What does Mamdani's Primary win say about the future of the Democratic party?
New York City's Democratic primary just delivered a shock: Mamdani, a progressive candidate, won the nomination for mayor. Republicans are losing their minds, with conservative media screaming "socialist takeover" and warning about Venezuela-style policies. But calling every progressive policy "socialism" has become the Republican playbook for anything left of center. So what's really happening here, and why are we so afraid of the S-word?
I (Nicole) didn't even rank Mamdani in my initial voting preferences. The media painted him as too radical, too inexperienced, too far left even for New York. But here we are, and suddenly the Democratic nominee for mayor is someone who campaigned on free childcare and expanded city services - policies that Republicans immediately label as "socialism."
Jolene's reaction? She sees Mamdani's primary win as a preview of America's slide toward the economic disasters we've watched play out in Cuba and Venezuela. When government starts expanding services, she argues, we're not talking about progressive politics anymore. We're talking about fundamentally dismantling capitalism. But is it really as bad as all that?
Here's what's complicated: Republicans have weaponized the word "socialist" to describe everything from universal healthcare to public transportation funding. Meanwhile, actual socialists are probably laughing at the idea that city-funded childcare represents some kind of revolutionary overthrow of capitalism.
I find myself caught between fascination and frustration. This is New York City - we already have public schools, public hospitals, and public transportation. Adding childcare to the mix isn't exactly seizing the means of production. But the way conservative media tells it, you'd think Mamdani was planning to redistribute private property and abolish currency.
Mamdani's primary victory caught everyone off guard - including me. In a city where moderate Democrats usually win primaries, progressive candidates are suddenly breaking through. It’s clear that Democratic voters are tired of incremental change and ready for something bolder.
Jolene's fear is that Democrats are abandoning the center, leaving behind voters who want progress without revolution. My fear is that we're so afraid of being called socialist that we're not willing to try solutions that work in literally every other developed country.
Mamdani won because he listened. His campaign was built on actually engaging with citizens, hearing their struggles, and proposing concrete solutions. Whether those solutions are actually achievable, remains to be seen. In fact, I think some of his “solutions” would be a disaster, but at least he’s bringing fresh ideas to the table.
Now comes the real test: can a progressive Democrat win in New York City's general election? In a city that's overwhelmingly Democratic, Mamdani's biggest challenge won't be Republican- it'll be convincing moderate Democrats and independents that his policies won't bankrupt the city.
The real question isn't whether Mamdani is a socialist - it's whether we're brave enough to evaluate policies based on their merit instead of their labels. Because if we can't talk about expanding city services without immediately screaming about Venezuela, we're going to miss the chance to actually solve problems.
resources mentioned:
Jon Stewart and Trevor Noah: https://youtu.be/44uC12g9ZVk?si=NmF2-E2zkb8yXPGz
Steven Eugene Kuhnhttps://www.instagram.com/steveneugenekuhn/?hl=en
LINKS:
-
[00:00:00] Nicole: She's a conservative and I'm a liberal, and yet we've been friends for almost 40 years. Everyone says you shouldn't talk about politics, religion, or money. And we say, that's exactly what French should be talking about. Join us as we tackle the conversations that you're having in your head, but are too scared to say out loud. Hello Jolene.
[00:00:21] Jolene: Hello my friend.
[00:00:23] Nicole: this is a hot topic, as it turns out, and it's about New York City, which it happens. It's the economic engine of this country. Mr Mr Mamdani really upset the apple cart. It has caused I would say, a huge, chain reaction on both the right and the left. And it doesn't seem to be just a city issue because you, my dear friend, wanted to talk about this more than I did. I have so many thoughts and I've done a ton of [00:01:00] research, since he won.
[00:01:01] But I would love to know, number one, why you wanted to talk about it and what is the information that you've been given? Because I knew before I voted. The city as voters, we now have rank choice voting, which is a brand new thing for us. So we had to learn what that meant. And the fact that a lot of people don't even vote in primaries in New York.
[00:01:26] So this was a huge coup, and we all had to learn how to do this rank, choice voting I remember you texting me several times, like, you know, I'm just so afraid that the socialist is gonna win. And I'm sort of going, huh? What
[00:01:42] Jolene: was like two months ago. Or even two months before the election. you're like, no, like that's ego. No, don't worry
[00:01:51] about
[00:01:51] Nicole: Not, only, don't worry about it, but I just found it funny that
[00:01:54] you kept calling him the socialist quote,
[00:01:57] quote unquote,
[00:01:58] Jolene: I couldn't think of his name. wanna know [00:02:00] his name. It why do I have to learn his name? Like, blah.
[00:02:03] Nicole: Yep.
[00:02:04] So,
[00:02:04] Jolene: we are.
[00:02:05] Nicole: we are. what was
[00:02:06] happening in your,
[00:02:08] Media feeds in your world, that you just tell me what, what happened for you?
[00:02:13] Jolene: I'm curious as to why you think he won. I mean, I wanna get your thoughts on why he won. What, what made him successful? Does that scare you or are you okay with him being the Democratic nominee? because I, I feel like.
[00:02:30] this could be where the Democrats are going now. I mean it so far to the left that there are socialists that like, it's not even part of the Democratic, you know, our, our father's Democratic party anymore.
[00:02:46] Nicole: before I answer that, um,
[00:02:49] what were the messages that you were
[00:02:52] being, delivered either before the
[00:02:56] election and then after
[00:02:59] the [00:03:00] election? Because there's a lot of democrats that are upset
[00:03:02] too. So curious what, what
[00:03:04] your experience was if you were afraid? What are you afraid of?
[00:03:09] Jolene: I think, I'm afraid that his message of, you know, screw the rich and let's take care of the poor, you know, the, the working class that, that. Um, that sets well with younger people and the working class and all that, but if you dig into what those policies are and what he truly believes, that's not America anymore.
[00:03:32] That's Venezuela. That's Cuba. That's, and so I'm, that concerns me that people are so hungry for. I think it kind of started with the Palestinian, you know, what, what's happening in Gaza and, and with the Israel, you know, Palestinian war. I think it kind of stemmed from that, like, and the, and we see the, you know, the dust ups [00:04:00] and the colleges and the universities and, and all of the protesting and, and all that.
[00:04:05] And we're seeing a lot of this antisemitism that. Now is, is almost being, advertised as, you know, this is what's healthy for America because we need to fight the resistance that we need to be the resistance. We need to, you know, make sure that we're not just standing by letting America be America.
[00:04:29] And that scares me because I don't think the, this younger generation that I think Mamdani Really, activated. I don't think they really understand what they're fighting for. It sounds good. It's, it's, you know, it's the same Bernie Sanders and a OC. It's, it's their message of, you know, again, tax the rich and help the poor.
[00:04:50] That sounds good to everybody, but in reality and, and being practical, It's not that easy.
[00:04:56] Nicole: I guess I'm, I'm confused by, you [00:05:00] said you're concerned that they're using antisemitism, that that's not what America is. That part, that bit I didn't understand. Can you clarify that?
