1 00:00:01,466 --> 00:00:03,000 - [Narrator] Funding for Overheard with Evan Smith 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:05,900 is provided in part by Hillco Partners, 3 00:00:05,900 --> 00:00:08,433 a Texas government affairs consultancy, 4 00:00:08,433 --> 00:00:11,000 and by Claire and Carl Stuart. 5 00:00:12,833 --> 00:00:15,766 - I'm Evan Smith, he's the 109th mayor of New York, 6 00:00:15,766 --> 00:00:17,766 a few months into his second term leading 7 00:00:17,766 --> 00:00:20,800 the biggest city in America, and on the long list of names 8 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:24,100 floated as possible candidates for president in 2020. 9 00:00:24,100 --> 00:00:26,700 He's Bill DeBlasio, this is Overheard. 10 00:00:26,700 --> 00:00:28,000 (light music) 11 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:29,233 - [Evan] Let's be honest. 12 00:00:29,233 --> 00:00:31,033 Is this about the ability to learn 13 00:00:31,033 --> 00:00:32,600 or is this about the experience 14 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:34,200 of not having to talk properly? 15 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:36,500 How have you avoided what has befallen 16 00:00:36,500 --> 00:00:38,166 other nations in Africa and-- 17 00:00:38,166 --> 00:00:39,433 You could say that he made his own bed, 18 00:00:39,433 --> 00:00:41,266 but you caused him to sleep in it. 19 00:00:41,266 --> 00:00:44,266 You saw a problem, and over time you took it on-- 20 00:00:44,266 --> 00:00:47,733 Let's start with the sizzle before we get to the steak. 21 00:00:47,733 --> 00:00:49,066 Are you gonna run for president? 22 00:00:49,066 --> 00:00:52,466 (overlapping voices) 23 00:00:52,466 --> 00:00:55,666 (audience cheers) 24 00:00:55,666 --> 00:00:56,900 - Mr. Mayor, welcome. 25 00:00:56,900 --> 00:00:58,133 - Thank you. 26 00:00:58,133 --> 00:00:59,433 - Thank you very much for being here. 27 00:00:59,433 --> 00:01:00,466 Let me go right to the elephant in the room, 28 00:01:00,466 --> 00:01:01,866 or the donkey as it were. 29 00:01:01,866 --> 00:01:02,800 - The donkey in the room? 30 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:04,200 - Do you understand-- 31 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:05,500 - You just coined a new phrase, the donkey in the room. 32 00:01:05,500 --> 00:01:06,433 - The donkey in the room. - All right. 33 00:01:06,433 --> 00:01:07,633 - You understand why people talk 34 00:01:07,633 --> 00:01:08,866 about you running for president? 35 00:01:08,866 --> 00:01:10,900 - Sure, I think it has a lot to do 36 00:01:10,900 --> 00:01:13,200 with how mayors are becoming more prominent. 37 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:14,833 - [Evan] Are you encouraging it, personally? 38 00:01:14,833 --> 00:01:15,933 - No. 39 00:01:15,933 --> 00:01:19,000 I have a tremendously valued job, 40 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:20,366 I really appreciate the opportunity 41 00:01:20,366 --> 00:01:21,333 to serve the people in New York City-- 42 00:01:21,333 --> 00:01:22,833 - Right. 43 00:01:22,833 --> 00:01:24,766 - But I'm also going around the country talking about 44 00:01:24,766 --> 00:01:27,066 the need for a more progressive Democratic Party-- 45 00:01:27,066 --> 00:01:28,300 - Right. 46 00:01:28,300 --> 00:01:29,633 I'm talking about the need for cities 47 00:01:29,633 --> 00:01:31,933 to stand up and address what is 48 00:01:31,933 --> 00:01:33,466 not being addressed in Washington-- 49 00:01:33,466 --> 00:01:35,000 - Right. 50 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:36,500 - I think mayors have a very big role to play nationally 51 00:01:36,500 --> 00:01:38,933 in the absence, in my view, of a federal government that-- 52 00:01:38,933 --> 00:01:40,200 - Right. 53 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:43,066 - That is absent, so it doesn't surprise me 54 00:01:43,066 --> 00:01:45,166 that for, probably the first time in memory, 55 00:01:45,166 --> 00:01:47,666 you hear mayors talked about as 56 00:01:47,666 --> 00:01:48,700 potential presidential candidates. 57 00:01:48,700 --> 00:01:49,800 Eric Garcetti in Los Angeles, 58 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:50,766 - Sure. 59 00:01:50,766 --> 00:01:52,033 - Mitch Landrieu in New Orleans, 60 00:01:52,033 --> 00:01:53,666 even Pete Buttigieg in South Bend, Indiana. 61 00:01:53,666 --> 00:01:55,966 We hear mayors alongside senators and governors, 62 00:01:55,966 --> 00:01:58,533 and regular old folks being talked about. 63 00:01:58,533 --> 00:01:59,600 I mean, a long list of people. 64 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:00,933 - Yeah. 65 00:02:00,933 --> 00:02:02,166 - You have foreclosed previously when asked, 66 00:02:02,166 --> 00:02:03,433 when you went to Iowa and why would 67 00:02:03,433 --> 00:02:05,366 a mayor of New York go to Iowa, it is assumed, 68 00:02:05,366 --> 00:02:08,733 except to kick around the idea of doing something else. 69 00:02:08,733 --> 00:02:11,100 When you were asked, you said "I am not running." 70 00:02:11,100 --> 00:02:12,366 Is that your position today? 71 00:02:12,366 --> 00:02:13,633 - Yeah, I'm mayor of New York City, 72 00:02:13,633 --> 00:02:14,566 it's a tremendous honor to do that, 73 00:02:14,566 --> 00:02:15,766 I've got a lotta work to do 74 00:02:15,766 --> 00:02:17,266 for the next four years that's my focus. 75 00:02:17,266 --> 00:02:18,666 - You commit to running, you commit 76 00:02:18,666 --> 00:02:20,200 to staying in that job for four years. 77 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:22,966 - I have, but my focus also, 'cause I think we have 78 00:02:22,966 --> 00:02:25,833 to be able to do more than one thing at a time 79 00:02:25,833 --> 00:02:28,266 in this very roiled environment we're in-- 80 00:02:28,266 --> 00:02:29,500 - Right. 81 00:02:29,500 --> 00:02:31,100 - Is to build a national progressive movement, 82 00:02:31,100 --> 00:02:34,600 is to help push the Democrat Party to the left, explicitly, 83 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:36,000 - Right. 84 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:38,733 - And to actually amplify the work of cities 85 00:02:38,733 --> 00:02:40,566 all over the country, and create more coalition 86 00:02:40,566 --> 00:02:41,866 among cities for change. 87 00:02:41,866 --> 00:02:44,166 When cities act in unison-- 88 00:02:44,166 --> 00:02:45,566 - Right. 89 00:02:45,566 --> 00:02:46,933 - You create another version of national policy. 90 00:02:46,933 --> 00:02:48,200 - Right. 91 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:49,700 - And so all this work is crucial, 92 00:02:49,700 --> 00:02:54,066 it cannot just be done from my desk in City Hall. 93 00:02:54,066 --> 00:02:55,600 I'm gonna keep doing that work, 94 00:02:57,200 --> 00:02:59,233 but I feel it's important that mayors stand 95 00:02:59,233 --> 00:03:02,100 and be counted at this point, because you can't sit back 96 00:03:02,100 --> 00:03:04,866 in your cities and expect the kind of 97 00:03:04,866 --> 00:03:06,666 bigger changes to occur. 98 00:03:06,666 --> 00:03:10,000 We have to build something nationally that's different. 99 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:12,966 And I gotta tell you, the energy on the ground 100 00:03:12,966 --> 00:03:14,733 in this country is absolutely amazing. 101 00:03:14,733 --> 00:03:16,233 - Right. 102 00:03:16,233 --> 00:03:18,333 - When you look at what is being achieved city by city, 103 00:03:18,333 --> 00:03:20,066 and I wanna talk about a couple of things we're doing. 104 00:03:20,066 --> 00:03:21,666 - A host of issues, right? 105 00:03:21,666 --> 00:03:25,300 - Yeah, but what's so fascinating is cities have woken up. 106 00:03:25,300 --> 00:03:27,600 They are in an aggressive posture right now. 107 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:28,833 - Right. 