The last time as well. But i think the bottom line for me was, i dont want to run and lose and give donald trump that ability to say he beat me because of now ive never lost an election in my life and i intend not to. Adam kinzinger thank you. Oh, its great. Thank you very much. Thank you. Great to see you. I was banking. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage Donna Brazile and kurt bardella. Everybody. How yall doing. Welcome back. Its always to be back. Hola. I brought special for all of you at our pollo. Look, some of you might know that february is a very is mardi gras season, and i just to let you all know, i went to the mardi gras and i didnt have to show anything to get to. But there was a moment when walked into the room and they say king of the washington mardi gras here. And i say, who is the king . And he said, drew brees. And im like, oh, okay. I walked up to drew brees. I said, oh, god, since brad pitt has, i had to have flashed. Well, you know, this is the women and left the panel so let us introduce a man who supports the women. Yes thank kurt for sitting in for good friend ali. I am a poor, but i am honored to share stage with you. Oh, im always honored. Be in your company. Especially when . Now i see you on tv. You know, every now and then i can, you know, poke my eyes on another chance. Watch the i watch you, baby, i watch you. Yeah. Know what they say . You cant teach an old dog new tricks but you can teach a woman a whole bunch of new things. Okay . Okay. Im always looking for something new shoes, new car, new man. Oh, i dont know. I dont know. I dont want to spill matches. Right, because let me tell you, some matches, you get so hot that they cant put lemons in. Oh. Have to figure that one out. See, this is going to be fun oh, were going to have fun all day. Im here now. Yall doing good . Looks good. Yes. And let me tell you, i got this purple. He is really who i really you know, im purple queen. Went to lsu notice. Yes. So so kirk i will start off. Okay. Ill follow your lead. This is the women talking you laughing. So im just im arm candy. Im going to leave that alone. I dont want to do anything chocolate or sweets right now. A normal you and i. People look at us, they us they read our columns and theyre like, well, lets talk politics. I want to talk i want to get beyond the 37th thousand feet. I want to talk whats really going in the country and what gives you hope. Ill tell you what gives me hope and sound like an obvious answer given the climate that were in. But when i see right now the number one person that is the conversation in this country and perhaps even in the world is a fierce brilliant, talented woman named taylor swift. That gives me hope. And, you know, im a swifty. Yeah. Thanks. My students. I especially like that one karma because while midnight was one of my favorites, she actually writes music. Yes. Understand the words. Im not. Im biased against people. Dont do nothing but rhyme with time. But she actually tries and i think this is reason why she has such a huge fan base. She tries to connect with her audience. So the fact that some of our fellow citizens is also upset that shes popular and that shes dating acuity. But look at the man couldnt catch i would not want him. Okay. I want somebody could with one hand. Did you see that . I mean, you know, i watch football for a and i saw him he caught the ball with one hair and pushed all the aside. I think that thats a grown right there and some other grown men are jealous. I mean, yeah, i, i think it says a lot when a bunch of dudes are hollering and yelling and insulting a woman, its like, what does that tell about your situation . What does that tell me about your fortitude . I think that its like those guys who down the street with the obnoxious car that makes all the noise like who are you trying to . Because all youre yelling to all of us is that is that you dont have a lot going on beneath the belt but but so much fun. Im not a journalist, so i can say stuff like that. Thats true pundits can get away with being but not factual. Along with some president candidates. I know. But i want to stay on this topic of of culture and how culture has shaped our political discourse and, you know, the importance of having a culture that is like gumbo. Yeah. Theres a little bit of everything in and we call it land. Yep. Something some extra. What is this, something we need to get through this president season. I think, you know, im going to come at this as a former, so thats kind of my lens sometimes underage drinking that i really some stronger than up here right now are you a rhino . Just a former im a fossil. I left became a democrat. I left became and let me tell you, i became a democrat early 2016 before trump was a nominee, before the convention, before it was popular. I saw where this thing was going. Im like, i do not want any part of this. It was an act of conscience. Thank you it cost me a lot of money. It was it was financially stupid for the record. But, you know, id had my own show on fox by now, probably, you know. But gives me hope. Is for all the effort that think the other side spends trying to make us feel like the world