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Left Out Loud is a progressive political podcast breaking down the biggest stories shaping our democracy. From up-to-the-minute political news and midterm election coverage to in-depth interviews with grassroots Democratic candidates, the show spotlights the voices and movements fighting for real change. Smart, informed, and unapologetically loud, Left Out Loud pairs sharp analysis with humor and plain-spoken commentary, cutting through the noise to focus on what actually matters. If you care about elections, organizing, and the future of the Democratic Party—and you like your politics with a little personality—this is the podcast for you.
Hey, Seth.
Hey, Ally.
We've got another fantastic guest today.
Let's go.
Uh, we have Joseph Perez
Caputo, but he goes by Joe too.
He is running for Congress in
Connecticut, uh, fourth district there.
Really complicated process to get on
the ballot, which we'll let explain…
We'll let him explain that to us.
I'm still trying to
wrap my mind around it.
It is the wildest process for getting
on the ballot I've heard thus far.
Um, but let's, let's bring him in.
Hey, Joe.
Welcome to Left Out Loud.
Thank you for having me.
I really like this show.
I'm amazed to be on it.
It's, it's a wild- Oh, thank you … run
when you run for Congress, you know?
Yeah.
Things
happen.
It's, uh- Well, we're
honored to have you here.
Um-
Thank you
…
And I don't know
any- I don't, I don't know anything
about this process in Connecticut.
I'm, I'm fascinated to find out what
it's like, because all 50 states have
their own- Are so different … little
flavor or something like that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And now we get to find
out about Connecticut.
So why don't we start there?
Um, well let me first by
acknowledging that Joe is a
progressive grassroots candidate.
We know how much work goes into
that right off the top, right?
Because you don't have a lot of
money, so your time and your energy
and your presence is your currency.
So he's doing all that, trying to
get on the ballot, and he's going
to law school in the evenings.
I don't know, Joe, you're like-
Yeah … a glutton for punishment.
Um, so first of all, how are you doing?
H- how are you feeling?
It's a lot.
Yeah.
No, I'm, I'm feeling okay.
I will not lie to you, the first week
of May when we had the nominating
convention and the petitioning going
on and my law school finals going
on concurrently, I was not well.
Um- Yeah … but I've been sleeping
a little more, if not evenly.
Mm-hmm.
And, uh, the campaign's going swimmingly.
You know, we've got two weeks to the
end of the petition collection period.
Mm-hmm.
I imagine I'll have to explain
the whole hodgepodge, but-
Oh, yes
…
it's, uh, it's a time.
I'm doing okay.
I, I like- Good
fighting for people.
You know, I just kinda wanna fight
harder and on different levels.
Yeah.
And if I get on the ballot,
then I'll get to do that, and
if not, there are other methods.
You know, we gotta all survive together.
Absolutely.
And that's how I, I'm gonna
put my full tilt into that.
Love that, Joe.
All right.
Thank you.
Explain to Seth, you and I talked a little
bit before recording about the ballot
process, uh, getting on the ballot and
the process that i- is entailed behind
that in Connecticut in your district,
which is the craziest I've ever heard.
So- It's,
it's
crazy … explain to Seth and the
audience what you have to go through
to get on the ballot in Connecticut.
Okay.
So I'm gonna make it as simple as I can.
It's taken me about a year and a half
of due diligence, plus conferring
with other candidates, plus talking
to the Secretary of State for any
of us to even have a clear view.
It's very challenging.
So here's what it is.
In order to petition onto the
ballot for the Democratic Party, in
order to get on the ballot for the
Democratic Party, there are two ways.
The first is you have to get 15% of the
delegates at a nominating convention.
The delegates are chosen from a
bunch of public servants, right?
Mm-hmm.
Mayors, Board of Ed, all of that,
people who serve their communities,
locally elected officials, right?
Some of them are establishment,
some of them are progressive, right?
The other way is you have a 42-day window.
You only get 42 days.
It starts April 28th, it ends June 9th,
period, strict under, over, no ifs,
ands, buts, rebuttals, what have you.
You have to get 2% of the voters
registered to that party in the district-
To sign … to sign your petition.
Right.
Which in our very densely packed
district, 'cause people say, see
Connecticut, they think- Mm-hmm
wealth, but we're actually a, we're
very similar to New Jersey and New
York and- Yep … and Massachusetts.
People forget about us.
We're a very densely packed area.
So I personally need about 3,200.
Now, historically, they say you
should get 40% more and/or double
it, because they're gonna go through
with a fine-tooth comb and throw
out as many signatures as possible.
"This cursive was hard for me to read. She
didn't use her maiden name." Stop there.
Who's
they?
Who's they gonna do that?
The Democratic Party.
The Democratic Party.
Motherfucker.
Every time.
Every time.
I signed up to fight fascism, and
that's what I signed up to do, and the
people who I- Oh, really … wanted
to be on my team are the only ones
I've been able to fight so far.
I've had an easier time Actually, this
is, probably belongs in another area of
the discussion, but I've had incredible
discussions with constituents, some
of them who are Republicans, who've
been like, "Dude, if you make it on
the general, I'm voting for you." Hmm.
I haven't even had as hard of a time with
MAGA, 'cause MAGA is fracturing so much.
Right.
I've had an easier time talking to
MAGA about impeachment, about the
Epstein files, about the Iran war, and
I've had an easier time bringing them
into discussions about progressivism
than I've had with the Democratic
Party actually living up to their
rhetoric of, "Let the young come in."
Right.
So I have- It's insane
multiple
questions.
I'm gonna hand it off to Seth- Me too.
… 'cause we take turns.
But- Come at me … you, I
get the Democrat question.
I get that.
Don't-
Okay … I'm- I'm not gonna take
that from you.
You, you put a pin in that.
I, I'm, I'm a numbers guy.
I like numbers.
Uh, so I, so y- you said about 3,200.
Mm.
So I wanna know how many you
ended up getting, and how many
they tried to, to knock out.
We're not there yet.
Okay.
Right?
