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we save the welcome to pod save america, I'm Jon February, I'm john love at some tiny detour on today's show. Democrats delivered their closing argument. Trump and his goons get ready to screw with. other election, and then we sat down with congress will alexander yo cause. Your court has on sunday to talk about the mid terms and more and midnight, and we saw two minutes as well. Are you do us and tell us what question seventy you see are vying for it get out, but rarely gland eaters tommy as part of the programme he spoke, he was having arrived at the crowd of you see, I don't they were putting in his pod. But there is a moment It was a mega protesters and I was like all they're gonna boot

I cannot wait yeah, I am going to be great, I went after them and he gave them engaged, I single them out, and then I did a let's go Brandon at the end, go well alright, but for us before we get to the news and tommy in a o c election day is november eighth, but the voting has already begun and everyone who's out there trying to save democracy needs your help. They need you to volunteer at phone banks. Remind you, to vote. Read up on all those ballot initiatives. Send people text that artists going as those automated ones that come from the campaign yeah cause. We need your help so sign up to do all of this. At vote. Save america dot com, but we will have plenty for you to do you gotta do it. You just have to do it. Couple weeks couple of weeks were fifteen days out. Alright, let's get to the fifteen days the worries and pulling trend that shows a lot of time

in the midterm races, has it changed all that much from last week, but the Democrats strategy apparently has the five thirty eight average has republicans up about a half a point on the generic ballot after a slew of polls that show inflation and economic concerns are once again voters top priorities. Pulsar on but the wine and wine mom oak. Oh, why like complaining known like drinking like they're, getting drunk oh of dunno. That was well sure exert ballots ever like I'm special to Jesus Christ hey with anyway under these other later. If you still listening in response, every democrat from anti policy to Bernie sanders to Joe Biden has been delivering a closing argument focused on republicans extra economic policies. Here's the president's speaking at the white house on friday, they're gonna. Do big farming

turning to repeal my plan to allow medicare negotiate prescription drugs pressures we pay the highest in the world, In doing so, it's going to raise drug prices and going to raise big farmers. Profits are known. Fine, big farmers are not heard all learn a razor health insurance premiums, its mega mega chuckled mega magnitude or about the kind of policy that fail. The country before and I'll fail. It again and it'll mean more wealth to the very wealthy higher inflation for the middle class. That's the choice, we're facing! That's why I think that we're going to do just fine mega mega trickle down rolls off the tongue. What do you guys think

the broader argument is good and necessary. You know I I was curious about why they did the events sort of focused on the deficit versus other. She has been sure, there's some polling somewhere that is driving the decision. I think they're speaking to the reality that huge chunks of the electorate is worried about the economy, inflation and gas prices. We see it polling? We see in focus groups hear about it on the wilderness, see an anecdotal evidence from events and showing up in the wilderness. You have tried the times Biden. All Democrats need to speak to that the anger of the anxiety and make the argument that Democrats will fight for you. Republicans will make things worse. Some of that is going to be policy based like we're going to re up the child tax credit we're going to reduce the price of drugs. Like Biden was talking about there, but the more important pieces that contrast about how republicans they're going to fight for their donors. arm a fast veal interests are gonna, make it worse, I'll trust them on that, like the mega mega trickled down, which I totally don't look, did this empty this worker

again, they probably of data that I don't have it did, but my and with it is just sort of on its own. I dont know that everyone knows what it means, because trickle down economics is kind of like a buzz word from the reagan era and not short mega magda means whatever wholly hopefully catcher we're talking about its we're talking about its ultra eraser will happen. I owe you went out an ultra mega, onshore magazine, rationally ida it all again. May I think she trademark causing one and then she they jealousies and assist the lady in ireland When I first heard the rachel maddow was doing a podcast called ultra. I was like oh, this can be about mk ultra, but it's not so I on your addle ominously, this eminency this, I like mega mega maga, I like it better than ultra mega, which did sound fun. You know right, I just like maga, I think. That's it! That's all, The bad enough like trickle down is in the category of like voodoo economics, but you know what it was catchy. It gets. The message out, you know there was a There was more interesting to me than mega mega, madame mega mega men, maybe

strategy, but you ve got get every livelihood alleging glittering. every election buys what is more That is the new like What I was realizing and seeing his speech and also obviously reading where I get all my opinions message box, but an fiver is Democrats did get behind. This very clean idea. Give us two more senators, keep the house and we'll codify roe. There was not as clean of an economic story. Do this. Do that and we'll do these things and getting back to the child tax credit and some of this cut, making it more of a choice on the economy cause for the last couple of weeks. Everybody's been talking past, each other you've had republicans running nonstop crime- anime about immigration, ads and then you've had democrats running republicans are extreme abortion ads and I'm not saying a lot of Democrats aren't talking about costs and inflation on the trail they aren't made within their ads are about it too, but for the most part there wasn't that clean choice on the economy. It's really good point and while mic. What can I do that? I'm fuckin weeks out, I would say years by

