WEBVTT - Trump's lame duck presidency & Democrats' game of chicken 0:00:03.279 --> 0:00:06.520 Welcome to Off the Cup with me, se Cup. I 0:00:06.519 --> 0:00:08.280 have a great guest later in the show. She's my 0:00:08.360 --> 0:00:11.200 pal dem strategist, Karen Finney. She's going to walk me 0:00:11.240 --> 0:00:13.680 through some of the primary results from the week. There 0:00:13.680 --> 0:00:15.840 were big races, as you know, in California and Iowa 0:00:15.880 --> 0:00:18.880 and New Jersey. I covered those for CNN, but I'm 0:00:18.920 --> 0:00:21.880 excited to get her take on those races and how 0:00:22.040 --> 0:00:22.920 Democrats look. 0:00:22.760 --> 0:00:26.320 Heading into the midterms. This is, you know, important stuff. 0:00:26.920 --> 0:00:30.440 Speaking of midterms, they're fast approaching, and I got to 0:00:30.480 --> 0:00:33.760 be honest, I'm I'm not sure Republicans could be in 0:00:33.800 --> 0:00:38.560 a worse position, honestly. And I'm not saying that because 0:00:38.560 --> 0:00:40.800 I want it to be true, although I do I 0:00:40.840 --> 0:00:44.360 want Republicans to be punished for how shitty they've been. 0:00:44.960 --> 0:00:48.040 But I'm saying that because it's like the unavoidable conclusion 0:00:48.120 --> 0:00:49.879 when you look at how some of these races are 0:00:49.920 --> 0:00:52.919 shaping up, and how you know, the principle the head 0:00:52.920 --> 0:00:56.200 of the party, Donald Trump, is screwing them over royally 0:00:57.400 --> 0:01:03.360 and shows no signs of stopping the conditions which Republicans 0:01:03.400 --> 0:01:09.160 have by and large created for themselves. With Trump, the 0:01:09.200 --> 0:01:11.000 conditions are terrible. 0:01:11.040 --> 0:01:13.920 To be running. Let's just take it from the top. 0:01:14.000 --> 0:01:16.840 Every week, some Trump cabinet officials being dragged up to 0:01:16.880 --> 0:01:22.200 Capitol Hill to answer pointed questions from lawmakers about everything 0:01:22.280 --> 0:01:25.959 from the war Trump says is over. It's clearly not 0:01:26.440 --> 0:01:30.319 to ballroom spending, to doge to like personal you know, 0:01:30.400 --> 0:01:34.959 having to defend personal stuff. Acting ag Todd Blanche was 0:01:35.000 --> 0:01:36.600 just on the hill today talking about Epstein. 0:01:36.680 --> 0:01:37.479 So is Pam BONDI. 0:01:37.600 --> 0:01:42.160 I mean, it's not a great look for a cabinet 0:01:42.200 --> 0:01:45.720 and an administration that's already kind of beleaguered to have 0:01:45.800 --> 0:01:50.360 these guys having to defend themselves, their jobs, the administration 0:01:50.560 --> 0:01:55.520 Donald Trump, really stupid vanity projects like ballrooms. They're having 0:01:55.560 --> 0:01:59.120 to defend this shit on Capitol Hill every day. It's 0:01:59.120 --> 0:02:00.720 not a good look and it's not I projecting kind 0:02:00.760 --> 0:02:05.160 of strength and competence that you'd want a few months 0:02:05.160 --> 0:02:10.200 before an election if you're the party in charge. Meanwhile, 0:02:10.240 --> 0:02:13.040 some bad news this week on gas prices. 0:02:13.120 --> 0:02:16.239 Listen to this that I read in market Watch. 0:02:17.080 --> 0:02:20.360 US refiners are producing and exporting jet fuel at a 0:02:20.360 --> 0:02:23.320 record clip at the expense of their gasoline and diesel runs. 0:02:23.880 --> 0:02:26.320 A worrying mismatch is the summer travel season kicks into 0:02:26.360 --> 0:02:30.080 high gear and stockpiles dwindle. Refiners have moved quickly to 0:02:30.080 --> 0:02:32.079 stem what was expected to be a global shortage of 0:02:32.120 --> 0:02:34.799 jet fuel this summer, as the near standstill at the 0:02:34.800 --> 0:02:38.079 Strait of Horror Mouz continues and fresh US Runian clashes 0:02:38.280 --> 0:02:41.960 cloud hopes for a piece deal. The switch, however, has 0:02:42.040 --> 0:02:45.720 left US gasoline and diesel reserves below multi year averages, 0:02:45.800 --> 0:02:48.000 just as summer demand for both is gearing up, which 0:02:48.000 --> 0:02:51.079 could result in higher prices at the pomp and Americans 0:02:51.120 --> 0:02:53.360 who are already paying more than four dollars gallon on 0:02:53.400 --> 0:02:55.600 average for gas maybe left scratching their heads over the 0:02:55.639 --> 0:02:58.440 focus on jet fuel. So, in other words, because of 0:02:58.840 --> 0:03:03.080 Trump's done more and the closure at the Strait of Hormuz, 0:03:05.280 --> 0:03:08.000 there's been a surge and jet fuel at the expense 0:03:08.080 --> 0:03:10.400 of gas and diesel, So at your expense. 