Some More News - Even More News: Election Time: Trump's MAGA Rally, Kamala's Closing Argument, Elon's Fluids

Episode Date: November 1, 2024

Hello and welcome back to Even More News, the first and only news podcast, although I think our guests today might disagree with that for some reason. I'm Katie Stoll. Hi Katie Stoll. Hi. I guess this can be the first and only debate podcast. We'll debate that fact. Hi, I'm Cody Johnston. How you doing? Happy Halloween.

Well, we have to we have to introduce our guest. This is a fun one. I asked for you to come months ago. I've been asking. Host of Crooked Media's What A Day and formerly the host of the Argument at the New York Times, we are very thrilled to welcome Jane Costin. Hello, how are you? And I will accept that maybe you're the only news podcast, but I also have a news podcast. Okay, well that's fair.

Actually that's a very clear distinction, and I think we all appreciate it that we can start off on the same foot today. We all agree on facts. Oh, Jonathan's's also here by the way. Hi friends for our Viewers watching the show you'll notice that we were dressed up. It is Halloween on the day that we're recording Jonathan who are you? I'm popular children's entertainer. Miss Rachel. That's what I thought. Hello, Miss Rachel to miss Rachel If you're under four, I'm the most famous person in the world. You look just like her. Thank you very much. Nailed it. And Cody? I am either guy with COVID, didn't want to do this. Or I'm thinking like dorky love interest from a mid 90s comedy

called like, ah, get out of here, whatever one of those. Or as Jane pointed out, Hunter S. Thompson, way better. Way better answer than my original two. I'm glad you gave Jane credit because that was her idea for you. And I am Snow White. Oh, look, I've got my apple mug. So we're all popular children's characters.

The popular children's character Hunter S. Thompson. That's right, exactly. My friend loves Disney and loves Halloween and throws a Halloween party and she recently had a baby, so as a surprise we showed up to her Halloween party dressed as Disney characters. Otherwise I would never ever dress as a Disney character. It's a little too boring, but I think it works. Don't tell her that. Halloween party dressed as Disney characters. Otherwise I would never ever dress as a Disney character. It's a little too boring, but I think it works. Don't tell her that.

Yeah. Well, like for a Halloween costume. Hope she's not listening. I really appreciate your Miss Rachel costume because I did not know who Miss Rachel was until I had friends with kids who were like, Miss Rachel is the most important person in our lives. We love Miss Rachel. Yeah.

I now know multiple people who last year, like there was like a whole fleet of people I know who went as Miss Rachel for Halloween. If children, like if you could deter, you have four year olds got to determine who the most famous people were, it would be like Miss Rachel and Bluey. Yeah, for sure.

And Lightning McQueen, I think too. Yeah, that's a big one. I have a lot of PAW Patrol questions with regard to the use of the state, but that's a big one. I have a lot of PAW Patrol questions with regard to the use of the state, but that's another podcast altogether. All right, Jane, you're new here. We always acknowledge the holidays as an icebreaker, but I do feel as though the ice has been broken.

And the holidays is obvious. Friday, November 1st is Deck the Everything Day. I guess this is just getting started on early. Brought to you by Home Goods, the store Home Goods. Oh, of course. There we go. I was raised Catholic, and so if you're Catholic, November 1st is All Saints Day. So when I was a kid, the day after Halloween, you always got off school, which it turns

out that's not how life works. Like there were a bunch of holidays I had as a kid where I was like, this is how life will be forever. Nope. Nope. You gotta go to work It's really a brutal realization You know if we've been lied to in so many ways as children and it's true to protect us from the harsh reality of the world And when you have to go to work the day after Halloween, yes and which yeah, what the heck and on Halloween

What the hell on Halloween on Halloween exactly? It's a racket. Wild. But go shop at Home Goods, everybody. So we need to get to some news, but all of this carries us through, and we're gonna start with what everybody's been talking about this week, and now it's our turn. Ah, Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden.

What a delight. I know, feels like I let off with really old news on this. It's like felt like the top story like two days ago. Now it's like no we got to talk about garbage now. The garbage news story has moved forward like five days. I know. We might be exhausted talking about this. But Trump had a rally on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden and the lead headline has been Tony Hingedglyffe and his standup set. There's a lot going on.

Like, I don't know if you guys know this, but there's literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. Yeah. I think it's called Puerto Rico. Okay. All right. Okay.

My favorite part of the story, which we will get into, is that he test drove his set at an actual comedy club the night before, and it bombed. And then he was like, I'm doing this rally tomorrow, and I think they're going to like it way more. And I'm like, I don't think you know what a playful rally is. And obviously, like the headline from that has been him calling Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage. But like it was interesting that that was the comment that got a lot more attention.

There was also he said that, you know, Travis Kelsey really reminds me of OJ Simpson. Like basically like, hey, he's going to murder Taylor Swift. Yay. He joked that Latinos ejaculate everywhere, that Jewish people are cheap, and that Palestinians are violent. And what also got me like, yes, like there was this comedian. Also the watermelon comment. Yes, the black people would be carving watermelon for Halloween, which doesn't make sense on any level.

