WEBVTT - Zohran Mamdani’s Win Is A Political Earthquake + How Will America Regulate Artificial Intelligence? 0:00:03.680 --> 0:00:06.560 Happy Thursday, and welcome to another episode of the Chuck Todcast. 0:00:06.600 --> 0:00:10.480 I got to a pretty packed episode for you. We're 0:00:10.480 --> 0:00:13.200 going to do a rundown of what's going on around 0:00:13.280 --> 0:00:16.560 the country and the states, some state politics, of what's 0:00:16.600 --> 0:00:19.840 happening with AI, and in fact it ties into something 0:00:19.880 --> 0:00:22.000 else I'm going to get to in a minute, the 0:00:22.040 --> 0:00:25.160 big beautiful Bill and whether what it's going to look 0:00:25.200 --> 0:00:27.960 like and whether it has any chance of ever becoming popular. 0:00:28.320 --> 0:00:30.520 But look, I'm going to start with what is still 0:00:30.560 --> 0:00:33.559 a seismic earthquake inside the Democratic Party, and that is 0:00:33.600 --> 0:00:37.560 the victory by Zoron Mom Donnie in the Democratic primary, 0:00:37.600 --> 0:00:40.000 apparent victory. I mean, we got to remind folks we 0:00:40.040 --> 0:00:42.120 still haven't had the retabulation in the New York City 0:00:42.120 --> 0:00:44.879 mayor's race. You know, let me throw a bizarre what 0:00:44.920 --> 0:00:47.239 if out there. There's an assumption, and I think it's 0:00:47.280 --> 0:00:49.879 a correct assumption based on the polling we've seen and 0:00:49.880 --> 0:00:53.280 certainly the campaign strategies the candidates had of trying to 0:00:53.320 --> 0:00:56.760 convince their supporters not to even rank Cuomo in some 0:00:56.800 --> 0:00:59.720 places and things like that. But let me just throw 0:00:59.720 --> 0:01:03.840 out a here. If Cuomo closes the gap to just 0:01:03.920 --> 0:01:06.200 a couple of points and ends up losing the primary 0:01:06.200 --> 0:01:08.400 after rank choice voting more like that fifty one to 0:01:08.480 --> 0:01:11.800 forty nine or fifty two forty eight. Is that what 0:01:11.880 --> 0:01:14.760 they're waiting for to see whether Cuomo will decide to 0:01:15.080 --> 0:01:20.600 run in a general election. But look, let's it. Certainly 0:01:20.640 --> 0:01:23.240 everybody is behaving today as if that's not going to 0:01:23.280 --> 0:01:26.560 happen in that Mandani is going to be the Democratic nominee. 0:01:26.640 --> 0:01:29.720 The question is what kind of general election is it 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:31.600 going to be. But before we get to that, on 0:01:31.640 --> 0:01:34.400 the New York City side of things, it's been interesting 0:01:34.520 --> 0:01:40.080 how Democrats have reacted, right it's around the country. You've 0:01:40.080 --> 0:01:44.080 had some in New York, including the two leading Democratic 0:01:44.120 --> 0:01:46.600 figures in New York who happen to hold the two 0:01:46.640 --> 0:01:50.360 most important positions in Congress for the Democrats, Senate Democratic 0:01:50.440 --> 0:01:53.840 Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Akim Jeffries. They 0:01:53.880 --> 0:01:59.320 both congratulated Mandani, but they did not endorse Mamdani. Maybe 0:01:59.320 --> 0:02:03.160 they will eventely, but they have not made that decision yet. 0:02:05.040 --> 0:02:08.919 Bernie Sanders came out gloated and said, Hey, the Democratic 0:02:09.040 --> 0:02:13.840 establishment has some explaining to do, and I really think 0:02:13.880 --> 0:02:16.160 they do. In fact, I want to quote a column 0:02:16.160 --> 0:02:19.519 that I thought was just outstanding, and it sort of, 0:02:19.600 --> 0:02:23.519 I think, summed up how the Democrats have really blew 0:02:23.560 --> 0:02:27.480 this when it came to when it came to how 0:02:27.520 --> 0:02:29.640 they've gotten involved over the last couple of cycles. It 0:02:29.720 --> 0:02:33.760 was a column written by Julie Roginsky, and it was 0:02:34.480 --> 0:02:39.480 it was expressing her frustration. And I'm going to read 0:02:39.480 --> 0:02:42.600 it in part here word for word, because these are 0:02:42.639 --> 0:02:45.200 her words, not my words. What were voters in New 0:02:45.280 --> 0:02:48.600 York to do? This is what she wrote. When I 0:02:48.639 --> 0:02:51.320 filled out my ballot yesterday, I did not rank either 0:02:51.400 --> 0:02:54.960 Cuomo or a Mom Dannie because I, again her words, 0:02:55.080 --> 0:02:57.240 I won't vote for a sexual predator, and because I 0:02:57.240 --> 0:02:59.920 won't vote for a deeply inexperienced candidate who refuses to 0:03:00.080 --> 0:03:03.399 knowledge that quote globalized the Intifada is an offensive term 0:03:03.440 --> 0:03:07.040 to his Jewish constituents. She adds, I knew that my 0:03:07.160 --> 0:03:09.280 vote was wasted, that the five people I ranked had 0:03:09.320 --> 0:03:11.720 no shot of winning, and for this I blame the 0:03:11.720 --> 0:03:16.240 Democratic establishment. And she goes on when Cuomo popped up 0:03:16.240 --> 0:03:19.000 his head to run, all the establishment figures who flocked 0:03:19.000 --> 0:03:22.160 to him could have said no, They could have looked 0:03:22.160 --> 0:03:25.040 at other competent leaders who did not have Cuomo's baggage. 0:03:25.520 --> 0:03:31.200 Raginsky suggests Police Commissioner Jessica Tish was somebody that came 0:03:31.240 --> 0:03:34.360 to mind. I've heard that name quite a bit today. Instead, 0:03:34.400 --> 0:03:36.440 they did what they do best, tried to impose a 0:03:36.520 --> 0:03:41.200 deeply flawed candidate with a disconnected message on their own voters. 0:03:41.400 --> 0:03:43.720 Let me repeat that last phrase, because this, to me 0:03:44.240 --> 0:03:47.760 is the key to how the Democratic Party has lost 0:03:48.120 --> 0:03:52.760 its way. They tried to impose a deeply flawed candidate 0:03:52.800 --> 0:03:57.600 with a disconnected message on their own voters. Hmmm, where 0:03:57.840 --> 0:04:02.000 have they done that before? Oh? Maybe restraight presidential elections. 0:04:02.440 --> 0:04:05.640 Remember this is a Democratic party and a Democratic establishment 0:04:06.080 --> 0:04:09.520 that has chosen candidates on behalf of the voters and 0:04:09.560 --> 0:04:13.360 not let the voter's way in in a good decade, right, 0:04:13.800 --> 0:04:16.560 trust me. If the Democratic establishment had its way, Hillary 0:04:16.600 --> 0:04:18.360 Clinton would have been the nominee in two thousand and eight. 0:04:20.240 --> 0:04:22.920 But they let that go. There wasn't. In fact, some 0:04:22.960 --> 0:04:26.719 of the establishment were divided enough that hey, Obama and 0:04:26.760 --> 0:04:30.080 Clinton both had affair shot at it, and the voters 0:04:30.160 --> 0:04:34.120 chose Obama in twenty sixteen. The voters weren't given that 0:04:34.240 --> 0:04:37.679 kind of choice. Barack Obama put his arm around Hillary Clinton. 0:04:37.760 --> 0:04:40.920 It convinced a whole slew of other potential candidates not 0:04:40.960 --> 0:04:45.600 to run, and only this unknown senator from Vermont decided 0:04:45.640 --> 0:04:48.839 to throw his hat in the ring. Bernie Sanders. People 0:04:48.920 --> 0:04:51.760 forget Bernie Sanders did not have any sort of name 0:04:51.800 --> 0:04:55.080 ID back then. The question has always been did his 0:04:55.240 --> 0:04:57.800 message truly resonate or was the fact that he wasn't 0:04:57.839 --> 0:05:00.560 Hillary Clinton why he resonated or was it a combination 0:05:00.680 --> 0:05:04.359 of the two. But things sort of went her way, 0:05:04.600 --> 0:05:07.360 and there was a feeling that the Democratic primary voters 0:05:07.600 --> 0:05:10.520 really didn't get a fair shot to decide who they 0:05:10.600 --> 0:05:16.359 really wanted as their nominee because the establishment essentially shoved 0:05:16.400 --> 0:05:20.440 a whole generation of Democrats aside. All right, an entire generation. 0:05:20.680 --> 0:05:24.520 Let's move to twenty twenty Joe Biden. This time, there 0:05:24.560 --> 0:05:27.080 were a whole slew and then COVID hit and the 0:05:27.200 --> 0:05:30.080 establishment came in, and there was a fear that what 0:05:31.160 --> 0:05:33.280 a progressive named Bernie Sanders was going to win this 0:05:33.400 --> 0:05:36.560 nomination if a whole bunch of people didn't quickly get 0:05:36.600 --> 0:05:39.720 out and consolidate around Joe Biden. A m clobashar got 0:05:39.720 --> 0:05:43.600 out and consolidated around Joe Biden, Beto O'Rourke did, Pete 0:05:43.600 --> 0:05:47.839 Budaget did, and there was this consolidation. Again, the establishment spoke. 0:05:47.920 --> 0:05:52.760 Jim Clyburn did his famous endorsement, and they spoke, and 0:05:52.800 --> 0:05:55.400 then they did it again in twenty four. Right first, 0:05:55.480 --> 0:06:01.000 the establishment said, anybody that dare question Joe Biden's capability 0:06:01.040 --> 0:06:04.840 of doing a second term is only doing the bidding 0:06:04.920 --> 0:06:08.560 of Donald Trump. Just look at how that Dean Phillips, 0:06:08.560 --> 0:06:12.040 the former member of Congress who did decide to challenge Biden, 0:06:12.200 --> 0:06:14.200 who openly said he didn't want to be the candidate 0:06:14.240 --> 0:06:17.080 running but believed but it would if nobody else would 0:06:17.080 --> 0:06:19.320 step in, and he tried to recruit plenty of governors 0:06:19.680 --> 0:06:23.200 to do just that. Nobody would get in the Establishment 0:06:23.760 --> 0:06:29.320 labeled him some sort of secret Trump surrogate. Okay, they 0:06:30.279 --> 0:06:32.560 were able to protect Biden, and of course we now 0:06:32.600 --> 0:06:35.160 know what happened, and the voters never got to choose 0:06:35.200 --> 0:06:38.160 Kamala Harris. Kamala Harris was essentially chosen for them as 0:06:38.200 --> 0:06:42.479 the nominee. And this is essentially what Julie Roginsky is 0:06:42.480 --> 0:06:45.479 saying happened in New York City. For the life of me, 0:06:45.600 --> 0:06:47.279 and I've written about this. You can go back a 0:06:47.279 --> 0:06:51.120 couple of substack colms and go, why the heck did 0:06:51.160 --> 0:06:54.719 Andrew Cuomo just sort of get o laid into this field? 0:06:56.279 --> 0:06:59.560 And I think it really does mean that the establishment, 0:07:00.000 --> 0:07:04.600 whether it's guys like Chuck Schumer, King Jeffrey's other major Democrats, 0:07:05.000 --> 0:07:10.600 just didn't fully appreciate how unpopular Andrew Cuomo was. Thought, well, 0:07:10.720 --> 0:07:13.320 his name, I d the amount of money he'll raise, 0:07:14.280 --> 0:07:17.040 he's got. You know, older voters, they'll vote for the 0:07:17.120 --> 0:07:20.679 familiar name. It'll be too hard to push him out. 0:07:21.560 --> 0:07:23.760 We don't want to have that fight with him. That's 0:07:23.840 --> 0:07:25.800 only going to be ugly too. So they just sort 0:07:25.800 --> 0:07:30.640 of acquiesced when it was obvious he had major character 0:07:30.680 --> 0:07:34.640 flaws and the fact that he never apologized for what 0:07:34.800 --> 0:07:39.640 happened or explained himself in an honest and straightforward way, 0:07:39.680 --> 0:07:43.680 and instead said he regretted resigning. You know, I wrote this. 0:07:43.840 --> 0:07:46.480 I regret that he resigned too, because he he didn't 0:07:46.520 --> 0:07:49.600 get due process, and the voters never got due process. 0:07:50.240 --> 0:07:52.240 And this is why I think if you resign in 0:07:52.360 --> 0:07:55.040 order to avoid an investigation, whether it's a House ethics 0:07:55.040 --> 0:07:58.600 committee or it's an impeachment inquiry, in your state legislature, 0:08:00.200 --> 0:08:02.600 be barred from running for any office for a decade 0:08:02.840 --> 0:08:07.720 because you're breaking your compact with voters. You were elected 0:08:07.720 --> 0:08:09.720 to do a job for four years and you're walking 0:08:09.760 --> 0:08:13.440 away in less than four years. There should be some penalty, 0:08:13.480 --> 0:08:16.400 but there was none. Guess what, there's a penalty. Now 0:08:16.640 --> 0:08:20.760 his political career is over. Now does he contemplate running 0:08:20.760 --> 0:08:24.720 as independent? He might, But do you really want to 0:08:24.760 --> 0:08:28.520 take two losses? Look, I will say this with Mam Dannie. 0:08:28.600 --> 0:08:32.920 I think I think you're sort of seeing two reactions 0:08:33.000 --> 0:08:35.559 right now. You have a whole bunch of Democrats try 0:08:35.640 --> 0:08:38.800 not to say anything. You have an entire Republican messaging 0:08:38.840 --> 0:08:43.199 machine that is trying to weaponize Mamdanni and turn him 0:08:43.280 --> 0:08:48.559 into you know, the grandson of Vladimir Lenin and trying 0:08:48.600 --> 0:08:50.679 to make the hammer and sickle, you know, call him 0:08:50.679 --> 0:08:54.160 a communist and all of these things. And look, and 0:08:54.280 --> 0:08:57.160 I've warned and I've showed you this. If you don't 0:08:57.160 --> 0:09:01.360 think this is an effective strategy, if Democrats don't know 0:09:01.400 --> 0:09:06.160 how to figure out how both to embrace embrace his 0:09:06.440 --> 0:09:10.560 victory and at the same time say hey, we disagree 0:09:10.679 --> 0:09:13.640 on this issue, this issue, in this issue or some 0:09:13.920 --> 0:09:18.040 form of that. They're going to tie themselves into knots 0:09:18.080 --> 0:09:21.240 and they're going to essentially allow the weaponization to take hold. 0:09:21.840 --> 0:09:23.640 All you have to do, and this is what I 0:09:23.679 --> 0:09:26.440 pointed out yesterday is look at what happened to the 0:09:26.440 --> 0:09:29.800 Democrats in the state of Florida when they nominated somebody 0:09:29.800 --> 0:09:34.160 friendly with democratic socialism. The S word just totally destroyed 0:09:34.200 --> 0:09:37.040 the Democratic brand in Florida, and now Florida is a 0:09:37.080 --> 0:09:41.240 red state. The fact is that the Mayor of New 0:09:41.320 --> 0:09:45.240 York City is I would argue, the second or third 0:09:45.280 --> 0:09:48.679 most famous elected official in the country. I promise you 0:09:48.720 --> 0:09:51.320 if you did it, you know over time, after the 0:09:51.320 --> 0:09:55.280 president and vice president. I think that most people have 0:09:55.320 --> 0:09:56.920 a better shot at naming the Mayor of New York 0:09:56.960 --> 0:10:00.440 City than the Speaker of the House. So it is 0:10:00.520 --> 0:10:05.560 one of the more symbolically, certainly one of the bigger names. 0:10:05.559 --> 0:10:07.960 And that's why this is symbolically such a huge victory. 0:10:08.000 --> 0:10:12.200 But it is, it absolutely is. I think the it's 0:10:12.240 --> 0:10:14.840 the first shot in the big fight between sort of 0:10:14.840 --> 0:10:16.920 the mainstream wing of the Democratic Party. If you want 0:10:16.920 --> 0:10:20.240 to call it again, they need a better descriptor. Right. 0:10:20.400 --> 0:10:23.480 Establishment is a terrible thing. Nobody wants to be the establishment. 0:10:23.559 --> 0:10:27.280 Sounds like they're the incumbent. You know, if you say mainstream, 0:10:27.400 --> 0:10:30.840 it sounds like you're saying there. You know, it's so. 0:10:31.240 --> 0:10:33.880 And as far as the voters were concerned, Mom, Donnie's 0:10:33.880 --> 0:10:36.400 the mainstream, or he wouldn't have won the nomination. So 0:10:36.440 --> 0:10:38.920 I think that's I will admit there needs to be 0:10:38.960 --> 0:10:42.400 so you know, center left, maybe we call it that 0:10:42.480 --> 0:10:48.800 the center left Democrats, the non progressive Democrats. They've they 0:10:48.800 --> 0:10:55.600 don't know, they've got to sort of stop supporting ancient names, 0:10:56.120 --> 0:10:58.760 you know, family dynasties. And I think part of it 0:10:58.800 --> 0:11:01.440 is you sort of have an actre feed class of 0:11:01.480 --> 0:11:05.520 Democrats who I think are being advised by the same 0:11:06.360 --> 0:11:10.880 you know, five or six consultants, They get their funding 0:11:10.960 --> 0:11:15.160 from the same five or six sources, and it becomes 0:11:15.280 --> 0:11:18.200 sort of I think they've become their own bubble and 0:11:18.240 --> 0:11:22.400 they fully don't see it. And yes, the positions that 0:11:22.440 --> 0:11:26.600 Mamdani holds are not popular overall with swing voters. The 0:11:26.960 --> 0:11:30.240 ideas are, but sort of the paying for them are right, 0:11:30.400 --> 0:11:33.760 Like okay, free groceries, Yeah, how does that going to work? 0:11:33.760 --> 0:11:36.280 And who pays for it? I do think that he 0:11:36.400 --> 0:11:38.839 is going to Mamdani. If he does become mayor, is 0:11:38.880 --> 0:11:42.200 going to somebody's going to educate him that the tax 0:11:42.240 --> 0:11:46.600 base of New York City is actually, you know, seventy 0:11:46.679 --> 0:11:48.679 to eighty percent of it comes from a very small 0:11:48.720 --> 0:11:52.480 group of people, and be careful taxing them to the 0:11:52.520 --> 0:11:55.440 point where they decide to leave. Now, I think some 0:11:55.520 --> 0:11:57.840 of this stuff's overblown, right, like all the people that 0:11:57.880 --> 0:11:59.920 we're going to flee to Canada if Donald Trump got 0:11:59.920 --> 0:12:02.320 to like that, I don't think. I think ninety five 0:12:02.320 --> 0:12:04.199 percent of the people that claim they're leaving New York 0:12:04.240 --> 0:12:07.280 City if Mom Donnie becomes mayor, are not going to leave. 0:12:09.160 --> 0:12:10.839 But the story is not you know, it's not a 0:12:10.880 --> 0:12:13.400 good narrative. It's certainly not a good you know, a 0:12:13.440 --> 0:12:15.720 good look, and you're going to have a lot of 0:12:15.840 --> 0:12:19.600 squeaky Wall Street people. But if your mom Donnie politically, 0:12:20.400 --> 0:12:23.079 if Wall Street's upset, then you're winning, right as far 0:12:23.080 --> 0:12:25.640 as your voters are concerned. So you got how he 0:12:25.720 --> 0:12:28.600 had to actually be careful if you're in the if 0:12:28.640 --> 0:12:31.240 you're in the wealthy wing of the Democratic Party or 0:12:31.240 --> 0:12:33.480 the wealthy wing of New York City, how you go 0:12:33.600 --> 0:12:38.120 about criticizing I speak to you Bill Ackman, who I 0:12:38.160 --> 0:12:42.800 don't think has a full self awareness gene in him 0:12:43.640 --> 0:12:46.439 at all times. And so I, you know, I do 0:12:46.520 --> 0:12:51.640 think that that that some of the complaints come across as, oh, 0:12:51.840 --> 0:12:54.360 it must be tough for you, for you folks that 0:12:54.440 --> 0:12:57.120 have to fly private in and out of New York City, 0:12:58.040 --> 0:13:01.679 But you know it is. Look, it is a party 0:13:01.679 --> 0:13:05.679 that's very nervous about more about the fact that they 0:13:05.760 --> 0:13:08.960 have no confidence in their own party at figuring out 0:13:09.559 --> 0:13:13.839 how to embrace mom Donnie without owning all of his positions. 0:13:14.360 --> 0:13:16.480 The fact of the matter is a Republican Party struggled 0:13:16.480 --> 0:13:19.640 with this with Donald Trump from twenty fifteen, twenty sixteen, 0:13:19.679 --> 0:13:23.000 and twenty seventeen until guess what, Donald Trump just eviscerated 0:13:23.040 --> 0:13:26.360 the establishment. Look at the people that were still around, right, 0:13:26.400 --> 0:13:30.439 You had this sort of uncomfortable alliance between sort of 0:13:30.440 --> 0:13:33.720 the Paul Ryan wing that was still alive in twenty 0:13:33.720 --> 0:13:37.559 seventeen and twenty eighteen and the Donald Trump wing of 0:13:37.600 --> 0:13:40.920 the party. Well, five years later, all of those folks 0:13:40.960 --> 0:13:44.200 are gone. It's Donald Trump's party. Are there still some 0:13:44.280 --> 0:13:49.000 few remaining members of that old establishment? Rich McConnell's on 0:13:49.040 --> 0:13:51.960 his way out. John Thune is trying hard not to 0:13:52.000 --> 0:13:54.440 look like he's part of the old guard, and we'll 0:13:54.480 --> 0:13:57.880 see John Cornyn is struggling. As you can see, he's 0:13:57.880 --> 0:14:01.120 about perhaps going to see the end his political career. 0:14:01.400 --> 0:14:04.800 He's somebody that's been around. So it may be that 0:14:04.880 --> 0:14:10.640 what Republicans dealt with in twenty fourteen to twenty sixteen 0:14:11.760 --> 0:14:15.280 maybe what's going to be happening here and maybe this 0:14:15.559 --> 0:14:20.040 is the beginning of a revolt of sort of a 0:14:20.120 --> 0:14:23.800 secondary revolution of sorts. I do want to point out 0:14:23.840 --> 0:14:26.800 another piece of commentary that I retweeted earlier today, but 0:14:26.840 --> 0:14:28.800 I want to read. It comes from somebody who's going 0:14:28.880 --> 0:14:31.360 to be on the podcast pretty soon, Kristen Sultis Anderson. 0:14:31.400 --> 0:14:36.720 She's a Republican polster, really good, and she highlighted this 0:14:36.880 --> 0:14:42.479 quote from Politico's Playbook. It was from an anonymous centrist Democrat. 0:14:42.560 --> 0:14:45.600 It was a hot take, and it was this quote. 