Abdul El-Sayed Has Some Choice Words for Mike Rogers

Hey, everyone, it's Jonathan Cone of the Boer coming to you on the morning after Election Day from Detroit where I just sat down with the new Senator elect Abdul El Sayed. We talked about the election results his analysis and why it turned out the way it did What he thought about all the attacks against him during the campaign what he learned from the campaign As somebody thought Democrats could actually get done in the next two years in the kind of center he wanted to be I asked if he had any messages for Jewish Democrats who either voted against him or voted nervously for him People who felt like they had not heard the assurances about their safety that they wanted to hear And I asked him how it felt knowing he was going to be the first Muslim Senator in the United States Take a listen Senator elect I'll say it good to see you this morning. Good to see you. So You predict it you were going to win by seven points. I looked at the returns this morning. We won by seven points You called your shot What did you know all the wise guys like me didn't know? It was going to be a good year for us He you know If you go back and listen to the Ezra client podcast I Know that they wouldn't be able to ignore the red meat And so they reach for the red meat and the problem with the red meat is once they reach for the red meat They can't get out of it so they just double down and that all of it was just going to congeal into a non-message message And that's exactly what they did And in this environment where people can't afford their gas and groceries They are worried about seeing a doctor. They're less interested in conspiracy theories and And then you know micro adresses is a mediocre communicator And I doesn't it hasn't had a real thought on his own for a very long time. You can see him when he's Debating or he's like fumbling for the talking points that they gave him So it's not really his mind that's working. I don't know who's wrote them, but they were never going to be very good So I think between all of those things like this was somewhat predictable And I hope he enjoys his retirement of Florida. So now you did you did run two points behind governor like Benson What do you make of that? She ran a great race The differential and spending between us and our opponent was a hundred and ten million dollars The differential and spending between her and her opponent. It was eight million dollars. I Came out of a primary who I got I spent how to spend eleven to one So there's very different races, you know, she ran a fantastic race and I I'm grateful that I've shared the ticket with her. She gave me a phenomenal governor And I can't wait to work with her. This is different races. You know, I mean this became you know one of one of the highest spending races In America and the highest spending race in Michigan history The president and the vice president were teeing off on me every single day. I mean he came to Michigan talked about me What's the Texas talked about me, but the South Carolina talked about me. So it's just it's a different kind of race attacks on you They were I think all of us expected some there would be some anti-era of anti-Muslim attacks Did you expect them to be this overt and over the top and and was it hard? Like I said, it's a funnel Right like I knew that the minute they reached for it They were gonna keep reaching for it because at some point Like once you go in that direction, it's very difficult for them to leave it Right because you just left it on the table You're like well, so you think he's like you know, you think he's anti-American They're gonna leave that there in the camp, right? You can imagine them in the rooms being like well We put that down there. We're gonna have to like keep explaining it. So they just keep doubling down And if your message is not relevant the people that you're trying to campaign to like you see So I kind of knew it was gonna happen You know, obviously like I've been in my whole life. Yeah, but this is not new for your kids to watch I mean that part is rough, but like we we did a lot to just try to shade them away from it Try to like keep them, you know, we didn't turn on the TV in the house like while they were awake basically So, you know, I hope this is something that they read about in the history books And like I'll credit to my life like she was the rock feel whole thing and you know, their experience was Their experience was one where you know, they knew what was happening But it was just like kind of some noise in the background then that's how we wanted to be For me look at you know, I know this is I know this is This is what happens and frankly like hearing from other folks Whose kids were watching how painful that was I was like, hey, this is the middle of the story Right, just wait till the end of the story because what they just saw is that Michigan rejected that Not Michigan that looked like them Michigan that looked like all of us rejected that we outperformed In every county. I didn't even seen the latest, but you know last I checked last night We had to have performed in every single county. That means more people I've been relative to relative to you know, what what had I been 24 Um, and we're running as the same opponent. Yeah So people rejected that they don't see that. 