Transcript
Speaker: Welcome. to Episode 6 of The Big Swing. Saving America. Part 1. The Doom Window. What is it? And how can we fix it?
Speaker: Let's talk about the Overton window. I like to refer to it as the doom window in part because Well, that sounds way more interesting and partly because. That's where it's leading us.
Speaker: According to the Mackinac Center, Quote. The Overton Window is a political theory. representing the range of policies and ideas that the public considers acceptable at any given time.
Speaker: Politicians can only advocate for policies within this window without losing popular support. It describes how societal norms shift allowing radical ideas to eventually become mainstream.
Speaker: Unquote. The extreme far left of the political spectrum It's supposed to be an egalitarian utopia, with each person living a modestly comfortable life that is similar in quality to everyone else.
Speaker: No need for money because everyone puts the needs of the neediest first. rather than themselves Conceptually, this is basically how communism is supposed to work.
Speaker: But historically... The communist ideal fails to work on any scale larger than a so small commune of friends because of how human nature works. People are competitive and they always want to keep improving their life in their lot in life rarely satisfied with what they have.
Speaker: Sure. this is a generalization But as long as it's true for a significant number of people in your society. you're going to have corruption and power struggles that make the utopian ideal of communism unrealistic.
Speaker: And it inevitably leads to a corrupt authoritarian society. like that in North Korea. or in the Soviet Union. As you can imagine.
Speaker: the far right side of the spectrum looks totally different. The far right is supposed to be a free market utopia with each individual person and each business succeeding or failing based on merit and hard work.
Speaker: Yep. This is also a fantasy. Unregulated capitalism especially without organized labor pushing back, inevitably leads to power and wealth being consolidated under a small number of people.
Speaker: who rule over some everybody else. When big business faces no regulation and no unified power from workers. It maximizes profits for the ownership class.
Speaker: This allows them to amass and then maintain wealth and power. This is called... oligarchy. That same human spirit of competition and drive to constantly have more stuff and more power that turns the communist ideal into an authoritarian nightmare.
Speaker: ends up having a similar effect on the far right ideal The more money and power get consolidated, the more you set the stage for authoritarianism. It creates lives of luxury for the few.
Speaker: and lives of misery for the many. The Overton window doesn't represent the full spectrum between these two extremes. It only represents the section of the spectrum that is widely considered normal and acceptable at any specific time and place.
Speaker: For example, There isn't... anyone in Congress. pushing for communism these days. That's in part because the American people don't consider it acceptable. As a result.
Speaker: The Overton window doesn't currently extend all the way to left. which is fine. but There are lots of Republican leaders who support oligarchy. even though they avoid the use of the word itself.
Speaker: Given how many people consider us to already be in an oligarchy, you can kind of see which side of the political spectrum that the Overton window is currently located. Okay. Over the past several decades, the Overton window has shifted more and more to the right.
Speaker: If you've been following the story up to this point, you probably have a good idea why. The influence of big corporations and the super -rich. They've steadily pushed the window to the right using three main weapons.
Speaker: Their control over the media. their control over the Republican Party, and their increasing control over the Supreme Court. all of which are stemming from the influence of their wealth.
Speaker: They have used the media to move public opinion to the right. They've used the GOP. to move policy to the right. And they've used the Supreme Court to move the law to the right.
Speaker: That's a pretty powerful combination and it's dragged the Overton window way to the right There are two main ways to illustrate. how far to the right that the current American version of the Overton window.
Speaker: has moved. by comparing it to other countries. and by comparing it to the United States of the past. In 1956, the Republican Party's platform was, one,
Speaker: provide federal assistance to low -income communities. Two. Protect Social Security. Three. Provide asylum for refugees. 4. Extend minimum wage to more workers.
Speaker: Five. improve unemployment the unemployment benefits system to cover more people. Six. Strengthen labor laws, making it easier to create and join unions and to bargain collectively.
Speaker: And seven. Assure equal pay for equal work. regardless of sex. That's right. That was the Republican platform.
Speaker: But in today's Overton window, this is clearly a set of beliefs from the Democratic Party. while the GOP's priorities are way to the right of these things now. As the Republican Party's priorities have been dragged far to the right of this,
Speaker: So too... The Democrats' parties have been dragged to the right until they look like old -fashioned Republican views. the money flooding the system after several changes to campaign finance laws by the Supreme Court has affected both parties.
