I'm Hillary Clinton, and this is you and me both. You know, with our federal government so often paralyzed these days by infighting between the extreme and the more extreme wings of the Republican Party, more than ever, it's up to our state and local leaders to get things done, and that puts a lot of responsibility in the hands of our governors.
Some use that power in cruel and.
Destructive ways, by implementing abortion bands, taking away voting rights, or treating migrants not as human beings but as political pawns. But meanwhile, others are using that power for good. Today, I'm talking to two recently minted governors who are doing everything they can to improve the lives and future prospects of the citizens whom they serve. Both of my guests have broken through all kinds of barriers to get to
where they are today. Later we'll be hearing from Governor Wes Moore of Maryland, But first I want to introduce you to Maura Healy, Governor of Massachusetts. Before taking office as the first woman and first openly gay governor of Massachusetts, Maura had already accomplished a lot. She'd played professional basketball, Despite it has to be said, her kind of small stature. She'd served as the chief of the Civil Rights Division of the Attorney General's Office in Massachusetts and then been
elected as the first openly gay attorney general. Now, Maura is an unabashed progressive, but first and foremost, she is dedicated to getting things done, bringing the people of Massachusetts together to deal with everything from the climate crisis to the opioid epidemic, to housing shortages, poverty, to civil and human rights. She's off to a great start, and I'm thrilled to welcome her to the podcast.
There she is the governor.
Good morning, time I see you, and every time I get to say that, I get a big thrill.
Secondary It is always so great to see Thanks for having me on.
I want to start with your athletic career because one of the things that is very clearly connected among many women in public life is that they did have some kind of sports background. And I want to know how you decided to compete in basketball, because you know, our listeners can't see you.
I mean, you're a mighty person, but you're not six feet tall.
Well that that is true.
I am five four and probably shrinking every day, so obviously I was a point guard when it came to basketball, But for me as a young kid, it's sort of found me. I was athletic, and I loved playing sports, and probably about the time I was ten years old, really serious about basketball. I kept playing other sports, soccer and tennis, but basketball I really loved and it.
Also provided a real release to me.
When I was about ten, that's when my parents split up, and I think as the oldest of five, I sort of threw myself into school, threw myself into athletics right and it provided a really healthy outlet for me. You know.
I grew up in a little.
Town in New Hampshire, as you know, and so going to Roanoak, Virginia, or down to Oxford, Mississippi to play in junior Olympic tournaments when you're thirteen, fourteen, fifteen years old also opened up my eyes and my worldview. That continued through college, where I had the chance to captain the team at Harvard, and then I played professionally overseas for a couple of years in Europe because at the time there were no women's pro leagues here in the States.
So that's what you did. I carry the experiences of athletics with me every day. And I think this gets to your comment about women in leadership. You learn a lot about how to build confidence self esteem. Literally, when you're out there on a court at the foul line shooting a one on one, people are watching, so you sort of get used to having to perform. Sometimes you fail and you don't make the shot, and you learn to get up and go forward and move on. I
think also you learn a lot about discipline. And when I ran as a very unlikely politician, I treated every day of the campaign just like a season. Every day was practice, get up, get after it. You don't just show up and play in the files, right, So you learn a lot about discipline. You learn a lot about hard work, really, and I think something women are particularly good at teamwork.
Right. I think that's a terrific explanation.
And as someone who has you know, been on the front lines of athletics, and then through your service and the Attorney General's office, then becoming Attorney General yourself, and now governor, you've been able to see how getting that sense of commitment every day makes a difference. Because if you get knocked down, which we all do, you got to get back up.
Yeah, you do. And you know, along the way it's important to have fun.
So you know, I do continue to get out and play basketball with kids and youth programs and do that while you know, doing work that can be really grueling. And you know, I think that's just part of what it means to be in government, particularly these days.
But you know, I have to say I do this job.
And people can evaluate how well or how poorly I do it. I do it with a view that I'm here for as long as I'm here, I want to make the most of every day.
It's why I probably operate with a heightened level of urgent.
