Trump's Manufactured Government Shutdown

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Find Out Podcast

Episode: Trump's Manufactured Government Shutdown
Date: October 2, 2025

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Episode Overview

The Find Out Podcast team returns during a fresh government shutdown, offering their signature blend of irreverent humor, leftist critique, and no-bullshit analysis. This episode dives into Trump’s “manufactured” government shutdown, the real impacts on Americans, the political strategizing (and failures) of Democrats and Republicans, implications for the military and economy, the ongoing Epstein saga, and the ever-present challenge of Democratic messaging. The hosts stress honest, direct language and actionable messaging—plain talk for complicated times.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Mechanics and Motives of the Govt Shutdown

• Who Gets Hurt? The hosts open by clarifying the immediate and longer-term impact: federal workers typically get back pay, but this year, that's uncertain ([00:53]).
• Previous shutdowns compared under Obama (2013—over Obamacare) and Trump’s first term (2018-2019—border wall funding) reveal consistent Republican willingness to shut government down to fight against health care and favored policy fights ([07:02]).
• The current fight reverses some roles, with Republicans insisting on cuts that would kick millions off health care, while Democrats refuse to fund more militarized policies ([02:57]).

Host 1: “Basically the American public is just losing in this. But where do we go from here?” ([03:00])

• GOP seems unmoved by public pain; their goal to “strip Americans of health care” is longstanding ([04:45]).
• The “Epstein factor”: Shutdown delays the release/vote on Epstein files, with speculation that this serves the interests of high-profile figures potentially implicated ([05:01]).

2. Impacts on Daily Life and Economy

• In the early days, most Americans may not notice dramatic effects, but critical services are paused, like National Park operations (leading to actual physical risk in some areas) ([09:03]).
• Economic Data Blackout: With the shutdown, key economic data (e.g., jobs report) won’t be public, allowing the administration to hide bad economic news ([23:17]).
• Recent ADP jobs report is “really, really bad”—tens of thousands of jobs lost, and this may grow worse if the shutdown persists ([21:29], [24:28]).

Host 2: “In six, six, seven months, he's done a really wonderful job. And he's earning every point of that economic approval rating that he has, which is like 32% right now.” ([24:28])

3. Dysfunction and Humor: National Parks & Ted Cruz

• Absurdity highlighted—parks staffed by law enforcement unfit for the job, wild animal selfie-takers, and Darwin Awards jokes ([10:46]).
• Ted Cruz “Freudian slip”—accidentally proclaiming, "We need to stop attacking pedophiles." The hosts note he never corrected himself, using it as a microcosm of the GOP's current state ([08:19]).

Luke: “Biggest Freudian slip ever.” ([09:09])

4. Military and White Supremacist Dog Whistles

• Trump and Fox host Pete Hegseth allegedly gather generals for a speech pushing racist, body-shaming standards, reflecting “white supremacy” and a nostalgia for a mostly white military ([12:25], [13:41]).
• Demographics: The military is currently “about 50, 51% black, Asian and Hispanic,” challenging the administration’s attempts to roll back diversity ([13:56]).
• The speech receives icy non-reactions, no applause, with the hosts gleefully suggesting Hegseth experienced his first real imposter syndrome ([16:08], [18:10]).

5. MAGA Veterans & Loyalty Concerns

• Large “plurality” of veterans are now fully in the MAGA camp, but active-duty troops are less supportive ([19:41]).
• Speculation whether Trump is trying to secure new loyalty oaths from the military, though data doesn’t suggest the ranks are warming to him ([19:41], [21:29]).

6. Messaging Wars: Why Can’t Democrats Win This?

• The Republicans have drawn out the shutdown over health care, with the right dodging with culture-war deflections (“illegal immigrants,” etc.) ([27:24], [33:35]).
• The left’s messaging is criticized for being too complicated, muddled by appeals to “health care as a right” instead of plain language around costs ([28:07]).
• The need for anger and moral clarity—“I want anger. I want you to channel what not only the base feels like, but like, the country as a whole.” ([48:08])

Guest: “In typical Democrat fashion, they took a simple argument and made it complicated.” ([26:43])

• Contrast with GOP media ops: Republicans leverage media-savvy surrogates and influencers; Democrats’ aged leadership and outdated outreach methods (e.g., “the social medias”) are mocked ([39:41], [41:57]).
• Calls for younger, digital-native voices like AOC to take the lead ([49:13]).

7. The Epstein Distraction

• Both a running gag and a serious contention—the shutdown delays further actions on the Epstein investigation, “protecting pedophile billionaires” ([36:04], [37:41]).
• Hosts joke that Democrats should learn from GOP messaging and just bluntly state: “The government is being shut down because Donald Trump wants to protect his pedophile buddies.” ([36:23])

Chris: “That needs to be the Trump card that Democrats bring out.” ([36:25])

8. Democratic Messaging—How to Fix It

• What Works: Hire Republican strategists for comms, have digital influencers at the table, focus on clear, emotional arguments and assign better messengers ([39:52], [49:13]).
• The old guard (e.g., Schumer) should step aside for new voices. The hosts cite Sarah Longwell’s (conservative anti-Trump pollster) advice urging Dems to focus on the “protecting pedophile billionaires” line for media effectiveness ([37:41]).
• TV ads and over-reliance on data and focus groups are ineffective for reaching modern voters ([44:49]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Shutdown Impact:

  “People lose their services. I have lots of… yeah. So let’s dig into it.” — Host 1 ([00:10])

• On Republican Messaging:

  “It’s not a parody of you. You’re the parody of yourself.” — Chris ([02:38])

• On What the Shutdown is Really About:

  “The government is being shut down because Donald Trump and Mike Johnson are trying to protect a cabal of pedophile billionaires.” — Chris ([36:23])

• On Dems’ Messaging Failures:

  “If we capitulate, 15 million people are going to lose their health care and costs will go up…This will hurt them whether you are on insurance through your job, because the premiums are going to go nutso.” — Host 1 ([33:13])

• On Who Should Be Speaking for Dems:

  “AOC lives right in your state. Just put her on the microphone because she is going to communicate in a much more effective way than Schumer ever could.” — Chris ([49:13])

• On How to Win the Messaging War:

  “Pick a fight and deliver a clear message. You can still win.” — Host 2 ([46:16])

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Important Topic Timestamps

• 00:00–01:56 — Shutdown announcement & impacts on federal workers
• 02:57–05:58 — Who benefits, discussion of Epstein file delays
• 09:03–11:05 — National Parks during shutdown & natural selection jokes
• 12:25–18:10 — Pete Hegseth’s speech, attacks on diversity, military demographic shift
• 19:41–21:29 — Veterans’ support for MAGA, loyalty concerns
• 21:29–25:18 — Economic fallout, jobs report dodges
• 27:24–33:35 — Messaging struggle: health care argument, culture war distractions
• 36:04–38:10 — Epstein files, advice from Sarah Longwell
• 39:40–44:49 — Failures in comms strategy, over-reliance on TV ads
• 48:03–50:19 — Need for anger, passing the mic to AOC/younger leaders
• 52:46–54:30 — Merch plug and outro banter (skip for content)

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Flow, Tone & Final Thoughts

The episode combines cynical humor with earnest frustration about the state of American politics. The hosts lampoon both MAGA absurdity and Democratic limpness, calling for sharper messaging, younger speakers, and a more direct approach. Pop culture references, dark jokes, and back-and-forth roast both sides, but the urgent theme is clear: real people are hurting, the right’s priorities are cruel and cynical, and the left keeps flubbing the chance to nail the truth.

