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The Politics Chicks is a progressive politics podcast and politics news show hosted by Christy Branham and Monica Healy.
Every week, we sit down with candidates, elected officials, journalists, historians, policy experts, advocates, and everyday Americans shaping the future of our democracy. We go beyond the headlines with thoughtful interviews, fact-based analysis, and candid conversations about the issues that affect our lives—from elections and public policy to healthcare, education, civil rights, and the economy.
Whether we’re interviewing members of Congress, first-time candidates, medical experts, or community leaders, our mission is the same: to inform, challenge, and inspire.
If you’re looking for a politics podcast that values evidence over outrage, curiosity over division, and hope over cynicism, welcome home.
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@ThePoliticsChicks
[Gary] no one's going to save us.
[Gary] There's no cavalry that's going
[Gary] to sweep in like a father or
[Gary] mother
[Gary] figure and say, okay, we can
[Gary] wake up from this nightmare. No
[Gary] one. And so it's up to us
[Gary] because
[Gary] we are the cavalry, right? We
are the power. Today, we're
[Christy] talking with Gary Lux, an
[Christy] environmental
[Christy] attorney, author, and longtime
[Christy] grassroots organizer. Gary has
[Christy] spent four decades working at
[Christy] the
[Christy] intersection of law, policy,
[Christy] organizing, and founded
[Christy] Progressive Action East Bay and
[Christy] Resistance
[Christy] Action East Bay. His new book
[Monica] is We Are the Power to Win the
[Monica] Future, a Practical Guide to
[Monica] Moving from
[Monica] Concern to Action. Gary,
[Monica] welcome to the Politics Chicks.
[Gary] Thank you for having me. Happy
[Gary] to be here.
[Christy] We're so glad to have you today
[Monica] . Before we jump into things, I
[Monica] have to thank you for writing
[Monica] the
[Monica] book. And we were talking a
[Monica] little bit about this before we
[Monica] got on. It really is like a
[Monica] playbook
[Monica] of what to do for those of us
[Monica] that are frustrated with what
[Monica] is happening to our democracy.
[Monica] It's very
[Monica] digestible. And it's a good
[Monica] little nugget of hope. And I
[Monica] read it yesterday after a
[Monica] really bleak day in
[Monica] the news cycle, and it was
[Monica] exactly what I needed. So thank
[Monica] you for the book. So let's
[Monica] start with the
[Monica] simplest version of the
[Monica] question. When people feel
[Monica] overwhelmed by everything that
[Monica] is happening right
[Monica] now. Hello, right here. What is
[Monica] the first thing you want them
[Monica] to do?
[Gary] Well, just realize that action
[Gary] is the antidote for anxiety,
[Gary] right? And as Simon Rosenberg
[Gary] says,
[Gary] you know, do more worry less.
[Gary] And so ultimately, and the way
[Gary] it works for me is like
[Gary] political therapy.
[Gary] And in the indivisible group
[Gary] that I run, I share all the
[Gary] time when we meet monthly to
[Gary] say, you know, we're here in
[Gary] political therapy, in kindred
[Gary] spirits, connecting on purpose
[Gary] for a meaningful outcome. And
[Gary] so doing something together,
[Gary] because and so many people are
[Gary] alone, right? And these days,
[Gary] and people don't gather like
[Gary] they used to in churches and
[Gary] synagogues and so on. So people
[Gary] are alone.
[Gary] And coming together and coming
[Gary] together and doing something
[Gary] really matters. And so I think
[Gary] that's really the answer is, is
[Gary] being able to engage and be
[Gary] part of the solution. And I
[Gary] sleep at night and I wouldn't
[Gary] have written the book if I didn
[Gary] 't have this anxiety. But when I
[Gary] watch the news, and when I'm
[Gary] tired, and I think, Oh, God,
[Gary] you know, I just don't have the
[Gary] energy. It energizes me. And I
[Gary] do more.
[Gary] Like just the other day, I put
[Gary] together a list of states I'm
[Gary] thinking of visiting and shared
[Gary] it with several friends and
[Gary] inviting them to go. It was
[Gary] like 930 at night. And I was
[Gary] watching the news and thinking,
[Gary] Oh, you know, I'll do that
[Gary] tomorrow. Nope, I'm gonna do it
[Gary] tonight. So my point is, by
[Gary] doing more, it just assuages my
[Gary] anxiety. And this is what we
[Gary] all can do.
[Monica] I think Christine, I can relate
[Monica] to that big time. And sometimes
[Monica] we have to remind ourselves
[Monica] that it's okay to take a break
[Monica] to. And there there is that
[Monica] balance between, you know, the
[Monica] drive to do so much and then
[Monica] put the brakes on and let
[Monica] yourself breathe to, we have to
[Gary] pace ourselves, we have to pace
[Gary] ourselves, because it's a it's
[Gary] a marathon, right? And if we
[Gary] sprint through the marathon, we
[Gary] 'll be fatigued, and we won't be
[Gary] effective.
[Gary] You mentioned Indivisible. And
[Monica] I think that's a good starting
[Monica] point for people I I'm involved
[Monica] in an Indivisible group,
[Monica] Christine, I have interviewed
[Monica] the leaders of Twin Cities Ind
[Monica] ivisible. And that's a great
[Monica] jumping off point for people
[Monica] that that are looking for
[Monica] something to do. Because there
[Monica] are chapters all over the
[Monica] country.
[Monica] Yes, I would agree. It's it's
[Christy] it easy to hook up with all you
[Christy] need to do is look on Facebook,
[Christy] most of them have a Facebook
[Christy] page in your community that you
[Christy] can actually find them. So and
[Christy] I would agree with the Simon
[Christy] Rosenberg Hopium Chronicles
[Christy] thing, because I just I'm such
[Christy] a big fan. He is one of the
[Christy] things that has helped me learn
[Christy] to cope. Just he hit the way he
[Christy] he approaches things with worry
[Christy] less do more. I love that. So
[Christy] Yeah, your book is deliberately
[Christy] a how to rather than another
[Christy] book explaining how bad things
[Christy] are. And I think that that
[Christy] makes us feel more empowered,
[Christy] right? So what did you think
[Christy] was missing from the
[Christy] conversation that made you
[Christy] write this book in the first
[Christy] place?
[Christy] Well, it just seemed to me that
[Gary] the majority of people who are
[Gary] feeling demoralized and
[Gary] powerless and on the sidelines
[Gary] answer that concern by showing
[Gary] up to a protest or no kings,
[Gary] which is great. But it's not
[Gary] nearly enough. And it's a feel
[Gary] good thing. And I love the
[Gary] creativity of the signs and you
[Gary] kind of let your hair down. It
[Gary] 's great, but it won't move the
[Gary] needle enough. And I kept
[Gary] thinking,
[Gary] And the pundits and the news
[Gary] anchors have diagnosed the
[Gary] problem from every angle and a
[Gary] saturated understanding of what
[Gary] the problem is and why we're
[Gary] here.
