JUDY WOODRUFF: We want to look
now at Mr. Biden's bid for
the race for the nomination,

and how Democrats may
respond, with Democratic
Congresswoman Lisa Blunt
Rochester of Delaware.

She endorsed Joe
Biden's candidacy today.

5 00:00:14,719 --> 00:00:17,490
And, Aimee Allison, she's
president of She the People.

It's a group that advocates
for women of color in
leadership positions.

She is not supporting
a specific Democratic
candidate in the campaign.

9 00:00:26,600 -->
00:00:28,449 We welcome
both of you to the NewsHour.

11 00:00:29,449 -->
00:00:30,470 Congresswoman
Blunt-Rochester, to you first.

You're right out of the
box saying you endorse
Joe Biden for president.

Why?

Why is he the right
person for 2020?

16 00:00:37,390 -->
00:00:38,390 REP.

LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER (D-DE):
Joe Biden is the right person
for such a time as this.

I've known Joe for 30 years
as Delaware senator, vice
president, but also as a friend.

And when I think about his
taking this step, I think about
the past, the present and the

future.

First of all, just the past,
the record of accomplishments
that he brings to the table;

the present, that we are living
in a time as his video showed
earlier today where incidents

like Charlottesville are
happening and where we are
seeing just an abuse of power.

And, so, he's focused on the
present, but also because
he cares about the future of

this country.

27 00:01:18,049 --> 00:01:19,429
And, so, I'm excited.

Many of us not just here in
Delaware but across the country
are excited about the campaign

and feel that Joe Biden
is the person that needs
to be our next president.

31 00:01:30,219 -->
00:01:31,649 JUDY WOODRUFF:
Aimee Allison, how do you
look on Joe Biden's candidacy?

33 00:01:32,649 --> 00:01:34,570
AIMEE ALLISON, PRESIDENT,
SHE THE PEOPLE: Well, it's
interesting to talk about past,

present and future.

Joe Biden had the benefit of
high name ID and his association
with President Obama which

makes him beloved
amongst African-American
voters and particularly
African-American women

who are the highest vote turnout
Democrats, most loyal Democrats.

But we really need to
talk about also the past
association with Anita Hill.

And, you know, I think there's
going to be a lot of questions
about his relationship

to not only black women but
women of color in general,
associated with how he handled

the Anita Hill hearings back
then but, also just a couple
of weeks ago, how he handled

the accusations of improper
behavior toward former Nevada
legislator Lucy Flores.

I think that's the present.

45 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:26,110
And, you know, I think the
future really going to depend
on, you've got a candidate with

high-name ID who is entering
into a very different world.

This is a #MeToo era and a Black
Lives Matter era, you know,
how is he able to appeal to

a broad range of very
enthusiastic key Democratic
voters in the places
that he needs to in order

to gain the momentum?

I think that question
is still out.

52 00:02:47,250 --> 00:02:51,140
JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, let's take
two of the things that you've
just mentioned, Congresswoman

Blunt Rochester, how about he
handled Anita Hill in 1991,
being a very tough questioner

of her when she was
raising questions about
sexual harassment by
Clarence Thomas, and

what's happened in
the last few weeks.

57 00:03:05,750 -->
00:03:06,750 REP.

LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER: I think,
for Joe Biden, you know, I
had the opportunity to have a

conversation with him.

I actually requested 15 minutes.

I was granted a half an hour,
but we stopped and talked for
two and a half hours about

a lot of issues because
he believes, as well, that
this is not a fait accompli.

That this is something
that he has to earn.

65 00:03:28,730 -->
00:03:32,760 As was said by
Aimee, black women are the
loyalist Democratic voters.

We are the active Democratic
voters, and we have also said
that we want a seat at the

table.

And so, I think what people
need to look at as we go into
the next couple of months is

two -- a few things.

Number one, his experience,
number two, what are
his policies, and,
number three, who does

he hire, who does he bring
around the table as well.

73 00:03:54,190 -->
00:03:55,190 (CROSSTALK)

REP.

LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER: One
of the things that I can
acknowledge for him is that, I

just want to say this one last
thing, is what he does that
is different than our current

leader is that he acknowledges
areas he needs to grow and
he moves forward and tries to

grow.

That's something we're
not seeing right now
in our president.

81 00:04:09,329 --> 00:04:10,329
JUDY WOODRUFF: I want to
come back to Anita Hill.

