WEBVTT - The Last Election 0:00:11.840 --> 0:00:15.000 Good morning, peeps, and welcome to Bogey Up Daily. Would 0:00:15.040 --> 0:00:19.000 meet your girl Danielle Moody recording from the home Bunker. 0:00:21.160 --> 0:00:28.160 You know, folks, we have six weeks until the midterm elections, 0:00:30.040 --> 0:00:33.640 and I spend a lot of my days and a 0:00:33.640 --> 0:00:37.239 lot of my time digging through the doom and the 0:00:37.320 --> 0:00:42.120 gloom in order to find something, some way, whether it's 0:00:42.200 --> 0:00:46.840 fear or rage, you know, hopefulness, faith that will ignite 0:00:47.840 --> 0:00:54.320 the masses to action, that will ignite people to make 0:00:54.400 --> 0:00:59.880 the conscious fucking decision to stand up for their god 0:01:00.080 --> 0:01:04.480 damn rights. You know, there is a part of me 0:01:04.720 --> 0:01:08.720 that believes, in a lot of ways that Americans are 0:01:08.840 --> 0:01:16.960 both the most courageous people and also the fucking laziest. 0:01:18.080 --> 0:01:23.759 And why do I say that, Because I believe that 0:01:23.880 --> 0:01:28.120 over the last fifty plus years, I'll say fifty to 0:01:28.200 --> 0:01:33.440 sixty years. Those of us who are younger than that age, 0:01:34.319 --> 0:01:41.200 way younger, do not remember a time when you have 0:01:41.319 --> 0:01:45.920 had to literally put your own life and body on 0:01:45.959 --> 0:01:52.920 the line in order to fight for your life and 0:01:53.080 --> 0:01:58.880 the life of generations behind you. For many of us, 0:01:58.960 --> 0:02:02.440 too many of us, that fight has only been a 0:02:02.520 --> 0:02:05.600 story that we've read in history books, or that have 0:02:05.760 --> 0:02:10.320 been passed down through generational tales of strife and struggle. 0:02:11.639 --> 0:02:16.160 I remember being young, being in high school, being in 0:02:16.240 --> 0:02:19.800 elementary school, and learning about the Civil Rights movement and 0:02:19.960 --> 0:02:23.320 asking myself as a young person, who would I be 0:02:24.560 --> 0:02:28.160 if the civil rights movement we're happening right now? Who 0:02:28.200 --> 0:02:31.920 would I be? How would I show up? What would 0:02:32.040 --> 0:02:39.400 my contribution be? We are in this time. We don't 0:02:39.440 --> 0:02:44.440 get another chance here. People are concerned about the twenty 0:02:44.440 --> 0:02:47.080 twenty four elections, and I'm saying, fuck the twenty twenty 0:02:47.080 --> 0:02:52.960 four elections. The presidential election doesn't fucking matter right now. 0:02:53.960 --> 0:02:59.440 What matters is what happens in six weeks. Don't talk 0:02:59.480 --> 0:03:02.880 to me about not having the perfect presidential candidate. I 0:03:02.960 --> 0:03:08.160 don't care. What I care about are the slate of 0:03:08.240 --> 0:03:12.280 fucking election deniers that Republicans are running across this country 0:03:12.280 --> 0:03:15.919 in battleground states. What I care is the fact that 0:03:16.160 --> 0:03:19.120 every Republican that is running from the state, local, and 0:03:19.240 --> 0:03:25.440 fucking school board level is a goddamn fascist that is 0:03:25.520 --> 0:03:28.400 hoping and praying for a time to put black people 0:03:28.440 --> 0:03:31.680 back in leashes, to put fucking gay people back in 0:03:31.720 --> 0:03:35.720 the closet, to kill trans people by denying them the 0:03:35.760 --> 0:03:40.360 ability to get medical care, that they need to chain 0:03:40.480 --> 0:03:43.760 women to the kitchen and the stove to make it 0:03:43.840 --> 0:03:49.920 so that white men, rich, white wealthy, fucking straight quote 0:03:50.000 --> 0:03:58.760 unquote Christian men continue to put their knees on the 0:03:58.880 --> 0:04:07.720 neck of our society to finally break, to suffocate our democracy. 