>>> WELCOME BACK. THERE’S BEEN SOME BIG NEWS OUT
OF IOWA, A NEW POLL SHOWS MAYOR
PETE BUTTIGIEG SURGING TO THE
TOP IN IOWA.
BUTTIGIEG IS AT 25%.
NEARLY A DOUBLE-DIGIT LEAD OVER
HIS NEAREST COMPETITOR.
HE’S GAINED 16 POINTS IN SCENT.
ELIZABETH WARREN AND JOE BIDEN
HAVE SLIPPED SIGNIFICANTLY.
THE POLLS SUGGEST THE DEMOCRATS
AT LEAST IN IOWA MAY BE
SEARCHING FOR AN ALTERNATIVE TO
WARN SANDERS AND BIDEN.
PERHAPS A MORE MODERATE ONE.
WHICH IS EXACTLY THE CASE DUVAL
PATRICK WOULD LIKE TO OCCUPY
WHEN HE JOINED THE RACE LAST
WEEK.
WEEK. HE JOINS ME FROM SAN DIEGO.
HE IS LEARNING THE RIGORS OF
THIS PRESIDENTIAL CONTEST.
WELCOME BACK TO "MEET THE
PRESS."
PRESS." >> INDEED I AM.
I KNOW IT’S EARLY.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> LET ME START WITH THAT.
PETE BUTTIGIEG I WOULD ARGUE SUI
ESSENTIALLY MAKING SIMILAR
ARGUMENTS YOU HAD ABOUT BRINGING
THE COUNTRY TOGETHER, THAT THIS
IS A BIGGER MOMENT THAN A
SPECIFIC MOMENT HERE, NOSTALGIA
OVER THERE.
OVER THERE. WHEN YOU HEAR YOUR MESSAGE.
I HEAR WHAT I’VE HEARD FROM PETE
BUTTIGIEG, I THINK, ALL RIGHT,
SUBPOENA YOUR MESSAGE ALREADY
REPRESENTED?
REPRESENTED? >> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO
-- THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CHUCK,
FOR HAVING ME ON.
I WAS JUST LISTENING TO YOUR
PREVIOUS SEGMENTS.
PREVIOUS SEGMENTS. IT FEELS JARRING TALKING ABOUT
POLITIC MR. S DURING THE GRAVITY
OF WHAT’S GOING ON.
>> IT IS.
>> IT IS. >> I HAVE TREMENDOUS RESPECT FOR
PETE AND SENATOR WARREN AND THE
VICE PRESIDENT AND THE OTHER
CANDIDATES WHO ARE FRIEND OF
MINE, WHOM I TALK WITH IN THE
COURSE OF THE RACE.
MY ENTRY INTO THE RACE ISN’T
ABOUT THEM.
ABOUT THEM. ITE NOT TRYING TO CLIMB ON TOP
OF THEM IN ORDER TO DO WHAT I
WANT TO DO AND WHAT I THINK I
CAN DO.
CAN DO. I THINK THAT I HAVE A RECORD OF
BEING A BRIDGE BUILDER.
I THINK THAT’S PRETTY IMPORTANT
AT A TIME WHEN NOT JUST THE
PARTY IN SOME RESPECTS BUT THE
NATION IS DEEPLY DIVIDED AND
DIVIDED, FRANKLY, AROUND ISSUES
THAT WHERE WE HAVE REMARKABLY --
A REMARKABLE AMOUNT OF OVERLAP
IN TERMS OF ECONOMIC ANXIETY AND
SOCIAL TENSIONS, WITH I WE HAVE
EXPERIENCED AT DIFFERENT TIMES
IN OUR HISTORY.
I ALSO HAVE A RANGE OF LIFE
EXPERIENCE AND PROFESSIONAL
EXPERIENCE WHICH ENABLES ME TO
COME AT PROBLEM SOLVING FROM A
BUNCH OF DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES
AND YOU’VE SEEN THAT AND I WANT
TO TELL THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
ABOUT THAT IN MA MASSACHUSETTS.
>> YOU COME.
