1 00:00:01,760 --> 00:00:02,880 Speaker 1: Cool Zone Media. 2 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 2: Welcome back to it could Happen Here a podcast about 3 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:13,119 Speaker 2: things falling apart. And when things fall apart, one of 4 00:00:13,119 --> 00:00:14,920 Speaker 2: the things that happens is you get a bunch of 5 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 2: a lot of opportunities for a lot of weird little guys, 6 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,000 Speaker 2: a lot a lot of Nazis and other kinds of 7 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:23,000 Speaker 2: scums start, you know, sliding up to the surface in 8 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:26,040 Speaker 2: the hopes that they can get some of the sweet 9 00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 2: sweet oxygen of collapse. And that's why we've brought onto 10 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:32,960 Speaker 2: the program and are bringing into the network our good 11 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:37,600 Speaker 2: friend Molly Conger for a little recurrence series. I like 12 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:41,240 Speaker 2: to call look Who's stalking? That was the That was 13 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:43,559 Speaker 2: the stocking joke. I'm wanted to open the episode with 14 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 2: my ow journey. 15 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:47,519 Speaker 3: I'm not stalking anyone. I would never do that. That 16 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:49,560 Speaker 3: is a crime. This is reporting. 17 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 2: It is reporting, and the line between reporting and stalking 18 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:56,400 Speaker 2: always clear, you know. 19 00:00:56,560 --> 00:01:02,280 Speaker 3: I think it's it's on the publication. Yeah, yeah, so, Robert, 20 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:05,720 Speaker 3: Today's topic is such a perfect mashup of so many 21 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:08,679 Speaker 3: of my favorite things. It couldn't be more my speed 22 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:13,120 Speaker 3: unless this whole story took place on a Wiener dog ranch. Right, Yeah, 23 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:15,959 Speaker 3: this story has city council meetings that got rowdy. It 24 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:18,120 Speaker 3: has unite the right attendee getting docks. It has the 25 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:20,640 Speaker 3: internal calms of a hate group getting leaked. It has 26 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 3: regular ass people putting their foot down about hate in 27 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 3: their town. It is a year's long arc of one 28 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 3: man's journey from fucking around to finding out his evolution, 29 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 3: from chanting you will not replace us to getting replaced 30 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:38,399 Speaker 3: at the ballot box. This is the story of Enid, Oklahoma. 31 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 3: Ward one City Commissioner Judson Gannon Blevins. 32 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 2: Oh my god, Ah, we're going back to my old home. 33 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 3: That's why you spent some time in Oklahoma as a kid. 34 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:52,920 Speaker 3: So so, jud Levins was raised in the town of 35 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:56,440 Speaker 3: en in Oklahoma, and the listener, you'd be forgiven for 36 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 3: thinking this is the story of a small town. And 37 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:01,040 Speaker 3: I'll be honest, I did. I never heard of Enid, 38 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 3: but you grew up in the area. Do you have 39 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 3: any sort of pre existing notions of Garfield County? Uh? 40 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:10,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean Enid was like a bigger play. I 41 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 2: grew up in Ida Bell, which was really out in 42 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 2: the sticks, so kind of everywhere was more civilization than 43 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 2: Ida Bell, but Enid certainly was. Although not much. No 44 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:23,080 Speaker 2: one would No one would accuse it of much civilization. 45 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 3: It is apparently the ninth largest city in Oklahoma, which 46 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:29,120 Speaker 3: was surprising to me. It's an hour and a half 47 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:33,679 Speaker 3: outside of Oklahoma City, seventy six percent white, sixty percent Republican, 48 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 3: and according to a twenty twenty one article on Yahoo 49 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 3: News that reads like it was written by an intoxicated chatbot, 50 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:42,680 Speaker 3: it is ranked one of the most conservative cities in 51 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 3: the country. 52 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 2: Yeah that all scans for enid share. Now that scans 53 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:51,120 Speaker 2: for a lot of cities in Oklahoma, mind you right. 54 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 3: They could have named any of them. Yeah, but it 55 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 3: has a population of about fifty thousand, which is actually 56 00:02:56,520 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 3: the same size as Charlottesville, my hometown and a city 57 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:03,480 Speaker 3: that Judson Blevins happened to visit in the summer of 58 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 3: twenty seventeen. In twenty eighteen, the former US Marine moved 59 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 3: back to his hometown to work at his father's roofing business. 60 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:12,680 Speaker 3: In twenty nineteen, he was publicly identified as a regional 61 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 3: leader in a white supremacist organization, and in twenty twenty 62 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:19,520 Speaker 3: two he announced he was running for office. 63 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:24,600 Speaker 2: I mean that all that's a very Oklahoma politician. Route 64 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 2: it's also like a not a white like. From roofing 65 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:31,800 Speaker 2: to white supremacy not a wildly uncommon route for people 66 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:32,799 Speaker 2: to take in Oklahoma. 67 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 3: Now he's still doing both. 68 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:36,280 Speaker 2: Oh good. I mean, you never want to give up 69 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 2: on your passion for roofing. That would have made me sad. 70 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:41,120 Speaker 3: Although some of his supporters have pointed out that he 71 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:43,800 Speaker 3: hires lots of non white people to do manual labor, 72 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:44,920 Speaker 3: so how could he be racist? 73 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:45,560 Speaker 1: Yeah? 74 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:46,680 Speaker 2: I mean you don't want to get up on those 75 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 2: roofs yourself. That's dangerous. Sorry, Yeah, it's hot out. Yeah, 76 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:52,680 Speaker 2: this is all pretty Oklahoma so far. 77 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:57,200 Speaker 3: On February fourteenth, twenty twenty three, jud Levins narrowly won 78 00:03:57,240 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 3: a seat on the Eden City Council, defeating the incumbent 79 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:03,400 Speaker 3: by just thirty six votes. His past ties the now 80 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:07,760 Speaker 3: defunct white supremacist group Identity Europa were no secret. Of course, 81 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 3: by twenty twenty three, Identity Europa didn't exist anymore. So 82 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 3: I don't blame you if you don't have a clear 83 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:14,800 Speaker 3: memory of exactly what kind of Nazi group they were. 84 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:16,680 Speaker 3: And I want to make it very clear, I don't 85 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:19,440 Speaker 3: want time, distance and white polo shirts to soften this 86 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:22,680 Speaker 3: Identity Europa was a neo Nazi organization. 87 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 2: Oh yeah. They were also just like the most infiltrated 88 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:29,320 Speaker 2: group of the Trump era. Like of all the Nazi 89 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:30,960 Speaker 2: orgs and the Trump era, I feel like they were 90 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:33,839 Speaker 2: the one where every week someone else got inside their comms. 91 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:38,719 Speaker 3: Well, I guess Blevin's maybe part to blame for that 92 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:40,400 Speaker 3: as the regional coordinator. 