Why the Democrats Fail in the Art of War

Summary

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Free Thinking Through the Fourth Turning with Sasha Stone

Episode: Why the Democrats Fail in the Art of War
Date: January 28, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Sasha Stone delves into why Democrats continually falter in America's ever-deepening virtual civil war, examining their failures through the lens of Sun Tzu's The Art of War. Stone, a self-described former Democrat and leftist, argues that Democrats don't understand themselves or their opponents, resulting in a cycle of strategic blunders, viral outrage, and delusion. The episode explores media bias, manufactured narratives, and the inability of the political left to offer compelling alternatives or honestly assess reality—a contrast, Stone claims, to Donald Trump and his supporters' clear sense of self and enemy.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Fundamental Failure: Not Knowing the Enemy or Themselves

• Stone opens by quoting Sun Tzu, highlighting that victory depends on knowing both oneself and the enemy ([00:00]).

• She frames Trump's political resilience as deriving from his self-knowledge and understanding of the adversary.

  "Because Donald Trump understands this fundamental rule of the art of war, he reached a compromise in Minneapolis...he knows himself and he knows the enemy..."
  — Sasha Stone ([00:56])

• In contrast, Democrats are depicted as intoxicated by short-term victories and media narratives, failing to prepare for leadership after "catching the car" ([02:20]).

2. The “Resistance Theater” and Manufactured Outrage

• Stone claims much of the left's political theater is orchestrated for legacy media and social media virality.

  "The chaos in Minneapolis was designed for the legacy media. It was resistance theater..."
  — Sasha Stone ([10:40])

• She unpacks how left-wing networks allegedly train activists to provoke confrontations with ICE for viral moments ([10:40], [11:34]).

• The discussion includes references to “Signal Gate”—organized activism using encrypted apps, allegedly funded by figures like Neville Roy Singham ([12:22]).

3. Immigration, Policy, and Party Hypocrisy

• The episode features a montage of Democrats' historic tough talk on immigration and border security, juxtaposed with current left-wing positions ([03:50]–[08:54]).

  "I will present to you, we will try to do more to speed the deportation of illegal aliens who are arrested for crimes."
  — Stu quoting Joe Biden ([04:15])

• Stone accuses the left of abandoning self-awareness, failing to answer what (or whom) they are actually “liberating” and for what end.

4. Media Bias and Narrative Control

• Stone laments the dominance of a monolithic left-leaning media, which shapes public perception with selective outrage and misleading headlines ([16:57]).

  "The media has lost its mind...completely tank Trump and all Republicans on this. And it's working."
  — Sasha Stone ([16:59])

• She shares a personal anecdote about her mom being swayed by mainstream news ([17:30]), underscoring the ubiquity of media influence:

  "This is like the manipulation of people, even people who should know better is ubiquitous."
  — Sasha Stone ([17:53])

• She decries the reduction of complex reality to trigger words ("fascist", "racist", "dictator", etc.), stating the left is lost in confirmation bias ([18:11]).

5. Manufactured Victimhood and The Left's Disconnect

• Stone highlights the proliferation of “lawn sign politics” and virtue signaling as a marker of how out of touch the affluent left is with ordinary citizens ([33:01]).
• She asserts that the Democrats have become the “boy who cried wolf,” exhausting public sympathy and credibility.

6. Trump’s Strengths Versus Dem Weaknesses

• Stone lauds Trump's refusal to fit the caricature his opponents desire ("dictator"), suggesting his refusal to escalate violence wins him points for self-control ([08:54]).
• Quotes Trump from 2009 on the importance of self-confidence and going against the tide ([09:42]).

7. Personal Transformation and Red-Pilling

• Stone shares her own journey away from left-wing orthodoxy, paralleling it with statements from VC Chamath Palihapitiya about discovering media lies around Trump and experiencing a "red pill" moment ([31:05]).

  "I had a perception of Donald Trump...some of those fundamental things that I was told about him were just totally false...that, I mean, red pilled me, I guess."
  — Chamath Palihapitiya ([32:11])

• She stresses the high personal cost of questioning tribal orthodoxy.

