Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
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, Ali
Long time no see.
You've been busy- Right … busy
moving, and you're finally settled.
God, I hate moving.
You- I'm doing it in 11 days.
Seth just did it.
I'm not looking forward to
it.
I'm- Only, only fitting that
the, uh, that the birthday twins
would try to move in the middle
of the hottest summer- … ever.
Like, what the hell was-
If I panned my camera right
now, you would just see boxes.
Yeah, okay.
Like, I'm just living in a sea of boxes.
Whoa.
Um, but anyway, more importantly, we
have another fantastic guest today.
We have Jaren Christian.
He is running for Congress in Ohio's 12th
district, and he has won his primary.
They have had their primary.
Oh, yeah.
So he is running against an incumbent who
has been serving in Ohio for a total of
16 years, eight years in the state Senate,
now eight years as a congressperson.
And, um, the way Jaren describes
him, he's somewhat of a ghost,
so let's hear more about that.
Welcome to Left Out Loud, Jaren.
Hi.
Thanks for having me.
Absolutely.
Appreciate
you.
We appreciate
you taking the time.
Yeah.
So before we get to the race
and your incumbent, let's just
get to know you a little bit.
I like to start at the beginning.
Um, I read your bio.
I thought it was really well-written.
I felt instantly like I got a really good
sense of sort of your life, and it was,
um, laid bare and it was vulnerable, and
I really appreciate when people kind of…
their authenticity comes through
when they write about themselves.
So you grew up, um, in the Apala-
Appalachian region of Ohio, right?
Yep.
And y- you describe yourself as growing
up in poverty, and you know, a lot
of us talk about growing up and not
having a lot, but that's different
than growing up and having potentially
food insecurity or wondering how meals
are gonna get on the table, right?
Um, and, and that's the story I think
of a lot of Americans, especially
Americans in different regions of
the, uh, of the Appalachian, um,
districts of different states.
So I also read that when you were
young, you were kind of looking at
your future and you felt like you
had two choices: You could work in a
factory or you could join the military.
Um, again, I think so many
people in America relate to that.
We have sort of this poverty
to military pipeline.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Um, and, and you chose the military.
You enlisted in the Navy.
Um, you had a job as an aircraft…
or I'm sorry, as a flight deck
fueler for an aircraft carrier
during, um, Operation Iraqi Freedom
and Operation Enduring Freedom.
So then you went into meteorology
and oceanography for a few years
while you were in the m- military.
So right there I just kinda wanna pause,
because you talked about when you got
out of the military, you realized that
these skills that you had acquired in
meteorology and oceanography didn't
translate, right, in the civilian world.
Without a degree or formal education
in those, um, in those fields,
there was really nowhere to go.
And I see that happen all the time.
I talk to a lot of people in
the military who experience that
same… I don't wanna call it a
phenomenon, but challenge, right?
Sure.
You learn these incredible
skills in the military.
You get out of the military, only
to find out this means nothing,
really, in the real world.
So let's start there.
After you got out of the military, kinda
pick up where that story leaves off.
Sure.
Um, actually right after I got out,
um, a good friend of mine that I
was in, uh, the military with, he
got me my first job when I got out.
I was an outdoor education teacher.
I taught sixth graders, like leadershi-
leadership and team-building.
We did ropes courses.
A very cool job, but did not pay me
enough to eat food on a regular basis.
Mm-hmm.
So eventually I became a retail manager.
Um, I did that for about a
year, and it was not for me.
Mm-hmm.
Um, one of the big, one of the big
things that happens when people
get out of the military is a lot of
times that transition is difficult.
As you mentioned, those skills don't
really translate into real life very much,
uh, without an accompanying degree or
the type of job that takes it like that.
Um, so I bounced around.
I was a bouncer at a bar.
I was a bartender for a long time.
Um, but, uh, the, after a while I
found out I was gonna be a dad, so I
took a job as a janitor in a factory,
and I did that job for several years.
Uh, I had no- Which is
ironic, because I remember reading you
took a skills assessment- … and the
job you were most suited for was a secret
agent, and the job you were least- Wow
suited for was a janitor.
Yeah.
And so the secret agent blows my mind.
I've never heard anyone get that
on one of those assessments ever.
I've, uh… Yeah, I d- I
didn't know what to expect.
The test was- … honestly a surprise.
They brought us all in, uh, to the
auditorium just my senior year of
high school, and everyone took it.
Yeah.
Um, didn't even know what it was.
They're like, "Surprise,
here's a random test." Um, but
after- That happened to me with
my SATs, believe it or not.
I have actually never taken the SATs.
