Hi, I'm Mollie John Fast and this is Fast Politics, where we discussed the top political headlines with some of today's best minds, and.
Governor Jbie Pritsker says, take it from an actual billionaire. Trump is rich and only one thing stupidity. Welcome to our three hundredth show. We're live from the DNC with honestly so many amazing guests. It's going to blow your mind what we have in store for you in this episode. First, we have California Senator of Lafonza Butler on Vice President Harris's journey. Then we'll talk to Pivot co hosts Scott Galloway and Kris Swisher about how Vice President Harris can
regulate tech. Then we're going to introduce you to one of the most amazing Democrats you probably don't know about, Minnesota, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagin, who will take over as governor in Minnesota if Governor Wallas becomes VP. Then we'll talk to Commngressman Robert Garcia about the state of this election. And lastly we'll talk to Planned Parenthood President Lexis McGill Johnson about how reproductive rights are affecting the race.
But first we have.
The host of the Enemy's List, the project's own, Rick Wilson.
So it's like it's a rarity, but in a different place.
It's a rarity. I believe this is our first in person podcast.
Is that possible in all these years.
It's our first in person podcast.
Well we do the live shotow.
Yeah, you get so much younger everything?
FU you fuck your saying no, I love you right?
You know?
I am old. It was my birthday yesterday.
Was it a good cookie?
No?
It's terrible. I don't know what I'm doing.
I've been told to be less depressed in the podcast, so I'm going to be less depressed.
You should be less depressed. You know why?
Why?
Right now in mar A Lago, Trump is bouncing off the fucking walls?
Is he I thought he was in New Jersey?
Wherever the fuck he is?
Okay?
I mean I could ask my digital trackers because they always know where he is because they know his phone like a submarine.
It's like, what's nice about having Rick on the podcast is that he always wants to get clipped to be on an RNC equiprial.
Like every moment he's like, I have his phone number.
You could wake me up out of a sound sleep, and I can say something that'll piss them.
Off, of them to put up their outrageous statements, like how this thing about.
The love Donald Trump.
Producer Jessie wants us to talk about the Joe Biden speech, which I was assured by Nate Silver was too late at night.
I love Nate Silver. He has so many hot takes.
At least someone does.
I don't either, but there was. But that's a hot hot take that it was too late at night. Aren't all these conventions.
Speaking speeches and moaning about the convention like not being exactly every convention I've ever been to? And guys, I've been to every convention since the dawn of time? Right, Dinosaurs were probably the deeds, Like when I've been to previous Democratic conventions, it has been to funk around.
Yes, I'm sure whether with the Green Party candidate.
I'll never tell, Speaking of which, I just had an encounter with Mary and Williamson and by which someone said you should meet Mary and.
Williamson and I said, no, I was she there? Yes, I could feel the aura shifting in the road.
Doesn't like me. She used to be friends with my mom, well.
Long story short, all right, Biden. I would have written the speech differently. Yes, I've got my particular speech writing style. I would have done embrace Kamala, endorse the ticket, boom boom boom, really upfront, indict Trump, and then lead out on the valedictory note about the family, his career, his life. Instead, it was sort of one two three one two three one two, and that made the speech feel longer than it was. Look, all the elements in the speech were fine.
I would have just changed the order of go on how you did it, because I think if you had let out with that big uplift of Kamala, it would have been inside the news window more and you would have gotten a little boost out of it. But look, it was a long speech. They were trying to jam a lot into it. I did not hate it.
The goal here is to get Biden to take the bullets for Camela. Right, he's going to go against Trump, dark brand. His goal is to go against Trump so he doesn't have to write. That's the sort of unpset bit of this, right is that he surrogates so she doesn't have to.
That's exactly right. And the deal here is that as president. He still commands a gigantic megaphone, right, and he can bring heat and pressure and.
Astonishment to Trump, right.
And they know the lesson we've taught them is if you poke Trump, he will respond, right. So I want Donald trying to be trying to litigate Joe Biden for the next seventy four days. Right.
And in fact, what happened, what we saw on truth social quote unquote truth, is that Trump had immediately went after Biden course, and not after anyone else. And I think it's interesting to me that there still is such a like magnetism between like Trump obviously cannot pivot, right. He was he was excited to run against Biden. Now he is no longer running against Biden, but to him, he's still running against Biden.
Here's the thing.
They gave him a very comfortable frame to live in for a year.
He's old.
Will beat him because he's old, will beat him because he's old, will beat him because he's old.
And when Trump became the old man in the race.
Right, well, then do we spending millions of dollars on mental acuity and then having that guy drop out and being all of a sudden the oldest person ever run for president is really something.
It's beautiful, It's brighter than the thousand suns. It's fantastic.
And look when you end up with a campaign team of Lasovita and Wiles who promised him that it was going to be easy because.
He had checked out, let's be real, he was playing golf three days a week.
Yeah, but I mean he had to pay those legal bills. Yeah, so, I mean it makes sense.
