WEBVTT - Rick Wilson & Ben Wikler 0:00:00.640 --> 0:00:04.160 Hi, I'm Molly John Fast and this is Fast Politics, 0:00:04.360 --> 0:00:07.120 where we discussed the top political headlines with some of 0:00:07.160 --> 0:00:12.320 today's best minds and Republican Representative Michael McCall won't seek 0:00:12.480 --> 0:00:16.680 re election after eleven terms. We have such a great 0:00:16.720 --> 0:00:19.680 show for you today. The Lincoln Project's own Rick Wilson 0:00:19.840 --> 0:00:24.200 joins us to discuss the rights escalating rhetoric of revenge 0:00:24.280 --> 0:00:27.800 for Charlie Kirk's death. Ben will talk to the former 0:00:27.960 --> 0:00:32.599 chair of the Wisconsin Democrats, Ben Wickler about how the 0:00:32.600 --> 0:00:36.400 Democratic Party effectively builds to counter the GOP. 0:00:36.760 --> 0:00:40.160 But first the news, so BALI, there is a leadership 0:00:40.200 --> 0:00:43.960 fight a bruin. It seems Chris van Holland is looking 0:00:44.000 --> 0:00:47.319 to become the leader in the Senate. Hakim Jefferies has 0:00:47.400 --> 0:00:50.159 some choice words for him, but I think Chris is 0:00:50.400 --> 0:00:52.320 dead on here and as the type of fighter I 0:00:52.320 --> 0:00:53.680 think we could use personally. 0:00:53.840 --> 0:00:57.440 Chris van Holland had this really good point about Mom 0:00:57.560 --> 0:01:01.280 Dami and he said, yet many members of the Senate 0:01:01.320 --> 0:01:04.280 and the House representing New York have stayed on the sidelines. 0:01:04.520 --> 0:01:07.880 And he's right. He said that that kind of spineless 0:01:07.920 --> 0:01:10.640 politics is what people are sick of. They need to 0:01:10.680 --> 0:01:12.399 get behind him and get behind him. 0:01:12.440 --> 0:01:15.200 Now that's about as boys words as Dems do. That's 0:01:15.240 --> 0:01:17.399 like a political smack in the face to start a 0:01:17.400 --> 0:01:19.080 fight whatever sek for. 0:01:19.080 --> 0:01:21.920 Old white guys like this is as rough as they get. 0:01:22.160 --> 0:01:26.959 And look, Holland is right. Mondanni won the nomination. He 0:01:27.120 --> 0:01:30.640 won it by as it's not like there's a primary 0:01:30.680 --> 0:01:33.680 going on. And I think what's really interesting about this 0:01:33.920 --> 0:01:38.200 is it's not like Mondani is some unpopular candidate. He's 0:01:38.240 --> 0:01:40.679 a really popular candidate. So then you have to ask 0:01:40.720 --> 0:01:44.440 yourself think about this, Why are they not endorsing someone 0:01:44.440 --> 0:01:48.600 who won their districts. These are politicians. They tend to 0:01:48.640 --> 0:01:52.240 do things that are politically expedient, So what is the 0:01:52.320 --> 0:01:55.320 move here? Why are they not doing it? And when 0:01:55.360 --> 0:01:57.920 you think about it that way, the reasons they're not 0:01:58.040 --> 0:01:59.880 doing it are pretty damn it. 0:02:00.560 --> 0:02:03.720 I think Jeffries has long been accused by the left 0:02:03.840 --> 0:02:06.600 of being hostile towards them in a way that they 0:02:06.640 --> 0:02:07.760 can barely make sense of. 0:02:07.960 --> 0:02:10.840 I think the most important thing about Leader Jeffries is 0:02:10.840 --> 0:02:13.600 that he is really bad at the Internet. And so 0:02:13.960 --> 0:02:17.120 you may not love Gavin Newsom ideologically, but the guy 0:02:17.280 --> 0:02:18.639 is good at the Internet. 0:02:18.880 --> 0:02:21.919 You can be Bernie Sanders would be nine billion years 0:02:21.960 --> 0:02:22.760 old to be good at. 0:02:22.639 --> 0:02:25.600 The internets, AOC good at the Internet. There are a 0:02:25.600 --> 0:02:29.280 lot of Democrats, Chris Murphy. Not anyone's idea of a 0:02:29.320 --> 0:02:31.920 crazy leftist good at the internet. You know who's not 0:02:32.040 --> 0:02:35.840 good at the internet. Leader Jeffries, Leader Jeffries. This is 0:02:35.919 --> 0:02:39.800 what poor Justin said. Leader Jeffries will have more to 0:02:39.840 --> 0:02:44.200 say about the general election, well advanced of November fourth, 0:02:44.320 --> 0:02:46.920 by the way, in case for those keeping Scurt home, 0:02:47.000 --> 0:02:50.560 we are at September fourteenth, so he really only has 0:02:51.080 --> 0:02:54.800 six weeks if he's going to do it. Meanwhile, he said, 0:02:54.840 --> 0:02:59.080 confuse New Yorkers are asking themselves a question Chris van who. No, 0:02:59.200 --> 0:03:02.440 we're not. We know exactly who Chris van Holland is, 0:03:02.919 --> 0:03:05.959 and making fun of Chris van Holland does not make 0:03:06.040 --> 0:03:09.720 you then seem like you have the situation in hand. 0:03:10.160 --> 0:03:13.600 Yeah, okay, Well, speaking of situations, we're monitoring as the 0:03:13.840 --> 0:03:16.600 joke quakes to go. The mayor of Memphis, Paul Jung, 0:03:16.720 --> 0:03:20.480 says he's certainly not happy about Trump's National Guard deployment. 0:03:20.639 --> 0:03:23.280 Nobody should be happy, right, I think we all need 0:03:23.320 --> 0:03:27.079 to pause for a minute. The framing is a lie. 0:03:27.240 --> 0:03:30.239 He's not sending the National Guard into fight crime. The 0:03:30.320 --> 0:03:32.800 National Guard does not fight crime. The police fight crime. 0:03:32.880 --> 0:03:35.720 The National Guard get there and they end up having 0:03:35.760 --> 0:03:39.160 to do terrible jobs that they're not meant to be doing, 0:03:39.320 --> 0:03:43.480 picking up trash, intimidating people. So the whole you know, 0:03:43.560 --> 0:03:48.760 it's like reject Trump's framing. He didn't go to war 0:03:48.840 --> 0:03:52.560 with universities because he cared about anti semitism. He went 0:03:52.600 --> 0:03:56.960 to war with universities because they saw from Victor Orbond 0:03:57.080 --> 0:04:01.080 that if you want to enact and authoritarian crackdowns, you 0:04:01.200 --> 0:04:04.200 have to start with the universities. That's what this was. 0:04:04.520 --> 0:04:07.280 So when you look at this, this is not about crime, 0:04:07.440 --> 0:04:11.480 This is about deployment. This is about spectacle. And also, 0:04:11.600 --> 0:04:13.960 by the way, this is about distracting from the tariff 0:04:14.200 --> 0:04:18.479 fiasco and inflation. Trump has decided that going into Memphis 0:04:18.720 --> 0:04:21.640 is better because Tennessee is a red state, and that 0:04:21.720 --> 0:04:25.159 he'll be greeted as a liberator, you know, tends to be. 0:04:25.640 --> 0:04:28.400 We are not greeted as liberators when our military role 0:04:28.640 --> 0:04:34.640 into different cities, especially ones that have their own protocol 0:04:34.720 --> 0:04:35.960 for protecting themselves. 0:04:36.240 --> 0:04:38.080 I thought part of trump Ism was that we learned 0:04:38.120 --> 0:04:40.440 the lessons of Iraqis and now what he always claims, 0:04:40.440 --> 0:04:43.040 but he didn't learn that they'll greet us as liberators. 0:04:43.040 --> 0:04:43.200 Thing. 0:04:43.520 --> 0:04:47.360 Listen, man, he's brought peace. He's brought peace everywhere. He's 0:04:47.360 --> 0:04:50.279 brought peace to India and Pakistan, he's brought peace to 0:04:50.320 --> 0:04:51.159 the Middle East. 0:04:51.440 --> 0:04:52.520 This is why he's going to get the. 0:04:53.279 --> 0:04:56.640 Yeah, he's spent forty five piece deals in five days. 0:04:57.320 --> 0:04:58.760 That's what I've been told. 0:04:58.920 --> 0:05:01.440 Do you remember when we were ninety trade deals in 0:05:01.600 --> 0:05:02.279 ninety days? 0:05:02.680 --> 0:05:05.200 You know that seems to have stucked my mind because 0:05:05.240 --> 0:05:07.799 there's a shit from every single day to forget about 0:05:07.839 --> 0:05:09.880 all the lives. They tell, well, we never. 0:05:09.680 --> 0:05:12.920 Got the deals. There were no deals, no deals, no deals, 0:05:13.000 --> 0:05:13.480 just days. 0:05:13.640 --> 0:05:13.880 Well. 0:05:14.040 --> 0:05:18.600 Another myth of this administration is the Party of free speech. 0:05:18.800 --> 0:05:21.960 Yes, they love free speech except sometimes do you. 0:05:21.920 --> 0:05:24.240 Know what the Party of free speech is talk about doing? 0:05:24.320 --> 0:05:26.560 A new bill would allow Marco Ruby of a strip 0:05:26.720 --> 0:05:29.360 US citizens' passports over political speech. 0:05:29.680 --> 0:05:32.600 So we talked about this with Rip and my grandfather did, 0:05:32.640 --> 0:05:35.400 in fact have his passport strip. The Supreme Court has 0:05:35.440 --> 0:05:39.240 ruled against this. Now trumperol doesn't mind doing illegal stuff. 0:05:39.320 --> 0:05:41.760 That's like kind of the brand a legal stuff. But 0:05:42.080 --> 0:05:46.920 I do think that the fact that this crew has 0:05:47.000 --> 0:05:49.599 decided that they're going to go after passports and maybe 0:05:49.600 --> 0:05:53.960 they pass it, it's unconstitutional. It's against the Constitution. I mean, 0:05:54.160 --> 0:05:57.920 I don't know, well the Supreme Court like rollover probably, 0:05:58.080 --> 0:06:01.560 but I think we're seeing here that this is we're 0:06:01.640 --> 0:06:04.640 just in water world here where they just make up stuff. 