October 7-One Year Later, How It Changed the World, plus Democrats Fleeing their Party, Rep. Shawn Thierry's Journey

Summary

Summary of "The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson" – October 7 Episode

Release Date: October 7, 2024

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1. Commemorating the One-Year Anniversary of the October 7th Attack

The episode opens with a poignant tribute to the one-year anniversary of the devastating attack on Jewish communities, marking it as the worst assault since the Holocaust. Senator Ted Cruz reflects on the profound impact of the tragedy, stating:

"It's been one year since they've seen their loved ones, it's been a year of living hell." (03:37)

Ben Ferguson emphasizes the global repercussions of the attack, noting its transformative effect on Israel, America, and the international community.

2. The Ongoing Hostage Crisis and Conflict in Israel

Ferguson provides a detailed overview of the hostage situation, revealing that out of 251 hostages taken on October 7th, only a fraction remain alive. He highlights the harrowing conditions faced by the hostages and the brutal tactics employed by Hamas:

"They mutilated the bodies. They would often cut the genitals, burn the faces... a level of evil you don't encounter in ordinary life." (09:19)

The discussion underscores the continuous warfare, including recent missile barrages by Iran targeting Israel, further escalating tensions in the region.

3. Iranian Involvement and Political Implications

The conversation shifts to Iran's significant role in supporting terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah. Benito Ferguson criticizes the Biden-Harris administration for allegedly funneling over $100 billion to Iran over four years, which he argues has empowered these militant groups:

"90% of the budget for Hamas comes from Iran... the death squads that carried out horrific rapes and murders on October 7 were paid for by this White House." (12:33)

He vehemently questions the administration's foreign policy choices, expressing confusion over the decision to continue financial support to Iran despite its aggressive stance towards the U.S. and Israel.

4. Democrats' Shift Towards Radicalization and Internal Dissidence

Ferguson discusses a growing trend of elected Democrats abandoning their party due to increasing radicalism. He introduces the main focus of the episode: the story of Rep. Sean Theory, a Texas State House member who recently switched from the Democratic to the Republican Party.

5. Interview with Rep. Sean Theory – A Democrat Turned Republican

Introduction of the Guest:

Ben welcomes Sean Theory, highlighting her four-term tenure as a Democrat before her pivotal switch to the Republican Party. Sean begins by sharing her background and motivations:

"I always looked at it in terms of people... as time went on, I started to notice session after session, the Democratic Party moving further and further away from mainstream values." (23:30)

6. Sean Theory's Personal Journey and Political Awakening

Sean elaborates on her upbringing in a Democratic household and her initial motivations for public service. She recounts her decision to run for office, driven by a desire to address issues like maternal mortality and human trafficking without strict party allegiance. However, she became increasingly disillusioned as she witnessed the Democratic Party's departure from her core values.

7. Confronting Radical Policies and Party Pressure

A significant turning point in Sean's career was her stance against legislation permitting gender-affirming surgeries for minors. She describes the intense backlash from her Democratic colleagues:

"They started pulling me to the side saying, 'Sean, you cannot do it. We're going to kill this bill.'" (26:38)

Sean details the personal attacks and financial pressures exerted by the party to enforce conformity, leading to her eventual resignation from the Democrats.

8. The Political Repercussions of Switching Parties

Sean discusses the ramifications of her departure from the Democratic Party, including facing death threats and a formidable primary challenge funded with over a million dollars aimed at unseating her:

"They put over a million dollars in your race... that's a political assassination on your career." (30:09)

Despite losing her reelection bid, Sean remains steadfast in her decision, viewing it as a temporary setback rather than the end of her political journey. She emphasizes her commitment to speaking out against what she perceives as the Democratic Party's betrayal of her constituents.

9. The Broader Trend of Party Switching Among Democrats

Ferguson highlights that Sean's story is part of a larger movement within the Democratic Party, where elected officials are increasingly defecting to the Republican side in response to radical shifts in party ideology. This trend underscores the growing divide and the challenges faced by moderates within increasingly polarized political landscapes.

