C (30:32)
Listen, I think that just in using traditional elections. Right. As a, as a guide and because so much of what's happening is outside of traditional politics right now, you know, we're doing, we've had a great year and we have been overperforming at a very elevated level, almost too high in some ways because it can't really be true. But, you know, we're overperforming at a higher level than we were at this point eight years ago. And we won the midterm elections by 8.6 points in 2018. I was a chief strategist for the DCCC in that cycle when we flipped the House. And so we're actually doing better in local and special elections than we were eight years ago. And it was a blowout win. And so we should be encouraged that assuming we have elections next year and that everything happens, that we're on track to have really good midterms. And I think that the fall elections are all very promising. Abby Spamberger and Mikey Sherrill have sturdy and significant leads, and the California ballot initiative looks very promising. We have to make sure people turn out and vote. I mean, that's a big unknown there. California's had significant drop off in recent elections and turnout problems. New York, you know, is settled in my view, you know, unless something dramatic happens. And so, and then Pennsylvania, I'm optimistic about us retaining those Supreme Court seats. And so, you know, we talk at Hopium about winning the fall. And winning the fall has two pieces. One is winning all these elections and, and hopefully by large margins that make it clear that Trump is being repudiated and this kind of politics is being repudiated. But it's also about winning the debate over what's happening around the budget. Because the, as you pointed out, there's two steps to the budget now, right? There's the continuing resolution, which just gives them more time to go negotiate because so everybody understands fiscal year runs out next on Tuesday and there is no budget. I mean, there's supposed to be a budget. They're supposed to have passed it by now. There isn't any budget. There's nothing to negotiate over. There's nothing. And what the Republicans thought they would do is get what's called a clean cr, which is just create another month or two months for negotiations to happen, but they weren't willing to negotiate over that. And so why did we believe there was going to be negotiations over the budget? Right. Because to pass a budget under the current system, they need seven Democratic votes. And so what's happened is that Schumer and Jeffries decided to sort of accelerate the budget debate by saying, if you want our votes in the cr, these are the things we need, which we were going to ask for anyway. Right. In the end budget negotiation. But people should realize that this budget debate that we're in now is going to be taking place over the next two to three months. There's going to be the initial skirmish over the cross. But, you know, at some point, an actual budget of the United States has to pass. And what's going to be interesting is whether or not there's anything the Republicans can put forward that would get seven Democratic votes or are we going to see them getting rid of the filibuster and passing the budget along a party line vote? Which is, you know, my assumption is that it is, let me say this, it's, I think it's very likely that this debate over the next two to three, four months is going to end up in them getting rid of the filibuster. Because I don't know, I don't know how Democrats can vote for tripling the budget of ICE or for the tariffs or for make your own list of stuff. They've, it's been so extreme. And so, you know, this is why this is a, I think this is a more titanic and big fight. And the fight that we're really in now is not about health care. It's about Trump's betrayal of the country, his failure to deliver for the American people, his failed economic strategy. All of this stuff is all fair game in this coming fight. And I think we've started with healthcare. But my assumption is, Alison, that you're going to see Democrats expanding the attacks on him to include the economy and the threats to democracy. And even if you look at the ads, you often know where a party is based on their ads, not based on whatever they're saying. The DCCC's main ads in the swing districts this week are on a tariffs and affordability, healthcare and shutdown chaos. The DNC ads that have gone up in four state, in three states are about threats to freedom of speech and the First Amendment. So we have ads on the air now that are not just about healthcare, but they're also about affordability and the economy and about threats to Democracy, in my view, that's a welcome development because these are, I think, more where the voters want us to engage based on polling. And we're now sort of going to the place where we have greatest advantage and where he's most vulnerable. So I. I've been very encouraged this week at kind of a nerdy, tactical political consultant, strategist level, that the evolution that I'm seeing in the narrative and story is where I think this needs to go. And it's making us stronger, our arguments, you know, more durable over many months. And that, you know, and. And the point you made earlier is Schumer and Jeffries, you know, are fighting, and. And Hakeem has clearly found a higher gear in the last few days. His public commentary has been. It's organic. It's coming from him. Right. It feels good. I think they're just really happy to be let loose and fighting with this guy. And so what it means for all of you watching today is that we needed to be doing everything we can not only to win these fall elections, but we need to win this big debate with the Republicans about what they're doing to the country. And that debate is now joined, and it's the debate we've all wanted, and now we gotta go win it.
