We recorded this episode on November 4th, the day after the midterms. Jolene is conservative, I'm (Nicole) liberal, and we were both surprised by the results.
I have to admit, I ate crow. After a recent snippet we shared on social media, I got a lot of mean comments on Facebook for saying I didn't think there would be a blue tsunami. Part of that was me trying to manage my own expectations, and part of it was that I genuinely didn't see this coming. Nobody did. It wasn't a tsunami. It was a quake, a big blue earthquake that rattled the whole country. I was wrong.
Jolene came in with three takeaways.
One: she's proud of the American people for not voting along party lines. We've spent years putting voters into boxes, and she thinks a lot of people just ignored them this time.
Two: primaries matter. We've been saying it for six months, and she wonders whether a few of these races would have gone differently with different nominees.
Three: what will Trump do now? She's glad he hasn't called the results fraudulent, but the next two months make her nervous. Her read is that he's a deal-maker, and that he'll work with a Democratic Congress and then take the credit.
My message was for Democrats, and I'll be blunt about it. A lot of Republicans and Independents voted for Democrats. I don't think they voted for the party. I think they voted for the better candidate. Tell us what you actually stand for, and make room for the people on the right who crossed over to help you.
And Democrats, please don't gloat. After the 2016 election I was gutted, and the next morning, standing outside my door, I got a call from Jolene checking whether I was okay. She didn't rub it in or lecture me. She just asked. I think about that call a lot, because that's the kind of winning I want from my side.
I'll admit the next bit surprised me. Jolene had Fox News on that morning and caught James Talarico's interview. She was impressed that he said he's all for checks and balances but not for retribution, and that he named things he and Trump might agree on, like housing costs and the federal gas tax. I loved that, too. He sounded like he was thinking, not yelling.
The thing that I can't quite figure out is that not one independent won. Jolene pointed out that in a handful of deeply Republican states, the Democrats seemed to have stepped aside for independents, and all of them lost. I don't know if they split the vote or if people just wanted something different. My guess is it's less that people want Democrats and more that they want something that challenges what's going on.
I also wish I could say the money didn't bother me. I read that almost three billion dollars was spent on the Senate races alone, and a lot of those candidates still lost. Some others won without all that cash. I know it's the kumbaya in me, but imagine if we'd spent all that money on something else. Three billion dollars could have made a real impact elsewhere.
We didn't agree on everything, and I want to be honest about that. Jolene said she hopes we can stop talking about systemic racism now that several Black governors have been elected. I said I think the best people won and they happened to be Black, but I still believe systemic racism exists, and that we have a poverty and class problem we haven't solved. I don't think we landed anywhere, and I'm still thinking about it. But we agreed on this much: celebrate the opportunity, and don't pretend the work is done.
Neither of us knows what the next two years will look like. I think Democrats have to get realistic about who they are, because they can't swing further left and win. I'd love to hold some of these politicians accountable, and there has been so much corruption, but if "lawyer up" turns into political theatre, they'll lose all of us again. Jolene doesn't think they can resist the drama. I'm afraid she's right.
What I keep coming back to is something Jolene said at the end. When she woke up that morning, the election felt like one small piece of her life, not the whole thing. We're still pretty new at this American experiment, and if it doesn't work in two years, we'll try again.
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Bridge USA post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DfVZVs9n85s/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&cplk=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==&srtk=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Talarico on Fox: https://www.foxnews.com/media/texas-senate-victor-james-talarico-lays-out-common-ground-trump-vows-work-together
Citizen McCain podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@CitizenMcCainYouTube
Bridge Grades: https://www.bridgegrades.org/
Problem Solvers Caucus Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/problemsolverscaucus/?hl=en
MO News: https://www.mo.news/
We’ve Got To Talk - Where To Find Us :
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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.
[00:00:05] Everyone says you shouldn't discuss politics, religion, or money, and we say that's exactly what friends should be talking about. 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, my dear friend Jolene. Hello.
[00:00:27] Midterms
[00:00:29] Jolene: Oh my gosh
[00:00:32] nicole: my gosh is right
[00:00:34] Jolene: so we're obviously talking about the results of the midterms, and so we're giving our takes on it.
[00:00:40] nicole: Yes, this is actually November 4th, the day after, as it were
[00:00:44] Jolene: number one, I am proud of the American people who didn't vote along party lines. I think we have s- for so many elections, we have put people into these boxes and said, [00:01:00] "Okay, you know, Hispanics vote this way, and women, urban women vote this way, since... And suburban white women d- that none of that mattered.
[00:01:08] Like, it was a complete, Democrat 100%, everyone, even if you were a Trumper two years ago, did your own thing and went Democrat this time, for the most part. but it shows that we're, we're not just towing the party line. I- like, you, y- you were comfortable... Maybe you weren't comfortable, but, but you got...
[00:01:30] You did something, and I love that, that we as Americans the system and said, "We're, we're doing our own thing." the number two, primaries matter. I, I mean, we, we have been singing that song for the last six months, months. And Who knows if last night would have been, the same result had we had different candidates?
[00:01:56] nicole: Mm-hmm.
[00:01:57] Jolene: but, you know, the, the two that I, that [00:02:00] stand out for me are the Tallarico-Paxton race. I think if, if we would have had John Cornyn in there instead of Paxton, would that have looked differently? And I look at South Carolina with, um, Annie Andrews and,
[00:02:14] nicole: Darlene Graham.
[00:02:15] Jolene: Graham, thank
[00:02:16] nicole: Mm-hmm
[00:02:17] Jolene: And I'm like, okay.
