1 00:00:01,680 --> 00:00:08,440 Speaker 1: Cool Zone Media. 2 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:15,720 Speaker 2: Hello listeners, Molly here. This isn't exactly a new new 3 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:20,240 Speaker 2: episode strictly speaking, but you probably haven't heard it before, 4 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:22,840 Speaker 2: and it does tie into the story from last week 5 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:26,800 Speaker 2: and the episode you'll hear next week. I had a 6 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:30,640 Speaker 2: minor family emergency this week. Everything's fine, no need to worry. 7 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:33,800 Speaker 2: It just meant that the timing didn't quite work out 8 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:36,440 Speaker 2: on the episode that I thought you'd be listening to 9 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:41,159 Speaker 2: this week. Plus, if you're listening to this the day 10 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:44,560 Speaker 2: it showed up in your feed, it's my birthday today, 11 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 2: so you can't be mad at me. The story you're 12 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:51,680 Speaker 2: going to hear today was originally an episode of another show. 13 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:55,640 Speaker 2: It could happen here. I recorded it back in April 14 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 2: of twenty twenty four, so a year and a half 15 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 2: ago before the first episode of Weird Little Guys even existed, 16 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:06,760 Speaker 2: although listening back to it now, we must have already 17 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 2: named the show by that point, because you'll hear Robert 18 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:15,399 Speaker 2: make a joke about it. Time flies, I guess. The 19 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:18,600 Speaker 2: subject of this story is a man named Judd Blevins, 20 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:22,320 Speaker 2: a one time regional organizer in the now defunct white 21 00:01:22,319 --> 00:01:27,840 Speaker 2: supremacist organization Identity Europa. Blevins won a seat on the Enid, 22 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:31,440 Speaker 2: Oklahoma City Council in twenty twenty three, and then he 23 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:33,800 Speaker 2: lost that seat in a recall election in the spring 24 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:36,760 Speaker 2: of twenty twenty four, and you'll hear about that in 25 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:41,479 Speaker 2: the episode. But the tie in here, the reason I'm 26 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:46,200 Speaker 2: replaying this old episode on this show this week is 27 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 2: one brief, tiny mention. About two thirds of the way 28 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:54,280 Speaker 2: through the episode, when a resolution came before the Enid 29 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 2: City Council to censure Blevins, a group called the American 30 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 2: Freedom Party encouraged its members to write letters to the 31 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 2: other Enid City commissioners expressing their support for Blevins. But 32 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:12,320 Speaker 2: what's not there in this episode is just how vocal 33 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:16,840 Speaker 2: the American Freedom Party was and their support. The executive 34 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:19,359 Speaker 2: director of the party shared information about how to call 35 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 2: into the city's public meetings to speak in support of Blevins. 36 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:28,079 Speaker 2: The party's board of directors issued an official statement supporting Blevins. 37 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:32,959 Speaker 2: The last two episodes of this show have been about 38 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 2: Marilyn Miller's twenty twelve run for president as the candidate 39 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 2: for the American Third Position Party. Almost immediately after that election, 40 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 2: the party rebranded and they've been called the American Freedom 41 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:48,760 Speaker 2: Party ever since. And when I left you last week, 42 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:51,920 Speaker 2: I said the group was pretty inactive for a few years, 43 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:57,120 Speaker 2: but they've recently been trying to make a comeback. And 44 00:02:57,160 --> 00:02:59,239 Speaker 2: as I was doing the research to tell that part 45 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:03,800 Speaker 2: of the story, I listened to hours of interviews the 46 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:08,000 Speaker 2: party's current executive director has given on White Nationalists podcasts 47 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:12,040 Speaker 2: over the last few years. Their current quest for relevance 48 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:15,360 Speaker 2: has come with a bit of a strategy shift. The 49 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 2: face of the party is now a young man calling 50 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 2: himself John Faspender. That's not his real name, but we'll 51 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:27,640 Speaker 2: get to that. In several podcast appearances Fastpender made in 52 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 2: twenty twenty three, so shortly after jud Blevens was elected, 53 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:34,880 Speaker 2: he's talking a big game about how the party plans 54 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 2: to run candidates for state and local offices all over 55 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 2: the country. They didn't. That was two years ago. I 56 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 2: can tell you now that didn't happen. And in those 57 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 2: interviews he never gives any names. He never says what 58 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:54,000 Speaker 2: cities or states this is going to happen in. He 59 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 2: never even names a particular office a party member plans 60 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 2: to run for. The only name he ever uses is 61 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:07,360 Speaker 2: jud Blevins. Although Blevins was elected as a Republican, and 62 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:11,560 Speaker 2: Fassbender occasionally remembers to mention that Blevins is not a 63 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:16,039 Speaker 2: member of the American Freedom Party, but he is a 64 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 2: personal friend. The pair had known each other for years, 65 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:27,480 Speaker 2: and they met when they were both members of Identity Europa. 66 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:29,280 Speaker 2: That sent me down a bit of a rabbit hole 67 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:34,159 Speaker 2: looking at the surprisingly close relationship between the American Freedom 68 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:40,480 Speaker 2: Party and Identity Europa. But again, we'll get to that 69 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:46,240 Speaker 2: for now. This week. Here's a little side story I 70 00:04:46,279 --> 00:04:49,440 Speaker 2: would otherwise have tried to shoehorn into an episode that 71 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:55,840 Speaker 2: undoubtedly will already have too many tangents. See you next week. 72 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:03,520 Speaker 3: Welcome back to It Could Happen Here a podcast about 73 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:06,800 Speaker 3: things falling apart. And when things fall apart, one of 74 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:08,560 Speaker 3: the things that happens is you get a bunch of 75 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:11,359 Speaker 3: a lot of opportunities for a lot of weird little guys, 76 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:13,600 Speaker 3: a lot of a lot of Nazis and other kinds 77 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 3: of scums start, you know, sliding up to the surface 78 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:19,720 Speaker 3: in the hopes that they can get some of the sweet, 79 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:23,760 Speaker 3: sweet oxygen of collapse. And that's why we've brought onto 80 00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:26,640 Speaker 3: the program and are bringing into the network our good 81 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:31,279 Speaker 3: friend Molly Conger for a little recurrence series. I like 82 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 3: to call look who's stalking? That was the That was 83 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:37,240 Speaker 3: the stocking joke. I'm wanted to open the episode with 84 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:38,080 Speaker 3: my own journey. 85 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:41,159 Speaker 2: I'm not stalking anyone. I would never do that. That 86 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:43,200 Speaker 2: is a crime. This is reporting. 87 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:47,480 Speaker 3: It is reporting, and the line between reporting and stalking 88 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:50,080 Speaker 3: always clear, you know. 89 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:55,920 Speaker 2: I think it's it's on the publication. Yeah, yeah, so, Robert, 90 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:59,440 Speaker 2: Today's topic is such a perfect mashup of so many 91 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:02,360 Speaker 2: of my favorite things. It couldn't be more my speed 92 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:05,480 Speaker 2: unless this whole story took place on a Wiener dog ranch. Right. 