108 00:03:28,833 --> 00:03:30,800 - To create real change in their communities, 109 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:32,733 whether it's addressing affordable housing 110 00:03:32,733 --> 00:03:35,233 or, in our case, for example, pre-K for all our kids-- 111 00:03:35,233 --> 00:03:36,500 - Right. 112 00:03:36,500 --> 00:03:39,066 - Or going at changes in how we have police 113 00:03:39,066 --> 00:03:40,300 and community relate to each other. 114 00:03:40,300 --> 00:03:42,033 We're not waiting for a federal policy 115 00:03:42,033 --> 00:03:43,366 or even a state policy-- 116 00:03:43,366 --> 00:03:44,300 - Right. 117 00:03:44,300 --> 00:03:45,100 - It's a do-it-yourself moment. 118 00:03:45,100 --> 00:03:46,033 - Why now, Mr. Mayor? 119 00:03:46,033 --> 00:03:47,733 You know, is it all Trump? 120 00:03:47,733 --> 00:03:49,133 Because you had eight years of Obama 121 00:03:49,133 --> 00:03:51,100 when the mayors could've gotten as activated 122 00:03:51,100 --> 00:03:53,366 and as organized, where the cities were just as much 123 00:03:53,366 --> 00:03:55,233 laboratories of innovation, experimentation 124 00:03:55,233 --> 00:03:57,166 and democracy as they are now. 125 00:03:57,166 --> 00:03:59,700 If you all wanted to activate at that time, you could've. 126 00:03:59,700 --> 00:04:01,600 This seems to be more about what you're opposed to, 127 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:03,333 versus what you're for. 128 00:04:03,333 --> 00:04:05,366 - I appreciate why it may look that way, 129 00:04:05,366 --> 00:04:06,666 but I'm gonna argue that actually it 130 00:04:06,666 --> 00:04:08,666 was well in motion before that. 131 00:04:08,666 --> 00:04:10,866 I think there's a historical trajectory 132 00:04:10,866 --> 00:04:12,866 that has to be talked about a lot more. 133 00:04:12,866 --> 00:04:15,133 The Recession, which has, The Great Recession, 134 00:04:15,133 --> 00:04:17,566 defined the politics of our time. 135 00:04:17,566 --> 00:04:20,466 Occupy Wall Street, I think, was a signature moment-- 136 00:04:20,466 --> 00:04:21,700 - Right. 137 00:04:21,700 --> 00:04:23,133 - In terms of opening up the political process. 138 00:04:23,133 --> 00:04:24,833 Then you saw progressives start to get elected 139 00:04:24,833 --> 00:04:26,666 all over the country at the local level. 140 00:04:26,666 --> 00:04:31,366 In 2012, my number one platform item 141 00:04:31,366 --> 00:04:33,466 when I was running in the election the following year 142 00:04:33,466 --> 00:04:36,900 was a tax on wealthy New Yorkers to pay for pre-K for all. 143 00:04:36,900 --> 00:04:38,466 - But yeah, we have some experience with that in Texas, 144 00:04:38,466 --> 00:04:40,400 in San Antonio, specifically, where they raised 145 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:42,133 the sales tax by some incremental amount 146 00:04:42,133 --> 00:04:46,366 to pay for full day pre-K for 22,000 4-year-olds. 147 00:04:46,366 --> 00:04:48,633 - And what San Antonio did under Mayor Castro 148 00:04:48,633 --> 00:04:50,500 was well before you ever heard of the name 149 00:04:50,500 --> 00:04:52,700 Donald Trump as a potential presidential candidate. 150 00:04:52,700 --> 00:04:53,933 - Correct. 151 00:04:53,933 --> 00:04:55,400 - When I, in 2012, said "Let's tax the wealthy 152 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:56,333 for pre-K for all," that was well before-- 153 00:04:56,333 --> 00:04:57,900 - He was still your constituent. 154 00:04:57,900 --> 00:04:58,966 - God help me. - Right. 155 00:04:58,966 --> 00:05:01,333 (laughs) 156 00:05:01,333 --> 00:05:03,200 - Not a point of pride for some of us. 157 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:04,033 That's okay. 158 00:05:04,033 --> 00:05:05,266 (audience laughs) 159 00:05:05,266 --> 00:05:06,466 But look, here's what I wanna say. 160 00:05:06,466 --> 00:05:07,400 - Yeah. 161 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:09,733 - That was well before Trump. 162 00:05:09,733 --> 00:05:12,266 Cities were increasing, more and more progressives 163 00:05:12,266 --> 00:05:14,633 were being elected, more and more change agents, I think, 164 00:05:14,633 --> 00:05:16,866 again, Mayor Adler's done amazing things here in Austin. 165 00:05:16,866 --> 00:05:18,533 It's a different type of mayor 166 00:05:18,533 --> 00:05:20,033 that emerged well before Trump. 167 00:05:20,033 --> 00:05:22,800 Now, I think you're right to say the election of Trump 168 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:25,233 then crystallized a movement locally-- 169 00:05:25,233 --> 00:05:26,433 - Yep. 170 00:05:26,433 --> 00:05:27,666 - And among mayors, to force change. 171 00:05:27,666 --> 00:05:29,766 The most obvious example is when Trump 172 00:05:29,766 --> 00:05:32,566 left the Paris Agreement, which could've been 173 00:05:32,566 --> 00:05:35,400 a devastating moment, had there not been a vivid response-- 174 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:36,933 - Yeah. 175 00:05:36,933 --> 00:05:39,000 - Over 300 American mayors said "No, we're still in. 176 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:41,233 We're going to abide by the Paris Agreement. 177 00:05:41,233 --> 00:05:43,433 We're going to create a response to global warming 178 00:05:43,433 --> 00:05:47,233 on our own, locally, in the absence of national leadership." 179 00:05:47,233 --> 00:05:49,133 And this is a paradigm shift, that I think 180 00:05:49,133 --> 00:05:50,966 is only beginning to be fully understood. 181 00:05:50,966 --> 00:05:53,233 Think about it this way, and I'm-- 182 00:05:53,233 --> 00:05:54,600 You know, being in the great state of Texas, 183 00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:57,533 and it's a long tradition of independence 184 00:05:57,533 --> 00:05:58,700 and independent thinking. 185 00:05:58,700 --> 00:06:00,166 - Right. 186 00:06:00,166 --> 00:06:02,633 - If your federal government is not functioning, 187 00:06:02,633 --> 00:06:05,300 do it yourself, create on the ground. 188 00:06:05,300 --> 00:06:07,166 So imagine the notion of something 189 00:06:07,166 --> 00:06:08,933 that you would think is quintessentially federal 190 00:06:08,933 --> 00:06:11,900 and national, like a policy on global warming, 191 00:06:11,900 --> 00:06:13,700 in the absence of a federal policy, 192 00:06:13,700 --> 00:06:17,100 a extraordinary coalition of localities get together 193 00:06:17,100 --> 00:06:19,233 and say "We're not only saying symbolically 194 00:06:19,233 --> 00:06:20,033 we're going to abide by it," 195 00:06:20,033 --> 00:06:21,300 - Right. 196 00:06:21,300 --> 00:06:22,533 - "We're actually going to meet these standards. 197 00:06:22,533 --> 00:06:23,733 We're committing ourselves locally 198 00:06:23,733 --> 00:06:25,166 to meeting these standards." 199 00:06:25,166 --> 00:06:25,966 - Practically, Mr. Mayor, what does that mean? 200 00:06:25,966 --> 00:06:27,533 What can you actually do 201 00:06:27,533 --> 00:06:29,566 to affect the outcome of this issue? 202 00:06:29,566 --> 00:06:32,666 - So, we are now putting mandates on our buildings. 203 00:06:32,666 --> 00:06:33,966 You know, the biggest source of pollution 204 00:06:33,966 --> 00:06:35,700 in New York City is actually big buildings. 205 00:06:35,700 --> 00:06:36,900 We're putting mandates that they have 206 00:06:36,900 --> 00:06:38,933 to get cleaner, they have to be retrofitted, 207 00:06:38,933 --> 00:06:41,100 or there are substantial penalties if they don't. 208 00:06:41,100 --> 00:06:42,533 - Right. 209 00:06:42,533 --> 00:06:44,533 - We're putting up electric car charging stations 210 00:06:44,533 --> 00:06:47,233 all over New York City, as a public investment 211 00:06:47,233 --> 00:06:49,366 to encourage the conversion to electric vehicles. 212 00:06:49,366 --> 00:06:52,633 Our city car fleet is gonna be all electric. 