That happened to me with SATs.
We went to take them, and everybody
seemed to know about them, or
kinda know about them, but we
never talked about it in class.
We didn't have SAT prep back then.
Mm-hmm.
And I was, like, thinking, "Oh, is
this just another standardized test?
Doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter." Yeah.
Yeah.
So you took a job out of necessity, right?
Mm-hmm.
Because you were expecting a child,
and then after that, um, is that when
you got into software engineering?
Yeah, so, um, you know, during
that time there… nobody had any
insurance, uh, because m- Mm. My
job nor my partner had insurance.
Um, that sucks.
Yeah.
Especially when you're
about to have a kid.
Um-
Yeah, not a great time
not to have insurance.
Right.
So actually, there was a, there was
a little snippet of time in there
when I was, uh, almost a state
highway patrolman, um- Oh, wow
which is like Ohio State Police.
Okay.
Um, I s- I signed up, I went and
did their physical and written
exams, and passed all of that.
Uh, but the time between when you pass
those tests and when they actually accept
you and bring you in to start doing
the job, like to go to their version
of boot camp, can be up to a year.
So during that year I was still a
janitor, still facing the same problems.
Uh, and I, instead I taught myself how
to code online, and then I went through
a tech school to help with job placement.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, and I've been a software
engineer for, like, eight years.
Right when I became a software engineer,
the state police actually reached back
out to me and they said, "All right.
We're ready for you to go to the boot camp
now." And I was like, "Ah, sorry guys.
I'm already, I'm already
doing this other thing now."
Sorry, I actually had to live and
pay bills and get some insurance, so-
Yeah
…
had to move on with my life a little bit.
Yep.
Okay.
So you've experienced the gamut of, you
know, serving the country, uh, you know,
a- as a, uh, member of the Navy, trying
to figure out life after you got out of
the Navy, um, unexpected pregnancy, I've
been there for sure, um, and all of the
challenges that come along with that.
So how do we arrive to this?
How are we arriving at
you running for Congress?
Um, I, it, man, I just, uh, I got tired of
waking up feeling the same way every day.
You know, even after becoming a
software engineer, I was still
looking at the world, reading the
news, and getting angry and, you
know, caring about my son's future.
Now I'm responsible for
this whole other human life.
Yeah.
And, uh, I didn't like the way things
were going, and I woke up every single
day, and I read the news, and I got angry.
And instead of getting angry
one day, I said, "I'm gonna
run for Congress," and I did.
I've never been politically involved.
I've never run for an office before.
I just, uh, figured out what it
took that day, signed the paperwork,
started fundraising, and traveling
around to meet people I didn't know.
Yeah.
Phenomenal.
That's fascinating because so many
people feel like that now, right?
Uh, and you know, Ohio hasn't gone
blue since Barack Obama was in office.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, and, and, and it makes it, like,
a very interesting state, right?
Because since then it's basically
voted just like the South, and of
course, it's majority red districts.
But, um, like, what do you think
about, you know, uh, the prospect
of o- of turning Ohio back blue?
Uh, and obviously, you know,
you've, you've won your primary,
and so h- how are you feeling about
things on the ground there in Ohio?
Because it is a state that obviously can
turn back blue, but what are your plans to
really get to, to get, you know, in front
of these people, tell them your ideas,
and, and actually make that a reality?
The prospects of turning Ohio back to
blue are pretty good in my opinion.
Good.
Um, I try to exist
outside the echo chamber.
That makes me feel undeservedly good, uh,
which is- Yeah … really important to me.
Um, right now I think that the Republicans
have put forward one of the worst
possible candidates for governor that
they possibly could have, uh, in Vivek
Ramaswamy.
Mm.
And, uh-
Big yikes.
Yeah.
Can't agree more on that
one.
Big yikes.
So, um, yeah, failed
president, failed doge.
Hey, let's go be governor of Ohio.
Um-
Third time's a charm, I guess.
Right.
Yeah, I sure hope not.
Holy crap.
Um, but you know, we have a really
great candidate in Amy Acton, who
you may or may not be familiar with.
Um- I am.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Fantastic.
She's…
She is fantastic.
Um, the, the state is incredibly
gerrymandered, um, but right now the
sentiment is, is swinging so drastically.
I think that there are a lot of,
especially younger people and people
who have been sitting on the wayside
letting their apathy get the best of
them, are starting to realize that, uh,
we have a responsibility to take care
of ourselves and our people, and if
we don't do that, no one is going to.
Yeah.
Hmm.
I, I think, uh, you know, we're
hearing that more and more.
