YouSaid · the spoken record

Jeff Flake

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98
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2018-03-04
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2018-03-04
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  1. “Body here, we can deal with those big problems. And I do think in the end that voters will demand that. They'll want, again, not people who scream at each other, but people who will actually sit down and solve problems.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  2. “But when you look at the big challenges we've had in the past, I mean, we've gone through all you have to do is go to the National Archives up in the legislative vault and view some of the relics and manuscripts and whatnot, talking about what we've gone through as a country. We've gone through a civil war, a revolutionary war to start, dealt with issues like civil rights, women's suffrage. And we've always rose to the occasion. We've risen to the occasion. And I think that some of the issues that we face on the fiscal side are really daunting on the world stage. There are some real challenges there in terms of our role. But the biggest challenge we have is having a functioning legislative body and administration if we have a function.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  3. “Certainly. But this, I mean, You can't be around here very long understand that these institutions are durable and hopefully will endure. And whenever I speak to interns or other tourists or friends that come through, I tell people, I hope you'll go home and try to fend off the cynicism about this place. There are good people here on both sides of the aisle. And that's why I get so offended when the president or others refers to people on the Democratic side as losers or clowns that anybody uses that kind of vitriol that just feeds the cynicism that's already out there. This is a good place and these institutions I think will endure. They're durable enough to withstand the foibles of people like us. There is no through it.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  4. “I'm sure a lot of emotion. One, I've done this 18 years now, and it's time for a new chapter. But having said that, I'm not leaving because I have ill feelings about the Senate or any of my colleagues here. I love this institution. It's a wonderful institution, and I love my colleagues.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  5. “Right, yeah, that was back in 2012. I never understood that. Kind of trying to disqualify a person. And in this way, certainly with racial overtones, and I just thought it was awful. I thought it's awful that the president did it and relied on that really to tell himself, President Trump. And I think about the only two birthers left for a while were President Trump and Joe Arpile.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  6. “Yeah, I doubt he's going to get very far. He lost by double digits a race in Maricopa County, the Republican stronghold. But I don't think that that's the future of the Republican Party. His views on immigration, his behavior in terms of Hispanics and what he got in trouble for with the law. And then his birthrism as well. I just think that that was just something.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  7. “That's tempting, certainly. But when you run a campaign, it's not just you. You've got to get volunteers and staff and you've got to have donors. It's a whole effort to say to them, I'm not running to win. I'm just going to stand on principle, but we'll surely lose. That's not fair to them. And it's tough to build an organization like that. felt I could have won a race had I simply been okay with the president and his policies and behaviors but that was never in the cards and I just I can't run like that”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  8. “It did. It did Best, I thought was one of his final speeches talking about the city on the hill that we are. And the special place that America has in the world. And I can't help but think he would. Hear the rhetoric today, this kind of American carnage kind of dystopian view of the future.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  9. “And I'll never forget, he stopped. The worst dictator in Africa, Mugabe, and said, I'll give you that. I thought that was a pretty stark admission, but that's helped in other countries as well to have the kind of security arrangements that we need to benefit the United States and to serve our national interests in addition to the most important thing, alleviating a lot of human suffering there.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  10. “The Bush administration against the Obama administration continued with it, and I actually met with Robert McGabe two years ago. I'd written my master thesis on Mugabe 30 years before trying to explain his hold-on power. He was still there. We met with him and he was railing against every American president and British Prime Minister from the Lancaster House of 1980 on through. And when he got to George W. Bush, I stopped him and said, hey, that's a bit unfair. Pep far really helped you guys.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  11. “Big implications. We've really withdrawn in terms of Africa. We're more than a year into this administration and we still haven't even nominated an assistant secretary for Africa over at the State Department ambassadorships are being left vacant, important ones. And more than that, some of the programs that we have that are extremely important in terms of building the kind of trust that we need in these countries so that we can have security relationships, intelligent sharing. I know you've talked about before programs like PEPFAR. Extremely important in Africa. In fact, I was two years ago.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  12. “And we have just a skeletal staff down there, a political officer, economic officers, other agencies that usually there aren't. And we're flying blind when the other diplomatic posts from the other countries are beefing up their presence to make sure that they know what's going on. We're pulling back. Now, obviously, we need to treat seriously this sonic issue, but there are people willing to go down voluntarily. I don't think we ought to force anybody to that post if they don't want to, but plenty of people are willing to voluntarily, and we ought to have them go.