Podcast Summary: The Next Level, Bulwark Podcast

Episode: "Is Gavin Newsom the ONLY One Ready for This Fight? | Secret Podcast"

Date: October 3, 2025
Hosts: JVL (Jonathan V. Last) and Sarah Longwell
Absent: Tim Miller

Overview

In this episode, Sarah Longwell and Jonathan V. Last ("JVL") take a deep dive into the current state of Democratic messaging and strategy amid a government shutdown, the ongoing perils of Trump-era governance, and why Gavin Newsom appears to be the only high-profile Democrat prepared for the existential political battles ahead. The episode is marked by frank, sometimes profane, frustration with the Democratic establishment, passionate calls for bolder political action, and thoughtful commentary on the difference between business as usual and what they argue is a true crisis for democracy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Government Shutdown Politics and Democratic Strategy

• JVL's opening salvo: Sharp criticism of Democratic leadership for being too passive.

  • Quote [02:08]: “The Democrats are a bunch of fucking pussies. And if they can’t win this, a shutdown fight in which the Republicans control the White House, the House, the Senate, the Supreme Court...they should just retire.” – JVL

• JVL believes Democrats should inflict real political pain on Trump and the GOP, rather than bail them out with deals that prevent unpopular outcomes.

• Democrats, instead, are seeking to help undo GOP-created crises—particularly on cuts to Medicaid subsidies—in a way JVL finds absurd, as voters rarely reward politicians for preventing bad things that almost happened.

  • Quote [03:16]: “Are you fucking kidding me?” – JVL, on Dem leaders wanting to help Republicans avoid the fallout from their own policy

• Sarah’s nuanced agreement: Sarah initially defends Democrats for not caving yet (exceeding her low expectations), but shares JVL’s desire for more backbone and better messaging.

  • She notes some Democrats (Cortez Masto, Schumer) nearly caved and stresses the importance of not settling for fake deals ([04:54]).

2. Messaging, Pain, and Political Reality

• Both hosts agree that voters do not give credit for bad things averted, only for victories or visible fights.

  • JVL [06:29]: “The answer is the second. Tell me for real, when is the last time American voters gave any political party credit for a bad thing they prevented? ...The answer is never.”

• Sarah references 2018 midterms, when Democrats ran on health care, as the last big messaging win, but worries present circumstances demand a fight on wider, existential issues.

• JVL’s core argument: The present is not normal; the only thing that matters is power. Real democratic norms are at stake.

  • Quote [07:33]: “I’m sorry, policy does not matter at all. Right now. The only thing that matters is power.”

3. What Should Democrats Do?

• Sarah: Fight on more than health care—go on offense about Trump’s constitutional abuses, government corruption, weaponization of the military, and threats to free speech.

  • Quote [09:59]: “This is an opportunity to talk about the bouquet of things that Donald Trump is doing with the government that you will not abide. ...Be the hero of the shutdown. ...Own the fight.”

• Both emphasize refusing any “ownership” of the shutdown in messaging—hammer that GOP controls everything and is too incompetent to govern ([12:09]).

  • JVL [12:09]: “My message to Democrats would be: ‘Shut down? We didn’t do this. ...Republicans control the entire government. They have the votes to pass whatever they want. Now, if they can’t do that because of their own incompetence ... then we are here to listen. But, like, we have not shut down anything.’”

• Democrats, they agree, should demand stronger concessions and refuse to offer cover for Republican mistakes. JVL advocates for demanding constraints on executive power and reforms as the price for ending the stalemate ([13:00]).

4. The Elite-vs-Voter Divide on Trump

• Discussion of whether elite Democrats truly grasp the unique threat Trump and his faction pose, versus “business as usual” attitudes ([14:43]).

• JVL and Sarah agree most Democratic voters “get it,” but elite electeds often act as if Trump is just another partisan rival, not an existential threat.

  • JVL [14:43]: “The reason the Democrats aren’t doing any of this is because in their hearts, most of them don’t actually think that Trump is different. ...They think it’s just business as usual.”

• Sarah wonders why Never Trumpers like themselves seem more panicked than mainstream Dems, suggesting the latter are stuck in traditional, collegial politics and struggle to adjust to the new authoritarian realities.

5. Who’s Actually Ready for the Fight?

• Praise for Gavin Newsom:

  • Newsom is the only prominent Democrat both hosts see as understanding the moment's gravity and acting decisively.

  • Cites Newsom’s move to threaten state funding to California colleges if they caved to Trump administration's “authoritarian” policies ([20:43]).

    • Quote [20:43]: “Gavin did something last night that is the single most hopeful thing I have seen from a national elected Democrat in I don’t know how long...” – JVL

  • Sarah agrees, highlighting Newsom’s savvy use of incentives and willingness to push constitutional hardball.

    • Quote [21:23]: “Gavin Newsom is the only one right now who seems to understand...just what time it is, as the kids say.”
• Sarah laments that other Democrats—like Gretchen Whitmer and John Fetterman—are either too accommodating (“pragmatism is, oh, I’m just going to work with Trump”) or appear to care more about antagonizing their own base than fighting the authoritarian drift.
  • Fetterman is particularly criticized for seeking respect from Republicans rather than his own voters ([24:49]).

Notable Moment

• Sarah’s summary prescription for Democrats:
  • Quote [25:55]: “If you think that democracy is on the line, act like it. That’s it. That’s all I want from you. I want you to behave as though you believe the words coming out of your mouth. Act like it.”

Notable Quotes & Moments (by Timestamp)

• [02:08] JVL (raw frustration): “The Democrats are a bunch of fucking pussies. And if they can’t win this, ... they should just retire.”
• [06:29] JVL: “Tell me, for real, when is the last time American voters gave any political party credit for a bad thing they prevented?”
• [07:33] JVL: “Policy does not matter at all. Right now. The only thing that matters is power.”
• [09:59] Sarah: “Own the fight. ...Be the hero of the shutdown.”
• [12:09] JVL: “We have not shut down anything. They own the whole thing.”
• [14:43] JVL: “Most of them don’t actually think that Trump is different.”
• [21:23] Sarah: “Gavin Newsom is the only one right now who seems to understand. ...just what time it is, as the kids say.”
• [25:55] Sarah: “If you think that democracy is on the line, act like it. That’s it. ...Behave as though you believe the words coming out of your mouth. Act like it.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 01:03–05:50 | JVL and Sarah debate Democrat strategy in shutdown | | 07:33–09:59 | Power vs Policy; need for broader messaging | | 12:09–14:43 | Messaging: Owning/blaming the shutdown | | 14:43–16:40 | Debate over Dems’ real understanding of Trump threat| | 19:40–21:25 | Gavin Newsom’s approach, hardball, incentives | | 24:49–26:35 | Criticism of Dem moderates (Whitmer, Fetterman) | | 25:55 | Sarah’s “Act like it” monologue |

Conclusion

This episode is a no-holds-barred critique of Democratic hesitation in a high-stakes environment. JVL and Sarah agree that only a few Democrats—most notably Gavin Newsom—seem to truly recognize and match the scale of the threat posed by Trump and those wielding power in the GOP. Both urge national Democrats to “act like it”—to signal with both words and deeds that the future of democracy is truly at stake.

For listeners seeking tough-loving, incisive, occasionally exasperated political analysis, this is quintessential Next Level.