WEBVTT - Is the Democratic Tent Too Big? | MiniPod 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:03.520 Native Land Pod is a production of iHeartRadio and partnership 0:00:03.520 --> 0:00:08.400 with Reason Choice Media. Well Come, well come, welcome, Well come, well, come, welcome, 0:00:08.440 --> 0:00:10.840 welcome home. 0:00:11.000 --> 0:00:11.479 You guys. 0:00:11.640 --> 0:00:15.280 It's a really, really busy political season. So you guys 0:00:15.320 --> 0:00:19.240 heard on the main episode we talked about is the 0:00:19.280 --> 0:00:23.880 Democratic Party ten too big? And so we thought it 0:00:23.920 --> 0:00:25.959 would be a good opportunity to talk about what is 0:00:26.000 --> 0:00:30.600 it that we want from our political institutions and specifically 0:00:30.640 --> 0:00:33.360 the Democratic Party, but maybe that and beyond. So we 0:00:33.400 --> 0:00:36.640 wanted to have that conversation with you all today. Angela, 0:00:36.720 --> 0:00:39.080 this is something that came to us from a viewer question, 0:00:39.800 --> 0:00:41.920 and you thought it was important enough for us to 0:00:41.960 --> 0:00:43.640 talk about in a larger capacity. 0:00:43.800 --> 0:00:46.400 So why don't you kick us off with your thoughts? 0:00:46.840 --> 0:00:47.120 Yeah. 0:00:47.200 --> 0:00:50.440 I think that what I am really struck by are 0:00:50.560 --> 0:00:55.480 the number of people who feel abandoned by a two 0:00:55.520 --> 0:00:58.440 party system, and most specifically based on the people that 0:00:58.480 --> 0:01:00.840 I speak to the most, or the people even write 0:01:00.840 --> 0:01:04.000 into our show, comments under our posts, or they send 0:01:04.000 --> 0:01:08.920 in videos, folks who feel abandoned by something that they've 0:01:08.959 --> 0:01:12.560 been very, very loyal to, and I think those criticisms 0:01:12.600 --> 0:01:16.640 are fair. I think with striking are the folks who 0:01:17.200 --> 0:01:21.839 the party has gone to court, has gone to pursue 0:01:22.200 --> 0:01:25.200 and thereby leaving its base. Those folks don't feel seen 0:01:25.319 --> 0:01:27.880 or heard either by the party allegedly, right like when 0:01:27.880 --> 0:01:31.480 we look at the math, which a math and from 0:01:31.560 --> 0:01:35.640 the most recent election, hundreds of millions of dollars were 0:01:35.680 --> 0:01:39.880 spent to court Nikki Haley voters, then Lizen Dick Cheney voters, 0:01:40.400 --> 0:01:43.440 then Never trumpers, all of these folks, and it looks like, 0:01:43.520 --> 0:01:45.120 I know, Tip, you said that we shouldn't rely on 0:01:45.120 --> 0:01:46.840 this data yet, but based on the data that we 0:01:46.880 --> 0:01:49.280 do have at this point, I doubt it'll change that much. 0:01:49.920 --> 0:01:54.680 Certainly won't get over into double digits. Four percent right 0:01:55.080 --> 0:02:00.520 of Republicans voted for Kamala Harris in this last selection. 0:02:01.000 --> 0:02:04.440 So to me, I just don't understand. I'm not, you know, 0:02:04.640 --> 0:02:06.840 the best business person in the world, not the best 0:02:06.840 --> 0:02:10.440 business mind, but I don't understand that ROI that return 0:02:10.560 --> 0:02:14.120 investment doesn't seem sufficient. And then when I consider my 0:02:14.240 --> 0:02:20.440 own needs, my family has always voted for the Democratic Party. 0:02:20.480 --> 0:02:23.280 I can't think of a time where my parents didn't 0:02:23.280 --> 0:02:24.600 support the Democratic Party. 