Latest / Sid & Friends In The Morning / Joseph Hernandez | Running for Election for New York State Comptroller

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Joseph Hernandez | Running for Election for New York State Comptroller · Sid & Friends In The Morning

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Sitting right in front of me is my dear friend
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Joseph Ronandez running for a state controller. But the last
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: time I saw Joe was up at Rockland County at
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  Speaker 1: Mike Lawler's Big dinner, and you you were at the
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: same event. I was talking about Lawler about two weeks
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: before that dinner. Well, once again, President Trump called me
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: up on stage.
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  Speaker 2: He loves you.
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  Speaker 3: I know it is.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: What's not to love.
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  Speaker 1: Well, no, no, A lot of people don't love me.
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  Speaker 3: But you do. That's good. You always look like a
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  Speaker 3: million bucks. Who dressed you?
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  Speaker 2: Buddy?
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  Speaker 3: I do?
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  Speaker 2: I address myself. You know, my mom always sit If
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  Speaker 2: you ugly, you have to dress up. So I address that.
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  Speaker 1: You're very handsome man, and you've got a great story.
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  Speaker 1: So you come from Cuba.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Cuba. I'm Cuban. I'm just like same ancestors as
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: same lineage as Mark Rubio, you know, Ted Cruz, Ted Cruz.
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  Speaker 2: You know, these are people who love America, appreciate America,
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  Speaker 2: appreciate the greatness of this great society, this extraordinary, exceptional
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  Speaker 2: country that we built over two hundred fifty years. We
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  Speaker 2: appreciate it because we've seen the opposite and it's not pretty.
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  Speaker 3: Well right now.
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  Speaker 1: Of course we're busy with Iran, but Cuba could be
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  Speaker 1: next or certainly could come regardless of whether Iran is
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  Speaker 1: done or not. What are your thoughts on us getting
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  Speaker 1: involved with the whole Cuba like we did Venezuela, but
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  Speaker 1: not the same situation, but like that.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, I mean I think we have to do
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  Speaker 2: what is in the best interest of America. And you know,
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  Speaker 2: I'm well, my ancestry is Cuba. I'm an American, so
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  Speaker 2: I was going to do it. It's in the best
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  Speaker 2: interests of our country. I think. Look that we know
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  Speaker 2: that there's an intelligence apparatus in Cuba run by the
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  Speaker 2: Chinese and the Russians, so you know, it's it's a
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  Speaker 2: it's an interest that I think is important to America,
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  Speaker 2: and I think we need to do something about it.
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  Speaker 2: But more importantly, people are being oppressed and there's a
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  Speaker 2: lot of hunger and dismay there, and I think it's
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  Speaker 2: it's yeah, should we should get involved. I mean, that's
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  Speaker 2: my opinion.
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  Speaker 3: People are starving to death in the streets.
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  Speaker 2: They come power, yeah, no power. They can't eat basic
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  Speaker 2: foods like we you and I eat here, and you
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  Speaker 2: know there there were they're in blackout twenty two hours
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  Speaker 2: a day. It's crazy, horrible.
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  Speaker 1: Well, you are running for state controller, okay, so I
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  Speaker 1: often see you together with Saritha who's running against Letitia
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  Speaker 1: James or Attorney General. Likes that she does very good job,
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  Speaker 1: and you guys both spoke in Rockland that night. Explain
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  Speaker 1: to people with that position. Is the state controller.
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  Speaker 2: Well, the state controller is effectively the CFO of the state,
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  Speaker 2: a person who is in charge effectively of overseeing the
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  Speaker 2: taxpayers dollars and making sure they're used appropriately, making sure
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  Speaker 2: there's no fraud and abuse in the system. And then
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  Speaker 2: it's kind of secondary, very important role, which is to
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  Speaker 2: manage the pension fund, which is money that belongs to
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  Speaker 2: the retirees, the people that gave their lives and sacrifice
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  Speaker 2: their careers, miss birthdays and holidays to be with us,
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  Speaker 2: the citizens of the state. So that money's theirs, and
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  Speaker 2: the role requires management of that money to ensure that
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  Speaker 2: there's payout for their retirement. So that's what the role encompasses.
