1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to Worst Year Ever, a production of My Heart 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:22,400 Speaker 1: Radio Everything. So don't don't welcome back to the Worst 3 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:26,480 Speaker 1: Year Ever. Uh. We are recording this on a day 4 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:29,600 Speaker 1: where the price of oil has turned negative, which, if 5 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:34,480 Speaker 1: I understand economics right, means that humanity has finally discovered 6 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 1: free perpetual energy. So congratulations everyone, We didn't did it. 7 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:45,040 Speaker 1: Congratulations to you for for getting that in there, that reference. 8 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 1: We have a whole other episode planned. But Robert was like, ah, 9 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:51,080 Speaker 1: we gotta figure out how to mention the oil thing, 10 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 1: and I didn't. He really did it. I just felt 11 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:57,440 Speaker 1: like we had to acknowledge that the price of oil 12 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:02,280 Speaker 1: has inverted. Thus like glitching glitching the Mario map that 13 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:10,720 Speaker 1: is capitalism and sending the oil. It's just such a 14 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:17,680 Speaker 1: weird year. Oh no, broke April. Yeah, well, you know 15 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 1: we've all learned our lesson. I bought a bunch of 16 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 1: oil yesterday, but that you should have known. I I 17 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:30,960 Speaker 1: tell you every year, wait till May to buy your 18 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 1: your barrels of oil. I know you say it constantly. 19 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:35,840 Speaker 1: You you call me in the middle of the night 20 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:37,880 Speaker 1: and you say that into my ear, and it's just 21 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:39,959 Speaker 1: like you say it so much it's like white noise now, 22 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:42,600 Speaker 1: you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's actually the only way 23 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 1: you can sleep now. But that's a separate discussion. We're 24 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:53,960 Speaker 1: talking about the the possibly astro turfed, possibly authentic, probably 25 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 1: actually a mix of the two series of right wing 26 00:01:56,920 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: I'm gonna call him pro coronavirus rallies. The people hosting 27 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: them would call them, uh, anti social distancing or pro 28 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:10,400 Speaker 1: opening up the economy protests. Um, Katie, you've prepared a 29 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:12,639 Speaker 1: summary of kind of what's gone down and what the 30 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 1: action the president and his party's responses have been. So 31 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:18,320 Speaker 1: I'm going to hand things over to you to to 32 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:21,040 Speaker 1: take us through that first you, I will begrudgingly take 33 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 1: that baton. Um. Yeah, it's a nightmare. It's really such 34 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:29,040 Speaker 1: a bomber. These protests right now. They're not just being 35 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:32,680 Speaker 1: fueled by Trump's encouragements of them, which they are and 36 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:34,520 Speaker 1: which we will get into in a second here, but 37 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 1: it's also kind of by his contradictory messaging. Uh. Last Tuesday, 38 00:02:39,639 --> 00:02:41,960 Speaker 1: his team was in the process of drafting new guidelines 39 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:45,359 Speaker 1: that would allow some states to reopen businesses possibly this month, 40 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:47,799 Speaker 1: despite you know, public health officials urging people to stay 41 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:50,680 Speaker 1: home all the stuff we all know, um. But then 42 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 1: he was backtracking and saying that governors will have the 43 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:56,200 Speaker 1: power to make those decisions in their states. But these 44 00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:59,359 Speaker 1: protests have been going on all last week. In Idaho, 45 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:03,680 Speaker 1: anti get An activists were encouraging gatherings for Easter. Conservative 46 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: activists in Oklahoma had a get back to Work rally 47 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:10,880 Speaker 1: at their state capital last Wednesday. Last Monday, protesters gathered 48 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:15,079 Speaker 1: in Ohio carrying those don't tread on Me signs. Uh, let' 49 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:17,840 Speaker 1: say that again. The don't tread on me flags, you know, 50 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:20,799 Speaker 1: associated with the Tea Party, which is another thing that 51 00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:23,560 Speaker 1: we're going to get into later. We've also seen protests 52 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:27,519 Speaker 1: in North Carolina, here in California and Huntington Beach, Texas. 53 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:31,800 Speaker 1: The list goes on. Also in Kentucky, after a week 54 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:36,600 Speaker 1: of protests, today they reported their highest new case number 55 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: to date, which is very cool. You can read into 56 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:43,840 Speaker 1: that however you want to. UM. On Wednesday, hundreds of 57 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:47,440 Speaker 1: protesters gathered in Michigan state capital, blocking an entrance to 58 00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:51,520 Speaker 1: a hospital, many of them waving Trump banners. In our 59 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:55,080 Speaker 1: hospitals something we need right now. They are in some 60 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:58,560 Speaker 1: way during a pandemic. They are indeed very very important. 61 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 1: What about in general also in general as well, but 62 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:07,000 Speaker 1: specifically during this crisis. Yeah, they're pretty important. I'd say 63 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 1: that's just one woman's opinion. Though. What was this? This 64 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:13,320 Speaker 1: is from Governor Gritch and Whitmer. The cars were blocking 65 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:15,839 Speaker 1: one of our hospitals, so an ambulance literally wasn't able 66 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:18,040 Speaker 1: to get into the bay for ten minutes. You know, 67 00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 1: it's just I love well, no I hate um. It's 68 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 1: this is really interesting because either these are the same 69 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,599 Speaker 1: people who during like um, Black Lives Matter and things 70 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: like that, would be furious at protesters for blocking highways. Well, 71 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 1: I just can't stop thinking about stuff like that, Yeah, 72 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:38,800 Speaker 1: or like how we villainize and TIFA. I mean, let's 73 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:40,800 Speaker 1: talk about some of the images real quick that we're seeing. 74 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:46,919 Speaker 1: They're very disturbing, angry, not necessarily violent, but like kind 75 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 1: of the energy of them feel really really intense. People are, 76 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:54,560 Speaker 1: you know, upset, And this is all still getting wrapped 77 00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:57,520 Speaker 1: up in Second Amendment amendment stuff. You know, we're gonna 78 00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:01,479 Speaker 1: get to that in a second. And you one thing 79 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:07,360 Speaker 1: floating around Twitter today, yeah, communism. Um, you know there's 80 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:11,080 Speaker 1: this this this photo circuling Twitter today of this woman 81 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 1: in this this big truck, uh, you know, leaning out 82 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:18,000 Speaker 1: of her window shouting. Go back to China at nurses 83 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 1: who were calmly counter protesting. It's it's really intense and 84 00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:26,320 Speaker 1: what's interesting to me, And unfortunately I've seen Ben Shapiro 85 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:29,520 Speaker 1: make the same point, but here goes nothing. It's like, 86 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:34,400 Speaker 1: if you're protesting for the right to be free, you 87 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:39,560 Speaker 1: have to also at least try to show that you 88 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:44,280 Speaker 1: understand what's at stake. Like in Israel, a lot of 89 00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:49,320 Speaker 1: people started protesting net and yah, who's uh lockdown their restrictions, 90 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:52,520 Speaker 1: but they did it with everybody in masks, calmly being 91 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:55,960 Speaker 1: six ft apart. And those images are really stunning because 92 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:58,800 Speaker 1: the aerial view you see they are spread out. Still 93 00:05:58,839 --> 00:06:01,400 Speaker 1: probably not the safest thing to be doing, but you know, 94 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:04,719 Speaker 1: you're actually showing us that you you don't give a 95 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:08,159 Speaker 1: funk about what's literally happening. You cannot deny what's happening, 96 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:10,880 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, Um, if you if you 97 00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:13,880 Speaker 1: want to. I don't think they deserve their freedom, but 98 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:17,680 Speaker 1: if they want their freedom, quote unquote, then show that 99 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:21,520 Speaker 1: you fucking get it, you know what I mean? Anyway, So, okay, 100 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:25,280 Speaker 1: I mentioned Trump's contradictory messaging. Uh, let's talk a little 