We're hearing from candidates that
are in predominantly red states
or historically red states or was
historically red districts, and I think
voters have just reached that tipping
point of nothing's working, right?
These Republican promises are translating
into policies that aren't really about
us, they're about the billionaire class,
and where else can you go at this point?
You know, you can't keep going back to
the same well that is, um, causing such
economic pain all across the country.
Mm-hmm.
So one of the things… I'm gonna
skip around a little bit but-
Sure … because you were in Ohio,
um, I wanna ask you about a policy
that's uniquely Ohioan, right?
Okay.
You have policy about, um,
capping Ohio's gas wells.
So talk to me about what that even means.
That is probably not uniquely Ohio.
Okay.
Uh, through- throughout this state, uh,
through the last couple generations,
we've been building natural gas wells.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, those natural gas wells belong
to companies that, uh, you know, they
would suck all the natural resources
out of our region, and they would just
leave the mess for us to clean up.
Mm.
Um, and as a former meteorologist
and oceanographer, I worry
very much about climate change.
Um, and those gas wells constantly,
constantly release methane, which
is an incredibly, um, powerful
greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere.
Mm-hmm.
And I know that they
are completely unsafe.
Methane's incredibly flammable,
explosive, and these wells are everywhere.
It's not like an obvious
pump sitting on the surface.
Sometimes they're- Right … under houses,
sometimes they're under schools, sometimes
they're in the middle of the woods, and
you have to use special cameras to see
the methane pl- plumes coming out of them.
Um- Mm-hmm … and I hope that what
we can do is cap these gas wells.
Um, I, I hate to pay for the mess that
these corporations came and left us,
but, you know- Well- … the Appalachian
region of Ohio is famous for having a
bunch of very wealthy people come and
steal the wealth of our lands and leave
us to clean up the mess, and this is
just another one of those instances.
Um, but we can really build local
economies if you, you know, make
some really good money for some
businesses by going around and- Well-
capping these wells.
It's gonna take some serious time.
Like I said, they're under
buildings, they're in the woods.
You have to cut a road.
You have to get trucks
back there and do the work.
So, um, I mean, there's some real money
to be made and some real forward momentum-
Expense … that we give up front.
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, I, I love… I… It, it just
popped out to me because I love to see
candidates… Obviously, a congressional
role is a sort of a… It's a federal
role, but you have local constituents,
right- Mm-hmm … that, that you
also need to be looking out for.
So that, that one really
piqued my interest.
Thank you for explaining it.
Yeah.
So right now, we, you know, I'm
glad that you brought up your
meteorological experience because right
now, obviously this administration
does not believe in climate change.
Uh, they go so far now as to cut
the budget for multiple sectors
like NOAA and, and others.
Yeah.
So, you know, with your experience,
uh, let, let our listeners know,
especially people in O- people in
Ohio, how that is affecting Ohio as a
state and, you know, what they go…
I mean, we're heading
into hurricane season.
Obviously you guys aren't
gonna get hit with a hurricane.
But what, but what can materialize
because of, you know, the
shortcomings of this administration
in terms of weather preparedness?
So, uh, yeah, on that note, I think
that this is going to be thematic
throughout the entire conversation
that we have surrounding policies
by this current administration.
Right.
Are you familiar with the term cac-
kakistocracy?
Yes.
I've heard of it, but-
Yeah.
So it's, it's a government ran by
the dumbest and least qualified
people that it could possibly be,
and that's where we live right now.
Um, these people- Yeah … are incredibly
unqualified for the positions they're
in, and I'm not just talking about our
current president, but the people who are
running the Department of Education, um,
you know, the EPA, all of these people.
They're just clowns.
On the best of days, on the
best of days, they are idiots.
Yeah.
So the weather thing is a really big
deal, especially on the military front.
It's one of the concepts that
a lot of people don't think of
when they think of the military.
But- Mm … every single thing the
military does gets run by meteorologists.
Um, we are involved in
anti-submarine warfare.
We're involved in special
operations planning.
Every single flight that leaves every
single base, every ship that travels
across the ocean, we are involved.
When you cut NOAA, which is a
government-funded method of tracking
weather patterns, you're actually directly
negatively affecting the m- military's
ability to accomplish its missions.
Um, so it is a significantly
bigger deal than not knowing when
it's gonna rain in your backyard.
Uh, we're talking about people's
lives in the military here.
Yeah.
NOAA has become kind of a theme,
um, here with the podcast.
We interviewed someone who lost their job
with NOAA with- as part of the DOGE cuts.
Um, it just keeps popping up, and I, I
think it's good to punctuate it, right?
