America, What Are You Doing?! | PoliticsGirl

Added: 2026-05-13

[00:00:00]It doesn't matter if it's the government or if it's Elon Musk. If they own all of it, we are screwed.

[00:00:08]>> Yeah. When you put capitalism first, like I just heard that the Damonte company is going under because they can't get their cans at the right price because of the tariffs on >> aluminum.

[00:00:19]>> Aluminum. So they're closing their peach farm, but >> they're just going to burn all the trees to the ground.

[00:00:26]>> Like >> acres and acre because it's not making money anymore. So they're just going to And I was like, are we the stupidest species in the entire world?

[00:00:34]>> We are. We really are.

[00:00:46]Hello and [music] welcome to the Politics Girl podcast. I'm your host Lee McGowen. Let's get into it. So, I know I had this guest on just a few weeks ago, but I had such a weird weekend after kind of a weird week that I just wanted to share it with someone and get their insight. And if I'm being honest, Joanna is one of my favorite educated, unfiltered people to get insight from.

[00:01:04]So, today I'm having Joanna Johnson back on the show to talk about the past week of the news, my time on CNN discussing the past week of the news, and the fallout from one of those appearances.

[00:01:13]Honestly, I think it should be a really fun episode, and I'm not someone that has that much fun anymore, so I'm really looking forward to it. If you don't know Joanna Johnson, she is known online as Unlearn 16. She's a content creator, an author, and a teacher from Toronto, who, like me, is interested in keeping our critical thinking skills fresh. So, without further ado, please welcome my guest, teacher, and social media phenom, Joanna Johnson. Welcome back, Joanna.

[00:01:37][laughter] >> You're such a doll to join me, Phenom.

[00:01:40]Well, last time I said you were a superstar and you were like too much.

[00:01:43]Now, listen, I know it's a bit ridiculous to have you back on the show so soon. But there's so many things I wanted to talk about.

[00:01:49]>> We should just run this as a as a show.

[00:01:52]Yeah.

[00:01:52]>> Yeah. This should be show.

[00:01:54]>> This should be the show.

[00:01:56]>> But literally, sometimes I feel like I'm just talking to myself or I'm talking at my audience and I don't want them to feel like that. I want them to get different perspectives. I want to talk through a bunch of things that happened last week and what I did on television last week that I just felt like, am I losing my mind here? And I wanted someone else here to bounce those ideas off of. I didn't want to just make a monologue to give to my audience. I wanted to have a conversation. And you're one of my favorite people to have a conversation with.

[00:02:22]>> I mean, well, thank you. You as well.

[00:02:24]>> Well, listen, you're a teacher. What are you guys talking about about what's going on down here right now? How are you guys looking at what's happening south of the border? Because none of this stuff exists in a bubble. If America sets something on fire, the rest of the world can get burned.

[00:02:37]>> It's interesting because I have a lot of kids graduating. I have international students. So, I'll give you a couple of perspectives. I have one student who just got into UCLA. So, that's incredible. We're super super happy. But on the back end is very very cognizant and and aware of how she's going to be treated, what that's going to feel like when she's there, whether or not they can take away those things when they want. She's in the business program, you know, she also is a person of color, so she's a little nervous. She's a little nervous about it, but as kids do, they tend to just push it aside. I have another student who almost got a green card to the United States before all of this happened and for some reason it got held up and they got turned away and she ended up in they ended up in Canada and she's like could you imagine had I gone there and then this happened the idea that you have rights because you're a person in the United States no longer applies. Obviously, the notion that rights apply to everybody who puts their foot on the ground in the United States no longer applies. And that makes for immigration insane, legal immigration terrifying. It makes travel scary. So, that's what my older kids, my younger students, we've had a lot of kids move here from the United States at the onset of this and go to school here and move here period. So those kids are like, you know, sometimes you can you they joke more about it like, oh, and they they see it more in a humoristic kind of way, but they're here now. They're not there.

[00:04:13]>> They've got the perspective of being outside of it that they can now see the funny as opposed to being inside of it.

[00:04:18]>> That's right. And and I think kids tend to unless something's happened directly, and I think this is true of people. I really do. I think unless it happens directly to you or somebody you know and somebody you love, you negate it. You push it off. You minimize it. Especially if it gets in the way of what you need to do or what you want to do or what's going to better your scenario, right?

[00:04:44]And I think that's a little bit of a human >> I I don't even need to I'm I'm not even, you know, dismissing it. I think it's a human tendency to minimize horrible things unless horrible things knock at your door. I think we've done it forever when it comes to human rights violations in the world. I think we've done it when it comes to environmental degradation. I think we do it consistently because fighting it seems overwhelming, constant, and never ending. So, you know, >> Yeah. No, I do know. And I think about there's an old quote down here that's like Republicans don't care until it happens to them, which is like the concept of Nancy Reagan, you know, not caring about AIDS until they knew someone that had it or, you know, uh Dick Cheney hating gay people until his daughter came out as gay. That kind of thing. Yeah. Sure. Um but there's this expression that says Republicans >> don't care until it happens to them and Democrats care that it never happens to anyone. like they make plans before it happens to themselves. Like they're working on gay rights even if you're not gay. We're working on women's rights even if we're not a woman. And I I I try to live by that even though I don't think the Democrats live by that all the time. But as far as a two-party system, there is definitely a difference between those two about who cares until it happens to me. I do think that there is one sort of side of the population here that cares even if it's not happening to them. the people that are at the rallies, the people that are at the marches, the people go to the protests, even if they're not personally affected by it. I just, you know what, I have to tell you, like I just genuinely don't understand, and I was saying this on TV last week, I just I genuinely don't understand what America's doing. Like, this war that we're in, I mean, at this point, is it just so that a handful of people can insider trade using Poly Market? Are we being blackmailed or tricked by Netanyahu? Is this a just a good business opportunity for the Trump family um so they can make money on government contracts? Because the whole thing seems like a ludicrous waste of money, of lives, of international goodwill. It's completely screwed up our economy, the world economy, and it only continues to get worse. So, I I just feel like I'm not sure what we're doing here, and I'm not even sure our government can explain it. And if I was looking at it from the outside, I don't see how we can even hope to consider ourselves the good guy. And I'm confused at the people who are still trying to justify what we're doing.

