WEBVTT - Power to the People 0:00:11.760 --> 0:00:14.920 Good morning, peepsend Welcome to OOKF Daily with me your 0:00:14.960 --> 0:00:19.079 girl Danielle Moody recording from the home Bunker. The first, folks, 0:00:19.160 --> 0:00:23.639 I want to start off today mentioning something that I 0:00:23.760 --> 0:00:27.760 actually did not really cover in depth last week at all, 0:00:28.600 --> 0:00:33.600 which is President Biden joining the picket line of the 0:00:33.720 --> 0:00:39.040 UAW in Michigan and the media's false equivalency that they 0:00:39.080 --> 0:00:42.160 were running with Donald Trump going to some auto body 0:00:42.280 --> 0:00:46.320 shop filled with people who were not actual auto workers 0:00:46.840 --> 0:00:49.920 in an attempt to do what he does really well, 0:00:50.000 --> 0:00:53.960 which is take away media attention and create a false equivalency. 0:00:55.240 --> 0:00:58.000 The fact that a sitting president of the United States 0:00:58.080 --> 0:01:01.840 stood with union workers and told them that they deserve 0:01:01.960 --> 0:01:08.720 their fair share after his administration, the Obama administration bailed 0:01:08.760 --> 0:01:13.280 out right the auto industry, right, our tax dollars bailed 0:01:13.319 --> 0:01:17.119 those motherfuckers out that now a decade later, they are 0:01:17.160 --> 0:01:21.280 making record profits and yet fail to pay their workers. 0:01:21.760 --> 0:01:26.880 And so what I want to make people aware of 0:01:27.319 --> 0:01:31.680 is that we are living at a time when workers 0:01:32.720 --> 0:01:37.720 actually have the power and recognize their power, regardless of 0:01:37.800 --> 0:01:42.040 the billionaires that are doing interviews and saying things to 0:01:42.080 --> 0:01:45.760 the effect of, well, we need unemployment to be at 0:01:45.760 --> 0:01:48.400 fifty percent so that they feel the pain and they 0:01:48.440 --> 0:01:52.080 remember who's in charge. Those are words that come out 0:01:52.120 --> 0:01:54.600 of the mouths of people who think that they are 0:01:55.040 --> 0:02:01.240 literally masters right, commanding their plantation, and not seeeos who 0:02:01.440 --> 0:02:05.920 are afforded the lifestyle that they've become accustomed to because 0:02:05.960 --> 0:02:09.600 of the people that they employ. That this idea of 0:02:09.639 --> 0:02:15.800 a trickle down has never has never happened, never, not 0:02:15.919 --> 0:02:19.040 one fucking time. There is no trickle down because when 0:02:19.040 --> 0:02:21.640 the money goes to the top, guess where it is 0:02:21.760 --> 0:02:25.200 forwarded at the fucking top. And then the attitude of 0:02:25.240 --> 0:02:29.679 those people and their callousness is like let them eat cake. Right, 0:02:30.320 --> 0:02:34.920 So the fact that Joe Biden would show up and 0:02:35.040 --> 0:02:41.920 support workers and support unions should show a stark contrast 0:02:42.240 --> 0:02:46.200 to the Republican Party that is about greed and is 0:02:46.320 --> 0:02:51.760 about cruelty. That is it. There is no large distinction 0:02:51.919 --> 0:02:54.919 between oh well, Republicans and Democrats. They do the same thing. 0:02:55.000 --> 0:03:00.520 They fucking don't, right, And Donald Trump's fraudulent you know, 0:03:00.919 --> 0:03:06.080 misstep that was uncovered by the Detroit News just shows 0:03:06.120 --> 0:03:10.040 you who the Republican Party is. They lie, and they 0:03:10.120 --> 0:03:12.880 cheat and they steal in order to make you believe 0:03:13.760 --> 0:03:18.560 that they give a shit, right, and they don't. Everything 0:03:18.600 --> 0:03:23.480 that they do is like play acting, and so it 0:03:23.560 --> 0:03:26.320 is important for us to make the distinction that when 0:03:26.320 --> 0:03:30.919 we see true acts of leadership, like what Joe Biden 0:03:31.040 --> 0:03:34.480 showed us last week, that those are the things that 0:03:34.520 --> 0:03:37.320 we should be holding on to. I don't give a 0:03:37.360 --> 0:03:41.120 fuck how old Joe Biden is. What matters to me 0:03:41.320 --> 0:03:44.080 is that he has dedicated his life to public service 0:03:44.480 --> 0:03:50.280 and that he has exceeded my expectations as being President 0:03:50.320 --> 0:03:53.320 of the United States during one of our most fractious 0:03:53.400 --> 0:04:00.600 times that this country has seen in fifty years. And 0:04:00.680 --> 0:04:04.640 so I don't care if Joe Biden is eighty, because 0:04:04.640 --> 0:04:07.480 what I do know is that he's not a criminal. 