In this episode of A Moment with Erik Fleming, host Erik Fleming speaks with political strategists Jacquetta Van Zandt, Dr. Tammy Greer, and Will Cooper about the recent midterm elections. They analyze the Democratic gains at federal and state levels, the historic rise of Black women in elected office, Latino and white women voting shifts, and what the results mean for governance and the future of American politics.
The guests discuss key races, state-level dynamics, and the challenges new lawmakers will face as they transition from campaigning to governing, emphasizing accountability, affordability, and the importance of sustained civic engagement.
00:00:00 --> 00:00:06 Welcome. I'm Eric Fleming, host of A Moment with Eric Fleming, the podcast of our time.
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00:01:15 --> 00:01:20 The following program is hosted by the NVG Podcast Network.
00:02:00 --> 00:02:05 Hello, welcome to Another Moment with Eric Fleming. I am your host, Eric Fleming.
00:02:06 --> 00:02:12 If I had copyright privileges, I'd probably be playing, oh, happy day right now.
00:02:13 --> 00:02:19 Before I get into who's on the show and all that stuff, I want to thank the
00:02:19 --> 00:02:21 voters for showing up and showing out.
00:02:22 --> 00:02:28 And regardless of who you voted for, thank you for that, just participating.
00:02:29 --> 00:02:34 Whatever your reason was for voting. Doesn't matter. I thank you for that.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:42 You know, I had in this podcast a dedicated selection to say for good.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:49 And Renee Good, who was killed by ICE in Minnesota earlier this year,
00:02:49 --> 00:02:53 and then literally like a week or two later, Alex Preddy died.
00:02:54 --> 00:03:01 And, you know, for all the other people who were shot or killed by ICE.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:10 This was really about them because I felt that that was the worst that we as a country could be.
00:03:11 --> 00:03:17 So along with that and other reasons dealing with affordability and corruption,
00:03:17 --> 00:03:22 which seemed to be the big issues driving voters, the blue tsunami happened.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:25 And I'm really, really glad for that.
00:03:26 --> 00:03:29 And I'll get into that a little more at the end.
00:03:30 --> 00:03:35 But I just wanted to say thank you to the American voters for reminding the
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 world of who we really are.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:46 And despite the bumps and bruises that have been on this journey for 250 years,
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 America has a special place on this planet.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:55 And every now and then, we have to course correct to remind ourselves and the
00:03:55 --> 00:03:57 world how special we are.
00:03:58 --> 00:04:03 So to talk about all this, I picked three friends of the podcast to come on.
00:04:04 --> 00:04:08 I didn't know how it was going to go. You know, two years ago,
00:04:08 --> 00:04:13 I was feeling optimistic about Vice President Harris and her chances,
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 no matter how daunting they were.
00:04:16 --> 00:04:23 But I still had hope. And I had people come in to kind of break it down,
00:04:23 --> 00:04:26 what happened, what didn't happen, all that.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:36 So I asked Jaquetta Vincent and Dr. Tammy Greer and Will Cooper to come on this
00:04:36 --> 00:04:41 episode to give their assessment about why the tsunami happened.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:47 And I'm really glad that we're having that discussion as opposed to the tsunami not happening.
00:04:48 --> 00:04:50 So I think you'll enjoy their takes.
00:04:51 --> 00:04:57 They are three distinct individuals. Again, like I said, three friends of the
00:04:57 --> 00:05:04 podcast, and they're not shy about why they think what happened happened.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:09 So, you know, enough about me and my thoughts for a moment.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:15 Let's go ahead and get this show started. And as always, we kick it off with
00:05:15 --> 00:05:17 a moment of news with Grace G.
00:05:25 --> 00:05:30 Thanks, Eric. Driven by voter dissatisfaction with President Trump's administration,
00:05:30 --> 00:05:35 Democrats achieved major gains nationwide and flipped control of both Congress
00:05:35 --> 00:05:40 and several key governorships through a historic slate of diverse candidates.
00:05:41 --> 00:05:44 Democrats pledged to use their new congressional majorities,
00:05:44 --> 00:05:49 secured by voter anger over high living costs and the U.S.-Iran war,
00:05:49 --> 00:05:52 to rein in President Trump during the rest of his second term.
00:05:53 --> 00:05:58 Following the Democratic victory, Representative Hakeem Jeffries is set to become
00:05:58 --> 00:06:03 the first black Speaker of the House, aiming to address living costs while oversight
00:06:03 --> 00:06:04 testing the Trump administration.
00:06:05 --> 00:06:10 Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican Rick Jackson to become the
00:06:10 --> 00:06:15 governor of Georgia and the first black woman elected governor of any U.S. state.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:21 Nithya Rahman became the first challenger to defeat an incumbent Los Angeles
00:06:21 --> 00:06:26 mayor in over two decades after defeating Karen Bass in the November 3rd election.
00:06:27 --> 00:06:31 President Trump announced that Stephen Miller will replace Susie Wiles as White
00:06:31 --> 00:06:36 House chief of staff following major Republican losses in the midterm elections.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:42 Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dillon resigned following the midterms after
00:06:42 --> 00:06:46 spending her tenure shifting the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 toward Trump administration priorities.
00:06:49 --> 00:06:54 California Governor Gavin Newsom announced he will commute the death sentences
00:06:54 --> 00:07:01 of all 548 inmates on the state's death row, ending executions as he nears the end of his term.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:06 Cleveland Meredith, who was previously pardoned by President Trump for a January
00:07:06 --> 00:07:13 6th-related event, was arrested for making threats to execute judges handling Capitol riot cases.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:20 An NTSV investigation indicates a Learjet 60 carrying nine people may have broken
00:07:20 --> 00:07:25 up in midair before crashing in Palm Beach County, Florida, killing everyone on board.
00:07:26 --> 00:07:33 And the CDC reported 5 confirmed measles cases across the United States.
00:07:34 --> 00:07:37 I am Grace Gee, and this has been a Moment of News.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:49 All right. Thank you, Grace, for that moment of news. Now it is time for our
00:07:49 --> 00:07:52 guest, Jaquetta Van Zandt.
00:07:52 --> 00:07:57 Jaquetta Van Zandt serves as the Vice President of Engagement and Mobilization at Partnership, Inc.
00:07:58 --> 00:08:02 She is tasked with developing, coordinating, and sustaining strategic relationships
00:08:02 --> 00:08:06 throughout the civic, political, and business arenas.
00:08:06 --> 00:08:11 In this capacity, the Vice President oversees long-term strategic planning related
00:08:11 --> 00:08:16 to the partnership's connections, aiming to establish systemic and sustainable
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 influence to advance the organization's mission.
00:08:19 --> 00:08:24 Before her tenure at Partnership, Inc., Van Zandt cultivated her political expertise
00:08:24 --> 00:08:29 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., as well as through various state and federal campaigns.
00:08:29 --> 00:08:34 She has established herself as a respected advocate contributing to critical
00:08:34 --> 00:08:37 decisions that affect communities of color.
00:08:37 --> 00:08:41 A Hawley sought-after political strategist specializing in public policy and
00:08:41 --> 00:08:46 diversity initiatives, she has returned to Massachusetts driven by her passion
00:08:46 --> 00:08:49 for creating equal opportunities for women of color.
00:08:50 --> 00:08:53 Commitment to making a difference in her community and highlighting critical
00:08:53 --> 00:08:59 issues such as wage inequality, financial literacy, socioeconomic development, women's empowerment,
00:09:00 --> 00:09:05 and diversifying the legislature lies at the core of today's most pressing challenges.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:11 She played a crucial role in numerous campaigns, notably in the successful election
00:09:11 --> 00:09:14 of Framingham's first mayor,
00:09:14 --> 00:09:20 who was also the only woman of color to be popularly elected to that position,
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 and in the history of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:29 Van Zandt initiated a thriving and well-loved podcast named Politics and Prosecco.
00:09:30 --> 00:09:35 Featured on Spark FM, Politics and Prosecco is a one-hour program where hosts
00:09:36 --> 00:09:40 and guests delve into discussions about current events and their effects on daily life.
00:09:41 --> 00:09:46 Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, Van Zandt earned her B.S. in criminal justice.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:50 She currently lives in Roxbury, Massachusetts, as you say.
00:09:50 --> 00:09:55 As a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated and the Lynx Incorporated,
00:09:55 --> 00:10:00 she also serves on the boards of Common Cause, the Massachusetts Women's Political
00:10:00 --> 00:10:04 Caucus, and the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts,
00:10:04 --> 00:10:07 and the Environmental League of Massachusetts.
00:10:07 --> 00:10:12 Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct honor and privilege to have as a guest
00:10:12 --> 00:10:15 on this podcast, Chiquetta Van Zant.
00:10:27 --> 00:10:31 All right. Jaqueta Van Zandt. How are you doing, sister? You doing good?
00:10:32 --> 00:10:36 I'm well. I mean, I'm even better after Tuesday, but I'm doing great.
00:10:36 --> 00:10:39 Yeah, all of us are feeling that way. That's one of the reasons why I wanted
00:10:39 --> 00:10:45 you to come on, because besides the personal feelings that we have,
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 this is what you do for a living.
00:10:49 --> 00:10:57 And I really want to give the listeners a sense of your assessment about the
00:10:57 --> 00:11:00 midterms. What do you what do you actually think happened?
00:11:01 --> 00:11:06 You want me to just go into it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. OK, well, you know,
00:11:06 --> 00:11:11 a little bit. So I'm coming from two different views, one as a black woman and one as a liberal.
00:11:11 --> 00:11:16 My view and my reading of Tuesday is really that voters impose a limit on what
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 they were willing to tolerate.
00:11:19 --> 00:11:24 I think everybody had enough, enough of the circus of Congress in general,
00:11:24 --> 00:11:27 not just Republicans, Democrats as well.
00:11:28 --> 00:11:32 I would be careful, though, however, about like treating a rejection of the
00:11:32 --> 00:11:36 Republican leadership as unconditional confidence in the Democratic Party.
00:11:36 --> 00:11:38 And I want to be extremely clear about that.
00:11:39 --> 00:11:44 A coalition can agree that the country is moving in a very dangerous direction, as we saw.
00:11:45 --> 00:11:49 I mean, I can give example after example after example.
00:11:50 --> 00:11:54 But I also think, you know, while holding a very different expectations of what
00:11:54 --> 00:11:58 should happen next. And I think that's really the part of the conversation people
00:11:58 --> 00:12:01 are not ready to have because we're still in very celebratory mode.
00:12:02 --> 00:12:06 And Democrats will have to earn the coalition's continued trust through the
00:12:06 --> 00:12:14 quality of their governing. And that's not a knock on the incoming leadership, but it is...
00:12:14 --> 00:12:20 You know, sort of a warning, if you will. My perspective as a Black woman makes
00:12:20 --> 00:12:26 me particularly attentive to the distance between political gratitude and political investment.
00:12:26 --> 00:12:30 And I talk about this a lot on my social media channels.
00:12:30 --> 00:12:36 I am always wary of politicians that celebrate Black women's participation while
00:12:36 --> 00:12:39 treating our priorities as negotiable.
00:12:39 --> 00:12:42 And I feel like we see this every election.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:46 And I don't think this one is any different. I want our judgment respected when
00:12:46 --> 00:12:50 agendas are written, when budgets are negotiated, when leadership is chosen,
00:12:50 --> 00:12:55 especially now that Hakeem Jeffries is going to be the next Speaker of the House.
00:12:55 --> 00:13:01 We're going to be looking for him to absolutely elevate the Black women and
00:13:01 --> 00:13:03 men in Congress right now.
00:13:04 --> 00:13:10 Being thanked for helping to sustain democracy, once again, should come with
00:13:10 --> 00:13:16 some kind of meaningful influence over what democracy delivers, you know?
00:13:16 --> 00:13:23 And as a, you know, I hate to use the word liberal, but I just feel like I need to use that word.
00:13:23 --> 00:13:27 My liberalism carries equally concrete expectations, of course.
00:13:28 --> 00:13:31 Government has a responsibility to protect civil rights regarding,
00:13:31 --> 00:13:35 you know, or safeguarding sort of, you know, reproductive freedom.
00:13:35 --> 00:13:38 These are things we hear about all the time. Widening the economic opportunity
00:13:38 --> 00:13:43 and making public institutions answerable to the people that they serve.
00:13:43 --> 00:13:48 And those commitments, I think they have to be visible in ordinary life.
00:13:49 --> 00:13:55 The ability to afford a home, which is what this generation after millennials are not able to do.
00:13:56 --> 00:13:57 Obtain medical care, right?
00:13:58 --> 00:14:04 Have equity in medical care, I think is another part of it. Raise children safely,
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06 you know, and then to exercise...
00:14:06 --> 00:14:10 You know, any right that you have, any unalienable right that you might have
00:14:10 --> 00:14:16 without encountering an obstacle at the turn. So I'll pause there. Okay.
00:14:18 --> 00:14:22 I know it's a lot, but that's how I've been feeling. But that's what I wanted,
00:14:22 --> 00:14:24 and I knew I would get that from you.
00:14:25 --> 00:14:29 So before I go into the rest of the questions, one of the things I'm going to
00:14:29 --> 00:14:36 do is do this little disclaimer is that all the statistical information that
00:14:36 --> 00:14:39 I'm going to throw out has been provided by the New York Times. I want to get that clear.
00:14:40 --> 00:14:43 So that way, nobody, you know, Eric, where you get this staff from?
00:14:43 --> 00:14:45 No, it's just I got it from New York Times. Anyway.
00:14:46 --> 00:14:53 Gotcha. As of today, the Democrats flipped 42 seats in the House and seven seats in the Senate.
00:14:54 --> 00:14:59 My question is, were you surprised by the number of gains the Democratic Party made in Congress?
00:15:00 --> 00:15:04 I was. I went into Tuesday thinking that there would not be as much of a bloodbath.
00:15:04 --> 00:15:07 And I actually still believe that this really isn't a blue wave.
00:15:07 --> 00:15:13 A blue wave absolutely constitutes people putting in the work and the time to,
00:15:14 --> 00:15:17 not only educate, but build a bench, right?
00:15:17 --> 00:15:21 And what happened was these were protest votes, if you ask me.
00:15:21 --> 00:15:24 These were votes from Americans who were just angry and tired.
00:15:24 --> 00:15:28 It's the same thing we saw in 2009 when Barack Obama was president,
00:15:29 --> 00:15:33 but white folks were just very upset. And so they had a protest vote.
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 That's what I think this is.
00:15:35 --> 00:15:38 And so I didn't think it would be the bloodbath that it became,
00:15:38 --> 00:15:41 but I'm so certainly grateful that it is.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:47 But now the real test comes because there are real limits to what congressional
00:15:47 --> 00:15:50 majorities can accomplish with a Republican president.
00:15:51 --> 00:15:55 And serious political analysis has to acknowledge those limits.
00:15:55 --> 00:16:01 It has to distinguish between an obstacle and an excuse. And Democrats can conduct
00:16:01 --> 00:16:05 rigorous oversight, and they should. And I think that I've heard from many of
00:16:05 --> 00:16:09 them that said that that is going to be a priority for them.
00:16:09 --> 00:16:13 But they have to use their budget authority, advance some legislation,
00:16:13 --> 00:16:16 and explain clearly what progress is being blocked.
00:16:17 --> 00:16:22 That's the problem that we've seen. They owe the public evidence of preparation,
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 persistence, and judgment.
00:16:24 --> 00:16:28 And they haven't really, when they had power, they weren't able to do that.
00:16:28 --> 00:16:30 They still wanted to play nice.
00:16:30 --> 00:16:34 And I think the Republicans showed them that we don't play nice,
00:16:34 --> 00:16:40 that, you know, they're not going to play nice. So I think we need to return that favor. Yeah.
00:16:41 --> 00:16:44 The only pushback I would have on...
00:16:44 --> 00:16:49 What you said was, I think this was a tsunami more than a wave because I was,
00:16:50 --> 00:16:54 I was writing it as a wave to me would have been.
00:16:54 --> 00:17:01 We got the House and just, you know, managed to tie in the Senate. Right.
00:17:02 --> 00:17:09 Anything over what we you know, the current way that the Senate is going and as many votes we got.
00:17:10 --> 00:17:15 This to me was a tsunami and i just because if we had just gotten a house you
00:17:15 --> 00:17:18 know we just flipped it to 218 for us,
00:17:18 --> 00:17:23 then i would have said that was like a high tide right yeah but i understand
00:17:23 --> 00:17:29 your analogy about the about the building the bench the only analogy i could think of is like if i'm.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:37 Say i'm umass and we're beating harvard 59 to nothing and then i throw in and
00:17:37 --> 00:17:41 i throw in the third string team and then Harvard all of a sudden start scoring
00:17:41 --> 00:17:43 points. I think that's what your concern is.
00:17:44 --> 00:17:49 It is, yeah. But I think that from my experience in playing sports,
00:17:50 --> 00:17:53 when you psychologically have beaten somebody 59 to nothing,
00:17:53 --> 00:17:55 they still got 15 minutes left to get their butts beat.
00:17:56 --> 00:17:59 It doesn't matter what the bench is at this particular point.
00:17:59 --> 00:18:01 Those guys. That's right.
00:18:01 --> 00:18:04 Because the next time they play them, which will be the next season,
00:18:04 --> 00:18:07 those guys will be on the bench. They'll be the starters. And they say,
00:18:07 --> 00:18:10 well, that team beat us 59 to nothing last time.
00:18:10 --> 00:18:13 And those guys didn't even get a chance to play. It's like, oh,
00:18:13 --> 00:18:15 my God. You know what I'm saying?
00:18:15 --> 00:18:20 That's a perfect example. And that standard applies even here in Massachusetts.
00:18:20 --> 00:18:27 You know, a reliably Democratic electorate should produce a demanding political culture, right?
00:18:27 --> 00:18:33 Elected officials have, especially Democrats, have relied so heavily on people
00:18:33 --> 00:18:37 are just going to be so angry at Trump that they're not going to care about what we're not doing.
00:18:38 --> 00:18:41 And elected officials should remain accessible between campaigns.
00:18:41 --> 00:18:46 We need to hear what the decisions you're making. We need to understand how
00:18:46 --> 00:18:52 to support you. We need to demonstrate, you know, what the tenure of many of
00:18:52 --> 00:18:54 them being up there has been accomplished.
00:18:54 --> 00:18:59 Party affiliation cannot substitute for that relationship. And I think that's
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 where Democrats got in trouble.
00:19:00 --> 00:19:06 I think they relied heavily. I did an Instagram post just yesterday saying like,
00:19:06 --> 00:19:11 look, we've given you the keys to power, but you cannot rest on your laurels now.
00:19:11 --> 00:19:15 You have got to get up and show evidence of you doing the work because this
00:19:15 --> 00:19:20 generation of voters, they don't care about parties. They want to know what
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 you're going to do for them.
00:19:21 --> 00:19:24 And if that means I need to vote against a Democrat, then I'm going to vote
00:19:24 --> 00:19:26 against a Democrat. That means I'm going to vote against a Republican.
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 I'm going to vote against a Republican.
00:19:28 --> 00:19:33 And, you know, I'm hoping and I'm still hopeful that Tuesday strengthened the
00:19:33 --> 00:19:39 belief of many people to impose some of those consequences, because now we know what we can do.
00:19:39 --> 00:19:43 And what comes next will test whether people who benefited from that judgment
00:19:43 --> 00:19:46 understand its seriousness. Were you surprised?
00:19:47 --> 00:19:49 Yeah, exactly. The Democrats. Exactly.
00:19:50 --> 00:19:54 Were you surprised about what happened at the state level in a lot of states?
00:19:55 --> 00:20:02 No, because, well, first of all, I need to shout out John Ossoff because he
00:20:02 --> 00:20:09 elevated Keisha Lance Bottoms in such a strategic and loving way.
00:20:10 --> 00:20:14 This is what Big Tent is supposed to look like. I can absolutely work on my
00:20:14 --> 00:20:20 campaign and support somebody else because I believe in the overall idea of democracy.
00:20:21 --> 00:20:25 Not a, well, I'm working on my campaign so I don't have time to worry about other people.
00:20:25 --> 00:20:31 He absolutely did what every either sitting U.S. senator or every governor should
00:20:31 --> 00:20:34 do for someone running for Senate or running for secretary of state.
00:20:34 --> 00:20:41 He absolutely utilized his platform to elevate her and helped her over the bar.
00:20:41 --> 00:20:44 Do I think she could have won without him? Sure.
00:20:44 --> 00:20:50 But because she's personable and she's smart and she's run a city and she had
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 all the qualifications.
00:20:51 --> 00:20:56 But they they built a coalition together, which I think was extremely smart.
00:20:57 --> 00:21:02 So as you saw with other governors across the country winning these seats,
00:21:02 --> 00:21:07 I think a lot of this was states have decided to tap into the power that they
00:21:07 --> 00:21:09 have because states hold a lot of power.
00:21:09 --> 00:21:13 There's a lot of things like, for instance, murder is a state charge, right?
00:21:13 --> 00:21:17 It's not a federal charge. States have a lot of power.
00:21:18 --> 00:21:24 And, you know, unfortunately, you know, Jim Crow is also what benefited from state power as well.
00:21:24 --> 00:21:28 But I use that example to say that states have a tremendous amount of power
00:21:29 --> 00:21:31 and executives of those states, i.e.
00:21:31 --> 00:21:35 Governors, are able to leverage that power with Congress.
00:21:35 --> 00:21:40 And so I was not shocked that the people in states were like,
00:21:40 --> 00:21:43 all right, we're going to focus on these state races and we're going to get
00:21:43 --> 00:21:48 these people over the hump because they can absolutely speak on my behalf to
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 the federal government. Yeah.
00:21:50 --> 00:21:54 Being here in Georgia, I can tell you that.
00:21:55 --> 00:22:04 We have a rare moment here because Keisha and Raphael and John and Nakima and,
00:22:05 --> 00:22:15 you know, they really, really, and even Stacey, it's like all of them like each other, right?
00:22:15 --> 00:22:21 They've never looked at each other as, you know, potential rivals or anything like that.
00:22:21 --> 00:22:27 It's always been, it's always been we're, we're in, you know,
00:22:27 --> 00:22:30 and, and, and, you know, whatever it was.
00:22:30 --> 00:22:35 And the, the very first, the reason why I was in, I came to Atlanta was,
00:22:36 --> 00:22:39 well, you know, it was like, I mean, we had a meeting.
00:22:40 --> 00:22:43 That my PAC sponsored was one of the sponsors.
00:22:43 --> 00:22:48 And at that meeting, Ossoff and Warnock, none of them had been elected yet,
00:22:48 --> 00:22:52 but they came to that meeting and we had people like Reverend Barber and Simone
00:22:52 --> 00:22:55 Sanders and all those folks coming in.
00:22:55 --> 00:23:00 So, and that was at the, the tale. Keisha was running for mayor at the time.
00:23:01 --> 00:23:05 Yeah. And, and, you know, Stacy had just made her stand. Right.
00:23:05 --> 00:23:09 So it was like, all of that stuff was just brewing and coming together.
00:23:09 --> 00:23:13 And they've always had a good relationship with each other. Yeah.
00:23:14 --> 00:23:17 That matters because when you're not thinking of people as a threat,
00:23:18 --> 00:23:22 which is what a lot of people see. What you all have the advantage of in the
00:23:22 --> 00:23:27 Southern states is that you are not the first and the only all the time.
00:23:27 --> 00:23:31 And so here in the North, you have a lot of people who are like,
00:23:31 --> 00:23:36 I'm the first so-and-so, I'm the only so-and-so, and they ride that until the wheels fall off.
00:23:36 --> 00:23:41 And anybody who threatens that position becomes competition.
00:23:41 --> 00:23:45 And so it is so much crabs in a barrel up here.
00:23:45 --> 00:23:50 And I'm always jealous when I see things. Even, you know, in the Divine Nine,
00:23:50 --> 00:23:52 I see how the different chapters work together.
00:23:52 --> 00:23:54 They don't work together so much here in the North.
00:23:54 --> 00:24:00 And so I love that you say that they actually respected and liked each other
00:24:00 --> 00:24:05 before any of them were a big deal, that that traveled through.
00:24:05 --> 00:24:10 And I mean, we would be remiss if we didn't call out the fact that Stacey Abrams
00:24:10 --> 00:24:15 laid the brickwork for this swell, not just the ground swell in Georgia,
00:24:15 --> 00:24:18 but, you know, I'm giving her Texas, too.
