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♪ David: Hey, everybody.

Welcome to "Chat Box."

Drama in Washington were speaker Kevin McCarthy is out and the houses and chaos.

Meanwhile, a government shutdown is still a real possibility.

Plus, impeachment, funding Ukraine, border crisis.

It is enough to make a man think about what other office he could run for to save himself.

I was not talking about anybody specifically, but Congressman Josh Gottheimer is joining us.

Good to see you.

Welcome.

>> That is some introduction.

Good to see you.

David: Let's start with the mess you guys have made of the House of Representatives.

First time in history the speaker seat has ever been vacated.

What are the practical implications of a vacated speaker seat?

>> You guys?

I mean, listen, as you probably know how this works, the Republicans who are the majority in the house, they select their own speaker.

It is a meeting and a family dinner I am not invited to, and that is what they are doing right now, working on selecting their next speaker within the Republican caucus.

David: What does that mean if there is no speaker?

>> Right now, there is a speaker pro tempore, who is a friend.

I think he is unable person to do the job while the Republicans select to they would like to be there next speaker being in the majority.

David: In theory, if there needed to be a business handled, it could be handled?

>> Yes.

Business can still go on.

David: So, there is nothing the problem solvers caucus could do here?

>> Listen, we tried mightily, but you might have seen there's a lot of outreach, looking for a way to encourage more bipartisan governing.

And obviously, Kevin McCarthy, when his press conference after the vote, made it clear he was not interested in working with Democrats on that, and that is his choice.

He said he did not want to "sell his soul" to Democrats.

I saw this as a chance to do bipartisan governing together and to encourage more bipartisan bills to come to the floor and the priorities that are important for us and good for Jersey.

But we tried.

Now the key is making sure we stop the shutdown in 39 days and looking for ways to discourage extremism in the house.

Changing the rules, which I think we should do in a bipartisan way, to prevent one person or the freedom caucus from holding the house hostage.

But that is going to take both of us working together and sitting at the table.

David: You said recently the problem solvers caucus, of which you are the co-chair, is not in danger of dissolving.

Do you say that again today?

>> Even more so today, I guess.

A lot of times talking to Democrats and Republicans, looking at how we can change the institution to prevent one person from being able to throw out the speaker, but also to encourage more bipartisan bills and priorities that are important to me and others in Jersey, bringing those to the floor, because I think that is critical.

David: You've got Steve Scalise from Louisiana and Jim Jordan from Ohio declared candidates.

Either one of those somebody you think who can bridge this gap?

>> I know both of them, and frankly -- again, because it is not the family dinner they are having, I don't get to decide.

We are from Jersey and we don't mess with other people's families, so they have to make that decision.

But the thing I am going to look for in the next speaker of the house is somebody willing to put the country first.

We have serious challenges ahead.

If we shut the government down, it affects our veterans, first responders, our children, our families, our seniors.

We have to make sure that doesn't happen.

We have to ensure that Ukraine, that there is no devastation to the region, and China and Iran are not in power.

We have serious challenges as a country and that is what I am focused on, the chance to get to the table and work on that.

David: You and I have not spoken since the indictment of Senator Menendez was called up.

You called for him to resign.

It is it his ability to function as a U.S.

Senator, or his inability to serve the political functions of the party that most concern you?

>> As I said in my statement, which I stand by, I think you step aside.

I think it is a big distraction and the work we do.

I stand by that position.

We have got real issues right now as a country we have to deal with, so I think that is what we should be focused on and talking about.

David: You know if you resigns, the governor appoints someone.

You must have given some thought on who might be a good appointment if you ask for the senator to resign.

Do you want to drop a couple names for us right now?

>> Are you interested?

David: Maybe.

>> If you want to throw your name in the ring -- David: Unelectable.

I can assure you of that.

>> I have been focused.

On Saturday, with every Democrat but one, and even though they lost nine Republicans, we were able to do a deal done to get the government open.