[00:07:07]>> Your your first question about the why, I think a bunch of things can be true at the same time. And I and I also think and and this is something I think the United States people and the government needs to come to terms with is the fact that this notion they've been blackmailed or forced into war by another nation is I feel relatively ridiculous. The United States has never had to been blackmailed into going to war. It has always served something that they've wanted to do. And I think that going to war has been their even though they haven't won anything. Like really think about it for a second. You know, really think did they win Iraq?

[00:07:47]>> Did they win Vietnam?

[00:07:49]>> Did they what what did they win in Afghanistan? What >> these are the things that that are are are set up like we are doing what's right. We are doing what's just. that is never what's happening and and somehow this is exerting our military power and our strategic importance and our might across the world when in actuality I think what it's done is it's served to disempower it has served to create bigger targets it has served to create more fractionist politics and more violence in the international community and at the same time it's actually diminished the United States actual power on the world stage. If you have power, you don't have to go to war to prove it.

[00:08:39]And the more you go to war to prove it, and you lose, even if you win, the less power you come out of the other side with. So, what do I think Iran is about? I think it's about dictating power. I think it's about a an empire that is in decline. I think that the bricks forces on the other side of this fence that are looking to take things off the US dollar and and and shift things to another form of international trade, I think is looking to knock the United States off of its superpower pedestal. And do I love the idea that it's particular country? No, I don't. But but what the United States should have learned a very long time ago and I think in some ways was learning very slowly is that when you're the only superpower in the room and you're constantly having to flex and you're spending1 trillion dollars on your military that is not sustainable.

[00:09:43]>> Yeah.

[00:09:43]>> And if that's not sustainable what end is is going to happen there. You know, it's like asking for alliances is somehow a sign of weakness rather than a sign of stability. And I think the US mindset is preset in World War I. And you've never really stepped out of that ideal.

[00:10:03]Whereas alliances are actually going to stabilize. Alliances are actually going to create interdependencies that work for many countries. There's been many a president who didn't see that as a as a way through, but I think it's incredibly important. It's almost like if they had the forethought, they still could have wielded power, they could have been [clears throat] sort of a a just center.

[00:10:32]The more countries you actually bring in and the more countries you actually respect.

[00:10:38]But, you know, here we are. Here we are.

[00:10:41]>> And [laughter] this is a man in an administration who has decided, and I'm going to say this out loud, almost rightly so, that the United States was in a decline.

[00:10:54]And they were in a decline for many reasons. And instead of writing the course, he is trying to undo history and go back to a time where the United States sat at the head of the table with all of the bluster and all of the power that they once had. What he doesn't understand or he doesn't care about is that's impossible.

[00:11:18]>> Yeah. I just keep thinking of that caught on a hot mic thing he said to the Fox News reporter backstage at an event where he said, "You know, when I see those North Koreans, you know, when they see their leader, they jump up and they stand to attention. I want my people doing that, right?" And I'm like, >> that's the thing. That's what he wants.

[00:11:37]He doesn't want a better America, stronger America. You know, like this is not a country I'm feeling proud of right now. a country that, you know, accidentally kills children in their schools in foreign lands because they didn't bother to check the AI data.

[00:11:49]Like, you know, we let our children get killed in our schools here, right? We are out here in the world acting like bullies, demanding things without negotiating for them. This is the third time. Last week was the third time US attacked Iran in the middle of peace negotiations, right? Like I just feel like Iran is hardly innocent here, but we started the war, so we technically are the ones who have to do some damage control here. And all we're doing is leading with threats, you know, and we say things like, "Light them up, kill them all, set it on fire, ultimate lethality, and then we act like victims, right?" And I find that just shocking and nauseating, and it's not the kind of America that I feel like I can patriotically stand behind.

[00:12:28]>> The the word patriotism is always giving me pause. Um, a lot of people >> Canadian and we're like, "Oo, you >> Yeah. I And and here's why. Here's why.

[00:12:38]I am not dedicated to a country. I am not dedicated to a flag. What what I am proud of and what I try to hold up and what I try to be dedicated to is a constitutional basis of justice.

[00:12:54]So if that's my hallmark, if that's my center, then every single time Canada does something to embolden that, I am impressed. And every time we do something that doesn't embolden that, I am just as ashamed. And we need to be able to say those things in equal proportionality. And I think the United States, and again, a lot of people think I'm bashing the United States when I say this, but I really think that most countries, given the level of power and dominance that the United States has been able to wield since World War I, every single country, no matter what, with that kind of level of an unchecked power, and I know people will say the Soviet Union, but that level, for the most part, of an unchecked power. and and a unbridled level of patriotism, we will find ourselves in harm's way. We will find ourselves not being driven by justice and human rights. We will be driven by an accumulation, a drive to amass power, to control because we think we're better, smarter, and more superior. The more that's our drive, the worse everything's going to be.

[00:14:13]>> Yeah.

[00:14:14][sighs] Look, [laughter] >> some days a deep sigh.

[00:14:18]>> Some days are just a deep sigh. I mean, listen, speaking of, you know, if you're proud of Canada or not proud of Canada, you know, if your country does something that like agrees with your morals and your values, you can say, I'm behind you on this. And if you do something that disagrees with my morals and values, which is what my country is doing right now, you go, I'm not behind this. It doesn't mean I'm not a patriot. It doesn't mean I don't like my country. It means that I don't like this behavior.

[00:14:39]It doesn't it doesn't align with my values. But I'm thinking of like goodwill. I'm talking about how America is losing its goodwill around the world.

[00:14:44]And I think about how our former President Obama just was recently in your country uh meeting.

[00:14:51]>> You were?

[00:14:52]>> I I was at that event.

[00:14:54]>> Well, said it was a coup. She said it was a coup. Did you watch the coup in real life?

