WEBVTT
00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:01.439
Hello, everyone.
00:00:01.600 --> 00:00:12.000
Welcome back to the second season of Red, White, and You, a podcast dedicated to informing the public about our American history and civics in an accessible, digestible way.
00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:15.919
Because let's be honest, we all need a bit of a refresher course.
00:00:16.079 --> 00:00:24.239
I'm your host, Evan Hyman Muchnick, and today we are so lucky to have the wonderful Miss Craven on the podcast.
00:00:24.399 --> 00:00:26.160
Welcome, welcome.
00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:37.359
Thank you for having me.
00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:38.960
Call me Jess, please.
00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:39.439
Okay.
00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:40.079
Yes.
00:00:41.439 --> 00:00:49.920
Um for the listeners, of course, Jess is an activist, a community organizer, and a political content creator.
00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:53.439
I was just telling her I stalk her Instagram all of the time.
00:00:53.600 --> 00:01:04.560
Really, if you have any questions about anything political that's going on at any point in time, if you just go to your Instagram, you I get my answer.
00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:07.280
Like I it's my dictionary.
00:01:07.519 --> 00:01:27.920
Um Jess is also the author of Chop Wood Carry Water, which is a daily newsletter that provides practical ways for ordinary people, just like the listeners of Red White and U, to get involved in politics and turn our political political concern into actual action.
00:01:28.319 --> 00:01:50.079
And I think that through your work, um, through Jess's work, um, there there's a focus on a central question, which I think Red White and U also focuses on, which is how can ordinary people stay engaged and effective when our political environment is so very complicated right now.
00:01:50.400 --> 00:01:53.200
And I think that's a really important question to answer.
00:01:53.280 --> 00:02:00.319
And I think accessibility is one of those answers, and that's why social media is so great, and that's why I have this podcast.
00:02:00.480 --> 00:02:07.439
And so I I just we're really lucky to have you, and we're very lucky to be joined by Jess today.
00:02:07.680 --> 00:02:09.520
So um, is there anything I missed?
00:02:09.680 --> 00:02:12.400
Anything you want to start off with before we get into questions?
00:02:12.800 --> 00:02:15.520
No, that was a beautiful introduction, and it is true.
00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:21.520
I think that getting helping people get engaged in the political process, yes, that's that's what I that's what I try to do.
00:02:21.599 --> 00:02:22.639
That's my hope.
00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:23.360
Great.
00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:25.120
Okay, so let's get into it.
00:02:25.360 --> 00:02:25.520
Okay.
00:02:25.759 --> 00:02:26.080
Yay.
00:02:26.479 --> 00:02:34.719
Um okay, I I did just say yay, but we're kind of going into not yay right now, um, which is the Save Act.
00:02:34.879 --> 00:02:42.960
And so for the listeners that don't know, the SAVE Act basically it passed in the House and right now it's being talked about in the Senate.
00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:52.240
And it would require people to provide document, like document proof that they're US citizens when registering to vote in federal elections.
00:02:52.400 --> 00:03:12.719
And I think at first glance this kind of sounds all fine and dandy, but then we get into this area where we're targeting women who have changed their last names in marriage and people who have transitioned, and it just kind of gets tricky, especially with voter accessibility, um, which is so important right now, getting more people to vote.
00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:21.280
Um but for a question, how concerned do you think that Americans should be about efforts to change voting requirements?
00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:33.120
And why do you think election like the administ the current Trump administration um election has become the election has become such an issue for them?
00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:35.680
Oh, well, I mean, that's a great question.
00:03:35.759 --> 00:03:37.439
I I have a lot to say on the SAVE Act.
00:03:37.520 --> 00:03:42.879
First, the Save Act is uh right, it is a uh there's a few different versions of it.
00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:47.199
There was the Save Act, then the Save America Act, which also goes after vote by mail.
00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:50.879
The good news about the Save Act is I think that we have stopped it.
00:03:51.039 --> 00:03:53.599
I think that it is it can't pass now.
00:03:53.759 --> 00:03:54.879
It's too late.
00:03:55.120 --> 00:03:56.719
Also, the House is gone.
00:03:56.879 --> 00:04:03.840
Uh, they've fled again because they don't want to uh go through an impeachment vote for Pete Heggseth.
00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:13.759
Uh, but I I want to start by giving a lot of credit to the activists and the organizations and all the people who have, for I don't know, a year at least been fighting that bill.
00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:24.639
And the SAVE Act is part of a larger um effort by the Trump administration and Republicans to sow a lot of confusion and doubt about elections.
00:04:24.800 --> 00:04:32.560
This all goes back to 2020 when Trump was humiliated and couldn't admit he lost, and started saying elections were not safe and secure.
00:04:32.800 --> 00:04:40.399
But then it also comes down to the fact that Trump and Republicans know that November is coming.
00:04:40.720 --> 00:04:51.680
And as he proceeded into his presidency, you know, there was the first sort of like wave of him thinking he was doing a great job and the people who voted for him thinking like this is great, but it soured very quickly.
00:04:51.839 --> 00:04:55.199
And at this point, Trump is historically unpopular.
00:04:55.439 --> 00:05:01.199
He actually, I believe, is more unpopular at this point than any president in polling history ever.
00:05:01.600 --> 00:05:08.959
Um, maybe competitive with Nixon right before he stepped down, but he's really unpopular.
00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:18.160
And we have a catastrophically bad, uh, the economy is not catastrophically bad in every way, but in the way that Americans pay attention to, which is prices, it's bad.
00:05:18.240 --> 00:05:20.480
I promise this is all going to come back to the SAVE Act.
00:05:20.639 --> 00:05:32.319
So you've got that, you've got a really galvanized, um, you know, uh democratic base, and also independents who, some of whom supported Trump in the election in 2024, but have turned on him very quickly.
00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:37.759
Ice raids, mass deportations, all of these things that have made Americans turn on him.
00:05:37.920 --> 00:05:40.079
So the writing has been on the wall, right?
00:05:40.160 --> 00:05:42.319
That Republicans were gonna have a bad midterm.
00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:47.759
And plus the party in power always has a bad midterm anyway, historically.
00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:52.879
But they knew that if they didn't do something, they were going to lose big.
00:05:52.959 --> 00:06:14.160
And so the Save Act is part of a broader, as I said, package of things they, along with mid-decade redistricting, um, a bunch of different executive orders about the post office trying to get rid of vote by mail, all of which they claim are about fraud, just like they claimed the cuts that Doge made were about fraud when we know that they weren't.
00:06:14.240 --> 00:06:23.360
Uh, and this isn't either, because voter fraud and particularly uh voting by undocumented people is vanishingly rare.
00:06:23.519 --> 00:06:26.240
It is like uh lightning strike rare.
00:06:26.480 --> 00:06:29.759
In fact, it is significantly rarer than lightning strike rare.
00:06:29.839 --> 00:06:32.639
And this has been found by organizations on the left and the right.
00:06:32.879 --> 00:06:54.240
So they've manufactured a non-citizen voting lie, and the Save Act was part of their effort to uh, you know, push that lie and then also disenfranchise, as you said, women who have changed their names, trans people who have changed their names, but also about 21 million Americans who simply don't have access to those documents.
00:06:54.480 --> 00:07:00.800
And that is um young people, that is often people of color, because it costs money to get a passport.
00:07:00.959 --> 00:07:05.600
And it is hard to keep track of your birth certificate, even if you have a pretty stable life.
00:07:05.680 --> 00:07:07.279
Like, do I know where mine is right now?
00:07:07.439 --> 00:07:11.920
I think so, but you know, these documents are easy to lose.
00:07:12.079 --> 00:07:17.759
Um, you you are in a natural disaster, your house burns down or is flooded, you lose those documents.
00:07:17.920 --> 00:07:28.879
You live in a place where you have to replace your passport, but it's a 120-mile drive to get to the place where you do that and it costs$150 and you don't have the time or the money.
00:07:29.040 --> 00:07:34.800
For all of these reasons, about 21 million people would instantly be disenfranchised by this bill.
00:07:34.959 --> 00:07:36.639
And that's why we fought it so hard.
00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:44.079
And so to answer your question, obviously, with a really long answer, um, it is part of a larger voter suppression attempt.
00:07:44.319 --> 00:07:52.959
It is an effort for them to win an election that they otherwise cannot win because their policies have failed so badly, and it's not going to pass before the midterms.
00:07:53.199 --> 00:07:55.199
So don't lose sleep over it.
00:07:55.360 --> 00:08:00.800
There's been a valiant fight to stop it, and we're now will they try to bring it back after the midterms?
00:08:00.959 --> 00:08:06.399
Maybe, but I plan on us flipping both chambers, and so they will not pass it.
00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:09.439
So don't worry about that.
00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:10.959
There are things we should worry about.
00:08:11.120 --> 00:08:12.879
I don't believe that's one of them.
00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:14.319
I love that answer.
00:08:14.480 --> 00:08:15.199
That thank you.
00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:20.000
That's a well, yeah, I love when I hear answers that give me hope.
00:08:20.160 --> 00:08:21.600
I think that's so important, also.
00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:25.759
It's a really, it's really scary right now.
00:08:25.839 --> 00:08:30.639
I think, especially for me as a young person, I'm also going into college next year.
00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:33.519
And then four years, they go by really fast.
00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:33.919
I know.
00:08:34.080 --> 00:08:36.159
I know I sound older saying that.
00:08:36.320 --> 00:08:41.120
I feel like if 12-year-old me heard me say that, she would be disappointed.
