Today on The Breakfast Club, Cori Bush Talks Running For Congress, AIPAC, St. Louis, Defeating The Machine. Listen For More!
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakfastClubPower1051FM
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Every day a week ago.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Click your ass up the Breakfast Club. You know I'm
finish for y'all.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Dune morning, everybody. It's dj NV just hilarious, Charlamagne the guy.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
We are the breakfast Club Law on the roses here
as well. We got a special guest in the building.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Indeed, he's back.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Commers from Missouri ladies and gentlemen, Corey with an eye welcome.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
How are you feeling this morning?
Speaker 4 (00:21):
Oh, I'm amazing.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
They feeling good.
Speaker 4 (00:22):
I'm feeling so good. I'm so glad to be here
today with you all again.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
What made you want to get back into to this fight? Corey?
Speaker 4 (00:30):
So, first of all, I wasn't ready to leave, and
I should not have lost my seat. I should still
be there right now.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
They spent a lot of money to beat you.
Speaker 4 (00:39):
They spent fifteen million dollars to beat me, and and
for context, it only costs about one million dollars. This
race costs anywhere from one to two million dollars to
win and run. I mean to run and win. So
for them to spend fifteen million to give me out
and only one and they only won by five points.
They they couldn't even get me by double digits like
it took that much. And when I beat the person
(01:01):
that my predecessor, their family had been in that had
helped that seat for fifty two years, I beat them
with one million dollars. Wow, So that's just how hard
it was for them to get me out.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
When you say them he was a pack fund, he was.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
He was totally a pack funded. But big crypto and
big real estate they came in to help, but it
was it was mostly a.
Speaker 5 (01:21):
Pack whid Like why did they why did they need
to spend so much money to take you up?
Speaker 4 (01:26):
So first of all, when the insurrection happened, it was
my third day in office. We didn't even have like
water in the office yet, Like we didn't I didn't
have a panic button, but barricaded in my office, and
I mean barricaded like and I said, you know, like
if these folks come down the hallway, if they come,
if they come for me, because my name is on
this door, if they come for me, like we bang
(01:48):
it to the end. Like I meant, I was going
to fight these people if they came, if they came
for me and my team. But I sat there so
pissed off that I introduced my first piece of legislation
to investigate and expel any member of IRESs participated in
the insurrection. So first of all, so that pissed off Trump. Yeah,
you know, pissed off the administration. It picks off pissed
off his administration. They were already upset with me before that,
(02:09):
because I'm the Ferguson protester, you know. So, But after that,
I just kept doing things that was upset in the right.
But it wasn't until I introduced the Ceasefire Now resolution
when there was about to be this ground and invasion
in Gaza. How can I, as a human being sit
back and just say How can I, as a human
(02:29):
being just sit back and say, like it's cool to
bomb people? You know, when I have a when I
have a decision to make. When if if it wasn't,
if I didn't have a decision to make us different.
But I had a decision to make whether I would
vote to send money there, whether I would stay silent
or not, because if bombs was about to drop in
this country, you know, in my city, I would want
somebody else to speak up and say something. So so
(02:52):
APAC got mad. They decided we want somebody that's more
aligned with us, and we're gonna use somebody that looks
like you to help trick people, you know, And so
that's what they did. So they wanted me out. They
wanted me out so bad. And not only that, Big
real Estate wanted me out. So they worked together because
I'm the one that camped out on the steps of
the US Capitol back in twenty twenty one when the
(03:13):
eviction moratorium was about to expire, and I stayed out there.
Activist Corey was out there on the ground four nights
and five days. But we pushed the Biden administration, the
CDC and all of those folks to extend that moratorium.
So people were just mad.
Speaker 6 (03:26):
You know, I was going to ask, so this time around,
you know, running, what are you doing differently knowing that, like,
you know, they don't want you there and they're going
to use everything they can.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
You know, you're under attack.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
Yeah yeah, yeah yeah. So first of all, they made
me stronger. So I'm a different person than I was then.
I mean, I'm better than I was then. So I
see things, I think I see things better. I'm doing
things faster. We have a team that is bigger right
now than we had when we ended the campaign last time,
like we started off with the heavy team. We are
(03:58):
making sure that our message is getting out there. That's
really different too, is I had to be in DC
and trying to run a race and work in Congress
at the same time. Now I'm on the ground, I'm
with the people. I'm you know, I'm where people know,
you know, Corey usually is I'm out in the street.
So that changes a lot because people said, well, Corey,
I really couldn't hear your message, like I didn't know,
(04:20):
like it didn't seem like you were fighting. And it's
because I had to be away. Now I'm not away
and I'm with the community. The community is saying we
so many people have come up to me and said, Corey,
we made a mistake, like we were listening to those ads.
We you know, we just didn't know what to think.
And so and the tide has turned, and so now
people are like, oh, I understand why you were talking
(04:41):
so much about, you know, keeping our money here and
not in our money, not going to bond people in
another country. We just thought that you were saying you
cared more about another country. Now we understand you were
saying that you care that that money stays here in
Saint Louis, So.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Besides the money, and what is the other reason, because
I'm sure you analyze it, why you feel that you lost?
Was it the ads that they put out, because it
had to be just something besides the money. Were people
not coming out like what do you think the reason was?
Because it wasn't by that much?
Speaker 4 (05:07):
Yeah, well, so some people said that they thought I
had it in the bag because I had won my
other race, the race previously by forty points, you know,
and so people were like you, like, there's no way
you can then turn around. So many people said that.
And then the other part, which is something we're changing now,
people said, Corey, we thought that you were running in November,
(05:29):
so we were waiting for the November election, and your
your election was really in August, and so we missed
a lot of people that way. So we've been hammering
it now.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
It was a special election, right, No, No, that's.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
That's the primary, the Democratic primary, and so for me,
we're in a Democratic district, so the general election is
a lot easier to win.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
How did you get that?
Speaker 2 (05:47):
How did they get that mixed up?
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Though?
Speaker 7 (05:48):
August from November?
Speaker 4 (05:50):
Because all of the talk about the presidential election of
presidential elections on people's focus was I just need to
show up in November.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Elections or November so people just automatic I could think of.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Did it hurt the loose?
Speaker 4 (06:04):
It tore me up like it was really it was devastating,
and not because I lost an election I had. I
had lost elections before, and it's it's tough either way.
Let me just say, but this one like broke me
down because I didn't lose because I wasn't doing my job.
I didn't lose because I was a bad congresswoman or
(06:26):
a bad candidate. I lost because fifteen million dollars of
dark money, of corporate interest money made the decision of
who was going to represent Saint Louis and the person
ran on live. So fifteen million dollars worth of ads
saying Corey wants children to drink contaminated water from lead pipes.
You know, Corey hates Joe Biden. Those were most of
(06:49):
the ass None of the ads spoke about Israel, none
of the as spoke about Gaza or anything else. They
stay it was mostly about Joe Biden. And so my
thing is this, if you run in on truth, like
if you believe you better than me, and you're gonna
do more for the community. Say that, Say what you're
gonna do, Like, I respect that, but don't lie because
if you lie, then you're deceiving the very people that
(07:09):
you claim you want to represent. And it's about you,
not the people.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Now, a gentleman you lost to is a brother. Do
you have any relationship with him at all? Do y'all
know each other at all coming up or anything like that?
