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 --> 00:00:09,440 Speaker 1: today's best minds and. 4 00:00:09,640 --> 00:00:15,840 Speaker 2: A priipolls as eight and ten Americans prefer the US 5 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:19,720 Speaker 2: be made up of people all over the world. That's 6 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:23,239 Speaker 2: eighty percent of all Americans. We have such a great 7 00:00:23,239 --> 00:00:26,360 Speaker 2: show for you today. The Lincoln Project's owner, Rick Wilson 8 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:30,800 Speaker 2: joins us to talk about the Big Beautiful Bills, raw 9 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:33,919 Speaker 2: deal for the American people. Then we'll talk to New 10 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 2: York City Councilmen Justin Brannan about his run for New 11 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:43,519 Speaker 2: York City Comptroller and how the job can change citizens' lives. 12 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:44,279 Speaker 2: But first the. 13 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:48,199 Speaker 3: News Molly, so raden up seems like he's not so 14 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 3: hot on the budget and a lot of these cuts 15 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:53,480 Speaker 3: that are happening in the Big Beautiful Bill. 16 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 2: So I always think we should pause because a lot 17 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 2: of these Republicans want you to think one thing and 18 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 2: then end up voting with Trump. So as much as look, 19 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:08,560 Speaker 2: am I glad that Ron and On thinks that the 20 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 2: bill poses major consequences for taxes and more and warns 21 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:16,760 Speaker 2: there enough to you, peace Centator is to block it. Yes, 22 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:20,280 Speaker 2: do I wonder if they're just trying to push a 23 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 2: few things they want and then they'll support it. Probably. No, 24 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:27,760 Speaker 2: I don't think you should give these Republicans the benefit 25 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,480 Speaker 2: of the doubt. Also, remember, I just think it's so 26 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 2: interesting how Jake Tapper is now getting the Republicans he 27 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 2: wants on the show. It's just such a coincidence. And 28 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 2: dut Johnson, what are the odds that you'd write a 29 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 2: book and then all of a sudden you'd get more 30 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 2: Republicans on your show. Interesting, Look, there are other Republicans 31 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:55,720 Speaker 2: who are blocking this legislation, and for now we'll see 32 00:01:55,720 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 2: what happens. Like this bill, they think they're going to 33 00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:01,160 Speaker 2: get a pass by July fourth, Maybe they will. Maybe 34 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 2: the Senate is filled with the same level of cowardice 35 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 2: as the House is. Certainly you would not go broke voting, 36 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:13,800 Speaker 2: you would not go broke betting on Republican cowardice. But 37 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 2: you got people like Grand Paul who really want to 38 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:21,840 Speaker 2: cut social programs and hurt people in order to save money, 39 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:26,160 Speaker 2: which again that is a Republican trope. And you have 40 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:29,520 Speaker 2: people the party, you have a lot. It's a big 41 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:32,839 Speaker 2: tent of it's actually not a big tent, but there 42 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:38,120 Speaker 2: are real, very conservative conservatives who care only about the deficits, 43 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:40,720 Speaker 2: and we'll see what happens. But I don't have a 44 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:42,840 Speaker 2: ton of faith in any of these Republicans. 45 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 3: So, as always, one of Republicans' favorite things to do 46 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:50,800 Speaker 3: is pretend they didn't see the suite, pretend they didn't 47 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 3: hear about the thing, when we all know that they've 48 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 3: heard about it. But they know how to play the 49 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:58,639 Speaker 3: media because they'll be let off the hook and they're 50 00:02:58,639 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 3: not going to follow up a week later because there'll 51 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:02,720 Speaker 3: be a storm more there. We have storm more of 52 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 3: corrupt things Trump has done. But Mike Johnson is pretending 53 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 3: he's too busy to care about Trump's crypto grift dinner. 54 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:14,160 Speaker 2: Yeah. Look, Mike Johnson serves at the pleasure of Donald Trump. 55 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:17,360 Speaker 2: He was installed to be Donald Trump's lackey. He serves 56 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:23,360 Speaker 2: as Donald Trump's lackey. He makes Paul Ryan look like Lincoln. 57 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 2: I'm right, So again, he didn't see it. He doesn't. 58 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:30,639 Speaker 2: It's good because it's out in the open. I mean, 59 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 2: there's like think about saying that about any other crime. 60 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:35,520 Speaker 2: It's good that it's out in the open. It's good 61 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:38,920 Speaker 2: she shoplifts so we all can see it's an insane 62 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:40,640 Speaker 2: It is an insane thing to say. 63 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:46,840 Speaker 3: Yeah, speaking of insane, the Republicans snuck a provision into 64 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:50,360 Speaker 3: their megabill that would let Trump defy the courts. 65 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:54,520 Speaker 2: Yes, look, this bill is filled with pork. And this 66 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:57,800 Speaker 2: is another one. They've snuck all sorts of shit in here. 67 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 2: Here's one that says it is a This is from Dahlia. 68 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:07,400 Speaker 2: Let's everyone's favorite. And they talk about this friend of 69 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 2: the pods, I think Dhalia. They talk about this bill 70 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:16,640 Speaker 2: that would really has all sorts of stuff in there 71 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:22,400 Speaker 2: about not preventing judges from being able to be I mean, look, 72 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:25,520 Speaker 2: the whole goal of Trumpism right now is to defy 73 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:28,919 Speaker 2: the judiciary because the judiciary isn't doing what they want, 74 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:33,279 Speaker 2: so they've targeted them. And again, this is a provision 75 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:36,360 Speaker 2: this Republican bill. Here's an article from the New York Times. 76 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:40,479 Speaker 2: Republican bill would limit judges contempt power. So a sprawling 77 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:44,520 Speaker 2: domestic policy bill Republicans are pushing through on Tuesday would 78 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 2: limit the power of federal judges to hold people in contempt. 79 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:51,640 Speaker 2: This would shield Trump and members of the administration from 80 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:56,440 Speaker 2: the consequence of violating court orders. If you ever needed 81 00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:00,560 Speaker 2: to they're showing you what they're going to do, just 82 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:04,080 Speaker 2: like Mike Johnson says out in the open. 83 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:08,960 Speaker 3: YEP, So the Supreme Court is going to help Doze 84 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:12,880 Speaker 3: avoid turning over records in this lawsuit from Crew and 85 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 3: I think as usual we're seeing everybody's like, oh good, 86 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:19,320 Speaker 3: the court's pushing back, but we're seeing where those limits are, 87 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:22,600 Speaker 3: and those limits, as usual are corruption. 88 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:26,680 Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean, look, there's been some pushback from the 89 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 2: courts and that is good. But Judge Roberts, John Roberts 90 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:36,080 Speaker 2: is still very much a maga judge. Right at the 91 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:38,800 Speaker 2: end of the day. Well, you may not let Trump 92 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:45,760 Speaker 2: completely disembowel the federal government. It's pretty close. So you know, 93 00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:49,360 Speaker 2: this is where we are. So it's good that they're 94 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:53,080 Speaker 2: doing some things. They're certainly not going to do what 95 00:05:53,279 --> 00:05:54,960 Speaker 2: is needed in this situation. 