00:08:41.360 --> 00:08:52.559
But then I'm gonna have to be out into the world and be doing things and have to afford things and buy houses and pay bills and all that stuff.
00:08:52.799 --> 00:09:02.480
And I was actually reading something the other day that was talking about how the median age for a first home buyer in the US right now is 40 years old.
00:09:02.799 --> 00:09:05.679
But in the 1980s, it was 29.
00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:12.879
And it's just we are at an all-time high for the housing affordability crisis right now.
00:09:13.120 --> 00:09:23.600
Um, and so I also, when I watch policy, I feel like policy that is taking up so much of our attention isn't about housing affordability.
00:09:23.759 --> 00:09:26.080
Um, and isn't about the high housing crisis.
00:09:26.240 --> 00:09:31.919
So uh why is there so much stagnation about affordability in our legislation?
00:09:32.159 --> 00:09:35.840
And why do you think it's so difficult to solve politically?
00:09:36.240 --> 00:09:37.440
Yeah, it's a great question.
00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:44.399
Well, right now, Republicans have control of every chamber of Congress and the presidency, arguably also the Supreme Court.
00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:56.960
And this is not an area that they are, you know, and I don't want to sound just like super partisan, but historically, Republicans have not really been interested in policies that help the working class.
00:09:57.120 --> 00:10:07.279
Uh and challenge that I would challenge you to tell me what policy Republicans have passed in the last 50 years that has actually helped working people.
00:10:07.360 --> 00:10:15.039
Uh, that's not their demographic is wealthy people and corporations, and they serve those demographics very well.
00:10:15.279 --> 00:10:17.360
So Republicans don't have a lot of solutions.
00:10:17.440 --> 00:10:24.799
I will say, to be fair, we did actually see one piece of legislation passed, which was the Road to Housing Bill, which was bipartisan.
00:10:24.960 --> 00:10:27.840
Uh Elizabeth Warren worked on it, and uh, what's his name?
00:10:27.919 --> 00:10:32.720
Uh I can't remember the Republican right now, but uh they they they got that passed.
00:10:32.879 --> 00:10:36.240
Donald Trump refused to sign it, but it passed by default.
00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:37.919
So we did get that done.
00:10:38.159 --> 00:10:47.120
But these kinds of legitimate, these it requires public servants to pass bills that will serve the public and help them.
00:10:47.360 --> 00:10:50.240
We're seeing a tremendous example of it actually in cities.
00:10:50.399 --> 00:11:04.639
We've got uh Zorin Mamadani in New York City, we've got Mayor Brendan Johnson in uh Chicago, we have we have mayors all over the country who are actually working to make billionaires pay more so that they can pass policies that help with housing.
00:11:04.799 --> 00:11:09.200
I hope if Nithia Raman gets elected here in Los Angeles, she will do the same.
00:11:09.519 --> 00:11:23.360
But until the federal government is willing to make corporations and rich people pay their fair share, it's very difficult to pass bills that help people because they require money.
00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:28.080
And Republicans don't want to that that that goes against what they believe in.
00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:38.559
Um, so I think that it's that when Biden was president, we had a situation where, I mean, Biden's foreign policy was ruinous and disastrous.
00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:43.360
And and I will just say that, but his domestic policy was incredible.
00:11:43.600 --> 00:11:54.159
And I was working very hard at that time to try to help get these things passed that he was trying to get the Build Back Better Act, paid family leave, he was trying to pass, all of these things that would have helped with housing.
00:11:54.240 --> 00:12:00.799
He was actually doing a lot of that stuff, but we had a narrow congressive majorities.
00:12:00.879 --> 00:12:09.840
We had two Democratic senators, Joe Manchin and Kirsten Cinema, who basically single-handedly tanked every policy that otherwise would have passed.
00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:12.000
He'd still managed to pass a lot of great stuff.
00:12:12.080 --> 00:12:24.240
And it's a really good reminder that if you get Democrats in power, and I Democrats are not perfect, there's a lot of problems in the Democratic Party as well, but they're generally their agenda is to help working people.
00:12:24.480 --> 00:12:33.519
And during Biden's term, we saw a lot of big bills pass, the Inflation Reduction Act, we saw the Infrastructure Act, he passed the first gun violence legislation in 30 years.
00:12:33.759 --> 00:12:44.960
He did a lot of good stuff, and Democrats did a lot of good stuff, but we needed bigger majorities and we needed leadership with a sweeping vision and sort of a Zorin Mamdanny type of leadership.
00:12:45.039 --> 00:12:48.240
And that is what we have to shoot for in 2028.
00:12:48.480 --> 00:12:56.000
We have to flip majorities in November so that we can stop the worst harms and start to like hold people accountable.
00:12:56.159 --> 00:12:58.080
But what we need is a trifecta.
00:12:58.159 --> 00:13:04.240
We need a president who's Democrat and both majorities in Congress, and then we need bold leadership.
00:13:04.320 --> 00:13:07.679
And it sounds like a cliche, but these things can be done.
00:13:07.919 --> 00:13:09.840
We know what FDR did, right?
00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:19.600
I mean, you you know enough about history to know that like you can get a president like that to come in and go, okay, we're gonna swing for the fucking fences and you and and pass incredible things.
00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:23.200
Lyndon Johnson would have done it if he hadn't gotten tied up in Vietnam.
00:13:23.279 --> 00:13:28.080
He had, again, great domestic policy ideas, but he got distracted by a foreign war.
00:13:28.159 --> 00:13:29.679
Uh at Biden, same thing.
00:13:29.759 --> 00:13:34.399
Like they get sucked into these terrible wars and then they forget their great domestic agendas.
00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:36.000
Um, and that's their fault.
00:13:36.080 --> 00:13:38.080
I'm not exculpating them for that at all.
00:13:38.320 --> 00:13:40.320
But uh, it's possible.
00:13:40.559 --> 00:13:51.759
So, yeah, you and your generation and my kid, who's uh, you know, a year younger than you, y'all are facing ridiculous housing prices, a climate crisis, an AI crisis, so many things.
00:13:51.840 --> 00:13:57.679
I don't need to tell you this, but they are all solvable, or at least mitigated.
00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:10.480
But like the climate crisis can't be 100% fixed, but it can be mitigated, it can be reversed in time, the housing crisis can be addressed, as we see again, Zoran Mam Dani sort of starting to address it in New York City.
00:14:10.720 --> 00:14:20.000
It requires the will of good politicians, and that is where people in your generation come in, is it requires more of you voting.
00:14:20.159 --> 00:14:25.679
Now, when your generation does vote, you vote progressively for the most part, not always.
00:14:25.840 --> 00:14:28.320
And when y'all get registered, you do vote.
00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:34.000
But I do think that there is a underrepresentation of registration in the youth.
00:14:34.080 --> 00:14:38.000
And we have to remember the older people get, the more conservatively they tend to vote.
00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:45.360
But also those conservative older voters, like the Trump voters, they vote in every election.
00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:50.320
They are reliable voters, and so politicians listen to them.
00:14:50.480 --> 00:14:56.799
And the magic for youth voters are going to be when they become such a formidable voting block and they're on their way.
00:14:57.039 --> 00:15:07.360
But when they get to a point where if the youth say, don't do this or do this, politicians jump because they know they'll get voted out if they don't.
00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:12.000
Young people tend to feel, and a lot of people, it's not just young people, oh well, my vote doesn't matter.
00:15:12.080 --> 00:15:16.799
You know, the system is so corrupt, it's so broken, and it is corrupt and broken in a lot of ways.
00:15:17.120 --> 00:15:18.639
But our votes still matter.
00:15:18.799 --> 00:15:24.559
It's not so broken that our votes can't change things and our activism can't change things.
00:15:24.799 --> 00:15:30.799
And, you know, elections are often determined by a single vote or five votes or 20 votes.
00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:40.240
So individually we can think of ourselves as powerless, but if we think of ourselves as a block, B L O C block, we can accomplish a lot.
00:15:40.559 --> 00:15:49.440
So I have a lot of hope that young people and you know, Gen Z, that there is an understanding that, like, wow, together we can do so much.
00:15:49.600 --> 00:15:51.919
And these are just policy choices.
00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:54.000
Housing is policy.
00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:57.120
There is amazing housing policy already written.
00:15:57.279 --> 00:16:01.200
We have politicians in office who will pass it.
00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:02.559
And and I'll stop with this.
00:16:02.720 --> 00:16:05.440
I do think that we're in this kind of amazing moment.
00:16:05.519 --> 00:16:22.639
It's terrifying and horrible and awful in so many ways, but I do feel that there is some amount of realignment happening right now where people are realizing like if I just keep voting along party lines, I'm gonna end up homeless and and and broke and bankrupt.
00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:27.840
That it is all of us against the oligarchs and against the billionaires.
00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:37.200
And if we start thinking about those as the two parties, like regular people versus the billionaires, those are the two party choices.
00:16:37.440 --> 00:16:49.600
And voting accordingly and really fighting to elect people like Zoran Mamdani and Brandon Johnson and and uh the the mayor of Baltimore, there's so many great examples that we can pass these fucking policies.
00:16:49.759 --> 00:16:50.399
They exist.
00:16:50.559 --> 00:16:53.919
Medicare for all, housing for all, child care for all.
00:16:54.000 --> 00:17:00.480
These are things that can be done, but it requires massive voter turnout and determination and patience.
00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:03.679
It does not always happen overnight, but it can happen.
00:17:03.840 --> 00:17:10.559
So, what I will warn you and your generation against the most is cynicism, which leads to apathy.
