YouSaid · the spoken record

Cecile Richards

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68
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2017-01-23
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2017-01-23
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  1. “She taught us well, you know. And I think a lot of women. A lot of women remember her, even young women, and I hope we're carrying on her legacy in a good way.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  2. “This administration would actually, instead of focusing on draining the swamp and creating jobs, which is really where I think what they were hoping for, that instead of the first two days after the new Congress has sworn in, they take aim at Planned Parenthood.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  3. “I think it reflected their fundamental understanding that the Affordable Care Act was covering those birth control services for the first time that may have been out of their economic range before, and they knew that Planned Parenthood would help them. Women are worried and women are, I think, and men are coming out of the woodwork to not only support Planned Parenthood, but I think also push back on this idea that there was any mandate in this election to overturn decades of women's rights and to end access to an organization that just celebrated our 100th anniversary. And again, I think it's important that it's not just the usual suspects. I mean, even we just actually did a focus group with Trump supporters who are planned parented patients, who are deeply disturbed.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  4. “We've been overwhelmed with not only young people who've never made a contribution to an organization sending in their 10 or 20 check, literally hundreds of thousands of people who have made contributions. But additionally, and I think what has been really just stunning to me is in the two days after the election, we saw a 900% increase in women trying to get into Planned Parenthood for an IUD, which is a long-acting form of birth control”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  5. “Well, I'm not going to go through any particular nominees. I mean, we at Planned Parenthood will absolutely look at any nominee and what their positions are on women's rights and will take a strong stand and educate folks about it. I think it's, I can't leave this topic without saying what an enormous injustice it was that President Obama was never allowed to make his appointment to the President.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  6. “Absolutely. I think that Roe v. Wade is, ironically, there are so many judicial precedent in many other areas where people feel like, well, that's the established law of the land. I would argue that's true for Roe as well. But I think the position of both some justices on the court and some of the nominees that President-elect Trump has mentioned as possible replacements on the court are willing to undo decades of rights of women. I don't think they're going to do it without a fight. I mean, we have seen just such an outpouring of women. I think we'll see it on Saturday as well and men who believe that this is such a point.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  7. “And they're huge. I mean, this was a huge issue in this election. And again, just going back to your former boss, I can't overstate the profound impact that having two additional women on the Supreme Court has already made, having women, and I've had the honor of getting to be in the Supreme Court for arguments where women's voices are now in the room in a different kind of way with Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan and now joining Justice Ginsburg. So yes, the Supreme Court is going to is pivotal.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  8. “Actually, if you look at how people vote and what they truly believe, they really believe that exactly. And I think that's where we have to allow people to live in that space and make their own decisions, do the work we can to provide healthcare access, particularly for folks who have at the least, and let them make their own”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  9. “I fundamentally believe that the right to choose, if we say or the right to make your own decisions about pregnancy is just a fundamental American right and it doesn't mean forcing your views on one side or the other. It means respecting the right of the individual or the family or a woman with her religious advisor or her spouse or whoever to make that decision. I just think that's a fundamental value. And again. Point to these states where you would say if you polled them they were pro life, South Dakota and Mississippi.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  10. “They may be, but they're, I believe, they are elected to represent the people in their districts and the people of the United States of America. So I fully respect whatever Mike Pence's personal feeling is about abortion. I don't think he's ever going to have to deal with an unintended pregnancy personally. So to me, it's important that he actually think about who is who are his constituents. And again, I believe if, well, if more folks in Congress could get pregnant, I think we wouldn't be having these arguments about pregnancy and birth control and access to services. So I can respect their own personal feelings and also hope that they will respect the rights of women in this country to make their own decisions about their bodies and about their future and about their pregnancies.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  11. “that it was an important decision that women could make and that politicians were not in a place to do that. And I will tell you, and you started with this, the support in this country for access to family planning, access to planned parenthood, is overwhelming because people believe if more young people had access to information, sex education, access to birth control services, we could reduce unintended pregnancy and abortion rates would go down. And actually that's what we're seeing. We're actually now at the lowest rate of abortion since Rowe.