0:04:07.840 --> 0:04:10.800 What I do know is that he's not cruel. What 0:04:10.840 --> 0:04:13.160 I do know is that he's not a bigot. What 0:04:13.240 --> 0:04:17.359 I do know is that he's not a liar. And 0:04:17.440 --> 0:04:20.119 those are the qualities that we should be looking for 0:04:20.640 --> 0:04:25.960 in anyone that is going to lead this country. Everything 0:04:26.000 --> 0:04:32.200 else is fluff and bullshit. This isn't a horse race 0:04:32.800 --> 0:04:36.880 that we are watching. We are not betting, because if 0:04:37.920 --> 0:04:41.400 Trump were to win, or any Republican were to win, 0:04:41.680 --> 0:04:47.320 the American people and the world loses. The stakes are 0:04:47.360 --> 0:04:50.520 too high for the kind of bullshit that we are 0:04:50.520 --> 0:04:56.960 continuing to see in corporate media. Coming up next, dear friends, 0:04:57.960 --> 0:05:06.120 my conversation with Chris Scott, who is leading a really 0:05:06.279 --> 0:05:14.840 important organization which is the Advance the Electorate Pack. And 0:05:15.240 --> 0:05:18.400 this is what this pack is doing, Political Action Committee. 0:05:18.880 --> 0:05:23.440 They are working to build a more inclusive democracy by recruiting, training, 0:05:23.480 --> 0:05:28.920 and electing the next generation of progressive Democratic candidates and operatives. 0:05:29.680 --> 0:05:33.440 And the pack's focus, folks, this is why this is interesting, 0:05:34.360 --> 0:05:38.760 is that their focus is on statewide judicial and legislative races. 0:05:39.320 --> 0:05:41.440 For too long, I have said on this show and 0:05:41.520 --> 0:05:45.839 so many others that Democrats focus solely on the presidency, 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:49.159 or they focus solely on Congress. And what we have 0:05:49.279 --> 0:05:52.160 seen over the past years is just how much power 0:05:52.440 --> 0:05:57.040 the states actually have and how much power the judiciary has. 0:05:57.360 --> 0:06:03.760 And so by focusing right the electoral measures on these places, 0:06:04.120 --> 0:06:09.320 we can ensure right that progress isn't just about who 0:06:09.360 --> 0:06:11.920 is inside of the White House or who is in 0:06:11.960 --> 0:06:16.720 the Congress or the Senate, but who is sitting on 0:06:16.760 --> 0:06:19.919 the bench and who is running for local office in 0:06:20.000 --> 0:06:24.320 statewide office, because that matters. So coming up next my 0:06:24.480 --> 0:06:31.640 conversation with Chris Scott. Folks, I am very happy to 0:06:31.880 --> 0:06:38.320 welcome to Woke a f daily Chris Scott, who is 0:06:38.360 --> 0:06:42.480 in charge of they head of a new progressive Democratic 0:06:42.600 --> 0:06:50.320 pack entitled Advance the Electorate. And Christopher, you are working 0:06:50.480 --> 0:06:53.960 on what many have talked about and referred to as 0:06:54.040 --> 0:06:57.839 the new American Majority right and getting the new American 0:06:57.960 --> 0:07:03.240 majority to have a stake in the shift in our 0:07:03.279 --> 0:07:06.760 shifting electorate, particularly at a time when we are seeing 0:07:07.800 --> 0:07:11.800 Republican forces try and rewrite will not try they have 0:07:11.880 --> 0:07:18.120 rewritten our judiciary that they have essentially tried to overturn 0:07:19.360 --> 0:07:23.360 free and fair elections. And your pack, this pack is 0:07:23.400 --> 0:07:28.520 specifically focused on statewide judicial and legislative races. Give us 0:07:28.760 --> 0:07:32.160 the reason behind this and just bring us up to 0:07:32.240 --> 0:07:35.600 speed on what it is folks need to understand about 0:07:35.600 --> 0:07:39.600 the work that Advanced the Electorate pack is doing well. 0:07:39.360 --> 0:07:41.840 I think, for one, and thank you for having me 0:07:41.880 --> 0:07:45.280 on today, Danielle. I think for one, when me and 0:07:45.400 --> 0:07:51.000 Christine created a pack, it was with the idea of 0:07:51.560 --> 0:07:53.560 a lot of the work that needs to be done 0:07:53.600 --> 0:07:55.960 to defend our depocrasy starts. 