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Summary at a Glance

• Shutdown is about stripping Americans of health care, with GOP using old tactics, and Dems failing to boil down their message.
• Delay in economic data due to shutdown is a convenient cover for worsening economic indicators.
• Military is under attack by white nationalist dog whistles, but active duty support for Trump is at a low.
• Democratic leadership and communication strategies are outdated; time for digital-forward, emotionally compelling, younger voices.
• The Epstein saga remains a surreal but real political factor.
• The mood: weary, angry, but aiming for clarity and action instead of just more talk.

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For listeners wanting to understand the political games at play—and how the left could fight back more effectively—this episode offers both clear diagnosis and a call for a new, sharper approach.

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[End of Summary]

Transcript

[Host 1]

Foreign. Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the Find out podcast. Another shutdown has occurred. We are currently in a government shutdown. Republicans and Democrats could not reach an agreement yesterday. And so we are now in a federal shutdown. Guys, get excited. Yay. People lose their services. I have lots of. Yeah. So let's, let's, let's dig into it.

[Host 2]

Well, hang on. Do, do federal employees who are furloughed, do they get paid? Is this a paid vacation? Like, like the Doge layoffs?

[Host 1]

So typically what happens is that as part of the agreements, they get their back pay. But I don't know. This time, I don't know. They may actually not. It is. They would have to pass in the budget bill, right. Basically saying they got it. So when I was in the federal government in 2013, I think that's when we had our shutdown in the Obama administration. We were not getting paid during, but we did get the payback. Now that's with a Democrat in the White House. So I don't know. In this particular instance, and there's already discussions about how Russ Vote, the head of OMB Office of Management Budget.

[Host 2]

We say, we say Vaught here.

[Chris]

Yeah, that's the bad guy company from the Boys.

[Host 1]

Okay. I don't know what that is.

[Chris]

For the, for anyone who doesn't know what. I have one cultural reference. One cultural reference ever. It's the last one.

[Host 2]

So can you name the hit record?

[Host 1]

Yeah, yeah. Get this. We're gonna.

[Chris]

The Boys is. Is an excellent Amazon series where they are doing a parody of the fascist state that we are are living in today. It was written and you know, all of the acting and the writing happened years ago. So when people see heroes rising up, they're like Superman kind of powers rising up. And they've got like these alt right tendencies. MAGA flips out because they're like, oh, this is like. This is imitating us. And it's like, no, this, this was written before this. This was written before you guys were doing this. So you guys are just doing the fascist.

[Host 2]

Fascist.

[Chris]

It. It's not a parody of you. You're the parody of yourself.

[Host 1]

So, Chris, are you saying that while, you know, when you take your breaks from doing find out and hunting Nazis and taking care of a baby, your way of unwinding is to watch a show about fascism.

[Host 2]

Nice.

[Host 1]

Is that correct? Okay, that is okay. This is where. This is where we are. So. Okay. So so basically the Democrats have said, you know, we do not want 15 million people kicked off their health care. We do not want to fund the military in our streets. I believe that has been. And we talked earlier this week about there not being a plan. This, this kind of crystallized more recently. Who's gonna. I hate to say who's gonna win because basically the American public is just losing in this. But where do we go from here?

[Chris]

I think the bigger question is how long is this gonna last? Like, how much? The, the big question. The only thing that I think really matters to most people is how much damage is going to be done. Yeah, like, I. I think that it's. Under the current climate, Democrats are going to have a. A hard time shaping the narrative. You know, it like, look, we've got Schumer and Jeffries out there who are supposedly leading the party. Not. Not an ideal set of messengers. You know, I would refer to Jeffrey's recent press statement, like congratulating Eric Adams, the most corrupt criminal mayor in New York history, which is really something.

[Host 2]

Yeah, that's like.

[Chris]

That's bad. So who's going to win? Nobody's going to win. The. How much damage do we think is going to be done? Do we think this is going to last a week? Do we think it's going to last a month? I think right now the, the Republicans are not seeing stripping Americans of health care as a losing proposition. They've wanted to do this for, I don't know, when was Obamacare passed? Like 15 years ago?

[Host 1]

2010, 22,009?

[Chris]

Yeah, like they've. They've been obsessed with stripping Americans of their health care for 15 years. I don't think that they're going to change just because, I don't know, everyone's suffering. More like they seem to like this kind of shit.

[Luke]

Well, let's not forget that they've got an added little benefit in it that they can't vote on the fucking Epstein shit until they come back.

[Guest]

That's true.

[Luke]

Never forget about the Epstein files.

[Host 1]

Well, no, I was just say. And they. The newest Congress member from Arizona, Arizona 7th. I'm forgetting her first name, but Gralva, Mike Johnson has not sworn her in yet. And partly is that is because I believe they are one or two votes away. Once she's the last one, that will be. That will for the first time in a very long time, meaning a discharge petition which requires 218 votes. It's the only way that actually anybody other than the speaker can bring things to the floor for a vote has, but will be triggered. So, yes, Luke, you're 100 right. I think that the Epstein thing is part of this. And we also found out last week that Peter Thiel and Elon are on the Epstein list, which ramps up the pressure.

[Luke]

Why is it always the ones you most suspect? My jaw stayed firmly in place when I heard that.

[Host 2]

I really prefer a good twist like can M. Night Shyamalan re. Rewrite this whole Epstein thing? Like, it would be so much more fascinating than just being like, yeah, I saw that coming from like seven weeks. From seven months away, I saw that coming. Like, this is the most boring plot line ever.

[Host 1]

True. But the twist could also be bad, right? You wouldn't want to know like Tom Hanks was on the Epstein list or like Mr. Rogers or somebody like it would.

[Luke]

Like those would both be terrible.

[Host 1]

Would be awful. I think we actually did an episode once where we said who was the person we'd. And I think I said Tom Han would be. Would be pretty devastating. But, but Chris is right. Like, I mean part of the, the challenge here is that Republicans have always tried to shut the government down to keep people from having health care and Democrats have always tried to keep the government open to give people health care. And in this particular case it's actually reversed. So we haven't seen this.

[Host 2]

And I think it's the same thing. It's just you're on different side. Like you're just in different sides of the power level lever. But. But yeah, that was the big, that was the big shutdown in 2013 was Ted Cruz and the teabaggers trying to keep Obama trying to defund Obamacare after it was passed, which the Affordable Care act is still widely popular. And then Donald Trump, you know, he wanted to. Or he had the government shut down over the border wall in 2018 and 2019 after claiming for a year that Mexico was going to pay for it. And then when then the Republican controlled Congress couldn't get the votes to get over a filibuster. Then he shut the government down himself over border wall funding. This is just a Republican problem because now once again the Republicans have every lever of Congress and. Or every lever of government and once again they are trying to shut down government or they did shut down government because they don't want people to have health care. They pick the worst possible battles to lose.