00:24:19 --> 00:24:23 People were appalled at what happened to her. And this was this made us angry.
00:24:23 --> 00:24:27 And then, of course, Kamala right after it. And, you know, Black women were
00:24:27 --> 00:24:30 just like, all right, we're done. We're coming for you.
00:24:30 --> 00:24:36 Yeah. So that so that leads me to my next question. Is this election a vindication
00:24:36 --> 00:24:38 for Black women in American elected politics?
00:24:39 --> 00:24:41 And the core thing is that.
00:24:42 --> 00:24:49 We had, going into Tuesday, we had 11 Black women in state white offices. Now we have 18.
00:24:49 --> 00:24:55 In Georgia alone, we have, of the five major constitutional seats,
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 all of them are Black women.
00:24:57 --> 00:25:02 So, you know, and that's, we're the only, this is the only time this has ever
00:25:02 --> 00:25:07 happened in life that, you know. Isn't that crazy? It's 2020.
00:25:08 --> 00:25:11 And I live in liberal Massachusetts, and we have an all-girl band,
00:25:11 --> 00:25:15 minus our Secretary of State, who's a man. But we have one Black woman in our
00:25:15 --> 00:25:20 Constitution offices, the amazing and iconic Andrea Campbell.
00:25:21 --> 00:25:25 But we live in a liberal state, whereas if we looked at Georgia,
00:25:25 --> 00:25:28 we'd be like, oh, they're so oppressed there. Hell no, they're not oppressed.
00:25:28 --> 00:25:33 But let me answer your question. Do I think this is a vindication for Black women?
00:25:33 --> 00:25:40 I would say with confidence, no, because we're not going to be vindicated until
00:25:40 --> 00:25:45 we reach the depths of being decision makers within the government.
00:25:45 --> 00:25:50 And I mean on the federal level. When we are now in charge of how policy is
00:25:50 --> 00:25:53 instituted, we will then feel vindicated.
00:25:53 --> 00:25:56 Because right now we're still building the stairway.
00:25:56 --> 00:25:59 And once we get to the top, all hell's going to break loose.
00:26:01 --> 00:26:05 So i don't feel like it's a vindication just yet i feel like we are building
00:26:05 --> 00:26:11 our way there yeah and i misspoke as i i said all five is five of the six because
00:26:11 --> 00:26:14 we've got a man as lieutenant governor here,
00:26:15 --> 00:26:19 okay and it was like and hell that that primary was amazing those might be the
00:26:19 --> 00:26:24 only two democrats that don't like each other the two the people that rank lieutenant governor because.
00:26:25 --> 00:26:33 The guy that won, McLaurin, super liberal, and then the sister, he beat Nabila Parks.
00:26:34 --> 00:26:39 I mean, you know, it was like you pick one and, you know, six in one hand,
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 half a dozen in the other.
00:26:41 --> 00:26:45 It was just like, it was just a popularity contest between those two.
00:26:45 --> 00:26:51 And I didn't really see Nabila out there on the stump much, but I think she's
00:26:51 --> 00:26:53 going to get back to it. You find that a lot.
00:26:53 --> 00:26:58 You find that a lot within Democratic circles. It does become a popularity contest.
00:26:58 --> 00:27:02 Somebody wants to be the celebrity. And I talk about this all the time.
00:27:02 --> 00:27:06 And it's the one thing that angers me. It's like, you know, that's why I said
00:27:06 --> 00:27:09 in my video, like, even the soundbite loving Democrats, because a lot of times
00:27:09 --> 00:27:14 they're talking to get a soundbite to hit on CNN or MSNOW and run over and over
00:27:14 --> 00:27:16 and over again. That's why they use buzzwords.
00:27:16 --> 00:27:18 And it was like, you can't say Trump anymore to me.
00:27:18 --> 00:27:21 Not interested. Don't care. Know who he is.
00:27:22 --> 00:27:28 What's next? Like, it's no longer a scare tactic. So hopefully we'll see. Yeah.
00:27:28 --> 00:27:33 All right. Five African-Americans were elected governor of their respective states.
00:27:33 --> 00:27:39 Of those five, which one will have the most significant long term impact?
00:27:39 --> 00:27:41 The election of Keisha Lance Bottoms
00:27:42 --> 00:27:46 in Georgia or the election of Byron Donalds in Florida? Well, yeah.
00:27:46 --> 00:27:50 You know, I was going to say Byron Donalds, and for all the wrong reasons, right?
00:27:52 --> 00:27:58 Keisha will go on to make history because she is Black, because she is a woman.
00:27:58 --> 00:28:02 I mean, I believe because her race was called first, she's the first African-American woman.
00:28:03 --> 00:28:07 And that will be impactful because if she builds the bench correctly,
00:28:07 --> 00:28:09 there'll be more Keisha Lance Bottoms.
00:28:09 --> 00:28:15 The problem that I have, or the reason why I say Byron Donalds will have a longer
00:28:15 --> 00:28:19 lasting impact is because this is a brother who does not even love himself.
00:28:19 --> 00:28:24 And he doesn't know the harm he is doing for communities of young boys who lived
00:28:24 --> 00:28:30 like him, looked like him, and have the same kind of ambition that he has.
00:28:30 --> 00:28:32 Because this is a very ambitious man.
00:28:32 --> 00:28:36 And he's ambitious to the wrong people for the wrong reasons.
00:28:37 --> 00:28:42 And what we see with brothers like this all the time is there comes a point
00:28:42 --> 00:28:48 where they are faced with their own bigotry and they're faced with the people
00:28:48 --> 00:28:51 that they have heralded reminding them of who they are.
00:28:53 --> 00:28:57 There's a great movie. It's called The Spook Who Sat Next to the Door.
00:28:57 --> 00:29:02 And I love that movie because, you know, people, if you hear the title,
00:29:02 --> 00:29:05 you think, oh, this is somebody who's selling us out. But The Spook Who Sat
00:29:05 --> 00:29:08 Next to the Door is really about a person who was helping out the community.
00:29:08 --> 00:29:12 Byron Donald doesn't want to help the community.
00:29:12 --> 00:29:18 Byron Donald wants to help himself. He wants to erase so much of who he is.
00:29:18 --> 00:29:23 And he thinks assimilating into white culture, essentially, that's his ambition.
00:29:23 --> 00:29:27 It's to assimilate enough into white culture that that can all be erased and
00:29:27 --> 00:29:31 he can be with a clean slate. But did we not see this with O.J.
00:29:31 --> 00:29:34 Simpson? What did O.J. say? I'm not black. I'm O.J.
00:29:34 --> 00:29:40 Until he killed his white wife and the white judicial system put him on trial.
00:29:40 --> 00:29:43 And he was shocked that that happened.
00:29:43 --> 00:29:48 I think the same thing is gonna happen for Byron Donald is he's going to be faced with.
00:29:50 --> 00:29:53 The same reality that you are not one of them.
00:29:55 --> 00:29:58 And quite frankly, it's okay. It's okay.
00:29:59 --> 00:30:03 So I think his will have longer term impact because I think he's going to set
00:30:03 --> 00:30:09 Florida back, not just as an African-American, I think he's going to set them back in policy and,
00:30:10 --> 00:30:15 further than, and it won't be in his lifetime, that it is changed back, unfortunately.
00:30:17 --> 00:30:23 I hope that made sense. No, no, that made opposite sense. Obvious sense, I should say.
00:30:24 --> 00:30:29 I guess the one reason I'm not as worried about him from a policy standpoint
00:30:29 --> 00:30:37 is because of how narrow the margins were and how that impacted races in Florida.
00:30:37 --> 00:30:43 I think, you know, the Santas kind of sent the bellwether when he saw what happened in Texas.
00:30:44 --> 00:30:47 He pretty much sent a shot across the bow to like Byron and say,
00:30:47 --> 00:30:49 you know, all that crazy stuff I did.
00:30:49 --> 00:30:54 Yeah, boy, you ain't going to be able to do all that because it's a different time.
00:30:55 --> 00:31:00 You'll be faced with that reality. And I think that's what's going to it's almost like,
00:31:02 --> 00:31:08 you know, you date somebody, you know that they're trash, but he can be trash
00:31:08 --> 00:31:10 to all these other women but he's not going to be trash to me.
00:31:11 --> 00:31:14 You hear a lot of baby mamas like, well, he left all of them but he's not going
00:31:14 --> 00:31:16 to leave me until you're faced with that reality.
00:31:17 --> 00:31:20 Then you're like, oh yeah, everybody else was right about him.
00:31:21 --> 00:31:24 So I think the same thing is going to happen to Byron.
00:31:25 --> 00:31:30 And just as you said with DeSantis, I just think it's going to be sooner than he expects.
00:31:30 --> 00:31:35 I was just, the only bit, well, So, you know, outside of the fact that he's
00:31:35 --> 00:31:40 a Republican, I really was hoping he he lost because I wanted that meme to go
00:31:40 --> 00:31:42 with Tiana Taylor. Yeah.
00:31:45 --> 00:31:49 I just I just I just envision that that meme going viral again on him.
00:31:49 --> 00:31:56 But but I do want to put a positive spin on why he might be a long term impact.
00:31:57 --> 00:32:00 And it's a it's a personal is a personal desire of mine.
00:32:01 --> 00:32:08 I was asked I've been asked several times what would be your ultimate moment I said I want to be able,
00:32:09 --> 00:32:15 to turn on the TV screen and be able to see a Black person run.
00:32:18 --> 00:32:21 As a Democrat nominee for President of the United States. And I want to see
00:32:21 --> 00:32:25 another Black person be the Republican nominee. I said, that's my ultimate goal.
00:32:26 --> 00:32:29 And I think— If they were the right type of Republican. Well,
00:32:29 --> 00:32:31 I mean, I'm not going to vote for him.
00:32:31 --> 00:32:37 I just—I mean, I ain't voting for the Republican, but I want to see it happen.
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 You know what I'm saying?
00:32:39 --> 00:32:45 Because i and and hopefully this election and maybe the subsequent election
00:32:45 --> 00:32:50 in 28 will kind of change the the rhetoric and the dialogue,
00:32:50 --> 00:32:56 where it's actually more of a respectable conversation and disagreement on policy,
00:32:56 --> 00:33:00 than it is this vitriolic stuff that we saw with el saeed and all these other
00:33:00 --> 00:33:03 folks right i wanted to be,
00:33:03 --> 00:33:07 elevate i wanted to be buckley and baldwin when that happens.
00:33:07 --> 00:33:10 I don't want it to be, you know, I don't want, yeah, yeah.
00:33:11 --> 00:33:15 Cause I, I don't think, I think when I said he has ambitions,
00:33:15 --> 00:33:20 I absolutely thinks he, I absolutely think he thinks he will be either a Republican
00:33:20 --> 00:33:25 nominee for vice president or that they will put him up as a contender.
00:33:26 --> 00:33:31 And I think again, he's going to find out that, Oh, you're just like the rest
00:33:31 --> 00:33:35 of the baby daddies. Like, no, we're not, we are not going to circle the wagons around you.
00:33:36 --> 00:33:42 You're not one of us yeah yeah well tim scott found that out and and maybe.
00:33:43 --> 00:33:48 Right maybe from a from a personal political standard byron might temper his,
00:33:49 --> 00:33:53 you know we'll see in 20 he won't run in 28 that's for sure he's not gonna know,
00:33:54 --> 00:33:58 but you know he's hoping that they might nominate him though well they might
00:33:58 --> 00:34:03 nominate him for vice president but it all depends on what's going on in the state of Florida.
00:34:03 --> 00:34:06 If the state of Florida is scaling black a lot of stuff,
00:34:07 --> 00:34:08 He might consider it.
00:34:10 --> 00:34:15 My prediction in 2028 is that Brian Kemp's going to be the nominee,
00:34:16 --> 00:34:21 the outgoing governor in George. I think all things are trending for him because
00:34:21 --> 00:34:23 he's a Southern Republican.
00:34:25 --> 00:34:29 He stood up to Trump and it's like, you know, and he knows the game.
00:34:29 --> 00:34:34 And I think, yeah, I think if it's not him, somebody like him will be their
00:34:34 --> 00:34:36 nominee. But we'll get it.
00:34:36 --> 00:34:39 We'll come back at another time and talk about 2028.
00:34:40 --> 00:34:43 I love that. I have my slate ready. Okay.
00:34:45 --> 00:34:53 Latino voters shifted 29 points toward Democrats between 2024 and 2026,
00:34:53 --> 00:34:57 compared to a 15% shift among voters overall.
00:34:58 --> 00:35:01 The shift was even larger among younger Latinos, plus 43.
00:35:02 --> 00:35:04 Voters with a high school education,
00:35:04 --> 00:35:11 plus 36. voters with some college plus 32 and latino men plus 31,
00:35:11 --> 00:35:16 no major demographic group moved further toward democrats than latino voters,
00:35:16 --> 00:35:22 so the question is yeah have latinos proven that they are the true swing voters in american politics,
00:35:23 --> 00:35:24 no they are not,
00:35:25 --> 00:35:35 no this again was a protest vote They are the true benefactors of FAAFO because,
00:35:36 --> 00:35:41 you know, I didn't even realize really until the Kamala Harris vote or even
00:35:41 --> 00:35:46 maybe the Trump vote how divided the Latino diaspora is.
00:35:46 --> 00:35:50 I didn't realize it because, you know, I live in Massachusetts.
00:35:50 --> 00:35:53 You've got Dominicans. You've got Puerto Ricans. You've got Cubans.
00:35:54 --> 00:35:58 I didn't realize how divided they were in their thinking.
00:35:58 --> 00:36:03 And I think both parties need more humility.
00:36:03 --> 00:36:06 Oh, I'm sorry. Hold on, Mike. Sorry about that one second. No.
00:36:07 --> 00:36:13 Alarm went off. I think Republicans should reconsider their confidence that
00:36:13 --> 00:36:19 the gains in one election amounted to lasting political realignment for the Latino community.
00:36:19 --> 00:36:21 Democrats should examine why
00:36:21 --> 00:36:24 their relationship with these voters became vulnerable in the first place.
00:36:25 --> 00:36:29 And an electoral coalition requires some sustained attention.
00:36:29 --> 00:36:35 But Latino voters being different from or being in different parts of the diaspora
00:36:35 --> 00:36:40 or even generations or incomes or faiths or, you know, political experiences,
00:36:40 --> 00:36:43 they brought all of that to the ballot box.
00:36:44 --> 00:36:46 And a serious engagement means understanding those differences.
00:36:46 --> 00:36:51 And I think even for myself, I didn't realize that there were so many,
00:36:51 --> 00:36:52 but I don't think that this
00:36:53 --> 00:36:59 vote makes them now a powerful voting block is because they don't have any consistency in showing up.
00:36:59 --> 00:37:04 So, you know, it also, I just want to say this, it also means recognizing the
00:37:04 --> 00:37:06 full range of their concerns.
00:37:06 --> 00:37:10 It's not just immigration, right? It's housing, it's wages, it's healthcare,
00:37:10 --> 00:37:17 it's education, public safety, all the things that we want to be able to build a secure future.
00:37:17 --> 00:37:22 But they have to become consistent in how they vote and what they vote for in
00:37:22 --> 00:37:29 order to be considered either a powerful voting bloc or a swing vote. Okay.
00:37:30 --> 00:37:37 61% of white women voted Democratic this election, which is a 15-point increase from 2024.
00:37:38 --> 00:37:40 Did white women finally get the memo?
00:37:41 --> 00:37:45 Did you see the Haley Stevens? Nope.
00:37:47 --> 00:37:51 So let me say this. This was not a presidential election.
00:37:51 --> 00:37:56 And I think the one thing that we have to think about when it comes to white
00:37:56 --> 00:38:02 women voters and their solidarity is that their solidarity belongs in different,
00:38:02 --> 00:38:06 is different layers in different elections.
00:38:06 --> 00:38:11 So when it comes to white women, you know, I certainly welcome their contribution
00:38:11 --> 00:38:16 to Tuesday's victories, but I want to have more honest conversation about the
00:38:16 --> 00:38:21 limits of assuming that their shared gender produces political commitments.
00:38:21 --> 00:38:26 They are not someone in a sisterhood that we have been able to rely on.
00:38:27 --> 00:38:31 And that's not all white women, because I know some woke white women who are
00:38:31 --> 00:38:33 like, they are about that life.
00:38:33 --> 00:38:36 But women experience power differently.
00:38:37 --> 00:38:44 Race, wealth, religion, geography, all of that influences both the protections
00:38:44 --> 00:38:46 available to us and also the consequences.
00:38:47 --> 00:38:51 So if you look at it based on region, you know, white women in the South who
00:38:51 --> 00:38:57 are married, their husband makes a lot of the decisions. So of course,
00:38:57 --> 00:38:59 he also makes a lot of the political decisions.
00:39:00 --> 00:39:04 But a single white female who might be 34 years old living in Brooklyn,
00:39:05 --> 00:39:09 She makes all of her own decisions. So she thinks about power differently.
00:39:10 --> 00:39:15 And my expectation of solidarity extends beyond recognizing a threat to one's.
00:39:16 --> 00:39:20 You know, reproductive freedom or a family's financial security.
00:39:20 --> 00:39:24 It includes defending voting rights and challenging racial discrimination,
00:39:24 --> 00:39:28 protecting immigrant families and supporting black women's leadership.
00:39:28 --> 00:39:35 And I feel like this is where the fray happens in the sisterhood and white women tend to leave us alone.
00:39:35 --> 00:39:40 Behind when they do that. So it's, yeah, I don't think they learned their lesson,
00:39:40 --> 00:39:44 but you know, we're always open to giving them another chance.
00:39:44 --> 00:39:48 The responsibility becomes especially meaningful in familiar places,
00:39:48 --> 00:39:52 family conversation where racism is excused, right?
00:39:52 --> 00:39:56 And, or the professional network where a qualified black woman is overlooked,
00:39:57 --> 00:40:01 the political organization that welcomes our labor, but hesitates to share authority.
00:40:02 --> 00:40:07 Those are the places where solidarity acquires substance, and that leads to the voting booth.
00:40:07 --> 00:40:12 But if they're not doing it in those small spaces, we can't expect them to do
00:40:12 --> 00:40:14 that at the voting booth. Yeah.
00:40:15 --> 00:40:18 You know, you sound like the preacher. The doors of the church are open.
00:40:18 --> 00:40:22 All those who are willing, come on in. Everybody's welcome. But I can't.
00:40:24 --> 00:40:28 Give you the relationship with God that you require. You got to do that on your own. Right.
00:40:29 --> 00:40:36 And I think it's interesting because, you know, when I was like really engaged
00:40:36 --> 00:40:39 and I was an elected official, that's been 20 years ago.
00:40:40 --> 00:40:44 And, you know, serving on the Democratic executive committee and all that.
00:40:44 --> 00:40:47 And we used to get into all these different arguments about,
00:40:48 --> 00:40:52 you know, well, the black votes got to come out. And I used to counter with
00:40:52 --> 00:40:53 the white folks, especially the white women.
00:40:54 --> 00:40:57 I need one out of every four of y'all to show up and vote for our candidate,
00:40:57 --> 00:40:59 too. You know what I'm saying? Don't get it all on us.
00:41:00 --> 00:41:07 And now being here in Atlanta some 20 years later, it's like a lot of the white
00:41:07 --> 00:41:11 women that I have encountered that are into politics, you know,
00:41:12 --> 00:41:14 Stacey Abrams had an impact on them, too.
00:41:14 --> 00:41:19 Like, oh, yeah, it gave them an incredible amount of cover because,
00:41:19 --> 00:41:24 like you said, in the South, there are traditions. Right. But those traditions
00:41:24 --> 00:41:28 have been fraying since Loretta Lynn saying, you know, I'm on the pill.
00:41:28 --> 00:41:34 But it's really transforming now, especially in more urban areas of the South,
00:41:34 --> 00:41:37 like Birmingham, Atlanta, Memphis, those places.
00:41:38 --> 00:41:44 And so somebody like a Stacey Abrams, who creates an organization that allows
00:41:44 --> 00:41:50 them to have buy-in and allow them to be, you know, and it was like some of
00:41:50 --> 00:41:53 those ladies ran for office themselves this time.
00:41:55 --> 00:41:58 And so, yeah, which is a decision in itself. Right. So it was like,
00:41:59 --> 00:42:06 you know, I think I see I see people coming into the door. I see it happening. Yeah.
00:42:07 --> 00:42:12 And it's just it's just going to be, you know, a continual effort.
00:42:13 --> 00:42:17 It's got to be Chinese water torture. You just got to keep putting the drops on their head.
00:42:18 --> 00:42:22 Yeah, and listen, I also just think that, and I think it's okay for us to say
00:42:22 --> 00:42:28 out loud that white women hold different beliefs and have made different political choices.
00:42:28 --> 00:42:33 Many have organized and taken risks and sustained difficult work alongside Black
00:42:33 --> 00:42:37 women for years. Their commitment deserves recognition, sure.
00:42:37 --> 00:42:42 But we can also acknowledge that that work is great and examine the choices
00:42:42 --> 00:42:46 of women who continue to support policies that undermine other women's rights.
00:42:47 --> 00:42:49 That's the part we need to say out loud. Yeah.
00:42:51 --> 00:42:53 What post midterm message was sent
00:42:53 --> 00:42:57 by President Trump in promoting Stephen Miller to be his chief of staff?
00:42:59 --> 00:43:03 I think it was a very weak move. I think he's trying to be provocative,
00:43:03 --> 00:43:08 knowing how evil a man Stephen Miller is. He is the architect of what we have
00:43:08 --> 00:43:11 seen with this whole immigration thing.
00:43:12 --> 00:43:17 And I think he's basically saying, look, I have nothing else left to lose.
00:43:17 --> 00:43:24 So I'm going to throw Satan in the mix and, you know, do what he may.
00:43:24 --> 00:43:31 But the chief of staff to the president has some power, but with a House and
00:43:31 --> 00:43:36 a Senate now being Democratic led, it's not going to matter at this point.
00:43:36 --> 00:43:39 It just seems like another weak moot.
00:43:39 --> 00:43:42 I am trying to be provocative move.
00:43:42 --> 00:43:47 And it also shows you that, you know, Trump doesn't really know exactly how
00:43:47 --> 00:43:49 government works. He keeps saying, I'm going to be the king of veto.
00:43:49 --> 00:43:51 I'm going to be the king of veto, the king of veto.
00:43:51 --> 00:43:55 But what he doesn't really understand is that the House still has power over that veto.
00:43:56 --> 00:43:58 And I just don't think he gets it.
00:43:59 --> 00:44:04 It's really unfortunate. It really is. I think the message didn't land the way he thought it was.
00:44:05 --> 00:44:10 It is what it is. So Marjorie Taylor Greene had an interesting take. She said...
00:44:12 --> 00:44:16 She said that what Trump is trying to do is to,
00:44:17 --> 00:44:24 put Susie Wiles over the political part to determine who is going to be the
00:44:24 --> 00:44:29 next MAGA torchbearer and let Stephen basically do what he's been doing.
00:44:32 --> 00:44:37 And give him the actual title of chief run-em-up. But Susie,
00:44:38 --> 00:44:42 he's putting her in the position to, you know, be the queen maker,
00:44:43 --> 00:44:44 right? Or the king maker, whatever.
00:44:45 --> 00:44:51 And building on what you were talking about, that exactly proves how out of
00:44:51 --> 00:44:57 touch he is. Because right now, you need somebody with the political guile of a Susie Wiles.
00:44:57 --> 00:45:01 Because nobody is talking about impeaching her. Nobody's talking about putting her in jail. No.
00:45:03 --> 00:45:07 She could walk in that Capitol building and says, the president wants this. Well, what can we do?
00:45:07 --> 00:45:12 If Stephen Miller as the chief of staff tries to do like a manual did for Obama,
00:45:12 --> 00:45:17 try to go in there and demand a legislative agenda with it. Man, he might get arrested.
00:45:22 --> 00:45:24 What's his name? I'm going to let him in the courtroom. What's his name?
00:45:24 --> 00:45:29 The guy that Flannoy or any one of those former Capitol Police,
00:45:29 --> 00:45:32 my boy Grinnell has been on the show.
00:45:32 --> 00:45:35 Any done? Any one of them guys might come out of retirement just to have the
00:45:35 --> 00:45:37 privilege to put the handcuffs on them. Right.
00:45:38 --> 00:45:42 Yeah, it's not going to be a very effective strategy at all.
