Keith Edwards on Hegseth Overcompensating and Tennessee State Rep. Aftyn Behn Fights to Flip Red Congressional District

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Jim Acosta Show
Episode: Keith Edwards on Hegseth Overcompensating and Tennessee State Rep. Aftyn Behn Fights to Flip Red Congressional District
Date: November 25, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Jim Acosta hosts a two-part discussion covering (1) the high-stakes special election in Tennessee’s 7th congressional district with Democratic candidate and State Rep. Aftyn Behn and (2) a wide-ranging recap with Democratic strategist and commentator Keith Edwards, including analysis of GOP performative patriotism, the state of the 2024 elections, and the Democratic Party's strategic future. The discussion is timely, energetic, and focused on both the mechanics of the Tennessee race and the broader, existential questions facing American democracy.

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1. The Tennessee Special Election: State Rep. Aftyn Behn

[00:05 – 18:10]

Context and Stakes

• Redistricting Turmoil:

  • Nashville’s Democratic stronghold was split into three Republican districts by the GOP supermajority. This redrawing incorporated high-turnout Democratic precincts in Nashville, the bellwether Montgomery County (Clarksville), and parts of Williamson County with Democratic concentrations.
  • Aftyn Behn: “It is, as the Cook Political Report said, the perfect storm on the heels of Democratic candidates winning earlier this month on a message of affordability. It's the same message that I've been touting across the district.” [01:05]

• Unprecedented GOP Investment:

  • GOP-aligned PACs have poured $6 million into the race, far outspending typical investments for such a ‘safe’ district (Trump +22 in 2024).
  • “You have freaked them out.” – Jim Acosta [02:21]

• Democratic Mobilization:

  • Behn, a community organizer and social worker, credits years of grassroots organizing: “Our campaign has knocked tens of thousands of doors. We are talking to voters every day. It's the kind of grassroots muscle that the Republicans just don't have right now. And they are really nervous. They're shaking in their boots.” [02:35]

Key Issues in the District

• Affordability and Economic Pain:

  • Rent, utilities, and groceries—the highest grocery costs in the country—are central concerns.
  • “It is expensive to live in Tennessee. And the Republican agenda hasn't provided a remedy, hasn't provided a solution. And my opponent has never said what he's actually going to do.” – Aftyn Behn [03:20]

• "Two Sets of Rules":

  • Voters are animated by the Epstein files: “Tennessee voters feel there are two sets of rules. One that applies to the wealthy and well connected and one that applies to the rest of us. And that's what that symbolized.” – Aftyn Behn [03:20]

• Healthcare and Safety Net Fears:

  • Medicaid and ACA (TennCare) cuts loom large; Behn relates personal experience as a rural healthcare organizer.
  • “And so it is a real life or death election for so many Tennesseans that rely on TennCare, the Affordable Care act and SNAP.” [05:48]

• Bipartisan Outreach and Record:

  • Behn highlights bipartisan coalitions, especially around eliminating Tennessee's regressive grocery tax and promoting corporate accountability.
  • “So I've built a bipartisan coalition of Tennessee voters who want to see Tennessee's grocery tax ended and that this race is a continuation of that conversation on affordability.” [07:09]

• Immigration and ICE:

  • Behn, with a Hispanic constituency, actively monitored controversial ICE operations.
  • “I don't believe a federal government agency that is masked, that is, you know, kidnapping lawful citizens should be running without consequences.” [09:16–10:27]

Memorable Exchanges

• On the Music “Controversy”:

  • Addressing rumors she doesn’t like country music:
    “No, I do not hate country music… I once took banjo lessons, but… I was conceived after a George Strait concert, so I don't think that [laughs].” [10:55–12:50]

• Campaign Intensity:

  • National GOP and big names like Trump and J.D. Vance are intervening:
    “Trump did a… tel-a-town hall for my opponent, and it was very strange hearing Trump say your name… They brought in the big dogs because Trump can't afford to lose another district. J.D. Vance is coming to Fort Campbell… the cavalry is being called in because this race has unforeseen… become quite close.” [13:47–14:33]

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2. Political Roundtable: Jim Acosta with Keith Edwards

[18:21 – End]

Election Analysis, GOP Attacks, and Media Gimmicks

• High GOP Anxiety:

  • Discussion that massive outside money (including from Elon Musk’s PACs) signals genuine fear of an upset.
  • “If they're pumping in all this money… they must be worried about something. And you know… the momentum is not with Trump right now, to say the least.” – Jim Acosta [18:58]

• Parallel with Jon Ossoff’s Rise:

  • “John Ossoff would not be a senator if not for running in that race, losing, and then building up the machine… It's always a good thing to get more stars into the ecosystem of the Democratic Party.” – Keith Edwards [20:06]

Performative Masculinity and Patriotism

• Hegseth vs. Mark Kelly—Theatrics and the Flag:
  • Pete Hegseth went after Democratic Senator Mark Kelly for his uniform; the hypocrisy, given Hegseth’s own American-flag-draped wardrobe, is called out.
  • “There is something about performative masculinity. When there’s someone who’s overly performative… what are you covering up for? I think it’s the same thing with performative patriotism.” – Keith Edwards [22:19]

Democrats’ Strategy & Identity Crisis

• On "Affordability" as a Message:

  • “Affordability has been a problem for 30 years. This isn't a new idea… If Democrats are going to win next year… it won't be because Democrats are doing great. It's because Republicans are doing terribly.” – Keith Edwards [33:00]

• The Battle for the Party’s Soul:

  • Need for a more visionary, anti-corruption, anti-corporate platform.
  • “The American economy is rigged against most people… The thing that unites all of us… there are the many and there are the few. And the few, it is the few who actually run everything. That's what Epstein really is about… there is a hunger for a fairer, more just America.” – Keith Edwards [35:51–36:56]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On ICE and Democratic Silence:

  • “I cover a lot of ice stuff because to me it's just appalling. We shouldn't be that kind of a country. And I don't, I wish I heard Democrats talk about that more.” – Jim Acosta [34:18]

• On Structural Change:

  • “America still has this beautiful system where it's one person, one vote… If Donald Trump is the symptom to the sickness, that means there is also a cure within the system, too.” – Keith Edwards [38:15–38:30]

• Historical Parallels for Change:

  • “Thank God Martin Luther King Jr didn’t think civil rights was impossible… we have to make it happen by creating a movement in this country.” – Keith Edwards [39:06]

• On Leadership and Grassroots Energy:

  • “I don't want to be led by anybody… I think it’s going to take all of us collectively. That means by starting to fight in primaries for people that we think represent the values we want the Democratic Party to be.” – Keith Edwards [43:21]

Trump, Media, and the Absence of Normalcy

• Trump’s Behavior, Health, and Public Appearances:

  • Discussion of Trump’s slurred speech, lack of traditional campaign rallies or public events, and speculation about his health.
  • Acosta: “He ruins everything. Even ruins the turkey pardon…” [26:31]

• “He has no [fks] to give”:**

  • “It is a horrible, toxic thing in many ways. But it helped him politically… there was an appetite for it, and he sensed it and he delivered that message and it took off.” – Jim Acosta [43:17]

