1 00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:09,600 Speaker 1: Hi, and welcome back to Carol Marcowitch Show on iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:10,119 --> 00:00:13,360 Speaker 1: My guest today is Susan Crabtree. Susan is the national 3 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: political correspondent for Real Clear Politics, author of the book 4 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 1: Fools Gold on California corruption, and a contributor to the 5 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:24,279 Speaker 1: California Post and City Journal. Hi, Susan, so nice to 6 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:24,760 Speaker 1: have you on. 7 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 2: It's great to be with you, Carol, thanks for having me. 8 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: So I've been on a little bit of a California 9 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:33,520 Speaker 1: run on this show. I had Joel Pollock on, he's 10 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:36,680 Speaker 1: the opinion editor at California Post. I had Jennifer ven 11 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:41,360 Speaker 1: Lar from Red State on. And so the question I 12 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:46,320 Speaker 1: asked my California buddies is are you hopeful about California. 13 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 3: Oh? 14 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:51,839 Speaker 2: No, I'm actually not. I have to be brutally honest. 15 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:56,040 Speaker 4: That's the bluntest answer I've gotten. Calibuny Post is actually 16 00:00:56,120 --> 00:01:00,279 Speaker 4: a bright light. I think the things are changing bit 17 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:03,360 Speaker 4: in the media landscape because of the California Post. And 18 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 4: now there's a new venture within The Manhattan Institute is 19 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:10,040 Speaker 4: launching their California Anti Fraud venture. 20 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:11,480 Speaker 1: I know that that's great. 21 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:16,040 Speaker 5: Yes, everybody, you know, fraud is suddenly sexy in California. 22 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:19,479 Speaker 5: We've been dealing with it people who live here for 23 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:23,320 Speaker 5: you know, decades, and it's only gotten worse and worse. 24 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:28,760 Speaker 5: But at least there's some there's some signs of hope flickering. 25 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 5: But the problem is that the politics aren't changing we have. 26 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:36,480 Speaker 5: You know, if I were to predict at this point 27 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:38,840 Speaker 5: who's going to win the governorship, we're going to go 28 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:43,679 Speaker 5: from Gavin Newsom possibly most likely to Eric Swalwell. 29 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 1: Wow. 30 00:01:44,959 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 2: And that is someone as you. 31 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:52,880 Speaker 5: Know, Kroena, who's had a very dodgy record in Congress 32 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 5: about his own personal ethics and you know, caught with 33 00:01:56,520 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 5: a relationship Chinese spy. And this is who I'm complaining about, 34 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 5: Gavin Nuisance connecting. 35 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, suddenly we're like, maybe we'll keep Gavin. 36 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:10,800 Speaker 5: It's on the horizon here as we look to the 37 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:14,519 Speaker 5: actual politics of California, I don't think it's going to change. 38 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 5: I do think that there's more accountability happening now. 39 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:20,760 Speaker 2: I hope that lasts. I hope it's not a flash 40 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 2: in the pan. 41 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:26,280 Speaker 5: Just right as the national media outlets on the conservative 42 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:29,760 Speaker 5: side are wanting to take Gavenusom out, and I think 43 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:31,080 Speaker 5: I hope it's not short lived. 44 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 2: Right. 45 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:36,920 Speaker 1: So your book is subtitled The Radicals, con Artists and 46 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: Traders who killed the California Dream and now threaten us all. 47 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 1: What's the common thread there between the radicals, the con 48 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:45,919 Speaker 1: artists and the traders. 49 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:49,800 Speaker 5: Well, we do have a lovely list of characters underneath 50 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:54,639 Speaker 5: the book title, Gavin Newsom, Nancy Pelosi, Kamla Harris, and 51 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:57,960 Speaker 5: Adam shiff And the common theme is that what I 52 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:02,160 Speaker 5: just mentioned a lack of ability in California. I grew 53 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 5: up here and it wasn't the case, right. It's a 54 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:10,359 Speaker 5: one party system, and so the corruption just feeds upon 55 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:15,840 Speaker 5: itself because no one's watching. And we've lost that. The media, 56 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 5: these smaller media outlets that everybody these newspapers that sometimes 57 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:26,519 Speaker 5: were family run, locally focused and really held these people accountable. 