Welcome to POD save America. I'm John Fabbro, I'm John love it on time the door today on the show we have senior editor at the daily beast and host of the podcast girl, Friday, Erin Ryan, we also have the man who played Donald Trump in debate prep former. Clinton adviser Philippe Reines friend of the pod friend of everybody, before start thank you. Everyone, yeah big, thank you to all of our listeners. We started over with a new name for the show which and with the name is awesome as pod. Save America is not easy to do. 'cause. No one knows where to find you. You have no subscribers, you have nothing, but you guys all told your friends and family about us something even stole their phones and subscribe for them in a very morally and legally questionable way, which we love, keep tweeting, that, as we will retweet you even more amazing, as we beg you guys to leave us five STAR reviews, because we're pathetic and like three thousand three hundred people

so- and that is amazing- for the show in our ability, to stay at number one on the Itunes rankings, but it also makes me feel like this is a group of people that can get engaged and do some really cool great stuff in terms of taking political action. So thank you again. I also think like you're doing it, because you want the show to succeed and that's for you as much as us. Thank you. Thank you. Everyone. I have a role to play here: hours of lease rate and review products in America in the Itunes store. Okay, a bunch of other people are engaged in something much more important: the fight to save the affordable care act. Yes, yesterday, first and rallies were held all across the country resort. By Bernie Sanders Group also featured this is from Kamala Harris Elizabeth Warren, TIM Kaine, Chris Van HOLLAND, and you had all these rallies like hundreds to thousands bolt showed up, which is great news. This stuff is, is working. Yeah there's a great story yesterday, a crowd over a hundred people showed up at

representative MIKE Coffman's constituent meeting, he is a republican representative out of Colorado represents Aurora and Just have a smaller constituent meeting with a couple of people, and one hundred people showed up to complain and tell him about his plan to repeal the affordable care act. Someone got some great footage of my Kaufman's Hoffman. Check out the back door of the meeting before he could be with everyone. This morning there was a story in Bloomberg: Repres Richard Hudson NC said Friday: there is a lot of angst in our state over an Obama care repeal. This is republican. Here's a quote my concision, are freaking out about commercials. They are seeing on tv about how they're going to lose healthcare. He said it's working, they are doing this pressure. So that's amazing, look preventing these people. People from repealing Obamacare is going be very very hard. But this is like our one lever here and- and you know we learned-

from the tea party, and I think that's a good thing and like we are bringing pressure to bear and it's making a difference. The moral of the story is that members of Congress scare easily a few does people showing up at an event or at their office or calling them makes a big difference in That's what we learned in two thousand and nine during the tea party rallies, you know the beginning of that effort, people the fun of it and they call them tea baggers and they dismissed it and then, before you knew it Fox news q, the cause and Glenn Beck was was talking about this every day and there's a million or two million people on them, also can grow and become hugely politically impactful. If you stick with it yeah, you, like you, said This is going to be really hard and it's, unclear whether will succeed or not it's no reason not to try and be as loud as possible. I mean I just we just gotta you gotta fight through the the senses. Look like this. It is working I mean we don't know what the end result will be, but it is already making a difference and we're just getting started. Well, it may be making a difference, because someone has noticed all these headlines and his name is Donald Trump

and lastly, Gellert alert is going bananas. Well, you said this is only someone who is affected by what he sees on cable, Chiron Zan. We finally reached the cape. Hi RON status for the affordable care act. So last night he did an interview with Robert Cost of the Washington Post. Trump said. His plan will be revealed soon, his for Obama, care replacement, it's going to be terrific and he It's going to be insurance for everybody in quotes. There will be. He said everyone will have insurance and they'll be lowered, duck tables. It will be cheaper insurance, better doctor boles there will be better. That's all he said. Basically, so no one knows This means no one. No one ever knows that doesn't know what right now, but look if he, if stays true to what he just said. You know you basically I don't have that kind of Obama, care replacement without it being Obama care, but just

more money spent on the program right. So we're about to see how to see whether Paul Ryan will sound like this or not or if it's just bullshit, which you know that's my guess, but who knows he's feeling the heat and you know will be very interesting to see where this goes. The one area where I have prayer like seeds is he says, he's going to force drug companies to lower prices in negotiate directly? I hope he bullies the shit out of pharma and all these other drug companies, but he's going into a big stumbling block of his own party, which is historically opposed this and then like the seven million lobbyists in Washington that are working for these guys, but God Sir give me we've been trying to this forever. So if you want to work with Democrats on this great to read about it, Paul Ryan wants to just like give up all of his economic conservative principles to support. Recognition with drug prices.