How Change Might Happen

• Against Establishment Leadership:
  • Acosta and Edwards agree that the Democratic Party’s next breakthrough will not come from “establishment” leaders but from grassroots or movement energy.
  • “The Democratic base is sick of talking about Trump all the time when we could be for something. Donald Trump has been, has been quite successful in defining not only what his party's about, but what ours is about. And I want to take that back.” – Keith Edwards [42:17]

Final Reflections

• Thanksgiving Unity Message:
  • “If Zoraan Momdani and Donald Trump… can get along for two hours, you can get along with your MAGA uncle and aunt… let us try to come together however we can.” – Keith Edwards [46:51, 49:24]

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Segment Timestamps

• Opening / Behn Interview: 00:05 – 18:10
• Keith Edwards Segment: 18:21 – 49:47
• Key issues of the Tennessee Race: 01:05 – 10:27
• Healthcare and Medicaid Discussion: 05:18 – 07:09
• On Country Music “Controversy”: 10:52 – 12:50
• Immigration/ICE and Government Overreach: 08:48 – 10:27
• Republican ‘Big Guns’ in Tennessee: 13:47 – 14:43
• Performative Masculinity & Patriotism: 22:19 – 24:08
• Democratic Party Direction: 31:09 – 44:25
• Thanksgiving Unity Message: 46:51 – 49:24

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Takeaways for Listeners

• The Tennessee special election is seen as a microcosm of broader battles—grassroots, organizing vs. PAC money; kitchen-table issues; the importance of defending democratic institutions.
• Both interviews underscore a genuine hunger among voters (and strategists) for more transformative, anti-corruption, and community-driven politics, rather than just defensive anti-Trumpism.
• Acosta and Edwards stress that overcoming cynicism and complacency requires both big ideas and sustained, bottom-up engagement—not waiting for a political savior.

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Notable Quotes

• “If you are upset with the cost of living and the chaos of Washington, then I'm your candidate. And it seems to be resonating.”
  — Aftyn Behn (01:05)

• “Affordability has been a problem for 30 years. This isn't a new idea... If Democrats are going to win next year ... it won't be because Democrats are doing great. It's because Republicans are doing terribly.”
  — Keith Edwards (33:00)

• “I don't want to be led by anybody... I think it’s going to take all of us collectively.”
  — Keith Edwards (43:21)

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This episode offers a snapshot of a shifting political landscape—where the unexpected becomes possible, and where the next wave of change may come from citizens, not just candidates or party leaders.

Transcript

[A]

Foreign.

[B]

Welcome to the Jim Acosta Show. And this is a special Election alert. Next week, Tuesday, December 2nd, there is a special election for an open congressional seat in Tennessee. Normally, the Democratic candidate would not have much of a chance there, but State Representative Afton Bain has been drawing a lot of attention from the Republican Party, the GOP and their pack buddies, and they have been dumping millions of dollars into this race to stop Bain. And she joins me now. Representative Bain, great to see you. Thanks for coming on.

[A]

Thank you so much for having me.

[B]

Yeah. And I mean, what do you make of all this attention that you're getting? Because as I was saying, typically, you know, the Democrats, you'd say, well, good luck, you know, good luck with that. You know, there are a couple of districts here and there, I guess, Steve Cohen, that sort of thing. You know, they do okay and they can win those districts. But your, your district in particular has been redrawn a bit where it does give Democrats a hope and especially with the wind at the backs of Democrats right now, as we saw earlier this month.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So for your listeners, Nashville was a consolidated Democratic district. And then after redistricting, they, the Republican supermajority cut it up into three Republican districts and they included some of the highest voter turnout precincts in Davidson county, which is Nashville, historically blue. And they pulled in the purple bellwether county of Montgomery county, which includes Clarksville. It also includes pieces of Williamson county, which there are concentrations of Democrats there as well. So it is, as the Cook Political Report said, the perfect storm on the heels of Democratic candidates winning earlier this month on a message of affordability. It's the same message that I've been touting across the district. We have, you know, the Republican Washington agenda has been incredibly unpopular. And as I've said throughout this campaign, if you are upset with the cost of living and the chaos of Washington, then I'm your candidate. And it seems to be resonating.

[B]

Yeah, absolutely. And I was just noticing the Tennessean was reporting just a short while ago that billionaire and that's the Nashville newspaper for folks who aren't sure what I'm talking about. But it says the headline was billionaire backed PACs pour $6 million into race as Bain outraises Van Epps, your opponent. And I mean, that is, I mean, this is a district that Donald Trump won by 22 points according to Punchbowl back in 2024. And so, I mean, they're freaked out. You have freaked them out.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, this was not supposed to be competitive. And in fact, The RNC now calls this a battleground district, which is wild. It's a testament to. So for the past 10 years, I've been a community organizer, social worker, now turned legislator, but I've been part of the movement to restore Democratic infrastructure in the state. And that is what's being leveraged right now. I mean, our campaign has knocked tens of thousands of doors. We are talking to voters every day. It's the kind of grassroots muscle that the Republicans just don't have right now. And they are really nervous. They're shaking in their boots.

[B]

And what are you hearing from the voters? Are you hearing about the same issues of affordability? Are they talking about the Epstein files? I mean, what are folks saying?

[A]

Yeah, our polling early on showed that overwhelmingly people cared about the Epstein files, which as you know, you know, has, has kind of transcended the moment. But yeah, what I, what I gathered from the interest in that is the fact that Tennessee voters feel there are two sets of rules. One that apply to the wealthy and well connected and one that applies to the rest of us. And that's what that symbolized. And then affordability. I mean, rent has gone up, utilities have gone up, groceries. We have the highest cost of groceries in the country. It's expensive to live in Tennessee. And the Republican agenda hasn't provided a remedy, hasn't provided a solution. And my opponent has never said what he's actually going to do. Whereas, you know, I have plans and, and what I would do as, you know, my first 100 days as the next congresswoman from the seventh district.

[B]

Yeah, and I will say I was in Nashville earlier this year for a wedding and I did hear this exact thing. People were talking about the skyrocketing cost housing, that housing has gotten totally out of control. And you've put together, your campaign has put together an ad on this affordability issue. Let's play it and talk about on the other side.

[A]

Hungry about high grocery prices, worried about health care costs, feeling burned by tariffs. Then December 2nd is your day to shake up Washington. I'm Afton Bain and in Congress I'll work for you, not the rich donors or special interests. Together we can bring balance to our Washington by making health care more affordable, bringing down the cost of living and protect workers and small businesses from job killing tariffs. I'm Afton Bain and I approve this message to shake up Washington.

[B]

There you go. And health care is a big issue too. People are worried about the Medicaid cuts that are coming and the Trump big beautiful, whatever they call that thing and, and the Obamacare premiums, which they did not fix as a part of that deal that they cut. Yeah.

