Midterms are coming, and it feels like the whole country is being held hostage by political ads.
You can’t watch a football game, stream a show, or listen to anything without being dragged into a campaign strategy designed to make you feel polarized. What Jolene and I are trying to do this midterm season is cut through the fear and get back to something more grounded. Because the media environment right now doesn’t just inform people; it shapes their nervous systems. Jolene made the point that the constant barrage is making us less informed, not more. It trains you to react. It trains you to panic. And it’s not a one-sided problem. Both sides use fear to rally their base, suppress the other side, and keep everyone in a permanent state of outrage.
Then there’s polling, which we think is kind of ridiculous at this point. Every day it’s “the race is tightening” or “the momentum is shifting”. But really, who even answers polls anymore? If the sample size is 800 to 1,100 people in a country of hundreds of millions, what are we actually measuring? Polls don’t clarify anything; they just feed the anxiety and give people another reason to either gloat or spiral before the midterms have even happened.
On a personal level, I’m feeling the same thing a lot of voters are feeling, which is the frustration of choosing between options that don’t feel great. In New York’s 10th Congressional District, I’ve had that “lesser of two evils” feeling more than once. Jolene reminded me this isn’t just a liberal problem or a conservative problem. It’s a system problem. Many people are disillusioned, and the system rarely rewards candidates trying to serve the middle.
So we’ve been trying to shift from fear to facts. One thing that’s helped is going to more substantive sources that aren’t built to keep you hooked and furious. Gabe Fleisher’s Substack, Wake Up to Politics https://www.youtube.com/@wakeuptopolitics , is one of those places that feels grounded. It’s trying to help you understand what’s actually happening. And that matters, because the stories that scream “doom” if your side loses are usually the easiest to manipulate.
We’ve also been talking about how to pick who to vote for if we don’t really love any of the candidates. We’ve come to the conclusion that it’s still important to vote, even if you have to hold your nose. Educate yourself beyond the ads and the outrage clips. Use tools like Bridgegrades.org to see which elected officials are actually working across the aisle, because if you want less chaos, you have to reward the people who aren’t addicted to it.
So here’s what I keep telling myself as the midterms get closer. The noise is not the truth. The loudest message isn't the most accurate. The most shocking ad is not the most important issue.
If you want to do something useful in a season like this, you have to slow down on purpose. Look past the production. Look past the emotional manipulation. Follow the money, notice who benefits from the chaos, and ask what the outrage is hiding.
Because this game isn’t fair. But you can still refuse to be played.
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Gabe Fleisher's Substack Wake Up to Politics: https://open.substack.com/pub/wakeuptopolitics/p/everyone-thinks-theyre-going-to-win?r=n7so4&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
Gabe Fleisher’s YouTube Wake up to Politics:
https://www.youtube.com/@wakeuptopolitics
We Made This Political Podcast: https://wemadethispolitical.substack.com/p/ep-68-gabe-fleisher-on-saving-political
Isaac Saul:The Dark Side Behind Fear Based Political Ads https://youtu.be/vbMCeI19PPE?si=vaIQimN8HPU-7zJ7
Tangle: https://www.instagram.com/p/Deu29OvDw1m/?img_index=3
Bridge Grades: https://www.bridgegrades.org/
Brad Porteus: https://youtu.be/g4kH4AFXqNs?si=7NtBFT4VRICC7SmZ
Marc Goldwein: https://youtu.be/PH8naCqamcE?si=HV05zuJ7-4G_B_wm
Watch Midterms Live here: https://www.youtube.com/@MoNews
City Cast Salt Lake City podcast: https://saltlake.citycast.fm/
We’ve Got To Talk - Where To Find Us :
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wevegottotalk/
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/weve-got-to-talk/id1797423701
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0qJVgTvjciUffRmoUienx2
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[00:00:00] nicole: She's conservative and I'm liberal, and yet we've been friends for almost 40 years. Everyone says you shouldn't discuss politics, religion, or money, and we say that's exactly what friends should be talking about.
[00:00:14] Join us as we tackle the conversations you're having in your head but are too scared to say out loud. Welcome to We've Got to Talk. Welcome, Jolene. Girl, this is a doozy
[00:00:28] Jolene: okay. Are you excited about this one?
[00:00:30] nicole: I have a lot of mixed feelings about this. So listeners and viewers, listen. We are gonna talk about our feelings about the upcoming midterms. Do you wanna start with the takeaways, my darling?
[00:00:41] Jolene: so here are my feelings. Number one, I think, consuming news is making us less informed. And as I listen to Fox News or CNN, it's this fear-mongering, and it's this, like, this [00:01:00] lead-up, like, "Oh, we're 13 days away.
[00:01:01] Ahh. The early voting has already started." there's panic and fear. The midterms are here. And
[00:01:07] nicole: Ooh, that's a T-shirt right there
[00:01:10] Jolene: There you go. Okay, number two. other comparison that I hate right now is that because Trump's numbers are so low
[00:01:17] that nobody likes Trump,
[00:01:19] nicole: Mm-hmm,
[00:01:19] Jolene: that automatically the Republicans are not going to do well in governor, governors, uh, races and Senate and
[00:01:26] House and, and any of the down ballot stuff.