Speaker 7 (07:17):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (07:17):
Yeah, we you know, we were friends. We were friends,
and so much so to where my dad even went
to one of his events when he was because so
first he came out saying he was running against Josh Holly.
We all know Josh Holly, Republican out of Missouri who
became you know, I think he he got some more
notoriety at the insurrection when he put up the fists
(07:39):
outside the capitol. So he said he was running against him.
He called him the greatest threat to America and to democracy.
He actually wasn't really running against him. He used that
to raise money, but to run against me. But so
my dad was so excited, like, Okay, somebody's gonna take
out Josh Holly, And my dad got all of his
friends to come to one of his fundraisers, and my
(07:59):
dad gave him a check. Two weeks later, he announced
he was running against.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Me, and you's money to run, you know, and.
Speaker 4 (08:07):
So I But but before that, we had worked together
on different issues, you know, we had been at events together.
We were cool, like we would talk on the phone,
you know, republic and well, you know, he played like
he wasn't a Republican, but he really, you know, I
think in his heart he really is. But yeah, we
were like, we weren't see this coming in all. No,
(08:27):
like I wouldn't have never thought that. And so, but
what I did though, because people kept calling me saying Corey,
he's running against you, like it's a lie that he's
running against Josh Holly, and so I called him one day.
I called him and I said, Hey, getting this, yeah,
you know, but I was like, okay, let me just
let me just tell you what people are saying. Because
(08:49):
the whole, a whole article came out in our in
our biggest newspaper in town saying that he was it
was really a lie. So I called him. I'm like, hey,
why am I hearing all of these things about you
running against me, and you said, you run against Josh Holly.
Oh sis, No, I'm not. I would never run against you.
I wouldn't you won your race the way I did.
I would never run against you. And so I so
I because he started doing and then I hit record
(09:13):
and I recorded it, and so so it turns out,
you know, he he was, he lied, and you know,
so I lost all respect for dude. Because the thing is,
if we're friends, you can run against. This is a democracy.
You can run against somebody like that's not my issue,
but at least like be upfront say that, hey, this
is what I want. But when Apac comes to you,
he'll harper sack with you all. And what a year
(09:37):
or two years ago and talked about how Apac came
to him and asked him to run against to run
I think against Rashida to lead for twenty million dollars
and he turned it down. Well, the guy that's in
the seat now in my community, he didn't turn the
money down.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Wow, and he's a Democrat. I just want to say,
I said Republican.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
Before he was the campaign manager to a Republican that
was trying to restrict abortion rights in Missouri.
Speaker 6 (09:58):
So's yeah, I was gonna say, just listening to it
is it literally is like the shows that we watch
on TV, like What Goes Down by the Seas. And
I know that that because you guys's race was one
of the most expensive primaries in American history.
Speaker 4 (10:11):
Literally, yes, yes, just because they were trying to get
you about it. There only because they wanted me out,
you know, and they knew that I had already been
been like doing a lot to try to uncover what
was gonna happen with Project twenty twenty five had Trump
got in and people were like, oh no, it's not
real Trump, you know, Project twenty twenty five won't happen,
And so they were just trying to stop that. So, yeah,
they spent all of that money, you know. And the
(10:33):
thing is this, why would they why would they spend
Why would they need to spend all of that money
in a Democratic district one that's going to go to
a Democrat anyway, and APAK is primarily funded by Republicans.
But why would they get involved in the race like that?
And you got two black folks running, why get involved?
Speaker 2 (10:53):
You know?
Speaker 4 (10:53):
Why did they get involved in my race and Jamal
Bowman's race and make us, the most expensive US house
races in history, primaries in his street, why are you
coming for two black people?
Speaker 3 (11:02):
And they said they spent over eight point five million
dollars from APEX spent more than that.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
I know you said it.
Speaker 7 (11:09):
I know you said it made you stronger, right, strong
enough to run this time? But did you ever feel
discouraged to the point where you're like, no, I'm not
doing this.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
Yeah, up until I made the day, it took me months.
You know, I was broken. So I lost the race
August I think it was August sixth of twenty twenty four,
and I still had to be in Congress for another
several months until January. So I had to, you know,
move out of the office.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
They put you in.
Speaker 4 (11:33):
This little cubicle, like you you don't even have an
office anymore. They're trying to transition you out. And so
I had to still show up as a congress person,
still do all of my work and know that I
was that I was leaving, and I was trying to
figure out, like what do I do with my life?
Because I didn't like I had been working for this
for ten years, you know, so like what like what
(11:53):
am I going to do now? So that was just
really I just didn't know what to do. But it
was after I left my sister in service for Shida Tale.
She came to me like that February and she said, Corey,
are you gonna run again? And I was like no,
you know, I'm talking to my husband. We're like, you know,
we're trying to get ourselves like grounded. And then the
people of Saint Louis were coming up to me on
(12:15):
the street, like everywhere. I would be walking down a
street and people would stop and jump out of cars.
You gotta run again, like you know. And so that's
what helped to build me back up is seeing the
community like we messed up, we didn't do right by
you last time. We want to beat We are here
for you now, and so that really helped. But I
(12:35):
to climb out of that, you know it. You know,
it's hard because my heart wasn't for My heart wasn't
for me. My heart was for the community. Everything I did,
I have been I have been shot at, beat up,
like so many things have happened to me and my family.
To be able to do this work, we needed security
(12:56):
because we needed security, you know, like like I put
my life on the line for the people of my
community in this country, and then to get kicked in
the back like that, it was it was hard.
Speaker 7 (13:07):
What did the pastor do you like? The pastor? You like,
you know the pastor in you? What did that kick in?
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Like?
Speaker 4 (13:13):
Yeah, absolutely no, that's what did it. I So first
I had to check with my family and my husband
more directly, because how things impacted us, you know, and
how like the DJ was being weaponized against us. You know,
we want to make it seem like you're a criminal
and you did this and all of that kind of stuff.
So I had to make sure that home was good first.
(13:35):
But it was my faith that kept me from feeling
like I needed to go hide in a corner somewhere.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
You know.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
It was like Corey, you know who you are and
who you are. You know you got God and you
know you have a purpose. The only reason I ran
for that seat in the first place was my mission.
I knew that it was my mission. Even right now,
even right now, it's like, you know, like like you
asked Charlamagne, like you know, you put yourself out there
doing this again. Some people have asked me about Ayana
Presley had asked me She's like, Corey, why would you
(14:05):
want to do this to yourself again? You know? And
for me? And what I said to her was because
it's not about me, It's about the mission. It is
what I know that the Lord is sending me to do,
you know. And so whether however it goes, I gotta
I gotta say yes, like I gotta say yes because
on the other side of this, yes, people are helped. Whatever.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
It looks like, I'm glad.
Speaker 5 (14:25):
You're saying this, and I'm glad you just asked those
questions because I've seen so many people just become bitter
and all they do now is complain on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Yeah, And I'm like, yo, why don't you get back
into the fight?
