WSC
WSC SHOT
WSC SHOT THIDE AND TOUGH QUESTIONS GET ASKED AND ANSWERED.
THANKS FPECTED TO BE A BARN BURR
WITH LOTS OF FOLKS RUNNING FOR
A HIGH PROFILE FOLKS NEARLY TWO
YEARS OUT TO OTHERS IN THE RACE
,SEVERAL OTHER PROMINENT NAMES
IN IT HERE IN NORTH CAROLINA WE
JUST JOINING US NOW JEFF
JACKSON.
MR. JACKSON, CONGRATULATIONS ON
YOUR ANNOUNCEMENT.
FIRST OF ALL, LISTEN, I FEEL
LIKE YOU ARE FAIRLY KNOWN
QUANTITY HERE IN THE CHARLOTTE
AREA.
YOU ARE WELL KNOWN.
YOU HAVE A BIG FOLLOWING FOR
FOLKS OUTSIDE OF THE CHARLOTTE
AREA WHO MIGHT NOT KNOW WHO
YOU ARE.
GIVE US YOUR 30 SECOND PITCH
HERE.
WHO IS JEFF JACKSON?
JEFF JACKSON IS FROM NORTH
CAROLINA WHERE DURING COLLEGE
WHEN 9/11 STRUCK I ENLISTED IN
THE ARMY AND THE RESERVES WAS
SENT TO AFGHANISTAN, CAME HOME,
WENT TO LAW SCHOOL AT UNC
CHAPEL HILL ON THE GI BILL,
MOVED TO CHARLOTTE, STARTED
WORKING AT THE DISTRICT
ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IN GASTON
COUNTY.
THEN IN TWENTY FOURTEEN THE
MAYOR OF CHARLOTTE WAS ARRESTED
BY THE FBI LIKE CLEAR OUT OF
THE BLUE AND OUR OUR MAYOR
STEPPED DOWN OUR STATE SENATOR
WAS PICKED TO BECOME THE NEW
MAYOR.
DAN CLODFELTER, IF YOU RECALL
BACK IN TWENTY FOURTEEN.
SO WE NEED A NEW STATE SENATOR
AND I GOT PICKED PRETTY MUCH
CLEAR OUT OF THE BLUE.
I HAD NEVER RUN FOR OFFICE WAS
NOT A FIRST NAME BASIS WITH ANY
ELECTED OFFICIAL BUT THEY SAID
JEFF, YOU GO TO RALEIGH AND
JOIN THE STATE SENATE.
I QUIT MY JOB AT THE DISTRICT
ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.
YOU'RE ABOUT TO BE A
PROSECUTOR, AN ELECTED OFFICIAL
AT THE SAME TIME AND I SHOWED
UP AT THE STATE SENATE AT AGE
THIRTY ONE ROUGHLY HALF THE
AVERAGE AGE OF THE PLACE AND I
LEARNED A WHOLE LOT ABOUT THE
STATE AND I REALLY GOT A MASTER
CLASS IN WHAT IT TAKES TO STAND
UP TO CORRUPTION AND STAND UP
TO DEFEND A DEMOCRACY BECAUSE
THERE WAS A SMALL GROUP OF
PEOPLE IN CHARGE WHO JUST
WANTED TO STEAMROLL PEOPLE AND
SO THERE'S A LOT OF STANDING IN
FRONT OF A STEAMROLLER AND
THERE ARE A LOT OF FIGHTS THAT
YOU END UP WINNING AND
YOU LEARN A LOT ABOUT THE STATE
AND SO NOW YOU WANT TO TAKE
THAT FIGHT UP TO DC.
THAT'S RIGHT.
I'M RUNNING BECAUSE I WANT TO I
WANT TO RAISE PEOPLE'S
EXPECTATIONS FOR WHAT A SENATOR
CAN DO FOR NORTH CAROLINA.
WE SHOULD BE USING THIS JOB TO
STAND UP FOR PEOPLE.
OUR STATE HAS TEN AND A HALF
MILLION PEOPLE, ONLY TWO U.S.
