I welcome the pod, save america, I'm John favour, I'm john love, it honeybee tour. I dunno we're all back together, video against night, so yeah it's been on for awhile, because we had coded and I wasn't allowed in new york cause. I wasn't allowed in the studio once because I was dancing between the raindrops right railroad here. Tommy and I, with our soup, community and Amelia govern millions handshake. Our supermarket, or through the office and spin alone. Anyway, you guys don't you to hear this. on today. Show trump is headed for big loss in georgia, but trump is amiss prevail on Tuesday new data offer some hopeful signs about democratic enthusiasm and voting and later

congresswoman, Karen bass stops by crooked h q. To talk about her campaign to be the next mare of LOS angeles love, adjust recorded. The interviews conversation fantastic. Maybe we even manage to get to this yea and crack, even if you'd eyeless Angela's resident, this is Do you want and to our surprise, as probably there before we start check out the could store are memorial day we can sail. Is here? Did you guys know you're having a memorial day, we conducted glove looks like we also use said the business use. They may twenty four thirds tuesday may thirty. First in get fifteen percent off site wide and up to percent of new sale items is big sale ever gets out I've years biggest assail ever also. We have a very exciting launch coming up that our marketing department has asked us to tease in a vague but clever and entertaining way mission accomplished loved you got that was there. That was, it guarantees, I think, for a moral basis,

technically need one of those things that govern fleets and dance it. S like like another sam is out. There No, no, no, like an uncle sam version of oh sure, memorial. Those things called I just equipped moral day with a car dealer since one of those games right now, like you idiots, you couldn't think yeah anyway. Did you all know what we're talking about and anyway, just think about the tease, though something's coming tums come and dee from always sunny acts like one in an episode three funny alright. Let's get to the news. We got another big set of primaries this week in texas, alabama arkansas, minnesota and georgia, which features may be the biggest race, with possibly the most predictable outcome of the poll: show incumbent governor brine camp, weeding farmers, David purdue by an average of twenty three points in every single pole in georgia since April has camp over fifty percent, which will

have him to quench. The nomination, without a run off camp is, of course, at the very top of donald trump enemies list for refusing to overturn the twenty twenty election, which is why the four president has spent a couple million dollars to help her do, but the republican governors association has spent five million dollars of their own to help camp and they have been somewhat fairly bragging that they ve already protected incumbent governors from trump endorse challengers into brass guy, and I do hope- and just a twist the knife mike pence campaign with brain camp on Monday, which led to trump spokesmen, accusing the former vice president of being quote desperate to chase his love. it's relevant if some of those trumps borders a gun. Their way they'd have twisted the knife in my country that, because they wanted to kill him, kill him at the capital, but like desperate dejesus, less relevant, like did My first question is: can you lose something that you never really had yet how the how much relevance as a community theatre reagan impressed?

start with you, as when I hear you here, every pence voter in the war. Screaming all the same time was at it. He, like that's gonna lives and the like the uncanny value of humanity. Yeah you just like us. dignity and emotion, and a bit of courage away from being a human just for pure political analysis. Here, like might buy. You know cause like right. Mike pence did there the thing by not overturning the election, even though he had a ceremonial only role in counting the electoral votes good for mike pence, but like the idea that MIKE pence is going to run for president in two thousand and twenty four is so laughable to me like. Where Is we love it? We talk for so I will I love is there? Is there is space for like a non trump carrying twenty four good debate to have? Is that non trump candidate mike peasants? What who who can make an argument for my pants,

moral anyone guys making. I remember a couple of months ago. He did his first little rebuke. You have trump and I took that as a sign that, of course, he can't be running because you can't just be trump, except on the three things his voters care most about doesn't make any sense. I think that, even if that fear, even if the king, the concern about twenty like fades from you know the top spot in trumpeter concerns, like you can't be all. I was part of the trouble ministries in and I loved everything we did accept that little thing at the m, no one like us make. Hence when he was chosen for safer as small subset of even jellicoe somewhere in the annapolis, took out of losing an election in Indiana. He is the love and from said again, spokesmen within its absolutely tree had no constituency. It had the job went to him, because I do who is one of the people. That would say yes, I'm in which everyone assume Donald trump was gonna lose because they did people didn't their stand, that we, I how in we know it? We probably just talked about my pants more than

erica will over the next four million karen kinds. I thought: why do you guys think brain camp is on his way to such a big victory in the georgia primary tommy? First of all, a trump told washing posts that he heard the purdue is surging, I just think yeah. I just think we need to actually hear ye this from a trout, vulgar or whatever so I'll. Let you know everyone's like well. What does this mean for trump's endorsement, because that later, but and do you think that endorphins matter most when it's sort of an open field or less one known candidates, incumbency is powerful. These voters know camp trump endorsed camp back in the day, trump fights every culture war battle he can fight, but he also has an actual record as a governor that he talks about all the time. So he talks about education. He talks about inflation if you're mad about the two thousand and twenty election being stolen I even though trump is pissed at him about that camps as well. I passed the election integrity act of twenty twenty one, which made Democrats really really mat, which is all you need to know about

and triangulating on democracy yeah. Until it comes out there criticizing trump ever, you can be pro trump and pro camp and vote for them. Until ultimately, I think that a georgia voters are the most nervous about beating stacey, abrams and David Perdue is just an absolute loser. He sucks at politics. Batted debates, he can't raise money he's running an effective campaign. Yeah I mean you mentioned nebraska, idaho and georgia as places where trump's endorsement isn't getting him very far. There also are three candidates who were terrible in different ways. There was again in idaho, who was most famous now it's pronounced Andean, I believe, is parents began there. Again- and I am off not you know it- don't leave it out and put off exhibited by three. I believe it's pronounced began in idaho, whose most famous for pretending be governor. When the governor tried to convict out as well as of psychosis she's alone, less money was her posing with them. Some white nationalist and a picnic