On any level. Here's what was interesting to me. I actually think there were a host of conservatives who made this point too. Nikki Haley did and Megan Kelly did. If you are in an election, if you're a normal person, you are working so hard to seem so welcoming and bipartisan, and you want a big tent, even if you don't actually want that. That's kind of what you say.

You perform that. George W. Bush had compassionate conservatism and this idea of we're going to welcome people. You see that kind of Obama speech at the 2004 DNC about we're the red states and blue states, we're all Americans, whatever. This Trump rally, his basically final big event before the presidential election, was pretty much, fuck you, everybody else. It was Nikki Haley and Megyn Kelly basically were just like, this is the bro-iest thing ever.

The entire thing was like Kamala Harris is a prostitute who has pimp handlers. She's the Antichrist, but also, yeah, and deeply evil. Hillary Clinton is a son of a bitch, which I'm like lady of a bitch, perhaps. A sick son of a bitch. And a sick bastard, I think. Yes, and a sick bastard. And like every speaker, I mean, Hulk Hogan was there again, because what else does he have to do?

But it was just it was an event which was basically really making the point of like, you know, I'm reminded Kerry Lake and when she ran for governor in 2022, she pretty much was like, if you voted for John McCain, get the hell out, we don't want you. And she lost, obviously. Like, it's so weird to me that this entire campaign, even like there was like a 10 minute period during Trump's speech at the RNC where he was like, I will be a president for all Americans. And he was like, well, fuck that. I'm bored. And like, this Madison Square Garden rally was pretty much like, if you are not already in, this isn't for you. Like, I just can't imagine. Like, imagine if you were just like, huh, I'm a very admittedly confused, undecided voter. And I'm just going to wander into this

rally and see what I learn. Like you would just basically learn they hate you. They hate everybody else. Everyone who is not adjacent to Trump is the worst person in the world. One of the most popular speakers was Trump's attorney who is very bad at being an attorney. And speaking.

The entire thing, it was such a strange event to do, especially when it seemed more like a thing Trump wanted to do rather than a good idea for the campaign. Which like, the back and forth of like, does Trump wanna do this or is this a good idea? Like it really is all like, Trump wants to do this I guess. It's hard to know.

There's some sort of playbook with Trump where no matter what he says, good or bad or what's all bad, but it doesn't really matter how it lands. That's why he cites. He's like, oh, when I say the enemy within, they hate it. They hate it. They get all upset. He loves that.

That's part of his ad campaign. It's look at how I'm triggering them. So there's literally no reason for him to not lean into it so far because it hasn't worked against him. And there is some idea, I would think, in Monday, Tuesday that maybe this is working against him, and maybe it is.

I don't want to be a downer in our last few days before the election. But then the news story became about Joe Biden's response. Well, let me tell you something. I don't know the Puerto Rican that I know or Puerto Rico where I'm in my home state of Delaware. They're good, decent, honorable people. The only garbage I see floating out there is their supporters.

First off, Joe, please stop talking. It's like, I, I, it's like, and now everybody's litigating Joe Biden's comment. Joe Biden is not our candidate. He is not representing us. Also, I will just say, and I've said this repeatedly, and I was talking to my producers about it, Republicans being mad that someone said something mean. Like, come on. It's absurd. I know.

It's absurd. It's so hypocritical. Let's be clear here. For the past nine, eight, seven years, whatever, Democrats have been referred to as, by like people in office, as like pedophiles, murderers, like the most evil people alive, the enemy within, just like the worst people in human history. It really is a like, fuck your feelings, but my feelings are so very delicate.

Come on. Yeah. At that Madison Square Garden rally, radio host Sid Rosenberg said, the whole fucking party, a bunch of degenerates, low lives, Jew haters and low lives every one of them every one of them No response about this quote. Yeah, it's just that's and I think that's to your point like they can they feel untouchable they feel like they can kind of get away with anything and I mean the hope is that finally they can't but the this like small bean sort of like I can't I'm so offended by this yeah like the small bean bullshit of just like don't be offended by it so much

just I do think it's a desperate attempt to turn the page on what a disaster that rally was they're like this is the thing and like Charlie Kirk say you like oh I'm all upset JD Vance saying no this is disgusting especially cuz JD Vance after he was like my favorite thing about this has been JD Vance being like I didn't hear No, you're not. Well, especially because JD Vance after he was like, my favorite thing about this has been JD Vance being like, I didn't hear what he said. I don't know what he said. I'm like, you were there. Yeah.

Like at a certain point. I'll say. He spoke at it. But then he's like, people need to stop being so offended by everything. Come on. And so you're going to get offended by this old man. You've called Dementia Joe who who say is on your deathbed. And look, that is what Joe meant was referring to the jokes.

It was an unfortunate phrasing. He was stuttering. He wasn't stuttering, because I don't mean to make fun of the stutter at all. But he was looking for his words, and you can tell he was having one of his Joe Biden moments. So what is it? Is he a mastermind that's evil or is he got dementia, folks?

Yeah. Can't stress enough. He's not running for president. And he's not running for president. And also, it's just so funny because the person who is running for president, Kamala Harris, has just throughout the entire campaign avoided this completely, avoided talking like that.