8. Memorable Quotes and Segment Highlights

• On media and narrative:

  "We concocted a false World War II fantasy where we were the resistance. And once we started that big lie, we were doomed..."
  — Sasha Stone ([30:08])

• On the left’s ultimate failure:

  "No matter the smoke and mirrors, the chaos, the viral videos, the mass hysteria, they can't do the one thing they would need to do to win this war: offer the people something better."
  — Sasha Stone ([24:49])

• On the fundamental delusion:

  "They've been fighting a villain they created, but who never existed."
  — Sasha Stone ([27:30])

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Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles…Sun Tzu, the Art of War” — Sasha Stone ([00:00])
• “The mob terrorizes citizens and law enforcement, and the media calls it mostly peaceful protests. I was on the left. I know that no one was allowed to talk about the violence lest they'd be called a racist.” — Sasha Stone ([15:34])
• “The only reason they've gotten this far with their madness is that Trump isn't a fascist or a dictator, because if he wanted to...he could crush all of these folks like bugs.” — Sasha Stone ([24:49])
• “If the left can't grasp that it's their collective problem...it will harm them if they can't comprehend why regular Americans see lawlessness and extremism and prefer something different.” — Kimberly Ross (quoted by Sasha Stone) ([33:01])
• “I can't believe I'm being lied to by this group of people whose sole responsibility is to hold truth to power. The key word there is truth to power, not your perception or your desires...” — Chamath Palihapitiya ([32:11])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:00–03:30: Sun Tzu, Trump’s self-understanding, and Democratic self-delusion
• 03:50–08:54: Democratic history on border policy; contrast with current positions
• 10:40–12:19: Minneapolis chaos as media theater; rise of organized left-wing protest
• 16:48–18:11: Media’s anti-Trump campaign and domination of narrative
• 24:49–27:30: Democrats' failure to offer positive alternatives and the “boy who cried wolf” principle
• 30:08–33:01: Stone’s personal awakening and reflection on media manipulation
• 31:05–33:01: Chamath Palihapitiya's "red pill" experience
• 33:01–35:00: Illustrations of progressive virtue signaling; cultural disconnect

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Memorable Moments

• Stone compares the left’s delusion to “walking around in a constant state of confusion”—even when knowing the truth privately, they feel forced to publicize falsehoods ([15:34]).
• Extended analogy comparing left-wing activists to Timothy Treadwell in “Grizzly Man” – the naïveté of provoking a more dangerous adversary ([26:51]).
• Light-hearted but biting exchanges about Gavin Newsom and the “Sparkle Beach Ken” moniker reflect the episode’s sardonic tone ([20:23]–[22:06]).
• Concludes with a reference to “Come Sail Away,” symbolizing her departure from the leftist tribe and journey to self-awarenes ([37:19]).

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Overall Tone

Stone’s narration is both confessional and critical, blending personal anecdote with cultural commentary. She adopts a tone of exasperation with her former political allies, often mocking or exposing hypocrisies on the left, while depicting Trump and his followers as misunderstood or unfairly maligned by mainstream culture. Stu provides data and counterpoints, grounding the conversation with statistics and mainstream Democratic statements. The episode maintains a brisk, polemical style rooted in personal experience and media critique.

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For listeners curious about contemporary culture wars and political strategy, this episode offers a pointed, insider perspective on the left’s weaknesses and the dangers of self-delusion—framed through the enduring wisdom of The Art of War.

Transcript

[Sacha Stone]