101 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:28,760 Speaker 1: bit about that some more. Um. Despite his announcement that 102 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:32,560 Speaker 1: government governors would be able to decide when to reopen 103 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:38,119 Speaker 1: their states, Um, Trump's been all day Friday encouraging people 104 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:41,160 Speaker 1: to break the rules and and and protests. Not just that, 105 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:44,880 Speaker 1: he specifically called out states with democratic governors because a 106 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:48,760 Speaker 1: lot of these protesters are also his supporters. Uh. This 107 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:51,279 Speaker 1: is from The New York Times. In a series of 108 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:53,839 Speaker 1: all cap tweets that started two minutes after a Fox 109 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:58,120 Speaker 1: News report on the protesters, the president declared liberate Michigan 110 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:02,360 Speaker 1: and liberate Minnesota, two states who's democratic governors have impost 111 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:05,599 Speaker 1: strict social distancing restrictions. He also lashed out at Virginia, 112 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:08,400 Speaker 1: where the state's democratic governor and legislature have pushed for 113 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:11,520 Speaker 1: strict gun control measures, saying, liberate Virginia and save your 114 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:16,600 Speaker 1: great second amenent rights. It's under siege. Um. And it's 115 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:19,240 Speaker 1: very alarming. I Mean, that's not the only instance of 116 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:21,600 Speaker 1: him doing this. This has been kind of his emo 117 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:24,200 Speaker 1: over the last few days and over the weekend. His 118 00:07:24,200 --> 00:07:28,800 Speaker 1: whole deal and his whole deal, this his whole general thing. Yeah. Yeah, 119 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:32,120 Speaker 1: and it's it's definitely been I have been going through 120 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:36,920 Speaker 1: different right wing groups on Facebook, organizations dedicated to planning 121 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:42,040 Speaker 1: events like this, UM, and I have there have definitely 122 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:45,520 Speaker 1: been a significant number of people who have interpreted this 123 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:48,040 Speaker 1: as a call for violence. Yeah, and including a number 124 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:50,600 Speaker 1: of folks who are actually like on the fascist right, 125 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:53,920 Speaker 1: who actually dislike or hate the president. UM. I'm gonna 126 00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:56,160 Speaker 1: I'm trying to pull up an interesting one that I found. Sorry, 127 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:59,640 Speaker 1: there's so much stuff on this page, UM that I 128 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:03,600 Speaker 1: have been putting together. But so I was going through 129 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:07,120 Speaker 1: some of the explicitly fascist telegram channels that I'm monitor 130 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:11,280 Speaker 1: on a regular basis because my life is very fun 131 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:16,760 Speaker 1: and good, uh and cool, and so in the Corona 132 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:20,720 Speaker 1: Chan News COVID nineteen telegram channel, which has a lot 133 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:22,680 Speaker 1: of UM, has a lot of play with like the 134 00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:26,720 Speaker 1: Siege community UM and which are like, you know, the 135 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:30,360 Speaker 1: folks that want to push for a violent revolution and 136 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:34,640 Speaker 1: and the collapse of society. I found post with people 137 00:08:34,679 --> 00:08:38,480 Speaker 1: basically saying like fuck Donald Trump. But this call is 138 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:41,240 Speaker 1: going to be interpreted by other people as a call 139 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:44,440 Speaker 1: for violence, and that's good for us. So yeah, on 140 00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:48,200 Speaker 1: on this news thing, they posted a screen grab of 141 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:52,920 Speaker 1: Trump's liberate Minnesota, Liberate Virginia tweets and then posted below it, 142 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:55,800 Speaker 1: Trump declares you can stop shutdowns governors say he doesn't 143 00:08:55,800 --> 00:08:58,360 Speaker 1: have the power to do so, declares himself King, liberate 144 00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:02,640 Speaker 1: your states. This man bay maybe a slur for Jewish 145 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:05,400 Speaker 1: people up coked out orange peel, but he did just 146 00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:08,120 Speaker 1: stay say you can start shooting and hanging your politicians, 147 00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:12,960 Speaker 1: your state politicians. Three thousand nine views on that post. 148 00:09:13,559 --> 00:09:15,920 Speaker 1: And yeah, and a lot of these are folks who 149 00:09:15,920 --> 00:09:19,000 Speaker 1: actually don't like Trump because they're they're explicit neo Nazis, 150 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:20,959 Speaker 1: and they see him as like yielding to Israel. But 151 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:24,600 Speaker 1: they also see this as an opportunity and permission for violence. Right, 152 00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:29,480 Speaker 1: That's all he is to them, right, He's yeah, and 153 00:09:29,559 --> 00:09:31,520 Speaker 1: this is a good one. And like, as we are 154 00:09:31,559 --> 00:09:34,000 Speaker 1: talking about this, there's another one of these rallies going 155 00:09:34,040 --> 00:09:37,800 Speaker 1: on in Pennsylvania. Uh. And one of the videos I 156 00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:40,480 Speaker 1: just saw from it is an old military box truck 157 00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:43,160 Speaker 1: pulling up with about twenty people with machine guns in 158 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:46,160 Speaker 1: the back. Um saying that from a couple of different 159 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:50,760 Speaker 1: groups just rolling down the streets of an American city. Um, 160 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:53,880 Speaker 1: you know it. It's one of the most striking photos 161 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:55,680 Speaker 1: to me from the Lansing protest was a man on 162 00:09:55,720 --> 00:09:59,559 Speaker 1: the States of the like the Capitol building wearing a 163 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:03,000 Speaker 1: skull mask that has a clown makeup and a clown 164 00:10:03,040 --> 00:10:05,760 Speaker 1: nose on his skull mask. Uh. And I found a 165 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:08,679 Speaker 1: picture of a peppe wearing an SS cap and a 166 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:11,640 Speaker 1: skull mask with a clown nose on it posted to 167 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:16,320 Speaker 1: eco fascist Central Telegram channel in the very same day. So, 168 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:18,360 Speaker 1: like you can see all of these different like there's 169 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:20,600 Speaker 1: a lot of which is to say that everybody affiliated 170 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:23,439 Speaker 1: with this is of that. In fact that the people 171 00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:26,640 Speaker 1: who kind of are explicitly the violent fascist chunk of 172 00:10:26,640 --> 00:10:31,280 Speaker 1: these protests is a minority of them. But there's they 173 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:33,120 Speaker 1: want they are a part of this, and they want 174 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:34,920 Speaker 1: to try to use it. In fact, they're going to 175 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:38,000 Speaker 1: capitalize on it. I mean, I can't wait for there 176 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:43,800 Speaker 1: to be some sort of terrorist attack during all of this. Yeah. Yeah, 177 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:47,000 Speaker 1: And it's not just Trump right now, I mean it's conservatives, 178 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:51,000 Speaker 1: Republican law play makers, all of them are are going 179 00:10:51,040 --> 00:10:55,920 Speaker 1: along with his line of argument. What was this on Monday? 180 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:59,079 Speaker 1: This is Richard Grinnell, acting Director of the Office of 181 00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:02,000 Speaker 1: National Intelligence and the US Ambassador to Jerremany posted a 182 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:04,800 Speaker 1: photo of the Bill of Rights on Instagram with the 183 00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:08,720 Speaker 1: title um signed permission slip to leave your house? You know. 184 00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:13,800 Speaker 1: White House Economic advisor Stephen Moore said that pro Trump 185 00:11:13,920 --> 00:11:17,840 Speaker 1: protesters demonstrating against at home orders are like rosa parks, 186 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:22,560 Speaker 1: and they're calling them government injustices. Yeah. I think it's 187 00:11:22,559 --> 00:11:26,440 Speaker 1: important to note from on a practical level that this 188 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:30,760 Speaker 1: is not These people are very much in the fringe. UM. 189 00:11:30,920 --> 00:11:34,360 Speaker 1: A Politico Morning Consult poll that was taken last week 190 00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:38,680 Speaker 1: UH showed that one of Americans told posters that the 191 00:11:38,720 --> 00:11:41,559 Speaker 1: country quote should continue to social distance for as long 192 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:43,479 Speaker 1: as is needed to curb the spread of the coronavirus, 193 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:46,319 Speaker 1: even if it means continued damage to the economy. An 194 00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:48,800 Speaker 1: NBC poll found a lower number, but it was still 195 00:11:48,840 --> 00:11:53,080 Speaker 1: sixty percent, which is a very sizeable majority. So the 196 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:56,280 Speaker 1: vast majority of Americans, it seems safe to say, are 197 00:11:57,679 --> 00:12:01,080 Speaker 1: on board with with social distancing in these restrictions and 198 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:05,840 Speaker 1: see them as necessary and good. Um. This is on 199 00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:09,600 Speaker 1: people's mind. It feels even bigger than it feels bigger 200 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:12,480 Speaker 1: than it is because the amount of time, especially if 201 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:14,920 Speaker 1: like Fox News is talking about it right now in 