 Hello everyone, I'm here with Lauren Ashcraft who is running in New York's 12th Congressional District Will she be the next superstar out of New York who is progressive? We'll find out Lauren. Thanks for coming on the program Thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure I was really excited to hear about your campaign because your platform is absolutely robust and one thing that I really love about all of these progressive candidates running is that you all have Platforms that are like more fleshed out than a lot of presidential candidates, which I just find amazing So we'll talk about your platform But I wanted just basically get to know you a little bit because you're running for Congress and my question is why and second of all Tell us a little bit about yourself because your biography is Fascinating like for those of you who don't know on her website She kind of explains a little bit about herself and why she decided to run but she'll tell us here But I mean you have a background You know you were in exchange didn't in Germany you were doing comedy. So tell us about yourself. I find this so fascinating So I you're right. I you know what? I'm just gonna put it out there. I'm a weird candidate and I have a weird story So a lot of things are modi motivating me to do exactly what I'm doing and I started You know what my activism started before I was born actually because I come from a really hard-working Family my grandmother is an immigrant from Japan My grandfather was a coal miner in West Virginia They met when he was over in Japan with the Air Force during World War two and in order to pay for To you know to feed the family whenever they were back He got a job as a coal miner in his hometown in Mannington, West Virginia and was unfortunately part of the Farmington mine disaster He was a victim and died that day and my grandmother was left with three young children to feed and Had only my grandfather's very small work history Social security checks Based on his his life. He was actually one year older than me. I'm 30 So that's very strange for me to actually say but the fact that I grew up with these stories of my Immigrant grandmother living off of Social Security checks barely speaking English But putting herself through high school getting her GED And then going through nursing school and working really hard to be able to keep You know living the American dream She actually worked so hard that she was able to comfortably retire in the last years of her life But with that said one of the things that she was proudest of until her very last day is that she became an American and whenever I hear of People at the border being put in cages for seeking a better life and coming to this country that really strikes a chord with me and whenever I hear of company is cutting corners and Risking the safety of their workers. It also strikes a chord with me because that's why my grandfather died and on the other side of my family my grand my other grandfather was a hard-working trailer repair person and he fell not that far about three feet one day and just landed in the wrong position and became a quadriplegic and that was while I was a teenager and you know and those very formative years I watched his struggle financially and physically and Everywhere I walked around I was just way more conscious of oh you have to step up to get into this building That means my grandpa can't go there and oh he can't get on this train He can't use this public transit. And so I walk around New York City and realize all of the places that like my grandfather couldn't have been able to go and realized, you know, the Americans with Disabilities Act is 29 years old and Representatives have not been pushing hard enough to represent People that do not have the same physical abilities that me and you have so I'm fighting. I'm fighting for that the everyone. I'm fighting for the 100% Because not not everyone in Congress has and so specifically with the Americans with Disabilities Act I would like to expand it and include enforcement at the federal level because right now if you if you notice that something is not compliant or Someone with a wheelchair can't access a building or transit The way that you can make a difference is by taking that business to court And so that time burden and financial burden and traveling to court That burden is on the people taking that business to court and it usually is the people with disabilities because You and I may not walk around and necessarily think about how difficult it is for people to move around So that is one part of my platform Anyway, long story short is my entire life and my family background. I have seen how Regular everyday people get ignored by representatives and I am a New Yorker by choice I spammed my resumes out here after I graduated from school and Whenever I moved out here, I also have been struggling like everyone else to pay for a not affordable rent and Wanted to get to know people in the community. So I signed up for a comedy class and that is how I got into stand-up comedy and It's how I met a lot of my dearest friends in the city and I started producing my own shows because the comedy Community was actually plagued with its own me-to-movement unfortunately, and so I just wanted a safe place for women and LGBTQIA members to be able to perform and You know what it turned into a really amazing series. We had Unfortunately a celebration planned for after the 2016 elections because we were excited to send Trump Back to his penthouse and not have to watch him every day on the news anymore But unfortunately that didn't turn out the way that we hoped so we turned that celebration into a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood and That went really well and we felt like we were doing something to fight back a little bit. So the next month we actually Fundraised for the ACLU and then it kept going the Flint water crisis and California wildfire Foundation and Rebuilding infrastructure in Puerto Rico. So all of these things we just kept fundraising for whatever was being attacked in the news Or whatever was being attacked by the current administration We felt like supporting that series is collection box comedy and it's still going on today And it got me really into kind of this grassroots literally underground movement and in my district and fighting for the people and then I got really involved with the women's