ARE YOU A PREPARATION GUYS,
THOUGH, YOU STRIKE HE AS
SOMEBODY THAT YOU WANT TO PLAN
IN ADVANCE.
IN ADVANCE. YOU DIDN’T GET IN.
YOU WERE ASKED IN JUNE.
YOU HAD NO REGRETS.
YOU WERE ASKED IN OUGHT.
MY WIFE LOOKS AT IT AND SAYS,
I’M SO GLAD YOU DIDN’T RUN.
IN OCTOBER YOU, YOU SUGGEST AN
11th HOUR BID IS UNLIKELY.
I HAVE BEEN AWARE OF EFFORTS TO
RECRUIT YOU FOR YEARS.
IT IS ALWAYS MY UNDERSTANDING
YOU DIDN’T WANT TO PUT YOUR
FAMILY THROUGH THIS.
SO WHAT CHANGED?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, YOU MAY
KNOW, CHUCK, WE WERE REALLY
CLOSE A WEEK OR TWO FROM
ANNOUNCING A YEAR AGO AND JUST
AT THE EVE, LITERALLY, MY WIFE
WAS DIAGNOSED WITH UTERINE
CANCER AND THAT HAD TO BE FIRST
PRAYERTY.
PRAYERTY. WE CELEBRATED OUR 35th WEDDING
ANNIVERSARY IN JUNE AND I’M
DELIGHTED TO SAY THAT SHE IS
CANCER-FREE, PRAISE GOD.
>> EXCELLENT.
>> EXCELLENT. >> SHE FOLLOWS EVERY PUT AND
TAKE.
TAKE. IT IS, REALLY.
SHE FOLLOWS EVERY PUT AND TAKE
EVERY NEWS STORY MUCH MORE
CLOSELY THAN I AND YOU ARE
RIGHT, SHE HAS SAID, WATCHING
THE DEBATES AND SO MANY OF OUR
FRIENDS COMPETE AND CONTEST AND
THE FRICTION THAT COMES FROM
THAT, THAT SHE WAS GLAD I WAS
NOT INVOLVED AT THAT TIME.
BUT SHE HAS ALSO BEEN ONE OF THE
ONES LISTENING CLOSELY AND
RESPONDING TO FOLKS WHO HAVE
SAID, THERE IS A LANE FOR YOU,
MORE TO THE POINT THAT THE
NATI NEEDS EXPERIENCE NOT JUST
A SENSIBILITY AROUND BRIDGE
BUILDING BUT ACTUALLY SOME
RESULTS IN THAT RESPECT.
AND YOU KNOW WE ARE IN CRISIS IN
MANY RESPECTS HERE IN AMERICA
AND WE USED A CRISIS IN
MASSACHUSETTS TO COME OUT
STRONGER ECONOMICALLY, STRONGER
SOCIAL LID AND MORE FAIR.
I’D LIKE TO SEE IF THOSE
EXPERIENCES AND THAT APTITUDE
AND THAT SKILL SET CAN BE
OFFERED IN SERVICE TO OUR
NATION.
NATION. >> IT’S NOT LOST ON PEOPLE THAT
HERE YOU ARE JUMPING IN WHEN
THERE IS A FELLOW MASSACHUSETTS
DEMOCRAT IN THE RACE.
AND IT CERTAINLY SEEMS IF YOU
DON’T SEE EYE-TO-EYE ON IDEOLOGY
NECESSARILY.
NECESSARILY. WHY SHOULDN’T YOUR ENTRY BE SEEN
AS A BIT OF A VOTE OF NO
CONFIDENCE IN ELIZABETH WARREN?
>> WELL, I DON’T WANT TO GO
THERE.
THERE. SENATOR WARREN IS A FRIEND OF
MINE AND YOU KNOW SHE AND HER
HUSBAND BRUCE AND DIANE AND I
HAVE SPENT TIME TOGETHER
PRIVATELY AND SOCIALLY AND I AM
ENORMOUSLY FOND OF HER AND
INCREDIBLY PROUD OF THE CAMPAIGN
SHE’S RUN.
