By the twoyear anniversary of the marches in charlottesville. Also a few days out from another set of horrifying murders sprees in america it is sobering to think we hit rock bottom. And now bottoming out again. Congratulations. Thank you. Its great to be here. Host can we start with over the first couple of chapters there is been so much of a debate so with this question of place that you say when you wanted to run for office in virginia to say you are from new york art that you are not from here. I heard that a lot but that has a funny echo not when people protest immigrants. You are not from here. And then to establish i live and work here. I have been going to the same safeway 25 years. But virginia is a Southern State they are very proud of their heritage from a new yorker but the state has evolved Northern Virginia has really changed. The commonwealth now those that actually live in the commonwealth a great state of eight. 5 Million People but thats important because they have the context of the history of the average among a virginia because a lot of the issues we were the capital of the confederacy. It was different for me growing up in upstate new york i talked early in the book from harrisburg virginia a tall young africanamerican man who said you need to be careful and he said why cracks there is a kkk rally going on. I was still having rallies and after that to campaign with my wife and then gave the guy a brochure and threw it on the grounds that i would never vote for your husband he is a teetwelve as those horrible nazis and supremacist came to virginia we still have 335 Million People but there is a small subset who are haters driving out from underneath the rocks. Host is one of the things we are seeing even with the el paso shooting is the white supremacist or ethnic no nationalist but that anxiety is they are replaced and the paradoxes they are not from virginia people are flying in from ohio in california and it is so bizarre to be layered you have a moment in the park to have these protesters that are yelling at this africanamerican woman to put her on the boat. So there is a big National Anxiety going to places that are not even our places but we claim they are our places. They did come from 35 states prick i cannot write the book as i was governor because i was too busy but the year after i was thinking of running for president and wherever i went people and ask about charlottesville. They were sincere and many thought they were virginians or citizens of the great city of charlottesville doing the protest. I said no. They came from 35 states. Charlottesville is a Beautiful Community it is a liberal bastion. It is a Great Community and the idea that somehow they would be involved is nonsense. But you are right. Lets be clear. The president who fosters this when he ran for office we will ban oslo loan muslims from coming into the country and talks about the mexicans being rapist and criminals. This is his language that we go back to a country that is all white and unless you are native american you came to this country from somewhere else the first three ships came from jamestown virginia. And now celebrating the 400th anniversary of the first legislative chamber and america but also 400 years ago this month they were brought to virginia. So my point is the president totally fumbled the ball and then i had to go out and say go home get out of virginia and get out of our country. They were not patriots they were cowards carrying shields. And adolf hitler tshirts and then friday night was so frightening when hundreds with the university of virginia one virginia to carry their torches they were coming down screaming jews you will not replace us and other chance from nazi germany. Just answer one other framing question before we talk about the book. You had several purposes to write the book but the purpose is feeling reconciliation and how were all in the same fight but by necessity there is fingerpointing and some of the blowback is they dont lay blame but theyre trying to do better intentions but also to reckon what went wrong. The main purpose of the book is to deal with racism and is as horrible as charlottesville wa was, the one benefit that came out is to rip the scab off of racism. For far too long those that did not exist anymore white people dont like to sit around and talk about racism. They talk about the reconciliation commissions which are a waste of time but thats why john lewis wrote the forward we collaborated but what people should take is that racism is alive and well. It is a sad part of the history but it exists today and we need to do something to stop it. We can have a system there are two different Education Systems. So those schools that are inferior to others the heating or cooling doesnt work or the rain comes through or the same quality teacher you put that young africanamerican child at an intervention then hes docketing the same quality education. Healthcare. The other big points and then to reduce the juvenile by two thirds in the did the most pardons in history. But as a gentleman who i talk about in the book. He was a drug addict. He committed five robberies. The most he stole was 535 and nobody was injured. You have read the book but nobody injured he was given to life sentences plus 130 years. Really quicks we have to reform the criminal Justice System so quit talking and start doing something as governor i restored more civil rights in any governor in American History i was sued for contempt of court we won the most ever k12 i tried to lean in and take the Confederate Flag through executive order. Because racism until we deal