WEBVTT - Hello, Governor! (with Maura Healey and Wes Moore) 0:00:01.800 --> 0:00:05.160 I'm Hillary Clinton, and this is you and me both. 0:00:05.920 --> 0:00:09.160 You know, with our federal government so often paralyzed these 0:00:09.240 --> 0:00:13.560 days by infighting between the extreme and the more extreme 0:00:13.600 --> 0:00:17.320 wings of the Republican Party, more than ever, it's up 0:00:17.360 --> 0:00:20.760 to our state and local leaders to get things done, 0:00:21.239 --> 0:00:23.799 and that puts a lot of responsibility in the hands 0:00:23.840 --> 0:00:24.640 of our governors. 0:00:25.360 --> 0:00:28.000 Some use that power in cruel and. 0:00:28.040 --> 0:00:33.479 Destructive ways, by implementing abortion bands, taking away voting rights, 0:00:33.680 --> 0:00:38.080 or treating migrants not as human beings but as political pawns. 0:00:38.800 --> 0:00:42.839 But meanwhile, others are using that power for good. Today, 0:00:43.000 --> 0:00:47.320 I'm talking to two recently minted governors who are doing 0:00:47.560 --> 0:00:52.000 everything they can to improve the lives and future prospects 0:00:52.000 --> 0:00:55.480 of the citizens whom they serve. Both of my guests 0:00:55.640 --> 0:00:58.840 have broken through all kinds of barriers to get to 0:00:58.840 --> 0:01:02.520 where they are today. Later we'll be hearing from Governor 0:01:02.560 --> 0:01:06.240 Wes Moore of Maryland, But first I want to introduce 0:01:06.319 --> 0:01:14.600 you to Maura Healy, Governor of Massachusetts. Before taking office 0:01:14.720 --> 0:01:19.720 as the first woman and first openly gay governor of Massachusetts, 0:01:20.200 --> 0:01:25.800 Maura had already accomplished a lot. She'd played professional basketball, 0:01:26.000 --> 0:01:29.759 Despite it has to be said, her kind of small stature. 0:01:30.360 --> 0:01:33.120 She'd served as the chief of the Civil Rights Division 0:01:33.160 --> 0:01:36.319 of the Attorney General's Office in Massachusetts and then been 0:01:36.360 --> 0:01:41.360 elected as the first openly gay attorney general. Now, Maura 0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:45.760 is an unabashed progressive, but first and foremost, she is 0:01:46.000 --> 0:01:51.320 dedicated to getting things done, bringing the people of Massachusetts 0:01:51.360 --> 0:01:55.560 together to deal with everything from the climate crisis to 0:01:55.640 --> 0:02:01.080 the opioid epidemic, to housing shortages, poverty, to civil and 0:02:01.200 --> 0:02:04.960 human rights. She's off to a great start, and I'm 0:02:05.080 --> 0:02:07.640 thrilled to welcome her to the podcast. 0:02:08.560 --> 0:02:10.360 There she is the governor. 0:02:12.320 --> 0:02:14.320 Good morning, time I see you, and every time I 0:02:14.320 --> 0:02:16.120 get to say that, I get a big thrill. 0:02:16.280 --> 0:02:19.120 Secondary It is always so great to see Thanks for 0:02:19.160 --> 0:02:19.720 having me on. 0:02:20.200 --> 0:02:24.840 I want to start with your athletic career because one 0:02:24.880 --> 0:02:29.880 of the things that is very clearly connected among many 0:02:29.919 --> 0:02:33.520 women in public life is that they did have some 0:02:33.639 --> 0:02:37.600 kind of sports background. And I want to know how 0:02:37.800 --> 0:02:43.360 you decided to compete in basketball, because you know, our 0:02:43.400 --> 0:02:44.600 listeners can't see you. 0:02:44.760 --> 0:02:47.120 I mean, you're a mighty person, but you're not six 0:02:47.160 --> 0:02:47.720 feet tall. 0:02:49.280 --> 0:02:51.000 Well that that is true. 0:02:51.040 --> 0:02:54.600 I am five four and probably shrinking every day, so 0:02:54.720 --> 0:02:57.679 obviously I was a point guard when it came to basketball, 0:02:57.720 --> 0:02:59.960 But for me as a young kid, it's sort of 0:03:00.040 --> 0:03:03.760 found me. I was athletic, and I loved playing sports, 0:03:03.800 --> 0:03:06.520 and probably about the time I was ten years old, 0:03:07.040 --> 0:03:10.800 really serious about basketball. I kept playing other sports, soccer 0:03:10.880 --> 0:03:14.880 and tennis, but basketball I really loved and it. 0:03:14.840 --> 0:03:17.400 Also provided a real release to me. 0:03:17.639 --> 0:03:20.760 When I was about ten, that's when my parents split up, 0:03:20.919 --> 0:03:23.680 and I think as the oldest of five, I sort 0:03:23.680 --> 0:03:27.480 of threw myself into school, threw myself into athletics right 0:03:27.600 --> 0:03:31.560 and it provided a really healthy outlet for me. You know. 0:03:31.720 --> 0:03:33.920 I grew up in a little. 