Podcast Summary

Podcast: Bulwark Takes
Episode: Tim Miller: People Will Be ASHAMED for Being Involved in This
Date: October 8, 2025
Host: The Bulwark team (mainly Tim Miller, “Timo,” Nicole, plus clips/mentions of Tom Nichols, Kevin Clancy, and others)

Episode Overview

This episode of Bulwark Takes tackles the escalating crisis surrounding the deployment of Texas National Guard troops to Chicago against the wishes of local officials, and the broader use of force and propaganda by the Trump administration in cities and against immigrants. Tim Miller (“Timo”), Nicole, and featured guests discuss the dangerous normalization of state violence, the cowardice of Congress, the importance of cultural resistance (including a notable segment on country singer Zach Bryan’s protest song), and whether Americans will eventually be ashamed for supporting or tolerating these actions. The tone is urgent, angry, and deeply concerned about the state of democracy, but also hopeful that cultural pushback can be a rallying point.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Escalation of Force: National Guard Deployed to Chicago

• [07:32 - 09:38]
  • “This actually very moment feels different... Texas National Guard troops have landed in Illinois, as Tom [Nichols] mentioned, and it's, they've landed there against the wishes of the Illinois governor.” — Timo
  • Tim Miller and Timo discuss how unprecedented this is since the Civil Rights era; the last time National Guards were deployed against a governor’s will was to enforce civil rights against segregationist states.
  • The action is depicted as a raw power grab, happening not in response to necessity but as a show of dominance by Trump and allies.

2. Weakness of Congress and the Enabling of Authoritarian Tactics

• [09:38 - 11:46]
  • “What's being revealed... is the weakness of everybody else. I don't think Trump looks strong. I think the Republican-led Congress looks completely flaccid and impotent and lame.” — Tim Miller
  • Republican members of Congress are called out for previously opposing federal overreach but now remaining silent. Timo brings up the firing of prosecutors as another example of unchecked power and lack of accountability.

3. Real-Life Consequences & Use of Fear

• [11:46 - 13:16]
  • The podcast airs newly obtained video footage showing masked, militarized police in Chicago detaining a woman on the streets, further illustrating the tactics being normalized.
  • Memorable exchange:
    • “You don't get to be in a mask. You have to tell us who you are... If you're representing the government, you don't get to do it in a mask or in secret.” — Timo [14:41]

4. Culture, Shame, and the Power of Artistic Protest

• [01:31 - 05:12], [15:35 - 17:33]
  • Nicole and Timo discuss the use (and misuse) of Zach Bryan's song “Revival” by the Department of Homeland Security as background for footage of immigrant detentions.
  • Nicole reads aloud lyrics from the song, emphasizing its themes of redemption and community—juxtaposed with its use as “soundtrack for chaining people and ripping them away.”
    • “Our government is using it as the soundtrack for chaining people and ripping them away from their community... They're using it to advance their agenda of submission and vengeance and retribution. I fucking hate it.” — Nicole [04:15]
  • Nicole and Timo both stress the history of American resistance to tyranny and how culture—especially music—has often been the rallying point for justice.
  • “This is about a flawed man who wants redemption... and through community can do better, could be reborn. That’s what the song is about.” — Nicole [04:15]
    • The anger about the co-optation of “Revival” leads to a broader discussion about cultural pushback.
  • Connection to Barstool Sports: Being opposed to masked police detentions (“If he's lost country music and he's lost Barstool...”) signals how out-of-step such tactics are with mainstream culture.

5. Grassroots Backlash and Hope for Change

• [13:16 - 15:35]
  • Despite elite accommodation, real everyday protest is happening. Community members in Chicago are confronting and documenting masked officials.
  • “That part hasn’t worked so far... There have been protests. There’ll be another round of No Kings protests... You see the community reaction in Chicago.” — Timo [13:39]
  • The podcast predicts that people will eventually be ashamed of their roles in these actions and that broad-based cultural opposition can still rally Americans.

6. Democratic Response and the Need for Backbone

• [16:12 - 17:33]
  • Timo criticizes Democrats for being afraid to engage the immigration issue head-on, arguing it is deeply unpopular and out of line with American values.
  • “I do think the Democrats need to get a stiff in their spine on this and talk about this issue. It’s really Notable that Zach Ryan... made a protest song about ICE... If he feels comfortable doing that... then Democrats should feel very comfortable talking about it, too.” — Timo [17:14]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “People are going to be so ashamed. People are going to be so ashamed of themselves.”
  — Nicole [02:55], on participation in the administration’s propaganda and violence.
• “You don't fix their souls. I don't know... but look, I don't. I think that there's something just—this is about power and trying to stamp out dissent.”
  — Timo [13:39], addressing the cruelty in celebrating state violence.
• “The only good news... is that people don't want to be on the side of the boot... in the American spirit, the American tradition... people have wanted to be the ones that are fighting against the Boot.”
  — Nicole [05:11]
• “If you think [masked raids are good], you're an absolute bat crazy person.”
  — Kevin Clancy (Barstool host), via Timo [16:30]
• “For [the administration] to try to take that and take a song that is about redemption and giving people a second chance and make it about, like, submission and chaining people and vengeance—it is gross. People don’t like it and they're going to respond negatively to it.”
  — Timo [17:29]

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:31 - 05:12] – Nicole and Timo break down the Zach Bryan “Revival” song controversy and its misuse.
• [07:32 - 09:38] – Discussion on the deployment of Texas National Guard in Illinois and historical implications.
• [11:46 - 13:16] – Reporter presents new video of masked officials detaining civilians in Chicago.
• [13:16 - 15:35] – Timo talks about protest and community pushback in Chicago, cultural legacy of resistance.
• [15:35 - 16:12] – Tim Miller links the importance of culture in any successful resistance movement.
• [16:12 - 17:33] – Timo, referencing country music and Barstool Sports, calls for Democrats to step up on the immigration issue.

Tone and Flow

The tone throughout is notably urgent, emotionally charged, and frank, with hosts and guests sometimes expressing anger and disgust over administration actions and propaganda, while also looking for strands of hope in grassroots and cultural backlash. The language is passionate, informal, and laced with expletives, mirroring the seriousness and frustration the speakers feel about the political crisis.

Useful for anyone seeking to understand:

• The current (2025) crisis over National Guard deployments and state/federal conflicts
• The role of culture and protest in challenging authoritarian tactics
• How mainstream American culture (country music, sports, etc.) factors into conversations about democracy and civil liberties
• The hosts’ perspective: deep anger and alarm at present events, but also a belief in the power of cultural resistance