Total Bullsh*t with Rahm Emanuel

Summary

Podcast Summary: "I've Had It" – Episode: Total Bullsh*t with Rahm Emanuel

Release Date: April 22, 2025
Hosts: Jennifer Welch and Angie “Pumps” Sullivan
Guest: Rahm Emanuel, former US Ambassador to Japan, former Mayor of Chicago, and former Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama

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1. Introduction and Personal Anecdotes

The episode kicks off with Jennifer Welch introducing herself and her husband, Josh Welch, affectionately referred to as "America's head metrosexual in charge." The hosts delve into light-hearted personal stories, highlighting the comedic and relatable dynamics between them.

• Jennifer Welch [00:38]: "Patriots, gaytriots and the donning of a beaver...the beaver in charge is ill...so none other than my husband, Josh Welch, has joined today."

2. Everyday Frustrations and "I've Had It" Moments

Jennifer and Josh share their pet peeves, setting the tone for the episode's theme of expressing frustrations.

• Jennifer Welch [02:19]: "I've had it with people asking you what time it is when they themselves have the answer right in their very hands."

Josh adds his own grievances, focusing on societal over-celebration of children's achievements.

• Josh Welch [04:08]: "I've had it with society celebrating children so much...it makes me want to not celebrate children."

3. Listener Feedback and Reviews

Kylie, presumably a co-host or producer, reads out listener reviews, which Jennifer and Josh respond to with their characteristic humor and candidness.

• Listener Review by Lenny [12:08]: "Josh Welch is a DEI hire. Five stars. ... He's the black little mermaid for the obs."

Jennifer retorts sharply to other reviews that critique their content direction.

• Jennifer Welch [12:58]: "Hooky Bee...leave the politics to the other pod...I don't want the three, you can go fuck yourself."

4. Current Events and Political Commentary

Jennifer discusses recent research on the emotional impact of breakups on men versus women, with Josh agreeing emphatically.

• Jennifer Welch [15:07]: "Breaking up is harder for men than women, research reveals..."
• Josh Welch [16:02]: "I think that's 100% true...women are just stronger mentally, emotionally, psychologically."

5. Debate on Democratic Messaging with Rahm Emanuel

The core of the episode features a deep dive into Democratic Party strategies and messaging, with Rahm Emanuel providing his insights based on his extensive political experience.

• Rahm Emanuel [27:23]: "I've had it with us not focusing on the American people...we're talking around each other and abusing, scoring political points."

Jennifer expresses frustration with the Democratic Party's focus, feeling that core issues like education and economic vitality are being overshadowed by peripheral cultural debates.

• Jennifer Welch [29:48]: "We have this unhinged superintendent of school...there is no gay agenda in Oklahoma...I see the dangers of it."

Rahm emphasizes the importance of focusing on fundamental issues that directly affect the American populace, such as education and economic stability.

• Rahm Emanuel [34:26]: "Every child is homeschooled...what we're not fighting for wrong things...education of a child is the most progressive thing."

6. Confrontation and Resolution

The conversation becomes more heated as Jennifer challenges Rahm on his stance, leading to a spirited exchange about party definitions and political strategies.

• Jennifer Welch [43:29]: "MAGA is the most genital obsessed political party I have ever seen...That's why we lose."

Rahm counters by stressing the importance of aligning with voters' core concerns and avoiding distractions that don't resonate with the electorate.

• Rahm Emanuel [46:22]: "Connecting on what is core to the American people is crucial if you're going to win those elections."

Despite disagreements, the hosts maintain a level of camaraderie, ending the confrontational segment with humor and mutual respect.

• Jennifer Welch [57:23]: "Let me ask one more time before we leave. What was on the shoes?"
• Josh Welch [64:46]: "It's different. The rules are different that they're playing by, and the messaging is gonna have to be different."

7. Closing Remarks and Future Directions

Jennifer and Josh wrap up the episode by reflecting on the discussions, emphasizing the need for authentic and voter-focused messaging within the Democratic Party to counteract the current political climate dominated by MAGA narratives.

• Jennifer Welch [62:37]: "It makes me angry that we are the party of principle...when I hear a Democratic leader like Rahm Emanuel...allow MAGA to define our party, I think that's a weakness."

Josh concurs, highlighting the necessity for the party to adapt its strategies to effectively communicate and resonate with voters.

• Josh Welch [63:55]: "Democrats don't play by the same set of rules that Republicans do...we need to adapt."

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Key Takeaways

• Core Issues Over Peripheral Debates: Rahm Emanuel advocates for prioritizing fundamental issues like education and economic opportunity over cultural debates that may not resonate with the broader electorate.

• Need for Authentic Messaging: The discussion underscores the importance of aligning Democratic messaging with the genuine concerns of voters to regain trust and support.

• Party Strategy and Adaptation: There's a consensus on the need for the Democratic Party to adapt its strategies to counteract the aggressive and often distracting tactics employed by MAGA-aligned groups.

Notable Quotes

• Jennifer Welch [04:19]: "I've had it with people asking you what time it is when they themselves have the answer right in their very hands."

• Josh Welch [04:08]: "I've had it with society celebrating children so much...it makes me want to not celebrate children."

• Rahm Emanuel [27:23]: "I've had it with us not focusing on the American people...we're talking around each other and abusing, scoring political points."

• Jennifer Welch [43:29]: "MAGA is the most genital obsessed political party I have ever seen...That's why we lose."

• Rahm Emanuel [46:22]: "Connecting on what is core to the American people is crucial if you're going to win those elections."

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Conclusion:
In this episode, "I've Had It" offers a candid and robust discussion on the current state of the Democratic Party's messaging and strategy, highlighting internal frustrations and the urgent need to realign with voters' core concerns. Rahm Emanuel's insights provide a seasoned perspective on navigating the complex political landscape dominated by aggressive MAGA tactics, emphasizing the importance of authenticity and focus on fundamental issues to restore the party's standing and effectiveness.

Transcript

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[Jennifer Welch]

So we're supposed to start the podcast. All right, Patriots, gaytriots and the donning of a beaver. The hbic, the head beaver in charge, is ill. She is in the fetal position at home and in bed. And so none other than my husband, Josh Welch, America's head metrosexual in charge.

[Josh Welch]

Time to bring in the big hitter.

[Jennifer Welch]

Has joined today so that the beaver could take a rest. You know, we started calling her the head beaver in charge. Do you ever listen to our podcast?

[Josh Welch]

I do. Sometimes I have to. It's the only time I see, so I have to kind of see what you're wearing, see what you're saying, what you're doing.

[Jennifer Welch]

I recently one of my habits was hypochondriacs. And I used you as an example and shared with our listener about the earwax situation.

[Josh Welch]

I recently had a brain tumor. I'm losing my hearing in my left ear. So all this happened within the past 10 days. I'm still investigating all of these things.

[Jennifer Welch]

How many doctors have you seen regarding this?

[Josh Welch]

3 or 4. I had two CT scans scheduled simultaneously at the same time. One with contrast, one without, because I'd called so many doctors and they had all scheduled them. And eventually I thought, I cannot go get a second CAT scan. I just had one. They said I'm normal. That would just not be smart. So I'm always chasing something down. As you get old, shit starts to break, things fall apart.