213 00:06:52,633 --> 00:06:55,700 We are divesting our pension fund investments 214 00:06:55,700 --> 00:06:58,133 from fossil fuel holding companies. 215 00:06:58,133 --> 00:07:00,633 It's five billion dollars, ultimately-- 216 00:07:00,633 --> 00:07:01,900 - Yeah. 217 00:07:01,900 --> 00:07:03,133 - That will be taken out of fossil fuel industry. 218 00:07:03,133 --> 00:07:04,400 We are actually suing five of the largest 219 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:06,800 petroleum companies to hold them responsible 220 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:08,733 for the impact they've had on global warming. 221 00:07:08,733 --> 00:07:09,966 - Yeah. 222 00:07:09,966 --> 00:07:11,266 - This is one city, but now I'm talking about 223 00:07:11,266 --> 00:07:12,833 300 cities, each in their own way-- 224 00:07:12,833 --> 00:07:14,233 - Versions of the same thing. 225 00:07:14,233 --> 00:07:15,166 - Each in their own way-- 226 00:07:15,166 --> 00:07:16,666 - Right. 227 00:07:16,666 --> 00:07:18,166 - That are finding a way to address global warming. 228 00:07:18,166 --> 00:07:19,666 - Are you getting pushback from the big businesses 229 00:07:19,666 --> 00:07:21,533 that are either headquartered or have significant amounts 230 00:07:21,533 --> 00:07:24,000 of business in New York, who might be 231 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:26,900 on the receiving end of a lot of these regulations 232 00:07:26,900 --> 00:07:28,333 or a lot of these policies that, 233 00:07:28,333 --> 00:07:29,666 while they may be well-intentioned, 234 00:07:29,666 --> 00:07:31,166 and people in the communities may support them, 235 00:07:31,166 --> 00:07:33,000 but at the same time, you know the tension between 236 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,000 the climate issue on the one hand, 237 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:36,633 and economic development and the business community 238 00:07:36,633 --> 00:07:37,866 on the other. 239 00:07:37,866 --> 00:07:38,800 - I'm very familiar with the tension, 240 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:39,500 and I'll tell you, it's happen-- 241 00:07:39,500 --> 00:07:40,333 - Yeah. 242 00:07:40,333 --> 00:07:41,433 (laughs) 243 00:07:41,433 --> 00:07:43,000 - Well, I am and yes, yes I have. 244 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:44,000 - Yes I am, well right. 245 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:45,500 (audience laughs) 246 00:07:45,500 --> 00:07:47,466 That's why I'm the host, I ask the good questions. 247 00:07:47,466 --> 00:07:50,833 - It has become, you know, this is my fifth year as mayor. 248 00:07:50,833 --> 00:07:52,333 - Yes sir. 249 00:07:52,333 --> 00:07:54,566 - And I'll tell ya, when we went to do paid sick leave 250 00:07:54,566 --> 00:07:55,900 for half a million more families-- 251 00:07:55,900 --> 00:07:56,833 - Right. 252 00:07:56,833 --> 00:07:57,766 - Some of the business community 253 00:07:57,766 --> 00:07:59,166 told me the sky was gonna fall. 254 00:07:59,166 --> 00:08:01,100 When we pushed for a higher minimum wage 255 00:08:01,100 --> 00:08:03,333 in our state, which we ultimately achieved, 256 00:08:03,333 --> 00:08:05,900 the economy was going to ground to a halt. 257 00:08:05,900 --> 00:08:07,400 - But we're gonna have to lay a bunch of people off. 258 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:10,100 - Right, when we said was gonna be tough mandates 259 00:08:10,100 --> 00:08:12,466 to address global warming, oh, 260 00:08:12,466 --> 00:08:15,933 literally our real estate boards said at one point 261 00:08:15,933 --> 00:08:17,833 this was going to devastate the real estate market 262 00:08:17,833 --> 00:08:18,666 in New York City. 263 00:08:18,666 --> 00:08:19,900 - Yep. 264 00:08:19,900 --> 00:08:21,433 - I'm like, come on, that's ludicrous. 265 00:08:21,433 --> 00:08:24,333 I think it is, when you know that kind of critique 266 00:08:24,333 --> 00:08:25,833 is coming, it doesn't mean you don't listen to people 267 00:08:25,833 --> 00:08:28,333 or work with people, but I'm just not falling for that. 268 00:08:28,333 --> 00:08:31,433 We have to, look at that line of examples. 269 00:08:31,433 --> 00:08:33,933 We have to raise wages and benefits in a society 270 00:08:33,933 --> 00:08:36,133 that's absolutely being undermined 271 00:08:36,133 --> 00:08:38,200 by vast income inequality. 272 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:39,733 We have to address global warming. 273 00:08:39,733 --> 00:08:41,033 It's a survival matter. 274 00:08:41,033 --> 00:08:43,033 It's not a matter that could be sublimated 275 00:08:43,033 --> 00:08:44,700 to the needs of a company for profit. 276 00:08:44,700 --> 00:08:45,966 - Right. 277 00:08:45,966 --> 00:08:47,466 - We have to sort this out together, 278 00:08:47,466 --> 00:08:49,566 and honestly, I said, I went to the United Nations 279 00:08:49,566 --> 00:08:51,133 a few years ago and said we would abide by 280 00:08:51,133 --> 00:08:54,533 the core Paris Agreement goal, which was 80 percent 281 00:08:54,533 --> 00:08:56,333 reduction in emissions by 2050, 282 00:08:56,333 --> 00:08:58,500 and I said there, literally at the podium 283 00:08:58,500 --> 00:09:00,166 of the United Nations in the General Assembly, 284 00:09:00,166 --> 00:09:03,933 I said if the business sector comes along voluntarily, 285 00:09:03,933 --> 00:09:04,933 that would be our preference, 286 00:09:04,933 --> 00:09:06,366 if not, we will issue mandates. 287 00:09:06,366 --> 00:09:08,966 Lo and behold, after several years of discussing, 288 00:09:08,966 --> 00:09:12,233 I was not shocked to find that the business community 289 00:09:12,233 --> 00:09:14,533 did not voluntarily meet the standard we needed-- 290 00:09:14,533 --> 00:09:16,033 - Right. 291 00:09:16,033 --> 00:09:17,333 - So we said, great, we'll make it really easy for you, 292 00:09:17,333 --> 00:09:18,733 meet these standards or there will be 293 00:09:18,733 --> 00:09:20,533 substantial financial penalties. 294 00:09:20,533 --> 00:09:22,000 That's a language they can understand. 295 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:23,200 - And you have to mean it, by the way. 296 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:24,166 - You have to mean it. 297 00:09:24,166 --> 00:09:25,333 - It cannot be an idle threat. 298 00:09:25,333 --> 00:09:27,166 Do you worry that Scott Pruitt at the EPA, 299 00:09:27,166 --> 00:09:29,033 or the Trump administration will swoop in 300 00:09:29,033 --> 00:09:31,933 and say "This is not really the purview of the cities, 301 00:09:31,933 --> 00:09:33,400 and we're gonna challenge you." 302 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:34,566 I mean, you don't really care about that either, do you? 303 00:09:34,566 --> 00:09:35,900 That's a fight you'd love to have. 304 00:09:35,900 --> 00:09:38,666 - Well not, look, the irony is it's a fight 305 00:09:38,666 --> 00:09:40,000 I'd love to not have-- 306 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:41,533 - [Evan] Yeah. 307 00:09:41,533 --> 00:09:44,266 - Because I like the notion of local control to be respected 308 00:09:44,266 --> 00:09:45,766 - [Evan] Right. 309 00:09:45,766 --> 00:09:46,733 - And let us do the work we're doing for our people 310 00:09:46,733 --> 00:09:48,433 with the values of our city. 311 00:09:48,433 --> 00:09:50,066 But if it's a fight that comes, 312 00:09:50,066 --> 00:09:51,666 we will meet 'em on the battlefield, 313 00:09:51,666 --> 00:09:53,133 and I believe we will beat them, 314 00:09:53,133 --> 00:09:56,200 because what's been forgotten in the whole Trump epoch 315 00:09:56,200 --> 00:09:57,666 is the United States Constitution 316 00:09:57,666 --> 00:10:00,066 is very friendly to localities. 317 00:10:00,066 --> 00:10:02,066 A few weeks after the election, 318 00:10:02,066 --> 00:10:04,433 I gave a speech at The Cooper Union Building 319 00:10:04,433 --> 00:10:07,566 in New York City, very historic place 320 00:10:07,566 --> 00:10:10,533 where there've been important moments in history discussed. 