1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,920 Speaker 1: Steve Schmid here, Welcome to this edition of The Warning. 2 00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:08,400 Speaker 1: We're having a conversation today with Steven Beschloss. We're going 3 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:11,080 Speaker 1: to get right into it. I just want to say, 4 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:14,200 Speaker 1: you know, for me, when I start my day reading, 5 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:20,160 Speaker 1: I always read Stephen at his Wonderful Substack. I recommend 6 00:00:20,239 --> 00:00:23,440 Speaker 1: it to all of you that you ought to subscribe 7 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:25,480 Speaker 1: to it. I know that as I sit and I 8 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:27,680 Speaker 1: watch a lot of the commentary on a lot of 9 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:31,400 Speaker 1: the cable news channels that you know, I approach the 10 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:35,320 Speaker 1: edge of aneurism at least several times a day watching 11 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:38,040 Speaker 1: watching it, all of it, all of it play out. 12 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:41,080 Speaker 1: And you know, that's why it's so refreshing to be 13 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 1: able to read to hear from Steven. And I just 14 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:47,600 Speaker 1: want to start out the conversation by laying out, you know, 15 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:51,240 Speaker 1: something personal that that drove me crazy over the last 16 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: couple of years. You know, I have tried to use 17 00:00:55,920 --> 00:01:01,440 Speaker 1: language precisely over the last ten years. I think English 18 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 1: is a great language. It's the it's it has a 19 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:12,760 Speaker 1: lot of words that you can use descriptively to uh 20 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:17,560 Speaker 1: paint pictures. And I've done that to the best of 21 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:20,199 Speaker 1: my ability about what's coming. But one of the words 22 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 1: I've used is fascist, and there's great discomfort in the 23 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:29,760 Speaker 1: society with the use of the word, even though he 24 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 1: cleared the line a long time ago. And Chris Christie 25 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:40,559 Speaker 1: it is book uh some time ago, not this last book, 26 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:43,240 Speaker 1: but the book before that, when he was still very 27 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:50,760 Speaker 1: much hail Trump, uh, criticize me right as one of 28 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:54,200 Speaker 1: these crazy people in the Republican Party right who had 29 00:01:54,200 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 1: become deranged, right with this animosity and irrational hatred of Trump, 30 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:04,960 Speaker 1: that we were that what we were observing, that what 31 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 1: we were seeing was not legitimate, it was not historical, 32 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:15,639 Speaker 1: in fact, that it wasn't rational, right, that anyone who 33 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 1: saw this was crazy. And that's and that's the argument, 34 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:20,160 Speaker 1: and it goes on today. 35 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 2: Right. 36 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:25,120 Speaker 1: It's that if you observe this Madison Square Garden event 37 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:29,960 Speaker 1: and you say, wow, that's fascistic, right, the response to 38 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:36,880 Speaker 1: it isn't that, no, that's not fascism. It's that you 39 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:40,800 Speaker 1: are observing it is hate speech, or you're observing it 40 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 1: as a sign of derangement or a broken temperament. And 41 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:54,399 Speaker 1: so I wanted to have the conversation because going into Sunday, 42 00:02:56,880 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 1: I was under no illusions about what was going to happen, 43 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 1: what it was going to be, what I was going 44 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 1: to see, But nevertheless, right seeing it right exceeded expectations. 45 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 2: Yeah it was, it was, Yeah. 46 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 1: It was, it was. 47 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:16,240 Speaker 2: It was. 48 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 1: But what what did we see? And tell me, tell 49 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:24,160 Speaker 1: me if you think I'm crazy? No, because I saw 50 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: a fascist rally. 51 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:29,519 Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, you know, you know, I'm one of those 52 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:32,120 Speaker 2: people who said, boy, it sure does seem like they're 53 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:36,000 Speaker 2: trying to reference the Nazi rally of nineteen thirty nine. 54 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:39,560 Speaker 2: And I said it before it happened, not really knowing exactly, 55 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:43,680 Speaker 2: you know, what they might be plastering on the walls 56 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:47,160 Speaker 2: or exactly what was going to happen. And you're right, 57 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:50,800 Speaker 2: I mean the sort of parade of bigotry and hate 58 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:56,480 Speaker 2: and very unbridled, I mean, exposed rather nakedly. And people 59 00:03:56,560 --> 00:04:00,240 Speaker 2: have picked up on you know, the you know where 60 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 2: to Rico is garbage as one expression that surely is 61 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:08,480 Speaker 2: a reason for you know, many thousands of Puerto Ricans 62 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 2: to rethink their vote come Tuesday or for that matter, today. 63 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:17,080 Speaker 2: But I think you're raising a really important thing. If 64 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 2: we go back for a moment, Uh, you know, you 65 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 2: have the historical context, You've made a point I think 66 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 2: in a lot of your excellent writing to to look 67 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:30,800 Speaker 2: at historical precedents to try to assess what's happening now 68 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:35,479 Speaker 2: and what's the reason. I think in part that we've 69 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:39,440 Speaker 2: reached this place that we are is because you know, 70 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:43,800 Speaker 2: so many, so many people in the media and frankly 71 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:49,160 Speaker 2: otherwise have refused to look at things as nakedly and 72 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 2: articulate what's going on as vividly as possible. And you 73 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:56,920 Speaker 2: know that has meant, you know, let's go back over 74 00:04:57,080 --> 00:05:00,680 Speaker 2: you know, nine or ten years saying that. But you know, 75 00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:04,719 Speaker 2: not that he just claimed something or that it was 76 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:08,960 Speaker 2: possible falsehood, but calling lies lies. You know, it took 77 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:11,000 Speaker 2: the media a very long time to get to the 78 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:15,640 Speaker 2: point of doing that. You know, I would describe myself 79 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:20,200 Speaker 2: as one of those that's been reluctant the F word 80 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:23,839 Speaker 2: because I you know, in essence, I wanted to be sure, 81 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:29,800 Speaker 2: you know, authoritarian felt more comfortable or accurate in some way, 82 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:33,840 Speaker 2: you know, dictatorial. Uh, you know, he gave us a 83 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:38,440 Speaker 2: concrete reasons to to use that kind of language. But 84 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:43,960 Speaker 2: I think what Trump's particular gift is that he knows 85 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,760 Speaker 2: how to exploit people's weaknesses, and one of the weaknesses 86 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 2: is that people and that means the media, and it 87 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 2: means the legal profession, and it means society. Polite society. 88 00:05:55,720 --> 00:06:00,160 Speaker 2: People want to be careful about saying harsh things. And 89 00:06:00,839 --> 00:06:06,160 Speaker 2: so you know, he's used that, he's exploited that reluctance, 90 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:12,080 Speaker 2: you know, right up to this moment. And you know, 91 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:14,960 Speaker 2: maybe I think one of the most fascinating things about 92 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 2: Sunday was not just the parade of Hayden bigotry, which 93 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:24,200 Speaker 2: we expected, and maybe it was more or sort of 94 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:27,400 Speaker 2: more naked than we might have anticipated, sort of given 95 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:30,559 Speaker 2: the proximity to November fifth. But one of the things 96 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 2: that I thought was interesting is that Trump is now 97 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 2: trying to suggest, and he did even in those remarks 98 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:45,560 Speaker 2: that day, that he's interested in being president for all Americans, 99 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:49,159 Speaker 2: or that he's hopeful about the future of the country. 