Pod Force One – PF1 Minisode: Beware a "Moderate" Democrat

Host: Miranda Devine (New York Post columnist)
Date: February 23, 2026

Episode Overview

In this minisode, Miranda Devine delivers a sharp critique of the Democratic Party's latest rising star, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, who is set to give the Democrat response to the State of the Union. Devine argues that Spanberger, despite presenting herself as a moderate, follows a radical agenda aligned with the party’s increasingly leftward tilt. The episode focuses on what Devine sees as deceptive tactics by Democrats—putting forth seemingly moderate candidates while enacting progressive policies. She explores how these strategies influence policy, voter behavior, and the Republican Party’s approach heading into the midterms.

Key Discussion Points

1. Abigail Spanberger: The "Moderate" Facade

Spanberger’s Persona:
- Devine describes Spanberger as projecting the image of a competent, trustworthy suburban mom—"she looks like the sort of competent working mum you'd encounter at school drop off in any affluent suburb." [01:27]
- Background includes eight years as an undercover CIA operative, reinforcing her credentials as a "national security mom."
Alleged Radical Actions:
- Devine asserts that once in office, Spanberger’s actions were far from moderate:
  - Supported "unlimited abortion"
  - Approved a "gerrymander plan"
  - Ordered law enforcement not to work with ICE
  - Oversaw “dozens of new taxes” on everyday services
- Quote: "She posed as a moderate to fool willfully gullible voters and then showed her true colors the minute she took office." [02:13]

2. Comparing Public Figures: Spanberger and Mamdani

Contrast vs. Transparency:
- Devine contrasts Spanberger’s “moderate disguise” with New York political figure Zoran Mamdani’s openly radical stance.
- Mamdani represents “Marxo-fascism...out in the open,” while Spanberger “stuck to her moderate disguise.”
- Quote: "His appeal is summed up by the cartoon of a grinning wolf addressing a mob of sheep: ‘I'll become a vegetarian once I'm elected.’" [03:38]

3. The State of the Democratic Party

Polling Data:
- Devine cites a Gallup poll suggesting only 8% of Democrats identify as conservative, whereas 60% self-identify as liberal; the general American public is more conservative/moderate. [06:04]
Moderate Candidates as “Potemkin Villages”:
- Democrats are portrayed as running moderate-seeming figures like Spanberger, Mark Kelly, and Tim Walsh to attract centrist voters but pursuing progressive policies after winning elections.
Quote: "They are just code-shifting for different audiences." [08:00]

4. The Republican Dilemma and Game Theory

Game Theory Analogy:
- Devine claims Democrats are now “bad actors” in game theory terms—players who "refuse to play by rules" and focus only on "maximizing their power." [09:25]
Behavior in Congress:
- Using examples like Katie Porter's profane public protests, Devine accuses Democrats of disregarding traditional norms.

5. Filibuster, Bipartisanship, and Legislative Tactics

Filibuster Debate:
- Republicans are criticized for believing Democrats will play fair if they do, especially regarding filibuster rules.
- Devine points to the Save America Act (voter ID and registration reform) as essential legislation that Democrats “treat as existential threat to their hold on power.” [13:13]
- Senator Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania (R) is cited as flipping his stance—now advocating for a “talking filibuster” to force Democrats to publicly defend their opposition to popular measures.
Notable McCormick Quote:
- "Seated those four Senate seats, we'd probably never get the majority back." (on Democrats’ push for D.C. and Puerto Rico statehood and Supreme Court expansion) [15:16]

6. The Republican Path Forward

Urgency for the Midterms:
- Devine argues that Republicans must shift tactics: politics “as usual” won’t work against today’s Democratic Party.
- She suggests the GOP must “get Trump voters off their couches” and save the country—and Trump’s agenda—from what she calls radical opposition.
Closing Quote:
- "Save America to save Donald Trump. Otherwise, all we have to look forward to...is two years of impeachment and gridlock as a prelude to disaster." [19:07]