with the issues that is one of the main purposes is to have that conversation and then to get into the permit process and that permit should have been limited but it was just two planes small for those protesters. And the Law Enforcement that day. And then to move it to a much bigger park but unfortunately that was not in the book they ruled in favor of the white supremacist and the rally was held at a park that was untenable. I support the First Amendment and many Board Members wrote in protest time for the First Amendment but not protecting you nazis. That day they were screaming we will burn you and the synagogue like in auschwitz. So what they said about the members of the jewish faith had we get to that place in america . How do we move America Forward quick. I would love to have you spend a minute we both know charlottesville very well can you describe how truly tiny those parks are . The town itself. There is one synagogue a couple of africanamerican churches this is not a town that they would recognize. As small mayberry town of beautiful maine Market Street but its right where the university of virginia is. A college town that people are spectacular it is a very liberal city no matter your background or who you love and thats why it was so shattering for charlottesville to have to go through this but it is a small little park and it was very hard that day to keep control but we knew friday night would be bad with the torches came out they never should have been allowed on the university of virginia campus. You cannot bring lights onto the grounds and walk. But i made the point to file the permit that half of these people did not even know who robert elee was. This is the time we could come where we could all come together for what trump was talking about with nationalism and come together and to do the best we could to keep a lid on it trying to tell folks not to come just let them walk down the street and get out of town but obviously people wanted to come out because they were here on hearing from them that sad for charlottesville and virginia but it is a sad day for america and then when i gave my speech from those all over the globe what is going on in america . And then trump said there is good people on both sides that was a lowest point of his presidency i talk to him that day and told him what was going on. Host you thought you persuaded him to say the right thing thinking he understood there were people on the nazi side. We talked about bill clinton had issues where he went down to heal the nation when barack obama went down to heal the nation in george bush with 9 11. With these types of issues happen in the country they are looking for the president to be the moral leader and the uniter the president understood what was in front of him and i tell this in the book i thought you would do the right thing you do your press conference first. I was waiting for the president but then it got delayed and im thinking he has all the information the world is watching and you know what happened. And they said no you wont even use the word neonazi or the word white supremacist and you will say theres good people on both sides. There were very good people on the counter protesters side with ministers and concerned citizens thats the reason they were there. I want to ask because you mentioned in the book this was not a one off where the totality but we had the kkk so was there a real erosion . And a lot of felt that it was exacerbated after the kkk march they were pepper sprayed as an overreaction then they overreacted this is between the public and their local police about trusting the cops i just want to say what is a challenging thing you try to do in the book to foster trust in the police or the state police or the court you want them to believe the institutions keep them safe but they failed that day. You are trying to thread the needle but the local cops just didnt know what they were in for but what i remember that summer is that they will not protect us in two years later they really lost faith in their City Government and police. What do you say to the attention of that they made horrifying errors to trust government again. In talking about all the issues of what needed to be done and that permit was granted which should have band pools and sticks and masks but this is something that you should do. And then to put constraints on the original permit but i will say overall with a share of sand the city and state the goal was to keep everybody safe. That is the goal to get them in and get it done as soon as you possibly can. So finally i declared a state of emergency. I had seen enough. So then the state police moved in we got on the bullhorn and said you have to leave and then 11 minutes later the park was cleared the National Government came in and secured the park and at that point at 1150 the permit was between 12 and five. The park was clear we had some skirmishes and some fistfights there was zero Property Damage but everybody at that point felt things had gone had gone good. And then james fields weaponize the car and then to injure those individuals then the state Police Helicopter and killing two state troopers and his mother and the copilot left the security detail. That was heartbreaking but these folks were there the intent is to keep everybody safe i do have some issues with the planning barricade should have been put up and Charlottesville Police that they would enter into but guess what . I dont know why they would ever believe the word of a neonazi but and the point is to be from my perspective of what actually has gone on but the executive order