1 00:00:13,099 --> 00:00:16,715 Welcome to this week's edition of Mississippi Happening podcast. 2 00:00:16,715 --> 00:00:24,255 My name is David Olds and joining me each week is my friend, my sometime antagonist and co-host, Mr. 3 00:00:24,255 --> 00:00:25,407 Jim Newman. 4 00:00:25,407 --> 00:00:27,039 Jim, how are you buddy? 5 00:00:27,310 --> 00:00:28,673 I'm doing fine. 6 00:00:28,676 --> 00:00:31,309 Looks like you got a new pair of glasses. 7 00:00:31,309 --> 00:00:33,532 ah As a matter of fact, I did. 8 00:00:33,532 --> 00:00:36,126 broke my other ones and look at this. 9 00:00:36,126 --> 00:00:36,877 Isn't that neat? 10 00:00:36,877 --> 00:00:38,598 Do you like them? 11 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:40,461 Excuse me? 12 00:00:40,494 --> 00:00:41,356 You look like Mr. 13 00:00:41,356 --> 00:00:42,418 Magoo. 14 00:00:43,663 --> 00:00:44,164 that's right. 15 00:00:44,164 --> 00:00:45,246 You're younger. 16 00:00:47,277 --> 00:00:50,652 uh Sadly, I do remember Mr. 17 00:00:50,652 --> 00:00:52,445 McGoo too. 18 00:00:52,445 --> 00:00:54,548 But anyway, well, thank you. 19 00:00:54,548 --> 00:00:57,193 ah How's the arm? 20 00:00:57,193 --> 00:01:00,317 I got to ask about the arm and how I got to ask about the PT. 21 00:01:00,442 --> 00:01:03,184 It's getting better, the PT's getting worse. 22 00:01:04,066 --> 00:01:08,370 The more I do, the more they think I ought to do, so. 23 00:01:08,980 --> 00:01:10,611 you know what that means. 24 00:01:11,352 --> 00:01:12,953 It means you're giddy. 25 00:01:16,577 --> 00:01:17,517 Gotcha. 26 00:01:17,517 --> 00:01:18,478 Okay. 27 00:01:18,478 --> 00:01:20,720 Well, there you go. 28 00:01:21,181 --> 00:01:22,021 Well, good. 29 00:01:22,021 --> 00:01:33,850 um Last week and the past few weeks have been extremely unsettling for all of us. 30 00:01:33,850 --> 00:01:36,083 And it's been kind of scary. 31 00:01:37,562 --> 00:01:56,002 the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the assassination of Minnesota Democrat leader, Melissa Hortman, her husband and yes, her dog in her home and the attempted assassination 32 00:01:56,002 --> 00:02:03,398 of Senator John Hoffman and his wife also in their home. 33 00:02:03,398 --> 00:02:05,169 Now that was an attempted. 34 00:02:05,915 --> 00:02:08,676 assassination on the Hortmans. 35 00:02:08,777 --> 00:02:25,147 So this week we want to talk about the volatile state of politics today and hopefully we can maybe come up with some answers and maybe some things that we could possibly do. 36 00:02:25,408 --> 00:02:29,991 Our guest today is my friend, my buddy, and I love to talk politics. 37 00:02:29,991 --> 00:02:33,633 I love his collection of everything. 38 00:02:33,980 --> 00:02:38,493 political and you see it in his office, uh, is Dr. 39 00:02:38,493 --> 00:02:39,847 Nathan Schrader. 40 00:02:39,847 --> 00:02:42,342 Nathan, it is so good to see you. 41 00:02:42,892 --> 00:02:44,864 it's good to see both of you. 42 00:02:45,022 --> 00:02:50,784 I, in fact, I'm looking forward to my next uh visit to Mississippi in a few months. 43 00:02:50,825 --> 00:02:56,120 Yes, come on, we got to, you know, you can stay at my house or you stay at Jim's. 44 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:57,811 Isn't that right, Jim? 45 00:02:58,652 --> 00:02:59,923 There you go. 46 00:02:59,943 --> 00:03:01,329 is still available. 47 00:03:02,314 --> 00:03:08,034 Well, I was going to say it depends on who's got the best room and board costs. 48 00:03:08,674 --> 00:03:12,607 Well, depends on what you like to drink. 49 00:03:12,635 --> 00:03:13,906 There you go. 50 00:03:13,906 --> 00:03:22,971 But I guarantee you, Jim is going to have better alcohol than I do. 51 00:03:22,971 --> 00:03:25,892 But let me tell you guys a little bit about Dr. 52 00:03:25,892 --> 00:03:27,373 Nathan Schrader. 53 00:03:27,373 --> 00:03:29,414 He is a Pennsylvania native. 54 00:03:29,414 --> 00:03:33,657 He serves as the associate professor of politics. 55 00:03:33,657 --> 00:03:42,260 He's the co-director of the Center for Civic Engagement in New England at New England College in New Hampshire. 56 00:03:42,260 --> 00:03:50,073 He spent eight years as chair of the government and political and politics department at Millsaps in Jackson. 57 00:03:50,073 --> 00:03:56,676 He was also a political analyst for WJTN in Jackson, Mississippi. 58 00:03:56,676 --> 00:04:10,582 He previously worked as an intern in the US Senate, the legislative aid, deputy communications director for the Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania and a legislative aid. 59 00:04:10,582 --> 00:04:13,842 in the Virginia House of Delegates. 60 00:04:14,682 --> 00:04:21,242 He has been very active in politics and political campaigns since the age of 14. 61 00:04:22,622 --> 00:04:25,902 And I mean, you got the bug early, didn't you, buddy? 62 00:04:25,902 --> 00:04:29,522 You got it early and kept it. 63 00:04:29,522 --> 00:04:39,593 He has been a member of the Pennsylvania and Mississippi Democratic State Executive Committees and vice chair of the Hines County Mississippi Democratic Party. 64 00:04:39,593 --> 00:04:51,573 He currently serves on the executive committee for the Manchester New Hampshire Democratic Party and also the New Hampshire Democratic Party State Committee. 65 00:04:51,573 --> 00:04:57,428 So Nathan, once again, it's so good to have you with us. 66 00:04:58,950 --> 00:05:06,676 This is a, and I'll just jump right in and we'll just kind of start it off. 67 00:05:07,177 --> 00:05:07,925 What? 68 00:05:07,925 --> 00:05:17,399 are your thoughts about what's going on in America today and the political? 69 00:05:18,001 --> 00:05:18,622 Talk to me. 70 00:05:18,622 --> 00:05:21,145 Tell me what your thoughts are. 71 00:05:22,046 --> 00:05:35,790 Well, unfortunately, it feels as if the country is becoming uh somewhat becoming ungovernable in a way that there are individuals in charge of uh key centers of power in 72 00:05:35,790 --> 00:05:37,110 the in Washington, D.C. 73 00:05:37,110 --> 00:05:42,812 and the Trump administration, who seem that their objective is not to govern the country. 74 00:05:42,812 --> 00:05:50,054 It is to undo the governance of the country and it's to make the country conform to sort of their 75 00:05:50,234 --> 00:05:56,728 philosophies about the power of government and who should be in charge of government, which in their view is one singular person. 76 00:05:56,728 --> 00:05:58,519 And that's, that's Donald Trump. 77 00:05:58,519 --> 00:06:10,556 And that has made the country in my view, in the last, uh the last several months feel and, and appear to be ungovernable that, that, that it's impossible to make deals as you 78 00:06:10,556 --> 00:06:13,087 could with in the traditional sense of the word. 79 00:06:13,087 --> 00:06:18,372 And American politics is hard for the two parties to make deals with each other to 80 00:06:18,372 --> 00:06:28,639 say keep the government funded to get uh certain types of programs passed because you don't know what this really volatile president is gonna do to gum up the works in 81 00:06:28,639 --> 00:06:30,069 Washington. 82 00:06:30,310 --> 00:06:41,737 we went from having a semi-functional government in Washington that was uh deeply flawed but still able to occasionally get things done to having one that is really governed by 83 00:06:41,737 --> 00:06:43,392 the whim of 84 00:06:43,392 --> 00:06:49,204 one individual who believes that everything is owed to him and he owes nothing back in return. 85 00:06:49,424 --> 00:07:03,448 And so I'm uh normally not much in the way of being a pessimist, but I feel that I'm becoming one because right now uh there's so little pushback from the courts. 86 00:07:03,548 --> 00:07:06,209 There's so little pushback from Congress. 87 00:07:06,209 --> 00:07:11,474 And at times I wonder where in the heck is the Democratic Party's uh 88 00:07:11,474 --> 00:07:16,106 And I don't want to say it's where's their message because I think they'll eventually find that. 89 00:07:16,106 --> 00:07:21,888 it's almost like where's their courage to stand up when and not just put out press releases. 90 00:07:21,888 --> 00:07:30,634 And it's kind of given me this feeling that we we've got a lot of we've got trouble in front of us now, trouble ahead. 