Hi, this is Free Thinking through the fourth Turning. My name is Sacha Stone. Why the Democrats Fail in the Art of War Our Virtual Civil War, Part 4. If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained, you will also suffer a defeat. And if you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. Sun Tzu, the Art of War Because Donald Trump understands this fundamental rule of the art of war, he reached a compromise in Minneapolis. It was an easy shift for him because he knows himself and he knows the enemy, All in hopes of producing viral content for the churn to keep the hearts and minds of their voters activated and mobilized ahead of the midterms. They wanted him to show up as the dictator, to crack down on protests like the United States had suddenly become Iran. But Trump is too smart for that. He knows once he becomes the version of him they invented, the war is over. He also knows they will ignore the important news of his presidency. The economy is strengthening, crime is declining, and Trump continues to make big moves on the global stage. By contrast, the left is losing, but thinks they're winning because they don't know themselves. If they did, they would understand that the clever game they're playing only takes them so far. Creating chaos throughout 2020 meant they scared Americans into voting Trump out and putting the Obama coalition back in power. But they were the dog that caught the car. They had no idea what to do once Joe Biden took office. But it was worse than that. Biden failed in his first major move as president, with the botched exit from Afghanistan that left 13 soldiers dead and sparked two wars. As world leaders laughed in our faces at the man in the White House, and as Biden's numbers began to fall and America woke up from the haze of fear from 2020, they wondered why they ever voted out the guy with the strong economy to begin with, and why they were now stuck with a whole new set of rules we were all meant to follow. In truth, Biden was the face of normalcy for the fanatical cult that has now consumed the Democratic Party. They are the socialist socialites who are both the ruling class and the oppressor oppressed fundamentalists who have no place for America's silent majority anymore. When the story of this moment is told by their ever reliable, unreliable narrators, they will cast themselves as the underground railroad to free the slaves or the Kindertransport to save Jewish children from the Nazis. So we have to Ask them and make them answer. Who is it they're liberating now? What are they fighting for? Mass migration. Open borders. True, they want to keep the 10 to 20 million who crossed over under Biden and will vote blue no matter who. But what is the end game here? Do they even know? He's been criticized for being the deporter in chief.

[Stu]

And now a new report reveals that.

[Sacha Stone]

More than 2 million immigrants were deported.

[Stu]

Under President Obama's administration. According to the Department Of Homeland Security.

[Sacha Stone]

438,421 deportations were carried out by the.

[Stu]

Obama administration in 2013. About 198,000 of those were migrants with criminal records.

[Sacha Stone]

But some 240,000 had no criminal records in the budget.

[Stu]

I will present to you. We will try to do more to speed the deportation of illegal aliens who are arrested for crimes.

[Sacha Stone]

Senator Biden, yes or no? Would you allow the cities to ignore the federal law? No, I think we got to have tough conditions. Tell people to come out of the shadows. If they've committed a crime, deport them, no questions asked.

[Stu]

Undocumented workers broke our immigration laws, and I believe that they must be held accountable, especially those who may be dangerous. As to illegal aliens, we agree with.

[Sacha Stone]

You that we do not think the comprehensive health care benefits should be extended to those who are undocumented workers and illegal aliens. We do not want to do anything to encourage more illegal immigration into this country. We know now that too many people come in for medical care as it is. We certainly don't want them having the same benefits that American citizens are entitled to have.

[Stu]

Real reform means stronger border security, and we can build on the progress my administration has already made, putting more boots on the southern border than at any time in our history and reducing illegal crossings to their lowest levels in 40 years. All Americans, not only in the states most heavily affected, but in every place in this country, are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country. The jobs they hold might otherwise be held by citizens or legal immigrants. The public service they use impose burdens on our taxpayers. That's why our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders more. By hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before, by cracking down on illegal hiring, by barring welfare benefits to illegal aliens. In the budget I will present to you, we will try to do more to speed the deportation of illegal aliens who are arrested for crimes. It is wrong and ultimately self defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of Our immigration laws we have seen in recent years, and we must do more to stop it. Look, you've broken the law. You didn't come here the way you were supposed to. So this is not going to be a free ride. What's going to happen is you are going to learn English, You are going to go to the back of the line so that you don't get ahead of somebody who was in Mexico City applying legally. I think the American people, they appreciate and believe in immigration, but they can't have a situation where you just have half a million people pouring over the border without any kind of mechanism to control it. Part of the problem is you have to have a federal government that can enforce laws. This administration has been fundamentally derelict in not funding any of the requirements that are needed even to enforce the existing law.

[Sacha Stone]

So, Senator Biden, yes or no, Would you allow the cities to ignore the federal law?

