Good evening everyone. One of the some people are still coming on but it is time to get on with it. I am david welch the inaugural director of the body civil filled institute for civil political communications. As Sheppard University. Unwelcome [applause]. Welcome to our first installment of the american conversations series public forum. An evening with donna brazil and mercedes lap in the state of political discourse in todays america. Moderated by sheppard universi university, mary hendrix. Throughout the academic year, there will be several more forum so please go to Facebook Page and website updates. The mission of the institute is to study and promote how intelligent authentic and civil political discourse can play an essential role in our nation his ability to better meet challenges and solve problems and to offer a platform on how opposite viewpoints and be respected and legitimized in ways that avoid negative labeling and alienation. Moreover, we see to demonstrate the civil Political Engagement in these challenging times is directly tied to positive engagement. Before we began, i wish to thank the Institution Born of advisers and staff and Consulting Team most of our intent is tonight. It was special he acknowledged doctor for the Institute Faculty representative for her partnership and support sara burr our communications and if it manager organizing tonight forum. As to do Health Matters were members, david and scott, or arranging our speakers. So monday of the people i can say and acknowledge. When so monday partners here on campus that im getting to know, and want to thank all of you, you know who you are but thank you for your support in making sure that the people you know, our turnout. While the people are one of the groups of people and wanted to pay some attention to just for a moment because i dont get enough love and if you will, with the members of the Sheppard University debate team please send a if you are in the room. I cant see where you are with the lights. Give them a big round of applause. The National Champion debate team folks. [applause] [background sounds] also in the house this evening, theyre going to hate me for doing this so im going to do it anyway and take my chances. Also in the house this evening, bonnie and steve who was generous commit and gift made this institute possible please will you stay on up to be recognized bonnie and bill. [applause] loud [applause]. Am i in trouble. Yeah i figured i was. [laughter] now for the introductions of three incredible leaders. Mercedes is the first generation cubanamerican race in florida his father was jailed for six years by the government of cuba. She is homeless and frequent commentator and who is played key roles in her several republican president ial campaigns. Former director of strategic cant communications are present double trump. American conservative union which oksana my daughters. The Basketball Team is in it. Just staying. [laughter] donna brazil was born and raised louisiana she first became active in politics for jimmy carter in 1976. In the years through the Democratic Party ranks eventually becoming the first africanamerican woman to manage a president ial campaign, the first africanamerican woman to serve as chairperson of a Major Political party. Moderators tonight american conversation doctor Mary Jc Hendrix the 16th president the Sheppard University. His leadership and, i mean, this, is leadership in support of the establishment of the institute, has been essential and enthusiastic. It is now my privilege to welcome to the state, mercedes lap, donna brazil, and president hendrix. [applause] background sounds. [background sounds] [inaudible conversation] madam president , we had little confusion so i just wanted to be on the left. And what those computers. [laughter] [applause] i mean, being on fox news i didnt want any confusion. [laughter]. I was trying to be more about that bipartisanship, used on the right a little bit i said on the left for a little bit. Mac ill be sitting in the right want to go home for thanksgiving when i start making my cabal. My sister always argues with me. Thats not how mama would cook it. I see you know what, you are republican, you should say about that. Will buy your sister my house and we will take her. Thank you very much. Jack youve got have one in the bunch. My mama said, six kids and finally she gave birth to a republican. [laughter] and took a while to get around to it. After that, were doing okay. By a 5 and i am hoping theyll stay republican at the middle child, i tell you, shes the social Justice Warrior so she just might be [laughter] center to my house. Ill give her some bread. Ladies thank you. Ladies thank you, i have already lost control. [applause] [laughter] serious but i would like to add a very warm welcome to our distinguished guests this evening and to all of our attendees, who feel so strongly about promoting civil discourse. Sheppard university is the Perfect Place to engage in this dialogue. We have a rich history as a teachers college. Left [applause] and we have emerged into an Academic Center of excellence for professional development, a cultural hub and also a catalyst for Economic Growth in our region. With a very Noble Mission of training the next generation of leaders, and model citizens. So, we are very close to washington dc, as you head out today and an estimate in the traffic, no going back. It is a breeze. [laughter] off of we have this proximity to washington, we have remained relatively unaffected by the political that we see on the nightly news reports, to see evening we have the extraordinary opportunity to witness distinguished professionals in action. As they discuss Common Grounds, differences on various issues. The questions i will present have been contributed by Community Members and by sheppard students and faculty and myself, so before we get started i have told our wonderful