0:06:05.080 --> 0:06:05.320 Yep. 0:06:05.600 --> 0:06:08.520 So I find this really disturbing. This is balls onto 0:06:08.640 --> 0:06:11.279 that banner of the cruelty is the point, and also 0:06:11.640 --> 0:06:14.800 getting rich people stupid tax cuts that barely hurt them. 0:06:14.839 --> 0:06:17.719 The Trump administration is canceling grants that support deaf, blind 0:06:17.760 --> 0:06:19.840 students and special education teachers. 0:06:20.040 --> 0:06:20.880 This is cute. 0:06:21.080 --> 0:06:24.479 This is how we got here, right like, this is fraud, waste, 0:06:24.520 --> 0:06:26.839 and abuse. I was told that the richest man in 0:06:26.880 --> 0:06:29.359 the world, he's not the richest anymore, but the second 0:06:29.440 --> 0:06:33.320 richest man in the world was going to cut out fraud, waste, 0:06:33.360 --> 0:06:37.160 and abuse. What he meant was just getting rid of 0:06:37.240 --> 0:06:42.200 money for teachers to teach disabled children. Wisconsin had planned 0:06:42.240 --> 0:06:44.839 to work with these funds to include direct support of 0:06:45.000 --> 0:06:49.000 deaf blind learners and their families in an effort to 0:06:49.040 --> 0:06:52.600 recruit and retain new special education, teachers. It's one thing. 0:06:52.640 --> 0:06:55.760 They cut all this international foreign aid, the kind of 0:06:55.800 --> 0:06:58.680 stuff that you know, millions of people are going to 0:06:58.760 --> 0:07:01.800 die from this, but this is just stuff that is like, 0:07:01.880 --> 0:07:05.680 we have this ballooning debt, we have billionaires not paying taxes. 0:07:05.760 --> 0:07:09.800 Like you guys can pay for deaf blind kids to 0:07:10.400 --> 0:07:18.679 get teachers. I promise you can afford it. Rick Wilson 0:07:18.720 --> 0:07:20.440 is the founder of the Lincoln Project and the host 0:07:20.480 --> 0:07:23.840 of the Enemy's List. Hello, Rick Wilson, Mollie john Fast, 0:07:24.000 --> 0:07:24.480 Great to. 0:07:24.360 --> 0:07:25.200 Be back with you. 0:07:25.200 --> 0:07:27.520 You had a nice littification we did. 0:07:27.600 --> 0:07:29.320 We went to England and Renee and I spent a 0:07:29.360 --> 0:07:31.440 few days in the Cotswalds and a few days in London. 0:07:31.520 --> 0:07:33.720 When I was over there, their number one story in 0:07:33.760 --> 0:07:36.000 the news for like four or five days was that 0:07:36.040 --> 0:07:39.040 the deputy Prime Minister had not paid enough property taxes. 0:07:39.880 --> 0:07:43.360 It wasn't did Trump nuke the moon? It was there 0:07:43.400 --> 0:07:44.320 something cuckoo. 0:07:44.440 --> 0:07:48.840 There's still time. While you were away, Stephen Miller went 0:07:48.920 --> 0:07:52.200 on Fox News and he said some stuff. We're gonna 0:07:52.840 --> 0:07:54.320 We're gonna cut to the veil. 0:07:55.040 --> 0:07:56.040 I know what you're talking about. 0:07:56.360 --> 0:08:00.280 There is a dynastic terrorism movement in this country, when 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:03.280 you see these organized docs and campaigns where the left 0:08:03.320 --> 0:08:07.160 calls people enemies of the republic, calls them fascists, says 0:08:07.200 --> 0:08:10.920 they're Nazis, says they're evil, says they have to be removed, 0:08:11.000 --> 0:08:12.400 and then prince their addresses. 0:08:12.720 --> 0:08:13.760 What do you think they're. 0:08:13.600 --> 0:08:14.160 Trying to do. 0:08:14.760 --> 0:08:18.560 They are trying to inspire someone to murder them. That 0:08:18.720 --> 0:08:20.880 is their objective, that is their intent. 0:08:21.720 --> 0:08:24.360 And when you see online Sean, as we've seen for 0:08:24.400 --> 0:08:28.680 the last few days, tape after tape after tape of 0:08:28.880 --> 0:08:36.200 federal workers, Beeracrez staffers and the Pentagon educators, professors, healthcare workers, 0:08:36.320 --> 0:08:41.160 nurser nurses celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk. 0:08:41.840 --> 0:08:46.320 These are radicalized people. There is a domestic terrorism movement 0:08:46.480 --> 0:08:47.400 in this country. 0:08:47.679 --> 0:08:50.400 I just want to say, you think that the cardigan 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:54.440 is going to make him seem a little more mallow, 0:08:55.160 --> 0:08:57.320 but it really it's I guess it's a fleece like 0:08:57.400 --> 0:08:59.840 you want to like a guy in a gray fleece. 0:09:00.800 --> 0:09:03.000 Look, I mean it is the It is the sort 0:09:03.000 --> 0:09:07.800 of modern day business bro uniform you want to quarner 0:09:07.880 --> 0:09:10.240 zip or a fleece. You know, it makes you it 0:09:10.240 --> 0:09:13.320 seem like you're casual and yet still smart and sharp 0:09:13.640 --> 0:09:17.960 and approachable and yet not necessarily rabid, bouncing off the 0:09:18.000 --> 0:09:21.800 fucking walls. And you know, Stephen Miller, there's a real 0:09:21.880 --> 0:09:25.360 tell in all of this. Steven Miller immediately goes to it. Oh, 0:09:25.400 --> 0:09:29.440 they call us Nazis, they call us fascists. Well, listen, Stephen, 0:09:29.559 --> 0:09:32.320 if the jack boot fits, wear it, well, I don't 0:09:32.400 --> 0:09:32.720 think that. 0:09:33.800 --> 0:09:38.760 I think that the I think the name calling whatever right. 0:09:38.840 --> 0:09:42.720 Nobody has ever been convinced of anything by calling someone 0:09:42.760 --> 0:09:47.840 a name. The question I have is where are these nurses, 0:09:48.040 --> 0:09:53.760 where are these federal employees celebrating this brutal killing, because 0:09:53.840 --> 0:09:56.719 I have not seen that. Now. Maybe I'm siloed up, 0:09:56.840 --> 0:09:58.720 but I'm not seen for fer. 0:09:59.440 --> 0:10:03.880 Did see a weeks ago Mike Lee and JD. Vance 0:10:03.920 --> 0:10:06.320 and a whole bunch of other Republicans laughing and joking 0:10:06.400 --> 0:10:10.680 about the murder of the former House speaker in Minnesota. 0:10:11.160 --> 0:10:13.040 You know what I did see when Paul Pelosi was 0:10:13.080 --> 0:10:15.120 beaten with a hammer by a crazy guy who was 0:10:15.120 --> 0:10:18.400 inspired by MAGA. I saw Don Junior making jokes about 0:10:18.440 --> 0:10:22.160 it online, thought it was hilarious, And frankly, we saw 0:10:22.240 --> 0:10:24.319 Charlie Kirk hoping that that guy would get bailed out 0:10:24.360 --> 0:10:24.920 at the time. 0:10:25.000 --> 0:10:28.480 So let's just pull back because Stephen Miller is basically 0:10:28.480 --> 0:10:31.320 Trump's chief of staff. So this is not like some 0:10:31.600 --> 0:10:34.480 guy on the internet saying this. This is the President's 0:10:34.559 --> 0:10:35.640 chief of staff. 0:10:35.400 --> 0:10:38.200 Not Molly. It's important to realize not only that Stephen 0:10:38.240 --> 0:10:40.800 Miller is the effective head of the both the Justice 0:10:40.800 --> 0:10:43.320 Department and the Department of Homeland Security. 0:10:43.000 --> 0:10:43.680 Right she is. 0:10:43.800 --> 0:10:46.200 It controls those things top to bottom. 0:10:46.360 --> 0:10:48.280 And one of the things that I think has been 0:10:48.320 --> 0:10:50.360 really interesting about this week that we've seen a lot 0:10:50.400 --> 0:10:53.800 of is that we've seen people from Trump World and 0:10:53.840 --> 0:10:58.120 how they're like, I'm thinking about cash Battel. So Cash 0:10:58.160 --> 0:11:01.960 Battel was so worried about the way that this was 0:11:02.400 --> 0:11:07.280 playing out in the media, social mainstream, and we have 0:11:07.440 --> 0:11:11.400 now Steven Miller going on television, going on Fox News saying, 0:11:11.520 --> 0:11:14.040 you know that he's going to sort of we ideal 0:11:14.160 --> 0:11:16.280 I mean the goal what it sounds like to me 0:11:16.480 --> 0:11:18.400 here and I certainly could be wrong, but it sounds 0:11:18.440 --> 0:11:21.920 like ideological culling of the federal government. 0:11:22.040 --> 0:11:24.679 Look, I think you have to expand past that. You 0:11:24.760 --> 0:11:30.320 have people like Representative Clay Higgins, you have people across 0:11:30.360 --> 0:11:34.400 the across the MAGA verse now saying that anybody who 0:11:34.440 --> 0:11:38.240 doesn't sufficiently praise Charlie Kirk is going to be targeted. 0:11:38.880 --> 0:11:43.000 And I think what you see Miller doing is taking 0:11:43.080 --> 0:11:48.840 a tragic moment, a horrible moment of violence, and now 0:11:48.880 --> 0:11:52.679 trying to weaponize it into a further expansion of the 0:11:52.800 --> 0:11:54.560 power of the executive branch. 0:11:55.280 --> 0:11:58.520 When you have just doing they executive there, Yes we. 0:11:58.440 --> 0:12:00.760 Need the state Department now saying that they want to 0:12:00.920 --> 0:12:04.640 be able to cancel Americans passports if they say the 0:12:04.720 --> 0:12:05.600 wrong things. 0:12:06.440 --> 0:12:11.559 This is an increasingly censor dark visionship. Yeah, well, such 0:12:11.600 --> 0:12:14.560 a sentiship. It's the use of the power of the 0:12:14.640 --> 0:12:17.520 state state to harm the political opponents of the president. 