96 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:55,840 Speaker 4: Yeah. 97 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:58,880 Speaker 3: And friend of the pod David Sirota, who's been on head, 98 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:01,320 Speaker 3: did that podcast The Master Plan that showed that John 99 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:04,320 Speaker 3: Roberts actually wrote lots of papers on why things like 100 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 3: this would be good and was very into the style 101 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:12,880 Speaker 3: of corruption correct. 102 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:17,640 Speaker 2: Rick Wilson is the founder of the Lincoln Project and 103 00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:21,200 Speaker 2: the host of the Enemy's List. Welcome to past politics. 104 00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:24,520 Speaker 4: Rick Wilson, Molly John Fast, how are you this fine day? 105 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 2: I am cycling through a pretty severe gaze of laryngitis, 106 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:30,599 Speaker 2: but I'm still moving. 107 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:32,480 Speaker 4: But you know, you're a damn professional, so you're going 108 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:33,880 Speaker 4: to do the work and make it happen. 109 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:37,840 Speaker 2: Not It's at least I'm not at Seacott yet. 110 00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:41,800 Speaker 4: You know, I do think the idea of the cut 111 00:06:41,839 --> 00:06:44,480 Speaker 4: would probably not be salutary for your health, and your 112 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:47,360 Speaker 4: voice would probably not work out as well as as 113 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:48,280 Speaker 4: some might think. 114 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:52,200 Speaker 2: So let's talk about what this weekend has brought. The 115 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:59,680 Speaker 2: big beautiful bell of buxom billionaires bankrupting benevolent, seemingly benevolent 116 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:02,400 Speaker 2: federal institutions goes on. 117 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:05,880 Speaker 4: Look at the big beautiful bill. It's gonna turn out, 118 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 4: I think, in a weird way, the fiscal impacts are 119 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:11,280 Speaker 4: going to be catastrophic for the country. We're having all 120 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:14,520 Speaker 4: this new debt, the deficit. The bond market's already going whoa, 121 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:17,920 Speaker 4: whoaoa eas up, what's this about? But the stuff we're 122 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:22,040 Speaker 4: finding inside the big beautiful bill that's even crazier, like 123 00:07:22,440 --> 00:07:25,560 Speaker 4: no regulation on AI for ten years and all these 124 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:28,560 Speaker 4: special carve outs for different companies and different people and 125 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 4: bitcoin and all this other stuff. It's just underneath the 126 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:34,640 Speaker 4: surface in this thing. I think it's going to turn 127 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:38,800 Speaker 4: out to be an even uglier and more catastrophic and 128 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 4: shittier outcome even than the skeptics. And I certainly count 129 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:45,920 Speaker 4: myself among them, even among what the skeptics of this 130 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:50,400 Speaker 4: bill thought would happen. It's looking much worse than it 131 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:53,160 Speaker 4: did in the in the early going. And I think 132 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:55,679 Speaker 4: we're going to end up, you know, with the Senate, 133 00:07:55,720 --> 00:07:58,840 Speaker 4: because Thune is saying to people basically, you know, we're 134 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:01,200 Speaker 4: gonna we're gonna we're gonna juice this thing through there, 135 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:03,240 Speaker 4: and it's going to happen. And and look all the 136 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:05,600 Speaker 4: all the brave people in the Senate, you know, and 137 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:08,120 Speaker 4: we know how that's going to end there. Every Republican 138 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:10,040 Speaker 4: is going to vote for the damn thing, and a 139 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:11,880 Speaker 4: half a dozen Democrats are going to vote for the 140 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:13,920 Speaker 4: damn thing. And I think it's. 141 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:16,240 Speaker 2: Just really I don't think I have a dozen Democrats 142 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 2: are going to vote for it, fetterman. I mean, I 143 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:21,480 Speaker 2: think I think that it's going to get changed. I mean, 144 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:24,000 Speaker 2: whether or not it gets worse or best. 145 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 4: See Okay, I will, I will take that. I don't 146 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:28,880 Speaker 4: think they're necessarily going to vote for the bill in 147 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:32,360 Speaker 4: its House form, but they're going to have. The Senate's 148 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:34,400 Speaker 4: going to have input on this. But I don't think 149 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:37,400 Speaker 4: it's going to be something that really revises the worst 150 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:39,040 Speaker 4: aspects of it. I think it's going to end up 151 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:42,320 Speaker 4: still being a giveaway, you know, a tax cut for 152 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:45,360 Speaker 4: Elon Musk and a and even And I've beaten my 153 00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:48,520 Speaker 4: head against the wall on this until I'm until I'm migrained. 154 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:51,280 Speaker 4: All of you Republicans who think you're getting a tax 155 00:08:51,320 --> 00:08:53,520 Speaker 4: cut out of this bill, who do not happen to 156 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:55,959 Speaker 4: make over about two million dollars a year, all of 157 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:57,880 Speaker 4: you think you're getting a tax cut. Some of you 158 00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:00,640 Speaker 4: will be getting a tiny little taste that expires in 159 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:02,959 Speaker 4: two years. The costs at the top of the ticket 160 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:06,480 Speaker 4: are forever. Y'all's middle class tax cut is sunset, it. 161 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:10,120 Speaker 2: Enjoy So I'm not sure what's going to happen next. 162 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:14,360 Speaker 2: But I wonder how much pushback would work on this, 163 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:17,800 Speaker 2: like people going out there, because what we've seen in 164 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:21,640 Speaker 2: this administration is there's a real reason Elon Musk is 165 00:09:21,679 --> 00:09:24,840 Speaker 2: no longer running the federal government, and you couldn't say 166 00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:28,520 Speaker 2: he got what he wanted. But I think he wanted 167 00:09:28,559 --> 00:09:31,720 Speaker 2: to stay forever and ever I say so too. Yeah, 168 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:35,199 Speaker 2: so now he is gone, and there was a reason 169 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:40,000 Speaker 2: because he pulled more poorly than the bubonic. So the question. 170 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:43,560 Speaker 4: Is, Molly, that's one hundred percent right. Elon wanted to 171 00:09:44,040 --> 00:09:46,560 Speaker 4: keep playing with the levers of government. It's the perfect 172 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:49,480 Speaker 4: nerd toy, right. He wanted to keep like tweaking things 173 00:09:49,480 --> 00:09:52,120 Speaker 4: and playing with doge and getting people's data, all this stuff. 174 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:55,559 Speaker 4: He reached the end of his runway. They were getting 175 00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:58,079 Speaker 4: intolerant of him. You're right, he was as popular as 176 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:02,719 Speaker 4: the plague. People in Washington who who were willing to 177 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:07,840 Speaker 4: wait him out finally lost patience and they and you know, 178 00:10:07,960 --> 00:10:11,160 Speaker 4: accommodation of Susie Wiles and Scott Beston and a bunch 179 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:13,360 Speaker 4: of other folks at the cabinet level, you know, none 180 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:17,560 Speaker 4: of whom singularly were as powerful as Elon Musk, but 181 00:10:17,720 --> 00:10:21,520 Speaker 4: collectively they managed to change the public environment. And when 182 00:10:21,520 --> 00:10:24,120 Speaker 4: they started leaking those stories that said Elon's on the 183 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:27,160 Speaker 4: way out, Elon is doomed. Must did not understand what 184 00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:29,480 Speaker 4: was happening to him in the DC world. Now, look, 185 00:10:29,640 --> 00:10:31,679 Speaker 4: he's going to try to come back in. He's going 186 00:10:31,679 --> 00:10:33,480 Speaker 4: to try to stay in the orbit. He's going to 187 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:36,280 Speaker 4: try to you know, stay his best buddy to the president, 188 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:38,360 Speaker 4: all those things that he kind of really enjoyed in 189 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:41,320 Speaker 4: this process so that he can continue with his fuckery. 190 00:10:41,559 --> 00:10:44,160 Speaker 4: And I think he will have some marginal success with that. 191 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:47,040 Speaker 4: But look, he did get one set of things he wanted. 