speakers and just this evening what a wonderful audience you are and how simple you all are. [applause] said this is great. So first question, and the environment of deep polarization on all fronts, is there a way for the average citizen to have an objective source for news. Who would like to take that. Thats not a yes or no answered. [laughter] donna you better see fox. [laughter] now can be fired tonight. [laughter] cigna a few months ago, mccormick good friend Corky Robbins passed away, steve came to the bar in your campus, Cokie Roberts said at the time, to be credible today, and im not courting her, you know louisianas, we dont put anything but scripture. In recipes. We have to mississippi to get a translation of nature we are following anything the alabamians have texted us to. [laughter] cokie said, that today, she believed because of all of the conversation we are having about fake news and mischaracterization and misinterpretations, its important that reporters get it right. Therefore in the past, they would ultimately look for one source. But today, they are looking for two or three or four sources. And i say that is good. In order for us to have a healthy democracy, we need a free press. We need to front them free press. It is a vital to the success of our democracy. In the political branches, of government. Which by the way i have to tell you this, there is a poll recently about annenberg schools, 30 percent of africanamericans can identify all three branches of government. 39 percent, and only 25 percent of us can identify one branch of government. When the roast the press release and you can go and look it up they said, this is the 7 percent increase since the last time we took the bowl in 2014 ladies and gentlemen, we have a crisis in a crisis is we dont know our history. We dont know our American History because its our shared history, we dont see civics we dont interact with each brother engage with each brother, sort of look in our labels and there was a i dont hear from you. But the truth of the matter is the Republican Party is not the Largest Party in american policy, the Democratic Party much to my chagrin, one of the Largest Party in its independence the majority of americans, and voters. And yet we have to appeal to you in the best way to appeal to you is to listen to you and to understand your needs and your concerns and your values but to troy to make sure that we represent your needs as well as the needs of the partisans that we represent. Beautiful smack on the issue of sources, during my time in the white house, one of the things that we struggled with is that you had so monday of these journalists who had ready prevent him up with their opinion what story they were going to write so they become an essay, we talk to the source close to the white house who and we are familiar with the white house. Obviously, it might have a particular agenda with a part of what story they want to push. So while we were actually laissez, in the meetings with the president , and we would give our purging of the story, the headlines would never come out, for most of the time would never come out in favor of the president for example. We do look at some of these journalists, not all of them are some appealable generalist cokie being one of them. I can tell you, folks i have worked with in the white house who really want to get the story right what we found no significant number of journalists in the White House Press corps that had an agenda. Was very clear you setting of the twitter feed and you would know exactly their victory first the president. So that to us was a big challenge that we face within the white house. So when it comes to sourcing, three or four sources but you gotta make sure the sources are accurate. And make sure you get this people who are actually in the meetings to provide just what was happening in the actual meeting. A lot of times the perfect example just last week this is kind of a lighter story, theres this one reporter my husband and i went to the trump his housing it hunt which that party rally in lancaster pennsylvania with them and is soak and we had a great time and it was wonderful we got there and got up there talked about with the presence been able to accomplish but there was this one reporter who wrote the story, i had to prove staying happy birthday to you wanda trump. I videotaped it texted to them. And hey from pennsylvania happy birthday. While the reporter wrote this piece, and in a scribble, said soap mercedes put it up on instagram and it didnt even view it. Some part of me was like driving color reporter to see come on come on seriously. She doesnt get the story right and she never asked me did you ever send it to missus from. This totally frivolous. Theres your policy issues when you are right but i do say when it comes to sourcing, it has to be her there needs to be accuracy. A lot of these reporters go to the sources they know they are going to tell the story that want them to tell. Two so regarding objectivity, well theres been evolution of the newsroom and you are going to find the foxes in one side and cnn and abc on the brother side and what has or havent you a citizen in the individual and you student, you need to ask the questions, is it right or not right. Read from the far left to the far right to learn what narratives they are pushing. We do is the intelligent american, the wellinformed citizen to come back and see all right have read from a variety of resources and this is what i believe is right and is what i believe is true. You have to question it. Had to really ensure you are informed to make the best argument based on, we support only believe in. I do believe that journalists need to be, remember they have a code of ethics. Journalists Little School most of them go to school to learn their craft. I am a partisan the point of view. When im on tv, i play my strengths. [applause] by myself, im