 Hello everyone, I am here with Paula Jean Swaringen running for the United States Senate in West, Virginia You all know her you all love her. She's back to give us an update about her campaign Paula. Welcome back to the program Thank you for coming on Thank you, Mike. It's always a pleasure to be on your show. You're great And thank you for always amplifying progressive voices. Well, thank you. Thank you for running and I had to bring you back because We're in a really different situation currently, you know, you ran against Joe Manchin And you got a large portion of the vote but didn't win and we were gutted but now you're back And you're the favorite You're running a very viable campaign and you can win this so talk about the dynamics and how you can actually defeat Shelly Kapita Moore Well, um, you know, well for first of all, let's talk about personal reasons and why i'm running against her She's out, you know, she's voted against equal pay for women three times She's a mother and a grandmother She's been in office for almost 20 years. Her dad was our former governor and she's basically a rubber stamp for, you know, like Mitch McConnell and She was elected to be the first united states senator first woman to be to represent west virginia and the us in it and She's really did nothing for us and she's a mother and she's a grandmother And she's turned her back on the children dying as starving in this state and it's time for her to face a mother and a grandmother and You know kick her out make sure that we do have a good voice in washington And have a good strong woman in washington because i think that maybe have been west virginia's intent to send her there But she's not taking care of women and children in this state and our state the population in west virginia is like 51 52 percent women And uh, you know, we are not divided by partisan politics when it comes to our children and women are ready to fight back Um, it's been really incredible and i want to thank everybody across the nation That has supported this campaign this time It really solidifies that you can have a people-funded campaign We have outraised everyone eight to one And we have an incredible staff have incredible campaign manager finance director comms director incredible people in field a lot of people have Signed up to volunteer to make phone calls and just in text during this pandemic And actually a lot of west virginians that don't live in the state anymore have donated to the campaign Just because they want to come back home Yeah, this is really incredible because you know, what I hear from congressional candidates who Have run multiple times is that the first time, you know, you run And it's difficult you kind of try to find your footing But the second time you build up a really well oiled machine you have connections You have you know, a lot of people that you know who become your staffers and now your campaign is incredible So the the eight to one fundraising that really is important because you are a campaign Everyone in my audience knows you're not taking any money from large multinational corporations. This is all people powered So that fact in and of itself is astonishing and now that your position to win It's it's incredible like it feels like we actually can affect change and for everyone who's feeling demoralized About the 2020 election since bernie sanders didn't win, you know, these congressional races This is our fight now. This is where we can affect change. It's not all over 2020 is still You know the election is months away and races like this Imagine if apology and swarming were to be elected to the u.s senate the things that you would accomplish I think you would be very effective because you know for you Something that you said before you went on it stood out with me and you've said this before this is a fight For survival. This isn't about, you know, a van v project You're not running because you you think that this is, you know, a good career opportunity for you You're running because this is a fight for survival So let's say you get elected you get sworn in in 2021 What is going to be your first policy priorities because assuming Donald trump is defeated and let's just say democrats take back, you know, uh, the senate and they have the white house What are you going to push for because there's going to be a lot of voices, you know In congress in the senate that will try to marginalize you chuck schumer probably will Try to marginalize you as we've seen from other progressives, you know With regard to the house and Nancy Pelosi. So what do you think you would really push for immediately in terms of relief for americans We'll get to that but let's talk about our movement for a second and the importance That's one of the reasons too that i decided to run for united states and senate because We do need good strong people representatives in congress and the senate plays a large role in electing The supreme court so it's vitally important And one person can't go and go to congress and change everything So this is a movement it continues to grow no matter who our president is we have to have a good strong congress and Everybody, you know, don't give up hope. We have a whole slate of candidates with brand new congress I worked with them in 2018 and i'm incredibly proud of brand new congress And i fully believe in them because of the way they vet their candidates and they give Voters a chance of having real people representatives and that what how without having to go through the weeds and pick out who Actually has integrity. So, you know, don't forget brand new congress brand new congress.org because if I do go to congress it's not going to be just me it's going to have to take a whole slate of candidates and You know, it's it's going to take a bunch of us. We have to keep on pushing that needle too We're going to suffer losses