Welcome to the commentary magazine, Billy Partners, today's Monday January tenth, twenty twenty two I'm John, but towards the editor of commentary. Nor Rossman is still out with me as always, executive editor, a green waldheim hygiene and Senior, Christine Resin High Christine. I John, as we record this, american diplomat, Wendy Sherman is meeting with a russian counterpart to discuss the increasing tensions between the West and Russia. In regard to Russia's ambitions toward Ukraine and them the tone is very bleak, you know. Ordinarily, win win american dip,

lemme see is under way The diplomat and the press corps that that cover the diplomats, which is now much smaller than it used to be. Tenth taken almost absurdly optimistic view because, of course it's this belief. Negotiations are the be all and end all of all existence and they're. Just so wonderful in negotiations mean just the most wonderful amity between nations and everything is just gonna be fantastic, and this is really what we want. We don't want tension. We want conversation. That is not the that this is being characterize. This seems to be annexed, stored, merrily pessimistic approach on the part of our diplomats away there. Talking to reporters. No eight reporters porters are handling as though they are. They fully expect. Whenever this.

in relation to fail, because the Russians are making repast the demands of the West and the West Camp, accept them and now the west has to threaten Russia with untold consequences if it decides to make moves on Ukraine's territorial sovereignty, not that it already hasn't made moves on Ukraine's territorial sovereignty with all with not that much cost incurred, some costs, but not a huge manner. Ass, an them. I do I'm fascinating, because Just I don't remember another major diplomatic initiative by the West toward up you know in an adversary country of some sort that wasn't considered sort of wonderful advance in world a bullet zation, all discussion, a body you were what do you make of it?

Yeah I'm, and I think this is due to the fact that what I had a mosque out is really it serve the kind of thing that sort of not of this century and in terms of town it's pure demands. I mean that that is that's, that's that's what they ve laid out. Putin demands that the west in it you know not build up military nor teller militarily, will end in what Russia can we conceive of as its sphere of influence of demand. at the end of NATO expansion. These are not you know, there's isn't there is none of the sort of the fluff that you can grasp on two and paint as common ground

as there are so often is, even even when that's not real, there's there's there is really nothing. Therefore, that I was wondering actually is thinking of deja vu all over again over the weekend, although she was speaking about it in terms of covert and the pandemic calmly, Harris use that that Word Malays, which should never pass the lips of a democratically elect an official Oda official, the Democratic Party, but she used it and it that's what I was thinking when I was reading. Although these reports and Russia has moved troops into in near Kazakhstan and as well- it's not just Ukraine. There's a bunch of issues that have been allowed, particularly post to Afghanistan, withdrawal to just faster and that's gonna, be a problem for the binding ministration can remember, MR I'm gonna be tough on you know, I'm not Putin's pawn. I'm gonna be tough on Russia. All of his promises. The american people are now looking at him to fulfil with regard to, and I think Russia has took one look at Afghanistan and said how great free reign for us and then they weren't wrong,

I'm not sure that they ve been allowed to fester, Oddly enough, I e the west has been taking up pretty strong tone. Almost from the outset of the the recent. Building russian potential aggression against Ukraine. the problem is that it's all just words, I mean there's some sanctions, but there the major step that it appears could be taken short of actual I'm. In there, a couple of steps could be taken, sort of actual hostile, but he's right, one of which is the way is this suspension were cancelled nation of the Nord stream to pipeline that would directly transit oil from Russia to Germany by passing. Uk

in an effort to make sure that Ukraine has no strategic economic purpose for the West, so that so the tube to limit to limit the the need for the west to use the term due to view Ukraine as a necessary Ellen and in our the world's oil strategy. Let's say so: that's that's one and them a blanket and on the other we have a new puppy and shows up at four thirty this morning and it's about ten of AIDS, I'm a little I'm a little vague, but so ok although we have the Nord Stream pipeline and what either I'm sorry that I'll think of it in a separate and other sanctions, you know, right! Well, no I mean there is. There is arming the idiot.

