CHICAGO'S MAYOR, RAHM EMANUEL, RECENTLY HAD AN INTERVIEW
WITH POLITICO TO TALK ABOUT THE AFFAIRS HERE IN THE UNITED
STATES, AND HE HAD SOME ADVICE FOR LIBERALS, WHICH IS
REALLY INTERESTING CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT ANYTIME HE
TALKS ABOUT LIBERALS IT SEEMS TO BE NEGATIVE.
HE IS WORRIED, HE THINGS EVERYONE IN WASHINGTON IS TOO
FOCUSED ON THE CRAZY AROUND TRUMP TO SEE WHAT'S
ACTUALLY GOING ON, AND WHAT IS NOT.
I'M GOING TO GET TO HIS SPECIFIC QUOTES, BUT UNDERSTAND THAT THE
JUST OF WHAT HE SAYS IS ABOUT HOW WE SPEND ñ WHEN I SAY WE, I
MEAN LIBERALS IN GENERAL, NOT THE YOUNG TURKS, ALTHOUGH WE'VE
GOTTEN THIS CRITICISM BEFORE ñ THAT WE SPEND TOO MUCH TIME
FOCUSING ON, AND CRITICIZING DONALD TRUMP.
WE SHOULD ñ WE SHOULD FOCUS ON SOME OTHER THINGS, FOR INSTANCE,
THE MIDDLE CLASS AND THE WORKING CLASS, WHICH IS SOMETHING
THAT LIBERALS DO TIME AND TIME AGAIN, AND THEN GET
CRITICIZED BY CENTRIST DEMOCRATS FOR DOING SO.
BEFORE YOU GO ON, IN THAT FIRST QUOTE, I WAS INTRIGUED,
BECAUSE IF YOU ARE A PROGRESSIVE YOU CAN MAKE THE CASE, WE
NEED TO FOCUS ON CUTTING THE WAGES OF THE MIDDLE CLASS
UP; FOCUS ON MIDDLE ñ FOCUS ON THEIR REAL-LIFE ISSUES.
THAT WOULD BE A GREAT POINT TO MAKE.
SO I THOUGHT, DID HE LEARN SOMETHING?
I WOULD NOT AGREE TO NOT TALK ABOUT DONALD TRUMP.
HE'S OUR PRESIDENT, AND HE'S DOING SOMETHING CRAZY EVERY DAY.
DO YOU JUST IGNORE IT?
I THINK WE CAN WALK AND CHEW GUM AT THE SAME TIME.
SO, YEAH, WE CAN ATTACK DONALD TRUMP, AND TELL YOU THAT WE
CAN HAVE FREE COLLEGE EDUCATION FOR KIDS SO THAT WE CAN
HAVE A RIGHT ñ A VIBRANT MIDDLE-CLASS.
$15 MINIMUM WAGE SO THAT PEOPLE CAN BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN
THEIR FAMILIES.
IS THAT THE DIRECTION HE IS GOING TO GO?
LET'S FIND OUT.
HE SAYS THE FOLLOWING: "WE DON'T TALK ABOUT AND FIGHT FOR
THE MIDDLE CLASS LIKE WE ARE.
WE BELIEVE WE ARE FOR THEM, BUT THEY DON'T ñ
IF THEY DON'T HERE WE ARE FOR THEM, THEN WE GOT A PROBLEM.
IT'S NOT JUST FOR THE STRING OF POLICIES, IT'S ALSO A SET
OF VALUES THAT RESPECT TO THEY ARE IN THEIR LIVES.
WE COME OFF, AND CAN COME OFF, AS A PARTY DISDAINFUL OF THEM."
OKAY, SO IN THE BEGINNING IT SOUNDED FINE.
HE IS RIGHT, DEMOCRATIC PARTY POLES WORSE THAN THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY, AND THAT IS UNBELIEVABLE IN THE ERA OF TRUMP.
HE IS UNBELIEVABLY UNPOPULAR, AND SOMEHOW THE DEMOCRATS
ARE EVEN MORE UNPOPULAR.
BECAUSE THEY ARE IGNORING THE MIDDLE-CLASS.
AGAIN, I'M SLIGHTLY ENCOURAGED HERE, BUT THEN HE STARTS
TALKING ABOUT, IT'S NOT ABOUT THE POLICIES.
YEAH, OF COURSE IT IS.
WHETHER THEY HAVE HEALTHCARE OR NOT IS A POLICY ISSUE;
WHETHER THEIR WAGES ARE HIGHER OR NOT HIRE IS A POLICY ISSUE.
HE SAYS WE HAVE TO TALK TO THEM IN A WAY WHERE WE DON'T SOUND
DISDAINFUL TO THEM.