00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:13.519
That is what will undo us all.
00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:25.519
We must be angry and and judge the things that are broken and corrupt, but also be convinced that we have the ability to change it if enough of us come together and decide to do that.
00:17:25.759 --> 00:17:27.039
That was a very long answer.
00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:28.960
I promise I will be much more brief going forward.
00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:31.839
No, that was an amazing answer.
00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:34.240
That was, I thought that that was so good.
00:17:34.400 --> 00:17:37.680
Bold leadership, not being apathetic.
00:17:37.759 --> 00:17:44.079
I think just those two, I mean so many other things, but those two to me really stick stick out to me.
00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:46.000
I think that that's so important.
00:17:46.640 --> 00:17:57.279
Um, and I thought it was really interesting what you said about bold leadership and about kind of not just following party lines and following what we know is like quote unquote safe.
00:17:57.440 --> 00:18:14.559
Over the summer, I worked in Michigan a little bit, and I was working on a house race, a house primary, and a big conversation that we were having every day as we were really close to the Senate race was the question of electability.
00:18:14.799 --> 00:18:23.279
You know, this idea of like Democrats, do we have to moderate ourselves in order to get elected?
00:18:23.440 --> 00:18:28.160
And we saw that with a lot of the Democratic primaries this summer.
00:18:28.480 --> 00:18:31.200
Yes, we do, but also no, we don't.
00:18:31.359 --> 00:18:42.720
I mean, Abdul El-Saeed won the Democratic primary over Haley Stevens, and he's technically not DSA, which is was surprising to me.
00:18:42.799 --> 00:18:51.519
But he's he says that he's a progressive Democrat, um, which I think is interesting, but really that's not that important.
00:18:51.680 --> 00:19:02.640
It's just most of the time what we're seeing in these races are these more moderate Democrats versus these DSA, but he was just progressive, um, just to clarify for the listeners.
00:19:02.960 --> 00:19:17.119
But I'm really interested in that and how Democrats are kind of divided right now between this really progressive, more DSA aligned bloc and corporate PAC, moderate Democrats.
00:19:17.279 --> 00:19:20.960
And a lot of that is who can be elected, what is electability?
00:19:21.119 --> 00:19:37.680
And then in the upcoming mid for a question, um, in the upcoming midterms, what are your thoughts on how the Democratic Party is going to come together and kind of find some unity between this in order to get Democrats in power, you know?
00:19:37.839 --> 00:19:39.119
Um, will they do it?
00:19:39.279 --> 00:19:40.799
Do you think that they should do it?
00:19:40.960 --> 00:19:44.160
What do you think the midterms is gonna look like?
00:19:44.240 --> 00:19:56.799
Do you I just think that it's really interesting to see, I mean, how Haley Stevens is gonna be participating, for example, in the Michigan Senate race, you know, after such a tumultuous primary race.
00:19:56.960 --> 00:20:00.720
Um what do you think that's gonna look like for the Democratic Party?
00:20:01.039 --> 00:20:02.079
I mean, it's a great question.
00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:07.440
I think that Democrats, for the most part, I mean, yes, there's definitely there's there's there's division.
00:20:07.599 --> 00:20:11.359
The Democratic Party right now is everything that is not MAGA.
00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:20.400
So that is a giant catch basin filled with a a variety of beliefs, and that's the way our two-party system has it set up.
00:20:20.559 --> 00:20:23.920
It is, I wish we had a different system, but it's the system we have.
00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:38.640
So there is definitely fighting within that basin, but I think that right now people generally understand the brief, which is like we fought during the primaries and that's fine, but now we're focused on getting whatever Democrat is the candidate elected.
00:20:38.880 --> 00:20:42.880
And in some districts, that's gonna be a more moderate Democrat.
00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:49.440
That is not my flavor of choice, but like if that's who the district chose, that's who the district chose.
00:20:49.680 --> 00:20:54.559
And now great, like go ahead and elect that person, and maybe we'll try to primary them again next time.
00:20:54.720 --> 00:20:55.359
Maybe we won't.
00:20:55.519 --> 00:20:57.440
Maybe that's right for that district.
00:20:57.599 --> 00:21:05.440
Um, but we generally are going to uh rally behind who we have as the candidate and get behind them.
00:21:05.599 --> 00:21:10.400
You know, Abdul El-Sayed is meeting with Hakeem Jeffries, or no, Chuck Schumer today.
00:21:10.559 --> 00:21:15.039
You know, the Democratic establishment didn't like him, but they're gonna get behind him.
00:21:15.200 --> 00:21:23.440
They didn't like Zoran Mamdani either, and I think they still secretly don't like him, but they're constantly amplifying what he does.
00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:32.960
I it's very funny because I get all the like, you know, I'm on a million messaging lists and a million like amplification lists, and they're always trying to amplify what he does.
00:21:33.119 --> 00:21:35.200
Oh, look at this, what Zorin Mam Dani did.
00:21:35.279 --> 00:21:37.119
Let's talk about this because it's so great.
00:21:37.440 --> 00:21:40.559
For a group that would not even, you know, say his name.
00:21:40.799 --> 00:21:43.200
So here's what I have to say about electability.
00:21:43.279 --> 00:21:47.759
I and I'm this is a rhetorical question, but you can feel free to answer it if you have an answer.
00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:57.519
Have you ever heard the the term electability, the question of electability, applied to a white person to a white male?
00:21:58.400 --> 00:21:58.960
Interesting.
00:21:59.440 --> 00:22:02.799
Because I I'm pretty sure I know I haven't.
00:22:03.119 --> 00:22:10.559
Electability to me is a racist it's a racist term masquerading as a non-racist term.
00:22:10.640 --> 00:22:14.720
It is always applied to a person of color, often a Muslim.
00:22:15.119 --> 00:22:22.640
Um, but we also have it with Angie Nixon, who is literally like the best candidate I have seen in a very long time.
00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:24.640
Uh Abdul El-Sahed is another one.
00:22:24.720 --> 00:22:27.279
Like, these are stellar candidates.
00:22:27.519 --> 00:22:33.279
They're fucking brilliant at campaigning, at being politicians, they're whip smart.
00:22:33.440 --> 00:22:38.559
Angie Nixon has won every single election she has ever run in by a landslide.
00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:42.720
She won a primary where she was outspent 20 to 1.
00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:48.000
And then there's like, oh, well, we're not going to spend any money on her because electability, it's insane.
00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:55.680
So what I hear when I hear the word electability is that person is a person of color, and we think that district wants a white person.
00:22:55.839 --> 00:22:57.039
And I think it's bullshit.
00:22:57.200 --> 00:22:58.640
And I think that Zorn Mom.
00:23:00.240 --> 00:23:03.200
Um, and I think that in these primaries we saw that it was bullshit.
00:23:03.279 --> 00:23:11.599
And I think that at a certain point, for me, it this sounds a little airy-fairy, but we have got to act out of faith, not out of fear.
00:23:11.839 --> 00:23:20.240
When we make decisions based in fear, oh, I'm so afraid that we're gonna lose and I'm gonna run this person who we know is the right person, but they're kind of a safe person.
00:23:20.400 --> 00:23:22.400
Like we did that with Biden, and it worked.
00:23:22.480 --> 00:23:25.599
He won, and maybe that was the right thing for that time.
00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:33.200
But I feel that we have run out of time to keep running safe people who won't change anything.
00:23:33.359 --> 00:23:37.039
And I think Americans are exasperated with it across parties.
00:23:37.200 --> 00:23:51.119
And I think we have actually a window of opportunity to run change makers, people who actually want to uh tear stuff down, not in a bad way, like Trump is doing, but to re-imagine what our government is.
00:23:51.279 --> 00:23:56.000
Because I think everybody understands that the status quo is entirely broken.
00:23:56.480 --> 00:24:06.079
And so to hear status quo politicians at a moment when that is the last thing people want to me is political stupidity.
00:24:06.319 --> 00:24:18.240
And I'll say one more thing about electability is I actually think the the single biggest drag on our electoral fortunes and our party right now are Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries.
00:24:18.400 --> 00:24:20.559
I think their leadership is disastrous.
00:24:20.720 --> 00:24:32.640
And I think that they are so universally disliked that when people, especially your age, think about like joining the Democratic Party, I know my child is like, I can't stand those guys.
00:24:32.720 --> 00:24:35.200
I'm not joining a party that they are the leaders of.
00:24:35.440 --> 00:24:55.119
And we know that this is the case, and more and more people are registering as declined to state because they don't want to be affiliated with a party that is still run by these establishment Dems who are taking tons of corporate money and pack money and APAC money, and you know, uh Chuck Schumer's daughter is now working for open AI.
00:24:55.200 --> 00:25:08.000
Like it's just it's so if you want to talk about electability, like what is actually hampering our chances, I am positive that they are a bigger drag on the party than any of our current candidates.
00:25:08.240 --> 00:25:15.839
So, but you know, that is a thing that we have to work towards over time to elect progressives who say, yeah, I will vote for different leadership.
00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:20.319
Um, and again, it takes time and it it should happen faster, but it won't.
00:25:20.480 --> 00:25:28.720
So I think that we should run the person who wins in their district, enthusiastically get behind them, and then keep trying to turn out.
00:25:28.799 --> 00:25:43.039
Like if I want more Abdul El-Syed's and Angie Nixons and Zorim Mamdanis, I got to keep registering and turning out the voters who will show up in primaries to elect those people and then make sure that we also turn them out in the general election.