0:04:10.600 --> 0:04:14.560 They are banking on the fact that nobody votes in 0:04:14.600 --> 0:04:18.839 midterm elections. They are banking on the complacency of people 0:04:18.880 --> 0:04:22.560 thinking that all will get them next time. I cannot 0:04:22.720 --> 0:04:26.920 stress a fucking enough that there is no goddamn next time. 0:04:28.640 --> 0:04:36.720 This is it. And you know, we have said, as politicos, 0:04:36.760 --> 0:04:41.320 as activists, as movement people, you know, as progressives, that 0:04:41.440 --> 0:04:44.480 every election is consequential. And you know what, you should 0:04:44.480 --> 0:04:48.760 fucking be aware of that now, because had we been 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:52.159 thinking about the courts in every goddamn election that we 0:04:52.240 --> 0:04:56.560 have had, we wouldn't be here. Had Democrats had fought 0:04:56.600 --> 0:05:02.000 back against Republicans in the way Republicans fight against progress, 0:05:02.200 --> 0:05:05.479 we wouldn't be here. So, yes, every election builds on 0:05:05.600 --> 0:05:11.400 the last election. But dear friends, dear listeners, this is 0:05:11.440 --> 0:05:15.280 the last goddamn election. It's the last election of the 0:05:15.320 --> 0:05:18.120 America that you have come to know and live in 0:05:18.160 --> 0:05:22.400 and understand in the course of your lifetime, because what 0:05:22.600 --> 0:05:26.239 comes next will be America in name only. It won't 0:05:26.279 --> 0:05:31.000 be in values. It won't be in the Constitution, it 0:05:31.040 --> 0:05:33.760 won't be in democracy, it won't be in the Statue 0:05:33.760 --> 0:05:38.000 of Liberty, it won't be in the vision of the 0:05:38.040 --> 0:05:42.440 founding fathers. No, it will be an authoritarian regime and 0:05:42.560 --> 0:05:45.680 the largest one, with the biggest fucking military in the 0:05:45.800 --> 0:05:52.599 goddamn world, being wielded by very small men who only 0:05:52.640 --> 0:05:58.919 gain their power from cruelty and oppression. War is imminent, 0:05:59.360 --> 0:06:05.560 violence is imminent. The cards, indeed, are stacked against us. 0:06:06.160 --> 0:06:08.599 And so what happens? The question that we have to 0:06:08.640 --> 0:06:13.520 ask ourselves is what happens when you realize that your 0:06:13.560 --> 0:06:17.200 back is up against the wall. Because let me tell 0:06:17.240 --> 0:06:23.039 you something. We got six weeks, six weeks to fucking organize, 0:06:23.320 --> 0:06:27.040 six weeks to make phone calls, six weeks to make donations, 0:06:27.040 --> 0:06:30.240 six weeks to figure out if you are registered to vote, 0:06:30.320 --> 0:06:32.880 if your friends are registered to vote, if your colleagues 0:06:32.880 --> 0:06:36.679 are registered to vote. Please do not tell me during 0:06:36.760 --> 0:06:40.360 this six week time that things will be okay and 0:06:40.440 --> 0:06:43.440 that you are resting on your laurels, Because let me 0:06:43.480 --> 0:06:46.200 tell you something. You'll be telling yourself that on the 0:06:46.240 --> 0:06:49.080 way to the fucking concentration camps, you will be telling 0:06:49.080 --> 0:06:51.880 yourself that on the way to the interment camps all week. 0:06:51.920 --> 0:06:54.840 Can't happen here. It has happened here, and it will 0:06:54.920 --> 0:06:59.120 happen again. We have a weaponized Supreme Court, We have 0:06:59.160 --> 0:07:04.120 a weaponize Republican Party. They have They are backed by 0:07:04.160 --> 0:07:09.600 their own goddamn white supremacist militia that are willing and 0:07:09.760 --> 0:07:15.360 ready to do whatever it takes. These motherfuckers are like 0:07:15.520 --> 0:07:21.640 sharks in the water that smell chum right now, and 0:07:21.800 --> 0:07:25.960 everybody else is just paddling along in their boats saying, oh, 0:07:26.040 --> 0:07:34.679 it'll be fine. The Ward's great folks, Rachel Maddow among 0:07:34.800 --> 0:07:40.040 many others, are raising the alarm. I've been raising this 0:07:40.200 --> 0:07:44.080 same fucking alarm since Donald Trump came down that escalator. 