Brett Beier literally at one point in an interview with her was like, so like you hate Trump supporters, right? Don't you wanna shit on Trump supporters right now? More or less. She literally says, oh God, no. Exactly. Yeah. The whole thing is just like, and again, just looking back at the past eight, nine years

of Donald Trump and his entire party, I'm so over it. I'm just not, I have no patience for this. Like I can't believe he said this. I'll plug our video that came out yesterday. It's our last video before the election and it is an overview of as much as we could possibly fit in. It doesn't even fit everything. Of the things that he has said and done.

It's two hours long. And it is long. And Cody got COVID and we filmed it. You're not saying that Cody got COVID because of the video. No, no, no, no. I don't know. He got it because of Donald Trump. It was very poetic.

It was an unfortunate, perfect thing to happen right before we filmed that. Circle around to where I started on this segment before we move on, which is that it's very, very, very unfortunate also that the joke, which was very offensive, wasn't even the most offensive joke. Yeah, he wasn't even the most offensive speaker. But that's what I'm getting at. He wasn't even the most offensive speaker.

I mean, we rushed over it a bit, but the whole thing put together is horrifying. And the news, everything, the media, the way we consume media goes so fast and it's so full of people's bullshit takes on Twitter and everywhere that we just blow past it and nobody's had time to digest. Tucker Carlson literally called her the first Samoan Malaysian low IQ, like, ah, anyway. The whole thing is really disgusting.

And even like you said, Jane, if Megyn Kelly is out there of all people being like little much for me that should tell you something I think there is a huge they're in this Everyone's in their bubble. Everyone's got their bubbles But once Elon Musk bought Twitter and made it so much worse That is a bubble that I think they are all in now like they know, JD Vance is a very online weirdo in the Elon Musk sort of sphere. And I feel like they see all these posts all the time by all the blue checks out there. And they think that's

normal. They think people like it. They think like, oh, this is the met like look at how popular my tweet is. And then they do it on stage. And it's really off-putting to most people. Because most people aren't even on Twitter, you know, like it's not a popular website. I've said that one of the weirdest things that's going to be happening is that like the low-level GOP staffers are all now like the most online dudes you've ever heard of in your life. Like they're all people who have spent years on this and you saw this with a Florida governor around the Santos's campaign where instead of doing it, I was joking about this. And you saw this with Florida governor around the Santa's campaign, where instead of doing it,

I was joking about this. You could have announced your presidential campaign in front of a cheering crowd at a football stadium in Florida. And you did it on a Twitter spaces that broke. And there kept being weird videos released about how Trump was too gay and using the Nazi sonenrod

and just was the most online shit you've ever seen in your life. And like something that I'm interested in it just seeing because of the siloing effect of Twitter where in 2016 it was siloed in a very different way. I've been on Twitter since 2008. I'm a, they will have to cry me out of there. It's damaged me deeply,

but like siloing effect means that like there are people. And I was talking about this. There are people on Twitter and especially with blue checks and with tons of followers who are like Trump's going to win in a landslide. He's already won. There's no way he could lose. And I'm like, what? That setting up a whole thing about how this has been stolen. But it's also wild to me that you would be in such a silo like kind of a.

I know Pauline Kale famously didn't actually say this, but like the alleged thing she said was like, you know, how could Nixon have won? I didn't I don't know anyone who voted for him. That's not what she actually said. But that's kind of what the apocryphal version is. And now you're seeing Pauline Kael's all over the place of being like, I don't know anyone who would like Kamala Harris. Everyone hates. I know hates Kamala Harris.

Who would vote for her? And like, it's just interesting people who pretend to be not in the silo being like locked in a grain elevator, basically, like it's ridiculous. Yeah, I know. Even more so in a lot of ways, like the things that Musk has done to that website in particular, and all websites have this problem, but just sort of the hurting into these silos

is very, very blatant. Absolutely seeing the effects of what Elon Musk buying this platform has done to our political conversations. But I'm still, I don't know, that is its own thing. That's its own echo chamber. That's not representative of the whole country or people that are actually living their lives

and going about. Oh, Jane, you've always been very, I feel very good at this, even on the worst website in the world. I've been on Twitter since I think 2009. And it was fun once. It's great. Whatever. We love it.

I think my first introduction to your account was seeing you in specifically Ben Shapiro's replies. You approach him in a very reasonable way and you address these things and you're kind of the only person I've ever seen him respond to in a reasonable way as well. In like, oh, we're having a dialogue. He's going to respond to you, you're going to respond to him. He lies a lot and I find a lot of those interactions still frustrating. Was did you ever find that to be productive? And is it like dropped off?

Are you just like giving up? I think productive in a couple of ways. I think that there was a point like 10 or 15 years ago or something where I definitely was like, I'll just, you know, I'll kill them with kindness. I'll convince them in some way. And now thinking about it, I think that the need for and you see this with talking heads on both sides of the aisle, but specifically, I think, especially within the right that there is such a need to perform the Andrew Breitbart fight thing of just constantly being on the attack, constantly being simultaneously

incredibly powerful and always a victim. And there's such a need to perform that. And the thing that interested me about my conversation with Ben, I think I remember, is like there was something about, he was complaining or something about like Bernie Sanders' popularity. And I basically was like, what, one of us spent the entire Obama administration calling him a Marxist. So at a certain point like, come on bro. And then he was like, I shouldn't have done that. And I'm like, yeah, like, yeah, probably. Yeah. Hey there little face. Listen, we all hate everything right now and that's fine.

