May 1, 2025 • 8 mins
Mendte in the Morning talks to Laura Curran about the state of the Democratic part and their current search for leadership.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Democrats are searching for a leader of the party,
and several have stepped up for the job, including Democratic
Vice presidential candidate Tim Walls. Maybe he could use this
as his slogan, I've tried to do the best I can,
but I've not been perfect and I'm a knucklehead at times. Yeah,
it's not going to be him, But who is it
(00:20):
going to be? It seems like a lot of people
are trying to get attention right now. Corey Booker is
one of them. Gavin Newsom's another one. Aoc all are
being mentioned as possible leaders of the party. But who
is it going to be? Let's talk about that to
start with with Laura Kern, political commentator and former NASA
(00:42):
County executive.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Good morning, Laura, Good morning Larry.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
So who would you like to see lead your party?
Speaker 2 (00:50):
You know, it's really interesting this sort of cattle casting
call and you're seeing lots of different approaches. JB. Pritzker
I think recently has been very interesting. You know, he
came out and he said, I'm not the kind of
guy who normally calls for like mass protests, but this
is different. We need action, you know, we need to move,
We need to protest. We need to be out raising
(01:10):
our voices, like very aggressive, and then you have others
who are like, oh, let's not be too aggressive, let's
just hold our fire, let's wait for the Trump administration
to implode and then we make our move. And then
you have folks like Gavin Newsom who are out there,
you know, engaging with MAGA in a very in a
very granular, intimate way. And then of course you've got
(01:33):
the AOC and the Bernie people out there fighting the
oligarchy and you know, no justice, no peace type of thing.
So I mean, I think this is actually really healthy
for the party. I think it's always better. I really
do when when people are authentically themselves, when say people
say what they actually think, it's you know, polls are important,
(01:54):
focus groups are important, Messaging discipline is important. However, I
think right now what people are looking for are authenticity,
and I also think people are looking for someone who
can run something. So I think someone who has been
an executive a governor as opposed to a lifelong legislator
I think would give more people could trust that more,
(02:18):
you know, because there's so much bloviating and rhetoric. But
somebody who's run a state who's had successes. I think
could be a very strong candidate.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
I absolutely agree with you. I think the people to
watch are the people that aren't clamoring for attention right now,
like Wes Moore from Maryland, or Joshapiro from Pennsylvania or
Gretchen Whittmer from Michigan. I think those are the three
to watch, and everybody else is just making noise and
saying look at me right now. Do you agree?
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Well, there is always an aspect of look at me
with politicians because they rely on visibility for votes, for money,
for you know, the influence to get on TV and
all that stuff. But you said Wes Moore, So I've
been paying close attention to him and listening to him
on podcasts and interviews.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
He's really good.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
And he talks. I can't emphasize this enough. He talks
like a normal person. And I think in the age
where we've seen, you know, someone who appears to be authentic,
like you know, like Trump, people like him because they
see him as he calls it, like he sees it.
There is an appetite and I think this is really
(03:29):
strong in the Democratic Party right now to get away
from scanned talking points, be yourself, be a human being,
and also, by the way, be really competent and have
a good track record. That is what is persuasive.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Yeah, it's funny you mentioned miss wes Moore. I am
a big fan. I read his book The Other wes Moore,
which one of poets are and he grew up in
the hood. He grew up in the hood and then
he went on to be a Rhodes scholar. He is
extremely extremely impressive. I mean, you get a chance. The
book is wonderful. What he did is he found another
wes Moore that was serving time and got to know
(04:03):
him and compared their lives and how they went on
different paths, and he came down to the fact that
he had a father in his life. That's what Wow,
that's what he says at the It's a wonderful, wonderful book.
And I don't give away the ending by saying that.
Let's talk about the mayoral race for a second. I
know that zorhenm mom Dane is frightening a lot of people.
(04:25):
Should we be afraid?
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Well, I think it's don't be afraid if you don't
think this person is going to be a good mayor
and turn around the city, then get out and vote
in the primary, which is in a couple months. So
fear is great. Maybe it's the call to action. Don't
be afraid take action, do people, People of New York City.
(04:48):
You hold the keys. You hold the keys to your
own future, and you get to vote for who leads you.
So vote for who you think is best. If this
candidate's freaking you out, vote for somebody else.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Should he be freaking this out? Does he freak you out?
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Well, he would not be my pick, that's for sure.
I mean I need someone who's not. I don't love
voting for someone who is an ideologue, who is a
true believer in one ism or another socialism for instance.
I think that's dangerous. I think when you're running a city,
(05:24):
you are paving the roads, you're hiring the cops, you're
making sure this you know, you're working with the MTA
on the subways, you're working with economic development. You need
to know how to fix things water main breaks, you know, bridges,
all of that stuff, and so isms don't get that done.
