1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:04,200 Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Mollie John Fast and this is Fast Politics, 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: where we discussed the top political headlines with some of 3 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:10,840 Speaker 1: today's best minds. We're on vacation, but that doesn't mean 4 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:12,720 Speaker 1: we don't have an amazing show. 5 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:13,120 Speaker 2: For you today. 6 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:17,200 Speaker 1: Garage Graft stops bys you talk about his new book UFO, 7 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:21,400 Speaker 1: the inside story of the US government Search for Alien 8 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:25,240 Speaker 1: Life here and out there. But first we have founder 9 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:32,159 Speaker 1: of Run for Something, Amanda Litman. Welcome back to Fast Politics, 10 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:32,960 Speaker 1: Amanda Litman. 11 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:35,200 Speaker 3: Thank you for having me, Mollie. 12 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:38,480 Speaker 1: I am happy to have you. I have so many 13 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 1: things I want to talk to you about. I know, 14 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:43,599 Speaker 1: run for Something really really well. I'm gonna let you 15 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:48,080 Speaker 1: give a like two second for the very very very few. 16 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 2: People who don't know what run for Something is. Tell 17 00:00:50,479 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 2: them so. 18 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:54,320 Speaker 3: Run for Something recruits and supports young, diverse progresses running 19 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 3: for state and local office all across the country. We 20 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 3: work with millennials and gen z who have to take 21 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 3: back power. They're running for a state legislature and they're 22 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 3: running for school board. We've helped elect more than one 23 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:08,000 Speaker 3: thousand people, mostly women and people of color, in nearly 24 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:11,160 Speaker 3: every state, and we're building the biggest pipeline in democratic context. 25 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 1: Let's talk about what this biggest pipeline in democratic politics 26 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:17,000 Speaker 1: looks like. 27 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 2: Give us a few examples. 28 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:22,119 Speaker 3: Love that question. So we have just about one hundred 29 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:24,640 Speaker 3: and fifty thousand people who raise their hands to say, 30 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:27,400 Speaker 3: I'm thinking about running for office. What do I do next? 31 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 3: They are moms and teachers and scientists and veterans. They 32 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:35,840 Speaker 3: are thinking about running for school board in Florida and 33 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 3: mayorships in Indiana and state legislature in Texas and all 34 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 3: kinds of positions in between. And the thing I really 35 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:44,800 Speaker 3: love about them is there actually is like no uniting 36 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:47,880 Speaker 3: commonality between them beyond the fact that they really give 37 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 3: a shit and they're going to run for office to 38 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 3: take action on that. 39 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:55,960 Speaker 1: Okay, so tell me like one candidate who's coming through 40 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:56,600 Speaker 1: this cycle. 41 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:58,000 Speaker 4: So I'll just tell you a little bit. 42 00:01:57,960 --> 00:01:59,640 Speaker 3: It's some when we work with in twenty twenty three, 43 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:03,640 Speaker 3: who I am a sas FID. So in Pennsylvania, there's 44 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:07,200 Speaker 3: a county called Dauphin County, which is like around Harrisburg, 45 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 3: and they had this year their county Commission up for office. 46 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:14,240 Speaker 3: We were working to make sure we were going to 47 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:16,800 Speaker 3: recruit a pro democracy leader for that office. Because the 48 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:20,640 Speaker 3: county commissioner oversees the elections, they do things like determining 49 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:23,040 Speaker 3: how easier hard is able to cure their ballots, how 50 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:25,079 Speaker 3: people can get their votes counted, that kind of thing. 51 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:26,680 Speaker 3: So we said a bunch of text messages, we did 52 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 3: a bunch of phone calls. We able to play. Found 53 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:32,200 Speaker 3: this guy, Justin Douglas. Justin Douglas is a pastor. He's 54 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:34,640 Speaker 3: like a CrossFit athlete. He does like some work on 55 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:36,800 Speaker 3: the side to try and make some money. He had 56 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 3: been a community neither. Yeah, like, yeah, just try to 57 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:41,840 Speaker 3: make a living. We talked about running for office, and 58 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:43,520 Speaker 3: at first he was a little resisting. He was like, 59 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:46,399 Speaker 3: maybe I'll find someone else, but ultimately decided to get 60 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:50,720 Speaker 3: in the race himself. He knocked tens of thousands of doors, 61 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:54,520 Speaker 3: raised a pretty re meaningful amount of money. He's a 62 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:56,440 Speaker 3: married dad of three. He'd been doing a bunch of 63 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 3: advocacy for the homeless, and one of the biggest issues 64 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 3: he wanted to talk about in this read was prison reform, 65 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 3: because the county commission oversees the prison system in there, 66 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 3: and there had been a number of prisoners who had 67 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:08,359 Speaker 3: died in the jail system that he wanted to bring 68 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:11,320 Speaker 3: attention to. He did things like leave lit on people's 69 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:13,960 Speaker 3: doors that said the mayor in Jaws one is still 70 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:15,920 Speaker 3: the mayor in Jaws two Local. 71 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 2: Or a amazing. 72 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 3: Amazing So he ends up winning this election by you know, 73 00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:27,359 Speaker 3: as of last caat was maybe one hundred and forty 74 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:31,200 Speaker 3: seven votes at a fifty three thousand cast. He helps 75 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:35,120 Speaker 3: flip control of the County Commission two Democrats for the 76 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 3: first time since World War One, so over one hundred years. 77 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:42,840 Speaker 3: He is now going to oversee, along with the criminal 78 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 3: justice system, along with the county budget. The election in 79 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 3: twenty twenty four in a critical county in Pennsylvania, Right, 80 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 3: and we're going to. 81 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:54,960 Speaker 1: Have safe, free and fair elections where there's no funny business. 