Is U.S. Democracy Being Rigged? Supreme Court, Voting Rights & The Illusion of Choice

Added: 2026-05-06

[00:00:00]jump in.

[00:00:01]>> I am uh so excited. Uh so we are doing a different uh midweek democracyish check-in where we have the fabulous uh Francesca Fertini uh that is joining us uh to fill in. This is Waj's other wife uh who >> oh boy, how many does he have?

[00:00:24]>> He has so many. who is the host of the Bituation Room, uh, and is just a brilliant voice. I've had the opportunity to speak with you before.

[00:00:34]Um, people always enjoy it because you're such a vibe.

[00:00:37]>> Um, and so folks, today we're running through the headlines. Um, the headlines that have us most certainly um, I've titled the show uh, America is a mess because it is. And I'm in the mood today, Francesca, to just burn it all down. I I said this earlier on the check-in with my um with my co-host Jared Yates Ston. And you know, we went through kind of the ingredients for a revolution is where we find ourselves right now.

[00:01:09]>> But I want to open up today with you, which is with what is trending right now. the horrible news that came out of the Supreme Court that many that follow the courts have been anticipating that they were going to finish the hit job that this Roberts court was going to finish the hit job on the Voting Rights Act.

[00:01:29]>> Yep.

[00:01:29]>> And ensure that uh states, right? states can gerrymander us into hell, >> can dilute their districts, can choose their voters, and essentially uh eliminate black and brown power. Yep.

[00:01:46]>> Uh in having a voice in our democracy.

[00:01:49]The audacity though that I found and again you know not all uh skin folk are kin folk is Clarence Thomas who sided with the uh with the majority of conservative justices that wanted to articulate that this section of the voting rights act that they demolished was never intended to give black people entitlements. And what I think is really funny is that this son of a [ __ ] wouldn't be in the position that he is in as essentially blackface for white supremacy if not for affirmative action.

[00:02:24]it, which this court rolled back, if not for a voting rights act, if not for the ability to have uh to to redefine redlinining and all of these different things that Clarence Thomas as a black man in this country benefited from, but then found himself in a situation where he is tearing down the ladder, the bridge, right, that was created by our ancestors to get him to this place has just played in all of our faces. And so I say all that to say your reaction to to to this moment. I mean, you know, Clarence Thomas is a whole conversation, but I do want to name that he is not unlike I think so many um you know, right-wingers and right, you know, whether they be elected officials, whether they be influencers or mouthpieces or hosts or writers. Um, but so many far-right uh people of color and women and people who find themselves in, you know, I guess the so-called minority uh marginalized people, what have you, um, who stake their whole careers on throwing their communities under the bus without actually acknowledging that yes, the very progress that they fight against is the reason that they're where they are. Um, it's okay cuz they're there and everyone else can eat [ __ ] Uh, and I think I've I have yet to meet honestly a a right-wing again like a a Republican- elected official, a right-wing mouthpiece, someone who is in a position of power, who is a person of color or a woman or a trans person, um, who is like who who is actually earnest about this very stark hypocrisy that they [ __ ] live in every single So, I'm just I'm just naming that because I'm like, you all you all see yourselves maybe, but you know, we see you like, you know, we see >> that you stand for nothing. Um, and that anyway, and that you're it doesn't fit.

[00:04:39]I'm sorry. The white supremacist patriarchal capitalist, you know, moniker. It doesn't fit. But, but have fun and make your money doing the bidding of, you know, uh uh people who are not who don't look like you. But anyway, we can leave Clarence Thomas aside. The main thing uh Danielle, I've been bracing for this for a while.

[00:04:57]>> Yeah.

[00:04:58]>> And I' I've been a little bit um uneasy about the fact that many people are like this these midterms we're going to crush it. Oh man, look at this. They're so this is terrible. Republicans are they're sucking, you know, so much. And like I'm reminded of when people are talking about how yeah the Republicans are doing things that are unpopular, but they seem to not care that they're unpopular, which is a horrible little hat tip that they know they're going to rig the [ __ ] midterms. And so the Supreme Court has just allowed them to do exactly that. And now we will see state legislators tripping over themselves to gerrymander ahead of November or or hell even even late midterm I mean late primaries but gerrymander as soon as they possibly can. I think that what is so obvious as it I mean and to you and I and and others that are that are in our field that do this work right have been aware of this fact but what is so obvious today from this decision to me with the Supreme Court is that we are not voting our way out of this y right that this party this moified party this fascist authoritarian Trumpist movement has everything on lock, has Congress on lock, has the Supreme Court on lock, has everything on lock so that your vote doesn't matter. Because again, at this moment, I know you, like me, occasionally follow the polls, see where the people are, see where you know uh uh what the pulse is. And every single poll will tell you that Donald Trump is underwater, that the Republican party is underwater.

[00:06:48]>> In any other 10 year 10 years prior, if you're receiving that type of polling information and you're the party that is up against the wall, >> yeah, >> you're making decisions. You're changing your stances. You're rolling out new policies. you're going to do a little tap dance so it seems to the voting public like you give a [ __ ] But to your point, there has been nothing that Republicans have done that has offered anything to the American people. They're they have higher food prices right now, higher gas prices right now. And we're not even in even in what is to come in terms of the turmoil that Donald Trump began with Netanyahu in instigating this war with Iran. We're not even in it yet.