Speaker: It's just been more extreme with the GOP. The Overton Window is different if you look at other countries, too. This is obviously going to be the case with countries that have clearly different political systems like China, North Korea. russia Saudi Arabia, Iran. etc.
Speaker: But even if we focus on Western -style democracies, there are still big differences. For example, We are the only first world country without universal health insurance.
Speaker: It's not only possible for a big country like ours to have universal health insurance. It's so cost efficient. Then everybody's doing it. even most authoritarian countries for that matter. matter We're just caught in the grip of unbridled greed more than other countries.
Speaker: Along those lines... Other major democracies care about their workers more in general. This includes things like mandatory annual paid leave, Parental leave and sick leave.
Speaker: They might care about people in general more, since most outlaw the death penalty and most approach drug addiction as a health problem. Not. as a crime problem While most major countries are going all in on clean energy like solar, nuclear, and wind power,
Speaker: the current gop administration in the united states is literally paying energy companies to shut down green energy projects. This might seem absurd given climate change and the cost of gas.
Speaker: It makes sense when you find out that. President Trump corruptly promised actions like these to the fossil fuel industry if they would donate $1 billion dollars to his 2024 campaign.
Speaker: They were happy to oblige.
Speaker: As you can tell, The GOP is not only to the right of the rest of the democratic world on the political spectrum, but they are also to the right of themselves from decades past. That's already bad by itself.
Speaker: But it has had wide ranging effects on the rest of the political spectrum. both globally and domestically. While most major democracies remain to the left of the US s politically,
Speaker: They are not immune to U .S. influence. Mm. It can be hard to tell who is influencing who sometimes. But both Israel and Great Britain have been drifting to the right politically as Donald Trump has grown in power.
Speaker: Not too surprising, given that they are two of our closest allies. The biggest part of the problem isn't other democracies, though. It's autocracies, especially Russia.
Speaker: if The people of Russia. look at people living better lives in democracies, then they might try harder to turn Russia into a real democracy instead of a country that has been ruled by the same person for 26 years.
Speaker: You might think that the easy solution for Russian President Vladimir Putin would be to use benevolent policymaking and improve the lives of his people. but He needs to keep funneling his country's money to the rich oligarchs who helped him stay in power.
Speaker: not use it to help his country. I mean it's not like he needs actual votes after all. Instead, Putin focuses on making democracies as corrupt and miserable as possible.
Speaker: in hopes that his people won't then long for democracy if they see how corrupt and miserable democracies are. Not only. Did US intelligence determine that Russia meddled in the 2016 election to help elect Donald Trump.
Speaker: But Russian influencers. also helped bring about brexit the separation of great britain and the european union which weakened both of them. The movement to the right domestically hasn't just affected the GOP.
Speaker: As they've moved to the right and found some fanatical new voters, Some voters have been left behind. Instead of trying to woo those newly homeless voters to the left,
Speaker: the Democratic Party keeps moving to the right in an attempt to scoop up those voters where they are. Well, that might seem like a good strategy in the short term to win elections. It has led. to multiple problems.
Speaker: One. Moving to the right in order to appeal to centrist and former Republican voters means more and more voters on the left are being left behind without a party. This might seem like an okay strategy in a two -party system where lefties are unlikely to vote for the GOP.
Speaker: but More and more of them are staying home. Rather than voting for candidates of either party, if they're going to. be supporting right -leaning policies that favor the wealthy and the powerful. to Moving to the right never turns out to be a short -term move.
Speaker: The GOP just keep moving farther as to the right. And as a result, so do Democrats. While more and more policy ideas. that would help everyday Americans get left behind. And three.
Speaker: Why should Americans care about Democrats winning elections if the Democrats don't then use that power? to make the left -leaning policies that help the majority of Americans rather than just wealthy people.
Speaker: There are two big things that keep politics moving to the right. The first one is money. Both parties need it to win elections. It doesn't matter how good your policy ideas are, but if your opponent bombards the airwaves with commercials and TV appearances and has entire TV networks and major newspapers supporting them,
Speaker: and you don't have any of those things you're probably going to lose. the easiest way to get big money is to woo wealthy donors. And rich donors like policies that benefit the rich.
