Hello the Internet, and welcome to this episode of The Weekly Zeitgeist.
Uh.
These are some of our favorite segments from this week, all edited together into one NonStop infotainment laugh stravaganza. Uh yeah. So, without further ado, here is the Weekly Zeitgeist. Miles, we are thrilled to be joined once again by a writer, one of the best podcast hosts and executive producers doing it. Yeah, you know him from stuff they don't want you to know, ridiculous history, missing in Arizona.
It's Ben Buller b o snap oh.
Right a ka nil wob neb missed you guys, uh nilob Yeah, I got the got the got got the gray Miles.
Uh so we are there, you guys. How how are you doing it?
It's been fucking forever.
Good So I'm doing great. Everything is great.
Twenty twenty five started off with a bang and yeah, no notes, no notes, no notes.
Twenty twenty five, I love thank you so much for asking love to see an outsider get go to DC and just kind of shake things up, you know what I mean, to the point where you've killed it because you shook it so hard.
Spelling spelling shake s h E I K.
Surely yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, exactly, yeah, yeah, but oh boy, yeah yeah no, no, it's cool that we have a Russian president.
You know, that's really like.
I feel like the news really isn't doing a good job of like acknowledging the moment and that you know.
They I think they're nailing it.
They want to talk about Obama all the time, but then I'm talking about our first Russian president.
Damn, I know. Thank you? Or so.
That's the real DEI right, that we were looking for as a country.
Yes, exactly, exactly.
So it does seem like we're gonna try and go Trump free on this bitch. But it does seem like we're we might be seeing the beginnings of some sort of the mainstream media waking.
Up because it's talking you can do whatever.
It turns out you can do whatever the fuck you want, as long as you don't as well, just.
Don't suck up my money.
Yes, yeah, yes, yeah. What is something from your search history that's revealing about.
Who you are?
Can you feed a cat dog food?
Oh mm hm?
Why did this happen? Why did I search this? Because my husband.
Leab that's the equivalent of my wife.
Well, it's it's it's millennia, saying my husband, my husband, Okay, husband, he bought the the dog food for the cat, and so I wanted to know, can you feed the cat dog food? It turns out out you can, but it doesn't have the proper nutrients, so only for a little bit. And that little bit was this morning when she puked.
Oh really, wait, so because it's so good.
Different, No, the puking was definitely because she got a good can of food this morning and she liked it, so she scarfed it too fast. But then I immediately was like, okay, it's been five days of us knowing that this is dog food, maybe like a week or fifteen days of it actually being dog food, and so we need to swap this shit out. So yes, but yes, there are some nutrients that cats need that dogs don't. Dogs, I think can eat more veggies. They're like dogs are
super down. And in fact, it's good to feed dogs like colorful foods like carrots and sweet potatoes. That stuff is good for them. But cats need just meet they need oh wow, yeah. Yeah. And also I've been looking up cat health insurance and it's also a racket. Everything about vet insurance is a fucking racket. Everything about veterinary care and animal care is a racket. And yeah, you know,
but I'm like, I'm like it's awful. I'm like, okay, you know what, go under the house and die, you know what I'm saying, Like, that's just that's.
How veterinarians feel too. They're like, it's so fun. I can't even give care because the fucking mandate I get from the corporate overlords is to just like be like, dude, just deny anything. Just tell them the pets are gonna die. You can't do anything for him because it's too We're not going to cover that Shiit just.
No, it is so wild, Like two hundred and sixty dollars for a urine test. Excuse me, how two hundred and sixty dollars to test the urine for you? Exactly?
That shit tastes off. I'll know right away, exactly less than two hundred sixty bucks.
No, But seriously, I'm just like, can we I understand obviously, you know, fore Luigi, we need universal medicare for all. We need to abolish the private you know, health care iss them in this country. But also we need medicare for all for cats so yes, a lot of a lot of feline stuff in my search history.
I gotta tell you, the Democrats are not going to like that talking point medicare for all four cats, Francisco.
We're trying to we're trying to get that big D Democrat podcast or spot and I don't just do you.
Guys Rogan of the Left, please, we've already applied. They gave us a swift and unambiguous no, you may not.
They said, wasn'tbelievable as a tough guy, and I was quote not white.
Yeah.
I tried to act like I knew what m m A was an episode Yeah you're talking about.
Yeah, it's prety good for like depression, Like a lot of people are like tinkering with it.
It was like an ecstasy.
But now like m m A therapy is like really they're like get this.
All right, Well that's good to know. That's helpful information that we're learning up top. What is something from your search history that's revealing about who you are?
Okay, so not to be like all about me, but it is my birthday week. Whoa March for.
Birthday?
And I'm hella busy in an adult so I can't celebrate this week, but I'm really excited Jackies and I are going to go in the future at some point that I won't tell everyone to the Gentle Barn. Have you guys, have you heard about the Gentle Bar?
Yeah?
Yeah, is that like up in Santa Clarita area.
Yeah, it's like a farm sanctuary. I follow all these rescue farms and they're so sweet and they cuddle cows and they like I feel like every animal is just like some version of a puppy, Like like cows are just like milk puppies, you know, Turkeys are thanksgiving puppies.
You know, oh you.
Them.
No I don't vegan, okay, now you can.
Just giving puppy giving puppy.
But it's just like puppies that we haven't like played with yet, you know what I mean. Like they all have personalities, they all have individual you know, like individual like emotions and things. You know, They're just like they all got little things. And so I really love like rescue farms because it's just like kind of the misfit toys of animals that get to all just like live and thrive. And so I'm really excited to go. I'm gonna go to the gentle barn.
The guys child loves animals and like horses and donkeys and shit like that, and everyone's like, you gotta take them, you gotta take them to the gentle farm. And I'm like, yeah, let me know how it goes.
