October 24, 2024 • 16 mins
Today's special guest is Tony West, attorney, former Government official, and current Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer for Uber. Prior to joining Uber, Tony served as Associate Attorney General of the United States under President Obama and joins today's podcast to discuss his thoughts and connection to the 2024 Presidential election.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is the Black Information Network Daily Podcast and I
am your host, ramses Ja. And sometimes the amount of
stories that make their way to us means that we
simply can't cover everything that comes our way. But from
time to time a story just stays with me and
Bill compelled to share it with you and give you
my thoughts. And now one more thing. Tony West is
(00:24):
an attorney, former government official, and the senior Vice president
and chief Legal Officer of Uber. Before Uber, he was
Associate Attorney General of the United States under President Obama
and General Council of PepsiCo. He previously served as the
Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division, the largest litigating
division in the Department of Justice. And he is our
guest today. This is the Black Information Network Daily Podcast
(00:49):
with your hosts ramses Jah and q Board on location
at Onyx Art Gallery in Phoenix, Arizona.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
So here with my brother Tony West in Arizona as
we try to get our collective to get out and
be very very involved with this election. Vote early, show
about the ballot, and take someone with you. We got
to have a conversation last week with former Attorney General
Eric Holder, and we were talking about access to the
(01:21):
ballot and the way that we've kind of seen a
weaponization of trying to deter us from exercising in one
of our most fundamental rights. Can you give us some
insight into how you're seeing that play out and some
things that we can do to protect ourselves in that space.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Well, it's good to be with you, Quentin. There's no
question that we've seen over the course of the last
few years, but particularly this year, concerted efforts to make
it more difficult for folks to vote, to access the
ballot box. And as you well know, the right to
vote unlocks all others, and so if people can attack
that right, then it becomes very difficult to defend and
(02:00):
protect other rights. And so what we've been trying to
do is make sure that we're pushing back on those
efforts and reminding people of the important right that they
have to vote, and that includes educating people about where
they can vote, how they can participate in early voting,
how they can participate in mail in voting.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
So one of the things that we've been talking about,
particularly on the Black Information Network, we've been dealing with
some pushback from younger voters, more often than not in
terms of supporting another Democratic administration when a lot of
folks feel that they've been overlooked or they've succumbed to
(02:44):
the messaging on the right. I'm sure you well know
some of the talking points that come from this relatively
small base voters, but important based voters, and it's important
that they become educated speak to some of the issues
that you've been counter to. People that might be hesitating
in terms of which way to cast their vote, or
(03:07):
have decided to vote in a way that historically is
inconsistent with what we would have imagined if they would vote.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Well, I really appreciate that question, you know. I think
it starts with understanding that Vice President Harris is actually
put forward a comprehensive opportunity economy agenda that is inclusive,
that has space in place for everyone that looks to
(03:38):
invest in expanding the middle class, to make sure that
people simply you know, aren't getting by, but that they're
getting ahead. A plan that says, listen, we can grow
our economy by making sure we're including everyone's talents in
the mix. She's talked a lot about the importance of
building intergenerational wealth, about bringing down prices. Everyday prices by
(04:03):
making sure we're focused on excessive price gouging. She's talked
about the importance of affordable housing and the importance of
expanding affordable housing because that still is one of the
big problems that we face in this country, where you know,
cost housing is way way too high. So she wants
to work with industry to increase the supply three million
(04:25):
new units in her first term. And she's talked really
importantly about investing in and supporting small businesses because when
you look at our economy, the job engine in our
economy is not the big, big corporations, it's the small businesses.
(04:45):
Small businesses are what create jobs for our economy. They
also create wealth in our communities, and so she wants
to make sure she is supporting the creation of small
business with expanding the Small Businesiness Creation Tax Credit from
five thousand dollars to fifty thousand dollars, because the average
(05:06):
cost of starting a new small business in this country
is forty thousand dollars. She wants to make sure that
she's making it easier for entrepreneurs and founders to access capital.
