CANDIDATES FOR PRESIDENT TOOK

THE STAGE AT THE FINAL DEBATE OF

2019 THIS WEEK.

ONE OF THOSE WHO DIDN'T QUALIFY,

BASED ON POLL NUMBERS AND

FUNDRAISING, WAS FORMER

MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR DEVAL

PATRICK.

HE JOINS US NOW FROM THE

CAMPAIGN TRAIL IN MANCHESTER,

NEW HAMPSHIRE.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING ME,

GOVERNOR.

>> I'M GLAD TO BE WITH YOU,

YAMICHE, BUT, COME ON!

REALLY?

THAT'S THE INTRODUCTION?

"HE'S THE ONE WHO WASN'T ON THE

STAGE"?

COME ON!

>> Alcindor: WELL, YOU'RE HERE

NOW WITH US.

>> I'LL GET THERE.

>> Alcindor: YOU GOT IN THIS

RACE JUST LAST MONTH.

WHAT DO YOU SEE IS YOUR PATH TO

THE NOMINATION, GIVEN THAT SOME

PEOPLE THINK THAT MAYBE YOU

ENTERED TOO LATE?

>> WELL, IT'S... I'M LATER BUT

NOT LATE.

AND I... I THANK YOU FOR THE

CHANCE TO MAKE THAT POINT

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT LATE

UNTIL THE VOTERS VOTE.

AND WHAT'S QUITE CLEAR EVEN IF

YOU DO TRUST THE POLLING THAT'S

OUT THERE IS THAT THERE ARE

OTHER CANDIDATES WHO HAVE BEEN

IN FOR A LONG TIME, SPENT A LOT

OF MONEY AND A LOT OF TIME, AND

IT'S STILL A WIDE OPEN RACE.

LARGE, LARGE PROPORTIONS,

MAJORITIES OF UNDECIDED VOTERS

IN ALL OF THE EARLY STATES.

SO, WE ARE RESPECTFUL OF THE

CALENDAR.

WE WILL COMPETE IN ALL OF THE

EARLY STATES.

WE'RE SPENDING A LOT OF TIME IN

NEW HAMPSHIRE AND SOUTH

CAROLINA, IN PARTICULAR, BECAUSE

PRIMARIES ARE JUST... THEY'RE

DIFFERENT IN TERMS OF HOW YOU

ORGANIZE THEM.

IF IT'S INTIMATE IN NEW

HAMPSHIRE, IT'S GRANULAR IN...

IN IOWA, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I

MEAN.

AND... AND WE WILL... WE WILL BE

PRESENT IN IOWA, BUT I THINK

YOU'LL SEE A LOT MORE TIME SPENT

HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND IN...

AND IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

>> Alcindor: THE DEMOCRATIC

NATIONAL COMMITTEE HAS RAISED

THE THRESHOLD AGAIN FOR THE NEXT

DEBATE.

IT'S GOING TO BE JANUARY 14.

THIS DEBATE, ANDREW YANG WAS THE

ONLY CANDIDATE OF COLOR ON

STAGE.

WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT?

AND ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT THE

DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE

CONTINUING TO RAISE THE BAR?

>> WELL, I THINK, LOOK, I... I

KNOW THEY HAVE TO BE... THERE

HAS TO BE SOME WINNOWING

PROCESS.

I WILL SAY, I'M NOT SURE THAT

THE DEBATES-- AND I SAY THIS

RESPECTFULLY, HAVING

COMPLIMENTED YOU AND YOUR

COLLEAGUES BEFORE WE WENT ON AIR

ON YOUR CONDUCT OF THE LAST

DEBATE-- I AM HOPING THAT THE

FORMAT CHANGES NOT JUST TO

EXPOSE ALL OF THE CANDIDATES BUT

TO CREATE A... A BETTER VEHICLE

TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE... WITH

THE VOTING PUBLIC BECAUSE WITH

THE EXCEPTION OF... OF THE MOST

RECENT DEBATE, MANY OF THEM HAVE

FELT MORE LIKE A CAGE FIGHT

WHERE THEY WERE... THEY WERE

KIND OF ALMOST, WELL, SMALL

DIFFERENCES FUSSED ABOUT AMONG

THE CANDIDATES INSTEAD OF THE

LARGER QUESTION.