00:25:43.279 --> 00:25:46.000
Um, and and we got to volunteer for races.
00:25:46.240 --> 00:25:49.039
We have got to throw down young people.
00:25:49.119 --> 00:25:54.960
Again, you've got the sunrise movement, which does just extraordinary work running phone banks, knocking doors.
00:25:55.119 --> 00:26:00.880
It's not enough to just be like, yeah, we have to help them win.
00:26:01.039 --> 00:26:03.440
That is how Angie Nixon won her primary.
00:26:03.599 --> 00:26:04.559
People power.
00:26:04.799 --> 00:26:06.720
People going out and knocking doors for her.
00:26:06.799 --> 00:26:08.400
That's how Zoran Mamdani won.
00:26:08.559 --> 00:26:13.920
That's how all every surprise win is people doing that work.
00:26:14.079 --> 00:26:15.440
And so I will stop with that.
00:26:15.599 --> 00:26:19.039
Electability is what we decide electability is.
00:26:19.279 --> 00:26:22.319
If we want someone to win, we go out and we make them win.
00:26:22.480 --> 00:26:24.000
And then they are electable.
00:26:24.240 --> 00:26:25.759
Barack Obama was not electable.
00:26:25.920 --> 00:26:26.400
Are you kidding?
00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:32.640
When he first came on the scene, people were like, nobody named Barack Hussein Obama will ever win an election.
00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:34.400
President, never.
00:26:34.640 --> 00:26:38.480
That was the wisdom of the pundit class at that time.
00:26:38.799 --> 00:26:40.880
He was not electable.
00:26:42.400 --> 00:26:45.039
Electability is what we decide is electable.
00:26:45.119 --> 00:26:48.240
So don't let anyone tell you that someone is or is not electable.
00:26:48.319 --> 00:26:52.319
If you're passionate about them and you love them, get behind them.
00:26:52.559 --> 00:26:58.079
Other people will as well, because a candidate who elicits that kind of passion can win.
00:26:58.319 --> 00:26:59.680
That's what it takes to win.
00:26:59.839 --> 00:27:01.119
That's electability.
00:27:01.359 --> 00:27:04.559
So there, I'm I've finished my rant.
00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:06.559
So good.
00:27:06.960 --> 00:27:08.079
Totally, totally.
00:27:08.240 --> 00:27:19.279
I think that's I I I think it's really interesting because the person that I was campaigning for, he was a person of color and his team was talking about his electability.
00:27:19.440 --> 00:27:21.680
And I just I just think that's really interesting.
00:27:21.759 --> 00:27:22.480
It's really cool.
00:27:23.039 --> 00:27:24.640
It doesn't mean they're gonna win every time.
00:27:24.720 --> 00:27:26.720
I mean, not every they will not always win.
00:27:26.880 --> 00:27:34.480
We've had some really heartbreaking losses, but electability is a phrase that makes me nervous and raises my hackles a bit.
00:27:35.279 --> 00:27:37.039
Definitely 100%.
00:27:37.680 --> 00:27:39.279
Um all right.
00:27:39.680 --> 00:27:43.440
So that's really, I feel like so amazing.
00:27:43.599 --> 00:27:45.279
All of this has been really interesting.
00:27:45.519 --> 00:27:52.160
I kind of want to give a little bit of a simpler question just to kind of conclude things, close things off.
00:27:52.400 --> 00:27:55.759
Um, this podcast is for the youth.
00:27:55.920 --> 00:27:57.759
You were talking about what are we doing?
00:27:57.920 --> 00:27:59.279
We need people power.
00:27:59.440 --> 00:28:02.319
We need to just get out there and do work.
00:28:02.720 --> 00:28:18.720
Um, is it we I want to target and educate and mobilize the youth vote because you're right, it's important and we have to be more consistent voters and we have, and if we want to be listened to, like that, this is what we have to do.
00:28:18.960 --> 00:28:26.640
Um, what's the one thing though that you would say is the most important to prepare for the midterms?
00:28:26.720 --> 00:28:29.680
I know I'm voting in the midterms, which I'm really excited about.
00:28:29.920 --> 00:28:32.880
First time voter, and that's super exciting.
00:28:33.039 --> 00:28:38.640
Um, is there anything that you think that you like young people should be looking out for?
00:28:38.880 --> 00:28:40.880
What is our goal with the midterms?
00:28:41.039 --> 00:28:45.039
What should we be doing leading up to it and for the midterms?
00:28:45.440 --> 00:28:53.920
So, what we're really recommending that people do in this particular election cycle is first of all, check your voter registration and double check it.
00:28:54.079 --> 00:29:04.960
There's a lot of purges happening, uh, a lot of states where they're just looking, not blue states so much, but where they're just looking for reasons to kick people off the rolls that should have stopped within 90 days of an election.
00:29:05.039 --> 00:29:06.559
They're not allowed to do that anymore.
00:29:06.720 --> 00:29:10.079
But if you think you're registered, just double check.
00:29:10.160 --> 00:29:13.279
It takes 30 seconds to double check.
00:29:13.359 --> 00:29:15.440
You can go to vote.org or vote.gov.
00:29:15.680 --> 00:29:17.039
There's a million websites.
00:29:17.279 --> 00:29:26.079
Um, make a decision that you're gonna get like five of your friends to vote, or three, if that feels more manageable, and then help them with the process.
00:29:26.160 --> 00:29:30.559
Because I think a lot of young people do want to vote, but they're like, I don't know how, I don't know where to go.
00:29:30.799 --> 00:29:38.400
So you can, once you've sort of got your own vote sorted out, make a commitment that I'm gonna get three friends to vote and I'm gonna help them if I need to.
00:29:38.559 --> 00:29:42.640
I'll drive them or I'll help them fill out their ballot, whatever it takes.
00:29:42.799 --> 00:29:45.759
If we all did that, it's actually called vote tripling.
00:29:46.000 --> 00:29:51.039
It is a we we will win in places that nobody even thought we could win.
00:29:51.200 --> 00:29:52.799
Like, really, it can be huge.
00:29:53.039 --> 00:29:54.640
Check your voter registration.
00:29:54.799 --> 00:30:03.279
Also, we are asking everybody this year to early, and I mean as early as humanly possible, ideally on the first day of early voting.
00:30:03.440 --> 00:30:09.920
What we're trying to do is get as many votes in the bank as possible so that first of all, we win the election in early voting.
00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:20.240
Like we just have such a massive bank of votes already that if Trump decides to try to pull something on election day, which I I'm actually not convinced he will, but let's say he does.
00:30:20.400 --> 00:30:28.240
Um, and let me just say there is a massive amount of safeguarding going on on our side to be prepared for whatever happens, and y'all should know that.
00:30:28.480 --> 00:30:30.559
But that our votes are already banked.
00:30:30.720 --> 00:30:46.960
So tell everybody you know to vote early, and then the last thing I'll say is check your ID, make sure it hasn't expired, and then look at the signature on your ID and make sure that when you sign, if you're gonna do vote by mail, when you sign that ballot, make sure your signature matches.
00:30:47.039 --> 00:30:51.200
It doesn't have to be identical, but some people have like two different signatures they use.
00:30:51.279 --> 00:30:52.160
I did for a long time.
00:30:52.319 --> 00:30:54.319
I had a print one and I had a script one.
00:30:54.480 --> 00:30:59.920
If you have a script one on your driver's license and you use your print one, your ballot's gonna get rejected.
00:31:00.160 --> 00:31:08.000
So just remember, you know, check your signature, make sure you're still using the same one, and uh, you know, and read the instructions on your vote by mail ballot.
00:31:08.079 --> 00:31:18.720
These are dumb little things, but a lot of people's ballots get rejected because they didn't read the instructions carefully and it asked for today's date on the envelope and you wrote your birth date.
00:31:18.880 --> 00:31:20.160
Your ballot's gone.
00:31:20.400 --> 00:31:24.480
And maybe you'll get a call that it was rejected and you can fix it, but maybe not.
00:31:24.720 --> 00:31:28.480
So just we're all gonna be really deliberate about our vote this year.
00:31:28.720 --> 00:31:34.079
Do it early, do it carefully, pay attention to details, and then get three of your friends to vote.
00:31:34.319 --> 00:31:41.359
And try not to let fear overcome you because we are going to fucking beat these people if we have to crawl over hot coals.
00:31:41.759 --> 00:31:45.759
We just need every single one of you to vote and vote early, okay?
00:31:46.160 --> 00:31:47.039
Definitely.
00:31:47.279 --> 00:31:48.960
Yes, let's get out the vote.
00:31:49.200 --> 00:31:51.519
G-O-T-V, get out the vote.
00:31:51.759 --> 00:31:52.319
That's right.
00:31:52.559 --> 00:31:56.720
And I think on that note, let us end this podcast episode.
00:31:56.960 --> 00:32:00.079
Thank you so much for joining me.
00:32:00.319 --> 00:32:05.359
Um, and to the Red, White, and you listeners, I will see you when I see you.
00:32:05.519 --> 00:32:08.559
Thank you so much for listening and have the best day.
00:32:08.799 --> 00:32:12.160
Come back for the next episode of Red, White, and You.
00:32:12.720 --> 00:32:13.359
Bye.
00:32:13.759 --> 00:32:14.000
Bye.
00:32:14.079 --> 00:32:15.279
Thanks, Evan, for having me.
00:32:15.359 --> 00:32:16.000
Thanks, y'all.
00:32:16.160 --> 00:32:17.440
Have a good day.