0:14:45.720 --> 0:14:48.480 It is extremely alarming that the only candidates who genuinely 0:14:48.480 --> 0:14:52.000 excite our voters are the ones making absolutely insane promises 0:14:52.040 --> 0:14:57.240 on politically toxic positions, one strategist tells Playbook, leaving us 0:14:57.240 --> 0:14:59.720 in the spot of trying to execute on bad policy 0:14:59.760 --> 0:15:03.640 and losing terribly or failing to keep our promises and 0:15:03.680 --> 0:15:07.800 reinforcing the idea that all politics is bullshit. Well, Kristen 0:15:07.800 --> 0:15:10.760 Sultius Anderson put this little note above that quote, and 0:15:10.800 --> 0:15:13.840 she said, change the party label from DEM to GOP. 0:15:14.480 --> 0:15:16.520 And this reminds me of a quote you'd read in 0:15:16.560 --> 0:15:20.240 the summer of twenty fourteen. Well, the summer of twenty fourteen, right, 0:15:20.400 --> 0:15:24.880 was the sort of the second big tea party election, right, 0:15:24.920 --> 0:15:28.760 that last midterm of Obama. And it really those that 0:15:28.920 --> 0:15:33.480 came in there. Josh Holly was a twenty fourteen elected Republican, 0:15:33.520 --> 0:15:36.680 for instance. The beginnings of what is now sort of 0:15:36.720 --> 0:15:40.200 the mainstream MAGA coalition that is very supportive of the 0:15:40.200 --> 0:15:44.520 Trump agenda started to come in in twenty a little 0:15:44.520 --> 0:15:47.520 bit in twenty ten, more so in twenty fourteen, and 0:15:47.600 --> 0:15:50.920 it was the same concerns you had. Mainstream Republicans. Establishment 0:15:50.920 --> 0:15:54.320 Republicans just panicked, and some of these candidates were so 0:15:54.360 --> 0:15:56.000 bad it did cost them Senate races. 0:15:56.080 --> 0:15:56.160 Right. 0:15:56.560 --> 0:16:00.240 Why why are Democrats as close to having the Senate 0:16:00.320 --> 0:16:03.120 majority and in fact just had it for two cycles 0:16:03.120 --> 0:16:05.880 that arguably they shouldn't have had it for It's because 0:16:06.360 --> 0:16:08.760 of how poorly many of these candidates did the first 0:16:08.760 --> 0:16:12.120 time they ran. But as you saw, over time, eventually 0:16:12.920 --> 0:16:17.200 those candidates were able to become seen as mainstream Republicans 0:16:17.480 --> 0:16:21.960 as Donald Trump changed the Republican Party electorate itself, right, 0:16:22.240 --> 0:16:25.520 what you know, those Republicans that rejected some of those 0:16:25.560 --> 0:16:28.840 Tea Party candidates in twenty fourteen, for many of them, 0:16:28.840 --> 0:16:32.000 that was the last time they voted Republican. Right, They 0:16:32.120 --> 0:16:35.160 ended up becoming the new suburban Democratic voters. And this 0:16:35.320 --> 0:16:38.160 is the challenge that I think the Democratic Party has. 0:16:38.720 --> 0:16:45.120 They have been growing support in the wealthier suburbs around 0:16:45.200 --> 0:16:49.280 pretty much every major metropolitan arean America. But these folks 0:16:49.440 --> 0:16:54.960 are not keen on the policies of democratic socialists, you know. 0:16:55.120 --> 0:16:58.520 So this is going to be the uncomfortable alliance that 0:16:58.600 --> 0:17:01.520 I don't know how the two of them are going 0:17:01.560 --> 0:17:05.240 to coexist. Perhaps there's a way that happens. Maybe it's 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:08.639 a temporary alliance. You know, for a long time, this 0:17:08.680 --> 0:17:11.480 stuff was papered over by just being angry at Donald Trump. 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:15.720 But I think now after sort of eight years of 0:17:16.240 --> 0:17:21.040 conducting campaigns that paper over this divide between essentially a 0:17:22.000 --> 0:17:26.040 business wing of the Democratic Party and a progressive populist 0:17:26.040 --> 0:17:29.680 wing of the Democratic Party that really I think culturally 0:17:29.840 --> 0:17:32.080 they see things eye to eye and some social issues, 0:17:32.119 --> 0:17:35.440 but not on economic policy, and this is where there's 0:17:35.480 --> 0:17:39.439 this sharp divide and a little bit unfeigned policy. But 0:17:39.880 --> 0:17:43.399 you know, I think sometimes we over highlight the Israel 0:17:43.480 --> 0:17:46.360 issue as a primary voting issue. There's not a lot 0:17:46.359 --> 0:17:50.560 of evidence that voters themselves vote on this issue. That 0:17:50.680 --> 0:17:56.200 instead they're voting on pocketbook issues. So you know, perhaps 0:17:56.320 --> 0:17:58.960 now now that Trump I mean, look, Cuomo tried to 0:17:59.000 --> 0:18:01.520 use the Trump card in order to gain traction with 0:18:01.560 --> 0:18:04.960 Democratic primary voters, and it's pretty clear Democratic primary voters 0:18:04.960 --> 0:18:07.480 are tired of that messaging. They want to hear something 0:18:07.560 --> 0:18:09.840 that's for them. They want to hear something that feels 0:18:09.880 --> 0:18:11.959 like fighting. They want to have something that feels like 0:18:12.280 --> 0:18:15.440 pushing back in one form or another. And I think 0:18:15.520 --> 0:18:18.919 that's what Mam Doni I think gave voters in a 0:18:18.920 --> 0:18:22.919 way that Cuomo never did. But this is where I 0:18:22.960 --> 0:18:25.119 think we all have to sort of take a breath. 0:18:27.880 --> 0:18:29.560 I don't think we can sit here and say for 0:18:29.640 --> 0:18:32.720 sure that Mam Donnie's nomination is. It means the Democratic 0:18:32.760 --> 0:18:36.399 Party wants to go in a very progressive direction on 0:18:36.480 --> 0:18:41.960 economic policy. I think this right now one is not 0:18:42.000 --> 0:18:45.320 a trend. Let's see if this happens in multiple races, 0:18:45.320 --> 0:18:47.920 and then we can have another conversation. But I think 0:18:47.960 --> 0:18:51.080 this had more to do with in Cuomo becoming the 0:18:51.160 --> 0:18:54.520 quasi incumbent to voters right he was seeing the establishment 0:18:54.560 --> 0:18:56.920 and incumbency feels like one and the same these days. 0:18:57.520 --> 0:19:01.080 He ran a terrible race. He wasn't talking about economic issues, 0:19:01.320 --> 0:19:03.639 and he also ran an old race. What do I 0:19:03.680 --> 0:19:07.000 mean by that? Well, they just ran an old campaign, 0:19:07.480 --> 0:19:11.280 a lot of TV ads, a lot of sort of slickness, 0:19:11.359 --> 0:19:14.480 sort of the sort of traditional events, getting the proper 0:19:14.640 --> 0:19:17.960 endorsements and proper endorsements like you know, Jim Clyburn worrying 0:19:18.000 --> 0:19:21.040 too much about those endorsements, versus a mom Donnie who 0:19:21.320 --> 0:19:24.119 by necessity had to come up with different ways to 0:19:24.200 --> 0:19:27.440 run because he didn't have that amount of money. Ran 0:19:27.480 --> 0:19:33.600 a more modern twenty twenty esque the twenty twenties. What 0:19:33.720 --> 0:19:38.880 sort of media is today? Hey, I'm you know, independent media, streaming, 0:19:38.920 --> 0:19:42.280 whatever you want to refer to it. He was all 0:19:42.320 --> 0:19:44.440 of the above. He was showing up everywhere. He would 0:19:44.480 --> 0:19:48.080 certainly do plenty of legacy cable television, but he also 0:19:48.119 --> 0:19:52.000 would do plenty of new media as well. Cuomo wasn't 0:19:52.000 --> 0:19:53.760 doing any of that. I mean, I think I said 0:19:53.800 --> 0:19:55.679 it earlier. I believe he did two podcasts and one 0:19:55.720 --> 0:19:59.080 of them was his brothers. Right. He wasn't exactly looking 0:19:59.119 --> 0:20:02.120 to talk to new vote and sort of let loose, 0:20:02.160 --> 0:20:04.359 and I think part of that, frankly, the reason they 0:20:04.440 --> 0:20:07.520 hit him, right, the reason we never saw Joe Biden 0:20:07.600 --> 0:20:12.280 is that they were afraid he really couldn't reassure people 0:20:12.280 --> 0:20:16.960 that he was all all on the up and up, 0:20:17.080 --> 0:20:19.040 which is why we rarely saw him in interviews, and 0:20:19.080 --> 0:20:21.919 he was very protected. I think with Cuomo, they just 0:20:22.320 --> 0:20:27.399 wanted to duck questions about the circumstances with which he 0:20:27.800 --> 0:20:31.800 decided to resign his governorship. And that was a mistake, right, 0:20:31.960 --> 0:20:34.960 not confronting these things. You know, he could have taken 0:20:35.000 --> 0:20:37.399 a page from Trump's book and gone right at it 0:20:37.720 --> 0:20:40.719 and sort of owned it or not owned it, but 0:20:41.000 --> 0:20:43.879 dealt with it. Whatever you think of Trump, he tries 0:20:43.960 --> 0:20:46.560 to deal with all of it. Sometimes obviously, sometimes he 0:20:46.640 --> 0:20:49.760 lies about it, makes up, but he's constantly trying to 0:20:49.800 --> 0:20:52.520 deal with it, and it sends a message to voters 0:20:52.920 --> 0:20:57.240 that he's at least acknowledging the elephant's plural in the room. 0:20:58.200 --> 0:21:02.320 Cuomo never did any of that, So I think I 0:21:02.359 --> 0:21:05.800 would caution, assuming this is some sort of leftboard lurch 0:21:06.000 --> 0:21:08.760 of the Democratic Party, what were the alternatives. He ran 0:21:08.800 --> 0:21:10.800 a better race, He talked about the issues that voters 0:21:10.840 --> 0:21:13.359 cared about. Cuomo was the front runner. He behaved like 0:21:13.560 --> 0:21:18.359 an incumbent, and he lost. He was sort of and 0:21:18.400 --> 0:21:19.960 it felt like he was out of touch. He didn't 0:21:19.960 --> 0:21:22.040 even live in the city. He didn't even know how 0:21:22.040 --> 0:21:25.040 to His bagel order was an English muffin. I mean 0:21:25.240 --> 0:21:28.320 that alone, to some people, was grounds for never being 0:21:28.359 --> 0:21:32.359 elected mayor of New York City. So it is. You know, 0:21:32.400 --> 0:21:35.800 it's very possible that Mom Donnie won for very mundane 0:21:35.920 --> 0:21:38.160 reasons that have nothing to do with ideology and nothing 0:21:38.200 --> 0:21:41.240 to do with any big shift that bread and butter issues. 0:21:41.359 --> 0:21:43.040 One guy was talking about bread and butter and the 0:21:43.040 --> 0:21:46.119 other one wasn't pure and simple. But here's what I 0:21:46.119 --> 0:21:51.720 would say. I do think that I think Senate Democrats, 0:21:51.800 --> 0:21:53.840 I think Democratic Party is a real problem with Chuck Schumer. 0:21:53.920 --> 0:21:56.960 Right now I say this, it's going to sound like 0:21:56.960 --> 0:21:59.040 I'm picking on him, But you know there was a 0:21:59.080 --> 0:22:02.320 new candidate jumped into the US Senate race in Texas, 0:22:03.800 --> 0:22:06.760 and the first thing he did to say, you know 0:22:06.800 --> 0:22:10.120 he's running is a This is the astronaut, former astronaut 0:22:10.160 --> 0:22:12.000 who decided to run first time he's run for office, 0:22:12.040 --> 0:22:15.680 running as a Democrat, and he and he took a 0:22:15.840 --> 0:22:18.960 and he named Check Schumer as the Democrats who aren't 0:22:18.960 --> 0:22:21.240 doing enough, who aren't fighting, who don't know what they're doing, 0:22:22.119 --> 0:22:25.600 Rocanna who wants himself a congressman out in Silicon Valley. 0:22:26.320 --> 0:22:28.960 Longtime listeners of the Chuck podcast know that I've had 0:22:29.040 --> 0:22:33.760 him on and we've we've we've we've, we've had conversations 0:22:33.760 --> 0:22:39.040 a few times on this broadcast. He regularly named checks 0:22:39.119 --> 0:22:41.480 Schumer in a negative way these days as part of 0:22:41.480 --> 0:22:46.480 the problem on the he's becoming the punching bag for 0:22:46.720 --> 0:22:50.120 Democrats to show that they they are getting the message. 0:22:50.160 --> 0:22:54.840 So it's really I think he's becoming the now symbol. 0:22:54.920 --> 0:22:57.879 It's not Jeffries, it's not the DNC chair that probably 0:22:57.920 --> 0:22:59.920 most people can't remember the name of right now, it's 0:23:00.200 --> 0:23:02.800 Martin in case you're asking yourself right now, it is 0:23:02.840 --> 0:23:06.199 sort of Chuck Schumer. Some of this maybe some of 0:23:06.200 --> 0:23:09.639 the criticism is unfair, but basically he is the remaining 0:23:09.720 --> 0:23:12.800 member of the sort of the group of Democrats that 0:23:12.840 --> 0:23:16.720 it feels like they've been running the party since Obama left. Right, 0:23:16.800 --> 0:23:19.159 you know, Clinton is no longer there, Biden is no 0:23:19.240 --> 0:23:22.280 longer there, but Chuck Schumer. You know, Nancy Pelosi is 0:23:22.280 --> 0:23:24.840 no longer there, but Chuck Schumer is still there. Right, 0:23:24.880 --> 0:23:27.159 Harry Reid is no longer there, but Chuck Schumer is 0:23:27.160 --> 0:23:29.240 still there. Stanny Hoyer is no longer there, but Chuck 0:23:29.240 --> 0:23:32.080 Schumer is still there. So he is I think going 0:23:32.119 --> 0:23:36.359 to become an even bigger magnet. The question. Now, the 0:23:36.400 --> 0:23:40.800 Senate Democrats are very you know senators in general, they're 0:23:40.800 --> 0:23:44.679 not They don't they don't act rashly. You know, they 0:23:44.760 --> 0:23:49.160 usually are very They want to they want to take 0:23:49.160 --> 0:23:53.280 their time on dealing with things. So I don't know 0:23:53.640 --> 0:23:55.639 that he's in trouble and that there would be some 0:23:55.680 --> 0:23:58.320 move against him. In fact, it would be very unsenate 0:23:58.520 --> 0:24:00.480 like to see something like this. But I'll tell you 0:24:00.520 --> 0:24:03.240 that conversation I had with the Democratic senator very recently 0:24:03.640 --> 0:24:06.200 who was really upset that Michael Bennett decided to run 0:24:06.200 --> 0:24:08.159 for governor, and I think I shared this with you 0:24:08.200 --> 0:24:11.720 that a form of this, but it was this senator 0:24:11.760 --> 0:24:14.120 was saying, look, we've got to replace Schumer. We all 0:24:14.160 --> 0:24:18.320 know it, but there's no obvious person. I thought Michael 0:24:18.320 --> 0:24:22.240 Bennett was the obvious replacement, and and and the senator 0:24:22.640 --> 0:24:25.040 you know, said, look, you know, he decided he wanted 0:24:25.040 --> 0:24:27.359 to be governor. He's frustrated working in the Senate. He 0:24:27.480 --> 0:24:31.159 gets it, but you know, you know, it's sort of 0:24:31.200 --> 0:24:32.760 like if you're going to shoot the king, who you're 0:24:32.760 --> 0:24:35.400 going to replace him with? Right? You know? Is it? 0:24:35.440 --> 0:24:37.840 And if you're thinking about running for president in the 0:24:37.960 --> 0:24:39.720 US Senate, the last thing you want to be is 0:24:39.760 --> 0:24:43.640 in leadership. Right, maybe it's better off of Brian Shatz, 0:24:43.680 --> 0:24:47.359 who is a Senator from Hawaii who seems to be 0:24:47.440 --> 0:24:50.679 one of the few that has figured out how to 0:24:51.080 --> 0:24:52.960 how to talk to both the progressive wing of the 0:24:53.000 --> 0:24:57.679 party in a in a way that's authentic and the 0:24:57.800 --> 0:24:59.680 and the and the sort of center left wing of 0:24:59.720 --> 0:25:02.880 the party party where I think he's decidedly a bit 0:25:02.960 --> 0:25:06.439 more progressive. But it's very respectful. You know, when you 0:25:06.480 --> 0:25:08.879 replace Daniel inn Away in the Senate, you're sort of 0:25:08.920 --> 0:25:13.520 respectful of how of the different wings of the party itself. 0:25:15.280 --> 0:25:19.000 It might behove the party to essentially listen to the 0:25:19.040 --> 0:25:21.280 base of the party and say, you know, and here's 0:25:21.280 --> 0:25:23.800 the thing. Schumer's one of the most self aware politicians 0:25:23.800 --> 0:25:28.800 I've ever met. He has made ruthless decisions in the past, 0:25:29.280 --> 0:25:33.240 nominees to let loose in Senate races where you're just 0:25:33.280 --> 0:25:35.320 trying to save the Senate in another state and you 0:25:35.880 --> 0:25:38.960 can't fulfill a promise. He knows how to make tough decisions. 0:25:39.359 --> 0:25:42.840 He's done it before. He's pulled the plug on candidacies 0:25:42.880 --> 0:25:44.960 that you know, made a lot of people mad. But 0:25:45.040 --> 0:25:49.639 somebody has to make those decisions. There might be a 0:25:49.680 --> 0:25:52.320 moment where the best thing for him to be is 0:25:52.359 --> 0:25:54.639 to sort of say, you know what, I shouldn't. You know, 0:25:56.000 --> 0:25:58.280 nobody saying he should leave the Senate, but that he 0:25:58.280 --> 0:26:02.439 steps aside as party leader and sort of sends the 0:26:02.480 --> 0:26:05.720 message that the Democrats do want to sort of turn 0:26:05.800 --> 0:26:09.159 the page, do want a new set of leaders. I 0:26:09.160 --> 0:26:11.920 think Jeffreys is still considered new to the post, right, 0:26:12.320 --> 0:26:14.800 I mean, and Nancy Pelosi is still there right, still 0:26:14.840 --> 0:26:18.240 sort of walks the halls and some I've talked to 0:26:18.280 --> 0:26:21.480 some House Democrats who think that she's she needs to 0:26:21.520 --> 0:26:24.600 lay lower than she has been, and she's actually laid 0:26:24.600 --> 0:26:28.680 pretty low here. It is interesting who did decide to endorse, 0:26:31.040 --> 0:26:34.320 who did decide to endorse Mom Donnie today and who 0:26:34.320 --> 0:26:37.400 did not. The first member of the New York City 0:26:37.440 --> 0:26:41.560 Congressional delegation to endorse Mom Donnie Jerry Nadler, and he's 0:26:42.200 --> 0:26:46.080 he is Jewish. It's a big endorsement. He called it 0:26:46.119 --> 0:26:50.880 a seismic election. He compared Mom Donnie's victory to Obama's victory. 0:26:51.880 --> 0:26:55.120 And here's what he said when it came. He said 0:26:55.680 --> 0:26:59.040 on and whether he had any concerns about some previous 0:26:59.040 --> 0:27:02.360 statements that Mam Donna he had made as a Jewish American, 0:27:02.400 --> 0:27:05.160 and he said, quote, I've spoken to him today about 0:27:05.160 --> 0:27:07.719 his commitment to fighting anti Semitism, and we'll work with 0:27:07.760 --> 0:27:11.320 all New Yorkers to fight against all bigotry and hate. 0:27:11.880 --> 0:27:13.680 And that's what I'm going to be curious to see. 0:27:13.720 --> 0:27:17.639 I think Mom Donnie, we're going to find out. You know, 0:27:17.720 --> 0:27:21.639 sometimes insurgent candidacies don't know how to then not be 0:27:21.720 --> 0:27:25.959 an insurgent like Bernie Sanders. I would argue, he's now 0:27:26.440 --> 0:27:29.720 an establishment leader of the party. But he never wants 0:27:29.760 --> 0:27:31.840 to be seen as an establishment member of the party, 0:27:31.880 --> 0:27:34.760 which is why he continues to back out of his promises. 0:27:34.760 --> 0:27:37.359 He is multiple times promised he was going to register 0:27:37.400 --> 0:27:41.880 as a Democrat and never did because I don't think 0:27:41.880 --> 0:27:44.000 he ever wants to be seen as quote unquote part 0:27:44.000 --> 0:27:48.359 of the establishment. But you could argue, because he's been 0:27:48.400 --> 0:27:51.840 the leader of the progressive movement arguably now for a decade, 0:27:52.200 --> 0:27:57.080 that he is certainly the establishment member of that. But look, 0:27:57.200 --> 0:28:02.600 I do think that there's he's never been able to 0:28:02.720 --> 0:28:05.920 figure out how to be bigger than just his movement. 0:28:06.440 --> 0:28:08.400 This is going to be a challenge from mom Donnie. Right. 