Normally Podcast: Politics, Protests, and Parenting: What’s Driving Voters in Virginia and Beyond

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Normally Podcast: Politics, Protests, and Parenting: What’s Driving Voters in Virginia and Beyond
Date: October 21, 2025
Hosts: Mary Katharine Ham (“A”) & Carol Markowitz (“B”)

Episode Overview

This episode of the “Normally” podcast, hosted by Mary Katharine Ham and Carol Markowitz (appearing under the broader Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show for iHeartPodcasts), explores recent political and cultural developments across the U.S. and Europe. The hosts blend humor and pointed commentary as they analyze the “No Kings” anti-Trump protests, political scandals in Virginia and New Jersey, parenting in an anxious political era, and a wider look at trends in New York and Europe. The episode looks at how activism, generational divides, bubbles in political discourse, and antisemitism affect politics and public life.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. “No Kings” Protests & Political Demonstrations

(Segment: 01:16–12:45)

• Protest Culture & Tone

  • The “No Kings” weekend saw left and right-wing protestors unite in opposition to Trump.
  • The hosts critique the uneven public and media reactions to left-wing versus right-wing protest decorum and incivility.
  • Mary Katharine: “I try to be careful about just, like, the collective guilt. There were some nasty signs out there… and the widow bullying. Nope. I want no part of it.” (02:12)
  • Carol: “It’s like the rock bottom we can expect from these people. Like, look at you guys. No violence.” (02:04)
  • Both agree the left receives less scrutiny for offensive protest elements.

• Demographic Shifts in Protests

  • The left’s protests are increasingly attended by older, affluent white participants, diverging from the common perception of youthful activism.
  • Carol notes, “It was a very old people event… these boomer libs… hey, there’s a protest, let’s go do that.” (03:44)
  • Ironical costume choices (e.g., Handmaid’s Tale) are mocked for being disconnected from real activism.

• Ineffective Messaging & Generational Disconnects

  • The “No Kings” messaging is viewed as less impactful compared to prior protest symbolism (like the 2016 pink hats).
  • Young people, remembering pandemic restrictions, are less swayed by the “authoritarian” narrative.
  • Carol: “I think this is why they’re not getting young people, because young people are like, what are you even talking about?” (06:29)

• Critique of Protest Optics

  • The embrace of American founding symbolism by progressives is called “totally transactional.”
  • Mary Katharine: “10 to 15 years ago, when conservatives wore tri cornered hats and carried 76 signs, they were called backwards, cringe, racist…” (09:36)

• Parenting & Trauma Narratives

  • Liberals are criticized for instilling excessive fear and victimhood in children about political dangers and climate change.
  • Mary Katharine: “It is a mark of virtue to scare the crap out of your children. Right. And I would just like to say it’s the opposite of virtue.” (10:51)

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2. Political Scandals in Virginia & New Jersey

(Segment: 13:34–21:10)

• Virginia’s J. Jones Controversy

  • Discussion centers on Democrats’ reluctance to denounce their AG nominee, J. Jones, after problematic texts.
  • Senator Tim Kaine’s response (“if this were a Republican…”) is called out as hypocritical.
  • Mary Katharine: “I want my boundaries on speech to be pretty wide… When you’re running for office, I do think that literal death fantasies about your opponents and their children should be the line.” (15:09)
  • The tactical political fallout is covered, with Republicans gaining ground.

• New Jersey Education Debate

  • Congressman Mikie Sherrill’s derogatory comments on southern states’ schools are debunked; new data shows southern improvement.
  • Carol: “She hasn’t come across this information because she’s in a bubble. The people who brief her do not know this information… relying on both old information and regional bigotry, frankly.” (18:43)
  • The “icky facts doctrine”: partisan refusal to acknowledge inconvenient truths.

• Teachers’ Unions & Information Gaps

  • NEA’s error omitting Israel on a map is cited as emblematic of educational and ideological issues.

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3. New York City Politics: Mamdani & Cuomo

(Segment: 21:10–24:32)

• NYC Mayoral Race Analysis

  • Host Carol, reporting from NYC, describes conservative fears around a potential Mamdani win.
  • Carol: “He’s not going to be able to do all these things that he says he’s going to do, and that’s what we’re gonna hold onto if we can’t leave.” (21:17)
  • Dilemma over Republican Curtis Sliwa staying in the race is debated, balancing principle and pragmatism.
  • Cuomo’s lackluster campaign and sense of entitlement are critiqued.