[00:15:01]>> We cooed. I was at dinner. We ate steak and there was a coup. Don't worry. Don't worry, guys. We're coming down. We're going to fix everything.

[00:15:12]Uh Obama and Carney sat down. We came up with a 20point plan while eating a really nice dessert uh in a room full of, you know, very important Canadians.

[00:15:26]We've got you covered.

[00:15:27]>> Were you really there?

[00:15:29]>> I was really there. [laughter] >> That's freaking amazing. I love that. Oh my god. I watched it happen and then Laura Loomer was immediately saying it was a coup and I tweeted back at her that she should she should learn what words mean. Let me explain what what it was just so everybody understands that's listening. Canada 2020 is a left-wing think tank that exists in order to have academic and real life discussions about what we can do to promote justice and human rights across the world.

[00:15:57]interconnectivity of of the economies to talk more about world politics and you know middle powers such as Canada and what can Canada do and where do we find ourselves and and let me be incredibly clear Mrs. Carney. So Mark Carney's partner actually interviewed Obama. It was a bit of a discussion. Obama was as always the diplomat. Never once mentioned the current administration.

[00:16:26]Never once spoke about what the United States should or shouldn't do. Never once spoke about, you know, the way he would do thing. Never. what he was there and what he did so incredibly eloquently is talked about things that he valued and things that Canada valued and as a middle power important Canada is in this moment and how important Canada has been historically and being able to talk about bringing more countries together to have more conversations and then we ate cake so >> cake is good we like cake >> it wasn't like let them eat cake. It was different than that.

[00:17:10]>> It was different than that. I like the idea that like you can't do this alone.

[00:17:15]America is very America first. I alone can fix it. Especially with this particular leadership, I think it's, you know, it's sort of the we're the greatest country in the world. We're number one. We're number one. And I often say like if you're the richest kid at school and you have everything and you go around telling everyone you're number one all the time, you're not making a lot of friends. It doesn't matter if people are scared of you because you're big and strong and you have a lot of money and you can ruin their lives. That's right. They don't like you. And I think for a long time people haven't liked America because we said stuff like this and now we're behaving with our very worst instincts.

[00:17:45]>> What you just said really reminded me of hurricane when hurricane Katrina hit. I know I'm going back a little bit. I remember Bush's government denying help.

[00:17:55]Bush denied Canadian help to go down there and do something. He denied foreign help. And I found that incredibly telling.

[00:18:06]You have a natural disaster. I don't care what we got. A country offers help.

[00:18:12]You say thank you. You praise them. You welcome them in. But to say no, and we all know what a disaster that was. to say no was sheer narcissistic sort of isolationist kind of policy to the horrific detriment of the people living in that particular state.

[00:18:34]>> The right-wingers are very much when you start talking about like why are we in this war and what are we doing here and you know for a while they were like you don't want to help the Iranian people and we were like we're not there for the Iranian people. It was like you don't want to help Iranian women.

[00:18:45]is definitely not there for Iranian women. And now the big line is, oh, so you wanted Iran to have a nuclear weapon. And you're like, no, but they didn't have a nuclear weapon. The deal we had that Obama signed was good. And Trump, as you said, tore it up. He said he could do better. He couldn't do better. And now we're at war, right? So I I think the thing is is that we should see that what we're going through is is the choice of one regime rather than and maybe one regime that was finally going to answer the call of Netanyahu who's been telling us for 47 years that Iran was two weeks away from a nuclear weapon and we should definitely be attacking them. And this is the first president that actually uh jumped when he said jump. Now, I'm not a particularly fussy dresser, but I'm finding it harder and harder to shop lately because it just feels excessive. In a world where capitalism is constantly encouraging us to spend more, to get more, to buy more, I'm really trying to be more intentional about what I'm wearing. [music] I've always leaned towards clothes that are good quality, simple in their design, but quality in their craftsmanship. I don't want to have to spend thousands of dollars just to look pulled together.

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[00:22:08]This is the first president that actually uh jumped when he said jump.

[00:22:12]>> It's true. But I think, you know, again, I I won't go into the he was black bullet male. It's this is persons in control. I think that's all wild. I think world leaders and not just one. I think there are many world leaders know exactly how to work and how to utilize and how to manipulate somebody this insecure and this ego-driven cuz I think [clears throat] it would be easy.

[00:22:42]I think it is so easy to work this particular individual that there are many a dictator there are many uh a lunatic on this planet sitting back going I can't wait for my phone call with him because I got to compliment him I'm going to put up a really nice gold statue of him and then he's going to do our bidding and proof of that you don't need to go to Israel you need us to go to Putin I have never heard any president ever talk about that dictator with such admiration. And I'm going to say it, Lee. I think it might be love.

[00:23:26]>> Just just love. just and and of who he is and how strong he is and how much he how much fear he he elicits as though fear is a qualifier for power which again it isn't right it fear is a is a is a weapon of power when the power itself is flawed and actually weak power doesn't need fear not real power >> not real And so because real power comes from a place of justice. Real power comes from a place of being right.

[00:24:06]>> Yeah. Real power comes when people want to follow you, not because they're afraid not.

[00:24:09]>> That's right. Because you're doing the right thing. That's that's that's actual power. If you have to force somebody, that power is waning. That power will be will eviscerate everybody around them.

[00:24:23]which is why it's so interesting that we're seeing the, you know, the erosion of the Voting Rights Act and the constant gerrymandering down here because I think that, >> you know, he's not fooling all of us.