of 67 and 68. But in a situation like this where they are in control we need a better mechanism so everybody is at the table. But everybody is sitting there together. And now what is in virginia i take that permit process and then to take another event in richmond so now this comes to the state i issued an executive order because once again the permit or the roundabout would allow for 5000 people that would be 50 stacked on top of each other i stopped the permit and i got a nasty letter from the aclu but my job is to keep people safe we redid that process and then they wouldnt come to the state because i did not give them the permit. So if you people showed up on the sidewalk about five or six people but but the Richmond City police, mayor and chief of police band all sticks, pole sticks, poles, masks. Masks are important in one of the benefits that all the counter protesters have their cell phone taking pictures of these neonazis and they put them on social media the next day. Many people lost their jobs. One had a hotdog stand and got fired Us Marine Corps soldier got thrown out. A lot of people paid the price. And then to say virginia comes out stronger. Many have been indicted or are charged. They are fired from their employment and then we tried to do another big event in washington a 20 or 30 folks and i talk about hes living in his bedroom and his father kicks him out but thats what happened to the movement. So showing observation to the end of the book so to say Chris Cantwell they all have ran aground and then to turn against each other. That the way that the internet still allows this movement. Absolutely stipulate that you are right and what went wrong for the police to do Something Different so we learn something we learned a lot thats why it was the one off but what you cant not reckon with the fact that el paso just happened and the garlic festival before that entry of lights before that. I feel we were quashing to feel that has gone from protests and marches. What is the common denominator . He is culpable and i have said this consistently. And they were cheering him i have quotations i have david duke and there we are continuing Donald Trumps mission they are all documented but what has happened is because of all the things you and i talk about and i talk about many people just the concept of a black president in the oval office thought it was offensive but they didnt act on it. And then spending time on the Birther Movement now tweeting and reach weeding. And then trump comes in with the van. The president can say this and now i can to. So i make the point they dont think they have to wear hoods anymore. And then to be injured and wounded but now it has gone underground and specifically talks about white identity and the president failed this week in his speech i wish he would have come out and said im sorry. I have created divisions of hatred and i am wrong it is time to come together. If the president had done that he could have turned entire nation he read his speech off the teleprompter he is the number one out there with hate speech. Im quoting senator Mitch Mcconnell the house voted for a universal background check but it was just words. And he blamed Mental Illness for the physically and mentally ill. So its the same thing we all grapple with and with that preexisting condition. The end of the book when you try to talk about the citys independent of donald trump. Therethere is a moment enddoublequote they come right out of the chute. You are sitting in your office saying no, dont say this and so i think there is always this paper talk paradox. I wonder if there is a choice to try to write it to although not explicitly. A city is not a sin to represent meant to. They could have gone anywhere in the south. Then when they took the boat to take down the statute i think its important to mention to George Washington and Thomas Jefferson it ended in virginia at the battle of yorktown when cornwallis was defeated. Thats a pretty big part of our history in virginia. There are statutes and many of them as you mentioned were there during jim crow they had nothing to do with the civil war. Lets call it what it is. These monuments are offensive to the africanamerican community. The Confederate Flag is an offensive symbol to the africanamerican community. We work hard to make virginia open and welcoming. We ha had a bill that got passen virginia before i became governor. The wall to shut down off of the womens clinics, very much antilegislation. I ended all that. I fired the board of health and the point is your state has to be open and welcoming, that is how you are successful. I inherited a deficit of 2. 4 billion. We had been too reliant on defense spending and when sequestration came along, it hurt us badly so my goal was to diversify the economy, build the new virginia economy and that is what he set out to do. I put a billion dollars in k12 to make sure we are redoing the Education System and we recruited cyber and became the number one state in america for the systems. Four years later i got the biggest surplus in the state because we are open, welcoming to everyone and that is where virgin you is, why cant everybody wanted. We wanted virginia, we are open and welcoming and we invest in the talented workforce and thats why google, facebook, microsoft, amazon have come to virginia and thats the point. You have to have your state open and welcoming and we in virginia dont allow those to determine what to do with the statute. We ought to pass a bill immediately that the local jurisdictions can determine whats monuments are actually in your city or county area that