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  12. “One side or the other and can understand how personal it is. Most people, the vast majority of American people, regardless of their own personal feelings about abortion, believe it is essential for a woman and her family to be able to make these decisions about pregnancy. And of course you hear stories all the time about really difficult sometimes decisions that women have had to make. That's what we believe at Planned Parented. That it is a decision that is so important that it can't be made by a government or a politician. You'll appreciate this as someone who follows politics. Two of the states, two of the most conservative states in the country, Mississippi and South Dakota, actually tried to ban abortion. Say it would be illegal. And if you polled in those states, they would be pro-life states. But we actually went on the ground and did have conversations with folks door to door and in community halls and in churches. And at the end of the day, those states voted overwhelmingly against banning abortion because they believed.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  13. “Think it is incredibly important. And you're right, abortion is a deeply personal issue. And I think that this sort of bifurcated political, you know, either you're either pro-choice or pro-life, those are frankly terms that are irrelevant, I think, to most people's lives. And as you say, people can see a lot of gray. And what we have found at Planned Paradise, and we don't even use the pro-choice language anymore because it does, it sounds like it's a political term that doesn't really, but it is about the importability of women to make their own decisions about their pregnancy. And it's amazing if you talk to people or whether it's in focus groups or just in a conversation about and acknowledge that abortion is a complex, deeply personal topic. You can just see folks' shoulders relax and the fact that they aren't going to now be forced to choose.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  14. “The same thing. Right. No, no, that's true. Look, and I know we talked a little bit about it earlier, but we absolutely are seeing the outpouring of women who are concerned not only about the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, the repeal of birth control, and the repeal of access to Planned Parenthood hits very profoundly, particularly on women who have the least access to health care. I may have said this earlier, but I'm not sure. Right now, we have 55 million women who are covered for family planning at no cost for the first time. They're getting better birth control. We're at a 30-year low for unintended pregnancy. Yeah, you did say that. And a record low for teenage pregnancy. The thought that we would actually...”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  15. “And as you say, I know one of the biggest indictments of this of Washington and certainly this Congress is this hyperpartisanship and somehow that it's like just some sort of tally of wins and losses. I believe we're hearing from more people, real people, about how this is impacting their lives. And I hope that that is going to have an influence on folks who think somehow they're just that repealing the Affordable Care Act is just some kind of political payback. I mean, what the story you told about President Obama is exactly right. This is about public service. People in this country, and I think we saw this in election, in this election, are desperately hoping that the government will look out for that little person and folks who are struggling and repealing the Affordable Care Act will not do that. And women, I mean, in many ways.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  16. “I think they're going to have a very hard time meeting that deadline with a bill that people are going to be comfortable with, and I certainly have talked to Republicans who are deeply concerned that without a serious replacement, that they can't repeal this. And I hope that's true, because look, the Affordable Care Act has done a lot of wonderful things. I think we would both agree it was imperfect and it needs improvement. And we should all put our shoulder to the wheel to do that. But the thought that somehow just throwing it out and starting over is going to work is, I think it's not credible. It's not credible with American people.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  17. “That's why we're here, and that is why I believe the work we have to do now, it isn't about a theoretical bill, it is about real people's lives and the potential for real women to lose life-saving care, and that's what the ACA has been about.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  18. “I'll never forget in the second election, I think you and I may have even been there together during that second debate, this issue came up with President Obama and Governor Romney about access to Planned Parenthood actually specifically, and that President Obama supported Planned Parenthood and the care that we provide, and that Mr. Romney wanted to, as he said, get rid of Planned Parenthood. a couple of days, so and this was run of 70 million viewers, and it was a, you know, he mentioned it two or three times. Two days later, a woman came into our health center in Houston because she had a lump in her breast and she didn't have a doctor. And the clinician said, I'm really glad you came to see us. We can definitely take you today. And she said, but can I ask who referred you? And she said, well, I heard President Obama say the other night on television that you do breast exams, and that's why I'm here. Yeah.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  19. “Well, that's not what I don't think that's what the American people believe. And can I tell you my favorite Barack Obama story about this? We can.