[00:02:20] Uh, uh, no, I mean, nobody thought that Darlene was w- I, I mean, you voted for her 'cause she was a Republican, and nobody thought she was ready for this. So we, uh, uh, primaries matter. and number three, what will Trump do now? I mean, it- here's, here's a couple of things. I, and we can get into all these, but number one, he's not said that they were fraudulent, um, results.
[00:02:45] He's okay with the results, and he's, and that's great. He what will he do in these next two months makes me a little nervous because he's got two months of his cohorts that are ready to, um, maybe go into battle with [00:03:00] him for the next two months. but then what will happen? I think he's a deal maker, and I think he will play nice, and once he gets, um, a Congress that is Democratically led, and he will once again take the credit.
[00:03:14] He will compromise or he will, he work out deals with the Democrats and say that it was his deal and his idea his narcissistic ways will continue to prevail
[00:03:28] nicole: That's it? 'Cause you said... Okay. ' So number one, the liberal of this podcast, I will be the first to say that I ate crow last night because I got a lot of mean comments on the Facebook about that last snippet that we shared that I didn't think there was gonna be a blue tsunami.
[00:03:48] I ate crow because partially I think I did it because I was trying to manage my expectations, but there is no way that any of us knew what [00:04:00] we have experienced. it's not a tsun- like, it's a quake. It's a big blue earthquake that has rattled this country. Now, this goes into my number two.
[00:04:11] First, I eat crow. Here we are. Number two, here's the deal, Democrats. You've got a chance to do something. Considering what's going on in Washington right now, I don't know if the establishment has it in them, but the only way that I believe that this is going to work is that first, Democrats, you need to look in the mirror, and you need to acknowledge that a lot of Republicans and a lot of independents voted for Democrats last night.
[00:04:44] They voted for the better candidate, not for the Democrats. This is a really important thing, information that if you actually embrace this idea and include these people [00:05:00] that helped you get into office, you are going to shut down this party circus. It has to end. All the performing has to end.
[00:05:09] The whining has to end. The excuses has to end as to why you can't get shit done because Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump. No. All these people, cross-partisan, have had it with this country and quite frankly have had it with you. Don't think that this is some big revolution. I don't believe that it is. I believe that we all have work to do.
[00:05:30] Which lastly, this is the most important thing. Democrats, what do you stand for? you have to have some courage. You have to include people on the right that actually came to the other side. These are the things that matter to all of us. We want results. We want you to work together. We want you to stop performing for clicks and turn off the cameras [00:06:00] and do your job
[00:06:01] Jolene: Oh, I agree with all of those
[00:06:03] nicole: and this is a fourth that I think you're gonna-- fourth takeaway that I think you're gonna agree with me.
[00:06:08] The amount of money that has been spent in politics, I don't know if it can be stopped because of that, uh, law that was passed. Y- I don't remember the name. But, but, um, I read that almost three billion dollars were spent by super PACs and campaigns just for the Senate race, which makes me think, and I know this is the kumbaya on me, uh, we could've used that three billion dollars to go towards our 40 bil- uh, $40 trillion deficit
[00:06:41] Jolene: I mean, it's a drop in the bucket,
[00:06:42] nicole: s- but yes, and some of these, some of the money, I mean, it was a huge waste. They didn't win.
[00:06:49] Jolene: Right?
[00:06:50] nicole: Right? Some of these, some of these candidates won without all that money
[00:06:53] Jolene: Did Elon, I wonder if he wants his money back from Ken Paxton
[00:06:57] nicole: So when this was happening last night, [00:07:00] I mean, there were no words. It was sort of like, "Wait a minute," like, "What's happening?" It's not just the Senate. It's not just the Congress. It's the governors. It's states that, like Kansas hasn't had a-- gone Democrat since 1932. Like, there is a seismic shift happening here for this moment in time, right?
[00:07:23] But I thought, "I wonder what my friend Jolene is thinking." Like, is this painful? Is this eye-opening? Is this... Because we're doing this podcast, so things are different
[00:07:34] Jolene: So here's what's interesting is I tried to analyze that too. Like, am I disappointed? And the team member in you w-
[00:07:41] nicole: Mm-hmm.
[00:07:42] Jolene: say, "Oh, we're losing."
[00:07:44] nicole: Mm-hmm.
[00:07:45] Jolene: But then as I looked at, but wait, I wanted Tallarico to win, and I wanted Annie Andrews to win, and I wanted, you know, um, I did
[00:07:54] nicole: I w-
[00:07:54] Jolene: Sayed to win. Um,
[00:07:56] nicole: I wanted Amy Acton to win. [00:08:00] Yeah.
[00:08:00] Jolene: Yes. Uh, Amy Acton.
[00:08:02] nicole: Mm-hmm.
[00:08:03] Jolene: I, I don't know that I wanted her to win, I just didn't want
[00:08:06] nicole: I didn't wanna... Yeah, yeah, yeah
[00:08:08] Jolene: was... But so it's, so there's that, that team member in you that feels like, um, that we're losing, but, but in reality, is this better for the country? I, I listened, um, I watched Fox News this morning because I wanted America's Newsroom
[00:08:24] But they had James Talarico on here, on there.
[00:08:26] Um, he came and did a, a quick interview,
[00:08:29] nicole: Oh, you got to see it? I heard it was. I didn't get to see it
[00:08:33] Jolene: It was on, it, 'cause it was on, like in the first 15 minutes of, of, um, of their coverage at, at 8:00 Time. and I mean, he, he was just, he was so good. I mean, a- and he was just, like this is the reason that he won. And
[00:08:49] nicole: Like he was being inclusive and
[00:08:51] Jolene: Yeah. He, I mean, the question was, you know, are you, the Democrats are gonna, you know, start, know, um, pushing [00:09:00] for, investigations and all that. And
[00:09:01] nicole: Mm-hmm.