is ending, make us feel like we are alone, to make us feel like theres no going back. They want us to feel broken. They want us to feel defeated. They want us to feel like were too weak to fight back. I see every single day people standing up saying no, im not going to back down. And thats what gives me a lot of hope. It gives me a lot of hope, too. But, you know, every week that i. Drive 20, almost 20 blocks to georgetown and i, you know, see students and have an opportunity to talk to them, someone said to me, well what is the most joyful aspect of your and of course, i love to garden. I love, you know, so many things. Youre going to hear me, leader, talk to one of my sheroes. Sheila johnson is sitting here and sheila could tell you. I just love plano people and eating and drinking im from louisiana. We have four delicious seasons. Shrimp, crab crawfish and oil. So why yall having all this . Theyre all going to rain out here, yall should be getting something out of it. Okay, but what gives me hope . I think our young people. Yeah, and people continue to underestimate. You know what i told my students yesterday . I said, if you dont stand in your power, someone will take it away. So how do you encourage people to understand that they help power as citizens to change the outcome of anything whether its, you know, your local city council races, you know your state, your state lawmakers, you can change it because we have power. So im to ask you that question and then im a talk like a woman for 5 minutes since youre on the the all woman, all women panel i think young are especially in this day and theyre extraordinary i think to just know i know im not im not old per se but i look at what generations after me how theyve navigated life and the pressures that they are under the way that social media has changed how information is shared and you know theres a reason why the you know suicide rate amongst younger people is at an all time high. Its a very different culture than one that i came up in. Certainly not just 20 years ago. And i see so many kids out there. I think theyre kids, but theyre young adults who who are making a difference who are leveraging the tools of the 21st century to amplify voice, to not just accept things, not just accept us at school, to the status quo into place, that its not going right now. I mean, were seeing in the last week alone, two very rich, powerful, dominant, white men in donald trump and Vince Mcmahon be held accountable for their abhorrent treatment of women right. I think, you know, for for all the things that are going wrong or us feel bad, theres lot going on. Right. And that is progress when youre seeing the powerful elite and privileged basically being told in the corner, a lot of sit down and shut up. That is astounding. Thats extraordinary. That is something that 20 years ago we cannot imagine those of people being held accountable that way how many men served on that jury in new york, that just awarded jean carroll. Dont give him the answer. And i love you so much, baby. Do they come in. My outrage over your shoes. But i will try. I think all of us have a strong shoe game, right . We got to look. Im not. I cant afford them unless they at the rack. But mean you know what surprised there were there were and it was a non jury jury and of the nine were men. Yeah seven. So wow the former disgrace twice impeach president sitting with 91 indictments. Yep was sitting there it was men who wrote this story and im always impressed that is i tell my students it took a revolution of course to establish our democracy, but it also took a civil war to allow us to believe that we have rights as citizens under law. But we failed to understand the lifeblood of democracy is the right to vote that so important and the right to on juries. And until the midseventies, i think it was 1971 women could not serve on juries right across the country in some places, women had no right to get a credit card in their own name until the 19 late seventies and. Sexual harassment guidelines not written until after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, which is not the civil right. Yeah, the Civil Rights Act of 64, which was the first time we outlawed sex discrimination. So this is recent. Now, he wont tell you his age, but im over. You know. Hell, yeah. And i can still drive. Dont ask me to put some in gears because yall know i can go uphill. And down here, ive always knew when to park, but im just. Whats wrong . You dont know how to park. We have to talk afterwards because im going to off of you. But look, kirk, were just beginning to become a more Perfect Union. Yes. I mean, we didnt start out as one. I know some people dont understand. Well, the civil war was fought, but i cant. History lessons and one out but were a young yeah and youre young youre than me im 40. Well im 64 baby and. You know when the when the beatles came out when im 64. If you need me and you feed me i mean john lennon. No idea i was coming up soon. Im still a beatle, if not by the hair, by the , because i shake it up. But were young nation still. Yes. And how do you see this future and how important it is to have a vision when it comes to