Sorry now I remember it's rushing arms to view to Ukraine, provide Ukraine with military needs that we're not not not even not even actual American, for just dumb just throwing weapons dropping weapons on Ukraine. To make sure that you know they can defend themselves to some stand and also send a signal that we are not afraid of lining up at least lining up in if hostilities break out, that we are on the side of Ukraine and that we will do what we can do short of war to to have the Ukrainians resists the russian depredation, and seizure of their lands, and so neither of those seems to be on the table like there's a lot of sabre we're, serve doing kind of language rattling,

its liven like Sabre rattling, it's a lot of who you better do boy here going be in trouble, so unless, unless there is paper behind it. I don't know why. Why should why should Putin? Take it all that all that seriously, Emily and all the good- but you know, but my concern with with the bind him you don't normally look foreign policy speaking, I'm I'm the generally quite hawkish

but my concern of the ETA, quite as Mr Savary right right, yeah, that's that's their evil. Alpha kit, right, you're right! My concern in this particular case is that I fear that the but anything the Biden administration tries to threaten credibly. They will be called on and not back up, and that will put us in a worse position because of exactly you know what what Christine first to the Afghanistan Buckle. I think I think that they have already reprieve signalled that any anything that anything resembling a credible threat is worth testing us on that

and that's that's a sort of dangerous position to be in. There is also the other wild card here which we have discussed, uses the position of the European Union. Because all of this is you know a security in Europe issue. They are not part of the discussions that are starting to. In Geneva, they're they're not there, and there is a lot of no frustration on the part of thinking some of the leaders in the EU that there is still no what the old conundrum about how much american influence empowered you want. But if we are talking to Russia and the EU is not at the table, that creates a whole another set of problems in the EU right now. The leaders of the EU nations are not super confident and binds foreign policy leadership either. So it's not just that Biden has some credibility issues with the american people and perhaps with with Russia. But with our allies. You know there is a new chancellor in Germany, obviously M M and nobody really understands what that's gonna mean. Germany has been a has been led by one person for fourteen fourteen years or fifteen

or longer, and so get out day. She was known quantity, quantity, Angela Merkel, and right now I can remember the name of the new german chancellor, which has but which is bad on me as a former jeopardy but also a sign of the nature of the change in how Americans and we all need in foreign policy, and these matters like it used to be loved something Olaf does not broad shouldered audio. Will surely Charles right, although I find it all off, but might might my point- is that it does not meet you I'll editor of a magazine whatever, like a minimally literate american person dating back twenty years, would have that name engraved on there in there in their heads from just simply reading articles and get the these elections in Europe. A renowned Bab France, in particular France. England, Germany were

major. In England, Silver Anna Britain still remains a kind of major subject, but these are things that we don't pay all that much attention to at its very hard. find him information about, and so one of them Things here is that, where apparently door alone. Recycling the by demonstrations taken the measure of of of any of these people and and Boris Johnson, is being very inconstant from what we can tell hard to know where he stands or what he wants in the the The Germans now have this complicity here. Problematic complicity because of the Nord Stream pipeline may be that we cut them out, because we do want to keep that in our now that arrow in our quiver to to do what we can do to uphold them the advance of them stream pipeline, and obviously Germany, it's gonna do what it can to prevent The dust from from

taking that arrow out of the quiver. So we may have decided I'm just guessing here, but we may have decided that we couldn't have them at the table because they they could not be, but they could not be part of a how for negotiation- and I want to give at least the little lip service credit to the fact that its the that the Biden, team, blink and and olenin, everybody that are aware, the enormous importance and danger here and there and we're talking about a world history danger, which isn't just in a war on the european continent that ends up allowing Russia to reestablish imperial dominance over its near abroad, we're talking about agree, whence made in twenty four came to defend the territorial integrity of Ukraine and that, obviously,

provides a stand in for the NATO collectively surety guarantee one move: this unanswered means and almost certain test of Russia's, ability to move on a member of NATO, presumably one of the Baltic states, and after that that it like that's the end of the post war order and of the Post war, is all seventy five years old, literally seventy five years. You know why you, after World war, two, when orders don't necessarily last, but this has been a pretty great one, all things considered. I mean a sort of dazzlingly great achievement that passive, I'd Europe, among other things, completely pacified. You know the place on earth where most

world struggles, originated from their over the last five hundred years had had thing had superseded it, and them You know this one, this one guy from it second rank in the EU. now my power, simply by by virtue His will end and ideological commitment to re establishing his country's and tragedy in world affairs is Leading is eating NATO's lunch and am, and NATO may not survive this, and so that they understand that its very clear there, not now, either not being foolish than out it's just that they don't have a grasp of what tools they have at their debts. Basel and nobody does and of correspondence has among the worst foreign policy ideas that any major american politician has ever had

