NPR Tavis Smiley: Representative Maxine Waters Discusses the Campaign

National Public Radio (NPR)

SHOW: Tavis Smiley (9:00 AM ET) - NPR

HEADLINE: Representative Maxine Waters discusses the campaign

ANCHORS: TAVIS SMILEY

BODY:
TAVIS SMILEY, host:

Congressman Maxine Waters has met with John Kerry, known him for some time, obviously, working on the Hill, and joins us now.

Congresswoman, nice to see you.

Representative MAXINE WATERS (Democrat, California): Good to see you, Tavis. How are you doing this morning?

SMILEY: I'm doing well. How are you doing?

Rep. WATERS: Very well.

SMILEY: You holding up OK. It's the last day.

Rep. WATERS: It's the last day. I'm doing fine.

SMILEY: Let me ask you, first of all, the obvious question, how you think John Kerry-John Edwards, I should say-too many Johns around here-how did John Edwards do last night?

Rep. WATERS: Well, I think he did fabulously well. I mean, this is a love fest. People are happy. They're doing exactly what they wanted to do with this convention. They want to show unity, want to show that people are fired up, and he added to it and it's all on message, it's all on point.

SMILEY: Do you think he distinguished himself at all in a significant way as a leader? I mean, questions of course, all along, about whether or not this guy is the guy you want to be a heartbeat away from the presidency, questions about whether or not he's a national leader. Did he seem like a leader to you last night?

Rep. WATERS: Well, no question about it. Look, when you do what he's done, come from where he's come from, you know, earned a lot of money because you're successful in your career, run for the United States Congress, you have credentials. I mean, you don't just get there because you wish to be there. It means that you have to strategize, you have to organize, you have to work, you have to put it all together. That's strong leadership. You don't get to be in that prestigious body simply because somebody put you there. You're there because you worked to get there, and so that's leadership enough.

SMILEY: You used the word 'earned' a moment ago.

Rep. WATERS: Yes.

SMILEY: Let me use that word-can I borrow that word for a second?

Rep. WATERS: Sure, absolutely.

SMILEY: You serve a number of constituencies. Let me ask you about two or three of them in particular, and ask you whether or not you think that Kerry-Edwards have earned the vote of these constituencies. Have they earned the black vote? Have they earned the vote of labor? Have they earned the vote of women? Have they earned these votes as yet, or is the jury still out between now and November?

Rep. WATERS: Well, let me just say this. I don't know if the jury is out, but there are some of us who must play a particular role, and I've just about decided that having come to this convention, there are some issues that will not get talked about in this campaign. Some of us are going to have to talk about them, because we cannot leave our constituents to think that there's nobody kind of on the inside who understands, and while they may not talk about mandatory minimum sentencing, I will. While they may not spend enough time talking about the disparity in health care for, you know, the least of these, they're going to talk about health care for everybody. I mean, the key word now is one America, everybody the same, you don't have to do anything special. This is not an America that's divided into cultural groups. But the fact of the matter is, some of us know it's a little bit different, and we've got to be there to articulate these concerns for those constituencies, or they won't go to the polls. They will say, well, 'You know, these people don't know who we are.' But they know that Maxine Waters know who they are, and they know that Maxine Waters will get in the back room and shadow-box with Kerry and with Edwards and with anybody else on their behalf. So that's the role I think I'm going to have to play.

SMILEY: This election, it seems to me, is going to turn on two big issues, to your point there are so many other issues are not being discussed, but two big issues, it seems to me, clearly the war...

Rep. WATERS: Yes.

SMILEY: ...and the economy. How should John Kerry divide up his attention on those two issues?

Rep. WATERS: Well, obviously, they're very important issues, and even the pundits are trying to figure out which one is going to be the deciding factor, but, you know, in the African-American community, we don't like this war. We don't like this war, and it shows up in the polls, and they want the war to end, and I think Kerry's challenge is going to be to talk about what's wrong with it and how he's going to realistically move us out of it. They have not come to the point where that's quite clear yet, but for those of us who know that our constituents don't like this war, we're going to have to say it over and over again, and we're going to have to push and nudge and say, 'We want our nominee to provide the leadership. We know it's a challenge, to talk about how he's going to wind out of it.' So we'll keep pushing and nudging on behalf of the millions of folks who don't like this war.

And on the economy, people are going to feel it right at home in their pocketbooks and in their quality of life. You know, if you can't rent a place and working every day because you don't have enough money, the economy is going to play very, very big in this election. And this business of the outsourcing of jobs that's obviously been embraced by this administration is going to be a big issue. It's going to be come home to roost on this president and this administration.

SMILEY: Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Democrat of Los Angeles, as always, nice to see you. I'm sure I'll talk to you more than once between now and November.

Rep. WATERS: Thank you very much, Tavis. Good to see you.

SMILEY: Nice to see you was well.

Rep. WATERS: All right. OK.