Tim Miller: People Don't Like This Insanity

Summary

Bulwark Takes Podcast Summary

Episode: Tim Miller: People Don't Like This Insanity
Date: January 12, 2026
Host: The Bulwark Team (including Mark Lamont Hill, Tim Miller)
Theme: The public's reaction to recent government and law enforcement actions, specifically in response to the killing of Renee Goode, and its political repercussions.

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Main Theme & Purpose

This episode centers on the fallout from the widely publicized killing of Renee Goode by federal agents. The hosts dissect the country’s response to the incident, the calculated politics of the administration, and the broader implications for the November elections. The episode explores the divide between the government’s increasingly aggressive actions and the mainstream public’s discomfort and outrage, suggesting that the moment could be a political tipping point.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Power of Public Response and Protest

• Mark Lamont Hill opens with a reflection on conversations with Nicole Wallace about “who is acting and not acting” in response to recent events.
• He highlights the importance of everyday people getting involved, and not just career activists.
• Quote (Mark Lamont Hill, 01:37):

  "People do not want this insanity. Regular people don't, okay? FOX drones do. Fucking people at the MAGA rallies. People that just hate. Lesbians do. Right? ... But eventually there comes a breaking point."

• The emotional toll of the past week’s “insanity” is noted as traumatizing and a catalyst for action.

2. The Killing of Renee Goode and the Country’s Mood

• Powerful imagery from the shooting is resonating with people beyond the usual activist circles.
• Hill notes anecdotal evidence, sharing how regular, non-political parents were upset and talking about it at a kids’ basketball tryout.
  • Quote (Mark Lamont Hill, 04:18):

    "This is not people that are the protesting type. ... They're just saying to me, look, this is crazy. This is wrong."

• The hosts emphasize that most Americans are disturbed by images of “masked thugs in fatigues” menacing innocent women, describing the public outcry as crossing political divides.

3. The Administration’s Miscalculated Response

• Discussion on ICE releasing video evidence they perceived as exculpatory, but which actually horrified many viewers.
• Quote (Tim Miller, 05:55):

  "Chris Hayes said to me…it's sort of amazing and newsworthy in and of itself that they viewed it as exculpatory to release the video."

• The hosts argue that the administration and their allies are insulated by their own echo chambers, unable to understand the broader American reaction.
• Quote (Mark Lamont Hill, 06:32):

  "It creates an insight into their worldview that they thought that video would be...exculpatory. ... They are in this bubble where they think, as Donald Trump said yesterday on the plane, that anybody who disturbs the police...deserves what's coming to them.”

4. Political Implications and Opportunities

• The hosts agree that the administration’s harsh, militarized tactics are broadly unpopular—even among some Trump supporters.
• Quote (Mark Lamont Hill, 04:48):

  “They might have been for a closed border...but they're not for masked thugs harassing women who are nonviolent and non-threatening in the street. And certainly they're not for executing women…”

• Tim Miller points to the upcoming elections: The far-right’s policies may provoke more opposition than support, giving Democrats a potential opening.
• Quote (Tim Miller, 08:24):

  “Their policies related to immigration are extremely unpopular... What they're doing, menacing people in the streets...is not popular broadly. And I think that it's a political opportunity for Democrats to...push back and win elections in November.”

• The conversation expresses both cautious optimism and vigilance, noting that political victories are not guaranteed, and the administration is likely to continue attempts to manipulate or undermine the process.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On public exhaustion and action:

  "The insanity and the craziness of the last week is really traumatizing and a lot of people are down... But there's a hint of truth in [Rahm Emanuel’s ‘Every crisis is an opportunity’]... By continuing to be out in the streets...you make sure people are awake to the fact that, like, they just killed a woman in the street in broad daylight and lied about it..."
  — Mark Lamont Hill (01:45)

• On the misjudgment of ICE and right-wing media:

  "It's sort of amazing...that they viewed it as exculpatory to release the video."
  — Tim Miller (05:55)

• On polarization and the hope for political consequence:

  "If they just focused on the border and shutting down the border, that would be a bad issue for Democrats. But right now...this is not popular broadly. And I think that it's a political opportunity for Democrats..."
  — Tim Miller (08:24)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:06 – 03:09: Mark Lamont Hill on public response, disagreement with Mark Elias, and the need to keep up pressure
• 03:33 – 04:58: Tim Miller and Mark Lamont Hill on the impact of imagery and everyday outrage over the Goode killing
• 05:55 – 06:32: Release of the video and administration's bubble, discussion of ICE’s mindset
• 08:03 – 08:53: Political implications, unpopularity of current administration policies, and Democratic opportunities

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Tone and Style

The episode is candid, emotional, and urgent, blending frustration at government cruelty with a cautious sense of opportunity for political change. The language is unfiltered, with moments of passionate cursing and dark humor balanced by substantive political analysis.

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Summary

This episode frames the killing of Renee Goode as a potential inflection point, arguing that the administration’s extreme actions have alienated much of the public—even stretching across partisan lines. The hosts see a political opportunity emerging from this widespread disgust, urging listeners to stay active, vigilant, and vocal as election season looms.

Transcript

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[Mark Lamont Hill]

Got off with Nicole Wallace, and one thing I like about talking to my friend Nicole is that she does try to focus on who is acting in response to this administration. Right. And not ignore the people that are out there in the streets volunteering, right. And not ignore who's not acting. She was focused on, in this moment, the people that didn't talk at the Golden Globes last night. Nobody talked to the Golden Globes. You know, I think that she's a good antenna for that and for the value of the positive and negative reinforcement of getting people to act and getting people off their asses. And so we had a great convo about that, about people in the streets responding to ice. Had a little bit of a friendly disagreement with Mark Elias about how optimistic to be about that. I think he's rightfully concerned about the midterm elections and chicanery related to that. And my main takeaway from all this is the insanity and the craziness of the last week is really traumatizing and a lot of people are down because of it. I've heard about it in my life. What's the old Rahm Emanuel line? Every crisis is an opportunity. I always kind of hated that line because it felt so, I don't know, Machiavellian and all this, but there's a hint of truth in it, right? Which is that people do not want this insanity. Regular people don't, okay? FOX drones do. Fucking. People at the MAGA rallies. People that just hate. Lesbians do. Right? Like, there's some people in this country that we get. A big fucking country, okay? There's gonna be some people that like all this, but. But eventually there comes a breaking point. And I don't think that this was it. I don't think the killing of Renee Goode was it. But I think that by continuing to bang the drum, by continuing to be out in the streets, by continuing to talk passionately about this, to talk to your friends, to share clips with them, to make sure people are awake to the fact that, like, they just killed a woman in the street in broad daylight and lied about it, and now they're continuing their campaign of terror.

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[Mark Lamont Hill]

Can have an effect and it's worthwhile to keep pressing forward on that. So if that makes me an optimist, I don't think anybody watches this page, thinks I'm that much of an optimist. But if that makes me an optimist, I'll say guilty as charged. So stick around. Me, Nicole, Mark Elias and Ruth Bankout was on with us as well. I don't know if we'll be playing any of her bits, but she's always great and appreciate you all. Subscribe to the feed here and we'll be talking to you soon.

[Tim Miller]

Tim Miller, you've been an unbelievable voice against the gaslighting, and I just want to hear where your thoughts are this morning. This afternoon.

[Mark Lamont Hill]

Yeah, well, look, those are powerful images. And I do want to say I think it's good and important that there are folks out there protesting. There are a lot of folks who have been doing this for a while, whether they be through indivisible or activist groups or, you know, people who are kind of lifelong comfortable with protesters, comfortable protesters. And that's needed and appreciated. I think what's significant about this moment is that those images from what happened to Renee Goode resonate, I think, beyond that, with a lot of people who were activated by this and who wanted to come out and speak about it. I can just say anecdotally from, you know, I was at the basketball court for some tryouts yesterday for some kids. And, like, this is what the dads are on the court wanted to talk about. And this is not people that are the protesting type. And they're just saying to me, look, this is crazy. This is wrong. And I think that people in this country do not want to see masked Thugs in fatigues menacing 37 year old women in their car with, with, with stuffed animals in the, in the passenger seat with a dog in the back. They don't want to see people chasing down doordash drivers and pushing. I saw a video earlier today of a woman outside in a, in a gas station who got pushed down to the ground because they were chasing after some other person. Like this is not America. People do not want it. And the administration trying to justify and rationalize that it was necessary to shoot this woman three times in the head in broad daylight when we all have seen the video now we've all seen how pleasantly she greeted him 20 seconds before he executed her. Regular people are not for it and they're not buying it. And so I think folks that are brainwashed and folks that are fully in MAGA and folks that are partisans are gonna buy. It's not 100% of the country, but there's a big portion in the big middle of the country that this is not what they're for. And they might have been for a closed border, they might even have been for Trump, but they're not for masked thugs harassing women who are nonviolent and non threatening in the street. And certainly they're not for executing women who are nonviolent, non threatening in the street.

