WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:02.359 If a man today were to say that if he wants. 2 00:00:02.240 --> 00:00:04.360 A girlfriend that can cook or clean, you might as 3 00:00:04.360 --> 00:00:05.440 well be screaming me inward. 4 00:00:06.599 --> 00:00:12.199 Okay, well you sound like a democrat. I'm not retarded. 5 00:00:14.160 --> 00:00:18.719 Well whiskey, come and take my pain, the moneys, my ry, 6 00:00:19.160 --> 00:00:20.519 oh whiskey. 7 00:00:21.359 --> 00:00:23.960 Why think alone when you can drink it all in. 8 00:00:23.879 --> 00:00:28.839 With Ricochet's three whiskey Happy Hour, join your bartenders Steve Heyward, 9 00:00:29.000 --> 00:00:37.320 John U and the International Woman of Mystery Lucretia, where they. 10 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:40.079 Lapped it up and David, ain't you easy on the 11 00:00:40.200 --> 00:00:43.880 should tap you gotta give me and let that whiskey? 12 00:00:44.520 --> 00:00:46.679 Well, boy, I sure learned my lesson to try and 13 00:00:46.679 --> 00:00:50.640 do a podcast without real producers, didn't I? 14 00:00:50.640 --> 00:00:53.280 I don't know. John and I managed without you as 15 00:00:53.320 --> 00:00:56.359 a producer just because we were a little crazy. 16 00:00:57.439 --> 00:01:01.039 Well, yes, I preserve some of john little one liners there. 17 00:01:01.079 --> 00:01:04.840 Otherwise I am in fact invoking me as I put 18 00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:07.400 it in a substack. Note what Star Trek did with 19 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:11.840 their original pilot that NBC rejected because it was too cerebral, 20 00:01:12.159 --> 00:01:14.439 and instead of junking it, they recut it and wrapped 21 00:01:14.439 --> 00:01:16.200 a whole new story around it. So we're going to 22 00:01:16.239 --> 00:01:18.079 do that listeners, okay. 23 00:01:17.799 --> 00:01:20.400 Because we're too cerebral for you, Steve, is that what 24 00:01:20.439 --> 00:01:20.920 you're saying? 25 00:01:21.319 --> 00:01:23.879 No, no, no, Maybe you didn't see the note. 26 00:01:23.599 --> 00:01:28.040 But I did see the note. I saw the undisciplined apart. 27 00:01:28.120 --> 00:01:30.560 But I prefer to think that that's that John and 28 00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:32.680 I were just a little too highbrow for you and 29 00:01:32.719 --> 00:01:33.640 you can't keep up. 30 00:01:33.719 --> 00:01:37.879 So okay, yes, well, well, John reveled way too much 31 00:01:37.920 --> 00:01:40.560 in avoiding my mention of a certain statute. But I 32 00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:44.319 also in the frame of mind of the director in 33 00:01:44.359 --> 00:01:47.319 the mel Brooks movie, the producers who we read the script, 34 00:01:47.359 --> 00:01:50.040 and he says, all that whole third act has got 35 00:01:50.079 --> 00:01:54.680 to go. The Germans are losing the war. So I've 36 00:01:54.719 --> 00:01:56.879 shorten a few things to that, but I moved everything around. 37 00:01:57.799 --> 00:02:00.000 And so first of all, I do want to refer 38 00:02:00.159 --> 00:02:03.239 to the little teaser cold open before our theme song. 39 00:02:04.400 --> 00:02:06.840 You know what, John especially likes to rib me for 40 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:10.520 being obsessed with Sidney Sweeney. But she's back in the news, 41 00:02:11.199 --> 00:02:13.680 so you know, on her HBO show, as you heard, 42 00:02:13.719 --> 00:02:17.479 if you listen from the beginning, she someone says, are 43 00:02:17.520 --> 00:02:21.879 you a Democrat? And she says, I'm not retarded? Looking 44 00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:23.120 right now? 45 00:02:23.199 --> 00:02:24.000 The funny thing is. 46 00:02:25.680 --> 00:02:29.280 The social media reaction has been utterly predictable. All these 47 00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:32.479 leftists are saying, oh, it's terrible. She would say that, 48 00:02:32.759 --> 00:02:35.919 you know, Republicans say retarded, but Democrats don't. And of 49 00:02:35.960 --> 00:02:38.759 course the obvious answer is you want to supply. 