Notable Quotes and Moments

On Spanberger’s Image:
- "She seems like somebody you instinctively trust. But don't be fooled by appearances. Spanberger is an expert at subterfuge..." (Miranda Devine, [01:27])
On Democratic Party Identity:
- "There is no moderate wing left apart from Pennsylvania's maverick Senator John Fetterman." ([06:25])
On Game Theory and Party Norms:
- "In game theory, nothing works properly if one of the players is a bad actor who refuses to play by the rules..." ([09:25])
On Republican Strategy:
- "Politics as usual does not work until there is radical reformation of the Democrat Party or a new opposition is formed." ([18:29])

Important Timestamps

00:00-01:27: Introduction to Abigail Spanberger and her public persona
02:13-03:50: Critique of Spanberger’s policy record and comparison to Mamdani
06:04-08:00: Data on party ideology and the use of faux-moderate candidates
09:25-11:45: Game theory analogy and examples of radical Democratic tactics
13:13-16:05: Filibuster, voter ID legislation, and Republican legislative strategy
18:29-19:30: Conclusion: The Republican challenge and call to action

Tone & Style

Miranda Devine maintains a direct, combative tone consistent with her New York Post columns. Her language is vivid—blending pointed critique, sarcasm, and rhetorical flourishes (e.g., "wolves in sheep's clothing," "Marxo-fascism out in the open") to energize conservative listeners.

Summary

This minisode serves as a warning to conservative listeners: appearances by Democratic figures like Abigail Spanberger are misleading, and beneath the moderate veneer are radical policies. Devine urges her audience to recognize what she frames as strategic deception, challenges Republicans to adapt their tactics, and frames the upcoming midterms as critical to stem further Democratic control. The episode is a call to vigilance and action for her audience, embracing a distinctly adversarial reading of contemporary U.S. electoral politics.

Transcript

A (0:00)