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  20. “Exactly, and look, they just voted to undo every single thing you just listed. The Senate just in the dead of night, the other night in their votorama, voted to end all of that access to care. They would say.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  21. “I think we're seeing the most effective pushback ever on this issue, and it is directly related to folks getting access to healthcare. And that's what I'm hearing from people. It is no longer a theoretical bill. It is that they're now recognizing their kids aren't going to be able to stay on their health insurance or that Congress just voted to end the birth control benefit, or that women are no longer protected from pre-existing conditions. It's becoming very personal and very real. And I think that the Senate is going to have a really hard time now crafting an alternative that is going to, and again, I think President Obama, I heard him the other day say, show me something better. I'll be your first. It's”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  22. “Excuse me, yes, under President Obama, two women who were very committed to women's health care and make all kinds of decisions every day about programs and funding and implementation of the Affordable Care Act. As you know, I mean, this was absolutely crucial. Congress passes a bill and passes legislation, but you have to have someone really advocating and leading for women's health care. And that is going to be, I agree with you. I think this is enormously unpopular. And I just, I was just left Detroit where there were 10,000 people in the cold rallying to save their healthcare access. And a lot of them were planned parented people as well. So I think they have in some ways joined these two issues.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  23. “Well, I think it's, I mean, there were all kinds of programs that HHS runs, everything from sex education to Title X. But beyond that, David, I think what's going to be so important and why, frankly, Secretary Sebelius was really important and Secretary Burwell is that's the main agency.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  24. “About women's reproductive health care. In fact, we just saw in the hearings yesterday with the nominee for the Secretary of HHS. He doesn't support birth control for any woman in this country. That is, I'm sorry, that is at the heart of this debate. 90% of women in this country use birth control at some point in their lifetime. This is not a small matter, and it is an economic issue for women. It's a healthcare issue for women. And frankly, it is for men as well. So I think we're talking about an agenda that is way far past simply abortion.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  25. “That's right, and we get reimbursed for cancer screenings, we get reimbursed for family planning, we get reimbursed for STI testing and treatment. And that's what's at stake. But one, let me just make sure I get on the record. We are provider of abortion service. We think it's important that it's safe and legal. It's been a right that women have had for more than 40 years in America. And people feel strongly, and frankly, there's stronger support for Roe vs. Wade now than there has ever been. So I don't want to shy away from that. But I also think it's important, David, to recognize that. Paul Ryan and Mike Pence and folks have voted to end the National Family Planning Program, which if you would think about it, is actually the most important program we have to prevent unintended pregnancy and the need for abortion in this country. So I just don't accept that this is all about safe and legal abortion. I think it's all”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  26. “Well, it's not fungible, and he knows that because we get reimbursed just like every other healthcare provider in this country. For procedure.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  27. “Sure. And we do that every day. I mean, I feel like that is like part of our mission. But that is why our support is so high in this country, because actually women do know what we do. And I think there's always been, frankly, a disconnect between, I think, of the sort of folks who follow the news all the time and are in the sort of the, I would say, the Washington bubble, if you will. And then when you leave here and you go out to Kenosha, Wisconsin, or you go to Indiana or the states where we are in many ways the provider of the at random. No, it's true. I mean, Indiana, we've been, we have always been one of the most important providers of women's health care. And so folks understand what's at stake. Again, I just, I think there is a DC rest of the country divide. Well, that surprise you.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  28. “What I'd say, David, is we could name our same ABC healthcare. It wouldn't matter. Yeah, yeah. I'm not suggesting you rebrand. And the folks who are against...”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  29. “What's important is when Speaker Ryan or politicians say they're going to end access to Planned Parenthood for women and increasingly for men in this country, that's just signifies putting their politics ahead of the healthcare of women. So when a woman who's gotten her breast cancer detected a planned parenthood and therefore has gotten treatment and now is cancer free makes a testimonial, that's who they're talking about. They are playing politics. Well, that's why I asked you back.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  30. “I mean, we are saying, but you're right, there is enormous equity in the name plan parented because a couple of reasons. One, one in five women in this country have been to Planned Parented, and I hear from them every day. And there are a large part of, I think, the folks who have been phoning and calling the administration about concerns about ending care. We are hugely popular and not only among Democrats. I mean, the folks who come to us for care come without a party label. They come because they need affordable, high-quality health care. And consistently, I mean, when I look at folks like Speaker Ryan, who say they want to end Planned Parenthood, well, Planned Parenthood is a lot more popular than the U.S. Congress, I can tell you that. So look at any poll, any national figure.