 Good evening, and I want to say wow. We almost have a full auditorium even with this weather I have to tell you I was on the elevator today with a couple from Ohio And they weren't nearly as impressed or worried about the weather today as we are here in Austin, Texas But I tried to explain to them that everything shuts down and we get a little ice here So thank you so much. Welcome. Welcome to the first of the friends events For 2014 I'm Amy Barbie, and I'm the executive director of the LBJ Foundation And I want to tell you we have a really exciting 2014 coming up because we get to celebrate The 50th anniversary of LBJ's administration and the amazing landmark laws that he signed that really transformed our nation. I Don't think there's anyone out there that hasn't at some level been impacted by public funding for education Medicare Medicaid environmental protection Environmental beautification the arts humanities PBS and of course civil rights LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 voting rights fair housing And he really believed in equality and opportunity for all and so in 2014 the library is planning an Outstanding civil rights summit on April 8th 9th and 10th And I want to you mark up to Grove and his staff have put together an outstanding lineup You will hear more about that in the months to come LBJ was willing to give up the political South He was willing to reach across the aisle to get things done And I don't think there's a more appropriate program to have tonight as we start 2014 Because we have the ultimate bipartisan couple they definitely crossed the aisle and I think you know who I'm talking about Mary Maitland and James Carville Politics do make strange bedfellows And I want to tell you tonight We will be talking about their new book love and war 20 years three presidents two daughters and one Louisiana home So not only will we be talking about politics But we'll be talking about raising two daughters moving to New Orleans after Katrina and then also which I'm know We're all curious about how people with two very different political positions can stay married I want to tell you Mary Maitland is a native of Chicago is a Republican strategist and first Captured national attention as deputy campaign manager for George HW Bush in 1992 Later she served as an assistant for George W. Bush and advice vice president Dick Cheney You can now hear her on a nationally syndicated radio show both sides now James Carville a native son of Louisiana was the campaign manager for Bill Clinton's successful run for the presidency in 1992 and I do you know we do both of them were working in opposite camps in 1992 Since then he has worked as a political consultant commentator and political pundit currently he teaches political science at Tulane University and Our leading tonight's conversation is the director of the LBJ library And I want you to join me in welcoming Mary Maitland James Carville and Mark up to grow There you go Thank you for coming out in this weather This is not typical Austin weather as you can appreciate And you've spent enough time after that time I have to live now love this place. It's great great great great great place But it looks like to keep Austin weird campaign might be losing a little bit We're going mainstream. Yeah, I went on a drag and look for dirties and you know We'll do what we can to restore the reputation Well, the subtitle of your book Is 20 years three presidents two daughters and one Louisiana home, so let's start with 20 years Your relationship almost Started like a a Catherine Hepburn Spencer Tracy movie You were sort of the odd couple from the very beginning talk about how your relationship started And we're like Amy Fisher and Joey but a Foucault of American This is the the truth I Had a boyfriend he had a friend he had many girlfriends So I don't want to hear about any of the Texas campaigns I'm a don't ask don't tell kind of girl about his history, but my boss I was chief of staff of the Republican National Committee and my boss made me read every ancient strategist Every military strategist from Sun Sue Attila behind and the main thing was know your enemy. So this guy That nobody knew was winning all these blue Races in red states and there's a pencil drawing of them in the Wall Street Journal and I Asked a mutual friend if we could if we could meet like for lunch like professionally Professional exchange the next thing in a good. Hey, she'll go come on over to my apartment Wait you latch with love at first latch You know I there's an Austin origin to our relationship she called a Woman named Colette Rooney Who worked for didn't work for Tim Russet beat the press and says do you know this guy? James Corvill and says actually I know him really well He gave me my first job in politics, which was a Lloyd dogged campaign in 1984 So you can say the whole thing kind of got started in Austin if you will Yeah, we're talking backstage. I am a Statistical freak I got married at 49. They've only been married once There've been people I got married at 49. We're generally not for the first time say to the 20s. So that was kind of hot and We have been we started dating. I will forget January the 8th 1991 so Right, whatever I said so romantic. I love you remember that hard to forget after you've been that single as long as I have It was kind of a life-changing event if you will Okay, stop with your head So you were working for opposing campaigns in the 1992 presidential election Mary you were working for George Herbert Walker Bush who was vying for reelection James. You were working for Bill Clinton So did you ever feel like you're getting involved would be looked upon as a treasonous act by your bosses? or your your colleagues I Did not it was in some quarters, but those were not people I would consider worthy of caring what their opinions were I never any issues with the Bushes or the Chinese or any of my colleagues that I We there's on our monk thieves here There's and if anybody was going to get any secret information not anybody was going to be me getting it out of him But the truth is he moved to Little Rock no one believes this we didn't see each other for that whole year and and I quit I got so mad at him because he I don't know if you remember this, but there's a time where I Clinton campaign was calling for me to be fired and he got on TV goes you could love the sinner and hate the sin So I quit talking to him And so one of my reporter friends calls and she says you've got to return his calls I hate when grown men cry he keeps calling me crying return his calls It was kind of a hard romantic thing to do You know if you think about it it is a kind of part of Democratic culture that you can't Discriminate about some against someone because of what their spouse does I mean literally if you're if you're if somebody if it particularly like the woman's gonna work for law firms Well, I don't trust because our husband works elsewhere What is what does what does what my husband do have to do with what I do and so it was you wouldn't Maybe some people felt it, but it wouldn't be cool to bring it up right because somebody would say no He's got this professional life his wife has her professional life, and that's really not any of our business Would be the way that yeah, I think the way that the correct way to look at it But did the overall reaction to your relationship in any way surprise you? Well, they Focus, I mean we were just doing our jobs I didn't think it was that big of a star-crossed lover to kind of thing, but there it became like this Romeo and Juliet thing Yes, the attention to it, but think about this you nobody but another political operative could understand the emotion that goes into working on a campaign so What would be boring to me or an impossible relationship to me would