[00:07:40]Okay.

[00:07:40]>> Yes. And we should talk about that. But yeah.

[00:07:43]>> So it's like when you realize this that folks want to say, "Oh yeah, like we'll get them in midterms." I'm like, "Are you [ __ ] paying attention?" Like do you get it? Like I believe in running parallel tracks and multiple tracks, right? But you have to really understand in this moment that your vote doesn't mean a [ __ ] thing. The last time it did, and I'm not even certain it did then, in 2024, but the last time it really mattered was either 2020 or 2024.

[00:08:15]Absolutely. And I think, you know, part of the impetus to do all this redistricting and the gerrymandering, um, is the fear of the people.

[00:08:27]Obviously, the, you know, Republicans need gerrymandering to keep Congress to even win Congress in the first place.

[00:08:33]Um, don't get me started on the Senate, but 2020 was a lesson. This was a shot across the bow for Republicans and the oligarchs that run them, that have their hands up their asses and move their mouth with it. um which is never again.

[00:08:46]We're never going to allow the number of people because it wasn't just kicking Trump out, electing Biden, whatever, turning a page. I mean, I I wish it had been someone else, but it was a massive numbers of people. I mean, I I forget the specifics, but it was like one of the the you know, the elections that had the the greatest turnout in in >> Yep.

[00:09:07]>> Right. And that was because of early voting. It was because of uh you know, mail-in ballots. It was because of, you know, drop off by and it was easier to vote. Heaven forbid we have a national holiday like most other democracies in the world. But there you go. And Republicans took the lesson of they especially Georgia, man. And if you worked in Georgia and if you flip that, then [ __ ] hats off to you. I love you. And and I need your leadership right now because Georgia was the moment they were like, "Uh-uh, no. It's not going to go down like this ever again.

[00:09:38]we will make sure that Georgia remains Republican. They will never have, you know, I mean, the the losing those Senate seats was massive to them. Um, and obviously losing the presidency was massive as well. And so they've they've learned that lesson. And right now, I mean, how it's been explained to me is, I mean, exactly how you're saying, the Supreme Court effectively said that the Voting Rights Act is racist against white people and that this and that taking race into consideration at all is racist is racist, excuse me, against white people. Of course, unless you want to take race into consideration when you want to have the ability to harass people and use ICE against them and say, "Well, if they're speaking a different language or they look a certain way, thank you, Brett Kavanaaugh, then race is okay as an indicator." But if you're using race as a way to equalize democracy, as a way to equalize the playing field for a multi-racial democracy, then whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. So, racism, okay. Race equity, not so much.

[00:10:48]>> Absolutely. I mean, and this is where I think, you know, I I'm reminded of like, you know, Reverend William Barber III's third reconstruction, you know, um, sort of narrative or pitch. I think something that we really need to consider which you know part of me is like wasn't the voting rights act explicit you know wasn't it explicit about why there was this need and it seems like be because it can be left up to interpretation and again I'm not a scholar on this but it wasn't like it wasn't explicit enough this is precisely to write the wrongs of the past this is precisely because we live in a settler colonial formerly, you know, owned by uh run by enslavers country that we need this in place because racism is real and it exists, but explicitly it, you know, has disenfranchised, deprived black Americans of their rights, of their freedom, uh, all of the above, right?

[00:11:50]That's why we're doing this equal citizens. And if we don't, uh, white people will try it again. That's what I feel like that's what the law needed to say and it didn't. It was just sort of implied. And now again, we're in the, you know, we're in the Steven Miller because it really is also kind of a concoction of the of the Steven Millers of the Trump administration saying like white people are agrieved. We're in the oh no, we're in white grievance politics as Supreme Court rulings moment of US history.

[00:12:21]And you know, and you talk about the the need for for the Voting Rights Act to having been explicit. We also have to remember who is writing it. White people are writing the Voting Rights Act. Do you think they're going to be explicit about the fact that their their their kin are wildly racist, right? Like we still live in a time when we get to be gas lit about white grievance and totally ignore, right, generational trauma and abuse and oppression turn policy for the last 250 years of this god-forsaken country, right? Like we're still in the state where we have to convince people. I mean, not me, cuz I don't give a [ __ ] I'm not interested in convincing a goddamn person. I'm not interested in their rust belt diner white people sit down tell me what agrieves you [ __ ] like I'm not there and I think that if more people were in that place of and when I say more people I'm really Francesca thinking about establishment Democrats were in the place to actually say call a thing a thing say the truth right that we're in this space because America refuses to face the fact that it is racist misogynistic patriarchal um isomemed out country, right? That you're able to fall for the rope of these things because you refuse to face the reality of that truth. And so Donald Trump then becomes the avatar, right, for your grievance because he tells you that if you vote him back in power, then guess what? will erase the advances of the 20th century and will return to the fifdoms of the 19th century where you again white man can find your power and your purpose. And by the way, white woman, we're also coming for you. We started with Roie Wade, but we ain't going to end there. So I just I I look at the Supreme Court and I'm just wondering when we all think that people are going to recognize Francesca that this country, every institution that we had faith in, right, has been corroded and corrupted by this MAGA force has been bought and paid for by these oligarchs. And that without in my opinion again without an actual revolution without actual revolutionary thinking and imagination about where we want this country to be we're just going to sit and wait for these elections the way that Hungary sat and waited for 10 years to remove Orban 100% >> until the strangle hole just became too much.

