Loopholes, Lost Voters, and the Future of the Democrats

Summary

The Daily Show: Ears Edition – Episode Summary (Released November 19, 2024)

Hosted by Jon Stewart and the Daily Show News Team, this episode delves deep into the current political climate, analyzing recent election outcomes, the evolving dynamics within the Democratic Party, and broader societal issues affecting America.

---

1. Election Aftermath and Political Landscape

Election Results and Democratic Performance

The episode opens with a tense discussion about the recent elections, highlighting Donald Trump's resurgence to power. Jon Stewart emphasizes the gravity of this shift:

"It's time that fascism is called fascism and Americans know exactly what they're voting for. He is paving the way to become a Vladimir Putin or to become an Adolf Hitler. He is a threat to democracy." — Jon Stewart [02:10]

Stewart further critiques the Democrats' performance, noting their congressional gains despite overarching concerns:

"Or we're proud of the fact that we've defeated more House Republican incumbents than they've defeated House Democratic incumbents. We did flip three House seats from Republican to Democrat and gained back almost all of those that we had lost in 2022." — Jon Stewart [04:19]

New Faces in Congress

Rui Teixeira and Stewart celebrate the diverse new members of Congress introduced by the Democrats:

"We have our first trans member of Congress. We have an engineer from an immigrant community in the San Fernando Valley. We have the first Iranian American Democrat in Congress. We have the youngest member ever elected to the House from New Jersey." — Jon Stewart [05:29]

Stewart humorously underscores the challenges these new members face in a predominantly obstructionist environment:

"They're going to get blocked from getting their legislation passed. So inspiring." — Jon Stewart [06:01]

2. Leadership and Executive Actions

President Biden’s Amazon Rainforest Visit

The episode satirizes President Biden's unconventional visit to the Amazon rainforest:

"Mr. President, history is literally watching us now, so let's preserve this secret place for our time and forever, for the benefit of all humanity. Thank you very, very." — Jon Stewart [08:22]

Stewart mocks the symbolic gestures of leadership amidst political turmoil, suggesting alternative methods for power transfer:

"Maybe this is how we should do the transfer of power. The winner moves into the White House and the incumbent just wanders off into the jungle so that his nutrients may be returned to the soil." — Rui Teixeira [08:49]

Trump’s Nomination Strategies

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around former President Trump’s nomination tactics and their implications for democracy:

"President Trump, Elon Musk, Don Jr., RFK Jr., and Speaker Mike Johnson eating McDonald's on Trump's private plane." — Jon Stewart [09:58]

Stewart critiques Trump’s approach to political appointments, highlighting the disregard for traditional confirmation processes:

"If you want to actually help people materialize that right now you want universal policies that will disproportionately lift up, say, black and Latino poor people because they're more heavily concentrated among people who are well..." — Jon Stewart [35:14]

3. Interview with Rui Teixeira: "Where Have All the Democrats Gone?"

Decline of the Democratic Coalition

Rui Teixeira, an American Enterprise Institute senior fellow and co-author of "Where Have All the Democrats Gone?", provides an in-depth analysis of the Democratic Party’s erosion:

"Jimmy Carter had a sort of deregulatory, sort of anti-populist approach toward economics... with global trade and eventually it will all trickle down to the masses." — Jon Stewart [23:22]

Teixeira attributes the decline to the Democratic Party's shift away from its traditional labor base and towards neoliberal policies, which alienated working-class voters.

Role of Labor Movement and Neoliberalism

The conversation explores how the diminishing influence of labor unions and the adoption of neoliberal economic strategies have weakened the Democratic coalition:

"I mean, the influence of labor on the Democratic Party just declined so much in the 80s and 90s, of course, through our current day." — Jon Stewart [25:02]

Teixeira posits that this shift created a feedback loop where fewer unions led to less support for the party, further exacerbating the decline.

DEI and Populist Discontent

A contentious topic is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), with Teixeira arguing that DEI initiatives have been misconstrued and politicized, leading to backlash:

"DEI isn't the name for what you want then. It's something... you're just trying to help people who are disadvantaged." — Jon Stewart [37:56]

Stewart and Teixeira debate the effectiveness and perception of DEI policies, suggesting that their mislabeling as "woke" has hindered broader acceptance and support.

Clash of Ideologies and Policy Failures

The interview highlights how internal divisions and conflicting priorities have left the Democratic Party struggling to form a cohesive strategy, resulting in policy stagnation:

"The Democratic coalition is so responsive. Biden was responsive to the various elements of the coalition. He didn't want them to do anything." — Jon Stewart [32:26]

4. Broader Societal and Governance Issues

Government Efficiency and Public Perception

Teixeira critiques the complexity and perceived inefficiency of American government systems, contrasting them with European models where government actions are more directly tied to public satisfaction:

"If you look at sort of European countries, their satisfaction with government is higher because it feels like they think the money they pay into government returns in services they actually use." — Rui Teixeira [28:55]

Policy Implementation Challenges

The discussion underscores the difficulties in implementing effective policies due to entrenched norms, bureaucratic hurdles, and partisan gridlock:

"The Senate has a constitutional obligation to advise and consent on this nomination." — Jon Stewart [15:28]

Stewart emphasizes the need for universal programs over narrowly targeted initiatives to gain broader support and effectiveness.