91 00:07:30,634 --> 00:07:35,102 And we all have to do our best to get through it, to save the country. 92 00:07:36,863 --> 00:07:39,154 Gotcha. 93 00:07:39,655 --> 00:07:49,920 When you, I'm glad you brought up, know, I'm kind of like you and I think Jim will agree. 94 00:07:50,500 --> 00:07:59,365 It appears the, and we know that Republicans just, I mean, whatever, whatever Trump says is going to happen. 95 00:07:59,505 --> 00:08:06,755 But have we really seen any pushback from the Democratic 96 00:08:06,755 --> 00:08:07,697 leadership. 97 00:08:07,697 --> 00:08:11,840 uh Have we seen any pushback from them? 98 00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:13,263 What are they doing? 99 00:08:14,170 --> 00:08:26,690 So David, David and Jim, this is the part that's really uh frustrating is to see that I think there are individual rank and file members of the Democratic caucus in the House and 100 00:08:26,690 --> 00:08:28,461 in the Senate in Washington. 101 00:08:28,582 --> 00:08:39,670 And I think dozens and hundreds maybe of activist groups all over the country that are supporting the Democratic party and want them to. 102 00:08:39,886 --> 00:08:50,212 you know, to be the alternative, but it doesn't seem as if the people leading the party right now, at least in the national level, they haven't found their voice yet in this. 103 00:08:50,212 --> 00:08:56,075 It's almost as they're very timid at a time when we can't afford the timidity. 104 00:08:56,075 --> 00:09:06,591 But I don't want that to be a reflection on, I want to be careful that I'm not singling out those groups of activists all over the country that are holding the protests, that are 105 00:09:06,591 --> 00:09:09,050 rallying, that are registering voters. 106 00:09:09,050 --> 00:09:20,379 uh And, you know, some of our state and state, county, and then city and town Democratic Party organizations, I think they're doing what they can. 107 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:31,659 But until we get the leadership of the national party in the House and the Senate and the DNC to sort of turn up the heat on the president and on the Trump administration and stop 108 00:09:31,659 --> 00:09:36,433 trying to uh treat this as if it's a normal time in politics. 109 00:09:36,433 --> 00:09:37,816 uh I don't think 110 00:09:37,816 --> 00:09:46,390 I don't think it's going to get better, but I do want to say those individual organizations and individual members of Congress and state and county party leaders out 111 00:09:46,390 --> 00:09:47,970 there, I think they're trying. 112 00:09:47,970 --> 00:09:57,214 They just don't have the tools they need right now with the Republicans holding the White House, the House, the Senate, the Supreme Court. 113 00:09:57,815 --> 00:10:06,264 And the thing is, the longer the Trump administration goes on, there'll be more federal judgeships at the appellate level that 114 00:10:06,264 --> 00:10:09,720 Donald Trump will fill on the district courts and the court of appeals. 115 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:20,438 So the courts, whatever independence the courts have, I think will start gradually starting to slip away as he starts to appoint more of his people to the upcoming vacancy. 116 00:10:21,737 --> 00:10:24,467 Jim, weigh in on this and the Democrats. 117 00:10:24,467 --> 00:10:26,693 What are your thoughts, Jim? 118 00:10:27,626 --> 00:10:29,519 I don't like the Democrats. 119 00:10:30,709 --> 00:10:33,618 Oh, come on, Jim. 120 00:10:33,631 --> 00:10:35,712 I don't like the leadership. 121 00:10:36,373 --> 00:10:41,017 think personally, I think the leadership ah is gutless. 122 00:10:41,017 --> 00:10:51,025 ah I know in Mississippi, I think I'm safe saying that we don't have any leadership. 123 00:10:51,025 --> 00:10:57,430 but some counties are working very hard to... 124 00:10:57,430 --> 00:11:04,384 get people registered to vote, but then they don't have any plan to follow up to see if they actually did vote. 125 00:11:05,165 --> 00:11:17,914 So my question then is, well, why bother to register people to vote if you're not going to back it up and follow up and call them and find out, call them maybe the day before and 126 00:11:17,914 --> 00:11:22,798 say, you know, tomorrow you vote and then call them the day after and say, did you vote? 127 00:11:22,798 --> 00:11:25,257 Or if it's a primary. 128 00:11:25,257 --> 00:11:33,176 get the primary election results and see who voted, see if people who you got signed up. 129 00:11:33,236 --> 00:11:43,829 I think there's a lot of talk and not a lot of action from the national and state levels of democratic parties across the nation. 130 00:11:44,171 --> 00:11:53,383 I'm glad that you guys brought up the oh smaller organizations and the grassroots oh issues. 131 00:11:53,383 --> 00:12:00,597 You know, we talked to Mississippi Indivisible and that group is on fire. 132 00:12:00,737 --> 00:12:13,552 Last night, I was fortunate to attend a meeting with some Democrats and I've got to say, and I've got to brag on DeSoto County Executive Committee. 133 00:12:13,756 --> 00:12:19,290 They have done a tremendous job getting registered voters. 134 00:12:19,290 --> 00:12:31,801 oh then recently they elected the first Democrat in Horn Lake as mayor, Reverend Jimmy Stokes. 135 00:12:31,801 --> 00:12:43,750 so there's a lot of the grassroots and yes, it seems to be that there needs to be more something at the state level. 136 00:12:44,570 --> 00:12:49,179 and also at the national level as well. 137 00:12:49,323 --> 00:13:03,563 But it seems to me like two weeks ago at a press conference, and I can quote that so-and-so verbatim, I'm the president of the United States and I can do whatever I want. 138 00:13:04,763 --> 00:13:17,283 And then yesterday on the tarmac before he took off, he referred to the left as left radicals, scumbags and worse. 139 00:13:19,218 --> 00:13:20,014 and 140 00:13:20,563 --> 00:13:26,431 You want to wonder why nobody wants to work with him from the Democratic side? 141 00:13:27,027 --> 00:13:27,947 Yeah. 142 00:13:28,527 --> 00:13:35,067 Well, and Jim, just on top of that, you know, I read a statement by Senator Schumer this morning. 143 00:13:35,067 --> 00:13:36,727 I think he said it yesterday. 144 00:13:36,727 --> 00:13:49,927 He's, of course, the Democratic leader in the Senate, minority leader in the Senate about how he thinks that it's possible to work with the Republicans in a bipartisan way to avoid 145 00:13:49,927 --> 00:13:51,067 a government shutdown. 146 00:13:51,067 --> 00:13:53,443 And I just said, well, I 147 00:13:53,443 --> 00:13:57,203 I wish that was true, but this is not 1998 anymore. 148 00:13:57,203 --> 00:14:06,723 It's 2025 and the country, this is not the same country it was politically as it was in the nineties when that was manageable and that could happen. 149 00:14:06,723 --> 00:14:15,863 I feel like people like him are the ones who are, they're just, they're kind of whistling past the graveyard and they're looking beyond the fact that Jim, like you said, Trump 150 00:14:15,863 --> 00:14:19,383 said, I'm the, I'm in, I'm, I can do whatever I want. 151 00:14:19,383 --> 00:14:21,731 Remember this goes back to what he said at the. 152 00:14:21,731 --> 00:14:29,457 2016 Republican convention in Cleveland when he accepted the nomination, he went through the whole list of all the problems, problems that were not real problems. 153 00:14:29,457 --> 00:14:34,821 Once he created, as I remember, and only I may fix it or only I can fix it. 154 00:14:34,821 --> 00:14:36,292 And this is just an extension of that. 155 00:14:36,292 --> 00:14:47,510 And we, I just had a class this afternoon here at New England college where we were talking about the ramifications of what's happening right now uh in American politics 156 00:14:47,510 --> 00:14:49,621 since the murder of Charlie Kirk. 157 00:14:49,763 --> 00:14:53,603 on the long term of democracy. 158 00:14:53,782 --> 00:15:01,023 And I was telling the students about how don't want them to think that what they're experiencing now is normal. 