[00:09:02] Jolene: "Oh, I'm, I'm gonna look for the checks. I mean, I'm all for checks and balances, but I'm not for retribution. Like, that's not why the people of Texas voted for me."
[00:09:11] nicole: Угу
[00:09:12] Jolene: they asked, you know, "What are things that you could work on?" And he goes, "I've already listed, you know, four or five things that Trump and I do agree on, and that I think that, you know, he's a builder. I think that we need to look at, you know, um, lowering the regulations on hou- on houses so that we can get affordable housing for young people."
[00:09:29] And he said, um, repealing the national gas tax, that, um, he said that i- immediately would take 18 cents off, um, a, a gallon of gas. And so he goes, "Why can't we
[00:09:41] nicole: That's funny because remember Mark Goldwein was like, "It's not worth it. There are other things you can cut."
[00:09:46] Jolene: But it's like, okay, he's... I mean, it was
[00:09:49] nicole: But he's thinking.
[00:09:51] Jolene: like, he wasn't, he wasn't yelling and he was...
[00:09:55] I mean, he was like, "Okay, here's what we're gonna do."
[00:09:57] those are the kinds of things that you think, [00:10:00] "God, he's the right person for the right job." And of course, it didn't take long before I started reading stuff that he's gonna be a 2028 contender for the presidential nomination. And I'm like, "Oh my gosh.
[00:10:11] nicole: Oh yeah
[00:10:12] Jolene: give him a chance to, like, sleep?"
[00:10:15] nicole: Uh-huh.
[00:10:16] Jolene: probably
[00:10:16] nicole: Uh-huh.
[00:10:17] Jolene: yet,
[00:10:17] nicole: Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
[00:10:18] Jolene: we start
[00:10:19] nicole: But there's a bunch, there's a huge list now. It's not, it's not just about Gavin anymore. I'm sure Gavin's not happy about that, but it's not just about Gavin anymore. I mean, they, they've got, uh, Talarico, they have John Ossoff on there, they have Josh Shapiro, they have Pritzker on there. Republicans too, like, I want quality candidates.
[00:10:41] Jolene: Ja
[00:10:42] nicole: people that are actually gonna walk the walk, do the work. And it was funny 'cause I was thinking about you last night, too, because I remember so clearly, and this is so long ago at this point, but in the 2016 election, [00:11:00] you and I were very far from having a podcast.
[00:11:04] Uh, but we'd always talked about everything, and I remember very distinctly the conversation visiting you in New Orleans, and you wanted me... You hated Hillary, and you wanted me to convince you to vote for her. It was really hard, and I didn't wanna convince you. I wanted to tell you why I wanted to vote for her.
[00:11:24] And I just remember, I mean, I was devastated that day, just gutted. Just gutted. I had so many feelings that probably had not a lot to do with the president. Like, it was just a lot of feelings I was projecting and, and now what I know, now that I know what I know, I might not have felt those things at all.
[00:11:49] But the thing that I was so struck by was the next morning. I remember exactly where I was. I was right outside my door in front of the Stock Exchange, and you called me to make sure I was [00:12:00] okay
[00:12:00] Jolene: I did?
[00:12:01] nicole: You did.
[00:12:02] Jolene: Aw
[00:12:03] nicole: so sweet, and you weren't condescending, you weren't patronizing. You were just like-
[00:12:09] Jolene: calling to rub it in your
[00:12:10] nicole: No. You were like, "Are you okay?"
[00:12:12] And I think that is
[00:12:14] Jolene: oh
[00:12:15] nicole: you did, I think I wanna bring it-- why I'm bringing it up, is that I think it's a really important, lesson for all of us, uh, listening and watching here and part of the We've Got to Talk community, is that, like I said in my takeaways, this is a really huge opportunity for Democrats, and I, human nature, I just, I really don't want people to screw this up.
[00:12:40] And it's really important, Democrats, I think, uh, don't gloat, don't gloat about this, 'cause we won because people came to the other side.
[00:12:52] if we all approached it that way,
[00:12:54] Jolene: Mm-hmm.
[00:12:55] nicole: think the conversation would change. The, the, the tent would be bigger, [00:13:00] right? I mean, Tangle talks about, Tangle knows about they have a big tent, and I feel like the Democrats really need to walk the walk here.
[00:13:07] Like, if they really do have a big tent, they have to understand that that tent includes Republicans that are frustrated and conservatives that are frustrated and independents that are frustrated. And this was-- I thought was interesting, Joe, to-- at this recording, we still don't know about Alaska or Mississippi.
[00:13:25] Mississippi's in the, in the, in the running? Wow. That-- I mean, wow. But what, what I think is interesting is that our independents did not win, not one independent won,
[00:13:36] Jolene: I read something about that that it's so interesting because the Democrats, which was my fear, that the Democrats didn't think they could get a Democrat in their state, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska,
[00:13:51] nicole: Угу
[00:13:51] Jolene: think that a Democrat would fare well, so they, so they had an independent, run who had traditionally, I think all three of them had traditionally [00:14:00] been Democrats but changed to independent status to be able to run against the Republican, thinking that that gave them some leverage. I wonder if they're rethinking that today, going, "Oh my God, all these Democrats won in all these other states. Had
[00:14:13] nicole: Why? Right
[00:14:15] Jolene: Democrat, could I have, could I have won?"