So, so I have until June 9th.
Okay.
I'm still underperforming in my goal.
My goal would have been to get about
200 signatures per day, so that I
would end up with, like, 88,500, 9,000.
'Cause I know they're gonna try- And
that, and that, and that
would put you in the clear
…
because they're gonna
cut two or three grand.
Wow.
I know they'll succeed.
I know they will find a way, right?
Did they use their maiden name?
Did they move?
Is there… Did they only register to
vote, like, 90, less than 90 days ago?
How active are they?
They will find, and they will go in
with lawyers, and they will do, like, a
background check, and they will find a
way to cut as many as possible, because
frankly, they're scared of how healthy
a primary would be for the party.
And I think it protects donors.
I don't think it strengthens
the incumbent, I don't think it
strengthens the party, and I don't
think it strengthens the voter option.
And it certainly doesn't
strengthen democracy, but it
does strengthen the investment
on the, on the part of the donor.
Mm-hmm.
So when these bigger companies can
give four, five, six grand, thanks
to Citizens United- They get a, they
get a nice return on that
they can be assured that they're
not giving that money to someone
who's gonna get unseated.
Yeah.
And I think that's the reason Connecticut
has its strict ballot access laws.
I truly am convinced after everything
I've learned this year that that is
the only logical reason I went into
a pulpit for a second, I apologize.
No,
what kind of law- I'm very enraged.
Quickly, what kind of law
are you getting into, Joe?
I, so I had wanted to get into
entertainment law- Uh-huh … specifically
because my history as an actor and working
with community theaters, I wanted to
do intellectual property and copyright-
Mm-hmm
…
to give a working class,
blue collar artistry.
I wanted to kill the starving artists.
Okay.
Hmm.
This idea that you need to be ground under
the machine or be a multimillionaire.
Mm-hmm.
I wanted to create a, a very thriving,
healthy, happy, um, working class,
uh, uh, artist, not caste, but-
Yeah
…
working class.
Mm. Uh, using the law to do that.
And I still think I can, but
obviously I think I've drifted a
lot more into legislative advocacy,
congressional research, and just- Right
overall burning the government down
and rebuilding it better and better.
I
was gonna say, maybe you should
flip that to constitutional
law, but I mean, I don't know.
Um- It's gonna be rewritten, period.
Yeah.
It's just about who's gonna be doing that.
That's a big statement-
Hmm
Yeah
…
but it's true.
Yeah.
Mm.
It's about when and who.
Ooh.
So-
This is gonna be a real one.
I can feel it.
Okay.
Buckle up, kids.
I love, I, I love it.
I'm here for it.
Here we go.
Yeah.
Ugh.
So, so based on that, yes, based on
that first answer, based on talking
about the petition process and the sort
of old guard of the party, you know,
protecting their investments, their donor
investments, um, is the Democratic Party
capable of reforming itself from within?
You know, that's an amazing
question to ask someone who's
running to be a Democrat, right?
But before I was trying to be a public
servant and run for office, I was just
a person, and I would tell you no.
Yeah.
If I'm speaking for my constituents,
maybe not, 'cause I need to believe in
something better and work towards it.
But if I'm speaking for myself, no.
We need to evolve first, right?
Like, the whole idea of the
revolution will not be televised.
Yeah.
Right?
It's in your mind.
I think by the time the Democratic
Party fully evolves, everybody that
comprises it would have already
created a new macroorganism.
Mm-hmm.
And then it would just simply be a name
change to reflect what we already are.
I, I, I think it can reform from
within, but I don't think it's
the way we think about that.
I, I, I do think it's gonna be
the rise of third parties that
actually represent its values better
and start undermining the party.
Or do you think
it's possible for, like, a
progressive takeover of the party?
Yeah.
Absolutely.
Um, we're seeing a lot of progressives
pop up this election cycle.
It's the only thing in the last
10 years that have given me hope.
Yeah.
Um, since… I mean, a lot of this
comes back… We, we can dial this
back to any point in American history,
but a lot of it dials back to 2010.
2010, Republican opposition,
dawn of the Tea Party-
Mm-hmm
the racialized underbelly.
Yeah.
That's the exact energy source that
fueled the current Trump presidency.
And I try not to say his
name, but I do wanna be clear.
Um, because- Yeah … at the end of the
day, it's so easy to forget, but back then
the Republican Party was seven parties.
They were dead.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
There was no unifier coming
in, and then he did it.
Yeah.
Right?
They, they were limping forward.
Um, and I-
All they needed was a reality TV star
And I say that as- That's
all it took.
I watched Fox News every day
in high school, so I know
that this is a good analysis.
I know it's true, 'cause
I was, I was there.
Yeah.
Um, so I, I think it
can evolve from within.
I think Zoran Lamdani's showing it.
I think the fact that we have
a progressive- Yeah … caucus
in Congress, there's hope here.
There are seeds- Mm-hmm … to water.
Um, but, but sometimes you just
have to fight off the wolves, too.
Yeah.
And that doesn't mean the grass
isn't growing, but, like, you know,
belaboring that, that example.
But yeah, it's a, it's a convoluted
mess, I think, and I think
there's a lot of cause for panic
and a lot of cause for hope.
I, I think that's a fantastic answer.
Um, and you know, as you said, Zoran is
a great, um I don't know, sort of icon
in the progressive movement right now.
He's actually delivering
on promises that he made.
Also, he's a mayor, so there's a
little less bure- bureaucracy there.
Um, you know, you're gonna have
bureaucracy regardless of your role, but
certainly he's gonna deal with a lot less
of it not being in a federal position, so.
Yeah.
We have to just, that's a disclaimer.
I love him.
Yeah, me too.
Absolutely love him.
But, you know, being a mayor is a lot
different than being a congressperson.
Yeah.
You, you're still a local official.
Right.
It's an executive level.
I mean, ironically, New York City
mayor's probably the most important-
Mm-hmm
…
of all local, um, you
know, political offices.
But it still is technically
that, and legally- Yeah
he's gonna be in a much different
bargaining position, right?