I mean in some ways there worse, because they have their practical they're, not. It is illogical either not like oh. If we only do this, then we will have cultural exchanges, and then you know bill and here it will send concerts bare and everything will be nice. He has our practical. You know what the world's top play. So we should cut this country and the three and we should pull out unilaterally polar troops out of Afghanistan, goods people re for it all of this and we got his hands. The tiller and his first major foreign policy decision, It is clearly going to be a wildly destabilizing event. You know a dividing line of banned in our time, so his team knows and presently he knows and he's got no, you know he's a

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so who doesn't understand what the hell people are saying about. Cobb I am, I we ve completely lost the thread. There is no thread. The threat is gone of a landscape on tv dead this weekend and said what we can say about the vaccinations anymore if they prevent transmission, which of course, everyone already know like the CDC reputation that have now been some some pretty start pull numbers every. I should have them. I fingertips, but I do not people, don't trust the CDC anymore and that's not just crazy conspiratorial Republicans its everyone. Every one looks at this agency looked at the people

presenting this agency and says now. I think I'll just trust. My own judgment here, which of course many of us have been saying, is probably wiser course in a lot of considering the lot of their strange and misleading guidance of the last two years. But it's now come to a point where even the democratic voter, who might you know otherwise have slavishly said? Yes, yes, whatever will and ski. In fact, you tell us Well, listen do that's crumbling as well, so that just shows you how deep the right is in terms of the public's perception of the public health bureaucracy and the sea. Sees its no longer. On the one hand, of course, its freedom or vigilant for people like us round, but or the super vigilant. It's it's no longer vigilant enough either right. It's because it's wavering right so yeah. Well, I'm fascinated by this admission that you know it now. We can no longer say that it prevents transmission

Vaccination only prevent transmission, at the level of heard immunity. That is why we, seek heard immunity and hope that hurt immunity can be achieved through vaccination, and we know this because the diseases have largely been eradicated or eradicated through her Trent through through you now heard immunity that is ballasted by vaccines, but vaccination is about keeping you safe. It is not about keeping others safe. That's why everybody theoretically has to get vaccinated. It's not! Oh, you know what you're vaccinated so you're, not gonna spread disease. It is you get

ex unaided. So you don't get the disease and your kids don't get the disease and then an ancillary terms over time. If you are not a good host, let's say or in our house, the human host isn't a good host for these diseases. is then over time a generation or to the disease can be eradicated, but it's not something that happens in six months. That was never the promise, but this was where the messaging of both the trumpet ministration and then the bite, a ministration, was wildly stupid about their rights. A trump didn't in both of them could have embraced the message that I think would have resonated more broadly with the public, which was the classic american message of individuals and liked to say you know, want to get

Zack right. Do this thing? Take the shot. This amazing miracle shot tat. We ve created as where Amazing America put it, take the shot, and then you won't get sick, it's great, but instead there was like very mixed messages from trumpet them. When Biden came in, it became a collectivist message of you have to do this because to not do this makes you irresponsible, which of course created this very predictable backlash, followed by oh, and if you don't do it, we're gonna issue unconstitutional mandates, forcing you to do it and you will lose your job. If you don't do, that is not a message that resonates with people who have free will and the ability to exercise choice in their own health and that I think, where Biden could have made that message. There was this brief opportunity when he took office after Trump was gone and had bungled alot of the public health stuff to say lucky.