50 00:02:38.840 --> 00:02:41.919 They are exactly Thank you. 51 00:02:42.120 --> 00:02:44.960 I thought you'd say that, but I did see a squire, 52 00:02:45.039 --> 00:02:47.639 but I didn't chase after it. But apparently Candice Owens 53 00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:49.400 and Megan Kelly are down on her. 54 00:02:51.039 --> 00:02:51.879 I'm not quite sure why. 55 00:02:51.879 --> 00:02:57.039 I think it's because she's supposedly allegedly has come out 56 00:02:57.080 --> 00:03:00.400 saying she likes Trump, she's for the Iran war against 57 00:03:00.439 --> 00:03:03.719 anti Semitism, and so guess what she's now taking sides 58 00:03:03.759 --> 00:03:09.919 beyond just wearing good jeans. Okay, sorry, all right, enough 59 00:03:09.960 --> 00:03:12.759 of that mirth though, I think for at least a 60 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:16.840 couple minutes, so you guys didn't do the order that 61 00:03:16.919 --> 00:03:19.199 I kind of had mine. But guess what, it's a 62 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:21.000 simple matter to rearrange them. 63 00:03:21.120 --> 00:03:22.479 So, you know. 64 00:03:22.599 --> 00:03:26.879 I think that the story on the gerrymanderin cases is fascinating, 65 00:03:26.919 --> 00:03:28.520 not so much for the law of it, which you 66 00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:32.080 guys talked about, but I think it is interesting because 67 00:03:32.120 --> 00:03:35.919 of the reaction to it. So let me just cut 68 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:38.680 back in here to your guys discussion and we will 69 00:03:38.680 --> 00:03:40.520 pick it up on the other side. 70 00:03:40.759 --> 00:03:44.159 Okay, I do want to ask you what you think 71 00:03:44.199 --> 00:03:49.400 about all of these crazy court cases about redistricting. We 72 00:03:49.479 --> 00:03:52.039 talked about it last time, so most of our listeners 73 00:03:52.080 --> 00:03:55.520 heard the basic thing. But since we talked last time, 74 00:03:56.039 --> 00:03:58.639 we had we see Tennessee. Let me get it right, 75 00:03:58.680 --> 00:04:03.400 Tennessee and Louisiana may District. Tennessee is being sued by 76 00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:10.800 the NAACP arguing that the Memphis redistricting is in and 77 00:04:10.840 --> 00:04:13.759 out of itself racially discriminatory. 78 00:04:13.919 --> 00:04:14.120 Right. 79 00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:18.279 I don't know where they'll get with that. The Virginia, 80 00:04:19.879 --> 00:04:22.920 Uh did you follow any of that Virginia suit to 81 00:04:22.920 --> 00:04:24.240 the United States Supreme Court? 82 00:04:24.439 --> 00:04:27.160 Oh? Yeah, just got thrown out today just while going 83 00:04:27.199 --> 00:04:30.639 our podcast. Oh that was obvious that would happen. Yeah, 84 00:04:30.680 --> 00:04:33.720 that was There was no federal issue. It's all just 85 00:04:33.759 --> 00:04:37.199 a question of Virginia. Is it's the question of Virginia 86 00:04:37.399 --> 00:04:39.120 constitutional amendment procedure. 87 00:04:39.720 --> 00:04:43.240 Right, But were they trying to argue an equal protection Yeah? 88 00:04:43.480 --> 00:04:43.839 Silly? 89 00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:45.120 Okay, all right? 90 00:04:45.639 --> 00:04:48.600 If that were, if they won, then every single challenge 91 00:04:48.600 --> 00:04:51.360 to every single election vocal and state in the country 92 00:04:51.600 --> 00:04:54.600 would be fit for decision by the Supreme Court. 93 00:04:54.759 --> 00:04:57.399 Yeah, yeah, crazy. 94 00:04:57.720 --> 00:05:00.720 It was crazy. But we also have some I mean, 95 00:05:01.040 --> 00:05:05.959 the Democrats have decided to go crazy on this whole thing. Okay, 96 00:05:06.839 --> 00:05:11.000 I'm not going to be my usual dismissive self about 97 00:05:11.040 --> 00:05:14.160 everybody in the Democratic Party, but they seem you know, 98 00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:18.720 Kamala Kamalama ding Dong came out today said there are 99 00:05:18.800 --> 00:05:22.600 no bad ideas. And yeah, she came out and said, 100 00:05:22.600 --> 00:05:25.399 there's no bad ideas. There's no reason why we shouldn't 101 00:05:25.879 --> 00:05:30.120 pack the court, why we shouldn't try everything we can 102 00:05:30.279 --> 00:05:35.360 to get around this silly Supreme Court decision about you know, 103 00:05:35.480 --> 00:05:38.879 not discriminating on the basis of race and districting. She 104 00:05:39.040 --> 00:05:41.120 just went on and on and on what you know, 105 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:44.360 the all of the things that the left that lost 106 00:05:44.439 --> 00:05:47.800 the left the election in twenty twenty four, she's doubling 107 00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:51.680 down on and so are lots of leftists. I mean, 108 00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:54.120 in Virginia, they were going to pack the Supreme Court. 