0:03:12.280 --> 0:03:13.760 I don't think that's that's. 0:03:13.560 --> 0:03:18.680 Great going into a midterm election. Call me crazy, I 0:03:18.760 --> 0:03:21.400 think that's great. And amidst that terrible news for Americans, 0:03:22.360 --> 0:03:23.400 what was Trump doing? 0:03:24.120 --> 0:03:25.880 On Wednesday? 0:03:26.040 --> 0:03:29.440 He held a press conference at the Oval Office, seemingly 0:03:30.680 --> 0:03:33.360 just so he could show off some new chart he 0:03:33.400 --> 0:03:36.080 had made up. It's a chart that shows again for 0:03:36.080 --> 0:03:40.360 some reason, how long the new reflecting pool will be 0:03:40.480 --> 0:03:42.720 compared to famous skyscrapers. 0:03:43.040 --> 0:03:45.920 Take a listen to this bizarre moment on. 0:03:45.960 --> 0:03:49.120 The reflecting pond or the reflecting pool as some people 0:03:49.200 --> 0:03:55.520 call it. Very important to us was the longevity, the 0:03:56.120 --> 0:03:59.040 having it so that it's not closed every day and 0:03:59.600 --> 0:04:01.360 all the are they. 0:04:01.320 --> 0:04:04.520 Just had this stunt. You're getting a first glimpse. But 0:04:05.720 --> 0:04:10.240 that's your size compared So those are compared to those 0:04:10.240 --> 0:04:14.400 are among the tallest buildings in the world, including the 0:04:14.400 --> 0:04:22.920 Empire State Building, World Trade Center, Sears Tower, Chicago. So 0:04:23.000 --> 0:04:25.120 if you lay it on its side, you'd take two or. 0:04:25.120 --> 0:04:27.240 Three of them to fill it in, because the width 0:04:27.320 --> 0:04:33.120 is very almost two hundred feet wide and actually much 0:04:33.160 --> 0:04:36.080 more than two thousand close to including everything, it's about 0:04:36.120 --> 0:04:40.239 two thousand, five hundred feet in length to the end. 0:04:41.720 --> 0:04:45.919 Like so what so what? Who cares? 0:04:46.000 --> 0:04:48.920 Who is going to the reflecting pool and being like 0:04:49.160 --> 0:04:52.640 is it taller though than the Empire State Building? 0:04:53.040 --> 0:04:57.640 How tall? How long is this? If I laid this 0:04:57.800 --> 0:04:59.880 building on its side, would it be longer? 0:05:00.520 --> 0:05:01.200 Who cares? 0:05:01.240 --> 0:05:05.800 How is this important to anybody? How is this worthy 0:05:05.839 --> 0:05:06.880 of a press? Conference. 0:05:06.920 --> 0:05:09.760 How is this worthy of anyone making this dumb looking 0:05:09.880 --> 0:05:15.279 high school diorama project chart? And if you're a vulnerable Republican, 0:05:15.320 --> 0:05:17.479 aren't you thinking like, what the fuck is he doing? 0:05:21.600 --> 0:05:23.400 I've said this many times before, I'll keep saying it. 0:05:23.440 --> 0:05:26.719 Trump does not care about the midterms, not even a little. 0:05:26.720 --> 0:05:29.960 He doesn't care if Republicans lose the House, lose the Senate. 