Exclusive Interview with Representative Eric Swalwell
Election, Cooking for Kamala, SNAP and Nutrition
You can listen to this interview as a podcast by clicking the link below!
Jim Bell: Welcome to the American Table. Eric Swalwell, thank you for joining us.
Eric Swalwell: Hey Jim, thanks so much for having me on. Absolutely.
Jim Bell: You're back in session.
Eric Swalwell: We're back in DC. It's a little bit like back to school. You haven't seen your friends and colleagues for a couple of months because we've been out on August work. So that means you're in your district during all of August and a little bit of September. So there's real work to do though, because our constituents are counting on us to fund the government...
Jim Bell: It seems like Speaker Johnson's spending bill is about to crash.
Eric Swalwell: Well, the problem is the Republicans have a crazy approach to this, to not fund the government and they don't even have the votes within their own conference to do the crazy. So we're kind of just waiting to see frankly if they can get their shit together and then we can do what we're supposed to do, which is fund the government, pay our troops, pave our roads, keep our air traffic controllers working. You know, cops and firefighters have what they need. And that our kids in their classroom have what they need. That's like what the government funding does. And they've done this every time with Speaker Johnson and even before that, the prior speaker, which is they take us to the brink, a shutdown is threatened, a bunch of crazy demands. And we hold firm and we say, look, we are just here to fund the government. We're not trying to do crazy culture war stuff. And then they ultimately cave. But a lot of people who are hardworking are put through this wringer. And it's just not fair that they have to deal with this.
Jim Bell: Plus we're about to have a little election. You know, it's not going to be great if the federal government shut down. We're trying to have an election.
Eric Swalwell: Unfortunately, I think too many of these folks, though, Jim, are just in the chaos business. And I like to say I'm in the solutions business. And so it's just a matter of - are there enough Republicans in the solutions business so that we can get this done?
Jim Bell: So tonight's a big night, the debate. And you're probably going to be having pizza. So what are your expectations?
Eric Swalwell: Yes, pizza is usually my go to. Probably a little bit of red wine. Because I grew up in the Bay Area and they don't necessarily serve that in the school lunch. But it's around you a lot when you're growing up… and my district has 70 wineries.
So yes, wine is just very much a part of the culture of being from the Bay Area. Tonight's debate. Look, it's essentially a bright future versus an old fraud. That's what the American people are going to see. Kamala Harris is tough and she's real and she gets it as far as what people care about. And Donald Trump, it's really what I call me mean meme. It's all about him. Never anyone else. And to corruptly carry out his own interests, he cruelly is going to hurt others. And it's memed because the rest of the world is bracing for this clown car presidency again, where he meets with dictators like Kim Jong Un or tries to flatter Vladimir Putin. And so it's going to be a contrast. Someone who's tough and someone who's just unserious.
Jim Bell: Sure. One thing that surprises me is that so many Americans, and we have to respect their opinion, one thing about this format, you know, we observe politics. We're not for or against anybody. Everybody has a right to speak just like at your dinner table. Your parents are Republicans, as you mentioned on the Jimmy Kimmel show. You respect their opinion. You might not agree with it. But it's interesting that so many Americans, I mean, it is neck and neck this race. So I think the debate is going to be quite consequential and could be possibly the most consequential debate we've had in our life.
Eric Swalwell: Yeah. And the last debate probably makes that so. Right? Because it's after the last debate, you know, President Biden made the decision not to run any longer. And by the way, Donald Trump has, you know, said that he's the best debater in the world, that he knocked out Joe Biden. He doesn't think very highly of Kamala Harris. So he has created expectations that are very low for Kamala Harris. I've known her for 20 years. You know, we both had our start in the same district attorney's office in Oakland. And that's how I know she's so tough and ready for this job, because I saw her pursue justice on behalf of our community then. And I'm excited to watch her make the case as to why she's the best person to pursue, you know, the justice for every American as far as like financial freedom, health care freedom, you know, freedom over your body, justice, you know, and freedom that we're all counting on.
Jim Bell: So something that she really brought to the forefront is food. You know, you did cooking for Kamala. Congratulations on your success. I was cooking along with you and thousands and thousands of Americans. You did a great job with that. I've cooked with you before.
Eric Swalwell: Thank you. Yeah, I still have a long way to go. But what we see in Kamala Harris is that cooking brings her such joy and she recognizes it as something so, you know, integral to family and friends and connection. And so I wanted to do something that mirrored that and allowed all of us to interactively participate in that. And so, you know, we have thousands of people who were emailed her favorite recipe, which I'd asked her for. And we're allowed to we're able to cook along. But that's what this campaign has been about is, you know, rediscovering joy in, you know, the pursuit of public change and public good. Where for the last nine years it's been so dark, you know, she's brought joy where we've not seen it often enough. Now, don't get me wrong. On November five, we don't count joy. We count votes. So we have work to do. But the team that has the most fun is usually the team that wins. And that is exciting.
Jim Bell: What's exciting to me is the prospect of someone who's tough and also nurturing. Because if she can bring back Sunday suppers to families and friends and people around America, that would be really fantastic. And I don't care what party you're for, you know, we've got the next topic I want to bring up and talk to you about. Back to school. We're about to write a big article on food is the most important school supply.
And food with kids and the inequality there, it's really frightening for a lot of people. There are a lot of kids that are going hungry every day. Governor Tim Walz, his program in Minnesota for the universal school lunch. I would love your opinion to see if we could expand that around the nation.
