Normally Podcast: Biden, Censorship, and Democratic Party Turmoil

Summary

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show – "Normally Podcast: Biden, Censorship, and Democratic Party Turmoil"

September 25, 2025 | Hosts: Mary Katharine Ham & Carol Markowitz
(Note: Despite the iHeart description and title, this episode features Ham & Markowitz from "Normally" as hosts, not Clay Travis or Buck Sexton.)

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Episode Overview

This lively episode of "Normally" tackles a week packed with political controversy and Democratic infighting. Mary Katharine Ham and Carol Markowitz discuss:

• Revelations about Biden administration pressure on tech companies to censor dissenting voices
• Media and left-wing refusal to acknowledge missteps during the COVID era
• The recent Jimmy Kimmel free speech controversy and its fallout
• The looming government shutdown and political maneuvering over Obamacare subsidies
• Tumult within the Democratic Party, 2028 election fears, and Kamala Harris’s book tour
  The hosts approach each topic with humor, skepticism, and an insistence on confronting partisan hypocrisy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Biden Administration, Google, and Censorship

[01:22–08:23]

• Google Confirms Biden-Era Pressure to Censor:
  • News surfaced that the Biden administration pressured Google to ban specific YouTube accounts (e.g., Dan Bongino, Sebastian Gorka) and content related to COVID-19 “misinformation.”
  • Mary Katharine and Carol stress this is not surprising, but important as confirmation:

    "Why this is not a huge story is because we all knew this... This confirmation is very good because we could point to it and be like, look, we were right once again." – Carol [01:22]

• Media Complicity:
  • They point out the mainstream media's lack of outrage and even approval for such censorship:

    "Much of the media thinks that this was the Right decision. This was good censorship." – Mary Katharine [02:33]

  • Democrats, like Rep. Jim Clyburn, publicly support these moves, with little media critique [02:44].
• Jawboning Defined:
  • "Jawboning" is explained as government pressuring private entities to limit speech [03:21–03:39].
• Free Speech and Legal Fallout:
  • Citing Greg Lukianoff (FIRE): Had Google pushed back, there's a good chance anti-censorship lawsuits could have succeeded [06:40].
  • Instead, key First Amendment cases have fallen short, leaving a vital legal gap.
• Consequences for Creators:
  • Many creators who lost channels never recovered:

    "A lot of people that you've never heard of, lost their channels... Some of them just quietly disappeared and lost the money they were making from their channel." – Carol [05:08]

  • Calls for financial restitution are met with indifference.
• Double Standards and Lack of Accountability:
  • The left does little self-reflection on these actions:

    "They won't admit what happened. They won't talk about the shutdowns of speech. They won't talk about the misinformation that was actually correct. All of that leaves me with bitterness forever." – Carol [05:28]

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2. Free Speech Double Standards & The Jimmy Kimmel Saga

[09:12–19:13]

• Kimmel’s Suspension and Free Speech Irony:
  • While controversy erupts over Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension, there is less outrage over a politically motivated campus murder [09:12].
  • Comedian Ryan Long's analogy:

    "You supported every guy getting kicked off of everything for 10 years... Then coming back to the party after one day sober and being like, you guys need to get your life together. And you’re like, what?" – Ryan Long [10:04]

• Kimmel’s Response and Half-Apology:
  • Kimmel’s monologue uses lines that minimize the gravity of an assassination attempt, critiques for lacking true accountability.
    • Notable quote:

      "If you like me, you like me. If you don't, you don't... It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man." – Jimmy Kimmel [12:33]

  • The hosts criticize the "I'm sorry you felt that way"-style apology [14:07] and note Kimmel’s refusal to link free speech to incidents worse than his own controversy.

    "He has made himself the only free speech martyr of the week...this is why he will never be a teammate on this." – Mary Katharine [15:32]

• Real Free Speech Issues Ignored:
  • Kimmel never defends others’ right to speak, only his own.
  • Dave Portnoy's sharp take:

    "This isn't a free speech issue. He works for Mickey Mouse on network TV. Nobody said he was going to jail. He was dealing with consequences." – [16:47]

• Left-Wing 'Jawboning' Hypocrisy:
  • Pressure and investigation into Sinclair and Nexstar for not airing Kimmel is pointed out as the same kind of pressure the left denounced when done by Republicans [18:48].