159 00:15:01,023 --> 00:15:13,883 Because I'm afraid they're of an age right now between what 18 and 21, 22, where they're going to look back and say, this is, guess, what politics is always like or normally like. 160 00:15:13,963 --> 00:15:19,619 And I played them a clip from PBS NewsHour last night where Donald Trump 161 00:15:19,619 --> 00:15:30,837 uh had said that some of these, as you said, these liberal, was it liberal, lunatic organizations, he said they're already under investigation. 162 00:15:30,837 --> 00:15:31,878 They don't even know it yet. 163 00:15:31,878 --> 00:15:39,883 And then uh JD Vance says, we're gonna use the power of the federal government to go after the liberal leaning organizations. 164 00:15:39,883 --> 00:15:45,317 This is what the fringe has right has wanted for a long time. 165 00:15:45,317 --> 00:15:48,227 Sadly, the murder of Charlie Kirk 166 00:15:48,227 --> 00:16:02,005 It feels like the moment that they, the moment they've been waiting for to launch this sort of full scale uh McCarthy style assault on the liberal organizations and democratic 167 00:16:02,005 --> 00:16:03,261 party leading organizations. 168 00:16:03,261 --> 00:16:09,489 And it's sad that this is what it took to do it, but I think they now have their moment and they can't turn back. 169 00:16:10,290 --> 00:16:17,533 It's, yeah, and it's sad that, uh you know, we have to remember and we try to remember. 170 00:16:17,533 --> 00:16:19,244 Yes, he was a... 171 00:16:19,244 --> 00:16:22,885 Now, none of us um agreed with anything that he said. 172 00:16:22,885 --> 00:16:30,638 However, he was, you know, he was married, he had a wife, he had two kids and he had a family that loved him. 173 00:16:30,638 --> 00:16:40,042 And then also at the same time, you ah know, Democrat leader, Melissa uh Hortman and her... 174 00:16:40,672 --> 00:16:44,514 husband, they had a family that, that loved them. 175 00:16:44,514 --> 00:16:57,779 Um, it, it, and also it's, yeah, he's, he's going after just people because he doesn't agree with them. 176 00:16:57,779 --> 00:17:07,533 And, and the thing that's, that's frightening for me, uh, is, you know, he's, he's sending, you know, I live in DeSoto County. 177 00:17:07,533 --> 00:17:10,164 I live in Olive branch, you know, 178 00:17:10,506 --> 00:17:14,098 you know, 10 minutes away is Memphis, Tennessee. 179 00:17:14,819 --> 00:17:22,703 And the national guard will be in Memphis next week. 180 00:17:22,703 --> 00:17:30,728 uh We know they were in DC uh and we know how that turned out. 181 00:17:31,348 --> 00:17:38,212 My fear, and there's a lot going on and also DeSoto County, uh 182 00:17:38,665 --> 00:17:54,532 Sheriff's Department, they've also, oh they're going to support uh Donald Trump and the uh National Guard and everything that they can do. 183 00:17:54,532 --> 00:18:05,986 But it scares me, and I oh have to ask this question, is Donald Trump, and he's targeting the black cities, he's targeting 184 00:18:05,986 --> 00:18:11,963 the cities with black leadership. 185 00:18:13,666 --> 00:18:22,615 But is he setting the stage for martial law if something happens in the midterms? 186 00:18:23,734 --> 00:18:39,878 David, that's a difficult question because on just knowing his track record, knowing his viewpoints when it comes to race relations in America and knowing his deep desire to hold 187 00:18:39,878 --> 00:18:44,861 power for as tightly as he can, I'm afraid. 188 00:18:45,242 --> 00:18:47,564 I'm afraid that that's possible. 189 00:18:47,564 --> 00:18:53,028 just I just can't tell if that's really what if this is more of a display him. 190 00:18:53,052 --> 00:19:01,392 putting on a display of his power and a show of force or him foreshadowing what could happen should his party lose. 191 00:19:01,392 --> 00:19:12,352 I will tell you there's actually something I'm I'm also rather concerned with right now is, you know, he went through this phase where he was talking about running for a third 192 00:19:12,352 --> 00:19:20,512 term and you know, they're even they're still they're selling Trump 2028 merchandise, right? 193 00:19:20,872 --> 00:19:22,940 And and look, I've been on some 194 00:19:22,940 --> 00:19:27,020 radio programs here in New Hampshire talking about that. 195 00:19:27,020 --> 00:19:34,280 And there seems to be a consensus among Democrats and Republicans up here alike that, that's just his bluster. 196 00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:35,200 that's just it. 197 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:36,900 I actually am. 198 00:19:36,900 --> 00:19:46,860 I believe there's a there's a real possibility that this that there could be a legal challenge brought to the Supreme Court, go all the way to the Supreme Court between now 199 00:19:46,860 --> 00:19:49,412 and 2020, late 2027. 200 00:19:49,412 --> 00:19:55,304 early with Donald Trump, if he's still alive and well, I think the courts could rule with him. 201 00:19:55,304 --> 00:19:57,815 He's got the majority on the Supreme Court. 202 00:19:57,815 --> 00:20:01,477 am actually, that has occupied more of my thinking. 203 00:20:01,612 --> 00:20:08,200 It would be, the undoing of the constitution to allow for Trump to seek another term. 204 00:20:08,200 --> 00:20:13,622 I've been thinking along those lines more than the, what you were describing as the possibility of martial law. 205 00:20:13,622 --> 00:20:14,992 I'm not ruling that out. 206 00:20:14,992 --> 00:20:19,364 It's just, it's not been really where my headspace has been on this. 207 00:20:19,822 --> 00:20:32,062 But if that happens and the Supreme Court ah says it's okay, would that not require an amendment to the Constitution? 208 00:20:32,083 --> 00:20:40,790 And that would require probably two or three years of the states having to vote. 209 00:20:40,790 --> 00:20:43,532 And in the meantime, 210 00:20:44,210 --> 00:20:54,413 Jim, yes is the answer, but the way that he has the full ownership, lock, stock and barrel of the Supreme Court. 211 00:20:54,973 --> 00:20:58,064 That's what the process is supposed to do. 212 00:20:58,064 --> 00:21:00,314 That's how it's supposed to work. 213 00:21:00,415 --> 00:21:12,158 I'm not convinced that that's the way it would work if it meant saving Trump or allowing Trump to seek another term, that the courts would take some extraordinary action to... 214 00:21:12,158 --> 00:21:13,266 uh 215 00:21:13,266 --> 00:21:21,450 rule the amendment unconstitutional or illegal, not that they necessarily can do that with an amendment that's already in place. 216 00:21:21,450 --> 00:21:28,444 But I'm just not convinced that the court will be there to uh save the day should the worst come to pass. 217 00:21:30,394 --> 00:21:46,034 I guess the other side of that coin would be, okay, now Barack Obama, and we've all seen the memes, you know, okay, then Barack Obama gets back in a race and you know what, you 218 00:21:46,034 --> 00:21:54,994 know, then everybody would go nuts and say, oh no, you know, it's okay for Trump to do it, but Obama can't, that type. 219 00:21:55,763 --> 00:21:56,343 Right. 220 00:21:56,343 --> 00:22:08,620 think, and you know, I think that's probably, but Trump's, I think, I've heard a Republican uh member of the House or the Senate weigh in on that same question, David, and 221 00:22:08,620 --> 00:22:10,211 I forget who it was now. 222 00:22:10,211 --> 00:22:11,711 This was a few months ago. 223 00:22:11,711 --> 00:22:16,074 And they said, no, this, we would make sure that this only applied to Trump. 224 00:22:16,074 --> 00:22:21,378 And I don't know how they would do that, but that's, but just so you know, that's the way they're thinking about this. 225 00:22:21,378 --> 00:22:22,701 That, but they're not, 226 00:22:22,701 --> 00:22:26,293 These aren't rational, logical thinking people. 227 00:22:26,454 --> 00:22:32,849 But at the same time, I'm going to give credit where credit is due, even though I vehemently disagree with them. 228 00:22:32,849 --> 00:22:37,843 They know how to work the levers of power to get what they want. 229 00:22:38,694 --> 00:22:39,921 Absolutely. 230 00:22:40,853 --> 00:22:44,365 Nathan, I'm interested in what do your students think? 231 00:22:45,362 --> 00:22:56,389 What are, I'm really, uh so this is something, I can say this about the students that I have taught, uh when I taught at Millsaps for eight years in Jackson, and this is the 232 00:22:56,389 --> 00:23:06,746 start of my fourth year already here in New England College, and I taught as an adjunct in the Philadelphia suburbs prior to Millsaps. 