Absolutely.
So another reason why it's gonna be
so hard to, to reform the party is
because there's so much money invested
in not reforming a damn thing, right?
Yes.
And I mean, and, and one of the biggest
reasons for that, among others, is,
you know, these super PACs, AIPAC
in, in particular, uh, who put, uh, a
bunch of money into a primary race in
Kentucky to get rid of Thomas Massie.
And Joe, like, I mean, th- this
is… I think we're, we're seeing,
you know, enemy number one here.
I mean, they're invested in both parties.
They are trying to keep, you
know, the Thomas Massies out.
Yeah.
They're trying to keep people like you
out of the Democratic- Yeah … Party.
And I, I just have to ask you for
your, uh, reaction to all that.
And I, I know obviously you're a
grassroots guy, progressive guy.
Um, how do you feel about, um,
AIPAC and Israel, foreign entities
and stuff like that and, and what
we wanna do to try to combat that?
Well, it's, it's annoying, and it's a f-
it's frustrating, and it's unbelievable
because if you stabbed me in the
shoulder, I would have a reaction.
Hmm.
Right?
Like, if you harmed someone
next to me, there would be a
physiological response of some nature.
But when a great harm is done on a
macrocosmic scale to the greater body
politic and legal system, the system
tries to have no perceivable reaction.
Hmm.
Yeah.
It is not outlandish to say that the
only way you could ever feasibly conquer
the United States is through the mind.
This is something the KGB talked
about 40, 50 years ago, right?
And if you undermine the three branches
of government, use the gerrymandering
system and the electoral college system,
gridlock Congress, get money into
politics, you've essentially done the
one thing no one thought they could do.
You've colonized the United States.
Mm-hmm.
It's not an outlandish thing to say that
we've entered a soft colony era where,
and especially with this president, who is
so easy to manipulate, we're essentially
a mixed Russian and Israeli colony.
Mm-hmm.
Um, and I don't say that to say
that every single human being in
that country is making a decision.
You know, these decisions
are coming from very smaller
groups, from very small groups.
Yeah.
And
we need to take that as serious.
I mean, no money should be in politics.
It should be publicly funded elections.
There should be a budget for
them just like everything else.
Mm-hmm.
And also there's a, a direct condemning
that I have, because if you spend $30
million to uplift one person and supplant
another in a race, that's $30 million
that is not going to that local economy.
Yeah.
Right?
Flint, Michigan still
doesn't have water, right?
It's still going through it, right?
There are serious levels of
money being spent that don't go
to uplifting the wellbeing of,
of, of humans in this country.
Mm-hmm.
And a lot of that money is coming
from corporations that have price
gouged us, from other countries
with sometimes hostile intentions,
or at least intelligence agencies
that have hostile intentions.
While those countries who house the
intelligence agencies may actually have
decent diplomatic intentions with us.
Um, you know, free Palestine,
let me keep that very clear.
Um, but, uh- You're like
that … I, I think that it's the
only way we could be conquered.
We're not having Red Dawn.
We're never getting- Right
Red Dawn.
We're getting Citizens United.
Yeah.
We're never getting Red Dawn, we're
getting AIPAC, friends of AIPAC, J
Street, what- whatever they rebrand as.
So
many offshoots at this point.
Now that the American populace is
on and hip to AIPAC, boy, they have
really spidered out of control.
Yeah.
Congress can get something done.
That's why they killed TikTok.
That was way too unified.
Mm-hmm.
TikTok- Crazy … was way
too unified to be controlled.
And now who controls it?
Yeah.
So, you know-
Daddy Larry.
So that's my answer to that is, is
ultimately I feel a physiological
response as if I have been stabbed.
When, when they sacked the capital
on Jan 6, I, I, I, my stomach
was churning for four or five
days.
That
was
awful.
Because when- We were all … I
was the same way, Joe.
Yeah, because when a nation's
capital is sacked, that is a
historic event in that nation.
Mm-hmm.
And if we don't count the War of 1812,
which was still maybe some growing
pains from a conflict that history
tries to whitewash and, and, and
politicize, um, that was the first time
our, our country had ever been sacked.
Yeah.
Our capital had been sacked.
Sovereign.
So when it comes to- You know, the, the
election in Kentucky or any election
in which these millions are being
spent, I, I feel it as if it's an act
of war because I know it for what it
is, even if it doesn't look like it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Uh, that's a great point.
Those are all great points.
Um, all right.
So- Brought the
mood
down.
I apologize.
No.
No, no, no, no, no.
I mean, you know, these are, these
are real answers to real questions,
and they're n- they're not all
gonna be hopeful and uplifting.
This is the reality that we're living in.
Yeah.
Um, so but looking, looking forward,
um, you know, Democrats and Republicans
alike are always looking to take
the young vote, the younger voters.
Um, Republicans were very successful
when it came to, like, podcasters
Joe Rogan and Theo Von and, um,
and, uh, uh, Turning Point USA.
Yeah.
You know, it's more about identity
politics, but there was something
there that, that young people were
sort of drawn to for whatever reason.
I… My reason is a lot of it is
rooted in misogyny and racism, but-
Yeah
you know, potato, potato.
What do you think… You're
out there talking to people.
I'm sure you're collecting signatures,
and I don't know how many young
people you come across that are
engaged and, and discussing their
kind of feelings and beliefs with you.
There's the cat.
Um, what do you think young
voters are really starving for?
Taking the identity politics out of
it, what do you think they're really
looking for from their government,
from their politicians right now?
There is
If you're a reader, it's nice to have a
digital library at your fingertips, but
nothing beats having a book And I think
the younger generation wants something
real, something they can touch, something
they can own, something they can love.
And I know that sounds very cheesy,
but to get very general, uh, to
get very specific rather, they
want something they can belong to.
They want something that's
trustworthy, tangible.
They want politicians who make a
promise, go out and bleed to complete
that promise, and if they fail, to come
back and be like, "Listen, I'm sorry.
I tried.