I think you're right.
People don't necessarily
understand that NOAA has this
really broad-reaching impact.
It's not just the app on your
phone that tells you- … when
a storm is coming, right?
There are major consequences
for cutting that program.
And I'll tell you what also,
Ally, is like, you know, this
is something that, you know, it,
it, it's gonna reach into FEMA.
Like we're- Mm … we're, we're, we're
denying people, uh, you know, funding
for- Yeah … for these weather disasters,
uh, purely on a political basis.
Right.
And if you step left or right of
Trump, he's likely to cut your funding.
Yeah.
And so it's just unbelievable
that we are, that we're here.
It is a kakistocracy, 'cause what moron
would shortchange states in his own union?
Mm-hmm.
You know?
And people who obviously voted for him.
I mean, he l- he left North Carolina
high and dry, a state that he won.
Yeah.
And so it could happen to you, to anybody.
I mean, you're not safe from this guy.
No.
Absolutely not.
And so back to, um, back to
the idiots in our government.
You know, one thing you talked about,
which I, I, I thought about, I was like,
"You know, this is really an interesting,
um, thought experiment," right?
So you having worked hard and, and at
times struggled financially, um, I think
puts you in a unique position, and I think
it's, um, it's a really important position
of knowing, number one, how to stretch
a dollar, knowing how to prioritize
things, prioritize your finances and
your spend, um, and also, you know,
knowing where to make cuts when it…
where it's appropriate.
And I, I kinda get the feeling that
Congress, you know, when they appro-
when they get a budget and they
appropriate money towards certain
things, it feels like they look at
it as sort of this abstract concept.
They don't realize they're dealing
with real dollars and cents.
So-
Mm-hmm
talk to me about kind of your
perception of the budget and the
deficit and, you know, specifically
you talked about auditing the Pentagon.
So just from a financial
perspective, what you'd like to
accomplish as a congressperson.
I think a great place to
start is with the Pentagon.
Uh, it's never passed an audit
in the history of this nation.
I think that there are literal billions if
not trillions of dollars just going out.
If we wanna talk about fraud, waste,
and abuse, let's look at how many
planes we build that don't fly, how
many ships we build that don't float.
Mm-hmm.
Um, you know, I've seen firsthand
the way that the government u- uses
its budget within the military.
Essentially, it's a, uh, you
l- you use it or you lose it.
Yeah.
Um, they'll give you y- let's
say $10,000 for an annual budget,
and if you only spend eight, you
only get eight the next year.
Exactly.
It encourages waste.
Encourages waste.
Remember all the lobsters and
all of the, what was it, the
steaks?
Yeah, k- k- king crab, New York strip.
Yes.
The, the- The Jap- the Japanese flutes.
I mean, it was basically a
use it or lose it budget.
Yeah.
And it's just like that
happens every year, I guess.
Is this like a tradition where they just,
you know, take the 90 million that's
left over and we're just gonna party?
Like, that, that's unthinkable.
Yeah.
It, uh, you know, in some of the cases
when you look on it at, at a command
by command basis, it seems like small
potatoes, but, um, you know, I've
known military officers who have run
commands who, like, have a closet
just packed to the brim with PT gear
because every time they have extra
money, they're just like, "I guess
we're gonna buy shorts and T-shirts."
Uh, my command back in the day,
they bought- $2,000 chairs, uh,
because we had like $4,000 left over
and they bought two $2,000 chairs
if my memory serves correctly.
And, uh, they put them in the officers'
offices, but they were so uncomfortable
that in the end they actually swapped
them out with ours from our office.
Oh my God.
And, uh, we got s- we got, um, $2,000
chairs at our office that were not great.
And that's really common.
You take that scenario and you,
you copy/paste that into every
command across the entire planet.
Mm-hmm.
And, uh, we're not talking
about life-saving material here.
We're not talking about, you know,
bulletproof vests and tanks and things.
We're talking about PT
gear and office chairs.
Yeah.
Um, it- Yeah … it's insane
the way it's equipped.
It's com- it's, it's
comically evil really.
And, you know, this is the thing.
It's not, yes, you, if you don't use
it, you lose it, but what they were
worried about is when they go back to
request that money the following year,
well, if you got a $10 million budget
and you only spent eight, they're not
gonna justify you getting that 10 million
again, and they don't wanna give that up.
That- Happens all the time.
That's
exactly how it is.
And it's so wasteful.
Yep.
Incredibly wasteful.
I
love the idea of the, of the audit.
We need a, we need a lot of audits
Absolutely.
