WEBVTT - Do We Need a Third Party? | MiniPod 0:00:00.280 --> 0:00:04.040 Native Lampod is a production of iHeartRadio in partnership with 0:00:04.120 --> 0:00:08.879 Reason Choice Media. 0:00:09.119 --> 0:00:10.039 Welcome home, y'all. 0:00:10.039 --> 0:00:13.840 It is another edition of mini pods with Native Lampod. 0:00:13.920 --> 0:00:14.760 I am Angela. 0:00:14.840 --> 0:00:17.760 Right. We are starting this mini pod with a question 0:00:17.840 --> 0:00:19.480 we get all the time. 0:00:19.600 --> 0:00:22.040 Folks are like, I do not like this two party system. 0:00:22.040 --> 0:00:24.800 What's up with a third party? We hear about it 0:00:24.840 --> 0:00:27.680 all the time. We have a listener's question. We're going 0:00:27.720 --> 0:00:28.560 to go to that right. 0:00:28.480 --> 0:00:35.120 Now, Miss Layla, and I am a twenty three year 0:00:35.120 --> 0:00:39.760 old politic organizer here in Tennessee. I had a question 0:00:40.080 --> 0:00:45.640 about convincing people to participate in our political system. I'm 0:00:45.680 --> 0:00:48.280 realizing as I try to convince people or talk to 0:00:48.320 --> 0:00:51.120 people just about what their views are, more and more 0:00:51.200 --> 0:00:54.520 that they are just disaffected with it all. And with 0:00:54.800 --> 0:00:58.880 the success of campaigns like the Uncommitted campaign in Michigan 0:01:00.080 --> 0:01:02.320 had such little resources and they were able to get 0:01:02.320 --> 0:01:06.560 some pretty quick policy movement, We're seeing that maybe hacking 0:01:06.600 --> 0:01:10.640 the system is sometimes more effective than participating in the 0:01:10.680 --> 0:01:13.680 way that we are all used to. Lots of people 0:01:13.680 --> 0:01:16.880 are turning to third parties. Our two parties, major two 0:01:16.880 --> 0:01:20.360 parties right now in the country are more beholden to 0:01:20.920 --> 0:01:26.240 corporations and their bottom dollar than their constituents. And it's 0:01:26.280 --> 0:01:28.720 really hard to ask people to vote for the lesser 0:01:28.760 --> 0:01:31.480 of two evils every single time for those of us 0:01:31.520 --> 0:01:34.880 who have our boots on the ground. So can we 0:01:34.959 --> 0:01:38.560 ever escape this two party system? Can we hack the system? 0:01:38.959 --> 0:01:39.880 Or are your guys' views? 0:01:41.400 --> 0:01:42.440 I love this question? 0:01:42.720 --> 0:01:46.000 Love it. Can you say Angela about because you got 0:01:46.000 --> 0:01:48.200 this question as south by Southwest? Do you want to 0:01:48.240 --> 0:01:49.680 tell that story? Because I thought it was such an 0:01:49.720 --> 0:01:51.880 interesting question from an interesting person. If you want to 0:01:51.880 --> 0:01:52.400 tell it. 0:01:52.840 --> 0:01:55.760 Yeah, I want to first think, Layla, we were glad 0:01:55.800 --> 0:01:58.760 that you felt comfortable enough to raise this question. I 0:01:58.760 --> 0:02:02.840 think people, especially in an election year, get terrified about 0:02:03.040 --> 0:02:06.200 people raising anything like this because they're like, oh my god, 0:02:06.240 --> 0:02:08.200 you're trying to suppress votes, You're trying to take votes 0:02:08.240 --> 0:02:10.359 away from this candidate or that candidate. 