Trump Admits Everything Out Loud, Exposing the MAGA Scam; Dems Brace for Blue Wave

Summary

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IHIP News Podcast Summary

Episode Title: Trump Admits Everything Out Loud, Exposing the MAGA Scam; Dems Brace for Blue Wave
Date: May 3, 2026
Host: Jennifer Welch
Special Guest: Walter Masterson (Comedian, Activist)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Jennifer Welch is joined by comedian and activist Walter Masterson for a fast-paced, sharp-witted breakdown of recent political events. The conversation dives into the current state of MAGA populism, Trump’s increasingly brazen rhetoric and admissions, the ongoing right-wing radicalization at rallies and within the Republican Party, and Democratic Party missteps in red states. The episode weaves in signature comedic banter, personal stories, analysis of protest strategies, and reflections on intra-left political friction—all aimed at making sense of today’s turbulent political climate.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Satire and Shifting Morality in Political Rhetoric

• Walter's Protest as a Stormtrooper:
  • Walter recounts his stunt at a pro-Israel rally, dressing as a Star Wars stormtrooper and openly defending the "Empire" to illustrate how people can suddenly flip moral judgments depending on context.
  • Quote:
    • “Let me take any piece of fiction and just side with the bad guys and justify that and everyone can hear how dumb that looks…” (01:43)
• Celebrating Villains:
  • Jennifer and Walter lament the present era's tendency to "celebrate the villain"—in reference to MAGA, Netanyahu, and right-wing authoritarians.
  • Quote:
    • “It’s just so enraging that everybody’s celebrating the villain.” — Jennifer (02:27)

2. The Cult Dynamics of Trump Rallies

• First-hand Rally Accounts:
  • Walter describes years of attending Trump rallies—highlighting the lack of genuine engagement with Trump’s own words, the exhaustion of attendees, and the cult-like sense of belonging marked simply by donning a MAGA hat.
  • Discussion of “Cultishness”:
    • Rallies are more about social belonging and community than policy substance. Newcomers are welcomed primarily through visual signifiers.
  • Quote:
    • “No one is listening to what he was saying. No one.” — Walter (05:03)
    • “They feel a sense of community…the community starts when you put on the MAGA hat.” (10:32)

3. Project 2025, Trump’s Honesty, and Mass Deception

• Trump’s Open Extremism:
  • Walter details how Trump openly promises extreme actions, referencing “mass deportations now” and the explicitness of Project 2025 at rallies—yet, many supporters seem unaware or in denial.
  • Quote:
    • “He actually, to his credit, was incredibly honest…he laid it out. He’s like, I am going to deport just everyone…There’s going to be camps.” — Walter (05:44)
• Supporter Denial:
  • Despite Trump’s openness, many supporters convince themselves the worst is mere rhetoric.

4. Democratic Neglect of Red States and the Need for Presence

• Contrast in Outreach:
  • Discussion about how Democrats' abandonment of a 50-state strategy allows for right-wing radicalization in deep red states.
  • Jennifer discusses Bernie Sanders' historic Oklahoma campaign and Pete Buttigieg’s recent Tulsa visit, noting that simply being present matters to overlooked voters.
  • Quote:
    • “You feel like a forgotten voter…Democrats abandoning a 50-state strategy is such a horrible idea…You need to let people feel like they’re a part of the process.” — Jennifer (08:38-10:32)
• Democratic Concessions:
  • Walter critiques the Democratic Party’s ethical contortions to win over right-leaning areas, often at the expense of progressive values.

5. Race, Class, and the Bargains of Populism

• Avoiding “Racism” in Dialogue:
  • Walter shares how even mentioning the word "racism" at MAGA rallies instantly inflames tensions—demonstrating the success of right propaganda on race.
  • Quote:
    • “Do not say the word racism…it’s like waving red in front of a bull.” — Walter (11:51)
• Racial Bargains:
  • Jennifer observes that the right offers economic stagnation in exchange for the social permission to be openly racist—a deal some accept.
  • Quote:
    • “You’re not going to get health care, but you’re going to get to be racist…Trump has really delivered that for them.” — Jennifer (12:46)

6. Trump’s Escalating Absurdity and Mockery

• Floating the Idea of Sending Trump to Space:
  • The hosts mock Trump’s apparent desire to “go up in one of these [space] missions,” suggesting Elon Musk should shuttle MAGA billionaires into orbit.
  • Quote:
    • “I totally agree with Donald Trump. I think he should go to space. And you know who should be in charge of it? Elon Musk.” — Walter (13:39)
• Trump’s Schoolyard Insults:
  • The show laughs at a clip of Trump mocking a NASA administrator’s ears, noting that juvenile nicknames and ridicule remain Trump’s signature tactic.
  • Quote:
    • “Trump has been phenomenal at coming up with middle school insults for people.” — Walter (16:45)

