One Country Project's Hot Dish

Heidi Heitkamp (00:04):
Welcome to The Hot Dish, comfort food for Middle America. I'm Heidi Heitkamp.

Joel Heitkamp (00:09):
And I'm Joel Heitkamp.

Heidi Heitkamp (00:10):
Before we start the show, we just want to express how much we love hearing from all of our listeners. It's been really dynamic lately, the closer we get to the election, I think. We also are interested in what you're thinking, whether we can program some guests that really answer a lot of your questions. We really would love to hear from you.

Joel Heitkamp (00:30):
That's right, Heidi. So, connect with us via email at podcast@OneCountryProject.org, and learn more about us at OneCountryProject.org.

Heidi Heitkamp (00:41):
This is a very exciting episode. I'm speaking today with Alex Hornbrook, the executive director of the Democratic National Convention Committee. Alex has recently been put in charge of organizing the upcoming Democratic National Convention, ensuring that everything runs smoothly and represents the values and energy of the Democratic Party. And we talked a little bit about how incredibly excited everyone is, and oh, by the way, can I just mention, you were not coming to Chicago. Now, all of a sudden, you're going to be sleeping in my spare bedroom.

Joel Heitkamp (01:17):
That's because I was right all along, and this excitement is going to be there, and so you bet. I mean, if it took the train, if it took the car, if it took the, what is it, planes, trains and automobiles, I'll be in Chicago.

Heidi Heitkamp (01:31):
I want to share something special with you. Sarah Godlewski, the current secretary of state of the great State of Wisconsin and a delegate to the Democratic National Committee, joins us today to discuss her journey and experiences and the pivotal role that delegates play in shaping the party's future. I thought it would be great for all of you listeners to hear what she has to say.

Sarah Godlewski (01:59):
I am Sarah Godlewski and the proud secretary of state for Wisconsin, and I am a fifth generation Wisconsinite. My family actually comes primarily from Western Wisconsin, and I've had the honor to not only serve as secretary of state, but before that I was elected our state treasurer, so I dealt with kind of being the chief financial officer for Wisconsin.

(02:25):
I am very excited to be a DNC delegate for a few reasons. Delegates are responsible to nominate our presidential and vice presidential candidates. We choose who's going to be on the ballot. And this year, there was some excitement in how that changed, but how we are all now united around Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, it's going to be a pretty transformational experience because we're going to have a woman and a woman of color at the top of the ticket, and finally just shatter that glass ceiling.

(03:03):
I think something that I think a lot about is, in my role as a delegate, how are we making sure our voices are heard nationally? Because we know the road to the White House runs through Wisconsin. We know that we win presidential elections in only a handful of states. Those states include Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin are part of those kind of critical battleground states. And where do we win? We win when we show up everywhere, particularly in our rural communities. In Wisconsin in 2020, Joe Biden only won by a handful of votes per ward. That's it. And so, we have to be able to show up in these rural communities and meet folks where they are, and why voting for a democratic agenda matters.

(04:01):
And I will tell you, as somebody who has grown up in Western Wisconsin, I was not a part of a large urban community in Wisconsin. We show up and we care about, for example, our Second Amendment rights, but we also care about common sense gun reform. As a mom, the fact that I am worried about my son going to school, and the number one killer for our kids is gun violence, is absolutely ridiculous. As my dad says, "You don't need an AR-15 to shoot deer, and if you do, go back to hunting practice. What's your problem?" And so, it's showing up in these communities and talking about our values, like sometimes you need a hand and sometimes you lend a hand, and that's exactly the policies that we are working towards every single day. And in addition to casting our vote for the nominee for the Democratic Party, we're involved in caucuses. Whether it's the Women's Caucus or the Small Business Caucus, there's a lot of different groups that you can make sure your voice, and particularly your constituent group or your community, is represented.