[Stu]

No. This administration, the Bush administration, has done nothing to control the problem that we have. We've had 5 million undocumented workers come over the borders since George Bush took office. It has become an extraordinary problem. And the reason the American people are concerned is because they are seeing their own economic position slip away. And oftentimes, employers are exploiting these undocumented workers. They're not paying the minimum wage. They're not observing worker safety laws. And so what we have to do is create a comprehensive solution to the problem. Now, I have already stated that as president, I will make sure that we finally have the kind of border security that we need. That's step number one. Step number two is to take on employers. Right now, an employer has more of a chance of getting hit by lightning than be prosecuted for hiring an undocumented worker. That has to change. They have to be held accountable. And when we do those things, when we do those things, I believe that we can take the undocumented workers, the illegal aliens who are here, get them out of the shadows, make sure that they are subject to a stiff penalty, make sure that they're learning English, make sure that they go to the back of the line so they're not getting an advantage over people who came here legally. And when we do that, I think that we can, instead of shedding all this heat, start shedding some light on the problem, and we can once again be a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants. That's what I intend to do as President of the United States. All right.

[Sacha Stone]

Trump's greatest blessing, and his tragic flaw, is that he cannot lose. That's what makes him A great leader, whether he's leading a family, a business or a country, he wants to win. And when you're standing behind him, you get to be a winner, too. And some in his base want him to step on the gas, to crack down on protesters and not back off from Minneapolis. But as with so many hard calls Trump has had to make in his second term, he has to somehow find his way through the storm as a guy who in the end, trusts only himself because he knows himself. If he became the dictator now just to please those in his base, he'd be eaten alive by the empire. Here is a video of Trump from 2009.

[Stu]

Going against the tide is great, if it works. Now, it doesn't always work. And you really have to be smart to go against the tide, because you're going against a lot of smart people. But when you get it right, you'll end up better, whether it's Microsoft or Google. I mean, so many people that have worked, really hit big have gone against the tide. But you have to have great confidence in yourself. You have to be the right person. There are very few people that can pull it off, but when you pull it off, it's great. Same thing in real estate. You go against the tide. People are selling, you're buying. The tide changes. And by the way, in real estate, this is a great time to start thinking about going against the tide. We're on this planet for a very, very small period of time and, and achievement is something that really gives you great pleasure. And when you achieve something, that's great. But now onto the next very important, you keep going.

[Sacha Stone]

They don't understand themselves. The chaos in Minneapolis was designed for the legacy media. It was resistance theater that played well on the nightly news and on social media. The objective, as we now know from the signal chats and the ongoing soldier training for activists was to push ICE agents into acting out to capture those viral moments to paint a picture in the minds of social media users. ICE are violent thugs, they will conclude. Here are some videos about Signal Chat.

[Stu]

Now take a look at this op ed quote. The far left network that helped put Alex Preddy in harm's way, then made him a martyr. Azra Nomani wrote that and she joins me now. Azra, who is in this far left network and who funds them?

[Sacha Stone]

Yes, Stu, just like you just heard from the streets of Minneapolis, there is a far left network that is escalating its activities against the federal government. And in this network are self described socialist Marxist Leninists, terms that we might not have thought we would hear today, but they are indeed on the streets. They have guides on how to track, monitor and harass these federal agents. They have got guides on how to avoid detection and how to basically keep this strike against the US in the, quote, belly of the beast to destroy the empire, as they call the United States.

[Stu]

So who funds this network?

[Sacha Stone]

So what's really important to know is that right after the killing, there was an escalation of their activity where they put protesters out on the streets. Who were these groups? They were people like the People's Forum, the party for socialism and liberation. And they put their word out through a propaganda network called Breakthrough News. It's all those organizations are funded by an American born billionaire living in Shanghai named Neville Roy Singham. He's already under investigation by congressional leaders for alleged intervention and interference in the US domestic politics. It's really serious business that's happening right now.

[Stu]

You think that Tim Waltz's and obviously Mayor Fry's willingness to all of a sudden talk to Trump and Trump officials. Do you think it has anything to do with your reporting on this? Because, I mean, it might seem connected. I hope so. I did notice a very odd and weird shakeup as soon as Signal Gate came out. I started seeing reporting all over X that all of a sudden Tim Walls had a very productive phone call with Donald Trump and that there was going to be meetings with Democrat officials who have previously cussed the administration out and they were willing to cooperate now. So I find that pretty interesting. And it's also kind of a tell because if that is the reason, why are they suddenly so cooperative? What are they hiding? Here is a map of all the states that ICE is deporting people from. And at what rate? About a dozen or so states are deporting at higher rates than Minnesota. And yet federal law enforcement hasn't had to shoot any agitators in those 49 other states. Also, did you know this weekend protests had an estimated 10,000 people show up in buses dropping people off all day long? And you don't think this was like organized by somebody bigger than just a bunch of random hippies? And the guy who was shot was part of this organization? And here are the receipts. Alex Preddy was part of a well organized. And we know this thanks to Cam Higbee, a well organized chat on Signal. And how do we know that? Because my man Cam was gonna be on in just a sec. No relation to me, by the way. He infiltrated it. And not only was this guy in that group chat, he was part of the, quote, quick response team. So he wasn't some innocent bystander. He was part of an organized mob to obstruct and harass ice. Oh, Carl, you make it seem like they're some sort of trained group. Yep, they are.

