WEBVTT - Mayor Corey Woods on The Black Future Under Kamala Harris (Part 2) 0:00:00.680 --> 0:00:03.000 Keep on riding with us as we continue to broadcast 0:00:03.000 --> 0:00:04.800 the balance and defend the discourse from the. 0:00:04.840 --> 0:00:06.199 Hip Hop Weekly Studios. 0:00:06.640 --> 0:00:09.160 Here on Civic Cyper, I'm your host, rams As Jow, 0:00:09.280 --> 0:00:13.640 joined by Qward and the Mayor of timp Arizona, Corey Wood. 0:00:13.680 --> 0:00:18.680 We are having a conversation regarding the black future of 0:00:18.720 --> 0:00:23.400 a potential Harris administration. We thought that was very important 0:00:23.480 --> 0:00:27.400 because black men are particularly vulnerable this time around, not 0:00:27.480 --> 0:00:32.240 only to misinformation and disinformation, but disillusionment and fatigue and 0:00:32.360 --> 0:00:34.600 the voting process, and so again we felt that this 0:00:34.720 --> 0:00:39.880 conversation was necessary. So for today's episode, beforegoing a lot 0:00:40.000 --> 0:00:43.159 of the segments that we would normally throw to in 0:00:43.200 --> 0:00:45.200 favor of trying to get as much of this information 0:00:45.320 --> 0:00:48.080 to you as possible. Of course, if you want the 0:00:48.080 --> 0:00:52.400 full unredacted conversation, you can visit civicsipher dot com. And now, 0:00:52.440 --> 0:00:55.080 without further ado, myself, rams Is joh Qward and the 0:00:55.080 --> 0:00:59.080 mayor of tympe Arizona, Corey Woods. I want to add 0:00:59.120 --> 0:01:02.560 one more thing right here, because we were talking about 0:01:02.560 --> 0:01:07.640 it before we started recording. Jasmine Crockett is in another 0:01:07.840 --> 0:01:14.120 video doing her clap back, and she pointed out and 0:01:14.200 --> 0:01:16.959 I didn't even know this, but she pointed out that 0:01:17.319 --> 0:01:21.120 Donald Trump's name is mentioned over three hundred times in 0:01:21.319 --> 0:01:24.240 Project twenty twenty five. And so, you know, to your 0:01:24.240 --> 0:01:27.119 point about him distancing himself and folks throwing a flag 0:01:27.160 --> 0:01:29.880 on a play, you know, for folks who you know, 0:01:30.040 --> 0:01:32.160 let's say that you do consume. You know, a lot 0:01:32.160 --> 0:01:34.679 of our listeners here are conservative. This is something we know. 0:01:35.240 --> 0:01:37.840 It's well established. We appreciate you listening to us because 0:01:38.680 --> 0:01:43.760 I am not that. But it shows me that you 0:01:43.840 --> 0:01:47.320 are open minded, those of you who identify as conservative, 0:01:47.600 --> 0:01:49.760 and it shows me that you are critical thinkers. And 0:01:49.800 --> 0:01:52.480 that's all that we ask of each other. I'm sure, 0:01:53.200 --> 0:01:57.760 So you know, in thinking critically about kind of what 0:01:58.600 --> 0:02:02.680 the situation at hand is and how it could impact 0:02:02.680 --> 0:02:07.400 your life. I just feel it's important to say that 0:02:07.480 --> 0:02:12.400 because if you're consuming content from let's say Newsmax. Not 0:02:12.440 --> 0:02:14.320 sure if that's you, but let's just say you are, 0:02:15.160 --> 0:02:18.680 you might hear Donald Trump repeatedly say that he doesn't 0:02:18.720 --> 0:02:21.280 know anything about Project twenty twenty five. And I think 0:02:21.360 --> 0:02:23.919 that this conversation that we're having with you, Corey Woods 0:02:23.960 --> 0:02:28.960 is important in establishing that, no, that is not accurate. 0:02:29.120 --> 0:02:31.600 His name is in there, and we know he loves 0:02:31.600 --> 0:02:33.360 his own name, so his name's in there over three 0:02:33.400 --> 0:02:36.680 hundred times. He knows what's in there. He might not 0:02:36.720 --> 0:02:40.360 know the intricate details, as you mentioned, but you know 0:02:40.480 --> 0:02:43.880 this was cultivated so that he could have a term 0:02:44.000 --> 0:02:50.440 that would ensure a conservative some conservative momentum in perpetuity. 