Transcripts For CSPAN2 Symone Sanders No You Shut Up 20240712

To participate in various events like fellow happy hours and speaker events. This spring i took a course entitled 2020, passed to the presidency or he dove into political theories and primary campaign strategies. I was looking forward to connecting topics explored in professor johnsons class. I am pleased to introduce our guests tonight, Symone Sanders Senior Advisor to joe bidens president ial campaign and author of no, you shut up. Speaking truth to power in america. As a fellow woman of power i am encouraged by her political leadership, passion for social change and representation and that places historically kept that women of color. Shes a political strategist who at 25 became the youngest president ial press secretary on record with 20 sanders 2016 president ial campaigns with 16 Young Americans shaping the 2016 election. Simone unapologetically fights for juvenile Justice Reform. Invites for our passion spread we are thrilled to have simone with us tonight to discuss her new book on the 2020 campaign trail. During tonights event please share your thoughts on social media using the political page turners and bite tagging politics. Tonight political page turners event will be moderated by executive director, moe is going to check a soft drink tickets operates thank you so much for the introduction. And congratulations on your graduation just like what 48 hour signal . Welcome to the gu alumni community. I want to welcome everyone whos tuning in via social media platforms, youtube, and to merge the Georgetown Community who are participating via zooms is going to. Interesting conversation and a fun conversation with one of the more interesting speakers we have had here. One piece of house came before we get started, for those of you in the Georgetown Community who are participating via zoom, you will get a chance to ask your questions if you look at the bottom start to type in your questions and type in them now as we transition to the student q a portion someone from the team will let you know when you are up keep an eye on the chats. That is where they will tell you and once they tell you you are up, as we say be camera ready with that, lets get started. I am very pleased to welcome back, Symone Sanders. I think this is your third time of addressing parade the first time on campus a couple years ago, then it couple days before the iowa caucus with a number of the students we brought out to iowa so welcome back. I am glad to be here. I have yet to have the pleasure to be a fellow. If you politics maybe i will get geopolitics on my card like are you with the georgetown . And im we are like one Big Happy Family these are busy days for you we will get to that shortly. Alright, you wrote a book. How you wrote a book in the middle of a president ial campaign, it is released tomorrow so we are one of the first previews here tonight. So tell us a little bit about what motivated you to write the book. I am particularly interested in the title. No, you shut up. Because i cant imagine anyone telling you to shut up. [laughter] welt moe you are wise but they are people who are not quite so wise. Im really happy to be here. I never thought of myself as a writer i was represented by my United Talent when i was my agents when i was a commentator on tnn someone from the Book Department came to me and said people want to know if you want to do a book and i said i have no plans to do a book i dont know what i would write about. We had a couple conversations and up speaking with harpercollins and my amazing editor from harpercollins, she is you need to write this book. And i said sarah, i dont know. We were having these conversations mid 2018. By the end of their we settled down we were doing this book, we had an ambitious timeline at a draft in four months they wanted by spring of 2019. At the end of 2018, i didnt think is going on the campaign trail. Obviously. And in that day in april i decided to work for Vice President bidens president ial campaign. Most of my book was actually done by the time is on the campaign trail. In the book i tell couple stories about why i joined the campaign, my first disastrous tv interview im sure the reclaiming america it comes from an interview i did on cnn. It was post charlottesville so we were having a conversation on cnns new day. This is back when chris cuomo was on the morning show it was a while back. And now we know chris has a nighttime show. This was around 730 in the morning it was myself, former attorney general of virginia who is now in the trump administration, and chris cuomo we were having a conversation, they are saying things that were not correct and i said thats not true, chris cuomo said explain what you mean. He started explaining and he was talking about charlottesville thing it really just started because some people on the permit and out other folks were trying to make it something its not. This disaster the images of neonazi white supremacist marching on the streets of virginia and i jumped in and i said and now someones dead. And they said would you just shut up and let me speak. And then shes all, how do you get them to stop talking . They keep jumping in. Who is them and who is that . I never forgot being told to shut up before people had their cocoa puffs of the morning. I was embarrassed, i was incensed because i knew i was 35 in my name is tommy i probably would not have been told to shut up on National Television by