TERRIBLE, BUT ALSO HE’S
DISTRACTING FROM A LOT OF THINGS
THAT ARE GOING ON RIGHT NOW.
LET’S GET BACK NOW TO LAST
NIGHT’S HISTORIC MOMENT WHEN
SENATOR KAMALA HARRIS BECAME THE
FIRST WOMAN OF COLOR TO ACCEPT A
MAJOR PARTY NOMINATION FOR VICE
PRESIDENT.
>> I KEEP THINKING ABOUT THAT
25-YEAR-OLD INDIAN WOMAN, ALL OF
FIVE FEET TALL, WHO GAVE BIRTH
TO ME AT KAISER HOSPITAL IN
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.
ON THAT DAY, SHE PROBABLY COULD
HAVE NEVER IMAGINED THAT I WOULD
BE STANDING BEFORE YOU NOW AND
SPEAKING THESE WORDS.
I ACCEPT YOUR NOMINATION FOR
VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA.
>> JOINING US NOW, FORMER SENIOR
ADVISER TO PRESIDENT BARACK
OBAMA, VALLEY JARRETT.
MIKE BARNACLE AND ALICIA
MENENDEZ ARE BACK WITH US, AS
WELL.
VALERIE, GREAT TO HAVE YOU ON
THE SHOW.
I WANT TO GET TO ALL THE
DIFFERENT THINGS THAT KAMALA
HARRIS, THE CHOICE OF KAMALA
HARRIS BRING TO THE TABLE.
BUT FIRST, LOOKING AHEAD TO
TONIGHT, WHAT DOES JOE BIDEN
NEED TO DO IF MICHELLE AND
BARACK OBAMA AND KAMALA HARRIS
REALLY KIND OF LAID OUT THE CASE
AGAINST TRUMP, WHAT DOES HE NEED
TO DO TO CLOSE THE DEAL?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, MIKA,
WHAT AN INCREDIBLE CONVENTION IT
HAS BEEN.
AND I HAVE GOOSE BUMPS, AGAIN,
WATCHING SENATOR HARRIS SAY THAT
SHE ACCEPTS THAT NOMINATION.
IT’S A HISTORIC MOMENT FOR A
PERSON WHO REALLY REFLECTS THE
AMERICAN STORY.
AND LAST NIGHT’S THEME WAS --
AND IT CAME TO LIFE THROUGH THE
VOICES OF THOSE, PARTICULARLY
THE WOMEN WHO HAVE HELPED
PERFECT OTHER UNION THROUGH
THEIR GRIT AND HARD WORK AND
RESILIENCE AND LOVE OF COUNTRY.
SO I THINK FOR VICE PRESIDENT
BIDEN, THE CASE HAS BEEN MADE ON
HIS BEHALF.
I THINK HE’LL TELL HIS STORY
AGAIN, LET PEOPLE IN AS EVERY
SPEAKER HAS DONE SO THAT THERE
COULD BE A CONNECTION WITH THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE AND EXPLAIN WHY
HE IS THE MAN FOR THIS MOMENT,
TOGETHER WITH HIS PARTNER,
SENATOR HARRIS, AND ALSO, OF
COURSE, CONTRASTED WAS THE
UNBELIEVABLY PAINFUL LAST NEARLY
FOUR YEARS AS EACH OF THE
SPEAKERS HAVE ALREADY DONE.
>> WE HAVE ALICIA MENENDEZ WITH
US.
SHE HAS THE NEXT QUESTION FOR
YOU, VALERIE.
>> HI, ALICIA, HOW ARE YOU?
>> GOOD TO SEE YOU.
LAST NIGHT, WE SAW PRESIDENT
OBAMA GIVE HIS MOST POINTED
CRITIQUE YET OF PRESIDENT TRUMP.
I’M HOPING YOU CAN GIVE US SOME
INSIGHT.
>> HE THINKS THE STAKES COULDN’T
BE HIGHER.
OUR DEMOCRACY IS IN PERIL.
AND I THINK THE SETTING WITH THE
CONSTITUTION BEHIND HIM, FRAMING
THE CONTEXT FOR WHY HE HAD TO
DELIVER THE MESSAGE HE DID
SPEAKS VOLUMES TO WHAT HE
BELIEVES IS AT STAKE HERE.
AND I THINK IT WASN’T JUST
MAKING A CASE FOR WHY VICE
PRESIDENT BIDEN IS THE MAN FOR
THE HOUR WITH KAMALA HARRIS.
IT WASN’T JUST A CASE AGAINST
THE TRACK RECORD OF PRESIDENT
TRUMP, BUT IT WAS TO INSPIRE US
ALL TO FEEL THAT WE HAVE A
RESPONSIBILITY.
WHEN HE WAS PRESIDENT, HE
FULFILLED THAT RESPONSIBILITY.
BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT OFFICE IS
THE OFFICE OF CITIZEN.
SO I THINK HE DIDN’T WANT TO
JUST INSPIRE PEOPLE, I WANTED TO
MOTIVATE THEM TO GET OUT THERE
AND DO SOMETHING.
AND THE FINAL POINT I WOULD MAKE
IS I THINK THIS CONVENTION IS
WORKING BETTER WITHOUT THE
CROWD.
I THINK PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO LEAN
IN AND LISTEN WITHOUT THE HOOPLA
AT THIS CRITICAL TIME IN OUR
NATION’S HISTORY.
SO I LIKE THE FACT THAT HE
DELIVERED THE SPEECH WITHOUT ANY
APPLAUSE.
I WOULD SAY THE SAME THING FOR
SENATOR HARRIS.