[Gary] But no one was just marshalling
[Gary] all the how-to playbook
[Gary] opportunities of what you can
[Gary] do beyond just protesting or
[Gary] showing up over a freeway over
[Gary] pass with a sign and asking
[Gary] people to honk their horn.
[Gary] It feels good, but it won't
[Gary] move the needle enough.
[Gary] And so I kept thinking, no one
[Gary] 's put this roadmap together.
[Gary] And so that's why this is the
[Gary] second book.
[Gary] Last year, I wrote a book
[Gary] called You Are Not Alone, Your
[Gary] Roadmap to Effective Political
[Gary] Action.
[Gary] And this book is a much more
[Gary] robust, updated version of what
[Gary] you can do if you're in a blue
[Gary] part of the country or blue
[Gary] district, purple or red.
[Gary] And it's just basically a guide
[Gary] and a roadmap.
[Gary] And it's not a big book.
[Gary] It wasn't meant to be big.
[Gary] It's meant to be accessible and
[Gary] not necessarily read from front
[Gary] to back, but to zero in on what
[Gary] speaks to you and how you can
[Gary] activate yourself with the
[Gary] opportunities that it presents.
[Christy] Well, and I really appreciate
[Christy] how you set up the table of
[Christy] contents, too.
[Christy] So you really can go through
[Christy] the table of contents and find
[Christy] whatever you're looking for
[Christy] some inspiration or you're
[Christy] looking for what can I do about
[Christy] this situation.
[Christy] It's set up in a way that you
[Christy] can just use it kind of as like
[Christy] a guidebook and just open it up
[Christy] to the section that you need.
[Gary] Yeah, it gives you a menu.
[Gary] A lot of people are demoralized
[Gary] living here.
[Gary] Right.
[Gary] Because people in the red parts
[Gary] of the country are feeling
[Gary] alone and demoralized.
[Gary] And there's a menu of choices
[Gary] of whatever speaks to you,
[Gary] whether it's your time,
[Gary] resources, connections,
[Gary] financial resources.
[Gary] You can export that into the
[Gary] purple swing states where it
[Gary] will matter the most.
[Gary] And you'll find kindred spirits
[Gary] even if you're in the red part
[Gary] of the country, a red district.
[Gary] And so it's designed to make it
[Gary] accessible and give people some
[Gary] hope.
[Monica] We regularly talk with Doug
[Monica] Chapin, who is running for
[Monica] Congress in Minnesota, for Tom
[Monica] Emmer's seat, who is the
[Monica] majority whip.
[Monica] And that is a high priority for
[Monica] Minnesotans is to get Tom Emmer
[Monica] out.
[Monica] And Doug Chapin talks about his
[Monica] district and how he's a
[Monica] blueberry in tomato soup and
[Monica] the fact that there are lots of
[Monica] blueberries in the tomato soup
[Monica] and you have to find the other
[Monica] blueberries and join forces.
[Monica] And I love that analogy.
[Monica] And I think there are probably
[Monica] some of those people,
[Monica] especially those blueberries in
[Monica] the tomato soup, that feel
[Monica] alone and feel like they don't
[Monica] know what to do.
[Monica] And you make the argument that
[Monica] people already have more
[Monica] political power than they
[Monica] realize.
[Monica] So what are we misunderstanding
[Monica] about where political power
[Monica] actually comes from?
Well, maybe it's just trite to
[Gary] say, but people have not really
[Gary] stepped into service the way we
[Gary] need to, I think.
[Gary] Ultimately, 90 million people
[Gary] fail to vote in the 2024
[Gary] election.
[Gary] That's more people than voted
[Gary] for Paris and more people that
[Gary] voted for Trump in 2024.
[Gary] And we have the power to change
[Gary] that by not significant amounts
[Gary] .
[Gary] We lost, I think, the electoral
[Gary] count in three or four states
[Gary] by 230,000 votes in 2024.
[Gary] So it was a close election.
[Gary] Trump didn't win by 50 percent.
[Gary] He won by less than 50 percent.
[Gary] And so I see what we're doing
[Gary] and what we need to do moving
[Gary] forward is see getting involved
[Gary] in one way or another in the
[Gary] pro-democracy movement and
[Gary] engaging in a level of politics
[Gary] as service.
[Gary] You know, we all are obligated
[Gary] to do jury duty.
[Gary] And it's not fun, right?
[Gary] But at the end of the day,
[Gary] things that we've taken for
[Gary] granted, our whole lives are at
[Gary] risk.
[Gary] And we took our eye off the
[Gary] ball for the longest time.
[Gary] And the conservatives have been
[Gary] taking a long-run strategy.
[Gary] And it's paid off.
[Gary] And we've checked out.
[Gary] And I feel like the power is in
[Gary] service and the mindset that we
[Gary] need to just do something,
[Gary] whatever it is.
[Gary] And the book gives you plenty
[Gary] of choices of what that is to
[Gary] be part of a long-sustained
[Gary] movement to regain and hold on
[Gary] to power.
[Gary] So the power is with us
[Gary] stepping up.
[Gary] And it doesn't mean, you know,
[Gary] a significant effort, but it
[Gary] means folding it into our daily
[Gary] lives.
[Gary] And the best part about it, at
[Gary] least with our Indivisible
[Gary] group, and I'm sure with many
[Gary] others, is you find connections
[Gary] , kindred spirits, friendships,
[Gary] and you feel together.
[Gary] Because when so many people are
[Gary] on their screens feeling
[Gary] disconnected, you build
[Gary] community.
[Gary] And by building community, that
[Gary] power kind of unfolds in a
[Gary] virtuous cycle where you're
[Gary] feeling like, okay, I've got
[Gary] friends on mission, and we're
[Gary] making a difference.
[Gary] And over time, we will succeed.
[Gary] So the power is with us.
And you've organized for
decades now.
So what have you learned about
[Christy] the difference between people
[Christy] showing up once and people
[Christy] becoming part of an effective
[Christy] movement?
[Christy] Because your book argues that
[Christy] we need to turn this into a
[Christy] movement.
[Christy] It just can't be showing up
[Christy] here and there at a protest.
[Gary] Yeah, it's kind of what I just
[Gary] shared, which is that if you
[Gary] build community, then it'll
[Gary] sustain itself, right?
[Gary] And so connectivity, doing it
[Gary] in partnership, building
[Gary] friendships.
[Gary] I mean, a lot of people made
[Gary] close friendships in our Indiv
[Gary] isible group.
[Gary] And we grew to about over 1,200
[Gary] members right now over time.
[Gary] And people come and go, of
[Gary] course.
[Gary] But I think it's community, and
[Gary] we're lacking community.
[Gary] So I feel like, how do you
[Gary] sustain it?
[Gary] I worry about complacency and
[Gary] not having a foil to really
[Gary] sustain on the other side of
[Gary] the equation.
[Gary] Because after Trump lost in
[Gary] 2020, it became more difficult
[Gary] for us to organize and recruit
[Gary] volunteers because people got
[Gary] complacent.
[Gary] And so I do worry about that.
