1 00:00:02,320 --> 00:00:05,720 Speaker 1: The summer of twenty twenty three is over, and that 2 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:09,320 Speaker 1: means two things. The NFL season is about to start, 3 00:00:10,039 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: and so is the presidential political season for real. The 4 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:17,640 Speaker 1: New Hampshire primary and the soon to follow South Carolina 5 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:22,279 Speaker 1: primary are less than six months away. Soon we will 6 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: know who the two candidates are that will face off 7 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:30,040 Speaker 1: to be the next president of the United States. Currently, 8 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:33,879 Speaker 1: the conventional wisdom in America is that it will be 9 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 1: a rematch between the overwhelming Republican front runner, the ninety 10 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 1: two times indicted Donald Trump, and the incumbent President Joe Biden. 11 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:46,320 Speaker 1: There is a recent poll released by The Wall Street 12 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:52,839 Speaker 1: Journal and NBC News. What it says, overwhelmingly across the 13 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 1: board is the American people do not want this rematch. Now, 14 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,840 Speaker 1: put us your partisanship for a second. It doesn't matter 15 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:10,039 Speaker 1: whether you're a hardcore MAGA or a hardcore ANTIMGA like myself. 16 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 1: Just look at the poll in isolation. The two parties 17 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:22,920 Speaker 1: together are producing choices the overwhelming majority of the American 18 00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:27,840 Speaker 1: people don't want. What will they do about it? Now? 19 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:32,679 Speaker 1: The first dynamic of the fall campaign that's going to 20 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:36,600 Speaker 1: start to come into view is no labels for real 21 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:41,880 Speaker 1: or not do they have any money or not? Do 22 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 1: they have the one hundred million dollars cash available to 23 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: start securing ballot access in all fifty states? Do they 24 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:54,720 Speaker 1: intend to nominate and run through some type of secret 25 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 1: process a ticket that will offer a third choice across 26 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 1: all fifty states with two prominent people on it. Don't 27 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:09,400 Speaker 1: the American people deserve some transparency around their mission, around 28 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:12,960 Speaker 1: their goals. Shouldn't it be clear what it is they 29 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:18,080 Speaker 1: intend to do? The American political system is under tremendous strain, 30 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:22,320 Speaker 1: and it's under strain because so much of it isn't 31 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 1: on the level, So much of it takes place in 32 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:29,360 Speaker 1: the shadows, in the dark, and so much of it 33 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: is based on deception, based on making you, the American people, 34 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:39,800 Speaker 1: submit to something that you can see with your own 35 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 1: eyes is obviously not true. Let's turn back the clock 36 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:48,120 Speaker 1: a bit. Let's look at this picture. These are the 37 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:54,079 Speaker 1: pictures from the inaugurations of Donald Trump and Barack Obama. 38 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:59,320 Speaker 1: Look at the picture associated with President Obamas, and now 39 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 1: look at the picture associated with Donald Trump's. Which crowd 40 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 1: is bigger? Obviously it was President Obamas. Now let's listen 41 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:17,280 Speaker 1: to Sean Spicer assert that what is required of a 42 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:22,520 Speaker 1: Trump supporter is to believe that truth is what Donald 43 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:27,520 Speaker 1: Trump says it is. Let's watch again. The first moments 44 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:32,959 Speaker 1: of the Trump presidency opened with an assertion that supporters 45 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 1: must submit. They must submit to whatever it is that 46 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:40,839 Speaker 1: the leader says is trip. 47 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 2: Photographs of the inaugural proceedings were intentionally framed in a 48 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:48,800 Speaker 2: way in one particular tweet, to minimize the enormous support 49 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 2: that had gathered on the National Mall. This was the 50 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:54,760 Speaker 2: first time in our nation's history that floor coverings have 51 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 2: been used to protect the grass in the mall that 52 00:03:57,160 --> 00:03:59,600 Speaker 2: had the effect of highlighting any areas where people were 53 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:03,320 Speaker 2: not standing, while in years past the grass eliminated this 54 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 2: visual This was also the first time that fencing and 55 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 2: magnetometers when as far back on the wall, preventing hundreds 56 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 2: of thousands of people from being able to access the 57 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:17,280 Speaker 2: mall as quickly as they had in inaugurations past. Inaccurate 58 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 2: numbers involving crowd size were also tweeted. No one had 59 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:25,600 Speaker 2: numbers because the National Park Service, which controls the National Mall, 60 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:29,400 Speaker 2: does not put any out. This was the largest audience 61 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:33,720 Speaker 2: to ever witness an inauguration period, both in person and 62 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:36,599 Speaker 2: around the globe. Even The New York Times printed a 63 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:41,640 Speaker 2: photograph photograph showing that a misrepresentation of the crowd in 64 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:44,520 Speaker 2: the original tweet in their paper, which showed the full 65 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 2: extent of the support depth and crowd and intensity that existed. 66 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 2: These attempts to lessen the enthusiasm of the inauguration are 67 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:53,920 Speaker 2: shameful and wrong. 