Here are the reasons I failed.
Can we work together to overcome
those failures?" They want a
participatory, honest movement that
they're a part of that they can touch.
I don't think they want to
hero worship, right, the next-
Yeah
…
being.
Um, you know, the thing that-
I think they're very skeptical,
skeptical of that- Very
…
actually Very.
I'm gonna be very fair here.
I've never once met, never once… And
I was in his state assembly district
when I lived in Queens for a while.
I never once met Zohran Mamdani.
Mm-hmm.
Right?
I canvassed for him three times, and
he's the first politician that I've ever
willingly canvassed for in my adult life.
Yeah.
And the thing that made him special
wasn't just him as a being, right?
Which is special, and we
could, we could go into that.
The thing that made him special was
the movement that everyone decided, "I
wanna take ownership in creating- Yes
this movement.
I'm tired and I'm hurt, but yes, I'm
gonna go out and talk to that neighbor.
Yes, I'm gonna go out and do this.
Yes, I'm gonna go out and do that."
That life-affirming energy, that is
something that I think the young voters
want. They wanna know, "You know what?
Maybe I'll own a home.
Maybe I won't.
But today, right now, I'm
building something tangible.
I'm feeling it with people who I know are
real, and that's the best thing I have
to move forward." Um, in the beginning-
I think that- … of this process-
Go ahead, sorry.
No, no, I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to cut you off.
I, I just think that's such a great point.
I wanna, I wanna pause for just a second,
because I've been trying to kinda put my
finger on what is it about Zohran Mamdani.
Um, you know, he's young and he's charming
and he's, he's so likable and so kind,
but I think you nailed it when you said…
And he had a lot of young people out
there canvassing for him, volunteering
for him, and I think it was the
participatory sort of, of it all, right?
Mm-hmm.
It was the feeling of
belonging to something.
It wasn't idol worshiping,
it wasn't politician worship.
It was, "I feel like I'm in this with
this guy. I feel like together we can
actually make a difference." Yeah.
So you really hit on
something for me there.
I just wanted to punctuate it.
Yeah.
Thank you.
Leaders make other people leaders.
Right?
It's not you giving me- Yes, good leaders
do.
Yes
…
yeah, you're not giving
me power or authority.
We're giving each other opportunity
to create this little nexus.
Mm-hmm.
Right?
This nexus is that representation, but
it doesn't mean I represent you, right?
Right.
Like, it says that, but that's
kind of not what it is in function.
It means we represent each other's
interests and we raise them higher.
Mm-hmm.
People want community.
They want to build something
that's real and systemic and
outlasts them and sustains them.
And, you know, I, I looked at
Zoran's campaign and I was a part
of it in my small volunteer way.
Yeah.
I only canvassed two or three times.
But I immediately touched the energy
and went, "I gotta move home."
Mm-hmm.
"I gotta go back." 'Cause I live
right- Connecticut's right there.
Yeah.
Right there.
He- all that happened 20, 30 miles
from my house, my mother's house.
So at 32, 33 years old, I
moved back in with my mother so
that I could run for Congress.
'Cause I was already
working in Connecticut.
Right.
Right?
So I was like, "I'm already
doing this commute anyway.
Um, now I'll just change where I
live and, and reintegrate because
my district deserves this."
Mm-hmm.
In Connecticut, we want that.
We're starved for that often.
And you find it in great
pockets 'cause people build it.
Yeah.
Right?
But you get what you build, and
I think the younger generation
want to build something.
They want to build it together.
Um, when I first started this run,
I said something that alienated
me from, from some good people.
And what I said was, is that the
Democratic Party's chief talent
is for savaging their own young.
Ooh.
And I instantly pissed off a couple of
people, and then I saw one person go
Because that's actually what's happening
now with the congressional- Yeah
candidates around Connecticut.
The Democratic Party says it wants
to give you these things, but it
really is a Ponzi scheme of energy.
They wanna take the youth
to do the grunt work.
It's kind of structured like
a law firm, like a big law.
Hmm.
Mm-hmm.
The
interns.
I'm gonna take the interns and the
young associates, and I'm gonna-
Mm-hmm
if you do really well, you'll
be- Right … the state attorney.
If you do really well, right?
And then people burn out, right?
What's the lifespan of
a young local Democrat?
Four or five years?
Most people in leadership
for local politics are there
because they outlasted people.
Mm-hmm.
They kept showing up until the point
where they became the president of
their chapter or the treasurer, right?
So I think the Democratic Party has an
issue of extraction and colonialization
inherent into its psyche, left over
from unhealed wounds, and it needs to
reframe how it moves forward to be a
party that invites people to build.
You have an idea?
Cool.
You have numbers?
Cool.
You have will to do it?
Cool.
I don't necessarily wanna, like, change
my life, but, like, I will support
you and will get commun- And now all
of a sudden it's a big conversation.
Rather than a Democratic Party that says,
"Nope, you've only been here two weeks."
Or a Democratic Party that says,
"You know, we're in the minority.
You don't understand.
You just don't get it.
You know, when, when we
win our next election, then
you'll see us do some work."
That's Jim Himes' bread and butter.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
And- Jim Himes, the incumbent.
Yes
…
in Connecticut.
Right.
And, and, and the, and the do nothing
Democrat kind of, uh, stereotype is,
is what all this leads to, right?
And so the pe- people
are looking for results.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Um, and you know, but the Republicans,
the way that they wanna run their,
you know, side of the politics is
they wanted to distract people.
Yes.
They wanna, they wanna you…
They wanna kick cans down the road
and, and, and bring up stuff every
single year, you know, social
issues, different stuff like that.
And immigration is one that just
every single year, every election
cycle, they're gonna harp on it.
Doesn't matter who they put in office
from the Democrat side, it's gonna be
open borders for the rest of my life.
I'm, I'm convinced of it.
Yeah.
So on your website, you call for,
like, a complete reformation and
restructuring of our immigration system.
Yes.
And I'd like you to tell our, our,
our, our viewers, uh, what that,
what that means to you, what,
what kind of steps you would take.