82 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:55,839 Speaker 3: That's right. 83 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 2: Tell me another one also. 84 00:03:57,480 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 3: In Pennsylvania, and it's an amazing candidates running for school board, 85 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:03,840 Speaker 3: in particular in Central York, PA, there was a county 86 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 3: school board that had been doing a ton of book 87 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:08,600 Speaker 3: bands over the last year. They at one point gotten 88 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 3: into some trouble for engaging with a lawyer that the 89 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:15,000 Speaker 3: Southern Property Law Center had called a hate group. And 90 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:17,719 Speaker 3: we're working with hate groups. They kept trying to ban books. 91 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:19,800 Speaker 3: They you going to put together lists that were obviously 92 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 3: resourced from Moms for Liberty. Amelia McMillan and Benjamin Walker 93 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 3: was who have the Run for Something candidates there, knockdoors, 94 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:29,359 Speaker 3: made calls. Amelia held a retathon to get people reading 95 00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:31,600 Speaker 3: banned books and to help raise money for her campaign, 96 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:34,120 Speaker 3: and they were able to flip the school board in 97 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 3: Central York, keeping Moms for Liberty out of power, and 98 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:41,040 Speaker 3: they were part of the hundreds of folks who beat 99 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:44,080 Speaker 3: run Moms for Liberty candidates across the country and sharing 100 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:48,160 Speaker 3: that they just ate shits so hard, which not going 101 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 3: to dissuade them from doing the work in twenty twenty 102 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 3: four and beyond, but gives us that, you know, when 103 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:54,560 Speaker 3: we run, Lee can win. So we just got to 104 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:55,960 Speaker 3: get on the ballot in the first place. 105 00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:59,760 Speaker 1: I feel like those school board elections, there were so 106 00:04:59,880 --> 00:05:03,440 Speaker 1: much many victories in twenty three. I mean, I know 107 00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:07,200 Speaker 1: they weren't polls, so they couldn't be talked about on television, 108 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:11,160 Speaker 1: but there were so many of these victories where like 109 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:15,120 Speaker 1: the school boards, you had these crazy Moms for Liberty people. 110 00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:18,719 Speaker 2: By the way, now Moms for threesomes. 111 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:21,560 Speaker 1: And again, no dispersions, And I think everyone should have 112 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:23,680 Speaker 1: the kind of sex they want to have in the world, 113 00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 1: but I just don't want them also banning books. But 114 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:30,440 Speaker 1: I think it's really interesting. There were so much of this, 115 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:32,360 Speaker 1: like we're going to go to the school boards, We're 116 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:34,800 Speaker 1: going to make sure that you can't ever let your 117 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:37,839 Speaker 1: kids read any books that have anyone who's gay in them. 118 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 1: And there really was a kind of groundswell of normal 119 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:43,480 Speaker 1: people running for school boards, and you guys were involved 120 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 1: in that. 121 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:46,719 Speaker 3: You know, Moms for Liberty had a thirty to thirty 122 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:49,920 Speaker 3: two percent win rate in November. Run for something school 123 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:52,919 Speaker 3: board cans it's one at seventy two percent. Wow, I 124 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:55,559 Speaker 3: feel like people don't think like, oh, like Republican parties 125 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:58,000 Speaker 3: investing so much in school board they're guaranteed victory. Wech 126 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:00,280 Speaker 3: hear so much about what they're doing. People want schools 127 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:02,240 Speaker 3: to be boring, they want them to be confident, They 128 00:06:02,279 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 3: want them to think about your pay and facilities funding, 129 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:07,360 Speaker 3: and when we give them candidates to vote for, when 130 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:10,200 Speaker 3: we support candidates who can make that case, like, people 131 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:14,400 Speaker 3: don't support book bans, they want normalcy. So really, why 132 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:16,000 Speaker 3: I'm so excited about the work we're going to do 133 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:18,560 Speaker 3: on school boards in twenty twenty four and hopefully beyond 134 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:22,039 Speaker 3: because it has never been more important, and Moms for 135 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:25,120 Speaker 3: Liberty is not going anywhere. They've opened a like six 136 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:29,320 Speaker 3: thousand square foot education activism headquarters in Sarasota. They are 137 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:33,040 Speaker 3: ready to invest millions more in this. They are all in, 138 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:35,359 Speaker 3: and I do think it's worth noting that part of 139 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:37,159 Speaker 3: the reason they're going all in on this is because 140 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:39,160 Speaker 3: they know this is the kind of thing that gets 141 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:42,159 Speaker 3: people who might otherwise not be excited about the presidential 142 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:45,039 Speaker 3: actually in twenty twenty four, really excited to show up 143 00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:45,600 Speaker 3: at the polls. 144 00:06:45,960 --> 00:06:50,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, book banning is their choice right, is 145 00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:54,440 Speaker 1: their right to choice when it comes to abortion. They 146 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:57,919 Speaker 1: really love book banning. Probably not a great sign for 147 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:01,400 Speaker 1: that party. Let's talk about like sort of down ballot 148 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:03,920 Speaker 1: stuff you're seeing in other states. 149 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,040 Speaker 2: One of the things that we're seeing. 150 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:09,520 Speaker 1: In the South is a kind of and especially there 151 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 1: are some green shoots in the South of democracy. 152 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:14,680 Speaker 2: I was wondering if you could talk about that. 153 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:17,640 Speaker 3: Yes, we have some incredible folks running and that we've 154 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:25,640 Speaker 3: been working with in places like Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, even Alabama, Oklahoma, 155 00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:30,360 Speaker 3: course down in Florida. Now as places see the really 156 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:34,360 Speaker 3: feel the consequences of Republican leadership like they're going too far, 157 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:37,000 Speaker 3: I think it's really worth noting like these are places 158 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:39,000 Speaker 3: where the top of the ticket is not going to compete. 