0:02:10.680 --> 0:02:12.119 And I don't think it's that at all. 0:02:12.320 --> 0:02:16.720 Even her referencing of the uncommitted approach, which was in 0:02:16.800 --> 0:02:19.120 my home state of Washington and our election, of course, 0:02:19.200 --> 0:02:21.079 was just this past Tuesday. I don't know when this 0:02:21.160 --> 0:02:23.560 manybody I was going to air, but it was what today, 0:02:24.160 --> 0:02:27.160 it was March twelfth, is when the election was in 0:02:27.280 --> 0:02:29.239 Washington State and there were tens of thousands of people 0:02:29.240 --> 0:02:31.639 who voted uncommitted there. Of course, in Michigan, we saw 0:02:31.680 --> 0:02:35.760 that when you're in a two party system, it is 0:02:35.840 --> 0:02:38.840 really hard to feel like you're a part of a 0:02:38.919 --> 0:02:44.400 representative democracy because you're forced to find yourself smushed and 0:02:44.480 --> 0:02:46.760 contorted into a box that you may or may not 0:02:46.840 --> 0:02:50.840 always fit in. There were actually two questions on the 0:02:50.880 --> 0:02:54.560 podcast Leonard and I did with Vox Media at south 0:02:54.600 --> 0:02:59.000 By Southwest. One was about is this actually a democracy? 0:02:59.040 --> 0:03:01.440 We're telling people to go out and save this democracy, 0:03:01.480 --> 0:03:03.800 but is it really a democracy when there's only two parties? 0:03:04.040 --> 0:03:07.720 Third party, Libertarian Party? You know, what does it really 0:03:07.800 --> 0:03:10.799 mean to be independent where you don't really see yourself represented? 0:03:10.880 --> 0:03:16.720 And then another gentleman, the King Chris Smalls, who is 0:03:16.760 --> 0:03:22.560 an incredible on the ground organizer. He's most known for 0:03:23.240 --> 0:03:27.200 organizing Amazon employees to ensure their ultimate protections. 0:03:26.720 --> 0:03:28.919 Overwhelmingly black and brown. 0:03:28.639 --> 0:03:32.640 People working in the warehouses in Amazon and not seeing 0:03:32.680 --> 0:03:38.600 themselves reflected in that trillionaire role that Jeff Bezos is 0:03:38.640 --> 0:03:42.720 now in. And so he also raised some third party 0:03:43.360 --> 0:03:45.480 questions and so I just I want to frame it 0:03:45.520 --> 0:03:46.040 in that way. 0:03:46.120 --> 0:03:47.760 I definitely want y'all to weigh in. 0:03:48.240 --> 0:03:52.200 I think that I have this innate fascination with what 0:03:52.280 --> 0:03:57.040 it means to have more representation across all kinds of lines. 0:03:57.080 --> 0:04:00.640 I talked about at that panel on the other side 0:04:00.640 --> 0:04:05.000 of apartheid being dismantled in South Africa, my dad getting 0:04:05.000 --> 0:04:08.360 this poster from someone who's like a godfather, Mee Tony Orange, 0:04:08.360 --> 0:04:10.000 May he rest in power and peace. 0:04:10.640 --> 0:04:11.960 And there were all of these. 0:04:11.800 --> 0:04:17.120 Parties like by Labor, by soccer, by you know, conservatives, 0:04:17.320 --> 0:04:21.520 I mean all of the libertarians, all of these varying wings, 0:04:21.920 --> 0:04:24.560 like you found your political niche. It really was like 0:04:24.600 --> 0:04:28.560 a niche democracy, democratic system, and still the ANC would 0:04:28.560 --> 0:04:31.560 overwhelmingly win. But like just the fact that you could 0:04:31.600 --> 0:04:36.120 see yourself represented up until the election, it empowered more 0:04:36.120 --> 0:04:38.640 people to vote. And I think if ultimately our goal 0:04:39.400 --> 0:04:43.040 is to get everyone involved. Right. We were talking earlier 0:04:43.040 --> 0:04:46.040 in our side chat about this video from Louisiana where 0:04:46.040 --> 0:04:49.240 folks are so frustrated. There's so many not just of us, 0:04:49.320 --> 0:04:51.919 but people periods sat out of that election. Do you 0:04:52.040 --> 0:04:56.240 really feel more heard by sitting out and protesting with 0:04:56.400 --> 0:04:58.720 your vote? Tell me how that speaks up for your 0:04:58.760 --> 0:05:02.359 interests at all, because now you' silenced yourself, right, You're like, 0:05:02.400 --> 0:05:03.320 forget voter suppression. 