0:02:50.480 --> 0:02:53.200 And I think that's my base level understanding. Well. 0:02:53.360 --> 0:02:55.360 And two, I'm glad you brought that point up about 0:02:55.400 --> 0:02:59.000 having listeners who are Republicans and who identify as conservatives, 0:02:59.040 --> 0:03:03.200 because I'm in a non partisan job where I represent 0:03:03.280 --> 0:03:08.120 both Democrats and Republicans, as well as independents, Green Party members, libertarians, 0:03:08.280 --> 0:03:09.639 whoever you happen to be in Tempee. 0:03:10.080 --> 0:03:11.320 I'm the mayor for all of you. 0:03:12.360 --> 0:03:15.880 But what I think about what Donald Trump is attempting 0:03:15.919 --> 0:03:18.520 to do, I don't think of it as him being 0:03:18.520 --> 0:03:21.240 a Republican or being a conservative, because a lot of 0:03:21.240 --> 0:03:24.240 the people that I know who are lifelong conservatives don't 0:03:24.280 --> 0:03:26.840 recognize a lot of the stuff that he's actually talking about. 0:03:27.120 --> 0:03:29.840 I view Project twenty twenty five and the agenda that 0:03:29.880 --> 0:03:33.320 he's running on is frankly just maga extremism. I have 0:03:33.360 --> 0:03:36.720 a lot of friends who are identify as Republicans or 0:03:36.760 --> 0:03:40.840 registered Republicans, identify as conservatives and basically say, I don't 0:03:40.880 --> 0:03:44.840 recognize this version of the Republican Party anymore. This is 0:03:44.880 --> 0:03:47.440 not the same party that I join. And when I 0:03:47.520 --> 0:03:50.880 look and see, you know, when I think about the 0:03:50.960 --> 0:03:53.680 late John McCain from his race back in two thousand 0:03:53.680 --> 0:03:55.320 and eight, or I think about when Mitt Romney was 0:03:55.400 --> 0:03:58.960 running for president in twenty twelve, the brand of politics 0:03:59.000 --> 0:04:02.880 that Donald Trumps is nowhere near what those two gentlemen 0:04:02.960 --> 0:04:07.200 actually espoused. It's a when John McCain and Mitt Romney 0:04:07.240 --> 0:04:10.280 ran for president, even though both times I voted for, 0:04:10.440 --> 0:04:14.120 you know, for obviously President Obama, I could go to 0:04:14.160 --> 0:04:17.760 bed at night thinking, if I wake up tomorrow morning 0:04:18.240 --> 0:04:21.240 and one of these other gentleman wins, it might not 0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:23.320 be exactly what I would have liked. And I think 0:04:23.360 --> 0:04:25.720 they'll pursue a very different policy agenda than what I 0:04:25.760 --> 0:04:28.720 would have personally want to do adhere to. But at 0:04:28.720 --> 0:04:31.840 the same time, I wouldn't have been downright afraid. And 0:04:31.880 --> 0:04:34.520 the difference with you know, with Donald Trump, is that 0:04:35.160 --> 0:04:38.320 the things that he's talking about, the agenda that he's 0:04:38.360 --> 0:04:42.440 actually pushing and Project twenty twenty five downright frightens me, 0:04:42.800 --> 0:04:45.240 and I think it worries a lot of Americans because 0:04:45.480 --> 0:04:47.280 and I think what people have to be also very 0:04:47.320 --> 0:04:49.800 clear about two. When I think about former President Trump 0:04:49.880 --> 0:04:52.760 and a lot of what he does, he has a 0:04:52.800 --> 0:04:56.240 way of saying so much stuff and like flooding the 0:04:56.360 --> 0:05:00.000 zone sometimes that people many times don't take him serious. 0:05:00.839 --> 0:05:03.280 And that's what a lot of his you know, supporters 0:05:03.320 --> 0:05:05.440 of the people who do pr for him will always say, 0:05:05.440 --> 0:05:07.560 it's like, well, you know, he's he's just talking. You 0:05:07.600 --> 0:05:09.320 know how he is. He's a showman. You know, he 0:05:09.400 --> 0:05:11.440 was on The Apprentice and you know, you're fired and 0:05:11.480 --> 0:05:13.840 all that stuff. But I think we have to look 0:05:13.880 --> 0:05:16.280 at his track record. I mean, he was the one 0:05:16.360 --> 0:05:19.560 who made these Supreme Court appointments that led to Roe 0:05:19.640 --> 0:05:23.359 versus Wade being overturned, and for the first time in decades, 0:05:23.640 --> 0:05:26.240 women in this country have fewer rights