100 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:54,160 Speaker 2: That he started to try to use language and ideas 101 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:58,839 Speaker 2: that have come directly from from the Kamala Harris campaign, 102 00:06:59,279 --> 00:07:01,919 Speaker 2: you know, as if that provides you know, those people 103 00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:05,279 Speaker 2: who don't want to call him a fascist, uh, you know, 104 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:08,920 Speaker 2: indications that well, he's not really all that bad. 105 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 1: So I I gave a talk last night in in 106 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:19,040 Speaker 1: Toronto and a lot of people are asking, obviously, what's 107 00:07:19,040 --> 00:07:21,840 Speaker 1: going to happen? You know, I always always refer to 108 00:07:21,880 --> 00:07:25,400 Speaker 1: them to John McCain's favorite quote, quoting Chairman mao is 109 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:28,720 Speaker 1: as as as he would uh as he would claim 110 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:32,680 Speaker 1: that it's always darkest before it's completely black. But but 111 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 1: but I'm putting that much better now, go ahead putting 112 00:07:37,120 --> 00:07:41,960 Speaker 1: putting that aside. There is a rhythm of election night, 113 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:46,040 Speaker 1: right that you have the networks and you have a 114 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:51,360 Speaker 1: decision net desk that supposedly sequestered off. You have the 115 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 1: associated press, you have the campaign data counters, and you're 116 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:05,720 Speaker 1: going through uh a math exercise right across thousands of 117 00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:11,960 Speaker 1: voting jurisdictions, one hundred and sixty million people. And uh, 118 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:15,360 Speaker 1: it was always an interesting thing to watch in my 119 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:19,080 Speaker 1: career this play out, because you really, you know, get 120 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:23,920 Speaker 1: to watch some people who have some extraordinary mathematical ability 121 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:27,480 Speaker 1: right do their do their thing right in the in 122 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:31,920 Speaker 1: the moment is there is they're making these extrapolations, you'll 123 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:35,440 Speaker 1: get a sense, you know, very early in the evening 124 00:08:35,559 --> 00:08:40,120 Speaker 1: body language wise, who's who's winning and whatever. But I 125 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:44,280 Speaker 1: but but as you look ahead, and let's let's premise 126 00:08:44,320 --> 00:08:49,600 Speaker 1: that she wins. Let's say, which I don't think is 127 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:54,160 Speaker 1: out of the ballpark at all, that she wins pretty significantly. 128 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:57,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I'm optimistic. 129 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:04,040 Speaker 1: And he walks out at ten five pm and says, 130 00:09:04,080 --> 00:09:04,720 Speaker 1: I want. 131 00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:07,800 Speaker 2: Do you think it'll really take until ten forty five? 132 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:12,360 Speaker 2: I mean, you know that the plan is to deny 133 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:17,520 Speaker 2: the outcome, you know, unless it's somehow an overwhelming victory 134 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:20,680 Speaker 2: for him. We know that, you know, he's already making 135 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:24,400 Speaker 2: plans to to say that that he won, you know, 136 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:27,520 Speaker 2: whatever happens, and you know, the early vote that may 137 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:31,400 Speaker 2: favor him. So I wonder whether it'll take that long 138 00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:34,160 Speaker 2: for him to Let's break. 139 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:36,560 Speaker 1: It so like, let's break it down, right. So he 140 00:09:36,679 --> 00:09:41,000 Speaker 1: comes out and he says, I want maybe he comes 141 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:46,160 Speaker 1: out before anyone is called it yet, right, I want 142 00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:56,040 Speaker 1: we know that Elon Musk's acts will be a conspiracy 143 00:09:56,240 --> 00:10:04,160 Speaker 1: hot zone, a factless delusion sphere. I think what Fox 144 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:10,080 Speaker 1: News does is a very open question and how they 145 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:15,760 Speaker 1: play it in the night, and I think there are 146 00:10:15,920 --> 00:10:24,560 Speaker 1: really profound implications for that. There's a question of what 147 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:29,400 Speaker 1: the Republican members right House and Senate will do. So 148 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:32,679 Speaker 1: if you go back to January sixth, right there's this 149 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:37,520 Speaker 1: moment of disorientation where Kevin McCarthy looks and processes this 150 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:41,640 Speaker 1: like a normal human being in a position of responsibility 151 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:46,840 Speaker 1: with fleeting, though it was for a few hours. So 152 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:52,800 Speaker 1: I believe right that when he goes out there, there's 153 00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:55,160 Speaker 1: going to be I don't know for any of the 154 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:58,160 Speaker 1: scuba divers out there, right, there's going to be this 155 00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:04,200 Speaker 1: moment of negative buoyancy right where you're just floating. There's 156 00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:06,480 Speaker 1: going to be a question that pops into the head 157 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:10,160 Speaker 1: of Lindsey Graham and everybody, and that question is going 158 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:14,079 Speaker 1: to be, are we doing this again? Are we following 159 00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:21,760 Speaker 1: mad King Donald across the river again this time? So 160 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:24,959 Speaker 1: that's that's gonna play out like on election night, like 161 00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:29,640 Speaker 1: how do you see that? How do you see that? 162 00:11:29,640 --> 00:11:33,920 Speaker 1: That kind of playing out. And then I was having 163 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:38,480 Speaker 1: this conversation the other day with someone and I said, really, 164 00:11:38,559 --> 00:11:40,880 Speaker 1: the thing that no one has ever told Donald Trump, 165 00:11:41,800 --> 00:11:44,560 Speaker 1: the words he's never heard in his life, which are 166 00:11:44,559 --> 00:11:49,800 Speaker 1: important words to hear, are the words no. And so 167 00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:58,880 Speaker 1: I will go to my deathbed believing that the entire 168 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:04,400 Speaker 1: mag of movement needed to hear emphatically from the rest 169 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:10,080 Speaker 1: of us. Some time ago, a long time ago the 170 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:16,720 Speaker 1: word no. So we're coming. It seems to me in 171 00:12:16,760 --> 00:12:22,240 Speaker 1: a full steam way. You can see it down the tracks. Right, 172 00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:29,240 Speaker 1: we're on the same track that somebody's going to have 173 00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:38,920 Speaker 1: to hear no. Ever in the political movement that he's built, 174 00:12:40,679 --> 00:12:45,200 Speaker 1: and all of the organs that sustained are going to 175 00:12:45,320 --> 00:12:53,760 Speaker 1: be told no, because to not be told no means 176 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 1: that we basically have to burn the Constitution to satisfy 177 00:12:59,920 --> 00:13:02,280 Speaker 1: the ego of the guy who lost the election and 178 00:13:02,400 --> 00:13:05,720 Speaker 1: make him whatever it is that he wishes to be 179 00:13:05,880 --> 00:13:10,600 Speaker 1: made right, because that's not a president, whatever that may be. 180 00:13:11,520 --> 00:13:13,280 Speaker 1: I just how does this go down? 181 00:13:14,640 --> 00:13:18,079 Speaker 2: You know, there's a there's an optimism or an idealism 182 00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:23,600 Speaker 2: in your question that there are people within the Republican 183 00:13:23,679 --> 00:13:30,079 Speaker 2: Party where we have seen, you know, essentially absolute spinelessness. 184 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:33,200 Speaker 2: You know, now for years, we've seen in recent days, 185 00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:36,880 Speaker 2: Mike Johnson, you know, sort of confirming that there's some 186 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:40,720 Speaker 2: kind of quote unquote secret that he and Trump are hatching, 187 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:46,360 Speaker 2: which presumably relates to not counting or not certifying votes, 188 00:13:47,240 --> 00:13:49,920 Speaker 2: which you know kind of is in trouble assuming that 189 00:13:50,559 --> 00:13:55,440 Speaker 2: January third, the Democrats take back the majority. You know 190 00:13:55,679 --> 00:14:01,600 Speaker 2: that said, you know, we also see Trump already is 191 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:05,839 Speaker 2: trying to highlight all of the cheating that's already going 192 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:10,520 Speaker 2: on in Pennsylvania, for example. You know that that's happened 193 00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:12,960 Speaker 2: in the last day or two. We know that this 194 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:17,400 Speaker 2: claim of cheating is going to keep being voiced and 195 00:14:17,840 --> 00:14:23,560 Speaker 2: surely amplified by mister Musk and others. So you know, 196 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:26,760 Speaker 2: once again, they're trying to create a climate where we 197 00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:30,640 Speaker 2: can't trust what the outcome is before we even get 198 00:14:30,680 --> 00:14:37,880 Speaker 2: to November fifth. So I expect that there and this 199 00:14:37,960 --> 00:14:41,680 Speaker 2: is why you know, the know that you're seeking. We 200 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:47,320 Speaker 2: haven't we haven't any indication that there will be anybody 201 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:52,320 Speaker 2: in a potential Trump second administration who would serve the 202 00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:56,520 Speaker 2: role of saying no, which is why this second version 203 00:14:56,600 --> 00:15:00,280 Speaker 2: of this is even more frightening than what we've already 204 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:04,280 Speaker 2: lived through. So you know, I mean, I look at 205 00:15:04,440 --> 00:15:07,640 Speaker 2: you know, the expectation that you know he's going to 206 00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:09,640 Speaker 2: come out, and he's going to come out early maybe 207 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:12,640 Speaker 2: you're right, maybe it's ten forty five or maybe it's earlier, 208 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:16,120 Speaker 2: and saying you know, I won, and and you know, 209 00:15:16,280 --> 00:15:20,640 Speaker 2: if you experience you know, these media people telling you 210 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:25,600 Speaker 2: that she won, don't trust them. So that's going to happen. 