0:05:03.320 --> 0:05:05.440 I'm just gonna supress myself. I don't get that. 0:05:05.640 --> 0:05:07.839 And so I do want to figure out what it 0:05:07.839 --> 0:05:11.320 looks like for us to journey towards a more representative, 0:05:11.440 --> 0:05:13.120 diverse system. 0:05:13.200 --> 0:05:14.560 So I do love this question. 0:05:15.000 --> 0:05:16.960 I love the question and shout out to Chris Malas 0:05:16.960 --> 0:05:21.400 who unionized Amazon workers, which is no small feat. So 0:05:21.400 --> 0:05:24.320 shout out to him, and he thought he and Angela's 0:05:24.320 --> 0:05:27.039 exchange on that panel was beautiful. So I want to 0:05:27.040 --> 0:05:31.800 get to the meat of the viewers question and say, yes, 0:05:32.040 --> 0:05:37.320 you can have third party candidates. Unfortunately, third parties are 0:05:37.360 --> 0:05:41.880 so seduced by the presidential election where it is harder 0:05:41.960 --> 0:05:45.120 to penetrate the system that we have. For one, you 0:05:45.160 --> 0:05:48.400 have to consider your donor base, so where money flows 0:05:48.440 --> 0:05:50.800 into and where they come from, and not a lot 0:05:50.880 --> 0:05:54.040 will go to third party candidates because at that level, 0:05:54.440 --> 0:05:58.760 most people do not see a pathway to presidency, especially 0:05:58.800 --> 0:06:01.240 given the way the primaries the mis set up. Unless 0:06:01.240 --> 0:06:04.080 there is a jungle primary, third parties are not often 0:06:04.120 --> 0:06:05.920 on the ballocks. You have to be registered as a 0:06:06.040 --> 0:06:08.880 Republican or Democrat. And if you're a registered Democrat and 0:06:08.920 --> 0:06:11.919 you want to vote for someone who is in a 0:06:11.920 --> 0:06:14.640 different party, then you don't have that option unless it's 0:06:14.640 --> 0:06:17.880 a jungle primary, which means everybody can vote for everybody, right. 0:06:17.920 --> 0:06:20.880 So that's something to consider. But the support for this 0:06:21.080 --> 0:06:24.200 is increasing. In October of last year, Gallup Poll did 0:06:24.200 --> 0:06:26.839 some really interesting research and sixty three percent of Americans, 0:06:26.880 --> 0:06:29.440 regardless of what side of the aisle they vote on, 0:06:29.680 --> 0:06:33.160 they supported a third party. Which makes sense because you 0:06:33.200 --> 0:06:36.040 consider how many people are politically homeless when you come 0:06:36.120 --> 0:06:39.800 to presidential elections. We're old enough to remember these people 0:06:39.880 --> 0:06:43.080 often are spoilers, they are a problems. So we had 0:06:43.120 --> 0:06:46.839 people like Ross Pureau run I think that was in 0:06:46.880 --> 0:06:48.839 nineteen ninety two when he ran. We had people like 0:06:48.920 --> 0:06:52.040 Ralph Nader, and so there's animosity that these people, you know, 0:06:52.120 --> 0:06:56.480 detract votes and give one party or another favorable Here's 0:06:56.520 --> 0:06:59.200 where third party candidates have a route which I think 0:06:59.480 --> 0:07:03.360 can actually make waves. You can run in a state 0:07:03.440 --> 0:07:07.400 legislature as a third party. You can run perhaps as 0:07:07.400 --> 0:07:09.600 a member of Congress in a third party. In twenty 0:07:09.640 --> 0:07:15.320 twenty two, forty three percent of people who ran in 0:07:15.480 --> 0:07:18.680 state legislative race were uncontested. What that means is there 0:07:18.760 --> 0:07:22.240 was literally only one party running, so they just had 0:07:22.240 --> 0:07:24.880 a clear path to it. If you're somebody who has 0:07:24.920 --> 0:07:27.880 these very strong beliefs and no party aligns with you, 0:07:28.320 --> 0:07:31.320 run in your state