233 00:23:07,067 --> 00:23:14,942 I've always been blessed with very thoughtful students who don't engage in the kind of what I call, 234 00:23:14,942 --> 00:23:24,056 This is what I call the Bush League tactics that we see on television sometimes, know, the shouting each other down and not willing to talk or listen to one another. 235 00:23:24,056 --> 00:23:36,111 I've been very fortunate not to have that happen with my students and whether it's in the classroom or when we go to very, we go to see as little class trips, we go to see 236 00:23:36,111 --> 00:23:45,086 candidates and speak and we go to debates and I've not ever, so I'm, first of all, I'm very pleased with the students I've had past and present. 237 00:23:45,086 --> 00:23:56,689 who've demonstrated to me that they are more than capable of handling complicated, difficult uh issues that require maturity uh and reason to get through. 238 00:23:56,689 --> 00:24:01,461 And I know that's not on every campus, but I've been very fortunate with it. 239 00:24:01,461 --> 00:24:03,501 let me tell you what I'm hearing right now. 240 00:24:03,501 --> 00:24:12,764 uh I'm hearing from students who are incredibly, first of all, concerned about the future. 241 00:24:13,108 --> 00:24:21,808 Democrat, Republican, and independent alike, but also one who feel that they are going to have a hard time getting ahead. 242 00:24:22,008 --> 00:24:32,208 That they are going to have a hard time matching the quality of life that their parents had or that their grandparents had because the economic opportunities aren't dwindling. 243 00:24:32,588 --> 00:24:40,768 You know, there's not, and I had a discussion with a class the other day, couple or two weeks ago, I was talking about, we were talking about defining the American dream. 244 00:24:40,768 --> 00:24:42,308 What does that mean? 245 00:24:42,500 --> 00:24:49,243 And I brought in one of them had brought up about retiring and a few of them laughed and they said, we're never going to get to retire. 246 00:24:49,243 --> 00:24:56,356 And then I tried to explain to my grandfather who worked for us steel for 40 years about the pension program that he was in. 247 00:24:56,356 --> 00:24:58,137 they said, if one of them actually said, Dr. 248 00:24:58,137 --> 00:24:59,788 Shrader, what is a pension? 249 00:24:59,788 --> 00:25:04,100 And I said, that's, this is why I think they're, I mean, I feel bad. 250 00:25:04,100 --> 00:25:09,352 just feel for them because I, they're, I think they're deeply concerned about whether they're going to have the same. 251 00:25:10,170 --> 00:25:14,134 opportunity to achieve the American dream that prior generations have. 252 00:25:14,134 --> 00:25:16,450 And they talk about that a lot. 253 00:25:16,935 --> 00:25:19,130 That was one of the things that. 254 00:25:21,073 --> 00:25:26,538 I think attracted Charlie Kirk to so many college students. 255 00:25:26,775 --> 00:25:27,568 Yeah. 256 00:25:28,282 --> 00:25:29,463 And uh... 257 00:25:29,759 --> 00:25:40,059 They're very pliable when they're in their 18 to 22 age group. 258 00:25:40,059 --> 00:25:41,220 They can. 259 00:25:41,220 --> 00:25:45,895 listen to various, I call them pundits. 260 00:25:45,895 --> 00:25:47,959 uh 261 00:25:47,959 --> 00:26:03,191 They don't know what's the truth and what's not because they have not been taught in high school or in the first two years of college critical thinking. 262 00:26:03,387 --> 00:26:04,405 Mm-hmm. 263 00:26:05,751 --> 00:26:11,032 And this goes along with the... 264 00:26:11,032 --> 00:26:12,113 ah 265 00:26:13,932 --> 00:26:15,354 outlawing of DEI. 266 00:26:18,743 --> 00:26:21,548 Has DEI affected you in any way? 267 00:26:23,503 --> 00:26:34,222 Well, so I can tell you that it's affected again, the way some of the younger students that I'm teaching uh feel that they're there. 268 00:26:34,222 --> 00:26:43,650 They say things to me like, well, will I no longer be able to take classes that study race and gender problems in America? 269 00:26:43,650 --> 00:26:52,157 Those kinds of, you know, even though that's the it's not the curriculum right now that's necessarily being assailed by the federal government. 270 00:26:52,157 --> 00:26:52,845 It's 271 00:26:52,845 --> 00:26:54,155 It's the infrastructure, right? 272 00:26:54,155 --> 00:27:07,189 The hiring processes, the support offices, know, colleges in New Hampshire, the state legislature uh enacted something, we can no longer have offices of diversity and inclusion 273 00:27:07,189 --> 00:27:07,359 here. 274 00:27:07,359 --> 00:27:08,329 That was a state law. 275 00:27:08,329 --> 00:27:12,050 went along with the Trump administration and went further than they did. 276 00:27:12,050 --> 00:27:21,113 it's, but I think that we need, we need to be, I think very, we need to be reasonable about the fact that you're right. 277 00:27:21,113 --> 00:27:22,173 These are. 278 00:27:22,241 --> 00:27:26,623 college students, high school students, college or young college students, they are impressionable. 279 00:27:26,644 --> 00:27:33,337 And but they also, again, like I said earlier, they don't this is the only politics they've ever known, right? 280 00:27:33,337 --> 00:27:36,589 Because this is when they're being socialized into politics. 281 00:27:36,609 --> 00:27:45,994 And my fear is, again, they accept what's happening is inevitable in our politics today, and that this is just the way it is, and it will always be this way. 282 00:27:46,175 --> 00:27:49,947 And that's what scares me a little bit is that they're not there. 283 00:27:49,947 --> 00:27:53,284 They're seeing what's happening and they're saying, this is just normal. 284 00:27:53,647 --> 00:27:55,911 This is just what we're have to live with. 285 00:27:56,173 --> 00:27:58,197 And that's frightening. 286 00:27:58,626 --> 00:28:01,268 It's interesting what you said about your students. 287 00:28:01,268 --> 00:28:13,358 ah It echoes what uh Cliff Johnson, uh OBS law professor, ah he was saying pretty much the same thing. 288 00:28:13,738 --> 00:28:19,583 Their fear is they're not gonna be able to buy a house. 289 00:28:19,583 --> 00:28:23,406 They're not gonna be able to afford a house. 290 00:28:23,767 --> 00:28:25,568 And if we can... 291 00:28:25,568 --> 00:28:34,133 Get back a little bit on DEI and our listeners and viewers have heard us talk about DEI. 292 00:28:34,133 --> 00:28:40,176 uh Maybe Nathan, get your take on this. 293 00:28:40,236 --> 00:28:51,101 My fear with the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion, are we going back to segregation? 294 00:28:51,662 --> 00:28:53,283 And that's one of my fear. 295 00:28:53,283 --> 00:28:55,634 Are we going back to segregation? 296 00:28:55,722 --> 00:28:58,233 Well, David, I think that's a fair question. 297 00:28:58,233 --> 00:29:09,776 don't, I'm not sure if we're going back to segregation, but we're going back to a time, we're going back to a period in which race or racial issues are simply maybe ignored, 298 00:29:09,856 --> 00:29:12,157 which I think is, which is a little different, right? 299 00:29:12,157 --> 00:29:21,344 But although I can tell you this, this morning, because I knew I was going to be talking to you all today, I was looking over some art, current things on Mississippi Today, which 300 00:29:21,344 --> 00:29:27,644 that website I still I try to keep up with that they do a really nice job with Mississippi issues. 301 00:29:27,644 --> 00:29:41,924 And I saw that Attorney General Lynn Fitch is apparently trying to appeal to the federal government to eliminate the ability of organizations to represent client or plaintiffs on 302 00:29:41,924 --> 00:29:43,584 civil rights violation matters. 303 00:29:43,584 --> 00:29:48,680 I mean, this is that is truly astonishing that 304 00:29:48,680 --> 00:30:02,752 That is up, David, that to me is closer to returning to segregation than the DEI component in education, I think has more to do with just sidestepping and ignoring issues of race 305 00:30:02,752 --> 00:30:04,573 altogether, diversity altogether. 