7. Progressive Disruptions and Exposing Democratic “Rotating Villains”

• Popcorn Disruption Protest Tactics:
  • Walter explains protest tactics during Democratic town halls, including “popcorn disruption”—where successive activists stand up to protest, creating an unmanageable chain reaction.
  • Quote:
    • “When they take out one protester, you have another pop up…By like the sixth or seventh person…they’re like, OK, I see how this works.” — Walter (18:13)
• Calling Out Establishment Democrats:
  • Discussion of “rotating villain” strategies, wherein centrist Democrats routinely take turns casting unpopular votes to serve corporate interests, often shielded by blue-district complacency.
  • Jennifer: “Sometimes under the hood, they [Democrats] vote a lot like Rs…Almost like an intentional plant.” (20:47)

8. Navigating the Vote Blue / Intra-party Debate

• Debate over “Vote Blue No Matter Who”:
  • The pair contemplate how establishment Dems preach unity when the left wins primaries, but rarely reciprocate when progressive candidates emerge.
  • “I cannot wait for someone to win their primary that is very far to the left…pull those same vote-blue-no-matter-who people and be like, hey, come on, where is it?” — Walter (21:34)
• Primary Engagement is Crucial:
  • Walter strongly urges the left to focus on primaries: “If you’re showing up for Election Day, it’s way too late.” (23:35)
• Evolving Democratic Messaging:
  • James Carville and others now reconsider centrist orthodoxy due to recent progressive wins, suggesting the party’s strategic approach may be shifting.

9. 2028 and Future Politics: Satirical Endorsements and Harm Reduction Voting

• Sarcastic 2028 Endorsements:
  • Walter lampoons the media’s obsession with prematurely hyping Gavin Newsom as the next Democratic star, joking about “getting excited” for Newsom years in advance (26:43).
• Harm Reduction Philosophy:
  • Walter admits he’s a harm reduction voter, prioritizing outcomes over individual candidate purity.
  • Quote:
    • “I’m voting for someone compared to who they’re running against.” (28:29)

10. The Billionaire Debate: Progressive Potential vs. Class Distrust

• Complexity of Billionaire Candidates:
  • Both hosts engage in a nuanced conversation about supporting wealthy, progressive candidates—citing Tom Steyer and Shoykat Chakrabarti as examples. They stress not to reflexively reject “benevolent billionaires” aligned with working-class priorities while acknowledging justified skepticism over the system that creates extreme wealth.
  • Quotes:
    • “It’s the system that created these billionaires that’s so problematic.” — Jennifer (31:02)
    • “We can’t just hate rich people…That is such a black and white, impulsive kind of attitude.” (33:05)
  • Chakrabarti is praised for using his resources to challenge Democratic establishment power.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• [01:43] Walter: “Let me take any piece of fiction and just side with the bad guys and justify that and everyone can hear how dumb that looks…”
• [02:27] Jennifer: “It’s just so enraging that everybody’s celebrating the villain.”
• [05:03] Walter: “No one is listening to what he was saying. No one.”
• [05:44] Walter: “He actually, to his credit, was incredibly honest…He’s like, I am going to deport just everyone…There’s going to be camps.”
• [08:38] Jennifer: “Democrats abandoning a 50-state strategy is such a horrible idea…You need to let people feel like they’re a part of the process.”
• [11:51] Walter: “Do not say the word racism…it’s like waving red in front of a bull.”
• [12:46] Jennifer: “You’re not going to get health care, but you’re going to get to be racist…Trump has really delivered that for them.”
• [13:39] Walter: “I totally agree with Donald Trump. I think he should go to space. And you know who should be in charge of it? Elon Musk.”
• [16:45] Walter: “Trump has been phenomenal at coming up with middle school insults for people.”
• [18:13] Walter: “Popcorn disruption…and then they finally get the hang by like the sixth or seventh person…”
• [20:47] Jennifer: “Sometimes under the hood, they [Democrats] vote a lot like Rs…Almost like an intentional plant.”
• [21:34] Walter: “I cannot wait for someone to win their primary that is very far to the left…pull those same vote-blue-no-matter-who people and be like, hey, come on, where is it?”
• [23:35] Walter: “If you’re showing up for Election Day, it’s way too late.”
• [26:43] Walter: “We really need to get excited about Gavin Newsom…You have to get excited about Gavin Newsom. Right now.”
• [28:29] Walter: “Yeah, yeah, I’m voting for someone compared to who they’re running against.”
• [31:02] Jennifer: “It’s the system that created these billionaires that’s so problematic.”

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Important Timestamps

| Time | Segment | |---------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:03 | Walter joins and discusses satire at political rallies | | 02:27 | Discussion on why villains are now publicly celebrated | | 05:03 | Walter describes the cultishness—and inattentiveness—at Trump rallies | | 08:38 | Red-state Democrat challenges, the importance of showing up | | 10:32 | The psychology and community of Trump rallygoers | | 11:51 | Fragility of discussing race at Trump events | | 12:46 | The “bargain” MAGA voters get in exchange for not getting material gains | | 13:39 | Trump’s space comments and the Elon Musk billionaire roast | | 16:27 | Trump’s ridicule of NASA’s “big-eared” administrator—middle-school level name-calling | | 17:34 | Walter’s “popcorn disruption” protest tactics | | 18:27 | Discussion of the “rotating villain” model in centrist Democratic politics | | 20:47 | Dangers of unquestioningly voting for Democrats in blue districts | | 23:35 | Why primary participation is essential for progressives | | 26:43 | Satirical discussion about Gavin Newsom as the forced favorite for 2028 | | 28:29 | Harm reduction voting philosophy | | 31:02 | Nuanced take on “benevolent billionaires” and progressive wealth in politics | | 32:45 | The example of Shoykat Chakrabarti in the fight against the Democratic establishment |

