1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:04,160 Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Molly John Fast and this is Fast Politics, 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:07,120 Speaker 1: where we discussed the top political headlines with some of 3 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:10,680 Speaker 1: today's best minds. We are on vacation, but that doesn't 4 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:12,400 Speaker 1: mean we don't have a great show for you today. 5 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 1: The nerd Wich newsletter and New Republic contributor Gil Duran 6 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:21,880 Speaker 1: stops by to talk about why some Silicon Valley leaders 7 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 1: are advocating an anti democracy agenda. But first we have 8 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:31,480 Speaker 1: next Gen executive director Arianna Jones about how we get. 9 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:36,120 Speaker 2: Young voters out to vote for Dems. Welcome to Fast Politics. 10 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 3: Ariana, thanks so much for having. 11 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:41,800 Speaker 2: Me so explain to us what you do and what 12 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:43,040 Speaker 2: your organization does. 13 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:46,440 Speaker 3: I'm the executive director here at next Gen America, which 14 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:50,760 Speaker 3: is an organization that works primarily on college campuses. So 15 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:55,000 Speaker 3: we combine year round organizing with issue education, voter registration, 16 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:57,440 Speaker 3: and get at the vote efforts. I'm really focused on 17 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:01,480 Speaker 3: building trust and participation over time and not just parachuting 18 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:02,840 Speaker 3: in election season. 19 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:04,640 Speaker 2: So what does that mean exactly? 20 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:08,520 Speaker 3: Forming student clubs on campuses, making sure that we're having 21 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:11,959 Speaker 3: conversations about the issues long term, not just right when 22 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:13,600 Speaker 3: it matters, and we are asking them to show up 23 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:15,840 Speaker 3: at the polls and ensuring we're connecting the dots to 24 00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:16,759 Speaker 3: their everyday lives. 25 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 2: Give us some of the clubs that your organization starts, 26 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:22,759 Speaker 2: like what they are, what they're called, etc. 27 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:27,679 Speaker 3: It's primarily like an organizing tool. We provide the students 28 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:31,600 Speaker 3: with the opportunity to learn organizing tactics and skills, leadership skills, 29 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 3: and then we ask them to go out and have 30 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:37,520 Speaker 3: conversations with their fellow students and discuss just the things 31 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 3: that are affecting them and connecting the dots and making 32 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:42,319 Speaker 3: sure that they get registered to vote obviously and that 33 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:44,679 Speaker 3: they know you know, what dates to show up in. 34 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:47,200 Speaker 2: Your job, do you talk to a lot of students, Yeah. 35 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:48,960 Speaker 3: Try to as much as possible. That's the only way 36 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 3: you can stay relevant, right is to directly speak to 37 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:53,640 Speaker 3: them about what's concerning. 38 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:55,800 Speaker 2: Them, what is concerning them. Yeah. 39 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:58,000 Speaker 3: So the Yale and Harvard polls just came out this 40 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:00,840 Speaker 3: past week. It's pretty much aligned, which is that young 41 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 3: people think the country is on the wrong track. They 42 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:07,200 Speaker 3: have high economic insecurity, they have low confidence that they 43 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 3: will be better off than their parents. Really importantly, trust 44 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:14,119 Speaker 3: in institutions broadly is very low, but sort of confusingly 45 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:18,520 Speaker 3: in light of that, support for democracy remains high. So 46 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:21,080 Speaker 3: you know, we also saw in that pool that there's 47 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 3: been you know, a drop off and overwhelming disapproval of Trump, 48 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:27,119 Speaker 3: which is an update to what we had seen previously. 49 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 3: But ultimately, I mean, what we've learned about young people 50 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:31,959 Speaker 3: through the course of those polls too, is that because 51 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:35,760 Speaker 3: of that distrust in institutions, they are responding more to 52 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:39,519 Speaker 3: concrete policy and issue based you know sort of efforts 53 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 3: versus partisan branding. So that's something I think we need 54 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 3: to keep in mind moving forward. 55 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:46,920 Speaker 1: I'd love you to explain to us we're young people 56 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:50,799 Speaker 1: more open to trump Ism than previous Republican president. 57 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 3: I mean, I think we have to like take a 58 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 3: step back and start with what this generation has slipped through. Like, 59 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:01,520 Speaker 3: if you really nail it down, it's repeated institutional failure. Right, 60 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:05,440 Speaker 3: There's been school shootings, student debt, housing and stability, climate 61 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:09,079 Speaker 3: and action. They were basically told, hope, be resilient, wait 62 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:10,679 Speaker 3: your turn. And I also think at the end of 63 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:13,640 Speaker 3: the day, they're a generation that's been brought up with 64 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 3: cell phones in their hands, so they're also extremely fluent 65 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:20,400 Speaker 3: in you know, marketing performance presentation. So I think you know, 66 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:24,519 Speaker 3: when they hear polished messaging unlike maybe previous generations, combined 67 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:26,880 Speaker 3: with a lack of feeling real power, it feels hollow. 68 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 3: And I think there's been a response to that. But 69 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:30,680 Speaker 3: I think you know, when it comes to this sort 70 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:33,200 Speaker 3: of narrative that there's been a right word shift. You know, 71 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 3: it wasn't proven true in the twenty twenty five elections. 72 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:38,760 Speaker 3: You know that doesn't really support that story. 73 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:41,600 Speaker 2: But was it proven true in the twenty four elections. 74 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 3: I think that's the reason this narrative persists is because, yes, 75 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 3: I think what we're witnessing is it's volatility. It's not realignment, right, 76 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:50,840 Speaker 3: So it's essentially saying that they are up for grabs 77 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:52,640 Speaker 3: and it's up to us to work for it. It's 78 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 3: not going to be a guarantee. It's not like they 79 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:56,400 Speaker 3: come over to the Democratic side and they stay there 80 00:03:56,480 --> 00:03:59,800 Speaker 3: because they're leading with issues. I think their participation, their engagement, 81 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:02,600 Speaker 3: has to be earned, and I think you know what 82 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:05,120 Speaker 3: we saw obviously the narrative about their being a right 83 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:07,600 Speaker 3: wood shift. I think specifically with young men, it's more 84 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:11,720 Speaker 3: in my mind, a cultural one than a political one, 85 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 3: and there was sort of a gap or a void 86 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:16,000 Speaker 3: that I think also, at the end of the day, 87 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 3: it's really important to address the fact that this is 88 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 3: the loneliest generation. We often talk about loneliness as a 89 00:04:21,520 --> 00:04:24,600 Speaker 3: public health crisis, right, which I think is important. It's 90 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 3: also a political condition in my mind, because you know, 91 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 3: this is a connected generation. They've had these cell phones 92 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:32,880 Speaker 3: and the internet, so it's not about access. They have 93 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 3: access to each other. It's about the absence I think 94 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:39,680 Speaker 3: of real community. I mean, they also have the conditions 95 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:43,000 Speaker 3: that were you know, growing up in formative years during COVID, 96 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 3: where they basically had their social lives put on pause. 