211 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:30,080 Speaker 2: I think that day, that that night, and you know, look, 212 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:34,640 Speaker 2: that's why I'm surely I've been saying again and again 213 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:39,560 Speaker 2: and again, the need for an overwhelming victory is so clear. 214 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:44,240 Speaker 2: The closer it is, the more doubt people will have, 215 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:46,680 Speaker 2: the easier it will be for him to make that 216 00:15:46,800 --> 00:15:50,120 Speaker 2: claim and for people to you know, by by the lie, 217 00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:53,120 Speaker 2: by the narrative of that, which is why you know 218 00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:57,160 Speaker 2: the possibility. I think, Look, I think there's nothing to 219 00:15:57,200 --> 00:16:01,320 Speaker 2: worry about in my view and my pular vote, but 220 00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:04,880 Speaker 2: I obviously worry about what happens in the battleground states 221 00:16:05,600 --> 00:16:08,560 Speaker 2: and how close that may turn out to be. I 222 00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:11,480 Speaker 2: actually think it will be maybe less close than we think, 223 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:15,560 Speaker 2: And the early voting suggests that particularly, you know that 224 00:16:15,720 --> 00:16:20,320 Speaker 2: already the signs in Pennsylvania the gender gap in voting 225 00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:23,200 Speaker 2: is thirteen points. I think it was fifty six to 226 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:27,760 Speaker 2: forty three female to male in the early voting. That's 227 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:30,520 Speaker 2: a good sign. And a split like that of about 228 00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:35,080 Speaker 2: ten points seems to be happening in other levers. 229 00:16:35,080 --> 00:16:37,240 Speaker 1: You're going to need to be with the female with 230 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:40,760 Speaker 1: the female vote, they need to it's going to need 231 00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:45,480 Speaker 1: to spike to the record to that record level, and 232 00:16:45,680 --> 00:16:51,800 Speaker 1: I can't. It certainly seems to me that that Donald 233 00:16:51,800 --> 00:16:56,840 Speaker 1: Trump has done his part to antagonize America as women 234 00:16:57,720 --> 00:16:59,280 Speaker 1: his utmost ability. 235 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:03,200 Speaker 2: Well heard in the last day, Uh you know, uh, 236 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:06,240 Speaker 2: I will protect you. Well that sounds okay, but then 237 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:13,399 Speaker 2: followed up with whether you like it or not, he 238 00:17:13,560 --> 00:17:15,119 Speaker 2: can't ever help himself. 239 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:21,520 Speaker 1: I offer you my love and my protection, ladies. 240 00:17:22,080 --> 00:17:25,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's just like I've given it so many times before. 241 00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:37,680 Speaker 1: So I'm frustrated by President Bush, who I think needed too, 242 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:42,080 Speaker 1: needs to say something beyond the inferences that that he made. 243 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:50,960 Speaker 1: And I look back at his second inaugural address, which 244 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:57,680 Speaker 1: was a radical address in American foreign policy in terms 245 00:17:57,680 --> 00:18:01,560 Speaker 1: of how he talked about democracy and how America would 246 00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:07,040 Speaker 1: spread it in the world, and he's been silent. That 247 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:13,480 Speaker 1: being said, he has wrong. Well, he has a strong 248 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:17,320 Speaker 1: conviction right, And I think this is one of the 249 00:18:17,359 --> 00:18:20,200 Speaker 1: things that's gone so off the rails in the country, right, 250 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:24,800 Speaker 1: is the notion that you can't nobody had seems to 251 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:29,600 Speaker 1: appreciate anyone else's conviction right without the harsh judgment and 252 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:32,200 Speaker 1: come to a conclusion that it's in good faith. Right. 253 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:38,639 Speaker 1: So I think this is misguided, but I think he 254 00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:46,879 Speaker 1: believes former presidents should not be political or partisan figures. 255 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:53,840 Speaker 1: And I think that that is true except for it. 256 00:18:54,200 --> 00:18:58,720 Speaker 1: But in the extraordinary, exigent circumstances, this is an emergency, 257 00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:07,520 Speaker 1: right that that being said, maybe it's the case. And 258 00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:11,840 Speaker 1: I literally can't think of another person in America. And 259 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:15,160 Speaker 1: I mean this very seriously, and I know we're gonna 260 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:18,280 Speaker 1: have a left leaning audience watching this as always. This 261 00:19:18,359 --> 00:19:21,679 Speaker 1: is this is a remarkable facet of all this. The 262 00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:25,320 Speaker 1: most popular politician in the country, right of national name 263 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:30,080 Speaker 1: ideas probably George W. Bush. Right now, from the from 264 00:19:30,119 --> 00:19:36,120 Speaker 1: the disappearance over the last over the last years. Tell 265 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:39,439 Speaker 1: me a person other than George W. Bush, or some 266 00:19:39,640 --> 00:19:44,040 Speaker 1: person who has credibility or more authority to be the 267 00:19:44,080 --> 00:19:52,440 Speaker 1: person who comes out and says, this guy lost, she won, 268 00:19:55,440 --> 00:20:02,600 Speaker 1: stopped the madness. Is there another person in any conceivable 269 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:05,840 Speaker 1: out of the three hundred and forty million of us 270 00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:10,040 Speaker 1: who's a higher card than him to walk out? 271 00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:14,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's interesting. I mean, we're we're running out of 272 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:21,520 Speaker 2: people who haven't happy to say, you know, taken a stand, right, 273 00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:25,040 Speaker 2: I mean, you know, it's disappointing that Mitt Romney hasn't, 274 00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:30,040 Speaker 2: by the way, And you know, what I understand that 275 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:33,600 Speaker 2: he said was that he wanted to somehow ensure his 276 00:20:33,840 --> 00:20:36,960 Speaker 2: place within the Republican Party in the future, and so 277 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:40,520 Speaker 2: he's he's chosen not to. I mean that's you know, 278 00:20:40,560 --> 00:20:43,720 Speaker 2: he's been a I think a positive voice in this 279 00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:47,719 Speaker 2: period in general, but he's surely fallen down in this moment. 280 00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:50,240 Speaker 2: And you know, look, we we do look at and 281 00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:52,040 Speaker 2: I'm going to get to your question in a second, 282 00:20:52,040 --> 00:20:55,120 Speaker 2: but you know we do look at somebody like well, 283 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:57,800 Speaker 2: I mean maybe the most important of this period, which 284 00:20:57,840 --> 00:21:02,159 Speaker 2: is John Kelly, you know, uh saying that, Uh. You know, 285 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:04,880 Speaker 2: this guy is an admirer of Hitler and he's a 286 00:21:04,880 --> 00:21:06,919 Speaker 2: fascist and uh and know it. 287 00:21:07,480 --> 00:21:07,680 Speaker 1: Uh. 288 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:09,920 Speaker 2: And I've been that close to him, so you can, 289 00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:12,879 Speaker 2: in essence, you can trust what I'm saying. So I 290 00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:16,840 Speaker 2: think that's been meaningful. And I think the Harris campaign 291 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:20,879 Speaker 2: has done a pretty good job of uh voicing the 292 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:25,080 Speaker 2: warning that that represents uh in ads and otherwise, uh, 293 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:28,560 Speaker 2: you know, as as as we can easily say. You know, 294 00:21:28,640 --> 00:21:32,520 Speaker 2: when when a candidate like Donald Trump has to say 295 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:38,320 Speaker 2: I'm not a Nazi overtly, you know there's something wrong 296 00:21:38,359 --> 00:21:41,159 Speaker 2: in his campaign when it becomes necessary to say that 297 00:21:41,240 --> 00:21:44,040 Speaker 2: out loud, you know, uh, and I think there are 298 00:21:44,080 --> 00:21:49,040 Speaker 2: still a solid majority of Americans who recognize, uh, you know, 299 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:52,600 Speaker 2: you know this is a bad thing. You know, we 300 00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:55,000 Speaker 2: were living in so much of an upside down world. 301 00:21:55,080 --> 00:21:59,520 Speaker 2: It's uh, you know, the normalization of of the crazy 302 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:06,399 Speaker 2: and patently wrong and dangerous is you know, the willingness 303 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:09,840 Speaker 2: to go along with so much, as you know, remains stunning. 304 00:22:09,880 --> 00:22:13,119 Speaker 2: And I think that's why you know, your voicing warnings, 305 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:16,400 Speaker 2: my trying to voice warnings in whatever ways I can 306 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:19,280 Speaker 2: has been you know, as much as anything to remind 307 00:22:19,359 --> 00:22:22,040 Speaker 2: people to know what's true and what's not true, what's 308 00:22:22,119 --> 00:22:25,960 Speaker 2: right and what's what's wrong, what's normal and what's just insane. 309 00:22:26,760 --> 00:22:31,399 Speaker 2: You know, that's needed to happen. So so, you know, 310 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:34,560 Speaker 2: the point is to the extent that choices have already 311 00:22:34,600 --> 00:22:38,960 Speaker 2: been made, whose side are you on? You know, for democracy? 