Better way, better way. Paul Ryan Obama care with the public option. Ok sure sure, don't travel trump brought us if you don't want to add to the public option, to Obama, care and increase the level of subsidy. So more people are covered in college from care all the power to you. Don't have to do that will have to be like potential super angry about it. I won't even be angry. I just want people to like. I want people to survive and have health, and we should also be clear like this- is a flight of fancy. Donald Trump is a liar making it up as he goes so yeah we have some more concrete and terrible things coming our way, but so fight bottom line. Here continue, calling it quits having Tommy made a base, like, I said, the wrong thing. I thought I thought I turn my mic off or something this is concrete in terrible things coming our way. Maybe that's what's happening so keep calling your congressional office. Also. When they're holding their town halls and they're constituent meetings. Someone had this idea on Twitter yesterday. I thought that was great and then show up and

any of these events become really popular enough. People show up, perhaps they'll have to start selling tickets we can do with our first sponsor we're going to bring you some really great segues to sponsors on pod. Save America is going to be a little different than keeping one thousand six hundred for some crooked capitalism so seek buying tickets online for sports and for concerts is a confusing process that has been for a long time. It's a pain, it's hard to find the best all for the game. You want to go to and figure out like. What's the best bang for your buck, these older tickets are it's going to charge you for all this cdkeys different? They come along and created an amazing, app and a website that makes it easier for fans to buy and sell tickets so to get your twenty dollars rebate on tickets, download the ccap go to this things to have an add, add a promo code enter promo code. Crooked and Sql. Send you twenty dollars after you made your first ticket purchased Download to see cap again.

Sql. Send you twenty dollars after you've made your first ticket, purchased, download the Kik APP and enter promo code crooked today, and you used that crooked guys get. Please use the code aggregate good, so kind of organizing and protesting John Lewis. Can hero civil rights, Legend congressman from Georgia was interviewed by Chuck Todd? and he was asked about Donald Trump and working with Donald Trump and John Lewis said the following: see this President elect as a legitimate president. I think the Russians Disappointed in helping this man get elected and they helped destroy candidacy of Hillary Clinton. I don't plan to integration, it will be the first one that I've missed since in Congress, you cannot be at home with something that you feel. That is wrong is not right, This is about ten Congress. People are boycotting the inaugural, it's got upset. Is it gone up since I think probably more think it's above twenty got about twenty now? Ok, so

Democrats are a handful of Democrats. Doesn't Democrats are boycotting the inauguration? It didn't take long. I mean you could you just knew when you saw John Lewis say that counting down the counting down the minutes until you scroll through twitter and saw the Donald Trump or something you attacked, the Pope, never forget right yeah exactly and so sure enough Trump tweets Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart, not to mention crime infested rather falsely complaining about the election results. I'll talk talk talk no action results. Sad, I mean John Lewis represents Atlanta, which is a major city in the United States, he represents beautiful parts and parts that have problems that other cities have, but he seems to

every african American represented district is like crime, addled and horrible in a disaster, and there's there's a weird pattern here: yes, it was the first time it's almost as like his mind, is that New York Post headline from nineteen set like a walking central park by that Ali is, he doesn't have any. He has no information as to so gross. So you know what, like John Lewis has Skull bashed in the Edmund Pettus Bridge, right acid, to like you know for for voting rights, and he he's he's a hero. You can't either. If the thing that's a freshman about this is like it's. So obviously wrong, it's a obviously an evil thing to say, and then you see all these people bending over backwards to kind of demonstrate and like it's such an easy thing to like make Donald Trump said he's a hero, sir, how dairy, which is good? We should be saying that, but, like we've done this before this thing of Donald Trump,

picks a fight with somebody beyond reproach, and then everybody kind of rises to the defense of the person who is beyond reproach, and we just kind of do it again. Yeah I mean I don't know. No one is immune to criticism, but to tee off like this on someone for expressing their and listen. If John Lewis doesn't think the election legitimate, that's his opinion, but then you have the the way they circle. The wagons is so bizarre. You had Rance Priebus on ABC this week, saying It's an Obama to get all those tellers, people to quote grow up and respect the results of the election, which is like absurd. Resp so maybe it's on your president to grow the fuck up in to stop tweeting about SNL every time he gets Pist off about it is the thing visiting. First of all, we're going to get to say right at some point like it's going to happen. Second, no second, like look: we can this thing where Donald Trump says something repellent and everybody kind of piles on or we can ask ourselves why he pays no price and views it as positive for him and really like the people that are

not so that that art writes Priebus Sean Spicer, the people around him directly. Also, people like Paul, Ryan and Mitch, Mcconnell and other allies who have you made thirty deal and their souls to back this guy and When Donald Trump spouts off like this, we can make fun of him in criticizing, but, like he just, is shameless and valueless. So it doesn't really matter it's about the people that are enabling him. That's all, although I do think I mean someone from the LA times treated that, like John this new exactly what he was doing he's protested? His whole life and when you say something like this, you get people right, It brings the energy and enthusiasm to the cause, and I, like you just mentioned: let the boy that the number of congressmen boycotting the it has gone up since then. So people do take a cue from at least one John Lewis side of the equation here, even if, like you said you know shaming Donald Trump is impossible, because man has no shame yeah so David Axelrod was,

this, and he said, I'm not comfortable with Louis calling Trump illegitimate, adding the greatest for Russia, would be a legitimate their charges about our democracy. I worried about our institutions. I worry that we're in this mad cycle of destruction. I understand the outrage, but where is this all going so, I understand on one side like This is a time to protect institutions, particularly because norm particularly because Donald Trump does not care about them that much and he seemed to broken something he's broken somebody norms and not care about institutions, but at the same time I don't know desperate times. Well, look first to not point out the fact that Russia influenced our election doesn't change. That fact right, like it has, as the order of events backwards like pointing that Russia interfered, doesn't delegitimize, Donald Trump. The fact that Russia interfered delegitimize