97 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:49,040 Speaker 3: I think that's something that's left, you know, avoid where 98 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:51,720 Speaker 3: people feel untethered. At the end of the day, people 99 00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:54,360 Speaker 3: who don't feel like they belong somewhere or don't feel 100 00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:58,840 Speaker 3: invested in they are more likely to be targeted. 101 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:01,040 Speaker 2: For trump ism and extremism. 102 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 1: Yes, I've talked to people who said there's a disconnect 103 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:07,360 Speaker 1: that they're sort of like, there's pre pandemic kids and 104 00:05:07,839 --> 00:05:11,560 Speaker 1: post pandemic kids, and the pre pandemic kids tend to 105 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:15,080 Speaker 1: be a little bit more normally left leaning, and the 106 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:18,920 Speaker 1: post pandemic kids are angry about school closures and so 107 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 1: they become more right wing. 108 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:21,800 Speaker 2: Is that true or not so much? 109 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:23,680 Speaker 3: I would have to look at the data to make 110 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:27,280 Speaker 3: a declarative statement on that, just guess. I would guess yes. 111 00:05:27,279 --> 00:05:29,200 Speaker 3: I would also say that we're coming up on a 112 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:32,680 Speaker 3: generation that they were not necessarily politically aware during Trump's 113 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:35,000 Speaker 3: first term, right. So I think the other thing, too, 114 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:37,160 Speaker 3: is that we were trying to message to folks who 115 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 3: hadn't experienced any of those realities in their day to 116 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:43,120 Speaker 3: day or necessarily when they were independently sort of operating, 117 00:05:43,279 --> 00:05:46,120 Speaker 3: expecting them to understand those implications too. So I think 118 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:48,720 Speaker 3: there's an element there of, you know, education that wasn't 119 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:51,320 Speaker 3: focused on providing them with an alternative, that was focused 120 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:52,599 Speaker 3: on the issues that matter to them. 121 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:55,240 Speaker 1: So you have kids who were mad about school closures 122 00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:58,640 Speaker 1: and they voted for Trump or they became right leaning. 123 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:01,960 Speaker 1: They saw them on the podcast as they bought the sneakers, 124 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:04,560 Speaker 1: they like the crypto. You think that group still exists 125 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:06,960 Speaker 1: or you think they've sort of dissipated because like we've 126 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:11,320 Speaker 1: seen Trump people like the Barstool Sports guy, Like we've 127 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:14,400 Speaker 1: seen those people express some regret. So do you think 128 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:18,800 Speaker 1: that is fanning out to include other young people or. 129 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:20,839 Speaker 3: Now for sure. I mean, I think this was definitely 130 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:23,919 Speaker 3: highlighted in both the Harvard and Yale polls. The support 131 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:27,000 Speaker 3: for Trump among young people dropped significantly. I think the 132 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:30,640 Speaker 3: problem is that that doesn't automatically translate into loyalty to 133 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:32,839 Speaker 3: the Democratic Party. So it just tells us that they're 134 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:35,200 Speaker 3: you know, it's not that necessarily that they're vaulting to 135 00:06:35,279 --> 00:06:38,400 Speaker 3: the other team, but they're just I think, withholding trust altogether. 136 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:39,960 Speaker 2: Isn't everyone like that? 137 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:44,279 Speaker 1: I understand that Democrats can take those candidates for granted. 138 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:47,279 Speaker 1: I understand what you're saying, but I also just wonder, like, 139 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:51,719 Speaker 1: aren't all voters basically you get them for a little 140 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:53,719 Speaker 1: bit and then they leave you if you don't do 141 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:54,640 Speaker 1: what they want you to do. 142 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:56,760 Speaker 3: I mean, I would say yes, but I think there's 143 00:06:56,800 --> 00:06:59,800 Speaker 3: been sort of a sense that there are certain demographics 144 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:01,960 Speaker 3: blocks that are taken for granted. I mean, I think 145 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:05,240 Speaker 3: ultimately you look at, for instance, millennials. You know, there 146 00:07:05,279 --> 00:07:07,359 Speaker 3: was a reason that there were books written in the 147 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:10,000 Speaker 3: Obama era that essentially claimed Democrats were going to have 148 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:13,320 Speaker 3: success for the next couple of decades. Right. The reality 149 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:15,560 Speaker 3: is is, I think this is also a generation we 150 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:17,880 Speaker 3: can't also divorce the reality that this is a generation 151 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:21,679 Speaker 3: that's consuming differently, meaning like they're a completely fractured media environment. 152 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:25,200 Speaker 3: There's no more shared collective truth. There's all of these elements, 153 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 3: you know, coming at play, hitting together at a perfect 154 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:30,280 Speaker 3: storm that just makes them a unique block that I 155 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:31,559 Speaker 3: don't think we've dealt with before. 156 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 2: Frankly, how do you see that fragmenting in the poem line? 157 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:37,240 Speaker 3: I mean, I think it's about like where people are 158 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:40,200 Speaker 3: getting their information. I think it's also you know, this 159 00:07:40,280 --> 00:07:43,000 Speaker 3: is where the right wing sort of where we talk 160 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:46,520 Speaker 3: about the manisphere, we talk about the channels of cultural 161 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:49,880 Speaker 3: communication that the writs had success in. There was a 162 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:52,680 Speaker 3: void essentially there, and it was a place that you know, 163 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 3: was meeting them where they were. So I think it's 164 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:56,760 Speaker 3: also a question of just making sure that we're not 165 00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:59,679 Speaker 3: behind the ball on finding where they are and meeting 166 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 3: them there. 167 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:01,040 Speaker 2: I think that's right. 168 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:03,640 Speaker 1: But then if you're in a situation like this where 169 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:06,880 Speaker 1: you have Trump has advertised to make things cheaper, things 170 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:10,040 Speaker 1: are not cheaper, things are more expensive. You read a 171 00:08:10,080 --> 00:08:14,040 Speaker 1: conservative news source that tells you, so you're a Fox newsperson, 172 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:16,679 Speaker 1: but things are more expensive and you were told Trump 173 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:19,880 Speaker 1: was going to make things cheaper at some point, don't. 174 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:21,040 Speaker 2: You lose the faith? 