Speaker: The second thing that keeps things moving to the right is the GOP's willingness to be so extreme. While we may not want to vote for a right -leaning, corporate, allied, democratic candidate,
Speaker: It must be better than letting the Republicans maintain power. Right? If both parties were equally awful, it'd be one thing. But the GOP consistently shows that they are more willing to destroy the economy more willing to leave everyday Americans in large.
Speaker: more willing to let people die, and more willing to let the planet itself die. um If you've been following the story this long, you understand that the constant political movement to the right is a big problem for the U .S., the rest of the world, and the planet itself.
Speaker: Unfortunately, you probably don't know how to fix the problem, and even if you think you do, You don't have the money, the power or the influence to do it. Maybe you can't realistically win political office.
Speaker: Maybe you don't have time or money to support the few political candidates that seem likely to work on making a difference. After all, you're just one person trying to get by on a time of... economic hardship.
Speaker: If you're having trouble saving yourself... How can you save the world? Well. That's exactly what we're going to talk about. Part 2 The Mamdani Effect.
Speaker: Regular voters in New York City are making a difference. You can too. These are desperate times for the United States and for the world. Millions of people are unnecessarily struggling physically and economically.
Speaker: The temperature of the earth is unnecessarily rising leading to every ever Greater danger. to every living thing on the planet. I say unnecessarily.
Speaker: because it's all being caused by the greed of wealthy elites. There is no need for billionaires and trillionaires, especially in a world with so much poverty and suffering. a single trillion year. or even an especially wealthy billionaire.
Speaker: could fix world hunger. but they choose not to. You can't. reasonably spend a billion dollars in multiple lifetimes, never mind a trillion dollars. To make matters worse,
Speaker: There is no way to acquire a billion dollars through sheer hard work. Elon Musk. makes an average of $3 .6 billion. An hour.
Speaker: per the Wall Street Journal. There is no amount of hard work that equals that income. Besides, Anyone who follows Elon on X. knows he's not constantly working.
Speaker: Many of the richest people on earth are directly gaining their wealth at the expense of some of the poorest people. Billionaires like Jeff Bezos of Amazon and the Walton family of Walmart. are some of the richest people in the world Yet their employees are paid so poorly that tens of thousands of them are on government assistance like SNAP and Medicaid.
Speaker: Not only are fossil fuel billionaires driving planet -destroying climate change by quashing green energy projects and driving fossil fuel use instead, But tech billionaires are rapidly building data centers that are draining the planet's resources.
Speaker: Given how horrific these things are, You might wonder why the governments of the world aren't putting a stop to them. The answer is money. The super rich who are benefiting from these horrible things keep political leaders on their side with money.
Speaker: Since the rest of us have so little money that we're just... doing our best to get by you might wonder what we can possibly do to change things Good news.
Speaker: There are some simple things you can do to make a difference. that won't cost you money and won't be a drain on your free time either. The most basic thing you can do to help is vote.
Speaker: Not just vote. but vote wisely. If you've been following the story for this long, you probably already vote, at least in big national elections. That's good. But if we're really going to change things, your vote in primary elections and in local elections matter just as much. and probably more.
Speaker: Major political shifts don't start in big national elections. especially in a two -party system like ours. As I discussed last time, The Overton window has been dragged. way to the right.
Speaker: which has led to the oligarchy that we find ourselves in currently. to fix this mess. we need to drag the Overton window back to the left. A lot.
Speaker: That starts by electing politicians who will support policies that are well to the left of the kind of policies that we've seen from our government in recent years. Policy is centered around spending our tax dollars to make life better for everyday Americans, including those most in need.
Speaker: not policies centered around the richest Americans and their big corporations. The best way to do this is to vote for candidates that only take small dollar donations. If a candidate takes donations from dark money super PACs, billionaires, and big corporations,
Speaker: Why should we expect them to serve us? and not the big money donors that are donating to them. This approach to voting isn't usually an option in big national elections for people like presidents and senators.