[00:05:10] Jolene: I think when, when we're seeing these protests on college campuses, they're protesting, this Palestinian Israeli war. what's happening in Gaza, we all get it. It's horrible. Um, and Israel hasn't been the, the best actor in this. when you then take that a step further and you start talking about.
[00:05:34] Um, the annihilation of Israel, like the, the people who truly want to annihilate Israel, that that's in their blood, that, you know, some of these Palestinians or, you know, Hamas or, you know, whatever the, the factions are, and I shouldn't even say Palestinians. I, you know what, I should, I should take that because it's not necessarily Palestinians, it's, it's Hamas.
[00:05:54] It's, You know, the militant arm of that, of the Palestinians. So, so, [00:06:00] so I think it, it goes from, yes, we all want Palestinians to live free and happy, and yes, we all want that to. Then we look at those, um, those militant groups that, uh, of, of Hamas that has, is taking it to the next level. And so then you've got people that are, are spewing antisemitism. Rhetoric for because they think they're, wanting to free the Palestinians. And that's, it's two different things. And it, and I, and I, I am scared to think that the people who are are behind momani think that that's, that it's okay.
[00:06:42] That, that's the solution is to wipe out Jews. That scares me to death.
[00:06:49] Nicole: yes, but I think it's very interesting. Number one, I didn't even rank Ani, so my experience is [00:07:00] very different because, I didn't know much about him. I got my pamphlet, my voter pamphlet, and there were nine candidates running for mayor, for pr, for Democratic mayor, and one of them was a clown. Not
[00:07:17] Jolene: Like literally
[00:07:18] Nicole: literally a clown. guys, it was, his name was like, prince, love, joy, something, something. I was like, are you fucking kidding me? And to me, yes, Linda. Fucking kidding me. I was like. This is fucking crazy. And I'm looking at all of them and I'm like, I don't like anybody. That was my experience.
[00:07:38] Right? And I was an early voter. I think I voted on day two, which I kind of regret now voting that early because so much happened as it went on to get even more clarification about people. And so I think I voted for Brad Lander third and then he got arrested. But it was such [00:08:00] political theater that it sort of like, I was like, ah, like some of his stuff was really interesting. Josh and I voted for this guy named Whitney Tilson. I think Josh and me and his family voted for him. I'm not
[00:08:12] quite sure. Okay. But he's a guy that, he is a,
[00:08:16] Wealthy, self-made businessman who
[00:08:20] started Teach for America has like a big open heart. And I thought,
[00:08:25] well this guy's interesting. I have no idea who he is, but
[00:08:28] he's got a business brain and he's got a big old heart.
[00:08:31] And that's appealing to me. I think, okay,
[00:08:35] maybe this will help. 'cause our city,
[00:08:37] in my opinion, is a total mess. And I cannot
[00:08:40] stand Eric Adams. He's a total slime ball. I'm looking at
[00:08:44] this booklet of 8 and a clown eight and a clown. And it was really tempting to vote for the clown just for fun, but I didn't,
[00:08:53] Jolene: Wait, did the clown get more votes than the guy that you voted
[00:08:56] Nicole: no. They got, I think equal, I think it was like 0.1%.
[00:08:59] Jolene: [00:09:00] Okay.
[00:09:00] Nicole: Listen, I mean, when you're like, wow, a clown is running, the performer in me is like, yeah, the clown should totally win. So Even in my liberal media, Joe, I was hearing bad things about Mom Donny and having half of me being Jewish and being married to a Jewish person and being a free to be you and me kind of person I was buying into, this narrative that was being spoken about him.
[00:09:32] And you know, I, I try not to even look on the TikTok, so I was not being targeted
[00:09:38] with. TikTok ads from the right or
[00:09:41] the left. And the left and the right were, so much, so much racist shit
[00:09:48] like making his beard longer, like doing filter shit to scare people that he's a
[00:09:54] bad guy. So to full disclosure, [00:10:00]
[00:10:00] I was convinced that I shouldn't
[00:10:02] rank him. Why? I don't
[00:10:06] really know.
[00:10:07] I'm very embarrassed to say that I ranked the sexual assaulter.
[00:10:12] I did rank
[00:10:12] Cuomo and now I'm like, I'm embarrassed that I
[00:10:17] did because more and more
[00:10:20] has come out and I'll address the Imam
[00:10:22] Donny thing in a second that
[00:10:24] he's just a
[00:10:24] bad dude, Cuomo. He is mean and vindictive. And I'm like, you know what?
[00:10:30] No, no. So
[00:10:33] what was fascinating, Joe, was that You were like,
[00:10:37] let's talk about this guy. And I'm like, okay. and so now I'm deep diving and going, wow,
[00:10:45] this is really interesting. I don't know if I like him, but what I do find fascinating about his campaign, number one, they talk about in the Democratic Party that the only way that they used [00:11:00] to, campaign was through TV buys.
[00:11:03] That was like, you raise a lot of money and then you buy TV commercials. Well, Mamdani is 33 and he's modern. He has a very famous filmmaker mother who I very much like and he grew up, not like he's not a TV watcher and most people aren't anymore. And so here Cuomo is, you know, spending millions and millions of dollars throwing ads on tv.
[00:11:31] I didn't see them. Like I, it just, I guess if you like, sat in a bar and was watching a game, maybe you would see these ads. But otherwise, Mamdani number one, was using social media very effectively, but I have to give him credit. He had,
[00:11:50] I think it was 30,000 volunteers by the end, and he knocked on 1.5 million doors just [00:12:00] talking to people, asking them what, what they wanted, asking 'em what concerned them.
[00:12:05] And to me, what I found interesting about him was it reminded me of what we're doing on the podcast. So it was not, it was like, you know what? People want to feel heard. They want to have human connection. He had four, Talking points, freeze the rent.
[00:12:23] Free buses, free childcare, and city owned groceries. Now, this is gonna cost a lot of money. And,
[00:12:36] Hoko, our governor has already said, absolutely not. But
[00:12:41] that doesn't matter. He's keeping on, he's going to try. And what I can
[00:12:46] admire about him is that he's going to try something. And, and what I find also interesting is that Trump does it all the
[00:12:54] time.
[00:12:55] He throws stuff against the
[00:12:57] wall and people go, [00:13:00] yay. And then a lot of times it doesn't happen. But he tried. And I think the city as a New York City is like, we need help. And this guy's listening to us. He's so smart in the, the interviews that I've, now listen to, he's so smart and he talks about that he came to United States as a 7-year-old and that September 11th happened when he was nine years old. And I know from friends of mine that our Middle Eastern, the enormous backlash against Muslim people after September 11th, and he felt it then and he felt it, you know, coming up. But as in the interviews that I have listened to I tried to listen to the right and the left, because everybody wants him now. I even wrote a letter as you knew. No, I was like, maybe we can get him on, but he, [00:14:00] his dance card's pretty full right now, so who knows?