0:28:08.800 --> 0:28:13.800 Governing that city is incredibly difficult. It has been referred 0:28:13.840 --> 0:28:18.360 to as the second hardest job in politics. And he 0:28:18.440 --> 0:28:20.639 actually has an opportunity here over the next three or 0:28:20.640 --> 0:28:24.400 four months where the bar's kind of low, right, you're 0:28:24.400 --> 0:28:29.120 going to have a lot of skeptical moderates, skeptical business 0:28:29.200 --> 0:28:33.600 leaders about him. How does he he's had an opportunity 0:28:33.640 --> 0:28:36.119 to sort of make a new first impression with some 0:28:36.160 --> 0:28:39.880 of these folks. What's he like behind the scenes, right, 0:28:39.920 --> 0:28:44.200 you know, it's sort of like sometimes insurgent politicians don't 0:28:44.200 --> 0:28:48.800 know how to be sort of diplomats. When you have 0:28:48.840 --> 0:28:51.080 to be a diplomat, you need to sometimes do diplomacy 0:28:51.120 --> 0:28:54.000 even in domestic politics. Right, it's a challenge that's taking 0:28:54.000 --> 0:28:56.120 place in Syria with the new president there. Right, he 0:28:56.240 --> 0:28:58.480 was a rebel and then suddenly you're now in charge 0:28:58.520 --> 0:29:00.440 and you have to govern everybody, including people that may 0:29:00.440 --> 0:29:04.160 not have wanted you in that position. Can you meet 0:29:04.200 --> 0:29:05.760 the moment, can you handle the moment, and can you 0:29:05.800 --> 0:29:09.720 say no to a supporter if it's for the greater good? Right, 0:29:09.840 --> 0:29:14.040 So it'll be interesting to see that challenge, see how 0:29:14.040 --> 0:29:17.040 he handles that challenge going forward. But look, there's no 0:29:17.080 --> 0:29:19.080 doubt about it. This is an earthquake. And one final 0:29:19.080 --> 0:29:21.640 point I'll make on this, I did a little quick 0:29:22.040 --> 0:29:27.200 research here. There are fifteen members of Congress that are 0:29:27.440 --> 0:29:32.640 seventy years old or older. I do think Mom Donnie's 0:29:32.720 --> 0:29:36.760 victory is going to inspire primary challenges to many of 0:29:36.800 --> 0:29:41.320 these folks. And if you've been in Congress, you're over 0:29:41.360 --> 0:29:43.600 the age of seventy and you've been in Congress more 0:29:43.640 --> 0:29:46.240 than two decades, you really ought to look in the 0:29:46.240 --> 0:29:48.480 mirror and ask yourself whether you really do you want 0:29:48.520 --> 0:29:51.000 to end this way because I think there's going to 0:29:51.000 --> 0:29:54.240 be real vulnerability. It's clear there is a hunger for new. 0:29:54.840 --> 0:29:56.880 I do think the key to Mom Donnie as he 0:29:57.000 --> 0:30:02.080 was new Cuomo, was old, pure and simple. And those 0:30:02.160 --> 0:30:04.720 fifteen members of Congress who have allved so far have 0:30:04.720 --> 0:30:06.560 said they're going to run for reelection, whether it's a 0:30:06.640 --> 0:30:11.400 Maxine Waters in Los Angeles, Stenny Hoyer in Maryland, a 0:30:11.480 --> 0:30:15.120 Bill Pascrell in New Jersey, and Al Green in Texas, 0:30:15.200 --> 0:30:18.120 A Jerry Nadler in New York City, which may explain 0:30:18.160 --> 0:30:20.960 why he quickly jumped on the Mom Donnie bandwagon. He's 0:30:21.000 --> 0:30:24.160 seventy seven and has had to deal with his sheriff 0:30:24.200 --> 0:30:29.440 primary pro Progressive primary challengers before. So that's the door 0:30:29.480 --> 0:30:31.640 that I expected. You know, this is what David Hogg 0:30:31.960 --> 0:30:34.960 had promised he wanted to do. And it is interesting 0:30:34.960 --> 0:30:37.880 when I look at the fifteen House members, none of 0:30:37.880 --> 0:30:40.400 them are in swing seats except for one that I 0:30:40.440 --> 0:30:43.560 can see here, Marcy Captor. Beyond that, everybody else is 0:30:43.600 --> 0:30:48.080 in fairly safe democratic seats. This could be This could 0:30:48.080 --> 0:30:51.880 be the sea change. A sea change is coming. And 0:30:51.880 --> 0:30:53.960 I'll tell you one other one that might want to 0:30:54.000 --> 0:30:57.160 be careful here, and that is there is one senator 0:30:57.240 --> 0:31:01.240 who is up for reelection in twenty twenty six who 0:31:01.320 --> 0:31:03.479 is running that's over the age of seventy five, and 0:31:03.480 --> 0:31:07.240 that's Ed Markey. Now, he survived a primary challenge when 0:31:07.240 --> 0:31:11.280 he was an appointed senator from from young Joe Kennedy, 0:31:11.400 --> 0:31:15.240 the third but Kennedy kind of ran to his right, 0:31:16.960 --> 0:31:18.760 ran a primary challenge from his right, which, as we 0:31:18.800 --> 0:31:21.720 all know, in a Democratic primary, that usually doesn't work. 0:31:22.280 --> 0:31:24.520 But that's another one. The point is is that I think, 0:31:25.840 --> 0:31:28.160 I don't think if you're an incumbent Democrat and you've 0:31:28.200 --> 0:31:31.000 been in office for more than a decade, watch out. 0:31:31.840 --> 0:31:35.640 That's probably the number one message. Watch out quick update 0:31:35.680 --> 0:31:38.720 on the big beautiful bill that the president's trying to 0:31:38.720 --> 0:31:41.080 get through, and you have all these folks trying to 0:31:41.120 --> 0:31:44.520 sort of jam, if you will, The Senate's trying to 0:31:44.600 --> 0:31:46.840 jam the House. They still want to rush this vote. 0:31:49.320 --> 0:31:53.120 It's amazing how unpopular this bill continues to be. And 0:31:53.160 --> 0:31:57.320 there's been a couple of just sloppy comments that that 0:31:57.400 --> 0:31:59.520 I have a feeling are going to come back to 0:31:59.680 --> 0:32:03.960 haunt congressional Republicans. And that is one, of course, was 0:32:03.960 --> 0:32:07.719 the one Joni Ernst made Everybody's going to die. And 0:32:07.760 --> 0:32:10.880 another is a comment that Mitch McConnell was quoted as 0:32:10.880 --> 0:32:14.040 saying on Medicaid cuts when he said, when he was 0:32:14.080 --> 0:32:16.880 quoted Tom Tillis, who is up for reelection, is concerned 0:32:17.120 --> 0:32:21.320 about the severity of some of these Medicaid cuts. Mitch McConnell, 0:32:21.320 --> 0:32:23.400 apparently in the same meeting said, yes, he's been hearing 0:32:23.440 --> 0:32:28.000 the same in Kentucky. But they'll get over it. I 0:32:28.160 --> 0:32:30.720 just that phrase. They'll get over it. And we all 0:32:30.760 --> 0:32:35.280 know how whether one thing, it's one thing for Joni Earnst, 0:32:35.280 --> 0:32:37.400 somebody who outside of Iowa, most people don't know who 0:32:37.400 --> 0:32:40.240 she is. Mitch McConnell, that's somebody a lot of people 0:32:40.240 --> 0:32:43.200 have heard of. I just have a feeling that quote's 0:32:43.200 --> 0:32:46.000 going to become famous. The biggest problem Trump has, and 0:32:46.040 --> 0:32:47.480 I know he's promised to do a tour of the 0:32:47.480 --> 0:32:49.880 country to try to top this bill, is this bill 0:32:49.960 --> 0:32:53.880 starts out enormously unpopular. It has been so defined as 0:32:53.880 --> 0:32:57.040 a cutting Medicaid bill. It is not on other stuff 0:32:57.040 --> 0:33:00.160 at all. It is it is. I don't know know 0:33:00.240 --> 0:33:04.040 how they turn this thing around as a political asset, 0:33:04.160 --> 0:33:05.840 but you know what this is what happened to Biden 0:33:05.880 --> 0:33:08.520 and the Democrats. They eventually got their bill passed, but 0:33:08.600 --> 0:33:13.560 it was such an ugly, painful process, so many ugly 0:33:13.640 --> 0:33:19.160 negotiations and various Democrats trashing different proposals, allowing quotes to 0:33:19.200 --> 0:33:24.160 be used in the elections to sort of make it 0:33:24.200 --> 0:33:27.040 make Democrats uncomfortable trying to sell it. They had a 0:33:27.320 --> 0:33:29.280 you know, it was not a political asset in twenty 0:33:29.280 --> 0:33:32.280 twenty two, It just wasn't to the voters. I think 0:33:32.280 --> 0:33:34.760 that's the situation that Republicans face with this bill in 0:33:34.800 --> 0:33:37.640 twenty twenty six. Look, not passing the bill would still 0:33:37.640 --> 0:33:41.600 be worse politics than passing this bill. But there's I 0:33:41.640 --> 0:33:43.440 don't know what they get to sell out of this 0:33:43.560 --> 0:33:47.360 that's positive. I really don't. It's becoming harder and harder. 0:33:47.360 --> 0:33:51.800 And speaking of which, and this May, it's an important 0:33:51.840 --> 0:33:55.360 poll number that I wanted to share with you that 0:33:55.480 --> 0:34:00.120 I just saw recently, and it's a CNN poll and 0:34:00.120 --> 0:34:03.240 it was just out. There's a there's a certain question 0:34:03.280 --> 0:34:06.800 that we've tracked, we tracked at NBC for years. It's 0:34:06.840 --> 0:34:09.960 an important question. CNN had it on their poll on 0:34:10.000 --> 0:34:12.680 their on their most recent May twenty twenty five poll, 0:34:12.800 --> 0:34:15.000 and the question is simply this. It's a question we've 0:34:15.000 --> 0:34:19.920 tracked for generations and it's fascinating. The pattern here government 0:34:20.040 --> 0:34:22.439 is it doing too much? Or should government do more? 0:34:23.280 --> 0:34:26.480 And the pattern is this, whenever Democrats and are in 0:34:26.520 --> 0:34:29.920 the White House, they're a majority of voters believe government 0:34:29.960 --> 0:34:32.480 is doing too much, And whenever Republicans are in the 0:34:32.480 --> 0:34:35.880 White House, the number starts to increase the government that 0:34:35.920 --> 0:34:39.040 the government needs to do more. Well, we are at 0:34:39.080 --> 0:34:43.920 a near high fifty in CNN's polling, fifty eight percent 0:34:44.120 --> 0:34:47.200 saying that the government needs to do more. At the 0:34:47.360 --> 0:34:50.120 at the beginning of twenty twenty three, it was a 0:34:50.160 --> 0:34:54.360 fifty one forty nine. Now government does more versus government 0:34:54.400 --> 0:34:57.359 does too much is fifty eight forty one. And what's 0:34:57.400 --> 0:35:01.440 interesting here is nearly forty percent of Republicans believe that 0:35:01.480 --> 0:35:05.719 government should actually do more, not less. Why am I 0:35:05.760 --> 0:35:08.799 singling that number out because in every previous pull that 0:35:08.880 --> 0:35:11.719 number has never been over thirty before, and it's over 0:35:11.840 --> 0:35:14.960 forty percent. This gets to the Josh Holly point, right, 0:35:15.000 --> 0:35:18.160 a Republican senator in Missouri who's worried about these Medicaid 0:35:18.200 --> 0:35:21.520 cuts because he knows the elect Donald Trump changed the 0:35:21.520 --> 0:35:25.279 electorate right. The single most important political decision he made 0:35:25.320 --> 0:35:27.520 in order to become president of the United States was 0:35:27.560 --> 0:35:31.400 taking the idea of cutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid 0:35:31.440 --> 0:35:33.640 off the table. Now we're having a big argument, now 0:35:33.719 --> 0:35:36.600 what's a cut what isn't? And I think the country 0:35:36.600 --> 0:35:39.440 believes Medicaid is getting cut. And it certainly looks, you know, 0:35:39.560 --> 0:35:42.200 you look at it, they are making cuts to Medicaid. 0:35:42.200 --> 0:35:44.440 Republicans are going to try to claim it is just 0:35:44.520 --> 0:35:48.600 simply cleaning up Medicaid, that there aren't cuts to actual beneficiaries. 0:35:49.160 --> 0:35:52.080 But it doesn't matter. Voters think government, no matter what 0:35:52.160 --> 0:35:56.080 government's doing, they should do more. So perhaps if your mom, Donnie, 0:35:56.280 --> 0:36:00.280 and you're offering to have government do even more, maybe 0:36:00.280 --> 0:36:04.120 this is a reminder that there's a fairly large constituency 0:36:04.120 --> 0:36:06.920 out there of people who think government should do more 0:36:07.239 --> 0:36:10.360 and not less. All right, I hope you enjoyed the 0:36:10.400 --> 0:36:14.160 NBA Draft last night. This is my favorite stat for 0:36:14.200 --> 0:36:18.760 how crazy the NBA draft is. Of the final eighteen picks. 0:36:18.840 --> 0:36:22.280 If you paid attention to the first round last night, only 0:36:22.480 --> 0:36:26.799 one of the final eighteen first round picks belonged to 0:36:26.880 --> 0:36:30.920 its original owner. That's how often and how many of 0:36:30.960 --> 0:36:33.520 these picks have been traded back and forth. The Boston 0:36:33.560 --> 0:36:37.520 Celtics at number twenty eight the only team, the only 0:36:37.600 --> 0:36:39.399 team after the top I think it was like seven 0:36:39.480 --> 0:36:44.520 or eight picks. Top ten would be top twelve picks, 0:36:45.239 --> 0:36:48.680 the only team to be an original owner of that pick. 0:36:48.800 --> 0:36:52.400 That all seventeen of the final eighteen picks in the 0:36:52.400 --> 0:36:57.080 first round had been traded. I can't say the NBA 0:36:57.200 --> 0:36:59.280 isn't interesting. I think that's part of the NBA's problem. 0:36:59.280 --> 0:37:01.880 There are times where the off season or the stuff 0:37:01.920 --> 0:37:04.960 on Twitter is sometimes as exciting, if not more exciting, 0:37:05.239 --> 0:37:08.719 than sometimes they play itself. All right with that, I 0:37:08.719 --> 0:37:11.240 hope you enjoyed my conversation with my friend Read Wilson. 0:37:11.840 --> 0:37:14.239 We've worked together for years. He's an ex hotliner, but 0:37:14.239 --> 0:37:17.239 more importantly, he runs one of the smartest, most important 0:37:18.560 --> 0:37:20.719 news organizations you might not have heard of yet. It's 0:37:20.760 --> 0:37:24.760 called Pluribus, tracks what's going on on the state level. 0:37:25.160 --> 0:37:28.120 More and more your life is being impacted by what 0:37:28.280 --> 0:37:32.759 state legislatures decide to do or not do. And in fact, 0:37:32.840 --> 0:37:34.400 one of the big parts of the conversation we have 0:37:34.520 --> 0:37:38.040 is about AI regulation, which of course Congress. Congressional Republicans 0:37:38.080 --> 0:37:41.400 are trying to protect big tech from any regulation in 0:37:41.440 --> 0:37:43.880 the States for ten years. It is a part of 0:37:43.920 --> 0:37:48.880 the big beautiful bill that is extraordinarily controversial, and this 0:37:48.920 --> 0:37:52.800 could be the section two thirty piece of legislation. And 0:37:52.880 --> 0:37:56.160 Republicans do end up doing this that gets hung around 0:37:56.200 --> 0:37:59.840 their neck in a few years. If AI goes sideways 0:37:59.840 --> 0:38:03.160 on HI with that, let me sneaking a break and 0:38:03.360 --> 0:38:14.279 we'll bring on Read Wilson we joining me now is 0:38:14.320 --> 0:38:18.960 a long time friend of mine, colleague, an ex hotliner 0:38:19.000 --> 0:38:22.000 and all of you know how I feel about X 0:38:22.040 --> 0:38:25.279 hotliners on this there is yes, I will always over 0:38:25.360 --> 0:38:29.440 index on X hotliners on the Chuck podcast. Read Wilson, 0:38:29.480 --> 0:38:33.279 a former editor in chief himself, got started there when 0:38:33.280 --> 0:38:36.439 I was there. He is now runs what I think 0:38:36.520 --> 0:38:39.560 is one of the must reads every morning for me. 0:38:39.719 --> 0:38:43.360 It's called Pluribus and what it is is it covers 0:38:43.400 --> 0:38:47.040 what's happening in state legislatures, in state law, and as 0:38:47.040 --> 0:38:51.200 we all know, there is with so much inaction in 0:38:51.280 --> 0:38:53.319 the federal level of the government, with one of the 0:38:53.360 --> 0:38:56.520 weakest legislative branches in the history of the United States, 0:38:57.680 --> 0:39:01.320 and the sort of the self weakening that Congress has done. 0:39:01.920 --> 0:39:07.000 It is actually strengthened legislative chambers and legislative action all 0:39:07.040 --> 0:39:11.080 over the country because of the polarization and inability and 0:39:11.200 --> 0:39:14.240 whatever you want to have it. And so in many ways, 0:39:14.280 --> 0:39:17.080 the laboratories of democracy is what we've always referred to 0:39:17.120 --> 0:39:21.560 as the states. Well, those labs are very busy these days. 0:39:21.760 --> 0:39:25.560 And whether it's on voting rights, whether it's on cooperation 0:39:25.719 --> 0:39:30.560 with the federal government, whether it's about medicaid funding, AI regulation. 0:39:31.400 --> 0:39:35.520 Reid Wilson knows all of these things these days. Plus 0:39:37.320 --> 0:39:43.399 you know he's a long suffering Seattle SuperSonics fan. We're 0:39:43.400 --> 0:39:45.840 going to you like that I went SuperSonics on you. 0:39:46.920 --> 0:39:49.919 It's I had Leibovich on recently read and he came 0:39:50.000 --> 0:39:53.720 on the program wearing not a Seattle Sonics T shirt, 0:39:54.040 --> 0:39:56.800 SuperSonics T shirt. It was old school. It was green. 0:39:56.920 --> 0:40:00.400 It was that faded green yellow was kind of you 0:40:00.400 --> 0:40:02.799 could see the space needle and you know in the 0:40:02.840 --> 0:40:08.719 background you saw Shay, Oh, never mind, sorry, I look, 0:40:08.800 --> 0:40:11.839 we're I'll be honest, we're taping before game seven. This 0:40:11.880 --> 0:40:16.960 will air after Game seven. Do you care about the 0:40:16.960 --> 0:40:18.160 thunder and all? 0:40:18.680 --> 0:40:18.920 Are you? 0:40:18.960 --> 0:40:22.000 Like? Are you negative about them, or do you not 0:40:22.120 --> 0:40:26.320 hold it against Oklahoma City fans for how Howard Schultz 0:40:26.400 --> 0:40:27.800 destroyed the Seattle super. 0:40:28.120 --> 0:40:30.719 It's not Oklahoma City's fault. It's Howard Schultz's fault. It 0:40:30.760 --> 0:40:33.200 always will be. Let me tell you a funny story though. 0:40:33.200 --> 0:40:35.359 So I was I was back home over the Fourth 0:40:35.360 --> 0:40:37.239 of July, and I took my kid to a Fourth 0:40:37.239 --> 0:40:41.080 of July parade and the gubernatorial candidates came through, and 0:40:41.120 --> 0:40:44.160 Bob Ferguson, then the attorney general, now the governor stops 0:40:44.239 --> 0:40:45.759 right in front of me, in front of a guy 0:40:45.800 --> 0:40:47.720 with a Sonic shirt, and he says, hey, we're not governor, 0:40:47.760 --> 0:40:50.240 We're going to get the Sonics back. I thought to myself, 0:40:50.320 --> 0:40:52.319 that feels pretty much done. And you had nothing to 0:40:52.360 --> 0:40:54.280 do with it. It was just it was the most blatant 0:40:54.280 --> 0:40:54.959 pandering i'd. 0:40:54.880 --> 0:40:59.120 Ever hey man called pandering. You're at a parade? What that? 0:40:59.120 --> 0:41:03.920 What parades are full? You really feel that confident? It's 0:41:03.960 --> 0:41:06.640 just a done deal. It's just about whenever they decide 0:41:06.680 --> 0:41:08.799 to get Vegas the basketball team, they have to do too, 0:41:09.400 --> 0:41:11.680 so ergo it'll be Seattle or bust. 0:41:11.840 --> 0:41:13.719 And we got the facilities for it. We don't need 0:41:13.760 --> 0:41:14.800 to build a new stadium. 0:41:15.440 --> 0:41:18.360 I'm generally negative on using public funds to build stadiums, 0:41:18.360 --> 0:41:20.000 which by the way, is a pretty big trend in 0:41:20.040 --> 0:41:21.520 the States right now that we can talk about. 0:41:21.360 --> 0:41:24.719 If you want. But we've got the facilities already, we 0:41:24.840 --> 0:41:25.560 just need the team. 0:41:26.040 --> 0:41:30.120 You know. It's interesting on that front. So I was, 0:41:30.280 --> 0:41:32.319 actually i've been I've been sort of going back to 0:41:32.320 --> 0:41:34.640 my sports business routes a little bit as I'm trying 0:41:34.680 --> 0:41:36.759 to build a you know, I have this thesis that 0:41:37.280 --> 0:41:40.560 local sports and youth sports could be what can become 0:41:40.640 --> 0:41:44.439 the revenue stream to build local to sort of build 0:41:44.480 --> 0:41:49.120 back local news. And I'm pretty the more I look 0:41:49.160 --> 0:41:51.239 into it, the more the more bullish I am on this. 0:41:53.000 --> 0:41:55.480 But it's allowed me to sort of I've gotten I've 0:41:55.520 --> 0:41:57.840 sort of reacquainted myself with the industry, gotten to know 0:41:57.880 --> 0:42:01.520 a lot of these key players. And is that a 0:42:01.520 --> 0:42:03.880 an off the record conversation And I don't want to 0:42:03.880 --> 0:42:05.319 say where because I don't want to give away that 0:42:05.360 --> 0:42:10.040 part of it, but generally it was interesting. The essentially 0:42:10.080 --> 0:42:14.400 what the goal now is in these public funds debates 0:42:14.680 --> 0:42:18.399 about stadiums is don't go to the voters now right now? 0:42:18.560 --> 0:42:21.640 The voters are always it's easier to vote them down 0:42:21.800 --> 0:42:24.600 than vote for them. What's funny about these things is, 0:42:24.760 --> 0:42:27.880 like take Washington, DC is a great example. There was 0:42:27.920 --> 0:42:30.400 a lot of controversy about whether Nationals Park should be 0:42:30.440 --> 0:42:33.120 done the way it was done. Twenty years later, everybody 0:42:33.160 --> 0:42:35.440 looks at what's been done to the waterfront to that 0:42:35.520 --> 0:42:37.880 area and says, oh my god, this has been transformational 0:42:38.640 --> 0:42:42.759 and so which is why it was they're going to 0:42:42.840 --> 0:42:46.359 get the Commanders deal done because they see what it 0:42:46.440 --> 0:42:49.359 has meant it really, you know, because sometimes you make 0:42:49.400 --> 0:42:52.800 these projects and they do not deliver on the extra 0:42:52.920 --> 0:42:56.600 jobs and the extra this. But it does seem as 0:42:56.600 --> 0:42:59.160 if if you do it in a city, you know, 0:42:59.160 --> 0:43:00.839 you try to do it in a suburbs and you're 0:43:00.880 --> 0:43:04.279 not going to get the return on investment those promises, don't. 0:43:04.440 --> 0:43:06.920 I mean, it is rare. Maybe the Braves thing is 0:43:06.920 --> 0:43:11.520 an exception to the rule, but usually suburban developments don't 0:43:11.560 --> 0:43:15.040 work as well as actual city developments doing these things. 0:43:15.040 --> 0:43:17.520 But what are you seeing as a trend and do 0:43:17.560 --> 0:43:19.680 you see more of these local governments going all right, 0:43:19.719 --> 0:43:23.680 we'll do this, but we cannot essentially make it a 0:43:23.680 --> 0:43:24.720 referendum with the voters. 0:43:24.800 --> 0:43:26.520 Yeah, nobody wants to go to the voters. Take a 0:43:26.520 --> 0:43:28.879 look at what happened in Kansas City. The voters there 0:43:28.960 --> 0:43:31.840 voted down in incremental sales tax. I think it was 0:43:31.880 --> 0:43:34.440 five to eighths of a cent of a sales tax 0:43:34.920 --> 0:43:37.399 to keep the chiefs and the royals in town. Now, 0:43:37.440 --> 0:43:40.719 the legislature just passed something last week to get that 0:43:40.800 --> 0:43:43.800 project done. Same things happening in Ohio with the Cleveland 0:43:43.840 --> 0:43:46.920 Brown Stadium. And I think the big trend that you're 0:43:46.920 --> 0:43:51.200 seeing here is not that legislatures are doing are giving 0:43:51.200 --> 0:43:53.960 money to rich owners to build new stadiums. That's happened 0:43:54.120 --> 0:43:57.600 over time. They're building more than just stadiums though. They're 0:43:57.640 --> 0:44:01.640 building these entertainment districts own the stadium. To talk about 0:44:01.719 --> 0:44:04.760 DC en sure that that sort of Navy yard area 0:44:04.800 --> 0:44:05.520 has all built up. 0:44:05.480 --> 0:44:06.240 Around the stadium. 