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Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey joins Sam to talk about trading her career as a (yes) professional basketball player in Austria for law school and later to serve as Attorney General and Governor of Massachusetts. They talk about how Governor Healey happily works across the aisle with non-crazy Republican colleagues, and why some of them are voting for Kamala Harris. They talk about struggling with small decisions like choosing household items, her stint as a cocktail waitress, and of course, there is an unprompted mention of Dunkin Donuts.

Transcript

SPEAKERS

Samantha Bee, Maura Healey

Samantha Bee  01:28

Okay, everybody, it is October, think of your favorite sports metaphor, and that is what we are going with. We are getting down to the wire to save democracy, and it’s all I’m talking about. There is no time to dilly dally, so I’m gonna get right to it. I have some serious choice words for people who have still not made their plans to vote. Where in the world are you waiting for? Go scram right now. Go check your voter registration. Go do it right now. Then come back and listen to this episode. Not much is more important than listening to me speak, but registering to vote is one of the few things I can think of that is you can’t sit this one out. You just can’t. Oh, what’s that? You don’t want to vote for your own interests. That’s fine. Vote for the rights of someone you love. You don’t love anyone. Okay, that’s fine. Vote so that you are entitled to complain later, that’s good, too. No vote, no right to complain. You thought you were gonna stump me. I know it’s fine. Voter registration deadlines vary state by state, so please go online and find out what your deadline is and even if you are a consummate voter, good for you. If you are double check that you are still registered, because conservatives everywhere are doing their best to purge people like you from voter rolls. Oh, you know what? I have choice words for those partisan hacks as well.

 

Samantha Bee  03:14

This is Choice Words. I’m Samantha Bee, my guest today is Massachusetts governor Maura Healey. She is a exactly what you want in a politician. I’m a big fan. We talk about the stakes of the coming month and beyond, so take a listen and make good choices.

 

Maura Healey  03:36

Sam, I’ve been a huge fan admirer for so many years, and I can’t believe I get a chance to talk to you.

 

Samantha Bee  03:42

Are you kidding me? I’m a huge admirer of yours. I just respect you. Should they thank you, absolute health.

 

Maura Healey  03:53

Thank you.

 

Samantha Bee  03:54

I’m amazed that you said yes, it was my heart. I don’t ever know you never know […]

 

Maura Healey  04:00

You know what it’s you’re I mean, I love our cable and our networks and, you know, newspapers, but if you really want to reach people like this is where it’s at, you know.

 

Samantha Bee  04:11

I really appreciate you saying that. So the opening salvo, I guess, in this conversation, is the subject of choice, choices that we make, impactful choices in our lives, even something small that kind of changed everything. And you are a sitting governor. You are making big choices, big decisions all the time, just to start off, the conversation, is your metric different when it comes to a personal choice versus a choice that you kind of when you’re making choices for large groups of people, for an entire state’s worth of people, do you run things through a different set of criteria?

 

Maura Healey  04:52

Well, it’s interesting, like, I like making the big decisions. I’m very comfortable and. Making the big decisions. But then there’s this part of me where, like, I’ve spent four months trying to pick out the color of the masks I want in the basement for the gym, right? Like, Joanna, my partner would say, like, like, I would be a terrible personal shopper, like my indecisiveness around picking out shoes or what have you. Thank goodness for my job. I am very comfortable making the big decisions and right? You know, I do that by trying to be thoughtful, you know, and careful about that.

 

Samantha Bee  05:35

Right, were you always like that growing up?

 

Maura Healey  05:37

Oh, I’ve been indecisive about, like, all things personal my whole life. I mean, when it comes to clothes, when it comes to even, like I, I’m one of these people back in the day before, it’s now too hard with the computer to flip the station. But remember, used to just, like, turn the knob like I would. I would be constantly turning the knob looking for, you know, look for different song, new songs. So there’s that, there’s that part of me. But, I mean? Fortunately, I guess, for the people of Massachusetts, I don’t get paralyzed making the big decisions.

