Unlike Vice President Kamala Harris, Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., actually competed in a Democrat presidential primary and endured the barbs from his own party after challenging President Joe Biden, he told Newsmax on Sunday.
"That was my mission: To change the top of this ticket and at least allow this part to consolidate support among a new generation of leaders," Phillips told "Conversations With Nancy Brinker."
"It did so very quickly with Kamala Harris, of course — a good reminder to all of us that no matter what your politics, your principles might be, that it's never too late, and we should always stand up and speak our truth, and we need to do so without fear of persecution.
"Now, I've endured some tough days and a lot of pain for my party, but I'll tell you, Nancy, it was all worthwhile. And I'm going to continue my mission to ensure that we have ample competition, end corruption, and inspire young people left and right to participate in American democracy.
"Without it, we're in big trouble."
At the root of the problems in politics is money, according to Phillips, a self-made millionaire from spirits and ice cream companies.
"I was a guy writing checks to politicians," he told Brinker. "I know how this game is played, Nancy, and it's grotesque. We have legalized corruption when you really get down to it, and that's the difference, and we have to shine some light on it."
The money is time, and lawmakers are spending too much time with the money and not enough time on the policy and their constituent's needs, according to Phillips.
"My colleagues are spending 10,000 hours per week raising money: It's sickening," he continued.
"It does not mean they're corrupt. It means they're playing by the rules, but it also means even if they're not corrupt, it doesn't change their vote, the fact of the matter is they're spending all their time — Democrats and Republicans — with really wealthy vested interests, meaning the opposite perspective doesn't have the chance to have their case made.
"So that's the problem: The money in politics is at the root of a lot of the discord and corruption that we're facing in our democracy."
Despite the fortune, Phillips is not as famous to most as paternal grandmother, Pauline Phillips, author of the advice column "Dear Abby," and his aunt is Ann Landers, but he credits both for his even-keeled approach to politics.
"I might be an outlier here — and I'll admit that — but I think Americans are a lot more tolerant of one another, most accepting, interested in different perspectives than at any time in our nation's history," he said. "But we have an anger-tainment industry that would have us believe we are utterly divided, that we're on the verge of civil war, and that it's intractable.
"And my personal mission is just to remind people that simply is not the case.
"I have great affection for my Democratic colleagues and great affection for my Republican colleagues — and I've seen first hand in Congress."
When Phillips campaigned for president he attended a Make American Great Again rally to just hear from the other side of the aisle, and he hopes more lawmakers can spend time with the people and not just the money.
"We can't let a handful of provocateurs from the left and right have us believe we are not a better country than we really are," he said.
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Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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