WEBVTT 1 00:00:16.039 --> 00:00:19.039 Hello, and welcome to the Texas Tribune Trip Cast. I 2 00:00:19.079 --> 00:00:22.320 am Matthew Watkins, editor in chief of the trip Cast, 3 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:24.960 joined as usual by the trip Text. 4 00:00:25.120 --> 00:00:27.039 I mean you are your editor in chief of everything. 5 00:00:27.399 --> 00:00:29.800 That's everything that I can see in this building. 6 00:00:29.879 --> 00:00:34.280 Yeah, and that other voice you hear, of course, eleanor 7 00:00:34.359 --> 00:00:37.719 Klibanoff and now I'm forgetting your title too. 8 00:00:37.920 --> 00:00:40.320 It's been a long couple of days law and politics 9 00:00:40.320 --> 00:00:43.719 reporter at the Texas Tribune, which maybe give context. 10 00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:47.439 Yes, so we are we are joining you. We are 11 00:00:47.439 --> 00:00:51.280 recording this on the Tuesday of July eighth, but we 12 00:00:51.320 --> 00:00:54.000 are you will probably be hearing this in the future, 13 00:00:54.119 --> 00:00:58.159 as we are recording another podcast today on the flooding 14 00:00:58.200 --> 00:00:59.439 that happened in the Hill Country. 15 00:01:00.039 --> 00:01:03.359 The Tribune is sort of on breaking news alert, so 16 00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:06.719 I'm glad we're going to pivot into a flood episode. 17 00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:10.799 But for this week, we are beginning what is going 18 00:01:10.840 --> 00:01:13.480 to be, I guess, a series of two podcasts looking 19 00:01:13.680 --> 00:01:17.840 forward to the twenty twenty sixth election. I had to 20 00:01:17.959 --> 00:01:20.480 check myself there to make sure that that's correct. It 21 00:01:20.519 --> 00:01:22.359 is indeed almost twenty twenty six. 22 00:01:22.239 --> 00:01:23.640 Since it is currently twenty twenty five. 23 00:01:23.879 --> 00:01:26.200 It is currently twenty twenty five. I believe crazy? 24 00:01:26.519 --> 00:01:28.079 Do you know? And I'm sorry we will get into this, 25 00:01:28.120 --> 00:01:30.359 but do you know that because we are past July second, 26 00:01:30.439 --> 00:01:33.640 twenty twenty five, we are closer to twenty fifty than 27 00:01:33.640 --> 00:01:35.079 we are to two thousand. 28 00:01:35.439 --> 00:01:42.000 That is indeed shocking, horrifying. Yes, you know, time flies. 29 00:01:42.159 --> 00:01:45.200 I have nothing to say I'm going to say about that. Yes, yes, 30 00:01:45.280 --> 00:01:47.920 But today we are going to focus on the Democratic 31 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:52.519 Party and we are joined by a special guest, Kendall Scudder, 32 00:01:52.560 --> 00:01:55.400 the new chair of the Texas Democratic Party. Hello, Kendall, 33 00:01:55.439 --> 00:01:56.840 thank you for joining us. 34 00:01:57.200 --> 00:01:59.560 Hey, thanks so much for having me. Y'all. I've always 35 00:01:59.560 --> 00:02:02.519 been a list so now it's a weird experience getting 36 00:02:02.519 --> 00:02:02.799 to be. 37 00:02:02.799 --> 00:02:06.879 On Great to have a listener, a listener and a fan, 38 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:08.639 A longtime listener, first time caller. 39 00:02:08.800 --> 00:02:12.400 Yeah, that's right. We asked that you still listen to 40 00:02:12.439 --> 00:02:14.400 the podcast even though you're on it, so yes, you 41 00:02:14.680 --> 00:02:15.520 can keep those listen. 42 00:02:15.719 --> 00:02:17.840 You don't transcend to a new plane where you don't 43 00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:18.759 have to listen anymore. 44 00:02:19.599 --> 00:02:21.879 I don't know are y all the same way, where 45 00:02:21.919 --> 00:02:24.319 like you can't listen to your own voice if you 46 00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:27.360 try to listen to it, it sounds weird, so this 47 00:02:27.439 --> 00:02:29.000 might be an episode I have to skip. 48 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:31.560 That's fair, all right, Well, maybe just like play it, 49 00:02:31.719 --> 00:02:33.639 you know, like play it on your phone, and just 50 00:02:33.680 --> 00:02:35.360 like leave your phone in the other room, you. 51 00:02:35.319 --> 00:02:37.479 Know, share it with your networks and have them listen 52 00:02:37.560 --> 00:02:37.800 to it. 53 00:02:38.479 --> 00:02:39.159 You go, there, you go. 54 00:02:39.400 --> 00:02:41.479 I will say, you have a very good radio voice, 55 00:02:41.560 --> 00:02:44.560 so that I do understand everyone. 