It's all very well, but you got to actually run
(05:44):
the city, which is a monster of a machine.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
How about running the state all of a sudden, Kathy
Hokel not great poll numbers, but much much better poll numbers.
She seems like she's done the right things and is
gaining momentum. I'm a little upset by that, but I
have to admit it's happening well.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
For the state of you know, for the sake of
New York. I'm happy to see this. I'm happy to
see that she's kind of uh either. She came in
and it has seen a sort of weak and changes
her mind all the time. And but I'm seeing a
lot more strength, and I'm seeing a lot more and
I think New Yorkers are seeing this too, as reflected
in the polls. More stick to itiveness, you know. And
(06:24):
I'm for the sake of New York, I'm very very
happy about that. We need, you know, we got a
lot going on here. We need someone who is who
is disciplely in charge and pushing forward.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Now with a least Stephonic in the race for the Republicans,
it seems like she is going to be the good,
butitorial candidate. Does everybody else just now get a call
from Donald Trump to get out of the way. Mike
Lawler and Bruce.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Blakeman well, it'll be interesting to see you. I'm sure
there are some Republicans out there who are not afraid
of Donald Trump and who do buck the system. We
have that in both parties, people who buff the system,
who primary, and frankly, I think that's healthy for democracy.
Why have the machine handle it, let the people decide.
(07:09):
So I'm so curious to see if anyone will have
the kahonis to go against If she is indeed the
one who emerges as the blessed from the Orange God candidate,
It'll be interesting to see if anyone has the nerve
to go against it.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
It's funny I read somewhere and you were talking about
you don't want the elites to choose this, that they
weren't going to have a primary. Is that right? Isn't
that required by law? And that they were going to
pick it at a convention?
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Wow? Well that yeah, of course. I mean, anyone, you
can't block a primary. I mean, you can pressure people
and you can threaten people, but you can't legally block
a primary. I can't imagine that that's the case.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
I know they've done that for offices in the past,
and I'm going to have to check myself on that,
and I'll get back on the next segment to say
if I was wrong or right. But I've thought that
the last time i've read an article they were going
to try and I guess depending up because of what
you're saying there. That's something they're going to try to
get away with Lauren.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Actually, i'd be curious because I'm not sure because there's
nothing about party in the constitution, so maybe the party
can do that. Yeah, yeah, I'll be listening.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Larry Okay, current political commentator and former NASA County executive
The Democrats are searching for a leader of the party,
and several have stepped up for the job, including Democratic
Vice presidential candidate Tim Walls. Maybe he could use this
as his slogan, I've tried to do the best I can,
but I've not been perfect and I'm a knucklehead at times. Yeah,
it's not going to be him, But who is it
(00:20):
going to be? It seems like a lot of people
are trying to get attention right now. Corey Booker is
one of them. Gavin Newsom's another one. Aoc all are
being mentioned as possible leaders of the party. But who
is it going to be? Let's talk about that to
start with with Laura Kern, political commentator and former NASA
(00:42):
County executive.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Good morning, Laura, Good morning Larry.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
So who would you like to see lead your party?
Speaker 2 (00:50):
You know, it's really interesting this sort of cattle casting
call and you're seeing lots of different approaches. JB. Pritzker
I think recently has been very interesting. You know, he
came out and he said, I'm not the kind of
guy who normally calls for like mass protests, but this
is different. We need action, you know, we need to move,
We need to protest. We need to be out raising
(01:10):
our voices, like very aggressive, and then you have others
who are like, oh, let's not be too aggressive, let's
just hold our fire, let's wait for the Trump administration
to implode and then we make our move. And then
you have folks like Gavin Newsom who are out there,
you know, engaging with MAGA in a very in a
very granular, intimate way. And then of course you've got
(01:33):
the AOC and the Bernie people out there fighting the
oligarchy and you know, no justice, no peace type of thing.
So I mean, I think this is actually really healthy
for the party. I think it's always better. I really
do when when people are authentically themselves, when say people
say what they actually think, it's you know, polls are important,
(01:54):
focus groups are important, Messaging discipline is important. However, I
think right now what people are looking for are authenticity,
and I also think people are looking for someone who
can run something. So I think someone who has been
an executive a governor as opposed to a lifelong legislator
I think would give more people could trust that more,
(02:18):
you know, because there's so much bloviating and rhetoric. But
somebody who's run a state who's had successes. I think
could be a very strong candidate.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
I absolutely agree with you. I think the people to
watch are the people that aren't clamoring for attention right now,
like Wes Moore from Maryland, or Joshapiro from Pennsylvania or
Gretchen Whittmer from Michigan. I think those are the three
to watch, and everybody else is just making noise and
saying look at me right now. Do you agree?