See that is probably too much sometimes for people to take around me as we're trying to you know, execute and move on a lot of fronts. But you know, I don't really pay attention to the critics. You sort of follow you and you do what you think is right and just keep moving forward. And you know, part of the discipline I guess of athletics is you literally learn to block out the crowd.
Yeah, right, you have to. You're at the foul line.
You have to block out the booze and the jeers and all that and just focus on the shot.
Well, boy, does that resonate with me, because yeah, you and I have both been the.
Subject of more than a few jeers and razzing during our political careers. Well, I want to talk about the state that you are now privileged to be governor of, because you know, people think of Massachusetts as, you know, this blue state that is so liberal. And you know, I've spent enough time in Massachusetts, went to college in Massachusetts, campaign for my self and others, and I love your state.
But it's a tough political environment.
I mean it is lots of sharp elbows, lots of you know, really tough battles. And you actually flipped that governor's seat from your predecessor, who was a Republican. So tell us a little bit about the politics and the political landscape of Massachusetts that people outside might not understand.
Well, let me just say I think Massachusetts it's the greatest state in the country, right, I just you know, aren't you.
Running billboards and places like Florida?
I am, and my message has come here.
You know what, We'll make sure you have access to healthcare, We'll protect voting rights and civil rights.
We stand up for LGBTQ.
Plus you know, members of our community we make sure that women have access to the reproductive health care that they need, and we really value and invest in education and workforce. So you know, that's my stump on Massachusetts politically.
You're absolutely right. It's a state.
Where you know, for many, many years, the majority of governors have been Republican see Mitt Romney, Bill Weld, Charlie Baker. So yes, I happen to be the first woman ever elected governor, first gaye person elected governor in our state.
And you know, I ran.
As a proud Democrat with a progressive record, and now have the opportunity to serve and to serve a state that really is in many ways a microcosm of this country. We have very blue areas, particularly in our cities, we have red areas, and we have purple areas. It really is truly a microcosm. And I think that's something that sometimes is missed in how Massachusetts is talked about or perceived. It's why, you know, nothing's a layup nothing.
You take nothing for granted.
If you're running a race and campaigning here, if you're looking to push forward your agenda, you have to get out and earn every vote and earn every opportunity for support for your agenda. You know, my job as governor is to make sure that everybody, no matter what their zip code is, right in Massachusetts, has a shot, has opportunity. Right, We're really really focused on an economic growth agenda here.
Yeah, And do you think that was the political message that most resonated with voters as you were campaigning?
Well, I think we ran a really positive campaign, positive in the sense of like, let's go, you know, let's get it done, Let's make the investments in our people.
You know, coming out of COVID.
Where I think there was a lot of I wouldn't say malaise, but depression, just people down, a lot of dislocation, tremendous disruption, people needing to sort of see a sense of purpose, opportunity like this is where we're going, this is what we can make happen. And I think that
really resonated with people. And I definitely was offering up an agenda of making life in Massachusetts more affordable by cutting tac by increasing housing because we've got a challenge with housing costs here, making life more equitable and fair, more opportunity for more people, and making our state more competitive, which is why I'm leaning in on a package of tax cuts and some other measures to make Massachusetts attractive
not only to residents, I also want employers coming to Massachusetts, where you know, I think there is this incredible amount of human talent, intellectual talent, innovation, entrepreneurship.
My job as governor is to help support and seed that.
Right.
Well, that's a great campaign outline because it certainly caught the imagination of your voters, and you won overwhelmingly. But as you know, the late great Mario Cuomo once famously said, you campaign and poetry and your government prose. And so now you've been governor and you've had to translate those really important aspirations into policies.
So give us a quick update where you.
Are, as you're now into that hard but essential task of governing your state.
It is, It is hard, and some days you're making more progress than other days. But I have to say, eight months in, I am really pleased with what we've accomplished.
We've been able to.
Do universal free school meals for students across Massachusetts.
That's a big deal to me.