and we have in our movement But we've also had some wins and even if we don't win we keep on pushing that needle with our incumbents We they know that we're holding them more accountable Even which I mentioned we've seen him make better decisions this year because we have pushed him so hard I've given credit for some of the things that he's done And you know, we we if we hold them accountable then they'll do better But if they don't do better then they need to know that we're going to come take their jobs As far as when I get there we still have a chance for a matter of care for all I still stand behind medicare for 100 percent the first thing I would do in congress is co-sponsor medicare for all And it's going to take all of us to push whoever our president is to make sure that it's implemented because Even the trump administration promised us universal health care I'm behind bernie's bill because it it's uh, it's comprehensive. It covers uh Dental and vision but also in that bill is just transition for people that work in insurance companies And that's important to me because even here in west virginia with the book, you know with the uh Lost in the market for the coal industry people are dying and starving So when we do advance and grow we have to make sure that we do have just transition Secondary to that, you know, it's important to me to make sure that we combat the addiction epidemic Not only in my statement in my country across the country And right now west virginia leads and drug overdose deaths And I want to send federal funding to long-term recovery systems We have seen uh with the people that are working to combat this crisis and the front lines of our communities and across the country that long-term recovery systems work We've been hearing from our counterparts that they are going to take care of the addiction epidemic and drug replacement therapy plays a small role In ending addiction because it takes that money from big part, you know It takes that money from big farm and puts it right back into big farm and it's it's not creating long-term solutions And it's been proven statistically that long-term recovery systems work And they need state and federal funding and they need support from medical providers and social workers I will fight for a living wage. I mean I'll fight for everything that I've always fought for um economic diversity For my state and state states like mine is very important to me The industrial revolution was built on the backs of west virginians their families and surrounding communities When you turn on your light switch, it's been taught, you know It's by the blood of Appalachians and the least that we can do is Invest in things like the reclaim act the green new deal and make sure that we put funding in states like ours So we can grow and diversify our economy When we look at diversification for our economy in west virginia If we legalize cannabis, which I am for legalization and decriminalization 100 percent We would see economic growth in our state within six to eight months If we grew hemp on mountaintop removal sites Not only would it clean that clean up the soil it create create topsoil And you know, we could tap into that agriculture We have a lot of hot spots for uh Geothermal and hydropower here in this state. We can invest in that A lot of people don't have comprehensive broadband across the state We've heard from our senators that they're going to give some relief and and make sure that we have comprehensive broadband But it doesn't happen. It seems like it's a political talking point If we have good roads, we have good schools. We have a good infrastructure We invest in clean water clean air And create a place where businesses will want to come and grow here Then you know then business what business will come here and we you know, there's all kinds of ideas We could have for the Appalachian region But we just need visionaries for our future instead of visionaries for our demise And make sure that we get dark money out of politics And we have true people servants as opposed to people that are serving corporations lobbyist official interest You know, there's so many things that we could be doing across the country even with this pandemic I'm really really frustrated to see states suffer like mine Because of population they're opening up west virginia and This is one of the poorest and sickest states in the nation We have high rates of lung disease heart disease Diabetes a large bulk of our population is the elderly And instead of sending relief efforts in the national guard out into the hills and hollers where people haven't seen daylight We don't know what's going on with them living in food deserts. They're talking about opening up our state So on a state level, we should be taking care of the people here and on a federal level We hear so much That well, we've got to open up the economy But we also in the last stimulus bill gave over to you know, trillions of dollars to corporations and wall street You know on only $1,200 and some of those people have not even received those stimulus checks and relief We can afford $2,000 a month until we figure this out Public health and safety should not come last and I know even specifically for my state How can we trust these people to take care of us when we were treated like collateral damage to begin with West virginia shouldn't be a test case or any state or any state in this country We need to lock down take care of people make sure that they have Personal protective equipment the tools that they need to take care of people make sure that people are fed They can pay their bills and they're not homeless until we do figure this out And this just really solidifies the failure in our government that we can't handle a pandemic like this Yeah, absolutely like all of the flaws that already existed Pre-covid-19 They just bubble