WEBVTT - Majority Whip/Illinois Senator Dick Durbin Talks DNC's Message

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

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<v Speaker 2>Joining us now here in Chicago is Senate Majority Whip

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<v Speaker 2>and Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Dick Durbin of Illinois.

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<v Speaker 2>We are here in his home state for this Democratic

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<v Speaker 2>National Convention. Sir, thank you so much for joining us

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<v Speaker 2>on Bloomberg TV and radio. It's great to see you.

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<v Speaker 1>Good to be here.

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<v Speaker 2>And this is, as we've been remarking upon all week,

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<v Speaker 2>a very different convention than maybe some expected just four

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<v Speaker 2>weeks ago. Certainly we have a different candidate, but it

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<v Speaker 2>also feels like we have a bit of a different message.

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<v Speaker 2>Joe Biden was making his campaign very much about democracy,

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<v Speaker 2>talking about January sixth, as we heard Nancy Pelosi do

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<v Speaker 2>last night. Certainly Donald Trump hasn't shied away from that.

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<v Speaker 2>Either he's calling them patriots or prisoners in the case

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<v Speaker 2>of some of those who have been convicted. It feels

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<v Speaker 2>like that's not getting focused on as much now that

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<v Speaker 2>Harris is at the top of the ticket, And I

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<v Speaker 2>wonder what you think about that. Is that actually still

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<v Speaker 2>the winning message for Democrats?

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<v Speaker 1>I think the message is freedom and so many different

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<v Speaker 1>aspects of it. Certainly when it comes to reproductive choice.

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<v Speaker 1>We've found all across the United States, so called safe

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<v Speaker 1>red states are voting for women's rights, women's right to

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<v Speaker 1>have the freedom to decide the future of their bodies

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<v Speaker 1>and their families. I think that is an underlying thing

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<v Speaker 1>you continue to hear. So freedom is in the heart

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<v Speaker 1>of the issue of this campaign.

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<v Speaker 3>Freedom is pretty broad, and I'd like to stay at

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<v Speaker 3>a thirty thousand foot level with you here because you've

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<v Speaker 3>been doing this longer than some of the people in

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<v Speaker 3>this hall, where it told the economy is the number

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<v Speaker 3>one issue. We're told that people are very concerned about

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<v Speaker 3>the border. But when you look at this broadly, this election,

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<v Speaker 3>what is the choice beyond freedom when it comes to

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<v Speaker 3>the actual issues that people will make their decisions.

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<v Speaker 1>On here, well, I think the choice spoils down to

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<v Speaker 1>a very simple phrase. Do we want to go back

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<v Speaker 1>to the era of Donald Trump as president? And all

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<v Speaker 1>of that brought us, you know, we kind of laughing

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<v Speaker 1>off now when he suggested somehow another bleach was going

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<v Speaker 1>to be the answer to the COVID crisis that had

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<v Speaker 1>just disappear, and some of the other things that he

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<v Speaker 1>did as president, we really destrugged our shoulders and said

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<v Speaker 1>that may not be normal for the rest of the world,

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<v Speaker 1>but it's normal for Donald Trump. I think the American people,

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<v Speaker 1>if they watched this convention, understand there's going to be

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<v Speaker 1>a clear choice here whether we're moving forward with a

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<v Speaker 1>new outlook that's more positive towards relationships of Americans are

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<v Speaker 1>returning to.

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<v Speaker 2>That Trump era well, and part of the Trump era

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<v Speaker 2>was marked by his ability to appoint a number of

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<v Speaker 2>conservative justices to the Supreme Court, some of whom, of course,

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<v Speaker 2>have come under fire or have been looked into by

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<v Speaker 2>the Judiciary Committee within the last years. There's been concerns

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<v Speaker 2>raised about ethics. How much of this election is also

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<v Speaker 2>about the next president's ability to potentially change the shape

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<v Speaker 2>of the Court. Knowing that one of the things Joe

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<v Speaker 2>Biden wants to do before leaving officer has suggested seeing

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<v Speaker 2>done is Supreme Court reformed.