• Broader Trends

  • The Democrats’ failure to mount strong opposition to Mamdani is seen as a gift to the left wing.
  • Warning of consequences if Mamdani enacts policies like removing gifted programs.

• Antisemitism Concerns

  • Mamdani’s photo with Imam Siraj Wahaj is highlighted; both hosts warn of mainstreaming radical associations.
  • Mary Katharine: “That’s pretty amazing. And of course the New York Times does the woke jujitsu where they’re like, it’s racist and Islamophobic for y’all to mention these things.” (24:32)

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4. European Developments: Crime and Antisemitism

(Segment: 25:34–32:34)

• Louvre Heist & Security Decline

  • Absurdity of brazen Louvre robbery underscores “loss of will to protect civilization” in Europe.
  • Carol: “They literally pulled a ladder truck up to the Louvre, walked up a ladder into a window…” (25:36)
  • Lax security and “surrender to lawlessness” is criticized, linked to broader trends of disorder.

• Antisemitism in Britain & Soccer

  • Jewish identities and symbols being criminalized, e.g., man arrested for wearing a Star of David deemed “provocative.”
  • The banning of Israeli fans from a soccer match in Birmingham is seen as overt antisemitism.
  • Carol: “It’s not what happens… it’s how the public reacts to it. And why I think America is so different is that when antisemitic attacks happen in America… it’s very, very different.” (28:55)
  • Mary Katharine: “Jews standing too close to the people who don’t like them… that is not an acceptable reason.” (30:58)

• Broader Takeaways

  • Mark Steyn’s “America Alone” is recommended for its foresight on Europe’s decline.
  • Both hosts reiterate the importance of preserving America’s freedoms and civic culture.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It’s like the rock bottom we could expect from these people. Like, look at you guys. No violence.”
  –Carol, (02:04)

• “I want my boundaries on speech to be pretty wide… When you’re running for office, I do think that literal death fantasies about your opponents and their children should be the line.”
  –Mary Katharine, (15:09)

• “There was a lot of old white people and not a lot of diversity in these supposedly progressive, ground-breaking marches.”
  –Paraphrased, multiple references (03:44–05:26)

• “It is a mark of virtue to scare the crap out of your children… and I would just like to say it’s the opposite of virtue.”
  –Mary Katharine, (10:51)

• “If she knows icky facts, that makes her icky and Right coded. So she can’t know those things.”
  –Mary Katharine, (19:11)

• “It’s not the antisemitism, it’s how the public reacts to it. Why I’m bullish on America… is because of the reaction of Americans when antisemitism happens.”
  –Carol, (28:55)

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Timestamps to Key Segments

• Protest Commentary & Demographics: 01:16–07:11
• No Kings Messaging, Antifa Critique, George Conway: 07:11–10:32
• Parenting and Political Anxiety: 10:51–12:45
• Virginia AG Race & Tim Kaine Comment: 13:34–16:29
• New Jersey Education Bubble/Bias: 17:45–20:37
• NYC Politics (Mamdani & Cuomo): 21:15–24:32
• Louvre Robbery Story: 25:34–27:41
• UK Antisemitism & Soccer Ban: 27:55–32:34

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Tone & Style

The conversation mixes investigative insights, biting humor, and exasperation. The hosts navigate between sarcasm (especially about generational divides and protest “cringe”), deep frustration (over growing antisemitism and political tribalism), and earnestness as they discuss parenting and the importance of historical perspective.

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Conclusion

For listeners seeking an engaging, often irreverent look at current events—with particular focus on the cultural and political divides shaping American and European societies—this episode delivers substantive critiques, memorable quips, and clear-eyed skepticism of media narratives. The hosts emphasize the importance of consistent standards, the perils of ideological bubbles, and the American exception in matters of liberty and social reaction. Listeners will leave with a richer sense of the crosscurrents driving current voter angst, as well as the underappreciated dangers—and virtues—of modern political culture.

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Transcript

[A]

This is an I Heart podcast. Hey, guys. We are back on. Normally a show with normal and takes, but when the news gets weird, I am Mary Katherine Camp.

[B]

I'm Carol Markowitz. How was your weekend, Mary Katherine?