00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:01.439
Hello, everyone.
00:00:01.600 --> 00:00:12.000
Welcome back to the second season of Red, White, and You, a podcast dedicated to informing the public about our American history and civics in an accessible, digestible way.
00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:15.919
Because let's be honest, we all need a bit of a refresher course.
00:00:16.079 --> 00:00:24.239
I'm your host, Evan Hyman Muchnick, and today we are so lucky to have the wonderful Miss Craven on the podcast.
00:00:24.399 --> 00:00:26.160
Welcome, welcome.
00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:37.359
Thank you for having me.
00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:38.960
Call me Jess, please.
00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:39.439
Okay.
00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:40.079
Yes.
00:00:41.439 --> 00:00:49.920
Um for the listeners, of course, Jess is an activist, a community organizer, and a political content creator.
00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:53.439
I was just telling her I stalk her Instagram all of the time.
00:00:53.600 --> 00:01:04.560
Really, if you have any questions about anything political that's going on at any point in time, if you just go to your Instagram, you I get my answer.
00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:07.280
Like I it's my dictionary.
00:01:07.519 --> 00:01:27.920
Um Jess is also the author of Chop Wood Carry Water, which is a daily newsletter that provides practical ways for ordinary people, just like the listeners of Red White and U, to get involved in politics and turn our political political concern into actual action.
00:01:28.319 --> 00:01:50.079
And I think that through your work, um, through Jess's work, um, there there's a focus on a central question, which I think Red White and U also focuses on, which is how can ordinary people stay engaged and effective when our political environment is so very complicated right now.
00:01:50.400 --> 00:01:53.200
And I think that's a really important question to answer.
00:01:53.280 --> 00:02:00.319
And I think accessibility is one of those answers, and that's why social media is so great, and that's why I have this podcast.
00:02:00.480 --> 00:02:07.439
And so I I just we're really lucky to have you, and we're very lucky to be joined by Jess today.
00:02:07.680 --> 00:02:09.520
So um, is there anything I missed?
00:02:09.680 --> 00:02:12.400
Anything you want to start off with before we get into questions?
00:02:12.800 --> 00:02:15.520
No, that was a beautiful introduction, and it is true.
00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:21.520
I think that getting helping people get engaged in the political process, yes, that's that's what I that's what I try to do.
00:02:21.599 --> 00:02:22.639
That's my hope.
00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:23.360
Great.
00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:25.120
Okay, so let's get into it.
00:02:25.360 --> 00:02:25.520
Okay.
00:02:25.759 --> 00:02:26.080
Yay.
00:02:26.479 --> 00:02:34.719
Um okay, I I did just say yay, but we're kind of going into not yay right now, um, which is the Save Act.
00:02:34.879 --> 00:02:42.960
And so for the listeners that don't know, the SAVE Act basically it passed in the House and right now it's being talked about in the Senate.
00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:52.240
And it would require people to provide document, like document proof that they're US citizens when registering to vote in federal elections.
00:02:52.400 --> 00:03:12.719
And I think at first glance this kind of sounds all fine and dandy, but then we get into this area where we're targeting women who have changed their last names in marriage and people who have transitioned, and it just kind of gets tricky, especially with voter accessibility, um, which is so important right now, getting more people to vote.
00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:21.280
Um but for a question, how concerned do you think that Americans should be about efforts to change voting requirements?
00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:33.120
And why do you think election like the administ the current Trump administration um election has become the election has become such an issue for them?
00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:35.680
Oh, well, I mean, that's a great question.
00:03:35.759 --> 00:03:37.439
I I have a lot to say on the SAVE Act.
00:03:37.520 --> 00:03:42.879
First, the Save Act is uh right, it is a uh there's a few different versions of it.
00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:47.199
There was the Save Act, then the Save America Act, which also goes after vote by mail.
00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:50.879
The good news about the Save Act is I think that we have stopped it.
00:03:51.039 --> 00:03:53.599
I think that it is it can't pass now.
00:03:53.759 --> 00:03:54.879
It's too late.
00:03:55.120 --> 00:03:56.719
Also, the House is gone.
00:03:56.879 --> 00:04:03.840
Uh, they've fled again because they don't want to uh go through an impeachment vote for Pete Heggseth.
00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:13.759
Uh, but I I want to start by giving a lot of credit to the activists and the organizations and all the people who have, for I don't know, a year at least been fighting that bill.
00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:24.639
And the SAVE Act is part of a larger um effort by the Trump administration and Republicans to sow a lot of confusion and doubt about elections.
00:04:24.800 --> 00:04:32.560
This all goes back to 2020 when Trump was humiliated and couldn't admit he lost, and started saying elections were not safe and secure.
00:04:32.800 --> 00:04:40.399
But then it also comes down to the fact that Trump and Republicans know that November is coming.
00:04:40.720 --> 00:04:51.680
And as he proceeded into his presidency, you know, there was the first sort of like wave of him thinking he was doing a great job and the people who voted for him thinking like this is great, but it soured very quickly.
00:04:51.839 --> 00:04:55.199
And at this point, Trump is historically unpopular.
00:04:55.439 --> 00:05:01.199
He actually, I believe, is more unpopular at this point than any president in polling history ever.
00:05:01.600 --> 00:05:08.959
Um, maybe competitive with Nixon right before he stepped down, but he's really unpopular.
00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:18.160
And we have a catastrophically bad, uh, the economy is not catastrophically bad in every way, but in the way that Americans pay attention to, which is prices, it's bad.
00:05:18.240 --> 00:05:20.480
I promise this is all going to come back to the SAVE Act.
00:05:20.639 --> 00:05:32.319
So you've got that, you've got a really galvanized, um, you know, uh democratic base, and also independents who, some of whom supported Trump in the election in 2024, but have turned on him very quickly.
00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:37.759
Ice raids, mass deportations, all of these things that have made Americans turn on him.
00:05:37.920 --> 00:05:40.079
So the writing has been on the wall, right?
00:05:40.160 --> 00:05:42.319
That Republicans were gonna have a bad midterm.
00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:47.759
And plus the party in power always has a bad midterm anyway, historically.
00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:52.879
But they knew that if they didn't do something, they were going to lose big.
00:05:52.959 --> 00:06:14.160
And so the Save Act is part of a broader, as I said, package of things they, along with mid-decade redistricting, um, a bunch of different executive orders about the post office trying to get rid of vote by mail, all of which they claim are about fraud, just like they claimed the cuts that Doge made were about fraud when we know that they weren't.
00:06:14.240 --> 00:06:23.360
Uh, and this isn't either, because voter fraud and particularly uh voting by undocumented people is vanishingly rare.
00:06:23.519 --> 00:06:26.240
It is like uh lightning strike rare.
00:06:26.480 --> 00:06:29.759
In fact, it is significantly rarer than lightning strike rare.
00:06:29.839 --> 00:06:32.639
And this has been found by organizations on the left and the right.
00:06:32.879 --> 00:06:54.240
So they've manufactured a non-citizen voting lie, and the Save Act was part of their effort to uh, you know, push that lie and then also disenfranchise, as you said, women who have changed their names, trans people who have changed their names, but also about 21 million Americans who simply don't have access to those documents.
00:06:54.480 --> 00:07:00.800
And that is um young people, that is often people of color, because it costs money to get a passport.
00:07:00.959 --> 00:07:05.600
And it is hard to keep track of your birth certificate, even if you have a pretty stable life.
00:07:05.680 --> 00:07:07.279
Like, do I know where mine is right now?
00:07:07.439 --> 00:07:11.920
I think so, but you know, these documents are easy to lose.
00:07:12.079 --> 00:07:17.759
Um, you you are in a natural disaster, your house burns down or is flooded, you lose those documents.
00:07:17.920 --> 00:07:28.879
You live in a place where you have to replace your passport, but it's a 120-mile drive to get to the place where you do that and it costs$150 and you don't have the time or the money.
00:07:29.040 --> 00:07:34.800
For all of these reasons, about 21 million people would instantly be disenfranchised by this bill.
00:07:34.959 --> 00:07:36.639
And that's why we fought it so hard.
00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:44.079
And so to answer your question, obviously, with a really long answer, um, it is part of a larger voter suppression attempt.
00:07:44.319 --> 00:07:52.959
It is an effort for them to win an election that they otherwise cannot win because their policies have failed so badly, and it's not going to pass before the midterms.
00:07:53.199 --> 00:07:55.199
So don't lose sleep over it.
00:07:55.360 --> 00:08:00.800
There's been a valiant fight to stop it, and we're now will they try to bring it back after the midterms?
00:08:00.959 --> 00:08:06.399
Maybe, but I plan on us flipping both chambers, and so they will not pass it.
00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:09.439
So don't worry about that.
00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:10.959
There are things we should worry about.
00:08:11.120 --> 00:08:12.879
I don't believe that's one of them.
00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:14.319
I love that answer.
00:08:14.480 --> 00:08:15.199
That thank you.
00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:20.000
That's a well, yeah, I love when I hear answers that give me hope.
00:08:20.160 --> 00:08:21.600
I think that's so important, also.
00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:25.759
It's a really, it's really scary right now.
00:08:25.839 --> 00:08:30.639
I think, especially for me as a young person, I'm also going into college next year.
00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:33.519
And then four years, they go by really fast.
00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:33.919
I know.
00:08:34.080 --> 00:08:36.159
I know I sound older saying that.
00:08:36.320 --> 00:08:41.120
I feel like if 12-year-old me heard me say that, she would be disappointed.