THEY WANTED PEOPLE TO HEAR THEM
CLEARLY, ABSORB WHAT THEY WERE
SAYING AND FEEL THIS ENORMOUS
CONNECTION WITH WHAT WE ALL HAVE
TO DO COLLECTIVELY.
>> MIKE BARNACLE.
>> VALERIE, I REALIZE THAT YOU
ARE NOT ENGAGED IN THE
DAY-TO-DAY STRATEGY PLANNING FOR
THE BIDEN/HARRIS TICKET.
BUT THE OTHER NIGHT DURING THE
VIRTUAL ROLL CALL TO YOUR POINT
ABOUT THIS BEING MORE
INCIDENTSMENT WITHOUT THE
CONVENTION CROWDS THERE, BUT
DURING THE VIRTUAL ROLL CALL, IT
STRUCK ME NOT FOR THE FIRST TIME
THIS WEEK THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT
EACH AND EVERY HOUR OF THIS
CONVENTION COVERAGE.
WE’RE LOOKING AT THE FACE AND
THE FEELINGS OF AMERICA.
>> EXACTLY.
>> SO MY QUESTION TO YOU IS, IF
YOU’RE IN THE OTHER SIDE OF THE
EQUATION, IF YOU’RE IN THE
REPUBLICAN SIDE OF THE EQUATION,
WHAT DO THEY DO TO RESPOND TO
WHAT WE SEE AND HEAR EACH AND
EVERY NIGHT DURING THIS
CONVENTION?
>> WELL, I THINK, AND WE’LL SEE
NEXT WEEK, THAT THEY DO WHAT
THEY HAVE BEEN DOING WHICH IS TO
CONTINUE TO PLAY TO A SMALLER
AND SMALLER BASE.
TRYING TO EXCITE THAT BASE SO
MUCH THAT THEY WILL TURN OUT IN
RECORD NUMBERS TO VOTE.
BUT THAT DOES NOT REFLECT OUR
COUNTRY.
AND I THINK, MIKE, YOU GOT IT
JUST RIGHT.
THE VOICES OF THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE, THE RICHNESS OF OUR
DIVERSITY, THE STORIES THAT THEY
TOLD ABOUT THE EFFECT THAT THE
LAST NEARLY FOUR YEARS HAS HAD
ON THEIR LIVES FROM THE WOMAN
WHO TALKED ABOUT HER DAD DIEING
OF COVID-19 AND HIS PRE-EXISTING
CONDITION, PRESIDENT TRUMP, TO
THE DREAMERS, TO FOLKS WORRIED
ABOUT BEING DEPORTED, TO THE
PEOPLE STRUGGLING BECAUSE THEIR
BUSINESSES ARE CLOSING, ALL OF
THOSE STORIES REFLECT FIRST OF
ALL THE STRENGTH AND THE FACT
THAT THOSE FOLKS STILL LOVE OUR
COUNTRY AND SEE ITS POTENTIAL
AND I THINK THAT THE
REPUBLICANS, THEY’RE MISSING OUT
ON THAT.
THEY’RE NOT REACHING OUT TO
INDEPENDENTS AND REPUBLICANS.
THEY’RE USING FEAR, THEY’RE
USING DISTORTIONS IF NOT
OUTRIGHT UNTRUTHS AS WE’VE SEEN
IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS.
AND I DON’T THINK THAT REALLY
REFLECTS THE GOODNESS OF AMERICA
AND MOST AMERICANS ARE GOOD.
>> VALERIE, IT’S WILLIE.
GOOD TO SEE YOU THIS MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> I THINK IT’S VERY CLEAR RIGHT
NOW THAT DEMOCRATS,
PROGRESSIVES, MANY AMERICANS
WERE ENERGIZED BY SEEING THE
FORMER FIRST LADY ON MONDAY
NIGHT AND LAST NIGHT FORMER
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA.
THEY WERE REMINDED WHAT THE
COUNTRY CAN BE.
MY QUESTION TO YOU IS HOW MUCH
MORE WILL WE SEE OF PRESIDENT
OBAMA AND FIRST LADY OBAMA OVER
THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS?
I KNOW THEY DON’T WANT TO
OVER-SHADOW JOE.
IT’S HIS RACE.
BUT WHEN THEY COME OUT,
DEMOCRATS ARE ENERGIZED,
UNDENIABLY.
WILL WE SEE A LOT MORE OF THEM?
>> I THINK WHAT PRESIDENT OBAMA
HAS SAID IS HE IS HERE TO DO
WHATEVER IS MOST HELPFUL TO THE
CAMPAIGN.
HE IS ALL IN.
THEY WERE ALL IN.
I THOUGHT HER SPEECH WAS
MAGNIFICENT IN ITS RAW AND
TRANSPARENT HONESTY.
IT IS WHAT IT IS.
I’VE HEARD THAT SO MANY TIMES IN
THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS.
AND SO, YES, THEY HAVE BOTH MADE
THE POINT THAT OUR DEMOCRACY
REALLY HANGS IN PERIL AND WE ALL
HAVE TO DO WHATEVER POSSIBLE TO
ENSURE VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN’S
SUCCESS.
MICHELLE OBAMA HAS BEEN WORKING
FOR THE LAST 2 1/2 YEARS ON WHEN
WE’LL VOTE WHICH IS A
NONPARTISAN EFFORT FOR PEOPLE TO
TURN OUT TO VOTE.
SHE WAS SO DISAPPOINTED IN THE
LAST ELECTION WAS WITH THE VOTER
TURNOUT.
SO, YES, YOU WILL HEAR THEIR
VOICES OUT THERE IN ANY WAY
