Book: What's Left Unsaid My Life at the Center of Power, Politics & Crisis

0:00 Speaker 1 With us today is Melissa de Rosa. She is a Democratic strategist and she was Governor Andrew Formo’s right hand person and here she is today this Sunday morning. If you give us an update what’s going on in the Democratic Party? Melissa, give us an update. What’s going on in Washington. They’re having a big events this weekend. They

0:23 have the big dinner they usually have in Washington. Give us an update.

0:29 Speaker 2 Great to be back, John, So, as you know, everyone knows, the big news of the week is that President Biden has thrown his hat in for reelection, ending sort of months long speculation as to whether or not he was actually going to go ahead and go through with it, and that stance, that question has been now asked and answered.

0:46 So you know, look, I think that by all talents, it’s looking more and more like this is going to end up being a Biden Trump rematch, and so I think that’s what we can expect. And you know, frankly, I think we can expect the same exact result we got last night.

1:01 Speaker 1 But a lot of Democrats are saying that, well, it was as high as seventy percent. Donny really want Biden? But does anybody have the courage to stand up and say no, we don’t want them, or they just in a secret ballance do seventy percent say we don’t want them.

1:20 Speaker 2 You know, when you ask those open ended polling questions, you always get sort of a false result, right, because life doesn’t work like that. It’s like when you ask questions like would you prefer this person or somebody else?

1:31 Everyone always says they would prefer somebody else. But at the end of the day, Biden’s the nominee. Biden will be the nominee, and I think you’re going to see all the Democrats coalesce around him. And I think if he’s running against Trump, you’re going to see the independence go around Biden as well. And I just don’t see

1:47 the mask working out for the former president and swing states where abortion has become the top issue and where Republicans, in my view, have completely overplayed their hand and have demonstrated that they’re sort of far up heart from mainstream American values. And so I think that if this is a rematch, I think that you’re going to see Biden

2:05 of the Clive pass or re election.

2:08 Speaker 1 So that settles up Washington. How about Albany? What the heck is going.

2:12 Speaker 2 On the dysfunction, John, the dysfunction. You know, we’re going into May and you know, it’s looking like they are finally putting the finishing touches on this massive spending bill will likely be voted on this coming week. But you know, at the end of the day, they will have been over a month’s late in getting it done. And what

2:33 do they have to show for it. You know, they just announced a partial deal on charter schools. They’re only going to do fourteen what are called zombie charters, which is you know, crinkly pathetic, given sort of what hope we was trying to do and what the charter school community wanted. You know, the tweaks that she got on

2:49 veil are very minimal, and I don’t think they’re going to make any importsoever on the crime issue, and I don’t think that particklarly for her, it’s going to silence her critics. Well at the same time, you know, she anger dos by going at it at all. Her key signature housing initiative, which you put on the table, completely

3:07 fell apart because they didn’t do any of the political life work and strategy to be able to get that done. So that just completely fell off the table. And then it looks like there potentially will be some tax increases to fund the MTA on businesses operating in New York City.

3:24 That’s the word at least as of now, what that deal is going to be. And then they’re going to you know, raise the minimum wage. And so I think that you’re going to see the business community that already feel you know, sort of alienated and angry at New York City and all me politicians, I think are going

3:40 to get a full frontal in this budget. And I think beyond that you’re not going to see much for you know, everyday working people. So it’s going to happen a month late, and it’s going to be a terrible result.

3:52 Speaker 1 Well, you know, the exodus is continuing in New York, I mean, and I just noticed that the UF city has gone up to one hundred and seven billion in a budget.

4:06 Speaker 2 Now it’s you know, look the spending train, the runaway train, John is not getting rained in anytime soon. And you know, we had a lot of temporary money because of COVID from the fence, but that was one shot. But then, you know you’re a business man, is when you put that money in it’s now all of a sudden, everyone

4:23 who got the money as a one shot wants it recurring, and how do you support that? And so this year, I think you’re going to see an incredibly bloated budget out of Albany. And then next year the rubber is going to meet the road and they’re either going to have to make massive cuts or they’re going to have

4:36 to raise taxes again. And if they end up doing that, you’re going to see the exodus, I think, get even worse. So I’m sure you saw there was an article in The Times a couple of days ago about the real estate crisis in New York City and the empty office buildings that are languishing. And I think it’s the more

4:52 sort of anti business initiatives and policies that that’s Albany in New York City passed the worst that’s going to be. And obviously that contributes to crime, and you know the you know, sort of the desolate streets at night, people don’t feel safe, the empty storefronts, and so we’re in this sort of vicious cycle which the leaders the current leadership,

5:12 cannot manage their way out of. And I’m deeply concerned about the long term impacts on the city of the state.

5:20 Speaker 1 Well, if people keep the exit is continuous, who’s going to pay the taxes? Because it’s it’s the people that are making paying the taxes, not an acceiting.

5:31 Speaker 2 No, that’s great. And obviously the businesses and the high income earners. And you know, in a post COVID world, as you know, you can work from anywhere, So why are you going to work and live in New York City and hire people at a higher rate and have to deal with crime issues, deal with the legislature and

5:49 a city council that are sort of hostile to the business community. And for what you can go to Florida, you can have zero income taxes, you can be in warm weather, and so you know, the concern is that that’s only going to get worse. And it doesn’t seem like right now albody is getting that.

6:06 Speaker 1 Understood. What else would you like to talk about this Sunday morning, people are sitting around there. A lot of them are worried about what’s going on in Washington, and a lot of them are worried what’s going on in orbany anything else you want to tell the people?

6:20 Speaker 2 No, you know, I just I think we’re sort of living in a very dangerous time right now, where you know, you turn on the news and you see the former presidents been indicted and as on trial, you see you know, what’s going on at Fox News and sort of the fall out there, and one day Tucker Carlson and Dot

6:38 Lemon Booth get fired. Just it sort of feels like we’re in this moment of instability where nobody can trust any of these sort of pillars that uphold democracy, the press, prosecutors, judges, and it’s just a dangerous time. And I would just urge the people, your listeners, you know, I think we’ve all sort of been reduced to this sort of tribalism,

6:59 us against them. Everyone’s so angry, everyone’s so polarized, and I think we’ve got to all start sort of trying to come together in any way that we can take the temperature down and work together, because I don’t see the leadership of the city and state doing that at this point, and I think it’s got to be incumbent

7:14 on the public to do it. And so that’s my message for Sunday.

7:19 Speaker 1 Now, last thing, you’ve got a new book, tell us about it.

7:24 Speaker 2 I do I do it’s coming out in October. It’s called What’s Less Unsaid, and I can’t talk about the details of it, but it’s a memoir that I wrote that it’s very heavily focused on the events of the last couple of years, which was a tumultuous time in New York between both COVID and then in the aftermath

7:43 of COVID and the ending of the Pomal administration, and so it heavily focuses on that, and my goal is to try to you know, I was the person in the room. I was the person who lived in. There’s been a lot of distorted reporting. There’s been a lot of people who have had said a lot of things,

7:58 and you know, I feel like it’s important, given what a historic time that was, that people hear from the person who lived in, the person who was in the room, understand how decisions were being made, understand what was actually going on, and then they can judge for themselves what happened in history.

8:13 Speaker 1 Well, I look forward to reading it, and I look forward to talking with you more and have a nice weekend.

8:22 Speaker 2 Thanks John. Great to talk