← Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff
Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff
Dems’ Far-Left Michigan Mandani Wins. Why El-Sayed Will Struggle With Independents.
00:20:02
Michigan is not Manhattan. That's the through-line of this one. The Democratic primary in Michigan handed the U.S. Senate nomination to Abdul El-Sayed, a far-left progressive in a state where roughly 17% of voters are independent and Mike Rogers is waiting on the Republican side. Paul Rieckhoff calls it what it is: another gift from a rigged two-party primary system to the MAGA machine, and one more reason the Democrats will not save you. The Bernie-vs-Schumer civil war is nominating candidates who can't galvanize independents or win general elections — and it's happening on the biggest stages in the country.
Loading summary
Transcript16 lines
- [00:01]
A
What's going on everyone? It's bluff here. And you know what's more American than America's 250th birthday? Supporting American owned companies like Spinquest, America's number one social casino. With over a thousand games like live dealer blackjack and craps. They're offering new users a 30 coin package for just $10. Go to spinquest.com and sign up. Today
- [00:24]
B
Spinquest is a free to play social casino void where prohibited. Visit spinquest.com for more details.
- [00:32]
C
Every team, every topic, everywhere. This is believe. Julian Bedouin, the Democratic nominee for the Senate in South Dakota withdrew from the race after months of insisting he would stay in. Now what does this do? This clears the path for a one on one contest between independent veteran Brian Bangs, who you've heard about on this show for years, and incumbent Republican Mike Rounds. And here's what I gotta say. Let's go. Welcome to Independent Americans. Welcome to episode 593. I'm your host Paul Rykoff and I'm coming to you from New York City, usa, where it is humid like that nasty kind of uncomfortable summer. Human might have a thunderstorm, might not. But storm clouds are looming and it's an unstable time and I'm still battling a summer cold, which is annoying as shit. But we're going to push through it and today's artist is going to help us do that. Every morning I show and share with my boys a new artist and this is one that they're very excited about right now. It's the White Stripes, which is perfect because we're going to talk about Michigan today. And the famous rock duo of course formed In Detroit in 1997, Jack White and his brother Meg. You know them of course from Seven Nation army and you may know them from Fell in Love with a girl, which my 7 year old is learning this week at rock camp on the drums and my older kid is learning on guitar. So it's a great time to focus on the White Stripes learning. We're going to need that kind of energy. We're going to be focused on Michigan and we're going to rock on. And I'm going to bring you the five eyes. I bring you in every single show, independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact. The kind of impact you feel when you hear a white striped riff when you hear the drums banging. We're going to keep moving forward, we're going to keep pounding the drums and we're going to stay vigilant. All right. This week was of course another big week of primaries and now we've had some time to dig into it. And there is one top topic. Michigan is not Manhattan. An increasingly radical Democratic primary system has just handed Trump and the Republicans another gigantic gift. Abdul Al Sayed won the Michigan Democratic Senate primary. The former public health official beat Representative Haley Stevens, who was viewed as the establishment candidate. He was way outgunned in terms of money, but he had a. And he had a huge advertising disadvantage. But another radical left progressive is out in front for the Democrats now, maybe on the biggest stage in the country, the big one of the biggest races in the country. A place where they are fighting with the Republican and former Representative Mike Rogers to replace Senator Peters, who is stepping down. And I think they're gonna get their ass kicked. And it's a reminder that the Democrats will not save you. This candidate is ridiculously far to the left and outta the mainstream, especially for a state like Michigan where roughly 17% of voters are independent. Now, just imagine if Democrats had a more tested and known candidate going up for the general election, like Pete Buttigieg, who's been on this show before and I'll remind you is also a veteran, or Gretchen Whitmer, who's been well vetted and ran for president. Imagine if they had them instead of this far left guy if there was a legit. Or imagine if there was a legitimate independent in the race, an independent veteran like there is in Montana or South Dakota and Idaho. But this is increasingly what our increasingly partisan politics and failed primary system looks like. And the Democrats are not going to save