WEBVTT - Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont Talks Future of Democratic Party

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news.

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<v Speaker 2>The governor of Connecticut joins us right now, Governor, it's

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<v Speaker 2>so serious. I think I just really want to lean

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<v Speaker 2>on this, which is the future of your Democratic Party.

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<v Speaker 2>When you grew up and you grew up advantaged, there

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<v Speaker 2>was a Republican Long Island and Republican Connecticut and such.

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<v Speaker 2>Do the Democrats have the gift to give up their

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<v Speaker 2>majority because of a weakness of Democratic Party leadership? Could

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<v Speaker 2>that happen?

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<v Speaker 1>No? I don't think so.

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<v Speaker 3>I think there's some seasonality back and forth when it

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<v Speaker 3>comes to a politics. Obviously, Donald Trump had a big

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<v Speaker 3>win and he got his budget bill passed. I think

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<v Speaker 3>within a year you'll see the effects of that budget bill,

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<v Speaker 3>and you'll see a Democrat saying, you know, this is

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<v Speaker 3>really hammering work in families in the middle class, and

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<v Speaker 3>you'll see the political tides twist and turned.

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<v Speaker 2>New York City has turned upside down. I look in

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<v Speaker 2>the Connecticut Mirror CT Mirror conversation with you. You say

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<v Speaker 2>that mister Mumdonie ran a hell of a rasist folks

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<v Speaker 2>as the arch progressive running for mayor of New York

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<v Speaker 2>after a victory over Governor Cuomo and others. How should

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<v Speaker 2>centrist Democrats respond to a generational change?

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<v Speaker 3>Look, I think that he did run a bright campaign,

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<v Speaker 3>and we've got a lot to learn from, especially guys

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<v Speaker 3>my age, like what he did in terms of social media.

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<v Speaker 1>Young people hadn't voted for.

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<v Speaker 3>A long time, but they don't often vote in primaries,

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<v Speaker 3>and they often don't vote in the cities, and they

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<v Speaker 3>sure as had voted, So credit or credits do Look,

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<v Speaker 3>he and I have very different styles, but you know,

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<v Speaker 3>at the end of the day, I've got a universal

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<v Speaker 3>pre k, a down payment there, pre natal education, doing

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<v Speaker 3>everything we can to they get easier for people to

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<v Speaker 3>get ahead in life and make life a little more affordable.

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<v Speaker 1>So there we have a lot in common, but we

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<v Speaker 1>have different styles.

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<v Speaker 2>Governor.

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<v Speaker 4>President Trump obviously has a great skill at just you know,

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<v Speaker 4>commanding the narrative here and just kind of taking for

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<v Speaker 4>in terms of other folks, maybe taking a lot of

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<v Speaker 4>the oxygen out of the room. What are the Democrats

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<v Speaker 4>need to do from a messaging standpoint heading into the

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<v Speaker 4>midterm elections.

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<v Speaker 1>Look, he's got a very loud voice, sort of hurky

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<v Speaker 1>jerky every day it changes, but he dominates the landscape

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<v Speaker 1>very tough for you know, me as a governor.

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<v Speaker 3>When you just don't know what the budget's going to

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<v Speaker 3>be one day to the next, what the tariffs are

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<v Speaker 3>going to be, it's tough to invest and make long

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<v Speaker 3>term commitments there. I think the Democrats has just got

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<v Speaker 3>to be clear as day. We're fighting for the middle class.

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<v Speaker 3>We believe in them bottom up. We believe in this

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<v Speaker 3>state of Connecticut. We've had more new small business startups

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<v Speaker 3>than ever before.

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<v Speaker 1>Those are a lot of small businesses.

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<v Speaker 3>Starting up on Owaley Avenue, New Haven, and I think

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<v Speaker 3>that's how you grow wealth, and I think that's a

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<v Speaker 3>get our cities back to life, and I think that's

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<v Speaker 3>how you fight for working families in.

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<v Speaker 1>The middle class.

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<v Speaker 4>Governor, it seems like for both parties, perhaps the extreme

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<v Speaker 4>right the extreme left seems to be driving the politics

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<v Speaker 4>for each of those parties. Is there even a center

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<v Speaker 4>left for either party or both parties?

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<v Speaker 1>It's getting smaller.

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<v Speaker 3>Because I'm there and you're right, I think, you know,

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<v Speaker 3>after Donald Trump's election, the Republicans are a lot.