0:12:17.920 --> 0:12:21.480 It's funny because my grandfather after he got out of 0:12:21.840 --> 0:12:26.239 jail caring mccarthier, they actually did take away his passport 0:12:26.400 --> 0:12:29.160 and that's why the family went to Mexico after he 0:12:29.240 --> 0:12:31.640 got a jail, because you could go to Mexico without 0:12:31.640 --> 0:12:35.120 a passport. And they actually went to a very conservative 0:12:35.120 --> 0:12:39.679 Supreme court and were given their passports back because the 0:12:39.720 --> 0:12:43.280 court said you can't take people's passports away for political reasons. Now, 0:12:43.920 --> 0:12:48.040 that was seventy five years ago. Now, our court is 0:12:48.080 --> 0:12:51.640 significantly more conservative than it was I mean seventy five 0:12:51.720 --> 0:12:53.720 years ago. I mean, I feel like this court. You 0:12:53.760 --> 0:12:55.880 give them that question, they might decide differently. 0:12:56.440 --> 0:12:58.880 There was an article in The Times on Sunday about 0:12:59.080 --> 0:13:01.560 the number of times the Supreme Court agrees with the 0:13:01.600 --> 0:13:05.640 administration and the current Supreme Court. No Supreme court in 0:13:05.840 --> 0:13:09.679 history has ever agreed with an administration more frequently than 0:13:09.679 --> 0:13:12.640 this one does. So, you know, Donald Trump could say 0:13:12.640 --> 0:13:14.640 my opponents have to have to be branded in the 0:13:14.640 --> 0:13:18.080 middle of their forehead with an L for loser, and 0:13:18.120 --> 0:13:20.640 they would probably go, well, the executive power should not 0:13:20.720 --> 0:13:23.600 be constrained. Look, Molly, I think what we're seeing here 0:13:23.960 --> 0:13:26.280 these are the kind of things that really show us 0:13:26.559 --> 0:13:30.040 who this administration is. And Stephen Miller by saying that 0:13:30.080 --> 0:13:33.800 he wants to enforce a speech code in this country 0:13:34.240 --> 0:13:38.080 and enforce ideological conformity, and to try to use this 0:13:38.200 --> 0:13:42.400 tragedy to pennant on everyone who speaks against the president, 0:13:42.640 --> 0:13:45.280 you know, it does show you also something that clip, 0:13:45.320 --> 0:13:48.800 in particular, that Steven Miller's crazy. This guy has more 0:13:48.840 --> 0:13:51.680 than a couple of bolts loose up top. I wonder 0:13:51.960 --> 0:13:54.480 in some ways the president looks at Miller and says, 0:13:54.480 --> 0:13:57.040 he's the guy who understands my base. I wonder in 0:13:57.080 --> 0:13:59.839 some ways, just like with RFK, if we're going to 0:13:59.840 --> 0:14:02.240 star reaching a point of diminishing returns with Steven Miller 0:14:02.280 --> 0:14:06.640 soon because that stuff he's doing on TV is cuckoo Town. 0:14:07.400 --> 0:14:11.640 Well again, I think it's also a question of like 0:14:12.000 --> 0:14:14.679 is it more trouble than it's worth? And that goes 0:14:14.760 --> 0:14:17.360 to Chicago. And I'd love to talk about Chicago because 0:14:17.760 --> 0:14:20.360 Trump was all ready to go into Chicago last week 0:14:20.840 --> 0:14:22.240 and he changed his mind. 0:14:22.560 --> 0:14:22.720 Right. 0:14:22.960 --> 0:14:27.080 That is like when Trump says uncle about things that 0:14:27.240 --> 0:14:28.480 is really important to. 0:14:28.560 --> 0:14:32.920 You, it means kil a lot when Trump. When Trump tacos, 0:14:33.760 --> 0:14:38.600 it means a lot. And especially because he really had 0:14:38.640 --> 0:14:43.000 spent a in the in the period before the Kirk incident, 0:14:43.520 --> 0:14:46.960 he had spent about a week saying Chicago was weak 0:14:47.040 --> 0:14:49.920 and dangerous and and the streets were running with blood 0:14:49.960 --> 0:14:51.800 and all this other stuff, and you know, and and 0:14:51.840 --> 0:14:54.320 people like Miller had been out talking to reporters telling 0:14:54.320 --> 0:14:56.400 them We're going to go in, We're gonna we're gonna 0:14:56.440 --> 0:14:58.480 take the city back. You know, if they if they 0:14:58.480 --> 0:15:01.000 screw with us, we'll arrest them. And then he backed off, 0:15:01.520 --> 0:15:04.600 and now we're hearing that he's going to send troops 0:15:04.600 --> 0:15:09.280 to Memphis, which needs it, red state, blue city, red state, 0:15:09.520 --> 0:15:13.280 and to Louisiana, which also red state. 0:15:13.280 --> 0:15:17.280 Blue cities, but again needs it. Is like, is a 0:15:17.480 --> 0:15:19.080 fake framing, right needs it? 0:15:19.800 --> 0:15:20.040 You know what? 0:15:20.200 --> 0:15:23.360 You know? You know, I stand corrected, I stand. You 0:15:23.400 --> 0:15:27.640 could make a better case for it in those communities. 0:15:27.080 --> 0:15:29.400 But you still should not make any case that the 0:15:29.480 --> 0:15:32.480 National Guard should be fighting crime because that's not their job. 0:15:32.800 --> 0:15:36.360 And also with the Unity Sty, they're picking them a trash. 0:15:36.400 --> 0:15:39.640 Right, They're picking up trash, they're planting things, and by 0:15:39.680 --> 0:15:43.280 the way, they are furious. Right. National Guard troops are 0:15:43.320 --> 0:15:47.120 really mad because these people signed up to save drowning 0:15:47.280 --> 0:15:52.160 children and fight wars, not to pick up trash and 0:15:52.360 --> 0:15:56.760 intimidate their neighbors, which is not the purpose. But I 0:15:56.760 --> 0:16:00.400 think it's worth just for another minute talking about why 0:16:00.640 --> 0:16:04.360 Trump did not go into Chicago, because Pritzker has certainly 0:16:04.400 --> 0:16:07.280 has something to do with it. He went into California 0:16:07.320 --> 0:16:11.400 that was ruled illegal. And then I also wonder about 0:16:11.480 --> 0:16:15.720 Brandon Johnson. You know, there was a really united front there. 0:16:16.480 --> 0:16:19.520 Yeah, I think he I think he started to look 0:16:19.560 --> 0:16:23.080 at Chicago, and there was a possibility there that the 0:16:23.160 --> 0:16:29.320 Chicago government and courts and law enforcement would all say no, 0:16:29.360 --> 0:16:32.200 not here, bro. And he has been losing in court 0:16:32.640 --> 0:16:35.280 a lot, as you know. And I think that there 0:16:35.320 --> 0:16:37.880 may have been part of this that said, we don't 0:16:37.880 --> 0:16:41.160 want to have a precedent set because look, in Tennessee 0:16:41.320 --> 0:16:44.920 and Louisiana, the state governments are going to say cool, 0:16:45.120 --> 0:16:49.680 we love mister whatever, right. But been in Illinois, I 0:16:49.680 --> 0:16:51.440 think there was a real chance he could have been 0:16:51.960 --> 0:16:56.440 legally and professionally embarrassed by this in terms of the city, 0:16:56.520 --> 0:16:58.560 might have been able to really, you know, put up 0:16:58.560 --> 0:17:02.640 some meaningful obstacles legally and otherwise to this kind of behavior. 0:17:02.800 --> 0:17:06.480 So I think the window in which Trump can use 0:17:06.560 --> 0:17:09.560 the National Guard is closing or has closed. I don't 0:17:09.560 --> 0:17:13.280 think it's an effective strategy. There. There is pushback inside 0:17:13.280 --> 0:17:15.800 the military about it, quietly of ours, because they're all 0:17:15.800 --> 0:17:16.639 over Trump. 0:17:17.200 --> 0:17:20.160 And it was emailed to a reporter at the Washington 0:17:20.200 --> 0:17:23.800 Post that that this was terrible for them and that they. 0:17:23.640 --> 0:17:26.919 Were a look a bad look and killing morale in 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:27.399 the Guard. 0:17:28.080 --> 0:17:31.600 Yeah, which I mean, the thing that is so interesting 0:17:31.680 --> 0:17:35.960 about this administration is like at so many points. So 0:17:36.359 --> 0:17:40.359 they blew up this boat off the coast. It does 0:17:40.720 --> 0:17:43.959 it certainly seems like the boat they blew up, they 0:17:44.040 --> 0:17:46.800 don't have a definitive answer on what was in it. 0:17:46.800 --> 0:17:48.800 Does they strike you that the boat they blew up 0:17:48.920 --> 0:17:51.200 might not have really been dug. 0:17:51.200 --> 0:17:54.639 Well, they were turning around, you saw that, right, they 0:17:54.760 --> 0:17:58.119 got you know they You know, when people are in 0:17:58.160 --> 0:18:00.840 the midst of surrendering, you're not supposed to kill them, right. 0:18:01.040 --> 0:18:03.719 That is the rule that is part of the Uniform 0:18:03.720 --> 0:18:07.200 Code Military Justice and also in the Geneva Convention a 0:18:07.280 --> 0:18:11.560 variety of other practices of war where someone says, hey, okay, 0:18:11.600 --> 0:18:14.200 I give up. You're not supposed to just kill them. 0:18:14.280 --> 0:18:16.480 And look, I think what you're seeing. Also, and there's 0:18:16.520 --> 0:18:18.720 a little bit of a reporting about this, You've got 0:18:18.760 --> 0:18:22.720 Rit Grennell and Marco Rubio fighting over control of who's 0:18:22.760 --> 0:18:25.600 going to be the Venezuela person. It's an odd fight 0:18:25.880 --> 0:18:28.200 and one that I will never see on pay per view, 0:18:28.240 --> 0:18:33.520 I presume. But it really strikes me that one side 0:18:33.560 --> 0:18:35.359 is leaking like a sieve, and it doesn't seem like 0:18:35.400 --> 0:18:38.439 it's Rubio's side who was controlling this until that moment. 