10. Concluding Remarks and Call to Action

The episode concludes with reflections on the importance of standing up for one's beliefs despite political and personal risks. Ferguson and Sean express optimism for future political realignments and encourage listeners to remain informed and engaged.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Senator Ted Cruz:
  "It's been one year since they've seen their loved ones, it's been a year of living hell." (03:37)

• Ben Ferguson:
  "90% of the budget for Hamas comes from Iran... the death squads that carried out horrific rapes and murders on October 7 were paid for by this White House." (12:33)

• Rep. Sean Theory:
  "The party has just been completely, I'll say it now, completely hijacked by radicals." (29:18)
  "I can't let the power and the prestige of the position cause me to sell my soul." (40:05)

• Ben Ferguson:
  "If you don't understand the threat to the world from Iran, you're blind." (13:37)

• Rep. Sean Theory:
  "They started pulling me to the side saying, 'Sean, you cannot do it.'" (26:38)
  "You can survive it. I'm still here. They censored me, but they did not silence me." (39:55)

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Conclusion

This episode of The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson delves deep into the aftermath of the October 7th attack, the ongoing hostage crisis, and the geopolitical tensions involving Iran. Additionally, it sheds light on internal fractures within the Democratic Party, exemplified by Rep. Sean Theory's shift to the Republican Party amidst rising radicalism. Through personal narratives and incisive political analysis, the episode offers listeners a comprehensive understanding of the current socio-political climate shaping America and the world.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome. It's Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz. It's nice to be with you in person today on a somber day, October 7th. It's the one year anniversary of the horrific attack, the worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. And it is one of those moments I think we should pause and really look at what's happened over the last year.

[B]

Well, that's exactly right. Today is a horrific memorial. It has been one year since the mass murder that took the lives of 1,195 Israelis. It was utterly horrific. It has changed Israel forever. It has changed America forever. It has changed, I believe, the world forever. We're going to examine what happened on October 7th one year ago and what has happened in the year since then. We're also in today's pod going to have an interview with a special guest, Sean Theory. Sean is a member of the Texas State House and she's an elected Democrat, or at least she was. She was an elected Democrat elected from Houston. She was elected four terms to the House of Representatives as a Democrat and she finally said enough is enough. She left the Democrat Party. She has changed to being a Republican. She's going to tell her story because her story is something we're seeing across the country as the Democrat Party is getting more and more radical. People are saying I can't take it anymore. I want to get back to sanity. We're going to break down that as well.

[A]

Yeah, it's a really cool and an interesting story that I think inspires other Democrats to lead their party as well. Yeah, we're going to talk about that. Many of you that have asked about what you can do to help the people in Israel. And right now this is a moment where I'm going to ask a lot of you to get involved, especially on this one year anniversary with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. As I said a moment ago, October 7th is the one year mark of the worst massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Twelve hundred Israelis were murdered and more than 250 taken hostage, many of them still being held hostage. Yet the war in Israel is raging on today with Iran firing a massive barrage of nearly 200 ballistic missiles earlier this month. Israel and her people are facing attacks from enemies on all sides. And the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews is on the ground providing food, shelter and safety for those in need during the crisis. Now since the war started, thousands of reservists everyday Israeli citizens have left their families to serve their country. Soldiers have been injured and their families need support. And your gift of $150 helps the fellowship provide food and other necessities for these families to help them survive. Thanks to a generous fellowship supporter, your gift will be matched, meaning it's doubling in impact. Join us and let those families know that listeners like you stand with Israel. You can call to make your $150 gift now to 888 488, IFCJ. That's 888-488-4325. Or you can go online to supportifcj.org to give. That's one word, supportifcj.org or 888-488-IFCJ. Senator, as we sit here, it's shocking that it's the one year anniversary from a standpoint that they still have hostages. And I think we should start with that because this is a day for those family members. I can't imagine what they've gone through in the last year, but to even think it's been an entire year since they've seen their loved ones, it's been.

[B]

A year of living hell. As I mentioned, 1195 people were murdered on that day. The estimates are not exactly clear, but the best estimate is 251 hostages were taken on October 7th. Now, of those 250, 51 hostages, we estimate that 97 remain in Gaza, plus an additional four hostages who were captured before October 7th. And to review what has happened, 70 hostages have died either on October 7th or in the month since then. 34 of the hostages who remain in Gaza are dead, according to Israeli officials. And Hamas has released one hundred and nine of the hostages. Eight of the hostages were rescued by the idf, including the recent rescue of an Arab Israeli Muslim. On August 27, 37 of the deceased hostages have been returned to Israel. And on August 31, the IDF retrieved the body of American hostage Hirsch Goldberg Pahlen and five Israelis who were executed by Hamas in southern Rafah after surviving for what was 11 months in captivity. There are thought to be four American hostages still alive. The fifth was Goldberg Pahlen, and he was one of the six people murdered and recovered on August 31st. The four American hostages thought to still be alive are, number one, Keith Siegel. Keith is a grandfather born in California. He was last seen in a video released by Hamas in April. He was gaunt and weeping. The second American hostage believed still held is Eden Alexander, who grew up in New Jersey and also Sagi Decal Chan, a father of three, both of whom were spotted alive in late 2023 by other hostages. So we don't know that they're still alive. It's been some time since they've been spotted alive. The fourth, Omer Neutra is a New York native, was shown being pulled out of a tank by Hamas gunmen in a blurry clip recorded on October 7th. So again, it's been a full year since. Since Omer has been seen. And as for the total number of Americans, last month, the FBI unsealed a complaint against Hamas leaders for the October 7th crimes and others. And the charges were filed in February, but they were kept under seal. And the precise language of the Department of Justice complaint is, quote, as of the date of this complaint, at least 43American citizens were among those murdered, and at least 10American citizens were taken hostage or remain unaccounted for.

