Speaker 0 00:00:03 Yeah, we were very privileged to have as a guest with us. Heather Booth, Heather is, there is no doubt, a legendary figure in the world of progressive organizing for several decades. Uh, and there's even a full length documentary movie that advances her
Speaker 1 00:00:25 Story. A very good one
Speaker 0 00:00:27 As we speak. She is the well I'll her. Tell us, what is your title with the campaign with the Biden campaign?
Speaker 2 00:00:34 I'll, I'll say where I am with the campaign, but I also I'll say a word also about my wonderful friend, uh, friends, Dick flax, and, uh, Dirac Alara Moore. Um, I'm the director of senior and progressive engagement at the Biden Harris campaign. But I do want to say a word about both, uh, about you Dick and to Rocca. Um, Dick was my teacher when I was in college, who was my sociology teacher, but he was so much more, he was an inspiration who challenged me, supported me and helped me grow. Um, in some ways he was my connection to a part of the vitality of the student movement. And we came over time to be close friends and partners, and also he and his wife, Mickey and me and my husband, Paul, before of us being, um, movement couples. It's a special thing to be a social change movement, couple, and we connected over the years, uh, even deepening in connection, uh, as we've grown and, uh, <inaudible>, uh, has been a friend and partner. He was a housemate, just stay with me and has been a, uh, just such an inventive in inquisitive, creative, uh, insightful leader about democratic and progressive politics and seeing the connection between being a Democrat, being a progressive, uh, doing the elections and doing the organizing. So I'm so glad to be on this show with you, but thank you for being here. We're really
Speaker 0 00:02:20 Thrilled that you're taking the time to do it from your own. What is got to be an overwhelming, we challenging situation that you're in. This is, this is just how we should make notes. The one in a long series of major campaigns that Heather has been crucial for, uh, with over the years. And maybe we'll get into talking about some of that as we, as we go forward. But, uh, one obvious question directed to you, Heather, is, uh, to really tell us something that you're probably paid to tell us. And that's why we're asking it. Uh, since the audience we expect for us of this podcast is progressive people who want to, uh, who have agendas of change. What would you say? Not only, uh, the typical things that are said about defeating Trump, getting him out of office, uh, smashing the Republican party. All of those are perfectly strong motivations for there. Is there a way in which you could say to progress is the agenda you have for world transforming this country will be advanced by the Biden campaign and the Biden Harris election.
Speaker 2 00:03:43 Let's see, I think I'd say three, three main points about it. One is certainly on the substance. Uh, in fact, Bernie Sanders said that Joe Biden wants to have the boldest programs, has the boldest programs since FDR and it's embodied in the programs it's embodied bodied in the platform it's embodied in the task forces that was set up between Sanders and Warren and the, uh, and the Biden campaign. And now the Biden Harris campaign. And it's really about, uh, unity and inclusion, racial justice, making the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share, investing in communities. It's a bold vision on climate. Uh, there'll be a worldwide ban on fossil fuel subsidies, amongst many other things. In fact, there was a, an op-ed in the New York times, not long ago that said, uh, this is the green new deal in all, but name, um, it's to make sure healthcare is affordable and available, regardless of preexisting conditions, negotiating on drug prices.
Speaker 2 00:04:48 You just go on and on not only saving social security, but expanding it for those who work on the issue, creating a special index for seniors, uh, the CPI, uh, saving the post office, raising wages, $15 an hour. This is the most pro labor pro union campaign that I've seen in my lifetime. The first staff person hired in the unit of the campaign that I'm in, uh, which now is about 30 people. And the first one was a person to work on union and labor outreach. Um, he's for one fair wage, no sub minimum wage for tipped workers, and the issues can go on and on. So on the substance, it's a dramatic, dramatic change. And that really gets to the second point that beyond the specific policy proposals, it's a sea change of direction. Um, Biden often talks about being a fight for the soul of the nation.
Speaker 2 00:05:49 It, it really is. And after the wreckage of the Trump era, uh, rather than Hayden division, this is a campaign that focuses on hope and unity and caring and inclusion, rather than not listening to science. This is following science and having a coordinated response. And it's not just words about it. I mean, Biden did that when he was working on Ebola response or the cancer moonshot. And what he really says is this is a chance for a new direction. And then there's a third area that I'd mentioned. And that is, that is movement builders, as people who are organizers, who are listening to this podcast, as people who believe in social change, some of you are spend your lives in social change, whether you're a young adult or whether you're older, I'll be 75 shortly after this campaign that our LOBs are dedicated to recognizing social change for justice and democracy.