be Some guy who says oh, I hate politics or politics is boring or whatever one thing. He is not is boring and the But the attention mostly derived from when we were losing This is what happens in politics y'all in politics Nobody wants to go out and defend poppy who was I adore I adore how cute was he at that tube game I just adore this man. So I I'm not a TV person as you can see I have a face from radio as they say but I was the one that went out to defend him and he Then and he was always on TV and then it just that I guess that's what exacerbated it But I want to tell you a love story about James no things at the end of the campaign I hated it so much just because you love somebody doesn't mean you don't can't hate him So we were on opposing Sunday shows and I go right back to Air Force Andrews Air Force base and the mill aid says I don't think I put this in the book President President Bush wishes to speak to you right away about James carvel. I'm like, oh, no, what did he do? See I so I go into the cabin and he goes, you know what you know what you like your James Your precious James just said and I'm like I can't even imagine. I don't want it The Chabab she first says say one good thing about is there one good thing you can say about Your pony goes anybody that Mary Madden loves as much as she loves George Herbert Walker Bush must be a great guy and he was so poppy bush was so moved You know she was one of the great TCU fans ever you know that guy bleeds purple Kind of you think about it the smartest thing said when we got married in the press it was a Walter Shapiro I think in time he said it's not surprising that they married each other would have been surprising if one of them would have married a tree surgeon from Idaho Not that there's anything against research out of it that people in politics. No, you know each other I mean if you think about it it The you meet people in and In people in politics run into each other and It's kind of hard to fall in love if you don't run into somebody You know and so if you think about it you're more likely to It's more likely you have English professor from UT marries an English professor from A&M then it would be that they'd marry you you know Whatever the counter from love running in the same circle is the same circle the same to go to the same conference We are a little offbeat even in our own professional offbeat what I did think What did bother me and the duration of of his existence is thinking that we had a stunt marriage because it's I Had those girls of 42 and 45 that is not a stunt There's a reason people don't have babies in their 40s. It's a stunt, but something you're not going to want to try it home. I Wanted to go again and James said no I had a stop for my second birth birthing in labor to give him an epidural he was just so A little high strung about the whole thing This is not a stunt marriage Dov in the book Mary you enumerate the things the ten things you most often fight about and Remarkably only one of them is political and and that was the Iraq war Why did that create such dissension in your marriage? Well Because it was because it was difficult in the sense that we were trying and you can see how the Obama administration is still trying It's a difficult problem and it was a horrible Place to beat I wasn't didn't intend to stay in the White House. I was a poppy bush guy came in to integrate the OVP the office of the vice president in the White House in the 9-11 happened I spent two years in undisclosed secure location and I had access to a lot of information that he didn't have and He just got political and so we're kind of having a proxy war It wasn't like you know he was sticking up for his side and I was working it through where was the strategy? It's working through so it's difficult, but here's another reason I Love him and this works in marriages Some things you're not going to fix. I mean at one time I'm screaming and yelling and I always got to have the last word And he rolled down the window. We're dressing where he goes. I'm not gonna fight with you about Iraq anymore It takes two people to fight you can keep fighting. I can't hear you. I'm not listening That's why I move from number one to number six. Yeah, I I thought I think and How they likely that I'll continue to think it was a really dumb thing we did and Sometimes if you got to have a fight in a marriage at least it wasn't over the toothpaste cap. It was over a wall But I you know at some point everything you move out Then you know we had to stop fighting it just wasn't gonna change anything and I wouldn't go change her mind and she wasn't gonna change my mind and it wasn't gonna change What happened and then I just try not to think about it You know we're and we're gent I know this sounds disingenuous, but we're kind of happy fun people We don't like to fight. I don't like to fight. I don't like fight with my kids I don't like fight with my house. I don't like to fight with people It's I don't even like doing TV anymore because unless like George snuff Lopoulos or beloved Tim Russett Or somebody is civil, you know, but we knew George before you know, and we all have little kids together But it just we just don't like to fight No, I think most people don't like I mean I don't know if married people most people don't I mean maybe there are some But most people would rather not fight He has his own sports room with on in which Fox News can never be on he has his own bathroom His own closet. None of my pets can come in his room in any of his areas That's a recipe. Yeah, I tell you Mike advice. Here's what my advice is kick the can down the road Don't confront shit. Don't tell me what you're really thinking at a given time because you're gonna be stuck with that Statement, and it's better just to go silent and go your own way and get a working time out You know, this is really good advice somebody says, you know, tell me what you really think no You really don't want to know what I really think it's not good. It's not healthy and because the problem is In a marriage what you think right now may not be what you think two months from now But what you said you think right now is gonna be thrown in your face two months from now But I don't know There's only three things honey. What are you thinking about football food or sex? Okay, when you were asking man Are you only are you what are you thinking right? It's nothing. They mean it. I'm doing that Unless it's football food Every now and then I think a football of food, but you know What are the other political issue that seemed to cause a riff in your marriage was the dragging up stuff to call riffing on that Well, it's you do you talk about in the book. I'm just but it was the which by the way is a wonderful read It is a Very engrossing Read I got through it in two days So I wholeheartedly recommended but you do talk about the two thousand election in the Florida recount and how that created Great tension in your marriage. Talk about that period of your lives Segway off of the book is not really political the I didn't want to put any politics in it except for the positive politics of Restoration and recovery of Katrina and we never come to Texas not without thanking Texans for all your help But the publisher insisted that we put some politics in because we've been through through some things in the last 20 years, but it what the recount was emotional enough for everybody else But what would happen was we were already at this pinnacle of emotion Intention and then within five minutes of the result I got a call from the Cheneys and I went Into the administration left him with a two-year-old and a five-year-old. He was not happy. He did not talk to me For a long time and I can't say that I blamed him But he turned out to be a pretty good mr. Mom while I