hillary was very excited. she met a young state senator who is running. she has roots in illinois. she met this state senator. she told my good friend. my friend -- we were on the third floor. she knew barack obama. i did not know barack obama. i knew about a lot of other people, daniel davis and carter collins. i know a lot of people in chicago politics. i had not heard of barack obama. we met him that spring of 2003. the rest is history. >> q&a, tonight at 8:00 on c-span. month, new york city bill de blasio was a headline speaker at an event hosted by the political activist group progress iowa. he talked about changes taking place across the political landscape, and what he called the beginning of a progressive

era. this is almost 40 minutes. mayor de blasio: thank you. thank you so much, everybody. this is a very nice evening we are having. i just want to say at the beginning, i love progress iowa. everyone in this room means business, cares, is here to make a difference. i did not hear any fear or trepidation, any depression. i hear people ready to fight and win. [applause] mayor de blasio: it is a very good time to be alive. it is a good time to be a progressive. things are about to change.

we are here together, at the beginning of what will be a new era. let me thank everyone at progress iowa. i want to thank matt. matt is doing amazing work organizing this. let's give them a round of applause. [applause] mayor de blasio: melissa, morgan, mark, moving forward all the time. thank you. [applause] mayor de blasio: i want to thank someone who really captured it. when tammy talked about waking the sleeping bear, it was something very beautiful to say thank you to our opponents for waking us all up and turning as -- us all in to change agents. what an incredible acclamation of faith. tammy your leadership is making , a huge difference. let's thank her. [applause]

mayor de blasio: to tammy's wonderful colleague, good friend of mine, mary jane cobb, thank you for all you do. [applause] mayor de blasio: thank you to all the wonderful progressive elected officials here. to mark and janet for their leadership. i love listening to leaders at the forefront of the legislative battles, filled with energy and hope. let's thank them for all that they do. [applause] mayor de blasio: mark, i did not know you could wear a sweater like that to an event like this. [laughter] mayor de blasio: you are opening up space for sweater wearers everywhere. i want to be clear from the beginning, why does progress

iowa matter are so much? because you give hope. you are reaching those 70,000 people, and you are turning them into activist on the issues that matter. you are creating an army. an army of good that is changing this state at the foundations. this is exactly what makes the difference. a lot of people ask me, i am including some of our friends in the media. white progress iowa? this is the kind of organization that can actually change things. [applause] mayor de blasio: let me talk to you about a couple things this evening. i want to talk about a little first, bit of personal perspective and talking about the grassroots. i have my own personal

grassroots connection to iowa. it is pretty far back in time and is personally important to me. my grandmother, this is an amazing twist of a life story. in 1888, my grandmother was born in blanchard, iowa. i am not making it up. [applause] mayor de blasio: and it is a powerful story because it speaks to the kind of things they get passed along to every family. she was born to a father who loved his farm. he was a civil war veteran who fought for the union. he loved his farm but decided that his daughters needed in education they could only get if they went to the city. they left and she got the education her father hoped for her to get. she went on and flourished in

her life. there was one example in my own family of the power of education. to transform and even many decades ago, to liberate people, including women who often were not given their due in that time. but education was the key. then you fast-forward to my mother, who was a child of immigrants. she believed she could reach higher heights and got an opportunity to go to a college out of town, away from new york. the grandfather came from a small town in southern italy. he wanted his daughter to have the very best. he blessed her, going to the school that she thought was right for her. then fast-forward to my wife. she came from a working-class family and was told in high school that a high quality college was not for her. unfortunately because some of the people in her school did not

think an african-american woman to go to one of the best colleges. she thought otherwise. and she worked her way to wellesley college. [applause] mayor de blasio: then my children, kiara and dante, who gained so much from our new york city public schools, but who first experienced all that could be in pre-k. i did not know it at the time, but for me a seed was being planted. i saw my children in pre-k. i saw them growing and blossoming. i started to realize that every child deserves that. [applause] mayor de blasio: i tell you that story of generation after generation to tell you that for all of us, the changes we hope for in our city, our town and

our state and our country they , should come from not only our hearts, they should come from our own personal experience. you should communicate to the people that we talk to from what we have seen with our own eyes , what we have experienced. my kids got that pre-k opportunity. i started saying to myself, if it makes such a difference, if it is the beginning, the strong start, the great equalizer why , should it not be for everyone? could we do that? when i ran for mayor of this city, i said very clearly that we have to do something that we have never done before in new york city. we need to give pre-k to every single child. [applause] mayor de blasio: now, guess what? the conventional wisdom said it could not be done. there were doubting thomases. there were skeptics.