and then and then poligized the militia. Now she spoke it away national event. She paused with the militia its stuff to keep. Why drag them into shes end up out there, it's there in oregon and space. I guess anyway, love your saying and then the Ass guy was a grope her, ah, didn't have the endorsement of the current governor and then purdue man. This guy has have no interest in politics. Roscoe, like rickets governor rickets, has kind of a machine up there, the trump one against and then work, but also the camp is doing trump ism without trump so, in addition to signing the voter suppression bell, which he brags about tommy, just mentioned this year alone, he signed bills that light you care,

a gun without a license, criminalize most abortions and prevent teachers from talking about race or algae bt issues right. So he is like doing all the trumpet and and not just camp. This goes to your point, levity. A part of it is the bad candidates. The trump is endorsing in these specific graces, but also in none of these races, where trump trumps Kennedy losing, like you, don't see the candidate whose winning opposing trump in any way that either I worry is that Susan collins, mitt romney they're, not they're, not criticizing trumpet just trying to ignore trump. I mean and encamped himself apparently said reporters recently about turkey's, like I'm not mad at him, he's just mad at me very sound and assets. It's just so sad rules, I'm not mad at him, he's just mad at me and there's nothing I can do. But honestly, I think that is. That is it's if he wins today which it seems like he's going to like that's the model for that right, like you, don't have to necessarily you can win by not criticizing trump, but

as trompe as possible. No one out there is went like you know, not theirs, winning by being susan, collins or or romney or adam kinsey. Earlier cheney, no, not winning like that, giving their brain camp saying I can't control how trump feels in only control how I feel means that he's one of the therapy boys good reading rank male swerved to get it, thereby always right during rang. It may be a therapy by now could be, I hope, so maybe to seek a weapon but yeah I mean, I think I think it's not this isn't about like an anti trump thing. This is about republicans, trying to go beyond trump, the yarmouth they're all trying to do it's a very it look. It's it's! It's a hard space, it's a difficult space to occupy, because trump's always out there about to attack you. But you know if you, if you just tell people that you think. Ah you know the twenty thousand election was bullshit, but you don't want to focus on it.

If you do a bunch of other extremely rightwing things, you could probably survive without trans endorsement yeah and you look like santa as well, and there is there's so much power in the perch of being a governor that you can kind of shape your own narrative. You can control media cycles, you can demonstrate you can you can pick fights with the left. You can pick fights with the media in a way. That's pretty effective. Again. I just want to stress once again that that produce absolutely sock. So that's very important at the eighty two weakened it burns campaign. He can't raise money. He can't he doesn't work hard am I going to do all we can do and if you I've, I was a rich guy. I'll just go, be rich guy, goby, rich guy and don't you're loser who lost their own? That's what voters thank go, have fun, now that we golf now that we've settled this when camp wins can still say like the narrative is about trump is a loser. While I realized that he was searching for a certain cause I still want to, How much is this raise about trump? I mean we can do it ever. We want. It is twenty twenty two you tell it ever story makes you feel good. Just next five seconds change like the here

Ok, I mean, I think, georgia primary voters will probably tell you that this raises about beating stacy abrams donald trump me everything about himself. So that's what the media narrative is gonna be dumped at you. Takes four million dollars of his own pack money into the state he recruited purdue to run you done right, he's in the states who tell a town townhall tonight like what at such a half ass thing, tell us what he did with young can at the end, to yeah he should he should have. He should have gone there with young guinea. That was the yeah. He was a little worried Duncan was going to lose that Chris Christie's out there. You know doing a weird victory lap on on all this stuff. With a r a and talking about habit of sending and comments, and they spent five million dollars. They should have been against democrats, but Christie was but some are saying that this was the number one most important race for trump and, like he's a guy who would know and In the end, the good thing about all of this is in a race against abrams can be decided by a very, very small margin and at the small margins, as we learn, learn when warnock an awesome winds enough to moralist,

Sure enough. Trop, nonsense and noise and distraction can make a difference yet after the other republican primary in georgia where trump may prevail is the very close secretary of state race between brad, rapids berger, who famously certified Biden's win in georgia. After rejecting trump's attempt to overturn the election and state representative jody Heise, who will have the power to certify or decertify future elections in georgia, a heist is just one of many state level. Candidates trump has endorsed because he hopes they'll help him steal the twenty twenty four election, if necessary. Here's a quote from a new york times piece over the weekend quote in an interview with the times. Mr trump acknowledged that in deciding whom to endorse in state legislative races, he's looking for candidates who want state legislatures to have a say in naming president electors, a position, a position. Let politicians that I like laughing at this line, a position that could let politician short circuit the democratic process in override the popular vote. Yet you think overturning the and would be short circuiting the democratic, but that's a yes and they could have