0:07:46.360 --> 0:07:50.520 It is happening here. Everything that you think could never 0:07:51.240 --> 0:07:56.480 is happening here. The question is who are you gonna be? 0:07:57.160 --> 0:08:01.000 Who are we gonna be? Because the fight is at 0:08:01.040 --> 0:08:06.080 our doorstep. We don't get another time, we don't get 0:08:06.120 --> 0:08:09.640 a next time, So what are you going to do? 0:08:11.280 --> 0:08:14.640 Coming up next, my conversation with our friend, our in 0:08:14.720 --> 0:08:27.040 house doctor doctor Jonathan Metzo. The Damage Report with John 0:08:27.040 --> 0:08:29.520 Idarola is one of the most popular shows on the 0:08:29.560 --> 0:08:32.480 TYT Network that serves as your daily breakdown of the 0:08:32.520 --> 0:08:36.480 genuine threats and challenges facing our country and world. These days, 0:08:36.520 --> 0:08:39.760 we're confronted with an overwhelming sea of shocking, confounding, and 0:08:39.880 --> 0:08:43.439 devastating news stories. The Damage Report is your life raft, 0:08:43.600 --> 0:08:46.439 helping you navigate the day's news and understand the damage 0:08:46.480 --> 0:08:50.800 caused by the corrupt establishment, politicians, corporations, and everything in between. 0:08:51.200 --> 0:08:54.760 Join the Damage Reports notorious fan club, the Dragon Squad, 0:08:54.920 --> 0:08:57.959 where you become part of the fantastic community of progressives, 0:08:58.240 --> 0:09:01.680 create a fun dragon nickname that your personality, collaborate and 0:09:01.760 --> 0:09:05.439 participate in fun activities like voting for the garbage Person 0:09:05.480 --> 0:09:08.120 of the Week and much more. Listen to The Damage 0:09:08.120 --> 0:09:12.000 Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 0:09:12.240 --> 0:09:14.479 If you like what you here, be sure to subscribe 0:09:14.520 --> 0:09:21.840 so you never miss an episode. Folks, you know that 0:09:21.880 --> 0:09:24.440 when we have the opportunity to talk with our very 0:09:24.480 --> 0:09:28.320 own in house doctor, doctor Jonathan Metzel on a range 0:09:28.320 --> 0:09:30.800 of issues from COVID to monkey pocks, to voting to 0:09:30.920 --> 0:09:36.560 dying of whiteness, We're always please, Jonathan, I want to 0:09:36.559 --> 0:09:41.559 start off today with talking about voting with just I 0:09:41.960 --> 0:09:45.120 think that we are at the six week mark to 0:09:45.280 --> 0:09:49.840 midterm elections, and you know what pundents love to I 0:09:49.840 --> 0:09:52.080 mean not pundents. I'll say what anchors love to do, 0:09:52.080 --> 0:09:55.480 and what pundits also love to do is talk about 0:09:55.480 --> 0:09:57.400 the issues that are on the ballot and what it's 0:09:57.400 --> 0:10:01.560 going to get Americans to vote. And for me, right now, 0:10:01.720 --> 0:10:08.679 as we're watching elections unfold in Italy with Georgia Maloney, 0:10:09.960 --> 0:10:16.320 who is a self proclaimed fascist and upholds Mussolini as 0:10:16.440 --> 0:10:25.360 a great statesman, we saw Bulsonado in Brazil. The polls said, oh, 0:10:25.400 --> 0:10:28.559 he was going to be beat by Lula, and he 0:10:28.679 --> 0:10:31.640 was not. They will head into a runoff, and they 0:10:31.679 --> 0:10:33.920 had more people vote in Brazil than I think we've 0:10:33.960 --> 0:10:38.880 ever had vote in the United States. What is it 0:10:38.920 --> 0:10:44.080 that you think people need to understand and pay attention to. 0:10:44.200 --> 0:10:48.079 I mean, you are indeed the author of dying of whiteness, 0:10:48.520 --> 0:10:51.080 and it seems that you know I say this often 0:10:51.160 --> 0:10:55.280 for you, you were and are a soothsayer, right of 0:10:55.440 --> 0:10:58.640 understanding what it is that is always on the ballot, 0:10:58.800 --> 0:11:02.320 whether or not we have a midterm election or presidential election, 0:11:03.120 --> 0:11:05.400 Whiteness is always on the ballot. So I just want 0:11:05.400 --> 0:11:08.000 to get your thoughts on what we are seeing as 0:11:08.040 --> 0:11:11.840 a reordering of the world order and where you see 0:11:11.880 --> 0:11:19.000 America sitting in it. Yeah, I mean, I think it's, 0:11:19.040 --> 0:11:20.880 as we've talked about on this show, a bunch of 0:11:21.000 --> 0:11:25.360 a really perilous moment. I think that it did seem 0:11:25.400 --> 0:11:28.760 like there was a kind of upsurge and activity upsurge 0:11:28.760 --> 0:11:31.320 