58 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 5: Has everybody's reading habits have changed, Where we get our 59 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:36,120 Speaker 5: information has changed. You have the death of these local 60 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 5: news outlets, and even the Los Angeles Times has seen 61 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:44,640 Speaker 5: its test staff decimated and they've gone in a much 62 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:51,480 Speaker 5: more openly liberal direction, its access journalism in California. So 63 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 5: the common theme is these you know, I just did 64 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:58,240 Speaker 5: a story on Behested payments this is a comment. This 65 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:03,640 Speaker 5: is a unique phenom to California, and now the national 66 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 5: media is getting wind of it, and they can't believe. 67 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 6: That you can just the new second of politicians can 68 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:14,800 Speaker 6: direct hundreds of millions of dollars from their chair from 69 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 6: corporations with business before this date, to a charitable cause 70 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:23,359 Speaker 6: of their choice, even their wife's charity that she takes 71 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:27,560 Speaker 6: a salary from. It sounds questionable, yeah, but this is 72 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:31,080 Speaker 6: common practice in California. So how did you get into 73 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:34,400 Speaker 6: this world? How did you get into writing about California 74 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:36,799 Speaker 6: specifically or just being a writer in general. 75 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:40,119 Speaker 5: I think my mom encouraged me to be a writer. 76 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 5: I give him credit to my mom. She said that 77 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:46,159 Speaker 5: she was a teacher. She's a kindergarten teacher, and she 78 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:49,919 Speaker 5: always been a stressed reading. We couldn't watch too much TV, 79 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:54,080 Speaker 5: and we were she liked. She thought that I was talented. 80 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 5: At a young age. I had I did long writing. 81 00:04:57,000 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 5: I think my boss Carl Kaden, I'll tell him it 82 00:04:59,839 --> 00:05:03,560 Speaker 5: be again. Then I always write to on. But she's 83 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:07,640 Speaker 5: my mom saw something in me. Then I always pursued it. 84 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:10,680 Speaker 5: In high school it was on the newspaper staff and 85 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:14,560 Speaker 5: then and I went to college, I took journalism courses. 86 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:14,960 Speaker 2: I didn't. 87 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:18,320 Speaker 5: I honestly don't think that was a great decision. But 88 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:22,640 Speaker 5: I wanted to pursue journalism instead of a wider major, 89 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 5: so I didn't. 90 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:24,800 Speaker 2: I ba bypassed all. 91 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:29,240 Speaker 5: The ucs and only chose schools that had journalism as 92 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:33,720 Speaker 5: a major. Then I went immediately to DC and started 93 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:37,200 Speaker 5: there with the American Society of Magazine Editors. I got 94 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:42,400 Speaker 5: a internship at National Geographic and I got the bug 95 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:44,600 Speaker 5: for Washington d C. I thought I was going to 96 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:47,560 Speaker 5: be there for three months. It turned out twenty three 97 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:50,479 Speaker 5: years and lots of ups, and. 98 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,359 Speaker 1: That happens dcipeople, you know. 99 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:55,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, it was sort of addictive. 100 00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:59,840 Speaker 5: The the climate there is great for young people and 101 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:04,279 Speaker 5: journal and politics in general. It's like, you know, going 102 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:09,040 Speaker 5: to a graduate school of for It's like another college 103 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:10,840 Speaker 5: atmosphere and extension of college. 