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Tone & Style

• Language: Direct, often irreverent, heavily laced with irony and comedic asides.
• Approach: Sharply critical of both right-wing and establishment Democrat politics, but ultimately grounded in harm reduction, electoral engagement, and progressive optimism.
• Vibe: Fast-paced, witty, and righteous—with both self-deprecation and justified outrage.

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Transcript

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[Walter Masterson]

Foreign.

[Podcast Host]

Joining me today on IHIP News is my friend Walter Masterson. He is a comedian, activist, and you might know him from crashing a pro Israel rally dressed up as a storm trooper. Let's play the clip.

[Protester/Activist]

The Empire, The Galactic Empire did nothing wrong. I stand with the empire. 3 Alderaan from the rebel Alliance. It was mob Carson. He flew on Alderon.

[Walter Masterson]

This is.

[Podcast Host]

All right, so how, how did that go over? And how did you get the idea to do that?

[Walter Masterson]

Oh, God, that was. I. I wanted to sort of cross genres because I feel like a lot of us watch these movies and TV shows and we always understand who the bad guys are. And then suddenly that goes all that all goes away. So I just figured, you know what? Let me take any genre, take any piece of fiction and just take, you know, side with the bad guys and justify that and everyone can hear how dumb that looks like we could go back and forth with history. You talk about Theodore Herzl, but you know what? Forget all that. Let's just break it down the way that someone can understand, anyone can understand it. They'll be like, oh, right, yeah, we're saving Alderaan. Let's. We can figure out how dumb that sounds.

[Podcast Host]

I mean, and that's what's so disheartening about the time we're living in. My husband always says this. He always says, it's just so enraging that everybody's celebrating the villain.

[Walter Masterson]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

You know, with. With maga, with the war crimes of Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, it's just people are flagrantly celebrating the bad guys.

[Walter Masterson]

Oh, yeah. And it's always this sort of, you know, I know you are, but what am I with. Anytime you're like, well, you called me a fascist, that means you're a fascist. Obviously, that's how fascism works.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, yeah, exactly. And we have to remember that the first person to ever call trump Hitler was J.D.

[Narrator/Announcer]

vance.

[Walter Masterson]

Oh, God, I love that. Yeah. I actually have an old interview. I was at the RNC right as the news dropped, so I got to watch their reactions in real time, and I thought, this is perfect. Right. Trump announced J.D. vance as his running mate, and I get to watch all of their reactions and pull them in real time before the talking points come out, before they've been told what to think. And you can find the video. People are a little like, okay. I mean, I guess there everyone was like, huh?

[Podcast Host]

Who do you think they wanted?

[Walter Masterson]

They wanted Marco Rubio to balance the ticket.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Walter Masterson]

Because Marco Rubio is sort of seen as this, you know, rhino. He's seen as, like, marginally maga. He's sort of more of the old Republican Guard. And they thought, oh, that'll unite the right. And they had other people that they thought for this. What's her name, who had the failed Arizona campaign.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Walter Masterson]

Carrie Lake. Yeah, someone like that.

[Podcast Host]

So what's it like? Okay, the rnc. A couple of things stick out to me from that. Number one, everybody putting maxi pads on their ear. Number two, ushavance saying that she's a vegetarian to the crowd of MAGA Republicans. And I just. Every time I think about MAGA being or like, I guess it completely fell flat, but I always think about Ted Cruz doing this video where he goes, kamala, you're not taking away my cheeseburger. And it's, you know, do you remember that clip where Ted Cruz is talking about. Yeah.

[Walter Masterson]

It's always, we're trying to take away their gas stoves, their cheeseburger.

[Podcast Host]

Light bulbs.

[Walter Masterson]

Light bulbs. I mean, when it were there during

[Podcast Host]

ushavance's speech, I wasn't there for that.

[Walter Masterson]

But it tracks because I've been to over 30 Trump rallies. I followed him around and did interviews for years when I first started. And I am clear that no one is listening to what he was saying. No one. Because there's so many people going, you know, I really didn't vote for this. And then I'm like, I went to these rallies. I listened to his speech multiple times. And you know, this is exactly what you voted for. He, he actually, to his credit, was incredibly honest. He was like, I am going to deport just everyone. I'm, I'm going to set up camp. There's going to be camps.

[Podcast Host]

There's going to be.

[Walter Masterson]

And he actually was, he laid it out. He's like, I mean, they laid out Project 2025. He held up signs that had mass deportations now. I mean, there would be, there was everything about it. And having been to these rallies, I don't think anyone was listening there. There's sort of a dynamic that happened at those rallies.