56 00:02:44.599 --> 00:02:46.479 I don't listen anxiety. 57 00:02:46.520 --> 00:02:51.000 And yes, all right, well, chairman, we are going to talk, 58 00:02:51.080 --> 00:02:53.400 like we said, about the twenty twenty six elections. But 59 00:02:53.479 --> 00:02:57.000 before we do that, I actually want to look back 60 00:02:57.159 --> 00:03:00.520 a little bit. You are fairly new to your position. 61 00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:04.960 You were elected in March, I believe, after your predecessor 62 00:03:05.039 --> 00:03:09.319 resigned mid term. In the aftermath of you know what, 63 00:03:09.639 --> 00:03:13.840 was a pretty painful and I think we can say 64 00:03:13.960 --> 00:03:20.280 unsuccessful twenty four election statewide, the party the top of 65 00:03:20.319 --> 00:03:24.400 the ticket for president losing by fourteen percent, the Senate 66 00:03:24.479 --> 00:03:27.919 candidate Colin all Read losing by nine percent, during a 67 00:03:27.960 --> 00:03:30.840 time where at times during that cycle folks were thinking 68 00:03:30.879 --> 00:03:36.520 that Texas might be competitive. That election obviously brought about 69 00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:39.759 a considerable amount of soul searching in the Democratic Party 70 00:03:39.800 --> 00:03:44.680 in Texas, and beyond your election, came amid that soul searching. 71 00:03:44.759 --> 00:03:46.759 Can you just sort of remind folks who might not 72 00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:49.800 have fault paid attention to that race, what was your 73 00:03:49.960 --> 00:03:52.759 kind of message, what was the vision you were selling 74 00:03:52.800 --> 00:03:56.439 to the party? Looking forward after and admittedly pretty tough 75 00:03:56.479 --> 00:03:57.240 twenty twenty four. 76 00:03:58.080 --> 00:04:00.960 Yeah, I mean, what I I think was probably the 77 00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:03.479 most interesting about that election is that I come from 78 00:04:03.520 --> 00:04:07.560 the grassroots. I'm not really of the political apparatus in Austin. 79 00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:11.680 I'm a farm kid from East Texas who ended up 80 00:04:11.680 --> 00:04:13.800 moving to Dallas and being elected as one of the 81 00:04:13.800 --> 00:04:17.000 directors of the Dallas Central Appraisal District, And so I'm 82 00:04:17.079 --> 00:04:20.439 kind of this outsider of that space. And for me, 83 00:04:20.680 --> 00:04:24.439 I feel like the organizing, grassroots piece of our party 84 00:04:24.439 --> 00:04:27.600 has been neglected all across the state. It's been this 85 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:30.639 idea that you could just stick a sack of flower 86 00:04:30.639 --> 00:04:32.720 in the oven and expect it to make biscuits every 87 00:04:32.759 --> 00:04:35.759 election cycle. You know, you just raise a whole bunch 88 00:04:35.839 --> 00:04:37.959 of money and try to buy your way out of 89 00:04:37.959 --> 00:04:40.439 a loss. But you can't do that. I mean, we 90 00:04:40.639 --> 00:04:42.560 have a lot of steps that we have to go 91 00:04:42.639 --> 00:04:44.800 through if we want to have success in this state. 92 00:04:45.160 --> 00:04:48.439 And that means organizing in every corner of this state, 93 00:04:48.600 --> 00:04:51.639 not just in the major metros. There's forty mid sized 94 00:04:51.680 --> 00:04:54.120 cities with over one hundred thousand people in them. They 95 00:04:54.160 --> 00:04:56.600 deserve a little bit of love too. And you know 96 00:04:56.879 --> 00:04:59.079 these rural communities all across the state, a lot of 97 00:04:59.120 --> 00:05:02.000 which we don't even have democratic county chairs in. I 98 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:04.480 mean over twenty percent of counties in Texas don't have 99 00:05:04.680 --> 00:05:07.759 Democratic county chairs. We just have not been building the 100 00:05:07.800 --> 00:05:10.759 apparatus in Texas, in my opinion, in a way that 101 00:05:10.800 --> 00:05:14.120 can be successful. I also am a firm believer that, 102 00:05:14.600 --> 00:05:17.160 you know, as that farm kid from East Texas, that 103 00:05:17.240 --> 00:05:19.839 the party's kind of gotten away from its key message, 104 00:05:19.839 --> 00:05:21.519 and it's that we're the party of the little guy. 105 00:05:22.399 --> 00:05:25.279 My granddaddy