0:44:06.320 --> 0:44:07.880 You're going to see the same thing like the like 0:44:07.920 --> 0:44:10.479 the power and Light district in Kansas City. Uh, those 0:44:10.480 --> 0:44:13.480 sort of entertainment districts building up around a stadium so 0:44:13.520 --> 0:44:15.759 that it's more than just someplace that people go for 0:44:16.000 --> 0:44:17.279 you know, eight football games a year. 0:44:17.360 --> 0:44:19.359 It's a place where you go to have dinner and 0:44:19.600 --> 0:44:20.440 walk around a city. 0:44:20.760 --> 0:44:24.800 Well, what's interesting is that the sports franchises themselves realize 0:44:24.840 --> 0:44:28.520 they have to create a destination they that you know, 0:44:28.560 --> 0:44:32.520 you're competing. And I always say this with football man, 0:44:32.640 --> 0:44:34.160 it takes a lot to get me to go to 0:44:34.200 --> 0:44:39.239 a game, because I is there a better view than 0:44:39.280 --> 0:44:42.319 your big screen television in your own house right, the 0:44:42.360 --> 0:44:44.640 ability to see the replay, the ability to do all 0:44:44.640 --> 0:44:47.360 those things right. And you know, when you go to 0:44:47.400 --> 0:44:51.919 a game, especially college football, and the extraordinarily lengthy TV 0:44:52.040 --> 0:44:55.240 timeouts that can sit you know, it isn't a great 0:44:55.320 --> 0:44:57.520 So you really have to do a lot of other 0:44:57.719 --> 0:45:01.279 You've got to make the experience big than just the 0:45:01.320 --> 0:45:04.760 two to three hours in the in the action itself. 0:45:05.160 --> 0:45:08.400 So I think in many ways the franchises are incentivized 0:45:08.760 --> 0:45:12.120 to think bigger and then actually that does create payoff 0:45:12.360 --> 0:45:14.920 for the for the for the local government, because when 0:45:14.960 --> 0:45:17.799 you think bigger, then you do get hotel taxes, you 0:45:17.880 --> 0:45:21.760 do get the tourist stuff, you do get just basic 0:45:22.000 --> 0:45:24.840 sales tax and property tax return, where if it's just 0:45:24.960 --> 0:45:27.560 the stadium, you don't see any kind of return. Ask 0:45:27.600 --> 0:45:31.640 Maryland what kind of return they got from from ral John? Right, Yeah, 0:45:31.760 --> 0:45:33.560 you know, which is no longer roll John whatever that, 0:45:33.800 --> 0:45:36.480 you know. But but you know, in Landover with that stadium, 0:45:36.600 --> 0:45:40.439 they didn't get the return they expected because Landover wasn't 0:45:40.440 --> 0:45:42.720 a destination, pure and simple. 0:45:43.040 --> 0:45:43.360 Yeah. 0:45:43.440 --> 0:45:45.360 And you know, by the way, a big thing that 0:45:45.760 --> 0:45:47.960 a lot of states are dealing with right now is housing. 0:45:48.320 --> 0:45:49.160 And you build an. 0:45:49.080 --> 0:45:51.279 Entertainment district like that, and hey, that's you know, a 0:45:51.280 --> 0:45:54.440 couple of thousand new housing units something that all these pass. 0:45:54.520 --> 0:45:56.919 You and I both see Mayor Bouser keeps bringing that up. Hey, 0:45:56.920 --> 0:46:02.000 we're building this many new units in to this this stadium, 0:46:02.400 --> 0:46:05.439 and that is what I think has made these things 0:46:05.480 --> 0:46:09.160 go down a little bit easier. And again, voters don't 0:46:09.239 --> 0:46:11.840 like it. You know. Look, I'm a cranky voter. I 0:46:11.920 --> 0:46:15.759 almost always vote against these these tax asks referendums in 0:46:15.800 --> 0:46:19.520 my county, you know, if it's you know, unless it's 0:46:19.520 --> 0:46:22.439 for schools or parks, like that's the up school in Barts. Yes, 0:46:22.480 --> 0:46:24.360 you know, I'm one of those voters. But I'm always 0:46:24.360 --> 0:46:26.040 a little skeptical. Why are you always going to borrow? 0:46:26.080 --> 0:46:27.600 Why do you always want to borrow? Can you can 0:46:27.640 --> 0:46:30.280 you do this another way? You know? Type of mindset. 0:46:30.320 --> 0:46:32.560 I'm probably not alone in that, which is why all 0:46:32.600 --> 0:46:35.319 of these things are always what fifty one forty nine 0:46:35.400 --> 0:46:38.000 and usually in the negative, right, And. 0:46:38.360 --> 0:46:40.080 I mean think about it, that people getting the money 0:46:40.239 --> 0:46:42.280 are billionaires, right, the billionaire sports owners. 0:46:42.400 --> 0:46:43.800 It's the it's the. 0:46:44.120 --> 0:46:48.600 Easy, easy ad campaign, privatization of gain and the socialization 0:46:48.880 --> 0:46:49.320 of cost. 0:46:49.520 --> 0:46:52.600 So yeah, yeah, no, there's no doubt about it. Look, 0:46:52.719 --> 0:46:54.440 one of the things that motivated me to get you 0:46:54.440 --> 0:46:57.000 on sooner rather than later recently one is just because 0:46:57.000 --> 0:46:58.880 I know we can talk a lot of politics outside 0:46:58.880 --> 0:47:03.279 of Washington, which I'm constantly interested in. But it's fascinating 0:47:03.320 --> 0:47:05.920 to me how members of Congress are now realizing they 0:47:05.960 --> 0:47:09.960 read the fine print of the big, beautiful bill, which 0:47:10.160 --> 0:47:12.960 you know, I went on and ran on this. I'm 0:47:12.960 --> 0:47:15.279 not asking every member of Congress read every bill, but 0:47:15.520 --> 0:47:17.440 can you read the one big one every year that 0:47:17.480 --> 0:47:19.480 you got to vote on, Right, Like when you were 0:47:19.480 --> 0:47:21.640 in college, you knew which books you didn't have to read, 0:47:21.680 --> 0:47:24.520 but there was always one you had to read, right, Yeah, at. 0:47:24.440 --> 0:47:27.440 Least running through chat GPT right, get the summary. 0:47:27.480 --> 0:47:31.000 Get it summary. Although I think the submaries didn't know 0:47:31.760 --> 0:47:34.880 that this bill was going to take AI regulation power 0:47:34.920 --> 0:47:39.240 away from the states. Which I remember when I was like, Wow, 0:47:39.280 --> 0:47:42.160 that is boy AI thinks they can get These AI 0:47:42.239 --> 0:47:45.160 companies think they're going to get anything they want, And 0:47:45.200 --> 0:47:48.440 it was amazing how they did get it into part 0:47:48.520 --> 0:47:51.240 one of that legislation. Now I think it's definitely going away, 0:47:51.400 --> 0:47:51.759 don't you. 0:47:53.719 --> 0:47:56.240 I would imagine so, especially because we've seen such outcry 0:47:56.280 --> 0:47:57.080 from the States. 0:47:56.840 --> 0:47:58.680 There was a bipartisan letter. 0:47:58.520 --> 0:48:00.720 A couple of weeks ago from a couple of hundred 0:48:00.760 --> 0:48:03.879 state legislators, even numbers of Democrats and Republicans and even 0:48:03.880 --> 0:48:05.680 a couple of independents out there who. 0:48:05.480 --> 0:48:06.440 Said they wanted the power. 0:48:06.520 --> 0:48:09.279 And the interesting thing about this is the states have 0:48:09.440 --> 0:48:11.640 really taken a lead on it, and it's it's a 0:48:11.680 --> 0:48:16.080 bipartisan cause there's this there's this caucus of legislators led 0:48:16.120 --> 0:48:18.680 by a guy named state senator in Connecticut named James 0:48:18.760 --> 0:48:22.879 Maroney the state of Rapid Texas named Giovanni's Capriglione uh 0:48:22.920 --> 0:48:25.200 and and they're they're taking very different approaches, but they're 0:48:25.200 --> 0:48:27.160 sitting there and they're talking about it and learning about 0:48:27.760 --> 0:48:32.160 AI and uses in state government guard rails around safety 0:48:32.200 --> 0:48:36.160 and discrimination. UH. It's it's been a huge conversation in 0:48:36.200 --> 0:48:37.920 the states and they want to keep that power. 0:48:38.560 --> 0:48:39.120 I think it's I. 0:48:39.120 --> 0:48:43.480 Think it's you know, there's a there's At the same time, though, 0:48:43.600 --> 0:48:47.239 we're seeing the growth of a new set of very 0:48:47.320 --> 0:48:51.480 moneyed interests playing in politics these days. You know, in 0:48:51.520 --> 0:48:53.320 the old days, it was it was you know, pharma 0:48:53.360 --> 0:48:56.960 and big tobacco and you know, the boogeyman. Today it's 0:48:57.000 --> 0:49:01.000 crypto and it's AI, and they're starting to play federal races. 0:49:01.080 --> 0:49:03.120 We saw that in you know, the Ohio Senate race, 0:49:03.120 --> 0:49:06.359 the Pennsylvania Senate race, where the crypto community came in 0:49:06.400 --> 0:49:07.480 hard for the Republicans. 0:49:08.040 --> 0:49:10.399 And now we're seeing it in state legislators too, where 0:49:10.600 --> 0:49:11.440 you know, open. 0:49:11.200 --> 0:49:14.719 Ai and Meta and Google are are they're spending a 0:49:14.719 --> 0:49:19.480 lot of money lobbying mostly against these bills through a 0:49:19.560 --> 0:49:20.760 number of interesting cutouts. 0:49:20.800 --> 0:49:23.839 You know, there's like the liberal tech interest group will go. 0:49:23.800 --> 0:49:26.680 Play in California and the conservative tech interest group will 0:49:26.719 --> 0:49:27.600 go play in Texas. 0:49:27.840 --> 0:49:29.520 And the money comes from the same pot, doesn't it. 0:49:29.520 --> 0:49:30.600 Money comes from the same pot. 0:49:30.640 --> 0:49:33.080 And they don't really you know, there's no real difference 0:49:33.080 --> 0:49:35.560 other than they call themselves liberals or conservatives. 0:49:36.120 --> 0:49:37.320 But they all they all. 0:49:37.239 --> 0:49:38.799 Sort of carve it up and then and then the 0:49:38.880 --> 0:49:41.760 moderate the libertarian guys come in and sew when something 0:49:41.800 --> 0:49:42.560 actually passes. 0:49:43.640 --> 0:49:47.920 You know. One of the sad new realities in Washington 0:49:47.960 --> 0:49:53.120 lobbying is that there's it's rarely now big corporations versus citizens. 0:49:53.560 --> 0:49:59.040 It is usually one industry versus another industry, and they 0:49:59.120 --> 0:50:02.000 hide behind the people, right, they try to use voters, 0:50:02.040 --> 0:50:04.280 you know, whether it's you know, we're seeing it with 0:50:03.960 --> 0:50:06.759 the with with pharma, right, it's like one you know, 0:50:06.800 --> 0:50:09.719 it's really too moneyed interest going after each other. I 0:50:09.719 --> 0:50:12.279 don't know if the citizens have any role in this whatsoever. 0:50:13.480 --> 0:50:17.360 Who's the you know, is there any entity pushing back 0:50:17.560 --> 0:50:22.560 against big tech on their aggressive AI? Is there another 0:50:22.600 --> 0:50:26.440 industry stepping into sort of to try to slow down 0:50:26.760 --> 0:50:29.520 AI's ability to basically get governments to do whatever the 0:50:29.560 --> 0:50:30.480 hell they want now? 0:50:30.520 --> 0:50:32.360 I don't see an industry group. 0:50:32.440 --> 0:50:35.080 I do see a lot of the AI companies sort 0:50:35.120 --> 0:50:37.360 of feuding with each other, although mainly on sort of 0:50:37.600 --> 0:50:41.759 other issues around tech, social media, digital privacy, things like that. 0:50:42.120 --> 0:50:45.640 A big example is the push for age verification rules. 0:50:45.680 --> 0:50:49.680 You know, your kid downloads an app, whose responsibility is 0:50:49.680 --> 0:50:52.120 it to verify that used age? 0:50:52.239 --> 0:50:55.920 Is it? You know, is it the app people themselves, Facebook. 0:50:56.600 --> 0:50:59.240 Snapchat, something like that, or is it an app store 0:50:59.320 --> 0:51:01.680 Apple and Google Apple? And right now a lot of those, 0:51:01.680 --> 0:51:03.239 a lot of states are fighting over so. 0:51:03.560 --> 0:51:06.760 In that sense, you get those two big moneyed fights, 0:51:06.840 --> 0:51:09.560 right It's usually there's a lot of Apple versus meta stuff. 0:51:10.000 --> 0:51:15.280 I am curious since Apple is sort of the lagger 0:51:15.680 --> 0:51:18.840 when it comes to sort of AI at this point, 0:51:18.920 --> 0:51:21.840 are they at all funding the other side of this 0:51:21.960 --> 0:51:23.120 or no, you know, not. 0:51:23.040 --> 0:51:23.720 That I've seen. 0:51:24.640 --> 0:51:28.120 I mean, the other side is mostly privacy groups, good 0:51:28.120 --> 0:51:30.560 government groups, common cause people like that. 0:51:31.239 --> 0:51:35.600 Who you know, truly the citizen groups, the original citizen 0:51:35.640 --> 0:51:36.239 lobbyist type. 0:51:36.320 --> 0:51:38.840 Yeah, as opposed to as opposed to the big companies 0:51:38.960 --> 0:51:40.400 fighting over AI itself. 0:51:41.080 --> 0:51:42.799 You know, it's interesting when you just pointed out about 0:51:42.800 --> 0:51:45.560 how it's a bipartisan pushback right from the states on 0:51:45.600 --> 0:51:48.680 the against the Feds. And this is one of the 0:51:48.719 --> 0:51:51.239 things while you know, we talk a lot on a 0:51:51.280 --> 0:51:54.600 macro level when we look at state legislatures about oh, look, 0:51:54.600 --> 0:51:58.279 this is a one party control here, one party control there. Yeah, 0:51:58.360 --> 0:52:00.600 And from sixty thousand feet that's what looks like. And 0:52:00.600 --> 0:52:02.680 then when you look closer you see a place like 0:52:02.760 --> 0:52:06.439 Texas right where the Texas House is actually split into 0:52:06.440 --> 0:52:09.480 three right, it's a three party apparatus these days, and 0:52:09.480 --> 0:52:13.080 there's sort of coalitions working themselves out and you see 0:52:13.080 --> 0:52:16.759 these Is there more bipartisanship on the state level than 0:52:16.960 --> 0:52:20.440 on the federal level or am I just being pollyanniship? No? 0:52:20.760 --> 0:52:23.400 There is, but it's it varies by state. 0:52:24.000 --> 0:52:26.839 So in Texas it is tradition that the Texas House 0:52:26.840 --> 0:52:31.320 alexis speaker unanimously. You know, the Dems will vote for 0:52:32.080 --> 0:52:36.080 whatever Republican gets the nomination, assuming it's sort of the 0:52:36.080 --> 0:52:38.520 moderate Republican and not the ultra conservative. 0:52:39.280 --> 0:52:40.080 And in other. 0:52:40.040 --> 0:52:43.600 States, you know that Illinois was in Illinois, no, somebody 0:52:43.640 --> 0:52:46.840 else just passed a budget with on a pretty bipartisan vote. 0:52:46.920 --> 0:52:49.399 Arizona is going to do a bipartisan budget too. 0:52:49.440 --> 0:52:51.960 They need to because they've got Republicans have narrow control 0:52:52.000 --> 0:52:56.040 and there's a democratic governor. In other states, the vitriol 0:52:56.360 --> 0:52:58.680 is at the same level that it is at the 0:52:58.680 --> 0:52:59.400 federal government. 0:53:00.000 --> 0:53:02.120 Wisconsin, the RS and the D's barely talk to each other. 0:53:02.280 --> 0:53:05.879 Wisconsin is sort of ground zero. I always say Wisconsin's 0:53:05.880 --> 0:53:09.640 polarization started before America. Yeah, I think they were they 0:53:09.680 --> 0:53:11.680 were the shot heard around the world on this But anyway, 0:53:11.680 --> 0:53:12.040 go ahead. 0:53:12.400 --> 0:53:14.759 But but you know, by partisanship does exist, and let 0:53:14.800 --> 0:53:17.400 me tell you it exists across state lines too. You know, 0:53:17.440 --> 0:53:19.800 if I go to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 0:53:19.840 --> 0:53:22.440 I'll sit next to a a very liberal Democrat from 0:53:22.480 --> 0:53:24.799 Maryland and a very conservative Republican from Utah, and they 0:53:24.840 --> 0:53:28.760 have a perfectly pleasant conversation about education policy or whatever 0:53:28.760 --> 0:53:29.440 it happens to be. 0:53:29.719 --> 0:53:31.759 And I mean, I think largely that's because they're not 0:53:31.800 --> 0:53:32.719 competing with each other. 0:53:32.760 --> 0:53:35.200 There's no chance those two will ever run against each 0:53:35.200 --> 0:53:38.800 other or seek control by trying to beat the other person. 0:53:39.040 --> 0:53:42.040 So there is that level of comedy in most states, 0:53:42.719 --> 0:53:44.040 but certainly not everywhere. 0:53:45.120 --> 0:53:47.920 And would you say, you know, one of the other 0:53:48.000 --> 0:53:50.560 interesting trends, and you were you were early on spotting 0:53:50.600 --> 0:53:53.760 this is that you know, the better members of Congress 0:53:53.760 --> 0:53:56.400 are the ones that were in state legislatures and the 0:53:57.239 --> 0:54:01.000 basically the crop members, the performers, usually the ones that 0:54:01.040 --> 0:54:03.799 weren't in state legislatures. That's still the case. Are we 0:54:03.840 --> 0:54:08.560 starting to are we starting to see the performance influencer 0:54:09.080 --> 0:54:12.200 mindset infecting state legislatures now too? 0:54:12.640 --> 0:54:15.360 No, I think it's it's it is still the case, 0:54:16.239 --> 0:54:19.279 largely because you know, I think the people who are 0:54:19.320 --> 0:54:21.719 most effective are the ones who understand the rules. That's 0:54:21.719 --> 0:54:24.239 sort of my guiding prints of politics. The people who 0:54:24.239 --> 0:54:26.440 get the rules are the ones who actually get stuff done. 0:54:26.560 --> 0:54:27.719 And I think, hey, that was. 0:54:27.719 --> 0:54:29.640 True with Mitch McConnell, right, that dude knew how to 0:54:29.760 --> 0:54:31.920 knew how to manipulate the rules. Sometimes did it with 0:54:31.960 --> 0:54:35.200 the Nancy Pelosi. I mean, you're right if you understand 0:54:36.080 --> 0:54:41.160 the rules, particularly of your chamber, better than the person sponsoring, 0:54:41.239 --> 0:54:43.839 you know, a BILLI you don't like, now you got 0:54:43.840 --> 0:54:44.480 some leverage. 0:54:44.600 --> 0:54:46.279 Yeah, And I mean I always go back to the 0:54:46.480 --> 0:54:49.400 two thousand and eight Democratic primary, right when the Clinton 0:54:49.400 --> 0:54:52.400 campaign understood and didn't understand the delegate rules as well 0:54:52.440 --> 0:54:55.120 as the Obama campaign did. And so you know, Obama 0:54:55.160 --> 0:54:57.319 was going around picking off delegates here and there and 0:54:57.440 --> 0:54:58.759 ended up ended up winning the race. 0:54:58.800 --> 0:55:05.080 Of course. So going back on AI on what are 0:55:05.239 --> 0:55:10.319 what is the most what has been the easiest regulation 0:55:10.719 --> 0:55:14.120 to get passed on the state level on the AI front. 0:55:14.080 --> 0:55:16.919 Yeah, the thing that most people are are doing now 0:55:16.960 --> 0:55:19.480 and that that is the bipartisan trend between the you know, 0:55:19.520 --> 0:55:21.719 the Connecticut version of Bill and the Colorado version of 0:55:21.840 --> 0:55:26.600 Texas version has been to limit algorithmic discrimination. So if 0:55:26.640 --> 0:55:31.160 you're you know, seeking housing or or a medical care 0:55:31.200 --> 0:55:33.520 or something like that, a lot of states are passing 0:55:33.560 --> 0:55:36.640 rules that say that AI cannot deny you. 0:55:36.560 --> 0:55:38.080 Without the oversight of a human. 0:55:38.120 --> 0:55:40.040 So a human has to go in and make sure 0:55:40.080 --> 0:55:44.960 that your application isn't isn't denied for unfair reasons. 0:55:45.080 --> 0:55:46.640 You know, these algorithms they learn. 0:55:46.560 --> 0:55:49.279 Things and and they learn from us, and you know, 0:55:49.480 --> 0:55:53.520 society has its problems with racism and sexism and things 0:55:53.560 --> 0:55:56.920 like that. So it's it's going to deny people based 0:55:56.920 --> 0:55:59.399 on things that it shouldn't deny. So that's I think 0:55:59.440 --> 0:56:01.720 that's been the real common thread. That's the low hanging fruit. 0:56:02.920 --> 0:56:05.439 Who regulates that though, I mean, I look, I want 0:56:05.480 --> 0:56:08.160 it too, but I have not found the federal government 0:56:08.520 --> 0:56:11.040 like I look, I think all algorithms should go away. 0:56:11.239 --> 0:56:14.240 I don't think there's any upside to it, or certainly 0:56:14.320 --> 0:56:18.360 algorithms should be only allowed only allowed to work based 0:56:18.440 --> 0:56:22.680 on users giving permission versus the other way around. Right 0:56:22.760 --> 0:56:25.640 right now, the other way around is you know, they 0:56:25.640 --> 0:56:28.600 see you know, it's like we have to uh, agree 0:56:29.000 --> 0:56:31.880 to the parameters that they set in order to use 0:56:31.920 --> 0:56:34.160 a product versus the other way around. Right, We've just 0:56:34.560 --> 0:56:39.400 this is unfortunately the mindset. So, I mean enforcement seems 0:56:39.400 --> 0:56:42.120 to me the part of this that I don't that 0:56:42.200 --> 0:56:43.040 isn't obvious to. 0:56:43.040 --> 0:56:46.680 Me, right, And the enforcement usually takes place within within 0:56:46.719 --> 0:56:49.720 an agency itself or with the with the attorney generals. 0:56:49.800 --> 0:56:54.839 What state has this kind of uh what state has 0:56:54.880 --> 0:56:57.800 this kind of brain power to do this? No offense? 0:56:57.880 --> 0:57:00.760 But I mean we all know on a government salary, 0:57:00.800 --> 0:57:02.880 you're not going to get the people that understand that 0:57:03.320 --> 0:57:05.200 understand code as well as the people writing. 0:57:05.480 --> 0:57:05.719 Well. 0:57:05.760 --> 0:57:08.040 Sure, but I think in this case it's it's more 0:57:08.080 --> 0:57:11.680 a sort of a policy examiner. So if it has 0:57:11.719 --> 0:57:13.240 to do with housing, you're going to have the housing 0:57:13.280 --> 0:57:16.440 agency overseeing, uh that kind of decision. If if it 0:57:16.440 --> 0:57:18.240 has to do with medical care, you know you're going 0:57:18.280 --> 0:57:20.120 to have the state Department of Health and Human Services 0:57:20.400 --> 0:57:21.960 overseeing something like that. 0:57:22.160 --> 0:57:24.480 You don't I don't think you need the AI coder. 0:57:24.560 --> 0:57:26.920 Uh to go in and make sure that you know, 0:57:27.400 --> 0:57:30.640 John Doe's medical procedure was denied for a you know, 0:57:30.760 --> 0:57:31.520 incorrect reason. 0:57:31.520 --> 0:57:34.120 You need an insurance examiner a medical examiner or something 0:57:34.120 --> 0:57:34.400 like that. 0:57:35.200 --> 0:57:38.560 So this is but to your broader point, this is 0:57:38.600 --> 0:57:41.760 a huge deal that every state is dealing with. They 0:57:41.800 --> 0:57:43.520 know that the you know, the wave of the future. 