0:05:29.960 --> 0:05:32.320 He doesn't even seem to care that he might not 0:05:32.800 --> 0:05:36.520 be able to get his agenda passed because he chose 0:05:36.760 --> 0:05:41.840 again no good reason to primary, say Republicans like John 0:05:41.880 --> 0:05:45.720 Cornyan and go after people like Tom Massey who now 0:05:47.200 --> 0:05:51.800 they're primaried out, but they stick around until November. Well, 0:05:51.800 --> 0:05:54.960 there's a whole lot of damage they can do between 0:05:54.960 --> 0:05:56.520 now in November, and. 0:05:56.560 --> 0:06:00.560 Especially now they have a grudge, like, how does was this? 0:06:02.800 --> 0:06:06.120 So listen, I think I can officially say welcome to 0:06:06.279 --> 0:06:11.840 Trump's lame duck presidency. It's been a while, I think 0:06:11.880 --> 0:06:14.560 since we've truly seen one, maybe even long enough in 0:06:14.600 --> 0:06:18.640 politics to maybe forget what one looks like. So let 0:06:18.680 --> 0:06:23.080 me take you back to the last second term lame 0:06:23.200 --> 0:06:28.720 duck presidency, which was Obama's in twenty fourteen. President Obama 0:06:28.839 --> 0:06:32.920 had around twenty fourteen just hit his lowest approval rating 0:06:33.400 --> 0:06:37.880 yet at forty percent. The midterm elections that year were 0:06:37.880 --> 0:06:42.040 an absolute bloodbath for Democrats. Republicans expanded their majority in 0:06:42.080 --> 0:06:44.880 the House by a net gain of thirteen seats, took 0:06:44.880 --> 0:06:47.480 control of the Senate with a net gain of nine seats. 0:06:48.000 --> 0:06:52.440 I think they also netted to two more gubernatorial wins, 0:06:52.560 --> 0:06:54.640 and they flipped a bunch of state houses. I mean, 0:06:54.640 --> 0:06:56.440 it was it was the definition of a red wave. 0:06:58.040 --> 0:07:00.680 So the predictions for the second half of Obama's second 0:07:00.760 --> 0:07:05.120 term were pretty bad. They were pretty fatalistic. Every headline 0:07:05.200 --> 0:07:09.520 was like Obama's lame duck era is going to be bad. 0:07:10.120 --> 0:07:13.440 As early as twenty thirteen, analysts were in fact calling 0:07:13.480 --> 0:07:19.840 his presidency effectively like a da twenty thirteen because he 0:07:20.080 --> 0:07:22.400 had seemingly spent all of his political capital getting the 0:07:22.440 --> 0:07:26.240 Affordable Care Act passed and implemented, which, as you recalled, 0:07:26.240 --> 0:07:30.760 did not go smoothly, and he suffered some early second 0:07:30.800 --> 0:07:34.080 term losses on things like the Bush air At, tax cuts, 0:07:34.200 --> 0:07:36.080 gun control efforts, immigration reform. 0:07:36.120 --> 0:07:37.720 Remember, like none of that happened. 0:07:38.600 --> 0:07:41.440 They thought we'll get to the second term after Obamacare 0:07:41.640 --> 0:07:44.080 and we'll get to do all the other things we wanted. 0:07:44.120 --> 0:07:47.160 And frankly, the things they promised Democrats they would do 0:07:47.200 --> 0:07:50.360 on guns and immigration and they just they just didn't. 0:07:50.720 --> 0:07:53.320 He instead ended up having to do a bunch of 0:07:53.320 --> 0:07:56.880 executive orders on thing like things like dreamers and stuff 0:07:56.880 --> 0:08:00.640 that didn't last very long because executive orders be undone 0:08:00.680 --> 0:08:04.280 and there were he didn't have a great relationship with Congress. Again, 0:08:04.320 --> 0:08:06.640 he'd really focused all of his attention entirely on the 0:08:06.640 --> 0:08:11.000 Affordable Care Act, and I forgot this, but I was 0:08:11.040 --> 0:08:14.679 looking back, and remember Isis I mean Isis was giving 0:08:14.720 --> 0:08:19.600 him a lot of trouble overseas we you know, kind 0:08:19.600 --> 0:08:24.520 of felt like he was responsible for fixing that and 0:08:25.240 --> 0:08:27.480 it just wasn't working. So a lot was going on, 0:08:28.800 --> 0:08:30.440 and it felt like there was just nothing left in 0:08:30.480 --> 0:08:35.840 the tank, or so it seemed. Obama actually ended up 0:08:36.040 --> 0:08:40.760 defying all the predictions of how lame his lame duck 0:08:41.160 --> 0:08:43.800 presidency was going to be. In twenty fifteen, he got 0:08:43.840 --> 0:08:47.480 a huge win when the Supreme Court, in a surprise 0:08:47.840 --> 0:08:52.200 I can say personally surprised from conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, 0:08:52.240 --> 0:08:56.640 ruled in favor of keeping Obamacare intact. Remember Republicans were 0:08:56.720 --> 0:08:59.720 arguing it was attacks and couldn't be implemented the way 0:09:00.000 --> 0:09:02.559 that Obama was trying to. Well, Supreme Court said, yes 0:09:02.559 --> 0:09:07.920 it can. That preserved Obama's signature legislation. Then he got 0:09:07.960 --> 0:09:12.080 the ambitious Transpacific Partnership Deal TPP. It was the world's 0:09:12.120 --> 0:09:15.080 biggest ever trade agreement, accounting for two fifths of the 0:09:15.080 --> 0:09:19.439 world's trade. That got fast tracked by a highly divided Congress. 