Trump. I think this word legitimate has a lot of different things to it. That seems to be part of the problem. Here is like what is legitimate, truly mean right in the eye contact. He is certainly certified by the electoral college. He won the election in a legal and illegal where and and Russia, and look as long as we as we take at face value, the idea that Russia didn't actually hack voting, but so much hacked the minds of american voters. They ultimately made this decision, regardless of where that influence came from. So in that's is legitimate, but at the same I don't really think that matters. You know what Since me about what John Lewis said. Wasn't the part about whether whether Donald Trump is legitimate or not. It's about supporting something. You do feel at home with, and that He is like the central question. Like do you feel comfortable standing there and being part of the pomp and circumstance as endorsing Donald Trump is our President. I don't so I want to attend that as a member of Congress and say that say that I am

this person, as my president, I don't know- I don't know it's hard to say. I want to get to a point where people are boycotting inauguration because they disagree with someone's position on healthcare, but I think we have to recognize that the is an extraordinary circumstances under Trump. It's different. It's back to the you know we're all annoyed, because it was like used to death and cliche like don't normalize this. This isn't normal, but it's really, not right, you know, and so I think, a response. Says I'm not going to go to that inaugural is warranted. Hamilton Nolan was a writer for Gawker. He wrote a very short. Very strong piece in debts mean intensity deadspin. Basically, that says kiss the ring, and I really worth reading, and it really stuck with me and the basic point he makes is you know this is now a this- is not a battle of ideas. This is going to be a fight for civic society and part of that is going to be recognizing when it's, time to not respect Donald

authority because he's already abusing it in so many different ways. You know this is we're going to be in for a long time which is which We believe in these democratic norms, we believe in these democratic institutions, and so how do you defend them against an adversary who is going to use them when he sees fits an abandoned him when he sees fit? He's he's fit he's already doing that on conflicts of interest on having members of his family part of his administration and he's going to be breaking the constitution on day one. So when he doesn't care about the laws and norms, he breaks them when he wants them when he wants to pop and circumstance he's going to say how? Dare these congressmen not respect my institutional authority. So it's up to us to recognize moments where we're going to say you know what, if you're going to abandoned norms. We're not going to respect the norms that give you power based purely a job that you've of one here. I guess I don't know what that means, but you know what I'm saying you know and Worth saying on Martin Luther King Day that Martin Luther King, and people in civil rights movement were

seen as legitimate or they were seen as radicals they were criticized. They were called troublemakers. I saw somewhere today that Strom Thurman after king assassinated called him. An outside agitator bent on story comes up yeah. What a horrible person I mean that so just of Gimme give you think right now we look back on what was the king day that I'll miss been so popular and embrace. To be in the civil rights movement. You know because it's like mystic history becomes white wash about that, but in reality it was extraordinarily hard to be part of those protests, because you were seen as anti american outside the main street, and I see those I see those republican members of Congress who endorsed Donald Trump tweeting, how how much to honor Martin Luther King supporting Donald Trump, It might as well be treating that while peeing on Martin Luther King Statue give me a break, give me a break we. Today, we celebrate besides just reported baby celebrate the virtues of Martin Luther King, which is why I endorsed Donald Trump and him tearing this country down to back a racist. So we can cut marginal tax rates for my wealthy buddies. You goons

Straight shooter, respected straight shooter, widely respected on all sides, guys, you know little sidenote merch coming soon merch coming very soon one more thing to end on this: have you guys notice that Trump is not just because these congressmen are boycotting something a bit? hard time filling the seats in his inauguration right now, so apparently, there's there's permits for for two hundred buses for the inauguration, by contrast, Obama had three thousand buses for permitted and also the March on Washington, which is the day after the women's March on Washington, which is the day after the inaugural there's permits for one thousand two hundred buses you're, also seeing ads for. Potentially Fillers allegedly, I don't know that I can confirm them. Big news, maybe the whole thing very careful about libel here at Ipod, save America very careful I mean you know, listen, I don't want to stand outside in the freezing cold on a January day in Washington DC, but I do think this is the kind of thing that's going to show a lack of enthusiasm for Donald Trump Presidency and it's going to drive him crazy, thomases,