I mean, when you think about a trillion
dollar, a $30 trillion economy- Mm-hmm
… a $30 trillion GDP, it's, it's so dumb
that we're 40 trillion in the hole.
We got so much money running through
this thing and, and it's just clear
that our priorities are screwed,
and that we're just wasteful.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And, and it, and it's
just… So that's really sad.
Uh, real quick, I wanna move to data
centers, because that is quickly becoming,
like- Yeah … one of the biggest issues
of the election cycle, because you got
moratoriums going on across the nation.
Clear… I mean, it's a
bipartisan issue, truly.
I mean, nobody likes these
things, and for good reason.
I mean, they destroy your water,
they destroy the environment.
They don't really get
that many jobs, honestly.
I mean, it's, like, 60 people
running a 20,000 acre facility.
So the idea- Yeah … that Trump
is talking about jobs and it's
a goldmine is, is a joke, right?
So, and, and it also, you know, it,
the, the, the data center issue kind of
enco- encompasses so much of what you
talk about on your website, like, uh,
reducing energy costs and energy, and
ending the housing crisis, all the way
to getting money out of politics, right?
'Cause what's driving the, these
data centers is because there's
politicians maybe on the take.
You know, right here in, in Alabama,
Tommy Tuberville's like, "I wanna
make this data center USA." And I'm
like- … "Yeah, but what, what's on
the other side for you there, Tubs?"
Mm-hmm.
So, so, so, so talk about AI da- AI data
centers and, and that, and that whole
thing, and how you plan to approach it.
I am full bore moratorium.
We have absolutely no reason to
build a single one of these things
without checking what we're doing.
We need to make sure that we have
the correct environmental protections
in place, the correct… I, I mean,
Jesus, these are literally going in,
like, 1,000 feet from people's houses.
Yeah.
Um, and our- Our electricity bills in
Ohio have skyrocketed, and I think that's
kind of a national problem at this moment.
Yep.
And, um, what I do love to see is
that governments across the, across
the US and these states and these
localities, be they Democratic or
Republican run, when they accept these
data centers, they're hopefully paying
a price and at the election box.
We need to make sure that the
citizens of our regions are
represented in a meaningful way
and they get what they need.
Uh, and you're absolutely right that they
don't really supply a lot of jobs, but a
larger concern, um, bes- outside of the
environmental and, uh, the, the noise
ordinance nonsense, is that these are
essentially gonna be used to spy on us-
Yes
…
um, in the end.
Palantir- There you go, Jared.
There you
go.
Yeah.
Facts.
Palantir, flock cameras, they're
gonna be tracking your every move.
And I, for one, am a big
proponent of privacy.
I don't want the government to know
where I am or what I'm doing all
the time, and I sure as shit don't
want corporations knowing where I
am or what I'm doing all the time.
Amen.
And, you know, it's really hard to,
uh, split those two things and realize
that they're separate entities anymore,
corporations and the US government.
But, uh, when we start electing people
who actually acknowledge that corporations
aren't people and the government has a
responsibility to serve us, we're gonna
see a much different nation going forward.
Amen.
Yeah.
And, and real quick, Ally, I, I gotta
read this quote- Yeah, yeah, yeah
… because this set me off this morning.
All right, so this is from Bill
Ackman, who is a billionaire investor.
And I quote, "China is not putting
moratoriums on data centers. The
race for super intelligence needs
to be won by the USA or our country
and democracy will be at risk." Gee.
But- That's un- that's
unbelievable, right?
But also, like, they may not be putting
a moratorium, but are they building
them at the rate that we are everywhere?
They are not.
Everywhere.
And we also know that China has put a law
in place that, you know, their citizens'
jobs cannot be replaced ba- by AI if
it's being used as a cost-saving measure.
So- And- … these are not ap- we're
not comparing apples to apples here.
Right.
They may not have a moratorium, but
they're not expanding and covering
every state with data centers either.
Right.
And then additionally, China has data
centers that are not using water.
Right.
Mm. So they're not
polluting their environment.
They found a way around that.
So I would tell Bill, "Hey, maybe
work on getting some of those."
Then people may not, you know-
Right
…
oppose them so much, 'cause their, their,
'cause their water looks like shit, right?
And so I just, I think it's crazy
that these billionaires, like
here comes the pushback, right?
The billionaires coming in and saying,
"Guys, our democracy is at risk.
We're gonna lose-" Yes "… the
AI race to China." And all of a
sudden- Oh no … all of a sudden
it's like the, the moon race, right?
Yeah.
We just start throwing money.
You remember how people were.
