speaker 2: administration and say that didn't work. You know, I'm about

1149
01:04:48,000 --> 01:04:51,360
Speaker 2: to call my good friend Roll Connor also who who

1150
01:04:51,920 --> 01:04:54,280
Speaker 2: I saw something online just the other day you talked

1151
01:04:54,320 --> 01:04:56,960
Speaker 2: about the teams. The problem isn't with the teams, it's

1152
01:04:57,040 --> 01:05:01,160
Speaker 2: with the Democratic Party. Come on now, come on now,

1153
01:05:01,600 --> 01:05:05,480
Speaker 2: It's like, let's stop beating up on our party like this,

1154
01:05:05,800 --> 01:05:08,000
Speaker 2: because there are a lot of good Democrats who work

1155
01:05:08,080 --> 01:05:10,400
Speaker 2: hard for this party every single day, and when they

1156
01:05:10,440 --> 01:05:13,640
Speaker 2: hear our leaders just shit on us all the time,

1157
01:05:14,040 --> 01:05:17,040
Speaker 2: it's disheartening. Why the hell am I fighting so hard?

1158
01:05:17,160 --> 01:05:18,880
Speaker 2: If all you're gonna do is tell me the things

1159
01:05:18,880 --> 01:05:21,160
Speaker 2: that I do to fight this hard for this party

1160
01:05:21,160 --> 01:05:24,000
Speaker 2: and for the people, my party is worthless that I'm

1161
01:05:24,040 --> 01:05:26,400
Speaker 2: not doing a good enough job to do it right.

1162
01:05:26,800 --> 01:05:29,320
Speaker 2: That is not how you rally the troops. And the

1163
01:05:29,320 --> 01:05:31,520
Speaker 2: one thing that I want folks to know, particularly you

1164
01:05:31,560 --> 01:05:34,800
Speaker 2: were running for president. If you're running for president, you're

1165
01:05:34,880 --> 01:05:37,040
Speaker 2: not gonna be just the head of this party. You're

1166
01:05:37,040 --> 01:05:39,200
Speaker 2: gonna of the nation. You're gonna be a head of

1167
01:05:39,200 --> 01:05:41,640
Speaker 2: this party. And to be the head of the party

1168
01:05:41,720 --> 01:05:44,160
Speaker 2: means that you have to rally us. You have to

1169
01:05:44,200 --> 01:05:46,600
Speaker 2: give us hope, you have to give us faith. You

1170
01:05:46,640 --> 01:05:49,320
Speaker 2: can't shit on us all the time. You can't tell

1171
01:05:49,400 --> 01:05:51,760
Speaker 2: us how bad we are. And that's that's a problem

1172
01:05:51,840 --> 01:05:55,640
Speaker 2: that Bernie had. People weren't gonna rally the Bernie Sanders. Yeah,

1173
01:05:55,680 --> 01:05:57,040
Speaker 2: you want to be the head of our party, but

1174
01:05:57,080 --> 01:06:00,000
Speaker 2: you can't. You're not the party. Isn't even good enough

1175
01:06:00,080 --> 01:06:04,240
Speaker 2: for you to say that you're a Democrat. Come on now, right,

1176
01:06:05,040 --> 01:06:08,640
Speaker 2: come on, you, it's not good enough for you to join.

1177
01:06:09,240 --> 01:06:09,760
Speaker 1: Come on.

1178
01:06:10,800 --> 01:06:13,040
Speaker 2: So, I mean that's the problem that I had, And

1179
01:06:13,160 --> 01:06:15,400
Speaker 2: as you can see, I no longer have a white House.

1180
01:06:15,440 --> 01:06:17,120
Speaker 2: So I'm on field. I'm gonna say whatever the hell

1181
01:06:17,280 --> 01:06:18,439
Speaker 2: is on my mind.

1182
01:06:19,520 --> 01:06:25,320
Speaker 1: Jamie Harrison, former head of the Democratic National Committee, future

1183
01:06:26,840 --> 01:06:30,360
Speaker 1: of Well, I mean, I'm that was a campaign speech, brother,

1184
01:06:30,400 --> 01:06:32,440
Speaker 1: I'm trying to figure out where you're what you're running for.

1185
01:06:32,600 --> 01:06:36,120
Speaker 2: Well, just tell people to go to at our Tables subscribe.

1186
01:06:36,200 --> 01:06:39,120
Speaker 1: Well, I know you're you're right now, You're you're running

1187
01:06:39,160 --> 01:06:43,120
Speaker 1: back to your podcast booth at Our Table podcast host

1188
01:06:43,680 --> 01:06:46,919
Speaker 1: Jamie Harrison, Jamie, we didn't get to RFK Junior, Mary

1189
01:06:46,960 --> 01:06:49,600
Speaker 1: and Williamson. We didn't even get to Dean Phillips. We

1190
01:06:49,640 --> 01:06:52,360
Speaker 1: didn't get to Information Supirit. We have so much more

1191
01:06:53,120 --> 01:06:54,000
Speaker 1: need to talk about.

1192
01:06:54,920 --> 01:06:57,240
Speaker 2: You can come on at Our Table podcast and we'll

1193
01:06:57,280 --> 01:06:58,160
Speaker 2: do R two of this.

1194
01:06:58,840 --> 01:07:01,320
Speaker 1: I love it you, brother, that was a lot of fun.

1195
01:07:01,480 --> 01:07:02,120
Speaker 2: Thank you, Governor.

1196
01:07:02,560 --> 01:07:02,920
Speaker 1: Take care