Annie Kuster says threat of political violence influenced decision to retire | Close
I’m preparing for a new role. good morning. I’m Adam Sexton. Congresswoman Annie Kuster has served New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District for more than a decade. And at the end of this semester, she plans to quit that and move on to something new. This morning, Congresswoman Kuster joins us to explain her decision and what’s next on the agenda and what remains. Congresswoman, thank you for being here. wonderful. Good to be with you, Adam. There is a way of thinking like this. It’s something like this: You know, you still have 10 years to go. You are the leader of the new Democratic Party. You’re climbing that seniority ladder. You are gaining more and more power. Why leave now? I see, that’s interesting. The concept of walking away from the top. Top of my game. One reason for that is that I’m very involved in this session right now as chair of the New Democracy Coalition, traveling the country recruiting candidates and raising money to take back the House in November. is. Then I realized I didn’t want to risk my seat. We have some history of people losing their seats while on leave from their jobs at the stock exchange. And now that the time has come for my husband and I to be ready to take on a new chapter, I feel like I want to lead by example. Members of Congress. If I had one more term left, I would be 70 years old. There are people 20 years younger than me who have great ideas and energy to tackle the challenges of the day, so I think their generation’s voice should be heard. You’ve been very open about your struggles with post-traumatic stress following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Did you have any involvement and did that play any role in your decision? Did you fulfill the When you think about it, you just don’t want to be there to count the electoral votes. What if Trump was involved? Adam, you were very helpful in taking that seriously and allowing me to talk about it in a safe way and in a reasonable and responsible way. I feel very, very good about my personal well-being, but I’ve thought twice and twice about our democracy. And I am committed to Joe Biden’s victory and a Democratic Congress in November, and I want to ensure that Joe Biden’s inauguration and second term are decided by the Democratic Party. I am concerned that Donald Trump is a threat to our democracy. And I wasn’t looking forward to having to participate if I myself became violent. But I also want to do everything I can to make sure he holds both seats in New Hampshire. We will win seats across the country. We Democrats can take control of Congress, restore order, and ensure that Washington, D.C., is held accountable for the results of our elections. I’ve been very troubled by the president, former president Donald Trump, and the things he’s said about violence and undermining our elections. Frankly, he’s setting the stage for this kind of coup attempt. January 6, 2021. You have supported Colin van Ostern, your former campaign manager from 2010 and former executive councilor, to take over your seat if he wins this election. What do you say to Democrats who claim that only women can make the most effective case for reproductive rights? You know, you’ve heard it. And I have a different opinion on that post, Dobbs. And actually, this week I thought, um, Mr. Emhoff, the second gentleman was off to, uh, reproductive rights. Specifically, we noted that this discussion requires a full range of participation. Listen, I think across this country and even here in New Hampshire, three out of four people want abortion and health care to be available, accessible and legal. That means everyone, men and women, young and old, needs to speak out on this issue. I think Colin Van Ostern, who I support in District 2, is leaning towards reproductive rights. He worked there when he was part of the Executive Council fighting for the all-important Planned Parenthood funding. One last point. At this point, it’s beyond abortion care. This has implications for medical care for pregnancies that women desperately want to maintain. And now, in certain states, it’s also impacting IVF for starting a family. Affects access to birth control. Therefore, everyone needs to speak up. And I think Colin would be a great leader on this issue. Do you think having recently lived in the district is important in representing the district? Good? I know that what voters are looking for is a very deep connection, but I’ll draw on my own life experience. After college, I worked in Washington, DC. I went to law school in Washington, D.C., then moved back home and became involved in the community, where I met her husband, Brad. We raised our kids in Little League. A big part of it for me was getting to know the people who are on the board of the Charity Commission. And 25 years later, when I ran for Congress, it was those relationships throughout the district. And yet, Adam, still, Congressional voters had to throw a hundred house parties to win over some very discerning people. They don’t like the concept. And you look at the Republican candidate, um, Vikram, I think he lives out of state, but he has a condo in Lincoln. Well, they’re looking for people who are deeply integrated into the community, have strong ties, and know people in the district. And for me, it’s Colin again. Back to Colin Van Ostern. His Executive Council district overlapped with the 2nd Congressional District. So we have the same supporters, we have the same donors, we have the same community officers, we have the same community leaders. I think that is why he was able to get off to a strong start in this election by gaining a lot of support within