August 4th to speak on the avenue of spies. Thank you again to all veterans who are here and also to jonathan jordan. [applause] i am delighted to be with you today senator mccaskill i feel we should start at the very beginning which is the title. Which where did you come up with that . Is using has a little bit of irony and a trademark attitude. Guest and i hope a little humor. That i am confident will make them laugh or smile hearted different places. It is what happens in my life with the teacher said i need to quit speaking up so much in class that the boy is would not like the end it was not ladylike and theyre really impacted me and i was hurt. After my first debate telling the press that i was not very ladylike. So those two reaffirmed in my mind that i have to communicate to other young women is plenty ladylike to be opinionated and ambitious and i hope that is what is the hands for. Many of which are not nearly as craig and as outspoken but the notion to be ladylike it is pretty much of the allied air when i tell them in the entire history of the United States senate 44 of women have ever served at all that the population that is their but even if you ended up the of 100 years of history. Really that number is smaller because a huge number of those women because they died for a short period of time as whittle as wonder today says the men would scurry around to take the job. There is a very small number and of course, mikulski senator mikulski began the modern era where women elected in their own right were now here in a much bigger number. Host i again think that this project that you attack that head on with a clear understanding to be a member of a very small class in america can public life which is not to say that is how we should be but you address that headon as there is such a huge debate around this question are women inherently different in any sphere of public life versus the fact there is such a small group that you have that experience of the embattled minority. In half to navigate it mid20s running for office. I was in a Prosecutors Office surrounded by all men to my colleague said the Prosecutors Office and then in the legislature rate is maledominated. And then to overcome a bunch of stuff with sexist behavior i am not sure i handled that correctly or handled those but this will give young women an opportunity to understand how you can navigate to get stronger to figure out a way to excel despite the jerks that get it your way. Host clearly you had a natural aptitude because you were drawn to it but it is a hilarious i opening story mounting a very calculated campaign by systematically lobbying the lesser members of the Football Team who did they get the attention to be purposeful as such a young age and willing to tell that story. Did you always know at that time . Guest i did. From the time 1011 or 12 for 13. When i was seven years old i was told to say trick or treat a and vote for jfk. We were taught that politics is honorable. My mom had to stuff lots of envelopes and they worked on campaigns but they did get a sense it is interesting and i did tell an embarrassing story this is the first among publicly told a story that i mounted a campaign for homecoming queen. How embarrassing. That is a great example of how you think about your goals. But really i pulled off a campaign and thought it was a great way to reinforce the strategy of. I have been a consumer for a lot of the books there is the bookshelf and i never read an anecdote honestly because it is still reveal too much or dont say too much i am struck by that the you have taken a different approach to be willing to peel back the curtain was a risky . A colleague tried to talk me out of it to say you should not go there to tell people you are calculating how to become homecoming queen. But this was not about to dress me up to make me look like i am perfect and i will save america but especially the painful part with the failure of my first marriage and the fact my first husband was murdered the father of my children to deal with that with the shortcomings of might mother and of the key to anybody any favors that were not human beings if more people saw us as multi dimensional and fallible then we could communicate better than not to be quite so cynical. Has got to be in a little trouble especially at home because i named some names but thats okay. It is a daily occurrence for . One example reran an excerpt from the book and i can see why because it peels back the curtain on youre extraordinarily high profile else said their race and was soon to a certain extent he decided to become the default by airing advertisements in the Republican Primary Campaign to basically get the nominee that you did get the had the best chance to beat its november. But you never told that story of how to engage you were with that campaign. Talk about that now and your decision to be up front with people about what you were doing stick to it is a good example of having linen to be strategic have these my friends through the years in situations there is a reluctance to go there. I dont want to rock the boat but this is a situation where millions of dollars are spent at that time. Driving up my negatives millions of dollars were spent and those that basically had the same position in that one had a record and i knew he didnt have a filter with a religious view of government said to be careful about the way they talk about them but they decided in the summer of the primary season if we could send the signal so we spend money on of poll for the republican primary voters to be very above board and out in the open. I approve this message she is just too conservative for misery if you call this a dog whistle campaign. Right. But at the same time with the independent voters said misery they got the nomination in terms of his view is and though world and it helped him in the primaries and it worked. He went from second or third in the polls most of the polling we were looking act. Is out there in the public. We ran the ad and watch him climb and he won then exceeded the expectations. Then after that that the primary campaign was closing