you, America. They're going through a civil war between the moderates and the progressives. Bernie Sanders against Chuck Schumer. And the primaries in Michigan, like in so many other places, are run by the parties which have become increasingly radical, increasingly putting forward candidates that can't galvanize independence or win a general election. If you're a Republican or you're Trump, today's a good day for you. If you're a nonpartisan independent American who doesn't care about parties. Today's another bad post primary week, but there is some hope today. This week there was a truly open non Protestant primary in Washington in the midst of wildfires, four independent veterans rose to the challenge. More on that coming up. But this is now, with this primary now settled in Michigan and a general election unfolding and potentially Democrats new Graham Platner. It's now a time especially for independent Americans to stay vigilant. All right, look, this is going to be a summer of ups and downs. Good news, bad news. Thunderstorms and sunshine. But there's one story that happened on primary night that most folks didn't see. One story that's below the radar. All right. Now this is a story that should not be below the radar for Democrats. But as the primary results were coming in, the Washington Post reported that Democrat nominee for U.S. senate in South Dakota Julian Bedouin ended the campaign for Senate. Julian Bedouin, the Democratic nominee for the Senate in South Dakota withdrew from the race after months of insisting he would stay in. Now what does this do? This clears the path for a one on one contest between independent veteran Brian Bangs, who you've heard about on this show for years, and incumbent Republican Mike Rouse. And here's what I gotta say. Let's fucking go. Now we've got another head to head between an independent Veterans of America endorsed independent veteran with the outstanding Brian Banks versus incumbent rubber stamp Republican Mike Rounds. And it's also an IVA endorsed independent veteran Todd Achilles in a head to head matchup over in Idaho against 83 year old rubber stamp Republican Jim Risch. You heard from Achilles on this show just last week. Now there's one other key race. We just need the ridiculous Democrat with no chance in hell Alani Bankhead to do the right thing and drop out of the Senate race in Montana. She needs to step aside and clear the path for a head to head between an IVA endorsed independent veteran, Green Beret Rhodes Scholar Seth Bodnar and Trump backed Republican Kurt Almi. This is the year of the independent vet and the change is here and South Dakota is now in the crosshairs. But here's a question. Alani Bankhead in Montana has absolutely no chance in hell. She's polling in single digits. She's raised almost no money. Is she a Republican plant? Is she even really a Democrat? She's got lots of weird and extreme positions from loving on ice agents to opposing vaccines to celebrating Kanye West. Yes, really. But she is the definition of a spoiler. Bankhead is selfishly putting herself over the interests of veterans, the people of Montana and all Americans. As a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel especially, she should do the right thing and drop out. If she doesn't, the pressure will continue. She's got till August 10. I will continue to follow this story and we will have Brian Bangs, independent South Dakota veteran will be back on the show later this week. We're going to talk about why he can win, why he can disrupt the status quo and how he can make history. It's happening folks. We're going to have head to head matchups between Republicans and independents and Democrats and independents. And then we'll find out who the real spoilers are. Stay vigilant, folks.
- [08:52]
D
This episode of Independent Americans is sponsored by kalsheet. We make predictions every single day. We talk about it on this show. Politics, pop culture, the economy, the biggest stories making headlines all across America and around the world. And Kalshi, America's number one prediction market platform, lets you trade those predictions in a live market. If you haven't checked it out, now is the time, especially around politics and the elections. Will will Trump buy at least part of Greenland? If you think he'll do that before 2027 and you wager $100, it'll pay out $2,019.24. If you think it's going to be before January 20, 2029, it's 17%. You can also pick whether or not you think the Republicans or the Democrats are going to win Congress. You can pick who you think the
- [09:46]
C
Democratic nominee will be.
- [09:47]
D
Who the Republican nominee.
- [09:48]
C
It would be great to see if
- [09:49]
D
there's an independent nominee. There's a lot that you can wager on, but on Kalshi, you're trading against peers in a live market, meaning there's no house. And as the probability changes, you can buy in and out of your position.
- [10:02]
C
And it's fun.