312 00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:41,919 Speaker 2: Not for democracy? You know, we are running out of 313 00:22:42,119 --> 00:22:45,800 Speaker 2: characters at the national level. I was going to say that, 314 00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:48,399 Speaker 2: you know, just in terms of endorsements, I think that 315 00:22:48,480 --> 00:22:54,159 Speaker 2: the endorsement by Taylor Swift maybe is as important as 316 00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:58,840 Speaker 2: any other endorsement that's happened this whole election season, just 317 00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:02,080 Speaker 2: because it made a lot of young people register and 318 00:23:02,119 --> 00:23:04,679 Speaker 2: pay attention in a way they may not have otherwise. 319 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:10,720 Speaker 2: You know, I couldn't actually, you know, I'm racking my 320 00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:13,679 Speaker 2: brain if there's anybody besides George Bush who may be 321 00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:18,320 Speaker 2: more important as somebody to say you lost, cut it out. 322 00:23:19,280 --> 00:23:23,520 Speaker 2: But let's play that forward. Let's say that he finds 323 00:23:23,560 --> 00:23:28,800 Speaker 2: his voice and chooses to be that person. What happens then. 324 00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:34,800 Speaker 1: Well, the question I was asking earlier about the delivery 325 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:41,159 Speaker 1: of the know and probably more importantly its receipt, I 326 00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:45,280 Speaker 1: don't know how that manifests itself and how it and 327 00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:48,960 Speaker 1: how it and how it looks like, Right, we're gonna 328 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:52,080 Speaker 1: have millions of people on the streets, right if we're 329 00:23:52,119 --> 00:23:58,280 Speaker 1: going to have violence, right what Kamala Harris says, right, 330 00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:03,320 Speaker 1: what her leadership and uh in a decisive moment would be. 331 00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:05,200 Speaker 1: But but I wanted to. I want to come back 332 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:07,879 Speaker 1: right because I think one of the things to unlocking 333 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:10,440 Speaker 1: this and and kind of understanding is to talk about fear. 334 00:24:11,040 --> 00:24:13,520 Speaker 1: So let's let's talk. Let's talk about and I you know, 335 00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:16,879 Speaker 1: I ran a campaign against Mitt you know, for for 336 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:20,800 Speaker 1: McCain in the in the Republican primary, and my involvement 337 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:22,480 Speaker 1: in that was Midt. It asked me to run his 338 00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:26,120 Speaker 1: campaign for president. I said no, I was on team McCain. 339 00:24:27,119 --> 00:24:31,200 Speaker 1: Team McCain blew up, and I wound up being really 340 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:34,040 Speaker 1: the volunteer leader of the campaign. Right. I was never 341 00:24:34,119 --> 00:24:37,159 Speaker 1: an employee. I never got paid, you know. And the 342 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:40,080 Speaker 1: thing about Mitt, when you're running a campaign about him, 343 00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:43,639 Speaker 1: he's an honorable guy. Yeah, And he's a funny guy. 344 00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:46,920 Speaker 1: If you spend time with him privately, he's a he's 345 00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:49,119 Speaker 1: an observational genius. 346 00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:49,760 Speaker 2: Right. 347 00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:53,720 Speaker 1: He picks out like the absurdities of the of the room. 348 00:24:53,760 --> 00:24:54,880 Speaker 1: He's an ethical guy. 349 00:24:57,560 --> 00:25:00,600 Speaker 2: And a time when when honor and ethic and. 350 00:25:00,560 --> 00:25:03,920 Speaker 1: Decent state to be a tough guy. Yeah, because he 351 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:09,320 Speaker 1: got a spine. Right. And and so we read Mitt 352 00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:14,680 Speaker 1: Romney's latest story that the McKay coppins covers, Right, it's remarkable. 353 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:19,919 Speaker 1: This is the twenty twelve Republican nominee for president and 354 00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:24,000 Speaker 1: he's talking about with a real sense of despair. And 355 00:25:24,080 --> 00:25:28,920 Speaker 1: I think legitimate worry, your legitimate fear. And he says, 356 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:37,520 Speaker 1: I can't. I can't protect my forty grandkids, Right, I can't. 357 00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:42,720 Speaker 1: He he's afraid. Yeah, Jeff Bezos is afraid. 358 00:25:43,200 --> 00:25:44,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, and so. 359 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:48,000 Speaker 1: There's this moment. I think it's one of them. 360 00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:50,080 Speaker 2: No matter how many I mean, let's just say, no 361 00:25:50,119 --> 00:25:53,440 Speaker 2: matter how many billions you have, we have learned that 362 00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:58,160 Speaker 2: they don't serve as a bulwark against that fear and 363 00:25:58,200 --> 00:26:01,480 Speaker 2: the capacity for a game to intimidate. 364 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:10,840 Speaker 1: The common element is fear of loss that you coercively 365 00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:16,679 Speaker 1: can take from me. And that emotion, right, should not 366 00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:21,120 Speaker 1: be discounted because it's felt by the second richest guy 367 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:27,080 Speaker 1: in the world versus the thirty year old woman with 368 00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:33,640 Speaker 1: no agency on a question of her reproductive rights. Yeah, 369 00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:37,160 Speaker 1: it's a it's the same thing, right, It's the same 370 00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:40,480 Speaker 1: fear that you can take for me. And so how 371 00:26:40,520 --> 00:26:43,320 Speaker 1: you respond to the fear. And I think this is 372 00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:48,119 Speaker 1: very important in the moment in one of the stories. 373 00:26:48,160 --> 00:26:52,720 Speaker 1: I think it's important for Americans to know, and really 374 00:26:52,760 --> 00:26:56,000 Speaker 1: a decisive event in the in the in the final 375 00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:59,880 Speaker 1: end story, right, that last act three of the Cold 376 00:27:00,119 --> 00:27:04,919 Speaker 1: War is the selection in Rome of a Polish pope 377 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:10,800 Speaker 1: who goes to Warsaw in front of a million people 378 00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:18,720 Speaker 1: in the rebuilt square occupied by the nazis the destruction 379 00:27:18,960 --> 00:27:23,240 Speaker 1: of the city, the occupation by the Soviets, and this 380 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:28,520 Speaker 1: is steeped in Catholic catechism and theology, but there's a 381 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:34,520 Speaker 1: huge political context to it. And John Paul says, do 382 00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:42,280 Speaker 1: not be afraid, and he electrifies the country. And so 383 00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:48,760 Speaker 1: there's a moment coming where the do not be afraid 384 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:54,639 Speaker 1: message and how we process fear is going to become 385 00:27:54,880 --> 00:27:58,720 Speaker 1: very very relevant in American life because, as Timothy Snyder 386 00:27:58,800 --> 00:28:04,879 Speaker 1: talks about, what you'll see if Trump wins, is is 387 00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:13,000 Speaker 1: very seismic, rapid capitulation. Yeah, right to get in line 388 00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:18,159 Speaker 1: and get out of farm's way, so to speak, because 389 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:19,800 Speaker 1: they're safety in the herd. 390 00:28:20,320 --> 00:28:23,880 Speaker 2: Yeah. But you know, look, that's I think why it's 391 00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:27,359 Speaker 2: been and we might, we might in some ways minimize 392 00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:33,200 Speaker 2: it because it was so you know positive, how many Republicans, 393 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:37,760 Speaker 2: high profile Republicans, who made a decision to speak out 394 00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:41,600 Speaker 2: about the danger that Trump is and to take the 395 00:28:41,640 --> 00:28:44,760 Speaker 2: next step and endorse Kamala Harris, you know, as the 396 00:28:44,800 --> 00:28:47,440 Speaker 2: only candidate who's committed to the rule of law and 397 00:28:47,560 --> 00:28:52,760 Speaker 2: the Constitution and to you know, the all Americans. And 398 00:28:53,520 --> 00:28:58,720 Speaker 2: you know, that started out very very slowly. You know, 399 00:28:58,760 --> 00:29:02,520 Speaker 2: I'm thinking about, uh, you know, probably a few people 400 00:29:02,600 --> 00:29:05,160 Speaker 2: you know, I'm forgetting their first name, Hutchinson, you know 401 00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:08,840 Speaker 2: who spoke at the J six committee and and talked 402 00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:12,520 Speaker 2: about Trump and uh, you know Sarah Matthews. Within the administration, 403 00:29:12,600 --> 00:29:16,440 Speaker 2: I mean a handful of people that that worked closely 404 00:29:16,560 --> 00:29:20,920 Speaker 2: enough with Trump that their words mattered. And you know, look, 405 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:24,800 Speaker 2: you know that that the abuse and the assault and 406 00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:28,640 Speaker 2: I'm sure the death threats that followed and I'm sure 407 00:29:28,680 --> 00:29:31,959 Speaker 2: to this day have continued, is something that they chose 408 00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:36,440 Speaker 2: to absorb in their decision to not be afraid. And 409 00:29:36,440 --> 00:29:42,280 Speaker 2: and that steamrolled, you know, expanded and has become a 410 00:29:42,360 --> 00:29:48,200 Speaker 2: population that's given you know, permission for so many Republicans. 