0:07:55.680 --> 0:07:58.120 At the state level. In the first place, I think 0:07:58.160 --> 0:07:59.240 when you look at what. 0:07:59.280 --> 0:08:03.720 Republicans have gone and done and always been ahead of 0:08:03.760 --> 0:08:07.000 the curve with us, it's with those judicial races, which 0:08:07.040 --> 0:08:10.080 is how they've now stacked the Supreme Court because they 0:08:10.240 --> 0:08:13.120 intentionally focused on building and bench. And then when you 0:08:13.160 --> 0:08:17.120 look at the state legislatures, you look at you know, 0:08:17.200 --> 0:08:21.600 where abortion rights, where voting rights are getting attacked. They're 0:08:21.600 --> 0:08:26.320 getting attacked in state legislatures, which is something that typically 0:08:27.040 --> 0:08:30.720 a lot of packs focus on just the congressional and 0:08:30.800 --> 0:08:34.600 as Democrats, we get decimated sometimes, especially in the South, 0:08:35.240 --> 0:08:38.280 when it comes to those state legislative races. And so 0:08:39.240 --> 0:08:43.960 both me and Christine have an extensive experience and winning 0:08:44.000 --> 0:08:47.880 those type of races. But they're also the races that 0:08:47.920 --> 0:08:50.559 we know are going to be the most important if 0:08:50.600 --> 0:08:53.959 we're actually going to be able to progress our democracy 0:08:54.000 --> 0:08:56.960 the way that America should be progressing at this point 0:08:56.960 --> 0:08:57.720 in its history. 0:08:58.280 --> 0:09:02.280 You know now, for we know that for decades, right 0:09:02.360 --> 0:09:05.960 the Republican Party has understood the importance of the judiciary. 0:09:07.040 --> 0:09:10.320 Just you know, this week there is reporting once again 0:09:10.320 --> 0:09:14.920 out of Politico about uh my favorite evil villain, UH 0:09:15.040 --> 0:09:18.559 Leonard Leo uh and the federal and the Federalist Society 0:09:18.840 --> 0:09:23.400 UH and his work with Supreme Court Justice's wife Ginny Thomas, 0:09:23.400 --> 0:09:28.080 Clarence Thomas's wife UH in order to essentially turn America 0:09:28.200 --> 0:09:31.200 into their Christo fascist Disneyland. This is what I refer 0:09:31.320 --> 0:09:36.960 to it as. And so the means that they have right, 0:09:37.040 --> 0:09:40.560 the Federalist Society is backed by billions of dollars. They 0:09:40.600 --> 0:09:46.120 have billion dollar benefactors, multiple Harlan Crowe being only one 0:09:46.160 --> 0:09:48.840 of them, my other favorite super villain on the on 0:09:48.880 --> 0:09:53.280 the right, only one of them. Talk to me about 0:09:53.760 --> 0:09:58.839 the kind of resources that your initiative and this initiative 0:09:58.920 --> 0:10:02.080 in general to try and come back, because this is 0:10:02.160 --> 0:10:07.280 not just a informational campaign. You're talking about working against 0:10:07.840 --> 0:10:13.080 multi billion dollar machines that have been in place for decades. 0:10:13.920 --> 0:10:17.760 Well, again, we were very intentional in how we even 0:10:17.840 --> 0:10:20.199 formed this pack in the first place. So we are 0:10:20.400 --> 0:10:24.240 a hybrid pack, which means immediately out the gate, we can. 0:10:24.120 --> 0:10:28.600 Both endorse and we can play with our superpack as well. 0:10:28.880 --> 0:10:35.000 When you talk about judicial and legislative races oftentime, Republicans 0:10:35.080 --> 0:10:36.880 have enormous superpacks to. 0:10:36.920 --> 0:10:37.920 Fund these races. 0:10:38.080 --> 0:10:42.360 Oftentimes Democrats do not invest the same I think every 0:10:42.360 --> 0:10:44.320 now and then you get a race like we had 0:10:44.400 --> 0:10:45.320 in Wisconsin. 