was born on a farm in East Texas 106 00:05:25.279 --> 00:05:28.759 that only had electricity because of Franklin Roosevelt, Sam Rayburn, 107 00:05:28.839 --> 00:05:31.600 the New Deal of the Democratic Party. And when our 108 00:05:31.639 --> 00:05:36.120 family lost everything after the big droughts in nineteen fifty nine, 109 00:05:36.160 --> 00:05:39.879 we depended on programs in Linda Johnson's Great Society in 110 00:05:39.959 --> 00:05:42.839 order to survive. You know, that used to be who 111 00:05:42.839 --> 00:05:45.240 our party was, a party of big, bold ideas that 112 00:05:45.360 --> 00:05:48.199 helped working people and poor people, and we would disrupt 113 00:05:48.279 --> 00:05:50.879 systems and take on billionaires and banks and whoever. We 114 00:05:50.959 --> 00:05:53.199 had to to make sure that the little guy had 115 00:05:53.199 --> 00:05:55.279 a seat at the table. And I'm trying to bring 116 00:05:55.319 --> 00:05:56.879 that back for the party. That needs to be the 117 00:05:56.920 --> 00:05:59.480 focus of everything that we do. I'm not saying that 118 00:05:59.519 --> 00:06:01.879 the party hasn't made an effort at that, but it's 119 00:06:01.920 --> 00:06:04.079 not been the center of all of our messaging and 120 00:06:04.120 --> 00:06:07.839 all of our discussion discussions. So for me, everything that 121 00:06:07.879 --> 00:06:11.040 we talk about, everything that we do, everything that we 122 00:06:11.079 --> 00:06:14.040 are building for the next soccle is centered around how 123 00:06:14.040 --> 00:06:15.839 do we help the little guy? How do we help 124 00:06:16.040 --> 00:06:18.120 a work and family be able to get ahead in 125 00:06:18.199 --> 00:06:21.000 a society that just feels like it's stacked and stacked 126 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:22.199 against them every day. 127 00:06:22.800 --> 00:06:25.160 Yeah, I mean, I think I wonder if you agree 128 00:06:25.160 --> 00:06:27.759 with this assessment. But there was like a weird sort 129 00:06:27.800 --> 00:06:33.600 of sense of complacency among some Democrats in Texas, even 130 00:06:33.680 --> 00:06:37.439 though the party has you know, essentially lost every election 131 00:06:38.120 --> 00:06:42.800 this century. I think, you know, people maybe looked at 132 00:06:42.800 --> 00:06:46.319 the demographics of this state, the changing demographics, and said, oh, well, 133 00:06:46.399 --> 00:06:49.240 you know, there is this sort of inevitable shift, if 134 00:06:49.279 --> 00:06:51.560 not to the left, at least to the middle. You know, 135 00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:56.560 twenty sixteen the presidential ticket, Democrats lose by sixteen points 136 00:06:56.600 --> 00:07:00.000 twenty sorry, twenty twelve, they lose by sixteen points. Sixteen, 137 00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:02.399 they lose by nine points. Twenty twenty, they lose by 138 00:07:02.439 --> 00:07:05.079 six points. The state's becoming more urban, the state is 139 00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:09.399 becoming more diverse. That means the state is becoming democratic. 140 00:07:09.639 --> 00:07:14.000 And then we get to twenty twenty four and all 141 00:07:14.040 --> 00:07:18.680 of those trends get reversed. You know, Hispanic voters go 142 00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:22.439 way to the right way to Trump. Even in the 143 00:07:22.439 --> 00:07:24.920 big cities, you see a bit of a shift to 144 00:07:24.560 --> 00:07:28.279 the right. And maybe there's this idea of Okay, we 145 00:07:28.319 --> 00:07:31.800 can't just let demographics be destiny. We need to do 146 00:07:31.839 --> 00:07:34.920 something about the message here. Do you agree with that assessment? 147 00:07:35.000 --> 00:07:36.720 Is that where the party is right now? 148 00:07:37.439 --> 00:07:40.279 I partially agree with that assessment. I think that it 149 00:07:40.360 --> 00:07:42.920 is kind of in order to have this discussion, you 150 00:07:42.959 --> 00:07:44.519 also have to have it about the fact that a 151 00:07:44.560 --> 00:07:47.800 fifth of our voters stayed home Democrats. You know, we 152 00:07:47.839 --> 00:07:50.160 had a million people in Texas that voted for Joe 153 00:07:50.199 --> 00:07:53.240 Biden and chose to stay home in twenty twenty four, So, 154 00:07:53.879 --> 00:07:56.759 you know, did they get redder in those areas, or 155 00:07:57.079 --> 00:08:00.360 did our people decide we weren't worth voting for. And 156 00:08:00.439 --> 00:08:02.240 I'm just going to be honest. I mean, if you 157 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:05.160 want to fix the situation, it's not about self preservation. 