00:08:41.360 --> 00:08:52.559
But then I'm gonna have to be out into the world and be doing things and have to afford things and buy houses and pay bills and all that stuff.
00:08:52.799 --> 00:09:02.480
And I was actually reading something the other day that was talking about how the median age for a first home buyer in the US right now is 40 years old.
00:09:02.799 --> 00:09:05.679
But in the 1980s, it was 29.
00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:12.879
And it's just we are at an all-time high for the housing affordability crisis right now.
00:09:13.120 --> 00:09:23.600
Um, and so I also, when I watch policy, I feel like policy that is taking up so much of our attention isn't about housing affordability.
00:09:23.759 --> 00:09:26.080
Um, and isn't about the high housing crisis.
00:09:26.240 --> 00:09:31.919
So uh why is there so much stagnation about affordability in our legislation?
00:09:32.159 --> 00:09:35.840
And why do you think it's so difficult to solve politically?
00:09:36.240 --> 00:09:37.440
Yeah, it's a great question.
00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:44.399
Well, right now, Republicans have control of every chamber of Congress and the presidency, arguably also the Supreme Court.
00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:56.960
And this is not an area that they are, you know, and I don't want to sound just like super partisan, but historically, Republicans have not really been interested in policies that help the working class.
00:09:57.120 --> 00:10:07.279
Uh and challenge that I would challenge you to tell me what policy Republicans have passed in the last 50 years that has actually helped working people.
00:10:07.360 --> 00:10:15.039
Uh, that's not their demographic is wealthy people and corporations, and they serve those demographics very well.
00:10:15.279 --> 00:10:17.360
So Republicans don't have a lot of solutions.
00:10:17.440 --> 00:10:24.799
I will say, to be fair, we did actually see one piece of legislation passed, which was the Road to Housing Bill, which was bipartisan.
00:10:24.960 --> 00:10:27.840
Uh Elizabeth Warren worked on it, and uh, what's his name?
00:10:27.919 --> 00:10:32.720
Uh I can't remember the Republican right now, but uh they they they got that passed.
00:10:32.879 --> 00:10:36.240
Donald Trump refused to sign it, but it passed by default.
00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:37.919
So we did get that done.
00:10:38.159 --> 00:10:47.120
But these kinds of legitimate, these it requires public servants to pass bills that will serve the public and help them.
00:10:47.360 --> 00:10:50.240
We're seeing a tremendous example of it actually in cities.
00:10:50.399 --> 00:11:04.639
We've got uh Zorin Mamadani in New York City, we've got Mayor Brendan Johnson in uh Chicago, we have we have mayors all over the country who are actually working to make billionaires pay more so that they can pass policies that help with housing.
00:11:04.799 --> 00:11:09.200
I hope if Nithia Raman gets elected here in Los Angeles, she will do the same.
00:11:09.519 --> 00:11:23.360
But until the federal government is willing to make corporations and rich people pay their fair share, it's very difficult to pass bills that help people because they require money.
00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:28.080
And Republicans don't want to that that that goes against what they believe in.
00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:38.559
Um, so I think that it's that when Biden was president, we had a situation where, I mean, Biden's foreign policy was ruinous and disastrous.
00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:43.360
And and I will just say that, but his domestic policy was incredible.
00:11:43.600 --> 00:11:54.159
And I was working very hard at that time to try to help get these things passed that he was trying to get the Build Back Better Act, paid family leave, he was trying to pass, all of these things that would have helped with housing.
00:11:54.240 --> 00:12:00.799
He was actually doing a lot of that stuff, but we had a narrow congressive majorities.
00:12:00.879 --> 00:12:09.840
We had two Democratic senators, Joe Manchin and Kirsten Cinema, who basically single-handedly tanked every policy that otherwise would have passed.
00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:12.000
He'd still managed to pass a lot of great stuff.
00:12:12.080 --> 00:12:24.240
And it's a really good reminder that if you get Democrats in power, and I Democrats are not perfect, there's a lot of problems in the Democratic Party as well, but they're generally their agenda is to help working people.
00:12:24.480 --> 00:12:33.519
And during Biden's term, we saw a lot of big bills pass, the Inflation Reduction Act, we saw the Infrastructure Act, he passed the first gun violence legislation in 30 years.
00:12:33.759 --> 00:12:44.960
He did a lot of good stuff, and Democrats did a lot of good stuff, but we needed bigger majorities and we needed leadership with a sweeping vision and sort of a Zorin Mamdanny type of leadership.
00:12:45.039 --> 00:12:48.240
And that is what we have to shoot for in 2028.
00:12:48.480 --> 00:12:56.000
We have to flip majorities in November so that we can stop the worst harms and start to like hold people accountable.
00:12:56.159 --> 00:12:58.080
But what we need is a trifecta.
00:12:58.159 --> 00:13:04.240
We need a president who's Democrat and both majorities in Congress, and then we need bold leadership.
00:13:04.320 --> 00:13:07.679
And it sounds like a cliche, but these things can be done.
00:13:07.919 --> 00:13:09.840
We know what FDR did, right?
00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:19.600
I mean, you you know enough about history to know that like you can get a president like that to come in and go, okay, we're gonna swing for the fucking fences and you and and pass incredible things.
00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:23.200
Lyndon Johnson would have done it if he hadn't gotten tied up in Vietnam.
00:13:23.279 --> 00:13:28.080
He had, again, great domestic policy ideas, but he got distracted by a foreign war.
00:13:28.159 --> 00:13:29.679
Uh at Biden, same thing.
00:13:29.759 --> 00:13:34.399
Like they get sucked into these terrible wars and then they forget their great domestic agendas.
00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:36.000
Um, and that's their fault.
00:13:36.080 --> 00:13:38.080
I'm not exculpating them for that at all.
00:13:38.320 --> 00:13:40.320
But uh, it's possible.
00:13:40.559 --> 00:13:51.759
So, yeah, you and your generation and my kid, who's uh, you know, a year younger than you, y'all are facing ridiculous housing prices, a climate crisis, an AI crisis, so many things.
00:13:51.840 --> 00:13:57.679
I don't need to tell you this, but they are all solvable, or at least mitigated.
00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:10.480
But like the climate crisis can't be 100% fixed, but it can be mitigated, it can be reversed in time, the housing crisis can be addressed, as we see again, Zoran Mam Dani sort of starting to address it in New York City.
00:14:10.720 --> 00:14:20.000
It requires the will of good politicians, and that is where people in your generation come in, is it requires more of you voting.
00:14:20.159 --> 00:14:25.679
Now, when your generation does vote, you vote progressively for the most part, not always.
00:14:25.840 --> 00:14:28.320
And when y'all get registered, you do vote.
00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:34.000
But I do think that there is a underrepresentation of registration in the youth.
00:14:34.080 --> 00:14:38.000
And we have to remember the older people get, the more conservatively they tend to vote.
00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:45.360
But also those conservative older voters, like the Trump voters, they vote in every election.
00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:50.320
They are reliable voters, and so politicians listen to them.
00:14:50.480 --> 00:14:56.799
And the magic for youth voters are going to be when they become such a formidable voting block and they're on their way.
00:14:57.039 --> 00:15:07.360
But when they get to a point where if the youth say, don't do this or do this, politicians jump because they know they'll get voted out if they don't.
00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:12.000
Young people tend to feel, and a lot of people, it's not just young people, oh well, my vote doesn't matter.
00:15:12.080 --> 00:15:16.799
You know, the system is so corrupt, it's so broken, and it is corrupt and broken in a lot of ways.
00:15:17.120 --> 00:15:18.639
But our votes still matter.
00:15:18.799 --> 00:15:24.559
It's not so broken that our votes can't change things and our activism can't change things.
00:15:24.799 --> 00:15:30.799
And, you know, elections are often determined by a single vote or five votes or 20 votes.
00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:40.240
So individually we can think of ourselves as powerless, but if we think of ourselves as a block, B L O C block, we can accomplish a lot.
00:15:40.559 --> 00:15:49.440
So I have a lot of hope that young people and you know, Gen Z, that there is an understanding that, like, wow, together we can do so much.
00:15:49.600 --> 00:15:51.919
And these are just policy choices.
00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:54.000
Housing is policy.
00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:57.120
There is amazing housing policy already written.
00:15:57.279 --> 00:16:01.200
We have politicians in office who will pass it.
00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:02.559
And and I'll stop with this.
00:16:02.720 --> 00:16:05.440
I do think that we're in this kind of amazing moment.
00:16:05.519 --> 00:16:22.639
It's terrifying and horrible and awful in so many ways, but I do feel that there is some amount of realignment happening right now where people are realizing like if I just keep voting along party lines, I'm gonna end up homeless and and and broke and bankrupt.
00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:27.840
That it is all of us against the oligarchs and against the billionaires.
00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:37.200
And if we start thinking about those as the two parties, like regular people versus the billionaires, those are the two party choices.
00:16:37.440 --> 00:16:49.600
And voting accordingly and really fighting to elect people like Zoran Mamdani and Brandon Johnson and and uh the the mayor of Baltimore, there's so many great examples that we can pass these fucking policies.
00:16:49.759 --> 00:16:50.399
They exist.
00:16:50.559 --> 00:16:53.919
Medicare for all, housing for all, child care for all.
00:16:54.000 --> 00:17:00.480
These are things that can be done, but it requires massive voter turnout and determination and patience.
00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:03.679
It does not always happen overnight, but it can happen.
00:17:03.840 --> 00:17:10.559
So, what I will warn you and your generation against the most is cynicism, which leads to apathy.