than they had 0:05:26.279 --> 0:05:29.000 back in the nineteen seventies. So I think that people 0:05:29.120 --> 0:05:32.760 can't afford to not take him seriously and say, oh, well, 0:05:32.800 --> 0:05:35.200 he's just joking or he's just playing to the camera 0:05:35.240 --> 0:05:37.279 and he didn't really mean what he just said. I 0:05:37.279 --> 0:05:39.719 think he's proven many times over again that he means 0:05:40.080 --> 0:05:42.440 exactly what he's saying. And I think that's once again, 0:05:42.480 --> 0:05:44.480 while we have to make sure that Vice President Harris 0:05:44.920 --> 0:05:46.000 gets elected. 0:05:45.720 --> 0:05:47.920 I want to add something right here that might be 0:05:48.360 --> 0:05:53.479 even additionally I should say relevant to our listeners, is that, 0:05:53.720 --> 0:05:56.720 you know, the same Supreme Court has weakened what we 0:05:57.200 --> 0:06:02.600 historically understood to be a protection of ours, affirmative action. 0:06:02.680 --> 0:06:07.480 And so these are the outcomes that are shaped, maybe 0:06:07.520 --> 0:06:12.400 not in perpetuity, but certainly for the next generation. And 0:06:12.520 --> 0:06:17.799 we're kind of stuck behind the echo of Donald Trump's 0:06:17.800 --> 0:06:20.159 presidency in a lot of ways because of that Supreme Court. 0:06:20.240 --> 0:06:25.800 So this election is more critical than many folks know. 0:06:25.880 --> 0:06:29.080 And Q makes this point quite a bit that you know, 0:06:29.240 --> 0:06:32.080 every election we always say this is the most important 0:06:32.080 --> 0:06:36.520 election of our lifetime. But in this instance, A, it's true, 0:06:37.320 --> 0:06:41.799 and B we have the proof simply by as you mentioned, 0:06:41.839 --> 0:06:44.600 looking at the Supreme Court and how it's affected women, 0:06:44.640 --> 0:06:48.760 of course and black people. And so I think that 0:06:48.839 --> 0:06:52.440 your point is well made. I just didn't want us 0:06:52.440 --> 0:06:54.920 to get get away from that because that affirmative action 0:06:54.960 --> 0:06:55.760 one is something we did. 0:06:55.800 --> 0:07:00.520 Discuss absolutely, and you know, and I really do. I'm 0:07:00.560 --> 0:07:02.120 kind of old school in a lot of ways. I 0:07:02.760 --> 0:07:07.360 really do appreciate the concept of having two strong political 0:07:07.400 --> 0:07:12.280 parties that can actually debate concepts and ideas. I think 0:07:12.280 --> 0:07:15.680 it's actually really is important to the country. But what 0:07:15.680 --> 0:07:19.400 I've seen former President Trump do is is take the 0:07:19.440 --> 0:07:21.680 Republican Party in a direction that a lot of us 0:07:21.680 --> 0:07:23.360 are not comfortable with. And I think that's why you're 0:07:23.400 --> 0:07:26.680 also seeing a record number of people who worked for 0:07:26.800 --> 0:07:29.600 him at one point in time, people who at some 0:07:29.680 --> 0:07:34.000 point worked for previous Republican administrations or Republican candidates, and 0:07:34.040 --> 0:07:37.280 a lot of folks here locally in Arizona go over 0:07:37.320 --> 0:07:40.960 and say, look, I'm publicly endorsing Vice President Harris. I 0:07:41.000 --> 0:07:43.400 would have never thought in my lifetime that I would 0:07:43.400 --> 0:07:48.240 have seen Dick Cheney and Liz Cheney endorsing Kamala Harris. 0:07:48.440 --> 0:07:50.880 But the reality is, I think what they see in 0:07:50.920 --> 0:07:54.400 this situation is someone who really is a threat to democracy. 0:07:54.800 --> 0:07:56.000 And it's not just I. 0:07:56.000 --> 0:07:58.680 Think their perspective is, hey, look, we can work out 0:07:58.720 --> 0:08:01.400 some of this other stuff later. We can't let someone 0:08:01.960 --> 0:08:04.560 back in office who's also just not going to agree 0:08:04.600 --> 0:08:07.040 to a peaceful transition of power, who's going to try 0:08:07.080 --> 0:08:11.920 to undermine democratic norms. As I started this whole thing 0:08:11.920 --> 0:08:15.240 off with saying I lost my first election for public office. 