← The PoliticsGirl Podcast
The PoliticsGirl Podcast
American Military OR Trump’s Military? : A Conversation with Kristopher Goldsmith
00:51:09
Loading summary
Transcript58 lines
- [00:00]
A
What Donald Trump is doing by politicizing military service, broadly speaking, is he's preventing people who are young right now from ever wanting to serve in the military. Yes, he is. He is impacting the future diversity of thought, of education, of economic background. And he has been doing this for 10 years. He's planting the seeds for the military to become something that only MAGA wants to join, and that is profoundly dangerous. Diversity is our strength, right? Which the opposite of what Pete Hegseth says. Our Secretary of Defense, former weekend Fox News host. Diversity of thought in a boardroom, a factory like diversity of experiences are what make the American military so powerful.
- [00:50]
B
Yeah.
- [00:51]
A
So great in all of the ways that the Republicans say that we are great. It's because of the diversity of our country.
- [01:07]
B
Hello and welcome to the Politics Girl Podcast. I'm your host, Lee McGowan. Let's get into it now. I know there is some real chaos and disappointment happening right now with certain Senate Dems capitulating to vote for the Republican cr. But I don't do breaking news on this podcast. I prefer to give things more context so we can better understand the big picture. So next week we will be discussing the end of the shutdown and what it means. But do keep your eye on my rants this week for more information on my feelings on the subject. Today, however, is Veterans Day, and there's a lot going on with our military that I think deserves our attention. Now. As you may or may not know, I grew up in Canada and in Canada November 11th is called remembrance Day. It is a Memorial Day that observed the end of World War I when the Western Front signed a treaty on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, previously known as Armstrong Day. Canadians observe Remembrance Day by wearing a poppy and holding two minutes of silence at 11am Growing up, it wasn't a day off school for Canadian children like it is for American children, but we always had special assemblies and we all wore poppies on our coats or clothes through November to remember our soldiers. Just for interest sake, the poppy is based on the post First World War poem by John McCrae. If you are not familiar with it, it goes like this. In Flanders fields the poppies blow between the crosses, row on row that mark our place and in the sky the larks, still bravely singing fly, Scarce heard amidst the guns below we are the dead Short days ago we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved and now we lie in Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe to you from failing hands we throw the torch Be yours to hold it high. If you break faith with us who die, we shall not sleep Though poppies grow in Flanders fields. The Canadians and those in the Commonwealth changed the name from Armistice Day to Remembrance Day to honor all of those who have died in all conflicts, not just World War I soldiers. The US calls November 11th Veterans Day for the same reason. In the United States, Veterans Day is an annual public holiday to honor American veterans for their service and sacrifice. Now, you guys don't wear poppies, but the day does include parades and ceremonies and tributes like the one the military does at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. So who better to talk to on Veterans Day than a veteran today? I have invited Christopher Goldsmith, an Iraq combat veteran, investigator and writer whose post service career is devoted to studying disinformation and domestic extremist movements in America. Chris is the author of the popular substack soon to Be podcast on Offense, one of the hosts of the Find out podcast, and the founder of the incredible organization Task Force Butler and Veterans Fighting Fascism. So without further ado, please welcome my guest, thought leader, writer and combat veteran fighting Fascism stateside, Christopher Goldsmith. Welcome back, Chris.
- [04:04]
A
Thanks for having me again.
- [04:06]
B
Oh, thank you for doing all of the work you're doing. I am so, so proud of you. You're doing such amazing work for democracy. I am proud to know you. I think you brave and I just think you're out here doing really incredible work. I first found you through a Ken Harborough documentary called Against All Enemies, which was based on the idea that our democracy is under attack. And there is this organized effort by people with a certain set of skills, namely former military, to help facilitate those efforts. And the film focused on the radicalization of veterans and why so many of them are drawn to far right extremist groups. Now, you almost fell prey to that kind of extremism when you returned home, which I'm assuming is what got you into the work you're doing now with Task Force Butler and Veterans Against Fascism. But before we get into what's going on with the military today, give people a little bit of background on what made you join the military in the first place and then what happened to you when you got out.