0:09:19.440 --> 0:09:21.920 That was a huge win he was not, you know, 0:09:22.440 --> 0:09:25.720 guaranteed to get. He got another win in Cuba, where 0:09:25.720 --> 0:09:29.120 he secured an agreement to resume diplomatic relations after fifty 0:09:29.120 --> 0:09:34.520 four years of hostilities, signed the Iran Nuclear Deal, the JCPOA, 0:09:34.920 --> 0:09:37.400 which was designed to prevent Iran from developing nukes in 0:09:37.440 --> 0:09:41.839 exchange for sanction relief. Now, whatever you think of Obamacare, 0:09:41.880 --> 0:09:44.120 the TPP, the Iran Deal, all that stuff, and I 0:09:44.200 --> 0:09:47.040 was not a fan, Okay, it's hard to argue that 0:09:47.080 --> 0:09:49.480 Obama's final months in office were lame. 0:09:49.840 --> 0:09:51.760 They were not lame. They were very active. 0:09:51.920 --> 0:09:55.479 He managed to do a lot in those final months, 0:09:56.160 --> 0:09:59.080 and I think it as little as like a year. 0:09:59.120 --> 0:10:04.160 He'd managed to complempletely redefine the meaning of that term, 0:10:04.320 --> 0:10:06.079 so he did not have a. 0:10:06.120 --> 0:10:08.080 Very lame, lame duck presidency. 0:10:09.040 --> 0:10:11.640 Now we know, I bring all of this up about 0:10:11.640 --> 0:10:15.120 Obama because we know how much Obama tends to get 0:10:15.160 --> 0:10:19.559 in President Donald Trump's head, as the legend goes. After all, 0:10:19.600 --> 0:10:23.360 it was Obama's mockery of Trump at the twenty eleven 0:10:23.600 --> 0:10:26.800 White House Correspondents Dinner that provoked him to run for president, 0:10:28.040 --> 0:10:32.400 and ever since he has been fixated on Obama. He 0:10:32.520 --> 0:10:37.320 was even blasting Obama's Chicago Library Presidential Library with like 0:10:37.480 --> 0:10:43.360 petty petty jabs this month. Well, listen, Trump only wishes 0:10:43.480 --> 0:10:46.240 he were having the final few years that Obama did instead. 0:10:47.640 --> 0:10:52.040 Trump's lame duck presidency I think has arrived early. It's 0:10:52.080 --> 0:10:53.480 not a question of how lame it's going to be. 0:10:53.520 --> 0:10:57.760 It's early. I think we're here. Let me lay out 0:10:57.800 --> 0:10:58.080 the case. 0:10:58.080 --> 0:11:01.400 Trump's approval is plummeted since his auguration, dropping from fifty 0:11:01.440 --> 0:11:04.840 two percent. That's right, he came in with fifty two 0:11:04.880 --> 0:11:08.120 percent approval. You've got to remember that that is that's 0:11:08.120 --> 0:11:10.120 as close to, like, you know, coming in with a 0:11:10.160 --> 0:11:15.040 mandate as you can get in today's divided political landscape. 0:11:15.160 --> 0:11:19.080 Fifty two percent It's plummeted to thirty eight. His disapproval 0:11:19.080 --> 0:11:22.480 has shot up fifteen points since he came in this 0:11:22.720 --> 0:11:26.240 second term, and thanks in large part to his again 0:11:26.360 --> 0:11:29.439 dumb tariffs, dumb war in Iran. The midterms are looking 0:11:29.480 --> 0:11:34.120 so bad for Republicans that the party has resorted to 0:11:34.280 --> 0:11:36.880 mid census redistricting schemes that may may or may not 0:11:36.920 --> 0:11:37.280 pay off. 0:11:37.280 --> 0:11:38.240 We don't even know yet. 0:11:39.559 --> 0:11:42.080 Democrats could not only take back the House, but when 0:11:42.080 --> 0:11:46.079 the Senate, with candidates in red states like Texas, Iowa, 0:11:46.160 --> 0:11:52.120 and Ohio in real contention, then there are Trump's recent losses, 0:11:52.880 --> 0:11:56.000 a lot of them. The one point eight billion dollar 0:11:56.080 --> 0:11:59.520 slush fund is Justice Department proposed to pay out magaloyalists, 0:11:59.559 --> 0:12:04.560 including Jan six's insurrectionists, was met with such disdain from 0:12:04.559 --> 0:12:07.040 his own party he had to dump it. 0:12:07.920 --> 0:12:09.920 They were going to face some legal challenges. 