---

5. Conclusion and Looking Forward

The episode wraps up with a reflection on the current state of American politics, underscoring the urgent need for the Democratic Party to realign and address the concerns of its traditional base while navigating the complexities of modern governance. Teixeira and Stewart agree that without significant changes, the party risks further erosion of its influence and representation.

"If you want to help out people who live in, say, poor black areas or poor Latino areas, you can't just channel that money to people who are Latino and black because that's unconstitutional and it's extremely unpopular." — Jon Stewart [35:14]

The conversation ultimately calls for a reevaluation of strategies and policies to reinvigorate the Democratic coalition and effectively serve the needs of all Americans.

---

For more insights and extended discussions, listeners are encouraged to subscribe to The Daily Show: Ears Edition on their preferred podcast platforms or stream full episodes on Paramount+.

Transcript

[Seth Doan]

When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.

[Jon Stewart]

This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television.

[Seth Doan]

Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change.

[Jon Stewart]

Like, none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible.

[Seth Doan]

I'm Seth Doan of CBS news. Listen to 60 Minutes. A second look. Wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jon Stewart]

You'Re listening.

[Rui Teixeira]

To Comedy Central from the most trusted journalists at Comedy Central. It's America's only source for news. This is the Daily show with your host, Sean Stewart.

[Jon Stewart]

Boom.

[Rui Teixeira]

Hey, everybody. Welcome to the Dallas Show. My name is Jon Stewart. It has been two weeks since the election. Two about feels like two months. It's been 15 years since the election. This was me election night. Was I ever that young or ever looked that handsome? But Donald Trump is returning to power, and so once again, it is time to saddle up. Because if you remember, before Trump won the election, Democrats were clear eyed about the stakes.

[Jon Stewart]

It's time that fascism is called fascism and Americans know exactly what they're voting for. He is paving the way to become a Vladimir Putin or to become an Adolf Hitler. He is a threat to democracy. He is a clear and present danger to our democracy, to our way of life. Damage may be irreversible. The destruction could be unthinkable. And it would be a betrayal of everything that our framers fought for.

[Rui Teixeira]

You're not even going to look up. You're not even going to. You know, a little eye contact, a little inflection could drive the danger thing. You give it a little urgency. You know, I feel passionately we should fight him on the beaches, in the field, God forbid. The streets, the asphalt and silent. It's really all right. Is it sad that the only thing that really makes it a Schumer impression is I put glasses on. Is that. Was it really that. I mean, you applauded literally just the glasses. I'm a pair of bifocals away from being Chuck Schumer's you bastards. Now, I assume now that the Democrats have lost to the greatest threat we've ever faced as a nation, that they will be forthright in acknowledging, one, the Democrats role in this catastrophic defeat, and two, the bleak hellscape we now face.

[Jon Stewart]

Or we're proud of the fact that we've defeated more House Republican incumbents than they've defeated House Democratic incumbents. We did flip three House seats from Republican to Democrat and gained back almost all of those that we had lost. In 2022.

[Rui Teixeira]

Yeah, almost is doing a lot of work in that sentence. Yeah, we almost gained back all we had lost. Almost as kind of a load bearing adverb spin wise, finding a positive in what is clearly not good news. You can't parents good news. We gained back almost all of the children we lost on the field trip. Win, win. It's a new dynamic. It is a willful, bright siding this shit show that we celebrate in our new segment called the Audacity of cope. Now, technically, yes, Democrats have less seats, but have you heard who's in those.

[Jon Stewart]

Seats in this freshman class alone? And I'm going to stop for cheers for each one of these because they're remarkable. We have our first trans member of Congress. We have an engineer from an immigrant community in the San Fernando Valley. We have the first Iranian American Democrat in Congress. We have the youngest member ever elected to the House from New Jersey.

[Rui Teixeira]

That's not a thing. How did you go from the reasonably impressive first Iranian Democrat to hold a seat to the I think somewhat reaching for youngest person ever from New Jersey. And by the way to the audience, if you think that that framing is not that interesting, wait till you hear that this record breaking young phenom from New Jersey is 38 years old. 38 years old. God. How. Come on, how far are we going with this? Oh, oh. In Illinois we elected a ginger. Ooh, hey ya, ya. We elected the first representative from Washington state who looks like he has a terrible secret. He. He ran on loneliness. Wow. This is gonna be the most diverse group of congresspeople to ever get all their legislation blocked. So inspiring. But you. No, it's fine people. But you know what? Those are just the lowly House Democrats. How will the head of their party, the outgoing president, man the ramparts during this challenging and fraught peaceful transition to fascism? President Biden is in Brazil where he.

[Jon Stewart]

Became the first American head of state to visit the Amazon rainforest. He went there to highlight the dangers of climate change and the need to turn away from fossil fuels.