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  13. “Where's that going? Well, one, there's going to be a transition in Cuba. It looks like there'll be a non-Castro head of state for the first time in almost 60 years”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  14. “Yeah, I mean, it's just, I've thought as a Republican and a conservative, I've always thought, you know, we preach the gospel of travel and commerce and contact as a way to nudge countries toward democracy. Yet with Cuba, we say, no, it won't work there. And the truth is it will work. Certainly policy of isolation for over 50 years hasn't worked. And so I just thought that we're better off by actually exposing them to American values. And these sanctions are not on Cuba. They're on us. And so I thought if somebody's going to limit my travel, it should be a communist, not my own government.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  15. “I've always thought if you want to get rid of the Castro brothers, make them deal with spring break once or twice. That would serve the mind.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  16. “19 members went to Africa with him, one Republican And then Cuba, I went within there, and I'd worked with his administration lot on Cuba and went down with Patrick Leahy to do the spy swap that triggered the normalization of relations. And we talk, he called me after the shooting to make sure I was all right. And after I gave my speech, he called. The nicest thing that he did, I think, is the last night he was in the White House, the day before inauguration. He called and just to say that he'd enjoyed working with me. And I certainly said the same. He didn't have to do that. It was very nice.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  17. “Survive. How that work, we survived. It's a good diet if you want to try it. We got back and Stephen Colbert, his comment on his show, he ran a clip of it and he said, Flake and Heinrich have proved once and for all that”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  18. “To dehumanize each other if you don't have those kinds of experiences, the level of trust that comes. One thing I just got off Codell or Congressional delegation in the Middle East. Three Democrats, four Republicans. That's a great way. That still goes on, but some members don't travel. They aren't on the relevant committees or don't like to travel. And it is a real problem. I mean, I thought it was such a problem that I went with Martin Heinrich to an island in the middle of the Pacific and marooned ourselves for a week just to prove that Republicans and Democrats can get along.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  19. “Some extracurricular activity like at the gym or on the baseball team, sometimes you just have no contact with certain members.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  20. “Yeah, I know. As if they're outlaws. Exactly. Some kind of illicit activity. You joined a gang. I thought I left gang life behind after the mean streets of Snowflake. Apparently not. But unless you have some.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  21. “That's true. It is. I don't know that it ever can be replicated. I'm not suggesting that we're going to get back to that time. But it is a bigger challenge now. I mean, you can go for months if you don't meet with senators on committees, for example, if you're not on the same committee. There are certain Democrats and Republicans that I just have virtually no contact with outside of just grading them on the floor or whatever else. And it's a real problem. Fortunately, for some of us, like I go to the House or the Senate gym, used to be the House Gym, and I got to know Dick Durbin and Chuck Schumer when I was in the house, and they would come over to the house Jim. And so when I got to the Senate, they both invited me to be part of the Gang of Eight. I'm the Immigration Reform.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  22. “He falls in a tough position. He's a good man. I've been really concerned about the House intelligence committee and where they've gone and just have really hurt that institution. And the kind of agreement we've had over a number of years with regard to the intelligence community and the interface with Congress there. So Paul Ryan has a tough job and I think he's doing his best.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  23. “I am concerned. I'm really concerned what will happen with regard to this president if Bob Mueller comes back with something damning. Would this congress? That's a concern I have. I do think that enough of our colleagues will stand up when they need to. But right now it is concerning to see so many simply say, you know, let's go shirts and skins on this. Are you specified?”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  24. “We'll see where this goes. I do think the president will have a challenge from the Republican Party. I think there should be. I also think that there will be an independent challenge, particularly if the Democrats insist on putting somebody up from the far left to the party. So two years, a long time in politics.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  25. “That's not something I'm planning. That's not what I'm asking. I'm asking, is it something that you would swear off? No, no, I wouldn't swear it off.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  26. “And that's the saw has always been the old SAW. That's the future and it will always be the future. But I think that future may be coming because when you look, this polarization we've seen on the right is also happening on the left. And there has to be a huge swath of voters in the middle that are looking for something else. Some states have more of a tradition doing this, Maine, for example, with Angus King and Bernie Sanders in Vermont, but I do think that you'll see more of a movement. I don't know how quick it will go, but unless the parties realize we have to govern and we have to work together, the voters are going to demand something else.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  27. “I've got sworn off elected office in the future. I think the fever will have to cool. There's not much place for a Republican like me in a party like this right now. I know that.