00:45:44 --> 00:45:51 You know, I think what's interesting is I think MAGA had their,
00:45:51 --> 00:45:55 not the final nail in the coffin, but this is what happened to the Tea Party,
00:45:55 --> 00:45:57 if you remember. It was a slow death.
00:45:58 --> 00:46:04 And I think that, you know, unfortunately for Trump, this he has killed what
00:46:04 --> 00:46:10 could have been a very strong part of the Republican Party if it weren't for
00:46:10 --> 00:46:12 all the bigotry and racism.
00:46:13 --> 00:46:18 But they could have built a coalition of Republican voters who are like,
00:46:18 --> 00:46:23 we want less government. We want more fiscal responsibility and run with those.
00:46:24 --> 00:46:31 He brought it to such a low point that I don't think that MAGA will survive much longer.
00:46:31 --> 00:46:34 I think this is I think this might be it.
00:46:34 --> 00:46:38 You know, Stephen Stephen Miller's promotion makes the responsibility facing
00:46:38 --> 00:46:40 Democrats even more serious.
00:46:40 --> 00:46:45 Right. Because my reading is that Trump's intend he intends to respond to the
00:46:45 --> 00:46:49 electoral defeat by empowering, you know, one of like I said,
00:46:50 --> 00:46:52 the central architect of evil.
00:46:53 --> 00:46:57 And they should be, they being the Democrats, and quite frankly,
00:46:57 --> 00:47:02 Republicans, so Congress as a whole, even the Republicans are starting to turn on Trump,
00:47:03 --> 00:47:09 they should be prepared for a sustained confrontation over how executive power is exercised.
00:47:09 --> 00:47:13 And I think this requires investigators who follow evidence,
00:47:13 --> 00:47:19 preserve records, question witnesses, pursue answers beyond the television cameras.
00:47:19 --> 00:47:26 The standard must be, in my opinion, rigorous enough to establish a response.
00:47:26 --> 00:47:29 I keep using the word responsibility, but it's really established responsibility
00:47:29 --> 00:47:36 and inform sort of these enforceable protections against the abuse that this president has,
00:47:36 --> 00:47:41 shamelessly been very that that he talks about. Yeah.
00:47:42 --> 00:47:49 Which is a good argument why Jeffers should be, Hakeem should be the speaker.
00:47:51 --> 00:47:55 I think there's going to be a fight and he's going to have to,
00:47:55 --> 00:48:01 he's going to have to surrender a position as far as his, his ideology and who
00:48:01 --> 00:48:04 he gets his money from in order to get to be speaker.
00:48:05 --> 00:48:11 But in order to have that fight, You've got to have somebody like him with the
00:48:11 --> 00:48:13 kind of experience he has on the Hill.
00:48:13 --> 00:48:16 And he's, it's like people don't understand. And the kind of knowledge of government.
00:48:16 --> 00:48:24 Well, the Speaker of the House, it's like, you have to know every nook and cranny
00:48:24 --> 00:48:26 of the House to be the Speaker, right?
00:48:26 --> 00:48:30 And a lot of people don't know that. It's like, not only do you have to know
00:48:30 --> 00:48:33 the rules, you have to know the personalities, you have to know the staff.
00:48:33 --> 00:48:37 You have to know which people you stick on what person, right? Yeah.
00:48:38 --> 00:48:44 You know, he goes to the cloakroom at 12.06. You in there at 12.05 waiting on
00:48:44 --> 00:48:46 him. You know what I'm saying? That's what the speaker does.
00:48:47 --> 00:48:52 And a lot of folks are more, you know, because I was one of those people,
00:48:52 --> 00:48:55 even though I ran for speaker of the house, but that's another show another time.
00:48:57 --> 00:49:00 But, you know, more policy driven people. And they're not, they don't give a
00:49:00 --> 00:49:04 damn about the rules and all that stuff. They just want to get stuff done.
00:49:04 --> 00:49:08 And then those you know so he comes from a different class.
00:49:09 --> 00:49:14 Right he comes from a different class and so if he's the one ready,
00:49:14 --> 00:49:19 go for it let's do that and fight this battle then once the big boogeyman is
00:49:19 --> 00:49:24 out and you want to change your direction as far as speaker leadership hopefully
00:49:24 --> 00:49:27 somebody that they would like is groomed enough to just kind of slide in,
00:49:28 --> 00:49:30 if that's the way you want to do it but,
00:49:30 --> 00:49:32 you know like I said,
00:49:33 --> 00:49:34 there's no telling what these folks are doing.
00:49:35 --> 00:49:39 Well, Hakeem Jeffries has a big task in front of him. The first thing is he's
00:49:39 --> 00:49:42 got to win some of the confidence back from Democratic voters.
00:49:42 --> 00:49:48 Many of them see him as weak and willing to push a side agenda to get along
00:49:48 --> 00:49:49 and go along. And that's not going to work.
00:49:50 --> 00:49:53 You're right. The Speaker of the House has tremendous power in this country.
00:49:54 --> 00:49:57 And I keep telling people the reason why we have the three branches of government
00:49:57 --> 00:49:59 is for checks and balances.
00:49:59 --> 00:50:02 But the most powerful person in D.C.
00:50:03 --> 00:50:07 Is the Speaker of the House because nothing gets to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
00:50:07 --> 00:50:09 that hasn't went to the desk of the Speaker of the House first.
00:50:09 --> 00:50:14 And then when it leaves the White House, it comes back to the desk of the Speaker of the House.
00:50:14 --> 00:50:22 The Speaker has an enormous amount of power, which Mike Johnson leveraged and knew what to do with it.
00:50:22 --> 00:50:25 But Hakeem has got to do that same thing and bring some swag with it.
00:50:26 --> 00:50:30 Well, that's the most positive thing I heard about Mike Johnson.
00:50:30 --> 00:50:33 I have said on this podcast, I was saying, until the day I died,
00:50:33 --> 00:50:39 Mike Johnson was the weakest, sorriest Speaker of the House ever because no
00:50:39 --> 00:50:44 Speaker of the House— I don't debate that, but he— I mean, he— But he levers his power.
00:50:44 --> 00:50:48 Yeah, but I mean, it's like the position allows you some leverage,
00:50:49 --> 00:50:53 but as the individual, it's like, you know, Jimmy Carter would have been reelected,
00:50:53 --> 00:50:57 a second term had him and Tip O'Neill got a lot. You know what I'm saying?
00:50:58 --> 00:51:02 I just, just, just being real. All right. Let's, let's move on so I can close
00:51:02 --> 00:51:06 this out with you. Let you go ahead. I'm sorry. I'm trying to scarf down.
00:51:07 --> 00:51:10 That's all right. That's all right. I understand. It's a Saturday,
00:51:10 --> 00:51:15 you know. I'm glad this is not a video and it will just be audio. That's right.
00:51:16 --> 00:51:22 Prediction time. on November the 6th, 2028, what will be the highlight of the
00:51:22 --> 00:51:26 120th United States Congress? Hmm.
00:51:27 --> 00:51:32 Oh, my God, that's a fantastic question. Are you asking what my prediction,
00:51:33 --> 00:51:35 what highlights you mean in terms of legislation?
00:51:36 --> 00:51:40 What will, what will, the gist of the question is, what will the 120th U.S.
00:51:40 --> 00:51:42 Congress be remembered for?
00:51:44 --> 00:51:53 That it was that class produced the most black female senators and that those senators went on to,
00:51:54 --> 00:52:02 build a bench of other black women who now run states organizations non-profits
00:52:02 --> 00:52:07 all doing the work of moving their political agendas ahead that's what i think they'll be known for,
00:52:08 --> 00:52:12 it is a historic class quite frankly yeah,
00:52:12 --> 00:52:18 even more diverse than the the in history yeah it's in history yeah because
00:52:18 --> 00:52:22 i because this is every time it's been senate it's always been one person right
00:52:22 --> 00:52:26 it was mosley brawn and then it was kamala harris
00:52:26 --> 00:52:30 and and then it was angela also brooks she was up there for us for a while by herself,
00:52:31 --> 00:52:36 she got some sisters coming in with her now right right so Because Rochester's
00:52:36 --> 00:52:38 been there for a little minute,
00:52:39 --> 00:52:41 and now Stratton's come in,
00:52:41 --> 00:52:44 and Stratton is so off the chain.
00:52:44 --> 00:52:51 Juliana Stratton, as lieutenant governor, her first thing that I had to notice was,
00:52:52 --> 00:52:56 when I paid attention to her, when Illinois legalized marijuana,
00:52:56 --> 00:53:00 she was the first one in line to get a license to sell.
00:53:01 --> 00:53:06 I was like... Not mad at her. it's like her campaign videos were like basically
00:53:06 --> 00:53:10 house party you know it was like she was at the house club dancing everywhere
00:53:10 --> 00:53:12 it was like what are we doing.
00:53:13 --> 00:53:17 It's that generation but also can I just say this before we wrap,
00:53:18 --> 00:53:21 What I think people are also not saying is this is the first time in history
00:53:21 --> 00:53:30 where we have seen Black women jump from city council to Senate or mayor to governor.
00:53:31 --> 00:53:35 Because for a long time, Black women have felt like they needed permission or
00:53:35 --> 00:53:38 had to wait and get out and somebody else get out the way.
00:53:38 --> 00:53:42 These sisters this round were like, we ain't waiting on nobody.
00:53:43 --> 00:53:47 We're coming for that seat. We're going to put the money behind it and or we're
00:53:47 --> 00:53:49 going to get the votes out. Because from what I understand, many of them were
00:53:49 --> 00:53:55 out fundraised by their Republican challengers or even some of their Democratic challengers.
00:53:55 --> 00:53:59 But it didn't stop them. They didn't get scared by that. And you don't see that often.
00:54:00 --> 00:54:07 And I think what's interesting to note is that more this will give more women the confidence.
00:54:07 --> 00:54:11 Black, white, Latinx, Asian, this will give more women the confidence to say,
00:54:11 --> 00:54:17 I don't got to wait for you to prison me or queen make me to to run for office. I'm running.
00:54:17 --> 00:54:22 Done deal. I think the best story there, there's a lot of great stories.
00:54:22 --> 00:54:26 And as as is continuing to develop and who's getting in.
00:54:27 --> 00:54:32 But so far, the best story from from my perspective is this lady named Lakeisha Womack.
00:54:32 --> 00:54:35 Lakeisha had never run for office before.
00:54:35 --> 00:54:42 She was, I literally call her the Tyler Perry of politics because 10 years ago she was homeless.
00:54:43 --> 00:54:46 Oh, okay. That kind of style of hair. Right, right. Okay.
00:54:47 --> 00:54:49 I don't know where your mind was going with that, but we'll,
00:54:49 --> 00:54:51 thank God, this is only audio.
00:54:51 --> 00:54:58 Anyway, but because she was homeless, sitting with a Vanderbilt degree,
00:54:59 --> 00:55:06 and now, and she got outspent 3% by her opponent.
00:55:08 --> 00:55:11 And she got 51% of the vote in North Carolina.
00:55:11 --> 00:55:16 So now she is going to Congress to represent the 13th district in North Carolina.
00:55:17 --> 00:55:22 Those are the, that, that is the ultimate embodiment about permission.
00:55:22 --> 00:55:26 I don't even, I'm, I'm just bypassing the building altogether.
00:55:26 --> 00:55:29 I'm going straight where I got to go. I ain't, why am I going to stop here and
00:55:29 --> 00:55:31 talk to me? The audacity to believe. Yeah.
00:55:32 --> 00:55:37 And I think that's important. And I was thinking in terms of the characters
00:55:37 --> 00:55:41 that Tyler Perry plays, which I don't think are very warm to Black women.
00:55:41 --> 00:55:48 However, I love that story because it also shows that if you really want to
00:55:48 --> 00:55:51 change something, sometimes you just got to get up off your ass and do it yourself.
00:55:52 --> 00:55:55 And Black women, that is our motto. Never mind, I'll get it done.
00:55:56 --> 00:56:00 And it's unfortunate that that's how we have to continuously operate,
00:56:00 --> 00:56:03 even within our own community.
00:56:03 --> 00:56:07 However, that has been what has sustained us throughout the years is like,
00:56:07 --> 00:56:11 all right, you know, what does James Brown say? Just open up the door. I'll get it myself.
00:56:12 --> 00:56:18 That's how that's how her story really is. So she got mad enough to be like, enough is enough.
00:56:18 --> 00:56:25 You know, she had to experience something and and she turned it into a win. So kudos to her.
00:56:25 --> 00:56:30 All right. Finish this sentence. This election gives me hope because.
00:56:31 --> 00:56:38 Because now I can feel like we don't have to be beholden to tyranny.
00:56:39 --> 00:56:45 We can absolutely buck up and do what we say we're going to do as Americans
00:56:45 --> 00:56:49 and what our entire Constitution was built on, which is you can become the change.
00:56:50 --> 00:56:51 And I think that we saw that. Okay.
00:56:52 --> 00:56:57 Okay. Now, tell the world about, because you've been advertising all over the
00:56:57 --> 00:57:01 place on your social media and all that, but tell the listeners of A Moment
00:57:01 --> 00:57:05 Eric Fleming, what is this big project you've got coming up this upcoming week?
00:57:05 --> 00:57:10 So, yeah, so I am launching on November 10th, Cloak and State,
00:57:10 --> 00:57:14 which is a digital media platform.
00:57:14 --> 00:57:19 So I'm going from my Politics and Prosecco podcast, and it's growing up a little
00:57:19 --> 00:57:24 bit. It's more editorials and features, interviewing elected officials.
00:57:25 --> 00:57:31 In paper form and talking about politics in an intelligent way,
00:57:31 --> 00:57:36 understanding that power, money, society, and culture are all influential in
00:57:36 --> 00:57:38 how you think about politics.
00:57:39 --> 00:57:44 So it's not just a, it's not a black media magazine. It's a media magazine for
00:57:44 --> 00:57:49 all. I keep saying to people, it's like the 2026 version of what George was
00:57:49 --> 00:57:52 supposed to be in the nineties. So it's a little provocative.
00:57:53 --> 00:57:57 I'm going to be talking about not just politics. I'm going to be talking about philanthropy.
00:57:57 --> 00:58:00 I'm going to be talking about Black culture, Latinx culture,
00:58:00 --> 00:58:04 Asian culture, and really how society and the people who gatekeep,
00:58:05 --> 00:58:09 because that's a big part of it, move things. So I'm really excited about this.
00:58:10 --> 00:58:16 Politics Prosecco is no longer a podcast, but it has become a franchise of Cloak and State.
00:58:16 --> 00:58:21 And so I'll be writing editorials with the same kind of sass that people loved
00:58:21 --> 00:58:25 about politics and Prosecco, but it's just growing up.
00:58:25 --> 00:58:28 Yeah. It's just growing up. Well, you got to have the Prosecco.
00:58:28 --> 00:58:31 You can't just totally abandon the Prosecco. I mean, that's...
00:58:31 --> 00:58:34 Well, listen, I drink it every day. Yeah, that's what I'm saying.
00:58:35 --> 00:58:40 As long as the Prosecco still has a major role in the thought process and all
00:58:40 --> 00:58:48 that, then it's cool. Well, I am always pleased to to talk with you.
00:58:48 --> 00:58:54 And, you know, if you need an old black man from the south on your on your cloaking.
00:58:55 --> 00:58:56 State, they just just call me.
00:58:57 --> 00:59:00 I'll come running. I'm actually going to hold you to that because I want other
00:59:00 --> 00:59:02 people to write editorials as well.
00:59:02 --> 00:59:07 And I want other and people who know other folks in their state that should
00:59:07 --> 00:59:12 be highlighted that may not get the same attention that a New York Times or
00:59:12 --> 00:59:13 Washington Post might give them.
00:59:13 --> 00:59:17 So I'm going to be calling on you. You done started something.
00:59:17 --> 00:59:21 Well, you know, you know, my rule, you've obeyed my rule. It's like once you've
00:59:21 --> 00:59:25 been on, you got to have open station come back. So you came back. Yeah.
00:59:26 --> 00:59:30 Yeah, but I wish you well in that endeavor. I know it's going to be successful
00:59:30 --> 00:59:34 because you're one of the more intelligent political sisters out there.
00:59:34 --> 00:59:37 As a matter of fact, one of my friends in Mississippi, he heard your interview
00:59:37 --> 00:59:41 on the show and he said, dog, who is that sister? Oh, my God.
00:59:42 --> 00:59:44 I'm going to start following her. I said, is he on TikTok? I bet.
00:59:44 --> 00:59:50 But yeah, so, yeah. Thank you. You're reaching folks. You're reaching folks. Good.
00:59:51 --> 00:59:57 I greatly, yes, ma'am. Well, I greatly appreciate you and what you do and look
00:59:57 --> 00:59:59 forward for the next time that we get together.
01:00:00 --> 01:00:04 Absolutely. Anytime. I really enjoyed this. I'll be talking to you.
01:00:04 --> 01:00:05 Of course, I'll repost as I always do.
01:00:06 --> 01:00:10 And much love to you. All right. All right, guys. And we're going to catch y'all on the other side.
01:00:29 --> 01:00:35 All right, and we are back. So now it is time for my next guest, Dr. Tammy Greer.
01:00:36 --> 01:00:41 Dr. Greer currently serves as a clinical assistant professor and director of
01:00:41 --> 01:00:46 the BIS Social Entrepreneurship in the Public Management and Policy Department
01:00:46 --> 01:00:50 in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University.
01:00:51 --> 01:00:55 She has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and master of security management,
01:00:55 --> 01:00:59 both from the University of Houston downtown, as well as a Ph.D.
01:00:59 --> 01:01:04 In political science from Clark Atlanta University, with focus areas in American
01:01:04 --> 01:01:07 government, including state and local government, urban politics,
01:01:07 --> 01:01:10 comparative politics, and international politics.
01:01:10 --> 01:01:14 She has served in numerous capacities in the private sector as well as the public
01:01:14 --> 01:01:17 sector, including as an educator.
01:01:18 --> 01:01:21 Dr. Greer's interests include community and civic involvement,
01:01:21 --> 01:01:27 focusing on how policy and the lack of equitable public policy impact historically
01:01:27 --> 01:01:28 underserved communities.
01:01:28 --> 01:01:33 She advocates for consistent civic engagement in voting, especially in non-presidential
01:01:33 --> 01:01:37 elections, which means voting for all positions on the ballot.
01:01:38 --> 01:01:41 Dr. Greer served as a board member on several organizations,
01:01:41 --> 01:01:47 including Georgia Women Connect, Media Policy Center, and the community chair
01:01:47 --> 01:01:52 working to create community garden in an urban food desert community.
01:01:53 --> 01:01:56 Dr. Greer has been interviewed in numerous state, nationwide,
01:01:56 --> 01:01:58 international media outlets, including CNBC.
01:01:59 --> 01:02:04 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, NPR, Washington Post, WGN,
01:02:04 --> 01:02:09 Christian Science Monitor, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution regarding politics and policy.
01:02:10 --> 01:02:13 She is the author of the forthcoming book, Checks Without Change,
01:02:13 --> 01:02:16 Moving from Protest to Policy.
01:02:17 --> 01:02:21 Ladies and gentlemen, it's my distinct honor and privilege to have as a guest
01:02:21 --> 01:02:24 on this podcast Dr. Tammy Greer.
01:02:35 --> 01:02:40 All right. Dr. Tammy Greer. How are you doing, my friend? You doing good?
01:02:41 --> 01:02:44 I'm doing my best. How are you? I'm doing lovely.
01:02:46 --> 01:02:47 I'm basking in the glow.
01:02:50 --> 01:02:55 But I want to, just to give you what all that means.
01:02:55 --> 01:03:02 So I was on the elevator at my office building and this white lady came on and
01:03:02 --> 01:03:05 she said, how are you doing? And she said, I'm doing okay. I said, how are you doing?
01:03:06 --> 01:03:10 She said, I'm feeling great. And then she lifted her hand up for a high five, right?
01:03:10 --> 01:03:13 So I gave her a high five. She said, you know what I'm talking about,
01:03:13 --> 01:03:14 right? I said, yes, ma'am, I do.
01:03:15 --> 01:03:18 And then I got off. She said, you have a great day. I said, yes, ma'am.
01:03:20 --> 01:03:26 A lot of those cryptic conversations going on. It's a lot of internal joy going
01:03:26 --> 01:03:27 on in Georgia right about now. That's right.
01:03:28 --> 01:03:33 So because you do this stuff, you teach this stuff to our future leaders,
01:03:34 --> 01:03:37 what is your assessment of the midterm elections?
01:03:37 --> 01:03:46 Yeah. So my assessment is, number one, the message of Democrats have been the same for decades.
01:03:46 --> 01:03:52 So the messaging, the policies have been literally the exact same.
01:03:53 --> 01:03:59 What was different about this midterm election is that the distraction of cultural
01:03:59 --> 01:04:05 matters, so a lot of the culture wars that are started in order to create artificial division.
01:04:07 --> 01:04:14 That message no longer resonated in the time where people's economic stability
01:04:14 --> 01:04:20 has been greatly impacted or more impacted by any type of cultural war.
01:04:20 --> 01:04:25 So even when one would consider around the midterm election,
01:04:25 --> 01:04:28 or let's just say at the start of the year.
01:04:28 --> 01:04:35 It was challenging to predict the enormous and overwhelming Democratic win for,
01:04:36 --> 01:04:39 this midterm, for whether it's the state level, federal level,
01:04:39 --> 01:04:43 some of these down-ballot races in the states.
01:04:43 --> 01:04:49 It was challenging to predict this much because at the beginning of the year.
01:04:49 --> 01:04:55 With everything that has happened over the last nine months or so,
01:04:55 --> 01:05:03 that has like galvanized the economic issues that have really dominated the way that people voted.
01:05:03 --> 01:05:09 And, you know, while we can celebrate in a lot of the firsts that have happened
01:05:09 --> 01:05:11 across the entire country,
01:05:11 --> 01:05:19 we should also keep in mind that these firsts that took place have a lot of leg room.
01:05:20 --> 01:05:26 In galvanization because of the economic conditions of most of the people who
01:05:26 --> 01:05:28 normally would vote Republican. Yeah.
01:05:29 --> 01:05:34 All right. So before I do all the follow up with the rest of my questions,
01:05:34 --> 01:05:35 I got to do this disclaimer.
01:05:35 --> 01:05:40 All statistical information provided by The New York Times. So,
01:05:40 --> 01:05:44 you know, folks, I don't have a staff. I just read a lot.
01:05:46 --> 01:05:54 So as of today, the Democrats flipped 50 for 42 seats in the House and seven seats in the Senate.
01:05:54 --> 01:05:59 Were you surprised by the number of gains the Democratic Party made in Congress?
01:06:00 --> 01:06:01 I was very surprised.
01:06:03 --> 01:06:08 I think the number of House seats that the Democrats have, I think that's the
01:06:08 --> 01:06:12 largest margin that they've had in an extremely long period of time.
01:06:13 --> 01:06:19 I think before, if I remember correctly, the amount, the number of seats that
01:06:19 --> 01:06:23 Democrats had at its height was 254.
01:06:24 --> 01:06:31 So anything over 254 or even meeting 254 is an enormous win.
01:06:32 --> 01:06:35 For the Senate right now, it's at 54.
01:06:36 --> 01:06:39 And depending on what happens with Alaska and Mississippi, and I want to come
01:06:39 --> 01:06:42 back to Mississippi if we could, is that,
01:06:43 --> 01:06:49 that would get Democrats close to the highest that they had when Harry Reid
01:06:49 --> 01:06:51 was majority leader when they had 60.
01:06:52 --> 01:06:54 So it is very interesting.
01:06:55 --> 01:07:01 I don't think that either party has had this many seats in the Senate in an
01:07:01 --> 01:07:03 incredibly long period of time.
01:07:03 --> 01:07:06 So I expected the Senate.
01:07:07 --> 01:07:12 Obviously, the House was going to flip. I did not expect for this much of a win, though.
01:07:14 --> 01:07:17 So let's talk about Mississippi while it's on your mind. You know,
01:07:18 --> 01:07:21 you know, that's a special place in my heart.
01:07:21 --> 01:07:26 I sure do. And having been in that position that Scott's been in,
01:07:26 --> 01:07:32 I can't tell you how much pride I have, how much joy I have.
