Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Appears on Meet the Press With Chuck Todd

April 12, 2015

Chuck Todd: I’m joined now by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. He actually served as Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager when she ran successfully for the Senate in 2000. Mayor de Blasio, welcome back to Meet The Press.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Good morning, Chuck.

Todd: Let me ask you – let me ask you about what you’re hearing about how she’s launching her campaign – that it’s all about copying the blueprint you put together in 2000. Smart?

Mayor: Well, it was certainly a team effort in 2000, and it worked. And one of the important points was she did go out and listen to what was happening to everyday people. And I think that’s going to be more necessary this year than ever before, because people in this country are hurting. The Great Recession set people back on their heels in a way we have not seen in decades and decades. I think it’s important for Hillary to hear those stories of the American people, and I think it’ll make her a stronger candidate.

Todd: You have wanted to talk about pushing her more to a progressive agenda. You’re not alone here. There’s a lot of democrats on the progressive side of the party that are trying to push her in that direction. I’ve had somebody say to me they hope it’s Hillary Rodham that runs for president, and not Hillary Clinton. What say you to that?

Mayor: Look, I think she has a very progressive history. We certainly saw that in her early work on behalf of children and families. We saw that when she took on the big insurance companies to try and achieve healthcare reform in the early 1990s. There’s a lot there that progressives will appreciate. But look, here’s the bottom line, the income inequality crisis in this country is out of control – the worst income inequality since the Great Depression, getting worse. A typical American family, in real income terms, is making less today than they were a quarter century ago. That has to be addressed, and I think progressives all over the country, I think every day Americans are demanding that their candidates for president and every other level really say that we have a plan that we can believe for addressing income inequality. It has to include progressive taxation, it has to include increases in wages and benefits, it has to include the willingness to tax the wealthy, so we can invest in infrastructure, so we can invest in education again. That’s what I think progressive and everyday Americans will be looking for from Hillary and all the other candidates.

Todd: Look, there’s a lot of democrats that are worried that she doesn’t yet have a message, that it’s not clear that she’s answered the why question. Brent Budowsky from The Hill, a former Democratic Capitol Hill aide, somebody who wants to see Hillary Clinton become president writes this, “American voters don’t want to be sold a new Hillary, which is reminiscent of an earlier politician whose handlers invented the term ‘new Nixon.’ They want to be trusted enough to be let into the world of the REAL [sic] Hillary, informed enough about her vision and plans for American to believe their lives will be made better if she is elected president…” How does she make her message the star if right when she announces later today it’s a video and she’s listening – there’s no big idea yet?

Mayor: Well, Chuck, I think it’s important that she come out with her vision as soon as possible, but there’s certainly time – it’s only April of 2015. I think the reality here is there’s a tremendous opportunity for her to present a vision because of how different the circumstances are today than when she was last a candidate. 2008 was a very different time. We’ve now had the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression – again, families falling backwards economically, tremendous economic insecurity, people who do not assume now, across the country, that the next generation will do better. And the economic recovery we’ve seen? Most of that – 95 percent of all additional earnings since this recovery have gone to the top 1 percent of Americans. In that context, there’s a lot of new material. There’s a lot of new issues for Hillary to address, and it’s a chance for her to offer a bold vision. 

Todd: Obviously, her opponents are going to try to make her a candidate of the past. Rand Paul – we’re going to give you a first look here – Rand Paul’s first TV ad is an attack on Hillary Clinton. Here’s a quick clip – I want to get you to react to it.

[Rand Paul ad plays]

Todd: How does she overcome – again, this Rand Paul’s first ad that he’s going to run in the early states later this week – how does she – presidential campaigns are about the future. Her last name obviously signifies the past. How does she deal with that?

Mayor: I think the substance of the vision does it. Look, Rand Paul and the Republicans, at this point, are the party of trickle-down economics, and that has failed the American people. Too many democrats have not offered an alternative. You know I believe strongly that that’s what happened in 2014. Democrats did not offer a progressive economic vision, and voters didn’t move to democrats. In fact, a lot of democratic voters stayed home, because they didn’t hear anything meaningful from their fellow democratic candidates. So I think there’s an opportunity here to break with the past, to break with what’s wrong with Washington, by offering a bold vision that actually talks to what the American people are going through. Look, progressives around the country are saying this – this – and the effect, has created an almost primary-like dynamic on the substance. Progressives are demanding, from all of our candidates, an actual vision on economic change. We had a meeting of progressive leaders at Gracie Mansion last week. We’re going to offer, next month, a progressive contract with America to say, if you’re serious, you’ve got to be ready to tax the wealthy, you’ve got to be ready to raise wages and benefits, you’ve got to be ready to have tax fairness in this country. And I think that is a chance to say, hey, we’re going to break with a Washington formula that failed the people of this country over the last quarter century.

Todd: Well, the last quarter century, though, had a Clinton as president – for eight years of that last quarter century – so that’s going to be difficult. Let me ask you this – are you for her now, unequivocally? Or do you want to wait to see if she takes your advice on moving to a more progressive agenda?

Mayor: I think, like a lot of people in this country, I want to see a vision – and, again, that would be true of candidates on all levels. It’s time to see a clear, bold vision for progressive economic change.

Todd: So you’re not – you’re not – you’re technically not yet endorsing her?

Mayor: No, not until I see – and, again, I would say this about any candidate – until I see actual vision of where they want to go. I think she’s a tremendous public servant. I think she’s one of the most qualified people to ever run for this office – and, by the way, thoroughly vetted, we can say that – but we need to see the substance.

Todd: All right. Do you want to see her get a tough primary?

Mayor: I think, again, what’s happening now almost synthesizes some of the reality of the primary. Clearly, what’s happening the progressive wing of the Democratic Party is a demand for our candidates to come forward with a vision. That’s creating some of the same positive pressure you see in the primary process. She doesn’t need to be vetted, I think we can safely say that, but I think she has to address the issues, and that can be done with or without a primary.

Todd: Mayor Bill de Blasio, the first campaign manager for Hillary Clinton when she first ran for office, thanks for coming on Meet the Press.

Mayor: Thank you, Chuck.