93 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:42,960 Speaker 2: Oh good, so he was doing a great job. 94 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:46,040 Speaker 3: But Identity Europa was modeled after the far right French 95 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 3: Identitarian movement and sought the creation of a white ethno state. 96 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 3: You will not replace us. Chance you remember from Unite 97 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:55,280 Speaker 3: the Right were actually popularized by Identity Europa at their 98 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:58,680 Speaker 3: rallies earlier that year, and, according to testimony from a 99 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:02,880 Speaker 3: former girlfriend, one time Identity Europa leader Elliot Klein considered 100 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:08,040 Speaker 3: himself quote an unironic exterminationist and he had violent fantasies 101 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:12,240 Speaker 3: about killing Jewish people himself. So it's not just guys 102 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:13,080 Speaker 3: hanging out right. 103 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:13,800 Speaker 2: No. 104 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:18,400 Speaker 3: Identity Europa was founded in twenty sixteen by Nathan Dimigo, 105 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:21,359 Speaker 3: a former marine who went to prison after drunkenly pulling 106 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:24,760 Speaker 3: a gun on a cab driver for quote looking Iraqi. 107 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:29,960 Speaker 2: Well that gets at least he's honest. 108 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:33,560 Speaker 3: But while he was doing his time, he read David 109 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:35,000 Speaker 3: Duke's autobiography. 110 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:38,520 Speaker 2: Oh and he had. 111 00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:40,680 Speaker 3: An awakening, right, he read My awakening and he had 112 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:41,720 Speaker 3: an awakening in prison? 113 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:42,719 Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, yeah. 114 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:44,240 Speaker 3: You know, you go to prison for a hay crime, 115 00:05:44,240 --> 00:05:48,440 Speaker 3: you read a little David Duke, you get some ideas. 116 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:52,200 Speaker 2: Man, it it's not a good book. Like that's my 117 00:05:52,279 --> 00:05:56,320 Speaker 2: thing about having David Duke's autobiography be like your life 118 00:05:56,400 --> 00:05:59,440 Speaker 2: changing event is a it's not even a good book, right, 119 00:05:59,480 --> 00:06:02,479 Speaker 2: which I guess neither was mindcomp but I feel like 120 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:04,440 Speaker 2: everyone's lying about that one. 121 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:07,360 Speaker 3: So according to some this is so off the beaten path. Here, 122 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:09,600 Speaker 3: this is, I have to say it. According to some 123 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:14,240 Speaker 3: payments that came out in a divorce proceeding, David Duke 124 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:18,440 Speaker 3: made payments to Kevin Strome for ghostwriting it. Kevin Strom 125 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:21,839 Speaker 3: is the pedophile who actually said that thing that people 126 00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:23,520 Speaker 3: think full Teraar said about the Jews. 127 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:27,960 Speaker 2: Oh cool, yeah great. 128 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:31,359 Speaker 3: So just something to think about when you're reading David 129 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:33,160 Speaker 3: Duke's autobiography in prison. 130 00:06:33,279 --> 00:06:36,839 Speaker 2: I guess, I mean, I guess I had wondered what 131 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:39,760 Speaker 2: happens to pedophiles like when they're back out in the world, like, 132 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:40,240 Speaker 2: how do you. 133 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:42,279 Speaker 3: Get your wife? 134 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:42,599 Speaker 2: Now? 135 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:45,080 Speaker 3: No, that was before that was yeah, No, he's got 136 00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:45,840 Speaker 3: a kid now, so. 137 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:48,359 Speaker 2: Oh what, No, he shouldn't do that. 138 00:06:50,440 --> 00:06:53,280 Speaker 3: Okay, great, not allowed to live near a school, but 139 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:54,960 Speaker 3: I guess they can't stop you from procreating. 140 00:06:55,400 --> 00:06:57,159 Speaker 2: We should evaluate some of that. I don't know. 141 00:06:57,800 --> 00:07:01,760 Speaker 3: Anyway, back to our friend Nate, Right, So Nathan Amigo 142 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:04,320 Speaker 3: gets out of prison, makes his own hate group. You 143 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 3: may also remember him as the guy who bravely beat 144 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:09,039 Speaker 3: the shit out of a ninety five pound woman at 145 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:12,320 Speaker 3: the rally in Berkeley in April of twenty seventeen. Oh yeah, 146 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:14,840 Speaker 3: and they memed the hell out of that. They squeezed 147 00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:16,480 Speaker 3: it for all it was worth that they used that 148 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:19,240 Speaker 3: image of him beating that woman in the street for 149 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:23,600 Speaker 3: promotion and recruitment. Dimigo himself touted a spike in membership applications, 150 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:26,880 Speaker 3: which he attributed to the popularity of the video. Identity 151 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:29,720 Speaker 3: Europa was heavily involved in the Summer of Hate, that 152 00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 3: rash of violent white supremacist rallies across the country in 153 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:35,080 Speaker 3: twenty seventeen. They were instrumental in planning as Unite the 154 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:38,880 Speaker 3: Right rally, But when the group's discord server was leaked 155 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:41,320 Speaker 3: in March of twenty nineteen and published in full by 156 00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:44,600 Speaker 3: Unicorn Riot. Their leader at the time, Patrick Casey, quickly 157 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 3: announced a rebrand, Identity Europa is no more. They were 158 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:51,240 Speaker 3: the American Identity Movement now, much to the displeasure of 159 00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 3: the American Indian Movement, whose acronym they stole. But the 160 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:57,280 Speaker 3: rebrand was not successful and the group died out completely 161 00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:00,800 Speaker 3: in twenty twenty, and Casey tried to protein the rebrand 162 00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:03,000 Speaker 3: wasn't just an attempt to escape the fallout of the leak, 163 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:05,960 Speaker 3: but it really was the leak that killed Identity Europa. 164 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:08,640 Speaker 3: At least seven active duty military members were identified in 165 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:11,119 Speaker 3: the leak. A school resource officer at a high school 166 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:14,600 Speaker 3: in Virginia was suspended, a Minnesota National guardsman was recalled 167 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:17,200 Speaker 3: from basic training. So jud Levins was just one of 168 00:08:17,240 --> 00:08:19,560 Speaker 3: dozens of members of the group to be identified in 169 00:08:19,640 --> 00:08:23,240 Speaker 3: those chatlogs. The work of anti fascist researchers who identified 170 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:26,120 Speaker 3: Blevins and the leak chats was corroborated and published in 171 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:28,960 Speaker 3: an article on right Wing Watch by Jared Hult within weeks, 172 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:31,320 Speaker 3: and it's about as solid as an idea as you 173 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:34,520 Speaker 3: could hope for from a chatlog, or, depending on your position, 174 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:37,800 Speaker 3: the kind of idea you really don't want. A user 175 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:42,360 Speaker 3: called Conway was Identity Europa's regional coordinator for Oklahoma. He 176 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:46,000 Speaker 3: recruited and vetted new members, organized outings for banner drops 177 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:48,839 Speaker 3: and social events, and frequently posted pictures of the white 178 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:51,880 Speaker 3: supremacist propaganda he'd been putting up, encouraging others to do 179 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 3: the same, and offering tips on how to create more 180 00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:58,200 Speaker 3: effective visuals for the group's online accounts. In over eleven 181 00:08:58,280 --> 00:09:01,560 Speaker 3: hundred posts over a nearly two new year period, he 182 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:04,440 Speaker 3: left a lot of clues. He posted a link to 183 00:09:04,559 --> 00:09:08,400 Speaker 3: an article in his hometown paper, the Enid News and Eagle. 