Speaker: because there are typically only two viable candidates for each office. And usually both candidates take big donations. In big elections, our vote still matters. We just have to settle for whatever can it shows support. for the most left -leaning policies.
Speaker: So... Democrats. Electing a slate full of Democrats across the country will help. When Democrats control the federal government, the deficit goes down. corruption goes down, inflation goes down. The environment receives better protection.
Speaker: More people have health care. You get it. Things are better. Lots better. If you're paying attention at all to the current government being run by Republicans, you can see the other option.
Speaker: Soaring inflation. an exploding deficit. Tax breaks for the rich. an unnecessary war. Damaging tariffs. ICE literally killing people in the streets.
Speaker: outbreaks of foodborne illness and out -of -control government corruption. Just to name a few of the problems. So yes. Vote for Democrats or Republicans.
Speaker: There may come a time when that basic concept might change. But for now, we absolutely can't afford more. of what the republicans are currently doing to the united states and the rest of the world But just voting in big national elections.
Speaker: won't bring about the sort of major change that's really needed to... and the hold that the 1 % have over the country. We need to go even farther to the left for that. And I don't mean all the way to the edge of communism.
Speaker: but certainly far left than we are now. and significantly more like the overdrive window is way to the right as I keep saying way to the right That starts in primary elections and in local elections. In large part,
Speaker: That's where you'll find the candidates that don't take big money donations. Those sorts of candidates are often portrayed as not viable in national elections because they're too radical and not mainstream enough.
Speaker: There are two ways to overcome this portrayal. The first. is that in many parts of the country right now Winning a Democratic primary is pretty close to winning the general election.
Speaker: People are starting to wake up to the ultra -rich come -first actions of the GOP, and they're ready to vote them out. If left -leaning Democrats are going to finally start winning lots of seats in common... Congress. congress Now is the perfect time to start.
Speaker: which means helping them win primaries. But some people say the left are so radical Well, let's see what they want Higher taxes on billionaires.
Speaker: Universal Healthcare. Higher minimum wage. Protections for unions. A move to a cleaner energy economy. protecting civil rights and reproductive rights.
Speaker: You get the picture. Just despicable, right? especially when you could vote for a Republican who will continue to support Trump and whatever he feels like doing at any given time. Tough choice, I know.
Speaker: um The other way to overcome the push to paint the left as too radical is in local elections. New York City Mayor. Zoran Mamdani is the perfect example.
Speaker: Oligarchs are desperate to keep progressives and democratic socialists out of power. The reason... is because their policies are people first and popular. If voters come to realize that government's actually helping people as an option,
Speaker: then the entire project of the oligarchs is at rich as at risk. excuse me Naturally. That means getting candidates from the left into office. is critical. Despite a massive infusion of political donations to stop Mamdani from winning,
Speaker: He is now the mayor of New York City. This is a huge deal. Now there's a political figure with policy beliefs that are significantly to the left of politics as usual. who's got the power to start implementing some of those beliefs as actual policy.
Speaker: and he's already delivering on campaign promises. Reasonable people can disagree over whether or not some of his policies will end up making New York City better. But it's refreshing to see a politician that keeps campaign promises and proves that government can improve people's lives if run properly.
Speaker: Here's up partial list of some of the things this administration has already done. He's invested in universal childcare. Reduced red tape for small businesses. They've outlawed multiple types of junk fees.
Speaker: They start. a free tax prep program. They've started several programs to increase affordable housing. They've started a loan program for small businesses.
Speaker: They've invested in proving city sewers. That sounds good. They've fixed 100 ,000 potholes. They've instituted short -term rent freeze for rent -stabilized apartments.
Speaker: They've opened an office to prevent deed theft. They've restarted several popular bytes. bus and bike lane projects. they've even dramatically lowered crime rates. And get this. They've closed the city's $12 .6 billion dollars budget deficit while doing all these cool things.
Speaker: They've advanced a plan. for city -run grocery stores in areas where there is a need, with the first one scheduled open next year. This is far from a complete list of Mamdani's accomplishments as mayor.
Speaker: It's also worth keeping in mind He's done it all in... Only seven months. We've become so used to political gridlock and government rarely getting anything done.
