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The Bakari Sellers Podcast
Donna Brazile on Vice Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris
Donna Brazile on Vice Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris

Donna Brazile on Vice Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris

The Bakari Sellers PodcastGo to Podcast Page

Bakari Sellers, Donna Brazile
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28 Clips
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Aug 13, 2020
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Episode Summary
Episode Transcript
0:10
It's gonna be okay. Thank you so much for joining us on another episode of the bakari sellers podcast. I mean, it's amazing that we've made it this far. I hope you guys caught a special emergency pod with Angela right about the announcement that we're going to talk about much more today a vice Vice President Biden and it's a tongue twister because Vice President Biden
0:30
As for his vice president to be none other than my good friend the senator from the great state of California Kamala Harris and I had an opportunity to sit with Kamala Harris during one of my book talks on my book tour for my Vanishing country. We were having an event at politics and prose in Washington DC virtually, of course talking about everything with my good friend Tiffany crosses the moderator and here calmly and I just discussed the future of this country and understand both that it's not what this country was or
1:00
What it is, but what it can be. So here check out, uh said politics and prose earlier this year right after we went into quarantine. I wanted to show my love to my community. So my love to people of color. I want to show my love to particularly black women my children my father, but even more importantly I wanted to show my love to this country that I love so much showing its flaws and pushing it to be a more perfect union. I don't think it's anything wrong with challenging things. You love to be better.
1:30
And so that is that that's and I have a lot of friends on here who do not understand my experience and do not understand my trauma, but my trauma may not be there but we can learn from each other's trauma and we can learn how to persevere together. I think that's the important part about writing books like this.
1:47
One of the aspects of akari's voice that I find to be particularly important and necessary. Is it as the voice of a black man? Who is the
2:00
Son of the Civil Rights Movement from the south as a contemporary, man.
2:08
Who is a national leader about the issues that are present and future the father of young children, but who has an acute awareness and knowledge of the past and history to put in context the present and the future. It's a very special voice that he has and perspective that should be incorporated in anyone's perspective about who our country is both past and present but also who can be in the future.
2:38
And that's that's one of the reasons. I'm so proud to support but Kerry's book and in his voice because I absolutely believe it is a critical voice and perspective if we are to actually be our best selves as a
2:50
country now before I talk about what I expect over the course of the next few months and years out of a Biden Administration and a Harris vice presidency with my good friend and mentor and former colleague at CNN Donna brazile. I think it's worth talking a bit about the process. We just went through and what this means for black women.
3:08
And and black people and how we should read this historic pick in the moment. We're in first we shouldn't view the Harris pick and isolation. You see Vice President Biden had an agenda or has an agenda for Black America. He has a racial Equity plan. I provide a constructive criticisms on both plans. But what I want to note that these plans go much further than any other presidential candidate in our lifetimes including Barack Obama and this pick along with these agendas will likely
3:38
Be led by a vice president Harris in a substantive victory for black voters. There is a policy agenda that accompanies this black pick and I encourage all of you all to read both the racial equity and the Black Agenda plans before you talk shit on the internet. We know people love to do that, but read the plans first and as we'll discuss with Donna brazile in my interview in addition to the Biden Black Agenda and the Biden racial Equity plan. We will have a black woman potentially.
4:08
Eating the Biden administration's efforts around police and Criminal Justice Reform being the face of a real National strategy to address covid-19 and helping to lead our economic recovery to covid which is hit black communities in black women the hardest further to this point. You should view the Harris pick and tandem with the vice president's other promise that he'll nominate a black woman to the Supreme Court. I want to put a few names out there for you all to start researching and start talking about
4:38
Very Beasley the Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court Howard law school dean and my good friend former administrative law teacher of mine Danielle. Holly Walker US District Court, Judge can't on G Brown Jackson Harvard law professor and Edgefield South Carolina native Tamiko Brown Nagin the NAACP legal defense fund sherrilyn Ifill and California Supreme Court associate Justice Leandra Kruger. If anyone from the Biden campaign is listening My Hope Is that you'll build on the momentum of this?