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  Speaker 2: But you know a big part of that is making
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  Speaker 2: sure that we honor the tax pairs dollars because they
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  Speaker 2: worked very hard to earn that and to pay that
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  Speaker 2: into the coffers, and we have to we have to
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  Speaker 2: do that with honesty.
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  Speaker 3: Who's in that position?
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  Speaker 2: Now?
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  Speaker 3: Who is he?
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  Speaker 2: Tom di Napolis there, He's been there for nineteen years.
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  Speaker 2: He was effectively a de factoor appointee.
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  Speaker 1: Number of he's actually a decent guy like Tom.
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  Speaker 2: You know, everybody says that, and I have nothing negative
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  Speaker 2: to say about him.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, you are about to say, they all say that,
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  Speaker 1: but I hate him, but he's not in a republic
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  Speaker 1: and he's not but I kind of like him.
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  Speaker 2: It's he's a good guy from everything I hear. But
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  Speaker 2: you know, this role requires more than a good guy.
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  Speaker 2: As a matter of fact, a good guy's probably not
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  Speaker 2: good for this role because you have to say no
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  Speaker 2: a lot, and you have to pursue fraud and abuse
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  Speaker 2: and put people in prison, and that sometimes requires a tough,
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  Speaker 2: tougher Yeah, I.
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  Speaker 3: Would say so.
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  Speaker 1: And fraud has become such a huge issue in this state.
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  Speaker 3: I don't know. Holt doesn't talk much about it.
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  Speaker 1: Bruce Plateman does something running and I know that You're
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  Speaker 1: also very close with Bruce, and so we all of
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  Speaker 1: us by Fraud is a major issue in this state.
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  Speaker 2: Fraud is overwhelming this state. You know, I did a
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  Speaker 2: calculation just back of the envelope, calculation just based on
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  Speaker 2: standard numbers of fraud and abuse that exist in every
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  Speaker 2: category accross the nation, and I estimated we're losing about
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  Speaker 2: eighteen million dollars in fraud from our two hundred and
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  Speaker 2: seventy seven dollars budget.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, that's a lot of money.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean you can sustain.
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  Speaker 3: Where is that coming from? Though?
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  Speaker 1: I know there's medicare fraud in this state, there's medicaid
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  Speaker 1: fraud in this state or else?
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  Speaker 3: What were some other one?
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  Speaker 2: I mean the biggest one is Medicaid. I mean I
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  Speaker 2: estimated about eleven billion or nine billion dollars, not between
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  Speaker 2: nine and eleven billion dollars of that fraud is coming
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  Speaker 2: from medicaid. And the reason is that the oversight is very,
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  Speaker 2: very loose. You know, for example, there was a big
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  Speaker 2: case that just an issue that happened with doctor Oz
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  Speaker 2: and Nick Shirley. They identified fraud in effectively. What's elderly daycare?
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  Speaker 2: It's a daycare center for elderly people, and it's been abuse.
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  Speaker 2: It's organized it's organized crime, is what it is. A
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  Speaker 2: lot of Koreans and Chinese. These organized crime families are
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  Speaker 2: basically abusing the system really and that's going to get
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  Speaker 2: really big. I mean, I think it's just evolving, but
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  Speaker 2: the abuse is massive.
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  Speaker 3: The reason is there even is a system. Sometimes they
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  Speaker 3: there's not even nobody there. It's just a vacant building.
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  Speaker 2: No, And I think, look, this is why the control
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  Speaker 2: roles are important. You're supposed to be paying attention to
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  Speaker 2: this stuff. You're supposed to be shouting when when people
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  Speaker 2: are stealing from the taxpayers, and you're supposed to work
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  Speaker 2: with prosecutors to put these people in prisons. And that's
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  Speaker 2: what I plan to do for.
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  Speaker 3: People in prison. You have to like that.
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  Speaker 1: I've had doctor roj in this studio twice or three
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  Speaker 1: times maybe over the last month. And I've also hated
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  Speaker 1: these studios Keith Sandling and Anthony de Esposito, and they're
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  Speaker 1: all about Anthony Dispizito is a former cop. They've also
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  Speaker 1: uncovered millions of not billions of dollars, but they do
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  Speaker 1: every day, which the labor department, and Anthony only wants
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  Speaker 1: to put people in prison.
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  Speaker 3: So I like that there's never repercussions.