got it, and there are people who want to do really draconian things too, but here's the middle path, we're gonna, take. We trust Americans, we want you to be healthy. Here's how we can try to end this, even though it's a virus at my not ever end, but this is how we can manage to live with it, make the right choice like they could have done that, but they didn't. They chose not to do that. They are also, I should say, undermining by talking this way They are undermining the virtue of the vaccine, by which I mean they say, get vaccinated. Get boosted forget it I'm a crime. Particular the consequences are gonna, be very minimal to you, now have enormous amounts of evidence now over the last six weeks. If that is true, if you are back, if your backs than boasted that there be no the effect of of having a positive

test out where the feeling that you're gonna get from our is very mild than I had at my family had it. You know it's not just anecdotal. We know from hospitalization rates and all of that that this remains in that sense the hospitalization epidemic is a hot, is an epidemic of their backs unaided, Alma cry. it is not an epidemic of the unbalanced made. An almost crime is an epidemic of everybody. The question is what the effect is, if you get it right so there they ve now lot when I say they ve lost the thread. What I mean is that I don't know how its date they have made their the vaccine up in a sort of public obligate fetish thing and now you can get it so people who, I would say, are not anti vaccines but anti anti vaccines. Some friends of ours and people like

have now, because we ve been having this ludicrous moral fight over you now over the you know how your prove to be a bad person. If you get covert like you know, your proved to be about. If you get caught now there, like a high, you see now they're all getting covered, and now the shoe was on the other foot, but the vaccine is still been validated. Some ways are more than validated by by Ozma Crime, because now there are two levels of illness the advanced needed are getting hospitalized, then this is hitting them, and if there is a surge in hospitalizations and stuff like that, in its really bad and the vaccinated are not really getting very sick at all, so the vaccines, been validated now in two different ways: you didn't get delta. If you had the vat, if you had the vaccine,

Back in the summer and early fall- and you got doubt- you got on the Koran but didn't get sick from it or didn't get you got it. You got sick. The way could get ordinarily Sacramento and they ve screwed up again because they ve now, given they ve now. Because of this inability, he make these distinctions. They have now given succour to the idea that the vaccination regime was useless and pointless and that their for some conspiracy to make you get this useless vaccine that has now been whose validity has now been disproven.

I mean it, but if the thing at you, if you're a anti vaccines or an anti anti anti factor, we ve been fetish icing or many of them have been therapy treatments this whole time. So if let's that lets say that now because of various permutations in the in the virus in this and the strain We could think of the vaccine as an extraordinarily effective therapeutic. That's what wiser, not that's great, then, good point. You believe therapeutic step. That is a very The original that's a very original way to look at it right for four four alma crowded is the ultimate therapeutic, but this idea you know- I mean this, isn't a conventional vaccine right I mean it's it. It's it's got Different ideology: it was a revolutionary idea using M Rna. It's not. You know you take bits of the disease and you give yours

of a small, a tiny little dose of the disease. And then your body kicks in. fighting the disease and creates the machinery inside your body to fight the existence of this disease. This is, entirely different approach and so is the eradication of the elm. The promise were calling it. Actually met is a vaccine. But it's not it's not a conventional vaccination ouch and therefore it is in some sense of therapeutic. I mean, as I say, because it manage because it met delta and the original, in a whatever the original was right. Where it lived, it did have the effect of killing off and preventing its its transmission. Then and the virus mutated, and you can get add because it mutated too, as well as I now understand, mutated, to a lower level of efficacy,

precisely to evade the vaccine, in other words like the vaccine, Perth protects the ones so more crime goes for other things other than the ones, but if it ro, the things out in the lungs and you don't have. Then you don't have a lung disease, your oxygen levels, don't drop. You know it's funny as friends of mine the original version of covered when I got it said, get yourself an ox, similar media, because all you really need to do is monitor whether you, your oxygen levels, are dropping now, like, I don't think I know nothing is compromise. Like you know, I'm not. I dont have trouble breathing, I'm not having what am I a sore throat, but I don't like have trouble breathing. It's almost a different

disease in that respect, because the original thing was a lung disease that killed people through screwing up their lungs systems- and this isn't an they just got so used to not talking straight, that these things, because they had a larger mission in a larger message to impart that's. Why set paying camp on something that that aid said earlier? That is why this is an interesting moment, because their own true believers are breaking away and were seeing this fight between, for example, public sector unions, particularly teachers, obviously teachers, unions and other workers, who don't want to to accept what the CDC is now saying, which a lot of us have been saying, which is we got If this were not shutting everything down every time, there is a new strain. We cannot do that. That is not an effective way to run counter to run a society. So we're not going to do

but they are now attacking the CDC as well saying how dare you we have to have more precautions. We have two lockdown schools again, we have to do all these things to protect. Our workers course that it becomes, which is just base political positioning and power play by these unions. It's very transparent, but there using this language and this kind of ammunition that the CDC themselves gave to them over the last two years and their turning its back on the CDC thing you care more about the economy than about people's lives. I mean all the stuff we have heard versions of from that bind administration. Officials themselves is now being used against them. So it's an interesting moment for for the rhetoric about this is about this epidemic. Okay, if I want to, I want to get into some just broke rank politics here. One of the things we're hearing about the situation in the hospital's is that Do you know the hospitals are being overrun, but they're not being overrun in absolute terms.