- [10:03]
D
And if you listen to this show, you can stay ahead of the curve. So download the Kalshi app and use the code independent and get up to $500 in bonus credits when you trade 25, which is pretty good. Kalshi K A L S H I Kalshi trade on anything 18 and older restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Event contract trading involves risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Cow sheet products are not available in all jurisdictions. Prices, values and available markets may differ from those mentioned. For more information, see kalsheet.com regulatory independent Americans, now is the time. Check out Kalsheet. This episode of Independent Americans is sponsored by Cozy Earth. If you haven't heard about them, they're awesome, especially in the summer. You guys know I'm out with my boys. I'm at baseball. I'm at pools and beaches and just getting dirty and all over the place. And I need really good towels and they've got awesome pool towels that you can use for the beach, for the pool, even if you're not a pool person. They have really good bath towels that are amazing. They kind of feel like those really luxury towels you get when you come from a spa or a fancy hotel, super plush, absorbent. They suck up everything. My kids love them and it's cool because Cozy Earth stands behind everything they make with a 10 year warranty.
- [11:23]
C
They're oversized, ultra plush, completely built for
- [11:26]
D
your best summer days. So head to cozyearth.com and use the code Americans for an exclusive 20% off. That's code Americans for an exclusive 20% OFF. And if you see post purchase survey mention that you heard about Cozy Earth right here on Independent Americans, check out our friends at Cozy Earth.
- [11:45]
E
Superhero values take on powerful new forms in the US Mint's comic art coin and metal program featuring DC superheroes in all new original designs. Shop exclusive coins and medals@us mint.gov dc
- [12:00]
C
all right, I told you we're going to end with something good. And I got something good. This week in Washington, there was a truly open nonpartisan primary. In the midst of the wildfires, two IVA endorsed independent veteran candidates. We're victorious and they're counting two others. So there's a chance we could go three for four in Washington. I told you, I'm going to remind you there were four independent veterans on the ballot, not Democrats, not Republicans. Four leaders who looked at the two party machine decided it wasn't going to solve anything and they ran anyway. With no party infrastructure behind them, with no party money in front of them and no party lawyers to call when something goes sideways. Sideways. Washington state runs what's called a top two primary, which means everybody runs in the same ballot regardless of party. Finish in the top two and you go on to November. That's it. It's the most fair system in the country. And I want to be honest with you about that because we spend a lot of time on the show talking about states that lack and lock out independence entirely. The closed primaries, the party registration walls, the ballot access rules, red written by the two parties to protect the two parties and the duopoly. But Washington isn't that. Washington gives you a real shot. Washington is a fail fair playing field. So what happens when independents actually get a real shot? Here's what's happened. They win. Danny Tarkenton ran for Spokane county prosecuting attorney. Her ballot line didn't say Democrat, didn't say Republican. It said, and this is the actual language quote states no party preference. And she got 49%. 49% in a county that was on fire on election day with no party apparatus around her. And she's about a thousand votes back. She's going into November either way and right now that race is a coin flip she is in the top two and she is advancing. She has gotten the job done and here we go. She's not alone. Ronald McCoy told you about him. He ran for state Senate up in the seventh district four way race. He finished second almost 28% as an independent and he's going on to November. Aaron Croft also did very well. Ran for the state house in the sixth. He's in third of 537 votes or so out of a November slot with ballots still being counted. That one is not over. And then Nate Powell, firefighter and veteran, ran for Congress in Washington's 5th. There were 12 candidates on that ballot and he finished third, an admiral third, an admirable third. He's about 6,000 votes back and that's a pretty steep hill. I don't think he'll be able to climb it. But 16,000 people voted for him. Now, I want to be careful here because I don't do victory laps on unofficial numbers. None of this is certified. Washington counts for two more weeks and the county certifies in the middle of the month. The state a few days after that numbers move and I'll come back to it when they're final, especially given the wildfires. But let's talk about why it matters. Here's why I'm telling you about four down ballot races in eastern Washington instead of what's happening in Washington D.C. today. Because there's a story both parties tell people like you. The story is that independents are a mood or a protest or we're not real, a demographic that shows up in polling and then evaporates on election day. That's what John Kasich would have you believe. Something you feel, not something you can build with. Well, 34% of American voters are unaffiliated. That's over 90 million people. And the standard line from both parties is sure, but they don't organize, they don't turn out. And voting for one of them is throwing your vote away. Bullshit. Yesterday in a county that was literally burning, tens of thousands of people threw their vote away on purpose. They dedicated their vote to a cause and to leaders. And