Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Appears on City & State with Gerson Borrero

November 5, 2015

Gerson Borrero: Hola. I’m Gerson Borrero, and tonight in San Juan, Puerto Rico, not at the rally, not in beautiful palm trees, or before any of the beautiful beaches we have, we have the honorable Mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio.

You know, it’s amazing. I saw you during the day. You’ve had one of the most hectic schedules – busier than – in New York, with so many problems that you got there, and you’re still smiling. You walked for how many miles today? How do you feel?

Mayor Bill de Blasio: We got a good workout today.

Borrero: You got a good workout.

Mayor: Yeah. It – no, I don’t mean this to sound corny. It was for a good cause, and that makes it easier. It was very hot out there. It was a good, long march. But I think for me, this is a very emotional issue. The people of Puerto Rico are not being treated as full citizens of the United States. It’s quite clear. They’re not being given the same rights in terms of Medicaid, and the commonwealth of Puerto Rico is in tremendous financial difficulty. You know, as a number of have people said, we bailed out the banks in 2008, then we ran – the country, you know – the national government ran to bail out the banks. No one in Washington is agreeing on the fundamental principle that we must help Puerto Rico in her hour of need.

So, it’s a very emotional issue. There was a lot of emotion out there today. And I was honored to be a part of it. And I think it is the beginning of making our voices heard in Washington.

Borrero: Why should Puerto Rico matter? You get it. Bill de Blasio understands it. You’re familiar with this island; you’re familiar with its people. They’re part of the people that you represent as Mayor of New York. Why should it matter?

Mayor: A couple of reasons. For New Yorkers, it should be – it should matter because New York City and Puerto Rico are linked in a very fundamental way. You cannot love New York City today without loving the contribution of the Puerto Rican people to it, because it’s one of the pillars of New York City culture and everything we’ve achieved. I have almost 700,000 constituents who are Puerto Rican, and the connection is very, very deep. So, I don’t think there’s any place in the world with a stronger sense of connection to Puerto Rico as the City of New York. That’s the personal reality – that’s the reality as Mayor of New York City.

But there’s something, I think, bigger, on a – on a moral level. After Katrina, we said New Orleans is part of America – we all have to attend to the needs in New Orleans now. Our government didn’t do enough, but that was the feeling we had, rightfully. When we look at Detroit in trouble, we say, Detroit, one of great cities, we all have to come to Detroit’s defense. Or when there’s a natural disaster, we say, one for all, all for one. Why don’t we say that with Puerto Rico too? Why is it even debatable in the Congress?

The President’s put forward a great plan – how to shore off the financial situation, create fairness around Medicaid, provide earned income tax credit. The President took a little while, but he got to a very good place, and a very strong plan. Now we have to have the Congress respond. It is a question of fairness and equality. If there isn’t the same interest in Puerto Rico in her hour of need, what does that say? That it’s not as much of a part of the United States as everybody else? Well, I don’t accept that.

So I think we have to fight for Puerto Rico because Puerto Rico and New York are one – are, you know, are one in so many ways. But I think that also, if we believe in equality in our society, this is a fight worth fighting.

Borrero: You’ve already met with Alejandro Garcia Padilla, the Governor of Puerto Rico, in several locations.

Mayor: Yes.

Borrero: You’ve met with him on this short visit that you have – it’s like a twenty-four – I don’t know how you’re doing it, but still have the stamina. But is there anything new from the last time that encourages you to say, well, there is light at the end of the tunnel? I certainly don’t see it. Those of us that are trying to make out a report on this – certainly at City & State, we’ve reported extensively as to the different viewpoints. We’ve delved into the situation. We sort of got a wind of it last year when we first came to cover this. Do you feel, as mayor – and you’re managing this humongous city with this budget, and you know what budgets are about, and negotiating, and what the governor’s going through – do you see that there is really a solution to this based on all the inside knowledge, and everything that’s been reported? Do you see it?

Mayor: I do. Now, I have no illusions about the challenges in Washington, and what’s wrong in Washington –

Borrero: You keep referring to Washington. Is Washington the real problem here?