202 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:18,200 Speaker 1: social media and the President's tweets and everything. Yeah, so 203 00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:20,440 Speaker 1: like this is what everybody knows, right that the that 204 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:22,839 Speaker 1: these things have happened, the President and some Republicans have 205 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:25,160 Speaker 1: signaled through them. These protests are continuing, and there's a 206 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:27,640 Speaker 1: number of plan for the rest of April and into May. 207 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:30,360 Speaker 1: UM in Salem, Oregon, they'll be doing some stuff on 208 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:32,760 Speaker 1: May first and May second to protest to try to 209 00:12:32,760 --> 00:12:36,840 Speaker 1: reopen Oregon Um. And there's you know, uh, there's also 210 00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:39,840 Speaker 1: a protest that happened in Maine today that seems to 211 00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:42,520 Speaker 1: have blown over without a whole lot of attendees. It's 212 00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:44,800 Speaker 1: supposed to last two hours and it didn't last half that. 213 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:47,240 Speaker 1: And so you're seeing a mix with these protests, some 214 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:49,080 Speaker 1: of them that only a few dozen or a couple 215 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:51,360 Speaker 1: of hundred people showed up to in the entire state 216 00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:53,400 Speaker 1: and they kind of fizzled out, and some of them, 217 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:57,720 Speaker 1: like in Lansing, like in Olympia, Washington yesterday, people showed up. 218 00:12:57,760 --> 00:13:00,520 Speaker 1: It looks like it's potentially a pretty signal figant one 219 00:13:00,520 --> 00:13:04,160 Speaker 1: that's that's showing up in Pennsylvania today. Um. And so 220 00:13:04,240 --> 00:13:06,319 Speaker 1: you've got this mix of people online who are saying 221 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:09,920 Speaker 1: the media is blowing this out of proportion, and there 222 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:12,880 Speaker 1: aren't nearly as many people involved in this as and 223 00:13:12,920 --> 00:13:16,600 Speaker 1: it's like it's it's fully AstroTurf, which is not true. Um, 224 00:13:16,640 --> 00:13:19,040 Speaker 1: there are there is a significant amount of this that 225 00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:21,920 Speaker 1: is Um. You know, you can argue to the degree 226 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:24,280 Speaker 1: to which it's AstroTurf. But a lot of people support it, 227 00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:26,800 Speaker 1: and a lot of people are very angry. And there 228 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:29,240 Speaker 1: are states in which thousands of folks have shown up. Right, 229 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:32,680 Speaker 1: the Lansing, Michigan protest was not an insignificant protest. It 230 00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:35,160 Speaker 1: was not a tiny number of people. They generated a 231 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:37,960 Speaker 1: lot of traffic and they had an impact. Um. And 232 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:40,040 Speaker 1: if you're if you're trying to look at the states 233 00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:42,679 Speaker 1: where very few people showed up and say that this 234 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:45,040 Speaker 1: is evidence that the whole thing is fake, I I 235 00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:48,400 Speaker 1: think that you are ignoring a dangerous reality. Um. Because 236 00:13:48,440 --> 00:13:53,760 Speaker 1: it's uncomfortable. All right, There's it's similar with I mean 237 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:56,240 Speaker 1: the Tea party. We're like, yeah, aspects of it obviously 238 00:13:56,240 --> 00:14:00,520 Speaker 1: being pushed by moneyed interests and people, but the the 239 00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:05,200 Speaker 1: grievance and the anger that's real. Yeah. So I am 240 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:08,400 Speaker 1: in the process of trying to unravel what is actually 241 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:10,520 Speaker 1: happening here, and I want to start with the caveat 242 00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:13,040 Speaker 1: that as I try to explain who is behind all 243 00:14:13,080 --> 00:14:17,160 Speaker 1: these protests. This is maybe the single most complicated news 244 00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:22,000 Speaker 1: story I've ever run into. Not not like in terms 245 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:24,360 Speaker 1: of like I've read stories other journals to put together 246 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:26,640 Speaker 1: that I'm sure we're more complicated, but in terms of 247 00:14:26,680 --> 00:14:29,000 Speaker 1: like me trying to unravel, I think this is a 248 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:34,640 Speaker 1: fucking mess. So I'm gonna start by talking about the 249 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:40,600 Speaker 1: Door brothers, Christian and Ben Door. UM. So the Door 250 00:14:40,760 --> 00:14:46,120 Speaker 1: family in general are based in I think Michigan, uh, 251 00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:50,040 Speaker 1: and they are known as prior to this, have been 252 00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:55,640 Speaker 1: known for a while as UM like protest grifters. Uh. 253 00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:59,160 Speaker 1: They have really like Zachary Ellwood, who's done some good 254 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:01,200 Speaker 1: reporting up import and has been kind of like breaking 255 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:05,080 Speaker 1: the story on this UM. But there's actually a website 256 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:09,760 Speaker 1: dedicated to the Door Family's scams in the past, So 257 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:12,240 Speaker 1: they've what what what they've been most famous for prior 258 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:16,280 Speaker 1: to this is UM pushing against the Republican parties gun 259 00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:19,640 Speaker 1: control positions, considering them to be like way too far 260 00:15:19,680 --> 00:15:21,080 Speaker 1: to the left in the n r A, to be 261 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:23,760 Speaker 1: way too far to the left. UM. And they have 262 00:15:23,880 --> 00:15:27,080 Speaker 1: created a variety of different websites called like including the 263 00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:30,360 Speaker 1: American Firearms Coalition, Florida Gun Rights, Georgia Gun Owners Coalition, 264 00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:34,440 Speaker 1: Idaho Second Amendment Alliance, Iowa Gun Owners Association, Iowa Pro 265 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:38,400 Speaker 1: Life Action, Minnesota Gun Rights, Minnesota Right to Life UM. 266 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:40,680 Speaker 1: So they make a whole bunch of different websites, some 267 00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:42,920 Speaker 1: of which get thousands of people and try to drum 268 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:47,040 Speaker 1: up protests and the the short explanation for why they're 269 00:15:47,040 --> 00:15:49,240 Speaker 1: doing this seems to be that they are attempting to 270 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:52,880 Speaker 1: number one, solicit donations and number two, build a mailing list, 271 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:55,560 Speaker 1: because there's a lot of financial value in having a 272 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 1: mailing list. And actually the the Minnesota Republican Party has 273 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:03,360 Speaker 1: posted like an explainer on their website warning conservatives in 274 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:06,040 Speaker 1: that state against trusting the Door Brothers in any of 275 00:16:06,040 --> 00:16:08,880 Speaker 1: their organizations because this has been a problem for a while. 276 00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:11,640 Speaker 1: But over the course of the last week or two, 277 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:15,080 Speaker 1: uh they have opened a number of pages with essentially 278 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:18,440 Speaker 1: the exact same name Minnesota's Against Excessive Quarantine, New Yorkers 279 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:23,880 Speaker 1: Against Excessive Quarantine, Ohioan's Against Excessive Quarantine, Pennsylvanians Against Excessive Quarantine, 280 00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:29,080 Speaker 1: Wisconsinites against Excessive Quarantine. YadA YadA ya. You see, you 281 00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:31,800 Speaker 1: see what they're doing, right, So they have made all 282 00:16:31,840 --> 00:16:34,040 Speaker 1: of these different groups, some of which have gotten thousands 283 00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:37,360 Speaker 1: of people. So for example, the Wisconsinites Against Excessive Quarantine 284 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:39,520 Speaker 1: Facebook group, which I think just got shot down. Let 285 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:41,880 Speaker 1: me actually double check that right now, it had sixty 286 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:46,520 Speaker 1: six thousand followers as of April nineteen. Yeah, so the 287 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:49,840 Speaker 1: door Brothers do hold very no. Yeah, that page is 288 00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:51,480 Speaker 1: still around in it now has a hundred and one 289 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:56,320 Speaker 1: thousand members. So and these are the same people behind 290 00:16:56,400 --> 00:16:59,560 Speaker 1: the Pennsylvania group. So you can definitely say that this 291 00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:01,480 Speaker 1: is asked to a turf to an extent, because these 292 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:03,720 Speaker 1: people are grifters trying to make a lot of money 293 00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:06,760 Speaker 1: about this. So like they are asking soliciting from donations 294 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:09,000 Speaker 1: for people who join these groups, and they are trying 295 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:12,840 Speaker 1: to like coordinate and basically build um a network of 296 00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:15,240 Speaker 1: human Like they're basically trying to build a list of 297 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:18,200 Speaker 1: people they can contact because you can monetize that very easily. 298 00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:20,640 Speaker 1: And this is on the whole pretty old story within 299 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:24,000 Speaker 1: kind of conservative politics, going back to like the Liberty 300 00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:26,359 Speaker 1: Lobby and Willis Carto, this idea of like wanting to 301 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:29,159 Speaker 1: have big mailing lists of people. That's kind of what 302 00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:33,080 Speaker 1: they're doing. But these groups are being used to plan 303 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:37,040 Speaker 1: actual protests. And this is where it gets really fucking complicated. 