Podcast Summary: "Refried Beans | When Democracy Happens (feat. David Pepper)"

The Daily Beans – November 9, 2023
Hosts: Allison Gill (AG), Dana Goldberg (DG)
Featured Guest: David Pepper, former Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party

Overview

This episode of The Daily Beans is an exuberant, post-election recap, highlighting the impressive performance of Democrats in the November 2023 off-year elections across the U.S. The episode blends national results and local victories with in-depth analysis, particularly spotlighting Ohio’s resounding vote for reproductive rights. The hosts then welcome expert guest David Pepper for a sharp, hopeful conversation about what these results mean for grassroots democracy and progressive momentum. As always, the show blends joyful celebration, sharp critique, and some much-needed good news from listeners.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Democrats’ “Ass-Kicking” Night Across the Map

(00:45–05:52)

• Virginia: Democrats held the Senate and flipped the House of Delegates, sharply rebuking Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s agenda.
• Ohio: Issue 1 (abortion rights) and Issue 2 (recreational marijuana) both passed. Even deeply red and suburban counties surprised observers with "yes" votes.
  • "O Happy O Happy O is the word. Now, Ohio voted yes on Issue 1 and Issue 2 because they know they're gonna have to be really high on recreational marijuana to deal with J.D. Vance and Jim Jordan." – Dana (02:40)
• Kentucky: Incumbent Andy Beshear (Democrat) handily won governor, flipping even a Trump+60 county.
• School Boards: Major setbacks for “Moms for Liberty” candidates, with “Moms Demand Action” and progressives sweeping dozens of races nationwide—a major rebuke to right-wing efforts at local takeovers.
  • "[Moms for Liberty] lost 12 of their 13 school board elections in Iowa… I think the total was 49… it's up to 59 today. Just a blowout." – AG (03:26)
• Other Notables:
  • Yousef Salaam (exonerated Central Park Five) wins NYC Council.
  • Record youth turnout in PA absentee ballots.
  • Sarah Inamorado elected first woman Allegheny county executive.
  • Danica Roem becomes Virginia's first openly trans state senator.

"Well done, everybody. Good job. I'm so fucking excited." – AG (05:20)

2. The Importance and Challenges of Democracy

(05:52–08:22)

• Election as rebuke: High turnout, even in traditionally low-interest off-years.
• Defending rights: Ohioans push back on government overreach and anti-democratic tactics.
• Celebration of sustained activism and coalition building, not just a partisan win.

3. Biden Administration News and Media Critique

(07:57–11:50)

• Biden reached his 150th federal judge appointment; two-thirds are women.
• U.S. military strikes Iranian-linked bases in Syria – breaking news coverage.
• Biden’s re-election campaign memo slams media polling panic, citing past polling errors and overlooked positive polls.
  • "No president has ever run for reelection with a record of accomplishment that is as popular as the one President Biden will be running on over the next year." – Michael Tyler, Biden campaign (10:35)
• The hosts roast Republican infighting, impeachment stunts, and the “clown show” debate.

4. Mississippi Ballot Shortages and Voter Suppression

(11:50–14:36)

• Hinds County (83% Black voter area) ran out of ballots, with long waits and legal wrangling to extend voting.
  • "[Why challenge extended voting hours?] Oh, I don't know. Because it's a predominantly Black county." – DG (12:52)
• The incident exposes ongoing, systemic barriers to voting.

5. Other National News Updates

(14:37–21:34)

• Detroit: Suspect in custody for the murder of synagogue president Samantha Wall.
• Former CIA officer Brian Jeffrey Raymond pleads guilty to years-long, cross-border serial sexual assault and abuse.
  • AG and DG stress the importance of accountability, despite the difficulty of the story.