anyone, let alone the former attorney general of virginia. So i always carried that with me i think a lot of time so many people out there been given the proverbial shut up. Thats why talk about in the book i kick it off and i talk about so many of us have given the proverbial shut up. Now the time we have to speak up and not shut up. So i guess, thank you because without him i would not of had a book title. Who would ever say he was your inspiration . Who knew, who knew. See what is doing the math this morning and i should know better than to ever do the mouth. When i did my first president ial campaign, you are i think in grade school. [laughter] i think back to how i was when i was in my early to mid 20s getting started. I was a young, i was hungry, i wanted to get into the game. But i kind of followed the steps they say you are supposed to follow. I wish i had read your book, back then. Because i think you give a lot of good advice to particularly young people. And anybody who really hasnt had the opportunity to have the political voice raise, to have advice on having it hurt or having to set themselves up. You do it very somatically. I want to touch on a couple of those themes. And then let you run with it. One of the things i thought was interesting this is later in the book summit will start later in the book and work my way back. The notion of get out of line. Think you can read that a couple of different ways what meet get out of line means. Talk about what that meant to you. Guest you dont moe, i think ive always been a line jumper im from omaha nebraska, north omaha nebraska its the Congressional District that gave obama in 2008 but the rest of nebraska is not into Democratic Politics. I knew for a really long time i wanted to work in politics. I realized early on, shortly after i graduated to get a day and National Politics in omaha nebraska. I did not have the opportunity to participate in the of the standard programs people participate in. I never interned for my congressman or my senator. I was out of boot camp sellout i did not have an in there were no avenues, natural avenues for me to it get into d. C. Politics. So get out of line, that chapter is really about taking unconventional ways like stepping out of line if you need to get to places you want to be. I can apply to business, politics especially for young people like me your young person of color summit who does not come from a lot of means, a woman, you have to be willing you could be the best, you can be the smartest, you could have the best ideas out of everyone but they still may not pick you. Whoever the proverbial they is. I have if i literally waited my career for someone to pick me we would not have this conversation, ive not of wrote a book. I would not be super active in this election to get donald trump out of the white house parades are getting out of line is necessary especially for young people. So often times that chapter i talk about how doctor king took risks. I think we remember reverend Martin Luther king junior and the reality was he was a breathtaking pungent risk taker he understood if you wanted to turn the tide of wellmeaning white people in the north to what was happening in the south in the fight to fight for the right to vote, he had to make sure they saw what was happening. So doctor king had black folks dress up in their sunday best and go down to the courthouse on thursday or friday and try to vote knowing they would be beaten, the dog would be six of them, turned on them, and had cameras there and that radios it was a strategy, doctor king had a take a risk to get out of line for the movement. Im all about getting out of line when necessary, ladies and gentlemen, i think is absolutely pertinent, especially for young people that want to do this its cool to be a changemaker damper to president obama got elected everybody wanted to be a committee organizer, now you want to be an activist in a changemaker the reality is you happy willing to be original. Host when i give career advice to georgetown students i would tell them you have to be willing to put in the hard work, the grunt work, the clicks, weve all done that but at the same time know what you want and go get it. You talk about that. You talk about knowing what you want and asking for. Even when you dont think is attainable to ask for it and go for it. I was struck by the story with your first meeting with senator sanders. You were really new in the business. Two i was fresh sender sanders is my first president ial i think at that point i had worked 14 or 15 campaigns. Fourteen campaigns but not not a president ial or campaign at all. Host talk about that was like, walk again, getting the call out of the blue saying they wanted to talk you go in and be with senator sanders, what was that like . Guest yet to read the book to get the lead up, but somehow i find myself on my way to senator sanders office, luckily i had a blazer in my car. Young people, always keep a blazer in your car. I was running around the hill of the day doing without a blazer. So i get in my car i go over to his office, and as is just he and i. Were sitting down like cracked a joke about having the same last name and we talked about everything you can imagine. This was the summer of 2015 he asked about nebraska, the work that i had done and he talks about National Politics and the campaign in the news at the time. And then we end up getting into an argument basically. If anyone has ever, he will often say you