304 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:39,680 Speaker 1: Before you get into that, Robert, do you know what 305 00:17:39,840 --> 00:17:44,680 Speaker 1: time it is? You know, Sophie, with gas at negative 306 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:48,520 Speaker 1: thirty seven dollars of barrel, you can't afford not to 307 00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:52,520 Speaker 1: call British Petroleum our sponsor and order an infinite number 308 00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:56,920 Speaker 1: of gasoline barrels because that is the way to lasting 309 00:17:57,000 --> 00:18:00,600 Speaker 1: financial independence in our economy order and in finite supply 310 00:18:00,680 --> 00:18:04,560 Speaker 1: of fuel right now. Uh, and become a billionaire in seconds, 311 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:10,239 Speaker 1: so by negative money and make money. Yes, that's what 312 00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:13,200 Speaker 1: I'm urging people to do. And I would also I'd 313 00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:15,840 Speaker 1: also like, it's gonna buy a big barrel. Yeah, just 314 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:20,080 Speaker 1: get it. Get some barrels. They need it. I we're 315 00:18:20,119 --> 00:18:22,800 Speaker 1: all worried right now for our number one sponsor, the 316 00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:25,920 Speaker 1: Raytheon Corporation UM, and they're going to be hit really 317 00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:28,560 Speaker 1: hard by this oil blight. So please donate money to 318 00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:32,160 Speaker 1: Raytheon so they can continue building the missile guidance systems 319 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:36,480 Speaker 1: that were Yeah, after you listen to these ads, these 320 00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:51,320 Speaker 1: ads for Raytheon thoughts and prayers to raytheon together everything. Okay, 321 00:18:51,359 --> 00:18:53,359 Speaker 1: So we're back and I'm trying to explain what the 322 00:18:53,359 --> 00:18:55,720 Speaker 1: fund is happening with the Door Brothers and all these people. 323 00:18:55,840 --> 00:19:01,320 Speaker 1: What the fund is happening, Um, so let me it's 324 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:04,439 Speaker 1: it's very complicated, it's it's it's a fun So the 325 00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:07,360 Speaker 1: Doors created a lot of different groups. Um, it's kind 326 00:19:07,359 --> 00:19:09,120 Speaker 1: of impossible to say how many right now, but they're 327 00:19:09,119 --> 00:19:12,159 Speaker 1: all along the lines of like such and so and 328 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:16,880 Speaker 1: so against excessive quarantine. And people are saying this is astroturft, 329 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:19,080 Speaker 1: and there's an extent to which that is true. But 330 00:19:19,119 --> 00:19:21,919 Speaker 1: the Door Brothers weren't behind the first of these protests 331 00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:25,280 Speaker 1: or the starters of these. They didn't kick any of 332 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:30,159 Speaker 1: this off. So Jesus, this is such a fucking mess. 333 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:34,640 Speaker 1: So the Lansing the Michigan protests were organized by which 334 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:36,440 Speaker 1: is kind of like the big one that kicked all 335 00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:38,240 Speaker 1: this off, and the one that like first got huge 336 00:19:38,280 --> 00:19:40,320 Speaker 1: amounts of media attention, which is like the everyone in 337 00:19:40,359 --> 00:19:43,520 Speaker 1: their cars blocking traffic protest that was organized by the 338 00:19:43,520 --> 00:19:47,600 Speaker 1: Michigan Conservative Coalition, which is the same organ Yeah, and 339 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:51,000 Speaker 1: and the Michigan the Michigan Conservative coalition in the Michigan 340 00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:54,040 Speaker 1: Freedom Fund and the Michigan Freedom Fund. It was funded 341 00:19:54,040 --> 00:19:58,800 Speaker 1: by Greg McNeely, who's a political advisor to the Divorce Family. UM. Now, 342 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:02,240 Speaker 1: the Divorce Family has denied having any role in this. Obviously, 343 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:04,880 Speaker 1: the fact that the President backed this and that there's 344 00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:07,680 Speaker 1: ties from the organizers of the Michigan protests to the 345 00:20:07,760 --> 00:20:10,600 Speaker 1: Divos family has led a lot of people to suspect 346 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:13,160 Speaker 1: that the Divos Family was kind of behind kicking off 347 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:15,320 Speaker 1: the start of this, and there's a good reason to 348 00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:19,600 Speaker 1: believe that that's true. Yeah, the protests in Olympia, Washington 349 00:20:19,640 --> 00:20:21,760 Speaker 1: that occurred on Sunday, the day before we recorded this, 350 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:25,160 Speaker 1: which drew something or somewhere around people, those were organized 351 00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:28,800 Speaker 1: by a Brimmerton, Washington man, Tyler Miller, a Navy veteran, 352 00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:32,040 Speaker 1: but they were also organized by a number of different 353 00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:34,320 Speaker 1: Facebook groups that kind of trace back to a group 354 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:37,640 Speaker 1: called American Revolution two point oh. And I can't tell 355 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:40,159 Speaker 1: you at this moment who actually started all that. It's 356 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:43,560 Speaker 1: very unclear to me the origin um, but there is 357 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:46,600 Speaker 1: evidence that heavily suggests that Matt Shay, who is a 358 00:20:46,640 --> 00:20:49,760 Speaker 1: local militia leader and an elected state represented in Washington 359 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:51,760 Speaker 1: is a part of it. He spoke at the event 360 00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:56,879 Speaker 1: in Olympia. He's certainly an advocate, definite. Yeah, And there's 361 00:20:56,920 --> 00:21:00,639 Speaker 1: evidence that the Bundy's like they pushed for some rallies 362 00:21:00,680 --> 00:21:04,080 Speaker 1: and in Idaho, uh there there they are probably involved 363 00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:05,560 Speaker 1: in this. So it looks like some of the stuff 364 00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:11,680 Speaker 1: that's happened a situation here. Yeah, an American Revolution two 365 00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:16,040 Speaker 1: point oh is planning identical demonstrations in Oregon from May 366 00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:18,720 Speaker 1: one and May second. So what you have within Michigan, 367 00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:20,760 Speaker 1: you have this group that ties back to the bosses 368 00:21:20,880 --> 00:21:23,240 Speaker 1: within Oregon and Washington. You have this group that at 369 00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:26,320 Speaker 1: least ties back to definitely ties to some figures in 370 00:21:26,359 --> 00:21:30,199 Speaker 1: the militia community um, but also seems to generally be 371 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:35,280 Speaker 1: based in significant amount on on legitimate groups of people 372 00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:37,879 Speaker 1: who are are very angry and organizing like it. It 373 00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:40,720 Speaker 1: doesn't seem more AstroTurf than any other protest of its 374 00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:42,359 Speaker 1: size for me, from what I'm looking at in the 375 00:21:42,359 --> 00:21:45,520 Speaker 1: PMW right now, what we saw in Michigan you could 376 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:48,199 Speaker 1: definitely say seems to be astroturfed and seems to have 377 00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:51,160 Speaker 1: been folks who have like direct ties to the Republican Party. 378 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:54,720 Speaker 1: And then you have in the wake of that Michigan protest, 379 00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:57,000 Speaker 1: and prior to the Washington protest, you have the Door 380 00:21:57,040 --> 00:22:00,080 Speaker 1: Brothers kicking starting up all of these X state and 381 00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:03,320 Speaker 1: successive quarantines. So and and that part is like, do 382 00:22:03,359 --> 00:22:05,960 Speaker 1: we call that astroturft um or do we call that 383 00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:08,880 Speaker 1: a scam that is also providing a place for people 384 00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:13,000 Speaker 1: to organize and will generate more protests, even though it 385 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:15,280 Speaker 1: seems to be part of this like scam by these 386 00:22:15,320 --> 00:22:18,800 Speaker 1: brothers who have been doing this for years to try 387 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:21,240 Speaker 1: and drum up more names and more donations for the 388 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:25,280 Speaker 1: network of groups that they run. Now to make all 389 00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:28,800 Speaker 1: of that even more fucking complicated, I started getting tagged 390 00:22:28,800 --> 00:22:31,800 Speaker 1: in posts and sent links to a Reddit post that 391 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:36,520 Speaker 1: somebody made over the where they it was a piece 392 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:39,760 Speaker 1: of open source research where somebody revealed that an individual 393 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:42,679 Speaker 1: had purchased dozens and dozens of domains with names like 394 00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:45,600 Speaker 1: reopen a L dot com, reopen a K dot com, 395 00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:47,920 Speaker 1: reopen a R dot com. So reopen all these different states, 396 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:52,000 Speaker 1: reopen West Virginia, really, liberate West Virginia, liberate Wisconsin. Um. 397 00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:54,280 Speaker 1: And this was at the same time as the Door 398 00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:57,280 Speaker 1: Brothers are creating what it now seems to be hundreds 399 00:22:57,320 --> 00:23:00,600 Speaker 1: of different state groups with titles like such and such 400 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:05,439 Speaker 1: against excessive quarantine. So the way that this was taken 401 00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:08,520 Speaker 1: by people who started sharing this viral Reddit post is 402 00:23:08,560 --> 00:23:10,840 Speaker 1: that all of these groups were part of a single 403 00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:14,840 Speaker 1: concerted effort um and that that this was very clearly 404 00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:21,800 Speaker 1: a nationwide concerted astroturfing campaign. But then today Mother Jones 405 