 

Samantha Bee  06:06

That’s good. You don’t dither on the big Massachusetts decisions, but you can’t pick those. You know what? I’m the mirror opposite of you. So I’ll really mats for your gym, and I will be hopeless to govern an entire state’s worth of people we have one month approximately left to pretty much save democracy. How are you? How are you reflecting on that in this time? And by the way, I’m amazed that you even had even a small amount of time to sit with me. I feel like everything is happening, everything everywhere, all at once.

 

Maura Healey  06:41

It’s so true. That was a good movie, by the way. Look, I served as Attorney General during the Trump years, and I know what is on the line. I also know that even in a state like Massachusetts, which people think of as blue, we are not insulated. Because as much as I protect rights and freedoms here in Massachusetts, I can’t protect people in Massachusetts from a person if somebody is elected who is going to ban abortion or defund the Department of Education. So you know, I am spending when I’m not doing state work, I am spending as much time as I can on the campaign trail for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, just encouraging people to get out there to vote and to understand what’s at stake.

 

Samantha Bee  07:29

Right? When you take the temperature, when you’re out and about, talking to the people of Massachusetts, what are you hearing from them?

 

Maura Healey  07:36

Well, you know, I think a lot of the concerns that people are talking about affordability, the cost of housing. It’s something we’ve tried to really tackle here in Massachusetts. It’s something, again, that Kamala Harris is going to tackle as president. People are tense, right? I mean, there’s a lot of angst right now, and it’s understandable, because things have become so divisive and vitriolic. And you know, the amount of misinformation, disinformation, the amount of fear that’s been sort of exploited, right, fabricated and exploited. It’s got people really worked up and and stressed out. And I think, you know, in many respects, people are a lot of people, and hopefully the majority of voters are just looking for some calm, some steadiness.

 

Samantha Bee  08:21

Some steadiness. It’s very disheartening when the people who are running for the highest office in the land are just openly, admittedly sharing dangerous disinformation. You just kind of go like, what are we doing here? Is this? Why is this? Why is this happening? How can this be permitted to happen?

 

Maura Healey  08:43

Yeah, well, it happened because Donald Trump became the leader of the Republican Party, I mean, and unfortunately for our country, because I believe it’s important for us to have two strong parties. I don’t see that changing until Donald Trump is no longer the leader of the Republican Party. I’m somebody. I’m a Democrat, I but I prided myself on working well with Republicans. My predecessor is Governor Charlie Baker, popular, most popular governor in the country, at one point, Republican he and I worked very well together. In fact, I still call him for advice. I work with some of my Republican governors, like Utah governor Spencer Cox, great guy. He’s leading a great initiative on how to disagree better, right? How to have civil discourse, because it’s okay to have policy differences, right? What’s not okay is, if you’re lying about stuff, you’re lying to people, you’re you’re misrepresenting things in a way that’s really harmful and and you’re just not being straight with the American public. And you know, the level to which things have devolved, really, as led by Donald Trump, is just, it’s it’s gotten us to this really terrible place. And here we are talking about cats and dogs and people in Springfield, Ohio, and these poor little kids who, you know, can’t even go to. School because, you know, nuts are calling in with bomb scares, all because of what, what, what Trump and Vance are saying. So, you know, that’s why I think you also see so many Republicans joining to support Harris, because, you know, you’re never going to agree with everything. No that somebody who’s elected to serve you says or does, right? It’s just not possible, but except maybe, if you’re their mother, and then everything you do is right, like, otherwise it’s like you’ve got to pick and choose here, you know? And and to me that the choice couldn’t be clear.

 

Samantha Bee  10:33

It seems like in in some way, the the seams are ripped. You know what? I mean? Like, just like a little ripper has come and just torn us asunder, and we need a healing bomb. People just want a steady hand. You’re it’s what you said. You’re never going to agree with one person, one figure in everything they do or say, that’s never going it’s never happened, and it never would happen. As the Ag of Massachusetts, you sued Trump over 100 times. But how many times do you wish you had sued him, like 500?