Well, I've been waiting for this one.
All right.
Okay.
Yeah.
So, right, my name is Perez Caputo, right?
The Italians, and I've, I've had
some difficult conversations with,
with my Sicilian siblings, right?
Mm-hmm.
Yep.
My, my brothers and
sisters of the diaspora.
But a lot of us just came here
We didn't do it the right way.
There was no right way.
We were called WAP, without papers.
We were called slurs.
We were put and sequestered
into areas, right?
Yeah.
So we came here Through Ellis Island.
There was a choke point.
You got your vaccine, right?
Here's where all the rest of y'all's are.
Go.
Right?
Um, so while that was an incredibly
flawed and racist system and other
diasporas of different cultures
got hurt way worse than us- Mm-hmm
um, Congress had an anti-Chinese
immigration bill years before even a
lot of the Irish and Italians came over.
Like, we have a larger
conversation to have about that.
We Italians had a certain
privilege and a certain pain.
I'm from Puerto Rico.
My father was born in Toa, Puerto Rico.
I'm not from Puerto Rico,
I'm from the diaspora.
Mm-hmm.
Right?
My father was born in Toa, Puerto Rico.
He came here on a plane when
he was three years old because
they, they were looking for work.
But he was born a United States citizen.
Puerto Ricans are born United
States citizens, but they can't
vote in a presidential election.
Now there's La Junta that, like, basically
is the, the president of the United
States takes over the island through
the, the advisory board, and they're a
state that is colonialized ad nauseam.
Mm. Right?
I'm very for Puerto Rican independence.
So when it comes to reforming the
immigration process, I come at, at, at it
from a place of debt and a place of duty.
This is what's owed.
We have to learn from the mistakes
and build something better.
If anyone's ever watched Lilyhammer,
which is a fantastic show on Netflix-
Yeah, yeah
do you notice that immigration
system looked pretty different?
Yeah, sure enough.
Right?
It kind of opens your eyes.
There's a culture shock there.
Mm.
The immigration system I would
set up is, "Welcome home.
Here's your… Do you
have another birth cert?
No?
Here's your birth cert.
Do you have another social?
Here's your social.
Here's classes in English.
Here's where the people from your
country tend to settle so you can keep
your language, you keep your culture.
You don't have to go anywhere.
You don't have to be on the
street just like the Irish and
Italians used to be, right?
Where there was the one
neighborhood and the other.
You can go anywhere.
Oh, you're, you're an electrician,
you're a plumber, you're a doctor?
Cool.
Here's what we do." I want an integrated
system where from the moment you've
come here and you've announced
yourself and you're signing on, right?
We don't let Fox News just call you
an illegal alien because they want to.
Mm. You're in the process, right?
I want a system that actually allows
people to immigrate safely and feel
welcomed and be able to pay their taxes
and find work and do what they need to do.
Right now, we have a system where you
could do everything right, spend 20
grand to live here for 15 years, and
when you show up to court to do the right
thing, because you have mandatory court
hearings you go to to maintain your lawful
residence or your green card or what have
you, Fox News just calls you an illegal.
ICE picks you up right
outside the courtroom
Yeah.
That's, that's not a system.
Mm-hmm.
That's a war.
Um, especially if you're, you're talking
about the greater Latinx diaspora,
where we've overthrown some of their
governments in the last 60 years.
Yep.
And many of their economic problems that
they've come here to take refuge from are
directly attributable to our own actions.
Yes.
Our own foreign policy, and now
they're here being persecuted
and hunted by us again.
Mm-hmm.
Um, so I, I have a lot to say about
the United States immigration system.
It's cheaper and more effective to build
one based on humanity and shared, shared
work ethic and camaraderie and building
safe families than it is to have these
insane internment camps and, you know…
Am I allowed to say
certain words like Nazi?
I don't know if I'm allowed
to say that on, on different-
No.
Go
for it … platforms.
Go for it.
Go for it.
Right?
You, you, you know, when you have
internal memos saying like, "We want
to hire more Proud Boys and more
this and more that," like, come on.
That even means that the, the agents
who've been with the Department of
Homeland Security since the early
2000s who at least know what they're
doing are now surrounded by a bunch of
weirdos, and they don't even know- Mm
how to lead these weirdos.
So you're actually gonna burn
out the handful of officers who
are good at their jobs and want
to do the right thing, right?
And now we're having ICE agents
and Department of Homeland Security
agents kind of coming out and talking
about the differences between the
agencies, what's wrong with it.
So we need a system that completely
is built separate from what we have.
What we have cannot be reformed.
Yeah.
It, it, it simply cannot be reformed.
It is broken, and it was broken by design
because before there was the Department
of Homeland Security, there was the INS.
And famously from Connecticut, uh,
right, Yale Law School famously, uh,
sued first the first President Bush and
then second President Clinton, uh, for
protective status for Haitian refugees
that they stored on Guantanamo Bay.
These people were sick.
It was during the AIDS crisis.
They were fleeing violent
revolutionary takeovers.
And the United States government
said, "Well, they're Black, so
we don't want them to land on our
shores, but we're gonna blame AIDS."
Mm-hmm.
They stored them in an internment
camp on Guantanamo Bay.
I was born during that time.
That's the INS for you.
So this is a problem that's older
than every single one of us here.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
We could go back to the
dawn of the country on it.
We just need to build something
from the ground up, Brandy.
I think that's a great idea.
I mean, immigration reform has never been
successful, um, and there's not a big
appetite for it, and it now feeds into…
You know, it's been
structured around capitalism.
Um, and so whenever money is at play,
um, policies get corrupted, and all of
the humanity gets drained out, right?
I mean, y- we need new immigration
policies, um, and s- a new system that is
led with humanity and empathy and dignity.
Um, and I think your thoughts
on that are really inspiring.
Thank
you.
So before we get to a call to action
and what you need from everyone to get
you on that ballot, 'cause you need
to be on that ballot, Joe, um, talk
to us about your incumbent, Jim Himes.