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  28. “I don't know. I don't know that we can change it with rules. It's just got to be behavioral. I do think that this fever will cool. That's my hope. Resentment and anger. It's not a governing philosophy. And that's what we seem to have now. And at some point, I hope the voters say we want something else. And it's tough to see how that's going to come with this two-party system that we have. And the incentives are just all wrong. Because people worry about their own base and not.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  29. “His executive calendar, cabinet members, judges, and then Republicans when they were in a position, they've returned the favor and we've been like this ever since. And it's not a good situation. Republicans may say, hey, we pulled a fast one here. We've got a conservative on the court. I'm a big fan of Judge Gorsuch. I'm glad he is where he is. What goes around comes around. And if we have a situation where we use these procedural measures to block, we can expect the Democrats to do as well. And I don't think over time we're setting very good precedent.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  30. “Yeah, I do. Managing to the institution, I'm very worried about that. I mean, if you look over history, you could say that he was following precedent in a way. You'd have to go back to 1888 to find an example of the opposition controlling a similar scenario played out. But I do. I'm very concerned about how polarized this has been. I was in Washington not as a member of Congress, but living here in the late 80s, early 90s during the Clarence Thomas, and even the Judge Bork hearings to see how controversial those nominations were, yet no senator thought of filibustering or opposing the president's executive calendar in that way. But then when George W. Bush was elected, a lot of Democrats said he was not a legitimate president. Therefore, we can justify blonde.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  31. “We can That he'd figured it out, that he. Yeah, and that's something that I think all of us, certainly in this environment with President Trump, people will say, well, if you oppose the president, if you're opposed to some of his policies and his behavior, it should be your role to oppose him on everything. But I don't think that's the case. I think that people criticized Mitch McConnell for making that statement that our role is to make Barack Obama one-term president and to just try to hobble him in that regard. I will still vote with this president when I think he's right and oppose him when I think he's wrong. I think that that's my responsibility in the Senate.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  32. “That part of the act I still don't think was the greatest idea. I don't think we needed that stimulation. I don't think that it was very effective.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  33. “It did finish line. He didn't. And that was one vote I regret. Because I think basically... Relied on my colleagues to do what I knew we had to do. I felt justified at the time saying I haven't voted for spending or regulatory measures that put us in this bind and I justified the vote for that reason. But in the end, we were where we were and it needed to be done.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  34. “I mentioned that in the book. Would that happen today? I have a hard time seeing that happening today where John McCain and Barack Obama suspended their political campaign, the presidential campaign, to come and actually round up votes on their side. And I talk about the book John McCain, calling me and calling my colleagues and rallying us all to the cause there.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  35. “Yeah, on the tax more. I am a supply cider. I do believe that if you have a tax network over that time, yes. We've got to have, if we're going to compete internationally, I mean, I would have written this tax bill differently if it were up to me. left the individual rates alone and just lowered the corporate rate because that's where we were really uncompetitive. If we're going to compete globally and we have to, then we've got to have a conducive tax environment. And we didn't have it. We have a more conducive tax environment now. But then the spending bill, oh my goodness, it seems the only thing we can do on a bipartisan basis now is spend money we don't have. And if you spread enough around, then you can get bipartisan support. And unfortunately, I think this will come back to biped us over time.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  36. “That's right. That's right. And some things that I was very glad to be on the lonely end and very vociferously, like the prescription drug benefit, I still think that was an awful thing to do in terms of our long-term fiscal climate to add that much in unfunded liabilities. And on that, I was proud. Not now. I”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  37. “To prop Lehman Brothers in 2000. And that was an example of me hoping yes and voting no, which is I had the luxury of doing so. A lot of people do. You bet. You bet. And I'd like to, I mean, let me one.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  38. “I think it will be a big impact. I'm a big fan, a good friend of Mitt Romney, and I certainly encouraged him to run. He didn't need my encouragement, but I think that Mitt will be a strong independent voice here in Washington. I don't think he's going to go out of his way to criticize the president, but he'll certainly not shy away from doing it. He does He has Utah has been, yeah, I think he'll be just fine there, and I'm glad that he's going to be here. He'll come to the Senate with immediate credentials and gravitas. He'll make a difference on issues like trade and security and America's role in the world. He's going to be a very effective and needed voice.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  39. “Yeah, I think it, I mean, if the parties are fighting like this, if you refer to your political opponents as losers or clowns, as we've seen, then this polarization spreads as well, and you see it among ethnic groups and among people at large. And that's not a healthy situation.