5:08
Eric VP pick by releasing a list of Supreme Court Justices, you'll consider that includes these names of prominent black women judges and professors and legal Minds who along with a Madam vice president Kamala Harris and the substantive policy agenda that the Biden campaign is put forth in the portfolio that we can expect a VP Harris to lead. We will finally repay black women for the work that they tirelessly put into the Democratic politics that got us this far and move this country forward if
5:38
Doesn't motivate black votes to vote in November nothing will but now let's get to my interview with someone who I loved adore and look up to who is now a Fox news commentator my good friend Donna brazile. I'm Justin charity and I'm Michael Peters and this is sound only it's not anime podcast, but we're going to be talking about music. We're going to be talking about video
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games. We're going to be
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talking about strange stuff from the dark corners of the internet that piques our interest
6:08
First we're excited. We're super excited.
6:11
I'm Justin charity, and I'm my
6:13
capitis and this is sound only we're back at just on Spotify or wherever you get your podcast. Let's go.
6:28
Donna brazile welcomes, welcome to the bakari sellers podcast that today is a good day and I can't think of anybody better to join us then you how are you feeling this morning about Kamala Harris being chosen as the next Vice President of the United States
6:43
of America?
6:45
You know but a past weekend when I had an opportunity to talk to some of my best friends in the whole world and we did a check in on Sunday after Mass after church and we did a prayer. And once again, we wanted faith and guidance and what we were doing. I felt good that night. We had a zoom called with over 125 black women from all across the country all walks of life. Not just politics where people from Silicon Valley. We have people from Hollywood, of course, we have people
7:15
Well from everyday existence and and much more and when we finished that call I said we're going to rise this might happen. We may indeed elect a black woman as vice president and I think the consensus on the call and some of the women included friends of yours as well. The consensus was Kamala Harris and not everyone agreed in the beginning but toward the end of this.
7:45
Process and we've been at this for months. I remember when I was only six people on the call and then we grew to 10 and at 12. We like wow. I mean these were 12 of the Bettors sisters in American politics and we kept at it. We requested a meeting with the vice president and he granted it. We requested of them. Well, you know what? I'll get into the content. Yeah, let's be honest. Let's be clear we
8:15
The case. In fact, I still have all my notes. We made the case of you know, in terms of expanding the Electoral College securing those three states that Trump picked out of the blue wall and 2016. We talked about the number of nine voters who would be excited about a different kind of ticket. We also talked about the process because at least several of us have been through this process of selecting a vice president. We work for candidates who had to make this decision but in
8:45
The end we talked about this moment. And this was before this was after Brianna Taylor was murder. But before George Lord was murdered and after George Ford, I mean our tongue shift it there's no question that covid-19.
9:15
Line and so many others we knew we had to stay at it and stay at it and stay at it and not just convince the vice president and his team but also many of our Democratic colleagues. I mean some of them thought they knew more than we did and we're like hello Mei I said on one call. I'll never forget it because I did the calculation that I had. You know, I had served as a surrogate for over forty two Democratic candidates over the
9:45
last three years since Hillary's defeat and I said boy to I travel and bukhari. I'm not on the ones. Hey, I'm not on the payroll Fox News contributor. Okay how University Georgetown University and so I said, I have travel on behalf of the democratic party my entire adult life, but in these closing moments of this campaign season, we need to find someone who can go across that Pettus bridge and I'll never forget the night the one of my colleagues and
10:15
You know, I'll continue to keep this these conversations is probably as possible. But she said we can't Carriage the white people across the bridge. We can't catch the white people anymore. We've done that we've done that for the last 55 years since the Voting Rights Act. We need to carry someone who looks like us and who will help us usher in a new era. So I'm excited. I'm excited to say that I firmly believe that Kamala Harris is the real deal. Not only is she qualified.