the constituency. The Biden administration will be able to come up with some numbers that look pretty good macroeconomically. But most people and families are feeling the pinch of inflation. Costs are rising, and it’s hard for them to relate to the idea that the economy is doing well. So, do you think you’re tone deaf? If Biden’s campaign is trying to build on the message that the economy is actually really good, you wouldn’t know it. Look, I think you have to meet people where they are. And people are very concerned about cost versus cost. Specifically, the legislation did not address where we were working to lower health care costs, prescription drug costs, and caps. Insulin. We made a lot of progress, but we focused on jobs and building jobs and better wages. There is another chapter to this in the second period, and that is housing and childcare. These are the questions I hear most often from my constituents. And I just want to say that I’m focused on the fact that there’s a lot of federal money coming to the state for housing construction and housing repair. That’s number one. I met with a real estate agent this week and lo and behold, he said the average price of a home in New Hampshire is $515,000. How can families do this? So we have to increase our housing inventory and lower housing costs and rents, as well as child care costs of $15,000 a year. As you probably know, for an infant her after-tax income is 10,000 for a toddler. If she has only two children. So that’s a relatively small family, $25,000. Adam, who could do that? That’s entirely college tuition. Maybe you could send them to boarding school. So I’m saying, let’s work on these two issues going forward. I’m excited about the money we’re bringing to the state for child care and housing. I hope that helps. Your alma mater, Dartmouth College, has seen mass protests as people speak out against Israel over Israel’s response to more than a dozen terrorist attacks, but you personally don’t believe in anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. Where are the boundaries of doctrine? Yeah. This is where the needle is threaded. But that’s a really important difference. I feel strongly that Israel has the right to defend itself from attack. It was a brutal attack. The dastardly attack on October 7th. But, but we also feel that we need to be able to speak freely about our opposition to the way Prime Minister Netanyahu is pursuing this war. Tens of thousands of civilians died in Gaza. We are facing starvation right now and I am against it. I don’t think it’s anti-Semitic to be against the government. I am very careful not to criticize the Israeli people as a whole or the Jewish people as a whole. In fact, I talk to a lot of people here in the United States on different sides of this issue, and Jews have very strong opinions about some Netanyahu supporters and some Netanyahu critics. I found out that I have it. But we need the full range. Listen, when it comes to Dartmouth, you know, my heart goes out to a truly new president. She’s doing a great job in many ways. Now that she has written an apology to the community, she thinks she realizes she may have jumped the gun. What’s difficult about this? She has no middle line for her. Just call the police and they will show up in riot gear. The way they control the crowd. And, you know, you own it. And I think what Dartmouth is known for, and I hope they get back into the conversation. Sit with those students and allow them to express their opinions freely in the conversation, but without interfering with the education of other students. And it’s very difficult. Do you think it’s accurate to say that the moment Israel agrees to a real ceasefire or eases, Hamas will start planning its next plan to destroy or kill Israel? Well, that’s why other Arabs These negotiations involving other countries are extremely important. I think other Arab countries will play a big role. There are many threats to how Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and, you know, the United Arab Emirates manage Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. And what is lost in this discussion is that Israel, the United States, and Arab states have something in common in wanting to push back against Hamas’ influence. Hamas was born out of the discontent of Gaza residents. That’s why I support a two-state solution. Let’s get everyone at the table. However, I understand the need to eradicate the violence coming from Hamas and Hezbollah. Frankly, the attacks in northern Israel, I’ll summarize here, are the first since the first national primary. It’s like ancient history. Now, I want to ask you about a key moment after that: After the South Carolina primary, Congressman Clyburn said, “Hey, let’s bring back the New Hampshire delegates, and you have a role to play in helping broker that deal.” Did you accomplish that?”, he said. I was working very, very hard with oh, mr. Hear Cliburn’s voice behind the scenes. Clyburn and, frankly, President Biden were very surprised by how well we did in the contest between the right wing and Biden. Both parties then came to the conclusion that they supported the representative. So, yes, I worked with him to make that happen. And I’m very happy and very proud that I did it. Okay. Let’s see where the hotel space is. I think someone joked about it at the convention, but I’m sure we’ll be ready.I do not know
Annie Kuster says threat of political violence influenced decision to retire | Close
Congresswoman Annie Kuster told Close Up that she was concerned that former President Donald Trump was a threat to American democracy.
Congresswoman Annie Kuster told Close Up that she was concerned that former President Donald Trump was a threat to American democracy.