(05:17):
So for me, going to convention and making sure we have a voice at the table and that democratic values, our rural values, is really important. I think being an important delegate is making sure we are driving the conversation on priorities. And for me, those priorities include things like making sure that paid family leave and child care are a part of that conversation. Here in Wisconsin, we have significant child care deserts across our state, particularly in rural communities. And if you don't have a place to send your kids, you can't work, and we hear these stories over and over again. Or paid family leave. We are the only developed country in the world that doesn't have any sort of paid family leave policy.

(06:11):
So, what are we doing to make sure that when you have a sick kid or a sick parent, you can't afford to just take off work and not get paid? We've got to have some sort of built-in responsibility. That goes back to sometimes you need a hand, and we've got to be there to help out when we can. For example, reproductive freedom. We know liberty and our rights are a critical part of why America is the great country that it is, and we've got to make sure we're fighting for a woman's ability to make her own reproductive choices.

(06:44):
I couldn't be more excited for convention and using this opportunity to showcase to the country, and to showcase to Wisconsin, about why Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are the best fit to be the next president and vice president of the United States. I mean, this is a complete dynamic duo. You've got Kamala Harris, who is a former prosecutor and attorney general who took down sexual predators and fraudsters. And then you've got Tim Walz, who is a governor from rural America who fought for LGBTQ rights and made reproductive freedom the law of the land for the State of Minnesota.

(07:31):
And then it couldn't be more of a contrast to the Republican presidential ticket where you have a felon who has been involved in a wide range of criminal activities, including sexual abuse. And then his vice presidential nominee is a phony who says he's for liberty and freedom, but he's not for your freedom to marry who you love or for your freedom to make your own reproductive choices. And so, when I look at convention, this is an opportunity for us to share to the entire country about what we stand for and that we've got their back and we're going to continue to fight for Americans and make this country everything we know it can be.

Heidi Heitkamp (08:24):
I'm very pleased to be speaking with the Executive Director of the Democratic National Convention Committee, Alex Hornbrook. Alex has expertly led the 2024 convention selection process from the very beginning. Before taking on this pivotal role during a historic election year, Alex was the director of debate planning at the DNC, showcasing his exceptional skills in organizing some of the most critical events of the political arena. Alex is joining me today to share his insights and commentary on the recent election news and what to expect during the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Alex, thank you for joining me on The Hot Dish.

Alex Hornbrook (09:07):
Thank you so much. Thanks for having me. This is exciting.

Heidi Heitkamp (09:10):
I know, and I don't want to make too much of this, but I think that the City of Chicago was bracing for a big event. I think now the City of Chicago is bracing for a huge event. How do you see the momentum switching, and how are you guys going to accommodate what I would say is a pretty dramatic increase in the interest of coming and participating?

Alex Hornbrook (09:31):
Sure. Well, yeah. We're obviously experiencing a real surge of enthusiasm and excitement around the campaign in our candidate right now, which, as we said before, is sort of in the category of great problems to have, right? We're so excited for all of these people who want to come and celebrate our ticket and do the work of the Democratic Party. So, that's one of the reasons that we selected Chicago back last year in April of 2023 because it's such an incredible city, and this is a city that knows how to do big things.

(10:02):
They have huge conventions, huge concerts. We just saw Lalapalooza. They've also hosted Democratic National Conventions before, in 1996 at the United Center where we will be returning to. I mean, this is just a city that really knows how to put on a show. The hospitality industry here is the best of the best, and so we're really excited to work with all of the partners that we have here who have been working with us day in and day out for a year and a half. And we're very confident that we're going to be able to absorb all of our delegates, our guests, the media, and all the folks who really just want to be a part of this special moment.

Heidi Heitkamp (10:36):
So let's talk, because a lot of people who listen to this may not ever have been to a convention. Give us a sense of how many delegates are coming, what are those delegates going to be doing in the meantime before you actually see the cameras in the evening? What's all planned? Take us behind the scenes, Alex.