192 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:49,440 Speaker 4: He got rid of regulators who look at Tesla, right, 193 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:52,200 Speaker 4: he got rid of regulations about self driving cars. He 194 00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:56,640 Speaker 4: got rid of regulations about the rocket, you know, right. 195 00:10:57,160 --> 00:11:00,640 Speaker 2: But again, like all of this, none of this is 196 00:11:00,679 --> 00:11:04,760 Speaker 2: a facto company. All of this could change. All of this, 197 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:08,480 Speaker 2: can you know? The more that people push back, I mean, 198 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:11,079 Speaker 2: it really does work, and that's what we see. And 199 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:15,000 Speaker 2: an example I think is the tariffs, right, I mean 200 00:11:15,080 --> 00:11:18,640 Speaker 2: the tariffs. Obviously Trump is completely crazy about tariffs, but 201 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:23,720 Speaker 2: ultimately I think the market thinks and maybe they're wrong, 202 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:27,960 Speaker 2: maybe they're right that they can that they can eventually 203 00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:30,480 Speaker 2: wear him down to not do that. That they are 204 00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:33,440 Speaker 2: threats but not actual levers. 205 00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:35,640 Speaker 4: I didn't make this up, but I love it. The 206 00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:37,920 Speaker 4: phrase that was floating around on Friday after Trump made 207 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:41,480 Speaker 4: more crazy tariffs, talk about Apple paying more in Europe 208 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:45,800 Speaker 4: paying more? Is taco? Trump always chickens out yeah on 209 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:48,240 Speaker 4: the tearffs, And that has been the pattern so far, 210 00:11:48,280 --> 00:11:51,040 Speaker 4: which is why the markets have kept playing the roller 211 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:54,640 Speaker 4: coaster game where he says something crazy, the market reacts badly, 212 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:57,760 Speaker 4: he shuts up for two days, market comes back, He 213 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:01,240 Speaker 4: waits a little bit, says something crazy. This roller coaster. 214 00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:05,640 Speaker 4: But if the taco rule actually works, and if the 215 00:12:05,679 --> 00:12:09,440 Speaker 4: taco rule holds up, then the markets are anticipating we 216 00:12:09,480 --> 00:12:13,200 Speaker 4: will be out of this tariff window in some reasonably 217 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:15,400 Speaker 4: short period of time. I don't think that's true. I 218 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:18,640 Speaker 4: think it's crap. I think he's going to absolutely keep 219 00:12:18,679 --> 00:12:21,439 Speaker 4: playing with the terarift stuff because he's obsessive about it, 220 00:12:21,800 --> 00:12:23,600 Speaker 4: and it's like one of the only things I talked 221 00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:25,200 Speaker 4: to you, and I talked about this before. It's one 222 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:27,880 Speaker 4: of the only things he believes in. He doesn't believe 223 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:30,760 Speaker 4: it a lot, but for whatever reason in his weird, 224 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:32,559 Speaker 4: fucked up history, he believes in terrorists. 225 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:35,560 Speaker 2: I am not going to try to predict the future, 226 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:39,760 Speaker 2: but I will say that you have accurately predicted the 227 00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:43,040 Speaker 2: future with one thing very well, So I'm gonna read 228 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:45,719 Speaker 2: you aheadline from Fortune, and I think you're going to 229 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:50,040 Speaker 2: appreciate it. Okay, influencer, excuse me, I run a dog 230 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:52,760 Speaker 2: kennel for those of you who hear little booboo in 231 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:56,960 Speaker 2: the background. Influencer who attended Trump's mean Coin dinner says 232 00:12:57,000 --> 00:13:02,720 Speaker 2: he got a quote Walmart steak and no access to 233 00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:04,439 Speaker 2: the president discuss. 234 00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:08,640 Speaker 4: Look, I've seen the photos. It is a It is 235 00:13:08,679 --> 00:13:10,480 Speaker 4: a piece of meat that if it was being rated 236 00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:13,000 Speaker 4: by the FDA would have been substandard, but edible with 237 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:15,800 Speaker 4: a piece of fish and some mashed potatoes and a carrot. 238 00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:18,400 Speaker 4: If you're paying a million plus bucks for that dinner, 239 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:22,120 Speaker 4: you I can recommend any number of Michelin restaurants that 240 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:24,240 Speaker 4: would do a lot better for you, with many fewer 241 00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:25,600 Speaker 4: zeros involved in the bill. 242 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:30,920 Speaker 2: Trump organic field green salad an entre duet of Philet 243 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:34,920 Speaker 2: Mignon and Pansy or to Ali. But everyone on my 244 00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:37,280 Speaker 2: table was saying the food was some of the worst 245 00:13:37,280 --> 00:13:38,320 Speaker 2: food they'd ever had. 246 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:41,760 Speaker 4: It looked like dorm food. It looked like dorm food. 247 00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:44,160 Speaker 4: It looked like it wasn't quite prison food, but it 248 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:47,840 Speaker 4: looked like dorm food. And and this is the classic 249 00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:49,800 Speaker 4: thing about Trump. When you go to one of his 250 00:13:49,880 --> 00:13:52,800 Speaker 4: clubs or his golf courses, they have like the like 251 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:56,400 Speaker 4: them from a mile away. They look like what Trump 252 00:13:56,600 --> 00:14:00,280 Speaker 4: believed classy things look like. And Trump's the only person 253 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:02,720 Speaker 4: the word who would use where it's like CLESSI without 254 00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:05,840 Speaker 4: run right, But when you get up close, it's garbage. 255 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:08,640 Speaker 4: It's all. It's all, you know, it's all a very 256 00:14:08,679 --> 00:14:13,160 Speaker 4: thin sheen of t mouse style ornamentation and decoration. You know, 257 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:16,000 Speaker 4: the Oval Office is in the Oval Office. Came from 258 00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:19,360 Speaker 4: fucking hobby lobby, you know, just it's not So it 259 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:23,520 Speaker 4: shouldn't surprise these crypto guys that that they are now 260 00:14:23,560 --> 00:14:27,320 Speaker 4: on the on the next generation of suckers, that Donald 261 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:30,640 Speaker 4: Trump has suckered and look his the scope of his 262 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:34,960 Speaker 4: corruption is increasing. It is certainly vastly wider than it 263 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:38,760 Speaker 4: was in twenty sixteen, back in twenty seventeen, in the 264 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:41,160 Speaker 4: first term. Back then he was like, yeah, you're gonna 265 00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:43,200 Speaker 4: have to stay in my hotel and pay ten thousand 266 00:14:43,280 --> 00:14:44,000 Speaker 4: dollars a night. 267 00:14:44,360 --> 00:14:46,840 Speaker 2: It's gone a little more sophisticated. 268 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:50,360 Speaker 4: Now there's some more zeros on the end, and this 269 00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:57,160 Speaker 4: they are the Trump boys are absolutely using the perceived 270 00:14:57,240 --> 00:15:01,320 Speaker 4: threat of Trump's anger and sanction against folks at the 271 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:03,920 Speaker 4: companies in Vietnam. If here had the Times this morning, 272 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:08,840 Speaker 4: Vietnam has fast tracked a Trump golf resort and through 273 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:12,360 Speaker 4: this environmentally since that area because they want to keep 274 00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:14,360 Speaker 4: Donald Trump happy and they want to have wanted to 275 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:16,400 Speaker 4: undo the trade sanction, so they're buying a ship ton 276 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:20,080 Speaker 4: of starlinks and letting Trump build a golf course. The 277 00:15:20,160 --> 00:15:24,760 Speaker 4: corruption is kind of crude and clownish, but it is 278 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:27,920 Speaker 4: it is. This is the best business Trump has ever run, 279 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:30,080 Speaker 4: This big scam, this grift of rama is the best 280 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:31,560 Speaker 4: business Trump has ever run. 281 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:36,560 Speaker 2: So let's talk a little bit about what what's happening 282 00:15:36,880 --> 00:15:41,040 Speaker 2: now with Trump and this grift he I mean, I 283 00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:44,000 Speaker 2: just want to do one more question about this dinner 284 00:15:44,120 --> 00:15:48,040 Speaker 2: because at this dinner people complained that they didn't actually 285 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:53,640 Speaker 2: like So the complaints from sort of ethics watchdogs, whatever 286 00:15:53,800 --> 00:15:56,760 Speaker 2: few are left, was like, they're buying access to the president. 