Rep. Joe Kennedy Has a Message For Millennial Voters
Rep. Joe Kennedy III says millennial voters will be the defining factor in this year’s midterm elections.
“Regardless of whatever your political leanings are, you got to make your voice heard,” the Democrat from Massachusetts told Cheddar. “Waiting for a politician to try and come around and court you? That's not the way any of this should go. Go out there and demand their voice. Go out there and organize, activate, and demand that you get heard.”
Kennedy, a 37-year-old political scion, delivered the Democratic response to this year’s State of the Union. Some of his speeches have gone viral, and he has amassed more than a million followers across social media platforms.
The congressman says he empathizes with young adults who don’t yet understand how political policies may affect them or don’t act because they’ve “got a lot on their plate.”
But in the same breath he insists millennials go out and vote, warning that future concerns ranging from student loans to the deficit to climate change will all “fall on their shoulders.”
The congresswoman says that President Trump tries to undermine institutions that challenge him and encourage check and balances, something deeply troubling.
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman shares her outlook on mass shootings in the U.S., a day after a gunman killed 26 in Texas and just a month removed from her own city seeing the worst rampage in U.S. history.
Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke, a Democrat, joins Cheddar to discuss the ongoing fight to save the Dreamers Act, also known as DACA. He mentions his recent conversations with dozens of undocumented immigrants who came to the States as children, noting that their biggest concerns are losing their jobs and the homes and communities they have built for themselves. They also want their families to be safe.
Rep. O'Rourke also speaks about the immigration legislation which he introduced, as well as the short 5-month time frame Congress has to come up with a fix for DACA. If a fix is not agreed upon by March, 800,000 Dreamers will be at risk of losing their homes in the U.S.
We speak with the Congressman about his fight to take on Ted Cruz for his Senate seat in 2018. Rep. O'Rourke has come under scrutiny for his decision to leave the House and try for the Senate in a state that tends to lean Republican. He discusses why he believes his policies on healthcare and job creation are better for the people of Texas. He says he's excited to be part of the historic race, taking on a multi-term Senator like Cruz.
Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke encourages "Dreamers" to up the ante and continue to create conversation around DACA. He says great things don't just come from Congress, but through protests.