109 00:05:54.160 --> 00:05:56.279 Then they were going to just abolish the whole thing. 110 00:05:57.199 --> 00:05:59.639 They did try the Supreme Court, you know, to the 111 00:05:59.720 --> 00:06:03.720 US Supreme Court, is it really an existential crisis for 112 00:06:03.759 --> 00:06:06.839 the Democrats. Do you think John's so. 113 00:06:07.040 --> 00:06:11.199 One thing is I listened to your Guys pod episode 114 00:06:11.199 --> 00:06:14.160 where you talked about it, and I think you're quite 115 00:06:14.240 --> 00:06:19.240 right about the effects of the decisions. That this is 116 00:06:19.240 --> 00:06:21.839 not going to produce I think a huge change in 117 00:06:21.879 --> 00:06:25.399 the midterms, but there will be maybe six to eight 118 00:06:25.519 --> 00:06:29.480 extra seats that will be added, could be added by 119 00:06:29.680 --> 00:06:33.480 states that thought they were thought they were acquired by 120 00:06:33.480 --> 00:06:38.720 the Voting Rights Act to add majority minority districts that 121 00:06:38.759 --> 00:06:41.519 they're called, and now that they don't have to under Klay, 122 00:06:41.639 --> 00:06:44.079 they can go back and draw the districts they wanted to. 123 00:06:44.120 --> 00:06:48.199 And there's nothing wrong with eliminating, for example, a Democratic 124 00:06:48.240 --> 00:06:52.199 seat in Tennessee that was sat in Memphis if you 125 00:06:52.360 --> 00:06:55.120 just want to create the maximum number of Republican states. 126 00:06:55.800 --> 00:06:58.959 And one thing that Kalay said is that it's now 127 00:06:59.279 --> 00:07:02.959 the burden is on the plaintiffs to show that what 128 00:07:03.040 --> 00:07:06.680 the legislature is doing really isn't just about maximizing partisan 129 00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:09.759 advantage or protecting incumbents or all the many reasons that 130 00:07:10.560 --> 00:07:14.800 states usually engage in redistricting. That's one, you know. The 131 00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:16.759 second thing I think you guys are both right was 132 00:07:17.079 --> 00:07:19.480 the key relative impact the real importance of it will 133 00:07:19.519 --> 00:07:24.120 come after the twenty thirty census, when a lot of 134 00:07:24.160 --> 00:07:27.079 seats are going to shift, I think from the liberal 135 00:07:27.279 --> 00:07:29.959 old states like California, in Oork and ILLINOI and they're 136 00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:32.639 going to move to the sun Belt and southern states. 137 00:07:33.000 --> 00:07:36.920 That plus Klay could lead to a major shift in 138 00:07:38.360 --> 00:07:40.879 House of Representative seats in the South, and then they'll 139 00:07:40.920 --> 00:07:44.600 be districted to maximis. Because I think once you've started this, Lucash, 140 00:07:44.600 --> 00:07:46.439 I don't know what you think, but I think once 141 00:07:47.199 --> 00:07:48.839 Trump said let's go ahead and do this, and a 142 00:07:48.920 --> 00:07:50.680 number of states did it, I don't think there's any 143 00:07:50.759 --> 00:07:53.399 going back. I mean, what would be the incentive for 144 00:07:53.480 --> 00:07:55.560 a state to say, oh, we're not going to do that. 145 00:07:55.600 --> 00:07:57.639 I mean, look at New England right, New England has 146 00:07:58.000 --> 00:08:00.160 basically reached it. All the states of New Ly have 147 00:08:00.279 --> 00:08:03.959 basically I think, redistricted all but one Republican seat out 148 00:08:03.959 --> 00:08:08.959 of existence in the entire region. And they've never gone back. 149 00:08:09.000 --> 00:08:10.560 This has been going on for years up in New 150 00:08:10.560 --> 00:08:14.040 England and they've never gone back, even though no other 151 00:08:14.079 --> 00:08:17.079 states retaliated against them for this, and the way you're 152 00:08:17.079 --> 00:08:19.839 seeing states do it now, so I don't see why 153 00:08:19.879 --> 00:08:23.920 we'd ever go back to the world before. But lastly, 154 00:08:24.079 --> 00:08:26.120 I don't see what's so bad about that. I mean, 155 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:28.839 really what, I don't really understand why it's so bad 156 00:08:29.040 --> 00:08:32.960 for states not to because this makes right state legislative 157 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:36.679 elections important. People should care about who they elect to 158 00:08:36.679 --> 00:08:39.440 the state house because they're the ones drawing the districts, 159 00:08:39.799 --> 00:08:42.159 and so to me it seems like a I mean, 160 00:08:42.159 --> 00:08:44.600 this is just a I don't know a consequence of 161 00:08:44.639 --> 00:08:48.639 democratic elections. I don't see what's so bad about jerrymanders. 