[C]

Wow.

[B]

And look, I wanted to go through those numbers because it's easy. And a lot of the news coverage will allide over what actually happened. 1200 people murdered, 251 hostages. It is truly horrific. As you noted, it was the worst single day mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust. It's also one of the worst terrorist attack in American history. Americans are hostages. Right now, I have to say I do not understand why Joe Biden and Kamala Harris do not talk about the American hostages. Why they don't lean in and instead, why. Why they lean in, repeatedly urging Israel to stop killing the terrorists instead of demanding that the hostages be released. But. But it, it was an act of horrific evil. And I will say, look, I remember in the days after October 7th, I reached out and I called and texted a lot of friends of mine, and I just asked them, I said, hey, I don't know if you have family in Israel, if you have people in harm's way. I gotta say, Ben, it was stunning to me, the number of people I reached out to in the aftermath of October 7th who were directly connected to someone, the Jewish community.

[A]

It's amazing how much of a connection there is between people in America and people that are in Israel.

[B]

I probably reached out to 25 or 30 of my friends, and more than half of them had a direct connection of someone where they'd say, yeah, my sister was there. Yes, My wife was there. My college roommate was there. It is. The Jewish community in America and the Jewish community in Israel are in many ways deeply interconnected. And the trauma and horror and evil of that day, October 7th, will go down as one of the darkest days in history.

[A]

There's another aspect of this, too, and it's amazing how in this country, and I think even the Democratic Party has really Defended Hamas and they've defended the people that did this. And you look at how they've treated these hostages and the reports have come out, you hope that if someone's taken hostage, at least they're treated humanely.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And that's not happened. And I think that's part of the story that people need to understand the brutality of these terrorists. They are starving these hostages, the bodies that have been found and returned. They talk about that. It looks like they've taken a lot of abuse and malnourished and living conditions that are just horrific. Not clean at all.

[B]

Well. And they are using rape as a weapon of sexual violence on October 7th. And sadly, in the time since then, they have targeted and repeatedly raped women and young girls. I will tell you, and I've talked about this on the podcast, watching videos of October 7, watching what happened, watching the dehumanization of Jews by the Hamas terrorists, that they don't view them as human beings. I think I shared with you that listening to the audio from that video that repeatedly the Hamas terrorists were referring to the Jews that they were murdering as it. Not even he or she, but it. They mutilated the bodies. They would often cut the genitals, burn the faces. A lot of the degradation was focused on sexual violence. And it is a level of evil. You know, in ordinary life, you don't encounter that grotesque evil the way October 7th was. But I'll tell you, I'm reminded of the book of Genesis when Joseph has been sold into slavery by his brothers, and then when he re encounters his brothers.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What Joseph says to them is what you intended for evil. God intended for good. And I think that principle is right, that what man means for evil to result, God can use for good. And I do think in the past year, there are two significant consequences of October 7, both of which have been very, very good. One is clarity. This October 7th, in the aftermath, I don't think to my mind, there is no gray. This is a battle between good and evil. This is a battle between civilization and barbarism. And everyone has to decide where you stand. Do you stand with the people of Israel or do you stand with the Hamas terrorists? And that clarity, I think, has been incredibly valuable in the political world for elected officials to decide who do I stand with? It also has been incredibly valuable on college campuses. It is unmasked and revealed. Vicious, vicious, anti Semitism. That clarity is important. If we're going to combat evil, we have to see and understand and know who we're dealing with and have it be out in the open. And I think that clarity has been enormously consequential and enormous, but enormously beneficial. But I think secondly, a second very good consequence of the horrific evil of what happened on that day is Israel's stated commitment to utterly and completely eliminate Hamas.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And eliminating Hamas. And they have made incredible progress eliminating Hamas and now eliminating many, many of the leaders of Hezbollah as well. Eliminating Hamas and eliminating Hezbollah is unequivocally good for the national security of Israel and it is unequivocally good for the national security of America. And so both of those consequences have real and lasting effect in Israel, in America and across the world.

