- 10 hours ago
Watch Kenny Burns speak on the swing states and the importance of voting.
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00:00Every week, we've been providing information for you about the races, about the issues, and about the candidates.
00:07And tonight is no different. Tonight, we are welcoming our first guest, returning guest, Kenny Burns himself,
00:14who is a multimedia entertainer, investor, and producer.
00:20Hey, how you doing? How's everybody this evening?
00:23I'm going to put my CNN commentator essence voice on for y'all real quick.
00:32No cursing. No cursing, no AI. How you doing?
00:37I'm good, brother. How you?
00:39Good, good. So, Kenny, we showed the folks the chart a few minutes ago.
00:44Yes.
00:45Showing them the battleground states again, just in case anyone forgot.
00:49Also showing them where the race is. Of the seven states, former President Trump is leading in four of the seven,
00:56and Vice President Harris is leading in three.
00:59What do you say to people at this point after you saw that chart?
01:03The first thing that came to mind is that today is the last day to register voters in Arizona and Georgia.
01:10So, whoever that you know is not registered needs to go to vote.org right now and register to vote.
01:19You also need to check your voting status.
01:22Plus five, plus four is very, very upsetting.
01:25Georgia, I'm ashamed. I live here in Atlanta, Georgia.
01:29There's no way in my heart that I feel like I see more Donald Trump and Vance support than I see Harris and Wall support.
01:37I think we need to focus.
01:38I don't think people are moving as fast as we need them to.
01:42And I'm so glad you brought it to group chat.
01:44Y'all talk about the most outlandish stuff.
01:47See, I couldn't even say outlandish, right?
01:49Because I want to say the other S word after that.
01:51You could talk about the most outlandish stuff,
01:54but you can't send a message to your nieces and nephews that in 2022 wasn't 18 yet.
02:01You know, we have 8 million new 18-year-olds in 2024?
02:05In 2022?
02:05I mean, these statistics are readily available,
02:09and we're not taking advantage of the information.
02:11It's not hard.
02:12They want them birthday presents for them Scorpio.
02:16No gifts without you registering.
02:19It's that easy.
02:20Christmas is fastly approaching.
02:22Hanukkah.
02:24What's the other one?
02:25The black one.
02:26Come on.
02:27Come on.
02:28Kwanzaa.
02:29Kwanzaa's coming.
02:30Threaten gifts.
02:32Threaten the lack of the gifts for registration.
02:35Listen, 8 million new voters can take us everywhere we need to go in these swing states.
02:39I'm telling you.
02:41Yeah.
02:43No.
02:43Go ahead, Ebony.
02:47No, I was saying you're so right, even though you were talking about linking it to, like, you know, punishing your kids.
02:53But it is something that you really need to talk about, right?
02:55Yes.
02:55It's not a separate conversation.
02:57If you talk about everything else, if you talk about rewards and what they want, then that conversation has to also come together.
03:02Absolutely.
03:03Absolutely.
03:05And you mentioned, again, that you are from Georgia.
03:09Do you think that there are any specific strategies that folks are using, that you're using, that your colleagues are using to get people to register to vote?
03:20And, again, I think there's a perception in the minds of many people that Vice President Harris is really leading this race.
03:26And in many places, she is.
03:28But as you saw in the battleground states, unfortunately, she's not.
03:32What are you doing specifically as you communicate with folks in Georgia?
03:38You know, it's the Jewish space lasers for me.
03:41This is what representation in Georgia talks about.
03:44The conspiracy theories are running wild.
03:46And that's what we talk about here.
03:47Like, could you really support somebody that believes that there are Jewish space lasers?
03:52That an actual device can cause the devastation in North Carolina?
04:00That, you know, that Zionist supremacists are secretly masterminding Muslim immigration to Europe?
04:06Like, this lady, Marjorie Taylor Greene is what I'm talking about.
04:09She says the most outlandish stuff.
04:11I'm sorry.
04:12You don't want me to be partisan, but I'm partisan because it's just ridiculous.
04:14I mean, when you think of, like, the narratives that come out of these people's mouths, I'm talking about not even the president-elect on the Republican side or whatever he's called at this portion of the race, but the running and his running mate.