321 00:10:10,533 --> 00:10:13,666 I said, "Look, we've gotta remember 322 00:10:13,666 --> 00:10:17,366 our constitutional structure is a defense at this moment. 323 00:10:17,366 --> 00:10:19,600 The values of New York City, the values of Texas-- 324 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:21,000 - [Evan] Right. 325 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:23,466 - Are going to be expressed by local government 326 00:10:23,466 --> 00:10:24,966 and state government in a variety of ways." 327 00:10:24,966 --> 00:10:26,700 And in fact the Constitution does not allow 328 00:10:26,700 --> 00:10:28,166 the federal government to come in and say 329 00:10:28,166 --> 00:10:30,300 "We're gonna be able to nullify everything you want to do." 330 00:10:30,300 --> 00:10:31,766 - And yet, Mr. Mayor, you know 331 00:10:31,766 --> 00:10:33,666 that the local control conversation has been turned 332 00:10:33,666 --> 00:10:34,800 on its head in many places-- 333 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:36,333 - Yes. 334 00:10:36,333 --> 00:10:36,900 - It has in Texas, I don't know if it has in New York. 335 00:10:36,900 --> 00:10:38,133 - Yes. 336 00:10:38,133 --> 00:10:39,266 - Where the state says, "States created 337 00:10:39,266 --> 00:10:40,533 the federal government, states created 338 00:10:40,533 --> 00:10:41,766 the cities and the counties, the states 339 00:10:41,766 --> 00:10:43,733 have the ultimate sovereign authority." 340 00:10:43,733 --> 00:10:46,066 So the fact is, local control only works 341 00:10:46,066 --> 00:10:48,333 if we like how the locals are being controlled, 342 00:10:48,333 --> 00:10:50,700 otherwise we say that whole Jeffersonian idea 343 00:10:50,700 --> 00:10:52,033 of the best government is the government 344 00:10:52,033 --> 00:10:54,100 closest to the people, forget about that. 345 00:10:55,566 --> 00:10:57,066 I just wonder if, really, you can make 346 00:10:57,066 --> 00:11:00,666 the civics textbook argument successfully 347 00:11:00,666 --> 00:11:02,066 if the federal government decides 348 00:11:02,066 --> 00:11:04,366 that all not withstanding, we wanna swoop in 349 00:11:04,366 --> 00:11:05,766 and tell you you can't do what you wanna do. 350 00:11:05,766 --> 00:11:07,000 - Oh, we believe we can. 351 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:10,200 I'll give you the example of the attempts 352 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:12,966 by the President and Attorney General Sessions 353 00:11:12,966 --> 00:11:16,200 to threaten to withhold our security funding 354 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:19,433 if we don't change our policies. 355 00:11:19,433 --> 00:11:20,633 - Sanctuary cities. 356 00:11:20,633 --> 00:11:22,100 - Undocumented immigrants, right? 357 00:11:22,100 --> 00:11:24,933 So the, look, this is one I love to talk about. 358 00:11:24,933 --> 00:11:26,400 - Well, you boycotted that meeting, right? 359 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:28,700 You were proudly, you decided not to go see the, right. 360 00:11:28,700 --> 00:11:30,166 - I didn't want to have to boycott the meeting, 361 00:11:30,166 --> 00:11:32,033 but once again they threatened my city. 362 00:11:32,033 --> 00:11:33,266 - But you did it, but you did it. 363 00:11:33,266 --> 00:11:38,066 - But here's the bottom line, and actually had 364 00:11:38,066 --> 00:11:39,933 a very surreal meeting with Donald Trump 365 00:11:39,933 --> 00:11:42,400 and Jeff Sessions a week or two after the election 366 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:44,166 in an attempt at some kind of dialogue, 367 00:11:44,166 --> 00:11:47,100 and I said, "Look, the reason to understand 368 00:11:47,100 --> 00:11:50,200 how we approach immigration, in say, New York, 369 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:52,333 with half a million undocumented immigrants--" 370 00:11:52,333 --> 00:11:53,300 - Yeah. 371 00:11:53,300 --> 00:11:54,766 - "Is about public safety." 372 00:11:54,766 --> 00:11:57,566 I said, "Don't talk to me, talk to my police commissioner. 373 00:11:57,566 --> 00:11:59,966 If you wanna hear a non-partisan assessment, 374 00:11:59,966 --> 00:12:01,266 talk to my police commissioner 375 00:12:01,266 --> 00:12:03,033 about why we will not ask documentation status 376 00:12:03,033 --> 00:12:05,333 and why that has helped us to bond police 377 00:12:05,333 --> 00:12:06,866 and community together in immigrant communities, 378 00:12:06,866 --> 00:12:08,900 and that is why we are now the safest big city 379 00:12:08,900 --> 00:12:10,533 in America, it's part of what got us there." 380 00:12:10,533 --> 00:12:11,800 - And isn't it consistent, Mr. Mayor, 381 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:13,666 not just in Texas, but all over the country, 382 00:12:13,666 --> 00:12:16,066 that law enforcement tends to think that those laws 383 00:12:16,066 --> 00:12:18,733 actually don't improve public safety? 384 00:12:18,733 --> 00:12:19,933 - Actually-- 385 00:12:19,933 --> 00:12:21,466 - In fact, they create disincentives 386 00:12:21,466 --> 00:12:23,000 for people in the undocumented community 387 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:24,900 to come forward and report crimes. 388 00:12:24,900 --> 00:12:27,400 - Yeah, what I have seen from law enforcement leadership 389 00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:29,766 all over the country is exactly that. 390 00:12:29,766 --> 00:12:31,666 They need the dialogue and the open channel-- 391 00:12:31,666 --> 00:12:32,866 - [Evan] Right. 392 00:12:32,866 --> 00:12:34,333 - Between immigrants and police to be there, 393 00:12:34,333 --> 00:12:36,833 and if you ask someone's documentation status, 394 00:12:36,833 --> 00:12:39,133 you're basically asking them not to come forward 395 00:12:39,133 --> 00:12:40,466 if they see or witness a crime, 396 00:12:40,466 --> 00:12:41,700 or they're a victim of a crime. 397 00:12:41,700 --> 00:12:43,966 So to wrap together to your previous point, 398 00:12:43,966 --> 00:12:45,766 what I feel, in that case-- 399 00:12:45,766 --> 00:12:47,300 - [Evan] Yep. 400 00:12:47,300 --> 00:12:48,800 - We've been threatened with our funding being taken back, 401 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:50,266 funding that helps us fight terrorism, for example. 402 00:12:50,266 --> 00:12:51,766 - Right. 403 00:12:51,766 --> 00:12:53,333 - We're gonna stand and fight to keep that funding. 404 00:12:53,333 --> 00:12:55,766 And we believe, constitutionally, we're on very firm ground. 405 00:12:55,766 --> 00:12:57,166 - But that's a harder fight than climate. 406 00:12:57,166 --> 00:12:58,900 Climate seems to be, relative to sanctuary cities, 407 00:12:58,900 --> 00:13:00,733 more of a polite disagreement. 408 00:13:00,733 --> 00:13:03,200 Sanctuary city is a fight, and it's not just a fight 409 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:05,033 where you are, but it's a fight all over the country. 410 00:13:05,033 --> 00:13:06,733 And unlike climate, which the President 411 00:13:06,733 --> 00:13:08,666 didn't necessarily seem to care all that much about 412 00:13:08,666 --> 00:13:11,300 during the campaign, he made sanctuary cities 413 00:13:11,300 --> 00:13:13,033 and legislation around immigration 414 00:13:13,033 --> 00:13:14,900 the basis for his campaign. 415 00:13:14,900 --> 00:13:16,633 Is he gonna relent? 416 00:13:16,633 --> 00:13:18,633 - I don't think he will want to relent. 417 00:13:18,633 --> 00:13:21,600 - Big campaign issue for him going into the next election. 418 00:13:21,600 --> 00:13:23,833 - Perhaps, although again, look at 419 00:13:23,833 --> 00:13:25,700 the public opinion polling around the country. 