1 00:00:09,176 --> 00:00:10,210 - (female announcer)   Production funding for 2 00:00:10,210 --> 00:00:11,645 Behind the Headlines 3 00:00:11,645 --> 00:00:13,680 is made possible in part by: 4 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:15,682 The WKNO Production Fund, 5 00:00:15,682 --> 00:00:18,085 The WKNO Endowment Fund, 6 00:00:18,085 --> 00:00:21,088 and by Viewers Like You.   Thank you. 7 00:00:21,088 --> 00:00:23,891 - A look at next year's local and state elections, 8 00:00:23,891 --> 00:00:25,826 tonight, on Behind the Headlines. 9 00:00:25,826 --> 00:00:28,562 [dramatic orchestral music] 10 00:00:43,143 --> 00:00:44,211 - I'm Eric Barnes, 11 00:00:44,211 --> 00:00:45,379 Publisher of the Memphis Daily News, 12 00:00:45,379 --> 00:00:46,580 thanks for joining us. 13 00:00:46,580 --> 00:00:48,081 I'm joined tonight by Corey Strong, 14 00:00:48,081 --> 00:00:49,750 head of the Shelby County Democratic Party, 15 00:00:49,750 --> 00:00:50,884 thanks for being here. 16 00:00:50,884 --> 00:00:52,152 - Good evening. 17 00:00:52,152 --> 00:00:54,154 - Lee Mills, head of the Shelby County Republican Party, 18 00:00:54,154 --> 00:00:55,455 thank you for being here. 19 00:00:55,455 --> 00:00:56,523 - My pleasure. 20 00:00:56,523 --> 00:00:58,091 - Along with Bill Dries, senior reporter, 21 00:00:58,091 --> 00:00:59,559 with the Memphis Daily News. 22 00:00:59,559 --> 00:01:02,796 So we'll look ahead, we were talking a little bit before the 23 00:01:02,796 --> 00:01:06,967 show, many, many candidates and open offices next year, 24 00:01:06,967 --> 00:01:10,003 and as people begin firing up their campaigns, 25 00:01:10,003 --> 00:01:12,072 we've got state-wide, in terms of the Governor, 26 00:01:12,072 --> 00:01:14,007 we've got the Senate race, we've got everything down 27 00:01:14,007 --> 00:01:15,108 to judges and so on. 28 00:01:15,108 --> 00:01:16,877 We'll try and get to as much as we can. 29 00:01:16,877 --> 00:01:18,912 We don't talk a lot of national politics on this show, 30 00:01:18,912 --> 00:01:22,749 but it's hard not to start with the Roy Moore, 31 00:01:23,684 --> 00:01:26,053 and the Alabama situation because it's a Southern state, 32 00:01:26,053 --> 00:01:28,689 and because it's got Democrats hope up, 33 00:01:28,689 --> 00:01:31,325 Republicans are saying things, so let's start there. 34 00:01:31,325 --> 00:01:33,727 And I actually flipped a coin before the show, 35 00:01:33,727 --> 00:01:35,295 who I would go to the first question with just to kind of 36 00:01:35,295 --> 00:01:38,398 get in the season of elections. 37 00:01:39,299 --> 00:01:42,369 For you, Lee, your take, does it say anything about the upcoming 38 00:01:42,369 --> 00:01:44,137 election season, does it concern you, 39 00:01:44,137 --> 00:01:46,506 or is it just completely its own entity? 40 00:01:46,506 --> 00:01:48,709 - No, that's its own entity. 41 00:01:48,709 --> 00:01:53,613 It's, if you look at Alabama, Donald Trump had 1.3 million 42 00:01:53,613 --> 00:01:57,250 Republican voters in the 2016 election. 43 00:01:57,250 --> 00:01:59,853 Hillary Clinton had about 700,000. 44 00:01:59,853 --> 00:02:03,857 If you look at the election this is just a referendum on what 45 00:02:04,791 --> 00:02:06,994 some would call a poor candidate. 46 00:02:08,328 --> 00:02:10,263 So you had 1.3 million people vote for Donald Trump, 47 00:02:10,263 --> 00:02:12,799 but only 650,000 Republicans voted. 48 00:02:12,799 --> 00:02:15,268 So only half of the Republicans that were eligible, 49 00:02:15,268 --> 00:02:18,271 or voted for Trump, showed up to vote for Roy Moore. 50 00:02:18,271 --> 00:02:20,974 - And you would take that as the failure, 51 00:02:20,974 --> 00:02:23,410 the allegations, of whatever of Roy Moore-- 52 00:02:23,410 --> 00:02:24,411 - Absolutely. 53 00:02:24,411 --> 00:02:26,113 - not something about the Republican party, 54 00:02:26,113 --> 00:02:28,382 or a sheen of Trump on him that was dragging him down. 55 00:02:28,382 --> 00:02:31,284 - No, if you look at national polls as far as Trump approval 56 00:02:31,284 --> 00:02:33,987 ratings, Alabama is one of the highest states that approves of 57 00:02:33,987 --> 00:02:37,057 Trump, Tenneesee is pretty high up there too. 58 00:02:38,358 --> 00:02:41,762 But, now this is just a very, very unusual thing. 59 00:02:41,762 --> 00:02:46,767 I don't attribute it to Roy Moore's horse or anything, 60 00:02:46,767 --> 00:02:49,669 just a bad candidate, and you don't know whether these 61 00:02:49,669 --> 00:02:51,838 allegations are true, whether they're not true, 62 00:02:51,838 --> 00:02:54,541 but they certainly played a role. 63 00:02:54,541 --> 00:02:57,310 One of the Alabama.com stories says there might have been 64 00:02:57,310 --> 00:02:59,746 22,000 write-in votes for Nick Saban. 65 00:03:02,616 --> 00:03:05,185 And that wouldn't surprise me, but also, 66 00:03:06,753 --> 00:03:10,290 the Senator Shelby said, "Let's do a write-in candidate." 67 00:03:10,290 --> 00:03:11,892 So that played a lot into it. 68 00:03:11,892 --> 00:03:13,827 - Yeah the Republican Senator, long-time Republican Senator in 69 00:03:13,827 --> 00:03:15,595 the other seat in Alabama said write in 70 00:03:15,595 --> 00:03:17,097 "I'm not going to vote for Roy Moore." 71 00:03:17,097 --> 00:03:18,698 - That's correct, and I think that played a big role. 72 00:03:18,698 --> 00:03:21,334 - Corey, your take, I mean obviously Democrats nationally 73 00:03:21,334 --> 00:03:24,304 are excited, they see it differently than what Lee 74 00:03:24,304 --> 00:03:27,774 described, what do you all in terms of the local Democratic 75 00:03:27,774 --> 00:03:29,976 Party, and looking ahead to state-wide elections, 76 00:03:29,976 --> 00:03:32,512 what do you take from that Alabama experience. 