[Gary] So having a foil helps.
[Gary] But one thing that helps us
[Gary] sustain is in our Indivisible
[Gary] group, we invite speakers.
[Gary] And we have a bit of a salon
[Gary] effort.
[Gary] So next month, we're going to
[Gary] have the mayor of Oakland.
[Gary] And, you know, in a couple
[Gary] months, we'll have an assembly
[Gary] woman who represents our
[Gary] district in the East Bay of
[Gary] Oakland.
[Gary] And so having not just elected
[Gary] officials, but luminaries that
[Gary] are energizing that will draw
[Gary] people to keep the rhythm and
[Gary] community going, even when you
[Gary] 're in power, and to push back
[Gary] against complacency.
[Gary] Because I think complacency is
[Gary] the big worry for me.
[Gary] In 2008 is when I got complac
[Gary] ent.
[Gary] And we worked really hard in
[Gary] 2004 through 2008 for our
[Gary] progressive action East Bay
[Gary] effort before Indivisible was
[Gary] something.
[Gary] And we worked really hard to
[Gary] give Nancy Pelosi the gavel in
[Gary] 2006 and Obama the presidency
[Gary] in 2008.
[Gary] And we got complacent.
[Gary] And eight years later, look
[Gary] where we were and look where we
[Gary] are today.
[Gary] So complacency is the enemy.
[Gary] And I worry about how we
[Gary] sustain into the future because
[Gary] we're going to get power back.
[Gary] But how do we sustain it?
[Gary] And the only thing I can think
[Gary] of is we need to build
[Gary] community, see it as service,
[Gary] and find ways to keep the
[Gary] energy going even when we're in
[Gary] power.
[Gary] And that's going to be the
[Gary] challenge, I think.
[Gary] I don't know the full answer,
[Gary] but that's what I struggle with
[Gary] .
[Monica] Well, let's talk about that
[Monica] complacency versus playing the
[Monica] long game.
[Monica] Because as you mentioned, the
[Monica] Republicans have been very good
[Monica] at playing the long game.
[Monica] This has been a decades-long
[Monica] endeavor for them.
[Monica] And as you mentioned in 2004,
[Monica] 2008, working hard.
[Monica] And then in 2010, you know, the
[Monica] Tea Party movement took off and
[Monica] kind of leads to where we are
[Monica] now.
[Monica] So if we are looking at a
[Monica] potential for a blue wave,
[Monica] which we all hope to see in 20
[Monica] 26, we can't sit back on our
[Monica] laurels, right?
[Monica] We can't get complacent like
[Monica] you just said.
[Monica] So what is the game plan from
[Monica] the midterms on?
[Gary] Yeah, I see the time horizons
[Gary] in a 24-month cycle.
[Gary] And so we can't sprint through
[Gary] the marathon.
[Gary] And under a normal, in quotes,
[Gary] 24-month cycle, the way we
[Gary] sustain the movement, I think,
[Gary] is...
[Gary] So you have the election.
[Gary] Let's say it's somewhat normal
[Gary] in November.
[Gary] It's not.
[Gary] But let's say it's a normal
[Gary] cycle.
[Gary] And there's not all this dystop
[Gary] ian risk that we're facing.
[Gary] After the election, you rest,
[Gary] right?
[Gary] You've been sprinting.
[Gary] And then for the next year, you
[Gary] can really throttle back, get
[Gary] back to your life.
[Gary] But you have to keep the engine
[Gary] running, right?
[Gary] So that's maybe having monthly
[Gary] meetings with good speakers,
[Gary] doing parties, picnics, keeping
[Gary] the energy flowing.
[Gary] And so basically, the odd year
[Gary] after the even year election is
[Gary] when you generally rest but
[Gary] keep the idle going.
[Gary] And then sometime about eight
[Gary] months before the even year
[Gary] election, like maybe April of
[Gary] the election year and the even
[Gary] year,
[Gary] that's when you get back into
[Gary] business and you start putting
[Gary] your foot on the gas a little
[Gary] bit.
[Gary] And so you sprint for eight
[Gary] months before and then you rest
[Gary] in between.
[Gary] And I think that that's the
[Gary] only way I think you can
[Gary] sustain the cycle.
[Gary] The down cycle is what I worry
[Gary] about.
[Gary] Like how do you – you don't
[Gary] want to lose the energy and it
[Gary] 's striking that balance, which
[Gary] I don't think is easy, but
[Gary] something to wrestle with.
[Monica] We may be at risk of losing
[Monica] that balance because I think I
[Monica] speak for many of us who for
[Monica] the last 18 months, 18 months,
[Monica] 20 months, whatever it's been
[Monica] since January 20th of 2025, it
[Monica] 's exhausting because we have
[Monica] had our foot on the gas like
[Monica] nonstop.
[Monica] And I think we do recognize
[Monica] intellectually and cognitively
[Monica] that we can't let off after the
[Monica] midterms.
[Monica] But, man, we're all exhausted.
[Gary] Well, yeah, for me, honestly,
[Gary] one of the things we can talk
[Gary] about is one of the strategies
[Gary] that I highly recommend and
[Gary] focus on is community
[Gary] connections.
[Gary] And so we've established or we
[Gary] didn't invent it, but we've
[Gary] really perfected an approach
[Gary] where we're the funnel to the
[Gary] community.
[Gary] And we are at transit stations
[Gary] and farmer's markets throughout
[Gary] the Bay Area.
[Gary] And we recruit hundreds and
[Gary] hundreds of volunteers.
[Gary] That's kind of brilliant.
[Christy] That's kind of brilliant.
[Christy] Get people where they're at.
[Gary] Yeah, exactly.
[Gary] And, well, so let's see.
[Gary] Let me get to your question.
[Gary] I'll come back to the farmer's
[Gary] market.
[Gary] But I've been – our team has
[Gary] been at farmer's markets for
[Gary] every weekend virtually except
[Gary] for when you're out of town for
[Gary] over two years.
[Gary] And I'm going to take a rest
[Gary] after November.
[Gary] But I see the urgency, and we
[Gary] all see the urgency of it.
[Gary] And so I know it's not
[Gary] sustainable at this pace.
[Gary] But there's so much on the line
[Gary] , as we all know.
[Gary] And that's what keeps me going.
[Gary] And I'll come back to the
[Gary] farmer's market in a moment.
[Gary] But what keeps me going is this
[Gary] whole idea of service again.
[Gary] I know it sounds trite, but in
[Gary] the book I write about my
[Gary] friend's father-in-law, right,
[Gary] whose service in World War II
[Gary] really spoke to me.
[Gary] And I remember walking precinct
[Gary] s in Tucson, Arizona in 2024 at
[Gary] my college roommates for
[Gary] several weekends.
[Gary] And the last weekend of the
[Gary] election in November, I was
[Gary] just done.
[Gary] And I felt like I just don't
[Gary] want to knock on another door.
[Gary] And then it just hit me.
[Gary] I thought, well, who am I to
[Gary] complain?