[Chris]

Was it 2013 that, that we heard Ted Cruz going, I don. Like green eggs and ham.

[Host 2]

Like that sounds right.

[Chris]

Do you remember that reading Dr. Seuss?

[Host 1]

Yeah, I think so. I mean he is the biggest down or filibuster.

[Guest]

I think it was a filibuster.

[Host 2]

That sounds like a filibuster yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Luke]

I mean, if we're going to talk about Ted Cruz, there's an elephant in the room that I feel we need to talk about. Did you see his Freudian slip yesterday?

[Host 1]

Oh, yeah.

[Luke]

That the government needs to stop attacking pedophiles. We need to stop attacking pedophiles. Oh, that's a insane thing to say, because I think what he was intending to was stop attacking the president, but it came out, stop attacking the pedophiles.

[Chris]

No, no, no. So he was trying to say, like, we need to go after rapists, we need to go after murderers. Like, we need to be tough on crime. And instead he. He said, like, we should be tough on rapists and murderers, but pedophiles should get a house.

[Luke]

Crazy. It's crazy.

[Host 1]

It was actually.

[Host 2]

He didn't catch himself in the moment.

[Chris]

So he didn't fix it either.

[Luke]

Biggest Freudian slip ever.

[Host 2]

That's why he's happy the government's closed, because he can't clean up after that. He's just like, I'm gonna go to Texas.

[Host 1]

I mean. I mean, when you take a vacation, man, when you have nothing inside, I guess it is hard. It is harder to, like, remember the good. The things you're supposed to say to make yourself look like a normal human being. Instead you say like, that he is. He is one of the worst. Oh, my God. I can't. So. So on the shutdown, so I. People are always like, well, what does this mean? And in the short term, generally speaking, there's. There's not a. Not a lot in the first few days because money gets shifted around and things like that. But, you know, the national parks will theoretically close. I think we talked about this before, but red states, they will probably keep them open. But I cannot stress enough how much you should not go to them, because they are going to be manned by sheriffs or police who do not. These places. This is not like patrolling on a road. And so people will be putting their lives at risk if they go into some of these places. They are wild for a reason.

[Luke]

And what, you mean you can't handcuff a grizzly bear?

[Host 1]

Yeah, well, it's like when you see all those people taking. Trying to take selfies with bison, which, by the way, I love that.

[Luke]

Don't pet the fluffy couch.

[Host 1]

Do not like. I. When I worked at Interior, which oversees National Park Service, the amount of times we had to say, do not go up to the giant wild animals was staggering. And it still. I don't think you should have to.

[Luke]

Say that I think you. If you're dumb enough that you walk up to a bison, you get what you get.

[Guest]

Yeah, natural selection.

[Host 1]

Natural selection. But we got to drag that person out of there in whatever shape they end up in. Right? So like chunks. I think you mean not. Not free.

[Chris]

My. I agree with like the taking the Darwin Awards approach generally, but you have to think about the. The first responders.

[Host 1]

That's true.

[Luke]

I mean eventually someone's gonna have to.

[Chris]

Go clean up the mess.

[Host 2]

If you leave it long enough it. Actually nobody does have to clean up the mess.

[Chris]

An important part of the ecosystem and you should make sure they are welfare.

[Host 1]

I don't think leaving the aftermath of what happens when you pet a bison on the side of the road is probably a great advertisement to get families to come in.

[Host 2]

They used to be heads on the stakes outside of the castle. So would happen if you up.

[Host 1]

That's true.

[Host 2]

Why are we talking about this? This is like. This is just Crime Prevention 101.

[Chris]

Did you. Did you guys see he. Seth's FAO thing?

[Host 1]

Oh, yeah, but we, but we got a. We got a shout out.

[Guest]

Yeah, that we did, Chris.

[Host 1]

What? What? Let. Let everybody know. What. What is this?

[Chris]

As we're recording this on Wednesday for release on Thursday. On Tuesday, Pete Heth gathered all of the generals in the world. Not the United States, all of the American generals in the world. So the greatest national security threat to America created the greatest national security threat to America by putting the entire military chain of command in one fucking room so that he could give them a speech about saying there should be no uggos in the military thing.

[Luke]

The commander in beef gets no beers.

[Chris]

Who is standing next to the President of the United States, who has eaten more cheeseburgers than any living person is saying he doesn't want anybody with a thicker waistline and he doesn't want people who have shave exceptions. So for context, I know a lot of people probably don't understand this. Certain people are allowed to not shave their beards in the military. It has been a long like cultural fight. But it's stupid. I, as a white man, I'm not as likely to get like severe razor burn and acne ingrown hairs, real like threat, like health threats from shaving. That is just the way that my facial hair works. Right? Black people tend to. Black men tend to have a higher rate of these shaving exceptions and this, this like conquest against beards despite all of like the special operators having beards and it generally looking cool. Pete Hegseth's version of this is just pure white supremacy. Like he just wants to get black people out of the military.

[Luke]

The guy who has tattoos that could be interpreted in a white supremacist way also has an interest in putting in policy that might be interpreted in a white suprem this way.

[Chris]

I think that would be an accurate roundup of what's going on that works. Odd.

[Host 2]

The irony of course being. Yeah, right. The irony of course being that our Military is about 50, 51% black, Asian and Hispanic men and women and our population is only about 35% black, Asian and Hispanic men and women. We need diversity more than ever in the military because it is a volunteer armed forces. And he is going and attacking it because he wants our, our military to look like it did what, 60, 70 years ago? Sorry, the, the Department of War. He wants it to look like it did 60, 70 years ago. Even though all of our population growth is coming from non white people. Can you imagine this is just a bad strategy?

[Luke]

Being a four star general and being lectured by a Fox News host and.

[Host 1]

A draft DOD weekend host. Weekend host.

[Luke]

Weekend host. I, I would have walked the out.

[Host 2]

I don't know how well.

[Host 1]

Did you see, did you see the photos? Oh yeah. They're literally sitting there like this.

[Guest]

It was dead silent too.

[Chris]

Yeah. So they're like, that is the military standard. They are not allowed to clap or cheer or stand.

[Host 2]

Begged them to Trump begged them to the President, the Commander in Chief. Begged them to loosen up and laugh and have a good time because he just so badly wanted it to be an authoritarian rally. And I was actually really inspired. Dog dude, it was so bad. He was talking about TV shows. He's rambling. He decided he was gonna speak like three days ago because he found out hegseth was gonna have a bigger micro or bigger spotlight than him. And he's like, wow. So he gets in there for an hour plus long speech that he just makes up on the spot. And meanwhile, it's like Russia knew this was happening like five days ago. They're just looking at a building full of generals going, nah, it's too easy this time. Yeah, genius. But no, he got his, he got his, like, this is our American Independence Day moment. You know the. He got his Bill Pullman speech in there and it's like, you know, we are a body of war. What did he say? His closing line, that was definitely written by like a Hollywood writer. And then he looked around, hexa looked around and nobody did anything. And he was like, he was expecting like, fuck, yeah. America.