0:18:38.720 --> 0:18:42.600 And I wonder what the value added is for the 0:18:42.600 --> 0:18:47.880 Trump administration to declare war on Venezuela and to pretend 0:18:48.400 --> 0:18:52.280 that they're stopping Trendiagua by blowing up shrimp boats. 0:18:52.800 --> 0:18:56.919 Yes, but then there's also the larger question of a 0:18:56.960 --> 0:19:00.000 lot and I feel like so much news got drapped 0:19:00.240 --> 0:19:04.200 out by the by his other stuff. But like Scott 0:19:04.280 --> 0:19:12.440 Bessen had, yes, White House Fight Club, Scott Bessont has, 0:19:12.480 --> 0:19:15.720 now he's going to beat up Pulty. I'll be very 0:19:15.720 --> 0:19:19.280 curious to find out what happens with Bill PULTI because 0:19:19.560 --> 0:19:23.919 this guy provided all of this evidence of stuff, and 0:19:23.960 --> 0:19:27.600 now Lisa Cook it looks like is exonerated, right. 0:19:27.600 --> 0:19:32.359 Or not just a little exonerated, like like completely she 0:19:32.520 --> 0:19:35.399 said in the filings when she filed for the mortgage, 0:19:35.440 --> 0:19:37.560 this is a vacation home. I'm not asking for a 0:19:37.600 --> 0:19:40.919 homestead exemption. So I mean, I think she's got a 0:19:40.960 --> 0:19:42.040 case against this guy. 0:19:42.240 --> 0:19:48.480 I don't parents actually did commit mortgage fraud. 0:19:48.320 --> 0:19:48.760 Right, Yes? 0:19:48.760 --> 0:19:55.480 They correct so they So the irony here is incredibly rich. 0:19:55.600 --> 0:19:59.040 Bill Pulty has made an enemy out of Scott Besson. 0:19:59.240 --> 0:20:04.800 Scott Besson, who you know had his last scene focusing 0:20:05.320 --> 0:20:08.000 with Elon Musk, meaning I just. 0:20:07.960 --> 0:20:10.080 Want to see these guys, Like, I want to see 0:20:10.080 --> 0:20:11.840 these guys fight it out. 0:20:12.200 --> 0:20:16.440 You know what's funny, They said they were going to 0:20:16.520 --> 0:20:20.120 do mm A fighting at the White House. Remember that, Yeah, 0:20:20.240 --> 0:20:24.000 why not just go all in? Well, maybe it's already happening. 0:20:24.440 --> 0:20:26.680 Maybe the m m A fighting is. 0:20:27.280 --> 0:20:29.560 The along the way, right, or. 0:20:29.520 --> 0:20:32.679 Maybe it's just the it's just Scott Best and beating 0:20:32.760 --> 0:20:34.480 up different people from the administration. 0:20:35.440 --> 0:20:38.320 So it's a lot of thrills and spills the fans. 0:20:38.320 --> 0:20:39.240 We'll see on here. 0:20:39.160 --> 0:20:42.159 Is a white House Fight Club, White House fight Club. So, 0:20:42.600 --> 0:20:45.119 and the first rule of White House Fight Club is 0:20:45.160 --> 0:20:49.840 that Scott Besson does in Scott the apparently the White House. 0:20:49.680 --> 0:20:52.200 Flight Club is you leak it to Axios. 0:20:51.800 --> 0:20:54.120 Right, Well, and the second rule of White House Fight 0:20:54.160 --> 0:20:55.960 Club is if you're fighting with someone who has more 0:20:56.000 --> 0:20:59.560 than seven jobs, you're probably gonna get fired. So like, yeah, 0:21:00.119 --> 0:21:03.280 Marco has had fights with people and he's gotten their jobs. 0:21:03.640 --> 0:21:06.200 Scott Bessen has had fights with people and he's gotten 0:21:06.200 --> 0:21:08.840 their jobs. So I could see a world in which 0:21:08.920 --> 0:21:11.720 this is the end of Bill PULTI yeah. 0:21:11.560 --> 0:21:13.160 I mean, I don't think Bill Poulty is a guy 0:21:13.160 --> 0:21:14.960 that Donald Trump wakes up in the morning and says, 0:21:14.960 --> 0:21:16.400 my god, what will I do without him? 0:21:16.480 --> 0:21:19.600 But it is interesting, like that's just another guy, rich 0:21:20.240 --> 0:21:23.440 guy who Trump was friends with. I mean, the barrier 0:21:23.760 --> 0:21:29.400 to entry in this administration continues to be an Evolf right, 0:21:29.640 --> 0:21:32.160 do I like you? Are? The vibes good? Right? 0:21:32.440 --> 0:21:35.560 He was a developer, I know them, I am one, 0:21:35.760 --> 0:21:36.440 I love them all. 0:21:36.680 --> 0:21:39.840 I think the real question, though, is just the idea 0:21:39.960 --> 0:21:45.040 that you have a guy who is just sort of 0:21:45.040 --> 0:21:47.840 putting people in the cabinet. It is the one thing 0:21:47.880 --> 0:21:50.080 that I think is different from Trump one point zero 0:21:50.440 --> 0:21:53.320 is we're not seeing like the wall of firing, which 0:21:53.359 --> 0:21:56.400 means all of these people are staying in the administration, 0:21:57.080 --> 0:22:00.520 which means true. Talk me through that, because that seems 0:22:00.920 --> 0:22:07.000 like I feel like Scott, like firing your your head, 0:22:07.160 --> 0:22:10.720 your director of Defense might have been a better move 0:22:11.200 --> 0:22:12.239 than keeping him in. 0:22:13.040 --> 0:22:16.520 Well. I think Trump looked at the things that hurt 0:22:16.560 --> 0:22:20.960 him politically in the first administration and determined he was 0:22:21.000 --> 0:22:23.840 going to take that sort of Roy Cone approach from 0:22:23.920 --> 0:22:27.560 now on. My people never do anything wrong. They're always right. 0:22:28.080 --> 0:22:32.080 Screw you. If you criticize them, you're criticizing me. And 0:22:32.119 --> 0:22:35.400 I also think there's something that's changed inside the administration 0:22:35.560 --> 0:22:39.480 is he's willing to move people laterally, like Mike Webles 0:22:39.640 --> 0:22:43.680 was was National Security Advisor until they added to Laura Lumer. 0:22:44.080 --> 0:22:48.240 Well and didn't he ask, oh Laura Lumer okay, yeah, yeah, And. 0:22:49.400 --> 0:22:52.520 Laura Lumer fired all of his staff and then Trump said, well, Marco, 0:22:52.560 --> 0:22:55.960 you can be National Security Advisor. And and but Mike 0:22:56.040 --> 0:22:58.760 Walls didn't get humiliated and he got the United Nations job. 0:22:59.560 --> 0:23:02.159 You know, So they play it a little differently this 0:23:02.240 --> 0:23:04.400 time because Trump doesn't want to be seen as losing 0:23:04.480 --> 0:23:07.800 any battles, and so it's going to take a lot 0:23:07.840 --> 0:23:10.680 to fire even sect drunk Pete Hegseth. 0:23:10.960 --> 0:23:15.120 But Pete Seth is still like adding people to signal chat. 0:23:15.200 --> 0:23:18.360 I mean, maybe he's not actively doing it, but clearly 0:23:19.600 --> 0:23:21.159 the problems have not gone away. 0:23:21.880 --> 0:23:27.080 No, and look, Pete Hexseth is is a singularly destructive 0:23:27.160 --> 0:23:33.160 Secretary of Defense. And at no point should the folks 0:23:33.240 --> 0:23:35.880 that are on the current Joint chiefs of Staff ever 0:23:35.920 --> 0:23:39.280 wake up and think I'm serving this country effectively by 0:23:39.359 --> 0:23:43.000 working for Petexseth. They will not be replaced by somebody 0:23:43.240 --> 0:23:48.520 better or more responsible. They are. They're in a deep 0:23:48.640 --> 0:23:54.280 hole with this guy because he is I mean, without 0:23:54.840 --> 0:23:59.000 like being funny or exaggerating, petexth is mentally incapable of 0:23:59.040 --> 0:24:02.719 doing this job. They will put somebody stupider in the job. 0:24:02.840 --> 0:24:04.160 When Pterexath goes. 0:24:04.520 --> 0:24:08.560 Rick, give us like a reason to not despair. 0:24:11.400 --> 0:24:14.399 Donald Trump is a failing president. His poll numbers suck, 0:24:15.200 --> 0:24:17.120 and they suck hard by the way they are bad. 0:24:17.640 --> 0:24:20.520 Donald Trump's numbers are now in the high to mid thirties. 0:24:21.000 --> 0:24:24.960 He is not a popular president. His policies are failing 0:24:25.119 --> 0:24:28.960 almost across the board. Everything he does, almost every single 0:24:29.080 --> 0:24:32.320 day is mediated by the fear of revelations on the 0:24:32.320 --> 0:24:33.080 Epstein matter. 