Rep. Sarah McBride has found herself the target of GOP attacks since taking office in January. They’ve barred her from restrooms and misgendered her in Congressional hearings, but the freshman congresswoman has risen above it all. Now she’s got a message for her fellow Democrats: politics only works when you win over people who disagree with you. McBride sits down with Jon and Lovett to discuss the literal and figurative dangers of being a main character, Democrats’ purity complex, and whether the party has abandoned the only strategy for social change that actually gets results.
Read an excerpt from the interview:
Sarah McBride:
“I think we have we have forgotten so many of the lessons of history. I mean, the civil rights movement (was) incredibly pragmatic—which civil rights act brought equality all at once? Was it the civil Rights Act of 1957? the Civil Rights Act of 1959?the Civil Rights Act in 1964? the Civil Rights Act of 1965 (which was the Voting Rights Act)? the Civil Rights Act in 1968? Which Civil Rights Act brought everything? They piece by piece moved toward legal equality, but they didn’t get it all in one step. And that is sad and tragic and unfair,… But it is the theory of change in our system that has most consistently worked, and I think it’s worth a try again.”
Jon Favreau:
“Last question: a lot of people are scared to speak out, challenge the government right now including elected officials. Lisa Murkowski, Senior Republican Senator, just said that people are all afraid. You had to summon quite a bit of courage in your life, in your career, and in the realm of politics. Do you have advice for people in this moment who might be horrified at what they’re seeing, but are a little scared?”
Sarah McBride:
“I think there’s fear both around repercussions and just fear that it doesn’t matter… (But) I think that there is strength in numbers….My dad likes to say that if everyone has just a little bit of courage, then no one has to be a hero. And it might feel scary, but the more everyday voters, everyday citizens that we have speaking out, (then) the more elected officials, the more cultural leaders, the more business leaders will have a little bit more courage …to speak out. I think we are seeing so many people in positions of power afraid to speak out because they are afraid that they will be speaking out alone. And we can’t convince every single person in positions of power or authority or influence to summon that courage to be a hero. But I think if everyone just demonstrates enough courage…if folks are speaking out, if folks are marching and protesting right now—for the most part, you’re safe. You can do it. And if you do it and your neighbor does it and your neighbor’s neighbor does it, it’s going to give a backbone and a sense of momentum to other people who just need that extra little push.
…I think this moment feels so different than the Obama moment when it felt like if we simply worked for it, change was inevitable, right? … a lot of people remember that moment, remember the post 1960s world where it did feel like we were on that cresting wave of cultural momentum. And we’ve never experienced a moment like this, where we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel where we don’t know if we vote and volunteer and speak out that change will come.
But you think about all of the reasons for hopelessness for an enslaved person in the 1850s, who had absolutely no reasonable to believe that an emancipation proclamation was on the horizon. You think about the hopelessness of an unemployed worker during the early days of the Great Depression who had never heard of a New Deal. You think about the hopelessness of gay folks and trans folks in the 1950s who never knew of an America where they could live openly and authentically as themselves without violating the law. They had every reason to give up. They could not see the light at the end of the tunnel. And I have to believe that if previous generations could do it, then so can we. Let’s hope.”
Follow Us