00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:13.519
That is what will undo us all.
00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:25.519
We must be angry and and judge the things that are broken and corrupt, but also be convinced that we have the ability to change it if enough of us come together and decide to do that.
00:17:25.759 --> 00:17:27.039
That was a very long answer.
00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:28.960
I promise I will be much more brief going forward.
00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:31.839
No, that was an amazing answer.
00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:34.240
That was, I thought that that was so good.
00:17:34.400 --> 00:17:37.680
Bold leadership, not being apathetic.
00:17:37.759 --> 00:17:44.079
I think just those two, I mean so many other things, but those two to me really stick stick out to me.
00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:46.000
I think that that's so important.
00:17:46.640 --> 00:17:57.279
Um, and I thought it was really interesting what you said about bold leadership and about kind of not just following party lines and following what we know is like quote unquote safe.
00:17:57.440 --> 00:18:14.559
Over the summer, I worked in Michigan a little bit, and I was working on a house race, a house primary, and a big conversation that we were having every day as we were really close to the Senate race was the question of electability.
00:18:14.799 --> 00:18:23.279
You know, this idea of like Democrats, do we have to moderate ourselves in order to get elected?
00:18:23.440 --> 00:18:28.160
And we saw that with a lot of the Democratic primaries this summer.
00:18:28.480 --> 00:18:31.200
Yes, we do, but also no, we don't.
00:18:31.359 --> 00:18:42.720
I mean, Abdul El-Saeed won the Democratic primary over Haley Stevens, and he's technically not DSA, which is was surprising to me.
00:18:42.799 --> 00:18:51.519
But he's he says that he's a progressive Democrat, um, which I think is interesting, but really that's not that important.
00:18:51.680 --> 00:19:02.640
It's just most of the time what we're seeing in these races are these more moderate Democrats versus these DSA, but he was just progressive, um, just to clarify for the listeners.
00:19:02.960 --> 00:19:17.119
But I'm really interested in that and how Democrats are kind of divided right now between this really progressive, more DSA aligned bloc and corporate PAC, moderate Democrats.
00:19:17.279 --> 00:19:20.960
And a lot of that is who can be elected, what is electability?
00:19:21.119 --> 00:19:37.680
And then in the upcoming mid for a question, um, in the upcoming midterms, what are your thoughts on how the Democratic Party is going to come together and kind of find some unity between this in order to get Democrats in power, you know?
00:19:37.839 --> 00:19:39.119
Um, will they do it?
00:19:39.279 --> 00:19:40.799
Do you think that they should do it?
00:19:40.960 --> 00:19:44.160
What do you think the midterms is gonna look like?
00:19:44.240 --> 00:19:56.799
Do you I just think that it's really interesting to see, I mean, how Haley Stevens is gonna be participating, for example, in the Michigan Senate race, you know, after such a tumultuous primary race.
00:19:56.960 --> 00:20:00.720
Um what do you think that's gonna look like for the Democratic Party?
00:20:01.039 --> 00:20:02.079
I mean, it's a great question.
00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:07.440
I think that Democrats, for the most part, I mean, yes, there's definitely there's there's there's division.
00:20:07.599 --> 00:20:11.359
The Democratic Party right now is everything that is not MAGA.
00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:20.400
So that is a giant catch basin filled with a a variety of beliefs, and that's the way our two-party system has it set up.
00:20:20.559 --> 00:20:23.920
It is, I wish we had a different system, but it's the system we have.
00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:38.640
So there is definitely fighting within that basin, but I think that right now people generally understand the brief, which is like we fought during the primaries and that's fine, but now we're focused on getting whatever Democrat is the candidate elected.
00:20:38.880 --> 00:20:42.880
And in some districts, that's gonna be a more moderate Democrat.
00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:49.440
That is not my flavor of choice, but like if that's who the district chose, that's who the district chose.
00:20:49.680 --> 00:20:54.559
And now great, like go ahead and elect that person, and maybe we'll try to primary them again next time.
00:20:54.720 --> 00:20:55.359
Maybe we won't.
00:20:55.519 --> 00:20:57.440
Maybe that's right for that district.
00:20:57.599 --> 00:21:05.440
Um, but we generally are going to uh rally behind who we have as the candidate and get behind them.
00:21:05.599 --> 00:21:10.400
You know, Abdul El-Sayed is meeting with Hakeem Jeffries, or no, Chuck Schumer today.
00:21:10.559 --> 00:21:15.039
You know, the Democratic establishment didn't like him, but they're gonna get behind him.
00:21:15.200 --> 00:21:23.440
They didn't like Zoran Mamdani either, and I think they still secretly don't like him, but they're constantly amplifying what he does.
00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:32.960
I it's very funny because I get all the like, you know, I'm on a million messaging lists and a million like amplification lists, and they're always trying to amplify what he does.
00:21:33.119 --> 00:21:35.200
Oh, look at this, what Zorin Mam Dani did.
00:21:35.279 --> 00:21:37.119
Let's talk about this because it's so great.
00:21:37.440 --> 00:21:40.559
For a group that would not even, you know, say his name.
00:21:40.799 --> 00:21:43.200
So here's what I have to say about electability.
00:21:43.279 --> 00:21:47.759
I and I'm this is a rhetorical question, but you can feel free to answer it if you have an answer.
00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:57.519
Have you ever heard the the term electability, the question of electability, applied to a white person to a white male?
00:21:58.400 --> 00:21:58.960
Interesting.
00:21:59.440 --> 00:22:02.799
Because I I'm pretty sure I know I haven't.
00:22:03.119 --> 00:22:10.559
Electability to me is a racist it's a racist term masquerading as a non-racist term.
00:22:10.640 --> 00:22:14.720
It is always applied to a person of color, often a Muslim.
00:22:15.119 --> 00:22:22.640
Um, but we also have it with Angie Nixon, who is literally like the best candidate I have seen in a very long time.
00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:24.640
Uh Abdul El-Sahed is another one.
00:22:24.720 --> 00:22:27.279
Like, these are stellar candidates.
00:22:27.519 --> 00:22:33.279
They're fucking brilliant at campaigning, at being politicians, they're whip smart.
00:22:33.440 --> 00:22:38.559
Angie Nixon has won every single election she has ever run in by a landslide.
00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:42.720
She won a primary where she was outspent 20 to 1.
00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:48.000
And then there's like, oh, well, we're not going to spend any money on her because electability, it's insane.
00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:55.680
So what I hear when I hear the word electability is that person is a person of color, and we think that district wants a white person.
00:22:55.839 --> 00:22:57.039
And I think it's bullshit.
00:22:57.200 --> 00:22:58.640
And I think that Zorn Mom.
00:23:00.240 --> 00:23:03.200
Um, and I think that in these primaries we saw that it was bullshit.
00:23:03.279 --> 00:23:11.599
And I think that at a certain point, for me, it this sounds a little airy-fairy, but we have got to act out of faith, not out of fear.
00:23:11.839 --> 00:23:20.240
When we make decisions based in fear, oh, I'm so afraid that we're gonna lose and I'm gonna run this person who we know is the right person, but they're kind of a safe person.
00:23:20.400 --> 00:23:22.400
Like we did that with Biden, and it worked.
00:23:22.480 --> 00:23:25.599
He won, and maybe that was the right thing for that time.
00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:33.200
But I feel that we have run out of time to keep running safe people who won't change anything.
00:23:33.359 --> 00:23:37.039
And I think Americans are exasperated with it across parties.
00:23:37.200 --> 00:23:51.119
And I think we have actually a window of opportunity to run change makers, people who actually want to uh tear stuff down, not in a bad way, like Trump is doing, but to re-imagine what our government is.
00:23:51.279 --> 00:23:56.000
Because I think everybody understands that the status quo is entirely broken.
00:23:56.480 --> 00:24:06.079
And so to hear status quo politicians at a moment when that is the last thing people want to me is political stupidity.
00:24:06.319 --> 00:24:18.240
And I'll say one more thing about electability is I actually think the the single biggest drag on our electoral fortunes and our party right now are Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries.
00:24:18.400 --> 00:24:20.559
I think their leadership is disastrous.
00:24:20.720 --> 00:24:32.640
And I think that they are so universally disliked that when people, especially your age, think about like joining the Democratic Party, I know my child is like, I can't stand those guys.
00:24:32.720 --> 00:24:35.200
I'm not joining a party that they are the leaders of.
00:24:35.440 --> 00:24:55.119
And we know that this is the case, and more and more people are registering as declined to state because they don't want to be affiliated with a party that is still run by these establishment Dems who are taking tons of corporate money and pack money and APAC money, and you know, uh Chuck Schumer's daughter is now working for open AI.
00:24:55.200 --> 00:25:08.000
Like it's just it's so if you want to talk about electability, like what is actually hampering our chances, I am positive that they are a bigger drag on the party than any of our current candidates.
00:25:08.240 --> 00:25:15.839
So, but you know, that is a thing that we have to work towards over time to elect progressives who say, yeah, I will vote for different leadership.
00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:20.319
Um, and again, it takes time and it it should happen faster, but it won't.
00:25:20.480 --> 00:25:28.720
So I think that we should run the person who wins in their district, enthusiastically get behind them, and then keep trying to turn out.
00:25:28.799 --> 00:25:43.039
Like if I want more Abdul El-Syed's and Angie Nixons and Zorim Mamdanis, I got to keep registering and turning out the voters who will show up in primaries to elect those people and then make sure that we also turn them out in the general election.