0:08:15.360 --> 0:08:18.040 I didn't try to stage a coup. I simply said 0:08:18.080 --> 0:08:21.920 I lost. I didn't apparently win enough votes to get 0:08:21.960 --> 0:08:24.480 a seat on the city Council. But I didn't try 0:08:24.520 --> 0:08:27.360 to encourage an insurrection on Tempee City Hall, nor would 0:08:27.400 --> 0:08:30.920 I ever so from my perspective, what occurred back on 0:08:31.000 --> 0:08:35.160 January sixth of twenty twenty one is disqualifying behavior to 0:08:35.240 --> 0:08:36.920 ever hold the office of president ever. 0:08:37.000 --> 0:08:37.320 Again. 0:08:37.559 --> 0:08:40.199 I mean, there were people killed, There were police officers 0:08:40.240 --> 0:08:42.400 who were killed during that point in time. And the 0:08:42.400 --> 0:08:45.720 fact of the matter is that there are some basic 0:08:45.800 --> 0:08:48.840 things that we would expect when it comes to upholding 0:08:48.920 --> 0:08:51.840 our constitutional norms of this country and upholding the principles 0:08:51.840 --> 0:08:55.320 of democracy that we all believe in. And one of 0:08:55.320 --> 0:08:57.440 those fundamental things that I never thought I would have 0:08:57.480 --> 0:08:59.679 to say out loud as a forty five year old 0:08:59.720 --> 0:09:02.360 grown man, is you have to accept the outcome of 0:09:02.400 --> 0:09:05.720 the election. I mean, but that is unfortunately the point 0:09:05.800 --> 0:09:08.520 that we are at where we actually have to say that. 0:09:08.920 --> 0:09:12.280 And so and he's already beginning to do this of 0:09:12.360 --> 0:09:16.800 talking about, well, you know, if people don't cheat, there's 0:09:16.800 --> 0:09:18.560 no way that I won't win. I mean, he's already 0:09:18.679 --> 0:09:21.360 sort of sowing the seeds and laying the groundwork to 0:09:22.120 --> 0:09:25.520 contest the election if he doesn't actually prevail. And so 0:09:25.600 --> 0:09:28.720 I think that's I think that's incredibly dangerous behavior. That's 0:09:28.760 --> 0:09:32.760 not about Republican or Democrat or progressive versus conservative. That's 0:09:32.800 --> 0:09:35.360 about people who believe in democracy and people who just don't. 0:09:35.800 --> 0:09:39.440 Yeah, I'm glad you brought up January sixth and so 0:09:39.520 --> 0:09:43.160 many other examples that we would have all thought were 0:09:43.160 --> 0:09:46.600 disqualifying but never had to be pen never had to 0:09:46.600 --> 0:09:49.360 be put to paper to lay out that, you know, 0:09:49.400 --> 0:09:52.280 a thirty four time convicted felon or someone who incites 0:09:52.280 --> 0:09:55.240 a riot on our capitol would be disqualified because our 0:09:55.280 --> 0:09:57.920 political norms would never have allowed a person like him 0:09:58.400 --> 0:10:01.280 to become the president of the United State. Dates, so 0:10:01.320 --> 0:10:03.400 as we think about you know, you talked about being 0:10:03.440 --> 0:10:05.560 old school and having two strong parties. When I was 0:10:05.559 --> 0:10:08.839 a child, you know, my mother's best friend was a Republican, 0:10:09.480 --> 0:10:11.760 and the day after the election, we still ate lunch 0:10:11.760 --> 0:10:15.040 together and we were still family because they didn't want 0:10:15.080 --> 0:10:17.920 bad outcomes for us, you know, their family had a 0:10:17.960 --> 0:10:20.560 different list of things they wanted out of a candidate, 0:10:20.760 --> 0:10:23.280 and they voted accordingly, but they didn't consider us the enemy. 0:10:23.679 --> 0:10:25.959 We have a former president now who points to us 0:10:25.960 --> 0:10:29.719 and anybody who doesn't agree with everything he says as 0:10:29.800 --> 0:10:33.680 somehow the enemy of him, therefore an enemy of the country. 