Rep. Joe Kennedy, III: I’m Not Running For President | AM Joy | MSNBC

and to all the dreamers watching tonight, let me make it absolutely clear that you are part of our story, we will fight for you and we will not abandon you. Congressman Joseph Kennedy set out to speak directly to Dreamers when he delivered the Democratic response to Trump's State of the Union, but with the threat of another administration looming and no sign of progress on an immigration deal, will Democrats Will they stand firm? Joining me now to discuss Massachusetts Congressman Joseph Kennedy III, thank you Congressman, good morning, thank you for having Yo great, I saw you posing with your good luck charm, congratulations on the new baby you and your wife had.

Oh, well, your wife and then, yeah, exactly, everyone's doing great. They could use a little more sleep, but other than that, don't worry. I won't sleep for 18 years. I'm just letting you know that my kids are grown, so apparently yes, so here you are, you accepted last week one of the most unsought jobs in politics and that's giving him the State of the Union answer. it always goes wrong one way or another uh I think the question on everyone's mind if you've accepted that job is are you going to run for

president

in 2020 uh no uh I'm not um look I was honored to have been selected um it wasn't. something I was anticipating or hoping in some ways, but I was honored that Leader Pelosi and Senator Schumer thought that I could convey a message that I think Democrats can get behind it and I've been encouraged by the um, the residents that the words have become um and I've also learned the hard lesson that um sometimes less lipstick is more.

I was going to ask if your wife gave you the business for that, but she hears the fact that there are many others. people did it, a lot of people did it, a lot of people did it, but you also received a lot of praise for, in other, you know, among other things, speaking directly to dreamers, etc., and the fact that the leadership chose you to give that answer means that at least some people in the Democratic Party in the Democratic World think of you as a potential party leader and a potential candidate, so is it a categorical no to 2020 or is it something they're at least considering?

It's not something I'm considering. Look, I think what's really important for Democrats right now is that we obviously replenished and rebuilt after a very disappointing election in 2016. We took the time to understand exactly what happened and why so many people who traditionally returned to a Democratic Party did not. This time around, and I'm confident in the people we have under our tent, there are a lot of leaders there, younger leaders, newer leaders, not just in Congress but across the country, that I think have something to contribute to a offer and Look, we want to be a big tent party, but that means providing opportunities for all kinds of people from all kinds of backgrounds and demographics to come out and give it a try and obviously I was honored to be given a .

Well, let's talk about some of the problems that Democrats face because the base of the party, one of the big complaints is that there is not enough fight in the Democratic Party, they tend to compromise on issues that are important, that's how the last shutdown happened . It was very brief, the Democrats finally reached a deal that, you know, and others have said, freed 9 million chipped children from the hostage situation they were in, but now we're looking at another looming deadline on Thursday. , your other body in the In the United States Senate, this is what Senate Leader Mitch McConnell said about whether the DACA DREAM Act issue could produce another shutdown, listen, a tool that I think It's clearly been eliminated, uh, I don't think we will.

I see a government shutdown threat again over this issue, one of my favorite sayings from old Kentucky is that there is no education in the second kick of a mule, so I think there will be a new level of seriousness here in trying to resolve these problems if Democrats be prepared to have that tool, not eliminate it and shut down the government again for DACA. Look Joy, let's make it absolutely clear here. I think Senator McConnell needs to follow his own advice. Republicans are in control of the presidency, the House and the Senate more than the issue of DACA is coming up because President Trump decided to end the protections put in place by President Obama, they can try to send messages, this is all they want , it's just not true to try to say, hey, this is an issue that's being brought up by Democrats, I think this is a party that, as I tried to articulate on Tuesday, wants to make sure that we represent everyone who wants to be able to believe that can contribute to our country and can be part of the American Dream. particularly for people who were brought here as children through no fault of their own why are we trying to hold our government or other policies hostage to try to protect those children this should not even be an option the fact that the Mr.