10:45
I'd to serve as vice president, but I do believe that she is qualified to serve as president. She has been vetted. She's gone undergone a lot of scrutiny, but I think she is perhaps the vice-president best chance to secure it away house in 2020.
11:03
So a lot of people don't know your background. They don't know you come from the lineage of Jesse Jackson, right? They don't know that you've toiled in the venue but in the context of History going from that 1984 campaign at 1980.
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Campaign of Jesse and Yaya urges stirring so much shit up in 1984 and 88 and y'all were just changing the Dynamics of what the Democratic party was what it was going to be. You know, we stand on the shoulders of many of you all who came through that campaign. What does that like in the context of History to go from Barbara Jordan and Shirley Chisholm and Jesse Jackson to now Kamala Harris. Oh and Barack Obama not to skip him and and now and now Kamala
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Harris, you know, I've been a member of the rules and bylaws committee.
11:45
Since 1997. I've also served as co-chair the rules and bylaws committee when I'm at the table. The the person that comes to mind most is Fannie Lou Hamer. When we began after the Jackson campaigns of 1984 and 1988. We began to work on those rules to enable someone like Kamala someone like Barack Someone Like Jesse Jackson to go through the
12:15
Process and of course since the Jackson 84-88 campaigns we saw Al Sharpton in 2004, Carol Moseley Braun in 2004. And then Barack Obama in 2008. We knew that the rules had to be changed. We knew that the rules had to reflect the growing involvement and participation of African Americans and others into the political process. And so we ensure that those rules were reflected the diversity of the party and many of us some of us.
12:45
Started by knocking on doors and doing voter registration campaigns. And of course in my case, I have been a campaign manager. I've been a deputy campaign manager and I've been chair of the democratic party twice. I am so proud that we have come to this moment looking back at all of those concrete changes that we've made all of the different steps that we had to take individually and as a group mignon more my one of my best friend's she's one of my best friend's I tell her
13:15
Tell me to shut up as many young because
13:17
maybe I don't know have to worry about where you stand with Minyan at all. She will tell you how she feels about you and about and the things you think you doing right whether or not you're doing them right at all. I love
13:27
you. She could do it in a voice if that calms my spirit because we on knows but I I can you know, I'm a weapon. I'm a Louisiana Woman. Okay, I can I throw some Tabasco on you. Okay at me y'all have this calmness.
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I mean she is she's like Trinity she knows how to and then we have Lea we got the preacher and I'll family now the bishop and its
13:54
interpretation is the but the bishop has gotten a little edge of the bishop says she's sick and tired of being sick and tired. That's what the bishop has said.
14:01
I never thought in my political life that the bishop would be the most she was a risk-taker. I mean, he looked her experience also on the DNC as the chair.
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Not one but two historic conventions 2008 and 2016 Leah has been at the table when it mattered most because when you set the table, you got to have the right the right types of plates and napkins and glasses and whatever silverware and she does that so well, but you know who also sets the room Yolanda Caraway
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Yolanda is a bad woman been a bad woman for Allah.
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I mean
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then Ron Brown and I have to tell you since I'm down in my basement where all my books are Look For Colored Girls Who consider politics. This was our best selling book and double AC p-- image award and I'm for best non-fiction in 2018. The reason why we wrote this book is because we want a new generation of activists to understand. Why was it important to carry Willie barrels bag while I was important to work for Shirley Chisholm why it was important.
15:15
To be involved in the Jackson campaign. This is a book of our struggles and triumphs and our troubles. We even have a chapter called the troubles. I mean we talked about when Rosa Parks was laid to rest and how we secured after we were able to get the Rotunda and we secured all of the various logistical objects to make it happen how we got Condoleezza Rice involved how we were able to get the Congress involved.
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Of how we are able to get the White House involved and then when we got to the AME Church to little rest and we realize that the pallbearers that we were using came from the capital and we had to go outside and say to the Metropolitan Police. Hey come here when this door is written.
