DNC Shorts: Gov. Josh Shapiro and Rep. Joanna McClinton

Published Oct 11, 2024, 7:01 AM

Pennsylvania Democrats Gov. Josh Shapiro and Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representative Joanna McClinton sat down with hosts Angela Rye Tiffany Cross, and Andrew Gillum, joined by  Charlamagne Tha God, during a special live broadcast on day four of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in August. Gov. Shapiro talks about what it was like *not* being selected as Kamala Harris’ running mate and Rep. Joanna McClinton shares the powerful journey that shaped her path to leadership. 

 

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Thank you to the Native Land Pod team, Reasoned Choice Media and iHeart. Theme music created by Daniel Laurent.

Natively and Pod is a production of iHeartRadio in partnership with Resent Choice Media. Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome.

Welcome, Hey, fam, You're about to hear a replay of one of our interviews from our live stream at the Democratic National Convention. If you want to listen to or watch the full stream, check out the links in the episode description. You can also find a full list of all the guests we interviewed.

Welcome home, y'all.

Man.

Governor Jos Shapiro is here. I loved your theme of freedom last night. And you know, one question that I've been asking everyone in light of the Supreme Court's recent ruling is the fact we know so many Republican officials refuse to start a fight the results of the election. Do you believe our democracy is healthy enough to have a free and fair election come November?

I do, cause look, last time we had a free and fair, safe and secure election in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, and our Court's health. The judges, when it was up to them, did do the right thing. But make no mistake, there are serious threats out there. It's one of the reasons why nine months ago, as a governor of Pennsylvania, which I think everyboy gery is kind of the ultimate swing state here. We put together an election protection task Force led by my Secretary of the Kamwal, who oversees elections importantly a Republican because I think the administration of elections is non partisan. Obviously, parties and exercise decide who you want to be for. But we want everyone in Pennsylvania to know that their ballot can be cast, their ballot will be counted. And I don't care what Donald Trump does to try and throw out a vote. We'll be ready to go to court.

To protect it.

And I can I say, I'm going to ask you.

You can say whatever you want anything.

It is a night of celebration, but I'm going to tell you the truth. I'm gonna take you into our text messages. Don't be mad, Lenart. We were both surprised that you were not selected as the VP.

I was disappointed.

I was gonna say that next. And I want to know what it takes emotionally to get past that. When you know you're qualified, when you know your friends are qualified, to when your standard shoulder started with them, and you know you got to carry on in the fight. Yeah, how do you move past something like that. I mean, we are a little biased as we got to sit with you. I remember interviewing you. I was like, he has it. There's like an it factor. Andrew has the it factor running for governor of Florida like a hell of a RaSE.

And he's not done.

If I got anything to do with it.

But but yes, I just want to know what it takes for you to move past that.

Well, first of all, I hope you saw me that Tuesday night in Philly when Kamala Harrison Tim Maul's came out. I think I made clear that I'm all in for them, and I hope I also made clear that I'm more than at peace with this. And let me explain I said during that process, which I was really humbled and honored to be a part of, that this was, at the end of the day, a deeply personal decision for the Vice president. I'll tell you what was also a deeply personal decision for me. And you got to make sure that you're in the right situation, ultimately most importantly for her, she's the boss, but also making sure that you're in the best position where you can serve, where you can chart your course, where you can have an impact on people every day, and at the end of the day, I think she made an outstanding picking Tim Walls dollar. He's gonna serve her well in that role and I look forward to continue to do everything I can as governor of Pennsylvania.

It's a compliment to you, though, because people were saying, like, he's not a number two, he's a number one.

So he let me so speaking.

To number one because that was my follow up.

There's been a lot of messy talk about when Kamala Harrison Tim Wallas win in twenty twenty four that what would prevent you from challenging them in twenty twenty eight.

Would you say, like I would come and do that.

Listen, now I play that game, They're gonna win. I'm gonna do everything I can help, and I'm gonna do everything I can help make sure they win again.

So I love that.

But putting the noise the rest, I think is mission critical. So I appreciate you.

Yeah, Governor.

I'm curious well because I was trying to think, what was the last time that we had a broker convention at the DNC, So I was wonder where that speculation would come from.