Doesn't help that one of the biggest social media sites is now a propaganda wing for one of our only two parties. Also, we have only two parties. Also, did I mention the election? Look, I want to tell you about Ground News is my point here, which you can find at ground.news.smn. That's a sponsor we at the show sought out that's both a website and an app that aggregates news

from around the world from the entire political spectrum and allows us to compare coverage and verify our information. It's like the news hub that social media used to be, somewhere to see all the news of the day from multiple perspectives so you can stay informed during this election, which we hate. And we'll be over soon. One way or another, it will be over. So again, that's Ground News, aka ground.news slash SMN to save 50% off unlimited access to their Vantage subscription. What they're doing is more important today than ever, and I encourage you to check them out.

Be sure to discover their 2024 presidential election page to follow all the breaking news, explore key issues, and see blind spot stories that aren't being covered nearly enough by the media. So again, that's ground.news slash SMN for 50% off unlimited access. The link is in the description. Sup, it's CJ talking about them BMs. You know I'm talking bowel movements, gut stuff.

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That's as many homes as there are spiders in your pockets. so many homes that's as many homes as there are spiders in your pockets. Blue Land has a special offer for listeners and watchers right now get 15% off your first order by going to blueland.com slash more news you do not want to miss this blueland.com slash more news for 15% off. Once again, that is a blueland.com slash more news to get 15% off and to clean your house like me because I love blueland and spiders. Okay, Jonathan, what's next? Throw us another topic. What's in the news, Jonathan? What's in the news? Tell me about the news. As Ms. Rachel. Yes. Well, Kamala Harris gave her big closing argument speech at the Ellipse, which is the same site

as Donald Trump's January 6 speech. She was basically just putting out her agenda that she's going to be focused on common sense solutions, bringing people together, typical closing argument stuff, and of course pointing out what a potentially dangerous threat Donald Trump is. She had a line, on day one if elected, Donald Trump would walk into that office with an enemies list. When elected, I will walk in with a to-do list. Thought that was a pretty good line.

It's a good line. Pretty good. Pretty effective. I mean, I don't know if it's effective. We'll see you all week. Well, everyone's talking about how Joe Biden said that one thing, so maybe not. Well, right. I mean, that's one of the issues is that we're a few days away from the election and Kamala

Harris is maybe the third or fourth top line story. And maybe that's a good thing. Like anti-Donald Trump seems to, because of that Gallup poll that showed that enthusiasm among Democrats to vote is at Obama 2008 levels. It's higher than Obama 2008. I also think a thing that drives me nuts is that people, let's keep in mind, Donald Trump won one election. And I would argue he won not because of an overwhelming force of personality, but because

roughly 75,000 people in three states didn't vote. And I would say a lot of them, like I kind of remember hearing from people like, Hillary Clinton is so gonna win that I don't really need to vote, which is a hilarious thing to say, but like it wasn't so funny at the time or ever since. And so I think that there's been this idea that one, he won in a way that happens to line up

with whatever it is you're maddest about. Like the people who concluded that this means that the Republican Party is like knee deep in populism, who have totally ignored the fact that like so much of Trump's first term was like, I handed over the keys to the EPA to like the richest dude I could find who built a, like a many thousand dollar soundproof room in his office, like, and spent a lot of time demanding secret service take him to this very expensive french restaurant in dc called Le Diplomate. It's been interesting because i think that there's a way in which Trump's actual presidency

becomes ignored rather and replaced with this just so story of like you were mean to him once and then he won or this is why because you didn't nominate Ernie Sanders. Or this is because of X and Y. Let's keep in mind, he won one election. Everyone connected with him. The 2017 special elections, Corey Stewart in Virginia. Twenty eighteen midterms, the 2020 election, which he lost. The twenty twenty two midterms, which all of his like favored candidates like Blake Masters, Skinwalker, murderer of Arizona lost.

So there's this idea that like anything that happens is automatically good for him. Oh, like I had somebody telling me like, oh, you know, everyone's paying attention to this terrible Madison Square Garden rally, that's gonna help him. Gravity still applies to Donald Trump. It still does.

There's like, there are people who seem to believe that he is a magical being who anything he does will automatically help him with his supporters. But let's keep in mind that like the base of any party is not the country. Like what you're supposed to do to win a presidential election is that you need the base, the people who like you all the time, the people who would metaphorically like go to the concert and buy all the merch. You also need people who put like one or two of your songs on a Spotify playlist. Trump doesn't really do that. He seems to believe that he won in 2016 by diving down in a bass that didn't vote very often or would only vote for him. He seems to think he can just do

that repeatedly and it hasn't proven to be true. So I just want to say like the you know I think the ellipse speech was really important also because of the visuals, also because of the seriousness. Like it was a good speech and it was also a speech made at a time in which like the alternative is so unserious and yet so very serious to so many people. And I think it's also important to remember that like not everything Trump does is good or helpful for him I don't mean good morally. I mean like helpful for him politically like at a certain point. He he actually can't

Shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue and get away with it Like his his supporters will let him get away with those people right, but it's like yeah, I mean I saw some of those stupidest reporting is like people going. I saw National Review had someone go to the rally in Madison Square Garden and they met some black Trump supporters and they're like, Oh, everyone in Harlem is voting for Trump. And I'm like, Oh, people at a Trump rally told you that everybody they know is voting for Trump News at 11. Like, yeah, come on, what are we doing here?

