I currently run a group called Republican voters against Trump you may see our ads we're running a lot of them in
Pennsylvania thank you thank you uh I also grew up right here in Pennsylvania I grew up in Perry
County uh I don't know if you guys uh you guys we're kind of far away from there but I grew up in the central part of the State uh and my first job thank you for cheering for Perry
County uh my first job was on the pride of the susqu Hann do you guys know what that is yeah
it's that little uh tourism paddle boo that goes up and down the Susana River first been it for
like five years uh but my job now is actually that I conduct focus groups with voters across
the political Spectrum I travel all over the country because you may have noticed we live in
a complicated time and uh the thing that helps me uh understand politics today is talking to
voters right that is the only way to understand what's happening in this country is by asking them how they think things are going so I know you guys are here today because you know that
America is about to make a really important decision uh and I want you to learn and you
want to learn more about vice president Harris and hear answers to some of those important questions and you might be curious about why conservatives like Liz Cheney and dick chy for
that matter have not only endorsed vice president Harris but have come here today to make the case
directly to you about why she thinks this moment transcends regular partisan politics so I've got
questions you've got questions and to answer those questions please welcome to the stage and actually
I have a bio to read because I was just going to say her name because I know you all know who they are but I was given a bio so I'm going to read the bio uh so congresswoman Liz Cheney uh
many of you may have heard of her I think we could give her a round of applause right now
she's she's a personal hero of mine uh in this moment so this Cheney served as the
US Representative for Wyoming's atlarge Congressional Congressional District from 2017 to 2023 she chaired the house Republican conference the third highest position in the
house Republican leadership from 2019 to 2021 and served as the vice chair
of the select committee to investigate the January 6th attack on the United States capital she is a lifelong Republican please welcome to the stage congresswoman Miss [Applause]
[Applause] [Applause] jie a little embarrassed doing an introduction on this next one because
everybody definitely know she knows who she is uh but kamla Harris she always fights for the
people whether it was fighting the big banks on behalf of the home on behalf of Home homeowners
or going after cartels smuggling humans and drugs into our country are standing up to Big farma to cast the deciding vote as vice president to lower the cost of
insulin to $35 a month for our seniors she is the Democratic nominee for president of
the United States please wel welcome to the stage vice president Tom [Applause]
[Applause] [Music] [Applause]
[Applause] let's do it let's do it morning everyone oh happy belated birthday oh yeah audience members showing me off that stuff
okay so I've got to start with the thing that brings us here today because I've got to say it is unusual for um somebody who is as high up in the Republican leadership as Liz Cheney was
to be out here campaigning with the Democratic nominee for president and so maybe why don't
both of you tell us but you start you've actually marshalled unprecedented support
from Republicans in this election why do you think that is than Sarah thank you for being
here for your work and the congresswoman thank you I I have said before it must be repeated
time um there are moments in the history of our country which challenge us each of us to
really decide do we stand for those things that we talk about including particular country over
party and you have been extraordinarily great in the way that you have done it and I thank you for
that so you know I have uh in my career now whether it was as the elected district attorney uh
elected attorney general and then elected United States Senator and of course now Vice President I've counted that I have taken the oath of office six times and for the elected leaders here we know
it is an oath that one must take sincerely and unequivocally which is an oath among other other
things to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and to understand what
those principles represent and what they require of the individual who holds the office in the
public trust and let's not undervalue that point as well it is not about the individual it is not
about what is in their personal interest it is about what is for and in the spirit of the public
good and this is a moment in this election that presents a real contrast among how I as one of the
two nominees and my opponent the former president um think of that Duty and it is a duty by the way
there are certain things in our lives that we have the choice if we feel like it and then there are
certain things that are just fundamentally a duty like to raise our children things of that nature
it is a duty to take seriously that both and do it um for the sake of the public good and in the
public trust and I think that this moment with the choice that the American people have in this
election in in two weeks and one day this election is presenting for the first time probably in
certainly recent history a very clear choice and difference between the two nominees and