184 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:11,560 Speaker 3: He posted a photo of a relative's baby, details about 185 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:13,719 Speaker 3: his parents' lineage, his plans to move home to work 186 00:09:13,760 --> 00:09:15,839 Speaker 3: for his father's business, and in the lead up to 187 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:18,280 Speaker 3: the Unite the Right rally, he excitedly shared the discord 188 00:09:18,280 --> 00:09:20,360 Speaker 3: that he would be carrying the original flag of the 189 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:23,800 Speaker 3: state of Oklahoma, a red rectangle with the number forty 190 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:26,880 Speaker 3: six inside of a white star, and photos from the 191 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:30,760 Speaker 3: rallies show just one man carrying that distinctive flag that 192 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:32,719 Speaker 3: was designed by a member of the Daughters of the 193 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:36,600 Speaker 3: Confederacy jud Levins. As he grew into his role as 194 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:40,959 Speaker 3: regional coordinator for Identity Europa, he coordinated member meetups, getting 195 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:43,280 Speaker 3: several guys from Oklahoma to drive down to Texas for 196 00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:47,160 Speaker 3: a get together. Conway posted about the meetup, and photos 197 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:50,440 Speaker 3: posted by other attendees show Blevins standing shoulder to shoulder 198 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:55,319 Speaker 3: with other members holding a large Identity Europa banner. Conway 199 00:09:55,360 --> 00:09:57,720 Speaker 3: even posted about his appearance on a twenty eighteen episode 200 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:01,080 Speaker 3: of Identity Europa's podcast, where he emphas the importance of 201 00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:04,840 Speaker 3: staying in the you will not replace us mindset. So 202 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:06,400 Speaker 3: by the time he announced his run for office in 203 00:10:06,440 --> 00:10:09,200 Speaker 3: twenty twenty two, it had been over three years since 204 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:11,360 Speaker 3: he'd been out at his Conway the Hate Group member 205 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:13,720 Speaker 3: who attended the Unite the Right rally, and. 206 00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:16,640 Speaker 2: You could see why he would think it would work, right, 207 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:21,840 Speaker 2: because that you will not replace us thing. It's become 208 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:27,480 Speaker 2: like the mainstream Republican politics, right like this, this ideology 209 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:30,760 Speaker 2: has at least one in the Republican Party, but it's 210 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:34,400 Speaker 2: also one divorced from these guys because even they are 211 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:37,960 Speaker 2: like they're too toxic for even the modern Republicans, like 212 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:41,480 Speaker 2: it's it's remarkable, but I also get why he thought 213 00:10:41,559 --> 00:10:44,040 Speaker 2: this would work, and I think. 214 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:47,680 Speaker 3: I mean, I don't know what his connection remain to 215 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:51,000 Speaker 3: other members of IE after it dissolved, but towards the 216 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:53,559 Speaker 3: end of it, as it was dying, right, So under 217 00:10:54,040 --> 00:10:57,120 Speaker 3: Elliott Klein, you know, Klein wanted to make a militia 218 00:10:57,160 --> 00:10:59,520 Speaker 3: for Richard Spencer. He wanted to you know, build IE 219 00:10:59,679 --> 00:11:02,200 Speaker 3: into a fighting force. But under Patrick Casey, they sort 220 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:05,760 Speaker 3: of moved back towards we should be trying to influence 221 00:11:05,840 --> 00:11:10,040 Speaker 3: inside of politics. We should be going to colleges and 222 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:14,160 Speaker 3: getting you know, conservative students to become more base right. 223 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:17,880 Speaker 3: So this is a rational course of conduct, I think 224 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 3: for where he was in twenty nineteen when Identity Europa died. 225 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:24,800 Speaker 3: But in any case, by twenty twenty two, anybody in 226 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:28,240 Speaker 3: Enid you could read his posts praising Hitler and celebrating 227 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:30,960 Speaker 3: Identity Europa for striking fear into the heart of the 228 00:11:31,040 --> 00:11:33,960 Speaker 3: jew his words. You know, you could see pictures of 229 00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:36,400 Speaker 3: him at Unite the Right, both on the morning of 230 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:38,320 Speaker 3: the twelfth in the park and the evening of the 231 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:40,360 Speaker 3: eleventh with a torch. You could see pictures of him 232 00:11:40,400 --> 00:11:43,040 Speaker 3: going to Texas for ie meetups. You could see the 233 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:45,760 Speaker 3: dozens and dozens of photos he posted in the discord 234 00:11:45,840 --> 00:11:48,440 Speaker 3: of Nazi posters and stickers he had put up on 235 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:52,280 Speaker 3: telephone polls and college bulletin boards across Oklahoma, and the 236 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:54,240 Speaker 3: posts where he reveled in the media coverage of the 237 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:59,760 Speaker 3: recruitment materials he left inside library books. His hometown newspaper, 238 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:02,959 Speaker 3: the News and Eagle, ran an article about the allegations, 239 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:07,120 Speaker 3: which he never denied. A month before the election, and 240 00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:10,160 Speaker 3: without ever having to give a straight answer on the issue, 241 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:12,800 Speaker 3: he won, and that could have been the end of 242 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:13,280 Speaker 3: the story. 243 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:13,920 Speaker 2: Right. 244 00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:15,600 Speaker 3: You know, we've seen this trend in the last few 245 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:18,440 Speaker 3: years of these radical right wing elements trying to melt 246 00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:21,080 Speaker 3: into the mainstream Republican party. You know, we've got these 247 00:12:21,280 --> 00:12:24,840 Speaker 3: horrible little gropers working in congressional staff positions, and you 248 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:28,120 Speaker 3: know Nazis going to cepack and not getting ejected. They're 249 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:31,080 Speaker 3: getting out of the streets and into the meeting rooms. 250 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:31,600 Speaker 2: Yeah. 251 00:12:31,920 --> 00:12:34,600 Speaker 3: An account tied to Blevins that he recently for the 252 00:12:34,640 --> 00:12:37,520 Speaker 3: first time denied this was him. It's him. This has 253 00:12:37,520 --> 00:12:40,560 Speaker 3: been widely reported. It was a Twitter account called at 254 00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:47,240 Speaker 3: Abolish Journalism posted in twenty nineteen quote fists. I agree 255 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:51,559 Speaker 3: with the argument GOP cannot be changed from the bottom up. However, 256 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:54,920 Speaker 3: I do not believe in discouraging our guys from getting 257 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:58,319 Speaker 3: elected into smaller offices such as city council, county commissioner, 258 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:02,360 Speaker 3: or even state legislators, basically positions where one can fly 259 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:07,520 Speaker 3: under the radar yet still be effective. And that's what 260 00:13:07,559 --> 00:13:09,880 Speaker 3: this is, right. This isn't a guy who got out 261 00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:14,760 Speaker 3: of white nationalist organizing and in an unrelated fashion, became 262 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:17,400 Speaker 3: a local politician. No, he said years before he did 263 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:19,440 Speaker 3: this that this was a good idea that he had. 264 00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:22,080 Speaker 3: You know, he never said I renounced my previous actions 265 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:24,120 Speaker 3: and beliefs. I regret bring an active recruiter for a 266 00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:27,319 Speaker 3: hate group. He just changed the way he was doing it. 267 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:30,560 Speaker 3: And he said countless opportunities to be clear about what 268 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:33,120 Speaker 3: he believes today and whether that's different from the beliefs 269 00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:36,880 Speaker 3: he espoused between twenty seventeen and twenty nineteen, and he won't. 270 00:13:37,160 --> 00:13:39,880 Speaker 3: He won't say I no longer identify with the posts 271 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:42,720 Speaker 3: I made when I was enthusiastically posting the fourteen words. 