And so I think like, yes, I think her speech got eclipsed, but it got eclipsed because like the lead story is Donald Trump has crazy rally that has had knock on effects and also he keeps talking about his enemies. And also he's made it very clear that the best possible argument for Donald Trump is that he's lying about all the stuff he wants to do. But that's it. If the best possible argument is that he actually doesn't want to arrest journalists, he doesn't want to take CBS's license, he doesn't want to deport 10 million people,

he doesn't want to do all of the stuff that he has repeatedly said he wants to do, and actually he wants to do stuff that RFK Jr. wants him to do that he doesn't care about at all. Oh yeah, we're banning vaccines now. That's what you want to talk about. Oh yeah, we're banning vaccines. That's what you want to talk about. And everyone's going to eat organic because apparently, do you remember Michelle Obama and Let's Move and how Republicans got so mad about it? No, that was evil. That was evil what she was wanting to do.

Yes, but now the brain worm's talking and it's good. Yeah, and so I think like, it's just always important to remember that like, what Trump does is not always good. Oh yeah, I think I keep coming back to that and I, you know, it's not good to get complacent and everybody should go out and vote. But he is and always has been deeply unlikable and unpopular. He's not won the popular vote.

There are people who love him, but I just, you see it in every election you just named. And I know Katie, you've got different conversations going on. I do, I do. I respect this perspective, and I really hope that it's correct. And I don't think it's wrong. I think that there are far more people, unfortunately,

that live in a gray area that really don't like both and don't like Donald Trump, but literally think that this party will do better for them financially. And I think we might be downplaying that. I hope I'm wrong. Speaking of that, part of the closing argument from Donald Trump, on the other hand, seems to be coming from Elon Musk, that everyone's going to have a really rough time. The economy is going to tank and he'll be fine.

He's going to have a great time actually handing out his come to everybody of his friends. I think my favorite part of this is like he said you know we have to reduce spending to live within our means. And that does really involve some temporary hardship. What do you mean are Kimo Sabeabe? Like, come on, you are currently setting up a compound in Texas so that you can live

with all of your children and all of the women you've impregnated. What do we mean? And offering your semen to anybody, to people that might want it. To your friends and to your friends. If you discuss infertility near him, he will offer you semen.

I have food in my pockets right now. It's frozen. Would you like to? I don't know why. You I have food in my pockets right now. It's frozen. What'd you like? I don't know why. You could go take care of it right now. Just my German voice. I can't do it. No, the South African accent is notoriously difficult to do

as Leonardo DiCaprio taught us in Blood Diamond. He did his best. In which he goes with an accent where it's like, it sounds like an Irish person got hit by a bus. Were South African people involved in emerald mines? Really? That's interesting. I also want to mention while we're talking about Musk, there's another, because we've talked about he's building a compound, there's another very strange story. He's telling you that your life's gonna suck.

Oh yeah. He's telling you that life's gonna suck. Your life is going to suck. Yeah. Not his. Not his. He's good. Apparently some of the paid canvassers in swing states that America Pack is paying say they've been subject to poor working conditions, including being

driven around in the back of a seatless U-Haul van threatened that their motels would not be paid for if they didn't meet their canvassing quotas. Needing to sign an NDA and not even knowing that they're actually being hired to campaign for Donald Trump. How is this legal? And how is it legal that he's giving away

millions of dollars to people? I just, we keep brushing over this. What the fuck? What the fuck? He was supposed to show up in court today, I think. I'm not sure if that has happened yet. I believe that he said he was not. Ah, that's not surprising. He was not going to show up in court today, I think. I'm not sure if that has happened yet. I believe that he said he was not. Ah, that's not surprising.

He was not going to show up. Again, you go to court, he goes back to Texas too. I don't know. Well, we know now, live in the compound and then fill his little jars and hand him out. Exactly. He's joked about, you know, cause he's going just, okay, Trump wins, everything's fine.

And he's joked about like, well, if Kamala wins, that she's going to put me in jail. It's like, well, no, she's not going to put you in jail. It's just that you've done a bunch of crimes and we will still have a functional justice department that will probably investigate you for all the crimes you're doing. He's going to be in charge of figuring out these cuts? Of Doge. For the Doge committee? Yeah, Department of Government Efficiency, that's right.

At a certain point, and I don't understand, and I've noticed like people do this in general, like, if you are very good at one thing, and we see this, again, it's a social media thing, where people who are like, I'm a college professor and I study economics. Here's my thoughts on trans people. And you're just like, stay in your fucking lane. Like, you know, I must, I will, like, SpaceX? Fine. Space, that seems cool.