01:07:32 --> 01:07:37 Not only just to see him and he's going to win it because, I mean,
01:07:37 --> 01:07:41 where the votes are, what they is another backfire.
01:07:41 --> 01:07:43 They thought they were going to get rid of X amount of votes.
01:07:43 --> 01:07:47 And now as those people are showing up to say, yeah, this is where I live.
01:07:47 --> 01:07:48 This ballot should count.
01:07:49 --> 01:07:53 His lead is growing every day. So he's going to be a senator.
01:07:53 --> 01:07:55 So my thing is, it just...
01:07:56 --> 01:08:00 You know, to see him on national TV and I was telling some people,
01:08:00 --> 01:08:03 I think I mentioned in my podcast last week, it's like I was just happy that
01:08:03 --> 01:08:08 the national outlets had me on reserve just in case I won, right? In 08.
01:08:08 --> 01:08:13 And so for him to actually be on TV and Mark Elias is in Mississippi,
01:08:13 --> 01:08:15 Lord. He's in Mississippi fighting for him.
01:08:16 --> 01:08:20 So this is just an incredible moment. But what's your thoughts?
01:08:20 --> 01:08:26 So first, let me say that when I moved to Georgia a little bit ago,
01:08:26 --> 01:08:30 I said that Georgia should have flipped in 2012.
01:08:31 --> 01:08:34 And then definitely in 2016, it should have flipped.
01:08:34 --> 01:08:41 Yet there was not the infrastructure, the constant infrastructure,
01:08:41 --> 01:08:45 especially when it comes to the National Party investing in Georgia.
01:08:45 --> 01:08:48 So that didn't help in terms of flipping it.
01:08:49 --> 01:08:55 And then about five years ago, I said my home state of Texas was going to flip.
01:08:55 --> 01:09:02 And I got the longest side eye I've ever seen to say that Texas would flip.
01:09:03 --> 01:09:07 And then maybe about two, three months ago,
01:09:09 --> 01:09:17 without really studying Mississippi, I said, you know, Mississippi is my secret crush right now.
01:09:18 --> 01:09:20 And then I got crazy looks too.
01:09:22 --> 01:09:26 How is Mississippi your secret crush? Because it is. It just is.
01:09:27 --> 01:09:32 And probably because I was traveling through Mississippi a lot this summer that
01:09:32 --> 01:09:34 I said Mississippi is it.
01:09:34 --> 01:09:40 So now you have Mississippi and you have Texas and the East Coast of Texas.
01:09:40 --> 01:09:45 So that just makes it a ripe space for Louisiana to be next.
01:09:45 --> 01:09:50 So my thing for Mississippi is that, number one,
01:09:51 --> 01:09:55 Again, going back to economic issues, it was there. I think a lot of people,
01:09:56 --> 01:10:02 they don't really understand the importance of the Gulf and how the Gulf plays
01:10:02 --> 01:10:07 a large role beyond the gambling part, the fishing part, the crabbing,
01:10:07 --> 01:10:09 the shrimping part, that that matters a lot,
01:10:10 --> 01:10:13 to the economics of the state. And.
01:10:15 --> 01:10:20 The neglect from the first Trump administration, the neglect from the second
01:10:20 --> 01:10:23 Trump administration, especially when it comes to
01:10:23 --> 01:10:32 FEMA and when it comes to just overall development and economic help from the industry,
01:10:32 --> 01:10:34 they're taking advantage of it.
01:10:34 --> 01:10:38 Sure, the Gulf is where you have a lot of oil drilling and such.
01:10:38 --> 01:10:44 And it appears to me that the Trump administration took an either or gamble.
01:10:44 --> 01:10:50 So they gambled more on the oil and gas industry and didn't really understand
01:10:50 --> 01:10:57 the impact that they had on the shrimp crabbing and fishing industry along the Gulf.
01:10:57 --> 01:11:04 And that can change a lot of the economics and the political culture of a state
01:11:04 --> 01:11:07 if you're messing with their livelihood.
01:11:07 --> 01:11:14 So most of those folks that vote along that Gulf Coast, they're not working on those oil rigs.
01:11:14 --> 01:11:16 They're not making their money from those oil rigs.
01:11:17 --> 01:11:20 They're making their money. Their bread and butter comes from that ocean.
01:11:21 --> 01:11:27 And the constant neglect of the environment is impacting their economics.
01:11:27 --> 01:11:32 And you can see where they are. They started to move toward the people who were
01:11:32 --> 01:11:34 talking about their economics.
01:11:35 --> 01:11:38 Yeah. And that's an awesome assessment because.
01:11:39 --> 01:11:45 You know, when I, in 08, it was like the Gulf Coast was the difference in my election.
01:11:45 --> 01:11:51 When you break down the numbers, the margin of victory was the amount of distance
01:11:51 --> 01:11:55 that Senator Cochran had over me just on the Gulf.
01:11:55 --> 01:11:58 And so they've always been a major player.
01:11:58 --> 01:12:02 And I always used to joke, it's like, you know, the Gulf Coast was Mississippi's postcard, right?
01:12:02 --> 01:12:05 Whenever they send out something and say, this is Mississippi,
01:12:05 --> 01:12:08 be the Gulf Coast. It's like, you know, they'll throw in some cotton in there
01:12:08 --> 01:12:12 or whatever. But they said, look at these beaches and the casinos and all this
01:12:12 --> 01:12:14 stuff. And the folks like, oh, the Mississippi is OK.
01:12:14 --> 01:12:19 And then you go north of IT and it's like, oh, this is what they're talking about. Right. Yeah.
01:12:19 --> 01:12:25 And so, you know, outside of Jackson. But, you know, for, you know,
01:12:25 --> 01:12:33 Scott comes from an industrial part of the state, Columbus, what we call the Golden Triangle.
01:12:33 --> 01:12:40 And, you know, so it's if you could get a candidate from the Golden Triangle
01:12:40 --> 01:12:44 or the Pine Belt, which is basically Hattiesburg, Laurel, those places,
01:12:45 --> 01:12:50 or if you could find a strong Democrat from the Gulf Coast, you had a chance to win.
01:12:50 --> 01:12:56 Or, you know, Tupelo's kind of like the northeast capital of Mississippi.
01:12:56 --> 01:13:00 You know, any one of those nontraditional places. But most of the candidates
01:13:00 --> 01:13:03 always came from the second congressional district, which, you know,
01:13:03 --> 01:13:08 Benny Thompson represents. And, you know, it's a basic Democratic stronghold. Right.
01:13:09 --> 01:13:13 But just looking at the map, he picked up DeSoto County, which was a flip.
01:13:14 --> 01:13:18 And DeSoto County has been flipping because more Memphis people are moving into DeSoto.
01:13:19 --> 01:13:23 And as a matter of fact That's when stuff started turning in Mississippi When
01:13:23 --> 01:13:28 they had those special elections up there And all Democrats won And then.
01:13:29 --> 01:13:34 You know, it's just in like, I think Madison County, which has always been kind of purplish.
01:13:35 --> 01:13:38 And from my experience, they flipped totally blue this go around.
01:13:38 --> 01:13:45 So, you know, he picked up counties that Democrats have never been able to penetrate.
01:13:45 --> 01:13:49 And especially in the Golden Triangle, you could get maybe West Point, Clay County.
01:13:50 --> 01:13:53 But Oktibahaw and Lowndes was always tough.
01:13:54 --> 01:13:57 And not unless you were one of my light skinned cousins. Right.
01:13:57 --> 01:14:03 But it's like you know for him coming from there those folks knew him they knew his daddy,
01:14:04 --> 01:14:07 and so it's just kind of like oh yeah we voting for our guy if he don't get
01:14:07 --> 01:14:12 no other votes we're gonna vote for him and so that just added up added up and
01:14:12 --> 01:14:17 then I served with Cindy Hyatt Smith and you know some people,
01:14:18 --> 01:14:24 you know like wine some things get better with age yeah she she's not wine at all. She never has been.
01:14:24 --> 01:14:32 And, you know, and, and she, and it was like when, when, when Mike Espy lost
01:14:32 --> 01:14:36 to her, I said, my God, how low have we gotten?
01:14:37 --> 01:14:45 But today, this year, 2026 is finally like, you know, hopefully this sets a
01:14:45 --> 01:14:47 trend in Mississippi where I,
01:14:48 --> 01:14:55 People will really focus in on who the candidate is rather than who your neighbors
01:14:55 --> 01:14:57 are voting on or who your family is voting for.
01:14:57 --> 01:15:02 Because if there's any state that needs to pay attention to who's saying I want
01:15:02 --> 01:15:05 to represent them, that Mississippi is that state.
01:15:06 --> 01:15:08 And you mentioned Louisiana is next.
01:15:09 --> 01:15:14 I did. You know, Gary Chambers has been really pushing about black turnout,
01:15:14 --> 01:15:15 black turnout, black turnout.
01:15:16 --> 01:15:19 And I even admonished the folks in Louisiana. I was like, Gary's been asking
01:15:19 --> 01:15:21 y'all to vote. I need y'all to vote on Tuesday.
01:15:21 --> 01:15:27 Well, they didn't flip anything, but they sure made their presence felt.
01:15:27 --> 01:15:30 There was some folks like sweating bullets in Louisiana Tuesday night.
01:15:31 --> 01:15:34 And that's what you want. Even if you can't win it, make it close.
01:15:34 --> 01:15:38 In Florida, Angie didn't win.
01:15:40 --> 01:15:45 She got real close. Some people were sweating bullets. They were sweating.
01:15:48 --> 01:15:53 They were, they were. Yeah, that's that goddamn panhandle. I just that panhandle
01:15:53 --> 01:15:57 of Florida. Boy, if there's any political firewall that's effective in the United
01:15:57 --> 01:16:01 States, it's that panhandle in Florida. Lord, Pensacola, Destin.
01:16:02 --> 01:16:05 Yeah, you know, outside of Tallahassee, it's tough. It's tough sledding in there.
01:16:05 --> 01:16:08 So that's how Byron Donalds got in there.
01:16:08 --> 01:16:11 He slid in. He slid in on the panhandle. That's how Moody got in there.
01:16:11 --> 01:16:15 So anyway, but it's it's it's coming.
01:16:16 --> 01:16:19 So let me ask you this, since we're talking about states, were you were you
01:16:19 --> 01:16:22 surprised at what happened at the state level?
01:16:22 --> 01:16:25 You know, it's one thing about the federal elections, but what about the state
01:16:25 --> 01:16:27 elections that were in play this year?
01:16:27 --> 01:16:35 Oh, so please know that for Texas, man, I've been hollering about Texas,
01:16:35 --> 01:16:38 again, for a very long time.
01:16:38 --> 01:16:42 And, you know, I knew Texas was coming.
01:16:43 --> 01:16:46 It was just, are the candidates who are running now?
01:16:47 --> 01:16:52 Are they representative of the state? Not a certain part of the state,
01:16:52 --> 01:16:59 you know, Texas, you know, there's a joke among Texans that Texas is five different
01:16:59 --> 01:17:01 regions within one state.
01:17:01 --> 01:17:05 And so to be able to speak to each of those regions,
01:17:06 --> 01:17:13 and the needs and the culture, the economics of each of the regions is really
01:17:13 --> 01:17:19 important because, you know, I'm from the the east part of Texas.
01:17:20 --> 01:17:25 So our part, we speak a completely different language than, you know,
01:17:25 --> 01:17:29 the northern part, the Dallas area. Our food is different. Everything is different.
01:17:30 --> 01:17:36 So to be able to translate among the different regions is really important.
01:17:36 --> 01:17:41 And then for Texas to just go ahead and just did everything was amazing.
01:17:41 --> 01:17:46 And for them to have their first Latina to be governor, their second woman in
01:17:46 --> 01:17:51 history of Texas to be governor is absolutely fantastic.
01:17:51 --> 01:17:54 So I am very sure that,
01:17:55 --> 01:18:00 their first order of business is to make sure some of those executive orders
01:18:00 --> 01:18:06 from Greg Abbott are torn up, to revisit some of the laws that were passed by
01:18:06 --> 01:18:09 the legislature, and then for,
01:18:09 --> 01:18:11 governor-elect Hinojosa.
01:18:13 --> 01:18:18 To then sign those or to repeal some of those laws. I am,
01:18:19 --> 01:18:24 I got a message asking me about Kansas Monday before the election.
01:18:24 --> 01:18:27 And I said, Kansas has an opportunity as well.
01:18:28 --> 01:18:32 And, you know, with the history of Kansas, but also understanding,
01:18:32 --> 01:18:36 you know, when after the Dobbs decision and all of those folks,
01:18:37 --> 01:18:42 were, were like putting in these strict medical procedure laws,
01:18:42 --> 01:18:46 also known as abortion laws, that Kansas rejected that. And I don't think a
01:18:46 --> 01:18:48 lot of people remember that.
01:18:48 --> 01:18:54 So that, to me, that demonstrated a lot of independence and perhaps a great,
01:18:54 --> 01:18:59 ground game in Kansas to really talk about, you know, the issues and how some
01:18:59 --> 01:19:01 of these, you know, following,
01:19:03 --> 01:19:08 the leader from the federal level, following Donald Trump blindly was really
01:19:08 --> 01:19:11 impacting the way, you know, states were feeling.
01:19:11 --> 01:19:19 So to see Kansas, to do what Kansas did, Nevada, fantastic for California to
01:19:19 --> 01:19:23 have their first Latino to be governor.
01:19:23 --> 01:19:31 All the way around, the political atmosphere was finally on the side of Democrats.
01:19:31 --> 01:19:36 They just needed to stick with their messaging, especially about economics,
01:19:36 --> 01:19:39 to ensure that everyone understood it.
01:19:40 --> 01:19:46 I remember when Donald Trump asked Texas to redraw their maps and my class,
01:19:47 --> 01:19:50 one of my classes was just devastated.
01:19:50 --> 01:19:52 And I said, don't be devastated by it.
01:19:52 --> 01:19:56 It seems like it. Don't be devastated by it.
01:19:56 --> 01:20:02 Because if they redraw the maps, what they're doing is they're adding more people
01:20:02 --> 01:20:08 who don't necessarily vibe with their current district into it.
01:20:08 --> 01:20:15 And that's going to help with getting some votes in where you traditionally may not have it.
01:20:15 --> 01:20:20 So you see that in Mississippi, you see that in Texas.
01:20:20 --> 01:20:28 So sometimes I think that we have a knee-jerk reaction to some of the policies or requests.
01:20:28 --> 01:20:34 Instead of looking at it as a negative, we can figure out how it can work in our favor.
01:20:35 --> 01:20:41 And now that all of these state houses have changed, all of these Democratic
01:20:41 --> 01:20:42 governors have taken over,
01:20:43 --> 01:20:48 you also see this in the Midwest because a lot of us in political science were
01:20:48 --> 01:20:54 concerned about how Republicans were starting to make inroads in the Midwest.
01:20:54 --> 01:20:58 Midwest have, again, understood economics.
01:20:58 --> 01:21:02 We just have to, I think, overall strategists...
01:21:03 --> 01:21:06 And ground game folks really should.
01:21:08 --> 01:21:15 Take charge of what took place here and not just rest on the laurels that people
01:21:15 --> 01:21:17 are coming back to the Democratic Party,
01:21:17 --> 01:21:24 really understanding why they voted for Democrats and use that energy to move forward.
01:21:25 --> 01:21:28 The last thing I'll say on this is that messaging was important.
01:21:29 --> 01:21:31 Sometimes Democrats talk over people's heads.
01:21:32 --> 01:21:39 And it seemed to me this round, there was more of talking to folks where they are.
01:21:40 --> 01:21:43 Many of the candidates met people where they are.
01:21:43 --> 01:21:49 And that was helpful such that they're not looked at anymore as elitists
01:21:49 --> 01:21:54 versus they understand structure and function of government and then understand
01:21:54 --> 01:22:00 how they can be helpful to get folks to, you know, to vote for them and hopefully
01:22:00 --> 01:22:02 vote in their economic best interest.
01:22:02 --> 01:22:04 Yeah. You mentioned Kansas.
01:22:05 --> 01:22:10 When I was in the legislature, it's like, if we were looking for what are these
01:22:10 --> 01:22:15 Republicans going to bring to the table next session, we would look to Kansas,
01:22:15 --> 01:22:18 because it was like Kansas was, you know.
01:22:18 --> 01:22:21 Getting it straight from, you know, the ALEC, right?
01:22:22 --> 01:22:26 Right. As far as like it was like copy and paste, whatever Alex sent them,
01:22:26 --> 01:22:29 they put that in, you know, and they were passing it. So we were like,
01:22:29 --> 01:22:34 OK, they're going to bring them folks going to bring this crap up at the next session. Right.
01:22:34 --> 01:22:39 And to see it evolve, like you said, when they protected the women's right to
01:22:39 --> 01:22:42 abortion, that's a constitutional right in Kansas.
01:22:43 --> 01:22:46 And they protected that right after the Dobbs decision.
01:22:46 --> 01:22:51 And now to flip it all the way around where they elected a minister as a Democrat
01:22:51 --> 01:22:53 to be a United States Senator.
01:22:53 --> 01:22:58 That's, that's what we call transition. Right. And so I just.
01:22:59 --> 01:23:03 It was a fun night to watch everything. And I know being a political scientist,
01:23:03 --> 01:23:05 you were like, oh, boy, let me scribble down some notes on this.
01:23:07 --> 01:23:11 I know that was like it was like I got a friend. He's over the way you used
01:23:11 --> 01:23:13 to be over the political science department at Jackson State.
01:23:14 --> 01:23:18 It was like Facebook. It was like his Super Bowl, New Year's Eve party and Halloween
01:23:18 --> 01:23:21 all combined. He was just he was down.
01:23:22 --> 01:23:26 Is this election of vindication for women in America with elected politics?
01:23:28 --> 01:23:35 As of today, 18 black women have been elected to statewide office here in Georgia.
01:23:35 --> 01:23:42 Out of the six constitutional statewide offices, five of them are black women. What's your thoughts?
01:23:43 --> 01:23:48 I want to say yes. At the same time, I need more evidence.
01:23:49 --> 01:23:55 So writing a paper right now with a colleague from North Carolina,
01:23:55 --> 01:23:58 and our contention is that,
01:23:59 --> 01:24:09 that women tend to be more appealing for some of these positions when we're in a crisis.
01:24:09 --> 01:24:16 And when we're not in a crisis, then she's not looked at as an appealing leader,
01:24:16 --> 01:24:20 yet she comes in as a cleanup woman.
01:24:20 --> 01:24:28 So I am curious to see what happens moving forward, especially in states where women are the first.
01:24:29 --> 01:24:34 Especially Black women, they're the first, or the first Latina in Texas,
01:24:34 --> 01:24:38 or the first Indigenous woman to be elected Senator.
01:24:38 --> 01:24:45 So I'm waiting to see if there can be some sustainability and some normalization
01:24:45 --> 01:24:49 of women to be in these leadership positions.
01:24:49 --> 01:24:55 So we'll see what happens, particularly most of these women have been elected
01:24:55 --> 01:24:59 to either four-year or six-year term.
01:24:59 --> 01:25:08 So we'll see what happens in the midterms, the next midterms in 2032 or in 2034
01:25:08 --> 01:25:10 when some of them are up for re-election.
01:25:11 --> 01:25:16 We'll see what happens in Florida since that was a special election.
01:25:16 --> 01:25:21 And so that's not a full term. And maybe Angie Nixon will come back because
01:25:21 --> 01:25:29 she was so close and to see where she can have some more inroads like in Miami-Dade that flipped.
01:25:29 --> 01:25:37 So we'll see how it looks moving forward. At the same time, I am...
01:25:38 --> 01:25:47 I am excited for these inroads, yet cautious, because it is such a big turn,
01:25:47 --> 01:25:51 such a big turn in our elections.
01:25:51 --> 01:25:58 We'll see what happens, how the electorate reacts in four years or even in two
01:25:58 --> 01:26:00 years when there's a presidential election.
01:26:00 --> 01:26:08 And then other states will be up for their governorships and for their senators.
01:26:08 --> 01:26:11 So we'll see when another third comes up in two years.
01:26:12 --> 01:26:18 Well, I'm glad that in HOSA and Bottoms are not going to be veto governors.
01:26:19 --> 01:26:24 I think, you know, both of them have a Democratic House.
01:26:25 --> 01:26:31 And the Senate is only like a few votes that you can you only need like three,
01:26:31 --> 01:26:35 four votes to flip in order to get something passed.
01:26:36 --> 01:26:40 That's a much better scenario than earlier in the evening when you it's like
01:26:40 --> 01:26:43 oh it's trending that they're going to win it's like all right what these state
01:26:43 --> 01:26:47 legislative races looking like now because okay they're going to win so,
01:26:48 --> 01:26:53 they i didn't want either one of them to be like the poor gentleman in wisconsin
01:26:53 --> 01:26:58 or even governor cooper of north carolina now he's going to be a u.s senator but when he was governor
01:26:58 --> 01:27:04 he had all them crazy folks hiring their their wives and their in-laws and stuff to be their staff,
01:27:05 --> 01:27:06 and redrawing the lines.
01:27:06 --> 01:27:09 So he was just, both of them were just like, veto, veto, veto,
01:27:09 --> 01:27:13 veto, veto. You know what I'm saying? I did not want those ladies to have to
01:27:13 --> 01:27:16 go through that. So at least now-
01:27:16 --> 01:27:21 We can have some policy fights, which is great. It's like you want to see some
01:27:21 --> 01:27:26 progress, but at least have the fights because you can't have the fights if
01:27:26 --> 01:27:27 all you're doing is veto, veto, veto. too.
01:27:28 --> 01:27:33 That's right. And, you know, during the election, just generally speaking.
01:27:33 --> 01:27:39 No fault of anyone, because sometimes what we tend to do is only focus on the
01:27:39 --> 01:27:45 executive branch, that we don't really have an authentic focus on down-ballot races.
01:27:46 --> 01:27:53 And those down-ballot races help to determine the success or challenges that that executive face.
01:27:53 --> 01:28:00 So even with here in Georgia, to have some of the other constitutional seats
01:28:00 --> 01:28:04 like attorney general, like secretary of state, like insurance commissioner,
01:28:04 --> 01:28:07 or even agriculture commissioner
01:28:07 --> 01:28:14 here in Georgia, then that hopefully that will translate to the executive branch,
01:28:14 --> 01:28:20 the governor's mansion, along with these other constitutional seats working
01:28:20 --> 01:28:22 together and then coming up.
01:28:23 --> 01:28:28 With items that then are presented to the General Assembly such that it seems
01:28:28 --> 01:28:31 like a seamless process.
01:28:31 --> 01:28:36 And like you said, we can have these policy debates. We can have debates about
01:28:36 --> 01:28:39 how to get to the goal. Maybe we agree on the goal.
01:28:40 --> 01:28:44 Perhaps where we have some disagreements is how to get to the goal.
01:28:44 --> 01:28:51 That is a much better conversation than, you know, We're just pinning each other against one another.
01:28:51 --> 01:28:57 And I know that I have said sometimes when the electorate, when voters are very
01:28:57 --> 01:29:02 upset at what is going on, they tend to want unified government.
01:29:02 --> 01:29:05 Yet unified government doesn't really...
01:29:06 --> 01:29:14 As a whole doesn't necessarily move a lot of pieces because then one side of
01:29:14 --> 01:29:16 the electorate may feel neglected.
01:29:16 --> 01:29:20 So it's better to have some of these policy
01:29:20 --> 01:29:26 debates where the public can see them and not that it is a cultural war issue
01:29:26 --> 01:29:31 or we're finding ways to dehumanize or disparage one another,
01:29:32 --> 01:29:35 that we're really having thoughtful conversations.
01:29:36 --> 01:29:42 And I am hoping that we can get back to that because this reality TV version,
01:29:43 --> 01:29:50 of electoral politics is really diminishing people's faith in our republic.
01:29:50 --> 01:29:55 And it really kind of just pushes people away and increase apathy,
01:29:56 --> 01:30:03 among the electorate, which really damages how we see policy and then really opens the door for,
01:30:03 --> 01:30:09 special interest groups or, you know, influential donors to be able to mooch
01:30:09 --> 01:30:12 off of the rest of us. Yeah.
01:30:12 --> 01:30:14 I hope y'all in the back heard what she said.
01:30:15 --> 01:30:20 I hope y'all heard that. All right. Five African-Americans were elected governor
01:30:20 --> 01:30:21 of their respective states.