411 00:29:48,240 --> 00:29:51,120 Speaker 2: And look, I mean a permission structure. You know, Liz 412 00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:54,360 Speaker 2: Cheney and Dick Cheney that helped to create a permission 413 00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:58,280 Speaker 2: structure where Republicans could stand up and say, you know, 414 00:29:59,040 --> 00:30:03,400 Speaker 2: that guy doesn't represent my country. Uh, he's a danger 415 00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:07,360 Speaker 2: to our constitution and our way of life, a rule 416 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:11,320 Speaker 2: of law. You know, this cannot stand. And you know that, 417 00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:16,760 Speaker 2: you know to me, that's already uh a building movement 418 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:21,320 Speaker 2: of being not afraid, you know, And and look, I 419 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:24,440 Speaker 2: mean I hear you loud and clear. You know, we 420 00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:28,600 Speaker 2: know how many people rolled over awfully quickly when Trump 421 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:31,520 Speaker 2: won the last time. You know, people who had been 422 00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:36,080 Speaker 2: insulted in the most grotesque ways, you know, the you know, 423 00:30:36,160 --> 00:30:39,160 Speaker 2: the Ted Cruz's and the Marco Rubios and so forth, 424 00:30:40,480 --> 00:30:44,360 Speaker 2: you know, attacking their families, you know, abusing their you know, 425 00:30:44,400 --> 00:30:46,920 Speaker 2: a spouse or a father, you know, all of that, 426 00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:52,920 Speaker 2: and they, you know, Lindsey Graham is another grotesque example 427 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:57,760 Speaker 2: of that. For whatever collection of personal or or you know, 428 00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:02,360 Speaker 2: political reasons, he's chosen to to roll over. But you know, 429 00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:07,120 Speaker 2: I think that the amount of work that's been done 430 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:10,200 Speaker 2: to not be afraid by so many people who have 431 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:14,680 Speaker 2: reason to be afraid, gives me confidence that whatever way 432 00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:20,400 Speaker 2: this plays out, that the level of resistance and you know, 433 00:31:20,680 --> 00:31:23,120 Speaker 2: in essence speaking truth to power is going to be 434 00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:26,360 Speaker 2: strong and reliable and meaningful. 435 00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:34,440 Speaker 1: Do you ever sit back in I do like and 436 00:31:34,480 --> 00:31:37,440 Speaker 1: I don't think there's a lot of circumspection about this, 437 00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:40,640 Speaker 1: like right now. But we got here to this place. 438 00:31:40,800 --> 00:31:43,080 Speaker 1: How can it be? 439 00:31:45,280 --> 00:31:47,200 Speaker 2: It still is stunning. 440 00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:56,880 Speaker 1: That the country looks out at the Democratic Party. It 441 00:31:56,960 --> 00:32:02,600 Speaker 1: comes out basically, as we sit here five days out 442 00:32:04,280 --> 00:32:07,560 Speaker 1: on the fifty to fifty proposition, right, well, what has 443 00:32:07,600 --> 00:32:15,880 Speaker 1: gone off the rails in the Democratic Party that they 444 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:26,400 Speaker 1: have not sealed the deal with this guy. It's something yeah, 445 00:32:27,360 --> 00:32:31,240 Speaker 1: well it might be. You know, look again, we're back 446 00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:34,520 Speaker 1: to it. If we're just talking about, you know, what 447 00:32:34,560 --> 00:32:39,720 Speaker 1: does the American electorate think. You know, I'm clinging to 448 00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:43,520 Speaker 1: the notion that it might be a more overwhelming victory 449 00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:50,000 Speaker 1: than the polls are saying so far. I'm optimistic still 450 00:32:50,120 --> 00:32:53,760 Speaker 1: about that. Maybe that's my idealistic belief in the American people, 451 00:32:53,800 --> 00:32:56,000 Speaker 1: but it's you know, it's based on you know, a 452 00:32:56,000 --> 00:32:59,080 Speaker 1: lot of data that goes beyond the polling itself, in 453 00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:05,920 Speaker 1: terms of UH levels of enthusiasm, the favorability ratings of 454 00:33:06,160 --> 00:33:11,200 Speaker 1: Harrison Walls, the deeply unfavorable ratings. I mean it's plus 455 00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:15,280 Speaker 1: five essentially for Harrison Walls, it's you know, minus seventeen 456 00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:17,840 Speaker 1: minus eighteen for for Trump and Vance. 457 00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:22,240 Speaker 2: People don't like them. You know, those things are meaningful. 458 00:33:22,360 --> 00:33:27,040 Speaker 2: I think the cultural momentum is on their side. You know, 459 00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:31,080 Speaker 2: the stupid things that Trump has done with well, just 460 00:33:31,120 --> 00:33:34,840 Speaker 2: the last day, the you know, the garbage truck stunt 461 00:33:35,520 --> 00:33:37,240 Speaker 2: that was I don't know what he thought it was 462 00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:39,800 Speaker 2: supposed to do, but it's a real self owned for 463 00:33:39,880 --> 00:33:43,760 Speaker 2: the guy who's called America a garbage can, the guy 464 00:33:43,800 --> 00:33:49,760 Speaker 2: who's called everyone around the you know, Harris absolute garbage. 465 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:57,000 Speaker 2: You know, we're we're you know, it's hard to believe 466 00:33:57,120 --> 00:33:59,640 Speaker 2: that it could be as close as it might be. 467 00:34:00,840 --> 00:34:04,360 Speaker 2: But I think there's uh, you know that that ground 468 00:34:04,440 --> 00:34:07,600 Speaker 2: swell is going to be you know, you know, is 469 00:34:07,640 --> 00:34:11,080 Speaker 2: going to be meaningful. And maybe I lost the ultimately 470 00:34:11,120 --> 00:34:12,440 Speaker 2: the question after. 471 00:34:12,400 --> 00:34:14,120 Speaker 1: I was gonna ask you one of the things we're 472 00:34:14,120 --> 00:34:17,160 Speaker 1: definitely watching is the is the total collapse of the 473 00:34:17,200 --> 00:34:23,200 Speaker 1: credibility of news and everything and that Yeah, I I think, 474 00:34:23,440 --> 00:34:27,480 Speaker 1: I mean, I I find the coverage as a general 475 00:34:27,560 --> 00:34:34,000 Speaker 1: proposition to be corrupted appalling. Yeah, just just appalling. Right, 476 00:34:34,080 --> 00:34:36,560 Speaker 1: there's there's not there's not a word for it. Do 477 00:34:36,600 --> 00:34:37,880 Speaker 1: you how do you see that? 478 00:34:38,200 --> 00:34:40,879 Speaker 2: Oh? Well, I mean, you know, you know, whether it's 479 00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:47,399 Speaker 2: open complicity or whether it's just the traditions of journalism 480 00:34:47,520 --> 00:34:52,040 Speaker 2: where you treat impartiality as the highest value. I mean, 481 00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:55,240 Speaker 2: that's that's been a terrible danger in a period where 482 00:34:55,520 --> 00:34:59,400 Speaker 2: you know, one one side are essentially arsonists setting a 483 00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:01,760 Speaker 2: house on buyer and the other are you know, trying 484 00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:04,560 Speaker 2: to you know, keep the keep the house functioning. You know, 485 00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:07,200 Speaker 2: do you do you say these two things are equal, 486 00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:11,120 Speaker 2: and you simply cover both sides. So it's, you know one, 487 00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:14,799 Speaker 2: it's this you know, impartiality or as it's played out, 488 00:35:14,800 --> 00:35:17,120 Speaker 2: the sort of both sides ism, where you treat these 489 00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:22,840 Speaker 2: two equal. I think it's also this this tendency to 490 00:35:23,160 --> 00:35:26,279 Speaker 2: just sort of say what happened, uh, and think that 491 00:35:26,320 --> 00:35:29,359 Speaker 2: you're doing the job right. So Trump can lie through 492 00:35:29,400 --> 00:35:33,839 Speaker 2: his teeth and rather than providing a clear picture of 493 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:37,360 Speaker 2: why he's lying and why that's not reliable. I know, 494 00:35:37,480 --> 00:35:39,560 Speaker 2: too many times he just gets to say what he 495 00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:43,239 Speaker 2: wants to say without pushback. And I think the you know, 496 00:35:43,280 --> 00:35:46,279 Speaker 2: the related thing is that the media as a as 497 00:35:46,320 --> 00:35:51,080 Speaker 2: a whole has failed to be able to describe the urgency, 498 00:35:51,320 --> 00:35:55,359 Speaker 2: the emergency, the stakes of things right and the need 499 00:35:55,440 --> 00:35:58,440 Speaker 2: to be able to do that again and again and again. 500 00:35:58,640 --> 00:36:02,160 Speaker 2: So you know, not don't just chronicle what happened, you know, 501 00:36:02,280 --> 00:36:05,160 Speaker 2: don't just sort of tell us what both sides think, 502 00:36:05,560 --> 00:36:08,880 Speaker 2: tell us what it means, tell us what the context is. 503 00:36:09,360 --> 00:36:12,600 Speaker 2: You know, speak truth to power, because you know that's 504 00:36:12,640 --> 00:36:18,319 Speaker 2: the responsibility and understand that that journalists, uh, you know, 505 00:36:18,760 --> 00:36:21,719 Speaker 2: every single journalist needs to be and I'm going to 506 00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:25,400 Speaker 2: use this phrase, every single journalist needs to be and 507 00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:30,640 Speaker 2: has needed to be a pro democracy advocate that you know, 508 00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:34,760 Speaker 2: they live in a democratic society. They have a responsibility, 509 00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:40,200 Speaker 2: i think, to uphold that society. So if it's being undermined, destroyed, 510 00:36:40,920 --> 00:36:43,719 Speaker 2: put in danger, at risk, you know that there's a 511 00:36:43,760 --> 00:36:47,440 Speaker 2: responsibility that goes along with that, and it's been abdicated, 512 00:36:47,520 --> 00:36:51,520 Speaker 2: and you know, the traditions of the profession have assisted that, 513 00:36:52,760 --> 00:36:54,879 Speaker 2: and that's you know, that's I think part of why 514 00:36:54,880 --> 00:36:55,840 Speaker 2: we're in this problem. 515 00:36:56,800 --> 00:36:59,560 Speaker 1: One of the things that just leaves me like slack jaw, 516 00:37:00,080 --> 00:37:04,200 Speaker 1: crazy eyed watching is you know, for example, the other 517 00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:09,000 Speaker 1: day on CNN the Mehdi Hassan incident on the Abby 518 00:37:09,040 --> 00:37:12,160 Speaker 1: Phillips Show, which has got a lot of attention, where 519 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:17,560 Speaker 1: the whack job Maggie guest and he is right, he 520 00:37:17,680 --> 00:37:25,400 Speaker 1: wrote for neo Nazi Richard Spencer, he's a white nationalist. 