legislature and that's where you can 0:07:31.360 --> 0:07:34.600 ascend to power. So many former state legislators go on 0:07:34.760 --> 0:07:39.360 to become members of Congress. Former President Barack Obama was 0:07:39.400 --> 0:07:42.400 a state legislator before he ascended to the presidency of 0:07:42.440 --> 0:07:44.560 the United States. So there is a path for you, 0:07:44.640 --> 0:07:47.000 but it takes work. So you have to walk before 0:07:47.000 --> 0:07:49.600 you crawl. You got to build brick by brick, and 0:07:49.640 --> 0:07:51.880 it's a heavy lift. But I say, given the political 0:07:51.920 --> 0:07:53.520 parties we see right now, let's lift heavy. 0:07:54.040 --> 0:07:56.480 Okay, we'll be back right after this break. 0:08:03.240 --> 0:08:06.080 You know, I agree with a lot of Whatsman said 0:08:06.680 --> 0:08:09.760 we should clarify first and foremost that we are not 0:08:09.800 --> 0:08:13.600 a two party only system. We are a manifold party. 0:08:13.960 --> 0:08:16.320 There are many parties that show up on my ballot. 0:08:16.360 --> 0:08:19.320 I can tell you that preference primaries are for the 0:08:19.360 --> 0:08:26.880 purpose of where you have multiple people running to represent 0:08:26.920 --> 0:08:29.360 their party. You then have to make a choice to 0:08:29.400 --> 0:08:32.080 whittle that down to a single person who will be 0:08:32.080 --> 0:08:35.720 representing that party. In this country, however, we do have 0:08:35.800 --> 0:08:41.600 two major parties, which takes up the bullworth of resources, money, 0:08:41.640 --> 0:08:46.040 attention time, And then there are third there are outside 0:08:46.160 --> 0:08:49.320 parties who then create a set of rules. Let's take 0:08:49.360 --> 0:08:53.319 the presidency for example, there's the Presidential Commission on Debates 0:08:53.640 --> 0:08:56.000 who then put in place a set of rules that 0:08:56.080 --> 0:08:59.480 then you must meet this criteria, this criteria, or this 0:08:59.559 --> 0:09:03.080 criteria or and this criteria in order to appear on 0:09:03.200 --> 0:09:06.800 a nationally televised debate stage. If you are not on 0:09:06.840 --> 0:09:10.199 a nationally televised debate stage, you are likely not going 0:09:10.240 --> 0:09:13.520 to be considered much in the conversation because the overwhelming 0:09:13.559 --> 0:09:17.280 majority of Americans will not know you exist at all. 0:09:17.800 --> 0:09:20.760 When when I ran for governor, I competed in the 0:09:20.760 --> 0:09:22.959 Democratic primary to be our party's nominee. But there were 0:09:23.080 --> 0:09:26.280 several other candidates on the November ballot who were not 0:09:26.440 --> 0:09:30.040 a Democrat or didn't run for the Democratic nomination, but 0:09:30.080 --> 0:09:35.079 they were given consideration on the ballot. So, to keep 0:09:35.120 --> 0:09:39.160 it honest, we are not a two party We are 0:09:39.200 --> 0:09:42.160 not a two party exclusive only system. We have a 0:09:42.240 --> 0:09:46.240 multiple party system representative of a democracy and in other 0:09:46.360 --> 0:09:51.040 countries that have multiple party systems that are thriving, what 0:09:51.200 --> 0:09:54.840 you end up with. Take Great Britain, for instance, you 0:09:54.880 --> 0:09:59.200 oftentimes see a prime minister producer who is equivalent in 0:09:59.240 --> 0:10:03.040 this country for life of a better reference as president 0:10:03.120 --> 0:10:07.600 of that country, but prime minister. And because they have 0:10:08.000 --> 0:10:12.320 a healthy system of multiple parties, you often find that 0:10:12.360 --> 0:10:17.120 they end up producing compromised governments. And what that term 0:10:17.200 --> 0:10:20.280 basically means is that unlike in this country you produce 0:10:20.559 --> 0:10:23.959 a democratic president or a Republican president per se, and 0:10:24.040 --> 0:10:27.480 those countries you produce a president a prime minister who 0:10:27.520 --> 0:10:30.480 is only prime minister because they had to coddle together 0:10:31.200 --> 0:10:34.800 a number of parties in order to create the majority. 