0:02:24.919 --> 0:02:27.680 But in Seattle, Washington, where I grew up, you know, my. 0:02:27.720 --> 0:02:30.960 Dad has been on the opposite side of every elected 0:02:30.960 --> 0:02:34.160 official because he's an activist. You know, he hasn't always 0:02:34.280 --> 0:02:40.640 garnered friends. He's garnered some friendships in some working relationships, 0:02:40.880 --> 0:02:45.120 but I think largely I have mostly felt abandoned by 0:02:45.160 --> 0:02:48.960 the party my dad. One of his more recent battles 0:02:49.040 --> 0:02:54.400 with the governor of the state until recently until assume 0:02:54.480 --> 0:02:57.520 he recently is Jay Ensley. And when you look at 0:02:57.600 --> 0:03:01.679 the contracting dollars right of black folks who are in 0:03:02.040 --> 0:03:06.160 business in the state and the number of contracts that 0:03:06.200 --> 0:03:09.079 they actually gain from the state, it is ridiculous. We're 0:03:09.120 --> 0:03:12.760 talking about like point zero zero one percent of contracting 0:03:12.800 --> 0:03:16.480 dollars going to very qualified black businesses. So I guess 0:03:16.480 --> 0:03:20.400 what I'm saying is I don't know where we really 0:03:20.560 --> 0:03:23.800 fit because some of the things that we are actually 0:03:23.840 --> 0:03:27.080 fighting for as a people should not be partisan either. 0:03:27.680 --> 0:03:30.480 So I don't think that whether or not a black 0:03:30.520 --> 0:03:35.400 business is qualified and gets contracting opportunities should be partisan. 0:03:36.480 --> 0:03:38.640 I don't think that voting rights should be partisan. 0:03:38.680 --> 0:03:42.440 I don't think that domestic violence or women's choice reproductive 0:03:42.480 --> 0:03:45.320 justice should be partisan. So part of me feels like, 0:03:46.000 --> 0:03:48.800 why should this be a struggle for either party. 0:03:48.520 --> 0:03:53.240 When this is just like what is right is what 0:03:53.360 --> 0:03:54.600 is humane? Right? 0:03:54.680 --> 0:03:57.880 So I struggle with, like why am I having to 0:03:57.920 --> 0:04:01.480 ideologically align with any party in this instance on these 0:04:01.520 --> 0:04:04.440 set of issues. Some of these things find their partisan 0:04:04.560 --> 0:04:06.800 Let's talk through these. Like I don't think livable wage 0:04:06.800 --> 0:04:08.920 should be partisan, but I want people to earn a 0:04:08.960 --> 0:04:11.400 livable wage. I don't think that like climate change should 0:04:11.400 --> 0:04:15.360 be a debatable but for whatever reason, it is. But 0:04:15.400 --> 0:04:18.320 I also want to figure out, like in our has 0:04:18.360 --> 0:04:21.880 those hierarchy of needs, can we align on what our 0:04:21.960 --> 0:04:25.240 value systems are and like what party, if there's a party, 0:04:25.279 --> 0:04:27.200 can support those things. I know I just talked to 0:04:27.200 --> 0:04:28.360 in the circles by bad y'all. 0:04:28.440 --> 0:04:31.120 No, that's real, and I agree with you on what 0:04:31.240 --> 0:04:33.880 you have identified as what really should be non parties 0:04:33.880 --> 0:04:37.880 and issues. But it seems the other side works over 0:04:37.960 --> 0:04:41.360 time to create the divide and not I can't really 0:04:41.400 --> 0:04:43.720 gather for any other reason than to build their own 0:04:43.760 --> 0:04:46.800 political power. It's like I've got to be opposed to 0:04:47.160 --> 0:04:50.800 a woman's bodily alternomy because we got a whole extreme 0:04:51.480 --> 0:04:55.479 quote Christian coalition who are betting on us to hold 0:04:55.560 --> 0:04:59.440 this position. I've got to be against DEI and equity 0:04:59.440 --> 0:05:03.080 and inclusion and making sure we have the work reverse workforces, 0:05:03.120 --> 0:05:05.640 because I got a whole group of people sitting over 0:05:05.680 --> 0:05:08.479 here in my back frame who are counting on me 0:05:08.680 --> 0:05:13.240 to keep this workplace white. And so I don't even 0:05:13.320 --> 0:05:15.599 know that. I think you would find that the people 0:05:15.640 --> 0:05:18.200 within the party structure who would say these are kind 0:05:18.240 --> 0:05:22.960 of natural and frankly human rights, and that I'll not 0:05:23.120 --> 0:05:26.520 be divisive by and large, But that's not what we're 0:05:26.560 --> 0:05:30.840 getting these days. What really alarms me. First of all, 0:05:30.880 --> 0:05:33.680 I was visualizing Eddie Rye is standing up to Jay 0:05:33.760 --> 0:05:39.640 Insley and jay z better fall back. But in all seriousness, 0:05:40.120 --> 0:05:42.240 what I'm most concerned about as it relates to the 0:05:42.279 --> 0:05:46.440 party system two things. One Already, for instance, in the 0:05:46.480 --> 0:05:53.400 state of Florida, the largest political identity is Republican by 0:05:53.440 --> 0:05:56.600 a million votes over Democrats, but then they're being closed 0:05:56.600 --> 0:06:00.360 in on by independents, so we almost have a third 0:06:00.400 --> 0:06:03.719 a third, a third where folks are choosing no party. 