I think that is what as much as anything is bringing us As Americans together um
who are understanding that we cannot with such fundamental States being presented afford to be
mired in ideological differences Without Really staking our claim to the most fundamental ideals
our country stands thank you and you know uh Congress would change uh it's sort of the same
question to you but I got to ask um you know it's it's one thing for Republicans to sign a letter
you know we've seen that she's vice president Harris has been endorsed by 200 Republicans in the National Security space all kinds of people from George W Bush's Administration there's been
a lot of people they'll sign letters and maybe they'll go on TV they release a statement I was just with uh Republican Congressman Charlie Dent former Republican Congressman here from the state
he voted for you uh in his early voting uh but you were out here campaigning you were
out here holding events so talk about why it's been so important to you to be as involved as
you are in getting vice president Harris elected well thank you so much Sarah for
the question and and it's an honor to be here today with you madam vice president um you
know uh for me every every single thing in in my experience and in my background um has has played
a part in my decision to endorse vice president Harris um and you know that that begins with
the fact that I'm a conservative and um I know that the most conservative of all conservative
principles is being faithful to the Constitution and you have to choose in this race between
someone who has been faithful to the Constitution who will be faithful and Donald Trump who it's not
just us predicting how he will act we watched what he did after the last election we watched
what he did on January 6th um and so uh coming to this as someone who's been a lifelong Republican
a lifelong conservative um also as someone who spent I spent time working overseas before I was
elected to congress and I've I've spent time working in countries where people aren't free
and where people are struggling for their freedom and I know how how quickly democracies can unravel
um and I know that as Americans we um can become accustomed to thinking well we don't have to
worry about that here um but I I tell you again as someone who um has seen firsthand uh how quickly
it can happen um that that is what's on the ballot that's absolutely what's on the ballot I also uh I
come to this decision uh as a mother I have five children and uh there was a moment right after
January 6th when my husband and I were having dinner with our two youngest our two sons and I
looked across the table at my my young sons and I thought to myself you know in the aftermath of the
attack on the capital are they going to grow up in a country where we don't have to worry about the
peaceful transfer of power are they going to grow up in a country where that is guaranteed and and
I believe that every one of us in this election has a duty and an obligation to do what we know
is right for the country uh and that's to support vice president Harris so I'm a very honored to be
here if I can just Echo the congressman's point so I've now as vice president met over 150 world
leaders presidents Prime Ministers chancellors and Kings many of them multiple times to the point round of first name Bas and the last few times I've seen them in the rela eve of this election
they are very concerned our allies because as you know when we walk in those rooms around the world
representing the United States of America we have traditionally been able to walk in those rooms
chin up shoulders back with the self-appointed and earned authority to talk about the importance
of democracies and rule of law but as all the role models here know as a role model people watch what
you do to see if it lines up with what you say people around the world are watching this and I I
tell you sometimes I do fret a bit about whether we as Americans truly understand how important
we are to the world I hope everyone does really understand that we represent something imperfect
though we certainly are Cloud though we may be we represent in terms of our ideals the the the basis
of our constitution we represent a goal standard and when we have someone who has been president
who wants to be president again who was saying he would be dictator on day one would weaponize our
department of justice one of the principles of our democracy is that we say we have a justice
system that is blind that is not punitive against one's enemies they are watching so
this is about direct impact on the American people and it most certainly will impact people around
the world you know I'm so glad you brought that up and I I uh as a followup I would just uh ask
congresswoman Cheney too we live in a dangerous time I mean I think Americans are watching what's
happening overseas uh in Ukraine in Israel um Republicans we used to be the party that would be
on the side of our Democratic allies like Ukraine um talk to me a little bit and all of us about
why from a foreign policy standpoint uh you find yourself able to endorse Democrats who wouldn't
didn't used to be that way well it it's it's not just able to endorse them but but um if you look
at um the numbers of the most senior officials who sered Donald Trump uh his own vice president
National Security advisors as Chief of Staff uh you know the the leading generals who served him
who've all said he's unfit people really need to stop and think about how completely unprecedented