0:10:35.040 --> 0:10:40.200 And if they lose the support of any significant faction 0:10:40.520 --> 0:10:43.520 of that system that they have pulled together, they are 0:10:43.559 --> 0:10:45.400 no longer prime minister and they got a call for 0:10:45.440 --> 0:10:48.439 another election. We saw that actually happen play out during 0:10:49.520 --> 0:10:51.840 these over these last several years, where Great Britain's gone 0:10:51.880 --> 0:10:55.760 through three or four different prime ministers and very short order. 0:10:55.840 --> 0:10:58.400 One of them only lasted a week, I think, and 0:10:58.440 --> 0:11:01.240 then they had to bring in someone that's right right. 0:11:01.559 --> 0:11:04.440 And here in the United States, so very dynamic and 0:11:04.559 --> 0:11:09.640 elastic systems that exist around the world that can produce 0:11:11.440 --> 0:11:15.360 a form of leadership and a form of governing. And 0:11:15.440 --> 0:11:18.640 they are enduring systems, by the way, in this country, however, 0:11:18.920 --> 0:11:20.800 and I wish I could just chalk it up to 0:11:21.360 --> 0:11:24.000 they're not being enough money to support a third party. 0:11:24.360 --> 0:11:26.800 I have not drawn the conclusion. That is not the 0:11:26.800 --> 0:11:28.520 conclusion I draw as to why they have not been 0:11:28.600 --> 0:11:32.560 viable here. Ross Perot didn't need anybody else's money, build 0:11:32.600 --> 0:11:37.360 money from his own pocket and compete it at every level. 0:11:37.400 --> 0:11:40.360 He only just had enough support to make it through 0:11:40.400 --> 0:11:44.400 the presidential debate commissions criteria at that time to be seen. 0:11:44.640 --> 0:11:46.920 I don't agree you can do that now legally, right 0:11:46.960 --> 0:11:49.080 and so fun. 0:11:49.679 --> 0:11:50.920 No, don't you have a limit? 0:11:51.040 --> 0:11:51.760 Isn't there a limit? 0:11:52.360 --> 0:11:55.360 Right? In order to finance here the. 0:11:55.280 --> 0:11:59.000 Commission and to clear the commission, I think now you 0:11:59.040 --> 0:12:01.120 have to have a certain of dollars from a certain 0:12:01.200 --> 0:12:04.959 number of donors. 0:12:04.320 --> 0:12:06.439 That's largely white and males. 0:12:08.520 --> 0:12:10.920 To me, it makes sense that some people are behind 0:12:10.960 --> 0:12:12.680 you if you're running for president of the United States 0:12:12.720 --> 0:12:14.480 and you want to compete for my time and attention 0:12:14.840 --> 0:12:16.959 and everybody else is to become president of the United 0:12:16.960 --> 0:12:20.360 if you're just self funding, never believed in that, I 0:12:20.440 --> 0:12:22.800 just don't think you should. You haven't shown me that 0:12:22.840 --> 0:12:25.880 there's a constituency that believes anything that you believe enough 0:12:25.880 --> 0:12:28.679 to give you five dollars, two dollars, one dollar. I 0:12:28.720 --> 0:12:32.280 love that the request is not by an amount of money, 0:12:32.520 --> 0:12:35.400 but by a number of people, and a democratic society 0:12:35.400 --> 0:12:37.800 is showing a critical mask of folks are like with you, 0:12:37.880 --> 0:12:39.880 even if it is not enough to compete with the 0:12:39.960 --> 0:12:44.160 major two party system. But we do have avenues, two 