16:15
And I'm trying my best because I cried my eyes out until 2:00 in the morning. We were raising money all through the day and the night we couldn't stop ourselves another hundred dollars and we said akas is now, you know pledging this much detail to switch. Can y'all come chapters written?
16:35
when his stories told
16:37
when we are able to tell a new generation how you keep the faith and how we were able through out this entire process. We talked to Susan Rice. We talked to Karen bass. We talk see Stacey Abrams. We talked to Keisha Lance bottom. And of course we talked to comma we say we are not in common was the first one and say months ago when her name what's her name was out there. We said call me a name is out there. She said but don't hit me again snow sisters don't we ain't playing that?
17:07
She said I don't even as a support of her she would not she was adamant. She said we are not attacking other black women in this process. We just we won't go there that's not us we won't go there. And so it was let's talk a minute about the process though because you've been a part of selecting a vice president what goes into that process and do you think I mean II believe the answer is yes that there was an inherent unfairness and what we saw the bitterness of people pitting because you
17:37
never saw any articles about Gretchen Whitmer being the anti Elizabeth Warren, right? You never saw that you did you Karen bass is a woman who was the former speaker of the house in California. She Rose to these levels on her own Merit to only be deduced to the anti Kamala Harris or the attacks against Susan talk to me about this process what goes into it and then what we saw unfold
18:01
well as a lot that goes into it and after we had that first conversation with the vice president I decided
18:07
Let you know back off. I mean we gave him his our best advice at that time. We were like a black woman and of course we talked about all of the sisters. We say here all of the pros and cons. I mean the cons was that hey, you know, they've never been vice president. We've had 48 wife - okay. All right, but here are the pros and we gave no fool Keisha to Val to Karen to Kamala to Susan to Stacy and some others we we we were like
18:34
if they go
18:37
but I have to tell you one other thing I brought up at every opportunity with the vice president would his team with everyone and I was willing to tell the world I was there when Geraldine Ferraro was selected. I kept saying to them. Do you want me to come down to my basement and show you all of the buttons of every woman who was under consideration and that one black woman was under?
19:07
Iteration, so I am going to clear that we had lived through this process all of us. We were not bringing a B team to that 18. We're bringing the A+ team to their a team. We knew the process as campaign manager. I knew the process as the senior advisor to the Clinton campaign me y'all knew the process we knew the process. And so we said give us an opportunity.
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Petit to have one or more of these women bet it fella if there's something we need to know tell us but Vella Vella and we said when you finish batna let us know because we want to be the ones we who have struggled and worked in this party all of our Lives. We want to be the ones to say. Hey girlfriend. This ain't your time the
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same for you,
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let it come from you.
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That's what bothered us is in the closing three weeks when I look back three weeks ago.
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And after a certain phone call to a certain group of people I'm going to say name was Lester sisters. Tell her and then I'll Echo it then all of a sudden there was and it came from the West Coast now. I ain't gonna lie to you came from the West Coast for the spread. He's quicker than I've ever seen a Jack and it came and then all of a sudden they see what Karen bass is on the consideration. We said, oh great. I mean the more battle Yeah, but it wasn't like well, but she
20:44
Is gone replaced table will I walk? No, we don't play that. Nope. We ain't replace we add if y'all are down to one or two candidates and you need to add another one fine. We call that Lagniappe in Louisiana a little something extra okay at it but don't subtract right and and when we found out this was a hit.
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We of course we call Karen we can't we communicated with sister Kamala Harris to and we say girls. Do y'all know where this is coming from? They didn't know so I picked up the phone and I called I need more phone calls to California and the last three weeks and I made in probably the last three years and I started with mirrors. I started with the governor's team. I started with Pelosi.