0:12:09.520 --> 0:12:11.600 But people I spoke to inside the administration said they 0:12:11.600 --> 0:12:14.240 were pretty sure they would get past those legal challenges, 0:12:14.240 --> 0:12:17.679 so they dumped it because of political pressure from their 0:12:17.720 --> 0:12:22.240 own party. Four Republicans in the House just voted with 0:12:22.360 --> 0:12:25.240 Democrats to pass a war powers resolution directing Trump to 0:12:25.240 --> 0:12:27.160 withdraw military forces from Iran. 0:12:27.880 --> 0:12:28.760 That's not what he wanted. 0:12:30.760 --> 0:12:33.440 Republicans in both chambers have come out to condemn Trump's 0:12:33.760 --> 0:12:37.599 utterly absurd pick for D and I for Director of 0:12:37.679 --> 0:12:42.600 National Intelligence Bill POULTI, who has no relevant experience to 0:12:42.679 --> 0:12:46.760 oversee the nation's intel agencies. Because that's not why he's 0:12:46.760 --> 0:12:48.400 going there. He's not going there to do that job. 0:12:48.440 --> 0:12:50.439 He's going there to do another job. Trump wants to 0:12:50.480 --> 0:12:52.960 put him there, to install him there so that he 0:12:53.000 --> 0:12:55.679 can have access to everyone's information, so he can help 0:12:56.280 --> 0:13:00.560 prosecute political enemies and maybe help break an election. I 0:13:00.559 --> 0:13:03.800 think it's highly unlikely he actually gets that job again 0:13:04.000 --> 0:13:09.400 from pushback from Republicans. The fate of his billion dollar 0:13:09.520 --> 0:13:13.000 ballroom remains up in the air, as do the Trump 0:13:13.080 --> 0:13:16.280 battleships he's proposed. A judge rules cannot put his name 0:13:16.320 --> 0:13:19.160 on the Kennedy Center. His Freedom two hundred and fifty 0:13:19.200 --> 0:13:23.079 concert series collapsed as musical acts dropped out one by one, 0:13:23.200 --> 0:13:27.160 leaving like Vanilla Ice to headline if it happens at all. 0:13:28.040 --> 0:13:30.440 I mean, these are some humiliating losses, and they're back 0:13:30.480 --> 0:13:35.280 to back. It's a bad news cycle. And you know 0:13:35.320 --> 0:13:37.559 the crazy part. I remember he came in with fifty 0:13:37.600 --> 0:13:41.040 two percent approval. The crazy part is had Trump just 0:13:41.120 --> 0:13:49.240 pursued like normal policy wins for Americans instead of insane, vulgar, 0:13:49.679 --> 0:13:55.120 self interested nonsense, he'd surely be in a different position. 0:13:55.160 --> 0:13:58.440 Imagine if he hadn't, you know, talked about invading. 0:13:58.040 --> 0:14:02.360 Greenland for months or Canada. 0:14:03.960 --> 0:14:06.839 Right, Or imagine if he hadn't done all of these 0:14:06.920 --> 0:14:12.800 dumb tariffs or went to war with Iran Nobody asked 0:14:12.800 --> 0:14:16.760 for that. Just imagine if he hadn't done those few things. 0:14:17.920 --> 0:14:23.320 I think he'd be in a much different position. Instead 0:14:23.320 --> 0:14:25.840 of focusing on the economy and just making life better 0:14:25.840 --> 0:14:28.920 for most Americans, he's focused on legacy building and self dealing, 0:14:29.640 --> 0:14:32.400 putting his name on shit, putting his likeness on buildings 0:14:32.400 --> 0:14:35.800 and money, while Americans are struggling and his own party 0:14:35.880 --> 0:14:39.720 is starting to question the value of backing him unquestioningly, 0:14:41.600 --> 0:14:43.560 and like I said, he's made several of them enemies, 0:14:43.600 --> 0:14:46.320 just as he's looking to get their votes on cabinet 0:14:46.360 --> 0:14:49.280 and judicial appointments and on funding for wars and ballrooms 0:14:49.320 --> 0:14:50.680 and on important. 