0:12:44.600 --> 0:12:48.080 diverse ideas. But in this country, for whatever reason, y'all, 0:12:48.360 --> 0:12:51.319 we have settled, you know, largely behind this sort of 0:12:51.320 --> 0:12:53.960 two party system as a way to negotiate power. But 0:12:54.040 --> 0:12:58.680 there are already ways in which we can penetrate the 0:12:58.679 --> 0:13:01.679 process through through a part in an organization outside of 0:13:01.720 --> 0:13:05.600 the two party system. And I think Tiffany's suggestion around 0:13:05.720 --> 0:13:08.400 why don't we start local, why don't we start within 0:13:08.400 --> 0:13:11.760 a state, is a really good example of how we 0:13:11.800 --> 0:13:14.920 start to build some will for this thing to actually work, 0:13:14.960 --> 0:13:16.880 because right now, buy and large, most people just don't 0:13:16.880 --> 0:13:18.880 think it work because they've never seen it work. But 0:13:18.960 --> 0:13:21.319 what if we started in one city or a collection 0:13:21.400 --> 0:13:25.280 of cities, and then those collections didn't produce House and 0:13:25.400 --> 0:13:28.200 Senate representatives at the state level. And then we thought 0:13:28.200 --> 0:13:30.560 we could grow this thing and then compete for a state. 0:13:31.160 --> 0:13:32.680 There are ways to do it, y'all. We got to 0:13:32.679 --> 0:13:33.800 be willing to put into work. 0:13:33.840 --> 0:13:34.080 Though. 0:13:35.000 --> 0:13:37.680 You know the thing that I think is so interesting, 0:13:37.720 --> 0:13:39.680 You said, what if we started? I would say, what 0:13:39.720 --> 0:13:43.040 if we just built upon the successes that are already there. 0:13:43.160 --> 0:13:47.440 I think about Fanny Louhammer, who co created, co founded 0:13:47.520 --> 0:13:54.080 the Mississippi Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. She was phenomenal. She 0:13:54.240 --> 0:13:58.200 literally changed the direction of this country and helped to 0:13:58.240 --> 0:14:01.640 push voting rights across the finish line. They're sole objective 0:14:01.679 --> 0:14:06.240 with that party was to challenge the Democrat Democratic Party's 0:14:06.280 --> 0:14:11.439 efforts on civic participation. So sometimes there are parties created 0:14:11.600 --> 0:14:14.680 to do certain things. I also, I'm not admiring them. 0:14:14.720 --> 0:14:17.679 I'm admiring their organization. But when you look at that 0:14:17.720 --> 0:14:19.920 Affordable Care Act. On the other side of the Affordable 0:14:19.920 --> 0:14:23.000 Care Act, the Tea Party Caucus was stood up. The 0:14:23.040 --> 0:14:25.720 Tea Party Caucus has now morphed into the Freedom Caucus. 0:14:25.760 --> 0:14:29.400 But they're sole purpose of existence, Well, it was supposed 0:14:29.400 --> 0:14:32.600 to be just fiscal conservativism. But that's not all their 0:14:32.680 --> 0:14:37.200 sole purpose of well, yes, but their sole purpose is 0:14:37.960 --> 0:14:42.480 to make the Republican Party more conservative. I maintain that 0:14:42.560 --> 0:14:45.760 we could have a black party that makes the Democratic 0:14:45.800 --> 0:14:48.760 Party more beholden to black interests. 0:14:49.040 --> 0:14:50.040 Maybe we broaden it. 0:14:50.120 --> 0:14:52.480 Reverend Jackson used to talk about the Rainbow Coalition that 0:14:52.560 --> 0:14:55.480 wasn't by accident. I just recently posted a nine minute 0:14:55.480 --> 0:14:58.840 speech from his Democratic National Convention speech that Roland posted. 