Demography democracies hate this one we're trick, but I heard what the times also analyze, just how many republican state legislators were willing to discredit or overturn the twenty twenty election. Surprise you guys or stay with you from that analysis. I mean, there's just a lot of them. Three hundred and fifty seven sitting republican legislators in battleground states only have tried to overturn or have talked about overturning the election. Forty four percent of lawmakers in nine states. Twenty two percent actively tried to delay the vote or overturn the election. Eleven percent wanted to send an alternate slate of electors, so you know pretty bad, pretty fuckin by deepen infection hearings, I held my percent of forty four percent of republican legislators in the battleground states voted to either overturned described the election like that's a lot, but that number actually sort of undercurrents. How many did because it takes into, how texas florida and north carolina we're trump one. So in those states

there wasn't a lotta republicans who did it just because I didn't have to look at. I didn't realize how pennsylvania is actually the most dangerous state of all this, because it was basically almost a hundred per cent of republican legislators in the state of pennsylvania. We're in this case figures on as the same arizona was close. Yeah arizona comes in second, but pennsylvania was like very fuckin alarming. Just a brief aside or separate new cycle today. Was the italian conway as a book coming out. Who gives a shit no going to read it apparently just serve. You know, dance and stiff competition with her. Oh, don't buy it. Its media to Jared so point four billion glasgow apparently, the book starts with an anecdote where Cleon conway takes a call from that. You know now anti trump, whatever and muggah, guy Michael Cohen, where they are trying to fix the iowa struggle and trying to get kelly and conway to do it for them. So you know election rig

It has been part of their eye and I was able to strap whole rigging any day that it on, and he looked pretty that it's such a joke. I mean that it took him a day to accuse his former eight husband of rigging the vote, because because oz was behind a bit in early counts in pennsylvania. He accused ted crews. fixing a vote in iowa like it's not partisan? It's whoever I mean it is partisan because he did he, but did he, but he did a young adult the and there's only you know, there's only two kinds of elections: hers legitimate ones. Republicans won when an illegitimate ones. The Democrats right, I will say that the times piece and the secretary of state race in georgia and some of what's been written about it just made me realize how, like I think that peep, I think most voters don't understand how critical these state level elections are, and there were some focus groups

The people did in georgia wherever in of course heard of camp vs, Purdue and everyone knows DC abrams, but a lot of odysseus, hadn't heard of reference berger and rio de highest known advantage, and so the like. This is what happens as user of sleep walk into these state legislative candidate, the trump endorse winning who have neck now promise to overturn the election, and it's really scary and in states like pennsylvania in arizona. It's actually really close to them. having a majority of people who would actually do something that the only good news in this peace I call this for good news is so they have like voted that they have either try to discredit or overturn only eleven percent supported, sending alternate slates of electors, which is, of course, the

nightmare scenario, but that's still again in pennsylvania. It was up in pennsylvania and arizona, two states where there's a lot of republicans in the legislature. It's getting up there, it's getting close to a moment where it. So this is it's not even a question of like if at this point it's it's it's when republicans have critical mass in these legislatures to actually send a It's relative electors and caused a constitutional crisis. Yeah, it's a huge problem, and why and it's why people need to pay attention to state election. So much you know yeah and I do think our hope now has to be to figure out how to tell a story that ties there de legitimize ing of democracy and the refusal to allow people to make their voices heard to what's happening on abortion because they are connected. It's only a group of people that believe they won't be held accountable by voters that believes they can slowly unravel basic rights which are doing in schools which are doing to trans kids, which it will it work you're doing to teachers. Ah

which are having to do that to two women. In my eye we women, Talking about our inability to convince people to focus on the threats to our democracy- and puerile debate we have over and over again about when you talk about kitchen tape she's. But we also need to talk about democracy. Why don't people care? How do we make them care? But I do think choice. An abortion is that the issue that has unlocked this broader debate about freedom and democracy, and if we can tie those things together, we can hopefully prevent them from picking up the seats that they otherwise were on track to get into member. I also think an threat to democracy. We have to talk about it as a future threat and not past, because you know Greg sargent has had a piece about the story in the washington post, David binder, who worked for obama, did a bunch of focus groups and the more you talk to voters about january six than what happened between twenty and the big lie. People just see it as something that happened in the past and they

that you're partisan talking about it. When you start talking about, we need to make sure in the future. The people do not have the power to overturn the will of the voters. Then people's irritant that that's what they care about. Even republican primaries. Don't really want to talk about selection, in that the the CBS national pole of republicans, found that fifty percent of republicans one nominees to focus on loyalty to trump. Forty four percent want them to focus on discussing the twenty twenty election like they're, not even that jazzed up about re litigating past, you know. That's one thing. You know we'll talk plenty about the general sixth hearings, but they really have to make sure those hearings are framed, as we are here today to talk about future threats to democracy. In how to prevent them and not too, like relive january sex over and over again. In the same way, you know in the same way, we know me, I know you're you're, just like beating the drum about Jared kushner's is rampant corruption, lubbock and there's this there's this always this refrain about not looking words, but no, we are trying to figure out how to prevent our government from being collected in the future

the way we do that is by having absolutely you know, proctologist level, invasive interrogations of Derek prisoners, finance as yet many jared Jared did a bunch of favors for the saudis and got two billion dollars, but the other. The other part of the quid pro quo for Jared is like hey give me this money now cause. You know my dad might be back in there. So I'll take care of you later I think that the ongoing, but it's hard to understate the madness it's happening in state capitals like look at massachusetts back back to the point about how we're not you know, there's not a bunch of bill weld's running around winning primaries in massachusetts. The governor is Charlie baker, the most popular governor in america. Seventy four percent approval rating he's not running for a third term because he could not get his own nomination really at the party convention. This weekend it went to a guy named Jeffrey deal with a trump person. Corey Lewandowski works for him, like typical fox news, maga guy.