have a fundamental misunderstanding. Three told me i had a fundamental misunderstanding and i said well i dont think you understand what im trying to say. Though he me engage in a dialogue with him about Economic Policy how it is intertwined with other issues its class, race and all these other things and we ended up in a good place with the end of our conversation we reconciled we were not having an argument anymore, the senator told me he liked me and i said i like you too. They said i think i went to work here in a semi think i want to work hereto. Then senator sanders asked me something no one else had asked me before. This is my 209th interview and he asked me if i had an idea of what id like to do. And without hesitation he said yes i would like to be the National Press secretary. I would like to be on the record spokesperson and i like them ahead of messaging strategies. [laughter] and just like that. And he left me just like your laughing and he looked at me and he was like and i told my want to Cable Television. He was i could be redone Cable Television before . I said no, sir but i do believe though be very good at it. That was a thursday, i get a call on a tuesday, and its jeff weaver telling avenue got a job. And not only to have a job, i said with my job title jeff, and he said National Press secretary. So i would say the lesson and that is, it is not every day that a sitting United States senator called you it also happens to be running for president and you happen to have a chance to speak candidly with the United States senator and work for his campaign. So everybody does not have Bernie Sanders. I think we all have a similar encounter. The question is when your opportunity comes, do you have an answer . And how may times the young people out there when someone asks you what for dinner everybodys like like oh, i dont know im unsure. We asked what kind of vegetable do it for dinner hes like i dont know is that you do know what vegetable do it. He says carrots and green beans and french fries. While french fries not a vegetable but he had an answer. Not only have an answer but ask for what it is we want not what we think someone is going to give us. Ask for what we deserve. So many times we ask for the things right up under the thing we really want because we think the thing we really want is too much. We cant ask for that is not proper once ask for this down here and maybe we can work our way up here. I own a shoe for on the moon. It is knowing what you want for dinner. Often times when son asks you what you want for dinner you know. So just tell the people what you want for dinner. You might not get it but maybe you will. Ask for what you want. Host one of the themes in the book strikes me as i listen to talk it applies to making change right . That when you are out there is an advocate youre kind of shooting for the stars policy change or political change or chapter four a radical revolutionary its about shooting for the stars. Because otherwise you dont get there. Two exactly. I mean look i say this in the book, change cant wait, you have to be willing since always tells us we can do hard things. You have to be willing to do hard things. Radical revolutionaries, doctor king is that radical revolutionary, you, moe, was a radical revolutionary. How did the institute of politics in georgetown come about . Some people got together and said is there reason we cannot do this . And maybe better than the other people into it in her own way . Lets build something from the ground up. I remember when the institute of politics started prayed we have to figure out ways that we can be a radical revolution or minor everyday space and place. Sometimes being a radical revolutionary speaking of that uncomfortable moment. Sometimes being a radical revolutionary is about speaking somebody elses truth who is not in the room to do for themselves. There are ways, i wrote a book my radical revolutionary his campaign. At one point in time i needed to be on cnn explaining to america, the world is why people were on the streets dying in why it was important to do xyz. Now it is my job to speak to my colleagues and my boss about why its important what we can do about to support these people and their cause. Thats my radical revolutionary contribution. That might not be someone elses mission. Everybody needs to find their pieces of pie. We also try to be radical revolutionaries enter everyday safe places. Change cant wait change takes time to change because of the strategy. Sometimes cant change because they dont know strategy. Host just a reminder to the students you can start to submit your questions by clicking on the q a tab at the bottom of the screen. We will be moving to student questions shortly. Symone, we will get to the student question soon. Symone, one of the things you keep coming back to in the book, are some really compelling stories about the sometimes implicit, often times explicit biases whether its because you are young, black, woman young black woman, speak to all of those combined. So many people that are tuning in dill these biases themselves whether its because they are young people dont take them seriously or because of their skin color. For much of me moe is short for mohammed. Theres a lot of challenges with that. So im curious, you tell some stories some very harrowing but one that stuck with me was here you are not quite the apex because you are still a setting, he finally made it big you are the National Press