[Podcast Host]

When he would ramble on at these rallies, you know, sometimes they would go on like two, three hours. Would the people start leaving early?

[Walter Masterson]

Oh, always, always. It. Because this is what happened at every rally. They would do this all the time. So they would say that the rally started at 4pm, 3pm right. Because they wanted to get everyone in there. Right. So these people would get there. And granted, these are in open fields. There's no cover, none. So these people are stacked with no cloud cover, just getting blasted on by the sun. And he's never the opening act. There's always a bunch of people opening for him. He goes on dead last every time. By the time they get to him, people are exhausted, naturally. I mean, that's because they were supposed to be there hours, hours before they. All these people spoke and by the time he's going on, they're like, all right, you know what? I checked this box. I punched my time card. I saw him. Cool.

[Podcast Host]

Put it on my insta story. Yeah.

[Walter Masterson]

Just did this.

[Podcast Host]

Okay, what's your take of. I would say somebody who's going to go to a field in bumfuck America to see Trump is a full blown cultist because there's degrees of maggot.

[Walter Masterson]

I mean, I will, I'm not going to knock him for doing that because the Democratic Party spends just this ungodly, what should be an illegal amount of money just trying to get voters in those areas. And they make all types of bizarre contortions, ethical contortions. They're like, oh yeah, well we can do fracking. Yeah, we can have some ice. We'll let ICE shoot people sometimes. And then they do that to try to get those people in those areas. They'll do everything but go to those areas physically.

[Podcast Host]

I agree.

[Walter Masterson]

I'm not knocking that. That was genius. He spent years going to these random areas and these People felt very ignored, which they are because they don't have money. No one cares about them. And yeah, he's like, hey, I care about you. And they're like, oh, he's our savior. He's the only person to come here and tell it like it is. So that as a tactic without spending hundreds of millions on these focus groups.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, like, yeah, no, it's really smart because, you know, I recently moved to New York from Oklahoma City and I've always been a political junkie. I've hosted more fundraisers for losing Democratic candidates in the state of, in Oklahoma than anybody. And you feel as a person that is blue in a red state or perhaps red in a blue state or a state that isn't contested at all, you feel like a forgotten voter. You don't feel like you're a part of the political process. And I remember in 2016, Bernie came. I voted for Hillary. I regret it. But Bernie came to Oklahoma. Bernie won the state of Oklahoma in the Democratic primary because he came and he campaigned there. Yeah, he, he actually had rallies and people felt seen. And recently, whether you like him or not, Pete Buttigieg went to Tulsa, Oklahoma and there were some people criticizing that online. And I looked at the comments and all the people in Tulsa were like, we're just glad he came. We're just so glad he's here. We're so glad somebody's paying attention to us. And democrats abandoning a 50 state strategy is such a horrible idea because what happens like in Oklahoma right now in the gubernatorial race, you have the Republican primary and whoever wins the Republican primary will win governor. So they out crazy each other. They are who can be the most anti trans, who can be the most Trumpy. And it is a race to the bottom. And so you get a much more radical Republican Party because of the Democrats. Even if you don't win in these states, you need to have a presence, a presence. You need to let people feel like they're a part of the process. Because eventually Democrats have started to invest in Texas and it's trending purple. I mean, it is definitely heading that way. So what is your take on the people at the rally? Take us into the psychology of, of these, of these people that go to a Trump rally for hours on end.

[Walter Masterson]

Oh God, here we go. So, I mean, yeah, there's definitely like a cultishness to it and these people have never been a part of something. So a lot of people come there and they feel a sense of community. And the community starts when you put on the maga hat. It's like, oh, welcome. You know, you're wearing a MAGA hat. You're one of us.

[Podcast Host]

You're in the club.

[Walter Masterson]

That's why I originally went there years ago, wearing a MAGA hat, interviewing people, because visually, that's all they cared about. It was like, oh, okay, you're. You're wearing the MAGA hat. Cool. Visually, that's it. And then they. And then you feel like you're apart. And it doesn't. I mean, there are. I don't want to say, like. I don't want to say it's like, diverse. But, I mean, you see, it's like there's like two black people there. Okay, Right. And, you know, and no one's. Everyone's like, oh, well, you know, they're. That's. That's. That's good enough for me in terms of numbers. You know, let's. Let's not get too much here. Right. And they're like, oh, good. And they always point to them saying, well, if we're racist, then why are they here?

[Podcast Host]

So they talk about race a lot.

[Walter Masterson]

Well, I actually. Jolly good, Ginger.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Yeah, yeah.

[Walter Masterson]

Early on, he went with me to these things. He very much told me, so do not say the word racism because it's like waving red in front of a bull. Because I made the mistake in an interview talking about racism, just the word itself, and this guy absolutely lost it. His fangs came out. And Jalliga Ginger's on the sidelines laughing. He's like, I could have told you not to use that word around them. And it was a very amicable conversation until I mentioned that. I was, like, noted. So it's like the. They've been, you know, propagandized of, like, you know, racism. It. I think it all goes into, like, racial capitalism of like, well, if, you know, we acknowledge the black people, if we acknowledge them, it's all going to take away from us. It's going to take away from our piece of the piece this small.

