you decide to run again? you could have run again. you would probably have lost. why didn't it? so it's interesting. it's like i served 12 years in congress and to be with you. the last election i ran for, i had actually gone through a couple of weeks. i was considering not running anyway. arthur brooks, who's a if you guys have ever heard of him with, aei, he talks a lot now about happiness stuff. really good guy. he you could do anything well for ten years and after that you're out of energy. generally, you like high performers. and so i know if none this would have happened. would i have run again? i don't know. but the temptation to run again simply so that i didn't look like i was giving up. but then i thought it and i'm like, i am going to get beat if i run again, let's be clear. the democrats also drew me out of my district in illinois. let's be clear about that redistricting. usually the republicans advantage of it twice. i written out of my district by the in illinois because they saw it was a threat and so did this

the last time as well. but i think the bottom line for me was, i don't want to run and lose and give donald trump that ability to say he beat me because of now i've never lost an election in my life and i intend not to. adam kinzinger thank you. oh, it's 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 y'all doing. welcome back. it's 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 didn't 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 i'm 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, i'm 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 can't teach an old dog new tricks but you can teach a woman a whole bunch of new things. okay? okay. i'm always looking for something new shoes, new car, new man. oh, i don't know. i don't know. i don't want to spill matches. right, because let me tell you, some matches, you get so hot that they can't put lemons in. oh. have to figure that one out. see, this is going to be fun oh, we're going to have fun all day. i'm here now. y'all doing good? looks good. yes. and let me tell you, i got this purple. he is really who i really you know, i'm purple queen. went to lsu notice. yes. so so kirk i will start off. okay. i'll follow your lead. this is the women talking you laughing. so i'm just i'm arm candy. i'm going to leave that alone.

i don't 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 they're like, well, let's talk politics. i want to talk i want to get beyond the 37th thousand feet. i want to talk what's really going in the country and what gives you hope. i'll tell you what gives me hope and sound like an obvious answer given the climate that we're 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, i'm 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. i'm not.

i'm biased against people. don't 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 she's popular and that she's dating acuity. but look at the man couldn't 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 that's 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, it's like,

what does that tell about your situation? what does that tell me about your fortitude? i think that it's like those guys who down the street with the obnoxious car that makes all the noise like who are you trying to? because all you're yelling to all of us is that is that you don't have a lot going on beneath the belt but but so much fun. i'm not a journalist, so i can say stuff like that. that's 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. there's 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, i'm going to

come at this as a former, so that's kind of my lens sometimes underage drinking that i really some stronger than up here right now are you a rhino? just a former i'm 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. i'm 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, i'd 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 there's no going back. they want us to feel broken. they want us to feel defeated. they want us to feel like we're too weak to fight back. i see every single day people standing up saying no, i'm not going to back down. and that's 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. you're 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 i'm from louisiana. we have four delicious seasons. shrimp, crab crawfish and oil. so why y'all having all this? they're all going to rain out here, y'all 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 don't 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 it's, you know, your local city council races, you know your state, your state lawmakers, you can change it because we have power. so i'm to ask you that question and then i'm a talk like a woman for 5 minutes since you're on the the all woman, all women panel i think young are especially in this day and they're extraordinary i think to just know i know i'm not i'm not old per se but i look at what generations after me how they've navigated life and the pressures that they are under the way that social media has changed how information is shared and you know there's a reason why the you know suicide rate amongst younger people is at an all time high. it's 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 they're kids, but they're 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 it's not going right now. i mean, we're 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, there's lot going on. right. and that is progress when you're seeing the powerful elite and privileged basically being told in the corner, a lot of sit down and shut up. that is astounding. that's 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. don't 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. i'm not. i can't 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 i'm 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 mid-seventies, 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 won't tell you his age, but i'm over. you know. hell, yeah. and i can still drive. don't ask me to put some in gears because y'all know i can go uphill. and down here, i've always knew when to park, but i'm just. what's wrong? you don't know how to park.