162 00:08:48.679 --> 00:08:51.120 I see lots of people complaining about jerry manning. It's 163 00:08:51.120 --> 00:08:54.120 so terrible for democracy. I don't think it is a 164 00:08:54.720 --> 00:08:57.679 federal system where you have fifty different states and they're 165 00:08:57.679 --> 00:09:00.000 allowed to draw the districts as Maybe it would be 166 00:09:00.159 --> 00:09:03.639 a bad thing if you had one single, gigantic districting 167 00:09:03.919 --> 00:09:06.919 system for the entire country and you could redistrict a 168 00:09:07.039 --> 00:09:10.120 cole you know, whole party out nationwide, but that's not 169 00:09:10.200 --> 00:09:12.440 the case in our federal system. So real it is 170 00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:14.480 so bad about jerrymandering. I don't get it. 171 00:09:14.879 --> 00:09:17.399 Let me put all play Devil's advocate, and I don't. 172 00:09:17.679 --> 00:09:19.840 When I say that, I mean it sincerely. I don't 173 00:09:19.879 --> 00:09:23.759 know that I fully believe this, But I even looked 174 00:09:23.759 --> 00:09:25.919 a little bit of skance at the whole idea of 175 00:09:25.960 --> 00:09:29.679 Trump asking Texas to redistrict in a in the middle 176 00:09:29.799 --> 00:09:32.600 until I started paying a little more attention to what 177 00:09:32.799 --> 00:09:35.279 like you talk about what the Democrats had actually really 178 00:09:35.279 --> 00:09:39.320 done with districting in the past without ever being countered 179 00:09:39.320 --> 00:09:42.279 in any way to speak of by the Republicans. But 180 00:09:42.879 --> 00:09:48.480 I can remember being, you know, in an American government class, 181 00:09:48.519 --> 00:09:51.399 talking to my students and saying that the problem, for instance, 182 00:09:51.440 --> 00:09:54.159 in California is not so much that the voters are 183 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:59.039 choosing their representatives, it's that their representatives are choosing the voters. Right, 184 00:09:59.200 --> 00:10:01.320 You've heard that, that old cliche. 185 00:10:01.399 --> 00:10:02.320 Yeah. 186 00:10:02.360 --> 00:10:05.720 At what point, though, do we stop believing that you 187 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:11.519 can buy demographic information and other pieces of information about 188 00:10:11.559 --> 00:10:15.480 voters determine how they're going to vote. When will they say, 189 00:10:15.519 --> 00:10:17.360 for instance, and this is going to be a question, 190 00:10:17.600 --> 00:10:20.759 I promise, when will voters look at this whole situation 191 00:10:20.879 --> 00:10:22.440 say you know what, I don't really like that you 192 00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:24.799 did this, and now I'm going to vote for the 193 00:10:24.840 --> 00:10:27.519 other party They talked about that happened in Virginia. If 194 00:10:27.559 --> 00:10:30.759 the ten to one thing had gone through so voters. 195 00:10:31.039 --> 00:10:33.440 Do voters still have a say? Is what it comes 196 00:10:33.480 --> 00:10:37.240 down to. Could they still elect a Democrat in out 197 00:10:37.279 --> 00:10:41.480 of one of those redistricted Memphis areas? 