0:06:03.880 --> 0:06:06.520 Now there is a consequence to this in my state, 0:06:06.880 --> 0:06:09.840 we have closed primaries. It as exists in almost the 0:06:09.839 --> 0:06:12.479 majority of states around the country, where if you don't 0:06:12.520 --> 0:06:15.560 belong to a political party, you may not vote to 0:06:15.680 --> 0:06:18.800 select who gets to become the nominee of that party 0:06:18.800 --> 0:06:22.800 for governor, for US Senate, for really important seats. And 0:06:23.560 --> 0:06:27.080 that is troubling to me because it's just now at 0:06:27.080 --> 0:06:29.760 the point where black people can choose nominees of their 0:06:29.839 --> 0:06:34.240 choices in a lot of states, where younger people in 0:06:34.279 --> 0:06:37.880 coalition with the black and brown community can choose candidates 0:06:37.880 --> 0:06:40.440 of their choice, and right at that very moment, we're 0:06:40.440 --> 0:06:43.640 now seeing defections from the party and into an independent 0:06:43.680 --> 0:06:47.279 structure who don't who don't have a voice in that process. 0:06:47.279 --> 0:06:49.680 So that aloarns me at one level. The second thing 0:06:49.720 --> 0:06:51.520 that alarns me as we think about takeaways from this 0:06:51.600 --> 0:06:55.440 last election is just the same theme of the independence 0:06:57.000 --> 0:07:01.760 and their performance have outperformed Democrats, meaning more people who 0:07:01.800 --> 0:07:05.719 were non party registrants and the registratives independents. They showed 0:07:05.720 --> 0:07:09.760 out the second highest of all groupings of voters by party, 0:07:10.600 --> 0:07:14.960 including over the Democrats. And what is that saying? And 0:07:15.040 --> 0:07:18.120 I think the complexity the problem that the Democratic Party faces, 0:07:18.120 --> 0:07:20.560 which I consider myself a member of and have had 0:07:20.560 --> 0:07:24.040 at various times leadership in and have been my state 0:07:24.160 --> 0:07:27.160 party's standard bearer. When I was a nominee for governor 0:07:27.200 --> 0:07:29.920 of Florida, and I took that as a real serious 0:07:29.920 --> 0:07:33.280 responsibility to speak to the needs of the people in 0:07:33.360 --> 0:07:38.240 our state who had basically withdrawn themselves from the process, 0:07:38.480 --> 0:07:41.840 their belief in and their faith in the process, because 0:07:42.000 --> 0:07:46.080 after all the sky is falling, and after all the 0:07:46.120 --> 0:07:48.200 promises of what I'm going to do when you put 0:07:48.280 --> 0:07:52.040 us there, these folks still buying laws were finding themselves 0:07:52.280 --> 0:07:57.600 in the same unchanged political and social and living environments. 0:07:58.120 --> 0:08:04.680 And so I worry that if we aren't very strategic 0:08:04.760 --> 0:08:07.640 about where we decide to place ourselves, not only on 0:08:07.760 --> 0:08:13.080 the spectrum of identity in politics, but also for the 0:08:13.160 --> 0:08:16.120 purposes of gaining political power, so that we are at 0:08:16.160 --> 0:08:20.120 the negotiating table deciding what goes where into whom I 0:08:20.200 --> 0:08:24.960 feel that we negotiate ourselves into irrelevance, and I think 0:08:25.080 --> 0:08:28.920 it has to be balanced by a real strategy of 0:08:29.280 --> 0:08:33.960 building power and then with that power, negotiating better positionality 0:08:34.040 --> 0:08:36.959 for ourselves, because I can't think of a more generous people, 0:08:37.440 --> 0:08:41.800 a more inclusive