we have to talk afterwards because i'm going to off of you. but look, kirk, we're just beginning to become a more perfect union. yes. i mean, we didn't start out as one. i know some people don't understand. well, the civil war was fought, but i can't. history lessons and one out but we're a young yeah and you're young you're than me i'm 40. well i'm 64 baby and. you know when the when the beatles came out when i'm 64. if you need me and you feed me i mean john lennon. no idea i was coming up soon. i'm still a beatle, if not by the hair, by the --, because i shake it up. but we're 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 that's 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. it's 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 that's 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 it's in our culture, whether it's in our workplaces whether it's in our homes, whether it's in the way that technology has evolved, way that we just live in this world. this is something that we're going struggle with and that we are going to have to be diligent on and ever. is that work completed? there's 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 don't have to give that because. that would not be a top. it would a sermon. y'all want to know about. okay. no, i shouldn't 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, i'm like to come, you know, y'all 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 don't 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, we're 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 we're still being treated as equal under. the law and i don't even want to talk about a boss reproductive rights the right to choose. you know, i try to keep myself guarded because i'm like, don't 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 that's -- when people say, oh, there's an exception in this. so how do women cope? you're 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 we've seen post roe being overturned, post dobbs everyone under the sun goes on tv who prognosticate for a living. it's going to be a bloodbath for democrats. it's 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 can't do with their bodies maybe that's i think go down so well at the polls and that's 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 post-trump 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 -- what's going on in this country, they're not sitting by the phone talking to a pollster. 45 minutes on a random tuesday night. they just aren't. they got better things to do. they're they're taking care of the kids. they're working on their careers. they're 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, let's be real. yeah. so we're already seeing the activity engagement of not just democrat, not just like this. one of those things where doesn't matter what party you are, women, you're being told what to do with your body. you are. they are trying to control and dominate you. and when they're just they're just not going to have. i love that. hey, we're not going to have it. and i get we're not going to have it. thank for that. but what will it take again and i'm 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 tito's 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 don't really want to talk politics and they on to donna the cook which of course i yeah but it reminds me that people don't want to deal with the dirtiness politics or as we say the messiness but if they know what's happening and the progress we're making and the fights that we're having for them, then there's 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 opposition's 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 what's 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 they're seeing it in places

they normally wouldn't see political conversations. they're seeing it in a very organic. and it's a conversation that's 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 that's just to backfire massively because of the person decided to attack has such a reach beyond normal politics. well she's 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? you've finally got to egg prices. 2 to 6 deny because when they were five nine that i stopped cooking with eggs. okay i don't know what was going on with chicken. i want no chicken in my backyard? but i'm like, whoa. i give up eggs. i put on my for giving up eggs.

but i didn't 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. they're 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 won't talk to you all about gas because you know california there's 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 can't fathom another state to get gas. they can't even imagine what say. that's why i say i can't have

this conversation, but i'm just so inflamed it is coming down oc yes, the rent's 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 that's why i want to get a song and the headline was the us is doing than everybody else. yeah. so what is the sell? what's love to do it. you know, i'm gonna stick out like when i mean look look aretha ain't no way. like i told my nieces and nephews when said they might support donald trump. ain't no what. i'll kill you before you leave my house. i did, aretha. y'all know i was going to do reach out. i'll be there for diana ross. i've done too much. diana ross, my life. so what's the song that is? i feel you're 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 don't see you at me at. 44% of the electorate is under the age of 40. you. yep. your generation. you asked y'all that song. we're going to be in a whole lot of trouble. we will. i mean, that's why i think was just. oh, well, let me tell you something. i'm joe biden right now. i'm i'm that campaign. all i'm 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 ray-bans and put those little white things in my ear and earpods airpods airpods. but i'm 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, what's wrong with him? because they always said, what's wrong with his? he's he's 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 don't 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. we're freaking out over that just like we're freaking out over books that we should all read. look i read the bible three times. i'm still reading for a great interpretation, but i would never ban it because i can't abide by all ten command, which i tried. i looked at them, i read, understood them, but that's why i'm catholic. i go to bless me. father said, what about you you?

so. it is a woman's panel with our male. i'm 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 don't have a north star and the way we the people, not the politicians, not we, the partizans. but we the people, if there's not a common that links us together, what what will it i mean, we don't have jfk. we don't have we have ronald reagan with we don't have fdr. what's what's that seed that we need to plant in each other so that this fall, when the election days begin, we feel like we're about to harvest something better for ourselves and the country. what's that? i think that seed is the word choice. i think it's 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 you're not worrying about your kid getting shot or killed and coming home that day. i think it's 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 that's a little bit better than getting by. i think it's 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 i'm democrats and i'm president biden, i'm 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 that's all over our phones it's the word choice. okay. so. i love that. i'll call freedom, but i'll 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, you've been kind enough to be