306 00:30:04,573 --> 00:30:12,390 What Lynn Fitch is proposing, I think is, looks, sounds a lot closer to returning to segregation to me. 307 00:30:12,549 --> 00:30:13,262 Gotcha. 308 00:30:13,262 --> 00:30:13,824 Yeah. 309 00:30:13,824 --> 00:30:15,290 And now I glanced at it. 310 00:30:15,290 --> 00:30:18,913 I article, but Jim, did you have something? 311 00:30:21,064 --> 00:30:30,470 Well, it seems like historically what happens in Mississippi ah doesn't take long for it to start off in other states as well. 312 00:30:30,470 --> 00:30:31,410 Yes. 313 00:30:31,471 --> 00:30:32,391 Yes. 314 00:30:33,853 --> 00:30:42,050 I was, Jim, you, this is something that I was uh explaining to a friend of mine uh here in New Hampshire. 315 00:30:42,050 --> 00:30:45,808 It also follows our state legislature pretty closely here. 316 00:30:45,808 --> 00:30:51,998 I said, right now the Republicans in the, and people think, well, New Hampshire is in the New England States. 317 00:30:51,998 --> 00:30:55,952 It's a lot different than Republican parties in other places. 318 00:30:55,952 --> 00:30:56,722 Well, 319 00:30:56,798 --> 00:31:01,001 The thing is, this is the most conservative politically of the New England states. 320 00:31:01,001 --> 00:31:08,656 And there's a Republican, a heavy Republican majority in the House and the Senate in New Hampshire, and the governor is a Republican. 321 00:31:09,017 --> 00:31:17,964 We have something called the Governor's Executive Council, which is a four to one Republican body that kind of uphold the governor's agenda. 322 00:31:17,964 --> 00:31:24,478 But what I was explaining, I was trying to explain the politics of uh the Mississippi legislature to a friend here. 323 00:31:24,497 --> 00:31:24,832 Haha 324 00:31:24,832 --> 00:31:31,938 said, it's, and I said, it's almost as if you could take, and I, I wish this, I was kidding about this, but I'm not. 325 00:31:31,938 --> 00:31:43,027 You could take the Republican caucus in the Mississippi house and put them here and trade them with the New Hampshire Republican caucus in the house in Concord, New Hampshire. 326 00:31:43,027 --> 00:31:47,200 And you would get the same types of legislation coming out of them. 327 00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:48,091 And it's hard. 328 00:31:48,091 --> 00:31:52,585 That's to me how the Republican party has just become so homogenous, right? 329 00:31:52,585 --> 00:31:54,482 That there used to be this distinct like. 330 00:31:54,482 --> 00:31:59,894 New England Republican party, know, a more, slightly more moderate Republicans in this area. 331 00:31:59,894 --> 00:32:01,095 That is no more. 332 00:32:01,095 --> 00:32:13,700 To me, it's a homogenous party that does one thing and it's, uh it follows Trump and it demands uh absolute uh agreement on all the policy issues. 333 00:32:13,884 --> 00:32:16,867 Do you have a Republican supermajority? 334 00:32:17,472 --> 00:32:22,872 I believe the house is, the Democrats are down about that. 335 00:32:22,872 --> 00:32:29,092 So an interesting thing about the state house here, there are 400 members in one of the here. 336 00:32:29,092 --> 00:32:31,812 Yeah, so it's one of the tiniest states. 337 00:32:31,972 --> 00:32:36,312 so members, we also have multi-member districts. 338 00:32:36,312 --> 00:32:41,532 Believe it or not, I'm represented by five different members of the state house where I live. 339 00:32:41,652 --> 00:32:45,630 I have five representatives in the house. 340 00:32:45,630 --> 00:32:49,282 And you know, guess what they make a year to do this job. 341 00:32:49,683 --> 00:32:55,760 And they're in session longer than the Mississippi House and Senate, $100. 342 00:32:57,089 --> 00:33:06,036 So these are people who have jobs where they're fully retired, but they're expected on no pay to do this job. 343 00:33:06,036 --> 00:33:11,460 And it tends to attract people, at least on the Republican side, they're very hard line partisans. 344 00:33:11,864 --> 00:33:13,285 because that's there. 345 00:33:13,285 --> 00:33:21,592 you know, they're more than willing to do the job because that's how they can initiate their policy agenda. 346 00:33:21,640 --> 00:33:30,487 Well, they can move to Mississippi and ah in their legislative positions make 40,000 or more. 347 00:33:30,772 --> 00:33:31,123 May 40 thousand... 348 00:33:31,123 --> 00:33:31,934 Right. 349 00:33:32,109 --> 00:33:34,990 Yeah, plus all the 350 00:33:34,990 --> 00:33:36,235 why they want to stay up there. 351 00:33:36,235 --> 00:33:40,281 Let me ask you, how's the maple syrup up there? 352 00:33:40,712 --> 00:33:44,063 Look, it's it's uh it's it's delicious. 353 00:33:44,063 --> 00:33:56,836 And in fact, I'm sitting here in my campus office uh right now, two doors down from me is our I'm in the humanities division and our building, our uh administrative assistant. 354 00:33:56,836 --> 00:34:03,858 Their father taps maple syrup from the trees in there, in there, on their property. 355 00:34:03,858 --> 00:34:08,920 for Christmas last year, they brought all of us who our offices are in the building, our own bottle. 356 00:34:08,920 --> 00:34:10,302 So, yeah, that's the uh 357 00:34:10,302 --> 00:34:11,616 Yo, it's delicious. 358 00:34:11,616 --> 00:34:12,832 uh 359 00:34:12,832 --> 00:34:17,059 the tariffs going to maple syrup? 360 00:34:17,204 --> 00:34:24,367 Well, so there was an article in one of the, I believe it was the New Hampshire Business publication. 361 00:34:24,367 --> 00:34:32,160 It's not called the New Hampshire Business Journal, but it's something along those lines talking about all of the areas in which the tariffs have already been affecting this state 362 00:34:32,160 --> 00:34:34,161 and it's possible that that's going to be one of them. 363 00:34:34,161 --> 00:34:44,915 The other thing is, there's another article this week that tourism, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont rely heavily on Canadian tourism. 364 00:34:45,728 --> 00:34:50,072 uh Vice versa, citizens here going to Canada. 365 00:34:50,072 --> 00:35:01,501 the report was that Canadian tourism over the last six months has declined about 40 some percent uh coming into Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine. 366 00:35:01,501 --> 00:35:10,368 And the governor here, who is a Republican, is the only governor in New England that won't renounce Trump's policies on immigration and the tariffs. 367 00:35:10,368 --> 00:35:14,590 And what they've had to do is at taxpayers' expense, send their own. 368 00:35:14,590 --> 00:35:18,823 delegation of New Hampshire elected officials to Canada to try to smooth things over. 369 00:35:18,823 --> 00:35:30,302 It's like all they had is their guy that's causing the problem and they're now spending tax dollars from Granite State residents here in New Hampshire to go try to uh make things 370 00:35:30,302 --> 00:35:34,475 better with the Canadians that Trump has driven away. 371 00:35:35,496 --> 00:35:41,064 It feels like the Twilight Zone in a lot of ways, uh 372 00:35:41,064 --> 00:35:41,932 I think it is. 373 00:35:41,932 --> 00:35:43,200 ah 374 00:35:45,198 --> 00:35:46,859 It's, I... 375 00:35:49,640 --> 00:35:55,260 I am equally concerned about where this is all headed. 376 00:35:57,679 --> 00:36:17,540 I had a friend of mine, you may have known him, George Cochran, who was a law professor at Ole Miss, and came when Ole Miss integrated and had been a clerk for, I think, Justice 377 00:36:17,540 --> 00:36:18,380 Black. 378 00:36:18,704 --> 00:36:21,667 I may be wrong. 379 00:36:22,128 --> 00:36:28,275 George used to say, change will only occur when people take to the streets. 380 00:36:29,697 --> 00:36:32,612 And that reminds me of 381 00:36:35,004 --> 00:36:36,944 the founding of this country. 382 00:36:40,562 --> 00:36:45,719 the the British patrols. 383 00:36:47,430 --> 00:36:49,527 the unauthorized arrests. 384 00:36:51,524 --> 00:36:55,549 and the people formed their own little militias. 385 00:36:56,190 --> 00:36:57,932 And the next thing you knew... 386 00:37:01,382 --> 00:37:05,500 We had a war and the British were getting beaten. 387 00:37:06,003 --> 00:37:08,667 Took a while, but they got beaten. 388 00:37:09,992 --> 00:37:12,295 And what did they get beaten for? 389 00:37:14,566 --> 00:37:16,929 They did not like having a king. 390 00:37:16,929 --> 00:37:22,224 They did not like taxation without representation. 