[00:15:07]>> Right. and and and again they don't have like much better than I mean he's better than Orban but he's not like you know someone who's going to he's crawling Hungary out helping Hungary crawl out a little bit of the depths of despair but but not all the way out. There's no there's no real like plan um from from what I've heard. And so I think this is my whole thing. When Democrats get their panties in a bunch, when you say you don't like Gavin Newsome, you're like, "Oh, I'm sorry. You don't want the guy who is going to do very little to change the actual stakes of economic injustice, structural racism, uh, absolute anti-democratic behavior coming from the highest court in the country that's been bought off by, you know, billionaire Nazis who collect, you know, SS memorabilia and and buy uh Clarence Thomas off with a [ __ ] 18-wheeler.

[00:16:02]You like like like meet the moment, my friends. meet the moment and this is I think what you're saying is like we have to meet this moment with revolution. I mean I do think um you know Bernie was able and I do think you know speaking of the voting rights act Martin Luther King Jr. was able to talk about a revolution of values. You know, Bernie Sanders, a political revolution. We should not be shy shying away from these types of terminologies. In fact, we should be running towards anyone who can say revolution, political revolution and also uh constitutional reforms, real constitutional reforms so this never happens again. Um, you know, and you cannot take anyone seriously who is not talking about expanding the Supreme Court, instituting term limits, and absolutely uh vetting them for I mean, hell, sexual assault allegations. I mean, >> I mean, the bar is in hell.

[00:17:00]>> The bar is in [ __ ] hell. Hello. Um, but also, you know, conflicts of interest. Are you receiving gifts from, you know, uh, different groups? Are there I mean, they're I mean, the the phrase playing in our faces has never been more apt than applying to the Supreme Court. Truly, like they do backdoor deals with Christian like nationalist organizations. There was a former some former dude in some like right-wing think tank who like kind of saw the light, one of very few, and he was like, "By the way, Clarence Thomas would like wink at me and be like, I got your back." And like tell me that he was going to, you know, rule in my favor and and it was like, "Have any has any Democrat really seriously brought this up?" Um, you know, it is I think you're right. We're in really dangerous times.

[00:17:52]It's a really perilous moment and the people who have their hands on the wheel uh or in the front seat of the car don't have their hands on the wheel and so we need to grab that [ __ ] wheel. Um and and I think it's going to look like a lot of different things. First and foremost, if you are in a state um that will actively be gerrymandered, you have to call your local your representatives and your legislators. There is push back. Democrats have been prepping for this moment and all is not lost. There are I know I can't tell you specifics, but court case around court case around court case. This will be litigated. This will be litigated and y'all should be outside the courouses when it is like that is a very concrete thing that you can do. um if you are in one of the states that in the south that will likely be gerrymandered and your you know your one elected representative your one Democrat or your three Democrats or whatever it is may be going away very soon. So definitely um don't lump all Democrats into the same bucket because a lot of them are on these local levels fighting so we got to support them. You know I just I think about the Congressional Black Caucus. I think about the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

[00:19:07]I think about the fact that, you know, at one time I was a Congressional Black Fellow, uh, which is how I got to cut my teeth in in, uh, in policy and in politics on the Hill. And you know, I think about the way that the large number of members in these districts were celebrated, right? Like, oh, we've reached this, you know, this this incredible pinnacle, this incredible point. And how all of those seats are in jeopardy. All of the all every single one of those seats are in jeopardy, right? because they were actualized because of the Voting Rights Act. Those districts were created because of the Voting Rights Act where black people had representation, right? Latino people had representation, right? And now that is not going to be the case, right? And so, you know, I I before we switch gears to the war, which everyone has forgotten about, but will soon remember uh as as you are in America, you may not be on the brink of starvation, but you may be on the brink of being broke. Um, and that's about to get even harder. But before I I we do that, Hakeim Jeff recently said that the focus for Democrats in midterms was about energy costs and building data centers.

[00:20:42]>> Jesus Christ.

[00:20:45]>> Jesus.

[00:20:46]>> Your your other reaction to that?

[00:20:49]>> I mean, and I'm assuming he means pro- data centers, right? Like >> Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes. I'm sorry. Let me be clear. pro building data centers because they are quote necessary, but also how do we keep energy costs down, which is like I what are you talking about?

[00:21:13]Uh yeah. No, I mean I don't get me started because Janet Mills just veto vetoed the her state's first attack. I mean, they were going to ban data centers from Maine. Janet Mills, the handpicked, you know, Senate Democratic Senator uh candidate by Chuck Schumer is like, "No, as governor, I'm going to veto this." Like, what what planet are you on? What are we what are we doing here? You know, I mean, it it is it you are they are they are so out of step with their base. They are so out of step with their voters, you know? It's like say what you will about the right, you know, but at least they act a little bit scared of their crazies. Not crazies, but their base, right? Their base are crazies, >> but it's like you got you have to at least say, "Oh, good. I'm glad you're listening to the podcasts." Now, the podcast are saying stupid ass [ __ ] Our podcasts are raising the the alarms and going, "Everyone hates data centers.