159 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:42,400 Speaker 3: In many places there isn't a statewide election, so local 160 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:45,080 Speaker 3: candidates get a chance to really define what they believe 161 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:47,560 Speaker 3: in and what they stand for as a Democrat in 162 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:49,800 Speaker 3: that community. They get to knockdoors, they get to talk 163 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:52,480 Speaker 3: to voters in a really cool way, and they get 164 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:55,840 Speaker 3: to be really concrete in particularly when we're talking about abortion. 165 00:07:56,240 --> 00:08:00,320 Speaker 3: These local candidates can really speak specifically, tangibly, practically about 166 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 3: what it means to elect a Democrat, and not just 167 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:05,240 Speaker 3: any Democrat, but this Democrat who people their voters know 168 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:07,840 Speaker 3: and trust and can deliver results for them. 169 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:11,160 Speaker 1: This is like one of the things you often say, 170 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:13,160 Speaker 1: and I'm going to ask you to say it again, 171 00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:17,520 Speaker 1: about why it's so important that you run people for 172 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: every seat. Will you explain to us why it's so 173 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:22,720 Speaker 1: important that you run people for every seat. I'm sorry 174 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: to be boring, but. 175 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:27,080 Speaker 3: No, it's not boring at all. It is incredibly important 176 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:29,760 Speaker 3: to run candidates for as many offices as we possibly 177 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:32,520 Speaker 3: can one because if we don't intentionally do candidate recruitment, 178 00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:35,559 Speaker 3: seventy percent of local races go uncontested any given year. 179 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:38,680 Speaker 3: That means only one candidate from either party is on 180 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:42,120 Speaker 3: the ballot. In many places, when elections go uncontested, the 181 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:45,120 Speaker 3: governing body will just cancel the election, which means people 182 00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:47,040 Speaker 3: don't have a chance to build that muscle of voting. 183 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:50,080 Speaker 3: So that's a problem number one. Number two on the 184 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:52,960 Speaker 3: policy side, these local positions. You know, we think that 185 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:55,320 Speaker 3: most governing comes from DC, but that's not actually the 186 00:08:55,320 --> 00:08:58,000 Speaker 3: lived experience for most people. The quality of roads you 187 00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:01,640 Speaker 3: drive on, how affordable housing is, how accessible childcare is, 188 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:04,000 Speaker 3: whether restaurants can be open or closed, whether your schools 189 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:06,920 Speaker 3: are fully funded, whether you have access to abortion, how 190 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:09,280 Speaker 3: your jail system is run. All of that is happening 191 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:11,520 Speaker 3: in the state and local level. So it really doesn't 192 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:14,280 Speaker 3: matter his unus positions on the politics side. And this 193 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:16,480 Speaker 3: is the thing where I think it's it's easy to 194 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:20,480 Speaker 3: forget no one. These candidates are the bench of future leadership. 195 00:09:20,559 --> 00:09:23,240 Speaker 3: So if you want better presidential candidates and better governors, 196 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:25,840 Speaker 3: you need to lact better school board members and state legislators. 197 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:28,680 Speaker 3: But two these are the people who are the most 198 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:33,240 Speaker 3: compelling messengers to their neighbors because they understand what their 199 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:36,319 Speaker 3: folks are facing. They are knocking doors, they're talking to voters, 200 00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:39,600 Speaker 3: and especially for younger voters, and we keep hearing this 201 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:43,960 Speaker 3: in focus groups and in polling. Local candidates can excite 202 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:46,480 Speaker 3: them in a way that the top of the ticket can't. 203 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:49,760 Speaker 3: You have done some buddies have that some research here, 204 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:52,520 Speaker 3: and we did this in twenty twenty as well. Simply 205 00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:55,720 Speaker 3: fielding a state legislative candidate in a district that didn't 206 00:09:55,760 --> 00:10:00,200 Speaker 3: previously have one increases democratic turnout in that district by 207 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:02,480 Speaker 3: anywhere from half a percent to two and a half percent, 208 00:10:02,720 --> 00:10:05,600 Speaker 3: which could be the margin of victory for Biden in 209 00:10:05,679 --> 00:10:07,920 Speaker 3: twenty twenty four. So, if you're thinking about what is 210 00:10:07,960 --> 00:10:11,160 Speaker 3: the best way to help the entire party, the entire 211 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:15,280 Speaker 3: country to get good policy and make good politics and 212 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:18,959 Speaker 3: save democracy, it may be counterintually, but I think actually 213 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:22,760 Speaker 3: pretty intigularly is to support local candidate's running for office. 214 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:27,640 Speaker 1: So interesting and so important So Nevada, there have been 215 00:10:27,679 --> 00:10:30,600 Speaker 1: a number of polls that show that Democrats have a 216 00:10:30,640 --> 00:10:34,040 Speaker 1: weakness with a voting base that they have long counted 217 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:39,440 Speaker 1: on Latino voters and also African American voters, voters of 218 00:10:39,440 --> 00:10:43,240 Speaker 1: color more generally. Do you think that there is an 219 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:46,760 Speaker 1: opportunity and there's been some you know, there's like a 220 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:50,120 Speaker 1: media narrative which says like Democrats have taken these voters 221 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:52,400 Speaker 1: for granted in a certain kind of way. Are you 222 00:10:52,559 --> 00:10:55,520 Speaker 1: seeing And I think the most important thing, and certainly 223 00:10:55,520 --> 00:10:57,920 Speaker 1: when you look at the South is to have people 224 00:10:57,960 --> 00:11:02,760 Speaker 1: of color running things. I know that for women there's 225 00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:06,040 Speaker 1: more of a barrier to entry. Can you talk a 226 00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:08,760 Speaker 1: little bit about that and talk about recruitment efforts and 227 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:11,360 Speaker 1: talk about this because I think it's so. You know, 228 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:14,800 Speaker 1: I look at the senators from Mississippi, and I know 229 00:11:14,920 --> 00:11:18,600 Speaker 1: that Mississippi is a majority minority state, and I look 230 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:21,880 Speaker 1: at their two senators and those are not representative of 231 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:23,240 Speaker 1: the people of Mississippi. 232 00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:26,320 Speaker 3: Yeah, we have seen that recruiting candidates of color is 233 00:11:26,360 --> 00:11:30,640 Speaker 3: incredibly meaningful, especially in places where it's really reflective. We 234 00:11:30,679 --> 00:11:33,280 Speaker 3: saw this Virginia and the state legislature. The new speaker 235 00:11:33,280 --> 00:11:35,520 Speaker 3: of the Virginia State House, which Democrats just flipped, will 236 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:38,760 Speaker 3: be the first black House speaker in the history of Virginia. 