The MeidasTouch Podcast - Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro Instantly Becomes MAGA Kryptonite with Latest Move

Episode Date: September 24, 2023

MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas interviews Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro who gets things done and protects the freedoms of Americans.  Remember to subscribe to ALL the Meidas Media Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://pod.link/1510240831 Legal AF: https://pod.link/1580828595 The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://pod.link/1595408601 The Influence Continuum: https://pod.link/1603773245 Kremlin File: https://pod.link/1575837599 Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://pod.link/1530639447 The Weekend Show: https://pod.link/1612691018 The Tony Michaels Podcast: https://pod.link/1561049560 American Psyop: https://pod.link/1652143101 Burn the Boats: https://pod.link/1485464343 Majority 54: https://pod.link/1309354521 Political Beatdown: https://pod.link/1669634407 Lights On with Jessica Denson: https://pod.link/1676844320 MAGA Uncovered: https://pod.link/1690214260 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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exclusions, and terms apply. Instacart, groceries that over-deliver. Welcome to the Midas Touch Network. We're joined by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Welcome to the show. Hey, it's great to be back with you. How are you doing? Doing great, Governor. So, Governor, big moves in Pennsylvania. Look, you signed a bipartisan budget, a bill for free breakfast in public schools. You worked with the federal government to repair the I-95 in record time. And today, you announced an automatic voter registration initiative. I want to talk to you about that latest initiative, but look, you've been able to govern and get things done. What's been the secret? Get shit done. GSD.

That's our mantra. So getting shit done, what's been the secret? Because as we're looking at what MAGA Republicans are doing at the federal level, as we're looking what MAGA Republican governors are doing, taking away people's freedoms and causing division. Every time I look at Pennsylvania, it is get shit done. Yeah. I mean, look, we focus on common sense things.

They're going to make people's lives better. And that's really the key here is every day, if you're showing up for work, governing effectively, it means you're bringing people together to actually solve problems. And so that's what we've done, bringing about historic investments in our public schools, including universal free breakfast, more resources for public safety and economic development.

I believe Pennsylvania should be a place where everyone has the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed. And so we have been working with Republicans and Democrats alike to get that done. Now, I would also point out it's critically important that we defend our democracy. And that's an important step that we took today in bringing about automatic voter registration here in the Commonwealth. The more people that participate in our elections, the stronger our democracy is. How important do you think the issue of preserving our democracy is to American people

and people of the Commonwealth? I think large media networks kind of gloss over it with their both sides coverage of, I think, fascism and democracy. You know the Commonwealth and the people there better than anyone. Are people concerned about losing our democracy? Well, I can tell you it was a central issue in my campaign for governor. Folks talked to me about it wherever I went. I mean, so much so that they were taking their fingers and poking me in the chest and saying, you better win. And I think in large measure, it was to protect our democracy and our fundamental freedoms. As governor, I've done my part to do just that, to expand our freedoms and protect our democracy. I was elected to defeat extremism and to make sure that we uphold free and fair,

safe and secure elections here in the Commonwealth. And having automatic voter registration is really a continuation of that important work. So this is a real headline from the Kansas City Star. This is not parody. It's very dangerous. Republican candidate for Missouri governor vows to burn books after viral flamethrower video. And we see this performative cosplay fascism, not just from MAGA Republican candidates for the critical position of governor in states and places across this country, but also actual Republican governors are doing this fascist cosplay. So when you see that taking place, like what's your message to the American people? Yeah, I mean, look, it's hard for me to comment on that particular situation. I don't know anything

about it, but I understand the point you're making. And I think it's illustrative of a broader effort by some Republican governors across this country to, you know, talk a good game about freedom, but then put forth policies that actually restrict freedom, the freedom for women to be able to make decisions over their own bodies, the freedom for people to be able to vote, the freedom for you as a parent to determine what books are best for your children to read. We're seeing effort upon effort in the states led by some extreme Republicans to limit freedom. Here in Pennsylvania, we value freedom. We cherish freedom and we fight for real freedom every day, expanding opportunity and expanding that freedom to make decisions over your own body, to be able to elect the leaders you want, to be able to raise your children in the manner that

you think is best. I don't think politicians should be interfering with that, yet too oftentimes these Republican leaders in these other states who talk a good game about freedom work overtime to limit it. Not here in Pennsylvania. We value real freedom here. And I want to get into the Automatic Voter Registration Initiative. This is big. The Commonwealth now joins 23 states that have automatic voter registration. This was a promise made during your candidacy for governor and yet another promise very promptly kept. Can you tell us about this initiative, why it's so important, why you think it's so big for the Commonwealth?

You know, I spent years as the Commonwealth's Attorney General defending the right to vote. In fact, I had to go to court over 40 times in the wake of the 2020 election to protect the will of the people in lawsuits involving the former president and his enablers. And I think it's important to note we won every single time we went to court. I then ran for governor in part on a platform to protect our democracy and expand voter participation by enacting automatic voter registration. And today, just about eight months into my term, we made good on that promise.

Why do I think it's important? Because with increased voter participation, we strengthen our democracy. And by the way, whether you vote for the candidate that I vote for or have the same views I have, that doesn't matter. What matters is that we have an active citizenry engaged in the process.