77 00:03:32,512 --> 00:03:37,117 - Well I tend to agree that that is a very unique situation, 78 00:03:37,117 --> 00:03:40,320 I mean you have more of a referendum on more of a lack of 79 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:42,889 excitement about a particular candidate there, 80 00:03:42,889 --> 00:03:46,259 but I think you can glean lessons from it. 81 00:03:46,259 --> 00:03:48,295 The ground game, a very strong ground game, 82 00:03:48,295 --> 00:03:49,996 support from the national party, 83 00:03:49,996 --> 00:03:51,431 which is something on the Democratic party 84 00:03:51,431 --> 00:03:53,100 we're looking at heavily in the state of Tennessee. 85 00:03:53,100 --> 00:03:55,235 This is conversation we've had with the DNC, 86 00:03:56,136 --> 00:03:57,571 also a good candidate on our side. 87 00:03:57,571 --> 00:03:59,172 Field a good candidate, that's a lesson we can learn 88 00:03:59,172 --> 00:04:01,441 in the Democratic party. 89 00:04:01,441 --> 00:04:05,512 The elected Senator Jones has a great record in Civil Rights, 90 00:04:05,512 --> 00:04:09,282 and that is something that the community could turn out for, 91 00:04:09,282 --> 00:04:13,153 particularly the black community which voted in droves there, 92 00:04:13,153 --> 00:04:15,755 so I think there are some lessons you can glean from it, 93 00:04:15,755 --> 00:04:17,858 and I think we're paying very close attention 94 00:04:17,858 --> 00:04:20,794 to how does that impact us. 95 00:04:20,794 --> 00:04:22,462 And we looked at the national election, 96 00:04:22,462 --> 00:04:24,431 it's very correct that Donald Trump won that area, 97 00:04:24,431 --> 00:04:27,768 but also looking at a Tennessee, or Shelby County specifically, 98 00:04:27,768 --> 00:04:30,937 Hillary Clinton won this area, pretty significantly. 99 00:04:30,937 --> 00:04:33,673 And that was also buoyed by a predominantly black voting 100 00:04:33,673 --> 00:04:36,042 populace here, and so that's definitely lessons that we're 101 00:04:36,042 --> 00:04:38,845 looking at and the importance of going to our base as the 102 00:04:38,845 --> 00:04:41,314 Democratic party and that's something that we'll be focused 103 00:04:41,314 --> 00:04:44,050 on in the very near term throughout both local and 104 00:04:44,050 --> 00:04:45,385 national elections next year. 105 00:04:45,385 --> 00:04:47,120 - Yeah and we'll explore a lot of what you both said, 106 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:50,090 but let me get Bill in here. 107 00:04:52,125 --> 00:04:56,496 - So, Corey, did you have some folks who went to Alabama to 108 00:04:57,397 --> 00:04:59,733 work in the campaign there, were there some 109 00:04:59,733 --> 00:05:01,568 Democrats from here involved? 110 00:05:01,568 --> 00:05:03,270 - So there were a smattering of Democrats, 111 00:05:03,270 --> 00:05:05,539 I think maybe one or two people on the grassroots council that 112 00:05:05,539 --> 00:05:08,208 got involved, but I think generally it's these broader 113 00:05:08,208 --> 00:05:12,846 organizations, these individuals and organizations like that, 114 00:05:12,846 --> 00:05:15,148 that have gotten involved, some of the activist organizations 115 00:05:15,148 --> 00:05:18,385 that we are starting to partner with, 116 00:05:18,385 --> 00:05:20,353 with this kind of new energy we've seen since last year. 117 00:05:20,353 --> 00:05:22,856 - Right, and Lee, did you have any folks? 118 00:05:22,856 --> 00:05:25,058 I know phone-banking is something 119 00:05:25,058 --> 00:05:26,793 that both party bases... 120 00:05:26,793 --> 00:05:29,596 - We didn't do it locally, I'm sure the national party did, 121 00:05:29,596 --> 00:05:32,933 but that's a good point that he made. 122 00:05:32,933 --> 00:05:35,702 This election was for the people of Alabama, 123 00:05:35,702 --> 00:05:39,573 and the amount of outside influence was unbelievable. 124 00:05:39,573 --> 00:05:43,210 There's no way, I'll say no way, but it's a slim chance a 125 00:05:43,210 --> 00:05:45,812 Democrat wins in Alabama, a pro-choice, 126 00:05:45,812 --> 00:05:49,049 Democrat wins in Alabama without Roy Moore as the candidate on 127 00:05:49,049 --> 00:05:50,884 the Republican side. 128 00:05:50,884 --> 00:05:54,988 - Switching to Tennessee, did, does Bredesen entering, 129 00:05:56,189 --> 00:05:59,192 former Democratic Governor of the state, 130 00:06:00,927 --> 00:06:02,729 a more moderate, and very well liked, 131 00:06:02,729 --> 00:06:05,532 he had very high approval ratings when he left office, 132 00:06:05,532 --> 00:06:08,935 does it concern Republicans in the state that he might get more 133 00:06:08,935 --> 00:06:10,904 national money now, because the DNC, 134 00:06:10,904 --> 00:06:13,473 because the state, you know, this Federal money will say hey, 135 00:06:13,473 --> 00:06:14,975 you know, we can win in the South, 136 00:06:14,975 --> 00:06:16,843 we've got a popular former Governor, 137 00:06:16,843 --> 00:06:19,412 we've got a chance here, does that at all concern you? 138 00:06:19,412 --> 00:06:21,281 - Sure it concerns us, you're either running scared, 139 00:06:21,281 --> 00:06:23,383 or running un-opposed. 140 00:06:23,383 --> 00:06:27,320 But you see that, I think the demographics of Tennessee have 141 00:06:28,822 --> 00:06:31,458 shifted, there's only really three or four large Democratic 142 00:06:31,458 --> 00:06:35,161 counties, and so it's going to be tough for him, 143 00:06:35,161 --> 00:06:39,132 but the whole election comes down to voter turnout. 144 00:06:39,132 --> 00:06:40,967 It always comes to voter turnout, 145 00:06:40,967 --> 00:06:43,937 and that's a problem that we struggle with in Shelby County, 146 00:06:43,937 --> 00:06:47,841 both from a Democratic Party, and the Republican Party. 147 00:06:47,841 --> 00:06:50,243 I tell our folks that we have a saying, 148 00:06:50,243 --> 00:06:52,078 and they can say the same thing, that 149 00:06:52,078 --> 00:06:54,381 "Republicans who don't vote are like Democrats." 