[Gary] So many people give the
[Gary] ultimate sacrifice for the life
[Gary] , the freedoms and democracy
[Gary] that we all take for granted.
[Gary] And so and I was at the farmer
[Gary] 's market, I think, a week ago.
[Gary] And this is a two hour shift.
[Gary] And it's all voluntary.
[Gary] And I was an hour and a half
[Gary] into it thinking, oh, God, I'm
[Gary] just kind of it's fun.
[Gary] It's interesting.
[Gary] I'm making great connections,
[Gary] but I'd rather be doing
[Gary] something else.
[Gary] And then I honestly thought
[Gary] about the people on the USS
[Gary] Lincoln who spent nine months
[Gary] at sea and not knowing when
[Gary] they're going to come back in
[Gary] all the scarcity and challenge
[Gary] they face.
[Gary] And I'm thinking to myself,
[Gary] they can't think where they'll
[Gary] be in 30 minutes and they can
[Gary] go do something that they want
[Gary] to do.
[Gary] They're locked in.
[Gary] And so I come back to just who
[Gary] am I to complain?
[Gary] This is this is a duty of
[Gary] citizenship and that type of
[Gary] thing.
[Gary] So that's how I keep it going
[Gary] by just realizing that I've got
[Gary] the luxury to just spend two
[Gary] hours on a Saturday or Sunday
[Gary] at a farmer's market and go
[Gary] back to my life.
Yeah.
[Christy] You know, Monica and I met
[Christy] training for a marathon.
[Christy] And what you're saying about
[Christy] this, this not getting complac
[Christy] ent, that kind of reminds me, we
[Christy] were runners before we met.
[Christy] And when you run marathons, you
[Christy] never lose your base.
[Christy] Right.
[Christy] So even when you finished a
[Christy] marathon, you may be running 50
[Christy] or 60 miles a week leading up
[Christy] to the marathon, but you never
[Christy] stop running 20 to 30 miles a
[Christy] week, 15 miles a week in the
[Christy] off season so that you maintain
[Christy] that base.
[Christy] And that's kind of what it
[Christy] reminded me of when you talked
[Christy] about the rest where you you
[Christy] you're not.
[Christy] It's active rest.
[Christy] Right.
[Christy] So you're still participating.
[Christy] You're just giving yourself a
[Christy] break from the grind of it all.
[Christy] Am I am I am I hearing that
[Christy] correctly?
[Gary] Absolutely.
[Gary] Yeah.
[Gary] You have to keep ready.
[Gary] Right.
[Gary] And keep the idle.
[Gary] But I like I worry about.
[Gary] November, we're going to have a
[Gary] big accountability party.
[Gary] We're going to do the blue
[Gary] victory lap.
[Gary] And then we're going to lose
[Gary] volunteers.
[Gary] And, you know, I just need to
[Gary] do a strategy session with my
[Gary] team and say, OK, what are we
[Gary] going to do on in December?
[Gary] We'll do a holiday party.
[Gary] What are we going to do in
[Gary] February?
[Gary] We have to think through events
[Gary] that will just keep us going,
[Gary] knowing that that's that's that
[Gary] 's that's the the harm we're
[Gary] trying to overcome.
[Gary] Right. The risk we're trying to
[Gary] manage.
[Christy] Yeah. And Monica and I have
[Christy] have dutifully given ourselves
[Christy] a couple of weeks off after the
[Christy] election because we have been
[Christy] holding a breakneck pace
[Christy] interviewing the past couple of
[Christy] months just because we wanted
[Christy] to showcase as many people as
[Christy] we can on this platform that we
[Christy] 're grateful for.
[Christy] That was just handed to us.
[Christy] Right. But we we knew that by
[Christy] the time we hit November 4th,
[Christy] the two of us are just going to
[Christy] be toast.
[Christy] So we have that planned that
[Christy] time planned off.
[Christy] But we've also discussed the
[Christy] fact that this is only like the
[Christy] first hurdle.
[Christy] Like we have two more years of
[Christy] this and we've got to pace
[Christy] ourselves through that two year
[Christy] process without burning out.
[Christy] So I love that you're you're
[Christy] really kind of focusing on that
[Christy] understanding that you have to
[Christy] keep the fire lit.
[Christy] But at the same time, you can't
[Christy] be on full throttle the entire
[Christy] time.
[Christy] Otherwise, you're going to lose
[Christy] people and, you know, ways to
[Christy] keep people involved and keep
[Christy] people.
[Christy] Keep that attrition rate as low
[Christy] as possible. So you are keeping
[Christy] as many volunteers as possible
[Christy] through the midterm or through
[Christy] the general election in 2028.
[Gary] Yeah. And one of one of the
[Gary] projects that we're going to
[Gary] kick into gear again is it's in
[Gary] the book.
[Gary] It's this idea of buy blue for
[Gary] the holidays. And so is that's
[Gary] the kind of and that's the kind
[Gary] of thing we can do by blue for
[Gary] the off year of the 2027, too.
[Gary] And the idea is there's an
[Gary] organization called Goods Unite
[Gary] Us and they they have
[Gary] identified from companies from
[Gary] A to Z.
[Gary] Where they give their campaign
[Gary] donations. And so the Federal
[Gary] Election Commission publishes
[Gary] where companies donate.
[Gary] And so in December, in November
[Gary] and early December, we'll we'll
[Gary] throttle back a little bit.
[Gary] But what we'll do is we'll be
[Gary] handing out flyers of the
[Gary] farmers markets on connecting
[Gary] people to buying blue for the
[Gary] holidays so they can make
[Gary] informed decisions and vote
[Gary] with their wallet.
[Gary] And so I use the example when I
[Gary] see patrons at the farmers
[Gary] market with a sign that said,
[Gary] buy blue for the holidays and
[Gary] they'll come up and talk to me.
[Gary] And I'll ask them if you're a
[Gary] coffee drinker and you had a
[Gary] choice between Pete's coffee
[Gary] and Starbucks, who would you
[Gary] support?
[Gary] And let me ask you, if you had
[Gary] a choice between Pete's and
[Gary] Starbucks, who would you choose
[Gary] to support?
[Christy] Pete's. I drink coffee. Monica
[Christy] doesn't.
[Monica] I don't drink coffee, but I
[Christy] would. But I would say Pete's.
[Monica] Yeah, same.
[Gary] Right. And everyone says that.
[Gary] And then if you look at the app
[Gary] with Goods Unite Us and you can
[Gary] see where Pete's gives their
[Gary] money.
[Gary] And I'll be not exactly right,
[Gary] but they give about 60 plus
[Gary] percent of their donations to
[Gary] Republicans.
[Christy] I didn't know that. No, I will
[Christy] not buy Pete's again.
[Gary] And Starbucks gives 80 plus
[Gary] percent to Democrats.
[Gary] So my point at so. But this is
[Gary] the kind of thing that can
[Gary] energize people.
[Gary] And this is the kind of thing
[Gary] that I want to do more of. And
[Gary] I met with the founder of the
[Gary] organization.