[Jennifer Welch]

But, I mean, don't you think you're kind of a little bit of a hypochondriac?

[Josh Welch]

Completely.

[Jennifer Welch]

Yeah.

[Josh Welch]

Absolutely. Completely.

[Jennifer Welch]

All right, so let me. Let me tell you what I've had it with. I've had it with people that ask you what time it is when they're holding their own iPhone in their hand. And I'll give you an example of this. Yesterday we were in the airport, you and me and our son Roman.

[Josh Welch]

That's right.

[Jennifer Welch]

And you start shouting to me like three or four times in a row, what time is it? What time Is it. What time is. I turn around and I'm on one of those moving platforms and I see that your cell phone isn't just in your hand, but it's like about 8 inches from your face. And I decided this is a new thing that I do with you. I just don't answer. So I just. I don't answer. You keep.

[Josh Welch]

You've just decided not to answer. It's been going on for years.

[Jennifer Welch]

So I keep it up. And then Roman finally is like, answers what time it is. But I've decided I've had it with people asking you what time it is when they themselves have the answer right in their very hands right in front of it.

[Josh Welch]

Seems like I was carrying several bags or one or two bags. You know how you get like a strap that's intertwined with your fingers. And I'm holding my iPhone and it was such that I couldn't maneuver to where I could press the, the, you know, the button or press the device and the time would pop up. So that's why I continued to ask, but I did realize the absurdity of ask when in fact I was holding an iPhone. The answer, yeah, but. But I just wanted to qualify as there were some handicaps that were preventing me from completely just taking that extra step and punching the face of the iPhone just to get it to light up. Like there was something that caused me not to be able to do that.

[Jennifer Welch]

What have you had it with, Josh?

[Josh Welch]

It's kind of a broad umbrella, but I think I'm getting to the point where I've had it with society celebrating children so much. Just in a general sense, like everything is a celebration. Every child is going to be an exceptional athlete. They're going to train when they're in fourth and fifth and sixth grade, they're going to the NBA, they're going to play professional football. If you go to an award banquet, there's 87 awards given to assure that everybody gets one. I think just the celebration of children makes me want to not celebrate children.

[Jennifer Welch]

I agree. It's like a. It makes you. Because it's so unrealistic that you're celebrating just normal accomplishments that are just the bare minimum. And it turns into this huge hyper celebration that I think that there could be a very dangerous anti child backlash to this over celebrating of children.

[Josh Welch]

I think so. And the reality of it is, is that if you're lucky, you're just a normal kid. You're not exceptional, you're not killing it. You're not getting a pluses. All the time. You're not scoring 30 points in a basketball game. You're just a normal child and that needs to be okay. Even being a subpar child at times is sort of being a good thing. But when you elevate it to where we at all times have to applaud and cheer and talk about how great this is and how great that is and in reality it's not, you're just an average kid. At times you're a little below average. And that's okay. You don't have to be exceptional. Everybody doesn't need an award. You don't need another certificate that you're going to trash the moment that you get home. We don't need all that.

[Jennifer Welch]

What about the parents that overtly brag about like their kids and or grandkids accomplishments? I'll give you an example. So I saw my aunt the other day, my dad's sister, Love her, she's darling. But she says to me that her grandson who's 15, took an ACT exam, a practice exam, and got every single question right, every single question right on the ACT exam. I immediately knew that this was not true. That this was completely, you know, conflated hyperbola. You know, we're connecting things that shouldn't be connected here. I'm sure he got an okay score and maybe it was a good score for a 15 year old. I would bet both of our kids lives and the French Bulldogs that that child 100% did not make a 100% on the ACT exam.

[Josh Welch]

No doubt. And what it does is it places you in these untenable positions in a conversation where you have to look at the person and say that's complete bullshit. That didn't happen. The way that you're describing this just simply did not happen. You can either say that or you just have to kind of sit there and nod your head and think, okay, when the fuck do I get to get out of here?

[Jennifer Welch]

I just did one of these. Oh wow. Yeah, wow. 100% on the act at 15. Wow. You know, sitting there knowing like that just didn't fucking happen. And I don't even have to get any of the details. You just know that it didn't happen. But this happens a lot where people are telling you something that is so over the top. And then for this kid, knowing that his parents and grandparents are perpetuating a bald faced lie and then let's say when it's time for him to take the real act, let's say he makes about a 15 on it, he's really Going to feel like a dipshit considering everybody contributed and participated in this bald face lie going on years about this fake 100% on the ACT exam.

[Josh Welch]

But let's dissect this even further because it's part of a bigger problem with parents or grandparents wanting to take so much pride in their child or grandchild that they make something about the child or grandchild about them. This isn't about your aunt wanting to brag about her grandson as much as it's a moment for her to tell some outlandish lie that's just simply not true. That just takes it to another level. You know, you see this a lot in sports where parents are talking about their kids and what a great. They're great at this or they're great at that. And you're just thinking they're not that great. You know, it's okay not to be that great and your grandson's not that smart. Nobody gets a perfect act. That's a bald faced lie. Quit saying this so we can have other conversations.

[Jennifer Welch]

Yeah, and it's always like, it's always a kind of a one Upman type thing. Yeah, it's always like, you can't just because I think that she had asked me where one of our kids was going to college and I shared it and then that was the response to it. Instead of just staying with the moment.

[Josh Welch]

That's the seat. You've pegged the worst there. That's the worst thing in the world. Whenever someone's sharing something with you about something they take pride in and then you take that and you one up it and totally shift the conversation to where it's not even about the thing that you're being vulnerable with. And sharing it then becomes about their one upping.

[Jennifer Welch]

Right.

[Josh Welch]

And it's awful. People that do that. It's awful.

[Jennifer Welch]

All right, welcome to I've Had It. I'm Jennifer. This is where you're supposed to say, I'm Josh.

[Josh Welch]

I'm Josh. I'm filling in for AKA what is it? The HBI Cube, Bitchy Beaver or whatever.

[Jennifer Welch]

The Bitchy Beaver.

[Josh Welch]

The Beaver.

[Jennifer Welch]

You know, you have a lot of stories that our listeners like, particularly our gay trio. I think your epic story about going to Best Buy for manscaping consultation.

[Josh Welch]

Manscaping.

[Jennifer Welch]

I think prior to that, some of the gaytrits were kind of like, is Jennifer's husband gay? But the minute you confess that you went to Best Buy to receive manscaping consultation advice from the Best Buy clerk, they were like, that's pretty strange.

[Josh Welch]

It totally Removed me from the gay camp. As far as was he ever gay or not.

[Jennifer Welch]

No self respecting gay man would go to Best Buy for manscaping equipment. And then I think most recently, a lot of our gay trots were really tickled with. Remember the shoes you got me for Valentine's Day that I returned? What was it that they had on them?

[Josh Welch]

The. The Se. Sequeen. Is it Sea Queen?

[Jennifer Welch]

Try again.

[Josh Welch]

Sequin. It's got a. It's more sequins. I. I can't say it.