that is and the the idea um if when people sort of say well we might you know be tempted for some
reason or another uh to vote for Donald Trump if the issue is foreign policy I would just ask
everyone think about how dangerous and damaging it is to have someone who's totally erratic totally
erratic completely completely unstable someone who has uh aligned himself with who idolizes tyrants
he idolizes tyrants you know the the again the choice here um with respect to national security
policy is a man who has proven he's absolutely proven that he will not stand up he won't defend
this nation with respect to our own Constitution and rule of law and vice president Harris who has
been clear uh in terms of support for Ukraine in terms of recognizing and understanding uh across
the board that America cannot maintain our own freedom and security if we walk away from our
allies around the world and our adversaries know that they can play Donald Trump they absolutely
know that they can play him and we simply can't afford to take that risk so as someone who spent a
career on National Security issues again this was not at all a difficult choice for me uh the the
the choice here is absolutely clear in terms of the necessity of supporting vice president Harris and and if I may emphasize part of the backbone of our national security is our military and let's
please not Overlook how someone who wants to be commanderin-chief and was has talked about our
servicemen and women has talked about an American hero like John McCain was a prisoner of war
said he didn't respect him didn't like him because he got caught has talked about our service members
as um as though they are um less than the most courageous of us those who put on the uniform
who represent the United States of America who are willing to die for the sake of everything we stand for he calls them suckers and losers these things cannot be overlooked and and I have
said many times publicly and I'll say it again in many many ways Donald Trump is an unserious
man but the consequences of him being president of the United States are brutally serious there
are things that he says that will be the subject of skits and laughter and jokes but words have
meaning coming from someone who Ires to stand behind the Seal of the president of the United
States these are the things that are at stake couldn't agree more um so I do want to ask you
another question though before we go to the audience um you know you talk a lot about a new way forward you talk about turning the page what's on the next page uh talk to us about uh
you want a preview yeah give me a spoiler alert you know just uh tell us tell us what's what's the rest of the chapter well first of all I will say that it it is a metaphor that is meant to also
um describe my intention to embark on a new generation of leadership and needless to say
mine will not be a continuation of the Biden Administration I bring to it my own ideas my
own experiences but it is also about moving past what frankly I think has been the last decade of
um of the American discourse being influenced by Donald Trump in a way that has had the effect
of suggesting We As Americans should point the finger at one another in a way that has
been using the power of the presidency to demean and to divide us I think people are
exhausted with that rightly and it frankly does not lead to the strength of our nation
to tell the American people that we must be suspicious of one another distrust one another
you know yesterday I I did a couple of church services and there's a we many people here know
the the the parable of the Good Samaritan and there is in essence a piece of that in my own
words that it really requires us I think to see in the face of a of a stranger to see a neighbor
right that's spirit and I think we need to get back to that the spirit of the American people
is such that you know we are an ambitious people we are aspirational we have dreams and that is
productive it is not productive of us to be a nation of people who are pointing fingers at
one another who don't understand that the vast majority of us have so much more in common than separates us so that's what I mean about turning the page and then a new generation of leadership
about being ambitious about all we have yet to do part of my Economic Policy I refer to it as
an opportunity economy is about investing in American Industries while leaving none
of our traditional wonderful Industries behind repurposing and retooling the factories that
have led to America's success in Industry while at the the same time redefining how we are thinking
about which worker has the experience and skill to do the the job and is qualified and understanding
we shouldn't be falling into a trap that suggests only those with a college degree have the skill or
the experience to do the job so let's look at how we redefine and perhaps even reorder and in fact
I'm going to start with federal jobs and then I'm going to challenge the private sector to do the
same let's look at which of those those jobs would benefit from a skilled experienced worker who
perhaps went through an apprenticeship program not a four-year college but still had a 4-year degree
in essence so these are the kinds of things that are about seeing the opportunity of this moment
and investing in it I'll tell you and I know this is a controversial topic for many of us I love jenz cuz we have genes in our lives we have kids who are jenes it can be complicated I know I love