was in an undisclosed cave somewhere for Probably wasn't the only Democrat that felt pretty thin out of shape about the Pretty common reaction The you talked about New Orleans and and really this is in so many ways this book is a love letter to New Orleans where you moved in 2008 and and James it was a homecoming for you. You're a Louisiana boy, but Mary you're a Chicago What drew you to the Crescent City? New Orleans is I loved New Orleans long before I knew who James Kerbal was We got married in Orleans. I wanted to be in New Orleans. I love visiting New Orleans. It's very much like Chicago. It's ethnic It's got neighborhoods. It's got music. It's got architecture. It's got all the things. I love plus-good weather and And it's got something that the Midwest doesn't have Sugar we're going to become a sliver on a rail Anybody from the Midwest who sits anything that says profiles sugar I'm following it. So when he said let's go, you know, but we were Looking back. It was a slightly irresponsible given the state of Of New Orleans when the kids were as young as they were and to uproot them Maybe did but they worked out good and that's what that's what the books about Well, yeah, I mean first of all what we got married in New Orleans and that was that Mary's insistence She always had a real affection boy and I the thing about the Events of that what I call a great engineer in failure 2005, which is more common for a tourist Katrina After that event I'd always I grew up my grandparents or my grandmother was from New Orleans I got married there a couple occasions. I lived there, but basically I had used abused enjoyed It took for granted the culture I would go down I would get drunk I would eat I would go to Mardi Gras I would You know go French quarter do the whole deal and after 2005 It dawned on me that the preservation of that culture was not a given that it was very very fragile And what sought to set me off is when I read that a thousand trumpets had been lost in the storm And this is not something that you can pay if you skip a generation. It's dead It's not you can't go to the conservatory and learn it. It's done and I'd watch my mother who spoke French before English I'd watch us lose a huge chunk of our French language culture in Louisiana and So That really like depressed me to no end In the city itself if you think about it is not It's economically it's kind of important All right, but culturally it's the most identifiable place in the United States But you know, you know what the food tastes like, you know what the music sound like, you know What a carnival crew looks like, you know what your funeral is, you know what the architecture is, you know everything about it's a completely identifiable culture and I Don't like the whole thing could kind of go in there's kind of I talked about in the book and in my kids and I was like Scream at him about the coach and how we had to preserve this and promote it and fostered one of my Taughter came in and they said dad, which takes me to pinkberry. I said pinkberry. What the hell is that? She says a new yogurt place. I said goddamn it. We don't eat yogurt in his family It's a I became almost like a Food I a cultural. Yeah, I a tola and I like they played We had some parade and it was something other than your own music when I Support now mayor who's up for reelection next Saturday. I think it's gonna be fine And I my only request of it would never have anything at any city event. That's not New Orleans food or New Orleans music I don't want to hear any, you know Nashville sound of Motown any of that nothing. No Do you know how y'all think like keep Austin weird? New Orleans is really weird It's like the last bastion of weirdness Donna Brazil was over from dinner last night Rom Emmanuel's of The mayor of Chicago now was in town and we had a quiet dinner It's our for the old us old timers tall get together and Donna and I started talking about how bored and cold We were in the debates in New Hampshire So we hopped on a plane to went out LSU was in which game were they in but I don't think about it We got cream by all down We just got on a plane I so we pull up to my house little I had he doesn't know we're coming I have no idea. He's having this pride this house. He had the entire LSU band the whole tigers band In front of our house. Let's go tigers So Donna stays out all night goes to the game, which apparently didn't go well Then we went back to New Hampshire. It's just a place that brings out. It's like an adventurous Kind of fun place. I'm sorry, honey. No, no, no, no, you bring up the 2000 recount then the LSU national championship Which is the view scratching the scabs Let's talk about the time I Yeah, no, it it is and to watch it sort of come back The way it has and and and to watch How strong the culture has become you know, it was I'll give you a good example The the date of the engineering failure There were 809 restaurants. There's actually a guy that monitors this and today they're like 1360 The the quaint Davis who runs jazz fest tells me that The street music is now is good at this ever been and that's the way these musicians come up and if you We were chairman of the I love this story, but this kind of we were the chairman of superbowl last year And we have not the extension of an awesome, but we have a Small growing and increasingly significant kind of tech community And one of the things that one of the apps that they developed that I love is If you stop and you think about how what is the one thing that I carry around that my my daughter's done Cash cash young people Young people do not carry cash They're going to star above parts. So they developed a cell phone app that you could tip with your cell phone Because that's how the band lives if you're a street band You live on tips So you you might have 1523 euros Or you know some some kids from university or taxes go to the also weekend. They're not carrying cash So they they they don't tip that they developed an app when they put that you could tip with your cell phone That's how you that's how you preserve a culture If these if these young musicians Don't get this they don't live off of that Then it sort of goes and you You stop and you think about that And you know you have 6th street here, which they was 6th street was here in 1982 It's the people who still still tell me about that that's part of what austin is Hey, you may not be a player. You know, I could go down saturday night You can't walk and play as a drunk kid whatever the hell is but it's important that it's there Is it very important That is that which you worked you you came to national prominence by working for the comeback kid and now you live in the comeback city What is it the root of its revival and resilience? as a as a city Because it's a remarkable story the comeback of normals, you know, if I start about this long and hard The two things I think there was a moment where a People from the city and that knew it or were from there or the whole diaspora whatever you want to call it Just said, you know, we just not gonna let it go under there was just in and in and I'll I'll I'll say this I'll give present bush 43 credit they They after I'm not gonna talk about before during or immediately after the storm But in the aftermath and I'll give don pow another taxon a lot of credit and they put a lot of a lot of skin in the reconstruction And that was a very that that was a very kind of important but what really happened was People and I think Mary and I the example of it just said, you know, what way it's not letting it go It's just too important It's just too important And and and there was a time when you talk to people will tell you it was about They didn't know if it was going to make it and I can't give enough credit to To our mayor I really can't Did you