Speaker: Because that that that isn't designed to help rich people. We need local politicians like Mamdani showing that we can actually get good, effective governance as long as we're willing to elect people farther to the left than we're currently used to.
Speaker: especially if they don't take donations from big donors. The best way to defeat... Rhetoric designed to make the left wing of the Democratic Party look too extreme and unable to lead is to elect them. So people get to see them actually govern.
Speaker: based on New York City. it's hard to argue with the results. Since media outlets are owned by rich people, you will constantly be told that Mamdani and other members of the left are terrible.
Speaker: You need to look at the policies and the results. and then decide your vote based on that. Don't decide based on what some rich talking head who works for someone even richer tells you on the news or on social media.
Speaker: Like. When you're you see someone on social media tell you how terrible someone on the left is You need to learn a little bit about that person before you even consider trusting them.
Speaker: I would suggest. Start from not trusting them and go from there. Okay. Part 3 Strength in numbers. Don't be a lone wolf. That's how the oligarchs win.
Speaker: Conservatives like to promote images of individual strength. especially when it comes to men. Men should be strong, independent loners. They should be in charge of their families, but not need any help or guidance themselves.
Speaker: They should make tough decisions and never cry. They should work hard. Drink hard and play hard. They should be tough, loyal, wild. but free. They should be soldiers cops cowboys old oil workers or businessmen If the picture I'm painting is unfamiliar,
Speaker: cry watching a few Taylor Sheridan shows like Yellowstone land man or Tulsa King. And you'll get it. This imagery isn't just part of the conservative culture war.
Speaker: It's also a part of the Conservative Political Project. That project is all about making more and more money for big business and the wealthy Epstein class at the expense of everyday Americans.
Speaker: Collective action is the kryptonite of the wealthy oligarchs. No single ordinary American has the power to successfully challenge a billionaire. That's because of the power of money.
Speaker: But a billionaire is still just one person. If you can unite a large group of people. That's real power. The best example of this is unions. If a single person decides to oppose poor pay and poor working conditions,
Speaker: A big company can just fire them and not feel any consequences. But if the entire workforce for a company decides to oppose poor pay and poor working conditions, then management actually has to negotiate and make concessions.
Speaker: unions are responsible for incredible things. The 8 -hour workday. Minimum wage. overtime pay Banning child labor. The passing of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Speaker: the five -day work week. Not surprisingly, The best blue collar jobs tend to be union jobs. good pay, good benefits and good job security. One of the reasons we know how great unions are in the fight against oligarchy is based on how hard oligarchs fight against unions.
Speaker: Even though union busting is illegal, Wealthy CEOs are willing to do it anyways because they consider the stakes to be so high. They have an arsenal of tactics. Thanks. Things like...
Speaker: mandatory anti -union presentations during work hours. Finding excuses to fire union leaders. offering incentives to workers if they choose not to form a union.
Speaker: But. Just imagine what they'd give you if you did make a union. and finding excuses to close entire factories or entire stores that form unions. If these sound like things that would scare you away from unions,
Speaker: That means their plan is working. Now you just see why the oligarchs are winning and the rest of us are losing. While unions may be a cornerstone in winning the fight against the Epstein class,
Speaker: The principles of collective action also apply more broadly. Don't try to make it through life alone. It's hard sometimes, especially if you're an introvert like me.
Speaker: But you need to constantly be forming strong relationships and alliances. A strong team can accomplish things that individuals can't. If the hardships of daily life grind you down, your friends and allies pick you up and you do the same for them.
Speaker: The oligarchs want you to work for 40 plus hours for them and then be so tired and beaten down. you Can't do much else. If you're exhausted and depressed all the time,
Speaker: you won't be doing much to change the system. Just another victory for the oligarchy. This is also why the Epstein class hates mass protest movements so much. They want you to think that you're all alone and powerless to help change things.
Speaker: But you're not Going to a mass protest like a No Kings rally teaches you that. being around hundreds or even thousands of like -minded individuals. protesting against the oligarchy.
Speaker: reminds you that You're not alone. As a matter of fact the numbers are on our side. the donor class has the number of dollars on their side. But in the end...
Speaker: the number of voters are even more important. um They want you to believe that your voice doesn't matter. that your vote doesn't matter. that you're powerless and should just keep your head down and not complain.