They were at, at the very end, they
were like, "We're tired of spending
this money with NASA." Now that
ended up being something actually
good, but I do- I think we're headed
for the direct opposite thing here.
Yeah.
And we just gotta be ready for this, these
billionaires to start throwing the fodder
at us, because they're gonna start putting
that money in, and they're gonna start
putting money in on these races to make
sure that the money that they've invested
in these data centers doesn't go to waste.
Yeah, but- Won't somebody
think of the shareholders?
Come on.
Poor guys.
Geez.
Those poor guys.
Unreal, man.
I mean, and, and, and let's not, you
know, just to put a sort of a period
on that whole discussion, we're seeing
that, you know, a lot of employers are
hiring employees back- Hmm … because
AI ended up being more expensive and
less productive and less efficient- Right
than they had thought it would be.
So don't forget, we train, we train them.
We train AI, you know?
They're not, they're not there yet.
They're not ready.
Um-
And eventually we're gonna have the
problem of, you know, data centers and
AI, it's gonna be kind of an Ouroboros.
It's gonna be eating its own tail.
Yeah, yeah.
The more nonsense and trash
it creates, the more nonsense
and trash it's gonna eat.
Yep.
So.
100% agree.
I like that.
Um,
yeah, yeah.
Snake eating
its own tail, I like that.
True.
Yeah.
It's true.
Very true.
All right, so my l- sort of last
question, last policy question,
um, you talk about abolishing ICE.
Brave stance to take.
Not every person running
for Congress will say that.
Um, but I think it's important to
say that we've had a couple of more
absolutely senseless, atrocious deaths
committed by, murders committed by
ICE over these last couple of weeks.
Um, you know, talk to me about
how, how does Ohio feel about ICE?
Do you have ICE operations
happening there?
Do you think that there is, um,
concern, uh, f- you know, amongst your
constituents around ICE practices?
Uh, first and foremost, I want to
say that largely, um, in the case of
non-federal, uh, and in some federal,
I, I'm a big supporter of police.
My dad was an officer a lot of my life.
Mm-hmm.
And as I said, I was gonna be
part of the Ohio State Police.
Yes.
So no shade to the cops.
Yep.
Um, and you started that off by
saying that it's a brave stance
because a lot of people running
for office, um, don't take it.
Mm. But I would say that a lot of
people running for office don't
give a shit if we get killed by ICE.
Yeah.
Yeah.
We're in this mess because
our politicians- Damn
are awful.
They're awful people.
Yeah.
And they're usually far wealthier than
any of us are ever going to imagine being.
Mm-hmm.
And they want to take the, the stance
that they feel like is gonna get them the
most attention, and that's not how I roll.
I guarantee you that it, it's probably
my least popular stance within
Ohio's 12 district because people
are afraid of immigrants, because
that's what the government tells
them they should be afraid of today.
Mm-hmm.
But the fact of the matter is,
is that we are in far more danger
from the lawlessness within ICE
than we are from any immigrants.
Mm-hmm.
Certainly there are criminal elements
amongst the immigrant communities,
fine, yeah, I get that, but we can't
have warrantless searches of America.
You can't look at me and tell me
that you are pro-Constitution and
you are pro-law and order, and then
allow a federal police officer…
But I mean, shit, they're
not even police officers.
You're, you, you can't look at me
and tell me that you're pro-law and
order and have a federal agent search
somebody's home without a warrant.
Mm-hmm.
And just the way that these people are
stretching, uh, what, what they would
wanna consider legality until the courts
stop them is just incredible to me.
Um, I don't-
Incredible to me, too.
I mean, the fact that, you know, we had,
uh, after those two horrible murders,
we had, um, Mark Wayne, God, Mark Wayne.
Mark Wayne.
Mark Wayne s- Mark Wayne said,
"No more vehicle stops," right?
Like, "This has gotten out of
hand." Trump said, "I don't like
that." Then Mark Wayne says, "There
will be more bloodshed," you know?
We, we are not stopping those operations.
I mean, it's, the cruelty is the point.
Um- Yeah … and it
is, it's so, the, it's-
It is like a, it's a war cr- I
don't know if it's a war crime.
It's a, it's a human at- it's a atrocity
Yeah.
Human rights atrocity, for sure.
Yeah.
And to, to take these human beings
and put them into a nation, into
a prison that, in a place they've
never even been before, I- Yeah
I can't even begin to describe to you
the, the way that these people being
separated from their small children
makes me feel, or the way that these
children with cancer are being deported.
Uh-
Yeah
…
these are just people trying to live
their lives, and the fact is, the, the
foundation of this entire problem is
largely how much the United States of
America has been destabilizing these
nations since before I was even born.