But governor.

The question I want to ask, I know that you enjoy being governor of Pennsylvania and or dedicated.

I'm sorry said three weeks ago. What was three weeks ago? Joe Biden stepped in.

Oh, sorry, my bad, I'm governor. I know you enjoyed being a governor. You've been clear that you enjoy being governor of Pennsylvania. However, there is a speculation about what role you might take when Kamala Harris and Tim Wallas when the White House.

Should you join her administration?

I'm curious what your advice to her would be when it comes to what we're seeing happening in Israel and Gaza.

Let me be clear, I love being governor Pennsylvania. I'm going to continue to be Governor of Pennsylvania, period, hard styles and this sentence full stop. If you're asking me about Israel, I'm happy to give you my thoughts on that, but ultimately that policy is going to be set by the Harris Walls administration with whoever she has hopefully negotiating a peace in the Middle East. Look, I'll just share with my views because I think a lot of this. You know, people like to project onto other people what they think.

Here's what I know.

On October seventh, a terrorist group Hamas, by the way, designated terrorist group by the United States of America, stormed into a sovereign nation, killed people at a music festival, killed people in their homes, ripped away babies and families, over two hundred of them, and took them a hostage. Back in Gaza, there were Americans taken hostage as well. The world should be unified in their outrage about that, and my heart breaks for what happened in Israel over the ensuing months. My heart also breaks for the death and destruction that we are seeing in Gaza every single day. Those babies in Gaza, they don't deserve to die, but yet we are here in this situation of warfare that is claiming far too many innocent lives. What needs to happen is a return of the hostages, and then what needs to happen is an end of the violence. And then what my hope has been four years long before October seventh, is that we can renew meaningful conversations to have a two state solution Palestinians and Israelis living peacefully side by side. Now, listen, all of what I just said, there's some nuance in that.

I get that.

Here's where there can be absolutely no nuance when it comes to all of us joining forces and condemning anti Semitism, condemning Islamophobia, condemning all forms of hatred and bigotry that should unify us as Americans be against that hatred and bigotry. And that is where I stand. I'm someone who's hopeful for peace, and the quickest way we can get toward a lasting conversation on peace is by being tolerant of one another, getting these hostages home and ending the violence.

Definitely want to get the hostages home, for sure, I think everyone agrees on that. But given the over forty thousand many children included in that number of civilian lives that have been casualties.

Of distribe, acknowledge is yeah, pain.

What I'm curious what you might say to the people outside protesting who want to support this administration and they're just they want their humanity scene. What would your message to them be tonight?

I would say, you not only have a First Amendment right to protest, one that as the Attorney General of Pennsylvania is the governor of Pennsylvania. I stand up and protect every day. I'd say that, you know, I think I understand your pain.

I think I understand your pain.

It's hard to fully understand someone's pain until you've walked in their shoes. But I have met with so many Muslim Americans, Palestinian Christians, people in Pennsylvania who have family in God's.

I've heard their pain.

I've absorbed that, and my heart breaks for them as it breaks for the Israelis that lost loved ones on October seventh and can continue to have loved ones held captive by this terrorist organization.

This is horrible on every level.

And if there's people outside peacefully protesting to make sure that powerful people inside this building here, that's their right to do.

And it's good that they're out there doing that.

As I've always said, you got to write to protest, you got to follow the rules, whatever the rules are that the mayor of Chicago or whatever set up, and it's got to be peaceful and then you can make sure your voice is heard.

That's right.

I wanted to ask you about Pennsylvania Governor. You know, Donald Trump's support among white working class voters without a college degree has shrunk significantly, not just in Pennsylvan, Michigan and Wisconsin as well. That group typically favorous Republicans, but they're now starting to back the vice president.

Why do you think that is?

You know, I'll just look obviously you cite all the polling, and basically we got kind of a tide race right now.

I'll tell you what, Charlie.

And anecdotally, when I'm out in these rural areas, I go there a lot foks kind of siddle up to me and they go, hey, what do you really think of her?

What's her deal?

What I'm trying to express you is there's like a curiosity, well, what's she really like?

What's she going to be like? You know her?