175 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 1: Like readers are not idiots, right, don't they eventually pick 176 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:26,880 Speaker 1: that put that together? 177 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, No, they're feeling the reality that you mentioned. I mean, 178 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:32,000 Speaker 3: like you can only talking points yourself out of the 179 00:08:32,040 --> 00:08:35,240 Speaker 3: economic reality that they're facing right now. So much right 180 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:37,120 Speaker 3: at the end of the day, the bank account doesn't lie. 181 00:08:37,240 --> 00:08:40,040 Speaker 3: The talking points might, but I think folks are feeling 182 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:42,360 Speaker 3: that in a real way where again there isn't as 183 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:44,440 Speaker 3: much loyalty built up where they're going to stick around 184 00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:46,760 Speaker 3: to be told that the sky is green when it 185 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:47,199 Speaker 3: is blue. 186 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:50,080 Speaker 1: Do you think that works for Democrats advantage? Does that 187 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:52,720 Speaker 1: work for like a truth advantage? Do you think it 188 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:53,680 Speaker 1: has no effect? 189 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:56,200 Speaker 3: I mean, I think young people are smart, right, Like, 190 00:08:56,240 --> 00:08:57,720 Speaker 3: at the end of the day, we have to treat them, 191 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:00,160 Speaker 3: you know, with respect that they are intelligent enough to 192 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:02,679 Speaker 3: see when there is one thing being said and one 193 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:05,000 Speaker 3: thing actually happening. And I think that you know, this 194 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:07,400 Speaker 3: is kind of why the approach with us is. You know, 195 00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:09,680 Speaker 3: the lesson I get out of all of this is like, 196 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:13,840 Speaker 3: it's not about us having better slogans or ads. It's 197 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:17,160 Speaker 3: about just speaking plainly, naming the problem and inviting them 198 00:09:17,160 --> 00:09:18,960 Speaker 3: into the work, because I think again, part of the 199 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:21,720 Speaker 3: issue that we're having right now is that people fight 200 00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:24,480 Speaker 3: harder for something that they help build rather than something 201 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:26,640 Speaker 3: that they're sold. And they also don't need to be 202 00:09:26,679 --> 00:09:28,679 Speaker 3: convinced that things are broken. I think part of our 203 00:09:28,679 --> 00:09:32,480 Speaker 3: messaging has been focused on the brokenness. They very much 204 00:09:32,520 --> 00:09:34,520 Speaker 3: are experiencing that, and they already know it. And I think, 205 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:36,320 Speaker 3: you know, one of the things they're desperate for is 206 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:38,360 Speaker 3: getting a sense to whether they'll be let in to 207 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:40,680 Speaker 3: help fix it and accounted for in the discussions about 208 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:42,319 Speaker 3: how to help fix it. But I mean, I think 209 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:45,280 Speaker 3: this is an opportunity for Democrats, honestly. I think that 210 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:47,960 Speaker 3: you know, obviously, when it comes to the economics of 211 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:50,480 Speaker 3: it all, the plan that will be most beneficial to 212 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:52,880 Speaker 3: young people will be on that side. It's just a 213 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:56,880 Speaker 3: question of having a direct, not sleek, heavily produced discussion 214 00:09:56,920 --> 00:09:57,280 Speaker 3: about it. 215 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:00,280 Speaker 1: When you talk to these kids, what do they say, like, 216 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:02,840 Speaker 1: what do they care about? Do you feel like the 217 00:10:02,920 --> 00:10:04,240 Speaker 1: polling is reflective? 218 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:08,000 Speaker 3: The polling is definitely reflective of what their top concerns are. 219 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:11,520 Speaker 3: I mean, it's the economy at the very top, affordability, 220 00:10:11,640 --> 00:10:14,559 Speaker 3: minimum wage, you know, obviously, and there are still other 221 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:17,400 Speaker 3: sort of more what you would probably call cultural issues, 222 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:20,640 Speaker 3: like they're obviously reproductive care, free speech. But I mean, 223 00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:22,200 Speaker 3: I think at the end of the day, the biggest 224 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:24,000 Speaker 3: thing they're focused on right now, and I think the 225 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:25,960 Speaker 3: thing that is giving folks the most anxiety is the 226 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:27,960 Speaker 3: economic reality that they're about to step into. 227 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:29,280 Speaker 2: Do you think they equate that. 228 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:32,040 Speaker 3: I think twenty twenty five proofs that they are beginning 229 00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:32,960 Speaker 3: to CNN up those stops. 230 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:36,520 Speaker 1: It seems like women never really went maga with the 231 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:39,160 Speaker 1: same speed that men did. 232 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:40,880 Speaker 2: I love you to talk us through that. 233 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:42,880 Speaker 3: I think this is one of the things I get 234 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:45,720 Speaker 3: concerned about when the narrative is primarily focused on the 235 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:48,240 Speaker 3: young men that have been a pendulum swing now once 236 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:50,360 Speaker 3: in twenty four and back again in twenty five, is 237 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:52,840 Speaker 3: that it leaves out a very important block of folks 238 00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:55,120 Speaker 3: who've kept us afloat, which is young women who have 239 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:57,560 Speaker 3: been loyal to the party and consistently shown up. So 240 00:10:57,600 --> 00:10:59,160 Speaker 3: I also want to make sure that in the course 241 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:02,200 Speaker 3: of whatever happen next, we don't forget to speak with 242 00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:05,200 Speaker 3: them directly and continue to earn their votes as well. 243 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:08,160 Speaker 3: But yeah, no, young women did not have the same 244 00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:09,800 Speaker 3: reaction as the young men did. 245 00:11:10,120 --> 00:11:13,400 Speaker 1: Yeah. Did they seem much more activated, these young people 246 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:16,360 Speaker 1: than they did a year ago? And if so, are 247 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:18,600 Speaker 1: they doing more political activation? 248 00:11:18,920 --> 00:11:19,079 Speaker 2: Yeah? 249 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:21,280 Speaker 3: And I think one of the reasons why, like Next 250 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:24,040 Speaker 3: Gen continues to go on campus. I mean, obviously there's 251 00:11:24,040 --> 00:11:26,040 Speaker 3: a lot that we can do, particularly with this group 252 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:29,680 Speaker 3: of folks online, and that's an important arm or element 253 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:32,400 Speaker 3: of this. And you know, algorithms are really good at 254 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:36,080 Speaker 3: mobilizing attention in the attention economy, but they're not as 255 00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:40,120 Speaker 3: good at building trust. You know, organizing creates real world community, 256 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:41,880 Speaker 3: which again I think a lot of these folks are 257 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:45,120 Speaker 3: lacking in the current climate, you know, the most lonely generation, right, 258 00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:48,880 Speaker 3: So that isolation again makes them more vulnerable to you know, 259 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:52,480 Speaker 3: greevance politics, conspiracies, whatever it may be. So the goal 260 00:11:52,559 --> 00:11:55,760 Speaker 3: of having this in person community building is to also 261 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:59,080 Speaker 3: provide them with a space to socialize. I mean, this 262 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 3: was one of the in my I mind, one of 263 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:03,319 Speaker 3: the biggest benefits of the Mandani campaign. And there was 264 00:12:03,360 --> 00:12:05,200 Speaker 3: a great New York Times article about this where they 265 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:07,240 Speaker 3: wrote about how it became a social tool, not just 266 