YOU ARE GOING TO GET INVOLVED
AND VOTE.
>> THAT WAS NBC’S KRISTEN WELKER
REPORTING.
TONIGHT, THE CONVENTION WRAPS UP
WITH SEVERAL SPEAKERS BEFORE
FORMER VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN
ACCEPTS THE DEMOCRATIC
NOMINATION.
ONE OF THOSE SPEECHES IS NEW
JERSEY SENATOR CORY BOOKER, A
ONE-TIME PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL
HIMSELF.
HE JOINS US NOW.
SENATOR BOOKER, ALWAYS GOOD TO
SEE YOU, SIR.
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.
>> GREAT TO BE ON WITH YOU THIS
MORNING.
THANKS SO MUCH.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT LAST NIGHT
HERE, AND LET’S START WITH
FORMER PRESIDENT OBAMA.
BREAKING PRESIDENTIAL PROTOCOL
BY GOING AFTER HISAK
SUCCESSOR AT A CONVENTION,
SAYING DONALD TRUMP HASN’T GROWN
INTO THE JOB BECAUSE HE’S NOT
CAPABLE OF IT.
SAID THAT OUR DEMOCRATIC
INSTITUTIONS ARE AT STAKE COME
NOVEMBER.
IT WAS A SOBER BUT SCATHING
INDICTMENT OF MR. TRUMP.
WHAT DOES THAT SAY TO YOU ABOUT
WHERE WE ARE IN THIS ELECTION?
>> LOOK, I MEAN, DONALD TRUMP
HAS BEEN INVOKING OBAMA’S NAME
CONTINUOUSLY SINCE HE TOOK
OFFICE, EVEN BEFORE THAT, WITH
THE RACIST BIRTHER ATTACKS.
IT SEEMS LIKE HE MADE HIS
PRESIDENCY ALMOST LIKE A
VENDETTA AGAINST PRESIDENT
OBAMA.
YET, PRESIDENT OBAMA KEPT HIS
DIGNITY AND DISTANCE.
YOU SEE THIS PRESIDENT HAVING
ATTACKED INSTITUTIONS THAT
SHOULD BE SACRED TO ALL OF US,
INCLUDING YOUR PROFESSION, THE
FREE PRESS.
AND I THINK PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS
DONE WHAT HE SHOULD BE DOING,
WHICH IS, NOT ONLY KEEPING THE
HONOR OF THE FORMER PRESIDENCY
AND THOSE TRADITIONS THAT WE
SEE, AS WE SAW HIM AND GEORGE
BUSH AND BILL CLINTON, FOR
EXAMPLE, AT JOHN LEWIS’ FUNERAL,
BUT I THINK LAST NIGHT WAS
IMPORTANT, TO HEAR PRESIDENT
OBAMA SPEAK FROM HIS HEART AND
DO IT IN AN EK WAY TO CHALLENGE
AS AMERICANS, ARE WE GOING TO
SIT ON THE SIDELINES AND TREAT
THIS AS A SPECTATOR SPORT, OR
ARE WE GOING TO RECOGNIZE THE
GRAVITY OF THIS ELECTION AND GET
ON THE FIELD?
LIKE A GREAT FORMER COACH, HE
GOT OUT OF THE STANDS, GOT ON
THE SIDELINE, AND TOLD US TO GET
INTO THE GAME.
>> YOUR FRIEND, YOUR COLLEAGUE
THERE IN THE UPPER CHAMBER, A
WOMAN YOU’VE CALLED YOUR SISTER,
SENATOR KAMALA HARRIS, ACCEPTING
THE NOMINATION LAST NIGHT.
WHAT WAS YOUR TOP LINE TAKEAWAY
FROM HER SPEECH?
>> BESIDES HAVING TO HOLD THE
TISSUE BOX CLOSE TO ME AS I
WATCHED HISTORY BEING MADE, IT
WAS A MOVING, EMOTIONAL MOMENT.
WHEREVER YOU ARE ON THE AMERICAN
POLITICAL SPECTRUM, YOU’VE GOT
TO SIT BACK FOR A SECOND AND
REALIZE, OR FEEL, A SENSE OF
PRIDE ABOUT THIS NATION.
JUST 20 YEARS AGO, THIS WOULD
HAVE BEEN INCONCEIVABLE.
NOW, WE HAVE THIS WOMAN OF
EXTRAORDINARY COMPETENCE,
ACUMEN, REALLY EXCELLENCE, NOW
ASCENDING TO THAT POSITION.
IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT.
OUR AS SENATORS ARE SS SS SS --
STANDING UP AND CHEERING.
SO MANY YOUNG PEOPLE AROUND THE
COUNTRY, MY PHONE WAS BLOWING UP
WITH WOMEN, ESPECIALLY, WHO ARE
MOTHERS, JUST SAYING ONE OF THE
MOST PRECIOUS NIGHTS OF THEIR
LIFE WATCHING POLITICS WAS LAST
NIGHT, AS THEY GOT TO SEE THIS
WOMAN OF GRACE AND DIGNITY
ASSUME THATTRULY HISTORIC.
>> THERE’S BEEN SOME CHRIS
SCHISM, AS YOU’RE PROBABLY
AWARE, THAT DEMOCRATS SPENT TOO
MUCH TIME GOING AFTER PRESIDENT
TRUMP INSTEAD OF PROMOTING THEIR
OWN POLICIES AND BUILDING UP
THEIR OWN CANDIDATE.