[A]

It was pretty good. It was busy. But, you know, I'm trying. I try to get some Halloween decorations up. That's correct. It is October 20th. But the great thing about that is that you get a lot of things half price if you wait till October 20th.

[B]

So it's the plus and minuses. One year I waited too late and there was nothing left. That's the minus part of that. Ours go up October 1st, and I'm talking, like, September 30th. My kids are like, can we get them up?

[A]

I love it.

[B]

But we don't have the Christmas decorations.

[A]

Yeah, I love Halloween. I love Halloween. But I do feel like as a child, Halloween and Christmas were very far apart. And as an adult, they are not. So sometimes I'm just like, I'm tired. We're gonna do one of these.

[B]

Yeah. I don't know. My kids would so do Christmas decorations if we allowed them. Like, my daughter is always like, I don't understand why they get to have the sparkly lights.

[A]

You have a lot of sparkly lights.

[B]

Nothing to do with Jesus. Like, I can't wait.

[A]

Alrighty, so. Well, shall we talk about the sparkly events over the weekend? All right. Everybody gathered for the no Kings marches. No King's Day. Are they calling it that? At any rate, people of the left who object to Donald Trump and people of the right who have joined them went out to protest this weekend. Look, I think the left often gets too much credit for being mostly peaceful, as we saw in 2020. But it looks like this went off mostly without a hitch, which makes me glad. I like to see people out doing their speech without blocking roads, without hurting people, without taking janitors hostage like they did on Ivy League campuses during the post 10-7- Anti Semitic protests and whatnot. Like, I'm on board with that part.

[B]

Sure. I mean, it's like the rock bottom we could expect from these people. Like, look at you guys. No violence.

[A]

So good. Oh, they accomplished that. But, you know, I try to be careful about just, like, the collective guilt. There were some nasty signs out there. One in particular, several like encouraging violence speakers Encouraging violence. As we've noted on the show, one way you can tell that the left has not denounced political violence is that people like Angela Davis show up to speak at their events and on all their Instagram feeds, they've Praised Assata Shakur. Like these, these people are politically violent people who have been convicted for political violence. So there's that. But there were some nasty signs. One in particular that said, what heals faster? Trump's ear or Erica's hurt? And that one, the widow bullying. Nope. I want no part of it.

[B]

Like, what do the people around her think? Are they like, great sign or are they like, ma', am, you're hurting the cause?

[A]

I mean, I don't think anyone thinks they're hurting the cause. And this is like, this is one of those things where I think the left pays a much smaller, lower price for that kind of messaging than the right does.

[B]

So, look, we're like celebrating their, like, lack of violence.

[A]

Right.

[B]

You know, they get away with so much.

[A]

Well, and I would just like the standard to be this, right. Where if you have a right leaning event and you have errant signs, as you did during the Tea Party. Right. They don't make that the whole characterization of the entire event, but, you know, that's what they did during the Tea Party years. I would like the standard to be the same, but it doesn't seem to be.

[B]

Yeah, it was a very old people event, which is interesting because we think of the left as young right there. It's the whole, if you're not, you know, a communist. When you're not. When you're 18, you have no heart. If you're not. Whatever the actual quote is, if you're not a conservative when you're 35, you have no brain.

[A]

You have no brain, right?

[B]

Yeah, but it just was so old. It was these boomer libs and it's almost like they had nothing else going on. And they were like, hey, there's a protest. Like, let's go do that. Peter J. Hasson had a great. And he's been tweeting all about the fact that there is such an old contingency in these protests. And he pointed out one story where a 75 year old said she skipped her granddaughter's soccer game to attend the protest because she wants to ensure her granddaughter has a future. I would want to ensure the granddaughter has a grandma who cares about this. And was wearing the hooded robe and wide brimmed bonnet from Handmaid's Tale because of course, she was. This was a costume party for her. Go to your granddaughter's soccer game. What are you doing?

[A]

Yeah, I agree. I agree with that perspective. Look, we are not really a protest culture. Those of us on the right, it's not our thing. And I'm Glad, because I don't really want to be doing it.

[B]

Thank you for that.

[A]

Yes. They are very old. You can see the shift both in racial and age demographics for the left of this becoming a very affluent, older white party. One picture stood out in particular of Birmingham, Alabama, where the population is almost 70% black.

[B]

Mm.

[A]

And it was an all white picture. I'm not gonna say all white march, but it was an all white picture, which is statistically very tough.