158 00:08:05.519 --> 00:08:07.680 Sometimes you got to look in a mirror and acknowledge 159 00:08:07.680 --> 00:08:10.360 that you made some mistakes. And so I think that 160 00:08:10.399 --> 00:08:12.279 the party needs to do some of that. You know, 161 00:08:12.360 --> 00:08:14.959 we need to figure out what we did wrong and 162 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:16.800 figure out what we can do to make it right. 163 00:08:17.360 --> 00:08:20.600 I personally believe that it's because, you know, when you're 164 00:08:20.600 --> 00:08:23.120 in a coalition party like ours that has so many 165 00:08:23.199 --> 00:08:27.680 diverse interests and groups inside of it, you have to 166 00:08:27.720 --> 00:08:30.720 focus on the things that connect every single person in 167 00:08:30.759 --> 00:08:33.679 that coalition, And to me, it's that everyone of them 168 00:08:33.720 --> 00:08:36.080 pay bills and every single one of them are trying 169 00:08:36.120 --> 00:08:39.399 to get along in this life that is just more 170 00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:42.600 and more expensive. Since Republicans have taken over the state, 171 00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:46.039 I'd remind you that it was before I entered kindergarten, 172 00:08:46.200 --> 00:08:50.240 since a Democrat has held statewide office in Texas, and 173 00:08:50.320 --> 00:08:54.000 because I am a thirty five year old, one of 174 00:08:54.039 --> 00:08:57.559 the only millennials in the country leading to major party. 175 00:08:57.639 --> 00:09:00.919 You know, in the last thirty years, do you feel 176 00:09:00.919 --> 00:09:03.919 like your taxes have gone down. Do you feel like 177 00:09:03.960 --> 00:09:06.519 your community's more safe? Do you feel like your schools 178 00:09:06.559 --> 00:09:08.600 are better? Do you feel like your hospitals are better? 179 00:09:08.759 --> 00:09:10.759 Do you feel like your bridges and roads have gotten better? 180 00:09:11.200 --> 00:09:14.639 Because the only difference between thirty years ago and now 181 00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:18.440 is that Democrats ran the state thirty years ago, and 182 00:09:18.759 --> 00:09:21.720 for the last thirty years, Republicans have been chipping away 183 00:09:22.200 --> 00:09:25.279 at all of these wonderful projects and programs that we've 184 00:09:25.279 --> 00:09:27.919 had in Texas that help working people and that we're 185 00:09:27.960 --> 00:09:32.279 designed to make us this beacon for business and for 186 00:09:32.399 --> 00:09:35.559 opportunity people in the country wanting to come to Texas. 187 00:09:36.360 --> 00:09:38.639 You know, Republicans have eaten away at that over the years. 188 00:09:38.639 --> 00:09:40.840 And now we don't know that when we flip a 189 00:09:40.879 --> 00:09:42.639 LT switch to the electricity is going to come on. 190 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:46.120 We don't know that whenever a natural disaster hits, we're 191 00:09:46.120 --> 00:09:48.840 going to get the emergency services warnings that we need 192 00:09:48.879 --> 00:09:53.480 to stay safe. We don't have the top schools in 193 00:09:53.519 --> 00:09:57.519 the country anymore. We're funded forty third, forty fourth in 194 00:09:57.559 --> 00:10:00.679 the nation now and this big beautiful bill that just 195 00:10:00.720 --> 00:10:04.840 passes going to shut down you know, three hundred hospitals 196 00:10:04.879 --> 00:10:08.039 in this country in rural communities, a lot of those 197 00:10:08.080 --> 00:10:10.600 in Texas where people aren't even going to get access 198 00:10:10.679 --> 00:10:13.600 to life saving medical care when they need it, or 199 00:10:13.639 --> 00:10:16.559 even primitive healthcare when they need it. Life has not 200 00:10:16.720 --> 00:10:20.960 gotten better under Republican leadership. And it's our responsibility to 201 00:10:21.039 --> 00:10:23.679 make clear to people, you know, what that looks like 202 00:10:23.799 --> 00:10:26.000 and to point it out. And I think we've just 203 00:10:26.120 --> 00:10:29.320 kind of allowed it to happen and thrown our hands 204 00:10:29.320 --> 00:10:31.159 in the air and said, well, it is what it is. 205 00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:34.240 We just need demographics to change to take the state back. 206 00:10:34.600 --> 00:10:36.639 I think we got to be more aggressive, and we've 207 00:10:36.639 --> 00:10:38.639 got to get to a point where we're reminding people 208 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:41.519 every day what it looks like under a Republican administration 209 00:10:41.639 --> 00:10:43.120 versus democratic administration. 