Today, Explained - Kamala's party

Episode Date: August 21, 2024

The Democrats call Black women the "backbone" of their party. We ask three Black women delegates in Chicago about making history, Gaza, and Black men voting for Trump. This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Patrick Boyd and Andi Kristinsdottir, and hosted by Noel King. Photo by Gerry Melendez/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Image. Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast Support Today, Explained by becoming a Vox Member today: http://www.vox.com/members Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yeah! Ladies and gentlemen, we are here tonight to officially nominate Kevin Harris for president. Night two of the DNC was more energetic. Lil Jon, Barack Obama, Bernie, Michelle Obama had jokes. Who's going to tell him that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those black jobs? Black women are the backbone of the Democratic Party, goes an old saying. And this week, they're out in force in Chicago as delegates. They're young and excited.

It gives me goosebumps. They're fired up. I'm going to tell the non-PC statement because that's who I am. They've read Project 2025. Have you ever read Fahrenheit 451? I was like, what am I reading? They know Donald Trump is a strong adversary. A lot of these Black men, especially the young Black men, really, really like him that much.

They're confused about where the policy came from. They're coming up on Today Explained. Bet MGM, authorized gaming partner of the NBA, has your back all season long. From tip-off to the final buzzer, you're always taken care of with a sportsbook born in Vegas. That's a feeling you can only get with Bet MGM. And no matter your team, your favorite player, or your style, there's something every NBA fan will love about Bet MGM. Download the app today and discover why BetMGM is your basketball home for

the season. Raise your game to the next level this year with BetMGM, a sportsbook worth a slam dunk, an authorized gaming partner of the NBA. BetMGM.com for terms and conditions. Must be 19 years of age or older to wager. Ontario only. Please play responsibly. If you have any questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connex Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. Ladies and gentlemen, my name is DJ Cassidy, and I'd like to welcome you all to Today It's Lang. Now we're going to pass the mic.

On Monday, I went to downtown Chicago, not far from the DNC venue, to meet three Black women who are delegates this year. Juliana Stratton. I serve as the 48th Lieutenant Governor of the great state of Illinois and I am 58 years old. One year younger than? Madam Vice President Kamala Harris. That's right. Ma'am. Hala Ayala. Former elected to the Virginia State General Assembly. I am 51 years lived or numerically mature or distinguished, depending where you are in your life. I like it all. And Mo Jenkins.

I am the first Black trans woman to represent the Texas Stonewall Democrats. I'm also a precinct chair in Harris County, CD18, and I am 25 years old. Baby. These women are going to be casting votes for Kamala Harris at the DNC. And I wanted to know how that feels. The lieutenant governor got us started. Well, what I would say is that it is a historic convention. We know that with Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket, along with her running mate, Tim Walz, we have the first black woman to be at the top of the ticket. We have the first South Asian woman.

And when elected, which will happen, she will be the first woman president of the United States. But as historic as it is, I keep coming back to the fact that it's not just about the history, although that is just so very special. It is the fact that Vice President Harris is the most qualified. She is the one with the character and the integrity. She is the one with the experience. And she is the one to not only lead our country forward, but she is the one who can beat Donald Trump. And that is what's going to protect our democracy. So I am just thrilled to be right here

in the home state, my state of Illinois, welcoming all of these people. Just hearing her words just moved me to tears because you feel not only the urgency, but you feel the impact of this moment. When I was running for lieutenant governor in my state, being a black Latina woman, and then being my mother being Lebanese and Irish, I have that diversity. And I've always was met with that, you're not black enough. You're not this enough. You're not enough. Well, damn it, we're enough. Excuse me for saying that out loud. But the thing is, I think our vice president is bringing so much to the forefront. She's talking about colorism, the thing that Donald Trump has weaponized across the United States to make you feel bad about who you are. We should never feel that way.

Let me ask you a question. You're addressing something that really exploded just a couple of weeks ago when Donald Trump, doing an interview at the National Association of Black Journalists, said that Kamala Harris is not black. I'm hearing you say, I've had that experience, and I'm wondering what went through your head at that moment. It just makes you feel bad about yourself. But the narrative that Kamala does for me as a woman, who has that diversity, that cultural nuance, if you will, and I identify as a black Latina,

I'm just like, it's none of your dang business. You can't choose for me. We choose. And I think what that does is help build that strength. And little girls watching across these United States that are having these experiences, that people bully you. And that's what Donald Trump was doing on that stage. He was bullying you. And that is not acceptable. So we choose joy. Mo, what is casting that vote going to mean for you? It gives me goosebumps, but it also gives me a sense of pride of knowing that I'm putting our country back on track to do the things that need to be done. But also,