[00:22:18]We're doing the local journalism. We see that what they're they're doing. We see how they're polluting the air, the water. Uh we specifically of black and brown communities. I mean, speaking of which, quite literally the same communities that now are going to be gerrymandered out of a congressional seat who would like a say, thank you very much, as to whether there are data centers. And you can't and you think this is the the test is we have to build more data centers. Like, come on.

[00:22:43]Meanwhile, Hakeem Jeff constantly plays the empty identity politics card. He's constantly well back in my community and my community and my shut up about your community. You are so far removed from your [ __ ] community.

[00:22:56]>> You and and and how dare you use like black and brown people as your little cudgel, as your shield against actually answering and doing real things for black and brown people. It's It's truly disgusting. And I think um uh yeah uh yeah I'm I'm I I am like I don't know what to say Danielle but it's like the Democratic party is in like and someone's got to know the scientific term when a when a snake is like midshedding you know we're in the shed we're like we're you know it's not chrysalis it's like we're just and we knew it was very clear that Donald Trump was going to the the 2016 election I think and it's funny. This is what I always think about where I'm like in 2016 we knew this election is either going to it's going to break one of the two parties. One of the two parties is going to be completely decimated and have to be have to be redone from the b from the ground up and at the end of the day it was the Democratic party. I am fully comfortable saying that the election of Donald Trump and of course the re-election necessitated and necessitates a complete like detonation of the Democratic party and a remaking of it. Not the Republican party because why? He was their lifeline. He was their, you know, he was their their clarion and call. He was the the only thing that saved them from eight years of Bush, two plus wars, you know, trillions of dollars of debt.

[00:24:27]Trump was like the best thing that ever happened to the Republican party and he can be openly racist. This is amazing.

[00:24:32]The Democratic party needed to be remade and they still haven't learned that lesson. Kla Harris is back here out here trying to do her Zoran mom Donnie knockoff videos. I'm sorry. I don't want any more Kla Harris. I truly don't. I want actual fighters who listen to people who understand that it matters where you stand on things on things like the war in Gaza. It matters that you whether or not you fought for your agenda. Did Trump did Biden and Kla Harris even fight for their agenda? They they Biden was like maybe we should expand the Supreme Court. Remember there was a little bit of No, I don't even think he talked about expanding. He floated term limits. He floated term limits. That was it.

[00:25:18]>> Roie Wade got obliterated on their watch. What did they do? You had people saying, "I don't know. Maybe we can have like, you know, you know, abortion clinics on federal land." All this.

[00:25:29]Meanwhile, Donald Trump comes in here and he's like, "Oh, you know what's going to be on federal land? Data centers. You know what's going to be on federal land? Drilling. You know what I'm going to do federally? Private uh uh Gestapo. Not private, but Gestapo. So, like look at what can be done when you actually commit yourself to something.

[00:25:47]>> When you have a [ __ ] agenda and a goddamn will. And here's the thing, you know, the problem that I have, and I'm so glad that you brought up Kla Harris because the problem that I have is that I don't want to see any I don't want to see any of the same names. So, first off, I don't want to see any of the same names being floated as the possibility of, you know, of running for office, right? Running running running for mayor of the rubble at this point because by the time that we get to 2028, ain't nothing going to be left in this country, right?

[00:26:25]>> Yeah. Yeah.

[00:26:25]>> That's my my opinion. Okay.

[00:26:28]>> Unless we do that revolution that you've been >> unless we do that revolution that we're talking about. But my thing with Kla Harris is the same thing that I have with Hakee Jeff. Y'all have no authenticity. Y'all are not 10 toes down for a [ __ ] thing other than the status quo. So when Hakee Jeff is talking about, oh, we need data centers.

[00:26:48]The [ __ ] For what? For what exactly? To rise energy costs, right? To suck water from the ground, right? To rise the heat that that is se by seven degrees around where these data centers are built. The data centers are built for who? They're not employing anybody. So again, tell me why they are needed so much. Right.

[00:27:10]Because it's not as if, oh, the data centers are bringing jobs. They're [ __ ] unmanned data centers.

[00:27:16]>> Yes.

[00:27:17]>> Right. Like, so, and you're talking about the fact that moving forward, for instance, Jeff Bezos wants to automate all warehouses so that they're built by robots and run by robots. So once again, tell me what the [ __ ] I need these data centers for in my neighborhood for so I don't. Okay? And if that's what you're running on for the midterm election, sit the [ __ ] down. As it pertains to Kla Harris, that pisses me off is that you had a very small window when she was coming out with that book. And the small window was to come out and say I had my own feelings and opinions as it pertained to Gaza.

[00:28:07]>> I had my own feelings and opinions, but as I was running, I still >> was beholden to the Biden administration to what the president wanted. And the president for 40 some odd years had had his opinion and view about the necessity right of the United States continuing to write a blank check for Israel.

[00:28:34]Kla Harris had a window when she was putting out that book 107 days to state very unequivocally that that is not where I stood.

[00:28:43]>> But I was t like I don't guess what Joe Biden not running again. Guess what?

[00:28:49]Your political career still ahead of you.

[00:28:52]>> Yes. And she and and by the way, I think it it sort of dovetales into this moment that we're in in terms of these wars abroad and specifically this war in Iran that um you know, negotiations are at a stalemate. Um Trump is again like everything he does is basically just motivated by jealousy of Obama. Obama who negotiated the Iran deal which was arguably probably one of the best things he did in his entire I mean top one or two things that he did in his entire um tenure as president.