391 00:37:23,527 --> 00:37:25,148 They did not like. 392 00:37:31,539 --> 00:37:44,592 They didn't like, I guess, so many wealthy people and so many ah people that didn't have the wherewithal to do anything. 393 00:37:44,746 --> 00:37:45,562 Mm-hmm. 394 00:37:46,522 --> 00:37:58,443 And it seems to me that we could very easily end up with riots in the streets and guns being fired. 395 00:38:00,045 --> 00:38:03,728 And as much as I'm opposed to that. 396 00:38:05,690 --> 00:38:11,749 I can see that happening with a large number of people to save our democracy. 397 00:38:13,767 --> 00:38:18,738 Well, but I don't think this is out of the realm of possibility. 398 00:38:18,738 --> 00:38:28,121 And that's why over the last few days, the rhetoric surrounding the murder of Charlie Kirk has been so alarming. 399 00:38:28,121 --> 00:38:36,863 And I'm not just saying the rhetoric, I'm saying the rhetoric from the view of some uh celebrating the man's murder, which I think is abhorrent. 400 00:38:37,004 --> 00:38:41,939 But then you also have the people on the right, uh like, 401 00:38:41,939 --> 00:38:46,932 president and the vice president, vowing retribution uh against the left. 402 00:38:46,932 --> 00:38:57,538 And we have no evidence yet that the suspect here that's in custody uh acted because of any liberal leaning political motivations. 403 00:38:57,538 --> 00:39:09,145 The early stages of this thing before an arrest was made, had conservatives in the Trump administration and Trump himself alleging that this was some sort of a left wing liberal. 404 00:39:09,145 --> 00:39:10,085 uh 405 00:39:10,085 --> 00:39:12,136 a hit on Charlie Kirk. 406 00:39:12,136 --> 00:39:17,050 it's like they're willing to ignore the facts and ignore the truth. 407 00:39:17,050 --> 00:39:28,418 I believe try to stoke the to try to make to inflame the situation so that it's worse to to that may lead us to the conditions that you described. 408 00:39:28,418 --> 00:39:38,949 That's that's what really worries me is seeing how the country has reacted in the last couple of days that uh the NFL uh 409 00:39:38,949 --> 00:39:42,920 all but four NFL teams holding tributes to this individual. 410 00:39:42,920 --> 00:39:48,002 And then the ones who didn't, they're getting uh pummeled on the internet over the fact they didn't. 411 00:39:48,002 --> 00:40:02,956 It's like a man has died here and we still don't seem to be able to, as a country, have the nuance to say Charlie Kirk believed in some truly uh bigoted uh things. 412 00:40:02,956 --> 00:40:07,773 uh But that means we defeat him by 413 00:40:07,773 --> 00:40:13,917 debating him and proving him wrong, not by the barrel of the gun. 414 00:40:13,917 --> 00:40:19,120 And I feel like we were missing the idea we get both things can be true at once, right? 415 00:40:19,120 --> 00:40:31,587 He had truly despicable views about race, gender, immigration, folks who are non-Christian or uh non-people of no religious faith, right? 416 00:40:32,268 --> 00:40:34,269 But at the same time, 417 00:40:34,626 --> 00:40:45,335 We all can agree that what happened to him is unacceptable in a democracy But I feel like we can't people can't bring themselves to say both You know this And I and it's so it's 418 00:40:45,335 --> 00:40:47,799 it's really scary to see that part 419 00:40:47,985 --> 00:40:52,173 It seems to me that the young man that did the shooting. 420 00:40:52,948 --> 00:40:53,758 Was 421 00:40:55,667 --> 00:41:03,576 He had a roommate and it was a LGBTQ type relationship. 422 00:41:07,037 --> 00:41:08,272 The young man. 423 00:41:10,149 --> 00:41:13,898 in my opinion, had some grievances. 424 00:41:14,229 --> 00:41:15,046 Mm-hmm. 425 00:41:16,157 --> 00:41:29,912 I mean, he's that LBGTQ community has not been well treated by the Trump administration or by any of the states ah as well. 426 00:41:30,773 --> 00:41:35,135 And I think the kid lost it. 427 00:41:35,875 --> 00:41:43,218 I think he just decided that his lifestyle was he just couldn't live that lifestyle. 428 00:41:43,658 --> 00:41:45,779 He could not face. 429 00:41:47,763 --> 00:41:51,876 the treatment that he was going to receive the rest of his life. 430 00:41:52,541 --> 00:41:54,526 And he wanted to do something. 431 00:41:55,507 --> 00:42:00,768 tonight in DeSoto County in Hernando, which is a county seat, there is a meeting. 432 00:42:00,768 --> 00:42:13,652 uh One of the aldermen has proposed that one of the main streets in Hernando be renamed Charlie Kirk Boulevard. 433 00:42:13,792 --> 00:42:18,173 So there will be a lot of uh discussion there. 434 00:42:18,173 --> 00:42:19,914 Sadly, I won't. 435 00:42:20,358 --> 00:42:27,330 I won't be there, I have an up-prior commitment, but I would be there and I would be very opposed to that. 436 00:42:27,330 --> 00:42:31,616 ah Let's get back a little bit to Mississippi. 437 00:42:31,616 --> 00:42:32,922 opposed to that? 438 00:42:34,962 --> 00:42:38,193 ah Number one, because of his beliefs. 439 00:42:40,272 --> 00:42:46,434 because of Charlie Kirk's beliefs, what he said, it's wrong. 440 00:42:48,324 --> 00:42:51,236 And once again, no, hate that he was murdered. 441 00:42:51,236 --> 00:42:56,859 I hate that he left a family, but that is, that is, it's wrong. 442 00:42:58,281 --> 00:43:04,225 Getting back to a little bit about in Mississippi and uh Dr. 443 00:43:04,225 --> 00:43:08,347 Schrader, I'm glad you brought that up about Lynn Fitch. 444 00:43:08,968 --> 00:43:15,472 In Mississippi, it's horrible ah what we are seeing. 445 00:43:15,472 --> 00:43:18,314 ah 446 00:43:20,076 --> 00:43:22,027 our governor, Tate Reeves. 447 00:43:22,027 --> 00:43:31,854 uh He, uh well, let me ask you, Jim, what do you think about Tate Reeves sending the National Guard to DC? 448 00:43:33,214 --> 00:43:42,090 ah I think he would have been better off to send him to Hattiesburg or Jackson, which have higher crime rates than DC does. 449 00:43:42,377 --> 00:43:50,115 Oh, are you saying that national guards should be used as policemen and to fight crime? 450 00:43:51,856 --> 00:44:05,089 No, but if you're gonna do it, the troops, send the Mississippi troops to places in Mississippi that could use the uh additional manpower. 451 00:44:05,850 --> 00:44:18,593 I know a number of cities that would love to have the National Guard come in and plant flowers and do raking and clean up leaves and trash, et cetera. 452 00:44:19,714 --> 00:44:21,884 So, yeah. 453 00:44:23,953 --> 00:44:26,166 But it's go ahead, Dr. 454 00:44:26,166 --> 00:44:26,987 Schreider. 455 00:44:27,304 --> 00:44:31,487 No, no, I, that's not what I was expecting you to say on that one, Jim. 456 00:44:31,487 --> 00:44:44,928 But I, I, but I, do want to say with, with governor Reeves and other Republican governors around the country who, who are, who have capitulated to the Trump administration and 457 00:44:44,928 --> 00:44:53,215 sending the guardsmen, are very guardsmen from various States to do things that the guards not really structured to do. 458 00:44:53,215 --> 00:44:57,024 It's all to me, part of the political performance that they have to 459 00:44:57,024 --> 00:45:04,238 continuously prove over and over again that their undying loyalty to Donald J. 460 00:45:04,238 --> 00:45:10,221 Trump that is not about the states or the country or the guard or the people in those places. 461 00:45:10,221 --> 00:45:12,393 It's about they have to just keep, yes, Mr. 462 00:45:12,393 --> 00:45:15,134 President, we're going to do whatever you say. 463 00:45:15,134 --> 00:45:16,885 We want to stay on your good side. 464 00:45:16,885 --> 00:45:26,230 It just feels like this continual uh effort to prove themselves sufficiently loyal to the boss. 465 00:45:26,422 --> 00:45:27,206 What? 466 00:45:27,206 --> 00:45:28,239 we don't have the boss. 467 00:45:28,239 --> 00:45:30,202 We have the president of the people. 468 00:45:30,972 --> 00:45:35,029 Why do I don't, I don't understand that. 469 00:45:35,615 --> 00:45:40,419 started to enjoy blowing up boats in the Gulf of America. 470 00:45:42,294 --> 00:45:45,874 Well, David, just said you don't understand. 471 00:45:45,894 --> 00:45:48,234 think here's the part I struggle to understand. 