How do we go about our genes and you all well come on? That's when you know it actually did it's making. We wonder why they didn't propose any kind of economic agenda. The Democrats I'm guessing its probably because they passed the inflation reduction act. And then everyone and seven they celebrate that look. We fix everything then everyone freaked out about inflation, so I'm guessing they, We thought if we start proposing morse and it will just total it up than ever- will total it up. But I don't know that The reason to like not have an economic agenda for the for the mid terms and beyond yeah yeah I'll take one the two points one. I would say that democracy is like a sexy baby and inflation is a monster on the hill. That's point number one: wait wait, wait you have to. Well, that out, I don't think I do okay, oh, I think everyone knows that it is

but the second second one in two thousand and six. When democrats were running to win the house. Ah, the ah, the the senate, women democratic women had a had a a little caught, had a caucus and they came out with their checklist for change, and it was a list of clean simple policies and surrender the we can do better. I don't I'm so yet the czech was virtually relate. I can. We can do better, was more of a kind of like acoustic set that didn't they were really doing on the road was a smaller thing is more for touring, but the m didn't sell as well, but by hurricane was going I speak at some kind of a of of a rally or something and I wrote a whole speech and she threw it out, and she just read the checklist for change, and then I got back to my desk was like what the fuck just happened, and then I had missed an email from Hillary. thing I'd like my speech to focus on the type of tracing the gypsy sorted out.

It is a reminder of the amount of money that, like you know, two and six was a lot about the failure of the bush administration, but there was a clean, simple set, our democratic, we're getting behind the question you, while you were telling that various hissing story about check with for jane, I started thinking and believable. What was that couldn't have been more than ninety fucking seconds. I know you bring your your fucking phone to the urinal, but some people have an attention span. It wasn't that bad well. I know that the good news is I got an idea incentive. Instead, like you, don't have to propose a whole bunch of spending, you could have done the child max credit, merely didn't get done and you can set oh and we're going to have it fully paid for by taxing rich assholes and encouraging. something like that grey or you know, but all the loopholes that pearson cinema made you take out of the and wish her You mention it again. That's your agenda, letting you know you know a lot of like online kind of conservatism

having given newsome shit for talking about these gas credits in california, but, like your tongue, met this the like people like that simple. That's if people can latch onto that will help me a bunch of twentysomethings who didn't even know a midterm election was coming, we're all talking to me about when asked them. What Democrats they liked, they talked about Gavin newsom, given them gas hearts. I don't even know there was a thing turns out free monies bachar, so you guys both like this overall strategy of closing Focusing on the economy is anything you change your add to the message. Anything else you guys I imagine that most Democrats are going to do some sort of combination right. It's it's not binary like, though some negative spots focusing on their opponent's record on abortion. Some general sort of oppo hits some attacks on the economic record, but I do think like a a b c ipsos, the that poll found that americans trust republicans when the democrats to handle like almost every economic problem, inflation, gas prices, the economy broadly. So I do think you have to go at that strength

to win those people back. What do you think about this debt ceiling issue, like I realized that the a republican threat to hold the debt ceiling hostage for entitlement cuts is complicated. It seems like it's a tomorrow problem, because it's going to happen in like twenty twenty three, it's it's like vir, as we know all too well, it's extremely difficult to explain the intricacies of the debt ceiling to anyone, but I do think like, if you're just being honest about what might happen. If republicans take the house, there's gonna be a lot of investigations. Is programming impeachment of Joe Biden going

While nothing that happens there not be able to pass anything because Joe Biden so President can veto anything right, but they will actually be able to hold the fucking economy hostage with the debt ceiling unless they get their cuts to social security and medicare. It's actually something that could very easily happen next year. If republicans take the house- and I just wonder if that's something that you really hit in your closing message, what do you guys think it's tough? You know I it's it's, oddly and in some ways it's similar to like our struggle to make this yeah man around republicans as a threat to democracy. You know, threats to democracy. The debt ceiling on some level require imagination in a way that inflation. Doesn't you see it? You feel it, and I feel like right now. Democrats we're paying and

two different ways like. On the one hand we are paying, because people really don't believe, there's aught of cynicism, fuel really think things can get better, but even after tromp and even after. The pandemic even after our financial crisis. They're still not so much pessimism that things act. People actually believe things can get much much much much worse right. They just it's hard to really explain to people. I don't think we've successfully. I think we've done a really. I think the hearings have done a really good job of making the case that january six is connected to a broader effort by trump, but it's still seen as quite acute as opposed to the broader threat to democracy. I think the same thing like on on economic issues. We haven't done a good enough job of explaining to people what republican extremism actually will result in and so two weeks before, the election, making this argument around a debt ceiling, a concept they never fully grow

it's the last time we went through this fight and how bad it could be. Even though we had that argument, and we settled that it could be in that it didn't happen a couple of times in the past. I just think amounting is a bad idea to get hard that the politics were pretty bad for republicans. Last time they tried to do it of the shutdown yeah There are two very rather than ceiling actually there was. There was a great remember that moment you those bad for us too, but it was bad for the bandit, a blinking. Yes, they did blink. They did link, of course, And then you have to find a way to tell a story that sort of they will hold the economy hostage to cut social security and rick cut taxes for for rich people is more about the policies, not the hostage it jake yeah. It may be easier to hit them for what people have preconceived notions or the republican party which, as you know, even if you're not a partisan. What you think about the republican party, they helped the rich and they're pretty extreme. social policies like their abortion bans right, and so you think they wanna. I still think it goes back to. Oh, you want us of inflation there, against inflation, they're gonna help their rich friends and been abortion everywhere. That's that had a rather bill threaten the whole economy,