00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:09,400 Speaker 3: a political one. And I saw the same thing I 267 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:12,040 Speaker 3: worked on. Bernie saw the same thing. People weren't just 268 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:15,840 Speaker 3: showing up to canvas. They need friends. They found purpose, 269 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:19,600 Speaker 3: They experienced what collective action actually feels like, which if 270 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:22,320 Speaker 3: you've never experienced it, you can't imagine getting things done 271 00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:25,520 Speaker 3: collectively right, collective action, So you know, it wasn't just 272 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:28,880 Speaker 3: asking for something, it was providing something and giving them something, 273 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:32,240 Speaker 3: which I feel like is extremely important. And building that 274 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:34,920 Speaker 3: bridge and giving them those social tools in social spaces 275 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:37,600 Speaker 3: as well is really important, just because again it's if 276 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:39,920 Speaker 3: we call it a public health crisis, we should also 277 00:12:39,960 --> 00:12:42,360 Speaker 3: be addressing that when we're talking about young people as well. 278 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:45,480 Speaker 2: When you're interfacing with these kids, like, what are the 279 00:12:45,559 --> 00:12:48,760 Speaker 2: things they want? What are the things there besides jobs? 280 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:51,920 Speaker 3: Well, yes, jobs, but a seated at the table. I mean, 281 00:12:51,920 --> 00:12:54,040 Speaker 3: I think that's number one, right when it comes to 282 00:12:54,600 --> 00:12:56,640 Speaker 3: agency over their own future. I mean, I think at 283 00:12:56,640 --> 00:12:58,560 Speaker 3: the end of the day, they're working with them and 284 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:00,800 Speaker 3: not working on them would probably be one of the 285 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:03,440 Speaker 3: things I would recommend and that they are looking for. 286 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:06,720 Speaker 3: But yeah, I mean it's jobs. It's those jobs having 287 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:08,960 Speaker 3: wages that are going to actually provide them with what 288 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:11,360 Speaker 3: they need in dignity and a stable life. A lot 289 00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:12,760 Speaker 3: of these folks. I mean, like, you know, there's a 290 00:13:12,800 --> 00:13:14,920 Speaker 3: lot of young people that take care of family members 291 00:13:14,920 --> 00:13:17,600 Speaker 3: that are you know, sick or not able to take 292 00:13:17,640 --> 00:13:20,840 Speaker 3: care of themselves. Affects their perspective on healthcare, you know, 293 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:23,360 Speaker 3: even the things that you don't think necessarily affect them 294 00:13:23,440 --> 00:13:26,280 Speaker 3: in college at the time, for instance, healthcare they can 295 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:28,960 Speaker 3: stand their parents potentially until they're twenty six, but that's 296 00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:31,840 Speaker 3: not necessarily the lived reality for a lot of these people. 297 00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:35,160 Speaker 3: So I would say at the forefront right now, it's 298 00:13:35,480 --> 00:13:38,080 Speaker 3: you know, economics of jobs, but I would say there's 299 00:13:38,160 --> 00:13:42,040 Speaker 3: also an element here of accountability. I think there's a 300 00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:44,600 Speaker 3: big desire for accountability across the board, and I think 301 00:13:44,679 --> 00:13:47,080 Speaker 3: that's across you know, all age demos right now, as 302 00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:50,080 Speaker 3: folks are looking for, you know, people to be held accountable. 303 00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:54,199 Speaker 1: Yeah, accountability. Does that mean like Democrats need to prosecute 304 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:55,120 Speaker 1: the Trumpers. 305 00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:57,960 Speaker 3: I've been more at a basic level, it's they've gotten 306 00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:00,120 Speaker 3: a lot of promises made to them and then have 307 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:03,199 Speaker 3: not seen the materialize, and then are being asked to 308 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:05,640 Speaker 3: get on board and continue to support right. I think 309 00:14:05,679 --> 00:14:07,560 Speaker 3: at the end of the day. That's another factor that 310 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:10,120 Speaker 3: we have to be honest with ourselves about, is there's 311 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:12,600 Speaker 3: an element there of if folks are not delivering, there 312 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:14,959 Speaker 3: should also be accountability. I mean, I think across the 313 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:17,560 Speaker 3: board there is a sort of lawlessness that it feels 314 00:14:17,600 --> 00:14:18,680 Speaker 3: like is happening right now. 315 00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:21,840 Speaker 1: Thank you, thank you, thank you so much, Aana, thank 316 00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:28,400 Speaker 1: you really appreciate it. We have exciting news over on 317 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:32,400 Speaker 1: our YouTube channel. The second episode from our Project twenty 318 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:33,440 Speaker 1: twenty nine. 319 00:14:33,280 --> 00:14:37,120 Speaker 2: Series is out now. It's a reimagining where we examine 320 00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:40,200 Speaker 2: what went wrong with democrats approach to politics and how 321 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:43,600 Speaker 2: we can correct it and deliver changes to help people's lives. 322 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:47,800 Speaker 1: The first episode dove into the very sexy topic of 323 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:51,960 Speaker 1: campaign finance reform, and our second episode deals with an 324 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:57,640 Speaker 1: even sexier topic, antitrust and regulation. We look at how 325 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:03,280 Speaker 1: antitrust and regulation can protect American citizens and make America 326 00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:09,080 Speaker 1: thrive in an era of rampant corruption and predatory crony capitalism. 327 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:12,360 Speaker 1: We talk to the smartest names in the field like 328 00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:17,040 Speaker 1: Lena Kahan, Elvero Bedoya, Elizabeth. 329 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:18,480 Speaker 2: Wilkins, and Doha Mechi. 330 00:15:18,720 --> 00:15:22,520 Speaker 1: Republicans were prepared for when they got the levers of power. 331 00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:26,080 Speaker 2: We need democrats to be too, So please head over 332 00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:30,040 Speaker 2: to YouTube and search Mollie John Fast Project twenty twenty nine, 333 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:34,760 Speaker 2: or go to the Fast Politics YouTube channel and find 334 00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:36,960 Speaker 2: it there and help us spread the word. 335 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:41,880 Speaker 1: Gil Duran is a contributor to The New Republican the 336 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:45,400 Speaker 1: author of the newsletter and upcoming book The nerd Reich. 337 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:49,280 Speaker 2: Welcome to Fast Politics, Gil, thanks for having me. Your 338 00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:50,640 Speaker 2: book is called The nerd Reich. 339 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:53,480 Speaker 1: So we've been talking about these guys I feel like NonStop, 340 00:15:53,560 --> 00:15:56,280 Speaker 1: but also not in the kind of depth we probably 341 00:15:56,360 --> 00:15:58,640 Speaker 1: need to be. So get me going on how you 342 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:01,840 Speaker 1: started this book, where you got when you started. 343 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:02,760 Speaker 2: At what was the moment? 344 00:16:02,920 --> 00:16:05,160 Speaker 4: Well, my book will be published in August twenty twenty six, 345 00:16:05,240 --> 00:16:07,240 Speaker 4: but it's based on work I've been doing over the 346 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:09,600 Speaker 4: past year and a half looking at how a cult 347 00:16:09,680 --> 00:16:13,640 Speaker 4: of venture capitalists has become completely radicalized into an anti 348 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:17,120 Speaker 4: American ideology that calls for the creation of these weird, 349 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:20,360 Speaker 4: little corporate run territories around the world that some call 350 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:23,360 Speaker 4: network states. People have talked about the Dark Enlightenment, the 351 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:26,480 Speaker 4: whole Curtis Jarvin ideology. 352 00:16:25,720 --> 00:16:27,800 Speaker 5: And they've talked about the neo reactionary movement. 353 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:30,560 Speaker 4: The network state is a part of that, and it's 354 00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:33,000 Speaker 4: sort of like the business plan for making it a reality. 