0:24:33.640 --> 0:24:34.600 Right, that is true. 0:24:34.720 --> 0:24:40.040 He has been permanently branded as being a friend associate 0:24:40.160 --> 0:24:42.600 running But however you want to describe it of an 0:24:42.680 --> 0:24:47.080 infamous sex trafficker and an infamous pedophile. He's talking about 0:24:47.119 --> 0:24:51.920 freeing the woman who ran the operations of that infamous 0:24:51.960 --> 0:24:56.879 sex traffickers pedophile child trafficking ring. Yeah, nothing about this 0:24:57.040 --> 0:25:00.480 is good for him. Donald Trump is also now an 0:25:00.560 --> 0:25:03.600 international laughing stock, and he knows about the world knows it. 0:25:03.800 --> 0:25:08.359 The tariff move has absolutely empowered China more than almost 0:25:08.359 --> 0:25:11.280 any other country on Earth. The United States is a 0:25:11.400 --> 0:25:14.480 laughing stock in foreign policy because no matter what Vladimir 0:25:14.560 --> 0:25:18.240 Putin does, Trump will say, yes, sir, three bags full, 0:25:18.359 --> 0:25:21.800 can I go wash your car? Yeah. So he's a 0:25:21.920 --> 0:25:26.159 terrible president. His presidency is failed and failing. He is 0:25:26.240 --> 0:25:31.399 doing awful things, but that ability to do these awful 0:25:31.400 --> 0:25:35.440 things is now diminishing with a weaker economy. It's diminishing 0:25:35.440 --> 0:25:39.840 with an administration that is obsessed with one issue, Jeffrey 0:25:39.840 --> 0:25:43.479 Epstein behind the curtain. And as much as he can 0:25:43.560 --> 0:25:46.640 do evil and do wrong, he's also eighty years old, 0:25:47.280 --> 0:25:49.840 and he's not in good health, and the time is ticking, 0:25:49.880 --> 0:25:53.840 and the actuarial tables are undefeated. And I don't think 0:25:54.520 --> 0:25:58.000 that we should look at Trumps as powerful as he 0:25:58.000 --> 0:26:00.600 would have been if he'd come back in twenty twenty one, 0:26:01.680 --> 0:26:06.520 either a reelection or through January sixth. He's physically and 0:26:06.600 --> 0:26:08.240 mentally office game. He's slipped. 0:26:08.320 --> 0:26:09.280 Yeah, he seems to. 0:26:09.920 --> 0:26:11.640 It's going to catch up with all of us eventually. 0:26:12.040 --> 0:26:14.760 But he is not the guy he was six months ago. 0:26:15.400 --> 0:26:18.639 You can see it, you can feel it. And he 0:26:18.680 --> 0:26:21.320 doesn't have the same instincts and the same ability and 0:26:21.359 --> 0:26:25.159 the same power. Is the Republican Party still his bitch, 0:26:25.320 --> 0:26:26.120 of course it is. 0:26:28.520 --> 0:26:33.040 Ben Wickler is the former head of Wisconsin Democrats. Welcome 0:26:33.160 --> 0:26:34.840 Ben to Fast Politics. 0:26:35.080 --> 0:26:36.280 Thanks got to be back, Bally. 0:26:36.520 --> 0:26:38.320 I wanted to have you on because I wanted to 0:26:38.320 --> 0:26:42.359 talk about the moment Democrats are in and I've written 0:26:42.400 --> 0:26:43.959 a lot about it. I've been thinking about a lot 0:26:44.000 --> 0:26:47.840 about it. It's an insane moment in American life. So 0:26:48.280 --> 0:26:52.359 talk us through what this looks like right now. And 0:26:52.440 --> 0:26:54.520 I want you to talk us through like where the 0:26:54.520 --> 0:26:58.600 Democrats are. First, talk us through Democrats more generally, and 0:26:58.640 --> 0:27:02.680 then talk us through what easing to party party structure. 0:27:02.960 --> 0:27:06.040 Sure, so we have a split screen right now, and 0:27:06.440 --> 0:27:09.480 the split screen is a kind of national conversation that's 0:27:09.520 --> 0:27:13.520 totally dominated by Trump and his allies for two reasons. 0:27:13.560 --> 0:27:16.720 One is that they own the means of distribution. They 0:27:16.720 --> 0:27:20.040 own acts, the federal government, as browbeating national media, as 0:27:20.040 --> 0:27:22.480 the usions the newspapers have been bought by people who 0:27:22.480 --> 0:27:25.199 now have a huge financial interest in koutout and to 0:27:25.240 --> 0:27:28.679 the Trump administration. And the other side is that Trump 0:27:28.760 --> 0:27:31.760 himself and the whole ecosystem that people on the right 0:27:31.960 --> 0:27:36.960 are extremely skilled at driving conversation constantly and so it's 0:27:37.080 --> 0:27:39.760 both that the people who control the algorithms have an 0:27:39.760 --> 0:27:42.920 interest in lifting out their narratives, but also the fact 0:27:42.920 --> 0:27:45.240 that they're a lot better using those algorithms to get 0:27:45.280 --> 0:27:48.719 the word out, and they're doing horrible, horrible things. And 0:27:48.800 --> 0:27:53.760 so there's authoritary breakthrough national crisis moment, and the public 0:27:53.840 --> 0:27:56.399 basically is only hearing from the right. They're not hearing 0:27:56.640 --> 0:27:59.400 from Democrats, in part for structural reasons and in part 0:27:59.400 --> 0:28:01.560 because the kind of across the board, and there's lots 0:28:01.600 --> 0:28:03.520 of individual people that are getting this much better. But 0:28:03.600 --> 0:28:05.960 Democrats need to get really good at figuring out how 0:28:05.960 --> 0:28:08.000 to do things they can break through the news cycle. 0:28:08.280 --> 0:28:11.399 And that means actually not just having the right words 0:28:11.400 --> 0:28:13.399 that are not offensive to anyone, It means actually driving 0:28:13.440 --> 0:28:16.760 actions so that Republicans are responding to what Democrats are 0:28:16.760 --> 0:28:19.520 doing to fight back as opposed to Democrats girl clutching 0:28:19.520 --> 0:28:21.720 at the latest horror. And the horrors are very real. 0:28:21.800 --> 0:28:24.080 It's not wrong to condemn the horrors, but as long 0:28:24.119 --> 0:28:26.440 as we're playing on their turf, we're losing. So that's 0:28:26.480 --> 0:28:28.480 the first part. All of us feel that any what 0:28:28.600 --> 0:28:31.000 has made attention even a bit feels of like how 0:28:31.040 --> 0:28:33.320 could this all be happening and there's no like, you know, 0:28:33.359 --> 0:28:36.159 nothing's breaking through, there's no pushback. Is mind rending. The 0:28:36.240 --> 0:28:38.400 other side of the split screen is what is happening 0:28:38.440 --> 0:28:41.280 on the ground. And I got an early taste of 0:28:41.360 --> 0:28:44.080 this because I was in Wisconsin leading the Democratic Party 0:28:44.080 --> 0:28:47.920 Wisconsin when Elon Musk came in and dropped what you know, 0:28:47.960 --> 0:28:50.480 by my math, it's about fifty three million dollars on 0:28:50.520 --> 0:28:53.960 the Supreme Court race the spring and then lost by 0:28:54.040 --> 0:28:56.720 ten percentage points to Susan Crawford, who got more votes 0:28:56.760 --> 0:28:59.200 not only than any Supreme Court justice ever in the state, 0:28:59.600 --> 0:29:01.880 she got more votes than any Republican candidate for governor 0:29:01.880 --> 0:29:04.920 in a November election in an even numbered you know, 0:29:05.080 --> 0:29:08.800 midterm year has ever gotten That turns out was not atypical. 0:29:08.840 --> 0:29:12.280 Democrats are overperforming over and over and over and over. 0:29:12.400 --> 0:29:15.800 The average over performance is like sixteen percentage points this year, 0:29:15.880 --> 0:29:18.960 which is like vastly higher than it was in twenty seventeen, 0:29:18.960 --> 0:29:21.400 which was a banner year for Democrats kiking ass and 0:29:21.440 --> 0:29:26.520 special elections. And that is driven by this just palpable 0:29:26.560 --> 0:29:30.920 sense of urgency and rage and readiness to do anything 0:29:30.960 --> 0:29:33.840 to save the country that millions of people feel on 0:29:33.880 --> 0:29:36.200 the ground all over the place. If you ask run 0:29:36.240 --> 0:29:38.800 for something, they're saying they're seeing vastly more people signing 0:29:38.880 --> 0:29:41.120 up to run for local office than they've ever seen. 0:29:41.280 --> 0:29:44.600 You can see this whole crop of people announcing campaigns 0:29:44.600 --> 0:29:46.840 for the US Senate, which was supposed to be unwinnable, 0:29:46.880 --> 0:29:49.200 and now in state after state after state, we have 0:29:49.240 --> 0:29:51.920 these really compelling candidates that are communicating in new ways. 0:29:52.280 --> 0:29:56.200 There's just a huge boiling energy. And in a sense, 0:29:56.520 --> 0:29:58.480 these two things are going to crash into each other 0:29:58.480 --> 0:30:00.320 in the next year and a half because on the 0:30:00.360 --> 0:30:02.480 one hand, you have a Trump administration that's trying to 0:30:02.520 --> 0:30:05.880 dismember the country, rig the system, completely lock in permanent control, 0:30:06.040 --> 0:30:08.760 and on the other side, this energy that's coming up 0:30:08.800 --> 0:30:12.360 from below, that is, you know, both through massive organizing 0:30:12.360 --> 0:30:16.200 and mobilization, through ways of lawsuits, through like every non 0:30:16.240 --> 0:30:20.200 election day tactic, but also through political mobilization, is trying 0:30:20.240 --> 0:30:23.280 to counter this this lurch to the right. And I 0:30:23.320 --> 0:30:25.160 think they're going to be booed by the fact that 0:30:25.160 --> 0:30:27.280 Trump has been a total disaster for working people across 0:30:27.320 --> 0:30:29.600 the country, especially the people who pay the least attention 0:30:29.640 --> 0:30:32.720 to politics, who you know, were sort of changing the channel, 0:30:32.760 --> 0:30:34.400 like she's trying something else, because that felt like what 0:30:34.440 --> 0:30:36.239 was going on before wasn't working. If you look at 0:30:36.240 --> 0:30:38.400 the public, they're also concluding that this is not working. 