[A]

My story started as a rural health care organizer. I was thrown into the 2017 Affordable Care act and Medicaid fights during the congressional session. And I organized around the 7th district trying to protect rural hospitals and raising awareness about Medicaid cuts. And it feels like Groundhog Day right now. And the big ugly bill. I mean, the Medicaid cuts alone will be devastating to Tennessee's nursing homes, to our public hospitals, to our rural hospitals. And I have also heard from Republicans across the district who rely on these Affordable Care act subsidies. And I received an email from a, from a clerksville Republican that said my family pays $67 a month for health care on the marketplace. If the subsidies are removed, eliminated, I won't be able to afford health insurance. And so it is a real life or death election for so many Tennesseans that rely on TennCare, the Affordable Care act and SNAP.

[B]

Right. And people, and people outside of Tennessee don't realize Tennessee kind of had almost like an Obamacare type of program. You mentioned TennCare just a few moments ago that sort of predated Obamacare. And so it's kind of. People think of Tennessee as being this deep red state. I remember covering Tennessee, and this is going to date me tremendously here when Al Gore was vice president. So, I mean, that's how far back I go. But. And I was a local reporter in Knoxville back in the day. For folks who are like, why does Jim know much so much about Tennessee? But you're absolutely right there. There is a part of the constituency out there that cares deeply about these issues of, you know, safety net programs. Is my Social Security going to be there? The rising cost of groceries? It's. And it doesn't matter if you're in New York City and you're talking about Zoran Mamdani or if you're in Nashville talking about Afton Bain, these are. It cuts across party lines, all kinds of lines.

[A]

Yeah. And I have a track record in the legislature. Our seminal bill was to. Is to end Tennessee's regressive grocery tax by closing corporate loopholes. So corporate accountability and affordability have always been core tenants of my organizing and legislative portfolios, and that's what I've been organizing around the state. So I've built a bipartisan coalition of Tennessee voters who want to see Tennessee's grocery tax ended and that this race is a continuation of that conversation on affordability. And it's resonating deeply with Tennessee voters.

[B]

And if for folks who are just tuning in and wondering, you know, what is Afton Bain going for in Washington? What. What do you want to get done? Could you work across party lines? Do you think it's even worth working across party lines? I mean, we saw people like Marjorie Taylor Greene working with Ro Khanna on the Epstein files. I mean, I know not everybody's a big fan of Marjorie Taylor Greene. I get that. But what. What's your. What's your style on working across party lines? What issues are you interested in taking to Washington?

[A]

Yeah, it's a great question. When I entered the Tennessee legislature, it's probably one of the most tense moments of Tennessee political history, following the Tennessee 3 incident. And I cross party lines to pass a bill as a freshman super minority member because I've built relationships. I have Republican colleagues that call me once a week to pray for me. And, you know, I. I take people as they are. I try to, you know, operate with good faith, and I'm happy to work with people who want to improve the cost of living and make healthcare affordable. And if that's the case, then I welcome them.

[B]

Yeah. And what do you think should be done about these ICE raids? Because I've. I've covered this a lot on this show, and some of these videos, I'm sure you see them in your social media feeds. I get them in mine. Our viewers do. They're. They're absolutely appalling. They're. They're deeply troubling, in my view. It's not who we are as a country. When you see little kids getting pepper sprayed and grandma's getting tackled and all this. What's the. What's. What's your view on this? What needs to be done about that? How can that get reined in, do you think?

[A]

I think most candidates running at this point in history agree that we need comprehensive immigration reform. And I think both parties have kicked the can down the road because they don't want to deal with it. And so I want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. I will say that I have a Hispanic part of my state House district, and we had a massive, unprecedented borderline. There were major issues with this, with this operation in May, and I actually went out in my district on behalf of my Hispanic constituents who voted for me to monitor ICE's activity, and it blew up. There were calls for my arrest, but I saw my constituents who did not receive due process. And I don't think. Call me a, you know, Small, Small C. Conservative. But I don't believe a federal government agency that is masked, that is, you know, kidnapping lawful citizens should be running, you know, running without consequences. So, you know, I have. I have said that it's become a campaign issue, but once again, I just. I. I don't believe in federal or state government. Overreach each. And that's all I deal with in the Tennessee legislature.

[B]

Yeah. No. No question about it. And I. I guess I have to ask you a couple of things that stood out to me as I was. I was saying. Hm. What's Afton Bain all about? And. And I have to ask you. You know, there was this. There were a couple of stories written that said that you didn't like country music or something like that. Now, what's going on with this? How can you. How can you win this race? Somebody that's taken out of context. I don't know.

[A]

You know, it's always the miscarriage.

[B]

What happened?

[A]

I, you know, I was lamenting about the tourist in Nashville, and every. Nashville can relate. If you live in a metropolitan tourist destination, you can absolutely relate to that. And, in fact, a lot of Nashvillians have reached out and said, oh, I totally understand where she was coming from. So, no, I do not hate country music. And I represent.

[B]

There was a bumper sticker back in the day that was like, welcome to Nashville, Now y' all go home. Or something like that. I get it. I've. I've heard this before.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, it's.

[C]

We.

[A]

You have to, you know, you have to engage with tourists. That's part of the industry. And I'm grateful that Nashville is such a place that people want to come visit and bask in all its glory and its country music. But I decided, instead of complaining, I decided to run for office and get involved and change, you know, change my community for good. So I look at it as a, you know, a success story.

[B]

Got it. And are. Do you have any country music roots that you can speak of?

[A]

I once took banjo lessons, but. And my. One of my first. My first concert at the Ryman actually was in middle school. And when we got there, this Australian guy comes out and he takes his camcorder, because back then there was camcorder. And he turns around, he's like, look, mom made it. And it turned out to be Keith Urban's first concert at the Ryman ever in the United States. So, yeah, that's something. That's a very fond memory that I hold.

[B]

Interesting, because I've read something that. And maybe I'M There's a, there's a website called Wide Open country. And I don't know if maybe this is not correct, then maybe I shouldn't bring this up. And it says something about how you were conceived or how you.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So am I allowed to ask this or am I.

[A]

No, no, it's fine. Yeah, I, I jokingly in another interview. Which is true. I was conceived after a George Strait concert, so I don't think that.

[B]

Is that true or is that.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, it is. It is, it is, it is. So, yeah, those are.

[B]

Now, you could just say that to the folks who are like, what's going on with her? And country music.

[A]

But this is the thing. They have no plan to make healthcare more affordable, which is why they are the. Which hence the onslaught of just stories that they are resurfacing.

[B]

They're coming after you.

[A]

They're coming after me. And I'd also like to say, like, I was, I, you know, since being a legislator, I have, I wouldn't say, you know, I represent a very diverse constituency and I think there's also maturity to that. And so these, you know, these clips and these, everything that they're resurfacing right now is from a past time. And, you know, and I think all of us have said something that could have been taken out of context, so.

[B]

That's true. That's very true. But I mean, and you were saying. We were, before we got started, you were saying that J.D. vance. Is that right? J.D. vance is coming to your district to campaign on behalf of your opponent tomorrow.

[A]

Trump did a. Had a teleton haul for my opponent, and it was very strange hearing Trump say your name. I was hoping.

[B]

He said your name.

[A]

Oh, yeah, twice. I was hoping he'd say something like, she is way less cute than my daughter Ivanka. She's not a real blonde. No, I.