[A]

Let's talk about. There was something I'll never forget. You saw it before I did and I was asked to come watch the videos of the attack on this day. You saw it with, I think several other senators, if I was about 50.

[B]

Senators, about half the Senate went and watched it.

[A]

And I was asked to go to Israeli consulate and watch and to have a briefing. And I will never forget what I witnessed. I think you're probably the same. But it also was this.

[B]

It made you physically sick. It made you want to vomit watching. And this is not Hollywood sort of play acting. These are real people being murdered by people filled with genocidal hate. It was Nazi tactics for Nazi purposes carried out that day.

[A]

I watched it and I watched it and I never wanted to see it again. I'm glad that I saw it because you understand who you're up against. And I also made it very clear that they trained with the help of Iran.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And without Iran's funding, I don't think it would have happened a year ago today. And now we see Iran doing exactly what we knew they were doing all along directly now, trying to take out Israel. That's another aspect of when you talk about good and evil, and evil can show what's happening and then there can be good that comes from it. I think anyone that doesn't understand now the threat to the world from Iran, you're blind. We saw what they did with these ballistic missile attacks just days ago. What happens next now with that? Because that's a large part of this story.

[B]

Look, I think it is one of the most consequential elements of this election in November. We're right about 30 days away. Just over 30 days away from the election. And if Donald Trump is reelected, if we have a Republican Senate and a Republican House, the billions of dollars that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and the Democrats have flowed to Iran that stops in January. Over four years, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have flowed over $100 billion to Iran. It's a massive amount of money. 90% of the budget for Hamas comes from Iran. 90% of the budget for Hezbollah comes from Iran. So in a very real sense, the death squads that carried out horrific rapes and murders on October 7 were paid for by this White House. I gotta say, I don't understand. I mean, we spent a lot of time in this podcast talking about the ideology of the hard left, but I genuinely don't understand why you would send billions of dollars to people who want to murder you. Because the Ayatollah is not subtle. They are not yet the Ayatollah chants, death to America and death to Israel. He refers to Israel as the Little Satan and America as the Great Satan. And we should be absolutely clear eyed that if he could murder you or me or any of us, he would. And to be clear, the Ayatollah in Iran is actively trying to murder Donald Trump right now and is paying for hitmen and assassins to try to carry that out. And yet there is something in the ideology of the far left that giving him billions of dollars to enable him to wage genocidal war against Israel and kill Jews and to target Americans somehow makes sense to this White House. I am aware of their positions and look in public discourse, you try to show grace to those on the other side and understand them. I genuinely have a hard time. If you asked me to articulate their argument, what is it? Yeah, I don't know how to think that way to say, hey, this person wants to murder me, let's give them a bunch of money.

[A]

I don't get that final question on this. And it comes up the issue of the Iran nuclear site. Iran is clearly trying to get a nuclear weapon. There was a report that came out that they could be days away, weeks away, as in not less than a month. It's been interesting to see how the American media has framed this. It's like they've asked the White House their thoughts on do you take out this site? You know what they want to do. You know what they're chanting and they've said, they've kind of punted and said, well, this is up to Israel if they want to do that. You look at that rhetoric and you look at the White House kind of just not really taking a stand on this. I think a nuclear Iran is a threat to the world. Yes, they're obviously a threat to Israel, but they're a Threat to the world. When you look at this position of we'll punt to Israel, is that a good foreign policy from Biden and Harris?

[B]

Well, and understand it's also a dodge. Listen, of course it is. This White House, Kamala Harris doesn't want to do anything to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. Today, a year after October 7th, they're still not enforcing the oil sanctions. Today Iran is selling 2 million barrels of oil a day. They could stop that if they wanted to.

[A]

And what was it when I think it's important to remind people how many barrels of oil was Iran selling when Donald Trump was in office at the end of his presidency?

[B]

300,000.

[A]

And that's why they were broke and that's why you were seeing unrest in the country because without oil money, they are broke.

[B]

The regime was near collapse and Joe Biden, Kamala Harris gave life preserver, gave them a massive subsidy. I mean it is.

[A]

They gave them cpr.