0:14:58.840 --> 0:15:02.120 Its extremely brilliant. He is selling us on the idea 0:15:02.240 --> 0:15:05.400 that we should actually listen to, that we're stronger together, 0:15:05.440 --> 0:15:08.560 and this Rainbow Coalition can be responsible for raising up 0:15:08.600 --> 0:15:11.680 a new America, you know, a more perfect union. That 0:15:11.840 --> 0:15:14.800 is what this is all about. So sometimes the party system, 0:15:14.840 --> 0:15:16.600 to your point, Andrew's a good one. It's a two 0:15:16.720 --> 0:15:20.840 party majority, two majority party system. But that's not the 0:15:20.880 --> 0:15:23.480 only parties. And there is still space for us to 0:15:23.480 --> 0:15:25.360 do the very thing we need to get done so 0:15:25.400 --> 0:15:29.720 that our folks aren't feeling discounted and disenchanted with the process, 0:15:29.800 --> 0:15:33.520 uninspired if they see somebody who's finally standing up saying 0:15:33.520 --> 0:15:35.920 the things they need to hear, making the demands they 0:15:35.960 --> 0:15:38.600 want to see happen. Maybe that's what the purpose of 0:15:38.600 --> 0:15:40.560 the party. Maybe it's more of a caucus vibe. 0:15:40.600 --> 0:15:42.800 Well, I was just gonna say, because the difference between 0:15:42.840 --> 0:15:44.760 Vanny Lou Hamer and the Tea Party is the Tea 0:15:44.760 --> 0:15:48.840 Party they were already elected officials who we were. 0:15:49.040 --> 0:15:51.160 They joined the ELECTI officials largely joined. 0:15:51.520 --> 0:15:53.560 So the Tea Party existed in it because I only 0:15:53.600 --> 0:15:55.800 really heard about them in Congress. 0:15:56.040 --> 0:15:58.880 So the people created them, so I. 0:15:58.800 --> 0:16:01.040 Didn't know that the Tea part already was established. 0:16:01.040 --> 0:16:03.240 And then they put forth they like almost like they 0:16:03.280 --> 0:16:04.480 put forth a slates. 0:16:04.160 --> 0:16:05.960 And then members of Congress adopted it. 0:16:07.160 --> 0:16:10.520 So they the Tea Party was like, this is our values, 0:16:10.560 --> 0:16:12.680 and people were like, cool, I rock with those values. 0:16:12.720 --> 0:16:14.680 They were then elected and then they were the Tea 0:16:14.680 --> 0:16:17.600 Party in Congress, later becoming the Freedom Cockers. 0:16:17.840 --> 0:16:21.400 But they were Republicans though Republicans, right. 0:16:21.360 --> 0:16:23.240 Yeah, so they were the caucus of that party. 0:16:23.240 --> 0:16:25.720 I would also say there were people in the foundation 0:16:25.800 --> 0:16:27.960 of the Tea Party movement who were not political in 0:16:28.000 --> 0:16:31.400 the first place. They got engineer. Again, this is the 0:16:31.440 --> 0:16:33.560 advent came under Barack Obama's administration. 0:16:33.640 --> 0:16:35.360 So you had a very. 0:16:36.920 --> 0:16:40.800 A shared fear of a lot of people coming together 0:16:41.000 --> 0:16:43.000 trying to figure out how they were going to negotiate power. 0:16:43.120 --> 0:16:46.040 They did produce candidates, but they also endorsed candidates who 0:16:46.080 --> 0:16:48.920 had already been elected before. And they had candidates, they 0:16:48.920 --> 0:16:52.960 had office holders who then defected into the Tea Party 0:16:53.000 --> 0:16:55.680 coalition because they saw where the heat was on the 0:16:55.720 --> 0:16:56.600 Republican side. 0:16:56.800 --> 0:16:59.920 Okay, and it was based on conceding to the demand. 0:17:00.240 --> 0:17:01.720 They ceded to the demands. 0:17:01.800 --> 0:17:04.879 They take their two paths we've laid out then for 0:17:05.000 --> 0:17:07.399 a third party, you know that. I think that's the 0:17:07.400 --> 0:17:10.200 best answer. And unless Andrew you had something something. 