198 00:10:42.080 --> 00:10:45.720 Do you think, Yeah, what if a party said, we're 199 00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:48.639 the clean government party and we can't paign on getting 200 00:10:48.759 --> 00:10:51.799 rid of jerrymanders, and we can't paign on having a 201 00:10:51.840 --> 00:10:54.559 redistricting committ right, and you or the people, as they 202 00:10:54.559 --> 00:10:58.440 did in California once upon a time, or in Virginia 203 00:10:59.039 --> 00:11:02.679 vote for a a nonpartisan redistricting commission or New York 204 00:11:03.320 --> 00:11:06.759 and then right then you have these people come in 205 00:11:06.759 --> 00:11:09.120 and say, it's actually interesting, it's mostly in blue states 206 00:11:09.159 --> 00:11:11.639 who write the blue states who once said we wanted 207 00:11:11.639 --> 00:11:13.360 to have these in the first place, but now we 208 00:11:13.399 --> 00:11:15.600 don't like the results, so we're going to get rid 209 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:18.679 of them for one time only or two elections only, 210 00:11:19.080 --> 00:11:22.879 like the Virginia override. But that's something that you can't 211 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:26.759 paign on first state legislative elections. Right, you could say 212 00:11:26.840 --> 00:11:31.879 the people are electing parties to control the state houses 213 00:11:32.720 --> 00:11:36.960 in part because of their control. I think about it also. 214 00:11:37.039 --> 00:11:39.879 You know, it's interesting I was thinking about this, Linda. Look, Critia, 215 00:11:39.879 --> 00:11:42.639 I don't know what you think, but this must have 216 00:11:42.720 --> 00:11:46.399 been the way it was before the seventeenth Amendment, right before, 217 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:50.039 right when Lincoln is running for Senate, Lincoln is actually 218 00:11:50.120 --> 00:11:53.320 asking people to elect certain members to the Illinois State 219 00:11:53.360 --> 00:11:55.600 House because they were the ones who would pick, would pick. 220 00:11:56.679 --> 00:12:05.519 Yeah, all right, we're back. And I'll just add this. 221 00:12:06.679 --> 00:12:09.919 Aside from the legal questions about it and the long 222 00:12:09.960 --> 00:12:14.440 politics of jerrymandering, I've noticed that the reaction to it 223 00:12:14.519 --> 00:12:17.000 is significant, I think in two ways. One, you had 224 00:12:17.000 --> 00:12:19.519 a bunch of people, including I think David French at 225 00:12:19.519 --> 00:12:22.600 the New York Times, but who cares having their knickers 226 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:26.279 in a twist about why didn't the Virginia Supreme Court 227 00:12:26.759 --> 00:12:30.600 intervene before the vote to save the taxpayers the cost 228 00:12:30.639 --> 00:12:32.600 of an election, and this and this and this, and 229 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:35.519 of course the simple answer is the law said they couldn't, 230 00:12:35.639 --> 00:12:39.399 And actually, appellate courts don't rule on prospective things unless 231 00:12:39.440 --> 00:12:42.000 there's an error in say the language or the law 232 00:12:42.080 --> 00:12:45.799 that's drafted in the initiative. That's happened occasionally, lots of 233 00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:49.080 Supreme courts have struck down initiatives state supreme courts around 234 00:12:49.080 --> 00:12:51.960 the country after they've passed. So there's nothing unusual about that, 235 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:56.279 But then the shocking reaction of the Democrats in Virginia. 236 00:12:56.559 --> 00:12:59.519 Let's fire the whole Supreme Court. I mean, forget court packing. 237 00:13:00.840 --> 00:13:03.879 Let's reduce the retirement age to fifty four so they 238 00:13:03.919 --> 00:13:06.919 all have to leave and reappoint new people. I mean, 239 00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:10.879 this has been nan republic stuff. You know, packing the 240 00:13:10.919 --> 00:13:15.080 Supreme Court is constitutional, right, this is Congress can change 241 00:13:15.120 --> 00:13:16.360 the number, so that's true. 242 00:13:16.559 --> 00:13:21.120 But presumably so can the state of Virginia legislature or 243 00:13:21.279 --> 00:13:25.720 change the constitution. You know, it's likely a different process 244 00:13:25.840 --> 00:13:29.200 because there are very few states that actually have the 245 00:13:29.240 --> 00:13:32.840 protections for the Supreme Court that the United States does. 246 00:13:32.879 --> 00:13:34.240 But anyway, go ahead. I'm sorry. 247 00:13:34.360 --> 00:13:37.039 Well, now you add one more layer onto this, which 248 00:13:37.320 --> 00:13:41.360 is the Voting Rights Act case. You have the Democrats 249 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:45.279 in hystery about it, with the Democratic House leader. What 250 00:13:45.360 --> 00:13:48.399 Hakeem Jeffrey's saying, this is an illegitimate court that's been 251 00:13:48.440 --> 00:13:50.720 a refrain for a while now, an illegitimate court. 