[Jennifer Welch]

Sequin.

[Josh Welch]

Sequin.

[Jennifer Welch]

Sequin.

[Josh Welch]

Sequin.

[Jennifer Welch]

What made you think I wanted to sequence you?

[Josh Welch]

Well, in my defense, the Gucci website didn't pop the sparkles on the shoe like you would expect.

[Jennifer Welch]

All right, all right. I guess it's the thought that counts. And I'll tell you that finding out after 25 years of marriage that you didn't know how to pronounce sequin, you know, that was a real. That's a little pepper. My step that I needed.

[Josh Welch]

I've never said that word before.

[Jennifer Welch]

I think further confirming your heterosexuality.

[Josh Welch]

That's right.

[Jennifer Welch]

That's right.

[Josh Welch]

I'm too busy at Best Buy looking for nut shavers. You know, I don't have time for all this other stuff.

[Jennifer Welch]

Kylie, what is going on on the world wide web? Regarding I've had it podcast.

[Kylie]

I've got a couple reviews that I need to read you today.

[Jennifer Welch]

Okay, let's hear them.

[Kylie]

Up first, this is a recent one, okay. Titled Josh Welch is a DEI hire. Five stars. And Lenny writes shout out to Josh Welch. I have extreme OCD too, and it's nice to see neurotic narcissism represented in media. He's the black little mermaid for the obs. Excessive, compulsive. Thanks.

[Josh Welch]

Wow. Now who said that? Do we. Do we get a name attached?

[Kylie]

Their name was Lenny.

[Josh Welch]

Lenny. Okay. A DEI Higher.

[Jennifer Welch]

Yeah, because you're a neurotic narcissist. And he's happy to see neurotic narcissists represented in the media.

[Josh Welch]

You're not even touching on all the other things either. The addiction, all the other things. I am. That would make me a minority.

[Jennifer Welch]

Yeah, yeah, you are. You are a little. This is a DEI substitution here. Yeah, yeah, totally is. Okay, Kylie, who's next?

[Kylie]

Okay, up next, we've got three stars titled Closet magazine and they write. As has been said on the show, anyone who repeatedly bashes a particular group is definitely participating in said shenanigans. These ladies are closet Magas for sure. Bring back the petty grievances and leave the politics to the other pod.

[Jennifer Welch]

Hooky Bee. Here's what I have to say to Hooky Bee. You know, it takes a special person to think that we should personally curate the podcast for you that you want a podcast full of petty grievances. Meanwhile, the government is weaponizing itself against black people, brown people, gay people, trans people, and women. And you think we're going to sit here and talk about filing our nails all day? That is as insulting as. As it is selfish on your part. And you might as well have just given us a one star. I don't want the three, you can go fuck yourself.

[Josh Welch]

Three is being generous. And she's fortunate that we're not going to have all these petty grievances about people like her who try to tell us what to do.

[Jennifer Welch]

Yeah, and I don't mind a one star review based on our performance, but it sounds like her three star review is based on that. She wants us to believe the way she believes. And then she would like us. And this is the inherent. And I would go out on a limb and say, that's a white woman. And this is the inherent problem with white women right now. And we've talked about this on the podcast before. You have black women who voted 90% for Kamala. Jewish women, obviously white voted around 90% for Kamala. White women like the beaver in Mexico. You know, you have a split and you have these women that have this princess syndrome that think everything in the world should be personally curated for them and handled for them and that kind of shit. I've totally had it with that kind of princess syndrome.

[Josh Welch]

Well, it's also part of the just shut up and dribble LeBron stuff.

[Jennifer Welch]

That's exactly what it is.

[Josh Welch]

Just stay in your lane. And here's a novel idea for that particular viewer. I guess we can call her a viewer if you don't like the content and maybe you don't have to watch it. You know, that's just a thought. If it gets a little too political, maybe just turn it off, because I turn off all the time that I don't want to listen to.

[Jennifer Welch]

I mean, the only thing I can say is that at least the reviewer understands that calling someone MAGA is a critique and is a criticism. That's the only thing. There's a slight bit of unintended self awareness in that because she's trying to insult us by calling us maga. So at least there is some sort of negative connotation. Yeah, probably unintended on their part. But I have some news stories I Want to share? All right. The first one is. Breaking up is harder for men than women, research reveals. Research shows that men often struggle more than women after a breakup, both emotionally and psychologically. While women are more likely to seek support and process their feelings through conversation, many men tend to internalize their pain, leading to deeper emotional distress.

[Josh Welch]

I think that's 100% true. Women are just stronger mentally, emotionally, psychologically. They're just stronger than men. They just, when they've made a decision, there's some finality to it. It's over. You know, men just constantly are just titty babies and they're sorry. They're sorry over and over. And, you know, women are just. No.

[Jennifer Welch]

What do you think about, like, you're a guy from rural America, a town of 5,000 people, right? That I'm sure is just a hotbed of MAGA activity.

[Josh Welch]

That's right.

[Jennifer Welch]

Your hometown of Hugo, Oklahoma. That's it.

[Josh Welch]

The Fighting Buffaloes.

[Jennifer Welch]

The Fighting buffaloes.

[Josh Welch]

Homecoming King, 1987. Get that out there. Football captain. Football captain. The full nine yards.

[Jennifer Welch]

This is before you came out of the closet.

[Josh Welch]

Randy Travis. Clint Black with your sequins. George Strait.

[Jennifer Welch]

But what's your take on, like, there's this whole movement when you see, like, Trump and J.D. vance and Elon Musk and Joe Rogan trying to act like they're so macho, like overly talking about how masculine they are and how men are under attack, what's your take on that? Come having just where you are now as a metro sexual sea queen wearing man that just discovered manscaping, but also your former, you know, redneck self.

[Josh Welch]

Well, see, what, what being tough meant back in those days is could you kick someone's ass? Could you whip someone's ass? That's what, like, being tough meant. So when you ask me these questions about Trump or Elon Musk, like, what if, you know, they were to be in a dark alley and meet some, I don't know, guy like me or 6 foot 3, 6 foot 4, African American or whatever, and that you literally had to get into a fist fight, like, fight each other? Like, are you thinking that Trump or Elon Musk or, I don't know, Joe Rogan? I mean, he's kind of cut a.

[Jennifer Welch]

Little bit, but I think he's like five, three. Yeah.

[Josh Welch]

I mean, are these guys that. Are you going to be able to fight your way out of that, or are you just one of these, like, loud talkers? Because, like, I'm kind of a tree hugger, kind of progressive. But I would love the Chance to get into a fist fight with someone that I didn't like, that was maga. I mean, so if you've got road rage and you see me driving my overpriced Range Rover, flip me off and let's get out and let's fight. Like that's what it means to be a tough guy. Like, can you, you know, can you whip someone's ass?

[Jennifer Welch]

And do you think that maybe psychologically they know they can't kick anybody's ass and so then, and maybe then they're playing this out.

[Josh Welch]

I think that's the point. It's just rhetoric. It's just talk. Like guys like that back when you're in my high school, that would talk like that, you would just quickly get your ass beaten. Like, you know, you would talk shit, somebody would call you on it, you'd get into a fight, you would get your ass whipped. You couldn't get on social media and type a bunch of shit out and put out a bunch of propaganda about how tough you were because all the kids just saw you get your ass whipped.