[B]

So much kinder than they would be to us.

[A]

You know, I know I did enjoy one person's comment under it that was like, not one person in this picture can make cornbread properly. But like that there is a real shift happening. And you can see it in these protests. And look, those people have energy. It may be that now I think those are people that they already have on their side. Are those people registering voters in Virginia and New Jersey? Are they knocking on doors in Virginia and New Jersey? I would suggest they do it without the racial and violence promoting signs that they like to carry. Are they winning people to their side? I don't know. But there's something. There's something to the energy itself, even if it's not being converted, I suppose.

[B]

I think this messaging is off the mark. And because I'm on the opposite side from them, I'm not looking to give them advice. But I would say the p hats from 2016 made far more sense than this no kings thing.

[A]

Like, yeah.

[B]

And like, that was like, Donald Trump is anti women. We're going to wear these pink hats and, you know, show him. And there was a different energy around it. This is. It just doesn't make sense. He is not, I wouldn't say overstepping into anything authoritarian. Any court cases that rule against him, he accepts them. Not like Joe Biden with the student loan where he just said, I want to do it anyway. I'm going to. I'm going to pay off these student loans. Despite the fact that the Supreme Court told me no, that was far more authoritarian to me. So I think the messaging is just off. And I think this is why they're not getting young people, because young people are like, what are you even talking about?

[A]

Yeah, it's also. Well, young people also remember, and this is, I think, the root of some of the shift right. Among those young people. Remember a time during COVID when your government literally wouldn't let you leave your house to protest their Covid regulations. So, like, maybe there's a little bit of dissonance there for them because they've Seen authoritarianism, by the way. Trump was in charge for part of that and should have encouraged states not to do that. I think it is genuinely very funny that there are international no Kings rallies, but they can't call them no kings because they have literal kings. Yeah, that's just very funny.

[B]

Let me just read what the Democrats abroad said about that. They said a few notes. We've changed the no kings theme of other events around the world to no tyrants so as not to mix messages in a country with a monarchy.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

George Conway, a husband of Kellyanne Conway, who was Trump's campaign manager and counselor during his first term, was at one of the events in a I am antifa shirt. And let me tell you, I cringed so hard seeing him there. It was really just, dude, what are you doing? Like, I just, I don't get it. Like, we've talked about it on here before, but if I just hate the politician. Look, I didn't like Donald Trump in 2016. I, you know, it took a while, definitely come around to him. I didn't swap out all of my beliefs. I didn't become antifa, you know.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Molly Hemingway, who actually is like the sweetest person in the world. So it's funny that she took this, like, super personal shot at him. But she said not to be all authoritarian. But the person who dyed George Conway's hair should probably be imprisoned for the rest of the.

[A]

I mean, there's a. So there's a piece in the argument today entitled. And that me thinks it. It does protest too much. Entitled. No Kings wasn't cringe. And the picture is of, you know, a 40 to 50 something liberal woman with a tri cornered hat and an American flag. And her sign says king free since 1776. The subhead of this piece is Needing to Seem Cool in the Face of Authoritarian Takeover is Cringe. Okay, point taken. Like, I actually do think that's legit. Right. If you're a little cringe while you're objecting to your government, while you're redressing your grievances, fine. This is like what we've done forever. I'm not super mad at you. I do think with the George Conway of it all, I mean, I've told you this before, we're all nerds, right? People select for this business who are narcissists and nerds. Actually, that's like sort of the group we have. But I was the drum major of my marching band and I would just beg of you to be like, a little cooler. Just, just a little Bit. And also, this embrace of the founding is totally transactional. Yeah. They are not interested in the founding. And in fact, 10 to 15 years ago, when conservatives wore tri cornered hats and carried 76 signs, they were called backwards, cringe, racist, whatever the thing was of the day. So again, it's not that consistent about what makes a successful or good or bad appropriate message at these things.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. Look, again, you're much nicer than me.

[A]

I know.

[B]

I'm just like, let's call it fringe and that's it. Be right. There's, you know, if you're angry about what your government is doing and you feel like you got to get out there in the streets, it's so not me. I have. I've just never been a protester. I don't know. I don't get it. I don't think that. I just don't get my anger out that way is really what it is.