00:25:43.279 --> 00:25:46.000
Um, and and we got to volunteer for races.
00:25:46.240 --> 00:25:49.039
We have got to throw down young people.
00:25:49.119 --> 00:25:54.960
Again, you've got the sunrise movement, which does just extraordinary work running phone banks, knocking doors.
00:25:55.119 --> 00:26:00.880
It's not enough to just be like, yeah, we have to help them win.
00:26:01.039 --> 00:26:03.440
That is how Angie Nixon won her primary.
00:26:03.599 --> 00:26:04.559
People power.
00:26:04.799 --> 00:26:06.720
People going out and knocking doors for her.
00:26:06.799 --> 00:26:08.400
That's how Zoran Mamdani won.
00:26:08.559 --> 00:26:13.920
That's how all every surprise win is people doing that work.
00:26:14.079 --> 00:26:15.440
And so I will stop with that.
00:26:15.599 --> 00:26:19.039
Electability is what we decide electability is.
00:26:19.279 --> 00:26:22.319
If we want someone to win, we go out and we make them win.
00:26:22.480 --> 00:26:24.000
And then they are electable.
00:26:24.240 --> 00:26:25.759
Barack Obama was not electable.
00:26:25.920 --> 00:26:26.400
Are you kidding?
00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:32.640
When he first came on the scene, people were like, nobody named Barack Hussein Obama will ever win an election.
00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:34.400
President, never.
00:26:34.640 --> 00:26:38.480
That was the wisdom of the pundit class at that time.
00:26:38.799 --> 00:26:40.880
He was not electable.
00:26:42.400 --> 00:26:45.039
Electability is what we decide is electable.
00:26:45.119 --> 00:26:48.240
So don't let anyone tell you that someone is or is not electable.
00:26:48.319 --> 00:26:52.319
If you're passionate about them and you love them, get behind them.
00:26:52.559 --> 00:26:58.079
Other people will as well, because a candidate who elicits that kind of passion can win.
00:26:58.319 --> 00:26:59.680
That's what it takes to win.
00:26:59.839 --> 00:27:01.119
That's electability.
00:27:01.359 --> 00:27:04.559
So there, I'm I've finished my rant.
00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:06.559
So good.
00:27:06.960 --> 00:27:08.079
Totally, totally.
00:27:08.240 --> 00:27:19.279
I think that's I I I think it's really interesting because the person that I was campaigning for, he was a person of color and his team was talking about his electability.
00:27:19.440 --> 00:27:21.680
And I just I just think that's really interesting.
00:27:21.759 --> 00:27:22.480
It's really cool.
00:27:23.039 --> 00:27:24.640
It doesn't mean they're gonna win every time.
00:27:24.720 --> 00:27:26.720
I mean, not every they will not always win.
00:27:26.880 --> 00:27:34.480
We've had some really heartbreaking losses, but electability is a phrase that makes me nervous and raises my hackles a bit.
00:27:35.279 --> 00:27:37.039
Definitely 100%.
00:27:37.680 --> 00:27:39.279
Um all right.
00:27:39.680 --> 00:27:43.440
So that's really, I feel like so amazing.
00:27:43.599 --> 00:27:45.279
All of this has been really interesting.
00:27:45.519 --> 00:27:52.160
I kind of want to give a little bit of a simpler question just to kind of conclude things, close things off.
00:27:52.400 --> 00:27:55.759
Um, this podcast is for the youth.
00:27:55.920 --> 00:27:57.759
You were talking about what are we doing?
00:27:57.920 --> 00:27:59.279
We need people power.
00:27:59.440 --> 00:28:02.319
We need to just get out there and do work.
00:28:02.720 --> 00:28:18.720
Um, is it we I want to target and educate and mobilize the youth vote because you're right, it's important and we have to be more consistent voters and we have, and if we want to be listened to, like that, this is what we have to do.
00:28:18.960 --> 00:28:26.640
Um, what's the one thing though that you would say is the most important to prepare for the midterms?
00:28:26.720 --> 00:28:29.680
I know I'm voting in the midterms, which I'm really excited about.
00:28:29.920 --> 00:28:32.880
First time voter, and that's super exciting.
00:28:33.039 --> 00:28:38.640
Um, is there anything that you think that you like young people should be looking out for?
00:28:38.880 --> 00:28:40.880
What is our goal with the midterms?
00:28:41.039 --> 00:28:45.039
What should we be doing leading up to it and for the midterms?
00:28:45.440 --> 00:28:53.920
So, what we're really recommending that people do in this particular election cycle is first of all, check your voter registration and double check it.
00:28:54.079 --> 00:29:04.960
There's a lot of purges happening, uh, a lot of states where they're just looking, not blue states so much, but where they're just looking for reasons to kick people off the rolls that should have stopped within 90 days of an election.
00:29:05.039 --> 00:29:06.559
They're not allowed to do that anymore.
00:29:06.720 --> 00:29:10.079
But if you think you're registered, just double check.
00:29:10.160 --> 00:29:13.279
It takes 30 seconds to double check.
00:29:13.359 --> 00:29:15.440
You can go to vote.org or vote.gov.
00:29:15.680 --> 00:29:17.039
There's a million websites.
00:29:17.279 --> 00:29:26.079
Um, make a decision that you're gonna get like five of your friends to vote, or three, if that feels more manageable, and then help them with the process.
00:29:26.160 --> 00:29:30.559
Because I think a lot of young people do want to vote, but they're like, I don't know how, I don't know where to go.
00:29:30.799 --> 00:29:38.400
So you can, once you've sort of got your own vote sorted out, make a commitment that I'm gonna get three friends to vote and I'm gonna help them if I need to.
00:29:38.559 --> 00:29:42.640
I'll drive them or I'll help them fill out their ballot, whatever it takes.
00:29:42.799 --> 00:29:45.759
If we all did that, it's actually called vote tripling.
00:29:46.000 --> 00:29:51.039
It is a we we will win in places that nobody even thought we could win.
00:29:51.200 --> 00:29:52.799
Like, really, it can be huge.
00:29:53.039 --> 00:29:54.640
Check your voter registration.
00:29:54.799 --> 00:30:03.279
Also, we are asking everybody this year to early, and I mean as early as humanly possible, ideally on the first day of early voting.
00:30:03.440 --> 00:30:09.920
What we're trying to do is get as many votes in the bank as possible so that first of all, we win the election in early voting.
00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:20.240
Like we just have such a massive bank of votes already that if Trump decides to try to pull something on election day, which I I'm actually not convinced he will, but let's say he does.
00:30:20.400 --> 00:30:28.240
Um, and let me just say there is a massive amount of safeguarding going on on our side to be prepared for whatever happens, and y'all should know that.
00:30:28.480 --> 00:30:30.559
But that our votes are already banked.
00:30:30.720 --> 00:30:46.960
So tell everybody you know to vote early, and then the last thing I'll say is check your ID, make sure it hasn't expired, and then look at the signature on your ID and make sure that when you sign, if you're gonna do vote by mail, when you sign that ballot, make sure your signature matches.
00:30:47.039 --> 00:30:51.200
It doesn't have to be identical, but some people have like two different signatures they use.
00:30:51.279 --> 00:30:52.160
I did for a long time.
00:30:52.319 --> 00:30:54.319
I had a print one and I had a script one.
00:30:54.480 --> 00:30:59.920
If you have a script one on your driver's license and you use your print one, your ballot's gonna get rejected.
00:31:00.160 --> 00:31:08.000
So just remember, you know, check your signature, make sure you're still using the same one, and uh, you know, and read the instructions on your vote by mail ballot.
00:31:08.079 --> 00:31:18.720
These are dumb little things, but a lot of people's ballots get rejected because they didn't read the instructions carefully and it asked for today's date on the envelope and you wrote your birth date.
00:31:18.880 --> 00:31:20.160
Your ballot's gone.
00:31:20.400 --> 00:31:24.480
And maybe you'll get a call that it was rejected and you can fix it, but maybe not.
00:31:24.720 --> 00:31:28.480
So just we're all gonna be really deliberate about our vote this year.
00:31:28.720 --> 00:31:34.079
Do it early, do it carefully, pay attention to details, and then get three of your friends to vote.
00:31:34.319 --> 00:31:41.359
And try not to let fear overcome you because we are going to fucking beat these people if we have to crawl over hot coals.
00:31:41.759 --> 00:31:45.759
We just need every single one of you to vote and vote early, okay?
00:31:46.160 --> 00:31:47.039
Definitely.
00:31:47.279 --> 00:31:48.960
Yes, let's get out the vote.
00:31:49.200 --> 00:31:51.519
G-O-T-V, get out the vote.
00:31:51.759 --> 00:31:52.319
That's right.
00:31:52.559 --> 00:31:56.720
And I think on that note, let us end this podcast episode.
00:31:56.960 --> 00:32:00.079
Thank you so much for joining me.
00:32:00.319 --> 00:32:05.359
Um, and to the Red, White, and you listeners, I will see you when I see you.
00:32:05.519 --> 00:32:08.559
Thank you so much for listening and have the best day.
00:32:08.799 --> 00:32:12.160
Come back for the next episode of Red, White, and You.
00:32:12.720 --> 00:32:13.359
Bye.
00:32:13.759 --> 00:32:14.000
Bye.
00:32:14.079 --> 00:32:15.279
Thanks, Evan, for having me.
00:32:15.359 --> 00:32:16.000
Thanks, y'all.
00:32:16.160 --> 00:32:17.440
Have a good day.