[00:24:35]There are people that he is fooling to this day, but he's not fooling all of us. You know, last week they had every Confederate swing state like shifting into high gear to jerrymander every black voter in the South out of their vote as soon as the Supreme Court decision basically gutted the last remaining protection of the Voting Rights Act. And I just want to tell people in case you're not following that story. And if you don't mind, Joanna, I'm just going to do a kind of a rundown of where we're at with that. So, a brief recap of what was happening with what we're now calling the redistricting wars. This mid decade redistricting, which to be clear is not normal as congressional districts in the states are drawn every 10 years after the census to reflect population changes over the last 10 years. So, they were redrawn in 2020 and they weren't scheduled to be redrawn until 2030. But then Donald Trump started to get worried that he was on track to lose the House of Representatives and that was not going to be good enough for him. So he was worried that his power would be limited. He was worried he'd be held accountable if the Democrats took over the House. So he called Texas and he told them to find more congressional seats for Republicans because he knew how unpopular he was. So Texas did what he asked. They redrew their congressional maps to give Republicans five extra seats in Congress. Now California, who warned Texas, they were like, "Don't do this. if you redraw the maps, we're going to have to do the same. So, California, watching what Texas did, then had a election. And we had an election down here that said, "Listen, can we redraw the California districts to add five more Democratic seats for the next two terms to balance out what Texas did?" And the California voters were like, "Yep, go ahead and do that."

[00:26:07]Then it was like a free-for-all for Republican states to start carving up their states, states that, by the way, I should say, were already gerrymandered to favor even more Republicans, places like Missouri, Florida, North Carolina, so that they could increase Republican advantage. Again, they did not get the voters permission like California did to do it. They just did it through their own Republican legislators. So, in response, the state of Virginia recently went to their voters and said, "Can we can we change our maps? It's for two elections only. We want to offset what's happening in the red states so that the people of the United States can have their voice heard in the House of Congress. And this wasn't something Virginia was really clear this wasn't something they wanted to do. It was something they felt like they had to do.

[00:26:51]I think Virginia and California have always been very proud of their non-jerrymandered nonpartisan maps, but it was kind of a fire meet fire moment.

[00:26:58]And the Virginia voters came out and they said yes. And Virginia was about to change their maps, but then the Virginia Supreme Court last week sort of busted in to say, "Nope, you're not allowed to change our maps." Like our Constitution says, "You're not allowed to change your maps, my district." And it would be wonderful if they could have weighed in before they had had the election because they allowed Virginia to kind of feel this win. And then they took it away.

[00:27:20]And then the most recent Supreme Court decision came down that basically said, "Yeah, go ahead and partisan gerrymander." And every single state in the Confederacy is now falling all over themselves to make sure not a single Democrat, which is southern states, is also majority black voters, can't win seats. Now, Tennessee was the first one to split up a majority black district, which is the city of Memphis, into three districts that go all the way out into rural super red Tennessee to make sure that the Democratic vote, again, the black vote, is shut out from the Republicans, or in this case in Tennessee, the white vote. And I should say their constitution also said they couldn't do that, much like Virginia, but they changed their own constitution before they did it to allow them to do it. Now, the same thing is happening in Alabama and South Carolina and Louisiana and Mississippi, and they're all working overtime to redraw their maps to dilute the Democratic, which is in this case in the South is the black vote. And it's [ __ ] gross. And we have to see what happens next. But I think when it comes down to you talking about people who are really strong, people who are really in power that people are behind, they don't need to change the rules like this. They don't need to do what we are watching happen in the states.

[00:28:26]>> No. No. I mean, and I and I think and correct me if I'm wrong, but that change to the Voting Rights Act, the one caveat that was carved out was said that you couldn't gerrymander in order to negate the black vote. That that was specific.

[00:28:43]you in fact Supreme Court wasn't really against gerrymandering in general. It's just that after the the civil war and after, you know, the infranchisement of black voters as citizens, as voters, as people finally, they wanted to put in the the whole point was to put that into the constitution to negate somebody's ability to figure out how to get rid of the black vote. Anyway, so now we gave them the vote. We we want to make we want to figure out how to make their vote not count. It's very, you know, the three-fifths clause. It's the whole reason the electoral college exists in the first place. Let's be perfectly honest. Here's my question, and I don't know the answer to this, even remotely.

[00:29:29]How do you ever stop that process?

[00:29:34]How do you ever get because I've seen districts and it's not just a today problem, guys. Let let me be super clear. How do you ever because we we have that going on in Canada, too. How do you get to a point where you have an authentic district mapping in order to create real representation for people in each individual state and on a nation level?

[00:30:02]because I do think it's an interesting conversation that I'm not by any means an expert on when you start to think different areas especially in the United States right different areas in the United States have been historically segregated so if they've been historically segregated you have even though segregation is now illegal you still have very clear defined limits to certain demographics living in certain areas is and Canada has it to a different degree, but that's usually sort of more self-imposed. You know, we're going to live here amongst people that share the same culture, the same language, the same food, whatever.

[00:30:44]>> Yeah. But Americans did it deliberately using redlinining for housing with using the school districts. When they built the freeway system, they did it to keep the black uh community apart from the white community. When they built rural suburbia, you know, they only allowed white people to live in it for the first 40 years. So they ended up building up their wealth and they would live in to totally white communities and by the time the black people could afford and were allowed to move there that it the houses weren't worth what they were supposed to be worth. It's like it's an entire generational problem that started with racism.

[00:31:13]>> That's right. I just don't know what to do about it.

[00:31:16]>> Here's what I think. And I >> I get to draw those lines.

[00:31:19]>> Yeah. No. Well, listen. You have a state like and I it's either Iowa or Idaho, but it's been drawn on a complete grid.

[00:31:25]Like a computer did it on a grid, right?

[00:31:27]It's very straight. Like if you look at the state, every line is like completely straight >> and it basically just ensures let's let's just people that are listening. It basically ensures that each district in Canada they're called writings but each district has to represent roughly the same amount of individuals. So, for example, if we're talking about a House of Representative district, you're talking about, correct me if I'm wrong, 800 850,000 people that that one person is representing, which is just a wild number. By the way, >> each representative in the United States House of Representatives represents between 700 and a million people. So, around the size of the city of Las Vegas is the entire Yeah. It's too It's too many people to represent. Too many. If if we were going to be in line with our peer nations, America would have far far more congressional representatives >> in Canada, our writings for our federal government is about 150 to 200,000 people per MP, like per representative.

[00:32:26]>> Yeah. So, if we were in line with Canada or the UK or France or any of these other places, we would have about 3,000 people in the House of Representatives and which is honestly like 10 times what we have now. And literally people are like, "But where would we fit them all?"