272 00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:45,719 Speaker 3: And that's probably because he just found a better way 273 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:48,359 Speaker 3: to do it. But there were people in Enid, Oklahoma 274 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:50,000 Speaker 3: who saw right through that. 275 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:53,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, this is where the story takes a turn that like, 276 00:13:54,240 --> 00:13:57,400 Speaker 2: I don't know. It made me hopeful because the first 277 00:13:57,400 --> 00:14:02,440 Speaker 2: time I ever met a klansman was in Oklahoma. It 278 00:14:02,520 --> 00:14:04,280 Speaker 2: was the dad of a friend of mine, like he 279 00:14:05,360 --> 00:14:07,559 Speaker 2: like that. This kid bragged about it, and I didn't 280 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:09,040 Speaker 2: know what a clansman was. And I had to go 281 00:14:09,040 --> 00:14:12,240 Speaker 2: to my parents and like be like, hey, so you 282 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:14,720 Speaker 2: know so and so said this about his dad. What 283 00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:16,920 Speaker 2: does that mean? And my mom was just like, well, 284 00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:19,240 Speaker 2: you're not allowed to go to his house anymore. That's 285 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:26,160 Speaker 2: what that means. Juxes Jesus Christ. If this like, if 286 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:28,400 Speaker 2: this guy had like if shit had gone well for him, 287 00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:30,840 Speaker 2: I guess that would have been my assumption. But that's 288 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:33,160 Speaker 2: that was my assumption based on me not giving a 289 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:36,120 Speaker 2: fair shake to Enid, Oklahoma, Right. 290 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:38,840 Speaker 3: I think that's you know what's so remarkable about this 291 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:42,480 Speaker 3: story is people didn't think Oklahoma could do it, But 292 00:14:42,560 --> 00:14:46,720 Speaker 3: you know who can accomplish everything they set out to do? 293 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:51,200 Speaker 2: Uh huh, that's right. These sponsors, all of whom are 294 00:14:51,240 --> 00:15:07,720 Speaker 2: available in Enid, Oklahoma, and we're back. Okay, alrighty, So 295 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:09,960 Speaker 2: I'm happy to hear. Yeah. The next part of this. 296 00:15:10,760 --> 00:15:13,800 Speaker 3: Levins took office in May of twenty twenty three. Local 297 00:15:13,880 --> 00:15:18,040 Speaker 3: election law requires a six month wait between being sworn 298 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:22,200 Speaker 3: in and when a recall attempt can be initiated, but 299 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:25,360 Speaker 3: the residents who opposed Levins didn't wait quietly. A group 300 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:28,240 Speaker 3: called the ENID Social Justice Committee protested his swearing in, 301 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:32,280 Speaker 3: with some protesters holding posters bearing a photo of Levins 302 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:36,160 Speaker 3: holding a torch at the August eleven, twenty seventeen Nazi 303 00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:40,440 Speaker 3: march at the University of Virginia. And now this I 304 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:42,440 Speaker 3: didn't even think about it until I was writing this. 305 00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:45,760 Speaker 3: That what an incredible coincidence of timing. Right, So May 306 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:49,640 Speaker 3: twenty twenty three, he's being sworn into office. It was just, 307 00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:52,520 Speaker 3: I think maybe two weeks before he was sworn in 308 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:56,400 Speaker 3: that the first indictment was unsealed against the guys who 309 00:15:56,400 --> 00:15:59,960 Speaker 3: are now facing felony charges for participating in that torch mark. 310 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:02,560 Speaker 3: So it was we did an episode on this a 311 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:05,880 Speaker 3: little bit ago. But if you're not familiar that the 312 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:08,160 Speaker 3: guys who marched in that torch march at EVA in 313 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:10,920 Speaker 3: twenty seventeen, some of them are now being charged with 314 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:13,840 Speaker 3: a felony under Virginia law for burning an object with 315 00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:16,800 Speaker 3: intent to intimidate. It's obviously a sort of a law 316 00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:19,600 Speaker 3: aimed at the Klan right, sort of a crossburning type law. 317 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:22,320 Speaker 3: But they were burning, They had these burning objects, and 318 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:25,040 Speaker 3: they were menacing people. It was racially motivated. So they're 319 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:28,040 Speaker 3: being charged with this felony for burning an object. 320 00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:31,880 Speaker 2: It does feel like that's, yeah, a pretty good fit. 321 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:34,360 Speaker 3: But so right as he's being sworn in, you know, 322 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:36,760 Speaker 3: these people are protesting his swearing in with this photo 323 00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:40,360 Speaker 3: of him with the torch, and a couple guys just 324 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:44,480 Speaker 3: showed up in jail here in Charlottesville on that charge. 325 00:16:44,520 --> 00:16:47,320 Speaker 3: So it's it's just a remarkable cognitive dissonance, right to 326 00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:50,200 Speaker 3: see these people. Some of his supporters in Enid downplaying 327 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:54,400 Speaker 3: the seriousness or even outright denying that Levin's attended this rally, 328 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 3: but the guys he was standing next to that day 329 00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:00,680 Speaker 3: are pleading guilty to felonies. You know, he's up there 330 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:03,800 Speaker 3: voting on resolutions and passing ordinances about you know, storm 331 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:07,280 Speaker 3: water management or whatever. I think one of his accomplishments 332 00:17:07,320 --> 00:17:09,639 Speaker 3: in office was getting a Texas roadhouse in Enid. 333 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:13,000 Speaker 2: First off, you shouldn't be proud of having a Texas 334 00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:16,040 Speaker 2: roadhouse anywhere as a my job. 335 00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:18,360 Speaker 3: Used to it might have been a sizzler, I can't 336 00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:19,760 Speaker 3: remember something like that. 337 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:22,399 Speaker 2: I would be much more excited for a sizzler than 338 00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:24,920 Speaker 2: a Texas fucking roadhouse, I'll say that much. 339 00:17:25,160 --> 00:17:28,159 Speaker 3: But you know, he's up there getting a you know, 340 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:31,920 Speaker 3: affordable chain steak restaurant in edid But there's a non 341 00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:34,480 Speaker 3: zero chance that he could be arrested at any time 342 00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:36,920 Speaker 3: and extradited on a felony charge. 343 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:40,960 Speaker 2: I mean, look, if if there's one thing that's appropriate 344 00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:43,359 Speaker 2: for the sizzler, it's knowing that the guy who put 345 00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:46,120 Speaker 2: that sizzler there could be arrested on a felony charge 346 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:46,879 Speaker 2: at any moment. 