Leading Chicago with Mayor Brandon Johnson

Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast

NBCNews

News, Nbcnews, Why Is This Happening?, The Chris Hayes Podcast, Chris Hayes, Politics, Government, Society & Culture, Msnbc, Withpod

4.6 • 8.9K Ratings

🗓️ 13 June 2023

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Not too long ago, Brandon Johnson was virtually unknown to many Chicagoans. Now, he’s the 57th mayor of America’s third-largest city. His path to power, fueled by a markedly progressive campaign, was pretty unusual. Before taking the helm of Chicago, he was a school teacher, union organizer and county commissioner. Johnson, who lives on the West Side, has experienced his share of some of the city’s biggest issues. But perhaps one of his biggest challenges still lies ahead: leading the city amidst the numerous inherited issues including growing public safety concerns, persistent disinvestment and a downtown that’s emptier than before the pandemic. Johnson joins WITHpod to discuss his trajectory, what he envisions for Chicago, how he plans to turn his proposals into results and more.

Transcript

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0:00.0	The people of Chicago have spoken in a very resounding way.
0:05.5	I came into this race virtually unknown.
0:08.6	In fact, I announced my candidacy in Cabrini Green right behind the school that I was
0:14.7	a teacher at and it was great to be amongst friends who have seen me develop over time.
0:22.6	Many of my former students actually attended my announcement.
0:27.2	As we won, I want to make sure that we're clear as many people work to define this political
0:34.7	season that we do not have to shy away from our values.
0:39.4	We certainly do not have to duck and run from the particular news outlet that wants to
0:46.3	continue to brand our desire and for justice and our love for people as some sort of extreme
0:53.9	presentation.
0:55.5	And so that part, the people of Chicago have again have responded, I believe, in a very
1:01.4	bold way.
1:02.4	And so the relationships that I am developing as a result of our win is really as a testament
1:08.6	to the organizing that played an incredible role in me becoming the mayor of the city of
1:14.3	Chicago.
1:16.3	Hello, welcome to Wise is happening with me, your host, Prisades.
1:25.5	You ever have a debate if you're a sports person, you might have had this debate before,
1:32.6	which is like what's the hardest thing to do in sports hitting a baseball or playing
1:38.0	quarterback in the NFL or being a goalie during penalty kicks and soccer.
1:43.2	And you can sort of go back and forth.
1:44.4	I'm like, well, what makes it harder physically, mentally, pressurized?
1:48.9	I think about that in the context of politics a lot.
	...

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