But he thought he was going to win. He thought it was going to be an easy skate.
And at the end of the day, when the when the field changed, the inevitable blow ups started to happen, you know, and his his truthing behavior, his his press behavior, you know, layering Corey Leewandowski between Susy Wilds and Chriss Losovita.
I mean, and if you're a it's a recipe for success.
If you're a campaign that's struggling with women voters, your solution.
Better than that everyone.
But one of the things that Biden I think stuck into the speech because it wasn't orated in the style of the rest of the speech, he said, no one told me to drop out.
It was my decision.
You notice that he just added that as an ad lib line, he had two ad lib lines.
That line and the one about the cause of protesters outside may have a point or whatever.
Right, those were two ad libs that were that.
Were more important than everything else in this speech.
In might I added up a lot to the depth of what he was doing.
Right.
And I also think like that is the thing because there's so much political writing, political journalism about the idea that the idea that that that Biden had been pushed out, when in fact, I really felt like what Biden was trying to say last night was he was not pushed out. Now, again, none of us know what really happened, but I did think that, I.
Mean, that was your last name is Biden. You don't know what really really happened?
Ye, And let me say this, I mean, and remember this is a Republican talking point.
Republicans want all they wanted to.
Let me say this, If Joe Biden, for the purposes of his valedictory moment, wants to set the history with that being the case, I don't care. All I care about is that we have a smooth transition to the new candidate.
And we do. And and Biden was graceful about it last night. He I mean, you noticed as he was going through talking.
About the record and Kamala and I, Kamala and I did this, we together achieved this, and all that is really important, I think because she's going to accrue the positive benefits of things like the Chips and Science Act, the Infrastructure Bill, the Infationial Reduction Act. So look, if that's the moment he wants to have the valedictory moment of this thing, I'm fine with that. I think that's great. I think that's wonderful. And I also want to say
his case against Trump. If you just pulled out the case he made against Trump, the segments of the speech were just the was the the clarification of who Trump is, and the defensive democra I would have taken just that. I mean, if he walked out and said, I endorsed Kamala, here are the ten things that make Donald Trump unacceptable for the president, right, drop the mic, walking off the stage, that would have been swinging off the rafters.
Well, but that's again politicians, like, no politician is going to take that much airtime and be like, I'm just gonna do something really short here, because people will like it better.
You know, there's none of that. And in fact, like the fact that it ran long.
It ran long because these kinds of things run long because politicians love to talk.
Listen, everybody who was last night in the media, there was a little media class grumblefest. I say, this convention is badly organized. It's running twenty minutes behind.
Have you met Democrats?
Have you met Republicans. I've been to a lot of conventions. Nothing ever runs on time. I'm a former advanced guy. Nothing ever runs on time. I must speech trader, nothing ever runs on time.
Well, I was, there's a bullshit.
I waited online for like an hour and a half yesterday to get through the magnantimers magnet whatever.
Well, anyway, I waited pronouns process. That's right, thank you.
I did not think it was a well organized moment when national whatever.
Listen, every convention I've ever been to runs behind schedule. They do not run on time. People get pulled off the schedule. That's nothing unique or new or special or or indicative of anything beyond the fact that when a politician is on the stage and that with the in the national spotlight, they're going to drag every god damn millisecond they came.
Right, No, of course, because I mean what we do, right.
I mean, And here's the thing.
It's interesting because if this had been Biden running for reelection, there would be a lot more people trying to have an Obama moment on the stage. There'd be a lot more people trying to have a have a moment where they get noticed.
Where the buzz important point right there?
Yeah, we're the buzz classes. Oh look at who did so well on the stage. I don't think we have that as much right now because the sense is if she wins, she's going to run again, and.
You know, the next eight years are kind of taken care of it.
You guys are going to be so old by the time you get quote unquote discovered. Yeah, really good point. Right, So Jesse wants us to talk. This is all his fault about. Rick Willson is in trouble again. Discuss I'm actually not in trouble.
Donald Trump is threatened to sue us again the third time?
Does he just threaten to see you all the time?
This is the third time?
Now, okay, why is he mad at you? What did you because we ran an.
Ad basically saying that he was a fool for believing our previous ad that said that christ and Susy were not running a good campaign and that Jadvance was a bad choice. And then they'd really screwed up, and Biden left the race, and they told him he wouldn't leave the race, and so of course he's losing his mind about it, and they send these usual like breathless lawyer letters from the Dylan law firm.
What is that?
It's hard meat Dylan, that Republican?
Yes, right, she's also a conservative television host.
Yes, she's also on some damn channel, right.
On a channel you can't.
Can't spill.
But once again he's threatening us, and once again it's like this is the third time. And at some point, like the guy he said, I'm gonna come and hit you in the nose, will come hit me bingch come on, try it.
That's nice.
And of course, of course if he does do it, if he does do it, he goes into Discovery, And as George Conway tweeted this morning, it's like, because I'm like, Discovery will be the most fun.