Speaker 5 (14:35):
Yeah? You know what I mean, Like, get back into
the fight. Okay, you lost a couple of races, Get
back into the fight.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
But they got to be depressed. It gotta be difficult,
it gotta be heard, but stay. I gotta feel like
you would, you know, people switch sides on you. It
gotta hurt, you know, because especially when all you want
to do is do something positive for your community and
you see all these ads. You gotta get to a
point where you were like, f this, I rather my piece,
but you know you you decided to say, na, I'm
gonna get back in there for But like.
Speaker 7 (15:00):
You said, people was coming up to you on the
streets though, like the people. That's what the connection is, right, Yes,
these whether it's politics, pastoring, like, it's people, as long
as you connect to them.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
Yeah, and it's service. All of it is service. And
you know there are days when I'm like this, this
still hurts because when you know that you've helped people,
Like there are people in the community that I help,
organizations that I helped financially, where I put my name
on the line, where I put I was a freshman
trying to help put I was pushing leadership, saying no,
(15:32):
my community needs this, no I need you know, even
President Biden would say, here, okay, Corey, here she comes,
she's gonna talk about Saint Louis again. Like people knew,
like I was putting my name on the line, making
sure that these folks that said we need X amount
of dollars that they were able to get those dollars.
And to see them turn on me when this other
(15:52):
person decided to run against me, it was so easy,
Like they didn't even reach out to say, Sis, you know,
we got to make a different decision this time because
of X. It was just like stab you in the back,
you know. So that's what it was. It was really
hard and even some days now and I've had to
get myself together to forgive, you know. I had to,
like I had to really sit with forgiveness and understand, like,
(16:14):
forgiveness is not for them. Forgiveness it's for me. Forgiveness
is so that I can go out and do the
work with the clean heart. Because the thing is this
the night that I won my election in twenty twenty,
when I find when I won the last election that November,
the general, I said, I don't in my speech, I
don't care if you voted for me. I don't care
if you like me. I don't care if you villainize
(16:35):
my name. My question for you is do you have food?
Did you eat? Do you have shelter? Do you have water?
Do you have so that and so today that is
still the same.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Were you ever considered a member of the squad?
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (16:47):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
Do you feel like they had your back after you
lost in four Oh?
Speaker 4 (16:52):
Yeah, we've never stopped communicating. They are you know with me?
You know, as far as like we talk all the time. Yeah,
there's no distance between me and the Squad. And I
know some people have said you all having but some
people have said, oh, former Squad member Corey, but I'm
still squad.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Squad.
Speaker 4 (17:12):
Sure. The Squad started off in twenty eighteen with four
black and brown women who were able to win, and
some of them against incumbents, were able to come in
as full on progressives and win these seats in Congress
where people where they didn't come from money and wealth
and didn't have the quote unquote pedigree that you would
(17:35):
think would win these seats. But they came in and
they won, and they held you to their progressive values.
And once they got in, the Trump administration came for them,
but they held strong, like they never let go of
their values, and they started to People called them the Squad,
and I knew most of them already at that point,
(17:56):
and so but I lost. I ran to twenty eighteen too,
but I lost my race, and so in twenty twenty,
in twenty twenty, Iran Jamal Bowman ran and we were
able to become part of the Squad. Jamal so far
has been the only the only guy in the squad.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
How do you.
Speaker 5 (18:11):
Respond to critics who say, you know, voters already made
their choice in twenty twenty four, so why should they
change their mind.
Speaker 4 (18:18):
Then, because you know, like Es said, voters are coming
up to me saying, we need you to be our
congress person. We messed up, we failed you, you know,
And this is actually what they're saying, and they say
it all the time. We're getting our lick back, that's
what they say. We're getting our lick back because this
was stolen. Had you lost this fair and square. We
(18:38):
understand that that elections get dirty and all of that,
but fifteen million dollars being one of the most expensive
house races you know in US history, primaries in US history,
that was intentional, and that was that was designed to
hurt Saint Louis. So that's why that's why, like, you can't.
And the thing is, I'm a fighter. I went in
as a fighter. You know, everybody's a fighter. Now, everybody's
(19:01):
a fighter. When I was, you know, coming into when
I was moving into politics, and I'm like, but I'm
the fighter, they was like, oh no, you gotta be
a statesman, o the quorum and be nice and you're
too aggressive. Not everybody, you know, everybody's a fighter. But
if I say I'm a fighter, if I say I
get knocked down and I get back up, if the bullets,
if the tear gas, the noise munitions, if the dogs,
(19:22):
if me getting getting assaulted by the police, if none
of that knocked me down, if me living in my car,
if me being left for dead by an abusive partner,
if all of those things have happened to me in
my life and I didn't give up, then why would
I give up?
Speaker 6 (19:34):
Now?
Speaker 4 (19:36):
I'm going to ask you about messaging.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
But I mean, shoot, how are you going to defeat
the machine?
Speaker 4 (19:44):
Though? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Because I mean the machine is still here, you know
what I'm.
Speaker 5 (19:47):
Saying, Like, you're still still your stance has not changed, right,
So how are you going to defeat the machine?
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Because they're back still they spending money now.
Speaker 4 (19:56):
Yeah, they're spending money. Yeah, what we're seeing right now,
they're spending like somewhere around two million dollars in a
lot of these races. But back in twenty twenty four,
people didn't really know like a on a mass level anyway,
on a mass scale, who apack was at the time,
you know, and we weren't able to spend the money
(20:17):
to get to make the connection to just like message
that we had to talk about other things as well.
Now the tide has turned and people know who a
Pack is. People are pissed off now that they know
who a Pack is. There was a town hall in
my community that the current congressman held his town It
was in person, his town hall back in August. Most
(20:39):
of the questions were around a pac money and it
was around his support for a genocide. And when I say,
he was hammered over and over again at people asking
about that because they were like, we just didn't know
that this is this is who you would be. But
also at the end of that and I don't know
if you all saw it went viral, but at the
end of that time hall, some of his constituents were
(21:03):
brutalized by local his security and local law enforcement just
waiting to talk get a chance to talk to him,
to ask him more questions. And so the community is
already upset. Also, we had a devastating tornado that came
through the inner city in Saint Louis and devastated homes
and people. That was in May of last year. People
are still living in tents. People who are homeowners still
(21:24):
don't have a place to live right now, and the
community has been fighting for more dollars. He has not
shown up. He has not shown up, and so people.
So that's what's different, you know, is that people are saying,
we know that we don't have the right person. So yeah,
APAC can try to put all of this money into
our community. But the people are saying, we're watching now.
We want to see if they're given, how much money
(21:45):
they're given, because we don't want our candidates to take
that money. So that's what's different, too, is and we're
seeing it all across the country. Different members of Congress
are saying, I'm not this time, I'm not going to
take the money because they're getting pressure from their communities.
Speaker 5 (21:58):
For people who are listening who don't know what APAC is, like,
explain to people, you know what a pack is, because
I'm hearing a lot of folks now say they're not
voting for any candidate.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Yeah takes money from APAC.