[00:01:29] nicole: Mm-hmm
[00:01:29] Jolene: I'm like, no. I mean, I, I don't think that's necessarily true. So I feel like there's a little... And again, is that, uh, is that coming from one side or the other to make you vote in a certain way? And number three, who's answering these damn polls anyway? Like, I... Number one, no one answers their phone. So if you're, if you're get- if these pollsters are using the phones, nobody answers their phone anymore if you don't know who it's from. And so who's answering the [00:02:00] phone, and who's actually honestly answering? Because even if... Uh, so I, I... And uh, we can get into what I looked at and
[00:02:07] nicole: Yeah
[00:02:07] Jolene: that. But some of these polls that I'm looking at, their, their, their polling data came from anywhere between 800 and 1,100 people. And I'm going, isn't there, what is it, 350 million people
[00:02:18] in America?
[00:02:19] nicole: Mm-hmm.
[00:02:20] Jolene: So, really?
[00:02:23] nicole: Mm-hmm. I think
[00:02:24] Jolene: polls are stupid. There. I said it,
[00:02:27] I said it. I meant it.
[00:02:30] nicole: Oh
[00:02:30] my gosh. Okay, listen. It's crazy, Jolene, because my three takeaways are strangely the same. bear with me here.
[00:02:40] Jolene: today, by the
[00:02:40] nicole: Oh, thank you
[00:02:41] Jolene: go on YouTube and see, um, Nicole got her hair cut
[00:02:44] nicole: I did. It's- we've got some curls happening. Okay, this is our first midterm, uh, episode, right? I'm looking at, uh, you know, Tangle, Mo News. I'm looking at the political substackers that I... So, The Bulwark, [00:03:00] uh, Pod Save America, la, le, la, le, la." And what am I finding? It's all a big game of manipulation to get you to believe if the other party wins, it will literally destroy your way of life.
[00:03:16] Translation, it's fear. It's fear. So number two, these media outlets and pundits are taking our emotions and throwing us from one side to the other for their gain and their profit, and it's actually not benefiting our country, which then leads me to my third takeaway, which is, something that our dear friend Mark Goldwein, the senior vi- VP for the Committee for a Responsible Budget said, that I can't stop thinking about, Jolene.
[00:03:47] He says, quote, "Congress is more like middle school than you'd ever imagine," unquote. So that makes me think that all of this information and [00:04:00] all of the hysteria which we are, all of us being bombarded with, is like we are in middle school being bullied and manipulated by the kids. just like you, when people are saying, "I, oh, Trump's so unpopular. There's gonna be this blue wave tsunami," this liberal is saying, "No, there's not No, there's not. And I want to, in, in way of starting this conversation, take it personal to my own voting situation. Okay?
[00:04:33] Jolene: Okay,
[00:04:34] okay,
[00:04:35] nicole: okay, so here is my deal. I am, uh, in the 10th Congressional District in New York City.
[00:04:45] I've said on previous, uh, episodes that, uh, Dan Goldman, my representative, who I loved, was primaried out by drama queen, hysterical drama, [00:05:00] drama Brad Lander, who I cannot stand. Okay? And so here I am, first time ever, like we're delving deep, right?
[00:05:10] Jolene: Mm-hmm.
[00:05:11] nicole: I'm thinking, "Well, he's the Democrat. Am I supposed to vote for him?"
[00:05:16] So what do I do? I look up who's the Republican. Some lady named Jennifer Moore. Jennifer Moore. I look her up. There's no information. Like none. No information. There's this one page, J- Jennifer Moore for Congress. It says nothing other than that she grew up in Brooklyn, and she has red hair. And even though she has red hair, that doesn't make me wanna vote for her, right?
[00:05:47] Jolene: your
[00:05:47] nicole: So,
[00:05:47] I was like, "Okay, here is the first time in history that I'm thinking, how do I vote? I'm not just gonna vote Democrat for Democrat's sake," but there's nothing to vote for. [00:06:00] And it also then made me think, New York City, New York is blue. Would any, like, decent Republican even bother to try and run here,
[00:06:14] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:06:15] nicole: right?
[00:06:15] So
[00:06:15] Jolene: the
[00:06:16] nicole: w- why would they spend the money? What is... W- And their time and their energy, like the way the system is, it's totally broken. And like you addressing your th- your, your idea about the polls, you taught me, or we, we have taught each other that one of the reasons liberals were so, gobsmacked by the 2024 election was that people don't necessarily tell the truth, and that there were a lot of conservatives that possibly were embarrassed or didn't wanna share that they were gonna vote for Trump,
[00:06:50] Jolene: Yeah
[00:06:51] nicole: they didn't wanna be shamed or whatever the reason.
[00:06:55] And that, like I just don't understand why polls exist anymore and why pollsters [00:07:00] exist anymore. Like to me, that's the biggest con of all.
[00:07:03] Jolene: Right.
[00:07:04] nicole: H-
[00:07:04] Jolene: why?
[00:07:04] What, Like what, why
[00:07:06] nicole: why are you spending money on pollsters?
[00:07:08] Jolene: Right. Why did they, why do we need to hear who everybody's voting for, like right now?
[00:07:13] nicole: Right. Right. And wh- and if you do that, like you said it in your take, then aren't you manipulating a person? Like, we are just being completely jacked around, and I think even, like, in a place like, I'm assuming Missouri, and I know Arkansas, you're kind of on the border there, they're red states, yeah?
[00:07:35] Jolene: Yeah
[00:07:36] nicole: and, and that way too, like, are there viable blue p- candidates
[00:07:41] that you would possibly be like, "Oh, I kind of like what they have to say." Like, we've gotten so partisan that why bother running someone
[00:07:52] Jolene: Well, so I think the people in Kansas would tell you, w- uh, I mean, Kansas who has always been red,
[00:07:59] nicole: [00:08:00] Right
[00:08:00] Jolene: got a Senate race that could go blue.
