WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.000 --> 00:00:04.240 Hey, everybody, Welcome back to the Strategy Session. I am 2 00:00:04.280 --> 00:00:06.799 Rick Wilson, your host tonight, joined by my friend Matthew 3 00:00:06.879 --> 00:00:09.519 Dowd and another member of the Lincoln Project team that 4 00:00:09.599 --> 00:00:11.480 is bringing the fight to the bad guys this year. 5 00:00:12.519 --> 00:00:14.080 Matt, it's a big night tonight. 6 00:00:14.160 --> 00:00:19.679 We've got a whole bunch of primaries in Florida, Alaska, Wyoming, California. 7 00:00:20.440 --> 00:00:22.440 For a couple of specials here and there. It's uh, 8 00:00:23.079 --> 00:00:24.920 we're getting onto the end of primary season. 9 00:00:25.359 --> 00:00:27.280 Yeah, I was gonna say, are we finally at the 10 00:00:27.359 --> 00:00:29.640 end of primary scene? I actually like the way they 11 00:00:29.640 --> 00:00:31.440 do it in Texas where they hold the primary in 12 00:00:31.480 --> 00:00:33.439 March and you can have a general election for seven 13 00:00:33.479 --> 00:00:34.200 and a half months. 14 00:00:34.399 --> 00:00:35.079 Oh gosh. 15 00:00:35.159 --> 00:00:39.000 I know, being a longtime Florida guy, these fall primaries 16 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:41.719 always just crush you because it's like you have to 17 00:00:41.759 --> 00:00:45.399 do all the statewide campaigning and all the fundraising in 18 00:00:46.280 --> 00:00:50.280 sixty days. Yep, it's a it's a well, seventy days, 19 00:00:50.280 --> 00:00:51.600 but it's a it's a crush. 20 00:00:51.960 --> 00:00:56.280 So, you know, I think Florida. Everybody's watching Florida. 21 00:00:56.320 --> 00:00:58.920 I think the governor's race is looking good for David 22 00:00:58.960 --> 00:01:03.119 Jolly in the primary in all these places, folks, the 23 00:01:03.119 --> 00:01:08.560 big issues, data centers, crypto taxes, and of course affordability 24 00:01:09.239 --> 00:01:11.560 has just eaten up the mind space of people in 25 00:01:11.599 --> 00:01:15.760 the country this year, Matt, And I'm curious what your 26 00:01:15.760 --> 00:01:20.920 thoughts are about, like, Florida is a more conservative state 27 00:01:20.959 --> 00:01:25.120 even for Democrats than a lot of other states, and 28 00:01:25.159 --> 00:01:27.200 you're going to end up it looks like tonight, you know, 29 00:01:27.239 --> 00:01:29.120 we don't know yet, but it looks like David Jolly 30 00:01:29.159 --> 00:01:31.319 and Alex Vineman are going to be the statewide candidates 31 00:01:31.319 --> 00:01:35.879 at the top of the ticket. And I'm curious about 32 00:01:35.879 --> 00:01:39.040 your thoughts about how these progressive movements in the primaries 33 00:01:39.079 --> 00:01:41.480 and other states have been very active and it's not 34 00:01:41.519 --> 00:01:42.719 going to be that way in Florida. 35 00:01:42.719 --> 00:01:44.480 It doesn't look like at this point. 36 00:01:44.840 --> 00:01:46.640 What are your thoughts on how how these races are 37 00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:49.560 going to are going to affect the fall, these more 38 00:01:49.560 --> 00:01:51.519 conservative candidates in Florida gonna affect the fall? 39 00:01:52.439 --> 00:01:55.359 Well, I you know, to me, there's been a total 40 00:01:55.400 --> 00:01:58.560 misread by so many folks in this when they described 41 00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:03.319 the results as left as left or progressive versus moderate. 42 00:02:03.359 --> 00:02:05.400 And you look at race after race and Rick, you've 43 00:02:05.400 --> 00:02:07.879 done enough races and I've worked with you a bunch 44 00:02:08.520 --> 00:02:12.120 that in the end, candidate quality and candidability to communicate, 45 00:02:12.800 --> 00:02:16.840 candidate and candidate passion, all those things and a candidate 46 00:02:16.919 --> 00:02:21.479 sense of authenticity is way, way, way more more powerful 47 00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:25.680 than ideology. I mean, it's it's why the progressive one 48 00:02:25.759 --> 00:02:27.840 in Michigan in the Senate race, he was a much 49 00:02:27.879 --> 00:02:31.000 better candidate, and he proves himself every day, vast candidate 50 00:02:31.080 --> 00:02:33.680 to be a better candidate. And in race after race, 51 00:02:33.879 --> 00:02:37.280 why Flannagan and Minnesota instead of winning by three or 52 00:02:37.319 --> 00:02:41.599 fourty one by twenty it's just it's we The media 53 00:02:41.639 --> 00:02:44.199 doesn't know how to talk about it, so they then 54 00:02:44.280 --> 00:02:47.919 they default into this most of the media defaults into 55 00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:52.840 this progressive versus moderate thing when in reality, it's candidate quality. 