Waking Up to Our Power

up to their power. Right. There were so many things, my God, that happened in the course of this year that we're not on my twenty twenty two bingo card. And I can think of no person that is better to bring in to kind of run down the highs and the lows of twenty twenty two than Kurt Bardella. Kurt has been, you know, in his previous Live Say advisor to the Triple C. And you see him often on MSNBC talking about Republicans because up until the early aughts,

that was the party that Kurt was affiliated with. And when I look at, you know, how Democrats were able to hang on to the Senate, how we gained governorships in the midterm elections, how Biden frankly against everyone's judgment, including my own who said that, you know, I voted for Joe Biden and he's not delivering for the American people. Well, you know, lo and behold, he actually has and he's

delivered over and over and over again. This man came into office basically inherited, you know, as Sesspool from the prior administration. And you know, we have to remember exactly all of the things that Joe Biden said that he was going to offer the American people if we chose

him in twenty twenty. That he was going to get us vaccines, get us shots and arms, That he was going to help the American people that had become unemployed during COVID, that he was going to cancel student loan debt, that he was going to do something about gun reform and do something about climate change, and he was going to stand up for LGBTQ people who the far right

has made their frigging you targets. He's done all of these things and more, and our friend Kurt will be giving us a rundown, you know, so that we remember because I said, I say to him, and I say this often on the show, which is Democrats do so much good, but if no one knows the good that you're doing doesn't matter. And we know that the war that Republicans are fighting not the war that they want, which is a new civil war. But the war that Republicans are fighting is a war of words, is a

war of misinformation and disinformation. And they're doing it purposefully because they know if they pull out freezes like they're taking your jobs or parental control or CRT or drag queens, that they send their entire rabid base into a tizzie. Doesn't matter that those people have healthcare, doesn't matter that they are able to afford prescription drugs. It doesn't matter that workers have gotten some relief. No what matters is

who they can harm. And I have said time and time again that the Republican Party is the party of scarcity. The Democratic Party is the party of abundance. And if we can just message in very clear, concise and easy ways, then we will win all the time, regardless of the fucking gerrymandering that they do in order to get into

power in the first place. I'll ask her at some pointed questions about where he thinks that we are going to go in twenty twenty three, looking into the crystal Ball and saying, what are some of the things that you have on next year's Bingo card, and do you think that we're going to be able to stave off stave off all of these continued assaults on our democracy that are coming from our politicians, and they're coming from those that we did not vote in, which is the

Supreme Court. That conversation and our twenty twenty two political wrap up coming up next with our friend Democratic strategist Kurt Bardella. Folks, you know that whenever I have the opportunity to chat with my good, good friend, fellow nerd Aventure, fellow conspirator for democracy, democratic strategist Kurt Bardella, I am always greatly appreciated, And Kurt, it's been a hell of a year. My god. I don't know about you, but I didn't have a lot of these things on my

Bingo card for the year of twenty twenty two. And as we get ready to close out this year, I knew the person I needed to talk to to say what the fuck happened in our politics this year? There's no one better than you to give us uh the biggest overview and wrap up, So give me some of your just off the dome. What are some of the things that caught you off guard? Uh? In politics in twenty twenty two. God, you know, it's it's kind of crazy to look back, um and think of like all

the things that have happened. Uh, you know, it's been, it's been kind of amazing. Um, you know there have been you know, first, I remember sametimes. You know, you and I have talked and uh, and oftentimes you're a pessimist between the two of us, that's true, and I try to I try to know. I think it might be like like we might we might survive this, like you know, don't give up yet. And I'd like to think that on some level like that, that the best

case scenarios really play out for us. I remember at the beginning of the year, how the narrative was Democrats in disarray, and you know, this was the game that couldn't shoot straight and all of a sudden, you know, I would say, winning the God's winning. You just get successes, no matter how big how small. If you string enough

of them together, you get momentum. And all the while the other side does everything they can to self sabotage themselves, which has been kind of the one thing over the years now that we have seen for five years, the Republican Party has been the party of self sabotage more than anything else. But just getting infrastructure done, you know, turning infrastructure a week, not into a punchline, which is what it's been for Salong, but into a working reality.

