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- [00:00]
A
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- [00:20]
B
The policies of the current administration are so wildly unpopular because they neglect working class Americans. And people are starting to feel it that in Tennessee that Trump won by plus 22. We have candidate Afton Bain here on IHIP News. You guys, we are this close to flipping this seat. Afton, welcome to I HIP News. How's it going in Tennessee?
- [00:47]
C
Thank you so much for having me. The energy is, is very real and palpable. Yesterday I was at a canvas where middle of the afternoon on Sunday, 40 people were there. We have folks flying all across the country to help us knock doors. It's just been an amazing race.
- [01:04]
B
And so what are you seeing? Like, I'm from originally from a red state and what I see people are catching on to is that earnest people that became Republicans, you know, for cultural reasons, are starting to realize they've been lied to. They have been lied to. And when you look at states like Tennessee and you look at my home state, Oklahoma, where you have had Republican super majorities for a long time in the state, you have to blame Republicans for all your problems and then compound that with the Republican running the federal government right now. And the lies are just too hard to look away from.
- [01:41]
C
Yeah, I mean, that's what we're seeing. This, this campaign from the beginning has been one of building a coalition of the disenchanted, of the pissed off. And so in a state like Tennessee that overwhelmingly supported Trump, you know, you have to create entry points for people that are waking up to the fact that this economic agenda that they have bought into has not delivered. And that's what we're seeing across the district is voters who are very disenchanted with the current administration.
- [02:07]
B
Yeah. And I just think that it's really helpful for people to know, look, you've been lied to and there is an off ramp and you have a political party that has lied to you for decades, long before this man came into office. And they've told you that the wealth would trickle down. They told you that you'd be be taken care of if you trusted these businessmen. And these businessmen that are now politicians have been dicking over the working class and the transfer of wealth from working class Americans to these billionaires that are able to avoid paying taxes is so egregious and so diabolical. I think people really appreciate being confronted, frankly, about what is happening in this country and what we all see.
- [02:57]
C
Yeah, I decided to run for this race after the big ugly bill was passed in July. And as a healthcare organizer, understanding the devastating impacts of Medicaid cuts and that the big ugly bill was the largest transfer of wealth codified into law in American history. And it's wearing thin. I think voters are waking up and realizing that they're upset with the cost of living, they're upset with the chaos of Washington, and they want change. And so my pitch from the beginning to these voters is you think things are going well. I'm not your candidate.
- [03:29]
B
Right. Want to change.
- [03:29]
C
I am your candidate.
- [03:31]
B
Well, let's talk about your opponent right now. So it's my understanding that Trump is, you know, fully endorsed him. And he's a big maga guy. Big maga thumper. Believes in the movement, believes in eroding the judicial system, doesn't really care about law and order because if you vote for a convicted felon, you know, you might get a criminal that runs the country. So tell me about your opponent.
- [03:57]
C
Yeah, he, he in himself is actually a good guy. It's the people behind him. He is backed by the puppet masters of the universe. In his primary, Jeff Bezos dropped a million dollars to push him over the edge to receive the nomination. It's just, it's very sketchy. And right now they are pulling out all the stops in a district that they should have one handedly. Trump tweeted about our campaign twice yesterday. He was on a teletown hall, I guess, earlier today, talking about our ra. So the ground is shifting and I think they're nervous. As you've said, the Republican supermajority has gotten lethargic as to, you know, voter contact while they've been, while they've been scapegoating and terrorizing, we've been building and organizing. And so we had a day of action on Saturday. We knocked 13,000 doors in one day with 600 volunteers. The Republicans just can't compete with that. And not only that, but you have a sinking favorability rating of the federal administration. So it leads us to this really perfect storm, as the Cook Political Report called it.
- [05:01]
B
Okay, in knocking on doors, you probably come across triple Trumpers. And I refer to triple Trumpers as people who voted for him 16, 20 and 24. And have you seen any of these triple Trumpers that have said, I'm not doing it anymore, I'm Going to vote differently. Have you. Have you experienced that or seen that or they. So far in the Death Star that they still are picking up what he's putting down?
- [05:28]
C
I think through this campaign, we've planted seeds of dissonance. And I don't know if they're going to materialize for this campaign, but I have seen just kind of fractured thinking, like, fragmented thinking, like, okay, well, all she's talking about affordability. She's not talking about the culture wars, right? So here's this Democrat that I've been told is X, Y, and Z. And all she's been talking about is lowering costs for working families. And that creates a lot of dissonance, I think. And so once again, we've created this campaign. I've always said, I don't care what political party you belong to. I don't care who you voted for. Welcome to our side. If you are upset about the cost of living in the chaos of Washington, then I'm your candidate.
- [06:09]
B
How wild is it for you to. Like, you said that the President tweeted about you a couple times. You know, how wild is that? As a woman who has lived in Tennessee is now running for public office, and this man, we all know who he is, is tweeting about you.