[00:08:03] nicole: Ja
[00:08:04] Jolene: you know, I, I, to say, and, and I mean, I think Iowa's probably another one.
[00:08:08] nicole: Yes states that, you know, a Republican hasn't won for years and years and year- or I'm sorry, a Democrat hasn't won for years and years and years, and they have a real shot at winning.
[00:08:18] Yes
[00:08:19] Jolene: say, you know, maybe this year more than any, um, this or this midterm more than any, really kind of there are so many up for grabs because neither side is happy.
[00:08:31] nicole: Mm-hmm we've talked about this before, that because the primaries have screwed up so many races, and by screwed up I mean we have an inferior, candidate because a certain faction of people got behind them
[00:08:47] That's right.
[00:08:48] Jolene: them voted in.
[00:08:50] And now you're left with these, you know, two choices of ugh,
[00:08:53] nicole: Exactly. Exactly. So I'm not even sure, 'cause our early voting in New York starts on [00:09:00] Saturday. and honestly, Joe, I don't know what to do. I really don't know what to do do I leave it blank?
[00:09:08] Jolene: Yeah
[00:09:08] nicole: is there a write-in? If I, if there's a write-in, I'm writing in Dan Goldman. Like, I think this is complete...
[00:09:15] Jolene: what you should
[00:09:15] do
[00:09:16] nicole: Like, I think it's crazy that we are put in this position, and it's funny that you mentioned, your first takeaway, which I want to shout out to this, Gabe Fleisher, and he has a Substack and a YouTube channel, uh, called Wake Up to Politics. Everybody, we'll put him in the show notes, follow this...
[00:09:38] And I say kid, but he's 24. He is smarter than all of us combined, He was actually on Laura and Lauren's podcast, We've Made This Political, and I'm really hoping, Gabe, that you will come on our show at some point, because he is such a smart person, were you referring to that article that I sent you?
[00:09:57] Jolene: yeah, yeah,
[00:09:58] nicole: he was like... It was amazing [00:10:00] that he s- he spoke to this guy about, like, the more politically engaged you are, the more convinced you're gonna win, right?
[00:10:08] And then devastated, and you think that they're evil if the, if, if y- the other side wins.
[00:10:15] Jolene: Or that it's an illegal. Well, or
[00:10:17] nicole: Yes. Yes. That it w- that was, um, fraud.
[00:10:21] Jolene: yeah, yeah,
[00:10:22] nicole: yeah, yeah
[00:10:23] y-
[00:10:23] Jolene: the other side could not have won because it's so ingrained into your
[00:10:27] nicole: That's right. That's right
[00:10:28] Jolene: Okay. Okay, if you were to say right now, do you think the Democrats will take the House?
[00:10:34] nicole: I think if they're gonna take anything, they, they might take the House. I think they might take the House. I think it's a toss-up they're gonna take the Senate.
[00:10:43] Jolene: Okay.
[00:10:44] nicole: What do you think?
[00:10:45] Jolene: I would agree with you. I think that, I think the Democrats will take the House. I think the Senate could be a tie.
[00:10:53] nicole: I do too. I do too. my gosh, can we talk about this? Like, the ugliness [00:11:00] has got to stop. The ads, I...
[00:11:05] Jolene: gosh
[00:11:07] nicole: listen, listeners and viewers, if you don't know about this, which it sort of broke yesterday, this will air on the 28th. We're recording on the 21st. the political ads, the attacks, the fact it was... It's the governor race in Ohio,
[00:11:25] Jolene: Yeah
[00:11:26] nicole: Vivek Ramaswamy and Amy Acton. I would love to know what your take is. I think this is wrong on every single level. It's just so gross. This poor girl was abused as a child with her brother, was taken away from her-
[00:11:44] Jolene: was
[00:11:44] nicole: Abused
[00:11:45] Jolene: by the
[00:11:45] stepfather
[00:11:46] nicole: by the stepfather sexually. Yeah, step- stepfather. No, stepfire- stepfather. Sexually abused, 12 years old, and her brother was nine, taken out of the home. She has not seen her mother since. [00:12:00] There is a political ad of this woman saying that she is a liar,
[00:12:04] Jolene: The
[00:12:04] nicole: the mother, that she is a liar, and, like, what is going on, Jolene?
[00:12:11] Jolene: Yeah, that's, I mean, that, uh, ooh, that is steeping down so, stooping down so
[00:12:17] low. Yeah
[00:12:18] it's funny because, uh, we were in Texas over the weekend,
[00:12:22] and so there's, you
[00:12:23] nicole: know every ad
[00:12:23] Jolene: ad is
[00:12:25] nicole: Tallarico Paxton? Yeah, what were you seeing?
[00:12:28] Jolene: I mean, it's just, it's ad after ad. I mean, it, it's just, it's unbelievable. Even in Missouri we get the
[00:12:35] ads
[00:12:35] nicole: Yeah
[00:12:36] Jolene: and I think it's during NFL games or something, and I'm... Or n- maybe it was college
[00:12:40] but it's funny because Bobbi our daughter, she said, "Why does Tallarico," because he's putting out these messages asking for money. And Bobbi goes, "Why?
[00:12:49] I mean, it's two weeks before the election. Why is he asking for money now?" And I said, "Well, number one, hasn't taken any PAC money. He hasn't taken any big money like Paxton has, so I mean, he needs every [00:13:00] donor that he can get." and she goes, "But yeah, what's he doing it with it for the last two weeks?"