[Sacha Stone]

If you see enough video of ICE agents pushing women to the ground and detaining children, well, what is a normal person to think? How could the polls not result in the left's favor? What you don't see is everything that led up to it. You don't see how many times ICE agents are assaulted, obstructed, body slammed, screamed at, spat on, with whistles blaring in their ears, stalked, harassed, and doxed. Here is some of that video.

[Stu]

Get back.

[Sacha Stone]

But on the left, they don't see that side of the story, just like they didn't see that side of the story in 2020. The mob terrorizes citizens and law enforcement, and the media calls it mostly peaceful protests. I was on the left. I know that no one was allowed to talk about the violence lest they'd be called a racist. But not being able to say the truth, let alone know the truth, meant we were all walking around in a constant state of confusion. We all knew that Derek Chauvin did not murder George Floyd. We knew that Trump wasn't bragging about sexual assault on the Access Hollywood tape, but we had to say he did. We knew that many of the MeToo cases were either made up or greatly exaggerated, but we would be punished if we questioned any of it. Each side gets its own version of events, but these were never two equal sides. The left still has most of the media power, says Megyn Kelly. Again, I'm tongue in cheek, but I'm also genuinely trying to think of ways to respond to this other than just.

[Stu]

Amping up law enforcement, because the downside.

[Sacha Stone]

Of amping up the law enforcement or actually invoking the Insurrection act, which many are saying it's time to do, is.

[Stu]

President Trump is going down in the.

[Sacha Stone]

Polls day by day as a result of all of this. The media has lost its mind. It's even more biased and disgusting than normal, and it's doing its level best to completely tank Trump and all Republicans on this. And it's working. It's working. The polls keep showing eroding, like rapidly eroding support for President Trump's immigration efforts, which are completely noble and well intended and the right policy, but losing support.

[Stu]

Because of the media, because of David.

[Sacha Stone]

Muir and others like him.

[Stu]

I was talking to my mom.

[Sacha Stone]

My mom somehow fell over into watching ABC Evening news.

[Stu]

She started to sound like a leftist. I said, mom, what the hell? What are you doing? So I've been, I've been out during the day, so I've just been popping.

[Sacha Stone]

On David Muir at night.

[Stu]

Said, mom, I insist that you stop that.

[Sacha Stone]

I insist.

[Stu]

She's oh, yeah, you know, if I just want like a half an hour.

[Sacha Stone]

Update, like, no, now she's watching Special.

[Stu]

Report if she needs to watch news.

[Sacha Stone]

In the six o' clock hour.

[Stu]

And she's getting back on track.

[Sacha Stone]

But this is like the manipulation of people, even people who should know better is ubiquitous. It's ubiquitous. It's abc, it's NBC, it's cbs, it's cnn, it's msnbc, it's the New York Times, it's the Washington Post, it's the.

[Stu]

Chicago Tribune, it's the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

[Sacha Stone]