[00:14:17] nicole: I mean, I don't know. That's an interesting idea. I mean, I know that, uh, Todd Achilles in Idaho had originally approached us to come on the show, and he had had a mixed background. He was Republican and Democrat. He'd gone back and forth in his time. And I don't really know the background of the other...
[00:14:36] Was it two or three?
[00:14:38] Jolene: So Idaho, Montana, Nebraska South Dakota
[00:14:43] nicole: Okay, so those four. And they all went red. Which I don't know, Joe. I mean, that's interesting because, like, did the Independents split the vote?
[00:14:52] Jolene: and those are very Republican sta- well, I mean, you can't even say that anymore.
[00:14:56] nicole: No, you can't.
[00:14:57] Jolene: I mean, who would've
[00:14:58] nicole: I-- who, who would... [00:15:00] Yeah, I think people, people, people want something... I don't even know. I mean, I think we could possibly say that it's not that people want Democrats, they just want something different.
[00:15:14] Jolene: the right candidate.
[00:15:16] nicole: they want something that, challenges what's going on. They-- and a lot of them weren't politicians.
[00:15:22] And isn't that interesting? Because I remember when Trump ran, he was like, "Let's clean the swamp or drain the swamp."
[00:15:28] Jolene: Yep
[00:15:29] nicole: just real swampy in there.
[00:15:31] Jolene: okay, here's something else that was interesting. This was the second highest midterm, uh, turnout since 1914. That
[00:15:40] nicole: Really?
[00:15:41] Jolene: of the Americans voted, 124 million people voted. the midterm election that was higher with a, with a higher turnout was 2018. Isn't that crazy? Yep. So I know, but 50%, I mean, great.
[00:15:57] Great. Now, I think that's 50%, [00:16:00] and I'm not sure if that's 50% of registered voters, 124... Well, or if it's, uh, voters over... No, 124 million would have to be probably over 18. US citizens that are over the age of 18 would be 50% of 124 million, right?
[00:16:18] there's 350 million people in America. So if 50% equals
[00:16:24] nicole: many-- so, so they're saying half of the t- entire population or half of the entire population over 18
[00:16:30] Jolene: 18,
[00:16:31] nicole: or hap- or half of the registered voters?
[00:16:34] Jolene: that's what I don't know. Is it registered vote- voters or is it general population? I
[00:16:38] nicole: Can you look it up?
[00:16:42] Jolene: a shit?
[00:16:42] nicole: The conservative swears. She swears, everybody. She swears.
[00:16:46] Jolene: can I say one
[00:16:46] nicole: please, of course you can say whatever
[00:16:48] Jolene: interesting?
[00:16:50] nicole: Yes. Okay
[00:16:52] Jolene: number one, hope that we can, at this point, [00:17:00] stop talking about the systemic racism in America when we have had a Black president, we now have the first Black governor of Florida, we have the first Black female governor Keisha Lance Bottoms in, in Georgia. We have the first Black governor, uh, in Wisconsin, David Crowley. Moore, Maryland, he's, he got reelected. He's a Black man. Uh, Aaron Ford from Nevada, first Black governor. Hakeem Jeffries might or might not be the first Black speaker of the House. it was interesting to me, and I can't remember if I was watching CNN last night, and they talked about, you know, the, the, the first Black, uh, you know, with Keisha Lance Bottoms, you know, being a- an example. th- that should be celebrated. We are celebrating that, that, that now we don't ha- that, that race should not take, um, we should not be [00:18:00] looking at race as, oh, okay, y- you know, this person won because they were Black. that doesn't... No, the best people won,
[00:18:08] nicole: I mean, I agree with that, Jolene, but I think those are two different things. I think the best people won, and they were Black.
[00:18:14] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:18:15] nicole: The best people won, and they were Black, but I do think that there is systemic racism in this country. I think there are people that, that there are employers that, that don't hire people that they, that are not, that they're not
[00:18:29] Jolene: talk about systemic racism, you're talking about that it's inherent within the, the government. When you talk about systemic, I'm not talking about racism in general. Yes, I, I believe there is still racism in
[00:18:39] nicole: Oh, okay. 'Cause that, that confused me. That confused me. So, so you're saying... I mean, here's the deal. Like, this is the first time it's been... Like, there is an enormous shift, right? There's a lot of people of color that have just been elected yesterday, which is super exciting because they're just the best people for the job.
[00:18:59] Th- [00:19:00] Or we hope they are. We hope they do a great job.
[00:19:02] Jolene: Right
[00:19:03] nicole: I mean, I don't know. This is a tricky conversation because I know lots of people that are of color that are like, "I don't like being called the first of." And then there are some people that are like, "I do It kind of sucks that it's taken this long to have a woman governor or a, like, you know, all, like... But here we are. Here we are
[00:19:24] Jolene: like, we have finally come to this place, so let's stop taking, uh, someone's race in account for what they have done. Let's, let's, uh, like L-
[00:19:34] nicole: So you'd prefer it to be, you, you f-
[00:19:36] Jolene: is the first Black governor of Georgia, great. Let's call her Governor Lance Bottoms. Does she go... Is she hyphenated? I
[00:19:45] nicole: I don't know.
[00:19:46] Jolene: I... And, and,
[00:19:47] nicole: What you're saying is you, you'd like it to be, you'd like it to be more colorblind. Like,
[00:19:53] Jolene: Absolutely
[00:19:55] nicole: a human being.
[00:19:56] Jolene: Yep.
[00:19:57] nicole: I said it, human being.
