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  • ♪ ♪ ♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY.

  • WE'RE BACK HERE WITH MAYOR PETE BUTTIGEIG.

  • NOW, MR. MAYOR, ANOTHER SUBJECT TONIGHT IN THE DEBATE, SUBJECT

  • FOR OUR NATION FOR MONTHS NOW, HAS BEEN THE SUPREME COURT, AND

  • SORT OF RAMMING THROUGH AMY CONEY BARRETT THIS CLOSE TO THE

  • ELECTION WHEN IT'S ALREADY STARTED.

  • AND THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION TONIGHT OF WHAT THE STAKES ARE

  • HERE.

  • BUT THERE'S A VERY INTERESTING ONE THAT HAPPENED ON MONDAY.

  • TWO SUPREME COURT JUSTICES, THOMAS AND ALITO, IN AN OPINION

  • ABOUT A CASE THE COURT DECLINED TO HEAR, THREATENED THE FUTURE

  • OF MARRIAGE EQUALITY, BASICALLY LAYING THE GROUNDWORK, IN THEIR

  • OPINION THAT THEY THINK IT SHOULD BE OVERTURNED.

  • WHAT'S YOUR MESSAGE TO YOUR JUSTICES, SINCE THAT AFFECTS YOU

  • SPECIFICALLY.

  • YOU ARE A MARRIED GAY MAN.

  • WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY TO THOSE TWO JUSTICES?

  • >> YOU KNOW, I GUESS WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SAY IS I'M TIRED

  • OF THE EXISTENCE OF MY MARRIAGE, MY FAMILY BEING UP FOR DEBATE.

  • THIS QUESTION WAS SETTLED, AND WHEN IT WAS, THAT WAS A STEP

  • FORWARD IN THIS COUNTRY.

  • AND THE IDEA THAT THESE JUSTICES WHO ASCRAB TO A JUDICIAL

  • PHILOSOPHY OR CLAIM TO, THAT'S ABOUT PRECEDENT AND ABOUT NOT

  • LEGISLATING FROM THE BENCH, TO NOW BE, AS I UNDERSTAND IT,

  • BETWEEN THE LINES, THREATENING MARRIAGE EQUALITY.

  • IT'S JUST A REMINDER OF WHAT'S AT STAKE IN THIS ELECTION.

  • THAT'S WHY I'M WITH THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS, AND JOE BIDEN AND

  • KAMALA HARRIS, WHO THINK IT'S THE VOTERS VOTING RIGHT NOW WHO

  • OUGHT TO CHOOSE THE PRESIDENT WHO WILL CHOOSE THE NEXT SUPREME

  • COURT JUSTICE.

  • THIS IS SO PERSONAL FOR SO MANY OF US.

  • IT'S PERSONAL FOR US, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT MY MARRIAGE, MY

  • WEDDING RING ON MY FINGER IS ONLY THERE BY THE GRACE OF A

  • SINGLE VOTE ON THE COURT.

  • BUT IT'S PERSONAL IN SO MANY OTHER WAYS, TOO.

  • IT'S PERSONAL IF YOU HAVE PREEXISTING CONDITIONS AND THEY

  • COULD TAKE THAT AWAY.

  • IT'S PERSONAL GIVEN WHAT THEY COULD DO TO VOTING RIGHTS.

  • SO MANY THINGS IN OUR LIVES ARE SHAPED BY THESE DECISIONS.

  • WHAT THEY DO IN THERE IS NOT JUST ABOUT ARCANE POINTS OF

  • LEGAL ACADEMIA.

  • DECIDES HOW OUR LIVES ARE GOING TO GO.

  • AND IT'S ONE MORE REASON WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT WE WIN

  • THIS ELECTION.

  • >> Stephen: IF AMY CONEY BARRETT IS APPOINTED TO THE

  • SUPREME COURT SUCCESSFULLY-- AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S GOING TO BE

  • VERY DIFFICULT TO KEEP THAT FROM HAPPENING-- A MAJORITY OF THE

  • JUSTICES WILL HAVE BEEN APPOINTED BY PRESIDENTS WHO

  • RECEIVED A MINORITY OF THE VOTE FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WHEN

  • THEY FIRST REACHED OFFICE.

  • IT'S A VERY ODD SHIFTING OF POWER.

  • YOU'VE GOT THIS UPCOMING GENERATION-- BASICALLY,

  • EVERYBODY UNDER 40-- IT'S NEARLY UNANIMOUS THAT THEY'RE FINE WITH

  • GAY MARRIAGE.

  • IT'S OBVIOUS TO THEM.

  • WHEREAS YOU HAVE A COURT THAT HAS THE POSSIBILITY OF

  • OVERTURNING SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

  • WHAT ON EARTH WOULD SNAP YOU HAVE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF

  • PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN MARRIED IN SAME-SEX MARRIAGES NOW, WHAT ON

  • EARTH WOULD BE THE MECHANISM GOING FORWARD?

  • WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THOSE PEOPLE?