[Rui Teixeira]

What the. No way that desk was there. No way. Not a chance. In the middle of all this, he disappeared to the rainforest, starring in what appears to be like four Pixar movies in one mixed together. Clearly up is one of them. And Encanto. I'm going to say there's a little more. Maybe Wally had a powerful anti consumerist message. Well, hopefully. Listen, Wally's down there. Hopefully he has some inspiring words for us.

[Jon Stewart]

Mr. President, history is literally watching us now, so let's preserve this secret place for our time and forever, for the benefit of all humanity. Thank you very, very.

[Rui Teixeira]

Where are you going? Where are you going literally just walking away like that? Mr. President, I'm sorry. The tribe has spoken. Extinguish your torch. What is happening? You know, maybe this is how we should do the transfer of power. The winner moves into the White House and the incumbent just wanders off into the jungle so that his nutrients may be returned to the soil. But of course, as the Democrats struggle, Donald Trump headed to Madison Square Garden with his grab him by the pussy posse to do his favorite thing. Watch people submit. Oh, Trump likes submission in the octagon. He likes it out of the octagon. He likes submission from his enemies and even from his new friends. And by the way, it doesn't take much of a transgression to warrant a bended knee for Trump. For instance, last week, Trump's newly minted Health and Human Services nominee hit Trump with a bit of a light hearted jab about his diet.

[Jon Stewart]

The stuff that he eats is really, like, bad. It's not. Campaign food is always bad. The food that goes onto that airplane is like just poison.

[Rui Teixeira]

A little friendly swipe, a little bit of ribbing, gentle ribbing. Boop. And he will pay for his insolence.

[Jon Stewart]

President Trump, Elon Musk, Don Jr. RFK.

[Rui Teixeira]

Jr. And Speaker Mike Johnson eating McDonald's.

[Jon Stewart]

On Trump's private plane.

[Rui Teixeira]

Hey.

[Jon Stewart]

Hey, what's up?

[Rui Teixeira]

Hey, rabbit, come in here. You think that's poison, dad? Eat it. Hey, hey, rabbit. Eat the whole thing. Yeah. In front of us right now. Eat the whole thing. And by the way, when you're done eating the whole thing, Grimace is gonna come in here and. Yes. Yeah, that's what we're gonna do. Yeah. Yeah, that's right, Grimace. Hey, hey, rabbit. He don't think Grimace is going to ask him why we're doing it. You got to make eye contact with him. All done. We're going to film it. I was just going to keep going with the premise, by the way. I know we're focused on the humiliation of RFK Jr. But look at poor Mike Johnson there. Poor Mike Johnson right there. Oh, he didn't even get a seat at the cool kids table. And the sad part, this whole thing was Mike Johnson's bachelor party. Meanwhile, Joe and Mika Brzezinski Scarborough, who famously warned of the growing threat of Trump's fascism, also had an interesting announcement.

[Jon Stewart]

To make last Thursday. We expressed our own concerns on this broadcast and even said we would appreciate the opportunity to speak with the President. Elect himself. On Friday, we were given the opportunity to do just that. Joe and I went to Mar A Lago to meet personally with President Elect Trump. And for those asking why we would go speak to the President Elect during such fraught times, especially between us, I guess I would ask back, why wouldn't we?

[Rui Teixeira]

Because you said he was Hitler. By. Okay, tap out, tap out. But look, we don't know what the visit was. We don't know what the tone of the visit was.

[Jon Stewart]

We talked about a lot of issues, including abortion, mass deportation, threats of political retribution against political opponents and media outlets.

[Rui Teixeira]

Oh, I bet you really laid down the gauntlet, Joe. I bet you walked in there and just let him have it, didn't you, Joey? I'm gonna do a one act play called Joe and Mika go to mar a lago. Mr. President, your rhetoric is outrageous. I cannot in good conscience. Ooh, are those macaroons? The pink one is rouse. We've learned nothing. Even those putting up resistance to Trump's agenda don't seem to understand who they're dealing with. Senator Elizabeth Warren accusing President elect Donald.

[Jon Stewart]

Trump's transition team of breaking the law, as there are reports it missed a.

[Rui Teixeira]

Deadline to file a required ethics pledge. Hear ye, hear ye. Hitler missed a reporting deadline. The war is over. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Republicans are playing chess and the Democrats are in the nurse's office because they glued their balls to their thigh. That is what is happening. The election that we just had was a repudiation of the status quo, an overly regulated system that is no longer responsive or delivering for the needs of the people or their beloved behatted squirrels. Oh, RIP Peanut. Government is theoretically a constitutional system of checks and balances between equally powerful branches. But what government actually is is an overly complicated Byzantine bureaucratic maze of rules, loopholes to those rules and norms, complex enough that A, if you want to find a rule that keeps you from doing something, you'll find it. And B, if you actually want to do something, you can find a loophole to get around said rule. And then the norms are just. How often you've had to pull any of this shit. For example, Trump's let's be generous, provocative and unorthodox cabinet picks. I don't think Hulk Hogan's been nominated yet. I think he's going to be the secretary of Take your vitamins. Democrats are positive that the vaunted constitutional rules of the Senate shall be the guardrail to this madness. Certainly we can fight back.