I have to tell you.
George Conway, who is a friend of this podcast and ours, and who gave me a very cool green pin yesterday that said comment on it is so incredibly All he wants to do is troll Trump and he's given so much fun just to Biden.
Just give me.
More than a million dollars Biden. You know he's a super donor VIP at this time.
I want George to be the ambassador to wherever he wants to be the ambassador.
I want him to be the ambassador because you and I.
Could go and hang out with George's ambassador.
That I don't think we'll ever get past the social secretary, by the way, the whole fantasy that somehow we are going to be like staying in the Lincoln bedroom of Ambassador George Conway's house in Japan.
Where are we going here?
So?
Are you going to get so here's the hot take. Are you going to get sued?
He's not going to sue us. At the end of the day.
It's one more It's one more thing about him. The bluster and the bullshit and the lying and the tough guy act. It's just like every other part of his tough guy act. He will threaten, he will say this ship, we didn't sue us when we put the billboards of Avanka and Jared up in Times Square.
Oh, I remember us.
We put the mean ads on Fox that called him impotent.
So many years of this, that's the thing.
It's like, come on, dude, is this.
How you want to spend your seventies at some point?
Look, when I'm in my seventies, I hope I'm like writing thoughtful books and entertaining my grandchildren with war stories from the Great Trump Revolution, and speaking of which I'm about to be a grandfather any minute.
Yes, that's right, we've heard about it.
Bounce off the walls and bounced off the walls.
You're always founding.
I can't deny that there is That is not a correct statement, But.
I do think it's a really good point that this is. You know, they try to intimidate people. We think about the media matters, the lawsuits, the ways in which they've tried to sue people who've tried to hold them accountable. I think about Pro Publica.
I think the one reason he actually never does sue us is he knows that every piece of paper they send us we will make public.
Right.
Our lawyers are like pirates.
Right, they will mount his ship and slaughter everyone on the deck.
We will go into discovery.
And I love, by the way, every conversation with Brick Wilson ends up in like a violent metaphor of pirates, I mean were in politics. But yes, I do think that's a really good point.
And I know it'll be like releasing rabid wolverines in a daycare center.
That's what it's going to look like if his lawfer goes at us. So we're here, it's.
No, no, you know, I'm actually in a really bad mood, but you actually cheered me a little bit.
Why are you in a bad mood?
I'm always in a bad mood. I'm fine, I'm not shuld be in.
A better mood because right now now we're winning. Yeah, we're winning.
I'm curious in your mind.
Like the things that I found very moment off were like, like, for example, the fact check on the speeches yesterday.
What the right?
So these people are like, we can't fact check Trump in real time and that, and yet somehow they managed to do that with the president, right.
So there was so someone last night was talking about these love letters, the Kim Jong oun love letters, and then fact check was like, we actually have it that he did not letters, but Trump said he said letter.
Of course he did, and he said he and he took the Kim letters in the documents that he illegally retained at.
Marlwall Right, So doesn't that count as love letters.
The fact that they're just trying to play this thing out and to play it, they're trying to both sides this thing, because it's like, this is the broken nature of a lot of reporting and a lot of fact checking right now. It's like they will say Trump said outrageous lie x, but then we'll just like flatly report it was like Trump falsely claimed that that Kamala Harris is a raging communist who wants to.
Seize the means. And yet when you end up with these fine grain fact.
Checks on whether or not there were as you know, species, it's.
Kind of silly.
But look, there there's a little crankiness here with a lot of the journalism class.
They don't feel like they're getting enough floor access or whatever it is.
And quite frankly, just to be honest, they are absolutely this This administration has has really been quite irritated much of the mainstream media.
I can't blame them, you know, Honestly, it's like the fuck me, fuck you principle in the world. We've seen it. And then look this fact checking fuckery. And I think this is like a really big moment in the next two months because we have to focus on this is that if you treat both sides of the lie as a valid question, you're doing this wrong. Because Trump is a liar at scale. Everything he says is going to
be fact checkable, right. And so when Harris asserts something like yesterday, I was seeing this stuff about the twenty five thousand dollars home buyer.
Right, which, by the way, made Elon Musk so mad. Right, I've never seen anything make him so mad. You have billions of dollars from government subsidies, right, but twenty five thousand dollars, which is, by the way, like how much he pays for coffee?
Right, A rounding error.
Yeah, look, I'm sure that's his ketamine budget.
Oh that is like we do not that is not I would not say that. I'm saying I'm sure he is joking. That is one of those jokes that funny people make.
Come.
But one of the fact checks I saw was like the Heritage Foundation said that that would be I'm like, wait, you're going to that heritage found You're going to Project twenty twenty five boys to fact check.
No, that's not how this works, you know.
And I will say this Elon getting mad at that and getting mad at her talking about a child tax deduction and crazy.
He has so many children, you think you'd like it.
But here's the other thing, Elon and and Tucker and all these other people, like, there are no more babies being born.
We must have more man.