0:03:33.240 --> 0:03:36.080 Town in New Hampshire, as you know, and so going 0:03:36.200 --> 0:03:41.600 to Roanoak, Virginia, or down to Oxford, Mississippi to play 0:03:41.680 --> 0:03:45.280 in junior Olympic tournaments when you're thirteen, fourteen, fifteen years 0:03:45.280 --> 0:03:49.400 old also opened up my eyes and my worldview. That 0:03:49.480 --> 0:03:52.600 continued through college, where I had the chance to captain 0:03:52.600 --> 0:03:55.040 the team at Harvard, and then I played professionally overseas 0:03:55.120 --> 0:03:56.720 for a couple of years in Europe because at the 0:03:56.760 --> 0:04:00.560 time there were no women's pro leagues here in the States. 0:04:00.560 --> 0:04:03.840 So that's what you did. I carry the experiences of 0:04:03.880 --> 0:04:06.680 athletics with me every day. And I think this gets 0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:11.000 to your comment about women in leadership. You learn a 0:04:11.040 --> 0:04:15.720 lot about how to build confidence self esteem. Literally, when 0:04:15.760 --> 0:04:18.440 you're out there on a court at the foul line 0:04:18.560 --> 0:04:21.400 shooting a one on one, people are watching, so you 0:04:21.440 --> 0:04:25.839 sort of get used to having to perform. Sometimes you 0:04:25.920 --> 0:04:28.200 fail and you don't make the shot, and you learn 0:04:28.279 --> 0:04:31.200 to get up and go forward and move on. I 0:04:31.240 --> 0:04:35.320 think also you learn a lot about discipline. And when 0:04:35.400 --> 0:04:40.120 I ran as a very unlikely politician, I treated every 0:04:40.240 --> 0:04:43.159 day of the campaign just like a season. Every day 0:04:43.240 --> 0:04:45.280 was practice, get up, get after it. You don't just 0:04:45.320 --> 0:04:47.719 show up and play in the files, right, So you 0:04:47.800 --> 0:04:50.479 learn a lot about discipline. You learn a lot about 0:04:50.480 --> 0:04:54.360 hard work, really, and I think something women are particularly 0:04:54.480 --> 0:04:56.280 good at teamwork. 0:04:56.440 --> 0:04:59.040 Right. I think that's a terrific explanation. 0:04:59.440 --> 0:05:03.560 And as someone who has you know, been on the 0:05:03.600 --> 0:05:07.400 front lines of athletics, and then through your service and 0:05:07.600 --> 0:05:11.040 the Attorney General's office, then becoming Attorney General yourself, and 0:05:11.080 --> 0:05:16.240 now governor, you've been able to see how getting that 0:05:16.600 --> 0:05:20.680 sense of commitment every day makes a difference. Because if 0:05:20.720 --> 0:05:22.760 you get knocked down, which we all do, you got 0:05:22.800 --> 0:05:23.719 to get back up. 0:05:24.240 --> 0:05:27.480 Yeah, you do. And you know, along the way it's 0:05:27.520 --> 0:05:28.480 important to have fun. 0:05:28.600 --> 0:05:30.760 So you know, I do continue to get out and 0:05:30.760 --> 0:05:33.920 play basketball with kids and youth programs and do that 0:05:34.640 --> 0:05:38.560 while you know, doing work that can be really grueling. 0:05:38.640 --> 0:05:40.880 And you know, I think that's just part of what 0:05:40.920 --> 0:05:43.120 it means to be in government, particularly these days. 0:05:43.160 --> 0:05:46.280 But you know, I have to say I do this job. 0:05:46.279 --> 0:05:48.960 And people can evaluate how well or how poorly I 0:05:49.000 --> 0:05:52.680 do it. I do it with a view that I'm 0:05:52.720 --> 0:05:54.919 here for as long as I'm here, I want to 0:05:54.920 --> 0:05:56.160 make the most of every day. 0:05:56.279 --> 0:06:00.000 It's why I probably operate with a heightened level of urgent. 