Summary

TVU 25 PETE BUTTIGIEG ROCK HILL SC TOWN HALL REFEED ABC UNI 022720 2020 TIMECODES FROM ORIGINAL FEED Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg talked about the coronavirus at the top of his remarks in Rock Hill, South Carolina calling for Trump administration to change ACA to qualify Coronavirus as preventive covered service. (will send a fuller note after the event ends) 185749 Before we're talking politics I do need to address what's in the news, because I know it's on all of our minds and what's going on with the need for national and global response to the threat as a coronavirus is beyond all politics. And it's an example of what is at stake in presidential leadership, and in making sure that we have the right strategies as a country going forward to keep us safe. And so I believe it is particularly important at a time like this that the strategy of the United States government to keep us safe is guided Above all, by science, and not by politics and why 185837 important that we make sure that barriers like cost and coverage, do not get in the way of the opportunity to delay the spread of infection and making sure that we have treatment which is why I am calling on the administration to classify this as eligible as a preventive covered service under the Affordable Care Act when it comes to treatment or screening the same as we would with a flu shot. Everybody 185912 screening and around treatment that can be taken right away. And then there are steps that will need to be taken in the future in order to make sure that you further further treatments, new approaches and ultimately that seem to be developed and this is where leadership is so important, is why we need presidential leadership to make sure within the United States, that the public and private sectors are coordinated on development solutions. And it's why we need international leadership, to make sure that countries around the world are coordinated to deal with a virus that does not care what country it is in and is equally dangerous. 185957 Will be refeeding the entire remarks later in the evening. Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg talked about the coronavirus at the top of his remarks in Rock Hill, South Carolina calling for Trump administration to change ACA to qualify Coronavirus as preventive covered service. 185749 Before we're talking politics I do need to address what's in the news, because I know it's on all of our minds and what's going on with the need for national and global response to the threat as a coronavirus is beyond all politics. And it's an example of what is at stake in presidential leadership, and in making sure that we have the right strategies as a country going forward to keep us safe. And so I believe it is particularly important at a time like this that the strategy of the United States government to keep us safe is guided Above all, by science, and not by politics and why 185837 important that we make sure that barriers like cost and coverage, do not get in the way of the opportunity to delay the spread of infection and making sure that we have treatment which is why I am calling on the administration to classify this as eligible as a preventive covered service under the Affordable Care Act when it comes to treatment or screening the same as we would with a flu shot. Everybody 185912 screening and around treatment that can be taken right away. And then there are steps that will need to be taken in the future in order to make sure that you further further treatments, new approaches and ultimately that seem to be developed and this is where leadership is so important, is why we need presidential leadership to make sure within the United States, that the public and private sectors are coordinated on development solutions. And it's why we need international leadership, to make sure that countries around the world are coordinated to deal with a virus that does not care what country it is in and is equally dangerous. 185957 He was asked about protecting healthcare professionals from Coronavirus and said: Is should not be a politically controversial idea, but in these times it needs to be set. And we need to make sure that the federal role for coordination and emergency or emergency response is there not just to protect populations, but to protect those who protect the populations. Often it is first responders and even men who are most at risk when it comes to responding to these kinds of issues. And this is exactly the kind of issue that's going to characterize the future of national security. Not only are we going to have to deal with military issues like we always have terrorism issues which is what I specialize on military issues like cyber security and election security and global epidemics that no respect national borders and won't like that. More than ever before. We've got to make sure we have the resources lined up we gotta make sure there is an action plan, and the institutional resources together, you know, this White House actually dismantle the office and the National Security Council, who was responsible for coordinating the exact opposite we'd be putting out the pads to a local public health department that right now would be in a position to give guidance to the clinical staff on how to protect themselves from just these kinds of education. This