Speaker: As the wealth gap increases to record highs and inflation drives normal people towards financial ruin, it's easy to believe them. That's why we need collective action now more than ever.
Speaker: Join or form a union. Join or start a protest. Make friends and allies. Go to the polls together. we must force the oligarchs to listen.
Speaker: They're not going to do it out of the goodness of their hearts. They want your silence. Don't give it to them. Part 4 Breaking the silence.
Speaker: Politics. need to be talked about. Whenever I'm watching a drama, I'm always shaking my head because of how many things go wrong simply because a character decides to keep a needless secret.
Speaker: The entire plot often revolves around one player's decision to keep a mildly embarrassing secret. when things would have been smooth sailing if they've just communicated better and more openly. In the hit movie Obsession,
Speaker: Bear has a massive crush on his close friend, Nikki. and he tries to work up the courage to ask her out. He has numerous chances to talk to her because they work together and hang out with the same friends, but he keeps losing his nerve.
Speaker: Finally, She does most of the work for him and says, If you like me, Now is the time to tell me. But even on a night when he's been... desperately trying to tell her he's interested.
Speaker: He denies having romantic feelings for her. despite getting such an easy opportunity to share his true desires. So dumb. This immediately leads to the inciting incident of the movie.
Speaker: He makes a magical wish for her to love him. Rather than answering her truthfully, and finding out her response. It's a horror movie. So things don't go great from there.
Speaker: Good movie though. While fictional stories need to keep secrets to drive the drama, That's not a great guide for life, especially when it comes to politics. The wealthy CEO class wants us to isolate and keep our thoughts to ourselves.
Speaker: These are the same people who tell us that... it's Not okay to discuss salaries with our coworkers. Well, it's not legal to pressure your employees to keep their compensation secret. It's easy to see why businesses do it.
Speaker: It's much easier to lowball an employee's compensation if they don't know that somebody else in the company doing the same work is making even more. The less that working class people talk among themselves, the more room that leaves for the wealthy donor class to insert their own messaging into the conversation.
Speaker: One of the subtler ways that conservatives control the narrative is through the use of manufactured civility. One of the classics is the etiquette of what can and should be talked about.
Speaker: most people have heard over and over. Don't talk about politics or religion. Don't discuss politics and religion at holiday gatherings. Don't discuss them at work. Don't talk about them in public.
Speaker: but Who is this helping? It helps those that are already in power and are happy with the status quo. One reason we don't talk about these things is that we're afraid of discussing them in front of someone who disagrees with us.
Speaker: It might upset someone. There might be conflict. Instead... Let's stick to discussing the weather. sports, or maybe that cool new movie obsession. Well, screw that.
Speaker: we need to talk about serious things more often. especially now. It'd be one thing if things were going great. But they're most definitely not. Wealth inequality is worse. than it it was in the Gilded Age.
Speaker: Climate change is leading towards the literal end of the world. Basic things like food, water, health care, and shelter are starting to become almost luxury items. None of these things need to be this way.
Speaker: They are the result of choices made by a greedy ruling class. If you doubt this... Please read this blog starting from the first article. Also, Please pay more attention to what's going on in the world in general.
Speaker: You don't need to take my word for these things. Scientists. world leaders economic experts and journalists are saying these things publicly Well, with the exception of some of the most ideologically captured people on the right.
Speaker: Communication is one of the ways everyday people can make a difference in the fight to swing the Overton window back. to a sane place that's more to the left. The place it's teetering on the far right currently is dangerous for all of us.
Speaker: including the rich people. just more dangerous for people who aren't rich. As I discussed last time, There is strength in numbers. One of the best ways to increase our numbers is to make sure people are aware of what's happening and why.
Speaker: If every American really knew what was going on and why. How many would still vote Republican? I'm pretty sure every public office would soon be held by a Democrat with progressive views. This is why the GOP invests so much time and effort keeping Americans misinformed.
Speaker: After all... If you're going to keep voters... keep making voters' lives worse and worse. You really need to gaslight them. So if you're going to keep getting elected.