there being overrun in relative terms, because there are problems with hospital staffing right. Healthcare workers have been burned out there. They they make they they quit. We already heard that, like Four million people, I think in November switch jobs like a number on an unprecedented number, because their summit, rob openings and people you not whatever southern, and so you can assume that a lot of that is coming from the healthcare sector so everywhere you here like if you're, both someone's looking for a home health healthy. There are no home homo sites to be had if someone sickened need someone it in others, the hospitals, Shaw, images shortages of healthcare workers at hospitals? Well, I'm sorry but you know we spent six months talking about the unemployed, the unintended consequences of the covered relief act

in the spring, and the major unintended consequence of the covered relief fact was because it extended these three hundred dollar There's a week and federal unemployment benefits match by three dollars a week and many sites, Bates and localities and their there their unemployment benefits that that people were effectively getting paid. Thirty thousand dollars per annum, not to work and this is an ancillary consequence of that people may be stayed home, didn't work one person in it. To earn her family stay didn't work and they bank the money that they got from the from the M from the unemployment benefits, and gave themselves some leeway which has been out. That's what happens when you provide a sort of a universal ban, and so this surge and arc

a city to handle it is, I think, going to be seen as another consequence of failed Biden. Policies that were designed to address the covert emergency that may have examined and you know again it's it's something that the Bush administration dismissed. You know when, when people like us work and turned about it, the we Weren'T- you food so yeah there there is that there is the fact that they are getting paid not to work in combination with this poem. Health regime that has resulted in this perpetual kind of soft opening of the country like we're. We're not you know the his There's did the measured still isn't. Ok show up we're done this is this- is this- is pre twenty twenty. You know So there is still this premise ability about about man.

Really shown up yet aside from the vat you can now for that, but there this. You know sort of understanding that we're not there. Yet in it that's a good point, because you see that it in that has such a pernicious trickle down effect in terms of both the economy and just in social relationships in particular. Though in DC, for example, we now have as as own across spread, are ridiculous. May I did a lot of stupid things as as is her want, but one of the dumbest was too suddenly become incredibly reassured them indoor mass mandate and now has a vaccination card requirement, but you can't technically be absolutely contagious with a version of overcrowding fully backed

boosted and go to a restaurant, and you have to do the theatre of wearing your mask as you walk in and then take it often eat and drink and have fun and as many people are doing, which is why it spreading, but not again, if your vice, they not a great risk. The weird thing is that those policies which seem from a technocratic point of view very responsible, look I'm doing something in this is to justify me extending my emergency powers again, which is another thing. We should talk about going it's twenty twenty two, but it actually actively punishes the that you know people who are Anti Baxter's or who don't or the workers who work at these restaurants. You continue to get laid off. Cuz people see that and say I'm not going to go to restaurants too much of a pain. I don't want to wear a mask and do that, I'm not going to go back to the gym. If I have to wear a mask, all of those things have us in small bore, haven't, have a broader social effect in terms of people's sense that life can get back to normal. I think that's the right. I think it's important for people or listening to pie. Lotta people isn't podcast may say you pay.

You're, so New York and NBC Centric like we're not living that way where living our lives. Where here you know in American we're living our lives and get get out of their income live here where its, but This is where our system is not federalized in this sense, which is New York's, a very big state that this is a politically pollutants Probably a bullet Balkan region, Chicago LOS Angeles. You know stay of California,

Bad policies have been instituted em. They been administered and competently and all of that, but the effect of that is not. She can't shrugged off. By saying I live somewhere, where no one has to show a vaccine passport to get into a restaurant, because if that restaurant chain that you go to lose as forty percent of its business, because people can I dont want to deal with the hassle or are too afraid or wet whenever they our they lever. They lose thirty percent of the business that. I will go out of business and then you won't have that restaurant to go to or to supply as a wholesaler or too you know there were in that sense we remain a very economically integrated country and you cannot