 

Maura Healey  11:11

I mean, yeah, it was a dark time. Sam, you know, I can’t and actually, kind of, what a sad commentary that you have to use your power as a state attorney general just to keep bad things from happening right to people in your state. I mean, Trump was trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act rip away health care, yeah, from people. And you know, my job was to stand up and and protect against that. So it’s kind of sad that we had to sue him so many times. I mean, we won well over 80% of those lawsuits because, you know, what he was doing was so blatantly wrong, and it’s also why we can’t go back.

 

Samantha Bee  11:50

We’ll be right back after this.

 

Samantha Bee  12:37

You were the first democratic governor to publicly cautiously urge Joe Biden to consider leaving the race. There must have been a political calculation. I bet that’s a choice that you really agonized over to some extent. Can you talk about that a little bit?

 

Maura Healey  14:57

Well, first of all, I’m somebody who never. Expected to be in politics. I never grew up wanting to run for office. That’s a whole other story. But since I’ve been in this job, both as governor and as Attorney General, you know, I see how how high the stakes are, right? And you also have to sort of read the electorate and what’s going on out there. And I just was really concerned that the Democratic Party that we weren’t putting our best foot forward. I have so much respect for President Biden, so appreciative of everything that the administration has has delivered, and also for his incredible career of public service. But, you know I thought it was an important question to ask. He did the honorable thing. He put country right ahead of himself. I wish other people would do that. Yes, he put country ahead of himself. And it’s been just incredible to well, it’s incredible to see that, and then to see what Kamala Harris has been able to do so I made that call because the stakes are so high.

 

Samantha Bee  16:08

I mean, how different is? I mean, I think, I think I already know the answer to this question. But could you believe how different the political landscape is now from when you entered politics?

 

Maura Healey  16:21

It’s sad, sort of what has happened? I mean, we had an insurrection that was encouraged by the president united states, right? I mean, that’s just insane. Like, how did that happen? How did we get to that point? You know, I think that the the fundamentals are still there, right? I mean, most Americans, we want the same thing. We want safe communities. We want our kids to be able to to go to school and be educated. We want access to health care. We ought to want to be able to have, you know, the opportunity to grow a great career and, you know, economic mobility for our families, right, and their kids, right? There’s way more that we have in common, right? Then, then divides us. But yet, you have these forces. And you know what sort of think about with Donald Trump. You may not agree with everything Kamala Harris stands for says, But you know what? She’s there for the people. When has Donald Trump ever been about anything other than himself? So we are where we are, but I think that we can get back to where we were if we get the right people with the right temperament and office and people need leadership, right. I mean, unfortunately, Trump has taken too many in this really horrible direction and and I’m confident we can can get it back. What is more challenging now, Sam than you know what? Eight years ago, 10 years ago, when I first got elected, the use of the proliferation of social media and the use the weaponization of disinformation is just different now, and we really have to fight hard to show the truth of what’s happening, right? You know, and that, I think, is different and something we’re going to have to contend with.

 

Samantha Bee  18:06

Yeah, it feels even kind of quaint, like thinking about who I was, where I would be worried about George Bush and be talking it seems like pastoral.

 

Maura Healey  18:18

Yeah, and the other thing is, there’s, there’s a meanness or a cruelty that we see there’s certainly been, like, look at the increase in anti semitism. Look at the increase in racial bias, in incidents that have been reported. You know, it just, it’s like, how did that happen? You know, the denigration of, you know, members of the LGBTQ plus community, like people with disabilities. Like, wait a second, like, We’re Americans, you know, we’re supposed to be kind and good to one another, fundamental decency. We’ve got to bring that back too, because that’s something that also seems to just be like, palpably different. And I don’t know if it’s because of what we all live through with the pandemic. And people just being fried, or the exploitation of disinformation, but that too is something different to me.