0:10:33.720 --> 0:10:37.200 So it's a very different, you know, political divide now 0:10:37.559 --> 0:10:39.960 than when we were younger. When I was a college student, 0:10:40.000 --> 0:10:43.560 I volunteered at the RNC with people who did not 0:10:43.679 --> 0:10:45.920 vote the same way as me, but that were kind 0:10:45.960 --> 0:10:49.800 to me and who wanted good outcomes for Americans. Again, 0:10:49.840 --> 0:10:51.840 they had a different idea of what that meant, but 0:10:51.880 --> 0:10:54.320 they didn't want life to be harder and more difficult 0:10:54.320 --> 0:10:56.520 for me, even though they knew that I didn't vote 0:10:56.520 --> 0:10:59.240 and support the same candidate that they did. As we 0:10:59.320 --> 0:11:03.199 get towards this election, and we are now in the 0:11:03.800 --> 0:11:06.520 fourth quarter, you know, we are now in crunch time 0:11:06.559 --> 0:11:09.400 in the red zone, can you speak to us about 0:11:09.440 --> 0:11:12.040 the importance of not just you know, who we're going 0:11:12.080 --> 0:11:15.319 to vote for as president, but down ballot in Arizona 0:11:15.400 --> 0:11:19.480 and nationally when we're casting our votes, how important it 0:11:19.520 --> 0:11:22.360 is to vote Democrat. 0:11:22.480 --> 0:11:23.640 All the way down the ticket. 0:11:24.679 --> 0:11:29.080 What I tell people many times is how important local 0:11:29.120 --> 0:11:33.040 elections are to your everyday life, because many times people 0:11:33.080 --> 0:11:35.680 in frustration will say things like I'm going to reach 0:11:35.720 --> 0:11:38.360 out to my congressman or I'm going to call my senator. 0:11:38.400 --> 0:11:40.920 And I'm not saying those people aren't important. They're absolutely 0:11:40.960 --> 0:11:44.040 critically important. But when I think about just even the 0:11:44.040 --> 0:11:46.120 things that go on at a city level, whether or 0:11:46.160 --> 0:11:49.400 not you feel safe in your community, what's the condition 0:11:49.480 --> 0:11:52.280 of your parks, do you have enough police offices and 0:11:52.320 --> 0:11:55.480 firefighters and human services workers in your city? I mean, 0:11:55.520 --> 0:11:58.120 those are decisions that are made by your local city council, 0:11:58.559 --> 0:12:02.240 and so I sometimes when you get to a four 0:12:02.320 --> 0:12:07.120 page ballot, it's a lot of bubbling names and initiatives 0:12:07.240 --> 0:12:09.800 and judges and things of that nature. The judges of 0:12:09.840 --> 0:12:12.240 what always stumps people. That's where even I get stumped. 0:12:12.280 --> 0:12:15.000 I'm I'm a political junkie and I'm around people and 0:12:15.080 --> 0:12:17.760 politics all the time. But usually the judges arrive to 0:12:17.760 --> 0:12:19.560 call some friends of mine in the legal worlds, I 0:12:19.600 --> 0:12:22.839 need some help with this, But frankly, I know how 0:12:22.880 --> 0:12:26.080 critically important those issues are as well where those people 0:12:26.080 --> 0:12:28.520 are because they're determining what the judiciary looks like in 0:12:28.520 --> 0:12:31.000 our state. So I tell people all the time it 0:12:31.040 --> 0:12:33.520 really is critically important to start at the top of 0:12:33.559 --> 0:12:35.360 your ballot, but make it all the way down to 0:12:35.400 --> 0:12:38.800 the bottom. Whether it comes to who's running for president 0:12:38.880 --> 0:12:45.120 or US senator, Congress, or state legislature, school board, city council, judges, 0:12:45.400 --> 0:12:49.120 ballot initiatives, all of those things are critically important. 0:12:48.640 --> 0:12:49.200 To vote on. 0:12:49.559 --> 0:12:52.280 But I think that when I think about right now, 0:12:53.200 --> 0:12:55.480 even let's say the state legislature, when you talk about, 0:12:55.480 --> 0:12:58.960 you know, myself being a Democrat, I really do think 0:12:59.080 --> 0:13:00.720 there are a lot of things that I have been 0:13:01.080 --> 0:13:03.800 that I would like to see even in our state government, 0:13:05.080 --> 0:13:07.880 that we've been trying to get for years. And we've 0:13:07.920 --> 0:13:11.280 had one party control over the House of the Senate 0:13:11.400 --> 0:13:15.480 locally here for decades, and I would like to see 0:13:15.559 --> 0:13:17.920 us not be fiftieth or fifty first when it comes 0:13:17.920 --> 0:13:20.720 to a public funding and educ for education or educated 0:13:20.760 --> 0:13:25.080 for public