[Luke]

There were so many moments in that speech where he, like, paused for applause or laughter and nothing happened.

[Host 2]

Yeah. It's almost like he doesn't know that the military isn't the military in a movie or a TV show.

[Chris]

And this gets to, like, the. The stolen valor of our Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. Like, this guy was a reservist major. Nothing against people in the reserves, Right. But he has always been, like, assigned to units or attached to units, not assigned to units. So that means, like, I. I am a rich kid who's going to college, joins rotc because I look at my life as I want to maybe run for Congress one day. That's the reason that I'm serving. So I'm serving in the reserves. I want to make sure that I have a bullet on my resume that says that I went to war. So I'm going to volunteer for a public affairs role in, say, the Green Zone Baghdad, and go spend four months, six months over there. So I get at least one little stripe on my army uniform form indicating I've. I've been there for six months, and then I go home. Right. That is who Pete Hegseth is. But Pete Hegseth wants everyone to believe that he's like, you know, somebody from the Hurt Locker or from American Sniper. Like, this guy is the biggest cosplayer in the world. And I. I can't imagine him feeling any way but humiliated to have stood in front of that crowd and been so absent of the real military culture that he realized in the moment that, oh, actually, they're not supposed to clap, and they will not break their military bearing. For me, the performer, I think that what happened yesterday, probably deeply hurt in his soul, because Pete Hegseth is a man with a lot of insecurities, and I don't think he will ever get over it. So that is the only thing that I am happy about what happened yesterday is I. I know that he felt that inside.

[Host 2]

Do you think his imposter syndrome was worse before or after that speech?

[Chris]

I don't think he had imposter syndrome until after that.

[Host 2]

So that he. So now he's. He's recognizing what so many millions of us deal with every day. He's like, oh, my God. Humility. It feels weird.

[Luke]

So, Chris, I don't think he's got any of that.

[Host 1]

What do you. What do you. What are you. I mean, I think I know, but what are you hearing from veterans about this speech and the performance?

[Chris]

I would love to say that, you know, every veteran in in the world roundly rejects it. But the truth is, is that a plurality of veterans voted for MAGA and a plurality not, not a majority. So not 50% or more, but a big heavy chunk of veterans are fully down the MAGA pipeline now, while the ICE stuff and the National Guard deployments have not been popular among Veter, even MAGA veterans, I, I think that there is a sizable percentage of the veteran population who, who is 100%, like, yeah, no fatties who are sitting at home like drinking a beer. Definitely not physically capable of doing the things that they could do when they were 18. So with that said, you know, my community, the people who actually appreciate democracy and understood the oath that we swore, like, we were pretty disgusted by what happened.

[Host 2]

They, they pulled act. So the. I was looking this, this up yesterday or a couple days. Well, yeah, after the speech, because it's like, okay, how is this, is this guy actually going to move the needle? They pulled active duty troops in 2020. So that's people who are just, you know, actively serving. Not, not trying to over explain here, but not, not all veterans, because, yes, veterans are much more heavily Republican. Donald Trump left office in 2020, 2021, with a 38% approval rating among active duty men and women, people in service. And that was when he had actual military people leading the military. He was still attempting to appoint generals and like real military leaders to be in charge of the military. So I would ask people to just think, has anything gotten better? Because people are looking at this and thinking, well, is this, were they going to try to get a loyalty oath or are they going to, Is he trying to stage the insurrection act? Like, is this the beginning of martial law? Like, no, no, no, no, no. And most importantly, I think the reason why for me is members of the military would have to choose to violate their oath to the Constitution and to the American public in order to, you know, have some sort of new oath to Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth. And I don't, I don't see that in the numbers in the active duty. There's no way that that 30%, 38% approval rating is better today under Pete Hegseth and all of this shit that they're doing, sending them into American cities than it was among active duty, you know, service members back in 2020. So I think that's a good sign. But there's no, there's no data newer than five years ago. So we're definitely flying with a lot of assumptions.

[Host 1]

Well, and I think, you know, I think those poll numbers are gonna continue to stay down because as we were talking before, we just got a jobs report from ADP today that is really, really bad. I think I'm, if I'm reading this collect correctly, the economy lost 32,000 jobs in September. And and the revision for August, as I'm reading this was goes from 54, 000 to negative 3,000. So that means that, you know, there are 35, 000 job losses since in August and September if I'm doing actually no, it's way more than that. It's like 80 something thousand jobs that they took out. Sorry, I do this guys because math is not my strong suit. But you know, is going back to the shutdown for a second. You know, there are some benefits for the Republicans to have the government shut down right now because this is the ADP report, which is the private sector report that the company ADP does. And what but what most people are always looking for is the jobs report coming from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that comes on the first Friday of the month. And they're not going to do it on Friday because there's no way to crunch the numbers. And I think somebody said before that they also it's going to be hard for them to collect data. So this actually kicks the can down the road on those BLS reports so they don't have to talk about how, whoops, the economy lost another 80, 000 plus jobs under our watch after a tax cut which was supposed to rain down. Prof. You know, all like all wonderful things were supposed to happen with these tax cuts and you usually get a little bump on those. And we're not even seeing that this time. Like we are economically headed to a bad place.

[Host 2]

It's not harder to collect data. They announced they will not collect data during the shutdown because they don't want to. And E.J. antoni, who was Trump's Heritage foundation economist, just was withdrawn as the leader of bls. So BLS doesn't have a commissioner because he fired the last commissioner because she told the truth. They don't have a replacement. There's not even a nominee right now for BLS commissioner. And the BLS won't release the jobs report on Friday because they don't want to. They already collected the data. They just don't want to send the email. And they aren't going to collect any new data into October until the government reopens, which means the government report for October will be corrupted already because it's October 1st. And if it continues into November we'll go through what is reportedly a terrible job season for seasonal hiring, the worst since 2009 without any economic data from the department that traditionally reports the flagship data that guides the global economy when it comes to inflation and job creation. So really, in six, six, seven months, he's done a really wonderful job. And he's earning every point of that economic approval rating that he has, which is like 32% right now.

[Host 1]

I mean, the tariffs, the tariffs were always going to be seen, like, seem the worst during holiday season. Right. Because that's when people are spend their.

[Host 2]

Money on Chinese import stuff too. Yep. More imports, lower price war. Or like price wars. Like, everybody's cutting costs so that they're cutting margins. Importing as much as possible. Yeah, yeah.

[Host 1]

And so these guys have all the incentive in the world to hide the reality.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

And they're just not going to do it. Now, the flip side of that also is that then no one is going to. No one in the, the business world is going to invest in anything or take any chance. They're not going to do anything and they're just going to hold what they've got, which, you know, maybe in the short term helps, then instead of them seeing like hundreds of thousands of jobs lost, but long term, like, that kind of sets up Q1 to be a disaster or potentially a disaster. So happy holidays, everybody. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Luke]

Maybe the girls will have to make do with just two dolls instead of 25 dolls. That's what Trump said last time about this.