not a journalist. Stan we do look at gemma, do you say he see journalists. I say what is happened is we are the owners. I say this number of journalists, and decided that they want to be on just to and they want to hit, especially in the case of the new trump area media, they want to hit the present as hard as they can obviously theres little to no objectivity when it comes to this when it comes as president. These a love hate relationship. He controls the narrative. If theres one thing i am jealous of you know i have my jealousies. [laughter] and not just his hair. [laughter] i had my one and only close up with President Trump during the 2016 campaign. In which i whispered in his air, he should watch the super bowl season in hampshire and the patriots. Okay. I guess i want to turn this around just a little bit. To be, especially cabletelevision is about this. Want polar opposites. What started like this tension, friction, and its almost as if, we can sit here and talk about infrastructure. And at the new nafta, whatever you want to call, the trade agreement, the intact with trade tariffs with china. Prescription medication prices i can go on and on about things that we will find Common Ground on. May have different ways of getting to it but we believe that we should do something the lord has tried the prescription medications. Notice and incite drugs. [laughter] and we are as a country divided by two nonmajor parties. With the leaders of those two minority parties are thinking that the majority of the American People obviously you will decide the outcome of the 2020 election. Screaming they want the drama the west wing drama they want to know was happening on the hill who is heading help and who is aiding who and thats what they are interested in is like reality tv when it comes to politics. Is a lot of discussion when it comes to policy discussions. Reality tv. We are entertaining you. We are. We replaced the substance with, you cannot explain the Affordable Care act in less than 30 seconds. Medicare, theres is it too much to it. The Mueller Report was a lot of pages long. Spak know thats untrue. Millions of american. Skyrocketed premiums. [inaudible conversation] remember the democrats, there are five different medicare for all bills. I partially agree to bite weekend reading about it. Yet. 52 trillion. That is 20 trillion more than what it will cost us if we do nothing. The question is do we continue to have the most costly Software System in the world. And everybody is claiming is broken. Or do we troy to find ways to improve it so there is more accountability and more competition and more transparent [applause] for some single parents, it wont work. More bureaucratic. [inaudible conversation] i didnt write the damn bill. [laughter] i and my artists work and weve god bless working harder than james brown. [laughter] [applause] we do come about issues, its complicated as healthcare, and the delivery system, you cannot simply argue and use slang in any brother kind of, i mean, this is the serious issue for america. More and more americans find themselves unable to afford the high cost of premiums. In high cost of prescription medication. [laughter] i just finished reading a story today and states that did not accept Medicaid Expansion and how a family of four with 22000 a year on average, premium costs from their employer, as well as what they pay and so forth and so on, and she came in and ordered her insulin. Ladies and gentlemen, we can solve these problems and we dont need a quantico, liberal or conservative task, we need to test that works for every american said that we do going get a test, perhaps you need to take the test in this because your doctors want to rule out everything. Steve got to get an mri, an ekg, all them brother things. Agusta so monday times, i know is following because yall want more blood. [laughter] my turn. [laughter] when i grew up i wanted to be president. [laughter] madam president i yield back the president his yield of my time. This is the real question. Have either of you been affected by negative press and if so, how have you handled it. I am guessing yes but how have you handled it. Can i start. The president tweeted one day a couple of weeks ago that i was wonderful. Oh my weve god. I dont know why, it hit me twice. [laughter] the next day he corrected it and it was nice. Yet, that is part of any politician, any publisher, you are going to get the good in the fan. Unhelpfully its not about your ego or your identity and what you say are who you say you are. My mother taught me as a young girl, its not what they call you, and remember why she had to teach me and my brother siblings, with the names were being called principally because of the way we look. My mother said has brought what they call you it is what u. S. Or two. Despite the fact that it may get trashed, kicked, tweeted, deleted, my job is i pray for my president. An upright just because he tweets at me, i pray because he is the United States. We only have one president. I am not going to vote for some time next year. He knows he will get my vote. But that doesnt mean that i will not respect the offices of the presidency and the occupancy of the white house. [applause] that is number one. Are some people who dont know us that they act as if they know us. We get them sickly because we are women we are outspoken. And one thing that you learn in this business is that you have to have thick skin no matter what. Number two that i feel that the center of my life and relationship is that it gives us strength every day to stand up and keep fighting we do believe in saving america in this wonderful democracy that we live in and to protect our freedom. And those on the other side who have wanted to shut us down and call us all sorts of names for, a big believer the day we are silent as the day we lose america. It so important if you have the facts on your side you stand