taxes for virtual, so tommy same greensburg, whose longtime democratic pollster, who has always argued for more populism, recently told politico that be worse. Performing message he's tested is democrats touting their accomplishments, would you make that interview with polygamy, yeah, tough message from a from santa me? I do too intuitively it made sense to me a huge percentage of the country thinks the country is on the wrong track. I think I saw seventy one percent in some polls over the weekend think we're on the wrong track. If our message comes through to those voters sounding like look what I did for you, as opposed to a more nuanced look. We had a lot of work to do here is our track record so far, but this is what will keep fighting for, and this is whose, in the way, I can understand how that would land wrong

It may be annoying, so I do think it may maybe a little nuanced, although I'm you know stands for quote, was was stark yeah I mean that the you like it's a good example of something that sounds like a big note, but actually a small note which is that, like in framing the end Biden, actually does that quite well in a lot? Sometimes he goes a little ham on just louis de LUCA. We did. But a lot of that speech is about framing it as a forward looking choice like here's, what we're doing here's, how it will help you hers. I will keep doing that. Here's, why republicans would write and do it right? I think it's really about it's like the idea of taking what we've done and making it a story about how things will can get better. If you stick with us and how they'll make everything worse is obviously I think right yeah. I think the accomplishments basically only serve as credibility for when you say I'm going to take on the drug companies, the insurance companies, the oil companies, because look I've already been taking them on over the last couple of years. Right like that, they can serve as that beyond that, I think, was a lot of things. We did take out

we're going to take years to go into effect. Now, like the climate spending, is not helping anybody out right now, the the medicare negotiation of drug prices doesn't happen for years. Writing like what are we telling people we did for them. I mean we. We hooked you up in two thousand twenty six that doesn't work and I don't think the people are sitting around being like, oh well, I thought that the price of gas is expensive right now in the casa pretty high. But then you just tell me the gas prices gone down for a couple of days in a row. So I am sorry I stand corrected. It looks like a mood music. I get why the white house is always pushing the ron clean, specifically re tweeting, like the gas price buddy guy in china, likes her to push the narrative that Prices are going down. I think it's more like a media narrative, Yang, They are so quick right to freak out the saudis and opec announce a production cut, never mind the fact that its not clear that make any actual material into

on the amount of gas or oil on the market right now, but like prices, go up the media freaks out in the ivory acts of these run a push back and over correct that, in that impacts on the mood music, randal action, I get it yeah, there's a difference between work and the rest on twitter and look what you put your campaign at church or saint speech on shore. Then we wish we ve also with we ve seen this movie before a bomb care took a number of years to become popular and to become cemented and peoples of Britain's brains is something good that they wanted to keep to the point where republicans, even when they had the votes, couldn't repeal it. Just we had to leave some a thousand seats together. You anything else. You guys have seen in the pulling her early vote numbers that stuck out there in the abc Paul we're. Just hang method has a bunch of really bad news, as if a candidate in this weber's election says they believe the twenty twenty two presidential election was stolen from donald trump. Are you more? likely to over that candidate. Fifty two percent said no, so there is still this.

desire to vote against these fucking people out there it's there. We just did it just that it has to has to stay in people's minds as to be connected to these other issues that feel more tangible, and I just that's the I ask the struggle. I think you have to believe that, if you vote for these Republicans, then it's going to negatively impact your life and a whole bunch way, and you have to see what those impacts are and know what they are right like. I think it is. I think, for example, you know: Josh shapiro is very far ahead of Doug master anno in pennsylvania

I think the knock on wood not going to some goddamn lid, but now he's you know it's a it's a greater margin in that race and most of these polls than the federal laws raise, and I think Shapiro did. A very good- has done a very good job. Saying like we're talking about abortion. It's very simple in this case josh shapiro as governor abortion is legal in pennsylvania, master and was governor. It's not, then people get that you know, and so I just think like drawing these connections about what these aren't. Just like republican extremists were scary. If they are elected. This is what will happen that will impact you. Yet there is an you know. We've been having this conversation. We asked to see a se about it. We asked president obama about it, which is

You know we will we believe correctly that democracy is under threat, we, yet that doesn't seem to be driving a lot of people in their final digital, like not enough. People are so worried about some of these other economic concerns and there is a pull. It reminded me of him earlier in the year, which said at sixty four percent of americans agree that american democracy is in crisis, but more seventy percent feel america itself is in crisis, and I feel like in that. You feel this. You feel the connection between these economic issues and these concerns about day to day data experience of just trying to get by and the crisis we're trying to draw people's attention to, and democracy, which is one way in which people really feel democracy is failing, is just not delivering and, like that's the kind of cynicism we're kind of entering into this fight, and it's it's tough. You know who is delivering him. Hashtag Democrats hashtag democrats, deliver. We do that a while, since the Democrats did that has Tommy