104 00:06:11,279 --> 00:06:11,520 Speaker 1: Uh. 105 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 5: But I loved it for so long. I had great 106 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:20,479 Speaker 5: experiences at the Washington Times then Roll Call Newspapers, where 107 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:22,599 Speaker 5: I did a lot of my uh cut of my 108 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:27,279 Speaker 5: teeth with other journalists that have gone on to bigger 109 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 5: and better places, like I was there with Jim Van Hyatts, 110 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:36,479 Speaker 5: some little happing with him, a founder of Politico and Axios, 111 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:41,679 Speaker 5: Paul Kaine. It was the political editor, sorry, the congressional reporter, 112 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:46,240 Speaker 5: senior one at the Washington Post, Crystaliza and Mark Preston 113 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:50,080 Speaker 5: at CNN, and a lot of others that I'm not 114 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:50,560 Speaker 5: going to mention. 115 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:54,040 Speaker 1: But so that was that, I uh, you know, like 116 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:54,720 Speaker 1: your teeth. 117 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:57,600 Speaker 5: But yeah, then I I kind of went to the 118 00:06:57,600 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 5: trader side of the I decided to go to the 119 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:03,600 Speaker 5: Hill Newspaper and work for them. 120 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:05,480 Speaker 2: It had a great run there. 121 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:08,640 Speaker 5: Did a lot of ethics, recording and corruption cases that 122 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:10,680 Speaker 5: launched FBI investigations. 123 00:07:11,280 --> 00:07:12,920 Speaker 2: I really loved it. 124 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:15,440 Speaker 5: I think I should have been a prosecutor if I 125 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:17,040 Speaker 5: wasn't in I. 126 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:18,520 Speaker 2: Just I loved it. 127 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:23,400 Speaker 1: Would you say that investigative journalism is your passion? 128 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:24,160 Speaker 5: Oh? 129 00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:27,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, it really is. 130 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:30,560 Speaker 5: And I've been so lucky to have the opportunity to 131 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:32,480 Speaker 5: do it because it's sort of a rare thing in 132 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:37,000 Speaker 5: these days, but I kept getting new opportunities. It's it's amazing. 133 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:38,080 Speaker 5: I'm so thankful for them. 134 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:41,680 Speaker 1: What do you love about investigative journalism? Is it the 135 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:45,280 Speaker 1: discovery or is it the process? What do you enjoy? 136 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:49,120 Speaker 5: I think it's sort of like you know, a mystery 137 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:52,760 Speaker 5: of you know, you see something that is you think 138 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:57,680 Speaker 5: is bizarre or not right in some kind of filing 139 00:07:58,040 --> 00:08:01,280 Speaker 5: looking at and that role call. We were trained to 140 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:05,160 Speaker 5: look at these federal election records on a quarterly basis 141 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:08,520 Speaker 5: for all the big politicians, all the big senators and 142 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:12,160 Speaker 5: member leaders in Congress, as well as the party committees. 143 00:08:12,520 --> 00:08:15,680 Speaker 5: So you see something and then you thought, okay, you 144 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:17,560 Speaker 5: talked to your editor about it and see if you 145 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:19,000 Speaker 5: can get some time to pursue it. 146 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:22,360 Speaker 2: And sure enough, I did a lot of ear mark 147 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:23,680 Speaker 2: reporting that was corruption. 148 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:26,960 Speaker 5: I got a little stuff with it where you're plotting 149 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:30,040 Speaker 5: out the ear marks for local in California. 150 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:32,320 Speaker 2: Actually a lot of work in California. 151 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:34,720 Speaker 5: Where they would get like a beautification one million or 152 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:40,000 Speaker 5: two million dollars for beautification right near the Target store 153 00:08:40,040 --> 00:08:43,360 Speaker 5: that they owned right right. Yeah, and you know, the 154 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:46,240 Speaker 5: bridge to nowhere was a great one. We followed that 155 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:53,239 Speaker 5: senator evens and in Alaska, uh that those pet projects 156 00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:56,760 Speaker 5: you know, just were there was an abundance of material. 157 00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:58,079 Speaker 2: There always is in common. 158 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:03,959 Speaker 1: But I feel like we're in a particularly like corrupt 159 00:09:04,559 --> 00:09:07,800 Speaker 1: time right now. I don't mean that more people are corrupt. 160 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:10,400 Speaker 1: I'm sure, it's been the same amount of people throughout history, 161 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:12,559 Speaker 1: but I feel like a lot of these stories are surfacing. 