with us. so any comments? do we have mikes? is somebody pretending to be oprah here that we're going to make? go ahead. it's better as the question about, you know, we're getting the power is what we do for i think it's where i find myself. the president walking past it that is coming. of course, i'll be remiss if i didn't. 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, i'm going to say something, if i'm controversial, you can send me home and okay, i'll 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 i'm 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 don't work for the democratic party. i don't have i haven't had a job with the democratic party since i was 40 when i ran al gore's 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 i'm out getting my you know what kicked because i'm out here and somebody else i'm weekends what vice president also up for immediate release the president and that they're not working this week they're not working i got go do a -- democratic party dinner i no, there's no worse than a democratic party dinner. maybe they have steaks at the republican, but --, we always get that chicken. that's 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 she's not working. she needs to be working. so and they oh, well, you know, work. we have to spend money. we'll spend some money. i for vice president and ran his presidential 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 she's great she's 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. she's doing a fantastic job. you might not see the coverage because the coverage that you see even with the president is so limited, it's so filtered through. but she's done a fabulous not just here but abroad where she's leaving to go to germany. she'll she's been representing our country at many of these major conferences even on climate this past this past summer. so i don't think she's getting half the credit. but then again, i wouldn't i wouldn't 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 don't 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 she's been attacked and told to leave the stage, no man would be told leave the stage at the to contest, especially when he's leading about 15 -- delegates at this point, i wouldn't give it up. i would give it up when i felt like i had no money and no reason run. but because she's a woman, she's being told a horror story. you got get out the race now. we're going to have a female president one day. but right now we have a female vice president. and i'm sticking with kamala. people keep saying, oh, we're going to replace with michelle obama. michelle obama don't want nothing to do none of this. she's 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 i'm not saying in the bar b world run for president. prepare yourself. start preparing young women today to become public. i didn't have role models as a child growing up that could prepare me to a presidential 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 don't need you. that's just crazy. so we've got to start preparing young women to now and that day will come and by the way it's 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 i'm cooking, hey, i'm on being another question comment. yes. how y'all 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 they're hearing and what i've 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 don't understand why the party doesn't 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 aren't necessarily at actually pushing out what's really happened. what this president is actually doing what the accomplishments are why is it that democrats aren't good at that's 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 it's 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 self-conscious 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. that's not partizan. that's not being for one side or against another. that's just calling it. it is. and i feel like to this day after, all that we've seen seven years into the donald trump experiment here, they're 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 he's 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 it's 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. i'm walking. i'm not doing that. i'm not appearing on that air, giving that validity and that credibility anymore. that is one of the bravest things i've seen someone do, because this business let me tell you something, people don't walk away from money voluntarily

that that is not a thing that generally happens. and when you do that, there's not always the guarantee that there's another pot of money waiting you. you're just you're 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 you're 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 i'm 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, there's there's 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, you'll be able to stand. and that moment for me came when hurricane katrina made landfall. louisiana and up until that point and i'll get the tv point. but this is the reason why i love being on television. i had no idea where my family, i didn't 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 there's nothing like being. there's nothing like knowing that all you can eat and that you can't get that extra cracker slice of bread and the humility that comes when you don't have much money. so i know poverty. it's a know poverty. and boy, i did not like. and so i felt like i had go and talk to george bush and y'all all know what was going in my head. i'm 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, i've got to come see you. and i went to see. and when i left there, i knew that i didn't have to call on the government no more because the president heard me that the people needed help and i didn't 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 can't even go to dinner. i lost. i didn't 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 can't 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 bud's wagon. and george bush even gave me a kiss. i said, dad, don't do that. then i've lost my reputation in my community because i'm hanging out with you. but i learned the big lesson that i can't judge people just simply of their partizanship i can't. 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 that's child some people have freckles, seriously, you know, and you go to louisiana, you said i've 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. they're 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 i'm on top vision and i'm 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 i'll look at america through the lens of the harlem through middle america. i know my country. i love my country. i've 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 don't treat them like that and say, that's 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, i'm not going to tell that person that they're around to support. i'm 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 i'll what i call the live on the of hope. and if we don't bring them into the circle opportunity, they see all of us as their enemies but they don't see us as believing in them because. we look down on people if they don't have things, we don't bring them in. if they don't look a certain way, we've done, we have to make sure that we each other's 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 couldn't because i was a girl. i said, well, --, without a girl jesus wouldn't 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 don't 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 that's what we have to find in each. and that's 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 i've got your back and boy youtube. so let me just say i know that we're 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 it's very difficult for me to give you an honest, non-emotional answer. i've seen a supreme court stop to count i've 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 don't 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 don't know know. we do.