00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:25,600 Speaker 1: published an article where so if you go, if you 406 00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:27,640 Speaker 1: went into that Reddit post and you looked into who 407 00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:29,439 Speaker 1: was buying up all these domains, it led back to 408 00:23:29,520 --> 00:23:31,600 Speaker 1: an individual whose name I will not use on this. 409 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:35,960 Speaker 1: That individual began getting harassed by huge numbers of liberals 410 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:37,920 Speaker 1: and people on the left because they believed that this 411 00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:41,760 Speaker 1: person was behind an AstroTurf campaign to get people out 412 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:45,439 Speaker 1: in public protesting social distancing and the like. That is 413 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:48,760 Speaker 1: not what happened. So Mother Jones caught up with the creator, 414 00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:51,239 Speaker 1: with the person who bought all of these websites, and 415 00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:54,400 Speaker 1: he has by his own description, and old hippie who 416 00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:57,159 Speaker 1: noticed what the Door Brothers were doing and noticed what 417 00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:00,280 Speaker 1: had happened in Michigan and bought as many domains, spent 418 00:24:00,320 --> 00:24:02,240 Speaker 1: four thousand dollars of his own money buying up all 419 00:24:02,280 --> 00:24:04,679 Speaker 1: of the domains that he thought might be used by 420 00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:07,040 Speaker 1: groups like this so that he could squat on them 421 00:24:07,080 --> 00:24:10,000 Speaker 1: and stop them from being used and hopefully limit the 422 00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:14,159 Speaker 1: spread of these protests and of this misinformation. His justification 423 00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:17,040 Speaker 1: is basically, I'm going I know that it matters having 424 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:19,920 Speaker 1: a website with a really obvious and easy for people 425 00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:22,119 Speaker 1: to remember and easy people to guess u r L. 426 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:24,960 Speaker 1: And if I buy up all of that those websites 427 00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:28,199 Speaker 1: right now, they won't be used by bad actors. So 428 00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:30,720 Speaker 1: this person went into debt to try to stop the 429 00:24:30,760 --> 00:24:35,800 Speaker 1: spread of misinformation and was flooded with harassment and threats 430 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:38,560 Speaker 1: because people somebody found out that he was behind this 431 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:42,399 Speaker 1: um and and publicize that without noting that like, actually, 432 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:45,280 Speaker 1: these websites haven't been created, so no one's done anything 433 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:48,160 Speaker 1: with them. But this is also so you have one 434 00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:50,560 Speaker 1: group of right wing, at least one group and probably 435 00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:52,520 Speaker 1: a couple of groups of right wing, a mix of 436 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:55,320 Speaker 1: grifters and activists who are mass creating groups that have 437 00:24:55,440 --> 00:24:58,600 Speaker 1: hundreds of thousands of members nationwide and that have been 438 00:24:58,680 --> 00:25:01,800 Speaker 1: at least involved in the creation of several real protests, 439 00:25:02,200 --> 00:25:04,720 Speaker 1: although they didn't start the protest movement that does seem 440 00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:07,760 Speaker 1: to have been in part astro turf. But you also 441 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:09,920 Speaker 1: have at the same time these liberals who have bought 442 00:25:09,960 --> 00:25:12,560 Speaker 1: up a huge number of domains, this liberal in order 443 00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:15,280 Speaker 1: to try to stop the spread of disinformation. So all 444 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:19,280 Speaker 1: of these things are happening at once. Um is so complicated, 445 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:22,200 Speaker 1: it's it's it is very difficult to get my head 446 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:26,159 Speaker 1: around what the funk is happening right now. But what 447 00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:29,639 Speaker 1: is clear to say is that thousands of Americans in 448 00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:32,320 Speaker 1: a number of different states have turned out, many of 449 00:25:32,359 --> 00:25:36,840 Speaker 1: them with firearms, to protest against social distancing and to 450 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:41,040 Speaker 1: in some cases express their their willingness to do violence. 451 00:25:41,560 --> 00:25:45,359 Speaker 1: I wanted to clarify in case this was misinterpreted earlier. 452 00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:49,560 Speaker 1: When I was saying that the way that Fox News 453 00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:52,120 Speaker 1: has been putting out headlines and conservative media's it makes 454 00:25:52,119 --> 00:25:55,160 Speaker 1: it seem bigger than it really is. I wasn't diminishing 455 00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:57,680 Speaker 1: the fact that this is a very real thing that's 456 00:25:57,680 --> 00:26:04,440 Speaker 1: happening with tons of people uh jumping on board. Just like, yes, 457 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:06,800 Speaker 1: it's hard to understand the scale of what it is 458 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:09,560 Speaker 1: that we're working with, and it's you know, everybody scared 459 00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:12,440 Speaker 1: of it, and that doesn't quite understand I'm a little 460 00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:15,480 Speaker 1: bit baffled by all this, to be honest, and like 461 00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:19,560 Speaker 1: it's the things that I think are important. Is number one, 462 00:26:19,760 --> 00:26:24,320 Speaker 1: most Americans are not on board protests like these, um. 463 00:26:24,359 --> 00:26:28,320 Speaker 1: And it is possible that this it is possible that 464 00:26:28,400 --> 00:26:31,240 Speaker 1: the fact that a lot of this is astroturfed will 465 00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:34,800 Speaker 1: mean that this movement never really materializes in and on 466 00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:37,159 Speaker 1: the ground way. But at the same time, we have 467 00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:39,480 Speaker 1: seen it in some places. There are some states where 468 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:43,560 Speaker 1: these rallies have been minimal and basically pointless and shown 469 00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:46,600 Speaker 1: that in those states there's very little support for this 470 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:48,920 Speaker 1: sort of thing. And there have been some states where 471 00:26:48,920 --> 00:26:50,400 Speaker 1: it has been shown that there is quite a lot 472 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:52,600 Speaker 1: of support for these groups and a lot of very 473 00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:56,840 Speaker 1: angry people who are getting increasingly organized, and that is 474 00:26:57,160 --> 00:27:01,280 Speaker 1: something to be aware of and concerned by. Yeah. And 475 00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:04,679 Speaker 1: they also have, I mean, for whatever the reason and 476 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:09,800 Speaker 1: whatever the motivation, they have the president and his propaganda 477 00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:13,920 Speaker 1: wing operating as if they're good and popular and people 478 00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:17,000 Speaker 1: should do it um. So I think to even too, 479 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:21,960 Speaker 1: even if there are fewer people then should be a concern. 480 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:27,320 Speaker 1: The ecosystem says that we should be concerned, and like, 481 00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:30,399 Speaker 1: I don't know, dismissed, people dismissed. So many things like 482 00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:35,440 Speaker 1: this that end up growing because they're dismissed. Literally, the 483 00:27:35,760 --> 00:27:41,560 Speaker 1: current president was dismissed as like something that didn't matter, 484 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:45,720 Speaker 1: was silly and unpopular, and here we are and here 485 00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:48,480 Speaker 1: we are, and you mean, honestly, it just keeps happening 486 00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:52,440 Speaker 1: things that if things get dismissed, and then they happen yah. 487 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:55,399 Speaker 1: And it's the kind of thing people are saying, like, like, 488 00:27:55,480 --> 00:27:58,119 Speaker 1: I got into an argument with some folks on Twitter 489 00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:01,000 Speaker 1: who were like, uh, there were a little to Somebody 490 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:03,120 Speaker 1: made a post being like, there's only hundreds of people 491 00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:05,960 Speaker 1: at these events. They're not a real protest. This isn't 492 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:07,879 Speaker 1: a real thing to be concerned about. The news should 493 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:11,800 Speaker 1: stop covering it. And I pointed out, well, actually people 494 00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:14,040 Speaker 1: showed up in Washington and a lot of them had 495 00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:17,080 Speaker 1: guns and ties to the militia community, and that's not 496 00:28:17,280 --> 00:28:21,280 Speaker 1: something to ignore. That is a real story that is significant. 497 00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:25,359 Speaker 1: And the response was like, people is only like, you know, 498 00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:27,879 Speaker 1: a fraction of a percent of the state's total population, 499 00:28:27,960 --> 00:28:29,639 Speaker 1: and it's like and one of the things that I 500 00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:32,720 Speaker 1: would point out to the folks acting like that is that, um, 501 00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:35,600 Speaker 1: I've been to Roca, the former capital of the Islamic State, 502 00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:37,960 Speaker 1: and I have talked to people who were there when 503 00:28:37,960 --> 00:28:42,920 Speaker 1: Isis took over UM and it started with a few 504 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:47,800 Speaker 1: dozen to a few hundred armed people UH moving in 505 00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:50,240 Speaker 1: in the wake of the government sort of pulling out 506 00:28:50,280 --> 00:28:53,000 Speaker 1: and collapsing in that area and just saying we're in 507 00:28:53,080 --> 00:28:57,320 Speaker 1: charge now. And they didn't encounter immediate resistance when there 508 00:28:57,320 --> 00:28:59,040 Speaker 1: were only a few dozen of them, and they weren't 509 00:28:59,080 --> 00:29:01,600 Speaker 1: that well organized, and more people kept coming and more 510 00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:05,520 Speaker 1: people kept coming, and eventually it resulted in the fucking 511 00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:10,000 Speaker 1: Caliphate UH taking over huge swats of territory and a horrible, 512 00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:15,520 Speaker 1: horrible war. And that is if things go really badly. 