and. It was very tight and an extraordinary moment where the campaign got directly involved to be connected with the supporters about a key advertisements. I never not sure he got there himself but my company is very popular in misery and what was going on we do huckabee was very popular he was talking about the things we were talking about. Conservative values and family so they took down that had to put up another but collectively as the neck as said said republican strategist if you do the voters. I reached out to a couple of people will tell think that is very good they called the campaign but in broad generalities why we thought that ad was so good and they took our advice there was no polling data if shays of that nature but we gave them what we thought but they did take our advice. With hundreds of candidates this is the first time and upload it would take my advice. Host it is striking not only that you decided to tell that but it so as a curse but the transparency of rounded to talk publicly. But i think transparency is could always. I fell below the offensive there is nothing we had done that led that was not above board that wasnt done through operatives but that was our campaign. So that is great for women to see a campaign. That stuff goes on not always aboveboard so i felt it was important to show of little strategic three. Because the word is calculating and it is applied of student in public life with executive jobs. I struck by the fact with Cheryl Sandberg on the cover to generate so much conversation but there was a huge backlash but to be related to embrace to plan their careers to not be a career killer for women but to think much straightforward. There is less controversy and we agree completely. And in this but i have told so many stories i want the young women to see you dont have to be perfect. So without sacrificing a hard edge by some toward Career Advancement and the notion you will rock the boat because they give little extra of time off but ask for both ask for more time off a and a little more money. I think it is to but i am struck by the fact that it resonates dont be afraid to take your career did your own hands but how they have american politics or america did media. The corporate boards are terrible. Women leaders in any position so your 1 discount all the that is something you have done. I have been struck by what i have written by myself is the question to explain why we have so few women in these positions because there is a broader category of class a and women so of this extraordinary level of personal scrutiny and Eleanor Roosevelt all the way basket of the 30s to be a woman in public life you need to have the skin of a rhinoceros. Guest absence of a. My haters have a tough edge. It is really tough. But i have parents and my dad kept telling me we cannot get anything done without making somebody mad purpleheart. But they wan whberybody tociliatory. Be happy. And at the level with the ability to create a narrative to come out even more loudly in general. So that magnifies what is out there. I am not sure it did so effective. But this notion that only to enter politics but it in general tbn the publics fear to be well documented it is hard to recruit women because that is more you put yourself on space that is not on a safe subject. I see that all the time i have enormous interest in recruiting and in particular things like that. But it is stressful and women understand the penalty so i was struck by what is it your wiring or background that you dont worry as much about that or in internalize saying it . It motivates you. That is interesting. That holds narrative. When i was demoralized by the comments made to me and about me i was added to analyze and focus. I will show them that i will do well and continue to get raises by my bosses. I will rise in their system to be effective and and i just work that much harder so maybe he is that. So that conversion and machine. So of a woman politician who has the momentum is Hillary Clinton and another wellknown fact is your decision not to endorse clinton but brock of bombay in 2008 you give the account of that is in your book and you say your daughter was a key catalyst for that. There are too amazing candidates historic give their own way. What my mom would called good old boys a was a strong smart woman and an africanamerican inspirational leader. We had worked together he was my friend i was inclined to support them because the was inspired by was elected and my daughter got it my face our entire lives you tell us you have made sacrifices when it comes to the family to make a difference and now with an important moment in history youre not endorsing prop. Obama and because of your political sketchy is run average rate about the flowback from womens supporters to allow bt is succeed but i called the next day and told the now president and that i was in from that day forward. There was though backpedaled it was specifically addressed to you but maybe had others in mind to say there is nothing worse than women who dont support other women. It did hurt at the time that my a counter argument is we are fighting for a level Playing Field. We cannot begin to which she if and to what they did to us. We will assume you are better just because you are a woman. So the door swings both ways. So i did think while it was a hard decision to be elected president now i am working just as hard for Hillary Clinton and it is hard. And i am for you. And then i do everything i can to help her get elected senate cash she won that primary . Not all my kids are there yet certain if theyre trying to figure this out. Ive learned a lot from them and try not to tell them what to think. I want them to come to their own conclusions i am not sure theyre all there yet but they will get there. But itd different way in 2008 this time as well but there are these persistent questions with the surgeon of birdie sanders in the polls as an interesting phenomenon. Is an ad and a desire to have a conversation . We have a cast of thousands on one side i am not seeing any of them and to speak out but to speak to issues that the care about. So as