The Perspective You Need Right Now: A Conversation with David Bender

Summary

The Politics Girl Podcast: "The Perspective You Need Right Now: A Conversation with David Bender"

Release Date: January 14, 2025

Introduction

In this pivotal episode of The Politics Girl Podcast, host Leigh McGowan engages in a profound conversation with veteran political activist and strategist David Bender. As the Biden administration concludes and the nation braces for the anticipated "second Trump administration," McGowan and Bender delve into pressing issues facing American democracy, emphasizing the urgent need for a grassroots movement to counteract systemic challenges.

Climate Change and Its Immediate Effects

The episode opens with Leigh recounting the recent wildfires in Los Angeles, highlighting the drastic changes in climate conditions that have exacerbated such disasters. At [00:27], Leigh remarks:

“The climate has changed, which is why these fires only in the last few years have become this virulent... climate has changed everything on every coast and in the center of the heartland.”

David echoes these sentiments, criticizing the prolonged inaction on climate issues:

“We ignored something that we knew was happening for 50 years at least... we are living with the logical conclusion of doing nothing.” ([04:51])

Leadership and Bottom-Up Movement

Both hosts emphasize that effective change will not stem from top-tier leadership but from grassroots movements. Leigh asserts:

“It's going to start from a movement in this country, from the bottom up.” ([02:23])

David reinforces the necessity of community-driven efforts, stating:

“We have to be organizing at the grassroots level... we have to show our numbers in the street.” ([10:23])

The Role of Money in Politics

A significant portion of the discussion focuses on the corrosive influence of money in politics. David critiques the entanglement of big corporations and special interests with legislative bodies:

“Big oil bought Congress... the NRA bought off Congress... money in politics is the root of our dysfunction.” ([09:15])

Leigh adds:

“Citizens United was clearly the worst Supreme Court decision... it's corrupting our system every single day.” ([10:17])

Democrats, Republicans, and Political Strategy

McGowan and Bender dissect the current state of American political parties, arguing that traditional labels like Democrat and Republican are outdated. Leigh questions the Democratic Party's effectiveness:

“Bill Kristol... said the job of the Democratic Party right now comes in two parts. First, do not help the Republicans... second, make Donald Trump own every bad outcome.” ([25:43])

David responds by highlighting the need for Democrats to redefine their opposition not merely as Republicans but as a broader fight against concentrated power:

“It’s about people versus power... America is heading into a mess. But if we look at Syria, if we look at Covid, things have a way of turning on a dime.” ([32:22])

The Importance of Common Sense Principles

A key highlight of the conversation is Bender's introduction of six common sense principles from his book, A Return to Common Sense. These principles aim to realign American values beyond partisan politics:

1. America is a land of freedom.
2. Everyone should have the opportunity to rise.
3. Every citizen should have a vote, and that vote should count.
4. Representatives should represent the people who elected them.
5. The law applies to all of us.
6. Government should be a force for good.

Leigh elaborates on these principles, stressing the importance of foundational values over fleeting political agendas:

“They don’t think in terms of policy... they think about values... principles of who we are as people.” ([39:24])

Grassroots Organizing and Community

The conversation underscores the power of community and individual responsibility in driving political change. Leigh shares a personal story about her kidney transplant, symbolizing hope and the impact of individual actions:

“Lynn Millard... donated you a kidney. You are still here to help us fight with this.” ([30:09])

David adds:

“One person can make a difference... there are hundreds of thousands of us out here that want something better.” ([35:03])

Personal Stories and Hope

Leigh and David share moving personal anecdotes that illustrate resilience and the tangible impact of collective effort. Leigh reflects on her transplant experience as a catalyst for renewed purpose:

“What you just described renewed my faith... I feel an obligation to give back.” ([50:57])

David emphasizes the importance of shared humanity and mutual support:

“We can do this... reminding people of our shared humanity.” ([46:46])

Conclusion

As the episode draws to a close, Leigh and David reiterate the necessity of moving beyond traditional political frameworks to embrace a movement grounded in common sense principles and community solidarity. They advocate for a shift from partisan battles to a unified front against concentrated power, emphasizing that true change requires sustained grassroots efforts.

Leigh concludes with an inspiring message:

“We are our own saviors. The government is us, and we know what we need. Don’t lose hope.” ([52:46])

Notable Quotes

• Leigh McGowan ([00:27]): “The climate has changed, which is why these fires only in the last few years have become this virulent.”

• David Bender ([04:51]): “We ignored something that we knew was happening for 50 years at least... we are living with the logical conclusion of doing nothing.”

• Leigh McGowan ([10:17]): “Citizens United was clearly the worst Supreme Court decision... it's corrupting our system every single day.”

• David Bender ([32:22]): “It’s about people versus power... America is heading into a mess.”

• Leigh McGowan ([50:57]): “What you just described renewed my faith... I feel an obligation to give back.”

Final Thoughts

This episode serves as a clarion call for American citizens to engage deeply with the fundamental issues threatening democracy. By highlighting the intersections of climate change, political corruption, and the urgent need for grassroots movements, The Politics Girl Podcast empowers listeners to recognize their potential impact. The heartfelt dialogue between Leigh McGowan and David Bender offers both a sobering analysis of contemporary challenges and a hopeful vision for a united, values-driven movement to safeguard America's democracy.

Stay Connected

For more insightful discussions and to join the movement, subscribe to The Politics Girl Podcast every Tuesday. Engage with a community committed to rebuilding American democracy from the ground up.

End of Summary

Transcript

[A]

You know, when you wake up suddenly and your neighborhood's on fire? You're not saying, I should have been doing more for the last 20 years and that that should be the conclusion we take from these moments. It isn't yet, but leadership can play a part in that. But you know what this is going to start from? Not the top down. It's going to start from a movement in this country, from the bottom up.