[Gary] So we're going to try to grow
[Gary] this across the country. I'd
[Gary] love to see this every November
[Gary] , December, that we have
[Gary] campaigns to promote buying
[Gary] blue for the holidays.
[Gary] So that that might be something
[Gary] that we can do every year and
[Gary] maybe even even after the
[Gary] holidays.
[Gary] So these are the kinds of
[Gary] things that we want to be
[Gary] thinking about to energize and
[Gary] keep people engaged.
[Monica] Well, money talks. And I'm
[Monica] going to put in another plug
[Monica] for that app because I do have
[Monica] that app, Goods Unite Us.
[Monica] But I'm also going to plead
[Monica] ignorance on the Pete's versus
[Monica] Starbucks because I don't drink
[Monica] coffee.
[Christy] I do. And I have no excuse. So
[Christy] I need to start researching on
[Christy] those things.
[Christy] I just know not to buy my
[Christy] Christmas decorations from
[Christy] Hobby Lobby.
[Monica] Right. I've never set foot in a
[Monica] Hobby Lobby.
[Gary] The fun part about this in 2004
[Gary] through 2008, there was an
[Gary] earlier organization called Buy
[Gary] Blue and they since disbanded.
[Gary] But we would we would have
[Gary] volunteers for mid-November
[Gary] through mid-December.
[Gary] And we go to San Francisco in
[Gary] Union Square by Macy's and all
[Gary] the stores where people were
[Gary] shopping.
[Gary] And we would dress up in blue
[Gary] and white Santa outfits.
[Gary] And we would hand out the fly
[Gary] ers on here's the companies that
[Gary] are blue and here are the
[Gary] companies to avoid.
[Gary] And so anyway, that's the kind
[Gary] of thing people can do.
[Gary] And we'd be happy to work with
[Gary] anyone who wants to set
[Gary] something up and anyone who
[Gary] wants to raise money, which I'd
[Gary] love to talk about how we do
[Gary] that.
[Gary] We will work with them.
[Gary] We'll work with someone who
[Gary] wants to establish a farmer's
[Gary] market, not not set up a farmer
[Gary] 's market, but be doing outreach
[Gary] at farmer's markets.
[Gary] And and I just did a training
[Gary] for the California's indivis
[Gary] ible team.
[Gary] So there are 300 indivisible
[Gary] groups in California, 2500
[Gary] across the country.
[Gary] And so we were taking the book
[Gary] and I developed a training with
[Gary] like workshops for the training
[Gary] .
[Gary] And so we're trying to promote
[Gary] these ideas and we have a
[Gary] toolkit.
[Gary] We got videos.
[Gary] So it's not just the book, but
[Gary] it's like, how can people step
[Gary] into action?
[Gary] And we can hold their hand if
[Gary] necessary along the way to get
[Gary] them launched.
[Christy] You would love our Twin Cities
[Christy] Indivisible people because
[Christy] every single year they all buy
[Christy] the same T-shirt.
[Christy] And this year it said it's not
[Christy] fair on it.
[Christy] And it was a bright yellow T-
[Christy] shirt.
[Christy] And they all take shifts and
[Christy] they stand outside the RNC
[Gary] booth.
[Gary] Oh, I love it.
[Christy] And they sit and talk to people
[Christy] .
[Christy] And like last year they wore
[Christy] red shirts.
[Christy] I can't remember what it was on
[Christy] .
[Christy] What was on it?
[Christy] Monica took a picture of
[Christy] herself with them when she was
[Christy] at the fair, but they do it
[Christy] every year.
[Christy] And I think that's what you're
[Christy] talking about, right?
[Christy] That kind of organization.
[Gary] Yeah, well, making it fun,
[Gary] right?
[Gary] And maybe getting some press
[Gary] out of it as well.
[Gary] And the thing that's great
[Gary] about Minnesota, and first of
[Gary] all, I mean, my hat's off to
[Gary] all Minnesotans who really
[Gary] stood up.
[Gary] And it was really just moving,
[Gary] just the patriotism and just
[Gary] the commitment.
[Gary] And I'm trying to remember the
[Gary] person's name who's the head of
[Gary] the DFL or a big player in the
[Gary] DFL.
[Gary] Is it Tim Wagener, I think?
[Gary] I think that's his name.
[Christy] That sounds familiar.
[Gary] So he was a big player in
[Gary] Minnesota in organizing.
[Gary] And now he is working on the
[Gary] Defending Democracy campaign
[Gary] that's just brand new.
[Gary] And there are trainings every
[Gary] Wednesday moving forward.
[Gary] And the key thing for your
[Gary] listeners is to think about
[Gary] considering taking election day
[Gary] off.
[Gary] Do the training.
[Gary] And we need constitutional
[Gary] observers.
[Gary] And you don't need to be a
[Gary] lawyer.
[Gary] I've done that.
[Gary] I went to Pennsylvania and did
[Gary] that as a lawyer years ago.
[Gary] But you can be a legal lawyer,
[Gary] paralegal, or non-lawyer.
[Gary] And as you know, this election
[Gary] is ours to lose.
[Gary] We have the wind at our back.
[Gary] And if we don't protect it, we
[Gary] lose it.
[Gary] And so people need to really
[Gary] think about taking election day
[Gary] off, going to a swing district,
[Gary] and taking the – there are
[Gary] several opportunities to do
[Gary] legal defense.
[Gary] And the Minnesota team, they're
[Gary] leveraging the success of the
[Gary] pushback against ICE and
[Gary] turning that into a program
[Gary] that the DNC and Hopium is
[Gary] pursuing to protect the
[Gary] election in conjunction with
[Gary] Mark Elias with Democracy Do
[Gary] cket and Norm Eisen and all the
[Gary] election protectors with ACLU
[Gary] and Brennan Center.
[Gary] So election protection,
[Gary] constitutional observing is so
[Gary] critical, and taking election
[Gary] day off is just a small price
[Gary] to pay for saving our democracy
[Gary] .
Love that.
[Monica] I want to touch on the
[Monica] Minnesota connection that you
[Monica] mentioned, because in your book
[Monica] you mention a woman who started
[Monica] Stand with Minnesota.
[Monica] Was that the organization?
[Monica] I can't remember.
[Monica] But we promoted it a lot during
[Monica] Operation Metro Surge.
[Monica] And she was just an ordinary
[Monica] citizen who – it started as
[Monica] like a Google spreadsheet where
[Monica] she was compiling lists of
[Monica] organizations that were
[Monica] providing mutual aid.
[Monica] And it turned into this huge
[Monica] hub that people around the
[Monica] country were really turning to
[Monica] to know how to help.
[Monica] So like she found her niche.
[Monica] And you argue – and Heather Cox
[Monica] Richardson, too, I always come
[Monica] back to her because I love her.
[Monica] She talks about, you know, find
[Monica] your lane, find what your
[Monica] strength is.
[Monica] So how do people do that?
[Monica] How do people find where they
[Monica] fit in the resistance?
[Gary] Yeah, that's a great example.