    "It’s okay when they do it." – Carol [18:50]

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3. The Looming Government Shutdown & Obamacare Subsidy Fight

[20:50–26:27]

• Shutdown Approaching (again):
  • With a September 30 deadline, the House passes a "clean CR" (continuing resolution) for simple, short-term funding.
• Democrats Insert Obamacare Subsidies:
  • Senate Democrats want to add extra COVID-era Obamacare subsidies previously set to expire, transforming the clean CR according to the hosts:

    "Democrats in the Senate have decided that they want to add to the clean cr, thereby making it dirty, dirty, dirty cr." – Mary Katharine [22:05]

  • These expanded subsidies mostly benefit insurance companies and raise costs, they argue [23:03].
• Republican Messaging Opportunity:
  • Republicans are urged to resist the narrative spin about “healthcare cuts,” to clarify these were never core programs and only benefit select groups [23:54].
  • Broad distrust of massive, crisis-branded Democrat spending bills, characterized as lasting "slush funds" [25:00].
• Uncertainty Over Voter Memory:
  • The hosts wonder if voters still understand the link between rising costs and Obamacare itself.

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4. Democratic Party Turmoil: Polls, 2028, Kamala, and Newsom

[27:14–38:13]

• Polls Show Republican Advantage:
  • New Reuters poll: GOP leads on crime (+20), immigration (+18), economy (+10), etc. Democrats only ahead on environment, women's rights, health care, and “respect for democracy.” [27:13–28:07]
  • This focus on health care explains Democrats’ fixation on the CR fight.
• Messaging on Women's Rights Lags:
  • The only reason Dems are ahead, they argue, is as code for abortion; Republicans could make inroads if they improve messaging [28:35].
• Abigail Spanberger’s Evasion:
  • When pressed on “boys in women’s sports,” rising Democratic star Spanberger dodges, highlighting the party’s weakness on mainstream cultural issues [29:02].
• Gavin Newsom’s Apocalyptic Rhetoric:
  • Newsom warns:

    "I fear that we will not have an election in 2028. I really mean that in the core of my soul." – Gavin Newsom (clip) [30:33]

  • Hosts dismiss this as preposterous, and point out the demoralizing effect such rhetoric could have on Democrat voter turnout [31:04–33:37].
• Kamala Harris’s Book Tour & Intraparty Gripes:
  • Harris’s memoir blames others—Biden, her husband—for her struggles, but never herself [33:37–34:49].

    "She has an interesting quality of being simultaneously extremely cringe and uncompelling..." – Mary Katharine [34:03]

  • On not picking Pete Buttigieg for VP:

    "It wasn’t that he couldn't be on the ticket because he is gay. ...But I also realized it would be a real risk." – Kamala Harris (clip) [35:25]

  • Hosts mock the performative “DEI” (diversity, equity, inclusion) stance and note her lack of self-awareness, poor preparation, and general political incompetence.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On censorship confirmation:

  "We all knew it. We were right." – Carol Markowitz [01:22]

• On left’s lack of accountability:

  "They won't admit what happened. They won't talk about the shutdowns of speech. ...All of that leaves me with bitterness forever." – Carol Markowitz [05:28]

• On Kimmel’s apology:

  "I don't appreciate an apology that is like, I'm sorry you felt... If you're mad, then I'm sorry you misheard me." – Mary Katharine Ham [14:07]

• On government shutdowns:

  "I wish they would do their jobs before the deadline. But as a person who's never done a job before a deadline, I must have sympathy..." – Mary Katharine Ham [21:07]

• On Democratic campaign messaging:

  "It does seem like an issue. Also, are you not doing voter suppression by telling them that there will be no voting?" – Mary Katharine Ham [32:24]

• On Kamala’s book tour:

  "She is so very bad at this." – Mary Katharine Ham [37:19]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Censorship revelations & jawboning: [01:22–08:23]
• Jimmy Kimmel controversy & free speech hypocrisy: [09:12–19:13]
• Government shutdown and CR battle: [20:50–26:27]
• Democratic disarray, 2028 rhetoric, Kamala's book: [27:14–38:13]

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Overall Tone

Wry, energetic, and combative. The hosts balance mockery of political opponents with a consistent emphasis on double standards—and occasionally, their own side’s need for better messaging. The language is accessible but sharp, aimed squarely at listeners frustrated with mainstream narratives.

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Perfect for listeners who want a fast-paced rundown of the week’s political controversies, with a special focus on free speech, Democratic missteps, and the culture war.

Transcript

[A]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[B]

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[A]

Hey guys, we are back on Normally the show with normalish takes for when the news gets weird. I am Mary Kathryn Hamm.

[C]

And I'm Carol Markowitz. Is it the weekend yet? It feels like it should be the weekend.

[A]

I don't think it's even close.

[C]

Man, this is like a really long week. I don't know why, just maybe the news is again, nonstop and so much going on. You know, I was thinking about this as we were discussing our topics today. We're not even going to talk about that. Trump said that Ukraine can win the war against Russia as an aside yesterday.

[A]

And the entire speech, maybe we'll get.