and voter registration, and it lasted a couple of weeks 0:11:31.400 --> 0:11:35.600 maybe for the Democrats after the Dab's decision, and I 0:11:35.600 --> 0:11:37.160 don't know what happens. I mean, this is not a 0:11:37.240 --> 0:11:40.040 knock on anybody. I mean, there's something larger at play 0:11:40.120 --> 0:11:43.520 than just individual attitudes. I don't know what it is exactly, 0:11:43.880 --> 0:11:45.520 but it does feel to me a lot of times 0:11:45.520 --> 0:11:51.200 like Democrats are there. They don't realize that the other side, 0:11:51.240 --> 0:11:54.160 that the upsurge in activity and voter registration and all 0:11:54.160 --> 0:11:56.040 that kind of stuff, the other side has been doing 0:11:56.080 --> 0:11:58.240 that for like ten years now, and so we had 0:11:58.280 --> 0:12:02.920 a three week runt of it. And I guess I'm 0:12:02.960 --> 0:12:05.520 saying that because I'm worried about the mobilization that I'm 0:12:05.559 --> 0:12:10.680 seeing in places like New York, where I think there's 0:12:10.720 --> 0:12:15.120 a really radical right wing gubernatorial candidate for the GOP, 0:12:15.280 --> 0:12:19.559 and I'm worried that I'm just not seeing the kind 0:12:19.600 --> 0:12:22.520 of mobilization. There's a kind of complacency given the stakes. 0:12:23.880 --> 0:12:26.600 Of course, here in Tennessee, you can't see. I don't 0:12:26.640 --> 0:12:28.719 even know if there are any Democrats running for in 0:12:28.760 --> 0:12:32.760 the office, you'd never see it. And so, you know, 0:12:32.920 --> 0:12:34.960 I think part of the issue is we had a 0:12:34.960 --> 0:12:38.480 good maybe three four weeks where all of a sudden 0:12:38.520 --> 0:12:42.160 we made like a teeny dent in the efforts that 0:12:42.760 --> 0:12:45.800 the Republicans had done. But they've been at this for years. 0:12:46.200 --> 0:12:49.120 So part of it is just, I think a mobilization issue, 0:12:49.200 --> 0:12:52.920 which I'm really worried about. And I do feel just 0:12:53.000 --> 0:12:56.320 my personal bias and this is just me, but I 0:12:56.360 --> 0:13:02.000 feel like people on our side feel like we're angry. 0:13:02.000 --> 0:13:05.280 We're angry, angry, and then we feel better when we 0:13:05.480 --> 0:13:08.320 send a tweet or we feel better when we see 0:13:08.320 --> 0:13:11.360 that there are opinion polls that are sent that are 0:13:11.600 --> 0:13:14.120 you know, we like we can see our movement in 0:13:14.160 --> 0:13:17.520 the polls and stuff like that, and so it's kind 0:13:17.520 --> 0:13:21.240 of like we're doing the things that are emotionally resonant 0:13:21.240 --> 0:13:23.200 for us. But we're not doing the things that I've 0:13:23.240 --> 0:13:28.560 seen the other side do, which is subterranean, massive mobilization 0:13:28.760 --> 0:13:31.200 of voters and power and all these kind of things. 0:13:31.200 --> 0:13:33.959 So they're not sitting at home answering people from the 0:13:34.000 --> 0:13:39.000 Gallop Foundation poll, you know, they're they're not talking to posters. 0:13:39.200 --> 0:13:41.920 They're getting ready to go out and vote, like, um, 0:13:42.400 --> 0:13:45.520 you remember the orc army in Lord of the Rings 0:13:45.600 --> 0:13:48.079 kind of thing, Like they're going to vote. And so 0:13:49.240 --> 0:13:51.480 for them, this is about power and they can feel 0:13:51.520 --> 0:13:56.160 power and smell power. And it's a moment where I 0:13:56.200 --> 0:13:59.079 do think that, you know, that Italy election, we talked 0:13:59.120 --> 0:14:02.040 about it before, is a massive wake up call because 0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:05.080 people didn't vote. Everybody's complaining now, but people didn't vote. 0:14:05.080 --> 0:14:07.959 It was like sixty percent voting, which is really low 0:14:08.000 --> 0:14:13.040 for Italy. And and so I don't know. I just 0:14:13.320 --> 0:14:17.240 I'm worried that the Democrats have not made enough of 0:14:17.280 --> 0:14:23.440 an appeal to minoritized and low income communities. I'm worried 0:14:23.480 --> 0:14:26.320 that there's not the voting