people of people who are so attached 0:08:41.840 --> 0:08:43.880 to the trauma that we've experienced over the course of 0:08:43.960 --> 0:08:47.079 our lives that we identify with any community who is 0:08:47.160 --> 0:08:50.160 experiencing trauma. We go to the defense, to the aid 0:08:50.280 --> 0:08:53.360 of and then once those communities find themselves in positions 0:08:53.400 --> 0:08:56.640 of power, they negotiate us out of the table. They 0:08:56.760 --> 0:08:59.679 negotiate us away from power and away from positionality in 0:08:59.720 --> 0:09:02.679 a way from getting what we need to serve ourselves, 0:09:02.760 --> 0:09:06.760 our families and our communities. I don't know the answer, 0:09:06.920 --> 0:09:11.439 Tiff and Angela, but I do know that whatever that 0:09:11.559 --> 0:09:15.199 answer is, strategy lays at the center of it. And 0:09:15.280 --> 0:09:19.520 I think the strategy has to center our community and 0:09:19.760 --> 0:09:23.839 our community's needs, and everything else is subjugated to that. 0:09:24.400 --> 0:09:28.040 Not around a personality, not around a person, not around 0:09:28.040 --> 0:09:30.480 a part of a state or a state, but around 0:09:30.559 --> 0:09:34.000 our needs. And if you comport to that, if you 0:09:34.160 --> 0:09:37.600 can perform on that and for us on that, then 0:09:37.679 --> 0:09:40.679 we can talk. But outside of that, I can't do. 0:09:41.800 --> 0:09:44.280 I receive what y'all were saying earlier around we're not 0:09:44.400 --> 0:09:46.440 in the I can't be doing the coalition stuff right now, 0:09:46.520 --> 0:09:48.120 and I'm not all the way there. But I will 0:09:48.200 --> 0:09:51.520 tell you that my coalition is going to begin with 0:09:52.120 --> 0:09:55.240 the folks who I care about the most and who 0:09:55.360 --> 0:09:58.040 sit at the intersection of the greatest degree of harm 0:09:58.200 --> 0:10:01.520 and impact from this society. That's who's at the center 0:10:02.160 --> 0:10:03.920 of my coalition. 0:10:13.120 --> 0:10:15.480 So I want to say really quickly first that there 0:10:15.520 --> 0:10:19.120 are a lot of I would argue most states, if 0:10:19.200 --> 0:10:19.560 you do not. 0:10:19.679 --> 0:10:22.760 Belong to a party, you cannot participate in the primary. 0:10:22.880 --> 0:10:24.520 There are a few states that have what they call 0:10:24.559 --> 0:10:28.679 a jungle primary, which was what Andrew was referencing, where 0:10:28.720 --> 0:10:30.440 anybody can vote for anybody. 0:10:30.679 --> 0:10:32.360 There are some arguments to be made about that. 0:10:33.160 --> 0:10:35.679 There's also a lot of arguments around ranked choice voting, 0:10:36.400 --> 0:10:40.400 which means that you know, whoever got the most votes wins, 0:10:40.440 --> 0:10:44.079 whoever got the second most votes, they can go to 0:10:44.160 --> 0:10:45.760 a runoff or. 0:10:45.840 --> 0:10:49.920 Sometimes first option, my second option, my third option, right, 0:10:50.200 --> 0:10:52.320 and all those votes count exactly. 0:10:52.920 --> 0:10:56.160 But what's interesting, we actually have a viewer question that 0:10:56.280 --> 0:10:58.880 speaks to I think a lot of what we're talking about. 0:10:59.400 --> 0:11:02.839 Good evening, Angela, Tiffany, and my man, Andrew. This is 0:11:02.920 --> 0:11:05.280 Mante from Maryland, and I had a question for you. 0:11:07.200 --> 0:11:08.040 Just like you, I've. 0:11:08.000 --> 0:11:12.280 Mourned, I've asked numerous questions. I've avoided watching the news, 0:11:12.440 --> 0:11:14.800 and you know, now I'm at the point of acceptance 0:11:15.000 --> 0:11:18.520 and now I'm wondering based on something that you mentioned 0:11:18.720 --> 0:11:23.240 in your mini pot about how we as Democrats failed 0:11:23.240 --> 0:11:27.359 at the ground roots level of reaching out to everybody 0:11:27.400 --> 0:11:30.880 and organizing at that place. What should we do right now? 0:11:31.840 --> 0:11:33.880 We got four years of BS that we know we're 0:11:33.880 --> 0:11:36.360 gonna have to deal with, But what should we be 0:11:36.559 --> 0:11:40.240 doing right now to prepare for those midterm elections and 0:11:40.640 --> 0:11:45.240 especially for that presidential election in four years. Yeah, we 0:11:45.320 --> 0:11:47.480 don't have a rough road to hole, but it is 0:11:47.600 --> 0:11:49.840 what it is now. But what can we be doing 0:11:49.960 --> 0:11:52.200 right now? What do we do at the ground roots level? 