THERE’S THIS RECENT NBC
NEWS/"WALL STREET JOURNAL" POLL,
SENATOR BOOKER.
IT FOUND THAT AMONG BIDEN
VOTERS, 58% ARE USING THEIR VOTE
AGAINST PRESIDENT TRUMP.
36% ARE USING IT FOR JOE BIDEN.
WHAT’S GOING TO BE YOUR CASE
TONIGHT?
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO SAY?
>> WELL, I RAN A PRESIDENTIAL
CAMPAIGN SAYING THIS ELECTION IS
NOT A REFERENDUM ON ONE MAN AND
ONE OFFICE.
IT’S ACTUALLY A REFERENDUM ON
WHO WE ARE AND WHO WE’RE GOING
TO BE TO EACH OTHER.
IF ANYTHING IN AMERICA, WE HAVE
TO RECOGNIZE THE LESSONS OF OUR
ANCESTORS.
DARKNESS CAN’T DRIVE OUT
DARKNESS.
HATE CAN’T DRIVE OUT HATE.
WE NEED TO RISE TO A HIGHER LOVE
IN THIS NATION.
WE NEED TO HAVE A REVIVAL OF
CIVIC GRACE.
WE NEED TO KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW,
PATRIOTISM IS A WORD THAT MEANS
LOVE OF COUNTRY, BUT YOU REALLY
CAN’T LOVE YOUR COUNTRY UNLESS
YOU REALLY DO LOVE YOUR FELLOW
COUNTRY MEN AND WOMEN.
LOVE ISN’T SENTIMENTALITY.
IT SAYS YOU MAY BE DIFFERENT
THAN ME, BUT I’M GOING TO
SACRIFICE FOR YOU.
I’LL STAND FOR YOU.
IF NECESSARY, ANCESTORS BEFORE,
FROM THE BEACHES OF NORMANDY TO
THE BATTLES OF MISSISSIPPI’S
BAYOUS, AMERICANS DIED FOR US SO
WE COULD HAVE THIS DEMOCRACY.
THAT’S THE HONOR AND TRADITION
THAT WE HAVE TO CONTINUE IN THIS
COUNTRY.
THIS HAS GOT TO BE ABOUT
CREATING THAT BELOVED COMMUNITY
IN OUR NATION AGAIN.
>> SENATOR BOOKER, REALLY
QUICKLY HERE, AS YOU KNOW, THE
POSTMASTER GENERAL, MR. DEJOY,
HAS HIT PAUSE ON THE CHANGES AT
THE POS TAN SERTAL SERVICE UNTIL
THE ELECTION.
VIDEO OBTAINED BY NBC NEWS
APPEAR TO SHOW HIGH-VOLUME
SORTING MACHINES OUT OF ORDER.
MACHINES WERE SUPPOSED TO BE
REALLOCATED.
THE POSTMASTER GENERAL WILL BE
TESTIFYING BEFORE A SENATE
COMMITTEE TOMORROW.
YOU’RE NOT ON THE COMMITTEE, BUT
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO HEAR FROM
THE POSTMASTER GENERAL?
>> WELL, AGAIN, THIS IS ONE OF
THOSE STRETCHES IN AMERICAN
HISTORY WHERE I TRY TO STOP
TELLING MYSELF TO BE SURPRISED,
WHETHER IT’S A PRESIDENT TURNING
ON PEACEFUL PROTESTERS WITH
WEAPONS AND GAS, OR WHAT I’M
SEEING RIGHT NOW,
CONSTITUTIONALLY MANDATED POST
OFFICE, SO CRITICAL FOR OUR
VETERANS, OUR SENIORS, PEOPLE
LIVING PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK,
BEING STRANGLED BY A PRESIDENT,
SLOWING IT DOWN, REMOVING
MAILBOXES, REMOVING SORTING
MACHINES, CUTTING THE OVERTIME
NECESSARY FOR POSTAL WORKERS TO
GET THEIR JOB DONE, COME SLEEP,
COME HAIL, COME DARK, STORM.
ALL AMERICANS SHOULD BE
CONCERNED, AND IF NOT, OUTRAGED,
THAT WE HAVE SUCH BACKLOGS
HAPPENING AT THE POST OFFICE.
SO THIS MAN MUST ACCOUNT.
THIS IS THE JOB OF CONGRESS,
WHICH IS TO PROVIDE CHECK,
BALANCE, AND OVERSIGHT TO THE
EXECUTIVE BRANCH.
HE MUST ACCOUNT FOR WHAT HE’S
DONE AND UNDERSTAND THAT THIS
ISN’T ABOUT THE ELECTION,
SIMPLY, IT’S REALLY ABOUT THE
DELIVERY OF VITAL MEDICATIONS.
PEOPLE RIGHT NOW WITH THEIR
PAYCHECK FIVE DAYS LATE, THEY
MISS A RENT PAYMENT.
THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO PUT FOOD ON
THE TABLE.
THIS IS AN AMERICAN CRISIS OF
THE DONALD TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
MAKING, AND THIS MAN, WHO IS --
SEEMS LIKE HIS BIGGEST
QUALIFICATION TO GET HIS JOB IS
THAT HE IS A MILLION DOLLAR PLUS
DONOR TO DONALD TRUMP.
THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE.
AGAIN, HE MUST ACCOUNT.