[00:32:40]And I'm like, "That's really not the problem." You know what I mean? Like, "Build another building. Aren't we having a ballroom built?" Like, "Build a bigger building. We really should have more representatives for less people so they could actually represent them. At this point, you're not talking to 800,000 people at any point ever." But the problem is right now is that if you do it on a grid, at least it's a fair. A computer did it, whatever. When you have nonpartisan map drawers, they say things like, "Okay, well, the city of Memphis, if we're using Tennessee, the city of Memphis is a like people in Memphis are going to have the same sort of needs than someone in rural northern Tennessee, right? So, you say we're going to give them a district here. The rural Tennessee people are going to be here." Often the Republicans use the northeast of the United States to say, "See, this is all blue. It's been totally jerrymandered." And you're like, first of all, most of the states that you're using in this example, Rhode Island, all these ones, they have one representative. So, it's not gerrymandered. The the people there chose >> there's not enough >> a a Democrat, right? Or there's a state where it's like everyone in the in the city chose a Democratic representative and everyone in the rural chose a a a Republican, right? Like that that often happens, too. But we had in the 117th Congress, which was the one run by Nancy Pelosi, we had a bill called the For the People's Act, and we had a bill called the John Lewis Voter Rights Act. Both of them included a ban of partisan gerrymandering to have nonpartisan maps drawn throughout the country. They also included things like taking dark money out of politics, making election day a holiday, you know, making mail-in voting across the country, all the things that would help voters vote, as opposed to what we're seeing now, which is like, how can we get less people to vote? How can we make sure people's votes aren't heard? Every Democrat voted for it.

[00:34:24]Every Republican voted against it. So, what I would like to see is a return to at least the John Lewis Voter Rights Act, which is already written and has already been voted on by the Democrats, or the For the People's Act, which was a way to expand voting rights to Americans. We could do that. That would be something that we could do. Then, I think we need to start talking about like expanding the House and doing things like that. You know, there's no reason that South Dakota and North Dakota should have four senators and California should have two. those something else we should need to be considering because it's just ludicrous.

[00:34:52]40 million people, two senators, 1.7 million people, four senators. Like [laughter] that's >> You know what really what really bothers me about the the way the Senate works in the United States is that then you double down on the way the president works.

[00:35:06]>> Absolutely. I I understand wanting to give a voice because you never would have had the 13 colonies coming together as a country if you weren't going to protect the smaller states because they know they were going to get completely outvoted. I almost don't have a problem with two senators per state. But how dare you double down on the president then. make the president throw out the electoral college then and at least make the president >> a a a purely democratically elected one person one vote to that per particular individual in office individual states are getting protected all the time in in the Senate right like they have that power I do understand I do think it's interesting that you try it would make sense to try to block off different areas for the needs they have and the issues they would consider to be significant.

[00:36:01]>> Yeah. Like if you're in Northern California and you are growing avocados, you're going to have a completely different need from your congress person than LA proper would be, right? So it's it's really important to think of it like that. And I just it needs to be the thought of that rather than where can I find the most Republicans? Let me draw out this area and take these people and not these people. But then you get these districts that look like Jim Jordan's district, which is like a duck, you know, that looks like a child drew a duck in a moving car. I mean, it's just terrible. I think the thing is is the people who are gutting the Voting Rights Act keep saying it has nothing to do with racism. Just like the same people who gutted Roie Wade said it had nothing to do with controlling women. It was just about states rights. And the people that are trying to pass the SAVE Act, which will limit women voters, are the same people who know it's going to limit black voters by gutting the Voting Rights Act. I think it we have to remind ourselves that this is all about disenfranchising voters. Right now it's Democratic voters who just happen to be majority black, but then it's going to be women voters. It's going to be gay voters. And I want people to understand like just because you're not the first community, it goes back to what we were saying before like until it happens to you. Just because you're the first community that's not being targeted doesn't mean they're not going to get to you. Because no one is safe if the powers that be can disable democracy, right? Like if your representatives don't have to earn your vote, if your district is drawn so they cannot lose, why do they have to listen to everything you say? Personally, I think the Republicans are getting a little ahead of their skis, thinking that everyone's just going to keep voting Republican because they drew all Republican districts because what are people getting for that vote? Like, what do you get from a party that says, "We don't care what people want. We're just going to draw it so we can't lose." And I look around and I'm like, "Yeah, but then they're not listening to you because when they get elected, they stop listening to the people, right? You have all these people in places like Utah, you know, who are like, "We don't want this data center that's so loud and so hot and taking all of our water in our backyard." And they're like, "We don't care. We're building it anyway." Right?

[00:37:56]Like, so if you have drawn people out of power, you've also drawn yourself out of power. And I think people need to understand that if the politicians don't have to listen to you, then they don't have to listen to you. Nothing will be done. If you want the standard of living to go up, if you want a higher minimum wage, if you want to not have chemical polluting going into your drinking water, you're going to need your representatives to listen to you. And if they have drawn the voters out of power, you're in trouble, too.

[00:38:25]Okay? So, we're coming into a new season. And new seasons often mean fresh routines, resets, and recommitting to things that make you feel your best.

[00:38:32]Which is why I want to tell you about I Restore's Memorial Day event that is running through May 26th. Because this might be the perfect [music] time to upgrade your hair and skin routine. I have the I Restore Illuminina face mask and my husband has the I Restore Elite, [music] which is their advanced laser hair growth system. We do them in bed at night like little red light nerds. His on his head and mine on my face. I Restore has been leading the way in red light therapy for over two decades. They have helped shape the category [music] with clinically backed devices trusted by over 500,000 customers worldwide. The aluminina face mask that [music] I use is lightweight, cordless, and packed with two times more LEDs than other top masks. [music] It targets fine lines, breakouts, and dullness with triple wavelength therapy. You just have to do it for 10 minutes a few times a week for brighter, smoother, healthier looking skin. The I Restore Elite uses 300 lasers and 200 LEDs to help regrow thicker, healthier hair in as little as 3 months. It's effortless. You just literally wear it while you're working or reading or watching TV at night. And the best part is during the I Restore Memorial Savings event, you can bundle both products together to make the perfect upgrade to your routine. I Restore is so confident in their technology that they offer a 12-month money back guarantee. If you don't see healthier looking skin or fuller looking hair, you will get a full refund without question. just results [music] or your money back. I Restore is kicking off their Memorial Day savings event with some huge discounts on their red light therapy devices. Right now, you can save on customer favorites like the I restore Elite helmet and the aluminina face mask by heading to i restore.com and using the code politicsgirl [music] to take advantage of the sale. That's politicsgirl at irestore.com.