[C]

To it like next week, but not today.

[A]

And the entire speech at the UN General assembly, which would have been a two week story like 10 years ago. But we'll get to it at some point, right?

[C]

We're not even getting into it because there's so much other news. I think that one of the biggest stories that doesn't feel like a big story is that Google has admitted that the Biden administration pressured them to shut down various YouTube accounts, including that of FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, White House counterterrorism Chief Sebastian Gorka. It's really kind of crazy. So Google, this is from Fox. Google detailed its remarkable shift in a document first obtained by Fox News Digital that a lawyer for the company provided to the House Share Committee. The new policy from Google could affect both average users and well known figures. The document included a section about the Biden administration and said the White House officials at the time pushed Google behind the scenes to remove perceived information related to COVID 19. Now, why this is not a huge story is because we all knew this. We knew it. We knew that this was happening. This confirmation is very good because we could point to it and be like, look, we were right once again. But it doesn't feel new. We all knew it. We were right.

[A]

Well, and the other reason it's not a good a big story is because much of the media thinks that this was the Right decision. This was good. This was good.

[C]

This was good. Censorship. Yeah.

[A]

And Jim Clyburn, a representative Democrat. Representative, said as much on Abby Phillips show on cnn. She strangely did not interrupt him while he was spewing his own misinformation about how it's good to shut people down for misinformation, which, by the way, we now know was not in misinformation. Much of it. Right.

[C]

We were right.

[A]

We were all right about so many things. Yeah. I think this should be a giant deal. I have been consistent in saying that the head of the SEC should not be. Jawboning is the term. Which is.

[C]

Yeah, I was gonna say, is this jawboning? Because I only learned the word jawboning that everybody's using, like, in every other sentence, like, two days ago. Is this jawboning term?

[A]

Jawboning is for when the government publicly threatens or pressures a private entity to make decisions that would limit people's speech.

[C]

Right.

[A]

We know that the Biden administration was engaged in this for years, and not only were they engaged in it against both misinformation, which was. Is obviously allowed, and true information, which was, you know, detrimental to people's knowledge base on Covid, but they did it on the Internet and social media, where they have absolutely no plausible place or power for regulation. Now, the FCC does have regulation powers over broadcast networks. Right. So that's.

[C]

People don't understand that distinction. Yeah.

[A]

There's a slight difference here. Still don't think Brendan Carr should be doing that. But there is a slight difference in that there's no plausible place where they have the power to do this. But, of course, this is one of those things where it's like the media mostly agrees with the Biden administration. They think it was wise or that it just had. You know, at least they were doing it for the right reasons. I mean, sometimes people explicitly say that. I believe it was. Derek Thompson wrote that just the other day. It was like, you know, at least they had good reasons for doing it. I'm like, no, no, no, no, no.

[C]

Everybody thinks they have good reason. Hello.

[A]

It's not how we evaluate these things, but, yeah, it had really deleterious effects on people. People lost money from this, by the way. Can they go sue them and get the money back that they would have made from these channels? Because they should. Because they're like, we're reinstating your channels. Great. Where's my money?

[C]

The years of lost money. And look, not everybody got to have a career after that. A lot of people that you've never Heard of, lost their channels, and that's it. They didn't go on to administration jobs. They didn't go on to fame and fortune elsewhere. Some of them just quietly disappeared and lost the money that they were making from their channel.

[A]

It's.

[C]

Look, are we still mad, bro, about the COVID years? Yes. But what's particularly galling here is that there's so little conversation about this on the left. They're not doing any soul searching. And this always makes me crazy because there's so many people on the right who are like, I don't like what happened to Jimmy Kimmel. I'm not one of them. By the way we talked about this. I'm like, I don't see a problem here. But a lot of people on the right did see a problem and spoke out about it. You just don't see that kind of thing on the left at all. And that's why the COVID years do still matter to us so much, because they won't admit what happened. They won't talk about the shutdowns of speech. They won't talk about the misinformation that was actually correct. All of that leaves me with bitterness forever.

[A]

Yeah, well. And if you. If you play this unequal game for too long and the other side never admits error or backs down and you're consistent the whole time, this is the part of the argument from folks like you that I'm very friendly to. It's like, how does that work out?

[C]

Exactly. Right, Right. Only one side gets this.

[A]

Yes, exactly. Greg Lukianoff, who runs Fire, which I like, occasionally slightly disagree with on some things, but largely think they're pretty. They're good and consistent. He writes, the maddening thing is that if Google had chosen to stand up to the Biden administration's jawboning, they definitely would have gotten standing, and I believe they would have won. Instead, we got the terrible Murthy v. Missouri decision, in which I do think there was more than enough evidence to get standing. But I digress. That was the important case on this kind of thing, that the. The court decided that the folks who were censored did not have standing. Again, I disagree with them as well.

