Joe Kennedy III: LGBT rights, white working classes, Presidential run?

Congressman, first of all, given the last 24 hours in American politics, there is a kind of sense of chaos here. How real is that feeling? It's your kind of heat noise or it's substantial, so I think the political environment right now is chaotic. and it's for those of us who are into this, it might be a little more boring right now, although the reality is that after I left Washington, I spent about half my time here and half my time at home and in my district and in Massachusetts, you also spend a lot of time with people who are focused on doing what everyone else does well, which is trying to keep a roof over your head and food on your plate, your child in school and saving for college. retirement and they are much more focused on the challenges that they face every day and not necessarily on the rumors and events of what is a bit of chaos within these buildings, so I think it would be up to all of us in government at this time to deal to do what we can do to move towards a more stable base and I would love to get there.

I'm not so sure this administration is going to make that a priority. I mean, as the first president, Trump would say I wouldn't describe it as chaos, but I would say that's exactly what he's trying to do, for example with his tariff announcement, which is trying to ensure that

working

-class Americans have again the opportunity to work in industries that have been decimated in recent years, continues the president of the United States. to say a lot of things and his policies reflect something different than what he professes to be for

working

families across this country, he introduced a health care bill that was going to cut health care for working families by eight hundred billion dollars and for millions of people's access to health care spoke about the significant impacts of a tax reform bill the vast majority of those benefits are channeled or weighted to the wealthy and multinational corporations the money those corporations have returned abroad is is predominantly being used to buy back shares More than anything else, 50 percent of Americans do not own a single stock.

More than 80 percent of stocks are controlled by about 10 percent of American households. That does not reflect fiscal policy, it is focused on the middle class working class. Discuss the importance and impacts of trying to revitalize an American steel and aluminum industry. Implementing this without talking to Capitol Hill, without talking to various agencies in the White House, in the executive branch, without consensus within your own White House, that's what this feeling is like. of chaos and not of a coherent, reasoned and thoughtful economic policy, given that reality, I mean, there are many

white

working class and middle class Americans who used to vote for Democrats and who this time, in the last election, decided to vote by Donald Trump.

The Democrats got it so wrong that they created a chance for him to win. I think the Democratic Party has to do it, and I think we've done some good soul-searching over the course of the last 18 months. The bigger issue here is I think Democrats need to get that credibility back and you need to get that credibility back and I think we need to better articulate the fact that a number of the structural economic challenges facing the

white

working class are not different or not as different. different. from the challenges facing a single mother in our urban centers to minority families across our country and trying to address those concerns by recognizing that we are not going to be victims of this or a policy that pits one segment of Americans against another, there are real structural challenges we must address in this country, both with respect to internal and external challenges, dividing America to try to win an election and then continuing down a path of division is not going to muster the political will you need to address these concerns it's a cheap political tactic that might be successful in winning an election won't be successful in governing the country in the long run you feel pretty angry about the way things are frustrated it certainly looks like President Trump won an election I understand I appreciate it and he is the president of the United States he practices a very different form of politics than what I believe he has professed to be for a middle class of working

classes

and in this country that is where the government should be The richest families focused are fine, there are many ways to take care of themselves.

The middle class is always a distraction for middle class families. They may need a little extra help. That's where we should divert our energy. The policies that I believe he has proposed betray. that as talking points and not real substance, so I think for those that are in the system right now standing up and calling that out when we see that it's important and trying to find ways that we can work together to move forward. The advancement of the ball is also essential. I hope the administration is willing to try a little harder than they have.

I mean, we'll be back to the midterms soon, but if you were to build the kind of ideal Democratic opponent for Donald. For 2020 we had to build them from scratch. What would they be like? What do they mean? I think the most important thing for Democrats right now is to recognize that we need to regain the credibility and trust of voters across the country. They are well known and I think they have earned a reputation for standing up for people in this country, regardless of who you are, the color of your skin, the gender of your spouse, the person you love, God, your prayers, who counts, that we defend civil

rights

.

We defend equality. Democrats are known for that, that's a core value of who we are and I think one of the values ​​that really makes America great, what we also have to recognize is that for families that are struggling to be able to support themselves, they can be maintained. your children plan for their future your anxieties practically begin and at your door that is their only focus and we need to recognize that and we have that you cannot separate those types of civil

rights

from the economic ones that really make those values ​​come to life and that's why we have to decide who does it and how we get there.

I think what's needed is a big contest to see who could regain that credibility. There are no shortcuts to this. This is something that has to be. won and you have to go out and state your case. I mean, do you need a white man? But will something like this be needed? It's absolutely about personality in part, but I don't think at this point the American public is going to say that a woman is a white man or a minority or whatever. I don't think he doesn't put so much emphasis. or importance and that I think that whoever is able to come out articulate a common vision that is capable of uniting the different communities that we have throughout our country, propose that, yes, establish contrasts with President Trump, which I think will not be difficult but also articulate. a positive vision of what we need to achieve as a country to overcome the challenges that President Trump has often diagnosed but offered no solutions, that is what we need and I have great faith that that is what our nominee in 2020 will be. judged by who will beat Donald Trump in 2020.

I don't care who, what they look like, their gender, where they come from, anything else, the important thing is that they can articulate that vision. and they can and are willing to regain that credibility. Might you want to be part of that great contest? I have no plans to do so. I have a two-year-old baby and a ten-year-old boy. one week old baby and right now sleep is fine and I want to ask this question but I'm not saying it in a rude way so please don't be offended but I'm wondering if that's where you gave the answer. to the State of the Union address and you were widely praised for your effort in doing so, but I wonder if there is a problem with the idea that when Democrats look for someone new and fresh to send a new message that they are actually going to a Kennedy, they go to someone in a way that relates directly to the past, that brings with it their kind of intellectual capital and the historical memory of the party, you know, the Clintons, the Bushes are the time for a kind of feudal.