Thirty seven percent approval rating, the lowest of any incoming president in recent memory, weird If you do end up going to the inaugural, though an you need some last minute attire. May we see indochino suits so the New York Times New, because that has a column where he asks is our new president. A russian poodle. The yesterday, Trump a round of interviews with foreign press where he continued. This very odd, alarming ominous embrace of Russia. Tommy, is there some of the highlights yeah? I I mean he t talk to the newspaper, the? U K and wanted to Germany and, and one of the things he said was that he thinks he said NATO is obsolete because they're not fighting terrorism, which, first of all, it's just that's factually wrong. I mean that

it's been their primary mission since nine hundred and eleven starting in Afghanistan, but they also do training missions in countries all the world, but you're that kind time in which he's made during the campaign. Scaring the shit out of our european allies, because NATO was founded in nineteen, forty, nine as a bulwark against soviet aggression. I think it's easy for us with the benefit of two big oceans surrounding our country and keeping us away from Russia to forget about that threat. But if you're in Latvia. Are you or Poland or Finland, you're very worried about russian aggression, and so you know You combine that with his comments or cheerleading brexit and and the breakup of the EU, and then he starts. Talking about giving Russia sanctions relief for arms control reductions, which

it's a very weird comment, because arms control treaties are usually negotiated in a reciprocal fashion, meaning, like you, reduce your stockpile of nuclear weapons, Russia and will reduce hours. United states he's essentially saying to them the sanctions we have on you for hacking, our election or for invading Ukraine. Go away if you'll, for the cost of nukes or whatever it might be. I mean it's inviting more so aggression in the region and You already have leaders Britain leaders in France, leaders in Germany speaking out and and scared to death? Can we do it tell me why Putin's awful I feel like. Sometimes this gets lost. It's like you know we're worried about Russia wise he embracing Russia and, in some I'd say well. Why is it in ok thing to have better relations with Russia like? What's so bad about them? You know yeah, I mean it's not a bad thing to have better relations with Russia. It's something President Obama tried to do. A number of presidents have tried to do is have reset relations, but I think you need

need to do it in a way where we're not selling out our allies in Europe or you know, sort of create These deals that sound good in theory, but in practice don't mean anything. For example, it would be if we had more support from the Russians in terms of dealing with ISIS, but I don't think that we want to just give them carb lunch to go after, uh ISIS in Syria in a reckless fat. Totally indiscriminate, without any regard for civilian casualties. The way they've done in places like Chechnya, others that leads to help ISIS Recruit. I think in the long term, will be bad for us. So there's a lot of places where we can align strategically. But They view us as a threat, and they, Russia and Putin believed that diminishing the UN. He can prop up Russia and we're not exactly right. I mean he murders like he kills his opponents. He kills. You know they'd go after journalists they,

crackdown on human rights? I mean the values are not aligned here and charlottes I'd like committed near genocide in Syria and run kind of brush past that when he interviews he's like yeah, I mean what he's done in Aleppo is terrible. It's like well, you know, he's not talking about any sort of consequences for that or or he's never criticized him he's criticized SNL like eleven times on twitter, but he's never said a word about Putin, not be alarmist about this, but, like you just keep reading these stories about Russia, like Israelis, news israeli newspapers report that american intelligence officials warned Israel to be careful about sharing classified info with the Trump White House for fear would be into Russia. Like that's crazy, yeah. You know like and then there's the potential. We learned the potential FBI investigation into contacts between the Trump campaign and Moscow. We know that the FBI not a FISA warrant. To look at phone calls between the Trump campaign in Russia, I mean back to the legitimacy conversation I still believe

if there is an investigation that finds that trump people on the Trump campaign were in. With russian counterpart during the campaign. In new of the hacking I mean that's Watergate, that's list Watergate, that's helping a foreign adversary. You know, I mean the steel information, it's illegal, commit espionage and imagine Paul Ryan and the congressional Republicans would be doing if this were the Democrat with these kind of close ties to Russia behaving as if you're compromised by Russia. Impeachment hearings right now: it's in so again we're back into this place where, like all this new stuff, me about coming out about you all these interviews. Trump is giving all these things from the saying they are the logical conclusion of what he's been saying for basically six months. It is now the concrete and terrible version, because he's about to become our chief policy maker again when his behaving as though he is under the thumb of a foreign despot. We have

ask ourselves: why is he paying no political price for it and the reason he is not as because Paul Ryan wants to cut the top marginal tax rate and he was sold out our country to do it and we have to keep the pressure on the people that are enabling this devious and despicable man to say these things with who may have slightly more shame than Donald Trump right right. There are still people who have shame, members of his cabinet will have shame. The congress- shall have shame. I did I believe that reince previous has successfully killed the part of himself. That experience. Shame think that he is finds in somewhere, like sort of right before Christmas, he killed a dead, but otherwise they still got some shame over there. You know he said you know he sort of play footsie with Putin for awhile, and we've criticized him for that. You know now you're sort of seeing it play out and what that means in policy terms. In the fact that Putin is managing to divide us from our european allies because of these comments from Trump, about NATO and and about sanctions relief, it's a huge, problem and it's it's just. Medical too to like decades of

policy. Thinking I don't want to thinking you said sounds like conventional wisdom, but you have Jim Mattis going up. There testify who is going to be Donald, Trump's, secretary defense and he says NATO Central to our defense. I mean this is is seen as an essential most. Alliance? In of all time, and I don't understand why he thinks otherwise. On the other hand, the this time, Russia and the USA Alot and then March number Lynn kind of worked out well for us maybe one that one yeah I'm not even go. There, dive in the World World World war. Two humor, ok, When we come back, we will have senior editor at the daily beast and the host of girl, Friday, Podcast, Aaron Ryan. Hey guys. Thanks for listening to our show POD save America don't forget to check out our website getcrookedmedia dot com. Content. Be coming out with more podcasts. More shows, more everything, more everything or everything, please.

