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- [00:01]
IBM Representative
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- [00:33]
Bloomberg Host
Bloomberg Audio Studios Podcasts, RADIO news
- [00:38]
David Gura
welcome back to Bloomberg this weekend. I'm David Gura alongside Christina Raffini live from the Intrepid Museum, this decommissioned aircraft carrier on the Hudson river in New York City.
- [00:45]
Bloomberg Host
That's right. And we are awaiting the start of this massive ship parade and aerial display, today's historic milestone being celebrated throughout the country and especially on the waterways behind us. You're going to see tall ships behind us shortly. The vice president, we've seen his, his Osprey has taken flight. He's expected to land soon and make remarks. And we're also going to talk to other leaders, including Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who I believe is joining us now. Happy 4th of July. How are you, sir? I'm wondering, as you look at all these events across the country, what do you see as you look back on the 250 years of America? Do you see unity or do you see concern?
- [01:25]
Governor Wes Moore
I see a country that has had 250 years of really one of the most remarkable journeys in world history where we were founded on an idea and founded on a promise, a promise that we were going to see everybody and that we would create something new and unique that truthfully has been the greatest experiment in world history. And I think we're now looking at a country that continues to work to honor its promise and that is the work of patriotism. In fact, I'll be giving an address from the Maryland State Capitol, really talking about how the work of patriotism is, is a commitment to sacrifice and a commitment to service that we, we believe in each other, we fight for each other. That's what's make this country unique in the past and that's what will continue giving this country strength in the future.
- [02:16]
David Gura
Talk a bit more about that. The speech that you're going to give there in Annapolis. A lot of veterans will be in the audience for that speech. There's this notion that patriotism has become a contested thing and I gather that's something that you want to push back against in that speech you're going to deliver.
- [02:30]
Governor Wes Moore
It is because patriotism is not political and patriotism is not partisan. You know, patriotism is the people who are willing to fight for the hope of us, the ones who are willing to put on this country's uniform and fight overseas and the ones who are willing to serve as doctors and nurses back home and to heal them when they came home. It was the people who were willing to, you know, willing to fight and work in the shipyards and the people who were the conductors in the underground railroad that that patriotism just simply means are you willing to fight for the hope of something that you might not even see yourself, but you are doing it because hopefully future generations will be able to benefit from the work that you have done. We are a nation of patriots, which means we're a nation of public servants. And I think that's the thing I want to be able to focus on, is showing that this is not political and it is not partisan, that no party owns that. That is something that makes this country so special, and it's something that we must protect.
- [03:33]
Bloomberg Host
I do want to ask you about the status of the American dream. Our colleagues at BBC, I was listening this morning, went out and asked for people to send them messages about what it means to be an American today. And most of them were overwhelmingly pos, but a couple were from people. And I've heard this among first generation families that I talk to or just friends who are immigrants to this country that the American dream. You come here, you work hard, you bootstrap yourself up. Anything is achievable, is seeming harder and more distant than it used to be for a lot of people. Even folks whose whole life wanted to come to America and now they're not sure that was the right decision. Talk to us about the status of the American dream. Do you think it is still achievable? And if not, what can we do to change that? What do politicians and lawmakers need to do to make that possible again?
- [04:17]
Governor Wes Moore
You know, I think that I understand why people have skepticism. You know, we are in a society right now where people do feel like they're working harder and making less. We are in a society right now where people feel like everything is just more expensive. And they're watching people in the highest offices, you know, enriching themselves, sitting and sitting in these offices. So I understand why they're skepticism. The, you know, the thing that I would just say is while. While that skepticism is real and justified, and frankly, it's skepticism that I have as well. That skepticism can serve as my companion, but I won't let it become my captor. I won't let that skepticism become something that allows me to forfeit and not forget and forget all everything that people did coming before me. You know, I'm. I'm going to be giving this address tonight or today from the Maryland State Capitol as the first black governor in the history of the state of Maryland, knowing that I'm giving a speech in a building that was partially built by the hands of enslaved people. So progress is possible inside of this country. But we just need to make sure that for both our leaders and our everyday citizens, that we understand that the work that is required in order for us to continue to achieve the American dream and is work that all of us must embrace.
- [05:38]
David Gura
Let me pick up on what Christina just asked, because in addition to being governor, you've written many books, and a lot of them have focused on opportunity in this country. And a few weeks back, I had a conversation with Senator Raphael Warnock in which he said he's a bit concerned that the opportunities that he had wouldn't be available to him today if he were younger and just starting out in his life, in his public life. I'm curious if you share that sense. And I guess moving beyond just sort of the immigrant story in this country and that notion of the American dream, how you think about opportunity through the prism of the day that we're marking today the 250th anniversary of this country.