[B]

Yes, yes. They were their lifeline. And look, saying that's up to Israel to decide. You know, I'm reminded of many, many years ago when Obama was president, there was an article in the Atlantic by Jeffrey Goldberg and it got a lot of attention at the time. And what got attention is it was an insult from an unnamed senior official in the Biden White House, in the Obama White House rather, who what got all the attention he referred to Benjamin Netanyahu was the prime minister of Israel then as well. And he used an epithet that because this is a kid friendly show, I won't repeat other than to say it was poultry manure and he was a little more colorful than that. And that got all the attention. And I remember at the time that article came out, I thought it wasn't news at all. It was obvious that's what the Obama White House thought of Netanyahu. They treated him that way every day. So I was like, what's the news in this? They're saying what they obviously believe. The most consequential element of that article to me was a different quote attributed to the same senior advisor in the White House. And by the way, there's a lot of speculation in Washington that that quote, senior adviser was named Barack Obama, that it was the president pretending to be a senior advisor. I don't know that for sure, but that's the, wouldn't surprise you, that's the diplomatic chatter in Washington. But the quote was something to the effect of the very best thing is we have delayed Israel from acting militarily for so long that they no longer have the military capacity to stop Iran from, from acquiring a nuclear arsenal. That was the sentence that was chilling. Look, this White House, they're not stupid. They know the end game of what they're playing is a nuclear Iran. And I think ideologically they believe America has no right to stop the Ayatollah from getting nuclear weapons. I think that makes no sense at all. And it is one of the many ways in which Americans are much less safe today because of the weakness of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. And tragically, 1200 Israelis lost their lives a year ago today because of that weakness.

[A]

They need prayers. They need our support. This one year anniversary. There's a lot of people today that are suffering. We need to pray for those hostages as well. A trend we're seeing of Democrats becoming Republican that are in office. I want to tell you about our friends over at Patriot Mobile. Patriot Mobile is the only conservative Christian wireless provider out there. And why does that matter to you? Well, you may not realize where your money is going when you give to big Mobile every month. When you pay that bill, you may be supporting Democratic causes, candidates and organizations, including organizations that advocate support and pay for abortions. That is why I want you to switch Patriot Mobile just like me. Because it's easier now than it's ever been. And you get to take a stand for what you believe in. Because every month Patriot Mobile takes a portion of your bill at no extra cost to you. And they give it back to conservative causes that fight for our first and our second amendment rights. They fight for the sanctity of life. And they stand with our military, our first responders and our wounded warrior heroes. So why not switch and stand up for what you believe in? It's easy. And they use the same towers that you're on right now, meaning you get the same coverage you're used to. Go to patriotmobile.com verdict that's patriotmobile.com verdict or call them 972-patriot right now. And you're going to get a free month when you use the offer code verdict. That's 972-patriot. Keep your same cell phone you have, upgrade to a new one if you want to and keep your same number you've got right now. And you can switch literally over the phone without even having to go to a store. So check them out, patriotmobile.com verdict or 972-patriot and you're gonna get a free month of service today with a promo code Verdict. All right. So senator, this is a new trend. I love this trend. For once we are seeing elected officials who are Democrats switching to the Republican Party and one of them is right here in Texas. And our guest tonight.

[B]

Well, that's exactly right. And as you know and as our viewers know, we had Eric Johnson, who's the mayor of Dallas. He was an elected Democrat. He was an elected Democrat state rep. And elected Democrat mayor and then he shifted to be a Republican. We had him as a guest on this podcast. He told his story. We now have another guest. Sean Theory is with us today. Sean is a state representative in Texas. She was an elected Democrat first elected in 2017, then elected again in 2018 and 2020. In 2022, she's been an elected Democrat her entire career in politics until just recently when she publicly announced enough was enough and she switched to the Republican Party. And so, Sean, welcome to verdict. We're very glad to have you with us.

[C]

Thank you, Senator. Thank you for having me. It's a pleasure.

[B]

You know, you and I were sitting down talking and I said, listen, I want you to tell your story, tell your story to our listeners, to our viewers and verdict. So let's just start with tell us your personal story where you grew up and what drew you to the world of politics. What drew you to running for the state legislature.

[C]

Sure. Thank you, Senator. Well, I'm a native Houstonian, born and raised here. Pretty uneventful story, but just grew up a Christian. Both parents married at home and hard working folks. And I always say my parents were Democrats because I believe they felt like that was the party of know, middle class folks.

[B]

Right.