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:02.320 See that is probably too much sometimes for people to 0:06:02.360 --> 0:06:04.600 take around me as we're trying to you know, execute 0:06:04.640 --> 0:06:07.200 and move on a lot of fronts. But you know, 0:06:07.600 --> 0:06:10.800 I don't really pay attention to the critics. You sort 0:06:10.839 --> 0:06:13.279 of follow you and you do what you think is 0:06:13.360 --> 0:06:17.760 right and just keep moving forward. And you know, part 0:06:17.760 --> 0:06:20.799 of the discipline I guess of athletics is you literally 0:06:20.920 --> 0:06:22.719 learn to block out the crowd. 0:06:22.880 --> 0:06:25.360 Yeah, right, you have to. You're at the foul line. 0:06:25.440 --> 0:06:28.239 You have to block out the booze and the jeers 0:06:28.279 --> 0:06:30.680 and all that and just focus on the shot. 0:06:30.960 --> 0:06:34.520 Well, boy, does that resonate with me, because yeah, you 0:06:34.560 --> 0:06:36.000 and I have both been the. 0:06:35.960 --> 0:06:40.679 Subject of more than a few jeers and razzing during 0:06:40.720 --> 0:06:43.320 our political careers. Well, I want to talk about the 0:06:43.360 --> 0:06:47.040 state that you are now privileged to be governor of, 0:06:47.160 --> 0:06:50.560 because you know, people think of Massachusetts as, you know, 0:06:50.640 --> 0:06:55.280 this blue state that is so liberal. And you know, 0:06:55.360 --> 0:06:58.920 I've spent enough time in Massachusetts, went to college in Massachusetts, 0:06:59.000 --> 0:07:02.159 campaign for my self and others, and I love your state. 0:07:02.480 --> 0:07:04.920 But it's a tough political environment. 0:07:05.040 --> 0:07:08.440 I mean it is lots of sharp elbows, lots of 0:07:08.960 --> 0:07:13.880 you know, really tough battles. And you actually flipped that 0:07:14.040 --> 0:07:18.880 governor's seat from your predecessor, who was a Republican. So 0:07:19.200 --> 0:07:22.320 tell us a little bit about the politics and the 0:07:22.360 --> 0:07:26.880 political landscape of Massachusetts that people outside might not understand. 0:07:28.000 --> 0:07:30.960 Well, let me just say I think Massachusetts it's the 0:07:31.000 --> 0:07:33.040 greatest state in the country, right, I just you know, 0:07:33.080 --> 0:07:33.480 aren't you. 0:07:33.480 --> 0:07:35.920 Running billboards and places like Florida? 0:07:36.040 --> 0:07:38.400 I am, and my message has come here. 0:07:38.560 --> 0:07:41.000 You know what, We'll make sure you have access to healthcare, 0:07:41.040 --> 0:07:43.160 We'll protect voting rights and civil rights. 0:07:43.200 --> 0:07:44.560 We stand up for LGBTQ. 0:07:44.680 --> 0:07:47.400 Plus you know, members of our community we make sure 0:07:47.400 --> 0:07:49.520 that women have access to the reproductive health care that 0:07:49.560 --> 0:07:53.040 they need, and we really value and invest in education 0:07:53.240 --> 0:07:58.120 and workforce. So you know, that's my stump on Massachusetts politically. 0:07:58.600 --> 0:08:00.600 You're absolutely right. It's a state. 0:08:00.440 --> 0:08:03.280 Where you know, for many, many years, the majority of 0:08:03.320 --> 0:08:08.160 governors have been Republican see Mitt Romney, Bill Weld, Charlie Baker. 0:08:08.640 --> 0:08:11.600 So yes, I happen to be the first woman ever 0:08:11.680 --> 0:08:15.600 elected governor, first gaye person elected governor in our state. 0:08:15.760 --> 0:08:17.679 And you know, I ran. 0:08:17.600 --> 0:08:21.800 As a proud Democrat with a progressive record, and now 0:08:21.800 --> 0:08:24.440 have the opportunity to serve and to serve a state 0:08:24.560 --> 0:08:28.640 that really is in many ways a microcosm of this country. 