The Importance of Voting Access and Creative Expression | Guest Spotlight

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Welcome back to the Davery Show. My guest tonight is a former GOP lawmaker who is the Advisory Council co chair of Power the Polls, a national, non partisan effort to recruit the next generation of POE workers to ensure safe and fay elections for all voters. Please welcome Representative Adam Kinsinger.

Now Congressman. Congressman.

Thanks will be on the show.

Great to be here.

Thank you stuck your neck out politically and personally to put politics over personal benefit the party. Someone say country over pot. I need to speak against Trump despite being a congressman for the Republicans. Why the did you do that?

I ask myself that every day.

No.

Look, I really had no other option. I mean, so, I wear on my wrist the name of a guy Andreas O'Keeffe, who I knew, who was killed in Iraq, and I'm an Iraq veteran, and I just remember thinking when I ran for Congress the first time, if we're going to ask young people to be willing to die for a country, like to be willing to fight and die the ultimate sacrifice. If I go into politics, I have to be willing to give my career for the same cause.

It's such a.

Minor sacrifice in comparison to what we ask people to do every day.

Yeah, but what was what was your problem with Trump? Well?

I don't know, you know, the fascism, the overthrowing the government, you know, those kinds of things.

I mean you would think that's a pretty big issue, but I guess not big enough. I mean, you have insight because you were in Congress from twenty eleven until twenty twenty three, I think, and so you have kind of behind the scenes access. You talk to these people all the time, and I think it's very popular to say America has never been more divisive than is now. You have perspective on it. You know, you've been that UF a long time and you were working day. Is

I mean, look, it's you know, behind the scenes. It's kind of like any job. So people will fight on the air, you know, within Congress, and then when the cameras come off, you shake each other's hands, maybe go out for a drink. That's happened less lately. I mean there's a real division that started to creep in where people just hate each other now because of political differences. I mean, they can't stand to be around each other.

Okay, So you'll experienced opinion is that it is getting more divisive.

I think Congress, I think the country certainly, and in Congress, yes, I think they're just starting to. I mean, you got Marjorie Taylor Green there for goodness sake. I mean, like, who would get along with her in real life?

Well, I mean would the potty people get along with her? Why?

They love her now because she raises money for him, because she goes out there and gets attention and so yeah. But when I when she was there, when I was there, initially she was a pariah until she started getting on TV and tweeting and every and then she became pretty popular in the party somehow.

But like genuine like you know, professionally popular, or would they actually be now they're now friends, but I think there's.

Probably some that like to you know, that would be a friend with her because access to power. But yeah, mostly it's just professional.

And in your again expert opinion, how much of this is I like to believe that it's just internet bullshit that gets taken into real life, and in real life we don't behave like this. But for some reason, these people I managed to take the comments section and bring it, you know, So how much of that is is real? And I'm all saying how much of it is this internet mentality? Yeah?

I mean, look, I think a significant amount of it is. It's this is kind of the untold secret politicians watch Twitter and so when you see things happening on Twitter this way, I mean Donald Trump was the master at this. You'd see some conspiracy pop up and he'd give a nod to it. And what's happened is leaders have gone from like supposed to be leading and talking about, you know, trying to direct opinion right, trying to lead us to

On that note, like what what what is the solution? I mean, in your opinion, how how can Americans come togein and bridge? This kind of the solution is in all of us.

I mean, and I'm not trying to sound like esoteric and like big word, like, really we control government. It's truly government for of and by the people. We've got to quit voting for these clowns that decide they want to go there and be more famous than they want.

To do good.

Those to this point, we need to we need to make sure our presidents actually care about something more than their own ego and more than their own narcissism. They care about a country.

And I mean that, like I really am soaking.

I just I truly believe that America can take our political system back. We have to believe we can, and we have to say enough of you abusing us for money, for followers, for likes. We demand mature, grown up government.

So yeah, and you'll here to talk about power the poll about that.

Yeah.

So look, one of the most important things in an election is just the ability to actually do that election. And you think about poll workers, especially on election day, they're out there, you know, grinding down every day. They're starting at whatever, six seven in the morning, going till night to make sure that you can vote, to make

Yeah, it's it's kind of a civic duty.

It is.

It is get paid. Oh you get paid you can yeah, okay, I then forget my question I was going I was gonna say, I was gonna say it feels a bit like a thankless task at the moment to try to power American democracy is like, oh, you know, why go through that right now?

It does feel like a thankless task. And that's the sad thing is, especially the next generation, which is what Power the Polls is focused on. They have been they've been so beaten down on democracy. Democracy to them is just like, well, it's just what people say to go after each other. We have to inspire that generation because look, I really believe this next generation is going to be the ones to take the keys out of the hands of the people that have been holding the keys to

Right, And if you're fitting fustrated by the system and you don't know where to start, this sounds like a way to kind of Look, I just want to get involved. I don't want to get bogged down in some weird cultural war. I just want to help my country.

And look, and you're going to be working with people that have different political views. In you all committed to democracy. If we can all agree on that basic thing, I think there's seriously, there's no limits in the future of this country. We just have to convince ourselves with it.

So what And you know, as someone coming from a conservative background, like, why is it that whenever we talk about like voting access, election access, why does that always feel like a left issue?

Right? It's crazy?

It's because for whatever reason, there's a they feel threatened in the GOP that the more people vote, the more in danger they are. And I think we know why because what they're talking about today, what you see them out there discussing, is not what the vast majority of Americans wants. The thing they can hope is to turn

That's going to be through the lit and Well. I love about having you on the show is you know, we get to talk to people outside of on a go chamber. I think a little bit. I mean, what is your conservative argument for voting for a democratic president?