- [06:27]
C
I find it comical that the President of the United States is beefing someone who had a Hot Girls hit curbs bumper sticker on her car for a few years. You know, once again, I just. The fact that the federal administration and his billionaire friends are pouring money into this race that they should have won by a heavy margin is funny, but it's because it's a testament to the organizing muscle that we've built and the shift in voter sentiment about this. This economic agenda that hasn't delivered.
- [06:59]
B
Don't you think now that we've seen what unregulated capitalism has done and it's left this void, and I think it's now a litmus test for both Democrats and Republicans. If you're taking a lot of PAC money, we know you're not for the people. And this has changed very quickly. I'm talking about from, you know, what just happened in 24 to now to me. If you were sitting here telling me you'd taken APAC money and Jeff Bezos gave you some money, I'd immediately say, afternoon, you're full of shit. You're gonna. You're lying to everybody like, we've all been lied to for so long. And I think that the dam has broken to where we're only really and on both sides, and particularly independents as well. We're not going to support candidates who take a bunch of PAC money.
- [07:50]
C
That has definitely been a shift in Tennessee politics. I am a candidate for my state race as well as this race, has never taken corporate PAC money and never will because our state has been bought and sold to the highest bidder. And I'll give you a great examp of what's happening right now. The Tennessee Valley Authority, which provides the lowest utility rates in the Southeast. Right now, Trump is trying to privatize it by installing syncofans on the board. And this is a public good, right? A brain, a brain child of the FDR's New Deal. And it's this privatization of public goods. It's the fact that corporations have bought our democracy and are bankrolling these politicians in what we call the devil's bargain, where they get, you know, they bankroll these Republican super majorities that are getting rid of our rights in exchange for tax breaks. And it hasn't delivered. I mean, you're talking to someone who's running a state that has the highest maternal mortality rate in the country, the most dangerous place for workers in the country, the lowest quality of life. I mean, these are not. I'm not proud of that at all. And so I decided to run for office because I want to make Tennessee better. And that's exactly what we've been doing with this race.
- [08:59]
B
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- [11:47]
C
Yeah. I mean, I'll just give you an example. In the 7th congressional district a few months ago, there was an explosives plant that exploded and it would be two on the nose, but 16 workers died. And because of the labor deregulations in our state, our state Tosha agency or state OSHA agency, Tosha had complaints about this business for worker neglect. Nothing was done because there's, there's no penalties for these companies or very limited and no regulation. And so these workers died. And it's, it's, it's horrific. And not only that, but then I found out that their families can only sue the company for $20,000 per person because of our state law. And so we're seeing this environment where, you know it, you, you can't get ahead. There are no opportunities. And so one of the, I mean with this campaign we've really tried to articulate like who the villains are in the story, which are the billionaire boys club and multinational greedy corporations that are selling you out from under your feet and telling you to blame your neighbor for it.
- [12:50]
B
Yes. And I do Want to say that, you know, there are some really good billionaire villains like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk and Peter Till. I mean, they're like, you know, they're. They're just so easy to hate. But really, we will continue to pop out these type of villains because it's not them personally, it's the system. It's the system that tells you that we have to deregulate instead of us labeling these things as consumer protections. And so we're going to continue to have villain after villain until we change the system. And the best way to change the system is starting locally. And so tell our listeners and viewers in Tennessee, you guys have got to go vote for affton. And if you live anywhere close, go find her campaign. Go knock on doors, go rattle cages. This would hurt so much for them and feel so great for us. And I love beating Republicans. I love it. All right, tell us, Afton how they can help you.
- [13:55]
C
So representative Afton Main running in the 7th Congressional District. It's a special election in Tennessee. Election starts, Polls open at 7. Polls close at 7. If you're in line, stay in line. And if you're anywhere in Nashville, you need to look at the neighborhoods and figure out if you're eligible to vote. It's supposed to snow and rain tomorrow, which is a good omen for me, because every campaign I won, it has rained. But we have the chance to send a message to Washington that people are fed up, people are done begging for crumbs, and if you want change, then I'm your candidate, and I hope we can eke this out tomorrow. I'm really excited. The energy has been incredible. And a big thank you to all your listeners and everyone across the country that has been waiting with bated breath to see if Tennessee can pull off this upset.
- [14:38]
B
I would. I just love it. I love it. I'm here. I'm going to be watching. Refreshing my phone. I hope you win. I mean, but if you do not, which I hope you do. But if you do not, we all have to keep fighting this fight, particularly in these red states, and delivering a message to these earnest people. They've been lied to. They've been sold a bill of goods that nobody ever intended to deliver upon. Afton, good luck. You got this. Rain, snow, sleet, or shine, you're gonna win. All right.
- [15:08]
C
All right. Thank you so much for having me.
- [15:10]
B
Bye.
- [15:10]
C
Bye.