[Host 1]

Oh, that's right, he did say that.

[Luke]

What a stupid thing to say.

[Host 2]

Of all the temporary pain that was the Doge line.

[Luke]

I'm real tired of this temporary pain.

[Host 2]

It's not that temporary.

[Luke]

This feels pretty consistent.

[Host 2]

This just feels like America now. This is just nine months.

[Chris]

So long as you're like Trump, then comparatively, it's not that long.

[Host 2]

Let's just play golf. Just. Just ride it out on the golf course. How do we win the shutdown, you guys? Like, so we picked a political fight, right? Like, and I don't think you should pick political fights unless you know you can win them. Chuck Schumer has 27,000 followers on TikTok. I just checked.

[Luke]

Oh, my God.

[Host 2]

That's less than all five of us individually and significantly less than our three plus million reach across our platform. So let's just say right now, if we had a say in winning this shutdown political fight, which is what it is, it's a political fight. We're trying to extract concessions, we're trying to rebuild Obamacare that they, that they cut.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

If we can't, we at least need to make it look like we fought for Americans. Right. So how do we make it look like that? That isn't. That isn't how Jeffries Schumer have done it so far.

[Guest]

In typical Democrat fashion, they took a simple argument and made it complicated. Like, the simple argument is the Republicans are against health care for people who need it and Democrats are for it. The, like, they're the side arguing for more expensive or the absence of health insurance is winning the fight. That's how bad Democrats are at messaging. It's not a hard one to win. You just got to come out and just say exactly what's happening. You don't have to do this whole dog and pony show about it. Be like, they are literally shutting down the government so they don't have to make health care affordable or accessible for 22 million people. That's it.

[Host 1]

I was at a conference in D.C. yesterday. It was called Persuasion 2025. And it was a lot of progressive activists, pollsters, strategists, politicians, and pretty much everybody said exactly that. You know, it was like, look, guys, we are the party that is for Americans have. We believe that health care is a right and that everybody has a right to it. And Republicans are trying to take it away from 15 million Americans. We are going to hold the line until they give. And I think that's all they have to say. I think they can also say, we are not going to fund ice coming into our streets masked and rounding people up. These are the two things. This is. These are the things. And you know, I just think we.

[Guest]

Miss, like, even with that, like, just as somebody coming from the middle hearing health care is a right is not the correct approach, we need to say, Republicans are trying to make it more expensive. It's not about the rights. Or like, try. Because people on our side are going to hear that and go, yes, I like it. And people on the right are going to have a visceral negative reaction to it. You need to hit a number, hit something that both sides can look at and go, yeah, I don't want that. Do you want more expensive health insurance? No, nobody fucking wants that. No, we shouldn't make this a debate on morality. It should be a debate on function. And if we can pop in and go, look, they want more expensive health care for people who don't have fucking money. That's the argument. It's not about whether or not they deserve the health care because that's Going to create a whole fucking like essentially a culture within healthcare. It's like that. Let's get as far away from that as humanly possible. This is about expense.

[Host 2]

That's because they go to. Well, Medicaid is for, they won't say this out loud unless you just are talking to them on the golf course or in a locker room. But Medicaid is for, for marginalized. They want to use that word. Medicaid is for poor black people.

[Guest]

Right.

[Host 2]

That's what they say. And they'll tell you that, and they'll say, well, those people should go get a job. And this makes the work requirements. So yes, I, I totally agree. Entertaining a culture war, even though we're right, is not the way to, to win the political argument. Luke, you, you were. So we talked about this a little bit in the last episode and we were, we all were like, well, theoretically a shutdown could be used as the right leverage. But none of us had confidence in, in the Democratic Party leadership to win the fight. And so I think we kind of all three came down on the side of just don't pick this battle because I don't think we can win this battle. You wanted to shut down. What is the outcome? So when we're not going to litigate that, what is the outcome that like, to, to you would look like a win?

[Luke]

I mean it at the, I mean, even if we lose, like, we have to concede, at the very least, it looks like you did something. Yeah, I mean, the amount of times Chuck Schumer writes a strongly worded letter and then capitulates, nobody feels like he's fighting for, for them, not a single person. So at the end of the day, if, even if we get nothing out of this, at least it looks like we did something. And I mean, people are looking for that desperately.

[Host 2]

Yeah, I think I've been thinking about this a lot because it's like, well, the shutdown is stupid. I, I hate shut down politics. I hate this artificial deadline. And, and I think most, like, I think polls show that most people do. It's like 70, 80% are just like, what the are we talking about here? So, like, you already start out with a bad argument with a shutdown, but where I've kind of landed is like, if the Democrats just came out and said the big bullshit bill is trash, the polls show it. The American people are like 2 to 1 against the big bullshit bill. We are going to go to the mat to try to undo any of it possible because it's shit. And the American people are instructing us to fight the big bullshit bill. When they peel back any of that horseshit that they forced on us, we will come to the table and we will vote on whatever they put in front of us.

[Chris]

I like that.

[Host 1]

Yep.

[Host 2]

It's if we make it all about the bill, because the bill is terrible. They have specifically not talked about Obamacare, even though they're repealing Obamacare. Like that is literally what that bill was, was a partial repeal of Obamacare. They just didn't say it because it's incredibly unpopular. We have to take it back to the things like the big bill is terrible, Affordable Care act is popular and that's what we're fighting for. But I, Are they going to get there? I mean, they're saying the right words behind closed doors. But are Democrats capable of saying a two sentence argument that is emotional and charged instead of, well, 17.2 billion people?

[Host 1]

Well, there are. I just, the question is, are they going to be put into positions to be up front? And I think that is the, the challenge. I mean, I think, you know, even Chris Van Hollen, who I heard speak yesterday at this conference, who most people before the Trump administration kind of, you know, looked at as a sort of a normie. Damn. Very good. But, you know, not a rabble raiser or anything. And then this year he's actually really stepped up. He got, he went and visited Abrego Garcia in El Salvador and got basically released. And he basically said that like from a more morality perspective, he had to stand up. And so I think we are looking for other people to also do that. I mean, there are, there are wonderful people that are on the, on the Democratic side that are good. I think the question is, does their voice break through, you know, in explaining the situation, which is if we capitulate, 15 million people are going to lose their health care and costs will go up, up because they'll go to the emergency rooms, which is incredibly inefficient. They will get sicker before they go, which is incredibly inefficient. And I think, Zach, you're right. I think you have to, you know, you throw a bone to some of the other folks as well. And it's really like it's not just about the 15 million because we obviously also understand that Americans need to know how it's going to hurt them.

[Guest]

Right.

[Host 1]

And this will hurt them whether you are on insurance through your, through your, your job, because the premiums are going to go nutso in the next few months. Like bonkers, because not as Many people are on insurance. So then that raises prices and then it becomes more inefficient and it will hurt everybody unquestionably.