Alex Hornbrook (10:53):
Sure, yeah, great questions. And so, there's roughly 5,000 delegates, and I think the important thing to note too about these delegates is, people think about the high profile elected officials and political figures they see on TV at conventions and stuff. The vast majority of our delegates are just regular people, right? They're folks who care about what's going on in their community, in their state, in their country. They're getting involved, they run ... the process is a little different state to state, but folks run for these positions to do the hard work. They're regular folks. They're paying their own way to come here. They're taking what might be their only vacation days off of their job to come here to Chicago to do their part and participate in our democracy, and I think that's a really cool thing that often gets overlooked in some of the more glitzy aspects of a big event like this.

(11:38):
So, these are real grassroots folks who are coming here. They are going to spend their day. We do a lot of really important party business while we're here. Of course, while the convention is a great messaging moment to reach voters, the committees of the convention and the convention itself that adopt our platform, right?

Heidi Heitkamp (11:55):
It's a business meeting.

Alex Hornbrook (11:56):
It's a business meeting. It's a business meeting. So we adopt our platform, which is our statement of values, why people should come out and vote for Democrats in November. We have 17 different official DNC caucuses and councils that are organized around various issue areas and constituency groups. And so, they'll be meeting all throughout the week, holding panels, holding conversations, holding business meetings, figuring out, how do we reach these key demographics? How do we activate voters around these key issues like climate, like labor, like small business, all of the things that we know are big tent democratic.

Heidi Heitkamp (12:27):
And rural.

Alex Hornbrook (12:28):
And rural, yes. Oh, you bet. Yes. Yes. As you well know, we have our DNC Rural Council. They'll be meeting here at the McCormick Place during the day, Monday through Thursday, before the official proceedings kick off at the United Center in the evening.

Heidi Heitkamp (12:40):
So what you see is only a small part, and then there's also all of the events where people get together where they have a little fun, right?

Alex Hornbrook (12:49):
There's some fun had, yes.

Heidi Heitkamp (12:50):
Tell us a little bit about what people will see if they turn on their television and watch the convention.

Alex Hornbrook (12:57):
Sure. Well, what they're going to see fundamentally, we believe, is a positive vision. They're going to see the incredible transformative record of the Biden-⁠Harris Administration and the vision Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have for this country for the next four years, and why people need to get out and vote in November, because we're going to be outlining very clearly for folks the stakes of the election in November, broadly speaking.

(13:20):
Our program team is hard at work, so you're going to see a lot of those high-profile, exciting, obviously, our candidates, right? We'll have Vice President Harris. Governor Walz will be here. We obviously expect President Biden will be participating. One of the things that President Biden has long talked about is being this bridge to the future of our party. We have so many stars in our party, whether they be members of Congress, cabinet members, but going all the way down to mayors, lieutenant governors, or so many folks across the country in blue states and quote, unquote, "red states" who are doing really exciting and innovative things. And so we're really looking to lift up a lot of those stories and tell the stories of regular people and how their lives are benefiting from democratic leadership.

Heidi Heitkamp (13:56):
What I want to point out is, sometimes you hear what I think is nonsense, which is, the Democratic Party doesn't have a bench. This is a place where you're going to see the new generation of democratic leaders, and you say, "Well, what does a convention do?" A convention propelled Barack Obama forward.

Alex Hornbrook (14:12):
That's right.

Heidi Heitkamp (14:14):
He gave that amazing speech, and all of a sudden he went from a first term senator in Illinois to basically a rock star. And so, these conventions matter, and there's been just powerful convention speeches over the years, and so I'm just encouraging everyone to tune in, listen to what's being said, and know that the work is being done definitely on the issue of rural America. I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you at least one tough question. What's your biggest nightmare right now?

Alex Hornbrook (14:45):
Oh, goodness. We don't have nightmares. We spent the last year plan ... No, I'm serious. We've spent last year ... The name of the game for us is plans and flexibility, and so we have spent a whole year putting together plans for all different scenarios while at the same time maintaining flexibility, because we know there's going to be unexpected events. There's always the unexpected, the unknown. That's always an event planner's biggest fear, I guess I would say. But we feel like we have spent a lot of time really working through different scenarios and making sure that we have flexibility in our systems to be able to deal with that sort of thing.