Absolutely.
Talk to me about how he's
performing in Connecticut.
How do you feel like he's representing
you and your fellow constituents?
Yeah.
Thank you.
I, I believe Jim Himes votes
just progressive enough
to avoid major scrutiny.
I think he posts his visibility just
enough to avoid major scrutiny, and
I do think he's a brilliant man.
He's a brilliant strategist.
I mean, it is a silly thing to go
against someone of this kind, but
silly's the right thing to do.
Yeah.
This is a man who-
This is a man who I believe deeply
misunderstands the district he represents.
This is a man who I think is unwilling
to talk about the Jewish population
in this district and what Zionism
versus the genocide in Palestine is
doing to families to separate them.
Mm-hmm.
I think this is a man who is deeply
unserious about taking on this president,
and I know this because I've talked
with him and I've directly given him
verbal ideas on how he could impeach
this president, and he simply won't
do it, which is why I'm in his comment
section all the time about, "Well,
you're saying you care about Ukraine,
you're saying you care about this,
but when we talked to you about how
to prevent this, you did nothing."
Yeah.
I think this is a man who also, because
of his ties to Palantir and because of
his, the money he's taken from Palantir
and from Google and from L3Harris,
and his recent work with the Foreign
Intelligence Surveil Act, sp- spying,
and his recent work trying to get a
clean reauthorization on the Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Act 702.
Mm-hmm.
And now with flock cameras propping up
around the country, this is a man who
doesn't understand how dangerous he is.
I do think in his heart, a part of him
thinks he's the good guy But this is
a man who's about to become the chair
of the House Intelligence Committee,
and yet he has willingly tried to
give the White House a surveillance
state gift worse than Orwellian.
And with AI and with all these data
centers popping up, they now will
have the ability to do something we've
never been able to do in this country
before, actually police everyone.
Um, down to the last bit of this, right?
Your, your cellphone, your
computer, your car, the roads
you're on with the flock cameras.
It is, it is insanely scary,
and this man is all for it.
And for the audience,
um, he is a Democrat.
He is a Democrat.
And so I continue to say to people
across the country that are participating
in primaries, hopefully everyone is,
um, do not just blindly vote for the
incumbent assuming that, "Well, they've
been doing this job for this many years.
They must know what they're doing.
I'm not even gonna bother to look
into who's challenging them," um,
you know, for that, for that seat.
Th- this is a prime example of why we just
can't blindly vote blue down the ballot.
Look into your… Really look
into your local representatives.
See their vote, check
their voting records.
Um, it's so important.
It's not just about, you know,
yes, we have to, we have to be
able to get the majority in the
midterms, the Democratic Party does.
Um, non-negotiable.
Yeah.
But if we don't have the right people
with i- having that majority in their
hands- Oh, I, how much further are
we gonna get than we are right now?
He's had how much power for 17 years?
Yeah.
I don't feel like he's materially
changed the conditions or safety
of the people he represents.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
I mean, 17 years is long enough.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's long enough.
That's a good run.
Yeah.
That's a good- Yeah.
That's a great run.
It's a great run.
And if, and if, and if-
You've, you've served under maybe two,
three presidential administrations.
Yeah.
He got to work with John Lewis.
He g- he got to do a lot.
So, uh, I mean, there
is a, there is a time.
Yeah.
There is a time.
Yeah.
And, and th- you know, like, the,
the increasing problem that we
have with our politicians is that
they're sticking around too long.
And, and it's a- a- a-
across our, our politics.
I mean, you know, Joe
Biden pro- Our politics
tried to go for a second term.
He probably should've just bowed out-
Yeah … because, uh, we would've had
a chance to really send somebody, uh,
after, uh, President Trump, be it Kamala
or somebody else, and they would've
had a real primary and a real run-up
to the election, and not had to deal
with all the bullshit that we did.
Um- Yeah … and, and I
mean, RGB, she stuck around.
Well, guess what?
And then she passes away and
Trump gets to replace her.
Yeah.
And we don't get to replace
her, and that's crazy, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
And, and people are just
sticking around too long, and
i- it's this, it's this power.
It, it kind of holds on to you
like the, like, like, like, the,
like, uh, the Gollum's precious
in The Lord of the Rings.
Like, you, you- I've been playing
along at home … once you get onto
it, you hold onto it, and you gotta…
And they just clutch onto it till
they're old and blue in the face.
Yes.
And, and, and as a
result, we don't progress.
Yeah.
I, I 1000% agree.
And, and now that Lord of the Rings
has entered the chat, and I can make-
these references incredibly freely,
'cause I wanted- Uh-huh … to
make it the entire time.
Um, you know, at best, he's gonna
be another Chuck Schumer, or he
thinks he's a Rep. Sarah Jacobs.
He really does.
I think in his heart when he looks in
the mirror, he thinks he's Rep. Sarah
Jacobs and he's doing the right thing.
But he's, at best, another
Jeffries or Schumer.
Yeah.
But at worst, he's a Grima Wormtongue.
Yeah.
At worst, he's a Lord Denethor.
Uh-oh.
Right.
At worst, here's a man who, however
good he is, he's, he's really
gonna put us in a bad position.
You know?
If, if we're talking Kristallnacht-
You know, they're gonna have a list
of places to go because of some of the
work that's, that's happening right now
And that's why we say it on
the program all the time, not
every Democrat is your friend.
No.
They're not.
No.
Okay?
And it's why we've gotten to,
to the place where we are.
It's why we're over here, you know, having
to position ourselves like, "Well, at
least we're better than Trump." Yeah.
Like, we, we don't, we are not offering
a real progressive movement, and I…
That's why I feel like our time is now.
Yeah.
Yeah.
To show ourse- to show how
we separate, and Zoran is, is
showing everybody in real time-
Yeah
…
damn, like, we've been waiting for
this, and they've been telling us
that we couldn't have it, and here
is this guy doing it in five months.
Yeah.
What the hell?