01:30:21 --> 01:30:27 Of those five, which one will have the most significant long-term impact the
01:30:27 --> 01:30:33 election of Keisha lands bottoms in Georgia or the election of Byron Donald's in Florida. Hmm.
01:30:35 --> 01:30:41 Can I say both? Okay. And I'm saying both because number one,
01:30:41 --> 01:30:42 we're neighboring states.
01:30:42 --> 01:30:48 And usually there is some type of reciprocation that happens between Georgia and Florida.
01:30:49 --> 01:30:50 We share a border.
01:30:51 --> 01:30:56 Some people in the panhandle could live in a panhandle yet work in South Georgia
01:30:56 --> 01:31:00 or live in South Georgia and work in a panhandle, right?
01:31:00 --> 01:31:02 So there's a lot of reciprocation there.
01:31:02 --> 01:31:09 For Donald's, because he is going to lean into his immigrant background,
01:31:09 --> 01:31:17 and then that plays a large role in Florida, and for him to be the first there is...
01:31:18 --> 01:31:25 I think that that will have lasting impact on multiple levels for it to be immigrant and Black.
01:31:26 --> 01:31:34 That will resonate, I think, a lot with the various communities inside of Florida.
01:31:34 --> 01:31:42 I'll be interested in seeing long-term impact of does this solidify Florida as Republican.
01:31:42 --> 01:31:47 I'm also curious if Donald is going to moderate some of his tone,
01:31:47 --> 01:31:56 being that Ron DeSantis just discussed that he's looking to become a candidate for president in 2028.
01:31:56 --> 01:31:58 So he would need Florida.
01:31:58 --> 01:32:03 And if Ron DeSantis is already talking in moderate tones.
01:32:04 --> 01:32:09 And distancing himself from Donald Trump and MAGA, will Donald's do the same
01:32:09 --> 01:32:17 thing in moderating Florida, which then opens the door perhaps to flip Florida because of the tone?
01:32:17 --> 01:32:23 In Georgia, obviously, Keisha Lance Bottoms being the first Black woman in the
01:32:23 --> 01:32:26 United States, in the states, to be governor.
01:32:26 --> 01:32:30 And then, of course, we have Stacey Placid, who would be the first Black woman
01:32:30 --> 01:32:36 to be governor of U.S. territory at the same time. So that is awesome for both of them.
01:32:36 --> 01:32:42 In Georgia, because of the constitutional seats, all of them except for two
01:32:42 --> 01:32:45 on the ballot are held by Black women.
01:32:46 --> 01:32:52 The kind of unity that that brings, it helps us to perhaps have a different
01:32:52 --> 01:32:57 perspective in the state of Georgia that there can be.
01:32:58 --> 01:33:03 A more diverse set of empathy that goes across the entire state.
01:33:03 --> 01:33:07 So sure, Metro Atlanta, sure, the urban areas.
01:33:07 --> 01:33:12 At the same time, the suburbs and the rural areas, sometimes it appears as though
01:33:12 --> 01:33:14 we're pinning these regions against one another.
01:33:15 --> 01:33:19 And so having a Black woman to be the Agriculture Commission,
01:33:20 --> 01:33:26 to be leading the rural areas, and then to have, you know, labor and insurance
01:33:26 --> 01:33:32 and the governor, and then no telling who's going to be Speaker of the House, and then
01:33:32 --> 01:33:35 what leadership looks like in the Senate.
01:33:36 --> 01:33:40 There can be long-term impact of policy
01:33:41 --> 01:33:46 in revisiting perhaps some of the communities that have not been talked about,
01:33:46 --> 01:33:51 have not been outwardly cared for inside of Georgia, which,
01:33:52 --> 01:33:56 one would hope would bring more people into the electorate.
01:33:57 --> 01:34:03 And then it could solidify Georgia to be the canary in the coal mine for the
01:34:03 --> 01:34:07 former Confederacy, for the Southeast to actually flip.
01:34:08 --> 01:34:13 I argue that it's not a blue state yet because it's only one election cycle.
01:34:13 --> 01:34:18 Like we need a pattern to label the state in that way.
01:34:19 --> 01:34:28 And if this election cycle reaps the benefits that these folks have run on, then you can see, oh.
01:34:29 --> 01:34:35 I think to me, you could see that Georgia really is the leader in the Southeast
01:34:36 --> 01:34:43 and that Georgia can take its influence to the other states that border.
01:34:44 --> 01:34:51 That bordered Georgia and could spread its influence and change politics across the Southeast.
01:34:52 --> 01:34:59 Well, I think, you know, I think that's a fair assessment to say both in my.
01:34:59 --> 01:35:06 So my dream has always been that in my lifetime, I would love to see the Democratic
01:35:06 --> 01:35:11 nominee for president, Republican nominee for president be both black people.
01:35:12 --> 01:35:19 And the dynamics may be that it might be bottoms against Donald in 32. Right.
01:35:20 --> 01:35:26 Where where we're at right now. And so I would I would love to see that.
01:35:26 --> 01:35:35 I think I think, you know, I think Donald's more so than than Keisha be only
01:35:35 --> 01:35:39 because it is based on what he does as governor.
01:35:40 --> 01:35:45 I think if he reads the tea leaves right, because he already scrubbed Trump
01:35:45 --> 01:35:50 from his websites prior to the election, and Florida was so close,
01:35:51 --> 01:35:53 it was like dead even all the way through.
01:35:54 --> 01:36:03 I think that if he governs more like a McCain than like a Trump or a DeSantis,
01:36:04 --> 01:36:08 then there's going to be a generation of Floridians, there's going to be a generation
01:36:08 --> 01:36:09 of black people who's like.
01:36:10 --> 01:36:14 Yeah, well, I kind of like the way that Donald's guy is governing as opposed
01:36:14 --> 01:36:17 to, say, Lance Bottoms or whatever.
01:36:17 --> 01:36:24 So I think it's really, it's going to be interesting to see how much of an impact he has in politics.
01:36:25 --> 01:36:29 Making the black vote not as monolithic as it is, right?
01:36:29 --> 01:36:35 And we really have to sit and weigh out both options. You know,
01:36:35 --> 01:36:39 it's kind of a no-brainer right now, you know, and history has always made it
01:36:39 --> 01:36:43 easy for us to take a side.
01:36:43 --> 01:36:47 But for us to really have to have a choice and really have to sit down and figure
01:36:47 --> 01:36:53 out which direction do we want to go, that's why I'm thinking him winning on
01:36:53 --> 01:36:56 the night, and especially on the night when all these Democrats were winning,
01:36:57 --> 01:37:02 I think I'd like to see what his impact would be. But, you know.
01:37:03 --> 01:37:06 I completely agree with that. I completely agree with that.
01:37:07 --> 01:37:11 And it would be interesting to see, you know, how much, number one,
01:37:11 --> 01:37:14 he pushes back on Republicans.
01:37:14 --> 01:37:19 Obviously, he's going to push back on Democrats to push back on Republicans
01:37:19 --> 01:37:24 to have a more moderating tone, because like you said, even though he won,
01:37:25 --> 01:37:31 he came really close to losing to a former Republican turned Democrat.
01:37:32 --> 01:37:40 So that should demonstrate for the governor's race and for him to look at the results for the U.S.
01:37:40 --> 01:37:43 Senate race, for him to,
01:37:43 --> 01:37:48 still be hardcore MAGA, that's obviously not going to serve him to,
01:37:48 --> 01:37:55 do exactly what you said to moderate his tone to be more McCain-ish right or
01:37:55 --> 01:38:00 one could argue to be a Johnny Isakson-ish then that would help him to,
01:38:01 --> 01:38:09 to you right to making it a tough choice for for people inside of Florida also,
01:38:09 --> 01:38:14 he could change what the Southeast looks like too, in terms of,
01:38:14 --> 01:38:17 you know, you don't have to be all the way to the right.
01:38:19 --> 01:38:26 To be a Republican. You can move to that center and still stand in your ideology
01:38:26 --> 01:38:31 at the same time understanding that the map is changing in the Southeast. Yeah.
01:38:32 --> 01:38:39 All right. Latino voters shifted 29 points toward Democrats between 24 and 26,
01:38:40 --> 01:38:44 compared with a 15-point shift among voters overall.
01:38:44 --> 01:38:50 The shift was even larger among younger Latinos, 43 percent, well, plus 43.
01:38:50 --> 01:38:54 Voters with a high school education, plus 36.
01:38:55 --> 01:38:59 Voters with some college, plus 32. And Latino men, plus 31.
01:38:59 --> 01:39:05 No major demographic group moved further toward Democrats than Latino voters.
01:39:05 --> 01:39:11 So the question is, have Latinos proven that they are the true swing voters in American politics?
01:39:12 --> 01:39:19 Absolutely, they are. And it's also interesting, obviously, as an entire group, they are.
01:39:20 --> 01:39:26 The breakdown between age groups of Latinos is also very interesting.
01:39:27 --> 01:39:31 So what Republicans tend to do, and you see that the current president has done
01:39:31 --> 01:39:33 that a lot, has done this a lot.
01:39:33 --> 01:39:40 And that is to focus a lot on using words like socialism and communism,
01:39:40 --> 01:39:47 particularly when it comes to like the 50 and older crowd of the Latino community.
01:39:48 --> 01:39:56 And of course, that's intentional when one considers where some of their origins are from.
01:39:56 --> 01:40:02 So whether it's from Central America, whether it's from spaces out in the Caribbean.
01:40:03 --> 01:40:08 Where you had heavy communism or socialism or just authoritarianism.
01:40:08 --> 01:40:13 What is interesting is that, you know, the things that the Trump administration
01:40:13 --> 01:40:18 is doing, they're projecting onto Democrats and say, well, these are the people
01:40:18 --> 01:40:20 that are going to do the thing.
01:40:20 --> 01:40:28 And, you know, some folks have fallen for that because they have a thought based
01:40:28 --> 01:40:33 on the words of Ronald Reagan about, you know, pulling yourself up by your bootstraps,
01:40:33 --> 01:40:37 that old Republican type talking points.
01:40:37 --> 01:40:44 And they're just like folks will say that Black people, as a general rule,
01:40:44 --> 01:40:47 have a blind loyalty to the Democratic Party.
01:40:47 --> 01:40:55 You also see that Latinos, especially 50 and older, have a loyalty to the Republican
01:40:55 --> 01:40:58 Party because of what they remember in their formative years.
01:40:59 --> 01:41:05 Yet now we see with the way that Trump is doing immigration enforcement and
01:41:05 --> 01:41:10 the devastation that that's having on their communities that, you know, they moved.
01:41:11 --> 01:41:18 So we'll see what happens in 2028, depending on who the Republican nominee is
01:41:18 --> 01:41:23 and whether or not Latinos swing back or if they try to, you know,
01:41:23 --> 01:41:25 come more in the center where
01:41:25 --> 01:41:27 just like when Trump was elected,
01:41:28 --> 01:41:32 two years ago in 2024, it was kind of 50-50.
01:41:32 --> 01:41:38 So even though some of these actions were happening to their communities.
01:41:39 --> 01:41:45 It seemed like a lot of their reasoning was not in my backyard. That's not who we are.
01:41:45 --> 01:41:47 And then when it was coming to
01:41:47 --> 01:41:53 their backyard, then there was a sense of regret for who they voted for.
01:41:54 --> 01:42:00 So we'll see what they do in 2028. We'll see what they do in 2032 to see if
01:42:00 --> 01:42:04 they keep up some of these, their voting habits and really
01:42:04 --> 01:42:11 appreciating kind of the long-term impact versus only thinking of the short term. Yeah.
01:42:12 --> 01:42:16 All right. 61% of white women voted Democratic this election,
01:42:16 --> 01:42:19 a 15-point increase from 2024.
01:42:20 --> 01:42:25 Did white women finally get the memo? I also consider them to be a swing group.
01:42:25 --> 01:42:34 They're a swing group because, you know, 2020, 2022, 2024, for.
01:42:35 --> 01:42:40 I think they're a swing group. We'll see how things pan out.
01:42:41 --> 01:42:47 We'll see who becomes, again, Republican nominees in various races, and then.
01:42:49 --> 01:42:55 How these candidates tend to use their words to influence them as a group.
01:42:55 --> 01:43:01 One could argue that they are, especially if you look at social media,
01:43:01 --> 01:43:09 There's a lot of coming to the altar meetings about some of their reaction to some of these messages.
01:43:10 --> 01:43:14 And we'll see. I think that I also want to say that,
01:43:15 --> 01:43:21 perhaps one of the largest influences could be some of these,
01:43:22 --> 01:43:31 sexual assault cases that have come out and a lot of the support for some of
01:43:31 --> 01:43:33 these folks that they've had.
01:43:33 --> 01:43:35 There's been a lot of excuses for them.
01:43:36 --> 01:43:42 I would also like to see the age break down for that 61% because that would
01:43:42 --> 01:43:48 also influence. One could argue that, you know, those that are 60 and older
01:43:48 --> 01:43:50 tend to still vote heavily Republican.
01:43:50 --> 01:43:55 And then some of the younger ones may have experiences and different perspectives
01:43:55 --> 01:44:00 outside of that age group to then help them to understand the impact of their
01:44:00 --> 01:44:01 vote. Yeah, absolutely.
01:44:02 --> 01:44:08 What post-midterm message was sent by President Trump in promoting Stephen Miller
01:44:08 --> 01:44:11 to be his chief of staff? He's going to double down.
01:44:13 --> 01:44:20 They're going to double down. They are, you know, going to ensure that the rest
01:44:20 --> 01:44:24 of his agenda is pushed as hard as it can be.
01:44:24 --> 01:44:29 You know, Stephen Miller is an unmovable force.
01:44:30 --> 01:44:36 Once he sets his laser focus on something, then that's all it is He is not much
01:44:36 --> 01:44:38 of a moderating voice One could argue,
01:44:39 --> 01:44:44 you know, he had a Donald Trump's former chief of staff had a moderating voice
01:44:44 --> 01:44:46 Whether we saw it or not Because, you know,
01:44:47 --> 01:44:55 even though Congress was fully Republican That there was still a smidge of pushback,
01:44:56 --> 01:44:58 And that kind of ruined some of.
01:45:00 --> 01:45:03 The items that the administrator wanted to put place.
01:45:04 --> 01:45:12 Now, you know, what's very interesting to me is that some of these judges,
01:45:12 --> 01:45:15 particularly those on the Supreme Court, these justices, you know,
01:45:15 --> 01:45:17 they claim to be originalists.
01:45:17 --> 01:45:25 They claim to be understanding of the Constitution from the standpoint of the
01:45:26 --> 01:45:32 separation of powers, checks and balances, and that the executive branch is Article 2.
01:45:32 --> 01:45:36 In Article 1, the legislative branch, from order of importance,
01:45:36 --> 01:45:40 right, and given more power is to the legislative branch.
01:45:41 --> 01:45:46 But over the last, you know, since one could argue since Richard Nixon,
01:45:47 --> 01:45:54 the conservative effort to increase the powers of the presidency has been astonishing.
01:45:54 --> 01:45:59 And some of it is because the legislative branch has delegated their authority
01:45:59 --> 01:46:03 to the executive branch rather than reining it in themselves.
01:46:04 --> 01:46:09 So it can appear as though Congress is doing overreach when it's not overreached
01:46:09 --> 01:46:11 or actually doing their job.
01:46:12 --> 01:46:19 So I am curious as to how Stephen Miller is going to still attempt to expand
01:46:19 --> 01:46:20 the powers of the presidency now.
01:46:22 --> 01:46:25 As being chief of staff and what that will mean for,
01:46:26 --> 01:46:31 those Republicans, particularly those in the Senate, who are going to be up
01:46:31 --> 01:46:38 for re-election in 2028, how those senators push back on some of the potential overreach,
01:46:39 --> 01:46:42 of the last two years of the Trump administration.
01:46:42 --> 01:46:48 Yeah, I think, you know, somebody asked me what do I think the impact will be
01:46:48 --> 01:46:51 with Congress? What's the first thing you think they're going to do.
01:46:51 --> 01:46:54 And I said, they're going to deal with the tariffs. They're going to take that
01:46:54 --> 01:46:59 back because the president is not, executive order is not supposed to impose
01:46:59 --> 01:47:02 a tariff. It's supposed to be a congressional action.
01:47:02 --> 01:47:05 And so I think that's the first thing they're going to do.
01:47:05 --> 01:47:11 And that will have an impact on affordability because stuff will start getting
01:47:11 --> 01:47:14 cheaper because you'll stop having that additional tax put on.
01:47:15 --> 01:47:20 But our fellow Georgian, Marjorie Taylor Greene, had an interesting take as
01:47:20 --> 01:47:22 to why the switch was made.
01:47:22 --> 01:47:27 She said that Susie Wilde's new job is to pick Donald Trump's successor.
01:47:27 --> 01:47:30 So that's why they moved her over to the political side.
01:47:30 --> 01:47:33 And, of course, Marjorie Taylor Greene said that's going to fail miserably because,
01:47:34 --> 01:47:38 you know, he obviously didn't get the memo from Tuesday.
01:47:39 --> 01:47:44 But she said that's that's that's that's that's the gay plan.
01:47:44 --> 01:47:48 It's like, let Stephen Miller do what he's been doing and just move her over
01:47:48 --> 01:47:52 and hopefully she can pick a successor so MAGA can rise again.
01:47:53 --> 01:47:56 I don't know. I don't see MAGA rising after Donald Trump.
01:47:57 --> 01:48:02 I see that some of the folks in...
01:48:04 --> 01:48:10 In Congress. And one could also argue those Republicans, some of the Republicans
01:48:11 --> 01:48:17 who were running for statewide offices, and even some of them in the House of
01:48:17 --> 01:48:19 Representatives who lost,
01:48:19 --> 01:48:25 who first started off as MAGA, MAGA, MAGA, and then started moderating well
01:48:25 --> 01:48:28 in advance of the election still lost.
01:48:28 --> 01:48:36 And they lost because MAGA was a movement built on the personality of one individual.
01:48:36 --> 01:48:46 And now that that individual is not there, who has that kind of energy to sustain that movement?
01:48:46 --> 01:48:55 And I'm not sure if there's a person who could do that and then be as believable,
01:48:55 --> 01:49:01 as Donald Trump has been to many of the people in the MAGA movement.
01:49:01 --> 01:49:05 Because also, you know, let's think about it. Some of these things are falling apart.
01:49:05 --> 01:49:09 So if you're going to have make America healthy again, but then we're having
01:49:09 --> 01:49:14 food recalls all over the place, then, you know, you're telling us one thing,
01:49:14 --> 01:49:17 yet the other is doing something different.
01:49:17 --> 01:49:21 And it appears as though some people are wising up to it.
01:49:22 --> 01:49:25 Yeah, what's the old saying? Often imitated, never duplicated.
01:49:27 --> 01:49:32 That's right. Yeah, that's exactly where MAG is now. All right, prediction time.
01:49:33 --> 01:49:42 On November the 6th, 2028, what will be the highlight of the 120th United States Congress? Hmm.
01:49:45 --> 01:49:50 I would like to see them, as you said, do something to take away these tariffs,
01:49:50 --> 01:49:58 to rein in preemptive military action, which will decrease their spending.
01:49:59 --> 01:50:06 I would like, it would be interesting if they could do something about healthcare and healthcare costs.
01:50:06 --> 01:50:10 I would be interested to see what they do on COVID,
01:50:11 --> 01:50:15 on presidential powers. So right after Nixon got out of office,
01:50:16 --> 01:50:19 that Congress got together and started putting some roadblocks in place,
01:50:20 --> 01:50:24 such as presidential papers and stuff that you need to maintain them.
01:50:25 --> 01:50:31 I would like to see so part of that presidential guardrails package for the
01:50:31 --> 01:50:37 president and themselves and for federal judges, if they're going to put in,
01:50:38 --> 01:50:46 something about insider trading because it's a shock to most of us that what
01:50:46 --> 01:50:51 Martha Stewart could go to prison for, people in Congress won't, right?
01:50:52 --> 01:50:54 So that's the thing, term limits.
01:50:56 --> 01:51:00 We need to have that conversation about term limits. In the federal system,
01:51:00 --> 01:51:06 you must retire if you are law enforcement, you must retire by 57 years old.
01:51:06 --> 01:51:11 I don't understand how we still have Congress people who don't understand some
01:51:11 --> 01:51:20 of the future and the current way of life, yet they're making decisions about it.
01:51:20 --> 01:51:25 So, you know, God bless them. I would like to be as lucid,
01:51:25 --> 01:51:35 as some of these 80 and 90-year-olds are, yet I should not be in charge of 326 Americans and all of,
01:51:36 --> 01:51:40 the daily stuff that they go on, that they have in their life every day.
01:51:40 --> 01:51:48 We should have those limits there. So it would be interesting to see what they accomplish.
01:51:48 --> 01:51:53 And those items that I named, I'm just repeating what I've heard from other folk.
01:51:54 --> 01:51:58 So if I'm saying it, then that means that they've heard it.
01:51:58 --> 01:52:03 And that means that they should be able to do something about it because that's
01:52:03 --> 01:52:06 part of the reason that they've got elected. Yeah.
01:52:07 --> 01:52:13 Oh, Chuck Grassley, Lord. Oh, Chuck Grassley. Oh, my God. All right, finish this sentence.
01:52:13 --> 01:52:16 This election gives me hope because.
01:52:17 --> 01:52:25 This election gives me hope because people overwhelmingly across the country,
01:52:26 --> 01:52:29 voted the way that they've been talking.
01:52:30 --> 01:52:37 Meaning usually people will talk about affordability yet vote against it based on who they voted for.
01:52:38 --> 01:52:45 To me, this election gives me hope because the voters' actions and their words matched.
01:52:46 --> 01:52:53 Okay. All right. Well, Dr. Tammy Greer, I greatly appreciate you taking time out to do this,
01:52:54 --> 01:52:57 interview, and especially because I really wanted to get your perspective on
01:52:57 --> 01:53:03 what happened if people want to reach out to you and if you've got some projects
01:53:03 --> 01:53:07 you're working on that you want to let people know, just go ahead and do that right now.
01:53:07 --> 01:53:12 Sure. So I am working on a couple of projects and, you know,
01:53:12 --> 01:53:17 some of them be presented at academic conferences, but I'm really interested
01:53:17 --> 01:53:22 in how we view women, particularly Black women, as leaders in our republic.
01:53:23 --> 01:53:25 And you can always follow me on LinkedIn.
01:53:26 --> 01:53:30 I post things. And I also write a column for Peach Paul.
01:53:30 --> 01:53:35 So you're welcome to hear any additional thoughts in those columns.
01:53:35 --> 01:53:41 All right. Well, thank you again for coming on. And you are one of the obedient
01:53:41 --> 01:53:46 ones. This is at least, I think, your second time this year coming on the podcast.
01:53:46 --> 01:53:49 So you follow the rule. So you know about the open invitation.
01:53:50 --> 01:53:54 And trust me, you definitely going to be back on, but, and we'll be keeping
01:53:54 --> 01:53:59 in touch, you know, in between. But I just thank you for this historic moment.
01:53:59 --> 01:54:01 I'm glad that you were able to come on and talk.
01:54:02 --> 01:54:04 It is my pleasure. Thank you for having me.
01:54:25 --> 01:54:32 All right, and we are back. And so now it's time for my next guest, William Cooper.
01:54:32 --> 01:54:36 Will Cooper is an attorney who's done work for major companies,
01:54:36 --> 01:54:38 including Google and Samsung.
01:54:39 --> 01:54:42 He's also an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in hundreds
01:54:42 --> 01:54:46 of publications around the world, including the New York Times,
01:54:47 --> 01:54:50 San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Sun-Times, and Jerusalem Post.
01:54:51 --> 01:54:55 Publishers Weekly called his writings about Donald Trump a compelling rallying
01:54:55 --> 01:54:59 cry for democratic institutions under threat in America.
01:54:59 --> 01:55:04 And he's a frequent guest on national television and radio programs and on numerous
01:55:04 --> 01:55:07 podcasts. He lives in California.
01:55:08 --> 01:55:13 Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct honor and privilege to have as a guest, the.
01:55:27 --> 01:55:31 All right. Will Cooper. What's up, man? What's going on?
01:55:32 --> 01:55:36 Just trying to surf through the blue wave, my friend.
01:55:36 --> 01:55:40 I hear. We're going to talk about the blue wave. But I was sitting there and
01:55:40 --> 01:55:45 I just realized it's like I hadn't had you on all year.