What's a deploy. The national guard at the border is that so we do Massachusetts were of new hampshire iii, the fever publicly in the sectaries candidate said the following at the parties convention. This is a quote from the boston globe. This is her. I don't think it's nice, when they're telling your five year old that he can parents perform a sex act on another five year old. She said drawing gas from the audience. Do you this person is trying to distort The sort of conversation we've been having about curriculum and sex ed in school in florida to suggesting that teachers are teaching kids to have sex with each other. This is the secretary of state. Candidate in Massachusetts seems like she's not going to win I dunno man. There was massachusetts that didn't even go to the party. Can you put her in arizona or misha who isn't as popular who's the name of the person average yet? But I can't remember who's name of the person that oakley yeah whoa that oh no she's running against Martha Coakley. That still stings

we're just like it out Charlie baker. Seventy four percent of liberating can't get the dynamic. asian, to run for a third term massachusetts cause he's drunk the listen what the democratic side and georgia thinks republican gerrymandering, there's a competitive primary between representative lucy, macbeth and Carolyn bordeaux, who ve been drawn into this district other than matt stacey abrams will once again be the democratic nominee,

governor and senator Raphael. Warnock will try to hold his seat against a challenge from herschel walker and even though they will be facing a brutal political environment. Here is a hopeful piece of data from a Washington post story about how early voting in georgia is surging, despite kemp's voter suppression law, a quote by the end of friday, the final day of early in person voting, nearly eight hundred thousand georgians had cast ballots more than three times the number in two thousand and eighteen and higher, even than in two thousand and twenty a presidential primary, and so the piece also, of course, has Publicans accusing democrats of quote hyping accusations of voters, suppression and saying that these turner numbers prove that the rhetoric around the law was false. Would you guys think Tommy was a false? I still think we know yet. You know what we we were not going to know the real impact of these laws until after the primary election day, when we have you know, like precinct level data and an absentee ballot rejection rates and then again we'll have another look after the general election, but

in the aprons. Came they put out a memo? Laurent grow argo, her kitty manager, so that forty five percent of total democratic primary turn out to date didn't boat and twenty eighteen. Eleven percent vote didn't vote in the general, jan eighteen, so they're bringing in a new voters. Amazing, that's exciting, but she pointed out that There is a lot of like seemingly efforts to scold democrats for raising awareness about this law. First of all, the voters. Suppression la changed because we all screamed about it. That's like that key point that seems to be getting lost. They stripped out the worst provisions maiden strip them up out of the goodness of their heart, not right that we have to give the political pressure and fear corporate again like leaving our game and nothing else, also mentioned that we word Longo, argo, abrams, cabinet, I said. We already know that nail ballot rejection rates are higher than they were in previous elections, so that's worrisome and then there's a voter in forsyth county who has challenge the eligibility of thirteen thousand other voters in one county. So there's a lot of weird stuff happening that has to play out. So here's the

I think it's. This is simpler than in its made out to be like two things can be true, but trumpery republicans tried to make it harder for people to vote with this law. That was their intention, but because they're getting out organised, it's not working and people are voting anyway, like the both of those things can be true, yeah and again like creating above of barriers to voting based on a second I manufactured claim of electoral fraud, can be overcome by people who know bears, are there and so come with ladders and come with the law. Is another shoes to get over the moat, but like use still dug a moat from afar, reason to make it harder about Yang will get in out organ outlook. I do think they're getting out organize. I think, like democrats on the ground in Georgia are doing amazing work, but there's a less complimentary version of it, where you know, voters or just really worried that if they mail in their ballot or they wait that it'll get struck or thrown out or if they try to vote absentees of their voting in person

yeah, we'll also have a fear of this law. Mail in voting has plummeted since two thousand and twenty in georgia, but it's still higher than when it wasn't twenty eighteen, which strongly suggests it's. Just because people weren't comfortable voting at the height of the pandemic and so ram, even the mail stuff is just it's just go. It's actually not going back to what it was before the pandemic it's still higher than what it was. It's just people don't want to people, don't want a mill on their belt. They want to show up in person cause that's what georgians have always done. That's what most people have always done and now I think, even the foresight county exert example is basic. What I was saying with keeping these two truths in mind at once, which is like this fucking person challenge thirteen thousand voter registration, some I've county and but because of organizers and the hard work they done only a handful of

challenges of thirteen thousand were successful, so it's like now should a whole bunch of organizers had to do all this extra fuckin work and put more money and time into fighting this participation. Le no it's outrageous that they did, but I think the only point that people should keep in mind. Is this? Isn't the end it like? You should not be discouraged by these voters, oppression laws into saying? I might as well not try any more because in in georgia, where ninety five percent of eligible voters are now registered thanks in part to stacey, abrams and all of these groups on the ground, like people can out organize these law, it is possible. I do think that the one big flag, though his primary voters, in both democratic and republican primaries, always tend to be the most engaged yes and therefore the most likely to vote no matter what obstacle you throw in their way, and I think the key is what happens in the general and that's where a lot of these groups in the ground have their work cut out for them. But just don't ever. Let yourself think that because of the

let suppression that was passed in a state that that's it and it's not worth trying, because clearly in georgia, their showing that they can overcome the reason to not try is because the legislator will invalidate the election entirely. Oh, no! No! No If that was the point both now and said, you squint really hard at some new poles from CBS and marriage. Put the screening of the room. You get your squint. We put on a strong light and then what you see You see some glimmers ahead for democrats, so even there Joe Biden approvals of thirty nine percent, the merest pull that outweigh the survey also shows. The Democrats are up forty seven to forty two percent of the generic ballot, an increase in eight points from last month's pull. It also shows that sixty six percent of Democrats see the draft Supreme court. Does it returning row, makes them more likely to vote in november compared to just forty percent of republicans. Cbs poll shows that only thirty five percent of voters want row

returned and in that whole more voters have an unfavourable view. The republican party than the democratic party, fifty four percent of voters in that poll describe republicans as extreme. Word extreme more than any other word given to them and fifty one percent described the party is hateful. That was the second, the second most common word to describe the republican party for democrats. Of course, the top word was weak chemically fifty one per second so forget about with these pulse may predict or not predict we're not gonna. Do that. Do these numbers tell you guys anything about what democratic can aid should be talking about in their ads and on the campaign trail. So I think, like these much beyond these numbers binds programme is quite low. It's quite worrisome its nerve racking? I think one of the numbers that really popped out from I believe CBS Paul.