So- Yeah … speaking of progressive
movement moving forward, you have until…
Let me look at my notes here So June
9th, June 9th to get on that ballot.
June
9th.
June 9th.
So you need signatures.
Um, you need- Yeah … volunteers
out there probably helping
you get those signatures.
So tell the audience what you need.
Yes, please.
So first off, even beyond
me, look up your local place.
Wherever you are, wherever you are
watching this, you probably have someone
like me running around trying to see
you, trying to meet you, trying to take
care of you, and they're either not
on the media or they're just not on
your phone in front of you right now.
So if you've made it this long,
please look up your local area.
Um, there are plenty of
people trying out there.
There really are.
Uh, secondly, make a general life
plan, not just to vote for this
2026 election, but if we still have
a country in 2028, to do things
then that didn't happen this year.
A lot of really good candidates got
cut out before primaries or during.
That could've been preventable if
we had more people involved earlier.
Um, don't make a plan to vote in August
for August or in November for November.
Look years ahead because
the enemy does, right?
Yeah.
The fascists do, the corporations do.
So be ahead of them.
But if you wanna help me, which I
would appreciate, um, you know, I've
done a lot of this mostly myself.
I have about 20 really
wonderful volunteers.
I've brought in eight more
in the last two weeks.
Um, you know, the eight more are, uh,
more or less becoming more full-time.
Um, we need canvassers.
We need door-knockers.
Mm-hmm.
We need people to share posts.
I would love a scheduling coordinator.
I'm AuDHD, and I'm doing all this…
I mean, law school's over,
so it's a little easier.
Yeah.
Um, but having a scheduling
coordinator would be great.
Um, but please do what you can to
talk to your family and friends about
this, even if it's a one-topic issue.
If you think your uncle or your
aunt is gonna disagree with
me on everything, that's okay.
My own family disagrees with me on things.
But show them the one issue where
you're like, "Yo, I think Joe and you,"
like, you… "He's got your back."
If you've got family in this region,
anybody in the state of Connecticut,
we just now learned three weeks ago,
um, anyone in the state of Connecticut
can help- To collect petitions.
We were initially told it was
only Connecticut District Four.
Um, you only- Oh, wow … in
your own district.
If you are a registered Democrat in the
entire state of Connecticut, you can
help any one of us get on the ballot.
Um, and any one of us
can be- Call to action,
Connecticut.
Come on.
There you go.
Yeah.
We- we're- Get out there
our t- our time is right now, because
come to June 9th, I don't have…
It's not about the size of the dog
in the fight or the fight of the dog.
I'm not allowed in the ring.
I'm done- Yeah … legally.
There's nothing I can do other
than maybe- And today is the
28th … look at two years from now.
So we're looking at two weeks from today.
Or no, I'm sorry.
Two weeks from today.
Or from… No, it's
the- No, less than two weeks.
Yeah.
We're, we're almost at the end.
We have, uh- Yeah … we have
a little less than two weeks.
So I'm gonna be out there on the weekends.
Love to have you all along.
Mm-hmm.
We have a very large population
here Um, we really do.
So it's not impossible,
it's just improbable.
Yeah.
Right?
But if everybody who liked one of my
comments was able to sign, I would've
been on the ballot 100 times over.
Yeah.
Yeah.
If everybody who had shared… W- I've
had, like, a couple hundred thousand
views on my Instagram in a month.
If everyone just signed, I'd be
on that ballot 10 times over.
Right.
Right?
So come on out Connecticut, 'cause
I'm putting it all on the line.
This is the bitter end.
It's the- All
right … it's the insert
sports analogy here.
You heard him, Connecticut.
Get out there.
You know, what's one day?
Just get out there- Yeah … knock
doors, canvas, get some signatures.
It's, you know, if, if 100 people see
this in Connecticut and all go out
for one day between now and June 9th-
Yeah
it's done.
The weather's good again, CT.
I know, it's g- We're good.
We got 70 degrees these next
few weeks … beautiful.
It's beautiful right now.
Uh-oh.
Yeah.
Let's be outside.
This is the time.
Um, all right, Seth gets the final
question, the question we ask
every guest that comes on the show.
Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So, uh, you
know, w- every week, every week
we have a, we have a scale.
We have a, uh, a Democrat scale.
On one side we have Chuck Schumer,
and on the other side we have Bernie.
And, uh, and so we like to, we ask,
like, we like to ask all of our
candidates, um, do you, uh, commit
to being, uh, grassroots, taking,
uh, small dollar donations, and not
taking money from super PACs, uh,
foreign entities, anything like that?
Obviously large corporations,
billionaires, stuff like that.
Absolutely.
There we go.
100%.
Yeah.
And, and- 100% … and Joe, w- uh, not
only do we, uh, appreciate your time,
but I mean, you're a really well-spoken
dude, and I wanna say, like, if, if we,
if, if this show blows up and we need
an entertainment lawyer- Well … it's
good to know some- It's, it's good
to know somebody in the business.
I got you.
So, uh- Influencers and- So, you know,
I felt very at home with you, and I
feel like a lot of people if they hear
what you're saying, and you, and you
speak very well, like, look, like,
you're… I'm, I'm, I'm at home with you.
I would vote for you if
I lived in Connecticut.
Yeah.
All right?
So, so everybody- 100%, 100%.
So everybody who's listening to
the sound of my voice, this is a
guy that really cares about you.
This is a guy that understands
the difference between a
Democrat and a progressive.
And so we're gonna slide our guy Joe all
the way to the Bern- to the Bernie side.
Um, and, uh, yeah, man, just,
uh, the best of luck to you.
Thank you.
And, uh, and everybody
make sure you go out there.
Volunteering sounds like the thing that
he needs the most right now to get those-
Yeah
…
uh, votes in, and so let's
make it happen for him.
Yeah.
Yeah, we only have a week- Get those
signatures … and a half left, so
you know, donations, yay, great.
But at this point- Yeah
it's just boots to ground.
It really is.
Okay.
It really is, because he- We'll see if we
can get this out quick, quick.
Um-
Yeah.