is why we need to shore up in magnify not subtract from the apparatus that was already there, but there needs to be fortified consider, and then backup local apartments with we know how stretched local departments. You know the county health department should be able to set a strategy for dealing with issues like this but so yeah so little resources, it's all they can do just to keep up with restaurant inspections COLOR: I wanted to note that this event like some of the others this week were majority white. I counted 38 black voters in the crowd out of 900 people that the campaign says was in attendance. The majority of the black people were from a parent education group who are in the state traveling around lobbying 2020 candidates. Rock Hill does have a sizable African American population in the city, the county and neighboring areas. When I drove to the event and walked in many of the license plates were from North Carolina which isn't a surprise Rock Hill isn't that far from the border. Something I also want to note was that Chasten Buttigieg did not hit the stage as he usual at his bigger campaign rallies. Justin and I haven't seen Chasten at any of the South Carolina campaign stops. And to the best of my knowlege he hasn't appeared at a campaign event this year. He was however in Charleston for the Debate. Chasten arrived in the state on Sunday, and just so happened to be on my flight from DC to South Carolina. **OTR: A source close to the campaign told me and Briana Stewart last year that Chasten does not like South Carolina and told the campaign he did not want to campaign down here END OF OTR *** TVU 25 PETE BUTTIGIEG ROCK HILL SC TOWN HALL REFEED ABC UNI 022720 2020 [20:32:29] Amy, for your support. [20:32:30] Thank you audio for the swift response time. [20:32:35] Thank you, Jim, for the work of the party. I always say that the county party committee is the unsung hero of the Democratic Party, so thanks to watch you for what you and everybody here is doing. As an Indiana Democrat, I insist that there is no such thing as a permanently red state or county or precinct. I know that you understand that. [20:33:03] Before talking politics, I do need to address what's in the news today because I know it's on all of our minds and what's going on with the need for a national and global response to the threat of the Corona virus is beyond all politics. [20:33:19] And it's an example of what is at stake in presidential leadership and in making sure that we have the right strategies as a country going forward to keep us safe. [20:33:30] And so I believe it is particularly important at a time like this that the strategy of the United States government to keep us safe is guided above all by science and not by politics, which is why we need leaders who listen to science. [20:33:51] It's also going to be important that we make sure that barriers like cost and coverage do not get in the way of the opportunity to delay the spread of infection and making sure that we have treatment, which is why I am calling on the administration to classify this as eligible as a preventive covered service under the Affordable Care Act. [20:34:14] When it comes to treatment or screening, the same as we would with a flu shot, we've got to make sure everybody is covered. There are steps around screening and around treatment that can be taken right away. And then there are steps that will need to be taken in the future in order to make sure that few first further treatments, new approaches and ultimately a vaccine can be developed. And this is where leadership is so important. [20:34:43] It's why we need presidential leadership to make sure within the United States that the public and private sectors are coordinating on developing solutions. And it's why we need international leadership to make sure that countries around the globe are coordinating to deal with a virus that does not care what country it is in and is equally dangerous to everybody. [20:35:04] So let's get this right and let's put this beyond politics. [20:35:12] So having said a little bit about that picture, let me invite you to form another picture. [20:35:17] That is the one that's always on my mind when I think about what's at stake in these elections. If you've ever seen me speak, you might know that it's the picture that I always want to invite fellow Americans to envision, because it really is in our future. And it's the picture of what it'll be like the first time that the sun comes up over the Carolinas. And Donald Trump is no longer the president of the United States. [20:35:45] Are we ready for that? [20:35:50] Sooner the better. [20:36:01] I mean, wouldn't it be nice just to put the chaos behind us? Aren't you're ready to put the exhaustion behind us? Would it be good to put the tweets behind us? And I don't even think that's a partisan statement anymore. [20:36:19] I'm talking not only to fellow diehard Democrats, but quite a few independents and a healthy number of what I like to call future former Republicans who feel just as passionate as I do about making that happen. [20:36:32] And you are welcome in this effort. [20:36:34] If you are crossing party lines to be here, because we need to make sure that we gather together the American people in a vision for something better no matter how you voted in the past. And I don't