Too many dealing with food and security, Now they don't have to worry about that. We got that done. We made community college free for everyone twenty five years and older. It turned out we had seven hundred thousand people in Massachusetts who had some credits towards a degree, but then life got in the way and they could no longer afford it. Now we're bringing them in back off the sidelines free community college, which is absolutely essential to our workforce.
I appointed the country's first climate chief. She sits atop all my secretariats and drives a climate agenda on transportation, on healthcare, on workforce and labor, you name it, it's happening there. I just went out another accomplishment. I just went out with the largest bid for offshore wind great and I'm really excited about what that's going to mean
for our move from fossil fuels to renewables. It's also a huge economic engine and driver, and Biden Harris administration came through with some funding to support us because they see what we're trying to do in a space where we're going to address climate, we're going to grow great paying jobs and healthier communities. So that's just a little snapshot of a day in a life. We've got an issue that is not unfamiliar to you where we have migrants coming to Massachusetts. I have been leaning hard on
the Biden administration. These folks need to work, they want to work, and we have a workforce challenge when it comes to so many industries out there. These are folks who could be working tomorrow in construction and hospitality at our hospitals and nursing homes, and so you know, my goal is to get expedited work permits and authorizations for them. But those are just some of the things that we're working on.
There is so much work. And for somebody like you who loves to roll your sleeves.
Up and get into that nitty gritty, you are blessed to be governor at a time when there are federal resources.
But there are also federal problems. And you mentioned one, which is immigration and the failure to move more quickly to enable people to work who want to work. And early on you mentioned reproductive health, and you and I are both reading how some states are trying to literally criminalize leaving your state to get the reproductive health care
that you need and deserve. But I think on immigration, on reproductive health, you're going to be you know, having to join forces with other like minded governors, because this is a battle that unfortunately is not easily solved, because the other party wants a problem with immigration, not a solution, and the other party is driven by the most extreme views about abortion.
I think that governors really sit at this point where you know, we can act for good or we can act for ill. And I think you've seen that play out across the country where frankly, you've seen governors take actions that are about stripping voting rights, stripping civil rights, demonizing and dehumanizing members of the LGBTQ plus community, going after and attacking migrants and those who are simply coming to this country looking for a better way of life
and wanting to contribute. Those who will deny, you know, science, and deny what's happening with our climate, even though storms and floods and hurricanes. I had nine tornadoes, Hillary, I had nine tornadoes in Massachusetts this summer.
Okay.
I talked to my friend Governor Kelly and Kansas. I said, what am I supposed to do with the tornado? She's like, what, just you get under a desk? I mean, we never had to talk about these things before. So it's just to say there are these forces out there, right, governors who are out there just furthering, perpetuating misinformation, disinformation, harming their own people, right exactly, I guess further into some
perceived political gain. And we have an opportunity, and I have an opportunity to offer up something different.
We're taking a quick break. Stay with us.
You know one other thing I wanted to mention because this struck me when I was looking at the accomplishments in the record you've already acquired, and that is, you know, lots of governors, In fact, I'd say probably most governors don't grant pardons until the ends of their term.
But you've made headlines for granting more pardons than your recent predecessors, and you've said justice can't weight. How do you make those decisions, and why are you doing it? And what do you hope the results will be?
Well, this is.
One of the most important powers that you have as governor, the power of clemency. And my backstory is that I was a business lawyer for many years, a big law firm, and then I sort of did a one to eighty left to become chief of the Civil Rights Division in
the Massachusetts Attorney General's office. I bring a civil rights lens to the work that I do, and as somebody who's been both a civil rights lawyer and a prosecutor, I have seen up close the real disparities and failures in a criminal justice system, and also seeing so many of the things that lead people unfortunately into the criminal
justice system. We talk a lot about the social determinants of health, there are the social determinants of justice, right, And you know, being presented with the profiles of these individuals who are considered for pardons is very clear to me. You know, people should not be held back in many instances, serve their time. They've done everything that they were supposed to do, and they did the work, and all they want now that they're out is a fair shot at a job, right that's going to provide for.
Them or their families.