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  31. “No, I haven't directly at all. But you're right. I mean, I think this has been a motivating issue for Vice President Pence. He is really to me the one who has been driving this entire agenda. He's been against women's health, women's rights in every way. That was his crusade when he was in Congress. And I think this is an agenda he's driving. So I hope that the president-elect and those around him will recognize that ending access to care for the biggest women's healthcare provider in the country is only going to send us backwards at a time which we're making huge progress on women's health.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  32. “Access to care. And Paul Ryan knows that. That's why I think we're seeing this outpouring. I mean, you can't even get a phone call into his office anymore because of the outrage, including among voters who voted for President-elect Trump. This isn't what they voted for. I mean, poll show, even half of his own supporters support federal funding for Planned Parenthood, many of them are patients.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  33. “And I mean, it's actually absolutely untrue. And the community health centers have said repeatedly, and he knows this. I mean, I don't know if he's intentionally misrepresenting the truth or what, but they have repeatedly said we cannot possibly absorb the patients that Planned Parented takes care of. And that's true all across the board. And I look at my home state of Texas as a cautionary tale where they did end the women's health program. They have blocked women from going to planned parenthood for things like cancer screenings. We've seen a doubling of the maternal mortality rate for women in Texas, and this particularly is hitting low-income women and women of color, particularly African American women. We've seen less women being able to access birth control. And it's simply because the healthcare system and the dismantling of the public healthcare system, particularly if they overturn the ACA, it is going to create havoc, particularly for women in this country who have the least access.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  34. “Right. I mean, I don't have the total numbers, but upwards of 2 million. And that's in every state. I mean, this is one of the other things that any senator who's voting to end the ability of folks to go to Planned Parenthood is literally eliminating access in their own state. Even Paul Ryan, I mean, women are going to see Planned Parenthood in Racine wouldn't be able to go anymore.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  35. “Every state. And essentially, what it would do, David, is say to women I don't care if that's your health care provider. I don't care if this is the place you've gone to for years for your preventive care. You can't go there anymore. And this is, it would be, I guess.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  36. “Well, I mean, two and a half million women, about 10% are men, so almost all women. about a million and a half are on Medicaid and that actually to get to the heart of your question and what's at risk here when Paul Ryan said the other day he was going to put defunding planned parented onto this ACA repeal I want to just be super clear there's no line item in the federal budget for Planned Parenthood we don't it's not like they can just take us out of the budget we actually just get reimbursed like every other healthcare provider”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  37. “No, I'd love to. I mean, we provide health care to about two and a half million folks every year, and the vast majority of the services we provide are preventive care. So they are family planning, birth control, but also cancer screenings for many women, just their wellwoman annual exam is at Planned Parenthood. We provide.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  38. “Well, I just give you, I mean, there's probably a million ways to measure it, but one is that women actually in the very first year of the Affordable Care Act, before even all of every, you know, because there were a lot of folks that were getting grandfathered in, the very first year, women in America saved $1.4 billion on birth control pills. And so, which is very interesting because now, of course, we have a nominee for HHS who said women have never cost has never been an issue. We see a planned parent every day. Women who are making choices between birth control pills and groceries or rent and young women in particular. So, and the number of women who write in to us or posts their picture of their zero copay on Facebook, I know, and we see at our health center level, the number of women who are now accessing better methods of contraception because they don't have to worry about cost and can choose what's best for them.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  39. “It's one of the proudest things I've ever gotten to be involved in because it makes, is making every day a difference in the lives of women.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  40. “I mean, profound impact on women and on women's health and access to health care. I mean, it's, and interestingly, as we're now seeming to relitigate, again, the Affordable Care Act and healthcare coverage in this country some of the most popular things that happened in the ACA, as you know, because you are such a huge part of this were the leveling the playing field for women, making sure that women didn't have to pay more for health insurance than men, making sure that we could get coverage even with pre-existing conditions. And then, of course, a hard fought but important battle over getting preventive care covered for women at no cost. Now 55 million women who have access to no cost family planning, which isn't just important because that's a right now that was established under the ACA, but we're at a 30-year low for unintended pregnancy in the United States of America.