March because I am pretty sick of women's rights always being on a chopping block and And You know this January my world's kind of collided and I emceed that women's March and That day something in me snapped whenever I was able to explain to I think 200,000 people why we need to keep fighting for women's rights and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez was there and I saw her as a normal millennial that previous to her run was not well connected and she Did grassroots fundraising like my only option is because I'm rejecting that corporate and super PAC money And I was you know what she's a passionate millennial. That's fighting really hard and making a huge difference and I Through my hat in the ring. So here I am. That is so cool Okay, so there's so much about that that it is fine so fascinating So I don't know if there's a term for it, but it sounds like what you're doing is comedy for a cause Which is absolutely amazing and second of all, you know, when I hear your story and when I hear the story of like different candidates from across the Country, it seems like their life experiences It all is like puzzle pieces and when you put them all together you see their platform Like you see them advocating positions that are so important because like you said like for us able-bodied individuals Like we don't have to think about access to particular buildings So for something to advocate for people with disabilities is important So this is something that you don't really realize until you experience it for yourself Even though we have the American with disabilities act It doesn't go far enough and there's still a lot of barriers like certain buildings My dad can't go to because exactly you have a wheelchair and he can't walk You know, what do you do? So it's really nice to see people use their life life experiences and kind of Use that to build onto a platform that will benefit everyone and even though there's these overlapping issues that we all care about Medicare for all, you know climate change and taking action. There's these really niche issues We're not necessarily niche But you know these issues that are unique to certain people that just aren't being talked about because if you don't have that Experience then you can't really speak to that because life is subjective So it's so fascinating to see everyone come together and like bring these issues to light and your platform is so great so I was reading a rear platform and One of the things or a couple of the things here that I love mandatory vaccinations people don't talk about this enough It's incredibly incredibly important and I know that it's controversial But it's necessary and it's good for the species Yeah, you want to decriminalize sex work excellent never talks about enough legalization of marijuana So these are all policies that are have only really been talked about for the last couple of years And what's really interesting to me is that they're already so popular But let me ask you this though because I always like to hear this from candidates There's like a million different things that you know, we need to do to fix the country So let's say hypothetically speaking you're elected you defeat Carolyn Maloney. You have a blue district So you would win if you you know you Were the nominee what would you focus on like if you had to choose like three or so different issues? What would be your priority within that first year because you can't accomplish all of your agenda? So what do you think you would focus on? Yeah, so I would take the biggest swipe I can at this corporate pack money in politics and Obviously, I've been vocal about ending Citizens United But there are things we can do in the meantime until we have enough people that feel the same way in Congress and Senate to actually get Constitutional amendment passed. So I have an idea about how to annoy the crap out of politicians that accept corporate and super PAC money and you know, there's ideas about democracy dollars and Vouchers that you can use on elections, but I have this idea of on your federal tax returns All you have to do is check a box and you get a hundred dollars that can be used for Donating to federal campaigns and then in order to accept that one hundred dollars For your campaign you have to reject corporate and super PAC money. So for me, no big deal I reject that and I don't have to ask you any further questions. Just use that hundred dollars on me Really easy and you can do it the same way. You don't have to use a voucher or wait for it in the mail It's literally just a hundred dollars that you get back in your checking account And then you know that you can use that hundred dollars on Candidates, but if you are a candidate such as my opponent who accepts large amounts of corporate and super PAC money Then it's your burden to verify That that one hundred dollars or whatever people are throwing your way contains none of that tax credit So you have to add a question on your act blue You have to call and ask people that send you checks However, you get that money you have to verify that it's not that because otherwise you have to give it all back and You know, FEC compliance is a pretty serious thing So basically everyone gets a hundred dollars and we can annoy the crap out of politicians That accept corporate and super PAC money I love that idea and you want to know what's funny is we already kind of do something similar to that in Oregon Where we each get a $50 tax credit that we can write off every year to donate to a candidate But I heard about this from AOC who says that in certain areas and this was back when she was a candidate when she came On my show she said that there are certain areas in New York where you actually Have a version of this where you know, you kind of get like a tax credit So amazing Do you know has there been any like municipalities that have tried something similar to that to a degree of success? I know like New York City for City Council, for example actually has Public funding like matching So that's great, and I'm also for something along those lines federally as well But right now the federal federal elections There's so much corporate and super PAC money just being thrown into them And in my opinion that is the root cause of all these issues of why is our health care system so broken? Why can't we just move to single-payer Medicare for all? Well, there's politicians sitting