VP Harris just excites me anyways. I love her so much because she is everything that black women have always been told that we cannot be. You can't be smart. You can't be stylish. You can't be assertive because you know what you're talking about. You know, you can't be intelligent and articulate yourself well. But no, like we can be all the things that we want to be. You don't get to put us in a box. And so that is what is so exciting for me. And I'm excited to just go through this convention

and I'm excited to see her. It's like she takes up space for all of us. She is taking up space. She is the one to lead us forward. And I love the words that you used, Mo, about just like this honor to be a delegate and to think about, it's not just about what happens this year. We're making decisions that are going to impact generations to come. And it's an awesome responsibility, don't you both think? I think about it, you know, being Gen Z and I'm watching like my nieces and nephews grow up and I'm like, you don't even realize what's happening around you. And I tell my nieces all the time, like, you don't realize this, but you're about to have your first woman president. You are going to grow up knowing that.

But this is what's amazing, says the 25-year-old, right? I mean, as people who are older than 25, it is amazing to see a 25-year-old looking at kids and saying, the world that I grew up in, even as a member of Gen Z, you won't recognize it when you're my age. This brings up something interesting. And I will tell you, I've heard a line of thinking that says she should not focus on the historic nature of her candidacy. She should not focus on race. She should not focus on being a woman. She should focus on issues because talking about race, talking about being a woman, it draws attention to a thing that some of the electorate is still not comfortable with. Well, yeah. Sexism and misogyny and racism and all of those other things still exist, right?

Misogyny, you are. Yeah, it still exists. I mean, she's talking about issues. She released her economic plan. She's going to continue to lay out her plan this week, of course, about where the direction that our country is going and where our party is going from here. But what I would say is we can't deny the history and that it is one of the things that has motivated so many people. Mo, I'm curious what you think. So you are a child of the things that has motivated so many people. Mo, I'm curious what you think. So you are a child of the Obama era.

You're somebody who has seen a world that other people at this table couldn't have imagined in the same way that you're seeing a world that your little nieces and nephews can't imagine. What do you think about the focus on race? I've heard this from young people in particular. It's just not that important. It's a secondary issue. It's not a main issue. Yeah, I would say most of those young folks probably aren't in Texas. We're in a southern state where our rights are continuously being stripped away. And for me, being a black woman in Texas, race is extremely important because it comes into everything that is at play, every piece of legislation. Being a woman comes into play at every point.

I mean, Texas has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. We had a trigger law before anybody even thought about trigger laws, right? So, one, VP Harris just being a black woman in general is going to get brought up, right? They bring it up, they bring it up the grocery store, they bring it up at, you know, in line for the coffee, they're always going to bring it up. So I think, yeah, she can lead the narrative in the way that she wants it to go, right? But it also helps all of us who are fighting those same issues day to day, right? You know, I walked through the Capitol. I'm in my second session in the Capitol. It always gets

brought up. Oh, you got that job because you're black. Oh, you got that job because you're a black woman. And like, no, I'm qualified. I know what I'm talking about. I'm an expert in this policy. Same thing with VP Harris. She is an expert in what she's doing. I think that's where the pushback comes from. I think it is the sense that you, the delegates, know that she's qualified, but you also know that this is a line of attack, right? And Hala, I wonder if you see any common sense in, don't talk about it so much. We've carried the water. We've done the work. This is our time. Stop trying to bully us and tell us how we should think. That is not appropriate.

Donald Trump has weaponized every attribute of anyone he comes in contact with. Go get a life, sir. One thing that he got a lot of credit for this year in particular at the RNC, and I wanted to ask you about it because we're at the DNC, was you walked away from the RNC knowing who Donald Trump was there to appeal to and seeing him appeal to a different kind of potential Republican voter than the Republican Party traditionally appeals to. So that convention, that RNC, it was not the convention of the country club. It was not the convention of the Chamber of Commerce. It was a hot mess. It was the convention of Kid Rock and Hulk Hogan. And when we spoke to analysts afterward, they said there's something kind of interesting about this, because what he's doing is he's

reaching out to people who may not have voted before. He's reaching out to swaths of America that typically the Republicans haven't paid very much attention to, and possibly even the Democrats have not paid enough attention to. And that's why they're there. What do you want to see happen at this convention? What future do you want the Democrats to telegraph for the American people? Well, let me first just say the exact opposite of what was portrayed at that RNC is the future that I want the Democrats to telegraph for the future. When I think about my four daughters and your nieces that you talked about, Mo, and others, I'm thinking about a future where there is an opportunity for everyone. I'm thinking about them being able to

have agency over their own bodies. I'm thinking about them being able to make decisions to live a life that is true to themselves, as you just said. Authentically us. Exactly. Authentically and showing up into spaces where they can be themselves. I'm thinking about our stories being told and not being erased. But I'm also thinking about a burgeoning economy. I'm thinking about our stories being told and not being erased. But I'm also thinking about a burgeoning economy. I'm thinking about education access, healthcare access, access to affordable quality childcare. I'm thinking about small businesses being able to start. I'm thinking about the George Floyd Policing Act being passed in Congress. So not just getting Vice President Kamala Harris elected, but flipping the house. So that's the world that I want.