04:27It's unbelievable the level of lying that's going on.
04:31And that's all we talk about.
04:32But it's scary because it doesn't seem to be enough.
04:36With all the lies and rhetoric and the falsities, and I mean, if this man sells a $100,000 watch, I'm moving to Switzerland.
04:43I don't even understand how someone, an elected official, is allowed to sell $399 tennis shoes, $69 Bibles, as if you, hello, I'm confused.
04:56And for people to still be voting and supporting, when you show me plus five and plus four percentage, like, that disturbs me because it's just, who are we as a nation?
05:07We are clearly seeing that lies are becoming the truth if enough people say them.
05:12It is clear that we are seeing the, you know, the internet and the way that social media and the algorithm works, you know, can trump good information and needed information for the BS.
05:24Yes, I almost cursed again. See, look at me, Essence. I'm on fire.
05:27But it's just, I can't fathom, guys, you know, and I'll go on a rant with that, but I can't fathom that people are letting lies lead them.
05:36And then I can't also see why people aren't using those same lies against the liars.
05:41We need to use all these things against them.
05:43We need to fact check. We need to present for every lie that's posted.
05:47We need to post the truth. And we got to get on our job.
05:50We're under 30 days away. It's unbelievable what's at stake.
05:53You won't have a democracy. You won't have a presidency. You won't have nothing in Georgia.
05:57Georgia, you should be ashamed of yourself.
05:59Today, the federal judge tried to overturn the abortion laws here in Georgia so that you can have freedoms and rights to your bodies, women.
06:09And I want to say that every race, I was about to say something crazy, but I know y'all getting on me because I was going toothless next and rural next.
06:15But y'all have everything to lose because the Supreme Court came in today and said no.
06:21And that's exactly why Donald Trump, I'm sorry, Trump, put these people on this court.
06:28It's unbelievable. Y'all are accepting this.
06:31And you have to really, ladies and gentlemen, I don't know if you saw the insurrection on January 6th, but they bought that life.
06:37You need to be about that life, too.
06:42I do want to say this, though, when we talk about the lies, I don't think it's that people don't know that he's lying.
06:51I think it goes deeper than that because it's many and many have said they don't believe everything that he says, but it is what he represents to them.
07:00So I will take your lies and just whatever. But why is it why so badly do some really want to see certain candidates in office?
07:08What is it that they're offering them? Is it the white supremacy tropes that they like?
07:13Is it for others? It may be blackness. What is it?
07:16Because people will people will take a lie if it moves them closer to what needle that they want to get to.
07:22And for some, they think it may be moving them to to whatever rationale that they have he's going to bring to them.
07:30Yeah. Can I tell the truth? Can I can I can I be truthful? Can I just say don't be don't lie?
07:35Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I would never lie. And nor would I misrepresent you or my brother while I mean at any time I will say this.
07:43I don't think, you know, some black men respect black women or women in general or even like them.
07:50And that's the way that they're acting, because even in the defense mode that we're supposed to have for our black women, I didn't see any of that.
07:58And to your point, people that are supporting the rhetoric are also supporting things indirectly or directly that he's saying about her.
08:06I mean, it's one of the most educated people, woman or man, that's in this race.
08:13The most educated has the most public service, has done the most for her in that service for her state or for her country.
08:22You know, and it just disturbs me, man, that we can't honor our black women just even being thoughtful, saying her name correctly.
08:31You know, I'm I'm I'm a say it right here on Essence. Big shout to what was it?
08:35All the smoke, Tiffany. Big shout to all the smoke.
08:37I had posted a clip after the DNC just saying, listen, be respectful.
08:45Her name is Kamala. Them little babies said it. They were so eloquent.
08:49I put it on social media. I had Stephen Jackson say, well, KB, what has she done for us?
08:55And I'm looking at this interview that all the smoke did. I don't see none of that energy.
09:00And it's OK, because I get it. Black men want to be heard.
09:05But can you just say you want to be heard?
09:08Can you show up three hundred sixty five days a year and not just doing the elections to voice your demands, voice your concerns?
09:15You want to have all this power. Right. To make something move.