[Jennifer Welch]

What do you think from your childhood growing up in a very Guns and Religion style culture, not your personal family, but the community in which you lived, where Obama said people cling to guns and religion, that's definitely true. We know of people in Oklahoma. What messaging would the Democratic Party have to have to ever get these people on board or is that over?

[Josh Welch]

They take these issues like transplant sports, which is probably less than 1% of any, you know, any factor in anything, and they take that and highlight it. But to your point, we know a lot of people who have trans kids. And the way that the kids are treated, everybody universally agrees, is horrific. The way they're vilified, the way the government has turned its back on the treatment of these kids, everybody can universally get behind that. However, in rural Oklahoma, in rural parts of the country, when people don't understand an issue, their immediate go to is to fear that issue and not understand it. So there's a lot of fear based around issues that they don't understand. And so part of that is incumbent upon the Democrats to be able to present this messaging in a way that resonates. And I think sometimes we just intellectualize too much or we're not as, as you pointed out, we don't take affirmative stance and dig in on certain issues because with what I do for a living, I'm very unapologetic about certain things I believe in. And if you don't like it, you know, you can f off. And I know that regardless of what we say about Donald Trump, I think we can say that a lot of people were gravitated towards him initially because he spoke off the cuff and said things that normal politicians don't say. Now, we don't like those things. But that was his, I think, part of his attraction to a certain sector.

[Jennifer Welch]

I saw a tweet on Twitter probably in the last week and somebody wrote, I just wish for one election cycle the Democrats would run as being dicks. Like dicks for social justice, dicks for the economy, dicks for Social Security, dicks for Medicare. Just fuck you. Yeah, we're fighting for old people to get the money that they paid into and not give it to billionaires. Yeah, we're going to fight for your poor ass to have Medicare. You don't want to vote for it, that's fine. We'll vote for it anyway. Just one election cycle to vote as we're dicks. And speaking of somebody who is not afraid of a fight, I'm really happy to have on today Rahm Emanuel. He is a former US Ambassador to Japan, the former mayor of Chicago, and the former chief of staff to President Barack Obama. So let's welcome Rahm Emanuel. Okay, listener, I have to share with you guys my current new obsession. They're called mix tiles. What are mix tiles? They're these super cool peel and stick photos that seamlessly attach to any wall without leaving any damage. Using magnets, they can be adjusted and restuck multiple times. You simply upload photos from your pH, design your tiles and choose from various sizes and styles. By making the creation of photo walls that are so easy, the mix tiles have the most stunning aesthetic. They are just fantastic. My wall, I have all of these pictures of my children in the hallway of my house. All mix tiles. It looks so fantastic. Listener, turn your favorite memories into stunning, affordable wall art. For a limited time, our listeners get 35 off on all orders above $19. Just head to mixtiles.com and be sure to use the code hatit and you're all set. That's code had [e-mail] and after you buy, do us a favor. When they ask where you heard about mix tiles, tell them it was from our show Listener. Do you love your sunglasses or your super hip shades but find them getting caught in your hair and how frustrating that is? Well, those days are over thanks to our part at Shady Rays. Their best selling Tangle free collection has nose pieces specifically designed to avoid any snags in your hair. This way Perfectly styled hair remains exactly as it's supposed to be. Perfectly styled. Shady Rays offers all the iconic styles from the aviator to cateye designed frames. So you're bound to find the perfect pair to match every outfit. I love my Shady Ray sunglasses. It's such a relief because I'm constantly have them on my face. Put them up in my hair. No more hair ripping. And here's the best part. They have the best protection program in all of eyewear. Life happens and Shady Rays gets it. Whether you drop them, break them or they mysteriously disappear, they're lost and broken. Protection has you covered from day one. With over 300,0005 star reviews, that's a lot of happy customers. So start shopping for your next pair of sunglass and see why Shady Rays is the go to choice exclusively for our listeners. Shady Rays is giving out an amazing deal for the season. Head to shadyrays.com with code had it for 35% off their premium polarized sunglasses. Snag your shades and get ready for the summer sun. Some might say homes.com is the best home shopping site. Could it be because it has a sleek spam free site or the most in depth school info?

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[Jennifer Welch]

Okay, let's welcome to I've had It. Rahm Emanuel Rahm, how are you today?

[Rahm Emanuel]

I am very good. How are you?

[Jennifer Welch]

Very, very, very well. I hear that there is when your team was emailing you about coming on this podcast, you were somewhat confused.

[Rahm Emanuel]

Well, oh, I got a text and it was from a staff person who said I've had it. And I said what I do. I don't even know what are you so upset about? And I thought they were quitting or something. I've had it. I can't do this. And they have two young kids. And I said, well, we'll talk about the hours. Well, you don't have to do this in a text. And I didn't know the name of the podcast was called I've had it.

[Jennifer Welch]

I've Had It.

[Rahm Emanuel]

So that's on me.

[Jennifer Welch]

Yeah. And so this has been something that even before Trump second win, there has been a lot of grievances in the country that I think have become overlooked, particularly by Congress. Like, you know, what's going on with all of these group texting. You know, people are having individual conversations. Nobody's regulating this at all. And so it's kind of, you know, caught on like wildfire. So we always ask our guests what they've had it with. So what have you had it with?

[Rahm Emanuel]

Well, there's a long list. How long are we going to be here for?

[Jennifer Welch]

We can get, we can go.

[Rahm Emanuel]

Well, you know what? I've had it. First of all, a couple things in political life right now. I've had it with us, you know, not focusing on the American people and I've had it with us talking around each other and kind of abusing, scoring political points. And I'm not beyond scoring political points, but at the, not at the expense of the national project, so to say. So that's what I've had it. I've also had it with, I would say we have a series of topics that I think sometimes consume and other topics that don't actually get the attention that they should get. I don't know how many kids you guys have. I have three grown children. I've been animated. I spent the good partial public life on education. Nobody's had 30 year worst reading scores ever and math scores. 30 years. You know, we're literally at the bottom of where we were when we first started and nobody wants to talk about it. We're talking about everything else but our kids education. And it's a disaster. And so I've had it with the fact that certain things we're not talking about versus certain things that we do talk about to ad nauseam that are really diversions.

[Jennifer Welch]

Well, we can speak to that because we live in Oklahoma, which is a red state, deeply red state, often brags about not one county flipping blue. We have had a Republican super majority in the executive branch, in the governor's office and the House, the Supreme Court, all of it, state senate. We're ranked either 49th or 50th, whatever you look at. That's what Oklahoma is ranked. That's what Maga policies get you. And what irritates me as a progressive person that lives in a red state that sees firsthand how damaging these policies are is that liberals and progressives and Democrats on the coast never use the tried and true experimental breeding grounds that are these red states to show you exactly what a heaping pile of dog shit these policies are. When you have Republican super majorities, people are dumber, poor, sicker. All this stuff and you don't. We don't ever hear about it.