- [05:04]
A
Yeah, so I grew up and I think like a lot of little American boys, I idolized people in uniform. You know, I feel like every little boy goes through a phase where they want to be a firefighter or a policeman or an army man. I didn't grow out of that phase. I I always wanted to be an army man. Some of my earliest memories, though they're not so clear anymore, were my grand uncles, all World War II vets just hanging out. And I, as a toddler, I guess like just really idolized them. I love everything about them. They were involved in VFW and American Legion, you know, the fun, funny old man hats with all the, the pins and ribbons on them. And though I don't even remember if they ever talked about the war itself, like the veteran identity was something that, it was a brotherhood that, that I saw growing up with that said, you know, my father's generation, the Vietnam vets, I didn't have a lot of exposure to that. So I didn't get, I, I got the good war version of military service. I didn't get my dad's generation. My dad not a vet, a little too young for Vietnam, but he lost a lot of friends and we actually didn't even ever talk about them until I came home from basic training. So September 11 happened when I was 16 in high school in Long island, like 20 or 30 miles away from Manhattan. I could see the smoke from my house on 9 11. So that gave a kind of different flavor to my desire to serve. It also became about revenge. And that's where real genuine hatred and anger started brewing, which I think is, most people would think is understandable. And then when I went to Iraq, a war that was based on lies, about weapons of mass destruction that didn't exist, I had a very hard introduction to the complexities of reality and a history and religions, the history of global politics that I did not get educated on in high school. So I came home from Iraq still very conservative libertarian, described myself as a hardcore Republican. But I had started to lose my faith in not just the party, the GOP that I was, I was a member of. I started to lose my faith in democracy, in politics, in the American people. And that, you know, in addition to severe then untreated post traumatic stress disorder made me very vulnerable for a time. And I'm, I am lucky that I had a broad spectrum of influences in my life at this time. Every everything from self described socialists to you know, Ron Paul libertarians, which, which I was at the time to help me realize that I was out on a fringe and that I needed to kind of perhaps broaden my perspective.
- [08:07]
B
Yeah, well I think it's really interesting because you're a 16 year old in Long island when 911 happened. I was about 23 in Manhattan when 911 happened. That's what Got me to want to be an American. I watched the city come together. I watched how people came, you know, and united and became a community. And I thought, this is a country I really want to be a part of, because I'd grown up, obviously, in Canada. And then I always say that 911 made me want to be an American. But the fallout from 911 turned me into a Democrat. And then I wanted to become a citizen. When George W. Was reelected, I thought, I cannot live in this country and not vote. And so I had to become a citizen after that election. So it's amazing how 911 affected so many of us in so many ways who were old enough to start making life choices because of it. And I just think losing your faith and in. You're saying, in democracy and being overseas and seeing how we were really doing it, and we were sold lies. I think a lot of people have felt that. I think a lot of people can relate to that, that we are realizing in many ways, you had to go to war to realize it. But I think a lot of people are realizing it even with the birth of the Internet, where we can see how people in other countries are actually living. And we think, hold on a second. I've been told this is the greatest country in the world for forever. What do you mean? The people in Scandinavia have free childcare, free health care, free college, free. You know, like, how does that. What? Like, we don't have any of that, you know, what do you mean? 73 countries have universal healthcare and we don't. You know, like, what do you mean? People get a year off to spend with their kids and they're paid to do it? Like, what? What do you mean? Like, once we know, then the wool is taken off our eyes. And it is quite a shocking experience. I think we're all realizing that now that we could be doing this better. And some people are reacting in a way that they just want to tear it all down and put a dictator in the place. And some people are, we need to rebuild this democracy because we still want to have our voice. And so it's a very fascinating kind of moment. Now, listen, you and I are speaking on Veterans Day, right? So let's keep it back to what we're talking about and keep it with the military, because Veterans Day is supposed to be a day to honor our veterans. And as ex military yourself, and as someone that obviously has a lot of military people in your life now, how do you think America's actually doing when it comes to honoring our veterans?
- [10:26]
A
So we have seen over the last few months the Department of Veterans affairs, which is the department that is responsible for the safety and well being of, of those who've served their country. We've seen it torn to shreds. Initially, when Trump came into power and he and Elon Musk were still attached to the hip, the goal was to fire 80,000 people from the VA.
- [10:50]
B
The.
- [10:50]
A
There was nothing more specific about that plan that they had. It was just a number that they wanted to reach. They didn't say if they were firing janitors or doctors or people filing paperwork. They just had that number. Right. And they figured, we'll figure out who needs to get fired as we go. Thankfully, because the veterans community came together under the Unite for Veterans banner and protested in Washington, D.C. on June 6, the anniversary of D Day. This year, those planned cuts got scaled way, way back. But the damage that's been done is, is going to last quite some time. They, they have already gotten rid of 30,000 people and they've made the quality of, of life for people who work for the Department of Veterans affairs miserable. You know, over the last few years, not, not just government, but the private sector has completely reshaped, recognizing that sometimes it is economically efficient to have people work from home. And this administration, through Secretary Doug Collins, has been forcing VA doctors and other VA federal workers to drive several hours to get to a hospital to sit in a cubicle, where sometimes it's a room full of cubicles and there's no, no soundproofing between them to protect their patients, their veterans privacy.
- [12:13]
B
And they're doing the appointments either in person or even on Zoom sometimes. So it's like, why are you in an office to do it on Zoom?
- [12:21]
A
Exactly. So, you know, we have seen the Department of Veterans affairs getting shredded. I don't think that it has gotten nearly enough attention. But, you know, I'm speaking very selfishly. The rest of the federal government, like the Education Department, usaid, the State Department, have all been shredded. And I think too few people care. And the way that I try to get people to care, because everyone says they care about veterans, and I believe most people when they say it, one third of federal employees served their country in uniform prior to taking that civilian type job. Right. So when the federal workforce is being, you know, Russell Vaught is, is trying to make them miserable and his words give them ptsd. He's doing that to veterans, to, to hundreds of thousands of people who serve their country.
