Sunday, December 17, 2006

Exclusive Interview with Labor Secretary Robert Reich

Danielle Solzman: First, thank you for joining the Kentucky Democrat for an interview today. I know that you are pressed for time so I'll try and keep this short. How are things going in California?

Robert Reich: Wonderfully. It's gorgeous out here. Berkeley is a wonderful campus filled with interesting people.

DS: You ran for governor of Massachusetts in 2002. If you were not living in California these days, would you have ran again this year?

RR: Probably not. I took my best shot.

DS: The Democratic party had a much better performance in the past election cycle than the party did in 2004. Would it be fair to say that it was due to the mishandling of the war in Iraq, Republican corruption and scandals?

RR: Both, and also the economy. The public just had enough. Every so often in American politics, voters simply conclude that the party in power doesn't deserve to remain in power any longer. This is especially true when the same party runs both houses of congress and the administration. It happened in 1992.

DS: Last summer, you made a video with Conan O'Brien. Is there a sequel in the works or not?

RR: They want me to do another. We haven't decided on what or when.

DS: I know 2008 is a few years away but are any potential candidates that you see having a good chance to reach the White House?

RR: If the primaries were today, Hillary Clinton and John McCain would be the two winners, and McCain would win the general election. But we're two years away from the 2008 general election and a year and a half away from the primaries, so anything can happen.

DS: Jon Stewart or Bill O'Reilly?

RR: Stewart is genuinely funny. O'Reilly is funny but I don't think he realizes quite how funny he is.

DS: Thanks again for joining the Kentucky Democrat for this interview and keep fighting the good fight.

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