287 00:15:57,160 --> 00:16:00,600 Speaker 2: But because this is Trump and everything Trump touches die, 288 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:04,800 Speaker 2: they actually didn't even get to meet him or elon. 289 00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:07,880 Speaker 2: So he was selling axes and they didn't even get 290 00:16:07,880 --> 00:16:09,240 Speaker 2: the ax Look, what. 291 00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:12,800 Speaker 4: Are they going to do? Sue him? No, complain he 292 00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:16,040 Speaker 4: might regulate them then, because look, we all know Trump 293 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:18,440 Speaker 4: can turn on a dime on any issue. He used 294 00:16:18,480 --> 00:16:20,720 Speaker 4: to be anti crypto and now he's pro crypto. Yeah, 295 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:22,440 Speaker 4: and so these guys are going to pretend this was 296 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:26,080 Speaker 4: you know, this was you know, this an error or 297 00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:28,640 Speaker 4: a mistake, and they they'll shake his hand next time. 298 00:16:28,960 --> 00:16:31,560 Speaker 4: But this is another part of this that I think 299 00:16:31,640 --> 00:16:35,800 Speaker 4: is really important. And and Trump loves to look down 300 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:39,000 Speaker 4: on people who buy into his stick. You know, let's 301 00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:42,600 Speaker 4: remember that he said to his staff during the last administration, 302 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:46,120 Speaker 4: his own follows, they're crazy. These people are crazy. Trump 303 00:16:46,280 --> 00:16:49,480 Speaker 4: has always looked down on the suckers who buy into 304 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:52,760 Speaker 4: the Trump myth. This guy's are these crypto guys, They 305 00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:56,480 Speaker 4: are tech folks. But essentially he's relying on the fact 306 00:16:56,520 --> 00:16:59,840 Speaker 4: that they are at a certain level fundamentally unsophisticated people 307 00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:03,440 Speaker 4: that comes to understanding that he will screw them. It's 308 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:05,720 Speaker 4: it's it's only that we can look at a fifty 309 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:08,399 Speaker 4: year history of Donald Trump's business dealings and see that 310 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:11,800 Speaker 4: in every single case, he has fucked his business partners, 311 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:14,600 Speaker 4: he has screwed his vendors, he has screwed people that 312 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:18,280 Speaker 4: that that built these projects of his and it never stops. 313 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:21,439 Speaker 4: It has never once stopped. And so these these new 314 00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:23,760 Speaker 4: crypto folks who are like, oh, we're gonna buych trump 315 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:27,080 Speaker 4: coin at all, But why does how much you're just 316 00:17:27,080 --> 00:17:29,960 Speaker 4: buying him to bribe them? It's just for the bribe. 317 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:34,600 Speaker 2: Why has everyone forgotten what Trump one point zero was, like, 318 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:37,919 Speaker 2: I mean like it wasn't even that long ago, but 319 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:41,000 Speaker 2: it seems like like, let's look back as people who 320 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:46,200 Speaker 2: were in that administration, like Rudy Giuliani was his central tenant. Yeah, 321 00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:48,200 Speaker 2: I mean that guy, what even a hamane. 322 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:52,080 Speaker 4: Look, Rudy is Rudy is now, you know, out sending 323 00:17:52,119 --> 00:17:55,320 Speaker 4: desperate emails to conservative email lists. The Deep States still 324 00:17:55,320 --> 00:17:57,680 Speaker 4: trying to put me in jail. All right, well maybe 325 00:17:57,680 --> 00:18:00,960 Speaker 4: you shouldn't be a fucking them idiot. But look, everybody 326 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:04,640 Speaker 4: who's gone through Trump's the cycle of Trump, learns lessons. 327 00:18:04,760 --> 00:18:07,040 Speaker 4: I mean, think about Sarah Hockey Standers, one of the 328 00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:11,560 Speaker 4: most loyal, obsequious Trump people during and after, and is 329 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:14,520 Speaker 4: he's sending Arkansas any federal aid for these for the 330 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:17,520 Speaker 4: hurricanes and stuff? No, or her tornadoes and stuff. No, 331 00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:20,919 Speaker 4: Look at Tennessee, a loyal Trump state, do they get 332 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:21,400 Speaker 4: any help. 333 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:21,639 Speaker 5: No. 334 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:24,440 Speaker 4: Look at North Carolina, state that voted for Trump repeatedly, 335 00:18:24,680 --> 00:18:27,399 Speaker 4: he cut off the rest of the FEMA aid for 336 00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:30,840 Speaker 4: Hurricane Helen cleanup, and it's and western North Carolina is 337 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:33,359 Speaker 4: still a real mess. Roads are still out, bridges are 338 00:18:33,359 --> 00:18:35,440 Speaker 4: still out. And Trump she said, no, no more for you. 339 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:38,760 Speaker 4: Everybody who who he builds a bond of trust with, 340 00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:42,239 Speaker 4: he is contemptuous of them. He hates them because they 341 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:44,480 Speaker 4: trust him. He knows who he is more than they 342 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:46,360 Speaker 4: know who he is. I guess how i'd put it. 343 00:18:47,080 --> 00:18:50,240 Speaker 2: So, Yeah, it's a really important point. And I think 344 00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:54,280 Speaker 2: so does that make you less despairing about the state 345 00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:55,480 Speaker 2: of American democracy? 346 00:18:55,800 --> 00:18:58,359 Speaker 4: No, I still think we're in some deep water. I 347 00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:02,359 Speaker 4: really do, because like it or not, like it or not, 348 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:07,880 Speaker 4: he still has three years left. And while I'm concerned 349 00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:11,040 Speaker 4: about the systemic kinds of things, the Project twenty twenty 350 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:13,520 Speaker 4: five kind of stuff, that's that should concern all of us, 351 00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:16,399 Speaker 4: by the way, I'm also concerned that he is so 352 00:19:16,640 --> 00:19:20,520 Speaker 4: random and his brain is so broken. And again, no 353 00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:24,199 Speaker 4: one was earlier on this than George Conway back in 354 00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:26,199 Speaker 4: twenty sixteen, and a lot of those folks who were 355 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:29,000 Speaker 4: saying this guy's unstable. This guy's unstable, this guy's brain 356 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:32,640 Speaker 4: is rot And I in writing a piece last week 357 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:35,840 Speaker 4: about you know, or preparing for a video piece I 358 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:38,200 Speaker 4: did on Friday. You know, can we stop lying about 359 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:40,439 Speaker 4: Trump's dementia? Can we stop? Can we stop lying to 360 00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:44,199 Speaker 4: ourselves about it? I watched a couple of hours of 361 00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:46,480 Speaker 4: speeches and remarks for the last three week, and I 362 00:19:46,600 --> 00:19:48,880 Speaker 4: came out of that writing leg I thought. I thought 363 00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:51,119 Speaker 4: I was going to write something, you know, pretty harsh, 364 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:54,199 Speaker 4: but maybe you know, with a little bit of a flourish. 365 00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:56,000 Speaker 4: I didn't have to actually had to back it down 366 00:19:56,320 --> 00:20:00,199 Speaker 4: because he's so incoherent. I mean, yesterday at west Over 367 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:03,040 Speaker 4: the weekend, rather at West Point, he's out there talking 368 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:06,520 Speaker 4: about trophy wives and rambling about. 369 00:20:06,359 --> 00:20:09,840 Speaker 2: How it was the same speech. It was the same 370 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:13,080 Speaker 2: speech he gave at the boy Scout chamber, right right. 371 00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:17,359 Speaker 4: I mean, his brain does not it's not firing, so 372 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:20,880 Speaker 4: that's when he's going to do random shitty things. But 373 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:22,640 Speaker 4: those could be pretty bad for the country too. 374 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:26,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, but there, but in some ways that's actually a 375 00:20:26,119 --> 00:20:29,040 Speaker 2: little bit better than and or you know, this sort 376 00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:33,960 Speaker 2: of heritage foundation super organized. None of this is three 377 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:37,840 Speaker 2: dimensional chests. It's always just him meeting the checkers. But 378 00:20:38,040 --> 00:20:40,960 Speaker 2: I do, I do want to go back to the 379 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:44,360 Speaker 2: idea of his incoherence, because he was actually quite incoherent 380 00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:47,919 Speaker 2: in twenty twenty sixteen. And one of the things that 381 00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:50,960 Speaker 2: I remember writing about him his speaking so much was 382 00:20:50,960 --> 00:20:54,000 Speaker 2: that when you started looking at the text of the speech, 383 00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:58,359 Speaker 2: it was just chalking. And that's why this White House, 384 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:01,560 Speaker 2: i think, has stopped published in transcripts. 