JOINING ME TRA MAIN LEE AND PRESIDENT AND CEO OF HARLEM
CHILDREN’S OWN AND BLOOMBERG
SURROGATE.
SURROGATE. WELCOME TO YOU BOTH.
VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN IS COUNTING
ON BLACK VOTE.
IS HE GETTING IT?
>> WHEN YOU TAKE A DEEPER DIVE,
YOU HAVE TO SEGMENT BETWEEN THE
GENERATIONAL DIVIDE, CLASS
DIVIDE HERE.
DIVIDE HERE. IF BIDEN AND SUPPORTERS THINK
THERE’S A LOT, BLACK VOTERS ARE
MORE FLUENT.
MORE FLUENT. YOU PEEL BACK THE LAYERS, PEOPLE
CARE ABOUT MORE THAN CRIMINAL
JUSTICE.
JUSTICE. THERE’S HEALTH CONCERNS, TAKING
CARE OF AGING PARENTS, ISSUES
WITH THE CLIMATE.
MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES ARE
FIRST TO FEEL THE BRUNT OF THAT.
THEY SAID IT TIME AND AGAIN,
COME TO THE COMMUNITY, SPEAK TO
THE PEOPLE.
THE PEOPLE. DON’T JUST GO TO THE BLACK
CHURCH OR BARBERSHOP, THERE ARE
BLACK VOTES THAT HAVE INTEREST
IN WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.
>> JEFF, AS A BLOOMBERG
SURROGATE, WHAT’S YOUR REACTION?
>> I HAVE TO CORRECT YOU, I AM
NO LONGER CEO OF HARLEM
CHILDREN’S HOME, LOOK, THERE ARE
TWO REASONS THAT I AM HERE THIS
MORNING.
MORNING. >> I CALLED YOU.
>> NUMBER ONE, I AM TERRIFIED OF
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN AMERICA.
WHEN I SEE WHAT’S HAPPENING IN
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, WHEN I
SEE WHAT’S HAPPENING TO RACE
RELATIONS, WHEN I SEE THAT THE
CONSTITUTION IS BEING LITERALLY
TORN APART, I SAY TO MYSELF
THOSE OF US THAT CARE ABOUT THIS
COUNTRY HAVE TO STAND UP AND WE
HAVE TO DO SOMETHING.
TO ME, THAT MEANS ELECTING A
DEMOCRAT TO PRESIDENT.
WE HAVE TO REMOVE THE SORT OF
CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION WE HAVE
NOW.
NOW. THAT’S NUMBER ONE.
>> YOU ARE CHOOSING A SPECIFIC
DEMOCRAT.
DEMOCRAT. >> LET ME TELL YOU WHY I CHOSE
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG.
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG. BECAUSE WE HAVE TO WIN.
IN THE END, WE CAN FIND THE
PERFECT CANDIDATE, BUT IF FOUR
YEARS LATER WE LOOK AT THIS
COUNTRY AND SEE WE LOST A
WOMAN’S RIGHT TO CHOOSE, SEE
RACE RELATIONS HAVE GONE DOWN,
YOU SEE THE COUNTRY NO LONGER
LOOKING LIKE A DEMOCRACY BUT
MORE LIKE AUTOCRASY, DON’T BLAME
ME BECAUSE I’M GOING TO FIND THE
MOST ELECTABLE PERSON WHO HAS
THE BEST PLANS FOR THIS COUNTRY.
IN MY OPINION, THAT’S MICHAEL
BLOOMBERG.
BLOOMBERG. LOOK, OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT THINK
AMERICA IS READY FOR MEDICARE
FOR ALL.
FOR ALL. I SAW HOW HARD IT WAS FOR OBAMA
TO PASS THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT.
I SAW ALL OF THE LAWSUITS THAT
CAME AGAINST HIM.
WHAT MAKES US THINK WE’RE GOING
TO PUT IN A PLAN THAT’S A
THOUSAND TIMES MORE DIFFICULT
AND MORE COSTLY THAN WHAT
PRESIDENT OBAMA DID.
I’M WORRIED THAT THE PURIST, THE
PURIST ON THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE
WILL ALLOW PRESIDENT TRUMP A
LANE TO BECOME PRESIDENT AGAIN
AND WE NEED SOMEBODY THAT’S
GOING TO FIGHT TOOTH AND NAIL TO
STOP THAT FROM HAPPENING.
AND I’M TELLING YOU, BLOOMBERG
IS ALL IN.
>> IS THAT WHAT YOU HEAR FROM
VOTERS, NOT TWITTER, BUT VOTERS?
>> WHEN YOU TALK TO VOTERS,
THERE’S SOME WIGGLE ROOM.
BECAUSE HE HAS SO MUCH MONEY IN
THE ADS, THEY’RE GOOD ADS,
MEMES, THEY’RE CATCHY.
FOLKS THAT DON’T REMEMBER STOP
AND FRISK, THE VIOLENCE OF AN
ALREADY OPPRESSED, MARGINALIZED
COMMUNITY, AND HEAR THAT MICHAEL
BLOOMBERG WAS DOUBLING DOWN,
COMMENTS COMING OUT HE COULD
XEROX A MURDER SUSPECT AND PASS
IT OUT TO COPS, THE IDEA THAT
BLACK FOLKS WERE RED LINED AND
FORCED INTO SLUM COMMUNITIES
WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HOUSING
COLLAPSE INDUSTRY, THAT’S
TROUBLING TO A LOT OF VOTERS.