We a better anything you saw in the appalling or the early vote numbers now, and I'm also just going to not let myself read about think about worry about early vote numbers because we're coming off a pandemic, we're still somewhat in one I don't know all the rules are changing in different states like issues you can, you can look at the We vote numbers in the end. The m. The early numbers in the mail about numbers. You've seen and you can blur your eyes and say it looks good. You can play horizon sailors, bad it. Nobody fucking knows to her yeah. I would say that by the end of next week, we look at jon, ralston blog data coming up. He updates with all the early bird numbers it's too early now in his as he says when he updates it, but like bye, bye two weeks in you get a good sense yeah. If you want to feel bad for a full two weeks about their results, rather than just an election day check our roster spot yeah, and if you just want to cut yourself every

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over the last few days. We get a few more reminders about why this is in great in pennsylvania, rolling stone, and semi for report. The trump is already laying the groundwork to challenge the mid term results and that state aid is also trying to get their republican legislature to ban mail in ballots in arizona. Multiple reports of voter intimidation have been sent to the department of justice after armoured vigilantes start patrolling drop boxes, very cool and in nevada. The Washington post report that election officials and supervisors in most counties have left their jobs over threats and abuse of a guy who's. Leading the race to become secretary of state Jim are shot just and this at source of companies like anti american politicians and these same politicians, winningly election, it's not elections, have consequences and rigged elections have catastrophic consequences. Help save America

my signs, I secretary of state, it's time to take our elections now you can't see it because this was audio but the power fishing in that add that he was saying, worked elected were elected near improperly policy Schumer, schiff and nadler allow do we know that there were elected properly, but that's it. saying were that was the beneficiary of rigged elections has gone as far back. As I mean it's a great silence, you can get it now. I won, or else if you want it was illegitimate heads I went. I was you right. That's that's!

The sunrise. Do you guys think that stories like these are just not getting through to voters or do you think, they're getting through, but that these voters just aren't prioritizing democratic threats over economic concerns? I mean, I think, fundamentally, that, like the three of us people who listened to the show our space aliens compared to most of the country and the amount they pay attention, the politics of the problem is not paying attention to prague, hanging them less attention to down dollar races and what a secretary of state does, what a county clerk does. You kind of have to explain what these jobs even do before you can really describe how republicans are screwing it up. There's also probably a bit of a boy who cried wolf thing.

you know, I mean we were laughing before we started recording that and we're as guilty of this as everyone when every election is the most important election of our lifetime. Maybe you tune that out. They stop believing the hyperbole goes a little too far, but I do think like like I. We criticized the media lot. I do think they need to do better here, because when votes came in late in pennsylvania and that led to people questioning the validity of the results, that was a deliberate republican strategy. They voted to ensure that those votes weren't counted until after polls closed on election day. So it looked suspicious. That's why Donald trump gave us his fun quotes about the big late night dump. We all remember that. Finally, less fine, now these going to try to get rid of and nail in voting and do it again. I thought that then the media did a pretty good job like explaining to viewers that night. What was going on there and like white? What trump was trying

do and what republicans are trying to do? I do think that it's going to happen again in these midterms and now is the time where a couple of weeks out where the media should probably let people know yet the same thing is going to happen again that night sure but like mccoury are today where you know you have like half the country questions of validity of these elections. We you know that we've spend time on the show talking about the media work, whereas we think of it is not up to snuff. I would say from time to time, and we talked about the way in which they kind of are biased, towards treating every fight like a political food fight between Democrats and republicans. I think sometimes we forget that that's a bias people have to face, and it's especially true amongst independents who are paying attention. ass and are more likely to just be cynical and dismissive about Democrats and republicans, there's a pull of arizona. Forty one percent said they want election officials, who said Joe Biden, one eighteen percent. one officials who said by didn't when and the remaining forty one percent dont care

either way and it's even bigger for independence, and it really tells you that, like I don't as that, of course, where. How is this information mediated through terrible political coverage? But there really is, like billions of successfully made. Did Joe Biden win the election, a partisan question and people now view that as a partisan question that if they think that it is more non per, like, oh, I don't want somebody who thinks about that issue either way. I just think we're paying for the ways in which this has become a right left divide and I think, to be fair. the non mega media like would any what we wanted. Been pretty pretty clear who the election yeah who was lying. They used the phrase. Big lie all the time They talk about election deniers, all the time and the reason it's not getting through to people they think originally with tommy said, which is it's just most people aren't consuming that information. Most people aren't fucking new york times