[00:14:02] Maybe mom, DMI will come
[00:14:04] on here and talk to us. But he was talking about like,
[00:14:10] number one, he's getting a ton of death
[00:14:11] threats, and a lot of racial profiling
[00:14:17] on the right and the left. And he was explaining that to be a good Muslim is to be a good person. And I truly don't know that much about. Being a Muslim, I know that there is extreme on both on either side of every religion. So part of me wants to give him the benefit of the doubt, his remarks about globalizing the ada, which is I think what you're talking about. Yes, it gives me pause. since his nomination, he has not walked it back, but has said that he believes Jewish people [00:15:00] in in New York should be safe and should feel safe and that he will keep on, moving towards that. Normally in a New York primary. It's such a wildly democratic place, that when you win the primary, you win the election. This is a situation that he's still gonna have to work really hard to keep on
[00:15:24] talking to people like, I don't know, Senator Gillibrand, she said some pretty slanderous things, which I found pretty disgraceful. But he's got some, some work to do to get New Yorkers to, get on board. I mean, again, we, we've got some Slim Pickens here.
[00:15:45] Yeah,
[00:15:45] Jolene: just gonna say, have you seen any polling, like is like, because if, if Eric Adams is running as an independent, and if, let's say that Cuomo runs as a write-in or something. Yeah. Then I mean, does [00:16:00] he, and the Republican doesn't have a shot, I'm assuming
[00:16:03] Nicole: assuming that too, but.
[00:16:04] Jolene: So, I mean, is he going to, like, is he going to win, do you think?
[00:16:10] What's the polling showing? Have you seen anything?
[00:16:12] Nicole: I don't know what the polling is.
[00:16:14] I think it's a little soon 'cause we have a long way till November.
[00:16:18] So a lot can happen. And one thing that's
[00:16:22] interesting that I was, uh, one of the
[00:16:25] many
[00:16:26] podcasts that I was listening to that rank choice
[00:16:29] voting provides, which is an interesting concept.
[00:16:33] It's kind of annoying. I mean, it's kind, rank choice, voting's kind of annoying because it's a lot of work. 'cause if you wanna be informed, you actually have to read up on all the people. And the way it works most effectively is that you actually use all five slots. It's not just for mayor, it was for borough president and for DA and for blah.
[00:16:58] And [00:17:00] so, I mean, it's hilarious because I do think that we as voters, it's important to do our homework, but a lot of us don't. And so, one thing that's
[00:17:11] interesting about rank choice voting is that it actually, except for
[00:17:15] Cuomo, it provides,
[00:17:18] Opportunities for co coalition. So like Brad
[00:17:21] Lander ended up teaming up with Mom Donny
[00:17:26] and said, if I win, I get your votes. If you win, you get my votes. Which is very interesting because he is Jewish and the Jewish controller of the city. I don't know, mom, Dami, I'm assuming he's had a lot of time with him now and that if he wants to endorse him or co, what do they call it? Cross.
[00:17:46] Coalesce. Cross endorse. Cross endorse. That he must trust him to, to think okay, he doesn't want the annihilation of me.
[00:17:58] Jolene: why do you think they're, [00:18:00] they're making such a big deal then, like with the Christian Wilker interview, that he wouldn't condemn the phrase globalize the Antifa. Did you see that interview?
[00:18:11] Nicole: I did.
[00:18:12] Well, it's interesting because I fantasized that they were gonna write back and say, yeah, he'll come on your podcast. And that that was something we would ask 'cause I am with you. I mean, they'll talk about, that there's many definitions to that and I don't quite understand why he can't really clarify.
[00:18:36] I don't know. It doesn't, it doesn't make sense. But also, I don't know enough about it to, all I know is from the sound bites that I have that are telling me he's bad, he's scary, he's this, he's that. Now, I think that freezing the rent is not the best choice. I think free [00:19:00] buses that could work. Free childcare.
[00:19:04] Amazing. I don't know. It's very expensive. De Blassio did free pre-K and it was a huge success. It's the one thing that I will give him credit for, which just helps human beings thrive into the world. When you have health, you know, you have care and you get to be nurtured and your brain gets to, you know, that's, that's all good.
[00:19:25] Uh, the city owned grocery stores I think is idiotic. My personal opinion, uh, I think you're in the food business, but from what my research is, is that the markup is one to 3%. There is no room. And the fact that if you're having city owned, grocery stores, you're pushing out actually a lot of the immigrants that voted for you, who owned, owned little bodegas.
[00:19:49] And one thing that I found interesting that I wanted to share with you was that from the, when the precincts came in, that. When, when a precinct [00:20:00] was all black or all white,
[00:20:03] they voted for Cuomo. And if the precinct was a mixed
[00:20:08] group of all flavors together, they all voted for Mamdani.
[00:20:13] Jolene: Hmm.
[00:20:14] Nicole: and also the rich voted for mom, Donny.
[00:20:18] Jolene: Why do you think that is?
[00:20:21] Nicole: I have zero idea other than I think, and of course the young people did. Uh, he's a fresh, he's got fresh ideas. And I think the more I read about him and the more I about him, I am like he's not a bad guy. And I. I don't know. I mean, here's the thing. New York is so tough and it's so tough being a politician here that [00:21:00] if he's gonna get, if let's say he, let's say he becomes the mayor.
[00:21:03] If he's gonna get anything done, he has to work with everyone else. It just, otherwise nothing's gonna get done. Nothing.
[00:21:12] Jolene: so you, you went through his four bullet points, his four main ideas, but you, but you already said none of those are gonna work.
[00:21:21] Nicole: No, no, no. I, I said,
[00:21:23] free bus could be good. I mean, I think these are very expensive. So he has to work on
[00:21:29] creating, um. coalitions
[00:21:32] to figure out how to do it because these are things that the city can't do alone.
[00:21:37] They have to have state approval. And right now our governor is saying absolutely
[00:21:41] not.
[00:21:42] Jolene: do you like Momani because he, he seems like a good guy and maybe he can't get all of his things accomplished, which I would call our social, which I would call his socialist ideas, but because he's a good guy, [00:22:00] he's going to be able to work with people to try to get things done.
[00:22:04] Would that be accurate?
[00:22:05] Nicole: I don't know. 'cause I don't, I don't know him and I did, again, I did not vote for him. So I'm learning in a way, the way everyone is, or, and I'm,
[00:22:14] I'm trying to deep dive and understand who he is and not let.
[00:22:20] Not let any media tell me who he is. I think what I admire about him is that he's
[00:22:29] trying to connect with people and he is trying to listen to people.
[00:22:32] And I think, like I said before,
[00:22:34] I think that's what we're trying to do. So I, I admire that in a person. part of me, and this is not to,
[00:22:43] discredit him. it reminds me of when I was in fourth grade, I went to
[00:22:48] a fourth grade through sixth grade school and I think it was my very first election.
[00:22:54] And the
[00:22:54] sixth graders were voting for president for the school. And I remember being in the [00:23:00] assembly hall and these big kids were, you know, giving their speeches
[00:23:05] and they were saying,
[00:23:07] you know, vote for me and I'll
[00:23:09] give you pizza. Like, it sort of feels like that to me. And of course the kid that said, I'll give you pizza, he won.