01:55:45 --> 01:55:52 And I was like, wow, this is crazy. So I am really, really glad that I was able to get you on.
01:55:53 --> 01:55:58 And especially after this election, because I really wanted to pick your brain,
01:55:59 --> 01:56:01 about what happened Tuesday.
01:56:02 --> 01:56:11 And you always give this incredibly balanced, very nuanced take on what's happening
01:56:11 --> 01:56:13 because, you know, I'm a partisan.
01:56:13 --> 01:56:17 So it's like, you know, I'm like super happy.
01:56:18 --> 01:56:21 I'm like, you know. You're spanking the ball in that zone. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:56:21 --> 01:56:28 Yeah, I'm having a moment. And so, you know, maybe to bring me down to reality
01:56:28 --> 01:56:35 a little bit, I need somebody with some clarity that has always been objective to come on.
01:56:35 --> 01:56:38 So I'm really glad that you had the time to do this.
01:56:39 --> 01:56:43 Well, I love coming. This is my favorite podcast and I love coming on.
01:56:43 --> 01:56:49 So, and I love that we've been doing it for years and we're going to keep doing it for years.
01:56:50 --> 01:56:55 Yeah, we got it. We got to do better for 2027. But right now I got you here.
01:56:55 --> 01:57:01 And so we just going to kick it off. What is your assessment of the midterm elections?
01:57:02 --> 01:57:06 Well, I appreciate that you think of me as balanced.
01:57:07 --> 01:57:10 I try to be rational and accurate as best I can.
01:57:11 --> 01:57:18 But this is a thumping, a major rejection of MAGA and Trump from the electorate,
01:57:18 --> 01:57:21 historic in a lot of respects.
01:57:22 --> 01:57:24 And it makes me happy.
01:57:25 --> 01:57:32 I'm really happy about it. I think one of the things that American society and
01:57:32 --> 01:57:38 our polity needed was a rejection of what Trump stands for.
01:57:38 --> 01:57:44 And in a lot of ways, even when he lost to Biden, we didn't get that because
01:57:44 --> 01:57:51 he ascended so quickly after January 6th. And others, he ascended right back to Biden.
01:57:52 --> 01:57:56 Being a preeminent figure in the Republican Party. I think right now,
01:57:57 --> 01:58:04 the electoral thumping, the blue wave, the landslide, combined with him being
01:58:04 --> 01:58:08 a lame duck president, who's not going to be, I feel really confident he's not
01:58:08 --> 01:58:11 going to run or get a third term.
01:58:12 --> 01:58:16 I think we've got that. I think we finally, as a country setting aside,
01:58:17 --> 01:58:23 politics and parties, we have an emphatic rejection of the core elements of
01:58:23 --> 01:58:27 what he stands for, and that's something that I've been wanting since the first
01:58:27 --> 01:58:31 day he arrived on the scene politically. Yeah.
01:58:31 --> 01:58:36 So for terms of this podcast, we referred to what happened Tuesday as a tsunami,
01:58:37 --> 01:58:41 because that was a criteria I had set, right? I said that, you know,
01:58:41 --> 01:58:43 a high tide would be we just get the house.
01:58:44 --> 01:58:50 And then, you know, a blue wave would be we get the house with a comfortable,
01:58:51 --> 01:58:55 you know, margin and then we may be even or, you know.
01:58:56 --> 01:59:01 We wouldn't be Fetterman proof if it was a blue wave, but a blue tsunami,
01:59:01 --> 01:59:05 I think, you know, I think what happened would qualify as that.
01:59:05 --> 01:59:13 And somebody, was it DeSantis or somebody said this was an extinction level incident or some event.
01:59:15 --> 01:59:22 Or near one? But yeah, so that's how I categorize what happened.
01:59:22 --> 01:59:26 So let me do this disclaimer real quick before I ask the next question.
01:59:26 --> 01:59:32 All statistical information that is going to be discussed is provided by the New York Times.
01:59:33 --> 01:59:37 So I don't want to, you know, like with the other guests, I'm just reminding
01:59:37 --> 01:59:41 you, I don't have a staff that's researching all this stuff. It's just me.
01:59:42 --> 01:59:48 As of today, the Democrats flipped 42 seats in the House and seven seats in the Senate.
01:59:49 --> 01:59:54 Were you surprised by the number of gains the Democratic Party made in Congress?
01:59:55 --> 02:00:03 I was, yes. I feel like I'm a true amateur when it comes to predicting election
02:00:03 --> 02:00:08 outcomes. I really don't have insight into that, and I don't have skill.
02:00:10 --> 02:00:13 So before the election, I, of course,
02:00:14 --> 02:00:19 was pleased that the polls were pointing the way they were, and there was a
02:00:19 --> 02:00:25 big margin of safety built in to not undercount the Trump vote,
02:00:25 --> 02:00:28 which has been happening in recent cycles.
02:00:28 --> 02:00:34 I liked it, but I was very hesitant to believe it. I was very hesitant to make bold predictions.
02:00:35 --> 02:00:42 So I didn't have a strong, hard view of, okay, here's what my prediction is.
02:00:42 --> 02:00:45 The Democrats are going to get this many seats or it's going to split.
02:00:46 --> 02:00:50 I was just very, very cautious about everything.
02:00:51 --> 02:00:59 And if I was forced to pin down my predictions, it wouldn't have been anywhere near as...
02:01:01 --> 02:01:05 Emphatic in the Democrats' favor as it turned out being. Yeah.
02:01:06 --> 02:01:11 I was kind of feeling it by last week's episode. And, you know,
02:01:11 --> 02:01:17 having, in my experience, you know, having been out there on the ballot when
02:01:17 --> 02:01:21 Obama ran, it just had that kind of vibe.
02:01:21 --> 02:01:27 People were, like, determined. People were going every place that had early voting.
02:01:27 --> 02:01:32 People were really taking advantage of it whereas like in some elections it's kind of like.
02:01:33 --> 02:01:38 Maybe the first day might jump and then a wane off and then people like oh shoot
02:01:38 --> 02:01:41 i ain't gonna be able to go vote on tuesday let me go to get take care of that
02:01:41 --> 02:01:45 right but this was really a determined effort,
02:01:45 --> 02:01:50 by voters to say as soon as the opportunity is to vote i'm gonna i'm gonna do
02:01:50 --> 02:01:52 this and get this out of the way.
02:01:52 --> 02:01:56 And that is a, that is a telltale sign that people are like,
02:01:57 --> 02:01:59 yeah, we want to see something change around here.
02:01:59 --> 02:02:04 And, and, and I just, as, as like you said, when the numbers kept coming in,
02:02:04 --> 02:02:08 as far as like the pre-election polls, it's like, well, man,
02:02:08 --> 02:02:12 it's like, this person's going to win and this person's going to be close.
02:02:12 --> 02:02:16 And they, within the margin of error, they might flip it, you know?
02:02:16 --> 02:02:19 And so, cause that's what's happening in Mississippi right now.
02:02:19 --> 02:02:23 It was like Scott Cologne was kind of in that margin of error,
02:02:23 --> 02:02:24 which was getting national attention.
02:02:25 --> 02:02:30 And as of right now, he's ahead, which, of course, I take incredible pride in.
02:02:31 --> 02:02:36 Seeing if somebody finally broke that glass ceiling that me and Mike Espy tried to break.
02:02:36 --> 02:02:43 But, you know, it's it's really it was really something that I just felt it
02:02:43 --> 02:02:47 was going to be big because the American people, no matter,
02:02:48 --> 02:02:52 how you see people on TV being interviewed for stuff like that,
02:02:52 --> 02:02:54 when you just be around people,
02:02:55 --> 02:02:57 you kind of know what their tolerance level is.
02:02:57 --> 02:03:02 And when just the general conversation every day is like, what is this fool doing today? Yeah.
02:03:03 --> 02:03:08 You know that if they got, if you can tell him, well, if you vote for these
02:03:08 --> 02:03:11 people, he said, but we're not voting for him, but we can vote for the people
02:03:11 --> 02:03:12 that can tell him to stop.
02:03:12 --> 02:03:16 Oh, they can tell him to stop. Oh, okay. Well, that's all you need to let me know.
02:03:16 --> 02:03:20 So I think I just, I just kind of felt that it was going to happen.
02:03:21 --> 02:03:26 I, you know, of course I was advocating for all 435.
02:03:28 --> 02:03:31 Seats, but you know, that's not, that wasn't going to happen.
02:03:31 --> 02:03:36 But I kind of felt like the way that the results were going to come in,
02:03:36 --> 02:03:39 I felt like you could make that boast, you know what I'm saying?
02:03:40 --> 02:03:43 Absolutely, yeah. And just try to put it in their minds.
02:03:44 --> 02:03:48 So if you were surprised at the federal level, then I know you were surprised
02:03:48 --> 02:03:52 at the state level how some of these legislatures changed.
02:03:54 --> 02:04:01 Yeah, I was. And I'm a huge believer that we don't pay enough attention to state-level
02:04:01 --> 02:04:06 politics, which you're, of course, you've served at that level.
02:04:06 --> 02:04:11 That's a huge, huge level in terms of how it impacts people's lives,
02:04:11 --> 02:04:14 even if it doesn't get as much attention sometimes.
02:04:15 --> 02:04:21 So to see the ground floor really shifting is an important part of what I,
02:04:21 --> 02:04:28 again, think of as an emphatic rejection of Trumpism that the country really needed. Yeah.
02:04:28 --> 02:04:33 And, you know, the two particular states, Texas and Georgia,
02:04:34 --> 02:04:41 I was really, really pleased because, you know, you've got Governor-elect Bottoms
02:04:41 --> 02:04:43 coming in in Georgia and Governor-elect Pollock.
02:04:43 --> 02:04:48 Ina Hossa in Texas. I don't know why I keep wanting to say Tennessee.
02:04:48 --> 02:04:50 I think they played each other recently or something. Anyway.
02:04:51 --> 02:04:55 So for them, I didn't want them to be like Cooper when he was governor of North
02:04:55 --> 02:05:00 Carolina or I forget the gentleman's name of Wisconsin that were basically like,
02:05:00 --> 02:05:04 look, I'm just going to veto every crazy idea y'all going to bring to me.
02:05:04 --> 02:05:05 I'm just letting you know that. Right.
02:05:05 --> 02:05:11 And so I didn't want them to be like historic governors as far as getting elected.
02:05:11 --> 02:05:15 And then their legacy is like, well, they vetoed a record, a record amount of
02:05:15 --> 02:05:16 bills. You know what I'm saying?
02:05:18 --> 02:05:22 I wanted to see them pass. So to see that each one of them at least got one
02:05:22 --> 02:05:27 chamber on their side and then the other side is neutered enough where it's
02:05:27 --> 02:05:30 like you could pick some of them off to get some stuff done.
02:05:31 --> 02:05:36 I think that speaks volumes. And like you said, the state legislature sets policy.
02:05:37 --> 02:05:40 I was talking to another guest and I was telling him, it was like,
02:05:41 --> 02:05:45 when I was in, if we wanted to know what bad stuff the Republicans were going
02:05:45 --> 02:05:48 to do, we just paid attention to Kansas, right?
02:05:49 --> 02:05:52 Because Kansas always passed whatever ALEC put out there for them.
02:05:52 --> 02:05:55 They literally copy pasted and passed it.
02:05:55 --> 02:06:00 And so it's like, OK, if Kansas did it, these folks get ready to introduce it. Right.
02:06:00 --> 02:06:07 And so to see Kansas, to see Kansas switch to the point where it's like now
02:06:07 --> 02:06:12 they've got a Methodist preacher as a Democratic United States senator.
02:06:13 --> 02:06:17 Yeah, it was it was a monumental day. And I just and I'm really,
02:06:17 --> 02:06:23 really proud that in the frustration that a lot of Americans had in going to
02:06:23 --> 02:06:27 vote, that they took it out all the way down the ballot.
02:06:27 --> 02:06:31 They didn't just stop at the top. They just, they went straight down and they
02:06:31 --> 02:06:34 were looking, oh no, yeah, you gotta go, you gotta go.
02:06:34 --> 02:06:37 So it made me feel good about that.
02:06:38 --> 02:06:44 I couldn't agree more. All right. Is this election a vindication for Black women
02:06:44 --> 02:06:46 in American elective politics?
02:06:47 --> 02:06:50 And the reason why I ask this question is because before Tuesday,
02:06:51 --> 02:06:55 there were 11 statewide elected officials that were Black women.
02:06:55 --> 02:07:01 Now it is up to 18. In Georgia, five of the six constitutional offices are Black
02:07:01 --> 02:07:08 women, which, you know, that's just nobody envisioned that. Right.
02:07:08 --> 02:07:14 Each individual was like I think I'm going to win my race but like I don't know
02:07:14 --> 02:07:18 if you've ever seen that sketch on the first black comedy sketch show or whatever,
02:07:19 --> 02:07:21 I think that was the name of the show where it was like.
02:07:22 --> 02:07:28 The bailiff was like talking to one of the attorneys and they were both black
02:07:28 --> 02:07:30 women. And then the judge was a black woman.
02:07:30 --> 02:07:34 And then the prosecutor was a black woman and, and, you know,
02:07:34 --> 02:07:36 and then they all looked around and said, Oh, wow.
02:07:38 --> 02:07:43 Black girl magic. You know what I'm saying? So that's really happening here in Georgia.
02:07:43 --> 02:07:49 And, and it's going to be really, really fun, be fun and fascinating to watch
02:07:49 --> 02:07:56 how they, because all of them have experience, right?
02:07:56 --> 02:08:03 And so for them to be in, it would be really, really fascinating to see how
02:08:03 --> 02:08:07 they do. But what's your take? Do you think that this was a vindication moment
02:08:07 --> 02:08:10 or do you think there's some work that needs to be done?
02:08:11 --> 02:08:17 I think both. I think it's an indication moment when we've moved in the right
02:08:17 --> 02:08:18 direction but not far enough.
02:08:19 --> 02:08:25 I mean, my foundational view of politics is the government should reflect the
02:08:25 --> 02:08:28 people, everyone across the board.
02:08:28 --> 02:08:35 It should be representation that is proportional to and resembles the population.
02:08:35 --> 02:08:41 So this is great, but there's more work to be done. And I think stepping back historically, I'm...
02:08:43 --> 02:08:47 One of my foundational views, too, about politics in general is that what often
02:08:47 --> 02:08:55 happens, change is not linear. It's the old Martin Luther King quote about the arc of justice.
02:08:57 --> 02:09:00 It does move in the right direction, but it doesn't go straight there.
02:09:01 --> 02:09:06 And so I think historians looking back on this period in American life are going
02:09:06 --> 02:09:12 to, I think one of the themes will be Obama showed incredible progress.
02:09:12 --> 02:09:17 At the time you know it was a huge deal i think people have gotten used to it
02:09:17 --> 02:09:22 and so they forget what a big deal it was at times not everybody but i think some people do.
02:09:23 --> 02:09:29 And then what often another big strong trend in politics is that incumbents,
02:09:30 --> 02:09:35 can people can get really angry about what happens and then they they,
02:09:36 --> 02:09:42 that motivates the opposite reaction right so So Trump, in some ways,
02:09:42 --> 02:09:44 I think was a reaction to Obama.
02:09:45 --> 02:09:49 And I think what we're seeing right now is a reaction to Trump.
02:09:49 --> 02:09:54 And the overall arc of all of this is positive, even though we get lurching
02:09:54 --> 02:09:58 backwards with Trump and that lurching forwards and backwards.
02:09:58 --> 02:10:03 The actual trend line is very positive, but there's more to go.
02:10:03 --> 02:10:07 There's more room. There's lots more room for improvement. But I think that
02:10:07 --> 02:10:09 trend line is going to continue. Yeah.
02:10:10 --> 02:10:14 Five African-Americans were elected governor of their respective states.
02:10:15 --> 02:10:20 Of those five, which one will have the most significant long-term impact?
02:10:20 --> 02:10:26 The election of Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia or the election of Byron Donalds in Florida?
02:10:27 --> 02:10:34 I am not an expert in either of those states' politics, so it's hard for me
02:10:34 --> 02:10:40 to give you an informed opinion. I think anything I'd say in 25 cents would get you a stick of gum.
02:10:43 --> 02:10:47 But the fact that that question is being asked is a wonderful thing.
02:10:48 --> 02:10:50 I think that's probably the best answer I could give you.
02:10:51 --> 02:10:54 Otherwise, I wouldn't be giving you anything of value.
02:10:54 --> 02:10:58 I think it's just great to see. And I look forward to learning more about them
02:10:58 --> 02:10:59 now that they're in office.
02:11:00 --> 02:11:08 So I guess the motivation behind the question is not just necessarily in their
02:11:08 --> 02:11:11 respective states, but in the national conversation.
02:11:12 --> 02:11:16 I don't know if I've conveyed this to you. I probably have since we've been
02:11:16 --> 02:11:18 together a lot on these podcasts, but,
02:11:19 --> 02:11:26 I want to be alive when they say the Democrat nominee for president is a black
02:11:26 --> 02:11:31 person and the Republican nominee for president is a black person.
02:11:31 --> 02:11:37 I want to be alive when it happens. And the dynamic is it might be these two individuals in 2032.
02:11:38 --> 02:11:42 They might be the two people. So, you know.
02:11:43 --> 02:11:49 I was looking at it, you know, as far as Keisha, as far as inspiration,
02:11:49 --> 02:11:56 as far as showing the formula of what can work right now to get more people engaged.
02:11:57 --> 02:12:03 But now I was looking at Byron because he has paid his political dues through
02:12:03 --> 02:12:10 the MAGA movement and based on the election in Florida, even though he won, he just barely won.
02:12:10 --> 02:12:17 And now that he's even his soon to be predecessor, DeSantis said,
02:12:18 --> 02:12:21 yeah, no, we're going to moderate a little bit. Right.
02:12:21 --> 02:12:29 So I'm thinking if Donald's becomes more of this McCain like Republican or previous
02:12:29 --> 02:12:34 guests compared, you know, said Isaacson, who was a senator in Georgia.
02:12:35 --> 02:12:40 You know, if they were, if he tends to moderate what kind of influence he will
02:12:40 --> 02:12:49 have on black voters in considering a Republican candidate down the road.
02:12:50 --> 02:12:53 That's kind of where I was going with that because, you know,
02:12:53 --> 02:12:59 right now, history has made it easy for us to take one side or the other, to be honest.
02:12:59 --> 02:13:03 I mean, we were Republicans for a long time. And then when the whole civil rights
02:13:03 --> 02:13:07 thing shifted, then we we became more Democrat, really with Roosevelt.
02:13:07 --> 02:13:11 But, you know, it really took shape from Kennedy on.
02:13:12 --> 02:13:18 And so, you know, we have always picked a side for the most part.
02:13:19 --> 02:13:23 And everybody else was kind of an outlier. And what I'm thinking is,
02:13:23 --> 02:13:30 are we in a moment now where maybe in the next 10 years, the black community
02:13:30 --> 02:13:34 will actually start having conversations like the Latino community,
02:13:34 --> 02:13:35 which will be my next question.
02:13:35 --> 02:13:43 But as far as, you know, instead of it being an automatic democratic vote, it's like,
02:13:44 --> 02:13:47 oh, we're really going to have to court the black vote, you know,
02:13:47 --> 02:13:48 and we're really going to have to,
02:13:48 --> 02:13:54 Present a candidate that they can latch on to and and the Republicans will actually
02:13:54 --> 02:13:58 campaign for the black vote and the Democrats won't take the black vote for
02:13:58 --> 02:13:59 granted. You see where I'm going?
02:14:01 --> 02:14:05 Absolutely. Yeah, I think that's quite plausible.
02:14:06 --> 02:14:11 I think there's a number I think there are there's momentum and and.
02:14:12 --> 02:14:19 A good big sort of fundamental mechanics that that are moving what can easily,
02:14:20 --> 02:14:24 go in that direction political parties are very as you know better than I do
02:14:25 --> 02:14:29 they're fluid and they're collections of interest groups so sometimes you get,
02:14:31 --> 02:14:38 intellectually incoherent collections of people and groups, but they,
02:14:38 --> 02:14:42 you know, the leaders are trying to get 50 plus percent of the vote.
02:14:42 --> 02:14:46 So they'll, you know, they'll take, they'll take groups as they come.
02:14:46 --> 02:14:50 So it's hard to predict and it's hard to know, but I think, I think that that's
02:14:50 --> 02:14:53 absolutely in the cards for sure.
02:14:53 --> 02:14:59 And I think that, that you and I will both definitely see i i feel i don't have
02:14:59 --> 02:15:04 data or hard logic to support it but i do believe,
02:15:05 --> 02:15:09 that we're going to see what what you want before too long where both candidates are,
02:15:11 --> 02:15:15 from the same that community and and and that's where the electorate is going
02:15:15 --> 02:15:17 to decide and won't that be,
02:15:18 --> 02:15:25 a moment you know to celebrate and to and to appreciate and i yeah i could see
02:15:25 --> 02:15:29 it i mean the the republicans the end of the day.
02:15:31 --> 02:15:38 You don't exist unless you win elections. DeSantis overstated it by saying they were extinct.
02:15:39 --> 02:15:42 They're not extinct, but they're really, really injured.
02:15:43 --> 02:15:48 And the only way they get back is to claw back and try to get people on their side.
02:15:48 --> 02:15:55 And so all bets are off. And I think that dynamic where the scruples of the
02:15:55 --> 02:16:00 party leadership are a little bit weak because they they'll do anything including
02:16:00 --> 02:16:02 be inconsistent to get there,
02:16:03 --> 02:16:07 it creates negatives like we've seen with MAGA where they open the tent up to
02:16:08 --> 02:16:14 to people that repelled a lot of traditional Republicans but it also creates
02:16:14 --> 02:16:16 potential in a positive direction as well,
02:16:17 --> 02:16:21 it'll go when when you're it's kind of like Trump when you don't have principles
02:16:21 --> 02:16:24 it's not it's not as bad as Trump but it's kind of like when you don't have
02:16:24 --> 02:16:28 principles things can go good or bad depending on the momentum.
02:16:29 --> 02:16:35 So I could see that, absolutely. I could see a few different directions,
02:16:35 --> 02:16:39 but one of them is inclusivity in that respect on both sides.
02:16:40 --> 02:16:43 Okay. Does that make sense? Yes, sir. Yeah, that definitely makes sense.
02:16:44 --> 02:16:46 All right, Latino voters.
02:16:46 --> 02:16:54 They shifted 29 points toward Democrats between 2024 and 2026 compared with.
02:16:55 --> 02:16:58 A 15-point shift among voters overall.
02:16:59 --> 02:17:05 The shift was even larger among younger Latinos, plus 43, voters with a high
02:17:05 --> 02:17:13 school education, plus 36, voters with some college, plus 32, and Latino men, plus 31.
02:17:13 --> 02:17:18 No major demographic group moved further toward Democrats and Latino voters.
02:17:19 --> 02:17:26 So the question is, have Latinos proven that they are the true swing voters in American politics?
02:17:27 --> 02:17:33 Interesting question. I don't think they are the true swing voters in the sense
02:17:33 --> 02:17:41 that other groups are less influential in the swing category.
02:17:42 --> 02:17:47 You've got your core base and then you've got these groups that can make the difference.
02:17:47 --> 02:17:49 And they're definitely one of them.
02:17:49 --> 02:17:54 I don't think i would i'm ready to give them the mantle as being at the top
02:17:54 --> 02:17:58 of that even you know i think that's fluid and changes in one election cycle
02:17:58 --> 02:18:02 you'll see one group and another you see another and they're in there but,
02:18:02 --> 02:18:06 you know i still think independent-minded voters matter a lot,
02:18:06 --> 02:18:08 i think other groups,
02:18:09 --> 02:18:14 matter a lot so i i wouldn't go that far are they essential yes are they one
02:18:14 --> 02:18:16 of a handful of groups that,
02:18:17 --> 02:18:22 the winner needs to get in a big way, absolutely, but they're not the only one. Okay.
02:18:23 --> 02:18:31 61% of white women voted Democratic this election, which was a 15-point increase on 2024.
02:18:31 --> 02:18:34 So, did white women finally get the memo?
02:18:37 --> 02:18:40 How did they not get the memo before? I still scratch my head.
02:18:40 --> 02:18:48 And I mean, I think here's my theory, and we've talked about this before on the show.
02:18:48 --> 02:18:50 You know, I think 2024...