162 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:14,880 Speaker 1: Like on my other podcast that I do with Mary 163 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:17,920 Speaker 1: Catherine Ham, we've just covered a lot of corruption stories 164 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:20,280 Speaker 1: in the last few months where it just seems to 165 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:23,080 Speaker 1: be everywhere and maybe coming to the surface more. Is 166 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:27,480 Speaker 1: that just because of reporters making these discoveries that they 167 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:30,480 Speaker 1: didn't make before, or has it always been here? 168 00:09:31,679 --> 00:09:34,200 Speaker 5: I think the corruption is his part of human nature, 169 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:37,760 Speaker 5: so it's always going to be there. But I do 170 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:42,360 Speaker 5: think because of X there's an excitement for even citizen 171 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:45,640 Speaker 5: journalists to get involved. I think you have Nick Shirley 172 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 5: tugging at something and going and confronting these daycare centers, 173 00:09:50,520 --> 00:09:54,040 Speaker 5: these go stay care centers in Minnesota, and then you 174 00:09:54,080 --> 00:09:56,840 Speaker 5: have the follow up and you have people like CBS 175 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:01,000 Speaker 5: News going in and really you know, nailing it down 176 00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:04,520 Speaker 5: and making sure that everybody's interviewed that should be interviewed. 177 00:10:04,559 --> 00:10:07,280 Speaker 2: And so it seems to be starting at. 178 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:10,600 Speaker 5: The grassroots level and then percolating up and then you've 179 00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:16,880 Speaker 5: get some really solid journalism where it's confirmed absolutely this 180 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:22,320 Speaker 5: is happening. So I honestly think I credit X even 181 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:24,360 Speaker 5: though I don't love X at. 182 00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:28,600 Speaker 1: Times, I understand that feeling. We all have to very 183 00:10:28,679 --> 00:10:30,680 Speaker 1: love it or hated situation over there. 184 00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:33,640 Speaker 3: Yeah, maybe you could get sucked in and your whole 185 00:10:33,679 --> 00:10:38,800 Speaker 3: day has gone. As journalists, we have to, you know, 186 00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:41,560 Speaker 3: actually do the work that it takes to produce these 187 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:44,040 Speaker 3: stories and really nail them down more as like a 188 00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:47,120 Speaker 3: citizen journalist, they can just put something out there and 189 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:51,319 Speaker 3: their reputation is not and their job is not tied 190 00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:52,200 Speaker 3: to it, so. 191 00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:54,960 Speaker 1: They make a mistake. They make a mistake and kind 192 00:10:54,960 --> 00:10:58,120 Speaker 1: of their audience is more forgiving. But when you work 193 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:00,880 Speaker 1: for an established news brand and you make a mistake, 194 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:04,240 Speaker 1: it's a lot harder. I even typos make me, you know, 195 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:06,720 Speaker 1: feel so terrible. When I have a typo in one 196 00:11:06,760 --> 00:11:10,079 Speaker 1: of my columns, I I stress out about it. I'm like, oh, 197 00:11:10,559 --> 00:11:13,040 Speaker 1: it's in the newspaper. It's in the actual newspaper that 198 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:14,560 Speaker 1: you're can be holding in your hand, and I can't 199 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:14,960 Speaker 1: fix that. 200 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:18,640 Speaker 2: It's tough. I'm just mad about the ones that I 201 00:11:18,920 --> 00:11:23,280 Speaker 2: constantly have typos in my I have a I'm doing. 202 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:26,000 Speaker 5: I'm juggling so much as we all, we all are 203 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:31,080 Speaker 5: as parents and journalists and trying to break stories and 204 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:33,960 Speaker 5: trying to dig deep. It's a lot, and follow the 205 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:38,199 Speaker 5: news that's breaking, you know, constantly on a variety of topics, 206 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:42,040 Speaker 5: you know, international news and local news here because I'm 207 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:46,280 Speaker 5: a national reporter, so I feel like, you know, I'm 208 00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:49,880 Speaker 5: covering it all. But you know, sometimes very interestinct. But 209 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:54,280 Speaker 5: you know, I will have I use that mechanism on 210 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:58,719 Speaker 5: X to try to edit my my tweets, and when 211 00:11:58,720 --> 00:12:01,280 Speaker 5: it's not working, I'm scream at at elon musk what. 212 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:04,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, sometimes you just don't have the edit button. Sometimes 213 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:05,800 Speaker 1: it just does not use it. 214 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:06,880 Speaker 2: It's random though. 