[00:40:08]And if they ask, please support the show and tell them we sent you. Give your hair and skin the upgrade [music] they deserve so you can feel confident and refreshed going into the summer. So, I spend a lot of time at airports and I have been seeing more and more Noble suitcases around these days. I feel like Noble is really great for people who need security and safety in their luggage. We often leave our luggage alone with hotel staff or airline employees or with security when we go to work meetings. It turns out that zippers are notoriously easy to break into.

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[00:41:17]And there is a flip cup holder built right into the luggage for your coffee or your water as you wait for your flight. I genuinely saw three people with this luggage on my last trip to the airport. [music] There's a reason that Noble has sold over 500,000 suitcases and is the highest rated luggage brand in its category on Trust Pilot. And it also doesn't surprise me that over 12,000 flight attendants and pilots also love it. Noble's all-in-one carry-on is the durable, safe, advanced luggage that really thought about the people who use it when they designed it. Every suitcase comes with a 100-day money back guarantee, 3-day free express shipping, and a lifetime warranty. So why not try it out for yourself? Noble gives you real travel peace of mind, security, design, and convenience allinone. Head to nobler.com for up to 46% off your entire order. That's n o.com for up to 46% off. And after you purchase, if they ask you where you heard about them, please support the show. Tell them that we sent you. You're going to need your representatives to listen to you. And if they have drawn the voters out of power, you're in trouble, too. I think I [sighs and gasps] it's astounding to me the inability that women have had and continue to have to actually forge and solidify with common interests to protect the rights that took us generations to earn, to win, to fight for. And we are so easily manipulated or some of us so easily manipulated to throw them away because I I think about what the Republicans are doing and I really do feel like the Republicans will say states rights.

[00:43:04]What has the Republican party done, this Republican party, this particular administration to bolster state rights besides Roie Wade, which by the way just serves their agenda so they don't have to worry about it, so they don't have to protect it, so they don't have to pay for it. The current incarnation of Republicans are federalists.

[00:43:28]They are more power to federal government. ICE going to war, the draft slashing budget after budget after budget that goes to those states when when people, you know, they their gas prices, their food prices, all of this, all of this is coming because of what they're not willing to do for their the actual person that put them in in power. And what I don't understand, but I I do think it's turning, how those Republican voters, MAGA aside, those Republican voters aren't losing their minds on their elected representatives. Because let's be honest, Congressman, you get two years.

[00:44:16]It's a very shortlived political life.

[00:44:20]And I think if you don't do what they need and improve their station, they will pick somebody gerrymander all you want.

[00:44:30]But the rural farmer in Ohio that doesn't have fertilizer, by the way, everybody's talking about oil. When I was at this thing, I met so many people I can't even I can't even the amount of information that was shoved in my head that I didn't have. And now that I I have pieces of it that I don't quite understand. Anyways, one of the individuals was in charge of Canada's food supply and trade with the United States. She runs the Crown Corporation that does that. And she said, "Everybody's worried about oil. What they should be worried about is fertilizer."

[00:45:06]>> And I went, "What are you what are you talking about?" And she goes, "That's where it comes from."

[00:45:12]>> Yeah. We missed our planting season.

[00:45:14]this >> this your car can't go anywhere fine you're not gonna have food and I'm like oh oh you know >> come the fall there's going to be a massive food shortage >> people don't realize it >> and people in Ohio or whatever the farming you know Iowa only because I really like feel the dreams those people those people are going to feel the weight of that um and you're going to lose them forever by the way I don't think anybody since Jefferson has treated farmers well. I think everybody else everybody else has screwed over farmers and it's wild because >> well I mean we have the highest foreclosures uh we've ever had. Farmers are losing their farms every day. Our vice president is a huge stockholder and acre trader which is buying up farms for pennies on the dollar so that we can have big corporations own them. We just signed a deal with Palunteer for with the FDA to uh be in charge of our food sources. I don't the whole thing is a disaster. If you're a local farmer, you should be completely against any of this.

[00:46:15]>> Aren't these capitalists concerned about monopolization and monopoly formation of our farmland? Aren't these big capitalists like, "Oh my god, the government's buying this up. They're investing in this company so this corporation can own it all." Does anybody see it is the same thing?

[00:46:35]It is the same thing. It doesn't matter if it's the government or if it's Elon Musk. If they own all of it, we are screwed.

[00:46:45]>> Yeah. When you put capitalism first, like I just heard that the Damonte company is going under because they can't get their cans at the right price because of the tariffs on >> aluminum.

[00:46:56]>> Aluminum. So, [laughter] they're closing their peach farm, but >> they're just going to burn all the trees to the ground >> like >> acres and acre because it's not making money anymore. So, they're just going to And I was like, are we the stupidest species in the entire world? You got all this food here.

[00:47:13]>> They're going to burn it to the ground.

[00:47:14]But listen, I want before you go, I must get back to Elon because I want your opinion.

[00:47:18]>> Let's just run. Let's just fix everything. I don't need to go anywhere.

[00:47:22][laughter] >> People have lives, Jonah. We have to let them free.

[00:47:26]>> Let's just send them free. But listen, I I want to say, you texted me. The reason I knew Elon Musk had tweeted about me was because you texted me and you were like, "Oh, [laughter] hey, guess what?