Eric Swalwell: Yeah, well, first, you know, as a father of three little kids, I can tell you that when a child's hungry, they're not going to be very good at doing anything else as a parent. They're not going to listen to you. They're not going to play well with others. And most importantly, they're not going to learn. And so, you know, food for our children has to be a right. And, you know, no child just morally, you know, should ever be hungry in the greatest country in the world, America.
But also just, you know, functionally, if we want to see them excel and benefit from the resources as a community, that we've invested in them, because our taxpayer dollars are an investment in the community and the future because we pay for schoolhouses and the teachers who teach them. We want our kids at their best. And so if you take off the table, so to speak, worrying about paying for food and you put on the table a meal that feeds a kid, that is going to make sure that, you know, our kids are learning and then excelling and then everyone in the community does better. That's what Tim Walz's, you know, free school lunch program in Minnesota did. We should do that everywhere in America.
Jim Bell: So one thing, as you know, I still have my farm in Virginia. I talked to some of my neighbors during the farm bill when it was still viable in the house a few months ago. Unfortunately, it did not make it through.
Eric Swalwell: Still working on that.
Jim Bell: What was interesting, the majority of the farmers I interviewed, and these are regular, multigenerational farmers, every single one of them said the name of the bill should be changed to the farm and food bill, not just the farm bill, because a huge amount of that legislation is for SNAP benefits and feeding people.
Eric Swalwell: Jim, that's such a great point. And that's why your podcast is so important because you go out and you talk to people and you listen and you learn. And you're absolutely right. The farm bill is more than, you know, making sure we look out for those who feed us. And then they're important and worthy of our concern and our resources. But yes, so much of the farm bill is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, you know, for Americans who are the hungriest and with the least amount of resources. And so the farm and food bill, I love it. It's a great idea and I’m gonna talk to a colleague of mine.
Jim Bell: I think it would be great if we sponsored that.
Eric Swalwell: But that should be an easy…
Jim Bell: You have a lot of farmers in your district. Now they're growing wine.
Eric Swalwell: They're growing wine. But we also have cattle ranchers in my district as well. And also we've got olives that are grown in the district as well. So we are a part of the agricultural community. And I'm not too far from, you know, the what they call the salad bowl of America, which is in the Central Valley. So that's exactly right.
Eric Swalwell: Right. Some thoughts about securing the House for the election. I think the consensus is the Senate might not make it. It may go to Republican hands. But what are your thoughts about securing the House? Yeah, you know, look, if we win the House we can obviously help President Harris.
You know, we can light the torch that ignites her first term as far as the freedoms that need to be restored and protected. You know, the financial capacity that families will have with first time homeowners credit where she would give twenty five thousand dollars to every first time homeowner. And for you, someone who's a realtor who wants to see people work hard and achieve the American dream, it's out of reach for too many people. So the House can do that. Now, God forbid, you know, if Donald Trump was in the White House, a Democratic House would be the firewall against his worst. Instincts. I'm focused on doing everything I can to make sure that Kamala Harris is the next president, that Aqim Jeffries is the next speaker and that we maintain the majority in the Senate that we have right now. It's all doable. If you look at Florida, by the way, Kamala Harris is just she's down by two points in Florida right now. The Senate seat there is getting closer and closer. Floridians are going to be voting on two important issues, abortion access and basically reversing the six week ban. Republicans put in place and cannabis. And so that could really drive turnout. It's putting Florida in play. Donald Trump spending money there. So I'm not writing off anything yet. And as I said, with 50 ish days to go, we don't count joy. We count votes. And I'm out there trying to get the votes so that we can win the future for the kids.
Jim Bell: Perfect. So some fun. If you could give a shout out to my uncle in Atlanta.
Eric Swalwell: Yes. Shout out to your uncle. Heard about him. Uncle Glenn.
Jim Bell: Right.
Eric Swalwell: Uncle Glenn. Yes, we need him.
Jim Bell: Julie Harris, also in Atlanta.
Eric Swalwell: Yes. Julie Harris, who supported me through you in the past. Thank you for that. We need them because Georgia is also in play.
Jim Bell: Georgia is very much in play.
Eric Swalwell: And what we need is a win in Georgia that is too big to rig because you can see that they're putting in place people on the election boards who are already questioning the legitimacy of an election that hasn't even been held. And so we need the outcome to be bigger than the nine or so thousand votes in the 2020 election in Georgia. We want a big, big turnout there because it's all on the line.
Jim Bell: I know there are a huge number of volunteers in Georgia right now that have signed up and been re-energized by the Harris campaign. So that's good. That's good news for them.
One last food question. What's your favorite pizza place in D.C.? Hint, we met there.
Eric Swalwell: Yes. Yes. Let me first say, like, at home. I'm a roundtable pizza kid. That's where I grew up. Going to pizza parties after a little bit.
Jim Bell: Oh, right. California.
Eric Swalwell: We still have the best combination pizza in America. When we're in D.C., my wife and kids and I, we love Stellina. It's an Italian pizza spot in union market. But also, they've got locations all over D.C. in the Virginia area. And it's a family business. And they're so good to the community that we just love going there. And that's where I met you. And I can just tell from, you know, my interactions with you, Jim, that you're learning a lot and supporting the American table. It just reflects Jim's curiosity, not just about politics, but about food. You know, we all want to continue to pursue knowledge and be better people and better, you know, stewards for our kids in the next generation's future. So thanks for doing that, my friend.
Jim Bell: Thank you. Great to see you, Eric.
Eric Swalwell: Of course, you too.
Jim Bell: See you soon.
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