These two regimes cannot coexist. You can have like an open country, clothes country. If part of the country- or you know, even partner countries even partially in this soft open, then the net effect on the open part of the country will still be a ten or fifteen percent decline and in the effectually of their economic output and so that, where Christine, you said, like it is time for the CDC or binders. Someone had to shift gears change where they talk about this, and it is the only way to get out of this is a ash, no response. I wish it were otherwise, but but you know. and then all the supply chains that, like the supply chain stuff, is not over with somehow

We got this idea a month ago that somehow the problems had had said subsided like I don't know if anybody has had the experience of trade it by a dishwasher, as I did broke over. The hundred is good luck to you. Good luck! You are running a dishwasher know, I'm in the end and that, of course, them contributes to inflation Wednesday. We're gonna get the monthly inflation report for this number member November had the highest inflation growth. Forty years or some like that there's no reason to think that that number isn't gonna be worse, not better. So all of these things are all integrated in a very destructive fashion, And this is another reason why look at this my say, like the reckoning is baked in the cake, because wherever you want to blame for this you're gonna have to time, blaming Republicans

well. This is really just incumbents. You know it's like people going to be mad and they're gonna vote out the incumbents. I did this. This now to this has become too a partisan to ideologically divided and an approach of an issue for the revenge not to be taken on the the hawkish part in other party that is more associated with regulation, control emergency powers. All of that- and you know we can get to what Democrats think is going to help them, and we talked a little bit this before, but before we get to that. I want to talk to you about our sex, advertiser today, all in branch. Now, unfortunately, no is not here to talk to you about the batteries. Ill of the sheets and beautiful color, that you love so margin and how great

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voting rights and doesn't get them? Then we're gonna move to two to eliminating the filibuster, so we can get voting rights. So oh, What does all this mean? It means that attracts humor has decided and bind they decided to pursue a policy that they know is going to fail. mentioned. Some are not going to vote for the bill if they vote for the bill, one of them of a further one of the month vote for them and then one or the other of them will not vote to eliminate the foe buster, and they know this add to that possible vote on build back better which a mansion over the weak. Quite conspicuously seem to issue a bulletin from his office that whatever offer he had made, to negotiate over over bill back better. I want

point. Eight billion dollar number that the supposed they came out of him is now off the table and Wednesdays inflation report, which, as Say is probably going to be really bad, then he's like. Well, that's crazy! You can't do this, so they believe they're. Making a base play now its January, the voters in November. They are trying to stir up outrage against Republicans publicans casting votes against voting rights. Republicans have made a proposal to go at reforming the electorate. The electoral reform ACT of Eighteen- eighty seven through you know, means that prevent to prevent things that could happening like what have, What's my pants on January sex, they don't want to do that even though they could get a bipartisan bill through, because they want to run on this, whose what who's gonna be.

You can't win on a bank shot like a belief that a lot of you don't think it's a bagshot. I actually think that they are betting on, and this is a classic Democratic Party move their assuming voters are so stupid that they won't want to get into the details of what the removal to filibuster redo. Oh, it's carve out it's all things they don't they may assume. Voters are so dumb that the message of Republicans are obstructing your right to vote is gonna play and I just think that miscalculate they think it will work. They think that that fearmongering- and you know the Jim Crow to point out- which I'm quite sure Biden will say when he's in Georgia this week. All of that they're just gonna trot that out again having learned nothing from the past. You know a year and a half of political culture, and I think what s interesting is it the Republicans? This time are being a little

smarter about responding. So Mcconnell has issued a memo today that tries to find a messaging path to voters about the filibuster and it's a pretty powerful message, because it's true he says and look it's obviously very done in all the kind of tones of apocalyptic rhetoric it off your election mid term upcoming midterm electioneered does, but he says they want to eliminate the filibuster because they they want to ram through an agenda that the most of the country doesn't support and the only way they can do. That is to get rid of this filibuster. This filibuster per actually protects the people because it protects our ability at TED to function for the system to function as it was meant to fund. In this way. That's not a bad message, because its clear and straightforward and, like I said, I think it's true we women, we ve, talked about why they want to eliminate filibuster her for a while on the spot gas. So in that sense, if that message gets through, I think it's gonna be harder for the Democrats to do this. Oh look once again, the Republicans are obstructing at second