0:11:52.280 --> 0:11:54.920 How do we organize at this point? What can someone 0:11:55.080 --> 0:11:58.280 like me who does not live in a swing state 0:11:58.480 --> 0:12:01.400 do to affect the overall the country. I just want 0:12:01.520 --> 0:12:03.679 us to have a goal and something in mind and 0:12:03.800 --> 0:12:07.400 motivate us for these next few years as we deal 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:10.319 with what we're going to deal with. But any ideas 0:12:10.400 --> 0:12:12.719 you asked Ham will be most appreciated. Thank you for 0:12:12.800 --> 0:12:14.200 all you do and welcome home. 0:12:15.240 --> 0:12:17.960 Welcome home to you Monte from Maryland. 0:12:18.040 --> 0:12:22.400 I love that question, and you know, I think Andrews 0:12:22.520 --> 0:12:26.480 as a politician and Angela as a strategist definitely have 0:12:26.559 --> 0:12:28.480 a lot to say about it. What I would say, 0:12:29.440 --> 0:12:33.559 the first thing that is really important to me, especially 0:12:33.600 --> 0:12:38.600 as a black man. You can stay informed and share responsibly, 0:12:38.840 --> 0:12:41.719 like I always say. You though you're not in a 0:12:41.800 --> 0:12:45.520 swing state, Maryland is solid blue, but I'm sure you 0:12:45.679 --> 0:12:48.720 have friends outside of Maryland who might be in swing states, 0:12:48.760 --> 0:12:50.840 who might not be as engaged in the process, who 0:12:50.920 --> 0:12:53.559 might be frustrated like we all feel, who might be 0:12:53.679 --> 0:12:56.640 ready to tune out and kick back and just throwing 0:12:56.720 --> 0:12:58.720 up their hands like epic, because I know I feel 0:12:58.800 --> 0:13:03.200 that way on some days. And you could be talking 0:13:03.240 --> 0:13:05.360 to those people, checking in, letting them know. There are 0:13:05.400 --> 0:13:08.400 no off year elections. There are still those local elections 0:13:08.440 --> 0:13:10.400 that matter. If you're a parent, show up to those 0:13:10.440 --> 0:13:12.800 school board meetings, encourage your other friends to do the same. 0:13:13.160 --> 0:13:17.120 The state elections that matter, the state legislatures Republicans that 0:13:17.200 --> 0:13:20.199 made big gains there as well. So if your friends 0:13:20.240 --> 0:13:22.480 are in other places where that matters, pay attention to 0:13:22.520 --> 0:13:24.760 what's happening there, even in Maryland, pay attention to what's 0:13:24.760 --> 0:13:28.160 happening there, and just don't tune out, don't give up. 0:13:28.880 --> 0:13:31.880 I think that's keenly the most important thing. And consider 0:13:31.960 --> 0:13:36.120 yourself an organizer, you know, if you even But I 0:13:36.200 --> 0:13:38.400 think it's also something important to say, even if it's 0:13:38.480 --> 0:13:41.280 not a swing state, right, even though Maryland is blue, 0:13:41.320 --> 0:13:44.040 there is still a party infrastructure there. I don't I'm 0:13:44.080 --> 0:13:46.319 not a member of the Democratic Party. I just vote 0:13:46.559 --> 0:13:50.480 mostly are always a vote Democrat. But there's still a 0:13:50.600 --> 0:13:54.320 party infrastructure there that needs to be disrupted. You can 0:13:54.360 --> 0:13:56.520 still get involved on that level and make sure your 0:13:56.600 --> 0:13:59.920 issues as a black man are heard, that you're represented, 0:14:00.520 --> 0:14:03.360 because that's what we have to start convincing our people. 