[C]

My mom was a teacher, an English teacher. My dad worked for the city of Houston. And so we were Democrats thinking that that was just the party of middle class, hardworking people. And I went away to college, Howard University, came back, went to law school here at Thurgood Marshall School of Law. And really I always had a heart for public service. My parents kind of racist that way from being in Girl Scouts all the way through doing things at my church. And so folks asked me to run and I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it because I knew that I didn't really like the politics of politics. But I did have a heart for public service. So when the seat for state Rep. House District 146 became available in 2016, I said, well, okay, I'll do it. And I won. And I really just kind of jumped right in. The moment I got elected, I started writing legislation to help women in childbirth, maternal mortality, legislation helping the elderly, doing work to prevent anti prevent human trafficking should I say, and just never really always thought of it in terms of party. I always looked at it in terms of people. But as time went on, I started to notice session after session, the Democratic Party moving further and further away from mainstream values. And I kept quiet. But it was something that always kind of troubled my soul. And I was hoping that I could continue to be the voice of reason, which I was a lot of times I was always kind of the moderate voice in the room and kind of became known as that in the ledge. Text ledge. I was known as a consensus builder. And I don't want to be too much of a spoiler alert. We can talk about it, but this past session, the Democrats really started pushing policies that were so contrary to the well being of children and just our country overall. I said, as you said at the top, enough is enough. I said, get me off the bus now. And I made a very personal decision. It was very difficult because I knew the attacks that I would receive. But just like my good friend Mayor Eric Johnson, I did what I know is right for me, where I can look myself in the mirror every day.

[A]

What do they treat you like afterwards? I mean, when you leave the party? I think people don't understand in politics that is like a really bad day because all of these people you build these consensus with, now you're the enemy to them.

[C]

Well, mine was a little anticlimactic on some level because I took a stance, honestly. During session a year and a half ago, I spoke out against child sex chain surgeries. This legislation where we had was to decide to decide what is the appropriate age. Now this sounds weird for a child to have a sex chain surgery, which most people would say, well, why would a child be doing that anyway? But that's what we were dealing with because it was happening in the state of Texas. Girls and boys as young as 11, 12, 13 were getting their bodies mutilated. Also were taking drugs like Lupron to stop them from going through puberty. And so the bill which seemed very reasonable, just set the age of consent to 18, which is the age of consent for most things in Texas, if not 21, honestly. And so I said, well, I'll support that. We need some safeguards. And you wouldn't believe my former party, the Democratic caucus went crazy. They started pulling me to the side saying, sean, you cannot do it. We're going to kill this bill. And because I would not agree that children should undergo this type of harm, which, by the way, many of my colleagues privately told me they know it's wrong. But because I wouldn't co sign with that, I started getting attacked right then and there. So I've been going through it for a year and a half.

[B]

Yeah. And look, this is an issue that, you know, it's amazing that this is an issue now. I mean, even a few years ago there was no one in the political arena that was talking about little children, 8, 9, 10, 11 year old kids being sterilized, being permanently surgically altered. And look, my view, which I think is the common sense view of the vast majority of Texans is that a child doesn't have the emotional maturity to make that decision. That no 8 year old or 10 year old can decide I never want to be a father, I never want to be a mother and go in and make it so that I can never, never have children. I think it is a very reasonable position to say if you're going to do something with those sorts of consequences, you need to be an adult and have the emotional maturity to make that decision. That's a very common sense view. And yet when, when you articulated that, you know, one of the things that struck me when you and I were talking is you said that a lot of your Democrat colleagues in private agreed, but they were scared to say it.

[C]

Yes, the party has just been completely, I'll say it now, completely hijacked by radicals who have a chokehold on elected Democratic officials who have told them you will fall lockstep in line with this ideology and if you do not, we will put millions of dollars into a primary to get you on election.

[A]

So in other words, you're being held hostage for your job.

[C]

Absolutely.

[A]

So the Democratic Party says you don't go along with this, we'll find somebody that will, will run against you and beat you.

[B]

It's at and threatened with money, with real money.

[C]

Real money. And I'm living proof of it. But I like to say I'm a positive testimony because I tell people losing a seat is one thing, but losing your soul is another. And I did not lose my soul, but they put been over a million dollars in a race against me and they absolutely found someone.

[B]

And this is a primary and a state rep race in Texas. Over a million bucks.

[A]

What was it before when you ran like what was a normal amount of money put in perspective compared to a million?

[C]

I don't think I've ever had anybody spend over $50,000 running against me.

[A]

And when you listen, if you, if you're listening to this right now or you're watching this, when you think about going from $50,000 race to a million dollars against you. That's a political assassination on your career. That's saying we're just going to buy a winner and make sure you're a loser, because that's how much we want to punish you and make sure everybody else stays in line.