secretary for major president ial campaign. You traveled with the candidate you are sitting next to the candidate and they try to keep you out of the room. That was a state trooper. The state trooper try to keep you out of your room. Let me touch on that story a little bit. Your advice on how to overcome this bias . Guest wow. I think i rarely told the story before i put it in the book. What happens i can put the book that will help somebody. Again folks, get the book. Long story short we are someplace in northeastern United States of america at a rally in january 2016. We are outside transitioning to go inside so all he hears her walking back in was a state trooper i did notice a state trooper at the time are those a Police Officer maam, maam, moved the sydenham move. And i thought i wonder who that lady as i hope she moves. And i kept hearing mantoman move to the site and i thought theyre about to snatch a slave yet. I know a state trooper has his hands on me to it literally pull me this way and yanked me and im walking with the package as we called it, they try to pull me out of the package. Our trip director, paul a good friend of mine, comes across vincent excuse me to it have been issued this is the National Press secretary. The state troopers and im sorry i didnt know. And i look at him and i say because the black girl could not do this . And i turned rent everybodys like yeah bit like oh my god what is happening. They know me so there like what is she about to do a summary take a protester of the ceja couple of months ago. [laughter] see this as im talking about i look up all politic me. Or we can do as it was gotta work through the problem. We go into the building and to this day nobody else is ever said anything to me about it. Something what the state trooper was doing is okay honestly think everybody was shocked people people not even remember that encounter but seared in my brain. Its something that made me feel may be feeling a didnt belong. Someone tried to make me feel like i was out of place. A state trooper literally tried to pull me out. In 2016, she called complaining all these things, and they asked if i saw the job yesterday being paid gas about soup fired . Is it just have anything in Donna Brazile says to me i will never forget, if you cant handle this, perhaps is not the job for you. And i then quickly ended our conversation i was upset im a young millennial im upset im going to these things. Then i called her back later, couple days later. What she was saying was look, ageism, racism, if the combat every day you have to stand up to them. We have to call it out, fight for a better america, better workplace better institutions. These are also not going away tomorrow. So while we are fighting to eradicate we have to figure out how to navigate through them. If i cant handle a little bit of racism and northeast United States is a press secretary how can i hand handle it as a commentator on cnn were people will call me black supremacist, i dont know what that is but its a very nasty thing people say my email on social media how can you handle is a Senior Advisor . How can you handle it in the next thing you do . It is really important we do not allow the isms to stop us. We need to address it, navigate through, and not let people sweep it under the rug. The navigating through part is really important. I still had to go inside and do my job. I could not do an ugly boo who who cried that what i just experienced it was literally profiling. Someone assessed i did not belong in the tried to pull me out. I still had to go to work tomorrow often times yourself to go to work because going to work is how we change it. Host i love the many good pieces of advice you gave in when i wholeheartedly endorse is whatever Donna Brazile says you do. [laughter] exactly. I want to make sure we get to student questions pretty want to talk a little bit about, you talk about being radical revolutionary fighting for big things, being progressive rush unchecked revolutionary. You touch on this a little bit of the book you have to estimate your former colleagues and supporters sort of do a double take when they heard you signed with Vice President biden instead of Bernie Sanders, you talk a little bit about that thought process . And how you see that move signing out the Vice President being consistent with your long project ripping a change agent. Guest i will tell you i am really proud of what i did on senator kanders campaign. Everything i know now i would sign up and do it again, and again, and again, and again i would do it again. I stopped working for the Sanders Campaign i left it in june of 2016. But i went to the convention i started my own company because thats how i became political commentator on cnn. Then i joined up with cecil and one of his senior advisers and retooled priorities usa. I was teaching a class at usc. I taught a class with harvard when it came time to decide if i wanted on the campaign trail not for long time i was not sure i wanted to go. But i did not do spend this election cycle sitting on a panel talking about the work of the people were doing preterm either thats not enough. I am a habitual campaign staffer. I want to do everything i could to get donald trump out of office. And everything i could was not sitting on the bench. I would happily go back to my panel okay . I would happily go back. And no issues the agents are listening. Guest i wanted to get in there and do the work. I knew a lot of people would