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I wanted to know where this was coming from
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because we saw this hit emerge that was Kamala has not even well liked in California. It was the weirdest thing ever. I don't know when
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I know because you know, I know
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I know you know, I know to actually I already know where it came from and I didn't
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he's just say this. Let me just say this
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and just for those listening I want the haters and know commonly knows where he came from to
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yes and that and and let me just say this.
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You can keep on hatin because I ain't going nowhere the love that I found out for for Senator Harris Let's go there. Yeah, the love was stronger than hate. Yeah, and one of the one of the and I'll give you one call. I'll give you a couple but I'm gonna give you one. Yeah, I'll call because I'm an old-school. I don't mind being called old school. I'll call a river and a Miss Brown. If not when I say old school. Now remember I come on Jesse. So I think every black Minister practically.
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Black Minister. I'm a Catholic girl the all know that they prayed for me and I love them too. That's because you
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like to drink real wine you we don't drink grape juice. I'm I am I'm Catholic light. I'm Episcopalian. We like real wine in my church. I don't drink that grape juice
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stuff because Jesus first miracle was turning water into wine, and I've been a Christian woman ever since I learned and I made when I made that fault phone call.
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And revel name is brown. Who was there for Martin Luther King there for Jazzy Jeff?
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He said she belongs to my church, Donna.
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Sasha Graham Brown so sir, he's a whole know where this is coming from but I'm gonna find out so we started making that call the mayor of San Francisco. You know, how I got to know London Bri come in at call me hyung will call me and said to me Dan I said, huh? She said the the head of the Board of Supervisors London burry is going to become the acting mayor I said, okay. She said but some just happened I said what they just ripped up because they think she's gonna run.
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Unfamiliar I said he scares me. I don't want Southwest because that was all I can afford in 24 hours and went out there and did a fundraiser for her hook for London Bree. I've never heard through Senator Harris who called me? Okay, this is how I know who Kamala Harris is. I know how to value system. I know what she cares about. I know where she go and seek Solace when she has to be in touch with her God and of course, I got one.
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The one for you who was that? I am part of Howard
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University. Oh, yeah. Y'all can't tell Howard you as a HBCU Morehouse great. We can't tell how it nothing right now. You can't tell him nothing their president. So happy deservingly.
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So I'll let me just say it is I have been on that campus now. I am the endowed chair for the Gwendolyn and kobuk paying lecture series and Kamala has been a part of my lecture series every time that University calls her.
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Her she is there for that University
24:44
is one of our first campaign stops
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and the former president of the student government Association works for her. She has given more young people like Cory another's opportunity to serve as interns on Capitol Hill opportunities to go places where they've never been before and because of that that campus right now. They said she is going to drive this like a bike myself.
25:13
You know and let me just take a moment to remember Tyrone Gayle who worked for Kamala Harris. We got a poor little bit out for Tyrone who passed away at a very very young age beautiful wife. I know he's smiling looking down today. He loves cam loves Hillary. I mean just think about all that you have done all that Maxine Waters has done all that Hillary Clinton has done and although it's not the Ultimate Prize. We still are chipping away at that glass ceiling. I mean when she wins and November
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What does that mean for black
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women?
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First of all what it means for women. This is the 100th anniversary of the suffrage in the fact that Hillary put 18 Millions little Kratts now we get to take it off to remove it. The glass ceiling has always been defined by the how we limit our own opportunities here. We are the majority of Voters the majority of engaged voters in the country. It will mean that
26:14
This is our first door that will allow us to succeed here the United States of America when it comes to female leadership and leadership in public office. We're almost to what the bottom we're not in the top and we've never seen ourselves as a society that applaud the leadership skills and qualities of women. Like we applaud the leadership skills like men and this likeability Gap we have to
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Go beyond the call, you know, I don't know if you realize that two weeks ago. Someone said that Susan Rice was not small enough. We're like really
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thank you. Remember who I can't remember who said that but it was it was absurd. I mean, that's what we that's where
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we because I called I called him out. I followed him out dale
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dale. I was like can first of all and you don't have to comment. I know that we all hang out in these groups, but I was like everyday land.