Okay, well, how how don't you make the economy not suck as much for people who want to buy have babies, or buy a first home or get married.
Right, maybe that could help them.
That's crazy.
Why would we do something like that?
Right now? That's that's communism?
It is full communists?
Or is it communism?
One of the things I think that's driving Trump particularly crazy. He has not stuck a nickname on her yet.
Yeah, he can't do it.
By the way, just one second, I love him on how beautiful she is and he.
Wants to sleep with her. Okay.
My friend Miyam I think, was the first person to come up with this theory. He's like, she's like the girl who said no to the problem. Right, and he can't stop talking about her. He can't stop thinking about her.
And last night, or it was a few nights ago, when he went on and on about how much he how he was actually more attractive than she was.
That's a rabbit hole.
I don't want to go I don't want to ever go down that rabbit hole. But you know he's taken. And he was like talking about the drawing that time magazine did every yes, and he was like that drawing was made her so beautiful as it made her so gorgeous and so so compelling, and and I had to tape it up over the ceiling over my bed.
Oh Jesus Christ, always pushing it too far.
Yes, you just missed it.
Jesse's like I just want to die.
He just is like kill me now.
That was amazing, Peace Bike.
We have even more tour dates for you. Did you know the Lincoln projects Rick Wills that have fast politics, MALEI jug Faster are heading out on tour to bring you a night of laughs for our dark political landscape. Join us on August twenty sixth at San Francisco at the Swedish American Hall, or in la on August twenty seventh, at the Regent Theater. Then we're headed to the Midwest. We'll be at the Vivarium in Milwaukee on the twenty first of September, and on the twenty second, we'll be
in Chicago at City Winery. Then we're going to hit the East coast. On September thirtieth, we'll be in Boston at Arts at the Armory. On the first of October, we'll be in Affiliates City Winery, and then DC on the second at the Miracle Theater. And today we just announced that we'll be in New York on the fourteenth of October at City Winery. If you need the laugh as we get through this election and hopefully never hear from a guy who lives in a golf club again,
we got you covered. Join us in our surprise guests to help you laugh instead of cry your way through this election season and give you the inside analysis of what's really going on right now. Buy your tickets now by heading to Politics as Unusual dot bio. That's Politics as Unusual dot bio. Senator Lafonza Butler is the junior Senator from California.
Welcome back to Fast Politics. Are you the newest senator.
I am the newest Senator. I am number one hundred.
Senator Butler, You're so important for any number of reasons. But you have seen both sides of what's happening right now, from the fundraising, from the politics, from the policy. Your close personal friend of the Vice president have her ear.
What is this moment like for you?
It is a whirlwind, It truly is.
You know, I appreciate so much the experiences that I've had getting to this moment, from spending twenty years in the movement to be in at Emily's List, to working with the Vice President when she was running for president herself, and you know, now being in the United States Senate as the only black woman in the chamber and the third the third ever in history, replacing what was the role of Vice President Eras when she was the Senator
from California. It truly has been an incredible experience to see, you know, what President Biden chose to do in terms of his the choice and leadership that he made and passing the baton to the Vice president.
I've known her for fifteen years.
What I know about her is that she's the exact kind of leader that our country needs and deserves in this moment, and so I am going to do everything and anything to help make that happen. And so it's been a whirlwind, it's been NonStop.
Part of your appointment was you said you weren't going to run for the Senate seat. You have two black women running for Senate seats because the numbers are just so unfair and present. Does that make you feel better.
Let's start with the premise of the question, mall, because there was you know, people assume that I had this kind of this agreement with governor with Governor Newsom, and the facts are of you actually go back and look at his public statements just prior to him announcing my appointment. He said that whoever he picked was free to do
whatever they wanted to do. I was very clear that if I was going to consider this, I was going to make the decision to run based on my own terms, not any agreement that I would.
Have with Gavin Newsom.
I had actually done the work to figure out if I could raise the money. I had done the work to figure that out. I was not worried about raising the money either. Could I do the endorsements because I put the kind of California coalition required to win together, and I was able to assess very quickly that I absolutely could.
And then the question was did I want to do it?
And I know that both Angela also Brooks and Lisa Blunt Rochester want to be in the United States Senate for as long as it takes to move our country forward, and I couldn't give that same commitment to California.
I don't know if I'm willing to be.
There for six years plus six years plus six years. I'm only forty five, and I don't think about power as permanent, right, Like, if anybody is in that seat, it is not the seat that they have, It is the seat that the people of California have. And if I wasn't prepared to do that fully, I should actually just step aside and let Californians decide who they want to pick.
Now, I feel like you should stay in the seat. I'm sorry to tell you. How is this my feeling?
She has so seamlessly transitioned to the candidate. There were so many mediocre white guys who said she couldn't do it.
Do you feel like I feel.
Like there must be so many black women who are told they can't do it. And when you watch her, she's only been doing this for a month and it has been beyond anyone while those expectations tell us what you think.