[Guest]

It's, it's, it's going to damage everybody. And you know, Republicans are losing this argument when they're trying to like go, it's illegal immigrants. Democrats want to save this money.

[Luke]

Gibberish artists.

[Guest]

It's the stupidest thing ever. They don't even qualify for subsidies. And they're like, well, look over there at the illegal immigrants. It's them again. Like, holy shit, when is this going to run out of fuel?

[Host 2]

I want to play by their rules. Because it's just like how they say that, well, we'll cut all these taxes for billionaires and it'll pay for itself in economic growth and it never hasn't and never will. And they still say it every single time. Why can't we just say that by giving illegal immigrants free health care, it'll pay for itself 10 times over in economic growth? Just make up shit and just say whatever we want. Americans will be safer, everyone will be so happy.

[Host 1]

We, I mean, this is part of the problem.

[Luke]

Start lying.

[Host 1]

Well, but what is why they do it. But this is again why we need a left leaning media operation to blast this. Republicans have been doing this since Ronald Reagan where they say taxes are bad, they are the evil of the earth. And if you just give rich people a little bit more and then literally, like the way they describe it is almost like your money will rain down on you. Trickle down economics, right?

[Host 2]

It's not money that rains on you.

[Host 1]

Well, yeah, here you go.

[Host 2]

There you go.

[Luke]

Vance, on television this morning, there's a lot of emergency health care at hospitals that are provided to illegal aliens that was funded by the federal government. We turned off that funding because of course we want American citizens to benefit from those hospital service, not to be taxed and then have those hospital services go to illegal aliens.

[Host 2]

Sense. Jesus Christ.

[Host 1]

First of all.

[Host 2]

Person to die in the parking lot of the emergency room.

[Luke]

Exactly what he wants.

[Host 1]

Right, but, but the doctors all take an oath.

[Guest]

Yes.

[Host 1]

Right, like.

[Host 2]

You already lost him at oath.

[Luke]

These pricks have taken oaths too. They don't give a.

[Host 1]

But I guess what I'm saying, I'm saying it doesn't work because the brown person, if somebody goes into the. Do they really want to create a world where somebody walks into the hospital, the er, and they're turned? I mean, I know the answers. Yes, but like to be turned away, somebody with like, yes, you know, a broken arm or like, I don't know, an injury on a farm. Like all these things or just every normal day shit, like you can say and vilify these people all you want. It's not actually going to change what happens in the hospitals other than just having more people in the fucking hospital.

[Chris]

I think the, the thing that we're all missing right now is the Democratic discipline that, that should be inspired in this moment is to say, listen, the government is shutting down because Donald Trump wants to protect his pedophile buddies.

[Host 1]

Yes, that's it. Right?

[Chris]

Like. Like how Zach said that they always just bring up illegal immigrants. Like that needs to be the Trump card that Democrats bring out. Yeah, I like every time that we get caught in a, in a policy discussion, we know that our policies are better. That's what the data says and the science says. We're never convince maga. But one message that does resonate is the government is being shut down because Donald Trump and Mike Johnson are trying to protect a cabal of pedophile billionaires which five years ago was like a giant conspiracy theory. Right. But we know enough about Jeffrey Epstein and his friends to know that Peter Thiel and Elon Musk and Donald Trump were all like, really buddy, buddy with this guy? And that was after he had already been convicted of pedophilia. Right.

[Host 1]

Like his.

[Chris]

His relationship with Elon Musk, Donald Trump and. And Peter Thiel was not when nobody knew that Jeffrey Epstein was a pedophile. It was after. It was after he had gotten a sweetheart deal, but still a conviction from a guy who Donald Trump ended up bringing into government and being part of the first Trump administration.

[Host 1]

This is the exact thing that I heard yesterday from Sarah Longwell, who works for the Bulwark and is a conservative pollster who does not align with. With MAGA or Donald Trump. She literally said that yesterday in front of a bunch of Dems. It's kind of funny to see this Republican basically, like, begging us to change course, but she was like, say Donald Trump's protecting his billionaire pedophile friends a billion times over.100 that. Just say it. Because. Because it's true.

[Guest]

Yes.

[Host 1]

Like two minimum.

[Luke]

They might not be his buddies, but there's. He's still protecting him, but like, we.

[Host 1]

Know, like, just say it. And I think this is where there is a disconnect between the older members of Congress on the Democratic side and the younger members.

[Guest]

Yes.

[Host 1]

And I think that the younger members have absolutely no problem doing that because they understand the media, that this is all about media. Right. Like And Sarah made a good point yesterday with the Cabinet. As bonkers as those people are that he picked for his cabinet, they're good on tv. That's why he was picked them. Because they can go out and say that crazy RFK is so insane that he'll sit in front of Congress and lie for three hours about vaccines and Tylenol and all this crap. But he looks good on camera. And he's got the, and he's got the Kennedy name.

[Luke]

I think he looks good on camera.

[Guest]

Who?

[Luke]

I mean, I'm gonna agree to disagree with you there.

[Host 1]

I mean, Trump. No, no, I said rfk.

[Guest]

Oh, rfk. He doesn't look good anywhere.

[Chris]

I'm gonna, I'm gonna microwave Mel Gibson.

[Host 1]

Maybe I went too far. Maybe I went too far. But, but my point is like, you know, Democrats always pick policy people in those roles, which is smart to implement policy. But Trump takes people who know about nothing and actually is fine with the weekend anchor of Fox and Friends being the Secretary of Defense.

[Guest]

Right.

[Host 1]

Because he looks the part. He's, you know, and he's. And he's good on tv. And Democrats just that we're like, oh, in the process we're gonna like. And I think there was something that Schumer said this morning that was like, we're gonna be everywhere, including the social medias.

[Luke]

Oh my God.

[Host 1]

Tell me he didn't. Yeah, I mean, look like, I understand it for the age that he's at, but we are in an information future.

[Guest]

No.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Guest]

I mean, it speaks to two. Like, I think there's two things every single Democrat running in 26 should do for their campaign. Two simple things. One, hire a Republican to be part of your team that puts together how you communicate. Because that Sarah, as an example right there is exactly dead on of like they understand the ecosystem of how to convince people even if your message is complete fucking bullshit, they know how to do that. Have somebody on your team doing that. And also have a influencer who understands the Internet and doesn't call it the social medias and understands how to actually penetrate into an audience as opposed to going like, well, I'll just make a bad lighting and say a couple funny things that it's gonna work. Wait, shut the up.

[Host 1]

It's not my authenticity.

[Chris]

Right.

[Guest]

You need like every single.

[Luke]

My sleeves up.

[Guest]

The DC should literally have an arm where their entire thing is just hiring those two roles for every candidate because it would be so beneficial.

[Host 1]

I am a firm believer that. And this has happened a little bit, but that people who have come up through digital are the ones that should be campaign managers in 2026, 100% especially as we have seen. I'm going to get some heat for this but like TV ads are no, not as if you should run them, but they're not as effective as they used to be. So it's not the ad people that should be at the center field. We have a serious problem with how we engage with people door knocking because we had an army for Kamala and it didn't matter at all. And so what is the thing that is at the center of all of this? It's the digital. It's communications, it's fundraising, it's organizing. People who are smart will do this. And I want to clarify what's. Maybe we disagree but clarify with like when having Republicans advising Democratic candidates. I am not referring to that meaning like, well, you can't call, you know, Gaza a genocide and you got.