385 00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:06,439 Speaker 4: Right and taking the prior transcripts offline. Yeah, and I'm 386 00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:08,320 Speaker 4: going to have a guy next week who we did 387 00:21:08,359 --> 00:21:10,320 Speaker 4: cap that they've all been captured there out there on 388 00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:12,399 Speaker 4: the internet archive in other places. I'm gonna have a 389 00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:17,479 Speaker 4: guy next week do an AI analysis of Trump's public 390 00:21:17,560 --> 00:21:21,640 Speaker 4: speeches and statements that aren't prepared remarks and compare them 391 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:26,040 Speaker 4: to twenty twenty and twenty and twenty sixteen. Because I I, 392 00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:29,359 Speaker 4: as a guy who's you know, sadly, had so much 393 00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:31,640 Speaker 4: of Trump in my brain for the last ten years. 394 00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:34,320 Speaker 4: I can see the diminishment and the drop off. I 395 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:37,320 Speaker 4: can see the chaos level of his thought process is 396 00:21:37,359 --> 00:21:40,320 Speaker 4: getting more and more stochastic, and more and more more 397 00:21:40,359 --> 00:21:45,919 Speaker 4: and more you know, shambolic. He's really a mess, and 398 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:48,199 Speaker 4: no one wants to admit it, and no one wants to. 399 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:51,000 Speaker 4: No one wants to. You know, look, the Trump world 400 00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:56,040 Speaker 4: has always had this, this powerful illusion in maga that 401 00:21:56,119 --> 00:22:00,200 Speaker 4: Trump is the smartest, most you know, experienced negotiator. You're 402 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:03,119 Speaker 4: the best deal maker, the best of businessman, the richest guy. Oh, 403 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:06,119 Speaker 4: it's all been bullshit. But when he comes out and 404 00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:09,960 Speaker 4: starts herbal verbal mumble bumble, it doesn't. It's harder for 405 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:12,720 Speaker 4: them to say, oh, that's the genius. Somebody told me 406 00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:15,120 Speaker 4: that getting an hour out of an interview with Hannity 407 00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:18,720 Speaker 4: with Trump took them like six hours to try to 408 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:22,760 Speaker 4: get an interview that wasn't bonkers. It wasn't like Trump, 409 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:26,119 Speaker 4: you know, going off on ten minute tangents about his 410 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:29,080 Speaker 4: friend Jim in Paris or whatever it is. 411 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:33,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, look, his inability of focus has always 412 00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:36,400 Speaker 2: been a real issue. Rick Wilson, I'm going to keep 413 00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:38,800 Speaker 2: you around it only will you come back. 414 00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:42,840 Speaker 4: Of course I'll come back. You know me, I'm your huckleberry. 415 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:49,560 Speaker 2: Justin Brannan is a New York City Council member for 416 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:52,640 Speaker 2: the forty seventh District and a candidate from New York 417 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:56,200 Speaker 2: Comtroller welcome to Fast Politics. 418 00:22:56,280 --> 00:22:59,159 Speaker 5: Councilman Tsin Bran, thank you thanks for having me. 419 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:02,520 Speaker 2: First, Hell us running for and what the race looks? 420 00:23:02,840 --> 00:23:05,920 Speaker 5: Sure, I'm running for Controller of the City of New York. 421 00:23:06,119 --> 00:23:08,440 Speaker 5: The easiest way I guess to put it is if 422 00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:11,359 Speaker 5: the Mayor of the city is the CEO, then the 423 00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:15,040 Speaker 5: Controller is the CFO. Right, It's your job to oversee 424 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:18,160 Speaker 5: how the budget gets spent, how the pension funds are invested. 425 00:23:18,320 --> 00:23:21,359 Speaker 5: The seat is open because Brad Lander, the current Controller, 426 00:23:21,760 --> 00:23:23,600 Speaker 5: is running for mayor. You know, there's a lot of 427 00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:26,280 Speaker 5: moving pieces and a whole bunch of people running from mayor, 428 00:23:26,359 --> 00:23:29,240 Speaker 5: And obviously the mayor's race in the city is sucking 429 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:31,439 Speaker 5: up all the oxygen. But where the second thing on 430 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:34,199 Speaker 5: the ballot the controllers race, and the election is in 431 00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:36,920 Speaker 5: like thirty two days or something like that very soon. 432 00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:38,960 Speaker 2: The way it works in New York is that the 433 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:43,800 Speaker 2: primary election really decides because there aren't there isn't a 434 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:46,560 Speaker 2: really competitive general. I wonder if you could talk to 435 00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:49,560 Speaker 2: me a little bit about what it means to be 436 00:23:49,720 --> 00:23:52,600 Speaker 2: comptroller and sort of how you feel that you can 437 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:53,280 Speaker 2: do that job. 438 00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:56,000 Speaker 5: I guess I'll first say I would not be running 439 00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:59,119 Speaker 5: for Controller if I wasn't already chair of the City 440 00:23:59,119 --> 00:24:01,720 Speaker 5: council Finance Committee. So the New York City Council is 441 00:24:01,760 --> 00:24:04,359 Speaker 5: the coequal branch of city government, and the Mayor's on 442 00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:07,240 Speaker 5: the executive side and where the legislative side. Some days 443 00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:09,960 Speaker 5: we actually feel like the coegal branch. Most days we don't, 444 00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:13,439 Speaker 5: because this mayor would prefer a monarchy then to actually 445 00:24:13,600 --> 00:24:15,199 Speaker 5: have to deal with the fifty one members of the 446 00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:17,560 Speaker 5: City Council. But I'm chair of the Finance Committee, where 447 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:21,280 Speaker 5: I oversee the city budget and I negotiate the budget 448 00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:24,159 Speaker 5: every year for the past almost four years. Now, you know, 449 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:26,600 Speaker 5: we've been fighting like hell against Eric Adams and his 450 00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:30,280 Speaker 5: false austerity cuts to our budget. And you know, I 451 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:32,600 Speaker 5: really fell in love with the process, and I fell 452 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:36,760 Speaker 5: in love with the ability to make regular people, working 453 00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:40,560 Speaker 5: people's lives better by how we spend our tax dollars. 454 00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:40,840 Speaker 4: Right. 455 00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:43,280 Speaker 5: So, I've always been a big believer in getting a 456 00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:45,639 Speaker 5: good return on your investment as a tax payer. The 457 00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:48,560 Speaker 5: reason why people hate paying taxes is because they don't 458 00:24:48,600 --> 00:24:50,119 Speaker 5: feel like they're getting anything for it. 459 00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:50,919 Speaker 4: You know, if you're paying a. 460 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:52,320 Speaker 5: Lot of taxes and you live in the City of 461 00:24:52,320 --> 00:24:54,960 Speaker 5: New York, and the garbage isn't getting picked up, and 462 00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:58,320 Speaker 5: your kids, you know, the ceiling in your kids classroom 463 00:24:58,359 --> 00:25:01,080 Speaker 5: is falling down, and the grass in the park is 464 00:25:01,119 --> 00:25:03,960 Speaker 5: growing taller than your dog. You feel a certain way 465 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:06,400 Speaker 5: that they're taking all these taxes out of your paycheck, 466 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:09,520 Speaker 5: whereas if you saw a return on that investment, you'd say, 467 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:12,480 Speaker 5: I'll pay more taxes. The streets are clean, everything feels great. 468 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:15,800 Speaker 5: So the controller's job is really three main things. You 469 00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:19,159 Speaker 5: have to audit the city agencies and hold every tax 470 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:22,480 Speaker 5: dollar accountable. You have to ensure you know, you serve 471 00:25:22,520 --> 00:25:25,840 Speaker 5: as a fiduciary to the city's almost three hundred billion 472 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:29,920 Speaker 5: dollar pension system, five very unique pension funds. So your 473 00:25:30,119 --> 00:25:34,359 Speaker 5: main responsibility is delivering strong returns for retirees and investing 474 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:37,040 Speaker 5: in their future and the future of the city and 475 00:25:37,080 --> 00:25:39,520 Speaker 5: all you know, people like me who are a future 476 00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:43,840 Speaker 5: city worker retirees. And I think the main thing now 477 00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:48,359 Speaker 5: over the next four years, under the constant daily fresh 478 00:25:48,359 --> 00:25:52,000 Speaker 5: hell from Donald Trump, is building a fiscal firewall to 479 00:25:52,119 --> 00:25:54,960 Speaker 5: protect New York City and our future and our most vulnerable. 