McConnell I was proud during the last lockdown to say it was a choice between providing health care to poor children and pregnant mothers or dreamers. That's a false choice that I completely reject, especially after a $1.5 trillion tax cut was passed that predominantly goes to the rich it's cynical it's un-American and they should know better let's go to the man who put us in this situation by resending DACA because I think it's important to remind people that it was Donald Trump who made that decision in his Well, here he is talking about what he believes are the Democrats' responsibilities with respect to reaching a deal for dreamers.

Listen. I think we're trying to reach a deal that we'll see, but the Democrats really don't think they want to do it. make a deal and think about it, they have given up Daka and that is supposed to be theirs, it is ours because we are the ones who take care of Dhaka, not them, so we will see what happens. What would you think if the Democrats were even negotiating? With Donald Trump right now, I think the Democrats obviously have to negotiate with the

president

of the United States. I think the president of the United States has to decide whether he really wants to solve this problem or not, and it is his because he created it two as you pointed out and many others when we were in this crisis two or 3 weeks ago, the president of the United States he would tell one person one position, another person another position, and another person another position and then try to negotiate when it was like negotiating, like Senator Schumer said with Jello, um, you can't pin someone down and have a good faith discussion. with someone, you keep changing the gold position and changing your positions, what is the framework that the president and the White House have proposed to achieve this.

Capital Hill knows it's not going anywhere and I think if they were serious about this, they would pause for a second, recognize that there was a framework under President Obama that passed the Senate with a veto-proof majority . that we had the votes in the chamber that President Boehner did not allow to come to the floor joy there are votes to approve a Dream Act or something similar today in the House of Representatives if we could pass the bill The Republican leadership in the plenary session has to stop blocking it, that's one of the most frustrating things about all of this and particularly about my last two years in Washington.

There are strong bipartisan solutions to a wide variety of challenges we face and cannot overcome. Republican leadership to give us the opportunity to vote, you put a clean DREAM Act on the floor, it will pass and I hope that Chairman Goodlad, who oversees this committee, and of course Chairman Ryan, will finally have the wherewithal to introduce that bill. Of law. a chance to really see the floor um it's going to be a challenge obviously the right is a dead enemy in a lot of their Bas. I have to ask you one more question before we let you go, um, of course, your family, uh, is coming up. very important in the history of the United States, we are on the 50th anniversary since the assassination of your grandfather, Robert Kennedy, Robert F.

Kennedy, and I want to show you a clip that is particularly resonant because it is also 50 years since the assassination, of course , by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I'm going to play that clip for you and I have a question on the other side for those of you who are black and are trying to fill yourself with hatred and distrust towards him. Is such an act against all white people an injustice? . I would just say that I can also feel the same kind of feeling in my heart. I had a member of my family killed, but he was murdered by a white man, but we have to make an effort.

In the United States we have to make an effort to understand how to move beyond these quite difficult times. So, Congressman, you know that your grandfather obviously had a unique ability to speak across many demographic groups and reach the hearts of the American people. Many people you know are nostalgic for what might have been if you had become President of the United States, that is part of the reason so much affection and burden is placed on you, sir, in your own mind, what are you doing? your mind is your grandfather's legacy that you want the Americans to take away from you look Joy, you are a kind of reproduction of that clip, one of his most moving speeches, obviously improvised after the death of Martin Luther King Jr, look at my La Family means many different things to many different people.

I think what I try to take away from the contribution my grandfather made was a recognition that the government should see his people, listen to our people and recognize that. There are challenges, yes, that every family faces, that every community faces, that our country faces, but at the root of all of this there is a person and the human touch and the commonalities that we share if we are united and come together as one. community as a country, there's not a barrier out there that we can't break down and I think you were able to speak to some of those commonalities that actually persisted even in the midst of a very tumultuous situation. time in the 19, 60 years Congress uh Kennedy, thank you very much for being here and unfortunately, sir, should you expect to be asked several more times?

If you plan to run in 2020, you won't be able to stop me. to ask you, but thank you very much for your time, thank you Joy, thank you, have a great day, okay, and it's coming. Paul Ryan's enthusiasm for repealing the 20th century creates an epic Twitter fail, that's next. Hi, I'm Chris Hayes from MSNBC. Thanks for watching MSNBC on YouTube. If you want to stay up to date with the videos that are posted, you can click subscribe right below me or click this list to see lots of other great videos.