150 00:06:54,381 --> 00:06:56,283 And the same could be true from their side, 151 00:06:56,283 --> 00:06:58,752 except they have a numbers advantage in Shelby County, 152 00:06:58,752 --> 00:07:01,121 so it's going to be all about turn out, 153 00:07:01,121 --> 00:07:03,456 and getting good candidates to run. 154 00:07:03,456 --> 00:07:06,059 - And your thoughts on the Governor's race as well, 155 00:07:06,059 --> 00:07:10,764 so we've got a Governor's race, big field of Republicans, 156 00:07:12,232 --> 00:07:14,100 do you all take that for granted, 157 00:07:14,100 --> 00:07:15,935 I mean there is a sense of complacency among some 158 00:07:15,935 --> 00:07:17,637 Democrats that I know who, 159 00:07:17,637 --> 00:07:18,705 "Well, this is a Republican state", 160 00:07:18,705 --> 00:07:20,106 they control the state house, 161 00:07:20,106 --> 00:07:23,410 the state senate, Governorship, a Democrat is 162 00:07:23,410 --> 00:07:24,611 never going to win, 163 00:07:24,611 --> 00:07:26,146 it's just about which Republican wins the primary. 164 00:07:26,146 --> 00:07:29,282 - Well, Democratic complacency is great for us, 165 00:07:29,282 --> 00:07:32,452 it's not good for them, but it's a different state than 166 00:07:33,553 --> 00:07:35,355 when Phil Bredesen was here. 167 00:07:35,355 --> 00:07:37,390 It's a red state. 168 00:07:37,390 --> 00:07:40,593 That kind of shift started when Al Gore ran for President and he 169 00:07:40,593 --> 00:07:45,265 didn't win his state, and it's shifted since then. 170 00:07:45,265 --> 00:07:46,766 So we'll see. 171 00:07:46,766 --> 00:07:49,703 - Corey, your thoughts, first lets start with the Senate race, 172 00:07:49,703 --> 00:07:51,871 you all expect, having a big name candidate, 173 00:07:51,871 --> 00:07:55,041 a wealthy candidate who can put a lot of his own money in terms 174 00:07:55,041 --> 00:07:58,411 of Phil Bredesen, do you all think you'll get more Federal, 175 00:07:59,279 --> 00:08:01,648 or more national level Democratic money as a result, 176 00:08:01,648 --> 00:08:05,051 both of his popularity, some years ago, 177 00:08:05,051 --> 00:08:06,353 and the win in Alabama? 178 00:08:06,353 --> 00:08:09,956 - Absolutely, so Virginia, New Jersey, 179 00:08:09,956 --> 00:08:11,825 cities across the country, Alabama, 180 00:08:11,825 --> 00:08:14,928 there's a narrative that involvement at the National 181 00:08:14,928 --> 00:08:17,163 level is important, and so, he mentioned something, 182 00:08:17,163 --> 00:08:19,199 yes, there was a lot of people in Alabama, 183 00:08:19,199 --> 00:08:20,734 but in state's where people are successful, 184 00:08:20,734 --> 00:08:23,870 particularly where there's close competitions, 185 00:08:23,870 --> 00:08:25,472 tight competitions, yeah, there's going to be national 186 00:08:25,472 --> 00:08:28,208 money that comes in, whether it's from the national parties, 187 00:08:28,208 --> 00:08:32,145 or whether it's from you know, this PAC, or that PAC, 188 00:08:32,145 --> 00:08:33,313 you know the Koch brothers put 189 00:08:33,313 --> 00:08:34,681 a lot of money down here. 190 00:08:34,681 --> 00:08:36,783 That happens in every state, so there's someone weighing in 191 00:08:36,783 --> 00:08:38,284 because there are... 192 00:08:38,284 --> 00:08:41,154 all politics are local, but the stakes can be very high at the 193 00:08:41,154 --> 00:08:43,289 Federal level, so. 194 00:08:43,289 --> 00:08:45,658 I actually got a phone call last night from James Mackler, 195 00:08:45,658 --> 00:08:47,527 who dropped out of the race-- 196 00:08:47,527 --> 00:08:49,028 - On the Democratic side. - on the Democratic side 197 00:08:49,028 --> 00:08:50,530 because Bredesen got in, 198 00:08:50,530 --> 00:08:54,734 fellow brothers-in-arms and there is a desire to make sure 199 00:08:56,269 --> 00:08:58,071 that we circle the wagons, and make sure that we are supporting 200 00:08:58,071 --> 00:09:00,140 one candidate. 201 00:09:00,140 --> 00:09:01,674 And the decision was made by Mackler, 202 00:09:01,674 --> 00:09:04,310 who did a phenomenal job to serve the party, 203 00:09:05,812 --> 00:09:07,447 to serve the country, and say hey, 204 00:09:07,447 --> 00:09:08,982 I'm going to drop out and support this effort, 205 00:09:08,982 --> 00:09:10,717 so I think that he will bring attention, 206 00:09:10,717 --> 00:09:12,986 and we have two great candidates on the Governor side as well, 207 00:09:12,986 --> 00:09:14,687 in Fitzhugh and Dean. 208 00:09:14,687 --> 00:09:18,591 And both of them are great, seasoned Democrats, 209 00:09:18,591 --> 00:09:21,194 and I think that Dean in his particular case will also bring 210 00:09:21,194 --> 00:09:26,332 national attention, so having that calibre of person run is 211 00:09:26,332 --> 00:09:28,067 very good on our side because that's something we've had 212 00:09:28,067 --> 00:09:30,236 trouble with the last few years. 213 00:09:30,236 --> 00:09:31,905 - And before I go to Bill, one more, 214 00:09:31,905 --> 00:09:34,240 I mean, the turnout, as you pointed out, 215 00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:36,743 as Lee mentioned I think to, you know Shelby County is a heavily 216 00:09:36,743 --> 00:09:40,880 Democratic area, went for Hillary in the last election, 217 00:09:42,449 --> 00:09:44,717 Hillary Clinton, what do you all have to do 218 00:09:44,717 --> 00:09:47,454 to get turnout in an off year? 219 00:09:47,454 --> 00:09:49,389 Do you see, how do you get turnout, 220 00:09:49,389 --> 00:09:50,890 what does that mean, is it money, 221 00:09:50,890 --> 00:09:52,725 is it people, is it all of the above? 