0:14:50.280 --> 0:14:52.480 Pieces of legislation. Like that was not smart. 0:14:55.480 --> 0:14:59.240 I didn't imagine that it would come this early before 0:14:59.320 --> 0:15:02.960 the midterms. Ye, but I think Trump's lame duck presidency 0:15:03.040 --> 0:15:06.960 has one thousand percent begne. There's stuff he's not being 0:15:07.880 --> 0:15:09.080 he's not able to get done. 0:15:11.160 --> 0:15:11.800 There's stuff he. 0:15:11.760 --> 0:15:14.960 Wants to do and cannot He's being stopped by his 0:15:15.000 --> 0:15:18.720 own party. I mean, this is the definition of a 0:15:18.800 --> 0:15:22.800 lame duck. That's what that's where he's at right now. 0:15:23.320 --> 0:15:26.200 And unlike Obama, doesn't it even look like he's interested 0:15:26.200 --> 0:15:29.040 in turning it around. Okay, after the. 0:15:29.000 --> 0:15:33.080 Break, let's talk about the Democrats with Democratic Strategists Karen Finnie. 0:15:33.320 --> 0:15:47.120 Don't go anywhere. Welcome back to off the cup. I 0:15:47.160 --> 0:15:49.680 want to bring in my friend Karen Finney. She's a 0:15:49.680 --> 0:15:52.760 CNN contributor at a Democratic strategist. She's the perfect guest 0:15:52.760 --> 0:15:55.240 to talk about some of the primary races that we 0:15:55.280 --> 0:15:57.760 had this week and whether the Dems can get get 0:15:57.760 --> 0:16:00.880 themselves across the finish line in in the midterms. 0:16:01.080 --> 0:16:01.840 Welcome Karen. 0:16:02.120 --> 0:16:04.200 Hi, So good to see my friend. 0:16:04.520 --> 0:16:06.480 You two, you're like the perfect person for this. 0:16:06.640 --> 0:16:08.800 There's a lot I want to I want to get 0:16:08.800 --> 0:16:12.080 your insight on and I you know what, I love 0:16:12.160 --> 0:16:18.960 this time because it feels like for as much trouble 0:16:19.160 --> 0:16:22.000 as I think the Democratic Party is kind of in 0:16:22.520 --> 0:16:26.480 Democrats are being real honest about what's going on, and 0:16:26.520 --> 0:16:30.000 that's helpful. That's helpful, I think for people to hear 0:16:30.240 --> 0:16:33.040 just some real honesty, and you're always honest. So I 0:16:33.080 --> 0:16:35.000 want to start. I want to start with the LA 0:16:35.080 --> 0:16:38.320 Mayor's race. Karen Bass Spencer Pratt finished in the top two. 0:16:38.000 --> 0:16:41.120 So they move on. What are your sort. 0:16:40.920 --> 0:16:42.920 Of top lines? What are you making of that race? 0:16:43.080 --> 0:16:45.320 And do you think Spencer Pratt can win in a 0:16:45.360 --> 0:16:47.120 city like La. 0:16:47.400 --> 0:16:51.480 You know, I actually went to Ucla and live there, 0:16:51.520 --> 0:16:54.280 and I know Karen Basso. I know the city pretty well. 0:16:54.640 --> 0:16:56.040 Yeah, let's go. 0:16:56.480 --> 0:17:00.000 LA's been through a rough let's say ten years, probably 0:17:00.080 --> 0:17:02.880 more than that. I mean between COVID and what's happening 0:17:02.880 --> 0:17:08.600 in the homelessness crisis. Fires, the fires obviously strike, so 0:17:08.800 --> 0:17:11.560 just a lot of things on top of each other 0:17:11.680 --> 0:17:16.120 that really came in succession. So that for I say 0:17:16.119 --> 0:17:19.200 that to say, I'm not surprised that this mayor's race 0:17:19.359 --> 0:17:21.600 is more competitive than you might have thought it would 0:17:21.600 --> 0:17:24.159 be because the mayors had to deal with a lot. 0:17:24.240 --> 0:17:27.760 The other thing that's quirky about Los Angeles is there 0:17:27.800 --> 0:17:30.679 are things that the mayor controls and things that people 0:17:30.720 --> 0:17:33.399 think she controls that she doesn't. And I don't just 0:17:33.440 --> 0:17:35.600 mean Karen Bets. I've seen this happen with other mayors 0:17:35.640 --> 0:17:38.639 where people are mad about something and you know, when 0:17:38.680 --> 0:17:42.040 you're spending your time having to explain, then you're not 0:17:42.280 --> 0:17:45.880 talking about what you've accomplished, and so there's a lot 0:17:45.920 --> 0:17:48.520 of frustration. I think people were hoping she would have 0:17:48.560 --> 0:17:53.040 made better progress with regard to homelessness, because she had 0:17:53.119 --> 0:17:56.040 big ideas, and she's made some progress, but not enough. 