215 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:10,320 Speaker 1: It's yeah, and I think that, I mean, we're at 216 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:12,840 Speaker 1: a stage with AI and stuff where we could use 217 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:15,840 Speaker 1: you should be able to use the edit button to 218 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:19,240 Speaker 1: fix a typo and not have it be like a 219 00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:21,440 Speaker 1: whole new tweet, Like it's just be the old tweet, 220 00:12:21,800 --> 00:12:25,120 Speaker 1: if you know, if it's one word, it's okay to 221 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:27,760 Speaker 1: change it and move on with our lives instead of 222 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:29,320 Speaker 1: being like it's a whole new tweet. 223 00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:32,400 Speaker 5: Now, yeah you have to take it down, and yeah, yeah, 224 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:33,640 Speaker 5: you have to take it down and redo it. 225 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:34,720 Speaker 1: That's basically what I do. 226 00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:38,480 Speaker 5: I almost never already I just go you know, what, Yeah, exactly. 227 00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:41,080 Speaker 5: You know, me and Donald Trump, we have big thumbs. 228 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:42,800 Speaker 5: So I talk about same same. 229 00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:45,240 Speaker 1: We're going to take a quick break and be right 230 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:51,160 Speaker 1: back on the Carol Marcowitch Show. What are you most 231 00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:52,280 Speaker 1: proud of in your life? 232 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:54,520 Speaker 5: I'm most proud of and I when you were getting 233 00:12:54,520 --> 00:12:59,079 Speaker 5: at this and the previous question that I decided in 234 00:12:59,120 --> 00:13:03,040 Speaker 5: two thousand and seven, as a new mom and someone 235 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:06,280 Speaker 5: who had been in DC for twenty three years, that 236 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:09,920 Speaker 5: I needed to do something different with my life and 237 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:14,080 Speaker 5: I needed a change of scenery and a new job. 238 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:18,640 Speaker 5: And it was all scary for me. I wasn't a 239 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:22,480 Speaker 5: little scary in my early forties. I'll date myself here, 240 00:13:22,559 --> 00:13:26,000 Speaker 5: I age myself to be doing that. But I was 241 00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:30,480 Speaker 5: forty three and just had my only child and wanted 242 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:33,720 Speaker 5: to really experience it with her. And it was clear 243 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:36,480 Speaker 5: to me was it went. Four days went by where 244 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:39,800 Speaker 5: I was not seeing her at night or in the morning. 245 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:43,440 Speaker 5: Hard in Donald Trump's first term. And I still wanted 246 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:46,280 Speaker 5: to do journalism, which was hard for me. But I 247 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:50,240 Speaker 5: had the opportunity with my husband, who could work from anywhere, 248 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:54,040 Speaker 5: and we decided we would move and I decided to 249 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:56,679 Speaker 5: take sort of like I was a White House respondent 250 00:13:56,760 --> 00:13:58,800 Speaker 5: for the Washington Examiner. 251 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:02,800 Speaker 2: Was moved over to the Senate at that time. 252 00:14:02,840 --> 00:14:05,120 Speaker 5: I didn't really want the Senate because you have to 253 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:07,680 Speaker 5: be there at all hours of the right of the 254 00:14:07,760 --> 00:14:10,720 Speaker 5: night depending on the White House is actually a little 255 00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:11,960 Speaker 5: bit more. 256 00:14:12,559 --> 00:14:16,560 Speaker 2: With Donald Trump, the hours are slightly and I didn't. 257 00:14:16,360 --> 00:14:18,400 Speaker 5: Want to get a night nanny and a day nanny 258 00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:20,120 Speaker 5: and do all of that A lot. 259 00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:23,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, it was. It was a lot. So I did. 260 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:26,440 Speaker 2: And also I think just challenging in my job. 261 00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:29,280 Speaker 5: I wanted I didn't need to cover the Senate again, 262 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:31,800 Speaker 5: I had already done that many years. 263 00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:34,400 Speaker 6: So I decided to just go through. 264 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:38,760 Speaker 5: I wanted to do a freelance story for the Free Beacond. 265 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:40,440 Speaker 5: I decided I was going to move no matter what, 266 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:43,000 Speaker 5: We're going to go back to my home state of 267 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:46,360 Speaker 5: California where I grew up. I love the landscapes here. 268 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:50,720 Speaker 5: I missed the recreation, being able to just jump in 269 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:53,120 Speaker 5: your car and go to the beach if you wanted 270 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:55,080 Speaker 5: to go to the mountains, all of those things that 271 00:14:55,200 --> 00:15:01,280 Speaker 5: were part of my upbringing, my childhood, and so I. 272 00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:02,400 Speaker 2: Just I freelance. 