- [13:16]
B
Yeah. And we should tell people. Russell Vaught is the author of the Project 2025 nightmare. He is the one who's really running the government right now. While Donald Trump p around and falls asleep in meetings and does whatever the heck else he's doing. It's Russell Vogt that is really the mastermind behind what we're seeing here. And like you said, he said he wants government workers to feel terrorized. He wants them to feel traumatized, he wants them to feel stressed out all the time. And if you're telling us that it's not just. I don't believe you're being selfish when you say I'm talking about the veterans and I'm talking about the va, I think you're saying this is the community I'm in, but I recognize that all these other communities are also suffering. But Russell doesn't care. He. Like, it's irrelevant to him. Your lives are irrelevant to him, whether you are working at the VA or you're working at the usda. Right. Like it is. The government workers are nothing to him. It's all about bringing down the cost so they can give it to other people. Like billionaires.
- [14:09]
A
Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And, you know, I think that the reason why Russell vote. Vote Vought, whatever his name is.
- [14:16]
B
Yeah, it's vote, but it's spelled Vought.
- [14:18]
A
Is the way he is is because he comes from a world where the idea of. Of serving your heretical, the idea of. Of making sacrifices for the good of the many e pluribus on them is contradictory to their sense of being. They feel that if they have to give at all that they are losing, that they are. That everything is a zero sum game. And, and that is why Donald Trump loves him so much, because he views everything as. As you win or lose. And if anybod supported in any way and you're involved in giving, I don't know, paying taxes, because we live as part of a society and depend on services to facilitate society. You are a loser. Right. So that's, that's why they're. They're doing everything that they can to. To extract from the masses, to hoard wealth, to hoard power, and to try to cement it so that these things never change.
- [15:23]
B
Yeah. Yeah, that's exactly right. They want to be in charge for forever where we can't change anything. I think people should think of places like Russia where you have elections and yet the leaders are never going to change. If you disagree with the leader, you disappear or fall out of a window or drink bad tea. Like, this is the kind of world that they would be very happy to have us in. And this is the kind of world that people like you with Veterans Against Fascism, work so hard to fight against. But it's not even our veterans that I'm just worried about. In this case, I feel like it's the active duty military. Right. I'm worried about the active duty military. Military, because clearly our current commander in chief, Donald Trump, seems to think that they are his personal army. He seems to be using them as either props for speeches, an intimidation force in cities he doesn't like, and now, of course, as potential customers, because I know the American military is now carrying Trump wine in every single one of their commissaries, which is just so disgusting. But having been an active duty soldier yourself, does it upset you to watch how active duty military are currently being used?
- [16:26]
A
Yeah, absolutely. It is wildly inappropriate for the President of the United States to act like a dictator. We have seen Donald Trump try to mobilize active duty troops, whether it's the US Marines at Pendleton into Los Angeles or soldiers from the 82nd, you know, trying to bring them into other states, trying to have Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas, Texas, take his National Guard and send them to Chicago, Illinois. Right. What he is trying to do is he is trying to pit Americans against one another, knowing or believing that if he takes troops from the south and brings them into the north, that they'll be loyal to him. The echoes of history here are pretty obvious. Taking, Taking troops from Texas and occupying a northern city. The original Republican, Abraham Lincol, would have a problem with that. What I fear most is not just the. The individual harm to the service members, it's the harm to our national security. What Donald Trump is doing by politicizing military service, broadly speaking, is he's preventing people who are young right now from ever wanting to serve in the military. Yes, he is. He is impacting the future diversity of thought, of education, of economic background, and he has been doing this for 10 years. He's planting the seeds for the military to become something that only MAGA wants to join. And that is profoundly dangerous. Not just because MAGA tend to be stupid and will be more likely to mess things up, but because diversity is our strength.
- [18:15]
B
Right.
- [18:16]
A
Which the opposite of what Pete Hagseth says, our Secretary of Defense, former weekend Fox News host. Diversity of thought in a boardroom, a factory like diversity of experiences are what make the American military so powerful.
- [18:34]
B
Yeah.
- [18:34]
A
So great. In all of the ways that the Republicans say that, that we are great. It's because of the diversity of our country.