[C]

Right.

[A]

Instead of a resounding rebuke to the idea that the government can make private companies censor speech that it is forbidden from censoring under the First Amendment, we still need that decision. Oh, titans of Silicon Valley. So the next time you jawboned, consider suing with us. With us. Okay. Agree with Greg on this. And also, isn't the problem for conservatives over and over again, that the government and the corporations are happy to work together when it's for the right reasons. The only reason they're coming out now is because they were investigated by Republicans in Oversight Committee, and now they're like.

[C]

Ooh, we're on the wrong side of things now. Right, Right.

[A]

They just, they just basically agreed the censorship was okay.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So how do we get rid of that part?

[C]

Yeah, right. Yeah. All of that is really tough to swallow. And I don't know how we move forward from this because, yes, they're all falling into line now. Now that there's a Trump administration, now that there's investigations, it shouldn't have to be that way. And I, I just, I don't know where we go from here. I really don't.

[A]

And when it's after the fact, the entire media can go, snooze, yawn.

[C]

Yeah, it's an old story, old news.

[A]

It's not a story.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah. Brian Stelter is not worked up about this for some reason.

[A]

Oh, yeah, no, that's not in his. Not in his newsletter this week.

[C]

No, probably not. I want to give a shout out, speaking of COVID to a new documentary that's out called fifteen the Real Story of America's Pandemic School Closures, if you want to get all riled up. But also, I think it's important to have that kind of stuff go into the history of what happened. And I think, just think that they lied to us, they kept things from us, they shut down speech they didn't agree with. And we have to move forward, but we have to remember what happened. Yeah.

[A]

And of course, while this is all happening, everybody's very angry about the current free speech story, which isn't that a person was killed in the act of debating on a college campus, but is that Jimmy Kimmel was off of work for several days.

[C]

Yeah, poor Jimmy.

[A]

As I have said, I think the government did the wrong thing here by opening its big old trap. However, I want to go through Kimmel's monologue, but before we get to that, I want to play a little clip first from Ryan Long, who's a comedian who's very clever and based is probably the word for him and good at sort of making fun of woke things and conventional lefty wisdom. And I just want to play this real quick clip because it embodies how I feel as a consistent free speech person about these moments.

[D]

I had a friend, she came up to me and she was like, isn't it crazy that Free speech is gone. I'm like, you supported every guy getting kicked off of everything for 10 years. It feels like a friend that was like an alcoholic for eight years and just a menace, then coming back to the party after one day sober and being like, you guys need to get your life together. And you're like, what? You're like. I'm like, you came to my wedding and on the cake, and the only reason you're not an alcoholic anymore is because of the ankle bracelet. What are we talking about right now?

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's good.

[A]

No, that's. That's how I feel about many of these folks, including Kimmel, who, by the way, was happy to join in with cancellations of others, with advocacy for censorship of others, as long as they were for the right reasons, which are the left reasons, obviously. Okay, so I listened to his entire monologue. You're welcome, everyone. 17 minutes. It opens with the same line that Trump opened with when he returned triumphantly after almost being assassinated in Butler. He says, as I was. With his. Like, as I was saying before I was interrupted. Okay, first of all, that was a great line from Trump and to Cribbit is lame. Also, it makes light of an assassination attempt by equating it with returning to give a comedy monologue. Okay, so there's that. That's how he opens. Four minutes in, he thanks some people who are consistent free speech folks. Clay Travis, Ted Cruz, among them, people who, he says it took courage for them to say that the administration had done the wrong thing on this. Courage that, notably Kimmel does not have.

[C]

Does not have. Right. Completely does not possess that courage.

[A]

No, he's happy to jump on any bandwagon during the Biden administration on any of these issues. By the way, can we just reflect on the fact that Jimmy Kimmel, of all people of man show and repeated blackface past was never canceled before. Like.

[C]

Right? Yeah.

[A]

Amazing he made it through that. Okay.

[C]

White man privilege, yo.

[A]

So six minutes in, we get this, which is his attempt at an apology about the whole thing. I think we have a little clip of it.

[E]

I don't think what I have to say is going to make much of a difference. If you like me, you like me. If you don't, you don't. I have no illusions about changing anyone's mind, but I do want to make something clear because it's important to me as a human, and that is, you understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man.

[C]

I don't.