210 00:10:43.840 --> 00:10:46.080 Yeah, because I feel like this is like, you know, 211 00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:48.559 I talk about this experience a lot, but I this 212 00:10:48.679 --> 00:10:52.080 last election cycle wrote a story that was like, you know, 213 00:10:52.480 --> 00:10:56.200 is our Texas Supreme Court seats vulnerable because of their 214 00:10:56.720 --> 00:10:59.559 people are so unhappy about their rulings on abortion? And 215 00:10:59.559 --> 00:11:01.159 then I was like, back in our archives and you know, 216 00:11:01.159 --> 00:11:03.840 we've written a version of that story every you know, 217 00:11:04.240 --> 00:11:06.600 are these seeds vulnerable because of their COVID rulings? Are 218 00:11:06.600 --> 00:11:08.960 these seats vulnerable because of you know, their rulings on 219 00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:11.799 you know xyz thing. I mean, there's so many things 220 00:11:11.799 --> 00:11:15.799 that actually think national Democrats but also Texas Democrats and 221 00:11:15.840 --> 00:11:19.799 individual people are like good at saying I'm unhappy with 222 00:11:19.960 --> 00:11:23.080 what lawmakers have done on this, I'm unhappy with what 223 00:11:23.120 --> 00:11:25.840 the governor is doing on this. I'm it's outrageous what's 224 00:11:25.840 --> 00:11:30.159 happening here. But that's not translating into votes. 225 00:11:30.240 --> 00:11:31.200 I mean, you talk. 226 00:11:31.080 --> 00:11:33.720 About people staying home. What is the disconnect there that 227 00:11:33.720 --> 00:11:36.039 people are saying, I'm not happy with what the Republicans 228 00:11:36.039 --> 00:11:39.759 are doing, but I'm still not going to vote period 229 00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:41.320 or not going to vote blue. 230 00:11:41.600 --> 00:11:45.399 Well, look, i mean the most conservative speaker in Texas 231 00:11:45.440 --> 00:11:47.879 history was elected with fifty five percent of the votes 232 00:11:47.919 --> 00:11:52.519 coming from Democrats, you know. I mean, if I can't 233 00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:54.679 tell the difference between Democrat and a Republican, I don't 234 00:11:54.720 --> 00:11:56.240 know how a voter is supposed to be able to. 235 00:11:56.879 --> 00:11:59.919 If you take that million voters and you ask them 236 00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:02.080 why they chose to stay home, they'll say things to 237 00:12:02.120 --> 00:12:05.519 you like the Democrats don't fight hard enough that whatever 238 00:12:05.559 --> 00:12:07.840 we elect them, they sit in the middle and negotiate 239 00:12:07.879 --> 00:12:10.879 away the things that are important to us. We've got 240 00:12:10.879 --> 00:12:13.799 to get back to a point where we don't put 241 00:12:13.840 --> 00:12:19.200 things like you know, cordiality above the fight for working people, 242 00:12:19.759 --> 00:12:22.159 that when we walk in a door, we're going to 243 00:12:22.240 --> 00:12:25.679 flip whatever tables we have to to protect working people 244 00:12:25.919 --> 00:12:28.600 from the onsught of attacks that are coming from billionaires 245 00:12:28.600 --> 00:12:30.799 in banks. And it's one thing to say it, it's 246 00:12:30.840 --> 00:12:33.159 another thing to do it. And I don't think that 247 00:12:33.200 --> 00:12:35.840 they have seen that coming from Democrats. I mean, the 248 00:12:35.879 --> 00:12:39.279 most big, bold policy we've seen from Democrats aside from 249 00:12:39.639 --> 00:12:42.240 I mean, we saw some giant infrastructure investments in the 250 00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:45.240 Biden administration that haven't had enough time to come to fruition. 