two of those four at least are moving on to November. A third is inside of 537 votes. That's not a mood, that's a block that hasn't been properly counted yet. It's a sleeping giant. It's the one we focus on every single day on this show. Notice what it took. It took a state where the rules let them on the ballot in the first place. And that's the whole ball game. Give Independence a fair primary and we're competitive. Lock us out the way most states do, the way we've documented over and over again on this show, and you never find out what we could have done. The two parties know that. That's the point of the rules. That's why they're rigging the system in their favor in the primaries. It's broken on purpose to benefit them. Washington state is what right looks like. Michigan is what wrong looks like. If the parties don't run elections and everyone can vote equally, we get better, less radical, more independent candidates and we get increased turnout, even in the middle of a wildfire crisis. One more thing and then I'll let it go. The people running in these races are veterans. And the week their community caught fire, the story out of Spokane was firefighters and first responders and neighbors pulling each other out. And a whole lot of those people are veterans, too. That's not a coincidence. That's not a talking point. It's what happens when you spend your 20s and your 30s learning how to function on the worst day of somebody's life. You get people who run toward it. You get people who run in when others are running out. And then some of us come home and decide the next thing worth running toward is a broken political system. Adapt, improvise, overcome. That's what we do. We'll have certified numbers in a couple of weeks. I'll bring them to you either way, the wins and the losses, because you can't build anything real on a scoreboard. You're cooking. But now we have real numbers, real results, real win, real wins. And our movement is really moving forward. Stay vigilant, folks, and get excited. Stay vigilant. All right, get excited because we got a lot more good stuff coming up in the days ahead. Brian Bangs, who now has a clear head to head matchup in South Dakota, is going to be back on the show and going to join me. I hope to have that for you on Friday. I'm going to talk to at least one of the winners from the Washington primary. I hope they'll join me in the next couple of days, early next week. Next week, I'm hoping to get Senator Joe Manchin and his daughter Heather on the show. They've just launched a new effort for independence. This is happening, folks. Mainstream media, the partisans, the parties, they have been slow to recognize it, but if you ride with me on this show, you knew this was coming and you helped us get to 15 on the podcast charts. Help us keep driving it forward. Share this information with everybody who needs it. Follow us on all social media. Subscribe get the merch. You can get merch and join our Patreon community and sign up for Too much information. No the Morning Independent. That's our kick ass newsletter. Free in your inbox every morning and be sure to subscribe wherever you're listening or watching right now. YouTube, Spotify, Apple, leave us all the stars. Give us a rating. Please help support this movement. Check out our generous sponsors who make this show possible, like Kalshee, Cozy, Earth, Noble Mobile and our friends at Independent Voter News who always have some of the best data on what's happening. You can look at the primaries coming up and much more if you want to run. There's still time in some places if you want to run next time. IndependentVeteranSofAmerica.org is the place we are recruiting. We will be announcing new endorsements throughout the summer into the fall with a goal of 100. 100 like these four that just met the moment. America's divided, but we're meeting this moment and here at Independent Americans, we're working to change that. Adding light and inspiration to battle the heat. If you're now among the 45% of Americans who are independent, growing by the day, especially after another shitty primary week in most places, this is your show. Our independent movement is bringing hope for the future. We are Washington State to the rest of the country's Michigan. Country over party, people over politics, light over heat, disrupting the status quo and fueling a new movement that spans all across our country. And you're seeing that from South Dakota to Montana to Idaho to Washington state. And our movement's growing and we're bringing hope. That is the oxygen of our democracy. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it far and wide, especially with people in South Dakota, especially with people in Washington. They need to know what's going on and they need to know how to get involved. You can invite others to join this movement and declare their independence and stay vigilant, my friends, because eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. You're not alone in your vigilance. We're all vigilant and we're all in this together. And we are growing in numbers by the day and we're winning. I'm your host, Paul Rykoff. Thank you for tuning in to independent Americans. I will see you tomorrow. Until next time, let's celebrate these brave veterans in Washington. Good luck to our friend Brian Bangs in South Dakota. And let's keep bringing it and let's Stay vigilant America tells me the left
- [21:20]
F
and right are dreams for those without a clue and when you wake it's time to grow and it's not cool to believe in school but if I can say one thing I've seen the children of the revolution and the good trouble they can bring he says the red and blue are dead and independent is an attitude. And when you wait, it's time to
- [21:49]
C
grow Power by Righteous Media.