 

Samantha Bee  19:08

Yeah, I mean, it’s all I think it’s all that, and it is actually very like, we do need it. We do need that soothing bomb of talking about the future, of talking about like, of having people gather in a joyful manner, and people like the fixers, people who have a can do attitude, as opposed to just every time someone opens their mouth, it’s just like American carnage, like every time he goes on X, it’s just American carnage.

 

Maura Healey  19:35

Yeah, I mean, I was just recently pleased because Massachusetts, we’re number one in a lot. I’m not going to brag about Massachusetts, but I will say one thing that I really was psyched hearing about was that we were ranked the number one place to have a baby and to raise a family. That’s good, right? It’s like quality of life. It’s like people, you want to be hopeful, you want to prepare for the next generation, right? And, we just, we just need more of that.

 

Samantha Bee  20:00

Yeah, how do you grapple with because, because you’re out there all the time? I personally have hard time dealing with undecided voters. That’s my personal cross to bear. I can’t handle it. How do you but you can? You have to bring patience, and you have to bring discussion to it, and you have to, you have to bring all of your best leadership qualities to that. What does it feel like? Is it frustrating in the moment when you’re like, oh boy, the choice could not be more clear in my mind. But let’s talk about it.

 

Maura Healey  20:35

It just requires some understanding. You know? I mean, you’re not going to win by telling somebody that they’re wrong, To me, you know, I bumped into a guy Dunkin Donuts the other day. I was getting donuts before a daughter’s soccer game, and, you know, we started talking, and it went to the election, and then, you know, he was he, I said he wasn’t gonna vote. And for anyone, I said, Well, wait a second, like, tell me why. Well, nobody does anything. It’s not for me. And I said, What’s on your mind? He talked about the fact that his mother really can’t afford to live in her house anymore. We’ve got to get down the cost of housing. And I was like, okay, that’s super important. And let me tell you what Kamala Harris wants to do with that, right? You’ve got to connect these issues to people. I think the abortion issue is super, super important, and not just for women, for everyone. And so like, you bump into people and you know, I’ll engage them on the conversation like, what do you want for your daughters? What do you want for your sons? Because now that Trump and Vance want to take away abortion, they also put contraception and IVF on the table, right? What does this say about what your sons and daughters are going to be able to do, and the kind of families in life they’re going to be able to choose to have or not have? So yeah, you can get aways with people just by listening to them, understanding what’s driving them. And then you can, you know, engage on on the policy, substances, stuff. But it’s hard. What’s what’s really hard is to see the vitriol, you know, right? Sometimes I just like, there’s something sick and wrong with me, because it makes me want to run to the flame even more and be like, what’s really what’s going on with you, right? Like, why do you why feel that way?

 

Samantha Bee  22:16

Yeah, why are you saying that? You know what’s driving your willingness?

 

Maura Healey  22:20

Just, like, freaked out, and they actually are like, Huh? Somebody’s listening to me.

 

Samantha Bee  22:24

Were you always like that? We’re always like, I’ll run into this I’ll run into this fire. Let me just get a

 

Maura Healey  22:29

peacemaker. You know, I’m always Defy. My parents get divorced, I was like, a natural born sort of pleaser, right? My mom’s a single mom, so I didn’t want to see acrimony or fighting. So it was all little bit about, you know, a little bit of that is my personality, for better or worse.

 

Samantha Bee  22:47

It’s a great, you know, it’s like leading with curiosity, like, what is driving people’s willingness to be so vitriolic? I do, you know, I do have some choice words about online anonymity, which is a real.

 

Maura Healey  23:00

Oh, like, talk about cowards. See, I don’t read the comments though.

 

Samantha Bee  23:04

I just don’t no, you can’t. I don’t know, you can’t. You couldn’t do your job. You couldn’t do your work. It’s impossible. I am going crazy from all the because I am reading a lot of op eds, which I shouldn’t do, because they drive me a little just kind of like intellectual rich white men opining that they haven’t heard enough details from Kamala Harris on stabilizing racial crisis. And I’m just like, what are you doing? Yeah it is.