Let me know how.
Yeah, you can do like you can cuddle cows. And there was this like viral video that went around a while ago, this woman being like, what does it? It's like like when you when you get like so like angry because it's something so cute, You're like, I want to eat your cheeks. Cute aggression. Yeah yeah, And this woman was like, get it all out.
That's great.
You can get it all out on cows. You can hug them as hard as you want because they're so big, you could just like take out your cute aggression on And so I'm like, oh my god, I'm gonna cuddle the cow so hard it's gonna be.
Those cows are like tough guys. Are they.
You trying to fight a cow at the gentle bar?
Are you saying you're saying the cow can handle it all.
At the gentle barn? Are you gonna come in with that energy to.
The gentle bar, Are you here to assault the animals?
No, they're going to post up.
I just want to know. I just want to know. I just want to check how a bill.
But oh that does make sense, because yeah, those animals are so like I like when I think they're huge the bait. My baby's like going up to like a cat or something, but a big ass cow. I'm like, bro, there's nothing you can do to me, Yeah, except.
Just want to This is coming from AI over you. But I do remember writing about this back of the day. The cows are responsible for an average of twenty two human deaths each year.
Okay, but how many humans are responsible for how many cow deaths?
Yeah?
Are you trying to tone police and oppressed class in how they revolt against their oppressor.
Yeah, I'm just saying watch them keeping that's crazy way Jack, you're saying that.
So the cows are claiming twenty two of our human lives a year. Uh huh, Okay, well I'm just loiggling up the new stats from twenty twenty three about thirty two point eight million.
Cattle were slaughdered in the United States.
Hold that cows.
I know this is not the feeling coming into this. I'm sorry about the milk puppies.
I thought we were doing the scoreboard thing. I'm too caught up in sports.
Sorry with other species.
Or asked a very good question, can you.
See that a clip of that little girl who was like at a rescue farm thing and then she was like, that's the cheeseburger like.
That for a long time to connect the food to the animal. They're like, no, it's not chickens like that chicken. That's the same same word, but it's for different things, like that's the food chicken, and those are like our cute, our neighbor's cute chickens.
I think that's how much are in their brains.
The deaths are not based on that.
They're not like cheating this victor, but victors like I was just them choking on steak or whatever, or like having heart attacks from high and that. If we added that as well as like their methane admissions, we would be.
That's doing it from the.
Yeah, the cows are like we're playing the long get taking down with us.
This is like two like smash smashings where they're just like smashing people or like dumb people are like doing cow tipping and then it like just rolls over on them and they're like dead. Now when people are like a farm related incident, let's not tell the whole truth of that one, sure, Paula. The what's something you think is underrated?
If you guys haven't been watching Paradise on Hulu? Oh my god, Sterling K. Brown, James Marsden amazing?
Does James Marsden die immediately right away?
No comment?
Is he cut before he dies? Before James Marsden joint? Proper?
This is a proper James Marsden joint is it's I can't. I can't it's too much. You guys have to you would be so upset. You can't tell us about Just watch it. It's it's Paradise. It has to do with the fate of the world. And every episode has like ten episodes packed.
Into what to do with the fate of You can't see.
Victor says, don't spoil it. I can't wait.
What do you mean?
Can I not even read like a description?
Don't read, don't just watch it, go in unspoiled, don't read a description, don't talk to anyone, don't put up on Twitter. Just go watch it. It is so good and more is revealed every episode.
Hey, Apple media assistant, turn on Paradise and then keep your eyes closed until you start hearing music. Yeah, you're not allowed to even it.
Is so good. Like I feel like this is like the Severance team will also be on this one, you know what I mean, Like everyone who loves Severance. I feel like you guys will love Paradise. It's more like action packed because there's like more crazy shit happening every episode, but there's so many twists and turns and it's just so well done, and it also feels like it could actually happen, and you're.
Like, oh my god. That's why I've been pitching that Severance should be recasting their main roles with Steven Segal doing a cloud band. Damn, so that's thee Mel Gibson.
As hell, you know, give me out of here, all right?
Well, I don't know, I mean, I guess that's a pretty intriguing endorsement.
Yeah, especially when this the producer started spamming the chat like.
Don't even read much, right, It's just I feel like, I don't know. It's just now that I.
See the image, I'm like, oh wait, I am familiar that of what this show is. But I've only seen the look at.
The image, don't look at anything.
What it is.
But the log line is very innocuous. It's not they ain't give it away much.
It's so good.
Just a secret service team is tasked with Mile. Now I'm never gonna watch it.
Oh my god, you ruined everything, Miles I do.
So. I feel like it's been a while.
I might need to retire my characterization of James Marsden as like somebody who gets cocked in movies. I think that's like where his career started.
Okay, that's so true. Wait, but enchanted he got he got cooked.
Yeah, yeah, he got cooked.
Het cucked in that and the Notebook.
Yeah, the Notebook he got cooked, like his character in the X Men universe got cooked, right, Like that was like sort of his you know.
Psychlosnic He's getting cooked by I needed to.
Do a little work with the fan fiction to like get it.
There is tugging the funk out of him. Yeah, no, I love he's so good.
Yeah, yeah, he's great.
I mean he was great in a Jury Duty too, Is that what that?
Yeah? I haven't seen that though.
He's great.
And what Fizzic is something that you think is overrated.
Apple EarPods or any sort of earbuds that just stick inside your ear and don't have something that attaches to your ear. This is more of a personal thing. I just hate the way it feels. Yeah, and they fall out, and I just you know, when you're on an airplane, you're you feel.
Like like your ears stuff up. I don't know, I feel like it feels like how you feel.
Yeah, I feel like just from the pressure seal like around it just feels a little bit.
Yeah, okay, I get that.