[Tim Miller]

Tim, I don't think he'd mind that I said this, but Chris Hayes said to me on Friday it's sort of amazing and newsworthy in and of itself that they viewed it as exculpatory to release the video. When I think others have made the point that the agent is filming depending on whether he's right handed or left handed, he's filming with his right hand and shooting her with his left. I mean, what sort of window do you see into? Like to me it seems like ICE has transferred onto itself the Supreme Court's immunity ruling. I mean they're all functioning as though there will be no consequences.

[Mark Lamont Hill]

Yeah, I thought it was extremely telling that they released it because it meant that at least someone within that world, they sent it to a center right outlet or right wing mag outlet, I don't know much about it, a local outlet in Minnesota. But so someone, it was on his phone and so either the shooter sent it to this reporter or someone else or he sent it to someone else with an ICE and CBB and they did. So it was the, either the shooter himself or the regime, the Trump regime sent this to the reporter thinking it would make them look good. And I totally agree with Chris on this. I think it shows, it creates an insight into their worldview that they thought that video would be. Maybe they didn't think it would be exculpatory. I guess maybe they thought that, you know, by putting this out, it would, it rationalizes their actions because they are in this bubble where they think, as Donald Trump said yesterday on the plane, that anybody who disturbs the police or anybody that objects to them or speaks out deserves what's coming to them. And if that is their worldview, that is extremely scary. On the one hand, right, that they could look at that video and think this woman deserved to be shot in the head three times. But I do think it also, the political, the positive political side is that it shows them deeply out of touch with where the country is. If they looked at that video and thought, yeah, we want to put this out, this video that shows him, her greeting him and then him shooting her three times and then either him or one of the other agents close to him cussing her out after they killed her.

[Tim Miller]

Right. With the word. I promise my executive producer I won't say again, but the first one starts with F and the second one starts with B. The first one ends in ing. Tim, before anyone slanders you by calling you optimistic, I want to give you a chance to describe. I think you've been really clear eyed about the moment. And so I just want to give you a chance to contextualize what we're talking about.

[Mark Lamont Hill]

I actually love it. I love being on with Mark. I love when someone says they're more pessimistic than me. It's like when your spouse gets really mad about something that's annoying you and then it calms you down. All of a sudden you get kind of calm, say, look, yeah, I don't want to be overly sanguine. This doesn't mean that we can't fight, that we shouldn't fight it, or that nothing is inevitable in this world. And look, Mark's out there doing the work on the election stuff. And I think that there's a lot to be concerned about and a lot that we need to be vigilant about with regarding the midterm election. The point is, I think the point I'm trying to make is that their policies related to immigration are extremely unpopular. And, you know, if they just focused on the border and shutting down the border, that would be a bad issue for Democrats. But right now, what they're doing, menacing people in the streets, menacing citizens, menacing women and children, throwing them to the ground, shooting them and killing them. Wearing masks, dressed like they're invading Fallujah. This is not popular broadly. And I think that it's a political opportunity for Democrats to. To go on offense on this, to make them own the most extreme parts of their, of their movement, of their ideology, and to use it to try to push back and win elections in November. And they're going to do their best to try to cheat. They tried to do that on redistricting. They failed. So we'll see how it goes over the next few months. But I think that's kind of the point that I'm trying to make, is I do think it presents a political opportunity. It's not a political victory by any means, and there's a lot of ugliness ahead of us between here and there.