should be your decision coming,e states decision. Pointing out those statues are still there. Of the state makes the decisions that got past the Republican Legislature which that wont happen. Host i wonder if maybe that is a good segue to the other part of why charlottesville you describe it and i agree. I lived there and have my babies there and i love it but the fact that it stands in the shadow of monticello is it so complicated and you mentioned jefferson in the book and its also a town that is so really complicated in its relationship to jefferson, slavery, africanamerican women and how he treated them. So i think the same thing you are describing which is how do you feel pride in the south and cradle of democracy and also strive to be candid about its failings and thats the same problem we have with the statutes. There is a plaintive southern pridpoint of southernpride in aw the cells feels about itself and about the civil war. How do you have that conversation without saying you are a bunch of racist haters which is why we get into this feedback loop that we are in. Guest virginia is a great state of 8. 5 Million People and those peopl people like him prid when i was running for governor, they are not symbolic of virginia is that every state is going to have haters and racists and so forth. That isnt what defines us. There is such a unique history. As i say this month the first slaves 400 years ago this month came to virginia. We have a very unique history in this country. I talked about jefferson and washington in the book. They were slave owners, but i do think when you talk about history, you should talk about all of it. And nobody should hide who we are, where weve come from, what the leaders were like and issues they have. That is part of who we are. We are so grateful. We are a countr country that got into the great country that we are as strong as the people that come here into the community has made us stronger thats why it is a sad but trump has done to attack the folks that have moved here. Thank god we have a very unique history and virginia is a great state but weve got to deal with issues in the past and thats why as i say on the issue of the Confederate Flag i banned it through executive order and we ought to do something about the statutes because you dont want people in your community to feel offended. You want to be open and welcoming. After the Supreme Court ruled him i was proud. Thats who we are today. I restored more rights than any governor in history and i got sued for contempt of court. The big part of the book at the end is youve got to start doing something. Quit talking. Lean in and that is a big part of the end of the book. I have reconciliation commissions and talk about a waste of time, a bunch of people feeling good about themselves. Do something. Racism exists. We have an opportunity Going Forward to deal with these issues. Host i wonder if you would talk a minute about the gender piece of this because it probably doesnt, i will say again overwhelmingly the White Supremacists and nazis that marched in charlottesville, the perpetrators of all of these hate crimes, domestic hate crimes we are seeing, the mass shootings. You dont talk about it in the book that i do know that you think about it and youve talked so tenderly about having to kill your daughter about the loss of family friends. I wonder how gender fits into this conversation talking about southern pride and unreconciled ideas about the civil war and about racial hate and displacement that somewhere there is a problem with male violence and i wondered if you can speak to that a little bit. Its a good point and something i havent thought about. Its right there in front of you. I mean, i dont know the exact number, 90, 95 probably of the neonazi White Supremacists were men. This macho image of them were chainearchingdown the street sct of fits from these people want to be and its a good point to make. Weve got to deal with it. The question i have is how did these men get in this position that they actually think like this . You are not born this way. How did we get to this where you are screaming you want to burn these people alive like they did in germany, i mean, how. And i make the point weve got to do a better job in our Education System and go back early on weve got to start teaching, talking about these issues earlier tha than wed doe before. We dont have a good job in the Education System talking about diversity, inclusion us, we dont. There has to be a big part of how do you fit into the social work of our nation and our fabric, how is it that we deal with one another to me is as important as your math class or english class and so forth. I establish several commissions after charlottesville, one in my commission in a lot of the recommendations were that are on education. Weve got to begin earlier dealing with young people and a lot happens at home. It is a root problem earlier. Host i know that charlottesville is still in pain two years later and still working through so much anger. I know youve heard some of thet even around the book in terms of mistrust in the system. What would be the theme in your view if you could come up with something to move forward. You are describing so many programs and policies trying to be more inclusive and big hearted. Is it going to be the function at some point saying hell do we get past wha the feels like jusa very, very bruised and anger a city even two years later . It has for the citizens of charlottesville. This is so outside of how they think. That is what this so shocking to us. We have issues in charlottesville. Nobody is exempt