And the noise cancelation on those does freak me out a little bit. Where you put it in and it's just like you feel like you're just like inside a balloon all of a sudden.
What the fuck is going on here? Yeah?
I love like equal My equilibrium gets a little up.
Falling because I have no balance.
When I these things.
I crossing. You're like.
They put it like during the testing of the AirPods, they put it in and people just start falling.
Over the.
Early ones.
Yeah, oh god, have you seen that's I I actually really like that sensation.
I don't know why.
I think I was like, I'm one of those kids who like tried to hide in the tiniest boxes, Like I'm the opposite.
Of claustrophobic, clustrophilic.
I guess that's why they're drawn to each other miles.
Yeah, and why we just hold each other so tight when you see each other.
Maybe you guys can share a coffin in the afterlife.
Yeah, that's right. It wouldn't be tight enough, how are we? Or uh, penis butt or.
Classics like Lincoln lugs exactly or they don't fit or they don't fit.
But yeah, like have you seen those clips of like those rooms that are truly like sound vacuums, like they're designed for no sound waves to like move in them.
Those they're like total I think they have to be like have the air sucked out of them?
Like yeah, yeah, yeah, And they say that.
Is so disorienting, and part of me is like, bro, I want to know that. I want to know the extreme of most humans sensation. So if y'all work in one of those research facilities and you can, if you're down to have a four year old just come through to fuck around in there for like five minutes, let me know.
Yeah.
I think those cost like millions of dollars to create like they create them for like to to build like the James web Space telescope and like ship like that where they can't have any germs or like imperfections touching a thing. They'll like create a whole room that's a vacuum, so that like the germs is like fall right to the ground or whatever. But you're like, hey, could I just like kind of drunk drive through there?
Yeah?
I can.
I can I play some SoundCloud off my cell phone in here? Well tell me doctor, Yeah exactly exactly. They're like, are those official doctors sandals you're wearing.
Yeah, they're doctors.
Doctors wear some fucked up shoes because they need comfort. Hell yeah, you know they're on their feet all day, so you're good there.
Yeah, that's true.
The white robe is like approximating it, but it's clearly a bathrobe. And doctor Miles is written in sharpie. That's the one thing that's fucking it up.
I spell Miles with like white tape, all crudely, just on you.
And you have a new cigarettes coming out of your podcast.
And I'm wearing I'm wearing a commemorative Scrubs Rewatch podcast t shirt. I'd be like dude, I'm a doctor. Why would I be wearing this because my favorite podcast? Yeah, went to medical school.
Yeah, watching Scrubs one and a half times all the way through. All right, let's uh, let's take a quick break, should we should we do that? Should we take a little break? Do we come back and talk about some news? Yes, let's do it. We'll be right back.
And we're back. We're back.
And so this third way sounds not at all nefarious group. That's like, guys, we've tried the public and we've tried the Democratic What if we tried a third way that was also exactly like those two, Yeah, but like kind of an average of the two, kind of because they seem like they're more moderate than the mainstream Democratic Party. But miles in terms of like kind of the makeup
of this group, who is powering this group? Where's the we've talked before about like the pod save guys talking about how when you're deciding if somebody is a good candidate for office, you go and they were saying this as a critique, but it's just the way, like and this is just the way it is. They're saying, like you just go through their phone and be like Okay, that's a billion that's a billionaire. Yeah, okay, you actually
do qualify you could be a candidate. What what does an organization like this look like.
It's make leadership foundationally and it's bones right, because this is a group that got together last month in uh Louden Canyon, Louden County, Virginia to figure out how do we get the Democratic part already back on track, how do we reclaim the attention of the working class and the normal American person. And so this group, the Third Way put this, you know, a little retreat together with consultants and politicians.
Their board.
I'm just gonna say the chairperson on the board of trustees of Thirdway dot Org is one Rachel Pritzker. Now you may you might be like, wait, I know that last name. Yes, because of a very it's a very dynastic, wealthy family hotel like the Hyatt hotels.
JB.
Pritzker, who's also the governor of Illinois is her cousin.
She is the chairperson.
So we have somebody who comes from dynastic wealth as the chair of this group Third Way. Then you just go through their board of trustees. It's either someone who comes from venture capital, someone who comes from Wall Street, or like an academic who gives it some sort of like intellectual credit or yeah, you know, like just just a little bit of what's the word I'm looking for, Uh, what I.
Might help me?
Intellectual bona fidees bona fide yes, exactly, Like, well, we have this sociologist who's also on the board who talks about inequality. I mean, obviously we won't do anything about it, but they are trustees.
Some sociologists from the Stanford MBA program.
Yeah, that's like rich people win. Get over it.
So they came together and Politico, who's also done a real interesting job of reporting since Trump has gone into office, has like sort of they got a hold of this pdf that has like five pages of like their takeaways as they got together to do a mind meld, and it's so fucking disheartening.
But also got into it. Yeah, before you go into it, because it's really awful. Let's just there's it's really important because the way this peace was reported on, and even I misunderstood it when I first read it because it's been making the round, is that it was like they don't name the third way group like politicals like CENTRISTAMS group or like leading Dems. It's very cagy, yeah, which makes it sound like a little bit broader, like more
Democrats are buying into this. The DNC maybe have something to do with it, or the d Triple C, you know, and the fundraising arm had something to do with it. No, the third way is like notoriously awful. So I just want to name like it's it's not it's not necessarily where the rest of the party, although I have massive questions about where they're gonna go, right, but they should definitely not listen to yes, the following recommendation.
Right.