yeah I mean, I think you know under other circumstances. The Democrats best hope this strategy would be to serve bait republicans in to fulfilling the role that they're trying to cast them in. You know bye, bye, responding by by going too far in responding set, something that would have happened, say, tromp or still president. Then they would have served. The Republicans would have assist in casting themselves as villains, who want to want to crack down on on your right to vote, hopefully that that they avoid that, this time round, I say a what I mean is I'm an. I understand there is a theory that you know it. The midterm elect have lower turn, so they have lower Turner so you need to Jen up your base. The base of the Democratic Party, you know is african American or a lot of the basis. An American, and so you want to get them wild up. You get the wild up early. You get the message established, you say there too

It'd disenfranchise you it's Jim Crow to point out. All of that. No matter what. This is not a twenty twond, to voting issue which I mean they're real things going on in the country like that waste then twenty years France, the we having our politics derailed by weird ancillary side issues, you know do by ports, world Obama's birth certificate, weird culture, war, things that then ended up taking up office. time inflation crime and am in an ongoing pandemic with a bad or you know, in constant public response, These are primary issues there, not that complicated Republicans and conservatives will make the case the democratic

policies and liberal ideas are responsible for these problems. If Democrats and liberals don't have an answer for this but say none of the problem is that an election in twenty twenty in which a hundred and fifty five million people voted wasn't even that wasn't fair. The most since nineteen hundred said were thousand hundred, I mean the most in percentage terms, right and and and the most in absolute terms, by an astounding, abide by a very, very large number, like twenty million people voted in in twenty twenty. In twenty. Sixteen something like that. It doesn't follows, logically, that you can do look hey squirrel when I know they don't think it's ok squirrel. They think it's the most important thing in our democracy.

Is at stake, but they have to have answers for the problems that countries experiencing when people go to vote and vote, democracy at risk is, and the problem will actually and that's it. The eighth also a very dangerous message for Democrats who are in charge of everything right now to be making, because the republican response isn't just they ve created these problems, but the real risk to democracy is collapsing economy, fraying, social fabric, absolute mistrusted, the major institutions that run this place. That's that's actually, just as if you read history, he much more likely than than you know alarmist up ads in the Atlantic in the Washington Post, proclaiming democracies doom that the real things happening in people's lives in the polarisation of a lot of things that didn't used to be politically polarized. That's a far more far greater rested democracy.

I just find it it's gonna be interesting to watch because as a right to a brilliant peace that we will be closing our magazine this week at his a sequel to his. Yes, this is a rebels piece from last year. The the both bose onslaught of liberal. Ideas, revolutionary ideas that have gained purchase since that George Floyd, murder in twenty twenty and everything it responded to it. There been a lot of successes, but the blow back and the police in a lot of success.

The private sector and beyond the reach of you, no ordinary people to do much about that weaken the there's, some things that people can do about them, but the public sent the public sector response is a voting both response and take every sing together bad in a bad because numbers, let's say or if you know, inflation numbers, which is enough. Basically the economy, bad covid response. You know: crime, okay, and then you have people who have no way comfortably to feel safe, expressing themselves about their discontent with what is happening here, except to go into the voting booth.

And we saw thirteen point swing in two states in New Jersey and in Virginia not enough to win the game ship of New Jersey, but came startlingly close with a candidate that p. Didn't even know the name who know you know you couldn't you remember his name, and I can remember now and of course were genuine, where young can one? That's two states very different states. Vereker end, I just you know they our creating the conditions for the backlash. It's almost as though people on the right have nothing to do with it, at the stand there and say we're not them, and that that is just as we said last week saying, I'm not Trump may be the only secret sauce that will get Biden, reelected or we'll get a democratically elected and twenty river is not binding.