Foreign. Hello, it's Miranda. I'm back with a new mini episode of Pod Force 1. This feature is a little more topical and relevant to my day job as a columnist for the New York Post. Today's topic is the Democrats latest white Shining hope Abigail Spanberger, the new Virginia governor and former CIA spy who has the honor of delivering the State of the Union reply tomorrow night. Like Joe Biden, she poses as a moderate but is as radical as Zoran Mamdani. Beware of wolves in sheep's clothing Abigail Spanberger, the new governor of Virginia who has been tapped to deliver the Democrats State of the Union reply Tuesday night, is the perfect avatar for her party's deception. With her long blonde bob, minimalist makeup, pinched face and brisk air, she looks like the sort of competent working mum you'd encounter at school drop off in any affluent suburb. In other words, she seems like somebody you instinctively trust. But don't be fooled by appearances. Spanberger is an expert at subterfuge, having spent eight years as an undercover CIA case officer, AKA a spy under Barack Obama and John Brennan in the era when Democrats turned national security back on itself. Like Joe Biden, she posed as a moderate to full willfully gullible voters and then showed her true colours the minute she took office. The national security mom who is being touted as a future presidential contender, immediately signed off on unlimited abortion and a gerrymander plan to entrench Dem rule, ordered law enforcement not to work with ice, and presided over the introduction of dozens of new taxes on everything from dog walking to to Uber rides. So much for affordability, as it was with New York's new mayor, Zoran Mamdani. Affordability is her code for spending more taxpayer money. Mamdani, at least didn't pretend to be a moderate. His appeal is summed up by the cartoon of a grinning wolf addressing a mob of sheep. I'll become a vegetarian once I'm elected. His Marxo fascism is is out in the open. There is no problem too large for government to solve, mandani declared in his victory speech, promising to replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism. Tell that to the 19 homeless people he left on the street to freeze to death in last month's blizzard. By contrast, Spanberger stuck to her moderate disguised, claiming her victory represents a new era for Democrats of pragmatism over partnership, and that she would focus relentlessly on what matters most lowering costs, keeping our communities safe, and strengthening our economy. You'll hear those soothing promises again on Tuesday night. It's what Americans wish for, but the Democrat Party is just pretending there is no moderate wing left apart from Pennsylvania's maverick Senator John Fetterman. These days, according to a Gallup poll In January, only 8% of Democrats count themselves conservative, while 60% self identify as liberal. Yet America remains far more conservative than it is liberal, with 35% of adults describing themselves as very conservative or conservative, while just 28% call themselves very liberal or liberal and 33% identify as moderate. That's a problem for a party that has been hijacked by the radical left, so they choose Potemkin Village candidates like Spanberger, former astronaut Mark Kelly and Tim Midwestern Dad Walsh with national security credentials or other conservative coded attributes to trick moderate voters. The Dems fake centrists need to plausibly campaign on affordability and safety and then smoothly raise taxes, enable fraud, handcuff police, refuse to imprison violent offenders, and invite millions of criminal illegal aliens into their sanctuary cities to submit their power. They will lie to your face that crime is down, that allegations of welfare fraud are racist, and that illegal aliens are saints who definitely don't get Medicare or vote. Spanberger and Mamdani sound different, but they are cut from the same cloth and have the same aims. They are just code shifting for different audiences. The problem for Republicans in the looming midterms is that they are not dealing with a normal opposition party. One member of the administration sees their dilemma in terms of game theory, the mathematical study of strategic decision making used in Wall street and the military. In game theory, nothing works properly if one of the players is a bad actor who refuses to play by the rules or according to established norms and looks only to maximize their power. That's what the Democrat Party has become, a bad actor. It finds its naked representation in the weekend performance of California gubernatorial contender Katie Porter, who once dumped hot mashed potatoes on her then husband's head. A few hours before a would be Trump assassin was shot dead at Mar? A Lago. Porter held up a sign emblazoned with the words F Trump at the California Democratic Convention in San Francisco and urged the audience to chant the filthy slogan that's all they have to offer voters. Unfortunately, there are still Republicans who haven't noticed the bait and switch in their colleagues across the aisle and believe that if they play nice, Democrats will play nice in return. That's why they won't get rid of the filibuster in order to get Trump's agenda enacted. Most importantly, the Save America act, which requires voter ID at the ballot box and ensures only citizens register to vote. Democrats are treating the legislation as an existential threat to their hold on power, which of course it is. They call it racist and an attack on democracy, yet 71% of their voters support it. Naive Republicans believe that if they resist the temptation to do away with the filibuster, then the Democrats won't nix the outdated rule that requires 60 senators to pass legislation, an impossibility with contentious bills in a polarised Senate where the Republican majority is just 53. Dems tried to do it under Biden, but were foiled by two moderate Democrats who are no longer in office. That's why Republican Senator Dave McCormick from the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania, whose friendship with his opposite number, Fetterman, is the most bipartisan act this Congress has flipped on the filibuster. He agrees that the Dems vowed to turn D.C. and Puerto Rico into two new states with four new senators and stacked the Supreme Court with clones of Ketanji Brown Jackson. Would have been catastrophic had they done so, he Sundays. Seated those four Senate seats, we'd probably never get the majority back, he told me on podforce one. He now believes Republicans should at least adopt a talking filibuster to force the Democrats to say why they're against voter ID and cement other crucial elements of the Trump agenda, such as permitting reform. The specter of Democrats having to speak for hours on the Senate floor about why they oppose a voter integrity measure that 83% of the country supports will only expose the fact that they cannot win on their own merits. Politics as usual does not work until there is radical reformation of the Democrat Party or a new opposition is formed. This has to be the Republican message going into the midterms to get Trump voters off their couches. Save America to save Donald Trump. Otherwise, all we have to look forward to after November is two years of impeachment and gridlock as a prelude to disaster. Don't forget to come back this Wednesday for the latest episode of Pod Force One with Peter Navarro, Donald Trump's tariff whisperer, and he'll talk about his journey from jail back to the White House and the administration's fallback plans on tariffs after last week's Supreme Court blow. I hope you can tune in and have a wonderful week.