Was that I think eighty nine or ninety percent of voters in both parties are most concerned about inflation. So I do think that will be. You know the driving issue for a lot of voters. There is increasing evidence that the republican party's incredibly extreme position on eliminating abortion rights and this potential ruling from the supreme court could be the type of issue that clarifies the contrast between republicans and democrats in a way that really turns out voters there's the marist poll. You mentioned the CBS bull you mentioned, but then the director of polling at the harvard kennedy center that an op ed a couple of weeks back the new york times. We talked about how in focus groups with young voters. This draft opinion of the supreme court on abortion rights has the potential to motivate younger voters the way parkland and eighteen in the way George floyd's murder didn't twenty twenty so and there

is some hope here that there are some issues on the table that could really fire democrats up. I do think it's challenging with the economic news really dominating what people are hearing her. We were in the run up to twenty twenty. We talked a lot about the code, the of basically pro science people than one a better response to the pandemic that wanted. That was pro vaccine, those pro public health measures. There was a guy. the chaos that were seen coming out of the trump administration- and that was a coalition that was broader than than Democrats him. And the kind of independence we need in the moderates. We need without us, giving up anything, and I do think that choices that that issue now that abortion access is that issue. Now there is a very, very big coalition of people. Ah, there is no state in the

tree that wants row overturned and if we can make every thing seen through the lens of of reproductive health care of access to abortion of choice, I think that that is something that can only look. We needed something to change every This is something that changes everything. Don't you tell everyone. You know, vote pro choice up and down the ballot vote for the candidates that are in favor of roe that's it ever and then everything can flow into that. I was well that's, that's the part that having as important as I think that the row is probably the central issue that is salient enough for people and the people know the most about, because events heard, but the draft, let alone what happens when the supreme court actually hints down the decision, but I think there is a will. There is increasing evidence in this in all these polls that republican extremism yeah is the one thing they could keep the democratic hole.

it turned out in twenty eighteen and twenty twenty together. I am now doing a bunch of interviews and focus groups for the next season of the wilderness, which we just announce will be out in september, but I was struck by I talked to a democratic strategist, who was maybe the one strategist in two thousand and twenty that, when all the polls were showing that Democrats were comfortably ahead, kept sending out these updates. That said, it was going to be much closer. The polls around he was like very dark about it, and I asked her about twenty twenty two and he was actually more optimistic about twenty twenty two only because he said if margarets. Do that he's like there's there's a coalition of Democrats turned out in twenty team that sort of like shattered all mid term turnout records and what happened was there's people who usually only vote in the presidential race, but they showed up and twenty eighty to vote in the mid terms. those people, if you can bring them out in twenty twenty two, the people who usually just vote in presidential but voted in two thousand and eighteen, then Democrats can keep it much closer in it. We think it's gonna be right now, and the way to turn them out is too.

Sure? They know that the threat from trump ism is not over and the Republicans or they're coming after ro there coming after some of them are coming after gay marriage. Some of them are coming after fuckin, birth control, a trumpet door, canada in Michigan says she would vote to ban all birth control olive groves of her mother. Already I quote: sex ought to be between one man and one woman in the confines of marriage. There is the ox There is a crazy for sitting united states senator from Indiana, who is on video, saying that the supreme court should leave the decision. About interracial marriage to the states. What are we to half the republican caucus in the house just voted against funding to help with the baby form, A shortage in the summary in the times today talked about how quickly this can lead to bans are contraception. Then it isn't even perspective. to a lot of these right where's who are extreme on abortion? They consider contraception like ideas to be abortion,

and they are already banning it or trying to ban it or making it impossible for people to get access to the care that they so it's already happening. They ve already moved on to trying to ban continental in house republicans in louisiana, made an effort at drafting a law that would have made abortion homicide. The maris poll shows that two thirds american do not support overturning row and that Democrats are more likely to turn out in the election because of what they learned about that draft opinion, but the other even more extreme cases that we can lift up and how it as a party, the way republicans lift up every extreme case on the left. All the time always and act like that is representative- and all I can say is our job in our work is to never forget to lift up. This specific examples did not take this

wicket because we're all in our echo chamber, we all talk to each other of just saying that republicans are extreme and leaving that that find the stories in the states where you have all of these extreme republican candidates, proposing these very, very extreme policies, because, if you just say they're far to the right of their extreme people, aren't gonna know what you're talking about and they're, not just going to assume that you're correct, like the Democrats just have to do a better job of lifting up these examples. When we come back John lovett interviews, l may oral candidate karen bass, grills karen bass, yeah yeah, the had done a grove of trees gave adrian We didn't. The joining us in studio, the representative from the thirty seventh district of california and a candidate for mayor of the city of LOS angeles congresswoman, Karen bass, welcome back to the pod. Thank you thanks for having me on again. So you we made the city