0:14:03.559 --> 0:14:05.439 What does this democracy look like if you get to 0:14:05.520 --> 0:14:07.560 shape it. And I think why we saw people stay 0:14:07.600 --> 0:14:09.920 home a lot last cycle is they gave up on that, 0:14:10.800 --> 0:14:13.400 on that part of the dream. They let America capture 0:14:13.440 --> 0:14:16.120 their imagination in the wrong way. So even if you're 0:14:16.200 --> 0:14:18.840 just tapping into the imagination of your group chat, your 0:14:18.880 --> 0:14:21.560 college friends, your voids at the barber, whatever it is, 0:14:22.520 --> 0:14:25.400 I hope you can be a voice to lead the 0:14:25.440 --> 0:14:30.280 people to a righteous belief in what America owes us. 0:14:30.560 --> 0:14:32.760 And as always I would encourage you to tell your 0:14:32.800 --> 0:14:34.840 friends to tap in the native lampid where we keep 0:14:34.880 --> 0:14:36.560 it a buck and we talk about things in a 0:14:36.680 --> 0:14:41.280 very plain, digestible way to make people feel very welcome 0:14:41.840 --> 0:14:42.480 and knowledgeable. 0:14:42.560 --> 0:14:44.240 In this part of the process Turf. 0:14:44.280 --> 0:14:46.920 I thought that was an excellent response, And really, all 0:14:46.960 --> 0:14:49.080 I would add is one triple double down on your 0:14:49.160 --> 0:14:51.800 point around not a swing state, but you are a state. 0:14:51.920 --> 0:14:55.040 You are in a state, and that state has a mayor, 0:14:55.960 --> 0:14:58.960 bunches of them all over. They've got school boards, they 0:14:59.000 --> 0:15:02.080 have county commission races, they have municipal races. They got 0:15:02.200 --> 0:15:07.600 judge races, state attorneys races, judges, judges, judges who seek 0:15:07.600 --> 0:15:10.720 public office. So if there was a thing that I 0:15:10.760 --> 0:15:13.320 would recommend, it would be I would get together with 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:16.280 those friends who are concerned and are interested and are 0:15:17.440 --> 0:15:19.680 a little bit displaced by what's happening at the federal level, 0:15:19.920 --> 0:15:22.120 and I would decide on some targets. How are those 0:15:22.120 --> 0:15:24.320 school board members performing for you? Are they out there 0:15:24.360 --> 0:15:29.120 banning books? Are they embracing curriculums that are inclusive of others? 0:15:29.480 --> 0:15:32.240 How those city commission races are they appropriating money and 0:15:32.360 --> 0:15:34.520 your part of the community and in parts of the 0:15:34.560 --> 0:15:38.320 community that need investments the most. How those judges doing 0:15:38.600 --> 0:15:41.360 those judges that like to be sleepy around election season 0:15:41.440 --> 0:15:43.600 so you don't notice them, but when it's not an 0:15:43.640 --> 0:15:47.240 election season, they are ruling against our people. Not giving 0:15:47.360 --> 0:15:50.320 us chances, not seeing us as human in those courtrooms, 0:15:50.640 --> 0:15:55.440 I would start to interrogate right where you live whether 0:15:55.520 --> 0:15:59.080 or not the people are there and acting in your interests, 0:15:59.080 --> 0:16:00.520 the people who are there if they are acting in 0:16:00.560 --> 0:16:03.800 your interests, and if they are not. The beauty, but 0:16:03.840 --> 0:16:06.600 also the disappointment about our process is is in midterm 0:16:06.640 --> 0:16:09.600 elections and in local elections, the drop off of voters 0:16:09.800 --> 0:16:13.000 is spectacular, and I don't mean that in a good way. 0:16:13.960 --> 0:16:17.840 It is huge. The opportunity moment that that creates is 0:16:17.880 --> 0:16:19.920 that you get to frankly, if you can organize a 0:16:19.960 --> 0:16:22.160 few of your friends and hit some doors, you can 0:16:22.240 --> 0:16:25.040 pretty much elect the candidates of your choice to these 0:16:25.120 --> 0:16:30.000 local municipal offices. Make your targets. Now, decide who's up, 0:16:30.080 --> 0:16:32.240 and determine whether or not they are in service to 0:16:32.360 --> 0:16:34.920 you or not being of service to you. And then 0:16:35.080 --> 0:16:36.880 amongst you all, you