0:10:46.120 --> 0:10:46.920 Are weer this here? 0:10:47.040 --> 0:10:50.400 But oftentimes that's not the case. Then when you talk 0:10:50.440 --> 0:10:53.439 about if it's a candidate of color that is running 0:10:53.480 --> 0:10:57.160 for one of these races, how much less money is 0:10:57.320 --> 0:11:00.640 invested to them, even on the hearts side of what 0:11:00.760 --> 0:11:08.480 their campaign can receive directly, it's just it's outrageous, but 0:11:08.720 --> 0:11:11.520 it's not surprising at this point. So again, for us, 0:11:11.760 --> 0:11:14.679 we have to be very intentional. We want to be authentic. 0:11:14.800 --> 0:11:18.600 We want to create something that feels and looks different 0:11:18.640 --> 0:11:22.200 than politics as usual, because you know, the run and 0:11:22.200 --> 0:11:25.400 the male line and the Democratic Party is oftentimes you 0:11:25.440 --> 0:11:28.760 want to engage black and brown and young voters two 0:11:28.920 --> 0:11:33.079 three months out from the election when you need to vote. 0:11:33.120 --> 0:11:33.880 But this work. 0:11:33.960 --> 0:11:37.839 If you really want to change the trajectory that we're going, 0:11:38.080 --> 0:11:41.080 you have to do that work all year round, and 0:11:41.120 --> 0:11:44.520 you have to invest not just in the voters, but 0:11:44.640 --> 0:11:47.160 be willing to invest in the candidates that look like 0:11:47.240 --> 0:11:48.320 the base of your party. 0:11:51.440 --> 0:11:55.560 What do you think is the biggest misconception that voters 0:11:55.640 --> 0:11:59.480 have about the judiciary, about what it is that they 0:11:59.520 --> 0:12:02.040 need to under stand and where their power lies. Right, 0:12:02.080 --> 0:12:04.840 Because you know. Again, I take case in point as 0:12:04.880 --> 0:12:08.880 to what is happening in Florida right with the governor's 0:12:08.880 --> 0:12:12.760 ability to just up and move a district attorney because 0:12:13.040 --> 0:12:15.079 he doesn't like them because they are a Democrat, a 0:12:15.160 --> 0:12:18.760 duly elected district attorney. You see that with the changes 0:12:18.760 --> 0:12:23.680 that were made in the Georgia Legislator, with a bill 0:12:23.720 --> 0:12:27.240 that was just signed by Governor Brian Kemp that also 0:12:27.320 --> 0:12:31.120 gave Republicans the ability in their supermajority to remove a 0:12:31.160 --> 0:12:33.640 district attorney. Now he has come out and said that, oh, 0:12:33.640 --> 0:12:35.480 this isn't about Fani and we're not going to remove 0:12:35.520 --> 0:12:38.560 her because of the case against Donald Trump and his 0:12:39.200 --> 0:12:42.240 eighteen other co defendants in the Rico case there. But 0:12:42.720 --> 0:12:46.120 talk to me about the misconception that voters have in 0:12:46.200 --> 0:12:50.400 terms of their power, and then how you can use 0:12:51.000 --> 0:12:53.520 the cases that I've just mentioned, these issues that I've 0:12:53.600 --> 0:12:55.960 just mentioned that people are now starting to connect the 0:12:56.000 --> 0:12:58.360 dots like, wait a minute, I voted for this person 0:12:58.480 --> 0:13:00.960 and now they can be boots it out and I 0:13:01.040 --> 0:13:04.480 got no say it though, and there's no recourse. So 0:13:04.640 --> 0:13:05.240 speak on that. 0:13:05.679 --> 0:13:08.240 Well, I want to start with I'm not sure if I. 0:13:08.240 --> 0:13:12.320 Would even call it a misconception as to I think 0:13:12.320 --> 0:13:14.880 a lot of people just aren't educating and they're not 0:13:15.120 --> 0:13:18.719 knowledgeable about it. I think for years in our politics 0:13:19.280 --> 0:13:24.080 and intentionally done course, especially from a Republican, we like 0:13:24.200 --> 0:13:28.560 to see electorate overall, our Republicans like to see an 0:13:28.760 --> 0:13:32.040 uneducated electorate. And so if you don't even know how 0:13:32.080 --> 0:13:35.480 that position could possibly impact you until it's too late, 0:13:35.800 --> 0:13:38.640 you can't really do anything to stop it. And so 0:13:38.840 --> 0:13:42.120 