too much, too fast. when i took office, there were about 20,000 kids. we said in two years we would reach all the children. today in new york city, 70,000 kids went to pre-k. [applause] mayor de blasio: we added an entire additional grade to our school system. it is having an incredible effect. it is for everyone. my friends, it is for everyone. and we as progressives, we as democrats do something that shows our entire society can move forward together, people start to believe in us. they can feel it in our lives. and another thing we should remember is when we show what we can achieve, we should be audacious enough to go to the next step. i announced earlier this year, based on the success of pre-k, we are going to make sure that all those hard-working families, all those parents struggling to make ends meet, all those kids

who deserve the best start will now have universal access to early childhood education at the age of three. [applause] mayor de blasio: these are changes we are making, and they were supposed to be impossible. but now they are happening. i will tell you, i saw this time and time again. our city faces a crisis of mental health challenges. a crisis because so many people were afflicted. so many families were struggling and they did not know where to turn. and they faced the stigma that held them back. we were not as a city or a society dealing with the problem. my wife said, why don't we bring it out in the open? why don't we say the city is committed to ensuring that everyone gets the mental health

care that they need? that there is a single point of access. we will make it part of the conversation every single day. she created an initiative called thrive n.y.c. crisscrossed the city, literally through the force of her will getting people to talk about the , thing they did not want to talk about. a lot of times people would come up to thank her. but they would speak in a hushed town and whisper their thanks. we have more work to do. i mentioned some of our colleagues this evening, we decided it was important to take this message everywhere, including to our houses of worship. we decided we could reach every type of new yorker of every faith. a few months back we had the weekend of faith. simultaneously, in the course of one weekend, 2000 houses of worship from the pulpit talked about mental health, talked

about how it was ok to come forward if you had a challenge, and how people deserved the hope that they needed. we started to break down the stigma right there and open up the doors to those who needed help. [applause] mayor de blasio: i will give you one more example. our city, like so many places in the nation, we had a wound we had to heal. there was a rift between our police and our community. we knew they needed to heal and we needed to bring them together. we knew we would be stronger and better if we could overcome it. it took real work. again the cynics and critics , said if we tried to heal the wound and respect rights of all members of the community that somehow we would go backwards.

we had for years a very broken policy of stop, question and frisk that was alienating our communities of color, particularly young men of color were singled out. we cannot move forward or heal unless we address it. i knew that if we head-on said that we are going to find a way to be safe but to be fair at the same time, i knew if we brought police and community together, it would actually make us safer. it would not only make us better and more peaceful and harmonious it would make us safer. ,i'm proud to say that today new york city is the safest city in america. [applause] mayor de blasio: if you hear the examples of change everything i , told you happened in four

years or less. if you hear these examples of changed and say it is a different world or different place, let me remind you of something that will give you a little heart. i just got reelected. i was the first democrat reelected mayor of new york city since 1985. [applause] mayor de blasio: 20 years preceding the there were republican mayors. and the things i am telling you , about would have been impossible. during those 20 years, there were many times when we felt the same frustrations that i heard talked about a short time ago. i can't tell you. you we always thought that change was right around the corner. i knew that change was coming. i knew we had to give people a reason to believe. i knew we had to reach people in their neighborhoods.

we have to show them what is possible. like what you face, we have a long road in my city. but here is the reality. i think this year is showing us so sharply, so plainly a simple concept. change can happen anywhere. anywhere. it most certainly can happen here in iowa. [applause] mayor de blasio: if ever you wanted an example of true progressive, just look to tom harkin. [applause] mayor de blasio: he defined for iowa and the whole country what a consistent and strong progressive could be. a man of the people connected to the people.

he showed us something that has been there for a long time. you heard the history before . the deep and strong progressive tradition of this state. we used to call it prairie populism. guess what. it is still there. it is still there because it is in people to believe in fairness. there is a reason tom harkin struck that court for so long until a few years ago. it is a cord that we have to strike again. you know that iowans are deeply committed people. they are committed to their state, to their cities, to their towns, to the neighborhood. they watch what is going on and they understand. maybe don't believe me,

you saw a poll in the "des moines register" a few days ago. the people of this state have taken stock of donald trump and his presidency. they have rejected it out of hand. [applause] mayor de blasio: 60%, my friends. 60% saying they disapprove and want to see a different way. if your congressman young or governor reynolds, i wish i was a fly on the wall when they opened the paper that day. i do not mean to gloat, but i would have liked to have seen the expression on their faces. because they can count. 60% of the people in their state

say their president and their party is taking us in the wrong section. it is time for a change, isn't it? [applause] mayor de blasio: we have a moment. we have a clearly defined moment, but we have to meet the moment. we have to go to the people. i want to tell you, when i heard the idea that there are 100 seats being contested and there will be 100 candidates, that is exactly how you go to the people. [applause] mayor de blasio: leave no stone unturned, leave no seat uncontested. go to the people. listen. as democrats, we need to cherish this moment. because it is the perfect moment to throw off some of the burden that have held us back. some people last year thought we were in elite party. -- an elite party. that is not our democrat party, is it?