Just the sheer legislative success that Nancy Pelosi engineered with a razor thin majority and passing a trifecta of historic legislative bills, from the Infrastructure Bill to the Chips Act to the Inflation and Reduction Act, the largest piece of climate change in liciation we've ever had. UM not to mention the bipartisan Gun Reform Bill. It's like, this is you know, I think we don't necessarily give President Biden

and Democrats enough credit. This is one of the most successful legislative records of any presidency we have ever seen. I think that that's right. I've been there. I've been thinking that as well. But ahead keep listening them out because I honestly, I'm I was thinking myself. I'm like, Joe Biden may go down in history if we in fact still have history books. UM as one of the most productive presidents that was given just a absolute heap

of shit on welcoming day into into office. Right, it's like, never mind everything involving COVID and trying to overcome that in the vaccine campaign and the the COVID bailout bills and COVID relief bills that we had, Like, this is one of the most robust administrations we have ever seen, you know, and I think history will look back and recognize that. But in real time we don't always do that because we're always talking about the things that we didn't get done or things that we wanted to get

done better. But like, hey, with a razor thin majority in the House, a fifty fifty centate, this guy got more done than Barack Obama did frankly, you know, and as first term, So that like that should never be discounted because in the best of circumstances, and you know, this is the old Capitol Hill staff for me, it's hard to get stuff done. Yeah, it's hard to pass things through both chambers and even harder now in this

polarized environment that we live in. So that to me is like the honestly, that's that's the headline of twenty twenty two to me is the amount of things that got done that over time will actually improve the lives of so many people in this country, not just legislation for the rich, legislation for the corporations, legislation for the billionaires that we've seen from Republicans like this is going to have massive influence on so many people's lives that

will reverberate over the course of time. That's headline one. Headline two is, my god, the Republican Party is just a hot mess, Daniel. I mean, you want to talk about stealing defeat from the jaws of victory, you know, the herschel Walkers, the memit oz Is, the carry lakes, these lunatics that hijack the Republican Party primaries and ended up And if you have said at the beginning of the year, like hey, listen, at the end of the year, Democrats are actually going to have a bigger majority in

the Senate and they're only going to barely. And if it weren't for a idiotic judge in New York, in my opinion, that fucked up districting, uh, Like, Democrats could very easily still be in the majority right now. It's Kevin McCarthy's worst nightmare that they aren't, frankly, and that he's going to have to deal with the headache of

what twenty twenty three is going to be. But um, you know, the Democratic Party got its mojo u and was once again propelled to overachieving with a coalition of voters that only this party could put together from gen Z voters, community suppeller, the women vote, the US taking the state houses, and places like Michigan taking the governorships

in Maryland. You know, it's pretty astounding when you look at the stars of the Democratic Party that have been born from this election, like like Westmore, like Gretchen Witmer, like Mallory McMorrow and Michigan. Um, you know, there's a lot to be encouraged about the future of this party as we transition now, even with Leader Pelosi and Hoyer taking a step back and Kim Jeff Friese taking a

step forward. You know, this is the you know, this will be the year that we look back and go, wow, this is when the party generationally made a big change. And I think that's an encouraging thing as well. Do you think you know, because you are one of the key spokespeople, right during twenty twenty two. I don't know if if we should start doing baseball stats in the way how many shows, how many articles you wrote, but like if you were your Spotify playlists of current appearances,

who would be pretty deep. But do you think, Kurt, that you know all of those wins, all of the things that you've named, from the administration to Nancy Pelosi to the razor thin margins. Do you think that the Democrats have become better at their messaging to the American people what they have been up to and what we have been up against, or do you think that we had record turnout again for these mid term elections that like folks for themselves, just recognize what's on the line, right,

