Is this the Democrat who could win back the South? | On the Road

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Mitch Landrieu (0:30)

We all get stuck in, well, like, is Pete better than Mitch, and Mitch better than Andy, is Andy better than Kamala? I'm telling you that the public right now is completely undecided about what they want and who they want.

Jonathan Martin (0:41)

It's the most wide open race in decades.

Mitch Landrieu (0:42)

It is. Well, not only is it a wide open race as to who the person is going to be, it's a wide open race as to what America wants to become and how are we going to get there.

Jonathan Martin (0:53)

America has become incredibly homogenized. The restaurants are the same, the coffee shops are the same, one size fits all. And then there's New Orleans. It's a singular place.

Louisiana is a singular state. And I couldn't think of a better place to capture New Orleans, Louisiana than Mosca's, the iconic Italian restaurant, a road house, if you will, shining out there on the bayou just outside of New Orleans. And who better than to capture politics here, food here, culture here than Mitch Landrieu. He was the mayor of New Orleans. And I talked to Mayor Landrieu about his work in the Biden administration, why Biden decided to run again in his 80s, whether Mitch Landrieu himself may try to run as a dark horse candidate for president, and why he would if he does. And then lastly, what happened to the Democratic Party in the South? And how do you go about fixing that?

I'm Jonathan Martin coming at you On the Road from Mosca's.

Mitch Landrieu (1:58)

Hey, hey.

Jonathan Martin (1:59)

Mr. Mayor.

Mitch Landrieu (2:01)

Welcome to Mosca's.

Jonathan Martin (2:02)

Good to be here. Thank you, sir.

Mitch Landrieu (2:03)

Best restaurant in America.

Jonathan Martin (2:05)

This is a little secret that we're going to reveal here, that the best restaurant in New Orleans is actually not-

Mitch Landrieu (2:11)

Don't say it. It's not technically. It's not in New Orleans.

Jonathan Martin (2:15)

Not technically in New Orleans, but Mosca's-

Mitch Landrieu (2:17)

This is New Orleans.

Jonathan Martin (2:17)

Mosca's is a gem, isn't it?

Mitch Landrieu (2:19)

This is as New Orleans as you get.

Jonathan Martin (2:20)

It's just hard to beat.

Mitch Landrieu (2:21)

It's unbelievable. Most people don't know about this place.

Jonathan Martin (2:23)

Well, now they're going to find out.

Mitch Landrieu (2:24)

Right now, we're outside of the political jurisdiction in New Orleans. Orleans Parish, we're in Jefferson Parish on Highway 90, which is on the way to the bayou. Yes. This place has been here since 1946, and you really shouldn't come to New Orleans without coming here.

Jonathan Martin (2:40)

It's my favorite place in the world to eat. If I had to pick any place, it's Mosca's, and that's why we're here.

Mitch Landrieu (2:46)

This is out of the way. Yes. It's about 20 minutes outside, 30 minutes outside of New Orleans, and it's on a highway and it's dark. And you come out and you go, what in the world?

Jonathan Martin (2:55)

Where am I?

Mitch Landrieu (2:56)

But it's incredible. It's incredible.

Jonathan Martin (2:58)

And then you pull up and you say, where am I? Am I in the right place? And the next thing you know, you walk in, and the smell and the accent and the charm and the hospitality gets you, and you know where you are. And then you have that first bite of oysters, chicken, Mosca, chicken au la groin, or chicken au la groin, or Mosca, the meatballs. This is called foreshadowing folks, we're foreshadowing here.

James Carville (3:22)

So we're going to get a little taste.

Mitch Landrieu (3:23)

Thank you for having me to eat.

Jonathan Martin (3:24)

We're going to get a little taste, man.

Mitch Landrieu (3:25)

This is a good place to eat.

Jonathan Martin (3:26)

I can't wait. So the first question for you, obviously, you've been mayor, you've been state rep, you serve President Biden in the administration, you come from a political family, you've been in politics for a long time. It's in your blood.

You have a lot of critiques of the president administration, I know. President Trump. But what's the fix? What's it going to take to get the country in a better place starting in 2029? What's the prescription?