think we're defined by what we've done in the past. I think we're defined by our view toward the future. [20:36:53] Now, if we want to bring that day about sooner rather than later, though, a lot depends on the decisions that are about to be made, including the decisions that will be made in the next few days, bearing on who the nominee of our party of my party is going to be. [20:37:09] And that's why I'm here. One more time to look you in the eye and to ask you for your support. [20:37:15] If you are already on board, I'm here to thank you and urge you to spread that word to everybody you know. [20:37:37] Pete's looking pretty strong. [20:37:46] If you're still making up your mind, though, then I'm here to try to convince you and to offer a picture of where it is, I believe that we can go together because so much is in your hands. [20:37:58] And I know how seriously you take that decision that especially in these early states is so important. So I want to begin by inviting you to. [20:38:17] For example, president who likes to talk about the forgotten men and women and says that he cares about the working class. But then if you look at the economic policies, the only economic promises kept has been to cut taxes for corporations and the wealthiest among us. Don't you think he ought to be held to account by somebody who is not a millionaire and actually lives in the industrial Midwest and can speak to what it would look like to have an economy that works for us? [20:38:49] We got a president who likes to cloak himself in the language of religion. [20:38:54] This president. Don't you think it would make sense for him to be held to account by somebody who can insist to fellow believers that God does not belong to a political party in the United States? [20:39:15] This is a country that belongs to people of every religion and of no religion equally. [20:39:20] And I think upholding that is perfectly compatible with being a person of faith, calling out to other people of faith. [20:39:32] And don't you think a president who likes to talk tough, likes to beat his chest and throw himself military parades, but avoided serving when it was his turn? Don't you think it would make sense for him to have to confront on a debate stage a veteran who can remind him why pardoning war criminals and punishing war heroes is not the action of a patriot? [20:40:06] I'm ready to go toe to toe with this president. I'm looking forward to it. [20:40:21] Now, that is a real difference, there's a real difference in approach, though, on how I want to do this. [20:40:27] That's different from my friend Senator Sanders. I respect the ideals that he's speaking about, but I believe at a time like this, we've got to earn the presidency by calling people in, not by calling people names online. [20:40:41] We've got to build out our majority by making sure we have solutions that harness and galvanize that American majority, not polarize. [20:40:53] And I would argue at a moment like this, what Americans are looking for is not only a president who can lead us forward on policy, but also a president whose style makes it possible to turn on the TV, look at the White House and actually feel your blood pressure go down a little bit stead of up through the roof. That's part one of offering to. [20:41:16] But here's the really good news. There is a pretty healthy American majority that wants to see a new president that agrees on who we against. But there is a bigger majority that can agree on what it is we are for where we need to take this country. And it is in the name of harnessing that majority that we built this campaign. [20:41:36] For example, the American people already agree that we must act to ensure that there is no such thing as an uninsured American. And we can do that right now with Medicare for all who want it. Right now, we got an American majority that understands that part of how we can honor our troops is to make sure that they are not deployed into endless war and to honor our veterans when they come home too, by taking care of them. [20:42:04] We see that right now. We got American majority right now that wants to see wages rise, expects corporations to be held accountable and stands with workers so that we can see to it that one job is enough in the United States of America. Whether you've got a college degree or not. There is already a healthy American majority insisting that we come together to reform the immigration system. [20:42:37] Recognizing that immigration is part of the lifeblood of the United States of America. A growing coalition that insists that we take action right now to ensure that your race has no bearing on your health or your wealth or your access to educational opportunities or your experience with law enforcement. [20:43:00] We got to act now to make that a reality. [20:43:09] We've got to have right now a way to awaken that American majority that knows what is at stake in supporting the next generation and those who educate them by insisting that the next secretary of education be one who actually believes in public education and supports our teachers. [20:43:33] We see the opportunity to do this right now and we got to act fast to make this happen. [20:43:40] These things can't wait. They can't wait 10 years. They can't wait four years. And I'm meeting people everywhere I go who