1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,280 Speaker 1: What's the what do you think the most significant the 2 00:00:02,320 --> 00:00:06,080 Speaker 1: most significant thing that happened since we last got together 3 00:00:06,120 --> 00:00:06,960 Speaker 1: on Monday. 4 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:12,600 Speaker 2: Trump demolished the White House, destroyed the White House, yep. 5 00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:15,239 Speaker 2: And give me a look at and you give me 6 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:25,280 Speaker 2: and you did it with Google and Facebook, at Salesforce 7 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 2: and all of the Apple Bryant tech companies. Apple, they 8 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:41,360 Speaker 2: demolished the White House. And I'm not I'm not going 9 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:47,239 Speaker 2: to give a lecture on campaign finance reform today. And 10 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:52,680 Speaker 2: I think it is a very complex subject about what 11 00:00:52,920 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 2: to do around it. But one of the things that 12 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:09,320 Speaker 2: caused this disaster was John McCain's politicization of the issue, 13 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 2: right without an understanding of the details of his legislation. 14 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:20,520 Speaker 2: So John McCain and McCain find Gold said we have 15 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 2: a corruption problem, which was a correct observation, and therefore 16 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 2: this is the solution. And that was not the solution. 17 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:37,560 Speaker 2: What it was was patently unconstitutional. And I can go 18 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 2: back if I could find them, I could find quotes 19 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:45,040 Speaker 2: of mine on the record when I was twenty nine 20 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 2: predicting what would ultimately become Citizens United as a result 21 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:58,919 Speaker 2: of the McCain find Gold legislation, and in that past 22 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:03,960 Speaker 2: and what John McCain always talked about is these corporations. 23 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:09,360 Speaker 2: And I think about it, if he was alive, that 24 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 2: the combination of a despotic president in league with these 25 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:24,799 Speaker 2: out of control corporations, Trump's oligarchs, this ballroom, and together 26 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 2: they demolished the White House without a single opportunity for 27 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:44,280 Speaker 2: anyone to object and no review. Absolutely our arbortrary. And 28 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:46,160 Speaker 2: and when I think about it like that, I think 29 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 2: it's one of the greatest acts of corruption in the 30 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 2: entire history of the of the country. And I think 31 00:02:54,800 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 2: it is at some level an atrocity for the contrary, 32 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:05,800 Speaker 2: but a meaningful political opportunity for Democrats. 33 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: All right, Well, first of all, we have a big 34 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:14,600 Speaker 1: disagreement on McCain, Fine Gold and the constitutionality. I think 35 00:03:14,639 --> 00:03:19,640 Speaker 1: Citizens United was a travesty. I don't think money equals 36 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:23,720 Speaker 1: you know, corporations giving money equals free speech. But put 37 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:26,399 Speaker 1: that aside for a second. 38 00:03:26,880 --> 00:03:27,959 Speaker 2: This is one. 39 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 1: Of those issues that, besides McCain, just has not been 40 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:36,520 Speaker 1: very successful for politicians to champion. I remember the debate 41 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:39,080 Speaker 1: in two thousand and nine in the Obama white House. 42 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:42,120 Speaker 1: Obama had, you know, a kind of political reform agenda. 43 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:44,840 Speaker 1: There's no doubt that, like being a political reformer was 44 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:48,000 Speaker 1: key to his identity and key to his victory that year. 45 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 1: You were on the other side of that campaign, so 46 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:52,400 Speaker 1: you could talk some more about that. But once they 47 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 1: got into office, they you know, they were dealing with 48 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 1: the emergency crisis of the of the economic crisis, and 49 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 1: political reform form always took a back seat to bread 50 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:06,880 Speaker 1: and butter issues. Healthcare, uh, trying to do cap and 51 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: trade which didn't pass, uh, you know, then the portbal 52 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:14,080 Speaker 1: Care Act and the stimulus package. Right, it's always those 53 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:16,680 Speaker 1: issues are always going to beat out. Oh, let's try 54 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:21,240 Speaker 1: and six how we uh fund our elections, which for 55 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:24,520 Speaker 1: lots of people just isn't an acute concern on a 56 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:28,320 Speaker 1: day to day basis. So I'm always very skeptical that 57 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:31,159 Speaker 1: things like reform ideas that I, you know, uh I 58 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:36,520 Speaker 1: think are great, are big good political sellers. So why 59 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:38,679 Speaker 1: why is this one? Why is it different this time? 60 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:49,720 Speaker 2: Well? What so, the direness of the situation today and 61 00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:58,280 Speaker 2: the magnitude of the corruption makes political reform and urgent 62 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:05,000 Speaker 2: national ority. So I'm gonna I'm gonna give a I'll 63 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:13,200 Speaker 2: give a example using a Trump constituency. The cattleman. M hm. 64 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 2: So the cattleman supported Trump, and the American cattleman and 65 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:24,359 Speaker 2: the American farmer has been betrayed by Trump, who's bailed 66 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:29,040 Speaker 2: out the Argentinean cattleman at the expense of the American 67 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:38,760 Speaker 2: and is destroying their livelihoods, their ranches, their farms. And 68 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:45,160 Speaker 2: I say, cowboy up right, well, I mean it, right, 69 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:48,599 Speaker 2: what are you gonna do about it? I mean, smart enough? 