go around who are running for president there is a lot of folks. When i sat down with by senator biden, it was like i had known him for years. He was saying he articulated we are in the battle for the soul of the nation. Charlottesville is not a point for everyone around america but for him horsing for the white house, the administration, and throughout his abuse of power. If the check abuse of power. Like me Vice President biden said i want to spend this election cycle thinking what if i wouldve ran for president. I said me to it im not on what the president. I feel he believed in what he was saying he was absolutely right. Helically got it right. He is the democratic nominee. I will say that my values a lot in their political ideology what they believe rise up against a particular person whether is joe biden, Coppola Harris, or whoever. I actually dont find that productive. I think we have to have something with end results. What i believe does not change from who i work for. I still believe in equity, i believe in fairness, i believe have to do the Justice System so it serves young people and it does not further harm them. I believe in equity. I believe we have to do something about the wealth inequality in this country. What was a Public Health crisis is an and economic crisis i still dont know what donald trump was doing engendering febrile of 20 maybe he will let us know. Wrapped up in my own values that i believe that is why i can work convention, i work for being the Senior Advisory senator sanders, court for joe biden. I can work for a progressive. Know some people who dont understand and it doesnt compute for them. Hotel piece of advice i given the book as i used to not make decisions based on what other people are going to think about you. I live my life worrying about what other people are going to say i would literally never make a move. At the end of the data think i made the right decision, i feel good. Host as you should. I want to touch on that last point a little bit. You can feel good about yourself, right . I get ive been in Democratic Politics a long time one of the stories lines as democrats in disarray parade theres a sort of storyline that there is still some lingering, hesitation by people who were with senator sanders or senator warren was signing out the Vice President , the former Vice President s campaign. They dont feel like he is pure enough for them. Youve been on both sides of that. You are with senator sanders and night with the Vice President prayed what would your message be to those people who are still harboring doubts but is there way to win them over . I was the Campaign Going to make sure the parties fully unified . Guest i would say three things. Id say look at senator sanders he wholeheartedly endorse Vice President bidens not just a paper endorsement or tweets. They had a very long and wide ranging conversation about the issues. Senator sanders said before out lot of very widely lauded and told people why he is supporting Vice President biden. Why we need to get behind him why we need to rally together. And how we plan to Work Together and that is very powerful. For people who believe in what bernie is saying, Bernie Sanders is telling you why hes gotten behind joe biden. We believe it takes all of us and we are going to defeat donald trump and build on this bold progressive vision that both senator sounders and Vice President biden have together. Secondly all sales Vice President biden has said for a long time that he needs these young people that senator sanders brought in. These folks that maybe were disconnected from politics bird senator sanders, senator warren, Coppola Harris fired them. We need that enthusiasm need their ideas we cannot do this without them. This campaign is meant for anyone is counted out and knocked down we welcome you. Thats really important. The third thing i will say is our engagement to these folks is really genuine pride we talk about progressive engagement with, literally organization by organization. What i like to call with meticulous surgical precision. Next week, we are launching, or coming up with her Young American program im very excited about it. Just look out for next week, ladies and jon. But the culmination of a project folks inside the campaign up and work and since last the input of young people froms young professional folks from young officials some have been with us from the beginning and some people are who were like look i care about not only beating donald trump progress. Whats happening now did not have to be this way slips to everything we can to get on the road to or calling a biden recovery. We wont win them all but we have to try. Thats what were doing. Host semi last question before go to the students, running against an incumbent is hard. Thats a reason why not many are defeated at least in the modern era. It is got to be really much harder when you got to redefine what it means to campaign because we are all stuck in our homes and your candidate cannot go out there and do rallies, air canisters cant go doortodoor. Wondering how your reimagining campaigning and how you tackle that real challenge will still getting the message out . Guest you heard Vice President biden say recently he was on good morning america, he said he framed it as is it hurting you that you cant get out there . And Vice President biden said we were at the notion we are in a Virtual Campaign world right now because everyone is at home and thats hurting us. Gordon