Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news.
Speaker 2: Some of the messaging from President Biden last night and
Speaker 2: also was talking about women in particular. That is something
Speaker 2: that we heard from the incumbent president on the issue
Speaker 2: of diversity, not just for women, but all kinds of
Speaker 2: demographics across America.
Speaker 3: In America where the fund amount created this nation that
Speaker 3: all of us are created equal, it's still very much
Speaker 3: alive and abroad. Coalition of Americas joined with me. Eighty
Speaker 3: one million voters voted for us day time in all
Speaker 3: of history. Because of all of you in this room
Speaker 3: and others, we came together in twenty twenty to save democracy.
Speaker 3: As your President, I've been determined to keep America moving forward,
Speaker 3: not going back, to stand against Hayden violence in all
Speaker 3: its forms, to be a nation where we not only
Speaker 3: live with, but thrive on diversity, demonize you know, one,
Speaker 3: lead you know behind, and becoming a nation that we
Speaker 3: profess to be.
Speaker 2: For more on that message and this convention as a whole.
Speaker 2: We're joined now by Congressman Catherine Clark of Massachusetts, the
Speaker 2: House Minority, which he's here with us in our studios
Speaker 2: in Chicago. Congressman, thank you so much for being.
Speaker 1: Here my pleasure.
Speaker 2: Of course. We heard the President last night referring to diversity,
Speaker 2: talking as we heard many about the big tent in
Speaker 2: the Democratic Party. It is literally your job in the
Speaker 2: House to bring all those diverse forces together to be
Speaker 2: singing the same song. Can you just walk us through
Speaker 2: what it was like within the membership of the House
Speaker 2: to line everybody up behind what is now the Harris campaign,
Speaker 2: not the Biden campaign.
Speaker 1: I have to say, out of all the tasks I've
Speaker 1: had as a whip in the House for the Democratic Party,
Speaker 1: this was perhaps the easiest. People immediately gravitated to Kamala
Speaker 1: Harris and saw her as our standard bearer for all
Speaker 1: the things that we have worked on with her as
Speaker 1: Vice president and her vision for the future. So whether
Speaker 1: that's lowering costs, whether it is growing the middle class,
Speaker 1: protecting our fundamental freedoms like reproductive freedom, Kamala Harris has
Speaker 1: been our partner. And that was truly just almost instantaneous,
Speaker 1: that movement from President Joe Biden to her candidacy, because
Speaker 1: we knew she was the candidate for the moment.
Speaker 4: It's a very delicate thing we're witnessing, though, and witnessed
Speaker 4: last night to see Joe Biden talking to the delegates there.
Speaker 4: I know it went very late into the evening, but
Speaker 4: the people in the room weren't concerned about the time.
Speaker 4: Obviously it had a rally feel to it, but there
Speaker 4: was a bittersweet emotional feel to this. It happens so fast. Congresswoman,
Speaker 4: how does he feel when you talk to him? What
Speaker 4: kind of emotions was he experiencing?
Speaker 1: You know, I think we saw it on display, a
Speaker 1: true pride. And what has always been a hallmark for
Speaker 1: Joe Biden is his gratitude to be able to serve.
Speaker 1: What an incredible quality in a politician and a leader,
Speaker 1: and it is what has made him a transformative president,
Speaker 1: that idea that there is a bigger calling here, that
Speaker 1: the American people are always at the center of his work,
Speaker 1: and it's at the center of this extremely patriotic decision.
Speaker 1: And so last night he deserved every minute of those
Speaker 1: accolades from the crowd, that genuine affection for him, respect
Speaker 1: for the job and his service. And we look across
Speaker 1: the aisle at Donald Trump and you see the exact opposite.
Speaker 1: He says, Democrats state it's in one eighty because he
Speaker 1: cannot fathom giving up power for something bigger than himself.
Speaker 1: That is where Donald Trump is. It is always about
Speaker 1: how he will benefit, not how the American people will,
Speaker 1: not how the Democratic Party that is based on values will.
Speaker 1: So I'm sure he is wrestling with this moment, calling
Speaker 1: it a coup because he cannot understand it, because he
Speaker 1: could never do what Joe Biden did well.
Speaker 2: Joe Biden has suggested his decision wasn't even as much
Speaker 2: about his ability to defeat Donald Trump, but instead the
Speaker 2: impact he could have, perhaps detrimentally on House and Senate
Speaker 2: races and the ability for other Democrats to win. What
Speaker 2: has changed for the Democrats' odds of retaking the majority
Speaker 2: in the House since Harris assumed her role as the
Speaker 2: Democratic nominee. How many seats realistically do you think you
Speaker 2: can pick up?
Speaker 1: You know, I have always been bullish on the Democrats
Speaker 1: retaking the House because what we've seen are do nothing
Speaker 1: at best and real extremism that the American people are rejecting.