There you go.
That's the cause of mass immigration.
Yeah.
We are the cause.
Yes.
Right.
We need to fix our policies
before we can fix that policy.
We can certainly, you know,
treat people in a more humane
way and still deport people.
Obama deported way more than
pe- more people than Trump.
Uh-huh.
But he did it without
killing a single American.
Yeah.
Not one.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's true.
It's true, man.
Well, I tell you what, Jared, y- you've
been a, a really great interview to talk
to, man, and we wish you all the luck.
Uh, what we like to do a- at the end of
these, uh, interviews before we get, uh,
the call to action and make sure everybody
knows where to find you, uh, is we like to
ask everybody about, uh, their progressive
values and what they commit to.
So, um, obviously, you know, no big
corporate money, no PAC money, no money
from Israel, APAC, things of that nature.
Uh, and, and you cr- and you,
uh, commit to progressive values.
Is that correct?
That is correct.
Um, I would put forward that I think
that, uh, removing the, uh, Citizens
United decision, and there's n- there
are a few lesser known, like Speech Now.
We need to overturn those with law,
uh, because- Yeah … America should
not be for sale to the highest bidder.
Mm. Agreed.
1,000%. 1,000%. 1,000%. Well,
we have a fun little scale.
We, uh, we have Bernie Sanders on one
side, we have Chuck Schumer on the other.
So we're just gonna slide- … our
friend Jared on over to, uh,
Bernie Sanders real quick.
Yeah.
Uh, in case anybody was
wondering where Jared stands.
So appreciate that.
Yeah.
Yeah,
of course.
So, so Jared, tell, um, tell the listeners
h- what… You've won your primary.
You are the Democratic candidate.
Mm-hmm.
So what help do you need between now and
November to help you win these midterms?
'Cause Ohio needs you, clearly.
Ugh.
So the best way, the easiest way that
anybody can help is, uh… Well, I'm
gonna- I'm gonna change my tune here.
Uh, probably the best way
anybody can help is financially.
Mm-hmm.
Obviously times are hard, people aren't
making what they need to to survive.
Uh, so if you cannot help financially,
you can follow me on my social medias.
There are links to all of
them at christianforohio.com.
It's F-O-R, not the number.
Sounds like a cult.
It is not.
It's my name.
Um, you can, uh, you can find me
there, follow me, like and share my
content because we need to get name
recognition in order to win this.
Yeah.
So, uh, finances, follow the social media,
talk to your friends if you live in the
district, talk to your friends if you
live nearby, come and knock some doors
Love that.
And you're right, name recognition
is the name of the game.
Yep.
And honestly, it's free.
You know, if you go to someone's socials
and you hit share, you hit like, you hit a
follow, you get to spread the word, right?
That's how grassroots
campaigns are most effective.
Yeah.
So look for Jared.
Find him on your, whatever your
favorite social media platform
is, maybe hopefully all of them.
Go follow him everywhere.
Um, if you have the opportunity
to donate, please do.
Even a dollar, $2, guys.
Cup of coffee makes a difference.
It does, yeah.
So this has just been delightful.
Really, really nice talking to you.
I appreciate you- Absolutely,
ma'am
…
taking the time to come on with us today.
I'm glad to.
Thank you guys for having me.
Yeah.
And listen, we tell everyone you're
a friend of the show now for life.
If you need a push, a boost, if
you need to get a message out
there, you're welcome back anytime.
Yeah, I appreciate that.
Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah, man.
Thank you, Jared.
We wish you well.
Thank you.
Yeah.
Thank you.
All the luck.
Well, Ally, that was a great
conversation with Jared Christian.
You know, he's running in
that 12th district in Ohio.
And I mean, dude's a
straight shooter, man.
No bullshit with that guy.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, he's just shooting from the hip, and
that's the only way he knows how to do it.
You know, that's an old
military soul right there.
Yeah.
And I, I love his approach, you know?
No, no BS, and really gives it to you
straight and, and that's certainly what
Ohio could use a dose of right now.
Whole country could, but yeah.
Yeah, Ohio for sure.
And you know, we f- we didn't get to his
incumbent, but from what I understand,
you know, the guy's kind of a ghost.
Typical Republican incumbent.
Typical.
Doesn't hold town halls, likes to go
to parades and things, but doesn't
really do anything for the people.
So, um, straight shooter is right.
I mean, so military coded, and also
software engineer coded, right?
Right.
Like, this is a guy that,
it's just this is the reality,
this is the way it should be.
This is the way it is now.