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  40. “Yeah, it's hard to say, hard to argue that it's not when you look at the countries affected. Look, for example, with regard to Iran, one thing that's bothered me there is we try to say, you know, we're with the people of Iran when the protest against the government there, and I think we should stand with them. But part of standing with them is to stand with them on other issues as well. And one, we have Iranian Americans who have contributed to this country and are loyal Americans who now are having their travel restricted and their families travel restricted from Iran to the United States. Fit some kind of narrative we're being tough on immigration or security issues when really in many ways we're simply punishing people that we ought to be helping.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  41. “It certainly doesn't comport with our values, but it doesn't comport with our security needs either. It's just not smart to have a ban like this. And the way it morphed into the travel ban, it may be constitutional, but it isn't wise.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  42. “Well, when the president came out in December of 16, and some people have said, well, you really didn't say it, but he did. He said, we want a total and complete ban on Muslims entering the country, a Muslim ban. And I thought that that was awful. I don't know how anyone could stand up and say that that's where we as a country ought to go or that that is consistent with our constitution and our values. And so that week actually went to a mosque. and gave a talk there talking about similarities of Mormons and Muslims, I guess if you will, or the persecution that there's been in the past and just expressing some solidarity with those who were under attack here.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  43. “We saw They are, and we just aren't having big enough families. We're doing our best. Yeah, you're doing your part. You're doing your part. But we need me feel guilty. We need more legal immigration and we can have debate on how that is structured, how much family-based immigration, how much employment-based or skill-based. Let's have those debates, but let's recognize that we're going to need very robust legal immigration in the future.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  44. “Legal immigration. That's correct. And I think that that would be a tremendous mistake. I think that the president has made some good moves in terms of making our economy better in terms of regulatory reform, the more conducive tax and regulatory structure, which will aid us. Trade policy is another story. But one thing we desperately need is a workforce. And we've got to have more robust legal immigration in the future.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  45. “Yeah, I think it would have. I wish that he had, and we had a meeting at the White House where it seemed that he was willing to take what we put forward, what we could agree on in the Senate that could get 60 votes. It's not going to be everything the president wants, but it would have met some of his priorities at least. So I think it certainly would have. And even if we could have changed the order in which these were voted on because we voted on this and then we voted on the president's preferred approach, which only got 39 votes. Had we had that vote first, then maybe we could have gotten 60 votes on the other approach.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  46. “Oh, we do, actually, more than people think. But I'm hopeful that our leadership will also say we don't want this issue hanging over during the midterms. This is not good for anybody if we can punt it and get this dealt with, give some surety for a couple of years at least, let's do it.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  47. “Well, I hope the president was saying if we're going to give citizenship or a path to citizenship for these kids, then we need to deal with chain migration, diversity visa, and some of these other things. Now, if we aren't now, if we're simply saying we're going to extend DACA without a path to citizenship for a three-year period, then I think equitable trade is to say we'll give the president what he's asked for for a three-year period in terms of border security funding. And so I hope that's something that we can move on.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  48. “There's a little time which is problematic because we typically don't work unless there's some kind of deadline there. This needs to be fixed. It needs to be fixed on a permanent basis. These kids should be put on a path to citizenship. That's the ultimate solution. But I've come to conclude after this last debate that the best we can do right now is to offer them at least some assurance I'm introducing along with Heidi Heidkamp legislation that would extend DACA or codify DACA for three years and provide some border security funding what the president has requested basically three years. So we're calling it the three for three bill. I think that's the best we can do for legislation that we can agree on and move ahead.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  49. “And those who are now getting citizenship. And I had the feeling at the time, I thought that should be us. That should be Republicans. That's where we've been. And it made me sick. And I just think that we've lost something as a party becoming such a nativist group and demeaning immigrants and devaluing immigration.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  50. “For change on our immigration policy, making sure that we have people who can come here to help with our economy. If we need to change family-based immigration, tweak it, that's fine. Let's have that discussion. But there should always be room in America for people whose only credential is a strong back or a willingness to work at so many of our own ancestors, including mine, came under that premise. And I think if I have a problem with where the party now is, it's that. And I wrote in the book that when Hillary Clinton picked her running mate, Tim Kane, he went soon after that to Florida, I think, for a naturalization ceremony. And there he was speaking in Spanish movingly about the immigrant experience.”

    2018-03-04 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 222 - Sen. Jeff Flake · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source