521 00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:28,040 Speaker 2: Why they put him on the show. 522 00:37:28,120 --> 00:37:37,239 Speaker 1: Right, And so the show curates these nutjobs, selects them, 523 00:37:37,360 --> 00:37:40,680 Speaker 1: harvests them, recruits them, turns them loose and then when 524 00:37:41,239 --> 00:37:47,160 Speaker 1: you know, the monkey throws its feces right there, My god, 525 00:37:47,719 --> 00:37:53,040 Speaker 1: and abby looking earnestly into the camera. There's a line 526 00:37:53,160 --> 00:37:57,239 Speaker 1: on this show, and it's just all and I have 527 00:37:57,360 --> 00:38:03,160 Speaker 1: this insatiable curiosity city about how it came to be 528 00:38:05,080 --> 00:38:11,960 Speaker 1: that news has evolved that you watch something unfold on 529 00:38:12,040 --> 00:38:18,640 Speaker 1: live TV like Trump threatening to imprison the population, roll 530 00:38:18,719 --> 00:38:26,440 Speaker 1: out the military, seek vengeance, retribution and revenge in clear 531 00:38:26,480 --> 00:38:32,760 Speaker 1: English language, and then the telling us right, it turns 532 00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:37,960 Speaker 1: to Scott Jennings right and says, well, what did he mean? 533 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:43,400 Speaker 1: Who tells you he didn't mean it right? And that 534 00:38:43,680 --> 00:38:47,080 Speaker 1: you didn't just hear what you heard? 535 00:38:48,239 --> 00:38:52,520 Speaker 2: And then don't believe your ears, don't believe your eyes. 536 00:38:53,600 --> 00:38:57,320 Speaker 1: That just that that you know half the people telling 537 00:38:57,360 --> 00:39:03,040 Speaker 1: you that you didn't just hear what you just heard, 538 00:39:04,080 --> 00:39:09,800 Speaker 1: and that is the structure of balance. Yeah, that's that's 539 00:39:10,080 --> 00:39:13,799 Speaker 1: that's balance in watching it. And I don't think right 540 00:39:13,800 --> 00:39:16,520 Speaker 1: from a causation perspective, right, Like when you look at 541 00:39:16,520 --> 00:39:23,719 Speaker 1: the ratings collapse, right, then it's difficult to comprehend that 542 00:39:23,800 --> 00:39:28,200 Speaker 1: it's unwatchable. Yeah, I'd rather right. I have to watch 543 00:39:28,239 --> 00:39:32,080 Speaker 1: a little bit of it right every every day, just 544 00:39:32,239 --> 00:39:37,560 Speaker 1: because to stay oriented. But esthetically it makes you want 545 00:39:37,560 --> 00:39:39,320 Speaker 1: to jam your head through the wall. 546 00:39:39,840 --> 00:39:44,360 Speaker 2: Well, look, I'm back to you know, first principles. You know, 547 00:39:44,440 --> 00:39:47,920 Speaker 2: one of the first principles should be of any media 548 00:39:48,040 --> 00:39:54,920 Speaker 2: organization is don't platform liars, right, don't give them the 549 00:39:55,800 --> 00:40:01,879 Speaker 2: platform to spread their misinformation and disinform. Don't do it. 550 00:40:02,560 --> 00:40:05,840 Speaker 2: And you know, I know it's hard because again, the 551 00:40:06,320 --> 00:40:11,160 Speaker 2: Republican candidate for president is a pathological liar and essentially 552 00:40:11,200 --> 00:40:16,160 Speaker 2: lies every time he opens his mouth. You know, the 553 00:40:16,239 --> 00:40:19,200 Speaker 2: decisions made like, if we have an opportunity, we're going 554 00:40:19,239 --> 00:40:22,239 Speaker 2: to put him on and maybe it's a you know, 555 00:40:22,280 --> 00:40:25,160 Speaker 2: it's a sad easy road from there to say that 556 00:40:25,239 --> 00:40:27,600 Speaker 2: you you know, you put on all of the others 557 00:40:27,920 --> 00:40:29,719 Speaker 2: and we can make a long list. He'll come on 558 00:40:29,760 --> 00:40:34,640 Speaker 2: these shows and say anything and deny that that Trump 559 00:40:34,760 --> 00:40:37,880 Speaker 2: really meant what he said when we you know, we 560 00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:40,960 Speaker 2: heard it with our own ears. You know, these are 561 00:40:41,320 --> 00:40:44,280 Speaker 2: I mean, I think there is going to be whatever 562 00:40:44,320 --> 00:40:46,560 Speaker 2: way this, there's going to be a kind of reckoning 563 00:40:46,760 --> 00:40:50,080 Speaker 2: if Donald Trump wins. I'll say it again, I don't 564 00:40:50,120 --> 00:40:52,120 Speaker 2: think he will, but there's going to be a kind 565 00:40:52,160 --> 00:40:55,320 Speaker 2: of reckoning if he wins, which is that our free press, 566 00:40:55,360 --> 00:40:58,480 Speaker 2: which has failed in this period, is going to to 567 00:40:58,600 --> 00:41:03,239 Speaker 2: suffer the consequence of their failure. I also think that 568 00:41:03,680 --> 00:41:06,440 Speaker 2: there's a needs to be a reckoning in any case 569 00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:10,480 Speaker 2: to ask the hard questions about whether the structure of 570 00:41:10,600 --> 00:41:15,120 Speaker 2: journalism and the practices that have been built in, assuming 571 00:41:15,320 --> 00:41:20,160 Speaker 2: that you have legitimate leaders in the country who are 572 00:41:20,200 --> 00:41:24,960 Speaker 2: committed to the democratic system, the democratic process, whether the 573 00:41:25,440 --> 00:41:30,279 Speaker 2: system of journalism, you know, needs to fundamentally change to 574 00:41:30,360 --> 00:41:31,759 Speaker 2: address the world we live in. 575 00:41:34,680 --> 00:41:41,960 Speaker 1: How do you initiate a public debate right where you 576 00:41:42,040 --> 00:41:48,680 Speaker 1: step back and you say, for example, the Washington Post, 577 00:41:50,560 --> 00:41:54,279 Speaker 1: this is this is my favorite newspaper has been right 578 00:41:54,400 --> 00:41:58,359 Speaker 1: for political I've always preferred the political coverage to the 579 00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:01,239 Speaker 1: New York Times of a I always been partial to it. 580 00:42:01,280 --> 00:42:05,280 Speaker 1: I think under when Marty Barron was was the editor 581 00:42:05,360 --> 00:42:07,799 Speaker 1: of this paper, I think it's I think it was 582 00:42:07,840 --> 00:42:13,040 Speaker 1: the best newspaper of my lifetime and one of pre 583 00:42:13,120 --> 00:42:17,879 Speaker 1: eminent importance because it covers what's happening in Washington, DC. 584 00:42:18,520 --> 00:42:20,319 Speaker 2: And I think that and I can add I think 585 00:42:20,360 --> 00:42:23,839 Speaker 2: they've had the more reliable coverage of the you know, 586 00:42:23,880 --> 00:42:28,360 Speaker 2: of the Trump administration and saying vividly, you know, thirty 587 00:42:28,400 --> 00:42:32,880 Speaker 2: thousand plus lies in all the different ways of accurately 588 00:42:33,000 --> 00:42:34,560 Speaker 2: depicting what's been happening. 589 00:42:35,760 --> 00:42:39,440 Speaker 1: I was in my in my consulting career. I did 590 00:42:39,480 --> 00:42:42,680 Speaker 1: all the deflay Gate stuff for Tom Brady, and so 591 00:42:42,719 --> 00:42:45,799 Speaker 1: you get a little bit familiar with these organizations, right, 592 00:42:46,160 --> 00:42:48,879 Speaker 1: you know, and when I've worked for different sports teams. Right, 593 00:42:48,920 --> 00:42:54,000 Speaker 1: So the Patriot Organization, the Yankee Organization, right, like, it's 594 00:42:54,000 --> 00:43:00,000 Speaker 1: a it's a it's a it's a winning ethos. Right, 595 00:43:00,480 --> 00:43:08,520 Speaker 1: you have a you have a you have a culture, 596 00:43:09,080 --> 00:43:13,600 Speaker 1: right that is that's pre eminent. That so when you 597 00:43:13,640 --> 00:43:16,799 Speaker 1: walk in and you're twenty five, twenty six and you 598 00:43:17,520 --> 00:43:20,400 Speaker 1: are reporting for your first day at the Washington Post, 599 00:43:22,040 --> 00:43:27,920 Speaker 1: it's epic and it's an epic place right where the. 600 00:43:28,360 --> 00:43:31,239 Speaker 2: I mean, for God's sake, that's where Woodward and Bernstein 601 00:43:31,360 --> 00:43:34,080 Speaker 2: you know, did what they did, right, I mean, every 602 00:43:34,160 --> 00:43:36,520 Speaker 2: every young journalist thinks about it. 603 00:43:36,719 --> 00:43:42,359 Speaker 1: In it affirms the genius of the founders with the 604 00:43:42,400 --> 00:43:47,400 Speaker 1: First Amendment. Right, that that a counterbalance. So a non 605 00:43:47,600 --> 00:43:53,279 Speaker 1: governmental entity can have the force and power, but but 606 00:43:55,120 --> 00:44:05,800 Speaker 1: it requires fortitude, encourage. And so there's this improbable human being, 607 00:44:06,800 --> 00:44:17,640 Speaker 1: this lady and this editor who do extraordinary things together 608 00:44:19,719 --> 00:44:25,840 Speaker 1: and play this enormous role for the good of the country, 609 00:44:26,480 --> 00:44:35,200 Speaker 1: for the public interest integrity. So you have one of 610 00:44:35,280 --> 00:44:42,680 Speaker 1: Rupert Murdoch shady editors who beyond any reasonable doubt, was 611 00:44:42,760 --> 00:44:48,480 Speaker 1: involved in the deletion of millions of emails. No irony Right, 612 00:44:48,600 --> 00:44:51,840 Speaker 1: Washington Post, Right, there's one newspaper where you shouldn't have 613 00:44:51,880 --> 00:44:54,600 Speaker 1: been able to get a jump if you're involved in 614 00:44:54,680 --> 00:45:02,160 Speaker 1: the deletion of the tapes. It's that one. Yeah, so bezos, 615 00:45:03,280 --> 00:45:09,960 Speaker 1: it as clear a quid pro quo, fear based not 616 00:45:10,080 --> 00:45:14,880 Speaker 1: going to indoors, proving once again right the adage that 617 00:45:15,040 --> 00:45:20,680 Speaker 1: trust is gained in drops and lost in buckets. The Post, 618 00:45:20,960 --> 00:45:24,000 Speaker 1: which according to other news media reports, picked up four 619 00:45:24,239 --> 00:45:28,160 Speaker 1: thousand subscribers in the first five months of this year, 620 00:45:28,520 --> 00:45:30,759 Speaker 1: four thousand less. 621 00:45:30,480 --> 00:45:34,160 Speaker 2: Than the warning, unbelievable, less than the warning. 622 00:45:35,400 --> 00:45:39,280 Speaker 1: Four thousand subscribers, has lost two hundred and fifty thousand 623 00:45:39,400 --> 00:45:44,760 Speaker 1: in counting, which would be a replacement rate of thirty 624 00:45:44,840 --> 00:45:50,240 Speaker 1: years organically for the business. This guy have to sell 625 00:45:50,280 --> 00:45:52,839 Speaker 1: this paper. I mean he's the richest guy in the world. 626 00:45:52,920 --> 00:45:56,160 Speaker 1: He doesn't have to do anything. But can he credibly 627 00:45:56,200 --> 00:46:01,640 Speaker 1: operate this paper going forward? Because I I was asked 628 00:46:01,640 --> 00:46:04,040 Speaker 1: this question last night in a in a room full 629 00:46:04,080 --> 00:46:07,239 Speaker 1: of consultants and investors. And my answer was not he 630 00:46:07,320 --> 00:46:10,240 Speaker 1: hit the boom button. If you jump off the fiftieth 631 00:46:10,280 --> 00:46:12,440 Speaker 1: floor of the building, you're gonna die. He killed it. 632 00:46:13,200 --> 00:46:16,120 Speaker 2: Yeah. You know, look, if I mean asked the question 633 00:46:16,200 --> 00:46:20,280 Speaker 2: about like the you know, the complicity or the failure 634 00:46:20,320 --> 00:46:22,439 Speaker 2: of the media in this period, I mean, look, part 635 00:46:22,440 --> 00:46:25,520 Speaker 2: of the thing is that that's happened with the backdrop 636 00:46:25,719 --> 00:46:29,920 Speaker 2: of you know, the journalism newspapers in terrible trouble. 637 00:46:30,200 --> 00:46:30,319 Speaker 1: Uh. 638 00:46:30,640 --> 00:46:34,719 Speaker 2: You know, many of them folding less and less reliable coverage, 639 00:46:35,160 --> 00:46:38,640 Speaker 2: you know, beyond the national papers, you know, in key 640 00:46:38,719 --> 00:46:42,240 Speaker 2: markets around the country. So you don't have the accountability 641 00:46:42,239 --> 00:46:46,120 Speaker 2: that that communities around the country need because there's no 642 00:46:46,200 --> 00:46:52,080 Speaker 2: longer reliable local newspapers in many markets, which is you know, 643 00:46:52,160 --> 00:46:55,680 Speaker 2: the environment where the billionaires have come in to become 644 00:46:55,760 --> 00:46:56,440 Speaker 2: the owners. 