I take that as a really positive and hopeful sign that they're kind of open to considering her candidates. And that's a really really important thing, Andrew. You know that feel from when you're running and you kind of got somebody who maybe you think wouldn't take a look at you, but they are. That's when you know you're kind of onto something. And that's what I'm feeling out in the commandity.

And that's I actually wanted to ask your advice, and I'm sure you're giving it to the campaign as a governor. I completely understand your hesitance on going wanted to go anywhere because it's such a powerful and important and responsible place to try to change, heal and mend the lives of the people for whom you've been elected to serve.

You're doing that.

I called you as the VP pick, not in any recent time, but the night I heard your acceptance speech once you won the race for governor, I was listening on television and I was like, Dad, dudes, got it. I was like, whatever it is, he's got it, Governor. I'm not going to take for granted in any way, shape or form that there are people out here who can't see a woman, let alone a black woman, as their command in chief. And I sometimes wonder how this conversation goes down amongst men when it's just men and you're trying to communicate to them in a way that is not politically correct, but is at the source of your heart and the source of.

What it is that you believe.

And I wonder what advice might you give to this campaign, the broader campaign, and us as individuals and individual listeners around how folks might go about that conversation, How might they go about that conversation amongst other men and what that might be, and not saying all men are the same. So there's a lot of qualifiers there. But I hope you get my point.

No, I do, And I think it is really really important that people can vouch for the vice president who have had an opportunity to work with her, people who have had the opportunity to get to know her. Certainly I'm one of those people, and there are others. When you want to talk about whatever, just the guys sitting around having the conversation. It might be hard for Kamala Harris to be part of that conversation, but if I can be there, I can tell it. Hey, guys, listen, she's tough as nails. Yeah, she knows what she's doing. She is prepared to lead, and I've seen her do the job. I've seen her be tough and know what's at stake and how to make sure that she holds someone accountable or whatever the situation is. I think that those people who know her best vouching for her in those communities are going to be really really important.

But I hope people take that as instruction because however taboo it may seem and sound. That's a barrier we have to get over in communities all across this country, and I hope folks will take note.

And speaking of barriers, I just want to before you answer, a Governor, we've been joined by a history breaker, a history maker herself, big first black woman Speaker of the Pennsylvania House, and I know an ally of Governor Shapiro, so we wanted to make sure we had a little time to overlap with you both.

Man Speaker Joanna McClinton, if you've not heard that name before, you're going to hear it again and again and again. She is the history making Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the first time. The Democrats are in the majority for about a dozen years, and look at who they picked to lead them.

That is a big deal.

She is awesome and as you said, a great ally of mine and I have hers. And we're doing big things in Pennsylvania, invest in record amounts in public education, public safety, economic opportunity, protecting our fundamental freedoms.

It's big time stuff for getting done in Pennsylvania, in.

The only divided legislature in the whole country. And Minister McClinton on Sundays.

Appreciate women and ginger. What can I help you with, Governor Bishop, you were preaching out there last night.

I need whatever you drink after church on Sunday.

Well, there's no better introduction, ma'am speaker.

Thank you for having me.

Absolutely tell us how you did it. What's been the labor to get to this point is as I've heard in the commercial, my overnight success has been years in the making. Absolutely, and that's probably the story you could tell.

Absolutely.

So growing up, I was not one seeing myself running anything in government. I grew up with role models like Matt Locke and Claire Huxtables.

Sir, I was going to law school.

I was going to law thwenty seven. I mean I was in the eighties. These were my role models. No lawyers in my family. And once I got all the way through school, I ended up working as a public defender for almost a decade, doing that work in court with people who are in the worst circumstances of their lives, both struggling with poverty and also accused of serious things about.

To lose liberty. It was there that I found my.

Voice, and then finding my voice, I saw that there was a lot of injustices, just in the law, mandatory minimums, I mean, so many things that didn't make sense. And when I would ask my colleagues and our appellate lawyer down at the Philly PDS, I'm like, what's this all about?

They're like Harrisburg.

I'm like, well, where is Harrisburg.

I'll live in Philly.

