Ruthless Podcast Summary

Episode: Will Democrats' Cynical Election Strategy Work? PLUS Sen. Dave McCormick Joins the Progrum
Release Date: November 4, 2025
Hosts: Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, John Ashbrook
Guest: Senator Dave McCormick

Episode Overview

On Election Day 2025, the Ruthless crew delivers their trademark irreverent take on the Democratic Party’s current strategy, highlights the role of Barack Obama in election cycles, and brings in Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA) for a candid and insightful discussion. The show covers the Virginia and New Jersey elections, the turmoil within the Democratic Party, issues such as government shutdowns as political leverage, and the cultural direction of both parties. The episode is packed with analysis, political satire, and the familiar chemistry of the Ruthless hosts.

Table of Contents

1. Democratic Message Crisis & Obama's Role
2. J.B. Pritzker & School Choice Rhetoric
3. Obama’s Endorsements: Identity Politics or Power Play?
4. Democrats’ Structural Strategy: Government Shutdowns & Election Leverage
5. Election Day: Early Vote Breakdowns in NJ & VA
6. Guest: Senator Dave McCormick’s Interview
7. Variety Segment: Sheriff Cigarettes & Macaque Mayhem
8. Listener Interaction & Final Thoughts

Demographic Message Crisis & Obama’s Role

• The crew kicks off by mocking the cyclical emergence of Barack Obama as the Democratic Party’s “closer” for tough elections.
• Michael Duncan (00:05): “Every time we get close to a consequential election, Barack Obama comes off the bench like Robert Horry. You know, like they gotta call him in to try to win a championship.”
• They critique that Democrats lack a positive national message, falling back on anti-Trump rhetoric.
• Josh Holmes (00:30): “They don’t have a message.”
• The disconnect is highlighted between Democratic leaders and their core constituencies, especially federal workers frustrated over pay and shutdown threats.

J.B. Pritzker & School Choice Rhetoric

• The hosts lampoon Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s attempt at using edgy language to connect with voters, especially on school choice.
• Notable Moment (03:42):
  • Pritzker’s punchline: “Donald Trump and his cronies can fuck—”
  • Senator McCormick: “All the way off.”
• Smug (04:20): “Well, it’s important to remember that the JB and JB Pritzker stands for Jelly Belly. So you’ve got the fat man over here talking about, like, we don’t want to allow cronies of Donald Trump to turn classrooms into a cultural battleground. What do you think the left has done to them?”
• The hosts argue that unions and progressive policy have made schools “cultural battlegrounds” already, especially during COVID-19.

Obama’s Endorsements: Identity Politics or Power Play?

• The episode compares Obama’s different approaches to endorsing Black and White candidates, calling out the perceived hypocrisy.
• Clip play (06:35): Obama endorses Abigail Spanberger (VA).
• Smug (08:08): “Now you’ve got an affluent suburban White woman who happens to have a Democratic Party label. And that is going to supersede the African American, by the way, who served our country honorably that he is now... It matters not.”
• They assert that Obama’s intervention is not about principle, but about partisan advantage, even if it contrasts with previous identity-based appeals.
• Smug (08:38): “It’s almost like Barack Obama has no principles.”

Democrats’ Structural Strategy: Government Shutdowns & Election Leverage

• Discussion around the strategic timing of government shutdowns to activate the Democrat base, especially federal workers in Northern Virginia.
• John Ashbrook (17:47): “They [Dems] know that if those people are pissed off and if they are not going into work every day, they are more likely to be a pissed off Democrat who goes and votes early and that’s what they wanted.”
• Ashbrook’s shutdown theory receives validation from Ted Cruz and real-time election impact.

Election Day: Early Vote Breakdowns in NJ & VA

• Detailed early voting numbers and registration analysis for New Jersey and Virginia.
• Michael Duncan (21:42): “In [NJ] 2025, so far, the advanced votes: Democratic 51%. So an improvement of five points. Republicans still exactly where they are.”
• Discussion on the challenges of Republican turnout in off-year and midterm elections, despite strong candidates.
• Josh Holmes (24:47): “It looks to me like you got your high propensity Republicans exactly where you imagine them to be.”
• Virginia’s data shows increased early vote participation for both parties, raising concerns about “cannibalization” (pulling potential election day voters into early ballots).

Guest: Senator Dave McCormick’s Interview

On Government Shutdown and Collaboration with Democrats

• Senator McCormick (51:00): “To try to get our way, we’re gonna hurt the people we’re supposed to be serving, many of whom are people that vote for us, like the Teamsters and people like that… It’s absolutely nonsense.”
• Shares about his functional working relationship with Senator Fetterman:
  • McCormick (52:12): “We have found a lot of ways to work together. And I trust him. He’s fun. My wife and I like him.”