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. Sometimes it's time for you to go home this
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okay. Well, okay. Well, they arrest chairs in a democratic point but so am I I'm the former chair, correct? I mean no one asked me if I was smiling while mr. Putin was hacking the DNC. Nobody asked me if I was smiling when they began to interfere in our to no one asked me if I was smiling when they began to put false information out there that would that so confusion. No one asked me if I was smiling. All right, we can't smile everyday we
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Not smile when we are in pain. We cannot smile with our families are hurting. We cannot smile when people are suffering. No, don't ask me to smile when I'm at my job you smile. If you have to take that kind of that type of tragedy every day. No, stop asking us to be who you want us to be. We're not your wives
28:08
Amen to
28:09
that and we are leaders. We are leaders and like I said I said on Fox I had to
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Yesterday on Fox and someone again mention ambition and I what is wrong and Basin is at the heart of Public public service and that he asked Joe Biden had ambition Joe Biden ran for president. I mean he had
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ambition Barack Obama knew he had ambition what's wrong with that? I mean Al Gore had an ambition. I mean we see this all the time the only vice president. I know who didn't have any ambition. That's because he was practically president was Dick Cheney. He was on the way.
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He did he wanted to he
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was the president but every vice president has that ambition, but it serves you well, because you want to do right by the country.
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Someone asked me today on another Network. What did I think of the debate exchange between Kamala and Joe and I said just goes to show you that he knows that she's tough and and you know what I want for my Foxhole to because hell if I'm about to engage in the biggest battle of my life.
29:15
Is 77 years old. I want somebody like her who knows how to dig the tunnel and get out the Foxhole.
29:22
Okay, somebody asked me that and I said look if you want to know if somebody can throw a punch you need to ask the person who they punched Joe Biden knows better than anybody if Kamala Harris can throw a punch and so we'll see if you know Mike Pence got to get permission from his wife in order to have a meeting with another woman. So we'll see if he'll actually show up to the debate to sit there.
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How are the Republicans going to deal with Kamala Harris? She is. Well, they don't I'm just I how I don't think they're gonna be able to do it. Well, we all know that he just don't do anything but call women nasty anyway, but how is Trump in the Republican Party gonna deal with her?
29:59
Well, I've already gotten a long list of things that they're going to throw at the botton Harris ticket unless let's be clear. The first of the first strategy is to I guess show some shade the say that she's fine.
30:14
She's the most authentic person. I know in politics. All right, she has lived the life her experiences. Well, I think a lot of her to connect with so many Americans. All right, so they're going to talk about her her background as a prosecutor. Okay, let's talk about the people that shot people that she had to put in jail. Let's talk about the drug offenders that she had to develop Innovative programs to give them another.
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Another another day to bring
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track program, correct.
30:48
She and and of course they're going to attack them as being to the far left and before you know, it she's going to be Angela Davis like you never made Michelle Obama. Remember that what they did to Michelle Obama who was not even running is vice president or president. They're going to do the same thing and I'm putting my fists up because I'm ready to fight that one too. So they're going
31:14
To try to you know, let's just say darken her up a little bit more to make her radical to make up unacceptable and and they're gonna treat her the same way. They treated, you know, Hillary Clinton call a fiorina Elizabeth dough Elizabeth Warren and every other woman to ever write ran before they gonna big on say she laughed so hard. I mean they don't do the funny silly superficial things, but at the end of the day,
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They have to understand it dealing with a very educated a very smart. Very wise a very humble person at her core. I've got to know Kamala I get to know a lot of people but I have gotten to know her core how core values aligns with the values. I think the American people she deeply cares about children their future, you know when she married her husband and he had two kids.