02:18:52 --> 02:18:58 And this election really, I hadn't thought about that, but this election really
02:18:58 --> 02:19:01 emphatically, I think, confirms my view.
02:19:02 --> 02:19:07 My views are wrong all the time, so I try to recognize when I'm wrong,
02:19:07 --> 02:19:09 but not hide when I'm right either.
02:19:10 --> 02:19:17 But I also think 2024, as much as I liked Joe Biden over the course of his career,
02:19:18 --> 02:19:19 and agreed with him and thought he.
02:19:23 --> 02:19:26 Did a lot of good things in the Senate and in his vice president,
02:19:26 --> 02:19:32 I think it was a catastrophic error for him not to step aside early in the nomination
02:19:32 --> 02:19:35 process for a Democratic nominee.
02:19:35 --> 02:19:38 And I said it at the time, I think it now.
02:19:39 --> 02:19:47 And then Kamala had a couple months. And these elections are years-long processes.
02:19:48 --> 02:19:50 Trump's campaign never stopped from 2015.
02:19:52 --> 02:19:59 And you look at any business, and they're always growing and getting better over time.
02:20:00 --> 02:20:03 Every quarter, Amazon gets stronger. Every quarter, Google gets stronger.
02:20:03 --> 02:20:07 Every quarter of these companies get better and better and better over time
02:20:07 --> 02:20:13 because your snowball rolling down the hill is accumulating with time.
02:20:14 --> 02:20:19 Kamala never had that chance. So I think 2024, and again, big,
02:20:19 --> 02:20:23 big evidence supporting this thesis.
02:20:23 --> 02:20:31 I think 2024, the Democrats just blew it much more than Trump and his movement overpowered them.
02:20:31 --> 02:20:35 Can't you're not going to win it you're not going to win an election when your
02:20:35 --> 02:20:40 lead candidate is in the condition that biden was in and then you give your
02:20:40 --> 02:20:42 actual candidate a couple months just,
02:20:43 --> 02:20:47 In retrospect, I think it's obvious. At the time, people had hope.
02:20:47 --> 02:20:55 But I think it—so that, to me, is more why you saw things like white women voting the way they did.
02:20:55 --> 02:21:00 A lot of people voted the way they did because of that mistake,
02:21:00 --> 02:21:05 more so than any sort of intrinsic characteristic of that group.
02:21:06 --> 02:21:11 Okay. All right. So you're giving them a little grace, I hear you.
02:21:11 --> 02:21:12 That's not—that's not— You do.
02:21:14 --> 02:21:20 I still, I still, I still criticize the boats and, and find it hard to understand,
02:21:21 --> 02:21:27 but I do think that was the big, I think that's the undoubtedly the main reason
02:21:27 --> 02:21:29 why 2024 went the way it did. Yeah.
02:21:30 --> 02:21:36 All right. So what post midterm message was sent by president Trump and promoting
02:21:36 --> 02:21:38 Stephen Miller to be his chief of staff?
02:21:39 --> 02:21:44 Hmm the message i'm going to distinguish between the message sent and the message
02:21:44 --> 02:21:48 intended the message sent was,
02:21:49 --> 02:21:56 doubling down on what trump always does which is promote,
02:21:57 --> 02:22:03 division over unity couldn't have made a stronger move to do that based on who
02:22:03 --> 02:22:06 steven miller is and the way people think of him,
02:22:07 --> 02:22:10 and respond to him on both sides of the aisle.
02:22:10 --> 02:22:15 Numerous Republican leaders were repulsed by that decision.
02:22:16 --> 02:22:20 So that's the message sent. The message intended, I don't know,
02:22:20 --> 02:22:28 because Trump is less self-aware and less principled and less,
02:22:29 --> 02:22:34 in tune with reality and the people around him and their perceptions with time.
02:22:35 --> 02:22:38 And he was starting from a very low base to begin with.
02:22:38 --> 02:22:43 So figuring out what he's trying to do now is harder than ever.
02:22:44 --> 02:22:52 Well, a previous guest had said that, you know, it's clear that he doesn't understand
02:22:52 --> 02:22:56 government by making that choice.
02:22:57 --> 02:23:05 And I agree with that because you and I remember Rahm Emanuel when he was the
02:23:05 --> 02:23:08 chief of staff with President Obama,
02:23:08 --> 02:23:13 and how much of a bulldog he was, especially being a former member of Congress,
02:23:13 --> 02:23:16 going in and fighting for Obama's agenda,
02:23:16 --> 02:23:21 not pulling any punches and, you know, just just, you know, being,
02:23:22 --> 02:23:25 you know, a hawk for for the president's agenda.
02:23:26 --> 02:23:33 And Stephen Miller is hated. I was joking. I said some of these old retired
02:23:33 --> 02:23:36 Capitol Police officers will come out of retirement just to put the handcuffs
02:23:36 --> 02:23:37 on them. He shows them at the Capitol.
02:23:38 --> 02:23:42 You know, because the chief of staff is supposed to be the lobbyist for the president.
02:23:42 --> 02:23:47 That's the job outside of, you know, being the aide to camp or whatever for
02:23:47 --> 02:23:55 the president. but their main job is to be the liaison between the White House and Capitol Hill.
02:23:56 --> 02:24:01 And he is so hated. At least Susie Wiles could get in the door.
02:24:01 --> 02:24:04 At least Susie Wiles, they'll pick up the phone.
02:24:05 --> 02:24:11 And, you know, it just, but Marjorie Taylor Greene had an interesting take. She said,
02:24:12 --> 02:24:19 That Susie Wiles was being moved over to the political part to be the person,
02:24:20 --> 02:24:24 the kingmaker, queenmaker, whatever, to select who was going to be the next,
02:24:25 --> 02:24:28 MAGA president, who was going to be the next leader of the movement,
02:24:29 --> 02:24:34 his successor, to which Marjorie said, that'll be a complete failure in the
02:24:34 --> 02:24:35 Democrats who will win the White House.
02:24:37 --> 02:24:42 So and i you know i guess i'm agreeing with margaret taylor green more than
02:24:42 --> 02:24:43 i ever thought i would be but,
02:24:44 --> 02:24:51 it's like you know both if that is what he's really trying to do then he's he's
02:24:51 --> 02:24:53 made a terrible move either way,
02:24:54 --> 02:24:59 he's he's he's not he's not gonna have anybody effective to to communicate which
02:24:59 --> 02:25:04 means that he'll have to communicate with hakeem jeffries and and and whoever
02:25:05 --> 02:25:06 is the Senate majority leader.
02:25:07 --> 02:25:11 And because I don't think it's going to be Schumer, but that's just me.
02:25:11 --> 02:25:17 And Akeem Jeffries is going to have to make some major concessions on his,
02:25:17 --> 02:25:22 on some of the positions he's taken and some of the money he's taken to get
02:25:22 --> 02:25:24 some of these new folks to vote for him coming in.
02:25:25 --> 02:25:31 But he'll do it because you need somebody that knows what they're doing to run the ship.
02:25:31 --> 02:25:37 And especially if, you know, one thing that people don't realize or may have
02:25:37 --> 02:25:41 forgotten from their civics class is that when Hakeem Jeffries takes that oath,
02:25:41 --> 02:25:46 he'll be the second person in line to be president or third in line.
02:25:46 --> 02:25:50 It depends on how you categorize it. If something happens to President Trump,
02:25:50 --> 02:25:53 and Vice President Vance, then Jeffries becomes the president.
02:25:54 --> 02:26:01 And so, you know, as long as it's not Mike Johnson, I'm fine.
02:26:02 --> 02:26:06 And I think he's the weakest, worst Speaker of the House ever.
02:26:07 --> 02:26:11 And I know I'm limited in my lifetime. I can't go back to the 1800s.
02:26:11 --> 02:26:15 I'm sure there's some arguments about Speakers in the 1850s and 60s.
02:26:15 --> 02:26:22 But I would dare to say that those gentlemen had more of a backbone than Mike
02:26:22 --> 02:26:26 Johnson. So, you know, and the Speaker of the House has to have backbone.
02:26:27 --> 02:26:32 That's the job. You just, you're basically the one person in Washington, D.C.
02:26:33 --> 02:26:37 That can walk up to the president and say, no, that's not happening.
02:26:37 --> 02:26:43 And they have to respect that. So, yeah, but yeah, I can't.
02:26:43 --> 02:26:49 Stephen Miller is just, I don't know. I don't know. I just. The thing about. Go ahead.
02:26:51 --> 02:26:57 When trump make trump makes horrific personnel decisions all the time and that,
02:26:57 --> 02:27:03 they always impact me a little differently from other workings of government because,
02:27:04 --> 02:27:08 you know when he signs a bill you never really know what he wanted right there's
02:27:08 --> 02:27:10 compromises in there and,
02:27:10 --> 02:27:16 when he makes decisions about executive you know exercising executive power
02:27:16 --> 02:27:19 sometimes it's hard to know well Did he even know,
02:27:20 --> 02:27:24 what was in this executive order? Was this driven by Rubio or Vance?
02:27:25 --> 02:27:28 But with personnel decisions, I feel like those are him.
02:27:29 --> 02:27:30 And it's shocking.
02:27:32 --> 02:27:39 Cash Patel running the FBI, Pete Hegseth running the Department of Defense.
02:27:40 --> 02:27:48 Stephen Miller, chief of staff, that it's this sort of scary reminder of his
02:27:48 --> 02:27:51 lack of judgment when you see decisions like this.
02:27:53 --> 02:28:00 Yeah, it's very dystopian. And, you know, I think before I ask you to make a
02:28:00 --> 02:28:03 prediction, I'm going to make a prediction and then I'll double down on it during my commentary.
02:28:03 --> 02:28:11 But I think I think PSF is gone before the new Congress even takes takes shape.
02:28:11 --> 02:28:16 I think that because if they don't impeach him,
02:28:17 --> 02:28:22 then when Marsha Blackburn takes the oath to be the governor of Tennessee,
02:28:22 --> 02:28:28 she's going to appoint Hegs F to be her replacement because he's from Tennessee.
02:28:29 --> 02:28:35 And so that's kind of the inside buzz that's going around so it's like,
02:28:36 --> 02:28:41 and Thomas Massey being from Kentucky, a neighbor in state, he's like yeah we
02:28:41 --> 02:28:48 need to shut that down so if he gets impeached he can't do that so you know I think,
02:28:49 --> 02:28:56 I think he's I think he's going to be gone before January but you know I agree with you but then.
02:28:58 --> 02:29:01 That means that nobody watched The Apprentice, right? I mean,
02:29:01 --> 02:29:06 nobody, the choices that he made on that show was like who would advance and who got kicked out.
02:29:07 --> 02:29:10 I mean, it just basically came down to who strokes his ego the most.
02:29:10 --> 02:29:15 And that's where these folks come in. It's just who strokes his ego,
02:29:16 --> 02:29:19 who he thinks looks good on TV, all that stuff.
02:29:19 --> 02:29:24 I mean, that poor girl that was the press secretary, she, you know, she's photogenic.
02:29:24 --> 02:29:29 She looks good on TV, but it's like, you know you gotta you gotta read good
02:29:29 --> 02:29:33 morning really you gotta read that you can't say it just good morning i mean
02:29:33 --> 02:29:37 you know it's like come on i know it's it's incredible.
02:29:39 --> 02:29:44 The personnel decisions really for some reason those hit me differently because
02:29:44 --> 02:29:48 because it's like you know the press secretary,
02:29:49 --> 02:29:56 clearly has to be really sharp and be able to joust and understand things you
02:29:56 --> 02:30:00 put and if you're picking that person just on looks like you're that's just
02:30:01 --> 02:30:03 really really really bad judgment,
02:30:04 --> 02:30:09 yeah it's like stunning you wouldn't want somebody with that judgment running your gas station,
02:30:10 --> 02:30:17 let alone your country that's right so it's incredible well i mean despite what
02:30:17 --> 02:30:22 we may feel about Caroline Leavitt, objectively, she did her job and she did her job well.
02:30:24 --> 02:30:25 She was the spokesperson for
02:30:25 --> 02:30:29 the President of the United States at the time, which is what you want.
02:30:29 --> 02:30:33 Gene Psaki was the same way under Biden. It was like, you know,
02:30:34 --> 02:30:37 Sister Pierre, I can't remember her first name now, but she,
02:30:37 --> 02:30:38 you know, Kareem, I think her name was.
02:30:38 --> 02:30:43 But they, you know, those are the people, like you said, they got to be able
02:30:43 --> 02:30:46 to, the press is coming at them and all this stuff. And they got to be able
02:30:46 --> 02:30:49 to come back and they got to defend the president's position.
02:30:50 --> 02:30:52 And this woman couldn't even give you the daily.
02:30:53 --> 02:30:57 I just, it was like, did she not even audition for the part?
02:30:57 --> 02:31:00 It was just like, you know, can we just get a dry run to see how you would,
02:31:01 --> 02:31:05 you know, even Trump did debate preparation. You know what I'm saying?
02:31:06 --> 02:31:11 It just threw that person out there. And I think that played into a lot of voters'
02:31:11 --> 02:31:16 decisions, too. It was just kind of like, dude, what the hell is he even doing?
02:31:16 --> 02:31:19 You know what I'm saying? Literally, people were like, is she going to beat Scaramucci?
02:31:20 --> 02:31:24 I mean, the Benichis did that. They were like, okay, she lasts 11 days.
02:31:24 --> 02:31:29 So now, of course, now the official term is she served a half of Scaramucci.
02:31:30 --> 02:31:36 And yeah so that's that's that's that's the official timetable now all right.
02:31:38 --> 02:31:44 Um all right production i mean production prediction time on november 6th 2028
02:31:44 --> 02:31:49 what will be the highlight of the 120th united states congress,
02:31:51 --> 02:32:01 that's a great question the highlight I think impeachment is very plausible
02:32:01 --> 02:32:02 but I don't think that's a highlight,
02:32:05 --> 02:32:08 I think what I'm going to go with is,
02:32:09 --> 02:32:14 back to what we were saying a few minutes ago where Trump's very unprincipled,
02:32:15 --> 02:32:19 it's not that he even has a coherent political philosophy and he's willing to
02:32:20 --> 02:32:26 abandon it he doesn't have the coherent political philosophy to begin with.
02:32:26 --> 02:32:31 And that creates positives and negatives.
02:32:33 --> 02:32:40 One of the positives is he's more likely than a Ted Cruz or a Mike Johnson type,
02:32:41 --> 02:32:45 to, or I think Ted Cruz probably is the exemplar here.
02:32:46 --> 02:32:52 He's more likely than somebody like that to be willing to actually go across
02:32:52 --> 02:32:55 the aisle for certain things.
02:32:56 --> 02:33:01 So I think what we can expect legislatively is tons of gridlock,
02:33:01 --> 02:33:03 tons of fighting, tons of public posturing,
02:33:04 --> 02:33:08 tons of unforced errors where things don't get done that should get done,
02:33:09 --> 02:33:16 but then an occasional surprise where something gets done that actually helps the American people.
02:33:16 --> 02:33:22 So I think we'll have a small set of those to choose from for our highlight.
02:33:23 --> 02:33:26 Amidst the madness, there'll be some positives. Okay.
02:33:27 --> 02:33:33 All right. Finish this sentence. This election gives me hope because.
02:33:34 --> 02:33:41 This election gives me hope because unlike 2024, both sides are playing on an even playing field.
02:33:41 --> 02:33:47 The head of the ticket in 2024 had a few months to make her case to the american
02:33:47 --> 02:33:52 people and that's not enough she was a startup and trump was an incumbent company
02:33:52 --> 02:33:55 and you just you're not going to compete no matter how good you are,
02:33:56 --> 02:34:03 and so i think that was not not a level playing field this was a level playing
02:34:03 --> 02:34:05 field for the american people,
02:34:06 --> 02:34:08 and it wasn't one election it was many,
02:34:09 --> 02:34:17 and the emphatic wholesale rejection of Donald Trump's platform and movement,
02:34:18 --> 02:34:21 gave us a window into the country's ethos.
02:34:22 --> 02:34:28 In a way that mattered and in a way that made me, for the first time in a long time,
02:34:29 --> 02:34:35 happy and optimistic about our political system and where the American people's,
02:34:35 --> 02:34:38 center of gravity is more than anything else.
02:34:39 --> 02:34:42 Yeah. Yeah. Amen to that.
02:34:42 --> 02:34:49 Because, you know, when people would ask me, I think you've asked me.
02:34:49 --> 02:34:53 I think other people asked me, would I get in politics again?
02:34:53 --> 02:34:58 And I said, there's no way I could deal with politics the way it is now.
02:34:59 --> 02:35:06 For the first time in a long time, when I was watching the results and listening
02:35:06 --> 02:35:13 to the stories of the people that were getting elected, there's one particular lady, Lakeisha Womack.
02:35:13 --> 02:35:20 She is the new, she's the congresswoman elect in the 13th District in North Carolina.
02:35:21 --> 02:35:28 Ten years ago this time, she was homeless, sitting with a Vanderbilt degree, and she was homeless.
02:35:29 --> 02:35:35 And now, within a month and a half, she's going to be getting sworn in as a member of Congress.
02:35:36 --> 02:35:40 Those are the kind of people I want to serve with, right? Those are the people,
02:35:40 --> 02:35:45 you know, and then, you know, all these different stories. I can't remember
02:35:45 --> 02:35:47 all these names and stuff, but there's a lady.
02:35:48 --> 02:35:54 She's basically been a Lutheran church advocate, but this is the second time
02:35:54 --> 02:35:58 she's flipped a Republican seat. She flipped a seat to be in the state legislature
02:35:58 --> 02:36:02 in Iowa, and now she's flipped a seat to be in Congress in Iowa.
02:36:03 --> 02:36:08 Those are the kind of people, you know, you want to be in battle with.
02:36:08 --> 02:36:13 Those are the kind of people that you want to have the debates with and strategy
02:36:13 --> 02:36:17 with about getting policy done, taking care of the citizens.
02:36:18 --> 02:36:25 So that's been, I guess, the biggest thing for me is, you know, that enthusiasm.
02:36:25 --> 02:36:34 Now, you know, I'm a realist, so I'm not going to jump my old butt out there, but if,
02:36:35 --> 02:36:41 you know, the question now is if I would love to serve with these people,
02:36:42 --> 02:36:47 I would love to serve with this group that's coming in because to me,
02:36:47 --> 02:36:54 you know, at least on paper, these are the folks that you trust is going to do something good.
02:36:54 --> 02:36:58 Now they're going to make mistakes and all that, but I just,
02:36:59 --> 02:37:03 yeah, they, they brought enthusiasm back to me as well. And so I really,
02:37:03 --> 02:37:07 really, I really wholeheartedly appreciate that.
02:37:07 --> 02:37:11 All right. So we'll, okay. I guess I lost him.
02:37:12 --> 02:37:16 I lost him. Well, he answered all the questions.
02:37:17 --> 02:37:20 So go check out will stuff.
02:37:21 --> 02:37:25 He, you know, he writes for a lot of different things, different articles.
02:37:25 --> 02:37:30 So just check him out. His podcast, I think, is called Books and More with Will
02:37:30 --> 02:37:32 Cooper. So check that out.
02:37:32 --> 02:37:37 And, Will, if you're still listening somewhere, thank you, man, for coming on.
02:37:38 --> 02:37:40 All right, guys, we will catch you all on the other side.
02:37:53 --> 02:37:57 All right. And we are back. And so I wanted to thank Jaquetta,
02:37:58 --> 02:38:01 Dr. Tammy, and Will for coming on the podcast.
02:38:01 --> 02:38:06 They did not disappoint as far as the interviews went.
02:38:06 --> 02:38:11 And I think, you know, I think their perspectives are,
02:38:12 --> 02:38:19 reflective of the discussions that are going on amongst those in the political
02:38:19 --> 02:38:25 world and even amongst those who We're fortunate enough to be elected.
02:38:26 --> 02:38:30 I have some thoughts, which I will convey in a moment, but I just want to,
02:38:30 --> 02:38:35 thank them again, not only for their contribution for this episode,
02:38:35 --> 02:38:40 but the support they've shown the podcast, not only as being frequent guests,
02:38:40 --> 02:38:42 but just being avid listeners and,
02:38:44 --> 02:38:45 you know, just some solid support.
02:38:47 --> 02:38:53 If you want to emulate that support as a listener, you can also go to www.momenteric.com.
02:38:55 --> 02:39:00 Check out some of the past episodes they were on or other past episodes.
02:39:00 --> 02:39:04 Some of the people that were on the ballot, you know, have been on the show.
02:39:05 --> 02:39:09 And you can also give financially as well.
02:39:09 --> 02:39:14 You can donate or subscribe, whichever one you feel compelled to do.
02:39:15 --> 02:39:19 I know that's an ask, just like everybody else has been asking.
02:39:21 --> 02:39:24 For money during this time, and we know that money is tight,
02:39:24 --> 02:39:27 but whatever you can do would be greatly appreciated.
02:39:27 --> 02:39:34 But I'm just in a good space as far as politics go right now.
02:39:35 --> 02:39:42 You know, it's the only way that you can get the results that happened on November
02:39:42 --> 02:39:47 the 3rd is that you have to have the...
02:39:48 --> 02:39:54 Right message and the right candidates. Because a lot of times you have a great
02:39:54 --> 02:39:59 candidate, but if people are asking what exactly they're going to do when they
02:39:59 --> 02:40:00 get elected, that's a problem.
02:40:01 --> 02:40:05 You can have a great message, but if people don't like the person who's delivering
02:40:05 --> 02:40:09 the message for whatever reason, that's going to be a problem.
02:40:10 --> 02:40:16 But when you have great candidates, And I mean, the stories that are coming
02:40:16 --> 02:40:18 out about all these different folks, you know,
02:40:19 --> 02:40:25 and even the ones that didn't win, just the diversity and the background and
02:40:25 --> 02:40:27 their background and their,
02:40:27 --> 02:40:34 just the composition and, you know, just the way that they went about doing it.
02:40:35 --> 02:40:39 Most of them were outspent by their Republican opponents tremendously,
02:40:40 --> 02:40:43 but they were hellified retail candidates.
02:40:44 --> 02:40:48 They went door to door. They made the phone calls. They did the mail outs.
02:40:49 --> 02:40:52 You know, they did everything they could do to get their message and their name
02:40:52 --> 02:40:55 out there, and they were rewarded.
02:40:56 --> 02:41:02 In seats where it looked like Democrats might get by and win, they won all of those.
02:41:03 --> 02:41:06 In seats where it looked like the Republicans might sweep by,
02:41:06 --> 02:41:07 Democrats won half of those.
02:41:08 --> 02:41:14 In the seats where the Democrats and the Republicans are supposed to hold serve, they held serve.
02:41:15 --> 02:41:20 But it was in those races that were considered toss-ups, ones that were considered
02:41:20 --> 02:41:22 they could go either way.
02:41:23 --> 02:41:27 The Democrats won each and every one of those. Each and every one.
02:41:28 --> 02:41:33 And that's a testament to the quality of people that presented themselves as candidates.
02:41:35 --> 02:41:43 It was a remarkable showing, and it was even more remarkable about people answering the call.
02:41:43 --> 02:41:50 Because in the past, good candidates or potential good candidates have not run,
02:41:51 --> 02:41:56 because they're afraid of what might come up, you know, what mistakes they made in the past.
02:41:56 --> 02:42:01 Would that get blown up? or, you know, or just, they didn't want to be called,
02:42:02 --> 02:42:06 names that weren't true about their character or anything.
02:42:07 --> 02:42:11 Didn't want to go through that. But this year, people said to hell with that.
02:42:12 --> 02:42:16 I have something to offer. I'm a better candidate than the person that's in
02:42:16 --> 02:42:22 the office right now, especially in those districts where Republicans were incumbents.
02:42:22 --> 02:42:25 And they put themselves out there, and they won.
02:42:26 --> 02:42:31 So, you know, it's like the Democrats flipped like 42 seats in the House so far.
02:42:33 --> 02:42:39 When it's all said and done, the Democrats will have flipped nine seats in the
02:42:39 --> 02:42:44 Senate because it's looking really good for Mississippi and Alaska right now.
02:42:45 --> 02:42:51 So it's just absolutely amazing how that all came together.
02:42:52 --> 02:42:56 Now, of course, as I always remind people, this was the easy part.
02:42:57 --> 02:43:00 For those who were fortunate enough to get elected, this is the easy part.