[00:19:58] Jolene: I have to drink
[00:19:59] nicole: Yeah, [00:20:00] but you're a human being. I would like that too. Uh, but it's also two white people saying this. Like, I don't know-
[00:20:08] Jolene: But my comment was that, that i- i- we have now seen that, anyone can become what they want to be in America,
[00:20:18] nicole: Well, I'm wondering if
[00:20:20] By saying it the way we've been saying it That it challenges the American dream in your head. Like you s- you see it as like anyone can be anything. And a lot of the immigrant experience feels that way as well.
[00:20:35] Jolene: Yep
[00:20:37] nicole: of people risk their lives and they come to this country because they're like, "I can do anything and be anything."
[00:20:45] And
[00:20:45] I would challenge that sometimes they work a lot harder than those of us that were born into this privilege. And so I am guessing that that presses on, "Hey, can we [00:21:00] just talk about how cool, like how great this country is and the opportunity?" Why do we have to have a sledgehammer saying, "It's bad, it's bad, it's bad"?
[00:21:10] Is that
[00:21:11] Jolene: Uh, yeah. Okay, you mean
[00:21:13] nicole: Ish America's bad
[00:21:15] Jolene: Yes. No, completely agree. Like, we, we are giving opportunities to people that, uh, you know, the, they are the first in
[00:21:24] nicole: Yeah
[00:21:25] Jolene: but, you know, now they've given, they've been given this opportunity. What a great accomplishment that it has been for them, and I hope that they are proud to represent their states now. Um, but regardless of their party affiliation, regardless of the color of their skin, regardless of their gender,
[00:21:45] nicole: mean, that's I think why we're here. We love labels. We love a label. We love the tribe. We love, like, he's the f- first Jewish person. He's the first Christian person. He... Like, we don't ever [00:22:00] say, " Look at this white guy that won. Yay for the..." Like, we don't, I wonder if it's a way to, for that particular group to say, "See? I did it.
[00:22:12] And maybe that's why it's important to say it, or maybe that's why it keeps coming up.
[00:22:18] Jolene: Well, that's what I'm saying. For anyone to say that we don't give opportunities in America to minorities is wrong because this is a great example of how far
[00:22:30] nicole: Well, I think so. I think, I, I, I agree that yeah, th- absolutely. There's a lot of accomplishment, but I think there's also, places in this country that
[00:22:41] I mean, I th- I th- well, not just races. I think there's a, there's a class problem here. Like, there is so much poverty, right? There's so much poverty. Like, that is, that is a conversation that is like, that's...
[00:22:58] Jolene: But, uh,
[00:22:58] nicole: got some work to do. [00:23:00] Okay. So, so,
[00:23:01] Jolene: on
[00:23:02] nicole: you co- but you could frame it, pretty cool that all these people of color won last night
[00:23:07] Jolene: Yeah. And not all of them were Democrats.
[00:23:11] nicole: No.
[00:23:12] Jolene: Mm-hmm.
[00:23:13] nicole: No
[00:23:14] Jolene: Just because I know there's gonna be people going, "Oh, yeah, thank you Democrats, 'cause Republicans..."
[00:23:19] nicole: But no, people are, people are people, and they run...
[00:23:23] Jolene: and you didn't say human
[00:23:25] nicole: I didn't. I was gonna say, I was gonna quote the Tears for Fears song, but I decided not to. Um, okay. So that is something that you would like to change. Is there something else you were gonna say
[00:23:38] Jolene: Um
[00:23:39] nicole: away from this experience?
[00:23:42] Jolene: also like to say I wonder if there's going to be a mass exodus now of Trump's staff. I think, or were people holding on... Like, the fact that he doesn't have, a White House spokesperson, like...[00:24:00]
[00:24:00] nicole: The press secretary?
[00:24:01] Jolene: Yes, and,
[00:24:02] nicole: Uh-huh
[00:24:03] Jolene: you've got, you just went through the midterms
[00:24:07] nicole: Угу.
[00:24:08] Jolene: a press secretary. You were your own spokesperson, and how did that go for you?
[00:24:13] nicole: Well, and, and Meg-- it was horrible. And Meghan McCain on her show, yes, I, I, I listen and watch the Meghan McCain, Citizen McCain. I like her. I'm a big fan. I think she's hilarious, and her co-host is-- they're sort of like... I mean, they're not like us, but
[00:24:30] Jolene: Yeah, but she's liberal.
[00:24:32] nicole: but the, the--
[00:24:33] Jolene: is,
[00:24:34] nicole: yes, yes, yes, yes, and they're buddies.
[00:24:35] And but Meghan McCain was just talking about, like, your last statement was about the reflecting pool. Like, he's just on planet Neptune, and as soon as, as it, you know, quakes away from his party, he's like, "It's only 'cause I wasn't on the ballot." I mean, it's-- a-at this point, it's just, like, it's so silly.
[00:24:56] and I think that's also part of it and part of why, [00:25:00] maybe why last night happened And like you were saying, like with your daughters voting across the party, um, I wrote, wrote my own-- a different person in. Like, people were taking their own stances because there's a sense that we are smart, and you have not treated us as such, and it's time to start understanding that we actually have the power.
[00:25:28] And like you said about the primaries, Primaries, you guys,
[00:25:33] Jolene: Matter
[00:25:35] nicole: You want a good candidate, you vote in your primary. Because I think you're absolutely right, Joe. there were people, my congressman included, that were primaried out that were really good statespeople, that really cared, that really were trying to-- were a public servant, and they're out.
[00:25:57] Jolene: this is the portion of the show where, where, where we always [00:26:00] like to shout out to our friend Brad
[00:26:01] nicole: Mm-hmm.