222 00:09:52,725 --> 00:09:56,463 - It's all of the above, but our focus, 223 00:09:56,463 --> 00:09:59,933 and I had a meeting with the Associate Chair of the DNC when 224 00:09:59,933 --> 00:10:01,534 he came in not too long ago. 225 00:10:01,534 --> 00:10:03,903 He did a labor meeting, Jamie Harrison, 226 00:10:03,903 --> 00:10:06,172 and the conversation with him was pretty clear, 227 00:10:06,172 --> 00:10:08,041 this race is going to run through Shelby County, 228 00:10:08,041 --> 00:10:10,076 at the state level. 229 00:10:10,076 --> 00:10:12,879 If we turn out here, that has state-wide impact. 230 00:10:12,879 --> 00:10:16,983 We have enough votes on the tree to shake out, 231 00:10:16,983 --> 00:10:19,652 that it has to go through Shelby County. 232 00:10:19,652 --> 00:10:23,089 And so understanding that, the reality is that we have a local 233 00:10:24,724 --> 00:10:28,528 election prior to that, and so if we are able to be successful 234 00:10:28,528 --> 00:10:30,563 on a county wide level in August, 235 00:10:30,563 --> 00:10:32,899 then that wil pay dividens in November. 236 00:10:32,899 --> 00:10:34,367 So if people believe you can do it, 237 00:10:34,367 --> 00:10:37,537 and win a county mayorship, or county level offices here, 238 00:10:37,537 --> 00:10:39,539 then we can fold that into something and keep the momentum 239 00:10:39,539 --> 00:10:41,207 going into November. 240 00:10:41,207 --> 00:10:43,109 - 15 minutes left, Bill? 241 00:10:43,109 --> 00:10:48,047 - Lee, by the same token, the Republican base outside of the 242 00:10:48,047 --> 00:10:50,917 City of Memphis bubbled inside Shelby County, 243 00:10:50,917 --> 00:10:55,121 is the largest base depending on turnout of any single county in 244 00:10:55,121 --> 00:10:58,725 the state as well, so we've kind of got both of those dynamics 245 00:10:58,725 --> 00:11:01,995 going on here, and outside of the city, 246 00:11:03,296 --> 00:11:07,500 what would you say the state of that very significant Republican 247 00:11:07,834 --> 00:11:10,637 base is going into 2018. 248 00:11:12,338 --> 00:11:17,844 - Corey makes a great point, they are the largest Democratic 249 00:11:17,844 --> 00:11:20,213 county in the state, but we're also the largest Republican 250 00:11:20,213 --> 00:11:22,415 county in the state, just as you said. 251 00:11:22,415 --> 00:11:26,719 Our voters are excited, they're going to turn out. 252 00:11:26,719 --> 00:11:28,555 We do a couple things as Republicans, 253 00:11:28,555 --> 00:11:31,324 we always have multiple candidates, 254 00:11:31,324 --> 00:11:34,527 so where they kind of coalesce around one candidate, 255 00:11:34,527 --> 00:11:38,031 we kind of, we've got more people in the race, 256 00:11:38,131 --> 00:11:40,500 in almost every race we'll have multiple candidates. 257 00:11:40,500 --> 00:11:43,603 That helps, I believe, our turnout, 258 00:11:43,603 --> 00:11:47,240 because each individual candidate will get their folks 259 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:48,575 out to vote. 260 00:11:48,575 --> 00:11:52,812 Now another thing that helps us with is our general election is 261 00:11:54,581 --> 00:11:57,617 on the state primary election, so when people are voting for 262 00:11:57,617 --> 00:12:01,688 Governor and Senator, which we have a lot of candidates in, 263 00:12:01,688 --> 00:12:05,091 they'll be voting in our general election and because we're at a 264 00:12:05,091 --> 00:12:08,928 disadvantage numbers wise, if 30% of our voters turn out and 265 00:12:08,928 --> 00:12:11,664 20% of their voters turn out, we still lose. 266 00:12:12,332 --> 00:12:13,266 Right? 267 00:12:13,266 --> 00:12:15,635 So we have to significantly increase the number of voters 268 00:12:15,635 --> 00:12:18,905 which means we have to address the apathy which is rampant in 269 00:12:18,905 --> 00:12:21,374 both of our parties in Shelby county. 270 00:12:21,374 --> 00:12:22,909 - We've got, before I go back to Bill, 271 00:12:22,909 --> 00:12:24,544 we've got a graphic we'll show some of the dates that are 272 00:12:24,544 --> 00:12:27,046 coming up because there are a whole lot of, 273 00:12:27,046 --> 00:12:28,481 there are a lot   of people running, 274 00:12:28,481 --> 00:12:30,383 a lot of offices   open, and some key dates. 275 00:12:30,383 --> 00:12:33,319 - (Bill)   So in terms of the 276 00:12:33,319 --> 00:12:37,290 county offices, we have   a lot of Republican incumbents 277 00:12:40,059 --> 00:12:41,694 county-wide, who are term-limited, 278 00:12:41,694 --> 00:12:44,130 some of them are picking different 279 00:12:44,130 --> 00:12:49,636 offices, some of them are not running for re-election. 280 00:12:49,636 --> 00:12:53,539 How does it change the dynamics from having a lot of open county 281 00:12:53,539 --> 00:12:57,777 wide positions in 2010, to being the incumbents who are moving 282 00:12:57,777 --> 00:13:00,146 around in 2018? 283 00:13:00,146 --> 00:13:02,849 - It changes it quite a bit, but the good news is is when 284 00:13:02,849 --> 00:13:07,253 Republicans took over in 2010, Shelby county had a $1.8 billion 285 00:13:07,253 --> 00:13:10,256 debt, roughly $2 billion, today we've paid down 286 00:13:10,256 --> 00:13:14,160 $750,000-$800,000 of that debt, which is significant, 287 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:17,597 and I think that if the voters look at the record, 288 00:13:17,597 --> 00:13:19,799 they'll continue to elect Republicans who have done a good 289 00:13:19,799 --> 00:13:21,768 job for the last... 290 00:13:21,768 --> 00:13:25,905 - So Corey, can Democrats, less than a year after the 291 00:13:25,905 --> 00:13:30,376 re-organization of the party, can you do what Republicans did 292 00:13:32,111 --> 00:13:34,781 in 2010 in the county elections? 