 

Maura Healey  23:34

I mean, it’s, you look as women, we are always in elections. We’re running 10 points behind in any race, you know, in it, and it’s just this different lens that’s applied to us. Somebody did that to me the other night, and, like, let me give you like six. It was just like, bing, bing, bing. Here are like eight things that she said, policy wise. And meanwhile, what have you heard from the other guy, you know? So, or actually, pretty bad if you read 2025.

 

Samantha Bee  24:04

Yeah, but I’m sure he hasn’t read it. He’s talking about, he’s just very fixated on how many people are coming to his rallies. Yeah, I think he’d get them off anything by just yeah,

 

Maura Healey  24:14

Or people, or how many people are crossing the border, which, by the way, is lower than it was in the Trump years. You know, we’re now down below so, yes.

 

Samantha Bee  24:23

Yes, okay, so we know that. You know, Massachusetts isn’t gonna go Trump, nor is my home state, New York. What do you want residents of pretty decently safe blue states to be doing between now and Election Day, and maybe after, God forbid.

 

Maura Healey  24:44

Yeah, well, I think Sam, a couple things. Know that you’re not insulated, right? Like your governors are going to do what they can to protect you, but at the end of the day, if we elect a president of the United States who’s going to move on a national abortion ban, who’s going to start to. Track women’s periods. Who’s going to weaponize the Department of Justice to investigate doctors and nurses and health care providers everywhere, like we’re in trouble, and that’s just like one one area. So the first point is like, no one is safe. No one is safe. And the second point is, please call anyone that you know who’s living in a swing state, maybe you went to college with them. You went to elementary school. Your kids have moved out there, you know, whatever. Right colleagues from work be in touch with them, like, don’t wake up November 6 and wonder what could have, should have, might have I have done. You know that this race is going to be so close, and it’s going to come down to a few 1000, maybe a few 100 votes, maybe a few dozen votes in particular counties, right at the precinct level. So do the outreach now, right and make sure people that you know are voting. I encourage a lot of people here in Massachusetts to get up where you can. I mean, if you can get out to a swing state, go for it. We have our neighbor, New Hampshire to the north. There’s an important governor’s race there. I’m supporting Joyce Gregg, a Democrat, who I want as a partner in office. There’s a lot of good things that can be done around economic development for New England region. Kamala Harris, four Electoral College votes up there. So just like, get get after it. You know, we’ve only got a few […]

 

Samantha Bee  26:28

Get after it, calling your aunt and uncle in Arizona.

 

Maura Healey  26:31

Yeah, and if you can get on, you know, if you can get on a plane or a bus or get in your car and drive to a swing state and volunteer, I mean, this is going to be a whole get out the vote operation in terms of what comes later. We’re going to have to, you know, protect our election officials. We’re going to have to support democracy, continue to demand that we live in a country that is an American democracy, and that work is is ongoing. Sam, and then the the healing, right? You know, we talked at the beginning about bringing the not it’s not just the temperature down. It’s more about just like, bringing people more together, instead of electing people and supporting people and giving air time and credence to people who are clearly just out for themselves, like it’s like a show, you know, to get back to a place where we’re having dialog even if we’re disagreeing, importantly, if we’re disagreeing, because we’re a democracy, different views. You know, when I make decisions, I always try to get the best experts and, you know, ideas in the room. But I and I also encourage difference of opinion, like give me different views on something. That’s how we get the best policies and decisions I think.

 

Samantha Bee  27:42

You have people who make a case, an opposite case, to how you think you’re going to go, so that you can hone yourself, so that you can really understand the contours of every situation. This is very, I mean, this is very womanly of you. I really appreciate it.

 

Maura Healey  28:03

Well, women leaders are, you know, I serve with a great group of Democratic women governors, and talk about some great leaders so.