0:30:38.520 --> 0:30:40.720 And so I think there's every likelihood that to the 0:30:40.760 --> 0:30:43.040 extent we have a fair and freevy election, then it 0:30:43.040 --> 0:30:46.200 could also be a wave election and a major change 0:30:46.240 --> 0:30:48.520 election in twenty six. I think the same thing could 0:30:48.520 --> 0:30:52.479 happened this fall. Pennsylvania statrib Court is incredibly important fight Virginia, 0:30:52.520 --> 0:30:56.000 New Jersey. And what the Democratic Party is two things. 0:30:56.120 --> 0:30:57.920 It is, on the one handed, kind of a morphous 0:30:57.920 --> 0:31:01.320 blob of everyone who publicly identifies as the Democrat, every 0:31:01.360 --> 0:31:02.960 elected official of the d next to their name, and 0:31:03.000 --> 0:31:05.040 a lot of people eyes next to their names. It's 0:31:05.080 --> 0:31:07.880 the commentators, it's all the different committees, the spaghetti sup 0:31:07.880 --> 0:31:11.840 of different organizations, it's all the affiliated allied groups. It's 0:31:11.920 --> 0:31:15.320 the all these different elements and this deep fundamental partnership 0:31:15.320 --> 0:31:18.000 with the union movement. And then it's also an institution 0:31:18.160 --> 0:31:21.720 with like the Democratic National Committee, with state committees in 0:31:21.720 --> 0:31:24.560 each state. And this is a moment of reckoning for 0:31:24.680 --> 0:31:27.000 the Democratic Party. And in those moments of reckoning. There's 0:31:27.000 --> 0:31:28.720 always going to be a lot of conflict, Like that's 0:31:28.800 --> 0:31:32.640 just how that's how generational change works, that's how shifting 0:31:32.800 --> 0:31:34.800 shifting gears, how begging things through. 0:31:34.840 --> 0:31:35.160 Works. 0:31:35.200 --> 0:31:37.080 If there wasn't, I think that would be really bad news. 0:31:37.080 --> 0:31:39.400 And I would love to see, like I would love 0:31:39.400 --> 0:31:42.400 to see the Democratic Party breaking through and demonstrating into 0:31:42.400 --> 0:31:44.240 the country that we have an opposition party at this 0:31:44.320 --> 0:31:46.720 moment and that it is fighting back at the same time, 0:31:46.960 --> 0:31:49.000 Like there are these internal conversations that are happening all 0:31:49.000 --> 0:31:51.160 over the place and often spelling out into the public. 0:31:51.320 --> 0:31:54.120 And the most important thing is whether millions of people 0:31:54.160 --> 0:31:56.880 are deciding themselves to become the heroes in this moment 0:31:56.960 --> 0:31:59.600 and taking on the work, which could be recruiting candidate 0:31:59.680 --> 0:32:02.320 or running for off as yourself, or it's donating it, 0:32:02.400 --> 0:32:04.560 marching every weekend and talking to friends and neighbors, making 0:32:04.560 --> 0:32:06.120 list of people you know who didn't vote in twenty 0:32:06.120 --> 0:32:07.960 four Like, there's so many things that people can do. 0:32:08.240 --> 0:32:11.000 So I'm in a hair and fire state about the 0:32:11.120 --> 0:32:13.000 risk of the country to every person in the country. 0:32:13.040 --> 0:32:15.560 It is basically locked in that millions and millions of 0:32:15.560 --> 0:32:17.840 people are going to die because of this administration, because 0:32:17.840 --> 0:32:19.560 of what they've done to vaccines, because of what they've 0:32:19.560 --> 0:32:21.880 done to global health at fart AID, because of what 0:32:21.920 --> 0:32:23.920 they've done to health policy in the United States. Like, 0:32:24.000 --> 0:32:26.200 there's so much pain that has already begun for so 0:32:26.240 --> 0:32:27.800 many people, and it's going to get so much worse, 0:32:28.000 --> 0:32:30.320 and their threat to the basic function of democracy is 0:32:30.360 --> 0:32:33.000 so bad. But I'm heartened by the level of and 0:32:33.320 --> 0:32:36.040 the intensity of the response, even if it's you have 0:32:36.080 --> 0:32:37.600 to look pretty hard to find it because it's not 0:32:37.640 --> 0:32:39.640 being covered properly. That to me is really hardening. 0:32:39.920 --> 0:32:43.440 Okay, you've made me feel so much better. I can't 0:32:43.440 --> 0:32:46.480 decide is it because I like you so much anyway, 0:32:46.520 --> 0:32:48.680 because I'm always like, give a supers wee of red hair, 0:32:48.840 --> 0:32:50.800 so people with red hair are always good. But also 0:32:51.160 --> 0:32:53.840 that you have a soothing present in a moment that 0:32:54.000 --> 0:32:56.920 is not very soothing. Why are you not DNC chair 0:32:57.200 --> 0:33:00.280 And shouldn't you be DNC chair? And make me feel 0:33:00.320 --> 0:33:02.400 better that you're not DNC chair? 0:33:02.840 --> 0:33:05.840 Well, I ran for Dunca chair. I have a lot 0:33:05.880 --> 0:33:07.840 of respect for Kim Martin. I've known for years. I 0:33:07.840 --> 0:33:09.680 think in the race, I was reminded of something that 0:33:09.760 --> 0:33:12.040 I say all the time, you know in Wisconsin, which 0:33:12.040 --> 0:33:13.600 is that if you want to build the trust of 0:33:13.600 --> 0:33:15.760 an electorate, you have to build relationships with them over 0:33:15.840 --> 0:33:17.360 years and not just show up in the last couple 0:33:17.400 --> 0:33:19.760 of months. And I very conscious that I jumped into 0:33:19.800 --> 0:33:23.280 the race for DNC chair on December first of twenty 0:33:23.280 --> 0:33:25.760 twenty four, two months out from election day. This is 0:33:25.800 --> 0:33:28.280 not something that I'd dreamed of and Lake groundwork for. 0:33:28.600 --> 0:33:31.920 And Ken has been leading the Association of the state 0:33:31.960 --> 0:33:34.920 parties and was building relationships, serving on the DNC executive Committee. 0:33:35.000 --> 0:33:36.760 Was making the case to people and they knew him. 0:33:36.880 --> 0:33:39.840 And trust comes from knowing someone and seeing them in action, 0:33:40.120 --> 0:33:42.680 So like elections are like that, and it's why I 0:33:42.680 --> 0:33:46.160 think year round organizing is so absolutely essential. That's the 0:33:46.160 --> 0:33:47.960 gospel that I was preaching. But Ken was making the 0:33:47.960 --> 0:33:50.240 same argument and people knew him, so they heard it 0:33:50.280 --> 0:33:51.880 from him in the same way, which kind of proves 0:33:51.880 --> 0:33:54.800 the argument itself. I will find lots of other ways 0:33:54.800 --> 0:33:57.200 to lead into the fight. And I also think that 0:33:57.360 --> 0:33:59.400 in a sense, this is going to be a fight 0:33:59.480 --> 0:34:02.280 where the DNC of everybody's fantasies wouldn't be able to 0:34:02.280 --> 0:34:05.080 do this by itself because chance. It's going to be 0:34:05.240 --> 0:34:09.040 this huge surge of a bazillion different folks stepping into 0:34:09.040 --> 0:34:11.680 the breach in a bazillion different ways, and that there 0:34:11.680 --> 0:34:14.200 are a lot of voters for whom the Democratic Party 0:34:14.560 --> 0:34:16.960 will never be the right messenger. So even if the 0:34:17.000 --> 0:34:20.000 Democratic Party said everything perfectly in every perfect place, and 0:34:20.040 --> 0:34:22.080 that might improve the party's brand, imagine it was ten 0:34:22.080 --> 0:34:25.919 percentage points better, it would still be really low. Right, Yeah, 0:34:25.960 --> 0:34:28.800 that would be if we could spike up its approval 0:34:28.840 --> 0:34:32.239 as a national party by an unprecedented degree, that still 0:34:32.239 --> 0:34:34.279 would not be enough to get a majority. People like 0:34:34.440 --> 0:34:36.879 great candidates of which we're seeing all these people coming 0:34:36.880 --> 0:34:39.160 out of would work. I love like launch video TV 0:34:39.320 --> 0:34:43.640 is my have replaced right now? These candidates are making 0:34:43.680 --> 0:34:45.880 the case that they see what's wrong with a broken 0:34:45.920 --> 0:34:47.839 system and they're going to challenge the system of role 0:34:47.920 --> 0:34:50.200 and they're going to change it. That people, it is 0:34:50.239 --> 0:34:52.960 not Democrats running on like restore the status quo. Democrats 0:34:53.000 --> 0:34:55.239 are running on this isn't normal, but what's normal is 0:34:55.280 --> 0:34:57.440 not okay, Like we need to actually make this whole 0:34:57.440 --> 0:35:00.880 country work. And if the Democrat like correct party in 0:35:00.920 --> 0:35:03.120 a sense isn't the right messenger for that, because it's 0:35:03.160 --> 0:35:05.840 the oldest political party, I believe, the oldest continuous political 0:35:05.840 --> 0:35:08.160 party in the world. As an entity, it doesn't embody 0:35:08.160 --> 0:35:10.200 the idea of fighting for change in the minds of 0:35:10.200 --> 0:35:12.160 the people who are most skeptical of it. So, you know, 0:35:12.200 --> 0:35:14.600 there's just there's a lot of heroes that we need 0:35:14.600 --> 0:35:16.680 at this moment, and some of them are in the 0:35:16.719 --> 0:35:18.239 party and in the party structure, and a ton of 0:35:18.280 --> 0:35:19.480 them are outside of it. And a lot of the 0:35:19.560 --> 0:35:21.520 voters that we need are people who think that both 0:35:21.560 --> 0:35:25.120 parties are fundamentally broken, corrupt and evil, and who nonetheless 