Mayor: First and foremost, yes. I said it today very publically – Washington started this with changes in policies over a decade ago and two decades ago that really created the challenges in the Puerto Rican economy that underlie this financial crisis. We had an approach to Puerto Rico, that through which Puerto Rico thrived, and then it was changed by decisions in Washington. And Washington – this is the chickens coming home to roost, on one level. That’s not to say mistakes weren’t made here as well, but let’s begin at the beginning.

But I do think Washington clearly has the power to approve the President’s plan and the President’s plan would be a game changer in terms of the immediate crisis on the financial situation, the debt situation, and certainly a game changer on the health care crisis – because evening up the score on Medicaid would make all the difference in the world. And the two interconnect. Relief on Medicaid would help the overall financial situation. That’s where Washington is the key.

But the reason I do end up having some hope – and I had a long meeting with Governor Garcia Padilla today – because underneath it all, there are a lot of strengths in Puerto Rico. There always have been, but they continue growing. And he went through with me some of the areas of the economy that are doing well and have great potential for growth. And when you see that – and you can look around the world to similar situations – when you see there’s a great potential for growth, we have to get to that growth. When you get to that growth, then the coffers get refilled and a lot of things change for the better.

So, I’m encouraged that Puerto Rico has many, many economic strengths and inherent strengths. I’m also encouraged that when you have a political problem, there is often a political solution – and this fight has only just begun. When you really think of the power of the Puerto Rican community in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Illinois – and when that really gets felt, and the growth of the community gets felt, I think that’s a lot of leverage. And I don’t even think we’ve begun to fight in terms of bringing out all that leverage.

Borrero: You were out on the rally; you went the parade route; you marched with the people. You saw that there is actual unity from the sectors – the public sectors, the service, civil employees, firemen lining up –

Mayor: Yes.

Borrero: There was – I mean, it was encouraging to see that it was solidarity. Yet, this morning, in a live stream that City & State did, the broadcast – we had Dennis Rivera sit in, who, as you know, is the leading organizer – you know Dennis very well – among the best. He says that before he reached out to organize what happened today, he did a poll. You know, polls –

Mayor: Yes, I heard about this, yes.

Borrero: Okay. Alright – so you know what happened. I mean, first of all, politicians and political parties were like, on the bottom of the rung in terms of the polling. On top came box stores, and then the National Guard, and third, the churches. So, he went to clergy – mainly Christians. He couldn’t get the Muslims and [inaudible] – there’s a Muslim community here and a Jewish community, and he couldn’t get them to join in. But this is really driven by people of faith. Politicians, Puerto Ricans don’t like. They don’t like political parties. As a progressive mayor – that you have self-identified – that your administration is following, what is not being – is – does Puerto Rico need to have some of that, the Bill de Blasio is trying to prove and  not only in New York and New York State and – how would you manage this?

Mayor: I don’t – I don’t presume to speak to the everyday reality of Puerto Rico. I can say something about politicians. I think we all have to regain our respect from the public – in some ways, legitimacy. When the public sees politician after politician going through the perp walk, right – and this is not just this year. This is years and years and years. When you see people violate the public trust and go to jail, isn’t it logical to come to a conclusion there’s something wrong? 

And it puts a burden on the rest of us, honestly, who are trying to do the right thing, but it’s not illogical for the public to be very, very frustrated. When they look at the gridlock in Washington, why shouldn’t they be frustrated by that? It is – it is not an acceptable state of affairs.

When they look at the situation with guns in the United States and college campus massacres, and yet nothing moves in terms of serious gun regulations – I think the public has every right to be cynical and to demand more. Now, I – what I’m trying to do in my own way – and I say it humbly, because it’s hard work, and I know I’ve got a lot I have to keep improving upon – but it is to rebuild a little bit of public faith by saying we’re going to do X and then actually achieving X.

Borrero: Should the polls dictate that?