up and fight and speak. Because i will not be silent. My father suffered under communism and he was thrown into jail. So i learn as a young child i would stand for america and democracy. That is why it is my life calling to continue a wonderful debate that we have two friends on the left and also ensure my voice is never silenced for go that is such an Important Message for young people to know that if you are called names if they want to shut you down, dont let them. Stand up and speak. These kids are University Kids who are being beaten up and threatened because they know their liberties will be taken over in 20 years or less by the chinese communist. They carry the american fla flag, they quote our Founding Fathers and they dont want to lose their freedom because they are standing up and we have all these rights and freedoms in the United States , lets cherish them and not take them for granted. [applause] this is a tough one. [laughter] i havent seen the news this evening but have a feeling it is still going on. What your thoughts around the impeachment inquiry currently underway in washington and how it impacts the level of civil discourse among all americans. I feel i am curious to see what donna thinks but the with the democrats impeachment process inquiry is a huge political risk. I think they are spending so much time in the media spending so much time on every single testimony and impeachment detail and we have adam schiff who has decided soviet style closed hearings where he leaks out. [applause] where he leaks out. He leaks out this information dabbled out to the press and not allowing the republicans to even remotely be a part of the process. So watching this process play out and even Speaker Pelosi was nervous about this she herself said we need this to be bipartisan. Obviously what we saw last week was a vote where they waited for weeks to come up with a solution now because they were getting so much pressure in the process. I do think it is a losing political strategy if the American People say when will usmc ab done . We have been negotiating this over a year. Why dont we work on getting Prescription Drug prices lower . Keep working on the infrastructure bill. So if this is the political environment they want to creat create, i think it will not be beneficial for the democrats. [laughter] how much time do i have. When i got up on january 3r january 3rd, 2019 and made my way over to the capital, it was a historic day. For the first time in our 240 years we had well over 100 women elected to congress. [applause] and i believe other americans watching this new group of citizens take the oath of office was truly a historic day. I believe nancy pelosi when she said this was not on our agenda. For all the reasons you saw her scramble to get at 218 votes when everyone said she would not get there. I knew that the Democratic Party had chosen a seasoned leader to lead one half of the most Important Branch of government in my opinion. And i worked on capitol hill. I love it. I have reason to believe one of my distant relatives is one of the first elected to congress that the history of america and then my blood stream runs out of the irish man and as a result i come to washington because i believe that this institution the legislative branch is where you go for state ideas. But the democrats are doing nothing. They are working hard every day and right after the socalled impeachment process vote and there was a vote to sanction turkey because the government should stand on the side of its allies in the United States congress. [applause] they passed sanctions. They also pass the Armenian Genocide bill which up until this point we have not seen pas past. So pelosi is doing her job that she is doing her job to make sure the government is functioning in making sure the appropriation committees are turning out their bills. Making sure the Prescription Drug bill. Yes she is very close to working on the nafta bill. She wanted to make sure we dont make the same mistakes of the new nafta especially when we had so many jobs shift overseas. I could go on and on from gun safety legislation to food safety legislation to water safety and the environment and Mitch Mcconnell has already said he is the grim reaper. Doesnt want to take up any bills from the house. So there is language in the senate but thats all right. Lets get back to the question. This does President Trump put his own personal or political interest above his National Security interest of the United States . If the evidence demonstrates that he did then the house will proceed with articles of impeachment. If not nancy pelosi and my honest opinion, a Godfearing Christian woman, and i have known a lot of human beings in my almost 60 years of life. She will not get this country through it if she doesnt believe theres enough factual evidence or information to bring forward articles of impeachment. Thats the nancy pelosi that i now. [applause] the transcripts will be released. Why didnt they release them three weeks ago . Lets be real. This is meant to shape the narrative early on for what adam schiff did that is why they keep holding the closeddoor hearings where they leak specific information to the media. This is what they do every day. [applause] every day. But four weeks later . But whether or not she turns the paper before the xerox to put on the copy machine theres a reason why we have that conversation and not having the conversation of somebody on a Foreign Government with the integrity. [applause]. President obama did nothing. All my goodness donna. Please. Please. [laughter] i am calling you sister because im a christian woman. I know. I love you. You will not ever make me hate you or say or what you believe because i love you. And your hair color i love i it. That i know my truth and i can tell you when i heard from the Obama Administration on what was done at the dnc. I had no idea. I became