09:20But even when you interview and Matt Barnes did an exceptional job and led that conversation and treated her exactly how I think all black men should treat black women.
09:28And so did Stephen in that moment. But that's the imbalance we have as black men showing up for these women.
09:35This is not a joke. This is not a rehearsal. Yeah, it was late.
09:40Yeah, she didn't have a whole year to run. Yeah, there's a lot of inconsistencies on why Biden didn't tap out early enough.
09:46But that's what we have. And it's not to your point.
09:49Open initial. It's not about party. It's about humanity.
09:51We are in a place right now where you would want some good humans in place before humanity becomes at risk.
10:01Speaking about, you know, staying on the topic of black men, there was a New York Times article just yesterday that highlighted Georgia and black men saying that black men have stated repeatedly that their conditions have remained unchanged under Democratic and Republican presidential administrations.
10:18Has this been raised with you? What is it? What are people saying in the circle and the folks that you are talking to every day?
10:26Say that one more time. You went out on my end.
10:28I'm sorry. There was a New York Times article that came out yesterday and there was highlighting Georgia black men.
10:35They are saying that repeatedly that their conditions have remained unchanged, whether it's Democratic or Republican presidential administrations.
10:44So I'm wondering, what are you hearing from from black men?
10:47We've had this conversation on what do they think? How are they going to vote?
10:50Why do they why do we see polls different for for Kamala Harris?
10:56Yeah, the majority of men are saying that are high because all the black men I speak to and I speak.
11:02Y'all know this is why you have me on here. I just did something with the former mayor, Kasim Reed.
11:06I just did something. You know, I do stuff all the time.
11:10When I talk to black men, every black man I speak to is on the right side of history.
11:13The ones that are the problem are the one to sell death and misogyny and have a repeated history of doing ignorant stuff.
11:22I was about to curse again. You see how good I'm doing. But the point I'm trying to make is those are that's the problem.
11:26But that's always our problem, because we're also questioning everything because we feel like we can.
11:31Atlanta is the one of the most blackest, most beautiful ran by black.
11:35You got a black police chief. You got a black mayor. You got black, black, blackity black everywhere.
11:40But you don't see what what the what the purpose of voting is.
11:45Raphael Warren, a black senator. John Ossoff, Jewish brother, but on the right side of history.
11:50Learn under John Lewis. Like these people are mildly.
11:55I can't say the R word no more. Right. All of my cousins. No.
11:58OK, these people are special. They special because they want attention.
12:02But yet they want attention when they know they could get it. They don't want to work every week.
12:06They don't want to go and hold people like, yes, I have not received a dollar from Kamala or or the campaign.
12:14But I know where I need to be on the right side of history, because after that, I'm going to see everybody.
12:17They're going to invite me to the house again. I'm going to come and I'm going to ask whoever to support.
12:21Because at the end of the day, y'all, we got to you have to know it's bigger than the money right now.
12:27This is and I don't listen politicians across the board.
12:30Everybody has an angle agenda or some type of thing they're trying to put in place.
12:35This is a fact. But at the end of the day, what do you want in in the in the White House?
12:40Do you know right now? Let me give you these statistics.
12:43And why are you thinking it's just about the presidency? It's not on the ballot in 2024.
12:48President of the United States, vice president. There are 34 of 100 seats in Senate.
12:53Do you know what decisions the Senate makes? I suggest you non-voters that are watching this read before it's over for you in Arizona and Georgia.
13:01Then there's also 435 seats in the House of Representatives.
13:06Do you know how many local and state laws go through the House of Representatives?
13:11We also have 11 governor seats, 11 governor seats and legislation in 86 of the country's 99 state legislative chambers.
13:20And we have a wide range of local and special elections. These are all reasons you should run to the polls.
13:26These are to their point reasons you should go to the group chat right now, because if you're seeing change because Raphael Warnock and John Ossoff were elected,
13:34you saw Biden and Harris get elected because of what happened in Georgia.
13:39You should know how voting works. But you sit up here and want to be ignorant.
13:43That's the problem. Drugs. We need to really talk about the drugs because we need to have an episode because y'all high.