Speaker 4 (22:08):
Yeah. A PAK is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
It is an organization, but are they also have affiliated
packs with political action committees where they can get funnel
money to candidates to run for office. But their whole mission,
to paraphrase, is basically to make sure that there is
(22:32):
one hundred percent support for Israel and the agenda to
be this big ally to the United States, but basically
supporting Israel. So if you, you know, if you won't
vote exactly the way they want you to vote on
every single bill that prioritizes Israel, even if it deprioritizes
(22:54):
the United States, you're in trouble with them. And for me,
when my community is you know, in need of health
people in my community don't have health care, when people
in my community are sleeping on the street, when people
in my community are still trying to figure out how
to end gun violence, and you know, and we have
(23:16):
all of these issues. You know, we don't have clean
water all the time. We have you know, we have
issues with water, We have issues, we have fringing. People
dying right now in our community from a radioactive waste
dumping our community from the federal government that's been happening
for decades. And people are literally dying. And you're telling
us to give money to to prioritize another country, you know,
(23:38):
And so that so people I need people to understand
that this is not something that is against a people.
We're not against another country. What we're saying is the
United States deserve, we deserve to take care of our people,
you know. But can we help Congo?
Speaker 5 (23:56):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (23:57):
Can we help? You know, the Sudan Can we help Gods?
Or can we help Syria? Can we help Yemen? Can
we help? Who? Can we help these other countries? Can
we help Hating? And can we help? We should be
helping who we can help. Can we help Honduras? We
should be helping who we can help. But we take
care of our people.
Speaker 5 (24:13):
I mean, I mean that's why America first messaging works, right.
And you know I said all the time, nobody would
care where America sent money if people in.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
America were taken care of.
Speaker 5 (24:24):
Yeah, the people basically needs in America would care, and
they had money in their pocket, they could care less
where you send money.
Speaker 4 (24:31):
Right, But they want to defund the social safety that
when you want to when this country says, you know what,
we're gonna knock people off a snap, snap is fool
Like it's you need food to live to survive. Nobody
is becoming a millionaire or getting rich off of snap.
You know, people just need to eat. So when you
say we would rather prioritize, you know, giving tax breaks
(24:52):
to the rich and the wealthy, and we're gonna we're
gonna help do that by defunding SNAP.
Speaker 5 (24:57):
When I saw Trump said the stated other day when
he was like bragging about cutting food stamps, like that's
a good thing, I'm like, oh, yeah, he has no idea,
who's who even basis?
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Because I was gonna.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Ask, you know, when you have you know, your district, right,
what do you tell them because they have to be
discouraged from all the politics and even young leaders out
there that want to get into it. So what do
you tell those young leaders and people from your district
how to not get discouraged?
Speaker 1 (25:21):
Like what is your message to them?
Speaker 2 (25:22):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (25:23):
So the thing is right now, and I know that
there has there had been a lot of discourse for
a while like we're going to sit this out, like,
you know, let somebody else do it. And I understand
that sentiment and people feeling really discouraged. But I look
at it like this, for all the things that we've
gone through over the last ten years, fifteen years, but
(25:44):
especially the last ten to me, it was in preparation
for this moment. It was us getting in place, It
was us learning so that we could be ready for
right now. Are we tired? Are we discouraged? Are we
tired of our politicians, you know, being hypocrites? Are we
tired of all of this?
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (26:00):
We are. But then this is the moment that we
step up, because if we do not, what are we
leaving to our children and our children's children? What world
are we leaving to them? And so I understand feeling
discouraged and to our youth too. What I tell them is, look,
there are parts of Missouri where there are children. There
are students who go to school four days a week.
There are students who go to school five days a week.
(26:21):
I said, that was a decision that a person made.
A person said this is what I want. They went
to talk to their friends and they made a law
and changed and changed how kids go to school in Missouri.
I said, that is how these laws happens. It's somebody's idea.
It didn't come from, you know, up in the sky.
So somebody's going to get in the seat. Somebody is
going to be your your voice, somebody's going to be
(26:42):
the person to write these laws to legislate for you
to speak for you. Don't let them do it without you,
you know, and don't and start showing up. So I
let them know, like get in on the ground floor,
because this is your world to create and it's right now.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
I want I want to ask you.
Speaker 5 (27:01):
You know, I'm sure you saw the DNC autopsy that
said Kamala Harris's silence song the Gaza genocide cost her votes.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
That was the headline.
Speaker 5 (27:09):
What should the messaging be from Democrats in regards to
Israel and Gaza moving forward? Because most of them that's
gonna run in twenty twenty eight, they're not gonna pivot
on they support for Israel.
Speaker 4 (27:22):
Yeah, well, I don't know about I think that there's
going to have to be a shift because so many
people are saying that they're paying attention to a PAK.
There's a lot of talk that if the twenty twenty
eight candidates are taking money from APAK, that they're not going.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
To get the votes.
Speaker 4 (27:39):
So I think what they're going to have to do
is reckon with what they did wrong. Look at this autopsy,
be real with it, because not listening to the polling
that was telling them this and people like me saying, hey,
we're all over the country. This is what people are saying, like,
in order to win, we need you to start listening
and make some different decisions. You know. The fact that
(28:00):
they didn't listen then to me, if they continue the
way that they're doing, then they don't want to win.
Like you're not being serious about winning. You have to
make a change, You have to do something different. So
the message, the message has to be that you know
there is this is the United States. Can we support
people who need our help? Yes, we can. Do we
(28:22):
make anybody more? Does anybody get the priority over anyone else? No? No,
you know, but will we support where we need to? Yes?
And we need to make sure that the aid is
getting in. We shouldn't be cutting programming. We shouldn't be
cutting money going to groups like unrun so many others
(28:42):
who are providing the support that's needed. People are still starving,
people are still cold, people are still living in tents.
People are still being bombed, you know, so that has
to end. And the thing is this, when you want
to be the most when you want to be the
quote unquote most powerful person in the world, you are
saying I'm signing to do the hard work. I'm signing
up to make difficult decisions that other people probably wouldn't
(29:05):
want to make. So let's start with that. Yes, it's
a difficult decision to make. Yes, it's going to be hard.
Yes you might get you know, you might get you know,
demonized and dragged for it. But do the right thing.
So I think that hard, you know, like hard things
are hard.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
How are you doing anything of your campaign, Corey?
Speaker 4 (29:27):
Look Coreybush dot org. It's co RI I b U
s H dot org. Yes. Please, you know, small dollar donations,
you know, we don't you know, if you got five dollars,
twenty dollars, whatever, you have, all the way up up
to thirty five hundred dollars, pheel, please reach out to us.
We can use volunteers. You know, you don't have to
be in Saint Louis a volunteer for us because you
(29:48):
can get on the phones. You know, there are so
many things that a campaign needs. We're a grass roots campaign.
We have never taken a dollar of corporate pack money.
So we are totally one hundred percent people powered and
this is for the people. So if you if you
can donate, please please go to Coreybush dot org.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
That's right. Congresswoman Corey Bush, thank you for joining us
this morning.
Speaker 4 (30:06):
Thank you for having me and love you look. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning.
Speaker 5 (30:10):
Hold every day I wake picks up the Breakfast Club.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
You don't finish for y'all done,
Every day a week ago.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Click your ass up the Breakfast Club. You know I'm
finish for y'all.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Dune morning, everybody. It's dj NV just hilarious, Charlamagne the guy.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
We are the breakfast Club Law on the roses here
as well. We got a special guest in the building.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Indeed, he's back.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Commers from Missouri ladies and gentlemen, Corey with an eye welcome.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
How are you feeling this morning?