[00:13:05] And I go, "Every single ad you have on your Spotify station, if you're watching TV, on your streaming, all of those ads because they, I mean, they're trying to get the, to the very last person that they can. A- and they're still, I mean, they're still running these ads. I mean, it'll be just inundated with ads
[00:13:26] these last
[00:13:26] nicole: and Jolene, I think that Elon Musk put a bunch of money towards Paxton. And
[00:13:32] Jolene: so,
[00:13:32] nicole: and how do you com- like, this is so... We've talked about this so many times, Joe. Like, the amount of money, like, none of this is, I know, fair. No one gives a shit about fair. But it's not, like, it's insane. How do you compete with that?
[00:13:48] Jolene: Yeah,
[00:13:49] nicole: If Elon Musk is funding one side,
[00:13:54] Jolene: Yeah. How do you compete with the richest man?
[00:13:57] so then I think, [00:14:00] um, are there going to be the down-ballot, um, candidates uh... It'll be interesting to see what, what happens with, with Trump not running, because this has been the narrative. With Trump not running, Republicans won't do as well because, um,
[00:14:17] nicole: Th-they might not go
[00:14:19] Jolene: and so they might not, yeah, or they have no incentive to, to go vote. I think the opposite could also be true, that, you know, now people are maybe more concentrated on the down-ballot races because they, don't have anything el- I mean, the, you know, president, they're, no- we're not voting in a presidential election. We will learn so much after this, and so I... Like, all of the hype from, you know, the, for these next, for this next week, um, until the election will just be crazy because, once it's all said and done w- we'll either go, "Oh, yep, they, they called it right," or, "Oh my gosh, we were, we were completely [00:15:00] off."
[00:15:00] nicole: I think we're gonna all be wrong. I just do. And I wonder, like, there's been this other fear thing that Isaac Saul did a video about that I'll also put in the show notes. and then Gabe Fleisher today addressed it, and it's a fantastic, uh, like calmer.
[00:15:17] But the hysteria is even if the House does go Democratic, will it get certified? And there's, you know, tons of hysteria around it. Like January 3rd, is it, could it happen? Could the Republicans take it away? And again, I'm gonna put this Gabe Fleisher video in because he absolutely, and the biggest compliment, nerds out, like has information where you're like, "Oh, I didn't know that.
[00:15:46] Oh, I didn't know that. Oh, I didn't know that. Okay, this makes sense. Then fine. It's not gonna happen." Like, it just... He takes, he explains everything, takes down the temperature, and he's like, " All of these things have to happen for this to happen. It will not happen." [00:16:00] And it's, like, really concrete, ideas, and I really appreciate, Gabe Fleisher, that you're in this space because as a 24-year-old person, you are the biggest grown-up in the room, and I really appreciate it.
[00:16:15] Um, I want to know, Jolene, when do you vote? Do you vote on the day? Do you vote early? What, uh, what does it look like for you?
[00:16:24] Jolene: Um, it's so funny. I don't know that I've ever voted early. I think I've always voted on the day. I did do a mail-in ballot one year because we were living in New Orleans, but I was still registered in Arkansas,
[00:16:37] so I did do that one time. But, I think we'll go on the day. It just kind of
[00:16:41] nicole: Yeah.
[00:16:41] Jolene: like a fun thing
[00:16:42] to go do
[00:16:43] nicole: always did until New York, I would say, I'm gonna get this wrong, but I would say in the last five years, you got to go early, and that just was so convenient because there's so many people
[00:16:56] Jolene: Yeah
[00:16:57] nicole: that n- like the lines are so crazy long that it was like, "Oh, [00:17:00] this is so great," 'cause it's just, you know.
[00:17:02] And it's still, you're still getting the buzz of like going and,
[00:17:06] so that's exciting. but I mean, this is the thing. I don't know what they do in Missouri, but like you s- you're supposed to get this booklet that tells you what you're voting for, and I haven't gotten the booklet yet.
[00:17:18] So I was like going online to see what it was, and there's some propositions and, and then judge, judges, and I can't find any information on that either. And I'm, like for the first time, as I said about, about Brad Lander, who I'm not voting for you, dude, what do you do? Like are there any people that you're like, "Ugh"?
[00:17:39] Jolene: So Bamby and I did this this weekend sitting on her couch. Um, she pulled up her ballot
[00:17:44] and, or what her ballot would look like, she's got, uh, again, the Talarico-Paxton race,
[00:17:50] and then she had, uh, the governor's race.
[00:17:54] nicole: Uh-huh
[00:17:54] Jolene: and so we talked about that. And then, um, so then it was all of [00:18:00] these judges.
[00:18:00] nicole: Yeah
[00:18:01] Jolene: And she goes, "Well, what am I supposed to do with this?" And I go, "Ah, God. I mean, u- unless there's somebody you know, I don't know, maybe leave it blank 'cause you don't wanna vote for the wrong person. And if you're not gonna educate yourself on the right person, then, uh, don't, just don't vote then if you don't."
[00:18:15] nicole: But it seems-
[00:18:16] Jolene: was like 25 of
[00:18:18] nicole: I know, it's crazy. It's crazy 'cause Josh now votes in Utah, and he was looking at his ballot and he was like, "Ugh, there's so many judges." And he's a lawyer, so he, right, so he needs to vote for the judges. And then I'm gonna shout out, and I'll put it in the show notes, uh, Citycast Salt Lake, great podcast.