[B]

That's a good, that's a good Trump.

[C]

Thank you.

[A]

I thought it was going to be funny. It wasn't, but. So they brought in the big dogs because Trump can't afford to lose another district. J.D. vance is coming to Fort Campbell, which is obviously a base for military families tomorrow. And so the cavalry is being called in because this race has unforeseen be. Become quite close.

[B]

I mean, if they're bringing J.D. vance in, you know, that's, that's something else. Ladies and gentlemen. Hide your, Hide your sofas. I'm just kidding. That's just.

[A]

Yeah, I, Yeah, there's, there's just a lot of. I've been grateful. I'VE welcomed the support and attention from folks in our race nationally, especially since he's often a state that's overlooked. Right. And we're a state that has often been under resourced. These races don't often receive enough attention. And so I've just been really grateful for, for the support.

[B]

Well, I mean, and a lot of folks will say that this is what the Democratic Party needs to be doing a lot more of investing in races like yours, having a 50 state strategy. This used to not be the case. I mean, that's been not the case up until what, 10 minutes ago or a month ago, I guess you could say. And the fact that your district and your race, your candidacy is getting so much attention right now, I think that means things are changing pretty dramatically, I would say.

[A]

Yeah, I would agree to that. And once again, it speaks to. And I'm just one of many. Right. Like I'm the candidate in this moment in time, but I come from this, you know, years, a decade of trying to rebuild democratic fabric in my community and building the skill sets of young people and those of us that want to take back our state and restore democracy. And so I'm grateful for the opportunity to lead in this moment, but I just want to recognize that it's been a long, it's been a long struggle. And if we do come close or if we flip it, or when we flip it, it will send a message to the entire country that the south has something to say and that we can rewrite the Democratic playbook in the south with a candidate who, a progressive candidate who is speaking to the affordability crisis in our country.

[B]

Yeah. And it is a crisis right now. Everybody's feeling it. People are getting stocked up for Thanksgiving and they're finding that their budget doesn't go as, as it used to. Well, Afton Bane, thank you so much. State Representative Afton Bane, thank you so much. I, I do want to, very briefly before you go, not to surprise you too much, but Keith Edwards is also going to be on the show today. We can bring him in if Keith is, if he's there. And there's Keith Edwards right there. He's like a real celebrity. I'm sure you know who Keith Edwards is.

[A]

Yes. I'm so sorry. I've been in a hole. So please tell me Keith is.

[B]

Keith is also a huge force on, on the socials and, and has worked in politics for quite some time. And where's that? The Lincoln Project and now has his own podcast.

[A]

Well, you're talking to someone who hasn't updated her phone playlist since 8th grade, so.

[C]

But you're, you're running for, you're, you're in the seat.

[B]

She's running for that seat.

[C]

Okay. That's awesome. That's awesome.

[B]

It's.

[C]

I'm so glad the DNC is taking it seriously.

[B]

Yeah. And they're sending J.D. and the Republicans are sending J.D. vance tomorrow, apparently, Keith. So that's, I mean, well, what's interesting.

[C]

Too, when I was hearing that is that Trump doesn't do events anymore, does he?

[B]

That he does not. That's true.

[C]

What's.

[B]

He did. He did a turkey pardon thing, which we'll talk about, but.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

He's not really, he's not really going out in front of crowds anymore.

[B]

He's not doing that quite as much.

[A]

Well, this is, you know, this was an R&22 district. We've narrowed the margin so much that they've spent $7 million of outside money. I've outraised him, my opponent, because the, the energy on the ground is in our favor and we, we will have knocked tens of thousands of doors and hopefully have, have elevated Nashville and what is happening in Tennessee to the national level.

[B]

Well, Representative, being, best of luck to you. Thank you so much. You've got your hands full. If you got J.D. vance coming to town, that's. You're gonna be busy, but thanks for your time. Really appreciate it.

[A]

Thank you so much. Bye.

[C]

All right.

[B]

Good to see you, Keith. How you doing, man? I. I just, my producer was like, bring in Keith because all of your questions. Suc will be much better. So.

[C]

No, I, I've been watching old talk show clips and remember in talk shows like the. The guests used to interact with each other.

[B]

They used to do.

[C]

Doesn't really happen anymore. But that was nice. It was.

[B]

Johnny Carson used to do that. You would bring on the. And every. And the guests would be forced to stay the whole show.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

And it was like, Johnny really likes it if you could just sit there the whole show. And now nobody will do that. I mean, it doesn't matter. Anybody could be hosting the show and they just wouldn't do it.

[C]

Yeah. So, no, it's. I, I think that's smart. You're doing that.

[B]

Well, I, And I just thought, let's have her on. Because if they're pumping in all this money, if Elon Musk's packs are putting in money, if J.D. vance, they must be worried about something. And you know, it. The momentum is not with Trump right now, to say the least.

[C]

No, it's not with Trump. I mean, I have no idea what's gonna. I have, I have not followed that at all. I actually interviewed Ken Martin a couple weeks ago, and that's something he mentioned just in passing when the interview was over, that that was happening. And I was like, wait, what? Where?

[B]

I know. Tennessee. I know.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

People yelling at me on social media like, jim, you need to interview Afton Bain. After I was like, I didn't even realize there was a special election coming up. But apparently that may work to her advantage if the Democratic turnout is such. And the Republican turnout is suppressed that.

[C]

Well, let me, let me remind you. So there was a similar thing with John Ossoff. Remember there was that.

[B]

Right.

[C]

And he was. And everyone put so much. So I think because there's a tension on it, it might be a hard thing for her to like, maybe if like the Republicans weren't.

[B]

They were sleeping a little bit.

[C]

Yeah. But it's good because John Ossoff would not be a senator if not for running in that race, losing, and then building up the machine that could allow him to become center. So who knows what will happen? But always, it's always a good thing to get more stars into the ecosystem of the Democratic Party.

[B]

Right. And a 50 state strategy is not a bad idea. You know, they, they kind of got rid of that and it was not a good idea. Keith, great to have you on again. Really appreciate it. I mean, I'm trying to figure out where to start. There was this little news boomlet that happened a couple of hours ago that Cash Patel might get fired by Donald Trump. I don't know if you saw Ms. Now was reporting this. Yeah. Over at Ms. Now, Carol Lennon, who's a very good reporter, she was reporting that Cash could be on his way out. Now, apparently Trump has said that's not happening.

[C]

Well, but I mean, the very honest, Very honest president.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. Okay.

[C]

Trump said he's not doing it. Okay.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. What has he ever lied? I was gonna say I would believe Carol Lennig over the White House, but I mean, you know, the other thing that we have to get to is. And this is what we were planning on talking about was this Pete Hegseth versus Mark Kelly thing. You know, Mark Kelly was part of that group of Democrats who put out the video saying to service members, you don't have to follow orders that are unlawful. And of course, Trump went apeshit and said it was sedition. And then Pete Hegseth, because he has to suck up to grandpa, was also saying it's he calls it a seditious video. And I guess he was going after Mark Kelly for his uniform, saying he was wearing his uniform wrong or something. I don't know if we can show that tweet, but, I mean, that's kind of. That's kind of insane. But, I mean, here's, here's the thing I was gonna bring up. Like, where is he getting off criticizing other people about their wardrobe when he's literally wearing, like, American flag line suits and that sort of.