I can't even get a decent slice of pizza. I know it'll all be fixed, we fix fixed a what. Why are you running from air really on the serious side, because los angeles is really in a terrible crisis. Lot of different cities are dealing with homelessness. They unhoused, but in Sandra less. When the count comes back, we anticipated being more than fifty thousand people on the streets in tents in cars, in our Yes, and I believe it is a public health and public safety emergency and needs to be treated as such, so were in the summer stretch and a lot, as you said, allow the dynamics playing out in the race are being experienced by cities across the country. Questions are on crime in the housing crisis, your opponent as a wealthy businessperson. He was republican, who read it As a democrat terrain has dropped a million dollars before two weeks before the very poor Two weeks rambling, you learn a lot that exactly at all. He also dropped

million dollars to support a pro choice initiative to make up for having been I committed a million. He committed a million hundred thousand okay, okay, see. This is why this is good. This is good. This is good, but you ve been republican. His whole life at the same time spent ten millions of dollars blanketing the airwaves in l, a with advertisements of frame frame, the choice in the race a certain way. How do you frame the choice in this race? Oh, I framed the choice as whether los angeles has go is going to go in a direction that is more. Conservative is going to take a turn to the right is going to reach back into the past, with old, tired policies that do not solve problems or whether we're going to continue moving in the direction of an inclusive city of a liberal city of a city that embraces everyone, and a city that comes together to address the problems. I am very concerned and one of the big reasons: why made a decision not to run for congress again, you know

we are experiencing four years of the trump administration and the way trunk towards this country, apart were still suffering from it. I think if we learned any in those four years we better learn that we can't take anything for granted and just because this is overwhelmingly democratic city, it doesn't mean we can't slip and make it turned to the right. I don't want to see that happen. So there's two piece of this one is just making sure everybody turns out right and nobody s office for granted, but there's also. I see that as seeing tons of these adds, that is worried about crime that is snake, worried about on house people both because they view it as a public safety issue for their families and also plenty people of want this to be a just and safe place. They there to be enough housing. What do you say to people who still feel under cited right now because their their progressive their democrats there seeing these ads in there just thinking. While this is a person who says they're, just gonna fix it,

and then the keys and they're gonna fix it. Well, we have been there before we ve been there done that, and a strong man is not going to solve the problem. one who has never been in the public sector. He has been a wealthy. Business man his entire life. He inherited wealth and dumb. I think you have to look at it from the perspective of he has run, accompany never had a board of directors, never had shareholders. this is not an autocracy this. a democracy and I don't believe that a person coming in like that can solve our problems. Now the whole world watched us experiment with this Do we really want to do this again and income a foreigner, you know as well as well as around the country there, the numerous attempts, were billionaires millionaires run? I there's somebody who's, none in the white house right now, who spent one billion dollars in thirty days, So yes, of course, the ads are troubling, but I would just ask people to look below the surface, whereas this person Ben, if you're worth

Four point: three billion dollars: why is it that you never have built one unit of affordable housing in all that time? How is did you ve paid one point, six million dollars and taxes over five years, but yet you won't show your taxes, so This is a movie we ve seen before I dont want to see it happen again in our city at the minute break breeze. Martin, her money. That's a good idea. Oh hey, I'm not mad at him. I think that the idea is rising. who will? I am. I have no money to leave my kids, so that is and how you know, people who have run as business people have defined what it means to be a leader I want to hear from rather than to find against workers, he is offering? What is your view on the role of the mayor? Someone who's been in public service out for decades, who kind of sees us from the not from a kind of business angle but from like bring people together. How do you view the role of mare in terms of not just being one person solving problems?

getting all living things well, you know. First of all, I said most of my life, not in public office. I spent most of my life as a social justice activists, building organizations building coalitions. That's one of the things that I have done for decades. Bringing people too their across geography ideology, race class, and that is what is needed to solve the problems. I do not believe that politicians alone can solve problems to make our accuracy really work. We need people to participate, that's what an organised or does I serve the speaker of the house in sacramento of four to you, during the worst recession, since the great depression and the only California got through. That was by bringing entire legislature together to the table. To say you know what we all have to make these bad decisions, but that's what we need to do in order to prevent the state from

defaulting. Do you think the eli mayor should be more powerful? Like I, I hear what you're saying that we need. You know this idea of one person can fix a problem. That's been tried, doesn't work, but at the same time you know, I see many thea talking about the fact that taking a city, why crisis like homelessness in dividing by district. Sometimes it doesn't work. No, ah, you know I there have been confusion and covert protocols between the county and the city. Sometimes it's felt like barbara for air is more powerful than elect. Officials. The mayor is in charge of the schools. Do think that the Eli aim that as mayor should have more power to solve these problems. We know not sure if the mayor needs more power, but I do know is that you can use the power you have and then you can take power. You can take charge. It took as to how you lead- and you know of the job is what you make it, and so you just touched on one of the fundamental areas of this function in this region, and that is the guy

between the city in the county. We will not solve the problem of the unhoused if the city in the county cannot work together hand in glove, I have worked with the count for a number of years on the issues I've worked on the five supervisors. I know each of them personally very well so one thing that I bring to the table that I dont believe my opponent does our deep relationships on every level of government and it's going to take a whole of government federal state, county and city to work together to address this emergency and on this question of the the homelessness crisis being addressed district by district. What would change if more of that, if that power wasn't devolved to the to the city council? Member, I actually think that the problem is not going to be addressed until we address a county wide. So I just was speaking to

the function between the city in the county, but we have to take a regional approach, so when I said over, fifty thousand people were announced. I was just referring to the city. If, if we talk about the county, it's probably another twenty, but you know we're all waiting for the count, since it hasn't been done for two years. The numbers should be coming out in the next month or so and and that would within so okay there's the difference between addressing at the county level and at the city level. But then there's also this. You know that you read between the lines and you feel like certain city council members are take a diff. Kind of approach than others that some some some push the problem around some try to just get them out of their area that can be solved at the county level will know. But that's why I say we need a county, wide strategy and have city citywide strategy as well. I don't like the council by council approach at all, because you know what's going to happen, it's pretty easy.