remind me of what's at stake sometimes at campaign events, sometimes just by chance. Not that long ago, I met somebody who I had served with overseas. I just ran into her by chance at the airport. I had not seen her since we were both in Afghanistan, hadn't seen her since she was injured in an insider attack. And when I asked her how she was doing, I saw her walking down the concourse. She's wearing a sweatshirt from there, a t shirt from the Wounded Warrior Project that said some assembly required. [20:44:18] And she picked up her Ernie and tapped on the part of her leg. They couldn't save on the prosthetic and said, you know, the Navy, fix me up just fine and then let me know. [20:44:25] She's looking forward to her next deployment. [20:44:29] Because our troops will do whatever is required of them by the American people. They can't wait for us to have a commander in chief who actually cares about what is going on in the military. [20:44:49] I met a mother at a campaign event not long ago who let me know she was fearing for the life of her son because she cannot get through a wait list to get him the attention that he needs for a mental illness. [20:45:00] The time has come for us to demonstrate that we know that mental illnesses and substance use deserve to be discussed as openly and treated as readily as any physical issue. [20:45:13] We're already there and we can't wait to do something about it because lives are on the line. [20:45:24] But the focus on meeting remind me the six some of them aren't even voters, some of them aren't even old enough yet to vote. [20:45:30] They're the ones who really get my attention. I had an 11 year old come to an event to mine, raise his hand and ask about prescription drug affordability policy. [20:45:40] I thought. Smart kid. [20:45:43] And he was. But the reason he was asking was not that he was an emerging health care policy buff. He's asking because he's worried about how he'll be able to afford insulin when he grows up and leaves home and tries to go out on his own. He's worried about this at the age of 11. [20:46:00] This shouldn't be his problem and he can't wait for us to act to make sure there's no such thing as an unaffordable prescription in the United States of America. [20:46:16] Had a 13 year old come to an event, let me know that she had purchased or asked her parents to purchase for Christmas, asked for a bulletproof backpack. That was what was on her mind going into Christmas season. [20:46:31] And she cannot wait for us to act to demonstrate that we get that the Second Amendment is not an excuse to do nothing whatsoever to protect her life and to protect this country from gun violence. [20:46:42] We've got to act. And Democrats, Independents and Republicans know it. [20:46:52] And then I think about the 10 year old who came to one of my events, let me know that he'd been elected mayor of his school. I'm not sure what that means, but that's the office he holds. [20:47:01] And he pointed out very politely that he is planning to be here in the year twenty one hundred. And that when he is, he'll be looking back on these years that we're in right now to see whether we made the decisions necessary so that the climate would be one where he and his future kids and grandkids could thrive. [20:47:21] They can't wait for us to act to lead the world in doing something about climate change before it destroys economic and life opportunities for the next generation. None of this can wait. [20:47:34] And the good news is we don't have to wait because the American people are there. We just got to make sure that we get Washington working a little more like our best run cities and towns run the other way around. [20:47:46] We got to make sure that if an idea commands a majority among the American people, that that will actually lead to a majority in the American Congress. By presidential leadership. And that is why I'm running for this office. [20:48:00] I didn't seek the presidency because I got it into my head one day that I'd like to occupy it. I'm seeking this office because of a belief, a conviction about what it is for. I believe the presidency has a purpose and that the purpose of the presidency is not to glorify the president. [20:48:17] It is to unify and empower the American people to do these big things. [20:48:20] That's why I'm asking for your vote. [20:48:37] And that's what everybody here has a chance to make happen on Saturday. [20:48:41] Or if you've if you've made the great journey from over the border from North Carolina, you've got to wait until Tuesday. [20:48:47] But we need your help to. [20:48:52] You can't even call it Super Tuesday anymore, it's just next Tuesday and we're going to need help there, too. So our numbers have grown a little bit since I first turned up about a year ago trying to get known, but it's still never too big of a room for conversation. So we have gathered up your questions as you were coming in. [20:49:09] We've put them in our famous fishbowl. And I'd like you to welcome back to the stage, one of our great team members, Oriol Brandee, who's going to guide the discussion in moderate, be your voice. I'm very biased. But don't we have the best team of organizers and volunteers and staff and leaders? [20:49:35] Hi, Ray. [20:49:37] This is a good one. What would you do to protect health care providers