 

Samantha Bee  28:10

Yeah, and I want to know, I want to know everything about your email governor, text thread, if you don’t mind, I heard there is one support group, Support Chat. Yeah, I love that. You all have that, yeah? We learned about it from Governor Whitmer, who were like, tell me everything. Show me. She was like, Absolutely not.

 

Maura Healey  28:31

This is very private chat, yeah, it’s a lot of fangirling though, supporting each other this show you did this clip of that, yeah.

 

Samantha Bee  28:44

We’ll be right back after this.

 

Samantha Bee  30:54

I so appreciate your leadership on the subject of abortion, it is just so needed out there, because there’s so much disinformation about that as well. I mean, we literally just keep hearing the the most outrageous stuff that’s just not true, that just spreads like wildfire, and like a calm, collected, intelligent voice is so refreshing to my ears.

 

Maura Healey  32:27

Yeah, thank you. Well, um, we’ll keep at that, because it’s it’s so important. I don’t think most Americans want to see doctors go to jail, simply for providing health care. I don’t think that most Americans want to see survivors of rape and incest, forced to carry their perpetrators baby to term. You know, people believe in freedom in this country and and and understand that when they come for our bodies. I mean, there’s, there’s no other freedom they’re not going to come for.

 

Samantha Bee  32:58

Yes, this is just like bodily autonomy writ large? I learned that you played professional basketball in Austria, just pivoting, just hard pivot. Like I know that. I don’t know a lot about sports, but isn’t basketball for tall people? I’m just asking the question.

 

Maura Healey  33:18

Yeah, and it is for tall people. And I’m five, four, shrinking every day. If you look behind me, you see basketballs. Everybody gives me a lot of basketball stuff. But, you know, I grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, and you know, as I say, my mom was a single mom for a number a year. She had five of us. She sort of threw us into sports or dropped us off at the beach. We lived near the beach, and like, that’s how we sort of survived and thrived. And so I had a chance to to go to college, play basketball. Loved it, and then when you graduate, there was no pro league in United States at that time. So I took advantage of a chance to go play in Europe, and loved it. Saw the world it was great. And you know, I have so many gifts from that game teamwork. I mean, all the things you learn through sports, especially for women, it’s just been awesome to see the rise in interest in women’s sports. It’s been great. And, you know, I still play from time to time with the women I played in leagues with and played pickup with after I got back and went to law school. And it’s like you always have that camaraderie. You always have those bonds. Now you just, you know, hurt a lot more the next morning when you wake up if you played the night before.

 

Samantha Bee  34:37

Right, you must have strong opinions about what you would like to see in terms of higher wages for female athletes like you know, it is so.

 

Maura Healey  34:46

Infuriating, right? The whole reason that Brittney Griner was over in Russia to begin with is because she didn’t make enough money playing the United States, women have to go to Europe to be able to make money. Um yeah, and it’s just ridiculous. The salary disparity between male athletes and women athletes is ridiculous, and it’s not about the product. I mean, how many people to see this year? You know, the record turnout for the NCAA and the women’s tournament sold more tickets than the men’s and had more eyeballs than the men’s games. We have just seen the WNBA playoffs happening, record attendance. So, you know, the product is great, and people are drawn to it. The pay should, should match that. So I have, you know, I have no patience for it. And yes, I have strong opinions, strong opinions. I have strong opinions about that. I don’t like it one bit. No, it’s awesome. Like to see all these women playing sports, soccer, football, basketball, you name it. Hockey, we just about, we have a pro hockey team in Massachusetts great.

 

Samantha Bee  35:57

Okay, you put up, I think this is so funny. You put up pride billboards for Massachusetts in places like Florida, telling them to come north. Do people do it?

 

Maura Healey  36:12

They did. I’ve met so many. I mean, look.

 

Samantha Bee  36:16

Such a good idea.