Love space. But like, when he's just, like, I, how he operates. Like, if you're on Twitter, that's the thing. Like, I have friends who, I have a good friend who's like, you know, one of the, probably the smartest person I know. He lives in Silicon Valley. He, you know, you know, one of the probably the smartest person I know. He lives in Silicon Valley. He has kids and stuff like that. And he's always like, you know, Elon Musk is doing these really interesting space projects. And I'm like, I'm so sorry.

You have to know that my encounters with Elon Musk is someone saying the most racist shit I've ever seen in my life. And him going sounds right on Twitter, where it's like, you know, there is anti like anti white mobs gathering in Springfield and he's like exclamation point exclamation point. Like you have to believe that either he's the most gullible person who's ever lived or he's just a god awful member of society. And I feel so bad because I'm like if you know, my if I had the understanding of Elon Musk that like my friend did, I'd be like, oh, this guy who, you know, the Tesla seems like a nice car and space stuff is cool. But because I encounter Twitter Elon Musk, I'm like, this is the worst person in the world. Worst person. It's a very interesting trajectory.

The guy who was like, I would love to impregnate Taylor Swift. That's him. It's just so many of these characters, Elon, Donald Trump. I'm like, I talked to people that support them or whatever shades of being fans of these men. And I'm like, if that motherfucker was sitting in this bar or out here, you would not want your girlfriend, you would not want your wife to be around them. There is not a chance in hell that's a person you want to hang out with or you would trust

with literally anything. And yet, you're just going to be blindly defending them. You're just going to be... It is incredibly difficult for me to square these realities. It's very demoralizing. These men that want to protect their women and like, yeah, Donald Trump, Donald Trump. Whether they like it or not. Whether they like it or not.

You know, sometimes I wish I could shrink down and ride cats like horses. And it makes me sad that I can't. But then I think about Hungry Root and I get happy again because it's hard to eat healthy. You have to cook stuff literally every day and then you end up just getting delivery and then you know the delivery driver from karate class. What? But Hungry Root sends you fresh and high quality groceries and simple recipes right to your door. All you have to do is tell them your personal health goals and dietary needs and cooking preferences and they will construct a personalized but customizable grocery cart.

They have fresh produce, meats and seeds, foods, snacks, sweets, and even vitamins and supplements. You know, like a grocery store. But it's like having your own little personal shopper. You know, here in my mountain castle, I just, I can't rely on delivery. It's not an option. So I don't. So I like to cook a bunch of meals for the week,

and hungry root really saves the time it would take me to go to the store. And so I am very thankful for that. My heart is full of joy and other things. Terrible things. And right now Hungry Root is offering some more news listeners and watchers 40% off your first delivery

and free veggies for life of the subscription. So just go to hungryroot.com slash more news to get 40% off your first delivery and get those free veggies. For the terms of the subscription. That's hungryroot.com slash more news. Don't forget to use our link so they know we sent you. Ooh, it's that spooky time of year where goblins and ghouls come out

and we have to elect one of them as the next president. Waka waka. But seriously folks, goblins will steal your babies and turn them into muppets. Well, thankfully I don't have a baby. And also I do have simply safe and their new active guard outdoor protection. Non-goblin crime is not a very big concern for me.

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This offer is only valid for one week. So visit the website now. That is a simply safe.com slash more news. There's no say like simply safe. Hey, it's Katie. Like all of you, I enter the future. But first, I like my butt to poop in what Blade Runner would poop in. And that's why I use the Tushy Bidet.

It is the future of butts, and it will get your butt twice as clean and half the time it takes to wipe. Folks, come on. Don't you want your butt to be in the future? Wiping is gross and messy, and I never feel good afterward. But with Tushy, it's like taking a future shower in your butt. So I feel refreshed and cool and all Blade Runner every time I use it. I listen to the Tron soundtrack in the bathroom now so I can feel as futuristic as my butt does.

By the way, Hello Tushy is easy to install and attaches to your existing toilet. It's got adjustable nozzles and every Hello Tushy bidet comes with a 30-day hassle free return and a 12-month warranty. It is time to ditch toilet paper and finally feel shower fresh with Hello Tushy. For a limited time our listeners get 10% off their first bidet order when you use code SMN at checkout. That is 10% off your first bidet order at hellotushy.com with promo code SMN. Be the Blade Runner of butts! But. So, Jane, I was not aware about some of your history that you were formerly a

libertarian and transitioned to independent. And now you're working at a fairly progressive company. And I don't know. That's very fascinating to me. Tell me a little bit about that transition for you, how that looked. I don't think it really required much of a change in me, really.

I always like to say that everyone's politics are much more complicated and complex than we ever really let it be, especially on social media. Social media has a flattening effect in which you become your politics in a very specific way. But I was always kind of like a left, you know, I grew up in a, I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio with Catholic school.

So my parents were like the only Democrats I knew. Um, my, my parents and my grandma, everyone else was Republican. Like everybody loved George Bush. Like the neighborhood next to ours, Indian Hill was like the biggest Republican fundraising neighborhood in America. And so I was always very used to having like politics that were very at odds of everyone around me. And so I think that for me,

I'd always kind of identified as like left leaning libertarian adjacent. And by libertarian, I mean kind of small L libertarian. As I came to find out the big L libertarian party is fucking nuts. They recently have been taken over by the so-called Ms. S caucus over the last couple of years. If you just Google libertarian party of New Hampshire controversy and you can see how it's just the worst people you've ever met and they run a party now.