pretty good if you look at some of these polls because we are actively engaging. Vice president biden, have been doing virtual travel days if you will. Last week he was in florida, doctor biden are prioritizing National Media were doing roundtables smashed that interview or that show we had to get creative we fully believe Vice President biden was breaking through the message of his campaign that people are receptive to. Because joe biden is talking about a biden recover that will benefit folks. Hes highlighting and elevated the voices of frontline workers, not just talk about what he would do if he were president right now what he will do and people went to see a forwardlooking forward thinking vision. But thats what is giving them. Would be like to get out there and campaign out in the world . Absolutely. Hes chomping at the bit to get output he will go when it is safe. Will be informed by the scientists unlike other people who work at the white house, namely the president. Doing with that will get to the good questions weve got a question from mckenzie, who incidentally, symone you met on the trip to iowa. Mckenzie europe and is a reminder to on the students when i call and tell where you are in your information retuning in from. So hi. Guest i remember you. Its great to see you i am now in the College Setting government. You already talked a little bit about the struggle regarding your race and gender in the political arena. I was wondering if you could speak more to the problem being tokenized for your identity whether you have had to face that are what is sure experience of coming to terms with that . Guest thats a great question mckenzie thanks for asking it. I think the first time i had my job on the Sanders Campaign i think a lot of people looked at the headlines and said oh, senator sanders is having issues out under some people thought that for many times and many times in 2015 people have assumed that i am somewhere because im a young black person and not necessarily assume that i would be good for putting can of navigating through it to combat things show up everyday to get a good job. Whatever your job is, show up everyday picture intern ladies in general, your fellowship, your first job, show up everyday and be really good. I found myself as a Problem Solver. Sometimes you work with people who are problem indicator they can indicate a problem but you cant tell me how to process it. I like to be a probably jump Problem Solver if its a messaging if its an interview im on the political scene now with engagement groups and whatnot people value folks like additives at work. You might think here because im here because im black. But im actually here, wherever here is is because im very adept in solving problems for the last thing i will say when a 16 years old i would go around town thats lame 16 yearolds like i myself did my Business Cards that i specialize in results. I would hand my Business Card to someone in nco what kind of results . Id say whatever results you need. People got to know me around town and they said she can get results when they called me to it do things i had to do it. Several young people to really important, especially young people of color im like literally this is what the data says this is not me its the research center. Have data backup what youre saying and be confident. Often times we arent confident at work or wherever we are because we are unsure. But if we get sure about what were saying we come prepared, we get the data we get more confident in our delivery of it. I can be confident because i know i did my research and i know what im talking about. Host are right thank you for the question mckenzie up and i apologize in advance if i miss pronounce it,. [inaudible] schematic thats close. Tells her school year were zooming from. Schematic im from san diego its like north, people from san diego the cu not really from here. I am in the college i am a rising sophomore. One of the questions i have is your in the criminal Justice Reform which i thought was really great how the upheaval for Ahmaud Arbery death has shifted the focus especially black americans. I want to ask you how this a big upheaval will changes . Guest i think about the case of Ahmaud Arbery. Now were only talking about it in the wheels of the criminal Justice System in georgia are turning for Ahmaud Arbery family because we all saw the video its not because they had this video more than 75 days ago and did nothing. The Prosecutors Office down there. We know their nays, Ahmaud Arbery, breonna taylor, trevor the list goes on and on we could sit here and list a hundred folks. I think that is why, click who are elected officials are matter, who the president s matters because the president can appoint an attorney general. Excited on our task force we have who runs the Civil Rights Task force with the civil engine the attorney general and the administration is on the task force. Eric holder, department of justice is the department of justice that entered into distant decrees of places like ferguson and baltimore, its the reason changes lasting change its enduring that is the reason we have real change in some of these places because people that care, that care about community, they care about justice for all people, they were there doing the work. I think that over the course of the last couple of years, because of the viral footage which is traumatic for number people if i had to watch Ahmaud Arbery video, i had to explain what was