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Kamala Harris says Trump has a reason to be afraid of her


Proposals are guided by what she says doing the right thing. Even if it's not popular. She's cooking Thanksgiving dinner in Iowa. But she's getting Carla Green sweet potatoes from South Carolina and she believes president. Trump has reason to be afraid of her. Find out why in this conversation that Hotel in Columbia South Carolina Elena right now Senator Comma Harris. Thank you very so much for coming back to the PODCAST. It's great to be with you always Jonathan and we're here in Columbia South Carolina. Yes How's the the campaign going? It's going really well. We had the best weekend of we did a whole weekend of action with black women from around around the country and of course with an incredible amount of emphasis of the leaders here in South Carolina and it was wonderful. People flew in There there were a variety of events but it included knocking walking and knocking on doors and engaging voters and talking about the issues. And I'm told it was historic that presidential campaign. Did that in the way that we did it so it was really great. People left here. I think feeling a real sense of with purpose and engagement so let me I have sensed a change sighed at the Iowa at the Des Moines Liberty and justice dinner where you walked out on the stage and from the your first words were were. We all know why we're here and it was the way you said it and what you had to say. That made me pay much more attention incheon than I already do because to me. It seemed like something's different. Things changed in by the end of the fifteen minute speech that's comma. That's the Kamla I've gotten to know since twenty twelve. So what's what's changed because something has changed. I don't know Jonathan I mean look. I'm ten months plus in campaign. I'm all about real talk you you know there's too much at stake and And you know and and I have always said and I've always felt justices on the ballot. It's my whole career. It's everything I've always fought for. Our theme for the people has been consistent and I'm articulating it. Because I do believe that when I when I look issues that relate to the things that keep people up at night that are about economic justice about reproductive justice about healthcare justice. These are these. He's are fundamentally issues about the unfairness inequities and what we need to do to fight to change it. So the caution is gone. I think that's what I'm getting getting at. It seems like the caution that was there from the moment you announced until you walked across that stage in Des Moines seemed to evaporate seem to seem more comfortable in in your own skin in in your own message or am I reading to reading too much into the yeah. I'm the same person I you know. I'm the same person in terms of always. You know the reason I got in this racist because I do believe that these are the issues. Does it need to be spoken. And they need to be spoken in a truthful way you know even from the earliest days in my campaign. I talked about that. We need to speak truth uncomfortable though it may make people and and that's about having a direct conversation about the challenges that people face and talking about it in a way. That's that's that's just honest and direct so then and why do you think there was a moment where you were relatively speaking riding high in the polls around June may June. And since then there's been a steady a steady slide. Why do you think why do you think that is is it? Because they're like fifty eleven candidates or I'd honestly Jonathan. I'd leave that to the pundits and the pollsters to talk about. I'm focused on you know I don't ride those polls I don't I don't ride high. I don't ride low ever so someone says oh we've surged in the polls. It means nothing to me over. We're declining the polls. Means nothing to me. We just have to be steady eighty and It may be because I've had the experience of running very difficult campaigns before that I've learned that that you have to you can't can't focus on anything other than the voters and that's that's so that's where my mind is. That's where my head is and I'll let my you know I'll let my political team name and my consultants focus on the polls the polls here in South Carolina. And there's no there's no mistaking why why you're here. Why all the candidates are here? It's for the African American vote and African American vote is more than sixty percent of the democratic electorate. It here and yet. The person WHO's polling best with African American voters is Vice President Biden. Are you making any a headway again against him in. Let's let's let's be clear that you know not. Everyone started out in the same place in this in this campaign pain. And you know when when it comes to the vice president he was. He's been on the national stage for decades. He has done some good work over the years. Yes and he's recognized for that and known for that He was vice. President for two terms Vice President to what is arguably. What did the most popular president we've ever had? So he's very well known and you've got you know other people in the race who came into the race with ten million dollars dollars which is a profound amount of startup capital which allows them to then have a an organization and and the bandwidth to actually be able to to get a message suggest because unfortunately and sadly money