Speaker 4 (00:21):
Oh, I'm amazing.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
They feeling good.
Speaker 4 (00:22):
I'm feeling so good. I'm so glad to be here
today with you all again.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
What made you want to get back into to this fight? Corey?
Speaker 4 (00:30):
So, first of all, I wasn't ready to leave, and
I should not have lost my seat. I should still
be there right now.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
They spent a lot of money to beat you.
Speaker 4 (00:39):
They spent fifteen million dollars to beat me, and and
for context, it only costs about one million dollars. This
race costs anywhere from one to two million dollars to
win and run. I mean to run and win. So
for them to spend fifteen million to give me out
and only one and they only won by five points.
They they couldn't even get me by double digits like
it took that much. And when I beat the person
(01:01):
that my predecessor, their family had been in that had
helped that seat for fifty two years, I beat them
with one million dollars. Wow, So that's just how hard
it was for them to get me out.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
When you say them he was a pack fund, he was.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
He was totally a pack funded. But big crypto and
big real estate they came in to help, but it
was it was mostly a.
Speaker 5 (01:21):
Pack whid Like why did they why did they need
to spend so much money to take you up?
Speaker 4 (01:26):
So first of all, when the insurrection happened, it was
my third day in office. We didn't even have like
water in the office yet, Like we didn't I didn't
have a panic button, but barricaded in my office, and
I mean barricaded like and I said, you know, like
if these folks come down the hallway, if they come,
if they come for me, because my name is on
this door, if they come for me, like we bang
(01:48):
it to the end. Like I meant, I was going
to fight these people if they came, if they came
for me and my team. But I sat there so
pissed off that I introduced my first piece of legislation
to investigate and expel any member of IRESs participated in
the insurrection. So first of all, so that pissed off Trump. Yeah,
you know, pissed off the administration. It picks off pissed
off his administration. They were already upset with me before that,
(02:09):
because I'm the Ferguson protester, you know. So, But after that,
I just kept doing things that was upset in the right.
But it wasn't until I introduced the Ceasefire Now resolution
when there was about to be this ground and invasion
in Gaza. How can I, as a human being sit
back and just say How can I, as a human
(02:29):
being just sit back and say, like it's cool to
bomb people? You know, when I have a when I
have a decision to make. When if if it wasn't,
if I didn't have a decision to make us different.
But I had a decision to make whether I would
vote to send money there, whether I would stay silent
or not, because if bombs was about to drop in
this country, you know, in my city, I would want
somebody else to speak up and say something. So so
(02:52):
APAC got mad. They decided we want somebody that's more
aligned with us, and we're gonna use somebody that looks
like you to help trick people, you know, And so
that's what they did. So they wanted me out. They
wanted me out so bad. And not only that, Big
real Estate wanted me out. So they worked together because
I'm the one that camped out on the steps of
the US Capitol back in twenty twenty one when the
(03:13):
eviction moratorium was about to expire, and I stayed out there.
Activist Corey was out there on the ground four nights
and five days. But we pushed the Biden administration, the
CDC and all of those folks to extend that moratorium.
So people were just mad.
Speaker 6 (03:26):
You know, I was going to ask, so this time around,
you know, running, what are you doing differently knowing that, like,
you know, they don't want you there and they're going
to use everything they can.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
You know, you're under attack.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
Yeah yeah, yeah yeah. So first of all, they made
me stronger. So I'm a different person than I was then.
I mean, I'm better than I was then. So I
see things, I think I see things better. I'm doing
things faster. We have a team that is bigger right
now than we had when we ended the campaign last time,
like we started off with the heavy team. We are
(03:58):
making sure that our message is getting out there. That's
really different too, is I had to be in DC
and trying to run a race and work in Congress
at the same time. Now I'm on the ground, I'm
with the people. I'm you know, I'm where people know,
you know, Corey usually is I'm out in the street.
So that changes a lot because people said, well, Corey,
I really couldn't hear your message, like I didn't know,
(04:20):
like it didn't seem like you were fighting. And it's
because I had to be away. Now I'm not away
and I'm with the community. The community is saying we
so many people have come up to me and said, Corey,
we made a mistake, like we were listening to those ads.
We you know, we just didn't know what to think.
And so and the tide has turned, and so now
people are like, oh, I understand why you were talking
(04:41):
so much about, you know, keeping our money here and
not in our money, not going to bond people in
another country. We just thought that you were saying you
cared more about another country. Now we understand you were
saying that you care that that money stays here in
Saint Louis, So.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Besides the money, and what is the other reason, because
I'm sure you analyze it, why you feel that you lost?
Was it the ads that they put out, because it
had to be just something besides the money. Were people
not coming out like what do you think the reason was?
Because it wasn't by that much?
Speaker 4 (05:07):
Yeah, well, so some people said that they thought I
had it in the bag because I had won my
other race, the race previously by forty points, you know,
and so people were like you, like, there's no way
you can then turn around. So many people said that.
And then the other part, which is something we're changing now,
people said, Corey, we thought that you were running in November,
(05:29):
so we were waiting for the November election, and your
your election was really in August, and so we missed
a lot of people that way. So we've been hammering
it now.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
It was a special election, right, No, No, that's.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
That's the primary, the Democratic primary, and so for me,
we're in a Democratic district, so the general election is
a lot easier to win.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
How did you get that?
Speaker 2 (05:47):
How did they get that mixed up?
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Though?
Speaker 7 (05:48):
August from November?
Speaker 4 (05:50):
Because all of the talk about the presidential election of
presidential elections on people's focus was I just need to
show up in November.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Elections or November so people just automatic I could think of.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Did it hurt the loose?
Speaker 4 (06:04):
It tore me up like it was really it was devastating,
and not because I lost an election I had. I
had lost elections before, and it's it's tough either way.
Let me just say, but this one like broke me
down because I didn't lose because I wasn't doing my job.
I didn't lose because I was a bad congresswoman or
(06:26):
a bad candidate. I lost because fifteen million dollars of
dark money, of corporate interest money made the decision of
who was going to represent Saint Louis and the person
ran on live. So fifteen million dollars worth of ads
saying Corey wants children to drink contaminated water from lead pipes.
You know, Corey hates Joe Biden. Those were most of
(06:49):
the ass None of the ads spoke about Israel, none
of the as spoke about Gaza or anything else. They
stay it was mostly about Joe Biden. And so my
thing is this, if you run in on truth, like
if you believe you better than me, and you're gonna
do more for the community. Say that, Say what you're
gonna do, Like, I respect that, but don't lie because
if you lie, then you're deceiving the very people that
(07:09):
you claim you want to represent. And it's about you,
not the people.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Now, a gentleman you lost to is a brother. Do
you have any relationship with him at all? Do y'all
know each other at all coming up or anything like that?
Speaker 7 (07:17):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (07:17):
Yeah, we you know, we were friends. We were friends,
and so much so to where my dad even went
to one of his events when he was because so
first he came out saying he was running against Josh Holly.