But I'd always really had a view towards being distrustful of government because I know what it lives like to live in a Republican controlled state that did bad things and then blamed minorities for it. And then I'd always had a real sense of valuing liberalism and valuing liberal norms. And so I think that for me that that kind of has always stayed the same, no matter how I've identified politically, especially because I think that part of why I was identifying as a libertarian was that I felt like in 2019, 2020, you heard, you know, I always like to make I know that this is like a reference

that is increasingly stupid. But like I always make like to make the pimp my ride joke sometimes about democratic politics in 2020, where it's like, we heard you wanted criminal justice reform. So we got you Nancy Pelosi kneeling wearing. Right, right, right. Like, and I'm like, come on. And especially spending a lot of time covering and reading about and writing about

the need for police reform, especially because you could increasingly see Republicans basically being like, we love cops, except for when they they police us. Like, there's a real sense of like, police those other people, not me. And so that was where that came from. except for when they police us. Like there's a real sense of like, police those other people, not me. And so that was where that came from. And then the Libertarian Party got taken over by people who were like, slavery actually should be legal again. And I'm like, this is ridiculous.

So I think that one of the great things about crooked media is that I'm able to live out my values and able to live out what I think and talk about what I think and nobody's like, you can't say that. The DCCC did not say you could say this. It's not a problem. So I think that that's something it's like, my views have always been fairly heterodox

and as a side note, I think right now we're in this weird moment where people fetishize having heterodox views. Everybody does. Like if you went outside and asked whoever it is who's delivering your mail to like talk about what their politics are, don't do that. That's weird. But like most people have pretty heterodox views about issues. That's just how people are. Like partisans don't, but people do. And so Crooked's been a great place, especially with the election coming up so fast and starting this job in August of this year and then having the election coming up next week.

I think that it's been a really good place for me and a good combination of efforts here. Well, I think that's very refreshing, actually. I think what's frustrating, especially about American politics, probably everywhere, but I have grown up in American politics, is that we've got these two parties, essentially. And yeah, you're picking your team when the reality is more nuanced. And you're like, these are the issues.

These are the things that I, the through lines that I care about. Which is the space that's the best use of my energy. Libertarian, there are lots of things about it that are not, that aren't, make sense and shouldn't necessarily be just dismissed. But the party itself, right, exactly as you described is not lining up necessarily with what they're saying. And it's like, I don't know, I don't know who I am.

I'm an independent, I'm a Democrat, I'm voting liberal because that's the most closely aligned to my values. But it is frustrating because both of these parties, all of these parties are not actually representing who I am or what I want to see. And especially when- If I could say, I think something that's really important to remember, and I'm aware that if we lived in a country that had a parliamentary system, my husband, for example, is from New Zealand. They have so many political parties. They have both the Green Party and the Outdoors Party.

And no one knows what the difference is. I still have no idea. But like if you were in that sort of system in which parties come into coalition and then that's how you control parliament or your, whatever the equivalent of your congress or something like that is. That would be a means by which you could have a party that was better at as a means of self-expression. That is not what we have. The problem I think right now is that you have minority parties, so we actually have a bunch of political parties. We have the Libertarian Party, the Constitution Party, the Green Party.

The challenge is so many of these outside parties are physically allergic to power and to trying to get into it. So you see the maddest people in the world are the people who see someone like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez working with more centrist Democrats to move the Democratic Party further to the left, which is what you're supposed to do if you want the stuff you want to actually happen. Do you want stuff to happen

or do you wanna wear it as a costume, your party allegiance? And so I think it's really important for, especially in our current system, it is actually, to me, far more effective to your party alliance. And so I think it's really important for, especially in our current system, it is actually, to me, far more effective if you want things to happen. Like, do you want stuff to happen?

Or is this an identity for you? My politics is actually, like, it's not, my politics are in some ways based on, like, my morals and beliefs, but my politics are actually an effort to get stuff done that I want. Like, I want a thing to happen. I will work with people who also want that thing to happen.

We might disagree in a bunch of other stuff, but we want this thing to happen and then we can get to the disagreeing later. I think too often people wield their politics in the same way you would wield your identity or, you know, these intrinsic aspects of you and they get really mad at other people who aren't doing that. Like, why aren't you throwing stones from the outside? Well, you want to get stuff done. And so I think that for me, I'm okay with the fact that the Democratic Party,

you know, I'm a registered independent, but I will be voting for Democrats in this year. And I'm completely fine with the fact that I do not agree with them on everything. I recognize that I agree with them on enough stuff, and I disagree with Republicans on way more stuff. And I also know that I would probably have more of a means to influence and move Democrats towards what I want, then I would Republicans or anybody else. Absolutely. I mean, that's the system that we are working in and that's the best that we can do.

I wish I do, and I also empathize and understand the frustration that people have with feeling like the things that they really want keep getting brushed over or because we're playing this game in our system, the party keeps moving further to the right to keep up with, I mean, the trajectory of politics in general here are moving to the right and you feel like I'm grinding my wheels supporting a party, but like what's the point that I stand up and say, wait, this isn't, you're not doing it for me, but I don't have another means.