Music runs very deep in my family and it has so many purposes. There's an old Kirk Franklin song called look at Me Now. And what I think black women across this country are singing right now as an anthem is look at me now. Look at what Kamala Harris is doing as vice president and now you know, soon to be presidential nominee for the Democratic Party.
When everybody doubted what she could.
Do, she is showing them at every step of the way, and day after day with the biggest decision that she'll ever make in terms of deciding her vice presidential running mate to her theme song of Freedom by Beyonce right, she is making choices that exemplify and give voice to so many people. So many people can see themselves in her candidacy, and black women and I hope every woman.
It's like, look at me now.
Yeah, I mean you must be so proud.
So I am thrilled. I am thrilled it.
The this is a Kamala Harrison I've known for fifteen years. There's nothing new that's showing up about her.
It is weird, and.
Yeah, she's fantastic. She's always been fantastic.
She is meeting this moment with the urgency that it requires, and I think inspiring voters to not just see the pains of yesterday, but to imagine the dreams of tomorrow.
Thank you, Thank you.
Are you concerned about Project twenty twenty five and how awful Trump's second term could be? Well, so are we, which is why we teamed up with iHeart to make a limited series with the experts on what a disaster Project twenty twenty five would be for America's future. Right now, we have just released the final episode of this five
episode series. They're all available by looking up Molly John Fast Project twenty twenty five on you Tube, and if you are more of a podcast person and not say a YouTuber, you can hit play and put your phone in the lock screen and it will play back because like the broadcast, all five episodes are online now. We need to educate Americans on what Trump's second term would or could do to this country, So please watch it and spread the word.
Kro Swisher, Scott Gallaway are the co hosts of Pivot.
Okay, so we're at the DNC. Yeah, I ran into Karen Scott.
Yeah, so we're trying to take the stage mother them.
What do you think the feeling here?
The feeling is I cannot believe they let Scott nine.
That's really the feeling is one of a big mistakes. I saw it from my hotel room last night. But it's and it's mostly made for TV. But I like the vibe is great, you know, I just felt good, felt very optimistic. Went a little bit long, but yeah, the whole electric is the word I would use.
Yeah, the last part with Joe Biden getting angry was a little much, but I thought mostly it should be about her, like it was goodbye Joe and even closing the chatter on Trump everything else. That's where they really need to go. I want a little more hope. I like her forward stuff. I want to hear more about the forward.
So here's a question for you guys, tech regulation. I think of you guys as sort of.
The ex whizzes to tell you you're texperts, we're influencers.
I think of you as is texperts. That's terrible. The entrepreneur do you like for entrepreneur.
Oh no, that's another word.
I say. I'm a member of the gig economy. The gig what about you?
Just male escort?
I mean, no tech regulation is my hobby.
This is as good as it gets for me.
Like, there was a lot of anxiety that Biden was like maybe to regulation heavy or maybe not tech regulation heavy enough.
So tell me there's no regulations, right, I mean they're mad at Lena Khan, right, although some conservatives like her. Conservatives Look, magg Gets is a fan. Jd Vance is a fan. There's been no regulation to.
Speak to you.
Do you feel like they can't they can't merge as much as they want. That's really pretty much it.
I don't know, Scott, you go on, Yeah.
I think there's an opportunity that's being missed so far, and that is inflation is obviously a cudgel or something they're being attacked on, and they should connect the dots between. The key to bringing down inflation is to breaking up monopolies and if you will, oxygenerating the economy so there's more competition. There is a ton of innovation that's trapped and mostly sequestered to shareholders. If we want inflation and
pricing to come down. It's pretty simple. You need to break up companies such that there's more competition and prices will come down.
Yeah, that's right.
CAPITALI those thoughts and they haven't connected those dots.
Yeah.
I mean, listen, I'm married to a VC, so I totally you know it.
Coers is more tech friendly than Joe Biden. That is absolutely true, this whole thing, the tech bros. I'm like, are you kidding? You'd be a favor to get her. Jomp doesn't know what he's talking about. He shifts on a dime, and he's bought and paid for by whether it's crypto or TikTok people or whatever. So she does know the area, and she's quite a medium she I
would say medium. I've had lots of arguments that she didn't go far enough as Attorney general, right, but you know, I think they expect she's much more centrist than probably more more friendly to crypto than they think.
Yeah, can we talk about crypto for one? If we have to?
There is, like on the right, a nefarious play for crypto to.
Sort of wanted the price to go up. That's it? So, I mean, is that just it?
You think it's just merely like a short term crypto play, or do you think there's like more nefarious noness trying to drive down the dollar or create I mean.
Well, some of these aren't the world's sharpest.
Tax, but I would reverse that they want to drive down the dollar such that their crypto investments will go up. It's happened in softer forms across all of politics, but this is straight naked kleptocracy right and also quite frankly, crypto is brightens up a room as a topic by leaving it. It's a small part of the economy. We're talking about an entire sector that has a market capitalization that is less than Apple. We spent too much time
talking about it. It makes for great news because a small group of individuals have decided to try and buy a vice president such that they can shoot the prices of their portfolio companies. Northward eight naked pay for play cliptok.