  • >> YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I'VE

  • ALWAYS HAD FOR PEOPLE LIKE MIKE PENCE AND PERHAPS JUDGE BATTER.

  • I DON'T KNOW.

  • IF YOU GET YOUR WAY AND OVERTURN OUR RIGHT TO MARRIAGE EQUALITY,

  • IS IT YOUR HOPE THAT PEOPLE LIKE ME HAVE TO GET DIVORCED AND

  • LEAVE THOSE WE LOVE?

  • OR WOULD YOU BE SATISFIED FOR US MERELY TO BE STRIPPED OF OUR

  • RIGHTS TO VISIT EACH OTHER IN THE HOSPITAL AND FILE TAXES

  • TOGETHER AND BE PROTECTED IN THE WORKPLACE?

  • I DON'T KNOW.

  • I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT TO TAKE US BACK TO.

  • WHAT I DO KNOW IS THAT THE WORLD GOT A LITTLE BETTER WHEN-- A LOT

  • BETTER-- FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE WHEN MARRIAGE EQUALITY BECAME

  • THE LAW OF THE LAND.

  • AND IT'S NOT THE TIME TO TURN BACKWARDS.

  • >> Stephen: YOU'VE GOT A NEW BOOK.

  • IT'S CALLED "TRUST: AMERICA'S BEST CHANCE." AMERICA HAS, IN

  • MANY WAYS, HAS A TRUST PROBLEM.

  • AND THERE'S A LACK OF TRUST IN INSTITUTIONS, IN THE PRESIDENT,

  • IN EACH OTHER.

  • WHY IS TRUST OUR BEST CHANCE GOING FORWARD?

  • >> YOU KNOW, WELL, LIVES DEPEND ON TRUST.

  • JUST THINK ABOUT THE PANDEMIC, RIGHT.

  • IF PEOPLE COULD TRUST THAT WE LIVE IN THE SAME REALITY AND

  • WE'RE WILLING TO TRUST THE ADVICE OF SCIENTISTS AND

  • DOCTORS, AND IF WE HAD A TRUSTWORTHY PRESIDENT REMINDING

  • US TO TRUST THAT GUIDANCE, SO MANY LIVES COULD BE SAVED.

  • AND THAT'S EVEN MORE IMPORTANT WHEN A VACCINE COMES THROUGH,

  • GIVEN THE SHOCKING PROPORTION OF AMERICANS WHO SAY THEY'RE NOT

  • EVEN SURE THEY WOULD GET ONE.

  • CLIMATE CHANGE IS GOING TO REQUIRE US TO BUILD A LEVEL OF

  • TRUST AND COOPERATION WITH OTHER COUNTRIES.

  • AND, AGAIN, TRUST EXPERTS TELLING US SOMETIMES BAD NEWS.

  • OUR ENTIRE POLITICAL SYSTEM IS BASED ON TRUST.

  • THAT'S WHAT AN ELECTION IS, AN EXCHANGE OF TRUST BETWEEN WE,

  • THE PEOPLE, WHO ARE TRUSTED TO PICK OUR OWN LEADERS SOMETHING

  • THAT WAS A PRETTY RADICAL IDEA AT THE TIME OF THE FOUNDING, AND

  • WE WHO TRUST OUR LEADERS TO HAVE OUR BEST INTERESTS AT HEART.

  • AND THE MORE I THOUGHT ABOUT IT, THE MORE I FIND OUR MOST BASIC

  • INTERACTIONS, GETTING THROUGH LIFE, MAKING A PURCHASE, WALKING

  • DOWN THE STREET TO OUR POLITICAL PROCESSES, WE ARE TRUSTING

  • STRANGERS WITH OUR LIVES ALL THE TIME.

  • BUT THERE'S BEEN A COLLAPSE IN THE LEVEL OF TRUST THAT

  • AMERICANS HAVE.

  • IF YOU LOOK AT SURVEY DATA OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS, THE NUMBER OF

  • PEOPLE WHEN SAY THEY TRUST THE GOVERNMENT TO DO THE RIGHT

  • THING-- THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO SAY YOU CAN TRUST OTHER PEOPLE

  • TO DO THE RIGHT THING HAS PLUMMETED.

  • WE HAVE GOT TO CHANGE THIS IF WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT, IF WE'RE

  • GOING TO TURN THE TIDE AND HAVE THE 2020s BE A BETTER DECADE

  • FOR AMERICA.

  • I THINK WE CAN.

  • I WROTE SOME OF THE WAYS TRUST CAN BE BUILT IN A HURRY --

  • >> Stephen: MR. MAYOR, I'M SORRY TO CUT YOU OFF.

  • I REALLY HAVE TO GO TO A HARD BREAK RIGHT NOW.

  • I'M SO SORRY TO DO THAT.

  • THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

  • THE BOOK IS "TRUST: AMERICA'S BEST CHANCE."

  • IT'S AVAILABLE NOW.

  • MAYOR PETE BUTTIGEIG, EVERYBODY.

  • WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH "MEANWHILE."

  • THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. SORRY ABOUT THAT.

♪ ♪ ♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY.

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