education funding. And I do believe with a 0:13:25.160 --> 0:13:28.480 Democratic House and Senate down at the state Capitol, I 0:13:28.520 --> 0:13:30.080 think a lot of that would begin to turn around 0:13:30.200 --> 0:13:34.120 very quickly. I know the emphasis that my friends on 0:13:34.160 --> 0:13:37.560 that side of the fence very much place on public 0:13:37.679 --> 0:13:40.080 education and making sure that not only our students, but 0:13:40.120 --> 0:13:43.800 our teachers and administrators have the resources they need. So 0:13:43.880 --> 0:13:45.959 I would like for us to get out of those 0:13:46.120 --> 0:13:48.080 out of that sort of basement when it comes to 0:13:48.559 --> 0:13:51.120 what we actually contribute to public education at our state. 0:13:51.400 --> 0:13:53.040 The fact of the matter is too. I talk to 0:13:53.080 --> 0:13:56.120 people in the business community on a regular basis as well, 0:13:56.120 --> 0:13:59.280 who talk about how difficult did this for them to 0:13:59.400 --> 0:14:03.600 recruit fortune five hundred employers and people to this state 0:14:03.679 --> 0:14:07.120 when they recognize what's going on with our education system. 0:14:07.360 --> 0:14:10.679 They're talking about relocating families with children here, and if 0:14:10.679 --> 0:14:12.560 they look at the education system where they look at 0:14:12.559 --> 0:14:16.760 the funding and say, a lot of folks apparently at 0:14:16.760 --> 0:14:20.600 the capitol do not care about this. They may say, oh, 0:14:20.640 --> 0:14:23.040 the taxes are lower in Arizona, but frankly, I'm not 0:14:23.120 --> 0:14:26.400 going to My employees will not follow us to this 0:14:26.480 --> 0:14:29.680 new location if we don't see something turn around pretty quickly. 0:14:30.360 --> 0:14:31.560 So they're just they're a number. 0:14:31.600 --> 0:14:33.280 I mean, I could probably go on and on, but 0:14:33.320 --> 0:14:36.520 I think that if you are unhappy with the direction 0:14:36.760 --> 0:14:40.160 of education funding in the state, as an example, it 0:14:40.200 --> 0:14:42.960 really is critically important that you make sure to vote 0:14:43.360 --> 0:14:46.520 in your state legislative races, and I do think the 0:14:46.600 --> 0:14:50.520 Democratic Party has the more forward thinking, proactive view when 0:14:50.560 --> 0:14:54.240 it comes to how we fund public education in the state. 0:14:54.400 --> 0:14:57.120 And so that's why, you know, I'm out many times 0:14:57.200 --> 0:14:59.720 knocking on doors, making phone calls, and supporting a lot 0:14:59.720 --> 0:15:02.800 of my friends to make sure that the Democratic Party does, 0:15:02.880 --> 0:15:07.320 you know, for once in quite some time, regains control 0:15:07.440 --> 0:15:09.200 of the State House or the state Senator. 0:15:09.200 --> 0:15:10.640 Frankly, from my perspective both. 0:15:11.520 --> 0:15:14.760 Now let's shift back national before we let you go, 0:15:14.960 --> 0:15:20.040 because I think it's important for us to make sure 0:15:20.080 --> 0:15:24.000 that regardless of if people have, you know, kids that 0:15:24.040 --> 0:15:27.120 attend school, regardless of people visit parks, you know, whatever, 0:15:28.800 --> 0:15:32.400 everyone that will listen to our conversation today is a 0:15:32.440 --> 0:15:36.040 citizen of this country, and by virtue of the fact 0:15:36.040 --> 0:15:40.880 that this is capitalism, they participate in an economy. And so, 0:15:42.560 --> 0:15:44.360 you know, we wouldn't be doing our jobs if we 0:15:44.400 --> 0:15:50.280 didn't at least bring it up. Vice President Harris has 0:15:51.840 --> 0:15:58.960 used the term opportunity economy, and I think that at 0:15:59.080 --> 0:16:03.880 least from there I sit, it sounds special, It sounds 0:16:03.920 --> 0:16:06.720 like something worth peeling back some of the layers. And 0:16:06.760 --> 0:16:08.280 I know that if anyone can do that for the 0:16:08.280 --> 0:16:10.760 benefit of our listeners. It's you, so talk to us 0:16:10.800 --> 0:16:13.760 a bit about an opportunity economy, what she means by that, 0:16:13.800 --> 0:16:16.280 and how it might benefit our listeners. 