13:49And I don't even think y'all realizing that y'all playing with your own livelihoods.
13:53I'm serious. Where am I? Give me give me my buttons. Ebony want me to push a button.
13:57Push a button. Does anybody have a button?
14:01Yeah. I mean, Kenny, because these numbers are are disturbing when we're looking at the battleground states.
14:10We're looking at seven of them. And as you correctly pointed out, those numbers are bigger than some people thought they were going to be.
14:20And with a few weeks before the election is something that we all need to pay attention to.
14:25Yes. Now, in Georgia, I travel all over the country.
14:28And I know when I land in one of the battleground states that you turn on the television ad anywhere in the country,
14:33but specifically in the battleground states, it's almost as if every other ad is a television ad on the election.
14:40Jesus Christ.
14:41You've seen election ads from both parties and sometimes you see ads from third parties that are talking about the issues or talking about one of the candidates.
14:51In your opinion, sitting in Georgia right now, because we're trying to decipher what's happening in Georgia and other parts of the country that are classified as swing states.
15:00What are you finding is the most persuasive or the most impactful ad in Georgia right now?
15:06I think the most impactful ads you can see by the percentage points is the negative rhetoric.
15:12I mean, it's looking at these ads from the Republicans, it's like looking at TikTok or Instagram and there's no filter.
15:21And the problem with that is, and that's why episode 104 of the Kenny Byrne show coming out tomorrow is called What's Real?
15:26What is real? You can't even decipher what is real because the lie is becoming the truth.
15:33They double down on it so much and big shout to David Muir and everybody who's did a debate today.
15:40They try to hold them accountable, but it doesn't work.
15:44They keep lying.
15:46And y'all, the problem is, is that the lie will become the truth and you will be adhering to the things that these people are saying because they're not saying it.
15:56This is my thing.
15:57Back in the day, they could hide racism.
15:59They can hide classism.
16:01They would be in the back room.
16:02This is my personal opinion.
16:03This is not the opinion of Essence magazine, but they'd be in the back room.
16:07And in the back room, they plotting, okay, these black folk, all we got to do is show colorful pictures.
16:13And all we got to do is give them some stimulus every once in a while.
16:16They're going to dance a jig.
16:18And then they go 50 years later and they tell you exactly what they're going to do to you.
16:26They're not, I mean, and not even just tell you, they show you, oh, you're not going, okay,
16:31we're not going to even honor the election.
16:33We're going to cause insurrection.
16:35We're going to say that this, that, and the third.
16:37We're going to sign the checks that the government wrote just so you think it's from, they're going to pull all types of tricks because y'all, y'all like tricks.
16:45It's for kids.
16:45You remember the commercial?
16:46Tricks is for kids.
16:47Ain't y'all tired?
16:49The truth is the truth.
16:51You cannot run from the truth.
16:53And so if you're going to see these, you know, ads that are running and you're going to take heed to them and you're going to believe, I got in a car coming back from OKC the other day.
17:01My big shout out to my driver slash friend, Joshua.
17:04He said to me, he said, did you hear the meat meal and puff daddies?
17:07I said, wait, hold on, hold on.
17:09Are you, are you, are you just listening and believing everything you're seeing on the Internet?
17:15But that's how, that's, I'm equating, I said that because I'm equating that to this political sphere.
17:20I've never seen so much childlike behavior in my life.
17:24And I'm trying to be grown.
17:26I'm an ex-felon that turned my life around.
17:28Been married 25 years.
17:29I got two great functioning humans as kids.
17:32I have employees.
17:33I pay my taxes.
17:34I might have been late once or twice, but I'm, I'm a good human.
17:38And I want to be, but I can't be when I see my brothers and sisters not showing up to the party.
17:45It's disturbing.
17:49I do want to say this just on the conversation of fake ads, just to let everybody know this would just recently happen,
17:56that there was a TV ad that was released on Monday in Indiana where U.S. Senator Mike Braun released the ad and it was a fake ad.
18:05They literally changed the wording that was on a poster from the candidate.
18:11I mean, like real deep fake ads.
18:14And when we talk about people just saying things, they're literally creating ads with fictitious things.