93 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:06,800 Speaker 3: Yeah. 94 00:06:06,839 --> 00:06:09,599 Speaker 2: This story has city council meetings that got rowdy. It 95 00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:11,800 Speaker 2: has unite the right attendee getting docks. It has the 96 00:06:11,839 --> 00:06:14,280 Speaker 2: internal calms of a hate group getting leaked. It has 97 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:16,760 Speaker 2: regular ass people putting their foot down about hate in 98 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:19,839 Speaker 2: their town. It is a year's long arc of one 99 00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:24,040 Speaker 2: man's journey from fucking around to finding out his evolution, 100 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:28,200 Speaker 2: from chanting you will not replace us to getting replaced 101 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:32,080 Speaker 2: at the ballot box. This is the story of Enid, Oklahoma, 102 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 2: Ward one City Commissioner Judson Gannon Blevins. 103 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:40,039 Speaker 3: Oh my god, Ah we're going back to my old home. 104 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:44,000 Speaker 2: That's why you spent some time in Oklahoma as a kid. 105 00:06:44,080 --> 00:06:46,599 Speaker 2: So so, jud Levins was raised in the town of 106 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:50,080 Speaker 2: en in Oklahoma, and the listener, you'd be forgiven for 107 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:52,400 Speaker 2: thinking this is the story of a small town. And 108 00:06:52,440 --> 00:06:54,680 Speaker 2: I'll be honest, I did. I'd never heard of Enid, 109 00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:56,680 Speaker 2: but you grew up in the area. Do you have 110 00:06:56,680 --> 00:07:00,480 Speaker 2: any sort of pre existing notions of Garfield County? Uh? 111 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:04,599 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean Enid was like a bigger play. I 112 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:06,680 Speaker 3: grew up in Ida Bell, which was really out in 113 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:10,680 Speaker 3: the sticks, so kind of everywhere was more civilization than 114 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:14,160 Speaker 3: Ida Bell, but Enid certainly was, although not much. No 115 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:16,760 Speaker 3: one would no one would accuse it of much civilization. 116 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 2: It is apparently the ninth largest city in Oklahoma, which 117 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:22,800 Speaker 2: was surprising to me. It's an hour and a half 118 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:27,360 Speaker 2: outside of Oklahoma City, seventy six percent white, sixty percent Republican, 119 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:30,440 Speaker 2: and according to a twenty twenty one article on Yahoo 120 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:33,640 Speaker 2: News that reads like it was written by an intoxicated chatbot, 121 00:07:33,960 --> 00:07:36,360 Speaker 2: it is ranked one of the most conservative cities in 122 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:36,880 Speaker 2: the country. 123 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:41,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, that all scans for Enid, Jared, Now that scans 124 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:44,120 Speaker 3: for a lot of cities in Oklahoma, mind you. 125 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:47,640 Speaker 2: Right, they could have named any of them. Yeah, but 126 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:49,800 Speaker 2: it has a population of about fifty thousand, which is 127 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:53,800 Speaker 2: actually the same size as Charlottesville, my hometown and a 128 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:57,040 Speaker 2: city that Johnson Blevins happened to visit in the summer 129 00:07:57,080 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 2: of twenty seventeen. In twenty eighteen, the former US Marine 130 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:01,960 Speaker 2: moved back to his hometown to work at his father's 131 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:05,840 Speaker 2: roofing business. In twenty nineteen, he was publicly identified as 132 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:09,520 Speaker 2: a regional leader in a white supremacist organization, and in 133 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:13,200 Speaker 2: twenty twenty two he announced he was running for office. 134 00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:18,280 Speaker 3: I mean that all that's a very Oklahoma politician route. 135 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:20,920 Speaker 3: It's also like a not a white like from from 136 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:25,120 Speaker 3: roofing to white supremacy, not a wildly uncommon route for 137 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:26,480 Speaker 3: people to take in Oklahoma. 138 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:27,680 Speaker 2: Now he's still doing both. 139 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:29,960 Speaker 3: Oh good. I mean, you never want to give up 140 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:32,679 Speaker 3: on your passion for roofing. That would have made me sad. 141 00:08:32,800 --> 00:08:34,800 Speaker 2: Although some of his supporters have pointed out that he 142 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:37,480 Speaker 2: hires lots of non white people to do manual labor, 143 00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:38,640 Speaker 2: so how could he be racist? 144 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:40,199 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, you don't want to get up on 145 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 3: those roofs yourself. That's dangerous. It's Harry. Yeah, it's hot out. Yeah, 146 00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:46,360 Speaker 3: this is all pretty Oklahoma so far. 147 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:50,880 Speaker 2: On February fourteenth, twenty twenty three, jud Levins narrowly won 148 00:08:50,920 --> 00:08:53,480 Speaker 2: a seat on the Eden City Council, defeating the incumbent 149 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:57,079 Speaker 2: by just thirty six votes. His past ties the now 150 00:08:57,120 --> 00:09:01,440 Speaker 2: defunct white supremacist group Identity Europa were no secret. Of course, 151 00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:04,400 Speaker 2: by twenty twenty three, Identity Eurooba didn't exist anymore. So 152 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:05,880 Speaker 2: I don't blame you if you don't have a clear 153 00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:08,480 Speaker 2: memory of exactly what kind of Nazi group they were. 154 00:09:08,559 --> 00:09:10,360 Speaker 2: And I want to make it very clear. I don't 155 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:13,120 Speaker 2: want time distance and white polo shirts to soften this. 156 00:09:13,679 --> 00:09:16,320 Speaker 2: Identity Europa was a neo Nazi organization. 157 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:19,640 Speaker 3: Oh yeah. They were also just like the most infiltrated 158 00:09:19,679 --> 00:09:23,000 Speaker 3: group of the Trump era. Like of all the Nazi 159 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:24,640 Speaker 3: orgs and the Trump era, I feel like they were 160 00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:27,560 Speaker 3: the one where every week someone else got inside their coms. 161 00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:32,400 Speaker 2: Well, I guess Bluvin's maybe part to blame for that 162 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:34,040 Speaker 2: as the regional coordinator. 163 00:09:34,520 --> 00:09:36,680 Speaker 3: Oh good, so he was doing a great job. 164 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:39,679 Speaker 2: But Identity Europa was modeled after the far right French 165 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:42,960 Speaker 2: identitarian movement and sought the creation of a white ethno state. 166 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:46,240 Speaker 2: You will not replace us. Chance you remember from Unite 167 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:48,920 Speaker 2: the Right were actually popularized by Identity Europa at their 168 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:52,400 Speaker 2: rallies earlier that year, and, according to testimony from a 169 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:56,520 Speaker 2: former girlfriend, one time Identity Europa leader Elliot Klein considered 170 00:09:56,600 --> 00:10:02,000 Speaker 2: himself quote an unironic exterminationist. He had violent fantasies about 171 00:10:02,040 --> 00:10:06,200 Speaker 2: killing Jewish people himself. So it's not just guys hanging 172 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:06,760 Speaker 2: out right. 173 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 1: No. 174 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:12,080 Speaker 2: Identity Europa was founded in twenty sixteen by Nathan Dimigo, 175 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:15,000 Speaker 2: a former marine who went to prison after drunkenly pulling 176 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:18,440 Speaker 2: a gun on a cab driver for quote looking iraqi. 177 00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:23,640 Speaker 3: Well that gets at least he's honest. 178 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:27,240 Speaker 2: But while he was doing his time, he read David 179 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:28,680 Speaker 2: Duke's autobiography. 180 00:10:29,920 --> 00:10:32,280 Speaker 3: Oh and he had an. 181 00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:34,480 Speaker 2: Awakening, right, he read My Awakening and he had an 182 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:35,440 Speaker 2: awakening in prison? 183 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:36,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, yeah, you. 184 00:10:36,520 --> 00:10:38,000 Speaker 2: Know, you go to prison for a hay crime, you 185 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:40,040 Speaker 2: read a little David Duke, you get some ideas. 186 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:45,880 Speaker 3: Man, it it's not a good book. Like, that's my 187 00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:50,000 Speaker 3: thing about having David Duke's autobiography be like your life 188 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:53,160 Speaker 3: changing event is a It's not even a good book. Right, 189 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:56,040 Speaker 3: which I guess neither was mind comp but I feel 190 00:10:56,080 --> 00:10:58,079 Speaker 3: like everyone's lying about that one. 191 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:00,839 Speaker 2: So according to some this is so off the beaten path. 192 00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:03,120 Speaker 2: Here this is, I have to say it. According to 193 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:07,679 Speaker 2: some payments that came out in a divorce proceeding, David 194 00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:11,720 Speaker 2: Duke made payments to Kevin Strome for ghostwriting it. Kevin 195 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:15,200 Speaker 2: Strome is the pedophile who actually said that thing that 196 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:17,200 Speaker 2: people think full terror said about the Jews. 197 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:22,000 Speaker 3: Oh cool, yeah great. 