from this. I try to take any situations and make a positive into what we can do next. Folks in charlottesville just like anywhere else in the men on these issues and Affordable Housing and the people became taken care of. Some of the folks who came to my boat an event the other day to address the issues are infected and hurt and still having medical care. Weve got to make sure everybody was physically harmed that they that we are doing everything we possibly can with care the other issue as i say in the book, weve got to start doing something. The biggest thing we can do to heal the nation is to get rid of donald trump. I dont blame him for specific acts, but hes culpable. I mean, think about this. As i mentioned before we had obama and clinton and bush address the nation and here coming after all these individuals that were killed in el paso and beat him to make the first time in the history the president for now to give a speech that he was actually a player in a sense in the events actually happened. There was culpability to him and thats never happened before. Its his rhetoric and you can talk about the congressman Elijah Cummings and the squalid and charlottesville and all the stuff going on. Hes brought this out in a lot of people, so you want to put about what we can do to get rid of trump in 2020, weve got to win back the senate because if we dont come i, theres not goo be any comprehensive restrictions. I put out background checks, assault weapons bans, highcapacity magazine bans, closing the gun show loophole. 95 of americans today are for universal background checks. If you really, theyve been dealt a blow into me the real big change is how we can really heal this process to turn the corner to yield on healing and defeating id than many of the things we can start dealing with these issues more importantly to have a National Leader that we are all one together and talk more about unity. Host can you describe there is a heartbreaking parts towards the end of the book, governor, where you are talking to the paralegal who was killed tragically by fields of his car and you are talking to her mom and she describes a sense of urgency in america that dont have that if youre not mad you are not paying attention. Weve grown a little bit now, and i wonder, i think about this all the time you start to talk k with the travel ban. It happens again and again and we cant be dialed up to 12 all the time. Yet here you have this woman who is the person who literally gave her life to protest, and her mom is staying here all falling asleep. I wonder what you say to people who are just trying to live their lives com and do their shopping, raise their kids and just tired of being angry all the time . Guest you cant just think about you are going to go about your everyday life. Those folks at walmart in el paso were going about their everyday life. Folks in the ten were going in to peppers bar, going about their everyday life, having a beer and having a good time, but look what happened. So, i guess what im trying to say is the ordinary life as long as we have this hatred out there and positions, everybody ha haso be named. As long as we have a president today continues to do what he does to bring out this hatred in people coming your everyday life is going to be challenged. You dont know the next time you go into the Grocery Store or bar that theres someone out there looking with an ak47 and that is sad for the country tha but e can fix it. Susan was in the book. I talk with her and she had all the manuscripts. She is a really special woman. She lost her daughter and talks about it the night before she had dinner with her daughter and its interesting heather gave her an extra long hug that night and she never in her wildest dreams thought for a second they are not going to a protest and with some of her friends she decided to. Never in her wildest dreams did she think that this would be her last talk. But in the tragedy and the Memorial Service where susan ggolf. Did they call out to america and she has continued. She has a foundation now, traveling around the country. It has to be a rallying cry. Something, get out there. Weve got to move forward for the sake of our kids. Host when you say do something i want to go back because you talk about voting, and i talk about this in a moment blessed by the Supreme Court for gerrymandering, for Voter Suppression and voter id. I guess the version of the question i opened it and i want to ask in a different way, people are frustrated, angry, they think that their vote doesnt count, they think that the government has failed them. They would rather tune out. What is your best pitch for why your votes dont matter, your votes dont count, this is still your country when i think folks feel as though they are utterly disempowered. Guest you cant say that your vote doesnt count. You cant. Three states, michigan, wisconsin, pennsylvania. Hillary clinton lost those combined 77,000. People woke up and said how did this happen. It happened because 92 million did not vote. 77,000 showed up in those three states, hillary would have been present, we wouldnt have had donald trump and all of the insanity that has been brought to the presidency. With today where we are on the issues of race relations. He tries to destroy the Affordable Care act and take away the mandate. So, such confusion and uncertainty in the Insurance Market premiums are now going up all over the country. Hes destroyed alliances around the world that we have had with our allies specifically in the european union. They looked at us like we are crazy so you can sa cant say tr vote doesnt matter. I