- [18:41]
B
Yeah. Yeah. The military is actually one of the Places that the diversity of the country is actually best represented. And you see soldiers from, like, you're saying the south fighting alongside soldiers from California, from the north, from Massachusetts. Massachusetts. And you learn about different cultures, you learn about different parts of the country. We forget how gigantic America is and how very diverse it is in itself. And you get these military soldiers together and they become a unit. They work together, they learn about each other. It's the kind of complaint that they often have of colleges. You know, you send your children off to colleges and they're gonna, you know, they're gonna get radicalized. And you're like, no, they just met other people. People that weren't from their town, people that were gay, people that were black, people that were Muslim, you know, that they might not have known before. And all of a sudden they were like, o are the stories I was told about these people being evil? Wrong. Cause I know them now, and they seem totally normal. Same with the military. If you have the option to serve alongside someone who's black and you've been racist your whole life, all of a sudden you go, hmm, should I question my beliefs? And that's one of the beauties of diversity. And that's why when people like Pete Hegseth say diversity is not our strength, you're like, that's because you want uniformity. You want people that do not question you, and you want to look like, you know, a bunch of white GI Joes that never, ever talk and want to brutalize their own people because they were told to. I mean, it really upsets me mostly when I see the young soldiers behind Donald Trump cheering him on, like the 19 to 22 year olds. He's at these speeches, at these rallies, and they're all sort of like, buying into it, and they're selling merch at these events. And, you know, you were mentioning it earlier, but I've been thinking a lot recently about how popular the military is. And really, the military has the highest level of respect in the country of any other government agency. And there's a reason that we. We stop military people in the street and we say, thank you for your service, right? But I keep thinking, like, listen, these young soldiers have to understand, like, how will people feel if the military takes up arms against their fellow citizens, Right? Or they continue to cheer and hoot and holler for the man who is starving people or stripping them of their health care. I feel like it's possible that these young soldiers who have grown up really in the era of Donald Trump, they were probably 10 to 129 when he first came into the public sphere. They don't understand how quickly they can go from the most respected and honored group in America to pariahs, and I think they should be angry that our president would put them in that kind of position. As the holiday rush begins, it is far too easy to forget to take care of yourself. This is where Mud Water can come in. Mud Water is a soothing but energizing coffee alternative that allows you to stay sharp and balanced without the crash or jitters you might get from coffee. Mud Water is packed with antioxidants and wellness benefits that nourish your body while keeping you centered through the chaos of the season. It might even be the perfect stocking stuffer for someone who needs a little extra self care. The ingredients in MudWTR products are 100% USDA certified organic, non GMO, gluten free, vegan and kosher. There's zero sugar or sweeteners added making the entire thing a wholesome choice for your wellness journey. Each ingredient in Mud Water serves a purpose. Their OG blend contains cacao and chai for a hint of caffeine and a hot chocolate like flavor Lion's Mane for focus, Quadriceps to promote natural energy and Chaga and Reishi to support a healthy immune system. To use Mud Water, you just drop the powder into your favorite mug, pour some water on it and give it a mix. There are people who add creamers or honey or even CBD, so head to mudwtr.com and grab your starter kit. For a limited time. Our listeners get up to 43% off their entire order, free shipping and a free rechargeable frother at M U d w t r.com politicsgirl that's up to 43% off your order@mudwater.com politicsgirl and after you purchase, when they ask you where you heard about them, please support our show and tell them that we sent you this season. Nourish your body and mind with Mud Water, the perfect addition to your self care routine. As the weather cools down and the days get darker, DeleteMe makes it easy, quick and safe to remove your personal data online at a time when surveillance and data breaches are common enough to make everyone vulnerable. As someone with a very active online presence, privacy is incredibly important to me. Sadly, there are some people out there who really don't have the best intentions, so I really want to make sure I'm taking the protection of my privacy seriously. Delete Me knows your privacy is worth protecting. You sign up and Provide disc Deleteme with exactly what information you want deleted and their experts take it from there. They send you regular personalized privacy reports showing what they found, where they found it and what they removed. It's not just a one time service. Deleteme is always working for you, constantly monitoring and removing the personal information you don't want on the Internet. So take control of your data and keep your private life private by signing up for Deleteme now at a special discount for our listeners. Get 20% off off your Delete me plan when you go to join DeleteMe.com politicsgirl and use the promo code politicsgirl at checkout. The only way to get 20% off is to go to JoinDeleteMe.com politicsgirl and enter the code politicsgirl at checkout. That's JoinDeleteMe.com politicsgirl code politicsgirl they don't understand how quickly they can go from the most respected and honored group in America to pariahs. And I think they should be angry that our would put them in that kind of position.
- [24:15]
A
I'm 40 years old. I was born in 1985. We talked about how I was 16 when the towers fell. I, for a lot of my life used to think about, you know, how young people were, people younger than me were growing up and they couldn't remember America before 9 11. They couldn't remember the 90s when it felt like a world of possibilities and it felt like everyone, you know, was, was on their way into the middle class and the middle class was on their way to becoming rich. Right. I right. What America felt like in 1999 is a thousand times different from what it felt like five years later when I was headed to Iraq. We are experiencing the same thing now. The young people who are currently lower enlisted, who've only been in the military for a little while or who are joining their concept of what is normal. Where they see the Overton window on politics is, is off the rails from where we grew up with. So Donald Trump and his racism, his hatred, his incitement of violence between Americans, encouraging Americans at his rallies to hurt other Americans for their political beliefs, that is all normal to them. So you know, when that is their starting point, the Overton window still has room to move. Like a year ago if I was talking about concentration camps being a real thing, that ICE would have a bigger budget than the United States Marine Corps. People would have thought that I was crazy because that was so abnormal. Well, this is our normal now. We have concentration camps. We have thousands of people Who've, who've gone to prisons, who've disappeared, that we don't know where they are. I'm not saying they got murdered, there's no evidence of that. But we don't know where they are. And, and in the age of the Internet, it's really hard to lose a human being or a few thousand of them. So people who are currently in the military, who are cheering on Donald Trump, who are breaking their military bearing to engage with his jokes, if you can call them that, while he's using them as props, they cannot comprehend the damage that they are doing to the institution that they are part of right now.