american politics and culture . Well, i think thats the thing that i think republicans seem to not understand. The republicans always talk about wanting to go back. They want to go back words what they are the slogan make America Great again. Its their vision of greatness is a time you could vote before, a time that you could serve as the top Upper Echelon of your profession and chosen vocation before you even have the right to have a vocation thats where they want to take us. I think that encouraging to me again, especially about the young people you is this understand that we have a lot work to do that that that the work to pursue more Perfect Union is never complete. It is an ongoing effort whether its in our culture, whether its in our workplaces whether its in our homes, whether its in the way that technology has evolved, way that we just live in this world. This is something that were going struggle with and that we are going to have to be diligent on and ever. Is that work completed . Theres always a way that we could be better, always a way that we could better serve one that we could be more fair to one another, that we could be more compassionate one another. And when i look at the next of kids that are coming up and that are going to be the future leaders in our country, i see a lot of that ethos built within them, that understanding. So women are the majority of voters with a majority of College Graduates can go on and on and on. But you all know we have power right . I dont have to give that because. That would not be a top. It would a sermon. Yall want to know about. Okay. No, i shouldnt do my sermon because know what . Catholic women always want to take the robe like candle. Get the sermon going. Every time i preach up and do a homily, im like to come, you know, yall need some freedom here because i want somebody to light my fire or keep it going right . So we have this power. We are powerful. We dont use our power. What a majority. And yet only 26 of members of congress are female. Yep. State lawmakers across the country, 3 in some states. In my native, were finally getting a 20 . I was telling sheila this morning of the fortune 500 companies, only nine of those companies have more than 40 Corporate Board members. And so were still being treated as equal under. The law and i dont even want to talk about a boss reproductive rights the right to choose. You know, i try to keep myself guarded because im like, dont mess with me. The my body. This is my body. My choice to. Stay out of my business. Amen. And right now, right now, where the majority of my where they reside and states, if they and, god forbid, if they were victims, sexual assault, rape that led to a pregnancy, they could not get an abortion. No exception. So thats when people say, oh, theres an exception in this. So how do women cope . Youre a political operative. You know, politics. How do women begin to own their power and begin to make the decisions that will enable the country to continue, grow or, as you say, become that Perfect Union . How do we do it . I think that we saw some of that already start happening after. The elections that weve seen post roe being overturned, post dobbs everyone under the sun goes on tv who prognosticate for a living. Its going to be a bloodbath for democrats. Its going to be a red wave. Republicans are going to win 60, 70 seats in the midterms all these things. And not one of them seem to calculate the fact that, hey, maybe the largest constituency in the country is pretty and that much old guys are telling what they can and cant do with their bodies maybe thats i think go down so well at the polls and thats what happened on the midterms that night there was no red wave it was barely a ripple. We democrats picked up senate seat, for crying out loud. Then we saw in other subsequent elections in red states, we saw the governor of stay democrat. We saw glenn youngkin. The the poster for what the Republican Party be posttrump we saw that stay blue we saw the state houses stay blue. We have seen in red and blue states ever was overturn massive spike in democrat turnout massive spike in women showing up to vote. And these are the things and this is why i hate conversations that revolve around polls let me tell you something the women that are whats going on in this country, theyre not sitting by the phone talking to a pollster. 45 minutes on a random tuesday night. They just arent. They got Better Things to do. Theyre theyre taking care of the kids. Theyre working on their careers. Theyre trying to take their household and just keep it in one piece during frickin carpool and soccer games and all things that, i mean, women have like five vacations at once, make it barely get through one vacation in one piece. Okay, lets be real. Yeah. So were already seeing the activity engagement of not just democrat, not just like this. One of those things where doesnt matter what party you are, women, youre being told what to do with your body. You are. They are trying to control and dominate you. And when theyre just theyre just not going to have. I love that. Hey, were not going to have it. And i get were not going to have it. Thank for that. But