And one of the things she's particularly focused on are
black small businesses because we have so many entrepreneurs in
our community. So she's the only presidential candidate in my
(05:27):
memory who's ever come out with a comprehensive opportunity agenda
for black men, speaking to the unique challenges that black
men face. So, whether it's talking about more access to
capital when it comes to starting a small business in
the form of forgivable loans, or you're talking about a
(05:47):
national health initiative that says we need to invest in
more research on diseases like prostate cancer, like sickle cell,
like diabetes, these are diseases that disproportionately affect our community,
or whether you're talking about, hey, look, we need to
make sure that we're investing in job training and apprentice
programs in two year colleges. Because a four year college
(06:08):
degree is great. We want to make sure we certainly
encourage folks to do that, but it's not the only
way people ought to be able to access economic security
and a solid middle class opportunity. And so she's talked
about all of these issues, but I'll tell you one
of the things that is incredibly important is her position
(06:31):
on capping the price of insulin at thirty five dollars
a month for seniors she wants to expand that to everybody.
And the reason that's so significant is, again, you know,
diabetes is something that disproportionately affects our communities. But she
recognizes that the single biggest driver for indebtedness and bankruptcy
(06:52):
for so many families is medical debt. And so she's
talked about the importance of canceling medical debt. She's talked
about the importance of making sure your medical debt can't
be held against you on your credit rating. So because
you know that affects so many other things, and so
she's she's got policy out there that's speaking directly to
our community and things that we feel in our everyday lives.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
So you touched on this a little bit, and before
we let you go, I just want some final messaging
with regards to either actual or imagined erosion amongst black
male voters. If there was a message that you wanted
to leave black men with in particular leading to this
election and during this early voting cycle, what would that
singular message be.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
I think the singular message is that Vice President Kamala
Harris sees black men in all of the complexity and
beauty and challenge that exists in this country. She there's
a reason why she is put together an opportunity agenda
that is aimed specifically at the unique needs and challenges
that black men face. You know, there's a reason why
(08:00):
she believes that we can have an opportunity economy that
includes black men in that vision. She knows that black
men are a key, key part of America's story, and
as importantly, she knows that black men are an essential
part to our successful future as a country. And so
(08:21):
she has an economic agenda, she has policy that speaks
to that reality.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Another thing that's come up on both of our shows
is with respect to black men and younger black people. Again,
her history as a prosecutor, and there are some people
in our community who are still waiting for the George
Floyd Justice and Policing Act. Some people are waiting for
(08:48):
what they fill her unfulfilled promises. And you know, these
are the sorts of people that we talk to all
the time. We come from this group of people, speak
to some of the concerns that this base may have
about Kamala Harris's past and what a presidency under Kamala
Harris might look like for them.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
So glad you asked about that. And by the way,
she was one of the most vocal supporters of the
George Floyd Justice and Policing Act, and she has championed
those police reform issues her entire career. But let me,
let me, let me back up and just give you
a little bit of context on the family. Her mother,
(09:31):
my mother in law. She was a civil rights activist
in the nineteen sixties. Mother Harris what I called her,
you know, marched in civil rights marches in Berkeley, California,
Andy in Oakland, California, which was a hotbed of activism
during the civil rights movement. My wife, my Kamala's younger sister, Maya,
(09:53):
my wife, became a civil rights advocate and a civil
rights lawyer. And a lot of people will look at
that and say, yeah, that makes sense, civil rights mother,
civil rights activists. As a daughter, Kamala became a prosecutor.
And sometimes people are like, well, wait, how did that happen?
Speaker 1 (10:12):
And you have to.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
Understand that her becoming a prosecutor was very much fueled
by her civil rights values. You see, what Kamala understood
early on is that when young people come in contact
with that criminal justice system, and she saw this a
lot growing up in Oakland. When folks come into contact
(10:34):
with that system and they're in court for the first time,
the most consequential person in that room is not the judge,
and it's not the criminal defense attorney. It's the prosecutor.