[Jon Stewart]

The President nominates The Senate confirms we're.

[Rui Teixeira]

A check and balance.

[Jon Stewart]

We're there to be a guardrail. The Senate has a constitutional obligation to advise and consent on this nomination.

[Rui Teixeira]

Oh, shit. You Want Matt Gaetz? Mr. President, prepare to be advised and consented, biatch. There is no way for the Constitution to allow you to get past it.

[Jon Stewart]

The Constitution does give the President power to adjourn the House and Senate on.

[Seth Doan]

Extraordinary occasions, to unilaterally install his most controversial nominees and bypass the Senate confirmation process entirely.

[Rui Teixeira]

That is our government in a nutshell. The rules say we can stop it. The loophole says that. And so what are you left with? The last refuge of losers, the norms. I don't think that's appropriate, and I don't think that's what the founders intended.

[Jon Stewart]

That is not the custom.

[Rui Teixeira]

Yeah, you can do it and it's legal, but whatever, guy, we're gonna think you're a dick. Republicans exploit the loopholes. Democrats complain about the norms over and over and over, and it has ghastly consequences. Remember when President Obama nominated Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to give that a vote, saying, well, it's only one full year before the election. It's too close. Now, you could make a case that Obama could violate the norm, say the Senate failed their advice and consent and appoint him anyway and see, whatever the happens, fight. But they just went, whoa. We never heard of that rule. But okay, smash cut. Two months before a presidential election, Trump nominates Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court after the completely unforeseeable death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And as you can imagine, the Democrats went right to the nearby Kinkos. Behind me is the McConnell rule. On February 13, 2016, when Justice Scalia passed away, Senator McConnell said, and I quote, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president. And so Amy Coney Barrett was forced to head back to her homestead, never to be heard from. Oh, they didn't give a. Oh, oh, right, I forgot. They didn't give a. Look, let this show be the utterly ineffective hypocrisy finders. I can tell you from experience, it does nothing. You guys be the loophole guys that figure out how to get shit done because they don't give a. About your norms. They will exploit any loophole, even if they have to go through clearly closed windows to do it. You would think after Trump's presidency, Democrats would have learned, but they doubled down when Biden tried to get immigration reform into the Inflation Reduction act and the Senate parliamentarian told him he couldn't. Did he respond to the rule with a loophole or did he.

[Jon Stewart]

That's for the parliamentarian to decide, though. Not, not for Joe Biden to decide.

[Rui Teixeira]

No, that's for you. Take the parliamentarian and you put them in a locker and then you grimace in and have him. That's what you do. Do you guys get what I'm saying? Perhaps a demonstration is in order.

[Jon Stewart]

To.

[Rui Teixeira]

Get anything done, the Democrats feel like they must thread the needle to make sure. Oh, we have to make sure each norm follows the overly complex bureaucratic process that we created ourselves. Oh, oh, the parliamentary. Oh, I can't do. Because the norm says, oh, I can't get anything done. Meanwhile, the Republicans come in and all they have to do is finger bang a donut. That's all they have to do. Oh, how are we going to get Matt Gaetz in if the advice and consent. Oh, there it is right there. Boom, boom, there. He's in there. Now he's in. Look at. Do I have to sleep with this? Now I've made you all uncomfortable. Now Trump has the House Senate presidency and Judiciary. So it's going to get harder, not easier. Democrats are going to have to forcefully play the loopholes. But the good news is you're well set up for it with the youngest congressional representative ever from New Jersey, 38 year old Lamonica McIver. Unless. Wait, I've got a loophole. What if Joe Biden got his vice president to not certify? No, no, President Biden. Wait, Listen. Listen to the plan. Jo. We'll be right back with Roy Teixeira. Don't go.

[Seth Doan]

When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.

[Jon Stewart]

This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television.

[Seth Doan]

Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change.

[Jon Stewart]

Like, none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible.

[Seth Doan]

I'm Seth Doane of CBS news. Listen to 60 Minutes a second look wherever you get your podcasts.

[Rui Teixeira]

My guest tonight is an American Enterprise Institute senior fellow co founder of the Liberal Patriots Substack and co author of where have all the Democrats Gone? Please welcome to the program Rui Teixeira. Sir.

[Jon Stewart]

Hello.

[Rui Teixeira]

How are you? Thank you for joining us.

[Jon Stewart]

Hey, my pleasure.

[Rui Teixeira]

Your book is where of all. I don't even know what I'm holding it up to. Here. I'll just hold it up over here. Where of all the Democrats. Democrats gone. This was kind of an expose I think on your recipe for how Democrats lost their coalition written when we put.

[Jon Stewart]

It out last year, basically exactly a year from Rui.

[Rui Teixeira]

Let me ask you a question. Did you send it to any of the Democrats?

[Jon Stewart]

Not really, no. We hope they'd pick up on it, I guess. Didn't happen, you know, you know, people.

[Rui Teixeira]

Aren'T really readers anymore.

[Jon Stewart]

Uh huh.