what will it take again and im going to this the heart of what we talk about in our world and that is what will it take for us to hear the music, the message, the lyrics and can do to. I mean, i feel like the American People i know they are tuned out the politics. I know because when i go home and i try get the best bottle of titos and i get cranberry juice lemon juice pineapple whatever you want to put in your and if all of his on sale at costco will i get the big about and i have nieces and nephews over and they dont really want to talk politics and they on to donna the cook which of course i yeah but it reminds me that people dont want to deal with the dirtiness politics or as we say the messiness but if they know whats happening and the progress were making and the fights that were having for them, then theres going to be a disconnect. People are going to say, oh, why bother home . This is why i think among many reasons what republicans and right wing maga media are doing right now with taylor swift is politically and tactically the state put this thing i think that i may if ever seen because they are taking the the icon that has more reach and and impact act with the constituency. But listen i went to one of those concerts this summer in pittsburgh i saw the spectacle that is a taylor swift show. It is unlike anything i have ever seen and i am not her demographic. Admittedly. And i was blown away. And so in politics we have this. I always remember one of my mentors told me, never anything that incites and motivates the oppositions base why would you do that . And here we have right now republicans something that stretches beyond the day day conversation that happens amongst junkies like us, that stretches the pages of the New York Times beyond whats on cnn, fox msnbc, but something that every Single Person who follows and music and, any woman who is certainly under the age of 50 has on their phone via their social media that follows this woman they are seeing this bombardment of attacks of ism and sexism and just ugliness and and theyre seeing it in places they normally wouldnt see political conversations. Theyre seeing it in a very organic. And its a conversation thats happening and own social circles like republicans are basically taking out a giant billboard to every woman in america, saying, just sit down, shut up and watch game. And i think thats just to backfire massively because of the person decided to attack has such a reach beyond normal politics. Well shes also pretty in some of these other people just not pretty. But what was the song i want song . I mean, is it Janet Jackson . What have you done for me lately . I mean, you know, some some days i think joe biden should just hop in my car is paid for and we go down to the local grocery store. I can say, what have you done for me lately . Youve finally got to egg prices. 2 to 6 deny because when they were five nine that i stopped cooking with eggs. Okay i dont know what was going on with chicken. I want no chicken in my backyard . But im like, whoa. I give up eggs. I put on my for giving up eggs. But i didnt it up while juan stayed steady, by the way, which was good. But then from the eggs, you had to go to the chickens. Yeah, because people were at chickens. The price of chicken. What have you done for me lately. Theyre going down. Okay. Even the of jiffy corn bread. At one point during covid was 0. 82 went down to 0. 55. And this past christmas it was 0. 52. Okay okay, so things have changed and. I want wont talk to you all about gas because you know california theres no easy way to talk about gas prices right. All right. I get that. But i have an easy way. I used to leave my house in washington dc 3. 3 miles north of the white house and drive over to maryland, virginia just to save 0. 15. I did. I mean, it adds up when you get ten, 12 gallons of gas. Now i can drive to the corner. Californians cant fathom another state to get gas. They cant even imagine what say. Thats why i say i cant have this conversation, but im just so inflamed it is coming down oc yes, the rents still too high. We know that there are other factors that lead people not to believe that the economy. But there was this huge headline other day thats why i want to get a song and the headline was the us is doing than everybody else. Yeah. So what is the sell . Whats love to do it. You know, im gonna stick out like when i mean look look aretha aint no way. Like i told my nieces and nephews when said they might support donald trump. Aint no what. Ill kill you before you leave my house. I did, aretha. Yall know i was going to do reach out. Ill be there for diana ross. Ive done too much. Diana ross, my life. So whats the song that is . I feel youre young. I want you young people to solve the problem. I can retire. Okay. Get me off stage until you do your own work. Every young person you want to follow my footsteps work as hard as i do i mean. And by the way, when i feel you come, i will move out the way. But i dont see you at me at. 44 of the electorate is under the age of 40. You. Yep. Your generation. You asked yall that song. Were going to be in a whole lot of trouble. We will. I mean, thats why i