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<v Speaker 1>Dobbs decision was a grammary mind to the American people

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<v Speaker 1>that the selection of a Streme Court justice can affect

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<v Speaker 1>their lives personally. I mean, just look at the reaction

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<v Speaker 1>across the United States of repealing Roe versus. Wade. Donald

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<v Speaker 1>Trump brags about that, but I can tell you most

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<v Speaker 1>Americans don't brag with him. They think this is a

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<v Speaker 1>serious problem, and it is a serious problem for women

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<v Speaker 1>and their families all across the country. So it's a

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<v Speaker 1>reminder too that that basic freedom needs to have someone

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<v Speaker 1>to protect it, and Kama Heiras will do that.

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<v Speaker 3>When I think Dick Durbin, I think Chicago, and I'd

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<v Speaker 3>like to hear from you on what this convention means

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<v Speaker 3>for the image of this city, maybe the economy as well.

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<v Speaker 3>You've got thousands, tens of thousands of people from around

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<v Speaker 3>the country in town here, and Donald Trump is comparing

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<v Speaker 3>Chicago to Afghanistan. He says it's more dangerous than Afghanistan,

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<v Speaker 3>pointing to one hundred and seventeen shootings on the fourth

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<v Speaker 3>of July. What do you want people to take away?

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<v Speaker 3>People are watching this from all over the country about

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<v Speaker 3>Chicago that they might not know this week.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, crime and gun violence is an American problem. It

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<v Speaker 1>is just a Chicago problem. And they can try all

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<v Speaker 1>I wish to blame this administration or the Democrats because

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<v Speaker 1>of the political makeup in Illinois. The bottom line I'm

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<v Speaker 1>hearing from conventioneers is they've been dazzled by this city. Luckily,

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<v Speaker 1>the weather couldn't be better for in August in Chicago.

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<v Speaker 1>But in addition to that, the mayor has done a

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<v Speaker 1>great job and cleaning up the city and a terrific

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<v Speaker 1>job with law enforcement to make sure that we give

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<v Speaker 1>people their First Amendment rights, but to stop them short

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<v Speaker 1>of violence and vandalism. It really makes me sick to

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<v Speaker 1>my stomach when I hear JD. Van's going up to

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<v Speaker 1>Wisconsin and talking about the terrible situation with crime in Chicago.

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<v Speaker 1>It was Jad advanced personally stop the appointment of a

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<v Speaker 1>permanent US Attorney to the City of Chicago. Jdevans personally.

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<v Speaker 1>I confronted him on the floor of the Senate several

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<v Speaker 1>times over that decision. He said he wanted to grind

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<v Speaker 1>the Department of Justice to halt. You tell me that's

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<v Speaker 1>a law and art of candidate. I think it's a

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<v Speaker 1>weird candidate, to be honest with you, who suggests that

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<v Speaker 1>closing down the Department of Justice is the right thing

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<v Speaker 1>to do, and he did it.

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<v Speaker 2>Senator, you just alluded to some of the protests we

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<v Speaker 2>have seen since being here in Chicago. Though they have

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<v Speaker 2>been I think is fair to say smaller in scale

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<v Speaker 2>than many expected or even feared coming into this week

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<v Speaker 2>when it comes to the protest over the war ongoing

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<v Speaker 2>in Gaza, has it surprised you the degree to which

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<v Speaker 2>they haven't been as disruptive or as robust, and do

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<v Speaker 2>you think that may be attributable to the change in candidate.

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<v Speaker 2>This isn't Biden's convention, it's Harry.

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<v Speaker 1>I think that's it. I think you put your finger

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<v Speaker 1>on it. Plus, there was a conscious effort by the

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<v Speaker 1>mayor and other leaders to work with the demonstrators and say,

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<v Speaker 1>we will protect your First Amendment rights, but we're not

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<v Speaker 1>going to condone violence and vandalism. We just not accept it.