[00:18:39] Great podcast, like daily, life in Salt Lake City,
[00:18:42] Jolene: What was it called?
[00:18:43] nicole: Citycast Salt Lake. And they also have like, I think they have Citycast Austin. They, they're, they're all over the country. They're not in New York yet. Citycast, come to New York City. they do great stuff of like how to make your city feel like you're part of it, and Citycast just [00:19:00] did an episode on who to vote for.
[00:19:03] Not like who to vote for, but explaining who the judges were. So I sent that to Josh. I'm like, "Maybe this will help you." Because it's really hard to figure this stuff out, and especially for the layperson. And I also think that the way the system is, they have it rigged so that you don't know
[00:19:21] Jolene: Well, and that's, that's the other part. I do think that there is, um, there's this big movement that I've seen in my feed of, of the local elections. You know, making sure that you know who your city council people Yeah who your, you know, the county commissioner, and, uh, that those positions are so important because they're the ones really making the decisions
[00:19:41] nicole: Right
[00:19:41] Jolene: level that, that truly impact you probably more so than on a national level.
[00:19:46] And so, um, yeah, kind of digging in there and, and finding out. A lot of times there'll be, you know, obviously there's, there's, um, debates, but for the most part, yeah, you got- you really need to dig in. And it should be as easy [00:20:00] as, as Googling and finding
[00:20:02] nicole: Yes, but it's not
[00:20:04] Jolene: But of course, we are going to shout out our friend Brad Porteous at Bridge Grades,
[00:20:09] nicole: Yes, we are
[00:20:11] Jolene: and Brad Porteous drink
[00:20:13] nicole: Hold on
[00:20:17] Yes,
[00:20:17] Jolene: um, a- and take a look at who your, you know, who, who your congresspeople are right now, and find out what, um, what their grade is. And it was funny because Bamby did that on her congressperson, and he had an F.
[00:20:32] nicole: Mm-hmm.
[00:20:33] Jolene: so she goes, "Okay. Well, that's all." And so then, and then we read why he had an
[00:20:37] F. And so she's like, "Okay, I'm not voting for him
[00:20:40] nicole: Yeah, I mean, it's a really interesting way to look at things and to shift your perspective, to say... 'Cause you can still... You're not changing your ideals, your ethics, but you're like, "Who's working for me, and who is just posturing?" Because in this world of posturing now, like, it's really important to, like, [00:21:00] un- you know, unravel it.
[00:21:02] It's your way to advocate. It's your way to change it,
[00:21:05] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:21:06] nicole: the voter, I think of our friend Laura Forcum, who talks about, like, you've gotta vote. Just vote. If you have to hold your nose, fine.
[00:21:16] Just vote. So I'm sitting there going, "Ugh, who do I vote for?"
[00:21:21] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:21:21] nicole: Right? Do you have any, do you have any nose holders?
[00:21:25] Jolene: I do.
[00:21:26] nicole: I do. Okay.
[00:21:27] Jolene: And so I don't know. I don't want to talk about it,
[00:21:29] nicole: Fair.
[00:21:30] Jolene: I,
[00:21:31] nicole: not gonna out your people like I just did with mine?
[00:21:34] Listen, I have s- I have such disgust for this person that I'm just outing him. I don't care.
[00:21:39] Jolene: right.
[00:21:40] nicole: But that, that's fair. I respect that
[00:21:42] Jolene: so then you have to, you have to figure out in your head, number one, is it gonna be a close race? And it's not going to be, so it doesn't really matter, um, in, in this particular instance. I will hold my nose and
[00:21:54] vote for the person that I
[00:21:56] nicole: You like a little bit more than the other.
[00:21:58] Jolene: Correct. [00:22:00] Exactly.
[00:22:00] That's exactly it.
[00:22:01] nicole: fair
[00:22:03] Jolene: and hope that, because if nothing else, I still align with the fundamentals of being a conservative,
[00:22:10] and so, you know, and that means smaller government and less spending, and I'm not so sure
[00:22:16] nicole: Just like right now?
[00:22:17] Jolene: spending. Right?
[00:22:19] nicole: it's such a conservative government? Ah.
[00:22:22] Jolene: So I'm
[00:22:23] nicole: Yeah.
[00:22:24] Jolene: that
[00:22:24] that
[00:22:25] nicole: think we're both pretty homeless as it turns out.
[00:22:27] Jolene: Right.
[00:22:28] 100%.
[00:22:29] nicole: wild. Let me ask you, Joe, about Iowa, 'cause you've got some interesting races over there.
[00:22:35] Jolene: Yeah,
[00:22:35] nicole: has your mom talked about that or any of your people in Iowa?
[00:22:39] Jolene: not recently. We talked about it, uh, this summer.
[00:22:42] nicole: Mm-hmm.
[00:22:42] Jolene: when I s- you know, was home and saw all these, um, saw all the signs that I'm like, "Oh my gosh, there's so much going on
[00:22:47] here." the person that I read most about was the Republican running for governor, um, Lahn is
[00:22:53] nicole: Okay
[00:22:53] Jolene: L-A-H-N, but I think it's pronounced Lane. i- you know, the, the big thing in Iowa right now is the quality of water,
[00:22:59] nicole: [00:23:00] Yes.
[00:23:00] Jolene: these cancer rates
[00:23:01] nicole: Yes
[00:23:02] Jolene: through the roof, and they think it's runoff in the farmland and chemicals from, um, you know, the big chemical companies', um, fertilizer and, uh, and all that.