273 00:15:02,440 --> 00:15:04,080 Speaker 5: I decided I was going to freelance the story or 274 00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:07,160 Speaker 5: try to pitch the Free Beacon. And they actually said, well, 275 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:10,520 Speaker 5: we have an position that's opened up, an investigative report position. 276 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:13,720 Speaker 5: And honestly, I love the washing Free Beacon. I love 277 00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:19,040 Speaker 5: how Yeah, it's just a really great place because they 278 00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:21,040 Speaker 5: give you a lot of freedom and if you're performing, 279 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:22,400 Speaker 5: they let you run with it. 280 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:24,880 Speaker 2: So said we have a position. I'm as well, oh 281 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:25,960 Speaker 2: I'm moving to California. 282 00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:28,080 Speaker 5: And they thought about it for a second and I said, well, 283 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:30,560 Speaker 5: we'll try you out and we'll see how it goes. 284 00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:33,240 Speaker 1: A lot to investigate in California. 285 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:35,200 Speaker 2: And actually they loved having me out here. 286 00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:38,240 Speaker 5: Yeah, And that was when Newsom was first on the 287 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:41,040 Speaker 5: rise and he was leading his first resistance to Trump. 288 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:45,600 Speaker 5: So it was it's been great fun and I've had 289 00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:47,960 Speaker 5: lots of material to work with. It is difficult to 290 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:51,560 Speaker 5: live in California at this time if you're a multi millionaire, 291 00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:54,880 Speaker 5: to be quite honest, especially because the coast we live 292 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:58,120 Speaker 5: at the Coast Hill area of San Diego. I grew 293 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:01,200 Speaker 5: up more inland where it's cheaper, so you know, there's 294 00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:05,160 Speaker 5: challenges for sure, But for me it's a passion and 295 00:16:05,320 --> 00:16:08,840 Speaker 5: I'm learning so much more than if I were just 296 00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:14,960 Speaker 5: circling the same hallways and actually learning how policy affects people. 297 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:17,840 Speaker 1: States. We're going to take a quick break and be 298 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:24,160 Speaker 1: right back on the Carol Markowitz Show. So you love California, 299 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:28,880 Speaker 1: but you're pessimistic about the future of California. But you stay, Yeah, 300 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:29,680 Speaker 1: stay a fight. 301 00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:34,480 Speaker 5: I think that you've as long as you can stay 302 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:37,920 Speaker 5: as you have resources, because like I said, it's becoming. 303 00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:40,920 Speaker 2: Quite harder and harder all the time. Right, the elites 304 00:16:40,960 --> 00:16:43,880 Speaker 2: can stay and then we have harvety rate. So the 305 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:46,920 Speaker 2: middle class is shrinking. I'm talking When I talk about 306 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:49,200 Speaker 2: middle class, I'm talking to anybody who's making under three 307 00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:51,240 Speaker 2: hundred thousand for your household income. 308 00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:57,760 Speaker 5: And that's middle class out here. It is unless you 309 00:16:57,800 --> 00:16:59,360 Speaker 5: live in the Central Valley or Inland. 310 00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:04,960 Speaker 2: But it is something I feel like I'm I shouldn't be. 311 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:09,159 Speaker 5: This is my home state. I had wonderful, wonderful memories. 312 00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:11,399 Speaker 5: I want my daughter to experience it. I don't know 313 00:17:11,440 --> 00:17:13,880 Speaker 5: if she'll be able to. I go back and forth 314 00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:16,720 Speaker 5: with my husband all the time because he's from He's 315 00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:19,520 Speaker 5: from Boston and he has a lot of family in Florida, 316 00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:22,360 Speaker 5: and we do evaluate it on a regular bath list. 317 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:25,760 Speaker 5: But now we're staying to fight. And I love the 318 00:17:25,840 --> 00:17:31,480 Speaker 5: fact that there's a new arsenal, there's a new group 319 00:17:31,520 --> 00:17:37,120 Speaker 5: of reporters out there with a big masthead to bring 320 00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:41,480 Speaker 5: in some true accountability to this to the state. 321 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:44,600 Speaker 1: It's really great. And I'm rooting for California. I mean, 322 00:17:44,720 --> 00:17:47,520 Speaker 1: I always loved California, and I always saw it as 323 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:50,720 Speaker 1: like you know, just I would say, like a promised 324 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:53,600 Speaker 1: land in America. But it was it was the new frontier. 