[Rui Teixeira]

Is there an audiobook?

[Jon Stewart]

There is an audiobook. Maybe we should have sent that to them or maybe like a five slide PowerPoint deck and they might.

[Rui Teixeira]

Now you're learning the game. Right? Right. First of all, it is a really interesting historical breakdown, context of sort of how the Democrats lost their more populist economic instincts. And can you, can you go through it? Sort of. The Clintons probably began it in a way, but even as far back as Jimmy Carter.

[Jon Stewart]

Sure, yeah, yeah. I mean Jimmy Carter had a sort of deregulatory, sort of anti populist approach toward economics. He took on a lot of things that eventually found their way into the Reagan approach in terms of deregulation and so on. And of course with Bill Clinton we have, you know, deregulation of finance, we have NAFTA eventually after Clinton leaves. But you know, sort of he was pushing it along. We have the accession of China, the WTO and you have the so called China shock which really destroys millions of manufacturing jobs. So over time you saw a lot of working class people developing a sense, particularly in the areas of the country that have been left behind that were dependent on, you know, industrial growth, on, you know, resource extraction. I mean they were, they felt like Democrats didn't have their backs anymore. They felt Democrats were, you know, this was a new world. We're all going to get educated. You know, we were going to have a lot of economic growth because we're moving into the new information economy. Right. And forget that old manufacturing stuff.

[Rui Teixeira]

And there wasn't seemingly much difference other than maybe tax cuts and tax hikes between neoliberal Democrats and standard Republican free trade policy.

[Jon Stewart]

Yeah, yeah, no, that was definitely true. I mean that was very noticeable at the time. And there's some Democrats who pushed back against it, but they definitely lost the debate. And the Democrats became, you know, there's sort of this third way thing in the 90s with Clinton and Blair and people like that and sort of, they basically put their chits down and we have to get government off people's backs. We have to, you know, deregulate. We have to just let a rip. Right. With global trade and eventually it will all trickle down to the masses. Of honest workers and peasants of America.

[Rui Teixeira]

It's coming, people. It's going to trickle down a few more decades. So then it's sort of you get the rise of kind of Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren. There is this. And throughout it, you know, Paul Wilson, a progressive wing that wanted a more populist approach, but they could never win the day. And you make the case it's because the money that was coming into the Democratic Party was coming now from business and not from labor.

[Jon Stewart]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I mean, the influence of labor on the Democratic Party just declined so much in the 80s and 90s, of course, through our current day. I mean, it used to be labor was the backbone of the Democratic Party party. That's what they relied upon for troops, for money to some extent. And that really just becomes completely replaced in the 80s and 90s. And even the culture of the Democratic Party changes because there used to be much more contact between the Democrats and the labor movement. You know, there's a really close working relationship between them. And over time, the labor movement gets pushed out because it's also declining at the time. So it's not.

[Rui Teixeira]

Well, that's what I was going to say. What do you think came first? The decline of the labor movement? The decline of people participating in the labor movement, or the Democrats moving away from that as a source of.

[Jon Stewart]

Well, I think they were sort of an interactive, negative feedback loop, as it were. Fewer people in unions. Kind of a death spiral, if you want to be melodramatic about it.

[Rui Teixeira]

Really? I do want to be melodramatic about it.

[Jon Stewart]

Okay, well, you.

[Rui Teixeira]

I don't know if you watched the first act, but I punched my hand through a donut hole.

[Jon Stewart]

Let's face it.

[Rui Teixeira]

I mean, I.

[Jon Stewart]

That last election, things could have gone.

[Rui Teixeira]

Better, I think now, but he cleaned off his hands. That, I feel like resonated with the audience and has resonated with them in a while. My idea of what happened with the Democratic Party is it was a rejection of a status quo, a feeling that not just in the working class movement, but in many movements, that democracy is by nature, analogy. We are living in a digital world where, you know, terminally online, the outrage and the anger and the confusion is much elevated, and the distance between those two points becomes untenable, especially if the Democrats insist on. Well, we have to keep the. I'd love to get you the help you need, but the parliamentarian is really been up my ass, like, all night. I feel like that's. That's a real problem for them.

[Jon Stewart]

Yeah, I mean, the sense that the Democratic Party isn't responsive to the needs of sort of ordinary, the common man and woman, the working class, and they're too caught up in other issues or they're too worried about, you know, sort of government regulations and parliamentary and stuff. And they're not like laser focused on getting stuff done. And, you know, even in places like New York City, where you have, you know, very democratic governance, there's a sense that they aren't pulling out all the stops to make sure everyone gets good services and everything runs well. And, you know, effective government is what people want.

[Rui Teixeira]

It's a triage system in some respects. There's two things. You have to respond to what seems to be the immediate needs and then lay the groundwork for the future. I still think they did an effective job laying the groundwork for the future.

[Jon Stewart]

The first part is what.

[Rui Teixeira]

That's exactly right. Infrastructure bill, chips bill, those are great things. But the New Deal worked because it triaged the urgency.

[Jon Stewart]

That's right.

[Rui Teixeira]

That's right. It seems like they had a problem. By the way, I don't think the Republicans do that either.