think was just. Oh, well, let me tell you something. Im joe biden right now. Im im that campaign. All im doing is taylor swift entire album on a loop, every rally. Are you kidding me . Come on love a you want to see the right lose their mind watch joe biden walk on stage to any taylor swift song and they will just go up to collectively i will put on my raybans and put those little white things in my ear and Earpods Airpods airpods. But im putting that in my ear because i still can hear and i will go and i will go and just, you know, how some people just sit on the corner and do and people are like, whats wrong with him . Because they always said, whats wrong with his . Hes hes feeling his swift moment. Yeah. I mean, i would really miss one because psychologic it would hurt. It would stem but back to hope that having a song we all open up for questions and then we got 20 minutes you your generation can lead this and wage that my generation what we was we knocked on the door and say open it up. Mm. Now some people want to kick us out because they dont like i said, i was not telling anybody leave the room, was saying get another chair. Yeah. You hear what i said. Another chair and. Were freaking out over that just like were freaking out over books that we should all read. Look i read the bible three times. Im still reading for a great interpretation, but i would never ban it because i cant abide by all ten command, which i tried. I looked at them, i read, understood them, but thats why im catholic. I go to bless me. Father said, what about you you . So. It is a womans panel with our male. Im just here the show, baby. I wish i can cook up something for you because you would stay longer. I would. Yeah, but i just. That if we dont have a north star and the way we the people, not the politicians, not we, the partizans. But we the people, if theres not a common that links us together, what what will it i mean, we dont have jfk. We dont have we have Ronald Reagan with we dont have fdr. Whats whats that seed that we need to plant in each other so that this fall, when the election days begin, we feel like were about to harvest Something Better for ourselves and the country. Whats that . I think that seed is the word choice. I think its the the ability to still have in this country the choice to choose what your health care should be, the choice to go to a school where youre not worrying about your kid getting shot or killed and coming home that day. I think its about the to have the choice to choose or not. You want to stay in the workplace or get out of the workplace to, work at a place that pays you a decent wage, a living wage, a wage thats a little bit better than getting by. I think its about the choice of what book am i going to read at School Republicans . Their entire platform is about taking choices away from all of us. And if im democrats and im president biden, im looking for one thing that can cut through all the noise, that can cut through all the b. S. That we hear all over the place, the pollution we hear thats all over our phones its the word choice. Okay. So. I love that. Ill call freedom, but ill come up with my own music and, figure out a good dance. At this point in the program, i want to open it up to to you, youve been kind enough to be with us. So any comments . Do we have mikes . Is somebody pretending to be oprah here that were going to make . Go ahead. Its better as the question about, you know, were getting the power is what we do for i think its where i find myself. The president walking past it that is coming. Of course, ill be remiss if i didnt. Oh, oh, she she asked if she to know, is it time for us to have a female president . It is time says time, which and it should have happened in 2016 and it may happen. It may happen again. I think we will have a female nominee again. And one of the Major Political parties and you know, im going to say something, if im controversial, you can send me home and okay, ill have my one tonight. And by by Vice President harris, it has been underestimated it as well. Thank you. Were three, which i, i, i want to say to many of you who are california and i know you elected her as your attorney general and united senator and she is not disappointed us as Vice President. I think the first female Vice President , when we finally start writing the books. And who knows, i may have to write me a book about it because im gonna be truthful. Yeah, okay. Because i had one encounter that i said, and i think, sheila, i need a lawyer now. You know, i got upset. One day because i found myself work and work and work and and i dont work for the Democratic Party. I dont have i havent had a job with the Democratic Party since i was 40 when i ran al gores campaign. All this has been some volunteer stuff, right . Even when i was chair, the Party Getting death threats, i was a volunteer vice chair for eight years under obama, a volunteer. So if i feel like im out getting my you know what kicked because im out here and somebody else im weekends what Vice President also up for Immediate Release the president and that theyre not working this week theyre not working i got go do a Democratic Party dinner i no, theres