355 00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:35,480 Speaker 4: I started working on it in San Francisco because three 356 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:37,720 Speaker 4: years ago I was the editorial page editor of the 357 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:41,040 Speaker 4: San Francisco Examiner, and I noticed that there was this 358 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:44,560 Speaker 4: strange sort of right wing radicalization taking place among the 359 00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:47,960 Speaker 4: venture capitalists in our city who were partnering with Republicans 360 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:51,720 Speaker 4: to fund these recall elections, most of which were wholly unnecessary, 361 00:16:51,720 --> 00:16:54,200 Speaker 4: but they really kind of created this whole panic in 362 00:16:54,240 --> 00:16:57,200 Speaker 4: San Francisco among the voters around the need to save 363 00:16:57,320 --> 00:17:00,400 Speaker 4: San Francisco from a doom loop that was being driven 364 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:03,480 Speaker 4: by liberal progressive policy. It didn't make a whole lot 365 00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:05,760 Speaker 4: of sense, and it was there that I first got 366 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:08,240 Speaker 4: the inkling that there was something going on that was weird, 367 00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:10,119 Speaker 4: that didn't make sense. Because I've spent most of my 368 00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:13,080 Speaker 4: career in democratic politics. I know what democrats sound like, 369 00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:15,600 Speaker 4: I know what they believe. These guys were not Democrats. 370 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:18,320 Speaker 4: They were something else, say, as they say in Silicon Valley, 371 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:20,080 Speaker 4: a worse third thing. 372 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:22,080 Speaker 2: This is very interesting because I thought you were going 373 00:17:22,119 --> 00:17:24,800 Speaker 2: to go to like recall actions et cetera. But you're 374 00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:28,560 Speaker 2: actually saying that the group that they were rallying against 375 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:31,240 Speaker 2: weren't actually Democrats, they were something else. 376 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:33,879 Speaker 4: Oh No, the group they were rallying against were Democrats. 377 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:36,480 Speaker 4: The guys who were pushing the recall, one of whom 378 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:40,919 Speaker 4: was David Sachs, Yes, the Other worlds favorite, Yeah, Gary 379 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:45,000 Speaker 4: tannet y combinator. They were pushing these ideas. For instance, 380 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:48,200 Speaker 4: they really demonized Chase A. Boudin, the district attorney, who 381 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:50,600 Speaker 4: hadn't really done anything wrong. He'd barely been in office 382 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:52,440 Speaker 4: less than a year, but they pick on one or 383 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:54,480 Speaker 4: two crimes that happened. And by the way, crime is 384 00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:56,320 Speaker 4: always happening in a city. There's always going to be 385 00:17:56,320 --> 00:17:58,879 Speaker 4: a crime, or so he was prosecuting these crimes, but 386 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:01,000 Speaker 4: they created the sort of more or panic, we have 387 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:02,800 Speaker 4: to get rid of this guy. And one of the 388 00:18:02,800 --> 00:18:04,800 Speaker 4: things they were calling for was basically a return to 389 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:09,720 Speaker 4: mass incarceration policies, which California had largely abandoned ten years 390 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:12,359 Speaker 4: earlier as part of an era of reform. And the 391 00:18:12,359 --> 00:18:15,000 Speaker 4: people pushing that reform were not Chase A. Boudin, who 392 00:18:15,040 --> 00:18:16,760 Speaker 4: was still in law school at the time. It was 393 00:18:16,840 --> 00:18:21,560 Speaker 4: Jerry Brown, it was Gavin Newsom, it was mainstream Democrats. 394 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:23,560 Speaker 4: And so the line they were pushing that we need 395 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:26,040 Speaker 4: to go back toward harsh policies was clearly right wing, 396 00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:26,840 Speaker 4: was clearly out. 397 00:18:26,680 --> 00:18:28,560 Speaker 5: Of step with mainstream democratic policies. 398 00:18:28,560 --> 00:18:30,560 Speaker 4: But what really clued me in was that Gary tan 399 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:33,840 Speaker 4: who's the CEO of y Combinator, former employee, early employee 400 00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:36,199 Speaker 4: of Palenteer, the guy who designed the Paleteer logo. And 401 00:18:36,240 --> 00:18:38,120 Speaker 4: I didn't know all this at the time, by the way, 402 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:40,520 Speaker 4: I was very wet behind the ears, didn't know who 403 00:18:40,520 --> 00:18:42,439 Speaker 4: these guys were, just knew there was something weird. He 404 00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:45,359 Speaker 4: kept talking about something called the network state, And when 405 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:48,640 Speaker 4: I finally looked into that, because this local activist kept 406 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:50,560 Speaker 4: pushing me to do it, I realized that that was 407 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:53,359 Speaker 4: sort of the key to understanding this entire body of 408 00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:57,000 Speaker 4: radical thought that was emerging as a force in Silicon Valley. 409 00:18:57,040 --> 00:18:59,280 Speaker 2: So let's start by talking about the recollections, because it's 410 00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:03,040 Speaker 2: so interesting that that is sort of where David Sachs 411 00:19:03,080 --> 00:19:06,120 Speaker 2: got involved in politics. Is that where David Sacks got 412 00:19:06,119 --> 00:19:07,119 Speaker 2: involved in politics? 413 00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:10,560 Speaker 4: He's always been involved to some degree. Early on at 414 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:13,960 Speaker 4: Stanford he wrote a book with Peter Teale that diversity myth, 415 00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:16,560 Speaker 4: so he was always trying to position himself as some 416 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:19,119 Speaker 4: kind of pundit or political type. But it was in 417 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:22,360 Speaker 4: San Francisco during the recall fever, and even before San 418 00:19:22,359 --> 00:19:24,480 Speaker 4: Francisco actually, you know, remember there was a recall of 419 00:19:24,520 --> 00:19:27,000 Speaker 4: Gavin Newsom because he ate dinner at the French Laundry, 420 00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:30,320 Speaker 4: and this galvanized people who were against the COVID. 421 00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:31,800 Speaker 2: Shutdowns, even though it didn't work. 422 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:34,880 Speaker 4: Yeah, well, SAX had put money into that, a lot 423 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:37,399 Speaker 4: of money, which was stupid because anybody familiar with politics 424 00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:39,320 Speaker 4: knew that the polls showed that thing was going down 425 00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:41,200 Speaker 4: in flames. It was great for the media to play 426 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:43,280 Speaker 4: it up. It was really humiliating for Newsom, but it 427 00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:47,000 Speaker 4: wasn't gonna win. What it did, though, was it normalized 428 00:19:47,040 --> 00:19:49,679 Speaker 4: the ideas that were, if we're unhappy with our politicians, 429 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:51,960 Speaker 4: we should recall them. And that had a lot more 430 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:54,840 Speaker 4: luck in San Francisco, where a movement had sprang up 431 00:19:54,840 --> 00:19:58,439 Speaker 4: to spread panic over everyday crimes and problems in the 432 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:02,119 Speaker 4: city and to blame four particular elected officials and remove 433 00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:05,000 Speaker 4: them from office, which succeeded. But they're still crime and 434 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:07,440 Speaker 4: they're still homelesses in San Francisco, but there's nobody paying 435 00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:09,359 Speaker 4: everybody to scream about it all the time. Now now 436 00:20:09,359 --> 00:20:12,199 Speaker 4: they claim it's sort of everything's better, even if it's not. 437 00:20:12,280 --> 00:20:13,600 Speaker 4: And that's kind of how it works. If you have 438 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:18,160 Speaker 4: enough billionaires show up and make everybody upset and call 439 00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:19,560 Speaker 4: for people's heads, it'll work. 440 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:22,320 Speaker 5: And if in the absence of that kind of mechanism. 441 00:20:22,480 --> 00:20:25,439 Speaker 4: So what you had was these venture capitalists becoming the 442 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:29,240 Speaker 4: loudest voices in San Francisco politics and sort of emulating 443 00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:32,280 Speaker 4: Elon Musk in a way, like being angry, being loud, 444 00:20:32,600 --> 00:20:34,960 Speaker 4: calling for people to be pushed out of office, et cetera. 