registration stuff in place. It 0:14:26.800 --> 0:14:30.800 came too late. Again, I realized, like everybody's trying as 0:14:30.800 --> 0:14:34.880 hard as they can, but we're up against the other 0:14:34.920 --> 0:14:40.160 side that is incredibly, incredibly organized and systematic, and so 0:14:41.120 --> 0:14:43.440 you know, the only thing standing between s and disaster 0:14:43.560 --> 0:14:48.080 right now is herschel Walker and so and so it's 0:14:48.280 --> 0:14:50.040 I find this to be a scary moment, and I 0:14:50.080 --> 0:14:52.720 hope something turns around in the next couple of weeks, 0:14:52.800 --> 0:14:56.760 because this is pretty important right now. You know, I'm 0:14:56.800 --> 0:14:59.760 glad that you brought up herschel Walker because what a 0:15:00.040 --> 0:15:05.080 fucking walking disaster, you know, like just yeah, I just 0:15:05.240 --> 0:15:07.520 I just like I need to actually get this off 0:15:07.600 --> 0:15:13.720 my chest, Like just a herschel Walker to me is 0:15:13.920 --> 0:15:20.280 just the the full embodiment of of white supremacy. And 0:15:20.320 --> 0:15:22.280 people will say, well, Danielle, how do you say that? 0:15:22.320 --> 0:15:26.120 Because he is a black man, Because white supremacy and 0:15:26.200 --> 0:15:30.120 racist in this country think very little of black people, right, 0:15:30.240 --> 0:15:33.320 And all you have to do is slap on, you know, 0:15:33.480 --> 0:15:37.400 get somebody with enough melanin to be your puppet, because 0:15:37.520 --> 0:15:40.960 black people can't clearly think for themselves, you know, don't 0:15:41.000 --> 0:15:44.000 need much skill. They just need a white man with 0:15:44.040 --> 0:15:46.400 their hand up their back, right, And that's what herschel 0:15:46.440 --> 0:15:49.400 Walker is. And when you look at him in comparison 0:15:49.480 --> 0:15:52.880 to you know, Reverend Warnock, it is, it is so 0:15:53.000 --> 0:15:57.920 disgustingly insulting. Um and and so I hear everything that 0:15:58.040 --> 0:16:01.040 you're saying, Jonathan, and I and I will say this 0:16:01.080 --> 0:16:04.480 as somebody who makes, you know, part of their message 0:16:04.520 --> 0:16:08.800 about pushing Democrats to do better, think bolder, you know, 0:16:09.320 --> 0:16:14.680 and expand and expand their their tactics beyond you know, 0:16:15.080 --> 0:16:21.040 this twentieth century way of campaigning. Part of me is 0:16:21.080 --> 0:16:26.200 just like if you ain't walking around conscious with your 0:16:26.280 --> 0:16:29.360 eyes open, like you don't need to be reading the paper, 0:16:29.400 --> 0:16:31.760 you don't even need to be, you know, watching the 0:16:31.760 --> 0:16:33.920 news twenty four hours a day, but if you don't 0:16:34.000 --> 0:16:38.040 understand like the stakes right now, just in a basic 0:16:38.160 --> 0:16:43.080 fucking fifth grade level of what is happening in this country, 0:16:43.160 --> 0:16:46.400 Like I don't know, I just I guess. I'm I 0:16:46.440 --> 0:16:48.640 am at a place and I and I really shouldn't be. 0:16:48.840 --> 0:16:51.640 It's it's the beginning of the week, and I feel spent, 0:16:52.320 --> 0:16:54.680 but I'm at a place where I'm just like, if 0:16:54.760 --> 0:16:59.000 you need people just like COVID, if you need somebody 0:16:59.120 --> 0:17:02.480 still to tell you that you should wear a mask 0:17:02.600 --> 0:17:05.960 in crowded places, that you should get the vaccine, even 0:17:06.040 --> 0:17:08.960 though we still have four hundred deaths. Unlike, at some point, 0:17:09.000 --> 0:17:12.480 it's just on you and I know that, like we 0:17:12.600 --> 0:17:16.320 need the collective masses to show up. But at some point, 0:17:16.400 --> 0:17:19.320 I'm just like, God, damn, you know, Jonathan, like you 0:17:19.400 --> 0:17:22.239 wrote the book on this, Like there are just I 0:17:22.280 --> 0:17:25.879 guess there are more people than not that just won't 0:17:25.880 --> 0:17:29.800 be moved by the threats that like the rest of 0:17:29.920 --> 0:17:33.600 us have been seeing and talking about since twenty sixteen. 