I hear what you're saying. And I hear a 49-year-old white man in Michigan, who's a toss-up, but who has voted Democrat in the past. Does this vision that you just laid out, does that include him? Because Donald Trump is going for that man. Does that make sense to a white man in Michigan who can't decide which party is his party? Well, what does make sense for the white man in Michigan who's 49 years old and trying to figure it out? One issue for sure is thinking about workers' rights and making sure that we stand with organized labor.

Somebody in Michigan who's a member of a union who knows that Donald Trump wants to take away union rights and workers' rights. And so there are a number of things that we're going to have to lay out. When we talk about reducing gas prices and food prices and all of those other things, those are things that everyday Americans are going to want to know. How do we expand the middle class and move forward for everyone rather than just thinking about those corporate interests? I don't think the 49-year-old white man in Michigan is just interested in corporate advancement. Coming up, we're going to talk about two of the trickiest issues for the Democratic Party this year. Black men who have turned to Donald Trump and Gaza.

Get groceries delivered across the GTA from Real Canadian Superstore with PC Express. Shop online for super prices and super savings. Try it today and get up to $75 in PC Optimum Points. Visit Superstore.ca to get started. Explained. 2024 Explained. I was out at the protests in Union Park today. A lot of young people deeply frustrated by what they view as the Democratic Party's loyalty to Israel. Now, that includes President Biden. That also includes, I heard from them again and again, Vice President Harris. This week, what they are asking for, and in fact, you know, in some ways demanding, is

a statement that says the U.S. will stop arming Israel, a statement that says the U.S. will change its relationship with Israel. Hala, this is very tricky for Vice President Harris. Hala, please. No, I am not qualified in that regard to speak for Vice President Harris. But what I will say, she called for a ceasefire. She was public about that. And she says, I hear you.

We've met. We've communicated. We've connected. And I hear you and I see you. I took that authentically because that's who she is. And I took that as there's more work to be done. There's more conversations to be had. You have a candidate who will work to be done. There's more conversations to be had. You have a candidate

who will work to make a peaceful solution. She is capable. She is qualified. And what I would say to those activists, you're heard, you're seen. I understand the pain you're feeling. And so I trust Kamala and I put this in her hands and I look forward to seeing her solution. Mo, I want to turn this over to you because you're 25, which means you spend time on the TikTok, on Instagram. Okay, so there is a dynamic. As an elderly millennial. There is a dynamic that I've seen emerge in the past couple of weeks on social media. It is Palestinian activists versus people who they thought they were in community with. And these tend to be young black people who took up the Palestinian cause, but then saw Kamala Harris as the nominee and said, hang on, hang on.

This is really important. We got something here. There's a real fissure growing here. And I don't think anybody really knows what it means for the vote at the end of the day. But I'm curious, this movement, this end the war in Gaza movement, it is led by people your age. How much of a threat does this pose to the vice president as she embarks on this run? I think it's something that, you know, I would implore her to seriously consider. But in the same vein, I'm also, what about Sudan? What about Congo? What about Haiti? What about these other predominantly African nations, Black nations

within our diaspora that are also going through genocide, that are also going through exploitation, right? Texas State Democratic Party was the first state party to call for a ceasefire. And that was led by young people. that was led by young people. Those were led by young Dems that I'm in community with. I'm still fighting to make sure that we can end an act of genocide. I understand what that means. At the same time, our house is burning too. So I got two cups of water. I'm going to give you one and I'm going to take one for myself. I'm trying to do both at the same time. I've seen that fissure and I've told everybody we have to stick together.

You have two opponents in this, right? You have one opponent that you can talk to and get on your side. The other one you're going to have to beat to try to get on your side, right? So do I want to fight you or do I want to talk to you? What's your response to you're walking away from us? You started this with us. We said the Democrats don't do it right. We don't like the war in Gaza.