chair of the party for the second time in my life. Trust me have never run for office. I run my mouth too much. But i became chair for the second time. And let me say this. Every day we were notified of the hacking and what was happening i didnt just sit on my hands i called my counterparts and said if something happened and we go down i have to make sure that your ship continues to sail. The reason why i did that is because we are americans. I thought at the time they were being hacked to. I wanted to form a team. The bad ass team. We will beat your ass. [laughter] but the truth is we were hacked. Like all of you if we lose we will israel come back next time and do a better job with a fair fight no government should control the outcome by using our partisanship and our division to make us distrust and hate one another. [applause] and by the way there were more than one reason why donald trump one. I was chair of the parties i can tell you. You dont take three states and 70000 people. So everybody say whether you are red or blue somebody should be contacting you to say how do you feel or what do you want . We take those locales for granted because we thank you are on my team. But the truth is we need to be on one team on election day. Thats right. Good advice. What a great example. Thank you. [laughter] [applause] of two professionals having a little disagreement. It was perfect. Thank you. We need a little wine thrown in their. [laughter] jesus turned water into wine the greatest miracle get the party started. [laughter] this is an important question from our debate and forensics teams. They are awardwinning. We are so proud of them. [applause] if you have one piece of advice of simple discourse for President Trump and for the democratic candidates, what would it be . Maybe it is different but what would it be quick. And i talked to the democrats . [laughter] wrap it up. [laughter] the medicare for all singlepayer the old deals, wrap it up. I love my party. Sometimes i believe we are in a contest for who is the smartest boy or girl in the class. We also need a smart boy or girl because we believe in equality for all. Wrap it up. If you have been out here on the dance floor since january and you are still at 2 percent. Join your family for the holidays. [laughter] [applause] tell me what you value in america. Tell me what you want from us from the 21st century. Tell me how we will get there and bring the American People together to have the smartest workforce in the most competitive military. The best students. Tell me how you will do that to keep america safe and the election is over. If we do nickels and dimes and pennies and quarters American People say no. I will go out the one who understands me on twitter. [laughter] i have made mistakes after 260 characters. I get it. Donald trumps message will always be simple. Our message will be tough. It will be tough because we feel a huge responsibility to save ourselves and the planet and everybody. Thats why we are democrats. We are so full of hope and optimism and thats why we continue to talk to come up with these great policies. But wrap it up. Very good advice. [applause] thank you. And to be memorialized on cspan so the candidates will have the opportunity. Oh no. [laughter] but i think the advice for democrats its a little hard for the president but i would say dont embrace socialism to the democrats. It is a losing message. It is very concerning for americans to know the United States would move so far to the left. For those independent voters that you were talking about it is an issue for them even modern democrats to say i cannot go that far more embrace socialism that is an area of concern i would advise the democrats. I made a capitalist with a conscience and a vast majority of democrats are capitalist. We have one democratic socialist who is running. Two of them. Two of them. [laughter] one announced democratic socialist. Ladies and gentlemen there is something deeper than labeling and namecalling and party affiliation. That is something that she grabbed the fabric of who we are as a society. We have millions of billion one a citizens who live on the outskirts and they dont know how they come back into the circle of opportunity for the globalization or technology placing so many of our workers with the new economy to have certain skills just to get the best jobs. With the cost of health care or even living in a decent place. We cannot ignore the fact that many of our fellow citizens are still struggling. So they want Something Different and something new thats why so many millennials are saying always. They want to make sure this new economy will help everyone. When you have a graduate degree your undergraduate degree. You want to translate that into a job and a good job. Thats right. Thats what this battle and socalled concern is about. Its not going into this direction or that direction. We have to meet in the middle and compromise. Thats right. And what you see under the trump economy now the lowest unemployment numbers for hispanic and women and veterans. We are in a strong position in our economy spending so much time to be part of the Trump Administration working on Workforce Development and helping to retrain talk about vocational education. You dont necessarily have to go to a Fouryear College of thats not your route but you use the program. This is bipartisanship actually it is a bipartisan issue to agree on because right now we are in a much stronger position as willing to help uplift allamericans why we push the foreign opportunity bill that both parties can agree on to help distressed communities. There are so many opportunities we see under the trump economy that has been very effective thats why the democrats dont talk about the economy that muc much. Just like during the obama years coming from the big hole called the great recession. We found ourselves back on her feet after several