We want to ensure we don't have another government shutdown, but also that we bring civility back to the Congress and get more bipartisanship in Congress.

There are changes we can make to do that.

We just have to make sure these extremists do not control the government.

You have 11 people who right now, the way they voted, are trying to struggle hoed the Congress -- strangle hold the Congress.

David: Can we get you to definitively rule out a run for U.S. Senate?

>> I think I made it clear, my focus is on governing and making sure we don't shut the government down.

That is what I will continue to focus on.

There is always time to talk about politics.

We will do that after we do the business of the country, which is first and foremost.

David: You have preempted my next question, which is, how about a run for governor?

Still too soon for that?

>> You will get the same answer out of me.

I am focused on doing my job.

But we keep talking about that later.

We have to get through this moment.

David: Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but the entire state legislature is up, and Republicans think they have Democrats on the run.

Do you think they do, and do you think the Menendez indictment hurts on the state level for murders of your party looking to be elected -- for members of your party looking to be elected?

>> It is emblematic of why Democrats will do well on the ticket.

When you see extremism, which is what is driving the other side right now in really every race I look at versus common sense, which we have been putting forward, focusing on Jersey values and things folks care about here, lower taxes and making sure the air and water are clean, and standing by our cops and firefighters and veterans, to me, those are the Jersey values we have to focus on and keep standing by.

The extremist agenda that we saw these past days is why I believe Democrats will do well this November in Jersey.

David: Switching gears for a second, you are an environmentalist.

Almost all environmental groups say pricing is good for the environment.

>> Not in Jersey.

You have not seen the groups in Jersey say that for a strong reason, because in the report, they admitted in black-and-white it would lead to more pollution from formaldehyde and other toxins in New Jersey and the outer boroughs of New York.

It will threaten the safety of our families.

When the MTA put out their latest ideas on the congestion tax and pricing, it actually reinforced every fear that I had.

They will give a discount on their absurd tax, but make it slightly lower, four dollars lower, at the tunnels.

Which I am all for a discount.

There should not be a congestion tax in the first place.

What will happen is you will drive all the cars to the Lincoln and the Holland, which will lead to more traffic buildup and more pollution at the tunnels, and you will drive the trucks to avoid any congestion tax out.

They will go to the GW bridge, where they are charging more than the tunnels.

They will not give any discounts at the GW Bridge.

You will have massive backup at the bridge with pollution in northern New Jersey and the outer boroughs of New York.

The whole thing is so offensive because it leads to more pollution and more congestion.

If you are a hard-working nurse, electrician, firefighter, the fact that you have to take mass transit in place mass transit doesn't exist, there aren't places and a lot of our state with mass transit or the timing is wrong.

David: You are telling me that New Jersey environmentalists are against congestion pricing?

>> You should ask leading conservation voters.

The reason they have been quiet, the New York troops have one point of view, the New Jersey groups are quiet because they realize it will cause more pollution in northern New Jersey.

David: Could the MTA sweeten the deal by extending the seven train into see caucus -- into Seacaucus?

>> Right now, the mismanaged MTA wants to keep every nickel for the mismanaged MTA.

Not a dime to Jersey.

They are even giving money to the outer boroughs to clean up pollution for an asthma center.

They lost money last year on people who jump the turnstile.

They are the worst managed mass transit agency in the country, and their answer is, let's whack Jersey drivers.

Let's hit their families up because they are right over there and they will be forced to pay.

Let's hit them up and steal from their pocketbooks.

The whole thing is so offensive.

At the same time they are giving $600 million to the Buffalo Bills Stadium to build a new stadium.

What a joke.

How about taking that money and investing in your own mass transit system instead of looking to Jersey to solve your problems of a mismanaged MTA.

David: The mayor says he would institute congestion pricing on the Jersey side of the tunnels as part of his transportation policy.

Are you against all types of congestion pricing or could it work on the Jersey side?

>> The problem with that proposal is it would be an extra toll.