[E]

I don't Think there's anything funny about it? I posted a message on Instagram of the day he was killed sending love to his family and asking for compassion. And I meant it, and I still do. Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what it was. Obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make. But I understand that to some that felt either ill timed or unclear or maybe both. And for those who think I did point a finger. I get why you're upset. If the situation was reversed, there's a good chance I'd have felt the same way. I have many friends and family members on the other side who I love and remain close to. Even though we don't agree on politics at all. I don't think the murderer who shot Charlie Kirk represents anyone. This was a sick person who believed violence was a solution, and it isn't it ever.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

Yeah. I mean, his friends and family on the right have heard him blame Republican voters for school shootings. I just. I'm sure he has people on the right in his life, but he has said horrendous things about our side.

[A]

Also. I don't appreciate an apology that is like, I'm sorry you felt. If you.

[C]

If you feel.

[A]

If you're mad, then I'm sorry you misheard me. The sentence was very clear. I think people are gaslighting by telling you it meant something other than what it meant. The truth is that he was trying to critique the right for hoping it was anyone but them, when what he was doing in that sentence was trying to create a fiction in which anyone but his people. He continues that fiction in this monologue by saying he didn't represent anything. That's not true. That's not true. What Kimmel is doing is owning for himself. And I agree with him that his benching was a speech issue, but he will not allow that. Charlie Kirk's murder is a free speech issue. He will not allow it. He says that stands for nothing. That was just violence.

[C]

Right.

[A]

He does not take a moment to be like, hey, it's really important that he be able to do what he was doing. I think it's important I do what I'm doing. But, like, this man doesn't get to go home to his family. Now, he later goes on to note that satire is. Is a very important part of. An especially important part of American speech and political speech and protected speech.

[C]

Right.

[A]

He never mentions that debate is a very important protected part of American free speech culture. Then he Mentions a bunch of things we can all come together about as a country, including that he shouldn't be benched. What goes unmentioned is we could come together to agree that Charlie Kirk should not be murdered for saying thoughts on campus. So in this way, he has made himself the only free speech martyr. Yeah, the only free speech martyr of the week. And I just think it's trashy, it's vile. And this is why he will never be a teammate on this.

[C]

Right? Yeah, absolutely. He. He can't be trusted to defend free speech. He could only be trusted to defend himself.

[A]

So also, one more thing. He has cried on television many more times than I have in my entire career. And I have had much more, better, many more, better reasons to cry than this man has. So I would just ask, in the age of the crying selfie, cut it out.

[C]

Get it together. I want to just add one more thing. Dave Portnoy has been, I think, very, very good on this. And he tweets. Here's my last point on Kimmel. If Kimmel came on and apologized like this the day after his remarks, he probably wouldn't have been suspended. But by all accounts, he wanted to double down again. For the billionth time, this isn't a free speech issue. He works for Mickey Mouse on network tv. Nobody said he was going to jail. He was dealing with the consequences of making off color jokes about the mur of a guy who meant a ton to a ton of people and blamed it on the very people who love him the most before the body was even cold. So, yeah, there was outrage that Mickey had to deal with. Then the pendulum swung the other way, and they put him back on the air. Either way, it was never a free speech issue. When you work for somebody else and you offend a ton of people, you deal with the consequences. Him framing this as free speech is.

[A]

A joke, by the way.

[C]

Look at him go.

[A]

Dave Portnoy, by the way, is no one concerned at all that ABC made its decision after an ABC affiliate had been shot at by a person who explicitly wanted Kimmel back on the air? Because that seems like it should be a big story and we should interrogate.

[C]

It's worse than jawboning. I don't know.

[A]

Well, here's the thing. We should interrogate the notion. Just as cars talking might have put pressure, that the shooting might have put pressure on abc. And then one last thing. Of course, a this terrible California House member, state legislature member, always is, like, popping off about stuff, and he's like, we got to take away Sinclair's ability to broadcast, which is the affiliates that want to not they want to opt out of Kimmel. Elizabeth Warren and three other Democratic lawmakers have launched an investigation into nexstar and Sinclair, two major TV station owners that are refusing to airjit Jimmy Kimmel's talk show because now, you see, it's jawboning for the right reasons.

[C]

It's okay when they do it.

[A]

It's okay when they do it. And she wants to shut up Sinclair and nexstar and not let them have freedom of association or freedom.

[C]

I'm sure the free speech warriors in the left who woke up this last week are, are going to be putting it all over their Instagram stories.

[A]

Yeah, they're gonna, they're very principled about that. I can see it coming.

[C]

It's going to be in the next.

[A]

Kimmel monologue, which I will not be watching.

[C]

Me neither. We'll be right back with more on Normally, where we will talk government shutdown and how fun polls have gotten lately.