[00:26:02] Jolene: Drink, if you're joining us with the drinking game.
[00:26:05] nicole: Mm-hmm.
[00:26:07] Jolene: as you know, and if you don't,
[00:26:09] nicole: Yes.
[00:26:10] Jolene: um, Brad Porteous has, um, bridge grades, bridgegrades.org, where he grades all of the, Congress people. And unfortunately, a lot of the good ones got, eh,
[00:26:23] nicole: Yep.
[00:26:24] Jolene: last night.
[00:26:25] nicole: He's, he uses third-party data, and he takes the whole Congress, the Senate and the, and the House, if you don't know this yet, and it's an incredible resource, something that now that we have the opportunity, please use it next year in the 120th Congress because he-- it's, he looks at it as like a class, like a whole class, and it, it starts over.
[00:26:48] It'll start over January 3rd, 2027. The new freshman class or the class of the 120th Congress comes in, and with the, with the third-party data, he'll look at what they say [00:27:00] and what they do. And the top of the class get As and Bs, the bottom of the class gets Cs and Fs.
[00:27:05] Jolene: are they bridgers or
[00:27:07] nicole: Dividers, right
[00:27:09] Jolene: bridgers get A, and bridgers meaning did they, uh, did they work across the aisle with, you know, um, getting a bill passed, or did they,
[00:27:17] nicole: Mm-hmm.
[00:27:18] Jolene: did they come up with a
[00:27:18] nicole: a bill. Mm-hmm.
[00:27:19] Jolene: with the other side?
[00:27:21] nicole: Mm-hmm
[00:27:21] Jolene: you know, what's their rhetoric been? Blah, blah, blah.
[00:27:24] nicole: And, and that said, it's not about, yeah, it's not about them, like losing their identity. They're just doing the work. And we unfortunately, the Fs are famous.
[00:27:37] Jolene: Yeah
[00:27:38] nicole: know the Fs, and as Joe is saying, we, 16 As kicked, kicked, kicked the can last night, kicked the bucket.
[00:27:48] Jolene: Kicked to the curb
[00:27:49] nicole: to the curb. Kicked to the curb.
[00:27:51] But no one, m- most people don't... Like, it's time for us to start investigating and understand that this is the stuff that's important. [00:28:00] I was so bummed that Brian Fitzpatrick,
[00:28:03] Jolene: Yep,
[00:28:03] nicole: was,
[00:28:04] Jolene: Pittsburgh
[00:28:05] nicole: uh, he was Pennsylvania, and he was, um, he lost, and he was the, had the top score, top score A, and he's now no longer in Congress.
[00:28:18] he was part of the Problem Solvers Caucus, Uh, can you pl- please explain to the people what the Problem Solvers Caucus is, Jolene? Thank you.
[00:28:28] Jolene: asking. the Bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus currently has 46 members in the 119th Congress. it's made up of Republicans and Democrats, and it's co-chair Republican Brian Fitzpatrick Democrat Tom Suozzi,
[00:28:44] nicole: Swazi.
[00:28:45] Jolene: Suozzi
[00:28:46] nicole: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm
[00:28:47] Jolene: Um, the caucus has traditionally aimed for an equal Republican Democratic split. its members has declined from 64 members in the 18th. Now it only has 46. [00:29:00] Oh, that's not good
[00:29:02] nicole: And there is-- They have their own Instagram page. I think it's @problem solverscaucus.
[00:29:07] Jolene: Yeah
[00:29:08] nicole: Uh, it's worth following them, uh, because it's interesting and important to actually see people working together and see what that looks like
[00:29:20] Jolene: Yeah
[00:29:20] nicole: don't see enough of that. And that's one thing-- So, Brian Fitzpatrick, uh, Dan Goldman, my amazing, uh, District 10 congressperson that's, that's is leaving us, please keep doing your work.
[00:29:36] Please find another place in the public spec- sector because, um, you guys are the gems, and that's a Republican and a Democrat.
[00:29:46] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:29:47] nicole: Right? Right? Look at me
[00:29:49] Jolene: know, do you know that Brian Fitzpatrick is married to Jacqui Heinrich
[00:29:53] nicole: Who's that?
[00:29:54] Jolene: she is a Fox News reporter.
[00:29:56] nicole: I did not know that
[00:29:58] Jolene: for, uh, Fox [00:30:00] News,
[00:30:00] nicole: I did not know that
[00:30:01] Jolene: the president of the cor- the White House Correspondents' Association.
[00:30:05] nicole: Huh.
[00:30:06] Jolene: Yeah
[00:30:07] nicole: I do wanna shout out to, Bridge USA. we are going to actually... I'm super excited. We have, um, interviewed Manu Meel, the CEO of Bridge USA. he's really fantastic. But Bridge USA is a builders organization in college, on college campuses, and they posted today, and I'll put it in the show notes just because it's really lovely.
[00:30:31] It was basically like, "It should not matter which side of the aisle you are, are on. I hope this made you smile." And it was concession speeches and people that won thanking the other person that they ran against.
[00:30:47] Jolene: great
[00:30:48] nicole: it seems completely insane to me that we're in this place that we're so unkind, that it's like, "Yay!
[00:30:56] You did something nice. We must post it on [00:31:00] Instagram." But it seems, but it seems like that that's such a revolutionary thing, and I, just made me think, Manu, thank you for posting that, and it made me think, gosh, like, what if this started to become the norm again? Or the norm. We, we weren't really alive before all this nonsense
[00:31:20] Jolene: are we done?
[00:31:20] do you have anything else to say?