18:19That's why it's so important for us to be engaged for this.
18:23I'm glad you brought up that point.
18:25Um, but I do want people to know that tonight, you know, Kenny, you know, we have a little competition tonight with all of our speakers and we're asking each speaker, each speaker, um, to text one of their group chats within one minute.
18:42Yes.
18:42And then we will see how many people that you can get to register to vote and check their registration status.
18:50Are you ready for the challenge?
18:51I'm ready for the challenge.
18:52I just want to say one comment about there's an ad running right now in Georgia where they remixed all the things that Kamala was saying in this particular interview as it adheres to transgender, uh, surgeries.
19:06And they, they are, that is the most run ad in Georgia.
19:11Um, she does it like she, we want, she wants them to be something and we just want you to, I mean, it's, it's almost genius because it's very disturbing to watch.
19:21Right.
19:21And from the context of like, this is what you are spending your, your, your, your, your campaign ads on.
19:26But anyway, I'm sorry.
19:27The question is, can I, but I want y'all to be woke.
19:29Stay woke.
19:30Don't go to sleep.
19:31We're under 30 days.
19:32Um, but you want me to DM, what you want me to do?
19:35You want to send them to my group chat?
19:37What you want me to do?
19:37You want me to send a message to your group chat?
19:41And you decide what that group chat is, how many people, and within a minute, we want
19:47to know how many people you can get to register to vote.
19:52The clock has started.
19:55Okay.
19:55I'm being threatened by my brother and sister on this, uh, on this beautiful discussion we're
20:03having paint the polls, black TKBS nation.
20:05I need you to go crazy for me.
20:06I know y'all in these comments, I need y'all to register, threaten your children.
20:10I need y'all to register some people right now, threaten your children.
20:13There will be no birthdays.
20:14This is the drastic measures we got to go through.
20:16And I'm leaving this.
20:16I need you to threaten your children with no gifts, no oodles and noodles.
20:21Don't send my babies no oodles and noodles no more.
20:22They're not good for you.
20:23But whatever they want in college, get on their head.
20:25I want y'all to register these people and where they got to send the information to y'all.
20:29What do we have to do?
20:29They will send it to you, Kenny.
20:30And we will trust that you will give us the numbers.
20:33Send it to Tiffany right now.
20:35Get it in.
20:35And we got to win.
20:36We cannot let these beautiful ladies coming after me win this.
20:39I'm all a black women will say the planet.
20:41Y'all know how I feel about y'all.
20:42I love you in real life.
20:43But I want to win this.
20:44So TKBS nation, go.
20:45Go now.
20:46Do it, please.
20:47If you're in the comment, please comment too and let them know.
20:50All show long, even when I'm not here, that y'all are making things happen.
20:53We need to get these people registered.
20:55Georgia.
20:55Hold on.
20:56Let me give y'all this too.
20:57Georgia.
20:58That's sent, by the way.
20:59Hold on.
20:59Just so y'all know it's real.
21:00I'm being threatened by my brother.
21:03So just so y'all know, I ain't playing no games with y'all.
21:06But listen, ladies and gentlemen, voting, voting in these particular states are over tonight.
21:13I need Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Montana.
21:22I know that they are not the most important in that list.
21:25I just read Arizona, Georgia.
21:27You are up and the clock is on, but all the states are important.
21:31All the votes are important.
21:32Your voice is necessary.
21:34Let's paint the polls black.
21:39Kenny Burns.
21:41What were you?
21:42I need what's in that cup, Kenny?
21:43What's in that cup?
21:45Hold on.
21:47They're a sponsor of the Kenny Burns show.
21:48Smart water.
21:49Whenever I'm thirsty, I like to drink some water.
21:52All right.
21:52Smart water.
21:53And you're local everywhere to get it.
21:55Jesus.
21:56You know what?
21:57I've done.
21:58I love it.
22:00Kenny Burns, thank you.
22:01I love y'all, man.
22:02I love the work you're doing.
22:03Anytime you call, I'll be here.
22:06Thank you so much for joining us tonight, Kenny Burns.
22:08Thank you for all of the work that you continue to do.
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