Speaker 2 00:06:55 And this isn't it's because of that organizing that we helped to open up the space to make even this campaign possible. And so it's your work that makes this possible, but then to seize that power, to confirm the victories that we fought so long for, we have to almost begin, or the next step is electing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to defeat Trump. We need to elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and then the organizing continues. And the more we organize, the more we can change this world. It's the only way change really happens combining organizing, and then with elections and then continuing the organizing. And I'd say one last thing that Dick made a comment that maybe I'm paid to say this. I actually want to go back to that. Um, I've actually come to an age where I had assumed I would never work in a campaign again.
Speaker 2 00:07:59 I didn't actually have to work at this point. Uh, I'm one of the very fortunate few, probably in the country like that I've worked my whole life. I went into this campaign after thinking I would never go into a campaign again, I've been organizing since I was about 13. And then as I said, I'll be 75 shortly after the campaign is over. I swore I would never go into a campaign again. I'm, I'm older. I want time with my grandkids. I want time just relaxing. And then I realized everything I fought for for 50 years and more is threatened. My grandkids lives a threat, and I actually was sitting home one night thinking, no, I started in the fight for civil rights. Civil are being perspective. Voting rights are being pushed back, women, LGBTQ climate, everything I care about is being jeopardized. And I realized if I can get going, give it one more shot.
Speaker 2 00:09:13 I wanted to do anything I could. And I'm asking everyone, who's listening. Do anything you can. This election is far from guaranteed in the result. And many of you will remember how, how guaranteed we thought the results were in the last presidential election. And it didn't turn out that way. Even 3 million more votes, didn't turn out that way. And the level of suppression, the level of intimidation, the level of the Boogaloo coming encouraged by this president that we have in Trump, we don't know what will happen. And the only thing we can really count on is that you will put your metal to the pedal that you'll make the calls. You'll do the pracs. You'll volunteer. I'm encourage you text progress to 3 0 3, 3 0, text the word progress to 3 0 3, 3, 0, and volunteer. Or if you want to, you can also get our updates regularly from Progressive's for Biden.
Speaker 2 00:10:22 If email us and send something, go to the
[email protected] forward slash coalitions. And then you'll see a note. It says, join. And you go to the progressive and you'll get the Progressive's, uh, daily updates, uh, activities, events that are happening, and the opportunity to make phone calls do texts in this era of COVID. We don't have the door to door. We don't have the visible outside public events, but we need you this. Isn't the time to sit back and say, oh, do this to this, do this. We need to say whatever we think, but you need to take action. You need to do the work. And that's what you all know as organizers. That's how you make change.
Speaker 1 00:11:18 Well, I can't think of anybody better to be in the job that you have. Um, it's, uh, a really, really important thing that the Biden campaign have people on staff who understand movement perspectives. And that's. So that's one question that I have is, you know, what, what do you think the challenges are for the Biden campaign and making the case for getting those folks who are engaged in social movement, work and social justice, where people, for example, who are, you know, on the front lines right now with black lives, what do you think the challenges are going to be for getting at least some of that energy focused on the, the, as you say, cannot be taken for granted task of ending the Trump administration?
Speaker 2 00:12:05 Well, we know that the single most important thing we need to do is to energize and engage people, especially young people, many of whom it's not just, aren't sure about, I don't think it's a question about who to vote for. I do think it's a question about, should they vote? How do you vote? I was confused as how do you vote a young people I'm told if you vote by mail, uh, I have a youngest distant. She didn't know how to put a stamp on an envelope. She said, she's never sent a mail, a letter with a stamp on it. And so making people comfortable about voting a major focus on this campaign is to ensure that voting is safe and secure and protected and that people are, uh, and that it's made as convenient as possible. We are encouraging everyone to vote early, uh, this week, by the way, the, uh, ballot start to drop in a number of states, North Carolina and others.
Speaker 2 00:13:08 So voting is starting. As soon as you get the opportunity to vote, vote early, vote by mail. If you can, if you are not voting by mail, or if it's difficult for you, there also are dropped boxes. You can put it in a Dropbox. And if you're voting in person again, go to vote early, they will try to limit the polling places. They'll try to create long lines. They'll try to dissuade us, but we've got to decide that this fight for democracy, fight for justice, fight for freedom, fight for our lives, that this is worth that standing in line, voting early, getting out to vote and encouraging others, your parents get them to vote your children, get them to vote your friends and yourselves. So I think that, uh, there's a major effort. It's probably the greatest effort that I've ever seen in a campaign to do voter protection and, uh, recruiting poll workers. And in ensuring that voting is safe. I think a challenge is also adapting from an, uh, a physical world to a virtual world. And so it is making the phone calls and that's what you all can do. It's not really, what's the challenge of the Biden campaign. It's really, what's the challenge of Progressive's who are listening to this call. This is our challenge when you text to 3 0 3, 3.