252 00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:53.440 Who was it who said? 253 00:13:54.279 --> 00:13:58.639 Somebody tweeted out some Democrat packed the court. Now I thought, okay, 254 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:02.679 let's give from five more justices. I mean, they're not 255 00:14:02.720 --> 00:14:05.440 even thinking this through at all. But the point is 256 00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:08.039 is that I am now I'm going to recant something 257 00:14:08.039 --> 00:14:10.799 that I think I said in some episode many months 258 00:14:10.840 --> 00:14:15.039 ago that well, I think we are both reflecting that 259 00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:17.200 wonder about getting rid of the filibuster. 260 00:14:18.519 --> 00:14:21.519 And I still don't like the idea. 261 00:14:21.639 --> 00:14:24.240 But now I am convinced that the Democrats, if they 262 00:14:24.279 --> 00:14:26.799 get the chance, they will abolish it. They will pack 263 00:14:26.879 --> 00:14:29.639 the court, they will admit DC and Puerto Rico. 264 00:14:30.120 --> 00:14:32.559 They will elect college or try. 265 00:14:33.159 --> 00:14:35.120 Or abolish it, correct one of those things. 266 00:14:35.159 --> 00:14:39.440 And well, they're already. They're already they do have statutory statewide, 267 00:14:39.440 --> 00:14:44.080 statutory methods whereby they're going to undermine the electoral college. 268 00:14:44.080 --> 00:14:45.759 And yes, I do think they will do that, you know, 269 00:14:45.799 --> 00:14:49.159 the idea that the elector all electoral college votes will 270 00:14:49.200 --> 00:14:52.679 go to the popular vote winner, and that sort of thing. 271 00:14:53.200 --> 00:14:57.039 I need to think sometime. Sometimes I need to think 272 00:14:57.159 --> 00:15:00.720 through what the actual practical ramification as that are, because 273 00:15:00.799 --> 00:15:03.720 I'm guessing it wouldn't turn out the way they expect 274 00:15:03.759 --> 00:15:05.399 it to. You know, I had to I was going 275 00:15:05.480 --> 00:15:08.120 to send you something and I just thought busy. I apologize, 276 00:15:08.159 --> 00:15:11.200 But who was it in California that now wants to 277 00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:15.000 change your jungle primary? Of course, back to, you know, 278 00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:18.799 a party based system, because hey, this isn't working out 279 00:15:18.840 --> 00:15:20.679 what way the way we thought it would? You know 280 00:15:20.799 --> 00:15:23.960 that we would have one hundred percent full time forever, 281 00:15:24.720 --> 00:15:27.799 uh one party advantage with this jungle primary. 282 00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:32.519 Yeah so typical, right, Yeah, I mean so as you know, 283 00:15:32.639 --> 00:15:35.080 our democracy trademark is actually literally true. 284 00:15:35.120 --> 00:15:36.360 Our democracy means we. 285 00:15:36.279 --> 00:15:39.879 Win, right, we will if if we're not getting our way, 286 00:15:39.919 --> 00:15:44.200 we changed the rules. But here's the This gets back 287 00:15:44.240 --> 00:15:46.919 to an even older conversation we had along with John 288 00:15:47.080 --> 00:15:49.039 maybe three years ago now maybe more. 289 00:15:49.679 --> 00:15:51.679 We were speculating about, you know, could there really be 290 00:15:51.720 --> 00:15:52.639 another civil war? 291 00:15:53.480 --> 00:15:55.200 And you know we we you and I tangled a 292 00:15:55.200 --> 00:15:57.320 bit about whether the Spanish Civil War is a model 293 00:15:57.399 --> 00:16:02.480 or not. I am proposing, not highly facetiously, what I'm 294 00:16:02.519 --> 00:16:04.480 calling you'll see why it's half facetious. 295 00:16:05.000 --> 00:16:06.360 I want to propose. 296 00:16:06.039 --> 00:16:11.120 The Union of Concerned Political Scientists doomsday clock, and I'm 297 00:16:11.159 --> 00:16:13.080 gonna I'm gonna move the clock up to four minutes 298 00:16:13.120 --> 00:16:13.600 to midnight. 299 00:16:13.679 --> 00:16:13.799 Right. 300 00:16:13.840 --> 00:16:16.360 People, Remember the the action was the bullt of the 301 00:16:16.360 --> 00:16:19.360 Atomic Scientists, and the Union of Concerned Scientist was even worse. 