We all know Josh Holly, Republican out of Missouri who
became you know, I think he he got some more
notoriety at the insurrection when he put up the fists
(07:39):
outside the capitol. So he said he was running against him.
He called him the greatest threat to America and to democracy.
He actually wasn't really running against him. He used that
to raise money, but to run against me. But so
my dad was so excited, like, Okay, somebody's gonna take
out Josh Holly, And my dad got all of his
friends to come to one of his fundraisers, and my
(07:59):
dad gave him a check. Two weeks later, he announced
he was running against.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Me, and you's money to run, you know, and.
Speaker 4 (08:07):
So I But but before that, we had worked together
on different issues, you know, we had been at events together.
We were cool, like we would talk on the phone,
you know, republic and well, you know, he played like
he wasn't a Republican, but he really, you know, I
think in his heart he really is. But yeah, we
were like, we weren't see this coming in all. No,
(08:27):
like I wouldn't have never thought that. And so, but
what I did though, because people kept calling me saying Corey,
he's running against you, like it's a lie that he's
running against Josh Holly, and so I called him one day.
I called him and I said, Hey, getting this, yeah,
you know, but I was like, okay, let me just
let me just tell you what people are saying. Because
(08:49):
the whole, a whole article came out in our in
our biggest newspaper in town saying that he was it
was really a lie. So I called him. I'm like, hey,
why am I hearing all of these things about you
running against me, and you said, you run against Josh Holly.
Oh sis, No, I'm not. I would never run against you.
I wouldn't you won your race the way I did.
I would never run against you. And so I so
I because he started doing and then I hit record
(09:13):
and I recorded it, and so so it turns out,
you know, he he was, he lied, and you know,
so I lost all respect for dude. Because the thing is,
if we're friends, you can run against. This is a democracy.
You can run against somebody like that's not my issue,
but at least like be upfront say that, hey, this
is what I want. But when Apac comes to you,
he'll harper sack with you all. And what a year
(09:37):
or two years ago and talked about how Apac came
to him and asked him to run against to run
I think against Rashida to lead for twenty million dollars
and he turned it down. Well, the guy that's in
the seat now in my community, he didn't turn the
money down.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Wow, and he's a Democrat. I just want to say,
I said Republican.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
Before he was the campaign manager to a Republican that
was trying to restrict abortion rights in Missouri.
Speaker 6 (09:58):
So's yeah, I was gonna say, just listening to it
is it literally is like the shows that we watch
on TV, like What Goes Down by the Seas. And
I know that that because you guys's race was one
of the most expensive primaries in American history.
Speaker 4 (10:11):
Literally, yes, yes, just because they were trying to get
you about it. There only because they wanted me out,
you know, and they knew that I had already been
been like doing a lot to try to uncover what
was gonna happen with Project twenty twenty five had Trump
got in and people were like, oh no, it's not
real Trump, you know, Project twenty twenty five won't happen,
And so they were just trying to stop that. So, yeah,
they spent all of that money, you know. And the
(10:33):
thing is this, why would they why would they spend
Why would they need to spend all of that money
in a Democratic district one that's going to go to
a Democrat anyway, and APAK is primarily funded by Republicans.
But why would they get involved in the race like that?
And you got two black folks running, why get involved?
Speaker 2 (10:53):
You know?
Speaker 4 (10:53):
Why did they get involved in my race and Jamal
Bowman's race and make us, the most expensive US house
races in history, primaries in his street, why are you
coming for two black people?
Speaker 3 (11:02):
And they said they spent over eight point five million
dollars from APEX spent more than that.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
I know you said it.
Speaker 7 (11:09):
I know you said it made you stronger, right, strong
enough to run this time? But did you ever feel
discouraged to the point where you're like, no, I'm not
doing this.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
Yeah, up until I made the day, it took me months.
You know, I was broken. So I lost the race
August I think it was August sixth of twenty twenty four,
and I still had to be in Congress for another
several months until January. So I had to, you know,
move out of the office.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
They put you in.
Speaker 4 (11:33):
This little cubicle, like you you don't even have an
office anymore. They're trying to transition you out. And so
I had to still show up as a congress person,
still do all of my work and know that I
was that I was leaving, and I was trying to
figure out, like what do I do with my life?
Because I didn't like I had been working for this
for ten years, you know, so like what like what
(11:53):
am I going to do now? So that was just
really I just didn't know what to do. But it
was after I left my sister in service for Shida Tale.
She came to me like that February and she said, Corey,
are you gonna run again? And I was like no,
you know, I'm talking to my husband. We're like, you know,
we're trying to get ourselves like grounded. And then the
people of Saint Louis were coming up to me on
(12:15):
the street, like everywhere. I would be walking down a
street and people would stop and jump out of cars.
You gotta run again, like you know. And so that's
what helped to build me back up is seeing the
community like we messed up, we didn't do right by
you last time. We want to beat We are here
for you now, and so that really helped. But I
(12:35):
to climb out of that, you know it. You know,
it's hard because my heart wasn't for My heart wasn't
for me. My heart was for the community. Everything I did,
I have been I have been shot at, beat up,
like so many things have happened to me and my family.
To be able to do this work, we needed security
(12:56):
because we needed security, you know, like like I put
my life on the line for the people of my
community in this country, and then to get kicked in
the back like that, it was it was hard.
Speaker 7 (13:07):
What did the pastor do you like? The pastor? You like,
you know the pastor in you? What did that kick in?
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Like?
Speaker 4 (13:13):
Yeah, absolutely no, that's what did it. I So first
I had to check with my family and my husband
more directly, because how things impacted us, you know, and
how like the DJ was being weaponized against us. You know,
we want to make it seem like you're a criminal
and you did this and all of that kind of stuff.
So I had to make sure that home was good first.
(13:35):
But it was my faith that kept me from feeling
like I needed to go hide in a corner somewhere.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
You know.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
It was like Corey, you know who you are and
who you are. You know you got God and you
know you have a purpose. The only reason I ran
for that seat in the first place was my mission.
I knew that it was my mission. Even right now,
even right now, it's like, you know, like like you
asked Charlamagne, like you know, you put yourself out there
doing this again. Some people have asked me about Ayana
Presley had asked me She's like, Corey, why would you
(14:05):
want to do this to yourself again? You know? And
for me? And what I said to her was because
it's not about me, It's about the mission. It is
what I know that the Lord is sending me to do,
you know. And so whether however it goes, I gotta
I gotta say yes, like I gotta say yes because
on the other side of this, yes, people are helped. Whatever.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
It looks like, I'm glad.
Speaker 5 (14:25):
You're saying this, and I'm glad you just asked those
questions because I've seen so many people just become bitter
and all they do now is complain on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Yeah, And I'm like, yo, why don't you get back
into the fight?
Speaker 5 (14:35):
Yeah? You know what I mean, Like, get back into
the fight. Okay, you lost a couple of races, Get
back into the fight.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
But they got to be depressed. It gotta be difficult,
it gotta be heard, but stay. I gotta feel like
you would, you know, people switch sides on you. It
gotta hurt, you know, because especially when all you want
to do is do something positive for your community and
you see all these ads. You gotta get to a
point where you were like, f this, I rather my piece,
but you know you you decided to say, na, I'm
gonna get back in there for But like.