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<v Speaker 1>Less likely to want to talk to me.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, I always had a big table in an

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<v Speaker 3>open door and a lot of people look at me

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<v Speaker 3>and say that it looks a little like Republican and

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<v Speaker 3>the Democrats are sort of really fighting Trump every day,

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<v Speaker 3>and if you don't go after them on a daily basis,

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<v Speaker 3>you're sort of being weak in terms of your principles.

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<v Speaker 3>So you're right, the middle is getting very small and

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<v Speaker 3>that's not a.

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<v Speaker 2>Good thing for America. And that a lot whe us

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<v Speaker 2>from Connecticut. We continue. We welcome all of you across

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<v Speaker 2>the nation, and certainly in the Bloomberg eleven three area.

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<v Speaker 2>Here an interesting conversation of Republicans and Democrats. In the

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<v Speaker 2>summer of twenty twenty five, Governor Lamont Bloomberg wrote this

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<v Speaker 2>up on Paul Tudor Jones noted hedge fund dude exiting

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<v Speaker 2>to Palm Beach, Florida. There's a fear in the Tri

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<v Speaker 2>state area, and frankly, there's a fear in Boston and

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<v Speaker 2>Washington with adverse policy that migration will continue. How have

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<v Speaker 2>you tried to respond to fancy people in Greenwich? Is

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<v Speaker 2>a climb on their Hinckley picnic boat in a heads South,

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<v Speaker 2>How have you responded to that threat?

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<v Speaker 3>Tom? I think twofold one, we were raising taxes on

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<v Speaker 3>an every other year basis, going back at ten years

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<v Speaker 3>in this state.

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<v Speaker 1>That hasn't happened on my watch. We haven't raised tax rates.

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<v Speaker 3>I think that gives people some comfort that we're getting

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<v Speaker 3>our fiscal house in order and we're not going to

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<v Speaker 3>balance the budget by raising taxes. And also, jo people, look,

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<v Speaker 3>this is the state, the tower where.

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<v Speaker 1>You grow up. This is where your children or your

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<v Speaker 1>grandchildren are. You can watch them, you know, on zoom

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<v Speaker 1>from Palm Beach. You can be right here with them

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<v Speaker 1>every day.

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<v Speaker 3>And it's something to be said for making sure this

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<v Speaker 3>is a place where you can stay in the community

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<v Speaker 3>where you grew up and where your family is.

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<v Speaker 4>So governor, what's the what do you think the future

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<v Speaker 4>is of this Democratic Party here? How does the Democratic

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<v Speaker 4>Party regain some momentum, any momentum here, because it just

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<v Speaker 4>feels like it has absolutely zero momentum at this point.

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<v Speaker 1>I think you're already seeing it happen.

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<v Speaker 3>I think you know the Trump you know budget, it's

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<v Speaker 3>going to really impact middle class families. You're going to

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<v Speaker 3>see what it means in terms of folks getting thrown

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<v Speaker 3>off of healthcare.

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<v Speaker 1>You're going to see what it means in terms of

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<v Speaker 1>folks and.

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<v Speaker 3>Not getting the food benefits we had fifty million dollars

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<v Speaker 3>of cuts. Just the portal turned off three days ago

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<v Speaker 3>for after school programs.

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<v Speaker 1>I think this is going to impact middle class family.

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<v Speaker 1>So right now it's all beaches and gream and tax cuts.

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<v Speaker 1>But when do you see how this impacts your everyday life?

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<v Speaker 2>Governor one final question. We have to go back to

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<v Speaker 2>our discussion of a few days ago, heated debate within

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<v Speaker 2>Bloomberg surveillance and a huge nationwide response. Governor Lamont is

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<v Speaker 2>a traditionalist of old money in America. Do you go

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<v Speaker 2>for the cold main lobster roll or are you loyal

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<v Speaker 2>to the warm Connecticut lobster roll.

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<v Speaker 5>You mentioned the word Connecticut. That makes it easy for me.

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<v Speaker 5>But you know the lobsters are fleeing Maine too. They're

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<v Speaker 5>going north to Canada. So you got to watch out.

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<v Speaker 5>The times are turning.

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<v Speaker 2>We'll need a new post go ahead, well, we'll need

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<v Speaker 2>a new policy on that, governorment, we're out of time.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you so much for joining us. I believe that

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<v Speaker 2>was a voice for the warm role that.

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<v Speaker 4>You were surely, I mean, you know exactly.

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<v Speaker 2>You take both of one of each us. Thank you

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<v Speaker 2>so much. Connecticut there and the future of his Democratic

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<v Speaker 2>Party