a rock day but dash so day blockade different path. Is the long run if you get outside my party to decide president ial elections. Set to vote for a man for president herself identifies it is ironic we spend eight years with broccoli, to be criticized. If you realized she is an amazingly strong position in the more she keeps her head down to earth this nomination i begin his fiveyear she runs or joe bided run she needs to earn the nomination and she wants to she was to show she is a fighter. What is striking initiate was criticized the the historic nature of the candidacy. At the end of the primary but with the famous class speeling one dash ceiling speech but then she had made many . But clearly she has come to a different place as the persons assets. When you think of your own experience on the campaign trail to talk about a woman senator or a woman president , what is your advice to Hillary Clinton . We have talked about this. Is my race for governor of was so anxious to provide was qualified every answer to every question. This is about the the a woman but qualified. So to remind me of the obnoxious candidate. Bandaid focus group with a focus group. Laughter we shy to figure out. And then we work our way through school as a waitress i grew up in a house where he hunted and his family had the food mill and i had not filled out who i was. I was a person. That is something Hillary Clinton should keep in mind. That her mother was very effective in she is to show some vulnerability. It is easy to get into the bunker with a mistake she made from the emails cave from that wanting to protect your personal information not the issue is doing anything wrong but that is the thing but what was the motive . Where she on the payroll with china . Is that what they are alleging . So i really dont think she should spend so much time being protected but they have a more full picture of who i am the good and the bad and the ugly. Is an interesting case study with men and women in these positions to attract criticism said this is easy for Corporate Executives to be in a similar position. Go back to the unusual roles to navigate of family and politics that they would push and prod to talk about even at a young age there is a wonderful anecdote to ask your the a in your career to come with you i am gathering that is not just a party. Maybe he was seven or six or five i would say were going to a party given in the car. So i told him to get ready. But then they dont realize how loud their whispering they said listen if she says if it is a party ask her if somebody will give a speech. If they give a speech it is not a party. [laughter] but if there was says of barrier but my guess is it enables you to keep integrating your family as so many women struggle with the idea that there is family time at the expense of the other. Where do you fall . When iran for prosecutor in kansas city i did not put my children in any of my literature i was worried they would begin is inappropriate for me to take that on with some danger associated. But now i cannot wait to take them and my nine grandchildren. So i want my children to be a part of my life. So to the up part of it to the highlight of life and my two daughters traveled with me during the summer 2012 for the campaign. But they said i dont want to do that. You dont have a boss to check with i never would miss except when i was at trial i could not leave but i would take off to go see my son. I may have to work on saturday were go to a speech at night but there was no flexibility but then to pull the minute that extends. That does the results. You clearly talked in the senate as well there is of great example from the hampshire with her small child and tell me about Hillary Clintons campaign. To be held hostage data Clinton Campaign offices she was the attorney general in she had the phone in her year mulally were getting instructions to think this is just your real but the juxtaposition to bait your newborn wall directed the state Highway Patrol in a serious situation lifeanddeath is at stake is one great example but there are lots of great examples with the integration of your career and motherhood is but the and interesting. Everybody had that moment that the male colleagues have had. And then to have a Radio Program we used to do i know now what happened but you could hear it at the time for i had no idea. You were great this morning but nobody else had told me and i felt modified actually with the dogs in the background children crying and yelling at each other as long as they can hear me. [laughter] but to come back to this question in that institution i will put issued a little bit because i feel contradictory things for those in these political positions. There is a sisterhood. We are there for each other with a Bipartisan Group and we also hear to be more collaborative. Said to have had their death but to endures Hillary Clinton and with a level Playing Field to replicate those failures for the past but where do you come down is this part of the historical experience . You can make decisions about gender and at the same time have a disposition that allows you to work on problems whether or not you one or cop the credit. But the difference, it is said to complicated we all head to go through this savings and it is hard. If you get there there is an immense number of staying this event,. Even though i have future disagreements on policy there is still a collegiality that comes from our shared experience with motherhood over getting around to talk about sex as of earlier in your career. So we dont want to throw each other under the bus but lets get the difference call harry and mitch talk about each other and to each other. They are back to each other like this. All the time. It hasnt always been that way but it is now. For those sectors clear they dont like each other very much. I thank you can get more done if you kind id like each other so if we keep looking to do a little better than everyone else, i think that this is what is wrong with washington because he thought that would be at their expense. For them to a takeover but now we need to return the favor