513 00:29:16,560 --> 00:29:18,840 Speaker 1: The fact that these groups in a couple of states 514 00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:21,959 Speaker 1: can pull together a thousand, two thousand armed people and 515 00:29:22,040 --> 00:29:26,600 Speaker 1: get them into the center of a capital city UM 516 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:30,520 Speaker 1: at the right point in time could be very important. 517 00:29:31,720 --> 00:29:34,520 Speaker 1: And it doesn't matter if millions of people don't agree 518 00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:37,400 Speaker 1: with them. What matters is whether or not they are 519 00:29:37,400 --> 00:29:41,120 Speaker 1: able to take and hold important chunks of Infratraul structure 520 00:29:41,160 --> 00:29:43,400 Speaker 1: at the right time. So this is not something I 521 00:29:43,440 --> 00:29:47,920 Speaker 1: think can be ignored. And again, the president is their cheerleader. 522 00:29:48,040 --> 00:29:51,440 Speaker 1: Right now. Yeah. Yeah, we see that reaction all the 523 00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:53,640 Speaker 1: time with stuff like this, and even like his the 524 00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:57,360 Speaker 1: Charlottesville rallies, like it's just it's just like people. Yeah, 525 00:29:57,440 --> 00:30:00,880 Speaker 1: well then what yep, yeah, then what where does it 526 00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:03,840 Speaker 1: go from there? So, Cody, you have some stuff about 527 00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:06,080 Speaker 1: the Tea Party because this is being compared to the 528 00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:07,880 Speaker 1: Tea Party and people talking this is again one of 529 00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:09,840 Speaker 1: the reasons why I think that the folks who are 530 00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:12,600 Speaker 1: saying this is just AstroTurf ignore it or maybe making 531 00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:14,800 Speaker 1: a dangerous call, is that, like the Tea Party was 532 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:17,240 Speaker 1: totally an AstroTurf thing, which you're going to talk about, 533 00:30:17,520 --> 00:30:22,960 Speaker 1: and then the two thousand ten midterm elections happened. Should 534 00:30:22,960 --> 00:30:27,080 Speaker 1: we define AstroTurf for people? Yeah, I'm gonna hand it 535 00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:29,840 Speaker 1: over to Cody now. Um. Yeah. So you'll see a 536 00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:32,560 Speaker 1: lot of a lot of Democratic leaders these days, especially 537 00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:36,000 Speaker 1: referred to like grassroots movements. It's the opposite of grassroots movements. 538 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:40,680 Speaker 1: A grassroots movement is like a naturally occurring movement of 539 00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:44,280 Speaker 1: popular people. Like the way grass grows, not the kind 540 00:30:44,320 --> 00:30:49,200 Speaker 1: of grass that's planted, yes, the way regular grass grows. Uh. 541 00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:52,840 Speaker 1: And then an aster turf is basically a fake movement. 542 00:30:53,320 --> 00:30:56,880 Speaker 1: It's fake grass. Um. It's often you know, it'll be 543 00:30:57,040 --> 00:31:02,240 Speaker 1: whether it's paying people to protest um or influencing people 544 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:04,800 Speaker 1: to be a part of a movement that they wouldn't 545 00:31:04,800 --> 00:31:07,480 Speaker 1: necessarily be a part of otherwise. Um. I mean Donald 546 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:12,680 Speaker 1: Trump paid people uh to applaud when he announced that 547 00:31:12,760 --> 00:31:17,400 Speaker 1: he was running for president, things like that. So I 548 00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:20,160 Speaker 1: guess to really get into this, let me take you 549 00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:23,440 Speaker 1: back a few couple several years. Don't back in time? 550 00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:26,120 Speaker 1: Is there's some way that we can be there's some 551 00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:28,600 Speaker 1: way that we might uh that we might help our 552 00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:33,560 Speaker 1: audience mentally go back in time. If I can't believe 553 00:31:33,600 --> 00:31:37,080 Speaker 1: if we continuing bits, this is the bit. It's not 554 00:31:37,200 --> 00:31:42,720 Speaker 1: a little bit of mechanism, a machine in order that 555 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:45,520 Speaker 1: that allows us to alter what time it is? If 556 00:31:46,240 --> 00:31:50,600 Speaker 1: where do exist? How would it sound, Katie take it away? 557 00:31:50,960 --> 00:31:53,160 Speaker 1: Just do it do do do do do do do 558 00:31:53,160 --> 00:31:59,560 Speaker 1: do do auditioning a new bit that's disgusting. So anyway, 559 00:32:00,120 --> 00:32:03,360 Speaker 1: you know how all those protests, um, like all protests 560 00:32:03,520 --> 00:32:09,120 Speaker 1: are funded and created by George Soros, our boss, you know, yeah, 561 00:32:09,320 --> 00:32:12,960 Speaker 1: and how everyone like has like Trump syndrome. We do 562 00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:14,920 Speaker 1: call him that that's how he signs the checks that 563 00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:17,280 Speaker 1: we all get in cash. You know how everyone has 564 00:32:17,320 --> 00:32:21,440 Speaker 1: trumped arrangement syndrome these days. You know, like people protested 565 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:25,040 Speaker 1: him in his first month of office. Grow up, grow 566 00:32:25,160 --> 00:32:28,560 Speaker 1: up people anyway. In February of two thousand nine, Barack 567 00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:31,440 Speaker 1: Obama's first full month in office, he signed a stimulus 568 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:35,520 Speaker 1: package in response to a recession that was surely his fault. 569 00:32:36,320 --> 00:32:39,960 Speaker 1: That same month, in Seattle, Kelly Carender, known online as 570 00:32:40,040 --> 00:32:43,600 Speaker 1: Liberty Bell b E L L e H on her 571 00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:47,880 Speaker 1: blog Redistributing Knowledge, organized the first tea party protest against 572 00:32:47,960 --> 00:32:53,240 Speaker 1: government spending. People were in attendance. A few days later, 573 00:32:53,240 --> 00:32:56,200 Speaker 1: on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Trade commentator 574 00:32:56,320 --> 00:33:00,240 Speaker 1: Rick Santelli ranted about government spending on C n B C, 575 00:33:00,560 --> 00:33:04,720 Speaker 1: calling for a Chicago tea party. The clip went viral, 576 00:33:05,360 --> 00:33:08,160 Speaker 1: got a lot of popularity Over the next few weeks. 577 00:33:08,160 --> 00:33:11,760 Speaker 1: Thousands of people protested in cities across America on these 578 00:33:11,840 --> 00:33:17,440 Speaker 1: general ideas. Fox News got on board. Specifically known full 579 00:33:17,480 --> 00:33:21,160 Speaker 1: of ship man Glenn Beck got really on board um. 580 00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:24,520 Speaker 1: Another prominent figure early on was conservative blogger Michelle Malkin. 581 00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:28,760 Speaker 1: Listeners may be familiar with her semi recent activity amidst 582 00:33:28,960 --> 00:33:31,840 Speaker 1: the alt right, or her support of Holocaust denier and 583 00:33:31,920 --> 00:33:36,360 Speaker 1: basically a Nazi Nick Fuentes. Um. But the soft and 584 00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:40,080 Speaker 1: eventually hard racism of the Tea Party movement or heck, 585 00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:41,960 Speaker 1: you know what's going on now is really what we're 586 00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:46,400 Speaker 1: talking about. Yet, back to the protests was which continued 587 00:33:46,440 --> 00:33:52,200 Speaker 1: to grow Facebook groups, and Fox News kept pushing more protests. 588 00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:58,440 Speaker 1: This culminator in September Taxpayer March on Washington, the Coux 589 00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:03,600 Speaker 1: uh tax derangement syndrome one might call it anyway. At 590 00:34:03,600 --> 00:34:06,360 Speaker 1: that march, a Fox News producer can be seen literally 591 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:08,759 Speaker 1: pumping up the crowd for footage they were going to 592 00:34:08,840 --> 00:34:13,000 Speaker 1: use later. The producer was disciplined and Fox News would uh, 593 00:34:13,040 --> 00:34:14,960 Speaker 1: you know, never make a mistake like that. Again. They 594 00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:19,000 Speaker 1: were good from then on out, um. And so we 595 00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:22,360 Speaker 1: could actually go on about what happened later as the 596 00:34:22,360 --> 00:34:25,640 Speaker 1: Tea Party, which is not a party, pivoted from protesting 597 00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:29,800 Speaker 1: UH at these events that were scoffed at by many 598 00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:33,920 Speaker 1: people in the media. UH, and they pivoted towards supporting 599 00:34:33,920 --> 00:34:37,359 Speaker 1: and electing politicians, many of whom we now know and 600 00:34:37,400 --> 00:34:44,120 Speaker 1: love today, including but not only Sarah Palin, Joe Walsh, 601 00:34:44,520 --> 00:34:51,600 Speaker 1: Mike Pence, Steve King, Rand Paul, Steve Scalise, Marco Rubio, 602 00:34:52,040 --> 00:34:58,000 Speaker 1: Resistance hero, Justin Amash, Michelle Bachman, Mick mulveny, Ted Cruz, 603 00:34:58,160 --> 00:35:00,879 Speaker 1: Ron Paul, and Mike Lee. Those are just a few 604 00:35:00,880 --> 00:35:04,440 Speaker 1: of them. Now, Cody, the fact that Astro turf to 605 00:35:04,480 --> 00:35:11,000 Speaker 1: protests uh started by wealthy GOP tied individuals were behind 606 00:35:11,120 --> 00:35:13,840 Speaker 1: the start of the Tea Party protests. That means that 607 00:35:13,880 --> 00:35:16,120 Speaker 1: none of those individuals you've listed have gone on to 608 00:35:16,200 --> 00:35:25,440 Speaker 1: have a massive and shattering impact on American society, right, Robert, Robert, 609 00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:28,759 Speaker 1: I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about, so 610 00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:31,680 Speaker 1: we can safely ignore it. It seems like this Ted 611 00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:37,840 Speaker 1: Cruise fellow, for example, UMO never cloud down the economy. 612 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:44,600 Speaker 1: These this or this organic movement that happened naturally. Um, 613 00:35:44,680 --> 00:35:48,520 Speaker 1: that was just silly. Uh, they supported Ted Cruise. I 614 00:35:48,520 --> 00:35:50,480 Speaker 1: didn't even know who you're talking about. I'm going to 615 00:35:50,560 --> 00:35:53,920 Speaker 1: google right now. I'm sorry, this is so beside the point, 616 00:35:54,040 --> 00:35:58,239 Speaker 1: but I just remembered that story I read about. I 617 00:35:58,239 --> 00:36:01,600 Speaker 1: believe when Ted Cruz was a new lewd drove his 618 00:36:01,640 --> 00:36:05,000 Speaker 1: wife crazy by going to the market and just continually 619 00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:07,800 Speaker 1: stalking up on canned soup. He bought too much soup. 620 00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:11,000 Speaker 1: She made him return all the soup. I'm sorry, but 621 00:36:11,080 --> 00:36:15,160 Speaker 1: Ted ted Cruise was incredibly president. Yeah, no, he was 622 00:36:15,239 --> 00:36:18,799 Speaker 1: right about soup. Okay, nobody's saying Ted Cruizers wrong about 623 00:36:19,680 --> 00:36:22,319 Speaker 1: Believe that memory just came running back in my brain. 