[C]

Which is against flag code, which is.

[B]

You're not supposed to do that.

[C]

Nope.

[B]

But he's trying to show how American he is. He's got the tie with the stars or whatever that is, and then the inside of his. Your thoughts on all this?

[C]

I mean, well, I gotta say, as a person who is gay, I can say this, but there is something about formative masculinity. When there's someone who's overly performative of their masculinity, it makes me, as a gay person, go, what are you. What are you covering up for? I think it's the same thing with performative patriotism.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

They. They like, they're.

[B]

You do a flag over your shoulder. I will just. I just.

[C]

But then, well, I do this now. This is only because Democrats need to embrace the flag. So that is what. That is why that is there. Because I, I. The flag represents a lot of things, good and bad, but it's not just the rights. So that's why that's there. But when you're wearing the flag, you. You're draping in yourself. Like, Trump does this a lot. Clearly, Trump is not a patriotic individual. So to me, it's like the over. Over performativeness of all the patriotism, even the masculinity, is a sign that they understand that they need to overcompensate because they don't actually have anything. They don't really believe in it at all. No.

[B]

And I agree with you wholeheartedly about, you know, trying to bring back the flag to the Democratic Party. I mean, there should not be this. And Kamala Harris did try to do that during the Democr. Democratic Convention. They were. They were definitely trying to lean forward into that, which was a good idea. But I mean, the thing with Pete Hegseth, which is just so ridiculous, is that, I mean, you know, he really shouldn't be the Secretary of defense. In any other administration. He would not be. Mark Kelly would be a way better secretary. I mean, he's like, he would be a legit secretary of defense. And so to have Hegseth go after Mark Kelly in this fashion is just sort of, it's pathetic. It's not, I, I, you know, like, who, who's being convinced here of anything.

[C]

It is pathetic. But that, I mean, that's, that's, I mean, it is pathetic. The whole thing's pathetic. But I also think that this is, I think the Democrats gave Trump a great gift when they, like, randomly put out this video that, I don't know, anyone was asking for. Like, I don't know, like, what the context was for putting that out randomly whenever they did.

[B]

Because we were all kind of a weird thing, out of nowhere type thing.

[C]

It was kind of out of nowhere. Yeah. And I don't, I just don't understand why they, I mean, I understand why they did it. I just don't understand why they did it right then. Because Trump had just, the Epstein vote had just happened, you know, and. Right. And we were kind of all talking about that, and it gave Trump this thing to shine a light on, and we're not.

[B]

Conversation.

[C]

Yeah, he totally changed the conversation. And I guess good on the Democrats for actually driving the narrative for once, you know, Like, I feel like we're kind of Democrats are always responding rather than creating. But I think for this specific moment, I think we could have held on the video until, like, January 3rd, you know.

[B]

Well, there's, there's no coordination right now inside the Democratic Party, and there's, there's very little coordination, I should say. And, and perhaps this may be a reflection of that. But I, I will say you, I think you have a great point there. And I didn't even think about this, that why, you know, get in Trump's way at this point. I mean, look at the, look what he was doing earlier today with pardoning the turkeys. I mean, the irony was hanging thick over the pardoning of the turkeys. This is somebody who has been pardoning bitcoin people and crypto weirdos and mega donors, and he's with the turkeys. Here he is earlier today, and he's, he's making these horrendous. He's making a mockery of what used to be just sort, I mean, I used to cover the White House. This used to be, like, a nice thing. The president would come out. It was kind of a goofy thing, honestly.

[C]

It's a cute thing that we do. That's stupid. It's a stupid, cute thing we did. We, that we used to be able to do because things were normal. We were normal. We were democracy and everyone, though we have disagreements and some policies, we all agreed about the important things. And I do think that the, like, I do think the pardoning of the turkey thing has like, right now, to me, all this stuff, all this stuff that we do that is supposed to be normal in a time when things aren't normal, makes it feel even less normal because you're just like, wow, this is like really strange.

[B]

Well, and the other thing too is like he ruins everything. And so he, you know, he even ruins the turkey pardon. Like he can't go out there and pardon a couple of turkeys without turning it into a shit show. And so he's going off on JB Pritzker. Let's play this.

[D]

There is incompetent and the governor is a big fat slob. He ought to invite us in, say, please make Chicago safe. We're going to lose a great city if we don't do it quickly.

[B]

Slurring too. I don't know, there's something. He had too much gravy. I think maybe before this announcement. I'm not sure what was going on there. The tryptophan was already hitting. Maybe he had turkey for lunch. I don't know. He was doing that thing. Have you seen the video when he says the United States of America?

[C]

United States. Yeah, I think it's dentures, question mark.

[B]

I actually, oh, maybe the dentures came loose.

[C]

I don't know. But I do, but as I said earlier, I do notice that he does. Most of the events now are not past a certain time and when they are, they usually go really off the rails. I think there's something to that. But I do, I'd be awake at.

[B]

2 in the afternoon, like at 2 in the, or whenever they did this one or two in the afternoon. Like we're slurring our words. You know, he doesn't even drink.

[C]

It's just, you know, it is very strange. I mean, I, I hope so. I mean, I know there's been a chilling effect of Trump on like critical reporting on him, but I do think there is a big story to be discovered around his health. Like the MRIs, the multiple check ins over the year, the hands, like some people say that he's, he's maybe wearing devices that we can't see. I do think there is something going on.

[B]

Walking video the other day.

[C]

Yes, yes, I, I do think there's way too much evidence to suggest that Donald Trump also. He's talking about heaven a lot.

[B]

Yes, he was, he was talking about whether he's going to get into heaven. What was that about?

[C]

Well, I think he's thinking about the fact that, you know, he's not young. Right.

[B]

And why would he think that there would be any kind of remote chance of him going to heaven? Well, has a better chance of winning that special district in Tennessee than Donald Trump has of going to heaven, you know?

[C]

Well, he's. That's. That's the thing that. That is the paradox of Trump is that he is the biggest liar in American history, but sometimes he is quite transparent about how he's thinking.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And I think that's one of those moments where I don't think. I think if he thinks heaven exists, he's probably like, well, you know, hopefully there's. There's a. There's some leniency for him, which I don't think there would be.

[B]

And it would be interesting if he was at St. Peter's gates. And they, you know, kind of rolled out the whole. Here's the list of reasons why you're not getting in. And they were all the things he's called a hoax. You know, it was like, well, you know, you had Charlottesville. You said, very fine people on both sides. There was January 6th. There was the Russia thing. And he's like, but that's a hoax. And they're like, we're sorry, we. We can't help you.

[C]

The hoax thing is not elevator down.

[B]

Express elevator all the way to the bottom. Get out when it gets really hot. And he used to make those kinds of jokes all the time, too. There have been several people over the years. He used to say this about John Dingell, who would. He would say at. At campaign rallies. You know, he's looking up, you know, from where he is. He's not looking down from where he's suggesting that John Dingle's in hell and all this stuff. And so, I mean, you know, I mean, you know, we all. We all know how this is going to end up, but. Yeah, I think you're absolutely right, Keith. I think that's a great point. And we have not talked about this enough. I was saying the other day, he doesn't have press conferences. He doesn't have formal press conferences anymore.