Because the prosecutor decides how or whether that person will
be charged with a crime, and that charging decision in
and of itself can completely change someone's life. And so
(10:57):
she wanted to make sure that someone would that much
power had the perspective of having grown up in a
community with lots of often young men, young black men,
experiencing the criminal justice system in a very negative way,
and so she wanted to make sure that perspective was
at the table. And that's why, you know, as district attorney,
(11:20):
you saw that play out in the way that she
was district attorneys. So, for instance, you know, we talk
about re entry and diversion programs a lot now they're
kind of commonplace. Well, the very first one was created
by District Attorney Kamala Harrison San Francisco. The very first
re entry and diversion program. She called it back on Track,
and what it was was, look, if you were arrested
(11:42):
for a nonviolent crime. We were going to try to
figure out a way to divert you from the criminal
justice system entirely. But if you were incarcerated, we were
going to make sure that you were getting educational resources,
you were getting job training resources while you were incarcerated
and when you came out, because eighty five ninety percent
of these folks will come out and be returning citizens
(12:05):
to their community. There was job training, There was a
job they're waiting for you, so that you could have
something to come back to. And that was really important
because in California and in San Francisco, the recidivism rate
was over fifty percent, and when she put in place
this program, that recidivism rate dropped to below ten because
(12:25):
now people had not only a second chance, but they
had something meaningful in their lives. That was because for her,
and she has had a progressive policy agenda both as
district attorney and as California Attorney General that she has
practiced throughout her career. You know, a lot of people
don't realize that California was the first state to come
(12:47):
up with body camps. That's because of her support. You know,
when it came to police reform, you know that those
big issues were because she was a leading vocal voice
one limited qualified immunity and making sure that we held
police officers accountable for what they did in the way
(13:08):
that they carried out their duties. And so in Kamala Harris,
you have the original progressive prosecutor with a very progressive record.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
A lot of us had a very prominent emotional response
to the misinformation that was put out to her when
she was running for president, and a lot of us
have had to very loudly and very publicly apologize for
not doing our research properly, not vetting the information that
we got, and now, you know, trying our best to
(13:38):
make sure that we educate people as a collective one
what her real record was as a prosecutor. So thank
you for that.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Thank you, and I want to make sure that it
stated that you know, we've sat on this show in
the past, that you know, in re examining this this
second run for the president by Kamala Harris, initially, there
(14:05):
was no way for her to change the systems that
she may have taken issue with unless she infiltrated those
systems in a manner of speaking and created the change
from the inside. And so this is something that until
today we've only been able to speculate. And so you
adding this to our narrative on this show, not only
(14:26):
does it validate the episode where we did suggest that
that was likely her agenda after dial Hugley came out
and he had to make his statement, but also everything
that we've done since then, because again, our show was
born out of an activist element. A lot of our
early listeners and strongest supporters are people who are cut
(14:49):
from that cloth, and us having to digest a presidency
where the critical exact amination of the way policing is
done in this country feels like it potentially could be
performative until as I mentioned, we take a closer look,
and so we appreciate you providing not only the clarity
(15:12):
but the credibility to our theories that goes a long
way on both of our shows, to be honest with you,
So I want to say thank you for that as well.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
Thank you former Associate Attorney General and his new title
Vice President, Harris's brother in law, our brother Tony West.
Thank you for your time and thank you for making
some time for us.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
Thank you, Quinnon. But I've had that title for twenty
six years, so you know, I think I've had that
title before I had most others.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
So he's been working in this position for a long time,
truly an expert in his field. Thank you very much, man,
God bless you.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
This has been a production of the Black Information Network.
