- Joan, meet Joan.

- How do you do?

It's nice to have
another named compatriot.

- Yes, definitely.

- I'm thrilled that the
pipeline seems to be building

with local and state
candidates coming forward.

The frustration for me for
the last number of years

has been the fact that
where you are lucky enough

or unlucky enough to live

makes it possible for
you to have things

like education and health care

or less education
and bad health care.

So how, based on what you're
seeing around the country,

how do we make the
powers that be understand

that for our society the
way we live in this country

and how we govern.

It's important for the
citizenry to be well-educated

and healthy so that
they can contribute

to the success of this country

through their taxes
through their information,

et cetera, et cetera.

- [Man] What do
you do about that?

- You're right,
it's state to state.

It was a shame that the
governors were given

the states were given

a choice on whether to
expand Medicaid or not.

And many didn't.

Many who needed it most
as a matter of fact.

- Well Peg you're in
a state that had then

and has now the most uninsured
people in the country

did not expand Medicaid.

Didn't even create
a state exchange.

- Right, unconscionable,
it's unconscionable.

But most voters in
Texas I hate to say it

have higher
priorities than that.

- Well the elections have
consequences argument

probably applies here.

- Yeah.

- You know, you don't
like that decision,

you have to put different
people in office.

- Right, and I think
a lot of it is,

it's not so much you
know that we're gonna

be able to persuade Trump voters

or Greg Abbot voters but
particularly focusing

on Trump voters to
change their mind.

Some of them will
at the margins.

It's really focusing
on the numbers

of people who don't vote.

The people who sat
out that election

it just breaks my heart.

And here in Texas, you
know, there's a sizeable

Hispanic community that
doesn't participate

the way the same
community participates

in California where I'm from.

It's gotta be turning
people out to vote

but also I'm really
high on this strategy

of focusing on state elections

state assembly state senate

because that's where
you have a conversation

at the more local level
with your neighbors.

You fly the flag
of I'm a Democrat.

You fly the flag of
universal healthcare,

better funding for
our kids our schools.

You have more direct
conversations.

They're not mediated
by people like me

you know or other talking heads.

I think it allows
for the rebuilding

of a community by community
Democratic infrastructure.

- But gerrymandering
you would acknowledge

is an obstacle to what
you're talking about.

- It's an obstacle but in
many states, in the red states

Democrats are competing on a
totally unfair playing field.

In Virginia they got
two thirds of the vote

but they only got
essentially half the seats.

But they're gonna have
to go back in 2019

they have these tricky
off-off-year elections.

But the good thing
about it is on the years

that they have these
state delegate elections

they're the only game in town.

There's also New Jersey but
it's been a bluer state.

So anyway, you gotta go
into those red districts

that are sliced against you.

But as Ed and I were saying,
people are doing that

and it's happening, those
conversations are happening

and I don't think it's
entirely anti-Trump.

I think it's people,
it's somewhat anti-Trump,

it's pro these candidates.

They've picked some
really good candidates

fit for the district
and they're talking

to people at the local level.

I'll stop.

- Great, Commish?

- Hi, I was volunteering
for the Clinton campaign

in North Carolina for the last

month of the campaign.
- Where were you?

- I was in Charlotte
and I checked you in

issued you your
media credentials

(laughing)

at the Davidson College

event for Tim Kaine.
- For Tim Kaine!

- And I went, oh my
God, it is Joan Walsh!

- [Joan] Oh my God!

- Totally geeked out.

But my question is this,
kind of an offshoot

of what Joan was asking.

Will we ever get past a place

where you live decides how hard

somebody really fights
to get your vote

to run for President?

In the purple state
- Oh.

of North Carolina,

- the candidates were just
- I just sat there because

- trippin' all over each other
- I could see everybody.

in terms of surrogates,
West Wing cast and actors,

the President, the First Lady.

- It was on both sides
in terms of red and blue

to try and win your vote.

- [Joan] Yes.

- And blown off were anybody
in a blue or red state

if you didn't have money.
- Right.

- Have a nice day.

Do we envision a day that even
if it's not a purple state

that people will all be treated
like they're a purple voter

and they will be wooed
and asked for their vote.

- Well the only
thing I would say

to add to what Karen is saying.

We have Democratic
candidates come to Texas

and they drag a sack
along the ground.

- With money, for the money!

- And then they take it
out of state to elect

people in other states
- Exactly!

because they've
given up on electing

Democrats in Texas.
- Right, right.

- But there are wealthy
people and that's been

a complaint forever and you
know I'm gonna be honest,

I don't see it
changing anytime soon.

As long as states you
know are deep deep red

and deep deep blue there's
not going to be a whole lot

of conversation here unless
there's the perception

of the possibility
to tilt that state

or to have really important
Congressional candidates

who maybe somebody
would come in for

but the way it's set up
now it's so expensive.

It's so time-consuming
you know they spent

a lot of time in North
Carolina that they

maybe should have spent
in Wisconsin and Michigan

but my daughter was the
regional in Greensboro

so I was happy they were there

but yeah it's tough.

- Okay, Dan.

- [Man] Are you gonna predict
what the Supreme Court

might do on the gerrymandering?

- I don't know.

I really can't tell.

- [Man] Are you optimistic?

- I'm never optimistic
with this Court.

(laughing)

This Court finds ways to do
things you know that I think

are undoable or that legal
scholars that I respect

think the law won't allow that.

- It's interesting when
people talk about what

Trump has accomplished
in the first year plus

and before the tax
bill it was basically

Neil Gorsuch and then
an empty piece of paper.

- Right.

- But in a lot of ways getting
Gorsuch on the Court will be

the ball game for 30 years.
- Yes.

- Right, don't you think?

I mean it affects so many things

we don't think about or
don't see, and you may

like that or you may not like
- Right.

that but you can't argue
with the impact of it.

- No, I mean it's terrible
what Mitch McConnell did

keeping Merrick
Garland from a vote.

It will go down in
history as one of the most

corrupt acts
- Right.

of a Majority Leader
it just was wrong.

- He basically took Barack Obama

he cut his term by a quarter.
- Right.

- He said you're only
President for three years.

- Your fourth year
you can't appoint

a Supreme Court nominee.
- Right.

- My favorite part of last year

was the Republicans
complaining that the Democrats

weren't giving Neil Gorsuch
a hearing quickly enough.

- Yeah.

- It was like really,
dude, seriously?

I found that like weapons-grade
chutzpah to be complaining

about what.
- They got it they got it.

- It was five minutes ago.

We have to stop and give
Joan a big old hand.

We'll get her off
to the airport.

So good to have her with us.

(applauding)