Oh, it's really easy. I believe in democracy. I mean democracy was I was there on January sixth. I had to live through that, standing for the Constitution, standing for democracy. There is nothing more conservative than that. And Donald Trump is the exact opposite of that. So for me, Kamala Harris is going to defend that democracy. And I think every Republican that takes their views viewpoint seriously, old school Republican, not whatever this new thing is, should be voting the same way.

Well, you know, thank you, Congressman. I really wish you want former congressman. I wish you are current Congressman. I wish you could run again. Thank you so much for coming and speak to us, and thank you for trying to do something for a country called the policy. My guess tonight is the singer, songwriter and producer the Drammy nominator band Black Pumas, whose latest album is called Chronicles of a Diamond. Please welcome Eric Alberta's Oh god, thanks

Which is a great place to be because we feel in charge of our self expression, which is amazing as artists and human beings, and you know, selling out Radio city here in New York is still like really cool for us, So we don't take.

It for granted.

It's been amazing and just being in here in this this smaller TV audience situation is super super dope.

No, you can't.

And I mean the authenticity is coming through in the second album. I feel like I can still feel it. I mean that that was one of my questions for you was like, do you feel that transition from you know, making your first album where you're just pure self expression and doing what you want to do to the second album where there's the expectations for it now kind of you know, did you feel that kind of pressure they changed your creative approach.

To it most definitely so for the last album. With the last album, I was really lucky because of my other half, Adrian Casada. He came to the table with such a knowledge and such a sensitivity to towards the culture, towards the style of music. That I just you can't say black people, yeah, black people.

Yeah.

But it was really easy for me to kind of to kind of adopt the character that that was being presented by way of the canvas that is soul music.

And so as we accomplished.

That, and he likes some of my songs, and those songs kind of helped kind of catapult black pumas like colors.

You know. It was, it was, it's been really amazing.

But for this, the second album, there was way much more you know, pressure. But you know, I was I was raised in an artist's household, and I was always taught to kind of genuinely be okay with expressing myself. And thankfully the people have kind of.

Allowed it, you know. So it feels nice to be here.

You haven't changed yet, not yet, not never, right, And I guess I know you're still with an indie music label. Oh yeah, record, But do you feel like this second album, with the more anticipation and the undoubted success of the first one, do you feel like that do you have more resources now? Like, how is it actually affecting how you make music for the second album?

Well, when we did so well the first time around, I kind of immediately learned that our team, which is a great team, they were kind of relying on us too for direction, and so that was like that came as a really big surprise. While well it doesn't sound super like a big deal, it came as a surprise because I don't I don't know that we were for sure as to what direction we wanted to go in.

So we just continued to be genuine, to continue to be.

Honest, and it's led us in some uh you know, into some places that have been really new and very cool, and we're still we're still like observing people's.

Reaction to it.

So that's been like really nice, right, And you came up kind of playing smaller gigs coming up and now Radio City and this, you know, everything is really happening for you. Like do you do you feel like you uh, do you still go back to play small gigs? It's the energy of that.

All most definitely.

So I'm lucky because I was busking before everybody hated me.

So what city were busking?

I was busting in Santa Monica in Los Angeles, And so I went from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas, where there's a live show for anybody and everybody every single day. So to be interjected in such a culture where the artist is just embraced in the uncanny way. That really opened my eyes to being able to play and not having to pay to play, you know too, but being able to play and really just integrate in the culture. So, you know, we played Sea Boys, which is a smaller venue shotgun club, and.

If you'ed out that energy, obviously smaller everyone's there, you're playing original music and you're killing it.

And yes, but there's there's that sense that you know, you you really have to work hard because we have friends who come in there and you know, just in the back like doing that thing.

But you know you're playing, You're you're like trying to prove yourself versus where your city where everyone's there.

To most definitely, and I want to say, like briefly that we were just very lucky just from the very get go, Like as soon as I met Adrian Casata, we had such a chemistry. Obviously, you know, I'm a creative and an artist first, and it helped to be with a partner who was just knowledgeable enough to kind of help me find a container for.

That musically and to then see the stage and in such a real way. I used to be in theater. I grew up acting, and so you know, it's not that much different, there's you.

Know, so so to be in that situation in Austin, Texas, it was like the perfect place to cultivate the live performative element.

Right, And I hood you recently went into a silent meditation retreat.

Yeah, most definitely. I discovered a pastna through through a girlfriend of mine and change my world. I have done the retreat twice.

It's free. They fed me for free, they put me up for free.

What's the condition? You just have to for seven days? Exactly exactly, so I should say it's a silent retreat.

I used it silent retreat. So it's a silent retreat.

You get there, it's maybe one hundred students, five instructors, and you learn the technique, which is really easy to learn, is to shut up.

Yes, just to be quiet, you know the technique. The technique for that is a quiet skill. I guess these days what happens if you don't shut up? Did they like kick you out that? How do they kick you out?

You can get kicked out? Yeah, for sure. So you can get kicked out. But I I think that the technique is to get you on a vehicle to the.

Source of how and or where our subconscious mind is reacting to, you know, our thoughts and things that might have happened in the past. So to get to the bottom of it, it's really technique to do.

So, Yeah, that sounds horrible somehow, I'll never do that. But chronicles All the Diamond is available now. Everybody in a back room out.

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