jenzy these young leaders are so they're cleare eyed you know they've only known the climate
crisis they've only known active shooter drills I mean we had fire drills not not our kids right but
they also they're they're so wonderfully impatient right no really that's good that's good they're
ready to get in there let's invest in them let so for example one of my one piece of my opportunity
economy is we got to deal with the reality of where we are right now the American dream for previous generations was something that people could kind of count on not So Much Anymore in
terms of home ownership we have a housing shortage in America we have a supply shortage so part of my
plan is hey let's be clear right about this moment let's invest in the future and as a a devout
public servant I also know know the limitations of government I want to work with the private sector I have in my career the skills the bread the depth of of of of value and those active Partnerships
benefit us all so part of my plan for housing is to actively partner with building developers with
home builders to create tax credits to increase the supply of housing in America my estimate is
I think we can actually do it by 3 million by the end of my first term part of my Approach that is about a new generation potentially of leadership and certainly a different approach most of my
career was not spent in Washington DC I say that with pride in that you know most of my career has
spent as a prosecutor but I making decisions that had a direct impact on people's lives you know I
learned at a very young age as a prosecutor that the things that I would do the SW type of my pen
could result in someone having their Liberty or not when I was attorney general in California
which is you know by estimates the fifth largest economy in the world I was acutely aware the words
I spoke could move markets um I like getting things done and part of my Approach which is
I think about a new generation of leadership is let's cut through the red tape that's cut through the bureaucracy while still knowing the virtues of the work that we can do in the public sector
be it public education Public Health Public Safety this is a perfect segue into our first audience
question which is going to come from Alexandra Miller from Delaware County uh main section right
right there hi Alexandra hello hello Madam vice president representative Cheney for taking my
question today uh my name is Alex I have a s year old son um and a wonderful 72y old mother who is
um suffering from dementia and requires fulltime care my son is in second grade my mother is in a
nursing home and I work full-time the costs of child care and of Elder Care are staggering but
simultaneously professionals that help care for both our children and our elders are generally
underpaid which makes it difficult for them to support their own families and do the jobs that
they need to do how do you propose to help bridge this Gap making both child and elder
care more affordable for hardworking families and also retaining an attracting quality talent for
this these essential jobs so first of all you're dealing with a lot you're dealing with a lot and
I just wish you strength and support um you are a part of what we call the sandwich generation
which are those parents and children who are right in the middle they are taking care of their young
children and taking care of their parents as they age and it's a lot and so I actually plan
to address this in a substantial way because I actually bring a personal experience to it as well
um I took care of my mother when she was sick and that work is the work of trying to cook
something that they feel like eating right um trying to figure out which clothes will not
irritate their skin help them put on a sweater um it's about trying to figure out how you can
say something that brings a smile to their face or makes them laugh it's about dignity
meanwhile you you have a second grader you try to teach that kid how to read spending time with
them reminding them they are special and can be anything and in the middle of all of that
if you are working or just to have a minute to breathe it's a lot it's a lot so what the
way that this plays out for many people is it's one of just a couple of ways one if you have the
Good Fortune of having enough extra money you can hire somebody to come in and then exactly
as you said you knowing what you just shared with us about yourself would pay them the value of their work um or someone in this position would have to basically spend down all their
savings so they could qualify for Medicaid which means they pretty much have to get everything or they have to quit their job which means one less income in their
household and this is a matter this issue for me is a matter of dignity yours your
parents and the well-being of your child and you being able to do what you naturally want
to do and which and the thing that we should value in our society which is someone like you who is taking on the duty the responsibility of all of that so my plan
is that instead of those scenarios I just mapped out we will restructure it so that
Medicare covers the cost of inhome health care for your parent so that they can be at
home and you can then have the assistance with someone who can help prepare that meal help them
get dressed and you can still give that baby of yours all the love that they deserve and you can
have sanity in the process and everyone can have dignity and so this is this is my Approach which