[C]

No, you're absolutely right. I mean, that should be a countdown. That should be like, how many days since. Of. Since the actual press conference or how many days he used to do rallies. Even when he was president the first time, he would still do rallies. Or when these mid. When these, like, you know, special elections would happen, he would rap, he would have a Full rally. But he's just. I don't know if it's a cup. It's either one. It's because he's losing his mind. Could be that or it could be both, or it could be two. He just doesn't care. I don't think his heart's in it in the same way it used to be. I just don't. I think he's, like, made his billions and billions of dollars. He's enjoying the attention of being president. And he does. He. I mean, let's be honest. He does not care about the Republican Party or whether, like, some random person is going to win or not, you know, in. In so much as if it's not a reflection of him. He doesn't really care that much.

[B]

Yeah. And so as you're looking, you know, because you, you worked with the Lincoln Project, you, you know, you, I mean, you're lighting it up these days because people want to listen to what you have to say about the Democratic Party right now. And I mean, and sometimes you kind of. You're kind of tough on them. I mean, when you were, you were saying you had Ken Martin the other day, I was thinking maybe I should go look at that. But what do you think the Dem should be thinking about heading into next year? And do you like this affordability message?

[C]

I mean, I, I mean, I, I guess, sure.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Sure.

[B]

There are times when I'm like, is this enough?

[C]

You know, I just feel like I said, I don't know. I, I was on a podcast last week and I said this, but I just feel like affordability has been a problem for 30 years. This isn't a new idea. You know, things have only gotten more and more expensive for working people. So I, it feels a little like, okay, you're saying, but how is it going to change? How is it going to change? I know that we elect governors that can help because they actually have actual ways in which they can lessen the costs for people who live in their state. But I tweeted this yesterday, just randomly came to my head. But, like, if Democrats are going to win next year, and I think they will flip the House, if we have free and fair elections, it won't be because Democrats are doing great. It's because Republicans are doing terribly. So, like, if you win first place, because the first three people ahead of you in the race. Trip. Did you. Are you really the, you know, are you really the winner? So I feel like we just have to. I just think the party. And I hope these pro. I do I do hope we have a very healthy primary season. I just think the party has to, has to reinvent itself in a bigger way than just like we care about affordability now, you know.

[B]

Yeah, I know. It's sort of like caring about like apple pie and baseball and Christmas. It's like, okay, yes, we care about these things. They're important. And you know, the other thing that, that I've been thinking about is, you know, Trump is, is sort of the gift that keeps on giving for the Democrats. But you know, he, he's only going to be around for so long. So what's the long term thing? You know, I, I do, I was having this conversation with Adam Kin this and it kind of gets to what you were saying a few moments ago and he, we were talking about Marjorie Taylor Greene and he was saying that he thinks that, you know, she's basically getting out of Congress now to sort of, you know, get ready to run for 2028 and she doesn't think Trump is Trump and MAGA is going to be that lane anymore and she wants to go occupy a new lane. What's the next new lane for the Democrats? Is it somebody who comes out and says it should be single payer health care, it should be national health care? Is it, is it, you know, major constitutional reforms, reforming the Supreme Court? I mean, I just, you know, what do you think? What do you, what's on your mind? I mean, I, I cover a lot of ice stuff because to me it's just appalling. We shouldn't be that kind of a country. And I don't, I wish I heard Democrats talk about that more. What do you think?

[C]

That's a good question.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

The thing that I, the thing that bothers me the most and the thing that I think resonates with everyone, I'm going to say this, I'm sure your audience will inherently know it to be true, is that the American economy is rigged against most people. It, it does not work for most people. The tax system is not set up in a way that is actually fair for most people. And I think we need to run on an anti corruption message, a message that wants to put power back into working people's hands and take power away from corporations and billionaires. The American economy is doing exactly what it's supposed to be doing right now, which is benefiting billionaires and corporations and it hurts everyone else. If you're a salaried person, you are most likely getting taxed on a percentage basis higher than billionaires or corporations. I think that is not, not how it should be. So I don't, I don't know what Democrats are going to fall on, but I just think we cannot be. We. I don't want to be a party that caters to good billionaires. Like, I don't think that's a. I, I just think like it's, it's like, like James Talarico is kind of talking about how it's like actually not left and right. It's. It's top and bottom. And I don't think he understands the, you know, the inference on that in other ways, but that's what he's saying.

[B]

Vernacular might need some work. So workshop that a little bit.

[C]

I understand what he means, which is that.

[B]

But they don't know. They don't know that in Texas either.

[C]

But anyway, I don't think, I mean, they do, but they don't talk about it. They don't talk about it. But. But I do think that is true that across political divides, there is the thing that unites all of us, which is that there are the many and there are the few. And the few, it is the few who are actually run everything. That's what Epstein really is about. Epstein, the Epstein files really is about two things. Victims of awful crimes. Two, the way that our government and system is set up to protect people who commit awful crimes because of power and money. So I think, I think the Epstein thing is a rumble to me that there is a hunger for a fairer, more just America. And I think that can exist, but we have to fight for it. And we also have to make a party that actually not only fights for it, but embodies it. And you do that by not by by saying we don't need billionaires, we don't need corporations. We're going to be for the people. Maybe that's too naive, but that's what I would like.

[B]

No, I mean, and I think you're absolutely right about this. And I think people are completely overlooking, maybe not completely overlooked, that might be overstating it, but not appreciating enough what the battle is going to be like for our democracy in the years to come. If you have unlimited number of donations going into our political bloodstream from people like Elon Musk. I mean, when Elon Musk is getting a trillion dollar compensation package of, you know, I mean, that, that's unbelievable. That is sickening. And we have no constraints on our system that regulate this, that, that are in any way effective. And the Supreme Court, whether it's Citizens United And I know there are folks who want to reform that, and I, I applaud them, but how do you, how do you, how do you do that with the, the system of government that we have in place right now? The Supreme Court is very much a MAGA Supreme Court, a pro Citizens United, corporate, you know, donor kind of Supreme Court. And you have the Senate, which is just not going to go along with really much of anything when it comes to regulating campaign finance. And so, I mean, I, I see what you're saying. You need fighters out there who will talk about this, but how does it realistically get down in Washington? That I don't know.

[C]

I mean, I don't know either. But I do know that it can't change unless you think it can. And one thing they haven't been able to change is that America still has this beautiful system where it's one person, one vote.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And so I think, I do think that if Donald Trump is the symptom to the sickness, that means there is also a cure within the system, too. And I don't think that, I don't think that America is just going to wither away if, if we don't want it to. And so I, I agree that it, it doesn't sound like it's possible, but I think. But thank God Martin Luther King Jr. Didn't think civil rights was impossible.

[B]

That's right.

