Check Out a Preview for “Clock It”

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Main Justice – Check Out a Preview for “Clock It”

Podcast: Main Justice
Hosts: Andrew Weissmann, Mary McCord (Preview hosts: Eugene Daniels, Simone Sanders Townsend)
Preview Date: February 12, 2026
Episode Focus: Introduction to new podcast "Clock It" and breakdown of the Texas Democratic congressional primary

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Episode Overview

This episode is a preview of the upcoming MS NOW podcast, “Clock It,” hosted by Eugene Daniels and Simone Sanders Townsend. The episode opens with an energetic introduction to their new show, focused on unveiling the strategic use of culture and media by the Trump administration. It then pivots to a substantive discussion about the current Texas Democratic primary between Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and State Representative James Talarico. Daniels and Sanders Townsend provide behind-the-scenes insight—akin to their own off-air group chat—about political maneuvering, generational divides within the Democratic Party, and a recent controversy involving social media and race.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Introduction to "Clock It" and Its Focus

• The show will highlight how the Trump administration utilizes cultural levers—arts, sports, and more—for legitimacy, signaling that such moves, though seemingly trivial, have bigger political implications.

  • Quote (Simone Sanders Townsend, 00:30):
    “Slapping Trump’s name on the kitchen, dispatching ICE to the Super Bowl, uploading TikToks set to Nicki Minaj songs. It looks trivial, but this stuff matters.”

• The hosts aim to make their insider discussions public, fostering political awareness among listeners.

  • Quote (Eugene Daniels, 00:40):
    “So we wanna open up our off air conversations, our group chat, if you will, to everybody.”

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Texas Democratic Primary: Key Candidates and Party Dynamics

Segment Timestamp: [01:06–03:38]

• Main Contenders: Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett vs. State Rep. James Talarico

  • Daniels notes the significance of the Texas primary, emphasizing its buzz in political circles and its representation of a new kind of party divide—not over ideology, but over fighting style and approach.
    • Quote (Eugene Daniels, 01:26): “The split in the party is no longer ideological, right? No, the actual split is whether you want to fight or not. And I think these two people show how different groups in the Democratic Party want to fight.”

• Profile: James Talarico

  • Described as calm and composed, motivated by his teaching background and challenges faced in Texas' education system.
    • Quote (James Talarico, 01:46):
      “I got into this because of my students. ... I had 45 kids in one classroom. There weren’t enough desks for all those kids... It’s unacceptable. And that’s why I ran for the state legislature. It’s why I flipped a Trump district that no one thought was winnable.”

• Profile: Jasmine Crockett

  • Characterized as direct and forceful, not shying away from confronting tough issues or language.
    • Quote (Jasmine Crockett, via Daniels and Sanders Townsend, 02:19):
      “They’re killing people in the middle of the street. They decided to execute a mother of three in broad daylight. I don’t understand how we are sitting here and acting like this is normal.”

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Social Media, Influencers, and Campaign Controversy

Segment Timestamp: [03:06–05:24]

• The Threads/TikTok Incident:

  • A viral controversy erupts when Texas-based TikToker Morgan Thompson recounts an unsettling private exchange with Talarico, alleging racial insensitivity.
    • Quote (Morgan Thompson, summarized by Sanders Townsend, 03:13): “James Talarico told me that he signed up to run against a mediocre black man, not a formidable and intelligent black woman. ... It threw me off so much to have a white man say this to a black woman.”
  • Hosts discuss the perils of making candidates available to influencers—who may not follow journalistic conventions, such as respecting “off the record” boundaries.
    • Quote (Simone Sanders Townsend, 04:14): “If you start talking off the record, they gonna tell. They gonna tell it. And so she told about a private conversation she had. And to be clear, his comments were problematic.”
  • Talarico’s response is dissected—he apologizes, clarifying he called the campaign “mediocre” not the person, but the racial undertones remain deeply problematic.
    • Quote (Simone Sanders Townsend, 05:13): “Should the white man be talking about another elected official and feel comfortable calling him a mediocre black man? No. And trying to pump up a black lady? Hell no.”

• Larger Implications:

  • The incident spotlights new pitfalls in the digital-first political era: offhand remarks can spark firestorms, and influencer-driven narrative-shaping is as consequential as traditional media.
    • Quote (Eugene Daniels, 04:09): “Off the record. No, they do not [understand]. So politicians, take a note, take notes, baby.”

• The hosts contextualize the issue around broader concerns in the Democratic Party about candidate quality and electoral strategy in Texas, noting the high stakes for a possible “map expansion” for Democrats.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Insight | |-----------|---------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:30 | Simone Sanders Townsend | “It looks trivial, but this stuff matters.” | | 01:26 | Eugene Daniels | “The split in the party is no longer ideological, right? ... The actual split is whether you want to fight or not.” | | 01:46 | James Talarico | “I got into this because of my students. ... It’s why I flipped a Trump district that no one thought was winnable.”| | 02:19 | Jasmine Crockett (quoted) | “They’re killing people in the middle of the street... I don’t understand how we are sitting here and acting like this is normal.”| | 03:13 | Morgan Thompson (via hosts)| “He signed up to run against a mediocre black man, not a formidable and intelligent black woman.” | | 04:14 | Simone Sanders Townsend | “If you start talking off the record, they gonna tell.” | | 05:13 | Simone Sanders Townsend | “Should the white man be talking about another elected official and feel comfortable calling him a mediocre black man? No. And trying to pump up a black lady? Hell no.”|

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Conclusion

The preview offers a dynamic taste of what “Clock It” promises—tuned-in, unsparing analysis of intersections between culture and politics, and sharp group-chat-style debates on current events. Daniels and Sanders Townsend showcase their lived political experience and candor, providing both a play-by-play and deeper reflections on how campaigns, controversies, and candidate personas are shaped in the modern era. The Texas Democratic primary emerges as a case study in party identity, racial dynamics, and the evolving landscape of media and influence.