And isn't that what we're supposed to insent in our criminal justice system. You know, it's about accountability, it's about reform, it's about rehabilitation, and that too often gets lost in tough talk and the conversation around criminal justice and its purpose.
Well, I'm thrilled that you're taking that on as well, because it's really important you know we're about to have a big election again in twenty twenty four, and I've bet a lot of young people ask you what it's like being in politics, and you know, whether you'd recommend that they maybe think about going into politics or going into government, what advice do you give them?
Go for it?
Now?
You and I know, I mean running isn't for everyone, right, and there are some of us who would probably prefer to be behind the scenes, and there are so many ways to be involved in politics without having to be the actual candidate.
But I can tell.
You now more than ever, we need young people to serve. It's why I've set up a Youth Advisory Council, It's why I incorporate young people into all the work that we do across my office, because they are the energy. They bring a focus, they bring a drive, and frankly, who has a more vested interest in what's going to happen, in what our laws and policies are going to be than are young people. We need them really engaged. We need them voting, We need them not to be turned off.
We need them to see that their government is here for them, right here for them. I'm looking up, I'm in my office here. One of the things that every governor in Massachusetts gets to do when they're elected is by tradition, they're supposed to hang a portrait of a former governor, and that is to hang in their office to provide inspiration. Well, I did something a little different.
I opened it up and I asked school children across Massachusetts to submit essays with recommendations for whose portrait I should hang. I received one essay and I read it and I just knew this is it. It was from a group of high school students and they said, you should hang just a frame. You should look forward for inspiration,
not backwards. Every time you walk into your office governor in the morning, you should look up at that empty frame and think about those who are voiceless, those who aren't walking the halls of power, and make sure you bring it every day for them.
And I just thought the combination and what that message evoked for me. It was like so clear.
So when you come you'll see in my office there's an empty gold frame, but it does to me represent what our young people are all about. And you know what's cool. You've had the kids in right, I mean, the kids come in their school field trips, and you know, they come into your office and they ask you questions and then they take pictures. Now, they take pictures and they superimpose their pictures inside that empty frame and they send me the text and it's like, cool, That's exactly
what I want them to see. I want them to see themselves in government, and I want to see that they can be anything they want to be.
Oh, you're giving me goosebumps tomorrow. I love that. Okay.
What keeps you up at night, you know, just wondering if you've done enough, you know, because I think about the kids who are going to bed hungry. I think about the families who are you know, making calls to police because one of their loved ones is in the throes of an overdose.
You know.
I think about those moments and what am I doing or not doing as governor. That's what keeps me up at night, you know, apart from from thinking about just the vulnerability of seven million people for whom I have some measure of responsibility. Apart from that, the thing that
I worry about most is democracy. You know, what we saw in twenty sixteen, what we saw in twenty twenty, none of that's gone away, and we have to be vigilant and fight back, fight back at these efforts to undermine and erode democracy and fundamental tenants principles that build this country. We need leaders, and you know, I will work with anyone in any party if they're about some fundamental principles and truths, and one of them has to be.
We believe in democracy.
We're going to protect the freedom to vote, and we're going to fight for and ensure accountability at every level.
That's what keeps me up at late yep.
Well, I join you in that insomnia, my friend. But at the end of the day, you've got such a tough job. What do you do to recharge, to rest, to relax, to you know, find some time to you know, just take a deep exhale.
Well, you do need to do that.
And I'm grateful when I get to come home at night to my partner and you know, her kids and the dog and take a walk. I love to get to the beach or any anywhere near water or the woods.
You know.
I find walking in those places really calming and restorative. The other thing I do is I clean.
I don't know about you. I feel like if whatever has happened to me in the course of the day.
It's probably like you know why I like laundry right, like I did it. It's done same with cleaning. Two nights ago, I was cleaning out the freezer, right. I think it's this where there is so much chaos and disorder and things coming at you. It's like, what can I find at the end of the day that will give me some semblance of like okay, peace? So sometimes it's the freezer.
Oh do I relate to that? Do you totally?
I mean, just get me a drawer to clean out, a closet to declutter.
And I'm a happy person.