[C]

Thank God, you know, the suffragettes didn't think that women being able to vote was impossible. Thank God the gay rights movement didn't have people leading it thinking it was impossible that gay marriage could ever become the rule of law in this, in this country. So is it, Is it impossible? Absolutely not. Is it possible? Yes, because I said so. But we have to make it happen by creating a movement in this country. And I think it starts with not the Democratic Party leading us, but us, all of us who vote in primaries, who vote in general elections, to say that we want something different and we're gonna, we're willing to fight for it, and then that. Then I think the parties will begin to follow.

[B]

Yeah. And I, and I do think that in the way that Trump just sort of took over the Republican Party and, you know, sort of made it in his image and, you know, not in a good way. Obviously, there was a lot of toxicity that came along with that. But I think that can absolutely happen on the Democratic side where you could have a movement figure just say, you know, I'm not going to worry about, you know, the DNC and the DCCC and these Donors over here and these king makers over there. And maybe, maybe not even Barack Obama, you know, maybe you just, you, it's just going to be somebody who comes out of the woodwork and starts to lead this party in a different direction and it takes the rest of the country along with him or her. And I, I, and I do wonder if that is what it's going to take. And I, and I do think that the Democrats would be wise to be careful of establishment looking figures trying to lead the party because I don't, you know, if they're just going to nibble around the edges, I don't know how you inspire the country to do the kind of change that you're talking about, which I think a lot of people are hungering for right now.

[C]

Yeah, I mean, Donald Trump's doing, doing like the evil version of it where instead of creating, he's destroying, you know, he's just saying, like, forget, forget laws, forget processes. We're just going to delete, control, alt, delete, delete everything. And you know that. There you go. Yeah, so, but I do think that there is a good answer to all that. And I agree that I don't think an establishment politician is what this moment calls for at all, at all. Like, do I think, do I think personally, do I think Graham Platner, do I, would I vote for him first to be a senator? Probably not. But do I think the Democratic base would prefer Graham Platner over Janet Mills? Absolutely.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And I think there's a reason for that. Because, because the Democratic Party, if their whole mission was to stop Trump, that has been their mission for 10 years. Mission failed. Okay. The man's more powerful than ever. Yeah, he's, he's, he's never gone away. Every election has been about how we're against Trump. We need to stop being against something. We need to start being for it. And I think the Democratic base is sick of talking about Trump all the time when we could be for something. Donald Trump has been, has been quite successful in defining not only what his party's about, but what ours is about. And I want to take that back.

[B]

I think you're right. And you know what it is? He has no to give. He has no to give. And, and it is a horrible, toxic things in many ways thing in many ways. But it's, it helped him politically. You know, it was a huge thing for him politically that he was like, well, you know, I, I, you know, I, I bankrupted casinos and come back from the dead and, you know, I'm just going to try to run for president and I'm going to say a bunch of crazy, and if people don't like it, whatever. And then it worked inside the Republican Party because he sort of met that moment, whatever it was, in the. In the Republican Party, where they were sort of ready for a ultra nationalistic, basically fascist authoritarian. There was an appetite for it, and he sensed it and he delivered that message and it took off. And I think what you're talking about inside the Democratic Party, there's a huge hunger for, you know, somebody who's just, you know, gonna lead us in a. In a direction of good, you know, and.

[C]

Yeah, I don't want to be led. I don't.

[B]

You don't want to what?

[C]

I don't want to be led by anybody. Okay. I think that, like, I don't mean.

[B]

Like a messiah type of thing.

[C]

No, no, I know, but. I know what you mean. But I think that, like, I think there is this. There is this wanting for, like, someone to come in and fix it, you know, And I don't think that's what's gonna happen here. I think it's going to take all of us collectively to decide what it is. We want to be different right now. That's why, like, people are like Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, or not, blah, blah, blah. It's like, well, that's not their job. Their job isn't to lead us. That's not why they put into place, to be completely honest. They're there to help. Yeah, yeah, they're there to help make it kind of always be the same and marginally change. And if you want things to be completely different, then we need to start acting completely differently. And that means by starting to fight in primaries for people that we think represent the values that we want the Democratic Party to be. So I'm not about a messiah leader coming in and, like, fixing things. I think we are going to create the change that allows someone who believes what we all want the Democratic Party to be to rise up, to be that figure.

[B]

And I think even Donald Trump can recognize that kind of game. And we should show the video of him and Zoran Momdani in the Oval Office, if we have some of that. I mean, Trump was sucking up to mom Donnie so much that, like, the right wing podcasters who were in the room with him in the Oval Office horse like, shaking their heads, would Jack go see me forever? However you say his name. Yeah, I would.

[D]

I really would. Especially after the meeting. Absolutely.

[B]

What makes you Comfortable, you're saying, I would live.

[D]

We agree on a lot more than I would have thought. He's. I want him to do a great job, and we'll help them do a great job. You know, he may have different views. No, I feel very comfortable. I would be. I would feel very, very comfortable being in New York and. And I think much more so after the meeting.

[B]

Oh, I would be. And he was saying that if you elected communists or in Mamdani, that the city would burn to the ground and everybody would die. He was. That was basically his message before when he was trying to back Andrew Cuomo. And. And look. Look what happened there. It's just wild.

[C]

Yeah. I mean, that's. But that is a great example that Donald Trump, first off, I think he's a good politician. I think he's a good politician. He understands politics better than most people. And that's something that I wish the Democratic Party would better understand, that we don't agree on everything in order to get people on our side, you know, And I think Donald Trump understood that with RFK Jr too, where he was like, hey, come here. Just come here. Bring your voters. I don't know why. Why a former Democrat, we couldn't try to figure out a way for RFK Jr and his kookiness to somehow still be within the fold of the party. I think it was at our detriment. But this is a good example of the fact that Donald Trump, One, doesn't really believe in anything, but two, is willing to overlook a lot if it means. If it means giving himself and his party a political win. I think that's what this really was for both of them was a political win.

[B]

No, I agree. And he told mom, donnie, no, you can go ahead and call me a fascist. It's fine. Just go ahead. Like, what am I watching here? This is.

[C]

I know I was live streaming that, and I was, like, beside myself because I think we were all waiting for a big fight, you know, some sort of fight. But I thought, this is actually even more interesting. And I want to say this before Thanksgiving. I've been saying this whenever I can, that if Zora Momdani and Donald Trump, this is going to be very. This is going to be very racy. What I'm about to say.

[B]

This is a hot take.

[C]

If they can get along for two hours, you can get along with your MAGA uncle and aunt, your MAGA family. You don't talk about politics. But, like, why not try to just reconnect? I think Donald such a good job Dividing us.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Talk about politics. But it's your family.

[B]

That's right. I agree with you. I think that's terrific. And honestly, you know, and bringing up Mom Donnie and Trump is a great way to do it. And just say uncle, you know, Uncle Edgar, you know, I understand you have some extreme MAGA views, but, you know, he had Mom Donnie over. So why can't, you know, why can't you be civil for a couple of hours and, yeah, pass the gravy.

[C]

Talk about whatever, football or, I don't know, Kim Card. I don't know what people talk about. I'm just talking about politics.

[B]

I know, whatever.

[C]

Means a new movie that's out. Wicked.