70 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:54,680 Speaker 2: But but then, but but at any rate, Trump portrays 71 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 2: and screws over every every group that he's that he's 72 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:04,320 Speaker 2: ever been in, and he does it for money, right, 73 00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:13,320 Speaker 2: And so the American economy is cracking. It's cracking. Trump's 74 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:16,400 Speaker 2: approval numbers are down to thirty five percent. So we're 75 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:23,599 Speaker 2: gonna have an experiential learning about the consequences of a deranged, 76 00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:30,279 Speaker 2: despotic president who hates the country having the most power 77 00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:39,440 Speaker 2: in the country. Right, forty nine and a half percent again, right, 78 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:44,040 Speaker 2: the magnitude of the failure of the Democratic Party here 79 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:52,480 Speaker 2: to stop it twice, to confront it now on on 80 00:06:52,520 --> 00:07:03,479 Speaker 2: and on this moment though, as we look at the 81 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:10,760 Speaker 2: destroyed White House, right from a political perspective, when you 82 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:17,080 Speaker 2: think about the opposition there's there's one thing that and 83 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:20,480 Speaker 2: I know we have a lot of Democrats between our 84 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:26,560 Speaker 2: audience or democratically aligned in our in our audiences as 85 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:29,280 Speaker 2: as as we talk about as we talk about this, 86 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:35,920 Speaker 2: there is a there is a Washington, DC word right 87 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:42,800 Speaker 2: that they you'll hear from a bunch of pundits podcasters 88 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:46,960 Speaker 2: that drives me crazier. And it's and it's a political 89 00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:51,640 Speaker 2: word that exists within the Democratic Party, and the word 90 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:56,520 Speaker 2: is distraction. I want distraction that I want. I want 91 00:07:56,600 --> 00:08:01,680 Speaker 2: Democratic politicians to stop telling me what is and what 92 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:05,440 Speaker 2: is not a distraction. But my response to it is 93 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:10,760 Speaker 2: fuck you. It alienates me and I'm and I'm not alone. 94 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:14,760 Speaker 2: I will I will decide for myself what is and 95 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:19,040 Speaker 2: what is not a distraction. I watch and I watch, 96 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:26,920 Speaker 2: and I see John Obama's communications guy, John Favreau and 97 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:33,520 Speaker 2: Tim Miller talking about, oh, it's a distraction, right. Tim 98 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:37,320 Speaker 2: Miller is a guy who at the Christmas party line 99 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:40,800 Speaker 2: jumps out a line and literally hudgs Joe Biden and says, 100 00:08:41,559 --> 00:08:44,920 Speaker 2: I'll do anything to keep you here, right when he 101 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:48,839 Speaker 2: clearly was not able. And this is why we are 102 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:52,840 Speaker 2: where we are. But at any rate, Jon Favreau and 103 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:58,239 Speaker 2: Tim Miller. The White House and its destruction is a distraction. 104 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:06,840 Speaker 2: It's not a distraction. The first, then, that every person 105 00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:13,520 Speaker 2: in this country should be able to agree upon, is 106 00:09:13,559 --> 00:09:19,679 Speaker 2: the restoration of the White House to what it was 107 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:28,240 Speaker 2: before it was destroyed. This should be item one on 108 00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:36,640 Speaker 2: the Democratic Party platform. Condition one for every single Democrat 109 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:42,000 Speaker 2: wanting to be President of the United States that the 110 00:09:42,200 --> 00:09:50,600 Speaker 2: restoration will begin with the restoration of the dignity of 111 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:55,560 Speaker 2: the People's House as surely as if it had been 112 00:09:55,600 --> 00:10:07,280 Speaker 2: destroyed by Al Qaeda, must be returned to its state period. 113 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:14,040 Speaker 2: There is a cohort of Americans that if you are 114 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:18,400 Speaker 2: on the left and you're a Democrat, you cannot win 115 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:24,840 Speaker 2: the election. And plus, America cannot win the election without 116 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:29,080 Speaker 2: people like me who see the world the way I 117 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:37,840 Speaker 2: see it. We're not a majority, but there's enough of us. 118 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:47,120 Speaker 2: This is an issue of profound importance to a lot 119 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:54,079 Speaker 2: of Americans. And you go on from there. I'm Steve Schmidt. 120 00:10:54,160 --> 00:10:57,439 Speaker 2: This is the warning. I invite you to join this community, 121 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:01,920 Speaker 2: where I promise to be honest and direct about what 122 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:06,040 Speaker 2: is happening in this country. America is in crisis. Follow 123 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:09,680 Speaker 2: and subscribe to this channel and on substack. Thank you