But I'm especially happy that I got to talk with you, my friend, and I can't wait to come up and get my picture taken in front of the empty frame. I'm not going to shoot hoops with you, and I played half court basketball. That was what we did in my day. But maybe I'll help you clean out your basement.
Well.
I welcome any and all of that. It is so great to be with you. Thank you for having me on.
Thank you, my dear.
Keep an eye on Maura Heally, and keep an eye on Massachusetts. My next guest is someone I've had an eye on for quite a while now.
Full disclosure.
We first met about twenty years ago when he and Chelsea became friends at Oxford University, where he was serving as a Rhodes scholar. Later, he caught my attention for his excellent work as CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation, a not for profit organization dedicated to fighting poverty in New York City. Wes Moore is an Army veteran and a dad to two children. He's done so much in his life, but one thing he'd never done before recently was actually run for elected office.
But that's just what he did.
In twenty twenty two. He ran and he won, making him the first black governor of Maryland and only the third elected black governor of any state. Since taking office in January, Wes's administration has been busy passing bills to alleviate child poverty and creating a ground breaking public service program for high school graduates, among many other things. I am so delighted to welcome him to the podcast. Hello, Governor Wes Moore, Welcome to the show.
Oh are you in your office in Annapolis?
I'm in the office in Annapolis and it's still a bit surreal, uh, you know, being here and you know, knowing that this is my everyday office and I live across the street. Now, I mean it is Uh, it's quite fascinating.
How's your family getting settled in? How's everybody doing?
You know, they're they're doing great. The kids have really done well. And you know, and I tell you, I think a lot of it was a lot of counsel we got from friends. I had to be very honest with the council that we got from Chelsea, you know, and I was asking her about, you know, like how should I be thinking about this, and some great advices she gave was just keep their schedule and their lives as consistent and normal as it was before, because the number one goal is that you want them to be
as unaffected as possible in all this. And uh, and so what we've been we've been very fortunate that we've been able to do it so far.
Well.
I am lucky enough to have known you because you and Chelsea have been friends for a number of years, and she, I think has a pretty clear idea of what will work and what doesn't work. I was especially touched, Wes that you were sworn in using two Bibles, one of which belonged to one of our great Americans, the abolitionists,
the newspaper publisher and so much else, Frederick Douglas. What was that moment like that you put your hand on that Bible, knowing that Frederick Douglas had been there before.
It was? It was breathtaking because I said it to the team almost as a wouldn't it be cool? Thing? And my team heard me and actually then reached out to the National Archives, which is where that Bible is. And you know, once they said that we're going to have, you know, only the third African American ever inaugurated as governor in this country, they contacted the Douglas family and they gave permission for the Bible to be released for
that day. And it was amazing because they literally had, you know, an armed escort that took the Bible to Annapolis. It was inside of a case and even when dawn, when my wife is holding a Bible, she had to hold the case. They were very clear in their instructions the case would open up and the only hand that could touch the Bible was mine. Interesting, I then said the oath with my hand on the Bible as soon as I completed the oath, they closed the case and
they brought it back to the archives. It was onspiring, and it was also just a really important reminder of this journey. I mean, I'm a student of Frederick Douglass, and you know, I'm proud of the fact that he's a Marylander, but I'm also horrified by so much of his treatment that happened by Marylanders, and so much of the life that he lived, so many the changes that he fought for the impact that he made. It was trying to unearth a system that was very much entrenched
in this state that we call home. And so I'm not just really humble by it. And there's actually a picture that I have of Frederick Douglass that sits in my office, and I I strategically positioned it where it almost looks like he's looking at the desk, so every time I make a decision, I can look up and look at him like he's looking at and he's saying, you know, make the right choice here, man, because because you know, you're standing on some pretty broad shoulders right now.
Well that's pretty dauntic.
Got I heard that, Frederick Douglass and looking over your shoulder, But I do want to congratulate you on the recent passage of the Family Prosperity Act. I love the title, which makes the child tax credit permanent in Maryland. Now, you have written a lot and spoken a lot about the differences that a child's circumstances make on their future, and you yourself had some challenges as a child after
your father passed away. How did your upbringing shape your thinking on this program and lead you to make the decision to try to ease some of the financial burden on families.