is let's just look at this as an let's just come at it from Common Sense by the way it's
just common sense and what makes what is a a a common sense practical approach to doing this
because when you are able to be productive we all benefit by the way when that child is able to have a parent who is able to help them with their reading and and remind that
child that they are special we are all going to benefit from that so thank you for raising the
subject and you take care of yourself okay next we're g to call on Ashley Scott speaking of uh
gen Z although I guess I shouldn't assume I know what generation she's from but she is a student from Buck County hi hi vice president Harris and congresswoman Cheney my name is Ashley Scott I'm
from Bucks County Pennsylvania and I am Jen Z I'm 22 years old failed it so thank you for
that compliment um but yeah my question is about maternal Health specifically in the United States
maternal mortality is devastating the rates are terrible and I was wondering if you have
a plan to combat the crisis thank you Ashley and thank you for being here and your voice
uh it's a big issue uh so we have the very I think shameful distinction of of any wealthy
Nation having um one of if not the highest rate of maternal mortality and I've studied this issue I
worked on was on when I was in the United States Senate and as vice president and the fact is that
90% of them were preventable which tells us we can do something about it right and it is an issue so
black women are three to four times more likely to die in connection with child birth native women
are like twice as likely rural women one and a half times likely one of the common threads that
you will see in those demographic populations is a lack of appropriate prenatal care and then
care during the term of their pregnancy and then postpartum care and we know that when that care is
available they are having a healthier and by the way happier experience and the long-term impact
to all of us as a society much less to that family is immense and so the work that we've been doing
and the work I intend to do going forward is to address that right so for example in Rural America
the the way that the system has been structured the healthc care system has been structured is a lot of those Hospitals and Clinics have had to close because of the way we we reimburse based
on population size and as people are leaving Rural America then the hospitals and the clinics can't
afford the overhead I'm oversimplifying but just make the point so we need to address that in terms of how we're structuring how we create incentives and and give the resources to those Health Care
Facilities be they clinics or hospitals the other piece that we have to do is really just talk more
about the issue around also how in the Health Care System we are treating women and are we taking
women seriously when they talk about their health care concerns so again personal experience my
mother had two goals in her life to raise her two daughters my sister and I and to end breast cancer
my mother was a breast cancer researcher and she was so passionate about Women's Healthcare and I
remember it as a young girl and throughout my life and we still have a lot of work to do to make sure
that when she walks into that clinic that doctor's office that hospital that when that she's taken
seriously and and that's also about what we do in terms of training within the profession it's also
about what we do in terms of public education to get information to women so that they know that
they are not just complaining and they should not suppress or subordinate what their concerns might be about themselves because they're taking care of everybody else so there's a lot of work to do and
of course there's a connection between this and what we need to do since the dobs decision came down when we are looking at I've met with a lot of in particular OBGYN who are concerned that there
are kids going through excuse me young people going through their medical school who are now
um feeling deterred from engaging reproductive Health work and reproductive Health work is
vast it is not only about abortion it is about a whole array of care and we want to make sure that
we're not creating disincentives for people to go into that very very important profession and then
we also want to make sure that we are um in the whole issue of reproductive care not suggesting
to women or the people who love them that they should be judged because there is that also when
you're talking about reproductive care where women sometimes are made to feel or do feel embarrassed
to talk about their needs as it relates to their reproductive health and then of of course I I feel very strongly the government should not be telling any woman what to do with her
body and when Congress passes a law reinstating the reproductive freedoms of women I will gladly
and proudly sign it into law because I strongly believe one does not have to give up or abandon
their own Faith or beliefs to agree that not the government telling her what to do if she chooses
she will consult with her priest her pastor her Rabbi her imom but not the government we've seen
too much harm real harm happened to women and the people who love them around our country since that
decision came down including women who have died and I don't think that most people who before the
do's decision came down who had strong opinions about this I don't think most people intended