in the case of judicial races, I don't think people 0:13:42.160 --> 0:13:46.360 were really paying attention. You know, everybody knows the Supreme Court, 0:13:46.920 --> 0:13:49.880 but when you really start looking again over the last 0:13:49.880 --> 0:13:52.880 two years and people are waking up to see, oh 0:13:52.920 --> 0:13:56.080 my god, my rights are being taken away. And you know, 0:13:56.400 --> 0:13:59.480 I thought my congress member fought for this, and I 0:13:59.480 --> 0:14:01.959 thought this as a congressional bill. Why is the state 0:14:02.000 --> 0:14:04.360 able to rekill this right? Or why can the court 0:14:05.160 --> 0:14:08.760 say that we're not going to enforce the fact that 0:14:08.840 --> 0:14:11.040 we should have fair districts in the state. I mean, 0:14:11.080 --> 0:14:14.120 you look at Ohio and North Carolina right now, what 0:14:14.200 --> 0:14:19.680 Republicans have done there with redistrict and essentially telling the court, hey, 0:14:20.240 --> 0:14:23.080 we're not actually going to redraw these maps. And why 0:14:23.200 --> 0:14:26.000 because both of those states have court seats that are 0:14:26.080 --> 0:14:28.280 up in twenty twenty four that they're hoping to win, 0:14:28.560 --> 0:14:30.720 so then they don't actually have to do the thing 0:14:30.800 --> 0:14:32.720 that they're constitutionally bound to do. 0:14:33.720 --> 0:14:37.360 I mean, you know, like one, Christopher, you do in 0:14:37.400 --> 0:14:41.880 the Lord's work here right, like because you know it 0:14:41.960 --> 0:14:46.320 is it is you right inside of this organization trying 0:14:46.360 --> 0:14:51.760 to work inside of the rule of law right and 0:14:52.400 --> 0:14:57.120 prepare and educate a constituency that has been purposefully lied 0:14:57.160 --> 0:15:01.680 to right and made to feel powerless. Yes at a 0:15:01.760 --> 0:15:04.800 time when their power and their vote is more important 0:15:04.800 --> 0:15:08.840 than ever. And so it's like, just speak, you speak 0:15:08.920 --> 0:15:13.640 to us about the the I guess the weight of 0:15:13.760 --> 0:15:17.640 what it is that you're combating against. Because the people, 0:15:17.760 --> 0:15:23.480 the opposition that we're talking about, they're pressing our constitution 0:15:24.320 --> 0:15:28.920 right to its breaking point. And it's it's kind of 0:15:28.960 --> 0:15:31.680 hard to continue to be on the up and up 0:15:31.720 --> 0:15:34.520 and follow the rules when the other side is like, 0:15:34.600 --> 0:15:36.000 what rules are you referring to? 0:15:37.600 --> 0:15:42.080 Well, I think, for one, from the outset me and Christine, 0:15:42.120 --> 0:15:45.840 this has really been our lifeblood work and our careers 0:15:45.960 --> 0:15:48.760 up to this point. I think from all the work 0:15:48.880 --> 0:15:54.840 she's done and electoral politics dedicated towards the Latino community. 0:15:55.760 --> 0:16:03.200 My history working unapologetically for black organizations and younger organizations. 0:16:03.240 --> 0:16:07.120 I think you have to be very intentional. You have 0:16:07.240 --> 0:16:10.960 to be very sturdy at this time. And it's the 0:16:11.040 --> 0:16:15.600 thing of when we created this is for the fact 0:16:15.640 --> 0:16:20.240 that this work always needs to be done. But oftentimes 0:16:20.280 --> 0:16:22.520 when it comes to funding this work, this is the 0:16:22.560 --> 0:16:26.280 first thing that gets cut from any type of national pack. 0:16:26.360 --> 0:16:30.400 It's the first thing that often gets underfunded at a 0:16:30.400 --> 0:16:33.640 state party as well. And so for us, we know 0:16:33.800 --> 0:16:38.240 it's a huge task, but also somebody still has. 0:16:38.080 --> 0:16:40.840 To do it. We are not getting a better place. 0:16:41.040 --> 0:16:46.760 We see Republicans more progressively after black men, after Latino men. 0:16:47.600 --> 0:16:50.680 We have to And I keep saying the word intentional, 0:16:50.840 --> 0:16:54.760 but I cannot stress enough. I think Democrats too often 0:16:54.920 --> 0:16:59.160 aren't intentional with our work. And I think particularly for 0:16:59.440 --> 0:17:03.360 progressive especially in the grassroots. 