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  Speaker 1: There's so many stories about all these people set of
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  Speaker 1: time Democrats that are doing this, and there's never any repercussion.
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  Speaker 2: There's no repercussions. I mean, we have we have created
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  Speaker 2: a society where you can do just about anything and
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  Speaker 2: get away with it. You see that in the criminality
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  Speaker 2: in our city. You know, there's there's no there's no repercussions, no,
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  Speaker 2: no behavior. And societies can't function like that. So we
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  Speaker 2: need to make sure that we send a loud message,
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  Speaker 2: and the message is very clear. If I'm controller and
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  Speaker 2: you steal from the taxpayers of New York, You're going
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  Speaker 2: to prison like that.
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  Speaker 3: And so monopoly is out right. He's timed.
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  Speaker 2: No, no, no, he's running.
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  Speaker 1: I'm runing, runing as okay, So it's you against him,
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  Speaker 1: it's me against now. I got it, Now, I got it. Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: I don't like him that much.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think I I think listen, I believe in
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  Speaker 2: the citizen politician, a citizen legislator, which is the original
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  Speaker 2: concept of the Constitution, the original concept of our founders,
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  Speaker 2: which is you know, you you're not you're not supposed
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  Speaker 2: to be a career politician. And unfortunately we have so
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  Speaker 2: many career politicians. This is all they know. They've never
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  Speaker 2: had a real job in their life. You know, I
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  Speaker 2: worked on Wall Street. I built twelve companies. I've ran
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  Speaker 2: the NASDAC built twice. I've ran in New York Stock
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  Speaker 2: Exchange once. I've you know, and I'm I'm I come.
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  Speaker 2: My origins are, I'm a poor kid from Cuba. My
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  Speaker 2: dad washed dishes and my mom cleaned houses. And you know,
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  Speaker 2: I'm great. I'm the American dream and I just want
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  Speaker 2: to pay back.
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  Speaker 3: You are now. You went from mayor too, I did?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, you did. That was a job I should
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  Speaker 2: have won. By the way, the city would have been
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  Speaker 2: a lot better.
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  Speaker 3: You should have won. You believe what this guy's doing.
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  Speaker 2: To this insanity, right, Joe, come on, complete insanity. I
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  Speaker 2: am so disappointed that this is the trajectory of our city.
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  Speaker 2: I can believe that we have a socialist, uh communist
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  Speaker 2: in control of the greatest city on earth, the most
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  Speaker 2: capitalistic city in the world, the city that defined the
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  Speaker 2: industrial Revolution, the city that's financed the world, that's brought
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  Speaker 2: a billion people out of poverty. Uh, this is being
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  Speaker 2: run by a communist commist.
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  Speaker 3: That's one of the nicest things you can say about
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  Speaker 3: terrorist to hottest, I go with all.
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  Speaker 2: You get in trouble for what you say, so I
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  Speaker 2: can't I can't say.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't care.
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  Speaker 1: I'm up in a funny state office, so not yet.
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  Speaker 3: At least I'm gonna watch you. You do your thing, you
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  Speaker 3: want control.
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  Speaker 1: My name is popped up in the mayor conversation.
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  Speaker 2: Think you'd be great that, But you know, you know,
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  Speaker 2: Trump is up in a couple of years. You know,
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  Speaker 2: you and Rubio might be an interesting ticket.
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  Speaker 1: Not a bad ticket. Rubio Rosenberg, I kind of like
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  Speaker 1: that myself.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't know.
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  Speaker 1: It just seems like such a difficult time. And I
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  Speaker 1: give you credit and again, you're a self made, huge success.
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  Speaker 1: Your life story is an amazing story, and it'll be
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  Speaker 1: great at whatever position you end up getting.
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  Speaker 3: But it's tough out there, man, it is tough.
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  Speaker 2: It is tough. But you know what, this, this exceptional
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  Speaker 2: country wasn't built easily. It took a lot of sweat
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  Speaker 2: and tears from people who believed in the concept of America.
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  Speaker 2: I believe in the concept of America. I am a
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  Speaker 2: byproduct of I love this country. You do really know
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  Speaker 2: this is I can't serve with the military as I'm
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  Speaker 2: too old, so this is my service and my my
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: repayment of gratitude and and everything. This country, I mean,
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  Speaker 2: this country embraced me when my own country kicked me out.