[00:29:26]>> Um now Trump uh you know they've squandered every single negotiating opportunity. Um Iran before the war even started was basically like here have everything. Then when it started off of some bunk intelligence from Israel that was just so bloodthirsty and excited for this war, they basically lied to the president. Now the negotiations are like, you know, they're at a point where Iran's like, "No, we're good. We're good. We're crushing it. We've got the straight of form moves basically on lock. Um, we we have these small, you know, lightweight drones that are taking out your massive, you know, equipment and um, >> million dollar missiles, >> multi-million dollar missiles, and we've got you right where you want. You buy the balls. And so, uh, we we're fine now. We don't have to negotiate on your terms. And by the way, the terms are basically you can't enrich any uranium, which again, every country even under the nuclear non-prololiferation agreement has the right to enrich uranium for nuclear energy, uh, domestic nuclear energy. Right? Anyway, putting that aside, Kla Harris is out here saying like, "Wow, look at Trump who was got, you know, goated into this war of choice and he's goated into this war and he's and Netanyahu has him, you know, leads him around by the nose and all this and you're like, honestly, my eyeballs are going dry from the side eye that I am giving you right now because do you hear yourself? Who led who on into what war? We saw the mass murder of children.

[00:31:00]>> Humiliated who?

[00:31:01]>> Who humiliated who? Like, come on. You were humiliated. Biden was humiliated.

[00:31:07]Please stop this. And so, you're totally right. There was a window to say, you know what? I have greater understanding of this issue and what we did was wrong and I apologize. What we did was wrong.

[00:31:20]And if I swear to God, it would have resuscitated her. not in the minds of everybody but certainly in many many minds and again I you know I was listening god damn it I can't remember who it was but it was basically like it is really important to understand the way that Gaza was um Gaza allowed people to understand sort of where you stood morally right like and politically and whether they because here you have something you can see with your eyes you can hear with your ears you see the the endless feeds of these of children and families being, you know, killed under rubble, on and on and on, US weapons, on and on and on. And to have a politician not address people's rightful and and and you know honest like outrage at that and not be able to address it just like how how am I to believe that you're going to be make good on anything else you talk about on affordability on price gouging on [ __ ] anything when you can't just say the sky is blue up you know like gravity is real you know like we're seeing these things stop denying them right to our faces and so I think the credibility ility of denying the Gaza genocide and the and what it lost you and what it lost her, I think is far more impactful than people think. It's not just about foreign policy. It really is about morality. It really is about your your truthfulness.

[00:32:45]That is I mean crystal absolutely [ __ ] clear Francesca because I said this earlier today with Jared is that Gaza as so many have said is a mirror.

[00:33:01]>> It is showing us what we will tolerate.

[00:33:03]It is showing us who we are. It is showing us who we believe has the right to humanity to self-determination to bodily autonomy. Right? And when you allow for one people, right, to be decimated, to be slaughtered in this way, and then every time that a microphone is in front of your face, and you are asked about what everyone is seeing in this live stream genocide, and you then say like a robot, well, Israel has the right to defend itself. Well, Israel has the right. Shut the [ __ ] up.

[00:33:46]Because all I hear from that, all I hear from that consistent refrain is that no one else has the right to their humanity. No one else has the right to live free of oppression. No one else, right? Because of this presummit threat, >> right, that has been a threat for 40 some odd years. Because of this threat threat, we must starve. We must beat, we must exploit, we must extract, and we must expand in order to protect ourselves. And no one else >> has the right to that same protection.

[00:34:23]And so even as far as it goes for me, look, I want no one to have nuclear bombs. No one. No one should have a nuclear bomb, right?

[00:34:33]But here's the thing. If one country has it in the Middle East, why the [ __ ] can't everybody have it? Oh, well, we don't know their motives. We know exactly what the [ __ ] Israel's motives are. We've seen it for how many goddamn years, how many goddamn decades? And you're telling me that that is okay, >> right? Like, if you can justify that, then anything is justifiable.

[00:34:57]>> I think, you know, first of all, absolutely. And I I I you know, we're seeing hearts because you're always on point, Danielle, and I agree with it.

[00:35:06]Uh, and I also think that Democrats are only now, and I don't know how, and I don't know why, you know, you saw glimmers of it with Bernie's campaigns, of course, but Democrats are now realizing that they need to break with their kneejerk, pro-war, militarist, you know, uh, always support the troops, whatever, um, mantra that they've been running with for decades and decades despite the very clear evidence that it didn't work for them electorally. Why didn't it work for them electorally?

[00:35:42]Because Hillary Clinton should have been president in 2008 if it worked for them electorally. But she was not. It was Barack Obama specifically because he said, "We're getting out of Iraq. It's a bad war." and and he was first first speech he did one of the first things he did goes to Tehran goes to the university of of of American university in Tehran and gives a speech to the Iranian people my word what a new day that was and how far we are from that and again I'm not you know you know giving a pass on everything that Obama did that was truly momentous and so where are the Democrats to pick up on this mantle of living with the world, not over it, not controlling it.