And there have been so many stumbling blocks put up, particularly in other states, to voting, we want to make sure that there's ease of access for eligible voters. We also want to make sure that registration is done in a secure manner. And so this effort that we announced today in Pennsylvania ensures safety and security in our election system and make sure that those who are engaging in the process are eligible voters. We think by expanding voter participation, we're going to improve our democracy. You know, it's a great point. You hear a lot of these Republican governors talk a big game about it's very important for them to have election security.

Probably one of the most obvious moves, if that's really what you want, instead of just to engage in that performative outrage dance that they always do, is to do exactly what you're doing in the Commonwealth. That's probably the securest way to do it, don't you think? Right, without question. Listen, the way we do in the Commonwealth now is really easy. When you go to our DMV and you're going to get your license or you're going to update your license or whatever, you're now automatically registered to vote in that process unless you choose, of course, to opt out.

But think about it. When you go and get your license, you're bringing all the official documents with you in order to secure that driver's license, the same documents that are needed to verify you as an eligible voter. It's just common sense to combine those two efforts to streamline the process, to save taxpayers time and money here in Pennsylvania. We think the approach we took today makes good sense for Pennsylvanians and will strengthen our democracy. Recently, you signed, and I alluded to this earlier,

a bipartisan budget. And I want to emphasize the bipartisan part. I know that's a big priority of yours. So how do you do that? We see right now MAGA Republicans at the federal level attacking each other, threatening to shut down our government at the federal level. So what would you do at the state level? And as you look to see what's going on in the federal level, like what's your reaction to that chaos? Well, just to give your viewers and listeners some context, I'm the only governor in the nation with a full-time divided legislature, meaning the Democrats control the House and the Republicans control the Senate. So anything I do here has to receive bipartisan support. It has to be a compromise between both parties. I think the way you do that is by listening to people, talking to them, engaging with them, understanding the things that are important to them, helping them understand the things that are important to me, and then

trying to advance that together. I think what's clear is you never get everything you want. You can't compromise your principles, of course, but you're never going to get everything you want. You have to make sure that through this process, you're able to serve the good people of Pennsylvania in a thoughtful, common sense way. I think there's a lot of room in the middle there to govern and find that common ground. And we're going to keep doing that here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. You have your finger on the pulse in the Commonwealth better than anyone. What I'm interested in is with all of these initiatives we've seen President Biden lead on when the Democrats controlled both chambers and things were actually working, whether it's the CHIPS Act, the PACT Act, Inflation Reduction Act, Infrastructure Act. One, is it working in the Commonwealth? And two,

do people recognize the connection if it is working between what took place and why it is happening? I think those investments, thanks to President Biden and his leadership in Washington, are going to have a positive impact on the good people of Pennsylvania. And some already have. Let me give you a few examples. We've got 276,000 homes, businesses, VFWs, churches that don't have access to high-speed affordable internet. Thanks to the work they did in Washington, we now have all the dollars we need to be able to build that broadband out. Roads and bridges are going to be repaired in our communities. Water lines that currently have lead in them are going to be replaced to keep our family drinking water safe.

On big infrastructure projects, like when I-95 collapsed and we got it reopened in 12 days, the federal government paid for that, made sure we had all the resources that we needed. Go to the Lehigh Valley Airport, you've seen a major revamp there, a major reconstruction there, thanks to those federal efforts. So the president has been there for Pennsylvania, has made sure he's delivered meaningful things to people's lives. And so I think that that is undeniable. The second part of your question is a fair one, which is, do folks get that? And candidly, I don't know that they all understand that yet. That's the job, of course, the president, his campaign, folks like me to be able to go out and share with them and celebrate the accomplishments

that we've made together. We got a lot of work to do, but I'm confident that when the records are shared and people are able to see what the president delivered, that they'll have a deeper appreciation for the support that he's shown us here in Pennsylvania. Governor, any final words to the people of the Commonwealth or to America at large, or even our international audience? Whenever we have you on the Midas Network, I always get the comments, look, finally, this is someone who gets things done, gets shit done, and just speaks to us like we're people, like this is what we want to hear. I appreciate that. I appreciate all your listeners, all your viewers sharing that feedback.

It means a lot. I would just say that what you and your brothers are doing every day to defend democracy, to expose hypocrisy, to really crystallize the choices people have in elections and help them understand the nuances of governing in a really direct and simple and thoughtful way. And it really, really matters. I think an informed electorate that participates in the process strengthens our democracy and the Midas Touch has an important role to play in that process. That's why I love coming on your show. I love talking to you. I love talking a little trash with Jordy, especially after our basketball game. And I just appreciate the role that you all play in this.

So thanks. Look forward to seeing you soon. We'll have to have the rematch between you and Jordy, and we could broadcast that live and do it for another good charitable cause. Again, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, thanks so much for joining us. Thanks, my friend. See you soon. See you soon, everybody. Make sure you hit subscribe on our YouTube channel on our way to 2 million subscribers. Thanks for most important news of the day. What are you waiting for? Follow us now.