the day did to us . Now we have to do that with them. I do think that is a difference to have even more deals and compromises. The it that career with the public disagreement with another woman senator to live rand how to ensure there was more competition how you objected to what you saw and its silly with that sexist narrative with that proverbial cat fight. What did you take away . The first narrative was the most important food did you support . The victims or commanders . That was a false negative. But then media picked up for the commanders. That was the fight i was waging. So as somebody who spent more time than any other one in the history of the senate but the other parts of the debate women took different views. That was way beyond what it was otherwise. But to be a partner with her and after that. But it was close. And and would hug each other. But obviously you cannot get into politics if he did not want to win. Did to reshape did your relationship take a temporary hit . Yes with an honest policy disagreement. I am counting votes she is talking to him my better talk to him but it was trying to you get the votes from the point of view. In which is very clear to you in a variety of ways that you are the small minority and it persists so much into the now. I think for many people there is just a desire to say thats in the past. Ochocinco dont we have more women in office than ever before . You cant read this book and he cant sit down and talk with a woman like you honestly enter lycee that and i thought it was striking that he did such a great job of saying this isnt so crazy world in which this is what happens to women in the 1980s when Barbara Mikulski was elected. Clearly baker was extraordinarily data by boys club. Tell us about that. There was an incident with another female senator talking about she recounted her one of her colleagues was commenting on her weight pinching her behind. Sexism isnt dead in the u. S. Congress, is that . Guest its not. I will say i have not personally ever felt diminished or minimalized by my male colleagues in the senate. I dont know if they are afraid of me or i dont know, that im older. That id have something to do with it but i did have a doorman tell me i couldnt come in to the senate when i first got elected because i didnt have enough passive assumption that i wasnt a senator and things like that. You are right about this point, there is a tendency in our society when barack obama was elected president that okay we are past the politics and im from st. Louis. I have had a front row seat to a great deal of racial unrest over the past two years 90 stand as a too small biases that are racial within our country particularly in the criminal justice system. The same thing is true with women. We have in fact the comp is to great deal. We can pat ourselves on the back that we have made progress but if we think we are done, if we think this is over three just a few weeks ago to members in the legislature lost their jobs because young women came forward that were interns and call them out on Sexual Harassment and they had evidence of Text Messages that were inappropriate by these Jefferson City legislators. That was 1974 when i was an intern and that happened to me so we cannot thank, we still have work to do. Host theres a great and dont you recall in your book and this is the large class of Democratic Women that came into the senate. You push the boundaries of what was there and there was a single tiny bathroom you find yourself squeeze in it. What was the tweet it . Guest there were literally two stalls in there for them to stand in front of the sangin i walked in so a standing there and Amy Klobuchar was there and in came Elizabeth Warren who i just got elected. Somebody else was in there and we were all like this. I walked out of the bathroom and tweeted i just met Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar in the bathroom. We have to get a bigger bathroom and we enlarge the bathroom so now theres room or we can get 50 or 60. They had to take some space of a mens bathroom. We grabbed an office that was behind there and use some of that space for a stall. Host we know Washington Office space is a literal expression of power. That suggests that an expanded expanded but i was amazed seven and the belt from that treatment of time kay hagan from North Carolina wanted to go swimming in the senators, membersonly gym and found out that she was told no you cant do that and i guess had to really press to find out the reason why which was that the men were swimming naked. Host guest i will never forget k. Haggen because she told me who it was among the men senators who like to swim naked. I cant get it out of my hard drive. I will not make your viewers have to think about this. Host and thats a friend of yours . Guest right, right and i was just a few years ago that we had to finally does go. Host that is where i was blown to play by. Its not like 1965 where we are Walking Around naked. This is the 2000s. Guest k. Took care of it and assign changed from membersonly and men only to membersonly and now some of the womens swim. Its a small little pool and i dont want people to think we have some huge great gym. Its very modest comments adequate a modest in the rule is very small but women can take their kids in merit they want to come in and swim in the wintertime. Host amazing. You obviously came into this and came to washington with a set of expectations and a point of view about what you would encounter having been in politics. What is the big difference between politics in her home state and politics here in washington . I think some of that does come out in the book. Guest well there are some things that are the same. The things that are different is that it feels much more like winking out of a fire hose 24 7 doing the job correctly. If you are going to be a senator cap people prepare your question for you when you have to walk through your schedule and meet people and your staff tells you how to vote and follow their recommendations. If you are intellectually curious it is an enormous amount of material and thats a big difference because