Heidi Heitkamp (15:20):
The convention is going to be sprawled all over Chicago. I'm a part-time Chicagoan, and so I'm pretty familiar with the city, which is way up north. You're going to do a lot of stuff at the McCormick Center, and then of course the United Center, which is a ways away from the McCormick Center. And so, how difficult is it to manage all these very diverse and different venues that you're going to have parts of the convention at?

Alex Hornbrook (15:45):
Well, this is actually one of the most compact and convenient convention footprints that we've had in decades, in terms of the United Center and McCormick Place are just a couple miles apart. All of our official contracted hotels that all of our delegates, our guests, will be staying in, are within five miles of the United Center.

(16:03):
I know you've been to many conventions. Our past few, we've had some fabulous host cities that had really wonderful things going for them, but a lot of people have memories of having to drive all over creation to get to their hotel at night because a lot of cities don't have the hotel capacity that Chicago has. So here, nobody's crossing state lines to go to sleep, all right? We are in a five-mile radius. We have the advantages of one of the biggest and most vibrant and diverse cities in America, but it is actually very compact.

(16:30):
There's campaign committees, organizations, companies that are doing their own events all over, and one of the things that we've been very focused on is actually ensuring that the economic impact of this event is felt as broadly and equitably as possible across Chicago. So we are encouraging folks get out into those neighborhoods. Chicago is not just downtown, it's not just an arena. There are 77 neighborhood areas here, and there's so much incredible culture, so we are encouraging folks to get out there and explore all these really wonderful neighborhoods and patronize these small businesses that are here and ready to partner with us. We have a great transportation system here in Chicago. We have, as I mentioned, a really great hospitality and tourism community and industry, so I think it's the best of both worlds. Our official activities are pretty condensed, but then we have lots of opportunities for people to really get a feel for what Chicago is all about.

Heidi Heitkamp (17:15):
I am so excited. I was already planning to go.

Alex Hornbrook (17:18):
Great.

Heidi Heitkamp (17:18):
We're bringing some students. We've got tons of student interns from the University of Chicago. We're very excited about showing them democracy at that level. But I think the point that you make, which is, this is really a meeting for the people who have been longtime volunteers who have worked very, very hard to become delegates to this convention. It's not easy to do. They're spending their own money to come here, and they really are the stars of the show.

Alex Hornbrook (17:44):
That's right.

Heidi Heitkamp (17:45):
Those people on the floor who you see behind those names, those are the people who every person who's ever been in political life owes their good fortune if they've been elected to.

Alex Hornbrook (17:58):
That's right. Those are the folks who will carry us to victory in November at all levels of the ballot.

Heidi Heitkamp (18:02):
Yup, absolutely. Thanks so much, Alex.

Alex Hornbrook (18:04):
Yes, definitely.

Heidi Heitkamp (18:05):
Okay.

Alex Hornbrook (18:05):
See you soon.

Heidi Heitkamp (18:06):
Take care. See you in Chicago.

(18:06):
I have been on the road and doing a lot of speaking for Tim Walz, who we both know pretty well, but people keep saying, "Oh, how well do you know him?" I say, "Not as well as my brother Joel." Because Joel, and I'm just going to say this, if you look at your life trajectory and your life history as somebody who believes that government can do good things for people, I mean, you and Tim, you're kind of the yin and yang, even though he's younger than you. I just have to say, even though he is younger than you. But really, I mean, do you look at Tim Walz and say, "Man, that's my life right there."

Joel Heitkamp (18:48):
Yeah. I mean, it wasn't hard at all to connect with Tim, having refereed college football all those years, and getting a chance to talk to him as a coach. There was a lot of jokes that involved that, but this is why America already loves him as they get to know him. I mean, you've got a man who served this country in the military. You've got a man who was an educator for years, married an educator, believes in public school education, coached. And you know, Heidi, because ... Well, let's say we've known each other all my life. You are older than me. You know that one of the biggest honors I could probably give anyone is to call him Coach, and Tim Walz to me is Coach.