56 00:02:53.680 --> 00:02:55.240 Yeah. I think that's exactly right. 57 00:02:55.280 --> 00:02:59.479 I mean, we saw that Wisconsin last week where where 58 00:02:59.879 --> 00:03:04.240 the DSA candidate just was not as good as as 59 00:03:04.280 --> 00:03:06.759 the guy who actually won the race. He got out, 60 00:03:06.840 --> 00:03:10.159 he did the work and said he could have been 61 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:13.879 left right or center. With that a degree of intensity 62 00:03:13.879 --> 00:03:17.479 and authenticity. Man, I think he is truly. 63 00:03:17.719 --> 00:03:19.759 I mean, I think he's a very impressive candidate. 64 00:03:20.599 --> 00:03:23.080 Yeah, And you know, Rick, it goes to sort of 65 00:03:23.080 --> 00:03:26.199 what we're trying to do here at Lincoln Project is people. 66 00:03:26.240 --> 00:03:27.840 We're not in a moment where people want you to 67 00:03:27.919 --> 00:03:31.840 mince words, right, they want you to tell it to 68 00:03:31.919 --> 00:03:33.840 him straight and tell it to him to say, this 69 00:03:33.960 --> 00:03:36.439 is the deal. That's why any candidate, I mean, we 70 00:03:36.439 --> 00:03:39.000 could look forward to twenty twenty eight, any candidate that 71 00:03:39.080 --> 00:03:42.039 tries to do this, I'm going to heal the country 72 00:03:42.360 --> 00:03:45.120 and we shouldn't prosecute Donald Trump and we're going to 73 00:03:45.159 --> 00:03:47.960 bring people together. Anybody that does that I think is 74 00:03:48.400 --> 00:03:49.759 immediately disqualified. 75 00:03:49.960 --> 00:03:53.199 That that's the last place candidate in my in my assessment, 76 00:03:53.240 --> 00:03:56.479 no matter what, this idea that you can't have accountability 77 00:03:56.960 --> 00:04:01.240 just because you know, because we're nice guys. 78 00:04:01.479 --> 00:04:03.919 No, yeah, this is the mistake. And I you know, 79 00:04:03.960 --> 00:04:06.120 I thought Biden was a good president. I thought Obama 80 00:04:06.199 --> 00:04:08.240 was a good president. But this is the mistake they made. 81 00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:11.039 They they fell into this traple. I'm going to work 82 00:04:11.080 --> 00:04:13.680 with the Republicans and I'm going to do these things 83 00:04:13.960 --> 00:04:15.719 and then in the end I'll be able to get 84 00:04:15.719 --> 00:04:18.000 done when I what I should have gotten done. And 85 00:04:18.360 --> 00:04:21.600 I think they both of them missed an opportunity to 86 00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:24.839 address the structural problem in our country and the structural 87 00:04:24.839 --> 00:04:27.920 problem in the democracy. They both didn't do. They could 88 00:04:27.959 --> 00:04:31.079 have done certain things that would have prevented where we 89 00:04:31.120 --> 00:04:33.680 are today by pat you know, when they had majorities, 90 00:04:33.720 --> 00:04:36.720 when they hadbility to do it. But they thought, I'm 91 00:04:36.759 --> 00:04:39.399 going to work with the Republicans on things. And it's 92 00:04:39.399 --> 00:04:40.759 a mistake, you know. 93 00:04:41.040 --> 00:04:43.439 I mean, I get why President Biden wanted to do 94 00:04:43.519 --> 00:04:48.079 the Infrastructure Bill and the Chips Act and the Recovery Act. 95 00:04:48.279 --> 00:04:51.480 I get why he wanted to do it, but I 96 00:04:51.519 --> 00:04:53.639 also feel like that did lead them to take their 97 00:04:53.639 --> 00:04:56.920 foot off the gas on things like January sixth, and 98 00:04:57.000 --> 00:05:00.319 things like the Trump classified documents prosecutions until it was 99 00:05:00.680 --> 00:05:01.800 way too late in the game. 100 00:05:02.439 --> 00:05:04.639 And who we who we put in as Attorney General. 