happening but hurt me to it watch it. I do not want to have to watch things like that. We should not have to watch people of color or anyone actually but we should not have to see the black and brown bodies be murdered on video is a step towards justice. It should not be that way. But i think the fact people are seeing these videos, that we are having these very frank conversations, folks are speaking out, we talked about a number of times, it helps bring awareness. It helps create change. So the criminal Justice Task Force between the Biting Campaign in the Sanders Campaign, what comes out of this will be a foundational report for that platform drafting committee. Im excited about the conversations we are going to have. Like how young criminal justice because i am a former member of the federal criminal justice and coalition for juvenile Justice Young and emerging leaders. And very about the work were going to do congressman and justice act is one of the cochairs and i was going to put us to work. But hopefully, very hopeful will be a good foundational document we can go forward do the work and put what we all say we believe on paper. Host thanks much for the quest will try to squeeze a few more in. Bring back ashley. Im a 2020 graduate, thank you. So you mentioned earlier that change takes strategy and it takes time. I am wondering as a radical revolutionary if you ever had to compromise on your passion or mission because of the strategy and because of time and if so how you dealt with that . Speech thats a good question i dont feel like i ever had to compromise because the book i talked about having personal line between personal and professional. I think everyone should actually have a line. The line is you know when someone does x who i work with they cannot ask me this my principal my boss cannot ask me to it lie i dont care who my bosses i cannot lie. As as a professional all i have is my work. In that moment until lie might work in my word is no longer a bond im a liar. Theres people who work right now for donald trump at the podium, id dont feel like i have ever had to compromise on my values and what i believe that i have had to pick my battles. In life we have to pick a battles interpersonal relationships to pick our battles in my work life i have to pick my battles. It cannot go into the meeting guns blazing everyday have got to pick my battles and i have to be strategic in my work life and career had to be strategic in harboring things up. Sometimes you may not be the best person to raise the topic in the meeting. You might need to let someone else raised the topic. And you say i find interesting you said that and out you and seward tag team to get these people together on this particular topic. If you really want to see a change and be effective you happy willing to be strategic. Being strategic takes extra thought power a little extra brainpower. Sometimes people dont the strategy they want to tear down, flip the table over and say weve now flip the table over what you going to do for us . That is not strategy, that is not how any of the effective people who came before us got things done. I have a photo in my apartment of ella baker i posted picture my story the other day because ella baker or strategic they had issues with the system, but they were strategic and how they directed those issues, ella baker wrote the political strategy she wrote the strategy. They went ella baker to put the strategy together and this is what i do and im trying to work through something. Student thanks ashley would try to squeeze a couple more inlets go to allie. Im calling from los angeles. My question has to do with the new vote by mail measures that the campaign is recommended. Im wondering how your strategies have changed and like get out the vote efforts when youre trying to mobilize people from their homes instead of getting them to the polls . Weird question. Who knew one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime we would have to get creative and rely on voting by mail in some places but still push for options because we know theres literally not a way to scale up everywhere so it would be one 100 . So how can we ensure it is so available to people in the midst of a pandemic. It is complicated. I am not a democracy solver by any means. We have people who are, thinking about ways we can do this, we are talking about new guidelines. But should i say here, or talk about policies that might be unveiling sometime soon that relates to what Vice President biden would do when he is elected. Because the reality is that coronavirus is not just have it there theres issues that have long been in our Community Across the country whether its housing inequalities, whether its the issue with how we conduct elections in the country, were thinking about some plans. Something that frankly democrats and republicans have to think about. This is not a partisan issue. When we say protecting them ballot box protecting the vote democrat or republican or otherwise. Steve went alright thanks allie. Speak speech to i will tell you some people have been actively trying to make it harder for people that look like me, young people, black people to vote. Were going into it with that realization. Statement lets try to get a question from rhonda. Europe. Moe, symone thank you some much i am based in l. A. Public policy on saturday, i love the notion of get out of line. So prior to coming to the school i worked in tv journalism, consulted and racial