[00:36:31]>> Where where is a vision of the United States when it comes to foreign policy that can actually live in harmony with people? And moreover than that, this moment in the straight of hormuz for me as someone who wants to see us kick our fossil fuel habit, who wants to, I don't know, live, who wants to see humanity, I don't know, survive. Uh shouldn't this be a moment to state loudly and clearly that we need to get off of fossil fuels and oil because oil and war are often somehow often and way too often linked with one another. Yes, maybe there's something sort of in here. And meanwhile meanwhile to say nothing of the fact that I've been reading about how much China is like okay well we're just going to be building our solar panel and like you know uh lithium battery capacity over here like again we have to have serious conversations and it doesn't have to just be like lithium it can be like whatever about renewables about wind about solar we this is the time where a a leading Democrat would say no more war and you You know what? Let let this planet live. The amount of CO2 that's being emitted right now because of the US military to say nothing of Pete Hex's joy rides is out of control.

[00:37:52]And we need to we need to think about the future of this planet and the future of the people of the world. Period.

[00:37:59]Where is that? Where is that? Where where is the leadership?

[00:38:03]>> But you know we the question you ask where is the leadership and my response is follow the money, right? Follow the money. Why did Janet Mills come out and be in favor of data centers? Follow the money. Look at her accounts. Who is funding her campaign? Right? Like those are that answers everyone's question.

[00:38:25]Right? Why is it that Democrats won't come out and say stop the genocide, follow the money? Where are they getting their money from? Why is Hakee Jeff now cheerleading for data centers? Where is he getting his money from? Look at look at the receipts. Is it coming from Meta?

[00:38:42]Is it coming from Palunteer? Is it coming from Anthropic? I mean the fact the fact of the matter is >> Oh, wait.

[00:38:50]>> Well, before you just just put it what you just said is very important because the links between the military and AI and data centers are very very clear.

[00:39:00]Most tech companies are now expanding into military technology. And so this fight is one and the same. Tech taking tech money is not taking tech money of the 90s. It's taking tech money of 2025 which is hellbent on a you know better >> surveillance >> surveillance and murdering civilians.

[00:39:18]That's pretty much what it is.

[00:39:20]>> Correct. And that's the and that is the thing is that for too long we said you know what we'll take their money. You know we'll take big oils money. You can do good green things with it. Call it greenwashing. Oh, we'll take some conservatives money. You know, we'll do good things with it. You call it pinkwashing when you're trying to advance LGBTQ equality, but they're voting in candidates that are anti-LGBT behind your back. Oh, we'll take these people money. It's okay. It's okay. No, it is not okay because now it is completely and totally out of control where you're right to go back to what you said about the presidency of Donald Trump and what party it would bring down. In my opinion, I think it's bringing down both parties. I think that it's bringing down American democracy. I think it's bringing down the lie of capitalism and the lie that we've been told about the middle class that all you need to do is work hard and keep your head down and, you know, follow the rules and everything will work out in your favor. And Americans are looking around and saying, "I did everything right. I checked every [ __ ] box and now I got to drive Uber, do a Door Dash, and like [ __ ] have a nine-to-five job and I still can't cover my rent or my mortgage. So, I think that what is being exposed right now, what is being exposed is the truth.

[00:40:43]>> Is the truth about who has been in control, about who is benefiting from it, and that one party has been tap dancing for the status quo and the other party has turned into an extremist cult.

[00:40:55]Yes, >> they're both terrible. They're both terrible in different ways. And so until the people realize that you can't vote blue no matter who, >> that you can't just like, oh, let me just vote for the Democrat because guess what? John Federman is a Democrat and so is uh and so is uh Nusa, right? Like there were all so Zor Mani is a democratic socialist. AOC, right? is it?

[00:41:23]So, you have to be nuanced and have a critique and have a have a rubric that you are using to decide what candidates you're going to actually back because you can no longer back a party. You got to back people in principle.

[00:41:39]>> Yes. 100. I mean, you know, not to digress too much, but I have been thinking about this a lot here in California where I am because we have a governor's race on and the primary is a jungle primary. We top two advanced to November. We do not have rank choice voting sadly and we desperately need it.

[00:42:00]Um, and there are a lot of Democrats in the race and there are two very very goofy Republicans. Um, one of whom is Steve Hilson, like a former Fox News contributor who is polling very well.

[00:42:12]And then the others, you know, you have Katie Border in there. You have Javier Bera, former HHS secretary, and you also have Tom Styer. And I've been listening very carefully to all of them. I want to just name that like there's nobody in this race that I am super excited about who I think is like, you know, going to be incredible and like, yes, I love every there's no Zoron Manni in this race.

[00:42:36]But there are a lot of hints as to who is going to be a status quo Democrat and who's actually going to lead. And I don't mean by leading because they've got good zingers on social media against Donald Trump. I mean lead one of the biggest economies in the world as in California into the real 21st century.

[00:42:59]lead with ideas that are transformative for the people here who are again increasingly being priced out of living here where people are struggling where we've got crazy billionaires running a muck and one of them honestly is a billionaire Tommy Styer and I people can go check out my some of my videos on Instagram I'm going to be doing more of them but Tom Styer is saying things other candidates are not and I'm literally like I' I'm not I'm not paid by him I don't I don't I really think he was super goofy in 2020. But Sire's talking about singlepayer healthcare that he's got to he's going to immediately begin working on implementing it. He thinks it's going to take three years immediately. Tom Sire in a way that like Javier Bera who's like people love Basera he's not saying [ __ ] about singlepayer healthcare at all. Another thing is Javier Bera gave Gavin Newsome an A minus on homelessness. An A minus.