101 00:05:06.680 --> 00:05:09.000 I'm sure I've never met Merrick Garland. I'm sure he 102 00:05:09.079 --> 00:05:11.839 is a lovely man. He was not the man for 103 00:05:11.879 --> 00:05:12.399 that moment. 104 00:05:12.720 --> 00:05:15.199 No, It's like saying that there's somebody's a lovely man 105 00:05:15.240 --> 00:05:17.079 and they're going to go into a gladiator fight, and 106 00:05:17.120 --> 00:05:19.439 I was like, that guy was a really nice guy. 107 00:05:20.560 --> 00:05:27.920 Good guy, superb friendly guy. Well, folks, we've got a 108 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:30.439 race tonight in Florida. I just want to bring this 109 00:05:30.560 --> 00:05:32.040 up map before we move on to the next thing. 110 00:05:32.160 --> 00:05:34.839 I meant to mention this a minute ago. We have 111 00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:38.680 a race in Florida's nineteenth Congressional district, which is sort 112 00:05:38.720 --> 00:05:44.240 of Cape Coral Benita Springs, part of Naples, which, folks 113 00:05:44.360 --> 00:05:48.680 is the in Florida. It is the hot bed of maga. 114 00:05:48.759 --> 00:05:51.199 It is it is the white hot center of maga 115 00:05:51.240 --> 00:05:54.959 in Florida. And it is a race with not one, 116 00:05:55.079 --> 00:05:58.079 not two, but three former Republican congressman, all who had 117 00:05:58.079 --> 00:06:03.759 to leave in disgrace, an insane woman and I mean, 118 00:06:04.439 --> 00:06:08.600 I mean she makes uh Lauren Bobert look like a 119 00:06:08.639 --> 00:06:13.639 Nobel Prize winning physicist, and like fifteen other people, all 120 00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:17.000 of whom are racing to become the craziest maga it, 121 00:06:17.959 --> 00:06:20.279 you know, Matthew. And the reason I bring this up is, 122 00:06:20.439 --> 00:06:24.360 in my mind, there's a moment unless Trump like keels 123 00:06:24.360 --> 00:06:25.120 over tomorrow. 124 00:06:25.600 --> 00:06:26.600 I really feel like. 125 00:06:27.839 --> 00:06:31.240 That's the future of a lot of Republican primaries weirder 126 00:06:31.240 --> 00:06:35.319 and weirder, more and more about the deer Leader, even 127 00:06:35.399 --> 00:06:37.120 after he's going to be out of office. I feel 128 00:06:37.160 --> 00:06:40.199 like that's a weird preview. A lot of these guys 129 00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:42.240 are frustrated. They want to run for something. They want 130 00:06:42.279 --> 00:06:44.439 to be in office, they want to get power, but 131 00:06:44.519 --> 00:06:47.399 they have to go through now a reality show, not 132 00:06:47.480 --> 00:06:48.199 just a primary. 133 00:06:48.879 --> 00:06:51.920 Well, I actually think you're right to sort of focus 134 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:54.800 on that because I think too often we think, Okay, 135 00:06:54.800 --> 00:06:57.680 once Trump's gone, then everything overturned to normal, which it won't. 136 00:06:58.360 --> 00:07:02.399 And the Republican Party has has become it's caught the virus, right, 137 00:07:02.439 --> 00:07:05.519 and it's it's it's there's no antidote to it other 138 00:07:05.600 --> 00:07:10.600 than eliminating it, right, is eliminating it. And I think, 139 00:07:10.759 --> 00:07:13.360 I actually think it could get worse win the Republican 140 00:07:13.399 --> 00:07:16.720 Party because there's a bunch of voters that are gonna 141 00:07:16.720 --> 00:07:20.240 think that Donald Trump was, that Donald Trump won two 142 00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:22.800 elections on some of the most of their minds, three elections, 143 00:07:23.360 --> 00:07:25.800 but that he won these elections. And the reason why 144 00:07:25.839 --> 00:07:28.800 the Republicans aren't winning enough is they're not being enough 145 00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:31.839 like Donald Trump. There's a whole bunch of maga voters 146 00:07:31.879 --> 00:07:32.639 that think that. 147 00:07:33.079 --> 00:07:38.000 Yeah, for sure, for sure, and and you know this 148 00:07:38.160 --> 00:07:42.600 is like purity checks inside of political parties rarely end 149 00:07:42.680 --> 00:07:47.600 well for the party's broad appeal. So, speaking of broad appeal, 150 00:07:47.639 --> 00:07:51.120 we've got Donald Trump's numbers are crashing, and it might 151 00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:53.639 be Matt called me crazy. It might be because he's 152 00:07:53.639 --> 00:07:56.639 now threatened to bomb Oman, one of our longest standing 153 00:07:56.639 --> 00:08:01.040 allies in the Gulf. He's got Jared Kushner running around 154 00:08:01.560 --> 00:08:03.800 saying he's got a secret deal he can't tell us about. 