And you saw Ron Conway, who had given some money around crypto. He's got some crypto investments, he's he's been a democratic donor. Suddenly try to get rid of shared Brown in Ohio. The crypto bros tried to do it and he pulled out of the whole thing because it makes no sense because you know, look these again, they're the most noxious people in tech right now. I would say, and that's a it's a very.
Little large, be noxious all in crowd, the famous, the famous, famous party.
I would say our podcast is bigger than them, but they tried by a lot of podcasts.
I think my podcast is bigger than that.
But anyway, whatever, whatever. They it's a nice hobby for rich men.
No, it's rich. Yeah, it's a nice hobby.
What do you think, Scott, I haven't listened to it. They have a following, good for them.
We need multiple voices, we need lots of yes, we need we need the aggrieved rich people need.
Can't billionaires have a say?
I know, I know, they're so quiet, you're so censored.
We need more billionaires making content because no comments.
We went to and clothes when Jesse's like, please stop anyway, Thank you, bis you guys a mass.
Peggy Flann again is the Lieutenant governor from Minnesota.
Welcome to Fast Politics, Lieutenant Governor Peggy flan again.
Thank you so much for having me.
So you are the Lieutenant governor of Minnesota, and you are soon to be the governor of Minnesota.
Well, if everything goes according to plan and we elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walls, but we got a lot of work to do over the coming days.
Were you shocked when he was picked as a VP? I mean I wasn't because he's the Midwestern dad this country needs.
But were you surprised?
I don't know if I was surprised as much as just bursting with joy. I you know, have worked closely with him for the last six years and have just seen him lead with heart and compassion and his big dad energy, which is absolutely for real. And so I'm a little biased, but I think Kamala Harris made an amazing pick for her vice president medential candidate. But it's just been fun to watch and he's got so much joy and it feels like a new day.
The way he came into my life was I was told again and again that Minnesota was enacting this amazing legislation and it wasn't such a blue state and it was really a purple state, and we needed to look at this state that had all of this incredible legislation, and I'm talking progressive legislation like free breakfasts, free lunches, you know, feeding hungry children, that.
Kind of thing.
And I'm wondering if you can just talk to us about how you guys did that?
Sure well for Governor Wallas, he is a teacher first and foremost, and I think he saw exactly what it meant when children didn't have foutiat. You can't exactly ase your geography tests if you're hungry, you know. And I was a kid who grew up on free and reduced price lunch. I was that kid with a different colored lunch ticket. So removing that stigma from children is so powerful.
And we have now had the opportunity to serve both breakfast and lunch at schools across Minnesota and the only question that you have to ask kids is do you want pancakes or French toast dunkers? And that's exactly how it should be. It is progressive policy, but it's also just the right thing to do. We should feed kids.
Paid leave.
Row the kind of stuff that is really the bare minimum in many countries. But Republicans are fighting against how do you guys do it well?
For paid family and medical leave. When I was a new mom and had a baby, on my hip. I was one of the co founders of Minnesotan's for Paid Family and Medical Leave when I was leading Children's Defense Fund. My daughter was ten years old when we passed it, and so it takes a little while, but I think like that is also the story here. You get what you organize for, and in some instances it was over
twenty years. So we kept working together with faith, labor, nonprofits, and we had in a that was about caring for each other. And I think as Minnesotan's that's exactly who we are. So once we had a trifecta, we ran as hard and as fast as we could.
You will be the.
First Indigenous woman governor.
What does that mean?
Well, as the highest ranking Native woman in executive office right now, I can tell you representation matters. And when I think about my daughter, her reality is completely different from how I grew up. I had Geraldine Ferraro when
I was growing up, right, it was very powerful. But she has Auntie deb who's the Secretary of the Interior, Auntie Cherisse who is in Congress, and her mom is the Lieutenant governor, and so it's a real opportunity for her to dream and so many other young people to dream and if I am not the first Indigenous woman a governor in this country, shortly we will see her and we will know her. But we got a lot of work to do.
This country has been so deeply shitty to Indigenous people. People, How do you make it make sense now that you are in leadership here?
Native people have always been here, We are here and we will be here into the future. Governor Walls and I have made strengthening tribal state relations a top priority and we have delivered, and I am so proud of that work. I think we are a resilient people. We've got a really good sense of humor, which I think is why we have survived this long. But the biggest thing, I think is for folks to know we are a
contemporary people. We are not stuck in the past. And we are congresswomen and Secretaries of the Interior and lieutonic governors and teachers, and we have a lot of healing to do. But this work, this policy work, is part of that healing.
One of the things that happened in the twenty twenty election was that Indigenous people came out. Native people came out for Democrats, they organized, they really did deliver. Do you think that can happen again? Absolutely, and I'm watching it happen. Native voter are strategically located in swing states across the country. We are organized.