198 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:25,040 Speaker 2: So just something to think about when you're reading David 199 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:26,840 Speaker 2: Duke's autobiography in prison. 200 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:30,400 Speaker 3: I guess, I mean, I guess I had wondered what 201 00:11:30,559 --> 00:11:33,319 Speaker 3: happens to pedophiles, like when they're back out in the world, 202 00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:34,160 Speaker 3: like how do you get. 203 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:35,960 Speaker 2: Wife? 204 00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:36,280 Speaker 1: Now? 205 00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:38,760 Speaker 2: No that was before that was yeah, no he's got 206 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:39,520 Speaker 2: a kid now, so. 207 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:45,960 Speaker 3: Oh what, No, he shouldn't do that. Okay, great, not a. 208 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:47,320 Speaker 2: Loved to live near a school. But I guess they 209 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:48,640 Speaker 2: can't stop you from procreating. 210 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:50,840 Speaker 3: We should evaluate some of that. I don't know. 211 00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:55,440 Speaker 2: Anyway, back to our friend Nate. Right, So, Nathan Amigo 212 00:11:55,679 --> 00:11:58,000 Speaker 2: gets out of prison, makes his own hate group. You 213 00:11:58,040 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 2: may also remember him as the guy who bravely beat 214 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:02,679 Speaker 2: the shit out of a ninety five pound woman at 215 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:04,960 Speaker 2: the rally in Berkeley in April of twenty seventeen. 216 00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:07,439 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, and they memed. 217 00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:08,880 Speaker 2: The hell out of that. They squeezed it for all 218 00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:10,880 Speaker 2: it was worth that they used that image of him 219 00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:14,199 Speaker 2: beating that woman in the street for promotion and recruitment. 220 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:17,520 Speaker 2: Dimigo himself touted a spike in membership applications, which he 221 00:12:17,559 --> 00:12:21,120 Speaker 2: attributed to the popularity of the video. Identity Europa was 222 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:23,800 Speaker 2: heavily involved in the Summer of Hate, that rash of 223 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:26,760 Speaker 2: violent white supremacist rallies across the country in twenty seventeen. 224 00:12:26,960 --> 00:12:29,360 Speaker 2: They were instrumental in planning as Unite the Right rally. 225 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:32,960 Speaker 2: But when the group's discord server was leaked in March 226 00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:35,880 Speaker 2: of twenty nineteen and published in full by Unicorn Riot, 227 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:39,320 Speaker 2: their leader at the time, Patrick Casey, quickly announced a rebrand, 228 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:42,440 Speaker 2: Identity Europa is no more. They were the American Identity 229 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:46,160 Speaker 2: Movement now, much to the displeasure of the American Indian Movement, 230 00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:49,679 Speaker 2: whose acronym they stole. But the rebrand was not successful 231 00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:52,760 Speaker 2: and the group died out completely in twenty twenty, and 232 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:55,400 Speaker 2: Casey tried to pretend the rebrand wasn't just an attempt 233 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:57,760 Speaker 2: to escape the fallout of the leak, but it really 234 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:00,360 Speaker 2: was the leak that killed Identity Europa. At least seven 235 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:03,000 Speaker 2: active duty military members were identified in the league. A 236 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:06,000 Speaker 2: school resource officer at a high school in Virginia was suspended, 237 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:09,560 Speaker 2: a Minnesota National Guardsman was recalled from basic training. So 238 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:11,880 Speaker 2: jud Levins was just one of dozens of members of 239 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:15,120 Speaker 2: the group to be identified in those chatlogs. The work 240 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:17,600 Speaker 2: of anti fascist researchers who identified Blevins and the leak 241 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:20,560 Speaker 2: chats was corroborated and published in an article on right 242 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:23,880 Speaker 2: Wing Watch by Jared Hult within weeks, and it's about 243 00:13:23,880 --> 00:13:25,600 Speaker 2: as solid as an idea as you could hope for 244 00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:28,640 Speaker 2: from a chatlog, or, depending on your position, the kind 245 00:13:28,679 --> 00:13:32,479 Speaker 2: of idea you really don't want. A user called Conway 246 00:13:32,679 --> 00:13:36,679 Speaker 2: was Identity Europa's regional coordinator for Oklahoma. He recruited and 247 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:40,640 Speaker 2: vetted new members, organized outings for banner drops and social events, 248 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:43,760 Speaker 2: and frequently posted pictures of the white supremacist propaganda he'd 249 00:13:43,760 --> 00:13:46,080 Speaker 2: been putting up, encouraging others to do the same, and 250 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:48,760 Speaker 2: offering tips on how to create more effective visuals for 251 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:52,959 Speaker 2: the group's online accounts in over eleven hundred posts over 252 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:56,400 Speaker 2: a nearly two year period, he left a lot of clues. 253 00:13:57,120 --> 00:14:00,560 Speaker 2: He posted a link to an article in his hometown paper, 254 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:03,319 Speaker 2: the Enid News and Eagle. He posted a photo of 255 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:06,640 Speaker 2: a relative's baby, details about his parents' lineage, his plans 256 00:14:06,640 --> 00:14:08,880 Speaker 2: to move home to work for his father's business, and 257 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:10,440 Speaker 2: in the lead up to the Unite the Right rally, 258 00:14:10,480 --> 00:14:12,760 Speaker 2: he excitedly shared the discord that he would be carrying 259 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:16,000 Speaker 2: the original flag of the state of Oklahoma, a red 260 00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:19,000 Speaker 2: rectangle with the number forty six inside of a white star, 261 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:23,200 Speaker 2: and photos from the rally show just one man carrying 262 00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:25,840 Speaker 2: that distinctive flag that was designed by a member of 263 00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:29,600 Speaker 2: the Daughters of the Confederacy, jud Levins. As he grew 264 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:32,680 Speaker 2: into his role as regional coordinator for Identity Europa, he 265 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:36,200 Speaker 2: coordinated member meetups, getting several guys from Oklahoma to drive 266 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:39,440 Speaker 2: down to Texas for a get together. Conway posted about 267 00:14:39,440 --> 00:14:42,800 Speaker 2: the meetup, and photos posted by other attendees show Blevins 268 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:45,800 Speaker 2: standing shoulder to shoulder with other members holding a large 269 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:50,320 Speaker 2: Identity Europa banner. Conway even posted about his appearance on 270 00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:53,320 Speaker 2: a twenty eighteen episode of Identity Europa's podcast, where he 271 00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:56,560 Speaker 2: emphasized the importance of staying in the you will not 272 00:14:56,640 --> 00:14:59,400 Speaker 2: replace us mindset. So by the time he announced his 273 00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:02,080 Speaker 2: run for office twenty two, it had been over three 274 00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:04,560 Speaker 2: years since he'd been out at as Conway, the Hate 275 00:15:04,560 --> 00:15:06,600 Speaker 2: Group member who attended the Unite the Right rally. 