[Guest]

No, no, no.

[Host 1]

But it's the, it's the tactical not the words. Because she was not somebody. She's like, look your best people. She's like making fun of them because she's Republican. But she's like, you know, Gavin Newsom's a performance artist at this point, which I disagree with. I think he's got both things. She. But she's saying that. But she's saying it in a positive that like put him out front because he's hitting Trump.

[Guest]

Right.

[Host 1]

Or Mamdani is also like he's a very different approach because it's a different place. But like is talking to people in that are there that. That they represent or hope to represent and they speak like them. This is what Democrats need to do. But you have to be good at the digital stuff. Like I don't want to hear about any candidates that do not understand the difference between Tick Tock and Instagram ever again. It's what's too. It's 2025 like this stuff Spinner. I have done social media since the it started 20. Yeah. It was well Internets. Yeah.

[Chris]

Alor invented the Internet.

[Host 2]

The series of tubes.

[Host 1]

There was a job that was called Webmaster, which I always thought was a cool name. But you know, I'd like to be the webmaster.

[Host 2]

That was Spider Man's first name actually.

[Host 1]

Which is basically meant you ran the website. But we are 20 years into social media. Like it is bonkers to me that we. That there are still leaders who don't. Some don't even have a phone and two, many of them do not make time for digital. They'll Record ads they'll call fun for fundraising during call time and they won't do anything else. And it has to change or we're just never going to get through this.

[Guest]

I mean, and the ads are terrible too. Like, that's because, because I, because I come from a marketing background and every, like, even during the election, like, I agree TV ads aren't what they used to be, but Trump's TV ads, bang. Dude, those were incredible TV ads. And Kamala's TV ads were fucking tr. They were the most put me to sleep, it's gonna be fine kind of ads. Like, dude, wake up and smell the reality punch. She just refused and it bleeds everywhere.

[Luke]

Wakanda forever. TV ad that Kamala did might have been the worst one. That was a bad one.

[Host 2]

I see that.

[Luke]

That was a moment where I was like, yeah, awful.

[Guest]

Just awful.

[Luke]

You know, I mean there's, there's, I see it every once in a while where there's like cringe compilations of US politics and it is overwhelmingly Democrats.

[Host 1]

So part of the problem is that Democrats, and I can't believe this is somebody who is a big data person, but Democrats have over relied on testing and data and focus groups. Yeah. Because the problem with the focus groups and for those who don't know, generally speaking, they run, they'll, they'll make an ad. They get people in to watch them and then they gauge their reactions, both positive and negative. They try to, to, you know, bring Democrats and Republicans generally. A lot of them, I think get paid to come in because it's. But, but the, the challenge, the thing that we need to get away from though is that when you're sitting and watching an ad, first of all, you're self selected that you showed up to this thing in the first place. Second of all, there are no distractions. You are there to look at the TV ad or whatever ad it is. That's not how people consume media. And, and, and to be honest, most of the ads people don't even pay attention to because the second there's an ad bad, anybody under 45 pulls out their phone and doesn't even look. Yep, right.

[Host 2]

Yep.

[Host 1]

And so how are. But the Trump ones were. First of all, they were transphobic and racist and awful.

[Luke]

Awful, awful in content.

[Host 1]

But well done. But, but they hit a very like a big point that he wanted to make. Also it got people talking online because everybody was like. And we helped to elevate it is saying, look at this dog transphobic ad. That was the most effective ad in 2024.

[Host 2]

By a mile, hands down, by far. So that's why we all saw it 400 million times, right? I don't even have.

[Host 1]

Even in New York. Even in New York. I saw it.

[Guest]

I'm in a swing state. I saw it like it was the only thing on tv. Like, that's all it was. Every. Every football game. I watched more ads for Donald Trump than football. It was painful.

[Host 1]

Right?

[Host 2]

You know. You know what I want to see Democrats do? And it could be social. I mean, it needs to be done transparently. But. But I want to see Democrat leaders, Democratic leaders, put some of this back on voters because voters took all control from Democrats. If you don't like what is happening right now, stop fucking voting for Republicans. Like, that's step one. Step two is, well, if you're going to give Democrats nothing other than the filibuster to shut down government, understand that the reason why Democrats are where they're at, the reason why they're doing what they're doing happening, is because that's where they were put. And this is the only lever we have. I would go to the Republicans, I would. I would take a mic, you know, get a podium and say, they need our votes to pass a budget. They knew that they would need our votes to pass a budget. They've known this for 50 years because of the filibuster. They know how to get our votes, and that's by repealing some of the big bullshit bill, because that's what Americans want. Until then, until they're ready to do that, they know where we're at. And if they just walked away and said, this is our. We got our one little lever, and that's the lever we're gonna pull because it matters. Say that into a camera, say that into a smartphone instead of into a press release that then gets, like, distributed to, like, Politico. And I think they would find it's significantly more effective because whether it's Gavin Newsom or Mamdani, I don't think we'd accuse them of being on the same page politically. But they're both picking fights and they're both winning. And so if you just pick a fight and you deliver a clear message, you can still win.

[Host 1]

I mean, we, you know, in the absence of leadership, people will follow leadership. That's bad, right? And right now, Democrats are not stand. I mean, there's their standards. I shouldn't lump them all in. But the strategy doesn't feel very angry. Like, no, this is a big deal. Like, what the Republicans are doing is going to ruin lives and cause people to die because they don't get preventative care or they don't, like, go to the doctor. Like, this is bad. And, and like, you know, standing up there and saying, like, well, we won't back down. I'm like, I want. I want anger. I want you to. I want you to channel what not only the base feels like, but like, the country as a whole. Rich, as you said, his numbers are atrocious across the board. Like, they're in the high 30s, which you really have to suck and try to suck to get to that level.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

In your first year of a term, too.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

When there's all real bad.

[Host 1]

Yeah. I mean, he. He didn't have any of that hangover effect from the election because he went straight trash from day one. But we just need to stand up and fight. I saw some members of Congress talking yesterday who can do that. That I'm hope I. And I. I'm. I'm hopeful that those ones are going to take matters in their own hands and go to their constituents because, you know, there. There does not seem to be a real rallying cry from Democrats about this right now. They're standing up. They're standing for the right things, and I support them 100. But, like, I need some more anger.

[Chris]

I think what we need to see is, is for the people who are not capable of messaging for this moment to just step aside. Like.

[Luke]

Like, hey, yeah, we have people that are capable.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Chris]

One of the. The most, like, overplayed jokes, but absolutely fucking true on the Hill in Washington, D.C. is you never want to stand between a microphone and Schumer. Like, you will get run over. That needs to end. Like, his staff needs to sit down with him and just say your time communicating in front of a microphone and filibustering for 20 minutes at press conference is over.