445 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:38,399 Speaker 2: Did they emulate him or did he emulate them? 446 00:20:38,640 --> 00:20:41,040 Speaker 4: It seemed to me like he was emulating them, because 447 00:20:41,160 --> 00:20:43,520 Speaker 4: I was in Sacramento during the pandemic and got to 448 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:47,960 Speaker 4: watch Elon's radicalization into anti government and control in real time, 449 00:20:48,280 --> 00:20:51,119 Speaker 4: and suddenly it seemed like once I got to San Francisco, 450 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:54,200 Speaker 4: all of these guys had become Elon, Like they were 451 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:59,119 Speaker 4: all using their money and their Twitter accounts to sow discord, 452 00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:02,440 Speaker 4: spread and really pushed these right wing ideas. So that 453 00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:04,960 Speaker 4: was what clued me in when I was writing about 454 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:07,080 Speaker 4: this last year, I thought this would be a threat 455 00:21:07,119 --> 00:21:09,200 Speaker 4: maybe four or five years down the road. I was like, 456 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:11,280 Speaker 4: Silicon Valley's doing this thing where they're going to try 457 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:13,280 Speaker 4: to take over politics. We just saw them do this 458 00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:17,080 Speaker 4: in San Francisco, where they were partially successful, partially not successful. 459 00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:20,880 Speaker 4: Successful enough, however, and unfortunately what happened was Vance got 460 00:21:20,880 --> 00:21:23,159 Speaker 4: on the ticket, and then I realized, wait, Vance is 461 00:21:23,200 --> 00:21:25,520 Speaker 4: one of them. And I wrote an early story that 462 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:28,520 Speaker 4: tied Vance to Curtis Jarvin to Peter Tiel explained how 463 00:21:28,680 --> 00:21:31,160 Speaker 4: Vance had been quoting Jarvin and Lo and behold here 464 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:33,359 Speaker 4: we are. I feel like last year people looked at 465 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:35,600 Speaker 4: me kind of strangely, like why is Gill going down 466 00:21:35,640 --> 00:21:38,560 Speaker 4: this deep rabbit hole and freaking out about Silicon Valley. Now, 467 00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:41,399 Speaker 4: I think everyone's caught up with the early signs of 468 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:43,360 Speaker 4: what we were seeing, and I wish I had been 469 00:21:43,359 --> 00:21:45,760 Speaker 4: wrong about it. But I think that the radicalization we're 470 00:21:45,760 --> 00:21:47,720 Speaker 4: seeing is only just the beginning. We're not even a 471 00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:49,680 Speaker 4: year into this. They have a lot worse plans to 472 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:51,000 Speaker 4: try to put in place here. 473 00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:54,000 Speaker 1: So yeah, I mean they have a lot worse plans, 474 00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:55,800 Speaker 1: And in fact, I want to go back for a 475 00:21:55,840 --> 00:21:59,480 Speaker 1: minute about San Francisco. So where does David Laurie, the 476 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:01,520 Speaker 1: new mayor, figure into all of that? 477 00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:03,919 Speaker 2: Is he a product of that or not really? 478 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:07,480 Speaker 1: Because you guys keep having new mayors just for people 479 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:10,480 Speaker 1: who are not completely read in on San Francisco politics 480 00:22:10,680 --> 00:22:13,880 Speaker 1: San Francisco, you keep having the voters of San Francisco 481 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:14,800 Speaker 1: reject the mayor. 482 00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:17,600 Speaker 4: Well, yeah, we had London Reed before and she was 483 00:22:17,640 --> 00:22:20,760 Speaker 4: in there for a while, but she largely got caught 484 00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:23,520 Speaker 4: up in that rejection cycle. They you know, they got 485 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:25,879 Speaker 4: rid of three members of the school board, they got 486 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:28,040 Speaker 4: rid of the DA. I thought at the time it 487 00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:30,560 Speaker 4: was foolish for Breed to support the recalls, which she 488 00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:33,600 Speaker 4: pretty much did, because, in my experience, is the mayor 489 00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:35,679 Speaker 4: who's going to get blamed for everything in the city. 490 00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:37,639 Speaker 4: That was another weird thing about this. Never, in my 491 00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:40,879 Speaker 4: entire experience working in politics for over a decade, has 492 00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:43,200 Speaker 4: anyone ever blamed the DA for anything happening in the city. 493 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:45,280 Speaker 4: That was an entirely new thing they made up. So 494 00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:48,240 Speaker 4: Breed ends up losing her election despite trying to appease 495 00:22:48,280 --> 00:22:51,719 Speaker 4: these tech guys, pivoting completely one pin eighty against her 496 00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:53,920 Speaker 4: previous position. She had been a real champion for harm 497 00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:56,800 Speaker 4: reduction in dealing with the opioid over those crisis, which 498 00:22:56,880 --> 00:22:58,840 Speaker 4: we know from data and research is the only thing 499 00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:01,280 Speaker 4: that really works the same life and give people off drugs. 500 00:23:01,359 --> 00:23:03,399 Speaker 4: And she completely flipped to being let's lock them up. 501 00:23:03,400 --> 00:23:05,040 Speaker 4: We're going to put him in jail. It was really 502 00:23:05,040 --> 00:23:08,119 Speaker 4: disturbing to watch someone flip so completely. So Lurie was 503 00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:11,240 Speaker 4: not the chosen candidate of these tech guys. They wanted 504 00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:13,280 Speaker 4: Breed to win because she had shown she would completely 505 00:23:13,359 --> 00:23:15,640 Speaker 4: do what they wanted, but luri kind of came out 506 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:18,840 Speaker 4: of nowhere. Unfortunately, he seems to be following in Breed's 507 00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:23,280 Speaker 4: footsteps by catering to these guys. For instance, Luriy, who 508 00:23:23,560 --> 00:23:26,040 Speaker 4: you know claims to have some progressive bona fides, comes 509 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:30,200 Speaker 4: from philanthropy, won't criticize Trump. He's decided that his response 510 00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:33,359 Speaker 4: is the mayor of San Francisco in an unprecedented era 511 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:35,800 Speaker 4: of fascism, is to just be quiet and not have 512 00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:38,680 Speaker 4: any opinion on what's happening nationally. At the same time, 513 00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:40,960 Speaker 4: he's pursuing a lot of the policies these tech guys 514 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:44,040 Speaker 4: called for, like using jail sales and threats to crack 515 00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:47,119 Speaker 4: down on drug overdose addiction, which nothing has been tried 516 00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:50,000 Speaker 4: more than these failed tactics in San Francisco. You know, 517 00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:52,800 Speaker 4: I wrote a column with the Examiner going back sixty years. 518 00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:55,760 Speaker 4: Everyone's always cracking down on the tenderloin. Everyone's always about 519 00:23:55,800 --> 00:23:57,960 Speaker 4: to clean it all up, and it just never happens 520 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:00,399 Speaker 4: because they try these failed things. So Lurie, I don't know, 521 00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:03,080 Speaker 4: he doesn't have much experience. It's only a year in 522 00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:05,080 Speaker 4: People seem happy so far. I think they're kind of 523 00:24:05,119 --> 00:24:07,920 Speaker 4: tired of rejecting the politicians for a minute. But give 524 00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:10,400 Speaker 4: them another year or two. All it takes is one 525 00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:13,960 Speaker 4: big crime or another surgeon homelessness, and everyone will be 526 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:17,120 Speaker 4: searching for the new strongman to clear up the problem 527 00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:19,320 Speaker 4: with magical fake solutions. 528 00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:22,840 Speaker 1: So basically, tech bros have sort of taken over the 529 00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:26,959 Speaker 1: government by using money and as a sort of carrot 530 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:30,280 Speaker 1: stick on I mean the local government sort of. 531 00:24:30,359 --> 00:24:33,760 Speaker 4: They had some success, but San Francisco is a very 532 00:24:33,800 --> 00:24:36,880 Speaker 4: hard place to try to control. People have their own ideas. 