WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.740 Welcome back to The Deep Dive. Today we're sort 00:00:02.740 --> 00:00:05.299 of pulling focus on three big political threads. 00:00:05.419 --> 00:00:08.599 Right. We've got major figures legacy, some really 00:00:08.599 --> 00:00:10.980 high stakes legal fights, and then this whole 00:00:10.980 --> 00:00:14.740 wave of local ballot initiatives. Yeah, it's 00:00:14.740 --> 00:00:16.559 a lot to connect. Our mission here is basically 00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:19.760 to trace how these things link up. You know, 00:00:19.859 --> 00:00:22.019 how history shapes today's local votes. This 00:00:22.019 --> 00:00:24.379 is your shortcut to getting up to speed. Exactly. 00:00:24.559 --> 00:00:27.960 We're drawing lines between someone who really 00:00:27.960 --> 00:00:30.399 changed the VP role, the kind of legal battles 00:00:30.399 --> 00:00:33.539 we're seeing now between prosecutors and, well, 00:00:33.759 --> 00:00:36.679 partisan attacks, and then how all that national 00:00:36.679 --> 00:00:39.679 heat is turning local propositions into something 00:00:39.679 --> 00:00:42.679 bigger. It's strategy, top to bottom. OK, so 00:00:42.679 --> 00:00:44.560 let's dive in with former Vice President Dick 00:00:44.560 --> 00:00:48.759 Cheney. He passed away at 84. And while the sources 00:00:48.759 --> 00:00:51.280 really highlight his life as just an amazing 00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:53.380 story of medical resilience. Oh, definitely. 00:00:53.520 --> 00:00:55.920 I mean, first heart attack back in 1978. Almost 00:00:55.920 --> 00:00:58.259 50 years ago. Yeah. And then multiple major attacks, 00:00:58.700 --> 00:01:01.549 stents, valve repairs. culminating in that heart 00:01:01.549 --> 00:01:03.890 transplant in 2012. And doctors thought he might 00:01:03.890 --> 00:01:06.290 get another 10 years. Right. And he got 12. It's 00:01:06.290 --> 00:01:09.090 really a testament to modern medicine, you know? 00:01:09.290 --> 00:01:12.090 Absolutely. But beyond the medical side, it's 00:01:12.090 --> 00:01:14.230 the political power debate that's really interesting. 00:01:14.849 --> 00:01:17.010 Some sources are calling him America's most powerful 00:01:17.010 --> 00:01:20.090 modern vice president. That's a huge claim. And 00:01:20.090 --> 00:01:23.069 it suggests, well, a level of power we haven't 00:01:23.069 --> 00:01:25.469 quite seen replicated. So where does that idea 00:01:25.469 --> 00:01:27.790 come from, that he was almost a de facto president? 00:01:27.959 --> 00:01:31.060 It really centers on those early George W. Bush 00:01:31.060 --> 00:01:34.079 years. Cheney brought all this experience, chief 00:01:34.079 --> 00:01:37.980 of staff, defense secretary, and basically acted 00:01:37.980 --> 00:01:40.519 like a co -president. Using that institutional 00:01:40.519 --> 00:01:43.239 knowledge. Exactly. But here's the interesting 00:01:43.239 --> 00:01:46.560 contrast the sources make. He got this immense 00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:49.640 power early on, but then he kind of got sidelined 00:01:49.640 --> 00:01:52.280 in Bush's second term, which is different from 00:01:52.280 --> 00:01:55.000 other really influential VPs, think Mondale, 00:01:55.239 --> 00:01:57.480 Gore, even Biden. They kept their influence without 00:01:57.480 --> 00:02:00.159 that same dramatic fall. So his power was huge, 00:02:01.159 --> 00:02:04.719 but maybe unstable. Volatile, yeah. That seems 00:02:04.719 --> 00:02:06.379 to be the key takeaway. And the sources actually 00:02:06.379 --> 00:02:08.900 link him to Mitch McConnell here. How so? Arguing 00:02:08.900 --> 00:02:11.699 that both of them unleashed political forces 00:02:11.699 --> 00:02:14.729 he ultimately could not control. Okay, explain 00:02:14.729 --> 00:02:17.330 that. What forces? It's about the long -term 00:02:17.330 --> 00:02:19.770 effects of short -term tactics, specifically 00:02:19.770 --> 00:02:24.210 turning elections into these culture war referendums. 00:02:24.849 --> 00:02:27.409 The sources draw a really direct line here. It's 00:02:27.409 --> 00:02:30.930 not far, they argue, from basing a 2004 campaign 00:02:30.930 --> 00:02:35.129 on opposing gay marriage to a 2024 campaign focused 00:02:35.129 --> 00:02:37.770 on opposing trans girls in high school sports. 00:02:38.030 --> 00:02:40.330 It's that same playbook. And that kind of chaos 00:02:40.330 --> 00:02:42.789 had a cost, even for his own family. Absolutely. 