645 00:46:57,040 --> 00:46:57,239 Speaker 1: Uh. 646 00:46:57,280 --> 00:46:59,719 Speaker 2: And look, when Bezos took over, it was like he 647 00:46:59,800 --> 00:47:03,960 Speaker 2: came men to save the Washington Post. And and so 648 00:47:04,120 --> 00:47:08,719 Speaker 2: there was exactly this notion that the billionaire is not 649 00:47:09,160 --> 00:47:15,960 Speaker 2: endangered by the whims of the you know, the politics, 650 00:47:16,000 --> 00:47:21,239 Speaker 2: because you know, the billionaire has the resources the bulwark 651 00:47:21,320 --> 00:47:24,920 Speaker 2: against all of that. And you know that's been obviously 652 00:47:25,000 --> 00:47:29,319 Speaker 2: blied that you know that the endorsement was something that 653 00:47:29,360 --> 00:47:33,000 Speaker 2: he so feared, uh, and the blowback that would come 654 00:47:33,040 --> 00:47:35,319 Speaker 2: from that is something that he's so feared that he 655 00:47:35,480 --> 00:47:39,439 Speaker 2: was willing to put this all at risk. You know. Look, 656 00:47:39,480 --> 00:47:43,120 Speaker 2: I mean the endorsement itself wouldn't have made much difference, 657 00:47:43,760 --> 00:47:47,600 Speaker 2: but but the fear of endorsing that makes a difference. 658 00:47:47,640 --> 00:47:50,160 Speaker 2: And that's why, you know, a quarter of a million 659 00:47:50,520 --> 00:47:55,000 Speaker 2: people unsubscribing is a you know, is a catastrophe. And 660 00:47:55,239 --> 00:47:58,200 Speaker 2: you know, look, it's not just you know, lost revenue 661 00:47:58,280 --> 00:48:02,120 Speaker 2: because Jeff Bezos doesn't need it, but it is a 662 00:48:02,160 --> 00:48:10,120 Speaker 2: catastrophe because there are hundreds of really talented reporters, journalists 663 00:48:10,120 --> 00:48:13,359 Speaker 2: who are actually trying to do good work. And you know, 664 00:48:13,680 --> 00:48:18,760 Speaker 2: this failure, of this fear based failure of Bezos puts 665 00:48:18,800 --> 00:48:19,920 Speaker 2: their work in danger. 666 00:48:20,840 --> 00:48:24,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure, for sure, Right for sure. 667 00:48:24,760 --> 00:48:27,239 Speaker 2: I mean you know, does he need does he can 668 00:48:27,360 --> 00:48:30,000 Speaker 2: he survive it? Well? Look, I mean I mean he 669 00:48:30,040 --> 00:48:32,640 Speaker 2: can he can stick around? Does he does he want to? 670 00:48:32,760 --> 00:48:33,799 Speaker 2: What's the benefit person? 671 00:48:33,920 --> 00:48:35,480 Speaker 1: I guess so what I was let me let me 672 00:48:35,480 --> 00:48:38,399 Speaker 1: ask the question. I guess I don't see a way 673 00:48:38,560 --> 00:48:42,440 Speaker 1: that a Bezos led Washington Post can recover its integrity. 674 00:48:44,719 --> 00:48:48,239 Speaker 1: And I don't see how the paper gets out of 675 00:48:48,280 --> 00:48:51,240 Speaker 1: the moment because it has a it has a massive 676 00:48:51,360 --> 00:48:54,560 Speaker 1: integrity crisis, right as a massive it is a massive 677 00:48:54,640 --> 00:48:57,799 Speaker 1: values crisis. I mean the point is right if they 678 00:48:57,920 --> 00:49:04,000 Speaker 1: editorialized about something today, right, So there's such intellectual incongruence 679 00:49:04,040 --> 00:49:07,239 Speaker 1: to it, like so you're your educate, your you have 680 00:49:07,320 --> 00:49:11,799 Speaker 1: to the paper for whatever reason, see some moral necessity 681 00:49:11,880 --> 00:49:14,440 Speaker 1: the weigh in about the construction of the of the 682 00:49:14,480 --> 00:49:19,520 Speaker 1: New Mall and Rock Creek, but not the fascist take 683 00:49:19,600 --> 00:49:21,440 Speaker 1: over the government in the United States. And you're the 684 00:49:21,560 --> 00:49:24,480 Speaker 1: paper in Washington, d C. And then I don't know 685 00:49:24,520 --> 00:49:25,920 Speaker 1: if you've seen it, but I think one of the 686 00:49:25,920 --> 00:49:29,239 Speaker 1: greatest editorials I've ever read, and I reprinted in full 687 00:49:29,320 --> 00:49:30,680 Speaker 1: today was the Las Vegas Son. 688 00:49:31,280 --> 00:49:35,440 Speaker 2: I did see it. Yeah, you know, it can encourage. 689 00:49:35,040 --> 00:49:37,200 Speaker 1: The storial staff. This is what this is is what 690 00:49:37,239 --> 00:49:39,520 Speaker 1: an editorial is supposed to be, right, It's a statement 691 00:49:39,560 --> 00:49:44,520 Speaker 1: of moral clarity on behalf of an institution that has 692 00:49:45,320 --> 00:49:49,280 Speaker 1: the legal authority, under God given right to speak truth 693 00:49:49,320 --> 00:49:50,720 Speaker 1: to power and offend. 694 00:49:51,520 --> 00:49:55,520 Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, And and and acknowledge that there's a a 695 00:49:55,640 --> 00:49:59,480 Speaker 2: mental maybe a physical and mental collapse of this Republican 696 00:49:59,680 --> 00:50:02,400 Speaker 2: candid date. And you know, and it ought to be 697 00:50:02,440 --> 00:50:08,400 Speaker 2: stated so right, So to your point about a moral 698 00:50:08,520 --> 00:50:11,360 Speaker 2: high ground, I mean, yeah, the the Washington Post is 699 00:50:11,400 --> 00:50:13,239 Speaker 2: in a tricky place, and there will be a lot 700 00:50:13,280 --> 00:50:18,840 Speaker 2: of voicing in the in the months ahead of hypocrisy 701 00:50:18,880 --> 00:50:22,320 Speaker 2: about any efforts that it makes to to try to 702 00:50:22,360 --> 00:50:23,720 Speaker 2: regain the moral high ground. 703 00:50:28,719 --> 00:50:34,360 Speaker 1: You know. I think back. I was in outside of 704 00:50:34,400 --> 00:50:37,439 Speaker 1: Mexico City about two years ago, and I went up 705 00:50:37,520 --> 00:50:43,760 Speaker 1: to see the ruins of the pyramids at Kayem mischewa 706 00:50:43,840 --> 00:50:49,760 Speaker 1: Khan and standing there with my guide and he talks 707 00:50:49,800 --> 00:50:55,040 Speaker 1: about the calendars that this ancient civilization five thousand years 708 00:50:55,040 --> 00:51:02,759 Speaker 1: old designed in their astronomical stication as such that it's 709 00:51:02,760 --> 00:51:09,239 Speaker 1: only until very recently that computers have outpaced their extrapolations 710 00:51:09,280 --> 00:51:14,759 Speaker 1: of constellations and arrangements. And and what I what I 711 00:51:14,840 --> 00:51:18,960 Speaker 1: stood there realizing is that even five thousand years ago, 712 00:51:20,600 --> 00:51:25,040 Speaker 1: but the human genius, all of it was fully formed 713 00:51:25,040 --> 00:51:29,400 Speaker 1: and present there, that there was no genius that was 714 00:51:29,440 --> 00:51:33,120 Speaker 1: going to send people to the moon right five thousand 715 00:51:33,160 --> 00:51:36,359 Speaker 1: years later, that wasn't present at those people looked up 716 00:51:36,360 --> 00:51:41,359 Speaker 1: and did those? Did those? And did those? Did those? Calculations. Right. 717 00:51:41,440 --> 00:51:47,000 Speaker 1: So there's there's a constancy, right of human behavior. And 718 00:51:47,040 --> 00:51:49,719 Speaker 1: you can see when you have a kid, right, the 719 00:51:50,040 --> 00:51:53,320 Speaker 1: kid who's good at math, right, the kid who's great 720 00:51:53,840 --> 00:51:57,480 Speaker 1: artistically right, or the kid that has a talent right 721 00:51:57,520 --> 00:51:57,880 Speaker 1: for me. 722 00:51:59,080 --> 00:51:59,279 Speaker 2: Right. 723 00:51:59,320 --> 00:52:06,000 Speaker 1: The thing that I was always interested in is this, right, 724 00:52:06,320 --> 00:52:08,760 Speaker 1: is what we're talking about. Right. 725 00:52:08,840 --> 00:52:12,400 Speaker 2: It's imagination, imagination combined. 726 00:52:12,200 --> 00:52:20,360 Speaker 1: With societies organize and government. And the event, right that 727 00:52:20,760 --> 00:52:25,920 Speaker 1: I was always most interested in, was the most epic 728 00:52:26,040 --> 00:52:28,080 Speaker 1: one of human history. 729 00:52:28,200 --> 00:52:28,359 Speaker 2: Right. 730 00:52:28,440 --> 00:52:30,880 Speaker 1: And these are the events of the nineteen thirties and 731 00:52:30,960 --> 00:52:35,720 Speaker 1: the nineteen forties. These are the deadliest decades of human history. 732 00:52:36,000 --> 00:52:40,840 Speaker 1: And I think the most important question you could conceivably 733 00:52:41,160 --> 00:52:44,880 Speaker 1: study in school. Yeah, how could that happen? 734 00:52:45,000 --> 00:52:45,719 Speaker 2: Yeah? 735 00:52:45,840 --> 00:52:48,960 Speaker 1: Right? So it never happens, It never happens, It never 736 00:52:49,040 --> 00:52:54,840 Speaker 1: happens again. So when I watched that crowd in Madison Square, 737 00:52:54,880 --> 00:53:00,560 Speaker 1: guard and you process the things that are being said, 738 00:53:02,800 --> 00:53:06,880 Speaker 1: I watch it and I think of them pulling some 739 00:53:08,920 --> 00:53:12,680 Speaker 1: migrant up out of the crowd onto the stage. 740 00:53:13,360 --> 00:53:13,839 Speaker 2: Oh my god. 741 00:53:13,880 --> 00:53:20,319 Speaker 1: And I'm not trying to stationalize it. Someone says, kill them, yeah, right. 742 00:53:21,040 --> 00:53:27,600 Speaker 1: I think the contagion of that crowd, that that person's 743 00:53:27,640 --> 00:53:31,799 Speaker 1: life would be in very very serious danger. Wouldn't be 744 00:53:31,840 --> 00:53:36,600 Speaker 1: the case obviously at a Kamala Harris rally. But there 745 00:53:36,880 --> 00:53:41,560 Speaker 1: was a phrase that was popular in the nineteen sixties, 746 00:53:42,200 --> 00:53:45,680 Speaker 1: and the phrase was little Iikmans right, And it was 747 00:53:45,719 --> 00:53:55,360 Speaker 1: the idea right that there was great evil that could 748 00:53:56,040 --> 00:54:02,680 Speaker 1: take place through baantal actions and banal people like an 749 00:54:02,680 --> 00:54:08,839 Speaker 1: ad Off of who interrogated ad Off Keman, who never 750 00:54:08,960 --> 00:54:13,200 Speaker 1: talked about the experience until the early nineteen eighties. It 751 00:54:13,280 --> 00:54:15,920 Speaker 1: was an Israeli police captain who lost his family in 752 00:54:15,960 --> 00:54:19,879 Speaker 1: the Holocaust. Somebody finally asked him in nineteen eighty one, 753 00:54:20,000 --> 00:54:25,320 Speaker 1: did you take anything away from the experience? And he goes, yet, 754 00:54:27,440 --> 00:54:32,719 Speaker 1: it gave me my faith in democracy, because there are 755 00:54:32,800 --> 00:54:38,880 Speaker 1: add Off Hikmans all around us. They're harmless in a democracy, 756 00:54:39,000 --> 00:54:43,160 Speaker 1: they turn deadly in an instant in a dictatorship. And 757 00:54:43,200 --> 00:54:47,080 Speaker 1: when I looked at that crap she Tucker Carlson getting 758 00:54:47,160 --> 00:54:50,239 Speaker 1: up there, what I saw was an arena full of 759 00:54:50,280 --> 00:54:51,120 Speaker 1: little likements. 760 00:54:51,280 --> 00:54:53,680 Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, yeah, I mean, look. 761 00:54:53,680 --> 00:54:56,400 Speaker 1: I find it, I find it objectively terrifying. 