[Rahm Emanuel]

You know, you say you come from a state. To me, that's another way of scratching this itch of how do we not. And that's not really a Democrat or Republicans. How do we make sure that every child, not just your children or my children, have a plan for themselves, a future? Because we know a high school diploma just done cutting it no more. And so that to me, is how we have to approach these things. There are things going on in red states and there are things that are going on in blue states that are a problem, but there's things that we can learn from each other. I've had it and gets back to where I started is neither Democrat or Republican governors are calling international emergency meetings of the Governor's association dealing with the fact that we have a massive academic crisis on our hands and our kids are failing and nobody wants. And all the adults are looking at their shoes, not talking about they don't want to deal with it. It's going to take a lot of hard work to reverse this.

[Jennifer Welch]

Well, I think that there is, particularly in our state. We have this unhinged superintendent of school and he sits in his car and he makes videos every day. I'm not exaggerating. You can see it on his.

[Rahm Emanuel]

I've seen it.

[Jennifer Welch]

Yeah. And he's talking about this transgender and a radicalized gay agenda that's happening in Oklahoma. I'm boots on the ground. I can tell our listener and everybody nationwide and we have a lot of international listeners, there is no gay agenda in Oklahoma. This is the buckle of the Bible belt. And if people are gay, they do. They come out out of sheer bravery in places like this. And so I just see, I'm really, really critical of red state governments because I see them weaponize government against anybody who's different and not a white Anglo Saxon, Protestant. And I see that, the dangers of it.

[Rahm Emanuel]

Do you have. Can I ask you a personal question?

[Jennifer Welch]

Yeah.

[Rahm Emanuel]

How old are your kids?

[Jennifer Welch]

So we have an 18 year old senior in high school and then a senior at Syracuse at the Newhouse School of Journalism. They're both graduating this May.

[Rahm Emanuel]

Okay. Ever since they were in that high chair at the kitchen table, you had you built in expectations. This is my one point. Every child is homeschooled. Every child, some better than others at your home. Like at our home, kids learn the value of an education, whether it's valued or not valued. And what happens at school is not the only place to get an education. They get an education at home, get education, there's a community in the neighborhood, et cetera, and you invest in ones at Syracuse and I don't know, but I assume the high schooler is off to college. But nobody from day one at that high chair, at that kitchen table was high school considered the end of their education. They were inculcated with expectations. Now I'm a mayor. I was mayor rather in the city of Chicago, where 83% of our kids are from poverty or below. That's not reinforced. Your kids are like, where am I going to be in four years? I got there were kids in Chicago, they weren't know if they were going to be alive in four weeks. And you have to stretch out their imagination and see, have them posit themselves where they have a tomorrow. And your visa and your passport to the future is not going to be the high school diploma. It's going to be every one of the other pieces of that educational piece. And to me, that is the most important thing we have to give every child. And some of them will get it at home and some of them will get it at the school that makes up where not that the parents don't want to get it or the mother doesn't want to do it, but they don't have the agency or the capacity. And worse, you know, I could get here be philosophical. We're short plumbers and pipefitters and steel workers and carpenters. We're short people in our armed forces. And we're also short people that have the technical skills that community colleges give. We don't have a person to waste and we got to invest in them. And I don't think that's a blue state, red state or anything. It's just an understanding what the future will bear. And I do think, and I will say this is, you know, somebody in my own life who fought for marriage equality. There are other give you example of this, of all the challenges we have in the world. We have a war in Europe, a war in the Middle East. We have challenges with China. We have climate change. We have AI.

[Jennifer Welch]

We have a dictator in charge of The United States.

[Rahm Emanuel]

Two people want to love each other and build a home of love. We want to get in the way of that. I don't have. You love each other, you want to build a home, you want to raise.

[Josh Welch]

Children, I'm for it, okay?

[Rahm Emanuel]

We got broken families everywhere. You want to marry each other, you want to build a home of love, God bless you. Let's go.

[Josh Welch]

And it seems like these families that do need assistance, that do need help, the Republican Party is doing everything they can to dismantle any form of governmental assistance for kids like the families that you speak of, that come from poverty. The Republicans are specifically against those types of policies. It seems like that's exactly what they're trying to dismantle. As far as governmental assistance in lifting kids like you speak of up instead of keeping them down, it seems like that's a systematic approach. Much of their governing.

[Rahm Emanuel]

Here's what's going to happen. You're going to see coming up whether, you know, especially like a state like Oklahoma, you said you're from, you tell me. A rural hospital, a rural community that can survive with Medicaid cuts. There's no rural hospital. Let forget Tulsa and Oklahoma City, etc. No real hospital that's going to survive with these Medicaid cuts. And you're going to put kids in and families back into poverty behind the eight ball when you cut that health care. We know what we did to eliminate poverty with the child tax credit. We know it and it has an immediate impact on life expectancy. All sorts of other ancillary benefits come from it. And people talk about family, but every family needs support. Some can get it from other family, but some going to need other type of assistance that's related to that. And the earned income tax credit, child tax credit, all these support parents trying to raise their children, no right from wrong and out of poverty. And you know, it's ironic also not to get too philosophical here. Outside of senior citizens in the last 40 years, welfare reform, minimum wage, children's health insurance, private sector, etc. We've actually done a pretty good job lifting kids out of poverty. We're on the 10 yard line. We could finish the job here and nothing would be better for that child's life than having an adolescent not enmeshed in poverty. It changes their trajectory in so many ways that are beneficial. Beneficial to them and then to the rest of the community they're part of.

[Jennifer Welch]

Yeah, I just, I feel like right now there is a segment of the population that has an empathy problem. And you have people that are in close proximity to the President of the United States. I'm talking about Elon Musk that speaks out about empathy being a problem for their agenda. And this is like a cancer and it's like a virus. And we live around it and we see it. And I see the myopic focus that these MAGA people have regarding the worship of this movement, which is consolidated in the identity of Donald Trump that wears makeup every single day, which I don't give a shit if somebody wears makeup, but their side allegedly does. But it's just, I really feel like right now, in order for us to have the conversations about helping children and about helping poverty, I feel like Democrats need to kind of be dicks. And I know my husband's from a town of 5,000 people. Hugo, Oklahoma, rural as fuck as you could possibly get. And I think if we don't, as a party, come out because we're down here, boots on the ground in MAGA America and start fighting and calling people out, we're going to lose and we're going to lose again. And we're going to lose again. Because what rural America likes about Trump is that he's a fighter. He's deranged, no question. But he always comes out every day and he's fighting somebody. Even if it's his opinion from the day before, he's fighting it.

[Rahm Emanuel]

Well, it's interesting you say that. So two things I would say to you. One is, I think people. We're only in. I don't know where you are, but we're a month. Let's say we're. It's April, so it's basically three and a half months. And I think people are pretty goddamn exhausted by all this. And I think if you fast forward in another 20 weeks, they're going to be. The last thing they want is more fighting. And I'm not suggesting.

[Jennifer Welch]

I'm not.