On Democratic Party’s Leftward Shift

• He warns of the risk the Democrats face by capitulating to the “radical fringe,” citing endorsements for extreme candidates as evidence of party hijack:
  • McCormick (57:34): “The great thing about Fetterman is he says it publicly… You have this radical fringe left element becoming the core of the Democratic Party.”
• On party health:
  • McCormick (58:30): “We want a healthy Democratic Party because you want an opponent that’s gonna keep you sharp and make you defend your ideas.”

On Anti-Semitism and Political Violence

• Raises alarm about the uptick of anti-Semitism on the left and cautions the right not to ignore similar elements within its ranks:
  • McCormick (66:07): “We… do agree on some fundamental values. And they’re basic things like, you know, Hitler is not a good guy. Seems like the Holocaust did happen.”
  • He implores confronting and refusing to platform these views.

On the Economy & Trump Era Policies

• Praises Trump trade and economic policy, including deregulation and pro-business tax regimes (~70:53):
  • “It is the most pro-business tax regime… the biggest bout of deregulation since Reagan in ’81… The president's policies are working, and I’m very optimistic about that.”

On PA Culture & Political Anecdotes

• Shares cultural stories about Eagles games and the Pennsylvania-Ohio rivalry, maintaining the show’s light-hearted tone.

Variety Segment: Sheriff Cigarettes & Macaque Mayhem

Pill-popping Sheriff Story

• Smug summarizes (40:42): “A South Carolina sheriff faces decades in prison after he was caught blowing thousands in taxpayer funds on cigarettes, fast food, Internet games and paying pills. I had a simple take on this, which is you gotta hear both sides, okay?”
• The hosts joke about “backing the blue” and whether such misdeeds really warrant prison time compared to other, larger-scale political scandals.

Macaque Monkey Incident

• Wild narrative about an escaped hepatitis-carrying monkey in Mississippi, shot by a protective mom.
• John Ashbrook (47:47): Reads about the homeowner hero: “She saw the monkey about 60ft away…So she fired her gun… She stopped this rabid monkey from harming her Family. This is an American hero.”
• Smug suggests taxidermy is the only appropriate solution, as is his custom.

Listener Interaction & Final Thoughts

• The hosts read listener responses to the question: “What is a question simple enough for a Democrat to actually answer?”

  1. (38:13) “What color is the sky?” – “Well, that depends on how the sky chooses to identify.”
  2. “What is the powerhouse of the cell?” – “The mitochondria.”
  3. “Who is enemy number one in the world?” – “Donald Trump.”

• The show ends with a rally to vote in competitive races and teases future election result analysis:

  • Josh Holmes (26:38): “I don’t want to hear a single complaint from anybody about anything that happens over the next three years if you didn’t find the time to go vote at this point...”

• Closing thoughts from the hosts on the risks of radical politics, the necessity of cross-party persuasion, and the importance of economic messaging for Republicans.

Notable Quotes & Moments (With Timestamps)

• Michael Duncan (00:05): “Barack Obama comes off the bench like Robert Horry.”
• Sen. McCormick (51:00): “To try to get our way, we’re gonna hurt the people we’re supposed to be serving… It’s absolutely nonsense.”
• Smug (08:38): “It’s almost like Barack Obama has no principles. Is anyone surprised by this?”
• John Ashbrook (36:41): “What is a question simple enough for a Democrat to actually answer?”
• Sen. McCormick (57:34): “The great thing about Fetterman is he says it publicly. You have this radical fringe left element is becoming the core of the Democratic Party.”
• Sen. McCormick (66:07): “Hitler is not a good guy. Seems like the Holocaust did happen. So we also have to be, as conservatives and Republicans, don’t give voice to these ideas.”

Recap & Takeaways

• The Ruthless team delivers a blend of sharp political analysis and unfiltered humor, homing in on the weaknesses of current Democratic electoral strategy and the implications for both national and local races.
• The episode is marked by a consistent skepticism of Democratic leaders’ authenticity and an emphatic call for turnout in key states.
• Senator McCormick stands out as a pragmatic, cross-partisan problem solver, warning against political violence, radicalism, and rising anti-Semitism.
• As always, the podcast balances substance with tongue-in-cheek banter and tales of Midwestern culinary eccentricity.

For those who missed the episode:
This detailed breakdown covers the major threads—the Democratic Party's identity crisis, Barack Obama’s perennial role as campaigner, the calculated use of shutdown threats, the intricacies of early voting data, and Senator McCormick’s perspective on bipartisanship and party direction—with plenty of quotable barbs along the way.