0:08:29.080 --> 0:08:33.760 We have very blue areas, particularly in our cities, we 0:08:33.880 --> 0:08:37.800 have red areas, and we have purple areas. It really 0:08:37.880 --> 0:08:41.720 is truly a microcosm. And I think that's something that 0:08:41.840 --> 0:08:45.760 sometimes is missed in how Massachusetts is talked about or perceived. 0:08:45.800 --> 0:08:48.960 It's why, you know, nothing's a layup nothing. 0:08:48.880 --> 0:08:50.120 You take nothing for granted. 0:08:50.640 --> 0:08:54.240 If you're running a race and campaigning here, if you're 0:08:54.840 --> 0:08:57.319 looking to push forward your agenda, you have to get 0:08:57.320 --> 0:09:01.200 out and earn every vote and earn every opportunity for 0:09:01.320 --> 0:09:04.760 support for your agenda. You know, my job as governor 0:09:04.840 --> 0:09:07.480 is to make sure that everybody, no matter what their 0:09:07.600 --> 0:09:11.960 zip code is, right in Massachusetts, has a shot, has opportunity. Right, 0:09:12.480 --> 0:09:16.160 We're really really focused on an economic growth agenda here. 0:09:16.240 --> 0:09:19.040 Yeah, And do you think that was the political message 0:09:19.040 --> 0:09:22.599 that most resonated with voters as you were campaigning? 0:09:23.000 --> 0:09:25.880 Well, I think we ran a really positive campaign, positive 0:09:25.880 --> 0:09:29.080 in the sense of like, let's go, you know, let's 0:09:29.120 --> 0:09:31.600 get it done, Let's make the investments in our people. 0:09:32.000 --> 0:09:34.160 You know, coming out of COVID. 0:09:33.800 --> 0:09:37.240 Where I think there was a lot of I wouldn't 0:09:37.240 --> 0:09:42.000 say malaise, but depression, just people down, a lot of dislocation, 0:09:42.440 --> 0:09:46.720 tremendous disruption, people needing to sort of see a sense 0:09:46.760 --> 0:09:49.880 of purpose, opportunity like this is where we're going, this 0:09:49.960 --> 0:09:51.560 is what we can make happen. And I think that 0:09:51.600 --> 0:09:54.679 really resonated with people. And I definitely was offering up 0:09:54.720 --> 0:09:59.360 an agenda of making life in Massachusetts more affordable by 0:09:59.360 --> 0:10:03.000 cutting tac by increasing housing because we've got a challenge 0:10:03.000 --> 0:10:06.760 with housing costs here, making life more equitable and fair, 0:10:06.880 --> 0:10:12.360 more opportunity for more people, and making our state more competitive, 0:10:12.400 --> 0:10:14.920 which is why I'm leaning in on a package of 0:10:15.000 --> 0:10:19.000 tax cuts and some other measures to make Massachusetts attractive 0:10:19.400 --> 0:10:24.280 not only to residents, I also want employers coming to Massachusetts, 0:10:24.400 --> 0:10:28.079 where you know, I think there is this incredible amount 0:10:28.120 --> 0:10:32.000 of human talent, intellectual talent, innovation, entrepreneurship. 0:10:32.600 --> 0:10:35.400 My job as governor is to help support and seed that. 0:10:35.640 --> 0:10:35.800 Right. 0:10:36.080 --> 0:10:40.959 Well, that's a great campaign outline because it certainly caught 0:10:41.000 --> 0:10:44.760 the imagination of your voters, and you won overwhelmingly. But 0:10:44.840 --> 0:10:48.800 as you know, the late great Mario Cuomo once famously said, 0:10:48.920 --> 0:10:52.160 you campaign and poetry and your government prose. And so 0:10:52.280 --> 0:10:56.160 now you've been governor and you've had to translate those 0:10:56.360 --> 0:10:59.840 really important aspirations into policies. 0:11:00.440 --> 0:11:02.720 So give us a quick update where you. 0:11:02.640 --> 0:11:07.600 Are, as you're now into that hard but essential task 0:11:07.640 --> 0:11:08.600 of governing your state. 0:11:09.320 --> 0:11:11.520 It is, It is hard, and some days you're making 0:11:11.559 --> 0:11:14.400 more progress than other days. But I have to say, 0:11:14.679 --> 0:11:18.040 eight months in, I am really pleased with what we've accomplished. 0:11:18.040 --> 0:11:18.760 We've been able to. 0:11:18.720 --> 0:11:24.040 Do universal free school meals for students across Massachusetts. 