293 00:13:34,781 --> 00:13:37,250 - I think we can, and I think we need to make it a referendum, 294 00:13:37,250 --> 00:13:39,385 not just on numbers and facts on a sheet of paper, 295 00:13:39,385 --> 00:13:41,821 but the impact on people's lives, 296 00:13:41,821 --> 00:13:45,992 and so if you look at, there was a poverty study done in 2015, 297 00:13:45,992 --> 00:13:47,994 Shelby County, and by Shelby County 298 00:13:47,994 --> 00:13:49,529 I mean Shelby County outside the 299 00:13:49,529 --> 00:13:52,131 municipality of Memphis is doing phenomenally as it pertains to 300 00:13:52,131 --> 00:13:55,101 poverty, actually a lot of the citizens there, 301 00:13:55,101 --> 00:13:57,537 and in some cases, it's the white demographic there are 302 00:13:57,537 --> 00:14:00,006 under the national poverty level. 303 00:14:00,006 --> 00:14:02,341 But if you look at Memphis and Shelby County proper, 304 00:14:02,341 --> 00:14:05,344 we are one of the highest counties and depending on which 305 00:14:05,344 --> 00:14:07,747 study you look at the highest county as poverty, 306 00:14:07,747 --> 00:14:10,516 so telling a bunch of citizens in Memphis, 307 00:14:10,516 --> 00:14:12,752 hey, we're doing great with the debt, 308 00:14:12,752 --> 00:14:16,923 when the majority of them are living in abject poverty, 309 00:14:16,923 --> 00:14:18,591 well, what about me? 310 00:14:18,591 --> 00:14:20,560 I would like some of those resources to come to us. 311 00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:22,395 So we're going to make it a referendum on the lives of the 312 00:14:22,395 --> 00:14:24,697 people in the city, do they have an economy that 313 00:14:24,697 --> 00:14:26,466 will work for them, services that work for them, 314 00:14:26,466 --> 00:14:29,102 do we have job opportunities that are meaningful, 315 00:14:29,102 --> 00:14:31,637 and currently we have a county government 316 00:14:31,637 --> 00:14:33,673 that's very concerned about building new roads 317 00:14:33,673 --> 00:14:36,843 in Eads, Tennessee, and doing things at the margins, 318 00:14:36,843 --> 00:14:40,012 as opposed to doing actual meaningful work at the core of 319 00:14:40,012 --> 00:14:42,715 the citizens of Shelby County, which Memphis is a big part of. 320 00:14:42,715 --> 00:14:44,917 And so we'll make it a referendum on that. 321 00:14:44,917 --> 00:14:46,586 - Well, I take exception to that, 322 00:14:46,586 --> 00:14:48,721 Shelby County is doing great, we have good leadership, 323 00:14:48,721 --> 00:14:51,491 the reason Memphis is doing bad is because Memphis has suffered 324 00:14:51,491 --> 00:14:54,160 from bad leadership, bad Democratic leadership 325 00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:55,862 for decades. 326 00:14:55,862 --> 00:15:00,166 So to blame this on Republicans is kind of not real fair. 327 00:15:00,166 --> 00:15:02,969 The county is doing good because Republicans have run the county 328 00:15:02,969 --> 00:15:06,139 for seven years, the city could do good if Republicans ran 329 00:15:06,139 --> 00:15:07,940 Memphis city. 330 00:15:07,940 --> 00:15:09,976 But unfortunately it's Democrats that run Memphis city, 331 00:15:09,976 --> 00:15:12,545 so really the blame has to be shifted inward, 332 00:15:12,545 --> 00:15:15,882 and I think that's the big problem. 333 00:15:17,250 --> 00:15:20,753 - Corey I know the Democrats have talked a lot about the 2016 334 00:15:20,753 --> 00:15:23,356 State House race where Dwayne Thompson, 335 00:15:23,356 --> 00:15:27,059 the Democrat, upset the Republican incumbent 336 00:15:27,059 --> 00:15:28,995 Steve McManus. 337 00:15:28,995 --> 00:15:32,331 Does that indicate that things are changing in the county 338 00:15:32,331 --> 00:15:34,167 outside of the city? 339 00:15:34,167 --> 00:15:37,170 - In that district it may, but not anywhere else. 340 00:15:37,170 --> 00:15:40,173 I'm not going to talk bad about Representative McManus, 341 00:15:40,173 --> 00:15:44,210 but I don't believe, my personal opinion, 342 00:15:44,210 --> 00:15:46,279 that he worked as hard as maybe he could have, 343 00:15:46,279 --> 00:15:48,915 that he spent as much money as he should have. 344 00:15:48,915 --> 00:15:51,350 And they got a lot of outside influence from the national 345 00:15:51,350 --> 00:15:54,854 party, from the state party, so again the outside money, 346 00:15:54,854 --> 00:15:57,490 and the outside mailers and the callers and the things they did, 347 00:15:57,490 --> 00:16:00,159 they did it right, because they won. 348 00:16:00,159 --> 00:16:02,562 I think had our side not really been, 349 00:16:02,562 --> 00:16:04,530 they were blindsided. 350 00:16:04,530 --> 00:16:07,300 They didn't expect as much resistance as they got, 351 00:16:07,300 --> 00:16:09,101 and the Democrats took one from us, 352 00:16:09,101 --> 00:16:10,703 but I think we can take that one back. 353 00:16:10,703 --> 00:16:12,672 - I suspect your view is going to be different. 354 00:16:12,672 --> 00:16:16,275 Is Dwayne Thompson's election an opening for the party in the 355 00:16:17,710 --> 00:16:19,212 county outside of the city? 356 00:16:19,212 --> 00:16:21,781 - In the same way that I said we can glean lessons from Alabama, 357 00:16:21,781 --> 00:16:24,383 we can learn lessons from what Dwayne did there. 358 00:16:24,383 --> 00:16:25,718 Did Dwayne get some support? 359 00:16:25,718 --> 00:16:27,353 Yeah, because he's a good candidate, 360 00:16:27,353 --> 00:16:29,255 but Dwayne worked his butt off. 361 00:16:29,255 --> 00:16:31,557 Dwayne knocked on doors, Dwayne knew that community, 362 00:16:31,557 --> 00:16:33,726 Dwayne understood the demographics. 363 00:16:33,726 --> 00:16:35,394 And I'll tell you, it's funny you... 364 00:16:35,394 --> 00:16:37,330 people that live at the same address. 365 00:16:37,330 --> 00:16:39,832 It's interesting the number of people that can say, 366 00:16:39,832 --> 00:16:41,601 "I know that campaigns that have knocked on my doors over the 367 00:16:41,601 --> 00:16:44,003 past 20, 30 years." 368 00:16:44,003 --> 00:16:46,405 In Cordova, a lot of those people now know Dwayne Thompson 369 00:16:46,405 --> 00:16:48,474 because he's come to them consistently. 