breeders, they're, not washington, post readers right or not, watching the big three networks. It's just not happening. I have yeah. This will be me. This did manifest. There's some reporter on reporter violence on twitter last night about this topic about whose job is to talk with I mean I, there is a piece of this. Remember democracy dies in darkness I mean I did it, didn't it at the borders of our slogan. It wasn't democracy dies in darkness. If Democrat say it does. In response republican spokesman said no socialism killed the democracy and then a political science professors at both sides of flaws in only very very long tadema. That's not how I think very frustrating for me. I know they did they put a steak and they they They said we're, gonna do domestic, so does the wash it puts it on gray reporting on that criticising anyone. The peace we're talking about for this segment is actually by Dana Millbank and opinion columnist at the washington post. But I think there is this. This argument happening about. Whether democrats should be the one

getting voters about these threats. Democracy, in my view on that is not our job, is to win elections period. I do not think it's or jaw, though I think it's to be the one carrying the message and educating people at every single issue. We can talk about it, but if it's at the expense of talking about something, that's more likely to make us win fuck that if you're talking about what makes us like, we have the ui, we go. You go toward the media, have not the media. You wish it had like they're the media, they're they're, going to run stories about her run stories about it. If they're, not educating people about the threats of democracy, then really we have no other choice, I mean, but if they know arrests are not what are motivating people to turn out and vote like the pole, lovett just row there, then I think are

Then we should fight on economic grounds or on abortion. I rode acts I rather than sitting. I only me. I don't think we should be counting on the fact that no one course not I'm not counting on them. I think I know of shadow boasting twin there, my own head, yet there. I think that an I like that. I love fuckin complain about the media while other doing a great job on this. Let's not let others our heads. I say I did two things one. Yes, it is democrats job to win elections. Most important thing Democrats can do to defend. Democracy is not convince people, democracy under threat. The most important thing we can do is one that said it is, I think, absurd for reporters who were not was the care who wins who loses to say? Oh if, if of the american people, don't understand the threat to democracy which way we're talking at a bar when I'm not right. It in a newspaper. I share completely in your concern about if that fails, to resonate, and that me, that there's a bunch of election hours you win, and then we have a bunch of elections or into chaos too bad. The Democrats in

better spread out on my job to do there not for them is everybody's job. It's everybody's job and, like everybody, a kind of rings their hands of this, but it all comes, but it does come down to convincing voters of this and if the voters are not paying attention to the media, which most of them are not paying such political news then, whose job the cause of getting to get a lotta people who are like? Oh people, are just pissed about high gas prices. At a moment when democracy is under threat, it's like I wish that wasn't the fuckin casey there, but they are, and the only way that you have a democracy is to actually convince people who were pissed about high gas prices to vote for your person. that ain't even set out you save democracy into giving? So let me look like one also like democracy is about like people like self governance with these people are feeling let their not being governed well

so listen to them is understandable. Pretty complacent mean there's actually when we were when we're talking to op obama. Like last week, like I went what you watch a speech in stockholm. One of the points he made is that western democracies have grown pretty complacent and one of the ways we have grown complacent is we take for granted that, oh, obviously, democracy is the best way to solve problems, but when you have polls after poll that show people, they don't believe in a system, they don't believe things will get better We don't believe Democrats helped I'll, be republic's up every. If you're. Listening to this, you know how much we know there are structural disadvantages. We know how the philip

interested in norway and gerrymandering and and the in the electoral college and the courts, and all of that. All of that is true, of course, and yet we are still inside of that system trying to convince people that it works and when they care about these other issues, and they don't see a democracy delivering, of course, they're. Not believing this is the big threat we face. This is why it's as an asymmetric fight, because democrats fundamentally believe that government should exist and help people and republicans want a drowned in a bathtub and that's why republicans can prevent any immigration reform from happening and then ron de santis can do this stunt and fly people to Martha's vineyard and it's a new cycle for a week, and it hurts us because of a problem his party is,

actually yeah and and that's why ignorance of how republicans are so smart? Why are they so smart and we're not why they play dirty and we don't like dunno? They just have an easier job, they're, just trying to tell you that government doesn't work and people don't either way and institutions right exactly and that's insulted like in such the political problem. I mean people like conspiracy, theory bs, they like feeling like there is some grand plan that only they understand and know about, like I kind of feel, like you're, pushing an or an unopened door by telling people that oh yeah, of course, elections are rigged and stolen, like people kind of want to believe that stuff and people are more likely to believe conspiracy theories at a time when they don't have faith in institutions. The right, like those things go together as well and when they're drowning in a bunch of fucking noise on their social media feeds, and then the local news has been co opted by sinclair and oh there's fox news in our you know: liberal billionaires want centrism and we're conservative

in arizona burn the fucking country to the ground like there are headwinds people yeah and look. This is this is not to be all like nihilistic about shit. Absolutely not it's just to say that, like when there's a whole country of people out there who don't necessarily agree with you, do not assume it's because they've been like brainwash by right, wing, media and donald trump or assume. That is just because they don't give a shit about your issues like people are complicated. There lies a complicated there, not consuming the same year. Your ray, I lay, I think, the bigger mistake the pandit class sometimes makes is to scold people based on their own hierarchy of needs. You think it's like I don't know. Maybe if you couldn't literally couldn't afford a gas in your car, you would care about that. More then democracy I get there. One is bigger, an existential and a longer term risk to all. Us, but you know sometimes you're, dealing with something right now, that's what you care about yeah, it's like! We wish everyone thought the way we did of course yeah, given they don't. So what do we do now? It's not