0:11:24.440 --> 0:11:25.520 That's a big deal to me. 0:11:26.200 --> 0:11:29.000 Too many dealing with food and security, Now they don't 0:11:29.000 --> 0:11:31.120 have to worry about that. We got that done. We 0:11:31.280 --> 0:11:35.880 made community college free for everyone twenty five years and older. 0:11:35.920 --> 0:11:38.440 It turned out we had seven hundred thousand people in 0:11:38.480 --> 0:11:43.040 Massachusetts who had some credits towards a degree, but then 0:11:43.120 --> 0:11:45.640 life got in the way and they could no longer 0:11:45.720 --> 0:11:48.800 afford it. Now we're bringing them in back off the 0:11:48.840 --> 0:11:53.720 sidelines free community college, which is absolutely essential to our workforce. 0:11:54.480 --> 0:11:58.439 I appointed the country's first climate chief. She sits atop 0:11:58.760 --> 0:12:02.520 all my secretariats and drives a climate agenda on transportation, 0:12:02.960 --> 0:12:06.560 on healthcare, on workforce and labor, you name it, it's 0:12:06.600 --> 0:12:09.880 happening there. I just went out another accomplishment. I just 0:12:09.920 --> 0:12:13.480 went out with the largest bid for offshore wind great 0:12:13.520 --> 0:12:16.200 and I'm really excited about what that's going to mean 0:12:16.880 --> 0:12:21.040 for our move from fossil fuels to renewables. It's also 0:12:21.080 --> 0:12:25.119 a huge economic engine and driver, and Biden Harris administration 0:12:25.200 --> 0:12:27.559 came through with some funding to support us because they 0:12:27.600 --> 0:12:30.439 see what we're trying to do in a space where 0:12:30.440 --> 0:12:33.280 we're going to address climate, we're going to grow great 0:12:33.320 --> 0:12:37.280 paying jobs and healthier communities. So that's just a little 0:12:37.600 --> 0:12:40.839 snapshot of a day in a life. We've got an 0:12:40.840 --> 0:12:43.720 issue that is not unfamiliar to you where we have 0:12:43.880 --> 0:12:47.960 migrants coming to Massachusetts. I have been leaning hard on 0:12:48.000 --> 0:12:50.679 the Biden administration. These folks need to work, they want 0:12:50.720 --> 0:12:53.920 to work, and we have a workforce challenge when it 0:12:53.920 --> 0:12:56.680 comes to so many industries out there. These are folks 0:12:56.679 --> 0:13:00.280 who could be working tomorrow in construction and hospitality at 0:13:00.280 --> 0:13:02.840 our hospitals and nursing homes, and so you know, my 0:13:02.880 --> 0:13:06.760 goal is to get expedited work permits and authorizations for them. 0:13:06.800 --> 0:13:08.240 But those are just some of the things that we're 0:13:08.240 --> 0:13:08.719 working on. 0:13:09.160 --> 0:13:11.160 There is so much work. And for somebody like you 0:13:11.240 --> 0:13:12.880 who loves to roll your sleeves. 0:13:12.600 --> 0:13:16.439 Up and get into that nitty gritty, you are blessed 0:13:16.480 --> 0:13:19.720 to be governor at a time when there are federal resources. 0:13:19.760 --> 0:13:23.559 But there are also federal problems. And you mentioned one, 0:13:23.679 --> 0:13:28.320 which is immigration and the failure to move more quickly 0:13:28.880 --> 0:13:32.400 to enable people to work who want to work. And 0:13:32.559 --> 0:13:35.800 early on you mentioned reproductive health, and you and I 0:13:35.840 --> 0:13:38.240 are both reading how some states are trying to literally 0:13:38.280 --> 0:13:43.120 criminalize leaving your state to get the reproductive health care 0:13:43.240 --> 0:13:46.679 that you need and deserve. But I think on immigration, 0:13:47.240 --> 0:13:51.160 on reproductive health, you're going to be you know, having 0:13:51.200 --> 0:13:54.920 to join forces with other like minded governors, because this 0:13:55.000 --> 0:13:59.680 is a battle that unfortunately is not easily solved, because 0:14:00.200 --> 0:14:03.960 the other party wants a problem with immigration, not a solution, 0:14:04.559 --> 0:14:07.040 and the other party is driven by the most extreme 0:14:07.120 --> 0:14:08.360 views about abortion. 