370 00:16:48,474 --> 00:16:51,744 So a candidate that's present, and a candidate that connects 371 00:16:51,744 --> 00:16:54,547 with you personally, and lets you know we're going to try to 372 00:16:54,547 --> 00:16:57,683 expand that, and scale that up across the county with our good 373 00:16:57,683 --> 00:17:00,086 candidates, and so we're learning a lot of lessons from 374 00:17:00,086 --> 00:17:03,022 Dwayne, and we serve on an executive committee together, 375 00:17:03,022 --> 00:17:04,991 and I can tell you he's a hard worker. 376 00:17:04,991 --> 00:17:08,527 - Alright, let's talk a little bit about crossover. 377 00:17:08,527 --> 00:17:11,964 Lee in 2010, a lot of Republicans told me that the key 378 00:17:11,964 --> 00:17:16,802 to success was that the Republicans had nominees who had 379 00:17:18,471 --> 00:17:20,573 crossover potential, that some segment 380 00:17:20,573 --> 00:17:23,209 of Democrats could support. 381 00:17:23,209 --> 00:17:28,814 Is crossover still the factor it was then in what I'll call the 382 00:17:28,814 --> 00:17:31,450 'Age of Trump' generally? 383 00:17:31,450 --> 00:17:33,152 - Yes. 384 00:17:33,152 --> 00:17:35,388 It's very important for us, because again, 385 00:17:35,388 --> 00:17:38,124 we're at a numbers disadvantage, right? 386 00:17:38,124 --> 00:17:39,992 I said if 30% of our voters turn out, 387 00:17:39,992 --> 00:17:41,961 and 20% of their voters turn out, 388 00:17:41,961 --> 00:17:44,597 and they vote straight ticket, then we lose. 389 00:17:44,597 --> 00:17:46,332 So we need some of that crossover vote, 390 00:17:46,332 --> 00:17:48,367 and I think we'll get it. 391 00:17:48,367 --> 00:17:50,937 There's things that Republicans and Democrats can agree on, 392 00:17:50,937 --> 00:17:53,506 crime, jobs, education, those things, 393 00:17:53,506 --> 00:17:55,608 we can agree on. 394 00:17:55,608 --> 00:17:57,843 And I think our candidates will stand out, 395 00:17:57,843 --> 00:18:00,713 and people will see that they're the better candidate. 396 00:18:00,713 --> 00:18:02,114 I hope. 397 00:18:02,114 --> 00:18:03,649 - Do you- Go ahead Bill. - Does... 398 00:18:03,649 --> 00:18:05,751 Does that change when you get to the state level though, 399 00:18:05,751 --> 00:18:10,556 with the Senate race, and the race for Governor? 400 00:18:10,556 --> 00:18:14,393 - No. I mean... yes, it does. 401 00:18:14,393 --> 00:18:17,797 In Shelby county, maybe, but Shelby county is kind of an 402 00:18:17,797 --> 00:18:20,566 off-set, the same as Nashville and Knoxville, 403 00:18:20,566 --> 00:18:23,569 but state-wide, no, I mean Republicans 404 00:18:23,569 --> 00:18:25,404 are going to vote for Republicans, 405 00:18:25,404 --> 00:18:26,639 and Democrats are going to vote for Democrats. 406 00:18:26,639 --> 00:18:28,107 And the crossover vote really doesn't matter, 407 00:18:28,107 --> 00:18:30,376 except maybe in those few counties. 408 00:18:30,376 --> 00:18:33,879 - And let me just continue with the crossover question, 409 00:18:33,879 --> 00:18:36,749 because it seems to be a different dynamic among 410 00:18:37,850 --> 00:18:40,086 Democrats, and for the reasons that Lee mentioned, 411 00:18:40,086 --> 00:18:44,156 Corey, that Democrats have the advantage in terms of numbers, 412 00:18:45,758 --> 00:18:48,794 and you all had quite the discussion about crossover and 413 00:18:48,794 --> 00:18:51,864 who's a Democrat, and who's not a Democrat in terms of who the 414 00:18:51,864 --> 00:18:54,300 party supports. 415 00:18:54,300 --> 00:18:56,068 So what's the role of crossover with your candidates in the 416 00:18:56,068 --> 00:18:57,937 county-wide elections? 417 00:18:57,937 --> 00:19:00,873 - A crossover is a symptom of a problem. 418 00:19:01,674 --> 00:19:03,576 If a cand... 419 00:19:03,576 --> 00:19:05,578 I had this conversation with a group of Democrats 420 00:19:05,578 --> 00:19:07,913 at Trezevant Manor. 421 00:19:07,913 --> 00:19:11,717 A woman whose been a Democrat, she's 96 years old, 422 00:19:11,717 --> 00:19:13,886 so she's been a Democrat longer than my 423 00:19:13,886 --> 00:19:15,988 parents have been alive, right? 424 00:19:15,988 --> 00:19:19,325 And she says, "Yeah, I didn't know y'alls candidates, 425 00:19:20,593 --> 00:19:23,396 but I know this one, and I know his parents and I know 426 00:19:23,396 --> 00:19:25,331 he's a good person." 427 00:19:25,331 --> 00:19:27,666 And so that means we either don't have good candidates or 428 00:19:27,666 --> 00:19:30,102 we're not working hard enough to get the records of those 429 00:19:30,102 --> 00:19:31,871 candidates in front of our voters. 430 00:19:31,871 --> 00:19:33,639 That ends here. 431 00:19:33,639 --> 00:19:35,608 So, you know, my parents grew up picking cotton, 432 00:19:35,608 --> 00:19:39,211 I've worked you know, I come from a rural area where my roots 433 00:19:39,211 --> 00:19:41,647 are, I worked in the navy for eight years, 434 00:19:41,647 --> 00:19:43,082 we're going to work. 435 00:19:43,082 --> 00:19:45,718 And so my party is kind of, they're afraid, 436 00:19:45,718 --> 00:19:48,421 it's about to come, but we're going to work to make sure. 437 00:19:48,421 --> 00:19:51,190 It's not going to be a referendum on, 438 00:19:51,190 --> 00:19:52,992 hey, we don't know your candidate, 439 00:19:52,992 --> 00:19:54,894 that's not going to happen anymore. 440 00:19:54,894 --> 00:19:56,529 And also I think with the national things that are going 441 00:19:56,529 --> 00:20:00,199 on, and the state of the County, that people, 442 00:20:00,199 --> 00:20:02,334 good people are getting involved, 443 00:20:02,334 --> 00:20:04,270 and running for office on both sides, 444 00:20:04,270 --> 00:20:06,138 but particularly on the Democratic side, 445 00:20:06,138 --> 00:20:09,508 and so that gives me hope that not only when we work 446 00:20:09,508 --> 00:20:11,177 that we're going to be able to get to the voters, 447 00:20:11,177 --> 00:20:12,878 but also to give them a candidate 448 00:20:12,878 --> 00:20:14,847 that they'll be happy about. 