up to the surface to where if you didn't see them before there's no way that you don't see them now And as you go through like your list of all these policy things you want to fight for Something just you know It stood out to me like why you're such a phenomenal candidate and why i'm so invested in this campaign And in you as a politician is because your idea of what you should do what you should fight for it doesn't change Based on the political context and what i mean by that is you know, there's the sense now that okay bernie lost Medicare for all is done. We can't get it. So, you know best case scenario you get to congress And maybe we get a public option. You're still saying no, I don't care. Who's president We're fighting for Medicare for all that's the right policy And that is so important because that is True political courage and that's one thing that I think is lacking with lawmakers You know the thing with politics is that you are expected to be Overly savvy and you're supposed to you know use your political capital wisely But that time is gone like we are at the end of the empire like the country is collapsing So there's no time for these silly little games and political theater. We just need relief We need the policies that will save lives and there's no debate like we know which policies are needed You just listed all of them. So there's no room for discussion. There's no time for that that time has come and gone Now we get those policies and we fight regardless. So I think that's just such an important thing For you to say that you know, it doesn't matter Who wins i'm still fighting for medicare for all that doesn't change, you know the calculus the trajectory It's not changing because we didn't get a burning president It doesn't change if you know trump is reelected What's right is right and we still fight for those policies. So that's why I just love your campaign so much And I feel so like attached to this campaign Because this is a fight for survival. This isn't about anything other than that Like we're trying to fight for people in west virginia in your case But also the species because I mean we're dealing with a pandemic where as we record this Almost a hundred thousand americans have died like I don't think that's right. We're going to really realize the scale Of you know the destruction and devastation until we we are like past this until we're out of this because right now so much is going on I think that psychologically a lot of people myself at least you just kind of like try to tune it out because it's it's so painful It's like this type of like coping mechanism in a way, but I want to talk about your race because This time with you running it's so important. You're you're you're doing a lot. You can win this thing And so there's a challenger that jumped in there's an establishment democrat Who isn't really doing that great, which kind of leaves the door open for you But another person who individuals perceived as progressive got a lot of coverage in indie media is richard ojeta Now you had announced that you were running and he decided to jump in the race Rather than endorsing you which doesn't make sense to me because if I Prioritize policies if I want medicare for all if I want a green new deal and I already see A well-established candidate running a great campaign in the race I don't jump in myself Because what's the point of that? I endorse that candidate. I campaign for that candidate So he could have been a phenomenal ally, but he chose to ran against you, which doesn't make sense to me What do you want to respond to the richard ojeta? situation because it seems as if he In this instance rather than endorsing you could siphon away votes from you From progressives who don't necessarily know that You are the real deal. You're the better candidate. I think objectively speaking if you're on the left So do you want to speak to that at all? I believe in democracy I believe that anybody can run for office if they want to However, when we strategically think about this movement, you know, we had we need to think about how to take You know, the the main goal was to get rid of shelly more capitol. You know, that's our bad guy, right? Or supposed to be But I think oftentimes people are in this for the wrong reasons They are more in it to get famous instead of actually staying on point and I think west virginians deserve consistency They don't need Somebody that's going to pull back from medicare for all or is going to be wishy-washy about coal They support it one day the next they don't and that's the worst lie Politician can tell is the coal industry is going to rebound. We had over 170 coal miners and 120,000 coal miners in the 1970s we a nationwide we have less than 50,000 And the rug has been pulled out from under west virginians and it's not You know, we just we should be making decisions just like you said for political expediency Not only west virginia, but everybody across the country needs consistency and they need integrity I'm not in this to be famous. I'm a country girl. I don't want to go to dc But I've cut my leg off for my kids in west virginians And that's why I even think about going is because we're underserved in this nation was built by the people For the people and of the people and who better to serve us than us We have been solving our problems in the front lines of our communities for decades Why our incumbents are serving corporations and lobbyists And I thought for my state for years and the reason I'm running for office too is because I'm tired of begging I'm tired of people in my state begging for something so basic as a clean glass of water and a job And we can have both In addition to that, you know, we don't need somebody lying to us and saying that they're not taking dark money when the fec says otherwise Uh, we you know, we don't need people that are 45 000 