 

Maura Healey  36:17

Well, you know, it’s like Massachusetts, like we’re home to the first public school and public library in the country. We’re also home to universal health care and marriage equality, right? We’ve been a state that’s been about welcoming people and protecting people, and you know, I got so upset at people like DeSantis for these just outrageous, discriminatory, don’t say gay laws. You’re hurting people. And people know, in Massachusetts, we’re going to protect your your rights, and we’re going to protect your kids rights too, so that they’re safe in school, you know, or so that you’re safe in the workplace, you know, in the face of that, we just thought it was a good opportunity for us to look, I’m a governor. I want, I want, I want people moving here. I want companies moving here, right? We just thought it was important to get the word out that, you know, come, come, come to Massachusetts. We’re a great place. And honestly, I’ve met a lot of people who have moved here because they needed access to non discriminatory health care. They wanted to make sure that, you know, their kids were going to be protected the abortion. I mean, young women are making a decision about where to go to college and university and, oh, like, god forbid you need access to an abortion, maybe even access to contraception, right? Because everything’s on the table now with these guys, I know. So people are coming to Massachusetts.

 

Samantha Bee  37:40

That’s a calculation in our home. I have three kids who are, you know, I have one in college now, two, the like, one is getting close and looking at schools, and he, even my son, is like, we’ve really, I think I’m gonna stick to the northeast. It feels like, it’s just the safe zone.

 

Maura Healey  37:56

Yeah, and we don’t ban books here either, which, no, we really don’t just good.

 

Samantha Bee  38:01

Did Ron DeSantis respond to you? Did he personally respond to you?

 

Maura Healey  38:05

He didn’t personally respond and you know what’s funny, we’ve got this like nonpartisan National Governors Association. What I find truly pathetic is that neither Governor DeSantis or Governor Abbott in Texas pay dues. So the neither Texas nor Florida are part of the nonpartisan National Governors Association, and I sort of think that says it all about them.

 

Samantha Bee  38:31

Such sour grapes.

 

Maura Healey  38:33

So I haven’t had a chance to bump into him.

 

Samantha Bee  38:35

Oh, well, that’s unfortunate. I’m glad he’s the real life of the party. What is your news diet? What do you consume? Are you like me? Do you wake up in the morning? Do you start reading the paper at five o’clock in the fives?

 

Maura Healey  38:52

No, I’m more well the kids are up. I mean, we have school in the morning. We have a 13 and 11 year old, so you know, we’re okay. We’re up and moving a little bit before seven. I mean, okay, I’ve tried to make a habit of like I am going to go downstairs, make a cup of coffee, okay, have a glass of water, and then look at my phone. Okay, I like that. That works about one out of every eight days. Okay. Plan, but, you know, I meet, I’m still a newspaper person. You know, I read. I read. There’s a couple local papers that I read every morning. I read the Wall Street Journal and and the times it’s quick, quick read through that I get on some of the news sites. Can’t help myself, can’t help it. You just gotta like, and then later in the day, in the evening, I wind down my Instagram feed, which I know is just like, not what I’m supposed to be doing, right? We’re supposed to be turning off all of our screens, sure. And, you know, can’t help it.

 

Samantha Bee  39:57

Just one is hard. Yeah, it’s hard we, I hope at least you put it in a lockbox when you are on vacation of although I know you never, probably take.

 

Maura Healey  40:06

No, yeah, no, and no, there’s, there’s no, no lockbox. I don’t know what I would, I mean, I try to take some time, but it’s, it’s […] not happening.

 

Samantha Bee  40:20

So if we, how can we? I love to have an action plan. I love to finish a conversation with I feel like we all need an action plan right now. So we’re saying, in your opinion, that all of us who are in our little blue state enclaves don’t get lazy. You’re not there are things that can happen. We do not want these things to happen and to prevent more terrible things from happening, we are contacting our distant relatives.