0:17:02.760 --> 0:17:05.800 We've always been very intentional on how we plan. 0:17:06.359 --> 0:17:08.960 I think it goes back to even old bombing campaign 0:17:09.400 --> 0:17:14.439 days when you saw how organizing revolutionized politics. 0:17:14.480 --> 0:17:18.440 So definitely immense, right, but it has to be done. 0:17:18.320 --> 0:17:21.240 And it's everything that I've given up in my career 0:17:21.320 --> 0:17:25.919 up to this point in the first place, do. 0:17:25.840 --> 0:17:31.560 You think you know that people are more conscious to 0:17:32.520 --> 0:17:38.280 and woke to the ways that this Republican Party is 0:17:38.480 --> 0:17:43.280 trying to dissuade their power and trying to abuse the 0:17:43.359 --> 0:17:48.199 judicial system. Because I asked this because you know, we 0:17:48.520 --> 0:17:52.600 just a couple of what is it last month celebrated 0:17:52.840 --> 0:17:56.400 or acknowledged the sixty year anniversary of the March on Washington, Right, 0:17:56.960 --> 0:18:01.520 And we know that if you're really truly thinking about 0:18:01.520 --> 0:18:04.720 what it means to live inside of a democratic society, 0:18:05.160 --> 0:18:08.680 America has only been a democracy for the last sixty years, right, 0:18:09.000 --> 0:18:12.520 Like that, that's very real. We don't say that enough. Right, 0:18:12.600 --> 0:18:14.600 the mainstream definitely doesn't say it. He talks to, Oh, 0:18:14.680 --> 0:18:17.240 America's been this great democracy. We're about to celebrate two 0:18:17.320 --> 0:18:19.000 hundred and fifty years. And I'm like, first of all, 0:18:19.040 --> 0:18:21.720 we may not make it. And second, the two hundred 0:18:21.720 --> 0:18:25.560 and fifty years for who? And so when we think 0:18:25.600 --> 0:18:30.440 about the last sixty years and really understand that it 0:18:30.600 --> 0:18:35.160 was not just the vote that got you know, Black 0:18:35.200 --> 0:18:40.679 Americans their rights as citizens of this country, that it 0:18:41.000 --> 0:18:44.359 was the judiciary system. When we're looking at the integration 0:18:44.440 --> 0:18:47.640 of schools, when we're looking at the voting Rights Bill. 0:18:47.680 --> 0:18:49.600 When we're looking at all of these things, it went 0:18:49.640 --> 0:18:54.320 through the courts, Republicans knew that. So in your opinion, right, like, 0:18:55.040 --> 0:18:59.960 if Republicans knew that, oh my goodness, the judiciaries actually 0:19:00.119 --> 0:19:06.320 working equitably right in terms of hearing these cases and 0:19:06.480 --> 0:19:12.880 changing changing America suit by suit over the last sixty years. 0:19:13.359 --> 0:19:18.280 What would in Democrats have then doubled down sixty years ago, 0:19:18.359 --> 0:19:23.960 Christopher and been like, voting alone in presidential elections in 0:19:24.680 --> 0:19:28.679 off cycle elections is not what is bringing America to 0:19:28.760 --> 0:19:29.800 a more just place? 0:19:31.600 --> 0:19:35.520 Well, I think it starts with again, Republicans plan long term. 0:19:35.600 --> 0:19:39.720 Democrats oftentimes in the past sixty years planned short term. 0:19:39.800 --> 0:19:42.320 We plan for the presidential We don't do a good 0:19:42.400 --> 0:19:45.320 job of Advessican in the midterm or even in the 0:19:45.440 --> 0:19:46.440 more local year. 0:19:47.280 --> 0:19:51.199 That makes a difference when you're talking about voters, when or. 0:19:51.200 --> 0:19:55.359 Not they're walking, they're paying attention to what the Republican Party. 0:19:55.160 --> 0:19:56.160 Is doing right now? 0:19:56.920 --> 0:19:59.879 How many voters really can even afford to take a 0:20:00.080 --> 0:20:04.000 right from their everyday life to worry about whether or 0:20:04.040 --> 0:20:08.160 not this impacts them. And so when we're talking about 0:20:08.200 --> 0:20:12.280 how we're trying to change the trajectory of how people 0:20:12.400 --> 0:20:15.040 vote and how they engage overall. 