AND IT'S, HERE WE GO.
YOU ARE NOT A DEPLORABLE, YOU ARE NOT IN THE BASKET OF
DEPLORABLE'S, YOU ARE A WONDERFUL HUMAN BEING
LETTERS TO THINK THAT THE SOUTH SHOULD HAVE WON THE CIVIL WAR.
SO CAN YOU PLEASE COME TOWARDS US ANYWAY?
THIS IS THE IDEA OF APPEASING REPUBLICANS, AND THINKING
THEY WILL COME TO YOUR SIDE.
WHICH HAS NEVER, EVER WORKED FOR THE DEMOCRATS IN MY LIFETIME.
LATER ON HE TALKS ABOUT HOW IT'S OKAY TO SUPPORT DEMOCRATS
WHO ARE RUNNING FOR OFFICE, OR REELECTION, WHO HAPPENED TO
BE AGAINST REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT BERNIE SANDERS HAS SUPPORTED A
REPRESENTATIVE WHO HAS COME OUT AGAINST THE PRODUCTIVE
RIGHTS, BUT WITH BERNIE SANDERS I BELIEVE THAT IT COMES FROM A
GENUINE PLACE OF, I'M NOT GOING TO AGREE WITH THIS POLITICIAN
ON EVERYTHING, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE CORE VALUES OF WHAT
IT MEANS TO BE A PROGRESSIVE, THIS PERSON FOLLOWS SUIT.
WHEN IT COMES TO ECONOMIC JUSTICE, THIS PERSON
FOLLOWS SUIT.
WITH RAHM EMANUEL, HE HAS NEVER STRUCK ME AS A PROGRESSIVE,
OR SOMEONE WHO HAS CARED ABOUT LIBERALS, OR THE WORKING CLASS.
HE HAS BEEN IN SOME OF THE MOST POWERFUL POSITIONS
IMAGINABLE, AND WHAT HAS HE DONE?
HE TALKS ABOUT HOW IT'S NOT ABOUT THE POLICIES, BUT IT IS
100% ABOUT THE POLICIES.
THAT'S WHY DURING THIS LAST ELECTION, SO WE PEOPLE WERE
FRUSTRATED WITH THE PANDERING THAT WE EXPERIENCED FROM
SOME OF THESE POLITICIANS.
HILLARY CLINTON BEING ONE OF THEM.
WE DON'T CARE ABOUT THE HOT SAUCE IN YOUR BAG, WE CARE ABOUT
WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO FOR THE WORKING-CLASS AND MIDDLE-CLASS.
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT MELLO ENDORSEMENT FOR A LITTLE BIT.
THAT GUY IS RUNNING IN OMAHA, NEBRASKA.
HE DOESN'T AGREE WITH US ON PRO-CHOICE ISSUES, AND THAT
IS DEVASTATING.
THAT'S WHY WHEN THE PRESS ASKS ME, FOR INSTANCE, ABOUT THE
JUSTICE DEMOCRATS, WE SAY ONE OF THE THINGS OUT OF OUR PLATFORM ñ
OF ALL THE THINGS ON OUR PLATFORM, ONLY ONE IS NOT
NEGOTIABLE: YOU CAN'T BE CORRUPT.
YOU WANT TO TAKE MONEY ñ ONE ALLOWED TO TAKE MONEY ñ YOU ARE
NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE MONEY.
WE WOULD LIKE EVERYONE TO AGREE WITH ALL OF OUR PLATFORM,
BUT I UNDERSTAND YOU ARE RUNNING IN DIFFERENT PLACES.
IT TURNS OUT THAT RAHM EMANUEL IS NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT,
HE IS TALK ABOUT BEING MORE CENTRIST.
SO WHAT IS LEFT IS RUNNING TO THE RIGHT.
THAT IS EXACTLY RIGHT, AND IT IS FUNNY BECAUSE THE MAIN
COULD ASSIST HIM HERE WAS, LIBERALS ARE WASTING TOO
MUCH TIME FOCUSING ON DONALD TRUMP AND THEY NEED TO
ADDRESS THE MIDDLE-CLASS.
AND THEN FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE INTERVIEW, THE ONLY THING HE
TALKED ABOUT WAS TRUMP.
LETTY GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE: "HE'S ATTACKED ATLANTA, PHILADELPHIA,
NEW YORK, HE'S ATTACKED THE GANGS THERE.
HE'S ATTACKED CHICAGO.
I NOTICE HE NEVER ATTACKED SUBURBAN OR RURAL AREAS FOR
THEIR OPIATE CRISIS.
HE TALKS ABOUT HOW TO SOLVE THOSE PROBLEMS.