I think what it is, more than anything, shows that there is the fight for the Democratic Party is well and truly on and right now the Centrists are making their case. They're trying to round the resources to be like it has to be this version of the Democratic Party. It can't be this fucking a fringe shit like that AOC is talking about or stuff where they're talking about like taxing the wealthy. I'm sorry, I'm Rachel Pritzker, Like I can't have a bite taken out of my fortune
because of this kind of shit. No, but let's make it sound like something good.
So again.
This was the third way is comeback retreat and there's four sections takeaways on why Democrats have a cultural disconnect with the working class, takeaways on why Democrats are not trusted by the working class, on the economy, then takeaways on how Democrats can reconnect culturally with the working class, and takeaways on how Democrats can rebuild economic trust with working class voters.
Is this like they all were given a mirror and just had to hold it up to their own goddamn faces and were like, we are the reason that the Democratic.
Party is not connected to the world.
It's like, do you guys remember the scene? And I'm a big fried Green Tomatoes fan, but like to like get to know your body, like Kathy Bates like has a mirror and she looks at her vagina. Yeah, And this is like they need to look at their faces, look your bank account, look your face, look at your car, look at you know, like who you hang out with, the person.
You know personally that you have in your phone book, that you interact with as a person, Yes, exactly, and.
Not a service provider.
Right, just as just as a question, I think that should be the first question rather how many billionaires you know your.
Cap and berated the direct TV guy the other day.
Does that count?
Yeah? I didn't even have aid do it. I just had some steam to blow off.
So so I'll read through these and we can stop at whichever one you'd like to, because they're all equally infuriating. But first takeaways on why democrats have a cultural disconnect with the working class. One over emphasis on identity politics too, the faculty lounge problem, which is again they're saying, quote Democrats are often viewed as judgmental, out of touch, and dismissive of those without elite education or progressive views. I
like how they go or progressive views. It's just very telling or or us where we don't like that, we feel like weird, they don't, we.
Look down on people who aren't college educated. And also that I think we're too woke.
Don't ignore. Just to ignore that last part, keep joying it. It's woke. It's woke.
My virus Number three failure to prioritize economic concerns.
That's true.
True, that's true, but true.
They go, it's going to go in an interesting direction.
Well, the subhead is while voters struggle with jobs, wages, and inflation, Democrats are seen as more focused on cultural and social issues than on economic progress and opportunity.
They don't like racism.
Well, they're also they're not They're not connected in any way, They're not all woven together in this much larger thing called American culture. Anyway, Then weekly weak messaging and communication, true fear of dissent within the party. This is where the wheels completely blow off. Now Democrats is again from this dogum quote. Democrats are perceived as intolerant of internal debate. We're questioning progressive we're questioning progressive orthodoxy results in backlash
rather than open discussion. Candidates and operatives need to feel more comfortable just saying no to activist groups and unpalatable far left ideas. This is again where you're seeing how the fight's playing out.
Like it's like every heading is like okay, and then their description is like absolutely not.
Yeah, right right, right right exactly.
So where does Gaza fit into the fear of dissent within the party? Right? I mean like there, this is amazing, right, because this is the whole thing is like we feel like we're being policed and we feel like we have to get in line. Now, granted we haven't gotten in line, and we have not listened to our base, and we've ignored the mass movements, whether it's around BLM or around Gaza, we completely ignored them, and we punch left and we treat them like shit. Right, but they make us feel
bad and we still ignore them. It's just like you, what are you talking about?
Kamla Harris had energy coming into the election and then promptly steered in the direct direction they're suggesting the party go and lost all the momentum.
Exactly right, yeah, right.
Attachment to unpopular institutions very weird.
The ones that are now being obliterated by Elon so Republican light got it, gotta got.
Right, allowing the far left to define the party. Activist groups and progressive staffers push unpopular cultural positions, making it seem like Democrats are more extreme than they actually are.
What the fuck are you talking about?
Operators and campaigns must remember that activist groups exist to promote their single issue and raise money around it, not to make Democrats electable. MM reactionary rather than proactive. Over reliance on buzzwords and political correctness. Hikes and ten lack a positive national identity message. Okay, Democrats focus too much on America's flaws racism, sexism, inequality without acknowledging the country's progress and potential, making them seem pessimistic and unpatriotic.
This is just so very much just got.
Their ass kicked in an election where the opposing side did nothing but talk about how America was a complete shithole.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah again it's very right, right right, it is wild where again This next part takeaways on why Democrats are not trusted by the working class. On the economy, it can all be summed up in one sentence, which is we cape for capitalism and the status quo and nothing else. That's the problem every time.
So the first one vilification of wealth. Democrats are seen as hostile to success, indifferent to people's desire to attain wealth, while reflexively attacking wealthy business leaders instead of promoting economic mobility and aspiration. Hm disconnected messaging like everything is just so. Democrats focus on broad economic indicators instead of acknowledging real struggles like high prices and stagnant wages, making voters feel
dismissed and unheard. Yeah you can, this is the problem, You'll point You'll gesture to the problems, but you'll never fucking wrestle with the issues.
That's the fu's I mean.
This is just wild, like for some of these are complete nincompoops number one, but number one and number two of why Democrats are not trusted by the working class are completely antithetical to one another. We have disconnected messaging. We don't actually make it clear that we understand and listen into voters economic concerns. When grocery prices are exorbitantly high, they can't afford childcare, on and on and on. But people are being too mean to corporations, and we can
vilify the wealthy. This is the problem. This is but this is actually why Joe Biden failed in a lot of ways beyond the butcher Biden you know, last fifteenth you know year of his presidency was really about like, Okay, we're gonna sort of nibble around the edges, pass and reforms, go after you know, monopolies, but we're not gonna do it hard enough or swift enough to actually make real
gains that impact people's lives. And we're going but we're gonna still piss off the one percent, and we're never going to gain popular support for these programs and for these things like stopping the price gouging or making sure that you know, you know, Apple and Google and Amazon are you know, have to break up or sell off certain companies or we're you know, we're suing them all that we're not going to make these very valiant policies
that we are enacting actually popular because we're not gonna specifically vilify the one percent. Like in order to connect to people economically, you have to vilify the wealth. You have to vilify the one percent. It gives people something to latch onto, and that's you know, that's why Trump is so successful. It's because he's demonizing immigrants, trans people, women like we understand that, so give them the opposite,
say the ninety nine percent versus the one percent. It's what catapulted the occupy movement into Bernie Sanders two time near electoral win.