no worse than a Democratic Party dinner. Maybe they have steaks at the republican, but , we always get that chicken. Thats so the , the move. All right so you never putting them up because you know, it might clock something. So i said to myself, why am i working so hard . Why so call the Vice President . People say shes not working. She needs to be working. So and they oh, well, you know, work. We have to spend money. Well spend some money. I for Vice President and ran his president ial campaign so get her her out so lo and behold so i make the decision that her first big weekend should be at essence fest down in new and i went to essence in new orleans and you know happened she did a fabulous job shes great shes great on her feet she delivered the message and then a week later the Vice President s gone on her next trip i covered i call it black girl magic i it she was out there chicken hands everybody was doing their thing and i got so excited. See her out there. Shes doing a fantastic job. You might not see the coverage because the coverage that you see even with the president is so limited, its so filtered through. But shes done a fabulous not just here but abroad where shes leaving to go to germany. Shell shes been representing our country at many of these Major Conferences even on climate this past this past summer. So i dont think shes getting half the credit. But then again, i wouldnt i wouldnt suspect that the first woman anything would get credit because know the obstacles in the women face when they step out and say, i want to become look at nikki haley. I, i dont agree with nikki haley on a lot of things clearly. But the some of the vitriol i know they aimed at a Hillary Clinton and a bunch of democratic women, you know, but the way that shes been attacked and told to leave the stage, no man would be told leave the stage at the to contest, especially when hes leading about 15 delegates at this point, i wouldnt give it up. I would give it up when i felt like i had no money and no reason run. But because shes a woman, shes being told a horror story. You got get out the race now. Were going to have a female president one day. But right now we have a female Vice President. And im sticking with kamala. People keep saying, oh, were going to replace with michelle obama. Michelle obama dont want nothing to do none of this. Shes like, been there. First lady got the poetry by. But i also that we have to begin to encourage women especially to think running for president. Mm hmm. Okay. And im not saying in the bar b world run for president. Prepare yourself. Start preparing young women today to become public. I didnt have role models as a child growing up that could prepare me to a president ial campaign, but i sure believed that someone out there would give me that opportunity because i had to to do it because i wanted to do something for my country. And yet today we tell have the population we dont need you. Thats just crazy. So weve got to start preparing young women to now and that day will come and by the way its going to happen in my lifetime. So i got to dress ready to lose a little house, you know, everybody i said, move away from the table i say that when im cooking, hey, im on being another question comment. Yes. How yall doing . And then come to you stand up so everybody can try to hear you. Thank you for being here today. I wondered if you could speak a little bit to the women who are part of the campaign and i will tell you that on sunday morning, i make myself watch a bunch of different news shows, many of which, you know, i want to hear the other side and what theyre hearing and what ive noticed is you were one of the only people on sunday morning who comes out with the facts of what has happened during this presidency. And i dont understand why the party doesnt push more that information out there. Everyone to hear. Well, well, you repeat a question, because i the substance but he might know the the the real me what she said essentially was as she watches the various programs like all the sunday shows democrats arent necessarily at actually pushing out whats really happened. What this president is actually doing what the accomplishments are why is it that democrats arent good at thats i have heard that over and over and over and over again as, as i know donna has. And speaking again now as a former republican, i have always felt that republicans were better at messaging than democrats. And i think part of that has do with with the media the way that its constructed, the media as it functions. They they have a bias towards wanting to appear not bias. And in doing so you see a lot of both sides isms you see the media republicans have done an excellent job the refs and making them feel selfconscious about being in the tank for for for democrats you hear that term elite liberal progressive media Mainstream Media in the republican world, Mainstream Media is a bad word. And so time and again have seen reporters and and programs. Ben over backwards trying to appear bias and at some point along the way the media collectively has to understand telling the truth reporting the truth, reporting the facts calling, a lie, a