dollars in debt From their last race and we don't need somebody that's going to Win an election have west virginians work hard to get them into a seat and then they turn around Quit their seat four days later, you know four days later run for president and then quit their seat again You know, we just don't deserve that. We need consistency I can't tell you what my opponent is, you know thinking but we have proven that we're the most viable and uh, I just encourage everybody just to continue to vet your candidates and keep your eye on the prize Uh, because there's a lot of people that have tried to hijack the progressive progressive movement and we do have a lot of fake progressives You know, you can research where their money comes from you can look at their history and look at their videos You know, google is a great tool right now. So you can find out more about your candidates I can't tell you why he's doing it. You know, but The main goal for me is to make sure that we have true representation in washington And one thing that I want to add about that too Is west virginians are tired of not having a seat at the table When somebody goes into you know, an elected office They're just not there to to just be a voice But they should be a medium for the people that they're supposed to serve And so it's important to me when I do go to congress that all these people that I've worked with throughout the years that I've seen In the front lines of their communities battling addiction, you know making sure that our children are fed during crises make you know making sure that You know that You know we're combating poverty and all these things are going on in my state that they have a seat at the table They're going to you know, west virginians are going to help me and people across the country help me write legislation Um that I introduced because it's important to me that west virginians do have a voice Uh, I want to be a public servant and that's what we deserve And I know there's a lot of people that have went into congress and sellouts They're barking up the wrong tree. Like I said, I don't even want to be there I cut my leg off from my grandchildren and children and i'm doing this because we have to survive People actually are dying and starving every day This pandemic even solidifies it Essential workers need essential things like jobs and being able to pay their I mean, you know food and be able to pay their rent And i'm just tired of living like we do and i'm tired of begging people That are supposed to serve us and they've not done anything especially for west virginia They've been pissing on their backs and saying it's raining for years and we're tired of being abused Yeah, yeah, and um, I'm glad that you said that about um You know, you don't want to be in congress because that's Ideally the person who you want to represent you someone who doesn't want to be there someone Who isn't running because you know, you can become a celebrity or an influencer Um, and i'm also glad that you pointed out the fact that you know, this is democracy as left-wingers We support democracy because you know in my race in district one of oregon. I had a really great, uh Set of choices So there were two women running amanda sebe and haiti bryones and this was a real like Fantastic uh campaign between the both of them because you had amanda sebe Who was championing uh disability rights and medicare frault and then you had haiti bryones who was really pushing for ubi And between both of them you could you could tell that there was like this real sense that they have different competing priorities But in this instance in your race, it's not like, you know, richard ojeda chose to jump in because he he's really committed to one set of ideals We don't know where he stands on medicare frault. He supported a public option and then he said he supported medicare frault He voted for trump in 2016 and then he apparently was a bernie sanders supporter He is supposedly progressive But yet he's buddy buddy with joe mansion none of this makes any sense to me And so like if if he were to jump in the race because he says, you know what paula You're not talking about this issue. And I think that west virginians need to know about this I think that intellectually speaking You know, we should grant him that space that'd be fantastic, but this is clearly a ploy to gain attention You know, and now I'll tell you right now Do I want to challenge shelly more capitol who I think is absolute garbage? If I did that I would find myself going head to head with paula gene swerging once again Not a fan of paula gene swerging either paula gene swerging through stones at me because absolutely she just could not stand the fact that I wouldn't dag on Basically run down up another roads and screaming that joe mansion sucked because I knew she couldn't beat patrick morsey So I supported joe and I don't give a shit if you like that or you don't I don't want to you know, dog on richard ojeda. This isn't about him This is about the people of west virginia But it is important for people to know that you have to look at the record Look at the platforms of people richard ojeda has no platform on his website. Whereas paula gene is Very committed to policy, you know, um, so you have to vet people and you know, when it comes to the progressive movement, there is this There is a leadership crisis, right because We're not necessarily going to have another bernie sanders run for president anytime soon So we're looking for that next progressive hero and some people say the right things and step up and so basically my my Overall point is that we have to be a lot more cautious and vet people a lot more Don't be overly skeptical, but just acknowledge that if you have a set of options really vet these candidates I think that if you have followed, you know, your campaign and your activism