0:57:45.560 --> 0:57:47.480 What's the old line, like, your job isn't going to 0:57:47.480 --> 0:57:49.240 be taken by AI, but your job is going to 0:57:49.240 --> 0:57:51.760 be taken by somebody who understands AI. And a lot 0:57:51.760 --> 0:57:55.360 of states are looking for that workforce. Who in the 0:57:55.360 --> 0:57:57.960 workforce that's going to understand the AI of the future, 0:57:58.000 --> 0:58:00.439 because there are a lot of things that that AI 0:58:00.560 --> 0:58:06.440 could streamline, a driver's license renewals, or just the basic 0:58:06.480 --> 0:58:11.000 government functions of the sort of lower level of intro 0:58:11.640 --> 0:58:15.760 employee new employee that could be made more efficient, so 0:58:15.880 --> 0:58:18.480 long as you have the workforce there that understands how 0:58:18.480 --> 0:58:21.520 to create those efficiencies. And I think that's where that's 0:58:21.520 --> 0:58:25.160 where we're seeing a bit of a problem in state workforces. 0:58:25.160 --> 0:58:25.360 Now. 0:58:25.400 --> 0:58:28.120 There's a huge wave of baby boomers who are retiring 0:58:28.720 --> 0:58:30.919 and there are not a ton of people who are 0:58:31.280 --> 0:58:32.840 coming in to take those jobs. 0:58:32.880 --> 0:58:35.360 So AI is almost there's almost an urgency to get 0:58:35.360 --> 0:58:39.080 it going in order to fill gaps that they see 0:58:39.160 --> 0:58:41.000 right now due to retired government. 0:58:41.200 --> 0:58:44.440 Yeah, and just to streamline government, make it more efficient. 0:58:45.000 --> 0:58:47.880 That's something that I could could do in a positive way, 0:58:48.440 --> 0:58:52.760 so long as you have those algorithmic discrimination protections over. 0:58:52.560 --> 0:58:53.160 The top of it. 0:58:53.800 --> 0:58:56.840 A derivative of the AI issue is access to power. 0:58:57.320 --> 0:59:02.680 And you may be loosening regular relations for small nuclear 0:59:02.720 --> 0:59:06.640 power plants, right and things like this. What what is 0:59:06.680 --> 0:59:11.400 the trend? And is our legislatures basically rolling over for 0:59:11.400 --> 0:59:14.840 for the for these industries to to hand them any 0:59:15.000 --> 0:59:19.880 anything they want in order to experiment with power or 0:59:21.320 --> 0:59:23.320 or is it is there is there some pushback? 0:59:23.640 --> 0:59:25.760 Yeah, so a couple of different things are happening here 0:59:25.760 --> 0:59:29.760 that the AI AI uses compute. Compute requires power, you know, 0:59:29.800 --> 0:59:34.040 electricity run These massive data centers are blowing up absolutely everywhere. 0:59:34.680 --> 0:59:37.240 There are some states that are that are moving to 0:59:37.400 --> 0:59:40.360 create as much power capacity as possible. 0:59:40.920 --> 0:59:43.400 Some and the and the projections. 0:59:42.680 --> 0:59:44.720 Are are those states that are doing that. 0:59:45.200 --> 0:59:49.200 Utah, Michigan, and Virginia are moving forward on the small 0:59:49.240 --> 0:59:52.680 module reactors, although those reactors they're going to take a while. 0:59:53.320 --> 0:59:56.160 Pennsylvania Meta, I think it was Meta signed a big 0:59:56.200 --> 1:00:00.200 deal with with three Mile Island to restart the good 1:00:00.280 --> 1:00:04.200 luck with that. Yeah, it's amazing that what. 1:00:04.360 --> 1:00:06.600 It's requiring there. 1:00:06.640 --> 1:00:09.960 There are some states that are moving and Mississippi is 1:00:10.000 --> 1:00:12.800 a good example here where they have they have approved 1:00:12.800 --> 1:00:15.520 so many data centers sort of as a backdoor way 1:00:15.800 --> 1:00:18.280 to create new power, to create the demand for new 1:00:18.320 --> 1:00:21.320 power that will then create the demand for coal and 1:00:21.640 --> 1:00:26.040 and sort of traditional power plants, if you will. The 1:00:26.120 --> 1:00:31.200 really sort of the third degree impact here though, is 1:00:31.280 --> 1:00:33.800 that these data centers are starting to cost states a 1:00:33.840 --> 1:00:34.720 lot of money. 1:00:34.960 --> 1:00:35.919 And not just like. 1:00:35.880 --> 1:00:37.640 You in Virginia where you live in Virginia, I don't 1:00:37.640 --> 1:00:39.360 know if you know this, Chuck, there is a there 1:00:39.440 --> 1:00:43.280 is a greater concentration of data centers in northern Virginia 1:00:43.520 --> 1:00:45.400 than there is anywhere else in so. 1:00:45.600 --> 1:00:47.200 Oh reed, Look, let me tell you a little something 1:00:47.240 --> 1:00:51.000 about our alma mater. Yeah, and w owns a bunch 1:00:51.000 --> 1:00:54.360 of land out there, loud m It is the last 1:00:54.560 --> 1:00:58.240 piece of land that is zoned for a data center. 1:00:58.960 --> 1:01:02.000 It is worth a bunch of extra money now because 1:01:02.000 --> 1:01:05.200 there's suddenly nobody wants to give more permission for this, 1:01:05.760 --> 1:01:08.640 right there is suddenly what you just described. So it's interesting. 1:01:08.680 --> 1:01:12.480 There's a look, you know, universities are looking for new 1:01:12.680 --> 1:01:15.960 pockets of money asap, right, so they It may be 1:01:16.000 --> 1:01:19.480 good news for GW, but it is interesting. It's funny 1:01:19.480 --> 1:01:21.840 you brought this up because I've learned this that you know, 1:01:21.920 --> 1:01:25.000 Louden was very open to this until they weren't. Right 1:01:25.040 --> 1:01:27.960 all of a sudden, now Louden residents are fighting this 1:01:28.080 --> 1:01:30.600 and there are others that don't want Suddenly there's a 1:01:31.280 --> 1:01:33.880 pushback against these data centers. 1:01:33.880 --> 1:01:35.240 Correct, and yes there is. 1:01:35.280 --> 1:01:37.160 And by the way, it's being led in the Virginia 1:01:37.240 --> 1:01:40.800 legislature by another former Hotliner stay centered, Danica Rome. 1:01:41.080 --> 1:01:46.080 Oh, Danica, you're right, thelight boy. We cast so much trouble, don't. 1:01:45.920 --> 1:01:48.160 We because she keeps bringing all these anti data center 1:01:48.200 --> 1:01:49.960 bills and haven't haven't passed yet. 1:01:49.960 --> 1:01:53.160 But she reps Louden, I believe, right, a big chunkle 1:01:53.200 --> 1:01:53.920 loud Yeah, yep. 1:01:55.840 --> 1:01:57.479 I'll tell you a funny story when when she worked 1:01:57.480 --> 1:01:59.720 at the hotline, uh, you know, we had to be 1:01:59.760 --> 1:02:01.520 in the off is at six am. Right. Of course, 1:02:01.760 --> 1:02:05.160 she was late frequently and I you know, got mad 1:02:05.200 --> 1:02:07.560 and yelled at her once. Well you know Route twenty eight, 1:02:07.640 --> 1:02:11.919 Route twenty well, you know, to her credit, she ran 1:02:11.960 --> 1:02:14.800 her entire first campaign promising to fix the Route twenty 1:02:14.840 --> 1:02:15.320 eight right. 1:02:15.600 --> 1:02:17.760 So it turns out she wasn't b s U right, 1:02:17.880 --> 1:02:19.840 Like it wasn't just like my dog ate my homework. 1:02:19.920 --> 1:02:21.960 Yeah, let me let me make one more point on 1:02:22.000 --> 1:02:24.240 these data centers, which which I think is interesting. They 1:02:24.280 --> 1:02:26.560 are they are starting to cost states a lot more 1:02:26.600 --> 1:02:29.880 money in the incentives. Like we talked about with the stadiums, 1:02:30.200 --> 1:02:33.800 the amount of money that states are paying to locate 1:02:33.840 --> 1:02:36.760 these data centers in their areas is through the roof. 1:02:36.800 --> 1:02:39.560 I mean, there's not a lot of jobs associated with 1:02:39.680 --> 1:02:41.800 not right, and it was a automated crap. 1:02:41.960 --> 1:02:43.920 I mean, and we're talking, you know, close to half 1:02:43.960 --> 1:02:47.640 a billion dollars this year in subsidies alone. So these 1:02:47.680 --> 1:02:50.600 states passed a lot of incentives four or five years 1:02:50.640 --> 1:02:53.080 ago that now these data centers are realizing, hey we 1:02:53.120 --> 1:02:55.080 can we can claw back a whole bunch of tax 1:02:55.120 --> 1:02:57.840 revenue and things like that, and so they're building it. 1:02:57.840 --> 1:02:58.600 And now that now the. 1:02:58.560 --> 1:03:01.560 State budgets are exploding because of these data centers. So 1:03:01.760 --> 1:03:03.000 I think in the next couple of years you're going 1:03:03.000 --> 1:03:05.080 to see legislators trying to sunset a lot of these 1:03:05.120 --> 1:03:05.920 incentive backs. 1:03:06.560 --> 1:03:09.320 Two more hot button issues that I know are royaling 1:03:09.480 --> 1:03:17.120 multiple state legislatures. One is housing and zoning. And you know, look, 1:03:17.520 --> 1:03:20.280 you know, whatever neighborhood if you live, you know, suburban 1:03:20.280 --> 1:03:23.200 neighborhoods have these fights. This is county level stuff. But 1:03:23.320 --> 1:03:25.840 then states are trying to deal with it. We we 1:03:25.960 --> 1:03:29.320 know California is you know, how do you? San Jose 1:03:29.440 --> 1:03:32.160 has these where you can take your backyard garage and 1:03:32.200 --> 1:03:34.920 turn it into an apartment, standalonepartment. I think they are 1:03:34.920 --> 1:03:37.760 actually going to sell these things, of these little micro properties. 1:03:38.560 --> 1:03:39.960 I think they call them ad us. 1:03:40.640 --> 1:03:42.960 Well huge right legislatures. 1:03:43.160 --> 1:03:50.600 And so is that is how is that a polarizing issue? Uh? 1:03:50.920 --> 1:03:53.600 And is it? I assume it's pitting geographic areas against 1:03:53.640 --> 1:03:57.680 each other rather necessarily than partisan ship. Correct, Yeah, it is. 1:03:57.720 --> 1:04:01.640 And we're seeing we're seeing something very clever is happening 1:04:01.920 --> 1:04:03.720 right now. A lot of states have taken up big 1:04:03.760 --> 1:04:08.000 housing packages in recent years. Colorado, Oregon, New Mexico, Uh, 1:04:08.320 --> 1:04:10.240 your home state of Florida, my home state of Washington 1:04:10.360 --> 1:04:15.520 both changed single family zoning laws recently, uh in certain 1:04:15.520 --> 1:04:18.360 cities to allow more you know, multi multi family housing. 1:04:19.760 --> 1:04:22.840 So yeah, this becomes a huge nimbi issue, right Uh, 1:04:23.080 --> 1:04:27.080 where the locals don't want new housing coming in because 1:04:27.080 --> 1:04:31.000 it I don't know, devalues their housing, their housing market 1:04:31.120 --> 1:04:31.440 or whatever. 1:04:31.520 --> 1:04:34.600 Yeah, they think it does it. You know, well I 1:04:34.640 --> 1:04:38.120 know this. Over time, all it does is increase you know, 1:04:38.520 --> 1:04:41.360 increase value. It also does it always. 1:04:41.400 --> 1:04:43.800 The clever thing that's happening in a lot of these 1:04:43.800 --> 1:04:47.320 states is that the city councils in some of these 1:04:47.360 --> 1:04:50.600 areas where the nimbi's are strong, will go to the 1:04:50.720 --> 1:04:52.720 legislator I talked to. I talked to a legislator in 1:04:52.760 --> 1:04:54.440 Colorado about this. She told me she was getting a 1:04:54.440 --> 1:04:56.800 whole bunch of phone calls from the city councils in 1:04:56.840 --> 1:04:59.840 all the mountain towns saying, you guys have to preempt 1:04:59.920 --> 1:05:00.600 up now. 1:05:00.680 --> 1:05:04.440 Ordinarily you know this. Cities hate being funny by the state. 1:05:04.480 --> 1:05:06.480 Because they said they knew it's a popular like, look, 1:05:06.480 --> 1:05:08.000 we're not gonna be able to deal with this. Don't 1:05:08.000 --> 1:05:09.400 make us do it. If it's right. 1:05:09.680 --> 1:05:11.520 The state is the one setting the rules. 1:05:11.800 --> 1:05:13.440 The local guys get to say, look at the big 1:05:13.480 --> 1:05:14.920 bad guys up there at the state capitol. 1:05:14.920 --> 1:05:17.760 It's not us they get. You know, the locals get reelected. 1:05:17.920 --> 1:05:20.120 The state legislators mostly get re elected because they're in 1:05:20.240 --> 1:05:21.320 Denver or Boulder. 1:05:21.080 --> 1:05:24.840 Or wherever, and you get more housing in these mountaintowns. 1:05:24.840 --> 1:05:28.720 So those those conversations happen behind closed doors, and more 1:05:28.720 --> 1:05:32.120 and more housing comes to these areas. So we're seeing 1:05:32.240 --> 1:05:34.080 I mean, we're seeing a lot of big housing packages 1:05:34.120 --> 1:05:37.200 that focus on zoning, that focus on those alternatives. 1:05:37.000 --> 1:05:38.880 Dwelling units, things like that. 1:05:38.960 --> 1:05:42.240 But I mean, there's no question there's a massive housing 1:05:42.280 --> 1:05:46.560 crisis across the country. I mean, in Rhode Island, there's 1:05:46.560 --> 1:05:49.680 a story in the Providence Journal today that the median 1:05:49.760 --> 1:05:51.880 housing cost in Rhode Island for a single family home 1:05:51.960 --> 1:05:53.360 is now north of half a million dollars. 1:05:53.480 --> 1:05:55.320 You know, in California it's north of a million dollars. 1:05:55.880 --> 1:05:58.720 So yeah, it's every state knows they've got to build 1:05:58.720 --> 1:06:00.720 this housing as as possible. 1:06:00.920 --> 1:06:02.880 The problem is to take so long. 1:06:10.040 --> 1:06:12.440 You know. Rita was funny. Every member of Congress I 1:06:12.520 --> 1:06:15.520 talked with last year, and I would say, hey, what's 1:06:15.560 --> 1:06:18.560 an issue you never talk you never bring up, but 1:06:18.600 --> 1:06:20.920 your voters always bring up to you. And they all 1:06:20.920 --> 1:06:23.760 set housing. You know, it was one of those they say, 1:06:23.760 --> 1:06:25.880 we don't talk about enough. You guys don't ask meaning 1:06:26.000 --> 1:06:28.560 us in the national media. We don't ask enough about it, 1:06:28.680 --> 1:06:31.000 and partially because we all know it's a local issue, right, 1:06:31.040 --> 1:06:33.240 you know, there's not really much the FEDS can do 1:06:33.280 --> 1:06:36.240 about it. But that doesn't mean people don't go to 1:06:36.280 --> 1:06:38.560 their congressmen and complain about local things. Right, You're like, 1:06:38.640 --> 1:06:41.000 come on, like, we've got a problem here. You know, 1:06:41.400 --> 1:06:44.160 I don't know if it's necessarily something the FEDS can 1:06:44.200 --> 1:06:46.240 deal with, as much as this really is a state 1:06:46.280 --> 1:06:49.360 local issue. The other one is the privatization of the 1:06:49.360 --> 1:06:53.640 public school system, which seems to be certainly that is 1:06:53.680 --> 1:06:57.440 probably a partisan that obviously is falling along partisan lines. 1:06:57.960 --> 1:07:00.640 But you know, the destruction of the public school system 1:07:00.640 --> 1:07:03.840 in Miami has just been just heartbreaking for me and 1:07:03.920 --> 1:07:06.040 a lot of people. And it's all over Florida's got 1:07:06.120 --> 1:07:10.920 huge gaps here. Texas is about to go on this 1:07:11.000 --> 1:07:14.160 and they've already had a very antiquated public school where 1:07:14.240 --> 1:07:16.080 basically you and I could say, hey, we're starting a 1:07:16.080 --> 1:07:19.880 school district, not just the school, you know, not just homeschool. 1:07:19.920 --> 1:07:21.760 You can start your own school district in Texas and 1:07:21.800 --> 1:07:26.080 then suddenly collect public tax dollars and that you may 1:07:26.160 --> 1:07:30.760 or may not have to account for. So obviously I 1:07:30.800 --> 1:07:32.960 have strong feelings about this because I just think we 1:07:33.040 --> 1:07:35.280 have problems in our public school system. This is not 1:07:35.320 --> 1:07:37.960 the way to address it. That's my frustration with this. 1:07:38.160 --> 1:07:43.480 But is a is in these conservative legislatures? Is this 1:07:43.640 --> 1:07:47.800 just a I mean, it's just an avalanche that's coming 1:07:47.840 --> 1:07:51.440 and the privatization of our public education system is only increasing. 1:07:51.800 --> 1:07:54.320 Yeah. So this is why Player of US News exists. 1:07:54.400 --> 1:07:57.800 Like we our goal here is not to cover, you know, 1:07:57.840 --> 1:08:00.760 everything that happens in one state's legislature, to spot the 1:08:00.800 --> 1:08:03.400 trends that happened across the country. And the very first 1:08:03.440 --> 1:08:06.880 trend that we started following three years ago when we 1:08:07.040 --> 1:08:11.120 kicked off, was this push to expand school vouchers. And 1:08:11.320 --> 1:08:13.400 Iowa was the first state. And by the way, this 1:08:13.440 --> 1:08:15.200 is why it's important to pay attention to more than 1:08:15.240 --> 1:08:16.560 just California and Texas. 1:08:16.320 --> 1:08:16.800 And New York. 1:08:17.000 --> 1:08:19.400 You know, Iowa is a real leader these days in 1:08:19.439 --> 1:08:22.240 conservative policy. They were the first ones to kick off 1:08:22.760 --> 1:08:25.519 this voucher push. Governor Reynolds signed the bill like two 1:08:25.560 --> 1:08:26.400 weeks into session. 1:08:26.680 --> 1:08:29.400 Of course, Jeb Bush started this and Flay I did, 1:08:29.520 --> 1:08:32.320 I mean, everybody is this is derivative of the Florida Plan. 1:08:32.560 --> 1:08:34.800 This is the latest This is the latest push, and 1:08:34.880 --> 1:08:38.280 after Iowa did it, about two dozen states followed suits, 1:08:38.720 --> 1:08:40.160 most recently in Texas. 1:08:40.439 --> 1:08:44.960 Iowa has a Democratic governor in eighteen months. It'll be 1:08:44.960 --> 1:08:46.080 because of this issue, I. 1:08:46.040 --> 1:08:50.040 Believe very well. Maybe. But the interesting thing that we're 1:08:50.040 --> 1:08:52.519 seeing now, so this happens in steps. First of all, 1:08:52.600 --> 1:08:55.880 you establish a program usually for people who are three 1:08:55.920 --> 1:08:59.200 hundred to four hundred percent of the medium by the 1:08:59.240 --> 1:09:01.920 poverty level, poverty level which is what eighty to one 1:09:01.960 --> 1:09:05.759 hundred thousand dollars total. Then the pool begins to expand, 1:09:05.840 --> 1:09:07.680 and you expand it to people who make up to 1:09:07.680 --> 1:09:09.560 two hundred thousand, are up to five hundred thousand, and 1:09:09.560 --> 1:09:12.479 then everybody who you know had disabled students or special 1:09:12.520 --> 1:09:15.679 needs students are included too. And then we go universe. 1:09:15.840 --> 1:09:18.000 And that's the that's the latest thing that we've seen 1:09:18.040 --> 1:09:21.439 here is a number of states expanding that eligibility pool 1:09:21.600 --> 1:09:26.320 to all kids in their state, places like New Hampshire, Iowa, 1:09:26.520 --> 1:09:28.320 Arkansas just did it. 1:09:28.800 --> 1:09:30.799 Texas is taking that first step. 1:09:30.840 --> 1:09:33.200 After you talked about the three parties in Texas well, 1:09:33.200 --> 1:09:36.040 the Texas House, the Republican held Texas House, was where 1:09:36.120 --> 1:09:39.240 voucher bills went to die Unbitt spent a whole bunch 1:09:39.280 --> 1:09:42.480 of money primary ing all the anti voucher members. 1:09:42.240 --> 1:09:43.719 And he finally got it through this year. 1:09:44.000 --> 1:09:47.240 So the just like we talked about with the data 1:09:47.240 --> 1:09:50.720 centers here, when you go to that universal eligibility like 1:09:50.800 --> 1:09:54.120 Iowa did, the amount of money that that costs the 1:09:54.120 --> 1:09:58.040 public school systems explodes. We're talking, I mean, you know, 1:09:58.080 --> 1:10:02.240 fifty sixty seventy million dollars over what states had budgeted 1:10:02.640 --> 1:10:06.120 in small states like Iowa and Arkansas, so legislators are 1:10:06.120 --> 1:10:08.960 having to go back to the well, spend more money 1:10:08.960 --> 1:10:09.840 on these on these. 1:10:09.680 --> 1:10:11.960 Programs, and it's costing a whole bunch of money. 1:10:12.320 --> 1:10:15.160 The other funny thing that happens is that the schools 1:10:15.160 --> 1:10:18.559 themselves respond. So in Iowa, there was a you know, 1:10:18.600 --> 1:10:23.200 there's a maximum amount that students can receive for these vouchers. 1:10:23.240 --> 1:10:25.840 I think it's nine thousand dollars a year somewhere around there. 1:10:26.040 --> 1:10:28.559 Well, funny enough, all the Catholic schools in Iowa change 1:10:28.600 --> 1:10:31.439 their tuition rates to about that nine thousand dollars a year. 1:10:31.479 --> 1:10:35.400 So schools themselves are raising tuition to capture as much 1:10:35.400 --> 1:10:38.320 as that of that money as possible, which again no it's. 1:10:38.200 --> 1:10:40.559 Just a wealth transfer. It's not actually doing it's not 1:10:40.640 --> 1:10:46.000 doing what the original do gooders thought what they were 1:10:46.040 --> 1:10:48.680 trying to do, right, which is, you know, how do 1:10:48.720 --> 1:10:52.920 you you know, how do you allow parents who are 1:10:52.960 --> 1:10:56.680 trapped in a bad school district to get out of 1:10:56.680 --> 1:10:59.960 that school district? Right? That's the original problem. And nobody 1:11:00.200 --> 1:11:02.680 ever thought, let's fix the school. Everybody is always like, 1:11:02.760 --> 1:11:05.360 let's abandon the school. And I'm trying to figure out 1:11:05.400 --> 1:11:07.839 how this is. You know, when you keep abandoning these schools, 1:11:08.400 --> 1:11:10.840 where in rural America? Are we building more schools in 1:11:10.880 --> 1:11:12.920 rural America to create school choice? 