[C]

Exactly. I always tell folks it was literally to make an example out of me and to warn others. Don't get any bright ideas. Don't stand up there and speak out and tell the truth for your constituents, because we will, Sean, Theory you and put over a million dollars in your race. But I said it on the House floor. You know, I always say sunlight is the best disinfectant, Senator. And so I did rip the lid off of it. And I exposed the harms and I exposed the hypocrisy. You talked about 18 being such a reasonable age. Every policy that the Democrats put forth is usually to raise the age.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

This is the only area where not only do they not want to set the age, they want no age. They want to raise the age from 18 to 21 to have a gun. We raised the age from 18 to 21 to buy tobacco, cigarettes, which everyone agreed. We raised the age from 18 to 21 to work in a sexually oriented business. We have acknowledged. They said they're the party of science. They said the frontal lobe of the brain is not developed until almost 25. Why on earth are Democrats saying, as you said very well, Senator, that a child as young as nine who hasn't even entered puberty has the capacity to sign away their future in terms of being castrated and sterilized? What is this?

[B]

So tell us the sort of things. What did your then fellow Democrats say to you as this is all going down? What sort of conversation did y'all have?

[C]

Well, I guess the cat kind of got out of the bag that there was a potential dissident who wasn't going along with the program. And so they started pulling me to the side, usually in like, groups of three, then groups of six, and telling me, you know, Sean, what. What's going on here?

[A]

A lot of these are your friends, right? I mean, these are the people.

[C]

Yeah, people. They're colleagues. Colleagues. Some friends. The friends were the ones that really just came with the warning. They said, shawn, listen, because I was pulling out papers and showing what Lupron does, showing that it causes early onset osteoporosis and that some of these cross.

[B]

Sex hormones tell our viewers and listeners what. What is Lupron? So give some of those details.

[C]

Sure. So Lupron is the drug that they want to give children in America to stop them from going into puberty. It is prescribed for men who has pro. Who have prostate cancer. It is a chemotherapy drug. This is a drug we were giving children that do not have cancer the only other use for it. It gets even grosser that they want to give it to children. This drug is given as a chemical castration drug to child rapist, to pedophiles.

[A]

And they're giving it to kids because they say, or the parents say they want to transition at the age of 8 or 9 or 10.

[B]

By the way, if the kids, when they get older, they change their mind. Much of this is irreversible. If you have a teenage girl who has a double mastectomy, you don't get your breast back.

[C]

That's right.

[B]

That's right. That's permanent and forever.

[C]

It's too late. And that's what the Lupron is for. It is to put you on the trajectory for a sex change, to make it easier, because if your body never develops in the first place, it's that much easier to start mutilating and amputating body parts. So I started to meet. Now you talked about transitioning. There's a group of young people called D transitioners. These were the kids. They're now, many of them are grown that went through this, that have deep regret. And they visited the capitol as well. Unfortunately, their voices were shut out by these radical activists. They didn't want us to listen to these kids.

[A]

Wow.

[C]

I met a young lady who, who had a double mastectomy and a full hysterectomy. She's only 26.

[B]

Wow.

[C]

She said, rep theory crying in the hallway. To me. I have the biological profile now of a 72 year old woman.

[A]

She said, Biological profile of a 72 year old woman.

[C]

She's in Michigan, full menopause. She's 24. She said, My bone breaking my bones hurt me so badly. She was on so much testosterone. So now she said, I realized I never really wanted to be a boy. She said, I was love bombed. And I said, well, tell me more about that. And she said, I was a lonely child, a girl. She said, I think I'm gay. She said, but I don't want to be a man. And she said, but I watched a lot of YouTube. And she met these transgender ideologists who love bombed her. And then she told her mom, her mom was scared. She took her to her gender clinic somewhere outside of Austin. Despite what they tell you, she said, In 30 minutes, they had a letter authorizing for her to get on all of these hormones.

[A]

Wow, 30 minutes. And they always say that there's all this profiling that's done and all these interviews and mental, you know, they look at everything. 30 minutes. Here's your letter. Go change sex of a child.

[C]

Absolutely. And Senator, here's the part that really got me. She said that they told her mother because her mom thought she was doing the right thing. Her mom wasn't one of those women that was pushing it on her kid.

[B]

Right.

[C]

You can either have a dead daughter or a living son threatening her mother that she would kill herself. And she said, I never said that. She said, she goes. But then I started to believe that. And so when I was talking to the D transitioners, they even took a photo of me, I think it's on Twitter somewhere. And it said, look at Rep Theory. You know, meeting with these. They called the D transitioners a hate group. These were lg.

