Poverty is a subject we talk about mainly when tragic events, such as those we witnessed recently in Baltimore, grab our attention.  Then we push it aside; we bury it; we say it's not politically shrewd to talk about it. I was struck with something you said in your speech last week.  You said, politicians talk about poverty and inequality, and then gut policies that help alleviate poverty and reverse inequality.  Why are you doing this, and how do you want us to come out of here?  

I think that we are at a moment -- in part because of what’s happened in Baltimore and Ferguson and other places, but in part because a growing awareness of inequality in our society -- where it may be possible not only to refocus attention on the issue of poverty, but also maybe to bridge some of the gaps that have existed and the ideological divides that have prevented us from making progress. 

There’s always been a strain in American politics where you’ve got the middle class, and the question has been, who are you mad at, if you’re struggling; if you’re working, but you don’t seem to be getting ahead.  And over the last 40 years, sadly, I think there’s been an effort to either make folks mad at folks at the top, or to be mad at folks at the bottom.  And I think the effort to suggest that the poor are sponges, leeches, don’t want to work, are lazy, are undeserving, got traction.

And, look, it's still being propagated. I mean, I have to say that if you watch Fox News on a regular basis, it is a constant menu -- they will find folks who make me mad.  I don’t know where they find them. They’re like, I don’t want to work, I just want a free Obama phone -- or whatever. And that becomes an entire narrative -- right? -- that gets worked up. And very rarely do you hear an interview of a waitress -- which is much more typical -- who’s raising a couple of kids and is doing everything right but still can’t pay the bills.