237 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:40,679 Speaker 2: That's incredibly meaningful. 238 00:11:40,360 --> 00:11:43,560 Speaker 1: And by the way, insane that it's twenty twenty three 239 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:44,880 Speaker 1: and we're having this conversation. 240 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:48,679 Speaker 3: In particular Virginia, the state legislature it will now be 241 00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:51,800 Speaker 3: about twenty three percent Black leaders. Virginia's Black community is 242 00:11:51,800 --> 00:11:55,160 Speaker 3: about twenty one percent. We are finally starting off reflective leadership. 243 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:58,000 Speaker 3: This is because of the work that organizations like Yes 244 00:11:58,040 --> 00:12:00,439 Speaker 3: New Virginia Majority have been doing. But I'll run for 245 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:02,960 Speaker 3: something that's been working in Virginia since twenty seventeen, and 246 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:05,079 Speaker 3: our slates of candidates each year have been more and 247 00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:08,240 Speaker 3: more reflective of those communities. You know, it makes a 248 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:10,559 Speaker 3: lot of sense if you see a candidate who can 249 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:14,200 Speaker 3: speak authentically to the issues you're feeling, who can communicate 250 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:16,760 Speaker 3: not just like on the topics, but in a way 251 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:19,800 Speaker 3: that makes sense, like isn't forcing, it, isn't full of shit, 252 00:12:20,080 --> 00:12:23,240 Speaker 3: like really you know, just like gets it, just gets it. 253 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:25,679 Speaker 3: That makes a difference in how excited you might feel 254 00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:27,839 Speaker 3: and for what it's worth. Depending on how local they are, 255 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:29,640 Speaker 3: you might know them, you might be part of the 256 00:12:29,679 --> 00:12:32,200 Speaker 3: same circles. The more locally offices you get, the number 257 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:33,920 Speaker 3: of voters you need to reach is much smaller, which 258 00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:35,720 Speaker 3: means it's more likely that like you go to the 259 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:38,280 Speaker 3: same grocery store, you go to the same place of faith, 260 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:40,200 Speaker 3: you go to the same gym, your kids are on 261 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:44,079 Speaker 3: the same like you know, intramural soccer team, shared experiences, 262 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:47,120 Speaker 3: and like shared race or class or gender. Is not 263 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:50,160 Speaker 3: just about representation, and that's certainly important. It's about shared 264 00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:52,120 Speaker 3: lived priorities and the way that it affects governing and 265 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:54,640 Speaker 3: a communication style so important. 266 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:57,640 Speaker 2: And I think that's such a good point. I mean, the. 267 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:01,160 Speaker 1: Whole goal is to have people who would live in 268 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:03,600 Speaker 1: the place represent the place. 269 00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:06,040 Speaker 3: YEH want people who can really reflect the community they're 270 00:13:06,040 --> 00:13:08,520 Speaker 3: trying to serve and are of that community. Like one 271 00:13:08,559 --> 00:13:11,040 Speaker 3: for Something always says, we're not trying to get diversity 272 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:13,920 Speaker 3: for diversity's sake. We're trying to get diversity that reflects 273 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:16,719 Speaker 3: the diversity of the United States. That's important. And a 274 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:19,280 Speaker 3: leader in you know, a school board member in Miami 275 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:22,000 Speaker 3: might have a different kind of background than a municipal 276 00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:25,760 Speaker 3: officer in Ohio. That's okay too. And that's what I 277 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:27,880 Speaker 3: think the Democratic Party so great is that it's a 278 00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:30,400 Speaker 3: really big tent that can include a lot of different 279 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:32,280 Speaker 3: kinds of people. That's what makes it really harsh. 280 00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:37,360 Speaker 1: So when it comes to Virginia like that was a 281 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:43,280 Speaker 1: huge victory for Democrats. I think I was personally quite 282 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:47,239 Speaker 1: anxious about Virginia and the sort of narrative we got 283 00:13:47,559 --> 00:13:51,400 Speaker 1: was that Youngkin was this new kind of Republican, very 284 00:13:51,440 --> 00:13:55,560 Speaker 1: good at appealing to moderates. But that's not really what 285 00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:57,640 Speaker 1: happened on the ground, is it. 286 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:00,400 Speaker 3: No, not at all. As it turns out, people were 287 00:14:00,400 --> 00:14:03,080 Speaker 3: really uninterested in whether a Republican party was selling, in 288 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:05,600 Speaker 3: particular when it comes to an abortion ban, which they 289 00:14:05,679 --> 00:14:08,720 Speaker 3: tried so hard to pretend that wasn't what they were all. 290 00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:12,400 Speaker 3: Virginia Democrats did a really good job of making it 291 00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:15,000 Speaker 3: clear that if you elected a Republican state legislature, you 292 00:14:15,040 --> 00:14:17,720 Speaker 3: were going to get a full ban on abortion. We 293 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:19,760 Speaker 3: also saw this in school board races. We worked with 294 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:23,360 Speaker 3: Madison Irving, who's a football coach like a county outside Richmond, 295 00:14:23,560 --> 00:14:26,560 Speaker 3: who was running against a Mom's for Liberty like type 296 00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:30,400 Speaker 3: candidate who wanted to abolish the public school system basically, 297 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:33,080 Speaker 3: and he said he just wanted to talk to folks 298 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:35,000 Speaker 3: about teaching your pay. You want to talk to about 299 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:37,960 Speaker 3: facilities funding, and every person he met was like, ooof 300 00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:40,200 Speaker 3: thank god, I just want to not have to think 301 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:41,080 Speaker 3: about this so much. 302 00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:42,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean that. 303 00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:46,000 Speaker 1: I think ultimately one of the biggest problems with this 304 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:53,760 Speaker 1: incredible Republican fascism thing that they're into autocracy, whatever makes 305 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:57,840 Speaker 1: you feel the most comfortable is this idea people. 306 00:14:57,680 --> 00:15:02,480 Speaker 2: Don't really want. I mean, they want their government to work, right, 307 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:04,360 Speaker 2: I mean, is that what you're seeing on the ground. 308 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:06,720 Speaker 3: Absolutely, they want their government to work, and they want 309 00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:08,840 Speaker 3: their leaders not to be like fucking weirdos. 310 00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:12,920 Speaker 2: That's my favorite line. 311 00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:17,239 Speaker 3: We under estimate how weird some of the Republican candidates 312 00:15:17,240 --> 00:15:19,640 Speaker 3: have become like embarcas. It's one of the only ways 313 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:22,240 Speaker 3: you can win a Republican primary right now, or can 314 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:24,440 Speaker 3: we even identify as a Republican? And I do have 315 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:27,360 Speaker 3: some amount of empathy for people who are Republican voters 316 00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:30,560 Speaker 3: and feel out of sorts with their party. They feel 317 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:33,760 Speaker 3: a little politically homeless. And also you get what you built. 