0:20:15.680 --> 0:20:17.440 After that they've. 0:20:17.160 --> 0:20:22.840 Been intentionally marginalized and systematically removed over time. That takes 0:20:22.880 --> 0:20:25.440 a lot of money, That takes a lot of resources 0:20:25.680 --> 0:20:29.920 to one rebuild that trust for people to have faith 0:20:29.960 --> 0:20:34.679 in the political system in itself. And then it takes authenticity, 0:20:34.720 --> 0:20:38.119 and then that means coming around when it's not just 0:20:38.240 --> 0:20:41.840 election time, that means you know, if we're looking at 0:20:41.840 --> 0:20:47.000 the presidential I got to applaud VP heras that she's 0:20:47.080 --> 0:20:50.440 doing this college tour right now. That's what the administration 0:20:50.560 --> 0:20:54.880 should be doing more of. Oftentimes, when Democrats lose, it's 0:20:54.880 --> 0:20:57.560 not because they haven't done anything at all, it's that 0:20:57.760 --> 0:21:01.640 we haven't messaged to our base what we've actually done. 0:21:01.800 --> 0:21:04.600 Republicans always do that well. I think when we do 0:21:04.720 --> 0:21:09.040 that well, we get results like Michigan and Pennsylvania in 0:21:09.160 --> 0:21:12.480 last year's midterm. When we don't, we get Virginia in 0:21:12.560 --> 0:21:16.720 twenty twenty one. That's literally how clearly it looks at 0:21:16.720 --> 0:21:20.439 this point, and our politics are just getting more and 0:21:20.480 --> 0:21:25.520 more polarized. There's not decorum, especially on the other side anymore. 0:21:25.560 --> 0:21:29.119 And you know, we're really in the fight for our lives, 0:21:29.119 --> 0:21:30.960 and it's not just going to be this cycle. I 0:21:31.040 --> 0:21:33.240 think we're going to have a couple more cycles where 0:21:33.280 --> 0:21:37.320 we're really battling out this ideology of whether or not 0:21:37.440 --> 0:21:41.960 we're going to make this constitution actually look and represent 0:21:42.080 --> 0:21:43.800 everybody who it should represent. 0:21:46.920 --> 0:21:50.800 What do you hear from candidates right from folks that 0:21:50.920 --> 0:21:57.119 you are endorsing about their desires in this time to 0:21:57.280 --> 0:22:03.880 kind of enter into this really dangerous political environment. Because 0:22:03.920 --> 0:22:06.240 let's be clear, you know, uh it was it was 0:22:06.280 --> 0:22:09.080 a couple of weeks ago on MSNBC and I forgive 0:22:09.080 --> 0:22:11.120 me because I can't remember the name of the judge 0:22:11.520 --> 0:22:15.760 who lost her son, right, Her son was murdered by 0:22:15.800 --> 0:22:20.280 a man that came looking for her, and she warned 0:22:21.520 --> 0:22:24.640 on the show that, like this is just the beginning, 0:22:25.240 --> 0:22:29.919 right that the way that we've just been notified that 0:22:29.960 --> 0:22:33.000 Fanie willis her entire family and staff have been docked 0:22:34.280 --> 0:22:38.880 by a Russian intel site and there's no way for 0:22:39.200 --> 0:22:42.800 the Justice Department to bring that information down her private information, 0:22:42.880 --> 0:22:48.920 and so it is becoming increasingly more dangerous to enter 0:22:49.040 --> 0:22:53.280 into this field. So what are you hearing from folks 0:22:53.359 --> 0:22:57.800 that are showing the courage and the temerity to continue 0:22:57.840 --> 0:22:58.280 to run. 0:22:59.040 --> 0:23:03.240 They want support, and they want support early. They want 0:23:03.240 --> 0:23:06.560 to feel like they have a community. I think when 0:23:06.600 --> 0:23:09.399 you talk about why we focus on the type of 0:23:09.440 --> 0:23:14.080 candidates that we focus on, both me and Christine have 0:23:14.160 --> 0:23:17.919 seen through our years that candidates having a cohort of 0:23:18.000 --> 0:23:21.400 other candidates running in races like them, it does help 0:23:21.440 --> 0:23:24.399 them feel better. They're able to share ideas, They're able 0:23:24.440 --> 0:23:31.000 to share a strategy. I think about particularly DA races, 0:23:31.480 --> 0:23:34.640 and I've worked for a couple in my career. Those 0:23:34.680 --> 0:23:37.080 are probably some of the most vicious. 