[00:47:36]and you were like, "Uh, somebody noticed you." And I was like, "Oh god, what did I do?" And so, it turns out that Elon Musk had retweeted a part of an interchange between me and a conservative pundit on CNN where the girl I was talking to, we were discussing the rich and taxing the rich and how the rich people are saying that like saying tax the rich is just as bad as a racial slur. It's so unfair that they should be, you know, we should have statues to them. We should look up to them. Anyway, Elon chose to pick the part where the girl who >> she went on her little tie. just glazing him up, right? She was basically saying, "Billionaires are saints who deserve every scent they've ever made. We're so lucky to have capitalism. We should be so grateful to these guys who have given us such an excellent way of life." Now, obviously, I disagreed with her with the sentiment. And Elon posted it and then of, you know, every single Elon stand within a 10,000 mile radius came for me, but I said to you at the time, like, I don't understand this. Like, why are these people attacking me? I'm sticking up for them. I'm the one that said we should be taxing billionaires to take care of regular people and the things that we need. And she's saying, "Embrace their greed. Get on their side." Right?

[00:48:39]And like very dramatically begging for the rich to get richer. And I just didn't get it. And I then I was said to you like, "Why are people such simps for billionaires? I don't understand."

[00:48:48]>> And what did I say? Do you have it written down?

[00:48:50]>> Tony, I probably have to go back in my texts.

[00:48:54]>> I have it written down right here.

[00:48:55][laughter] The reason why women and citizens in the United States want to give over their money to Musk is the same reason that people like having a king and serving a god. They don't want the responsibility on their shoulders. They want somebody to tell them who to be. They want somebody to tell me what is it to be a good person. They want somebody to stand up and say that's bad. That's bad. Don't worry. I'm going to protect you all from it. because it means they don't need to think, they don't need to act and they don't need to manufacture. They don't need to to instill in themselves any degree of responsibility, civic duty or empathy. They don't want any of it. And if there's a guy standing up there worth almost a trillion dollars and that's all that we are caring about, that's the guy I want in control. I watched the movie Food Inc. not too long ago with my young kids and one of the guys who I love he's a farmer in the movie uh I can't remember his name at the time he said we've gotten really good ex we use technology we use marketing systems we use satellite systems to hit the target on the wrong godamn bullseye but we've gotten really good at it and the whole thing was about food production how do we massproduce how do we do this how do we do that how does it never go bad? Let's can we just jam a whole bunch of how do we make it a commodity crop? Meanwhile, all the food is killing us.

[00:50:30]And it's the same when it comes to these ridiculous predominantly men who thinks they are little mini He-Man figures and in high school no date them. And now they have billions of dollars and they're they're living out their really embarrassing lack of high school lives. Honest to God, it is their they are egodriven children.

[00:51:00]And and now they think because they have billions that they have a better opinion, a better idea, a better notion of empathy and world ethic. And it's laughable because the only reason they are where they are is because they've negated their humanity to do it. That's it.

[00:51:20]>> I will also say the only reason they are where they are is because we gave them such obscene tax breaks because we kept all the loopholes in and because we gave in Elen's case hundreds of millions of dollars worth of government contracts.

[00:51:33]That's taxpayer money that built his companies. Not >> it's the same idea. It's it's the same premise.

[00:51:40]give these people who make boatloads of money more money because they're doing something right. We think it's somehow a sign of an evolutionary advantage. We we we give them the ideals or we we label this ideal of social Darwinism upon them. Meanwhile, the system is set up constructed in order to grow their power falsely with subsidies, right? with tax breaks, with buyouts, with every single thing we can give. We allow Walmart to pay their workers so poorly that the government has to give those people food stamps.

[00:52:24]The taxpayer subsidizes at every single road in order to allow those companies to make hundreds of billions of dollars.

[00:52:34]And nobody's seeing the big picture because we're so freaking impressed that Elon Musk has a trillion dollars >> because it's a capitalistic society where we equate money with value. So, he must be the most valuable because he has the most money. But I think about like someone like Mackenzie Bezos. I think this is a perfect example because McKenzie is really good with her money.

[00:52:55]She's a billionaire. She's really good with her money. But here's the thing.

[00:52:59]This is what I want people to understand. Mackenzie Bezos got something like $33 billion when she divorced Jeff. She has given away 26 billion of it. She now 44 billion. 47 billion. 44 billion. So like >> that's how much money that is.

[00:53:13]>> That the money makes money on money on money. You can give away almost all of it and you're still going to have more because once you're at a certain level, that's just the way it is. But I also think this idea the people that's the same people that are sing for Elon are the same people that are still gung-ho on Trump, right? He's done nothing he said he was going to do. Everything is more expensive. They're, like I said, they're putting those data centers everywhere that are stealing people's water and they're still like, "He's my guy." Right? I I just >> I find the whole thing, it's just like they're still behind him even as he cheats them on the phones, he cheats them on crypto, he's pocketing their money, he's out here letting his friends get away with committing financial crimes, sex crimes, they're all being pardoned. And then they tell us that the economy is amazing. As if we're not buying our own groceries and buying our own gas. As if credit card debt isn't at an all-time high. One of the cabinet members was on TV last week being like, "Just so you know, credit card debt is at the highest peak it's ever been." And you're like, "Does he not know that's a bad thing?" Like, that means everyone's putting something on their credit card because they can't afford anything anymore. All the homes are being foreclosed on. Like I just feel like it's so insulting to people and yet they continue to eat from the trough.

[00:54:27]>> I think there's a hope.

[00:54:29]>> Good.

[00:54:29]>> There's this there's No, I'm sorry. I'm not giving you that kind of hope. I think there's a hope by those individuals. Sorry.

[00:54:36]>> I think there's a hope by those individuals that one and and this is the this is the American dream, Lee. Right.

[00:54:44]This is what every movie, this is what every rags to riches story that you've ever been told that if you do this, if you do that, you too can be Jeff Bezos.