and it also you know it's like. We also pay in part because it's like the conservative elite is driving is like funding and driving this massive propaganda apparatus and the vast majority of of news anchors of of a talk show host of all of them like they are. They are not connect there in a couple cities and they are not connected to the material needs of the vast majority of people and its. Why? Like? U turn on like what supposed to The lib, like the liberal version of fuckin sean handy, someone like bill Maher, it's like half the episodes about Democrats being terrible and the other half's about cancel culture. It's like there's very few places to go where this, where, like the actual substance of what I like, the the af, the actual lived experience, people are having with the state of the economy, meets a actual rational conversation about what would help and what wouldn't it just simply doesn't exist in our political media system at all. Meanwhile, care

lake. Isn't it look like over twenty years, since the second that, sadly, and the whole thing should shooting or video store two inches of fascist gauze? that was, I leave. That was my nice thing that I set about her well as well as it can wrangles we're too in the in the last observe hearsay when how we have to play that game. Where deny each had to say something else about the cannon. My thing with care, like was her Seppy atoned listening in the area of work anyway This is all why all of this is to say that these elections are closed. All these races are very close, they're all fuckin margin of error, races and the conversations you have between now and election day. We will matter, I will say sitting the studio and talking about the state of democracy can feel dark yesterday, getting out to irvine being with hundreds and hundreds of young voters were fired up talking today, I see like getting on the trail. Bat,

feels really good dsl amendment then seeing other the assholes screaming for Joe Biden that felt less good. Honestly, I found them kind of funny and it a lick baby have a pro wrestling vi to the whole. you do realize they didn't have a heal. They do bore themselves out pretty quickly. You know they're, sorry, it's like they start this one and then in like halfway through the second speaker. There, just lanka which can chant the same thing now inside of it tells us that there was one there was one. There was one and who was walking around with a flag that said like american christian, something and with like and just shouting bloody murder and then all of a sudden she liked disappeared for thirty seconds, you came back and she had a different flag which was all as adder- and it's like so is yours, which fliers with your legs mid rally and switch flags. But really everyone knows that anyway, if you've got about sitting at home, a vote save america has you covered? Our ballot tool has been updated with

the information you need about. What's on your ballot when and where you can vote an in, get reminders to do it at all, convenient location. Now, just had the votes have dot com, slash, be a voter, be dash a dash rotor, that's the dash. It was at the website or yeah just gotta. What's it mean duncan enter another enough of these supper? You are you're fine, you'll figure it out up when we come back, our interview with assay now we're from our sponsor better help. When you're faced with challenges in life, it can be tough to train your and to stay in problem solving mode, but when you learn how to find your own solutions, there's no better feeling you guys ever get stuck focusing on problems instead of solutions every goddamn day of my life halo,

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articles, offering our listeners fifty dollars off your first purchase of one hundred dollars or more to claim visit article dot com, such cricket in the discount, will be automatically applied at checkout. That's a r t, I c l e dot com, slash cricket for fifty dollars off your first purchase of one hundred dollars or more. We are so excited to welcome onto the pod, comes to women. Ocasio Cortez, it's great to meet. You could see in person course thinking. Where did you hear we're sitting here at? U c irvine, because we're all katie porter fence about to go to a rally hosted by the orange county, young democrats sean attacked with mid term because are listeners are freaking out. Maybe they ve, probably refresh five thirty, eight too often too many nights in their life. Loving what they're, seeing the last couple weeks, how you feeling about the elections and like, what's your pitch to our audience, to everyone about why we need to turn out in midterms and volunteer

and come on you're feeling about things. Yeah I mean I think, polling, dad, it's it's a data points but is really the end all be all, and if, thing it should act, is just a motivator wrote that the takes of this mid term are so incredibly high. If republicans take the house, they have stated in no on clear terms that they intend to support a national criminal abortion ban that they want to hold the united states economy. hostage in order to cut social security and medical care- and I mean like the list- on climate change, jose Shan of every

Hang on all this stuff, not to mention just trying to put a halt to any of of the progress that president Biden has been trying to make and end the the progress that he has been making. But if anything, I but the discontent is that we need to be doing so much more, not so much less, but the they are really high right. Now, it's very serious. I was on a flight on the way out here and the flight attendants just kind of came up to me and She just started getting tears in her eyes and she just said I'm just so scared. I'm just so scared- are we gonna, be ok and what I to really tell her was listen. I'm not gonna. Tell you not to worry. I think we need to work really really hard because we are

oh very much at this very critical precipice of fascism in this country and that's very, very real sort. I noticed you, u let off with their concern about abortion access in this country, and then you know the cutting of such security and medicare. So you got a nose. Bernie sanders has been talking about for warning that hey Democrats, when you make sure we get the right balance and talking about both of those issues not just talking about abortion access, I'm wondering what do you think there is an imbalance currently in the messaging in? If, if you do think there is one what's the right balance and talking about, like obviously critical issues, yeah, I think add we can speak more forcefully to the her section of class and identity issues a lot of times.