Representing us that accept all this money from private health insurance lobbies and big pharmaceutical lobbies and Why is there such a? Such a pause in moving towards common sense gun legislation again NRA and the gun lobby throwing money at politicians that I don't know how they sleep at night to be honest So all all of these problems criminal justice reform. Why is we not legalized? You know everything that you can think of that makes no sense that we haven't moved in that direction is Stalled because of this money in politics and I'm trying to think of a way that we can just annoy the politicians That still take it because it's it's really our our only priority should be people Not the profits of these companies because they're going to profit We don't need politicians in in Congress making sure that their profit keeps growing Yeah, I'm with you a hundred percent there and one thing that's so interesting about all of these campaigns like yours included is You're being principled and you're rejecting all corporate PAC money This is just a people-powered campaign, but on the flip side. It's difficult because you are Disadvantaging yourself, but money is so corrosive and corrupting that you have to reject that money in order To really prove to people that you know, you will represent them and not any special interests So let me ask you this what has been the response to people and constituents when you know You've told them about the fact that you're not taking any money. What do they say to that? Does that really resonate with them because I feel like whenever I see a candidate who is not taking corporate money My first thought is okay. This is someone who's just principled if they disagree with me on a policy issue It's because of their you know genuine feelings not because they're being bankrolled by some corporate lobby, you know So what have people said when you told them about this? well The straight the I guess not really strange It's it's not that unexpected, but we have been knocking on doors and phone banking and I know that last election a very small portion of the eligible voters showed up to the polls and what we're finding out is that not a lot of people know who their representative is and and You know, I think it is time that someone who's just an average everyday resident Who struggles with the exact same things that everyone else does? Runs and represents the people because that's what they deserve and so I I get to start from scratch with people that don't know Who their congressional representative is and explain why I'm running and what I'm so passionate about changing and That I am only taking influence from people because that's my only priority. So Their reaction is that I get to start fresh with this whole new group of people And that's really great like I can only imagine that that really leaves a strong impression Now speaking of impressions assuming you win You will probably be you know the fifth or hopefully the 30th member of the squad So everyone knows that you know as soon as you win there's gonna be the Fox News segments There's another socialist out of New York So let me ask you this because when you're in Congress There's going to be a lot of forces that will come at you You're inevitably going to face marginalization from your own party There's gonna be you know that centrist corporate wing who will be trying to get you to shut up basically because you're making them look Bad, you know because they're taking corporate money and you're not and then there's also going to be you know Fox News the conservatives who will basically just demonize you so much So how do you deal with that when you're in Congress? I know this is difficult to think like you know two to three steps ahead But how do you stay true when there's going to be all these forces in your ear because you know people are going to send you in Really hoping that you're gonna just come in swinging So how what do you do and just from a psychological standpoint when you have all of these people just screaming at you You know who are powerful How do you think you just from an individual standpoint personally can like stay true and Throat those forces at least mentally because that's the biggest hurdle. I think That's actually a great question and I can't say that hasn't already started, but I will tell you why I am so confident So I I'll tell you something and I I don't know if you noticed from my website or the article that came out But I also have a day job because I can't afford to not work right now and you'll see a lot of other progressive candidates that are doing this to two times full-time commitment in order to still pay for their rent and have health insurance while they're campaigning at night and Right now I'm a project manager I work at a big bank and I watch a spreadsheet that makes sure that they're following all the current banking regulations and I'm running I'm running as a you know democratic socialist and that's not necessarily the most popular Not necessarily the most popular way to be in the banking sector, but here I am I'm very public about it I have a very public stance about wanting to reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act which Would happen to break up my employer. That's my personal It's my personal position that that's the right thing to do and I'm on record with you right now saying that So I'm there is no other version of me. I'm a Canadian I perform in basements of Irish pubs and comedy clubs and then I go to work as a project manager and I run for Congress and What I am saying that I represent is is very deeply rooted and in who I am and what What where I come from and what I want for the country and I'm doing this out of a passion for change and There is no amount of money. First of all, I'm rejecting it. So it would be zero But there is no amount of money that anyone can throw at me to get me to change my mind on what I represent and I'm sorry to Anyone who disagrees with the fact that I am a democratic socialist But in my mind that is not I just I want to just make it clear that to me democratic socialism means the prioritization of people and We claim to live in a capitalist Society, but here we are bailing out big banks and subsidizing factory farms Which are one of the main contributors to greenhouse gases. We subsidize the fossil fuel industry all of these industries that are continuing to decrease the health of our