[B]

Foreign hello, and welcome to the Politics Girl podcast. I'm your host, Lee McGowan. Let's get into it. This is the last episode of the Biden administration. When this podcast airs next week, we will have entered the second Trump administration and they are promising shock and awe. So this is perhaps the last time we can be reflexive and contemplative about our politics, because for at least the known future, we will probably find ourselves being reactive. And that is a hard place to find wisdom. So I've asked my friend David Bender to join us today because aside from being Rachel Maddow self described political guru, he is also mine and he's one of the wisest people I know. If you aren't familiar with David, he has spent five decades as a political activist, beginning when he took what he calls a leave of absence from seventh grade to become a full time volunteer for Bobby Kennedy's presidential campaign. David went on to report on the presidential campaigns of Richard Nixon, George McGovern and Hubert Humphrey. He was a key aide to the legendary liberal rights activist Allard Lowenstein, pivotal in both the civil rights movement and the anti Vietnam War movement. David served on the national field staff for California Governor Jerry Brown's 76 presidential campaign and Senator Edward Kennedy's 1980 presidential campaign. When JFK Jr launched his political and cultural magazine, George David was his first west coast contributing editor. David was also the host of Air America's Political Politically Direct, where he regularly interviewed influential voices in politics and media like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and Gore Vidal, and is currently a columnist for the Washington Spectator. For me, he is one of the most politically savvy people I know, and I thought you would get something out of hearing what he has to say at this pivotal moment in American history. So without further ado, please welcome my guest, political expert, author, and man with enough wisdom for ten political lifetimes, David Bender. Welcome back, my friend.

[A]

Thank you. It's so nice to be back in a new century. Is this 20?

[B]

It's a new quarter century. It's a new quarter century.

[A]

It is, yeah. And when does George Washington leave the quarter and they put Trump on it.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

Pretty soon, of course, he will get a percentage of each coin. That seems fair.

[B]

You're horrifying me. And you know perfectly well he doesn't want to be in a coin. He's going to be. He's going to want those Benjamins to be named after him. Now, listen, I'm going to say off the top of this that you and I both live in Los Angeles. So you are evacuated from your place right now because of the fires, and you're in a hotel. And if we hear dogs in the background at any point, those are your little dogs, and they are not thrilled to not be right beside you right now. So if you hear them, that is what's going on.

[A]

They've got water and they're fine, but they're a little disoriented, as are we all. This is. And as I know for you, we've all been on tenterhooks and still are, because this is Los Angeles. I grew up here. We've had these winds forever, but we didn't have them with these environmental conditions and the climate. Let me say it again. The climate has changed, which is why these fires only in the last few years have become this virulent. We all. We all have expected. My entire life, we expected this kind of imagery of communities leveled if the major earthquake happened. You can't live in California not know that that's a possibility. But none of us, and I can say that for, you know, going back to the Cleveland administration, none of us expected that this would happen in the way that it has. And that is because climate has changed everything on every coast and in the center of the heartland. So here we are. And I'm glad that we're all safe. But, you know, this is not just the fires. We're not going to be dealing for months, if not years, with the particulates in the air and the breathing. It will make smog look quaint. And that's. That's a hazard. It's a hazard to pregnant mothers. It's just. It's a nightmare what has happened. And, yes, humans bear a lot of that responsibility, not just God and the.

[B]

Wind and not just Democratic leadership, because I think that's the thing that's upsetting me so much, is that, you know, this. I think sometimes it's easier for people, and I include liberals in this because I'm seeing a lot of finger pointing of liberals towards Gavin Newsom, towards the mayor, Karen Bass of Los Angeles. And I think, you know, here's the thing. We ignored something that we knew was happening for 50 years at least. We just kept pushing it to the side and pushing it to the side and pushing it to the side. And there are people who have written books that are now being like, this woman is Nostradamus. She knew that there would be huge fires in Los Angeles, where really all she did was play out what we were doing, which was nothing. And this is the logical conclusion. And we are living with the logical conclusion of doing nothing. And we're going to realize pretty quickly that it's far more expensive to fix it after the fact than it is to have dealt with it before. And if the best time was, you know, years ago, to have dealt with this, the next best time is today. And instead we are going to, you know, blame Gavin Newsom and blame the female black mayor and the female fire chiefs instead of saying, like, hey, we have not dealt with this and we would not. You cannot. Doesn't matter who, how much money your fire department budget has. You can't fight a fire in 100 mile an hour winds. It's fighting a fire in a hurricane, and that is impossible. You can't put those planes in the air. You can't. You're not expecting to do wildfire fighting in an urban area. Like, there are so many things that people don't understand. So much nuance that has come up with this, and people would rather point fingers because it's a simple solution to a far more complicated problem.

[A]

Well, this is the essence of, of Trumpism. It's beyond Trump, but that's. He is the symptom of something deeper. When people feel helpless and they can't understand what the future looks like. We know that these environmental consequences are playing out. Twenty years ago, Lee, I sat in a studio here in Los Angeles when former Vice President Gore taped An Inconvenient Truth. It was taped for the release. I think it was. I don't know if it was a VHS then. Whatever it was, it was 2005. And I watched him get up on a ladder point at charts and it was all frightening. But he was so articulate. And the thing I can tell you now is everything he predicted then that would happen in the middle of this century, by 2040, by 2050, has happened already. We're ahead of all of the forecasters and all of them. If you look at the experts who talk about the melting of the ice caps, the way the current changes, the wind flows, which affect what we're seeing here in Los Angeles, that happened Much more quickly. It's happening exponentially. So when people feel helpless, particularly young people, they don't know how to process that helplessness. One easy way is to blame somebody else. Blame immigrants, blame politicians, blame anybody else, blame women, blame people of color that's as old as this time, Blame the other. But the solution, if there is to be one, is to stop thinking about blame and start thinking about how we got here and how we can get out of it. It's a tough one because you've got to look into your heart and take responsibility for your own indifference, for your own apathy. And you know when you wake up suddenly and your neighborhood's on fire, you're not saying, I should have been doing more for the last 20 years and that that should be the conclusion we take from these moments. It isn't yet, but leadership can play a part in that. But you know what this is going to start from? Not the top down. It's going to start from a movement in this country, from the bottom up. And I have some thoughts about that. I've been doing a little reading, and there are ways in which we can find basic common sense principles. But here we are, we're making it through day by day, and that's what we have to do right now.