We want it to end. And now you got your candidate and you're leaving us out here in the cold. My response to them is, I'm not leaving you in the cold. I'm not. I left you with a blanket. I'm on my way to go get the wood for the fire. But I can't make that happen if I stay here with you in the freezing cold. I don't move. There's an opportunity to move. There's an opportunity to

do something. Let me take a risk really quickly. Let me see if it pays off. And if it pays off, it benefits all of us. It fix a lot of our problems. Right now, we're in a nice little blizzard, right? Nice little snapshot in know, snapshot in Texas of a cold, but we're going to end up in the Arctic if I don't do the work necessary to make sure that Donald Trump does not become president. I have to be serious. Republicans, Nikki Haley went over

and she was signing bombs. Like, I want you to understand that I'm not leaving you. I'm coming back, but I have to do the work necessary to make sure that we have the fuel for the fire. Lieutenant Governor Giuliana, I understand that we're being told we're short on time. So I'm going to ask everyone a question to wrap us up, which is, you clearly want Vice President Harris to win this presidency. Give me your best possible thinking on this. What does she need to do in the general election? I want to hear her plans for our economy, how we'll continue to make progress, how we will continue to meet the needs of everyday Americans, how we will make sure that we protect

access to our individual liberties, including reproductive rights and reproductive freedoms, as well as our civil rights, which have continued to be under attack. But I just want to emphasize that it's also what we have to do. And I think that's what's so powerful about this moment. She is the candidate at the top of the ticket alongside of Governor Tim Walz. But this is about our democracy and the democracy is us. We are it. We are the ones who are going to educate voters. We're the ones knocking on doors. We're the ones making phone calls. And to say Kamala for the people is about Kamala Harris being the sort of right at the

center of our rallying cry that this is when we need to see this democracy that we want to protect so much. I want to follow on that really quickly because I listen to you talk and I absolutely understand why the Democratic Party has always said black women are the backbone. Black men this year showing increased interest in Donald Trump. I see it in my own neighborhood. I see it in my own friend group. What does she need to do to win those men back?

First of all, again, with credible messengers as well, she has to be able to lay out the case about what that contrast is going to be. When 44,000 black women got on a call within 24 hours, we saw the black men get on a call the next day, and now they're activated. And we need to continue to see that. Let me toss that over to you. Here, here. I think the Lieutenant Governor here outlined this perfectly. I was on the call, and it kept growing. And I've been on this call for four years. And we have been talking about this very issue. But I think- You've been talking about this separation.

Yeah. There's been a separation. We've seen it. We can't deny that. And I think it's going to take some work. And this is a truncated presidency campaign. But she's such a great candidate. And I wake up every morning with a smile on my face. And I can't wait to vote for her as a delegate and as an individual voter in this upcoming election. And, Mo, because young people do tend to shoot very straight, is it possible that some of these men can't be brought around? That it's time to just acknowledge there is something about Donald Trump that appeals to some percentage of black men. And the Democrats should accept it and move on. What do you think about this?

You know, and I shoot straight with them when I block walks. I'm a precinct chair in Harris County. And they'll tell me, well, I'm voting for Trump. And I go, why? Well, because he putinct chair in Harris County. And they'll tell me, well, I'm voting for Trump. And I go, why? Well, because he put stimulus check in my hand. No, he didn't. I was like, if you remember, your checks were supposed to come out, you know, early summer, but then they got delayed.

That's because he wanted his name on it. So you think he gave you that check. He didn't give it to you. And I think it's a confusion about the political process and the policy process. But I always tell them, you know, at the end of the day, I want you to vote, but I want you to have the right information when you go vote. VP Harris is already giving us the things that we need to go forward and to be the foot soldiers to make sure that we accomplish all the things. And as a precinct chair, I have my marching orders. I know what I need to do to go mobilize people in my district, as well as mobilize all the people around me.

All right. That is all the time we have. Thank you so much for being with us here today. We really appreciate it. Thank you, Noelle. Thank you. That was Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton and delegates from Virginia and Texas, respectively, Hala Ayala and Mo Jenkins. Tomorrow on the show, immigration may be the Harris campaign's biggest weakness. Now, in Chicago, the problem is right out in the open. We're going to hit the streets and see how an influx of migrants has people angry and on edge in one of the city's poorest areas.

They come from a country where they was working in the field, getting nothing but two cents a day for picking orange and tomatoes. Then no city take them but Chicago. And that's the government and our president and the mayor. They came together to make sure that they had a place to stay, but the one who stayed here ain't got nowhere to stay. They live on the street. They can't get no service.

They can't even get food stamp. We'll be back with that tomorrow. Today's episode was produced by Hadi Mouagdi and edited by Miranda Kennedy. It was fact-checked by Laura Bullard and engineered by Patrick Boyd and Andrea Christen's daughter. Thanks to Amina El-Sadi back in Washington.

I'm Noelle King in Chicago. It's Today Explained.