1:11:13.320 --> 1:11:13.400 You? 1:11:13.720 --> 1:11:16.600 I mean, this is this is the reality that I 1:11:16.640 --> 1:11:20.120 think Texans are going to run into and why I 1:11:20.160 --> 1:11:22.559 actually think this is going to turn into and why 1:11:22.880 --> 1:11:25.479 for instance, in Iowa this is more polarizing than you 1:11:25.560 --> 1:11:29.720 think it would be because you know, in theory, many 1:11:29.760 --> 1:11:32.240 of these conservative voters agree with the premise, and then 1:11:32.240 --> 1:11:35.559 the reality sets in, well, oh so I have to 1:11:35.560 --> 1:11:39.640 go thirty miles away or then or somebody says I'm 1:11:39.640 --> 1:11:42.880 going to start a school, right, and that's what you're getting. 1:11:42.880 --> 1:11:45.880 You're getting and some of them are good, and some 1:11:45.920 --> 1:11:50.880 of them are are crooked. And what I've not What 1:11:50.920 --> 1:11:53.120 I've also noticed is that there doesn't seem to be 1:11:54.000 --> 1:11:57.759 any good regulatory model to find out are these startup 1:11:57.840 --> 1:12:01.880 schools stealing tech expayer money or actually putting it to 1:12:01.920 --> 1:12:02.360 good use. 1:12:03.680 --> 1:12:05.960 Well, there's a there's a just just as we talked 1:12:05.960 --> 1:12:08.000 about in AI and these big tech companies. I mean, 1:12:08.000 --> 1:12:10.760 there's a booming business behind this. It's not just the 1:12:10.880 --> 1:12:14.799 charter schools. It's the firms that administer the education savings 1:12:14.800 --> 1:12:18.240 accounts or vouchers, whichever they are. You know, that's that's 1:12:18.520 --> 1:12:20.240 like the biggest sexy thing in the world. You're never 1:12:20.240 --> 1:12:22.240 going to see that on TV, but that's that's a 1:12:22.240 --> 1:12:23.160 lot of money right there. 1:12:23.360 --> 1:12:25.200 And that well, that's the thing. Like you know, look, 1:12:25.240 --> 1:12:27.080 I have a friend of mine who's an education lobbyist 1:12:27.080 --> 1:12:31.200 in Florida who was telling me that, you know, they 1:12:31.280 --> 1:12:34.040 keep they keep sort of starving the public school and 1:12:34.080 --> 1:12:37.240 they do this and then there's no there's no agency 1:12:37.280 --> 1:12:41.599 that holds the private charter accountable and there's no auditing 1:12:41.640 --> 1:12:44.720 of that money. The public school system gets audited all 1:12:44.760 --> 1:12:47.439 the time, right you know, there's a school board that 1:12:47.479 --> 1:12:53.240 oversees it. There's multiple layers of of watchdogs on that money. 1:12:53.760 --> 1:12:56.920 And you know, as these voucher systems have been expanded, 1:12:57.520 --> 1:13:01.800 there's been very little expansion of oversight welso on how 1:13:01.880 --> 1:13:02.880 this money is being spent. 1:13:03.160 --> 1:13:05.599 And this brings up another thing that legislators are doing 1:13:05.640 --> 1:13:09.599 these days. Chuck, define for me an educational expense because 1:13:09.640 --> 1:13:11.559 in Utah right now, you can pay for a ski 1:13:11.640 --> 1:13:14.640 pass with your education savings account and you can you know, 1:13:14.680 --> 1:13:17.760 there are whole forums on Reddit and things like that 1:13:17.920 --> 1:13:18.920 where you can use. 1:13:18.760 --> 1:13:21.240 So signing my kids up for any sport then becomes 1:13:21.280 --> 1:13:24.040 an educational expense because guess what, if they're good at 1:13:24.040 --> 1:13:26.080 the sport, they actually might get money for it. 1:13:26.400 --> 1:13:28.799 Hey. I mean, you know, Chuck, if you're using YouTube 1:13:28.840 --> 1:13:31.000 for an educational purpose, why not. I think you need 1:13:31.000 --> 1:13:33.360 a big screen TV, don't you. I mean that's like 1:13:33.560 --> 1:13:37.160 people are gaming the system to buy things like big 1:13:37.200 --> 1:13:40.360 screen TVs and toys and video games and things like that. 1:13:40.800 --> 1:13:44.080 So now legislators are going back and further defining what 1:13:44.240 --> 1:13:45.640 you can actually spend that money on. 1:13:46.200 --> 1:13:48.719 But you know, I'll take I'll take a ski pass 1:13:48.720 --> 1:13:50.559 and a big screen TV if you know, for my kid. 1:13:50.760 --> 1:13:53.280 All right, let me tackle this school issue in other way. 1:13:53.320 --> 1:13:57.360 Is there anybody actually saying, hey, let's rethink the public's 1:13:57.920 --> 1:14:02.679 you know, the public education sytemm, but in a public 1:14:02.720 --> 1:14:05.240 funded way, like you know, look, I do believe we 1:14:05.240 --> 1:14:08.880 haven't changed the I understand the frustration, right. We haven't 1:14:08.920 --> 1:14:12.320 really changed the premise of our public education system since 1:14:12.360 --> 1:14:15.840 we created it over one hundred years ago. It's basically 1:14:16.400 --> 1:14:20.240 the same premise property taxes, funded district stuff like that. 1:14:21.439 --> 1:14:24.160 So I have no doubt. And and you know, we're 1:14:23.880 --> 1:14:27.200 we do everything by age. And I think now all 1:14:27.240 --> 1:14:31.599 the all the research indicates that learning, you know, that 1:14:31.600 --> 1:14:33.880 that is a you know, that is not always the 1:14:33.920 --> 1:14:36.720 best way to go, and that you need to have 1:14:36.760 --> 1:14:37.800 some of that flexibility. 1:14:37.840 --> 1:14:38.200 No doubt. 1:14:38.280 --> 1:14:40.439 Smaller class sizes help with that all those things, right, 1:14:40.880 --> 1:14:43.080 and certainly those with means can go to a private 1:14:43.120 --> 1:14:47.439 school and get a form of that. But I guess 1:14:47.520 --> 1:14:50.120 that's the is there is there any legislature, Is there 1:14:50.120 --> 1:14:53.960 any leader in this space thinking about how to create 1:14:54.000 --> 1:14:57.920 this flexibility in the publics, in the public sector rather 1:14:57.960 --> 1:15:01.120 than just farming out tax to the private sector. 1:15:01.479 --> 1:15:03.240 Uh, not that I can think of. 1:15:03.320 --> 1:15:05.719 I mean, this strikes me as one of those issues 1:15:05.760 --> 1:15:09.320 that sort of sort of like housing that it is 1:15:09.479 --> 1:15:13.160 so it is so big structurally that you would need 1:15:13.240 --> 1:15:15.320 a I mean, this is why we're never going to 1:15:15.360 --> 1:15:18.799 get a real tax reform package passed through Congress. 1:15:18.880 --> 1:15:21.160 You know, it's so big that anything you do is 1:15:21.200 --> 1:15:22.320 going to create an enemy. 1:15:23.160 --> 1:15:25.760 This it sort of reminds me of what they did 1:15:25.800 --> 1:15:28.599 in Colorado a couple of years ago with their housing package. 1:15:28.640 --> 1:15:31.679 They put all the bills together in one, one big 1:15:31.720 --> 1:15:35.120 omnibus bill, and it gave everybody just enough to hate 1:15:35.439 --> 1:15:37.240 that they voted it down. Well, the next year they 1:15:37.280 --> 1:15:38.840 came back and they introduced a lot of the same 1:15:38.880 --> 1:15:41.479 bills as piecemeal bills, and if you hated this one, 1:15:41.479 --> 1:15:43.120 you could vote against it, but you could vote for 1:15:43.160 --> 1:15:43.759 this one. 1:15:44.200 --> 1:15:45.360 Suddenly everything passed. 1:15:46.200 --> 1:15:50.040 This is you know, it's really hard to get a 1:15:50.280 --> 1:15:54.560 massive structural change through a legislature because you're giving everybody 1:15:54.920 --> 1:15:57.080 just enough to hate that they can vote against it 1:15:57.160 --> 1:15:59.640 as opposed to little piece meal stuff. And education is 1:15:59.640 --> 1:16:01.840 so huge, huge, I mean, you're not going to change 1:16:01.840 --> 1:16:03.000 the system with piecemeal stuff. 1:16:03.160 --> 1:16:06.000 You know, it's interesting read. I actually think this is 1:16:06.040 --> 1:16:08.840 an underrated issue for a presidential candidate to tackle. Like 1:16:09.320 --> 1:16:11.960 I can tell you this, I know, Bill Clinton, if 1:16:11.960 --> 1:16:15.400 this were nineteen ninety one, he'd be talking about this 1:16:15.560 --> 1:16:17.960 no one. You know, he knows that this is this 1:16:18.000 --> 1:16:22.080 is something that cuts across parties, party line. So it's 1:16:22.080 --> 1:16:24.479 a way that you could actually have a conversation with 1:16:24.560 --> 1:16:28.599 voters from different ideological stripes if you come at it 1:16:28.840 --> 1:16:31.760 from a hey, we know it's a problem. We need 1:16:31.840 --> 1:16:33.559 to we need to figure out a better way. I 1:16:33.560 --> 1:16:35.479 don't have the answer yet, but I know we got 1:16:35.520 --> 1:16:39.000 to tackle it. I actually think simply leaning in on 1:16:39.040 --> 1:16:42.400 that a little bit it's probably good politics right now. 1:16:44.000 --> 1:16:46.479 It strikes me as something like Simpson's bowl. Simpson bowls 1:16:46.479 --> 1:16:48.680 where you know, and when Simpson bowls it, I get 1:16:48.720 --> 1:16:49.040 you on that. 1:16:49.200 --> 1:16:50.599 Yeah, It's just it's. 1:16:50.400 --> 1:16:52.120 So big that everybody's going to find a reason to 1:16:52.160 --> 1:16:54.400 hate it. 1:16:54.400 --> 1:16:57.000 It's possible, I hear you on that, and it can 1:16:57.040 --> 1:17:00.000 get weaponized quite easily. All let's talk a little bit 1:17:00.040 --> 1:17:05.479 of politics in the States. You know, I can't stand 1:17:05.600 --> 1:17:10.519 so much of the political analysis these days nationally, particularly 1:17:10.560 --> 1:17:13.040 when it comes to sort of projecting the politics of 1:17:13.080 --> 1:17:15.840 a state, where there's always this assumption that what it 1:17:15.920 --> 1:17:18.240 is today is what it'll be in four years. You know, 1:17:18.280 --> 1:17:20.479 there's all this doom and gloom on the left about 1:17:20.479 --> 1:17:22.759 the Democrats are never going to control the Senate again 1:17:23.320 --> 1:17:25.720 because of the trend lines in different states. And I'm 1:17:25.720 --> 1:17:29.280 just sitting there going, God, does anybody think about history right? 1:17:29.439 --> 1:17:29.519 Like? 1:17:29.640 --> 1:17:34.519 You know, what seems absolutely certain today can change within 1:17:34.680 --> 1:17:39.800 a cycle. So with that said, which states that are 1:17:39.920 --> 1:17:43.799 perceived to be you know, fairly reliably red or fairly 1:17:43.840 --> 1:17:47.840 reliably blue that there's some tumult underneath that we ought 1:17:47.880 --> 1:17:49.520 to pay attention to these midterms. 1:17:49.680 --> 1:17:52.360 Yeah, I'd pay attention to a state like Wisconsin, which 1:17:52.439 --> 1:17:54.000 just went through a rediscerpt. 1:17:54.120 --> 1:17:55.759 I know, I'm just going to list all the swing states. 1:17:55.760 --> 1:17:58.599 You don't get to. Don't give me a presidential swing state. 1:17:58.800 --> 1:18:01.479 I said, reliably read reliably blue. You don't get to 1:18:01.479 --> 1:18:03.680 come back maybe with Wisconsin. Man. And you know what, 1:18:03.760 --> 1:18:05.639 because I know you, I can say that, See this 1:18:05.680 --> 1:18:07.120 is why you got to bring people on your pie. 1:18:07.200 --> 1:18:09.599 And you know, God, damn it read anyway, Sorry, kiddy, 1:18:09.600 --> 1:18:10.639 Thanks Jack, appreciate it. 1:18:11.120 --> 1:18:13.280 You bring up Iowa. Iowa was a good one. Rob 1:18:13.360 --> 1:18:15.519 sand is the state audit there. He's runner for governor, 1:18:16.200 --> 1:18:19.960 the only Democrat left in state wide office. He's young dynamic. 1:18:20.000 --> 1:18:22.600 He looked forgive me rob if you listen to this, 1:18:22.600 --> 1:18:23.679 but he looks like a teenager. 1:18:24.400 --> 1:18:26.680 But he's you know those blue eyes. Man, he's like, 1:18:26.680 --> 1:18:28.479 oh blue eyes. You know you're waiting for him to 1:18:29.040 --> 1:18:33.040 sing Sinatra at you. But man, he's also he's also 1:18:33.560 --> 1:18:37.519 like a like he's an uncomfortable Democrat and he says it, 1:18:37.640 --> 1:18:40.080 which might be the right, might be the right persona 1:18:40.120 --> 1:18:40.880 to have this scle. 1:18:41.400 --> 1:18:45.160 The thing that's always interested in me about states is 1:18:45.479 --> 1:18:46.760 about the state politics. 1:18:47.080 --> 1:18:47.200 Is it? 1:18:47.280 --> 1:18:49.559 People vote for governor differently than they do for US 1:18:49.600 --> 1:18:50.960 Senate seed to US House seats. 1:18:51.160 --> 1:18:52.800 Just go to Kansas, right, you'll find that. 1:18:53.080 --> 1:18:55.400 Look, yeah, Larry Hogan can win a governorship in Maryland, 1:18:55.400 --> 1:18:57.519 but he couldn't win a Senate seat. You know, same 1:18:57.560 --> 1:19:01.160 thing with Phil Bredeson and Tennessee or or I don't know. 1:19:02.800 --> 1:19:06.080 Dave. Did Dave run for governor percentate? I can't remember. 1:19:06.120 --> 1:19:08.719 But Freudenthal did and he didn't win. No, I mean absolutely, 1:19:08.720 --> 1:19:10.120 I think they did try to get him and he 1:19:10.160 --> 1:19:11.160 didn't and it didn't work. 1:19:11.240 --> 1:19:13.719 So, I mean there are always going to be interesting 1:19:13.760 --> 1:19:16.240 opportunities for ds and rs to pick up seats that 1:19:16.439 --> 1:19:19.559 that they they otherwise. I mean Phil Scott has been 1:19:19.640 --> 1:19:22.200 the governor of Vermont for four two year terms. Now, 1:19:22.640 --> 1:19:25.040 last time he won with seventy something percent of the vote. 1:19:25.040 --> 1:19:28.240 He didn't run a television ad. He a Republican winning 1:19:28.280 --> 1:19:30.120 in Vermont without running a TV ad. 1:19:30.800 --> 1:19:34.639 Every two years. Yeah, you know that's a pretty pretty 1:19:34.720 --> 1:19:40.679 well would I would say highly uh highly news literate state? 1:19:40.760 --> 1:19:44.439 Yes, yes, Well, so you know a state like Oregon 1:19:44.640 --> 1:19:46.960 is going to be interesting because there are you know, 1:19:47.120 --> 1:19:50.719 there there's a lot of unhappiness with with Democrats in Portland, 1:19:51.760 --> 1:19:54.000 and and you know Governor kotech Is is going to 1:19:54.080 --> 1:19:54.759 run for reelection. 1:19:55.200 --> 1:19:56.880 What are we up to? Are they the second longest 1:19:56.880 --> 1:19:59.600 streak after your home state of white party governorship? 1:19:59.760 --> 1:19:59.800 No? 1:20:00.000 --> 1:20:01.320 Sorry, third, third longest. 1:20:01.320 --> 1:20:05.280 South Dakota is the longest Republican streaky a Democrat in 1:20:05.320 --> 1:20:08.439 the seventies. Washington last elected a Republican in nineteen eighty 1:20:08.560 --> 1:20:09.680 Oregon in nineteen eighty two. 1:20:10.120 --> 1:20:12.880 So yeah, they're both longest. Idaho Is Idaho not in 1:20:12.960 --> 1:20:13.559 that top four? 1:20:14.479 --> 1:20:16.880 Who did Idaho have? Idaho? I had a republic a 1:20:16.960 --> 1:20:20.479 Democratic governor in the in the ninet nineties. I'm going 1:20:20.520 --> 1:20:21.479 to blank on who was. 1:20:21.800 --> 1:20:23.920 There was a guy named Larry Echohawk that always would 1:20:23.920 --> 1:20:26.880 come really close, but never never, never quite get there. 1:20:27.080 --> 1:20:31.480 Yeah, those Mountain West states are becoming increasingly difficult for Democrats. 1:20:31.720 --> 1:20:35.120 All right, when look this cycle, it's New Jersey, right, 1:20:35.200 --> 1:20:37.240 this is the quote reliably blue state that feels like 1:20:37.320 --> 1:20:38.720 it's going to be a real swing state. 1:20:38.800 --> 1:20:39.880 This, I'll make you bet, Chuck. 1:20:40.040 --> 1:20:42.160 I was talking to a Republican stratge out in Vermont 1:20:42.240 --> 1:20:45.600 in Virginia yesterday, and then he was talking, he was 1:20:45.840 --> 1:20:48.320 talking up his Well I can say this because he 1:20:48.360 --> 1:20:48.720 posted it. 1:20:48.760 --> 1:20:50.719 It's your your doppelganger, Brent Todd. 1:20:52.280 --> 1:20:55.160 Is working on He posted something on his blog about 1:20:55.439 --> 1:20:57.040 Republican chances in Virginia is here. 1:20:57.320 --> 1:20:59.759 I will bet you New Jersey will be closer than Virginia. 1:21:00.200 --> 1:21:03.280 I I, you know, sorry, but said that. I think 1:21:03.320 --> 1:21:05.880 I've already said that on my my pot a few times. Oh. 1:21:06.000 --> 1:21:08.160 I think Virginia is going to be double digits on 1:21:08.200 --> 1:21:11.639 the top part of the ticket probably. You know, when 1:21:11.640 --> 1:21:13.960 I say double digit, somewhere between that right around that 1:21:14.280 --> 1:21:16.640 Ralph Northam, you know, somewhere between eight and eleven. I 1:21:16.680 --> 1:21:19.439 mean just the federal worker stuff alone. The question is, 1:21:20.600 --> 1:21:23.519 is you know the and I assume Brad Todd has 1:21:23.600 --> 1:21:26.040 one race he cares about in Virginia. I think he's 1:21:26.080 --> 1:21:29.840 got the AG right, who's the only incumbent on the ballot, 1:21:30.200 --> 1:21:33.679 and that'll be the test, right, how strong are Spamberger's coattails? 1:21:34.360 --> 1:21:36.040 Does does the AG winner loose? 1:21:36.240 --> 1:21:36.360 Right? 1:21:36.479 --> 1:21:39.679 And I think it's a it's you know, I don't 1:21:40.360 --> 1:21:43.200 it's not the strongest down ballid ticket Democrats could have nominated. 1:21:43.320 --> 1:21:46.640 But guess what, it's not exactly a strong top of 1:21:46.680 --> 1:21:48.799 the ticket on the Republican side. So it's an interesting 1:21:49.800 --> 1:21:52.599 I do think Virginia AG will be in Virginia LG 1:21:52.760 --> 1:21:57.160 will both be weirdly closer, will be really perhaps fairly 1:21:57.240 --> 1:22:00.640 competitive on that front. But New Jersey there's no to me. 1:22:00.800 --> 1:22:02.720 I mean, and we were seeing this, I mean New 1:22:02.840 --> 1:22:05.960 Jersey has that you know, there was a you know, 1:22:06.479 --> 1:22:12.080 it has it has that blue collar Democratic labor voter 1:22:12.920 --> 1:22:16.480 that's culturally a bit more conservative than the average Democratic 1:22:16.760 --> 1:22:17.599 candidate these days. 1:22:17.680 --> 1:22:20.640 Yeah, and Republicans have had have sort of harbored the 1:22:20.720 --> 1:22:22.160 hopes of winning there for a long time. 1:22:23.360 --> 1:22:25.479 You'll remember this better than I did. Dick Cheney make 1:22:25.479 --> 1:22:28.479 it last minute stop in Jersey in two thousand or four. 1:22:28.720 --> 1:22:31.000 Yeah, New Jersey's always one of those states it polls, 1:22:31.080 --> 1:22:32.439 you know, remember you and I used to talk about 1:22:32.439 --> 1:22:35.479 this all the time. It always polls close because there's 1:22:35.479 --> 1:22:37.960 always a high undecided, right, it's a weird. There's no 1:22:38.080 --> 1:22:40.720 media market. It's all bleeding in. I always say I 1:22:40.760 --> 1:22:43.840 feel sorry for New Jersey's reputation because the only reason 1:22:43.880 --> 1:22:46.120 they have the reputation is sort of a scandal plague 1:22:46.160 --> 1:22:48.720 state is because the Philadelphia media market and the New 1:22:48.800 --> 1:22:51.360 York media market only covers New Jersey politics when there's 1:22:51.400 --> 1:22:53.920 something bad that happens. They never cover the day to 1:22:54.000 --> 1:22:55.800 day stuff. They cover the day to day of their 1:22:55.840 --> 1:22:59.639 own states, but they never cover So the outsized coverage 1:22:59.640 --> 1:23:02.719 of the negative of New Jersey creates this negative vibe 1:23:03.240 --> 1:23:07.600 unfortunately for for I think New Jersey politicians, which you know, 1:23:07.880 --> 1:23:11.760 it's actually a fairly competent state government, you know, whether 1:23:11.840 --> 1:23:14.519 it was Christian charge, Murphy in charge, et cetera. But 1:23:14.640 --> 1:23:17.960 it does have this this reputation. Some of it is, 1:23:18.160 --> 1:23:22.160 you know, an old reputation. Some of it is basically right, yeah, 1:23:22.200 --> 1:23:25.120 the party boss stuff that got rid of that, which 1:23:25.200 --> 1:23:28.000 is a you know, Andy Kim is never a US 1:23:28.080 --> 1:23:31.760 senator without it, you know, on that front. But there's 1:23:31.760 --> 1:23:36.040 definitely Jersey. Let me ask a few other states that 1:23:36.240 --> 1:23:39.600 I'm wondering if their legislatures have sort of pushed the 1:23:39.720 --> 1:23:43.439 envelope too much to give the other party a chance here. 1:23:43.920 --> 1:23:48.000 So do we see any green shoots for the Republicans 1:23:48.040 --> 1:23:50.880 in Massachusetts this cycle? They're going to go to maga 1:23:51.080 --> 1:23:51.960 on there there are. 1:23:52.280 --> 1:23:54.200 I mean, there are, there are such. 1:23:56.520 --> 1:24:01.600 Small you know, Republican Republican caucus in Massachusetts is so 1:24:01.720 --> 1:24:04.840 small that even even if they do well, you know, 1:24:04.920 --> 1:24:06.759 they get two or three more seats. 1:24:06.800 --> 1:24:09.679 And that's I mean, it's such a such a little. 1:24:10.320 --> 1:24:13.639 And as a Charlie Baker's not walking through that door. 1:24:13.880 --> 1:24:17.000 No, No, Charlie Banker and Republicans had a remarkable streak. 1:24:17.040 --> 1:24:19.320 But they've had They've had six of. 1:24:19.360 --> 1:24:21.479 The I think they've had more Republican governors in the 1:24:21.560 --> 1:24:23.160 last thirty years than Democratic governments. 