6. In-Depth Interview: David Pepper on Ohio, Democracy, and Fighting Authoritarianism

(22:16–39:14) [STARTS AT 22:16]
Key Topics:

• Ohio’s Cross-Partisan Rejection of Authoritarian Tactics:
  • "There's a level at which government can attack basic freedom and rights and democracy and manage to offend and fire up not just Democrats, but actually Republicans too, and independents." – David Pepper (22:56)
  • Issue 1 (abortion) and Issue 2 (marijuana) passed, even in conservative strongholds.
• August’s “Sneaky” Election to Raise Amendment Threshold:
  • Republicans tried to require a 60% majority for state constitutional amendments—issue failed—but the current win wouldn’t have passed that threshold. A warning for the future.
  • "That 60% thing was a true poison pill for democracy that would have killed direct democracy in the state of Ohio." – David Pepper (26:10)
• The Real Right-Wing Agenda:
  • Not about persuasion, but locking in minority rule via gerrymandering, ballot language games, and undermining direct democracy.
    • "[The GOP]...subvert democracy enough to lock in unpopular views over a long time...an admission we can't win on our ideas. They're unpopular. So we have to subvert democracy." – David Pepper (30:45)
• School Board Races: The Front Lines:
  • “Moms for Liberty” candidates lost 70%+ of their races in Ohio, despite high organization. Importance of grassroots awareness and coordination.
• Big Picture 2024:
  • Message for Democrats: Focus on popular issues — rights, democracy, local organizing, continuation of bottom-up strategy. Avoid panic around national polling.
  • “We have a winning streak going back to Kansas last August… don’t lose sight of the fact that most of these wins… were bottom up led … that bottom up makes us much stronger.” – David Pepper (37:03)

7. Good News from Listeners

(39:14–48:49)

• Listener-submitted election victories across Pennsylvania, Virginia, Bucks County, and beyond—school board turnarounds, anti-Moms for Liberty momentum, volunteer stories, adorable pet photos.
• Blue Wave Postcards praised for easy, efficient get-out-the-vote activism.
• Shoutout to Cat Calvin (“American Identity Crisis”) for voter ID advocacy.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Election Night:

  • “When Republicans can only take, you know, joy in the fact that they didn’t get blown out in Mississippi, that’s their bragging rights. Like, fuck off. We had a great night.” – Dana Goldberg (01:45)
  • “All politics are local politics, and I think that’s where we focus our energy. It’ll trickle up in the right ways.” – Alison Gill (37:37)

• On Anti-Democratic Tactics:

  • "The closer these people get to losing power, it's like Donald Trump on January 6th, right? The closer they get to losing power, the more lawless they get…" – David Pepper (27:29)
  • "The room they've all been sitting in, their whole careers has been not a room of democracy." – David Pepper (28:38)

• On Organizing:

  • “Don’t let the federal election distract us from the state level advocacy. That’s the ground floor of building to these wins.” – David Pepper (37:15)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:45–05:52 – Lightning round: Democratic wins, school board sweeps, state and local victories.
• 07:57–11:50 – Biden’s polling memo, media analysis, and new judge appointments.
• 11:50–14:36 – Voter suppression and ballot shortages in Mississippi.
• 22:16–39:14 – Interview: David Pepper deep dive on Ohio and democracy fights.
  • 22:56 – Ohio’s cross-partisan rebuke
  • 26:02 – The August 60% amendment
  • 30:45 – GOP’s anti-democratic blueprint
• 39:14–48:49 – Listener good news, grassroots victories, and activism shout-outs.

Tone, Language, and Feel

As ever, The Daily Beans blends irreverent humor, sharp political analysis, and heartfelt celebration. The hosts—Allison Gill and Dana Goldberg—speak candidly, swearing enthusiastically (“we fucking did it”), celebrating progress, and lamenting the persistence of systemic injustice. Their dialogue with David Pepper is striking for its clarity, urgency, and hope.

Final Takeaways

• The 2023 off-year elections were a major setback for anti-democracy, anti-choice, and far-right candidates, demonstrating the continued energy, coalition-building, and power of progressive grassroots organizing.
• The struggle against authoritarian tactics is ongoing—wins must be defended, vigilance is still required, especially on issues of gerrymandering and voting rights.
• Grassroots, local races—especially school boards—are now central battlegrounds for democracy.
• The narrative of doom-and-gloom polls often ignores the power of organizing and the real views of the electorate.

Hosts’ Message:

“We did this, y’all. We did this. So congratulations.” – AG (47:53) “We’re going to do it again next November.” – DG (47:55)