480 00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:57,160 Speaker 5: And I think, you know, most people have no idea 481 00:25:57,200 --> 00:25:59,480 Speaker 5: what a controller does. But I think over the next 482 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:02,359 Speaker 5: four years, people are going to learn pretty quickly what 483 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:05,320 Speaker 5: their local treasurers and controllers do because it's going to 484 00:26:05,359 --> 00:26:08,040 Speaker 5: be it's going to be an even more important job 485 00:26:08,320 --> 00:26:11,199 Speaker 5: over the next four years if we continue seeing you know, 486 00:26:11,240 --> 00:26:12,760 Speaker 5: these cuts coming from Washington. 487 00:26:13,119 --> 00:26:16,480 Speaker 2: Tell us like how you push back against Adams, and 488 00:26:16,520 --> 00:26:21,280 Speaker 2: how right now it looks like Cuomo very likely will 489 00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:24,280 Speaker 2: be the mayor. Again, nothing is a fed of Compley, 490 00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:28,240 Speaker 2: but he's certainly pulling farry ahead. I wonder if you 491 00:26:28,320 --> 00:26:32,720 Speaker 2: could talk about Adams created a slate of problems with 492 00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:37,159 Speaker 2: his corruption. Cuomo, if he becomes mayor, will create a 493 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:41,639 Speaker 2: different slate of problems with his Cuomo ness. Talk to 494 00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:44,399 Speaker 2: me about what you did with the last mayor and 495 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:46,440 Speaker 2: what you would be able to do with Cuomo to 496 00:26:46,520 --> 00:26:47,240 Speaker 2: keep them in check. 497 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:50,040 Speaker 5: Sure, So, I mean, look, the job of the controller 498 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:54,560 Speaker 5: is ultimately to serve as an independent watchdog for taxpayers. 499 00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:57,160 Speaker 5: So it doesn't matter if the mayor is your best 500 00:26:57,240 --> 00:26:59,439 Speaker 5: friend or your worst enemy, and your job is not 501 00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:01,200 Speaker 5: to be great to it us. You know, your job 502 00:27:01,280 --> 00:27:03,399 Speaker 5: is to stand up for the people, stand up for 503 00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:06,960 Speaker 5: the taxpayers whose money is being spent on all these 504 00:27:06,960 --> 00:27:09,720 Speaker 5: city services. So you know, the past three and a 505 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:12,320 Speaker 5: half years. What we dealt with with the Adams administration 506 00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:15,600 Speaker 5: was really from day one was this this shadow of 507 00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:18,720 Speaker 5: false austerity where in the richest city in the world, 508 00:27:18,920 --> 00:27:21,680 Speaker 5: we were being painted into this corner where we thought 509 00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:24,800 Speaker 5: we had to choose between keeping the libraries open seven 510 00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:28,160 Speaker 5: days a week or you know, funding early childhood education, 511 00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:30,760 Speaker 5: you know, and our argument was always, well, that's a 512 00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:33,320 Speaker 5: false choice because in a city with at the time 513 00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:35,879 Speaker 5: it was one hundred and ten billion dollar budget, now 514 00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:37,560 Speaker 5: our budget is going to be north of one hundred 515 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:40,320 Speaker 5: and fifteen billion dollars and in richest city in the world, 516 00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:42,440 Speaker 5: number one, people should not be struggling so hard to 517 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:44,159 Speaker 5: get by in the richest city in the world, we 518 00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:47,520 Speaker 5: should not be, you know, having to choose between funding 519 00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:51,320 Speaker 5: CuNi and building a new playground that needs to be renovated. 520 00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:54,359 Speaker 5: Ye why is that? Well, I think early on someone 521 00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:56,680 Speaker 5: must have got in the mayor's ear and told them 522 00:27:56,680 --> 00:27:58,800 Speaker 5: that the way to look tough, you know, to look 523 00:27:58,840 --> 00:28:01,600 Speaker 5: like a budget hawk is you know, it makes you 524 00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:04,399 Speaker 5: look tough and responsible. And I think I think the 525 00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:10,200 Speaker 5: Adams administration confused from the get go, confused fiscal responsibility 526 00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:13,119 Speaker 5: with austerity. Right, Like the mayor likes to talk a 527 00:28:13,119 --> 00:28:16,359 Speaker 5: lot about the city's bond ratings. Well, the city's bond 528 00:28:16,400 --> 00:28:19,520 Speaker 5: ratings are strong, not because you're cutting funds to the 529 00:28:19,560 --> 00:28:23,320 Speaker 5: Parks Department. The city bond rate strong because the economy 530 00:28:23,359 --> 00:28:25,600 Speaker 5: is strong. So we fought back. I mean the first 531 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:28,920 Speaker 5: year it was, you know, they were crying poverty over 532 00:28:29,119 --> 00:28:33,120 Speaker 5: the expiration of COVID stimulus funds, which was a problem 533 00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:37,119 Speaker 5: because what happened there was they used the prior the 534 00:28:37,200 --> 00:28:42,280 Speaker 5: Lazio administration leveraged a lot of COVID stimulus funds, which 535 00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:46,600 Speaker 5: were temporary funds. They leveraged temporary funds to fund permanent programs. 536 00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:50,080 Speaker 5: Why I don't know, but they did, and the money 537 00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:53,120 Speaker 5: started really expiring. We were like, well, now we have 538 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:56,440 Speaker 5: these programs that New Yorkers rely on and they were 539 00:28:56,480 --> 00:28:59,360 Speaker 5: propped up with money that we knew was expiring. 540 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:00,800 Speaker 4: So what do we do now. 541 00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:03,680 Speaker 5: So that was the first year. Then you had the 542 00:29:03,680 --> 00:29:07,800 Speaker 5: middle two years were the migrant crisis, where the mayor 543 00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:10,440 Speaker 5: came out right away and said, a migrant crisis is 544 00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:13,440 Speaker 5: going to bankrupt the city. We called bullshit on that 545 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:15,760 Speaker 5: from day one. I said, the only thing that's going 546 00:29:15,800 --> 00:29:18,600 Speaker 5: to bankrupt the city would be mass deportations, a migrant 547 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:22,160 Speaker 5: crisis going to bankrupt the city. Sure enough, two years later, 548 00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:26,120 Speaker 5: migrant crisis did not bankrupt the city. All the cuts 549 00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:28,840 Speaker 5: that the mayor tried to make were not necessary in 550 00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:31,560 Speaker 5: the first place. And you know, people were calling me 551 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:34,760 Speaker 5: the budget no shra damis not because I was great 552 00:29:34,800 --> 00:29:36,880 Speaker 5: in math class, but because I was willing to call 553 00:29:36,920 --> 00:29:39,880 Speaker 5: out his bullshit and say, look, I know what's there. 554 00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:42,440 Speaker 5: Like the information that I have is the same information 555 00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:45,680 Speaker 5: that you have. I see the tax receipts. The economy 556 00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:48,800 Speaker 5: is strong and durable and resilient, and we don't have to, 557 00:29:48,880 --> 00:29:52,360 Speaker 5: you know, make these tough decisions because we're not going bankrupt. 558 00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:55,760 Speaker 5: So fast forward. Now you've got the threats of cuts 559 00:29:55,800 --> 00:29:59,160 Speaker 5: from Washington. So this budget looks a little bit better. 560 00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:01,880 Speaker 5: This administration now, you know, obviously it's an election year 561 00:30:01,880 --> 00:30:03,760 Speaker 5: and they want to make people happy, which is fine. 562 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:05,680 Speaker 5: I'm happy to take advantage of that. But you know, 563 00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:08,200 Speaker 5: they are acknowledging a lot of the council's priorities. So 564 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:10,160 Speaker 5: I think we'll be in a better place with this budget. 565 00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:11,960 Speaker 5: But for the past three and a half years, I've 566 00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:14,920 Speaker 5: fought like hell against Mayor Adams and everybody else that's 567 00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:17,560 Speaker 5: in the race never said a word, you know, until 568 00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:20,400 Speaker 5: the coast was clear. They never stood up to Eric Adams. 569 00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:22,960 Speaker 5: And I think you need someone in the Controller's office 570 00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:26,400 Speaker 5: who knows how to hire smart people but also is 571 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:30,000 Speaker 5: going to stand up and stand in that breach between 572 00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:33,040 Speaker 5: the federal government and are most vulnerable in this moment, 573 00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:35,000 Speaker 5: and you need a fighter that in that role. 574 00:30:35,320 --> 00:30:38,240 Speaker 2: Why do you speak like a normal person and not 575 00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:41,120 Speaker 2: like you've been trained at McKenzie. 