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:38.360 So I guess, like my question is, just like what 0:17:38.400 --> 0:17:42.680 else is there to do for people who are willingly 0:17:43.119 --> 0:17:51.760 walking with eyes you know, shut like sheep over the cliff. Well, 0:17:52.600 --> 0:17:55.080 it's interesting because you and I have had this a 0:17:55.160 --> 0:17:58.679 version of this conversation. I mean, it's just the stakes 0:17:58.760 --> 0:18:01.159 keeps getting higher, and I think something you wrote on 0:18:01.160 --> 0:18:04.200 Twitter is very important for people to realize that when 0:18:04.240 --> 0:18:06.560 we lose the rights that we're poised to lose right now, 0:18:06.720 --> 0:18:08.400 we're not going to get them back in our lifetime. 0:18:08.440 --> 0:18:10.760 So I think you're what you wrote was exactly right 0:18:10.800 --> 0:18:15.000 about that that what it took to get reproductive choice 0:18:15.000 --> 0:18:19.080 and women's health and voting rights, all those things, that 0:18:19.359 --> 0:18:23.560 the forces that were aligned for those things were tectonic 0:18:23.680 --> 0:18:26.840 and they were generational and they are not going to 0:18:26.840 --> 0:18:29.880 come back anytime soon, and so right now is kind 0:18:29.880 --> 0:18:32.800 of a you know, it's kind of a I mean, 0:18:32.800 --> 0:18:34.960 it's funny because like when when Biden went, everybody was 0:18:34.960 --> 0:18:38.040 all immediately talking about twenty twenty four, but you and 0:18:38.080 --> 0:18:40.280 I have been saying on this show for six months, 0:18:40.720 --> 0:18:43.639 twenty twenty two is actually almost as important, if not 0:18:43.760 --> 0:18:48.840 more so, for what's happening. And so I think that, 0:18:50.680 --> 0:18:53.040 you know, again, my fear is that they're focusing too 0:18:53.119 --> 0:18:58.600 much on battleground states and not on everywhere and unified message, 0:18:58.800 --> 0:19:02.280 and and I think that that's there's just a lot 0:19:02.320 --> 0:19:04.960 of peril right now. I think that the science could 0:19:04.960 --> 0:19:08.639 not be more clear that you need a kind of 0:19:08.720 --> 0:19:11.800 broad national message that makes sense to people, and I 0:19:11.880 --> 0:19:14.680 just don't see it right now. And now the flip 0:19:14.720 --> 0:19:17.520 side of that, of course, is there is something to 0:19:17.600 --> 0:19:21.560 do to act on this in the next month, which 0:19:21.600 --> 0:19:24.840 is to mobilize everyone you can to vote, start making 0:19:24.840 --> 0:19:28.360 car pools, going out there, getting everybody you know, vans, 0:19:28.880 --> 0:19:31.040 Like there's actually something you can do about this now, 0:19:31.359 --> 0:19:35.200 which isn't just about like speaking truth to power, but 0:19:35.280 --> 0:19:40.760 actually like doing something and so and so. I think 0:19:40.840 --> 0:19:45.160 right now is just a very important time to not bemoan, 0:19:45.359 --> 0:19:48.679 but to actually get activated. And we're doing it here 0:19:48.720 --> 0:19:52.680 in Tennessee. Everywhere you are, people need to really start thinking, 0:19:53.000 --> 0:19:55.160 what's my plan for voting day? Who can I take 0:19:55.200 --> 0:19:58.080 to the polls? Make sure your voter registration is current, 0:19:58.160 --> 0:20:02.560 make sure you know all that kind stuff. So that's 0:20:02.600 --> 0:20:04.199 the kind of thing that needs to be happening no 0:20:04.200 --> 0:20:06.960 matter where you are. And I'm really kind of angry, 0:20:06.960 --> 0:20:10.240 to be honest, that there's not a more unified message 0:20:10.280 --> 0:20:13.000 about here's the checklist you need to do to make 0:20:13.040 --> 0:20:14.920 sure you can vote. This is the most important vote 0:20:14.960 --> 0:20:17.320 of your lifetime. All that kind of stuff. We need 0:20:17.359 --> 0:20:20.080 that happening, and I don't see it so that you 0:20:20.080 --> 0:20:24.240 can do I want to I'm sorry to interact you, 0:20:24.280 --> 0:20:27.120 but I want to say this one thing too, because 0:20:28.680 --> 0:20:32.480 when we started recording