624 00:36:22,520 --> 00:36:25,200 Speaker 1: I also can't believe that it's already time for another 625 00:36:25,239 --> 00:36:28,560 Speaker 1: ad break. And as you go into this ad break, 626 00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:34,920 Speaker 1: remember this piece of second Great Depression wisdom. Broken clock 627 00:36:35,239 --> 00:36:39,839 Speaker 1: filled with canned soup is still has calories when there 628 00:36:39,880 --> 00:36:42,600 Speaker 1: are runs on the grocery stores. So fill all of 629 00:36:42,640 --> 00:36:45,360 Speaker 1: your clocks with as much soup as you can, or 630 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:47,520 Speaker 1: be like that one woman who buried all the beans 631 00:36:47,520 --> 00:37:01,799 Speaker 1: in her backyard. Together, every don't. And we're back from 632 00:37:01,880 --> 00:37:05,080 Speaker 1: the break. We're back from outer space. And I just 633 00:37:05,239 --> 00:37:08,320 Speaker 1: walked in to find you all here with that happy 634 00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:13,160 Speaker 1: look upon your face, because we're all gonna keep cast 635 00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:16,640 Speaker 1: in a pod. We're going to cast the pods about 636 00:37:16,680 --> 00:37:21,240 Speaker 1: the best year of everybody's life. Yes, ending is really 637 00:37:21,239 --> 00:37:24,120 Speaker 1: on point today. I know we're nailing it. We're nailing it, 638 00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:26,360 Speaker 1: and I think we may have just saved the oil 639 00:37:26,360 --> 00:37:29,360 Speaker 1: and gas industry. Because of how well we're doing this podcast. 640 00:37:29,480 --> 00:37:32,320 Speaker 1: I don't want to make a prediction, but I predict 641 00:37:32,440 --> 00:37:37,400 Speaker 1: everything's gonna be gravy. I literally could not agree with 642 00:37:37,440 --> 00:37:40,600 Speaker 1: both of you anymore. Yes, I want to hear more 643 00:37:40,640 --> 00:37:43,759 Speaker 1: about the thing you prepared. Oh well, okay, So I 644 00:37:43,760 --> 00:37:46,200 Speaker 1: mean we've gone over the the irrelevant people that have 645 00:37:46,320 --> 00:37:49,840 Speaker 1: no power today, that we're supported by this movement that 646 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:55,200 Speaker 1: was completely organic and natural and came from popular descent. Um. 647 00:37:55,239 --> 00:37:58,440 Speaker 1: And we could actually we could talk about the fringe 648 00:37:58,560 --> 00:38:02,759 Speaker 1: elements of the proto tests over those years, um, which 649 00:38:03,040 --> 00:38:07,520 Speaker 1: fringe being civility speak for racist and h fucked up 650 00:38:07,680 --> 00:38:11,960 Speaker 1: stuff that people at the protests do not want to acknowledge. Uh, 651 00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:14,680 Speaker 1: that might be underlying elements of the movement. But this 652 00:38:14,760 --> 00:38:18,279 Speaker 1: episode isn't actually about the Tea Party. Um. You know, 653 00:38:18,360 --> 00:38:21,400 Speaker 1: there's so much to say about the effect the movement 654 00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:23,720 Speaker 1: has had on our politics, how they pulled the country 655 00:38:23,760 --> 00:38:27,440 Speaker 1: further right while claiming Obama's an evil socialist, and how 656 00:38:27,440 --> 00:38:30,120 Speaker 1: it was the last big transitional period and path to 657 00:38:30,160 --> 00:38:33,360 Speaker 1: our current president. How the first national convention of the 658 00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:36,360 Speaker 1: common Man's Tea Party had Sarah Palin speaking for a 659 00:38:36,400 --> 00:38:40,480 Speaker 1: hundred thousand dollars with tickets costing five forty seven dollars, 660 00:38:40,800 --> 00:38:42,960 Speaker 1: and about how every single person who participated in the 661 00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:46,440 Speaker 1: Tea Party movement seems to like forget about it all 662 00:38:46,719 --> 00:38:49,360 Speaker 1: these days. But again, this isn't about the Tea Party. 663 00:38:49,600 --> 00:38:52,480 Speaker 1: It's the little segment about the origins of the Tea Party, 664 00:38:52,600 --> 00:38:56,439 Speaker 1: a completely organic, grassroots movement for the people the end. 665 00:38:56,920 --> 00:38:59,400 Speaker 1: Oh also, so wait, sorry, so there's this organization from 666 00:38:59,400 --> 00:39:02,319 Speaker 1: the nineties called Citizens for a Sound Economy. It's the 667 00:39:02,320 --> 00:39:05,359 Speaker 1: precursor to modern think tanks and orgers like Americans for 668 00:39:05,440 --> 00:39:08,799 Speaker 1: Prosperity and Freedom Works. You might recognize those names as 669 00:39:08,840 --> 00:39:12,240 Speaker 1: producers of propaganda, like with our good friend Dennis Praeger, 670 00:39:12,480 --> 00:39:15,440 Speaker 1: dean of Praguer University, which, according to its website, is 671 00:39:15,480 --> 00:39:19,120 Speaker 1: not an accredited university. You also might recognize all of 672 00:39:19,120 --> 00:39:21,960 Speaker 1: these organizations as being funded by pals of the cast, 673 00:39:22,480 --> 00:39:26,400 Speaker 1: the Coke Brothers of Coke Industries, the second largest privately 674 00:39:26,480 --> 00:39:30,320 Speaker 1: owned company in the world. Anyway. In sixteen, Time magazine 675 00:39:30,360 --> 00:39:34,160 Speaker 1: published an excerpt from Jim Nesbit's book Poison Tea, How 676 00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:36,880 Speaker 1: big Oil and big Tobacco invented the Tea Party and 677 00:39:36,960 --> 00:39:40,000 Speaker 1: captured the GOP. It describes a meeting he had when 678 00:39:40,040 --> 00:39:43,080 Speaker 1: he was consulting for Citizens for a Sound Economy, which 679 00:39:43,120 --> 00:39:47,520 Speaker 1: again later became Americans for Prosperity. The meeting was also 680 00:39:47,560 --> 00:39:52,759 Speaker 1: attended by Philip Morris. Quote. The concept that c SE 681 00:39:52,960 --> 00:39:55,480 Speaker 1: put on the conference table, which was quickly taken up 682 00:39:55,480 --> 00:39:58,120 Speaker 1: by the Philip Morris staff, was a bit shocking to me. 683 00:39:58,480 --> 00:40:02,400 Speaker 1: They proposed an unholy allied aiance, Philip Morris money commingled 684 00:40:02,440 --> 00:40:05,799 Speaker 1: with Coke money to create anti tax front groups in 685 00:40:05,840 --> 00:40:08,840 Speaker 1: a handful of states that would battle any tax that moved. 686 00:40:09,239 --> 00:40:12,080 Speaker 1: It would make no difference what kind of tax. The 687 00:40:12,120 --> 00:40:15,600 Speaker 1: front groups could battle cigarette excise taxes in the Northeast 688 00:40:15,920 --> 00:40:19,359 Speaker 1: and refined oil fees at the coasts. Any tax for 689 00:40:19,440 --> 00:40:23,160 Speaker 1: any purpose was bad, and these front groups would tackle 690 00:40:23,239 --> 00:40:26,200 Speaker 1: them all. With Philip Morris and the Cokes behind them, 691 00:40:26,239 --> 00:40:29,600 Speaker 1: it made good business sense and good political sense as well. 692 00:40:30,120 --> 00:40:33,440 Speaker 1: You could relabel just about anything as a tax, and 693 00:40:33,480 --> 00:40:37,399 Speaker 1: heaven knows, the American public hates taxes. This at its 694 00:40:37,480 --> 00:40:40,120 Speaker 1: core was the beginning of the American tea Party revolt 695 00:40:40,120 --> 00:40:43,560 Speaker 1: against the power of the government to pay for its programs. 696 00:40:43,600 --> 00:40:47,080 Speaker 1: They could recruit average citizens from a variety of ideological 697 00:40:47,160 --> 00:40:50,080 Speaker 1: groups to their cause. They would work side by side 698 00:40:50,120 --> 00:40:53,680 Speaker 1: with corporate directed workers and employees providing real boots on 699 00:40:53,680 --> 00:40:57,560 Speaker 1: the ground when enough activists weren't readily available, and no 700 00:40:57,600 --> 00:41:00,640 Speaker 1: one would be the wiser or even care that these 701 00:41:00,680 --> 00:41:05,440 Speaker 1: grassroots quotes anti tax groups would be jointly created and 702 00:41:05,440 --> 00:41:08,400 Speaker 1: funded by the largest private oil company and the largest 703 00:41:08,440 --> 00:41:14,879 Speaker 1: cigarette company in the world. So much like these protests, 704 00:41:15,040 --> 00:41:18,000 Speaker 1: or at least somewhat it's interesting to me at least 705 00:41:18,520 --> 00:41:21,719 Speaker 1: that they're all framed as like we're the little guy, 706 00:41:21,840 --> 00:41:25,280 Speaker 1: like we're real America, we're being trampled on by the government. 707 00:41:25,520 --> 00:41:29,239 Speaker 1: But it's mostly like business owners and landlords pushing it. 708 00:41:29,840 --> 00:41:32,279 Speaker 1: So not a lot of people know who rich Fink is. 709 00:41:32,840 --> 00:41:36,920 Speaker 1: You know who Rich Fink is? No, Rich Fink maybe 710 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:43,759 Speaker 1: the most apply named person on the planet name unbelievable. UM. 711 00:41:43,960 --> 00:41:48,000 Speaker 1: He's a basically it's Charles Coke's political advisor. As Nesbitt 712 00:41:48,080 --> 00:41:52,760 Speaker 1: points out, over the years, Rich Fink UM has talked 713 00:41:52,880 --> 00:41:58,439 Speaker 1: regularly about their basically their plan to sort of take 714 00:41:58,520 --> 00:42:01,839 Speaker 1: over one of the two national political parties UM from 715 00:42:01,960 --> 00:42:06,440 Speaker 1: the outside in place more libertarian free market principles in 716 00:42:06,480 --> 00:42:10,600 Speaker 1: this place. UM and these ideas are outlined in this book. 717 00:42:11,840 --> 00:42:15,080 Speaker 1: Being an extensive academic now, so I'm gonna I'm gonna 718 00:42:15,080 --> 00:42:18,640 Speaker 1: read these off, and I think listeners of this podcast, 719 00:42:19,239 --> 00:42:24,120 Speaker 1: Katie and Mis podcast, Robert's other podcasts will be familiar 720 00:42:24,160 --> 00:42:28,880 Speaker 1: I think with the mechanisms we're talking about here, familiarity 721 00:42:29,000 --> 00:42:32,279 Speaker 1: is comforting. In this time, it is very comforting. This 722 00:42:32,360 --> 00:42:35,600 Speaker 1: is making me feel really great. Uh, an extensive academic 723 00:42:35,680 --> 00:42:39,640 Speaker 1: network to support it intellectually, policy networks in every state 724 00:42:39,680 --> 00:42:43,279 Speaker 1: to draw on that intellectual underpinning from hundreds of American universities, 725 00:42:43,680 --> 00:42:46,640 Speaker 1: a true political grassroots alliance that extended to all of 726 00:42:46,680 --> 00:42:48,960 Speaker 1: those state capitals and work closely with the academic and 727 00:42:49,040 --> 00:42:52,960 Speaker 1: policy network. A propaganda arm that could bring tightly controlled 728 00:42:53,000 --> 00:42:55,560 Speaker 1: messaging and narratives to the four in the state networks 729 00:42:55,680 --> 00:42:59,080 Speaker 1: in a way that looked like independent journalism. And a 730 00:42:59,200 --> 00:43:02,400 Speaker 1: national coordinate in group that could enforce discipline in what 731 00:43:02,480 --> 00:43:06,840 Speaker 1: would otherwise be a chaotic, unruly, wildly disconnected political network 732 00:43:07,000 --> 00:43:11,080 Speaker 1: that ran the gamut from the Patriot movement to American exceptionalism. 