[A]

Oh, can I say one more thing? Because I commented on this today. I think it was Morgan Freeman who said his kid was like, will we get shot at the gathering today? And again, this is a thread that has gone through a lot of, a lot of liberal communities. It is a mark of virtue to scare the crap out of your children. Right. And I would just like to say it's the opposite of virtue. My children have lived through all the things that Morgan Freeman, by the way, I didn't know Morgan had young children. That's amazing. He has young children. And my kids have lived through all the same things as this young lady has. And you shouldn't convince them that going out in the streets would lead to that. You shouldn't put all of your adult anxieties on them. You should have some adult perspective about what is real danger and what is not. And somehow I have children who know that a person we know got murdered doing my literal job a month ago, but I have not turned that into their identity.

[B]

Yeah, exactly.

[A]

It's bad parenting. It's so bad.

[B]

Don't scare your children. Don't make them think that they can get killed for protesting in America and anything else. Don't make them think they could die of climate change.

[A]

Like, yes, that's the other one.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. Like when, you know, you know, when you say we're nerds, like, there's a lot of different kinds of nerds. My. My daughter is math and science nerd. She finds our nerding so bizarre. Why guys care about this?

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Why? Well, and the speeches. Well, and we do have real problems, which is why? Like I try to grant grace in general to protest movements even though people don't grant it to ours. We do have real problems. But if you have convinced your children who live in the most free and most prosperous society in the history of the world that they are in constant danger of penury and punishment, then you're going the wrong direction, man.

[B]

Absolutely. We're going to take a short break and come back with news out of the blue states. Be right back. Hey, Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. Now, I don't know if you've heard, but Mint's Premium Wireless is $15 a month. But I'd like to offer one other perk. We have no stores.

[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[B]

Then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See mintmobile.com we are back on normally where Virginia, New Jersey and New York City are all having a normal one.

[A]

It's going great. All right. Let's talk about Virginia. Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat of Virginia, was on NBC News's Meet the Press this weekend with Kirsten Wilker and he was asked about the J. Jones controversy, which has not gone anywhere, has not died as he wishes his political opponents to. It is still going because they didn't kick J. Jones, the attorney general nominee for the Democrats in Virginia, off the ticket. They have all danced around this and refused to denounce him. They've denounced his words occasionally, but not him. And this is what Tim Kaine has to say when asked about this by.

[B]

Welker, because a lot of people look at this and I think they ask the question, if this were a Republican, would you be calling for him to.

[A]

Drop out of the race?

[C]

Absolutely not. It is, it's directly equivalent to things that the Republican gubernatorial candidate has publicly said, not in private text. Murder is murder and your time will come. She said that in a public meeting speaking about pro choice activists. I, I've not called for her to drop out of the race. The voters began voting in Virginia on September 19th. These are fair items for voters to consider as they cast their vote. But no, we're not calling for Republicans to drop out of races. We do say apologize. You have to take account for your actions. And voters can look at the actions and look at your Sincerity. If you apologize, Apologies are in short supply in politics these days.

[A]

All right, so what do you make of that, Carolina? It's like he got scared and suddenly realized he had to change his whole stand. He's like, oh, wait, I'm a little bit caught here. So he's saying if a Republican nominee for a state office in Virginia said in texts that he would put two bullets in the speaker of the House, who would in this analogy be a Democrat, that he would not call for that guy to get out of the race. Right, yeah.

[B]

He's just such a good guy. He doesn't think anybody should drop out.

[A]

Nobody. And then he calls it directly analogous to things that other folks have said, which is not true. I mean, like, here's the thing. You have to go. I want my boundaries on speech to be pretty wide. Right. When you're running for office, I do think that literal death fantasies about your opponents and their children should be the line.

[B]

Yeah, that's a good line. You know, I don't think that that's too far at all.

[A]

Don't.

[B]

Don't say that you want. Your opponents can be killed. That's good. Yeah, yeah, they're lying. They would absolutely call for far less to drop out. And, you know, the funny thing is that this scandal broke with the young Republicans and the Virginia Democrats said to win some Sears, that she has to renounce them. And she was like, all right, done. They should step down. Now you go.