today, Rachel Maddow is trending on 0:20:33.119 --> 0:20:37.320 Twitter because in you know, she does one show a 0:20:37.359 --> 0:20:42.879 week now, and in her in her show, she basically 0:20:42.960 --> 0:20:47.760 directed camera laid out very clearly what is going to 0:20:47.840 --> 0:20:52.560 happen when Republicans take back control in this country. There 0:20:52.680 --> 0:21:00.320 is something fundamentally wrong though Jonathan with Democrats believing that 0:21:02.080 --> 0:21:05.640 they are still working within a system that is going 0:21:05.680 --> 0:21:09.760 to give them multiple chances. Like, I think that where 0:21:10.440 --> 0:21:14.560 where we tend to be misaligned is that you have 0:21:15.960 --> 0:21:19.320 just a handful of of of reporters, just a handful 0:21:19.359 --> 0:21:23.000 of journalists like mattaw who are doing their best to 0:21:23.080 --> 0:21:25.919 ring the alarm with the platform that they have to say, 0:21:26.320 --> 0:21:29.080 here is the fucking slate of things that you stand 0:21:29.119 --> 0:21:32.400 to lose this year, right like that, I mean we'll 0:21:32.440 --> 0:21:36.000 come crashing down, that there is no coming back from this, 0:21:36.160 --> 0:21:41.040 like we are going and I and again, like it 0:21:41.200 --> 0:21:44.960 is really difficult to have optimism and to tell people 0:21:44.960 --> 0:21:47.240 to vote when I can tell you that the people 0:21:47.240 --> 0:21:51.320 that respond to me, WOKAF audience members on a regular basis, 0:21:51.359 --> 0:21:54.680 that are fucking exhausted, right like they are. People are 0:21:54.760 --> 0:21:58.000 beat to shit. I did. I joked and sent out 0:21:58.000 --> 0:22:00.880 a tweet the other day and I said, it's Monday, 0:22:01.320 --> 0:22:03.440 and is it just me or just like this day 0:22:03.560 --> 0:22:06.320 feel like it is kicking your ass, like in more 0:22:06.359 --> 0:22:10.000 ways than one. And so you have people that are 0:22:10.040 --> 0:22:13.199 ringing the alarm. You have people that are trying to 0:22:13.240 --> 0:22:17.199 do the organizing. But I'm like, have we just read like, 0:22:18.040 --> 0:22:23.200 are we too naive or it is the naivete whole 0:22:23.400 --> 0:22:26.840 faith that we're not too late. I guess it's my 0:22:26.920 --> 0:22:33.000 question because in all honesty, voting is not going to 0:22:33.119 --> 0:22:38.280 change what happens with the Supreme Courts session this year. 0:22:39.200 --> 0:22:42.600 They have voting rights on the block, they have you know, 0:22:43.040 --> 0:22:45.879 same sex marriage on the block, they have affirmative action 0:22:45.960 --> 0:22:51.040 on the block. They have so many gutting things that 0:22:51.359 --> 0:22:55.200 allow America to be America that we know the outcome 0:22:55.240 --> 0:22:59.760 of these things already. And the session just started this 0:23:00.760 --> 0:23:07.080 and so yeah, please respond. I just think this is 0:23:07.119 --> 0:23:09.080 the last election we're probably going to have under the 0:23:09.520 --> 0:23:13.080 old rules of democracy. Yeah, and so I do again 0:23:13.160 --> 0:23:15.440 think that the two things people can do right now, 0:23:15.560 --> 0:23:19.399 I mean, I agree with you about exhaustion. I would 0:23:19.400 --> 0:23:23.560 say that there needs to be such a massive tidal 0:23:23.600 --> 0:23:26.680 wave of support that, you know, in a month right now, 0:23:26.720 --> 0:23:30.120 like everybody should just drop everything they're doing and run 0:23:30.160 --> 0:23:32.920 around trying to figure out how they can drive people 0:23:32.960 --> 0:23:36.720 to the polls. So Democrats need to show up and 0:23:36.800 --> 0:23:42.120 force and then we need a presidential candidate who will 0:23:42.320 --> 0:23:47.199 get people excited and mobilize people, you know, and not 0:23:47.320 --> 0:23:49.720 just feel like status quo, you know that kind of thing. 