just recognize what's that state. I think it's a little

bit of both. And I'll take it. An example where I think Democrats nailed it messaging wise and really hit their stride is the state of Michigan, where Governor Gretchen Whittmer, you know, presided over a substantial win flip the we have control of both the state houses now in Michigan, you know, and obviously you know we we we held that state and grew in that state I'll look at the state like Pennsylvania where Governor Josh Shapiro, governor like jos Shapiro, won by a huge margin and his coat

tails were long enough to bring and elevate other Democrats up. Those are states where we did it really, really well. States were democracy rescuers saved us. We're in places like Arizona, in places like Georgia where if the stakes aren't as high as they are, we probably don't win there. Nevada another one too, that democracy was really the driving force.

When you look at the election deniers that we're running that loss, especially for Secretary of State, you know, that's where we still have a lot of work to do. So it's kind of like that mixed bag of I do think that because we have better messengers now on the national stage than we used to, we have a better chance at winning these messaging wars because it's not just the old folks home anymore and the Democratic Party that for so long has been dominating the national conversations.

It's like, we have incredibly dynamic people out there, you know, who I think are the future of our party and doing an amazingly effective job at communicating. You know, we've seen in this year, you know, more women elected, more African Americans, more Asian Americans, yet more people under the age of forty five. Yeah, these are all things that that I think give us an advantage in the long run. Where the Republican Party continued to just be the white

old people party. Um, and I think that hurts them. You know, I want to take a look at herschel Walker, which will probably be the last look that I will have for herschel Walker ever, God willing um. But herschel Walker presented such an enormous issue for Republicans, right, but they decide to run this man, I'm assuming a to try and have a thumb at the nose to black people in Georgia, a thumb at the nose, um, to decency,

to intellect, to a whole host of things. They hold up herschel Walker and you saw him literally being propped up right by m and you know, and and and and others. And he lost right and Donald Trump right like he was handpicked. He was one of those handpicked losers from you know, from Donald Trump and the people of Georgia. Thank god. I mean, it should not have

been as close as it was. But you know, You're talking about an exhausted electorate that has had to come out way too many fucking times to vote over the last couple of years because of their Jim Crow antiquated law on the books with regard to runoffs, which was created in order to dilute the black vote. Does the Republican Party current, in your opinion, learn anything from the running of the likes of herschel Walker. Do they learn

Do they have any type of autopsy whatsoever? You know, It's funny because I remember in twenty thirteen, after Republicans lost very winnable Senate races because they ran lunatics like Todd ache In mister legitimate rape for Senate, who got you know, crushed by by Claire McCaskill. They ran, you know, people who had no business being in public offs at all.

And they did this autopsy, and the autopsy said that they need to become a bigger ten party, that they need to not cater to their extreme base, that they need to have to be more accepting of communities of color and other demographics. And you could just take that same report from twenty thirteen dusted off, put a new new cover page on it because it applies to exactly they're pre they're in right now, but they're not going

to do that there. You know, we have seen since the election, what has a Republican party really spent their time talking about. They've been trying to figure out how to talk about the fact and it or really avoid talking about the fact that their leader had a dinner with a known white nationalist nazi. Want to be in an anti semi like. That's been the conversation for weeks is why the hell is it so hard to condemn

Nick Vluente's to condemn a Kanye West? How do you talk about the fact that their leader said they want he wants to throw this constitution out the window. Literally, let's suspend and terminate the constitution. They clearly learned nothing from the election. The only thing that we have heard from Republicans since the election is that they want to conduct investigations into Hunter Biden's laptop. Yeah, nothing about crime or inflation or law and order, all the bullshit we

heard them run on in the midterm elections. No, now they want to be the investigators and to go after Hunter Biden for some reason. They've learned nothing. They won't learn anything they're going to elect the same RNC german, Rona McDaniel, who was presided over loss after loss after loss since she became chair in twenty eighteen. So they're going to keep repeating this cycle of that that is clearly a losing strategy, but they will not do what they need to do to snap themselves out of it.