155 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:05.920 And we're we've. 156 00:08:05.759 --> 00:08:08.360 Declared the hormone, the straight up hormones is a new 157 00:08:08.439 --> 00:08:09.480 US territory. 158 00:08:09.720 --> 00:08:11.720 And maybe that's something to do with these numbers. 159 00:08:12.279 --> 00:08:14.720 You know, you ever you ever see the movie of 160 00:08:14.759 --> 00:08:18.480 the Campaign with Jason Sedekas and absolutely, okay, it's really 161 00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:20.600 for all you all that haven't seen it, it's a 162 00:08:20.680 --> 00:08:24.000 really funny. See it's a very funny movie. Remember the 163 00:08:24.040 --> 00:08:25.920 scene in the movie where he walks in the office 164 00:08:25.920 --> 00:08:30.120 and Will Beryl's sitting at the and he comes up 165 00:08:30.120 --> 00:08:33.120 with this crazy right like, it's like, here's my campaign plant. 166 00:08:33.480 --> 00:08:36.519 And Jason Dakas turns and says, is that book you're 167 00:08:36.559 --> 00:08:38.480 reading a book of bad campaign ideas? 168 00:08:38.559 --> 00:08:39.399 That's what he says to me. 169 00:08:39.720 --> 00:08:41.840 Is that a book of bat It's as if the 170 00:08:41.919 --> 00:08:45.120 Republicans are reading from a book of bad ideas. They're 171 00:08:45.159 --> 00:08:47.759 not addressing any of the issues. They're not addressing any 172 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:51.600 of the issues that people care about none, jobs, healthcare, 173 00:08:51.759 --> 00:08:55.159 all of those things, and actually a different foreign policy. 174 00:08:55.240 --> 00:08:58.200 And they keep coming up, and Donald Trump keeps coming 175 00:08:58.279 --> 00:09:02.120 up with this, this, these these crazy thoughts and these 176 00:09:02.159 --> 00:09:05.480 crazy ideas that every moment you think. I thought, you know, 177 00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:08.799 when we talked, we talked a few weeks ago on this, 178 00:09:08.879 --> 00:09:11.360 I thought, Oh, I can't get worse. It's actually gotten worse. 179 00:09:11.519 --> 00:09:15.039 It's got worse, and he's now they have now Donald 180 00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:19.639 Trump now has a seventy four percent disapproval rating among independents. Yeah, 181 00:09:19.720 --> 00:09:21.320 seventy four percent disapproval. 182 00:09:21.679 --> 00:09:24.000 Which to loop back on Florida one more time, folks, 183 00:09:24.519 --> 00:09:27.759 the largest group of voters in Florida are nonpartisan voters. 184 00:09:28.279 --> 00:09:31.639 They are in PA's they are the classic independence. They 185 00:09:31.720 --> 00:09:34.000 used to vote Republican about sixty percent of the time. 186 00:09:34.600 --> 00:09:38.039 And the polling now has flipped upside down. And you know, 187 00:09:38.120 --> 00:09:40.120 two to one, three to one, four to one against 188 00:09:40.399 --> 00:09:43.279 is not where you want to be in a state 189 00:09:43.320 --> 00:09:45.080 with a big pool of independent voters. 190 00:09:45.240 --> 00:09:47.960 Yeah, And I would argue, and I know you've pushed this, 191 00:09:48.039 --> 00:09:50.879 I would argue, we shouldn't look past Florida on election 192 00:09:51.039 --> 00:09:55.440 night because, as we've talked before, Donald Trump's much worse 193 00:09:55.480 --> 00:09:58.279 position than he was in twenty eighteen, much worse position, 194 00:09:58.519 --> 00:10:01.000 much worse position in Florida than was in twenty eighteen. 195 00:10:01.799 --> 00:10:04.320 He had a dead even job approval rating in Florida. 