Family politics in America seem like a thing of the past, so is it a problem for a Kennedy? So I think a couple of points. One, obviously, I'm very proud of the contribution my family has made. I have done everything I can to try to recognize it, but recognize it as such. Remember the Democratic Party and as an elected official you have to stand on your own two feet and articulate what I think are the values ​​and vision that can unite a democratic party and try to put the last year of a Trump administration in context with the broader themes that we see and the general philosophy of government.

I don't think it's something that necessarily becomes more or less powerful because of what other members of my family have done. I think it's vitally important given that the Democratic Party at its core and at its best aspires to be a Big Ten Party and we have multiple voices there. I think I can contribute to that, for sure, and I'm honored that Leader Pelosi asked me to give that speech, but we have a lot of talent across the country here in our Democratic caucus of younger people, even the youngest experienced people who come from diverse backgrounds, represent diverse constituencies, and I think their voices in this will be extremely valuable as well.

I believe I have a contribution to make. that, but in no way what I'm saying, that at this moment in the democratic party there should only be one voice that articulates what those values ​​and that vision are, let's talk about the midterm elections, if we can, one of the things that we ask and that It seems like what you're already seeing is this extraordinary increase in the number of women who are talking about running and who are getting involved and yesterday in Texas I know that a lot of the candidates did particularly well, so that must be encouraging for you, I want I mean, do you feel like there's actually a possibility? terms of a new wave of Democrats elected in the midterms and what the meaning of that would be, why it matters.

Look, I think so, I absolutely feel that way. I think you're seeing a younger generation start to become really active and engaged. politics in a way we haven't seen before or certainly lately. I think we're seeing an emerging generation that recognizes that what happens in Washington, the policies, the values, the issues that our government discusses, really matter and impact them. and that they are willing to do something about it and I think that's really exciting because our system as a whole represents democracy and will work better if more people and more citizens roll up their sleeves and dive in and that's regardless of your political beliefs or what you stand for. party aligns, the more people align and the better the debate, the more engaged, the more voices will participate in it and the better the decisions, the more likely it will be that the decisions will be reflective of the general will of the people, I think the idea That we are seeing a wave of young women signing up to run seems vitally important as we address some of the structural inequalities in equity across our country, from pay inequality to representation in To my wife and I, obviously, we have a family very young and we are faced with questions about what it means to have paid leave and what it means to be able to start a family now in a country that still lags behind the rest of the world in family-friendly policies. so that families can actually spend time bringing a child into this world and caring for them and not feel like they're suddenly going to sacrifice their ability to pay rent, we're in a different category, we're very lucky to be able to Might not have to take some of those decisions, but being in the middle of them makes you realize how difficult it would be for other families who are not as fortunate in the United States of America.

We should be able to make that decision right now. point out and make decisions to invest in our families, our government has not done that, so I think increasingly younger representation, particularly with a number of women stepping forward, provides the opportunity to really force some of these debates in a discussion that until now our government has really not faced? Well, I have two quick final questions, even one is that last year was actually the Den death this year recorded for transgender people in the US. I think 25 people were murdered. Do you think the administration? Currently they don't even understand or recognize the magnitude of the magnitude of this problem and I don't think they have put any effort into understanding it and I think they have done everything they can to ignore it.

We have written letters to this administration trying to put this on their agenda, most of the time we don't even get a response, we have been pushing policies that I think I believe and I think the United States believes are issues ofcivil rights. Look, the fundamental thing about civil rights is that there are laws that try to make sure that we defend our government recognize who you are and recognize the dignity of every human being regardless of the size of your skin your gender identity that person you love that you say you count You know, because you're human, you're American, we're here, we see it, we love it, and what this administration is doing is papering over those differences and saying no, you and I have a real problem with that and I think we'll know it in the long run. run bar art sorry American history is a narrative for becoming a more tolerant and more perfect place we're not there yet, but I have no doubt that when historians look back 30, 40, 50 years from now , what they will say about those who try to stand in the way of equal rights and equal representation.

For all Americans, the final question is a move if that happens. Why does that matter in the sense that it potentially increases the chances that in the impeachment trials, the much talked about impeachment process against the president, it wouldn't be practical to know that it matters? because you will see, obviously, I am very optimistic that we will recover the Chamber. I am hopeful that we can take back the Senate, but we will still have Republican representation in the White House due to arcane procedures here to win. supporting the House of Representatives we all do it, we don't take back the Senate means that it prohibits Republicans from being able to use a policy called reconciliation to be able to pass legislation based solely on party lines means that the House Democratic Party can begin to introduce and Act and legislating on a positive vision that is an alternative to what Donald Trump has proposed means that the bills that will become law reflect and reflect much more of a bipartisan consensus than just the far-right freedom caucus folks. which essentially hold the Republican caucus hostage to anything that they want to come out and that they want to put forward, so it means that you're going to get much more balanced representation and much more balanced bills that are going to work in one direction down the road. process and I think an oversight of an administration that as of now the Republicans are doing everything they can not to do, look at the rhetoric about me coming out of a Republican House when President Obama was in office and how the chamber was a co-equal branch of The government was going to act in accordance with its policies and introduce its bills and challenge the president to sign them or not to now have a speaker who says that he will only introduce a bill that President Trump supports well and which was not what we did during my first four years here, but to the extent that there are bills that have the majority support of this body and there are those on immigration in particular, I also think about the theories about weapons, so let's have that debate, let's put those bills up for and I think what Democratic representation will have, that opportunity could be a game changer, okay?