1:24:23.800 --> 1:24:26.200 They certainly have, But that takes a Charlie Baker, a 1:24:26.240 --> 1:24:27.360 Mitt Romney something like that. 1:24:28.200 --> 1:24:32.920 So yeah, I am. I think Tommy, let's talk about 1:24:32.920 --> 1:24:36.200 the three US Senators running for governor. Tommy Tapperville, Alabama, 1:24:36.280 --> 1:24:39.639 Michael Bennett Colorado, Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee? Am I leaving somebody out? 1:24:39.640 --> 1:24:41.479 Those are the no But I don't think Blackburn has 1:24:41.479 --> 1:24:43.120 technically gotten in yet. But we all know, right, but 1:24:43.160 --> 1:24:45.479 she's already run ads like I'm sorry, Like I'm not. 1:24:45.760 --> 1:24:48.000 You know, she's already run ads for it. So please, 1:24:49.320 --> 1:24:52.680 is there a fourth that I'm missing? Right on took 1:24:52.720 --> 1:24:54.600 himself out of New Mexico. I know there was some 1:24:54.760 --> 1:24:56.760 chatter there where else was there chatter? 1:24:57.640 --> 1:24:59.120 I was thinking about it too. But he's not going 1:24:59.160 --> 1:25:03.479 to run No. I think that's all. 1:25:03.439 --> 1:25:05.479 Right, So let's look at those three. Bennett looks like, 1:25:06.520 --> 1:25:09.640 what's what am I missing? This looks like he's going 1:25:09.720 --> 1:25:12.439 to a walk in the park. What would prevent that? 1:25:13.280 --> 1:25:16.800 Yeah, Republicans haven't been I mean in Colorado is one 1:25:16.840 --> 1:25:19.280 of those states that gets to your point about about 1:25:19.520 --> 1:25:21.040 you know, sort of the evolution, right. 1:25:21.120 --> 1:25:24.360 It was a conservative state. Now it is a liberal state. 1:25:25.240 --> 1:25:28.040 And but that's too liberal. It's always what you can't 1:25:28.080 --> 1:25:30.040 go too far. I mean, like polis knew what he 1:25:30.080 --> 1:25:32.400 could and couldn't do during COVID, for instance, Right, I 1:25:32.479 --> 1:25:34.400 think I think he was the I think no governor 1:25:34.439 --> 1:25:38.720 handled COVID politically better than Jared Polis. Polis is given 1:25:38.760 --> 1:25:41.839 a lot of credit, but DeSantis didn't help his national reputation. 1:25:41.960 --> 1:25:44.480 Polis helped both his local and national reputations. 1:25:44.640 --> 1:25:46.479 I think, I think what we're going to see, what 1:25:46.920 --> 1:25:49.280 if if Polish runs for president, he's going to be. 1:25:51.080 --> 1:25:51.760 The centrist. 1:25:52.120 --> 1:25:56.000 I'm a most conservative person, democratic feed, pro business. Polis 1:25:56.160 --> 1:25:58.599 was never a liberal. He was He's never been a liberal. 1:25:58.680 --> 1:25:58.880 He was. 1:25:59.000 --> 1:26:02.240 No. He was the boulder Boulder thing, being a bolder congressman, 1:26:02.320 --> 1:26:04.240 which used to be the kiss of death for state 1:26:04.280 --> 1:26:07.479 wide office in Colorado. I always wonder to that about him. 1:26:07.520 --> 1:26:11.599 But his background was you know, he was a tech guy, right, 1:26:11.720 --> 1:26:13.400 and he made a bunch of money. I always say, 1:26:13.560 --> 1:26:15.519 do you remember in the early days of the internet 1:26:15.560 --> 1:26:18.040 the musical greeting cards? Right? That was him. You know. 1:26:20.520 --> 1:26:23.400 Alabama is the one that I think Tommy Tupperville is 1:26:23.560 --> 1:26:27.760 just not a good political athlete. He may be a 1:26:27.960 --> 1:26:33.120 good football ex football coach, but he doesn't He steps 1:26:33.200 --> 1:26:35.519 in it quite a bit. And as you point out, 1:26:36.080 --> 1:26:40.000 voters take governor's racist more seriously by the person than 1:26:40.080 --> 1:26:44.360 by the party. If Doug Jones runs for governor, why 1:26:44.400 --> 1:26:46.280 do I think that's a competitive. 1:26:45.920 --> 1:26:49.479 Race, it'll be competitive. I don't think it'll be I 1:26:49.520 --> 1:26:52.960 think Tupperville probably still wins. But by the way, he's 1:26:53.000 --> 1:26:55.479 a football coach. I haven't heard him mention that fifty 1:26:55.560 --> 1:26:56.679 times in the last hour. 1:26:57.479 --> 1:27:00.640 Fairly, I think one of the most. You know, I 1:27:00.680 --> 1:27:02.000 don't make any look, he was a he was a 1:27:02.040 --> 1:27:05.080 really good assistant coach at the University of Miami. You know, 1:27:05.240 --> 1:27:09.840 back in the day, you know, there's I will just say, 1:27:09.920 --> 1:27:12.200 I've got a lot of family that's big Auburn fans. 1:27:12.880 --> 1:27:16.200 Nobody shed a tear when that dude left. Nobody shed 1:27:16.240 --> 1:27:16.720 a teer when that. 1:27:16.760 --> 1:27:20.680 Dud There are always politicians who lean so heavy into 1:27:20.760 --> 1:27:25.360 their into their backstory that it I mean, it's I 1:27:25.360 --> 1:27:27.840 don't want to mock people, but it's it's pretty easy though. 1:27:27.920 --> 1:27:30.320 That's my point with him, Like he does it. Look, dude, 1:27:30.360 --> 1:27:33.160 you weren't that successful. You weren't the worst coach. They 1:27:33.200 --> 1:27:35.600 were the worst, but you weren't the best. Yeah, the 1:27:36.000 --> 1:27:37.880 riker to ever tell you you caught the Green River killer? 1:27:37.880 --> 1:27:40.400 I mean, howay, but that you know what, at least 1:27:40.439 --> 1:27:43.479 that has something to do with your job. Okay, at 1:27:43.600 --> 1:27:46.559 least that was a public service. Okay, I don't think 1:27:46.560 --> 1:27:52.400 football coach applies to that. And you know, look, Tennessee 1:27:52.520 --> 1:27:54.880 is one of the more remarkable states if I you know, 1:27:55.360 --> 1:27:58.719 when I was first coming up professionally in politics, Tennessee, 1:27:58.880 --> 1:28:02.719 North Carolina, Georgia, when you said new South, it was Virginia, Tennessee, 1:28:02.760 --> 1:28:07.720 North Carolina, Georgia. Well, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia definitely sort 1:28:07.760 --> 1:28:11.720 of is in one direction, but Tennessee didn't go in 1:28:11.800 --> 1:28:16.000 that direction now, and it's you know, it's it is. 1:28:16.200 --> 1:28:17.680 You know, part of it was the strength of the 1:28:17.760 --> 1:28:21.560 Eastern Tennessee Republicans to sort of prevent too much democratic 1:28:21.640 --> 1:28:26.400 encroachment early on. But that's my only question. There is 1:28:26.439 --> 1:28:29.080 there a point where Nashville grows so much that Blackburn 1:28:29.160 --> 1:28:32.479 is seen is slightly too far to the right. I don't. 1:28:32.560 --> 1:28:34.719 I don't think so, but I'm just curious what you're seeing. 1:28:35.160 --> 1:28:38.240 Yeah, So, I think the difference between the first three 1:28:38.280 --> 1:28:41.280 states to outline there, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia and 1:28:41.600 --> 1:28:45.400 Tennessee is that those first three states are becoming a 1:28:45.600 --> 1:28:48.560 sort of a second Silicon Valley. They're becoming homes to 1:28:49.200 --> 1:28:54.160 the big growing industries of today. You know, the demographics 1:28:54.200 --> 1:28:57.479 that that changed Virginia. Weren't the federal workers. They were 1:28:57.560 --> 1:29:00.800 the they were the data center workers, right, folks around 1:29:00.800 --> 1:29:04.680 the Richmond suburbs exactly. And I'm up in Charlottesville and 1:29:05.280 --> 1:29:08.040 Northern and the and the Ampton Roads, and the same 1:29:08.120 --> 1:29:10.799 thing is happening in you know, around the fintech sector 1:29:11.080 --> 1:29:15.719 in Charlotte and Raleigh, uh and the tech sectors establishing 1:29:15.760 --> 1:29:16.839 a base in Atlanta. 1:29:17.240 --> 1:29:18.759 You're not seeing the same thing in Tennessee. 1:29:18.800 --> 1:29:20.599 And so I think I think that sort of broader 1:29:20.800 --> 1:29:25.000 changing economy uh is is what's brought in the younger workers, 1:29:25.080 --> 1:29:27.000 and those younger workers that tend to be more liberal. 1:29:27.720 --> 1:29:30.240 Of course, the natural flow of this is, you know, 1:29:30.320 --> 1:29:34.080 this brings up what about Texas? What about Austin, San Antonio? 1:29:34.479 --> 1:29:37.880 You know, the fastest growing states in America, But take 1:29:37.920 --> 1:29:39.960 a look at the Census Bureau puts out a list 1:29:40.000 --> 1:29:42.120 every year of the fast growing cities in America, and 1:29:42.160 --> 1:29:44.479 they're all to the sun Belt sun Belt areas. You 1:29:44.560 --> 1:29:47.479 know that they're in Texas, They're in the Phoenix suburbs 1:29:47.560 --> 1:29:49.960 or something like that. And hey, look, you know Arizona 1:29:50.000 --> 1:29:53.840 has two Democratic senators. Now, North Carolina is always going 1:29:53.920 --> 1:29:57.280 to be competitive. Georgia has two Democratic senators for the moment, 1:29:58.240 --> 1:30:01.439 so you know, Texas, Texas should be on that list. 1:30:01.520 --> 1:30:04.639 But it's I feel like it's it's the Democratic version 1:30:04.680 --> 1:30:07.559 of Republicans New Jersey where it's always loosey in the football. 1:30:07.800 --> 1:30:10.400 Yeah it is, and it's and it's so and the 1:30:10.880 --> 1:30:14.439 and look, Republicans probably could if they spent more time 1:30:14.479 --> 1:30:16.880 in New Jersey, probably could keep it competitive. But it's 1:30:16.920 --> 1:30:20.480 such an expensive proposition. And that's what happens to Democrats 1:30:20.520 --> 1:30:23.120 with both Florida and Texas, Like it's a lot of 1:30:23.200 --> 1:30:26.680 work to keep it up right, and they just and 1:30:26.800 --> 1:30:29.000 of course then you throw in bad state party leadership, 1:30:29.200 --> 1:30:32.360 right and there's just nobody. There's nobody, there's you know, 1:30:33.320 --> 1:30:36.800 there is no None of these mayors in Texas and 1:30:36.880 --> 1:30:42.000 none of the mayors in Florida have become party leaders, 1:30:42.280 --> 1:30:43.760 you know what I mean. It becomes sort of that 1:30:43.920 --> 1:30:47.840 North Star, the way Bob Graham was able to and 1:30:47.920 --> 1:30:50.519 even Bill Nelson to a lesser extent, keep the state 1:30:50.560 --> 1:30:54.000 party competitive in a float, or the way you know, frankly, 1:30:54.080 --> 1:30:56.880 not since Lloyd Benson was there a Democrat that could 1:30:56.960 --> 1:30:59.800 be a magnet for money in the state party to 1:31:00.200 --> 1:31:02.439 to have the to have the resources do that. And 1:31:02.520 --> 1:31:04.200 that's the same problem in New Jersey, right, there was 1:31:04.240 --> 1:31:07.960 no one Republican to invest in to get that part 1:31:07.960 --> 1:31:10.920 because it was just no other officeholders that they had there. 1:31:11.800 --> 1:31:14.880 Interesting take on Tennessee. I also think that Memphis is 1:31:15.000 --> 1:31:19.840 just such a an ignored area by the state to 1:31:19.960 --> 1:31:25.200 try to redevelop, right And and ironically it's almost like 1:31:25.920 --> 1:31:28.280 there's a part of me that thinks the Republicans in 1:31:28.360 --> 1:31:30.200 Nashville are afraid that they don't want to create a 1:31:30.240 --> 1:31:35.240 second Nashville. Yeah, yeah, right, and Memphis. 1:31:35.080 --> 1:31:38.080 Talk about talking about preemption. By the way, Tennessee is 1:31:38.479 --> 1:31:40.720 working on a bill. I don't know if it's past yet, 1:31:40.760 --> 1:31:45.120 but it would effectively preempt Nashville from naming its own airport. Uh. 1:31:45.400 --> 1:31:46.800 And hey, you want to take a gas or they 1:31:46.800 --> 1:31:47.960 want to name the airport after. 1:31:48.240 --> 1:31:52.760 Well why, I mean, look, you do it after If 1:31:52.800 --> 1:31:55.040 it isn't Peyton Manning's airport, then I don't want to 1:31:55.040 --> 1:31:55.519 hear about it. 1:31:56.800 --> 1:31:57.080 It's not. 1:31:57.720 --> 1:32:01.360 Yeah, I'm shocked, really, I'm shocked. I'm sure, Well, somebody's 1:32:01.400 --> 1:32:02.960 going to get you know, it's going to get the 1:32:02.960 --> 1:32:06.000 Trump Airport. When is Obama getting an airport, right, and 1:32:06.080 --> 1:32:09.160 we went down that. Yeah, I mean I couldn't actually 1:32:09.200 --> 1:32:12.240 tell you who O'Hare was exactly at this point? Do 1:32:12.320 --> 1:32:14.800 you turn it all? Right? Harry Reid took over Vegas? Right, 1:32:15.240 --> 1:32:18.519 George Bush? I remember my cousin one time left the 1:32:18.600 --> 1:32:21.760 country for six months and he goes, I flew out 1:32:21.800 --> 1:32:26.360 of National change planes in Houston, and then I came 1:32:26.439 --> 1:32:28.800 back and I flew from Bush to Reagan. It was 1:32:28.840 --> 1:32:32.040 like both happened like within six months of each other. 1:32:32.560 --> 1:32:36.960 Now here's some contrivia for you. What president's name is on? 1:32:37.400 --> 1:32:39.919 Now let me say what airport named for a president 1:32:40.120 --> 1:32:43.040 is the smallest in America based on passenger traffic. 1:32:43.320 --> 1:32:46.400 Oh, I'm going to say Grand Rapids. 1:32:46.880 --> 1:32:48.879 Abraham Lincoln Airport in Springfield, Illinois. 1:32:48.920 --> 1:32:51.920 Oh a B Lincoln. Ab Lincoln has the naming rights. Huh. 1:32:52.800 --> 1:32:55.080 I'm waiting for airports to auction off their naming rights 1:32:55.120 --> 1:32:57.920 like football stadium right, you know you're changing played at 1:32:57.920 --> 1:33:02.040 Hartsfield Why Hartsfield Jackson? No, No, no, come on, Amazon, Hey, 1:33:02.200 --> 1:33:04.800 I'm now changing planes in the Amazon Airport. I'm not 1:33:05.240 --> 1:33:09.080 you think I'm kidding. I you know, at some point, right, 1:33:09.360 --> 1:33:11.400 you know what do you think toll roads were at 1:33:11.439 --> 1:33:13.559 one point? What do you think rest stops are about. 1:33:13.880 --> 1:33:17.960 It's about state governments getting you know, Hey, you want 1:33:18.000 --> 1:33:19.880 to be at our rest stop, you got to pay us. 1:33:20.240 --> 1:33:20.400 Right. 1:33:20.640 --> 1:33:24.719 I think this is coming to airports. We're probably twenty 1:33:24.800 --> 1:33:26.680 years away, but I bet it's coming. Well. 1:33:27.000 --> 1:33:29.519 UPS will take over Louisville. That's their big distribution hub. 1:33:29.640 --> 1:33:32.360 Right, maybe you sell the naming rights of terminals first, Right, 1:33:32.439 --> 1:33:34.759 you don't quite do the whole airport, but you do that, Okay, 1:33:35.160 --> 1:33:38.759 the Amazon terminal, the Apple terminal, the UPS terminal. 1:33:39.560 --> 1:33:41.600 Amazon does a ton of business at BWI. Although I 1:33:41.680 --> 1:33:42.320 kind of like the THIRDD. 1:33:42.400 --> 1:33:43.240 Marshall name, I. 1:33:43.280 --> 1:33:46.200 Hope I do too. I mean, I look, the reason 1:33:46.280 --> 1:33:49.599 I like to see stuff named after politicians is sort 1:33:49.640 --> 1:33:52.559 of a force history on people. Sometimes. I always say, look, 1:33:52.600 --> 1:33:54.880 you need to accidentally teach people about history. If they're 1:33:54.920 --> 1:33:57.360 not that interested in it, that's fine. Not everybody should be. 1:33:57.640 --> 1:34:00.360 But then if you name stuff after people that were elevant, 1:34:00.880 --> 1:34:02.840 you know, then it's a way to have a conversation. 1:34:03.000 --> 1:34:06.400 It's a way to spark a conversation. And oh why 1:34:06.439 --> 1:34:08.040 do they call it this? And you might go read 1:34:08.080 --> 1:34:10.639 a plaque and oh, you might have educated yourself by accident. 1:34:10.840 --> 1:34:13.599 And we can remain very, very in favor of these things. 1:34:13.680 --> 1:34:15.960 We can rename things that are named after terrible people 1:34:16.080 --> 1:34:18.559 like you know, Pat McCarran was a kind of a jerk, 1:34:18.720 --> 1:34:20.960 and you know, Harry Reid. 1:34:21.560 --> 1:34:25.639 Is now there you go, well so, but sometimes Harry 1:34:25.680 --> 1:34:27.200 Reid thought I was a jerk. So I don't know, 1:34:27.400 --> 1:34:30.439 you know, I was. I was going to say, you know, 1:34:30.520 --> 1:34:33.720 having worked for you, you know, all right, all right, 1:34:35.040 --> 1:34:36.719 are the Mariners ever going to make the playoffs? 1:34:37.000 --> 1:34:37.040 No? 1:34:37.680 --> 1:34:40.479 No, I mean, are you guys with the longest route? Right? 1:34:41.040 --> 1:34:43.560 Well, so we made it the other year in the 1:34:43.720 --> 1:34:45.320 last two years to get in. 1:34:45.600 --> 1:34:49.080 Okay that for that one game playoff business, whatever it was, it. 1:34:49.120 --> 1:34:52.280 Doesn't count for me. Now where Look, I've haken. I've 1:34:52.280 --> 1:34:53.000 got an eight year old. 1:34:53.320 --> 1:34:54.840 How do you feel about cal Raley? I mean, is 1:34:54.880 --> 1:34:55.880 this like the greatest thing ever? 1:34:56.240 --> 1:34:56.519 I love? 1:34:56.880 --> 1:34:59.080 He's fantastic, But I've got an eight year old. I've 1:34:59.080 --> 1:35:02.080 taken him to ten Seattle games and nine Mariner games. 1:35:02.120 --> 1:35:05.320 In a Seahawks game, they lost the first nine, They 1:35:05.400 --> 1:35:07.800 lost the first nine. He finally saw the Mariners beat 1:35:07.800 --> 1:35:10.040 the Nationals last year and I was like, look, can 1:35:10.520 --> 1:35:12.920 this this is teaching you to be a good loser, 1:35:13.040 --> 1:35:14.479 which is just as import as it is to be 1:35:14.520 --> 1:35:14.920 a good. 1:35:14.920 --> 1:35:17.240 I completely agree. I always said this. You know, you 1:35:17.320 --> 1:35:19.840 know people think I'm a bandwagon Packer fan. It's like, no, man, 1:35:20.320 --> 1:35:22.599 when I was a Packer fan, they sucked, man, we were, 1:35:22.880 --> 1:35:24.760 we were. In fact, there was a sports writer for 1:35:24.840 --> 1:35:27.760 Newsweek that used to call the annual Packers Buccaneers game 1:35:27.840 --> 1:35:31.479 the Bay of Pigs. It was because neither team made 1:35:31.520 --> 1:35:34.160 the playoffs for like ten years. It was just you know, 1:35:34.600 --> 1:35:38.080 below five hundred football, and you're right when you when 1:35:38.160 --> 1:35:42.840 you lose and then you win, it's some as it 1:35:43.080 --> 1:35:49.160 is you fork and and so uh it's uh. The 1:35:49.240 --> 1:35:52.880 Mariners are a frustrating you guys. Have I love the 1:35:52.960 --> 1:35:54.960 players that go in and out of that franchise and 1:35:55.040 --> 1:35:58.040 you're like, what, why can't it all be put together? 1:35:58.439 --> 1:36:01.800 Jay Rod drives me crazy. He's he's always won for four. 1:36:01.880 --> 1:36:04.280 I have enough fantasy team. He's always won for four. 1:36:04.800 --> 1:36:07.320 You has ever three for four? You know, he's not 1:36:07.439 --> 1:36:10.200 an over for guy. But it's like I keep waiting 1:36:10.240 --> 1:36:12.160 for him to be a Kuna and he's not a Kuna. 1:36:12.280 --> 1:36:13.759 But he's all the Kunah talent. 1:36:14.120 --> 1:36:15.800 Yeah you've been You've been hot on him longer than 1:36:15.800 --> 1:36:16.240 I have been. 1:36:16.439 --> 1:36:18.640 I know, have you given up on him? He's just 1:36:19.080 --> 1:36:21.439 he is who he is a very good player. But 1:36:21.560 --> 1:36:22.280 not Ken Griffy. 1:36:22.600 --> 1:36:25.400 Yeah yeah, oh yeah, nobody, nobody will ever be Griffy. Yeah. 1:36:26.080 --> 1:36:28.840 So well, the cal Raley, I mean, if we have 1:36:28.920 --> 1:36:30.960 a home run you know, he gets to be in 1:36:30.960 --> 1:36:32.840 the home run derby, that'll be exciting for your for 1:36:32.960 --> 1:36:34.439 your son. I mean, that'll be fun to route for 1:36:34.479 --> 1:36:35.240 hopefully James. 1:36:35.040 --> 1:36:37.040 Wood's right, Yeah, no, he would like that. That's coming 1:36:37.080 --> 1:36:37.760 up in a couple of weeks. 1:36:37.840 --> 1:36:41.400 Yeah, oh, the home run. Look, every the MLB All 1:36:41.439 --> 1:36:44.240 Star it's like the NBA All Start, every other every 1:36:44.280 --> 1:36:48.240 event is fun except the game itself, you know, right, 1:36:48.479 --> 1:36:51.519 everything else is awesome. The home run contest, I like that, 1:36:51.600 --> 1:36:55.120 even the celebrity game, right, it's kind of fun, right, 1:36:55.200 --> 1:36:57.599 it's interesting the player show. The game itself sucks. 1:36:57.880 --> 1:36:59.080 I got to go to the game. 1:36:59.160 --> 1:37:00.679 I got to go to the game in two thousand 1:37:00.720 --> 1:37:02.040 and one when it was in Seattle and cal Rip 1:37:02.080 --> 1:37:05.920 can hit that groove fastball's Yeah. 1:37:05.880 --> 1:37:07.960 That's thank you, thank you, deeo Nomo. 1:37:08.320 --> 1:37:12.800 Good for him? Good for him anyway, read Wilson Pluribus 1:37:13.520 --> 1:37:16.599 Business good I assume, right. The more action in the States, 1:37:16.760 --> 1:37:17.240 my gosh. 1:37:17.840 --> 1:37:19.320 So yeah, it's it's been great. 1:37:19.320 --> 1:37:22.200 We're actually now a part of the State Affairs Network, 1:37:22.280 --> 1:37:24.240 so you can check that out at state affairs dot com. 1:37:24.360 --> 1:37:27.360 People find it, yeah, yeah dot com. Sign up for 1:37:27.680 --> 1:37:29.800 your other socials? Are you all over the place? Where 1:37:29.840 --> 1:37:31.160 should people find at. 1:37:31.120 --> 1:37:33.200 Pluribus news everywhere you can. You can think of on 1:37:33.360 --> 1:37:36.800 blue Sky, on Twitter x whatever it is, Facebook, all 1:37:36.840 --> 1:37:40.120 that stuff. Yeah, we send out a morning newsletter that is. 1:37:40.560 --> 1:37:42.599 I mean, if you if you used to read the Hotline, 1:37:42.600 --> 1:37:45.599 you're going to see very strong notes of hotlinification in there. 1:37:46.520 --> 1:37:47.400 But every morning you. 1:37:47.800 --> 1:37:51.759 Talking like a wine guy, you'll see notes of behind 1:37:51.840 --> 1:37:54.400 in there, with a dab of roll call and a 1:37:54.520 --> 1:37:56.120 tiny splash of the hill right. 