420 00:13:25,700 --> 00:13:28,400 Look at the views that Americans have about the Dreamers, 421 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:29,833 for example, I think there's a lot 422 00:13:29,833 --> 00:13:32,600 more open mindedness than is often ascribed. 423 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:35,466 I think the President obsessively focuses on his base. 424 00:13:35,466 --> 00:13:36,400 - [Evan] Yep. 425 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:37,900 - But we see the polling. 426 00:13:37,900 --> 00:13:40,400 His base is somewhere in the 30 to 35 percent range 427 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:42,133 in terms of the total of the American people. 428 00:13:42,133 --> 00:13:43,400 - Right. 429 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:47,000 - To the core point you raise, look, in the end, 430 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:50,600 there is a dynamic, there is a reality of local control, 431 00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:52,233 on some of the most fundamental things 432 00:13:52,233 --> 00:13:53,733 affecting peoples' lives. 433 00:13:53,733 --> 00:13:55,233 If the federal government or a state government 434 00:13:55,233 --> 00:13:56,533 want to try and turn it on its head 435 00:13:56,533 --> 00:13:58,766 and say "Oh, wait, wait, you're creatures of us, 436 00:13:58,766 --> 00:14:00,366 so we're not going to allow you to do 437 00:14:00,366 --> 00:14:02,333 what you wanna do," that, politically, is untenable. 438 00:14:02,333 --> 00:14:04,633 At a certain point, the emerging majorities 439 00:14:04,633 --> 00:14:05,900 on these issues take over the situation. 440 00:14:05,900 --> 00:14:07,466 - If not immediately, then soon. 441 00:14:07,466 --> 00:14:08,666 - Exactly. - Right. 442 00:14:08,666 --> 00:14:10,733 - And so, for example, on climate change, 443 00:14:10,733 --> 00:14:13,600 and this is both growing awareness 444 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:14,766 among people all over the country, 445 00:14:14,766 --> 00:14:16,100 but it's clearly generational as well. 446 00:14:16,100 --> 00:14:18,966 Every single day, there are more young people 447 00:14:18,966 --> 00:14:21,300 who are registering to vote, who fundamentally believe 448 00:14:21,300 --> 00:14:23,066 that climate change threatens their futures. 449 00:14:23,066 --> 00:14:24,000 - [Evan] Right. 450 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:24,933 - They want to see action. 451 00:14:24,933 --> 00:14:26,466 They will stand by that action. 452 00:14:26,466 --> 00:14:28,100 If their state government tries to stand in the way, 453 00:14:28,100 --> 00:14:30,200 or their federal government, they will act on that. 454 00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:31,633 - They'll be the pushback. 455 00:14:31,633 --> 00:14:33,133 Speaking of young people, is guns going to be 456 00:14:33,133 --> 00:14:35,066 the next frontier for mayors? 457 00:14:35,066 --> 00:14:37,133 I mean, obviously, the federal government's 458 00:14:37,133 --> 00:14:39,400 disposition on guns has been shifting back and forth 459 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:40,333 and back and forth, depending on 460 00:14:40,333 --> 00:14:41,833 who the President last talked to 461 00:14:41,833 --> 00:14:42,766 - [Bill] Yeah. 462 00:14:42,766 --> 00:14:43,700 - Over the last couple of weeks. 463 00:14:43,700 --> 00:14:44,633 But the reality is, if you look 464 00:14:44,633 --> 00:14:46,100 at the public opinion polling, 465 00:14:46,100 --> 00:14:48,533 not just after Parkland, but frankly before Parkland, 466 00:14:48,533 --> 00:14:50,900 on things like ban on high-capacity magazines, 467 00:14:50,900 --> 00:14:52,133 - Yeah. 468 00:14:52,133 --> 00:14:53,766 - Limitations on access to automatic weapons, 469 00:14:53,766 --> 00:14:57,166 strengthen background checks, the public has really been, 470 00:14:57,166 --> 00:14:59,433 maybe as far back as Sandy Hook, or before-- 471 00:14:59,433 --> 00:15:00,766 - Yes. 472 00:15:00,766 --> 00:15:02,900 - 60, 70, 80 percent in red parts of the country 473 00:15:02,900 --> 00:15:04,200 and blue parts of the country-- 474 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:05,666 - That's right. 475 00:15:05,666 --> 00:15:06,866 - For these things, and yet Congress has not acted. 476 00:15:06,866 --> 00:15:08,733 Can the cities take over that issue as well? 477 00:15:08,733 --> 00:15:11,500 - We can't take it over, but we can help build the movement 478 00:15:11,500 --> 00:15:12,933 that will achieve the change. 479 00:15:12,933 --> 00:15:14,833 So when you talk about the gun issue, 480 00:15:14,833 --> 00:15:16,466 there has been a huge opening, 481 00:15:16,466 --> 00:15:19,033 in terms of actual public opinion, for years. 482 00:15:19,033 --> 00:15:21,333 The x factor now is these Parkland students 483 00:15:21,333 --> 00:15:24,633 have done something, I literally cannot find a parallel, 484 00:15:24,633 --> 00:15:27,433 unless you go back to the 60s and 70s. 485 00:15:27,433 --> 00:15:30,200 A high school student starting to be active-- 486 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:31,633 - [Evan] Yep. 487 00:15:31,633 --> 00:15:32,900 - In this way, and having this kind of impact, 488 00:15:32,900 --> 00:15:34,433 their moral voice is extraordinary. 489 00:15:34,433 --> 00:15:36,933 - And completely counter to the rap on that generation, 490 00:15:36,933 --> 00:15:38,833 which is, they would just as soon be on Snapchat 491 00:15:38,833 --> 00:15:40,466 all the time and not be paying attention to this stuff. 492 00:15:40,466 --> 00:15:42,500 - Which is a fundamental misunderstanding, you know, I-- 493 00:15:42,500 --> 00:15:43,766 - Well you've got kids this age, 494 00:15:43,766 --> 00:15:45,466 you know these kids, these are your kids. 495 00:15:45,466 --> 00:15:47,200 - Let me tell you, I am struck, 496 00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:50,866 my daughter Chiara is 23, my son Dante is 20, 497 00:15:50,866 --> 00:15:53,766 and I was always struck, when they were growing up, 498 00:15:53,766 --> 00:15:57,400 they were really serious about the world around them. 499 00:15:57,400 --> 00:15:58,833 - [Evan] Yep. 500 00:15:58,833 --> 00:16:00,166 - And I said, I kept trying to figure out why, 501 00:16:00,166 --> 00:16:02,066 and I was watching in 2015 and 2016 502 00:16:02,066 --> 00:16:03,533 during the presidential campaigns, 503 00:16:03,533 --> 00:16:06,933 you saw this super evolving youth energy, 504 00:16:06,933 --> 00:16:08,733 obviously a lot of it for Bernie Sanders, 505 00:16:08,733 --> 00:16:11,033 but you saw a different kind of youth presence 506 00:16:11,033 --> 00:16:11,900 in the campaign than we've seen for awhile-- 507 00:16:11,900 --> 00:16:12,833 - Right. 508 00:16:12,833 --> 00:16:14,100 - And here's my analysis. 509 00:16:14,100 --> 00:16:16,333 These young people grew up with global warming, 510 00:16:16,333 --> 00:16:18,433 they grew up with the Great Recession, 511 00:16:18,433 --> 00:16:21,433 they grew up with the fear of crippling college debt. 512 00:16:21,433 --> 00:16:22,666 - Right. 513 00:16:22,666 --> 00:16:25,033 - I liken them, in a way, to the generation 514 00:16:25,033 --> 00:16:27,100 that my parents were from that had grown up 515 00:16:27,100 --> 00:16:28,666 with the Depression, and World War Two, 516 00:16:28,666 --> 00:16:31,200 and had a kind of worldly wisdom as a result of that. 517 00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:34,600 I think this generation is focused, 518 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:37,866 and has tools to organize that for the rest of us, 519 00:16:37,866 --> 00:16:39,466 when we were young, we could not have imagined 520 00:16:39,466 --> 00:16:40,933 in our wildest dreams. 