Follow us on Twitter at pod, save America at cricket media, at John Fabs, at John Lovett, at tv Toro, eight and at ten Pfeiffer. I should probably get that Tommy Vietor Sunday do it by with us. Today we have the senior editor at the daily beast and host of the podcast girl, Friday, Erin, Gloria Ryan AIR and welcome hi thanks so much for having me guys, coming on. So we have a question we'd like to start off our conversations, which is a high feeling. Trump. Is president housing housing that we did this yesterday and it, and I realized that it was articulating something I've been thinking a lot almost every time I make a decision, it's a decision between an activity that will make me infuriated or will call me down, and it's been that way since November ninth, I'm sort of I'm trying to lean into the pain I feel as though we have to pay attention to what's going on even more than ever,

I also feel like I'm going crazy and I need to step back and take a deep breath every once in awhile that. You dropped acid and went to see yes, what was the most surreal that experience or our current political situation how is that analogous to this? It actually made more sense than almost any thing that happened in the last couple months. I had never that, before I've, never done any hallucinogens or psychedelic drugs at all. So That was a really strange and singular experience. It ended up being very pleasant. I would never advocate for people to do drugs like that? Just wouldn't show several reasons? Nor would we get the show just want to say that for maybe one slash three, they really think I threaded the needle and got lucky with that specific experience. It was One thing I liked about that was that

I showed at the consumer electronics show. Has this sort of endearing optimism to it in the light of of what's happening on our national in their internal? Has no politics, it almost seemed like cutely and yeah, it was really endearing. It was like. Oh, you guys think that there is going to be a world in five years in five years, we'll all have smart kitchens yeah. It will text us at work and isn't that nice, you think that there's going to be something it's like they haven't, had a conversation in a relationship with you know, and it's kind of on the on the decline, and you talk about going on vacation together and you have this momentary little bomb in your soul the man that cvs- I just I'm just not convinced that a smart fridge is going to get us over the finish line here as a kind. I think I I'm I'm a real. Let right! I don't like,

and I and I don't really like being around people who get really dorky about it, because it's just it makes me feel like I need to take a shower and they're just a bunch of nerds. Oh yeah, they're, a bunch of nerds with a sense of self importance, have decided that consuming things and creating things are the same thing and they're not so I guess it was it was like I don't I don't believe in smarthome. I don't want my coffee maker to know when I get home from work. Why is why my house is fine? I don't need any of this stuff, but at the same time it was. It was a little bit. I left the experience of tripping on acid at this show thinking. Ok. Well, there are a lot of people that are pretty sure that the world is not going to end. So maybe I could live in that headspace, more silver lining yeah, I also just were like we're all

a compliment everyday and then, and then I was on a tour like here, but your own home okay. So we want to get. Thoughts on the Trump administration. Considering evicting the press corps from the West Wing, yeah I'll walk everybody so, when you guys see tour at home. When you see, President Obama is speaking in the briefing room or the press secretary, people don't necessarily understand, is the other side of that wall is actually an office space. That's actually where my office was called lower press and then the can walk through a door all day, long to go into lower press to go upper press and see the press secretary they bump into officials. They see people coming and going from the west it's a great way to sort of keep an eye on the place. The trump people are talking about in the press corps out of the West Wing into the Eob, which is an adjacent but separate building, which would the spin on it is, it would allow more reporters into the press briefing room

That doesn't mean that people are going to question. It just means they're in the room, but it you know practice, it will severely limit their access to the to the White House staff and they're sort of ability to get a read on the building when something happened. So we're just wondering: do you have reggie that you're, into covering this White House or that you would recommend to reporters? Who are, starting in on Friday, I would be the wrong person to ask about this, because I my way that I cover things is mostly, I take a step back and I would make fun of it until it hurts a little less. But I I think what is really interesting about this new administration, and we saw it in his press conference last week, which was just crazy. It was like Ringling Brothers last circus.

It was during his press conference. He had his his tax attorney, go up and explain in extremely vague and not specific terms how it was impossible for him to totally divide and and two on, like to disentangle himself from from his potential conflicts of interest, but to use these are so I used to work in financial services before I was a writer and you know I'm not. I don't really think about it very much anymore, but Hughes words that somebody uses

when they just assume that the audience is stupid and not going to understand anything that they're saying it's like getting in an argument with a person who's taken a one year, philosophy and assume that you know less than them. I notice that, like in the spin on on moving the press room to this other building, you know, like you mentioned the you know the spin has been. This will give more people. Access is looking more people access and it depends on people being ignorant, which is why I've been thinking lately about how important it is for people to pay more attention, even though it hurts, because the only way that that lie is effective is, if you don't know that the previous arrangement gives people more access and awareness of what's going on the way that that works. The way that that line works is if the general public doesn't know that that's the case well