know when you're in a place like that where it's sort of fragile and and you have Leadership just matters when you're up against the wall It really really matters and in a way that it doesn't matter as much in a state level Or you know if the Dallas is going to do well if you have a kind of okay mayor Dallas, they'll be fine We're not like that when you when you're not when you're up against the wall you you have to have Really good leadership And and anybody You know if you don't think that leadership matters look at the difference between Chicago and Detroit Look at the difference between Colombia and Venezuela. I mean, I do a lot of work internationally And Some people places are just kind of naturally prosperous and they'll do okay Some some people some places really really have to have That kind of leadership and that and that was the position That we were in And so You know then people started the I give the school the Teach for America people and young people Is my brother was telling me the contract in Baton Rouge This never happened all the young people in Baton Rouge now want to be in York That was never the kind of case before but and and I think that part of it is Tulane became The year in 2005 they had 17,000 applicants in 2012 they had 46,000 applicants For now it didn't it didn't become that much of a better school, but young people They want to go somewhere where there's a challenge That that drew young people there And the other the the best description I ever heard is is a guy It's a the city that's comfortable with his oveness We really don't aspire If you live in Austin you talk about what a great quality of life you have you have the hill country you got town lake you got the university you have I mean, it's really kind of yeah, really remarkable sort of quality life in a in in a city like this and in you Great parks got civic endeavors Everything We never ever Talk about quality life. We talk about way of life We have our own food on music our own Social structure on funerals our own architecture all without so to live our life in our culture Is really what all and somebody's how you lived as got their bugs and storms and humidity and poverty and you know Yeah, we got all that But shit we like our red beans on Monday Can I This really is you can skip over the National political parts of the book which we're forced to put into but I said I'd never do another book with him. I haven't read his half of the book. We wrote 20 years ago I said it was like giving birth with unepidural, but I people increasingly And with urgency kept saying how do you guys do it? They think there's some magic fairy does because we've stayed married that can be applied to Politics so this is a happy story about politics because mitch didn't really want to run james Did a poll and showed him how he could Win and run and win And then it was and we got sixty seven percent of the black folks sixty seven percent of the white Those are very happy like across time and when he got into city hall There was no there were no computers the debt was Way beyond what he thought it was no computers no hot water His wife had to come and clean the bathrooms and people quit their big giant jobs at Law firms and came to serve in city government for pennies didn't work You know 24 7365 And it became and you can do business there now reliably do business and he just It was such a sacrifice for him and his family is five little We're all bigger now and he's running against his election, but it just it's time for people to see that That politics is not as dishonorable, disreputable as it looks It as it's being currently being conveyed. I I brought up rom for the same reason running chicago. It's not easy He didn't need to do that The same I love mayors of the mayor philly the new mayor of detroit. I mean there's if you but it takes the That kind of leadership and citizens who want to work together and real Transparency and accountability and it can be done So you both mentioned detroit What can a city like detroit learn From new orleans in reviving itself What's the what were the principal things that it can take from From that example, this is Silver lining thing to say and a terrible thing to say but you almost It's kind of an alcoholic thing. You had to be a rock bottom. I mean And they are So they just can't you can't fool around the stuff that realm has to fool around with in chicago and such Um, but we've learned What our mayor says is I don't care if you're right or you're left. He happens to be a democrat I led the republicans for him all four of them in the city, but I said because if you if you come in here and you want to divide or you want to make A hassle get out if you come in here with the solution Let's hear you and his doors are open I think that's what they're trying to do to try know JP Morgan jamey diamonds made it kind of they made it sort of their personal Project they and that really matters to people feel like they can do business And they can be mentored and they can be supported And there's a clean government a business friendly government And that's a great american city and it's I'm excited about working on this project. I think it'll draw young people back We I didn't tell you this I'm working on this project Well, there was similar in a way that there were both cities that were in trouble and We got hit by a That I call engineering failure that that our levies was supposed to hold in hope And then Detroit got hit that there were already in trouble when they got hit with the recession in the auto industry It would really whatever they were really You know Think about it's like two different circumstances But You know, we've had a somewhat of a revival in auto industry and they'll probably have to diversify Build around there and you know the way that you know the way that it works is People starting to now come in by a property Uh and and hopefully uh like we did they'll they'll be able to entice a kind of creative class back into the city Then they'll have to reconfigure some things and You know, it's kind of block by block think think about things And it may not come back and be the same place that it was before but that's okay, too Uh And you know, it's always going to be But need, you know, it's still they had quarters of afford. It's still in their dearman. Detroit, you know general modus is still there Uh And they they'll be able to they'll figure something out, but it's better Better not to have this happen to you in the first place. Yeah. Yeah, but it was it was a We're back You know, but you you learn never to take things for granted the point is Change is certain progress is not Okay, that's something we agree on and they're and and I I can't say enough young people are like magnets if you if you want to be Optimistic about anything it's jame them and to quote my beautiful husband here There are this generation is far better than we deserve. They are really They we're like silicon south now again James is raised now as much as austin, but they have invented so many things to solve problems on the spot And one I know they can do that in detroit, too One of the issues about business coming back to detroit is security Well, we're working We don't work anymore. There's all volunteers stuff with it with a technical With Palantir and they've made this robot that's like a security guard And it scares the bejesus out of you know, like I don't know it looks like a little tank thing, but it talks and says stop halt It's can film you and all but I mean that's like you can't get security guards to go in there It's a little it's not a little thing But there's a lot of technical things and you and these kids come up with solutions that are way out outside of the box Of thinking and and and they have their midwestern values and they have