32:14
And she went over and she baked cookies. I mean she brought cookies. That was her way of saying Hey, I want to be a part of your lives and you know for me I would have made some to I would but my dish would have been a little bit more, you know,
32:27
I didn't yeah, but I mean, you know, I want but you I don't know now that you know caramel can cook something she and she used and she used flavor. She got a lot of
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play something. I don't see, you know, so, you know before when we could still Gather in each other's quote unquote.
32:44
Ian's I went over to her place to call the girls went over to have a little supper wet and I thought she was gonna do a little carry out because she lives in that carry out area up in
32:53
these tears. I know where she lives
32:56
and I said that's a who made this. She said I did and when her kitchen you made this to tell me all the
33:10
time. He just be sitting there. He's like he can't I say Doug you just you just
33:14
Living a life of did Dougie you just living a life. I spoke to him this morning. They they they're tired exhausted happy but thrilled about about living that life and change in the country and she can cook. I don't know if you can I don't know if you can out-cook a Donna. I just don't know.
33:30
Can I say some I'm on par I'm on par but she can cook Whispers you have food and has seconds of it. And here's the thing. It was so good that I
33:44
Had a to-go box because I had to bring in to congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton because not many people can outdo me and as each and I got I know how to stir the pot. Okay, she can see girl bad and you know what, but her cooking style is is a blend and her blend is so remarkable because she brings the flavor of her Jamaican route, huh Indian Roots, but also harm American character it is it was delicious because we had second.
34:15
Wait a second. And you know we did drink wine.
34:19
Well, I know I've drank wine with you before many people don't know this though. Like they are stories are intertwined back before I was born but in order to get on CNN, you know, there aren't a lot of Black Folk. And of course the Black Folk that are there they ask, you know about these individuals and so I wouldn't be on CNN if Donna brazile didn't say he's good you let em in well
34:44
Welcome to the family and you taught me something very valuable because then I was able to reach back and bring Angelo on and then we were able to reach back and bring Simone on because one of the things you always taught us. Is that for Black Folk. There's enough space for us
34:55
all we for 24/7 cable. I kept thinking boy if we get bukhari because I remember when I used to sit by Jamal Simmons and Roland Martin and I and I said why we bring on Jamal, I mean we got more if we Burnin Rollin we got
35:14
More because remember we always gotta be part of this conversation and what I loved about that experience in when I when you came on board, I knew that after 10 o'clock at night. I could just let you go early morning let you go. That's right. You know what I love about our relationship is that I never had to because I still watch you and I have so much faith in not just your ability, but the fact that you know the history, yeah, yo
35:44
Your mom, please. Yeah, please cell has your dad. Oh, yeah we go back to the Jackson day. We know and he went back further than me. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Okay. There's history there and when you came into the world, I didn't know how you were going to turn my angle. I
36:10
well look. Let me just ask a couple more questions because I know you're busy and we still got some
36:14
The brain to do and some work to do we're losing the only black hopefully we will be losing the only black female senator in the United States Senate. What's your advice to gather Newsome?
36:28
Because that's the next that's the next little battle. We got to go out there. We still got we still got some unfinished business to do and
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California. I'm going to fight that battle on January 20th 20:21, probably before that. I probably on November
36:40
4th, but
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let me just say this. We have a historic number of black candidates running and its political cycle. We sold our historic number in 2018 that led to Nancy Pelosi becoming speak again we have in 2018. I
36:57
We had like 40 a black female nominees. It's over 60 and we have a black woman running for United States Senate. We have of course all across the Deep South from my native Louisiana maker and Perkins to me or Shreveport to Reverend Warnock from Ebenezer and and Georgia to Jamie Harriston and your beautiful state of South Carolina
37:17
and Mike Espy. Let's
37:18
not fight about I don't know how I miss Mississippi going all the way to Georgia just tells you and Mississippi and yes, I'm going to go ahead and say and I want to help Doug.