And I think what we have seen though, too, is it's not just about Donald Trump. No. I think if Donald Trump is just a symptom. Yeah, what is so troubling is they do these you know, they did this autopsy and then they come back and they're like, oh no, no, we're going to narrow the tent. You know what, as a matter of fact, we're going to make sure that it says whites only on the top of that tent, right, Like, this is this is what we're doing. This is the

direction that we're moving in. And we know that it's a losing strategy, but they don't care. And you know, so Kurt, like tell me, why don't they care that it's a losing strategy. Why don't they Is it because they're just going to steal everything? Yeah, you notice how

after these elections where they lose or underperform. Their response isn't g maybe we should try being more tolerant, Maybe we should try not to alienate communities of color, maybe we should try not to take great away from women. Then at all, their answer is, well, let's pass a bunch of bills that will make it harder for people to vote that aren't on our side. They're losing all of these runoff elections in Georgia, so what do they

want to do. They want to change the election laws now in Georgia because what used to be in advantage and you alluded to this earlier, what used to be designed as an election scenario that makes it easier for them to win, has actually gone upside down on them, So now they want to get rid of it. Of course,

that seems to be their response to everything. It isn't to recalibrate the fact that their policies and the rhetoric is so far outside the mainstream that instead they are going to just try to steal it, literally steal elections, because that's probably the only way that they've surmised that they can win. Now, you know, it's like that old definition of insanity, repeating the same mistakes, expecting that's really

what they're doing. Like it's not a stretch to look at what some of these Republicans say every day and go, wow, you're insane, like you're not all there. This isn't normal. And if you look at it through that lens, what their behavior becomes much more. You know, I understand, like, oh, I understand you're doing this because you're not all there.

You're just crazy, got it. Yeah, it's just you know, I think that what is wild, right, like, as we as we recap this twenty you know, twenty twenty two, is that we all thought that there were so many opportunities for this Republican Party to distance themselves from Trumps, them to distance themselves from Trump to you know, to to move away from Maga. And in every instance, at every turn, they double down. They triple down. They said, no, no, we're gonna run the Kerry Lake, We're gonna run the

doctor Oz, We're gonna run this person. And they lost. But they also had gains, right, they also had gains, which is why they're gonna have the house. And so you know, let's let's look in with with the with the minutes that we have left, let's look into the crystal ball of twenty twenty three, which is going to begin, you know, the presidential debates, and is Joe Biden capable of running in twenty twenty four? Doesn't matter that the man literally gave us everything, right, like he is a

politician that did the unthinkable. He actually delivered on some of his campaign promises. And so we know that that conversation is going to happen. Is he too old? Is he to this? Is he to that? Donald Trump declared his you know, run for office as well as NFTs recently, Like that's that's his latest scam and all about the grit, all about the grift. I think that that's his campaign slogan. So what do you think is in store for us for the Republican Party as they gabble in in twenty

twenty three. Well, I think that Republicans have made it clear that their entire strategy going forward is to try to investigate the Biden administration in the Biden family. I don't think that's going to work. I think that there are just a number of vulnerabilities for Republicans there. I think that they're going to spend a lot of the year fighting with themselves, trying to overthrow their own leadership

and the turmoil that will come from that. They're going to kind of be a rudderless ship because their standard bearer right now is too busy transforming himself into a bag one a hundred infomercial. There would be standard bearer rohnd de Santis. I don't think people realize this. Who don't who haven't worked in Congress before and really saw him when he was a congressman. This guy is in moron. He has a weapons grade aiding it. He's not impressive

up close. He is not someone that if he entered the room, you would walk across the room to shake his hand. He is thoroughly unimpressive. And if that's the guy you think is the next best thing, your next best hope to be president, you're screwed. It's just it's just not going to end the with it they think it will. So I think that the twenty twenty three is to be the year that Republicans find themselves just in over their head over promising, under delivering on investigations,

and further repelling the American people. Like of all the things that we saw talked about in the midterm elections, there wasn't one single voter, one single pull one anything that's told me that they want a bunch of investigations like that, that that that's the cure of that ails