[Rahm Emanuel]

I'm a middle child and I'm known as a fighter. I'm not one for unilateral disarmament. But I think I to read the room. I think The American people A1 are going south on him pretty quickly. He's at 41, 42%, then out. They think they got betrayed and stabbed in the back by this president, and it's only getting worse. And I do think the Democrats should stand up not only to fight for their own principles, but to also fight for the people we represent. And for too often on a whole host of cultural issues, we're off on tangential things that didn't matter to them, their kids, education, the price of groceries, security of their children's education, the security of their parents. People were missing medications and doctor visits because they couldn't afford them. Things that we broke faith with them on. And so I'm not against fighting, but I want to make sure we're not just fighting for the sake of fighting, but fighting for the sake that people know and know what we care about, what's in our soul, and what our North Star is. And we ended up fighting for the wrong things. I gotta be honest with you. I mean, I was sitting over in Japan for the last three years as ambassador, and I learned a lot about Japan. I learned a lot about the Indo Pacific.

[Josh Welch]

But I'll tell you, eating sushi, having a good time, and then, you know, all this shit's going on over here, shit's blowing up.

[Rahm Emanuel]

But you want to know something? Being away from America, you learn a lot about America.

[Josh Welch]

Yeah.

[Rahm Emanuel]

And I will just tell you, we look mighty strange.

[Josh Welch]

Yeah.

[Rahm Emanuel]

Having these. Some of the arguments, I couldn't. We had the luxury of being a superpower. We're having super frivolous arguments about things that didn't matter to people. We became not a party that was built on the culture of acceptance, but a party that became an advocate for certain things that in my view, were just nuts. Nuts. And they weren't core. Now, look, I think you pick. So you say to me, fight. Tell me what we're going to fight about, because I'm not interested in fighting about. I'll tell you this. I just. I said this just a minute ago to somebody else. We were really south on kitchen table issues. We weren't really good about the family room issues.

[Jennifer Welch]

I disagree with you. I disagree with you.

[Rahm Emanuel]

Okay. The only room we. The only room we were doing really well was the bathroom. And that's the smallest room in the House.

[Jennifer Welch]

Such that is total. That is buying into the right wing media narrative. And I'm so sick of Democrats like you selling out and saying this. You know who talks about trans people more than anybody? Maga. MAGA is the most genital obsessed political party I have ever seen. Kamala Harris talked about homeownership. She talked about kitchen table issues. Trump's over there droning on about Hannibal Lecter. Are you kidding me? This is where the Democrats lose because we're playing the game with the rule book. They've written the bull rule book up and are cramming it down everybody's throat. And Democrats are upset because Joe Biden pardoned his Son, we gotta fucking fight. They're the gender obsessed weirdos, not us. We're the ones who fight for Social Security, we fight for Medicare and yeah, we're not gonna bully trans people. We're not gonna fucking do it.

[Rahm Emanuel]

I'm not, I'm not.

[Jennifer Welch]

Look, fine.

[Rahm Emanuel]

Hey, let me say this. As Mayor 2016, I dealt with the bathroom issue. It's just not my, it's not my most important issue. It was dealt with and I appropriately dealt with, dealt with marriage equality, as I said.

[Jennifer Welch]

Well, it's certainly important to the Republicans. For me, it's just important not to bully them. And I think this is.

[Rahm Emanuel]

I agree with that. I'm not disagreeing.

[Jennifer Welch]

It really. It upsets me. It upsets me so much because we live here in this, in this red state. And you see the damage of it. When I see politicians that are supposed to be leaders in the Democratic Party buy into the narrative that Republicans have defined us by. Instead of fighting and saying you're the weirdos that are obsessed with it. Yeah, we're not going to bully some trans kid. And you. And we buy into their narrative. It just, just, it's why I think we lose. And we have to live. I have to live in a state where women rape victims can't get an abortion because of this bullshit. And so I'm going to fight till the bitter end and I'm not going to let some MAGA moron define what progressive values are. And I think it's a really dangerous president. Mr. Emanuel, I'm sorry, but I just, I have pushed back.

[Rahm Emanuel]

Well, given how much you talk about liberal. Listen, I'm ha. I'm where you choose to live. But I just gotta be honest with you. You keep talking about living in this red state. Craziness. You know, there is u haul if you want to move out, but I would just tell you this. My view is there's a whole set of issues and these are side tangential issues. They're not core and they're not core to what we believe in. And if you go through presidential history, you go through working for President Biden, President Obama, President Clinton or President Kennedy. We never got sidetracked on a set of issues. Our main focus was education, economic vitality and the American dream. And that's where we're going to make our bread and butter.

[Josh Welch]

Well, the only thing I want to offer to this is that I think my biggest complaint.

[Rahm Emanuel]

Are you the peacemaker here?

[Josh Welch]

Well, sort of, Sort of for both of you, but. And I'm not super informed.

[Rahm Emanuel]

I Wasn't bullying anybody. I just like the record to show I was just giving, expressing my view on the show.

[Jennifer Welch]

No, no, I think it's important to disagree. I think that's what our site does, that we can disagree about, about stuff.

[Josh Welch]

And it's okay, and we sort of embrace that.

[Rahm Emanuel]

I feel bullied.

[Josh Welch]

No, Well, I, I've had a, you know, I, I've had a long run of being a Democrat for all my life, and I'm very progressive. And I think some of us, I'm a trial lawyer, I'm a criminal defense lawyer. Some of us sit on the sidelines and watch what happens, the dynamics between Republicans and Democrats. And it becomes apparent to us that the Democrats just don't play by the same set of rules that Republicans do, to their detriment. And the days of swining about integrity and all of these establishment things are gone. They're playing by a different playbook. And if we don't adapt and if we want to adhere to these go to phrases of honoring this or honoring that or not doing this, then we're going to continue to get sliced apart. And that's what's happened, is that we're playing nice. They're not. They're clearly playing by a different level of rules. You can see that with President Trump, how he treats the judicial branch, judges, how his AUSAs treat judges, the Department of Justice, how it's become weaponized. It is a different time that's going to call for a somewhat different response. Otherwise, it's going to be more of the same. And my biggest complaint is that Democrats don't. And it doesn't have to be fight, per se, take that word out of it, but stand up, push back, and develop a different messaging.

[Rahm Emanuel]

As somebody here. There's one person on this podcast that actually won a house, worked on a presidential campaign, ran and said, okay, look, I don't have a. As I'm gonna get back, and I'm gonna just say this. I get the spirit of fighting, given when you see all the assaults by Donald Trump and his people on things and values and ideas that we care about, I get that. But I want to know what we're fighting for and who we're fighting on behalf, because not every fight is equal. Okay? And when it comes to quote, unquote, progressives, I don't think there's anything more progressive than an education of a child.

[Jennifer Welch]

I agree.

[Rahm Emanuel]

And I don't see anybody standing up for that. And we have the worst reading scores worth Math scores in 30 years. We're not fighting for that. We're over there and I, we're fighting on a whole host of what I, I would not call secondary, but periphery issues that are core. If you want to go win elections, that's President Obama, President Clinton, myself, I add to that Nancy Pelosi. Elections have consequences. If you don't win elections, all the other stuff is just secondary.