a good governor and they have It's just a very feeling very positive about You brought two members of the next generation to norlands with your two daughters How did they adapt to the move from washington where they had grown up to You know it was a we've talked about we look back on it and it was a really almost irresponsible thing to do At first of all, they were very great the eighth and the fifth grade Which is that's a let me tell you something The most vicious specimen on earth Most vicious specimen on earth is not a great white shark Is not a salt water crocodile Is not some alkydeguy in Yemen. It is a seventh grade girl And I see a lot of hairs nodding out there And So we moved with a fifth and eighth grader. We were right there in the sweet spot if you will And You know, it's a dare and I say it's a culture. It's a different culture And you know one of the things that children had to there was a a like a survivor code That if you didn't go through Katrina that you know, you weren't Like and and the ones But whatever reason more so now what has never been a place that's like totally embraced strangers Now I was from that sort of, you know, I hardly like a stranger, but but it was but it was They Love it now They did great, but it was a you don't move a fifth and a five fifth and eighth grade daughters without Some element of risk here. Let's just put it that way and uh You know the one that the really when james had to suffer through this Let's just say They were at one end of the spectrum and his wife was at the other end of the spectrum He would just say this is too much. I know dynamics for me need gona's room. You shut the door So he says to he says to the little one She goes when I when I'm around you do I embarrass you? She says daddy I just think about you when I get there You know, they're they're pretty mean too and these are they're really Good kids find that the older one went to sacred heart and they have their own Culture and they say she had her own womb if you will After four years the other one said mother you just don't provide the structure I require I'm going to boarding school. I said, do you know how much it costs? The heart is to get in that your father is going to melt down. She gives me great answers for everything She goes he's always close to meltdown. That's your problem. Not mine I mean they we've taught them to think for themselves. They're both highly opinionated. Gosh. I wonder where they get that And they are Now that they are not in New Orleans the big ones in college It's like an exotic place You know people think New Orleans is really exotic and they all want to come to mardi gras And they all want to come to the french quarter and they want to see the crazy stuff Now they think it's cool, but I think it would have been miserable it and you could be on mars on a space station with two teenage girls Every daddy in this auditorium has had to go through. Could you just let me off like two blocks away? I don't need to pull up right to the front. Maybe we'll see you Whatever you do don't roll down the window, right? Don't even stop. Let's be like a rolling You're about to get married when you have kids. You cannot roll down the window. You can't stop They they you just slow down and then they jump out Are this a true stir case that he would not do that He would get out of the car every day after we won the super bowl. See there's something And you go hoot it hoot it hoot it standing in the street. She's trying to ignore him, you know And it's not like he's quiet finally one day. She turns around She's six feet tall frighteningly tall. It's the The hair down to here, you know Hoot at hoot at hoot at always embarrassing me You did That's that's just a mother One of the most moving passages in the book for for me was when you talk about When you first moved to New Orleans in 2008 and you learned that your friend tim russard had passed away Uh and it was a blow for both of you. You considered him family Washington's a tough place and and people are either loved or or hated Or both He was universally loved. What made him so different. Why was tim russard such a special guy? Someone We're still very close Luke his son is like our son and our daughters were like, you know, he we Loved each other. He's a family man from Buffalo and somebody told me a story last night that he Uh He said the same thing about the book I had a guy knew from a long time go to NBC said I really liked what you said about tim And one day I want to tell you the story one day He was out to took us out to dinner in the bureau. He's the bureau chief And somebody who's on the air today who shall remain unnamed because I don't want to embarrass him Was nasty with the waitress and because they're taking time and And tim over tipped her and as they're working said do you never talk to the wait step like that again? She's working hard. It's not her fault that the chef that they cook the cooks, you know, the kitchen slow Don't you talk to people like that? Well, that's tim And he didn't embarrass the guy in front of anybody else All he wanted to do is come and eat. She's from Buffalo. He wanted to come eat meatballs watch football and and He just the real deal. I mean, I don't and he just a lot of washington is it's not mean so much as it's transactional he There we were we're still friends. We're still friends with marina and luke and He's he was very faithful Faith filled. He was a great catholic and he's the only guy for the longest time on tv who Who who was so steeped in policy they could go Three or four or five questions deep and I mean it just And he was fun. I'm gonna start crying. I'm just I just miss him. It just we it just was Unbelievable don't stay We moved we flew down that morning and uh So we got that I had a to go to anybody that's they'll live in your arms knows. I'm talking about I went to a little boy to langensteins Which is a kind of legendary small store in uptown you always had to get just coffee and Bags and wouldn't give it anything to refrigerate And the phone rings. I'm on arabella street and sal hunt and says I got the worst news you can imagine I think temp just died and then I looked on the phone put put in a book and barbara phantom Who was this person I could sort of thing up and then I knew We didn't even we had to fly right back to washington And I just said it was almost like, you know, you want to separate. I mean really it's june 13th Uh I think he and we had our baseball tickets together. We had our basket ball tickets together And I think it was viewers and people Like trusted him because it had felt like he was sort of one of them You know, he maintained that kind of regular guy sort of buffalo Aurora, you know Persona about him at the same token, you know, he was a pretty Direct question and you know, it was really good at follow-up. There's I don't know if it was in the at you know, and he really Comminated that sunday morning tv for a long time and when he took that show over it wasn't a case and I you know, I don't know because uh, but he just had a way of connecting with viewers In a way that that viewers really Sort of trusted him and he became and this is when you really when you become when something happens And that's the go standard that you go on and if you survive that then you kind of turn the corner wherever you are You know, I don't maybe To some extent at some point, you know, chris christie may need a tim russet. There's no tim You know for or any time that you kind of Going through that he had that that Way about him if you will, you know We used to literally call this in politics, you know in the primary the invisible primaries We know this from being in media You're the money primary the consultant primary That's all before you even get started and then there was the meet the press