and, of course, Spicer. His first comment was Sean Spicer's comment was well. We just wanted additional capacity to accommodate members of the media, including talk, radio bloggers and others 'cause there's so many people who want birth certificate, radio need to see there's not enough stupid people. Here we need to make room for everybody, it's a big, the big tent, credential now. Do you think you're going to be part of this new crap credentials, but I would honestly rather drop acid in LAS Vegas. Every single weekend then spend more time than I need to in the Trump White House. Is that much different things I don't know? Maybe it depends on where Peter Deal is that two? Oh, my gosh, that's a little bit of a sore spot for me since I came up through Gawker for sure, so you said your general take on report. Things to step back and make fun of things and wondering mean, do you think that There's going to be an even bigger role, I mean: what's the balance between sort of giving

the pat on the head and ripping him to shreds on snl like where do you? Where do you strike that balance? Well, I think there's a place for for serious and thoughtful engaging in what is actually happening and stepping back and laughing at the thing. That's actually happen one thing that I noticed and I'm from a rural county in Wisconsin. Originally that went to two one for Trump. I think this election and one one thing that I that I noticed about the the trumpeters there with their population of people who are sick and tired of getting laughed at for better or for worse, like they. They probably lot of people who you know are in that demographic deserves to be locked up because they like crappy art, they listen to crappy music, as we can see from the

duration concert line up, they just don't have any. They are the case and they're tired of being made fun of for not having any case, and it was like a garden hill hi. Have you never opened up? His oversized suit was like look nor? No, it's fine. You guys are fine, we're not laughing at you we're laughing at. You know we're we're sick and tired of it, and I think satire maybe played an outsize role in the last cycle, because people use it as a as a way to not engage with the actual facts like they would get their news from. The daily show, instead of actually reading the source material, which I think is, is fun and a little bit easier than actually taking news in because it can be a little dry and it requires effort and thought and not just sitting back and laughing, but I think it's more important than ever to kind of balance that out a little bit so in long story short, I'm part problem well, no, but I think I think I don't think you are also, I think that I feel like there's like

I think that I think you're right in terms of your critique of the way satires winter treating our politics. But I don't think it's the fault of like of the approach of make fun of what's broken in the news. I think there's this this sort of liberal, thing. That's going on right now, that's about like we're making fun of his people just don't get the real facts like they just don't get what's really going on, and I think people kind of Isn't that right, like there's that gets up, I don't think I'm making a good point. I do think the point where this satire can be incredibly condescending and I'm going to start a sentence that you should all punch me in the face for when I finish, Malcolm Gladwell did a podcast on how how satire backfired when it was using its Margaret Thatcher and in some ways against Palin, because some point along the way they are brought in on the joke and it just kind of like it divorces you from the real

problems of Sarah Palin, not knowing what the hell she's talking about to kind of like goofing, on her accent and maybe that's a dangerous thing yeah. I think that that is not I don't. I don't think you're wrong at all. I think, but I also think that, like I said that Understanding an issue requires a little bit of effort and laughing at somebody like someone I don't know just, for example, to me, looks like three Keebler elves in a trench. Coats like that funny as an observation, but it doesn't really engage me with like what his record is, and you know I don't. I'm not super well versed in what he's doing and what he's done and why he's so abhorrent to so many people you know. So if I were, papers and part of my job as a voter in a person's participant in democracy would be to educate myself about this person, rather than just take the shortcut and laughing because I think in an ideal world the laughter is more fulfilling and funnier because of what a

record has been going to the satire sort of has to be an message right like the satire, but Trump has to be how he's screwing a bunch of people, not how he has bad taste right, because you don't him, to be able to say you're, not just. For me you're making fun of my voters. You want to sort of separate him from the right right. It's up! It's just it's! It can't be like a that are of aesthetics, which is like too often what it is: yeah, I agree, but also that's that's the easiest thing and I think people are a little bit lazy, sometimes and and that's a shame, You said that you've been trying to strike a balance between paying attention too much and then ignoring it. Also that you don't freak out. Where have you sort of landed on that What's your regimen? Do it? You know like when you have a knee injury and you have to alternate some people say alternate I have to do that. I can't really go halfway, one or or another. So you know I will go to the gym and listen to meet the press as I

Can you make my horribleness in one place so I'll? Do that and then I'll go home Rick and Morty for six hours. And not at all, look at Twitter so that that's sort of the way that I've been handling- and it's like you know, a few hours on a few hours off. If you are Amazon. If you are, is off and I I've been reading a lot of fiction, although Don Delillo is maybe not the best I have been reading a lot of fiction on it. So when I'm not reading the news and are trying to catch up on the news, I'm trying to take in the beauty of things that aren't oven related to Donald to I also like at dinner now went like with friends. If, like Donald Trump comes up, it's like hey, you know we don't need to talk about. I don't know if we can have like a discipline of some other conversations over Christmas. My dad, because you know my my family they're, not in the media, my father just kept wanting to talk to me about you- know the election.