[A]

But first, it was nearly two years ago that terrorists murdered more than 1200 innocent Israelis and took 250 hostages. Today, it seems as if the cries of the dead and dying have been drowned out by shouts of anti Semitic hatred. And the most brutal attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust is in danger of being forgotten in a lot of sectors. Yet as the world looks away, a light shines in the darkness. It's a movement of love and support for the people of Israel that I know you guys are going to want to get involved with called Flags of Fellowship, and it's organized by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. On October 5, just a few weeks away, millions of Americans will prayerfully plant an Israeli flag in honor and solidarity with the victims of October 7, 2023 and their grieving families. And now you can be a part of it, too. To get more information about how you can join the Flags of Fellowship movement, visit the fellowship [e-mail] that's ifcj.org check it out. We're back with Normally right after this.

[F]

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[A]

Alrighty. We are back on normally. Let's talk about the government shutdown because we have to do this periodically because the government is threatening to shut down periodically.

[C]

Can't we just play what we said six months ago or no.

[A]

Nah, it's like slightly different every time.

[C]

It's a little bit different each time. Right.

[A]

It's like, here's the thing, I wish they would do their jobs before the deadline. But as a person who's never done a job before a deadline, I must have sympathy same for this.

[C]

I hear you. Yeah, yeah. I actually, I also think we said this last time.

[A]

Yeah. So I have some sympathy.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Here's what's happening and I just want to give you guys a little preview of the fight that's going to go down. So I believe September 30th is the date by which there needs to be a continuing resolution to continue the funding of the government. It would be short term. The House has passed one. The House has passed what is called, with Republicans in charge, a clean cr. That means there's nothing else in it. They're just like, let's just do this. We can all get on the same page that the government needs to continue to be funded for this short period of time. We will argue again later. Here's the clean cr. Pass it in the Senate, we shall be done. Okay. That's where we are right now.

[C]

That sounds very diligent of them.

[A]

It actually sounds like the thing Democrats and everyone in the press asks for tend to want. Yeah, yeah. So House is like, okay, we'll do that. Democrats in the Senate have decided that they want to add to the clean cr, thereby making it dirty, dirty, dirty cr. A dirty cr. Have decided they want to add an extension of COVID era Obamacare subsidies that were giant extra subsidies that were part of one of. One of many slush funds created during COVID under alleged emergency conditions that we didn't really need and that are basically fraudulent and in fact raise everyone's premiums. Because why, when people don't have to pay for premiums and you're subsidizing them, your costs go up.

[C]

Right.

[A]

So they approved these during COVID They put an expiration date on them. That expiration date is this year. So now they've been thinking for Republicans.

[C]

They put a date so far into the future, they were just like, we'll figure out how to deal with this by then.

[A]

Well, and now, now their argument is, fix our problem. We made for ourselves And Republicans are like, no right. You have a clean cr. We know you want to continue these subsidies, which are billions of dollars in handouts to insurance companies, but we never voted for them. We don't want them. This is not our job. Take it up with someone else. And they're like, you're making a health care crisis. So that's where we stand at the moment.

[C]

Can Republicans fight back on this or will they ultimately fold just to get the CR through?

[A]

I think they can fight this effectively, and that's why I'm sort of staging it for you guys, because I think it's important to understand what they're doing here. Because they're saying, healthcare cuts. Right. Well, there's not a cut. This is a program that was superfluous to begin with.

[C]

Right.

[A]

Went mostly to insurance companies. Because, by the way, can I just point out, speaking of things, we're right about that. We've been right about Obamacare the whole time.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Which is that premiums would go up, the risk pools would get worse, things would cost more, care would get worse, coverage would get worse. You have to keep throwing money at it. And so that's what they're doing. And they're afraid that on October 1, when the insurance companies are required by law by Obamacare, their original failure to send out their notices that say your premiums are going up.

[C]

Right.

[A]

That that's going to be a problem for them.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

The thing is, they're trying to prevent it by making us do it.

[C]

Yeah. It's getting so far away from the Obama years that. Are people even going to connect it to Obamacare? I'm not sure.

[A]

I'm not sure either. And these things can get so muddied. And look, Democrats are really good at just saying crisis, crisis, crisis. They want to end everything. But I would encourage everyone to remember that basically any Biden era program approved as part of IRA or Save whatever Saves America act or whatever they were all called are mostly slush funds and nonsense to put us on a higher spending level that then Democrats could claim we can never come down from and therefore get all that money for. For the future.

[C]

Right. All of them are named. Yeah, all of them are named. Like, not a slush fund, we promise.

[A]

Bill. Yes. So they made their own. They want Republicans to solve it. And Republicans are like, pass. No, you guys are gonna have to deal with this. So in the Senate, that's the. The game board as it is. They want to have a meeting with Schumer, wants a meeting with Trump, and Trump's like, why we gave you a clean cr. And they're like, see, he won't negotiate with us over what? Dude, you got the thing.