[00:31:23] nicole: Listen, I think we're all, I think we're both like, "Ugh." Like, last night was a lot for everyone. We've consumed a lot of news. We've read a lot of... Like, everyone's sort of like, "Blah." So forgive us. Yes, I am finished rambling my booty off, and now
[00:31:41] Jolene: to say
[00:31:42] nicole: please
[00:31:43] Jolene: be interesting to see in the next two years what we come back with after the next election is going to be a presidential election, and what in the world will it look like?
[00:31:57] nicole: I mean, listen, Joe, it's... This, this next [00:32:00] two years is gonna be tricky, period. Like, I, like, the, the fact to me that the Democrats really have to define who they are and, and, and make their party bigger and un- like, get really realistic that they're, they can't swing more left.
[00:32:13] Like, they can't. They will lose. They just will lose.
[00:32:16] Jolene: I
[00:32:16] nicole: that,
[00:32:16] Jolene: true
[00:32:17] nicole: said, the Democrats have a huge majority next, starting in January 3rd, right? Huge, right? But Trump has veto power, and I agree with you that he doesn't like real- He kinda likes being the deal maker and the nice guy.
[00:32:32] Jolene: Yep
[00:32:33] nicole: could see some of that happening, but I could also say he's like, "I'm Mr. Veto," right? And then that guy, right? He'll do that.
[00:32:41] Jolene: he'll go, "No,
[00:32:41] nicole: Right, and then,
[00:32:43] Jolene: that's part
[00:32:43] nicole: and then what's his name?
[00:32:45] shout out Mo News, they did amazing midterm coverage last night live. It was awesome. during that coverage, they put out, you know, the, a tweet, and Robert Garcia, who's the head of the oversight committee, uh, [00:33:00] said, "Lawyer up,"
[00:33:02] in capital letters, which made me think, "Okay."
[00:33:06] Uh, and I already have people on l- the left screaming at me, believe it or not, saying, "Stop the fighting." Like, it isn't just all the lefties are freaking out, "Go get 'em." Like, I, I would love to hold some of these creeps accountable. Let me get that straight. I would love it. I would love it. There, there's been so much corruption.
[00:33:30] And I, I can imagine that people on the right are like, "Yes, get the bad guys," 'cause I... Like, let's make this really simple. Like, let's bring down the corruption, okay? But where the problem is is if you guys, you guys meaning politicians, if you make this about political theater, We're all out.
[00:33:53] You're gonna lose all of us, 'cause that's why last night happened, not because you guys are so spectacular
[00:33:59] Jolene: Oh. [00:34:00] Okay.
[00:34:01] nicole: You know what I'm saying?
[00:34:02] Jolene: Yeah, I do, but I don't think it's gonna happen. I think, I
[00:34:05] nicole: You think it's just gonna be drama, drama, drama?
[00:34:07] Jolene: mm-hmm, and I think the, it'll, it will
[00:34:11] nicole: I do too.
[00:34:12] Jolene: in the minority that will be like, "No, we're trying to get stuff done." They're
[00:34:17] nicole: We need,
[00:34:17] Jolene: up.
[00:34:18] nicole: we need courageous people. We really do.
[00:34:20] Jolene: congressional hearings."
[00:34:22] nicole: We need courageous people that don't care about getting reelected. How's that?
[00:34:27] Jolene: Mm. Mm.
[00:34:28] nicole: Gonna take a miracle. Okay As you just said, are we done?
[00:34:33] Jolene: Are we done?
[00:34:33] nicole: Listen.
[00:34:34] Jolene: meant, I didn't mean are we done. I meant I was gonna wrap
[00:34:38] nicole: Are we done? Like, let's, let's wrap this up. Let's wrap this up. Okay. Uh, would you like to do a would you rather first, or would you like me to do it?
[00:34:46] Jolene: I want you to do it first.
[00:34:48] nicole: Okay, you ready?
[00:34:49] Jolene: Yeah
[00:34:54] nicole: Would you rather have your own theme park [00:35:00] or your own zoo?
[00:35:08] Jolene: Oh, I love the animals. I'm gonna go with zoo Ja
[00:35:13] nicole: You don't want like a Jolene theme park with sparkles and- I know, I was thinking that
[00:35:19] Jolene: Um, I mean,
[00:35:22] nicole: The zoo just made me think about politics. You want the animals
[00:35:28] Jolene: the animals. I wanna see the animals. I will stop scrolling to look at animals. I don't care if it was a hippo, if it's, if
[00:35:35] nicole: Oh my God,
[00:35:36] Jolene: if it's...
[00:35:37] nicole: I just look at dogs on the internet.
[00:35:40] Jolene: Yeah
[00:35:41] nicole: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:35:43] Jolene: I'm gonna go with zoo.
[00:35:44] nicole: Okay. Okay
[00:35:45] Jolene: Oh, but it would be a fun zoo, and they would get to all run around
[00:35:49] nicole: I was like, would they be free? Fr-free, a free-range zoo?
[00:35:52] Jolene: Yeah,
[00:35:53] nicole: Okay. Mm-hmm.
[00:35:55] Jolene: It's like, it's like 100 acres
[00:35:58] nicole: someone helping [00:36:00] you feed these animals and take care of them, or are you doing it by yourself?
[00:36:03] Jolene: I'm living in a, in a house on the property, and I'm just, I'm just hanging out with
[00:36:08] nicole: you're like Eliza Doolittle,
[00:36:10] Jolene: Mm-hmm.
[00:36:11] nicole: Doolittle
[00:36:12] Jolene: don't wanna talk to anybody. I'm just gonna hang out with the animals
[00:36:15] nicole: That is actually your dream, isn't it?
