Podcast Summary: The Democrats’ October Surprises—Government Shutdowns and Abysmal Debate Performances

Podcast: Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words
Host: Victor Davis Hanson (joined by Jack Fowler) | The Daily Signal
Episode Date: October 14, 2025
Recording Date: October 11, 2025

Main Theme

This episode centers on the political turbulence facing Democrats leading into the 2025 midterms, with specific focus on the “October Surprises” of government shutdowns and weak debate performances by Democratic candidates. Victor Davis Hanson also touches on cultural shifts, institutional decline, and the broader historical context for current events, all with his characteristic incisive, dry, and sometimes sardonic style.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Nobel Peace Prize, Awards, and Trump’s Snub

• Maria Corina Machado of Venezuela received the Nobel Peace Prize, dedicating it to Donald Trump for his opposition to the Maduro regime.

• Discussion of the politicization and declining prestige of prizes like Nobel, Pulitzer, and National Book Awards.

  • “Trump shouldn't feel bad he didn't get it. ... what does a Pulitzer Prize mean anymore? What does a National Book Award mean anymore? They're all predicated either on DEI or ideological grounds.” — Hanson [11:30]

• Notable historical context: Past Nobel winners include controversial figures (Yasser Arafat, Al Gore, Barack Obama).

• The genuine risk taken by Machado is contrasted with performative awards.

  • Hanson links this to a trend of institutions being hollowed out by left-wing ideology: “Everything the radical left touches turns to dross. Everything. They have a unique ability to destroy institutions.” [13:40]

2. Letitia James Scandal and Lawfare Escalation

• Letitia James, New York Attorney General, is under investigation for misrepresenting her residence on a mortgage application and possibly other misstatements.

• Hanson critiques inconsistent media coverage and points out that as chief law enforcement officer, James should be “above legal reproach.”

  • “Maybe we're trying to set this record and say do not use lawfare because if you do ... somebody's going to find out something and don't do it if it's improper.” [18:28]

• Broader critique of lawfare targeting Trump and others, creating a cycle of dirt-digging; Hanson lists a series of recent legal embarrassments for left-leaning prosecutors: E. Jean Carroll, Judges Kaplan & Merchan, Alvin Bragg, Jack Smith, and Fannie Willis.

3. John Bolton and Classified Documents

• Mention that Bolton is under grand jury investigation for improperly transmitting classified documents for memoir purposes.
  • “If it turns out to be true, he's going to be in big trouble. You can't have the National Security advisor... sending classified information to people so he can write a memoir...” [22:10]
• Reference to past government malfeasance (Sandy Berger).

4. Government Shutdown and Economic Politics

• Federal government shutdown, layoffs, and the political calculus behind the timing and purpose (aimed at damaging Trump’s reelection prospects by tanking the economy).
  • “They want to tank it and they want to shut this government down for months, get us into a recession, and then blame it on crazy Trump and we'll see if it works.” [48:48]
• Trump’s strategy to selectively lay off in non-essential, Democratic-leaning parts of the government.
• Comparison to past shutdown narratives and media framing.
• The subtext: while Trump is riding favorable economic indicators, Democrats are cynically playing shutdown politics in hopes of a recession narrative.

5. Campus Chaos: Reflections Then and Now

• Hanson reflects humorously but pointedly on his UC Santa Cruz days and today’s campus protesters.
  • On past protests: “Very wealthy person who was screaming and yelling as if she was in the Students for Democratic Society...” [25:22]
  • On current campus protests re: Gaza: Activists are stuck because Hamas now wants a peace deal, undermining their protest narrative.

6. Middle East, Trump Diplomacy, and the Gaza Ceasefire

• Discussion of the ramifications of a ceasefire deal in Gaza, the defeat and isolation of Hamas, and how Trump’s approach upended traditional State Department methods.
  • “What was brilliant about this peace deal... he had all these pieces that all of the so called sober and judicious diplomats... never did.” [36:03]
• Hanson credits Trump for building personal alliances and using pragmatic leverage in the Middle East, rather than ideology.

7. U.S.–China Trade War and Rare Earths

• China threatens to withhold strategic minerals; Trump counters with tariff threats.
• Reflection on how U.S. lost dominance in rare earths extraction due to environmental policies and Chinese manipulation.
  • “We were the ones that invented the idea of how to use rare earth minerals and how to process them. And then we shut down the entire thing before environmental reasons...” [39:23]
• Optimism that, with the right leadership and incentives, the U.S. can reclaim industrial self-sufficiency—as it did in WWII.
  • Hanson praises Elon Musk’s contribution to American industrial innovation. [43:32]

8. ‘October Surprise’ Debates: Virginia and New Jersey Political Fiascos

• Virginia: Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger’s refusal to disassociate from running mate Jay Jones after his leaked violent texts (advocating murder of political opponents’ children).
  • “All she had to say is I'm not going to endorse him. And she couldn't do that... She would not do it.” [52:14]
• Jones’ record includes reckless driving (116 mph) and dubious community service claims.
• Media bias and leftist racism are highlighted, especially in the portrayal of black Republican Winsome Sears.
  • “Every time they see a conservative, black, gifted person... they always play the race card in cartoons or on social media.” [54:00]
• New Jersey: Accusations that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill received large, possibly illegal, donations from a Chinese Communist Party-linked executive.
  • Hanson notes Sherrill was sanctioned at the Naval Academy for failing to report cheating—indicating ethical blind spots.