251 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:47.360 But if you're talking about programs that have had time 252 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:50.080 to come into fruition, the ACA, I guess is the 253 00:12:50.080 --> 00:12:53.279 biggest Democratic accomplishment. And even that was us coming to 254 00:12:53.320 --> 00:12:57.360 the table with a center idea that Republicans chipped away on, 255 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:00.200 and then we took away things like the public option 256 00:13:00.360 --> 00:13:04.840 that would have given people access to competitive healthcare costs. 257 00:13:04.919 --> 00:13:07.879 You know, it's a shame to me when the Democrats 258 00:13:07.960 --> 00:13:11.919 don't walk in the door with big, bold, progressive ideas. 259 00:13:12.039 --> 00:13:14.960 If you don't have that healthy side of the spectrum 260 00:13:15.080 --> 00:13:17.919 in politics, the people who are counting on us are 261 00:13:17.919 --> 00:13:20.279 going to struggle, and that's what I think has happened. 262 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:22.279 So I'd like to see the Party get back to 263 00:13:22.840 --> 00:13:27.399 situations where we're unapologetic advocates for the working poor and 264 00:13:27.480 --> 00:13:31.320 for the working class. And you know, that's what I'd 265 00:13:31.360 --> 00:13:32.799 like to see the Party do. I'm going to work 266 00:13:32.799 --> 00:13:34.759 with our legislators. I think a lot of them that 267 00:13:34.799 --> 00:13:36.559 I've talked to have been on board that idea. We 268 00:13:36.639 --> 00:13:39.639 just had to focus and stop thinking that this onslaught 269 00:13:39.639 --> 00:13:43.480 and this flooding of the end zone of their Trump administration, 270 00:13:44.159 --> 00:13:46.440 you know, nitpicking. That is the way forward. We have 271 00:13:46.480 --> 00:13:48.919 to have a fifty thousand foot view and some vision 272 00:13:49.120 --> 00:13:51.320 and a guide on how to get there. 273 00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:57.600 I want to somewhat question a little bit of your 274 00:13:57.600 --> 00:14:00.559 framing here, particularly around the idea of like, you know, 275 00:14:00.960 --> 00:14:03.519 we have heard people say for a long time, right, 276 00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:06.840 Texas isn't a red state or a blue state. It's 277 00:14:06.879 --> 00:14:09.519 a non voting state, right. And there's this idea of like, 278 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:13.039 if we could just get more this is the Democrats speaking, 279 00:14:13.080 --> 00:14:15.480 if we could just get more people to the polls, 280 00:14:16.200 --> 00:14:20.879 you know, the people, the poorer folks, the people of color, 281 00:14:20.960 --> 00:14:23.200 all those types of folks, like we can we can 282 00:14:23.279 --> 00:14:28.960 shift the election in this state. One of the few 283 00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:32.600 kind of public polling entities that tests not you know, 284 00:14:34.120 --> 00:14:37.240 expected voters. What's the term I'm looking for here, Well, 285 00:14:37.320 --> 00:14:41.919 we'll go with yeah, yeah, yeah, sure, like yeah, sorry, 286 00:14:43.919 --> 00:14:47.279 but actually just like eligible voters, not even just registered voters. 287 00:14:47.279 --> 00:14:50.159 It's the Texas Lyceum poll that comes out every I 288 00:14:50.159 --> 00:14:52.080 think a couple of years or something, or maybe it's 289 00:14:52.120 --> 00:14:56.960 every year, and they the poll this year like really 290 00:14:58.240 --> 00:15:00.720 got into my head because I think it disrupted some 291 00:15:00.799 --> 00:15:04.559 of those expectations. Greg Abbott's approval rating in this group 292 00:15:04.759 --> 00:15:08.120 was fifty five percent. Donald Trump's was fifty four percent. 293 00:15:08.559 --> 00:15:13.000 The state had moved dramatically to the right on issues 294 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:17.480 of immigration compared to four years ago, and things like that. 295 00:15:18.080 --> 00:15:21.879 It on the other hand, you talk about working class 296 00:15:21.879 --> 00:15:25.000 issues and things like that. I mean, we look at 297 00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:28.480 what happened in the New York mayoral primary with Mom Dummy, 298 00:15:28.639 --> 00:15:33.399 who was really pushing some of these economic populist ideas 299 00:15:33.399 --> 00:15:34.960 and everything like that. And if you look at the 300 00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:38.279 precincts where he won, he won in the wealthy areas 301 00:15:38.679 --> 00:15:41.480 and not the poorer areas. I mean, how sure are 