196 00:10:04.360 --> 00:10:06.720 Now I think it's double digits negative, and it is. 197 00:10:07.159 --> 00:10:10.399 It's minus twenty on the economy. And that race for 198 00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:13.159 governor in Florida, and you remember this in twenty eighteen, 199 00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:18.039 with a rather flawed Democratic candidate lost by less than 200 00:10:18.120 --> 00:10:19.080 one percent of the vote. 201 00:10:19.600 --> 00:10:21.360 Yeah, twenty eighteen, it is. 202 00:10:21.960 --> 00:10:24.919 And Byron Donalds is now spent close to forty million 203 00:10:25.000 --> 00:10:29.600 dollars and his approval went from our disapproval stayed the same, 204 00:10:29.840 --> 00:10:32.399 or actually rose a little bit. But his approval was 205 00:10:32.399 --> 00:10:34.360 at forty when he started, and it is a forty one. 206 00:10:34.440 --> 00:10:36.559 Now. He better get a billion. 207 00:10:36.279 --> 00:10:39.720 Dollars before now in election day because that math isn't mathing. 208 00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:40.639 It's the kids say. 209 00:10:42.720 --> 00:10:46.000 So you know that that these polling numbers, as I 210 00:10:46.080 --> 00:10:48.480 like to sort of summarize it, America really does not 211 00:10:48.559 --> 00:10:49.279 like Donald Trump. 212 00:10:49.480 --> 00:10:52.120 Yep. The magic is gone. Yep. 213 00:10:52.159 --> 00:10:55.480 I mean that we're we're now deep into the base number. 214 00:10:55.960 --> 00:10:58.960 And and you know, you see these things in Quinnipiac 215 00:10:58.960 --> 00:11:03.200 as you and I both known, poll solid pull, all 216 00:11:03.240 --> 00:11:07.399 these things that were his strengths are now completely blown out. 217 00:11:07.399 --> 00:11:09.679 He has not a single positive rating on any issue, 218 00:11:10.080 --> 00:11:13.559 any issue. And people forget that in twenty eighteen he 219 00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:16.679 had a plus eight on the economy. It's now minus thirty, 220 00:11:16.919 --> 00:11:18.840 minus thirty on the economy. He had a plus eight 221 00:11:18.879 --> 00:11:21.600 when he lost bad in twenty eighteen. And in this 222 00:11:21.720 --> 00:11:24.720 idea that Donald Trump has test don which is often 223 00:11:24.759 --> 00:11:27.080 called he's not tested on that when you have a 224 00:11:27.120 --> 00:11:28.879 thirty five percent approval rating. 225 00:11:29.759 --> 00:11:32.679 And you know, I keep saying to people, you know, 226 00:11:32.720 --> 00:11:37.320 I feel like this election is interestingly sort of the 227 00:11:37.960 --> 00:11:41.159 weird love child of two thousand and six and twenty 228 00:11:41.279 --> 00:11:44.559 and eighteen. It's the two thousand and six high gas prices, 229 00:11:44.600 --> 00:11:47.159 inflation unpopular form where you and I both remember that 230 00:11:47.240 --> 00:11:53.919 great year, that was such a great year, but in 231 00:11:54.039 --> 00:11:58.720 twenty eighteen with the widespread disconnect with the voters that 232 00:11:58.720 --> 00:12:02.480 that Trump had then, and he's much worse off now 233 00:12:02.559 --> 00:12:03.320 than he was then. 234 00:12:04.039 --> 00:12:08.799 He's much worse and the Republican base is much less unenthusiastic. 235 00:12:09.240 --> 00:12:12.039 It's when you look at the non MAGA Republicans, which 236 00:12:12.039 --> 00:12:15.720 are about twenty five percent of the Republican Party Republican voters. 237 00:12:16.120 --> 00:12:19.720 Those voters, in my view, are either going to skip 238 00:12:20.039 --> 00:12:22.000 high profile races or not vote. 239 00:12:22.720 --> 00:12:27.279 I am I am increasingly believing that because Trump's not 240 00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:31.000 on the ballot and the situation is so grim, you know, 241 00:12:31.039 --> 00:12:32.960 they don't ever have to admit it that they are 242 00:12:33.000 --> 00:12:36.519 angry with him. They probably never will, but the reality 243 00:12:36.639 --> 00:12:38.399 is they're going to show it, I think. 244 00:12:38.279 --> 00:12:39.480 By not coming out to vote. 245 00:12:39.480 --> 00:12:42.600 And that's exactly that's going to be a bigger you know, 246 00:12:42.639 --> 00:12:46.080 the Democrats smartly, they're now doing the sort of like 247 00:12:46.159 --> 00:12:48.679 modesty thing. We're going to fight hard for the Senate. 