[B]

Yeah, I think that is what we have to do right now. I think we need to be really clear, though, that this isn't going to be something that the top down fixes, because the top is doing just fine. And in fact, the top is planning for a lot of this. You see insurance companies taking people off their plans for fire because they know the fires are going to be coming and they don't want to be on the hook financially for it. The insurance companies know it's happening. You see people doing a type of disaster capitalism where they know that the terra frost in Russia is going to be melting so that we're going to have more farmland in Russia, and they're planning for that. They know that they've done nothing about the climate. The climate is going to change. And what they're trying to do is find a way to capitalize on it. And I think we're seeing the very, very rich just planning for the disasters of the future with absolutely no sense of what the rest of us are going to do. And I know that Robert Reich just said, if you look at the way our government functions, Big oil bought Congress, so we had no action for years on climate. The NRA bought off Congress, so we had no action for years on guns.

[A]

Excuse me for a moment. They bought off both parties. Both parties, yeah. Let's be clear.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, no, I think that is very clear. The insurance companies bought off Congress, and we had no action on health care. Right. Until we had Obamacare, there was literally nothing that anyone was doing at all. And to this day, you know, it's still not as strong as it could be. And this next administration wants to get rid of it. I mean, the list just goes on and on and on. And. And clearly, money in politics is the root of our dysfunction, but also, money just seems to corrupt in general. Right. It's eroding our democracy. It's creating this vicious cycle that's funneling more wealth and more power to those people at the top while everyone else is suffering. Citizens United was clearly the worst Supreme Court decision, at least one of them, in history, and it's corrupting our system every single day. So it's just. It's. It's over and over again. We're seeing the problem. And so I don't think we can expect any of those people at the top to be making major changes for us. It's going to have to come from the bott bottom, which really is the majority of us. And we have to once again, you know, make those in power aware that the rest of us are still here and we still care. And we don't want to live like this with our homes burning to the ground around us or hurricanes wiping out our entire neighborhoods or floods taking out entire city blocks. We don't want to live like this, and something needs to be done.

[A]

And look at. Look at the contrast when the hurricanes hit along the east coast, hit Florida, hit North Carolina. President Biden did not politicize fema. He had everyone on the ground. If anything, it was the skepticism of the MAGA folk who said, you can't trust the government. And they turned down help. They turned down help because it came from the government, which is the enemy. I'm going to say this. I probably been saying this since I was about 12. Government is not them. Government is us. It is an extension of ourselves. We are teachers. We are firefighters. We are police people. And if we're not them, we pay for them. That we're not talking politicians in oval offices or in ornate chambers. We're talking about government that is us. And if it does not reflect us, which was the intention, this is the government of the people, by the people, for the people, then we have lost. And Ronald Reagan started this to be clear, government's the enemy. You know, the the words people fear the most are, I'm from the government, I'm here to help. That said with a smile, said with his folksy way, was the most pernicious thing that could be done because it made people feel like government was the problem. And we have to again realize government is us and we are our own saviors. It's not going to come from them, it's going to come from us. But understanding that, you know, when we say government, we should put a small G on it and we should identify with it.

[B]

Speaking of that, then, you know, we're watching what the Republicans are planning to do in the next administration. We're seeing what Donald Trump is going to prioritize, which is basically going after every political enemy possible. And we're seeing what the Democrats are doing. And we're seeing that the Democrats are trying to figure out how they should position themselves in this new world. And I'm hearing a lot of chatter about, you know, kind of same old, same old, you know, don't criticize the billionaires because the billionaires, if the billionaires were favoring the Democrats, we would love it that ultimately all Americans really just want to be billionaires. So we shouldn't be criticizing them. I can't say how much I disagree more strongly with that statement. I think you do, too. I mean, I actually don't think, David, that people all want to be billionaires. I think that people can see at this point that billionaires are a destructive force in our world because we're not talking about people who can buy mansions. We're talking about people who can buy countries, right? Who have taken over entire industries, who have raised the prices on our food, on our heat, on our energy, who are trying to privatize services like our post office and our schools, who are taking over everything using private equity from our old folks homes to our veterinarians, then jacking up the price and making everything worse for us. I don't think people want to be billionaires. I think people want to be taken care of. I think people want to be without worry. I think people want to live a safe, happy life where they know that if they get sick, they're not going to just die because they couldn't afford the treatment. I think if people are in a car accident, they'd like to take an ambulance without having to look at the price tag. I think people want to live a life of worth and value again. And I don't think we're all just fricking dying to wear $900,000 watches. While we talk about how facts don't matter anymore. You're checking your watch, see how much is. Oh, no watch. No watch on either of our wrists, people. But you know what I'm talking about. You know what I'm talking about, right? So, like, you recently shared with me that you had spoken to someone who had basically written you to say they didn't understand why the Democrats seemed to be acting the way they were, why they weren't acting like the opposition party that they should be. And I couldn't agree more with that person that wrote you. And then recently, Bill Crystal, who's a known conservative, the editor of the week, Weekly Standard, who was a chief of staff for Vice President Dan Quayle in the Bush administration, who's hardly my bestie. Right. We're hardly like Simpatico. He just wrote an article for the Conservative Bulwark and he said how the country really needs a real opposition party and the Democrats are not it. So what do you think the Democrats are doing? Why are they not acting like the opposition party? We need them to be?