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  41. “I love Ten Turner, and he was always, and you're right, maybe I'm attracted to big personalities, but he was so outspoken, would say the same thing to you sitting here today as he would on CNN, which of course always was interesting.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  42. “Well, we sort of left Texas because we kind of felt like we'd done what we could do there. We had three kids and thought I wanted to see the world. It was a great time to be here. And I had the pleasure working for not only for Ted Turner for a while, doing some organizing work there when he and Jane Fonda were doing really fascinating work through their foundation. And then I got to work for Ms. Pelosi at the time she became the highest ranking woman in the House of Representatives. And that was an exciting time. So I feel like I learned a lot from our time here.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  43. “Social justice is where do you make the biggest impact? I actually have been, though, somewhat buoyed by the number of women in particular who have now filed to run for office since the election, who seem to be encouraged by that. But you're right. We have to nurture our democracy. This is not a given thing. And I think that it's, yeah, if folks abandon the field, then that would be a really bad sign. That's what I say about the state of Texas. It's not in some ways, you know, we're not a red state or a blue state. We're a non-voting state. And that's when you really don't have a democracy.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  44. “But 100%, I completely agree. And I don't, the fact that I don't run for office has nothing to do with anything you just said. It was really more where do you, I think all of us who believe”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  45. “Oh, wow. Coming from David Daxelrod, that's pretty huge. I have to rethink this. I sure have thought about it, and folks talk to me about it sometimes. Actually, I do feel like there are people who are running for office as sort of in their blood, and that's what they want to do, and that's the way they want to make a difference in the public sphere. And then I think there's folks on the outside who run important organizations and advocate for important issues. And that's always been just sort of where I felt most comfortable, and I know we'll get to it, but I'm really proud of the work we do here. And looking back at this last eight years with President Obama, I feel like it was so important to have a sort of an inside-out operation here and being able to work with that administration to make progress for women was crucial.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  46. “Well, I started the Texas Freedom Network after mom lost because I like a lot of folks thought, well, we're going to have to really now stand and organize and fight for things like public education and women's rights. And also it was the time, David, which I know you remember when the Christian coalition became sort of this incredibly effective political machine, particularly in the state of Texas. And many folks give them credit for George Bush's victory. I mean, they sort of delivered this very strident kind of right-wing message. And I knew that wasn't what Texans were about. And so we organized clergy and folks who were involved in public schools, school board members to make sure we were trying to push forward moderate policies at the State Board of Education. It was my first nonprofit to start, but I kind of looked around and I thought, well, if no one else is going to do it, I need to. And it's now been around for many, many years and I think does great work on areas of education.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  47. “But you have to, the campaign has to be about a lot more than the urbans. That day is coming, and definitely the demographics are changing, but we have extremely low voter turnout in the state of Texas. I think there's a whole population of folks who just aren't in a pattern now of voting because I think they probably think it doesn't matter and it doesn't make a difference. Folks really have to change that. But I feel encouraged, I mean, we do a lot of”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  48. “Yes, but it's going to take a lot of work. And I think one thing you can't underestimate is, well, two things. One is the Department Party has been practically non-existent now for many, many years other than in some pockets. And so it means a lot of building. It's a huge state. It's not like turning a state that's small. And you have to have a candidate who can win in East and West Texas and the suburbs. You know, it's interesting. Democrats now do very, very well in the urban areas. In fact, there was just a big sweep in Harris County and Houston.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  49. “And the fact that at the very end of the race, just the last week, he revealed that he'd never paid taxes or hadn't recently, that was what ended his campaign in many ways. I mean, if you ask why mom won, you know, it was like a lot of things that kind of came together at the end. And so there's a very different time to think that some of these very same issues came up and seemingly didn't.”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  50. “Well, very interesting. He was a businessman, had never done anything in public service, and really That was his entire background, made jokes about rape was, you know, it was, and in many ways those comments”

    2017-01-23 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 115 - Cecile Richards · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source