- [26:41]
B
Right, right. And I do think there's a lot that they don't remember. Like you're saying, young people don't remember a time when we weren't using violent rhetoric against each other. They don't remember a time when Congress worked. They don't remember a time like pre Newt Gingrich when you actually did reach across the aisle and work with your. The Republicans and Democrats would meet together and like get a pizza and be like, all right, let's hash this out, let's do this thing. And then Newt Gingrich came along as speaker of the House back in the 80s and he was like, treat the Democrats like the enemy. They are the enemy. We are at. We no longer meet with them, we no longer talk with them. And it's only gotten worse since. And so it's politics not working, it's the military not working. And now we have a president that talks about the enemy from within. And you know, kind of, what is it, Stochastic terrorism where you say such terrible things about one group that what you're really doing is instigating violence against that group. Cuz someone's gonna hear what you say and say, I gotta take those people out. And our own president is doing that. But young people don't understand that that's not the way our government used to run. It's not the should be run. And it's not even just Donald Trump. Right. That's using the military. J.D. vance just spoke on what he called the 250th anniversary of the United States Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton in California. He did it on October 18, which was conveniently the same day as the no Kings rallies. But the anniversary of the Marines is actually November 10th. Right. Like it's usually celebrated around November 10th, not on October 18th. So there was no reason to hold it that day other than trying to pull focus from protests to counter mess message to maga, to Christian nationalism, to their white men are in charge of everything thing. But not only did JD And Pete Hegseth use our military as a prop that day against the no Kings rallies that were happening, they were firing live rounds over the freeway in California. It was reckless. It was dangerous. One of the shells went off early and damaged one of the cars in the Vice President's security detail. It seems like. Like these guys are just doing more and more behavior that not only puts the military integrity at risk, it's putting civilians at risk.
- [28:52]
A
Yeah, I, I was a forward observer in the Army. It was my job to call for artillery strikes, mortar strikes, like you saw them doing in California on the day of the no Kings protest. And most Americans won't believe this, but it is somewhat within the bounds of normal to fire over civilian infrastructure in the United States during training. It doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen. But for it to happen over a highway when you're expecting crowds, that is extremely unusual. And what I am most upset about in that specific instance is that no one in the chain of command said no. No. So this was an opportunity for an officer to take a stand. And, and there are lawful orders and there are unlawful orders. Right. And if you swear, note to the Constitution, you are obligated to reject an unlawful order. But there is a middle ground called lawful but awful. Right. It might be a lawful order, but it is so ethically or morally wrong or dangerous to American civilians that if you refuse that order and do want to court martial you, there's a very good chance that they're going to say no. This. This was an appropriate rejection of an order. We did not see that happen on that day. And there's not one officer who, who approved this. Right. There's the platoon commander, there's the company commander, there's the battalion, the brigade commander, the division commander. There are so many commanders, so many spaces in that chain of command where just one of them could have said no. Nope, it's not happening. I am not allowing my troops to fire live rounds over Americans on a random day. That is a tremendous failure. And it frightens me because that was an opportunity for some good, smart military officers to set a precedent of saying no. We will not put American lives at risk to have a party for J.D. vance.
- [31:03]
B
Right. Right. Yeah. Well, I mean, clearly that's one of the reasons that Donald Trump and the administration have been purging military top brass since day one. You know, anyone who might say no, who might defend democracy, who might Say this is a bad idea. I mean, we should remember he also purged a lot of the JAG lawyers, the military lawyers who decide whether orders are lawful or unlawful. And, you know, I think this is how we got to things like firing live Ryans over the highway, but also how we're getting Trump and Hegseth just indiscriminately blowing up boats in the Caribbean. Like someone should be saying no. And we did have someone in who was in charge of that area just resign. He's. He laughed his post, but because the government is seriously just murdering people. Now they are claiming that they are drug runners or drug dealers or bad guys in some way, but we don't have proof. And it doesn't seem to matter that we don't have proof. I think it feels like a test that they're just seeing what they can get away with. Can we just kill people and get away with it? Like, okay, cool, that worked in international water. Can we do that in Venezuela? Can we do that at home? Like, I don't think we've spoken since that disgusting show of force with Trump and Hegseth in the speech and calling all the generals and admirals in to speak to them. But there was something happening there where they were saying, you follow us or hit the road.
- [32:24]
A
What we witnessed when, when Hegseth convened all of all of the United States generals, the entire general Corps, and brought them into the same room, which is the biggest American security risk that we've got, creating a bigger security risk. There is no reason to put all of those people in the same room.