[A]

Well, because they don't know how. And Professor Timothy Snyder, who is quite a wonderful human being and is becoming more and more present in our national conversation, who wrote on tyranny, who's most recently written on freedom.

[B]

Yeah, we had him on the show recently.

[A]

I envy that conversation. I've never met him, but I'm a longtime fan. No time caller. What I will say, though, is that he is advocating what the Brits have, which is a shadow government. There should be someone, whether it is Pete Buttigieg and. And there are a lot of jobs he could do, but there are so many other powerful Democrats. Chris Murphy would make a wonderful shadow secretary of state or secretary of defense. And every time these people talk about something insane like let's give up Ukraine or let's form an alliance with Hungary or let's use the military to take the Panama Canal or invade Greenland. We should be. And this is something that we're going to need to do again. The messaging problem is not the message. It's who hears the message. And as many people as listen to this podcast and learn something every time and add brain cells, there are that many more people who listen and too many more people, a majority who listen to what I call information, but not knowledge. Opinions are not facts, and they have come to have equal and sometimes even greater value. And until it doesn't even matter if we say this policy is malign, this is bad if we're not being heard by a majority of the American people. And that, that to me is the long term plan. It's the one the Republicans put in place with Rupert Murdoch and Sinclair Broadcasting and now the twit in chief who runs X. They're able to create their own reality. First time we heard that phrase was under George W. Bush. He said, you know, it doesn't matter what's real, whether there were weapons of mass destruction. We create reality. And they were pikers at it compared to this group. We now have to take back the ability and it's a generational fight. It's going to take a long time to get people to understand that not all information should be accepted at face value. And sometimes worse than that should become the guiding principle. If you take things in that way, no good comes of it. That's where climate denialism becomes so profound. It is part of not only an absence of information, the phrase disinformation. The Russians have been, and now with a lot of help, putting out kernels of information that are completely designed to move our national consciousness toward their agenda, which is a petrochemical agenda. Russia exists entirely. Its economy is entirely based on the need for fossil fuels, as is, you know, Saudi Arabia. What was the first country that Donald Trump visited when he first became president? I believe it was Saudi Arabia. What a coincidence. These, these things you and I can sit here and, and your audience is smart enough to process and look it up and do due diligence. Most people don't. And that's our problem. And education doesn't solve it because you're basing it on an unwillingness to accept fact. That, to me, is our greatest challenge. Not only is this an American society, but globally, because this is now a global fight and we're in this together. And I hope, I really believe that there are enough people, particularly young people, who believe that the future can be better. It's hard because there's a lot of evidence to the contrary, but we need to encourage that. And that's where a component of it would be, people calling out lies. It took three, four years for the media to start saying Donald Trump is lying. When he lies with every breath, you need to be able to say that this is not a false equivalency. What did someone say? You know, there are some who say that the earth is round. On the other hand, many believe it to be flat. What do you do with that? And the problem is, now that we have the Internet, it turns out a million people do believe it to be flat. They meet each other. So it's a problem. But if we have the hearts and minds and willingness to start from the bottom up, Community organizing, talking to our friends. We are our own best sources of information. And one smart, no. 1 well informed person who starts spreading facts can have an impact on a local community. And that community can have it on the next community. And before long, we're beginning to recreate what built this country. Those 13 colonies, they, they had a shared purpose, which was freedom and independence. Those are American values. And. And being a billionaire was never in Thomas Jefferson's list of things to do.

[B]

Okay, so we're gonna take a break right now and do a couple messages from our sponsors and then we're gonna be back and maybe even with the dogs. Honestly, one of the things I really should change in my house are my blinds. Particularly the blinds in my bedroom. I know they are hung too low. I think Sean and I got the curtain rod for our first apartment before we were married, and we have been married for 20 years. The curtains are newer. Okay. We got them when we moved into this house, which was, you know, 16 years ago. So I don't know what the hell I'm doing. It's embarrassing. Which is why I'm inspired to tell you about three Day Blinds, who are the leading manufacturer of custom window treatments in the US who make upgrading your blinds and shades and shutters and drapery easy, breezy and painless. If you're not handy, no problem. Their team will handle all the heavy lifting, the design, the measurements, the installation. You just get to sit back and get upgraded windows. You want help deciding what fits best in your home? Their professional design consultants, each with over 10 years of experience, will guide you to the perfect solution from the comfort of your own home. Plus, they'll give you a free no obligation quote the same day. And here's the kicker. Right now you can get a buy one, get one 50 off deal on custom window treatments. So whether you're looking for modern motorized blinds that sync with your smart home or chic roman shades that tie a room together, or you just want to upgrade to something a little better than you chose 20 years ago, then three day blinds has thousands of options for every style and budget right now. Get quality window treatments that fit your budget with 3 Day Blinds. Head to 3dayblinds.com politicsgirl for their buy one, get one 50 off deal on custom blinds, shades, shutters and drapery for a free, no charge, no obligation consultation. Just head to three day blinds.com politicsgirl one last time. That's buy one get one 50% off when you head to the number three D a Y blinds.com politicsgirl make your windows work for you. It's 2025. It's time for an upgrade. The start of the new year is the perfect time to get organized, set goals, and prioritize what matters most. With the chaos that's happening around us, one of my top priorities is going to be our financial wellness. And one of the ways to get a hold on that is using Rocket Money. Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending, and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings. Rocket Money shows you all of your subscriptions in one place and helps easily cancel the ones you forgot you were paying for. Rocket Money also pulls together all of your spending across different accounts so you can clearly track your habits and see where you cut back. You know, when you sign up for something and then forget about it, and then after the trial, you're charged month after month after month. Shocker. We do that a lot. In fact, 85% of people have at least one paid subscription going unused each month. But with Rocket Money, you can see all your subscriptions in one place and just cancel the ones you're not using. A lot of people need this service, which is why Rocket Money has over 5 million users and has saved a total of $500 million in canceled subscriptions and its members up to $740 a year when they use all of the app's premium features. So cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money. Go to RocketMoney.com PoliticsGirl today. That's RocketMoney.com PoliticsGirl RocketMoney.com Politics Girl and we're back. And David has brought the dog. Show us the adorable dogs. There are dogs now that will not be barking from the background because they are happy with their daddy. And we're gonna have them on David's lap for the rest of the journey.