[Podcast Host]

Well, and also I think it's the bargain that they get. Like, you're not going to get higher wages and you're not going to get health care, but you're going to get to be racist. We're going to give you that. You're going to. You're going to get that. And Trump has really delivered that for them. I mean, it is completely untethered. I want to show you a clip of some crazy that Trump is doing this week and get your reaction.

[Walter Masterson]

Let's play the clip of these people have Unbelievable courage.

[Interviewee/Guest]

Unbelievable. A lot of other things too, by the way. To get in there, you have to be very smart. You have to do a lot of things physically good. So I would have had no trouble making it. And physically, very, very good. Maybe a little bit of a problem.

[Walter Masterson]

I don't know.

[Interviewee/Guest]

We'll have to try it sometime. Is a president allowed to go up in one of these missions?

[Walter Masterson]

We can get working on that this week.

[Interviewee/Guest]

We have no problem. Right?

[Walter Masterson]

There's a lot more rockets, the opportunity.

[Interviewee/Guest]

We'll have to try it.

[Walter Masterson]

Oh my God, that is such, you know what I gotta say I totally agree with Donald Trump. I think he should totally go up to space. And you know who should be in charge of it? Elon Musk. Elon Musk.

[Podcast Host]

That is so brilliant.

[Walter Masterson]

After watching him manage Twitter, I think he should be in charge of taking all the billionaires and Trump administration officials into space. I, I think that's, you know, I mean, listen, if you have any doubts, just look at what he's done with Twitter and prove me wrong. Am I right?

[Podcast Host]

I think, I think that's exactly incredible. Yeah, I, I, I particularly like how he manages child support and baby mama issues on Twitter. I mean, you know, that's like one stop shopping. I own the website. I can deal with all of my offspring and their moms for. You know, if you're Elon Mus, he can do all of his white supremacy. You know, he's been retweeting like full blown Nazi. Always did it before, but now it's like 800 times higher. These last two weeks, if you can imagine, he's gotten worse. It just.

[Walter Masterson]

Oh wait, it got worse the past two weeks?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, yeah. I talked to a scholar and she has a theory on this. She has a theory that the tech industry's investment into JD Vance has not been what they thought it was going to be. Because J.D. vance is face planning. Because Trump's rat him every chance you can get. He's like, yeah, you go to Pakistan, you go campaign for Orban, you're the fraud czar. So Trump's rat Vance. Right. And all of the tech oligarchs are like, oh, we paid a lot of money for him to be vice president. And they're all having like a mass psychotic episode right now because their investment is unraveling before their eyes and I'm here for it.

[Walter Masterson]

Yeah. I also think they, they have a better plan than what I think Biden had, was they're keeping their, whereas the Democratic Party kind of sequestered Kamala Then when it was time for her to actually run and do something was like, where have you been? Whereas they're keeping JD Vance very front and center because they know Donald Trump's got very limited time left. I mean, they could, you know, throw the Constitution in the trash and then just have Trump do a third term. But they're like, yeah, we don't know about this. Like, he's any day now and JD Vance has got to be ready to take the helm. And so they have him very visible. Visible. The only problem is he doesn't have any. There's no way for him to say, oh, hey, you know, I disagreed with Trump so much because he is. He's basically working hand in glove with him.

[Podcast Host]

Totally. Okay, here's another clip of Trump making fun of a NASA administrator's ears.

[Walter Masterson]

Love this.

[Interviewee/Guest]

Well, the best man to tell you that is a man sitting right over here. You heard that question with those beautiful ears of yours. He's got great hearing, you know, super. He's got super hearing.

[Walter Masterson]

Trick of the trick

[Podcast Host]

for those of you that are listening. The guy has very large, out of scale ears.

[Walter Masterson]

That's very consistent because he's. Trump has been phenomenal at coming up with middle school insults for people. I mean, the way he trashed Desantis was just, I mean, putting fingers, all that stuff. I mean, phenomenal.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Walter Masterson]

So I mean, that's just, that's just consistent. I mean, right. I mean, he, he hasn't. That's still his biggest superpower.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, I agree.

[Walter Masterson]

Middle school nicknames for people.

[Podcast Host]

Totally.

[Walter Masterson]

The only person who beats him in that, I think, or rivals him is Curtis Lewa.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, yeah. Courtesy was.

[Walter Masterson]

Curtis Lee was like.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, okay. If you're like me, you pick on the right and the left, which we both did.

[Walter Masterson]

Bipartisan. Yes.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. So here's a clip of you interrupting New York moderate, Democratic Tom Swatzi. Let's play the clip for that moderate people.

[Protester/Activist]

I'm gonna read the names of the nine people that were killed by ICE this month. I'm reading names. People killed by ice. You're gonna touch me. You're going to touch me. Alex Pretty. Renee. Good. Keith Porter. Barry Law. These people were killed by ice. It's month. Nine people were killed by ICE this month. And you're throwing me out while I'm reading their names? You are funding our occupation.

[Walter Masterson]

You made a mistake.