lie. Calling someone who espouses lies. Liar. Thats not partizan. Thats not being for one side or against another. Thats just calling it. It is. And i feel like to this day after, all that weve seen seven years into the donald trump experiment here, theyre still struggling with that, still ask themselves, well, how much of donald trump should we broadcast should we call this a lie or . Should we just say this is what he said and leave it at that . Do we have a responsibility . Is it news because hes the nominee to just say what he said and not weigh in . That is an incredible in my disservice to the American People to to our republic. It was said the stage yesterday that if the media has a bias it should be biased towards democracy and that should be the filter in the lens in which they talk about and write about the events that they are chronicling. You know, don, it is fascinating to me because this is someone who has whether its at abc, cnn, fox, the inside out. And i think that we can all agree that that is a very Broad Spectrum that is represented by those news institutions. And, you know, donna, has made what i think are courageous choices in her media career, deciding along the way, you know what, fox this whole thing has gone too far. Im walking. Im not doing that. Im not appearing on that air, giving that validity and that credibility anymore. That is one of the bravest things ive seen someone do, because this business let me tell you something, people dont walk away from money voluntarily that that is not a thing that generally happens. And when you do that, theres not always the guarantee that theres another pot of money waiting you. Youre just youre just taking that on conscience. And i admire that so much about you is that you exemplified what it is to be guided by conscience, no matter the reputational harm may no matter what the financial harm may be, no matter. I mean, there is an alternate universe, donna, where youre richer than everybody in this room. Probably. Right . I mean, come on. And you time and again have chosen republic and what is best your heart for this country instead of taking the paycheck and the fame and all the things that come with that. And so i know well, you know, if if if it occurred, if karl rove walked into this room right now, some of you might know karl rove. Rove will tell you im the most expensive day he ever had in his life. And i love that because it was that opportunity in my life that i got to know exactly who i was as a human being. You know, theres theres something in your life that will always bring you this far down. And then there are other things that could just make you hit the floor. And how do you come back when you hit the floor and how do you come back not knowing that if you get back up, youll be able to stand. And that moment for me came when Hurricane Katrina made landfall. Louisiana and up until that point and ill get the tv point. But this is the reason why i love being on television. I had no idea where my family, i didnt know. Some of them decided to go. They got to houston, orlando, birmingham, even little rock and some of them had to get rescued. A lot of a lot them had to get rescued. And i had to go on national tv basically to beg the government, not just of the United States, but the government of and every government in to go and get the people. Because i knew there still people there and many of them drowned over 1800 people. But a of them just kept waiting, waiting for someone to come and rescue them. And for the first time in my adult life had made it, i felt the pain of growing up in poverty theres nothing like being. Theres nothing like knowing that all you can eat and that you cant get that extra cracker slice of bread and the humility that comes when you dont have much money. So i know poverty. Its a know poverty. And boy, i did not like. And so i felt like i had go and talk to george bush and yall all know what was going in my head. Im like, i got to go talk to george and and everything that you can imagine. I was thinking in my head and i picked up the phone to all to four or five six, 2020 called karl rove and said, ive got to come see you. And i went to see. And when i left there, i knew that i didnt have to call on the government no more because the president heard me that the people needed help and i didnt want to wait for the political party, a Democratic Party, a republic. I said, you are the president of the United States, and to make it real him. I wrote a column on september 25th, 2005, and the washington post. Mr. President , how can i help you . I lost my black card because of that. You have a lose a black car window. Black people in virginia called you with them. People all these years. And , i cant even go to dinner. I lost. I didnt go to not one. So seale i had nobody give me no money to give no speech. Okay, but she did help me out, you know, and really appreciate you because you even know i was my bottom and i had to get back up because i had to help. Not just my family, my community, my country, my country you cant lose the gulf coast and expect to have a United States of america. What other state in the United States, all the tributaries