that the harm that we've seen would have actually happened can I add to this just to because I I I
think it's such an important point and um I think there are many of us uh around the country who uh
have been pro-life um but who have watched what's going on in our States since the Dos decision and
have watched State legislatures um put in place laws that um are resulting in women not getting
the care they need and so um I think this this is not an issue that we're seeing break down across
party lines but I think we're seeing people come together to say um what has happened to
women when women are facing situations where they can't get the care they need where in places like
Texas for example um the Attorney General is talking about suing is suing to get access to
Women's Medical Records that's not sustainable for us uh as as a country and and it has to
change so as we uh come close to time here I want to ask you both kind of a final question
um you know I I watched the the conversation in the country and the way that the media covers
this election and it's often about the race who's up in a poll Who's down in a pole and I
I don't always feel like we're talking about the stakes enough um and Li Cheney would not
be here if she didn't think the stakes were very high and frankly uh the Republicans wouldn't be so angry at you if they didn't think you were an effective surrogate as somebody
speaking about uh the stakes some Republicans some some Republicans # notall Republicans
uh I've seen a lot of Republicans just I've seen it and I know it happens who thank her
instantly I Know It uh I know it they're going to vote the right way on November 5th
they might not be public about it but but they'll do what what they know is right but just to close and and maybe starting with you congresswoman um so you can have the
last word talk to me and all of us about the stakes many people in the room here undecided
voters what's what's kind of the last pitch that you would make about why this election is so important important and why you believe they should vote the vice president here well
I think that um in this election and especially uh here in Pennsylvania we have the opportunity
to tell the whole world who we are and we have the chance to say you know we're we're going to
reject cruelty we're going to reject the kind of vile vitriol that we've seen from Donald
Trump we're going to reject uh the misogyny that we've seen from Donald Trump and JB
V and we have the chance in this race to elect somebody who you know is going to
defend the rule of law you know vice president Harris is going to defend our constitution we
have the chance to remind people that we are a good country we are good and honorable people we are a great nation and and in this race um we have the opportunity
to vote for and support somebody you can count on we're not always going to agree
but I know vice president Harris will always do what she believes is right for this country she
has a sincere heart and that's why I'm honored to be here and support in this
place I mean I exactly the listen so in my career as a prosecutor you've heard
me say this I I never ever asked a victim or a witness are you a Republican or a Democrat
never it wouldn't have even occur to me to ask that I did every time ask are you okay
and I you know and I feel very strongly that for example in on the issue of partisanship
yes we're going to have disagreements but I actively invite good ideas from
wherever they come that's why I'm going to have a republican in my cabinet by the way because I want good ideas and by the way I know it is in our best interest as a
nation in our the interest of our strength in our future as a nation we need a healthy two- party system we need a healthy two-party system we need to be able to have these
good intense debates about issues that are grounded in fact imagine let's start
there wow can you believe that's an Applause
line um but you know it uh we have in our grasp in these next 13 days 13 days we or
or 15 days excuse me I'm I'm just jumping ahead in these next 15 days we have in our
grasp the ability to determine the course of our country you know every election we said
this is the one this is the one This truly is the one I mean to the congresswoman's point the
for former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff referred to Donald Trump as being fascist to the
core and no one would ever accuse the former chairman of being partisan in
any way the people who know him best from the former Chief of Staff defense
secretaries two of them National Security advisor to the former vice president
and so we have in in our grasp because we still have a democracy as the saying goes as long as
we hold on to it we still have a democracy which means in a democracy and here's the beauty of it
we each have the power to make a decision about the future of our country through our vote and
my request then of each of you who have spent time out of your busy lives to be here and I thank you for that is please just help us get the word out to your neighbors and friends and
family members to just remind them of what is at stake in this conversation I ask for your
vote I ask for their vote and I promise to be a president for all Americans I promise and pledge
that all right everyone congresswoman jie and vice president kamla Harris
thank you so much yes let's give him a l Round of Applause that's wonderful thank you for coming
[Applause]
[Music]
I used the calculator do 4 * 12 two three