576 00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:44,120 Speaker 5: Because I am a normal person. I mean, you know, 577 00:30:44,360 --> 00:30:45,840 Speaker 5: I'm not going to tell you I was four years 578 00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:48,200 Speaker 5: old dreaming of being the Controller. Yeah, I'm just a 579 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:51,000 Speaker 5: regular guy. I mean, I didn't get into politics until 580 00:30:51,200 --> 00:30:54,280 Speaker 5: much later in life. I see things through I think 581 00:30:54,320 --> 00:30:56,840 Speaker 5: a unique lens of just, you know, a person who 582 00:30:56,880 --> 00:31:00,240 Speaker 5: is very disengaged with the political process. And you know, 583 00:31:00,280 --> 00:31:02,960 Speaker 5: I always felt like what happened in Washington, you know, 584 00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:05,040 Speaker 5: it was a bunch of old white guys with white hair, 585 00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:07,520 Speaker 5: and what they were, the decisions they were making, had 586 00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:10,320 Speaker 5: no real immediate impact on my life, at least as 587 00:31:10,320 --> 00:31:13,120 Speaker 5: a teenager or young twenty something. It wasn't until I 588 00:31:13,200 --> 00:31:16,080 Speaker 5: really fell in love with local government. That really opened 589 00:31:16,120 --> 00:31:19,680 Speaker 5: my eyes because the pace of local government was way 590 00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:22,440 Speaker 5: more my style, where little old lady could walk into 591 00:31:22,440 --> 00:31:25,160 Speaker 5: your office with a problem, You'd take an hour, a 592 00:31:25,200 --> 00:31:27,720 Speaker 5: half hour, two hours to undo her not and send 593 00:31:27,720 --> 00:31:30,920 Speaker 5: her on her way, and it was magic. It felt amazing. 594 00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:34,200 Speaker 5: It just feels great to help people, and local government 595 00:31:34,280 --> 00:31:35,760 Speaker 5: was the place that I could do it, you know. 596 00:31:35,800 --> 00:31:38,760 Speaker 5: And I had a very unconventional background. I played in 597 00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:40,960 Speaker 5: a punk rock band for you know, for ten years 598 00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:43,240 Speaker 5: of my life, and never in a million years thought 599 00:31:43,280 --> 00:31:45,960 Speaker 5: I'd become a politician. And now I'm on my eighth 600 00:31:46,080 --> 00:31:48,720 Speaker 5: year of you know, two terms as a city council person, 601 00:31:48,800 --> 00:31:51,520 Speaker 5: and I've been able to accomplish a whole lot, passed 602 00:31:51,560 --> 00:31:54,160 Speaker 5: a lot of legislation I'm really proud of, and brought 603 00:31:54,160 --> 00:31:57,400 Speaker 5: back hundreds of millions of dollars back into the community 604 00:31:57,400 --> 00:31:58,239 Speaker 5: where I grew up. 605 00:31:58,320 --> 00:31:59,680 Speaker 4: And it's a great job. 606 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:03,280 Speaker 5: This is a time now where you know, a lot 607 00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:06,160 Speaker 5: has changed, obviously, and I think the biggest change is 608 00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:10,480 Speaker 5: that local politics at one time were sort of immune 609 00:32:10,680 --> 00:32:14,760 Speaker 5: from global politics, and now as things have gotten just 610 00:32:15,040 --> 00:32:18,080 Speaker 5: increasingly tribal, and we're just we're right now, we're in 611 00:32:18,120 --> 00:32:22,000 Speaker 5: the Yankees Red Sox era of politics where it just 612 00:32:22,040 --> 00:32:25,040 Speaker 5: doesn't matter, like where everyone just goes to their tribal corner. 613 00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:28,640 Speaker 5: And unfortunately that has bled into local politics too. So 614 00:32:29,240 --> 00:32:31,720 Speaker 5: it's an interesting time. I did an interview with someone 615 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:35,160 Speaker 5: yesterday about this, you know, Trump's big beautiful bill, whatever 616 00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:37,720 Speaker 5: the fuck it is about. Like, look like, you know, 617 00:32:37,840 --> 00:32:40,120 Speaker 5: even if you voted for Donald Trump, you are also 618 00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:43,680 Speaker 5: going to be negatively impacted by this insanity. His policies 619 00:32:43,720 --> 00:32:46,200 Speaker 5: don't discriminate that if you voted for him, you're still 620 00:32:46,200 --> 00:32:48,360 Speaker 5: going to be impacted by it. And it's hard to 621 00:32:48,360 --> 00:32:50,160 Speaker 5: get that message through, but it's the truth. 622 00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:53,680 Speaker 2: Right, Let's talk about Universal pre K. I think it 623 00:32:53,720 --> 00:32:57,520 Speaker 2: was like the one thing that de Blasio ever did 624 00:32:57,800 --> 00:33:00,400 Speaker 2: right or tried to do. And by the way, can 625 00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:03,600 Speaker 2: you also talk about universal Brique and then talk about 626 00:33:03,640 --> 00:33:07,680 Speaker 2: who was a worst mayor of Dublasio or Adams Go? 627 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:10,840 Speaker 5: I would say I work for the Deblasio administration, and 628 00:33:11,200 --> 00:33:13,680 Speaker 5: I worked for the Department of Education under Deblasio and 629 00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:16,840 Speaker 5: helped roll out UPK. Even if you hate de Blasio, 630 00:33:17,240 --> 00:33:19,960 Speaker 5: clearly I'm a fan, as you could tell, right, But 631 00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:22,560 Speaker 5: if you would, even if you hate him, you admit 632 00:33:22,720 --> 00:33:25,440 Speaker 5: that what he did for UPK was just an absolute 633 00:33:25,480 --> 00:33:29,080 Speaker 5: game changer for working families. UPK says working families easily 634 00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:31,360 Speaker 5: ten to twenty thousand dollars a year. That's money that 635 00:33:31,400 --> 00:33:34,160 Speaker 5: goes back into the economy. It's amazing what he did 636 00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:37,160 Speaker 5: with UPK. It's amazing. I think we need to create 637 00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:41,360 Speaker 5: a universal childcare system because the days of the eight 638 00:33:41,400 --> 00:33:43,720 Speaker 5: am to two pm leave it to beaver. You know, 639 00:33:43,800 --> 00:33:47,040 Speaker 5: school schedule is just not reality. And frankly, it was 640 00:33:47,120 --> 00:33:49,880 Speaker 5: never reality for families of color. It might have been 641 00:33:49,960 --> 00:33:53,240 Speaker 5: reality for white families, but that's you know, that's something 642 00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:56,600 Speaker 5: that I think right now, Raising a family in New 643 00:33:56,680 --> 00:34:00,960 Speaker 5: York City feels impossibly hard and every day and this 644 00:34:01,080 --> 00:34:03,160 Speaker 5: is part of why I'm running every day. I hear 645 00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:07,760 Speaker 5: from someone saying, while I'm considering moving to X lesser 646 00:34:07,840 --> 00:34:11,320 Speaker 5: city because it's easier to start a family, It's easier 647 00:34:11,320 --> 00:34:13,360 Speaker 5: to buy a house, it's easier to start a business, 648 00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:16,880 Speaker 5: easy to put my kid into school. And we're hemorrhaging 649 00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:20,719 Speaker 5: working families. And you know, Fox News or the tabloids 650 00:34:20,760 --> 00:34:23,680 Speaker 5: will have you thinking that, you know, billionaires are fleeing 651 00:34:23,719 --> 00:34:27,000 Speaker 5: New York City. Number one, it's not true. Number two, 652 00:34:27,080 --> 00:34:29,080 Speaker 5: we can afford to lose a couple of billionaires. What 653 00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:32,120 Speaker 5: we can't afford to lose is more working families because 654 00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:36,640 Speaker 5: they are the bedrock of our economy and universal child 655 00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:40,040 Speaker 5: There's two pillars right now. I think of our affordability crisis, 656 00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:43,680 Speaker 5: and number one, it's lack of access to truly affordable housing, 657 00:34:44,040 --> 00:34:46,520 Speaker 5: and it's lack of access to universe to childcare where 658 00:34:46,560 --> 00:34:49,120 Speaker 5: parents have to decide am I going to work or 659 00:34:49,160 --> 00:34:51,960 Speaker 5: am I staying home with my kids. So I've figured out, 660 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:56,000 Speaker 5: as controller, there's a way where we can create a 661 00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:59,520 Speaker 5: universal childcare system. You're working to, you know, identify the 662 00:34:59,560 --> 00:35:02,960 Speaker 5: necessary funding to ensure that every family has access to 663 00:35:03,040 --> 00:35:06,200 Speaker 5: high quality childcare. And I put out a plan where 664 00:35:06,200 --> 00:35:09,160 Speaker 5: we would actually invest five hundred million dollars from the 665 00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:11,640 Speaker 5: pension system, which would get us a great return on 666 00:35:11,680 --> 00:35:14,359 Speaker 5: our investment. Audit the hell out of all the agencies 667 00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:18,480 Speaker 5: that are involved in early childcare to create a universal 668 00:35:18,520 --> 00:35:21,319 Speaker 5: early childcare system in the city of New York. And 669 00:35:21,760 --> 00:35:24,880 Speaker 5: you've seen the studies that show every dollar that's invested 670 00:35:24,880 --> 00:35:28,720 Speaker 5: in early childcare education yields like eight to fifteen dollars 671 00:35:28,719 --> 00:35:31,279 Speaker 5: in economic returns like it's just a win win. It's 672 00:35:31,920 --> 00:35:33,799 Speaker 5: good for the city, it's good for families, it's good 673 00:35:33,840 --> 00:35:37,120 Speaker 5: for the economy. It's a smart economic development strategy. And 674 00:35:37,520 --> 00:35:40,400 Speaker 5: so the idea I have is the pension funds in 675 00:35:40,440 --> 00:35:44,319 Speaker 5: the city allow thirty five percent in alternative investments. So 676 00:35:44,400 --> 00:35:46,839 Speaker 5: I put out a plan to commit five hundred million 677 