YOU HAVE A HUGE OPIATE CRISIS IN THE SUBURBS, MASSIVE OPIATE
HEROIN CRISIS.
NOW, THERE, THEY DON'T GET STEREOTYPED OR CRITICIZED ñ
CHARACTERIZED, THEY GET EMPATHY."
YEAH, THAT'S THE TYPE OF STUFF WE CRITICIZE HIM FOR TOO,
BECAUSE HE'S THE PRESIDENT AND DESERVES TO BE CRITICIZED
WHEN HE DOES SOMETHING WRONG.
I FELT LIKE CAME ACROSS AS DISINGENUOUS, AND IT IS
INTERESTING TO HEAR A CENTRIST TELL LIBERALS HOW THEY NEED
TO ACT IN ORDER TO APPEAL TO PEOPLE.
YOU APPEAL TO PEOPLE BY SHOWING THAT YOU ACTUALLY
UNDERSTAND THEIR ISSUES, AND WANT TO FIX THOSE ISSUES.
AND YOU WANT TO FIGHT FOR THOSE CHANGES.
YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT, THIS IS NOT THE FIRST
TIME WE HAVE HEARD OF RAHM EMANUEL.
WHEN HE WAS CHIEF OF STAFF FOR OBAMA, HE FAMOUSLY TOLD A ROOM
FULL OF PROGRESSIVES THAT THEY WERE F-ING RETARDED FOR
BEING LIBERAL.
ON THE POLICY POSITIONS, ALMOST ALL 23 PLANKS, FOR EXAMPLE IN
THE JUSTICE DEMOCRAT PLATFORM, POLLS AT 60% OR BETTER.
YOU ALREADY HAVE THE MODERATES AND THE INDEPENDENCE IF YOU
ALREADY WENT WITH THE ñ
IF YOU ACTUALLY WENT WITH THE POLICIES WE ARE TALKING ABOUT.
EXPANDING SOCIAL SECURITY, FREE COLLEGE EDUCATION,
IMMIGRATION REFORM, ETC.Ö ALL PULL THAT OVER 60%.
THE ISSUE IS NOT GETTING MODERATES ON OUR SIDE, THE ISSUE
IS THAT HE DOESN'T WANT TO DO THOSE THINGS BECAUSE THE
DEMOCRATIC DONORS DON'T WANT HIM TO DO THAT.
OF COURSE HE IS THE MAYOR OF CHICAGO, WHICH IS A CITY
THAT GETS ATTACKED, SO THAT'S FAIR, HE DOESN'T WANT TO
TALK ABOUT POLICIES, EVEN THOUGH POLICIES WOULD GET YOU THE
MODERATES YOU ARE LOOKING FOR.
BUT HE'S NOT LOOKING FOR MODERATES, HE'S LOOKING TO
TRICK THE VOTERS, AND PLEASE THE DONORS.
SO BY THE END OF THE DAY, IT TURNS OUT IT'S THE SAME OLD
RAHM EMANUEL, DOING THE SAME OLD TRICKS.
IN OTHER WORDS, DON'T FIGHT FOR PROGRESSIVE POSITIONS.
TALKING TO OURSELVES, AND PROCEEDING ñ
PERSUADING OURSELVES, MEANING FIGHTING FOR PROGRESSIVE
ISSUES IS NOT THE WAY TO GO.
HE SAYS YOU HAVE TO GET A MAJORITY, WHICH IS CODE
WORD FOR GO FURTHER RIGHT TO GET RIGHT-WING VOTERS.
AS IF THE COUNTRY HASN'T GONE RIGHT AND OFF, RIGHT?
YEAH, AND THAT IS A LOSER, LOSER STRATEGY, BECAUSE WHEN YOU SAY
THAT YOU'RE REPUBLICAN LIGHT, THE ELECTORATE SAYS, WHY
DON'T I GO FOR THE REAL REPUBLICAN?
YOU JUST TOLD ME THEY ARE RIGHT, OKAY, I'LL GO VOTE FOR THEM
AND NOT FOR YOU.
WHY WOULD A VOTE FOR YOU AFTER YOU UNDERMINED YOUR OWN
POLICY POSITIONS?
IN FACT, YOU DID THAT SO MUCH, I'LL EVEN VOTE FOR A GUY WHO WAS
PULLING AT 37% AT THE NIGHT OF THE ELECTION.
A GUY WHO IS A COMPLETELY INCOMPETENT MONSTER, BECAUSE YOU
TOLD ME THAT YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN YOUR OWN POSITIONS AND THAT I
SHOULD VOTE REPUBLICAN.
SO I DID, AND RAHM EMANUEL HASN'T LEARNED A THING.
SAME OLD CORPORATE STRATEGY FROM CORPORATE DEMOCRATS.