0:23:49.760 --> 0:23:51.879 So I think you know that we'll do that next. 0:23:53.200 --> 0:23:56.840 But I would just say that, I would just say 0:23:56.880 --> 0:24:00.880 that right now, there's no other answer. There's no other 0:24:00.920 --> 0:24:04.480 avenue than to mobilize people. Even in places where it 0:24:04.480 --> 0:24:09.240 feels like your vote is safe, it's not. And so again, 0:24:09.800 --> 0:24:13.440 if you're in New York or San Francisco or um, 0:24:14.600 --> 0:24:18.440 you know, Honolulu, places that are blue cities, your vote 0:24:18.440 --> 0:24:21.520 really matters. Right there are all these places that feel 0:24:21.840 --> 0:24:25.080 I mean, the complacency in New York about the gubernatorial 0:24:25.200 --> 0:24:27.880 race to me is a real canary in the coal 0:24:27.920 --> 0:24:33.320 mine for and the guy who's running the GOP candidate 0:24:33.400 --> 0:24:38.600 for the Gubernatrol position in New York is a desantist 0:24:38.760 --> 0:24:43.600 clone who has gotten Yes, Zeldin has been my family's 0:24:44.920 --> 0:24:50.159 because of redistricting. Yeah, the congressman for my district. He 0:24:50.280 --> 0:24:55.199 is anti abortion, he is pro gun. He is you know, 0:24:55.440 --> 0:25:00.919 anti you know, critical thinking curriculum for kids. He is. 0:25:01.320 --> 0:25:06.120 He is the reincarnate of everything that is wrong. Yes, 0:25:06.200 --> 0:25:09.679 But the thing is, like, people need to mobilize, and 0:25:09.840 --> 0:25:12.919 I just think the stakes, I just you know, where 0:25:12.960 --> 0:25:17.399 are the progressives and centrists unifying together to say we're 0:25:17.440 --> 0:25:21.159 all under this same tent. Where is the people getting 0:25:21.160 --> 0:25:23.120 out there with their networks like it's just it's got 0:25:23.119 --> 0:25:24.639 to be happening. We have a month to turn this 0:25:24.720 --> 0:25:28.080 around right now. And I understand things are things are 0:25:28.119 --> 0:25:30.920 fucked right at the court level. We've been talking about 0:25:31.000 --> 0:25:34.960 judges for quite some time here. Um, But but I'm 0:25:34.960 --> 0:25:38.600 just saying that even under all that, it's different with 0:25:38.760 --> 0:25:42.520 or without power. It's different with or without states where 0:25:42.560 --> 0:25:45.159 you can have a refuge and have those states be 0:25:45.760 --> 0:25:48.080 relatively safe from the things that are happening in the 0:25:48.119 --> 0:25:51.639 rest of the country. Without that, I mean the Democrats 0:25:51.720 --> 0:25:55.800 with or without New York and um in the governor 0:25:56.040 --> 0:26:00.879 with in the governor's office as is a totally different calculus. 0:26:00.880 --> 0:26:04.639 And so I would just say, whatever people have to do, 0:26:05.359 --> 0:26:09.120 you know, for the next month, get you know, back 0:26:09.200 --> 0:26:10.960 your bag with snacks and water and get out there 0:26:10.960 --> 0:26:16.800 and get in line. Yeah, um, I agree wholeheartedly, and 0:26:16.840 --> 0:26:19.480 I know I do. I agree wholeheartedly, and I am 0:26:19.600 --> 0:26:24.480 you know, I My level of anxiety, stress and fear 0:26:25.000 --> 0:26:28.520 rises by the day. Uh, if if not the minute, 0:26:29.200 --> 0:26:32.160 in this country like this, This isn't a This isn't 0:26:32.160 --> 0:26:35.680 a like where, honestly, where is AOC out there mobilizing 0:26:35.720 --> 0:26:40.760 people for the gougernatorial vote. Where is um, you know, Schumer, 0:26:40.800 --> 0:26:42.560 all these guys have to I mean, this is the 0:26:43.040 --> 0:26:46.040 you know, we've we've got to be like unifying right now. Um, 0:26:46.080 --> 0:26:49.400 That's really what's got to be happening. And I'm hope, 0:26:49.520 --> 0:26:53.240 I'm hopeful that it will come come together. I mean, 0:26:53.280 --> 0:26:57.080 we have six weeks, so I you know, like who 0:26:57.080 --> 0:26:59.879 the fuck knows? You know? And and I want to 0:27:00.160 --> 0:27:03.280 with this because I know we're short on time today. 0:27:03.480 --> 0:27:13.479 But you know, again, we are watching judges overturn the 0:27:13.520 --> 0:27:19.480 ability of states to be able to control guns, to 0:27:19.880 --> 0:27:23.840 limit violence, to do all of these things. Who places 0:27:23.880 --> 0:27:28.000