the cold, right. So I think that Republicans are going to continue to just melt down in front of us, and I think it's time to everybody kind of realizes that the crazy it's not a glitch, it's a feature, and that's not going to change, you know, But we have you know, that's wishful thinking, right, because we've been here before, Kurt. We've thought that Donald Trump was on his last leg, that motherfucker has nine lives. We have thought that the Republican part, oh, this is going to

be the thing that sends them over the edge. But my fear, and you tell me if I'm wrong, if I'm just being Danielle the dismal, but my fear is that the Republican Party is not going to combust without bringing us all down with them. So I am why I hear that. Yeah, But I'll tell you what gives me newfound hope and optimism is seeing how many voters stepped up in them interm elections that when democracy itself

was actually on the ballot. When you look at the election to deniers who wanted to take over the administering of elections in our country, which in my opinion, would have spelled the end of democracy had that actually happened, and that every single one of them lost. Like when democracy was on the line, America actually stepped up and

stood up, and they did so resoundingly. Donald Trump in this election went two and fourteen and candidates that he adorsed actually went and governors, Senate and secretaries of state. So they're when the stakes are high and at their highest America and democracy has prevailed. And that gives me a little bit more comfort than I would would have had a year ago. Yeah, and so then last question for you, where do you see Democrats in twenty twenty three?

What's on your bingo card for twenty twenty three. I think that the ultimate test is going to be for this new leadership led by how Kim Jefferies, is how they navigate the oversight avalanche that Republicans like Jim Jordan and James Khmer are going to try to lead. You know, I think that Republicans are overreaching. I think that they're turning off a lot of voters. But I also think

it matters how you push back. I was very encouraged at seeing that it looks like Congressiman Jamie Raskin is going to be the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. Raskin is an incredibly effective communicator. He has been on the front lines of the fight preserved democracy, uh, serving on the January six committee, serving as an appeachment manager. That's the type of leadership we need going forward. UM. So I think it'll be interesting to see how Democrats

really respond to this moment. I can tell you someone who was on the other side of this back in the twenty twenty tens. Uh. Democrats sucked at this in twenty ten, eleven, twelve. Um. You know, we beat the shit out of y'all, uh and um. And so I'm hoping that those lessons have been learned. I'm hoping that I certainly can be a resource to my fellow Democrats and you know, understanding the playbook that Republicans will use

against you and how to beat that playbook. Um. But it's you know this, this is going to be a year, and I think this is kind of the new norm. It's gonna be up and down. There be moments where we're pulling our hair out, and once where we think all hope is lost, where Dan yells hit the jack button. Yes, and then there's going to be Kurt. They're saying, wait minute, just hold on with us. It's not it's not over yet. Uh.

You know it's gonna we'rena, it's gonna be interesting. Well, you know, and uh one of the many voices of reason over the last year. And you know I and I'm telling you twenty twenty two was the year of Kurt. You should get you got you gotta get and make that into a T shirt and somebody should be giving you that for the holidays. But UM, thank you, my friend, for for being a voice of reason, for being the voice of justice of democracy this entire year. Um, from

your writing to the TV appearances and everything in between. UM, I think that, honestly, your voice made a difference. UM. So if nobody else has said that to you this year, then let me say that to you as as we closed out. And I hope, I hope that you will join us in twenty twenty three years we continue to drive this ship. Well, it's not going to be boring, my friend, I am, you know I am. I am

so fortunate. I've had a lot of folks, and you chief among them, who welcome me into the dead Product party, who have seen my past not as something to attack, but as something to learn from, as something that can be helpful to our collective causes, and I certainly hope to be a part of that going forward. Well, happy holidays, my friend, Get some rest, because twenty twenty three is another buckle up a year. I'llhow you too. Take care and Merry Christmas, Happy, a happy New Year. Thank you.

That is it for me today, Dear friends on Woke app as always, power to the people and to all the people. Power, get woke and stay woke as fuck.