[A]

Hercules.

[B]

Hercules is a baby.

[A]

This is the baby, and this is Colby, his brother.

[B]

So we now have David, Hercules, and Colby on the show. So let's talk then a little bit about just to finish off with the Democrats, because literally I was so. I was moved by Bill Kristol's article because he basically said the job of the Democratic Party right now comes in two parts. First, do not help the Republicans, not in any way. Second, make Donald Trump own every bad outcome that happens anywhere in the world. And I couldn't agree with him more. And I just don't understand this desire to pretend that things are normal. And I, I wonder if it's because the Democrats that are up in these high echelons right now, the consultant class, the, you know, the people that have been running the show for a long time, they know their lives are gonna remain relatively normal even if our lives are falling apart. So do you think it's a lack of imagination, a lack of fight? Because I'm seeing them behave like this is completely normal right now. And I'm looking at things like the SAVE act that the Republican House is trying to push through. And it sounds good. Like, just on its surface, it sounds good, oh, you have to prove your citizenship to vote. And you're like, okay, but what it would do for is bar Americans from registering to vote with their driver's license. You would need a passport, and most people in America don't have a passport. So then you would need two forms of ID that match, including one that proves you're a citizen. So that means your birth certificate. And I'm sure most people can think like, where is my birth certificate? Most people have no idea where their birth certificate is. Then even if you find your birth certificate or you go to a, you know, a registrar's office and you get it. Most women in America who are married do not have a matching ID to their birth certificate because they change their names. So in many ways, this is a way of disproportionately affecting women who have changed their names from voting of minorities that don't have access to their birth certificate because they came from another country or whatever, and they've changed their citizenship. You have to find citizenship. It is a way to disenfranchise people from voting. And it is blatant, and it is obvious, and the Democrats should be screaming about it. And it looks like this bill is going to pass. This is the kind of stuff that is making me absolutely bananas.

[A]

You said something at the outset that I think is a threshold question. The House is so close that nothing passes without Democrat votes, Democratic votes. If we're at a margin of two to four votes on, let's call it the reconciliation bill. And this is what Trump seems to want. He wants one big, beautiful bill that would include the SAVE Act. It would include everything. And you have to pass reconciliation or you don't have a budget. And that's why it exists. You can't filibuster it. It's a majority vote in the House and Senate, but because it will contain some things that those 38 people who are absolutely insistent that we not have an unbalanced budget or that we have debt. They won't vote for it.

[B]

That requires Democrats, the far, far right, the kind of old Tea Party type people or the MAGA extremists.

[A]

Yeah. So if we take your point, and I do that from this point forward, Hakeem Jeffries says no Democrat will vote for anything. Anything. And it's all on you. If you can't get a majority, 100% of your Republicans to vote for something, then the question is, and this is the problem, we are responsible governors. We are people who look at the job of keeping the lights on, of keeping the basic functions of government where people will suffer and livelihoods, communities will shut down. A long term shutdown is terrible for our constituents, for the citizenry. Democrats know that and they, they're between a rock and a hard place. If they do vote for the reconciliation, they're giving votes to a Republican initiative and they can negotiate, they can take out some of the bad things. But you know, this is the quandary we're in. And we, we also have a new situation where John Thune has shown a little bit of spine. Just a little.

[B]

This is the new Senate Majority Leader, John Thune.

[A]

Exactly. Replacing Mitch McConnell, which seemed like it should have happened three years ago when.

[B]

He, he started glitching.

[A]

Yes, exactly. He would freeze and it wouldn't be, you know, a bad zoom. But, but in, in truth, Mitch McConnell was a very savvy leader and John Thune is his protege and he cares about the Senate's institutional purview. And so he's keeping the filibuster. And that means they, we can use Democratic votes to filibuster things like the Savings Act. And that's helpful. That is, that is useful. I think the paradigm though, is what's wrong here. We're doing this as Democrat versus Republican. And I think that, and even left and right, those don't mean anything anymore. People don't identify with that. Those, those terms are, are really literally 20th century terms. What we need to be thinking about is a dichotomy between freedom and a belief in the core principles of the Constitution or people who would take it away. And, and that is this incoming government that would like to eviscerate checks and balances. Who would like to roll the House and Senate, roll the Supreme Court, and we have to say Democrat or Republican. Bill Kristol being an example of Republicans who've come to that. Liz Cheney being another. There are many more. And I see this whole Business about people voted ultimately on inflation. That's not it. It's way too simple. Because if you want to look at economies, the worst economies that we've had in the last hundred years have been under Republican presidents. It was Herbert Hoover who left the Great Depression of Franklin Roosevelt to clean up. It was George W. Bush who left the great Great Recession, which was almost a depression, to Barack Obama to clean up. So you know that Republicans are fiscally responsible is a joke.