i feel in my adequately informed inadequately prepared . I dont think ive ever felt as much in any of the jobs ive had a missouri. So that is different to the dysfunction is different. I had never served in a legislative body that was this dysfunctional. The highway bill is a good example. You couldnt get Mitch Mcconnell and john boehner to agree on how to fund the highway lights lest they republicans and the democrats. Boehner was pushing a threemonth extension and mcconnell was thing we had to have a multiyear extension. Wait a minute you guys are in charge of week cant decide. Thats how bad it has gotten. Thats much more frustrating because it seems to me we are treading water and doing gotcha politics way more in congress then we should be doing and i think thats why so many voters are attracted to a donald trump who is all about the eye can be different. Its obvious he is pretty different. And then of course in a different way because of ernies philosophy not because hes odd but he does hes committed to a certain philosophy and he feels like he will shake things up thats why you see the voters attracted to those two candidates because they want somebody to grab the status quo bias lapels and shake it into submission. I get that feeling. I feel it every day. Its very frustrating. Host interestingly enough thats often the dysfunction you are describing bill waning of authority among the party leadership. In part thats also what both sides are doing that and nobody calls my phone and asked me to compromise. The people who allowed it are the people who are the most diverse and compromise. I make the joke or effect of my day watching fox news and they think im and 30 watch msnbc and think i can do no wrong. The rest of them are watching dancing with the stars and think we are all crazy. Some of those are watching cspan in the middle. They are informed and while they may not be calling you all the time they do help as independent voters who are informed but theres just not enough of them. Host do you see that as being a reversible trend . The question is really arpad living in a referendum donald trump democracy . Guest i think time will tell. If someone like donald trump were to get elected i think there would be about last and we would see big changes. I dont think he will be elected but the money thing is a big part of it and thats why getting rid of Citizens United had to be such a priority in this country. Host we are almost out of time in this conversation so im glad you brought that up as the major campaigning obviously is connected with the experience you now have of trying to govern or legislate. You write in your book that you need to raise 40,000 a day and that number would be higher of course today. How much does money suffuse your knowledge as a how much is that destroyed her what you do as a senator . Guest its made it much less enjoyable. It makes me not as good at my job because i spend too much time added to because we have limits our direct campaigns, it is a matter of making your case and asking people to contribute. I am constantly disappointing some of my donors and supporters because i ignore sometimes what they want me to do and do what i think is right. I certainly disappointed my labor friends when i voted for tpa even though they were big donors of mine. I explained to them but that doesnt mean that i vote the way you want me to vote. I think the limits really help. Whats really driving a think a new kind of politics is all these president ial candidates have spent more time shopping for their billionaires and super pacs. Thats different. Thats brandnew. I think there was a piece not long ago in politico that talked about the super pac money that had been raised so far was almost three times as much as was raised by the candidates and that money was dominated i 67 individuals so this is really the oligarchy of campaigns. This has become a certain class of billionaires funding political conversation in this country. People have to rise up and say i will not accept that and we can do it in this country. We have to get mad enough about it and realize whats going on. This is something im going to be working on in Campaign Finance and im very excited that bernie and Hillary Clinton have made Campaign Finance reform an important part of this campaign. Its one of the four truths that Hillary Clinton talks about in cleaning up Citizens United cesspool and bernie feels the same way so i hope the people that are mad about this money in politics get active and involved in this campaign. Host senator Claire Mccaskill of the book is called sub or it has just come out conveniently timed as you told me for the Senate Summer recess that you can do a little promoting of it. This is your first book. What did you learn in writing it and what will you do differently next time and what is your big take away and becoming another . Guest sounded more romantic than it was. The beginning i thought it would be fun. It turned out to be sometimes painful because of the personal things i went through and i had to sit down with my children talk about how i talked about their father and that was hard but its a little bit like childbirth. Very painful going. But im glad the book is written. Im proud that i was so honest and blunt and candid in this book. I think we need more of it in the public round. I dont know if i have another book in me. My sister said you cant write another one because you were way too far into this one but i dont know that i will ever do it again but im glad i did it and i feel good about it and most importantly i hope others buy this book for their daughters. I want fathers to empower their daughters. Its important that young women get from their fathers day permission to be ambitious and to be outspoken and to be aggressive because when you hear from your dad then its okay. A male figure in your life especially when you are nine, 11, 12, 13 years old. My hope is that a lot of fathers will understand but ladylike really is. Host thank you senator i really enjoyed our conversations and congratulations. Yes go its been great, thank you. Guest its been great, thank you