during this pandemic? [20:49:44] All right. So this is part of why we need to be paying attention to what the CDC has to say and the advice of experts. Now, listening to science should not be a politically controversial idea. But in these times, it needs to be said and we need to make sure that the federal role for coordination and emergency emergency response is there not just to protect populations, but to protect those who protect the populations. [20:50:09] Often it is first responders and medical staff who are most at risk when it comes to responding to these kinds of issues. And this is exactly the kind of issue that's going to characterize the future of national security. Not only are we going to have to deal with military issues like we always have terrorism issues, which is what I specialized on in the military, but issues like cybersecurity and election security and global epidemics that don't respect national borders. [20:50:37] And at a moment like that more than ever before. We've got to make sure we have the resources lined up. We've got to make sure there is an action plan and the institutional resources to do it. You know, this White House actually dismantled the office in the National Security Council that was responsible for coordinating efforts in a pandemic. [20:50:55] The exact office that we be putting out, the guidance to a local public health department, that right now would be in a position to give guidance to the clinical staff on how to protect themselves from just these kinds of contagion. This is why we need to shore up in magnified, not subtract from the the apparatus that was already there. [20:51:13] But there needs to be fortified considerably and that backup local departments to look. We know how stretched local departments are. You know, a county health department should be able to set a strategy for dealing with issues like this. But so often they have so little resources. It's all they can do just to keep up with restaurant inspections and maybe flu shots. It's why I'm proposing that we put federal dollars into helping county health departments be the chief public health strategists, both for emergency and for day to day needs. [20:51:51] You are very composed and I enjoy your thoughtful answers. How do you resonate in a culture driven by sound bites and drama? This is from Jen. [20:52:00] Jennifer, by the way, it's your question. Give it give a holler so I can look at her. So I think precisely because I'm a pretty passionate person. I've developed a certain discipline making sure that that it doesn't get things don't get a rise out of me more than they have to. Partly something I learned as mayor where you are responsible not only for solving problems, but for setting a tone. [20:52:27] And I think most of us can agree that we could use a different tone coming out of the White House and what we got. Right. Now, the current media environment and online environment, they definitely reward certain things more than others and waving your arms gets rewarded and hollering gets rewarded and being outrageous gets rewarded. And that's part of how this president got elected. But I also don't think we're gonna be able to defeat this president with some equal and opposite Democratic version that has different policies, but the same style. [20:53:06] I think we're gonna have something totally different. [20:53:10] And what I found is that actually part of how we've been able to cut through has been to just take a different approach. You know, the American people, as a general rule, like to have kind of the opposite of whatever we just had as a matter of style in the White House. And I would argue I have something to offer in that regard. And this is a campaign that started with I mean, I don't have any personal fortune. [20:53:33] We didn't have a national large scale email list. I only had four people on the staff. When we got started. But what we had was this idea that our politics could be designed around a sense of belonging that we could build, where everybody could see themselves in the future we're trying to create. And that vision attracted supporters, it attracted organizers and a brilliant staff. And we were able to grow from that unlikely beginning to the position we're in now, where it's cut through a lot of the more traditional noisemaking that gets rewarded in politics. And so more than ever, I believe that approach is going to serve us well. And I think it'll serve us well in the White House to. [20:54:21] What is your plan to fix our educational system, how to teach a child that it wasn't never meant to educate them? Black and brown children specifically. And this is from our friends at the powerful parent network. [20:54:41] Well, thank you for coming here to share your concerns and let me begin by acknowledging that so many parents and in particular black and brown parents and children have been let down by our educational system. [20:54:54] There's no escaping that. [20:54:59] That is the consequence of segregation. It is the consequence of institutional racism. It is the constant consequence of the lack of economic empowerment for black and brown communities, which is why that's a big focus in our Frederick Douglass plan and it's a consequence of our inability to put the right resources into schools. [20:55:19] So what do we do about