has so much to do with Your ability to introduce yourself to people There's another candidate who ran for president last last time and And started with a list of you know a well over a million people and so when I look at somebody like The vice president in South Carolina. He's known but the interesting thing is that the voters are still have not made a decision about where they're going and they're not they're not committed and so our challenge is to to spend the time Doing exactly what we've been doing which is talking with folks and being present and organizing nizing community events and town halls and all that we've been doing over the course of the last ten months. I think that I have visited South Carolina as much if not more more than any other candidate and And I'm going to continue to do that. Because it's still a process of introduction. How do you address or your? Yeah how do you address the fear that some African Americans might have that because of the two terms of arguably the most popular our president in recent memory. WHO's WHO's African American that they read white voters won't vote for another black DOC person for president? How disabuse folks with that fear? I mean let me let again in the interest of straight to give just real talk. Look I'm Foley aware of the challenge that we and my candidacy presents which is asking people to believe in something. They've never seen before four. I'm fully aware of that. There have been forty five president of the United States and not one of them looks like me. So the point of reference for people about who can do what is in many ways limited and we're asking people to expand The possibility of of who can do what as it relates to being president of the United States. And I'm I'm well aware of the challenge before us in that regard but this is a challenge. I've always faced in every way race. I have run Jonathan. I have been the first when I won. And and so this is not new to me and what we have to do is Is is is again. It's about an introduction. It is about Allowing people to to remember that we as Americans with very nature of who we are we culturally that we have the ability ability to see what can be. I'm burdened by what has been we have the ability to see what is possible. Even when we've never seen it before and I know that to be true. That's why stand stand here having won every race. So I'M GONNA put my faith in the American people every day of the week because in spite of what but you know some might think is not possible. I've seen that the American people make what's possible that they don't sit back and wait for somebody to give them permission Shen to say it's possible. Make it possible but it's a challenge. There is no question about that and look this is not two thousand and seven two thousand eight. Hey this is twenty twenty and we have a very significant intervening fact November twenty. Sixteen we have is has a very significant intervening fact that Donald Trump is president of the United States and Democrats rightly for all kinds of very very legitimate. Good and clear reasons. Want him out and don't want to assume any risk in terms of the possibility that we can win and so I understand that I'm not mad at it because I understand it and so therefore four. We have a challenge. A challenge unprepared to meet. Let's talk about what we're GONNA come back to trump to trump later because I do wanNA get into issues. One of the things was that at the liberty and justice dinner in Iowa. Was that the first time you talked about the the phrase justices on the ballot I definitely used the phrase before it may it may be. I don't know we'll have to check that I mean that's yeah I mean I've I've always talked about this is an issue of these are the injustices right and and these are present left to check that maybe right and I only bring that up because I thought it was. It was an incredible refrain that gives people a point of reference. Because you in that speech speech you talked about healthcare on is on the ballot healthcare justice justice is the the key word healthcare justices on the ballot. And one of the big things has been medicare for all right now senator. Warren is getting knocked around for her her health. Care Proposal her Medicare for all proposal. Do you find it interesting. That where she has landed is where you have been for the last few months months. I mean I I have maintained in part in my immodesty I have maintained. That mine is the best plan I know it to be true. We took like a lot of time. Did a lot of work spoke with a lot of experts before we made this plan which I know it to be the best plan for Medicare here from well. Well let's talk about this because I mean you were knocked around earlier on in the campaign for you know the sort of the drive by questioning in that one debate where you put your hand do away with with private insurance. I thought I would get I would give up mine that right all right all right but as a result you were just saying before that you through a lot of talking to people you understood not discovered understood that that that your healthcare stands was not let me let me tell you. Let me so I was. I think. The first or one of the first to support Bernie's Medicare to care for all plan and I will always give burning credit for really pushing forward this conversation. He deserves credit for that. But as I.

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