347 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:49,840 Speaker 3: And you know, we don't know what the strategy is 348 00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:52,080 Speaker 3: at the prosecutor's office. Obviously they're not going to charge 349 00:17:52,119 --> 00:17:54,640 Speaker 3: everybody who is there. But it's on the table right 350 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:57,240 Speaker 3: Like he's on video at that march with the torch 351 00:17:57,240 --> 00:17:59,800 Speaker 3: in his hand. He fits the criteria for the ten 352 00:17:59,840 --> 00:18:02,200 Speaker 3: of guys that have already gone to jail for this. 353 00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:05,800 Speaker 3: But in November of twenty twenty three, those six months 354 00:18:05,800 --> 00:18:09,439 Speaker 3: had passed. Recalls on the table now and before the 355 00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:12,240 Speaker 3: group made the final push to actually file for the recall, 356 00:18:12,640 --> 00:18:15,960 Speaker 3: they made an offer of reconciliation. All Blevin's has to 357 00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:20,399 Speaker 3: do is acknowledge the truth, denounce his past actions, just 358 00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:23,640 Speaker 3: own up to it, start making amends. Just say yes 359 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:26,919 Speaker 3: I did that. No, I don't do it anymore. And 360 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:30,280 Speaker 3: he can't do it. Throughout this entire ordeal, he's never 361 00:18:30,359 --> 00:18:32,800 Speaker 3: owned up to it. There are pictures and video and 362 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:36,800 Speaker 3: his own words across multiple online accounts. There's no plausible 363 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:39,600 Speaker 3: deniability here. There's no saying, well, maybe that's not him. 364 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:42,160 Speaker 3: You know it's him, so just admit it and say 365 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:45,760 Speaker 3: you're not that guy anymore. But he has consistently refused 366 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:49,719 Speaker 3: to even acknowledge it right on several occasions, you know, 367 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:54,000 Speaker 3: when really pressed. He dismisses that twenty nineteen article by 368 00:18:54,080 --> 00:18:57,320 Speaker 3: Jared Holt as quote a hit piece posted four years 369 00:18:57,359 --> 00:19:01,000 Speaker 3: ago by a George Soros funded leftist outline, it, calling 370 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:02,920 Speaker 3: it smears and slander. 371 00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:06,400 Speaker 2: Nothing smears somebody like their own words and actions. 372 00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:09,199 Speaker 3: I'm being defamed by this photograph of me. 373 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:12,840 Speaker 2: I'm being judged simply for the things I chose to do. 374 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:17,760 Speaker 3: I thought this was America. But he won't actually deny 375 00:19:17,840 --> 00:19:20,560 Speaker 3: specific facts. You know, he won't say that isn't me 376 00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:23,119 Speaker 3: in the photo, or I did not participate in that, 377 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:25,840 Speaker 3: or I did not post those nice things about Hitler. 378 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:30,439 Speaker 3: He just attacks the people saying it. And while Buvens 379 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:32,760 Speaker 3: has never denied the truth of the allegations, some of 380 00:19:32,800 --> 00:19:37,040 Speaker 3: his supporters do. At one of those council meetings in 381 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:39,320 Speaker 3: November of last year, a woman speaking in support of 382 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:42,440 Speaker 3: Levin's said the allegations weren't credible as they came from 383 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:46,800 Speaker 3: organizations like the SPLC that quote only exist to smear 384 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:48,480 Speaker 3: conservative Christians. 385 00:19:49,119 --> 00:19:49,720 Speaker 2: There we go. 386 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:54,320 Speaker 3: First of all, the SPLC didn't publish it. It was 387 00:19:54,400 --> 00:20:00,280 Speaker 3: Wright Wing Watch, Yeah, Huffington Post. But whenever Susan that 388 00:20:00,359 --> 00:20:02,639 Speaker 3: same meeting that the council declined to even vote on 389 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:05,960 Speaker 3: a resolution to censure Blevins, the council was putting forth 390 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:08,760 Speaker 3: a resolution to say we don't agree with what that 391 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:11,199 Speaker 3: guy did. You know, it wasn't like punishing him. It 392 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:14,000 Speaker 3: didn't actually strip him of any powers. He didn't do 393 00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:17,679 Speaker 3: anything except say the rest of us we don't like that. 394 00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:20,080 Speaker 3: And they could, they wouldn't even vote on it. It got tabled, 395 00:20:21,359 --> 00:20:25,120 Speaker 3: and at that meeting Commissioner Derwin Norwood, the only black 396 00:20:25,119 --> 00:20:29,359 Speaker 3: member of Enid City Council, offered Blevins his forgiveness and 397 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:31,120 Speaker 3: gave him a big hug and told him he loved 398 00:20:31,160 --> 00:20:35,600 Speaker 3: him great. Lens never apologized, right, you can't forgive someone 399 00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:40,800 Speaker 3: who hasn't apologized. He had never and still has never apologized, 400 00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:44,720 Speaker 3: and he was pretty clear on where he stands on apology, saying, 401 00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:48,680 Speaker 3: I am not going to apologize for the lies that 402 00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:52,760 Speaker 3: others tell. Yeah, it was a great meeting. I watched 403 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:54,200 Speaker 3: it from home. I had you know, I love a 404 00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:55,000 Speaker 3: met I love a meeting. 405 00:20:55,400 --> 00:20:59,600 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, no, that's uh. I mean, I don't understand it, 406 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:01,040 Speaker 2: but I respect it. 407 00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:05,560 Speaker 3: So, with their peace offering roundly rejected by an unapologetic Blevins, 408 00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:09,720 Speaker 3: they moved forward the recall. The Enid Social Justice Committee 409 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:11,919 Speaker 3: gathered enough signatures to put it to a vote, and 410 00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:14,440 Speaker 3: in January, Cheryl Patterson threw her hat into the ring 411 00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:18,800 Speaker 3: to replace Blevins. And to be clear, this is still Enid, Oklahoma, 412 00:21:18,840 --> 00:21:22,600 Speaker 3: where sixty percent of voters are registered Republicans. This wasn't 413 00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:27,480 Speaker 3: some liberal coup. Patterson is also a lifelong Republican candidate 414 00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:30,159 Speaker 3: formed the week before the election, Patterson was quick to say, like, 415 00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:31,880 Speaker 3: right off the bat, the second shoe opened her mouth, 416 00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:35,080 Speaker 3: she said, contrary to the rumor, I was not recruited 417 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:39,639 Speaker 3: by the Enid Social Justice Committee, And she said, you know, 418 00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:42,359 Speaker 3: she'd been thinking about running for a while. She loves ENID, 419 00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:45,920 Speaker 3: but she was pushed to action by her opponent's inability 420 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:49,200 Speaker 3: to clearly denounce his past involvement with a white supremacist group. 421 00:21:49,480 --> 00:21:53,080 Speaker 3: And it is remarkable right to see conservative Republicans in 422 00:21:53,119 --> 00:21:57,040 Speaker 3: the South saying like that Nazi stuff is too much 423 00:21:57,040 --> 00:21:57,280 Speaker 3: for me. 424 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:03,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean that's like, that's actually an important part 425 00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:07,880 Speaker 2: of turning this shit back is getting these people who 426 00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:11,320 Speaker 2: are otherwise conservative to draw a line and actually hold 427 00:22:11,359 --> 00:22:14,560 Speaker 2: to it, because it it at least arrests that right 428 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:18,200 Speaker 2: word momentum to an extent. And we're just not going 429 00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:20,159 Speaker 2: to get out of this unless we have some of 430 00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:21,200 Speaker 2: that right. 431 00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:23,360 Speaker 3: I'm not living in a you know, in a fantasy 432 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:26,600 Speaker 3: land where the city of Enid, Oklahoma is represented by 433 00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:29,600 Speaker 3: a council of six socialists. Like that's not on the table. 