the end. The people that are unhoused housed in the affluent areas are gonna, be moved into the low income areas. If we don't solve the problem and if we take the tax look just get it out of my sight. I don't really care what happens but again, that's why we have to have an entirely different approach. We have to get people off the streets immediately, but we also have to address. Why were they on the streets to begin with? And if you don't mind, can just take one? Second: bribe the population now, because, right now, people are being viewed all the same they're all drug addicts who don't want to come inside and you have multiple categories of folks. There are people who are just economically unhealthy. people who are working full time living in their cars. There are. These are intense. You have former foster youth who turn eighteen or twenty one We as a society just kick him to the curb, because we cut him off of everything you have veterans, you have people who are formally incarcerated. When we downsize the prison system, we didn't think about where people gonna go and then you have

people who are suffering from chronic diseases like substance, abuse and mental illness or other diseases. We have to have strategies to address each and every category of person that is unhoused and until we have a comprehensive approach, like that words, it's gonna be dabbling at the problem, so we don't want to aspects of that. One is just access to housing, and not enough, not enough, so there's, but you just talk a little bit about what your role as mare would be both in terms of building a ton, more housing and then also targeted, affordable housing for people, as even at moments of crisis Well, let me just say yes building the housing but working hand in glove with the county, so that the people the minute they get the key to the door. They are also getting services. If we just put people in the house without addressing what drove them outside to begin with, they're not gonna stay in the house very long, so I think that that's critical, Overall, we have a problem, I believe the route problem in it

is profound income inequality, the gap between the rich and the poor is massive and the middle class disappearing. The city has become unaffordable, so we have to build five hundred thousand units of housing and a significant percentage of those need to be affordable. But I would really question would be say, affordable, affordable to who write. So that's gonna be really important. We just burrito we need, like I'm a hundred thousand and then one other piece of this is what happens when people are on the precipice of of honeys their learn their day of their lives there living in cars and sometimes the government- isn't isn't it we're not helping them government as part of the problem, and I salute legal being ticketed pete cardiac impounded right that that, at this moment of crisis right when they could be helps there, there's are punished for economic situation? What can the mayor? Do you know day one? What could you do to help

people that are right on the edge. Well, what is it you stop ticketing cars when you, our obvious people are living in them because then you're going to wind up towing neck are an end in that's. That's ridiculous. What I, do one day, one those declare a state of emergency and pushed the governor to declare a federal state emergency. The bottom line is, is that you are absolutely right: we're not going to solve this problem. If we do not address the thousands of people that could become homeless any day, we have to make sure that those people that are still house I'm a talk about in cars, those people that are still house stay there, and so that's gonna to need rental assistance right now, because we're still not out of the consequences of this pandemic. So one thing you ve talked about is bringing mayors from other cities together, because this is a problem that is growing, in a lot of different cities. What would that do, and how do you think about like? On the one hand, people just want the them to solve this problem and they want excuses that all this is happening everywhere, but the other hand this is,

Did he dealing with a national trend? Tat I, what was the point of bringing the other mayors together, is to go to washington to say that this is a emergency, we're just gonna in do the world. How could we have people sleeping on the street? I mean we ve grown to accept this and there is an entire generation that has grown up thinking. This is normal. I remember when we, use? The term homelessness? That's new, that's new meaning from from like the eightys, which is when this problem actually started. Others always been a handful of people. Ok, who were unhoused but extremely rare. This problem took off in the mid eighties and even if you bill five hundred thousand you're not going to build five hundred thousand unit no night. We are making no more decades right of a failure to build more broadly one critic. One one criticism of the way Democrats have governed in California. Is you just made a really hard to build? It made him hard to build schools. I made out to build parks,

hard to build infrastructure. We can't get a train around from San francisco, to los angeles are their ways which you would want to cut red tape and just make it easier to build in a city you just set it right there. I would cut red tape and make it easier to build but you know the way that I would do. That, though, is by centralizing a lot of the functions and fast forwarding it so, for example, it you know, there's eighty eight cities by the way in l, a county and you and go to an adjacent city and have no problem building its allay? That is the problem, and it is the problem because of the massive bureaucracy, and because there are so many department you have to go through if you want to build something to me, anybody that comes to me and says that they want to build housing to address the unhoused or they want to build, affordable housing. I don't want them to go to the front of the line. I want them to have their own line and I want the departments to be centralized. I want them to have access to bridge funding, because that's one of the problems to the financing take so long that it wines

increasing the costs, and so the way that you can deal with that is dealing with the red tape and also providing people loans, so that, while they're going through the process, they can build quicker and then pay it back when the public money finally kicks in daily crazy that we can build a train from San francisco to los. Let me just say something about that. I don't get a night when I was you, one of the things I was very proud of getting the high speed rail on the ballot that legislation that put it on the ballot- and I was so excited- were sober and the world friend japan mean everybody has high speed rail. Why, but, like the state voted to do it, we passed it around. Public vote have had the public the I voted to pass. It voted for this to happen and brown want it to happen. Is both go from services Francisco to los angeles next thing we know now building,

from from her said to bakersfield heavy legendary lindo. Why ready? What would we went on there? Well, who needs high speed railway mercifully bakersfield? Look when I got the legislation on the ballot that was fourteen years ago, fourteen years ago, and the first leg was supposed to be a lay orange county. What well? Why can we build that? Can you build that as mayor build it? I can't what? What are we going to do? I can't govern builder well, we'll have to call him up. You'll have to have him on the show. This is frustrating to me. Ah, I wanted to sort of back because a lot of people are hearing this they're, not in los angeles, but this is something that, in terms of the story that is being told about, politics right now. You are running in a city that is worried about crime and and worried about on house people at a time in which the right wing has villain. Iced Democrats blamed progressive politics. I blame progressive d, is blamed liberals for creating this crisis