0:17:10.040 --> 0:17:14.920 Else, just to just to underscore the power of negotiating room. 0:17:15.560 --> 0:17:17.720 And that's what Angela hit on with and low Hamer 0:17:17.760 --> 0:17:19.359 as well. We were like, look, we ain't gonna be 0:17:19.440 --> 0:17:21.399 seen at all in the Republican Party. We know that 0:17:21.680 --> 0:17:24.439 it doesn't even make sense to put forth that threat 0:17:24.640 --> 0:17:27.720 because we're not demonstrable enough here to make a difference. 0:17:28.240 --> 0:17:32.240 But in a now reformed, new looking Democratic Party which 0:17:32.680 --> 0:17:35.800 lost all its you know, white Southern support and black 0:17:35.840 --> 0:17:37.480 folks then got the right to vote, and we're now 0:17:37.520 --> 0:17:41.160 here negotiating. We're a different voice now because we can 0:17:41.200 --> 0:17:44.520 withhold support, we can make that choice not to give 0:17:44.560 --> 0:17:48.000 you our votes in for Fannie Lou Hamer. It was 0:17:48.040 --> 0:17:51.200 in the nominating process, just like when we saw folks 0:17:51.200 --> 0:17:54.959 in Michigan withhold their divorce, their support for Biden. It 0:17:55.000 --> 0:17:57.720 was in the nominating processes where they made the difference 0:17:58.040 --> 0:18:01.199 and call for you know, uh, recognition of all of 0:18:01.280 --> 0:18:02.480 us who make this party work. 0:18:02.600 --> 0:18:03.760 Yes, shout out. 0:18:03.600 --> 0:18:07.040 To Fanny Lou Hammer, angela, this women's history, this black 0:18:07.080 --> 0:18:11.479 women's history. I love that you brought her up, though, 0:18:11.480 --> 0:18:13.200 because I didn't even make that connection to her in 0:18:13.280 --> 0:18:15.960 the third party. But that is frime example. Read about her. 0:18:16.000 --> 0:18:18.680 That's our little mini call to action. If you don't know, 0:18:18.960 --> 0:18:20.439 if you are out here part of one of these 0:18:20.520 --> 0:18:23.480 leaderless movements and try to organize, read about what people 0:18:23.480 --> 0:18:25.280 have done before you, because even if you don't agree 0:18:25.280 --> 0:18:26.960 with that, you can learn something from it. 0:18:27.119 --> 0:18:29.960 And it's just funny. It's more profound because it reminds 0:18:30.040 --> 0:18:34.439 us that nothing ever said or done is new. Yeah, 0:18:34.600 --> 0:18:36.400 it's never that there are. 0:18:39.240 --> 0:18:42.080 All right, Nick knows we gotta go, We we do 0:18:42.200 --> 0:18:45.159 gotta go, but we'll We'll end this on a Fanny 0:18:45.160 --> 0:18:48.520 Litu Hammer quote, and she says, none of us are 0:18:48.640 --> 0:18:52.040 free until all of us are free, and that's what 0:18:52.080 --> 0:18:52.960 we got to remember. 0:18:53.040 --> 0:18:55.200 So shout out to freedom. And I'm not talking about 0:18:55.200 --> 0:18:59.080 the Freedom Caucus, but shout out to freedom. And may 0:18:59.119 --> 0:19:01.600 we all get a little closer to what we really 0:19:01.640 --> 0:19:04.680 want in this political process by making sure that we 0:19:04.800 --> 0:19:07.560 see ourselves reflected by carving. 0:19:07.200 --> 0:19:07.960 Out our own path. 0:19:08.520 --> 0:19:11.280 Welcome out out to y'all, great answers, Thank you Leila 0:19:11.359 --> 0:19:12.119 for your question. 0:19:13.040 --> 0:19:20.640 Welcome home y'all, Thanks for listening. Everyone, tune into our 0:19:20.720 --> 0:19:23.440 main episode on Thursday, and don't forget to tell a 0:19:23.480 --> 0:19:24.359 friend about how. 0:19:24.280 --> 0:19:27.160 Much you love Native Lampod. Welcome Home, y'all. 0:19:31.560 --> 0:19:35.040 Native Lampod is a production of iHeartRadio in partnership with 0:19:35.240 --> 0:19:39.960 Reasoned Choice Media. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the 0:19:40.000 --> 0:19:44.080 iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 0:19:44.119 --> 0:19:44.840 favorite shows.