[Gary] I think she raised $20 million
[Gary] and started with spreadsheets.
[Gary] And it's just amazing.
[Gary] People don't have any idea what
[Gary] their purpose is or their skill
[Gary] sets until they really examine
[Gary] it.
[Gary] And I think one way to examine
[Gary] that is by joining a group,
[Gary] whether it's Indivisible, Swing
[Gary] Left, The States Project, Flip
[Gary] the Vote.
[Gary] There's so many great
[Gary] organizations.
[Gary] And as you participate in the
[Gary] meetings and the strategies,
[Gary] that's when the needs arise and
[Gary] you determine what you can
[Gary] offer.
[Gary] And so, you know, whether you
[Gary] 're a musician, like I have a
[Gary] friend who just performed about
[Gary] a couple weeks ago.
[Gary] And he wrote this beautiful
[Gary] song.
[Gary] I went to college with him.
[Gary] And the lyric is something like
[Gary] , no one's going to save us.
[Gary] Well, a lot of my theme in the
[Gary] book is no one's going to save
[Gary] us.
[Gary] There's no cavalry that's going
[Gary] to sweep in like a father or
[Gary] mother figure and say, okay, we
[Gary] can wake up from this nightmare
[Gary] .
[Gary] No one.
[Gary] And so it's up to us because we
[Gary] are the cavalry, right?
[Gary] We are the power.
[Gary] And so my friend Lonnie's song
[Gary] is we're going to leverage that
[Gary] song with podcasts.
[Gary] So musicians, artists, graphic
[Gary] artists, lawyers for legal
[Gary] protection, you know, people
[Gary] just really good at spreadshe
[Gary] ets.
[Gary] So the point is you kind of
[Gary] know what you're good at, but
[Gary] when you tease out the
[Gary] opportunity, when you join a
[Gary] group and you find out what
[Gary] their needs are, the strategy
[Gary] is, and you realize, oh, I can
[Gary] step in offering this.
[Gary] I know someone.
[Gary] I can get a computer person.
[Gary] Whatever it is, right?
[Gary] And ordinary, regular people
[Gary] synergistically can make a
[Gary] giant difference when they
[Gary] leverage their talents, skills,
[Gary] resources, and financial
[Gary] resources.
[Monica] Here's where I'm going to put
[Monica] in a plug for the singing
[Monica] resistance because during
[Monica] Operation Metro Surge, I spent
[Monica] all kinds of time in Minnesota.
[Monica] And initially, my outlet for my
[Monica] anger was showing up at hotels
[Monica] where I swisting.
[Monica] And I was banging pots and pans
[Monica] .
[Monica] And in the moment, it felt good
[Monica] .
[Monica] It felt like a release for
[Monica] anger.
[Monica] And then I went to my first
[Monica] singing resistance event.
[Monica] And it was this positive outlet
[Monica] for that anger.
[Monica] And I'm a retired music teacher
[Monica] .
[Monica] And I'm a singer.
[Monica] And, like, that's my niche now.
[Monica] So I lead a singing resistance
[Monica] chapter here in Orange County.
[Monica] And another chapter of my life
[Monica] is weird.
[Monica] I split my time between two
[Monica] states.
[Monica] So I have a singing resistance
[Monica] chapter right here in Orange
[Monica] County.
[Monica] So if you Californians that are
[Monica] listening, check it out.
[Monica] And actually, all across the
[Monica] country, there are over 300
[Monica] chapters across the country.
[Gary] Well, and just to build on that
[Gary] , too, as a segue, in 20, let's
see.
[Gary] We formed our indivisible group
[Gary] .
[Gary] We're called the Resistance
[Gary] Action East Bay.
[Gary] We were one of the very first
[Gary] groups and a legacy group.
[Gary] And we did a big fundraiser in
[Gary] 2017 and put a lot of time and
[Gary] effort into it.
[Gary] And we netted about $18,000.
[Gary] We had great speakers, great
[Gary] food, and it was an enormous
[Gary] undertaking.
[Gary] And we are proud to say that
[Gary] that $18,000 net went to an
[Gary] organization called Flip the 14
[Gary] .
[Gary] And that organization was
[Gary] designed to flip all 14 of the
[Gary] Republican seats in California
[Gary] back then.
[Gary] There were 54, I think there
[Gary] were 53, 54 seats.
[Gary] I think it was 54 back then.
[Gary] I think we lost one.
[Gary] Maybe I'm wrong.
[Gary] But anyway, 50-ish.
[Gary] And then there were 14 seats.
[Gary] And the goal was to flip 14.
[Gary] Well, our seed money started
[Gary] that organization.
[Gary] And they flipped seven from red
[Gary] to blue.
[Christy] Wow.
[Christy] That's incredible.
[Monica] That's impressive.
[Gary] Yeah.
[Gary] But so, meanwhile, they've
[Gary] morphed into Activate America.
[Gary] So now they've taken their
[Gary] expertise.
[Gary] It's a great...
[Gary] I write...
[Gary] They're in the book.
[Gary] They're an amazing organization
[Gary] .
[Gary] And they're nationwide now.
[Gary] And they're very strategic.
[Gary] And so, what we learned in that
[Gary] process was, yeah, parties,
[Gary] fundraising parties are great.
[Gary] And I don't want to say
[Gary] anything negative about them.
[Gary] But it's not necessarily the
[Gary] only tool and the most
[Gary] efficient way of raising
[Gary] awareness and raising money.
[Gary] And so, we decided that was a
[Gary] big undertaking.
[Gary] We're glad we did it.
[Gary] But we thought, well, let's...
[Gary] Well, we didn't learn our
[Gary] lessons.
[Gary] So then, in 2020, we spent six
[Gary] months working to do a big
[Gary] concert.
[Gary] It's back to music.
[Gary] And we had a connection with
[Gary] Bonnie Raitt, who we're working
[Gary] with her former bass player.
[Gary] And we had a connection with
[Gary] David Crosby.
[Gary] And a friend of mine with the
[Gary] High Sierra Music Festival had
[Gary] great connections.
[Gary] And so, six months of planning
[Gary] to be a big fundraiser to raise
[Gary] awareness for 2020 and Biden.
[Gary] And to raise money.
[Gary] We're going to try to raise a
[Gary] quarter million dollars at a
[Gary] big concert.
[Gary] And then, COVID derailed the
[Gary] whole thing.
[Gary] But we pivoted.
[Gary] The silver lining was we put
[Gary] our energy into virtual parties
[Gary] .
[Gary] And so, there's a whole toolkit
[Gary] in the book and on our website
[Gary] on virtual parties for
[Gary] democracy.
[Gary] We initially called it birthday
[Gary] bundling.
[Gary] So, hey, you know, if you've
[Gary] got a birthday, if you're in a
[Gary] certain demographic, you don't
[Gary] need presence.
[Gary] You just care about democracy.
[Gary] Invite your friends who are
[Gary] worried, don't know where to
[Gary] give their money.
[Gary] You can curate the effort.