318 00:15:34,040 --> 00:15:38,480 Speaker 3: Oh no, plants are quite my actions. When you run 319 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:40,760 Speaker 3: good folks who can point out the lunacy on the 320 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:43,840 Speaker 3: other side and can really like tell the story, it 321 00:15:43,880 --> 00:15:44,600 Speaker 3: makes a difference. 322 00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:48,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure, so now this is like a big 323 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:50,120 Speaker 1: election coming up. 324 00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:52,760 Speaker 2: What are you looking at, what is your dream? 325 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:56,480 Speaker 1: What are you excited about, and most importantly, what do 326 00:15:56,480 --> 00:15:57,280 Speaker 1: you need money for? 327 00:15:58,240 --> 00:15:59,880 Speaker 3: Okay, so we are excited about a couple of things. 328 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:01,640 Speaker 3: The one, we are likely to work with over eight 329 00:16:01,720 --> 00:16:05,280 Speaker 3: hundred candidates this year in nearly every state. We've already 330 00:16:05,320 --> 00:16:07,560 Speaker 3: endorsed more than one hundred for twenty twenty four. They're 331 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:10,320 Speaker 3: going to be running for state legislatures and city councils 332 00:16:10,320 --> 00:16:12,760 Speaker 3: and especially school boards as we looked in the next year, 333 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:14,400 Speaker 3: and we want to make sure that we can support 334 00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:16,120 Speaker 3: all of them in all the ways that they need. 335 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:20,120 Speaker 3: We're also doing active recruitment filing builins have already passed 336 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:22,280 Speaker 3: in some states. The work for twenty twenty four started 337 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:25,480 Speaker 3: years ago, but we are still doing recruitment up through 338 00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:27,520 Speaker 3: the and the filing the lines in some places as 339 00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:29,600 Speaker 3: late as June or July. Third thing, we're doing a 340 00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:31,400 Speaker 3: ton of is As I mentioned school board work. We 341 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:33,320 Speaker 3: want to make sure we have the infrastructure we need 342 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:36,440 Speaker 3: to recruit candidates for school board races, only half of 343 00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:39,240 Speaker 3: which happened in November. School Board elections are year round. 344 00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:40,720 Speaker 3: We want to make sure we're everywhere that we need 345 00:16:40,760 --> 00:16:43,040 Speaker 3: to be to stop Nocheberty. Final thing we're doing is 346 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:46,240 Speaker 3: ensuring that our candidates can really knock doors and talk 347 00:16:46,280 --> 00:16:47,720 Speaker 3: to voters in a way that will gin up turn 348 00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:49,600 Speaker 3: out to the top of the ticket. So being really 349 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:53,960 Speaker 3: intentional about why we're helping people. All of that takes money. 350 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:56,040 Speaker 3: And you know, Molly, I've been on the show before, 351 00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:57,600 Speaker 3: We've talked about it before. It has been a really 352 00:16:57,720 --> 00:17:02,560 Speaker 3: rough year for fundraising. I think everyone on the Democratic side, 353 00:17:02,560 --> 00:17:04,760 Speaker 3: at least, you know, the organizations that do this work, 354 00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:07,240 Speaker 3: has seen the same kind of contraction. And I think 355 00:17:07,240 --> 00:17:09,600 Speaker 3: it is really scary going into what is honestly the 356 00:17:09,600 --> 00:17:11,600 Speaker 3: biggest election you're yet knowing that for a lot of 357 00:17:11,600 --> 00:17:13,680 Speaker 3: folks they're gonna have to cut back on their program 358 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:15,840 Speaker 3: when it's never a matter more because donors have not 359 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:18,600 Speaker 3: stepped up in a wait that allows us to comfortably 360 00:17:18,600 --> 00:17:21,280 Speaker 3: do this work. That's really scary for me. It's really 361 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:23,000 Speaker 3: scary for a lot of my peers. It's really scary 362 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:25,040 Speaker 3: for our democracy. I think folks are waiting for it 363 00:17:25,080 --> 00:17:27,320 Speaker 3: to feel real, Like it's hard to imagine that we're 364 00:17:27,359 --> 00:17:30,040 Speaker 3: doing Trump versus Biden redux, but we are and those 365 00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:32,000 Speaker 3: are the stakes. And if you have been waiting to 366 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:35,000 Speaker 3: give to any political cause, to run for something or 367 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:35,720 Speaker 3: anything else, like. 368 00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:36,520 Speaker 2: Do it now, do it now. 369 00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:38,080 Speaker 3: You should have done it six months ago, but do 370 00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:41,040 Speaker 3: it now because people are divining their twenty twenty four 371 00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:44,200 Speaker 3: budgets today if they're not already, and we need to 372 00:17:44,280 --> 00:17:46,480 Speaker 3: know we can count on you so important. 373 00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:50,040 Speaker 2: Thank you so much, Amanda. I hope you'll come back anytime. 374 00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:58,320 Speaker 1: Scared Graf is author of You Have the Inside Story 375 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:02,280 Speaker 1: of the US Government, Served for life here and out there, 376 00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:09,720 Speaker 1: and is a contributor at Wired magazine. Welcome Too Fast Politics, Garrett. 377 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:11,680 Speaker 4: Thank you so much. I'm excited to be here. 378 00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:15,520 Speaker 2: Garrett. Why UFOs discuss. 379 00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:19,960 Speaker 4: I got interested in UFOs because in national security circles 380 00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:23,720 Speaker 4: in Washington I started to hear serious people talking seriously 381 00:18:23,760 --> 00:18:27,200 Speaker 4: about this subject. And for me, there was one particular 382 00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:31,919 Speaker 4: moment that launched me on this book project, which was 383 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:35,680 Speaker 4: John Brennan, as you know, the former CIA director of 384 00:18:35,720 --> 00:18:39,520 Speaker 4: former White Household and security advisor, gave an interview in 385 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:44,280 Speaker 4: December twenty twenty where he said, there are things out 386 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:47,120 Speaker 4: there that we don't know what they are. They puzzle 387 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:52,240 Speaker 4: us and some might think that this phenomenon could constitute 388 00:18:52,240 --> 00:18:55,960 Speaker 4: a new form of life. And it was a really 389 00:18:56,040 --> 00:19:00,719 Speaker 4: remarkable statement to me, because you know, at that point, 390 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:03,119 Speaker 4: this is twenty twenty. John Brennan had just wrapped up 391 00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:06,960 Speaker 4: the better part of a decade atop the US intelligence community, 392 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:10,679 Speaker 4: and I figured, there can't be that many things that 393 00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:14,320 Speaker 4: puzzle John Brennan. Like when he wakes up in the morning, 394 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:18,600 Speaker 4: if he has a question, there's a sixty billion dollar 395 