years figuring out how to bail this out or bandaid this when we got somewhat back on her feet. By blackwell went from 40000 in comparison to white well that was already at 127,000 dropdown 3700. So there are more people workin working. Wages are increasing. But there is no proof. So we have to make sure we can build the wealth of allamericans which means we have got to find ways for more entrepreneurs and more small business. Thats right. The engine of the economy. When it comes to job creation and making sure we have jobs for the 21st century coming from a republican or democratic president. I do believe we have to make sure we prepare citizens for the 21st century economy. First to be born that your checkout lane was to save you time. I have four things and children at home for quite know what that is like. I will send you some coupons. [laughter] that you walk in there then check out then give a nickel to baguette yourself. Artificial intelligence . This is not good i do all the work and have to pay a nickel for a bag . We will displace even more workers. Whose fault is it on those issues . On the economy of the future . Thats why i dont spend any time calling them fascist or racist or socialist. It is a waste of my breath. Amen. When we talk about the economy working for all people. The urban center will favor the suburbans and the rural and the urban. This is all by design unless we tackle these problems and come to the table with solutions. Thats what we should do. We are smart people. My daddy talked a lot. My mom always told to shut up laptop she had a reason but it was great. My mom died at 52 my dad at 82. He tell me my signature was not on file. My mom was a great lady. But i want you to think we have to recreate. Im changing it up a little bit. We have to pivot and change it up a little bit. Seville the london stability is a latin word that means it is i in. And if we dont take our responsibility seriously because of this disillusionment into many young people dont care about the future enough to run for office. Do you know what i tell my Young Students every week . Why you because theres no one better and why now . Because tomorrow is not soon enough pergolas give 4 percent of the American People to run for office and if this country like ours we could have millions of conservatives and liberals but there will still be millions of citizens that often will stay home and they are the ones we should be focused on. They are the ones that have lost hope. They are the ones that need us to let them know we love them and still care for them and we will bring them to the 21st century economy with new skills and a new ability to transform their lives in their community. Without that measure of hope , we will not reach the American People and save our Public Institutions in this great century. So we have a challenge. My battles with conservatives a republican. That used to be my battle. I work for everybody. Michael dukakis, even that man from arkansas who came from somewhere. But during that period i did not grow weary. Working on campaigns that even got me to the white house under ronald reagan. But i witnessed him signing that into law. [applause] makes ability dies when you decide to give up on your citizenship and your right as american citizens to be engaged and to have dialogue the people that you disagree with. I was taken to more nets games than anyone else in the United States of america. [laughter] he was taking me before donald trump. We been going together for a long time. [laughter] its okay. He this knee introduced me to an orthopedic surgeon. So when i first went on abc saint George Washington and Alexander Hamilton george mason i thought something was wrong with him. Do you know tupac . Left reader madison or jefferson and mason in hamilton and franklin. When i think about where we are today and what they sacrificed because of wilson and he said read them. But i do still read tupac. [laughter] thats the perfect segue to the next part. You have great ideas. This will go to mercedes. What do you believe is the starting point for repairing the fractured relationship we have been talking about. Does it begin with average citizens making the effort to engage in civil conversation about politics . Or does it begin with political leaders and officials who model civility in the midst of political battle. What are your thoughts quick. American people need to demand it. If they want the solutions to happen. If they want republicans or democrats to come together this could be beautifully done with the opioid presence to pass significant legislation with those parties coming together because they recognize a national crisis. Under joe mansion who talks to the president all the time and they work together. He served bit of that in between with the democrats and republicans trying to solve problems. So the more we can have those types of relationships, the healthier the political process can be. It is a challenge with social media and 24 hour news cycles because politicians want to get out in front of the media to give a response and attack the opponent and move on. It becomes challenging. But at the end of the day its all close to thanksgiving , maybe have your liberal cousin or conservative uncle and you want to make sure you talk about what matters and find solutions you can come together and agree on. There are things we do agree on like usmca, opioid crisis, criminal Justice Reform which is a big win for both republicans and democrats so the more we can find that Common Ground the more successful we can be. Its hard to watch washington change whether clinton or reagan or george bush where you could find there was more interaction between republicans and democrats and to be in two separate corners. I think thats the idea to continue these debates and have these discussions is important to mention adam in jefferson but look back they hated each