This is the way it should be.
Let's fucking do it.
Let's go.
You know?
I'm like, I'm like, "Okay,"
like, "I'm following you.
Where are you going?
I'm, I'm coming."
Yeah,
yeah.
Don't leave me, don't leave
me, don't leave me behind.
In an emergency, I'm looking for Jared.
Absolutely.
I mean, he's, he, he, like he's
very even-keeled, very steady.
Yes.
I mean, eh, that, that guy's a leader
and, and s- he wears so many hats.
Yeah.
I mean, the guy's a
flipping meteorologist too.
I mean, Ohio, this guy is- Meteorology,
oceanography.
Yeah
…
yeah.
I mean, Ohio, this guy is- Software
engineering … the real deal, man.
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, he's, he's, he's got so
much expertise in so many levels.
Mm-hmm.
And like I said, he's a leader, man.
I mean, that's a guy that you
wanna follow in a tough spot.
And- Absolutely … Ohio,
and Ohio's in a tough spot.
They
are.
They, they're facing a lot of
difficult, uh, things in the future.
So a guy like Jared is gonna
be- Near quarter … proactive.
Yeah.
He's gonna be a good leader and,
and make sure that things get done.
Yeah.
I really, I really enjoy that.
I'm always surprised by
the people we talk to.
Right.
Um, and he really… And, and,
you know, I think there's so many
stereotypes too around progressives.
We hear them all the time, right?
Like, "Oh, you know, blue-haired
liberals," or whatever.
Like- You, you're gonna… Y-
please say it to Jared's face.
Say it to his face.
Right.
Please.
Because how are you gonna tell me
that he is a typical progressive?
He's anything but, you know what I mean?
A thousand percent.
If from a stereotype perspective.
Policies for everyone, let's go.
Raised by a policeman.
I mean,
what- Yeah.
One- That's- Almost
became a police officer
yeah.
I mean, that's, that's Rust
Belt through and through.
Mm-hmm.
So I mean, that, that
dude is, is an Ohio guy.
Yeah.
Unlike JD Vance, unlike-
Right … Vivek Ramaswamy.
So if you're in Ohio- Doesn't
fuck couches
…
right.
And I mean, if you're in Ohio, if you
are in any state bordering Ohio, tell
your people there about Jared, y'all.
Once again, hit his socials.
That's… You know, those things
go so far, you just don't know it.
And it's… And the name of
the game is name recognition.
He's try- he's going up against-
Totally … you know, an
incumbent, and that's the thing.
But we know that our ideas work.
We are winning everywhere.
Yeah.
It's not a game.
And these, and these issues
really speak to the people in the
middle class and the lower class.
So- Yeah … so glad we
got to talk to Jared today.
Me too.
Me too.
And you're right.
Please, just if you do nothing
else, with any of these candidates,
find them on social media.
If you're watching this, you probably
are watching it on some form of social
media, um, especially Substackers, right?
Find him, follow him, like
his posts, share his posts,
get the, get the word out.
Free, easy, goes a long, long way,
especially when you're getting outspent
by Republicans and all of their PAC money.
There you go.
So yeah.
I
mean, just, just, I mean, and real,
real quick, I mean, AIPAC dropping 50
million in the Michigan senator race?
Not
surprising.
Just, just for the, just for the Democrat.
Just for the primary.
Yeah.
Y'all, this money, I mean,
the money's getting spent.
That's right.
We gotta, we gotta, we gotta counteract
that with our grassroots movement
and getting the word out, period.
And honestly, what is more fun than
making billionaires throw their money in
the garbage and just light it on fire?
Oh.
I love that for them.
Hmm.
For that reason alone.
So tasty So,
so delicious.
All right.
We've got another interview coming up
on Thursday with a content creator.
Really excited about that.
Indeed.
Um, some more, some more
candidates coming up.
Got a lot of
stuff coming up.
You
and I are gonna get together soon and
just talk about our background, right?
Yeah.
We've never really deep dove into us and
how we got here and some of the challenges
we face with, um, having MAGA friends,
MAGA family, and some of the things- Yeah
… that all of Americans are going through,
or have been going through for the
last 10 years, so look forward to that.
But for now, since you need to
rest, and I've gotta get ready for
my move, let's call it a night.
All
right.
Sounds good.
Have a nice- Sounds good.
Back to my boxes.
Back to our boxes.
Back to
our… Not together, but we're doing
everything at the same time, 'cause
that's what birthday twins do, apparently.
That's what we do.
That's what we do.
All right, Seth.
I'll see you soon.
All right, girl.
Later.
Bye.