And then how upset he was about it, and I was I finally feel like dad. I can't I can't do this like you're ruining Christmas We can talk about this anymore. People saying talking about it there like you, must be sick of talking about this, because you talk about all the time and I was like no I'm sort of resigned and like no that's my life, that's the path I've chosen, so I does bring it on instead of from college of from none of none of them are in the media either and they're all sort of like you know it's it's nice, I'm I'm just going to not pay attention to the news anymore and it's wouldn't that be nice, I I I would love it if I could step back and and not pay attention to the news, but you know, like you said it's the job. I picked the job you back yeah. I mean we're three guys that just sort of look at this more. We have more, please look, we have our public to save. You know that and that's not what our tweets are going to do it our podcasts again it can. Where, like five, I guess the way from getting to Erin Ryan. Thank you! So much for joining us and and everyone check out, Aaron

Podcast girl Friday. It's great anything else. Let's see it was great thanks thanks for coming up by you're listening to pod, save America, If you're going to go to inauguration, you should look good. Better than when we started working the Senate office and we were those suits. We got like twelve for the price of one oversized oversize poor, fitting GINO offers you a made to measure suit that fits and looks so much better than anything. You're gonna get off the rack. You just visit our show room or shop online it into Chino dot com. In pick from hundreds of fabrics and this week, positive american listeners, can get a premium indochino suit for just three hundred and eighty nine that indochino dot com. When you enter the code crooked at checkout, that's fifty percent off the regular price,

made to measure premium suit and the shipping is free. Do you think I'll? Finally, stop looking like that chubby kid from stranger things, guys weddings coming up, groomsmen wearing and she will be wearing induces Johns wedding, proxy fight in Chino, and we will want to sponsor on that one. She. You are listening to pod, save America special guest today on the pod? We have former senior advisor to Hillary Clinton Brightness Felipe welcome to the program. Thank you. How are you great great great, so everything is going well everything's, fine. So we're really excited to have you on the reason we wanted to talk to. You is because there was this big story in politico that everybody should read it.

That we say that about political things. At my end, I've been telling everyone like political. It's got this great story about it, but it's a long piece. Looking at Phillips Experience Playing Donald Trump in debate, prep an everybody should read it because it's called maybe came Donald Trump, any Carney and politico and we're excited to talk to you. I was excited to talk to you because you know we've known each other for a long time and there's been a lot in about you, but I don't think anyone has ever to this moment really captured how obsessive you get about things and I think, it's fair to say you got a little bit obsessive about playing Donald Trump right. Well, you guys are out and born in Hollywood, I mean that's what you're supposed to do right so said, immerse yourself, taken very seriously you're the actually I did. I did get obsessive or I did apply my usual obsessiveness to it. Out of just for my own head and it's not like. If I didn't wear knee pads kneepads to hold my leg straight, she would have said he doesn't look like that

They were just a good reminder for me that it was sort of constant. You know, remember the world. I was playing so sleep, I mean I'm, satin and you and I used to work together very closely when you were spoken. The state department I was was at the and I I we're going to see do a lot of interview preps with you and Hillary Clinton, and it seems like your primary job, was to piss her off as much as possible during the practice that it didn't happen in the main event. Was that kind of your goal here during debate? Prep yeah, I'm not at work, but it was. It was a lot of fun. I mean that was my goal in life was just done. Can I search yeah? It had a they had a great by product of you know my job getting done. While is that it? I think what we've all worked for principle was what we've all work for people who you know every word they say is Israel pull apart, you don't want him blurting everything on the top of their tip their tongue out in an interview or a debate,

or even in a in a meeting in a conversation in their office um they have staff, they have people like us, often times two say what they could only say to us to get it off their chest and, frankly, just to talk things out, so they can. You know they can work through in their own head where they are on something, and I think that was the process to let you guys know you open on debate preps and a lot of the same people in the same team. You know hers was run by RON client, Karen Dunn, who did present Obama in twenty twelve two, they just remarkable after the best for a long time, but seeing them in this context was just actually unbelievable. There scary smart, they want a great process, and I would say you know things didn't exactly go as planned, but not because the debates debates- hopefully

What what was the remember? Look. She won three debates. I mean it. You know and so small comfort, but well it happened. Flips the process high side. I think, with a lot of things, but had she won. I think there would have been an element of the debates having sealed deal, oh yeah, and then it would have been a big part of it would have been because people had a good shot of seeing her and then all the psycho babble of who is she don't get to see her she's. This she's that so it now we would have been just for It would have been a very, I think, uh sort of important way for her to have one. They were good opportunities and it was all for not what was the process of getting inside Donald Trump's head. What did you do and how fuckedup did it make you for after? It was all said and done what I do best, which is watch an inordinate amount of television. I just I watched him over

for so it's not like the whole country wasn't watching us, so she could play got you're watching a little bit more than then usual oak. Frankly, it's not wasn't solving Rubik's cube. I mean he has some pretty predictable patterns. In fact, I shouldn't say some I mean he is one big a couple pattern. What was tough and I've never done this before so I I don't know I shouldn't say tough or less tough, but you know if you're practicing, if you're running, debate prep with President Obama in twenty twelve and someone pretending to be Candy Crowley and saying: okay, Mister President Governor Romney, we're not gonna talk about Medicare you, you then have a. I think you think he could change her fifteen minutes about Medicare,