[00:23:13] So, think they're both talking about it, but that was really the stance that the Republican took. this Lahn person, um, uh, but it doesn't look like... I, I don't know. Maybe he'll win. I
[00:23:24] nicole: Do you know,
[00:23:25] Jolene: polling
[00:23:26] nicole: I, think there's a Democratic woman, is that possible, running
[00:23:31] Jolene: in Senate,
[00:23:31] yes. Uh, well, in Senate, yes.
[00:23:33] nicole: Oh. Ashley Hinson. against, uh, Versus, Uh, Josh Durenberger. Turek.
[00:23:37] Okay
[00:23:37] Jolene: yeah. And so she is, uh, Ashley Hins- Hinson is the Republican running
[00:23:43] nicole: Oh, she's a Republican. Okay. Okay, got it.
[00:23:45] Jolene: what are the races that you're, that you're most interested in the night of the election?
[00:23:50] nicole: Well now, unfortunately, I'm interested in Amy Acton kicking that guy's ass
[00:23:58] It's like the, [00:24:00] the s- the scummy Graham Platner situation. Like, I, who is a, who is a, Democrat. Like, I don't... And I was thinking about this, that if it, the tables were turned, for me, and at this point, having done this podcast with you, I don't care what you are, Republi- I don't care.
[00:24:16] Are you kind and decent, or are you a scumbag?
[00:24:19] Jolene: Yeah So the, you're not, you're not showing your tr- you're sh- or you aren't showing your true colors, and I'm not interested. I don't want you to win
[00:24:29] Yeah,
[00:24:29] nicole: if that's how, if that's how you treat people.
[00:24:31] Jolene: Gah.
[00:24:33] nicole: And I don't even know this Amy Acton person, but I'm like, "That is just gross and mean and bullying and yucky and ew."
[00:24:39] Um, so unfortunately I'm interested in that one. I'm very curious as, ab- about Maine.
[00:24:46] Jolene: Yeah, yeah I'm very curious about Texas, as I think we all are. I'm curious about Alaska.
[00:24:53] Hmm.
[00:24:54] nicole: I've heard some cool... Uh, shout-out Rachel, one of my dear friends in Utah. She's an Alaskan. So now [00:25:00] I, I, I look at Alaska and I'm curious about, um, about Alaska.
[00:25:07] what about you?
[00:25:09] Jolene: I think
[00:25:09] nicole: Yeah
[00:25:10] Jolene: Allsaid and,
[00:25:11] nicole: can
[00:25:12] Jolene: what
[00:25:12] nicole: I, mention something? This is something that I don't know if it really goes right here in this conversation, but with El-Sayed, I know he's not in the DSA, but he sort of supports that.
[00:25:22] Jolene: Yeah
[00:25:22] nicole: Uh, I'm gonna give credit to Josh 'cause it was his thought, and I thought it was a really interesting one.
[00:25:30] One thing that, he's-- we were talking about how we now have the complete luxury of living in downtown Manhattan, and we also get to live in Salt Lake City. which has been an incredible experience and a very eye-opening experience in a different way.
[00:25:49] Jolene: Yeah
[00:25:51] nicole: Actually, Salt Lake City is pretty dark blue, uh, surrounded by red.
[00:25:56] but it's a teeny-tiny sweet little city and a monster city. [00:26:00] And we were talking about, like, living in New York City, and he was saying, "You know, sometimes it's really nice not to be in New York," because when you're in New York City, and I would imagine... I know it is in San Francisco, I know it is in Los Angeles, I know it is in Seattle, I've seen it. Chicago, I imagine so, but it gets so bloody cold there. the amount of homeless, and in, in New York City, the homeless situation The mentally ill situation is so, like 3.0 here now, that it's really hard to pretend that something's not wrong, so that when we're in Salt Lake, you can see it. You've got to go to a specific area, but otherwise you're just living your life.
[00:26:54] So in some ways, Josh was saying, which I thought was really interesting, that when you're in these [00:27:00] cities and you're seeing this extreme, sickness, poverty, people with and without, you can possibly understand why people are going to the extremes, attracted to Democratic socialism because they're thinking, "Well, this isn't working.
[00:27:17] It's not working now." And so I thought that was a really interesting take because it kind of makes, made sense to me. I mean, I'm a liberal, and I don't, I don't feel that way, but I see some real darkness. We live amongst it here.
[00:27:36] And if you're young and you're seeing it, and you're like, "Well, this isn't working.
[00:27:40] I need-- Something else has to work. Maybe this will work. Maybe that'll work," I just thought it was an interesting perspective. I don't think it's right or wrong, and New York City's bananas. Like, it's bananas in the best way, and it's bananas in the banana way, that you're like, "Not everybody lives like this."
[00:27:59] and so you [00:28:00] learn that, you know, you're, you're on the beautiful lake in the middle of Missouri, and perspective has to be different
[00:28:07] Jolene: Yes, except I- I think it's also, the same. I
[00:28:11] nicole: Yeah
[00:28:12] Jolene: like, uh, uh, with Jeff working at the food shelter, the homeless may not be on your street corner as you walk out your door, but the people who are e- either close to homeless or,
[00:28:25] nicole: Mm-hmm.
[00:28:27] Jolene: are real close to it
[00:28:28] nicole: Mm-hmm.
[00:28:29] Jolene: maybe they're already coming into, you know, the food bank,
[00:28:32] and you're like, "Ah," right?