If people went to work from Jersey to New York, they would have to pay a third toll on the way home because you cannot select people randomly which cars you are going to toll.

Everybody would get tolled.

That would be a third toll.

I am trying to get people from New York to come to Jersey, to shop in our stores, to come do business in Jersey, to work in our offices.

I don't want to discourage them from coming here and helping our small businesses grow.

The answer is no congestion tax.

People pay enough to go over the bridge and through the tunnels already, $17 a day, and they pay to park and gas their car.

What New York is proposing is let's hit that hard-working nurse with a $100 bill before he or she even gets a cup of coffee in the morning in New York.

Think about how expensive that is.

If you are a small business in New York, how could you want that?

That is why they are all against it, the businesses and Broadway shows.

The reason they are against it is they know it will discourage people from Jersey going to New York and working in New York.

I don't know what they are thinking in New York.

I hope they come to their senses.

Governor Murphy has led a lawsuit to try to address these issues, and I think you will see more litigation coming.

But I will tell you this, man.

They should wake up and realize this is a really foolish errand they are on.

David: Tell me about the situation with the crisis pregnancy centers you have been talking about.

>> Tomorrow, I will be going to one of these so-called crisis pregnancy centers.

The brainwashing cult clinics, the places where there are no doctors, or people who masquerade as health care providers.

If a woman needs to get counsel or see a doctor and goes there for women's health care, they try to literally brainwash the person into making a different decision then she wants.

There's 50 and the state of New Jersey.

I want to shine a light on these brainwashing cult clinics and make sure they are shut down.

David: lastly, I have two words for you -- speaker trump.

What is the possibility of something like that ever happening?

>> I don't remotely see that as a possibility.

David: But it could technically -- pretty much anybody -- could I be speaker of the house?

>> You could also after you are done running for statewide office.

I could suggest you could also be speaker.

If this doesn't work out for you, there's lots of options for you.

David: Was that a serious something that somebody said?

>> I don't think so.

I have spoken to a lot of Republicans.

Not a single one has brought that up to me as a possibility.

David: Congressman Josh Gottheimer, good to see you.

>> Good to see you.

Take care.

David: I am sure there is a commentary to be made about what is happening in Congress and the blues, but that is too easy.

Let's talk to a genuine bluesman, a 50 year run writing and performing the blues all around the world.

He is making a stop in Jersey this week.

It is a pleasure to welcome Lee Fields.

>> It is a pleasure being here and thank you for having me.

David: Back in 1969 when you put out your first record, did you think you would be here talking into a computer about a new record that is coming out and having live performances in 2023?

>> To be frank with you, yes, I did.

I have always been a guy that had visions of the future.

I have always talked about what the future is going to be years and years ago, and it is just like I pictured it.

David: You really started out doing Jane Brown -- James Brown versions.

There are worse people to be compared to.

But you wrote your own tunes and had a pretty tight backup band for a time.

Did you find the comparisons with James Brown were restrictive?

>> Well, I thought I was impressed with James Brown just like Michael Jackson and everybody else was.

And I was highly influenced.

But I have always been a guy of the future, and I had predicted to my family -- I guess everybody back then thought I was nuts.

I said one day they will have TV's that are like pictures on the wall.

I saw that.

If we are not careful, there will be mass hysteria.

And I think we are on the verge of that now.

David: Yeah, that is some unfortunate truth right there.

Talk about being able to see the future in your mind.

In the 1980's, you thought you might be done, right?

Musical tastes were gravitating towards disco.

You felt that your sound and fit in?

-- didn't fit in?

>> I thought I might be done because the people that controlled everything were not gravitating towards what I was doing.

David: There is this feeling that record company execs and marketers are looking to get most bang for the buck, and not necessarily the quality of the music that is coming out?

>> I agree.

That is basically how it is.

But this voice that I guess is my subconscious, my deep thoughts, urged me to continue.