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  Speaker 2: So wow, I'm an American.
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  Speaker 3: Do you live in the city. I do.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I live down in the Financial District.
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  Speaker 3: Oh find I used to live there. I used to
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  Speaker 3: live on eleven Hanover Square.
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  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, yeah, I'm kind of close there.
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  Speaker 1: Ye're kind of close to there. Well, and it's close
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  Speaker 1: to there more streets down there and Pier seventeen. It's
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  Speaker 1: really a great place.
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  Speaker 2: That was That was the original New York you know
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  Speaker 2: that's what. Yeah, the first electrical grid was rolled out.
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  Speaker 1: That's where Francis Tavern. Yeah, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson
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  Speaker 1: eight there.
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  Speaker 2: That's it's still there. Yeah. The Dead Rabbit.
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  Speaker 3: Who does the Dead Rabbit? I love that place too
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  Speaker 3: and know it well.
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  Speaker 2: Yes.
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  Speaker 3: I also love Harry's Italian on Gold Street. Pot.
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  Speaker 1: She's a great guy. Yes, great guy there on Gold Street.
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  Speaker 1: They also a Harry Steakhouse, which I wasn't a huge
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  Speaker 1: ban of right across the street from my building.
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  Speaker 3: So tomorrow night you and I have an event together.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, thank you for coming out. I really appreciate it.
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  Speaker 2: And you know we're inviting our supporters and anybody who's
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  Speaker 2: in town and wants to meet you. You're you know,
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: you're obviously the famous guy in the room.
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: I wanted Barrow office. I'm just coming to what. I
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: have a new jacket. I got to try it out.
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  Speaker 3: I love you. I think you're great.
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: Thank you, buddy, thank you. Don't upstates me, Okay, don't
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: look to me because you always look.
• 10:08
  Speaker 3: To you guys. I never wear a tie. You'll always
• 10:11
  Speaker 3: get me, you know, to you know face like, no,
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  Speaker 3: I don't.
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: Wear a bow tie. On Saturday night to Bedminster to
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: sea Trump, I had to wear a bow tie. I
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: was so uncomfortable. All I been was a bitch about
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: it for like an hour. I see guys like you.
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: You were a tie in the morning. It's no big deal.
• 10:24
  Speaker 3: So it's Dorian. You know what that place is exactly?
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: Because I don't a pretty side exactly address.
• 10:29
  Speaker 3: But you know what does a great job as your
• 10:31
  Speaker 3: manager there? Right? Job? Right?
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  Speaker 2: We have listen, I have the greatest staff. These are
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: young patriots, These are people who love America. And it
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: gives me so much pride and you know, hope for
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: America because you have these young kids. I mean, I
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: can't pay managers. I won't say his age, but he's
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: under he's under thirty.
• 10:48
  Speaker 3: He's a great kid.
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: Yeah, amazing. And then my deputy campaignment also in their twenties. Yeah,
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: those people, those kids love America. It's just like it
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: makes me so happy, and it's for them. I fight
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: for them and my kids because I believe that they
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  Speaker 2: deserve the America that you and I had. So let's
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: let's fight.
• 11:03
  Speaker 3: I love it. You're a terrific guy. You're really dawty I.
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: You're a terrific app.
• 11:06
  Speaker 3: No stop it.
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  Speaker 1: I will do everything I can in my power to
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: help you win. You man, It's start tomorrow with our
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: event tomorrow, but we've got a couple of months. I
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: hope we will do a couple of things together. Joseph Fernandez,
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: God bless you.
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: Thank you, buddy, God bless you, and keep up a
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: good fight. I'm cheering you on, man.
• 11:20
  Speaker 3: Thank you you to us. See you tomorrow night.
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: Okay, there he is money for state controller. Please vote
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: for him. Do me a favor, do New Yorker favor,
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: Do the country a favor, do Trump a favor, do
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: the damn world of favor and vote for Joseph Fernandez
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: for a state controller. Come November and come out and
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: see us tomorrow. Auditorians, thanks for listening to Sit in
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: Friends in the Morning. You can hear Sit and Friends
• 11:41
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• 11:43
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• 12:01
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• 12:03
  Speaker 1: never have to wonder what the heck is going on here.