[A]

That was one of the dumber tactical moves I have ever seen, because it didn't come straight from Abigail Spanberger, who is the Democrat governor nominee for the Dems here, has not asked Jay Jones to step down. Didn't come directly from her. It came from Virginia Democrats. And what I think is that those people are so in a bubble that they are so cloistered that they are so convinced of their correctness that they didn't even see that coming. Because Winsome Sears, as you and I were, is happy to say, no, we don't want that influence. That's bad. We don't want them in charge. Get them out of here, even though they're not running for office. And Spanberger is not able to say the same thing about J. Jones. So Winsome's just like. And back over the net to you, Abigail. But she has nothing to say because she doesn't want to cut this guy off.

[B]

Amazing.

[A]

Which says something in and of itself, by the way. Miaris, who is the Republican nominee running against Jones, has gained quite a bit of momentum. It looks like Five to six points of swing in that race. So even though this is an uphill state for Republicans, things certainly look better for them than they did several weeks ago before the AG and his texts about killing people were revealed.

[B]

All my fingers crossed for you guys.

[A]

Yeah, we've had a good run with Youngkin, so.

[B]

All right, New Jersey. So in the recent Democratic debate in New Jersey, Mickey Sherrill had this to say.

[A]

You know, I think it's interesting how he keeps citing places like Louisiana and Mississippi, I think some of the worst schools in the entire nation. If that's where he wants to drive us to, I think voters better be aware of that.

[B]

All right. She apparently doesn't listen to normally, and I think that's a problem for her. We got tagged in this video several times over the weekend because we do talk about Louisiana and Mississippi and their gains in reading scores. And it's just. It's hilarious that she is so not up on this. And the thing is, like, a lot of people are like, gotcha on this. She's not going to care. She's going to find a reason that she's still right. And look, it's just. It's crazy.

[A]

Well, this is what you and I talk about a lot, where the bubble and the insular nature of the mostly liberal media is dangerous for Democrats.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Because she hasn't come across this information because she's in a bubble. The people who brief her do not know this information, and they are therefore relying on both old information and regional bigotry, frankly.

[B]

Exactly. Yeah.

[A]

To make their points. But those points aren't relevant anymore and they don't know it. And like you said, she's not gonna be ashamed that she doesn't know it. Because again, I think we talked about this before. This is the icky facts doctrine.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

If she knows icky facts, that makes her icky and Right coded. So she can't know those things.

[B]

Can't know the icky facts.

[A]

She can't know that children of all socioeconomic statuses and stati and races have improved. Right. Exponentially in the last several years in these southern states because that would go against what she's got already sort of logged in her brain.

[B]

So it's interesting because The Urban Institute fourth grade reading score rankings have Mississippi in first, Louisiana in second, Florida in third. New Jersey is number 16. I think she would say, well, you know, this is demographically adjusted, you know, scores. They adjust for income. You know, but who cares more about income inequality than Democrats? We no longer care about this when we're looking at reading scores.

[A]

No, that's actually by their philosophy, the thing you should care most about.

[B]

Right, right.

[A]

And so we do, but I do, generally. For years, we've been having this discussion because during the school closings, it was the case that many liberals you would argue with about it, who were in charge of making these decisions knew very little about the actual facts of whether it was dangerous. And this is a similar situation where on education, they get their talking points from the national teachers unions. And they're done. They're done.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And by the way, did you see that the NEA sent out an Israel map?

[B]

Oh, I did.

[A]

Without Israel on it. Right, yeah. Yeah, I'm sure that was. They called it a lapse, Carol.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. Lapse. They're super, super concerned about kids having the right information just this one time. They're not.

[A]

Mm. Anyway, it's. It reveals terrible ignorance, and they should be ashamed of it because it's gonna keep them from making lives better in their states.

[B]

But they won't be ashamed. They will not. They will. They will not be ashamed. Icky facts.

[A]

Icky facts. All right, what's going on with our friend Mamdani? Speaking of.

[B]

I'm actually recording this from New York City, and I went to a conservative event last night. It was the commentary yearly roast that they do. And I spoke to lots of people, and they're all. I have to say, they're in cope world where they're like, mamdani is going to be the next mayor. He's not going to be able to do all these things that he says he's going to do, and that's what we're gonna hold onto if we can't leave. So I think most people are bracing for the Mamdani win. However, there was a poll that says that Mamdani would. It would be very close in a race, one on one, with Andrew Cuomo. However, there's this pesky Republican, Curtis leroy in the race who refuses to get out. I'm of mixed minds about this. And look, I'm not somebody that wants New York to fail. And I say this a lot. I know a lot of Republicans are like, who cares about that place? Like, that's it. I care about it. My family lives there, my friends live there. I care about it surviving. But I get Lebo's argument. He's like, andrew Cuomo lost the Democratic primary to this guy and then ran as an Independent, and I'm the one that's supposed to drop out.