[00:23:18] I think it was a boy. And he won and there was no pizza. think about that and I, and, and I go, well, I mean, 'cause these are huge ideas and. One thing about huge ideas, it gets people's
[00:23:31] attention. and so much of it would cost so much money that there is, I don't think there's a way that our
[00:23:37] city, who is our city is incredibly wealthy, but I don't think our city could pay
[00:23:42] for it.
[00:23:43] And I, but certain
[00:23:44] things, like, I love the idea
[00:23:47] of, free childcare. I think that could really help so many working families that, are really struggling
[00:23:55] to feed themselves and work and all. And I think that's a really interesting [00:24:00] idea. Do I think it will work? I don't know.
[00:24:02] I'm, I'm open to that
[00:24:04] idea. Um, do I think the city owned grocery stores are a good idea?
[00:24:08] Absolutely not. I
[00:24:09] think it's a stupid idea. That's my opinion. I don't think it's a good idea.
[00:24:13] I don't think that you need, we've, we just did the big food episode. Like I.
[00:24:18] food's ex
[00:24:20] expensive, but government has so many issues getting anything
[00:24:26] done, please don't like, I just,
[00:24:29] I just think it's a bad idea and I think it pushes out the bodegas, you know, the people that have bodegas and
[00:24:36] Jolene: if this was like the first big election for Democrats.
[00:24:41] Um, and I, know it was a primary, but this was kind of like, is this the way the Democratic party is, is this the path that's gonna start to go down for the midterms and all that? is the Democratic party going so far left that it's going into a socialist
[00:24:58] concepts?
[00:24:59] so I [00:25:00] think that's, that's scaring some of the. You
[00:25:02] know, the Jeffries and, and Gillibrand and all that, like the, the died in the
[00:25:07] wool Democrats are going, wait a second. Nope,
[00:25:09] we're going down. This is not going to help us win elections because we're going too far the other
[00:25:14] way. Do you, are you hearing
[00:25:16] that?
[00:25:17] Nicole: I think, New York mayoral politics it is totally different than presidential politics. New York City is its own beast, and they try different things. I mean, we had, 20 years of Republicans, we had Giuliani twice. And we had Bloomberg three times and we're a democratic city. I think trying to gauge where the country is by what New York
[00:25:50] does, I think doesn't make sense. I think it's New York City is
[00:25:57] its own experiment and it's not [00:26:00] necessarily how the country is going. I think that,
[00:26:04] Post COVID, I, I mean
[00:26:05] listen, Eric Adams, I just think he's a horrible mayor and I think a lot of people are struggling in the city
[00:26:15] and we're really curious and energized by someone that seemed like they were listening to
[00:26:23] them. I think that's something to pay attention
[00:26:27] to, say, I think that's
[00:26:28] what Trump's appeal has been. You know, I think if we take it from like a hu like a macro level,
[00:26:37] people are feeling
[00:26:41] ignored or left out or left behind. And so these figureheads are saying, I see
[00:26:47] you and let's try something.
[00:26:50] listen, I also think the Democratic party is a total mess. We've talked about this so many
[00:26:55] times. They need to innovate, they need to wake up, [00:27:00] it's a complicated party. There are so many factions coming together and they have to listen to everyone. And the centrist democratic machine doesn't work anymore. Period. Does that mean it's gonna go like. Communist or socialist? I don't think so.
[00:27:20] I think there's room for everyone at the party, but I feel like that centrist line is, is just not listening anymore. It's just stodgy. It's stuck in its ways. Cuomo was what a arrogant jerk. Like, he didn't even try. He's just like, I'm totally gonna be the mayor. And he wasn't. He got his ass kicked after the, the ranked came in.
[00:27:44] Uh, Mamdani won 54%. That's wild. I didn't vote for him. I don't really know. I'm curious about him. there's another thing about, like with all these guys, whether it's mayor or president or senator, da,
[00:27:58] da, da, campaigning is [00:28:00] so different than running something. So we shall see, like we have zero idea.
[00:28:06] He's a, he is a young person with not a very much experience. One thing that he's, if he does become the mayor, he's very, very smart and maybe he can surround himself with good
[00:28:18] people. That would be the only way I think he would succeed. And, and I would want him to succeed, not because he is a socialist, because I
[00:28:26] want my mayor to succeed.
[00:28:29] Like, honestly, I liked Bloomberg. I'm a liberal Democrat. He, at the time was a Republican, but I liked him. He was
[00:28:37] efficient, he got stuff done. He knew how to run. The city is a beast. Like it's hard. So I just want whomever to,
[00:28:47] to succeed.
[00:28:48] Jolene: but do you get that, that republicans, because I feel like this is the same message that Bernie and a OC are out, you know, saying as well. Do you think that they're, [00:29:00] that you think that's all kind of a unifying message?
[00:29:03] Nicole: I don't know. I think like Mamdami was saying, like, he doesn't think billionaires
[00:29:07] should ex should exist.
[00:29:10] Jolene: Why,
[00:29:12] Nicole: well, similar to a OC
[00:29:14] Jolene: too?
[00:29:14] much Money's a bad thing.
[00:29:15] Nicole: well, just,
[00:29:16] it's the, the wealth inequality
[00:29:18] thing has become so out of control. We've talked about this before. And I think when only a few people own a lot of the wealth, I
[00:29:29] think were in trouble. Um, and, and it's wild Jolene, like how, and we talked about this before, how like Warren Buffett's secretary pays more taxes than he does.
[00:29:39] It's that kind of shit that I think. I'm surprised it doesn't bother Republicans too. I don't think that's a bad thing. and maybe that's a Democrat thing
[00:29:50] or a liberal thing,
[00:29:52] but I would like, I think we all, most of us work really hard and I think it would be nice if we're all [00:30:00] contributing to the pot to make social programs or military work or whatever it is.
[00:30:05] I would just like the rich people to also pay. I'm not saying I'm taking their money, but why are you taking my money Then? Like, I just, let's all contribute. like. Again, I don't know this man, but when a OC or Bernie is talking about like tax the rich, I think that's what they're talking about and I think, I guess I don't really understand why other than of course.
[00:30:33] People want to keep their money, but why isn't that a priority for everyone, I guess?
[00:30:41] Jolene: Well, I think it is, and I think that's why they passed the big, beautiful bill. I mean that where there were so many tax cuts in there for the working class that, And I know we're not gonna get into that whole conversation, but there were so many tax, cuts in
[00:30:57] there that will help. Uh, you know, the [00:31:00] child tax credits, um, that will help everybody who has a child in the us.
[00:31:05] Not having to tax on tips and overtime cutting the social security tax for people who receive social security. I mean, that helps, that helps people.
[00:31:17] So I think it's, I think you're saying the same thing.
[00:31:21] Nicole: I totally, but I think that Bill is a disgrace, and I totally disagree. And there are so many loopholes. And the, the tip tax, in fact, is like a very short, you have a cap on $25,000. Like there's, it is absolutely benefiting the
[00:31:37] rich. And so much is cut on Medicaid, and there's gonna be kids that are kids and old people that are
[00:31:44] going to suffer from this bill.
[00:31:45] And the way they have it written, it's not gonna happen like during the,
[00:31:50] the, by the time that it, midterms happen.