0:23:36.720 --> 0:23:38.480 Races I've ever seen, where they. 0:23:38.400 --> 0:23:43.959 Get really personal nasty, even in democratic primary, particularly against 0:23:44.000 --> 0:23:46.639 candidates of color and women of color when they're running 0:23:47.320 --> 0:23:50.639 for seats, and so if we're asking them to be 0:23:50.920 --> 0:23:53.520 vigilant and stand and keep running for. 0:23:53.440 --> 0:23:56.680 These seats because the community meets to. 0:23:56.600 --> 0:24:02.119 See more of unapologetic into candidates running, and we also 0:24:02.240 --> 0:24:05.240 have to be prepared to support them early and often 0:24:05.320 --> 0:24:08.159 throughout the entire process and make sure that they know 0:24:08.320 --> 0:24:09.480 that they're not going at it. 0:24:09.480 --> 0:24:15.520 A long well. My last a question for you is 0:24:16.119 --> 0:24:19.760 how do you well, it's a two parter one, how 0:24:19.760 --> 0:24:23.800 do you stay hopeful during this time? During you know, 0:24:24.040 --> 0:24:28.400 the launch of this really important pack. And then two, 0:24:28.640 --> 0:24:32.600 please tell people who are listening how they can get involved, 0:24:32.600 --> 0:24:35.000 because that is a question that I get asked all 0:24:35.080 --> 0:24:37.280 the time. What can I do? So I want to 0:24:37.280 --> 0:24:38.879 give you the opportunity to speak on that. 0:24:39.960 --> 0:24:43.479 Well, for me, everything starts with my faith. 0:24:44.240 --> 0:24:47.920 I'm a firm believer that keeps me grande even when 0:24:48.000 --> 0:24:52.080 times are rough out here. But also again, the work 0:24:52.160 --> 0:24:54.399 has to be done, and I would rather be the 0:24:54.440 --> 0:24:58.520 one handling it than leave it up to chance. That's 0:24:58.560 --> 0:25:02.080 how I was raised. You know, you want and you 0:25:02.200 --> 0:25:04.960 hope for support, but also you have to be prepared 0:25:05.000 --> 0:25:08.760 to carry it away until extra support comes along or 0:25:08.800 --> 0:25:12.240 it doesn't come at all. And so it's bigger than me, 0:25:12.320 --> 0:25:14.320 and that makes it a lot easier to do this 0:25:14.440 --> 0:25:16.600 work when you can always keep in mind that it's 0:25:16.640 --> 0:25:20.120 bigger than you and you're doing it for the right reasons. 0:25:20.680 --> 0:25:23.879 For anybody that wants to support and help this work, 0:25:23.960 --> 0:25:30.240 they can go to www dot eight ataction dot org. 0:25:31.119 --> 0:25:34.119 You can sign up to get involved and whether or 0:25:34.160 --> 0:25:37.879 not you want to sign up for volunteer opportunities. But 0:25:38.080 --> 0:25:42.520 of course, early on, being a progressive org, we largely 0:25:43.440 --> 0:25:47.600 rely on grassroots support as well, So we definitely those 0:25:47.720 --> 0:25:52.160 five to twenty five dollars donations really make a difference 0:25:52.240 --> 0:25:56.600 early on, especially being a business founded by two people 0:25:56.720 --> 0:26:00.880 of color, when I don't have to explain that oftentimes 0:26:00.920 --> 0:26:03.639 we have to do two and three times over and 0:26:04.000 --> 0:26:07.080 know every the writing is on the wall for this work, we. 0:26:07.080 --> 0:26:09.879 Still have to prove ourselves even more even with the 0:26:09.920 --> 0:26:10.880 record that we have. 0:26:11.560 --> 0:26:16.160 Well, Christopher, I appreciate you making the time for wok 0:26:16.480 --> 0:26:18.560 F and for the work that you're doing, and I 0:26:18.560 --> 0:26:22.000 hope that you will come back and join us again. Folks, 0:26:22.040 --> 0:26:26.359 a organization is advance the electorate pack and do do 0:26:26.640 --> 0:26:29.440 absolutely check it out and lend your support any way 0:26:29.440 --> 0:26:38.000 that you can appreciate you. That is it for me today, 0:26:38.040 --> 0:26:42.040 dear friends on wok F as always power to the 0:26:42.080 --> 0:26:45.320 people and to all the people. Power, get woke and 0:26:45.400 --> 0:26:46.960 stay woke as fuck.