Heidi Heitkamp (19:33):
Yeah, it's so interesting because that's kind of the base bio, but he lost his dad when he was 17. What were you when dad died? 20? Were you even 21 yet when dad died?

Joel Heitkamp (19:44):
No, I was 20.

Heidi Heitkamp (19:45):
Yeah. And so you revere your father, and all of a sudden he's gone, and that puts tons of pressure on people. He didn't run off to Yale, didn't run off to Harvard, doesn't have a pedigree. He went to a school that he could afford based on the GI Bill, and then began to serve his community as a public school teacher. And then you talk about the fact that he and his wife experienced, just as he said, years of heartbreak, not being able to have a baby, and then all of a sudden, his daughter, who he named Hope, was able to be born because of IVF, and he just has an incredible story.

(20:23):
But I think more than just his story, because you can always read a bio, he just gets it. He just gets what people are hungry for from their government. When he says government can help but stay out of your personal decisions, it's just such a compelling ... For us, it's exactly our kind of new deal, rural Democrat message.

Joel Heitkamp (20:45):
Well, and you know how that plays into me and my lifestyle and my friends. I'd describe Tim Walz this way. If you walk into the bar and Tim's at one table, you're hoping there's another bar stool. I mean, Tim is that guy that, at the cafe, if you walk in and everybody's having a cup of coffee, by God, you want to be at Tim's table, because you're going to be laughing. You're going to be joking. You're not going to be afraid for the hard conversations. You're not going to be afraid to say what you think, and yet still know it's going to be respected. When he said, "The American people are tired of the crazy uncle coming over and wrecking Thanksgiving," he was right.

Heidi Heitkamp (21:25):
You know, the other thing that's really interesting that I don't think's really been talked a lot about in social media is, young people are getting to know him, and he's so approachable, for kids our daughter's ages and even younger, to see a guy who just wants to be with his daughter and have fun with his daughter.

Joel Heitkamp (21:44):
Well, and you know, Heidi, what we did, because you helped on News and Views, my radio show, in trying to make sure that every kid in North Dakota, when the legislative session was in, we pushed to make sure every kid got a hot lunch, and that there weren't kids singled out with a bag lunch while some kids get a hot lunch just because their parents don't do as well. And Tim Walz got it done. I mean, he got it done, and you can't fake those kids hugging him. That wasn't staged. That wasn't, "Hey, you should go up and hug the governor." That was just pure love, and that's who Tim Walz is. He got it done.

Heidi Heitkamp (22:24):
Well, and when you look at paid family leave, and I will tell you, I've been pushing back. I've done a lot of media interviews who say, "Well, you say he's good for rural America, but look at these progressive policies." I said, "Do you know how desperate we are in rural America for paid family leave?" Not enough people in this country have family leave, medical leave across the board, but it is way worse in rural America. And when your mom gets sick and you have to give up your job, how are you going to pay the bills? And so Tim sees this, he sees the challenges of daycare.

(22:57):
I love that the other guy is talking about cat ladies and how selfish they are not having kids, but do you know what Tim Walz has done? He's made it economically possible for people to have kids, right? Hot lunch for children so you don't have to worry about sending a $20 check to the school to pay for the hot lunch. Subsidized daycare so you can go to work and not spend a whole week working to pay the daycare bill. Do you get that? You can't talk about children and how selfish people are without talking about what they need so that they can have children. And then I don't even want to get into the IVF stuff.

Joel Heitkamp (23:34):
Yeah, well, I mean, you and I both have someone in our family that had the joy of having children had that not been there, so it matters. It matters a lot, and the public knows that they want to take it away. But as the old pheasant deer hunter in me, you're right, I mirror Tim in so many ways. One of the things I like about Tim the most is the fact that he's the only one of the big four here, the vice president and president candidates, he's the only one that doesn't wear makeup.