0:14:09.120 --> 0:14:12.480 I think that governors really sit at this point where 0:14:12.600 --> 0:14:15.240 you know, we can act for good or we can 0:14:15.280 --> 0:14:18.000 act for ill. And I think you've seen that play 0:14:18.000 --> 0:14:20.720 out across the country where frankly, you've seen governors take 0:14:20.800 --> 0:14:25.320 actions that are about stripping voting rights, stripping civil rights, 0:14:25.680 --> 0:14:30.920 demonizing and dehumanizing members of the LGBTQ plus community, going 0:14:30.960 --> 0:14:35.120 after and attacking migrants and those who are simply coming 0:14:35.240 --> 0:14:37.520 to this country looking for a better way of life 0:14:37.520 --> 0:14:42.040 and wanting to contribute. Those who will deny, you know, science, 0:14:42.280 --> 0:14:46.200 and deny what's happening with our climate, even though storms 0:14:46.240 --> 0:14:50.880 and floods and hurricanes. I had nine tornadoes, Hillary, I 0:14:50.920 --> 0:14:53.920 had nine tornadoes in Massachusetts this summer. 0:14:54.360 --> 0:14:54.760 Okay. 0:14:54.920 --> 0:14:57.280 I talked to my friend Governor Kelly and Kansas. I said, 0:14:57.320 --> 0:14:59.320 what am I supposed to do with the tornado? She's like, what, 0:14:59.520 --> 0:15:02.200 just you get under a desk? I mean, we never 0:15:02.240 --> 0:15:05.440 had to talk about these things before. So it's just 0:15:05.480 --> 0:15:08.320 to say there are these forces out there, right, governors 0:15:08.320 --> 0:15:14.520 who are out there just furthering, perpetuating misinformation, disinformation, harming 0:15:14.560 --> 0:15:18.000 their own people, right exactly, I guess further into some 0:15:18.360 --> 0:15:22.240 perceived political gain. And we have an opportunity, and I 0:15:22.280 --> 0:15:24.600 have an opportunity to offer up something different. 0:15:26.520 --> 0:15:28.720 We're taking a quick break. Stay with us. 0:15:38.600 --> 0:15:40.400 You know one other thing I wanted to mention because 0:15:40.440 --> 0:15:42.880 this struck me when I was looking at the accomplishments 0:15:42.880 --> 0:15:45.720 in the record you've already acquired, and that is, you know, 0:15:45.840 --> 0:15:48.840 lots of governors, In fact, I'd say probably most governors 0:15:48.880 --> 0:15:51.560 don't grant pardons until the ends of their term. 0:15:52.160 --> 0:15:56.000 But you've made headlines for granting more pardons than your 0:15:56.120 --> 0:16:01.240 recent predecessors, and you've said justice can't weight. How do 0:16:01.280 --> 0:16:04.120 you make those decisions, and why are you doing it? 0:16:04.240 --> 0:16:06.320 And what do you hope the results will be? 0:16:07.560 --> 0:16:09.080 Well, this is. 0:16:09.040 --> 0:16:12.200 One of the most important powers that you have as governor, 0:16:12.800 --> 0:16:16.240 the power of clemency. And my backstory is that I 0:16:16.280 --> 0:16:19.040 was a business lawyer for many years, a big law firm, 0:16:19.080 --> 0:16:21.040 and then I sort of did a one to eighty 0:16:21.200 --> 0:16:23.840 left to become chief of the Civil Rights Division in 0:16:23.880 --> 0:16:27.720 the Massachusetts Attorney General's office. I bring a civil rights 0:16:27.800 --> 0:16:30.480 lens to the work that I do, and as somebody 0:16:30.480 --> 0:16:33.080 who's been both a civil rights lawyer and a prosecutor, 0:16:33.640 --> 0:16:38.000 I have seen up close the real disparities and failures 0:16:38.040 --> 0:16:42.480 in a criminal justice system, and also seeing so many 0:16:42.520 --> 0:16:46.480 of the things that lead people unfortunately into the criminal 0:16:46.560 --> 0:16:48.960 justice system. We talk a lot about the social determinants 0:16:48.960 --> 0:16:52.000 of health, there are the social determinants of justice, right, 0:16:52.080 --> 0:16:55.560 And you know, being presented with the profiles of these 0:16:55.600 --> 0:16:59.760 individuals who are considered for pardons is very clear to me. 0:17:00.080 --> 0:17:03.240 You know, people should not be held back in many instances, 0:17:03.320 --> 0:17:06.600 serve their time. They've done everything that they were supposed 0:17:06.640 --> 0:17:09.160 to do, and they did the work, and all they 0:17:09.200 --> 0:17:11.720 want now that they're out is a fair shot at 0:17:11.760 --> 0:17:13.720 a job, right that's going to provide for. 0:17:13.680 --> 0:17:14.920 Them or their families. 