from all the 17, 18 rivers. And it comes all the way down the gulf. And finally we get drink it and make gumbo out of it. I mean, louisiana special. Right. But i spent three years talking to george bush. Big george bush congeal and george buds wagon. And george bush even gave me a kiss. I said, dad, dont do that. Then ive lost my reputation in my community because im hanging out with you. But i learned the big lesson that i cant judge people just simply of their partizanship i cant. Of course, the race should never matter to me, to him. And i grew up in louisiana sometimes we had people born in our family. We sure thats child some people have freckles, seriously, you know, and you go to louisiana, you said ive been hanging out with bunch of white people not all those black people get to know that. Did you watch what they. Uh huh they black all right. Theyre just passing. They look in my white, we call it the paper bag test. But i said i, i really got to respect him as, a human being. And so when im on top vision and im blessed to be on television, i grew up when color of my skin was supposed be one one other sin i had i was black i was poor. I was female. And then i came with dark hair and it was very nappy at the time. Just great now. All right silver fox. Oh, but ill look at america through the lens of the harlem through middle america. I know my country. I love my country. Ive been to 49 states and some states this state so many times i can i pay taxes. I actually do pay taxes here. All right. So but i love my country the same way my dad love this country and my grandfathers and my uncles, they fought for this country and came home and had no right to vote. How you will put somebody on the line. I said, give me your blood, give me your time. And then they come home and they got to go sit at the back of the bus. They call things and how you go, how you dont treat them like that and say, thats you, my dad and mom did a doggone good job raising their not kids. They made us respect that full of every human being to love this country, nothing else. And to believe in america. And because of that, i look and i say, im not going to tell that person that theyre around to support. Im going to try to talk to them and listen to them and, see what i can tell them. Many of the who voted for donald trump in 2016 have voted for barack obama. Joe got a lot of them back in 2020. So we cannot toss them out. We have to bring them in. They live on the ill what i call the live on the of hope. And if we dont bring them into the circle opportunity, they see all of us as their enemies but they dont see us as believing in them because. We look down on people if they dont have things, we dont bring them in. If they dont look a certain way, weve done, we have to make sure that we each others brothers and sisters. And you know, i was reading this morning because i read scripture day, i tell you, i wanted to be a priest. Mom told me i couldnt because i was a girl. I said, well, without a girl jesus wouldnt exist exist without girls. Nobody would have lived to see not just a crucifixion, but not a resurrection. The men in the upper room because they left, because they were scared. But the women stayed. Talks about it that way. See would be a good priest. Because i tell you the truth. Mary was a single mom until joseph came. Okay, and look how strong she was. Why are we telling women they be anything so i go back to this notion, have to believe in one another. We started out what gives us hope. We should find hope in each other and if we dont love each other. And love is not a bad thing. Guys love really wonderful. Love is spiritual, is knowing that we are better than this and thats what we have to find in each. And thats when i talk to america on a sunday, i try to look my best. I tried to have my hair comb and the right makeup people. , fox. Whatever it takes because i want to give some chow like myself or some mother like my mother that opportunity to no girl. I hear you ive got your back and boy youtube. So let me just say i know that were supposed to end on time but i to end with that last question right here. Oh, we got to oh, i got to. Okay. If i get in trouble. Your fault. Sure. Thoughts on the Supreme Court. I thought oh, oh. No, no, no. This needs to be into wine. No, i mean, i am very concerned that a63 court room remember, i have the biggest i have bush v gore, so its very difficult for me to give you an honest, nonemotional answer. Ive seen a Supreme Court stop to count ive seen the Supreme Court. You the statues of the the civil war to not allow the counting to continue. There was enough time i saw that court. And by the way, they said would never be a precedent again like that. This worries me and what might happen next month. Well, next next 30, to be exact february and. Remember the Supreme Court, the colorado case dealing with the insurrection act, the 14th amendment, the third clause. And then we have the d. C. Court of appeals, immunity. So we have a lot of work to do. I dont have a lot of i have a faith in institution perhaps not all of the justices and we got one last one before all we have to go. Oh, you cut them up. I dont know know. We do