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A (8:03)

Now, back to the story for today. Like, my point in bringing all of this up and bringing Nate's graph into this is because overarchingly, I agree with what he's saying. Like, that has been my personal experience. And I feel personally like this is inoculated the right. And it is actually a net negative for us leading up to the midterms because everyone's focus is on each other instead of the group that we are supposed to be united against that actively hates us and spends all day talking about how much they hate us. And more important, more importantly, I think that a lot of people on the right have no idea what the left is actually up to. And if you were on the right, that should actually scare you. Because a lot has changed in the last 12 months. Like, if you think that the left is still the same fractured coalition that it was post 2024, post Kamala, think again. And I know that literally 10 months ago, I was making fun of the 2025 no Kings protest. I was calling them wimpy and geriatric, which they were. They were very wimpy. They were very geriatric. But within 10 months or so, they got their crap together. Like, this is what the most recent no Kings protest from six days ago looked like. In Boston, for example, no Kings. Like, that is insane. And the crowds look like that in New York city and Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. All across the country, they looked like that. And now you might be thinking, okay, Brett, well, that's just Boston. It's just San Francisco. It's New York. They're always gonna show up for protests. They're always gonna be angry about something. All right, well, I understand. Let's look at Boise, Idaho, for example, because this is what their no Kings protest looked like here in Tennessee. We even had a huge demonstration. We had the handmaidens marching through Nashville. And I just have to say, as a little aside, isn't it nice that we have this consistency? Like, we know that when the weather gets a little warmer, left wing women, they're gonna go into their closets, they're gonna pull out the red capes, they're gonna get on Google, they're Gonna look for a protest to attend. They just can't wait to pull out those DIY signs. They just want to cosplay the handmaiden sale when April comes around. Like we know that we have that to look forward to. Somebody commented and said they had these left over from some other protests and thought that they might as well. Like it doesn't matter what the protest is, what the issue is, where it is. There will be a not attractive woman in a Handmaid style outfit, I can guarantee that. Anyway, moving on from that little aside, the point that I'm trying to make here is that these people are unified, the left is energized, they are ramped up, they are excited for the midterms, even if they don't really know what they're supporting or what they're actually fighting against. Mia, why you out here? To protest and make a better democracy. We get to make a statement and and they just silence us and they don't get to do that. You know, I was about to rag on these parents and say, you know, if you're gonna drag your 13 year old daughter out to a protest, like at least tell her what you're protesting against. But I don't think the parents know themselves. It's just chaos 24 7. All they know is that they hate Republicans, they hate the Orange man, and they are willing to come together over a hatred of the current thing that he's doing that they've been told is awful. And honestly, love it or hate it, think it's ridiculous or think it's smart, it is a winning strategy because they are coming together in numbers. They are unifying while the right is becoming more and more fract by the day. So yeah, we should actually be very afraid. And it's not just because I think they're gonna show up in November and whoop our asses, but it's because they're gonna show up and whoop our asses while looking like this. What does no Kings protest mean? You know, I think it means that the dow is over 50,000. So that's what we should be paying attention to right now. Okay? But really, we're sick and tired of this administration and all the wrongs that they're doing. It makes us sick. Most American people feel the same way. We need to take to the streets and do something about it. So guys, I know I already said that Paula White is my sleep paralysis demon, so unfortunately that job is taken. But what I will say is that this group is my nightmare. Blunt rotation, somebody commented and Said, I'm watching this no Kings protest in Atlanta against President Trump and his administration right now, and I genuinely can't tell if this is a protest or the villain casting call for a low budget Marvel movie. Are these Democrats, liberals? Devil worshipers? Is this real life? Yes, it is actually real life. That is not an AI video. Those are all real people. There were a lot of AI videos, by the way, that came out of the no Kings protest. And, like, all of the Boomer MAGA accounts were posting them on Facebook. And it was so ridiculous because you would see taxis disappearing into trees and people just showing up mid screen with, like, seven fingers. And everybody was, can you believe the Democrats are doing this? Like, that doesn't help our cause at all because this actually is real life. And that woman who was in the far right corner in the wheelchair is worse than anyone could have expected. And here she is in action. So I'm watching this video and the first thing that actually came to mind was the reaction of the Democrats that are currently running for office that wanna be perceived as these common sense, moderate Democrats. We're not extreme, we're not radical. We're just normal. Meanwhile, these are the people you have out in the streets representing you. It's like, Gavin Newsom was like, no, no, no, I'm supposed to be against trans now. Meanwhile, this is happening and his wife is out there saying batshit crazy things. But that's a topic for another episode. Anyway, moving on. I know that you guys probably looked at that video and just saw mental illness, but actually, guys, actually it's art and you just don't get it. So the woman behind this act, which is called Doge Walker, she is a performance artist based in Atlanta who has been trying to get this thing, this protest art, up and running since last year. In fact, back in 2015, she even started a GoFundMe page for it so that she could take it on the road. She wrote. My name is Jessica Elaine Bilk, and I am raising funds to support both myself and the nationwide presentation of Dogewalker, a live performative protest rooted in disabled, queer, and marginalized identities. Dogewalker is punk rock protest art. It is about reclaiming agency, about disabled and marginalized people taking back public space, rewriting narratives, and creating pathways towards justice, connection, and healing. We hold space for people who want to grow, who want to do better, and who believe in collective transformation. How are you holding space when you. Sorry, I was gonna point out the obvious. I don't know how she could hold space for Anybody else, but maybe that's just a step too far. Anyway, I personally read all of that and I still don't understand how any of those things connect with this. Like, welcome to modern Democrats. Apparently, like, honey, you and your fake little Trump dog are taking up the sidewalk and scaring children. You are not creating pathways for anything, let alone healing. Anyway, all that aside, she went viral after the most recent Atlanta no Kings protest. And even though she said that her skin was thicker than brick, she did seem to have an issue with people calling her a quote, unquote, welfare warrior online. Just take a listen.