[Host 1]

Over.

[Chris]

Give it to the young people. AOC lives right in your state. Just put her on the microphone because she is going to communicate in a much more effective way than Schumer ever could. And, and like, the anger that you want to see, Tim, that is the way that we're going to get it. We can't get the fake anger from people who've been in Washington for 50 years. People don't have anger.

[Luke]

It makes their blood pressure go up.

[Host 1]

They're not.

[Chris]

They're not touched by any of this stuff. Right. Like, all of the people who are millionaires in Congress are not. Not actually going to be affected by any of this. And even if they're empathetic like, it's not going to touch them. When AOC came to Congress a few years ago, like, she couldn't afford rent in D.C. this stuff is still very visceral to her. And that is why. That is one of many reasons that Schumer's never going to be able to communicate like she can. So he just needs to get out of.

[Host 1]

Out of the way. I don't even know if that's true, but I think his.

[Luke]

His time is gone. His time, community, communicating like her is gone.

[Guest]

Oh, yeah.

[Chris]

He's insulated.

[Luke]

He doesn't remember what it's like to be like that. He's never gonna have the same oomph.

[Host 1]

Well, guys, do you know what. Do you know what I want right now?

[Chris]

Schumer to come on the show?

[Luke]

Some find out Merch.

[Guest]

A good pivot.

[Host 2]

A new hoodie.

[Host 1]

Schumer is. Schumer is. We've talked to them. He's welcome to. Come on. I want to. What, Rich, what are you. What are you wearing? That's pretty.

[Host 2]

I have a watch. I have a. I'm wearing my wedding ring. I have shorts on.

[Host 1]

What's that? What's that yellow? That's a very nice hoodie that you've got there.

[Host 2]

I peed myself. Looks comfortable, this yellow. Sorry. Yeah, we sometimes these episodes go long and, you know, it's too much. Yeah, you know, it's. It's really soft. My friends just bought like a pile of them are our most loyal fans. They are amazing. And they just sent me a picture with like, like eight different things strewn across their bed and then followed by many selfies wearing all of the things.

[Host 1]

So I love it.

[Chris]

Did they order right before the new hoodies came online, though? I think they might have.

[Host 2]

I think they might have. I'll. I'll tell them they need to order a second batch. Maybe we can get them like 3%.

[Chris]

I don't know if we have told folks that we have new hoodies yet.

[Guest]

Oh, that's right.

[Host 1]

We haven't. I don't think. Because they just. They are in the store and one of them has this find out faces.

[Chris]

Our most popular gear, which is still very weird to me that people are wearing my face.

[Host 1]

Someone. Someone took a photo and sent it to us of them using. Working out in the gym with it, which I thought was cool. Which was really cool. So, yes, there is now the tree. The tree logo or design. And the faces are now on sweatshirts, which they are super comfortable. Actually. It is cool. In New York today, I actually wore it outside this morning. It is lovely. They're all lovely. And you can get those plus shirts stickers. People buy the stickers. By the way. We get lots of people buying the stickers which I didn't think would sell.

[Chris]

I think technically we're paying people to buy the stickers because I said the price so low. But I'm not going to change it. I want more people.

[Host 1]

Get your, get your stickers now, guys, before we change our minds. They're all union printed and they all. Everything is made in America. Unlike Donald Trump who if you go to his online store, I think a lot of that's stuff's made in China or at least it used to be. We, we live our values here. So, you know, wear your. Wear our stuff proudly. I'm still waiting for the moment that I see. See somebody in. In real life wearing one. And I'm not sure what I'm gonna do because I'll probably scare the out of them by like being like, nice shirt. They'll be like, who the hell are you?

[Host 2]

You're like, I'm the clown on the.

[Host 1]

And I'm not wearing my glasses, so you probably can't tell. But yeah, there's all that and, and look like we talk about needing Democratic messaging to step up and, and organizations on the left to step up. And that's part of why we're doing this show. And by wearing the merch or buying the merch, you're helping to support us, get to in front of more people, develop more shows. We're talking about building an online community for everybody. Buying that stuff really helps us. And also being a subscriber on Substack helps us as well. For the low price of $6 a month. Month. So you can go to find out podcast.substack.com for that. And the merch is findout podcast.com rich, you look like you want to say something desperately.

[Host 2]

I just. Well, I had a weird realization. You're talking about our faces being on clothes at the gym. And I realized like, the Republican caricature is exactly right. All I ever wanted was my face on the chest of a sweaty man.

[Luke]

It turns out I didn't know it was a man. Man, women go to the gym.

[Host 1]

It's true. The photo I saw was a. Was they. They did not show their face, but it appeared to be a man that was in pretty good shape because we keep being told, well, right. We originally were going to call this the Soy Boys because that's what the.

[Chris]

Saying there's still time there's still time. We can set it.

[Host 1]

Or maybe we can create a new. A new show.

[Host 2]

Help us. Help us get all five of our faces on the chest of a. Of a sweaty, warm man just about to go into the. What is the steam room? Into the stuff.

[Host 1]

Whatever we want to be.

[Host 2]

We want to be part of that whole journey, and it can't happen unless everyone buys our clothes.

[Host 1]

That's right. That's right.

[Host 2]

Is that the pitch?

[Luke]

I think that's a good pitch.

[Host 1]

I mean, I think. I think we're going to be sold.

[Chris]

Out tomorrow after we're getting into the holiday season. Yeah, Hanukkah's right around the corner, guys.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

This is a Thanksgiving dinner table conversation starter. And also a conversation. Stop her. So it actually works.

[Host 1]

It works both ways. It works both ways. You know, if you sit next to, you know, you know, your. Your drunk uncle who's screaming about maga. Maybe you shouldn't wear that. Or maybe you should. It's totally up to you.

[Chris]

Can we get Pete Heth saying F A f. Oh, can we put that somewhere on our website just so people, like, really know where it's going?

[Host 2]

You guys have seen those. Those man wipes. The. The wipes that men put. The flushable wipes men put next to the toilet.

[Luke]

Food wipes.

[Host 2]

We. We could get. I didn't want to say the brand name. Luke.

[Host 1]

Oops.

[Host 2]

We could get. We could get Pete Hegseth's face on those and then sell fafo man wipes right now.

[Host 1]

You know where I can put the audio? Where?

[Chris]

Oh, no.

[Host 1]

It's not working.

[Host 2]

Don't do it.

[Host 1]

Oh, no. Oh. In my audio toolbox on this platform royally.

[Luke]

You really it.

[Host 1]

Yeah. After trying to make the same joke eight times in a row, I would have figured out how to use the tools, but you.

[Host 2]

Well, it's okay.

[Chris]

No one's still listening to us at this point.

[Luke]

Chuck Schumer uses tick tock.

[Host 2]

Damn it. I was gonna say.

[Host 1]

All right, that is the perfect time to end. Everybody hang in there. We know this is not the easiest time. Thank you for joining us. Hopefully we made you laugh a little about the completely absurd world we live in right now. We will be back next week. Have a great weekend, and we'll talk to you soon.