Today's show is produced by Chris Thompson. Have some thought
you'd like to share? Use the red microphone talkback feature
on the iHeartRadio app while you're there, be sure to
hit subscribing down with all of our episodes our host
ramses Jah on all social media. Join us tomorrow as
we share our news with our voice from our perspective
(16:07):
right here on the Black Information Network Daily Podcast
This is the Black Information Network Daily Podcast and I
am your host, ramses Ja. And sometimes the amount of
stories that make their way to us means that we
simply can't cover everything that comes our way. But from
time to time a story just stays with me and
Bill compelled to share it with you and give you
my thoughts. And now one more thing. Tony West is
(00:24):
an attorney, former government official, and the senior Vice president
and chief Legal Officer of Uber. Before Uber, he was
Associate Attorney General of the United States under President Obama
and General Council of PepsiCo. He previously served as the
Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division, the largest litigating
division in the Department of Justice. And he is our
guest today. This is the Black Information Network Daily Podcast
(00:49):
with your hosts ramses Jah and q Board on location
at Onyx Art Gallery in Phoenix, Arizona.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
So here with my brother Tony West in Arizona as
we try to get our collective to get out and
be very very involved with this election. Vote early, show
about the ballot, and take someone with you. We got
to have a conversation last week with former Attorney General
Eric Holder, and we were talking about access to the
(01:21):
ballot and the way that we've kind of seen a
weaponization of trying to deter us from exercising in one
of our most fundamental rights. Can you give us some
insight into how you're seeing that play out and some
things that we can do to protect ourselves in that space.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Well, it's good to be with you, Quentin. There's no
question that we've seen over the course of the last
few years, but particularly this year, concerted efforts to make
it more difficult for folks to vote, to access the
ballot box. And as you well know, the right to
vote unlocks all others, and so if people can attack
that right, then it becomes very difficult to defend and
(02:00):
protect other rights. And so what we've been trying to
do is make sure that we're pushing back on those
efforts and reminding people of the important right that they
have to vote, and that includes educating people about where
they can vote, how they can participate in early voting,
how they can participate in mail in voting.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
So one of the things that we've been talking about,
particularly on the Black Information Network, we've been dealing with
some pushback from younger voters, more often than not in
terms of supporting another Democratic administration when a lot of
folks feel that they've been overlooked or they've succumbed to
(02:44):
the messaging on the right. I'm sure you well know
some of the talking points that come from this relatively
small base voters, but important based voters, and it's important
that they become educated speak to some of the issues
that you've been counter to. People that might be hesitating
in terms of which way to cast their vote, or
(03:07):
have decided to vote in a way that historically is
inconsistent with what we would have imagined if they would vote.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Well, I really appreciate that question, you know. I think
it starts with understanding that Vice President Harris is actually
put forward a comprehensive opportunity economy agenda that is inclusive,
that has space in place for everyone that looks to
(03:38):
invest in expanding the middle class, to make sure that
people simply you know, aren't getting by, but that they're
getting ahead. A plan that says, listen, we can grow
our economy by making sure we're including everyone's talents in
the mix. She's talked a lot about the importance of
building intergenerational wealth, about bringing down prices. Everyday prices by
(04:03):
making sure we're focused on excessive price gouging. She's talked
about the importance of affordable housing and the importance of
expanding affordable housing because that still is one of the
big problems that we face in this country, where you know,
cost housing is way way too high. So she wants
to work with industry to increase the supply three million
(04:25):
new units in her first term. And she's talked really
importantly about investing in and supporting small businesses because when
you look at our economy, the job engine in our
economy is not the big, big corporations, it's the small businesses.
(04:45):
Small businesses are what create jobs for our economy. They
also create wealth in our communities, and so she wants
to make sure she is supporting the creation of small
business with expanding the Small Businesiness Creation Tax Credit from
five thousand dollars to fifty thousand dollars, because the average
(05:06):
cost of starting a new small business in this country
is forty thousand dollars. She wants to make sure that
she's making it easier for entrepreneurs and founders to access capital.