[00:28:35] I
[00:28:35] nicole: Right. It's
[00:28:37] Jolene: to...
[00:28:37] nicole: something,
[00:28:38] Jolene: is
[00:28:38] nicole: got to give, right? And, and we're seeing it, I think, in, uh, the episode that dropped today when we interviewed Liz Vogel of The New Pluralists, that she talked about, like, like studying why is the world looking at sort of, autocratic and dictators as something possibly [00:29:00] good?
[00:29:00] Like, like, and I think it's just sort of this, I, I'm just gonna be, like, as compassionate and open-minded as possible, that people are looking for s- a solution or an alternative 'cause they're saying, "This isn't working. What else could work?"
[00:29:16] Jolene: Yeah
[00:29:18] nicole: do I think that would work? No. And so I- w- that, that stemmed from the Michigan, but I was just thinking that, that that's something that, is interesting to think about.
[00:29:29] who else are you curious about?
[00:29:31] Jolene: I think, um, Michele Tafoya. Do you know Michele Tafoya? She was a, ESPN broadcaster
[00:29:38] or, um, sports broadcaster, maybe not just ESPN, for years, and she's running as a Republican for the Senate
[00:29:44] nicole: Okay.
[00:29:45] Jolene: um, Minnesota.
[00:29:46] I think it'll be interesting to see
[00:29:48] nicole: Oh, and Klobuchar is running
[00:29:50] Jolene: uh, yes, different,
[00:29:51] nicole: Different.
[00:29:52] Jolene: against
[00:29:53] Klobuchar.
[00:29:53] nicole: Yeah.
[00:29:54] Jolene: cause Klobuchar is running for governor.
[00:29:57] nicole: Right.
[00:29:58] Jolene: a Senate now. Yeah.
[00:29:59] And [00:30:00] so, um, so I, I think it'll be interesting to see what happens in Minnesota. Has Minnesota gotten such a, y- they've gotten so much publicity for the fraud, waste, and abuse. I know you don't like the f- the phrase. but it'll be interesting to
[00:30:14] nicole: And the ice shootings. I mean,
[00:30:16] Jolene: makes...
[00:30:16] nicole: a lot of...
[00:30:18] They're, they're an interesting state. They're a very interesting state. So I'm assuming that the ESPN race, that person, that woman, I don't, I don't remember their names. Do you know who she's running against?
[00:30:30] Jolene: Flanagan, again. Okay. Tangle just did a, and I can put that on the show notes, they did an Instagram post of the polls and all the tight races, and, and a lot of them honestly are so tight.
[00:30:44] Yeah they're polls. I mean, some it looks like Klobuchar's gonna win.
[00:30:49] nicole: But again, I don't believe any of the polls anymore. I used to,
[00:30:52] Jolene: Well,
[00:30:53] nicole: don't.
[00:30:54] Jolene: have to look at, and I think it was, um... Oh, God, who's the guy on CNN who is [00:31:00] so funny? Harry Enten.
[00:31:02] nicole: Carrie, this is a broadcaster?
[00:31:04] Jolene: 10... Yes. I think he's a journali- journalist, but he does a lot of polling.
[00:31:08] nicole: Okay
[00:31:09] Jolene: always been known as the pollster guy for CNN. but, and he talked about how all of these races are within the margin of error.
[00:31:16] So I mean, if you've got a, a three-point swing, but the margin of error is four percentage points, then that doesn't mean anything. So
[00:31:25] nicole: Yeah
[00:31:26] Jolene: again, do we need the polls? That's the,
[00:31:29] nicole: I don't know. Or maybe we should just work for a pollster now.
[00:31:35] Jolene: No,
[00:31:35] nicole: Make some cash. I-
[00:31:37] Jolene: answer our calls. Like, who, I... Like, we're gonna have to call our friends, and we're gonna go, "Hey, Dina, who do you wanna vote for?" And Dina's gonna go, "No, I'm not answering this." So I mean
[00:31:49] nicole: To me, it's just a big old scam. And then pollsters are gonna be like, "Nicole, we've got to talk."
[00:31:57] Jolene: Okay. We
[00:31:57] would love
[00:31:58] nicole: We would love... Listen, we'd [00:32:00] love to have you on to explain your g-
[00:32:02] Jolene: your side.
[00:32:03] nicole: And we'd love to hear your game, how it all works.
[00:32:06] Jolene: Let's hear
[00:32:06] nicole: Let's hear it. Let's do it.
[00:32:08] Jolene: agree
[00:32:08] nicole: what's, what's the, the CliffsNotes version?
[00:32:11] No blue tsunami. We want decent people in. Go to registeredgrades.org. Vote f-
[00:32:19] Jolene: caught up in the fear.
[00:32:21] nicole: get caught up in the fear. F-
[00:32:23] Jolene: will not end on November
[00:32:25] nicole: No
[00:32:25] Jolene: sun is still gonna come up November
[00:32:28] nicole: That's right. Follow Gabe Fleisher, my new favorite Substacker. Uh, he'll calm us all down.
[00:32:35] Jolene: get some popcorn
[00:32:36] nicole: Yes
[00:32:38] Jolene: on the night of the 3rd, and just, and flip back and forth.
[00:32:42] nicole: There you go. Oh, that's the thing. That's the thing.
[00:32:45] Jolene: in,
[00:32:45] nicole: That's the thing
[00:32:47] Jolene: polls come in and then, you know, the, and the,
[00:32:50] nicole: Oh, you know what?