other. They said really mean things to each other back and forth. Its not like this political discourse is happening now. What happened way way before with our Founding Fathers. But it is finding that common cause that america is prosperous and that all americans have a chance for the american dream. Wheel disagree on issues but to find Common Ground and advanced in the country. [applause] i always have a story. People talk about the swamp. Im actually from the bayou. [laughter] we have crawfish and oysters we see some of the best crawfish come out of the mississippi. Im not afraid to live in the swamp so to be in dc is not a bad thing for me. But during the midst of one period of my life when Hurricane Katrina made landfall. My entire family social media, National Media to beg for help. Not just my people that everybody. I knew that at the end of the day september 25th i wrote a column in the Washington Post and said mister president how can i help you . People were calling him a racist saying he was leaving black people to die and i said if we get into another racial conversation this will go nowhere. Cursing at that one. So i said let me help and for three years i went over to the white house. Remember i was on Al Gore Campaign manager. But i will fight them because he has seen us and i drank his wine. [laughter] but i said i have got to help you. You dont understand what is happened. So the first thing i did is say youve got to let people know the mailman will hold their mail. Simple things. But for three years i sat inside the Bush Administration calling everybody to just say here is that the people of the gulf coast needed. That i would talk to my governor i was on the louisiana recovery board. But i would talk to the president of the United States because sometimes i went into the oval office he would greet me he is the hugging type. I am too but they were taking pictures. [laughter] i kept looking around please dick cheney dont come in with another picture. [laughter] i have to go back to the hood. [laughter] but ladies and gentlemen on the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, barack obama was president and on air force one going home at the president of the United States. What a great honor to get on air force one. The closest i had been as i took the ashtray but in my bag because i knew they made no more. I will give it back soon. [laughter] and then to go with the press secretary to brief the press and i said during george w. Bush presidency here is what we did on the rebuilding side. I gave him credit. I talk about his leadership. I talk about what obama inherited and what he had done since then. I gave them both credit. I gave them both credit. And when i go home i tell people do you see that hospital . I remember i went to talk to the president saying it wasnt coming back now we have a level one trauma center. [applause] my dad was a veteran and he said go talk to the president we need a new v. A. Hospital. How he likes you now i saw him kiss you. [laughter] i got my sister burned it. We have a new v. A. Hospital. That is what life should be about. I just wanted to help my city and my community in 2008 and help my family i knew the president of the United States had the power to do that. So if you tell someone i said george w. Bush and i got along he might invite me to a baseball game. Invite me. [laughter] i like sports burglar Football Game i will go with the year playing the saints we will beat you. [laughter] [applause] and thats where we should be. Why did god give me this power to come out of the south and by you one of nine children so i can one day wake up and say i have to wait for a democrat to come to the white house when they are stuck on their roof . And they dont know how to get back home . Know. We are all here for a purpose and part of that is leaving this world a better place. We can do that regardless of who we are. [applause] thank you. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen this has been a tremendous honor for all of us. I was just getting warmed up. [laughter] i sensed that. [laughter] so i just want to thank our speakers and i hope you all consider coming back. I will. Thank you very much. And there will be a book signing that will take place around the corner in shipley hall in the next few minutes. And mercedes will be available as well. Thank you so much. You are all invited to the reception with coffee and water maybe a little wine. [laughter] you will be directed to the book signing and this is our first inaugural event as an american conversation. I love all of you. Thank you for coming it was a huge success. Please come again. [applause] thank you so much. Thank you so much. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] 126 Million People were part of the manipulation attempt in the 2016 election 20 Million People in instagram , 10 million tweets on twitter. You we know russia attacks in all 50 states and the targeted misinformation and 27 percent of those americans saw the misinformation and the leading weeks leading up to the election that so we know. What we dont know is what effect, if any this had on the election on the midterms or 2020 not just in the United States but around the world. The reason that i was interested is there is much before her career as the bench because her work for womens rights she had brought six cases to the Supreme Court and won five of them including one or two that appeared to benefit women even though it was a discrimination of the law based on the assumption of men and women and earning capacity and all of that. So we had a meeting on sunday night thank god nobody wanted to work sunday night. So we talked. After she had been there for about ten minutes i was going to ask her to do the job. Good morning. Today we have scheduled depositions where the top lawyer from the National Security council
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