Speaker 1: And so what we're seeing is this incredible energy and
Speaker 1: momentum that we are going to turn into action and
Speaker 1: in real time that is meaningful. Our candidates have seen
Speaker 1: a surge in volunteers of small first time donors. When
Speaker 1: you get that ten fifteen to twenty dollars donation, that's
Speaker 1: a vote, that.
Speaker 2: Is a boat of translate into ten fifteen extra seats
Speaker 2: in the House.
Speaker 1: Though well, we certainly hope so. But my number is
Speaker 1: the whip and I like to keep tagging the numbers
Speaker 1: is to eighteen. That's our goal to win that majority
Speaker 1: and be able to bring the voices of everyday people
Speaker 1: back into the process. We have seen from the GOP
Speaker 1: is this complete focus on their own power, their own
Speaker 1: civil war that they're engaging in, and the American people
Speaker 1: feel like they're outside looking in. When we've continued to
Speaker 1: work with the Biden Harris administration to bring down the
Speaker 1: costs of healthcare, cap insulin at thirty five dollars a month,
Speaker 1: take on big pharma and say it is time that
Speaker 1: people be able to afford their life saving medication. Make
Speaker 1: those investments in climate change that also are great for
Speaker 1: the economy, and all of that work was done and
Speaker 1: brought down our deficit at the same time. These are
Speaker 1: the kind of investments that we are going to build
Speaker 1: upon and continue to help families meet the very real
Speaker 1: challenges they're facing still in this economy with Kamala Harris.
Speaker 4: The issue of Israel and it's war against Tomas has
Speaker 4: been obviously a big one in this campaign in the
Speaker 4: primary cycle, and it's brought some fissures to the Democratic
Speaker 4: conference in the House. We've got tens of thousands of
Speaker 4: protesters here in Chicago that have been part of the story.
Speaker 4: You've also got a couple dozen delegates who are not
Speaker 4: committed for this reason, Important congresswomen, will it be for
Speaker 4: the Biden administration, the Biden Harris administration to strike a
Speaker 4: ceasefire deal this week?
Speaker 1: You know, it is all hands on deck and they
Speaker 1: are working so hard to make sure that we end
Speaker 1: this war, that we have a cease fire, that we
Speaker 1: can bring those hostages home, and that we can surge
Speaker 1: aid to Palestinian civilians who, through no fault of their own,
Speaker 1: have suffered horrendously and continue to suffer. So we appreciate
Speaker 1: that there are protesters here, that's part of the democratic process.
Speaker 1: We respect their right to be here, and we hope
Speaker 1: that remains peaceful. But it is the goal of the
Speaker 1: Democratic Party to bring peace and security not only to Israel,
Speaker 1: but to the region.
Speaker 2: And of course we know those conversations are ongoing. We'll
Speaker 2: still wait to hear more from Hamass to whether or
Speaker 2: not it will agree. I'm also curious the conversations you're
Speaker 2: having related to your everyday job in Washington. Obviously still
Speaker 2: on the August recess, but when you come back in September,
Speaker 2: it's going to be a race against the clock to
Speaker 2: avoid a government shutdown. Are you in conversations already with
Speaker 2: leadership and Republican leadership about how that's going to be
Speaker 2: avoided when you return to Washington in a few weeks,
Speaker 2: What exactly are you going to have to whip.
Speaker 1: You know, I'm so glad you brought that out because
Speaker 1: one thing we realized from the very start, when we
Speaker 1: were in the fifteen rounds of Kevin McCarthy be trying
Speaker 1: to become a speaker, that we are in the minorities.
Speaker 1: So we have reached our hand out to them at
Speaker 1: every turn to say, work with us, help us prevent shutdowns,
Speaker 1: help us get to a budget process that matters. And
Speaker 1: what we have seen from them is a rejection of
Speaker 1: that and a move to try and coddle the most
Speaker 1: extreme members of their extreme party. And so it is
Speaker 1: really like such a basic fundamental job and response on's
Speaker 1: ability of the House of Representatives to pass our budgets,
Speaker 1: and they have utterly failed to do that. So once again,
Speaker 1: it will be Democrats, as we have done repeatedly, who
Speaker 1: will keep government functioning, who will come to the table
Speaker 1: forge a compromise. Because we work for the American people.
Speaker 1: They are working to try and hold their own coalitions together,
Speaker 1: and that's the fundamental difference. We're seeing it play out
Speaker 1: around reproductive freedom for women. We're seeing it play out
Speaker 1: and bringing down the cost of groceries and housing, these
Speaker 1: issues that I hear about as I not only travel
Speaker 1: my district but travel the country. That is what people
Speaker 1: are worried about. That is what they want to see
Speaker 1: in Congress. It's why we're going to win the majority back.
Speaker 4: Meet us back in Washington so we can continue this conversation. Congressoman,
Speaker 4: it's great to see you. Love to thanks for the
Speaker 4: Times Today on Zoomberg TV and Radio.