434 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:33,920 Speaker 3: I accept that, But at least their Republicans can say, ah, 435 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:36,679 Speaker 3: the fourteen words is like not my vibe. 436 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:42,399 Speaker 2: Yeah, literally, participating in a white supremacist terrorist action is 437 00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:45,800 Speaker 2: a line for us, and I'm glad there's a line. 438 00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:48,800 Speaker 3: So you know, she says she was inspired to run 439 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:51,960 Speaker 3: for office because he not because of what he did, 440 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:55,199 Speaker 3: but because he couldn't even denounce it, right that, you know, 441 00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:57,600 Speaker 3: people can grow and change. I pray that his heart moves, 442 00:22:57,880 --> 00:23:01,400 Speaker 3: but he's unable to even denounce, and he really does 443 00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:04,320 Speaker 3: seem incapable. The very first question at that forum the 444 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:08,520 Speaker 3: week before the election was about this. Obviously a lot 445 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:11,000 Speaker 3: of the questions were and he gave another non denial, 446 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:13,600 Speaker 3: right he said, this election is about the next three 447 00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:16,960 Speaker 3: years of this city, not about organizations that disbanded five 448 00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:20,080 Speaker 3: years ago. But he went on to say that he 449 00:23:20,119 --> 00:23:24,480 Speaker 3: would quote gladly, plead guilty to speaking out against what 450 00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:27,640 Speaker 3: is being done to this country and the anti white 451 00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:31,800 Speaker 3: hatred in the media. So he tries to talk around 452 00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:34,280 Speaker 3: the issue, saying, you know, he was just advocating for 453 00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:37,680 Speaker 3: the same policies that got Donald Trump elected. But it's 454 00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:39,840 Speaker 3: not like he was on the local Republican committee, right, 455 00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:42,679 Speaker 3: He wasn't working on a GOP campaign. He was an 456 00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:45,600 Speaker 3: organizer for a group that supported those policies of the 457 00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:49,800 Speaker 3: Trump administration explicitly because they believe those policies were a 458 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:53,240 Speaker 3: stepping stone towards the full Nazification of American politics. 459 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:54,040 Speaker 2: Right. 460 00:23:54,080 --> 00:23:58,040 Speaker 3: You know, the relationship between those two things troubling concerning. 461 00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:02,280 Speaker 3: But you can't pretend there's no difference between voting Republican 462 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:06,120 Speaker 3: and holding a torch at the Nazi parade. And that's 463 00:24:06,119 --> 00:24:08,160 Speaker 3: what he's trying to do here. He's trying to blur 464 00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:11,199 Speaker 3: that lines. You know, I'm just being punished for being 465 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:16,080 Speaker 3: a proud conservative. And it's like, which which part right? 466 00:24:16,119 --> 00:24:18,000 Speaker 3: People who's you know, people who want free speech, And 467 00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:19,400 Speaker 3: it's like, well, which word do you want to say? 468 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:23,119 Speaker 3: And at no point during this recall campaign, from when 469 00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:26,440 Speaker 3: they announced it in November to the election two weeks 470 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:29,640 Speaker 3: ago now, at no point during this recall campaign did 471 00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:33,760 Speaker 3: he publicly denounce any of the white supremacists who supported him. 472 00:24:34,359 --> 00:24:37,159 Speaker 3: Outlets like v Dare, a white nationalist publication run by 473 00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:40,040 Speaker 3: an English born anti immigration race scientists who lives in 474 00:24:40,040 --> 00:24:43,680 Speaker 3: a castle in West Virginia, wrote fawning editorials which were 475 00:24:43,720 --> 00:24:48,800 Speaker 3: promoted by prominent white nationalists, including Identity Europa founder Nathan Dimigo. 476 00:24:49,760 --> 00:24:53,679 Speaker 3: Fascist telegram channels provided guidance to subscribers about Oklahoma's campaign 477 00:24:53,760 --> 00:24:56,639 Speaker 3: finance laws, which would allow them to donate to Blevins's 478 00:24:56,720 --> 00:24:59,920 Speaker 3: campaign anonymously as long as they kept it under fifty dollars. 479 00:25:01,760 --> 00:25:04,760 Speaker 3: According to reporting by Christmathias and Huntington Post, a man 480 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:07,000 Speaker 3: in Texas who runs a business with a known Patriot 481 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:11,040 Speaker 3: Front member donated nearly two thousand dollars to the campaign, 482 00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:13,720 Speaker 3: which made up the bulk of the donated cash. And 483 00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:15,720 Speaker 3: you might give him the benefit of the doubt and say, well, 484 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:18,520 Speaker 3: maybe he didn't know he was being endorsed by some 485 00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:21,240 Speaker 3: of the largest elements in organized white supremacy in America. 486 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:23,960 Speaker 2: Sure, but he did. 487 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:27,399 Speaker 3: He did know. As a member of the city council. 488 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:30,159 Speaker 3: He definitely saw the letters that were addressed to the 489 00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:33,760 Speaker 3: city Council in support of Blevins from the American Freedom Party, 490 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:36,960 Speaker 3: an explicitly white supremacist political party that occasionally runs a 491 00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:41,000 Speaker 3: Nazi for president. But he said nothing. And when a constituent, 492 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:43,560 Speaker 3: father James Neil, asked him directly why his campaign was 493 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:46,240 Speaker 3: funded by members of Patriot Front, he told the priests 494 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:50,840 Speaker 3: to quote shut up again. He chose the company of 495 00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:55,360 Speaker 3: neo Nazis, Holocaust deniers, white supremacists, white nationalists, and ethno 496 00:25:55,359 --> 00:25:58,200 Speaker 3: state enthusiasts. How can you expect people to believe you're 497 00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:00,919 Speaker 3: not that guy anymore when you have that their public praise, 498 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:05,000 Speaker 3: their endorsement, and their money in your pocket. But you 499 00:26:05,080 --> 00:26:08,160 Speaker 3: know who does not have two thousand dollars in cash 500 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:10,800 Speaker 3: from Patriot Front in their pockets? 501 00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:12,840 Speaker 2: No? No, they keep that shit in the back. I 502 00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:27,600 Speaker 2: mean they don't have it. Here's here's our sponsors, and 503 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:28,560 Speaker 2: we're back. 504 00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:33,479 Speaker 3: So on April second, that's two weeks ago now as 505 00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:36,800 Speaker 3: we're recording, the people of Enid returned to the polls 506 00:26:37,520 --> 00:26:40,120 Speaker 3: and jud Blevins was voted out of office as Ward 507 00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:42,280 Speaker 3: one city commissioner by a vote of eight hundred and 508 00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:46,000 Speaker 3: twenty nine to five sixty one. And I don't know 509 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:47,400 Speaker 3: if you're a math guy. I'm not a math guy. 510 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:49,120 Speaker 3: I can get a calculator out for this bad boy. 511 00:26:49,320 --> 00:26:52,119 Speaker 3: But this turnout was significantly larger than the vote that 512 00:26:52,160 --> 00:26:55,280 Speaker 3: put him into office. A seventy two percent increase in 513 00:26:55,359 --> 00:26:59,600 Speaker 3: total votes. That's a lot. Yeah, that's a lot more 514 00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:02,719 Speaker 3: people who showed up to an off cycle special election. 515 00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:07,320 Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, that's specifically weird and. 516 00:27:07,320 --> 00:27:09,560 Speaker 3: Unlike the slim margin of just thirty six votes that 517 00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:12,040 Speaker 3: won him the twenty twenty three election. He lost the 518 00:27:12,119 --> 00:27:17,480 Speaker 3: recall by nearly twenty points. That's hispankin. You know, it's 519 00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:19,280 Speaker 3: hard to chalk a loss like that up to a 520 00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:24,320 Speaker 3: lunatic fringe, right, That's that's the electorate speaking. But Matthew Giebert, 521 00:27:24,359 --> 00:27:27,000 Speaker 3: a former State Department employee who lost his job for 522 00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:30,280 Speaker 3: failing to disclose his active involvement in white supremacist organizing, 523 00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:34,600 Speaker 3: noted in his telegram channel that while the loss is disappointing, 524 00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:38,640 Speaker 3: an open white nationalist winning forty percent of the vote 525 00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:42,920 Speaker 3: is quote nothing to despair over. And you never got 526 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:45,440 Speaker 3: a hand out to the guy who hosts a podcast 527 00:27:45,440 --> 00:27:48,679 Speaker 3: about the joys of Nazi fatherhood or whatever. Yeah, but 528 00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:50,840 Speaker 3: the numbers are what they are. You know, he did 529 00:27:50,920 --> 00:27:53,879 Speaker 3: win forty percent of the vote, and this was after 530 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:56,960 Speaker 3: months of very public debate in the national spotlight that 531 00:27:57,040 --> 00:28:00,840 Speaker 3: made it impossible not to know what the eye legations were. 532 00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:04,840 Speaker 3: And it's not like these were just diehard conservatives who 533 00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:07,520 