[Josh Welch]

I agree 100% with what you say and certainly recognize and respect your experience and the roles and expertise that you bring. It does seem to me though that we have a messaging issue as far as these core issues. You talk about education and other things. How do we get that to resonate in areas where you also have guns, you also have abortion rights, you also have these other issues that, and they're, and they're valuable.

[Rahm Emanuel]

So look, they're valuable issues. But I got, you got to deal with an electorate where they are. And I would just like, on a series of subjects, I would just tell you Democratic brand now is down at 27%. They think we care about a cult set of cultural issues that are tangential and that those are our main focus. So you can sit here and say I don't want to bully. I get you don't want to, but I'm not interested in bullying either. Never have bullied on that. But the fact is we're down to the lowest level we've been in 50 years because we're seen as caring about a set of issues as a set of priority issues that aren't core to them. And I got to deal with the electorate where they are when you put your name on the ballot or you try to win an election. And, and I could tell you this, that two other presidents I work for, I know firsthand that their assessment is of politics. What happened differently is we were seen as not hearing, listening and seeing what was priority A for the American people. And it was a set of issues. And connecting on what is core to the American people is crucial if you're going to win those elections. And if you're seen as fighting, and I'm using this both metaphorically and literally on bathroom access and who plays in what sports, but not on who's reading and writing and what the math capability of those kids are, or access to post high school education or ability of a first time home buyer to buy a home, then you're going to be seen as fighting for something that's.

[Jennifer Welch]

Let me ask. And tell him.

[Rahm Emanuel]

Wait a second, wait a second. Okay. And I'll get back to this. Your son's about to graduate Syracuse, right?

[Jennifer Welch]

Yeah.

[Rahm Emanuel]

Okay. I don't know you very well. We just met.

[Josh Welch]

You've seen all the good sides ever.

[Rahm Emanuel]

Okay, well, your, your kid, yours. Your child may be coming home to Oklahoma, may go on somewhere else, but they're not going to live in the basement. They're not going to have $40,000 worth of debt. They're going to go on in their life in a way that they're going to on the road. You've launched them and they're going to have a shot at the American dream. That dream is not accessible to the lion's share of his classmates that dream of not only owning a home, a job, saving for your retirement and your children's children, your grandchildren one day education and not having a health care that is missing. Now you want to talk about bathrooms, Great. I dealt with that in 2016. It's just not core and central when you have people graduating with $30,000 worth of debt, are living in the basement of their parents home, their grandparents have moved into the house, they're missing medications and you're using your 401k like it's basically an ATM machine to make sure that you pay bills on the monthly time. This is in. That to me is where we're not only going to succeed electorally, it's actually where we're going to get America right with America. And that to me is core.

[Jennifer Welch]

I agree with you, everything you said.

[Rahm Emanuel]

I know you do. I would be on the show if.

[Jennifer Welch]

You didn't agree passionately about, you know, equality and opportunity. And I believe it in everything inside of me where I fundamentally think the Democratic messaging should be on this. In the last election, the people who talked about bathrooms the most were maga. That was their big commercial that turned everybody. It wasn't us. I think our messaging is that our economic opportunity and educational opportunities, as far as it being equal for everyone is for everyone. And we're not going to throw anybody under the bus. I'm not. You know, we're talking about less than 10 athletes in the NCAA. I know what's crazy about this, it's nuts. And MAGA is the one. Let me tell me time.

[Rahm Emanuel]

The last election was a bit schizophrenic. Here's why. Here's my analysis. President Biden and Kamala Harris are 8 to 9 points down from Joe Biden after the debate, etc. President Biden steps down, Kamala Harris takes the mantle, runs a campaign focused on the economy and moves from eight down to plus three. That's an 11 point swing. That's not a statistical error. You can say it was seven down plus two, whatever. But it's a big swing movement. After that debate, she drops her economic argument that is resonating and scoring and picks up this argument around democracy. Now, if you care about democracy, which based on this interview, I'm assuming all three of us do, we that you had us on, hello. It was the economic story that was swung 11 points. And as democracy, when we started making that as a central to our argument, we went down three. That was a six point swing. Now, I study politics too much. It's an obsession of mine. But if you move 11 points, I would get off of it.

[Jennifer Welch]

I agree with you.

[Rahm Emanuel]

And we were. And we were. We were exactly what I was talking about on the American Dream. Monthly bills, being able to pay them and understanding of the pressure. They wanted a president that appreciated the pressure that was on that family. And every policy you have fills in that picture of that pressure. And somewhere after the debate, it was almost like somebody flipped a switch and we veered off into this discussion. And I care and you can see daily the assault on the legal system and the institutions that back up and define what America is and it's valuable. But if you wanted to win the election, it wasn't that. It was what got you from down 8 to plus 3, which is the core economic pressure on a family. And that's how you win elections. And if you want to win election, if you want to make a difference in policy across the waterfront of issues, elections have consequences.

[Jennifer Welch]

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[Rahm Emanuel]

This may be the last time you let me on the show, so let me just.

[Jennifer Welch]

No, you're always welcome.

[Rahm Emanuel]

No, let me just be clear. You're not Wrong. But you're not totally right.

[Jennifer Welch]

Okay.

[Rahm Emanuel]

We give them a lot of material to work with, and you're missing that.

[Jennifer Welch]

Give us a lot of material, too. I'm just saying.

[Rahm Emanuel]

I'm not disagreeing with you.

[Jennifer Welch]

Okay, we're going to play a kick, a quick game, and it's called had it or Hit it. Oh, my God. Welcome to had it or Hit It? I would hit it. I hit it every day, sometimes twice a day. Okay. Had it or hit it. Secret Service.

[Rahm Emanuel]

Secret Service. Had it or what is the other one? Hit it, hit it. So every day as chief of staff, I have Secret Service. You know, they drive me home. I'm getting on the up to the front stoop, and the Suburbans drive off, and I open the door and I go in. So after about six months, I said to my signature, I said, how come every time I get to the front snoop and start to open the door, you guys drive off? They go, well, you're safe. I said, I don't know if you know this. The only people want to kill me in that house. And I said, so that was our joke.

[Jennifer Welch]

Okay. Had it or hit it? Marco Rubio.

[Rahm Emanuel]

You had it.

[Jennifer Welch]

Yeah, me too. I mean, you know, I'll tell you.

[Rahm Emanuel]

I bet you I'll tell you why. He used to stand up for NATO. He stood up for Ukraine, he stood up against Putin, and he's taken all his principles and put them in a lockbox.

[Jennifer Welch]

How is. What do you think that is? The. The emasculation of maga men, once they enter Donald Trump's orbit is something that I think psychologists will study for forever. I mean, I have no idea. Emasculation.

[Rahm Emanuel]

I have no idea why you would lose your dignity to that A, in any case, or B, to that man. I can't answer.

[Jennifer Welch]

Wild. And they lose their money, they lose their businesses, they lose their.

[Rahm Emanuel]

Nobody ever works for him as an improvement in their career.

[Jennifer Welch]

It's crazy.

[Rahm Emanuel]

And they keep doing it.

[Jennifer Welch]

It's. I know, it's. I think it's going to be studied for a long time. Okay. Had it or hit it? The United States of America hit it. Me, too.