9. Demographic and Cultural Shifts: The Rise of the ‘AWFL’

• Hanson and Fowler discuss the profile of the dominant Democratic urban white female liberal—dubbed “AWFL” (Angry White Female Urban Liberal).
  • "I was in Soviet. I was at ground zero of the awful people... They have that scowl on their face. It's really weird." — Hanson [65:52 & 68:00]
• Critique of elite progressives’ hypocrisy and sense of victimhood.

10. Escalating Political Violence and Neo-Confederate Secessionism

• Focus on increasing left-wing violence and death threats against prominent conservatives (e.g., Benny Johnson, Charlie Kirk).
• Hanson recounts personal encounters with harassment and threats.
  • “We're getting to a level of acceptable violence that's really scary. It's coming almost all from the left…” [74:22]
• Concerns about blue-state nullificationist attitudes and the dangerous precedent of local officials defying federal law — analogized to antebellum Southern secession.
  • “We're starting to see that in Oregon. ... The intellectual forebearers of this secessionist, neo-Confederate nullification movement on the left is really ... Lester Maddox, George Wallace.” [77:58]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “[On the Nobel] After that, I just tuned it out. ... What does a Pulitzer Prize mean anymore?... They’re all predicated either on DEI or ideological grounds.” — Victor Davis Hanson [11:30]
• “Everything the radical left touches turns to dross. ... They have a unique ability to destroy institutions.” — Hanson [13:40]
• “[On Letitia James] She is the chief law enforcement officer of New York. ... She's supposed to be above the suspicion of committing a crime.” — Hanson [15:21]
• “They want to tank [the economy], ... shut this government down for months, get us into a recession and then blame it on crazy Trump and we'll see if it works.” — Hanson [48:48]
• “[On campus protesters] Their problem is that their heroes, Hamas, want to deal. ... They're dumbfounded because they know that took the wind out of their protest sails.” — Hanson [32:18]
• “[On VA Debate] All she had to say is I'm not going to endorse him. And she couldn't do that. ... She would not do it.” — Hanson [52:14]
• “We're getting to a level of acceptable violence that's really scary. It's coming almost all from the left.” — Hanson [74:22]
• “The intellectual forebearers of this secessionist, neo-Confederate nullification movement on the left is really ... Lester Maddox, George Wallace.” — Hanson [77:58]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Nobel Peace Prize & Institutional Decline: 08:31 – 13:54
• Letitia James, Lawfare, and Prosecutorial Scandal: 13:54 – 21:23
• John Bolton & Classified Documents: 21:23 – 23:33
• Government Shutdown & Economic Politics: 45:06 – 49:20
• Hanson’s Campus Reflections & Protester Motives: 25:15 – 32:18
• Gaza Peace Deal, Trump Diplomacy: 32:18 – 38:06
• China–US Strategic Minerals & Industrial Policy: 38:06 – 45:06
• Virginia Gubernatorial Debate & Jay Jones Scandal: 52:14 – 59:05
• Mikie Sherrill, NJ Race, and Foreign Influence: 60:21 – 65:34
• ‘AWFL’ Phenomenon & Progressive Hypocrisy: 65:34 – 69:06
• Escalation of Left-Wing Violence & Secessionist Rhetoric: 71:56 – 80:27

Tone & Style

Victor Davis Hanson’s commentary in this episode is characteristically erudite, combative, and wry, blending personal anecdote, historical comparison, and political analysis. The dialogue is interspersed with moments of dry humor, exasperation at political hypocrisy, and heartfelt concern for the country’s civic health.

For First-Time Listeners

This episode provides both timely political analysis and a wide-angle, historical perspective. Even those unfamiliar with the latest controversies will find context and color on how today’s Democratic Party is struggling under the weight of its contradictions—and how institutional integrity across government, academia, and media is at stake.

Memorable Closing Exchange

• Fowler: “What separates these men from their counterparts in politics and media is not their intelligence, it's their integrity.” [81:18]
• Hanson (on angry emailers): “I'm writing an angry letter reader today. … It's all projection.” [70:53]
• On his encounter with a hostile stranger: “I said, don't get near me or you're going to regret it.” [73:14]

For expanded commentary and exclusive features, Hanson directs listeners to victorhansen.com and encourages them to catch the regular show now published on The Daily Signal.