248 00:12:48.720 --> 00:12:51.600 We think we'll get eighteen House seats. I think now 249 00:12:51.600 --> 00:12:53.360 they're starting to put the brakes on. Some people don't 250 00:12:53.360 --> 00:12:57.360 get over confident, but there's no world where Donald Trump 251 00:12:57.440 --> 00:13:00.399 is a net advantage to a lot of these candidates. 252 00:13:00.480 --> 00:13:02.080 I mean, do you think Ken Paxson's going to bring 253 00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:03.240 Donald Trump to Texas? 254 00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:06.399 Do you think they're going to be the Senate the 255 00:13:06.440 --> 00:13:09.080 Republican senator is going to bring Donald Trump to Alaska? 256 00:13:09.159 --> 00:13:09.679 Do you think that? 257 00:13:10.200 --> 00:13:10.720 You know? 258 00:13:11.440 --> 00:13:13.240 And do you think she the woman in Iowa's going 259 00:13:13.240 --> 00:13:14.960 to bring him to Iowa? I mean, none of these, 260 00:13:15.080 --> 00:13:17.759 none of these. The only people that will are the 261 00:13:17.799 --> 00:13:22.000 people that I think are in They're no longer swing races. 262 00:13:22.039 --> 00:13:24.320 I mean, I think what's happened in the last sixty 263 00:13:24.399 --> 00:13:27.039 days is races that we thought were swinging are no 264 00:13:27.159 --> 00:13:28.559 longer swing, right. 265 00:13:28.399 --> 00:13:30.720 Like he'll show up in South Carolina. He's not going 266 00:13:30.720 --> 00:13:31.679 to show up in Florida. 267 00:13:32.039 --> 00:13:32.279 Nope. 268 00:13:33.639 --> 00:13:36.799 And and and I think that. 269 00:13:36.559 --> 00:13:40.320 That that is one more thing, one more chip in 270 00:13:40.399 --> 00:13:44.200 the Trump control of the party. The primaries are over, 271 00:13:44.639 --> 00:13:47.720 and now his presence in their lives is a net negative. 272 00:13:48.320 --> 00:13:51.080 And then some Yeah, that's a really good point people 273 00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:53.480 should make because Donald Trump has never helped somebody get 274 00:13:53.480 --> 00:13:56.720 across the general election line. He's never helped a single 275 00:13:56.759 --> 00:13:58.639 candidate get across the general election. 276 00:13:59.159 --> 00:14:01.159 I mean, and this was before your time at LP, 277 00:14:01.320 --> 00:14:04.039 But in twenty twenty one, when we were helping us 278 00:14:04.039 --> 00:14:10.159 Off and Reverend Warnock in Georgia, Trump, every time Trump 279 00:14:10.240 --> 00:14:14.399 showed up, our trackers showed another dip for the Republicans. 280 00:14:14.440 --> 00:14:16.879 Every single time he made a speech or tweeted about it. 281 00:14:17.080 --> 00:14:19.639 You could almost measure it. It was a short porch race, 282 00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:22.480 but we were tracking almost from the very first day 283 00:14:22.919 --> 00:14:26.240 and It was just disastrous because he would keep saying things. 284 00:14:26.039 --> 00:14:28.600 Like other the election was rigged and it's still rigged. 285 00:14:28.600 --> 00:14:32.759 Don't vote no sure thing, Donald, you keep that up. 286 00:14:34.360 --> 00:14:38.759 Speaking of future Republican campaigns, you and I have both 287 00:14:38.759 --> 00:14:41.200 done our penance in the great state of Iowa. Yes, 288 00:14:41.559 --> 00:14:44.480 and Pete Hexseth is headed out there this weekend to campaign. 289 00:14:45.080 --> 00:14:48.440 It is widely being interpreted as pet except once to 290 00:14:48.559 --> 00:14:50.000 run for president. 291 00:14:50.960 --> 00:14:51.200 Sorry. 292 00:14:51.519 --> 00:14:55.759 Yeah, I don't get how any Republican candidate would be 293 00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:58.879 feel good about him showing up. I don't like him 294 00:14:58.919 --> 00:15:01.759 showing up in a state. And maybe he you know, 295 00:15:02.039 --> 00:15:05.879 the level of delusion in Maga world is high. 296 00:15:05.799 --> 00:15:06.200 As you know. 297 00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:11.240 Yeah, And I mean maybe he thinks that because he's 298 00:15:11.440 --> 00:15:14.679 you know, the crazy stuff he does. He's he's crazier 299 00:15:14.720 --> 00:15:18.360 than everybody else and therefore gives him an opportunity in this. 300 00:15:19.279 --> 00:15:20.879 I mean, I don't get it. He's only going to 301 00:15:20.960 --> 00:15:22.039 hurt the local candidates. 