521 00:16:40,933 --> 00:16:42,200 - And in addition to that, kind of on the affirmative side, 522 00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:44,300 this generation is going to have less of an issue 523 00:16:44,300 --> 00:16:45,966 with same-sex marriage, potentially, 524 00:16:45,966 --> 00:16:47,233 this is gonna have less of an issue 525 00:16:47,233 --> 00:16:49,266 with reproductive rights, potentially-- 526 00:16:49,266 --> 00:16:50,700 - [Bill] Yep. 527 00:16:50,700 --> 00:16:52,133 - Less of an issue with diverse populations, necessarily, 528 00:16:52,133 --> 00:16:53,966 because for them, that's sort of like, ugh. 529 00:16:53,966 --> 00:16:55,533 We're past that fight already. 530 00:16:55,533 --> 00:16:57,466 For them, that's kind of like, let's just keep going. 531 00:16:57,466 --> 00:16:58,666 - That's right. 532 00:16:58,666 --> 00:17:00,433 - The overturning of them all generationally 533 00:17:00,433 --> 00:17:02,133 is going to create some interesting opportunities 534 00:17:02,133 --> 00:17:03,966 in this country, to finally get at some of these problems. 535 00:17:03,966 --> 00:17:05,233 - Well, I think that's-- 536 00:17:05,233 --> 00:17:06,300 - At least you can be hopeful that it will. 537 00:17:06,300 --> 00:17:07,533 - I am very hopeful. - Yeah. 538 00:17:07,533 --> 00:17:08,966 - And I think it's a redefinitional moment, 539 00:17:08,966 --> 00:17:10,466 I think that the generation coming up 540 00:17:10,466 --> 00:17:12,233 is going to fundamentally change the ground rules 541 00:17:12,233 --> 00:17:13,100 of American politics. 542 00:17:13,100 --> 00:17:14,300 - [Evan] Right. 543 00:17:14,300 --> 00:17:15,800 - And I, look, it's already started. 544 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:17,733 I think we are focused, of course, on the results 545 00:17:17,733 --> 00:17:20,166 of election night, November 8th-- 546 00:17:20,166 --> 00:17:21,733 - 2016 - 2016 547 00:17:21,733 --> 00:17:23,233 We gotta remember what was happening the day before, 548 00:17:23,233 --> 00:17:24,766 and for the year or two before that, 549 00:17:24,766 --> 00:17:27,500 where, in the case of the Bernie Sanders movement-- 550 00:17:27,500 --> 00:17:28,733 - Right. - For example, 551 00:17:28,733 --> 00:17:30,233 you saw a whole new kind of politics, 552 00:17:30,233 --> 00:17:32,933 you saw a kind of grassroots activism 553 00:17:32,933 --> 00:17:35,900 and, obviously, the ability to generate the resources 554 00:17:35,900 --> 00:17:37,866 for a campaign on a national scale 555 00:17:37,866 --> 00:17:39,033 that we never could've imagined. 556 00:17:39,033 --> 00:17:40,200 - Right. 557 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:41,666 - Politics in America was shifting 558 00:17:41,666 --> 00:17:43,666 before the election of Trump, the election of Trump then 559 00:17:43,666 --> 00:17:46,466 supercharged it, things like the Women's March, 560 00:17:46,466 --> 00:17:48,233 the single biggest demonstration in the country. 561 00:17:48,233 --> 00:17:49,466 - So you believe that the Women's March 562 00:17:49,466 --> 00:17:51,166 and the protests at airports like LaGuardia 563 00:17:51,166 --> 00:17:52,900 and JFK over the refugee ban, 564 00:17:52,900 --> 00:17:56,133 and the protests in the streets over ICE deportations 565 00:17:56,133 --> 00:17:57,466 and everything else, that these 566 00:17:57,466 --> 00:17:58,933 will ultimately translate into votes? 567 00:17:58,933 --> 00:18:00,666 Because I have to tell you, I'm skeptical. 568 00:18:00,666 --> 00:18:02,200 I see moments not movements. 569 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:03,633 I will believe that these things 570 00:18:03,633 --> 00:18:04,966 are going to be meaningful politically 571 00:18:04,966 --> 00:18:06,533 when the same people in the streets, 572 00:18:06,533 --> 00:18:08,533 in the pussycat hats or in the airport gates, 573 00:18:08,533 --> 00:18:09,966 actually go to vote. 574 00:18:09,966 --> 00:18:11,533 We know that voter turnout in this country 575 00:18:11,533 --> 00:18:12,733 is not what it oughta be. 576 00:18:12,733 --> 00:18:13,633 - Well, so I wanna say two quick things. 577 00:18:13,633 --> 00:18:15,133 - Yeah. 578 00:18:15,133 --> 00:18:16,066 - One, I believe they will, and I think if you look at 579 00:18:16,066 --> 00:18:18,300 the elections of November 2017, 580 00:18:18,300 --> 00:18:20,733 and everything since, these turnouts surges-- 581 00:18:20,733 --> 00:18:22,200 - That's a tell. - We're seeing-- 582 00:18:22,200 --> 00:18:23,833 Yeah, it's something that's going on that's deeper. 583 00:18:23,833 --> 00:18:26,333 The second thing I'd say is, we need to address 584 00:18:26,333 --> 00:18:27,566 the problem of democracy. 585 00:18:27,566 --> 00:18:29,866 So, in our state we have, actually, 586 00:18:29,866 --> 00:18:31,666 very backward election laws. 587 00:18:31,666 --> 00:18:33,400 - It is hard to register to vote. 588 00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:34,600 - [Evan] Yeah. 589 00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:36,133 - You don't have same day registration. 590 00:18:36,133 --> 00:18:37,566 We don't have early voting, we don't have vote by mail. 591 00:18:37,566 --> 00:18:39,100 - Texas, by the way, says to New York on that, 592 00:18:39,100 --> 00:18:41,533 "Hold my beer," as far as, like difficulties to vote. 593 00:18:41,533 --> 00:18:43,466 - You think you have it bad, but-- 594 00:18:43,466 --> 00:18:46,800 - Well, I hear you, but I want to wrap it together. 595 00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:49,466 Yeah, but New York, my beloved, 596 00:18:49,466 --> 00:18:52,500 very self congratulatory New York, 597 00:18:52,500 --> 00:18:54,933 meanwhile, has laws that are not helping people vote, 598 00:18:54,933 --> 00:18:56,100 and actually stand in the way of it. 599 00:18:56,100 --> 00:18:57,500 - [Evan] Yeah. 600 00:18:57,500 --> 00:18:59,066 - So, physician, heal thyself, I say to New Yorkers. 601 00:18:59,066 --> 00:19:02,633 Look, we have two million people eligible 602 00:19:02,633 --> 00:19:03,900 to register in the state of New York, 603 00:19:03,900 --> 00:19:05,933 who are not registered. 604 00:19:05,933 --> 00:19:07,733 We can fix that, so what I've announced 605 00:19:07,733 --> 00:19:09,300 as a democracy agenda for New York City, 606 00:19:09,300 --> 00:19:11,900 we have set a registration goal for the city. 607 00:19:11,900 --> 00:19:13,800 Absolutely non-partisan, we want everyone 608 00:19:13,800 --> 00:19:15,133 of every background to sign up. 609 00:19:15,133 --> 00:19:16,300 - Right. 610 00:19:16,300 --> 00:19:17,566 - But we want to register 1.5 million, 611 00:19:17,566 --> 00:19:19,333 1.5 million New Yorkers in the next four years. 612 00:19:19,333 --> 00:19:20,866 We've got a Chief Democracy Officer. 613 00:19:20,866 --> 00:19:22,566 We want someone who is constantly looking at 614 00:19:22,566 --> 00:19:26,133 the ways to encourage involvement and participation, 615 00:19:26,133 --> 00:19:27,500 we're gonna do civics education 616 00:19:27,500 --> 00:19:28,933 a very different way in our schools. 617 00:19:28,933 --> 00:19:32,033 It's been staid and uninvolving for kids for a long time. 618 00:19:32,033 --> 00:19:33,900 We're going to encourage kids to get involved 619 00:19:33,900 --> 00:19:36,100 in the issues of the day, and actually learn how to be-- 620 00:19:36,100 --> 00:19:38,700 - And to those people who are critics, Mr. Mayor, 621 00:19:38,700 --> 00:19:40,900 of this effort, and say "What you're really trying to do 622 00:19:40,900 --> 00:19:42,600 is indoctrinate, not educate, and what you're really 623 00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:45,166 trying to do is to turn out Democratic votes, 624 00:19:45,166 --> 00:19:47,533 not turn out votes," your response is what? 625 00:19:47,533 --> 00:19:50,466 - It's, we're going to do a non-partisan drive. 626 00:19:50,466 --> 00:19:52,433 I don't care what you believe. 627 00:19:52,433 --> 00:19:54,466 - I want you involved. - Right, just participate. 