I see so much work that's happening in a partisan campaign way, but also nonprofit C three's who are making sure that Native people are seen and heard and valued and their votes are counted. The Biden Harris administration has been the best administration ever for Native people. The work that Governor Wallas has done in Minnesota to strengthen tribal state relations, honoring tribal sovereignty. The Harris Walls administration will absolutely be the best administration for Indian country and our
country's history. And I think that Native folks across the country know that Tim Walls is one heck of a surrogate for Native communities. And to hear Kamala Harris say that she will protect treaty rights and tribal sovereignty and wants every Native child to have an opportunity. We have never heard language like that before. It is powerful and it is motivating people.
I'm sorry that you've never heard language like that. Good little bye, little thank you.
Money, but it's twenty twenty four that is fucked up. As a white Jewish girl from Manhattan, that is fucked up. I appreciate you, Thank thank you, thank you for going on.
Thanks so much.
Congressman Robert Garcia represents California's forty second district.
Molly John Fast Fast Politics. We just went through the line.
I have my text message buddy, one of my favorite Democratic rising stars, or maybe he's already a star. Congressman Robert Garcia, Hey, everyone, and.
It's good to be here. I love the convention.
So on.
I want to ask you a question, but it's so stupid that I can't even say it.
What do you think the vibe here is?
Vibes are immaculate, The vibes are evacuate.
Tell us why the vibes are immaculate?
Well, I mean, look, I think people here are unified behind this incredible candidate. Kamala Harris is just exactly what this country needs at this moment. We have the most vile, horrific, shameless, criminal con man running for president, and yeah, you have on the other side of that, this incredible, brilliant prosecutor, who's tough, who's smart, who knows how to basically, you know, put the case and make the case against him. And I think people feel really really good about that. And
it's a historic candidacy. So I think people are excited.
What role does Tim Walls play?
My god, I mean, I don't even know where to start, because he is Tim talks. He's amazing a Keith America's dad.
Yeah.
Oh, it's like I was. There's a lot of us that were like, cope being that can. I think that he just electrifies I think the base, he electrifies progressives, he electrifies world voters, he electrifies white dudes, you know, he electrifies everyone. And so it's just like this guy can do no wrong. I think she made the absolute perfect selection and it was the right pick for her to the right pick for the country.
Yeah, I definitely think that's right.
I'm curious for you, what speech should we be watching have for that maybe isn't necessarily on our radar.
Who are you excited to hear tonight? What's your thinking?
I mean, look, I think what's interesting about tonight is we actually haven't we haven't heard from Michelle Obama.
In a while.
Yeah, yeah, And I think.
That's really really interesting. I mean, obviously, anytime that that President Obama or you know, Doug m Host, you know, speak is important. But we haven't heard from Michelle Obama in a while. And I think that she has seen the world change, she has seen I think politics change. I think that that's going to be a surprise hit tonight.
Yeah. Well that's a really good, really really good point. I want you to tell me just California Long Beach, what are you seeing on the ground in your district. What is the legislation that could fix it?
Well, I think the one thing that furthernhis has talked about right now is about housing. Right in California and in places like New York, Texas, big states especially, housing is a huge issue. It is the issue. There is no bigger issue right now than housing, the cost, accessibility to housing, people that are in the house, that need
access to housing. So this plan of building four million homes, first time home buyers, tax credits, building affordable housing is exactly especially what first time home buyers, younger people, young professionals that they want to hear. And so I think that I think she can really be kind of the housing president. And I'm I'm excited about that.
The road to Democrats flipping the House runs through New York State and California. Tell us what California is doing there and what your seats are that are up, because people listeners podcasts are big activistic.
I mean California, New York like really fucked, like I'm a wife, especially New York. I mean, you're saying massive, fucking lusterfuck And the amount of resources that got diverted from these congressional seats is truly ya same and it's insanity. Yes, However, we now California also, so now we have an opportunity to make this right and fix this. And we if we win two or three seats in New York two or three seats in California, I think we're going to be okay. But we got to win those sets eats
in California and California. We've got to win Adam Gray in the North. It's going to be John Duarte, that was the closest seat in the country that we didn't win. You gotta win George Whiteside against Mike Garcia La County. We got to win Rudy Sallas in the Central Valley against David Valadale, for those three seats we have to win because they're Biden seats right right. Beyond that, we've got other great candidates, Will Rowland, We've got Therrik Trim, frequent flyer on this pod.
You love those guys.
My dad lives in Palm Spread so amazing too.
Yeah, those are tougher seats, but we have exceptional candidates, which is why do we got to shoon those seats?
But three seats?
Yeah bye, you know.
And then we've got the seats in New York. I mean, Laura Gillian's got to win her seat. We've got mon Dear Joe's got to take Michael all around. So these are these are seats that we have a real opportunity, you know.
To win.
Thank you, Representative, Thank you.
Alexis McGill Johnson is the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood.