- [32:42]
B
At the same time and to tell everyone where it was and to do what time it was going to be at. Yeah.
- [32:48]
A
There is no greater walking security risk than Pete Hegseth. And in the age of Donald Trump, where Donald Trump is the man, like, that is something to say that Pete Hegseth is, is a greater security risk to the United States. What he did was the type of thing that we see from communist countries. It's. It's what we see from like communist Russia, the ussr. It's what we saw in North Korea. It is completely unusual for an American political appointee to stand in front of American generals and to try to berate them. And for this part time, you know, National Guardsman, this major, to try and act like he knows how the military works. That show proved how much he doesn't get the military because everyone knows. Now, I don't, I don't know if folks know this, but everyone in the military, Pete Hegseth ordered everyone in the military down to the lowest private to watch that speech. They had to watch it. Now, if Pete Hegseth had a more typical military experience, he would know that if the Secretary of Defense says, you have to watch my speech, everyone's going to hate that Secretary of Defense. Now, Pete Hegseth has done more to damage his reputation through that single action throughout the entire force than that. I think he could have with. With a real military blunder because it just shows the lack of respect that he has for everyone who's serving today.
- [34:25]
B
Yeah, that in the makeup room that he built in the Pentagon, which is really, I can't imagine that goes with his manly men doing manly things rhetoric that he keeps putting in. I mean, look, clearly Trump and his people are chomping at the bit to use the American military against the American people. They are dying to implement the Insurrection act and declare martial law and take charge. And, you know, that is why they're trying to make sure that everyone who's in place in the highest level of military command, you know, belongs to them. Them. Which comes back to what you do with Veterans Fighting Fascism. Right. Because this is what we're looking at. We're looking at veterans Fighting fascism. So how does everything that you're seeing right now fit into that agenda of what you are working on with Task Force Butler and with Veterans Fighting Fascism?
- [35:07]
A
Yes. So the big project of Veterans Fighting Fascism is to encourage people to start their own anti fascist book clubs. Most people who recognize me probably recognize me from my Tick Tock video. And folks who've been following me for a while understand that I've been infiltrating extremist organizations. I have a deep understanding of not just the extremist version of fascism, but the historical version. So after the election last year, folks wanted to know, how do I prepare for what's coming? So I created a book list. It went super, super viral. And people started starting their own book clubs based on my book list.
- [35:46]
B
Yeah. And we're talking about books like Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny and these kind of books, right.
- [35:50]
A
Y, Ruth, Ben Ghiat, Masha Gessen, Ibram X, Kendi's how to Be an Anti Racist. All of these, like, core texts I think can even now, you know, 9 months, 10 months, 11 months. However long it's been into the trouble, there's a lot. There's a. Yeah, it feels like forever. There's still a lot that we can learn. And what the point that there's two points behind the anti fascist book club. It's one, to help people understand that the history of fascism is the history of democracy winners. It may take a long time, but it takes a lot of effort and a lot of people moving together coordinated. And two, it's to give people an excuse to, to get out of the house and start building community.
- [36:34]
B
Right.
- [36:34]
A
You know, not everybody wants to go join an indivisible chapter or you know, join their local democratic party if they, if they do good, because those things are necessary. But some people, you know, just want another reason to go meet people who care about the same things.
- [36:52]
B
As the days get cooler and shorter and the holidays draw closer, comfort becomes one of the best gifts of all. Quince brings you layers that last. Sweaters, outerwear and everyday essentials that feel luxurious, look timeless and make holiday dressing and gift giving effortless. By working directly with ethical top tier factories, Quince skips the middleman and offers prices at 50% less than similar brands. I am waiting for a maxi silk skirt to come back in the color that I want to match the $50 Mongolian cashmere sweater that I bought for the holidays. If that sounds like something you might want to wear or buy as a gift, I would say go to Quince right now and check out their website right now they also have Italian wool coats that are absolutely beautiful. I would look at those. They're high end looks without those high end prices. So step into the holiday season with layers made to feel good, look polished and last from Quince, perfect for gift giving or keeping for yourself. Go to quints.com politicsgirl for free shipping on your order and 365 days of returns now available for my friends in Canada too. That's quince.com politicsgirl to get free shipping and 365 days of returns. Quince.com politicsgirl the politicsgirl podcast has a new sponsor Parallel Parallel are doctor made vitamins for women at every stage of their lives lives. Instead of just having women continue to take a one size fits all vitamin. Parallel is reinventing vitamins from the ground up. The first ob gyn founded vitamin company Parallel is defining a new era of women's health. One where your supplements understand your hormones and your stage in life. Parallel creates targeted nutrition for every phase. Menstrual health, fertility, pregnancy, postpartum perimenopausal. Its products are made by p people who understand the people they're making them for a vitamin company for women founded by actual doctors who specialize in women's health. So go to their website and check out if Parallel is right for you. There is a reason Glossy called it the wellness brand of the year because why shouldn't your supplements change as your life changes? Why shouldn't you have targeted support for every stage you find yourself in? Made with bioavailable ingredients your body can actually absorb? All powdered are safe for pregnancy and breastfeeding, but designed for all stages of life. They even have daily powders that include protein, electrolytes, and help with sleep support. Exclusive to our listeners. Right now, new customers can enjoy 20% off their first order with the code politicsgirl when they visit parallelhealth.com that's P E R E L E L health.com.