And one of the things she's particularly focused on are
black small businesses because we have so many entrepreneurs in
our community. So she's the only presidential candidate in my
(05:27):
memory who's ever come out with a comprehensive opportunity agenda
for black men, speaking to the unique challenges that black
men face. So, whether it's talking about more access to
capital when it comes to starting a small business in
the form of forgivable loans, or you're talking about a
(05:47):
national health initiative that says we need to invest in
more research on diseases like prostate cancer, like sickle cell,
like diabetes, these are diseases that disproportionately affect our community,
or whether you're talking about, hey, look, we need to
make sure that we're investing in job training and apprentice
programs in two year colleges. Because a four year college
(06:08):
degree is great. We want to make sure we certainly
encourage folks to do that, but it's not the only
way people ought to be able to access economic security
and a solid middle class opportunity. And so she's talked
about all of these issues, but I'll tell you one
of the things that is incredibly important is her position
(06:31):
on capping the price of insulin at thirty five dollars
a month for seniors she wants to expand that to everybody.
And the reason that's so significant is, again, you know,
diabetes is something that disproportionately affects our communities. But she
recognizes that the single biggest driver for indebtedness and bankruptcy
(06:52):
for so many families is medical debt. And so she's
talked about the importance of canceling medical debt. She's talked
about the importance of making sure your medical debt can't
be held against you on your credit rating. So because
you know that affects so many other things, and so
she's she's got policy out there that's speaking directly to
our community and things that we feel in our everyday lives.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
So you touched on this a little bit, and before
we let you go, I just want some final messaging
with regards to either actual or imagined erosion amongst black
male voters. If there was a message that you wanted
to leave black men with in particular leading to this
election and during this early voting cycle, what would that
singular message be.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
I think the singular message is that Vice President Kamala
Harris sees black men in all of the complexity and
beauty and challenge that exists in this country. She there's
a reason why she is put together an opportunity agenda
that is aimed specifically at the unique needs and challenges
that black men face. You know, there's a reason why
(08:00):
she believes that we can have an opportunity economy that
includes black men in that vision. She knows that black
men are a key, key part of America's story, and
as importantly, she knows that black men are an essential
part to our successful future as a country. And so
(08:21):
she has an economic agenda, she has policy that speaks
to that reality.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Another thing that's come up on both of our shows
is with respect to black men and younger black people. Again,
her history as a prosecutor, and there are some people
in our community who are still waiting for the George
Floyd Justice and Policing Act. Some people are waiting for
(08:48):
what they fill her unfulfilled promises. And you know, these
are the sorts of people that we talk to all
the time. We come from this group of people, speak
to some of the concerns that this base may have
about Kamala Harris's past and what a presidency under Kamala
Harris might look like for them.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
So glad you asked about that. And by the way,
she was one of the most vocal supporters of the
George Floyd Justice and Policing Act, and she has championed
those police reform issues her entire career. But let me,
let me, let me back up and just give you
a little bit of context on the family. Her mother,
(09:31):
my mother in law. She was a civil rights activist
in the nineteen sixties. Mother Harris what I called her,
you know, marched in civil rights marches in Berkeley, California,
Andy in Oakland, California, which was a hotbed of activism
during the civil rights movement. My wife, my Kamala's younger sister, Maya,
(09:53):
my wife, became a civil rights advocate and a civil
rights lawyer. And a lot of people will look at
that and say, yeah, that makes sense, civil rights mother,
civil rights activists. As a daughter, Kamala became a prosecutor.
And sometimes people are like, well, wait, how did that happen?
Speaker 1 (10:12):
And you have to.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
Understand that her becoming a prosecutor was very much fueled
by her civil rights values. You see, what Kamala understood
early on is that when young people come in contact
with that criminal justice system, and she saw this a
lot growing up in Oakland. When folks come into contact
(10:34):
with that system and they're in court for the first time,
the most consequential person in that room is not the judge,
and it's not the criminal defense attorney. It's the prosecutor.