It's everywhere. It's everywhere. But they have become too comfortable with the confirmation bias and their ability to control the narrative that they no longer even know what is true. Important words have lost all. Fascist, racist, dictator, resistance, democracy, racist, rapist, pedophile, man, woman, boy, girl. Abortion is health care. Trans women are women. Every time someone blurts out regime or occupation, insurrectionist, election, denier, anti vaxxer, anti masker, we are conditioned to snap to attention. Once those words are gone and the news speak implemented, it's easy to lie in headlines for the same reason. An image is even more powerful than words. Podcast listeners, a montage of headlines. ICE detains five year old boy. J.D. vance's response to ICE detaining a five year old child was especially bad. Immigration agents detained five year old boy in Minnesota, prompting outrage. Five year old detained by ICE in Columbia Heights. Family came into us the right way. ICE detains four children from Minnesota School District. Five year old asylum seeker detained as ICE expands. ICE detains five year old and father in Minnesota. Lawyer says five year old taken into custody by ICE has active immigration case preventing deportation. A preschooler was taken away by ice, but officials say they had no choice. Those lies meant we could not know ourselves or the enemy. We were led around by hyperbole, caught up in a dreamscape where nothing is entirely real. That meant comedians, Hollywood and politicians couldn't really read the room. But they had to mirror that delusion lest they get booted out of utopia too. Recently, Scott Besant gifted Gavin Newsom with a nickname that will stick. Sparkle Beach Ken. It's funny because it's true.

[Stu]

Governor calls you smug. Are you smug? Yeah, you know, I think it's very, very ironic. That you know, Governor Newsom, who strikes me as Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle beach kin, may be the only Californian who knows less about economics than Kamala Harris. He's here this week with his billionaire sugar daddy, Alex Soros. And the Davos is a perfect place for a man who, when everyone else is on lockdown, when he was having people arrested for going to church, he was having thousand dollar a night meals at the French Laundry. And I'm sure the California people won't forget that. And I can tell my message to Governor Newsom is the Trump administration is coming to California. We are going to crack down on waste, fraud and abuse. And I was told he was asked to give a speech on his signature policies. But he's not speaking because what have his economic policies brought? Outward migration from California, a gigantic budget deficit, the largest homeless population in America, and the poor folks in the Palisades who had their homes burned down. He is here hobnobbing with the global elite while his California citizens are still homeless. Shame on him. He is too smug, too self absorbed and too economically illiterate to know anything.

[Sacha Stone]

When Newsom then tried to play on Trump's level with the knee pads joke, it fell flat because it isn't true. Trump isn't that guy.

[Stu]

You have chosen a sort of if you can't beat him, join him strategy to. The way you're talking about this stuff, you talk, you know, you, you know, you're, you're running around distributing knee pads to CEOs and I think it does, and it does have a few, if you'd like. And honestly it sounds, by the way, I'm not kidding, they're the new Trump Signature series knee pads. Yeah. And they are available online. I told you the last one sold out. And, and I just want to sort of. It's a serious moment. It actually, but we laugh. Anyway, these are available and bulk too, but I want to read you a couple of things the U.S. government has said about you in the last 24 hours or so. The treasure, the U.S. government. The Treasury Secretary, when you put it, the Treasury Secretary described you as Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach. Ken, the White House director was this, that was the US Secretary of Treasury. I have a couple more and then, and then you can respond. The White House communications director called you Gavin Newscomb and a Newscomb and an official White House account, you know, federal government account described you with a, I'd say very online sexual slur that people here probably don't want to hear at 8:30 in the morning. And you're in some sense responding in kind and waving the kneecap fads around. Fire with fire. Do you think? Should you? I mean, is that kind of discourse from you, from them good for America? No, it's deeply unbecoming. Come on. Of course it is. It's not what we should be doing. But you've got to point out the absurdity. You've got to put a mirror up to this. This is madness. President, you see what he's saying about European leaders? You talking down to people, talking past people. I mean, look, the comments he made yesterday, we're not even discussing. Because you're discussing all the other comments about windmills or whatever else that was happening. He talked about Somalia's community. This is not normal. It's a deviation of normalcy. We've got to call it out. So I put a mirror up to Trump and Trumpism in all caps. And it was ironic because Pravda, Fox News in America, others, they got offended by it. They said, well, where is his mother to wash his mouth out with soap. I said, where the hell have you been? You've never said a word about Trump dressing up. It's the Pope tweeting out and cosplaying on the world stage. And so the Treasury Secretary talked about a Barbie doll. It was as if he was reading a diary and had just broken up with someone. I mean, that was the Secretary of Treasury using valuable time yesterday on the world stage, some sexual. Thank you for not sharing that on the official White House account. We're deeply in their head. I think the affordability agenda appears to be. I'm living rent free in the Trump's head, Trump administration's head.