SENATORS AND AT LEAST ONE OF
THEM SHOULD BE IN THE HABIT OF
STANDING UP FOR PEOPLE RIGHT
NOW WE'RE ZERO FOR TWO.
ALL RIGHT.
SO YOUR PARTY INCREASINGLY
DIVERSE AND CELEBRATES THAT
DIVERSITY.
THE U.S. SENATE ALMOST ALL
WHITE RIGHT NOW WITH A FEW
EXCEPTIONS.
WHY SHOULD THE PARTY SUPPORT
WHAT IS ADMITTEDLY ANOTHER
WHITE GUY WHEN THERE'S A WOMAN
OF COLOR RUNNING AGAINST
YOU AND THERE'S NOW WITH
CANNELLA HARRIS NOT IN THE
SENATE THERE'S NOT A SINGLE
WOMAN OF COLOR IN THE SENATE
AND YOUR PARTY CHAMPIONS THIS
IDEA.
I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THOSE
ARE ALL BLUE QUESTIONS AND THE
BURDEN IS COMPLETELY ON ME TO
EARN BACK CREDIBILITY.
I WANT TO USE THIS TO STAND UP
FOR YOU .
THAT IS WHY I'M RUNNING.
YOU CAN'T DO IN AN HONEST WAY
WITHOUT STANDING UP WITH PEOPLE
WHO ARE MISTREATED BECAUSE OF
RACE OR GENDER OR SEXUAL
ORIENTATION OR DISABILITY EVEN
IF I MAY NOT SHARE THAT RACE,
GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR
DISABILITY I'M LITERALLY
RUNNING FOR THIS JOB TO STAND
UP FOR THOSE FOLKS AND LOOK, I
THINK I'VE GOT A REALLY STRONG
RECORD ON STANDING UP TO RACIAL
GERRYMANDERING STANDING UP TO
BE BEING A CONSISTENT ADVOCATE
FOR THE EQUAL RIGHTS ACT.
NONE OF THIS DONE SOFTLY NOT
BEING A QUIET ALLY.
WE'RE GOING TO CAMPAIGN
STRONGLY.
WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE ON OUR
VALUES.
WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE BOLDLY
AND ENERGETICALLY.
WE'RE GOING CAMPAIGN IN ONE
HUNDRED COLUMNS.
THIS IS GOING TO BE A TRUE ONE
HUNDRED COUNTY CAMPAIGN, THE
FIRST THAT OUR STATE HAS SEE
IN A LONG TIME AND THAT'S WHAT
IT'S GOING TO TAKE TO WIN.
AND I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT
HUNDRED COUNTY CAMPAIGN BECAUSE
YOU'RE MAKING IT A BIG PILLAR
OF YOUR CAMPAIGN GOING FORWARD.
AND THE THING IS YOU UTAH
DEMOCRATS TOUT ISSUES LIKE
AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE, MINIMUM
WAGE, EARLY CHILDHOOD
EDUCATION, ALL ISSUES THAT
SHOULD APPEAL TO WORKING CLASS
FAMILIES AND THEY DO IN SOME
PARTS BUT YET THE MESSAGE FALLS
FLAT IN RURAL PARTS OF THIS
STATE WHERE TRUMP WON AND WON
BIG.
WHAT HAS YOUR PARTY BEEN DOING
WRONG?
WELL, I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD
HAVE BEEN A SUSTAINED WAY.
WE SHOULD LIKE WE LIKE TO SHOW
UP IN THE 90 DAYS BEFORE THE
ELECTION.
SOMETIMES WE'LL RUN SOME ADS IN
THAT IN THAT PART OF THE STATE.
BUT ARE WE REALLY THERE IN AN
ENGAGED AND SUSTAINED WAY ON A
STATEWIDE LEVEL YEAR IN AND
YEAR OUT?
I DON'T THINK SO.
USUALLY THESE STATEWIDE
CAMPAIGNS BOIL DOWN TO BEING
ABOUT 10 OR 15 COUNTIES.
WE'RE MAKING A DECISION AT THE
BEGINNING TO DO ALL 100 AFTER
GEORGIA AFTER SENATE VICTORIES
IN GEORGIA.