0:16:16.360 --> 0:16:18.360 So there are a few very specific things. I think 0:16:18.480 --> 0:16:20.680 one when we talk about we talked about housing a 0:16:20.720 --> 0:16:23.720 little bit earlier, but that obviously is a critical thing 0:16:23.760 --> 0:16:27.600 when it comes to adding three million additional homes in 0:16:27.640 --> 0:16:30.320 this country is really critically important when you talk about 0:16:30.320 --> 0:16:34.480 an opportunity economy, giving everyone a chance to obtain home 0:16:34.520 --> 0:16:36.480 ownership if that's really what they'd like to do, but 0:16:36.920 --> 0:16:39.840 just providing more options in general when it comes to 0:16:39.880 --> 0:16:43.680 housing for people of all different incomes and occupations. Her 0:16:43.720 --> 0:16:47.120 perspective is, if you are working in honest day's work, 0:16:47.280 --> 0:16:49.920 you should have the ability to live in this country 0:16:49.960 --> 0:16:52.040 in a comfortable fashion and not have to worry about 0:16:52.040 --> 0:16:55.120 where your next meal is going to come from. It's 0:16:55.160 --> 0:16:57.520 talking about trying to find ways to ensure that there 0:16:57.560 --> 0:17:02.080 isn't price gouging when you think about prescription drug costs. 0:17:02.360 --> 0:17:05.800 I mean, there are people who desperately need some medical 0:17:05.880 --> 0:17:07.280 I mean things as simple as I mean I take 0:17:07.320 --> 0:17:10.600 blood pressure medication every day. I'm sort of genetically predisposed 0:17:10.600 --> 0:17:14.320 to having from family issues to having issues with blood pressure, 0:17:14.359 --> 0:17:16.800 So I take blood pressure medication on a daily basis. 0:17:17.520 --> 0:17:19.680 But you know, sometimes, as we've seen that there are 0:17:19.880 --> 0:17:23.600 prescription drug companies that have artificially inflated the prices of 0:17:23.640 --> 0:17:26.959 prescription drugs that are life saving medications to people all 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:29.520 throughout this country. And she's really talked about a plan 0:17:29.600 --> 0:17:31.720 to cut down on that kind of price gougeing, which 0:17:31.720 --> 0:17:34.360 I think really is critically important. It's trying to find 0:17:34.400 --> 0:17:36.440 a way to make sure that there are twenty five 0:17:36.520 --> 0:17:40.880 million new small business applications during her term. There are 0:17:40.920 --> 0:17:43.600 so many people, especially African Americans that I talk to 0:17:43.640 --> 0:17:46.879 on a regular basis, who are entrepreneurial and want to 0:17:47.400 --> 0:17:49.359 you know, they may some people want to work for 0:17:49.400 --> 0:17:51.040 a company, and that's fine, but a lot of people 0:17:51.040 --> 0:17:52.879 really want to strike out and do their own thing. 0:17:53.280 --> 0:17:55.359 And I know she's really trying to find ways to 0:17:55.480 --> 0:17:58.879 ensure that small business people get additional tax credits and 0:17:58.880 --> 0:18:01.520 additional assistance for the federal government to make sure that 0:18:01.560 --> 0:18:04.200 their dream of owning a small business or really innovating 0:18:04.440 --> 0:18:07.480 can become a reality. And I just think generally, when 0:18:07.480 --> 0:18:11.280 I think about her plans. She's talked a lot about 0:18:11.320 --> 0:18:14.000 trying to find ways, like we talked about with housing, 0:18:14.320 --> 0:18:17.040 but really to cut red tape for people who want 0:18:17.080 --> 0:18:19.919 to open up small businesses and have an opportunity to 0:18:20.000 --> 0:18:24.399 participate in today's economy, because sometimes, I mean sometimes, I 0:18:24.440 --> 0:18:26.919 mean I see this at city Hall. If you have 0:18:26.960 --> 0:18:29.800 a large business or a large project that you have 0:18:29.880 --> 0:18:32.399 going on, many times you have the ability to hire, 0:18:32.920 --> 0:18:35.160 you know, an attorney that you'll pay one thousand dollars 0:18:35.200 --> 