Speaker 7 (15:00):
You said, people was coming up to you on the
streets though, like the people. That's what the connection is, right, Yes,
these whether it's politics, pastoring, like, it's people, as long
as you connect to them.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
Yeah, and it's service. All of it is service. And
you know there are days when I'm like this, this
still hurts because when you know that you've helped people,
Like there are people in the community that I help,
organizations that I helped financially, where I put my name
on the line, where I put I was a freshman
trying to help put I was pushing leadership, saying no,
(15:32):
my community needs this, no I need you know, even
President Biden would say, here, okay, Corey, here she comes,
she's gonna talk about Saint Louis again. Like people knew,
like I was putting my name on the line, making
sure that these folks that said we need X amount
of dollars that they were able to get those dollars.
And to see them turn on me when this other
(15:52):
person decided to run against me, it was so easy,
Like they didn't even reach out to say, Sis, you know,
we got to make a different decision this time because
of X. It was just like stab you in the back,
you know. So that's what it was. It was really
hard and even some days now and I've had to
get myself together to forgive, you know. I had to,
like I had to really sit with forgiveness and understand, like,
(16:14):
forgiveness is not for them. Forgiveness it's for me. Forgiveness
is so that I can go out and do the
work with the clean heart. Because the thing is this
the night that I won my election in twenty twenty,
when I find when I won the last election that November,
the general, I said, I don't in my speech, I
don't care if you voted for me. I don't care
if you like me. I don't care if you villainize
(16:35):
my name. My question for you is do you have food?
Did you eat? Do you have shelter? Do you have water?
Do you have so that and so today that is
still the same.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Were you ever considered a member of the squad?
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (16:47):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
Do you feel like they had your back after you
lost in four Oh?
Speaker 4 (16:52):
Yeah, we've never stopped communicating. They are you know with me?
You know, as far as like we talk all the time. Yeah,
there's no distance between me and the Squad. And I
know some people have said you all having but some
people have said, oh, former Squad member Corey, but I'm
still squad.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Squad.
Speaker 4 (17:12):
Sure. The Squad started off in twenty eighteen with four
black and brown women who were able to win, and
some of them against incumbents, were able to come in
as full on progressives and win these seats in Congress
where people where they didn't come from money and wealth
and didn't have the quote unquote pedigree that you would
(17:35):
think would win these seats. But they came in and
they won, and they held you to their progressive values.
And once they got in, the Trump administration came for them,
but they held strong, like they never let go of
their values, and they started to People called them the Squad,
and I knew most of them already at that point,
(17:56):
and so but I lost. I ran to twenty eighteen too,
but I lost my race, and so in twenty twenty,
in twenty twenty, Iran Jamal Bowman ran and we were
able to become part of the Squad. Jamal so far
has been the only the only guy in the squad.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
How do you.
Speaker 5 (18:11):
Respond to critics who say, you know, voters already made
their choice in twenty twenty four, so why should they
change their mind.
Speaker 4 (18:18):
Then, because you know, like Es said, voters are coming
up to me saying, we need you to be our
congress person. We messed up, we failed you, you know,
And this is actually what they're saying, and they say
it all the time. We're getting our lick back, that's
what they say. We're getting our lick back because this
was stolen. Had you lost this fair and square. We
(18:38):
understand that that elections get dirty and all of that,
but fifteen million dollars being one of the most expensive
house races you know in US history, primaries in US history,
that was intentional, and that was that was designed to
hurt Saint Louis. So that's why that's why, like, you can't.
And the thing is, I'm a fighter. I went in
as a fighter. You know, everybody's a fighter. Now, everybody's
(19:01):
a fighter. When I was, you know, coming into when
I was moving into politics, and I'm like, but I'm
the fighter, they was like, oh no, you gotta be
a statesman, o the quorum and be nice and you're
too aggressive. Not everybody, you know, everybody's a fighter. But
if I say I'm a fighter, if I say I
get knocked down and I get back up, if the bullets,
if the tear gas, the noise munitions, if the dogs,
(19:22):
if me getting getting assaulted by the police, if none
of that knocked me down, if me living in my car,
if me being left for dead by an abusive partner,
if all of those things have happened to me in
my life and I didn't give up, then why would
I give up?
Speaker 6 (19:34):
Now?
Speaker 4 (19:36):
I'm going to ask you about messaging.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
But I mean, shoot, how are you going to defeat
the machine?
Speaker 4 (19:44):
Though? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Because I mean the machine is still here, you know
what I'm.
Speaker 5 (19:47):
Saying, Like, you're still still your stance has not changed, right,
So how are you going to defeat the machine?
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Because they're back still they spending money now.
Speaker 4 (19:56):
Yeah, they're spending money. Yeah, what we're seeing right now,
they're spending like somewhere around two million dollars in a
lot of these races. But back in twenty twenty four,
people didn't really know like a on a mass level anyway,
on a mass scale, who apack was at the time,
you know, and we weren't able to spend the money
(20:17):
to get to make the connection to just like message
that we had to talk about other things as well.
Now the tide has turned and people know who a
Pack is. People are pissed off now that they know
who a Pack is. There was a town hall in
my community that the current congressman held his town It
was in person, his town hall back in August. Most
(20:39):
of the questions were around a pac money and it
was around his support for a genocide. And when I say,
he was hammered over and over again at people asking
about that because they were like, we just didn't know
that this is this is who you would be. But
also at the end of that and I don't know
if you all saw it went viral, but at the
end of that time hall, some of his constituents were
(21:03):
brutalized by local his security and local law enforcement just
waiting to talk get a chance to talk to him,
to ask him more questions. And so the community is
already upset. Also, we had a devastating tornado that came
through the inner city in Saint Louis and devastated homes
and people. That was in May of last year. People
are still living in tents. People who are homeowners still
(21:24):
don't have a place to live right now, and the
community has been fighting for more dollars. He has not
shown up. He has not shown up, and so people.
So that's what's different, you know, is that people are saying,
we know that we don't have the right person. So yeah,
APAC can try to put all of this money into
our community. But the people are saying, we're watching now.
We want to see if they're given, how much money
(21:45):
they're given, because we don't want our candidates to take
that money. So that's what's different, too, is and we're
seeing it all across the country. Different members of Congress
are saying, I'm not this time, I'm not going to
take the money because they're getting pressure from their communities.
Speaker 5 (21:58):
For people who are listening who don't know what APAC is, like,
explain to people, you know what a pack is, because
I'm hearing a lot of folks now say they're not
voting for any candidate.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Yeah takes money from APAC.
Speaker 4 (22:08):
Yeah. A PAK is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
It is an organization, but are they also have affiliated
packs with political action committees where they can get funnel
money to candidates to run for office. But their whole mission,
to paraphrase, is basically to make sure that there is
(22:32):
one hundred percent support for Israel and the agenda to
be this big ally to the United States, but basically
supporting Israel. So if you, you know, if you won't
vote exactly the way they want you to vote on
every single bill that prioritizes Israel, even if it deprioritizes
(22:54):
the United States, you're in trouble with them. And for me,
when my community is you know, in need of health
people in my community don't have health care, when people
in my community are sleeping on the street, when people
in my community are still trying to figure out how
to end gun violence, and you know, and we have
(23:16):
all of these issues. You know, we don't have clean
water all the time. We have you know, we have
issues with water, We have issues, we have fringing. People
dying right now in our community from a radioactive waste
dumping our community from the federal government that's been happening
for decades. And people are literally dying. And you're telling
us to give money to to prioritize another country, you know,
(23:38):
And so that so people I need people to understand
that this is not something that is against a people.