Speaker 3: would walk into the voting booth and put their checkmark 534 00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:10,359 Speaker 3: next to wherever the letter R was. Right in this election, 535 00:28:11,400 --> 00:28:13,919 Speaker 3: the other name on the ticket was a Republican too, Like, 536 00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:16,760 Speaker 3: these were people who walked in there and knowingly and 537 00:28:16,880 --> 00:28:19,440 Speaker 3: intentionally cast their vote for a guy who used to 538 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:22,520 Speaker 3: vet new members for a Nazi club. This isn't a 539 00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:26,000 Speaker 3: fairy tale, it's reality, right. This wasn't an offensive win 540 00:28:26,560 --> 00:28:29,760 Speaker 3: by progress or the left or what have you. This 541 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:33,880 Speaker 3: was an effective defense And I hope conservatives can see 542 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:35,719 Speaker 3: a little lesson here, right, Like the story is too 543 00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:38,560 Speaker 3: often one of ever ratcheting extremism. You can only win 544 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:40,920 Speaker 3: if you go further, if you go wilder, if you're 545 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:43,320 Speaker 3: appealing to the people who are on the absolute extreme 546 00:28:43,560 --> 00:28:46,600 Speaker 3: end of what's acceptable to say in the party. But 547 00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:49,600 Speaker 3: this was a case where a fellow conservative said, hey, 548 00:28:49,680 --> 00:28:51,880 Speaker 3: I want to take some books out of the library too. 549 00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:54,960 Speaker 3: I'm not a liberal, but we just can't be out 550 00:28:54,960 --> 00:28:59,200 Speaker 3: here saying the fourteen words, right. And I think some 551 00:28:59,320 --> 00:29:01,640 Speaker 3: of the buzz around this story comes from people in 552 00:29:01,680 --> 00:29:05,320 Speaker 3: bigger cities or bluer states. I mean, honestly, I'm guilty 553 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:07,480 Speaker 3: of this as well, who are shocked that, you know, 554 00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:10,920 Speaker 3: purple haired liberals and progressive clergy even exist in a 555 00:29:10,920 --> 00:29:14,800 Speaker 3: place like Enid, Oklahoma. But this red state blue state 556 00:29:14,840 --> 00:29:19,440 Speaker 3: dichotomy is a myth. Most places are purple, most places 557 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:22,680 Speaker 3: are sixty forty. Even in places that reliably one hundred 558 00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:27,240 Speaker 3: percent of the time vote Republican, there's still a large 559 00:29:27,520 --> 00:29:30,480 Speaker 3: minority of people who are not represented by that. So 560 00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:33,080 Speaker 3: even in a place like Enid, which is Republican at 561 00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:35,440 Speaker 3: the polls, you have a pretty big chunk of the 562 00:29:35,480 --> 00:29:39,800 Speaker 3: population isn't represented on that two colored map. That doesn't 563 00:29:39,840 --> 00:29:43,000 Speaker 3: mean they don't care. And when I watch those Enid 564 00:29:43,080 --> 00:29:45,760 Speaker 3: City council meetings, I saw Charlottesville. 565 00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:46,200 Speaker 2: Right. 566 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:48,320 Speaker 3: I've gone to every city council meeting in Charletsville for 567 00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:50,640 Speaker 3: the last seven years. Like, I know what it looks 568 00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:53,240 Speaker 3: like for people in a town that size to show 569 00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:56,200 Speaker 3: up and say, what the fuck, What the fuck are 570 00:29:56,240 --> 00:30:00,000 Speaker 3: you doing to us? Right? Yeah, you know it looked 571 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:01,480 Speaker 3: it's like one of our meetings, you know. I saw 572 00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:05,040 Speaker 3: regular people, moms and students and grandmas and teachers and 573 00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:08,080 Speaker 3: ladies who bring muffins to the church bake sale. People 574 00:30:08,080 --> 00:30:10,440 Speaker 3: who know that their town can do better than to 575 00:30:10,440 --> 00:30:13,120 Speaker 3: be represented by a guy who won't apologize for attending 576 00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:15,960 Speaker 3: the largest Nazi rally on US soil in our lifetimes. 577 00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:18,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, and I feel a lot for the folks who 578 00:30:18,880 --> 00:30:21,560 Speaker 2: are kind of not represented by either of the two 579 00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:25,400 Speaker 2: big lines on the political map, and maybe most of 580 00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:28,080 Speaker 2: the time feel like I don't know what the fuck 581 00:30:28,160 --> 00:30:30,680 Speaker 2: I can actually do or should do, but I know 582 00:30:30,800 --> 00:30:33,160 Speaker 2: this Nazi shouldn't be in office. 583 00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:37,040 Speaker 3: So these were just these were just regular people. These 584 00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:41,760 Speaker 3: weren't party apperatics or you know, this wasn't the Democrat 585 00:30:41,840 --> 00:30:43,960 Speaker 3: Party doing this, as wasn't the Republican Party doing this. 586 00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:47,560 Speaker 3: These were just people who didn't think that a Nazi 587 00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:50,560 Speaker 3: should be their city commissioner. And that's I think another 588 00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:53,280 Speaker 3: myth at clay here, right, is that activist is some 589 00:30:53,320 --> 00:30:55,920 Speaker 3: sort of separate class of person, that there is some 590 00:30:55,960 --> 00:30:58,280 Speaker 3: portion of the population whose only goal in life is 591 00:30:58,320 --> 00:31:02,040 Speaker 3: this nebulous, nefarious thing called activism. That you know, it's 592 00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:05,840 Speaker 3: sort of this boogeyman of the professional troublemaker. And throughout 593 00:31:05,880 --> 00:31:08,280 Speaker 3: this process, Blevins and his supporters have smeared the group 594 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:11,320 Speaker 3: organizing the recall, the Inned Social Justice Committee, is some 595 00:31:11,400 --> 00:31:14,720 Speaker 3: kind of fringe radical group. They're Antifa, they're freaks. They're 596 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:17,400 Speaker 3: not like us. Yeah, they're you know, they're coming for 597 00:31:17,440 --> 00:31:21,520 Speaker 3: our children. His recall campaign website called the petitioners an 598 00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:25,560 Speaker 3: unhinged group of left wing fringe activists. And the campaign 599 00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:28,840 Speaker 3: website didn't say what he could do for you. It 600 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:31,680 Speaker 3: attacked the petitioners and said this is what they will 601 00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:34,600 Speaker 3: do to you. And I've seen this in my own 602 00:31:34,640 --> 00:31:37,680 Speaker 3: city council meetings, right, this sort of bizarre tendency of 603 00:31:37,720 --> 00:31:39,760 Speaker 3: those in power to write off the people they don't 604 00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:42,760 Speaker 3: want to hear from as activists. Well, those those are 605 00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:45,080 Speaker 3: people we need to listen to. Those are activists. That's 606 00:31:45,080 --> 00:31:47,880 Speaker 3: a different kind of person. Anyone who's asking for something 607 00:31:47,880 --> 00:31:51,320 Speaker 3: they don't want to do, something that's uncomfortable, something that 608 00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:54,080 Speaker 3: requires them to look inward or look at the structures 609 00:31:54,080 --> 00:32:00,800 Speaker 3: they're upholding. They undergo this instant metamorphosis from constituent to activist. 610 00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:03,400 Speaker 3: This is no longer a voter or a constituent. This 611 00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:06,840 Speaker 3: is a crazy person. This person isn't your neighbor anymore. 612 00:32:06,880 --> 00:32:09,760 Speaker 3: They're an activist. Yeah, I think you know, there are 613 00:32:09,760 --> 00:32:12,120 Speaker 3: people who wear that mantle proudly, and why shouldn't they. 614 00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:15,880 Speaker 3: It's a usually positive thing. But the use of the 615 00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:19,680 Speaker 3: word as some sort of delegitimizing cudgel is so consistent 616 00:32:19,760 --> 00:32:22,800 Speaker 3: that I think it's worth thinking about. When it gets 617 00:32:22,920 --> 00:32:30,320 Speaker 3: used against the recipient's will. Yeah, and there's no ending 618 00:32:30,360 --> 00:32:35,080 Speaker 3: to this story, right, because this is never really over. 619 00:32:35,240 --> 00:32:38,280 Speaker 3: It is happening here, it is happening there. And I 620 00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:40,920 Speaker 3: don't know what's next for Blevins. Maybe he just smelts 621 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:44,560 Speaker 3: quietly back into society and puts roofs on houses. A 622 00:32:44,560 --> 00:32:46,760 Speaker 3: week after the recall, he filed paperwork to change the 623 00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:50,600 Speaker 3: name of his dad's contracting business from Invincible Contracting to 624 00:32:50,840 --> 00:32:55,000 Speaker 3: Great Planes Roofing. The paperwork filed shows that the company 625 00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:58,280 Speaker 3: is now registered. The company is now registered. His address 626 00:32:58,640 --> 00:33:00,480 Speaker 3: a house in Ena that he bought Lae summer with 627 00:33:00,520 --> 00:33:04,200 Speaker 3: a VA loan. But now that he's free of the 628 00:33:04,200 --> 00:33:07,960 Speaker 3: self imposed restraint of running for office, maybe he leans 629 00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:09,560 Speaker 3: into it and becomes this guy. 630 00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:09,920 Speaker 2: Right. 