[Jon Stewart]

No.

[Rui Teixeira]

You know, in terms of that, we'll see.

[Jon Stewart]

I mean, look at these great cabinet pics that Trump has. They're ready. They're 10, rested and ready, you know, to help the people.

[Rui Teixeira]

I was warned about you. Rui Teixeira is a dry son of a bitch.

[Jon Stewart]

Yeah, right.

[Rui Teixeira]

Well, you know, no, dead on. Right. I almost think. And this is. This is a broader conversation, but if you look at sort of European countries, their satisfaction with government is higher because it feels like they think the money they pay into government returns in services they actually use. If you break down people's tax bill, the first probably five tranches of it are nothing that you use. You know, 75, 80% of it is. It's military, Medicare, Social Security. It's stuff you'll use when you're 65 or 70, but you don't use now. How do we get them more responsive to what really is happening in people's lives?

[Jon Stewart]

Well, you know, if I knew that, I would be running the Democratic Party and they'd be running the table. But first of all, I mean, you can't hit the target unless you're aiming at it. Contrary to the Zen precept, you actually have to focus relentlessly on delivering for people in their daily lives and figuring out a way to do it. Okay. You know, they've got X percent of the budget that's allocated to these other things. But how can we take what degrees of freedom we have and use them to help ordinary people. So they feel it.

[Rui Teixeira]

Right.

[Jon Stewart]

Let's not just pass a bunch of legislation that kind of sounds good and may pay off in the long run, but people don't really feel in their day to day lives.

[Rui Teixeira]

And I think they have a sense that they work hard, they pay money into the system, and then that money is. Whether this is hyperbolic or not, I think it is. Goes to people who don't deserve it. It goes to migrants, it goes to trans people, it goes to this. And it's. They don't deserve it. I deserve it.

[Jon Stewart]

Right. Well, the migrants thing became such a problem, obviously, because of, you know, the extent to which immigration spiked. And then you had people turning up in overburdened urban areas. And, you know, you even had a lot of black voters, for example, in Chicago saying, why should I vote for Kamala Harris? I mean, you know, they're giving away all this stuff to people, you know, who just came in from out of the country. They're not even legal. And, you know, but even that me.

[Rui Teixeira]

Even that tells you, though, they had an opportunity to do something three years about it. They said they couldn't.

[Jon Stewart]

Yeah, that was baloney.

[Rui Teixeira]

But I can't do it. I'm gonna wait for. First of all, that's the type of language that I absolutely.

[Jon Stewart]

Wait a minute. I saw your monologue.

[Rui Teixeira]

I don't know what happened there. It will get bleeped.

[Jon Stewart]

Okay.

[Rui Teixeira]

But it is the kind of thing like, we can't overturn norms and things. And you're like, well, how did you get to Kamala Harris as the nominee? That wasn't the norm. You overturned norm. And by the way, when you did, there was an explosion of enthusiasm and excitement because they suddenly felt like, oh, they're recognizing a reality that I also.

[Jon Stewart]

And now we have a chance.

[Rui Teixeira]

And now we have a chance. Why isn't that more a part of the governance?

[Jon Stewart]

Well, I think one. I mean, for example, look at the immigration issue, right? Yes, they. There were some tenuous excuses why they couldn't move on an earlier. But why didn't they move in earlier? It was a lot. Because the Democratic coalition is so responsive. Biden was responsive to the various elements of the coalition. He didn't want them to do anything. I mean, there were a lot of advocacy groups, a lot of parts of the Democratic Party that really thought things were fine. This is like, not really a problem. It's all made up. It's all in Fox News. And Biden didn't want to cross. I mean, and this is a part of the problem with the Democratic coalition today is too many parts of the coalition have veto power on doing effective things.

[Rui Teixeira]

You get into something interesting with that and it's something that I, you know, rightfully I think have a blind spot on. And that is this idea of woke and DEI and that the Democrats are too woke and too DEI and that's why they lost. And it's hard for me to wrap my head around that.

[Jon Stewart]

Well, it's not the only reason, but it was a contributing factor.

[Rui Teixeira]

Right.

[Jon Stewart]

I mean if you look at like there's been some data collected after the election by the blueprint strategy group that saw the blueprint top three reasons, you.

[Rui Teixeira]

Know them, I love their listicles.

[Jon Stewart]

Their listicle. Well, in this listicle the first reason was inflation. The second reason was too much illegal immigration. And the third reason was Democrats being too concerned about cultural issues and not the welfare of the middle class.

[Rui Teixeira]

Right.

[Jon Stewart]

I mean, and there's similar data from other places.

[Rui Teixeira]

Here's where maybe you can help me with this. But the idea of DEI and maybe I'm just working off of the wrong definition of woke, you know, which is. And maybe that's the thing that I don't understand. But like when they say all this dei, it feels like you talking about like that one seminar you have to sit in, like that's like an hour. Like I know it's little more to it, it gets eye rolly but like it's a hour.