[Sacha Stone]

If they knew themselves, they would understand that they are not the working class poor who have any business marching around with no kings posters. If they knew themselves, they would shut up about the Epstein files because they know it's way worse on the Democrats side. If they knew themselves, they would not shout fascist because they would know that they are at heart, the real fascists. And if they knew themselves, they would understand why even now, they are still the crazier side. No matter the smoke and mirrors, the chaos, the. The viral videos, the mass hysteria, they can't do the one thing they would need to do to win this war. Offer the people something better. For podcast listeners, Steven Pinker on the Democrats have accomplished something that would seem to be impossible. They have made their own party seem like the crazier of the two. And an opinion from the New York Times. I wouldn't say the Democrats are in good shape. If they knew themselves, they would understand that the Boy who Cried Wolf was not just a children's story. It is a deeply profound statement about people who scream about everything until their screams fall on indifferent ears. The only reason they've gotten this far with their madness is that Trump isn't a fascist or a dictator, because if he wanted to, he. He could crush all of these folks like bugs. As the commander in chief of the most powerful military in the world, they also don't seem to realize that a handful of granola crunchers arming themselves is no match for MAGA either, should it ever come to that. The only reason the right hasn't yet taken up arms reminds me of that scene in Grizzly man where the bears think there might be something wrong with Timothy Treadwell, so they leave him alone, at least for a little while. But when one bear gets hungry and frustrated enough, we see just how easy it was for the bear to eat Timothy and his girlfriend in the Grizzly Maze.

[Stu]

I think the only reason that Treadwell lasted as long in the game as he did was that the bears probably thought there was something wrong with him, like he was manly retarded or something. That bear, I think that day, decided that he had either had enough of Tim Treadwell or that something clicked in that bear's head that he thought, hey, you know, he might be good to eat.

[Sacha Stone]

They don't know Trump. The Democrats have been fighting a villain they created, but who never existed. I was one of those who sobbed on my couch after 2016, donated to Jill Stein, marched in protest, and felt myself part of the resistance. I would take to the treadmill at the gym, to the stick song Come Sail Away, and I would imagine making a video to rally the troops on the left. I would think, those MAGA racists are not prepared for the strength of our battle station. We have all of this power and they have none of it. And yet, even as I imagined this, I didn't realize what I was saying because I didn't know myself or my side. And I most certainly didn't know Trump and maga. What would snap me out of it was seeing what we eventually did with our power. It wasn't a grassroots uprising. It was one political party becoming more powerful than any other and then using that power to demonize, dehumanize, and marginalize half the country. When we decided we had the right to take over the 2020 election to save democracy, that was when I began to pull back. I was like Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2, who sees the guy she thinks is there to kill her, but instead, he's the guy who has come to save her.

[Stu]

No, no, no. Mom, wait. No, no, no. Help her.

[Sacha Stone]

Wait here.

[Stu]

Hurry up.

[Sacha Stone]

Mommy.

[Stu]

Okay, mom. Come with me if you want to live.

[Sacha Stone]

Because we didn't know ourselves back in 2016, we had to cover up our failures with lies about Trump. We concocted a false World War II fantasy where we were the resistance. And once we started that big lie, we were doomed because there was no way out of it, and there still isn't. I would find out in 2020 that all I got from the legacy media was the worst things Trump said extracted from a much longer speech. To paint a picture of someone who did not exist. I had to find that out all on my own, knowing that to do so would cost me everything. Why should just humanizing the other half of the country cost me everything? Because that is what the left has become. Here is Chamath Palihapitiya. On the Katie Miller Podcast, you went from being a large Democrat donor to.

[Stu]

Now a very outspoken proponent on the.

[Sacha Stone]

Other side of the aisle.

[Stu]

Yeah.

[Sacha Stone]

When you are so influential to other VCs and other people with high net.

[Stu]

Worth here in California, and you really shaped their public opinion and public perception.

[Sacha Stone]

How did you get there yourself?

[Stu]

Was there a moment you woke up.

[Sacha Stone]

And you're like, okay, it's all different.