primary If you didn't get through a meet the press remember john edwards famously went on and almost I love john edwards. You want honesty? I can fake it You know authenticity But you and dick chaney loved going on there because there was not a child's play that was not spin That was not talking points and think about that. Just like just thought exercise is there I like we like George. We like George a lot. He's so he's very smart smart smart. I think he's going to become the Primary you have to get through this gauntlet to Because you gotta stand and it's good to have you don't want to have it softballing because you want to be Yeah, George is one of my best friends in the world. He's got he's really they got look what he's I mean George's at the conference of some in television That's really remarkable. Was that he's got the number one rated morning show and now he's got you know The number one rated Almost a more soon to be number one rated sunday morning show. So he's seen six days a week And that's That's not easy to do to do that much Yeah, that's that's not in George's career with two girls Pre-teen, I said, but really remarkable this last week and we're on here Got an interview of Putin So he flew to Putin came back and he had those two little girls and like your life cannot go here You got about maybe 18 more months Then you're gonna be this who that who that You know, yeah, it's uh We've been far, you know, obviously been very very fortunate to you know be around some of the most interesting things and interesting people and you know this You know the girl from the south side of Chicago a guy from a one-stop sign place in south Louisiana We used to say we were so far in the stick that the pipe sunshine in They're very uh And that's what we were doing a buck in 20 years. We had participated have been a lot of big events and and you know, the Whole clinton impeachment thing the recount of 9 11 the Katrina reconstruction uh Do you know what we've been Unfortunately, we've had a chance to see a lot and participate Not that I want to prove his point about I remember everything but during the clinton recent unpleasantness I did not get involved. I just had my second baby I didn't I don't judge other marriages because I didn't like mine being judged and I figured his punishment for whatever He did was to be having to live with Hillary. So I was like so But I said to James at the time I said you've gone out there and you've You kept repeating this lie over and over and he lied to you You were lied to and then you went out then repeat how how can you I can't deal with that's what I can't deal with And and I'm postpartum and I'm depressed and new infant. She was cow. He goes sugar If I did something that stupid with the girl that young I'd lie about it, too Not the right thing to say I I don't know. I said they could have had me against the wall with the blindfold and the cigarette and I say I never touched I swear I was a how can you kids? How can you fight with this as something like them like, okay? I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you a little bit about presidential politics as we look forward to 2016 James, uh, I had a dinner with you in in 2008 and uh It was during the democratic primaries and there was a pretty crowded field and you said I guarantee there's this is a two-person race It's either obama or mama So now obama is going to leave the oval office in 2017 is mama the inevitable democratic nominee This is the way I would put it I would not be surprised if she ran But on the other hand, I wouldn't be shocked if she didn't run I guess that's the way I'm saying. I think she probably will but You know who knows and she would be For the nomination. She would be a pretty formidable front run Democrats really not we're not looking for kind of a fight. I'll tell you I'll make a prediction. I don't know Rick Perry is going to run and he's going to do better than people think Okay You Would a what I have said it before and I'll say it very clearly right here I'll say I said running for president's like having sex. No one did it once and forgot about it It has a very high recidivism rate All right, why don't tell you Once you go I've just said and once you go around the track once You learn a lot and I Well, the vote for him. I'm not for him. I've got both one thing but My prediction is he runs And he is Going to be a factor Uh And you can you can see it kind of unfolding people of the The thing is starting to just wind down a little bit right now uh, and I think they The republican nominating assuming that that That mrs. Clinton runs it's certainly Conventional wisdom and I think it's true, but we're going to be much more interesting On the republican side Which can be a good thing actually because you kind of want That the lone Thrown out thing between senator obama and senator clinton was is that it actually there will both remain popular the whole time It didn't hurt and and what the republicans need Is for somebody to To beat somebody they need someone to look strong and for whatever reason Perry didn't run very well Well 2012 but but I I thought my guess is is he'll run and he'll run a lot He'll be a lot more effective and You know, yeah, yeah, if you bill clinton you can do it one time The first time but dang a lot of bill clinton's out there So remember reagan had to go around the track once 76 and 1880. Yeah, and he was much better candidate Who's the most formidable republican office, you know, the one that beats other formidable candidates That's not a cop out. That's not a cop out because if if if Romney never got a chance to look forward because they never really beat anybody So if you have a ran paul a scott walker a rick perry Ted Cruz I don't know but you know what he's You may not like him, but he's good on his feet. He doesn't he look he's in a debate. He's not michelle bachman All right. I'm just saying in love with you wanna if Other people that sort of run if I worry republican, which I'm decidedly not What I would want would be a big strong feel Remember the 1980 republican feel Bit bragging John connelly George bush, George bush bob dole Uh, howard baker I mean when you when you beat john anderson I mean when you beat somebody you understand you You look good if you win You know if it's it's a you know if you win a little conference If you win conference usa, you know look as good if you win the sec You look a lot better. Why because you really had to get to go and it's the same thing In presidential politics and when you saw people start other republicans start seeing somebody, you know stand up win in a primary and And they look strong and that that matters That matters and that's that that's what they need a But no, there's not many fields that you're going to get like a 1980 republican feel one of the strongest Fields ever feel about a major party But to stop and and and sort of think about it. That's the kind of way to think about this. So who am I? Anybody came through and emerged that and unified that party. They would be a very strong general election candidate But that's what they've been so when my republican friend says, what are you? What do you think? And give everybody a check you ought a mall to run. It's better for you Mary, what is what does the GOP need to do to get on track to win in 2016? Well part of the A big part of why the brand So disfavor or disfavorables are so high is because republicans don't like republicans. I'm a constitutionalist I'm a federalist. That's what I keep working on all these years and I forget the last verse I got involved in just because he it's fred tomson who james is the only candidate who has ever tested positive for ambience. Okay I said I he's a federalist. He goes no one even knows that a federalist is So but this has been i'm sort