[A]

Yeah, that's fair.

[B]

You know, and what would be worse is if Sliwa dropped out and Mamdani still won, which is extremely probable.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, I get where he's coming from. Because the last thing I want to do if I were in that situation is reward Cuomo for just all of like for an incompetent campaign, for terrible behavior, for awful governance. So even though he's the less bad of the two leading options, although mom, daddy's leading him by quite a bit, I understand not wanting to reward any of that. And although there is a world in which, look, Republicans have been governor of or have been mayor of New York before, so arguably they should have put someone up who was more broadly appealing than Curtis Sliwa.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

Democrats. This is a left leaning city. Like this was on y' all to mount a better opposition than this to Mamdani. And I gotta say, especially on the oppo research, of which there is plenty on Mamdani, Cuomo is just like, nah, not engaging. And I think this is the Hillary Clinton problem. You just show up with your name and your entitlement and you think that people have to vote for you and they don't.

[B]

Right. And especially Cuomo should have known that it would be a bit of a battle because he had to resign from his governorship. You don't resign. People love you when they can't get enough of the Cuomo, you know.

[A]

Yeah. But I do think I'm with you. I don't want New York to face the consequences of this that are some of which are going to be inevitable. I do hope his powers are limited to some degree, but some of the stuff he can do is going to be really damaging, like removing gifted programs for kids.

[B]

Yep. Yep. That he could do. That he could do.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

There was. Bamdani actually recently posted a photo of himself with Imam Siraj Wahaj, who was an unindicted co conspiracy co conspirator in the 1993 World Trade center bombing in New York. In New York. And this is like who my New Yorkers are voting for. It's sad. It's really sad.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, I don't think that any of us would have imagined that 24 years after 911 potential mirror of New York would be standing next to a guy who hosted the blind sheikh at his mosque. I mean it's just. That's pretty amazing. And of course the New York Times does the woke jujitsu where they're like, it's racist and Islamophobic for y' all to mention these things. And it's like, no, no, no, no, no. If he were a candidate who was happy to say, those terror apologists are bad.

[B]

Yeah. Nobody would care that he was Muslim.

[A]

Who was happy to say, globalize. The intifada is bad. Who was happy to say, Hamas should disarm? Those are easy things to say. The reason he doesn't say them is because he doesn't believe them, guys. Right? And that's the problem.

[B]

That is the problem. New York, come on.

[A]

Do better.

[B]

Do better. All right, we're going to take a short break and come right back with what's going on in Europe. What's up with these places? We are back on normally where we can literally have a segment called Europe, what's up with you?

[A]

It's not great. No.

[B]

There was a robbery at the Louvre over the last few days. And it is crazy because it's. They literally pulled a ladder. Truck up to the Louvre, walked up a ladder into a window. I mean, you have to see this picture. There is a ladder going up to the Louvre in the middle of the day.

[A]

Not exactly cat burglars is what you're saying.

[B]

They walked up to an exhibit and they drilled into it. And I was just at the Louvre this summer, and you cannot. Like, they're like. You're walking too close to the art.

[A]

Right, right.

[B]

I think they should get some of the security off of the Mona Lisa and put it elsewhere, because how does this happen? How are you not humiliated and embarrassed that somebody mounted a ladder into your Louvre window and stole priceless jewels? What is up with you, Europe?

[A]

Also, can I just read an embarrassing sentence? Four perpetrators. This is from CNN World. Four perpetrators appear to have been involved in the theft, who were unarmed, but threatened the guards with angle grinders. Paris Prosecutor Larbeck said. That's not good. No, that's not good. What were they going to do?

[B]

Hit them with the angle grinder?

[A]

I just. This is when I saw something recently about a. I believe it was a public fountain in San Francisco that, of course, had become a place of refuse and urinal needles and defecation and such. And they had just decided, like, let's not have the fountain anymore. Let's not have that operative. Right. That's what they do. You have to have the will to protect the things that are important, to protect the things that the civilized people are enjoying, instead of, you know, kneeling to every criminal that comes around. And it's just. It's the same thing. You have to have the will to protect this stuff. Now, I'm a Little worried about the climate activists because usually I don't like them throwing paint on these things regardless. But usually I'm like, those are behind glass or something, Right? And often they are.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Now I'm not. There's a lot of stuff that's gonna.