will give you another case in point. In 2017 we have the house in virginia and for the control of the chamber we have one that is a virtual tie in the winter is pulled out of a bowl. Men and women are all over the globe. We are trying to keep this democracy thing, and i travel and ive been to 150 countries around the world. I travel, ive done business over the globe, theres nothing like coming back into the United States with all the issues we have it is the greatest nation on earth. How do we take it to the next level. I am a Glass Half Full kind of guy. We cant let him get us down. I am more optimistic we have the biggest pickup with democrats and 140 years in 201881 the house of representatives and new state chambers. They are making it hard to vote taking the name of the ballots. This is something i fought for my whole life when i was the chairman of the Democratic National committee because the disenfranchisement of the voters. I restored more rights than any in history. Give people the right to vote. This is our democracy. Dont let anyone undermine it. They literally doubt tha it will make a difference but its not going to happen if they dont vote. That leads me to my ultimate question throughout reading this book i thought you are trying to say here is words matter and those are not Civil War Monument chance. Yours mattered after donald trump said there wer that theree people on both sides. Your words mattered. And i think there is a way in which we are in a funny moment where people are being radicalized. This isnt even a national problem. Its a global problem. Words are incredibly powerful, and in a way i think that is what your book is trying to tell us the president cant say i was kidding or joking or winking at a rally of assaulting Asylum Seekers that words are so profoundly powerful that we cant lose our confidence in the pattern of our own speech. Guest got as i try to end the book with we need to use our words in a positive way to bring about positive change. Thats how i and the book. Sentences do something that words matter has proven the hatred we see in this country but the folks watching this today just cant think about it. Youve got to do something about it and you are words. Just say we are not going to tolerate this anymore. Im very optimistic about the future and 2020. We are going to get the country back together again and end this racial divide on education and sentencing reform. We have a lot of issues, but we can fix it. And please, dont let donald trump gets you down every single day. You cant. Youve got to fight and move on, but we are going to be vigilant. All these haters out there, weve got to do a better job of honor during the web and do a better job of getting these gun off of the streets and out of the hands of people such as for p. The story and to make sense of the story and not to impose meaning on it that my meaning isnt yours and what trump said isnt the same thing. And to triangulate against these other people whose story it is. Lets be clear this is a story that i told. Everybody has their own perspective. I think people would find it very fascinating i talk about running for office as governor leading up to charlottesville all the preparations and things, but this is from my perspective what happened and how we go forward. Ive spent more than half my life as a volunteer for the democratic party. I love this party. I was just sick about what i found. Like you, i travel everywhere and it bothered me when they said they were really bad people. Folks in charleston are great people, if the folks that came in from the other side its misperception which is important that everybody gets cleared up. It is a great state like every state, we have folks that dont think the way that we do and they are angry and they wan wand to get out and hes telling everybody that you know, mexicans are taking your jobs away. This isnt the case, but hes got everybody riled up. Left folks up in a positive way. The end of my book that i talk about folks need to do. The important thing is you and i have just had this important discussion. Had i not read the book, we wouldnt be having this discussion today. Traveling around and newsweek put it on its cover. It is the salient times because of el paso and dayton. Things have not changed. What you dont want is to have just faded into the memory. We had a tragedy not to long ago people dont even remember the People Killed in virginia beach. We cant let all the lessons in things that occurred to be forgotten so from my perspective i want to mobilize that but i think its important that we have the conversation and you and i are having this conversation today. We are having a conversation on race and its important, racism exists. Weve only made some progress. We have a long, long way to go. That is the Perfect Place to end this and i want to thank you for your time and for helping us remember these two days. All the people who were there, all the support team is, the personnel of the nurses volunteered that they come of the clergy that came up, there were a lot of people who stepped up to help folks that da they ad you cant forget them. Host and there were many more of them. The book is beyond charlottesville, taking a stand against White Nationalism by governor mcauliffe. Thank you, governor. This and all of our after words programs are available as podcasts and can be viewed on the website, booktv. Org [applause] thank you so much, elizabeth and for being such a wonderful host. Thank you also to cspan tv forgetting the event on booktv. We are really thrilled tonight
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