[B]

Yeah, but most people don't know that because they're better at branding.

[A]

They're better at branding. And that's simply because if you have time to buy advertising at between 2 and 4 in the morning on a cable channel and they can buy spots on the super bowl, metaphorically speaking, the disproportionate amount of resources that have been used to create these realities, to create the differences in perception, that's. That goes back to what I said a minute ago. If we don't address that, then there'll be save acts and all the rest, and it's going to be a fire hose in the first hundred days. Now, I'm an optimist by nature. I always have been and I always will be. I believe that things have a way of turning when you least expect them. This fire is an incredible example of that. It's going to awaken a lot of people, certainly here, to the dangers of ignoring climate. But I go back five years, January of 2020, when no one was saying the word Covid aloud. And two months later, Trump said it aloud and he said it'll be over by Easter. He lost reelection because a million people died on his watch through and it was impossible to ignore. Those are the events that are going to happen and we can't predict them here. We only have to be ready. And this is where I think our job is right now. We have to be organizing at the grassroots level so that when, not if, but when, these people overreach and Republicans for as long, and my memory goes back a long way, Richard Nixon in 1972, he won 49 states. That's a landslide. Donald Trump had a mudslide. He had barely moved 115,000 votes, and he's now president. 21 months later, Richard Nixon was out of office. Why? Because he overreached. They broke into the Watergate when they didn't need to, but their instinct is absolute power. And when they have absolute power, they want more. Because apparently the word absolute is not. There's no limit on it. That's what you can count on. And that makes me at least hopeful that we're going to see some things very soon because his agenda is so radical so quickly that the chance for blowback is going to be very big very soon.

[B]

I just think people's memories are so short, which is why we have to be ready with proper messaging and speaking to people at the grassroots level and moving people along to something that could be better than what we have. Like you said, it's not red versus blue, it's not Dem versus Republican, it's people versus whatever this is. And I, I feel like my problem is, is that what do we do with all this endless lying with impunity, this complete lack of shame or consequences? People forgot that a million people died under Covid in many ways because the media didn't tell us. We should have seen pictures of the trucks. You know, like the Vietnam War changed when people started seeing those pictures on the front page of the paper, but we never showed anyone that. And now we have Donald Trump who's going to be in charge of the media. He's going to put someone like Cash Patel in charge of the FBI to go political enemies. We're going to have Facebook and X and our mainstream media all kowtowing to the liar in chief. And I wonder like, how do people even find the right information? I mean, we're seeing it right now. Like I said at the very beginning of the episode with the fires, you have people who are well educated people being like, yeah, this is terrible leadership on California's part. And I'm like, it's not. It's climate change that we've ignored for years and it's a perfect storm. That's what's happening and people are losing their lives because of it. And it's so much easier to just say that person is to blame same than say, God, we Lew it for 50 years and now we have to change how we do everything. Well, it's the winter and if you're anything like me, your skin might be begging for a little tlc. Between cold weather, indoor heating and some sleepless nights worrying about the world, we could all probably use a bit of a glow up. Which is where today's sponsor One Skin comes in. Now, One Skin isn't just skincare. It's science backed skincare that works at the cellular level level. Their products feature the game changing ingredient of the OS 1 peptide developed after testing over 900 other peptides. It's proven to target those pesky zombie cells, the ones that stop producing collagen and hyaluronic. Acid and make your skin look older by leading to lines and wrinkles and crepey skin. But instead of just masking aging, Oneskin works to reverse it, leaving your skin healthier, firmer and more hydrated. This is the New Year year, so maybe instead of making some big resolution, you might want to pick up a small habit that will add to a big change. So if you're ready to invest in the health and longevity of your skin, this might be a sign. Make 2025 the year you take your skincare routine to the next level. Founded and led by an all woman team of skin longevity scientists, One Skin is redefining the aging process with their proprietary OS1 peptide, the first ingredient proven to help skin look, feel and behave like it's yet younger self get 15% off with the Code Politics Girl at oneskin co. That's 15% off at oneskin co with the code politicsgirl and after you purchase, they'll ask you where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them that we sent you. Invest in the health and longevity of your skin With One Skin, your future self will thank you New Year's mean fresh starts. We're all trying to build better habits. Whether that's better skin, healthier eating, or working out more, one thing we often forget to address are our finances. If you find you're struggling under the weight of debt, and believe me, I've been there, maybe it's time to make change. And PDS debt can help. If you're making payments every month but your balances just won't budge, PDS Debt has solutions for you. They specialize in personalized debt plans, helping you pay off your debt in a fraction of the time. And they don't care about your credit score. Whether you have bad credit, fair credit, or anything in between, everyone with $10,000 or more in eligible debt qualifies. Here's the thing. I know debt can feel overwhelming. But PDS debt is about giving you the tools and support to take back control of your financial life. Who wouldn't want to start the year with a little less stress and a lot more financial freedom? So make this year the year you take control of your debt. Get a free debt analysis right now at pdsdebt.com politics girl it only takes 30 seconds. That's P D S-E-B T.com politicsgirl pdsdebt.com politicsgirl it's so much easier to just say that person is to blame than say, God, we Lew it for 50 years and now we have to change how we do everything.