[A]

They're saying, we've already done this, listen to us. And then they called them a hate group.

[C]

Yeah, that I was meeting with a hate group, that I was anti lgbtq.

[B]

What's amazing is there's no compassion for these kids and the life altering decisions that I think in many instances it's adults who are foisting it on them. So let me ask you, if you listen to the media, if you listen to the conventional wisdom, Republicans are a bunch of intolerant bigots. You were a four time elected Democrat representative, you flipped over to the Republican party. What has the reaction on both sides been and what have you found?

[C]

Well, the reaction was one very welcoming. From the governor of Texas to the speaker of the House to all of my colleagues, to just regular folks writing me on Facebook and inboxing me and saying, welcome Rep. Theory. Praise God, we're so grateful to have you. So there was none of this boogeyman racism that people that the Democrat party is using to fear monger, I think half of America. But I knew that because I served with these folks and you know, all of this talk of calling people bigots and Nazis and white supremacists, it was always so bizarre to me because I would sit with my colleagues who were saying those things and they would be in the members lounge five minutes later sharing ice cream.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

With these very folks that they were calling Nazis. And then they actually started calling me a Nazi. And I'm like, me, I'm a black woman. I'm not. Okay, I'm a Nazi now. So, Senator, I Knew, you know, that that was just a bunch of crazy talk. The Democrats had been, like I said, from the moment I stood up on that bill, I started getting death threats. The night before the cat got let out the bag. That rep. Theory is probably going to vote in favor of setting the age.

[B]

Did any other Democrats cross over and vote for the bill?

[C]

Three others. Three others sold four. And they told me each one of them said they would not have done it but for hearing my speech. I gave a 12 minute speech on the House floor.

[B]

I think it's on YouTube and it's gone viral.

[C]

It went viral. The letter I wrote explaining it got over 2 1/2 million views on Twitter. But if you watch it, my hands were shaking, my voice was cracking because I was so sleep deprived. Because for days, you know, they had just been harassing me and pounding me and threatening me and trying to change my mind.

[A]

You're in a submission.

[C]

Absolutely. Just like a cult. And there was one colleague who, you said, who could be a friend. And I remember he pulled me to the side and he said to me, sean, hold your nose. You better hold your nose and vote with us if you want to make it back here. And I just looked him in the face and said, I can't do that. I can't do it.

[A]

A lot of people listening are going to ask, are you a cautionary tale? Are you safe now in your elected position? What's the end of the story for your career when it comes to this position that clearly you won four times?

[C]

Well, I did not win my seat for reelection.

[A]

I went to a runoff question that everybody listening right now is like, what happened?

[B]

Beat her in the Democrat primary with a million bucks. Million dollars worked.

[C]

They found a candidate who said she was a dual identity. Queer black woman that had never run for office. I'd never seen her in the district. One time, volunteering, doing anything, it never served. Put the money behind that candidate. And even though nobody knew her, she, she won. However, I always say there's a comma, not a period there. Okay. As I said again, that's a. That's a temporary pit stop. My dad, who passed away, I share. We were talking about our fathers when we sat down and talked. And before my dad passed away, it must have been very fortuitous of him. For no reason at all. He was in the hospital and he looked at me and he said, sean, I want you to promise me one thing. I was like, of course, Daddy. And he said, don't ever let the power and the prestige of the position Cause you to sell your soul.

[A]

Amen to that.

[C]

And I didn't. And I stayed with that. So I think people need to look at it and say, you can survive it. I'm still here. They censored me, but they did not silence me. So I think that the good news is you can survive it. I've switched parties not because I'm so much politically ambitious, but because I'm a citizen, I'm an American, and I want to do what's right for my country. And so now I'm speaking out. I'm using whatever platform I have to educate Americans. And Senator, so many folks, and I'll even say African American voters have come to me and said, Rep. Theory. If only I had known. I didn't even know the Democrat Party was up to this.

[B]

Well, Sean, thank you for your courage and thank you for sharing your story. Stories are powerful. A lot of what we try to do on this podcast is tell stories, stories that impact people's lives, stories that are reality. As you know, the media has their own narrative that they want to convince people of. And it's part of the reason we've seen things like podcasts grow so much is people are hungry for the truth. And so I appreciate you coming and joining us and thank you for standing up.

[C]

Thank you.

[A]

I can't wait to see what's next. I love how you describe that. It's like a comma. The story has not been fully written. I wish you well. I'm excited you ever want help, I'm on your team on this one.

[C]

Amen. Thank you. Only I'd say God is going to continue to order my footsteps.

[A]

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