628 00:19:54,466 --> 00:19:56,900 - I think it is about the health of this city, my city-- 629 00:19:56,900 --> 00:19:58,366 - Right. - My state, but also 630 00:19:58,366 --> 00:19:59,333 the whole country going forward. 631 00:19:59,333 --> 00:20:00,800 - Right, yeah. 632 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:01,733 - But let me tell you, we're also going to go to 633 00:20:01,733 --> 00:20:03,233 public financing of elections. 634 00:20:03,233 --> 00:20:04,933 Taking big money out of politics encourages people 635 00:20:04,933 --> 00:20:07,166 to run locally, encourages people to believe 636 00:20:07,166 --> 00:20:08,633 that their vote matters. 637 00:20:08,633 --> 00:20:10,533 This, to me, is one of these transcendent things 638 00:20:10,533 --> 00:20:12,266 that could actually change and reengage 639 00:20:12,266 --> 00:20:14,433 the democratic process in the country. 640 00:20:14,433 --> 00:20:17,133 So, I think we're in a very exciting moment, 641 00:20:17,133 --> 00:20:18,966 but we've gotta tend to our democracy. 642 00:20:18,966 --> 00:20:20,466 It's been hurting for a lotta years, 643 00:20:20,466 --> 00:20:22,333 but not for lack of concern. 644 00:20:22,333 --> 00:20:23,800 The concern levels, the interest levels, 645 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:25,733 are shooting upward. 646 00:20:25,733 --> 00:20:28,400 We've gotta figure out how to now align our laws 647 00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:30,200 to actually meet that moment, and the last point 648 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:32,200 I want to make is Alabama, which is very telling. 649 00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:33,700 - Yeah. 650 00:20:33,700 --> 00:20:35,233 - Even with the repressive laws, my editorial comment, 651 00:20:35,233 --> 00:20:38,066 laws that were meant to restrict voter participation, 652 00:20:38,066 --> 00:20:40,466 you saw the result in the U.S. Senate race. 653 00:20:40,466 --> 00:20:42,733 - Well, if you ran a child molester in every election, 654 00:20:42,733 --> 00:20:43,700 you guys would win. 655 00:20:43,700 --> 00:20:45,366 (audience laughs) 656 00:20:45,366 --> 00:20:47,500 - And I gotta tell you, I appreciate that analysis, 657 00:20:47,500 --> 00:20:48,866 but I think there's something else going on 658 00:20:48,866 --> 00:20:50,466 that's been under analyzed. 659 00:20:50,466 --> 00:20:51,866 - Okay. 660 00:20:51,866 --> 00:20:53,733 - Doug Jones was a candidate who actually spoke 661 00:20:53,733 --> 00:20:55,600 to people's minds and their hearts. 662 00:20:55,600 --> 00:20:57,866 He had done something powerful and meaningful 663 00:20:57,866 --> 00:20:59,166 in his work as U.S. Attorney. 664 00:20:59,166 --> 00:21:00,766 - [Evan] Yeah. 665 00:21:00,766 --> 00:21:03,733 - The level of activity and organizing and door knocking 666 00:21:03,733 --> 00:21:06,300 that was happening was far beyond the question 667 00:21:06,300 --> 00:21:07,800 of who Roy Moore was. 668 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:10,133 And if you look at the turnout in Alabama in that election, 669 00:21:10,133 --> 00:21:11,766 with all the barriers, there's like, 670 00:21:11,766 --> 00:21:13,933 people had to jump a bunch of hurdles 671 00:21:13,933 --> 00:21:15,233 to get to their polling station-- 672 00:21:15,233 --> 00:21:16,333 - But they got there. - But they got there 673 00:21:16,333 --> 00:21:17,533 in record numbers. - Right. 674 00:21:17,533 --> 00:21:19,000 - That says something about the moment. 675 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:21,466 - And that was about candidate recruitment on Mr. Jones, 676 00:21:21,466 --> 00:21:23,233 to a great degree, they got a good candidate, 677 00:21:23,233 --> 00:21:24,700 and we have just a couple minutes left. 678 00:21:24,700 --> 00:21:26,366 On the subject of candidate recruitment, 679 00:21:26,366 --> 00:21:28,033 are you recruiting Cynthia Nixon 680 00:21:28,033 --> 00:21:29,900 to run against Andrew Cuomo for governor? 681 00:21:29,900 --> 00:21:30,833 - No. 682 00:21:30,833 --> 00:21:32,100 - Why do people think you are? 683 00:21:32,100 --> 00:21:34,266 She is a political ally of yours, let's just say 684 00:21:34,266 --> 00:21:35,833 that you and the governor are not exactly 685 00:21:35,833 --> 00:21:37,533 America's fun couple, right? 686 00:21:37,533 --> 00:21:39,100 (audience laughs) 687 00:21:39,100 --> 00:21:41,633 We think we have cities versus state tension in Texas, 688 00:21:41,633 --> 00:21:44,400 nothing compared to what you have there. 689 00:21:44,400 --> 00:21:47,566 She's talking about running. - Yeah. 690 00:21:47,566 --> 00:21:49,000 - It's like, I go to bed at night, 691 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:50,500 there's no snow on the ground, 692 00:21:50,500 --> 00:21:51,766 I wake up in the morning there's snow on the ground, 693 00:21:51,766 --> 00:21:53,966 I didn't see it snow, but I know it's snowed. 694 00:21:53,966 --> 00:21:56,000 You want to tell me you have nothing to do with this? 695 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:57,200 (audience laughs) 696 00:21:57,200 --> 00:21:59,366 - Okay, that, your analogy is fascinating, 697 00:21:59,366 --> 00:22:00,366 I know explain how-- 698 00:22:00,366 --> 00:22:01,933 (audience laughs) 699 00:22:01,933 --> 00:22:03,700 - I mean, come on, I don't see your fingerprints on it, 700 00:22:03,700 --> 00:22:05,033 but you're not telling me they're there? 701 00:22:05,033 --> 00:22:07,333 - Evan, Evan, let me explain how snow works. 702 00:22:07,333 --> 00:22:08,500 (audience laughs) 703 00:22:08,500 --> 00:22:09,333 - Okay, all right. 704 00:22:11,100 --> 00:22:12,900 - It gets very cold, and then. 705 00:22:12,900 --> 00:22:13,733 - I get it, okay. 706 00:22:13,733 --> 00:22:14,933 (audience laughs) 707 00:22:14,933 --> 00:22:16,266 - I am not involved in that effort. 708 00:22:16,266 --> 00:22:17,733 - It's not snowing in the governor's race. 709 00:22:17,733 --> 00:22:20,100 - Yes, it's not, okay. 710 00:22:20,100 --> 00:22:21,966 One, I'm not involved in the effort, 711 00:22:21,966 --> 00:22:23,400 two, I don't know what she's gonna do, 712 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:25,966 three, she has been a prominent political activist 713 00:22:25,966 --> 00:22:28,333 in New York state for many many years. 714 00:22:28,333 --> 00:22:30,866 - I'm not suggesting this is, like, Cardi B running, 715 00:22:30,866 --> 00:22:32,433 I'm suggesting that this is actually-- 716 00:22:32,433 --> 00:22:33,566 - I am impressed by your cultural relevance. 717 00:22:33,566 --> 00:22:35,200 - Thanks very much. - Very good. 718 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:36,466 - We both have teenagers. - Yeah. 719 00:22:36,466 --> 00:22:38,566 - The point is she is not showing up 720 00:22:38,566 --> 00:22:40,833 having not been involved in politics or in activism, 721 00:22:40,833 --> 00:22:42,600 stipulated, but still she is somebody 722 00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:44,800 who shares your political view - Yes. 723 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:46,266 - progressive politics - Yeah. 724 00:22:46,266 --> 00:22:47,733 - Is to the left of Governor Cuomo on a lot of issues 725 00:22:47,733 --> 00:22:49,000 - Yeah. 726 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:50,300 - And has been an ally of yours, so one would-- 727 00:22:50,300 --> 00:22:51,500 - I understand that. - One would wonder. 728 00:22:51,500 --> 00:22:53,600 - But I'm just saying it very clearly. 729 00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:55,300 Not involved, I don't know what she's going to do, 730 00:22:55,300 --> 00:22:56,666 I think what is happening, though, 731 00:22:56,666 --> 00:22:58,266 is happening all over the country. 732 00:22:58,266 --> 00:23:01,833 We are seeing progressives in the Democratic Party 733 00:23:01,833 --> 00:23:04,600 questioning the status quo all over this country. 