Interview: Ms. Jessica of Power 98 North Carolina Interviews Kamala Harris - September 6, 2024

Power 98: Charlotte's Plug for New Hip-Hop and R&B. I'm so honored to have an opportunity to chat with her again, but now as the official Democratic candidate for president of the United States. Ladies and gentlemen, it is Vice President Kamala Harris. Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. It's so good to be back with you, and thank you. It's good to talk with you, Ms. Jessica.

I want to start off by saying thank you for the note that you sent to my nephew welcoming him to the Howard family. I gave it to him the day before his high school graduation. He is now there as a freshman. He is loving it. And I also want to tell you, it's been a minute since we've talked, but it's not been a minute since I've seen you. I was at the White House for the 4th of July celebration, and we were about two people away from me. I couldn't get to you, but it was amazing to be there for that opportunity.

Well, next time, same place, let's count on that, if we can do this right in the next 60 days.

Absolutely, absolutely. So, policy, policy, policy. What policies does she have planned? That is the question that I'm reading from a lot of Americans right now. And you just unveiled a new economic plan to help small businesses and entrepreneurs. Can you talk to us about what that plan is and how it's going to positively impact the lives of the American people?

Yes. So, let me -- I'll start with a little personal background on this. So, my mother was a working mother, raised me and my sister. And we had in Mrs. Regina Shelton from Louisiana a second mother who would take care of us when my mother was working long hours or on weekends. And she really was a second mother to us. And we lived -- I grew up living in the apartment on top of the nursery school that Ms. Shelton owned and ran. She was a small business owner. And I will tell you, she was a matriarch in the community. She was always tending to, you know, young parents and making sure they were OK. She -- she mentored. She was an extraordinary human being. And she had, in so many ways, taught me at the earliest age the power of small businesses and small business owners to do so much good in a community and the impact that they have on the community as a whole. So, I've always had a passion for small businesses and what I could do to -- to support and grow their ability to thrive. So, as vice president, I worked on getting billions more dollars into community banks to get that money then to the small businesses in the community. And yesterday, I announced my new initiative building on the work that I've been doing for years. And essentially, it is to change the tax code so that whereas before a startup small business only got a $5,000 tax credit, they will now get a $50,000 tax credit to be able to start their small business. Because here's the thing, Jessica, $5,000 is not going to help that many people start a small business, unless they've got some wealth or some savings built up, right? But not everybody comes to their good idea, to their innovative idea, to their commitment, to the hard work to see it through don't necessarily come with a big bank account. But that shouldn't be the barrier to people actually being able to pursue their ambition and their dreams. And understanding also that when they thrive, the whole economy is strengthened. So, that's my announcement yesterday and also to cut the red tape that small businesses have to go through. For example, cutting the red tape and simplifying the tax code around small businesses actually filing their taxes. Because sadly, what ends up happening is, you know, small businesses can't afford to hire a bunch of accountants and lawyers like big businesses can. But their -- their tax filing system is still too cumbersome. So, I -- my plan is about also taking -- getting rid of the red tape but also getting rid of the bureaucracy so that small business owners can do what they want to do, which is run their business, grow their business, hire folks from the community, and do the work that is about really strengthening the fabric of the community in every way, including the economics of a community.

Well, speaking of this policy that you just unveiled this week, I know that -- I've had conversations with our listeners and people in our community. And there are some Americans that are frustrated with the political climate in the US. They don't see how it benefits their personal day-to-day life. And because of this, some people are checking out. They're becoming unengaged. With this upcoming presidential debate that's coming up next week, can you talk to our listeners about why it is so important for them to watch this presidential debate and how it gives them an opportunity to engage in this process?

So, you know, listen, I think that -- I understand why people are exhausted. Let me start with that. I get it. And I think part of the reason is that people are exhausted with this kind of -- this tone that is about, you know, hateful and divisive kind of language and approaches. I think people are tired of that. They're exhausted by it. And part of the reason that I'm running is for us to be able to actually chart a new way forward and turn the page on all of that, right? Turn the page on all that divisive hateful approach that really is a distraction, accompanied by chaos. And what we really want and need is to move forward and have a new way forward that's about bringing the country together and strengthening, in particular, middle-class families. Look, I come from the middle class. I was raised by a working mother. And a lot of my focus is on what we need to do to build folks up, not beat them down. And so, in terms of the debate, that's going to be my approach which is to emphasize the importance of bringing the country together and -- and fighting for the middle class in a way that is about, you know, one, making sure that billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share. And so, instead of my opponent, Donald Trump, who cut taxes for the richest people, I say they need to pay their fair share. And by the way, they can afford it. My work is about saying let's strengthen the Affordable Care Act, whereas he thrived, when he was president, 60 times to get rid of the Affordable Care Act. Remember, they -- they named it Obamacare, thinking people would reject it for that reason. But then, people realized that over 21 million people got coverage who did not have it and that we didn't allow insurance companies to deny people coverage if they had preexisting conditions like diabetes. So, these are some of the issues that -- that I think will come up in the debate. But certainly, these are the issues at stake in this election. And North Carolina has the ability to really determine the outcome of this election. And I know people have so much going on with your everyday responsibilities, but I would urge everyone to really stay engaged. Voter registration deadline is October 11th. Absentee ballots are going out September 6th. And you can go to iwillvote.com to make sure that you are registered and make sure you know where you can vote because sadly, in so many states, especially in the South, we've seen how they are messing around to try and reduce the number of polling places and make it more difficult for people to vote. But I just have to say, I think it's really important that we don't let anybody silence us, including our vote, and let's not let anybody knock us out of the game by suggesting that our vote doesn't matter.

Vice President Kamala Harris, I have one last question for you, and it's sort of a personal question. I want you respectfully to ask you to remove your vice president hat for a second.

OK.

When you learned about the transition and realize that you would be running for the president of the United States of America, I wanted to know, what went through your mind and how did you feel in that moment?

Well, you know, I was -- I was extremely humbled and honored to see the kind of support that we had when I made the decision to run. You know, that weekend, I'll tell you, just to your point and just to share more of the personal background on that day, my family was -- was staying with me, staying with us that day. And my baby nieces, we had just finished having breakfast, I made pancakes and they were asking me to make some more bacon. And -- and we sat down. And after we ate, I was doing a puzzle with them, and that's when the phone rang, and it was the president to tell me that he wasn't running. And it was -- it was a really -- it was a day full of mixed emotions, right, which included a day of just really causing me to really understand the importance of fighting for what is right. And, you know, when I look at the children in my life, when I look at what's at stake, I have to tell you, I -- my first instinct is I'm fighting for them, I'm fighting for them.

Thank you so much for sharing. And, Vice President Kamala Harris, thank you so much for always taking time out of your schedule to make sure that you talk to our listeners and the people of North and South Carolina, as we know, how important this election is. Thank you so much.

Thank you, Ms. Jessica. You take care, and thank you to your listeners for the time.

Absolutely. Have a wonderful day.

You, too.

Nosey neighbors, it's important to note that this interview was prerecorded and that the state board has paused sending out ballots due to ongoing litigation. But if you missed any of my interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, don't worry. Go to our website, power98fm.com. I have the full interview waiting for you there.