I READ STACEY ABRAMS PLAYBOOK
THE NEXT MORNING 16 PAGES.
I'D RECOMMEND IT EVERYBODY.
BUT IT REALLY BOILED DOWN TO
ME TO TWO KEY POINTS FIRST USE
ORGANIZING NOT JUST TO GET OUT
THE VOTE IN THE LAST 60 DAYS
BUT USE IT TO EXPAND THE
ELECTORATE.
EXPAND YOUR CONCEPT OF WHAT A
WINNABLE VOTER ACTUALLY MEANS.
AND TWO, IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO
THAT IT MEANS YOU HAVE TO START
MUCH EARLIER.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING.
WE'RE TAKING THIS EFFORT REALLY
SERIOUSLY.
IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING TOO CLEVER
AND HAVING SOME BRILLIANT
STRATEGY THAT GETS PHONED IN
FROM IT'S ABOUT JUST ACTUALLY
TRYING TO DO A GOOD JOB RIGHT.
IF YOU WERE TRYING TO DO A GOOD
JOB YOU WOULD GO TO ALL ONE
HUNDRED COUNTIES IF YOU WERE
TREATING THIS CAMPAIGN AS
PREPARATION FOR THE JOB AND NOT
JUST GIGANTIC MARKETING TACTIC.
THIS IS EXACTLY HOW YOU WOULD
APPROACH IT AFTER BARACK OBAMA
CAME INTO OFFICE IN THE HOUSE
AND SENATE WERE BOTH DEMOCRAT
AS WHAT HAPPENED IS WHAT
HAPPENS USUALLY IN MIDTERMS IS
BARACK OBAMA SAID WE GOT
SHELLACKED AND THAT'S WHAT
YOU'RE GOING TO BE UP AGAINST.
COMING UP A TWO YEARS FROM
RIGHT NOW.
IT'S NOT GOING TO BE THE EXACT
SAME THING AS GEORGIA IN TWENTY
TWENTY IT'S GOING TO BE NORTH
CAROLINA AT TWENTY TWENTY TWO
WITH DEMOCRATS CONTROLLING THE
HOUSE, THE SENATE, THE WHITE
HOUSE NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF
AMAZING CAMPAIGN YOU CAN RUN,
CAN YOU RUN AGAINST THAT?
THAT IS A GREAT POINT.
I DON'T THINK THAT ANYONE IN MY
PARTY THIS DISTANCE OUT FROM
THE ELECTION SHOULD SAY WE
EXPECT A BLUE WAVE IN TWENTY
TWENTY TWO.
I DON'T THINK WE CAN BANK ON
THAT.
WE HAVE TO ACTUALLY OUTPERFORM
THE HISTORICAL TREND AS
YOU JUST OUTLINED THAT'S THE
IMPORTANCE OF THE ONE HUNDRED
COUNTY CAMPAIGN BECAUSE
YOU HAVE TO NOT ONLY MOTIVATE
YOUR FRIENDS BUT YOU HAVE TO
MAKE NEW FRIENDS AND THERE'S NO
REAL WAY TO DO THAT WITHOUT
ACTUALLY SHOWING UP ALL OF
THESE PLACES ALL AROUND THE
STATE.
SO THE FIRST STEP IS A ONE
HUNDRED COUNTY CAMPAIGN.
THE SECOND STEP IS WE SHOW WHAT
WE'VE LEARNED BY GOING TO ALL
THESE PLACES BY ROLLING OUT A
NORTH CAROLINA AGENDA, AN
AGENDA THAT ACTUALLY REFLECTS
OUR STATE AND ISN'T JUST A SET
OF TALKING POINTS THAT GET
PHONED IN FROM D.C. WE'RE GOING
TO RUN THE NORTH CAROLINA
CAMPAIGN.
I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE IN
CONTRAST IF WE'RE LUCKY ENOUGH
TO BE THE NOMINEE TO WHOEVER ON
THE OTHER SIDE IS BECAUSE
THEY'RE GOING TO BE RUNNING THE
CONSULTA THE HISTORICAL
AVERAGES IN A MIDTERM.