0:17:56.080 --> 0:18:00.359 The fires is the real pain point I think for people. Actually, 0:18:00.400 --> 0:18:02.480 I will say there is a real mood in the 0:18:02.560 --> 0:18:05.359 country and you're seeing a lot of I'm seeing this 0:18:05.400 --> 0:18:08.880 with democratic governors, you know, Josh Shapiro and Wes Moore 0:18:09.000 --> 0:18:11.359 talk about how they have signs that say, you know, 0:18:11.480 --> 0:18:14.480 let's cut through the shit, like let's get hypercensation, you know, 0:18:15.119 --> 0:18:16.639 let's cut three. You know, I don't want to hear 0:18:16.640 --> 0:18:18.359 about the red tape. I don't want to hear it like, 0:18:18.440 --> 0:18:23.160 let's get it done. And I don't think people Maybe 0:18:23.160 --> 0:18:26.200 people didn't feel that enough in LA and so we're 0:18:26.240 --> 0:18:29.359 open to you know, what I would consider a non 0:18:29.400 --> 0:18:32.520 traditional candidate, someone who's not of the system, who's not 0:18:32.560 --> 0:18:35.840 around city council. So I'm not surprised and he's he 0:18:35.960 --> 0:18:39.200 presents well. I mean, despite the coverage we've all we've 0:18:39.200 --> 0:18:43.440 seen about his past, he presents well and he certainly 0:18:43.480 --> 0:18:46.959 is channeling the anger that people are feeling. 0:18:47.840 --> 0:18:50.920 Yeah, and what blows my mind, and I had Spencer 0:18:51.000 --> 0:18:54.959 on the show. What blows my mind is like, where 0:18:55.119 --> 0:18:56.640 where's the Democrats? 0:18:56.760 --> 0:18:57.560 Spencer Pratt? 0:18:57.560 --> 0:19:02.760 Because I understand why he would be an unappealing. 0:19:02.240 --> 0:19:04.520 Candidate for an LA Liberal. 0:19:04.720 --> 0:19:07.000 He will point out all of his supporters are Democrats, 0:19:07.040 --> 0:19:11.120 but I understand coming from reality TV, there's like Trumpiness 0:19:11.440 --> 0:19:13.280 kind of around him, even though I think he's done 0:19:13.280 --> 0:19:16.440 a good job trying to separate himself. But I asked 0:19:16.480 --> 0:19:18.600 because I only think we're going to see more of 0:19:18.640 --> 0:19:23.119 this more Spencers if Democrats don't figure something out pretty quickly. 0:19:23.160 --> 0:19:26.439 He came into, as you say, a political establishment that 0:19:26.480 --> 0:19:28.399 he was not a part of. He pointed out, I 0:19:28.440 --> 0:19:32.560 think very obvious problems right, there's too much crime, homelessness, 0:19:33.080 --> 0:19:38.000 drug use. Democrats have overpaid the police unions, street lights 0:19:38.000 --> 0:19:41.960 aren't getting changed, roads aren't getting paved, and instead, like 0:19:42.000 --> 0:19:44.359 anyone could have said that Spencer's the one that said it, 0:19:45.320 --> 0:19:48.719 And it feels like Democrats are instead defending the status 0:19:48.800 --> 0:19:52.280 quo because there's they're defensive, right, Like Republicans do this 0:19:52.320 --> 0:19:56.240 thing where they go overboard talking about how liberal cities 0:19:56.280 --> 0:19:57.159 are burning to the ground. 0:19:57.200 --> 0:19:59.240 If you're a liberal city mayor, you say, listen, I've 0:19:59.280 --> 0:20:02.200 done a lot. Are Okay, we're not burned to the ground. 0:20:02.680 --> 0:20:04.400 But you end up defending the status quo. 0:20:04.760 --> 0:20:08.480 Yeah, And I think as long as Democrats keep doing that, 0:20:08.480 --> 0:20:11.359 that's going to give rise for people like Spencer to 0:20:11.400 --> 0:20:14.160 come out and say what everyone can see with their 0:20:14.160 --> 0:20:17.760 eyes and ears and maybe get more traction than they should. 