WHICH, TO ME, IS NOT ABOUT THE

CHARACTER OF THE CANDIDATES--

DEMOCRAT OR THE INCUMBENT

PRESIDENT-- IT'S ABOUT THE

CHARACTER OF THE COUNTRY.

AND ONE OF THE REASONS, INDEED,

THE REASON I'M IN IS BECAUSE I

THINK WE SEE A MOMENT RIGHT NOW,

YAMICHE, WHERE THE ANXIETY AND

FRUSTRATION AND EVEN ANGER THAT

PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING ABOUT

THEIR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL LIVES

IS SO WIDESPREAD, THERE IS AN

OPPORTUNITY THROUGH SOLUTIONS TO

UNITE THE COUNTRY.

AND MY OWN LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE

BOTH IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR AND IN

THE PRIVATE SECTOR HAS... HAS

BEEN SUCCESSFULLY TO GET PEOPLE

TO TURN TO RATHER THAN ON EACH

OTHER.

AND... AND I THINK IT'S A MOMENT

WE SHOULDN'T MISS.

>> Alcindor: THE HEADLINE FROM

THE LAST DEBATE WAS A FUND-

RAISER IN A WINE CAVE.

YOU'VE HAD A VERY SUCCESSFUL

CAREER IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR.

WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT BEING

THE HEADLINE?

AND THIS IS A PROBLEM FOR THE

DEMOCRATIC PARTY?

>> WELL, I'M SORRY THAT A...

THAT A DEBATE THAT WAS SO

SUBSTANTIVE OTHERWISE HAD A

HEADLINE ABOUT A WINE CAVE.

I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER BEEN IN

A WINE CAVE.

BUT I THINK IT'S KIND OF BESIDE

THE POINT.

YOU KNOW, I THINK MANY, MANY

AMERICANS AGREE WITH ME AND I

THINK MANY OF THE CANDIDATES ON

THE STAGE THAT WE NEED A BETTER

WAY TO FUND OUR POLITICS AND OUR

CAMPAIGNS, THAT THERE'S TOO MUCH

MONEY; IT IS TOO INFLUENTIAL,

ESPECIALLY THE DARK MONEY; AND

THAT WE NEED TO GET THIS OUT OF

OUR... OUT OF OUR POLITICS.

BUT, YOU KNOW, BEYOND THAT, I

THINK THAT THE... THE FACT IS

THAT IF WE'RE GOING TO UNITE

THE COUNTRY, THEN WE NEED TO

FOCUS ON WHAT THE REAL PROBLEMS

ARE.

THERE ARE REAL PROBLEMS

AROUND... AROUND CLIMATE CHANGE,

AROUND CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM,

AROUND HEALTHCARE.

AND THE ISSUE WHEN FOLKS TALK

ABOUT MILLIONAIRES AND

BILLIONAIRES IS NOT WEALTH, IT'S

GREED.

AND WE HAVE CREATED A SYSTEM

THAT ENABLES PEOPLE TO HOARD ALL

THE BENEFITS AMONG A FEW ON THE

THEORY DISCREDITED BY THE WAY

THAT IT WOULD TRICKLE DOWN TO

EVERYBODY ELSE.

AND WE HAVE TO TURN THAT AROUND.

SO, I REGRET THAT HEADLINE FOR A

WHOLE HOST OF REASONS, BUT, TO

ME, IT'S SORT OF BESIDE THE

POINT.

THERE ARE BIGGER ISSUES BEFORE

US, AND MY CAMPAIGN IS ABOUT

THOSE BIGGER, BIGGER ISSUES AND

HOW WE MAKE THE AMERICAN DREAM

ACTUALLY WORK FOR EVERYONE

EVERYWHERE.

>> Alcindor: WELL, THANK YOU SO

MUCH.

DUVAL PATRICK RUNNING FOR

PRESIDENT, FORMER GOVERNOR OF

MASSACHUSETTS.

>> GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.

TAKE CARE.