[00:36:18] Jolene: To not be around any
[00:36:19] nicole: Yes. Yeah. You like that. Have a glass of wine, hang out with a zebra. It'd be good
[00:36:26] Jolene: I would be so happy.
[00:36:28] nicole: Yeah, you would be.
[00:36:29] Jolene: My
[00:36:30] nicole: be like,
[00:36:30] Jolene: come
[00:36:30] nicole: I'm like,
[00:36:31] Jolene: like on
[00:36:31] nicole: we do the podcast?" You're like, "No, I'm hanging out with a zebra."
[00:36:35] Jolene: could still do the podcast once a week. I would, you know, go into my shack once a week and do the podcast, but then... And my family could only come on the
[00:36:41] nicole: Your shack. Okay. Okay. And then you're just gonna hang out with the animals?
[00:36:46] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:36:48] nicole: Listen.
[00:36:49] Jolene: my friend,
[00:36:49] nicole: Okay
[00:36:50] Jolene: Would you rather, um, run the New York City Marathon
[00:36:54] Or do a [00:37:00] competition
[00:37:03] nicole: Oh my God. I would do a CrossFit competition, even though it seems horrible to me. Like they,
[00:37:09] Jolene: horrible
[00:37:10] nicole: seem horrible to me. Um, here's the deal. The New York City Marathon is actually super moving. I've, cheered on a friend once, and sometimes I've just gone to be a part of it, and it's incredibly moving.
[00:37:26] Jolene: Hmm.
[00:37:27] nicole: I've been at the end, and most people look like they are about to die, and so I have zero interest in running a marathon. God bless you. I think it's amazing if that's your goal and whatever. And CrossFit, no offense, but they seem totally crazy. But somehow, I would probably, you know, be in last place, but I would try that.
[00:37:52] Jolene: Oh,
[00:37:53] nicole: try that. Yeah, I don't think my body could handle... I do have a hip replacement. I don't think my body could handle the running 26 miles[00:38:00]
[00:38:00] Jolene: Oh, yeah
[00:38:00] nicole: Jolene, thank you for, uh, doing this post-midterm wrap-up. Thank you for, uh, doing this project together. I think this has been such a gift to me. Uh, I experience all of this stuff completely differently now.
[00:38:19] it's not nearly as charged, it's actually sometimes really fun and interesting, and I...
[00:38:25] When I, when we're doing any of this stuff, I think about what you think and how are you feeling, and it just makes it all feel... And even last night, I feel like we sort of were all in this in a way, in a different way. That, like, this is the, this is an American experiment,
[00:38:45] Jolene: Yeah
[00:38:46] nicole: right? And we're still pretty new at it, and we are willing to try new things, and, and if it doesn't work in two years, we'll try again
[00:38:54] Jolene: Yeah. Oh, I would agree. And I, and I, I know that we talked about this a [00:39:00] couple weeks ago when we said, you know, "The sun's still gonna rise
[00:39:02] nicole: Угу
[00:39:03] Jolene: and things are gonna go on." And, and I, I totally agree that this morning was so different for... Waking up this morning was so different for me because I felt like this was one small piece of my life.
[00:39:18] nicole: Mm-hmm. Versus, versus all of your life.
[00:39:21] Jolene: oh my gosh,
[00:39:22] nicole: Mm-hmm.
[00:39:23] Jolene: just been turned upside down. No, it was like a little bit, and then I went to work, and it dealt with work things, and I read... Here's interesting. Can I just throw
[00:39:31] nicole: Please
[00:39:32] Jolene: My daily devotional, I do a Jesus Calling, it, and it's a very popular thing, so I'm sure the, the one listener, if we still have somebody listening at this late in the podcast, today's thing was, and I'm paraphrasing here, God was like, "Girl, this is gonna be a day. Like, you're gonna have a day, and just remember that I'm with you, and there's, y- you just gotta take one step in front of the
[00:39:57] nicole: Mm-hmm.
[00:39:58] Jolene: be okay, and just keep, you know, talking [00:40:00] to me, 'cause I'm gonna get you through it," blah, blah, blah. And I remember reading that going, "Oh, is that because of the election?"
[00:40:05] Well, no, it's now 5:00, and I'm like, "Oh, God, you really were preparing me for a day." And I've had that day, but I still remembered that you are in control. Not Trump,
[00:40:16] nicole: Right. Right.
[00:40:18] Jolene: there are more important things than an election, and my friend, you are one of them
[00:40:23] nicole: Thank you. And I just love the image of Jesus going, "Girl,
[00:40:28] Jolene: Girl, there's gonna be a day.
[00:40:29] nicole: girl, it's gonna be a day."
[00:40:31] Jolene: gonna be a day, let me just tell you. And I'm like,
[00:40:34] nicole: I think I need to ma-- I have to like, have like a poster made of that for you.
[00:40:38] Jolene: Oh
[00:40:38] nicole: Girl,
[00:40:39] Jolene: Girl,
[00:40:40] nicole: gonna be a day. And it is. And then there'll be and then the next day. Thank you, Jolene. Uh, please like, subscribe and follow. Press the thumbs up button.
[00:40:51] It helps our algorithm. It helps spread the word that you can talk to someone that is not like you, that shares different views, [00:41:00] and you can make a new friend in the process. Any other thoughts, Jolene?
[00:41:04] Jolene: Share it.
[00:41:05] nicole: Share it.
[00:41:06] Jolene: That helps us.
[00:41:07] nicole: Yes. Bye.
[00:41:09] Jolene: Bye-bye
[00:41:10] nicole: Bye.
[00:41:11]