302 00:15:22.039 --> 00:15:24.519 Oh yeah, Oh yeah, don't. I don't see any world 303 00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:25.240 where that is. 304 00:15:25.960 --> 00:15:28.840 That is a especially in the midst of the Randa buckle. 305 00:15:28.879 --> 00:15:30.799 He's going to go out there as Secretary of devents, 306 00:15:30.840 --> 00:15:32.279 in the midst of the random. 307 00:15:32.279 --> 00:15:35.240 We've got We've got people starving on an aircraft carrier 308 00:15:35.480 --> 00:15:39.399 and in miserable conditions, and he's going to go out 309 00:15:39.440 --> 00:15:42.919 and start a presidential flirtation at the least. 310 00:15:43.720 --> 00:15:46.559 I'm sorry, but you read the room, Pete. 311 00:15:46.759 --> 00:15:51.639 Yes, So speaking of of Heck said, I wanted to 312 00:15:51.919 --> 00:15:55.480 bring up the South Korea situation because Trump's affection for 313 00:15:55.559 --> 00:15:59.039 dictators is widely known, and this week it manifested itself 314 00:15:59.080 --> 00:16:03.720 as America jumping into be looks like more part of 315 00:16:03.720 --> 00:16:05.440 the axis of evil than ever before. 316 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:06.039 Yep. 317 00:16:07.960 --> 00:16:10.039 Yeah, I mean you look at that and then you 318 00:16:10.080 --> 00:16:12.080 look at it. I don't know if it says it 319 00:16:12.120 --> 00:16:14.000 in this tweet or not, but he said it online 320 00:16:14.039 --> 00:16:18.759 when he basically said South Korea and Australia and Japan 321 00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:21.559 they didn't support me in the Iran deal, which actually 322 00:16:21.879 --> 00:16:25.120 my view is of the intelligence test and they passed 323 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:28.759 it in this. In this case, he's if he's like 324 00:16:28.799 --> 00:16:31.519 a jilted boyfriend or something like, they didn't do this, 325 00:16:32.039 --> 00:16:35.480 So I'm not gonna I'm not gonna protect anybody. I mean, 326 00:16:35.519 --> 00:16:38.279 it's such a bizarre approach to the world. 327 00:16:38.879 --> 00:16:42.159 It's such a and you know, we've all heard the 328 00:16:42.200 --> 00:16:44.799 self the sort of self the protection racket speech. 329 00:16:44.840 --> 00:16:46.440 That's a nice country you have. There'd be a shame 330 00:16:46.519 --> 00:16:47.440 if there was a fire. 331 00:16:47.759 --> 00:16:49.720 Maybe you should pay me some protection money. 332 00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:51.639 We've heard that in a lot of times. 333 00:16:52.080 --> 00:16:55.840 But I mean the entire predicate of the Republican Party's 334 00:16:55.919 --> 00:17:00.200 national security argument right now is Iran and China are 335 00:17:00.240 --> 00:17:02.559 the two most important things in the world. So he's 336 00:17:02.600 --> 00:17:07.000 attacking our allies in the Gulf region like Oman, and 337 00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:09.880 he's attacking our ally in South Korea, which is a 338 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:13.680 central lynchpin in the Indo Pacific strategy against China's expansion. 339 00:17:15.039 --> 00:17:18.119 I I mean, there's a part of me now that 340 00:17:18.240 --> 00:17:21.440 is is you know, I hesitate to be to diagnose 341 00:17:21.480 --> 00:17:25.079 Donald Trump, but I don't know if Grandpa is really 342 00:17:25.119 --> 00:17:28.400 clear on who's who anymore on the map, you know. 343 00:17:28.519 --> 00:17:32.200 I mean, I don't want to stretch this line too far. 344 00:17:32.359 --> 00:17:37.200 But you know, the only the only beneficiary of this 345 00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:44.119 is is dictators overseas, but more importantly, our oligarchs. If 346 00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:46.720 you think about a world that no longer has a 347 00:17:46.839 --> 00:17:51.279 unified set of values, right it is the