When I thought about my why as to why I wanted to run for governor, why I wanted to go this path, the issue of child poverty is at the very top of that list.
You know.
I ran one of the largest poverty fighting organizations in the country before I decided to run for governor, and I realized quickly into that job that if we are not actually fixing some of these systems that continue to allow people to fall into poverty and make it so complicated for people to be able to come out of them, then we will just find ourselves cleaning up the debris
that comes from broken systems. And so, you know, I was clear when we came on board from both my inaugural address to my first State of the State, where I said, this was the time that Maryland was going to make the most aggressive and full frontal assault on child poverty and bipartisan assault on child poverty that this state has ever seen. And we're out of the fact that in our first months we were able to do that.
And that included things like the Family Prosperity Act, which was able to make the child tax Credit permanent, be able to raise the minimum wage to fifteen dollars in our state, because gone should be the days when we have people who are working jobs, in some cases multiple jobs, and still living at or below a poverty line, and creating real pathways for children to be able to have a different type of conclusion than their origin might might
have inspired. And the thing that we're able to see is, you know, not just that that bill alone was able to lift over one hundred and fifty six thousand children up a rung on the economic ladder in the stroke of a pen. But the argument was this helps the economy because since we passed this bill, Maryland now has the lowest unemployment rate in the entire country. You know, so supporting our children and supporting the most vulnerable and having a growing economy is not a choice. These two
things actually happen simultaneously. And the thing we're really proud of as well is we're able to not just get these bills past or we're able to get passed bipartisan, which I'm really proud of.
Yeah, you should be.
Well, it is so clear that what you're doing is an economic boost, and you're already beginning to see results. But take me back, just for our listeners, give us a short overview of your own life and how you know what happened to you your family. Your challenge is really connected to not just an intellectual understanding of looking at the data and figuring out what will work, but really visceral, emotional you know.
I always say I'm probably the most improbable governor in the country because there was nothing about either life trajectory or professional background that kind of made this make sense. And I say it improbable because I'm the son of an immigrant single mother. She immigrated to this country from Jamaica when she was young, and when I was only three years old, my father died in front of me because he didn't get the healthcare that he needed or
that he deserved. And so then my mother became a single mother who was going to then raise three children on her own. And she didn't get her first job that gave her benefits until I was fourteen, you know, her first job that gave her reliable hours, her first job that allowed her to work one job instead of multiple jobs. You know, this is not an academic exercise when we're talking about inequitable pay between men and women.
You know, I don't need a white paper to explain inequitable pay between people of color and non like I've seen this. I grew up in this, and you know, I got into quite a bit of challenge and trouble where you know, I had handcuffs on my wrist by the time I was eleven, I was sent to a military school for some behavior issues by the time I was thirteen. I joined the Army at seventeen, coming right
out of high school. You know, so I went through a lot of pathways that were non traditional, and so I knew from an early age that I wanted to focus on public service because I wanted to fight for people like my mom.
Yes, and you know, you've had a varied career before you made the decison to run for governor. You know, in addition to being the first black Rhodes scholar at Johns Hopkins University and working in investment banking, and as you said, being the CEO of a very well regarded anti poverty nonprofit, you served on active duty in Afghanistan. How did you find that experience influencing your decision to run for governor.
You know, I think about, you know, when people said, well, you know, how did those things prepare you? It's funny amount of secretary. I didn't realize they were when I was doing them.
Yes, you were living your life.
You living your life right. And there was no point when I'm you know, leading paratroopers in Afghanistan and thinking to myself, this is gonna be really good one day when I run for governor. But the thing was amazing was it is actually true. They were all preparing you, whether you realized it or not. Right, And I think about the work of the military, and one of the things that I've really taken from my time there was
how nonpartisan service really is. And part of the reason that I've said that I want Maryland to be the state that serves because service will save us that in this time of this political divisiveness and vitriol, that it's it's it's service that's going to bring us together, because that's the best way for people to get to know each other, right, It's the best way for people to get out of their comfort zones. And you know, I have people who I serve with in Afghanistan who came
and campaigned for me. Many of them were not Marylanders, and many of them were not Democrats.