733 00:43:11,120 --> 00:43:13,239 Speaker 1: So at pro of nothing, I'm just gonna say some 734 00:43:13,320 --> 00:43:18,200 Speaker 1: words now, the Sam Adams Alliance, American Enterprise Institute, the 735 00:43:18,239 --> 00:43:22,520 Speaker 1: Franklin Center for Government and Policy Integrity, the State Policy Network, 736 00:43:22,680 --> 00:43:28,360 Speaker 1: Americans for Prosperity, Pragger University, Job Creators Network, Get Government 737 00:43:28,400 --> 00:43:32,960 Speaker 1: off our Back. Enough is enough, Citizens against regressive taxation, 738 00:43:33,400 --> 00:43:37,080 Speaker 1: learn liberty, freedom works, and so on. I could go 739 00:43:37,120 --> 00:43:39,359 Speaker 1: on and on and on. Anyway, I'm not sure why 740 00:43:39,360 --> 00:43:42,400 Speaker 1: I brought all of that up. Um. As Michelle Malkin 741 00:43:42,480 --> 00:43:45,280 Speaker 1: told Fox News in twenty uh in two thousand nine, 742 00:43:45,719 --> 00:43:48,520 Speaker 1: this is real. These people are here and they're here 743 00:43:48,560 --> 00:43:51,960 Speaker 1: to stay. So like two out of three is pretty 744 00:43:51,960 --> 00:43:58,560 Speaker 1: good the end okay? On course, so to be fair 745 00:43:58,760 --> 00:44:01,960 Speaker 1: um and balanced? Actually uh. In response to this, and 746 00:44:02,960 --> 00:44:06,320 Speaker 1: the Coke Foundation put forth a statement saying no funding 747 00:44:06,320 --> 00:44:09,680 Speaker 1: has been provided by Coke Companies, the Coke Foundation, or 748 00:44:09,800 --> 00:44:14,160 Speaker 1: Charles Coke or David Coke specifically to support the tea parties. 749 00:44:14,719 --> 00:44:21,240 Speaker 1: So case closed. Huh. Yeah. So that's just a brief 750 00:44:21,400 --> 00:44:26,040 Speaker 1: little uh rundown of the perception I think of the 751 00:44:26,040 --> 00:44:30,880 Speaker 1: Tea Party early on, um, the inception of that general movement, 752 00:44:31,560 --> 00:44:35,680 Speaker 1: which was in place years before it even happened, um, 753 00:44:35,760 --> 00:44:42,560 Speaker 1: and the results of that a astro turf movement, uh, 754 00:44:42,680 --> 00:44:46,440 Speaker 1: sort of presented as with elements of grassroots movements. Uh, 755 00:44:46,600 --> 00:44:51,319 Speaker 1: and here we have Ted Cruz and Mike Pence. Yea yea. 756 00:44:52,840 --> 00:44:54,600 Speaker 1: Do we want to end this with like some sort 757 00:44:54,640 --> 00:44:59,480 Speaker 1: of like actionable item for how to uh how to 758 00:44:59,640 --> 00:45:02,560 Speaker 1: do the opposite of what these people are doing? Yeah, 759 00:45:02,640 --> 00:45:04,759 Speaker 1: you know, I mean the only so one of so 760 00:45:04,840 --> 00:45:07,959 Speaker 1: there's there's a couple of things action wise. Number one, 761 00:45:09,280 --> 00:45:11,640 Speaker 1: it is a matter of self defense to not pretend 762 00:45:11,680 --> 00:45:16,040 Speaker 1: this is nothing, because it's not nothing. This is significant. Um. 763 00:45:16,239 --> 00:45:18,960 Speaker 1: One of the things that people should be doing and 764 00:45:19,080 --> 00:45:24,479 Speaker 1: should be continuing to do, is to organize in your 765 00:45:24,520 --> 00:45:28,760 Speaker 1: communities because if something like what I talked about happening 766 00:45:28,760 --> 00:45:31,640 Speaker 1: in Rocca happens in your area. I don't I don't 767 00:45:31,640 --> 00:45:34,480 Speaker 1: see this being a nationwide thing, but I think, especially 768 00:45:34,480 --> 00:45:36,919 Speaker 1: if things get a lot worse, this is a threat 769 00:45:37,040 --> 00:45:39,560 Speaker 1: people as something people might need to consider. And being 770 00:45:39,640 --> 00:45:42,360 Speaker 1: organized on a local level and knowing people and having 771 00:45:42,880 --> 00:45:46,239 Speaker 1: groups that are used to working together to to do stuff, 772 00:45:46,280 --> 00:45:48,960 Speaker 1: even as simple as just providing food to the disadvantage 773 00:45:49,160 --> 00:45:52,319 Speaker 1: will be UM an advantage to you. There are more 774 00:45:52,400 --> 00:45:54,080 Speaker 1: of us than there are of them. This is a 775 00:45:54,160 --> 00:45:58,200 Speaker 1: small movement, but if the majority of us are not 776 00:45:58,360 --> 00:46:01,879 Speaker 1: organized enough to counterman them Um, then they might get 777 00:46:01,920 --> 00:46:04,040 Speaker 1: what they want anyway, So it is it is worth 778 00:46:04,160 --> 00:46:09,040 Speaker 1: having people continue to organize. There's a recent a podcast 779 00:46:09,600 --> 00:46:14,279 Speaker 1: that I won't name, but that's name rhymes with slop 780 00:46:14,360 --> 00:46:20,040 Speaker 1: mo flap spouse Um made some statements about a kind 781 00:46:20,080 --> 00:46:24,520 Speaker 1: of quasi anarchist activist group in the United States called 782 00:46:24,560 --> 00:46:29,160 Speaker 1: Food Not Bombs, which provides food and not bombs in 783 00:46:29,200 --> 00:46:34,040 Speaker 1: a number of Americans. There's not a lot of central Yeah, 784 00:46:34,080 --> 00:46:36,080 Speaker 1: there's a lot of different Food not Bombs groups, and 785 00:46:36,120 --> 00:46:39,560 Speaker 1: they focus on providing people who don't have enough food 786 00:46:39,600 --> 00:46:43,280 Speaker 1: with what they need, which is food and not bombs. 787 00:46:43,840 --> 00:46:46,359 Speaker 1: And the comment they made was essentially that like these 788 00:46:46,360 --> 00:46:49,960 Speaker 1: groups weren't super useful because they weren't building power. And 789 00:46:50,560 --> 00:46:52,880 Speaker 1: there's a there's a valid criticism to be made about 790 00:46:52,880 --> 00:46:55,400 Speaker 1: groups in the left that like focus on direct action 791 00:46:55,480 --> 00:46:58,080 Speaker 1: like this as opposed to focusing on electoral action. That's 792 00:46:58,080 --> 00:47:00,959 Speaker 1: certainly a conversation that should be had. But I think 793 00:47:01,200 --> 00:47:04,480 Speaker 1: people are making a mistake when they don't when they 794 00:47:04,560 --> 00:47:07,920 Speaker 1: act as if providing food and other necessities to people 795 00:47:08,160 --> 00:47:12,359 Speaker 1: is not a form of power, because especially when things 796 00:47:12,440 --> 00:47:16,360 Speaker 1: are bad, the folks who have are used to gathering 797 00:47:16,440 --> 00:47:21,759 Speaker 1: and providing these things and organizing have power, UM because 798 00:47:21,760 --> 00:47:24,720 Speaker 1: they've been doing something out of empathy and goodness instead 799 00:47:24,760 --> 00:47:29,759 Speaker 1: of power. And they also have networks that are organized 800 00:47:30,440 --> 00:47:32,960 Speaker 1: that are used to providing things people need. And when 801 00:47:33,000 --> 00:47:35,120 Speaker 1: you have things people need and get them to them 802 00:47:35,239 --> 00:47:37,520 Speaker 1: and you have a sort of power that is a 803 00:47:37,600 --> 00:47:43,239 Speaker 1: kind of yeah, and they trust you to Yeah. So 804 00:47:44,200 --> 00:47:46,920 Speaker 1: that is the kind of power people should be continuing 805 00:47:46,960 --> 00:47:48,719 Speaker 1: to build. And if there is not something like that 806 00:47:48,760 --> 00:47:52,439 Speaker 1: in your local area, try to build it. UM. Look 807 00:47:52,440 --> 00:47:55,120 Speaker 1: into groups like Food Not Bombs. Volunteer for them if 808 00:47:55,120 --> 00:47:57,240 Speaker 1: they have something near you. Look into Mutual Aid disaster 809 00:47:57,239 --> 00:48:00,319 Speaker 1: really volunteer if they are near you, Water not and 810 00:48:00,400 --> 00:48:04,680 Speaker 1: along tho. Just a sort of piggyback. I mean that 811 00:48:04,800 --> 00:48:07,920 Speaker 1: was directed a lot of people. A lot of our 812 00:48:07,960 --> 00:48:11,200 Speaker 1: listeners are living in states and communities that might be 813 00:48:11,320 --> 00:48:15,040 Speaker 1: more directly impacted by this shore. But it's still important 814 00:48:15,080 --> 00:48:16,520 Speaker 1: for all of us to be paying attention to it, 815 00:48:16,640 --> 00:48:19,640 Speaker 1: especially with everything else that's going on UM as as 816 00:48:19,640 --> 00:48:24,160 Speaker 1: a support system, as just to not be surprised if 817 00:48:24,280 --> 00:48:27,480 Speaker 1: it becomes something bigger than what it is now. You know, 818 00:48:27,719 --> 00:48:34,080 Speaker 1: that's not fearmongering, that's practicality. Yeah, Yeah, it's practicality. So 819 00:48:34,160 --> 00:48:37,560 Speaker 1: I am, I don't think we should be forming counter protests. 820 00:48:37,560 --> 00:48:41,120 Speaker 1: You will notice UM antifa quote unquote has not been 821 00:48:41,120 --> 00:48:44,279 Speaker 1: showing up at these right wing marches because fundamentally, the 822 00:48:44,360 --> 00:48:46,600 Speaker 1: vast majority of the folks who are in these kind 823 00:48:46,640 --> 00:48:50,239 Speaker 1: of anti fascist organizations don't want to make a pandemic 824 00:48:50,360 --> 00:48:54,920 Speaker 1: worse UM because because they've already got the masks. Yeah, 825 00:48:55,239 --> 00:48:58,359 Speaker 1: they it's it's so. Yeah. If you know another place 826 00:48:58,400 --> 00:49:00,279 Speaker 1: you might look is if there are local groups of 827 00:49:00,320 --> 00:49:03,040 Speaker 1: anti fascists who have been organizing. You know what. The 828 00:49:03,120 --> 00:49:05,080 Speaker 1: reason the Door Brothers are doing what they're doing and 829 00:49:05,080 --> 00:49:07,640 Speaker 1: creating all these groups is that there is value, UM, 830 00:49:07,680 --> 00:49:10,480 Speaker 1: but a financial value and a political value and a 831 00:49:10,560 --> 00:49:13,959 Speaker 1: practical value in being able to communicate to a large 832 00:49:14,040 --> 00:49:18,680 Speaker 1: number of UM people who believes broadly similar things that 833 00:49:18,760 --> 00:49:25,399 Speaker 1: you do. And uh, yeah, we should be doing that. 834 00:49:25,440 --> 00:49:32,200 Speaker 1: More positive note to end on. Yeah, let's end on 835 00:49:32,239 --> 00:49:36,120 Speaker 1: that slightly positive note. Um. Also, Ammo prices have gone 836 00:49:36,120 --> 00:49:39,400 Speaker 1: back down, although they searched a bit after everyone got refunds, 837 00:49:39,400 --> 00:49:41,560 Speaker 1: So you know, just making a note of that too. 838 00:49:42,160 --> 00:49:45,040 Speaker 1: Go fill up your car with gas. You'll sell your 839 00:49:45,080 --> 00:49:51,359 Speaker 1: Ammo by oil. Yeah, very simple The clear takeaway from 840 00:49:51,360 --> 00:49:54,880 Speaker 1: today is that oil is the thing to invest in. 841 00:49:55,239 --> 00:50:01,680 Speaker 1: No negative right by negative. Have the oil companies pay 842 00:50:01,719 --> 00:50:04,200 Speaker 1: you to take oil from them and then sell the 843 00:50:04,239 --> 00:50:08,120 Speaker 1: oil to other people. I love the economy and understanding. 844 00:50:08,160 --> 00:50:13,200 Speaker 1: It's so good. I'm gonna have backyard oil parties this summer. 845 00:50:13,239 --> 00:50:16,800 Speaker 1: It's going to be sick. We can't hang out inside, 846 00:50:16,840 --> 00:50:19,239 Speaker 1: but my backyard is going to be one big like 847 00:50:19,600 --> 00:50:23,720 Speaker 1: fire is going to be sick. My boss at Belling 848 00:50:23,800 --> 00:50:29,200 Speaker 1: Cat is like, can I pour oil down my my 849 00:50:29,280 --> 00:50:32,520 Speaker 1: sink drain? I know I can't do that with cooking oil, 850 00:50:32,560 --> 00:50:35,280 Speaker 1: but I can't cook with fuel oil, so it seems 851 00:50:35,320 --> 00:50:37,280 Speaker 1: like I should be able to pour it down the sink. 852 00:50:39,960 --> 00:50:43,040 Speaker 1: So the logic works. Yeah, I'm waiting for the uh, 853 00:50:43,560 --> 00:50:46,239 Speaker 1: like that crowd of like Nike did this thing. So 854 00:50:46,239 --> 00:50:49,120 Speaker 1: I'm gonna burn my Nikes but with oil and just 855 00:50:49,120 --> 00:50:51,920 Speaker 1: try to try to burn the oil. Just oil feels 856 00:50:51,960 --> 00:50:57,920 Speaker 1: lit on fire. Yeah, I can't believe it's only April. 857 00:50:58,360 --> 00:51:00,600 Speaker 1: I mean, we are all going to learn at Saddam 858 00:51:00,719 --> 00:51:04,280 Speaker 1: Hussein was way ahead of his time with living lighting World. 859 00:51:04,320 --> 00:51:06,799 Speaker 1: I've been saying that for years. It was market regulation. 860 00:51:07,200 --> 00:51:09,399 Speaker 1: Uh huh. He knew, he knew. We should have listened 861 00:51:09,440 --> 00:51:18,799 Speaker 1: to Saddam Hussey say every week. Well, hindsight is in 862 00:51:18,840 --> 00:51:30,760 Speaker 1: the episode. Immediately, Daniel, that's the line. Everything, everything, so Dud. 863 00:51:32,160 --> 00:51:34,400 Speaker 1: Worst Year Ever is a production of I Heart Radio. 864 00:51:34,680 --> 00:51:36,920 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from My Heart Radio, visit the i 865 00:51:37,000 --> 00:51:39,960 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 866 00:51:40,000 --> 00:51:40,840 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.