276 00:15:07,120 --> 00:15:10,320 Speaker 3: And you could see why he would think it would work, right, 277 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:15,520 Speaker 3: because that you will not replace us thing. It's become 278 00:15:15,680 --> 00:15:21,160 Speaker 3: like the mainstream Republican politics, right like this this ideology 279 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:24,440 Speaker 3: has at least one in the Republican Party, but it's 280 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:28,040 Speaker 3: also one divorced from these guys because even they are 281 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:31,520 Speaker 3: like they're they're too toxic for even the modern Republicans, 282 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:34,760 Speaker 3: like it's it's it's remarkable. But I also get why 283 00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:35,880 Speaker 3: he thought this would work. 284 00:15:36,880 --> 00:15:39,960 Speaker 2: And I think, I mean, I don't know what his 285 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:43,600 Speaker 2: connection remained to other members of IE after it dissolved, 286 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:46,480 Speaker 2: but towards the end of it, as it was dying, right, 287 00:15:46,760 --> 00:15:50,240 Speaker 2: So under Elliott Klein, you know, Klein wanted to make 288 00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:52,560 Speaker 2: a militia for Richard Spencer. He wanted to you know, 289 00:15:52,680 --> 00:15:55,440 Speaker 2: build IE into a fighting force. But under Patrick Casey, 290 00:15:55,520 --> 00:15:58,640 Speaker 2: they sort of moved back towards we should be trying 291 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:02,840 Speaker 2: to influence inside of politics. We should be going to 292 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:07,240 Speaker 2: colleges and getting, you know, conservative students to become more 293 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:10,800 Speaker 2: base right. So this is a rational course of conduct, 294 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:14,240 Speaker 2: I think for where he was in twenty nineteen when 295 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:17,080 Speaker 2: Identity Europa died, But in any case, by twenty twenty two, 296 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:21,280 Speaker 2: anybody in Enid you could read his posts praising Hitler 297 00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:24,400 Speaker 2: and celebrating Identity Europa for striking fear into the heart 298 00:16:24,440 --> 00:16:27,640 Speaker 2: of the jew his words. You could see pictures of 299 00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:30,080 Speaker 2: him at Unite the Right, both on the morning of 300 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:31,960 Speaker 2: the twelfth in the park and the evening of the 301 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:34,040 Speaker 2: eleventh with a torch. You could see pictures of him 302 00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:36,720 Speaker 2: going to Texas for Ie meetups. You could see the 303 00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:39,440 Speaker 2: dozens and dozens of photos he posted in the discord 304 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:42,120 Speaker 2: of Nazi posters and stickers he had put up on 305 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:45,960 Speaker 2: telephone polls and college bulletin boards across Oklahoma, and the 306 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:47,920 Speaker 2: posts where he reveled in the media coverage of the 307 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:53,440 Speaker 2: recruitment materials he left inside library books. His hometown newspaper, 308 00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:56,600 Speaker 2: the Enid News and Eagle, ran an article about the allegations, 309 00:16:56,680 --> 00:17:00,800 Speaker 2: which he never denied, a month before the election, and 310 00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:03,840 Speaker 2: without ever having to give a straight answer on the issue. 311 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:06,480 Speaker 2: He won, and that could have been the end of 312 00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:08,760 Speaker 2: the story. Right. You know, we've seen this trend in 313 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:11,080 Speaker 2: the last few years of these radical right wing elements 314 00:17:11,359 --> 00:17:14,159 Speaker 2: trying to melt into the mainstream Republican party. You know, 315 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:18,000 Speaker 2: we've got these horrible little gropers working in congressional staff positions, 316 00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:20,880 Speaker 2: and you know nazis going to spack and not getting ejected. 317 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:24,720 Speaker 2: They're getting out of the streets and into the meeting rooms. 318 00:17:25,080 --> 00:17:25,280 Speaker 3: Yeah. 319 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:28,280 Speaker 2: An account tied to Blevins that he recently for the 320 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:31,199 Speaker 2: first time denied this was him. It's him. This has 321 00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:34,280 Speaker 2: been widely reported. It was a Twitter account called at 322 00:17:34,359 --> 00:17:40,920 Speaker 2: Abolish Journalism posted in twenty nineteen quote Stets. I agree 323 00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:45,240 Speaker 2: with the argument GOP cannot be changed from the bottom up. However, 324 00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:48,600 Speaker 2: I do not believe in discouraging our guys from getting 325 00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:52,000 Speaker 2: elected into smaller offices such as city council, county commissioner, 326 00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:56,000 Speaker 2: or even state legislators. Basically positions where one can fly 327 00:17:56,160 --> 00:18:01,200 Speaker 2: under the radar yet still be effective. And that's what 328 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:03,560 Speaker 2: this is. Right, This isn't a guy who got out 329 00:18:03,560 --> 00:18:08,440 Speaker 2: of White Nationals organizing and in an unrelated fashion, became 330 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:11,120 Speaker 2: a local politician. No, he said years before he did 331 00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:13,120 Speaker 2: this that this was a good idea that he had. 332 00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:15,720 Speaker 2: You know, he never said I renounced my previous actions 333 00:18:15,760 --> 00:18:17,800 Speaker 2: and beliefs. I regret bringing an active recruiter for a 334 00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:21,000 Speaker 2: hate group. He just changed the way he was doing it. 335 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:24,240 Speaker 2: And he said countless opportunities to be clear about what 336 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:26,760 Speaker 2: he believes today and whether that's different from the beliefs 337 00:18:26,800 --> 00:18:30,520 Speaker 2: he espoused between twenty seventeen and twenty nineteen, and he won't. 338 00:18:30,840 --> 00:18:33,560 Speaker 2: He won't say I no longer identify with the posts 339 00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:36,399 Speaker 2: I made when I was enthusiastically posting the fourteen words. 340 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:39,400 Speaker 2: And that's probably because he just found a better way 341 00:18:39,440 --> 00:18:42,040 Speaker 2: to do it. But there were people in Enid, Oklahoma 342 00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:43,840 Speaker 2: who saw right through that. 343 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:46,840 Speaker 3: Yeah, this is where the story takes a turn that like, 344 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:51,040 Speaker 3: I don't know, it made me hopeful because the first 345 00:18:51,080 --> 00:18:55,720 Speaker 3: time I ever met a klansman was you know, in Oklahoma. 346 00:18:56,040 --> 00:18:57,840 Speaker 3: It was the dad of a friend of mine, Like 347 00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:00,919 Speaker 3: he liked that this kid aged about it, and I 348 00:19:00,960 --> 00:19:02,600 Speaker 3: didn't know what a klansman was. And I had to 349 00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:05,480 Speaker 3: go to my parents and like be like, hey, so 350 00:19:05,840 --> 00:19:08,240 Speaker 3: you know, so and so said this about his dad, 351 00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:10,600 Speaker 3: what does that mean? And my mom was just like, well, 352 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:12,920 Speaker 3: you're not allowed to go to his house anymore. That's 353 00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:14,680 Speaker 3: what that means. 354 00:19:14,800 --> 00:19:18,160 Speaker 2: Uses Jesus Christ. 355 00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:20,920 Speaker 3: If this like, if this guy had like if shit 356 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:23,119 Speaker 3: had gone well for him, I guess that would have 357 00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:25,920 Speaker 3: been my assumption. But that's that was my assumption based 358 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:28,920 Speaker 3: on me not giving a fair shake to Enid, Oklahoma. 359 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:31,639 Speaker 2: Right, And I think that's you know, what's what's so 360 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:34,960 Speaker 2: remarkable about this story is people didn't think Oklahoma could 361 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:39,199 Speaker 2: do it, But you know who can accomplish everything they 362 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:40,400 Speaker 2: set out to do? 363 00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:44,840 Speaker 3: Uh huh. That's right, these sponsors, all of whom are 364 00:19:44,880 --> 00:20:01,439 Speaker 3: available in Enid, Oklahoma, and we're back. Okay, alrighty, so 365 00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:03,639 Speaker 3: I'm happy to hear. Yeah. The next part of this. 366 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:07,520 Speaker 2: Levins took office in May of twenty twenty three. Local 367 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:11,720 Speaker 2: election law requires a six month wait between being sworn 368 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:15,879 Speaker 2: in and when a recall attempt can be initiated, but 369 00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:19,040 Speaker 2: the residents who opposed Levins didn't wait quietly. A group 370 00:20:19,080 --> 00:20:21,879 Speaker 2: called the Enid Social Justice Committee protested his swearing in, 371 00:20:22,359 --> 00:20:25,960 Speaker 2: with some protesters holding posters bearing a photo of Blevins 372 00:20:26,320 --> 00:20:29,800 Speaker 2: holding a torch. At the August eleven, twenty seventeen Nazi 373 00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:34,119 Speaker 2: march at the University of Virginia. And now this I 374 00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:36,080 Speaker 2: didn't even think about it until I was writing this. 375 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:39,440 Speaker 2: That what an incredible coincidence of timing. Right, So May 376 00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:43,040 Speaker 2: twenty twenty three, he's being sworn into office. It was 377 00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:45,960 Speaker 2: just I think maybe two weeks before he was sworn 378 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:49,880 Speaker 2: in that the first indictment was unsealed against the guys 379 00:20:49,880 --> 00:20:53,119 Speaker 2: who are now facing felony charges for participating in that 380 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:55,639 Speaker 2: torch march. Right, so it was we did an episode 381 00:20:55,680 --> 00:20:58,159 Speaker 2: on this a little bit ago. But if you're not 382 00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:01,160 Speaker 2: familiar that the guys who marched in that torch march 383 00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:03,800 Speaker 2: at EVA in twenty seventeen, some of them are now 384 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:06,920 Speaker 2: being charged with a felony under Virginia law for burning 385 00:21:06,960 --> 00:21:09,320 Speaker 2: an object with intent to intimidate. It's obviously a sort 386 00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:12,000 Speaker 2: of a law aimed at the Klan right, sort of 387 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:14,639 Speaker 2: a crossburning type law. But they were burning, they have 388 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:17,359 Speaker 2: these burning objects, and they were menacing people. It was 389 00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:20,879 Speaker 2: racially motivated. So they're being charged with this felony for 390 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:21,720 Speaker 2: burning an object. 