we are not the party of elites . we are not the party of big donors. we are the party of working people. [applause] mayor de blasio: now we get to show it in the candidates we choose for every office. in every part of this state and every other state. we show it by going to the people. we opened wide the door of our party and we go and knock on the door of every voter. we talk to the people on their doorstep, in their workplace, where they shop, wherever they are. we are there ready to have the conversation. the party that believes so deeply that we are proud to bring our message to each and every person. because when you do that, you communicate that you are not an elite party or a party that is out of touch. you are a party of the majority if you're willing to have the

conversation with anyone. by the way you can change minds , that way. and we have been told right now that 60% of the people in this state have the minds wide open. they are waiting to have that conversation with you. they are ready. they only need you to meet them. i believe deeply the people, the voters are a lot smarter than the pundits given that give them -- abundance give them credit for. we see a lot of evidence of this that they are discerning and a pay a lot of attention. if we come forward and meet them, they will listen. not everyone. but the vast majority will listen. here is where i do not want to

see any of us -- i do not want to see us hung up by who people voted for last time. all they should care about is who they will vote for next time. [applause] mayor de blasio: we have to show them something real. we've got to show them a vision that will change their lives. look i come from one city to one , example. but i can tell you that one of the reasons i have the privilege of being the first democrat reelected since 1985 is because people can actually identify what democratic leadership meant for their lives, what progressive government meant for them. they come up to me in the streets and subways and say thank you for pre-k, it has changed my life. they say thank you for fighting for a higher minimum wage. or thank you for the paid sick leave law that allows people not that the choose between a day's pay and getting well.

they know when something is real to them. they come up and they say i have a child who needed mental health support, and now i know where to turn. and my child is getting help. those are democratic values. those are progressive values. those are the things identified -- that identify who we are, versus our opponents. our opponents spend time taking those things away from iowans. we need to let them know who will give them back the things they need. [applause] mayor de blasio: people are ready for change. here is another reason to have faith in the people. over the last month in this country, with all the advantages of the bully pulpit of the white house and all of the miraculous

imagery that you can see when -- that you can create when you say the word tax cut. republicannt and the congress have for months and months trying to convince people that the tax bill would help them. a lot of us have been around political life for a long time. we have seen tax cuts held out before people and we understand the siren call of tax cuts. but something different happened this time. i say this pointedly because the vote is happening this very day and this will be remembered as a bad day in american history and a day we will have to fight to overcome. but something else will be remembered. the people were sold a bill of goods over and over, and they did not buy it. almost two thirds of the american people see this tax bill for what it is. a giveaway to the wealthy and the corporations. they see it. you can look across all the

polling and it is shockingly consistent. they are not taking the bait. they are watching. as we going into 2018, it is not just what you are seeing in the register poll. their frustrations and their anger at an it is that they realize that that the president lied to them. he said he was all about working people. he said i am not from the elite. i will help you out. take a chance on me. guess what? not only did he create the perfect cabinet of millionaires and billionaires. i did not know that were -- there were that many millionaires and billionaires to serve on the cabinet. he found them all, he put them in one cabinet. he created a tax bill to simply serve his own kind. people see it. people see it and they reject

it. as they think ahead, they will know they were bamboozled last year. that is going to put wind in our sails. here is what i want to tell you as we think ahead. we cannot be timid. we cannot take half steps or speak in vague terms. there is a phrase that should define what all of us as progressives and democrats do in 2018. it is a powerful and simple idea. fortune favors the bold. we have to be uncompromising. we have to be strong. we are the party of working people. we believe in the labor movement. [applause] mayor de blasio: we believe that those who have done their role, with all sorts of government policies helping them to do well

should pay their fair share in taxes. [applause] mayor de blasio: we believe that public education is the fountain of democracy and fairness in america. [applause] mayor de blasio: if that is who we are, people will hear it. you do not need to follow to the -- you don't need to fall into the trap that too many democrats fell into in washington dc. -- washington, d.c. too many people in the beltway decided you can only run a good campaign if you have a lot of money. if you needed money, you have to favor the donors and homogenize your message and take away the rough edges and not do anything that might offend certain people. guess what we ended up doing as a party? we were desiccated.

our meaning was lost. sure, the donors gave money and sure, the party came up with something that seemed maybe, kind of like a message. and we lost. we were so desirous of the money that we created a vision and a message that we could not win with. that is what happened for years and years. i do not want the money if the money is standing between us and the people. [applause] mayor de blasio: what wins elections is people. volunteers, activists, people. what wins elections is ideas. there is this new thing they created called the internet. [laughter] mayor de blasio: if you have a good idea, it costs nothing to

get it out to them. the progressive movement is now at a powerful point of opportunity. i want you to hear this because i do not want people to think that maybe someday change will come. change is already happening. the progressive movement is growing all over this country. it has been growing for years at the local level. we saw what happened in 2015 and 2016 all over this country. now we see it growing more deeply. we saw it january 21, the largest demonstrations in the history of the united states. [applause] mayor de blasio: we are at the beginning of a progressive era.