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:50,200 Speaker 5: dollars over eight years of childcare focused investments that would 678 00:35:50,280 --> 00:35:55,600 Speaker 5: generate strong returns lasting infrastructure. And you'd use social impact 679 00:35:55,600 --> 00:35:58,640 Speaker 5: bonds and CDFIs and infrastructure funds where we could do this. 680 00:35:58,680 --> 00:36:00,879 Speaker 5: It's a real estate play. Basic we buy a bunch 681 00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:04,239 Speaker 5: of buildings and we prop up a childcare system. It 682 00:36:04,280 --> 00:36:07,160 Speaker 5: can be done. This is another thing I talk about 683 00:36:07,200 --> 00:36:09,960 Speaker 5: a lot I think in the campaign is because of 684 00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:13,279 Speaker 5: the last couple of years where we've been, you know, 685 00:36:13,360 --> 00:36:16,360 Speaker 5: sort of gas lit into thinking we've got to do less, 686 00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:19,360 Speaker 5: you know, little with even less. We're not dreaming biginning 687 00:36:19,560 --> 00:36:22,239 Speaker 5: you know, we're not this This is the city that 688 00:36:22,680 --> 00:36:26,040 Speaker 5: you know brought to life Mitchell Lama and Union housing 689 00:36:26,080 --> 00:36:29,719 Speaker 5: like a Lectchester and housing for performing artists, artists like 690 00:36:29,760 --> 00:36:32,880 Speaker 5: Manhattan Plaza. Like we're not dreaming big anymore. We're not 691 00:36:32,920 --> 00:36:35,560 Speaker 5: We're not getting the smartest minds around a table to 692 00:36:35,640 --> 00:36:38,439 Speaker 5: figure out how to solve our city's biggest problems. We're 693 00:36:38,480 --> 00:36:40,680 Speaker 5: just sort of trying to live to fight another day. 694 00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:44,480 Speaker 5: And I'm worried that over the next four years we 695 00:36:44,560 --> 00:36:47,160 Speaker 5: can't just hide under the bed and wait for Trump 696 00:36:47,200 --> 00:36:47,719 Speaker 5: to be gone. 697 00:36:47,840 --> 00:36:47,920 Speaker 4: Like. 698 00:36:47,960 --> 00:36:51,319 Speaker 5: We have to keep the laboratory moving forward, Otherwise four 699 00:36:51,400 --> 00:36:53,280 Speaker 5: years from now we're going to be even further behind 700 00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:55,799 Speaker 5: the eight ball. And I think the city needs to 701 00:36:55,840 --> 00:37:00,239 Speaker 5: be that laboratory to keep pushing policy forward, and you 702 00:37:00,280 --> 00:37:01,640 Speaker 5: need leaders who are willing to do that. 703 00:37:02,200 --> 00:37:06,600 Speaker 2: Do you think that if Democrats could talk like real 704 00:37:06,680 --> 00:37:08,879 Speaker 2: people that they could win elections? 705 00:37:09,360 --> 00:37:10,920 Speaker 5: I mean, I don't know how else to be. This 706 00:37:11,040 --> 00:37:11,799 Speaker 5: is just how I am. 707 00:37:11,840 --> 00:37:14,680 Speaker 2: But like this is not as a compliment to you, 708 00:37:14,960 --> 00:37:17,400 Speaker 2: but just as a theory of the case. 709 00:37:17,640 --> 00:37:18,439 Speaker 4: I think there's two things. 710 00:37:18,560 --> 00:37:20,799 Speaker 5: Number One, Democrats for a long time are in the 711 00:37:20,840 --> 00:37:23,640 Speaker 5: business of denying people's reality. When someone would come to 712 00:37:23,680 --> 00:37:26,799 Speaker 5: them and say, I'm scared, you know, I feel like 713 00:37:26,880 --> 00:37:30,160 Speaker 5: crime is through the roof. My neighborhood doesn't feel safe anymore. 714 00:37:30,520 --> 00:37:34,280 Speaker 5: Instead of us responding with empathy and understanding, and instead 715 00:37:34,280 --> 00:37:36,080 Speaker 5: of us saying, well, you know, why do you feel 716 00:37:36,120 --> 00:37:38,319 Speaker 5: that way, Let's have a conversation about why you feel 717 00:37:38,320 --> 00:37:41,000 Speaker 5: that way. We would say, you're an idiot. The data 718 00:37:41,040 --> 00:37:44,239 Speaker 5: and statistics show that crime is lower than ever. You 719 00:37:44,280 --> 00:37:46,160 Speaker 5: have nothing to be afraid of. And we did that 720 00:37:46,280 --> 00:37:48,600 Speaker 5: in a lot of ways where we were just denying 721 00:37:48,600 --> 00:37:51,000 Speaker 5: people's reality. And if there's one thing I've learned in 722 00:37:51,040 --> 00:37:54,480 Speaker 5: politics is that if someone tells you they're experiencing something, 723 00:37:54,520 --> 00:37:57,000 Speaker 5: you can't tell them that they're not experiencing that. You 724 00:37:57,120 --> 00:38:00,160 Speaker 5: have to lean into the demagoguery and lean in to 725 00:38:00,200 --> 00:38:02,560 Speaker 5: the you know all that, but you can't just deny 726 00:38:02,640 --> 00:38:05,279 Speaker 5: someone's reality. If they tell us that they're scared, you 727 00:38:05,320 --> 00:38:07,560 Speaker 5: have to talk to them in a real way. No 728 00:38:07,719 --> 00:38:10,560 Speaker 5: victim or witness to a crime wants to be you know, 729 00:38:10,600 --> 00:38:14,640 Speaker 5: wants to hear about data and statistics. So that's one thing. 730 00:38:15,239 --> 00:38:18,760 Speaker 5: And I think also Democrats we just lack that killer instinct, 731 00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:22,480 Speaker 5: you know. I think that Republicans when they have the ball, 732 00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:25,960 Speaker 5: they they stab us in the neck, right, And when 733 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:29,520 Speaker 5: we have the ball, we worry about decorum and optics 734 00:38:29,560 --> 00:38:32,480 Speaker 5: and lawyers and all this bullshit. It's like, look the 735 00:38:32,560 --> 00:38:35,040 Speaker 5: Republicans ps when they have the ball and they have 736 00:38:35,080 --> 00:38:38,359 Speaker 5: that killer instinct. They're fighting on behalf of themselves and 737 00:38:38,480 --> 00:38:41,600 Speaker 5: on behalf of billionaires. When we have the ball, we 738 00:38:41,680 --> 00:38:43,719 Speaker 5: have to have the killer instinct for working people. We 739 00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:46,160 Speaker 5: have to say, look, we're in power right now. We 740 00:38:46,239 --> 00:38:48,439 Speaker 5: have to do as much good as we possibly can 741 00:38:48,560 --> 00:38:50,839 Speaker 5: because we might not be holding the ball in two 742 00:38:50,920 --> 00:38:53,520 Speaker 5: or four years. And we didn't do that, you know, 743 00:38:53,600 --> 00:38:55,839 Speaker 5: and we don't do that, and I'm worried that we're 744 00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:58,680 Speaker 5: we still haven't learned that when people tell you who 745 00:38:58,719 --> 00:39:00,680 Speaker 5: there are they are, you got to believe, right, And 746 00:39:01,560 --> 00:39:04,680 Speaker 5: we just don't have that killer instinct. We wonder why 747 00:39:04,840 --> 00:39:07,040 Speaker 5: they're eating our lunch. And this is why. 748 00:39:07,400 --> 00:39:10,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, a lot of good points. Thank you for coming on. 749 00:39:10,880 --> 00:39:15,560 Speaker 4: Oh, thank you so much for having me. No moment 750 00:39:15,640 --> 00:39:16,440 Speaker 4: o fuck. 751 00:39:17,440 --> 00:39:21,879 Speaker 2: Rick Wilson, Molly Jung Fast, what is your moment of fuck? 752 00:39:21,960 --> 00:39:23,759 Speaker 4: Right? You know? My moment of fuckery this week are 753 00:39:23,800 --> 00:39:27,239 Speaker 4: all these corporate CEOs, particularly in the tech world, who 754 00:39:27,800 --> 00:39:30,319 Speaker 4: stood there with Trump on Inauguration Day and showed up 755 00:39:30,320 --> 00:39:32,040 Speaker 4: at the White House for these meetings and have written 756 00:39:32,120 --> 00:39:34,600 Speaker 4: checks over and over and over again to make nice 757 00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:37,800 Speaker 4: and look. Tim Cook is considered by all sorts of 758 00:39:37,840 --> 00:39:41,120 Speaker 4: people a very smart considered businessman a good leader of Apple. 759 00:39:41,520 --> 00:39:44,799 Speaker 4: But none of these guys have any goddamn excuse. This week, 760 00:39:44,800 --> 00:39:46,200 Speaker 4: Trump came out and said he's going to put a 761 00:39:46,200 --> 00:39:48,840 Speaker 4: twenty five percent tariff on all Apple products not manufactured 762 00:39:48,840 --> 00:39:51,680 Speaker 4: in the United States. So he was angry because Tim 763 00:39:51,719 --> 00:39:54,520 Speaker 4: Cook moved a lot of Apple iPhone production from China 764 00:39:54,520 --> 00:39:58,800 Speaker 4: to India. There are no American iPhone factories for a reason, people, 765 00:39:59,040 --> 00:40:01,719 Speaker 4: because nobody's gonna pay five thousand dollars for an iPhone. 766 00:40:01,880 --> 00:40:06,160 Speaker 4: But Tim Cook and Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Altman and 767 00:40:06,200 --> 00:40:08,719 Speaker 4: all these people who are in bed with Trump, they 768 00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:11,800 Speaker 4: keep forgetting that when you make a deal with the devil, 769 00:40:11,840 --> 00:40:15,240 Speaker 4: the devil always cheats, the devil always breaks the deal, 770 00:40:15,320 --> 00:40:18,359 Speaker 4: the devil always lies about the terms and conditions. So, 771 00:40:18,800 --> 00:40:20,839 Speaker 4: you know, I want to feel bad for Apple. I'm 772 00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:24,160 Speaker 4: an Apple user, but this should not come as a 773 00:40:24,200 --> 00:40:26,560 Speaker 4: shock to Tim Cook and to Apple and to the 774 00:40:26,560 --> 00:40:29,040 Speaker 4: rest of the tech world that investing in Donald Trump 775 00:40:29,280 --> 00:40:32,040 Speaker 4: is investing in your future humiliation and destruction. 776 00:40:32,400 --> 00:40:35,359 Speaker 2: I think that's a good call. It is. I think 777 00:40:35,400 --> 00:40:38,520 Speaker 2: our moment of fuckery is really everything Trump touches. 778 00:40:38,800 --> 00:40:42,439 Speaker 4: It continues to die, never fails. You know, I hope 779 00:40:42,440 --> 00:40:44,880 Speaker 4: to have at least a couple of like Newtonian level 780 00:40:44,960 --> 00:40:47,680 Speaker 4: rules that I could come up with. Unfortunately I've only 781 00:40:47,680 --> 00:40:51,080 Speaker 4: reached two so far. Everything touch everything Trump touches dies. 782 00:40:51,560 --> 00:40:53,479 Speaker 4: And of course that there are two types of people 783 00:40:53,480 --> 00:40:56,200 Speaker 4: in the world, Ted Cruz and people who hate Ted Cruz. 784 00:40:56,360 --> 00:41:01,080 Speaker 4: So with that, good to be with you, seeing too. Bye. 785 00:41:01,400 --> 00:41:05,759 Speaker 1: That's it for this episode of Fast Politics. Tune in 786 00:41:06,080 --> 00:41:11,520 Speaker 1: every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday to hear the best 787 00:41:11,600 --> 00:41:15,920 Speaker 1: minds and politics make sense of all this chaos. If 788 00:41:15,960 --> 00:41:19,000 Speaker 1: you enjoy this podcast, please send it to a friend 789 00:41:19,440 --> 00:41:21,040 Speaker 1: and keep the conversation going. 790 00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:22,640 Speaker 2: Thanks for listening.