[A]

Well, let me propose something that I read. I read something about how, you know, this is just basic common sense. And there is. It is common sense. It is not policy we get. People don't speak in policy. They don't speak even about climate change, or to a degree, after Dobbs, they spoke about, you know, the consequences because it was real in their lives. But generally, issues are not something they think about in those terms. But they do think about values. They do think about core principles of fairness and freedom. Those are the essential American principles. Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense, and I believe I could be mistaken, but there's a new book out called A Return to Common Sense. I have not been put up to this, I swear, where I'd have a $900,000 watch on my wrist. But I'm serious, Lee. What you proposed is so fundamental to the way people think. They don't think in terms of policy. They can't. That's way above their ability. They spend, if the stats I've heard are right, four minutes a week thinking about politics. Four minutes a week. A lot more time is spent on thinking about laundry. So if we understand that. But the values, the principles of who we are as people, they think about all the time. They think about how they want to raise their kids. And that, to me, is how we fight this. We fight this by going back to the culture of what it means to be an American. And there are certain common sense values. I can't do it off the top of my head, but I think I have an expert here. There are six principles. Can I ask you. I'm turning the tables and being a host. I used to do this for a living. What are the six? What are the six?

[B]

The six common sense principles that I wrote in my book, A Return to Common Sense, are, America is a land of freedom. Everyone should have the opportunity to rise. Every citizen should have a vote, and that vote should count. Representatives should represent the people who elected them. The law applies to all of us, and government should be a force for good. And I think when I wrote the book, you're very kind to bring it up, but honestly, David, it's so fascinating that you're saying this, because all I want to do now is focus on the six. I just want to return to basic. I want to go back and say to people, listen, you want your kids to go to school and come home. That's fundamental freedom. You don't have to think about gun policy. You want to say, you know what? I want my kid to go off the school today and I know they come home safely. That's freedom. That's real freedom. Right? I want to know that if I, you know, that my house isn't just going to burn down because the government wasn't looking out for me, but they were looking out for big business business. I want to know that if I vote, my vote actually counts. It's not going to be removed like what's happening in North Carolina when they, you know, elected a Democrat. And the Republicans are literally trying to say, nope, we don't like who won, so we're just going to throw it out. That's not how regular people think. It's not how anything should work. And it has nothing to do with politics. It has to do with common sense principles of regular people who think like regular people and talk to regular people and just want to live a life of worth and value again.

[A]

And to that point, we have structured this now. And part of that is the nature of campaigns. When I started in presidential politics, it was considered poor form to announce even the year before the election for president. You announced in January or February. Robert Kennedy in 1968 announced in March of 1968, the year he was running. Eugene McCarthy announced the end of November in 67, either the end the preceding year. We now have permanent campaigns. There are people planning on 28, there are people planning on 26 right now for midterms. We don't know what's going to happen between now and then. And I would argue that one of the basic ideas behind common sense principles is people don't organize their lives around elections. They organize their lives around how they get through the day, where their family is safe, where they have freedom, where they understand that government is not our enemy, it is ourselves, and that we are self governing. So we take responsibility. And that's one of the wonderful things. There are very few, but one of the wonderful things we're seeing about these fires where neighbors are helping neighbors. They're not asking them what their politics are, they're just helping them. And that's who Americans are. If we stop thinking around election cycles, I would say right now, starting on January 19, and by the way, there is a giant woman's March on the 18th all over the country. And I encourage people to look to sign up one in Washington, but they're all over. And it's time again that we realize that we should show our numbers in the street. But I'll say if we start now and don't start talking, I would not have a conversation with a candidate about 26 until January of 26. If you can't show me in 2025 that you understand these principles, whether you're an elected official, whether you're a business person, whoever you are, whether you're a teacher or someone in the community, if you're not on board with the idea of these six common sense principles, then don't come to me at election time because it doesn't matter what policy you say you're for. You've decided that this is going to be the winning issue. You, it's not about that. It's not picking, you know, what's in fashion, you know, to wear at a certain time of year. It's what should be guiding us irrespective of whether people are running for office or soliciting your vote. The biggest number that always sticks with me is the number of people who are eligible to vote who don't.

[B]

Yeah, me too.

[A]

And that number is, I think, something like 80 million, 90 million. 90 million. Well, it went up this time because a huge number of Democrats didn't vote. Whatever it is, it's way too many. There should be, in an ideal world, everyone should want to vote because they feel their vote matters. This common sense principle of people you elect are representing you implicitly. They're not representing their donors. And those are those people who just bought an election. One man just bought a presidential election. That's an obscenity that didn't even occur during the robber baron era. You know, maybe three or four people could buy it all.

[B]

Yeah, you got a couple of politicians in your pocket, but you didn't buy the entire country. And that's where we are now. And they would love to, to roll us back.

[A]

That can't be. But the only way it happens is if we decide that elections aren't how we really determine governance. And it may require a new American majority that is not based on party but is based on philosophy. And it requires a commitment that doesn't get resolved in two or four years. It's going to take 15 or 20 for this movement to build. You made reference in your book to the Tea Party. The Tea party in 2010 won a massive election, took 600 legislative seats around the country. The biggest gain for Republicans since 20 since 1928. But what that long term effect did was it created all these gerrymandered districts where you can't have fair election. Elections just isn't possible. The people should write the districts, not the politicians writing their own constituencies. But they Planned that. They planned that. And it has stayed in place through the last census. So it's a 20 year gerrymander. We have to be not thinking politically. We have to be thinking culturally and our values and ways to come together around those common sense ideas. If we do this now, we will see the results in our lifetime, your son's lifetime. Things are happening rapidly. Change is happening rapidly. And again, five years ago, no one talked of COVID Covid has changed us in so many fundamental ways. This fire will, too. We need to understand and be prepared to be cohesive in the event of change, because that is inevitable.