533 00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:39,520 Speaker 4: For example, one of the people who got put into 534 00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:42,719 Speaker 4: office was a guy named Joel Ingardio, who was one 535 00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:44,960 Speaker 4: of these pro tech guy types. But then he took 536 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:48,679 Speaker 4: a position that pissed off the voters. He closed this 537 00:24:49,040 --> 00:24:51,480 Speaker 4: great highway on the western edge of San Francisco to 538 00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:54,120 Speaker 4: create a park. He voted for this thing, supported it, 539 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:56,159 Speaker 4: and he just got recalled from office and they were 540 00:24:56,240 --> 00:24:58,760 Speaker 4: very upset by that. And now there's a more progressive 541 00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:01,920 Speaker 4: person in there. So it's an ever shifting situation. You 542 00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:05,119 Speaker 4: can't just ever just get control all at once, and 543 00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:08,400 Speaker 4: the voters are can be very fickle. And also the 544 00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:11,560 Speaker 4: block of people who ousted in Guardio or people who 545 00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:14,240 Speaker 4: voted for the recalls, so it's the same group of voters, 546 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:16,840 Speaker 4: and that's what the tech rows are discovering. Actually, politics 547 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:20,040 Speaker 4: is a little complicated and complex, and it's never over, 548 00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:22,840 Speaker 4: and you could just make one mistake and suddenly you 549 00:25:22,920 --> 00:25:25,280 Speaker 4: lose a whole part of your base. And so they're 550 00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:26,560 Speaker 4: not as smart as they think they are. So I 551 00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:29,240 Speaker 4: wouldn't give them credit for having all control. They had 552 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:31,880 Speaker 4: a victory, and they're learning the hard way that it's 553 00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:34,040 Speaker 4: not so simple. The other big lesson they would learn 554 00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:36,080 Speaker 4: if they get capture all control is that now you're 555 00:25:36,119 --> 00:25:38,800 Speaker 4: responsible for all the problems which will continue to manifest. 556 00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:41,199 Speaker 4: You know, every politician runs to clean everything up and 557 00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:42,720 Speaker 4: it never gets all cleaned up somehow. 558 00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:44,960 Speaker 1: That's sort of the micro But then they have these 559 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:49,280 Speaker 1: sort of macro plans, these larger plans for authoritarianism. 560 00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:51,960 Speaker 4: Yeah, that gets us back to the network state idea. 561 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:55,280 Speaker 4: And the network state idea was developed by An andresen Horowitz, 562 00:25:55,480 --> 00:25:59,119 Speaker 4: former general partner who was also the former chief technology 563 00:25:59,119 --> 00:26:02,360 Speaker 4: officer of Coinbase, a guy named Bologistrina vasen. 564 00:26:02,200 --> 00:26:03,119 Speaker 2: Oh I know who he is. 565 00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:06,360 Speaker 4: Yeah, he came with this idea that democracy's done and 566 00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:08,199 Speaker 4: we need to prepare for what comes after it. The 567 00:26:08,240 --> 00:26:11,240 Speaker 4: United States is an outdated software system and we need 568 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:14,119 Speaker 4: a new government style for the twenty first century. And 569 00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:17,560 Speaker 4: the network state is this idea that tech oligarchs should 570 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:21,240 Speaker 4: use their wealth and their influence to a takeover existing 571 00:26:21,320 --> 00:26:25,320 Speaker 4: governments where they can and b create these new territories 572 00:26:25,359 --> 00:26:28,200 Speaker 4: all over the country and the world where they will 573 00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:31,520 Speaker 4: be free of regulation, free of law, free of taxation, 574 00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:34,440 Speaker 4: free of democracy, where they can start their own countries. 575 00:26:34,640 --> 00:26:38,160 Speaker 4: And in Bilogi's homespun theory, this is going to become 576 00:26:38,160 --> 00:26:41,159 Speaker 4: the new governing model after the United States collapses in 577 00:26:41,160 --> 00:26:45,160 Speaker 4: the twenty first century. These networked states run by tech 578 00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:48,679 Speaker 4: oligarchs that will not be democracies, will be the new 579 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:51,879 Speaker 4: superpower in the world. Now, it's a Kakamami theory in 580 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:55,520 Speaker 4: many ways, but over half a billion dollars allegedly has 581 00:26:55,560 --> 00:26:58,600 Speaker 4: been invested in creating these things, with investment from people 582 00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:02,960 Speaker 4: like Sam Altman, Teal Mark Andresen and a whole coterie 583 00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:06,800 Speaker 4: of interrelated venture capitalists who definitely seem to see this 584 00:27:06,920 --> 00:27:09,960 Speaker 4: as applausible alternative to reality. 585 00:27:10,359 --> 00:27:12,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, is this all just pie in the sky or 586 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:14,960 Speaker 1: do any of these people have sort of have they 587 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:17,359 Speaker 1: made moves to make this real? I mean, obviously in 588 00:27:17,359 --> 00:27:18,600 Speaker 1: San Francisco they make you real. 589 00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:18,880 Speaker 5: Yeah. 590 00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:22,240 Speaker 4: Well, there's one place in Honduras called Prospera that's pretty 591 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:24,400 Speaker 4: famous on the island of Rotan, and it was kind 592 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:28,080 Speaker 4: of put in place during a point in Honduras's democracy 593 00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:31,960 Speaker 4: was under great challenge. There was a president Juan Orlando Fernandez, 594 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:34,480 Speaker 4: who was very supportive of the creation of his thing. 595 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:36,919 Speaker 4: Gave these tech bros this zone where they can conduct 596 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:40,760 Speaker 4: unregulated medical experimentation and treatments and things like that. And 597 00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:44,160 Speaker 4: this is the drug trafficking ex president who Trump just pardoned, 598 00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:47,399 Speaker 4: which raised questions about whether these tech guys had something 599 00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:49,160 Speaker 4: to do with it. I'm not sure if they did, 600 00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:53,320 Speaker 4: but Roger Stone, in a memo supporting the pardon, said 601 00:27:53,320 --> 00:27:55,400 Speaker 4: that we can save this freedom city. That's what they're 602 00:27:55,440 --> 00:27:57,960 Speaker 4: calling these things, freedom cities. There's also plans to build 603 00:27:58,000 --> 00:28:00,280 Speaker 4: something called Praxis, a I think, a city of half 604 00:28:00,359 --> 00:28:03,160 Speaker 4: a million somewhere. It was going to be in the Mediterranean, 605 00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:04,800 Speaker 4: there was going to be in Greenland, that it was 606 00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:07,280 Speaker 4: going to be in Santa Barbara than it was going 607 00:28:07,320 --> 00:28:09,760 Speaker 4: to be now they're in South Africa looking around. But 608 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:12,399 Speaker 4: that guy Dryden Brown claims to have five hundred and 609 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:15,080 Speaker 4: twenty five million dollars in financing to do this, so 610 00:28:15,119 --> 00:28:18,320 Speaker 4: there does seem to be a move toward making it real. 611 00:28:18,480 --> 00:28:20,840 Speaker 4: The more important part for us, though, is that Trump 612 00:28:20,920 --> 00:28:24,040 Speaker 4: in his campaign plan for twenty twenty four, had a 613 00:28:24,080 --> 00:28:27,920 Speaker 4: plan to build ten so called freedom cities. These would 614 00:28:27,960 --> 00:28:30,679 Speaker 4: be zones that would be given to corporations on federal 615 00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:34,280 Speaker 4: land to build these new regulation free zones. And this 616 00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:37,080 Speaker 4: is exactly how of the Network State playbook to start 617 00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:41,720 Speaker 4: creating these zones that over time can negotiate for sovereignty 618 00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:43,920 Speaker 4: from their host government. And if you look around, this 619 00:28:43,960 --> 00:28:47,640 Speaker 4: is happening in Canada it's happening in the UK and England. 620 00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:52,080 Speaker 4: There's this rush of investors, inventor capitalists to create zones 621 00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:54,720 Speaker 4: where they don't have to play by the rules of democracy. 