- [39:26]
A
Code politicsgirl Some people, you know, just want another reason to go meet people who care about the same things.
- [39:37]
B
Yeah. Community is so important right now. Taking care of each other, being in unity, realizing that you're on the same side. We say that all the time. Like, if our institutions are going to fail us from on high, it's very important we build community from the bottom up. And that kind of a book club would be the perfect way to do that.
- [39:53]
A
Exactly. So folks go to veteransfightingfascism.org, they can find the book club club guide that I created, and they have everything that they need. You know, with their public library, they can go rent every one of these books. They have everything that they need to get them through the first six sessions. My way of leading a nonprofit is different from most. My goal is so that no one needs me. I want to live in a world where Chris Goldsmith is not essential as, as a leader or as doing any work. I have created a guide so that people can become their own leaders. And this might sound like, like funny, but if you get six people together and you've got your six meetings, all of getting through the first couple of books, I've. I've written the instruction manual for it. You will find the person who's. Who's setting the schedule. You will find the person who's saying where you're going to meet and when you're going to meet. It is that easy to find a leader in your community. So you have everything that you need. The authors have done all of the work. The six meetings worth of guides that I've got. The book list will keep you busy. And after that, you don't need me because you will understand enough about your community who are now your friends and these authors that should you want to learn more about something specific, you will know where to find it.
- [41:17]
B
Yeah.
- [41:17]
A
So if folks are Interested in this, go to veterans fightingfascism.org and they can download the guide for free.
- [41:24]
B
Well, Chris, listen, you've got a new baby at home this year. I have a 17 year old boy. Anyone who's listening to this who is a parent understands that the leaders come forward, whether that's in the classroom or with your kids. Groups like, there's always someone that's like, okay, I put together a group chain. We're now doing this. Like, you're right, you're setting the stakes so people can move on on their own, which is really important. But I think we do need a Chris Goldsmith because you are also doing a lot of work behind the scenes, both with your podcast that you have now, but also your new podcast On Offense, which is based off your substack. So tell us a little bit about On Offense and what you're going to be doing with that when it launches. Launches.
- [41:58]
A
I am currently a co host on a podcast that's the find out podcast that came from a bunch of dudes who are involved with white dudes for Harris. And we wanted to build community beyond the election season. And we've done that.
- [42:12]
B
And give us men that weren't. Give us a group of men who weren't just like mega right wing podcast bros telling us that women should get back in the kitchen. So we really appreciate that. Six guys talking about, you know, democracy and human rights. We really appreciate that. So we had that.
- [42:28]
A
Thank you.
- [42:29]
B
Yeah, absolutely.
- [42:30]
A
So. So that I've been doing since, since March of this year as of today. Today on Veterans Day, I am launching the trailer for my podcast On Offense. The entire idea behind the name, the brand, the attitude is the same ethos that I have had for my nonprofits. And that is that we can't just simply defend democracy if we're always in a defensive position. You lose. Doesn't matter if you're playing a game of chess or checkers or basketball or, or if the only thing you're going to do is let them take shots at you, you're going to lose. So we're going on offense. Our goal is to make it difficult and expensive in my nonprofit to be a neo Nazi in the podcast. We are going to make it difficult and expensive to be a fascist. Now what, what I am talking about is using things like protest strategically using things like lawsuits strategically, using legal means to impose legal costs on those, imposing costs on us already. Right? Whether it's a company that is getting rid of DEI like T Mobile and working with Trump Mobile to, to I don't know.
- [43:42]
B
Yeah. By the way, if you have T Mobile, like, honestly, please get rid of T Mobile. They are literally the only cell provider that would give Trump phones a network to be a part of. So if T Mobile is your cell phone carrier, you might want to look into that.
- [43:56]
A
Exactly. So we'll be talking about imposing costs on companies like corporations like T Mobile. Like the way that you do that is you protest, you, you simply stop using their products, their services, their subscriptions. And we can do this strategically with, with individual politicians and appointees and, you know, through legal means, make their lives as miserable as they are making other Americans lives.