[Podcast Host]

So do you. When you go in and do these, you have. So when they take out one protester, you have another pops.

[Walter Masterson]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

What's it called?

[Walter Masterson]

Popcorn disruption.

[Podcast Host]

And you're really great at this because it's like they. They get one and then another pops up, then another.

[Walter Masterson]

Yeah. And then they don't. They finally get the hang of it by like the sixth or seventh person and they're like, okay, I see how this works.

[Podcast Host]

So this Congressman, if I remember correctly, there's this theory, or it's kind of been proven, that the Democrats deploy a rotating villain strategy where they don't whip the votes. They are not a full opposition party. And so they'll be like, okay, y' all are going to have to take this Hickey. You're going to take.

[Walter Masterson]

Oh, yeah, like Jared golden with voting

[Podcast Host]

for the Iran war and Swazi, I believe he funded. Right before these killings, he voted to fund ice.

[Walter Masterson]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Is that right?

[Walter Masterson]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

And so that's why you went there, to call him out.

[Walter Masterson]

Yeah. And it's funny is that this is in a synagogue. He held his town hall in a synagogue. Okay. Which. Okay. I mean, this is a town hall in a synagogue. It's not during a religious service. I had some misgivings about that because I don't necessarily like going into a religious institution.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Walter Masterson]

But the people that were in the synagogue, those are his constituents. They agree with him on things like Israel and all that stuff. If you look at the rest of the video, they start calling him out, too. They're like, yeah, no, you're on the wrong side of history. Get back on the right side here. And they start screaming at him for this. After we started, they were like. They were like, yeah, we're here because you. You messed up, pal. And then he. There's like a full video of this live stream there when he starts being like, hey, you know, you're acting like those Palestine protesters right now to his own constituents. And I was like, oh, that's good. That's so good. Calling his own constituents, which were like vehemently pro Israel. And they're calling him out and he's like, hey, you're acting like one of those Palestinian people right there. Cut it out. And I was like, oh, well played, sir.

[Podcast Host]

Let's talk about this. Walter. Sometimes, and this is something I think the Democratic voter base, it needs to be made aware of. So a politician like Tom Suozzi lives in a very blue district and he's giving. Given this benefit by virtue of having a D behind his name, because voters are not super engaged all the time. We have lives we have, we want to do, etc. Not everybody's just nut political junkies like you, me and the Listener. And so they think, oh, yeah, I'm going to vote for the D. Sometimes

[Walter Masterson]

don't check under the hood.

[Podcast Host]

Sometimes under the hood, they vote a lot like ours. And I've read some stuff that, you know, it's almost like this is an intentional plant. Politicians like Swazi that go into these blue districts and then they just deliver corporate policy for corporations, much like the Supreme Court is doing right now over and over again. And what's your take on, like, where we need to be? Like right now I feel like we're approaching a primary. We need to be really critical of our party, especially the corporate ones. But then as we gear up towards the midterms, the primaries are over. What are your thoughts on supporting, like vote blue no matter who after that,

[Walter Masterson]

I, I cannot wait for someone to win their primary that is very far to the left that has a lot of problematic views against Israel and so on. And I would love to pull those same vote blue no matter who. People be like, hey, come on, where's. Where is it? Where's.

[Podcast Host]

You know, Janet Mills just dropped out.

[Walter Masterson]

Yeah, vote for no matter who, baby. Come on.

[Podcast Host]

Then they. It's got to be Graham Platner, right?

[Walter Masterson]

Yeah, I, I do feel like I, I like Graham Platner. He, when he speaks, he, you know, we share the same politics, all of that. It is frustrating that he had a, you know, toten cough tattoo for all those years. He's, you know, all this was a, you know, Blackwater, you know, freelancer for a while. And it's like, and I'm fully aware, though, I'm just gonna say it. If this was a Republican and it was like, oh, I didn't know what this Totenkoff tattoo would be all over. We'd be like, yeah, okay, moron. Sure, sure, you're right. So I do think, you know, we can hold his feet to the fire on that because I know exactly how I would feel if someone gave this, like, oh, this, this tattoo. I mean, what is it really? I mean, just.

[Podcast Host]

That's a really fair take, Walter. I mean, it really is because it's a diffic speaks. I'm with you. I really like what he speaks about and I do believe in political evolution. The co host to this podcast, Angie, she was a Republican white evangelical Bible study mom, and now she's full blown woke and you know, goes further and further left. The more she learns, the further left she goes. So I know that this is happening and this is happening everywhere, but I do agree that this is going to be a Place where when they cram the vote back blue, no matter who, down our throats. Janet Mills has just dropped out. Graham Platner's there. So what are they going to do? Vote for Susan Collins?

[Walter Masterson]

Yeah, right. It's like, yeah, go for it.

[Podcast Host]

You know, it's very concerning.