it? Well, first of all, let's put our money where our mouth is. [20:55:23] It's why schools in those areas where there is the greatest poverty and the greatest student need should be getting the most resources. [20:55:37] It means recognizing that education in the future may not look exactly like it did in the past. The world is changing. The workplace is changing. Experiences are changing. We need a new focus on things like social and emotional learning. We need new forms of problem-solving to be taught and we need to support that. [20:55:56] And I believe if we get this right, we will be supporting parents and teachers in ways that reinforce each other. [20:56:09] And I understand why this has parents frustrated with their options and looking for any way possible to make sure there are more options for their children. I also think that if we solve this the right way, put the right resources into it and make sure whatever innovations develop in nontraditional schools ultimately are used to support and lift up traditional schools to. [20:56:39] ALTERNA being let down. [20:56:50] Can you describe the moment you competently knew you were going to run for president? This is from Adam. [20:56:58] Well, it's it's not like you wake up one day and just think I would be president. At least I hope not. There'd be a terrible way to get into this. And I did not think when I was running for mayor that after two, if we had two successful terms governing the city of South Bend, that would be on to the White House. I'm mindful that there's probably no other time in the history of the republic when it would make sense for somebody like me to be doing something like this. [20:57:23] Well, what I also saw was a moment where we needed to bring a different kind of perspective to Washington, because we come to accept a certain level of political warfare from Washington that wasn't getting us there. I also noticed that my party was struggling to connect with communities in the so-called Rust Belt, like my hometown of SBN, a racially diverse, low income city that was shaken by the loss of factories and was trying to get back on its feet. And we found a new way forward without pretending that we could turn back the clock. [20:57:54] And you know, what I see is there are so many communities, mid-sized cities like mine, rural communities, even pockets of our biggest cities in the less fashionable zip codes that are looking for somebody to speak for them. I saw that there was a desire for a new generational voice in our party and. [20:58:18] You know, belonging to the generation, that was the first to experience school shootings that, you know, that that became widespread when I was a student and now we've had a second generation go through that, shame on us if we let there be a third we can act on. Belonging to the generation that served, provided a lot of troops after 9/11, first thing first time ever set foot in South Carolina was on a bus that took me to the vicinity of Fort Jackson for for training. [20:58:49] And now seeing that you could be old enough to deploy and have not been alive on 9/11. Realizing economically that our generation could be the first in history not to do better than our parents economically. If we don't change, then I began to realize that the voice that I represented was different from the others. Others who I respect, who I admire. But what I have to offer is just different. And. When you realize that you bring a perspective that's different than then you kind of have to step up. [20:59:18] And we didn't know if enough people would agree with me or not. But the only way to find out was to step forward and see what kind of support we could get. And then there was one other really important conversation, if you wanna talk about the moment that it became a green light. That's where you check with your spouse and see what he thinks. [20:59:36] And very important step. [20:59:44] And look, it's not we've been married for less than a year. This is not a great thing to do to your your first year of marriage. But in the end, he said, look, if if you promise two things, then we can do this together. One is that we will always be true to our values and what we believe in and what got us into this. [21:00:07] And the other is that we find a way to have some fun along the way. And we've had a lot of fun along the way. You know, we have we have what we call the rules of the road, which are the values that guide our campaign. I see a few folks wearing the T-shirt that has our rules on respect, belonging, truth, teamwork, boldness, responsibility, substance, discipline, excellence. [21:00:30] But the one we round out the list with is joy. And it is easy to forget the role of joy in Paul, especially politics these days. It can come down to a kind of grim determination sometimes. But you've got to find some joy in the fact that we're in the middle of the most important process going on in democracy in the world and that we reach out and connect with other people, as I hope some of you have in the community of supporters of this campaign, to build that sense of belonging that can show and not just tell what kind of White House we could create, what kind of country we could create. And this is our way of making good on that promise that I made as we were folding laundry and having one more