[C]

So, yeah, I hope he sticks to that. I hope he doesn't negotiate because it sounds like Republicans are for the first time in forever in a, in a winning situation where they have done the right thing. I like that.

[A]

I mean, we'll probably fight each other over the CR anyway and learn it.

[C]

Would be my guess that's different.

[A]

But that is where we stand at the moment.

[C]

All right, we'll be right back with more on normally where we preview 2028, talk about the latest polls and Kamala Gavin, what's going on with them? Let's talk about it.

[F]

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[A]

All.

[C]

Right, we are back on normally with a fun little segment where we get to enjoy the Democrats disarray. And look, we know it's not going to last. We know it won't always be this way. But polls have been so much fun lately. Every poll that comes out, it's like, who even are the Democrats? Do they even exist? The latest from Reuters has which party has a better plan on crime? Republicans are up by 20. Immigration, Republicans are up by 18. Foreign conflicts, Republicans are up by 12. Economy, Republicans are up by 10. Corruption, Republicans are up by 6. Gun control, Republicans are up by 4. Political extremism, Republicans are up by 4. The only things Democrats are up on for a better plan are environment, women's rights, health care, and respect for democracy. And that's fine with me.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, this is probably an indication by the way of why they're going after healthcare messaging on the CR is that they're trying to cement that for next year as their winning issue. That they're gonna harp on this even though most of it is like made up, but it is one of the few places that they outperform Republicans. Those numbers are tragic if you're a Democrat.

[C]

Right. And even like women's rights, how are they even up 13 points on women's rights? When was the Last time they cared about women's rights at all. I know it's just code for abortion. I get it. But wow, do they not care about women's rights? And if Republicans were better at messaging about it and, you know, maybe Erica Kirk gives Republicans the kick that they need to become better messengers on women's rights, I think things could even turn around on that.

[A]

Yeah. On that subject, by the way, Spanberger, who I keep referencing, but she's important because she's running in Virginia for governor and she is the great normie hope for Democrats. She was once again asked about boys in women's locker rooms or boys in women's sports and couldn't give a straight answer because even though it's the most normal position you can have, she can't do it.

[C]

Yeah, yeah. She runs away because she doesn't want to be on the record answering what she really thinks. That's sad and pathetic.

[A]

Yeah, well, I think part of the problem might be that these folks just sound like freaked out weirdos all the time. And like, look, I concede that Donald Trump is a weirdo, but he's an entertaining weirdo, and that has made all the difference.

[C]

He is hilarious. Every time I hear him, he is just. He's got a very good, natural sense of humor. And I don't think Democrats can emulate that as well as they think they can.

[A]

And Gavin Newsom certainly cannot.

[C]

Gavin Newsom, he's. He's funny without meaning to be like, you know, apparently Kamala asked him for an endorsement the day that Biden stepped down, and he wrote to her. I think we talked about this last episode, but hiking will respond later and then never responded. I mean, that's hilarious, but I don't think he was trying to be.

[A]

I've definitely done that to people before, but it wasn't over something that important. Shall we listen to Gavin Newsom's pitch about why 2028 is important?

[C]

The most important election, I'm sure, of our lifetime.

[A]

Yeah, let's hear about it. I fear that we will not have an election in 2028. I really mean that in the core of my soul. Unless we wake up to the code red, what's happening in this country, and we wake up soberly to how serious this moment is.

[C]

The core of his soul. What soul? What soul?

[A]

Also, why then why are you in South Carolina, dude?

[C]

What are you doing?

[A]

You don't believe that there won't be a 2028 election, right? You are running full of it. And I don't understand why this Apocalyptic pitch is the only one they can do. It's crazy. One they can do.

[C]

Yeah. And, you know, if they're not going to lower the temperature ever, now would be a really good time for that. And they're completely disinterested in doing that. Noah Rothman tweets about that clip. That's why he's staffing up with Clinton and Harris aides who have little experience in Sacramento and doing speaking tours in South Carolina, which has almost no competitive races in 2026, because he's sure there won't be an election. Maybe it's insurance, just in case. Yeah, he knows there'll be an election. And look, Trump, for better or worse, he could have, at different points in his last presidency, canceled elections or on January 6, after January 6, refused to leave the White House. He didn't do any of that. So I'm pretty confident we're going to have a 2028 election. Another tweet that I liked about this. Pradeep Shankar tweets. These are the kinds of unsupported, politically charged statements that make mentally unstable, wacko progressive terror consider violence. Exactly.

[A]

It does seem like an issue. Also, are you not doing voter suppression by telling them that there will be no voting?

[C]

Right.

[A]

I mean, do it as Democrats, I guess, but I don't understand this approach because there are people on the margins who will go, why would I register to vote? He said, there's going to be no 2028 election.