[00:43:57]This is someone who wants Gavin Newsome's endorsement. Gavin Newsome.

[00:44:00]And then he proceeded to say it was good that Gavin Newsome personally went to go sweep homeless encampments with his bare hands. So this is what I'm saying when you have like you're, you know, you're thinking about Democrat on Democrat. And look, Tom Sy is a billionaire. This is a problem. Obviously, I don't think he should exist. I want to get him on my show and I'm going to be like, I don't think you should exist, my guy. Um and he's also a billionaire who's like we are immediately eliminating the tax break for uh corporate property holders in this state. We're immediately uh going to specifically on like again implementing singlepayer uh singlepayer healthcare but also talking about like um uh uh taxing fossil fuel companies.

[00:44:45]>> And and you know the last thing I'll just say on homelessness over here and this is again these are these are things that I look for. It's like, what's your language like? What do you sound like?

[00:44:54]Javier Bera is giving, you know, Gavin Newsome an a an A minus for sweeping homeless encampments, all this.

[00:45:01]Styer said something the other day that I was like, what? I haven't heard a Democrat say this kind of thing in a very long time where he was like, look, we need to build obviously we need, you know, we need but we need interim housing for unhoused people. We need interim housing. And he's like, and we need to do that immediately. And he says, "You don't need to be clean and you can keep your pet." And I was like, "What? You don't need to be clean and you can What? Why is he saying that?"

[00:45:28]Why? It's because so much interim housing and homelessness, you know, uh uh homelessness programs, antihomelessness programs stipulate that in order to get into any kind of interim housing, you must be clean. Well, it's hard to get clean. You need whole programs. It's almost like you need harm reduction programs, right?

[00:45:46]>> Yep. this state. Gavin Newsome vetoed harm reduction programs uh spec vetoed them straight up because he didn't want it to look bad when he runs for president where people can say, "Oh my god, Gavin, you gave out clean needles."

[00:45:59]And he, you know, he's scared of that.

[00:46:01]So he [ __ ] vetoed it. So saying that you don't have to be clean and you can keep your pet because people are like unhoused people have pets. It's ridiculous to say that you can't have your pet in your next interim house.

[00:46:12]What I'm trying to say is like there are ways that we talk about issues whether it's immigration, whether it's homelessness and and some Democrats have just like run-of-the-mill uh well I hate Trump and I and and Javier Bera was like look we need to we need to fight Trump and I'm going to fight Trump and it's like okay but what are you building?

[00:46:30]What are you for? And I need to hear Democrats say things like, for example, again, not to toot his horn too much, but Styer was saying, look, nine, one out of every nine people who become homeless don't have a mental illness when they become homeless or don't have an addiction. Homelessness be uh uh homelessness breeds mental health crisis. Homelessness breeds addiction. people are subject to all kinds of, you know, atrocities, uh, physical, mental, when they're on the streets. And so, let's talk about that.

[00:47:04]Like, I know, I don't mean to get too on a digression, and I know people probably think, "Oh, you love Tom." I don't. But, like, the we have this really interesting moment here in California where we're trying to sort of pick our next person and who's really going to lead from not from behind, but actually lead with new ideas. And I'm I'm a lot more wary than, you know, than in normal years where you're just like, I don't know, you know, get the Republican out.

[00:47:32]We can't do that. We actually have to think about and talk to people about their records and what they're going to be standing for. I I mean, I think that every single point that you made in terms of it is not enough to just tear down Donald Trump.

[00:47:48]You have to offer people something and you have to be innovative in what it is that you're offering. You actually have to go out and this is why I'm grateful to be in New York City right now, you know, living under Zor and Mom Donnie because you actually have to talk to people and not focus groups if you really want to understand and deliver on the programs that matter to the people, right? like you have to recognize who is at the source of the problems uh that the people your constituents are having, right? Zora Mamani looked and he said, "Yeah, it's the [ __ ] ultra rich. You have skyrocketed rent. You have, you know, uh like weward landlords. you have like the you you have the inability to actually grow and have a family in this city because everything is so goddamn expensive and so how can we give back to the people that are giving so much and rolls out plans and has hit a lot of his campaign promises in the first 100 days.

[00:48:52]Yeah. I mean this what we what we have is that we have been conditioned to believe that incrementation is the best that Democrats can do right >> or stopping a Republican like I'm sorry guys >> stopping a Republican that's it and that and because of that we don't dream bigger we don't demand more and so that's where I hear what you're what you're saying with regard to what's happening in California.

[00:49:21]>> Yeah. Yeah. and and everyone, you know, go go to my YouTube YouTube or uh Instagram, Franny Fo. I am going to be interviewing Styr. I'm going to ask him.