 

Maura Healey  40:54

Relatives, roommates, colleagues, former colleagues, I mean, people that you dated. It just doesn’t matter. Just like everyone, like anyone you know in a in a swing state in particular, make sure they’re registered, make sure they’re voting, and just like be out there, if you have time, go to these places, because they need people to knock doors. They need people to make phone calls if you can’t leave your home. There’s ways to get in touch with those states parties and, you know, make phone calls from your house.

 

Samantha Bee  41:31

And check your registration.

 

Maura Healey  41:32

Check Your Registration, because, you know, unfortunately, some of what we’ve seen is we’ve seen just continued efforts to block the vote, suppress the vote, make it so damn hard for people to vote. So check your registration, and check the registration of those who you care about, you know, make sure that they’ve done what they need to do. So those are all things Sam that are really important. And like every day, every hour that goes by, it’s just like one day loss. So just just power through. We power through. We do the work. It’s going to be okay. It is going to be okay, but it doesn’t just happen. And you can’t rely on other people. You can’t rely on other people. These races are going to be decided by very few votes. So make sure you’re talking to people. Use your voice.

 

Samantha Bee  42:21

Use your voice. Okay, my last question is, and this is going to air after the VP debate, but if you had a question, if you were moderating the debate, what would you ask?

 

Maura Healey  42:34

I’d want to know, what is it that JD Vance is going to do for people? He’s, he’s, he’s been about denigrating people, tearing people apart, just like Trump. What are the what are the positive things you’re going to do for people, and what are you going to do to make sure that this election is conducted in a safe and responsible way? And can we count on you to accept the results of the election, because that’s the heart of democracy, right? The transfer of power, you’re gonna accept the results of the election.

 

Samantha Bee  43:07

Yeah, the room that you’re in, the room that you’re in right now, the place where you live.

 

Maura Healey  43:12

And I’d also speak to people about, like, I’d also ask a question about, what is it in your life experience, your biography, you know, gives you what it takes to be president and represent the American people, because you don’t get to be just for some people like you have to represent all Americans. And you know, I think about that all the time, you know, if I hadn’t had my experience playing basketball, having working, you know, all the time as a kid, yeah, waitressing. I was a cocktail waitress, you know, all through college and law school, like those experiences, you know, learning from a mom who was working hard as a nurse to raise us like those are the things that inform my leadership today. So, you know, I’d give them both an opportunity to speak to what really are pretty different trajectories in terms of how they spent their time and what they’ve done in their careers. And, you know, as I said earlier, I have great respect for Governor Tim Walz. And, you know, I’ve likened him to the linebacker to the water boy, not to use a football analogy, but I’m going to, in this instance with some coach walls, yeah, and, and, that’s no disrespect to waterboys, of course, but you know what I mean? I do you know who’s got the substance and and the heart and the integrity behind them? That’s what you got to tease out, that’s what the voters have got to see.

 

Samantha Bee  44:35

Yeah, we want someone with heart. We want heart, please. I appreciate this so much. Thank you so much for speaking to me today. This was amazing. I knew it would be a thrill to talk to you. Oh my gosh.

 

Maura Healey  44:50

Come see me in Boston sometime.

 

CREDITS  44:58

That was governor Maura Healey. I had no choice but to look up one thing. Governor Healy was a professional basketball player in Austria, which is amazing how many other politicians have been professional basketball players. Well, there’s Bill Bradley, who was an NBA player before he became a three term senator. Former Education Secretary Arne Duncan played basketball in Australia, plus former mayors of Sacramento and Detroit had NBA careers as well, and plenty of other members of Congress and of course, me, I make myself laugh. Wow, thanks for joining us. I’m Samantha Bee, and see you next week for some more choice words. Thank you for listening to Choice Words, which was created by and is hosted by me. The show is produced by […] with editing and additional producing by Josh Richmond. We are distributed by Lemonada Media, and you can find me @realsambee on X and Instagram, follow Choice Words wherever you get your podcasts or listen ad free on Amazon music with your Prime membership.