Ian Donnis: Walter Berbrick, welcome to The Public’s Radio.
Walter Berbrick: Thanks, Ian. I appreciate you.
Ian Donnis: Why are you running for this open seat in the first congressional district?
Walter Berbrick: I’m a Navy veteran, I’m a proud father. I’m a lucky husband, and I’m a Democrat, and I’m running to continue serving this country and community I love. You know, our country is at a real inflection point, you know, we have an economy that doesn’t work for working class families. Women across our country have lost their fundamental right to choose. Our kids and communities are getting gunned down. And climate change is putting our planet in peril. And honestly, Ian we are one decision away from fighting another preventable war. And these are serious, serious problems. But one of the most serious problems that we have in this country is the polarization of our politics. And I’m running to change that.
Ian Donnis: You are a political newcomer, there are some candidates who have better name recognition, more campaign money. What’s your plan for outflanking them?
Walter Berbrick: Yes. So we I couldn’t be more proud, more excited where we’re at today as a team. And, you know, we, unlike my opponents, right, I’m not a political appointee, not a career politician. I don’t have personal wealth to fund my campaign don’t accept corporate PAC money. So we have been relying on the generosity and grit of grassroots supporters across Rhode Island across our country. And I’m super proud of our team, we’ve been able to raise almost 200,000 in funds in grassroots funds, and we’ve been able to mobilize a phenomenal team of volunteers to help us: door knocking, phone calls. And we’re being very strategic and smart about not only how we earn our money, but how we spend our money. And on the on the paid media side, it’s direct mail. So as of last week, we were in everyone’s mailbox if you were a Democrat or unregistered voter, and we’re doing a big push on the digital side and doing as much as we can to get our name out there. And our message out there, which is so important right now,
Ian Donnis: As you said, a short time ago, the country faces a lot of challenges. If you were the next member of Congress from CB one, what would you do to help people in the district who are struggling economically?
Walter Berbrick: Yeah, and I’m glad you mentioned economically, because that is the number one issue that I’m hearing from folks across our district, knocking on doors and talking to just everyday Rhode Islanders and as a middle class family and coming from a third generation, family small business, you know, we’re feeling it, you know, it’s becoming harder and harder to, to live for today, but also save for tomorrow. And, you know, one of the biggest things that I’m really focused on is, you know, both lowering costs for hardworking families, building a strong economy, a strong middle class. And I think it starts with lowering costs for health care and prescription drugs. That’s a big thing, making our housing more affordable. So I think we need to make one of the biggest investments in housing that we’ve ever had in our country. And another big thing is making it easier for our small businesses, which remain the backbone of our economy here in Rhode Island and across our country, to not only start up, but grow and remove some of that red tape. And, so for me, it’s funneling significant investments down to the local level, to make sure that we can have an incredible workforce that’s prepared and trained and equipped to do the 21st century jobs that we need right here in Rhode Island.
Ian Donnis: According to your website, you earned a commission as an intelligence officer focused on countering violent extremism. How would you rate domestic extremism as threats facing America?
Walter Berbrick: I’ve spent my entire career focusing on threats from abroad, you know, China, Iran, North Korea, climate change, the list goes on and on. But as of late, and really over the last four to six years, I’ve been thinking more about a different threat. And it’s the threat of domestic extremism. And I fundamentally believe that the greatest threat to our democracy today isn’t from abroad, it’s from within. And, you know, for me, as a member of Congress, one of the biggest things that I’m focused on is bringing a different level of leadership to Washington that can, number one, lead with integrity, being able to listen to learn from folks being able to as a member of Congress, build bridges, because that’s, that’s what this job is all about. It’s about building bridges. It’s about delivering results, real results. And, and, you know, as a member of Congress, it’s number one, taking the time to listen and learn from your colleagues, and those both in your party and across in different parties.
Ian Donnis: Let me stop you there because trying to cover a lot of ground. You know, based on your experience there, there are some hate groups that are present in New England that seemed to try to intimidate people. They’re trying to increase their ranks, which should be done to counter those kind of groups if they’re stopping short of breaking the law.
Walter Berbrick: Yeah, there is no place In this country for anti semitism or hate, and, you know, we have to do all that we can to speak up. And that’s what I plan to do as a member of Congress. And I think at the at the end of the day, it’s providing it’s providing folks an environment that allows them to have these conversations, these tough conversations, the kinds of conversations that you have in the halls of Congress, and then being able to provide local law enforcement, community leaders with the resources that they need to ensure that they can, they can bridge the divide, have these conversations, and put the right barriers in place. But at the same time, we’ve got to enforce the laws that are on the books and making sure that law enforcement have the resources that they need.
Ian Donnis: We’re talking here with Walter Berbrick, a Democrat candidate in the first congressional district. You and your rival candidates can agree or disagree on the current level of defense spending in the US. But I think a lot of people are outraged by what happened with the Littoral combat ship, you might be familiar with that as a Navy veteran, this was a ship that was cancelled by the Navy after a series of problems and billions of dollars in taxpayer spending, where’s the accountability, and in the defense budget, when something like that happens?
Walter Berbrick: Yeah, I’ve spent almost two decades focusing on on the defense budget in my entire career and in the, in as a defense official. And, you know, I think about our defense budget in the same way, I think about our you know, with a small business mindset, and, from a threat perspective as an Intel officer, and, you know, the Pentagon is one of the biggest bureaucracies and, you know, I’m gonna be a big advocate for making sure that Congress, that the Pentagon spend smarter, not bigger. And so, you know, if I were in Congress, today, I would have voted actually against the NDAA, for one big reason. And that’s because it doesn’t, doesn’t spend smarter and bigger. And it doesn’t put the resources to the number one threat that’s facing our country today. And that’s the threat of Russia in Ukraine. And so I would be supportive actually, of amendment that reduces the defense budget by 10%. So that we can invest in those critical needs that we have here, right here in Rhode Island. Housing, we could fix the housing problem with with purchasing two less ships, as an example, and so I think there’s it’s about priorities is about making hard decisions. That’s what I’ve done my entire career. And that’s what I’ll do in Congress.
Ian Donnis: You mentioned earlier the degree of political polarization in the country, what can we do to be less brittle as a nation and to be more resilient?
Walter Berbrick: Yeah, you know, for me, I’ve always lived by the quote of, you know, be the change you want to see, it’s why I jumped in this race. And for me, it’s about listening and learning. It’s about being honest, it’s about holding a high level of integrity. And it’s about, you know, serving and fighting for others, whether you in this case, you voted for me or not. And, and as a member of Congress, you know, number one, I seek to listen to learn from each of my, you know, each my representative and colleagues number to really seek out those committees and caucuses that bring bipartisanship, you know, no labels. There’s a couple others. And then number three is seeking out representatives in Congress that whose interests and concerns from different states align with ours, because that’s how we build friendships, build partnerships, and get what we need here in Rhode Island.
Ian Donnis Toughest question for last, what’s your favorite restaurant in the first congressional district?
Walter Berbrick: Ian, that’s not a tough question, because I probably wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I didn’t answer the Surf Club in Newport, because that’s where my amazing wife manages the restaurant there. She’s been there and we actually met in the restaurant industry when I came to Newport almost 20 years ago. So that’s that’s it – Surf Club.
Ian Donnis: All right, Walter Berbrick, Democratic candidate and the first Congressional District. Thank you for sitting down with us.
Walter Berbrick: Thanks, Ian. Appreciate you.