Pre-campaign, I mean, there's there's no question in my mind. You're committed to these ideals and you're going to go to congress Committed and fighting and even if you lose you're going to go down swinging, you know So that's why I think it's really important and I wanted to you know Make it known because a lot of progressives. I think we're for lack of a better word duped by richard ojeda Back in 2018 when he did run. I think an admittedly good campaign against carol miller, but times have changed and you know We need real leadership. I'm not looking for a celebrity. I'm not looking for someone who's going to make headlines and say the right things I want a fighter who's going to fight for the people and that's why I thought that this was important to bring up So thank you for addressing that I didn't want to put you on the spot And I will say that if richard ojeda is you know, actually committed to policy He could debate you but he doesn't want to do that Yeah, he's publicly denied it denied a debate and I think that's a disservice to voters and I think voters need to hear from all sides and it's it's not It shouldn't be about giving your opponent a microphone and You know, you being worried about you're going to raise their profile You know voters didn't need to hear policy from all their candidates so they can make informative decisions Here we are in our primaries june 9th and we've not had one debate For us in it and I really think that's a real disservice to west virginia voters and I really think it's a disservice that You know richard ojeda is refusing to give that to west virginians and I think that goes against their democracy Yeah, I mean if you're going to run for congress you have to be ready to debate because you're constantly debating like this isn't like Those idiotic debates that you see on youtube debate me bro Like these are two people who are running for the united states senate So they have to debate, you know, so this is important so much is on the line Like now is not the time to play games and you know to that point about you know So much being on the line and us fighting for our survival. I wanted to ask you because you You've always been fighting. Um, you've always been in the trenches You haven't stopped and so you know a presidential race not going our way isn't going to change that trajectory for you So I'm curious I don't want to ask you for words of encouragement But what do you say to people who currently feel like you know what I can't deal with electoral politics? So I'm going to check out How do you get people to still fight? After you know being faced with so much defeat because this is something that I'm asking myself lately like how do I keep? You know that that spark lit Um, and I don't know that there's a good answer I think that maybe when we're past this election past this pandemic Maybe the dust will settle and there'll be like a clear message of unity for the left and what we should do but like what is your Message to people at a time of defeat in terms of like what we should keep doing Well, I may be the wrong person to ask because I've got a fire in me that I can't put out I've been fighting for my state for years and when or lose any election I'm going to continue to fight for my state and you know, I'm a mother and a grandmother now and uh I do anything for my children and I can't stop But I know working within the movements throughout the years You know make sure that we're working together. Like I said, we're going to suffer some losses Identify grifters in our movement and make sure that there's a place for that But you know, it's it's passing the bullhorn to the people You know the people in front of the pain should be in front of the power Always and we always have to continue to unite We have to continue to stick together Self-care is important when you feel beat down Take a breath get back up and get back to fighting and organizing We have to stick together even you know when I've been fighting for water for my state for years It wasn't about just you know, the people in Payton City right now that are Dealing with the water crisis. It's still about the people in flint michigan that I worked with and people across the country You know when somebody out of state says we're having a rally. We're doing this We need help everybody should be busing and showing up and showing up together We don't need heroes We can't look at one person to save us If we want to save our country and we want a future for our children and grandchildren My hashtag unite our fight is just that I've been saying that for years. We have to stick together It's not about partisan politics. It's not about who's left. Who's right even if I'm you know as public servants Everybody don't have to agree on everything But the common goal should be in making sure that the people in this country have good Presentation and their needs are met and they're not begging for their basic human rights So just stick together and move forward even Bernie said it he wasn't looking to be a hero We heard him over and over and over run for office Local level to federal level, but even if you're not cut out to run for office There's always a place for somebody in this movement even if you're making copies for a rally There's always a place for somebody, you know, I remember one of my mentors Whenever he met somebody the first thing he said is you are somebody and remember that and you are important Don't give up. We are going to suffer losses, but we have to stick together and we have to keep going I'm glad that you said, you know that even if it's making copies because There really is and I know that this doesn't sound like much but like there's no contribution That's too small anything that you can do to push us forward in the correct direction I think that really does matter and it may feel like everything that we're doing