So it's just like, yeah, with the one percent, but the one percent is running everything, So how can we expect them to even have this like this one part too. Failure to address economic anxiety is another one where it's like, yeah, no shit, but again they just go on to just like talk around the issue. Another one is nine the breakroom versus the boardroom. Democratic economic messages often come from elites, celebrities and politicians rather than working class voices that voters
can relate to. What you're saying is, yes, the party has been captured by the hyper wealthy, so you're inherently going.
To have it communication to our.
Wording, it's not going to with Rachel Pritzker or people of that ilk at the helm of a political party. They have absolutely this is so far.
To get your vagina in a mirror. That's what I'm trying to say.
Just say that.
Just look at it for us, look at it for a second, and it'll be Actually.
It's not nearly as nice as doing that, but like, yeah, it's this is no one should take anything these people say seriously. And it's really annoying that the way that the political article was spun was made it seem like this wasn't the third way organization. Everyone knows a third way organization has been like tone deaf.
Now.
The problem is is that people you know, like James Carville will pair it a lot of these points, and many people pair it these points, which is basically like we need to get rid of the racial justice component, which is not really even a component. It's just sort of a lip service that we pay to real equity in this country. Get rid of all that language because
we weren't actually doing anything to implement it. Also hop on board with DEI programs, DIA programs, which are again stopgap measures that mostly make ourselves look better and so we don't have to address structural issues economic issues broadly, like this is. And then the last thing like don't make me look at twenty twenty five and like miss Obama,
like don't make me miss the way. The one thing that Obama was actually able to do well, which was I think give some sort of narrative structure to this democracy that we live in is specifically when it comes to like multi racial democracy, a country that is still in formation, in the making, that is a sum of its parts. You know that it's best days are ahead
and not behind. But truly with again this like call it it's not post racial, but of course in the minds of a lot of white people, this like post racial. Everyone's moving forward. You know, we can do it together. Like like it's just so wild that we live in a time where like two thousand and nine seemed really hopeful, you know, and and and I say that as someone who in two thousand and nine was actually not that hopeful, and of course was like everyone else many progress is
very disappointed. But like, it's not that hard to have a narrative of multiracial democracy that is inclusive, where there's an economy that works for all people. It's fucking really simple to articulate that, and many politicians do.
Yeah.
I think it's like just something about this, especially in third way, and knowing how wealthy the people are behind it too, where like they they can they're reading the room that the clock is ticking for people like for just ignoring the wealth hoarding that's happening from the like the very wealthy. And I think they're trying to like dance around it in this way where they're like, ah, it's a problem, but I certainly don't know how to contend with it.
That ends up with me having less than I already do. And that's that's a totally unspoken thing.
Yeah, that's because all this stuff just reads to me is it's pro inequality propaganda, Like all of these talking points, and if that's your worldview, if your pro inequality or
just indifferent to inequality. All of these talking points are very easy for you to parrot and act like you're analyzing and observing a problem and that maybe there's something to be done about it, but you are falling short of the actual work of saying we actually have to begin to dismantle these structures if we want a tangible effect, if we want voters to actually have some kind of tangible outcome that they can then connect to this party and say, yeah, you know what, I trust them, I'll
vote for them because I can see they understand what's at stake and they're contending with it rather than trying to be like, the problem is and this go. They say this in their document, small dollar donors, that's a thing to be It's that's a remedy they're putting in here. Revised democratic fundraising parties move away from the dominance of small dollar donors whose preferences may not align with the
broader electorate. AKA, stop listening to the people who were trying who's trust we're trying to regain and just get all the money from our wealthy friends.
It is a complete nonsensical document because it's just full of these hypocrisies, the small dollar donors. I eat many many people don't represent many many people. Right, you know what I'm saying. No, nobody knows what you're saying. It doesn't make any sense. And again, this is what's gonna look guys, this is what gets us fascism, this kind of thinking. Yeah, lines in the sand have been drawn, y'all.
There's a class war. Which side are you on? Okay, stop fucking caping like you care when you want to maintain you know, tax structure the way it is, when you're not actually really going to dress wealth inequality.
Shut up.
Just go over to the side of the room of the gymnasium with all the billionaires, because we don't need you anymore. We understand. Like truly though, I'm just like so sick of these people, you know, helping the Democratic Party and its tailspin, and it's their fucking noseedives because this is this is what the Kamala Harris campaign did.
It's exactly what it thinks.
Yes, the I mean so the playbook I feel like for the Democratic Party, both successfully and unsuccessfully, has been promised progressive change, like big radical change and then govern as a right leaning your photocracy and like that playbook.
And not even really do the former, like not even really promised.
Right, yeah, yeah, just like gesture esthetically, Obama felt like he was offering revolutionary change, hope and change, you know, but then like not really in any sort of real way, did.
I mean, like you know, was a good like when I'm I'm even again, I put Obama in a separate category at this point, like Kamala Harris did not run an Obama campaign at all. There was no big idea and again there was so much working against her and on and on and on, but like this is useless.