of a pre-socratic kind of virtuous state person I like governors. I want a strong field. I want a proven record You can't just I'm not I don't mean to cast dispersions any of the previous field, but that was just like a circus for the TV debate thing so the party is taking We're gonna have a limited number of debates In in a way that isn't like the price is right, you know like a tv show kind of thing And what they need to do is talk is propose just not break this It's not right that they don't they're an obstructionist party. They have a said we have a set of beliefs We have a set of proposals. They need to be articulate about them. You I get it I'm in austin. You can hiss and boob, but I'm gonna tell you this about Ted Cruz He I I saw him I would do was doing something for somebody and I said if you're ever in new Orleans You can come to the house and have a fundraiser You can use it. There's a lot of energy money and blah blah So I was took the I was away with the kids all summer so the day came back He said, oh, there'll be about 30 people here that 300 people showed up James I didn't know any of them. I mean he's just in he just Did his thing james stayed for the whole thing and it's set on tv. So i'm not Revealing anything that he said And you know whatever you may think of his politics the youngest solicitor general the guy is one smart Cookie and he knows how to articulate. So someone has to You know, I think it's been someone has to really if you have a full third clarion Call and the articulation then you need to like a paul ryan that really has done the policy Homework and we need to talk about these ideas not how many houses mit romney has or his dog Having diarrhea on the roof or whatever I mean my girlfriends and I had this and we'd watch the debates together and every time somebody did something embarrassing We'd have to take a shot. I said we got to stop this because we're all turning into elkies That's like we're not they need to shut mike huckabee up. He's made a fool of himself today What happened? He said that uh women needed the democratic party because they couldn't control their libido boy. That's gonna get you It's gonna get you a long way. I don't even get that That they need the contraception mandate that women Let me yeah, I think it I don't think it's gonna go over real well Just my guess And they just like to get a unified position rape is bad contraception is good and just go away boom Let me uh, we'll ask mary one question then we'll go to uh audience questions So if you could be I would just like to say for the record whose libidos are most uncontrollable I'm just saying with my god could be said They need to stop talking about Talk about it more back down left. How could they go out and go out again and get big santorum out there. That's why we don't Know Mary let me ask you Of course, he might not have actually said that because james just makes up stuff He didn't say it and he says it was such a thought of your life I was I would sit in front of 800 people and just make it up. I just was sitting here I said, you know what I think I'm gonna go mike huckabee libido That's the way I think don't I'm not saying something in the realm of that planetary system Might have happened but by the time it goes through your filtering system Again, I didn't tie taking him say what he said richard murdoch didn't say what he said Rick santorum didn't say what he none. I've never said anything Okay, would you like me to say some of the things you said? I'm not running for president I'm not running for the senate Don't vote for me. All right I make crude rude jokes I would not vote for me I didn't just experiment with marijuana. You know what I mean? I gambled illegally. I hung a little paper in college, you know This is so crude. He is so funny the funniest thing he's ever said in politics to my mind I can't even say it because He gets away with crudity. I mean he said during the primaries and I'm He can't retract it because out there if and I'm quoting him so don't yell at me If hillary gave obama one of her balls and they both have two I love that No, how did you not say that? Did I make that? Ladies and gentlemen the the lbj library has hit a new low. I'm sorry I meant testicular fortitude. I meant to say that I forgot we were in that place I'll say a lot of stuff I've got to ask you marry the same question. I asked james if if you could handpick The g.o.p. Candidate presidential candidate today if you were forced to make a decision as to who the most Competitive candidate from from the republican side would be who would you choose? What what I started to say about why republicans don't like republicans anymore is because they're not proposing what we know works I would like to see a governor with a record That has worked that it has deployed and employed these Conservative principles common-sense principles what mitch lander is a democrat when he's done in new orleans My my favorite is scott walker. I was for mitch daniel's last. I'm very disappointed in run. I liked Uh, every period I don't know enough about what he's done in the state But I like what scott's done because I think getting our arms around and what chris chris. He's done in new jersey He's had a little traffic issues lately You know that's that's important public pension funds rom and I we were talking about last night So that and he can articulate it and you have to be authentic. I like governors. I like those skill sets But I like paul ron. I just like ideas the ability to articulate them And to not be baited into again talking about mit romney's dog or some such stuff like that I think we will and I I know the I know there's bigger There's more focus and reporting on republican schism, but the democratic party is They've got some splits there. You watch these these midterms They're not it's not like the a lot of these senators Who are in competitive races are embracing their president in the way that You wouldn't want to there's they're not they they're they're gonna have They're gonna got to do what bill clinton did and not whatever he said the air of big government's over They've got to move Back to the center because we don't have that kind of money. We just don't we can't do it anymore So that's I think those are both interesting and I want hillary to run I really want mrs. Clinton to run. I want to tell you what a wonderful person she is She was the first person to call mantra matters born in the hospital. We're not friends. That was lovely She when she was in the senate nobody nobody sees these things She was one of dick cheney was the president one of our favorite go-to people She always under promise and over delivered She never said she was gonna do something and didn't do it And and she really she was a great senator And I want having two daughters for them to see a serious A serious run and my second reason I want to run is because I know we can beat her Let's take some questions. We have time for about three questions. Anyone? Sorry about that. I was just quoting him on it It's pretty clever though, isn't it questions Yes, please I lived in New Orleans. My kids were born at auction or lived not far from you all on Jefferson and camp street And um, I can't tell you how much fun it is to hear you two talk about New Orleans Uh, makes me pretty close to want to uh, I love my keep off from there, but Definitely wouldn't mind moving back to New Orleans when I lived in New Orleans, which was in the 80s um I think the most shocking thing to me I'm not in New Orleans and my husband is from south Louisiana but the most shocking thing to me coming down to New Orleans was To have no better way to put it race relations The the tension between the different groups in New Orleans was upsetting. It was, you know, it was astonishing um Who do you credit