472 00:45:48,234 --> 00:45:48,694 Okay. 473 00:45:48,694 --> 00:45:53,894 We have a president with what I looked at his approval, the latest national poll. 474 00:45:53,894 --> 00:45:57,854 And I forget whose poll it was that is approval rating at 37, 38%. 475 00:45:57,854 --> 00:45:58,494 Right. 476 00:45:58,494 --> 00:46:01,714 His popularity is declined by like 20. 477 00:46:01,714 --> 00:46:06,134 His approval rating is declined by double digits since he took office. 478 00:46:06,474 --> 00:46:08,114 He's tanking the economy. 479 00:46:08,114 --> 00:46:10,454 The tariffs are immensely unpopular. 480 00:46:10,518 --> 00:46:20,742 uh Most of his legislative program, if you can call it that, his executive order program, I guess, and the big, beautiful, bad bill, very unpopular. 481 00:46:20,742 --> 00:46:24,684 Plus, let's just go along with the idea that he's term limited. 482 00:46:24,684 --> 00:46:29,246 uh He will be a lame duck very soon. 483 00:46:29,626 --> 00:46:32,107 He's wasting his political capital. 484 00:46:32,107 --> 00:46:38,824 Why in the world some of these Republicans continue to give him everything he wants and more when 485 00:46:38,844 --> 00:46:42,220 He is in no position to demand that from them. 486 00:46:42,220 --> 00:46:49,231 They're the ones who are going to be around probably in office a lot longer than he will, but they're capitulating to him. 487 00:46:49,231 --> 00:46:51,994 That's the part that I struggle to comprehend. 488 00:46:52,525 --> 00:46:57,127 I cannot for the life of me understand that. 489 00:46:57,807 --> 00:47:01,789 What, how does he have this power over them? 490 00:47:01,789 --> 00:47:07,942 What does, why and how and what power, what does he have on them? 491 00:47:07,942 --> 00:47:14,364 And that just, it's, it's, it's frightening because I can't, I just can't understand it. 492 00:47:14,364 --> 00:47:17,156 What does he know about them that we don't know? 493 00:47:17,156 --> 00:47:18,916 And why are they acting like that? 494 00:47:18,916 --> 00:47:20,281 I, I, yes. 495 00:47:20,281 --> 00:47:21,969 the Epstein files. 496 00:47:23,718 --> 00:47:25,362 Yeah, yeah. 497 00:47:25,986 --> 00:47:33,026 yeah, that's a good point too. 498 00:47:34,734 --> 00:47:37,595 But also, I think they live in fear. 499 00:47:37,595 --> 00:47:48,310 em There is this now deceased political science, scientists back in the 70s, and I had to read a lot of his stuff in graduate school and David Mayhew. 500 00:47:48,310 --> 00:47:50,721 And one of the things he wrote about is he described it. 501 00:47:50,721 --> 00:47:53,782 And this was in the 70s, in a different era in politics. 502 00:47:53,782 --> 00:48:03,126 He described members of Congress as single minded seekers of reelection, where they're the only the number one thing on their mind. 503 00:48:03,216 --> 00:48:09,639 Is is how to seek reelection and that's not a knock at you know, that they want to remain in power and be influential, right? 504 00:48:09,639 --> 00:48:23,954 So that's a rational thing to do but at the same time these the current republicans in congress, I think Are so afraid of being unseated in a primary by someone who runs to Not 505 00:48:23,954 --> 00:48:32,690 necessarily to their right but that just runs directly with trump or alongside trump uh that that they're deathly afraid of 506 00:48:32,690 --> 00:48:37,002 of opposing him on anything or at any turn because of that. 507 00:48:37,002 --> 00:48:46,257 That's still, I think, his most powerful weapon is the uh unadulterated uh control of the Republican Party base. 508 00:48:46,298 --> 00:48:55,593 And that's why so many members of his party in Congress, even though they should no longer be living in fear of him, uh they are, despite lame duck status, despite poor approval 509 00:48:55,593 --> 00:48:59,225 rating, despite that uh very unpopular public policy. 510 00:48:59,225 --> 00:49:01,384 uh 511 00:49:01,384 --> 00:49:13,070 And look, and I don't mean to pick on the man's health and wellness, but I think he appears to be sickly. 512 00:49:13,070 --> 00:49:26,488 And I think he's showing signs of diminished mental capacity, but they are still deathly afraid of that voting base that he controls all over the country in every Republican House 513 00:49:26,488 --> 00:49:27,488 district. 514 00:49:27,568 --> 00:49:31,300 And I think that is what's keeping them at his side. 515 00:49:32,606 --> 00:49:35,680 I love that quote that you just said, was it? 516 00:49:35,680 --> 00:49:37,244 Single-minded. 517 00:49:38,470 --> 00:49:42,713 Oh, single minded seekers of reelection. 518 00:49:43,194 --> 00:49:49,098 everything they do is, yes, it's sort of geared towards how do I keep my seat? 519 00:49:49,098 --> 00:49:54,032 And that was evident to this late professor back in the 70s. 520 00:49:54,032 --> 00:49:55,553 It's especially true now. 521 00:49:55,553 --> 00:49:59,866 If it was true then, it's definitely true today. 522 00:49:59,960 --> 00:50:01,207 Absolutely. 523 00:50:02,119 --> 00:50:14,225 the new legislators, newly elected legislators, ah they go through a little class on protocol, et cetera. 524 00:50:14,225 --> 00:50:21,769 And one of the things that they are told is that they need to spend four hours a day on the phone raising money. 525 00:50:22,849 --> 00:50:24,560 Yep, call time. 526 00:50:25,677 --> 00:50:26,547 Yes. 527 00:50:28,126 --> 00:50:30,086 Now it's text time. 528 00:50:30,086 --> 00:50:36,806 My phone just burns up with people I've never heard of, from places I've never heard of. 529 00:50:36,866 --> 00:50:44,966 And they are the most well-meaning people running for whatever. 530 00:50:45,606 --> 00:50:55,646 And they want anywhere from $10 to $50 or, I mean. 531 00:50:55,763 --> 00:50:57,123 No, and I'm sorry. 532 00:50:57,123 --> 00:51:06,751 Like you said, I used to get them just from uh candidates who were running in whatever place I was, whether it was when I was living in Mississippi, I get them from some 533 00:51:06,751 --> 00:51:07,562 Mississippi candidates. 534 00:51:07,562 --> 00:51:13,376 Then when I moved here, I was getting from now I'm getting them from candidates in Hawaii, California, Florida. 535 00:51:13,376 --> 00:51:21,832 And it's just like, I, you can't know very few voters or even like Democratic Party supporters have the bandwidth. 536 00:51:21,834 --> 00:51:28,249 financially to support all these people who are bombarding us with text messages about fundraising. 537 00:51:28,249 --> 00:51:38,516 But it makes me think, Jim, to your point about the text messages, I wonder if the Republicans are using that exact same strategy or they have something that's more sort of 538 00:51:38,516 --> 00:51:44,550 streamlined to, that's not like, it feels like with the democratic fundraising, it's just sort of like. 539 00:51:45,056 --> 00:51:50,104 put it out there and throw it against the wall and hope it's something sticks and we get some money out of it. 540 00:51:50,104 --> 00:51:54,844 But I just wonder though, if the Republicans are doing the same or if they've got a different strategy. 541 00:51:54,844 --> 00:52:04,199 I don't think the Republicans have to do it because the Republican party ah is pretty strong. 542 00:52:04,839 --> 00:52:16,325 And as we talked a little bit about earlier, the Democratic party ah lacks leadership and is not very strong. 543 00:52:16,626 --> 00:52:24,774 And when you're trying to raise money as a candidate and you're in a party that is perceived as ah 544 00:52:24,774 --> 00:52:32,381 not very strong, the potential of you winning is not very good, and why waste my money? 545 00:52:33,423 --> 00:52:35,665 And I don't know how we get around that, but... 546 00:52:35,665 --> 00:52:37,526 uh 547 00:52:37,645 --> 00:52:52,461 but Nathan here in Mississippi, have, uh, some people who are considering running for, uh, Trent Kelly's position and they're well qualified. 548 00:52:52,461 --> 00:53:05,056 Uh, one of them who's thinking about it, you may know is, uh, Cliff Johnson, former U S assistant district attorney there in Jackson. 549 00:53:05,632 --> 00:53:14,359 and now at a professor at Ole Miss and heads up the MacArthur Foundation. 550 00:53:15,721 --> 00:53:19,604 Extremely well qualified and. 551 00:53:21,500 --> 00:53:26,640 It's going to take a lot of money if he decides to run. 552 00:53:26,640 --> 00:53:28,620 It's going to take a lot of money. 