734 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:06,533 And not accepting the old ground rules. 735 00:23:06,533 --> 00:23:09,266 If you've got an incumbent Democrat, 736 00:23:09,266 --> 00:23:10,733 it used to be the message within the party is 737 00:23:10,733 --> 00:23:12,333 "Oh, don't challenge the incumbent." 738 00:23:12,333 --> 00:23:13,566 - Friendly incumbent rule, right. 739 00:23:13,566 --> 00:23:14,700 - Right, and oh, we've gotta worry 740 00:23:14,700 --> 00:23:16,166 about what happens in the fall. 741 00:23:16,166 --> 00:23:18,966 That's not being accepted, all over the country. 742 00:23:18,966 --> 00:23:20,200 - Yeah. 743 00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:21,433 - I think progressives and Democrats are saying 744 00:23:21,433 --> 00:23:23,033 we need a progressive party both morally, 745 00:23:23,033 --> 00:23:26,100 we believe in those values, but if we wanna win nationally, 746 00:23:26,100 --> 00:23:27,866 we've gotta get back to our core values, 747 00:23:27,866 --> 00:23:30,033 we've gotta have a strong populist economic message, 748 00:23:30,033 --> 00:23:32,133 but populism in the sense of actually trying to serve 749 00:23:32,133 --> 00:23:34,133 everyday people, we've gotta be willing 750 00:23:34,133 --> 00:23:36,766 to say things like "We're going to tax the wealthy, 751 00:23:36,766 --> 00:23:38,966 so that working people can have a better life." 752 00:23:38,966 --> 00:23:43,333 There's a set of ideas that progressives believe in, 753 00:23:43,333 --> 00:23:47,733 that are basically non-negotiable at this point. 754 00:23:47,733 --> 00:23:49,233 - Yeah. 755 00:23:49,233 --> 00:23:52,833 - Meaning, if our candidates are not evincing those values, 756 00:23:52,833 --> 00:23:55,466 if our national party is not evincing those values, 757 00:23:55,466 --> 00:23:57,700 progressives are gonna challenge it. 758 00:23:57,700 --> 00:24:01,133 We don't think it's ideal to just stay home and stay back. 759 00:24:01,133 --> 00:24:02,700 - So you don't run from, Mr. Mayor, 760 00:24:02,700 --> 00:24:05,100 the divide in the Democratic Party at the moment, 761 00:24:05,100 --> 00:24:06,366 you run toward it. 762 00:24:06,366 --> 00:24:07,600 - Absolutely, because I believe it's going to be 763 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:09,833 ultimately an act of healing, I really do. 764 00:24:09,833 --> 00:24:11,066 - Yeah. 765 00:24:11,066 --> 00:24:12,933 - I think that, look, I grew up a believer 766 00:24:12,933 --> 00:24:15,100 in the party of Franklin Roosevelt-- 767 00:24:15,100 --> 00:24:16,333 - Yeah. 768 00:24:16,333 --> 00:24:18,266 - And by the way, tip of the cap to Texas' own, 769 00:24:18,266 --> 00:24:20,533 Lyndon Baines Johnson, for what he achieved 770 00:24:20,533 --> 00:24:23,900 as President, and I think it's underrated in many ways 771 00:24:23,900 --> 00:24:26,400 what his domestic agenda was for this country. 772 00:24:28,300 --> 00:24:30,033 - He also, by the way, was attacked from the left. 773 00:24:30,033 --> 00:24:31,266 - Unquestionably. 774 00:24:31,266 --> 00:24:32,166 - I mean, the fact is, this is not a new thing. 775 00:24:32,166 --> 00:24:33,300 - No, and thank you! 776 00:24:33,300 --> 00:24:34,666 A very important historical perspective, 777 00:24:34,666 --> 00:24:36,700 it's not a new thing because, unfortunately, 778 00:24:36,700 --> 00:24:38,500 on foreign policy in particular, 779 00:24:38,500 --> 00:24:39,900 he governed very much as a conservative, 780 00:24:39,900 --> 00:24:42,433 but my point is, the Democratic Party 781 00:24:42,433 --> 00:24:46,000 has an essential nature, as a party of working people. 782 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:49,033 A party that is willing to challenge powerful forces 783 00:24:49,033 --> 00:24:50,533 on behalf of working people. 784 00:24:50,533 --> 00:24:54,500 That got lost, in many ways, over more recent decades. 785 00:24:54,500 --> 00:24:56,200 What's happening now, and again, it goes back 786 00:24:56,200 --> 00:24:58,066 to the Recession, it goes back to Occupy Wall Street, 787 00:24:58,066 --> 00:24:59,466 there's a lot of things pre-Trump 788 00:24:59,466 --> 00:25:00,633 that were already building this. 789 00:25:00,633 --> 00:25:02,100 - Yep. 790 00:25:02,100 --> 00:25:03,066 - Bernie Sanders' movement occurred before anyone 791 00:25:03,066 --> 00:25:04,333 thought Trump was serious. 792 00:25:04,333 --> 00:25:06,400 All of these pieces are coming together, 793 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:07,533 and Democrats around the country 794 00:25:07,533 --> 00:25:08,566 who are progressive, are saying 795 00:25:08,566 --> 00:25:10,366 "We're gonna remake this party. 796 00:25:10,366 --> 00:25:12,866 We are going to have an identifiable party." 797 00:25:12,866 --> 00:25:14,400 This is the important point, Evan. 798 00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:16,733 If you don't know what Democrat stands for, 799 00:25:16,733 --> 00:25:18,200 the Democrat will lose. 800 00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:19,566 This is some what happened in the 2016 election. 801 00:25:19,566 --> 00:25:20,400 - Right. 802 00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:21,833 - All over the country. 803 00:25:21,833 --> 00:25:23,066 - Democrats were against something, not for something. 804 00:25:23,066 --> 00:25:26,366 - And Democrats did not have a differentiation 805 00:25:26,366 --> 00:25:28,133 from Republicans that was sharp and clear enough 806 00:25:28,133 --> 00:25:30,433 to actually motivate all those people 807 00:25:30,433 --> 00:25:33,333 who went to Trump, a lot of them had voted for Obama before, 808 00:25:33,333 --> 00:25:36,133 they didn't feel there was a clear idea, 809 00:25:36,133 --> 00:25:37,933 a clear vision that would change their lives. 810 00:25:37,933 --> 00:25:39,266 We gotta recapture that. 811 00:25:39,266 --> 00:25:41,533 - The big message is differentiate yourself, 812 00:25:41,533 --> 00:25:44,000 don't be a faked Republican, be a real Democrat. 813 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:45,366 - Correct. 814 00:25:45,366 --> 00:25:46,500 - And then that's the political future for the party. 815 00:25:46,500 --> 00:25:47,966 - Both, again, morally, in my opinion-- 816 00:25:47,966 --> 00:25:49,266 - Right. - And practically. 817 00:25:49,266 --> 00:25:50,200 - Mr. Mayor, we're outta time. 818 00:25:50,200 --> 00:25:51,333 Great treat to be with you, sir. 819 00:25:51,333 --> 00:25:52,566 - Thank you. 820 00:25:52,566 --> 00:25:53,966 - Mayor Bill DeBlasio, thank you very much. 821 00:25:53,966 --> 00:25:56,633 (audience cheers) 822 00:25:56,633 --> 00:25:58,200 We'd love to have you join us in the studio. 823 00:25:58,200 --> 00:26:02,233 Visit our website at KLRU.org/overheard 824 00:26:02,233 --> 00:26:04,433 to find invitations to interviews, 825 00:26:04,433 --> 00:26:06,800 Q and As with our audience and guests, 826 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:08,966 and an archive of past episodes. 827 00:26:10,100 --> 00:26:12,400 - I think it's gonna be a Democratic 828 00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:14,500 and progressive rallying cry going forward, 829 00:26:14,500 --> 00:26:18,266 to rescind the tax giveaways to the wealthy 830 00:26:18,266 --> 00:26:21,300 and corporations, and what was a very unfair, 831 00:26:21,300 --> 00:26:23,066 in my view, effort to take away 832 00:26:23,066 --> 00:26:24,600 state and local deductibility. 833 00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:26,900 Been part of this country for over a hundred years-- 834 00:26:26,900 --> 00:26:28,133 - [Evan] Yeah. 835 00:26:28,133 --> 00:26:29,400 - Affected about 100 million Americans, 836 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:32,033 I don't think that action is forever.