There's this accusation that made that issues if you're talking about gender rights, if you're talking about race, race issues and racial inequities at this is somehow separate or distinct from focusing on what quantum quote really matters issues I class and inflation, and I think it's really important that we send a message. That is that I mean really it's not a buzzword, a message that is very distinctly intersection of abortion is a class issue. If you will are working hourly and you get pregnant and you are not prepared to have this child, you are are really concerned about generational power. And you are really concerned about putting food on the table, not just for yourself or any children you may already have and the other way around too. I think that we can be fought and be more aggressive and talking about root causes of inflation being corporate agreed. This is not you know in

she is kind of spoken about, as this really vague kind of floaty concept, but that we're all feeling you re prices of things are going up, but we don't really talk about why and we need to have a real confrontation about the consolidation of market power and the fact that increasingly, the most basic goods that we have housing, food, etc are concentrating into oligopoly is and that it is these huge corporations that our price gouging just because they can,

and just because they want to, and it's not just oh prices are going up because of supply chain issues. It's really a lot more distinct than that you mentioned sort of the dangers of fascism and authoritarian ism. Think we all feel that I know you feel that acutely you're in the capital on January. Sixth, obviously we had these hearings that we all paid super close attention to. You know you ask most voters what they care about and inflate it tops the list. Abortion access tops the list, and I think you know in the new york times poll, it was like. Seven percent of people said democracy threat to democracy in the way that we think about it. Elections in iowa that kind of stuff there is also like forty percent of people- would be willing to vote for an election denier. How do you balance the need to make sure people understand the threat that we're facing and with also speaking,

people's immediate concerns, which tend to be about issues that immediately impact their lives in a way that they can see. Yeah, I mean I think we have two things here. We have long term arguments and long term issues and how we deal with issues long term and a lot of these short term arguments and issues, and when I think about threats to democracy, when we message that that in and of itself can seem like a vague message, what we have to communicate in our senses, good storytellers communicate in their five senses. What does it look like? What does it sound like? What does it smell like to taste like if that and if, if that applies, and so when we say threats to democracy, that doesn't give a visceral sensory understanding of what that means

But if you are, you know, if you don't feel safe to vote, that, I think, is much more salient and a lot of people increasingly don't feel safe, even voting in person or acting as a pole worker or having a trans cad, which is also part of our threats to democracy. Whether people's basic civil rights are protected. You feel safe, exist, in public in society, whether your black or a woman walking on a street or whether your trans or what, whether, whatever that may be, whether your homeless And- and I so I think what

comes to communicating that that visceral case outside of of the hearings of january sixth, how that's put into context and the threat that that is today. I think we could do a better job of that, but I'm but a lot of elections. A lot of times are driven by very short term. issues, thinking and priorities and when you see this jockeying over narratives, it's about what we make urgent and how we respond to the urgent issues in our society right now. I think a great example of this in new york is public safety. I think that if you actually look at, if you do look at some of the public In polling, while public safety is a high concern and a lot of areas, people's conception, what makes a safe has also changed dramatically: and it has changed dramatically in the door.

action of activists and advocates that really you know who's whose decades of work just splashed out to the rest of the american electorate in two thousand and twenty, but we're seeing huge shifts in public opinion on the fact that housing access to mental health care at Sarah keeps a safe, and not only that is not only an opinion were starting to see the real public data come out Saying that too, in the bronx we one of the art sir I've made? Is that cause I there is an election denier in in new york. did. They exist in new york city liese. Elden is running for governor. These are people you know, don't believe in peaceful transition of power. You know I mean

really what this is about and so he's running on public safety. But what one of things that we ve done is that we secured a community project fund and we started a pilot project and coolby hospital to treat people who are committing violence and who have been victims of violence, and we produce recurrence of by more than fifty percent has been more effective than any policing intervention, and so using that storytelling is really important, because it's not just about what issues are salient. But it's about what we're saying about those issues. You m built a very successful multiracial coalition working class coalition in the bronx in your district a couple times now. Obviously the party has been having trouble with non college voters for some time. Originally it was what

voters. Now it's starting to be latino voters, and even some black voters as well, and is this simply a matter of making a sharper economic argument? Are there cultural issues at play like how can Democrats sort of win back working class voters without a college degree? I think there's a the things one, I don't think we are aggressive on corporate power enough. I think that this I think our party is shy or too scared were part of the same. You know it. Our entire political system is designed to be very, very acquiescent to money and, and the difference is that republicans, that's not a that is part of republican ideology is to support corporate america.