SHE’S RUN. IT’S BEEN ENORMOUSLY
DISCIPLINED, I THINK.
BUT I THINK YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO
-- WE HAVE TO KEEP OUR EYE ON
OUR SHARED GOALS AND NOT GET SO
HARDENED AROUND OUR MEANS AND
I’LL JUST USE HEALTHCARE AS AN
EXAMPLE.
EXAMPLE. EVERY SINGLE DEMOCRAT BELIEVES
AND IS COMMITTED TO DELIVERING
QUALITY AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE TO
EVERY SINGLE AMERICAN,
REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP OR NOT,
THAT’S THE POINT.
HOW WE GET THERE, THERE WILL BE
AND SHOULD BE ROBUST DEBATE
ABOUT THAT.
ABOUT THAT. YOU KNOW, WE’VE DELIVERED IN
MASSACHUSETTS HEALTHCARE TO OVER
98% OF OUR RESIDENTS.
I STILL DON’T THINK THERE IS
ANOTHER STATE IN AMERICA THAT
HAS GOTTEN THAT FAR AND THE
WHOLE BUSINESS OF TRYING TO GET
SYSTEM COSTS DOWN IS A NATIONAL
CHALLENGE.
CHALLENGE. YOU CAN GET THERE A COUPLE OF
DIFFERENT WAYS AND CERTAINLY
HAVING A PUBLIC OPTION, WHICH IS
MY PREFERRED APPROACH, MAYBE
MEDICARE IS THAT PUBLIC OPTION.
THAT’S A WAY.
BUT THE FACT IS, WE CAN’T -- NO
ONE PARTY, NO ONE CANDIDATE HAS
A CORNER ON ALL THE BEST IDEAS
AND IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A REFORM
THAT LASTS.
THAT LASTS. THEN YOU HAVE TO MAKE ROOM FOR
OTHER POINTS OF VIEW TO
ACCOMPLISH THAT AMBITIOUS GOAL.
>> I DON’T KNOW IF YOU ARE AS
INDEPENDENTLY WEALTHY AS MICHAEL
BLOOM BEMPLTH I A-- BLOOMBERG.
>> IS ANYONE?
>> ARE YOU GOING TO ACCEPT
SUPPER PAC SUPPORT OR MONEY?
THERE IS SOME INFORMATION THAT
YOUR FRIENDS MAY BE PUTTING
TOGETHER A SUPER PAC.
NOT A LOT OF DEMOCRATS ARE CRAZY
ABOUT SUPER PAC MONEY.
ARE YOU GOING TO SWEAR IT OFF OR
NOT?
NOT? >> I’M NOT CRAZY ABOUT SUPER AC
MONEY EITHER.
MONEY EITHER. I’M NOT SURE IF I UNDERSTAND THE
RULES CORRECTLY, I DON’T HAVE A
SAY ABOUT THAT.
>> YOU CAN PUBLICLY DISCOURAGE
IT.
IT. >> I THINK WE NEED TO DO CATCH
UP.
UP. WE NEED TO FOLLOW AND FIND ABOVE
SOURCE STRATEGIES.
SOURCE STRATEGIES. >> SO ARE YOU SAYING IF THERE IS
A SUPER PAC THAT SUPPORTS YOU,
ARE YOU NOT GOING TO TELL THEM
TO STOP?
TO STOP? >> NO, I’M NOT.
I WILL SAY THAT I WOULD LIKE TO
SEE ANY CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANY PAC
FULLY DISCLOSED.
FULLY DISCLOSED. DARK MONEY, FIRST OF ALL THERE
IS TOO MUCH MONEY IN THE SYSTEM.
I WILL HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY
ABOUT THAT AS POLICY POINT OF
VIEW AS WE GET A LITTLE FURTHER
ALONG.
ALONG. BUT IF THERE IS GOING TO BE
SUPER PAC MONEY THAT SUPPORTS
ME, IT SHOULD ALL BE, THE
SOURCES SHOULD BE FULLY