- [06:12]
Governor Wes Moore
I would say that opportunity is not a straight line. And I think the promise of this country has not been a straight line. I think that one thing we have known about this country was that it was founded on a promise. But truthfully, there has never been a time in this country's history where that promise was simply given. It has always been earned. And this country has had a long history of complications. And so the thing that I continue to push for is I continue to have a clear understanding that this country has always been littered of times of inconsistency and pain and heartbreak and unfairness, but it was the people who were never willing to give up are the reasons that we are here now to this day. And, you know, one of the things I'm very thankful for, to be the governor of a state and be the governor of Maryland is we're actually actively working to do something about it, where, you know, where we've signed the largest mass pardon in the history of the United States of America, giving people a second chance with misdemeanor Cannabis convictions, over 175,000, that we've been able to raise a minimum wage that we've been able to have the large investments in childcare in our state's history, that we've been able to add over 55,000 new businesses since I've been the governor, that we've been able to have the fastest, amongst the fastest drop in violent crime anywhere in the United States of America. That these challenges are still real, but we actually have a chance to do something about it. And I just refuse to spend time wallowing on where we are knowing that the people who came before me didn't do that. And that's why we're in the situations that we have right now.
- [07:56]
Bloomberg Host
Governor, I'm wondering, as a leader of a state, you know, we just finished this very interesting term at the Supreme Court. The President did suffer a few losses, but for the most part we saw yet again another expansion of executive power. And I wonder, as you think on this 250th anniversary about the Constitution that enumerated powers clause laws, the powers that's not listed here is reserved to the states. How do you think about that balance between states rights, states powers and the federal government? Do you think governors should be doing more? Do you think the, that Washington is taking over too much or do you think the balance is probably right where it should be?
- [08:29]
Governor Wes Moore
No, I think what's really important is for governors to never forget the Constitution. The beauty of the Constitution is that actually a lot of the powers do not fall within the federal government. A lot of powers fall within the state governments and it's important for governors to never lose sight of that. You know, the reason that, for example, in the state of Maryland that we've had amongst the fastest drops in violent crime, you know, anywhere in the United States of America over, you know, over a three year period is not because we activated the National Guard and it is not because we deployed federal, you know, federal troops into our streets. It's because we actually started working together with state and local leaders to be able to bring the kind of results that we are looking for. The reason that we've been able to have, you know, amongst the fastest rises in public education, in public education scores since the end of COVID is not because the federal government did something, because in fact, in many ways education is a state run function according to the Constitution. It's because we actually started working together with communities and our educators and being able to make sure that our kids should be able to start earlier and be able to learn not just how to be employees, but how to be employers and doing more with incomes of trade and apprenticeship programs. So I am actually really thankful that governors have a unique opportunity right now to not just protect their people, but protect the Constitution. And I don't think that's something that any governor should ever forfeit to consolidate power amongst the larger federal executives.
- [10:03]
David Gura
We're talking to Governor Westmore of Maryland on this, the 4th of July, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, as we see pictures of Vice President J.D. vance and the USS Kearsarge beginning the inspection of this naval fleet here in earnest. And Governor, I could ask you if you're thinking of running for president. I suspect you would. Demure. But picking up on what you've said just a moment ago, it does sound like what you were laying out are parts of a vision for how you think the Democratic Party should approach politics more broadly. And something we often ask politicians on the show is who's the leader of the Democratic Party? And I wonder sort of if you see a void there and if you would like kind of what you were describing to be kind of more central tenets of the party of which you're a part.
- [10:45]
Governor Wes Moore
You know, I think about the last election that we just had in Maryland this past Tuesday, where, you know, we were not only able to win overwhelmingly in our race for governor, but also nominated and supported and endorsed a whole slate of candidates around the state, what we called our lead, no one behind slate. And the only prerequisite that I had for people in the lead, no one behind slate, it's not a it's not a party affiliation nor a wing of a party. The only prerequisite I had was are you ready to disrupt the status quo and are you ready to move fast, to be able to bring real results for people? And that is the direction that I think we have to be able to move in. And not just as a party, but as a country where we gotta stop being a place of no and slow and start being a place of yes. And now we have to understand that the frustrations that people have, they are real. And if you're not focusing on doing everything you can to increase housing inventory, everything you can to work to control cost, everything you can to be able to create educational opportunities for our kids, everything you can to be able to make it easier for businesses to be able to come and grow and thrive inside of your society, but also making sure the workers are not being left behind in that process, then frankly, then the politics and the people will leave you behind. And so that is the type of leadership that I know we are looking for because I know that even in the times of the greatest challenges in our country's history, only two things have gotten us through. It's God's grace and moral leadership. And so we're going to pray for God's grace, but we better be ready to stand up and provide moral leadership as well.
- [12:16]
David Gura
Well,
- [12:19]
Bloomberg Host
before we let you go, you know, you mentioned people are hungry for action, they're hungry for change, they're hungry to see their lawmakers actually do something. And that's partially why we think we've seen this, this rise of self identified Democratic socialists winning in places like here in New York and in Colorado. I'm wondering if that presents a liability for Democrats going into the fall or if you think there's room in the tent for people who identify in that way under the Democratic Party.
- [12:45]
Governor Wes Moore
I think that the thing that we should be focusing on is not identifying who should not be part of a conversation. It's about how are you delivering results so people will choose you regardless of who is in the conversation. When I looked at what happened in the state of Maryland, we had candidates from a wide variety of platforms and policy positions. But frankly, the reason that we were so widely successful with our Leave no one behind slate is because these were actions. There's results that people were looking for and they wanted to see the status quo disrupted. And I think that's what we were able to provide.
- [13:22]
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