[Cabrera:] Democrats have been looking for a long-shot win in the red state of Georgia, pinning their hopes on a 30-year-old who has never held office in his life. Jon Ossoff was a few percentage points shy of avoiding a runoff in the Georgia district that has gone staunchly Republican since the late 1970s. This comes as state Democrats struggle to get on the same page. The Democratic Unity Tour getting off to kind of a rough start. I want to show you how a Kentucky crowd reacted to the introduction of Senator Bernie Sanders and then new DNC chairman, Dan Perez. Watch.
[Unidentified Female:] You guys, we have two minutes left. OK? So maybe you came because you're curious about the new DNC chairman and the future of the Democratic policy.
[Cabrera:] OK, Jon, there seems to be two crowds in that video. The Sanders crowd chanting "Bernie," and you heard the response when they were introducing the DNC chair. Keeping in mind, Senator Sanders questioned whether you're a real progressive, which side of that room are you on?
[Jon Ossoff, , Georgia Senate Candidate:] Well, maybe it's because I'm a little new to the scene, Ana and thank you for having me but I'm not interested in ideological labels or purity tests. I'll tell you where I stand on the issues, and then I'll let the pundits decide how to label me. I want to cut wasteful spending to prioritize research and development, infrastructure and higher education. I'm pro-choice and pro-LGBT rights. I'm pro-campaign finance reform. I think we need a tough, smart foreign policy that takes it to our enemies without getting bogged down in foreign land wars. I'll leave it to you to figure out where I stand on the ideological spectrum.
[Cabrera:] OK. So tell me this, would you vote for Nancy Pelosi if the Democrats were take the majority?
[Ossoff:] I haven't given it an ounce of thought.
[Cabrera:] Why not?
[Ossoff:] Because I'm focused on winning an election here in Georgia's sixth district, not a potential leadership contest in the U.S. House of Representatives that's at least a year and a half away.
[Cabrera:] But that's how Democrats get things done, right, if you're to be part of that governing body.
[Ossoff:] And there's a lot of time between now and then. There's plenty of time for Democrats to work out what's going to happen at the national level. What I can tell you is that here in Georgia's sixth district, there's unprecedented unity and it's not just Democrats. It's independents and Republicans interested in fresh leadership that moves beyond partisanship.
[Cabrera:] Let's talk about leadership. Keith Ellison offered a pretty surprising critique of the former president, President Obama, saying that President Obama was responsible for Trump's win. Listen.
[Rep. Keith Ellison, , Minnesota:] Barack Obama could have been a better party leader. And I think that the fact that he wasn't has put his legacy in jeopardy. We lost a lot of statehouse seats. His true legacy is in danger. And I don't think he can say he wasn't part of those losses. I mean, who else?
[Cabrera:] Jon, do you agree? Was President Obama responsible?
[Ossoff:] Well, Mr. Ellison was a leader in the DNC and it's his role to think about national strategy. But Democrats, Republicans, independents here in Georgia's sixth district are not interested in relitigating. Intraparty fights or intrigue in Washington from
[Cabrera:] How do you avoid the errors of the past, then, if you don't reflect?
[Ossoff:] Well, it's always useful to reflect on the past. And what I am doing, having reflected on the past, is focusing like laser on economic development, bringing more jobs and investment to the community, and shared values in the community that bring people together, instead of focusing on divisive issues and the kind of politics that drives people apart.
[Cabrera:] Health care is a big domestic policy. Would you have voted for Obamacare in 2010 if you were a member?
[Ossoff:] Well, given that it brought critical consumer protections, that now I think have been widely recognized in Congress is essential to young people, women, folks with pre-existing conditions, I think I would have supported it. I can tell you this, there is plenty of room for improvement. There's so much interest in looking backwards. I don't think that voters and the American people are interested in looking backwards. I think they are interested in looking forwards and looking forward we need to fix what is broken in Obamacare and keep what works.
[Cabrera:] Let me ask you about foreign policy. Do you think the U.S. should directly negotiate with North Korea?
[Ossoff:] Well, I think diplomacy should be fully exhausted before there's any discussion of war. So whether that means by lateral talks or talks mediated by third parties that can get the message across, I don't think it's wise
[Cabrera:] So what President Trump said on the campaign trail, that he would negotiate directly with Kim Jong-Un, do you think that's a good idea?
[Ossoff:] I think we should engage in diplomacy with every country on earth and when we're talking about war, this is not a game. This is millions of lives at stake. This is U.S. Servicemen and women who could be killed in action overseas. This isn't just pundits talking politics, who is up, who is down in any given day. Diplomacy should be exhausted before we go to war and I don't think any administration has the right without congressional approval.
[Cabrera:] So do you agree or disagree with the action that we saw the president take in Syria without congressional approval launching the military strikes?
[Ossoff:] Well, what we're talking about, enforcing against the chemical weapons against civilians, if U.S. Intelligence confirms that the Syrian military struck civilians with swift, punitive strike to enforce that international norm was a reasonable response but anything further should require Congressional approval and we shouldn't get drawn in to a ground war that can't be resolved with ground military power.
[Cabrera:] Jon Ossoff, thank you. Great to have you on.
[Ossoff:] Great to be on. Anytime, Ana. Thank you.
[Cabrera:] Thanks. Coming up next, today is April 20th, 420, and in the world of marijuana users20 rally in Denver. And while pot is legal in Colorado, police say there is still a thriving black market. Don't miss this.