Thank you.
Okay, Joe.
Listen, you're, you're
just such a cool guy.
Thank you.
I really enjoyed having you on the show.
I hope, um… Obviously, I want
to see you get on the ballot.
And if so, I hope you'll come back.
Thank you.
Yeah.
And, uh, we can, we can keep pushing
you out there and, and getting you to
win that, that midterm race against Jim.
Thank you.
It's old Jimbo.
Yeah.
Yeah, I had a good time.
I'm happy to do this.
This is-
Thank
you … the fun part about
campaigning when there's the internet.
Yeah.
Right?
For sure.
Social media's not always very
fun, but talking to people, this
is much more accessible for me.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right.
Yeah.
Great, great time.
I really appreciate you coming on.
And, uh, we'll try and get this
out here pretty quickly since
you are running short on time.
Thank you.
So thanks so much, Joe.
Mm-hmm.
It's been a real pleasure.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Thank you, man.
Appreciate it.
Well, that was a great
conversation that we had.
Uh, you know, Joseph Perez-Caputo out
of that fourth district in Connecticut.
I mean, not only was that a genuine
guy, but you know, that you might wanna
have a beer with, you know, later.
But, you know, he's just such a, a really
soft-spoken, really good communicator.
Mm-hmm.
And man, I just felt really at
home with him, and I feel like
the people in Connecticut, like,
you gotta give this guy a shot.
Yeah.
You gotta find out more about him
because, I mean, this is a guy who's,
you know, finishing up law school.
Mm-hmm.
You know, that, that story where
he was talking about he was doing
his finals and doing two different
election things at the same time.
I mean, this is a guy who can keep a
lot of plates spinning- Yeah … and
he's gonna fight for people.
So much stamina and determination-
Yeah … um, to be campaigning while
you're finishing up law school.
I mean, honestly I'm exhausted
just thinking about it.
Yeah.
And, and I know he's tired too,
but he's fighting for something
greater than himself and, you
know, he's like, "Well, I'll just
sleep when, when I get a chance."
But- Mm-hmm … for now
this is the priority.
I really enjoyed that conversation.
Like you said, Joe's salt of the earth.
Um, so easy to talk to, but really
knowledgeable, extremely smart and sharp.
Um, and it sounds like Jim Himes, the
incumbent… Connecticut, you better
look into his voting record, please.
Yeah, that- Please look
into his voting record.
Uh, you know, you need,
you need a clean slate.
17 years, long enough
to be in that position.
Yeah.
Um, you need some fresh energy.
You need the right kind of energy,
and I really feel like Joe's the guy.
Yeah, yeah.
Espe- especially s- like you
just said, it's a fresh face.
Mm-hmm.
Somebody who has new
motivation to do the job.
Yeah.
You know, these politicians, we said it
in the interview, they're taking too long,
they're staying in these seats too long.
You should be- Yeah … you
should have higher aspirations.
If you really, truly wanna help
people- Yeah … you should have higher
aspirations to move up to a senator
seat- Yeah … or something bigger
than that, attorney general, whatever.
So- working in the, working in a
cabinet, or maybe you have your
eyes on being the president.
But Joe is… Like, he is looking to
take care of his people right there in
Connecticut, where his mother stays.
And, you know, that is a guy
who you want in your corner.
Moved back into- A guy who knows- … his
district just to get in this fight.
I mean-
Right
…
really admirable.
Yeah.
So Connecticut, he needs you
out there knocking on doors.
And as he said, the entire
state can participate in that.
You don't have to be in his district.
Right.
That's cool.
So if you're in Connecticut, if
you have friends or family in
Connecticut, my gosh, take one day.
You know, if we can get, I don't
know, 50 people to take a few
hours next Saturday, the weather
is beautiful right there right now.
Um, beautiful in the northeast
in general right now.
We're having a nice actual
spring snap of weather where
it's, like, low humidity, 70s.
It's beautiful here.
Get out there, spend a few
hours canvassing for Joe.
Get him on that ballot so that Jim
Himes has a real fighter in the race.
Yeah.
At the, at the very end of it, you
know, if nothing else you need somebody
like Joe to push these candidates.
They need to feel the
fire under their ass.
Mm-hmm.
And J- and Joe's got the fire.
Yeah.
My man is Puerto Rican, Italian.
Yeah.
Like, he's ready to fight.
He's feisty.
He's in the ring.
You know?
So-
He's feisty, yeah
…
yeah.
So I'm ve- I'm very excited that we got
to talk with him, and, uh, you know, wish
him all the luck in the world- Absolutely
because that's a guy that deserves to win
Absolutely.
All right, so another great episode.
We have got another recording tomorrow,
Saturday, then a little time off.
Um, but we've got a lot of episodes
coming out, and we might have to speed
up our pace just a little bit for the
next couple of weeks because we have
some people with primaries, um, that are
coming up very quickly, and we wanna make
sure we get this out in time to hopefully
help them in whatever way we can.
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So do what you can.
There's a lot of ways to help the
podcast, and most of them are free.
Absolutely.
And you know, I'm just so glad
that we're continuing to, to,
to grow our network of people.
Um, yo, I mean, we're almost to
20 amazing candidates, and we're
not even close to being done.
No.
And Ally knows we have, we have
some pretty big news to unleash
on y'all, but I'm just gonna
leave that little tasty morsel.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, we, we, we're, we're
putting in the work.
Ally's really putting in the work.
And, uh, big- bigger things are to come.
We'll be ready to announce that I
think hopefully by the next taping.
We're like- Let's go … right there, so.
Woo.
Um, but yeah, thanks, guys,
you know, for all the support.
Thanks for enjoying the show, sharing the
show, liking, commenting, subscribing.
We really appreciate it.
We're gonna continue doing this as long
as we have an audience for it, and I
think it's so important to get these real
people running for real change as far
and as wide as possible in our country.
That's what we need right now.
So thanks for another great episode, Seth.
Listen, Dave, we'll see you next time.
See you tomorrow.
All right.
Bye.