oligarchs who 348 00:17:51.400 --> 00:17:54.240 you know, the Elon Musks of the world, and Russian 349 00:17:54.279 --> 00:17:58.319 oligarchs and other oligarchs the oligarchs here. And I actually 350 00:17:58.359 --> 00:18:01.680 think Donald Trump deep down believes that that the world 351 00:18:01.759 --> 00:18:06.839 would be a better place if the wealthiest people who 352 00:18:06.880 --> 00:18:09.200 are disconnected from job growth and all the other things, 353 00:18:09.240 --> 00:18:11.119 and they don't have any idea what the average person 354 00:18:11.160 --> 00:18:13.880 goes through is this is a world that as they 355 00:18:14.079 --> 00:18:20.160 as they unfold it, it is a perfect playpin for oligarchs. 356 00:18:20.920 --> 00:18:21.559 It really is. 357 00:18:22.400 --> 00:18:25.079 You know, if you look at that, like sort of 358 00:18:25.160 --> 00:18:28.319 the Russian theory, which I think Trump doesn't understand but 359 00:18:28.359 --> 00:18:30.839 probably kind of viscerally wants. 360 00:18:31.640 --> 00:18:33.160 You divide the world into three chunks. 361 00:18:33.279 --> 00:18:36.119 Russia gets Europe, China gets Asia, Trump gets North and 362 00:18:36.200 --> 00:18:40.240 South America. And I mean that's simple enough for him 363 00:18:40.279 --> 00:18:43.599 to understand, I guess. But it really is that a 364 00:18:43.640 --> 00:18:48.000 world where where very very very wealthy people will be 365 00:18:48.400 --> 00:18:55.640 empowered beyond any any boundaries of law or democratic governance 366 00:18:55.799 --> 00:18:56.480 of any kind. 367 00:18:57.240 --> 00:18:58.720 I think there are a lot of people that would 368 00:18:58.759 --> 00:18:59.079 want that. 369 00:18:59.359 --> 00:19:00.759 They really do. Think there's ae man. 370 00:19:00.839 --> 00:19:03.440 I think the tech that's sort of billionaire tech bro 371 00:19:03.599 --> 00:19:07.359 class would just assume they're not be international law. 372 00:19:08.640 --> 00:19:12.480 Sure, Oh I I you know I I I know 373 00:19:12.559 --> 00:19:15.440 somebody who works with one of these one of the 374 00:19:15.799 --> 00:19:17.519 one of the bad guys in the list. 375 00:19:17.559 --> 00:19:18.240 Let's just say that. 376 00:19:18.680 --> 00:19:20.960 Who describe it to me is like, you cannot believe 377 00:19:21.000 --> 00:19:23.200 how petty they are when they have they're told things 378 00:19:23.240 --> 00:19:25.079 like they have to show a passport flying their. 379 00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:27.279 Jet into a country. They get so angry. 380 00:19:27.279 --> 00:19:29.400 Don't you know that I developed this blah blah blah, 381 00:19:29.400 --> 00:19:36.279 it's off, no show me your passport, jerk. So uh, 382 00:19:36.440 --> 00:19:37.839 I want to do one more thing on the foreign 383 00:19:37.839 --> 00:19:40.599 policy front. Let's play this clip of Mike Johnson, because 384 00:19:40.640 --> 00:19:44.599 it's just it's it's a chef's kiss. 385 00:19:44.960 --> 00:19:47.400 Table for the US economy who taken off like a 386 00:19:47.480 --> 00:19:50.160 rocket if you look at it. We were doing that 387 00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:52.400 the first quarter of this year, and then we got 388 00:19:52.400 --> 00:19:54.079 into this conflict with Iran. 389 00:19:54.240 --> 00:19:59.440 Now look, we got into it. 390 00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:02.559 We got it to it if I stepped in this 391 00:20:02.680 --> 00:20:04.680 puddle by mistaken my shoes. 392 00:20:04.359 --> 00:20:07.839 Away, we got into it. 393 00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:10.079 Somehow it happened to somebody else. 394 00:20:11.160 --> 00:20:14.000 I mean, he has become a parody of himself. The 395 00:20:14.519 --> 00:20:16.440 other day. I'm sure you saw it the other day 396 00:20:16.440 --> 00:20:19.480 when he said which I actually thought was the greatest 397 00:20:19.480 --> 00:20:22.480 democratic talking point, when he said, if the Democrats win, 398 00:20:22.920 --> 00:20:25.440 they're going to tear down everything. Donald Trump has done, 399 00:20:25.880 --> 00:20:30.599 and I was like, yeah. 400 00:20:29.319 --> 00:20:31.759 Yes, yes we are for a start. 401 00:20:33.759 --> 00:20:37.319