553 00:53:29,120 --> 00:53:44,780 And in the first CD, we've got maybe four counties, three counties that have cities of 30, 40, 40,000 or more. 554 00:53:44,880 --> 00:53:50,060 And the rest of the place is a rural part of the first CD. 555 00:53:51,576 --> 00:53:59,783 So anybody that's going to run is going to have to really reach out and reach out outside of the first CD. 556 00:53:59,783 --> 00:54:02,004 ah 557 00:54:04,366 --> 00:54:13,456 And it just makes it really difficult when the national leadership is not as strong as I would hope that it might be. 558 00:54:14,503 --> 00:54:20,795 Well, and I think I've been following Scott Colom you know, in his his entry into the US center race. 559 00:54:20,795 --> 00:54:34,929 I think that's another candidate where anywhere else in the country, if you took uh somebody with the bio, the professional biography and the personal abilities of Scott 560 00:54:34,929 --> 00:54:41,211 Colom, he would be a, you know, a strong contender. 561 00:54:41,211 --> 00:54:43,335 But you're right, because of uh 562 00:54:43,335 --> 00:54:48,772 Democrats maybe not wanting to give in Mississippi because they don't think that someone could win there. 563 00:54:48,772 --> 00:54:53,047 I hope he can also overcome that because he, think, will be an exceptional candidate. 564 00:54:53,365 --> 00:54:54,131 Absolutely. 565 00:54:54,131 --> 00:55:01,587 exceptional candidate and his dad, Will, is working, I think, full time to help him. 566 00:55:01,648 --> 00:55:08,317 And actually, if there's anybody in the Democratic Party that can raise money, it's his father, Will Cologne. 567 00:55:08,317 --> 00:55:09,761 Yes, yes. 568 00:55:10,717 --> 00:55:11,489 Yeah. 569 00:55:12,972 --> 00:55:16,865 Yeah, in Mississippi, we have our issues. 570 00:55:17,510 --> 00:55:18,652 Go ahead, Jim. 571 00:55:18,939 --> 00:55:21,927 Well, Nathan is familiar with those. 572 00:55:21,927 --> 00:55:23,651 He lived here for a while. 573 00:55:24,909 --> 00:55:40,894 Well, Jim and David, the thing that does frustrate me is that there are opportunities uh for Democrats to improve or succeed in Mississippi, but I feel that sometimes people in 574 00:55:40,894 --> 00:55:50,057 other parts of the country write it right off the Mississippi Democrats just because it's Mississippi when they're but there are and David you just mentioned the 575 00:55:50,057 --> 00:55:55,317 The new Democratic mayor of Horn Lake, said, is, or a new mayor of Horn Lake is a Democrat, right? 576 00:55:55,317 --> 00:56:05,577 There are, think there are places that Democrats can win in Mississippi, but I think either some quality candidates feel that they'll be written off because they're Democrats 577 00:56:05,577 --> 00:56:14,417 and they don't run, or potential donors or supporters feel that, oh, wait a minute, this is a, an impossible state to win. 578 00:56:14,417 --> 00:56:15,797 So, or district to win. 579 00:56:15,797 --> 00:56:19,677 And so we're going to find somewhere else to spend our time in capital. 580 00:56:19,677 --> 00:56:20,125 But. 581 00:56:20,125 --> 00:56:29,391 But I think those opportunities are, I've long believed ever since I was on the Mississippi Democratic State Executive Committee and as Hines County Democratic Vice Chair 582 00:56:29,391 --> 00:56:40,459 and on that committee before as a committee member before I was vice chairman, I think those opportunities for Democrats are there in Mississippi, but it's got to take a joint 583 00:56:40,459 --> 00:56:40,779 effort. 584 00:56:40,779 --> 00:56:47,743 think Democrats and independents in the state have got to, they've got to come, they're the only way to come together. 585 00:56:47,745 --> 00:56:50,085 For them to come together is the only way to. 586 00:56:50,119 --> 00:56:56,003 I think push back on the Republicans and the Republicans can raise a ton of money as we know. 587 00:56:56,804 --> 00:56:57,604 All right. 588 00:56:57,604 --> 00:56:59,211 able to do it quite easily. 589 00:56:59,211 --> 00:57:02,665 ah 590 00:57:02,974 --> 00:57:07,568 wind this down, Jim, ah Dr. 591 00:57:07,568 --> 00:57:09,749 Schrader, Nathan, it was good to see you. 592 00:57:09,749 --> 00:57:11,749 Great to have you with us. 593 00:57:11,749 --> 00:57:17,851 We need to get together again because this is just so much fun, you know, hearing your experience. 594 00:57:18,151 --> 00:57:20,571 And I'd love to take a class. 595 00:57:20,732 --> 00:57:24,152 Yeah, I'll come to New Hampshire and take a class from you. 596 00:57:24,392 --> 00:57:26,313 So thank you for being with us. 597 00:57:26,313 --> 00:57:27,303 Jim. 598 00:57:27,424 --> 00:57:28,118 it was a pleasure. 599 00:57:28,118 --> 00:57:30,151 I'm glad we finally got to do it. 600 00:57:30,151 --> 00:57:32,771 Yes, Jim, talk to us. 601 00:57:32,771 --> 00:57:33,862 Why just? 602 00:57:34,372 --> 00:57:35,453 Good to see you. 603 00:57:35,907 --> 00:57:42,582 Were you on the executive committee when Mabus was executive chairman? 604 00:57:43,094 --> 00:57:44,507 No, no I wasn't. 605 00:57:44,507 --> 00:57:45,047 I wasn't. 606 00:57:45,047 --> 00:57:45,930 Okay. 607 00:57:47,519 --> 00:57:49,337 Jim, let's talk about money. 608 00:57:50,007 --> 00:57:51,060 Tell us about money. 609 00:57:51,060 --> 00:57:52,855 I love to talk about money. 610 00:57:52,855 --> 00:57:54,817 You gonna send me some crypto? 611 00:57:57,119 --> 00:57:58,609 Well, I guess not. 612 00:57:58,730 --> 00:57:59,370 Okay. 613 00:57:59,370 --> 00:58:02,931 ah It's the same old spiel. 614 00:58:04,132 --> 00:58:06,513 These podcasts do cost money. 615 00:58:06,893 --> 00:58:13,055 And ah David and I have been footing the bill along with a couple of other people. 616 00:58:13,636 --> 00:58:20,498 And we need more contributors ah to get to the breakeven point. 617 00:58:21,399 --> 00:58:24,720 We're not interested in making any money out of this. 618 00:58:25,040 --> 00:58:26,741 We tried to do this. 619 00:58:29,050 --> 00:58:32,091 Well, OK, we do this for fun. 620 00:58:32,091 --> 00:58:46,077 I do it hoping to help educate ah people in rural Mississippi that don't have access to these kind of guests. 621 00:58:46,498 --> 00:58:55,422 I think when we talk to legislators and we talk to people who leak groups like ah PTA people. 622 00:58:55,422 --> 00:58:56,862 ah 623 00:59:01,336 --> 00:59:05,548 the Southern Poverty Leadership Conference. 624 00:59:05,809 --> 00:59:11,511 I think when we talk to those people, there's an opportunity to educate people. 625 00:59:12,452 --> 00:59:20,837 And I think that's important enough that David, I and a few other people are contributing. 626 00:59:21,578 --> 00:59:29,665 If you would like to support this effort, ah David can tell you how it's pretty easy. 627 00:59:29,665 --> 00:59:30,981 Yes, absolutely. 628 00:59:30,981 --> 00:59:32,246 have cash. 629 00:59:34,361 --> 00:59:42,442 Yes, Cash App, which is the dollar sign, MS Happenings, and PayPal is at MS Happenings. 630 00:59:42,442 --> 00:59:51,802 And yes, we do have a website and you can make donations at the website and it is mississippihappenings.org. 631 00:59:51,842 --> 00:59:56,362 So yes, we do want your donations. 632 00:59:56,362 --> 00:59:58,002 We do want your subscribers. 633 00:59:58,002 --> 01:00:00,382 We do want you to subscribe. 634 01:00:00,382 --> 01:00:02,490 We do want sponsors. 635 01:00:02,490 --> 01:00:04,280 But also we want to hear from you. 636 01:00:04,280 --> 01:00:10,152 want to, you know, what we're doing good, what we're doing bad, what we're okay. 637 01:00:10,152 --> 01:00:13,273 We want to know who you want us to talk to. 638 01:00:13,273 --> 01:00:15,644 We want to know who you want to hear from. 639 01:00:15,644 --> 01:00:27,317 So you can also reach us at mshappening1 at Gmail, which is mshappening1 at gmail.com. 640 01:00:27,557 --> 01:00:28,727 So Dr. 641 01:00:28,727 --> 01:00:30,538 Shrader good to see you. 642 01:00:30,538 --> 01:00:32,434 Glad to have you with us, Jim. 643 01:00:32,570 --> 01:00:34,872 Grumpy pants, it's good to see you again. 644 01:00:34,872 --> 01:00:43,840 uh And remember, may we never become indifferent to the suffering of others. 645 01:00:43,840 --> 01:00:44,660 Thanks so much.