country and And and continue to break the things that we urgently need to fix That's socialism that we are subsidizing it We're just subsidizing the wrong things in my opinion So if we can bail out banks and subsidize fossil fuels and subsidize all of these evils I'll go ahead and say we can subsidize people and that's what the priority should be and we should end Subsidism we should we should stop subsidizing things like fossil fuels because that's killing us literally yeah, and you know, I want single-payer Medicare for all because I got a $500 bill for getting a biopsy the other week and my I wasn't gonna not get it but I am insured, you know because I do still work full-time and You know if I'm insured and get that kind of bill then without insurance It probably would have been like $14,000 and who the heck can afford that I'm struggling to pay $500 so There are so many things broken and it doesn't matter if you make me a meme or whatever I'm a stand-up comedian. So I'm you're the heckled anyway. Yeah, you make the memes. You're the comedian Yeah, but honestly, I would be tickled if I become a meme and people like point their fingers and say I'm a socialist cuz I am I Love okay, I love that and you just got a lot more cool points Not that you didn't already have them But I just because it's like when you explain that that we already have socialism It's just for the rich and then rugged individualism for the poor if we're quitting him Okay, I feel like that's not a disputable point because all these issues that we talk about The lowest common denominator is always money in health care. Why is it so bad? Well because of the profit motive private prisons, you know, they're the reason why it's difficult to get real criminal justice reform Every single issue goes back to money and we prioritize profits over people So when you come out and say I'm a Democratic socialist what that says to me is okay You have adequately diagnosed the problem. I trust that you now can come up with the solutions So that's why I feel like I love that we're seeing progressives move away from the term progressive and on some more Democratic socialists because I don't know if you've noticed this and maybe I'm just like hypersensitive to this but I do think it's happening like the term progressive has been co-opted like even someone Who's like a corporate centrist Democrat says oh no I'm progressive and it just drives me nuts and now I love that we have our own term and that it's really become popularized due to Bernie Sanders and AOC Because they're too afraid to call themselves socialists so you can kind of like separate the the real people From the people who just want to get you to think that they're progressive when they're taking money from corporate lobbyists and whatnot So it's just I love that you identify as a Democratic socialist and so far every candidate. I've talked to this season I believe maybe excluding one identifies, you know very vocally as a Democratic socialist and I see all this and it's just it's amazing because it's like I see Change before my very eyes, but at the same time I'm frustrated because it's not happening fast enough, but you still see it. So there's hope so one thing that I really I think is important is one of your biggest obstacles besides not taking corporate money and that Disadvantaging you is cynicism people are apathetic They're ambivalent and they've just kind of tuned out of politics because they feel like it's hopeless You know, it's it's gonna be a Republican who screws them over or a Democrat Who's better on some issues but still by and large is probably gonna side with the big bangs as opposed to them So how do you overcome that because I feel like one thing that a candidate has to do is Get that voter motivated to come out and vote for them So what have you seen one in terms of like cynicism and to have you come up with any strategies that you can share that? Have been, you know conducive to getting people excited to come out I mean, we don't know yet because the you know, the primary hasn't taken place But what do you think you can do to overcome that because I feel like it's such a huge issue And I I get why people are, you know, not motivated. Yeah, I I mean I Understand the cynicism and I think in the last debate was it Marianne who brought up Why would anyone in Flint vote for any of us because we haven't helped them? So I get it and I I get why people in Flint wouldn't wouldn't even be watching the democratic debates because they're Worried about their children having lead poisoning and no one's there to help them. So the thing is a Lot of people have been ignored and they've slipped through the cracks and representatives have not done a thing in order to change the situations and lift people up from Poverty and from, you know, everyday issues that people face that keep them struggling and I get it and It's up to people like me that in my opinion are running to change things and to actually represent everyone to knock on every single door that we can and call every person and Reach out and ask them what they're concerned about and make sure that we listen Because there are still, you know, even you said our our platforms are pretty comprehensive But I'm learning about new struggles that people are facing in the district every day So I want to know about those and I will take them home with me and figure out a way to fight for people So I just was at an event yesterday when someone told me that they Went to a university in my district And they thought they had a scholarship, but it ended up being a scam and they contacted Our current representative and nothing came out of it And so people are telling me everything that they've been struggling with and how representatives and city representatives federal state have failed them and I want to know everything because I I actually want to make a difference and not to put more profit into Companies hands, but I want to make a difference for people who've been ignored until now And that's really important and I wanted you to actually talk about Carolyn Maloney because one other Disadvantage that I think candidates like you have in running against someone who's relatively unknown nationally is that you know people may think well I Like Lauren I like what she's saying But there are other candidates who are running against the really big dogs Like you know, you have Michaela Wilkes going against