302 00:16:20.200 --> 00:16:22.279 But the point is is they made lots of publicity 303 00:16:22.360 --> 00:16:24.840 for decades with their doomsday clock, and it would go 304 00:16:24.879 --> 00:16:25.480 up a minute. 305 00:16:25.519 --> 00:16:27.360 We're a minute, We're a minute, We're a minute. 306 00:16:27.480 --> 00:16:27.960 That's right. 307 00:16:28.080 --> 00:16:32.120 Yeah, but you know if oh so, let me add 308 00:16:32.159 --> 00:16:33.759 one more data point and then we'll go on to 309 00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:34.960 the next legal question. 310 00:16:36.320 --> 00:16:36.440 Uh. 311 00:16:37.039 --> 00:16:40.840 We've essentially seeing the we mentioned this before a week 312 00:16:40.960 --> 00:16:42.960 or two ago. We've seen the mayor of New York 313 00:16:42.960 --> 00:16:47.120 City essentially threaten Ken Griffith, you know, one of the 314 00:16:47.120 --> 00:16:50.399 the great financial titans of our time, by standing in 315 00:16:50.399 --> 00:16:53.360 front of his apartment around the corner from where that 316 00:16:53.480 --> 00:16:57.679 Luigi what's his name guy shot the seat Mangioni and 317 00:16:57.759 --> 00:17:00.720 became called hero for the Left. I guess there's even 318 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:03.840 a stage play about him, already celebrating him typical. 319 00:17:05.279 --> 00:17:07.200 But we've seen two things. 320 00:17:07.240 --> 00:17:09.680 You see, by the way, from a female point of view, 321 00:17:09.680 --> 00:17:13.000 he's not that cute. He's a soy boy. Go ahead, 322 00:17:13.839 --> 00:17:16.160 all those women who want to marry him or do 323 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:17.920 something with him anyway. 324 00:17:17.680 --> 00:17:20.000 Well, you know, there's there's always that cohort of women 325 00:17:20.039 --> 00:17:23.160 who write love letters to like Charles Manson in prison, right. 326 00:17:23.200 --> 00:17:26.160 I mean this is not it's ridiculous, but you know 327 00:17:26.160 --> 00:17:29.759 who wanted to have a date with Jeffrey Dahmer, I. 328 00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:32.640 Share and he wanted to eat them with dates. 329 00:17:33.079 --> 00:17:37.279 Well, okay, I was gonna say he wanted to share 330 00:17:37.319 --> 00:17:38.680 open face sandwiches with him. 331 00:17:40.440 --> 00:17:48.799 I know that's worse there. Sorry, so you'll set me. 332 00:17:48.839 --> 00:17:51.160 Okay, I sent you a text. 333 00:17:51.759 --> 00:17:54.839 Well, here's the serious point. You have these polls showing 334 00:17:55.079 --> 00:17:59.079 a parality of Democrats thinking the Butler attempt on Trump 335 00:17:59.160 --> 00:18:02.119 and the White House core respondesced and attempt were faked, 336 00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:05.400 which is looney Tunes territory. But then you also have 337 00:18:05.599 --> 00:18:09.519 especially younger liberals and Democrats coming along, like forty percent 338 00:18:09.599 --> 00:18:14.920 saying violence is justified for political uh, for your political goals. 339 00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:17.640 So if it comes to pass that you have always 340 00:18:17.680 --> 00:18:19.799 reformed and I agree with you, probably wouldn't work out 341 00:18:19.839 --> 00:18:23.640 the way the Democrats think. Uh, then what happens after 342 00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:26.799 that possibly bad stuff. And so that's why four minutes 343 00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:29.480 to midnight is it is a gimmick. It's I want 344 00:18:29.480 --> 00:18:32.039 to make fun of all those you know, Union of 345 00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:33.119 Concerns scientists. 346 00:18:34.400 --> 00:18:36.440 But it's not crazy to think about. 