[Walter Masterson]

Yeah. Or just, I mean, also, you know, as far as for like the left, there's a lot of people that are very disillusioned by this electoral process. And my thing is like, you need to show up for primaries. If you don't show up for primaries, then if you're showing up for election day, it's way too late.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Walter Masterson]

Because they've nominated someone that is just not very likable. And I feel like that is sort of on the ballot this year for the primaries and the midterms is, can someone be very progressive and still win? Because that's been the wisdom forever. I mean, what's his name? You know, Clinton's old advisor. You know, it wasn't until Mumdani won where he took out a NYT op ed and was like, hey, I was wrong. I kept saying to go to the center. I think Democrats should have this populist, you know, message of economic rage. And this is. What's his name? He's famous.

[Podcast Host]

Rahm Emanuel.

[Walter Masterson]

No, no, no, he was, he was Carville. James Carville. Oh, James Carville. James Carville did an NYT op ed. And this is the same guy who goes on cnn, goes on msnbc, anytime some corporate backed establishment Dem loses, he's the first to go up there and be like, yeah, that guy was too woke. Meanwhile, it's someone that, you know, it's like beyond. They're like hawkish. They're pro Israel, hawkish. Corporate backed, their campaign cost $50 million. And he's just like, yeah, little too woke. That's probably why they won. Probably why they, the Republicans won. And he kept saying that wasn't until Zoran won that he's like, huh, maybe this, you know, having two separate parties thing, maybe they're onto something with this. And so I think that is what's at stake with the primaries and with the general election is because they kept, they'll keep saying the establishment Democrats, I mean, you know, it's nice to be progressive, but you're not going to win with that. Right. You got to really be hawkish and, you know, support ICE and Israel. Don't you think that billionaires and all this stuff, if you want to win, you know, in, in those states. Right.

[Podcast Host]

So we didn't get to have a primary in 2024.

[Walter Masterson]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

And for 2028, I think we'll be able to have a primary if Donald Trump doesn't, like, I don't know, nuke us or something. Which, based on the evidence that I've seen fingers.

[Walter Masterson]

Fingers crossed.

[Podcast Host]

Rather unhinged. But let's assume that we get there hypothetically. And, you know, I like to make people go viral for asking hypothetical questions about the 2028 election. Hypothetically, who is your front runner?

[Walter Masterson]

Okay, so I think I was going to vote for Jill stein Berger for St. Louis, Missouri's alderman position, and then for the St. Louis City Council. Let me see. So wait, are we just talking about the President?

[Podcast Host]

Just the President. Just the President.

[Walter Masterson]

I mean, I know it's over 900 days away, but we really need to get excited about Gavin Newsom. I know there hasn't been a primary. I know we haven't, like, lined up all the candidates. It hasn't even been a debate or anything like that. But listen, we need to just get excited about Gavin Newsom, all right? That's not how democracy works. You don't just, like, wait till the primary and pick your favorites. Okay? You have to get excited about Gavin Newsom. Right? Now, I know he's unpopular in a lot of other states and there's a lot against him, and I know he's really not going to galvanize a lot of voters and stuff, but you have to get excited. That's just how this works. I'm sorry. Otherwise you're a bad person. Yeah, yeah.

[Podcast Host]

And not a real Democrat.

[Walter Masterson]

No, no, no, no. Listen, My. My philosophy is this. If the election was two weeks away, two months away, I'd be like, oh, my God, Gavin Newsom, he just released a new meme. Did you see his new meme? He dropped a new meme. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Nancy Pelosi. What a girl boss. What a feminist icon. Hakeem Jeffries. What a fighter, that guy. I mean, if we were on the eve of the election.

[Podcast Host]

Right, right.

[Walter Masterson]

But we're not. We can. This is the off season. We can talk shit. I don't care.

[Podcast Host]

Totally. We can.

[Walter Masterson]

Like, you know, if Hassan Biker got up here like, a week before the election and was like, I don't know, then I'd be like, all right, forget this. I'm, you know, I'm siding with Israel on this one.

[Podcast Host]

So. At the end of the day, though, are you a harm reduction voter?

[Walter Masterson]

Yeah, yeah, I'm voting for someone. Compared to who they're running against. So, like, the same way. I. I just interviewed Tom Steyer in California.

[Podcast Host]

What do you think about him?

[Walter Masterson]

Okay, so there's two glaring things that he's never served in public office and he's a billionaire.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Walter Masterson]

To Nat, like, the billionaire thing is nasty.

[Podcast Host]

I think the post for the pretty red flag, like.

[Walter Masterson]

And that turns a lot of people off immediately.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Walter Masterson]

People are like, I don't. I've had friends.

[Podcast Host]

It doesn't turn me off.

[Walter Masterson]

Yeah. I, I'm judging and I'm based. Who he's running against right now. I think that California has like, a jungle primary where it's the two top votes go to the general election and he's neck and neck with a Republican. Do I want the Republican to be the governor of California? Absolutely not. No way. So if it's between the two of them, if Becerra was gaining in the polls and it's. That's actually not a bad matchup. Him and Becerra. Okay. I'm not thrilled with Becerra. With he. And taking money from Chevron multiple times. There's a lot of good things about him as well. So that's. That's it. I'm biased also because I. His number one issue is climate. Is fighting climate change and sty. Yeah. And meanwhile, our governor, Kathy Hochul, is behaving like a Republican. She dumped a pipeline in New York. She's trying to gut our climate law, everything. So she's. I mean, she's awful in that regard. So when I met him the other. The other week, I was like, oh, my God. Someone who cares about the climate and that's their top issue. Oh, my God. Like, I'm so starved for people to talk about the right things that I'm

[Podcast Host]

like, no, we are so desperate.