THAT'S HOW WE WIN ONE HUNDRED
COUNTY COUNTIES, A NORTH
CAROLINA AGENDA WHAT TO GET
YOUR TAKE ON A COUPLE OF THINGS
CURRENTLY HAPPENING IF YOU WERE
IN THE U.S. SENATE RIGHT NOW,
SHOULD THE PRESIDENT BE
CONVICTED, THE PAST PRESIDENT
BE CONVICTED?
DID HE INCITE THAT INSURRECTION
AT THE U.S. CAPITOL?
HE SAID BEFORE THE ELECTION
THAT IF HE DIDN'T WIN IT MEANT
THE ELECTION WAS RIGGED.
THEN AFTER THE ELECTION AGAINST
ALL OF THE EVIDENCE HE SAID
THAT IT WAS STOLEN.
THEN HE SUMMONED EVERYONE TO
THE CAPITOL.
THEN HE STOOD BEFORE THEM AND
TOLD THEM TO MARCH ON THE
CAPITOL AND TAKE THEIR
DEMOCRACY BACK IN HIS WORDS AND
THEN PEOPLE WERE KILLED.
IT WAS AN INTERNATIONAL
EMBARRASSMENT.
THE QUESTION ISN'T WHETHER OR
NOT HE SHOULD BE IMPEACHED
CONVICTED.
IT'S WHETHER OR NOT WE CONSIDER
THE IMPEACHMENT CLAUSE OF OUR
CONSTITUTION TO BE OPERATIONAL.
DO WE CONSIDER IT TO BE A REAL
THING THAT EXISTS IN OUR
CONSTITUTION?
I DO SO YES.
I WOULD.
WHAT DO YOU THINK SHOULD HAPPEN
TO THE FILIBUSTER?
SHOULD THEY KEEP IT OR GET RID
OF IT?
I THINK IT'S HANGING BY A
THREAD RIGHT NOW AND THAT'S THE
BEST CASE YOU CAN.
THAT'S THE BEST THING YOU CAN
SAY FOR IT.
I THINK IF MITCH MCCONNELL
CHOOSES TO ACT IN ANY MANNER
REMOTELY RESEMBLING THE TOTAL
OBSTRUCTION THAT HE DID LAST
TIME, I THINK IT'S GOT FINALLY
IF ELECTED YOU'LL BE SERVING
ALONGSIDE THOM TILLIS.
WHAT'S YOUR ASSESSMENT OF THOM
TILLIS?
MY ASSESSMENT OF THOM TILLIS IS
THAT HE DOESN'T DO MUCH TO
STAND UP FOR WORKING PEOPLE AND
WORKING FAMILIES AND HE TALKS A
BIG GAME DURING AN ELECTION.
WE NEED AT LEAST ONE SENATOR
FROM THIS STATE WHO IS IN IT TO
ACTUALLY STAND UP FOR PEOPLE.
THAT'S IRONIC AND THIS ACTUALLY
IS THE FINAL ONE.
YOU'VE GOT A WIFE, KIDS.
WHAT DO THEY HAVE TO SAY ABOUT
THIS?
YOU HAVE ASKED A LOT OF AND THE
NEXT TWO YEARS THEY'RE ON
BOARD.
WE'RE GOING TO MAKE THIS A
FAMILY ADVENTURE.
WE'RE GOING TO MAKE THIS
SOMETHING THAT WE ALL DO
TOGETHER.
AND FRANKLY WE ALL WE TALKED
ABOUT OVER THE HOLIDAYS AND WE
WERE GOING BACK AND FORTH PROS
AND CONS BUT AFTER AFTER THE
EVENTS OF JANUARY 6TH THAT MY
WIFE AND I WATCHED TOGETHER,
SHE TURNED TO ME AND SAID,
JEFF, YOU HAVE TO RUN.
AND I SAID I THINK THAT'S
RIGHT.
I THINK I DO.
SO WE ARE COMPLETELY ON BOARD.
ALL RIGHT.
THE WHOLE STATE OF NORTH
CAROLINA ALONG ON