02:43:02 --> 02:43:07 Now you're going to have to govern. As this podcast is dropping,
02:43:08 --> 02:43:12 the freshman members, the ones that just got elected, are in Washington,
02:43:12 --> 02:43:14 D.C., going to orientation.
02:43:15 --> 02:43:21 And so I know a number of them will be meeting with each other, if not all of them,
02:43:22 --> 02:43:27 and trying to figure out what they're going to do, what their agenda is going
02:43:27 --> 02:43:31 to be, who their leadership is going to be, right?
02:43:33 --> 02:43:41 Because, you know, Grace read that Keem Jeffries is probably going to be the Speaker of the House.
02:43:42 --> 02:43:47 But as you know from following this podcast and, you know, listening to others
02:43:47 --> 02:43:49 like me, that's not going to be a given.
02:43:50 --> 02:43:54 There are some concerns that need to be addressed.
02:43:55 --> 02:44:00 Having been involved in a Speaker's race at a state level, no deals have to be made.
02:44:01 --> 02:44:05 Promises have to be made about certain people being on certain committees.
02:44:06 --> 02:44:08 All that stuff. All that stuff's got to happen.
02:44:09 --> 02:44:15 And that's going to be their first real test. And getting adjusted to the role,
02:44:15 --> 02:44:18 of course, they'll have to organize their offices, have to determine,
02:44:18 --> 02:44:23 because they get X amount of dollars for their offices.
02:44:24 --> 02:44:27 So they're going to have to determine how many offices, you've got to have an
02:44:27 --> 02:44:32 office in D.C., but how many officers they are going to have in their district, right?
02:44:34 --> 02:44:38 Which means how much staff they're going to have. So they got to make those decisions.
02:44:39 --> 02:44:44 And, you know, they got to figure out what their legislative agenda is going to be.
02:44:44 --> 02:44:48 It's one thing to say, well, I'm running on this and I want to do this and all that.
02:44:48 --> 02:44:52 But, you know, once they kind of get a feel for their colleagues,
02:44:52 --> 02:44:54 you know, that's coming in and the ones that are already there,
02:44:55 --> 02:45:00 who they'll meet some of them, if not all of them before they get sworn in in
02:45:00 --> 02:45:07 January, you know, they got to make, Decisions about which bill they're going to introduce.
02:45:07 --> 02:45:11 Understand the process to know which ones they can co-sponsor.
02:45:12 --> 02:45:15 Understand the rules so they'll know how to get stuff through,
02:45:15 --> 02:45:18 how to make amendments, how to block stuff.
02:45:18 --> 02:45:24 All of that. How to take advantage of the morning orders, which is basically
02:45:24 --> 02:45:29 you speaking to an empty chamber on C-SPAN. Right?
02:45:29 --> 02:45:35 How to make the most of those opportunities. It's a lot of stuff that these folks are going to...
02:45:35 --> 02:45:38 So a lot of people are saying, what, they're in D.C. already?
02:45:38 --> 02:45:40 They're doing orientation? Yeah.
02:45:40 --> 02:45:45 Yeah. It's just like professional sports. It's like you enjoy a big victory,
02:45:45 --> 02:45:48 but then the next game is right around the corner.
02:45:49 --> 02:45:53 And baseball is literally the next day most of the time. So...
02:45:54 --> 02:45:58 You enjoy the moment, and then you move on. Because like I said,
02:45:58 --> 02:46:04 this is going to be the tough part, being able to govern, being able to discern,
02:46:04 --> 02:46:07 wisely what to get behind,
02:46:08 --> 02:46:12 you know, how to navigate the lobbyists that are coming.
02:46:13 --> 02:46:18 Making sure that your constituent services is on point so the people that voted
02:46:18 --> 02:46:22 for you or even the people that didn't vote for you that live in your district,
02:46:23 --> 02:46:24 get their needs addressed.
02:46:25 --> 02:46:30 It could be major legislation, or in this case, they're getting inundated with
02:46:30 --> 02:46:34 calls about who should be the speaker, right?
02:46:34 --> 02:46:40 But then, you know, it could be smaller stuff too, right?
02:46:41 --> 02:46:45 Trying to get somebody in your district in one of the military academies.
02:46:45 --> 02:46:49 That falls under Congress, especially the House members.
02:46:49 --> 02:46:52 They have a bigger responsibility than the senators do.
02:46:52 --> 02:46:57 But that's what they signed up for. That's the job.
02:46:58 --> 02:47:02 And my rule is always serve well and do no harm.
02:47:03 --> 02:47:09 If you keep that in your mind, you should succeed and serve as long as you want to serve.
02:47:10 --> 02:47:12 As long as the people keep electing you.
02:47:13 --> 02:47:21 And I have an incredible amount of faith that this group that's coming in is
02:47:21 --> 02:47:25 going to be a good group of people.
02:47:25 --> 02:47:29 We're not going to agree with every position every one of them takes.
02:47:29 --> 02:47:34 That's fine. That's part of the process. But it's not going to be a shit show.
02:47:36 --> 02:47:41 It's not going to be theater. It's going to be government. I think government
02:47:41 --> 02:47:44 is about to be boring again, which is great.
02:47:45 --> 02:47:49 I think government should be boring. It should not be reality TV.
02:47:50 --> 02:47:54 You know, when we need to know what they're doing, that's what the press is for.
02:47:55 --> 02:47:57 They're supposed to tell us, hey, look, they're dealing with this.
02:47:57 --> 02:48:03 If you're a junkie, like a lot of us, keep it on C-SPAN. Watch what they're doing.
02:48:04 --> 02:48:08 I think this is going to be a good time. I think they're going to learn how
02:48:08 --> 02:48:12 to walk and chew gum at the same time, trying to address the two A's,
02:48:13 --> 02:48:15 accountability and affordability.
02:48:16 --> 02:48:19 I think the priority is going to be to deal with affordability.
02:48:19 --> 02:48:24 There's some things that they can do right from Jump Street that can make things
02:48:24 --> 02:48:28 more affordable for us in the first few months of the year next year,
02:48:28 --> 02:48:30 primarily dealing with the tariffs,
02:48:31 --> 02:48:35 taking that control away from the president, and putting it back where Article
02:48:35 --> 02:48:38 1 says it should be with the Congress.
02:48:39 --> 02:48:40 That will go a long way.
02:48:41 --> 02:48:45 As far as food, as far as electronics, as far as clothing, everything that we
02:48:45 --> 02:48:52 import, you'll see a drop in prices because the tariffs will not exist.
02:48:53 --> 02:48:58 Putting pressure, as Congress can do, to a president about, look,
02:48:58 --> 02:49:00 when are you pulling these troops out?
02:49:00 --> 02:49:08 You know, do you want to continue this war in Iran? If you do, you need to tell us why.
02:49:08 --> 02:49:13 And we'll say, yes, we approve of that, or no, don't do that.
02:49:14 --> 02:49:18 This Congress can shut that war down, right?
02:49:19 --> 02:49:26 They can determine whether Ukraine or Israel continue to get aid, right?
02:49:28 --> 02:49:32 There's so many things that can happen that could start seeing,
02:49:32 --> 02:49:37 because if the Middle East starts to become stable, the strait is open,
02:49:38 --> 02:49:39 gas prices will start going down.
02:49:40 --> 02:49:44 Now, the president will take credit for that. That's fine. He can't run for real action.
02:49:45 --> 02:49:51 But if it's in the good of the country, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter.
02:49:52 --> 02:49:57 You know, health care costs will probably start going down. If not going down,
02:49:57 --> 02:50:01 at least people will be able to cover the expenses.
02:50:02 --> 02:50:06 They'll be able to get back on the Affordable Care Plan. All these different
02:50:06 --> 02:50:11 things can happen, and they don't need a Democratic president to do that.
02:50:11 --> 02:50:15 Now, they can introduce a lot of stuff, get a lot of stuff passed.
02:50:15 --> 02:50:21 And if Trump vetoes those things, then that's a platform for the Democratic
02:50:21 --> 02:50:24 nominee in 2028 to run on.
02:50:24 --> 02:50:30 So Congress wants this done. If you reelect that Congress and you elect me president,
02:50:30 --> 02:50:32 we're going to finish the job.
02:50:32 --> 02:50:36 It's really teed up for us to do some remarkable things.
02:50:37 --> 02:50:45 And, you know, we got to take advantage of this window of goodwill and hope.
02:50:46 --> 02:50:50 Now, we're going to push the envelope, and we should push the envelope for reparations.
02:50:50 --> 02:50:54 We should push the envelope for a new Voting Rights Act.
02:50:55 --> 02:51:02 We should push the envelope for more funding for HBCUs and education as a whole,
02:51:03 --> 02:51:05 reinstate the Department of Education, maybe.
02:51:05 --> 02:51:13 But you can also push the envelope to say, well, what agencies do we really not need?
02:51:14 --> 02:51:20 Let's do the consolidation the right way. Let's not come in with a chainsaw from Argentina, right?
02:51:21 --> 02:51:26 Or a billionaire with Adderall-addicted cohorts.
02:51:27 --> 02:51:32 I'm sorry, a tree there with alcohol, Adderall-addicted cohorts, right?
02:51:32 --> 02:51:37 Let's go through the congressional budget process and figure out what should
02:51:37 --> 02:51:42 be a priority and what should not be, right? Do we really need ICE?
02:51:43 --> 02:51:46 I'm one of those people that says, no, just scrap this all together.
02:51:46 --> 02:51:47 That this is a failed experiment.
02:51:48 --> 02:51:52 We tried it. You know, it is what it is.
02:51:54 --> 02:51:57 Those are the decisions that these young men and women are going to make.
02:51:57 --> 02:52:01 And I can say young because most of them are in their 40s.
02:52:02 --> 02:52:05 You know, you've got a few youngins, like in their 20s.
02:52:07 --> 02:52:11 In their 30s, but most of these people are like in their 40s and 50s,
02:52:12 --> 02:52:13 which is younger than me.
02:52:13 --> 02:52:16 And it's their time.
02:52:17 --> 02:52:23 And I think if most of them are more concerned about doing their job rather
02:52:23 --> 02:52:27 than what's the next goal, can I move up to be senator?
02:52:27 --> 02:52:30 Can I go back home and be governor? Can I even run for president?
02:52:30 --> 02:52:37 If they get that out of their mind and just focus in on doing their job,
02:52:38 --> 02:52:44 then we're going to have a plethora of choices, if you're a Democrat,
02:52:44 --> 02:52:49 to determine who gets to move up in the leadership ranks, right?
02:52:50 --> 02:52:56 I mean, that's the nature of politics, you know, you've got ambitious people who.
02:52:57 --> 02:53:02 And even if they're good people, they got to have an ego big enough where they
02:53:02 --> 02:53:06 can step out there and ask people to vote for them.
02:53:07 --> 02:53:15 The balance is always does the ego consume the character or does the character keep the ego in check?
02:53:16 --> 02:53:20 That's an individual challenge that each one of them will have to face.
02:53:21 --> 02:53:26 So, you know, I think this is going to be a great time.
02:53:27 --> 02:53:30 As somebody from Mississippi, and I touched on it a little bit last week,
02:53:31 --> 02:53:34 and I say I'm from Mississippi, that even though I was born in Chicago and lived
02:53:34 --> 02:53:41 there for 18 years, I spent 34 of my next years in Mississippi.
02:53:42 --> 02:53:45 And having put my name on the ballot to be a United States senator,
02:53:46 --> 02:53:57 It is with tremendous pride that a young man who's been a DA for at least eight years, right,
02:53:58 --> 02:54:02 is now going to represent the state of Mississippi in the United States Senate.
02:54:04 --> 02:54:09 It is an amazing thing to watch the transformation.
02:54:09 --> 02:54:13 And it's really amazing to watch it from afar, right?
02:54:14 --> 02:54:18 How people are, like, paying attention to Mississippi again.
02:54:18 --> 02:54:24 It was a brief moment when they changed the flag, but, you know, this is a culmination.
02:54:25 --> 02:54:31 This is really a sign that Black people in Mississippi have political power.
02:54:33 --> 02:54:38 There's been other races, right? There's been some state senate races.
02:54:39 --> 02:54:43 We have a black transportation commissioner in Mississippi. There's a black
02:54:43 --> 02:54:44 public service commissioner in Mississippi.
02:54:45 --> 02:54:48 Got blacks on the Supreme Court, blacks on the appellate court.
02:54:50 --> 02:54:54 I don't know if Mississippi, when I left Mississippi, had more black elected
02:54:54 --> 02:55:00 officials statewide or just in the state altogether than any other state in the United States.
02:55:01 --> 02:55:07 But now I'm living in a state where it's going to be five black women holding
02:55:07 --> 02:55:09 constitutional statewide positions.
02:55:10 --> 02:55:13 What a time. What a time to be living in.
02:55:13 --> 02:55:21 And I told one of the guests, you know, up until Tuesday, I had said I never,
02:55:21 --> 02:55:24 would entertain and never would want to run for office again,
02:55:24 --> 02:55:28 never would mess around and get elected and be in government again.
02:55:29 --> 02:55:35 Not this current atmosphere, but listening to the stories and watching these
02:55:35 --> 02:55:38 people campaign, I actually miss it.
02:55:39 --> 02:55:43 This would be a group I would love to serve with, to be a part of,
02:55:44 --> 02:55:48 because I believe these people are going to do some amazing things.
02:55:49 --> 02:55:54 First couple of years, this first go-around, this 120th Congress,
02:55:55 --> 02:55:57 it's going to be some learning curves.
02:55:58 --> 02:56:00 It's going to be some bumps in the road.
02:56:00 --> 02:56:08 But I believe that when this group of people serve out their careers,
02:56:08 --> 02:56:10 when it's all said and done,
02:56:11 --> 02:56:16 they would have laid a foundation for a truly new and improved United States
02:56:16 --> 02:56:18 of America. That's my hope.
02:56:19 --> 02:56:21 Because this group looks like America.
02:56:22 --> 02:56:26 We have people from the LGBTQ community. We have black folks,
02:56:26 --> 02:56:29 we have white folks, we got Latino folks, we got Native Americans.
02:56:31 --> 02:56:37 In prominent positions, the forgotten people. Now we've got one in the United States Senate.
02:56:38 --> 02:56:42 We've got one that's a governor of a state.
02:56:43 --> 02:56:49 It's just absolutely amazing. You know, people of all different faiths.
02:56:49 --> 02:56:58 We literally have ministers, not a minister, ministers, and devout church lay
02:56:58 --> 02:57:01 people coming into Congress.
02:57:02 --> 02:57:04 It is truly a remarkable time.
02:57:06 --> 02:57:12 Now, we know it's not going to be rosy because President Trump is still president.
02:57:12 --> 02:57:19 And he sent a message by making Stephen Miller his chief of staff. It's going to be a fight.
02:57:20 --> 02:57:25 But if there's anything that Donald Trump hates more than anything,
02:57:25 --> 02:57:29 is to be depicted as weak or as lame.
02:57:30 --> 02:57:35 And if the Democrats sell him a package that he can get on board with,
02:57:35 --> 02:57:40 where he feels will justify all the monuments he's trying to build for himself,
02:57:41 --> 02:57:45 we're going to get some stuff done. I mean, just think about it, right?
02:57:45 --> 02:57:51 Even if you don't take the filibuster out, you've got 56 votes in the Senate.
02:57:52 --> 02:57:57 If you're a Democrat. You have 56 votes. So all you need is four.
02:57:58 --> 02:58:02 That's a hell of a lot easier than getting 10. A lot.
02:58:03 --> 02:58:10 And it might be one that is a constant swing vote for them. You know,
02:58:11 --> 02:58:15 if Fetterman wants to switch parties now, it doesn't hurt the Democrats.
02:58:15 --> 02:58:17 They drop them down to 55. Okay.
02:58:19 --> 02:58:25 But even at that, there's some things that he would vote for just because of
02:58:25 --> 02:58:28 his background, right? He could be a swing.
02:58:30 --> 02:58:36 So there's a lot of hope out there from my end, and I hope from your end too.
02:58:38 --> 02:58:46 And I want to, before, you know, Mikel Bolden, great job in Mississippi.
02:58:47 --> 02:58:50 Anderson Clayton in North Carolina, great job. Jamie Harrison,
02:58:51 --> 02:58:53 know you played a role in South Carolina.
02:58:54 --> 02:58:55 Stacey Abrams.
02:58:58 --> 02:59:02 This is a moment of satisfaction, no matter how humble you come across on TV.
02:59:03 --> 02:59:05 This is why you ran for governor.
02:59:06 --> 02:59:15 This is the result of the work. Alabama, Shamari figures defied all experts,
02:59:15 --> 02:59:20 and even a trend because Tuberville won and, you know,
02:59:21 --> 02:59:23 Tuberville's successor is a Republican.
02:59:24 --> 02:59:29 But Shamari was almost literally drawn out of his district. Yeah.
02:59:31 --> 02:59:35 Now he's going back. We've already talked about Mississippi,
02:59:35 --> 02:59:42 Louisiana, Florida. Y'all didn't flip it, but oh my God, did y'all make them sweat.
02:59:43 --> 02:59:47 And that's all people like Nikki Freed and Gary Chambers have been asking.
02:59:48 --> 02:59:51 Just come out and vote. Show your power.
02:59:52 --> 02:59:56 And Byron Donald's being first black governor in Florida.
02:59:57 --> 03:00:03 Yeah, he's from the MAGA crowd, but he can't do MAGA things based on how the election went.
03:00:04 --> 03:00:07 It's not the same Florida that Ron DeSantis inherited.
03:00:08 --> 03:00:10 And Ron DeSantis even at Gatlestad.
03:00:11 --> 03:00:18 Right? So, Byron Donalds might be tolerable. Right?
03:00:19 --> 03:00:22 Sarah Huckabee Sanders might moderate.
03:00:23 --> 03:00:28 She got reelected, but probably a little closer than she wanted to be.
03:00:31 --> 03:00:36 The American people sent a message that the sideshow has to stop.
03:00:37 --> 03:00:44 And I hope that the Republicans understand that and start phasing this MAGA,
03:00:45 --> 03:00:46 thing out of their system.
03:00:47 --> 03:00:53 Like I said with some of the guests, you know, it's time to get back to debates
03:00:53 --> 03:00:56 about policy and that personality.
03:00:57 --> 03:01:03 It's time for the legislative directors to get to work and not the communication directors.
03:01:04 --> 03:01:11 Not that communication directors are not important, but it's not about likes,
03:01:11 --> 03:01:16 and viral videos. It's about governing.
03:01:17 --> 03:01:18 It's about making a difference.
03:01:19 --> 03:01:24 You can change, if you can create legislation that guarantees that every citizen
03:01:24 --> 03:01:27 has the right to vote, that'll be viral enough.
03:01:29 --> 03:01:32 You gotta do no dances or none of that. Just get it passed.
03:01:33 --> 03:01:41 You know? I just think it's been beyond time, but now we finally have a group
03:01:41 --> 03:01:44 of people that understand the assignment.
03:01:45 --> 03:01:49 Now, whether they pass, time will tell,
03:01:50 --> 03:01:55 but I have faith that they will because the other thing is, is that people,
03:01:56 --> 03:02:01 who voted now know that they have the power to pick up a phone,
03:02:01 --> 03:02:05 to make a post, to send an email, whatever,
03:02:06 --> 03:02:13 organize, march, rally, whatever, to address issues instead of addressing whether
03:02:13 --> 03:02:16 we're going to be an authoritarian state or not.
03:02:17 --> 03:02:22 I was getting back to what government of the people, by the people,
03:02:22 --> 03:02:26 and for the people really, really means in the 21st century.
03:02:27 --> 03:02:31 That's what I believe this election is about. As a Democrat,
03:02:31 --> 03:02:34 I'm just as proud as they won, just like I'm proud Notre Dame beat Miami.
03:02:35 --> 03:02:37 No offense to the University of Miami fans, but.
03:02:39 --> 03:02:44 I love those gold helmets, and I'm glad that they won because I want to see
03:02:44 --> 03:02:45 them in the college football playoff.
03:02:47 --> 03:02:50 That is what it is because Miami is going to be there regardless.
03:02:50 --> 03:02:58 But seriously, it's that kind of feeling. My team won and won big, and that's great.
03:02:59 --> 03:03:05 But now my team needs to keep having wins from the policy standpoint,
03:03:05 --> 03:03:07 from the governing standpoint.
03:03:08 --> 03:03:12 And I know America kind of tends to like, well, once everything gets good,
03:03:12 --> 03:03:13 then we can vote for this and that.
03:03:15 --> 03:03:21 No, we got to keep this group in as long as they're productive and doing good.
03:03:22 --> 03:03:26 And until we know that that MAGA scourge is over with.
03:03:29 --> 03:03:35 Until we know that racism and any other kind of ism is not going to be a factor.
03:03:36 --> 03:03:42 In these decisions, right? That's what we're striving for.
03:03:43 --> 03:03:48 Let's have a debate. Does it cost too much to do the dream thing, okay?
03:03:49 --> 03:03:53 How can we do something good and cost-effective?
03:03:54 --> 03:03:59 How should we prioritize the budget? Do we need to put so much in defense?
03:04:00 --> 03:04:04 Do we need to scale it back because the technology allows us to do so?
03:04:05 --> 03:04:10 Right? Do we put more focus on education? I think we should, right?
03:04:11 --> 03:04:19 Do we put more focus in on supporting small farms as opposed to subsidizing farming corporations?
03:04:19 --> 03:04:23 All of these different things, those are the things we need to be talking about,
03:04:24 --> 03:04:29 not ballrooms and arches and golf course, none of that stuff.
03:04:30 --> 03:04:34 Nobody wants to hear that. Nobody wants to see that. Nobody cares about that.
03:04:35 --> 03:04:37 There are some people that might want to explain.
03:04:38 --> 03:04:43 Expand their house, maybe put another bedroom on a house, can they afford that?
03:04:44 --> 03:04:47 Is it more practical to do that or just to buy another house?
03:04:47 --> 03:04:50 Will it be easier to buy a house?
03:04:50 --> 03:04:53 What are the interest rates gonna look like, right?
03:04:54 --> 03:04:58 What are the job prospects gonna look like? Those are the things.
03:04:59 --> 03:05:00 How can we change the effort?
03:05:01 --> 03:05:06 Can we get high-speed rail for once? Can we finally do that?
03:05:06 --> 03:05:10 Can we finally catch up with the rest of the planet especially Asia,
03:05:10 --> 03:05:12 with high-speed rail, you know?
03:05:14 --> 03:05:17 Why does it have to take a week to get from one end of the country to another
03:05:17 --> 03:05:22 on a train, or goods and services even, right?
03:05:23 --> 03:05:27 Because high-speed doesn't just have to be for passengers. High-speed can be
03:05:27 --> 03:05:31 for delivering products from the table, right?
03:05:32 --> 03:05:37 All these things now, based on this election, are back in play.
03:05:38 --> 03:05:43 Those are the things that we need to be talking about. No more of this foolishness.
03:05:43 --> 03:05:47 No more, you know, we just got to stop.
03:05:49 --> 03:05:52 And America has agreed with that. It's time to stop.
03:05:53 --> 03:05:59 I wish 2016 we felt that way. I wish we felt that way in 2024.
03:06:00 --> 03:06:04 But now that we're there, let's make the most of this opportunity.
03:06:05 --> 03:06:10 Let's push the envelope. Let's change the trajectory of this nation.
03:06:10 --> 03:06:13 Let's truly do incredible and great things.
03:06:15 --> 03:06:20 There are some people that won't learn the lesson. That's fine.
03:06:20 --> 03:06:22 That's their life. That's their decisions.
03:06:24 --> 03:06:27 We deal with people that don't understand boundaries, don't understand respect,
03:06:27 --> 03:06:31 don't understand the beauty of what this is.
03:06:32 --> 03:06:38 But the majority of us do. And that's the faith that a lot of us had going into
03:06:38 --> 03:06:40 this election. And it showed.
03:06:41 --> 03:06:46 I just want all of us to understand how powerful we are.
03:06:46 --> 03:06:52 If you get nothing else from what happened, just look at the change that took place.
03:06:53 --> 03:06:55 Understand you can do that.
03:06:56 --> 03:07:00 And it's up to the elected officials that you have given this trust to,
03:07:01 --> 03:07:06 to maintain it, to serve well, and to do no harm.
03:07:07 --> 03:07:10 All right, guys. Thank y'all for listening. Thank.