302 00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:46.840 you that those voters, those working class voters are actually 303 00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:50.519 going to respond to that progressive message you're pointing to, 304 00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:52.720 because I think you look at some of the polls 305 00:15:53.440 --> 00:15:56.639 and history suggests that that's not always the case. 306 00:15:57.799 --> 00:16:00.279 Well, this is the biggest difference between democt rights and 307 00:16:00.320 --> 00:16:04.200 Republicans in my opinion. We don't forge our ideas based 308 00:16:04.240 --> 00:16:07.320 on who's going to politically respond to them. We forged 309 00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:09.559 them over what the right thing to do is. And 310 00:16:09.639 --> 00:16:11.279 what the right thing to do is to make sure 311 00:16:11.320 --> 00:16:13.360 that somebody that gets out of bed every morning and 312 00:16:13.480 --> 00:16:16.639 works their ass off in order to put soccer cleats 313 00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:19.600 on their kid, you know that they get an opportunity 314 00:16:19.639 --> 00:16:21.759 in this economy that's rigged so that the people at 315 00:16:21.799 --> 00:16:25.200 the top are constantly raking in record profits while all 316 00:16:25.200 --> 00:16:27.080 the rest of us are left at the bottom groveling 317 00:16:27.159 --> 00:16:30.200 for crumbs. And you know whether or not that translates, 318 00:16:30.240 --> 00:16:32.240 I mean, well, we'll have to see. But we as 319 00:16:32.240 --> 00:16:34.559 a party have always made decisions based on what the 320 00:16:34.600 --> 00:16:37.159 right thing to do is, and that hasn't always worked 321 00:16:37.200 --> 00:16:39.000 out for us in pan But that's just kind of 322 00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:41.519 a crux of how weird different than them. That's what 323 00:16:41.559 --> 00:16:44.840 we do. I'll also point out that these holes are 324 00:16:44.919 --> 00:16:48.240 a snapshot of a moment in time, and that's fine. 325 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:51.080 You know, I don't know what was happening in the 326 00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:53.000 news at the time that that license pulled. 327 00:16:53.440 --> 00:16:55.039 Well, you know what I will tell you was before 328 00:16:55.039 --> 00:16:57.720 a big beautiful bill. It was sure. Yeah, that poll 329 00:16:57.799 --> 00:17:00.200 I remember talking about at the time it was in 330 00:17:00.279 --> 00:17:02.039 the field. About three quarters of the time that was 331 00:17:02.039 --> 00:17:04.720 out in the field was before Liberation Day, before the 332 00:17:04.759 --> 00:17:07.240 tariffs came in. So you are correct in pointing out 333 00:17:07.240 --> 00:17:09.079 that a lot has happened since then, for sure. 334 00:17:09.759 --> 00:17:12.119 Yeah, And that was exactly where I was going with 335 00:17:12.160 --> 00:17:15.079 that was Number one. In just three months, Donald Trump 336 00:17:15.119 --> 00:17:17.480 pushed the largest tax increase in working class families in 337 00:17:17.480 --> 00:17:21.559 my lifetime with these tariffs. Number two, this big beautiful 338 00:17:21.559 --> 00:17:23.799 bill pass where the richest people in this country will 339 00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:28.160 now pay a lower baseline tax rate than the poorest, 340 00:17:28.440 --> 00:17:31.640 which is just straight up and moral that a billionaire 341 00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:35.200 would pay less in taxes than their waiter, than their secretaries, 342 00:17:35.240 --> 00:17:38.240 than their golf caddies, than their top secret cabana boys. Right, 343 00:17:38.599 --> 00:17:43.160 it's not acceptable. And when all of that is flushing 344 00:17:43.200 --> 00:17:45.759 through us, when people are getting their healthcare gutted through Medicaid, 345 00:17:45.880 --> 00:17:48.000 when rural hospitals are going to shut down because of 346 00:17:48.039 --> 00:17:51.960 that lack of funding, When we are seeing energy rates 347 00:17:52.039 --> 00:17:56.480 increasing because they failed to fund those programs for alternative 348 00:17:56.559 --> 00:17:59.039 energy that have always been funded. As these things start 349 00:17:59.079 --> 00:18:01.160 to hit, you're going to see it different, Stapshot in time. 350 00:18:01.400 --> 00:18:03.440 Our job is to make sure that people know what 351 00:18:03.480 --> 00:18:07.319 we stand for. And I'm not here to chase polls. 