think, sometimes, even in los angeles. That narrative has a lot of power for people. So how do you talk about the progressive vision for dressing these issues in way- that's humane and just without giving in to some of these sort of rightwing wing story, so I couldn't have set it better. You just explained every reason why I'm running because to me I could see the writing on the wall. I was flashing back to the nineteen nineties when we went through. We were exasperated then because it was the and crimson blood's thousand homicides crack cocaine aids. All of these problems can emerged not everywhere in the city liked the one house, but in certain areas, like south l, a at the time I was on the faculty at u s c medical school. I walked away from that job. To go to the heart south central to start an organization to address these problems, because the solution. Politicians had were to pass sentencing, loss, and so my concern is that fled to where we are right now the stage is set to repeat that and because-

we basically as americans are it. We haven't a historical culture. We dont look to history as a guide. and when I see what is happening right now, I think the stage is set for us to move in that punitive direction which might make people feel good, because those homeless folks will be off their block. But if we just lock them there are going to be out in three days and they'll just move to another area, and so what I'm doing in terms of my vision is to fight for the problem to be addressed in a comprehensive manner to talk about the root causes. The reasons why People are unhoused to fight for those services that we stripped away in the nineties. While we were locking everybody up and to understand from history that we really should not repeat this now we do Have a problem with crime we have to address crime and progressives can't run from there if we say well, it's not as bad as it was in the ninety nine. These but of your house was broken and do you have a

crisis. We have to face it and we have to say somebody commits a crime they have to be held accountable now, at the same time, I'm I'm gonna, invest time, money and resources and crime prevention strategies that we pioneer back in the nineties. When I was running community coalitions, those strategies were professionalized researched and blockaded. We know how to prevent these problems. We just never invest in it. So what you're gonna find from my administration, as I'm going to address I'm had on, but I'm gonna die than to dressing the crime stopping the crimes of today, but preventing the crimes of tomorrow by it. Seeing those communities in dealing with the problems before they reached the point of criminal activity dv, like lear, this there's been a busy there's this fight between you and rigorous out, but there is also this interim left debate about how to answer. I, what republicans or so,

I think you're offering one vision for how to respond right. It's acknowledging recognising the fear. People have an talking about some of the ways you'd address it, both in terms of policing and also in terms of broader role, forms you D, worry at all about the critique you're getting from the left for what you said about place, not hiring police that higher. Please, Well I mean you know no, no one wants. Everybody wants a kumbaya, but I understand that criticism, but I will tell you it's the same criticism. I received a ninety ninety when I said to the left at the time crack cocaine is a problem. It's not ok, we can't just look away. This is having devastating impact and communities and what people wanted to talk about then was the sea involvement in cocaine into the country. Now we knew that was factual. Senator carry at the time. Did a congressional commission looking at the cia is involved.

in that you know what I'm talking about up. Ok, but people are dying in south central. I understand they were involved at once aye, but but I think that our side sometimes has a hard time dealing with some of the social problems, and you know you can talk about root causes of which I believe in fighting and pursuing, but What has been shot at what your europe's? So I think you have to address crime, because let me just say this: If we don't address crime, if we don't have a response, then we ve conciliated it to the left. I mean to the right. We just ended we don't have a response, so you do it and what happens when that went and we handed over to them. We got mass incarceration I mean I watched as happened in the nineties, and it was so frustrating because during that time you know, I had no power opposition no agency. We didn't even have social justice nonprofits? Ok, that was a new phenomena that started in the nineties. We had to create all of that

and so here I am fast forward to now now. I'm in this whole different position. That's why I had to come to this decision and I wasn't ready to leave congress somewhat. I will really miss about congress. The most is that I was able to international work and domestic work at the same time. Tuesdays tablet is that I, my focus was effort. actually and insult, but but I but I walked away from that and if this was about my coat unquote career, I would stay congress and run for a leadership position into never been about that. That's not how I've made decisions when I walked, way and ninety ninety I had a kush teaching job on the faculty, the medical school. I could stay there, but what drove me to walk away from that and go to the heart of south central was that I felt like black folks. Going by the wayside, and we we didn't use the term mass incarceration at the time, but we saw it happening. We saw the laws changing and we didn't have the power to stop it

I'm in an entirely different position. So that's what compelled me to come back congressmen karen bass. Thank you. So much for being here we're recording this monday, which we may Not a clip saint is your last data register, but otherwise I everybody about in the mouth, yo yo since the last date of vote is june. Seventh, you need the vote. Now you can go to Karen bass, dot com. We need volunteers, we're having people foam banking, walking precincts due at the grassroots waving. as the way I want to win is by building a grass roots coalition. The all around the city with all of the rainbows that are reflected in our city, all of the diversity to build a movement that says it's not enough. Just to get elected to some someone to get elected to office, then we have to help them govern help them lead to your cameras at the grove.

I now know we can manage the cheesecake factory. I think it's a good idea. I think that makes them tremble all right. Good trump is my idea. Wasn't your idea. I can still do it. You can canvass thank you so much for being here. Thank you. The alright, thank you to Karen bass for joining us. they and we'll talk to you later by everyone. Pod. Save America is a crooked media production, the executive produce is Michael Martinez, our senior producer. Andy gardener. Bernstein are producer is failing use and olivia martinez is our associate producer, its mixed in edited by andrew chadwick, well Seguin in charlotte land. As sound engineer, the show,

tiny, so mediator, sandy gerard Halley, keefer, irish schwartz, anti taft and justine. How for production support into our digital team, Elijah, cone, tb, bradford, Milo Kim and Amelia monies are episodes are uploaded, is videos at you to death? Come such crooked meeting.