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:21,920 Speaker 4: a year apparatus whose job it is to go out 396 00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:25,000 Speaker 4: and find the answers to his questions. And so if 397 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:29,160 Speaker 4: he was leaving office and he was still puzzled about 398 00:19:29,560 --> 00:19:34,560 Speaker 4: UFOs what the government now calls UAPs unidentified anomalist phenomenon, 399 00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:38,479 Speaker 4: then that was probably a subject worthy of diving into 400 00:19:38,520 --> 00:19:39,080 Speaker 4: for a book. 401 00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:41,919 Speaker 2: So UFO is they're real? 402 00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:46,119 Speaker 4: Well, something is real. I mean UFOs all it stands 403 00:19:46,119 --> 00:19:49,560 Speaker 4: for is unidentified flying objects, and so there are definitely 404 00:19:50,119 --> 00:19:54,080 Speaker 4: unidentified flying objects. What we don't know is whether any 405 00:19:54,119 --> 00:19:59,040 Speaker 4: of them are extraterrestrial in origin, which is what normally 406 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:01,600 Speaker 4: people mean when they ask, you know, our UFOs real, 407 00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:04,679 Speaker 4: they mean sort of our aliens visiting us. Part of 408 00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:08,320 Speaker 4: what this book tried to do was pulled together the 409 00:20:08,359 --> 00:20:13,919 Speaker 4: twin threads of the US military's hunt to understand UFOs 410 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:18,840 Speaker 4: here on Earth, and the evolving astronomy and science around 411 00:20:18,880 --> 00:20:23,840 Speaker 4: our understanding of the universe, and the possibility of what's 412 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:27,600 Speaker 4: known as the search for extraterrestrial intelligence out across the 413 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:30,399 Speaker 4: rest of the universe. And what I think you're left 414 00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:32,119 Speaker 4: with at the end, or at least what I was 415 00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:35,080 Speaker 4: left with when when I finished the book, is that 416 00:20:35,119 --> 00:20:38,399 Speaker 4: the math is very much on the side of the aliens. 417 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:43,120 Speaker 4: That our understanding of the scope and scale and breadth 418 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:46,760 Speaker 4: of the universe in really just the last twenty years 419 00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:53,439 Speaker 4: has revolutionized astronomy that we now understand. You know, as 420 00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:55,640 Speaker 4: late as the nineteen nineties, we didn't know that there 421 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:58,840 Speaker 4: was a single planet outside of our own Solar System, 422 00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:03,840 Speaker 4: and we now understand that effectively every star across the 423 00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:09,160 Speaker 4: universe has has planets, and that many of those will 424 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:13,040 Speaker 4: fall into what's known as the Goldilock zone, the sort 425 00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:18,879 Speaker 4: of range and temperature where water could exist, where atmospheres 426 00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:23,040 Speaker 4: could exist, where oxygen could exist, and that across the 427 00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:26,480 Speaker 4: universe there are probably on the order of about one 428 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:31,920 Speaker 4: sex tillion habitable planets, which is to say a billion 429 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:38,000 Speaker 4: trillion habitable planets, and that you know, statistically most likely 430 00:21:38,119 --> 00:21:42,240 Speaker 4: our universe teams not only with life, but also probably 431 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:45,800 Speaker 4: intelligent life as well. The question is whether any of 432 00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:49,440 Speaker 4: it is close enough to us that we would notice, 433 00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:53,240 Speaker 4: or whether they would notice us, or one of the 434 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:55,639 Speaker 4: most interesting questions to me ends up being would they 435 00:21:55,840 --> 00:21:58,560 Speaker 4: care if they found us at all? Because we have 436 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:04,879 Speaker 4: this like wonderfully human centric view that aliens would bother 437 00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:09,760 Speaker 4: trying to come across the vastness of interstellar space to 438 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:14,080 Speaker 4: visit us, make friends with us, invade us, harvest our 439 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:17,560 Speaker 4: organs for energy, you know, what have you, Whereas it's 440 00:22:17,680 --> 00:22:23,320 Speaker 4: quite likely that an intelligent civilization would view us with 441 00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:27,360 Speaker 4: all of the interest that we view an ant hill 442 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:28,920 Speaker 4: as we walk by on the sidewalk. 443 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:33,280 Speaker 1: So we are too unimportant for aliens to want to 444 00:22:33,320 --> 00:22:34,040 Speaker 1: abduct us. 445 00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:36,800 Speaker 4: That's about where I end up at the end of. 446 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:38,040 Speaker 2: This feels depressing. 447 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:42,200 Speaker 4: Part of what the astronomers have really begun to figure 448 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:44,920 Speaker 4: out is that, you know, we are a remarkably young 449 00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:50,520 Speaker 4: solar system in a pretty ordinary corner of a pretty 450 00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:55,040 Speaker 4: ordinary galaxy, in a pretty old universe, and one of 451 00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:58,760 Speaker 4: the most interesting and profound things that I came across 452 00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:02,919 Speaker 4: in the course of this book, was really realizing that, like, 453 00:23:03,359 --> 00:23:07,320 Speaker 4: we might have missed the intelligent life that we've only 454 00:23:07,359 --> 00:23:11,880 Speaker 4: been around, you know, as humans a few ten thousand years. 455 00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:15,080 Speaker 4: And you know, we're about four and a half billion 456 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:19,320 Speaker 4: year old in our solar system across a fourteen billion 457 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:23,040 Speaker 4: year old universe, and so you could have seen billion 458 00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:27,280 Speaker 4: year civilizations, I mean, things far more advanced than anything 459 00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:30,520 Speaker 4: that we could possibly imagine, that have risen and fallen 460 00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:35,119 Speaker 4: multiple times, long before our Solar system even began to 461 00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:37,120 Speaker 4: gather out of dust in the universe. 462 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:42,239 Speaker 2: What sorry, I mean, what I shouldn't say that. 463 00:23:42,280 --> 00:23:46,719 Speaker 1: But so the senses there are aliens, they're not that 464 00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:49,240 Speaker 1: interested in us because we're too new. 465 00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:52,159 Speaker 4: We're too new, and it's not clear that anyone would 466 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:54,679 Speaker 4: have noticed our existence. I mean, when you begin to 467 00:23:54,800 --> 00:23:59,080 Speaker 4: talk about the vastness of interstellar space, we just haven't 468 00:23:59,119 --> 00:24:03,520 Speaker 4: been to detective for that long. Carl Sagan the famous 469 00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:07,400 Speaker 4: twentieth century astronomer. He was one of the leading proponents 470 00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:10,800 Speaker 4: of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, while also being one 471 00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:15,760 Speaker 4: of the leading skeptics that UFOs were alien visitors here 472 00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:20,960 Speaker 4: on Earth, and his argument wasn't that aliens don't visit Earth. 