68 00:04:55,240 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 1: This is a hallmark of every authoritarian system there has 69 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:06,320 Speaker 1: ever been. All democracies are built on a foundation of truth, 70 00:05:07,279 --> 00:05:14,040 Speaker 1: while all totalitarian systems and autocratic aspirants build their ambitions 71 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 1: on a mountain of lives. And all of those lies 72 00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:25,599 Speaker 1: are sustained by the ability to impose truth, regardless of 73 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 1: whether it's real or not, on a population. Now, some 74 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:36,840 Speaker 1: of those people submit for ambition's sake, some for cynicism's sake, 75 00:05:37,960 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 1: some out of fear. That's the nature of collaboration. It's 76 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:46,880 Speaker 1: why people get in line. It's why so very few 77 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:51,520 Speaker 1: Republicans like Adam Kitzinger and Liz Cheney at the end 78 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:56,240 Speaker 1: of the day, were tough enough, strong enough, committed enough 79 00:05:56,760 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 1: to resist to stay out of the line. Because the 80 00:06:00,839 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 1: truth of the matter is, most people get in mind, 81 00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:10,600 Speaker 1: and so all through the fall, the Washington DC centered 82 00:06:10,640 --> 00:06:17,279 Speaker 1: media and the Washington DC based politicians will say things 83 00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:21,960 Speaker 1: to the American people and assert things that are not 84 00:06:22,279 --> 00:06:26,960 Speaker 1: real in the lives of the American people. And this 85 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:32,040 Speaker 1: tension will grow and grow and grow over the course 86 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:36,000 Speaker 1: of the fall and over the course of the fall, 87 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:41,560 Speaker 1: because the choice that the people don't want will draw 88 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:47,720 Speaker 1: closer throughout it, it will increase the turbulence, the volatility 89 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:52,560 Speaker 1: within the system. What this election is about is very simple. 90 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:59,240 Speaker 1: It is about the continuation of American society, about the 91 00:06:59,279 --> 00:07:04,279 Speaker 1: continuing of the American way of life. The American system 92 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:08,840 Speaker 1: is built on the ability of the American people to 93 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:15,840 Speaker 1: choose who will lead them. Candidates can compete, they offer 94 00:07:15,880 --> 00:07:21,200 Speaker 1: their visions, and then the people decide. It's as simple 95 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:25,200 Speaker 1: as that, and what it requires is the good will 96 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:30,480 Speaker 1: of every competitor for political power to recognize that when 97 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:33,680 Speaker 1: they run for office, there will be one of two 98 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:38,920 Speaker 1: possible outcomes. They will either be elected or they will 99 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:45,080 Speaker 1: be rejected. It's not indictment of their character. It's simply 100 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:48,880 Speaker 1: a reflection of the choice of the people who decide, 101 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:52,440 Speaker 1: whether it be at a local, a county, estate, or 102 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:58,680 Speaker 1: a national level. This is core to American life. And 103 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:03,240 Speaker 1: this is what Donald Trump shattered. It's why this proud 104 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:06,560 Speaker 1: boy thug was sentenced to twenty two years in prison, 105 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:11,600 Speaker 1: because he attacked the peaceful transition of power set in 106 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:17,000 Speaker 1: motion by a profound act of humility by America's founding father, 107 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:22,760 Speaker 1: George Washington. Every day as the fall campaign moves forward, 108 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:27,280 Speaker 1: the American people will be fed and narratives. A narrative 109 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:32,360 Speaker 1: from Donald Trump which is based upon a bundle of 110 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:37,680 Speaker 1: thousands of lives, a narrative from the Biden campaign, A 111 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:42,200 Speaker 1: narrative from the national media about what the election is about, 112 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:46,120 Speaker 1: about how the economy is doing. At the end of 113 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:50,000 Speaker 1: the day, what most of those narratives have in common 114 00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:54,160 Speaker 1: is how detached they are from the lives of the 115 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:59,600 Speaker 1: ordinary people that populate this gigantic country, from coast to 116 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:05,360 Speaker 1: coast and everywhere in between. And it's this great unsettlement 117 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:08,920 Speaker 1: at hand that is going to drive a lot of 118 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:14,240 Speaker 1: American politics in the months ahead. Over and over again, 119 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:19,240 Speaker 1: the American people can't seem to get their voices through 120 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:23,880 Speaker 1: to the listening years of the most powerful people in 121 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:30,400 Speaker 1: the country. Over and over again, working Americans, whether it 122 00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:34,160 Speaker 1: be at ups or members of the UAW or the 123 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:38,160 Speaker 1: Screen Actors Guild or Writer's Guild of America are trying 124 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:41,199 Speaker 1: to say that we need to have a discussion about 125 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:46,800 Speaker 1: fairness in America's society. We need to address what is 126 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:51,600 Speaker 1: staring at us right in the face. What this country 127 00:09:51,679 --> 00:09:56,560 Speaker 1: needs is an era of renewal and reform in a 128 00:09:56,679 --> 00:10:01,640 Speaker 1: vision that recreates the American dream and brings back together 129 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:07,280 Speaker 1: the core of American society into a united belief about 130 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:12,880 Speaker 1: the central ideas that brought the country into existence. Instead, 131 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:18,480 Speaker 1: what we see are liars and cheap demagogues like Vivek Ramaswami, 132 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:24,280 Speaker 1: accused criminals like Donald Trump, cynics like Mike Pence, and 133 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:29,319 Speaker 1: the list goes on. But in the end, the American 134 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:34,000 Speaker 1: people are the captains of our faith, not our politicians. 135 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:38,839 Speaker 1: And the rope the American people let out for those 136 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:44,440 Speaker 1: politicians to vandalize our way of life is solely and 137 00:10:44,559 --> 00:10:50,400 Speaker 1: holy at the discretion of those American people. That's what 138 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:55,560 Speaker 1: the election is about. We're going to decide if elections 139 00:10:56,400 --> 00:11:00,880 Speaker 1: are how we assign political power in America, and if 140 00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:04,559 Speaker 1: we choose the people who do not believe in elections 141 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:09,880 Speaker 1: as the mechanism by which political power is granted, then 142 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:11,400 Speaker 1: we will have had our last election.