any Hoyer and Shea had boots are going against Nancy Pelosi So why is it that we need to get you in there as opposed to Carolyn Maloney? Why are you two different? So we're different because of everything that I represent and what I'm fighting for And I do not take the corporate and super PAC money and Carolyn Maloney Takes a lot of it and I really urge everyone to look whenever they're voting or donating Look at who donates to the politicians. Do they need your money because a lot of them don't and You know We have a lot of differences. For example, I am for term limits and that would also include term limits for myself and I believe that we should be Making sure that new energy and new ideas make it into Congress and the longer that That people serve the further and further away. They get from the everyday issues that people face and Carolyn Maloney has been in office since 1993 and a Lot of people do feel very ignored by her and I know that she Does fight for women's rights But one of the ways that I would like to make a huge difference for women's rights is to close the wage gap and one way that I would like to do that is is we as a campaign have come up with something called the even the playing field act and That actually would require large every single large employer, which we are putting at 250 and more employees would have to State publicly a salary range for every single job advertisement So a lot of the times you and I if we're applying to jobs You spend a lot of time tweaking your resume and writing a cover letter and then you apply and hope to hear back a lot of Times you just don't but if you do The inevitable question comes up. What are you expecting to get paid? And if you shoot too high then you're out of you're out of luck That's the end of the road probably and if you shoot too low then you screwed yourself and I want there to be full Transparency because I want to make sure that I'm not going to waste my time Applying to a job that is way out of the range that I'm looking for and I also want to make sure that no one else applying to the job would get paid a different range than me because of their gender or You know, I don't want someone to get paid less because of their sexual orientation or race or religion or anything so what you see in that range is what every single person would would be able to be offered and That is a real idea about how to close the wage gap and I haven't heard creative things like that from her and I You know, I do work in the banking sector and the Glass-Steagall Act is something I would like to bring back In a modernized way However, she was part of its repeal in 1999 so whenever you look at someone's donation history and Who pays attention to them? It says a lot about who? Expects a return on their investment from them and She does take corporate PAC money right now and that begs a lot of questions Yeah, my opinion. No, absolutely and rightfully so, but let me just say this for everyone watching Lauren just proposed legislation and she's not even in Congress yet So I mean that says something like we need people who are hungry and eager to fight And I feel like you're just preaching to the choir So let's let people know what we can do if we want to get you elected How can we help if we're watching across the country and I don't live in New York 12? What can I do to support you? Can I phone bank and tell us where we can donate as well? Yeah, so if you go to Lauren Ashcraft comm La u rn a s h c r a f t com There's an unavoidable orange donate button And we would love if you use it because we are trying to get big money out of politics And the only influence that I have is you so It's really annoying and I get it, but we need money to fight big money And to continue our uphill battle so every donation makes a huge difference We're looking to make some of our first hires So that will help a lot of our very passionate volunteers out and Help us move in the right direction. So thank you. Yeah, Lauren Ashcraft comm You can also there's easy ways to reach out to me through the website as well And if there's something that I have not advocated for or an issue that you aren't seeing raised I would love to hear about it. So please do stay in touch with me I check the email and Yeah, donate if you can even small recurring donations make a huge difference in our campaign Well, and thank you and let me make a pitch because I'm trying to really get people aware of the fact that you're part of a National movement and this isn't just about New York 12 like I always use the Example of Ilhan Omar. She just proposed full student loan debt cancellation. I'm in Oregon She may not be in my state and may not be my representative But if her bill becomes law that affects me personally in a really meaningful way So this isn't just about New York 12 Lauren is fighting for you even if you're not in her district So if you could chip in a dollar if that's all you have it really does go a long way because every single penny counts When you are taking on a machine politically and when Carolyn has been in Congress since 1993 She is entrenched everyone's on her side, you know, the special interests are coming to her defense So it's incumbent on us to come to the defense of candidates like Lauren who are going to fight for us So please donate Lauren Ashcraft comm Is that it? Yeah. Okay. I want to make sure I Almost said Ashcraft comm but I was like wait. No, that doesn't sound right cuz I was just on the website Actually, we we did buy that URL tooth. Good. Good. Okay Okay, but I do I do want to just echo that I am just part of this movement and The more of us that get into office the faster you can see this kind of change So I love yes small donations to all of us make a huge difference And I would love to get in there with the other Democratic socialists and true progressives that want to fight for the same things because That's a whole block of votes that we can actually use to do things like get this big money out of politics So I'm really excited to be part of this wave that Politicians like Carolyn Maloney have not been openly supportive of so yeah, yeah, we need to broaden the squad That's what it's about and make that block so big so vocal that we actually have some real power in this country So yeah, thank you so much Lauren. It's been a pleasure. Hopefully everyone will donate. Thank you so much for coming on Thank you so much for having me