equity, and now im wondering is a midcareer professional has never worked a campaign day in my life, how do i go about the process of pivoting into the world of politics in 2020 . But if that look like . Guest well rhonda what you do is send some people your resume, like me like moe, moe can send it to me. We put your resume out there two people are looking for talent. The reality is if we only ever higher from the pool of people whove only evident president ial campaigns who have only ever worked in National Politics and were not let new talents in the door. If that was a case i would not have a job i would not be here. Somebody had to take a chance on me. Right now theres a once and need for people who are being creative and innovative, their senate races all across the country right now that the democrats need to win. We need good, strong, talent. The polling we can elect a democrat into the senate in georgia, there are, mark kelly in arizona there are house races we have to defend to keep our majority in the house and get to a majority in the senate. As the president ial campaign were running staffing up across the country but the best entry into politics for people maybe havent done it before is to find someone who is in it and literally ask them went on individual forgot my actual political job. Some people wouldve thought it 515 on of time at that girlfriend, you dont have to do this. And like no no im good. You had to be tenacious about it, i think thats why the institute of politics is a great resource for the students. I know the people have been fellows in this program, to be member of the network. The network to take your resume. Host are running out of time i usually end with a brilliant question. But rhonda just asked might brilliant question about how young people can get involved. I think we will end up there, symone thank you so much for being generous with your time and coming back and visiting with us right hopefully the next time it will be on campus so whenever we get back on campus, congratulations on the book so starting tomorrow customer. Starting tomorrow or you can preorder today anywhere were books are sold. You got amazon, its on audible, wherever audio is sold pretty and go to my website www. Symone de sanders. Com book you can find it there. I appreciate you guys, thank you moe. You all are doing the lords work over there with the politics. I really think it is amazing you are introducing people to the world of politics pretty scout reporters, authors, its great. Thank you for what you all are doing, keep it up. For the students out there, specifically the folks who just graduated, i know these times are tough. Should not have the experience of the last month of your senior like you did. You all are going to help change the world. Dont give up, dont be dismayed, get out there. We need to it did not have to be like this and it will not always be like this if you do the work. Keep your heads up everybody were proud of you and i know i am. Host thank you very much think survey first tuning into night to participate and ask questions, follow all of these social media platforms to find out about our next event. Thanks so much everybody. Heres a look at some books being published this week. Former georgia gubernatorial candidate and Georgia Health minority leader Stacey Abrams shows her idea on Voter Suppression and our time is now. And superpower interrupted, Bloomberg Opinion columnist Michael Shuman explores the chinese view of world history. And that the wall street journals bob davis and ling ling way have current tensions between the u. S. And china and the book superpower showdown. Also being published this week and shields of the republic, council on Foreign Relations senior fellow explores the United States security alliances. And the deficit miss economics professor and former advisor to the Bernie Sanders president ial campaign, Stephanie Kelton offers her thoughts on the new economic model called modern monetary theory look for these titles in bookstores this coming week and watch for many of the authors in the near future on book tv on cspan2. Former chicago mayor and chief of staff president to obama recently discussed his new book, the nation city which argues innovation is taking place in cities across the country. Heres a portion of the program. The senator of gravity of our politics is moving out of washington, out of brussels, out of love and to local. Because of dysfunction . Part of it is dysfunction, all the weaknesses use their federal, distance, dysfunction, disinterest. Match up against all of the strength you see local. Intimate, immediate, and impactful. And we have been here before. What is interesting about this moment is not only have things returned locally, but then local governments are now taking up more and more real estate that used to only be federal. Is it real estate or slack . [inaudible] local governments are leading the charge on climate change, local governments are leading the charge on immigration. up next on the tvs after words former American Enterprise Institute President s Arthur Brooks appeared on after words in march of 2019 and was interviewed by republicans senator ben sasse of nebraska. After words is and weekly interviewed program with guest host to. All programs are available in podcast. Longtime American Enterprise Institute President Arthur Brooks offers strategies on how to bridge the political divide in american beauties interviewed bye bye republican