391 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:25,560 Speaker 3: It does feel like that's yeah, a pretty good fit. 392 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:28,040 Speaker 2: But so right as he's being sworn in you know, 393 00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:30,440 Speaker 2: these people are protesting his swearing in with this photo 394 00:21:30,520 --> 00:21:34,040 Speaker 2: of him with the torch, and a couple guys just 395 00:21:34,160 --> 00:21:38,159 Speaker 2: showed up in jail here in Charlottesville on that charge. 396 00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:41,000 Speaker 2: So it's it's just a remarkable cognitive dissonance, right to 397 00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:43,880 Speaker 2: see these people. Some of his supporters in Enid downplaying 398 00:21:43,880 --> 00:21:48,080 Speaker 2: the seriousness or even outright denying that Levin's attended this rally, 399 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:51,160 Speaker 2: But the guys he was standing next to that day 400 00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:54,320 Speaker 2: are pleading guilty to felonies. You know, he's up there 401 00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:57,480 Speaker 2: voting on resolutions and passing ordinances about you know, storm 402 00:21:57,520 --> 00:22:00,960 Speaker 2: water management or whatever. I think one of his accomplishments 403 00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:03,320 Speaker 2: in office was getting a Texas roadhouse in Enid. 404 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:06,639 Speaker 3: First off, you shouldn't be proud of having a Texas 405 00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:09,720 Speaker 3: roadhouse anywhere as a my job. 406 00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:12,040 Speaker 2: Used to it might have been a Sizzler, I can't 407 00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:13,400 Speaker 2: remember something like that. 408 00:22:13,720 --> 00:22:16,080 Speaker 3: I would be much more excited for a Sizzler than 409 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:18,600 Speaker 3: a Texas fucking roadhouse, I'll say that much. 410 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:21,840 Speaker 2: But you know he's up there getting a you know, 411 00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:25,600 Speaker 2: affordable chain steak restaurant and edid. But there's a non 412 00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:28,119 Speaker 2: zero chance that he could be arrested at any time 413 00:22:28,280 --> 00:22:30,640 Speaker 2: and extradited on a felony charge. 414 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:34,639 Speaker 3: I mean, look, if if there's one thing that's appropriate 415 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:37,000 Speaker 3: for the sizzler, it's knowing that the guy who put 416 00:22:37,040 --> 00:22:39,800 Speaker 3: that sizzler there could be arrested on a felony charge 417 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:40,520 Speaker 3: at any moment. 418 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:43,600 Speaker 2: You know, we don't know what the strategy is at 419 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:46,200 Speaker 2: the prosecutor's office. Obviously they're not going to charge everybody 420 00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:48,480 Speaker 2: who is there. But it's on the table right Like 421 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:51,000 Speaker 2: he's on video at that march with the torch in 422 00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:53,760 Speaker 2: his hand. He fits the criteria for the ten other 423 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:56,840 Speaker 2: guys that have already gone to jail for this. But 424 00:22:56,880 --> 00:22:59,959 Speaker 2: in November of twenty twenty three, those six months had passed, 425 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:03,560 Speaker 2: recalls on the table now and before the group made 426 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:06,480 Speaker 2: the final push to actually file for the recall, they 427 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:10,160 Speaker 2: made an offer of reconciliation. All Blevin's has to do 428 00:23:10,240 --> 00:23:14,320 Speaker 2: is acknowledge the truth, denounce his past actions, just own 429 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:17,439 Speaker 2: up to it, start making amends. Just say yes I 430 00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:20,760 Speaker 2: did that, No, I don't do it anymore. And he 431 00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:24,240 Speaker 2: can't do it. Throughout this entire ordeal, he's never owned 432 00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:26,600 Speaker 2: up to it. There are pictures and video and his 433 00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:31,239 Speaker 2: own words across multiple online accounts. There's no plausible deniability here. 434 00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:33,639 Speaker 2: There's no saying, well, maybe that's not him. You know 435 00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:36,119 Speaker 2: it's him, so just admit it and say you're not 436 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:39,880 Speaker 2: that guy anymore. But he has consistently refused to even 437 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:44,560 Speaker 2: acknowledge it right on several occasions, you know, when really pressed, 438 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:48,600 Speaker 2: he dismisses that twenty nineteen article by Jared Holt as 439 00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:51,560 Speaker 2: quote a hit piece posted four years ago by a 440 00:23:51,640 --> 00:23:56,560 Speaker 2: George Soros funded leftist outlet, calling it smears and slander. 441 00:23:57,160 --> 00:23:59,960 Speaker 3: Nothing smears somebody like their own words and actions. 442 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:02,879 Speaker 2: I'm being defamed by this photograph of me. 443 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:06,520 Speaker 3: I'm being judged simply for the things I chose to do. 444 00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:11,439 Speaker 2: I thought this was America. But he won't actually deny 445 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:14,240 Speaker 2: specific facts. You know, he won't say that isn't me 446 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:16,840 Speaker 2: in the photo, or I did not participate in that, 447 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:19,520 Speaker 2: or I did not post those nice things about Hitler. 448 00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:24,119 Speaker 2: He just attacks the people saying it. And while Levens 449 00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:26,439 Speaker 2: has never denied the truth of the allegations, some of 450 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:30,720 Speaker 2: his supporters do. At one of those council meetings in 451 00:24:30,760 --> 00:24:33,040 Speaker 2: November of last year, a woman speaking in support of 452 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:36,120 Speaker 2: Levins said the allegations weren't credible as they came from 453 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:40,480 Speaker 2: organizations like the SPLC that quote only exist to smear 454 00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:42,199 Speaker 2: conservative Christians. 455 00:24:42,800 --> 00:24:43,400 Speaker 3: There we go. 456 00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:48,000 Speaker 2: First of all, the SPLC didn't publish it. It was 457 00:24:48,119 --> 00:24:53,320 Speaker 2: right wing Watch Yah, Huffington Post, but whenever Susan And 458 00:24:53,359 --> 00:24:55,640 Speaker 2: it was at that same meeting that the council declined 459 00:24:55,680 --> 00:24:58,320 Speaker 2: to even vote on a resolution to censure Blevins. The 460 00:24:58,359 --> 00:25:01,320 Speaker 2: council was putting forth the resolute to say we don't 461 00:25:01,359 --> 00:25:03,840 Speaker 2: agree with what that guy did. You know, it wasn't 462 00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:06,680 Speaker 2: like punishing him. It didn't actually strip him any powers. 463 00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:09,919 Speaker 2: He didn't do anything except say the rest of us 464 00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:12,760 Speaker 2: we don't like that. And they could, they wouldn't even 465 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:16,800 Speaker 2: vote on it. It got tabled. And at that meeting, Commissioner 466 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:20,080 Speaker 2: Derwin Norwood, the only black member of Enid City Council, 467 00:25:20,480 --> 00:25:23,880 Speaker 2: offered Blevins his forgiveness and gave him a big hug 468 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:28,399 Speaker 2: and told him he loved him great. Levins never apologized, right, 469 00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:31,800 Speaker 2: you can't forgive someone who hasn't apologized. He had never 470 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:36,600 Speaker 2: and still has never apologized. And he was pretty clear 471 00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:38,960 Speaker 2: on where he stands on apology, saying, I am not 472 00:25:39,119 --> 00:25:45,080 Speaker 2: going to apologize for the lies that others tell yeah, 473 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:46,920 Speaker 2: it was a great meeting. I watched it from home. 474 00:25:46,960 --> 00:25:48,680 Speaker 2: I had you know, I love I love a meeting. 