[00:31:52] And I think one thing that I'm learning Jolene through this podcast is like, I didn't
[00:31:58] realize, [00:32:00] and this is such, this is the right and the left, that they all write these bills to like put blame on the next party in case they don't run, they don't win again.
[00:32:11] It's shocking to me. I'm just, I mean, I am, I was so naive. I guess I'm just like, wow. Has it always been this way that we just wanna pit each other against each other versus being one country?
[00:32:30] Jolene: Well, I you know, and especially like this 4th of July weekend, I mean, I think Trump's had so many wins recently that I. People are, people who don't like Trump aren't willing to acknowledge the wins, because they don't want to give him the satisfaction of saying that he's doing some good things And I, and I read, I, I don't know if you saw in the Free Press the article about, you know, being proud to be an American [00:33:00] again and waving, you know, having your flag, but used to be.
[00:33:05] People
[00:33:05] used to think that if you were flying your
[00:33:07] flag, you were a racist. I mean, you're American flag so I'm kind of trying to, bring it back into this conversation with Mamdani, that,
[00:33:15] we've gone to such extremes
[00:33:18] that. Democrats aren't willing to say that Trump's doing some really good things and things that he had campaigned
[00:33:25] on and that Republicans are proud of, and the Democrats are going, we are going to push back as far as we can to the left we need to have an
[00:33:34] uprising.
[00:33:36] Nicole: I mean, I would be happy to celebrate good things that Trump did. I would be happy to, this bill is not a good thing and there were so many people that were bullied into it, and I'm just,
[00:33:54] disappointed in all the lawmakers. I cannot believe that people [00:34:00] don't have the guts to stand up if they feel that something's not okay.
[00:34:06] I'm disappointed in everyone, both the left and the right. I'm
[00:34:09] disappointed. I am more than happy to celebrate things that Trump does well. Um, I get concerned by this bullying nature and these closed doors and people saying, no, I don't believe in it, and all of a sudden they flip. And I, I'm just really disappointed.
[00:34:31] And I, you
[00:34:33] Jolene: But Okay. Can you, would you consider that compromise.
[00:34:38] Nicole: no, because there is no compromise. They are just saying, vote for this bill. there were only two guys that ended up, in the house saying no. And it was, I don't know their names. It was the guy in, a guy in Pennsylvania and a guy in Kentucky. I mean, Rand Paul, the senator.
[00:34:55] He said, no, Susan Collins said no. And, uh, Tom Tillis said no. [00:35:00] And then Tom Till said, I'm not running again. But I also feel
[00:35:02] like maybe Trump's extreme, if Mamdani is extreme, then Trump's extreme. I am so happy to celebrate a Trump win. I promise you Jolene. I am.
[00:35:14] Jolene: how about the number of border crossings that we had last
[00:35:17] month?
[00:35:18] Zero.
[00:35:20] Nicole: I will, congratulate you.
[00:35:22] Jolene: Well, I you don't have to congratulate me. I think it's a, it's a win. I mean, you.
[00:35:26] and I talked about,
[00:35:27] immigration, one of our very first talks, and I think that, like you said, if he can solve the, the border crossing the immigration problem, I will be the first to
[00:35:37] say
[00:35:40] Nicole: I mean, listen. Good for you. Trump. Good for you. I'm, I just turned an interview where this is the first time that people can remember that there are more people leaving than coming into this country. Now with that,
[00:35:55] there are consequences. We'll see what happens in terms of [00:36:00] jobs and who that, you know, but, but that's the promise that he made to his
[00:36:05] voters and he did it.
[00:36:08] And I will say to you And I will say to, to the viewer and the listener,
[00:36:14] this is what Trump said he was gonna do, and he did it. And good
[00:36:17] for you. I think that there are, you have to be careful 'cause of what's might happen next in terms of, meat processing plants, farmers, like. We'll see what goes. But I understand the concern of the border, and I understand that it was wildly out of control, both in Trump's first term and in Biden's first term and only term.
[00:36:41] Like there. It was a huge issue and yeah, I, I will absolutely acknowledge that he's, he's done it
[00:36:50] Jolene: do you think after, after this, after his term, after Trump's
[00:36:54] term, that there is going to be Like we're finally going to
[00:36:59] come together because [00:37:00] we're like, okay,
[00:37:00] enough is enough
[00:37:03] Nicole: I mean, Jolene, I hope that, I think that's, you know. If I haven't, if I've learned anything from our friendship and from working together, I think we both want that. And I don't think we're the only two that want that. We have, I'm very grateful for, uh, the listeners and the viewers who come back every week and are grateful to have this forum of kindness and love and respect and having really, you know, difficult conversations and working through it and finding points of, of connection and points of disconnection, but still being like, okay, I love you.
[00:37:50] I care about you. Let's figure it out. Where can we, you know, let's keep talking. You know, and I think, I think the country is craving that and I [00:38:00] think, I think Mamdani, I. It was more of a backlash of Cuomo. Like people are sick of the bullshit. I think that's something to look at that the established Democratic party does not work anymore.
[00:38:16] Does that mean it's gonna go? You know, I don't think so. I think they're just like, God, enough, enough of this nonsense and this arrogance, they've decided who's going to run. They don't even ask us. Right? Just like the whole thing with, Kamala, quite frankly, but like, let us, let us figure it out and let us fail. It's okay
[00:38:40] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:38:41] Nicole: if Mamdani wins
[00:38:44] and he fails, it's okay. We tried something, it's not gonna fall apart. There's too many other good people there.
[00:38:55] Jolene: Okay.
[00:38:56] Nicole: That's, that's my thought.
[00:38:58] Jolene: Well, no, I would [00:39:00] say I would agree. And isn't that the whole, like to your point, that's the whole reason that Trump won. I mean, like, Okay.
[00:39:06] let's, let's get someone in there And, who's not the, you know, rank and, file member of, of the, of the party and
[00:39:15] let's see if they can make some change.
[00:39:17] Nicole: Yeah. And clearly and like, and I, I say this to as, sincerely as I possibly can. I hear, I see that more of the country wanted that
[00:39:31] y'all did it. It wasn't a fluke. You all resoundingly voted for him and voted
[00:39:38] red. Voted, you know, your Senators and your Congress people. And, And, so here we
[00:39:43] are and people, and they're trying, they're doing something different.
[00:39:48] They're making the
[00:39:49] promises that they've made with
[00:39:50] Project 2025. They're things I don't want,
[00:39:54] but that's what they're doing.
[00:39:55] Jolene: I just hope though this doesn't give fuel [00:40:00] to. the antisemitism movement that is so I think, prevalent in our country right now. I hope his win, and if he does win, I, I hope that there is some
[00:40:15] pushback
[00:40:17] Nicole: Well, I mean, there's been, there's been
[00:40:19] antisemitism since the beginning of time this kind of stuff makes me so uncomfortable talking about it, but I also think like, people use antisemitism for their own gain and they don't really give a shit.
[00:40:39] Like Cuomo, he's not Jewish. And, and so that also makes me uncomfortable. I'm like, you've actually never cared, or you've never known a Jew and you've hated us anyway. And now it's used for this political thing.