622 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:57,960 Speaker 4: At a time when democracies are challenged and when the 623 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:00,640 Speaker 4: wealth inequality is spiraling out of control, they want. They 624 00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:03,520 Speaker 4: call it exit, like you would exit a company after 625 00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:05,360 Speaker 4: you get enough out of it, like brexit. 626 00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:07,880 Speaker 5: Yeah, it's their own version of Brexit's the texit. 627 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:08,200 Speaker 3: You know. 628 00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:10,000 Speaker 4: They want to get out. We got our money, we 629 00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:11,600 Speaker 4: want to get out and do our own thing. There's 630 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:13,200 Speaker 4: no reason why we should be connected to you. 631 00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:13,840 Speaker 5: You're going to fail. 632 00:29:13,880 --> 00:29:17,160 Speaker 4: That's their attitude, and it's pretty shocking to see them 633 00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:19,360 Speaker 4: say it out loud. But Bolasystring of Austin's written a 634 00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:20,960 Speaker 4: whole book about this, and you can read it online 635 00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:21,280 Speaker 4: for free. 636 00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:22,240 Speaker 5: It's called The Network State. 637 00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:24,360 Speaker 4: There's even a one sentence version of it, so if 638 00:29:24,360 --> 00:29:27,200 Speaker 4: any of this sounds crazy, you can look it up yourself. 639 00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:29,960 Speaker 4: And that book's been praised by Mark Andriesen and Brian Armstrong, 640 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:33,520 Speaker 4: the CEO of Coinbase and novel Rabicon. To billionaire investor, 641 00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:36,120 Speaker 4: I mean, these are crazy ideas, but when you have 642 00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:39,400 Speaker 4: billionaires backing them, they become threateningly dangerous and real. 643 00:29:39,680 --> 00:29:42,840 Speaker 2: Right, And also they've had some success with Vance. 644 00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:45,040 Speaker 1: Talk to me about I mean, they put one of 645 00:29:45,040 --> 00:29:47,240 Speaker 1: their guys in as vice president. 646 00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:48,480 Speaker 5: Right, definitely. JD. 647 00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:51,680 Speaker 4: Vance is almost entirely a creation of Peter tel. Ever 648 00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:54,080 Speaker 4: since he got out of law school, his whole career 649 00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:58,480 Speaker 4: has pretty much been supported, funded, bankrolled by Peter Til. 650 00:29:58,680 --> 00:30:00,880 Speaker 4: He became a venture capitalist for a few years, was 651 00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:04,680 Speaker 4: pretty lackluster at that, didn't really do anything massive. And 652 00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:07,360 Speaker 4: then when he decided to run for office, he was 653 00:30:07,360 --> 00:30:09,680 Speaker 4: bankrolled by Peter TiO, who's spent fifteen million dollars to 654 00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:12,560 Speaker 4: get him elected and also made peace between Vance and 655 00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:15,240 Speaker 4: Trump because Vance had previously referred to Trump as America's 656 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:18,320 Speaker 4: hitler and as an opioid and as someone who's morally 657 00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:22,400 Speaker 4: unfit to hold office, and that's sort of his origin story. 658 00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:25,600 Speaker 4: They got one of their own guys in office, somebody 659 00:30:25,600 --> 00:30:29,760 Speaker 4: who quotes Curtis Jarvin approvingly. Jarbin's idea of purging the 660 00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:33,920 Speaker 4: government and making it into an authoritarian system that serves 661 00:30:33,960 --> 00:30:37,000 Speaker 4: the dictator. Yeah, it's pretty horrifying. And people didn't really 662 00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:39,120 Speaker 4: write about that last year, and they didn't write about 663 00:30:39,120 --> 00:30:41,680 Speaker 4: it until this year, which is shocking because people should 664 00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:43,640 Speaker 4: have known about that before the election. I feel like 665 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:46,600 Speaker 4: if Curtis Jarvin was black and Kamala Harris was quoting him, 666 00:30:46,640 --> 00:30:48,600 Speaker 4: we would have heard about it NonStop until she was 667 00:30:48,640 --> 00:30:50,240 Speaker 4: pushed off the ticket. It would have been a national, 668 00:30:50,320 --> 00:30:53,640 Speaker 4: international scandal. But Vance just completely skated on that. It's 669 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:54,320 Speaker 4: pretty shocking. 670 00:30:54,560 --> 00:30:58,479 Speaker 2: I wonder if you could just tell us sort of 671 00:30:58,760 --> 00:31:01,760 Speaker 2: what you think, if you're a person listening to this 672 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:04,920 Speaker 2: and you're horrified, what you would say they should do. 673 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:08,240 Speaker 4: Become more aware of this stuff, and I'd say, urge 674 00:31:08,240 --> 00:31:11,160 Speaker 4: your politicians to start speaking out against the radicalization of 675 00:31:11,160 --> 00:31:13,320 Speaker 4: the Silicon Valley. One of the problems we have is 676 00:31:13,360 --> 00:31:16,160 Speaker 4: that politicians won't take these guys on. Everyone's afraid of 677 00:31:16,160 --> 00:31:19,320 Speaker 4: Silicon Valley or worse, they want the billionaire money for 678 00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:22,560 Speaker 4: their campaigns. For a long time, Democrats have told themselves 679 00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:25,000 Speaker 4: a story that Silicon Valley is about innovation and it's 680 00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:26,760 Speaker 4: about the future, and we really need them. 681 00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:27,760 Speaker 5: That has changed. 682 00:31:27,760 --> 00:31:31,600 Speaker 4: Silicon Valley right now is mostly about fascism until further notice, 683 00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:34,720 Speaker 4: and if the politicians won't speak out against it, people 684 00:31:34,760 --> 00:31:36,800 Speaker 4: won't become more aware of it. What's happening is that 685 00:31:36,840 --> 00:31:38,920 Speaker 4: there is a growing awareness. The Financial Times did a 686 00:31:38,920 --> 00:31:41,560 Speaker 4: big story over the weekend about the network state plans 687 00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:43,680 Speaker 4: and the trying to build these cities, and it seems 688 00:31:43,800 --> 00:31:46,160 Speaker 4: like the I did a little sentiment analysis, people are 689 00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:50,000 Speaker 4: mostly horrified and shocked by this, and online some of 690 00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:52,760 Speaker 4: the people who are involved in it, like Paulsishrina Boston, 691 00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:55,400 Speaker 4: have been in a bit of a panic and they're 692 00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:57,960 Speaker 4: afraid there's going to be a backlash to tech and 693 00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:00,480 Speaker 4: it's crazy plans. So everything we can do to encourage 694 00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:03,520 Speaker 4: that backlash is very important because a lot of politics 695 00:32:03,560 --> 00:32:05,800 Speaker 4: of psychological warfare, and I feel like a lot of 696 00:32:05,800 --> 00:32:08,400 Speaker 4: people have been feeling like it's over, We're a fascist country, 697 00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:10,760 Speaker 4: nothing we can do. That's not true at all. Trump 698 00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:13,080 Speaker 4: is failing. His poll numbers are thinking he doesn't have 699 00:32:13,120 --> 00:32:15,120 Speaker 4: the guts to go full authoritarian, even though some of 700 00:32:15,120 --> 00:32:16,880 Speaker 4: these tech bros are urging him to do that. And 701 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:19,320 Speaker 4: the more we can scare them into realizing they're going 702 00:32:19,400 --> 00:32:22,240 Speaker 4: to fail and they should be afraid of consequences, the 703 00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:25,160 Speaker 4: better off will be. So urge your politicians to talk 704 00:32:25,160 --> 00:32:27,640 Speaker 4: about it, Urge your favorite journalists to write about it. 705 00:32:27,760 --> 00:32:30,800 Speaker 4: People need to understand the degree to which tech fascism 706 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:34,200 Speaker 4: is guiding the Trump project right now. It's a crucial 707 00:32:34,440 --> 00:32:38,520 Speaker 4: partner with this destructive attack on our democracy, and we 708 00:32:38,680 --> 00:32:40,520 Speaker 4: can't let it slide. 709 00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:43,720 Speaker 2: Yeah no, I think that's really important. Thank you, Gil, 710 00:32:43,960 --> 00:32:44,280 Speaker 2: Thank you. 711 00:32:45,040 --> 00:32:49,440 Speaker 1: That's it for this episode of Fast Politics. Tune in 712 00:32:49,760 --> 00:32:55,200 Speaker 1: every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday to hear the best 713 00:32:55,280 --> 00:32:57,560 Speaker 1: minds and politics make sense. 714 00:32:57,240 --> 00:33:00,920 Speaker 2: Of all this chaos. If you would enjoy this podcast, 715 00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:04,720 Speaker 2: please send it to a friend and keep the conversation going. 716 00:33:05,160 --> 00:33:06,280 Speaker 2: Thanks for listening.