Because the prosecutor decides how or whether that person will
be charged with a crime, and that charging decision in
and of itself can completely change someone's life. And so
(10:57):
she wanted to make sure that someone would that much
power had the perspective of having grown up in a
community with lots of often young men, young black men,
experiencing the criminal justice system in a very negative way,
and so she wanted to make sure that perspective was
at the table. And that's why, you know, as district attorney,
(11:20):
you saw that play out in the way that she
was district attorneys. So, for instance, you know, we talk
about re entry and diversion programs a lot now they're
kind of commonplace. Well, the very first one was created
by District Attorney Kamala Harrison San Francisco. The very first
re entry and diversion program. She called it back on Track,
and what it was was, look, if you were arrested
(11:42):
for a nonviolent crime. We were going to try to
figure out a way to divert you from the criminal
justice system entirely. But if you were incarcerated, we were
going to make sure that you were getting educational resources,
you were getting job training resources while you were incarcerated
and when you came out, because eighty five ninety percent
of these folks will come out and be returning citizens
(12:05):
to their community. There was job training, There was a
job they're waiting for you, so that you could have
something to come back to. And that was really important
because in California and in San Francisco, the recidivism rate
was over fifty percent, and when she put in place
this program, that recidivism rate dropped to below ten because
(12:25):
now people had not only a second chance, but they
had something meaningful in their lives. That was because for her,
and she has had a progressive policy agenda both as
district attorney and as California Attorney General that she has
practiced throughout her career. You know, a lot of people
don't realize that California was the first state to come
(12:47):
up with body camps. That's because of her support. You know,
when it came to police reform, you know that those
big issues were because she was a leading vocal voice
one limited qualified immunity and making sure that we held
police officers accountable for what they did in the way
(13:08):
that they carried out their duties. And so in Kamala Harris,
you have the original progressive prosecutor with a very progressive record.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
A lot of us had a very prominent emotional response
to the misinformation that was put out to her when
she was running for president, and a lot of us
have had to very loudly and very publicly apologize for
not doing our research properly, not vetting the information that
we got, and now, you know, trying our best to
(13:38):
make sure that we educate people as a collective one
what her real record was as a prosecutor. So thank
you for that.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Thank you, and I want to make sure that it
stated that you know, we've sat on this show in
the past, that you know, in re examining this this
second run for the president by Kamala Harris, initially, there
(14:05):
was no way for her to change the systems that
she may have taken issue with unless she infiltrated those
systems in a manner of speaking and created the change
from the inside. And so this is something that until
today we've only been able to speculate. And so you
adding this to our narrative on this show, not only
(14:26):
does it validate the episode where we did suggest that
that was likely her agenda after dial Hugley came out
and he had to make his statement, but also everything
that we've done since then, because again, our show was
born out of an activist element. A lot of our
early listeners and strongest supporters are people who are cut
(14:49):
from that cloth, and us having to digest a presidency
where the critical exact amination of the way policing is
done in this country feels like it potentially could be
performative until as I mentioned, we take a closer look,
and so we appreciate you providing not only the clarity
(15:12):
but the credibility to our theories that goes a long
way on both of our shows, to be honest with you,
So I want to say thank you for that as well.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
Thank you former Associate Attorney General and his new title
Vice President, Harris's brother in law, our brother Tony West.
Thank you for your time and thank you for making
some time for us.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
Thank you, Quinnon. But I've had that title for twenty
six years, so you know, I think I've had that
title before I had most others.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
So he's been working in this position for a long time,
truly an expert in his field. Thank you very much, man,
God bless you.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
This has been a production of the Black Information Network.
Today's show is produced by Chris Thompson. Have some thought
you'd like to share? Use the red microphone talkback feature
on the iHeartRadio app while you're there, be sure to
hit subscribing down with all of our episodes our host
ramses Jah on all social media. Join us tomorrow as
we share our news with our voice from our perspective
(16:07):
right here on the Black Information Network Daily Podcast
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