[Gary] And so, in three months, we
[Gary] raised $450,000 with parties
[Gary] for democracy that are virtual
[Gary] parties.
[Gary] And again, it's not rocket
[Gary] science, but it's not done
[Gary] nearly enough.
[Gary] And it's not done well enough.
[Gary] And we've learned how to really
[Gary] curate it.
[Gary] And so, an average host can
[Gary] spend about four to five hours,
[Gary] which is a fraction of the
[Gary] organizing it took us to do
[Gary] that first fundraiser, four to
[Gary] five hours for a one-hour Zoom
[Gary] call.
[Gary] And the average host in the
[Gary] demographic that we're reaching
[Gary] out to raises about $10,000.
[Gary] So, imagine 10 hosts, that's $
[Gary] 100,000.
[Gary] If every Indivisible group did
[Gary] this, what's 2,500 times $10,
[Gary] 000?
[Gary] So, we're talking millions and
[Gary] millions.
[Gary] So, it's in the book.
[Gary] We'll work with people to do it
[Gary] .
[Gary] And it comes back to your point
[Gary] about music, Monica, which is,
[Gary] you know, we were leveraging
[Gary] musicians, right?
[Gary] And it morphed into this other
[Gary] thing.
[Gary] But everyone, everyday people
[Gary] have so much to offer, and we
[Gary] need to synergize it and just
[Gary] step up and be part of the
[Gary] solution.
[Monica] It sounds like really the crux
[Monica] of everything is participation
[Monica] and organization.
[Monica] Because you can sit at home and
[Monica] be frustrated, but before,
[Monica] until you come together and
[Monica] rally around it, it's not
[Monica] really going to do you much
[Monica] good.
Yeah.
Yeah.
[Gary] It's just political therapy is
[Gary] what I say.
[Monica] I love that.
[Monica] Political therapy.
[Monica] That's going to be my new buzz
[Monica] word, political therapy.
[Christy] Well, we all need a little good
[Christy] news.
[Christy] So, let's just talk about the
[Christy] good news that we got this
[Christy] morning from Justice Kavanaugh,
[Christy] who, like Monica said, a clock
[Christy] is right.
[Christy] Every clock is right two times
[Christy] a day, where he voted to uphold
[Christy] the original voting map in
[Christy] Missouri.
[Christy] So, why should voters still be
[Christy] paying attention to this as it
[Christy] unfolds, however?
[Christy] What I'm fearful of is that the
[Christy] Postal Service is going to sub
[Christy] vert, through internal means, is
[Christy] going to continue to subvert.
[Christy] So, what can people do to
[Christy] organize to help keep an eye on
[Christy] that and be active in helping
[Christy] to prevent that type of issue
[Christy] with our election?
[Gary] Yeah.
[Gary] What's in our control, right?
[Gary] A lot of this is out of our
[Gary] control.
[Gary] And so, I think one trap that
[Gary] we find ourselves in is we get
[Gary] so lost into the rabbit holes
[Gary] of despair and we take our eye
[Gary] off what we can do.
[Gary] And so, and what can we do?
[Gary] What's in our control?
[Gary] What's in our control is
[Gary] promoting early voting like it
[Gary] 's essential, right?
[Gary] And so, just like Viktor Orban
[Gary] lost because it wasn't a close
[Gary] election.
[Gary] And if we have a close election
[Gary] , they can contest it.
[Gary] So, we know we need to win by
[Gary] an overwhelming margins.
[Gary] And that's what Mark Elias is
[Gary] saying.
[Gary] We need a big blue wave.
[Gary] And how do we accomplish that?
[Gary] So, if we get a big blue wave,
[Gary] then the legal challenge will
[Gary] just go silent.
[Gary] It won't be effective.
[Gary] So, number one, we need a big
[Gary] wave.
So, number one, we need a big
wave.
[Gary] How do we do that?
[Gary] Well, we do that by voting
[Gary] early.
[Gary] And so, there needs to be,
[Gary] everyone who's listening needs
[Gary] to be committed to voting early
[Gary] .
[Gary] And what does that look like?
[Gary] That means, if there's early
[Gary] voting, show up in person.
[Gary] If there's a drop box, drop off
[Gary] there.
[Gary] And then, ideally, worst case,
[Gary] you vote in person and avoid
[Gary] the mail.
[Gary] But you got to vote early.
[Gary] And the other reason to vote
[Gary] early, of course, is it works
[Gary] in a way that allows the get-
[Gary] out-the-vote effort to be more
[Gary] effective.
[Gary] Because as people come off the
[Gary] get-out-the-vote-targeted roles
[Gary] , then the ground game can focus
[Gary] on the less likely voters.
[Gary] And you're spending less time
[Gary] knocking on doors so you can be
[Gary] more effective with your
[Gary] efforts.
[Gary] So, voting early is probably
[Gary] the antidote and not getting
[Gary] lost in the shiny object of
[Gary] despair.
[Gary] Because we'll be immobilized if
[Gary] we do that.
[Gary] And whenever I get anxious, I
[Gary] do.
[Gary] And that's what we have to do,
[Gary] is take our eye off that and
[Gary] focus on the strategy.
[Monica] You mentioned Viktor Orban in
[Monica] Hungary.
[Monica] And that really was a
[Monica] tremendous thing to watch, that
[Monica] country finally take back their
[Monica] power.
[Monica] And it really was by the people
[Monica] .
[Monica] Because the people showed up in
[Monica] such overwhelming numbers that
[Monica] it was unmistakable.
[Monica] And I keep saying that that is
[Monica] the best possible outcome for
[Monica] us in November,
[Monica] is for the United States to
[Monica] show up in huge numbers where
[Monica] it's not questionable.
[Monica] There's no question about it.
[Monica] And what I'm hoping for, I know
[Monica] this is pie in the sky,
[Monica] it's so resounding that they
[Monica] flee.
[Monica] Like Trump and his cohorts see
[Monica] the handwriting on the wall and
[Monica] they flee.
[Monica] I know that, like I said, I
[Monica] know that's pie in the sky, it
[Monica] 's unlikely, but a girl can
[Monica] drink.
[Christy] You know what I would love to
[Christy] see?
[Christy] All these candidates like Abdul
[Christy] Syed up on a stage dancing like
[Christy] they were in Hungary after the
[Christy] victory was just so
[Christy] overwhelming.
[Christy] You could just feel the joy and
[Christy] the sense of relief coming
[Christy] through the screen when you
[Christy] were watching those videos.
[Christy] But Orban's a coward and so is
[Christy] Trump.
[Christy] And I agree with Monica.
[Christy] I think if things become so
[Christy] overwhelming that Trump sees
[Christy] the writing on the wall, he's
[Christy] going to flee.
[Christy] And I hope he does.
[Gary] It's in the realm of
[Gary] possibility.
[Gary] And I listened to Simon Rosen
[Gary] berg's podcast from last night,
[Gary] this morning.
[Gary] And he basically said, after
[Gary] this election, a couple of
[Gary] things to think about.