475 00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:53,280 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, no, that's uh. I mean, I don't understand it, 476 00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:54,719 Speaker 3: but I respect it. 477 00:25:55,840 --> 00:25:59,200 Speaker 2: So, with their peace offering roundly rejected by an unapologetic Blevins, 478 00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:03,400 Speaker 2: they moved forward the recall. The Enid Social Justice Committee 479 00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:05,560 Speaker 2: gathered enough signatures to put it to a vote, and 480 00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:08,120 Speaker 2: in January, Cheryl Patterson threw her hat into the ring 481 00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:12,480 Speaker 2: to replace Blevins. And to be clear, this is still Enid, Oklahoma, 482 00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:16,280 Speaker 2: where sixty percent of voters are registered Republicans. This wasn't 483 00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:21,160 Speaker 2: some liberal coup. Patterson is also a lifelong Republican candidate 484 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:23,480 Speaker 2: formed the week before the election, Patterson was quick to 485 00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:25,200 Speaker 2: say like right off the bat, the second she opened 486 00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:27,760 Speaker 2: her mouth, she said, contrary to the rumor, I was 487 00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:33,120 Speaker 2: not recruited by the Enid Social Justice Committee. And she said, 488 00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:35,000 Speaker 2: you know, she'd been thinking about running for a while. 489 00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:37,840 Speaker 2: She loves Enid, but she was pushed to action by 490 00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:41,720 Speaker 2: her opponent's inability to clearly denounce his past involvement with 491 00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:44,439 Speaker 2: a white supremacist group. And it is remarkable right to 492 00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:49,960 Speaker 2: see conservative Republicans in the South saying like that Nazi 493 00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:50,960 Speaker 2: stuff is too much for me. 494 00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:56,760 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, and that's like, that's actually an important 495 00:26:56,840 --> 00:27:01,000 Speaker 3: part of turning this shit back is get it these 496 00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:04,199 Speaker 3: people who are otherwise conservative to draw a line and 497 00:27:04,280 --> 00:27:07,960 Speaker 3: actually hold to it, because it at least arrests that 498 00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:11,680 Speaker 3: right word momentum to an extent. And we're just not 499 00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:13,600 Speaker 3: going to get out of this unless we have some 500 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:14,880 Speaker 3: of that right. 501 00:27:15,359 --> 00:27:17,000 Speaker 2: I'm not living in a you know, in a fantasy 502 00:27:17,119 --> 00:27:20,280 Speaker 2: land where the city of Enid, Oklahoma is represented by 503 00:27:20,359 --> 00:27:23,280 Speaker 2: a council of six socialists, Like that's not on the table. 504 00:27:23,280 --> 00:27:27,600 Speaker 2: I accept that, but at least their Republicans can say, ah, 505 00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:30,280 Speaker 2: the fourteen words is like not my vibe. 506 00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:36,080 Speaker 3: Yeah, literally, participating in a white supremacist terrorist action is 507 00:27:36,440 --> 00:27:39,440 Speaker 3: a line for us, and I'm glad there's a line. 508 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:41,000 Speaker 1: So you know. 509 00:27:41,040 --> 00:27:43,240 Speaker 2: She says she was inspired to run for office because 510 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:46,240 Speaker 2: he not because of what he did, but because he 511 00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:49,280 Speaker 2: couldn't even denounce it, right that, you know, people can 512 00:27:49,320 --> 00:27:51,600 Speaker 2: grow and change. I pray that his heart moves, but 513 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:55,080 Speaker 2: he's unable to even denounce it, and he really does 514 00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:58,000 Speaker 2: seem incapable. The very first question at that forum the 515 00:27:58,000 --> 00:28:02,159 Speaker 2: week before the election is about this Obviously a lot 516 00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:04,879 Speaker 2: of the questions were, and he gave another non denial, right, 517 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:07,600 Speaker 2: he said, this election is about the next three years 518 00:28:07,640 --> 00:28:11,200 Speaker 2: of this city, not about organizations that disbanded five years ago. 519 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:14,439 Speaker 2: But he went on to say that he would quote 520 00:28:14,840 --> 00:28:18,600 Speaker 2: gladly plead guilty to speaking out against what is being 521 00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:21,960 Speaker 2: done to this country and the anti white hatred in 522 00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:26,320 Speaker 2: the media. So he tries to talk around the issue, saying, 523 00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:28,800 Speaker 2: you know, he was just advocating for the same policies 524 00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:31,800 Speaker 2: that got Donald Trump elected. But it's not like he 525 00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:34,080 Speaker 2: was on the local Republican committee, right, He wasn't working 526 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:37,280 Speaker 2: on a GOP campaign. He was an organizer for a 527 00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:41,400 Speaker 2: group that supported those policies of the Trump administration explicitly 528 00:28:41,440 --> 00:28:44,480 Speaker 2: because they believe those policies were a stepping stone towards 529 00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:46,920 Speaker 2: the full Nazification of American politics. 530 00:28:47,640 --> 00:28:47,720 Speaker 1: Right. 531 00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:51,720 Speaker 2: You know, the relationship between those two things troubling concerning. 532 00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:55,959 Speaker 2: But you can't pretend there's no difference between voting Republican 533 00:28:56,320 --> 00:28:59,720 Speaker 2: and holding a torch at the Nazi parade. And that's 534 00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:01,840 Speaker 2: what he trying to do here. He's trying to blur 535 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:04,880 Speaker 2: that lines. You know, I'm just being punished for being 536 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:09,760 Speaker 2: a proud conservative, and it's like, which which part right? 537 00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:11,680 Speaker 2: People who's you know? People who want free speech, and 538 00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:13,080 Speaker 2: it's like, well, which word do you want to say? 539 00:29:14,040 --> 00:29:16,800 Speaker 2: And at no point during this recall campaign, from when 540 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:20,120 Speaker 2: they announced it in November to the election two weeks 541 00:29:20,120 --> 00:29:23,320 Speaker 2: ago now, at no point during this recall campaign did 542 00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:27,440 Speaker 2: he publicly denounce any of the white supremacists who supported him. 543 00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:30,840 Speaker 2: Outlets like v Dare, a white nationalist publication run by 544 00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:33,680 Speaker 2: an English born anti immigration race scientists who lives in 545 00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:37,360 Speaker 2: a castle in West Virginia, wrote fawning editorials which were 546 00:29:37,400 --> 00:29:42,480 Speaker 2: promoted by prominent white nationalists, including Identity Europa founder Nathan Dimigo. 547 00:29:43,440 --> 00:29:47,400 Speaker 2: Fascist telegram channels provided guidance to subscribers about Oklahoma's campaign 548 00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:50,320 Speaker 2: finance laws, which would allow them to donate to Blevins's 549 00:29:50,360 --> 00:29:53,760 Speaker 2: campaign anonymously as long as they kept it under fifty dollars. 550 00:29:55,440 --> 00:29:58,440 Speaker 2: According to reporting by Christmathias and Huntington Post, a man 551 00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:00,680 Speaker 2: in Texas who runs a business with a known Patriot 552 00:30:00,680 --> 00:30:04,680 Speaker 2: Front member donated nearly two thousand dollars to the campaign, 553 00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:07,400 Speaker 2: which made up the bulk of the donated cash. And 554 00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:09,400 Speaker 2: you might give him the benefit of the doubt and say, well, 555 00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:12,160 Speaker 2: maybe he didn't know he was being endorsed by some 556 00:30:12,240 --> 00:30:14,920 Speaker 2: of the largest elements in organized white supremacy in America. 557 00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:18,160 Speaker 3: Sure, but he did. He did know. 558 00:30:19,760 --> 00:30:22,120 Speaker 2: As a member of the city council. He definitely saw 559 00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:24,720 Speaker 2: the letters that were addressed to the city Council in 560 00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:28,320 Speaker 2: support of Blevins from the American Freedom Party, an explicitly 561 00:30:28,320 --> 00:30:31,600 Speaker 2: white supremacist political party that occasionally runs a Nazi for president. 562 00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:35,600 Speaker 2: But he said nothing. And when a constituent, father James Neil, 563 00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:38,000 Speaker 2: asked him directly why his campaign was funded by members 564 00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:41,440 Speaker 2: of Patriot Front, he told the priest to quote, shut 565 00:30:41,560 --> 00:30:46,360 Speaker 2: up again. He chose the company of neo Nazis, Holocaust deniers, 566 00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:50,680 Speaker 2: white supremacists, white nationalists, and ethno state enthusiasts. How can 567 00:30:50,720 --> 00:30:53,080 Speaker 2: you expect people to believe you're not that guy anymore 568 00:30:53,120 --> 00:30:56,520 Speaker 2: when you have their public praise, their endorsement, and their 569 00:30:56,560 --> 00:30:59,640 Speaker 2: money in your pocket. But you know who does not 570 00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:03,520 Speaker 2: have two thousand dollars in cash from Patriot Front in 571 00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:04,440 Speaker 2: their pockets? 