currently Isn't going to amount to much, but trust me it will and I want to um Quote what jamie peck of majority reports said because she said something recently that resonated with me She said that the same underlying material conditions that led to you know The rise of Donald Trump that led to the creation of a bernie standards movement Those are still going to exist So it's not like all of a sudden things are going to get better and the movement will dissipate So long as there is a need for these types of policies to be enacted I think there's going to be a will to fight and keep that in mind because for me one of the biggest Worries that I had after burning had dropped out was that you know, where does the movement go? Can the movement be sustained? And I think the answer is yes I think that burning wasn't the creation of a new movement. I think it was the continuation of previous movements You know not just occupy but movements before that So it really it is important that people don't check out as easy as it may feel to do that You know as um As uh, yeah, don't check out it's time to check in harder Yeah, exactly and it seems like like to me it seems alluring to want to check out currently You know, I try to do self-care as much as I can but you know, we just have to fight harder And that's why we have to elect people like you to congress because There is a lot of people running for congress that are phenomenal that I truly believe will help transform the country But you have really struck a chord with people and I notice this with my audience as well Whenever you come on because you are not just sincere But you really speak to the very specific needs of people in west virginia and across the country And I think that that's lacking like whenever I hear from a politician. They have these vague, you know, um general Things that their constituents need but they're not like these aren't lived experiences These are talking points and it's important that we do elect real people So, uh, tell us what we can do to support your campaign because you're on the cusp of winning and if you win this primary Which is uh, we'll get the date from you, but if you win this primary We're in a position to defeat shelly more capito I think I've you alternated between shelly more capito and shelly capito more I always butcher her name, but that's not important because we're gonna forget. No, it's okay But which was my name too I didn't even pronounce it correctly But you know what it doesn't matter because she's gonna be going bye-bye very soon So tell us what we can do to support your campaign paula Well, uh, right now we need gene phone bankers, um, and we need people to syntax So if you want to reach out the field, uh, we early voting started today, which people were already Voting because they opened up the absentee ballot process to everyone and people are also mailing in their ballots And their primary was extended to june 9th So if if people can reach out to my field person, his name is andrew At paula gene calm He'll get you hooked up to do that and also, I mean, I know it's a trying time But our campaign is 100 people funded So if everybody can donate a dollar, then that's going to help us send those texts and help make phone calls and things that we need to do But most importantly, uh, what everybody can do for my campaign is not give up We still are in this together and, uh, please don't give up hope I mean, there's there's children and dying and starving across this country I feel like our generation has made this mess and it's it's it's it's up to us to fix it So our children don't inherit it. Basically the way that i'm trying to view this is you know Fighting shouldn't be a choice for us. It should just be automatic regardless of the outcome of elections or you know What state the country or world is in you fight. That's what the left does The left yeah labor, you know and the union's back in the rights of workers and start unionizing too I'm very pro union and we have to make sure that people across the country have the right to collective bargaining and Making sure that workers are paid a living wage and people are treated right in the workplace And people, you know, we don't have a large homeless population. We're taking care of our veterans when they come home I mean all those things. They're just basic human rights And we you know, we know we it's not that we don't have money in this country We have a moral problem and that moral problem goes into our budgeting And we're not spending money in ways that we should be and and you know what? Nobody should be treated like collateral damage. I know what it's like I know what it's like to bury my family members to industry and not get anything in return for it Which I shouldn't want anything in return. I just like to have my family members back So, you know, it's it's important and I just want to thank everybody across the country for everything that they're doing and you might for You know being in this movement and amplifying the voices of the voiceless and You know, because oftentimes candidates do not get the media that they deserve And you were you are still a great big part of this movement and thank you for all the hard work that you do Oh, that means so much. Thank you. Honestly. Thank you so much for running because this really is and we talked about this before When we did our panel discussion with quarry bush and amy velela. This is such a huge Self-sacrifice like you're giving up so much time a huge portion of your life So it takes a lot of dedication and willpower to run And so if there were nobody to run then this movement would be dead But the fact that there are so many great candidates I mean we have something to fight for it's not over. So thank you so much for running We will be watching your campaign very closely Thank you so much paula Thank you mike