Yeah yeah, no, I mean really, yeah, I feel like the because people have been fooled by this so long and like, yes, the Obama like ACA was something. It was also written by the insurance industry, and like I think the big original sin that people can't get past is the bailing out of Wall Street. And yeah, like but so the two options seem to be like promise
progressive and then government progressive. If you're not going to do the promise progressive and then govern as a corporatography, it's promised progressive and then government progressive, or promise corporatography and govern the way you've always been governing, and.
Which why would if you're a corporation, now, why the like, why would you ever throw it down with Democrats? Again? The the Republicans are promising you the moon and the stars, right, I mean they are truly doing you a massive service. I mean, you know, unless you rely on things like snap benefits to underpay your workers so they don't come at you with a knife and shit, right, then that
would suck for you Walmart and others. But like, again, the line of the sand has been drawn, and the corporations and you've got rub and Diego going and like trying to you know, fundraise with Marc Andreessen and other you know crypto crypto bros. And be like we're good too, and like you can't offer them what they want, no.
And also like open up your let's let's see the donations you've gotten from that sector because we all know what time it is. They just bought you as a voice to normalize crypto for their own aim. And like we've talked about before, they were the biggest industry that was spending this last election cycle to get pro crypto talking points out to Democrats and Republicans. The one thing though, too,
which goes along with all this. One of their takeaways for how they can rebuild economic trust is to quote number five, be pro aspiration and pro capitalism in a smart way. Recognize that working class voters value upward mobility and economic success, have a prosperity gospel well aimed at the working class, call out corporate abuses individually instead of
attacking quote corporations as a whole. Now, pro aspiration is such a fucking violent, fucked up term in this context where it's like, not that you're saying, provide people with this tangible path. It's like they like upward mobility. But that's why we use the word aspirational because that doesn't mean you're delivering. That means you have the hope that it will happen. That doesn't mean you have to do.
Use words like grindset, mindset more and uh you know life.
Hack, Hustler of the Month is gonna get a Lambeau brought to you by the DNC.
I mean truly, truly, it's like, like, okay, so instead of free college tuition, you want to lie to people exactly the way that Republicans lie to them, and no one's saying that the allure of a get out of capitalism free card or like being able to get a bunch of money through crypto doesn't exist precisely because of the moment that we're in, and then honestly precisely because Democratic Party has lost their way, you know, since FDR
and since it's embrace of neoliberalism. But I'm very excited in twenty twenty eight for the fucking for Gavin Newsom to trot out Bill fucking Clinton again and again and again.
Yeah. Right.
One of the things is like hanging out with like meeting them where they are at tailgates and gun shows, which is just and and I think small town diners, which first of all like.
Leaning in tailgates, gun shows, local restaurants. This is written by the most billionaire motherfucker, like you know, tailgates and gun shows, local restaurants.
And but it's all white coated, right, isn't that just white coded?
Oh yeah, yeah, this is all going for like conservative middle America.
Yeah.
By the way, unsuccessful Democratic candidates have been trying to lean into gun culture and failing since Ducaccus in eighties, right when he drove that fucking tank, Like Carrie had an infamous gun photo op Kamala kept ragging about how she had a glock like it just it feels like they've got taken taken, Like the twenty twenty four election is just like, let's double down on listening to the exact wrong people who told us all the things that made us lose.
Yeah.
Well, then you also have like senators like Chris Murphy who are like kind of kind of like having an internal debate with themselves about seeing the light where they're like, I think it's like you gotta listen to like these poor people man, and like we're just not doing a good job.
But also, shit, I'm like, so I'm hard to determine.
I don't care.
People are like uh huh, yeah, I know, which is like it all feels performative because at the end of the day, like these people, their entire existence is rooted in the fact that this system stays the same. So I can't it's hard for me to believe that they now have this steal to go after to start to even begin to reckon with all of these structures that exacerbate the very income or the inequality that they're saying
is causing a disconnect. It's like, well, we're not going to contend with the issue, but we need to figure out how to tell them that the sky is blue when this shit is black.
Back in twenty twenty, I did a news Broke episode that was basically like how to Beat Trump and one of the bullet points, which is one that we just you could just erase this entire thing and just have one bullet point, which is be authentic, and I would revise that and just say believe in something, literally, believe in something. Pick a thing to actually believe in.
Mess. We believe in Santa.
For me, that's it exactly like, I don't even give a shit of it's Santa. If it's Santa, sell me on Santa, okay, but I need you to actually believe it.
I think the thing about Santa, he's given too many handouts to people that don't deserve it. You know, wait, what.
You're just boomerang that whole is a nice idea. That's a good concept, but really they should be earned stocking stuffers. And you know, if you don't pay into the stocking system, it should be sort of based on your own income.
Yeah, how my toys.
I just hate that they basically are taking treat human beings with dignity and respect and saying that this is radical far left thinking, Like because if you just tell someone, you don't have to evoke any kind of political theory here, just be like this, here's your platform. We believe that you have the right to healthcare without going bankrupt because your body gets fucked up from maybe the myriad of threat vectors we put in the environment to to you know, corporate activity.
Whatever.
Healthcare, Okay, you should be able to have a roof over your head. If you would like an education, that should be attainable for you at any kind. You want to learn a trade, you want to go to university, Okay, we got that covered food. What else? Healthcare? Childcare, that your children will be safe. That's really those are so broad that it would be hard like you're not I mean, some conservatives will be like, we're trying to give a handout, but other people they are clamoring for things to be
more affordable or their lives to be less shitty. Just articulate that in a way that is just talking about it's just like the basics.
It's really just the basics, but it's it's much.
Easier for it to get like sort of muddled in this kind of like think tank talk and then have places like Politico be like, all right, this is like this is kind of what might be the new normal way for the Democratic Party, or at least we'll give this the most attention. So no version that seems too fucking quote radical takes hold, and you know, people start looking the other also.
You know, it's like if you really want to learn from the Republicans, because all this is is looking at the other side more.