B (14:10)

I'm pretty self deprecating myself, but referring to me as a welfare warrior is just offensive on so many levels.

A (14:19)

Oh, interesting. I actually think that it might have been offensive because actually that statement might have hit close to home.

B (14:26)

Just watch one. I received very little government assistance. In fact, I received Medicaid, Medicare, which helps for my medical costs, which, you know, actually the last time I totaled them up were about 330, 360,000 a year if you include my nursing care, my wheelchair.

A (14:52)

That is not where I thought this video was gonna go. Like, at every point I was like, okay, she's gonna say, you know, she's not on any government assistance. You know, $5,000 a year, whatever it is. She's like, I don't get much. I mean, honestly, my bills are only $330,000 a year. 300,000. I mean, you think that that's not very much. What are your friends getting? Like, that is where my mind goes now. But anyway, I'm bringing all this up. Number one, because I was pissed that I did do an episode on it last week. And number two, because I think that this individual is an incredible personification of the left. Like, I saw somebody comment and say that she is entitled, subsidized and performative. And that really sums it up well. And it also sums up that entire side of the political aisle. And in my. The best part of that story, like all shock value aside and all the discourse, was that she claims in all of her videos that people were attacking her because she's disabled, because she's in a wheelchair, because of how she looks like. No, we are genuinely just concerned and a little confused about how rolling around masked up with your tits out is doing anything to save democracy. Anyway, all that to say, I am showing you guys this because that is still what we are up against. We are still up against people like that. We are still up against people who cheered when Charlie Kirk was shot. We are still up against people who want to sterilize minority. So do not be fooled by the promises of these fake moderate candidates like Abigail Spanberger. Do not feed into the Democrats who are suddenly thinking that tax cuts are a great idea when they literally did everything in their power less than a year ago to stop Doge and reverse everything that Elon Musk accomplished. And yes, look, this is just from yesterday. Tax cuts are the hot new idea from Democrats. Like, great, thank you. I do not trust you in the slightest. Do not let Gavin Newsom and his slick back gelled hair make you forget what happened to California under his watch. And I really do mean it. I believe all of this. But I also want to give the caveat and say that I would be lying if I said that all of this, like, really bumped me up and got me excited. Because I look at all of this insanity. I look at the people that the Democrats are putting into office that they want to run, and I hate it. But then I think, what is our alternative? Because like it or not, I am still on the political right. My values have not changed. My hope for the future, the future of our country has not changed. Compared To November of 2024, two years ago, I feel a lot less confident and conservatives or honestly anyone, being able to pull off that vision or represent my values. And I think a lot of people are stuck here in this exact position. And funnily enough, I feel like this is actually very full circle because this is really where I started when I started talking about politics. Like my mom, who you guys know, I just adore, she's my best friend. She is a lifelong registered independent. Yes, she would vote Republican, but she leans more Libertarian. She never really believed in either side's ability to get things done. She didn't really feel like the two party system was effective in representing all American. Like that is the value system that I was raised under. Like, we had conservative values, but we were never Republicans. We never, like, loved the gop. But over the last decade, obviously something changed. Like Trump and his coalition. It seemed different. It seemed disruptive, which I remember doing so many episodes in 2024, talking about how this is why voters loved him. This is why we were so gung ho. We wanted to get him in office because it was different. He was gonna shake everything up and change it. It was genuinely unifying and hopeful and so joyful. But I think that people genuinely believed, like from all across the political spectrum, they believed that this time it might actually be different. This is an outsider. He could disrupt, he could change things. And while there is plenty now, that is better than before. And I think that we dodged an absolute nuke with Kamala, so thank God for that. We still are playing the same gang of ping pong between political parties like that deep rooted corruption that works against the American people. Regardless of your creed, your race, your background, it still exists. And I don't know if that ever will change. And whether we were wrong and actually Trump is part of that system, or whether he got in there and tried to fix it but learned the hard way that the game really is just rigged even against people like him, I have no idea. And so either way, all of this to say this is where I have found myself. And it's kind of an odd position to be in, in my opinion, because I have influence. I know that. And I want to wield it well. I don't want to black pill and just complain every day. But I also don't want to lie and avoid the reality that so many Americans are facing and try to convince you that things are better than they are, because I don't feel that way. And so I guess I'll just go back to this, which is something that I say all the time, and you guys might be tired of it, but it's real. Like the things that we, we can control are right here at home. And in my personal life, that's what I choose to focus on. That's what brings me joy. So that is what I invest in when I'm not doing the show. And I would suggest that you do the same as well. Invest in your family and the things that bring you joy and build community and get involved in local politics. Because honestly, at the end of the day, that is really what you're coming home to. And that is what matters. But the uncomfortable caveat here, and this is something that I talked about last week, is that that also doesn't mean that we just become apathetic, that we hand over power to the handmaidens and the wheelchair Mad Maxes, who would probably celebrate our death and hate every that we stand for. And so the alternative, yes, is to invest in our homes and our families, but also to work towards something better. But we can't just do that alone. And so, on that note, and I will end the episode with this, Republicans who are in government or who are running for office, I'm sorry, but you owe it to your voters to get your crap together and give us something to show up for in November. We cannot just be unified against something else. Give us something to fight for and believe in. Because right now you're losing people. You are losing people every, every single day. And it's not just an us problem, it's honestly a you problem. So show up and deliver. We want to believe in you. Give us something to believe in.

B (19:57)

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