[Jon Stewart]

Right. Well, there's more to it than that. I think people have the perception that it's being used as a way of allocating things that's different for merit and that's a real problem. I'm just saying, you know, it doesn't seem to work that well. People don't like it, you know, including non white working class people. So.

[Rui Teixeira]

Right.

[Jon Stewart]

You know, that's. Yeah. I mean there's a very reasonable argument that we need to lift up people who've been left behind by various heritages of vexed heritages of our country.

[Rui Teixeira]

I don't even know why that's controversial. That's controversial.

[Jon Stewart]

That's not controversial. People are fine with helping out people who are disadvantaged. I mean people are good with that. I mean they don't think necessarily.

[Rui Teixeira]

See, here's where I'm lost.

[Jon Stewart]

Right.

[Rui Teixeira]

Okay, because you just said people don't like that. So I guess is it because of.

[Jon Stewart]

My definition of DEI or reparations or whatever? I mean whatever kind of a basket of things that sound to them. Like they're going to give people stuff that they didn't, you know, sort of earn in terms of their money.

[Rui Teixeira]

But what is it we're doing? Tariffs are there to repair the damage. Yes. I mean, tariffs are using the exact word.

[Jon Stewart]

Tariffs are an economic policy that's supposed to make it, you know, sort of more things made in America. It's supposed to help manufacturing workers.

[Rui Teixeira]

Yes.

[Jon Stewart]

And so on. Okay, so what do I mean, people look at class different from race. What can I tell you? It's just a fact.

[Rui Teixeira]

But it's all mixed together.

[Jon Stewart]

Of course it's all mixed together.

[Rui Teixeira]

So why are you yelling at me?

[Jon Stewart]

Because you seem to be determined to. I don't know. Just. What's your point? It's like race is more important than class.

[Rui Teixeira]

No.

[Jon Stewart]

What's your point?

[Rui Teixeira]

No, my point is it seems that government's job is to look at the systems that we use in this country to create wealth and progress.

[Jon Stewart]

Sure.

[Rui Teixeira]

And then to look at the natural areas where those systems create collateral damage and repair as best they can, the collateral damage of those systems. And I don't understand why we've singled out DEI as the devil and helping manufacturing as smart and good. Like, isn't it all the same thing?

[Jon Stewart]

The point about DI is it's not particularly effective in lifting.

[Rui Teixeira]

But that's a different argument, is it not?

[Jon Stewart]

No, it's not a different argument. Basically, what I'm saying is that what if you want to actually help people materialize that right now you want universal policies that will disproportionately lift up, say, black and Latino poor people because they're more heavily concentrated among people who are well, also because that is what is popular.

[Rui Teixeira]

But they were explicitly disadvantaged, so why wouldn't we try to repair that? But my point is government picks winners and losers all the time. We have subsidies for farming areas, and those aren't controversial because they say the policies that we have in place have hurt farmers. So let's get some subsidies in there to ameliorate the damage. That is a particular point. That's point.

[Jon Stewart]

If you want to help out people who live in, say, poor black areas or poor Latino areas.

[Rui Teixeira]

Yes.

[Jon Stewart]

You can't just channel that money to people who are Latino and black because that's unconstitutional and it's extremely unpopular. If you want to lift them up, have universal programs that, like, actually help people to live in those disadvantages. Everybody's for that. Everybody's for that. That's not dei. DEI is really different. No, they're completely different.

[Rui Teixeira]

I disagree with you that everybody's for it, because I think they view that as woke, that what I just described they would view as woke. And that that is of a different.

[Jon Stewart]

That's right. I think that's right.

[Rui Teixeira]

All right. I get the sense that in this country, people look at entrenched poverty in the cities and think that it is a. A product of culture and vice. And they look at entrenched poverty in whiter areas and think that they are victims of economic policies that they are not in control of. I do think in this country it's viewed differently. I just think it, you know, here's what you didn't. Here's what you didn't get during the crack crisis, deaths of despair, these poor people. But in the fentanyl quietness, rightfully so. You do. And I think some of that has to do with the populations. And so that's my point is why is dei? I feel like then it's a failure to describe what we're trying to do.

[Jon Stewart]

Okay, well, DEI isn't the name for what you want then. It's something.

[Rui Teixeira]

Because DEI is the only thing to.

[Jon Stewart]

Be allowed left behind, black and Latino.

[Rui Teixeira]

But the real things that would help entrench poverty in those cities aren't done in favor of. Okay, we're not actually going to do that, but we will let you have an hour every three months where you get to tell us.

[Jon Stewart]

I agree with that. I agree with that. I think DI is a very poor substitute for those kinds of programs.

[Rui Teixeira]

Could you just look into that camera and say that? Do you think it is something that can be fixed? Is it. Is it perception or is it reality?

[Jon Stewart]

It is a matter of the kinds of programs will have to be promulgated on a universal basis which have a disproportionate effect on black and Latino working class and poor people. That's how you do it. And it's possible to build support for those I really believe.

[Rui Teixeira]

Right.