[00:49:29]Let me know what you think I should ask him. But look, um I do think California could go Republican. I don't think it will go this election, but I do think it could in the future. And I need a governor who's actually going to get to [ __ ] work making this country, excuse me, this state much more affordable and actually lead on things like climate change, lead on things like housing, lead on things like immigration. Tom Syra was making headlines the other day because he's like, I think we should prosecute ICE officials. It's not enough to just say no more ICE. We should be prosecuting them. And look, I think Basera is a he's a perfectly safe little shoein. Do I think he would lead this state into a place that would elect a Republican? Yes. I don't think Basera is coming with any bright ideas. And I would like to dig into a little bit more about his financing. Um and and again, Styer is a billionaire. I totally understand that. He's also a billionaire who walked away from his hedge fund. He didn't he like completely pivoted. He was like, "Uh, I don't like this." And then he invested in, you know, organizations like Next Generation, which works on climate stuff. He also invested in communityrun uh community banks that do uh loans to people who would otherwise never get a loan. That's something that he himself can't get a write off for. So a lot of people are like, "Oh, he just did that so he can get a tax write off." You don't get write offs when you just do microloans to people or like you know uh bank loans. So like there there I understand like for me when I first heard about Sar I was like are you [ __ ] kidding me? A [ __ ] billionaire. No. [ __ ] no. [ __ ] no. You look at the rest of the playing field and you look at the things they're saying and you're like actually I do remember Styer as being other than Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders the leftwardmost candidate in the 2020 presidential election. You guys got to remember that he's a little goofy but he was politically that's exactly where he was. So anyway, go I would urge everyone to go check out people's websites, look at them, compare and contrast. I did and I you know I gave my summary and I will give a little bit more but um you know uh it's it's it's kind of important what happens in California. I'm not as you know you know LA is a whole other thing where I'm at but like in California in the governor's race I feel like we do have uh some important choices ahead of us. Anyway, thank you for letting me get on that little >> No, I appreciate um this has been fantastic, Franchesca. I say every time that I have had the opportunity um to speak with you, I'm I'm I it is it is really a a joy um to have um to have you in conversation because I think >> likewise every time I speak with you, I want to vote for you and and also >> Oh, well, I'm not running for anything as I tell people. The only thing I run is my mouth. Um but please before we get out of here today, tell people how they can find you, how they can support you.

[00:52:18]As Waj says, shamelessly promote yourself.

[00:52:22]>> That's right. He does. Um, you can follow me everywhere at Franny Fio. F R A N I F I Oo. Um, that is Substack franf.substack.com.

[00:52:33]YouTube at Franny Fio. Instagram. My show is the Bituation Room. It's a podcast. We yesterday had a great show with Matt Dus who was a former Bernie Sanders um foreign policy adviser. Um, and we talked all about Iran. say Israel and Palestine with >> Oh my god, that must have been crazy. He told me about that.

[00:52:56]>> Yeah.

[00:52:58]>> 2015. Yeah.

[00:53:01]>> But with this was with who again? I forgot.

[00:53:03]>> Uh the when he was when he was the executive director of the Foundation for Middle East peace.

[00:53:11]Got it. Now, >> no, that's a really interesting tidbit because I feel like a lot of these organizations or foundations or groups, and I didn't ask him about that, you know, it's like at one point it was sort of there was an assumption, I think falsely, that Israel was operating in good faith. I think we know that's not the case anymore. I I think some people have always known that wasn't the case, but um >> you know the uh the sort of masks are off when it comes to the peace process.

[00:53:43]>> Um but I did ask him about what he thinks a new peace process and I didn't call it that, but what he thinks the US's role should be when it comes to actually repairing some of this harm that we have done in the region, you know.

[00:53:55]>> Um so that that's interesting. Uh and and and folks, yes, on you know, if he doesn't cancel on me, >> um because apparently he's traveling around the state in a in like a van, I will be interviewing um I'll be interviewing Tommy Styer this coming Monday, May 4th.

[00:54:16]>> Amazing.

[00:54:17]>> So, everyone, you know, stay tuned for that and uh let me know what questions you think I should ask him. Obviously, I'm going to I'm going to go pretty hard in the paint cuz you have to. Um, and uh, you know, yeah, it'll be good. But thank you so much, Danielle. Every I mean, every time I'm like I every time I get on with you, I'm a little bit like, wait, why is Waj been keeping us apart?

[00:54:41]>> You know, like you're like, wait, this is why >> I keep saying that we need like we need to do uh a show with um with you uh Waj, myself, and Jared H. Sexton because that's my other co-host is Jared and Jared and Waj go on all the time and I'm like the four of us should do a show together. I don't know why we have it.

[00:55:06]>> So we've got LA, DC, New York. Where's Jared?

[00:55:09]>> Jared's in the Midwest.

[00:55:11]>> Oh, we got all this.

[00:55:14]>> We We cover it. We cover a lot. We're missing the South, but we cover a lot.

[00:55:19]>> Yeah. Yeah. Um, all right, Francesca, folks, uh, you are watching this on both of our substacks. Please do become, uh, a subscriber, uh, for the Damn Digest. I keep all of my content free. I'm a terrible capitalist, but it is because I believe that critical thinking dies behind a payw wall. So, um, if you can become a paid subscriber, do uh, consider doing so. But if not, just subscribe, like, share. Um, it does a whole world uh for the algorithm and helps uh helps us all. So, Francesca, be well >> and let's do this again soon.

[00:55:58]>> Yes, absolutely.

[00:55:59]>> All right. Thanks all for watching and say goodbye, Pierre.

[00:56:04]>> Bye.