Right I can imagine, but.
They literally came to my state and were door knocking on my behalf and just simply saying, let me tell you about the guy that I served with. And so I really took from that experience of leading and serving with the best and some of the most amazing people that I, you know, will ever have the opportunity to be a around, that there was a there's a common
bond that we all now have that is unbreakable. That there is no political conversation, that there is no financial that there is no family lineage that breaks that apart. That bond is unbreakable. And it's the reason that I'm so encouraged by the idea of asking people to serve because service will save us.
Well, I love that, and I'm going to underscore what you said about, you know, being in the military and
seeing it as nonpartisan, may it ever be. So I want to pick up on this emphasis on service because I think you have really zeroed in on something that is even more important today than it was when my husband created you know, the National Service Corporation, and service has always been something that I certainly believe in, but we now have what our Surgeon General of the United States has called an epidemic of loneliness in this country.
People are isolated and it doesn't just affect them personally, but it has increased polarization that actually threatens our democracy. So I was really excited to hear about the one year civil service program that you announced for graduating high school seniors, you know, because it's not only that there is so much we could be doing if we focused on service, but it does make people feel like they belong, It creates community. How is that actually going to work?
Wes in practice for young people.
Well, we're really excited about this, and you know, Maryland is now the first state in the country that has a service year option for our high school graduates, and so when a person graduates from high school, there are many different things they can do. But now in the state of Maryland, we have another option. You can serve your state and you can choose however you want to
do it. You know, we're very clear that you know with the service year option, you can choose to serve in the environment, you can choose to serve returning citizens, you can choose to serve veterans, you can choose to serve older adults, young people. It is completely your choice. But the thing that is going to provide is I'm a big believer in experiential learning and giving young people a pathway to find out what makes your heart be
a little bit faster and then go after it. And the way it's basically going to work is for people that sign up, they're going to have a chance to choose which error they want to go into. We will then help them to find the right partner. And we have been so fortunate that we are three times subscribed
with young people signing up. We have hundreds of employers and that includes nonprofit organizations, social enterprises, and businesses, government agencies who are saying we'll take people because we think
this is a strong pipeline developer. And then not only will the person who's doing the year receive a living wage while they're doing it, they'll also receive things like financial education and financial literacy, open up bank accounts, and also at the end of it, they'll receive a six thousand dollars stipend and they can use that towards their higher education, they can use that towards a down payment on the house, they can use it on whenever they
want to. But it's important that they know that they are going to have a long term benefit from this, that we can democratize it by making sure that there's financial supports for it, and that you're going to get more than just that experience. You're going to have a chance to really build a cohort and a connection. And part of the reason that I'm so excited and I know we can do it is is, as as you mentioned, Manim Secretary, it's been done before. We are standing on
the shoulders of a Mara corps. The fact that we're now the first state to say a state can do this, we think and we feel very comfortable and confident to say that while Maryland is going to be the first state in the country to do this. We will not be the last. We think the service movement is now.
Amen. I love that. We'll be right back. You know, for our.
Listeners, you've been governor now for almost a year, actually about three quarters of a year. Looking back, what's been the hardest choice you've had to make thus far?
You know, I tell you an interesting example where, you know, when we were pushing for the for the Fair Wage Act, which is lifting the minimum wage to fifteen dollars, there was a component to it that I thought was a really important component to it, and that was indexing. And basically, you know, for the listeners, amoight of indexing. Basically, this means that you can have that minimum wage that's then
pegged to how inflation works. Because if you're raising a minimum wage but inflation keeps rising at a faster clip, that a it means less purchase power for the person who's benefiting from it, but b it lacks predictability for businesses, and so businesses have a really tough time being able to adjust or adapt when there is not inde And I knew that was going to be a real fight to be able to get that through our chamber, and I remember having a conversation with one of the chairs
of one of the committees. I won't say her name in case she doesn't want me to share private conversations, but she told me, she said, listen on the policy. You're absolutely right, and I agree with you. She said, I just don't know if you're gonna get the votes. But the fact that you can get folks to even get to a fifteen dollars minimum wage, and knowing that you know what, you'll get up tomorrow and you'll keep fighting the fight to get to the next level. Now
I know you want more. I know you do. And she said, but don't confuse quitting with quitting while you're ahead. And that was a really important lesson. I think when we think about the policy making, thing is you're not.