Heidi Heitkamp (24:08):
Yeah, well, what I've been saying, Joel, is I've been saying, "Guess what? Tim Walz doesn't have to go to the sporting goods store for the fishing opener. He just opens up his closet and there's tons of stuff in there." It's been worn for a lot of years. I saw a description of him saying, yeah, he had a grubby T-shirt on, and I thought, that's a little mean. I bet you it was clean. I mean, he looks like rural America.

Joel Heitkamp (24:38):
Yeah, he does.

Heidi Heitkamp (24:39):
Because he's from rural America, and it's not phony and it's not fake, and it's just authentic.

Joel Heitkamp (24:46):
No, and they have brought joy back into the public debate, and they haven't even had the convention bounce yet, Heidi. I mean, they haven't even had that big wet kiss that they're going to get because of something they can produce. I mean, I've been telling everyone here about, at the radio station, who would you rather have, Beyonce or Lee Greenwood? I mean, I'm sorry, but I'll take Beyonce. I mean, Hulk Hogan didn't do much for me. I love wrestling, but hello, when Joe Biden takes that stage, not just the Democratic Party, but I think in large part the country is going to love it, or at least a huge percentage of the country. I mean, he is going to be seen as the leader of this country that night.

Heidi Heitkamp (25:34):
Well, and Joel, for the first time in his presidency, he's polling more positive than negative. That always happens. I warn Republicans when they start picking on Biden, I say, "You're never more popular than when you're leaving the stage."

Joel Heitkamp (25:48):
Well, I mean, look at how popular George W. Bush was at the Republican Convention, you know?

Heidi Heitkamp (25:55):
Oh, yeah. Did you see him there? I didn't see him there.

Joel Heitkamp (25:58):
No, I didn't. But look at how popular his former-

Heidi Heitkamp (26:03):
Oh, and Mitt Romney. Don't forget Mitt Romney. Oh, he wasn't there either.

Joel Heitkamp (26:07):
Well, look at how popular his former cabinet members were at that. Oh, wait, they weren't there either. That's right.

Heidi Heitkamp (26:15):
It's a whole new day in politics, and what I hope we can take out of this, Joel, is we don't need two years' worth of presidential campaigning. You can get it done in 90 days, right?

Joel Heitkamp (26:25):
Yeah. Right.

Heidi Heitkamp (26:27):
Well, and I think this election went from, which old guy are you going to pick first, to which vision of America are you going to have? And she was really smart, I think. We're not going back is the powerful message. I always said, Joel, that if I wrote a book, I know what the title would be. Our dad drove heavy equipment his whole life. That's what he did for a living, whether it was the gas truck or the dump truck, and so when we were learning to drive, he had a statement. He said, "Never back up more than you have to." I mean, recognizing sometimes you have to back up. But my favorite part of this story is I told Barbara Mikulski, former senator from Maryland that, and she said, "Yeah, and neutral gets you nowhere." Isn't that great?

Joel Heitkamp (27:15):
I always like short women.

Heidi Heitkamp (27:18):
Well, let me tell you, I think that we're going to have fun in Chicago. I'm looking forward to you coming, and I think that Kamala Harris is ready to run, but also ready to become president of the United States, and I think she's proving that every day.

Joel Heitkamp (27:33):
Well, and I jumped on the Chicago bandwagon just because I did call a couple people in Chicago, and I found out it wasn't a dry town, so I'm good. I'll be there.

Heidi Heitkamp (27:43):
I think this has been a really fantastic episode, and I hope you do too.

Joel Heitkamp (27:53):
Thanks for joining us today on the Hot Dish, which is brought to you by the One Country Project, making sure the voices of the rest of us are heard in Washington. Remember, you can learn more about us at OneCountryProject.org.

Heidi Heitkamp (28:08):
We'll be back in a few weeks with more of The Hot Dish, comfort food for Middle America.

Sound (28:12):
Voxtopica.