- [44:22]
B
Yeah, brilliant. I think one of the things you say in the trailer, which I got a sneak peek of, that really spoke to me was we're not going to waste time admiring the problem, which we do do a lot. We're going to talk about, overcome it. Like you're out here actively trying to encourage anyone who is ready to fight for democracy to band together. And that's clearly what we have to do. Because sometimes in a war you have strange bedfellows. I think about this recent capitulation of the Democratic, you know, of eight members in Democratic leadership to vote with the Republicans to reopen the government without getting the health care concessions that they were fighting for. And I know that I am against Donald Trump and his merry band of fascists, but I also think we have to think about, about primaring those who aren't up to the moment we're in. Right. And so I think it's all about finding our communities, finding our groups that work together that say, what are our priorities? Our priorities are having a vote and having our vote count. Our priorities are civil rights. Our priorities are human rights. Our priorities are freedom. And when we say freedom, we don't mean freedom for the president to do whatever he wants. We mean freedom to love who we want to love and read what we want to read and be who we want to be and take care of, of our own bodies and make decisions for our own selves. That's the kind of freedom and that might find a lot of people who are like minded. We have to get out of our red and blue boxes and into free America versus captured America. And I think that being on offense is exactly what we need to do. Because, you know, being a Canadian growing up, you know, hockey is our game, right? You're just like, that's it. And you're not scoring if you don't have forwards out there taking shots, right? So we need people out there on offense. If we want to change this game, we cannot perpetually be in the defensive position. And this is exactly what you guys are going to be talking about on this new pod.
- [46:06]
A
Yeah. So folks want to. Want to follow the new podcasts. It is On Offense pod on any social media platform. The website is. We are on offense. Though I am a solo host, never am I going to do an episode where it's just one guy talking into a microphone. The first episode, I interview Ken Casey from Dropkick Murphy's. This is a band who. Who walks the talk. They. They have been, you know, fighting for working class values for now 30 years. They're entering their. Their 30th year as a band, and they have put in an incredible amount of work. You talked about Ken Harbaugh's documentary before. He's been working on other documentaries, and he's been in Ukraine with Dropkick Murphy's, delivering things like ambulances. They are fighting for democracy, not just with a microphone, not just on stage, but they're actually going over and putting their money where their mouth is and helping soldiers in a combat zone, which to me is not just beyond admirable. It is also incredibly frustrating because I see the punk bands that I grew up listening to, like, nowhere in sight. So that's part of the thing that we talk about. Ken Casey with is like. Like, where is everybody else? You know, during the Bush era, there was an incredible amount of protest music and of people, you know, talking about fighting corporations and fighting big government. Where have they all gone? Like, it's been silence.
- [47:43]
B
Yeah. I actually follow a couple people who are at great protest music, and I think we just need to promote them a little bit more. So listen, Chris, Happy Veterans Day. Thank you for your service. I want to thank you for joining us today, and I think it's probably a really good day to remind everyone that our president did everything he possibly could to avoid serving in our military. He is a man who called our soldiers suckers and losers and asked why they would join because what was in it for them? This is a commander in chief who is calling troops home to fight us, the American citizen who oppose him. You know, as I said, the people he calls the enemy from within. So no matter what we see today on Veterans Day or in the future, when they're using our soldiers as backdrops, I think we should really see it as the disgraceful insult it is to our military. And we should really hope. Hope that soldiers across the board realize that they are being used. And they swore an oath to the Constitution and the American people and not to this president. And there will be a day after this president, and we would like them on our side.
- [48:43]
A
Yeah. And. And people should remember that just a few months ago, Donald Trump floated the idea of ending Veterans Day because he thinks that veterans after World War II are losers. All of us, Vietnam, Korea, Desert Storm, all of the Latin American engagements. Iraq, Afghanistan. He thinks that we are losers and we do not deserve Veterans Day.
- [49:07]
B
Well, then soldiers should remember that when he asks them to fight for him instead of their own people. Thank you to everyone who served in this nation. You are not losers. We are very proud of you from the bottom of our heart.
- [49:19]
A
Thank you for having me on.
- [49:20]
B
Thank you. Thank you, Chris. So that was Christopher Goldsmith reminding us that our president is trying to pit Americans against each other. That while the VA has been torn to shreds, so have so many other government institutions and agencies that serve the American people. The damage this administration is doing to our soldiers, our veterans, and our citizens is incalculable. Which is why it's essential that we continue to oppose this administration, to throw sand in the gears of the authoritarian takeover and make sure that we don't end up with a military that only MAGA wants to join. As Chris says, we need to keep reminding ourselves that the history of fascism is the history of democracy winning. We just need to make our comeback stronger and faster. We need to, as Chris's new podcast says, go on offense. I want to thank Chris for joining us today and you for caring enough about democracy to be here until next week. Peace. Would you like to get this podcast ad free delivered directly to your inbox along with my kitchen rants? Then please consider becoming a member of Politics Girl Premium by going to politicsgirl.com and signing up. If you are already a premium member of this podcast, thank you for your support. And if you are not a member, please consider being a patron of my work. Mainstream news is only giving you a version of billionaire backed propaganda at this point, so if you want real knowledge, it is essential to support those of us out here still bringing it to to you. There is a link to sign up in the bio of this episode, but also@politicsgirl.com and as always, please like and share this podcast so we can grow our audience because the more people who have access to this kind of information, the better. As always, thank you for your time and support. The Politics Girl Podcast is written and performed by me, Lee McGowan and produced and edited by Happy Warrior Entertainment. All rights reserved.