conversation about whether this is a good idea. [21:01:13] So that's. [21:01:23] All right. Unfortunately, this is our last question. I know we were having so much fun, but the last question of the evening is with the highest deficit, this country has faced 21 children trillion. Children 2 21 trillion plus the large ticket items. Other candidates have proposed. How are you going to balance your policy priorities in the deficit? [21:01:49] Very important. And again, if there's your question, give a shout. I believe that, first of all, I believe my party has got to get more comfortable talking about deficits. [21:01:59] If you look at modern history, we've always already been the better ones at handling it, but we don't like to talk about it. It's not fashionable on our side of the aisle. [21:02:09] Probably because we're so tired of the deficit being used as an excuse to block investments that are needed. So I understand that. But we should be talking about this issue because it matters. And under this president, we've seen a trillion dollar deficit contributed to that 21 trillion dollar debt that runs the risk of crowding out the ability to fund the progressive priorities we care about from education to infrastructure to health. [21:02:31] So what do we do about it? Well, I'm pleased to report that when an outside group evaluated all of the different candidates plans, ours was the only one where if you did all the math on everything we think we need to spend and all the revenue we're going to raise has to come out ahead and it'll start reducing the deficit. [21:02:46] I think that's a good thing. [21:02:53] And there's two things we do in order to make that so first of all, we're smart about what we promise. [21:02:58] Don't get me wrong, we're pro proposing major investments. Really, major. I mean, bigger than we've seen in a presidential campaign in a very long time. Investments in our infrastructure, investments in making sure that we get ahead of the issue of climate change. But these are investments that will ultimately pay for themselves. [21:03:15] And we're also making sure that we constrain them a little bit. We figured out a way to get everybody health care. That's one and a half trillion dollars instead of 30 or 40. That's still a lot of money, but we can actually find that much money. [21:03:30] When it comes to college, I believe passionately in making sure college is affordable for everybody. But one difference in my plan is it's gonna be free for most Americans. But if you're the top income group that that tough group. I still wish you well in your studies, but I do need you to go ahead and pay tuition. [21:03:46] Because then we can save those dollars for other things. [21:03:50] So we're being a little more careful on the spending side. [21:03:53] The other thing is we're gonna be honest about revenue. We are in fact, going to have to raise revenue. [21:03:58] Now, it doesn't have to hit the middle class, but we need to take common sense steps so that when you got a company like Amazon making billions in profits and paying zero in taxes, I mean less in taxes than you and I did. [21:04:10] Something's off. We need to roll back the Trump corporate tax cut and insist that the wealthy pay their fair share. We do that. The deficit starts to shrink. [21:04:23] One more big thank you, NREL, for being our voice and guiding our conversation. Thank you. [21:04:28] And to everyone here. Thank you so much for being part of this. I got one more thing to ask of you. [21:04:35] And it is to bottle up whatever sense of hope propelled you into this room today with me and to spread it to those, you know, who maybe you're this close to walking away from it all, because I know how exhausting it has been to follow politics, to follow the news, to watch what was going on on the floor of the Senate during that impeachment trial. I understand how that is so exhausting that for some it may have created a temptation to switch it off and walk away, which is the last thing we can afford to do right now. [21:05:04] And the good news is it's 20/20 and we're voters and that means it. Yeah, the Senate was the jury then. But the verdict is up to us now. And we're going to have the last word. [21:05:17] So you got to take that sense of hope. [21:05:20] You wouldn't be here if there wasn't some sense of hope that it mattered who is in charge. I wouldn't be here either. There's a reason why they took the word hopeful and turned it into a noun and use it as another word for candidate. You ever notice out of a 20 hopeful? That's what I'm doing here. How fitting? Because running for office is an act of hope. It is an expression of hope to be here to step up, to help anybody run for office, to donate, to volunteer, to vote. [21:05:46] You are here as an act of hope. Can I look to you to spread that to those you know? [21:05:53] Are you ready for that Carolina sunrise, we put this White House behind us. Are you ready to make history together on Saturday, on Super Tuesday and all the way into November? Then with your help, I believe you will help me become the next president of the United States, and I will do everything I can to make you proud. Thank you for being here. Thank you for caring. Please keep spreading the word and let's give ourselves a lot to celebrate. Thank you. [21:06:22] Thank you. Thank you.