325 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:56,959 Speaker 1: You guys were supposed to be the leaders of what 326 00:17:57,119 --> 00:18:00,320 Speaker 1: came next, and I always wanted California to be that. 327 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:03,480 Speaker 1: And of course the politics over the last decade plus 328 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:06,639 Speaker 1: have just done so much damage. But I root for 329 00:18:06,680 --> 00:18:09,680 Speaker 1: California to pick itself back up. And I hope you're 330 00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:11,119 Speaker 1: all successful with that. 331 00:18:12,359 --> 00:18:16,480 Speaker 2: Well, thank you, we need it. The more accountability the better. 332 00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:18,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's that's the way to go about it. The 333 00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:23,120 Speaker 1: more accountability the better. Give us a five year out prediction, 334 00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:26,080 Speaker 1: it could be about anything at all. Well, what I'm. 335 00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:30,960 Speaker 5: Worried about in five years is our information flow of information, 336 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:34,439 Speaker 5: how are receiving it. I feel like I have so 337 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:37,000 Speaker 5: lucky to work for Carl Caannon. He's one of the 338 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:41,360 Speaker 5: best editors I've ever known and worked for the best actually, 339 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:46,440 Speaker 5: and people like Victor David Hanson who have a knowledge 340 00:18:46,880 --> 00:18:50,159 Speaker 5: of so many things, you know, thinking so great, yeah, 341 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:54,400 Speaker 5: turensive or they can talk about you know, the political 342 00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:59,320 Speaker 5: what happened in the rag and administration, and to science. 343 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:02,480 Speaker 5: It's so many different subject matters and I feel like 344 00:19:03,359 --> 00:19:06,560 Speaker 5: on X we will be laughing about what we are tweeting. 345 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:10,919 Speaker 5: On x, X is going to probably it's already exploding 346 00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:14,120 Speaker 5: with information that you feel like you have to keep 347 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:16,639 Speaker 5: track of the little tidbits. And I think it's going 348 00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:18,520 Speaker 5: to be far more siloed. You're going to have a 349 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:22,280 Speaker 5: maybe have like sort of an X for just politics 350 00:19:22,359 --> 00:19:25,080 Speaker 5: or California politics versus national politics. 351 00:19:25,840 --> 00:19:28,000 Speaker 2: Because people want to be experts in their feeling and 352 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:29,600 Speaker 2: they love chat. 353 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:33,800 Speaker 5: But if you lose that, if you lose that wider 354 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:38,480 Speaker 5: breadth of information, you just become sort of siloed and 355 00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:43,320 Speaker 5: and sort of just thinking about things in a very 356 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:45,720 Speaker 5: incremental way instead of. 357 00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:48,240 Speaker 1: You know, reperture. 358 00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:51,760 Speaker 5: I truly worry about that for my daughter, and I 359 00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:54,200 Speaker 5: also worry about these new. 360 00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:57,879 Speaker 2: AI bots. 361 00:19:57,960 --> 00:20:01,520 Speaker 5: Okay, there's a new phenomen and on that I just 362 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:05,760 Speaker 5: discovered it. What's this WhatsApp. It's so disturbing. It really 363 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:10,720 Speaker 5: is to one another and how kids are relating to 364 00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:12,640 Speaker 5: these I mean, honestly. 365 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:14,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, nothing creeps me out more than the idea that 366 00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:16,719 Speaker 1: my kids are going to have a friend who is 367 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:20,639 Speaker 1: a AI bought. I mean, I had Debrissau on the 368 00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:23,800 Speaker 1: show recently, and she has a book called Extinction about 369 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:26,520 Speaker 1: how Americans aren't having sex, and she said, you know, 370 00:20:26,720 --> 00:20:30,240 Speaker 1: in our lifetime, somebody's going to bring a like a 371 00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:33,399 Speaker 1: sex robot to your party and that's going to be 372 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:35,320 Speaker 1: their girlfriend, and you're going to have to be like, well, 373 00:20:35,320 --> 00:20:37,480 Speaker 1: that's just how it is. And I was like, not 374 00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:38,560 Speaker 1: to my party, they're not. 375 00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:40,520 Speaker 2: That is so weird. 376 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:43,840 Speaker 5: No, absolutely, but it happened first in California. Of course, 377 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:48,480 Speaker 5: you would not believe what we run into on the 378 00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:51,280 Speaker 5: daily basis in our communities and what we have to 379 00:20:51,320 --> 00:20:52,520 Speaker 5: fight in our schools. 