Speaker: first The cost of a college education keeps on skyrocketing. More and more becomes only available to kids from wealthy families or kids willing to go into seemingly endless debt.
Speaker: with either option working out just fine for Republicans. There's a reason the GOP feverishly worked to block Joe Biden's effort to provide any student debt relief. Second.
Speaker: Not content with having entire news networks like Fox dedicate to supporting conservative views and propaganda. Conservative billionaires are working to acquire every other major media.
Speaker: and social media platform including but not limited to CBS and Paramount. Facebook. tick tock and x Sinclair TV stations. The Washington Post and the LA Times.
Speaker: The New York Post, Wall Street Journal, and Breitbart News. Third, They encourage a culture based on sports, movies, celebrities, religion, basically one that generally obsesses about anything but politics.
Speaker: And fourth... Aside from the distractions and the misinformation, There is the disinformation. more and more Republican politicians are just straight up lying to us, even about important things that are easily disprovable.
Speaker: Hmm. The result of these efforts to hide the truth are often one of two things. One. The misinformation works and convinces people that false things are true.
Speaker: Or two, It muddies the pool of information so much that people stop believing. anyone about politics and just turn their backs away from what's happening. but It's like that modern take on Plato.
Speaker: The Price of Apathy Towards Politics is to be ruled by evil men. An even more modern take is that You may not care about politics. but your boss.
Speaker: your landlord and your banker do. Our response to this should be to talk about politics now more than ever. First... Do your research. The truth is easy enough to find, but as you can tell by now,
Speaker: Right wing voices have negative credibility. Don't trust them unless you've thoroughly verified what they say. It's good to double -check any information source.
Speaker: but especially the ones that are leaning to the right. Check for expertise. If a doctor or an epidemiologist says that vaccines are safe. but a person like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is neither of those things, but is someone who makes money from pushing alternative medicines. says that vaccines aren't safe well Trust the expert.
Speaker: Remember. Being wealthy or famous doesn't make someone an expert on anything. but it does mean that they have different priorities than the rest of us. There's a reason that conservatives are constantly trying to denigate denigrate experts on pretty much everything outside of big business and finance.
Speaker: Why vote for an experienced candidate when you can vote for a billionaire outsider? Voting for people whose main claim to fame is being wealthy. is the opposite of voting for change and or a competent government Just look at the constant miasma of crisis and disaster being created by the current wealthy ship of fools running things in the United States now.
Speaker: Where are the experts that should be running things? The GOP claimed that they're all about hiring the best people regardless of race or gender. but It would hard be hard for it to be a more obvious lie based on the constant hiring of woefully underqualified people to run the most powerful government in the world.
Speaker: And let's buy. best people. They mean rich white dudes who will do whatever president trump wants even if it means lying and breaking the law In that case... Shhh.
Speaker: sure the best people. Once you've found good sources of information about politics and world events, start discussing that information with people. First...
Speaker: Other people sometimes help guide you to more accurate information. Second, you can better inform people who are being successfully gaslit by the Epstein class. And third,
Speaker: you'll probably find out that you already have more allies than you thought. a I was used to people saying. Don't talk about politics in you unless you want to lose friends. Instead...
Speaker: I've found myself making more friends by discussing politics. It's becoming easier and easier to find people who are fed up with the current administration and all of the downstreet effects of their putrid governance.
Speaker: Rising prices. A terrible war. obvious corruption. environmental destruction, destructive data centers, and a growing network of inhumane detention centers, along with the lawless rush to fill them.
Speaker: Talk about what's happening at family gathers gatherings and social get -togethers. Share about it on social media. Write a blog. Start a podcast. Share stories with your coworkers.
Speaker: Silence is only golden. to the ones that already have the gold. you might not move many people in the right direction. But everyone you do move matters.
Speaker: And you yourself can gain hope and comfort by finding and creating more allies. who you can bond with. while strategizing with him about how to forge a way through this madness.
Speaker: The only way through this... is together. With the Trump administration polling at record lows, this is the perfect time for America to make a big swing in the other direction.
Speaker: Please like, share, and subscribe and join us next time. as we start talking about a plan for 2027 and how we can start fixing what's been broken. The Big Swing Saving America is written and read for you.
Speaker: By me, Darwin Castle.
