♪ >>> WELCOME BACK TO "HARDBALL."
MAYOR PETE, THIS IS WHAT WE’VE
ALL BEEN WAITING FOR ON OUR
PROGRAM RIGHT NOW.
THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME
YOU’VE BEEN ON "HARDBALL" AT A
LIVE EVENT.
LIVE EVENT. IN FACT, MANY YEARS AGO YOU
ASKED A QUESTION OF A
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE WHO
VISITED YOUR COLLEGE, HARVARD.
HERE YOU WERE BACK IN 2003
ASKING DICK GEPHARDT ABOUT YOUNG
VOTERS.
VOTERS. >> CONGRESSMAN, WHY ARE YOU THE
ONLY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE NOT
ATTENDING TOMORROW’S YOUTH
ORIENTED ROCK THE VOTE CAMPAIGN
AND DO YOU THINK YOUNG VOTES
MATTER?
MATTER? >> THEY MATTER A LOT.
I’VE GOT A PRESET MEETING IN
IOWA, SO I’M GOING TO BE IN IOWA
TOMORROW NIGHT.
TOMORROW NIGHT. I TALK TO YOUNG PEOPLE
EVERYWHERE I AM.
I’VE GOT LOTS OF YOUNG PEOPLE ON
MY CAMPAIGN.
MY CAMPAIGN. MAYBE I OUGHT TO SAY THIS NOW,
WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE, JACK
KENNEDY WAS PRESIDENT AND I WAS
MOVED WHEN HE SAID TO YOUNG
PEOPLE LIKE ME, GET INVOLVED IN
POLITICS, GIVE PART OF YOUR LIFE
TO POLITICS, SO I JUST WANT TO
SAY TO ALL OF YOU HERE, GET
INVOLVED IN PUBLIC LIFE, GIVE
BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY, DON’T JUST
TAKE FROM IT AND GET INVOLVED IN
THIS CAMPAIGN.
THIS CAMPAIGN. IF IT’S NOT FOR ME, GET BEHIND
SOMEBODY AND GET OUT THERE AND
WORK TO MAKE THIS COUNTRY A
BETTER PLACE.
BETTER PLACE. YOU CAN DO THIS.
>> YOU HAVEN’T AGED A YEAR.
LOOK AT THIS GUY.
SO WAS THAT THE STIMULATION THAT
YOU NEEDED TO MAKE A MOVE FOR
PUBLIC LIFE?
PUBLIC LIFE? >> FIRST OF ALL, I’M A LOT MORE
SYMPATHETIC TO SCHEDULING -- I
WAS PRETTY HARD ON HIM.
I FEEL BAD ABOUT THAT NOW.
WOW.
WOW. HOW DID YOU EVEN FIND THAT?
>> WE HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION NOT
FROM THE AUDIENCE, IT’S A REMOTE
QUESTION.
QUESTION. SIR, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR
THE MAYOR?
THE MAYOR? DICK GEPHARDT.
DICK GEPHARDT. >> HEY, MAYOR PETE, YOU REALLY
TOOK ME SERIOUSLY, DIDN’T YOU?
>> HOW IS HE DOING?
HOW DO YOU THINK HE’S DOING AS A
CANDIDATE?
CANDIDATE? >> GOOD FOR YOU.
>> HOW DO YOU THINK?
>> HE’S DOING GREAT.
SO HERE’S MY QUESTION, MAYOR
PETE.
PETE. SO I GET ASKED ALL THE TIME BY
PEOPLE ALL OVER THE COUNTRY WHAT
ABOUT THE FUTURE OF OUR
DEMOCRACY, OF AMERICA?
AND MY ANSWER IS VERY SIMPLE,
I’VE ALWAYS BEEN OPTIMISTIC
ABOUT AMERICA BECAUSE THE PEOPLE
ARE GOOD AND THEY’RE GOOD
CITIZENS.
CITIZENS. YOU’RE OUT THERE NOW MEETING
THOUSANDS OF THEM.
AM I STILL RIGHT?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. THAT’S MY EXPERIENCE.
>> DICK GEPHARDT IS NOW A
CALIFORNIA VOTER.
CALIFORNIA VOTER. >> UH-OH.
>> UH-OH. ALL RIGHT.
ALL RIGHT. >> HE’S A RESIDENT AND VOTING
RESIDENT OF SANTA ROSA.
>> GOT TO GET ON HIS GOOD SIDE.
THAT’S BEEN MY EXPERIENCE.
LOOK, PEOPLE JUST WANT TO KNOW
THAT THEY’RE GOING TO BE OKAY,
BUT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE CAN HAVE
GOOD AND BAD THINGS CALLED OUT
FROM WITHIN US.
WE’RE ALL CAPABLE OF GOOD AND
BAD THINGS.
BAD THINGS. JUST ASK SOMEBODY YOU LOVE.
AND, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE
INDIVIDUALLY AND ALSO
COLLECTIVELY, I THINK WE BECOME
WORSE WHEN WE’RE NOT SECURE.
AND PART OF WHAT’S HAPPENING
RIGHT NOW IN A WORLD WHERE WE’VE
GOT EVERYTHING FROM THE RISE OF
CHINA TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
AND AUTOMATION AND THE ECONOMY’S
CHANGING IS PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
MADE LESS SECURE AND IT MAKES IT
POSSIBLE FOR A CYNICAL LEADER TO
DRAW OUT THE WORST OF US.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> BUT I ALSO BELIEVE THAT ONE
OF THE BEST REASONS TO GET
INVOLVED IN POLITICS, AS I FELT
CALLED TO DO WHEN I WAS A
STUDENT BY PEOPLE LIKE SPEAKER
GEPHARDT, IS THAT YOU CAN ALSO
USE THE TOOLS, THE SKILLS THAT
YOU LEARN AS AN ELECTED LEADER
TO DRAW OUT THE BEST IN PEOPLE.
AND I THINK THAT, EVEN MORE THAN
POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION IS THE
THING WE’RE MISSING MOST IN THE
WHITE HOUSE RIGHT NOW.
>> GOING BACK TO DICK GEPHARDT,
WE HAVE HIM ON THE PHONE.
DICK GEPHARDT, YOU WOULD HAVE
BEEN A GREAT PRESIDENT.
I THINK YOU KNOW I BELIEVE THAT.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE TO THIS
YOUNG FELLA, 37 YEARS OLD,
RUNNING HARD WITH 20-PLUS
RIVALS.
RIVALS. HOW DOES HE GET AHEAD OF ALL OF
THOSE GUYS AND WOMEN?
>> KEEP DOING -- JUST KEEP DOING
WHAT YOU’RE DOING.
WORK HARD EVERY DAY.
IT’S A BIG JOB BUT YOU’RE DOING
A GREAT JOB OF BEING OUT THERE
TALKING TO PEOPLE AND LISTENING
TO PEOPLE, WHICH IS THE MOST
IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO.
YOU’RE DOING GREAT.
JUST KEEP ON GOING.
I’M PROUD OF YOU AND ALL THE
OTHER CANDIDATES.
OTHER CANDIDATES. WE’RE GOING TO WIN THIS THING.
>> BY THE WAY, THAT’S HOW DICK
GEPHARDT GOT AHEAD.
I WATCHED HIS CAREER.
THANK YOU, DICK GEPHARDT, FROM