"The New York Times" is
reporting today, this
afternoon, that Anita
Hill is saying she did

receive a call from Joe
Biden, his campaign is saying
he called to apologize.

She's saying and I'm quoting,
she was deeply unsatisfied
with what they talked about.

86 00:04:26,470 --> 00:04:28,490
Is that going to linger as
an issue, Aimee Allison?

88 00:04:29,490 --> 00:04:30,490
AIMEE ALLISON: Yes, it will.

Anita Hill was a very young
and courageous law professor.

When I was in college and
watching the way she was treated
for standing up and speaking

out, he did -- he allowed a
lot of damage to happen in
the decades since by having a

cooling and chilling effect on
women, black women and women
everywhere in the country

who dared to have the courage
to speak out against harassment
that they received at work.

95 00:04:57,029 --> 00:05:01,490
I think there's an accounting
that needs to happen on the
part of Joe Biden to directly

address it.

So it starts with a simple
apology, but needs to have very
important plans to go with it.

I mean, it's good that his
campaign called, but if Anita
Hill is not satisfied, well,

I'm telling you, for
women of color, we're
not satisfied either.

101 00:05:16,460 -->
00:05:19,249 JUDY WOODRUFF:
Congresswoman Blunt
Rochester, just quickly,
what is it that you believe

Joe Biden needs to do in order
to help people come around to
his explanation and his apology?

104 00:05:27,830 -->
00:05:28,830 REP.

LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER: He's
acknowledged that if he could
go back and do it differently,

he would have.

But he also made sure that there
were women on that Judiciary
Committee so that a person

would not have to face an all
white male judiciary committee.

110 00:05:42,919 -->
00:05:47,750 And I think
the voters are going to
really have to decide if
the actions -- because he

has a long track record of
many, many accomplishments,
but there are also things
that he has acknowledged

he would do differently,
and it's going to be really
up to the voters to decide.

And it's also going
to be incumbent on
him, he wants attorney
people's votes, he wants

to do that.

116 00:06:03,199 -->
00:06:07,550 JUDY WOODRUFF:
I just want to ask both
of you, finally, in an era
where there are younger

candidates, female candidates,
candidates of color, why is
Joe Biden the right choice

here or not?

I mean, how much should it
matter that he's older, that
he's white and that he's a male?

Aimee Allison?

122 00:06:23,289 -->
00:06:25,819 AIMEE ALLISON:
That's a question we ask
the eight presidential
candidates as part

of the She the People
Forum yesterday.

125 00:06:29,350 -->
00:06:34,080 We had candidates
like Warren, Elizabeth
Warren, the senator walked
into a lukewarm reception

and, 20 minutes later,
standing ovation.

She won over the hearts
and minds of thousands
of people in that room.

129 00:06:41,389 -->
00:06:45,270 Bernie Sanders
walked in to huge applause and
left with a tepid response.

And I think what we're going
to find as Joe Biden enters the
race that he is really -- that

we could see public opinion,
we can see the opinion of these
key Democrats, women of color,

change as he goes into
these series of debates
and public appearances,
and we'll see because

women of color are looking for
strong advocates for gender,
racial and economic justice.

And the question is: can Joe
Biden earn his vote in a crowded
rich field of strong candidates?

JUDY WOODRUFF: What
about this question,
Congresswoman Blunt Rochester?

137 00:07:20,020 -->
00:07:21,020 REP.

LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER: Well, I'm
an example that representation
does matter, and it is

important that we have
a seat at the table.

I think what Joe Biden has
demonstrated over the course of
his career is whether it's on

the issues of civil rights,
human rights or women's rights,
he stood up, and also whether

it's about strengthening
our economy, he stood up.

144 00:07:41,339 -->
00:07:45,839 So what I would
ask the voters and what I
would ask the American people
is to stay open-minded,

to see his heart, see what
kind of message he puts forward
and let him earn your vote.

He's already earned mine.

148 00:07:54,349 -->
00:07:55,349 JUDY
WOODRUFF: All right.

We want to thank both of you.

Congressman Lisa Blunt Rochester
of Delaware and Aimee Allison
of She the People -- thank

you both.

153 00:08:02,899 -->
00:08:03,899 AIMEE
ALLISON: Thank you.

REP.

LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER: Thank you.