449 00:20:14,847 --> 00:20:16,882 - Let me as, we talk about, excuse me, 450 00:20:16,882 --> 00:20:19,952 we talk about crossover and we're talking about a referendum 451 00:20:19,952 --> 00:20:22,354 almost, you know the Republicans in what was that, 452 00:20:22,354 --> 00:20:25,958 2010, used the unpopularity of Obama in, 453 00:20:25,958 --> 00:20:28,994 among Republicans, I mean the visceral unpopularity of Obama, 454 00:20:28,994 --> 00:20:33,132 specifically Obamacare, they parleyed that into state-wide 455 00:20:34,333 --> 00:20:36,235 races, into state House, state Senate, 456 00:20:36,235 --> 00:20:37,970 even local. 457 00:20:37,970 --> 00:20:40,039 Do you worry Lee, that... 458 00:20:40,039 --> 00:20:42,608 I don't think anyone questions Trump's popularity in rural 459 00:20:42,608 --> 00:20:45,211 Tennessee, but that among educated, 460 00:20:45,211 --> 00:20:49,315 suburban, particularly women, at a time of the MeToo moments, 461 00:20:49,315 --> 00:20:51,450 we've got a President that has allegations 462 00:20:51,450 --> 00:20:54,987 of 15, 20 , sexual harrassment, I mean, you know all kinds 463 00:20:57,356 --> 00:21:00,092 of accusations, then you've got this Mueller investigation. 464 00:21:00,092 --> 00:21:02,261 Is there a drip, drip, drip with that? 465 00:21:02,261 --> 00:21:04,096 I don't want to necessarily debate whether those are true, 466 00:21:04,096 --> 00:21:05,998 but they're out there, and they're talked about constantly 467 00:21:05,998 --> 00:21:08,167 and they're off-putting for a lot of educated, 468 00:21:08,167 --> 00:21:11,203 increasingly it seems, it seems, people point to, 469 00:21:11,203 --> 00:21:14,373 educated suburban, traditionally Republican voters, 470 00:21:14,373 --> 00:21:16,709 just maybe they just don't turn out. 471 00:21:16,709 --> 00:21:18,277 Because of that. 472 00:21:18,277 --> 00:21:19,845 And does that begin to reflect on local, 473 00:21:19,845 --> 00:21:21,747 at the local level? 474 00:21:21,747 --> 00:21:25,151 - So my job as Shelby County Chairman is to take care of 475 00:21:25,151 --> 00:21:27,419 Shelby County. 476 00:21:27,419 --> 00:21:29,555 And I think you're correct. 477 00:21:29,555 --> 00:21:33,325 But I also say that this is the reason that I divorce myself 478 00:21:33,325 --> 00:21:36,829 from President Trump when we talk about local elections, 479 00:21:36,829 --> 00:21:38,497 ok, he said local elections matter, 480 00:21:38,497 --> 00:21:39,965 that's true. 481 00:21:39,965 --> 00:21:43,702 And here's the point, I have to, my job as Republican Party 482 00:21:43,702 --> 00:21:46,472 Chairman is to highlight our candidates, 483 00:21:46,472 --> 00:21:49,575 our state candidates, and try to divorce ourselves 484 00:21:49,575 --> 00:21:52,011 from Donald Trump, we have to do that, 485 00:21:52,011 --> 00:21:54,713 because it's exactly the way you said. 486 00:21:54,713 --> 00:21:56,816 There was a lot of, this was a weird 487 00:21:56,816 --> 00:21:59,018 Presidential election right? 488 00:21:59,018 --> 00:22:01,020 We had Republicans voting for Democrats, 489 00:22:01,020 --> 00:22:02,855 Democrats voting for Republicans, 490 00:22:02,855 --> 00:22:05,991 it was a crazy Presidential election, 491 00:22:05,991 --> 00:22:09,261 so you're exactly right, but our job is to focus on 492 00:22:09,261 --> 00:22:13,465 Shelby County, and try to keep the national politics out of it. 493 00:22:13,465 --> 00:22:15,801 - Do you worry that that divorce you're talking about, 494 00:22:15,801 --> 00:22:17,803 could get so bad, that you almost have to divorce yourself 495 00:22:17,803 --> 00:22:20,272 from the Republican brand, so instead of talking about, 496 00:22:20,272 --> 00:22:22,341 you know David Lenoir as a Republican, 497 00:22:22,341 --> 00:22:24,009 you talk about David Lenoir. 498 00:22:24,009 --> 00:22:25,644 You talk about the candidates and the personality, 499 00:22:25,644 --> 00:22:28,614 do you worry that that affect within the next six to eight 500 00:22:28,614 --> 00:22:31,116 months could be, that you're not just divorcing yourself from the 501 00:22:31,116 --> 00:22:34,486 elected President, but from the party he represents? 502 00:22:34,486 --> 00:22:36,155 - No, no. 503 00:22:36,155 --> 00:22:38,190 I don't think it's that bad. 504 00:22:38,190 --> 00:22:40,826 But we concentrate on our candidates, 505 00:22:40,826 --> 00:22:42,695 that's what we do in the Republican party, 506 00:22:42,695 --> 00:22:44,964 we, and they have started to do that. 507 00:22:44,964 --> 00:22:46,999 He, he's a good Chairman, I can tell already. 508 00:22:46,999 --> 00:22:48,367 - Y'all just met, right? 509 00:22:48,367 --> 00:22:49,735 - Yeah, we just met before the show. 510 00:22:49,735 --> 00:22:51,503 But I can tell because of the way he's talking, 511 00:22:51,503 --> 00:22:54,306 because Democrats have suffered for years in Shelby County 512 00:22:54,306 --> 00:22:56,475 because they haven't put up good candidates. 513 00:22:56,475 --> 00:22:59,245 They just haven't been good candidates. 514 00:22:59,245 --> 00:23:02,047 Senator Lee Harris is a great candidate, ok. 515 00:23:02,047 --> 00:23:04,416 So it's going to be tough, and we're going to concentrate our 516 00:23:04,416 --> 00:23:07,286 personalities, and their strengths, 517 00:23:07,286 --> 00:23:09,355 and not worry about the national politics. 