And so, when everything came to a slow in the 1980's, this voice advised me to do a lot of reading.

So the first thing I read was the Bible.

It took me about the greater part of the 1980's to read the Bible and comprehend to a degree where I felt I had full directions in regard -- David: To where you were going.

>> To what path I should take.

It took me from the beginning of the 1980's to the end of the 1980's to complete it because I had to constantly go and search words.

Like those old words, like hence, that kind of stuff in the Bible, those old English words.

So I had to constantly find the meaning.

Then I would have to put it into the context in the sentence so that they all made sense.

David: How did you come to Jersey?

What are your roots here?

You are still in Jersey?

>> I am still in Jersey.

I came to New Jersey in 1969, right after I got married.

My mother had moved up here.

Where I went, my whole family would gravitate to.

I came to New York, and the next thing I know, my family is here.

But they were living in Jersey.

I came over to visit them and I liked it over here, so I have been here ever since.

David: You are in Plainfield, is that right?

>> That is right.

David: You have a new record coming out, called "Sentimental Fool."

How would you say your musical style has changed over the years?

>> Basically, I think it is more refined.

I don't think it has changed in a sense of what I want to convey in my lyrics or in my style.

David: Because the blues is the blues, right?

>> Yeah.

In actuality, when you say the blues, although I consider myself a blues singer because that is the genre that I started with, but when people listen to the context of what I am saying, it is a whole other ballgame.

It is like in my song.

What I had to do is convey what I foresee in the future.

It is like money is key.

That song is relevant today.

It is a sad, sad world when money is king.

Then there is a part in the song when I say, "Father, we need your help."

David: How many dates a year do you do now?

>> I put it like this.

I am on just about every week somewhere.

Which I really enjoy because I really love entertaining and I really enjoy the public that has been so faithful to me.

David: Has your audience changed much?

>> Oh yeah.

Most of my audience are real young adults, like early 20's, 18, early college and on up.

But most of them are very young.

David: Social media is essential for marketing and PR now in the music business.

Are you down with TikTok and that stuff?

>> I don't handle my promotions.

When I try, it seems as though I was sinking.

David: I think that you are a little too deep for social media.

Social media is short and you like to expound on things.

>> Well, I do when I am asked certain things.

I try to be as specific as possible.

I try to make sure that what I am saying is not lost in choosing the wrong words.

David: Let me ask you lastly, what music do you listen to nowadays?

>> Everything.

I listen to everything.

Country-western, Megan Traynor.

I listen to Miley Cyrus.

I listen to -- David: Taylor Swift.

I know you are a big Taylor Swift fan.

>> Taylor Swift.

I listen to everything.

I go back sometimes, and I love the Beatles.

As a matter of fact, the Beatles were the most influential group in my life.

Now, I was with James very heavy stylized, but my influence is the Beatles and the Stones.

David: That is your era.

>> And I like -- I like everything.

I like Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton.

I like everything.

I like classical.

I like everything, man.

If it is good, I like it.

When I am in my car, if you were to ride with me in the car, I be scanning through the stations.

If it is a hard truck, I don't care if it is hip hop, if it is hot, it is hot.

David: He is a sole survivor showing the young ones how it is done.

Keep it going.

Great to have you with us.

>> The pleasure is mine.

Thank you so much for taking your time and allowing me to speak on your airwaves.

David: Talk to you soon.

That is "Chat Box" for this week.

Our things to Josh Gottheimer also for joining us.

You can follow us on X and get exclusive content, including full episodes when you scan the QR code on your screen.

I am David Cruz.

For everyone here, thanks for watching.

We will see you next week.

Announcer: Major funding for "Chat Box with David Cruz" is provided by the members of the New Jersey education Association, making public schools great for every child.

Promotional support is provided by Insider NJ, a political intelligence network dedicated to New Jersey political news.

Insider NJ is committed to giving serious political players an interactive forum for ideas, discussion, and insight.

Online at insiderNJ.com.