I think, the democratic party we really struggle because we're supposed to be the party of the working class, but in reality there is a lot in our big tent, its highly segmented, and I think that there is a lot of objections from that within our party, which prevents us from being as forceful on these issues as we can be, you know You- and we can see this play out over and over across a lot of different issues. You look at insulin right, were able the cap it at thirty five, if you're insured. What are we doing about the price of insulin for people who do? have insurance and that's where it. It really requires at one juncture or another there is got there ass to be a reining in of what's happening here, and I think that this this sensing of that conflict is part of the complications that we're seeing in in some of this working class

for I also think, there's a conversation we had about men and their identity, because when we look into that- This this I mean it. like, oh, where, where shedding latino voters or were shedding cert were shedding manual young men to men, and it's not. It is important that we don't paint this with a broad brush, because when we look into this, that is what's going to help us inform a strategy, and- and and you know I I can at least stay with latino voters. We've never tried as a party. The democratic party has not tried it in terms of letting our electorates, and I mean where's our dream act where Is our immigration reform? and even recently with president bush,

inside marijuana executive order. I very much applaud that he went there, but he exempted people who were convicted when the if they were convicted, while they were undocumented- and that is ninety. and we're looking at, the overwhelming majority of people who have been convicted. That would benefit from that part in have status like they have status implications, and so we really need to step up both in our efforts on campaign, but also our efforts and governance and I've. I see conversations, and it's it's tough, because on the other side they don't, they have no qualms they'd on

I have no qualms about having an anti immigrant message, but I think we get scared of that and that segmentation prevents a clear message and it that that lack of clarity makes it hard to win people over. I think others like brand challenge party. Is I listen to you talk and you're like a few years ago, when I was tending bar and trying to make the rent like you, you ve, lived the experience that a lot of voters have and then you look at the democratic leadership and they may have lived that experience fifty years ago, but, like they don't seem they don't look like a lot of the voters that were trying to reach today right this youth rally? How do you convince people you talked to on the trail that democratic party gets their challenges, will fight for them when they don't necessarily see themselves reflected in the people on tv all yeah, I mean I'm honest with people

I'm not here to sell. We vote on this idea that, like our, are, that the leadership of the Democrats party, which has overwhelmingly from one generation almost uniformly from one duration, air, and over well only from a lopsided class perspective is, the same as mere you or anything else like that. The republican party equal like worse, but still, I think, What's really, this is why I've put a lot of effort into down ballot candidates across the country. I started an organization called courage to change and as an out of it was motivated by housing crisis, because it's one of the biggest issues that we have right now, but also we can. Just solvent federally. We need city Souls we need municipalities and so by having exciting real deal candidates, especially on a local level.

And we ve done this and has been very successful in new york city, tiffany, carbine, zora, mom, Donnie, debauchery, briskly Julia salazar people are like holy shit, there's like cool people in an area that, like are actually saying things that I never thought I'd here. Democrats say Jamal bowman, I got your mobile making people yeah and so you know, I think, party leadership as it is a distinct conversation, but I think what actually matters moors is. Are you excited to vote for any body on your palette, who's gonna turn it out on your ballot and the more local you get. I actually think the more flexible and exciting your candidates can be broader, your bases, those people need to appeal to, like everybody and a kind of can water things down a little. You are I talk about. Porn, thanks heavy listen at midnight. Yet I have not listened to midnight yet I wanted to what am I to be clear where recording this sunday, it's been out for

seventy two hours. It took me like two weeks to listen, a renaissance Two, unlike slowness planes That's where he reading a briefing book finally does an issue in the whole thing through too I'm not I'm not going to do the one song weight thing on a radio either yeah I'd hope, not eric atoms. Recently at a press conference where he war on, the rats do support that war and, more importantly, do support hilarious press conferences where they talk about the rats as the enemy, and is it something that could unite new york city and the andrey? Listen, I will say sorry: I am a huge department of sanitation,

ban and so meditation, I'm at the department of standardization, of whom I am the secretary, and so I am. A hundred percent biggest fan of new york city deal deal ass, did department, sanitation, so yeah. I think it's great, I think it's wonderful do have hollowing costume picked up. I've was shopping for them on the flight over because I think enlighten me now. If I could do like tune squad with my dog That would be fine, but I'm I'm still taking suggestions and, while you're out here will you be going to in and out and anything you can do at a fair level to take on the quality of the price. Thank you you for saying this. People need to talk about. Thank you for saying this, because every time I come out here and was like oh my god in and out- and I'm like my controversial non political opinion- is that it's overrated, yes

Yes, but it's like I'm a big fry person. What are they doing? Why is this dry fry thing going around here, driver there's other fries nearby they can sample and learn. I agree and in the people say, get order than well done. I gotta do a special order, make them right. Yeah! Thank you. I mean you it also. That's all I had to yeah. Thank you It was even now. Thank you Thank you. I really appreciate it thanks to air sea for joining us today, thanks to everyone, ah, in irvine who are who talked to us and will talk to you soon, yeah. If you live in orange county, you better help katie porter to get getting help. Katie porter, please get to the polls. She she that whiteboard is for you. We need her.

one of them. Is pod. Save America is a crooked media production. The executive producer is Michael Martinez. Our senior producer is Andy. Gardener Bernstein are produced are highly amused and olivia Martinez its mixed in edited by andrew chadwick kind? edwin charlotte, Linda sound, engineered the show, thanks to helsinki for irish schwartz, sandy gerard anti tapped and justine how for production support into our digital team, illogical, phoebe, bradford, my welcome and Amelia monday. Our episodes are uploaded as videos at you to dot com. Such pod, save america.