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Well, there is always an aspect of look at me
with politicians because they rely on visibility for votes, for money,
for you know, the influence to get on TV and
all that stuff. But you said Wes Moore, So I've
been paying close attention to him and listening to him
on podcasts and interviews.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
He's really good.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
And he talks. I can't emphasize this enough. He talks
like a normal person. And I think in the age
where we've seen, you know, someone who appears to be authentic,
like you know, like Trump, people like him because they
see him as he calls it, like he sees it.
There is an appetite and I think this is really
(03:29):
strong in the Democratic Party right now to get away
from scanned talking points, be yourself, be a human being,
and also, by the way, be really competent and have
a good track record. That is what is persuasive.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Yeah, it's funny you mentioned miss wes Moore. I am
a big fan. I read his book The Other wes Moore,
which one of poets are and he grew up in
the hood. He grew up in the hood and then
he went on to be a Rhodes scholar. He is
extremely extremely impressive. I mean, you get a chance. The
book is wonderful. What he did is he found another
wes Moore that was serving time and got to know
(04:03):
him and compared their lives and how they went on
different paths, and he came down to the fact that
he had a father in his life. That's what Wow,
that's what he says at the It's a wonderful, wonderful book.
And I don't give away the ending by saying that.
Let's talk about the mayoral race for a second. I
know that zorhenm mom Dane is frightening a lot of people.
(04:25):
Should we be afraid?
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Well, I think it's don't be afraid if you don't
think this person is going to be a good mayor
and turn around the city, then get out and vote
in the primary, which is in a couple months. So
fear is great. Maybe it's the call to action. Don't
be afraid take action, do people, People of New York City.
(04:48):
You hold the keys. You hold the keys to your
own future, and you get to vote for who leads you.
So vote for who you think is best. If this
candidate's freaking you out, vote for somebody else.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Should he be freaking this out? Does he freak you out?
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Well, he would not be my pick, that's for sure.
I mean I need someone who's not. I don't love
voting for someone who is an ideologue, who is a
true believer in one ism or another socialism for instance.
I think that's dangerous. I think when you're running a city,
(05:24):
you are paving the roads, you're hiring the cops, you're
making sure this you know, you're working with the MTA
on the subways, you're working with economic development. You need
to know how to fix things water main breaks, you know, bridges,
all of that stuff, and so isms don't get that done.
It's all very well, but you got to actually run
(05:44):
the city, which is a monster of a machine.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
How about running the state all of a sudden, Kathy
Hokel not great poll numbers, but much much better poll numbers.
She seems like she's done the right things and is
gaining momentum. I'm a little upset by that, but I
have to admit it's happening well.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
For the state of you know, for the sake of
New York. I'm happy to see this. I'm happy to
see that she's kind of uh either. She came in
and it has seen a sort of weak and changes
her mind all the time. And but I'm seeing a
lot more strength, and I'm seeing a lot more and
I think New Yorkers are seeing this too, as reflected
in the polls. More stick to itiveness, you know. And
(06:24):
I'm for the sake of New York, I'm very very
happy about that. We need, you know, we got a
lot going on here. We need someone who is who
is disciplely in charge and pushing forward.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Now with a least Stephonic in the race for the Republicans,
it seems like she is going to be the good,
butitorial candidate. Does everybody else just now get a call
from Donald Trump to get out of the way. Mike
Lawler and Bruce.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Blakeman well, it'll be interesting to see you. I'm sure
there are some Republicans out there who are not afraid
of Donald Trump and who do buck the system. We
have that in both parties, people who buff the system,
who primary, and frankly, I think that's healthy for democracy.
Why have the machine handle it, let the people decide.
(07:09):
So I'm so curious to see if anyone will have
the kahonis to go against If she is indeed the
one who emerges as the blessed from the Orange God candidate,
It'll be interesting to see if anyone has the nerve
to go against it.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
It's funny I read somewhere and you were talking about
you don't want the elites to choose this, that they
weren't going to have a primary. Is that right? Isn't
that required by law? And that they were going to
pick it at a convention?
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Wow? Well that yeah, of course. I mean, anyone, you
can't block a primary. I mean, you can pressure people
and you can threaten people, but you can't legally block
a primary. I can't imagine that that's the case.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
I know they've done that for offices in the past,
and I'm going to have to check myself on that,
and I'll get back on the next segment to say
if I was wrong or right. But I've thought that
the last time i've read an article they were going
to try and I guess depending up because of what
you're saying there. That's something they're going to try to
get away with Lauren.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Actually, i'd be curious because I'm not sure because there's
nothing about party in the constitution, so maybe the party
can do that. Yeah, yeah, I'll be listening.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Larry Okay, current political commentator and former NASA County executive
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