518 00:23:09,355 --> 00:23:10,823 - We're throwing so many names out. 519 00:23:10,823 --> 00:23:12,057 Lee Harris, who used to be City Council, 520 00:23:12,057 --> 00:23:14,760 is now a state Senator and is in the race as the Democrat for 521 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:16,528 County Mayor, and I should say that David Lenoir, 522 00:23:16,528 --> 00:23:19,732 who's now the trustee, who I mentioned is running for County 523 00:23:19,732 --> 00:23:21,533 Mayor as well. 524 00:23:21,533 --> 00:23:24,870 For you all, how much do you use among Democrats certainly, 525 00:23:24,870 --> 00:23:27,573 but again maybe among moderates and independants the 526 00:23:27,573 --> 00:23:30,743 unpopularity of Trump. 527 00:23:30,743 --> 00:23:33,279 When we're talking about the Assessor race, 528 00:23:33,279 --> 00:23:35,080 or we're talking about the County Mayor race, 529 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:36,882 does Trump's name help you all? 530 00:23:36,882 --> 00:23:39,051 Or do you just need to focus on issues and candidates? 531 00:23:39,051 --> 00:23:40,719 - I don't think so, I mean, where's our base? 532 00:23:40,719 --> 00:23:44,523 Our base is in... 533 00:23:44,523 --> 00:23:46,725 in our black, urban communities, right? 534 00:23:46,725 --> 00:23:48,394 And so it's hard for me to go to South Memphis, 535 00:23:48,394 --> 00:23:49,828 it's hard for me to go to Smoky City, 536 00:23:49,828 --> 00:23:52,464 Whitehaven, Frayser, and say Trump's name 537 00:23:52,464 --> 00:23:54,933 when the street isn't paved. 538 00:23:54,933 --> 00:23:57,002 When I've got to walk 20 minutes to catch a MATA bus, 539 00:23:57,002 --> 00:23:59,238 like, that's not playing, right? 540 00:23:59,238 --> 00:24:01,440 And so we have to focus on candidates and issues as well, 541 00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:03,742 so I agree with Lee with that 100%, 542 00:24:03,742 --> 00:24:06,812 but also connect what we're talking about to a change 543 00:24:06,812 --> 00:24:08,947 in someone's life. 544 00:24:08,947 --> 00:24:10,516 And so that is what we're working on, 545 00:24:10,516 --> 00:24:12,751 and I agree 100% that if we get too involved in national 546 00:24:12,751 --> 00:24:14,787 politics, yeah, we're concerned with healthcare, 547 00:24:14,787 --> 00:24:17,389 there's hospitals closing all over Tennessee because... 548 00:24:17,389 --> 00:24:21,026 that, that's happening, but our focus and the thing that's going 549 00:24:21,026 --> 00:24:23,796 to convict our voters is how it's going to impact their 550 00:24:23,796 --> 00:24:26,065 day-to-day lives. 551 00:24:26,065 --> 00:24:27,666 - We have so much we didn't get to, 552 00:24:27,666 --> 00:24:29,468 we've got just a couple minutes left, 553 00:24:29,468 --> 00:24:31,303 maybe we just get both your take on rank-choice voting, 554 00:24:31,303 --> 00:24:32,971 which is... 555 00:24:32,971 --> 00:24:34,807 Bill can you kind of give everybody who doesn't 556 00:24:34,807 --> 00:24:35,808 necessarily follow this the way we do-- 557 00:24:35,808 --> 00:24:36,809 - Yes. - what is rank-choice 558 00:24:36,809 --> 00:24:37,776 voting, what's the issue, 559 00:24:37,776 --> 00:24:39,044 and then get your guy's opinions on that. 560 00:24:39,044 --> 00:24:41,413 - It's also called instant-run-off voting. 561 00:24:41,413 --> 00:24:46,251 City voters approved it as a City Charter amendment in 2008. 562 00:24:47,086 --> 00:24:50,255 It basically eliminates a separate run-off election, 563 00:24:51,890 --> 00:24:55,027 when you go into a vote in a single member district city 564 00:24:55,027 --> 00:24:59,164 council race, you would instead of voting for one candidate, 565 00:24:59,832 --> 00:25:00,899 you would mark your preferences 566 00:25:00,899 --> 00:25:03,402 one, two, three, or one-of-two, 567 00:25:03,402 --> 00:25:06,372 or however many you want to. 568 00:25:06,372 --> 00:25:12,177 If none of the candidates get 50% plus one of the votes, 569 00:25:14,046 --> 00:25:15,681 then as things stand now, you would go to a separate run-off 570 00:25:15,681 --> 00:25:18,183 election among the top two. 571 00:25:18,183 --> 00:25:21,387 With rank-choice, or instant run-off, 572 00:25:22,287 --> 00:25:24,857 there would be a second vote count of the same ballots, 573 00:25:24,857 --> 00:25:27,926 where you would take the number two votes, 574 00:25:27,926 --> 00:25:29,762 from the lowest vote total and apply it to the other 575 00:25:29,762 --> 00:25:32,131 candidates, and you keeep on doing that until someone gets a 576 00:25:32,131 --> 00:25:34,933 majority of the voters. 577 00:25:34,933 --> 00:25:36,468 So, with that-- 578 00:25:36,468 --> 00:25:39,071 - Right now I think we're in local, 579 00:25:39,071 --> 00:25:40,839 you've got the court to get clarity, 580 00:25:40,839 --> 00:25:42,508 because the state election commission said it wasn't 581 00:25:42,508 --> 00:25:44,309 possible, it's a complicated issue, 582 00:25:44,309 --> 00:25:46,645 I'm giving you almost no time, your take on what should happen 583 00:25:46,645 --> 00:25:48,080 on this issue. 584 00:25:48,080 --> 00:25:49,515 - I support it 100%. 585 00:25:49,515 --> 00:25:54,052 The voters of the City of Memphis said yes, 586 00:25:54,052 --> 00:25:57,456 and it is being done in progressive cities across the 587 00:25:57,456 --> 00:25:59,591 country, and I think we should move in that direction. 588 00:25:59,591 --> 00:26:01,226 - Your take on that. 589 00:26:01,226 --> 00:26:02,661 - I'm not sure about it, but I think the state has an issue 590 00:26:02,661 --> 00:26:05,297 with it, I'm not sure it's legal on the state level. 591 00:26:05,297 --> 00:26:07,833 - Which if they clarify would you like to see it happen? 592 00:26:07,833 --> 00:26:09,668 - Have to see, becaues it's a huge expense. 593 00:26:09,668 --> 00:26:10,969 - Ok. 594 00:26:10,969 --> 00:26:12,471 Not enough time for that issue, but thank you all for being 595 00:26:12,471 --> 00:26:14,573 here, thank you Bill, thank you for joining us, 596 00:26:14,573 --> 00:26:16,708 join us again next week. 597 00:26:17,910 --> 00:26:20,913 [dramatic orchestral music] 598 00:26:33,792 --> 00:26:35,794 [acoustic guitar chords]