so who will lead the way who will put
the fear into perspective and to restore
as FDR did in that speech the American
optimism that has always characterized
this nation that is the question that
will be front and center one of the very
big questions as this election heats up
we've now got sixteen weeks to go to
decide who will be president for the
next four years here's just a sample
we're gonna play more of this in a
moment of Joe Biden today but I have to
start by speaking about what millions
Americans know when they wake up every
morning with worry anxiety and fear
we're still a country in crisis we're
now Symone Sanders Biden 2020 campaign
senior advisor someone great to have you
with us tonight thank you very much for
being here so you know this question of
how nervous
everybody is when you look at those
numbers about parents being so concerned
to send their kids back to school it
should fear keep them from doing that
does vice president former Vice
President Biden believe that these kids
need to get back into the classroom this
fall for a myriad of reasons well thank
you for having me tonight look I think
this is similar to the conversation that
folks were having a couple months ago
about reopening and just as a couple
months ago where Vice President Biden
noted it was a false choice on whether
do we want to get people back to work or
do we want to keep folks safe from the
car virus that's a false choice this is
similarily a false choice it's not about
folks who want to reopen schools versus
people who do not this is about what's
safe everyone including Vice President
Biden wants to ensure that our children
are back in school but it has to be done
safely and as president Trump is saying
in terms as president Trump is saying
all throughout this this lasts a week
and a half folks from the administration
as well that we just have to get folks
back to work creating a mandate is not a
plan
you know the coronavirus Kovan 19 is
still very much so with us and so that
means you need testing you need contact
tracing you need to be working with and
issuing guidance to governor's and folks
across this country and Vice President
Biden
you need a plan to do that he's okay for
you know anyone when you look at the
fact you know you know these other
countries that hit that have done it
safely I mean at what point so everyone
stays home in their house until there's
a vaccine I mean you know at some point
we need to say and think about what's
happening with so many kids across
America right now anyway they're their
lives being put in danger by other
things by other factors their parents
have to go back to work some of them are
in abusive homes it's been you know
documented in ways that are truly scary
you look at the numbers of children and
what they died from the flu suicide
homicide which we've covered here a lot
over the past few weeks you know do you
ever look at all of this and say this is
shocking that we have put ourselves into
this position of being so hunkered down
in this environment when we do know some
of the things that help to keep us safe
when we go out well Martha to be clear
we're in this position because the Trump
administration failed act as early as
January in February the Trump
administration and the president
specifically knew that coltd 19 was a
threat and they did nothing we're still
trying to figure out what the president
exactly was doing in January in February
so the fact that we have record numbers
of unemployment in this country where we
are right now we are still and whether
or not we are still currently in what is
this July we don't know the state of
things and we don't have real plans to
send our from the federal government to
send kids back to school the fact that
you know government local the federal
government has has put out now the
federal government's put out search a
feeling of a plan of the administration
Martha thirteen point two billion
dollars have gone to schools across
America from the federal government only
a hundred and ninety five million has
been spent and what we're hearing is
that they want more money that the
teachers need more money in order to
reopen the schools and you know what I
think people get that they see what's at
work there now I want to ask you
something about about the agenda here
overall in terms of charter schools
because one of the things that's been
suggested is that if a school does not
want to reopen an individual taxpayer
should be able to use the money that is
allocated for their child to make the
choice to send them to either a charter
school that is opening or a religious
school in their area why should an
apparant be able to do that or do you
believe that they should
Martha I am not sure what plan you are
referencing but I can tell you that we
have yet to see a plan from this
administration on how to safely reopen
schools we have yet to see the president
partnering with governor's and talking
to folks like teachers putting a plan
together with them look Betsy DeVos was
did the did the mineral morning shows at
least saw one this past weekend she
didn't have any to talk to her tomorrow
what the plan was that is nice and
you're saying there's a plan okay
so what I am saying Martha let me be
clear is that Vice President Biden has
been extremely clear you know dr. Biden
his life as a teacher okay so she is
someone who has been in the classroom
and he believes that this is a false
choice it's not do we keep kids at home
and beat the virus or do we send them
back to school the question is how can
we go forward safely with a plan that
protects not just the students but the
teachers the custodial staff the folks
who start the lunch this is about the
study so far show that this is not
transmitting this virus in big numbers
in the places then look at the numbers
looking at the data that we seem on
Europe which is why I said this is not
just about the students this is about
the teachers this is about Christo it's
mostly about the student learning loss
that they've had over the last several
months and that that could be absolutely
devastating to these students if they
don't get back to school I want to play
one thing from President Trump because
you deem he definitely used the
opportunity in the Rose Garden to to
really dig into the campaign issues here
and I want to give you a chance to
respond to this this is President Trump
earlier watch us today Joe Biden gave a
speech in which he said that the core of
his economic agenda is a hard left
crusade against American energy he wants
to kill American energy he wants to
impose the green new deal on our country
when I first saw the green new deal I
thought it was a joke what's your
response to that smart on behalf of the
fate of the former vice president yeah
my response to that is Donald Trump
isn't telling the truth it pains me to
say that he lied from the Rose Garden
today I I wish he turns turns the tape
and watches Vice President Biden's
address today he talked about hit the
second flank of his bill
back better plan a plan to create good
Union paying jobs for working families
across this country and bring everyone
along and today our plan focused on a
clean energy economy and infrastructure
you know the White House often talks
about infrastructure week 444 for
infrastructure week you know we have yet
to see an infrastructure plan but today
Vice President Biden unveiled one that
had support from unions and folks in the
climate community because it's a it's a
plan that work you know it's jobs if
there's in the White House of 748 years
and to fix the bridges and do
infrastructure in 48 years you never did
it I'll let you respond to that before I
let you go well within the first month
of the obama-biden administration they
got to work on the Recovery Act that
gave money across the country to things
like rebuilding America's crumbling
infrastructure but also getting folks
back to work ask the people in Michigan
they know about the work that Joe Biden
did the trouble administration though to
my to my knowledge has had 41 months
they have yet to do anything so we will
put Vice President Biden's experience
and his track record up against Donald
Trump's any day of the week all right
last want to taught you about I hope
you'll come back soon
Symone Sanders thank you very much good
to have you here tonight