572 00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:06,680 Speaker 3: No, Now, they keep that shit in the back. I mean, 573 00:31:06,720 --> 00:31:22,200 Speaker 3: they don't have it. Here's here's our sponsors, and we're back. 574 00:31:24,440 --> 00:31:27,120 Speaker 2: So on April second, that's two weeks ago now as 575 00:31:27,160 --> 00:31:30,480 Speaker 2: we're recording, the people of Enid returned to the polls 576 00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:33,800 Speaker 2: and jud Blevins was voted out of office as Ward 577 00:31:33,800 --> 00:31:35,920 Speaker 2: one city commissioner by a vote of eight hundred and 578 00:31:35,920 --> 00:31:39,640 Speaker 2: twenty nine to five sixty one. And I don't know 579 00:31:39,680 --> 00:31:41,080 Speaker 2: if you're a math guy. I'm not a math guy. 580 00:31:41,080 --> 00:31:43,240 Speaker 2: I a calculator out for this bad boy. But this 581 00:31:43,320 --> 00:31:46,160 Speaker 2: turnout was significantly larger than the vote that put him 582 00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:49,800 Speaker 2: into office. A seventy two percent increase in total votes. 583 00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:53,760 Speaker 2: That's a lot. Yeah, that's a lot more people who 584 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:56,360 Speaker 2: showed up to you know, an off cycle special election. 585 00:31:57,720 --> 00:32:00,680 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, that's specific weird. 586 00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:03,160 Speaker 2: And unlike the slim margin of just thirty six votes 587 00:32:03,160 --> 00:32:05,640 Speaker 2: that won him the twenty twenty three election, he lost 588 00:32:05,640 --> 00:32:10,960 Speaker 2: the recall by nearly twenty points. That's his spankin. You know, 589 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:12,680 Speaker 2: it's hard to chalk a loss like that up to 590 00:32:12,840 --> 00:32:17,080 Speaker 2: a lunatic fringe, right, That's that's the electorate speaking. But 591 00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:20,240 Speaker 2: Matthew Gibert, a former State Department employee who lost his 592 00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:22,960 Speaker 2: job for failing to disclose his active involvement in white 593 00:32:22,960 --> 00:32:26,680 Speaker 2: supremacist organizing, noted in his Telegram Channel that while the 594 00:32:26,720 --> 00:32:31,600 Speaker 2: loss is disappointing, an open white nationalist winning forty percent 595 00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:35,840 Speaker 2: of the vote is quote nothing to despair over. And 596 00:32:36,080 --> 00:32:37,760 Speaker 2: you never got a hand out to the guy who 597 00:32:38,080 --> 00:32:42,200 Speaker 2: hosts a podcast about the joys of Nazi fatherhood or whatever. Yeah, 598 00:32:42,240 --> 00:32:44,040 Speaker 2: but the numbers are what they are. You know, he 599 00:32:44,360 --> 00:32:47,040 Speaker 2: did win forty percent of the vote, and this was 600 00:32:47,280 --> 00:32:50,560 Speaker 2: after months of very public debate in the national spotlight 601 00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:54,480 Speaker 2: that made it impossible not to know what the allegations were. 602 00:32:55,440 --> 00:32:58,520 Speaker 2: And it's not like these were just diehard conservatives who 603 00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:00,960 Speaker 2: would walk into the voting booth and put their check 604 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:03,440 Speaker 2: mark next to wherever the letter R was. Right in 605 00:33:03,480 --> 00:33:06,520 Speaker 2: this election, the other name on the ticket was a 606 00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:09,360 Speaker 2: Republican too, Like, these were people who walked in there 607 00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:12,640 Speaker 2: and knowingly and intentionally cast their vote for a guy 608 00:33:12,640 --> 00:33:15,600 Speaker 2: who used to vet new members for a Nazi club. 609 00:33:15,720 --> 00:33:18,600 Speaker 2: This isn't a fairy tale, it's reality, right. This wasn't 610 00:33:18,600 --> 00:33:22,520 Speaker 2: an offensive win by progress or the left or what 611 00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:26,640 Speaker 2: have you. This was an effective defense and I hope 612 00:33:26,680 --> 00:33:28,800 Speaker 2: conservatives can see a little lesson here, right, Like the 613 00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:31,640 Speaker 2: story is too often one of ever ratcheting extremism. You 614 00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:34,040 Speaker 2: can only win if you go further, if you go wilder, 615 00:33:34,320 --> 00:33:35,840 Speaker 2: if you're appealing to the people who are on the 616 00:33:35,920 --> 00:33:39,400 Speaker 2: absolute extreme end of what's acceptable to say in the party. 617 00:33:40,200 --> 00:33:43,280 Speaker 2: But this was a case where a fellow conservative said, Hey, 618 00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:45,560 Speaker 2: I want to take some books out of the library too. 619 00:33:46,040 --> 00:33:48,640 Speaker 2: I'm not a liberal, but we just can't be out 620 00:33:48,640 --> 00:33:52,840 Speaker 2: here saying the fourteen words, right. And I think some 621 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:55,320 Speaker 2: of the buzz around this story comes from people in 622 00:33:55,320 --> 00:33:58,959 Speaker 2: bigger cities or bluer states. I mean, honestly, I'm guilty 623 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:01,120 Speaker 2: of this as well, who were shocked that, you know, 624 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:04,560 Speaker 2: purple haired liberals and progressive clergy even exist in a 625 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:08,479 Speaker 2: place like Enid, Oklahoma. But this red state blue state 626 00:34:08,520 --> 00:34:13,080 Speaker 2: dichotomy is a myth. Most places are purple, most places 627 00:34:13,120 --> 00:34:16,360 Speaker 2: are sixty forty. Even in places that reliably one hundred 628 00:34:16,360 --> 00:34:20,920 Speaker 2: percent of the time vote Republican, there's still a large 629 00:34:21,200 --> 00:34:24,160 Speaker 2: minority of people who are not represented by that. So 630 00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:26,719 Speaker 2: even in a place like Enid, which is Republican at 631 00:34:26,760 --> 00:34:29,120 Speaker 2: the polls, you have a pretty big chunk of the 632 00:34:29,160 --> 00:34:33,480 Speaker 2: population isn't represented on that two colored map. That doesn't 633 00:34:33,520 --> 00:34:36,719 Speaker 2: mean they don't care. And when I watched those Enid 634 00:34:36,760 --> 00:34:40,480 Speaker 2: City Council meetings. I saw Charlottesville, right, I've gone to 635 00:34:40,480 --> 00:34:43,440 Speaker 2: every city council meeting in Charlesville for the last seven years. Like, 636 00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:45,640 Speaker 2: I know what it looks like for people in a 637 00:34:45,680 --> 00:34:48,600 Speaker 2: town that size to show up and say, what the fuck, 638 00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:50,560 Speaker 2: what the fuck are you doing to us? 639 00:34:51,280 --> 00:34:51,440 Speaker 3: Right? 640 00:34:51,520 --> 00:34:54,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, you know it looked like one of our meetings. 641 00:34:54,640 --> 00:34:57,400 Speaker 2: You know. I saw regular people, moms and students and 642 00:34:57,440 --> 00:35:00,480 Speaker 2: grandmas and teachers and ladies who bring up to the 643 00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:03,359 Speaker 2: church bake sale, people who know that their town can 644 00:35:03,400 --> 00:35:05,359 Speaker 2: do better than to be represented by a guy who 645 00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:08,399 Speaker 2: won't apologize for attending the largest Nazi rally on US 646 00:35:08,440 --> 00:35:09,840 Speaker 2: soil in our lifetimes. 647 00:35:10,239 --> 00:35:12,480 Speaker 3: Yeah, and I feel a lot for the folks who 648 00:35:12,560 --> 00:35:15,279 Speaker 3: are kind of not represented by either of the two 649 00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:19,080 Speaker 3: big lines on the political map, and maybe most of 650 00:35:19,120 --> 00:35:21,760 Speaker 3: the time feel like I don't know what the fuck 651 00:35:21,840 --> 00:35:24,360 Speaker 3: I can actually do or should do, but I know 652 00:35:24,480 --> 00:35:26,800 Speaker 3: this Nazi shouldn't be in office. 653 00:35:27,920 --> 00:35:30,680 Speaker 2: So these were just these were just regular people. These 654 00:35:30,719 --> 00:35:35,440 Speaker 2: weren't party apperatics or you know, this wasn't the Democrat 655 00:35:35,480 --> 00:35:37,640 Speaker 2: Party doing this, as wasn't the Republican Party doing this. 656 00:35:37,920 --> 00:35:41,240 Speaker 2: These were just people who didn't think that a Nazi 657 00:35:41,239 --> 00:35:44,240 Speaker 2: should be their city commissioner. And that's I think another 658 00:35:44,320 --> 00:35:46,840 Speaker 2: myth at clay here, right, is that that activist is 659 00:35:46,840 --> 00:35:49,440 Speaker 2: some sort of separate class of person, that there is 660 00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:51,840 Speaker 2: some portion of the population whose only goal in life 661 00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:55,520 Speaker 2: is this nebulous, nefarious thing called activism. That you know, 662 00:35:55,560 --> 00:35:59,200 Speaker 2: it's sort of this boogeyman of the professional troublemaker. And 663 00:35:59,239 --> 00:36:01,719 Speaker 2: throughout this process, Levin's and his supporters have smeared the 664 00:36:01,719 --> 00:36:04,880 Speaker 2: group organizing the recall, the Ined Social Justice Committee, is 665 00:36:04,880 --> 00:36:08,160 Speaker 2: some kind of fringe radical group. They're Antifa, they're freaks, 666 00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:12,759 Speaker 2: They're not like us. They're coming for our children. His 667 00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:16,400 Speaker 2: recall campaign website called the petitioners an unhinged group of 668 00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:20,080 Speaker 2: left wing fringe activists. And the campaign website didn't say 669 00:36:20,840 --> 00:36:24,000 Speaker 2: what he could do for you. It attacked the petitioners 670 00:36:24,040 --> 00:36:25,799 Speaker 2: and said this is what they will do to you. 671 00:36:26,880 --> 00:36:29,319 Speaker 2: And I've seen this in my own city council meetings, right, 672 00:36:29,360 --> 00:36:32,200 Speaker 2: this sort of bizarre tendency of those in power to 673 00:36:32,200 --> 00:36:34,200 Speaker 2: write off the people they don't want to hear from 674 00:36:34,239 --> 00:36:37,160 Speaker 2: as activists. Well, those those are people we need to 675 00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:39,520 Speaker 2: listen to. Those are activists. That's a different kind of 676 00:36:39,800 --> 00:36:42,759 Speaker 2: person anyone who's asking for something they don't want to do, 677 00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:46,440 Speaker 2: something that's uncomfortable, something that requires them to look inward 678 00:36:46,640 --> 00:36:49,640 Speaker 2: or look at the structures they're upholding. They undergo this 679 00:36:50,400 --> 00:36:55,480 Speaker 2: instant metamorphosis from constituent to activists. This is no longer 680 00:36:55,560 --> 00:36:58,040 Speaker 2: a voter or a constituent. This is a crazy person. 681 00:36:58,880 --> 00:37:01,520 Speaker 2: This person isn't your nigh anymore. They're an activist. 