Like hey, they're good, and.
Like, you know, I do understand this idea of like speaking to people wanting to get ahead and our intense individualism and all this and people liking money and people not wanting to collect. And that's going to take a long many years to rebuild that sense of collectivity of a real like yes, an American identity that is about equal protection under the law, that is about everyone getting an opportunity. Like there's been so much hollowing out of
the government. Many people believe obviously all this shit is dead if it ever were alive. But I'm like thinking about it, and I'm like, okay, universal education, like free tuition, right, let's say community colleges, state schools to begin with, and if you don't want to take advantage of free university tuition,
you can get money instead. It's like, so you get it's like putting money in people's pocket if you will love money and so it's like you know what I'm saying, It's like something like that where it's like it feels like socialism also kind of exactly it Also if you don't like exactly, you could get money to go to a trade school or like start your own business right out of college or a high school, whatever you want. But we want to promote you going to school you
freely and fair you know all that. We think everyone should have an economic I mean educational opportunity like that. But also here's money, like if instaid you don't like things like that, that would be an interesting creative way to address this moment that we're in, but also talk about what can actually solve you know, yeah, you know the moment that we're in.
Or they talk about, oh, people love aspirational stuff and like they're driven or whatever. That's because there's no fucking
middle class. If there was a middle class, people wouldn't be aspiring to be lambeau driving, like jet hopping, fucked with traffick because they look at that as being like, well, those are the people the option those are like if I want to go on a trip, like have like a nice dinner to look like I have to be hyper wealthy because my job that used to be able to afford someone a very normal, enjoyable life, that fucking
vision is gone. So that's what they're aspiring to. It's not that they want, not necessarily, but the example that we have in society is that you must have X amount of dollars for this aperience to be enjoyable.
Just those people, those people putting me in pain, and that's those are your two options. Be the one who's getting fucked over and scammed, or be the scammer or the person's like making all the money and else you're stupid.
Is also part of it.
Let's take a quick break, we'll come back. We'll say a quick goodbye to Skype. We'll be right back.
Goodbye Scype, and we're back.
We're we're back.
Could see, Hey, what's going on up in Canada?
Canada? Canada?
So just an unintended outcome of Donald Trump's five D chess that is actually like half a dementsion.
I feel like like.
One dimension, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, but like.
Five D chess implies he's playing chess five moves in advance, and I think he is not even thinking about the move he's making as he's making it.
I think it's less.
No, he's moving the chess pieces on a board or they're like, bro, you can't do that.
Punk can't move like a queen. Bro, yeah, I can't watch.
It's like, bro, you you're gonna lose. That's all right, final, I'll do this. And he's like, that's not a good movie. Oh, we'll see, we'll see.
And then he just puts a handgun on the table and says, I can't oh yeah, oh no, that's a toy.
That's clearly a toy gun. It's got the whole thing up there, all right.
So he is basically and maybe there is an argument to be made that this is a successful five D chess thing, because the only thing that's gonna keep fascism alive is the continued survival of like neolib shit, you know, right, So maybe this is five I feel like this is what he's just like knocking shit over and it just keeps turning up like fucking aces for him. I'm just mixing all my table games here.
Yeah.
But so a few months ago Trudeau announced he was resigning. A new party leader would be chosen, with an election happening at some point later this year. His unpopularity was like unprecedented. People were just completely out on his bullshit, much very similar to Biden. It was just he was incredibly unpopular. His policies like this sort of neoliberal angle
of being like, hey, we want to help you. Here are some policies that help you, and then they ultimately just are means for funneling wealth towards wealthy people and corporations. People were like, fuck this, maybe maybe we need to And so the stage was set for a massive liberal defeat,
much like we saw in the US. I know the margins weren't massive, but like when you take into account like what should have happened given Trump with platform, Yeah, it was really a massive defeat and complete fuck up by the Democratic Party. So now though that Trump has come into office and has threatened Canada with in every way basically I mean very implied implied military threats of being like we're gonna you're gonna be our fifty first state.
But obviously the big one is the economic tariffs. He has come back and been like that this guy's an asshole, you know. He like did a direct address to Americans was like I'm sorry, you're doing this to yourself, and that has been incredibly popular in Canada. Everybody is like, well, I guess the election used to be about like domestic Canadian policies, but now it's all about fending off threats posed by the Trump administration. Their numbers has like shot.
Up nothing like a common enemy, y yeah, exactly, totally to bring the people together, right, yeah, I mean it's the best thing that happened to Trudeau.
It is wild when like I just you know, as our elections are happening, all like Canadians that game, we're like, we're right behind you, We're right behind you, we're about to go We're about to flop to the right also, and then it's just like it's just wild how the emergence of this ship had Trump immediately like what the fuck like and it just sort of immediately has people being like, right, hold on a second, this guy is a fucking loser and dangerous and all the people that
are parroting that shit like in our country, like this is it cannot leap downever is going on.
So the person who was like favored to take over for Trudeau was the head of the Conservative Party, Pierre Pollievit poly.
Polly every poly evry Pierre. I don't know why he's a down Pierre.
He was, you know, poised to coast to victory and now has completely had to revamp his strategy because his you know, in the run up to our election, like the thing he was that was giving him strength was
that he was being repeatedly referred to as Canada's Trump. Yeah, and now that's not good for him now that Trump has had a chance to be really bad at his job in the eyes of everyone, except for like the thirty percent of Americans who voted for him, you know, they're like, whoa, that that might be a very bad thing.
It's it is interesting though, too.
Everything Trump does has this weird effect of also doing the opposite thing. If he wants like where he's like, well, I'll abandoned Ukraine and now Europe's like, bro, we need to fucking we need to cut these Americans out of the conversation. Because they're going to fucking destroy everything and like, fuck fuck all this so and I was like, oh shit, they're all they're getting each other's backs.