Going to get everything absolutely.
That's okay.
She gave you really good advice, because you know, sometimes we do make it really difficult to both make incremental progress and then claim credit for it because it doesn't meet our highest aspirations. And that's a problem in politics because in a democracy, you know, now having been governor and been involved in these legislative battles, you have to find common ground and then you know, you take your stand on it, you build a little higher, and you
keep going. And it is important to convey that to people who get discouraged by the state of politics. And we need more people to step up and dare to compete by running, whether it's for school board, congress, governor whatever it might be. What do you tell people when they say to you, gee, you know, I've kind of thought about running, but it's so messy, it's so mean.
I don't know if I want to do that. How do you respond?
I tell people, tell me what you want to do before you tell me what you want to run for. What's the issue? Yeah, and I think about it. Where for me, I'm clear. I mean child poverty is my issue, yes, I just I don't understand why we continue to do this to children before they even have a say right. And I remember having a when I was running Robinhood.
We were working for six months to get a former governor to actually to introduce the child tax credit into their budget and showing why this made the most sense and literally gave them all the data behind it, told him he should include in the state of the state. And I got an advanced copy of the State of the State, and there was nothing in there about the child tax credit and nothing in there about child poverty as a whole. And so I'm a little bit frustrated.
I call up my head of public policy and I go on this rant, and I think finally when I took a breath, he said to me, you know, we've worked for six months to try to get them to include a line in the speech. Well, what if you could write the whole speech? And that was the point, Yeah,
what if you could write the whole speech. And so that's why our first State of the State it was all about child poverty, because I knew that that was the place that we could have a unique impact on addressing this issue that is so barbaric, and then we
actually have a chance to fix. And so the thing that I would tell people, whether you want to run for you know, school board or PTA or congress or mayor or whatever role you want to run for, what is your issue, Build the credibility on that issue, build your coalition with that issue, and then think about, okay, now, what is the right seat to be able to impact the kind of change that I would make. Because the work and trying to get into these offices. It is
too hard, Yes, it is too challenging and damaging. If you don't have your why, and if you aren't able to hold onto that every single day, this thing can break you. So you got to know your why and then you'll have which you need to go after it and you get up every morning, if you suit up and you get back on the field, that's right.
Well, I literally could talk to you, my friends, because you know, I feel like the mission that you have set for yourself in your state is really the most American of all missions. I mean, give people the chance to make the most out of their own God given potential.
That's it.
Governor Wes Moore, thank you, Thank you for talking to me, Thank you for demonstrating just extraordinary leadership and as we say, just keep going.
Thank you for all you do for all of us and the example that you set in for the friendship.
Take care.
I wish we had time to bring on all the great governors and mayors and city council members, you name it, who are out there actually doing the hard work to make our communities thrive. The serious leaders who are interested in results, not just rhetoric. Well, I can't talk to everyone, you will find some great conversations with folks like Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania State Representative Malcolm Kenyata, and Boston
Mayor Michelle Wou. If you go to You and Me Both on iHeart Podcasts and look through our archive, You and Me Both is brought to you by iHeart Podcasts. We're produced by Julie Subren, Kathleen Russo and Rob Russo, with help from Khuma Abadeen, Oscar Flores, Lindsey Hoffman, Sarah Horowitz, Laura Olin, Lona Valmoorro and the Lily Weber. Our engineer is Zach McNeice, and the original music is by Forrest Gray. If you like You and Me Both, tell someone else
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