i know that may sound strange. but with what is happening in washington right now, but but -- but what happens in washington is all the way at the end of the line that starts at the grassroots. grassroots are already changing. the grassroots are right. we have to have the courage to understand that the change is already coming. we have to be ready to meet it with all of our energy. we cannot ever feel that we can't be ourselves. i will tell you something very simple. a progressive democratic candidate with a clear, strong, economic message, with a populist approach, who will go to the grassroots. that is the republican's worst nightmare. that is what we need more of in this state and every state.

when we do it right, anything is possible. you may say wait a minute. what do you mean anything is possible? surely you understand there are many states where it is difficult to win. yes, there are many states that are difficult to win. i will argue to you that we are in a once in a generation moment. i will argue to you that people are already starting to move. the election of donald trump supercharged them and created in energy and focus like we have never seen before. i will argue that it is reaching every corner of the country. you might say that sounds a little idealistic. let me talk about what happened a few weeks ago. it started in iowa. we saw this year in iowa in the special election, we saw

democrats make ground where they were not supposed to be able to make ground. we saw people in some of the most conservative places in the state start to vote democrat. they wanted to send a message. they are ready for more. is look what happened in new jersey. new jersey flipped from red to blue. gained seats in the legislature. was it just new jersey? no. georgia democrats gained seats in the legislature. in new hampshire, the democrats gained seats. in oklahoma, the democrats gained seats in the legislature. [applause] mayor de blasio: in washington state, the legislature flipped the senate. it is already happening. did i mention virginia?

[applause] mayor de blasio: we have tonight, in this country, the greatest proof we ever needed of the value of each and every vote. the house of delegates of virginia, one of the oldest legislatures in this whole country. the pundits said the conventional wisdom said there was nothing to talk about in 2017. it would firmly remain in republican control and maybe democrats could work around the margins. it was not on anyone's radar that that legislature could change. there was a seat, and today in newport news, virginia, that seat was awarded to the democratic party. [applause]

mayor de blasio: that seat has now created a 50-50 tie in the house of delegates in virginia. there is a democratic governor and democratic lieutenant governor. now the world is turning in virginia. the most important thing to note about the story. i am not making this up. the recount was completed today and the democrat won by one vote. [applause] mayor de blasio: since you will be on the doors, thank you mark. we will have someone on the doors. when someone says my vote does not matter, tell them how an entire legislature was flipped by one vote. [applause] mayor de blasio: i did save the best for last. some things are supposed to be

literally, physically impossible. once the republican party became the party of roy moore and steve bannon, things started to change. i remind you. you hear all those pundits. areof those religions breathing a sigh of relief as roy moore did not win. here is the problem. they nominated roy moore as their candidate for senate. [applause] mayor de blasio: do you think the people of this country are done? -- dumb? no, they understand that the president and senate majority leader supported someone who is a child molester. this moment in history in 2017, as if it were somehow invisible. no, people saw it and realized it. that is not the whole story of alabama. the story of alabama is

democrats and progressives organizing like never before. they had a sharp contrast to work with. there were people who voted republican before and said i cannot take this, i am going to vote democrat because i will not be party to this. it was an exceptional situation, but you know what else happened? because doug jones actually stood for something. as -- because people in the state could identify him as someone who has done something real, that affected people's lives. the man prosecuted those bombers of that church in birmingham who got away with their crimes for decades until doug jones prosecuted them. people in alabama felt something. [applause] mayor de blasio: people in alabama saw an agent of justice. they saw someone who moved them, and then they started to move. the turnout levels of african-americans in alabama

surpassed the levels for president obama because people felt something. people were organized. they went door to door. they did something that was supposed to be impossible. one day in january, there will be a democratic senator to take the oath of office in alabama. [applause] mayor de blasio: brothers and sisters, this is the actual conclusion. i think we have gotten all the evidence we need from the year 2017 to prepare us for the year 2018. i think we have seen change happen in places where no one could have possibly predicted it. now we have to show that change will happen everywhere. i have great faith in progress i love. -- in progress iowa. i have great faith and everyone of you. i want to wish you a wonderful

holiday season. a merry christmas. a happy hanukkah a happy , kwanzaa. a happy new year. and in that new year, will be a year of victory in iowa. god bless you all. [applause] >> we have a team of 262 employees bringing the c-span networks to you. thank you for watching.

>> thanks for watching. sharansky --ime natan sharansky talks about his life and career at hunter college in new york city. he also talks about his nine years spent in the soviet gulags for alleged crimes of treason. this is just under an hour. >>