352 00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:09.440 We're going to do what's right. That's what we've always 353 00:18:09.480 --> 00:18:10.640 done and that's who we're going to be. 354 00:18:11.319 --> 00:18:14.759 But right, and I think that you know framework, so 355 00:18:14.920 --> 00:18:16.440 that North start sounds like you guys have of like 356 00:18:16.480 --> 00:18:18.359 we're going to do what's right and like sort of 357 00:18:18.880 --> 00:18:20.799 you know, try to sell I presume, try to sell 358 00:18:20.799 --> 00:18:22.640 that to voters and like if they come with us 359 00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:25.200 on that, great, but you do need to win elections 360 00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:27.759 to implement, you know, what you all see as like 361 00:18:27.799 --> 00:18:28.400 what is right? 362 00:18:28.519 --> 00:18:28.720 Right? 363 00:18:28.759 --> 00:18:33.119 I mean, when people see, you know, so many years 364 00:18:33.160 --> 00:18:35.839 of Republican dominance, how do you sort of get them 365 00:18:35.920 --> 00:18:39.960 to stay aboard with the Texas Democrats and maybe even 366 00:18:40.039 --> 00:18:42.400 join you know, what has been for to your point 367 00:18:42.519 --> 00:18:45.319 thirty years, you know, a losing party. 368 00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:49.079 I would argue that we have a seismic shift right 369 00:18:49.119 --> 00:18:51.599 now in the way that we're operating as a party 370 00:18:52.599 --> 00:18:54.759 in addition to kind of the seismic shifts that are 371 00:18:54.799 --> 00:18:58.599 happening in the realignment of the electorate. But as a party, 372 00:18:58.759 --> 00:19:00.880 I mean, when you put a thirty five year old 373 00:19:00.920 --> 00:19:03.200 for the Progressive Caucus in charge of the way that 374 00:19:03.240 --> 00:19:06.000 you're operating, I think you're sending a pretty strong message 375 00:19:06.000 --> 00:19:07.920 that things are going to be done differently than the 376 00:19:07.920 --> 00:19:10.599 way that we've been doing them. Our organizing is going 377 00:19:10.599 --> 00:19:14.519 to be different, our messaging is different. The way that 378 00:19:14.599 --> 00:19:17.440 we conduct our coordinated is going to be different. The 379 00:19:17.480 --> 00:19:19.680 way that we go and solicit funds is going to 380 00:19:19.720 --> 00:19:22.279 be different. I mean, I'm everywhere I go. We're building 381 00:19:22.279 --> 00:19:25.799 a grassroots movement across this state where we're going to 382 00:19:25.799 --> 00:19:27.920 be trying to lean on our grassroots donors so that 383 00:19:27.960 --> 00:19:32.440 we aren't reliant on the super wealthy and corporate donors 384 00:19:32.480 --> 00:19:34.519 to be able to function as an organization. And when 385 00:19:34.519 --> 00:19:37.960 we do that, we're able to be faithful to the 386 00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:40.960 people who fund our organization, and that's the working class 387 00:19:41.319 --> 00:19:44.400 and working people across the state. It doesn't happen overnight 388 00:19:44.559 --> 00:19:47.240 you can't make a U turn on the Titanic. But 389 00:19:47.319 --> 00:19:50.759 we're working right now to rebuild what it means to 390 00:19:50.759 --> 00:19:53.559 be a Texas Democrat. And if the National Party isn't 391 00:19:53.559 --> 00:19:54.920 going to be here with us, and they're not here 392 00:19:54.920 --> 00:19:57.839 to help, that's fine, that's their thing. I think it 393 00:19:57.920 --> 00:20:00.400 means something a little bit different to be a Texasmocrat 394 00:20:00.440 --> 00:20:03.039 than being a National Democrat. And we're going to lean 395 00:20:03.079 --> 00:20:06.200 into the policies of Sam Rayburn and Lyndon Johnson and 396 00:20:06.279 --> 00:20:09.160 Lloyd Benson, and you know, we're going to make sure 397 00:20:09.240 --> 00:20:13.519 that people understand that Texas Democrats get big things done. 398 00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:19.960 So I am noticing your invocation of the working class. 399 00:20:20.319 --> 00:20:22.920 You're clearly a very big point of emphasis for you. 400 00:20:23.359 --> 00:20:26.319 I don't think you're the only Democrat in this situation. 401 00:20:27.279 --> 00:20:29.839