[00:40:55] and this guy's Muslim and we've never had a Muslim, Mayor, [00:41:00]
[00:41:00] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:41:00] Nicole: I don't know how many
[00:41:02] Muslim politicians we have in New York. I don't really know, but I do know the irony is that other than Israel, the most Jews live in New York City and Jews voted for this man. So there's some disconnect that the media right and left wanna grab onto it.
[00:41:25] But he's, you know, he's a Muslim and, and he's, you know, he's saying globalize Ada and then Brad Lander cross endorsed him and all these Jews voted for him.
[00:41:36] Jolene: Have you seen the breakdown of how many Jews voted for him? I didn't see that. I saw Asians and like he had a huge Asian
[00:41:46] population and a, and a big Muslim popul
[00:41:49] Nicole: yeah, I mean, I mean there are like, there are the most Jews of, other than Israel in New York City, so.
[00:41:57] Jolene: Right. I.
[00:41:58] Nicole: A lot of people voted [00:42:00] for him. I don't know the breakdown of of what of Jews, but I know they did. He wouldn't have won. There's a lot of Jews in New York and a lot of Jews vote. But I don't, I don't know.
[00:42:10] I don't know that answer, but it's like, you know, I just,
[00:42:15] I'm with you, girl. Like I absolutely hear what you're
[00:42:19] saying and I, I don't want it to create more Jewish hate.
[00:42:24] I also don't want to create more Muslim hate. It's so ugly.
[00:42:31] Like it's what happened after September 11th.
[00:42:34] We just are so good at hating each other and throwing. Monikers on people or stereotypes on people, and
[00:42:45] I think we really forget that Americans, none of us came from here. We all, we all immigrated. All of us, all of us. [00:43:00] The white ones, the brown ones, the, we've sort of just,
[00:43:03] decided that the white ones are the superior ones, I, guess, and the
[00:43:11] Jolene: But I,
[00:43:12] Nicole: ones.
[00:43:12] Jolene: yeah, but I think we're past that. I
[00:43:15] really
[00:43:16] Nicole: I, I don't, we are still in a place, we're still in a society where.
[00:43:22] If you're not a white Christian, you're not really, there are, there are factions of people that don't accept you or question. I mean, I don't know Joe.
[00:43:38] Jolene: I still push back on that. Think we've, Because we are America, because we, and again, just celebrating the 4th of July weekend of all of the things that we have gone through as a country to get to the place that we are, where we've had a, you know, a,
[00:43:53] black president and we've got, I mean, I just don't think that
[00:43:58] racism and, and [00:44:00] that, that sentiment that you have to.
[00:44:01] be a, a white Christian
[00:44:04] Nicole: so why is there so much push pushback on Mamdani? And I don't mean just the right, the left is doing it too. Why?
[00:44:11] Jolene: Because I think he's embracing socialist values and not American values, and I think that's the thing that we're afraid of, that we're seeing all of this uprising, whether, again, it, I said this earlier, whether
[00:44:24] it's The colleges and the universities and like this. Is this movement gaining steam to the detriment of the American values
[00:44:35] Nicole: what is an American value?
[00:44:38] Jolene: where everyone is created equal and everyone has a, an equal opportunity and that no one is better than anyone else, whether that's black, Muslim, Jew, like Asian, we embrace America gives you the opportunity to be exactly who you are, where you are. There's no other [00:45:00] country on the planet that has the opportunities that, um, that America gives you and it doesn't need to
[00:45:06] be. Embracing that free enterprise system and not having government run grocery stores and not having free buses And childcare and I I mean, that, that system does not work in America. And if you want to make our system better, great. But let's not be Venezuela or Cuba.
[00:45:30] Be
[00:45:31] America.
[00:45:33] Nicole: But New York City is the most expensive city in the country, and, uh, to live there is fairly impossible. and there are families that are trying to make their way. I mean, I don't see the problem with someone trying to help people in that community. Whether it be some [00:46:00] sort of, uh, program of free childcare, I don't know if it's gonna get done.
[00:46:04] I don't think it is. But just even having the idea of like helping someone so that they can work and make, have a better life. I don't think that's a bad thing. I don't think that's anti-American. I think that's human. I like that. The grocery store thing I think is stupid. I think you and I can both agree that I don't think it'll work If he wants to try it.
[00:46:27] Kumbaya, dude, try it. It will not work fine. Uh, like
[00:46:32] Jolene: I, I, so I agree with you that I, I think that having, programs that help the, the, the working class, but if you can't pay for it, it's just never going to work. And again, that I would go back, I know you're gonna
[00:46:49] kill me. I would go back to the big, beautiful bill and
[00:46:52] say.
[00:46:53] There were things, there are things now in this law,
[00:46:57] it's not a bill, it's a law.
[00:46:58] There
[00:46:58] are things now in this [00:47:00] law that are providing for that working class that should
[00:47:04] be recognized as, as helping the, the working class.
[00:47:09] Giving handouts doesn't work. Giving a hand up will
[00:47:14] work every time giving you a tax child
[00:47:16] credit. Making there be a work requirement for Medicaid?
[00:47:20] Gosh, I
[00:47:21] don't see anything wrong with that If you are a, if you are an able-bodied
[00:47:25] person,
[00:47:26] Nicole: But the people that are on Medicaid, like my mother was on Medicaid,
[00:47:30] like old people are on Medicaid, children are on Medicaid.
[00:47:33] How can that, and I, agree with you, Jolene, I'm sure that there are people that rig that, that take advantage of the system. And I'm assuming that's what you're
[00:47:42] Jolene: Absolute. 100%. Yes. I
[00:47:44] know people that are on Medicaid and should be working, but
[00:47:48] Nicole: then I'm
[00:47:48] Jolene: a check. Yes. I think we would all
[00:47:51] agree on that.
[00:47:52] Nicole: But I think, I don't know, do you know what the percentage of that person, like I, I'm concerned about the people that actually need it, [00:48:00] not the people that are, are, are, is it rigging the system, taking advantage of the system?
[00:48:05] Jolene: so I think, I think the intent then is handing it to the state.
[00:48:10] Having the states have that control because who, you know, how does somebody in New Jersey know about somebody in North Dakota? Why have this, you know, a federally mandated system that, you know, hand it down to the states
[00:48:25] Nicole: But
[00:48:25] Jolene: so that they can
[00:48:26] Nicole: stuff is like the slavery thing
[00:48:28] is when you talk about the states, then we are the United States.
[00:48:34] Jolene: And, we,
[00:48:35] Nicole: and now the more, the more we're going through this
[00:48:38] it's like separate the states. Separate the states, separate the states, and then, and then it's going to be, well, I mean, listen, New York and California and maybe Texas at this point, but New York and California for sure, they are economic engines for this
[00:48:56] country and give money to [00:49:00] everyone. like we have two senators, everybody has two senators, but like South Dakota, North Dakota, all the smaller states that don't
[00:49:06] have much money. They take the money but they don't provide very much money or if any, but they have even more rights than we do in terms of voting rights.