And obviously in this election and I'm. Yeah, it really does. Like it gets, especially if in an idea of like, what has, what is this politics delivered for me? Like there's tons of stuff. I just keep thinking about like, you know, I used to work at the human rights campaign. I was a speech writer and I keep thinking about like, you know, I used to work at the human rights campaign. I was a speed trader.

And I keep thinking about how the marriage equality fight, which was about, you know, 10 years ago, HRC and a bunch of other organizations were in court fighting for it. And 10 years later, marriage equality has gotten to the point where it is remarkably accepted. Like stuff does happen. Like things do take place. Like moves can be made. Politics can occasionally lead to stuff. The point of politics is actually to do stuff. The point of politics is like politics is

the road to policy. Policy is like why the road outside this building is where it is and why there's you know stop signs and bump soundness or something like that. Like I think it's's important to remember that politics is a slow grinding, terrible process to get to policy. And I just think it's so important for people to remember that this is a it's a thlog. It always has been and always will be. And I think that that's something, especially when we're in a space in which our media moves so quickly our news moves so quickly It can be feel weird that you're like we're still people are still debating Obamacare like it feels weird But it you know this stuff takes time this election is not just an opportunity to try and stop something from happening

It is also an opportunity to say that we want this other stuff that we think is better To take place. And then basically saying, we said you could do this, we said we wanted you to do this, now go do it. And if you don't go do it, then we yell at you. Right. And like you're pointing out your example, like with marriage equality, things like that, oftentimes it's something, it's not going to come from either of the parties. It's going to come from these other organizations that are pushing for something like that

as opposed to, you know, like the Democrats didn't come together and like we love marriage equality suddenly. It was this sort of constant push that had to happen. Guys, I think we've done it. I think we've made it to the end of the show. Are we feeling good? Do we change the course of this election? I think we did. I think we did. I think we've made it to the end of the show. I think we must have been done it, yeah. Are we feeling good? Do we change the course of this election?

I think we did. I think we did. I think so. I'm going to be living out for the next five days. I got no problem with that. Let's go. I'm going to be sharing boomer memes. And then for one more week and then after that, I'll be all mad at them again.

But I'll take the heat. Jane, you're confident. You're confident now? I am confident in that today is October 31st, and that's about as far as I've gotten. But I will say that I refuse to give in to weirdo-dumerism. I won't do it. Not to get too serious on here, but if you've ever

struggled with depression or anything, I find humorism actually personally offensive because there's this idea that if you encourage humorism, people will do more. It's been proven that it's not true. Climate humorism, political humorism, it doesn't make anyone do anything because people are like, what's the point?

And I'm like, what's the point? And so I'm like, I encourage optimism and enthusiasm, especially because there are still so many ways to make things better. And I think people should take advantage of those. And if you're not going to do that, you can just shut the fuck up. It's bad. Yeah. I think that's really a really good message.

And just in general, let's not forget that there is so many other things at stake. Everywhere you live, there are so many other things to show up for and vote. And all of it are so important other things to show up for and vote. Yes. Down-Valet races are so important. It makes all the difference. Not to be too promo-y, but my show, What A Day, Crooked Media's daily news show, Monday through Friday, anywhere you get your podcasts, you can watch on YouTube. We talk all the time about down-Valet races, about school superintendent races, about people who could, if they win, they could flip the house in a red state in a way that could curtail attempts to ban

abortion, which is, what any limited abortion is, is basically a ban. And there are so many ways, like, you know, our friends at Vote Save America do so much that is about organizing and volunteering and taking all your anxious, mad energy and putting it somewhere good. And so if folks are interested in that, vote saveamerica.com. You can also listen to my show, What a Day, wherever you get podcasts or watch on YouTube. But like there is so much to do that you don't have time to be stupid on the internet. I think that that's the perfect message for us to end this on,

which is we've spent a lot of time in this Trump and Kamala, you know, for a long time, for good reason, but just there's so much more at stake. If the last eight years have taught us anything, it's that those elections really, really do matter, too. If you're not active in those, then they will be active in those. And then what happens?

So if you discounted that, you've got a few days to do your research. Do your research on your local things. And have fun. Have fun out there, folks. All right. And before I go, one last time before the election, this time now more than ever, I need you to know, we love you very much. Much. And we appreciate you, and we're gonna be okay. For years, Tim Ballard has been championed as a modern-day superhero. The first time I saw one of the kids from the video,

and it, like, changed my life. He was the face of Operation Underground Railroad, a movement that inspired hope around the world by rescuing children from human traffickers. However, Ballard's crusade to save innocent lives has always hidden a darker secret. Well, I think he's a pathological liar. Beneath the accolades and the applause,

a dark storm has been brewing. I mean, I can't find a time that he's told the truth about anything. Shocking allegations of sexual misconduct have surfaced, casting a shadow over his once unquestioned reputation. I am host Sarah James McLaughlin, and in this new season of The Opportunist, we explore the rise and the fall of Tim Ballard.

Join us this October for Tim Ballard Unmasking a Hero. Subscribe to a new season of The Opportunist now, wherever you get your podcasts.