Now this is different.
And now with Canada, Trudeau merely just being like this is some bullshit, guys, and it was like, yeah, we're back, We're back, and Mike, look, a word of warning to the Canadians, man, do not let the presence of an
aspiring fascist turn into a neoliberal honeymoon. Okay, the Democratic Party should have taken the biggest like a bigger l over what happened in twenty sixteen, but the presence of Trump made everyone nostalgic for the before times and completely lost sight of like what was ailing society and what actually needed to be addressed. So take the opportunity if you can.
Now, I don't know, it's not gonna be easy.
But theoretically you could drive a stake into the heart of right wing extremism and meet people's needs. Okay, because if you let the rot of inequality continue, the fungus that is authoritarianism rule will have the perfect environment to replicate and thrive in and you're just gonna end up being the same place we are down the road, like it's not gonna be enough to be like, oh, thank god he's standing up to it. You now have to take the opportunity to like just fucking learn from this.
It's because the Democrats did fuck all to address the needs of the people at the expense of the donor class that we're in this mess that we're in right now. And also just ideologically, it's impossible for them to bite the hand that feed. So we were fucked either way. But Canada, you already got a leg up on America in a few ways in terms of how you're treating your people.
So just I'm just.
It'll come back, though, if you know, if not, caras shit will come right back. They are waiting for material conditions to be bad enough for people to be like, yeah, fuck it, destroy everything.
I wonder if we're gonna be able to if the US is going to be able to get out of that, because it is it does feel like the only thing that can make the idea of sort of that corporatocracy but democrat look good is what Trump is doing, you know, like he's doing the exact thing to make people be like, I mean, I guess to.
The other thing if Biden was fine, Like, yeah, I guess no, it wasn't and it's not now. And I think that's you know, if I like, you think like the most cynical of democratic strategies would be going to these billionaires be like, look, dude, we need all y'all to like do token donations to bring your cred back up and and make people feel like you contribute to society.
Just fucking just do these token offerings to just fucking bring the temperature down a little bit and say you're okay with that, and then we can if you're okay with just a little bit more taxes, we can just do some stuff that'll keep them at bay before they all fucking turn off us.
That's but they can't even do that. They're just like, but Trump's bad. So you're like, well that, okay. There goes any opportunity to do anything, given the most cynical sense, to try and keep the fucking powers that be in power, because I mean, the road inevitably just ends this way, right, So yeah, all all.
These countries have the entire economically populist lane to go down where you can create policies that actually benefit people instead of corporations and by the way, corporations are people too, So Miles, when you said Joe Biden didn't do things for people, you were meeting out a big chunk of the population. Thank you. I will refer you your honor,
no further answers, your honor. But it's just so wild that like they are leaving this huge lane that has like proven to be popular in the past, with the Sanders campaign coming out of nowhere in twenty sixteen, doing remarkably well in twenty eighteen. But again, like to your point, I think people just lost their nerve because they were like, well, we got to beat him, and Sanders isn't gonna win, Like this is not a time to be taking chances.
This Trump guy's indicates that he could. Yeah, yeah, exactly, Like everybody's playing the game too much.
I mean, do you think that they the Democrat those in power, he didn't want to bite the hand that feeds them, actually would rather have Trump than Bernie.
That's a great question. I mean probably, yeah. I think they probably know that Trump is better for there. They are so distinct from what you know, what Bernie Sanders and like what you know the the idea of a progressive politics that actually like is focused on helping people that. Yeah, I don't. I don't think there's anything about Bernie Sanders that appeals to mainstream Democrats, whereas with Trump it gives
them something too in theory, you know, fundraise. I was gonna say, like, in theory, run against but it's not even really running. It's just fundraising.
Do you know?
I got so many fucking texts during that address, begging texts from the Democrats, you know what I mean, Like they're still they're so caught in their ways. They're like, yeah, fine, man, we'll just like people be freaking out again, and maybe we can get more money. Although now I think they're realizing people are so fucking disheartened by everything. Yeah, there's the money ain't flown in like it used to.
They're willing to try anything except the Bernie Sanders thing that would actually work, because that is Yeah. I mean, it's just it's the thing that we saw with Biden coming up against certain things and being like a.
What can I do?
Man?
I'm trying over here, and it's like, what's the unspoken thing?
You're not saying? What what are you trying?
And not able to like yes, there's Republicans in Congress, but it's also.
What do you want me to do up end the status quo? Yeah, exactly, Yeah, And I think it's a basic thing. I mean, like, going forward, the only people who will be worth listening to or voting for are
people who can just very simple premise. The status quo is violent, and it's killing people and every it's making everyone unhappy their meet their needs aren't being met, and we're so far removed from like the even what people call like the good old days when people could have like even like my my grandmother like was a fucking switchboard operator and shit, and my grandfather drove a bus like they were able to do shit and have a house even being black like that shit was kind of
possible even then. We're so far from that in the progressive tax policy that we had then, we're just so if you're not if you're not willing to come to the table and be like, hey, guys, everything that's been happening for the last few decades, we have to reverse course on all of this. But that is just far too extreme a mess, like perceived as far to extreme a message from again, the stakeholders of our media and things.
Like that, that it's just it's yeah, but that's really what it is. Someone who's like, we just need to change a couple of things. No, we don't. We need to change fucking so many things.
And if you're not really saying that with your whole chest, don't waste people's time.
Tweak the messaging. Tweak the messaging. Yeah, but think y'all get that kind of stuff.
All right, that's gonna do it for this week's weekly Zeitgeist. Please like and review the show. If you like, the show means the world de Miles. He needs your validation, folks. I hope you're having a great weekend and I will talk to him Monday. Bye.