if Trump runs and is a nomination, all Republicans have to do is stand there and say: look at what they're doing look at whether talking about talking about stuff. That has nothing to do with the troubles and every you're doing is making it worse, while an ever I am sorry, to interrupt the desert. My guys Dinah really be in my bonnet this morning on our text, read about this Washington Post article that one of my very dear lovely, liberal friends, sent me about serve right, wingers in places rural areas and, in this case in Washington, state who are running for local office and the whole. the whole thing very thoroughly. Think I'm an keep an open mind. There are deftly some crazies on the and the extreme right, one who think really strange things and the woman who is profiled in this, that the conservative who had won the scoreboard position. She said what s called a three percent her dinner. She believes that only three percent,

the Collins, actually fought the revolution in that they are the heirs of that. You know radical three percent anyway Ladakh what a strange ideas, but when you actually start to refute the peace, you can see how much the be obviously well intentioned, but but liberal leaning journalists is trying to frame this. The end does frame it as a threat to democracy, This is a woman who ran an election. One handily has has said she wants to work within the system to reformat. Unless all the things she thinks this system is doing wrong it. She agreed date they

They portray her as a crazy gun. Toting anti masker wishes have Norman aware masking the meetings cause. That's required, like she comes across as a little odd, but she repeatedly says this is who I am. This is what I believe, but they cannot accept that she could actually be voted in a democratic election and win. It's almost like they really wanted when it put their heads in the sand about people's discomfort with how things are being run right now, so they have to demonize the people. Who actually are what democracy gives us. We did this one was elected you can you can judge her by her record one she's in office as a school board, I shall but the shock of Democrats looking at these local elections and seeing conservatives win is to me also another tell about their real concern, which not isn't democracy. It's that the people we like people like us aren't winning. This is bad. We we ve, as recline, had a column yesterday in in the New York Times, would sit on like Steve Ban in his onto something, and what is the ban onto you- need to run

in local away to have people have people run and local. You know, try to take over school boards and towns, and things like that and there some, the chairman, the Wisconsin Democratic Party, whose obsessed with you know races in cities and towns of twenty thousand mayors They need to win the mayoralty so that the mayor is going to point the Electoral election Clark's to make sure they're not appointed by people who are going to rig the election. For Republicans and all of that that's what's important and democratic donors are giving too much money to the stupid, high profile, races that you can't win like Amy Mcgrath in Kentucky, who got ninety million dollars to one against Mitch, Conall and lost my sixteen points in doomed from the outset- but you know you can raise that money and they need to give it to local races and all this well, it was dead. The crowds and liberals are good for Solomon, Ski, and it was all this that, when, when the sick

These were over and the revolutionary fervour the sixties died down that serious political thinkers and serious political activists did this in state after state they went to the route they went They ran for City Council in School Board, witness this and then the other thing, and they create The class of politics citizens who were in the energy of American. We, as as as all the Scott degraded they were, data, got got charge of things and school boards were unopposed, then no one voted in school board elections and so people at a real interest because of their own economic circumstances, like teachers, unions made sure that they had people were found We too them and all of this and now how the shoe is on the other foot cause. It took a long time to wake Republicans up to this, and there are some states in which they were woken up to it. Twenty years ago, like Texas, where, where were public an activist, took

serve school erotic Republican mainstream local parties in county parties and stuff like that, as they wanted activists who were gonna push conservative. You now openly conservative agenda. and now this is happening, and it is then it is democracy itself is our republic itself. So fine, fantastic! Let Democrats go have these fight at the woke. You know what's gonna happen, turn out by the way like if the, if you actually have competitive races at the mayoral level, at school board level at this that you want public participation in american life create circumstances in which there is competition and we're Democrats Ort neither democratic nor Republicans, can take for granted That they own these seeds and own these institutions, that is healthy, it is healthy when their turnover at a school board level. It is not on

healthy. It means that you weren't paying attention during pay attention what voters wanted you weren't thing if you weren't crew Dating voters of your own who support you. You were just running on entropy and entropy degrades. That is the nature of entropy is that if it goes on and then it degrades overtime and some other force takes it over european and national celebrity so it another thing that would be healthy about that kind of politics. Be a kind of drawing a way of of energy from that that sort of Europe political, celebrity culture Ok, well, they gotta run, I'm sorry Christine! Then I got nobody gets. I get to interrupt you and then everyone who say why don't you let Christine talk but but but we were running over and I gotta take my kid to doctors pointed so anyway with that we'll be back tomorrow with evolve into my promise today, but we had to do this early, so these can be with us tomorrow and for

pursuing the absent. No one job outwards, keep the camel, boring.