[Walter Masterson]

Like, the bar is so low for me. I'm like, oh, oh, my God. Like, so.

[Podcast Host]

But you liked him.

[Walter Masterson]

I do. I do like him. And if there's. I like him. And I also understand that he is a billionaire. And I. That, that part to me is sort of like the. You know, I even felt weird after the interview. I was like, I didn't like the guy.

[Podcast Host]

Did you feel like you need to exfoliate?

[Walter Masterson]

I was like, he is a goddamn billionaire. You know what? It's so. It is like a. Like, right. Like, because I. I'm aware that if this was a Republican billionaire running, you know, we. I would see this exact. I'd be like, I. Yeah, you're. You're here.

[Podcast Host]

It doesn't. That part doesn't bother me because like if you look at like MacKenzie Scott Bezos, she's a billionaire and she just is making money and investing money to give it away as fast as impact invest. It's the system that created these billion mares that's so problematic. Do I hate Elon Musk? Fuck yes. Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg who went on Joe Rogan and said he felt like Joe Biden neutered him and he was so glad masculinity was back and what a pussy. Right. So of course these guys are just wholly unlikable. But I think we have to be cautious as Democrats. Yes, there is an eat the rich appetite out there, but if there is a benevolent billionaire that is willing to say tax me, this system is broken. I'm here to work with working people. Then we shouldn't just be like.

[Walter Masterson]

One of the best examples of that is Shoykat Chakrabarti.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Walter Masterson]

He's running for Nancy Pelosi seat.

[Protester/Activist]

Yes.

[Walter Masterson]

Running against a pro Israel Zionist whose

[Podcast Host]

corporate last name is Wiener. Right.

[Walter Masterson]

Yeah. And so. And meanwhile Shoykat had a, you know, tech exit early on. So he's worth an incredible amount of money.

[Podcast Host]

Rich.

[Walter Masterson]

Yeah, he's very rich.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Walter Masterson]

And. But he has been spent the last decade, you know, he was the chief of staff for aoc. He started Justice Democrats which puts people like AOC against establishment Democrats. I mean that was their primary purpose is to unseat and primary these establishment Democrats. I mean he's done a lot of great things and so like. And who he's running against I don't like.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Walter Masterson]

Is like very establishment very. It's like everything that we don't like. So that is so for Rebel to dismiss Shoikat outright was very frustrating to me because I'm like we know exactly who he's running against, who he's running against. It's very clear who the. What this race is about.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. I just think we have to be cautious as we move forward and we're remaking the party that back to like an FDR party that we can't just hate rich people. I mean that's just. That is so such a black and white impulsive kind of attitude.

[Walter Masterson]

I mean we can't hate them.

[Podcast Host]

We can, we can, but the system

[Walter Masterson]

looks at them and the system what

[Podcast Host]

is so bad and if there are like shy caught and I mean I haven't. I've listened to Tom mainly. I've seen this video of him doing. He was like dancing with a rapper. Have you seen this Tom Steyer Kylie, you know what I'm talking about, where he's. Yeah. And. But I don't. I mean, I don't know. I don't follow local California politics that much. I mean, obviously, the whole Eric Swabble thing, you know, followed all that show.

[Walter Masterson]

That was also. I mean, how quaint. He resigned over a scandal immediately.

[Podcast Host]

Do y'.

[VRBO Advertiser]

All.

[Podcast Host]

Did y' all find this video of Tom? I'm kind of into it.

[Walter Masterson]

You know what I listen. A for effort here.

[Podcast Host]

That's what I think.

[Walter Masterson]

You know, whenever. Whenever you see a white person just dancing, I mean, I think we just need to. We also. We just need to encourage it more. I've got a wedding coming up, you know, and, you know, I want people to be dancing.

[Podcast Host]

Yes.

[Walter Masterson]

You know, I mean, I've come from a white family, and, you know, I really. You know, they're sort of like, you know, you know, they get on the floor, they dance, they're like. And then they. They're like, yeah, okay. Like, and then you take the song, you switch songs, and then they're like, whoa, whoa, this isn't abba. Like, I don't know. I can't sing along to this. Gotta go. And then they evacuate the dance floor. So, you know, I'll allow it.

[Podcast Host]

Walter Masterson, thank you for stopping by. Hip News. Please go harass maggot and make more of your popcorn.

[Walter Masterson]

My harassment is bipartisan, thank you very much.

[Podcast Host]

You're exactly right. It is. I stand corrected. I apologize. Thank you for coming so much.

[Walter Masterson]

Oh, Abs, thank you for having me.

[Podcast Host]

Yes, of course. All right.

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[Walter Masterson]

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[Protester/Activist]

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[Podcast Host]

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[Walter Masterson]

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