682 00:37:01,960 --> 00:37:02,720 Speaker 3: Yeah. 683 00:37:02,800 --> 00:37:04,120 Speaker 2: I think you know, there are people who wear that 684 00:37:04,160 --> 00:37:07,879 Speaker 2: mantle proudly, and why shouldn't they. It's a usually positive thing. 685 00:37:08,680 --> 00:37:10,480 Speaker 2: But the use of the word as some sort of 686 00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:14,240 Speaker 2: delegitimizing cudgel is so consistent that I think it's worth 687 00:37:14,440 --> 00:37:21,840 Speaker 2: thinking about when it gets used against the recipient's will. Yeah, 688 00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:27,000 Speaker 2: and there's no ending to this story, right, because this 689 00:37:27,160 --> 00:37:30,440 Speaker 2: is never really over. It is happening here, it is 690 00:37:30,440 --> 00:37:33,240 Speaker 2: happening there. And I don't know what's next for Blevins. 691 00:37:33,440 --> 00:37:37,000 Speaker 2: Maybe he just smelts quietly back into society and puts 692 00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:39,560 Speaker 2: roofs on houses. A week after the recall, he filed 693 00:37:39,560 --> 00:37:42,200 Speaker 2: paperwork to change the name of his dad's contracting business 694 00:37:42,239 --> 00:37:47,440 Speaker 2: from Invincible Contracting to Great Planes Roofing. The paperwork filed 695 00:37:47,800 --> 00:37:50,400 Speaker 2: shows that the company is now registered the company is 696 00:37:50,440 --> 00:37:53,360 Speaker 2: now registered. His address a house in Enid that he 697 00:37:53,360 --> 00:37:57,040 Speaker 2: bought last summer with a VA loan. But now that 698 00:37:57,120 --> 00:38:00,000 Speaker 2: he's free of the self imposed restraint of running for office, 699 00:38:00,920 --> 00:38:03,600 Speaker 2: maybe he leans into it and becomes this guy. Right, 700 00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:06,319 Speaker 2: Maybe he's just the guy that this happens to, and 701 00:38:06,360 --> 00:38:10,000 Speaker 2: he goes on the cancel culture grievance circuit. Maybe he 702 00:38:10,040 --> 00:38:12,880 Speaker 2: goes full throttle and tries to get back into movement organizing. 703 00:38:14,000 --> 00:38:16,960 Speaker 2: I think his failure to come out and really celebrate 704 00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:19,120 Speaker 2: the movement and really own it and say yes, I 705 00:38:19,160 --> 00:38:23,120 Speaker 2: said that stuff and it's good. I think that failure 706 00:38:23,920 --> 00:38:26,839 Speaker 2: as they would perceive it, would hurt him a little 707 00:38:26,840 --> 00:38:29,319 Speaker 2: bit if he tries to re enter the movement, but 708 00:38:29,400 --> 00:38:31,080 Speaker 2: not so badly that he couldn't do it. You know, 709 00:38:31,080 --> 00:38:33,840 Speaker 2: they're so desperate for new material that they would probably 710 00:38:33,880 --> 00:38:35,680 Speaker 2: embrace him if he wanted to be the figurehead of 711 00:38:35,680 --> 00:38:39,200 Speaker 2: the month. Yeah, hopefully he just does the roofing thing though. 712 00:38:39,640 --> 00:38:42,160 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, hopefully he does the roofing thing and then 713 00:38:42,200 --> 00:38:45,680 Speaker 3: the falling off the roof thing, and then you. 714 00:38:45,680 --> 00:38:47,799 Speaker 2: Know he's that they're doing the work himself. He doesn't 715 00:38:47,800 --> 00:38:49,680 Speaker 2: even have a contracting license. I checked. 716 00:38:50,200 --> 00:38:53,040 Speaker 3: I hope he hires someone who is like a very 717 00:38:53,160 --> 00:38:56,520 Speaker 3: large person and they fall off and are okay because 718 00:38:56,560 --> 00:39:01,320 Speaker 3: they land on him. That's I think where I'm going here. 719 00:39:01,400 --> 00:39:03,480 Speaker 2: And to be clear, that's Robert speaking. 720 00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:07,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, that is, but that is also the official 721 00:39:07,440 --> 00:39:08,640 Speaker 3: opinion of iHeartMedia. 722 00:39:09,640 --> 00:39:12,319 Speaker 2: But I don't know that he's he's made any great pronouncements. 723 00:39:12,320 --> 00:39:14,640 Speaker 2: He hasn't showed up on any Nazi podcast yet. I 724 00:39:16,040 --> 00:39:19,000 Speaker 2: will put ten dollars on a bet that says he will. 725 00:39:18,719 --> 00:39:21,160 Speaker 2: He'll be on somebody's podcast by the end of the month. 726 00:39:21,200 --> 00:39:24,400 Speaker 2: I don't doubt it. But hopefully he just does roofing. 727 00:39:25,200 --> 00:39:27,560 Speaker 3: Yeah, stick to roofing. 728 00:39:28,640 --> 00:39:31,040 Speaker 2: As for ENID, you know, they want a battle that 729 00:39:31,040 --> 00:39:33,560 Speaker 2: they shouldn't have had to fight. It should be kind 730 00:39:33,560 --> 00:39:35,719 Speaker 2: of a no brainer that we don't elect guys like this. 731 00:39:36,239 --> 00:39:39,440 Speaker 2: That's becoming less certain every day, Like the fact that 732 00:39:39,480 --> 00:39:41,520 Speaker 2: there was any question about how the recall might go 733 00:39:41,800 --> 00:39:44,120 Speaker 2: is concerning. We shouldn't be in a position of wondering 734 00:39:44,600 --> 00:39:46,799 Speaker 2: will people vote for the guy who won't deny he 735 00:39:46,840 --> 00:39:49,760 Speaker 2: loves Hitler. But I think we can applaud the tenacity 736 00:39:49,760 --> 00:39:51,840 Speaker 2: of the folks in ENID who did what was necessary 737 00:39:51,880 --> 00:39:55,040 Speaker 2: in a place where it wasn't easy. Yeah, you know, 738 00:39:55,160 --> 00:39:57,680 Speaker 2: and there's lessons to be learned here. Go to the meetings, 739 00:39:57,960 --> 00:39:59,800 Speaker 2: get a seed in city council chambers, go to the 740 00:39:59,840 --> 00:40:01,920 Speaker 2: line ibory board meeting, go to the school board meeting. 741 00:40:02,320 --> 00:40:05,360 Speaker 2: You don't have to be an activist, whatever that means, 742 00:40:05,680 --> 00:40:08,799 Speaker 2: but being the new because nobody's going to change the 743 00:40:08,800 --> 00:40:12,400 Speaker 2: world on your own, and maybe changing the world is 744 00:40:12,600 --> 00:40:17,200 Speaker 2: even a meaningful objective. I don't know what that means. Yeah, 745 00:40:17,239 --> 00:40:20,839 Speaker 2: but today, maybe there's something you can do with your 746 00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:25,319 Speaker 2: neighbors to stop the rising tide in your town. You 747 00:40:25,360 --> 00:40:28,719 Speaker 2: can't change the weather, but you can put down some sandbags. 748 00:40:29,360 --> 00:40:32,359 Speaker 2: And there are jud blevins Is everywhere, hiding behind mealy 749 00:40:32,400 --> 00:40:36,719 Speaker 2: mouthed rhetoric of conservatism and quietly chipping away at your 750 00:40:36,760 --> 00:40:38,440 Speaker 2: local institutions. 751 00:40:38,719 --> 00:40:45,239 Speaker 3: Yeah, so it's doable, fighting the juds Blevin of I 752 00:40:45,320 --> 00:40:50,760 Speaker 3: chose a different way to pluralize's name of your wherever 753 00:40:50,840 --> 00:40:53,799 Speaker 3: you live, your state, your city. Like is doable, and 754 00:40:53,880 --> 00:40:57,600 Speaker 3: it's doable if you stick to this very simple platform 755 00:40:57,640 --> 00:41:00,640 Speaker 3: of like. But not a nazi? Right an agree? Not 756 00:41:00,680 --> 00:41:01,240 Speaker 3: a nazi? 757 00:41:01,360 --> 00:41:05,880 Speaker 2: You know, if conservatives have any if conservatives had any sense, 758 00:41:06,320 --> 00:41:09,319 Speaker 2: they could retake a lot of ground by saying, like, 759 00:41:10,280 --> 00:41:13,399 Speaker 2: you know, we love all the stuff you love, fellow conservatives, 760 00:41:13,800 --> 00:41:16,680 Speaker 2: but we're not that guy, right, Like, if they had 761 00:41:16,719 --> 00:41:20,200 Speaker 2: any if they had any pride, they would stop pandering 762 00:41:20,440 --> 00:41:22,759 Speaker 2: to the lunatic fringe. 763 00:41:23,000 --> 00:41:25,480 Speaker 3: Yeah, and it is just kind of looking at how 764 00:41:25,800 --> 00:41:29,680 Speaker 3: congressional race is shaping up, where it seemed like it 765 00:41:29,719 --> 00:41:33,040 Speaker 3: should have been pretty easy for them to retake the House. 766 00:41:33,480 --> 00:41:37,520 Speaker 3: But you know, now they're kind of like flailing a 767 00:41:37,560 --> 00:41:41,560 Speaker 3: little bit, in part because they keep backing these maniacs 768 00:41:41,600 --> 00:41:44,680 Speaker 3: who just aren't good. Yeah. 769 00:41:45,200 --> 00:41:48,799 Speaker 2: I don't really believe that those ideas are popular. They 770 00:41:49,000 --> 00:41:51,239 Speaker 2: just have fallen into this trap of thinking like this 771 00:41:51,360 --> 00:41:52,920 Speaker 2: is the only way to win. So I guess I 772 00:41:53,000 --> 00:41:53,640 Speaker 2: have to do it. 773 00:41:53,880 --> 00:41:56,120 Speaker 3: But you'll send it not that house anyway, whatever, we'll 774 00:41:56,120 --> 00:41:56,400 Speaker 3: cut that. 775 00:41:56,760 --> 00:42:00,160 Speaker 2: Who cares about those guys? Yeah, but you don't have 776 00:42:00,239 --> 00:42:03,200 Speaker 2: to do it, right, Be the Sheeryl Batterson you want 777 00:42:03,200 --> 00:42:05,799 Speaker 2: to see in the world. Yeah, and just be a 778 00:42:05,800 --> 00:42:07,600 Speaker 2: milk toast Republican and be the Nazi. 779 00:42:08,280 --> 00:42:12,920 Speaker 3: Yeah, at least, I don't know. I'm mixed because, like 780 00:42:15,040 --> 00:42:17,960 Speaker 3: I do, I do like it when the Republicans fail 781 00:42:18,680 --> 00:42:20,840 Speaker 3: over much, but I also feel like it's bad to 782 00:42:20,920 --> 00:42:23,400 Speaker 3: take the bet of like, well, if we hope for 783 00:42:23,520 --> 00:42:26,439 Speaker 3: more Nazis that push people away from the Republicans, maybe 784 00:42:26,440 --> 00:42:29,320 Speaker 3: it'll work for us in the long run. Statistically that 785 00:42:29,320 --> 00:42:39,080 Speaker 3: that kind of gamble is real dangerous. Yeah, yeah, that's Enid, 786 00:42:39,800 --> 00:42:41,320 Speaker 3: that's inened baby, good working. 787 00:42:41,600 --> 00:42:45,280 Speaker 2: Congratulations to the end Social Justice Committee. Honestly, I'm yeah 788 00:42:45,760 --> 00:42:46,440 Speaker 2: very impressed. 789 00:42:46,840 --> 00:42:53,240 Speaker 3: You get our coveted Oklahoma City of the Month award, 790 00:42:53,840 --> 00:42:56,600 Speaker 3: which is confusing because you are very near Oklahoma City. 791 00:42:56,640 --> 00:42:59,520 Speaker 3: But they shouldn't have named it that. Well, that's all 792 00:42:59,560 --> 00:43:00,759 Speaker 3: I got. That's all I got. 793 00:43:00,840 --> 00:43:02,239 Speaker 2: Yeah, I was I was just trying to put a button. 794 00:43:02,239 --> 00:43:03,719 Speaker 2: I'm trying to put a button on that bad boy. 795 00:43:03,760 --> 00:43:06,920 Speaker 2: But uh yeah that's Oklahoma baby. 796 00:43:07,400 --> 00:43:13,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, good for you, Good for Oklahoma. 797 00:43:15,400 --> 00:43:17,760 Speaker 1: It could Happen here as a production of cool Zone Media. 798 00:43:18,000 --> 00:43:20,680 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from cool Zone Media, visit our website 799 00:43:20,680 --> 00:43:22,920 Speaker 1: cool zonemedia dot com, or check us out on the 800 00:43:22,960 --> 00:43:26,400 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 801 00:43:26,760 --> 00:43:28,880 Speaker 1: You can find sources for It Could Happen Here, updated 802 00:43:28,960 --> 00:43:33,000 Speaker 1: monthly at coolzonemedia dot com slash sources. Thanks for listening.