0:35:25.160 --> 0:35:28.080 we need to find, you know, who can communicate with 0:35:28.120 --> 0:35:30.520 them and build enough trust to say it is worth 0:35:30.560 --> 0:35:32.840 it casting a vote in this next election because everything's 0:35:32.840 --> 0:35:33.279 on the line. 0:35:33.840 --> 0:35:38.480 You're seeing these huge wins and these specials. Example, as 0:35:38.520 --> 0:35:42.640 there was a Virginia seat fifteen points over deliver on 0:35:42.680 --> 0:35:46.080 that seat. When you look at Democrats in office, Robert 0:35:46.160 --> 0:35:48.960 Garcian oversight is a really good example. They got the 0:35:49.000 --> 0:35:51.799 birthday book, They got the birthday book out there. I 0:35:52.000 --> 0:35:57.480 was shocked at how much that, you know, they handled 0:35:57.480 --> 0:36:00.319 it in just extremely in a way where they were 0:36:00.360 --> 0:36:02.719 able to break through one of the big problems is 0:36:02.719 --> 0:36:06.279 Democrats can't break through. Harris had real problems breaking through 0:36:06.360 --> 0:36:09.080 by an administration could not break through. Give me your 0:36:09.200 --> 0:36:09.799 feeling on. 0:36:09.800 --> 0:36:12.759 This, Yeah, I mean I think that the chair or 0:36:12.880 --> 0:36:15.600 breaking member borg on the Birthday book, it's a perfect 0:36:15.600 --> 0:36:17.840 example of the right kind of move. I'm like working 0:36:17.840 --> 0:36:19.719 in my house right now, and part of what you 0:36:19.760 --> 0:36:21.520 do when you're trying to you prove your house is 0:36:21.560 --> 0:36:23.960 you put positive air pressure into the house and see 0:36:23.960 --> 0:36:26.160 where the air leaks. And I think of what Trump 0:36:26.200 --> 0:36:28.120 is trying to do right now, as it's like you're 0:36:28.239 --> 0:36:31.319 putting air pressure into the whole American political system to 0:36:31.360 --> 0:36:33.799 see every crack in the system where you can then 0:36:33.880 --> 0:36:37.080 like shove through authoritarian power. So like the federal government 0:36:37.120 --> 0:36:39.160 doesn't control the police. Oh, but you can create your 0:36:39.160 --> 0:36:42.000 own secret police force through the ICE funding and through 0:36:42.360 --> 0:36:44.279 sending in truth with all these different things, I think 0:36:44.280 --> 0:36:46.960 in a sense democrats need the same kind of approach 0:36:47.000 --> 0:36:48.920 to think about how to break through, which is to say, 0:36:49.239 --> 0:36:51.279 you have to try a ton of stuff. You have 0:36:51.320 --> 0:36:53.160 to try doing things you haven't done before. You have 0:36:53.239 --> 0:36:56.680 to try. Like the big thing is that message doesn't 0:36:56.680 --> 0:37:00.440 mean anything if no one hears it, and right people 0:37:00.440 --> 0:37:03.320 hear things tends to be through actions, not through words. 0:37:03.440 --> 0:37:05.760 There need to be actual events, things need to happen 0:37:06.160 --> 0:37:09.560 for it to become you know, of note, and that 0:37:10.239 --> 0:37:12.440 is going to I'm sure form the conversation about the shutdown, 0:37:12.520 --> 0:37:14.560 which is like why are we you know, funding the 0:37:14.880 --> 0:37:18.400 This is destruction then the wholesale destruction of the systems 0:37:18.440 --> 0:37:21.480 that have saved millions of American lives for the last 0:37:21.719 --> 0:37:24.520 like half century, like the attacks on healthcare, all these 0:37:24.520 --> 0:37:26.799 different things, Like yesual they have to have a fight 0:37:27.200 --> 0:37:30.359 that draws attention, that shows whose side you're on, and 0:37:31.080 --> 0:37:33.960 there are there are a bunch of people who have 0:37:34.040 --> 0:37:35.960 figured out interesting ways to do that across the country. 0:37:35.960 --> 0:37:37.799 That there should be more like learning from each other, 0:37:38.400 --> 0:37:41.640 and they should be constant experimentation, like the worst has 0:37:41.640 --> 0:37:44.359 already happened. So the risk of screwing up is much 0:37:44.440 --> 0:37:46.440 lower now than it is if you think that, like 0:37:46.520 --> 0:37:48.759 you're right on the right on the border being able 0:37:48.760 --> 0:37:54.520 to to win something back. If Democrats try something and 0:37:54.560 --> 0:37:56.960 nobody notices it, then it's like it never happens. You 0:37:57.000 --> 0:37:58.800 might as well try enough things that eventually some of 0:37:58.800 --> 0:38:00.359 the things are gonna get noticed. And I think that 0:38:00.360 --> 0:38:02.520 that's you know, I think that the fight of a 0:38:02.560 --> 0:38:05.480 redistrictigain actually retaliating with that is great. I think that 0:38:06.040 --> 0:38:08.440 fighting new ways to community communicate is great. I think 0:38:08.520 --> 0:38:10.879 upping production value is great. I think a lot about 0:38:10.920 --> 0:38:15.280 the the January sixth Committee, the fact that they brought 0:38:15.280 --> 0:38:18.960 in you know, serious news like TV producers to create 0:38:19.000 --> 0:38:21.640 something that would actually be a storytelling vehicle and create 0:38:21.880 --> 0:38:24.680 spectacle in moments. That to means the right idea you 0:38:24.719 --> 0:38:28.480 should like simultaneously, you should try super high production value 0:38:28.520 --> 0:38:31.719 stuff that is really well crafted is storytelling, and also 0:38:31.800 --> 0:38:35.160 try a lot of totally spontaneous stuff that is gritty 0:38:35.160 --> 0:38:37.279 and low production value, but that actually, you know, it 0:38:37.320 --> 0:38:40.120 gives people the sense that they're there. There's a political 0:38:40.160 --> 0:38:43.000 scientist who I think it was the discussible had. 0:38:42.640 --> 0:38:46.840 The Fedris Scotch peal with Lover from Harvard. 0:38:46.960 --> 0:38:50.160 Yes, the out party innovation the idea that basically the 0:38:50.200 --> 0:38:53.040 political party that's out of power tends to innovate more. 0:38:53.280 --> 0:38:55.000 And you know, if you remember two thousand and eight, 0:38:55.040 --> 0:38:57.040 Democrats had figured out how to use the Internet first 0:38:57.280 --> 0:38:59.640 and boom, like did they crush it? And then twenty 0:38:59.640 --> 0:39:02.520 sixteen they were still using the vaccine technology they'd built 0:39:02.520 --> 0:39:04.400 when they were out of power. It was literally built 0:39:04.400 --> 0:39:06.600 on the Obamba campaign digital platform and it was trying 0:39:07.120 --> 0:39:09.880 using the thing at that moment. Yeah, this is Democrats 0:39:09.920 --> 0:39:11.719 are out of power now and they need to act 0:39:11.920 --> 0:39:14.440 act like it. And that means like you know, cracking 0:39:14.440 --> 0:39:16.800 things open and seeing what's inside and letting a million 0:39:16.800 --> 0:39:19.680 flowers bloom. Algorithms are changing, like man, I mean AI 0:39:19.760 --> 0:39:21.680 is a good example right now. Right Like there's there's 0:39:21.719 --> 0:39:25.120 this explosion of new ways to create media and create content. 0:39:25.280 --> 0:39:27.799 You can create songs that's only professional songs in a 0:39:27.800 --> 0:39:31.200 couple of minutes. You can create video. There's constantly new things. 0:39:31.600 --> 0:39:34.319 Democrats should try creating a bazillion different things all the 0:39:34.320 --> 0:39:36.839 time and then also used totally not anythings. But like 0:39:37.120 --> 0:39:38.839 it is, it is so much cheaper to be able 0:39:38.840 --> 0:39:41.600 to try making videos like make a you know video 0:39:42.239 --> 0:39:44.960 guide to the Epstein birthday book, like try and make 0:39:45.040 --> 0:39:47.160 twenty different ones, come up with the contest who can 0:39:47.200 --> 0:39:49.120 make the best one to get it up there, and 0:39:49.120 --> 0:39:53.440 that stuff provokes conversation, So I like it's just the 0:39:53.920 --> 0:39:55.320 time to play it. Stafe is so far in the 0:39:55.360 --> 0:39:58.319 back and in the RuView mirror for me and like 0:39:58.400 --> 0:40:00.640 this is a time for a walls car and spaghetti, 0:40:00.719 --> 0:40:01.640 like some of it's going to stake. 0:40:02.160 --> 0:40:06.560 I just wrote this piece for Vanny Fair about democratic messengers, 0:40:06.560 --> 0:40:10.040 who are the democratic messengers? And one of the things 0:40:10.320 --> 0:40:14.279 that I was struck by was a staffer told me 0:40:15.120 --> 0:40:21.120 that they thought that during this election, the twenty eight cycle, 0:40:21.560 --> 0:40:25.160 god willing, that there would be moments where there may 0:40:25.200 --> 0:40:30.640 be like actually going on something like Joe Rogan or 0:40:30.680 --> 0:40:34.359 theovonn would actually be more meaningful because it breaks out 0:40:34.400 --> 0:40:34.960 of the silo. 0:40:35.280 --> 0:40:37.960 Oh yeah, a bunch of Democrats have been on Joe 0:40:38.000 --> 0:40:41.200 Rogan and the Theovan and it's great, Like the water's fine. 0:40:41.320 --> 0:40:44.560 Your part of it is that long form podcasting ass 0:40:44.600 --> 0:40:47.600 like a medium form the fath Politics pod. 0:40:47.880 --> 0:40:50.840 Yes, I think we're pretty much short form compared to 0:40:50.920 --> 0:40:52.320 that to three hours. 