Seth Moulton talks being a TV celebrity in Iraq and why he wants more veterans to run for office
“The thing about veterans is they know how to challenge the establishment,” the congressman said on 'Late Night with Seth Meyers.'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkVwdS6UeB4&t=1s
Rep. Seth Moulton appeared on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” Wednesday, sharing why he thinks more veterans should run for office. The Massachusetts Democrat also joked about how his celebrity status has changed now that he’s a member of Congress compared to his time hosting a TV show with his translator, Mohammed, while he was deployed in Iraq as a member of the Marine Corps.
“I used to get fan mail. I used to get asked to sign autographs in the street,” said Moulton, who served four tours of duty in Iraq. “I mean, no one asks me for my autograph now, as a member of Congress. So this is a total step down.”
The 39-year-old also reflected on his decision to run for office in 2014 against 20-year incumbent John Tierney and the response he got from the “Democratic establishment.”
“They were like, ‘You’re going to lose, and by the way, you’re never going to run for anything else in politics because you don’t challenge the establishment,’” the congressman said. “Fundamentally what they were saying to me, as a veteran, was, ‘Do not participate in the democracy that you risked your life to defend.’ And that’s wrong.”
Moulton said he thinks it’s time for “a new generation” of Democrats to enter politics and take on incumbents in the party. He said there are 19 veterans seeking office whom he’s either endorsed or encouraged to run.
“The thing about veterans is they know how to challenge the establishment,” he said. “They’re not afraid to take on the people in control. They’re not afraid to put people over politics or over their political party.”