We're not against another country. What we're saying is the
United States deserve, we deserve to take care of our people,
you know. But can we help Congo?
Speaker 5 (23:56):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (23:57):
Can we help? You know, the Sudan Can we help Gods?
Or can we help Syria? Can we help Yemen? Can
we help? Who? Can we help these other countries? Can
we help Hating? And can we help? We should be
helping who we can help. Can we help Honduras? We
should be helping who we can help. But we take
care of our people.
Speaker 5 (24:13):
I mean, I mean that's why America first messaging works, right.
And you know I said all the time, nobody would
care where America sent money if people in.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
America were taken care of.
Speaker 5 (24:24):
Yeah, the people basically needs in America would care, and
they had money in their pocket, they could care less
where you send money.
Speaker 4 (24:31):
Right, But they want to defund the social safety that
when you want to when this country says, you know what,
we're gonna knock people off a snap, snap is fool
Like it's you need food to live to survive. Nobody
is becoming a millionaire or getting rich off of snap.
You know, people just need to eat. So when you
say we would rather prioritize, you know, giving tax breaks
(24:52):
to the rich and the wealthy, and we're gonna we're
gonna help do that by defunding SNAP.
Speaker 5 (24:57):
When I saw Trump said the stated other day when
he was like bragging about cutting food stamps, like that's
a good thing, I'm like, oh, yeah, he has no idea,
who's who even basis?
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Because I was gonna.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Ask, you know, when you have you know, your district, right,
what do you tell them because they have to be
discouraged from all the politics and even young leaders out
there that want to get into it. So what do
you tell those young leaders and people from your district
how to not get discouraged?
Speaker 1 (25:21):
Like what is your message to them?
Speaker 2 (25:22):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (25:23):
So the thing is right now, and I know that
there has there had been a lot of discourse for
a while like we're going to sit this out, like,
you know, let somebody else do it. And I understand
that sentiment and people feeling really discouraged. But I look
at it like this, for all the things that we've
gone through over the last ten years, fifteen years, but
(25:44):
especially the last ten to me, it was in preparation
for this moment. It was us getting in place, It
was us learning so that we could be ready for
right now. Are we tired? Are we discouraged? Are we
tired of our politicians, you know, being hypocrites? Are we
tired of all of this?
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (26:00):
We are. But then this is the moment that we
step up, because if we do not, what are we
leaving to our children and our children's children? What world
are we leaving to them? And so I understand feeling
discouraged and to our youth too. What I tell them is, look,
there are parts of Missouri where there are children. There
are students who go to school four days a week.
There are students who go to school five days a week.
(26:21):
I said, that was a decision that a person made.
A person said this is what I want. They went
to talk to their friends and they made a law
and changed and changed how kids go to school in Missouri.
I said, that is how these laws happens. It's somebody's idea.
It didn't come from, you know, up in the sky.
So somebody's going to get in the seat. Somebody is
going to be your your voice, somebody's going to be
(26:42):
the person to write these laws to legislate for you
to speak for you. Don't let them do it without you,
you know, and don't and start showing up. So I
let them know, like get in on the ground floor,
because this is your world to create and it's right now.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
I want I want to ask you.
Speaker 5 (27:01):
You know, I'm sure you saw the DNC autopsy that
said Kamala Harris's silence song the Gaza genocide cost her votes.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
That was the headline.
Speaker 5 (27:09):
What should the messaging be from Democrats in regards to
Israel and Gaza moving forward? Because most of them that's
gonna run in twenty twenty eight, they're not gonna pivot
on they support for Israel.
Speaker 4 (27:22):
Yeah, well, I don't know about I think that there's
going to have to be a shift because so many
people are saying that they're paying attention to a PAK.
There's a lot of talk that if the twenty twenty
eight candidates are taking money from APAK, that they're not going.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
To get the votes.
Speaker 4 (27:39):
So I think what they're going to have to do
is reckon with what they did wrong. Look at this autopsy,
be real with it, because not listening to the polling
that was telling them this and people like me saying, hey,
we're all over the country. This is what people are saying, like,
in order to win, we need you to start listening
and make some different decisions. You know. The fact that
(28:00):
they didn't listen then to me, if they continue the
way that they're doing, then they don't want to win.
Like you're not being serious about winning. You have to
make a change, You have to do something different. So
the message, the message has to be that you know
there is this is the United States. Can we support
people who need our help? Yes, we can. Do we
(28:22):
make anybody more? Does anybody get the priority over anyone else? No? No,
you know, but will we support where we need to? Yes?
And we need to make sure that the aid is
getting in. We shouldn't be cutting programming. We shouldn't be
cutting money going to groups like unrun so many others
(28:42):
who are providing the support that's needed. People are still starving,
people are still cold, people are still living in tents.
People are still being bombed, you know, so that has
to end. And the thing is this, when you want
to be the most when you want to be the
quote unquote most powerful person in the world, you are
saying I'm signing to do the hard work. I'm signing
up to make difficult decisions that other people probably wouldn't
(29:05):
want to make. So let's start with that. Yes, it's
a difficult decision to make. Yes, it's going to be hard.
Yes you might get you know, you might get you know,
demonized and dragged for it. But do the right thing.
So I think that hard, you know, like hard things
are hard.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
How are you doing anything of your campaign, Corey?
Speaker 4 (29:27):
Look Coreybush dot org. It's co RI I b U
s H dot org. Yes. Please, you know, small dollar donations,
you know, we don't you know, if you got five dollars,
twenty dollars, whatever, you have, all the way up up
to thirty five hundred dollars, pheel, please reach out to us.
We can use volunteers. You know, you don't have to
be in Saint Louis a volunteer for us because you
(29:48):
can get on the phones. You know, there are so
many things that a campaign needs. We're a grass roots campaign.
We have never taken a dollar of corporate pack money.
So we are totally one hundred percent people powered and
this is for the people. So if you if you
can donate, please please go to Coreybush dot org.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
That's right. Congresswoman Corey Bush, thank you for joining us
this morning.
Speaker 4 (30:06):
Thank you for having me and love you look. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning.
Speaker 5 (30:10):
Hold every day I wake picks up the Breakfast Club.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
You don't finish for y'all done,
The Breakfast Club News
Hosts And Creators
Charlamagne Tha God
DJ Envy
Jess Hilarious
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Betrayal Season 5
Saskia Inwood woke up one morning, knowing her life would never be the same. The night before, she learned the unimaginable – that the husband she knew in the light of day was a different person after dark. This season unpacks Saskia’s discovery of her husband’s secret life and her fight to bring him to justice. Along the way, we expose a crime that is just coming to light. This is also a story about the myth of the “perfect victim:” who gets believed, who gets doubted, and why. We follow Saskia as she works to reclaim her body, her voice, and her life. If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal Team, email us at betrayalpod@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com