347 00:18:37.240 --> 00:18:39.480 So let me just throw something a little And we 348 00:18:39.519 --> 00:18:40.839 didn't talk about this, but I'm want to throw it 349 00:18:40.880 --> 00:18:43.000 at you anyway. You know, I'm the one who always 350 00:18:43.079 --> 00:18:49.000 complains about Republicans refusing to recognize the war that they're in, 351 00:18:49.160 --> 00:18:51.960 and you know, wanting to be gentlemen, wanting to to 352 00:18:52.559 --> 00:18:57.000 and wanting to stick with principles, wanting to defend institutions, 353 00:18:57.559 --> 00:19:01.759 and even being willing to lose because they're defending their 354 00:19:01.759 --> 00:19:07.720 principles and their institutions. I wonder how much longer, you know, 355 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:14.039 the Republican Party can veer toward Mike Pence if the 356 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:18.920 Democrats continue to go down this road, which I do 357 00:19:18.960 --> 00:19:21.680 think is it's becoming worse. You know, you're four minutes 358 00:19:21.680 --> 00:19:24.519 to midnight, whatever you want to call it. I just 359 00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:27.799 you have to wonder. I'm not saying civil war necessarily, 360 00:19:27.960 --> 00:19:32.359 but Trump is popular in large part because he doesn't 361 00:19:32.440 --> 00:19:34.880 care to play the game the way it's always been played, 362 00:19:34.920 --> 00:19:37.680 which is they get to do whatever they want. John 363 00:19:37.720 --> 00:19:40.240 brought up a really good point in this regard about 364 00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:42.960 the jerrymandering that you know, come on, let's be real. 365 00:19:43.440 --> 00:19:49.759 Democrats have jerrymandered both racially jerrymandered and politically jerrymandered partisan 366 00:19:49.799 --> 00:19:53.720 jerrymanderd for years. It's part of the reason why they're 367 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:56.799 so desperate. There's nothing left for them to Jerrymander Steve 368 00:19:57.440 --> 00:20:02.079 right right, I mean, and so Trump and I confess 369 00:20:02.200 --> 00:20:04.720 to being a little bit unnerved by Trump, you know, 370 00:20:05.039 --> 00:20:08.039 encouraging it in Texas and didn't feel right right me 371 00:20:08.160 --> 00:20:11.599 of all people, but you know, John convinced me that 372 00:20:11.880 --> 00:20:13.640 this is what we have to do. We don't have 373 00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:14.400 a choice. 374 00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:17.279 Yeah, It's it's a rare day when Sean is more 375 00:20:17.279 --> 00:20:20.480 ferocious than you and I are. But all right, I'll 376 00:20:20.519 --> 00:20:23.000 just add this. You know, I think it's our friend 377 00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:25.960 Tom Klingenstein, who's been writing for several years now, the 378 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:28.680 phrase that we're in a cold civil war, like the 379 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:31.079 Cold War is so cold, and so that the question 380 00:20:31.240 --> 00:20:34.079 is when does it become a hot civil war for real? 381 00:20:35.319 --> 00:20:37.519 And I also I just add a plug, Haret, And 382 00:20:37.640 --> 00:20:39.200 you know, I interviewed. 383 00:20:38.759 --> 00:20:41.519 Noel Rothman on the Ricochet podcast, who's got just got 384 00:20:41.519 --> 00:20:43.839 a brand new book out this week on violence of 385 00:20:43.880 --> 00:20:48.000 the left right. And so there's that. But we're going 386 00:20:48.039 --> 00:20:51.240 to go to a quick ad break with some bumper music. 387 00:20:51.400 --> 00:20:54.359 That is the baseline that is blowing up the internet. 388 00:20:54.599 --> 00:20:56.440 So the Internet says, we'll be right back. 389 00:21:05.480 --> 00:21:08.759 Hi, everybody, it's Steve. I know you were expecting one 390 00:21:08.799 --> 00:21:11.400 of those automated drop in ads, but instead today what 391 00:21:11.480 --> 00:21:13.720 I want to do is encourage all of you who 392 00:21:13.720 --> 00:21:16.599 are regular listeners to the Three Whiskey Happy Hour to 393 00:21:16.759 --> 00:21:21.400 consider subscribing to our group, Substack Political Questions. You can 394 00:21:21.440 --> 00:21:24.920 find it at Steve Hayward dot substack dot com. It's 395 00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:28.119 completely free to subscribe, though if you'd like to become 396 00:21:28.200 --> 00:21:32.519 a paying supporting subscriber, our rates are much much lower 397 00:21:32.519 --> 00:21:35.160 than your average substack and it would be a nice 398 00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:39.119 token of support if you're so inclined. It's not just me, 399 00:21:39.279 --> 00:21:41.640 but you will find John Yu from time to time, 400 00:21:42.279 --> 00:21:46.079 Lucretia from time to time, but in particular every Thursday 401 00:21:46.119 --> 00:21:48.960