0:17:15.480 --> 0:17:18.280 And isn't that what we're supposed to insent in our 0:17:18.320 --> 0:17:22.360 criminal justice system. You know, it's about accountability, it's about reform, 0:17:22.400 --> 0:17:26.720 it's about rehabilitation, and that too often gets lost in 0:17:26.840 --> 0:17:30.560 tough talk and the conversation around criminal justice and its purpose. 0:17:31.440 --> 0:17:34.240 Well, I'm thrilled that you're taking that on as well, 0:17:34.280 --> 0:17:37.199 because it's really important you know we're about to have 0:17:37.240 --> 0:17:40.080 a big election again in twenty twenty four, and I've 0:17:40.080 --> 0:17:42.880 bet a lot of young people ask you what it's 0:17:42.920 --> 0:17:46.840 like being in politics, and you know, whether you'd recommend 0:17:46.880 --> 0:17:49.960 that they maybe think about going into politics or going 0:17:49.960 --> 0:17:52.520 into government, what advice do you give them? 0:17:52.920 --> 0:17:53.600 Go for it? 0:17:53.920 --> 0:17:54.160 Now? 0:17:54.359 --> 0:17:57.320 You and I know, I mean running isn't for everyone, right, 0:17:57.359 --> 0:17:59.439 and there are some of us who would probably prefer 0:17:59.520 --> 0:18:02.520 to be behind the scenes, and there are so many 0:18:02.560 --> 0:18:06.480 ways to be involved in politics without having to be 0:18:06.640 --> 0:18:07.880 the actual candidate. 0:18:08.320 --> 0:18:09.440 But I can tell. 0:18:09.280 --> 0:18:12.800 You now more than ever, we need young people to serve. 0:18:12.840 --> 0:18:15.920 It's why I've set up a Youth Advisory Council, It's 0:18:15.960 --> 0:18:20.399 why I incorporate young people into all the work that 0:18:20.440 --> 0:18:23.800 we do across my office, because they are the energy. 0:18:24.160 --> 0:18:27.200 They bring a focus, they bring a drive, and frankly, 0:18:27.640 --> 0:18:31.879 who has a more vested interest in what's going to happen, 0:18:32.119 --> 0:18:34.159 in what our laws and policies are going to be 0:18:34.600 --> 0:18:38.280 than are young people. We need them really engaged. We 0:18:38.320 --> 0:18:40.880 need them voting, We need them not to be turned off. 0:18:40.920 --> 0:18:43.920 We need them to see that their government is here 0:18:44.240 --> 0:18:47.400 for them, right here for them. I'm looking up, I'm 0:18:47.400 --> 0:18:51.040 in my office here. One of the things that every 0:18:51.080 --> 0:18:54.399 governor in Massachusetts gets to do when they're elected is 0:18:55.080 --> 0:18:57.879 by tradition, they're supposed to hang a portrait of a 0:18:57.920 --> 0:19:01.080 former governor, and that is to hang in their office 0:19:01.400 --> 0:19:05.520 to provide inspiration. Well, I did something a little different. 0:19:06.240 --> 0:19:09.439 I opened it up and I asked school children across 0:19:09.480 --> 0:19:13.879 Massachusetts to submit essays with recommendations for whose portrait I 0:19:13.880 --> 0:19:17.879 should hang. I received one essay and I read it 0:19:17.960 --> 0:19:20.760 and I just knew this is it. It was from 0:19:20.800 --> 0:19:23.240 a group of high school students and they said, you 0:19:23.280 --> 0:19:29.120 should hang just a frame. You should look forward for inspiration, 0:19:29.520 --> 0:19:33.240 not backwards. Every time you walk into your office governor 0:19:33.240 --> 0:19:35.919 in the morning, you should look up at that empty 0:19:35.960 --> 0:19:39.080 frame and think about those who are voiceless, those who 0:19:39.160 --> 0:19:41.760 aren't walking the halls of power, and make sure you 0:19:41.840 --> 0:19:43.280 bring it every day for them. 0:19:43.880 --> 0:19:47.000 And I just thought the combination and what that message 0:19:47.200 --> 0:19:48.920 evoked for me. It was like so clear. 