[B]

Get ruined because it looks like, you know, they will threaten the security guards with paint and the security guards will run away.

[A]

It's just. Yeah.

[B]

The jewels were from the Napoleon collection. My middle son is super into Napoleon. So the joke in our household is like, where was he on Thursday night?

[A]

What is his alibi? My goodness. I think we have another insane European story. Correct.

[B]

Not just France. This weekend in Britain, a man was arrested because his Star of David was problematic and aggressive. I. You know, look, there's a lot of conversation right now about whether Jews should get out of Britain. The Manchester attack on a synagogue on Yom Kippur was a big tell of that. What I've always said about antisemitism is that it's not the. It's not the antisemitism. It's not what happens. Antisemitism can happen anywhere. I'm where wearing a Star of David around my neck right now. A Jewish star. I could walk outside. I mean, I'm in New York, so it wouldn't be crazy, and somebody could assault me. The thing is, it's how the public reacts to it. And why I think America is so different is that when antisemitic attacks happen in America, and they do happen, it's not like, well, what are you gonna do? Maybe you should hide your Jewish star better. It's very, very different. Why I'm bullish on America, in addition to the first and Second Amendments is because of the reaction of Americans when antisemitism happens. The reaction of Brits leaves a lot to be desired.

[A]

Well, and this. There's some video of him being interrogated by police who are like, you know, pointing out that this Star of David is the issue right now. The police have put out a statement saying, oh, no, no, no, no. The thing is not. It's not just the Star of David. It's that, like, he was standing close to other people who don't like the Star of David. And it's like, okay, that's not a good enough reason, guys.

[B]

Try again.

[A]

They're like, he antagonized them because there were. There was basically there was a protest and a protest and a counter protest. Right. And he, like, you know, got too close to the people who don't like him. It's like, no, that's not going to cut it, guys. It's not going to cut it.

[B]

Also, Israeli soccer team was is poised to play in Birmingham, England and their fans are being banned from, from the city coming to watch them play Aston Villa and these members of parliament are celebrating it on the Internet as if like, this is a good thing. Like, oh, it's so good that we have stopped those Jews from coming to our football stadium. Yes, it's really wild. The thinking or like the lie that they're telling is that there was this big incident in Amsterdam last year where Israeli soccer fans were assaulted. And it was turns out, and the lie was that those Israeli soccer f were chanting something in Hebrew that fans knew to be something negative. Look, soccer fans can be violent and aggressive. The Amsterdam attack on the Israeli soccer fans by all accounts appears to be pre planned. They were like, the Israelis are coming, let's beat them up. And that attack on Israelis is being used to ban Israelis from going to other games. It's such blatant antisemitism. It's just absolutely crazy.

[A]

Yeah. Again, it's like Jews standing too close to the people who don't like them. Right. And that is not an acceptable reason. I kid you not, Carol. When I saw an MP's statement on this, he was like, thank goodness these people have been banned from such and such. Because I am not familiar with the names of soccer stadiums in Britain, I assumed that this, you know, terrible MP must be talking about like a sports bar because like, at least that would be like a smaller situation. I was like, oh my God, they mean the whole stadium. Yep. How can this be happening? Because I thought he was just talking about like his local sports bar. Nope. No, no, no. Which would not be acceptable either.

[B]

But look, yeah, it would be a personal decision by the owner or whatever. Yeah, it's. It's unacceptable. And I'll just keep saying it. America is different. But we need to defend that difference. We need to not follow Europe down their terrible path. Also, if anybody hasn't read it, America Alone by Mark Stein, I don't even remember what year that came out. Like 20 something years ago, he wrote a prediction guide of what was going to Happen. It published 2006, so almost 20 years ago. It is, reread it recently. Unbelievable how much he got right about Europe. And it's America Alone because we were the only ones kind of enforcing our border rules and also having children. And those two factors he said was gonna bring down Europe. And we're watching it in action and.

[A]

They have fallen off here in the past five years. So we shall endeavor to keep what's great about America.

[B]

That's right, America forever. Thanks for joining us on Normally. Normally 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 thanks Things get weird, act normally.

[A]

This is an I heart podcast.