[Jon Stewart]

Don't call it dei, don't call it reparations. Don't call it anything like that because those are really unpopular. Call it. You're just trying to help people who are disadvantaged. And there may be complex historical reasons for it. And, and there's black people and white people and Latino people all need that kind of help. That is actually pretty popular.

[Rui Teixeira]

Why do you think the Republicans don't have to play by those same rules? Like if you're pro Palestine, they're very happy going, you're a terrorist sympathizer. If you want certain economics, you're A Marxist and a Communist they name call constantly. They do the same thing that you're saying they do. So why? Well, they don't seem to ever have.

[Jon Stewart]

Like, if they really wanted to seriously dominate the country in a way that's different than taking advantage of the fact people hated the Biden Harris administration, they would have to, like, push back on stuff like that. They would have to move to the center themselves. That's the whole thing about the political era we're in. We're in an era where both Democrats and Republicans seem incapable, maybe even not interested in forming a dominant majority coalition and sort of sanding off their rough edges, correcting the things that need to be corrected, and really capturing the center of American politics in a decisive way. And absolutely. The Republicans have the same problems they say and do a lot of stupid stuff that puts a ceiling on their support generally.

[Rui Teixeira]

The biggest movements in America that have done what you're saying weren't centrist. The New Deal in FDR was considered far left. Reagan and the Reagan Revolution was considered far right. And it seems like the centrists, Romney, McCain, those guys got their asses kicked, so.

[Jon Stewart]

Well, the New Deal was actually quite centrist. I mean.

[Rui Teixeira]

Centrist.

[Jon Stewart]

Yeah.

[Rui Teixeira]

I mean, it was basically Norman Thomas and socialism.

[Jon Stewart]

No, no, it was basically. It was the institution of Keynesian economics in the country, and it was actually wildly popular at the time. I mean, people revered fdr. They thought he stood up for the common man and woman. Well, okay. But they still liked it.

[Rui Teixeira]

But it wasn't center. No, it wasn't the center.

[Jon Stewart]

I'm not defining the center as being a particular ideology. I'm defining it as, what do people in the center of the distribution want? What do they care about? What are their concerns?

[Rui Teixeira]

You mean, like. Oh, so you're talking about statistical.

[Jon Stewart]

Yeah, you know, that's my thing. Sorry. Guilty as charged.

[Rui Teixeira]

I didn't know statisticians were such argumentative subjects.

[Jon Stewart]

You're pretty argumentative yourself.

[Rui Teixeira]

Can I tell you something?

[Jon Stewart]

Yeah.

[Rui Teixeira]

Super argumentative. Like, I actually don't like that about myself. I'm very contrarian, too.

[Jon Stewart]

Yeah.

[Rui Teixeira]

Like, and can get a little sanctimonious. Yeah, I. I don't know what I'm gonna do about that.

[Jon Stewart]

Yeah.

[Rui Teixeira]

I have a feeling it's not gonna get. It's not gonna get any better.

[Jon Stewart]

Trust me on this.

[Rui Teixeira]

I'm gonna be one of those dudes where people are just like, don't invite. You guys can check out Rui's work. Liberalpatriot.com, rui, Teixeira we'll be right back after that.

[Seth Doan]

When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.

[Jon Stewart]

This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television.

[Seth Doan]

Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change.

[Jon Stewart]

Like, none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible.

[Seth Doan]

I'm Seth Doane of CBS news. Listen to 60 Minutes a second look on Apple Podcasts.

[Rui Teixeira]

You know what's crazy? So they claim glasses right before the show. I already had them all up. Never put donuts on your glasses. That is our show for tonight. Before we go, we're going to check in with your host for the rest of the week, Desi Lydic. Desi. Desi, so nice to see you. What's coming up this week? Well, John, we'll be talking about my weekend trip to Mar a Lago, where I went to reopen the conversation with President Elect Trump. Reopen the mm. Desi, didn't you spend the last year calling him a face? That's not how I remember it, no. But I wanted to go down there for unity. I want to be unified with all the people who he won't be getting revenge on. We had a great conversation about mass deportation. And the bottom line is, I can.

[Jon Stewart]

Tell you now that. But I'm going to be okay.

[Rui Teixeira]

What about all the people being mass deported? Oh, yes, I can tell them, too, that I'm going to be okay. Congratulations, Desi. Desi Lydic, your host this week. Here it is. Your moment is end.

[Jon Stewart]

And you can see him embracing Joe Rogan. Let's see him. They're going to get together in a second. Here it comes. Wait for it. He's walking in now. He's going to say, hello, there's Dana. Well, not quite. I think we'll get the Joe Rogan picture in just a moment. Hang on, hang on. That's not quite.

[Rui Teixeira]

Explore more shows from the Daily show podcast universe by searching the Daily Show. Wherever you get your podcast, watch the Daily show weeknights at 1110 Central on.

[Jon Stewart]

Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount. Paramount podcasts.

[Seth Doan]

When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.

[Jon Stewart]

This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television.

[Seth Doan]

Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change.

[Jon Stewart]

Like, none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible.

[Seth Doan]

I'm Seth Doane of CBS news. Listen to 60 Minutes. A second. Look, wherever you get your podcasts.