[B]

Yeah, change is absolutely inevitable. And if I may say before you go, because I completely agree with you and I think that the audience should know that this is the plan of this project going forward to find a way to connect with people and build a movement based on principles and values and not on politics and money. That ultimately that should change the course of politics, but not because we're a political party, but because we're a political movement of people over power. But we don't know what's going to happen from day to day. I will have to say before you leave that the last time I had you on this show, you were incredibly sick. Your kidney was failing. And we had an episode where we talked about the power of how one person can make a difference. And we talked about your entire life in politics and how much of a difference you had made. And then we talked about it was not your plan, but I talked about how I really wanted to find you a kidney and the difference that someone could make. And over the course of that year, we found Lynn Millard, the most amazing woman, through this podcast. And she did a year of tests and jumped through a million hoops to be able to donate you a Kidney. And on November 5th, election day this year that just passed, we might have lost an election, but you had a successful kidney transplant and your life has completely changed and you are still here to help us fight with this. And I think that it is really important that we understand that we never know how things are going to go. All we can do is fight for the people that we love to get up every day and do the work, to offer things to each other, to take care of each other, to work in community, which is what Lynn did for you. Not knowing you. She's in Florida, you're in California. She heard about this, never met, and she donated you a kidney. The thing is, is that we can do this. One person can make a difference. But there are hundreds of thousands of us out here that want something better than this. And my heart goes out to Lynn for being such a generous, kind, wonderful angel and taking care of you, who's doing so well now when you weren't before. And my heart goes out to all the Americans who are scared right now because this is our last episode before the inauguration, before the administration changes over. And I'm sure people are feeling terrified, just as you were when you were super sick and it didn't look like you had anywhere to go. And yet things can change. And I want people to understand that, and I want them to. That every single day we get up and we try and make a difference. And I think you're the perfect example of that.

[A]

I need to say to you and to Lyn that, yes, you changed my life, and I have tried to live a life of purpose, and I'm not a Buddhist, but I think there is something called karma. If you try and do good in the world, hopefully it will come back to you in this life or perhaps a future one. What happened with what. What you just described renewed my faith at a time that it was ebbing, because what I. I couldn't control. I couldn't control the outcome. If I didn't get a donor, I'd be on dialysis now and. And my life would be foreshortened. I now feel an obligation not just to Lynn and to you and to all the people who, you know, been so kind and wishing me well, to give back still further. And the way I want to do it is exactly the way you're articulating. I've spent my life as a Democrat. I've been to every Democratic convention since 1968. I'm done. I may register as a Democrat, but voting doesn't matter to me. Changing hearts and minds and. And establishing a connection with communities around shared values of giving and helping one another. By the way, that is the best of the religious communities, not the for sale evangelical leadership, but the true Jimmy Carter Christians who go out and build houses. That's what we need to do for each other. And that's what the movement. If you're proposing that this become a movement movement, sign me up. And there you have it.

[B]

Yeah, there you have it. I remember I asked you once, after the Republicans had won and Trump had won, how I was supposed to accept it because I have a child and I can't just give up on this country and this world. And you say no. You said to me, no, Lee, they haven't won. This is A global struggle that we need to defeat. This isn't just about Trumpism. This is about Elonism and this sort of selfishness that is everywhere now. And I think that one of the best things we can do is remind people of our shared humanity, because people are not happy, but they're not going to get it from, you know, aiming to be billionaires. They're going to get it from looking around at their neighbors and saying, we're all in this together. What can we do to help each other?

[A]

My friend, my beloved friend David Crosby wrote a song, a line of which is. It was a song called Almost Cut My Hair. And one of the last lines is, but I'm not giving in to fear, because I promised myself this year. And we can't, we won't, because fear defines us. And the lowest common denominator of that fear results in a Trump or a Germany in 1933. And I don't need to tell you who that was, because I think everyone knows. But it also results in an Abraham Lincoln who calls better angels of our nature. And we rise to that because fear can take us higher. FDR said we had nothing to fear but fear itself. It took us higher. At the same time in Germany, they were taking us to the bottom. We have fear now, but it can elevate us, and it can make us stronger and more determined to get healthy and not only physically, but spiritually. And I believe we can, and I believe we will, and that is just common sense.

[B]

Thank you for joining me today, David. It was a real pleasure.

[A]

And for me.

[B]

So that was my dear friend, David Bender, a lifelong Democratic strategist and expert, saying unequivocally that we have to start doing things differently. We can't keep playing with a rule book that was shredded decades ago. We have to stop letting the Republicans set the terms and then playing defense. This isn't about red versus Blue or Democrat versus Republican. It's about people versus power. All is not lost because we are still here, and we are our own saviors. The government is us, and we know what we need. We just need to inspire a new base of people to drag the politicians along along with us. It's what happened with the Tea Party. It's what happened with maga, and it's what can happen if we return to our common sense. America is heading into a mess. But if we look at Syria, if we look at Covid, if we look at history, things have a way of turning on a dime in ways we can't predict. We just need to be ready when they do. I want to thank David for joining us today and you for caring enough about this country to be here. Don't lose hope. We're all going to need it moving forward. Until next week. PG out. Before you go, I just want to say if you're a premium member of this podcast, thank you. And if you're not a member, please consider supporting my work. New media is going to be essential in this new political landscape. We need to support more authentic voices giving us the truth amidst all the for profit propaganda we can already see. Mainstream media is not going to be a reliable source of information going into this next phase and right wing extremists are already at a great advantage with their side investing in messaging long before our side did. So if you aren't a member of Politics Girl Premium, please consider going to politicsgirl.com and signing up. The beauty of supporting me is that you will get this podcast ad free with all of my short rants sent directly to your inbox. So even if my work is silenced on the increasingly toxic social media sites, you will get access to the truth through your email mail. There is a link to sign up in the bio of this episode, but [e-mail]. thank you again for all your time and support. The Politics Girl Podcast is written and performed by me, Lee McGowan in partnership with the Midas Media Network and produced and edited by Happy Warrior Entertainment. All rights reserved.