Mayor: No. In the first instance, no – because, again, we’re swimming upstream. If we look at that history, which has been going on for a long time, of why people are cynical, it makes sense that they won’t necessarily believe the first few times around that something has changed. It has to be sustained work. But I have a very simple theory of the case – offer a vision and then actually fulfill the vision, and don’t do anything inappropriate as part of it. Do that enough times, the public attitude will change because you’ll be materially affecting their lives.

In New York City context, something I’m very proud of, full day Pre-K for all our children – that’s something people can see and touch and feel. It’s in their lives; it’s real; it was promised to them; they got it. They will continue to get it. But it’s going to take a lot more of that for people to feel the kind of faith they should. And that’s true everywhere – I’m not just talking about me. So all I can say about the situation here is, first of all, I’m very appreciative of those faith leaders stepped forward. And second of all, for all of us in public service, we have to earn it. We have to earn that respect.

Borrero: We know you’re running to catch a flight –

Mayor: Yes.

Borrero: The exit question.

Mayor: Yes.

Borrero: If you had – if you were governor of Puerto Rico and you were going to Washington with a friendly President, who actually understands what has gone here historically – the commonwealth status, colonial status – what would you be telling President Obama?

Mayor: First of all, I commend President Obama because he put forward a real plan. What I would be telling him is this is a truly dangerous situation.

Borrero: How so?

Mayor: Dangerous for our democracy, when some Americans are treated different than others. And President Obama fully understands that. He’s devoted his life to addressing these issues. But here’s another outcropping of bias and an unfairness that must be addressed. We can’t be a whole country until everyone is treated equally. Puerto Rico is not being treated equally – point one.

Point two – there is a potential for a humanitarian crisis here, and the worst kind of humanitarian crisis  –like the slow motion train wreck that we see coming and there’s things we can do about it, but politics stands in the way or ideology stands in the way. I would say, okay, the plan is on the table – it’s the right plan. Now it is time to explain to the Republicans that this is truly a moral referendum. And I want to believe that there are a number of Republicans, if they understand the human cost, and they understand what the ramification of inaction would be, that they would think twice about that. And some of them certainly could be brought over.

Borrero: Should the Democratic Party at the convention – I’ve gotta to ask you this – should they – should this be part of the platform? Should this be discussed, if it cannot be resolved by this President – who is in – will be in his last year – should that be part of whatever, whoever the nominee is, and eventual president is – if he or she gets elected, should this be part of the resolution? Should it be part of the Democratic platform for 2016?

Mayor: Yes with one – with one asterisk. The most important thing is to get the job done for the Puerto Rican people. And I’m going to do all I can. I talked to Governor Garcia Padilla about doing anything and everything I could with him to move the Washington situation. And we have to do it in a way that’s going to be effective. Sometimes, if something becomes quote-unquote “politicized”, there’s less chance of success. Sometimes, there’s a way to build a consensus that’s, in a sense, above politics, and that might be true in this case. Other times, the only – the only way something changes is if there’s struggle over it, and controversy over it, and a fight. I think we’re very early in this trajectory, and we have to figure out what we’re dealing with. But if your question is, should the Democratic Party stand for Puerto Rico – yes. Should the Democratic Party say in our vision that Puerto Rico is fully and entirely owed the same consideration as any other part of this country, and we must address the Medicaid crisis and we must address the financial crisis – absolutely that should be part of our vision for the future of this country.

Borrero: [Speaks in Spanish]

You’re Bill de Blasio –

[Speaks in Spanish]

I’m Gerson Borrero, Editor at Large at City & State. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. And I know they’re waiting for you in New York City.

Mayor: Do you – do you want to know the secret – the secret of how I was able to go through this day with such energy?

Borrero: How?

Mayor: It’s very controversial.

Borrero: [Inaudible]

Mayor: It’s called café con leche.

Borrero: Café con –

[Laughter]

Borrero: Agua de coco is good. The coconut water is good also.

Mayor: You’re a hippie.

[Laughter]

Borrero: Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

Mayor: Take care, brother.

Borrero: Mayor Bill de Blasio. City & State. Thank you and good luck.

Mayor: Thank you.