380 00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:54,120 Speaker 2: What's going on. 381 00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:57,240 Speaker 5: I mean, several national news stories came out of our 382 00:20:57,280 --> 00:21:01,919 Speaker 5: school district, both the elementary school and the high school, 383 00:21:01,960 --> 00:21:05,840 Speaker 5: now the high school district. It's unbelievable what's going on 384 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:09,639 Speaker 5: and what is succeptable. I do think things not in California, 385 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:11,639 Speaker 5: but in the rest of the country are changing in 386 00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:14,879 Speaker 5: terms of the transgender ideology. 387 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:16,560 Speaker 2: So hopefully we're. 388 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:20,639 Speaker 1: On the right track with something I guess, yeah, but 389 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:21,240 Speaker 1: I do worry. 390 00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:24,920 Speaker 5: We'll take the win, right, yeah, at least at the 391 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:25,639 Speaker 5: Supreme Court. 392 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:26,880 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah. 393 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:30,720 Speaker 2: And in others and certainly even over seas. 394 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:35,280 Speaker 5: You know, they're not Trensgender surgeries are when they're realizing 395 00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:37,680 Speaker 5: that hormones for kids is not helpful. 396 00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:43,040 Speaker 1: Bad idea. Yeah, Susan, I've loved this conversation. I really 397 00:21:43,119 --> 00:21:44,720 Speaker 1: enjoyed talking to you and getting to know you a 398 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:48,280 Speaker 1: little bit more. Leave us here with your best tip 399 00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:50,880 Speaker 1: for my listeners on how they can improve their lives. 400 00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:53,480 Speaker 2: I try to, I'm not always successful. 401 00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:57,400 Speaker 5: I try to start my day with a few minutes 402 00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:01,480 Speaker 5: of just calm and for me, I read scripture and 403 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:05,040 Speaker 5: do a little study for that, even if it's five minutes, 404 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:08,480 Speaker 5: because as a journalist in a rough and tumble world, 405 00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:10,280 Speaker 5: you never know what's going to be coming at you 406 00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:13,199 Speaker 5: throughout the day. The same as a parent, you know 407 00:22:13,280 --> 00:22:16,720 Speaker 5: your kid might be sick as my kid is this morning, 408 00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:19,560 Speaker 5: as your jade changes, and so it's sort of like 409 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:25,119 Speaker 5: that rude you're keep your kipling phrase that poem you know, 410 00:22:25,160 --> 00:22:27,200 Speaker 5: if you can keep your head about you when all 411 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:32,120 Speaker 5: the rest are losing. That to me, like if you've 412 00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:34,040 Speaker 5: sent to yourself in the beginning of the day and realize, 413 00:22:34,080 --> 00:22:38,200 Speaker 5: like I'm busy, what my values are, this is how 414 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:40,960 Speaker 5: I like to handle things. I'm going to start. I'm 415 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:43,320 Speaker 5: not going to just react. I can only control how 416 00:22:43,359 --> 00:22:46,560 Speaker 5: I react to something. I think that if I would 417 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:49,560 Speaker 5: have really focused on that as a younger journalist, I 418 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:51,879 Speaker 5: think things would have been smoother, and I think I 419 00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:56,359 Speaker 5: would have been let more emotionally regulated, because it is 420 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:59,720 Speaker 5: a difficult business, especially when you're in the throes of 421 00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:04,120 Speaker 5: it on the front lines in Washington, and so you 422 00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:10,199 Speaker 5: can then as you approach these either conflicts with other people, 423 00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:13,680 Speaker 5: news stories that didn't work out, or you wanted to disappointment, 424 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:17,199 Speaker 5: or you're something's going on in your personal life, you 425 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:21,520 Speaker 5: can just go back to that place that of calm 426 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:27,359 Speaker 5: and centered And for me, it is my belief in Christ. 427 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:31,359 Speaker 5: So I truly value that and I try to live it. 428 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:34,439 Speaker 5: I'm not always successful to live out my values, but 429 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:35,560 Speaker 5: it has helped. 430 00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:38,920 Speaker 1: I love that. Yeah. She is Susan Crabtree. Read her 431 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:42,280 Speaker 1: at Real Clare Politics, California Post the City Journal and 432 00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:45,199 Speaker 1: pick up her book, Fools Gold. Thank you so much 433 00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:47,080 Speaker 1: for coming on, Susan Carol. 434 00:23:47,119 --> 00:23:48,880 Speaker 2: It's my pleasure. Thanks for having me so much.