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I know I think there's a situation right now look you and I both know this It's not just the people who are going to lose their Medicaid It's the fact that you know once you lose your Medicaid it's not like you don't get sick anymore You just don't get to go to a doctor to treat that illness before it gets a lot worse And you have to go to the emergency room and you go to the emergency room and it's not like that care is free So that care has to be factored into the places that the hospital has to make up So where do they put that into in the negotiations for health care for Insurance companies. So now the insurance Pass that on to people premiums go up people get Exit out of the premiums and now you have a adverse selection situation that's viral, right? That's where we are going and But you guys still I mean but hear me out okay It's going to be worse of all in rural communities So you know when I talk to my colleagues from the state of Wyoming For South Dakota Or Missouri and I'm like this is about to shut down a whole much your your hospitals and clinics and you know it Let's do something about it You know, I think I actually think there's a possibility for a veto proof majority on this. Oh yeah Um, how about working with Republicans? I mean, it's it's this is a pretty scorched earth campaign You feel like you can look I'm ready to work with anybody to get the job done and You know The real divide in our politics isn't right versus left It's people who are locked out versus people who are doing the locking out So I'm looking forward to working with folks who are ready to get stuff done And I also think that we just proved something there's a before this and then after this and then after this is lie well You ran against them on the hideous stuff in Michiganders rejected that You really want to do that again? So um, you're gonna come into the Senate you will probably be one of us not being most well-known new senators And I was thinking back a little older than you to when Hillary Clinton became senator and that was her distinction and Her model She was like I'm gonna I'm gonna notice the grind so I'm gonna be the worker. I'm gonna just get stuff done I'm not gonna be whatever you know out there. I mean she's very much trying to sort of show herself as a workforce I don't feel like that's you Your personality so much I feel like you're gonna be more public tell me if I'm right about that. What is your model? Let's put that what is your model first? Well, I'll tell you this. I think as microadjust learned I don't get out worked Never have the will Um, we put in the work the effort And you know this like I enjoy the nuances of public policy I enjoy the nuance of public policy. It's just like a it's like a dream job Need to like nerd out about policy and then go talk about it to the broader public. Great. I think we need to do both You need to nerd out on policy, figure out the coalitions that you can build, and then. Go and talk about that policy the most powerful conversation I can have with it the United States senator is not me to that senator It's me to that senator's constituents to that senator so I need to do both and That means crafting really great legislation and that means going and talking about really great legislation and having a conversation What do we want here? dear farmer in in well, not Iowa has a that's a democratic time was your exam or dear Got pick a new state dear dear dear dear dear potato farmer in in Idaho. There you go. Okay What do you want when it comes to health care? Like how many of your of your folks or require Medicaid like do you want to have a hospital in your community within a two-hour drive? Let's go talk about it. I'm gonna go like let's go to Boise. Let's do a let's do a Conversation about about about Medicare for all about Medicaid and Boise. I'm gonna invite the senators from Boise, Idaho to come I'm gonna have that conversation and I think that you know, that's what we proved in this campaign to go out of the conversation No, we outperformed in a lot of these rural communities because we went and had the conversation As I know, you know, you said you support Senator Van Haal you've talked you campaign with Senator Van Haal Has anyone from leadership reached out to you? Have any conversations about committees for you? Well, you know, I think it's it's But folks know I'm health education labor impensions, you know me and Dr. Andrews Doctors potential I know for first two first two Democratic doctors in the United States Senate since 1969 health education labor impensions is obvious place really interested in small business You know, I think that's the future for our economy. We really need to double down So there are two and you know, keep thinking about about where we want to go, but I'll tell you this I've had conversations Obviously, Senator Schumer in the context of this race I've been clear. I want new leadership and now leadership that is focused on getting money out of politics for money or pocket passing Medicare for all But at the end of the day is a choice between two or more options So I want to see who else is willing to put their hat in the ring and we'll go from there Um, so I looked at her there's an exit pawn Jewish voters You look like about 60 percent of you got. I don't know if it's how accurate that is um And I talked a lot to his voters during the campaign and I would say a little ones who were either against you or were nerfed so there were two groups And it was a spectrum and there