[00:49:16] So what I find when people say states, you know, keep it with the states,
[00:49:21] Jolene: let's go back to that. Wait, what do you mean they have. Why do you think that they have better? Isn't that with the whole electoral colleges? I mean, That's based on population of the states, and then you've got more
[00:49:33] representatives. I.
[00:49:34] Nicole: But we, new Yorkers, Californians, and I'm gonna throw Texas in there. Um, we are making the most money for the country and giving the money to the country to run. And when, when people say bring it to the states, then Some
[00:49:55] states will use that as a way to segregate, whether [00:50:00] it be abortion or whatever it
[00:50:02] might be, is like state rights.
[00:50:05] But then they're very willing to take the money when they need it, and they're not generating the money. it's state rights when it's convenient and it's United States when it's convenient. And I'm suggesting that it should be the United States all the time.
[00:50:19] And it's hard because we're a ton of people believing totally different things. And what I'm really struggling with Jolene is like, why are we fighting? Not you and me, like we're the United States. I want us, we're not all supposed to know, like get along on everything, but why can't we get, like why? Why also can't we celebrate when we do come together?
[00:50:46] Jolene: No, you are making sense. I mean, and, and we would all agree on that
[00:50:49] From the Republican side, we feel, I'm sure that we collectively as Republicans feel like, Democrats will never give Trump credit [00:51:00] for, things that he has done successfully.
[00:51:03] Because then that gives him, you know, the accolades that. I'm sure Democrats feel like he already gives himself. He
[00:51:13] doesn't need anybody else to give it to him.
[00:51:15] Nicole: Well, sometimes I think that that's actually true. Like every, I've talked about this before, that everything is so performative and he wanted the bill done by the fourth so that he could sign it under the planes flying overhead.
[00:51:28] And, and I am sure that people are like,
[00:51:33] Ugh, he's such a blowhard. I'm sick of this.
[00:51:35] I'm not gonna, you know, congratulate him too on whatever it might be. I Can't speak for our legislative body. I just am exhausted by it. 'cause I'm like,
[00:51:46] the fighting doesn't work. It's
[00:51:47] not working right. It's not working for, maybe it's working for the Republicans right now,
[00:51:53] I don't know. But it's not serving the Democrats to just be pissed all the time.[00:52:00]
[00:52:00] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:52:00] Nicole: I just think that it's, it's like societally, we don't wanna offer any wins to either. Mm-hmm. I don't think that, I think if the Democrats were in power, the Republicans wouldn't either not like, I just think that's where we are.
[00:52:15] Jolene: But I didn't we do that
[00:52:17] with Obama? I feel like so many people
[00:52:20] Nicole: that was so long ago, girl.
[00:52:21] Jolene: uh, well that's, I mean, it was.
[00:52:24] Nicole: Unfortunately, we're like a different country now, I hear you. I, it did, I did feel like there was a, a time of hope then, but I also think there was a backlash. There's a lot of people that didn't like him, and that's kind of also why we're here.
[00:52:38] Jolene: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:52:41] Nicole: Do
[00:52:41] you have any other thoughts about Mamdani right now or,
[00:52:46] Jolene: Oh, you know, the other thing, the things that are out there now, here come the smear campaigns, right? I mean here comes
[00:52:52] the people that, you know, say
[00:52:53] that his Columbia application and had him
[00:52:57] saying that? he was African American
[00:52:59] [00:53:00] and that he was, Asian, And you know, here come all the things that he's ever said.
[00:53:05] And of course, in my.
[00:53:07] My
[00:53:07] research it was, you know, he had a tweet in 2020 that said,
[00:53:11] you know, defund the police And
[00:53:13] that the police were racist, antique and major threat to public, public
[00:53:17] safety and, all of the things.
[00:53:20] Nicole: He, he, he, has rolled back. He is, I think he's gone out and talked to cops and he is like, oh. 'cause the major issue in New York City, and I'm, I'm guessing it's happening in a lot of, the
[00:53:29] country, but, and I'm not defending Mamdani,
[00:53:32] But what I appreciate is he is like, okay, I gotta go talk to people.
[00:53:36] Right. And that the major issue is the mental health crisis in New York City. And cops are not built to deal with it. They're not. They shouldn't. And so, Mamdani's. Suggestion of, of a solution is to create a, a mental illness force that would deal with that. And so that police can then police,
[00:53:59] Jolene: [00:54:00] Yep.
[00:54:00] Nicole: um, which I think is an interest, a really interesting idea because we're struggling all over the country with this, and I don't think that that's, it's not up to other cops, I don't think.
[00:54:09] They're not, mental health,
[00:54:12] Jolene: Equipped to deal with that. Yeah. Yep. Yeah, I agree. I guess I wanna end with saying it'll be interesting.
[00:54:18] I'm so glad we had this conversation because I
[00:54:21] I think, it's gonna
[00:54:22] be really interesting to see where this goes. and if he wins. will there be backlash Who's going to fund him? I think it's gonna be interesting now to, I mean, you know, it's always about the money and so it'll be interesting to see who funds him now you know, will it be the white suburban women or is it going to be the, you know, Jews of, you know, Manhattan.
[00:54:46] It'll be interesting.
[00:54:47] Nicole: I mean there, there aren't a lot of
[00:54:48] suburbans in New York City,
[00:54:50] Jolene: Well, I mean, you know, at Staten
[00:54:52] Nicole: yeah. yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. and I think it is interesting too. I am, I think
[00:54:57] we can both totally agree in
[00:54:59] [00:55:00] this. I'm curious to see what's
[00:55:01] gonna happen too. And I think the conversation has made it even more interesting that I didn't vote for him. Like I didn't come in here and go, yeah, go, go, go. I'm like, yeah, I didn't rank him.
[00:55:12] Like, I'm just as surprised as you are. And, okay, here we go. Uh, and also
[00:55:18] confronting my own bias, with this situation where I let,
[00:55:24] the memes rule me
[00:55:26] And didn't really.
[00:55:28] Deep dive and, and, and for what it's, you know, to be fair, all of the interviews now are post his election now.
[00:55:39] Everybody wants to talk to him,
[00:55:41] I mean, I'm sure we could have gotten him on the podcast back in January, but now like everybody wants to talk to him. So I think that's interesting too. Um, so we'll see. We'll see how it goes. I have a good for the soul.
[00:55:59] Jolene: Okay. [00:56:00] Good.
[00:56:00] Nicole: You know Trevor Noah, do you know Trevor
[00:56:02] Noah? So he took over the Daily Show and
[00:56:05] now he's a comedian and he has his, has his own podcast called Trevor Noah. What now? And it's from like three weeks ago. I'll put it in the show notes. But he had John Stewart on I mean, both of them are so smart. And just have such deep love and respect for each other.
[00:56:24] I wanted to share it with everyone because, I think
[00:56:28] it's a testament to friendship. I think Trevor
[00:56:32] Noah's perspective of being South African, not being American and living here and, and dealing with the po political landscape gives an interesting insight that now that, you know, we didn't purposely try to find an Australian producer and editor and media company, but I am so.
[00:56:53] Grateful, and I think you are too Jolene for Bambi Media and, and Brianna and Alex and the [00:57:00] whole team, who are in Brisbane and not knowing that it's such a gift to have this perspective that they, you know, look at us and,
[00:57:12] you know, think all the Americans are bananas and also love us and are like, they don't have bias.