0:20:17.880 --> 0:20:20.480 What do you think, Well, I think that's an interesting point, 0:20:20.680 --> 0:20:26.280 especially because when you are the incumbent, it is hard 0:20:26.320 --> 0:20:28.520 not to have to be put in the position I'm 0:20:28.560 --> 0:20:33.240 having to defend. Although I always say, two candidates, let's 0:20:33.280 --> 0:20:36.080 talk about what more there is to do. It's okay 0:20:36.160 --> 0:20:39.080 to say, hey, we've gotten a lot done, but there's 0:20:39.080 --> 0:20:41.480 so much more I want to get done. Yeah, and 0:20:41.520 --> 0:20:43.760 I've heard her say that, but I think there can 0:20:43.800 --> 0:20:45.840 be more of that. And I'll tell you the other thing. 0:20:45.840 --> 0:20:47.800 If I'm thinking, I'm thinking a little bit about because 0:20:47.800 --> 0:20:50.040 the other thing LA has had to deal with was 0:20:50.119 --> 0:20:55.280 Ice and you know, the the Trump incursion, and it 0:20:55.359 --> 0:21:00.280 is interesting to see how the mayor of Baltimore and 0:21:00.280 --> 0:21:05.120 the mayor of Chicago really turned that into moments where 0:21:05.800 --> 0:21:08.800 people saw them not as any kind of as the incumbent, 0:21:08.880 --> 0:21:12.320 but as you know, the thing standing between them and 0:21:13.359 --> 0:21:16.679 Ice agents. And I don't know that I saw Karen 0:21:16.800 --> 0:21:20.680 have that kind of moment, and I'm not saying she didn't, 0:21:20.720 --> 0:21:22.199 and maybe I just didn't see it, but I just 0:21:22.200 --> 0:21:25.200 don't remember that's such And so I think that maybe 0:21:25.280 --> 0:21:28.000 the other thing is she needs some of these to 0:21:28.119 --> 0:21:32.840 be seen as a continuation of not just the status quo, 0:21:33.480 --> 0:21:37.080 but of you know, we're trying to get some things 0:21:37.160 --> 0:21:40.840 done here and we have more to do so. But again, 0:21:40.960 --> 0:21:44.000 it's a tough environment. I mean California in general, because 0:21:44.040 --> 0:21:46.000 we also talk about the governor's race, right I mean, 0:21:46.040 --> 0:21:50.679 we're gonna yeah, California in general is kind of a 0:21:50.720 --> 0:21:56.080 mess right now, and you know, it is anxiety. 0:21:56.200 --> 0:21:58.160 People feel like it's too expensive to live there, it's 0:21:58.200 --> 0:22:00.280 too expensive to work there. So you've got business is 0:22:00.359 --> 0:22:03.400 leaving Hollywood leaving. That's a huge, huge problem for LA 0:22:03.440 --> 0:22:06.359 in particular, and then you've got other systemic things. The 0:22:06.359 --> 0:22:10.199 problem I think for Democrats is that you can't blame Republicans. 0:22:09.680 --> 0:22:10.199 For any of it. 0:22:10.920 --> 0:22:13.359 No part of California has been run by Republicans for 0:22:13.400 --> 0:22:14.200 a really long time. 0:22:14.240 --> 0:22:15.800 So let's go to the governor's race. 0:22:16.440 --> 0:22:19.800 What do you make of the fact that it's Bessarah 0:22:19.960 --> 0:22:22.880 and Steve Hilton and that you could get a Republican governor. 0:22:23.000 --> 0:22:26.600 Yeah, I mean it's I think it's a similar phenomenon 0:22:26.640 --> 0:22:28.720 to we're seeing in the La mayor's race in that 0:22:28.840 --> 0:22:32.880 you have, you know, Javier Bessera's former age obviously Secretary 0:22:32.880 --> 0:22:35.000 of Health and Human Services, so he's a known entity 0:22:35.240 --> 0:22:35.960 in the state. 0:22:36.359 --> 0:22:39.640 Yes, but he's and let's be honest. 0:22:39.680 --> 0:22:44.359 You know, stylistically he's not as gregarious as colors. But 0:22:44.720 --> 0:22:47.960 I would say he's he's he's he's smart, he's reliable. 0:22:47.960 --> 0:22:50.720 I think you would do a great job. Okay, But 0:22:50.840 --> 0:22:53.479 I think you're seeing a similar thing where people are saying, well, 0:22:53.480 --> 0:22:56.200 maybe do we want something different? Maybe we do, Yeah, 0:22:56.200 --> 0:22:59.280 maybe we you know, And again I think it's a 0:22:59.359 --> 0:23:02.040 similar I think we're going to see this, frankly play 0:23:02.040 --> 0:23:05.120 out in a lot of places where can't I mean 0:23:05.240 --> 0:23:09.560