Molly john Fast for Fast Politics, and we have Alexis Miguil Johnson, the President of Land, Aaron hud An icon and also super important in this moment in American life.
Tell me you're here, What is your feeling? What are you doing here? What is the fight?
I'm here to fight for reproductive breedom. I'm here to fight for our democracy. And you know, everything that I see in this moment, the way in which the party is demonstrating who they help, I know, I love you that just a moment, just a moment. It's a moment just.
Black women are getting the job done.
We are getting fun, and we're doing so flashly and I love it. And you know what was actually amazing and flawless last night was listening to the three abortion storytellers.
Yes, we have never seen.
That on a stage, on any stage, but even not the Democratic National Convention. It was eight years ago when Cecile Richards for the first time said the word abortion on a Democratic National Convention Committee stage.
And to be here in.
This moment and to witness those three incredibly powerful stories, Yeah, to help make meaning of what these bands are. We could talk about twenty two states, I could tell you, you know, more than half of black women are being impacted these but it really comes down to the storytelling.
And I think they really.
Nailed up when we talk about their coming for abortion.
This is embryonic personhood taught to us about the larger what that.
Means in the landscape.
Yeah, I think you can see the seeds of this happening through a number of poor cases, is the way in which the Supreme coort, in rejecting a couple of decisions or sending a couple of decisions back down. Over this past term, have been trying to create some of the seeds of talking about personhood and what that would mean.
Right, there were.
Constitutional protections for non on people. The amount of control that that could have over women's lives. Yeah, right, And I think we've always been clear that abortion bands were never about stopping abortion.
They were never about healthcare. They were never about.
Protecting and saving lives of people who were being impacted. They've always been about powered and control and everything that they can do to find a way to come, for contraception to come, for IBM to come, for no fault, to be ways to keep us bound in whatever way is essentially the essence and the value of what the oppositions are trying to do.
So true, here we have now finally a candidate, an in repairent to the party, who really can speak on women's health in a very modern way.
Tell me why that's important, you know, because we need.
The language, right. I mean, culture always moves before policy. We know this, and here we are in a moment where culture is with us. Right, the majority of people have believed that, you know, we should have fundamental rights to control our own requituction healthcare, our own healthcare right,
our own privacy related to healthcare. And yet like state after state, twenty two states have now put these atrocious fans on the books, and they are using some of these states to create laboratories to come for some of the other things that we have been talking about. Right, it's like Oklahoma, we're the right to travel across state line.
Right.
They're starting with miners to like see how far then they can push the imagination and if they say, well, if it's not right for them, then why is it okay for you know, someone a little bit older. So they're pushing these boundaries to test and see what would land and stick. And so I think it's really important to have a vice president who has taken on the issue, not just from a policy standpoint, not just from understand the judiciary and you.
Know, the legal framework for it, but someone who can actually.
Give voice to the impact that's happening to so many patients and miners are cross Optygon that there's been a lot of really misogynistic language, childless cat ladies, post metopausal women.
Where does this come from?
I mean a very deep seating or I mean it is misogyny, right is. I think when we say it's about power control, it's like getting under that is. It is a fear of gender and racial.
Progress, right right?
And so I think we have to name the fact that the kind of pinterplay between misogyny and white supremacy and moment around reproductive rights and freedom, that that language is just trying to it's a distraction, right, So we'll go up and we'll kind of like crow about that while they're actually taking away our rights, right, you know, and you know, stopping us from you know, getting access to emergency care in Idaho, Like oh yeah, we're flying
women out you know, my hairlifts. Yeah, you know, and they're like, oh yeah, but look at that Chaldvick Salad.
One last question about m Dala, the Idaho case. The current administration has really worked hard to try and push against these rules and get women this life saving care.
In the end, where are we with that?
Look?
I mean there's a pin court her two cases this title, one on me for pristone and one on the talent. And you know in both of those cases, you know, the the MIF for pristone case, there was not that they decided there was not standing.
Right, which of course there wasn't at first.
There was not standing, but they took the case up anyway, and the way they sent it back down was to kind of create a trail of Bencombs. Right, say, if you really wanted to try this case for others, you could do how you do it, same thing with them tall Right, if you really wanted to have a conversation around person, you really wanted to have a conversation around federalistm.
Like, here are the ways in which we would design that for you.
So you know, obviously states still have to provide the emergency care again, and that is the place where you know, we should still be very alarmed by what's happening stayed by state. But the ultimate end game is not the two cases that we're taking up, right, They're really about how to create the paths work and the framework to.
Get to the world that they were imagining. Yeah, which is horrible Project twenty twenty five bringing all aun right.
It is taking away multiple freedoms from communities and taking away the progress on doing the progress that we've made over the.
Past so amazing. Thank you, Alexis.
That's it for this episode of Fast Politics. Tune in every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to hear the best minds in politics makes sense of all this chaos. If you enjoyed what you've heard, please send it to a friend and keep the conversation going. And again, thanks for listening.