1:37:56.280 --> 1:38:01.679 Well, and look our I would credit a good friend 1:38:01.720 --> 1:38:05.200 of both yours and mine, Danielle Jones, with infusing a 1:38:05.240 --> 1:38:07.519 lot of the flavor of RBUS news. I try to 1:38:07.560 --> 1:38:09.880 I try to emulate sort of her amazing sense of 1:38:09.920 --> 1:38:11.640 humor and all that in our daily news. 1:38:11.720 --> 1:38:13.720 Let you do you know, it's funny. I could tell 1:38:13.800 --> 1:38:16.640 your try your You're like, I have a feeling your 1:38:16.680 --> 1:38:18.840 audience doesn't have a sense of humor yet. So you're 1:38:19.200 --> 1:38:23.439 just you're it's baby steps. Your quotes are great, You're 1:38:23.640 --> 1:38:25.599 you're trying to get them there. You're like, come on, guys, 1:38:25.920 --> 1:38:28.320 have a laugh, and hey we. 1:38:28.400 --> 1:38:30.479 Get we get great feedback to the state legislators who 1:38:30.520 --> 1:38:32.679 read us. We'll tell me, you know, keep that funny 1:38:32.720 --> 1:38:34.479 news in there, keep the funny quotes things like that. 1:38:34.760 --> 1:38:35.559 People love that stuff. 1:38:35.600 --> 1:38:35.680 Now. 1:38:35.800 --> 1:38:39.000 I love the quirky stuff. Man, it's you know, I 1:38:39.120 --> 1:38:42.439 borrow it all the time. There's about seven thousand other 1:38:42.520 --> 1:38:45.840 issues we didn't even talk about. Abortion. Is abortion even 1:38:45.920 --> 1:38:47.840 on the radar this legislative season. 1:38:48.560 --> 1:38:51.799 It is? It is, but it's it's largely Blue states 1:38:52.040 --> 1:38:55.040 passing protection lections from providers. 1:38:56.080 --> 1:38:57.679 May not see anything in red states. 1:38:58.680 --> 1:39:01.479 You are, those red states have done as much as 1:39:01.479 --> 1:39:03.080 they can. There are some red states. 1:39:03.160 --> 1:39:06.400 Missouri is trying to undo the voter ballot voter reference 1:39:07.600 --> 1:39:09.759 some other Well that's the other trend that I've noticed 1:39:09.840 --> 1:39:12.400 is that red states are trying to have referendum, are 1:39:12.439 --> 1:39:16.120 trying to everybody either either you do what Florida did 1:39:16.160 --> 1:39:19.480 and try to raise the threshold beyond you know, viability, 1:39:19.960 --> 1:39:23.919 or they're trying to make it hard. This petition signature 1:39:24.000 --> 1:39:27.000 crap in Oklahoma, where you know, we're not going to 1:39:27.040 --> 1:39:28.880 base it on population, We're going to base it on 1:39:29.000 --> 1:39:32.559 something else. I mean, the fact that Tulsa or Oklahoma 1:39:32.600 --> 1:39:36.920 City will get punished. I mean, to me, those laws 1:39:36.960 --> 1:39:40.400 are unconstitutional because there's any I think it violates equal protection. 1:39:40.560 --> 1:39:45.200 But it is interesting how fearful these red states are 1:39:45.240 --> 1:39:48.720 of their urban centers creating referendum that they don't like. 1:39:49.120 --> 1:39:52.360 And that's a longer trend than just recently. 1:39:52.439 --> 1:39:55.679 I mean, the progressive era was marked by ballot measures 1:39:55.720 --> 1:39:57.400 in the West that you know, took power away from 1:39:57.520 --> 1:39:59.640 corrupt legislatures that were owned by the timber barons and 1:39:59.680 --> 1:40:01.760 the robber barons and gave power to the people. And 1:40:01.840 --> 1:40:04.559 of course those legislatures tried to undo everything. I feel 1:40:04.680 --> 1:40:07.880 extremely strongly about ballot measures the first political campaign. 1:40:07.920 --> 1:40:10.040 Oh you're a West guy, Look I have my own. 1:40:10.479 --> 1:40:13.880 I think they're all unconstitutional. We're republic, we're not a 1:40:13.920 --> 1:40:17.040 direct we're not a direct democracy. So and I get 1:40:17.080 --> 1:40:21.479 the tenth Amendment, but I think, but that said, if 1:40:21.520 --> 1:40:24.040 it's the law, then it should be you know, hey, 1:40:24.880 --> 1:40:27.840 you know that's the consequence in your state constitution. 1:40:28.240 --> 1:40:31.479 I'm a big fan of ballot measures, and someday I'll 1:40:31.479 --> 1:40:33.840 write a history of ballot measures that fifteen people will read. 1:40:35.160 --> 1:40:37.160 Well, you know, maybe you can create a TikTok that 1:40:37.280 --> 1:40:37.759 goes viral. 1:40:37.840 --> 1:40:38.000 Good. 1:40:38.080 --> 1:40:41.640 Oh yeah, that'll that'll definitely help it, you know, so 1:40:41.840 --> 1:40:43.080 you'll get more than fifteen people. 1:40:43.760 --> 1:40:44.800 That's true, that's true. 1:40:45.479 --> 1:40:47.240 Read Wilson. Always a pleasure, my friend. 1:40:47.439 --> 1:40:48.439 Thanks seat, good to see man. 1:40:56.479 --> 1:40:58.559 All right, I hope you enjoyed that conversation with read 1:40:58.680 --> 1:41:01.880 check out pluribus. I mean, you know, I just think 1:41:01.960 --> 1:41:05.599 if you want to truly understand how your life's being impacted, 1:41:05.600 --> 1:41:07.280 you got to pay more attention what's happening in the 1:41:07.360 --> 1:41:10.559 States because Congress is dropping the ball left and right. 1:41:11.479 --> 1:41:14.400 All right, let's do a little ass Chuck, ask Chuck. 1:41:16.800 --> 1:41:21.200 First question Josh from Baton rugelel go tagas. I love that. 1:41:21.720 --> 1:41:25.320 Give me a little go tigers with the eaux. Is 1:41:25.400 --> 1:41:26.840 there a real path for a Democrat to win the 1:41:26.960 --> 1:41:29.160 US Senate seed in Louisiana in twenty twenty six with 1:41:29.280 --> 1:41:31.920 multiple Republicans lining up to primary Bill Cassidy, who's still 1:41:31.960 --> 1:41:34.439 unpopular with many in the GOP for voting to impeach Trump. 1:41:34.760 --> 1:41:37.000 Could a bruising primary create an opening if John Bell 1:41:37.120 --> 1:41:39.960 Edwards runs and goes unchallenged in the Democratic primary, could 1:41:40.080 --> 1:41:43.320 enough Trump voter sit out or even back edwards tipping 1:41:43.479 --> 1:41:46.840 the race? Should Republicans be nervous? Thank you? So? In 1:41:46.960 --> 1:41:50.280 the old rules of how the elections worked in Louisiana, 1:41:50.320 --> 1:41:54.000 which wasn't that long ago, right, you know where there 1:41:54.000 --> 1:41:56.880 would be a runoff if no candidate got fifty regardless 1:41:56.920 --> 1:41:58.960 of party, in the top two would meet in a 1:41:59.080 --> 1:42:03.559 December runoff. One of the first I remember the first 1:42:04.479 --> 1:42:07.400 in twenty oh two mary Landrew ended up in a 1:42:07.479 --> 1:42:11.040 runoff and pulled out the runoff sort of. It was 1:42:11.080 --> 1:42:12.880 a surprise in twenty oh two, and it was a 1:42:12.960 --> 1:42:18.000 December race down there. It happened again. I believe in God. 1:42:18.040 --> 1:42:21.040 I want to say, you know, a they since you 1:42:21.120 --> 1:42:22.880 know part of the change in how they do they 1:42:23.120 --> 1:42:25.160 everybody used to be on the same ballot, even for 1:42:25.240 --> 1:42:28.960 federal elections. They I guess separated out federal elections. John 1:42:29.000 --> 1:42:31.280 Bell Edwards became governor because of the ability of having 1:42:31.320 --> 1:42:33.600 all those Republicans on the ballot. Then he finished in 1:42:33.640 --> 1:42:36.320 the top two, and it was somebody who was too 1:42:36.400 --> 1:42:38.479 far out of the mainstream on the right, and John 1:42:38.520 --> 1:42:41.519 Bell Edwards was able to win not one but two 1:42:41.640 --> 1:42:46.200 terms that way. Look, if a Democrat is going to 1:42:46.240 --> 1:42:48.840 win in Louisiana again, it's going to be John Bell Edwards. 1:42:49.840 --> 1:42:52.200 He'd probably be the only one. I would I would 1:42:52.280 --> 1:42:54.680 think it would have a chance, and it would have 1:42:54.760 --> 1:42:58.080 to be under a circumstance where it was somebody that 1:42:58.280 --> 1:43:02.040 was closer to that was probably further to the right 1:43:02.320 --> 1:43:05.920 than even the governor is further to the right than Scalise. 1:43:07.520 --> 1:43:09.240 I think you'd have to have a sort of a 1:43:09.520 --> 1:43:14.040 very sort of what I'd call it an undisciplined maga 1:43:14.240 --> 1:43:20.320 Republican because one of the things in Senate races, you know, 1:43:20.920 --> 1:43:24.519 is people really do vote their jersey color. That the 1:43:25.320 --> 1:43:28.719 more voters know now that these these are proxy votes 1:43:28.760 --> 1:43:31.920 for the Supreme Court, right, that who you support here, 1:43:31.960 --> 1:43:33.639 that you know what their vote for a Supreme Court 1:43:33.800 --> 1:43:36.880 justice is going to be, and you're just starting to 1:43:36.920 --> 1:43:39.560 see it, right, Larry Hogan couldn't win it. He was 1:43:39.680 --> 1:43:42.880 very popular in Maryland, a popular governor as a Republican, 1:43:42.920 --> 1:43:44.400 but he wasn't going to win a Senate seat, and 1:43:44.680 --> 1:43:48.400 it wasn't even that close. It was competitive ISHU for 1:43:48.960 --> 1:43:54.639 because he was a respected office a former office holder, 1:43:54.960 --> 1:43:57.519 but he wasn't going to win. And I kind of 1:43:57.600 --> 1:43:59.880 feel the same way about John Bell Edwards. In fact, 1:43:59.920 --> 1:44:02.160 I you know, I actually think he'd have an even 1:44:02.200 --> 1:44:05.479 money odds if he ran for governor. Again, I still 1:44:05.520 --> 1:44:07.880 think it's an uphill battle, not out of the question, 1:44:08.760 --> 1:44:11.360 and certainly I think Chuck Schumer and some other Democrats 1:44:11.400 --> 1:44:13.840 are trying to see if they can convince John Bell 1:44:13.960 --> 1:44:17.840 Edwards to go on the ballot. I know what I 1:44:17.880 --> 1:44:19.320 would do if I were him, if I really wanted 1:44:19.360 --> 1:44:21.719 to be a Senator, I wouldn't run as a Democrat. 1:44:21.760 --> 1:44:25.400 I'd run as an independent. And I just sort of say, look, 1:44:25.439 --> 1:44:28.080 I'm I probably you know type of thing. I probably 1:44:28.120 --> 1:44:29.920 will caucus with them, but I you know, I don't 1:44:29.920 --> 1:44:32.160 know if I'm you know, I'm going to be more 1:44:32.200 --> 1:44:34.920 independent on a lot of these issues. You know, Look, 1:44:35.120 --> 1:44:37.000 he couldn't get elected if he wasn't going to be 1:44:37.080 --> 1:44:39.759 in favor of the oil and gas industry. Right, Probably 1:44:39.880 --> 1:44:42.640 hard to be a member of the Democratic Caucus if 1:44:42.640 --> 1:44:44.719 you're going to do that. Look, how uncomfortable Joe Manchin 1:44:44.880 --> 1:44:47.560 was being somebody that was arguing four cole in a 1:44:47.600 --> 1:44:51.160 Democratic party that was shifting away on that issue in particular. 1:44:51.280 --> 1:44:55.840 So I'm more skeptical about a Democrat being able to 1:44:55.880 --> 1:45:01.920 win in a deep red state like that. I mean, 1:45:02.120 --> 1:45:03.080 look at Alabama. 1:45:03.240 --> 1:45:03.800 It it. 1:45:05.640 --> 1:45:08.519 Was a close race when Doug Jones won, and he 1:45:08.600 --> 1:45:12.280 was running against somebody who was an accused pedophile. Convicted, 1:45:12.320 --> 1:45:16.200 but he was accused, so and it was still quite close. 1:45:16.280 --> 1:45:19.200 So I think Jersey color is such a powerful force, 1:45:19.520 --> 1:45:22.800 such a powerful force in voting in senate races, not 1:45:23.040 --> 1:45:26.120 so much in governor's races. All right, next question, it 1:45:26.240 --> 1:45:29.280 comes from Alex Reck with two k's. I checked. Your 1:45:29.320 --> 1:45:32.080 conversation with Jose Antonio Vargus got me thinking again about 1:45:32.120 --> 1:45:35.200 media literacy. Most people don't really understand what journalism is, 1:45:35.320 --> 1:45:37.479 how sourcing works, what off the record means, or the 1:45:37.520 --> 1:45:39.920 ethics behind reporting, and that makes it easy for them 1:45:39.960 --> 1:45:42.719 to dismiss things as quote fake news. You said, journalists 1:45:42.720 --> 1:45:44.920 are also educators, so why don't more of them explain 1:45:45.000 --> 1:45:47.479 how how their work actually gets done. If trusted media 1:45:47.520 --> 1:45:49.760 needs to be rebuilt, shouldn't part of the back pulling 1:45:49.840 --> 1:45:52.679 back the curtain. Yes, I think. I hope you've noticed 1:45:52.760 --> 1:45:55.320 quite a few people on substack do this. In fact, 1:45:55.439 --> 1:45:58.000 even I've noticed the Washington Post does a better job 1:45:58.080 --> 1:46:01.439 than most news organizations explaining I a source decided to 1:46:01.479 --> 1:46:03.920 be anonymous. The Wall Street Journal is starting to do that, 1:46:05.240 --> 1:46:08.679 you know, explaining why they allowed anonymity with that source 1:46:10.000 --> 1:46:12.840 in order to speak freely or fear of retribution. I 1:46:12.920 --> 1:46:15.960 think that that's important, right if you see somebody decided 1:46:15.960 --> 1:46:19.120 to be anonymous due to fear of retribution. There's an 1:46:19.160 --> 1:46:22.200 interesting idea that the Washington Post announced today that they're 1:46:22.240 --> 1:46:26.519 going to let if on the record sources quotes. You know, 1:46:26.560 --> 1:46:29.280 if you've been quoted in a story and you think 1:46:29.400 --> 1:46:30.960 I think if you you know, if you don't think 1:46:31.120 --> 1:46:34.040 it was in context, they're giving you an opportunity to 1:46:34.600 --> 1:46:36.560 issue a correction it appears, or some form of that. 1:46:36.840 --> 1:46:38.960 I just think it's a you know, anything you can 1:46:39.040 --> 1:46:43.000 do to you know. Look, I always thought it was 1:46:43.080 --> 1:46:48.720 important to always correct a mistake because I think you 1:46:48.880 --> 1:46:51.640 gain more credibility if people know. Hey, when you make 1:46:51.680 --> 1:46:53.519 a mistake, you let people know you've made a mistake. 1:46:54.880 --> 1:46:58.680 On that front versus trying to minimize. I mean, I 1:46:58.800 --> 1:46:59.840 used to get into real fight. 1:47:00.360 --> 1:47:00.479 You know. 1:47:00.640 --> 1:47:03.200 No, let's just call it a correction. No, it's a clarification, 1:47:03.720 --> 1:47:05.920 or somebody said, don't admit it was a mistake, and 1:47:06.000 --> 1:47:08.400 it would be lawyers would try to get involved. It's 1:47:08.400 --> 1:47:09.720 like they were afraid of and it would be to 1:47:09.920 --> 1:47:14.720 come on, let's just speak English. It's okay, you know. 1:47:15.479 --> 1:47:18.840 But I understood the concern because you do have Donald 1:47:18.880 --> 1:47:22.919 Trump is just filing, you know, absurd lawsuits, and copycat 1:47:22.960 --> 1:47:26.800 people file these absurd lawsuits. So you don't want to, 1:47:26.920 --> 1:47:29.320 you know, there's this feeling of don't give them anything, 1:47:29.479 --> 1:47:31.360 type of don't give him. You know, if you admit 1:47:31.560 --> 1:47:34.320 you made a mistake, my god, We're all human beings. 1:47:34.600 --> 1:47:37.880 You're gonna make mistakes, you know. 1:47:38.160 --> 1:47:38.320 Now. 1:47:38.439 --> 1:47:41.640 I've always been a believer that, you know. I was 1:47:41.720 --> 1:47:43.760 never a fan where newspapers used to put all their 1:47:44.000 --> 1:47:47.280 corrections on like the page A two. And if you 1:47:47.360 --> 1:47:50.080 remember in the old days of a newspaper, literally you'd 1:47:50.120 --> 1:47:52.320 go from there to the Nobody ever read A two 1:47:52.360 --> 1:47:54.960 because it was mostly the contents page. What else was 1:47:55.000 --> 1:47:56.720 going on? Maybe there would be a weather map and 1:47:56.840 --> 1:47:59.519 some newspapers there and like the corrections, we'd be down 1:47:59.520 --> 1:48:02.080 on the right hand corner. I am somebody who believes 1:48:02.160 --> 1:48:07.240 if you should correct them, correct the era error sort 1:48:07.280 --> 1:48:13.400 of with the same general audience size that saw the error. Right, So, 1:48:13.479 --> 1:48:15.200 if you make the mistake in your lead story on 1:48:15.240 --> 1:48:19.360 the NBA on a broadcast, make the correction on the 1:48:19.479 --> 1:48:21.920 lead story of the broadcast, maybe it's the next day 1:48:22.000 --> 1:48:24.840 or whatever it is, don't bury it at the end 1:48:25.520 --> 1:48:30.160 of that. So, look, I totally agree with the premise. 1:48:30.439 --> 1:48:32.200 I actually think a lot of journalists are trying to 1:48:32.240 --> 1:48:36.040 find more ways to be explanatory in how they do 1:48:36.160 --> 1:48:38.120 their reporting, and I think the more we do that, 1:48:38.200 --> 1:48:41.280 the better. Last question before I let you go, I 1:48:41.360 --> 1:48:43.720 know you know, I don't want to simmons it. I 1:48:43.760 --> 1:48:45.120 don't want to do a Bill Simmons and give you 1:48:45.120 --> 1:48:47.280 a two hour plus podcast. But if you want to 1:48:47.360 --> 1:48:51.599 our podcast, let me know after mom, Donnie was when 1:48:51.760 --> 1:48:54.080 in New York City could an outsider like Governor Andy Basheer, 1:48:54.120 --> 1:48:56.840 with his relentless focus on economic populism, be a model 1:48:56.840 --> 1:48:59.640 for candidates to bridge the divide between the establishment and progressives. 1:48:59.720 --> 1:49:03.479 Thanks Josh B. Well, look, I am very right now. 1:49:03.520 --> 1:49:06.599 If I were to buy stock in any potential twenty 1:49:06.640 --> 1:49:10.160 twenty eight er. He's somebody stock i'd be buying right now. 1:49:10.280 --> 1:49:17.240 In Basher, You're I'm going. I have now spoken recently 1:49:17.360 --> 1:49:20.599 with two people running for governor in swing states. One 1:49:20.800 --> 1:49:23.720 was Michigan, the other was Florida. These are Democrats, and 1:49:23.760 --> 1:49:25.960 I asked them, you know who's a governor you want 1:49:26.040 --> 1:49:28.400 to you know you're going to lean on for advice. 1:49:29.240 --> 1:49:31.960 The first name both of them, now remember where they're running. 1:49:31.960 --> 1:49:34.200 One out of Florida, one out of Michigan. First name 1:49:34.240 --> 1:49:38.719 out of their mouth, Andy Basheer. I think many, many 1:49:38.880 --> 1:49:42.040 of these sort of presidential hopefuls, you know, these governor 1:49:42.120 --> 1:49:43.840 candis who are trying to win in swing states or 1:49:43.880 --> 1:49:46.439 even in red leaning states or reddish states like Florida, 1:49:47.280 --> 1:49:50.719 look at and want to associate themselves more with Andy Basheer. 1:49:51.600 --> 1:49:53.519 The other governor you hear mentioned a lot would be 1:49:53.560 --> 1:49:57.040 a Joshapiro. What you're not hearing is Gavin Newsom. What 1:49:57.120 --> 1:50:00.439 you're not hearing is JB. Pritzker. You're not hearing you 1:50:00.520 --> 1:50:03.360 know that occasionally you'll hear a Wes Moore every now 1:50:03.400 --> 1:50:07.479 and then. But the red state governor that may run 1:50:07.560 --> 1:50:12.519 for president Bashir has a lot of early buzz from 1:50:12.560 --> 1:50:15.519 some of these, particularly from candidates who are trying to 1:50:15.640 --> 1:50:18.720 send the message to independent voters that they're not a 1:50:18.880 --> 1:50:24.840 base Democrat. So, but you're right, he is an economic populist, right, 1:50:25.280 --> 1:50:29.400 can he somehow be the the sort of a neutralized 1:50:29.439 --> 1:50:32.320 cultural issues right, Perhaps it's on guns, and you know, 1:50:32.640 --> 1:50:35.400 before when Roe v. Wade was Law of the land, 1:50:35.720 --> 1:50:37.760 any butser never could have gotten elected president because he 1:50:37.840 --> 1:50:41.479 was a self described pro life Democrat. Now when the 1:50:42.760 --> 1:50:45.479 story is not about whether abortion is legal, it's about 1:50:45.520 --> 1:50:48.160 simply getting access. Well, he's on the pro access side, 1:50:48.200 --> 1:50:49.840 and as long as you're on the pro access side, 1:50:50.400 --> 1:50:52.320 you're going to be considered a Democrat in good standing. 1:50:52.400 --> 1:50:55.160 So I think he's I think he's got a unique 1:50:55.160 --> 1:50:58.880 way to potentially diffuse some cultural issues, very similar to 1:50:59.800 --> 1:51:03.759 a governor from a state that's quite close to Kentucky. 1:51:04.200 --> 1:51:06.280 And in fact, the last time a Democrat carried the 1:51:06.360 --> 1:51:10.160 state of Kentucky there was a it was a gentleman 1:51:10.280 --> 1:51:12.280 named Bill Clinton was at the top of the ticket, 1:51:12.360 --> 1:51:14.120 and he, of course was at the time the sitting 1:51:14.200 --> 1:51:20.479 governor of Arkansas. So I'm you know, I think Bash's 1:51:20.520 --> 1:51:22.840 somebody out of buy stocking. I'd also buy stock in 1:51:22.880 --> 1:51:27.160 Wes Moore right now, I'd also buy stock in Alexandria 1:51:27.200 --> 1:51:30.439 Cossio Cortez. So I'm not sitting here saying which wing 1:51:30.640 --> 1:51:33.240 or which part of the party will end up ascendant, 1:51:33.280 --> 1:51:35.759 but I think all three of them right now feel 1:51:35.840 --> 1:51:40.639 like safer plays of people that put it this way, 1:51:41.960 --> 1:51:44.760 you know, I definitely think there'll be top three type 1:51:44.800 --> 1:51:49.880 of candidates going forward. All Right, I'm gonna I'm gonna 1:51:49.880 --> 1:51:55.439 pause the conversation there. I will got a couple of 1:51:55.520 --> 1:51:57.720 great episodes coming for you. I think I previewed one 1:51:58.600 --> 1:52:00.040 coming up in the state of Florida. I think you 1:52:00.120 --> 1:52:04.440 will enjoy that conversation. But with that, appreciate it, like subscribe, 1:52:04.600 --> 1:52:07.360 give me some good comments, leave some any questions you have, 1:52:07.560 --> 1:52:11.800 ask Chuck at dchucktodcast dot com, and until we upload again,