[00:57:17] Like they, they'd have their own stuff and they can look at both sides so much with such less charge. And I think, I think that that's helpful. And I think, the po this particular podcast is about like how John Stewart picked Trevor Noah and, and just their insights in the world and what's going on today.
[00:57:38] And it's funny and thoughtful and just celebrates their friendship and which made me think of us and how much I celebrate you.
[00:57:47] Jolene: that is so sweet. That is so sweet.
[00:57:50] Nicole: It's true.
[00:57:52] Jolene: Okay, good. Thank you. Thank you for sharing
[00:57:55] that.
[00:57:55] Nicole: Yeah.
[00:57:56] Jolene: I do wanna share, um, this is a guy that I [00:58:00] started following. He came up on my, on my feed, and he has such a interesting perspective on things. So his name is Steven Eugene Kuh, KUHN,
[00:58:11] Nicole: is he on Instagram?
[00:58:13] Jolene: I mean, it's not entertaining and it's not good for the soul. It's, it's frightening.
[00:58:17] And, um, it's, but it's, it's
[00:58:21] Just has a really good take, that it's really nonpolitical. I don't know. I, I guess I don't know where he is on the political spectrum because most of his stuff is not so much political but is really kind of the, the back behind.
[00:58:37] The scenes and what's really going on. So he has a really interesting take on the Russia, Ukraine situation. The Gaza situation, the bombing in, in Iran. super interesting. So I, would recommend, his stuff. He doesn't post, he posts stories, for the most part.
[00:58:54] Instead of, instead of posts, but they're quick little videos of stuff that's that's going [00:59:00] on And his wife, I can't remember if she's Ukrainian or Russian. So he has a lot of insights, but he, but he travels, and
[00:59:07] gives a lot of speeches to companies and organizations kind of about the whole
[00:59:13] geopolitical landscape. So.
[00:59:15] Nicole: He's, it says here, combat proven global business strategist, political disruptor, mergers and acquisitions.
[00:59:24] Jolene: it's super
[00:59:25] interesting,
[00:59:26] Nicole: as I'm looking this up, it says, suggested, suggested for you, Joe Rogan. I'm like, okay. Okay.
[00:59:34] Jolene: Okay. All right.
[00:59:36] Nicole: Okay. Okay.
[00:59:38] Jolene: Do you have a,
[00:59:39] would you rather
[00:59:42] Nicole: Yes, I do. do.
[00:59:43] you?
[00:59:44] Jolene: it.
[00:59:44] Nicole: All right. Okay. Would you rather change the outcome of the last election or get to decide the
[00:59:55] outcome of the next election?
[00:59:59] Jolene: [01:00:00] God, these are so good. Of course I'd rather change the upcoming election.
[01:00:05] Nicole: Well, what if it was who you wanted for president?
[01:00:09] Jolene: That's what I'm saying. I would not
[01:00:11] want Kamala to be president
[01:00:13] Nicole: No, but, but who did you want to be President?
[01:00:17] Jolene: oh you're saying, so it wasn't just between Kamala and Trump, you're saying? I Could have picked Nikki Haley.
[01:00:24] Nicole: Mm-hmm.
[01:00:24] Jolene: Oh, I see. Uh, no, I think Trump, yeah, No I, yes. I think, um. You know how I feel about Trump. I was not a Trump supporter.
[01:00:37] There were so many things I don't like about him. I am
[01:00:41] a, I am now on the Trump train and yeah, I really am. And, and I think because he's really getting things done. I am, I think he has gotten so much better about tweeting stupid stuff, and he doesn't do it as often.
[01:00:58] He's still got in the whole Elon [01:01:00] Musk thing, which was really dumb and immature. But I think that he's really had, I think he's had a lot of success. So I guess I would have to say I would rather change the upcoming election than the last election.
[01:01:15] Nicole: Okay. All right.
[01:01:16] Jolene: I know. Yours is always thought provoking and like deep, and mine is not.
[01:01:26] Nicole: Okay.
[01:01:27] Jolene: Would you rather eat whatever you want, but always find a hair in it
[01:01:35] Nicole: Ew.
[01:01:36] Jolene: or have perfectly prepared menus,
[01:01:42] but they're only for the rest of your life. But they're only
[01:01:45] three bland dishes. So you get to eat whatever you want for the rest of your life. And it's, but you, you always find a hair in your food or, [01:02:00] or have perfectly prepared dishes for the rest of your life, but they're just three bland dishes.
[01:02:10] Nicole: Could I, add salt?
[01:02:13] Jolene: No. I can't
[01:02:16] add salt or Sugar.
[01:02:19] Nicole: Sugar. No problem. Salt. I I need salt all the time
[01:02:22] Jolene: I know, I know it.
[01:02:24] Nicole: I I had a, I have a dear friend who gave me so much shit all the time because I would go to the restaurant and I would salt
[01:02:31] things before tasting, which is not cool. I get it.
[01:02:34] But
[01:02:34] then I went to the doctor and my, my blood work and they were
[01:02:38] like, you have low
[01:02:39] sodium. So I was
[01:02:42] Jolene: the winner?
[01:02:43] Nicole: care of myself.
[01:02:44] Jolene: Yep.
[01:02:46] Nicole: I mean, the hair and the food is totally fucking gross. It's
[01:02:49] totally gross. Who's hair?
[01:02:52] Jolene: I, you, you don't know
[01:02:55] Nicole: Like,
[01:02:56] Jolene: Yep.
[01:02:57] Nicole: either way. It would not make me want to eat [01:03:00] either way. Bland or hairy hair or bland. Bland or hairy. In your world. It's a good diet. So if I'm, now I'm going on the Jolene
[01:03:11] train, forget the Trump train, I'm going on the Jolene train and I'm gonna go with the bland food.
[01:03:17] 'cause maybe it'll get rid of my menopause belly and then I will be good to go.
[01:03:21] Jolene: Okay. All
[01:03:24] Nicole: Yeah. 'cause no hair, hair, hair in your food. No. Even my own hair in my food. I don't like it.
[01:03:31] Jolene: See if I know it's mine,
[01:03:32] then I'm okay with that. 'cause I wash my hair
[01:03:35] every day, so I know.
[01:03:36] Nicole: I
[01:03:37] do too, but like, I just like, it's like a cat hair ball.
[01:03:42] Jolene: Stop it?
[01:03:43] Nicole: Anyway. Thank you, viewer. Thank you, listener. Please. We're not very good at this, but we're gonna try. Could you please like, subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts? We need to kick that [01:04:00] algorithm in because we are getting close to being, as big as Joe Rogan. So, we need, we need more of that, right?
[01:04:09] We're getting so close every day.
[01:04:11] Like the little engine that could every day, just another viewer and another listener.
[01:04:16] Jolene: Yep.
[01:04:17] Nicole: All right, Madeira, I love you
[01:04:18] Jolene: Fight friend. Okay,
[01:04:20] Nicole: bye
[01:04:21] everybody.
