We spoke to Lindy Li, a prime Democratic fundraiser and strategist.
Matt Frei: Your response, initially, to this rally final evening?
Lindy Li: I imply, the place can we even begin? I’m not even certain what I’m allowed to say on air, frankly. So I’ll attempt to be as circumspect as potential.
Matt Frei: We don’t need to repeat any of the off color jokes.
Lindy Li: Alright, effectively, Trump had some fanciful phrases to explain Kamala Harris. I’ll simply go away it there. I feel I can say satan. After which they described Puerto Rico as a floating pile of rubbish. And this can be a US territory – these are Individuals.
Matt Frei: And a variety of them reside right here.
Lindy Li: Precisely. Not solely – in all places – and Latinos are such a rising voting demographic. For him to offend them like this, eight days from an election, is a catastrophic mistake. And that resulted in endorsement from Unhealthy Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, these very effectively revered Latinos – for Harris.
Matt Frei: However one factor I’ve at all times discovered extraordinary is that nevertheless offensive, the language is from the Trump marketing campaign – and lots of people get offended by these things – really, it doesn’t make that a lot of a distinction on the subject of votes. It’s stunning how thick skinned so many individuals are with this language, together with maybe Latinos?
Lindy Li: That’s a very good level. However that is offensive to the core. That is about their shallowness. If somebody insulted me like that, I’d, simply to take care of my self-respect, I’d not be voting for him. And never solely that, he’s calling Individuals the enemy inside – and he threatens to deploy the army towards US residents. That is simply past the pale.
Matt Frei: However I’ve spoken to so many Latinos on this state and elsewhere who say, ‘okay, we don’t just like the language he makes use of, I wouldn’t invite him down for dinner, however I completely agree with him on the subject of the financial system.’ And Kamala Harris simply hasn’t give you a convincing message.
Lindy Li: He’s the one proposing an throughout the board tariff that will elevate shopper payments – the worth of shopper items – by hundreds of {dollars} each single 12 months. He’s the one who has promised to increase the multi trillion greenback tax minimize for billionaires and firms, leaving on a regular basis Individuals out at the hours of darkness. She’s the one who promised 3 million housing items by the top of her time period, who promised an extension of the kid tax credit score. He, his occasion, let that expire, which plunged tens of millions of American youngsters again into poverty. So on the coverage entrance, it’s not even a contest.
Matt Frei: Your speciality is fundraising, and your occasion has executed an unbelievable job. Your occasion has raised way more cash than Donald Trump has – I’ve learn someplace 3 times as a lot. How come? Relating to the cash – while you’re far forward, you’ve acquired a former prosecutor towards a convicted felon, and also you’re at 50-50. How is that potential?
Lindy Li: There are a number of causes. There are three basic forces that she’s working towards. Primary could be immigration. Quite a lot of migrants did are available in throughout the first half of the Biden administration. Quantity two could be inflation. It’s a really anti-incumbent atmosphere, not simply right here in america. Globally, you see that in Canada, Japan, even Europe. You see that in all places. Individuals are simply upset. And inflation is a world phenomenon and never simply Individuals. Quantity three is the truth that Biden waited so lengthy to drop out.
Matt Frei: Mistake?
Lindy Li: It was a complete mistake. And I like President Biden – I like you President Biden. But it surely was only a mistake as a result of she solely has 100 days to introduce herself.