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<v Speaker 1>We're not going to accept that. And so the police

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<v Speaker 1>have done a good job here, I think, and when

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<v Speaker 1>you consider past conventions, that is a very positive thing

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<v Speaker 1>to say. But the bottom line, as far as I'm

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<v Speaker 1>concerned is we understand and they understand if the alternative

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<v Speaker 1>is Donald Trump and making these foreign policy decisions, they're

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<v Speaker 1>willing to work with Kamala Harris to see if there's

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<v Speaker 1>a reasonable way to resolve these Is that right?

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<v Speaker 3>Joe Biden has struggles to reach a ceasefire here. It

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<v Speaker 3>was back in May when you rolled out that initial

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<v Speaker 3>six point plan and he says he's going to make

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<v Speaker 3>this the priority for the rest of his term. If

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<v Speaker 3>he cannot secure a cease fire, is Kamala Harris going

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<v Speaker 3>to have an easier time doing well.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a big challenge for whoever as coming up with

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<v Speaker 1>the agreement and then enforcing it. We all know, at

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<v Speaker 1>least I feel I was with first senators say so

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<v Speaker 1>that there should be a cease fire and stop military

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<v Speaker 1>operations and release the hostages. That I think is the

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<v Speaker 1>starting point to eventually finding some solution in the Middle East.

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<v Speaker 1>I've been disappointed with mister Nettyahoo when it comes to

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<v Speaker 1>a two state solution. I believe in it. I think

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<v Speaker 1>that's been a policy in the past and should be again.

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<v Speaker 2>Obviously, he wants to see that done, as I mentioned earlier,

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<v Speaker 2>he also would like to see reforms to the Supreme Court,

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<v Speaker 2>something that would take congressional cooperation, and I'm not sure, sir,

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<v Speaker 2>how realistic you think that may be, Which brings us

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<v Speaker 2>to the point of whether or not you have more

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<v Speaker 2>faith now than you would have maybe four weeks ago,

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<v Speaker 2>for your party to retain control of the Senate. For

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<v Speaker 2>you to be able to retain your place as the majority,

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<v Speaker 2>there is.

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<v Speaker 1>No question, there is a new spirit and energy in

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<v Speaker 1>the Democratic Party for this election. It started when the

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<v Speaker 1>decision was made by Joe Biden to step aside, a

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<v Speaker 1>selfless decision that I respect him for very much. And

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<v Speaker 1>that new attitude and approach is something that Donald Trump's

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<v Speaker 1>been unable to match. He just can't do it, and

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<v Speaker 1>he's frustrated by it. That's why he says these bizarre

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<v Speaker 1>things about We'll have one election, this will be the

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<v Speaker 1>last one. What in the hell is he talking about.

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<v Speaker 1>This is America. He doesn't get to dictated. The Constitution

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<v Speaker 1>makes it clear what the law is. And he's reaching

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<v Speaker 1>out in every direction, flailing away because this is a

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<v Speaker 1>new candidate he didn't anticipate.

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<v Speaker 3>I suspect that you've had a chance to talk with

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<v Speaker 3>your old colleague from the Senate about his decision to

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<v Speaker 3>drop out of the presidential race. Did you give Joe

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<v Speaker 3>Biden any advice? Did he have words for you?

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<v Speaker 1>We did not, And I made a point, after thirty

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<v Speaker 1>years of friendship, not to make a public statement, but

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<v Speaker 1>to be in contact with him and talked to him.

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<v Speaker 1>And I've done that since after he made that decision.

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<v Speaker 1>But what it boiled down to her two sentences in

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<v Speaker 1>his speech to this convention, I love this job, but

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<v Speaker 1>I love this country even more. And I think that

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<v Speaker 1>really spelled out his resignation to the fact that he

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<v Speaker 1>is now going to be moving on and has to

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<v Speaker 1>live with his record, which I think has been one

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<v Speaker 1>of the best in history.

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<v Speaker 3>It's great for you to come and see us in Chicago.

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<v Speaker 3>Thanks for showing us around.

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<v Speaker 1>So good here. Come back sometime when there's no absolutely