631 00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:12,680 Speaker 3: Maybe he's just the guy that this happens to and 632 00:33:12,680 --> 00:33:16,320 Speaker 3: he goes on the cancel culture grievance circuit. Maybe he 633 00:33:16,360 --> 00:33:19,200 Speaker 3: goes full throttle and tries to get back into movement organizing. 634 00:33:20,320 --> 00:33:23,320 Speaker 3: I think his failure to come out and really celebrate 635 00:33:23,360 --> 00:33:25,440 Speaker 3: the movement and really own it and say yes, I 636 00:33:25,480 --> 00:33:29,440 Speaker 3: said that stuff and it's good. I think that failure 637 00:33:30,280 --> 00:33:33,120 Speaker 3: as they would perceive it, would hurt him a little 638 00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:35,640 Speaker 3: bit if he tries to re enter the movement, but 639 00:33:35,760 --> 00:33:37,400 Speaker 3: not so badly that he couldn't do it. You know, 640 00:33:37,400 --> 00:33:40,160 Speaker 3: they're so desperate for new material that they would probably 641 00:33:40,200 --> 00:33:42,000 Speaker 3: embrace him if he wanted to be the figurehead of 642 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:42,360 Speaker 3: the month. 643 00:33:42,920 --> 00:33:43,640 Speaker 2: Yeah. 644 00:33:43,800 --> 00:33:45,520 Speaker 3: Hopefully he just does the roofing thing though. 645 00:33:45,960 --> 00:33:48,479 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, hopefully he does the roofing thing and then 646 00:33:48,520 --> 00:33:50,840 Speaker 2: the falling off the roof thing, and then. 647 00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:53,880 Speaker 3: You know he's that they're doing the work himself. He 648 00:33:53,880 --> 00:33:56,000 Speaker 3: doesn't even have a contracting license. I checked. 649 00:33:56,520 --> 00:33:59,360 Speaker 2: I hope he hires someone who is like a very 650 00:33:59,440 --> 00:34:02,840 Speaker 2: large person and they fall off and are okay because 651 00:34:02,880 --> 00:34:07,160 Speaker 2: they land on him. That's that's I think where I'm. 652 00:34:06,920 --> 00:34:09,800 Speaker 3: Going here, And to be clear, that's Robert speaking. 653 00:34:10,320 --> 00:34:13,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, that is, But that is also the official 654 00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:15,000 Speaker 2: opinion of iHeartMedia. 655 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:18,640 Speaker 3: Mean, I don't know that he's he's made any great pronouncements. 656 00:34:18,640 --> 00:34:20,960 Speaker 3: He hasn't showed up on any Nazi podcast yet. I 657 00:34:22,360 --> 00:34:25,320 Speaker 3: will put ten dollars on a bet that says he will. 658 00:34:25,080 --> 00:34:27,480 Speaker 3: He'll be on somebody's podcast by the end of the month. 659 00:34:27,520 --> 00:34:30,720 Speaker 3: I don't doubt it. But hopefully he just does roofing. 660 00:34:31,520 --> 00:34:33,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, stick to roofing. 661 00:34:34,960 --> 00:34:37,360 Speaker 3: As for ENID, you know, they want a battle that 662 00:34:37,360 --> 00:34:39,879 Speaker 3: they shouldn't have had to fight. It should be kind 663 00:34:39,880 --> 00:34:42,040 Speaker 3: of a no brainer that we don't elect guys like this. 664 00:34:42,560 --> 00:34:45,759 Speaker 3: That's becoming less certain every day, Like the fact that 665 00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:47,879 Speaker 3: there was any question about how the recall might go 666 00:34:48,120 --> 00:34:50,440 Speaker 3: is concerning. We shouldn't be in a position of wondering 667 00:34:50,920 --> 00:34:53,120 Speaker 3: will people vote for the guy who won't deny he 668 00:34:53,160 --> 00:34:56,080 Speaker 3: loves Hitler. But I think we can applaud the tenacity 669 00:34:56,120 --> 00:34:58,160 Speaker 3: of the folks in Enan who did what was necessary 670 00:34:58,200 --> 00:35:01,440 Speaker 3: in a place where it wasn't easy. Yeah, you know, 671 00:35:01,440 --> 00:35:03,440 Speaker 3: and there's there's lessons to be learned here. Go to 672 00:35:03,480 --> 00:35:06,000 Speaker 3: the meetings, get a seed in city council chambers, go 673 00:35:06,040 --> 00:35:08,240 Speaker 3: to the library board meeting, go to the school board meeting. 674 00:35:08,680 --> 00:35:11,600 Speaker 3: You don't have to be an activist, whatever that means, 675 00:35:12,080 --> 00:35:15,080 Speaker 3: but be in the room because nobody's going to change 676 00:35:15,080 --> 00:35:18,439 Speaker 3: the world on their own. And maybe changing the world 677 00:35:18,640 --> 00:35:23,520 Speaker 3: isn't even a meaningful objective. I don't know what that means. Yeah, 678 00:35:23,560 --> 00:35:27,160 Speaker 3: but today, maybe there's something you can do with your 679 00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:31,640 Speaker 3: neighbors to stop the rising tide in your town. You 680 00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:35,080 Speaker 3: can't change the weather, but you can put down some sandbags, 681 00:35:35,719 --> 00:35:39,000 Speaker 3: and there are jud blevins is everywhere, hiding behind mealymouthed 682 00:35:39,040 --> 00:35:44,360 Speaker 3: rhetoric of conservatism and quietly chipping away at your local institutions. 683 00:35:45,040 --> 00:35:51,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, so it's doable fighting the juds Blevin of I 684 00:35:51,640 --> 00:35:57,120 Speaker 2: chose a different way to Pluraliza's name of your wherever 685 00:35:57,160 --> 00:36:00,160 Speaker 2: you live, your state, your city. Like is doable, And 686 00:36:00,200 --> 00:36:03,920 Speaker 2: it's doable if you stick to this very simple platform 687 00:36:03,960 --> 00:36:06,720 Speaker 2: of like, but not a Nazi. Right, we can agree 688 00:36:06,880 --> 00:36:07,560 Speaker 2: not a Nazi. 689 00:36:07,719 --> 00:36:12,240 Speaker 3: You know, if conservatives have any if conservatives had any sense, 690 00:36:12,640 --> 00:36:15,640 Speaker 3: they could retake a lot of ground by saying, like, 691 00:36:16,640 --> 00:36:19,719 Speaker 3: you know, we love all the stuff you love, fellow conservatives, 692 00:36:20,120 --> 00:36:23,000 Speaker 3: but we're not that guy, right, Like, if they had 693 00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:26,520 Speaker 3: any if they had any pride, they would stop pandering 694 00:36:26,800 --> 00:36:29,080 Speaker 3: to the lunatic fringe. 695 00:36:29,360 --> 00:36:31,799 Speaker 2: Yeah, and it is just kind of looking at how 696 00:36:32,120 --> 00:36:36,000 Speaker 2: congressional race is shaping up, where it seemed like it 697 00:36:36,080 --> 00:36:39,360 Speaker 2: should have been pretty easy for them to retake the House. 698 00:36:39,800 --> 00:36:43,920 Speaker 2: But you know, now they're kind of like flailing a 699 00:36:43,920 --> 00:36:47,920 Speaker 2: little bit, in part because they keep backing these maniacs 700 00:36:47,920 --> 00:36:51,520 Speaker 2: who just aren't good. 701 00:36:51,560 --> 00:36:55,120 Speaker 3: I don't really believe that those ideas are popular. They 702 00:36:55,320 --> 00:36:57,560 Speaker 3: just have fallen into this trap of thinking like this 703 00:36:57,680 --> 00:36:59,279 Speaker 3: is the only way to win. So I guess I 704 00:36:59,320 --> 00:37:00,160 Speaker 3: have to do it. 705 00:37:00,200 --> 00:37:02,280 Speaker 2: But you trying to send it not that house anyway, whatever, 706 00:37:02,280 --> 00:37:02,719 Speaker 2: We'll cut that. 707 00:37:03,080 --> 00:37:06,399 Speaker 3: Who cares about those guys? Yeah, but you don't have 708 00:37:06,520 --> 00:37:09,520 Speaker 3: to do it, right, Be the Sheeryl Batterson you want 709 00:37:09,560 --> 00:37:12,120 Speaker 3: to see in the world. Yeah, and just be a 710 00:37:12,120 --> 00:37:13,920 Speaker 3: milk toast Republican and be the Nazi. 711 00:37:14,600 --> 00:37:19,239 Speaker 2: Yeah, at least. I don't know. I'm mixed because, like 712 00:37:21,360 --> 00:37:24,280 Speaker 2: I do, I do like it when the Republicans fail 713 00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:27,160 Speaker 2: over much, but I also feel like it's bad to 714 00:37:27,239 --> 00:37:29,759 Speaker 2: take the bet of like, well, if we hope for 715 00:37:29,840 --> 00:37:32,759 Speaker 2: more Nazis that push people away from the Republicans, maybe 716 00:37:32,800 --> 00:37:35,640 Speaker 2: it'll work for us in the long run statistically that 717 00:37:35,640 --> 00:37:44,280 Speaker 2: that kind of gamble is real dangerous. That's yeah. But yeah, 718 00:37:44,800 --> 00:37:47,000 Speaker 2: that's Enid. That's ined baby. 719 00:37:47,120 --> 00:37:50,680 Speaker 3: Good work in Congratulations to the end Social Justice Committee. Honestly, 720 00:37:50,760 --> 00:37:52,759 Speaker 3: I'm yeah, very impressed. 721 00:37:53,160 --> 00:37:59,560 Speaker 2: You get our our coveted Oklahoma City of the Month award, 722 00:38:00,200 --> 00:38:02,920 Speaker 2: which is confusing because you are very near Oklahoma City. 723 00:38:02,960 --> 00:38:06,040 Speaker 2: But they shouldn't have named it that. Oh that's all I. 724 00:38:06,000 --> 00:38:08,080 Speaker 3: Got, That's all I got. Yeah, I was just trying 725 00:38:08,120 --> 00:38:09,359 Speaker 3: to put a button. I'm trying to put a button 726 00:38:09,400 --> 00:38:13,240 Speaker 3: on that bad boy. But uh yeah that's Oklahoma, baby. 727 00:38:13,719 --> 00:38:19,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, good for you, Good for Oklahoma. 728 00:38:21,719 --> 00:38:24,080 Speaker 1: It could Happen Here as a production of cool Zone Media. 729 00:38:24,320 --> 00:38:27,000 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from cool Zone Media, visit our website 730 00:38:27,040 --> 00:38:29,239 Speaker 1: cool zonemedia dot com, or check us out on the 731 00:38:29,280 --> 00:38:32,680 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 732 00:38:33,120 --> 00:38:35,240 Speaker 1: You can find sources for It could Happen Here, updated 733 00:38:35,320 --> 00:38:39,360 Speaker 1: monthly at cool zonemedia dot com slash sources. Thanks for listening.