0:19:49.000 --> 0:19:52.120 So when you come you'll see in my office there's 0:19:52.560 --> 0:19:56.679 an empty gold frame, but it does to me represent 0:19:57.040 --> 0:19:59.240 what our young people are all about. And you know 0:19:59.280 --> 0:20:01.320 what's cool. You've had the kids in right, I mean, 0:20:01.320 --> 0:20:03.639 the kids come in their school field trips, and you know, 0:20:03.680 --> 0:20:06.120 they come into your office and they ask you questions 0:20:06.200 --> 0:20:10.679 and then they take pictures. Now, they take pictures and 0:20:10.760 --> 0:20:15.639 they superimpose their pictures inside that empty frame and they 0:20:15.720 --> 0:20:18.880 send me the text and it's like, cool, That's exactly 0:20:18.920 --> 0:20:20.520 what I want them to see. I want them to 0:20:20.600 --> 0:20:24.239 see themselves in government, and I want to see that 0:20:24.320 --> 0:20:26.040 they can be anything they want to be. 0:20:26.200 --> 0:20:30.560 Oh, you're giving me goosebumps tomorrow. I love that. Okay. 0:20:30.640 --> 0:20:35.680 What keeps you up at night, you know, just wondering 0:20:35.800 --> 0:20:38.720 if you've done enough, you know, because I think about 0:20:38.760 --> 0:20:41.160 the kids who are going to bed hungry. I think 0:20:41.200 --> 0:20:44.359 about the families who are you know, making calls to 0:20:44.400 --> 0:20:46.359 police because one of their loved ones is in the 0:20:46.400 --> 0:20:47.520 throes of an overdose. 0:20:48.080 --> 0:20:48.320 You know. 0:20:48.400 --> 0:20:52.000 I think about those moments and what am I doing 0:20:52.520 --> 0:20:54.919 or not doing as governor. That's what keeps me up 0:20:54.920 --> 0:20:58.639 at night, you know, apart from from thinking about just 0:20:58.720 --> 0:21:02.199 the vulnerability of seven million people for whom I have 0:21:02.280 --> 0:21:06.280 some measure of responsibility. Apart from that, the thing that 0:21:06.320 --> 0:21:10.320 I worry about most is democracy. You know, what we 0:21:10.359 --> 0:21:13.399 saw in twenty sixteen, what we saw in twenty twenty, 0:21:13.720 --> 0:21:16.679 none of that's gone away, and we have to be 0:21:16.840 --> 0:21:20.680 vigilant and fight back, fight back at these efforts to 0:21:20.840 --> 0:21:25.200 undermine and erode democracy and fundamental tenants principles that build 0:21:25.200 --> 0:21:28.320 this country. We need leaders, and you know, I will 0:21:28.359 --> 0:21:31.800 work with anyone in any party if they're about some 0:21:31.960 --> 0:21:35.440 fundamental principles and truths, and one of them has to be. 0:21:35.760 --> 0:21:37.000 We believe in democracy. 0:21:37.040 --> 0:21:39.520 We're going to protect the freedom to vote, and we're 0:21:39.560 --> 0:21:42.800 going to fight for and ensure accountability at every level. 0:21:43.080 --> 0:21:44.720 That's what keeps me up at late yep. 0:21:44.800 --> 0:21:48.800 Well, I join you in that insomnia, my friend. But 0:21:48.920 --> 0:21:51.520 at the end of the day, you've got such a 0:21:51.560 --> 0:21:54.720 tough job. What do you do to recharge, to rest, 0:21:54.840 --> 0:21:58.600 to relax, to you know, find some time to you know, 0:21:58.800 --> 0:22:01.600 just take a deep exhale. 0:22:02.080 --> 0:22:04.040 Well, you do need to do that. 0:22:04.160 --> 0:22:06.280 And I'm grateful when I get to come home at 0:22:06.359 --> 0:22:10.040 night to my partner and you know, her kids and 0:22:10.080 --> 0:22:14.240 the dog and take a walk. I love to get 0:22:14.240 --> 0:22:17.280 to the beach or any anywhere near water or the woods. 0:22:17.800 --> 0:22:18.000 You know. 0:22:18.080 --> 0:22:22.280 I find walking in those places really calming and restorative. 0:22:22.720 --> 0:22:25.119