[C]

Yeah. And Republicans.

[A]

Are you doing this to yourself?

[C]

Had a moment where I was worried they were doing this to themselves in, you know, in the. During the Biden administration and when I'd be on the road for speeches and stuff, I'd have people come up to me and say, I don't think there's a point in voting. They're gonna steal it anyway. And I'd be like, bro, go vote. Don't think this, because, you know.

[A]

Well, and Trump. Trump famously in the runoff with the. With the two Senate seats in Georgia.

[C]

Oh, yeah. Since that was last year.

[A]

And turned Georgia Senate seats blue. Right. So you can tell people that their votes don't matter and they might believe you, so you shouldn't do that.

[C]

He's toned that down. He really has. He's become like, definitely go vote guy. So, yes.

[A]

So we corrected that particular messaging problem, but I don't know why they're doing it to themselves.

[C]

Yeah. So on our last. Last person we're going to talk about in this segment, Kamala Harris. Her book is more interesting than I thought. It'd be not a lot more interesting, but a touch more interesting. She is taking it to Biden. How dare he not step down in advance. She tears into her husband for not doing enough for her birthday. She's got some grievances and it's Festivus.

[A]

So, I mean, that part's entertaining, I guess. She has an interesting quality of being simultaneously extremely cringe and uncompelling at the same time because you're just listening to slop of words and you don't. But, like, some of this is like medium interesting. The problem for the party is that it has no answers, Right? There's, there's no answer as to why she was the person and didn't get it done. Why none of it's her fault. As I think Dave Weigel put it, it's all mistakes made by other people years ago that hurt her. And it's like, yeah, but you were supposed to be the one who wanted to be president.

[C]

Right?

[A]

You didn't say anything about those mistakes.

[C]

At all at the time, about how feeble Biden was. Like, now you're like, oh, when I hugged him, he seemed really feeble. You could have mentioned something at the time.

[A]

Yeah. You had 107 days because of that. Yes. We have one common little clip of her talking about her journey on whether she should pick Pete Buttigieg for vp. Here it is. You know, you're the first woman elected vice president. You're a black woman and a South Asian woman elected to that high office, very nearly elected president. To say that he couldn't be on the ticket effectively because he was gay is hard to hear.

[G]

No, no, no, that's not what I said. That's that he couldn't be on the ticket because he is gay. My point, as I write in the book, is that I was clear that in 107 days, in one of the most hotly contested elections for President of the United States against someone like Donald Trump, who knows no floor to be a black woman running for President of the United States. And as a vice presidential running mate, a gay man, with the stakes being so high, it made me very sad. But I also realized it would be a real risk.

[C]

It wasn't that hotly contested. Trump won every single swing state. Just. That's important because how much more could she lose? Like, with a gay man on the ticket? Where's her bottom on this?

[A]

Well, also, she says, no, no, no, I didn't say I didn't hire him because he was gay. I said I didn't Hire him because the stakes were too high for him to be gay.

[C]

What does that mean?

[A]

It's like, okay, well, that's the same thing. You know, it takes a real special person to just straight up torpedo the whole DEI thing they have going on. So it's a liability to do the DEI thing to begin with at this point in time and then to continue to embrace it, but also admit that you didn't hire somebody because he was gay.

[C]

You're.

[A]

You're the worst of all the worlds.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

You're the worst of all the world.

[C]

Right. And it was obvious also at the time that she didn't pick Josh Shapiro because her party was having a Jew problem. And so it's funny, you know, there was lots of jokes also, like, she didn't want to pick the gay man.

[A]

So she picked up Tim Walsh. Tim Walsh, yeah. I think the biggest disadvantage of this book tour for Republicans is that it might truly convince the Democrats that she has no path future right to the nomination in the future. Which would, of course, behoove us because she is so very bad at this.

[C]

Come on, say the word. Say the terrible with a, um.

[A]

Oh, she's so terrible. Terrible. Horrible. She really is like. And she's bad in the most friendly places. I watched her on Maddow and I watched her on the View, and she's terrible in both places. She has not thought through what these answers should be. She has no anticipation of what the tough questions. I put that in quotes because they're not tough questions are going to be. And she just flubs it once again. Once again.

[C]

Yeah, she doesn't work. She does not put in the work. She. She thinks she is smarter than everybody and doesn't have to do the work. And as I tell my kids all the time, that doesn't work. So it won't work. Yeah, it doesn't matter how smart you are. You got to do the work. Alrighty. Thanks for joining us on Normally, normalely airs Tuesdays and Thursdays, and you can subscribe anywhere you get your podcasts. Get in touch with us@ normallythepodmail.com thanks for listening. And when things get weird, act normally.

[A]

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