0:18:36.800 an hour or two who can come down to the 0:18:36.800 --> 0:18:39.800 city council and work with city staff and they understand 0:18:39.880 --> 0:18:41.720 what the process is and they can basically do a 0:18:41.720 --> 0:18:43.639 lot of the work for you, provided you can actually 0:18:43.680 --> 0:18:46.240 cut that check. But many times it's the person who's 0:18:46.280 --> 0:18:48.640 the small business person who's just simply trying to get 0:18:48.640 --> 0:18:51.560 a storefront open, who doesn't have access to those kinds 0:18:51.560 --> 0:18:54.840 of resources, of that kind of startup capital, that really struggles. 0:18:55.040 --> 0:18:57.280 And it's not because they're doing anything wrong, they just 0:18:57.320 --> 0:18:59.840 don't have the ability to pay someone at a thousand 0:19:00.119 --> 0:19:02.240 or even five hundred dollars an hour to go down 0:19:02.240 --> 0:19:04.919 to city Hall and advocate and help them kind. 0:19:04.800 --> 0:19:06.480 Of work through all those different processes. 0:19:06.560 --> 0:19:09.760 So when I think about an opportunity economy, I know 0:19:09.800 --> 0:19:11.960 what she's really talking about is trying to find a 0:19:11.960 --> 0:19:14.199 way to level the playing field, to make sure that 0:19:14.280 --> 0:19:17.560 all people have the ability to not only take part 0:19:17.600 --> 0:19:20.840 of the economy, but to achieve health and wealth, and 0:19:20.880 --> 0:19:23.240 not just simply people who might have been either born 0:19:23.320 --> 0:19:25.720 with money or have been handed a tremendous amount of 0:19:25.720 --> 0:19:28.879 money down to them. But it's really making sure that 0:19:28.960 --> 0:19:31.960 people from all different income levels, and all different educational levels, 0:19:31.960 --> 0:19:35.440 and all different backgrounds really have the opportunity to achieve 0:19:35.800 --> 0:19:38.240 if they choose to work hard, really and really put 0:19:38.280 --> 0:19:38.919 in that time. 0:19:39.119 --> 0:19:40.359 And I know that's what she wants. 0:19:40.359 --> 0:19:43.199 It's really about a country and an America that's fairer 0:19:43.240 --> 0:19:46.040 for all people and really making sure to level the 0:19:46.080 --> 0:19:48.359 playing field to make sure that we all have a 0:19:48.400 --> 0:19:50.560 fair equal chance to compete. 0:19:50.800 --> 0:19:54.439 I'm so glad that we asked that question. You just 0:19:54.560 --> 0:19:59.520 are a gifted orator and the way you break things down, 0:20:00.160 --> 0:20:02.119 And obviously we've had a chance to hear you speak 0:20:02.160 --> 0:20:04.800 several times. We had some time on the ground in DC, 0:20:05.520 --> 0:20:07.359 and then we're from here, so we see you, you know, 0:20:07.359 --> 0:20:09.240 from time to time, just kind of popping up at 0:20:09.280 --> 0:20:11.600 all the events where there's an audience and they hand 0:20:11.600 --> 0:20:12.920 you the microphone and you do your thing. 0:20:13.000 --> 0:20:17.040 So sometimes they don't even tell me. Actually that makes it. See, 0:20:17.040 --> 0:20:18.879 at least you both told me. I knew where I 0:20:18.960 --> 0:20:20.560 was coming to it. Sometimes I go to a place. 0:20:20.680 --> 0:20:22.679 One thing I've I've learned just as a as a 0:20:22.680 --> 0:20:26.399 funny aside as Mayor is, I'll walk in places and 0:20:26.480 --> 0:20:28.600 I'll before I get somewhere, you know, my chief of 0:20:28.600 --> 0:20:31.240 staff or someone will ask me, you know, are. 0:20:31.200 --> 0:20:33.439 You do you have any speaking points? Mayor. I'm like, no, 0:20:33.480 --> 0:20:34.920 I'm not expecting to talk at this event. 0:20:34.960 --> 0:20:37.000 They just said, we'll just ask them to show up, 0:20:37.560 --> 0:20:40.000 and I'll show up somewhere, and then I'm kind of 0:20:40.040 --> 0:20:43.280 standing off of the bat, you know, watching Its almost like, hey, Mayor, 0:20:43.280 --> 0:20:44.719 can you come up and say if your words here? 0:20:44.720 --> 0:20:46.359 I'm like, I don't have anything prepared. 0:20:46.760 --> 0:20:49.120