[00:32:51] Jolene: go from, like go from Fox News, and if the Republicans are doing well, then go over to CNN and see if they're doing
[00:32:57] well over there, and vice
[00:32:58] nicole: [00:33:00] or we should shout out to our friends at Mo News. Mosch and Jill are gonna be doing their first live coverage. Mo News, yes, we...
[00:33:12] Jolene: totally listen to that
[00:33:13] nicole: Listen, you guys, we're so excited for their, for their episode to come out. That's coming out, their episode's coming out November 4th, but check out their live coverage, which will be November 3rd, actually.
[00:33:27] Mo News. I'll put that in the show notes.
[00:33:30] Jolene: Okay.
[00:33:31] nicole: that's exciting. All right.
[00:33:32] Jolene: it
[00:33:33] nicole: Girl, do you have a would you rather?
[00:33:36] Jolene: I do. It has nothing to do with any of this
[00:33:38] nicole: Mine does because of what you just said.
[00:33:42] Jolene: Okay, then you go first
[00:33:49] nicole: Would you rather give up wine for a year... Okay, everybody, you got to go to YouTube, and you've got to rewind so that you can [00:34:00] see Jolene's face. Here we go. I'm gonna say it again. Would you rather give up wine for a year or drink nothing but wine for a year?
[00:34:20] Jolene: Yeah, I'm gonna have to give it up for a year.
[00:34:22] nicole: Really?
[00:34:23] Jolene: I can't have wine every... Like,
[00:34:25] nicole: It'd make you a little sick.
[00:34:27] Jolene: no right. I
[00:34:28] nicole: Totally
[00:34:29] Jolene: my brain would just be mush.
[00:34:31] nicole: You'd have a good time though. You're too young
[00:34:35] Jolene: m- oh my God, my teeth would be so
[00:34:38] nicole: They, yes. Mm-hmm.
[00:34:40] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:34:41] nicole: Okay. Okay.
[00:34:42] Jolene: All right.
[00:34:43] nicole: right.
[00:34:43] Jolene: one for you.
[00:34:44] nicole: Okay, I'm ready.
[00:34:44] Jolene: starts turning colder,
[00:34:46] nicole: Yes
[00:34:47] Jolene: would you rather sit by a fire in a fireplace in a wood-burning, like it's a wood-burning fireplace...
[00:34:56] nicole: sitting in it or by it?
[00:34:59] Jolene: it. [00:35:00] Now, why would I have you sit in the
[00:35:02] nicole: I don't know, maybe I was a witch at the stake. Okay. Okay
[00:35:07] Jolene: you rather by a fire in a fireplace or sit by a fire in a fire pit, like outside
[00:35:18] nicole: Oh, always outside. I love being outside by a fireplace. Is that what you, is that what your question is? 'Cause you kept saying in the fireplace. I'm like, am I sitting in the fireplace?
[00:35:32] Jolene: in.
[00:35:32] nicole: so you're saying do I wanna sit next to... like, have inside my house with a fireplace or sit... Yes In Utah, we have a fire pit.
[00:35:45] We don't outside. We don't have a fireplace inside.
[00:35:49] Jolene: Okay. Okay. You're a fire pit girl then
[00:35:53] nicole: pit, we have blankets. It's nice
[00:35:57] Jolene: That is r- that is, that is beautiful. [00:36:00] That is perfect
[00:36:00] nicole: And you have a fireplace inside
[00:36:03] Jolene: But we also have a fire pit, and this is the big, this is the big conundrum because I like a fireplace because the smoke goes up into the chimney, and so Fair next to it, and you can stay warm, and
[00:36:16] the smell and all of that.
[00:36:18] nicole: Mm-hmm
[00:36:19] Jolene: in, out- when you go outside to the fire pit, you come in, your hair smells like smoke, your clothes smell like smoke.
[00:36:27] I just, I don't like the smoke that comes at you in a fire pit
[00:36:31] nicole: So you're not a big camper?
[00:36:34] Jolene: No, not
[00:36:35] nicole: That's fair. That's fair. That's fair.
[00:36:37] Jolene: a good s'more. Like, I'll go out there for the s'mores
[00:36:40] nicole: Of course you will.
[00:36:41] Jolene: my glass of wine
[00:36:42] nicole: There you go. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Okay. So yet again, as Moshe pointed out, we are opposite again, and still we like each other. We love each other. We talk to each other about hard stuff. So [00:37:00] thank you, Jolene,
[00:37:01] Jolene: too
[00:37:01] nicole: and you can too. Listen, y'all, just take a deep breath. Enjoy the show. Understand that this is a game at our expense, but you can actually do something about it, even if you have to hold your nose.
[00:37:18] Make your voice known. We can change this
[00:37:22] Jolene: Please go vote. Even if you don't wanna vote for every judge
[00:37:26] nicole: That's right.
[00:37:26] Jolene: there,
[00:37:27] nicole: right. please go Or, even the current congressperson, who I don't need to say his name anymore. All right. Jolene, thank you. We will,
[00:37:37] Jolene: Thank you, my
[00:37:38] nicole: we will, see you on the other side of this 'cause we will do a p- podcast about what happened.
[00:37:44] Jolene: results
[00:37:46] nicole: But everybody just take a deep breath. Sit by your fire.
[00:37:50] Thank you. L-
[00:37:51] Jolene: your fire,
[00:37:52] nicole: subscribe, follow, press the thumbs up, share with a friend, share with someone that doesn't vote like you. We can [00:38:00] all vote. All right. Thanks, Jo. Bye.
[00:38:04]