was some from your position on Israel I mean, there was just a position. It was a policy position They have different view than you do a conflict Israel and and I don't think there was ever Maybe you know, that was that was the difference. That was their voting session There were some Wherever they were on that issue. I think they were more supportive of you or more sympathetic But they felt like and this was the temple of Israel thing they felt scary and they was it was not about You know The what's going on over there? I was going about going on over here You're now their senator What can you say to them? I want to be the best senator you've ever had I think it runs you I grew up in overfills like a 40% of my high school class was Jewish You know, I grew up Going to shoo and to say to her and to farm bot mitzvahs I'm committed to the well-being of the Jewish community But I'm also been clear about my perspective because I'm committed to the well-being of Palestinian people too And those two things are not mutually exclusive You can be fully invested in the well-being of the Jewish community And also believe in equal rights to peace dignity and self-determination for Palestinians and Jewish Israelis alike You can do both of those things and I want to demonstrate that you can Um, I'm really really grateful to the Jewish Miche-Handers who gave me their stake in democracy And I know that that was a really hard conversation that a lot of folks Had together I'm also really grateful to Jewish leaders who put their name behind me No, rabbis and local community and canters and elected officials No folks like Jamie Raskin who came in folks like Becca Bayland who came to have that conversation No, and um, folks like Brad lander So I'm just really grateful to the folks like Andy Levin, right My job now in the next six years is to prove it, right? Make a habit of doing what I say I'm gonna do What you see is what you get with me. I'm not There nobody can say he's like saying one thing and doing another, right? I am in your face, right? And um, I'm not duplicitous. Yeah, and as I've said If the community invites me, I'm gonna come in right if if you want me there with you I'll be there with you and I'm gonna tell you exactly what I think You know the idea that you're gonna like move me into a position. I don't agree with it. It's like I have Right, I don't get I don't get bullied right a pack tried twice But when it comes to the well-being of the community, I'm committed I like when I think about my little girl stepping foot into our local mosque I have a pang of fear Every time they do and I can imagine the same pang of fear when Jewish children are stepping into a synagogue or a day school I want anybody to feel that I was I was there yesterday when you were on campus Standing on the own campus And I was watching the students around here. So that's all I wanted to part question. Number on how to feel to be back Where you were 20 minutes guy saw you pumping your fist out of habit to hail to the victors sort of a habit Number one how did it feel and number two? How did it feel to see there a lot of Muslim students there make Tell and how important is that to you as a sunken? You're gonna be the first Onzlan center of the United States I mean machines home like I've met my wife steps from there To move some kids on that campus, you know You know to me this is more a comment on America and how big we are a lot of people out there whether it's because of how they pray or How they identify who they love who don't feel like they belong here. There's a lot of people Whose politics is explicitly about making them feel like they don't belong here And Michigan spoke up Michigan said no you do belong here And I don't hide from my faith. I don't hide from identity. I am proud of who I am as an American I'm proud of who I am as a Muslim American. I'm proud of my heritage and I'm proud To bring that with me and I want folks to know that they can bring that with them fully be who you are You know the America is big enough for you to Your message. I mean, I was at the beginning your message did not change very very consistent Did the campaign change anything about you? It just deepened my belief this year God took a bet on Michigan Didn't take a bet on me. I took a bet on Michigan And Michigan came through So um, I'm just you know, like when you do this you you ask people to give up themselves into something And like the outpouring of support all over the state, you know like 600 people in Kero 500 people in Iron Mountain Might never have met somebody like me. Well, like hey, I got to talk about the issues that I face I'm so grateful for that and I love it. I was like meeting those people. I mean, I must be in people you met you. I didn't know Yeah, what an honor. You know, like I love people. I really love people and I like to remember it really People have said No, but like thank you. Thanks for coming. Thanks for building this together I look forward to deepening those. I can't wait to go back to US Senator I just really hope like the hard part about this is that like we do this weird thing in America We turn our politicians into celebrities. I want to be anybody celebrity I don't want people like be more interested in getting a selfie with me than tell me about what's wrong and how can I help Probably some people skeptical about that. Let me prove it All right, Senator Lex, I appreciate your service, ma'am. All right.