[00:54:58]You too can be Elon Musk. You too can be Larry Ellison. And in no other country in the world do you have the ability to be able to rise to that to be able to gain that kind of power and that kind of privilege. And it's the promise of such delusional thinking and I blame Hollywood. Such delusional thinking that keeps people hooked. And it keeps people hooked until their farm is foreclosed on, until they are living in a trailer and they never, you know, or in their car, until their daughter, their 14-year-old daughter has to travel to California to get healthcare. All of those things and then all of a sudden that that's the unfortunate reality of the human experience until it knocks at our door. It brings us full circle. That doesn't apply to me. That only applies to people who are lazy. That only applies to people who are drains on the system. And until it knocks at that door, and that's why every major revolution will only happen ever admits disaster. It has to be disastrous. It has to feel disastrous or else the majority of people and we're not there. We're we're just not there.

[00:56:25]It doesn't I know it I know it feels like we're on the cusp of it. I know we're seeing all of these things, but for the most part, people are still going home to their house. They might not be getting steak as often as they used to. They might be complaining at the pumps, but they're still still f filling their car, right? We haven't been leaving our cars on the side of the road yet. That's the unfortunate part of our brains that will block out terrifying circumstance or potential because you it's too much until it faces us. And I do believe here is my hope. I believe in the average American.

[00:57:06]I believe in the average Canadian. I believe truly in my heart that people are empathetic, that people do want to take care of each other, that people are based in community, and we will collectively we will individually figure out what to do when we have to do it. I just I unfortunately think it has to get worse. And I and and I think Donald Trump is the guy to do it. I know that sounds awful.

[00:57:37]It sounds awful, but in order to write our goals, in order to to course correct in a real legitimate way, it has to be crappy. It has to feel you have to feel the weight of the flip side of capitalism, right? like every other country by the way has felt across the world as we cheer globalization and a kid is working for four cents to make Jordans. We need to feel that.

[00:58:07]>> I think we might be about to.

[00:58:10]>> Yeah. Unfortunately, I think you're right. There is no Phoenix without the ashes and Donald Trump is just the pyro.

[00:58:18]>> There it is. There it is. That's the clip. He's the only one that I think >> was willing to burn it all down because he doesn't care at all.

[00:58:30]>> Constitutions hold. He doesn't care.

[00:58:32]>> He just wants stuff with his name on it.

[00:58:34]>> And he knows it's going to burn down.

[00:58:35]That's why he wants that ballroom because it's really a bunker. It's what it's what uh Zuckerberg built in Hawaii.

[00:58:42]It's what Teal has built in New Zealand.

[00:58:45]He's he's having the taxpayers build his his bunker for the world he creates and sets on fire.

[00:58:51]>> And if I was the next president, my first job, I swear to God, I'm tearing it down.

[00:58:57]I'm tearing it down. It represents everything that is disgusting, embarrassing, ostentatious, capitalistic with with absolutely no oversight, with no care, with no consideration, with no need.

[00:59:15]It is it is the Hall of Mirrors.

[00:59:18]That is the Vers Versailles. And it's not a tourist attraction.

[00:59:23]I'm tearing it down. I'm not proud of it. I'm embarrassed by it. And I'm telling you right now, that's what the next president should do. Take his name off every goddamn thing. Tear down that everything gone.

[00:59:36]Take his names right out of the history book. Just put a blank few pages in and say, "You know what? We're not even going to talk about it.

[00:59:42]>> We have to talk about it or we won't learn from it and we'll do it again."

[00:59:45]>> It's true. All right.

[00:59:46]>> You're a history teacher. You know that.

[00:59:47]>> That's true. [laughter] >> So true.

[00:59:49]>> Thank you so much for joining us today, Joanna. You're my girl. You are so brilliant and I always always love talking to you and hearing what you have to say. So tell people how they can follow you moving forward so they can follow your work.

[01:00:01]>> Unlearn 16 on Tik Tok, on Instagram. I have a podcast. Uh unlearn 16 class is in session. And what else do I have? I'm on Twitter, but nobody really wants to come over there.

[01:00:12]>> A really great book.

[01:00:13]>> Thank you. Oh, I do have a book. That's not what this book is about. That's true. And I will have a book, too, coming out in the fall, so just wait.

[01:00:19]>> Yay. Oh, I'm so thrilled. All right. All right. Well, thanks for coming and talking to me about all this cuz I had so many ideas in my head and I thought I need someone to bang them around with.

[01:00:29]>> Of course, anytime. I'm here.

[01:00:33]>> So, that was Joanna Johnson reminding us that the word patriotism should give us pause, that we need to stand for our values, for our morality, for our sense of justice, but not just for our country. Because blind patriotism is what got us to a place where our constant need to flex that we were the best has made us unable to evolve to make real friends. And watching our superpower Wayne is too much for our country's collective ego to handle. So we are acting out by who we elect by how that administration behaves and who we hold up. That as Joanna says the war in Iran is in itself about an empire in decline trying to dictate power it no longer has. And we are living through a group of people who just cannot adjust and try to undo our history and take our country back to a place where we are once again at the head of the table without caring if we're sitting at that table alone or how many of us have to suffer to get back there. I want to thank Joanna for joining us and you for caring enough about democracy to be here. Until next week, PG.

[01:01:35]Before you go, I just want to remind you that the American government is trying to silence any voices that don't tow the party line. They don't care about the truth. They want state-run propaganda, which is why we need to fund independent media. Mainstream media, cable news, and social media are almost now exclusively run by a handful of Trumpup supporting billionaires. So, if you respect what I'm trying to do here, if you learn something from my podcast and rants, if you would like to get this podcast adree delivered directly to your inbox along with my kitchen rants and TV appearances, please consider becoming a member of Politicsgirl Premium by going to politicsgirl.com and signing up. If you're already a premium member of this podcast, thank you so much for your support. And if you're not a member, please consider becoming a patron of my work. If you want real knowledge in a world of lies, it's essential to support those of us out here still trying to bring them to you. There's a link to sign up in the bio of this episode, but also at politicsgirl.com.

[01:02:26]And as always, please like and share these podcasts so we can grow our audience because the more people who have access to this kind of information, the better. As always, thank you for your time and support. The Politics Girl podcast is written and performed by me, Lee McGawan, and produced and edited by Happy Warrior Entertainment. All rights reserved.