Speaker 0 00:14:46 So if they make that check, if they do that 3 0 3, 3 oh texts for the word progress, they will get a specific ways that they can tie into the kind of activity that you're talking about. Is that right?
Speaker 2 00:15:02 Yep. Yes. If you text, you get a response by text. Sometimes you get a personal call, you, but generally they will then have your phone number and we'll respond to you by text and give you options for texting, calling, uh, and learn about some other activities that are going on and you can volunteer. You know, there's an interesting thing. I mentioned. I started work in the civil rights movement. I actually was in Snick, the student nonviolent coordinating committee when John Lewis was the chair. And when I was in the civil rights movement, people sometimes would say, are you willing to die for freedom? And I very much wanted to live in Mississippi summer. I was, I was 18 years old, but I was willing to take the risks. I was willing to do that. But I think now it's a little different while some people may tragically die in this struggle. Now the real question is, would you live for freedom? Would you do the work every day when it's too hot? It's too cold. I'm too tired. It's too boring. I already made some calls. You mean, I need to make more calls. Oh, I'm above that. I can do the strategy. I should do the problem. I don't need to make the calls. Well, yes we do. That's the challenge today. And social changes made by those steps. One step after another one call after another one text after another, in this COVID environment. And we need everyone.
Speaker 0 00:16:34 I just met one question to ask you, uh, in terms of what you just said, why don't you take some, uh, hope from the fact that the levels of engagement already are extremely high? Am I wrong about that? Or do you, do you see the same thing that I'm seeing a large, large readiness of a lot of people to do more of the kind of things that you're talking about than I've ever seen?
Speaker 2 00:16:59 I think it's absolutely true Dick. And many of us, your students from the past are now trying to carry on this and we need a new generation, but we need everyone. Nothing can be taken for granted. Well, this has been, uh,
Speaker 0 00:17:17 Very exciting for us to have you here and to, and I feel energized. I feel like we've just been singing some great gospel songs, but which we haven't done, but, but actually what you said was very, uh, energizing, very uplifting. And, um, even though you professed to be overwhelmed and exhausted, you still Heather Booth.
Speaker 2 00:17:42 Well, I, I, uh, I'm always energized and inspired with Draka and Dick. I also want to thank payor. Who's the technician here. We thank everyone who puts the work to make these programs work. We thank you in the audience. I do want to leave you with something that, um, Joe Biden said, because, uh, um, I realized the podcast will go on. It won't be immediate, but this is, it's such a time of anxiety in the country. People are. So it's unsettling. Partly you see, uh, another black man shot. Uh, you see a president who's stimulating and seems pleased by the violence that's going on in the country. People frightened, will they have jobs? Will they have, will they have their families? What we look forward to what's going to happen in this election? So some of the things that Joe Biden said recently in response to this kind of anxiety and the violence that's in the country, you
Speaker 3 00:18:42 Said this president long ago, forfeited any moral leadership in this country. He can't stop
Speaker 2 00:18:49 The violence because for years he has fomented it,
Speaker 3 00:18:54 Does anyone
Speaker 2 00:18:55 Believe that there will be less violence in America? If Donald Trump is reelected, we
Speaker 3 00:19:00 Need justice in America, and we need safety in America. We're facing multiple
Speaker 2 00:19:05 Crises, crises that under Donald Trump keep multiplying COVID economic devastation, unwarranted police violence, emboldened white nationalists, a reckoning
Speaker 3 00:19:16 Declining faith in a bright American future. The common thread and incumbent president who makes things worse, not better and incumbent president who sows chaos rather than providing order. And he ended by saying equal justice has not been real for black Americans. And so many others. We're at an inflection point. We must just mantle systemic racism, which the urgent task before us, we must fight to honor the ideals laid in the original American promise, which we are yet to attain that all men and women are created equal, but more importantly, that we must be treated equally. Just imagine I actually don't know any other president who spoke this way. Any other candidate for president? It's partly because of the organizing that you all in this audience and magnified around the country, it's because of what you've done. And we all need to continue to do that. And together, if we organize, we will change this world. So Dick and Andrew, thanks very much for having run you and we'll see you on the other side too. <inaudible>.