[Stu]

There was. This is not about politics for me. It's about the truth. There was a moment where I was basically like everybody else and pretty brainwashed. My media diet was very much the same as everybody else's. I read the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. I watched a little bit of cnn, a little bit of cnbc, a little bit of msnbc, a little bit of CBS Economist. Every now and then, you encounter it on a plane and you think you know what's going on. And I had a perception of Donald Trump initially from the moment he walked down the staircase in Trump Tower to announce. And then over the course of six or seven years, I realized that some of those fundamental things that I was told about him were just totally false. And there was enough content online where I was almost afraid, but it started with Charlottesville. I was almost afraid to look at it because I'm like, I think I was lied to. And then I saw it. I saw what he said, but then I saw the portrayal. I had originally believed that portrayal until I saw the truth. And then I just started to go down that rabbit hole. So for me, it was an Evolution, where I was like, I can't believe I'm being lied to by this group of people whose sole responsibility is to hold truth to power. The key word there is truth to power, not your perception or your desires. And I just think that, that, that, I mean, red pilled me, I guess, in a way.

[Sacha Stone]

Recently, Washington examiner writer Kimberly Ross tried it on X with the following tweet quote. I didn't vote for Trump. I've said this plenty. I also didn't vote for his opponents. I know too many people on here and offline who support him. My husband voted for him. Guess what? I get why he did. Trump supporters aren't bad people. Not even close. I get their reasoning behind the votes, even if I didn't make the same decision. If the left can't grasp that it's their collective problem and it will harm them if they can't comprehend why regular Americans see lawlessness and extremism and prefer something different, even if some many held their noses while making that choice. You're mad at me for these observations. Well then, good luck. But of course, the truth is not something they're ready for. This tweet from political punk. Oh f off. Throwing the phrases regular Americans and lawlessness and extremism into this bullshit paragraph is more right wing coded shit. And Trump is an effing rapist. So everyone who voted for that piece of shit isn't a regular American. They are a degenerate asshole. P.S. trump supporters are nicer to you because this shit you wrote is right wing coded horseshit. Get effed. There is no way out for them. Not because of who Trump is, but because of who they are. They just haven't figured it out. And in my very wealthy, very white, very liberal town, there is a shop with a Buddha fountain outside with shelves lined with spirituality and self help outside. A red sign of rage. Podcast listeners, a picture of a sign. Impeach Unconstitutional Overreach. If you keep walking toward the Buddha fountain, you'll also see this sign stabbed into the dirt on the other side. For podcast listeners, a lawn. In our America, all people are equal. Love wins. Black lives matter. Immigrants and refugees are welcome. Disabilities are respected. Women are in charge of their bodies. People and planet are valued over profit. Diversity is celebrated. And underneath that I stand with Ukraine. Their lawn sign isn't just an admission of how little they know themselves, is also a manifesto. Just as they demand yet another impeachment of Trump, they also demand that you see the world the way they do. Or else. But just remember, love wins. Thank you for listening to my podcast, sashastone.com sorry this one took a little bit of time, but the news stories kept changing and I had to keep rewriting it. If you like my work, you can always leave a tip on the tip jar on the main page. Or you can think about becoming a paid subscriber. Or you can write a review on itunes. That always helps. If you'd like to follow me on X, I'm at Real Sasha Stone. I hope you had a nice weekend. And remember to thine own self be true. I am sailing away? Set an open course for the virgin sea?

[Stu]

Cause I've got to be free? Free to face the life that's ahead of me?

[Sacha Stone]

On board I'm the captain? On board I'm the captain?

[Stu]

So climb aboard?

[Sacha Stone]

So climb aboard?

[Stu]

We'll search for tomorrow? Search for tomorrow on every shore? And I'll try oh lord, I'll try. To carry on? A gathering of of angels appeared above my head? They sang to me this song of hope and this is what they said they said come sail away Come sail away? Come sail away with me? Come sail away Come sail away Come sail away with me? Come sail away Come sail away? Come sail away with me baby? Come sail away Come sail away Come sail away with me. Sa. I thought that there were angels?

[Sacha Stone]

But to our surprise we branded on their starship and headed for the sky? Come sail away Come sail away?

[Stu]

Come sail away with me? Come sail away Come sail away come on Come stand away with me? Come stand away Come stand away Come.

[Sacha Stone]

Stand come.

[Stu]

On it.