473 00:24:21,359 --> 00:24:28,119 Speaker 4: His argument was statistically aliens probably only visit Earth every 474 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:33,040 Speaker 4: couple hundred thousand years, and that they treat Earth effectively 475 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:35,400 Speaker 4: as we would treat a rest area on the New 476 00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:39,760 Speaker 4: Jersey Turnpike a stopover on the way from one interesting 477 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:43,160 Speaker 4: place to another. It's not that you know, aliens never 478 00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:46,160 Speaker 4: come here, It's that the thing that you saw out 479 00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:50,600 Speaker 4: your window last Thursday night was unlikely to be the 480 00:24:50,800 --> 00:24:53,840 Speaker 4: day out of the last two hundred thousand years that 481 00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:55,800 Speaker 4: an alien randomly stopped by. 482 00:24:56,200 --> 00:24:58,760 Speaker 2: Okay, so where does this leave us now? 483 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:04,320 Speaker 4: So it leaves with the idea UAPs UFOs are real. 484 00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:08,000 Speaker 4: There's something that we don't understand flying around out there, 485 00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:14,000 Speaker 4: moving through our airspace and our atmosphere. It's probably not aliens, 486 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:16,919 Speaker 4: but that doesn't mean that it's not something really interesting. 487 00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:22,600 Speaker 4: And to me, UFOs probably end up being four different things, 488 00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:25,879 Speaker 4: which are when I talk about this, you know, I'm 489 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:29,000 Speaker 4: drawing a boundary of course around like the UFOs that 490 00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:33,720 Speaker 4: really puzzle the government, because a huge percentage of UFOs 491 00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:38,280 Speaker 4: and UAPs are things that are easily explainable. You know, 492 00:25:38,320 --> 00:25:43,320 Speaker 4: the planet Venus, you know Starlink, satellite launches actually now 493 00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:47,480 Speaker 4: account for a huge percentage of UFO sightings. But of 494 00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:50,679 Speaker 4: the things that puzzle the government, some chunk of it 495 00:25:50,720 --> 00:25:55,959 Speaker 4: is advanced adversary technology being tested against us. These are 496 00:25:56,040 --> 00:26:00,760 Speaker 4: Chinese drone, Russian drones, Iranian drones, things like that, and 497 00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:03,240 Speaker 4: we know that the Pentagon has actually uncovered some of 498 00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:06,480 Speaker 4: these in trying to study UFOs. One of the things 499 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:09,080 Speaker 4: that the Pentagon has come out and said in recent 500 00:26:09,160 --> 00:26:14,439 Speaker 4: years is that through studying UAP sightings, it uncovered the 501 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:20,920 Speaker 4: existence of a here to four unknown Chinese trans medium drone, 502 00:26:21,040 --> 00:26:24,240 Speaker 4: which is to say, a Chinese drone that came out 503 00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:28,320 Speaker 4: of the water and transitioned to flight. The second category 504 00:26:28,359 --> 00:26:31,480 Speaker 4: is what you ended up with in the Chinese spy 505 00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:35,240 Speaker 4: balloon flap in February, which is there's just a bunch 506 00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:37,720 Speaker 4: of weird clutter up in the sky that we don't 507 00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:40,720 Speaker 4: pay attention to on a daily basis. Turns out, if 508 00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:44,280 Speaker 4: you set the Norad radars a little bit differently, they 509 00:26:44,320 --> 00:26:47,920 Speaker 4: begin to detect a lot of what is probably mostly 510 00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:51,000 Speaker 4: trash and junk in the sky. And you know, we 511 00:26:51,119 --> 00:26:54,000 Speaker 4: panicked in February and sent up the world's most advanced 512 00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:57,159 Speaker 4: fighter jet to shoot these things down with quarter million 513 00:26:57,200 --> 00:26:59,560 Speaker 4: dollar missiles. And you know what we got, we literally 514 00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:05,520 Speaker 4: wan of was a weather balloon from the Northern Illinois 515 00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:09,440 Speaker 4: Balloon Brigade Meteorology Club that just sort of no one 516 00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:11,879 Speaker 4: had known was up there because who. 517 00:27:11,800 --> 00:27:12,560 Speaker 2: Cares to travel? 518 00:27:12,680 --> 00:27:16,080 Speaker 4: Right Right, then you get into sort of the weirder categories, 519 00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:19,560 Speaker 4: and I think some chunk of UAPs we're going to 520 00:27:19,600 --> 00:27:25,320 Speaker 4: figure out with advancing science in terms of atmospheric, meteorological 521 00:27:25,359 --> 00:27:28,919 Speaker 4: and astronomical science that we don't yet understand, things like 522 00:27:29,080 --> 00:27:33,359 Speaker 4: ball like plasma, Saint Elmo's fire, things that were pretty 523 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:37,200 Speaker 4: new to the understanding of. And then there's a fourth 524 00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:42,080 Speaker 4: category that to me is probably the weirdest possible stuff. 525 00:27:42,359 --> 00:27:44,679 Speaker 4: And this is an area where I think we just 526 00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:49,399 Speaker 4: need to be really humble about how little of the 527 00:27:49,600 --> 00:27:52,399 Speaker 4: universe around us and the world around us that we 528 00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:55,680 Speaker 4: actually understand. You know, the world is probably just much 529 00:27:55,800 --> 00:27:58,760 Speaker 4: weirder than we give it credit for. And this is 530 00:27:58,800 --> 00:28:02,520 Speaker 4: going to be a category of basically physics that we 531 00:28:02,560 --> 00:28:05,919 Speaker 4: don't yet understand. We like to think that we have 532 00:28:06,160 --> 00:28:09,040 Speaker 4: mastered the world, mastered the understanding of the world, but 533 00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:12,920 Speaker 4: Harvard Astronomy Chair Avi Lobe who's one of the big 534 00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:15,840 Speaker 4: proponents of SETI work these days. You know, he talks 535 00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:20,320 Speaker 4: about how in January the world's oldest woman died. She 536 00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:23,000 Speaker 4: was a French nun, she was one hundred and eighteen 537 00:28:23,080 --> 00:28:28,719 Speaker 4: years old, and in her lifetime, humans learned everything that 538 00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:34,360 Speaker 4: we know about relativity and quantum physics. So imagine what 539 00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:39,240 Speaker 4: we will learn in another human lifetime of physics, you know, 540 00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:41,520 Speaker 4: imagine what we might learn in five hundred years or 541 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:44,560 Speaker 4: a thousand years or ten thousand years of humanity lasts 542 00:28:44,600 --> 00:28:47,840 Speaker 4: that long. And that this could be like really really 543 00:28:47,920 --> 00:28:54,440 Speaker 4: weird stuff. I mean, this could be interdimensional travel, parallel dimensions, 544 00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:58,960 Speaker 4: time travel from the past, or future wormholes, I mean, 545 00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:02,640 Speaker 4: science and phys that just would bend our mind. But 546 00:29:03,320 --> 00:29:05,480 Speaker 4: I think that we have to be open to the 547 00:29:05,520 --> 00:29:09,400 Speaker 4: possibility that there's going to be some really really weird 548 00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:13,640 Speaker 4: answers to UFOs and UAPs, and it's stuff that we 549 00:29:13,760 --> 00:29:16,880 Speaker 4: might not figure out in any of our lifetimes. 