I'm not one to get to the state Capitol ever, And I left the Public Defenders, got a job working for my state senator, was his chief council for a few years, and for nine years just right now, I have been serving my neighbors in west and southwest Philly and Delaware County as state rep. And for the last four years I have been in leadership in Harrisburg. And it's when we flipped the House in twenty twenty two that I went from the minority leader to the speaker.

I love that.

Can I and it can? I just jump in real quickly.

I want you to understand what it means to have Joanna Mclinton as the leader. She mentioned that she was a public defender forever in a day. Pennsylvania was one of only two states in the whole nation that did not fund public defenders at the state level. Joanna McClinton is speaker for a hot second, and we got rid of that bad distinction.

We now helped fund our public defenders.

Right, it matters who you brock compositions of leadership.

Talk about it, governorship, bro your speech got under Trump's skin. Right last night he called you an overrated Jewish governor.

So what offended?

I'm calling you overrated anti semitazy?

I mean, I think my poll numbers right twenty points bearing his drop them.

Is literally the definition of say less, ye say less check.

Check Yeah, I'll say serious thing like I don't get upset when he criticized me.

I don't.

Honestly, I don't get too high when people say nice things too low and people say bad things. Here's what pisses me off, though, when he engages.

In these anti Semitic tropes, when.

He pushes hatred and bigotry into our political discourse. It makes other people around here feel less safe, makes them feel like they don't belong and it infects us. And listen, I got four kids. I try and raise them to be good people. You try and raise them to be the kind of people that you'd want in the leader of this nation.

Kamala Harris is.

That kind of person you know, no matter what you look like, where you come from, who you love, who you pray to, you belong here. She believes that. I believe that Donald Trump doesn't believe that. And that is what's upsetting to me, not that he calls me a bad namer, engages in attacks on me.

It's how it makes other.

People feel and the license it gives to people like him to then do the same thing.

You would think you would.

Learn his lesson because he's already created an environment of political violence. That's clearly you haven't been safe for him, So you don't think nobody.

Say that that's a really good point.

Okay, well, I do have one more question for Governor We okay, with this staff, we keep getting cussed.

Out by mercy.

Okay, what do you say to people I've been seeing the right say this a lot. Democrats talk like they don't have the White House now, they talk like they haven't had to White House twelve with the last sixteen years. How come Democrats don't speak like they are in the driver's seat.

I'm not sure I'd look at it that way, but I think what we have now as a result of what occurred over the last thirty is days or so, we got a change agent in Kamala Harris. We got someone who now gets to lay out a different vision, a different path forward. And so of course she's going to take up the mantle of change. We already know what the hell Donald Trump's going to do. He did it for four years, and you know what he did more chaos, less jobs, and a whole lot less freedom when he was in charge. He wants to do the same thing. So like he's not the change agent Kamala Harris is. And so maybe that's sort of what folks are reacting to.

Well, Governor, you're being gracious with your staff. I was going to say anytime, we always say we don't always have six seats.

But we at least got four.

Where you want to come and join Native Lampi, we'll you know, lookome you on as guest hosts any day of the week when you're not to watch baruk Obama.

Y'all, I'm not sure where that came from you, because in my lifetime.

You definitely sound like him sometimes. Yeah, but you.

Know he got he got his sound from some places too, so we're allowed to.

Joanna Joyna said he was preaching. They both sound like we need an organ.

All we need is an organ.

Starts.

But the fans have to have comments.

Let's have both of y'all before y'all go, who had the best speach.

Of the week that we had the best beach of the week.

Come on, it's like a choose between my kids. I think Michelle, come on.

Easily, Madam Speaker and Governor. The debate has been ship.

She had been the closestold be she can close every night.

She can close every night, Michell and closed and Governor. I have nothing in front of me. But it's like you took my talk points. But see they defer to the state rep. We'll come back to you. I was on the floor taking self several feet away.

Well, the message from that is become governor.

You know you have term limits and stuff.

Just saying, mark my word, I believe that.

So grateful for both of you all for.

Joining us tonight night celebrate it's your night, and they get us to fight tomorrow. Thanks y'all, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Hey y'all, thanks for listening. Remember to rate, review, subscribe, and tune into our regular episode that drops every single Thursday.

Welcome Home, y'all.

They Dad of Land pod is the production of iHeartRadio and partnership with Resent Choice Media. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

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