figure out who you all are 0:16:36.880 --> 0:16:38.720 going to run. And I don't mean just this question 0:16:38.840 --> 0:16:41.640 or I'm talking for all of us. That's power that 0:16:41.720 --> 0:16:44.160 we can command. And then once those folks are in 0:16:44.240 --> 0:16:47.640 those positions, we can then elevate them to state legislature, 0:16:47.800 --> 0:16:51.720 into congressional seats, into US Senate seats and so on 0:16:51.840 --> 0:16:53.440 and so forth. I think y'all get the picture. But 0:16:54.120 --> 0:16:56.600 this democracy is going to be saved by each and 0:16:56.680 --> 0:16:59.680 every one of us acting right where we are. Swing state, 0:16:59.760 --> 0:17:03.120 no state, no electoral vote. I'm not worried about that. 0:17:03.240 --> 0:17:06.040 I'm talking about how we rescue this place is by 0:17:06.080 --> 0:17:09.479 putting ourselves in position so that when the opportunity creates yourself, 0:17:09.760 --> 0:17:11.399 we got folks who are right, they're ready to move 0:17:11.480 --> 0:17:11.800 into it. 0:17:12.200 --> 0:17:15.639 And Mark o'nalley is trying to lead the Democratic Party. 0:17:16.119 --> 0:17:17.960 I don't know if y'all saw that news. He's writ 0:17:18.000 --> 0:17:21.600 in your backyard. He's right in Maryland, So make friends 0:17:21.720 --> 0:17:23.800 and have him be sure to make you his friends. 0:17:23.840 --> 0:17:27.280 Sorry, Angel, and that's definitely not an endorsement for the 0:17:27.400 --> 0:17:31.480 incoming DNC chair. Just to be super super clear, let's 0:17:31.480 --> 0:17:33.719 go wide open race. I was going to say, Andrew, 0:17:33.800 --> 0:17:36.199 one of the things that I know that you are 0:17:36.320 --> 0:17:38.840 so gifted at is building a bench. 0:17:39.320 --> 0:17:43.800 But I would caution us about building a bench before 0:17:43.880 --> 0:17:47.639 we have a clear understanding of the needs of the people. 0:17:48.200 --> 0:17:51.320 Your last point was an excellent point around, you know, 0:17:51.560 --> 0:17:54.320 really making sure that you are running people and there 0:17:54.320 --> 0:17:57.280 are ballid initiatives that speak to the needs of the 0:17:57.359 --> 0:17:59.760 people of the masses. In order for us to do that, 0:18:00.200 --> 0:18:02.520 we got to do a lot more listening. The question 0:18:02.880 --> 0:18:07.000 was is the Democratic Party tent too big? I don't 0:18:07.040 --> 0:18:08.680 know the answer to that, but what I can tell 0:18:08.720 --> 0:18:13.280 you is I cannot think of a year where I 0:18:13.520 --> 0:18:16.879 felt fully seen by the party. I had moments of 0:18:17.320 --> 0:18:21.560 high hope. Nineteen eighty eight, Reverend Jackson, you know, I 0:18:21.720 --> 0:18:24.720 was listening to his speech this morning. Roland sends it 0:18:24.840 --> 0:18:27.240 periodically to a group chat that we all have, and 0:18:27.320 --> 0:18:29.040 I was like, I just want to hear about the 0:18:29.119 --> 0:18:31.600 importance of the Rainbow Coalition to get so I don't 0:18:31.640 --> 0:18:35.680 lose hope in it. And I also think about two 0:18:35.720 --> 0:18:38.120 thousand and eight, you know, crying with some of our 0:18:38.240 --> 0:18:41.560 elder statesmen, some of our elder states women about the 0:18:41.640 --> 0:18:46.760 importance of supporting President Obama for office. And I think 0:18:46.800 --> 0:18:49.200 about your race, Andrew. It meant the world to me 0:18:49.440 --> 0:18:55.480 to see you as a governor elect. I believed, you know, 0:18:55.560 --> 0:18:57.760 who happened to be black, but spoke to the needs 0:18:57.840 --> 0:19:01.080 of so many people. You were not myopic. But I 0:19:01.200 --> 0:19:05.800 also think that some of these candidates are once in 0:19:05.880 --> 0:19:10.720 a lifetime candidates they really are. I felt like I 0:19:10.920 --> 0:19:13.960 might be potentially seen if Kamala Harris would have won, 0:19:14.560 --> 0:19:18.040 And I felt a little seen when Katanji Brown Jackson 0:19:18.160 --> 0:19:22.520 and Kamala Harris were named right by President Biden. 