[Gary] One, there needs to be a
[Gary] concerted campaign to really
[Gary] push him out.
[Gary] And it's not that far-fetched,
[Gary] right?
[Gary] He's tired, he's addled.
[Gary] And if he had a choice to flee
[Gary] and take his money with him, he
[Gary] would, right?
[Gary] And we could live with Vance
[Gary] and he won't be popular and he
[Gary] won't win re-election.
[Christy] I'm sure that there's a nice
[Christy] place waiting for him in
[Christy] Argentina.
[Christy] Peter Thiel has probably got
[Christy] the adjacent compound ready for
[Christy] him to join him down there.
[Gary] Yes, so we need to focus on,
[Gary] you know, winning, of course.
[Gary] And, you know, Orban lost
[Gary] because there was a persistent,
[Gary] creative and organized
[Gary] resistance effort, right?
[Gary] And the parallels are pretty
[Gary] strong.
[Gary] And then winning begets more
[Gary] winning.
[Gary] And it's a virtuous cycle.
[Gary] So because people are feeling s
[Gary] idelined and demoralized and
[Gary] think, oh, my God, you know, we
[Gary] lost in 2024.
[Gary] Why try?
[Gary] And, but it's important to know
[Gary] that we've been so much more
[Gary] successful than people feel.
[Gary] And so feeling good about
[Gary] things, having success begets
[Gary] more in a virtuous cycle.
[Gary] The Democrats have won seven of
[Gary] the last presidential popular
[Gary] votes, even though the
[Gary] electoral college got in the
[Gary] way.
[Gary] We've won every election from
[Gary] 2018 midterms, 2020 presidency,
[Gary] 20 special elections along the
[Gary] way, not a single.
[Gary] We've overperformed in the last
[Gary] couple of years.
[Gary] So we're winning, but it doesn
[Gary] 't feel like it.
[Gary] And so if we win resoundingly
[Gary] and protect the vote in
[Gary] November, I think it could
[Gary] really open our, open ourselves
[Gary] to feeling hopeful and turning
[Gary] it into more action.
[Gary] And then what Simon Rosenberg
[Gary] says is we're so focused on
[Gary] what we're worried about right
[Gary] now.
[Gary] But when we win in November, it
[Gary] 's going to be a pivot.
[Gary] The new cycle will shift to
[Gary] accountability.
[Gary] It'll shift to the nomination
[Gary] for presidency.
[Gary] And Trump will be a lame duck.
[Gary] And so a lot of what we're
[Gary] feeling now will be different.
[Gary] But we need to leave everything
[Gary] on the field for the next eight
[Gary] weeks to make sure that happens
[Gary] .
[Monica] That's a great note of hope for
[Monica] all of us.
[Monica] And I'll say again that your
[Monica] book was a nice little nugget
[Monica] of hope and really a playbook
[Monica] for how people can push back on
[Monica] things.
[Monica] So where can our listeners find
[Monica] you, learn more about your work
[Monica] , and find your book?
[Monica] We are the power.
[Monica] Where can we find that?
[Gary] So it's available.
[Gary] It was the number one new
[Gary] release in June on political
[Gary] advocacy on Amazon.
[Gary] But you can get it on Barnes &
[Gary] Noble.
[Gary] You can order it from your
[Gary] bookstore and have it delivered
[Gary] .
[Gary] It's also an e-book as well.
[Gary] If you're in California, I'll
[Gary] be doing a bunch of book
[Gary] signings.
[Gary] I've got another, every couple
[Gary] weeks, every week or so I've
[Gary] got one.
[Gary] But yeah, and I'll probably do
[Gary] a second edition in the next
[Gary] year as we turn towards the
[Gary] presidency.
[Gary] Because a lot of what's in here
[Gary] is evergreen, or we'll call it
[Gary] everblue.
[Gary] Everblue.
[Christy] Everblue.
[Christy] I love that.
[Christy] You know, we normally ask every
[Christy] single one of our guests what's
[Christy] giving you hope right now.
[Christy] But I think you've expressed
[Christy] that throughout this entire
[Christy] interview.
[Christy] You've expressed the things
[Christy] that are giving you hope.
[Christy] Is there anything that we miss
[Christy] that's giving you hope right
[Christy] now?
[Gary] Yeah, I'm an optimist.
[Gary] But, you know, as long as I
[Gary] know that people are awakening
[Gary] and engaging, like Indivisible
[Gary] gives me hope.
[Gary] And speaking of Indivisible,
[Gary] there's going to be a No Kings
[Gary] protest, I think, on October 17
[Gary] th.
[Gary] Yeah.
[Gary] So that's, and that's going to
[Gary] be focused on, you know, trying
[Gary] to energize and get the vote
[Gary] out, right?
[Gary] Yeah.
[Gary] And, you know, Orban gives me
[Gary] hope.
[Gary] The fact that the autocrats are
[Gary] generally losing, notwith
[Gary] standing what happened in
[Gary] Germany recently.
[Gary] But I get hope when I meet with
[Gary] my volunteers.
[Gary] I come away energized and
[Gary] grateful because we're in this
[Gary] together.
Yeah.
[Christy] I love that.
[Monica] That's great to hear.
[Monica] Thank you so much for joining
[Monica] us today and giving our
[Monica] listeners something especially
[Monica] useful right now.
[Monica] A reminder that feeling
[Monica] overwhelmed doesn't mean that
[Monica] we are powerless.
[Monica] We really appreciate your time
[Monica] and the practical work that you
[Monica] 're doing.
[Monica] And we, for real, recommend
[Monica] that people get that book.
[Monica] It was great.
[Christy] Yeah.
[Christy] We both enjoyed it.
[Gary] Thank you.
[Gary] Well, we are the power, so let
[Gary] 's use it.
[Gary] Exactly.
[Gary] And then take a victory lap in
[Gary] November and beyond.
[Christy] And then we rest and then we
[Christy] work again until 2028.
[Monica] Absolutely.
[Gary] And we do it.
[Gary] We do it with joy.
[Gary] We do it with joy to sustain
[Gary] the movement.
Yeah.
Right.
[Gary] Great.
[Gary] Well, thank you so much for
[Gary] having me.
[Monica] Thank you, Gary.
[Monica] To our listeners, if you are
[Monica] finding meaning in the stories
[Monica] we're sharing, if something
[Monica] moves
[Monica] you, challenges you, makes you
[Monica] see the world a little
[Monica] differently, please like,
[Monica] comment, and share.
[Monica] It helps more than you know.
[Christy] And follow us everywhere at The
[Christy] Politics Chicks on Substack, Th
[Christy] reads, Blue Sky, Instagram,
[Christy] TikTok, and Facebook.
[Monica] Thanks for being a part of our
[Monica] community and keep shining your
[Monica] light so we can find each other
[Monica] in the dark.
[Christy] And remember, we're stronger
[Christy] together.
[Christy] Thank you so much, Gary.
[Christy] This was a great conversation
[Christy] today.
[Christy] We're so grateful that we could
[Christy] have you on the show.
[Gary] Thank you.