550 00:29:17,200 --> 00:29:21,880 Speaker 1: So in July there was a hearing and the House 551 00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:27,200 Speaker 1: Oversight Hell the subcommittee hearing on UFOs, and they and 552 00:29:27,280 --> 00:29:30,760 Speaker 1: sort of this supposition here was that the government knows more. 553 00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:33,400 Speaker 2: Than they are telling us. Is that true? 554 00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:36,960 Speaker 4: Yes, and no. The government certainly is covering up some 555 00:29:37,280 --> 00:29:42,320 Speaker 4: large percentage of its own knowledge about UFOs and UAPs. 556 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:45,200 Speaker 4: Some of that is because some of these sightings are 557 00:29:45,240 --> 00:29:49,920 Speaker 4: surely the government's own secret projects, our own secret planes, 558 00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:54,440 Speaker 4: secret drones, secret spacecraft, and some chunk of it is 559 00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:58,080 Speaker 4: adversary technology, as I mentioned. And so this is, you know, 560 00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:01,800 Speaker 4: where the government gets really squirrel talking about what its 561 00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:06,240 Speaker 4: sensor networks pick up and what it uncovers and detects 562 00:30:06,280 --> 00:30:09,400 Speaker 4: that we don't know about. Whether the government is covering 563 00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:13,960 Speaker 4: up meaningful knowledge, I'm a lot more dubious. I've covered 564 00:30:14,040 --> 00:30:17,480 Speaker 4: national security for twenty years. The challenge that I have 565 00:30:17,600 --> 00:30:20,760 Speaker 4: with a lot of government conspiracy theories is that they 566 00:30:20,840 --> 00:30:26,800 Speaker 4: presuppose a level of competence, forethought, and planning that you 567 00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:29,720 Speaker 4: don't really see on display in the rest of the 568 00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:35,640 Speaker 4: work that the government does day to day. Yes, continue, 569 00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:38,480 Speaker 4: Do I believe that the government could be covering up, 570 00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:42,480 Speaker 4: you know, some unknown technologies that it's recovered, Yes, I do. 571 00:30:42,760 --> 00:30:44,840 Speaker 4: Is it possible that there are people who work on 572 00:30:44,880 --> 00:30:49,040 Speaker 4: that team who think that that technology is extraterrestrial? Maybe? 573 00:30:49,280 --> 00:30:52,239 Speaker 4: Do I think that the government has concluded that at 574 00:30:52,320 --> 00:30:56,560 Speaker 4: any sort of official level, probably not. And you know, 575 00:30:56,680 --> 00:30:59,080 Speaker 4: one of the things that you saw the sort of 576 00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:02,440 Speaker 4: so called you faux whistleblower say in that summer house 577 00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:06,280 Speaker 4: hearing is that the government has been engaged in a 578 00:31:06,880 --> 00:31:12,360 Speaker 4: cover up of crashed alien spacecraft and bodies that stretches 579 00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:16,560 Speaker 4: back ninety years and dates back to fascist Italy. Area 580 00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:20,840 Speaker 4: fifty seven, Area fifty one. Yes, yep, Area fifty one. Sorry, 581 00:31:21,080 --> 00:31:24,400 Speaker 4: unless you know something particular about Area fifty seven, it's 582 00:31:24,440 --> 00:31:25,920 Speaker 4: even more secret. 583 00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:28,680 Speaker 2: Right, there are six more areas that no one knows about. 584 00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:31,120 Speaker 4: Yes, but you know, the idea that to me that 585 00:31:31,160 --> 00:31:34,960 Speaker 4: the government is covering up the biggest possible secret. I mean, 586 00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:39,680 Speaker 4: it's hard to imagine something that would be more profound 587 00:31:39,880 --> 00:31:45,640 Speaker 4: than the idea that the US government is hiding intelligent 588 00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:48,600 Speaker 4: life elsewhere in the universe, and that they've done it 589 00:31:48,640 --> 00:31:53,720 Speaker 4: successfully for decades. Seems pretty far fetched to me, just 590 00:31:53,800 --> 00:31:57,480 Speaker 4: on a pure logistical level, I mean, just talking about, 591 00:31:57,720 --> 00:32:00,600 Speaker 4: you know, the ability of the government to keep secret 592 00:32:00,640 --> 00:32:01,320 Speaker 4: for that long. 593 00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:04,960 Speaker 1: Will you explain to us that whistle blower and a 594 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:06,600 Speaker 1: little bit sort of a backstory. 595 00:32:06,760 --> 00:32:10,280 Speaker 4: Yeah, this is a career intelligence officer named David Grush 596 00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:15,640 Speaker 4: who came out this spring with a variety of claims 597 00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:22,440 Speaker 4: that the US government has a secret UFO crash retrieval 598 00:32:22,520 --> 00:32:29,160 Speaker 4: program that has recovered alien spacecraft and alien bodies. What 599 00:32:29,320 --> 00:32:32,320 Speaker 4: he said in the House hearing, he referred to as 600 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:36,800 Speaker 4: non human biologics was the phrase that he used. And 601 00:32:37,320 --> 00:32:43,760 Speaker 4: he has spoken to the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community. 602 00:32:44,400 --> 00:32:48,720 Speaker 4: He's testified in closed door and open hearings to Congress, 603 00:32:48,760 --> 00:32:52,880 Speaker 4: he's given a variety of media interviews, and to me, 604 00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:58,880 Speaker 4: much of what he says and claims is consistent with 605 00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:02,920 Speaker 4: what we have seen in a variety of so called 606 00:33:02,920 --> 00:33:09,720 Speaker 4: whistleblowers since the nineteen eighties that are what ufologists call 607 00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:14,800 Speaker 4: foth tales, not folk tales, but foth tales, friend of 608 00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:19,320 Speaker 4: a friend tales, which may is sort of second hand. 609 00:33:19,840 --> 00:33:22,560 Speaker 4: You know, I talked to a guy and he told 610 00:33:22,600 --> 00:33:26,720 Speaker 4: me that he worked on this program, or I met 611 00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:31,000 Speaker 4: someone who had seen these crafts, or you know, saw 612 00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:33,880 Speaker 4: a guy in a bar and he said that he had, 613 00:33:34,040 --> 00:33:37,320 Speaker 4: you know, worked on these alien bodies. And that what 614 00:33:37,360 --> 00:33:41,520 Speaker 4: we have not seen come forward from Grush or really 615 00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:47,840 Speaker 4: anyone else is what I would call hard documentary evidence 616 00:33:48,360 --> 00:33:54,800 Speaker 4: that is able to be substantiated by outside sources. Or 617 00:33:54,960 --> 00:33:58,840 Speaker 4: you know, secondary investigation, so you know that's that would 618 00:33:58,880 --> 00:34:04,520 Speaker 4: be you know, documents, memos, power points. Grush says that 619 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:09,720 Speaker 4: he has given in classified settings, you know, specific locations 620 00:34:10,160 --> 00:34:13,560 Speaker 4: of where these programs are being run. But there is 621 00:34:13,640 --> 00:34:19,600 Speaker 4: a Pentagon office that is newly charged with basically running 622 00:34:19,640 --> 00:34:23,560 Speaker 4: down the truths about the Pentagon's own UFO knowledge. This 623 00:34:23,719 --> 00:34:28,400 Speaker 4: is an office that's called Arrow and has been created 624 00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:31,759 Speaker 4: by Congress because Congress is wondering whether it's getting the 625 00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:33,320 Speaker 4: full truth about UFOs. 626 00:34:33,680 --> 00:34:35,080 Speaker 2: This guy got debunked. 627 00:34:35,320 --> 00:34:36,920 Speaker 4: I don't think we can say one way or another 628 00:34:37,160 --> 00:34:40,320 Speaker 4: whether he's been debunked. I think that we don't yet 629 00:34:40,360 --> 00:34:43,360 Speaker 4: have the evidence that would allow us to make a 630 00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:46,719 Speaker 4: real judgment about whether his claims are true. And I 631 00:34:46,760 --> 00:34:50,799 Speaker 4: think that, as I said, there are logistical and historical 632 00:34:50,920 --> 00:34:55,280 Speaker 4: reasons to be doubtful about at least parts of his claims. 633 00:34:55,320 --> 00:34:59,280 Speaker 2: So interesting. Thank you, thank you, Garrett, my pleasure. 634 00:34:59,320 --> 00:34:59,960 Speaker 4: Thanks for Jenning. 635 00:35:01,480 --> 00:35:04,839 Speaker 1: That's it for this episode of Fast Politics. Tune in 636 00:35:04,880 --> 00:35:08,120 Speaker 1: every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to hear the best minds 637 00:35:08,120 --> 00:35:11,320 Speaker 1: in politics makes sense of all this chaos. If you 638 00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:14,120 Speaker 1: enjoyed what you've heard, please send it to a friend. 639 00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:17,760 Speaker 1: And keep the conversation going. And again thanks for listening.