Listeners interested in candid political analysis, party strategy, and the unseen influence of new media on campaigns will find “Clock It” essential tuning.

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Transcript

[Eugene Daniels]

Hey y'.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

All.

It's Eugene Daniels and Simone Sanders Townsend.

[Eugene Daniels]

We're the hosts of a brand new podcast, Ms. Now presents Clock It.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

We're starting this show because over our years in dc, Me on campaigns and working in the White House and me.

[Eugene Daniels]

Covering it all, plus running the White House Correspondents association, we've learned to see.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

Through political machinations and maneuvering, whatever that is. Right, Eugene?

[Eugene Daniels]

Uh huh. Cause right now we're watching the Trump administration try to legitimize itself by hijacking the arts, sports, basically the culture.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

See? Slapping Trump's name on the kitchen, dispatching ice to the super bowl, uploading tiktoks set to Nicki Minaj songs. It looks trivial, but this stuff matters.

[Eugene Daniels]

So we wanna open up our off air conversations, our group chat, if you will, to everybody.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

Every Thursday we'll talk about what we see and hear in the news so you can start to clock it too.

[Eugene Daniels]

Our first episode is out right now and new episodes drop every Thursday. Subscribe to MSNow Premium on Apple Podcasts to get the show ad free. Plus you'll get an exclusive bonus episode as soon as this week.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

Stay right here to get a preview of our first episode, then search for Clockett and hit that follow button. No state's race, though I think right about now is more interesting and more, you know, popping up in my group chats than what's going on in Texas in the Democratic primary between Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett.

Yes.

And State Representative James Talarico. James Talarico.

[Eugene Daniels]

The thing that I think is most interesting about this primary for Democrats is that the split in the party is no longer ideological, right? No, the actual split is whether you want to fight or not. And I think these two people show how different groups in the Democratic Party want to fight. Right. Like James Talarico, he's much more, you know, his demeanor's calmer.

[James Talarico]

I got into this because of my students. I got into the classroom in the fall of 2011, right after the state legislature cut $5 billion from our schools. I had 45 kids in one classroom. There weren't enough desks for all those kids, so I had, I had students sitting on the air conditioning unit. It's unacceptable. And that's why I ran for the state legislature. It's why I flipped a Trump district that no one thought was winnable.

[Eugene Daniels]

And you have someone like Congresswoman Crockett and she is much more, I think, like a lot of members of Congress that are Democrats, much more in your face.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

They're killing people in the Middle of the street. They decided to execute a mother of three in broad daylight. I don't understand how we are sitting here and acting like this is normal.

[Eugene Daniels]

Right. She's much more clear and concise. She seems much more ready maybe to fight Donald Trump the way Donald Trump fights.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

Some would call her unconventional. Some reports have called her and her campaign unconventional. This recently. Recently, okay, there was a controversy that popped off on the Internet. The fact that in 2026, campaigns are being and races are being appended by what happens on threads. I don't know if. And TikTok, I don't know if this was a scheme that Todd set up to encourage people to sign up for threads. Todd is busy, child. But if you weren't on threads, you were not understanding where this. What happened here. Exactly.

[Eugene Daniels]

So this is Texas based tiktoker Morgan Thompson. She said she met Talarico and this is what she says happened.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

James Talarico told me that he signed up to run against a mediocre black man, not a formidable and intelligent black woman. Colin Allred, the mediocre black man that he's referring to as an attorney, a former professional football player and a former congressman. Up until this comment, the conversation was going well. That's why it threw me off so much to have a white man say this to a black woman who is coming to him with concerns in relation to him for black people, child.

Now, can I just say, a lot of different conversations have sprouted out from this. But as a former comms person, I will say in this new media landscape where folks are making their candidates available to influencers, people, creators. Right. People with platforms that have substantial social media followings, particularly in the state or the district, that makes a difference. These are also not journalists. And this isn't a slight to Morgan. I'm not trying to slight her, but it was a private conversation. Like the creators don't understand.

[Eugene Daniels]

Off the record. No, they do not. So politicians, take a note, take notes, baby.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

If you start talking off the record, they gonna tell. They gonna tell it. And so she told about a private conversation she had. And to be clear, his comments were problematic.

[Eugene Daniels]

I will say this. His team, when they sent out the sort of apology, whatever, what he said was, I did call him mediocre.

[James Talarico]

I don't.

[Eugene Daniels]

It doesn't sound.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

He said he called his campaign mediocre. And I mean, to be very clear, Colin Allred did not run a stellar Senate campaign.

[Eugene Daniels]

He's no longer running for Senate. So what does that mean?

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

Well, because Jasmine Crockett came in and kind of like, to be honest, put him out of the race. And there were concerns, I mean, if you talk to Democrats in Texas, like strategists and whatnot and people that do campaign work, there was a concern about the kind of campaign Colin Allred ran the last time he ran for Senate and when he lost. When he lost. And Democrats do believe that this is an opportunity, that this is one of the seats that they can take, like Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, they are talking about expanding the map. So I just don't think it is ever. Okay, though. Like, yeah, was his campaign, was he running a mediocre campaign? Sure. Should the white man be talking about another elected official and feel comfortable calling him a mediocre black man? No. And trying to pump up a black lady? Hell no.

[Eugene Daniels]

It makes no sense.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

Thanks for listening. For more search clock it and follow the show.

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