[B]

Yeah. I watched the Netflix show Death by Lightning, and I thought that was fantastic. I know that makes me a super.

[C]

Political nerd, but I have not. I didn't know that existed. There are so many. There are so many shows.

[B]

It's about James Garfield, who was president of the United states for, like, seven months. He was elected in 1880 and was shot by some lunatic. And it tells you about what happens to him after that. And it actually. This is. People think like, oh, I don't. Who's James Garfield? He was a president who was. Who was shot in 1880. And it tells that story. And it's got a great cat. Anyway, I'm not.

[C]

I'll watch that. I'm gonna write that. What's it called?

[B]

Death by Lightning.

[C]

Death by Lightning. I'm ready.

[B]

So James Garfield is. Is. He's like this congressman from Ohio. They say, come to the Republican convention in Chicago, and he goes to the convention to support some other candidate, and he gives this speech. This is how it's portrayed. And I looked this up, and Wikipedia says it's true. And because he showed up the convention and wowed everybody at the convention that they made him the candidate.

[C]

Wow.

[B]

It's an interesting story. Anyway, Nick Offerman's in it, and so that's Jim's TV pick. If you're looking for something, it's like four episodes. It's not like you have to watch.

[C]

Oh, it's not like a whole investment. That's good.

[B]

Yeah, it's a low investment. And they throw in some gratuitous scenes of stuff that, you know, that's how it's on Netflix and has mature audiences only ratings attached to it. So now I'm giving way too much. But. Keith, great to see you, as always, man. You always bring it. And I try to. I try my best not to seem much, much older than You. But I do it anyway. So I, I appreciate you tolerating that and. But great message on Thanksgiving. Well done.

[C]

Thank you. Yes. Let us try to come together however we can.

[B]

Let's do it with the American flag. Put that in the, in the dining room.

[C]

Yeah. Maybe, maybe get a pin.

[B]

Get a pen.

[C]

American flag.

[B]

Just not in the jacket that. It looks so tacky. Seth, with the. I just. Don't do that.

[C]

Yeah, don't do it. Don't do it.

[B]

It's. It's not good and. All right. Good to see you, man. Thanks a lot.

[C]

Thanks for having me. See you later.

[B]

Take care.

[C]

Bye.

[B]

Keith always brings it. So I always think that I'm gonna bring Keith in and we're gonna yuck it up. We're gonna have a good time and everything. He's a serious guy. But we're about to get to the, to the tail end of this holiday week, and I want to give the viewers a programming, a programming note, if you will, a preview, if you will. My producer, Matt came up with the tremendous idea, and I wholeheartedly adopt this idea that we should come up with our top 10 turkeys of 2025. So tomorrow on this program, there is the Happy Thanksgiving right there. We're gonna reveal our top 10 turkeys of 2025. You may have heard a couple of the names mentioned on this show today. Pete Hegseth has to be one of the top 10 turkeys of 2025. There's just. I mean, how could he not be? He accidentally, you know, was on a signal chat that revealed war plans. You know, I mean, like, there's a lot there. There's a lot to work with with Pete Hexith. There's RFK Jr. You know, and maybe I'll bust out my RFK Jr. Impersonation. Is that considered politically incorrect? Am I allowed to do that? Will people get mad at me if I do that? I might do that tomorrow. So anyway, it's going to be hard to boil it down to just 10 turkeys because there have been so many turkey. I mean, do I include Fox? I have to include. I mean, does Jesse Waters? He should get a mention, right? In the top 10 turkeys of 2025. Or are there other FOX personalities or are there other conservative media figures? I should. I mean, there's. One of the reasons why I wanted to bring this up now is if you have some ideas and we can, we can do this as a team. This is a team sport. We're workshopping this. I'm relying. I'm leaning on my very sophisticated and intelligent substack audience, my very sophisticated, intelligent YouTube and Apple podcast audience. So however you folks out there in the heartland of America, however you reach me, feel free to tag me on the socials. I'm not super an idiot. I don't spend all night looking through that stuff, but I do occasionally go through it. So if you're on substack and you leave a message like, hey, Jim, Pam Bondi should be one of the turkeys of 2025. I will probably see that, or my team will probably see that. And we'll try our best to assemble the top 10 turkeys of 2025 in a way that does not piss off everybody. We'll try to do it in a way that pleases everybody, sort of like a Thanksgiving buffet. It'll be a buffet of news and information and dad jokes. And that's, that's what I try to do here on the Jim Acosta Show. Thanks, everybody for watching. Really appreciate it. Usually I do like a Jim's take at the end. I thought I would just plug the fact that we're going a funny thing tomorrow, try to lighten things up a little bit. But really appreciate State Representative Afton Bain of Tennessee for joining me today. Very interesting, folks. You know, how, how worried is the Republican Party right now when they're dumping, when the party is dumping millions of dollars into this race, when their billionaire pack buddies are dumping millions of dollars into this race and they're saying, and the vice president of the United States, you know, hide your sofas, you know, move the love seats into somewhere safe, get a panic room for the, for the lazy boy, J.D. vance is coming to town. And you know, when they're pulling out that kind of heavy artillery, it means that the Republican Party is very worried about a special election in Tennessee. It tells you where we are right now as a country. The Democrats have the wind at their backs. We'll see if they can capitalize on it. And as I was talking about this with my team before we got started here, and the point should be made, the margin of victory is going to be very interesting here. Keep in mind, Trump won that district by 22 points in 2024 just a year ago. If, if that margin is cut in half or by two thirds, let's say she comes up a little short, that is going to speak volumes. If in a place like Tennessee, and yes, it incorporates part of Nashville, but if in a place like Tennessee, that a district that is normally carried by a Republican is almost carried by Democrat that is going to be seen as a big win, folks, and it's going to be seen as yet another warning sign for Donald Trump, MAGA and the Republicans. So I, I wanted to do this as a, as a, you know, a starter to the show today. It's a very important race and I think an important bellwether for things to come. Who knew there was a special election in the first week of December? Our cup runneth over with politics here at the Jim Acosta show. But I wanted to make sure you guys saw that as well. But in the meantime, keep doing those eating exercises. I've started to do that myself. So you can fit all the turkey and mashed potatoes and stuffing. I'm going to my mom's on Thursday. I might try to do some posts or maybe a quick if my mom might hit me in the head if I try to do a live sub stack over there. But I might do some kind of YouTube sub stack thing with mom as she's getting the turkey ready. We'll see. I might get smacked across that, but we'll see. But I'm, I'm enjoying this holiday week. I hope you're enjoying this holiday week. And I think what Keith Edwards was saying earlier is an important thing to keep in mind as well. Let's, let's leave the door open. Let's leave the door open for coming together as Americans. Let's leave the door open for that. I think it's a great message and it's something we should all think about. I'm not saying you had that. That may be that one uncle who's like, no, he's insufferable. There's just no way, Jim, we're not going to do that. But if there's someone who's slightly insufferable, maybe just kind of think about it. It's just a suggestion for me, from me to you. But in the meantime, thanks again for watching. Still reporting from Washington, I'm Jim Acosta. Have a good evening. I'll see you next time.