0:19:22.720 --> 0:19:26.600 Just I just don't want us so. 0:19:29.680 --> 0:19:33.920 Distracted by the symbolism of a thing that we lose 0:19:34.080 --> 0:19:38.520 track of the very important substance of the thing. And 0:19:38.680 --> 0:19:43.639 right now, what I'm deeply concerned about within politics overall 0:19:44.320 --> 0:19:48.160 are the number of people who are erased in the process. 0:19:48.680 --> 0:19:52.720 The turnout this election was abysmal. It is irresponsible, it 0:19:52.840 --> 0:19:56.640 is reckless. But I don't hold that necessarily just over 0:19:56.720 --> 0:19:59.520 the people. I have to hold that over the parties. 0:20:00.080 --> 0:20:03.640 Who are you not speaking to? Who doesn't feel heard? 0:20:03.760 --> 0:20:04.560 How can we reach you? 0:20:04.640 --> 0:20:08.639 How can this podcast reach you so that we have 0:20:08.800 --> 0:20:11.760 an understanding of the needs that of yours that are 0:20:11.840 --> 0:20:14.719 not being met, That must be that should be by 0:20:14.760 --> 0:20:18.440 the political process, because your tax pay our dollars pay 0:20:18.560 --> 0:20:19.600 for them to be met. 0:20:20.359 --> 0:20:22.880 Right, Like, what do we need to do? I want 0:20:22.920 --> 0:20:24.200 to get underneath that. I don't. 0:20:24.560 --> 0:20:27.320 I do think the party might be too large, But 0:20:27.440 --> 0:20:30.840 I think the party might be too large because it 0:20:31.000 --> 0:20:34.359 hasn't figured out a way to adequately speak to the 0:20:34.480 --> 0:20:37.560 needs of all these people. I also think that it 0:20:37.680 --> 0:20:40.640 may not be large enough because as it is right now, 0:20:41.160 --> 0:20:44.200 there's not a clear path to victory. So that means 0:20:44.240 --> 0:20:47.520 that there's something missing. There are some issues missing. There's 0:20:47.960 --> 0:20:51.120 pieces of the platform that are missing. There's a Palestinian 0:20:51.160 --> 0:20:54.520 American that didn't speak on the DNC stage in the 0:20:54.600 --> 0:20:55.359 summer missing. 0:20:55.760 --> 0:21:00.480 There are you know, like we're like, we we have 0:21:00.640 --> 0:21:01.879 a problem in this country. 0:21:02.000 --> 0:21:04.639 I'm saying we and we have a problem, like we 0:21:04.920 --> 0:21:07.440 got to figure out a way not to treat people 0:21:07.600 --> 0:21:09.639 like they don't matter and then just erase them and 0:21:09.680 --> 0:21:12.600 then hope they don't show up to vote against us. 0:21:13.440 --> 0:21:15.760 Like that's not that's not democracy. 0:21:15.240 --> 0:21:18.080 To me, No, but it is very emblematic of what 0:21:18.240 --> 0:21:21.160 it means to try to arrest power. And I think 0:21:21.320 --> 0:21:24.920 all parties, regardless of you know, affiliation, ultimately that's what 0:21:25.000 --> 0:21:28.440 they're climbing toward. That's why I elected officials aren't really 0:21:28.480 --> 0:21:31.000 out for everybody to vote. They're out for the people 0:21:31.040 --> 0:21:32.920 who are going to vote for them, to ensure that 0:21:32.960 --> 0:21:34.640 they get out to vote. That's why we are doing 0:21:34.720 --> 0:21:37.040 Valterea rallies all over the city. We're doing voter rallies 0:21:37.040 --> 0:21:39.520 in places where we're trying to stimulate a particular vote 0:21:39.720 --> 0:21:42.200 to vote a particular way to achieve a particular win, 0:21:43.040 --> 0:21:43.520 and I would. 0:21:43.600 --> 0:21:43.920 I would. 0:21:44.119 --> 0:21:47.040 I think part of the let me acknowledge that it 0:21:47.200 --> 0:21:49.480 is easier to do the job that Republicans have to do. 0:21:49.880 --> 0:21:53.320 It is it is much easier if we were their party, 0:21:53.520 --> 0:21:56.639 and that's because they are. They are the they are 0:21:56.680 --> 0:22:01.840 the majority, and largely are are organized around the protection 0:22:02.000 --> 0:22:04.760 of that majority, and whatever ways we want to start 0:22:04.800 --> 0:22:08.159