>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY!
WELCOME BACK!
HE KNOWS LOTS OF PEOPLE.
EVERYBODY, WE'RE HERE WITH FORMER CHICAGO MAYOR RAHM
EMANUEL.
THREE MAYORS ARE IN THE 2020 RACE.
>> MM-HMM.
>> Stephen: YOU'VE GOT A NEW BOOK CALLED THE NATION CITY, WHY
MAYORS ARE NOW RUNNING THE WORLD.
WHY ARE MAYORS ON THE ASCENDANCY?
>> A COUPLE OF THINGS, ONE, YOU ALSO HAVE BORIS JOHNSON FORMER
MAYOR OF LONDON, PRIME MINISTER OF ENGLAND.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE POLITICS OF INVESTING IN
EDUCATION AND DOING THINGS THAT I THINK ALSO MATTER LIKE ON
TRANSPORTATION, PARKS, LIBRARIES, HOW YOU LIVE YOUR
LIFE, WHERE YOU AND YOUR WIFE DECIDE YOU'RE GOING TO RAISE
YOUR KIDS.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION OR TRANSPORTATION, EDUCATION,
LIBRARIES, PARKS, SAFETY, ALL THOSE THINGS, THE GOVERNMENT
THAT DELIVERS THOSE SERVICES ARE MAYORS.
I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT IT TODAY, LIKE IN CHICAGO, WE CREATED IN
CHICAGO THE STAR SCHOLARSHIP.
YOU GET A B AVERAGE IN HIGH SCHOOL, WE MAKE COMMUNITY
COLLEGE FREE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: NATIONALLY, WE
DON'T KNOW THAT ABOUT, NECESSARILY, MAYORS.
BUT WHY WHERE THEY TRUSTED?
>> BECAUSE THEY ARE LOW TO THE GROUND, THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT
GOVERNMENT IS.
75% OF THE AMERICANS BELIEVE IN THEIR LOCAL GOVERNMENT BECAUSE
THEY ARE THERE WITH PEOPLE, THEY ARE IMMEDIATE, THEY ARE
INTIMATE, THEY ARE IMPACTFUL.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS DISINTERESTED, DYSFUNCTIONAL AND
TOTALLY DISTANT FROM WHERE YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE.
>> Stephen: YOU WERE IN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR MANY
YEARS.
DID YOU BREAK IT?
>> THE ONLY PERSON THAT THINKS I DID THAT IS MY MOTHER.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
WELL, WHY IS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT INCAPABLE OF
ADDRESSING THIS PROBLEM?
>> THERE'S CHICK AND STRUCTURAL.
ON THE STRUCTURAL SIDE, THE CITIZENS UNITED BY THE SUPREME
COURT, HORRIBLE DECISION ON MONEY.
REDISTRICTING, WHERE ELECTED OFFICIALS PICK THEIR VOTERS, NOT
VOTERS PICK, TOTALLY POLARIZING THE POLITICAL SYSTEM.
THERE ARE OTHER PROCESSES IN THE WAY THE PRIMARIES ARE
STRUCTURED.
ON THE ECONOMIC ISSUES, WE BASICALLY, WHEN WE WERE
INVESTING IN PEOPLE, WE WERE SUCCEEDING.
PEOPLE HAVE LOST INTEREST BECAUSE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
IS NO LONGER GIVING PEOPLE EDUCATION.
ONE OF FIRST CHAPTERS IN THERE WAS ABOUT THE FACT THAT WHEN
PRESIDENT OBAMA WANTED TO CREATE UNIVERSAL PRE-K, HE COULDN'T GET
IT DONE THROUGH CONGRESS SO HE CALLED 200 MAYORS TOGETHER AND
SAID I NEED YOU TO DO IT AND NOW CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE
LEADING THE EFFORT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) AND IT'S BROKEN, AND ONE OF THE
REASONS IS, YOU KNOW, RONALD REAGAN STARTED THIS OUT, WHICH
IS HE WANTED TO, THROUGH THE TAX CUTS, STARVE WHAT HE CALLED "THE
BEAST," THE GOVERNMENT.
AND WE STOPPED INVESTING IN OUR PEOPLE, AND CUTTING OFF THE
RESOURCES FROM A GOVERNMENT -- THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO
INVEST IN OUR PEOPLE SO EVERYBODY HAS A CHANCE AT
SUCCESS.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE LOST FOCUS ON IS THE
ABILITY OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO MAKE KEY
INVESTMENTS IN OUR COUNTRY, IN THE PEOPLE OF OUR COUNTRY, SO
EVERYBODY NOT GUARANTEED SUCCESS BUT GUARANTEED A SHOT AT
SUCCESS.
SO A NUMBER OF MAYORS TAKE LOUISVILLE, DENVER, BOSTON,
SAN FRANCISCO, CHICAGO, WE HAVE ALL CREATED EARLY CHILDHOOD
EDUCATION AND, ALSO, ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION FREE, SO WE'VE
GONE FROM A K TO 12 TO PRE-K TO COLLEGE.
>> Stephen: WHY CAN'T THE CITIES AFFORD THAT WHEN THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SAYS IT CAN'T?
>> BECAUSE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN AIRCRAFT
CARRIER AND PAYS SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE.
IT'S NOT MAKING THE TYPE OF INVESTMENT WITH A PROGRESSIVE
TAX TO HAVE THE RESOURCES TO INVEST.
AND MAYORS NOT ONLY ARE GETTING THIS DONE, LET ME ALSO TAKE, I
THINK, ON A REALLY SERIOUS ISSUE WICH IS WEAVING IN A TIME THAT
IS CALLED THE DESPAIR OF DEATH, WHERE ALCOHOLISM, SUICIDE,
OPIATE ADDICTION IS RAVAGING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITIES.
ONLY MAYORS HAVE THE ABILITY TO GET RERIDGES INSTITUTIONS,
PEOPLE OF FAITH, COMMUNITY GROUPS, NOT-FOR-PROFITS TOGETHER
TO GIVE PEOPLE A SENSE OF BELONGING AND BELIEVING AGAIN IN
THEMSELVES.
AND THIS IS REAL CRISIS IN THE SOUL OF AMERICA.
AND MAYORS HAVE THAT CAPACITY TO WEAVE THAT.
YOU CAN'T DO IT OUT IN WASHINGTON.
YOU HAVE TO BE WITH THE PEOPLE, UNDERSTAND HOW TO GIVE THEM A
SENSE, ONCE AGAIN, AND MAYORS ARE SUCCEEDING IN ACTUALLY
TACKLING THE ISSUE, NOT JUST ON THE ECONOMIC SIDE, BUT THE ONE
THAT I THINK IS TEARING AT THE SOUL OF THIS GREAT COUNTRY,
WHERE WE'RE LOSING OUR FELLOW CITIZENS TO THEIR DESPAIR AND
THEIR ALIENATION, AND MAYORS CAN WEAVE THAT LEADERSHIP, BRING
PEOPLE TOGETHER AND ALSO GIVE THEM A SENSE NOT ONLYT THAT THEY
BELONG BUT THEY CAN BELIEVE AGAIN IN THEMSELVES, AND IF YOU
CAN DO THAT, I WOULD JUST SAY TO RUSSIA AND CHINA, WATCH OUT,
AMERICA IS COMING FOR YOU.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> STEPHEN: "THE NATION CITY" IS
AVAILABLE TOMORROW.
RAHM EMANUEL, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A PERFORMANCE BY HAILEE STEINFELD.