ON THE OTHER HAND, OUT IN THE
MIDWEST AND PLACES AROUND THE
COUNTRY, THEY SAY THIS IS A
BILLIONAIRE THAT PUTS HIS MONEY
WHERE HIS MOUTH IS.
ALL THE MONEY ACROSS CITIES FOR
INFRASTRUCTURE, ANTI-GUN
INFRASTRUCTURE, ANTI-GUN VIOLENCE STUFF.
VIOLENCE STUFF. EVERY TIME THEY COME OVER THEY
TRIP OVER A MIKE BLOOMBERG AD,
HE HAS A STADIUM PACKED WITH
BLACK FOLKS.
BLACK FOLKS. NOW THE APOLOGY TOUR HE IS ON
SEEMS TO BE WORKING.
AGAIN, THERE’S NOT JUST JOE
BIDEN, THERE’S ROOM FOR GROWTH
WITH OTHER CANDIDATES.
AND WE SEE IT HAPPENING.
>> YOU NEVER ENDORSED A
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE EVER.
>> NEVER HAVE.
>> IN THE LAST FEW DAYS, WHETHER
IT IS AUDIO, VIDEO, OR ENDLESS
ARTICLES ABOUT RED LINING, STOP
AND FRISK, AND WOMEN ALLEGING HE
USED SEXUALLY EXPLICIT LANGUAGE.
THERE ARE MORE HEADLINES COMING.
IS THAT NOT A RISK TO YOU?
>> IT IS A RISK.
I MET MICHAEL BLOOMBERG 20 YEARS
AGO.
AGO. THE MIKE I MET, HE CALLED ME IN,
HE WAS A REPUBLICAN.
HE CALLED ME IN AND SAID JEFF, I
HAVE TO GOVERN THE CITY.
I UNDERSTAND YOU CARE ABOUT POOR
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. HELP ME FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO A
BETTER JOB.
BETTER JOB. HELP ME WITH EDUCATION.
PEOPLE FORGET, I CO-CHAIRED HIS
ECONOMIC COMMISSION ON POVERTY
WITH DICK PARSONS WHO WAS
RUNNING TIME WARNER.
MIKE CARED ABOUT THE ISSUES.
HE WAS TRYING TO FIND A
SOLUTION.
SOLUTION. HE MADE A MISTAKE.
I ARGUED WITH HIM ON STOP AND
FRISK, BET HE WISHED HE LISTENED
TO ME NOW.
I TRIED TO GET HIM TO APOLOGIZE
TO THE BLACK COMMUNITY, ONCE WE
GOT THE DATA, SAW HOW BAD IT
WAS, I SAID WE HAVE TO DO
SOMETHING.
SOMETHING. HE WAS STUBBORN.
YOU KNOW WHAT, HE APOLOGIZED.
AND I WILL TELL YOU THIS.
PEOPLE ARE ACTING LIKE MIKE
BLOOMBERG CREATED THE CRISIS IN
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN THE BLACK
COMMUNITY, IT IS ABSOLUTELY
WRONG.
WRONG. I WAS THERE WHEN THE CRIME BILL
WAS SIGNED.
WAS SIGNED. I ARGUED AGAINST IT WITH JANET
RENO, PRESIDENT CLINTON, JOE
BIDEN.
BIDEN. MILLIONS, MILLIONS OF AMERICANS
WERE PLACED IN JAIL BECAUSE OF
THAT FAILED ACT.
WERE THEY RACIST?
THEY WERE NOT RACIST.
PRESIDENT CLINTON -- THEY
THOUGHT THEY WERE DOING THE
RIGHT THING, HAD BAD CRIMINAL
JUSTICE POLICY.
JUSTICE POLICY. THEY FAILED OUR COMMUNITY.
MIKE DID ALSO.
MIKE IS OUT APOLOGIZING BECAUSE
HE LEARNED BETTER.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT, I KNOW IT IS
TRUE.
TRUE. I KNOW MIKE IS A CHANGED MAN
FROM WHEN HE WAS RUNNING NEW
YORK CITY, PUSHING THOSE
POLICIES.
POLICIES. IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT HE HAS SAID,
IN HIS NEW POLICY, BY THE WAY,
NO ONE WANTS TO TALK ABOUT, TRE
MAIN IS RIGHT, RIGHT TO HOLD HIM
ACCOUNTABLE FOR RED LINE
COMMENTS AND OTHER COMMENTS,
LOOK AT THE GREEN INITIATIVES.
HOMEOWNERS, HE IS PUSHING FOR
TAKING CARE OF GENERATIONAL
WEALTH.
WEALTH. HE WANTS TO HAVE 100,000 NEW
BLACK ENTREPRENEURS OUT THERE
THAT HE PUT $70 BILLION INTO
RECREATING NEIGHBORHOODS THAT
WILL IMPROVE SCHOOLS, PROVIDE
JOBS, MAKE SURE AFRICAN
AMERICANS FINALLY GET THE
SUPPORT WE HAVE NEVER GOTTEN IN
THIS COUNTRY.
THIS COUNTRY. IT IS THE MOST PROGRESSIVE PLAN
FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS OUT THERE.
I WILL DEBATE IT AGAINST ANY
CANDIDATE.
CANDIDATE. FOR FOLKS THAT ARE HUNG UP ON
THE PAST, LOOK AT WHAT MIKE IS
PROPOSING RIGHT NOW TO FIX THE