37:27
Oh Jones, I'm gonna help Doug Jones. I'm gonna Focus my entire effort along the South and I'm hoping that we can increase the number of African Americans black Americans in the United States Senate this fall as well as United States Congress. So my my resources and my time will be devoted to helping to lift up these candidates to do more zoom calls to do more fundraising to more hell-raising because we got to stir the pot so we gotta we gotta get to this Finish Line.
37:58
With Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and then we got to bring everyone else up all these down ballot candidates. So we need resources. We need help and we need everybody to understand that regardless of your level of experience. You are going to be deputized as fall to be polite just poll workers Precinct captains get me canned. I don't know. If Joe Biden hasn't called you then say Donna and book her.
38:27
Are we are calling you now? We need help we need okay. Hey, Donald Trump has been running since he was elected back in 2016 and we cannot take this election for granted. Don't look at these polls every day. In fact, I ignore them. I only know him because I have to go on, you know IQ, but think about your mama your daddy your grandparents think about your friends. Think about everyone that you know, and call them my sister in Louisiana. It's called
38:57
Cousins in those Battleground States. That's a girl. Can you help me? She's on the phone? Everything is a Battleground because covet Colette has told my
39:07
mama my mama, my mama called me. I've already I've already gotten calls from Rowena load Haute who is Queen of all queens of akas in South Carolina. My mama called me time. I she want to work on the campaign. I got calls from Alphas down in Charleston who are registering people to vote every since yesterday a switch has been turned the my last question to you. Is this though? We have Joe Biden.
39:27
Black Agenda we have his Equity plan. We have Kamala Harris. We have covid-19 at his hit us. We need to nationalize plan for that. And we also know what it's done to Black businesses. What does Kamala Harris is portfolio is vice president look like I know we focusing on on from now to the election the next three months but a lot of people want to know what that means for us tangibly. So what does the portfolio for the first black Vice President of the United States look like
39:55
There's no question that we need an economy that works for everyone. We need to ensure that we all have access to healthcare the attacks on Obama. Care is real to tax on people with pre-existing condition. So I want her to keep our eye on the domestic front. But also and of course the Department of Justice the Department of Justice, I don't even have to explain to that you are lawyer. You can explain that better than me but civil rights is the heart of who we are equal justice.
40:25
Under the law she will help with that / folio help with the portfolio. If there is a vacancy on the Supreme Court help with that but also help us with our standing in the world, please there's so much. I look forward to this day. I look forward to this day, but we got to work our you know, what up, if I gave my all I've given my all to every Democratic candidate. I gave a little something extra for Obama. I gave a little something extra for Hillary. I'm going to give a little more than I've ever.
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Never given before to Joe and Kamala I am I'm giving not just my money. That's something I'm gonna fix it.
41:07
Listen, man.
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And you know, I have to wait to go back to school and get a check. So that's good. I'm ready to go back to school because guess what? I need my check. I'm on fixed income and I have a pre-existing condition. I'm
41:20
black. There you go. You go
41:23
tell but I'm gonna give it my all I'm going to give it my all because I believe in this and I would be remiss if I mean if you look in my this is my basement where I keep I keep everything that I own in terms of my life's work my political stuff.
41:41
And last night I came down and I said to mrs. Chisholm. We did it. That's right.
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Nothing more to be said I had the great opportunity to work for Shirley Chisholm.
41:51
And I told her we did we hear
41:53
I love you Donna. I want to say thank you for joining me. You're so pure so busy. But just thank you for taking 30 minutes to chat with us and educate us. And as you know, anything I can ever do for you. I'm always there.
42:04
Well, as you know, when I got off the rules and bylaws committee before I had to appointed so get ready because you know me I can I go off and when I go off I need somebody like you so get ready
42:14
for you. I'm there for you, and I you know, they are conversations over the last week about Kamala. We did it. I love you.
42:20
I love you.
42:21
To my friend. God bless you. And by the way, I want some french fries and dipping my screen. Well,
42:26
there you go. You gonna have to share with Stokely, but there you go, bye-bye.
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