0:40:52.400 --> 0:40:55.560 Yeah, anything bigger than cable news lends itself to actually 0:40:55.600 --> 0:40:58.120 like finding rapport finding some of you agree and if 0:40:58.120 --> 0:40:59.600 you have a conflict that tends to like go to 0:40:59.640 --> 0:41:02.399 resolute as opposed to people like just get like cut, 0:41:02.480 --> 0:41:05.399 getting their micscut when wandering off. And that's good. It's 0:41:05.400 --> 0:41:07.280 good for Democrats to learn how to do that well. 0:41:07.360 --> 0:41:10.720 And not be constantly like dodging like every possible landmin 0:41:10.800 --> 0:41:13.120 or eggshell, having a bad news cycle and surviving it, 0:41:13.200 --> 0:41:15.280 like is a very good way to discover that Actually 0:41:15.360 --> 0:41:18.080 it's like it is more risky to be completely risk 0:41:18.080 --> 0:41:20.719 averse than it is to create a larger volume and 0:41:20.719 --> 0:41:23.520 a larger presence and the larger footprint. And that's the 0:41:23.600 --> 0:41:26.319 general direction. Like you a world where every media out 0:41:26.360 --> 0:41:28.759 that like at best only has a tiny fraction of 0:41:28.800 --> 0:41:30.600 the country's attentionion, you have to just be in a 0:41:30.600 --> 0:41:32.160 lot more places, a lot more at the time to 0:41:32.200 --> 0:41:34.080 be able to break through, and then every so often, 0:41:34.280 --> 0:41:37.520 like something actually catches the whole country. If you live 0:41:37.560 --> 0:41:40.040 in fear of ever having a bad viral moment, then 0:41:40.080 --> 0:41:41.719 you'll never have a good viral moment. And if you 0:41:41.760 --> 0:41:43.319 ever have a good viral moment, no one will know 0:41:43.360 --> 0:41:44.160 that you exist. 0:41:44.400 --> 0:41:47.480 Let's talk about that, because I think one of the 0:41:47.520 --> 0:41:52.240 things that really hurt by world was being so cautious. 0:41:52.520 --> 0:41:55.640 Yeah, I mean, I think it's pretty clear probably to 0:41:56.000 --> 0:41:58.120 everyone in the universe at this point that the yeah, 0:41:58.160 --> 0:42:00.000 the volume of communication that was coming out of the 0:42:00.000 --> 0:42:04.680 illustration became very very small. And if you remember the beginning, 0:42:04.719 --> 0:42:07.239 of the Harris campaign. It was this explosion like the 0:42:07.280 --> 0:42:10.640 Brat summer that that moment, like all the Viepstakes with 0:42:10.680 --> 0:42:13.200 all my presential candidates going on to TV all the time, 0:42:13.280 --> 0:42:15.880 the kind of audition to spokespeople like that. People were 0:42:15.880 --> 0:42:18.120 actually hearing from Democrats and hearing for them in ways 0:42:18.120 --> 0:42:21.319 that felt new right, and they loved it. Yeah. I 0:42:21.400 --> 0:42:23.560 was at the first I was the opening speaker at 0:42:23.560 --> 0:42:26.800 the first rally in a battleground state of the presidential campaign. 0:42:26.840 --> 0:42:29.839 Emily Harris came to this high school in Wisconsin and 0:42:30.000 --> 0:42:33.680 it was just explosive, like people were ready to lift 0:42:33.719 --> 0:42:37.719 the roof with their cheering and joy. And then that's 0:42:37.760 --> 0:42:39.680 red and they recruited other people and you know, people 0:42:39.760 --> 0:42:42.240 got involved in a level that was like just totally amazing. 0:42:42.520 --> 0:42:45.800 And I think like those good feelings are good People 0:42:45.840 --> 0:42:49.080 fundamentally remember, like at the deepest level, they remember what 0:42:49.120 --> 0:42:51.400 political figures make them feel about themselves, how they make 0:42:51.480 --> 0:42:53.600 them feel in their bodies. And to be able to 0:42:53.640 --> 0:42:55.480 get to the point where you can then trigger any 0:42:55.560 --> 0:42:58.360 kind of feeling, it involves vulnerability, which involves risk. It 0:42:58.480 --> 0:43:00.759 just does They're communicating a lot and then being able 0:43:00.760 --> 0:43:03.239 to find your groove and all the when you think 0:43:03.320 --> 0:43:05.600 through like the kind of political turning point moments, they're 0:43:05.640 --> 0:43:08.440 all things that involve emotion fundamentally, they go deeper than 0:43:08.880 --> 0:43:12.320 arguments or ideas. And I think that's the in a way, 0:43:12.600 --> 0:43:14.279 part of what we need to be looking for in 0:43:14.360 --> 0:43:17.719 candidates for offices at every level and leaders who spokespeople 0:43:17.719 --> 0:43:19.360 all this stuff is people who can actually make people 0:43:19.360 --> 0:43:21.600 feel something, because that's how you can build, like memories 0:43:21.640 --> 0:43:24.440 formed around emotions. The strongest memories are all built around emotions. 0:43:24.440 --> 0:43:25.800 If you have an idea that you can attest to 0:43:25.840 --> 0:43:27.920 that connects to the broader vision. The Democrats are for 0:43:27.960 --> 0:43:30.759 the country, Like Ben, that's great, but the baseline has 0:43:30.800 --> 0:43:32.719 to be what actually like touched you and made you 0:43:32.719 --> 0:43:33.839 feel something and remember it. 0:43:34.000 --> 0:43:37.560 Yeah, I think that's right, Ben. Will you please come back? 0:43:37.880 --> 0:43:42.200 I'd be the leaded. Thanks for having me man, No, 0:43:46.040 --> 0:43:48.120 Rick Wilson, Yes, Molly. 0:43:48.560 --> 0:43:50.880 How much of our lives have we spent talking about 0:43:50.880 --> 0:43:51.520 Fox News? 0:43:51.760 --> 0:43:52.719 Too fucking much? 0:43:53.160 --> 0:43:57.120 Honestly, Brian kill Mead you may remember him from nothing, 0:43:57.600 --> 0:44:01.200 that guy kill me? What did Brian Meed say this week? 0:44:01.640 --> 0:44:04.320 Brian killed me this week advocated for giving the homeless 0:44:04.480 --> 0:44:06.360 lethal injections to get them. 0:44:06.200 --> 0:44:06.719 On the street. 0:44:07.000 --> 0:44:07.560 That's right. 0:44:07.960 --> 0:44:11.840 You know. I was told I heard, I heard this 0:44:11.920 --> 0:44:15.280 week that the rhetoric in this country was too hot, yes, 0:44:15.320 --> 0:44:17.920 and that we need to all back down and talk 0:44:18.040 --> 0:44:21.080 nice to do each other. I did not have injecting 0:44:21.080 --> 0:44:24.600 the homeless with lethal injections and killing them on my 0:44:25.200 --> 0:44:27.520 Fox News bingo card this week. Maybe I should have, 0:44:27.680 --> 0:44:30.440 Maybe I should have lowered the standard a little bit, but. 0:44:30.960 --> 0:44:34.640 Jesus lowly, I mean, I understand we're not supposed to 0:44:34.640 --> 0:44:38.719 call them unhoused because it makes us seem unrelatable as liberals. 0:44:39.040 --> 0:44:41.319 But I still think we shouldn't kill them, you. 0:44:41.280 --> 0:44:45.880 Know, whether you call them homeless or unhoused or whatever 0:44:46.040 --> 0:44:48.680 view you have of them. Brian kill Me is now 0:44:48.719 --> 0:44:52.719 advocating since about sixty percent of homeless folks are veterans, 0:44:52.920 --> 0:44:56.520 he's advocating killing homeless veterans. Now he has supposedly walked 0:44:56.520 --> 0:44:59.719 it back some like week walk back on it now. 0:44:59.760 --> 0:45:02.799 He I did apologize, yes, And by the way, for 0:45:02.840 --> 0:45:05.480 a Fox News host to apologize is not nothing. 0:45:05.800 --> 0:45:08.440 No, it's not nothing. But here's the thing. This shows 0:45:08.480 --> 0:45:12.640 you the hypocrisy of how the networks work. If that 0:45:12.719 --> 0:45:14.759 had happened, as we saw from somebody getting fired on 0:45:14.880 --> 0:45:17.959 MSNBC this week for not being sufficiently sensitive about Charlie Kirk. 0:45:18.040 --> 0:45:20.640 If that had happened in another network of any kind 0:45:20.719 --> 0:45:22.880 and any other outlet, he would have been taken off 0:45:22.960 --> 0:45:26.399 the set. But a Fox, it's like haha, So look, 0:45:26.440 --> 0:45:28.719 Ryan killed me. There's no rocket scientist to begin with. 0:45:28.840 --> 0:45:30.640 And maybe he thought it was a funny joke or 0:45:30.640 --> 0:45:32.560 thought he was working up to some sort of like 0:45:32.719 --> 0:45:35.480 statement on it, but he basically was anyone to kill 0:45:35.480 --> 0:45:37.200 the hoholmus. I don't know, call me crazy, but that 0:45:37.239 --> 0:45:40.320 doesn't seem like lowering the temperature with Wilson. 0:45:40.680 --> 0:45:41.640 I'll see you next week. 0:45:41.840 --> 0:45:42.960 I'll see you next week. 0:45:43.680 --> 0:45:48.000 That's it for this episode of Fast Politics. Tune in 0:45:48.360 --> 0:45:53.800 every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday to hear the best 0:45:53.880 --> 0:45:58.160 minds and politics make sense of all this chaos. If 0:45:58.200 --> 0:46:01.280 you enjoy this podcast, please send it to a friend 0:46:01.680 --> 0:46:04.920 and keep the conversation going. Thanks for listening.