[Rahm Emanuel]

If we do the right things. Best days ahead of us.

[Josh Welch]

Do we get a virtual hug between you two before the show?

[Jennifer Welch]

I love. Listen, I think.

[Rahm Emanuel]

Are you a middle child?

[Jennifer Welch]

I'm the youngest.

[Rahm Emanuel]

No, you.

[Josh Welch]

I am actually a middle child.

[Rahm Emanuel]

Yeah, I can tell. I could tell that was a total middle child. War or peace kind of stuff.

[Josh Welch]

I'm trying to make nice between you two.

[Rahm Emanuel]

Here's the thing. I'm about to get you in trouble. Trouble?

[Jennifer Welch]

No, here's the thing. I feel like. I feel like fighting for what you believe in and disagreeing. Disagreement when you're basically on the same side is healthy and important.

[Rahm Emanuel]

I don't have a problem arguing. I like. I think it's healthy.

[Jennifer Welch]

I do, too. I like it.

[Rahm Emanuel]

So I want to have him get him in trouble for playing middle childhood. I'm a middle child, too.

[Josh Welch]

See, I'm trying to, like, be a peacemaker here, and I'm being vilified for it as being a day.

[Jennifer Welch]

She goes, kids, what y'all do today? I said, substitute on mom's podcast.

[Rahm Emanuel]

So here's what I do. You know what I do every morning?

[Josh Welch]

What?

[Rahm Emanuel]

Start. So lay. Our youngest goes off to college. And I first days were empty dancers. I make coffee in the morning. I get up at 5:30.

[Josh Welch]

Yeah.

[Rahm Emanuel]

And I bring it to Amy in bed. And I said, it's Mother's Day, you three. You know, the kids are all grown up. Everybody's up. I bring coffee.

[Josh Welch]

Wow.

[Rahm Emanuel]

She loved it. So next time it six years later, I'm bringing a coffee in bed. So until you start doing that, you just be that peacemaker over there every morning, just a cup of coffee.

[Josh Welch]

I was going to get your advice on being an empty nester. We've kind of decided that we almost have to kind of like each other if we're going to be together when there's no kids.

[Rahm Emanuel]

I'll tell you. I'll tell you even a funnier story.

[Josh Welch]

Is that right?

[Rahm Emanuel]

Oh, yeah. We're six months into empty nesterville and we're sitting on the couch, and neither one of us can figure out how to get Apple tv. We're totally technologically, you know, back to the stone age. And I look over to Amy's knitting. We're trying to figure out something. I leaned over, I said, amy, I think this marriage needs a project. We had 21 years filled with free projects.

[Josh Welch]

Yeah.

[Rahm Emanuel]

And we went off and we started a. A reading group on Shakespeare together. We did that for a while. We thought we did a couple other things. Then we decided to build a house together and stuff with that. But. All right, what's my other had it or hit it?

[Jennifer Welch]

That's your final one. But I've heard rumors. I don't know if it's true or not. You don't have to confirm it on this podcast, but I'm gonna offer you this. That you might be considering running for office again. And considering our feisty exchange, I will Volunteer to be your debate sparring partner. I did win a state and debate my high school year, Westmore High School, home of the Jaguars. So I'll volunte to be your sparring partner should you run for public office. You can always come back here and announce it here.

[Rahm Emanuel]

I may just need it for marriage. Why? Think about probably I may just want to square off beforehand with you before I get to the kitchen.

[Josh Welch]

Hey, you keep getting that 5:30 coffee and you're going to be.

[Rahm Emanuel]

I am the Neville Chamberlain of our marriage. Peace in our time, that's all I seek.

[Jennifer Welch]

Rahm Emanuel, thank you so much for coming on. I really enjoy.

[Rahm Emanuel]

Thanks for having me.

[Jennifer Welch]

Okay, bye. All right, Rahm Emanuel, I guess you can tell Roman when we get home and call Dylan and tell us. Mom got in a fight with Rahm Emanuel today.

[Josh Welch]

I was very. I mean, I don't know that I've seen you that.

[Jennifer Welch]

I'll tell you why, Josh. It makes me angry that we are the party of principle, we are the party that has a more educated forward facing front and that we allow MAGA to define us by buying into their narrative. And that's what I felt that he did. And it upsets me. And I think because. Because we have so many listeners of this podcast that I've met when we were on tour that are gay or trans or person of color who have found a home with us and have found a home in our defense of equality for all. When I hear a Democratic leader like Rahm Emanuel, who I like and who it's okay to disagree with, allow MAGA to define our party, I think that's a weakness. And I will always stand up, whether it's Rahm Emanuel, the president of the united United States, whomever I had to.

[Josh Welch]

Fight for that I agree. And I think he did provide some context for what he was saying.

[Jennifer Welch]

Who do you think won the fight and he followed?

[Josh Welch]

Well, I think you did. I think you did. And you know, I hope it. And I have to give a lot of deference to him. He's been in the trenches and doing this with the very top people for years. But I do take a little bit of exception to the messaging aspect of this. I think you can be in that arena for so long and sort of lose sight of what people in Hugo or rural parts of the country think about certain things because, you know, he's in Chicago.

[Jennifer Welch]

I also think if you start off your sentence after Trump has won twice, a man who should not be elected, who is a dictator, he's won twice if you start off with your messaging with I know some things about winning, well, maybe you knew some things about winning in a pre Trump era, but in a post Trump era, things are different. And that's where I think people inside the beltway need to talk to people like you and me and to do more podcasts and have feisty conversations because I think it's gonna make for a healthier opposition party to this authoritarian party that's currently in power.

[Josh Welch]

It's different. The rules are different that they're playing by, and the messaging is gonna have to be different.

[Jennifer Welch]

Josh, I wanna thank you so much for substituting for the head beaver in charge today.

[Josh Welch]

You're welcome. I am your tree hugger. Who wants to fist fight a maga.

[Jennifer Welch]

I love it. I love that.

[Josh Welch]

Thank you all for having me. Pumps. I hope that you're safe and sound in bed, that you get better. The podcast missed you today. Thank you all for having me.

[Jennifer Welch]

Just ask. I just want to ask one more time before we leave. What was on the shoes?

[Josh Welch]

Se second. Is it sequin?

[Jennifer Welch]

Sequin. Why do you have such a mental block to that? Sequins. Okay, everybody, we will see you next Tuesday and Thursday. Make sure you subscribe like. Like order our merch. See you all then.

[Josh Welch]

Bye. Bye.

[Jennifer Welch]

I'll tell you what I've had it with. Let's hear it. I'm had it with that. Listen up patriots, Gatriots and Natriots. We have a new podcast that has dropped. It's called I hip News. It's Monday through Friday. Every day, 15 to 20 minute hot takes on the political landscape of the United States of America. Always served with a side of petty grievances. We are on all the available platforms. Apple, Spotify, Google, whatever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Please go rate, subscribe and review so that we will chart upwards with America's greatest legal mind. Pumps. Pumps. What does an eagle say? Caca. Little bit more enthusiasm. Caca. That's it. That's. That's the patriotism that this country needs right there.