she I mean, there's one great at that that to me, is really summed him up from the debates. In the primaries we got press on Soul security three times in the we got out of it on the third time was that he was in seventeen seconds one from social security to can John on. Yes, it's not helpful to do that in a practice. It's not helpful to when you're trying to think through you know economic answers or social justice or yeah to every forty five seconds start ranting and raving about you know each bed and her hammering her phone and being in jail. So you know, I think the harder thing to do is actually to try to debate 'cause. He doesn't bother to so one of these you said in this story is that he is predictably unpredictable and I think yeah

particularly predictable, predictable number. It doesn't really matter it's hard to do that. So it's a huge difference. Alright, fine, it's difference, but whatever you say, I don't get into the fake news, but I read the coding whatever you want to think. I think it was he's. The most predictable unpredictable person, sure great. That's that's what I was getting at. I think: people have come to a lot, which is that in hindsight, after he, something Oh, that's obviously what he would say to protect his ego to kind of defend his narcissism, but in the moment it's really hard to figure out what he's going to do how did you wrap your head around that problem of this predictably unpredictable person? That's good question well. I don't think I had to go much further than what you just described, because the first thing is always you know about him. Did you say something or did you do something that uh that he would consider? You know a challenge to him to his experience to his abilities, which pretty much experiences every word that way and look especially debate

and these debates, where not just the opponents, but those the moderators there's a lot of it was. You know, Mister Trump. You said this ten years ago, Mister Trump, we heard a recording of you saying yesterday. It was very much within the framework of Mister Trump, you are a bad person, tell us why you did not screw up and that's working is most predictable, but in general I mean he's again. I think it's funny, I'm sure you watch as much tv as I do everyone's trying to figure out who is going to pick for this slot. What does that mean? You know, when? Is she going to reveal his plans for x this idea that things are going to settle out that you know campaign was

big show transition is sloppy, but you know take it more seriously and that suddenly this coming up one day and things are going to be even remotely can take. Any kind of plan is a lot of things, but it's naive, that's just not who he is so So it's not. Who is going to be so then I guess the question is, and I think it's a good idea to look forward all right. Even this kind of missguided? about the way he approaches problems. What would the lesson for reporters for those of us trying to hold them accountable. How do you? How do you Donald Trump and when you're, when you know you've played I'm, you know what works reporters, I think, have a couple problems, but the solution. I think you know the the the the press conference held last week. What what I was seeing was so much what should have happened should have been the the ending scene and nor

Williams moving, I'm sorry, I'm blanking on the name where they all stand up on the desk, just after my captain right like if they don't. If They are not willing to go down for each other uh if they do standard routine, which is of the White House briefing. This isn't just with the president. Just with the press secretary of I'm going to practice my question all day. My question itself is going to be newsworthy in the sense that my network and then say, oh today, x, stood up and Sean Spicer or President Trump would refuse to answer x. That's not going to work. They literally have to get up there with the goal of getting an answer, which sounds

credibly obvious, but I don't. What do you guys have worked in the White House? I never had. I don't think that's. What goes on is the million Lansing and the sort of the the drama of it is not here to get an answer. It's geared towards containing at least something for television, And every day I said, I only have to go, they all have to embody either you know Jake Tapper or Chris Matthews. They ought to add up. If you think you feeling the interviews he's done, no one with Jake of where, with the David Duke Fiasco- and there was one other and Chris Matthews Interview where he said you know, women should be criminalized having abortions. Those are two people who just are relentless and they're. Not the media. It together is not gonna have a lot of opportunities like that he's not to subject himself to difficult interviews. Where he's at something.

Seven time they have to become one giant, Jake Tapper at these press conferences. That sounds like a scary version of ghostbusters yeah. I thought that was less press coverage like no more multi part questions yeah, no like what do you think about this, for you ask him to play the pundit like it has to be direct questions that are yes, no or that forced him to an answer. Yeah. It has to be elected in Paris him anyone. You asked multiple part questions to is going to nab, which part of it they want right right, I mean a lot of what he's doing is not it's not anything. Our bosses haven't done the length, she's doing it and the shame of us with that. But you know there are days I can't think of one, but their days were the the the the day, has been so overwhelming that you could go to each of the forty nine questions in the White House. Press briefing room and it would be the same topic. That's almost how I think they have to approach it.

Because this whole thing at any given day and here's a good example. You think a week from now everything is going to be settled, It's gonna be one horrible thing going on today, he's not going to still have his taxes on. You know, on release, he's not going to still have x, there's always going to be three four five things to latch onto, and course of a day, and that's always going to benefit him. I don't know why I keep seeing him it's. Ninety percent of this is going to be Spicer but yeah. I think Sean Spicer's in for a couple of rough Bree. Things which is very good yeah he's who bit of a sore winner? yeah. I know he doesn't seem to be growing in the role yet sweetheart. Thank you so much for joining us and everyone go read the man who became Donald Trump in politico to get more of this feel for what it was like to play, Donald Trump by Philippe, thankfully, guys. I'm going to go yell at someone about something they didn't do.

Ok, great, that's our show for today. Thank you to Erin Gloria Ryan, Phillippe Brightness for joining us and will talk to you on Thursday and see you later.