with? Kind of helping cut through a lot of that. Do you credit Katrina and the community kind of coming together as a whole? Do you credit Mitch Landrieu? Do you you know, do you credit in some regard a drew breeze for you know coming in and And playing hero and giving to the schools and you know that kind of thing. I mean New Orleans all of the above all of the above and let me say because I James warned me coming down there about the tension and the race relations and that's why Mitch didn't want to run in the first place And I didn't see it. I've said, I mean, maybe I'm naive but I think I grew up in Chicago. I did not feel it. Everybody who was there wanted to be there. I would add to your list uh mothers African-american mothers So when we when Mitch under 67 percent of the black both 67 percent of the white folk uptown downtown every income thing People wanted to save New Orleans and I find there's there's still There's tension that is so historical and the legacy of it. I don't understand but the day-to-day living This is a true story. We're having a dinner party one night. I said, what there's no white people at this party We could have diversified. I mean we just like we gotta It just I don't he will have it. He has a different take on this. I'm just telling you how I feel that everybody Lives in New Orleans now Is not looking to For disunity they're looking at how do we how do we Make each other better. How do we all grow together? I'm not trying to be a polly any I First of all if you live there in the 80s, I think your assessment is A lot of truth to it And you can't history is history You really gotta I tell you how bad it was in 1992 The carnival crews were all surrogate And darthym a tailors and the city council said the city is not going to pay for cleanup of exclusionary carnival crews so either Then we're not going to issue a permit to crews And once they won't that's it. We're not Everybody else said the hell with it people like I can you believe that it's 1992 1992 Now We have made tremendous progress. I'll tell you what I get credit to and this is it Our generation has not been able to infect young people with our prejudices My children if I mentioned someone is Hispanic or african-american or gay or anything. It's what what what what difference they make. Well, why even mention that? That's not in in these young In and so part of what's happening. I give a lot of credit to the mayor, you know, remember The reason he lost in 2006 to nagan after nagan had a nervous breakdown during The storm after nagan went to jamaica on a city contractor's dime 90 days after the storm is because There's certain whites in new olives refused to vote for him because his daddy integrated city hall in like 1970 All right, I mean that For the time There's also got something to do with this, you know, but but you're right in and we have had a No sense in sugarcoating. We have had Issues there. They are much much better And uh, you know, I like to point out to people out of Louisiana is that uh We had the first vietnamese congressman in history the first indian governor in history until recently the Chief justice our supreme court and our senior senator were both women And our three largest municipalities are governed by racial minorities within the municipality We have a black mayor shreveport a black mayor of baton russian a white mayor in new olives It's not too bad of a record when you stop and you think about And I think I should say So clearly some of this is generational, but uh, one of the Women just asked Is part of it was the catalyst katrina in some respect No, I think I think in some respects It I think it was and I think some of it was was Was Mitch was the mayor because the land drew name Yeah To me and what I always tell people it doesn't matter if we have a white mayor or a black man The thing that's important is is the people of the other race have to trust it All right, and that's and that's what really Mitch and the land drew name bought That they knew that name and they knew you know what I mean? And so the really important thing is that you got To have in a in a city with a with a history like we have I think that's an important part of it And it's also part of who we are. It's why it's why I like it. It's why it's a well our music Why are our coaches such an integral? You know in important and central part We wouldn't be new olens without a large or You know majority African-american population we would be something else. We'd be like overhaul something. Okay, it's not It's Peyton Manning be calling our name out. You know So and but your question is A good question and what I'm really pleased to report to you is No, have we eradicated? No, no, no, no, but I think you'd be quite pleased if you came back I think things are much better. There's a very Good Question that I think had to be had to be asked and had to be brought up and talked about Last question. It's a little bit of a smaller question But uh, David Vitter the senator from Louisiana just announced that he was going to run for governor I'm curious as you are both Louisiana residents what you each think about his prospects and what the campaign will be like Thank you. I don't like to play politics in my own backyard. I'm playing in virginia because it's Eddie it's old So friends of mine run then I'll get involved. I've already publicly supported Jay darden in the primary And what I really care about Is that the relationship that governor jindal And mitch land view baton rouge and nor lanes Have which had traditionally been counterproductive it's really been And synergistic I hope that whoever wins that continues james knows the I'll tell you something About better. I'm not gonna vote for it, but that wouldn't surprise anybody including senator better himself Pretty much knows what I think it First of all, he's he is pretty wet bass smart. He's a road scholar And he works like a rented mule Okay I mean he will he will get up early. He will campaign hard And he doesn't he he doesn't bother him that he goes in with 48 of the people He's not bothered by the fact that I'm gonna never vote for me. He's he's going to talk it out. He's uh You know, I like that I get along fine with governor jindal, uh, you know if we If you You gotta deal with the guy we were channel to superbowl. We need state help. We can work with people would do whatever I My guess is he's no better than 5050 to win Because the way it works is is everybody Goes at one time than the top two go Now he could win any republican primary with a majority of most places The one who just gets the most votes go and republicans have a not as much as texas, but a pretty good built-in Faked in the keg vote in a statewide election You know, it's not impossible The only democrat that probably could win for governor would be met if he ran Then he would be would be no worse than what she is Can I clarify something because I am not this is my being for jay darden does not mean I'm not for vitter I like vitter in the senate senate because when I grew up in the poppy bush days the louisiana senators Had whack. I mean they really had seniority matters And he does work hard and he's a he's a great senator and he works well with it He works well on things that we agree coastal restoration energy he and mary of co-sponsor a lot of things together I I've just got demur on the fact that he's a great senator, but just just my opinion But I'll say this he he is going to be formidable So raise a lot of money. He'll work really hard and he's He's not He's smart isn't very stout machine too very stout organization and I shan't be supporting him voting for him But that wouldn't surprise you Ladies and gentlemen the book is love and war and james mary. We appreciate you giving us a little love and a little war Thank you so much