762 00:54:56,600 --> 00:54:59,120 Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, I mean, look, what do you say or 763 00:54:59,160 --> 00:55:03,680 Speaker 2: do you think I'm not Trump? Trump has exposed the 764 00:55:04,160 --> 00:55:09,239 Speaker 2: capacity of evil in America, right the the the assumption that, 765 00:55:09,719 --> 00:55:11,759 Speaker 2: you know, how could that have happened? What was the 766 00:55:11,800 --> 00:55:16,600 Speaker 2: aberration in Nazi Germany that made what happened there possible 767 00:55:16,880 --> 00:55:20,160 Speaker 2: and played out? You know, that looked like something that 768 00:55:20,200 --> 00:55:23,520 Speaker 2: could never happen in America. And you know, we we 769 00:55:23,640 --> 00:55:27,200 Speaker 2: now know that that it very much can. And you know, 770 00:55:27,320 --> 00:55:31,040 Speaker 2: your notion about uh, you know, a migrant being brought 771 00:55:31,080 --> 00:55:33,920 Speaker 2: up onto the stage and being ripped apart, you know, 772 00:55:34,120 --> 00:55:38,000 Speaker 2: is not in that climate that day doesn't sound very 773 00:55:38,040 --> 00:55:42,080 Speaker 2: far fetched. And I think it's not unreasonable to say that, 774 00:55:42,440 --> 00:55:47,160 Speaker 2: you know, a second Trump term is like the gathering 775 00:55:47,320 --> 00:55:51,640 Speaker 2: of a lynch mob to run the country, and and 776 00:55:51,640 --> 00:55:55,560 Speaker 2: and every day will be uh, the unleashing of the 777 00:55:55,640 --> 00:56:01,040 Speaker 2: lynch mob, you know, against significant portions of the American people, 778 00:56:01,480 --> 00:56:04,960 Speaker 2: and the many millions of people who yearned for a 779 00:56:05,000 --> 00:56:08,759 Speaker 2: better life who came to America because they believed in 780 00:56:08,840 --> 00:56:12,600 Speaker 2: the possibility of it, the potential of it, the possibility 781 00:56:12,600 --> 00:56:15,360 Speaker 2: of a living a better life for themselves and their family, 782 00:56:15,640 --> 00:56:19,439 Speaker 2: who believed in the you know, not only the economic opportunity, 783 00:56:19,520 --> 00:56:22,080 Speaker 2: but were in many cases have in many cases been 784 00:56:22,480 --> 00:56:27,520 Speaker 2: drawn by the idea of democracy and self governance, which 785 00:56:27,560 --> 00:56:31,239 Speaker 2: they haven't had in their own countries. And these are 786 00:56:31,280 --> 00:56:35,120 Speaker 2: the people that this lynch mob wants to destroy in 787 00:56:35,160 --> 00:56:38,600 Speaker 2: some ways. And you know this how many immigrants are 788 00:56:38,760 --> 00:56:43,680 Speaker 2: oftentimes the most patriotic, the ones who most love America, 789 00:56:43,920 --> 00:56:48,280 Speaker 2: who most deeply believe in the ideals of America, because 790 00:56:48,280 --> 00:56:51,560 Speaker 2: they've seen it played out in the worst ways in 791 00:56:51,600 --> 00:56:55,440 Speaker 2: their own countries. You know, I want to make one 792 00:56:55,480 --> 00:56:58,560 Speaker 2: other point, which is, you know why, I think, you know, 793 00:56:58,600 --> 00:57:03,080 Speaker 2: beyond sort of the giving license to people's worst instincts, 794 00:57:03,400 --> 00:57:06,680 Speaker 2: which we hope that civilization and you know, the whole 795 00:57:06,960 --> 00:57:11,440 Speaker 2: notion of liberal, liberal government to channel people's worst instincts. 796 00:57:11,719 --> 00:57:14,560 Speaker 2: You know, Trump has given license for that to be 797 00:57:14,920 --> 00:57:18,240 Speaker 2: put aside, and it's freed obviously a lot of the 798 00:57:18,280 --> 00:57:21,920 Speaker 2: worst impulses of the you know, of many among us. 799 00:57:21,920 --> 00:57:23,480 Speaker 2: I was going to say the worst among us, but 800 00:57:23,560 --> 00:57:27,120 Speaker 2: maybe many of us. But I think, you know, it 801 00:57:27,280 --> 00:57:32,880 Speaker 2: makes the alternate version that has provided just in the 802 00:57:32,960 --> 00:57:35,840 Speaker 2: last days that much more important. You know that she's 803 00:57:35,880 --> 00:57:40,480 Speaker 2: talked about building coalitions, she's talked about building community that 804 00:57:40,560 --> 00:57:45,000 Speaker 2: she's you know, talked about consensus and common ground and 805 00:57:45,440 --> 00:57:50,400 Speaker 2: common sense. You know, these things seems so normal and 806 00:57:50,560 --> 00:57:53,560 Speaker 2: simple and almost banal in a in a in an 807 00:57:53,680 --> 00:57:59,160 Speaker 2: opposite sense because they seem so obvious. But but you know, 808 00:57:59,760 --> 00:58:04,000 Speaker 2: we're we're being offered once again the opportunity to to 809 00:58:04,120 --> 00:58:07,640 Speaker 2: think about the fundamental building blocks of you know, of 810 00:58:07,800 --> 00:58:12,520 Speaker 2: community and society and democracy. And you know, they seem 811 00:58:12,640 --> 00:58:18,320 Speaker 2: somehow very simple and uh maybe too obvious, but I 812 00:58:18,360 --> 00:58:24,040 Speaker 2: hope that they sound in this climate refreshing and promising. 813 00:58:24,360 --> 00:58:28,520 Speaker 2: And the reason why, you know, most Americans will choose 814 00:58:28,560 --> 00:58:28,920 Speaker 2: for that. 815 00:58:32,080 --> 00:58:35,000 Speaker 1: If he wins. Will you be surprised? 816 00:58:39,240 --> 00:58:44,880 Speaker 2: I will be, you know, profoundly, profoundly disappointed about the 817 00:58:45,200 --> 00:58:48,440 Speaker 2: country that I love and that I thought I knew. 818 00:58:49,280 --> 00:58:54,040 Speaker 2: And uh, you know, I'll be surprised in the sense 819 00:58:54,080 --> 00:58:57,280 Speaker 2: that I still believe that most Americans want a better 820 00:58:57,320 --> 00:59:01,720 Speaker 2: future and and this is true for you know, the 821 00:59:02,400 --> 00:59:08,440 Speaker 2: a dark, divisive, hateful future, and I really I'll be 822 00:59:08,520 --> 00:59:10,880 Speaker 2: surprised that most Americans would choose for. 823 00:59:10,880 --> 00:59:19,200 Speaker 1: That perfect place to leave it. You know, I think 824 00:59:19,280 --> 00:59:26,880 Speaker 1: that if he wins, we're all going to get a 825 00:59:27,080 --> 00:59:36,240 Speaker 1: chance to practice citizenship in an extreme version. And what 826 00:59:36,280 --> 00:59:40,680 Speaker 1: I would say to everybody who's listening, and I know 827 00:59:40,800 --> 00:59:43,200 Speaker 1: I'll have the impulse to do this is you're going 828 00:59:43,280 --> 00:59:45,880 Speaker 1: to be standing on the street watching the one hundred 829 00:59:45,880 --> 00:59:50,400 Speaker 1: and first airborne roll into your city to begin the 830 00:59:50,480 --> 00:59:55,680 Speaker 1: mass deportation operations. And you're gonna be standing next to 831 00:59:55,760 --> 01:00:00,560 Speaker 1: some MAGA voter who's looking with horror on her face 832 01:00:00,680 --> 01:00:04,040 Speaker 1: and says, holy shit, I didn't think he meant it right. 833 01:00:04,160 --> 01:00:07,280 Speaker 1: And and your impulse is going to be to look at him. 834 01:00:07,320 --> 01:00:09,200 Speaker 1: I know mine will be, and I won't be able 835 01:00:09,200 --> 01:00:11,640 Speaker 1: to resist and say no, he meant it fucking stupid. 836 01:00:11,680 --> 01:00:13,280 Speaker 2: He meant it right. 837 01:00:13,320 --> 01:00:15,200 Speaker 1: But what are we What are we going to do now? 838 01:00:15,400 --> 01:00:16,520 Speaker 1: What are we gonna do now? 839 01:00:16,640 --> 01:00:16,800 Speaker 2: Right? 840 01:00:16,920 --> 01:00:22,080 Speaker 1: So, so there's that if she does win, and and 841 01:00:22,200 --> 01:00:27,160 Speaker 1: I certainly am praying for that, and I have a 842 01:00:27,240 --> 01:00:31,200 Speaker 1: deep kind of serene faith that that is going to happen. 843 01:00:32,000 --> 01:00:34,959 Speaker 1: That that is that is at odds and at war 844 01:00:35,120 --> 01:00:42,640 Speaker 1: right now with my inner natural disposition, right genetically, my 845 01:00:42,880 --> 01:00:44,760 Speaker 1: black iron. 846 01:00:46,160 --> 01:00:49,800 Speaker 2: Right, you did call your you did call your excellent 847 01:00:49,880 --> 01:00:51,360 Speaker 2: newsletter of the warning. 848 01:00:51,120 --> 01:00:54,960 Speaker 1: Didn't right, Like I you know, I'm dealing with that. 849 01:00:55,080 --> 01:00:59,560 Speaker 1: But but as I said to this Canadian audience, that 850 01:01:00,320 --> 01:01:07,760 Speaker 1: even in victory, we will be in a crisis that 851 01:01:10,240 --> 01:01:15,120 Speaker 1: is the result of a carefully laid, extremest plan to 852 01:01:15,240 --> 01:01:20,320 Speaker 1: overturn the results of the election. And though we remember 853 01:01:20,400 --> 01:01:26,120 Speaker 1: it a lot of it from the fact that it 854 01:01:26,200 --> 01:01:29,400 Speaker 1: was idiotized, right, it was. It was the most horses 855 01:01:29,480 --> 01:01:33,080 Speaker 1: asked coup in a lot of ways that's ever been. 856 01:01:33,960 --> 01:01:37,160 Speaker 1: They've made progress over over the last four years. And 857 01:01:37,240 --> 01:01:40,440 Speaker 1: it's and it's you have to take it seriously. And 858 01:01:40,440 --> 01:01:43,400 Speaker 1: and I'm one of the few people in America that's 859 01:01:43,440 --> 01:01:47,720 Speaker 1: placed a concession phone call for a defeated presidential candidate. 860 01:01:47,800 --> 01:01:51,200 Speaker 1: I was the first person to address Barack Obama as 861 01:01:51,320 --> 01:01:56,000 Speaker 1: mister President elect in the Republican Party. And I remember 862 01:01:56,080 --> 01:01:58,760 Speaker 1: sitting with John McCain on the couch as we were 863 01:01:58,800 --> 01:02:01,320 Speaker 1: getting to that point in the evening, all the polls 864 01:02:01,360 --> 01:02:04,400 Speaker 1: were closed. It's clear he fell short, and we were 865 01:02:04,400 --> 01:02:06,439 Speaker 1: going to need to make the phone call and do that. 866 01:02:07,280 --> 01:02:12,040 Speaker 1: And the reality is is you have one of the 867 01:02:12,120 --> 01:02:18,400 Speaker 1: two political parties is inhabited fully by a core people who, 868 01:02:18,600 --> 01:02:23,840 Speaker 1: at the moment of defeat, at the moment where patriotism 869 01:02:24,000 --> 01:02:30,000 Speaker 1: requires the humility to do what Washington did, Yeah, right, 870 01:02:30,160 --> 01:02:31,200 Speaker 1: to submit. 871 01:02:31,600 --> 01:02:35,080 Speaker 2: To step away and accept what happened. 872 01:02:34,600 --> 01:02:38,600 Speaker 1: They will say no, right, And and they're gonna fight it, 873 01:02:38,800 --> 01:02:43,200 Speaker 1: and and they're fighting. It is an attack right on 874 01:02:43,320 --> 01:02:46,400 Speaker 1: the quarterstone of the society. It's a it's a societal 875 01:02:46,480 --> 01:02:52,280 Speaker 1: pancreatic cancer, right. It's it's as bad and lethal a 876 01:02:52,400 --> 01:02:56,120 Speaker 1: thing that you could conceivably do. And we all have 877 01:02:56,240 --> 01:02:59,720 Speaker 1: to be prepared for that in the in the aftermath 878 01:02:59,760 --> 01:03:02,640 Speaker 1: of it. And it's going to be a really chaotic, 879 01:03:02,720 --> 01:03:05,840 Speaker 1: really interesting time, and everyone's got a chance to be 880 01:03:05,880 --> 01:03:07,520 Speaker 1: a good American. We're not. 881 01:03:08,360 --> 01:03:11,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, this is This is a time you know, 882 01:03:11,920 --> 01:03:15,200 Speaker 2: between now and November fifth, and on November fifth, where people, 883 01:03:15,600 --> 01:03:19,480 Speaker 2: you know, our fellow citizens get a chance to perform 884 01:03:19,600 --> 01:03:22,800 Speaker 2: the most sacred act that a person, that a citizen 885 01:03:22,840 --> 01:03:28,320 Speaker 2: and a democracy can execute. And depending upon how this 886 01:03:28,400 --> 01:03:31,320 Speaker 2: plays out, you know, there will be many more opportunities 887 01:03:31,360 --> 01:03:36,000 Speaker 2: to continue to exercise you know, our power as citizens. 888 01:03:36,160 --> 01:03:41,160 Speaker 2: And you know, I hope it's to support a presidency 889 01:03:41,160 --> 01:03:46,840 Speaker 2: and administration committed to democracy and that it's not about resisting 890 01:03:46,920 --> 01:03:50,000 Speaker 2: one that's committed to throwing it all away. 891 01:03:51,200 --> 01:03:54,760 Speaker 1: Great conversation for a Thursday afternoon, five days out if 892 01:03:54,800 --> 01:03:57,680 Speaker 1: you have not voted, vote, And the last thing, there 893 01:03:57,720 --> 01:04:00,760 Speaker 1: are people in all of our lives we know who 894 01:04:00,800 --> 01:04:04,760 Speaker 1: they are who will be voting by absentee ballot, who 895 01:04:04,840 --> 01:04:09,760 Speaker 1: are high risk to fill out that ballot incorrectly. Make 896 01:04:09,840 --> 01:04:13,360 Speaker 1: sure if you're filling it out, you do it the 897 01:04:13,440 --> 01:04:16,240 Speaker 1: proper way. Follow the rule. Sign your name in the 898 01:04:16,320 --> 01:04:19,520 Speaker 1: right place, put it in the right envelope. Make sure 899 01:04:19,600 --> 01:04:22,720 Speaker 1: that you vote. If you have a neighbor who needs 900 01:04:22,720 --> 01:04:26,120 Speaker 1: a ride to the polls. If you have college age kids, 901 01:04:26,560 --> 01:04:33,160 Speaker 1: particularly sons, make sure they are up and out and voting. 902 01:04:34,560 --> 01:04:37,120 Speaker 1: Who knows what time they get to bed the night before. 903 01:04:38,600 --> 01:04:43,400 Speaker 1: It is time to end this madness in our country, 904 01:04:43,600 --> 01:04:48,960 Speaker 1: and I'll leave it there. Vote good, everybody, and thank 905 01:04:49,000 --> 01:04:51,560 Speaker 1: you so much, mister besh Loss. 906 01:04:51,360 --> 01:04:53,480 Speaker 2: Thank you, mister Schmid. Pleasure