Trick-or-Madeleine Albright.
The former Secretary of State explained that she often volunteers her support by knocking on people’s doors to get out the vote. She noted that especially around Halloween her presence comes as a surprise.
Albright was in Northeast Philly this morning, addressing Hillary Clinton campaign volunteers. She stressed to them the importance of making sure Philadelphia has a huge Democratic margin in what she terms an “absolutely crucial election.”
“The world is a mess — and that’s a diplomatic term of art,” she said. “We need somebody that actually understands what national security policy is about, how we work with our allies, what America’s role is in this world while we’re fixing this country. America is great but it does need help.”
Here are Albright’s thoughts on everything from Trump to Philly to the latest brooch she’s been sporting.
Visits to Philadelphia
Albright has been to Philadelphia a bunch over the years (she lives in Washington DC, so she’s close by). For political reasons, she particularly recalled her visit this summer for the Democratic National Convention and in 1984. Albright visited that year to help prepare Walter Mondale running mate Geraldine Ferraro for the vice-presidential debate.
“I also love to go to the museums,” Albright said. “They’re really fantastic. And then walk around. I think downtown Philadelphia is beautiful….I come up a lot from Washington, on the train, and looking at the river it’s just a beautiful city.”
Understanding Trump supporters
Albright was on a flight out of Detroit the other day, and the man across the aisle asked to take a picture with her. He tweeted it out and Albright found out he had already cast an early vote for Donald Trump.
“I thought,” she said, “‘I can’t talk to you anymore.’…Then I decided I had to talk to him.”
That’s because Albright believes that come November 9 the country will have to unite after this crazy election season. And while she clearly doesn’t support Trump, she’s trying to understand the people who do and wants Clinton to cater to them if she wins the election.
“There is a sense among some people that they are not beneficiaries of what’s happening in this country, that there really are issues between the rich and the poor and a number of other aspects, and I think that there has been a lack of faith in institutions,” she said. “What we have is a Congress that is composed of many people who were elected to come to Washington to do nothing. So they’re kind of is a bad sense about it. I think there are probably many different reasons but our main issue is that we’re going to have to sort out why and try to remedy what the problems are and listen to those.”
The need to take in more refugees
Albright is a refugee. Originally from Prague, her family moved here for political asylum shortly after World War II.
“We have a lot of room in this country, and I do think refugees have done a lot for this country over the years. I think that one of the issues here is that other countries clearly need to take more refugees, but it’s very hard for us to tell everybody else what to do if we don’t take more ourselves. They need to be properly vetted. There needs to be a way to bring more refugees here.”
Her latest power brooch
Albright’s brooches became famous during her time as Ambassador to the UN. She wore them as a way to express her mood and opinion in ways she couldn’t vocalize (example: a snake brooch shortly after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait). She was wearing her shattered glass ceiling brooch Saturday but has an idea for a new one.
“At the convention she said, ‘sky’s the limit,’” Albright said, “so maybe there has to be some new pin designed.”