00:02:42.949 --> 00:02:45.669 It arguably consumed his daughter, Liz G. Cheney's 00:02:45.669 --> 00:02:48.129 political career in the end, that backlash. Wow. 00:02:48.650 --> 00:02:50.389 OK, before we move on, there's a neat bit of 00:02:50.389 --> 00:02:52.789 historical trivia. His passing ended the third 00:02:52.789 --> 00:02:55.270 time in US history. We had seven living VPs. 00:02:55.330 --> 00:02:57.169 Oh, really? Who was in that group? Let's see. 00:02:57.389 --> 00:03:01.270 Quail, Gore, Cheney himself, Biden, Pence, Harris, 00:03:01.430 --> 00:03:05.189 and JD Vance. Huh. Quite a list. OK, so we see 00:03:05.189 --> 00:03:07.210 Cheney's long shadow, these forces he helped 00:03:07.210 --> 00:03:09.710 unleash. Now let's shift to the ground level. 00:03:09.990 --> 00:03:12.110 How are these dynamics playing out in local contests 00:03:12.110 --> 00:03:14.370 right now? Let's look at the propositions. Right. 00:03:14.610 --> 00:03:17.909 There are about 30 propositions on ballots across 00:03:17.909 --> 00:03:21.569 the country, which is slightly below the midterm 00:03:21.569 --> 00:03:23.729 average, interestingly. But wine is getting a 00:03:23.729 --> 00:03:25.569 lot of national attention. California's Prop 00:03:25.569 --> 00:03:28.860 50. Yeah, this one's really being framed as Governor 00:03:28.860 --> 00:03:32.080 Gavin Newsom's, quote, first national campaign. 00:03:32.400 --> 00:03:35.159 Why national? It's a state prop. Because the 00:03:35.159 --> 00:03:37.319 fundraising is national. The messaging is national. 00:03:37.759 --> 00:03:40.060 And look at the advertising shift. It started 00:03:40.060 --> 00:03:43.080 as this broad defend democracy message. OK. Now 00:03:43.080 --> 00:03:45.740 it's much more aggressive, very negative, focused 00:03:45.740 --> 00:03:47.639 directly on attacking Donald Trump. And he's 00:03:47.639 --> 00:03:50.139 got some big names behind it. Oh, yeah. An all 00:03:50.139 --> 00:03:52.620 -star team of lefties, as one source put it. 00:03:52.740 --> 00:03:55.560 You've got Tom Steyer, Obama, Senators Warren. 00:03:55.560 --> 00:04:00.960 and Sanders, Pelosi, AOC. It's a big push. So 00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:02.719 the stakes for Newsom personally are pretty high 00:04:02.719 --> 00:04:05.680 then. Massive. Absolutely massive. If this loses, 00:04:05.979 --> 00:04:07.879 it's disastrous for his national image. If it 00:04:07.879 --> 00:04:09.979 wins narrowly, well, they'll spin it as a win, 00:04:10.080 --> 00:04:12.419 sure. But only a big win gives him that real 00:04:12.419 --> 00:04:14.699 momentum he needs to look like a serious national 00:04:14.699 --> 00:04:16.759 player. Got it. OK, let's jump across the country 00:04:16.759 --> 00:04:18.819 to Maine. Question one there, what's that about? 00:04:18.939 --> 00:04:21.839 This one's a conservative push to restrict absentee 00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:24.259 voting. And the rules are pretty specific. Yeah, 00:04:24.319 --> 00:04:26.899 I saw that. No requesting ballots by phone. Right. 00:04:27.160 --> 00:04:30.839 And the big one, it gets rid of permanent absentee 00:04:30.839 --> 00:04:34.199 status. So every election, you'd have to go in 00:04:34.199 --> 00:04:36.279 person to the elections office to request your 00:04:36.279 --> 00:04:39.500 absentee ballot. Wow. That seems like a barrier 00:04:39.500 --> 00:04:42.259 for some people. For sure. The sources highlight 00:04:42.259 --> 00:04:46.180 a specific example. Sarah Trites, she's 60, has 00:04:46.180 --> 00:04:48.459 vision problems, lives near her polling place, 00:04:48.519 --> 00:04:50.879 but there's no public transit. So mail -in is 00:04:50.879 --> 00:04:53.540 her only real option. Exactly. And this initiative 00:04:53.540 --> 00:04:55.360 would make that much, much harder for people 00:04:55.360 --> 00:04:57.579 like her. And we know who's backing this. Yep. 00:04:57.959 --> 00:05:00.300 Funding traces back to a Republican activist, 00:05:00.560 --> 00:05:03.459 Alex Titcombe, who in turn is backed by Leonard 00:05:03.459 --> 00:05:06.500 Leo. Of the Federalist Society, okay? Maine also 00:05:06.500 --> 00:05:09.060 has question two, which is about gun safety. 00:05:09.310 --> 00:05:11.889 Allowing courts to temporarily remove guns from 00:05:11.889 --> 00:05:14.350 someone deemed a threat. Seems straightforward, 00:05:14.850 --> 00:05:17.189 but the governor opposes it. Yeah, Governor Janet 00:05:17.189 --> 00:05:19.410 Mills argues the police already have enough authority 00:05:19.410 --> 00:05:21.889 to act. She thinks shifting this responsibility 00:05:21.889 --> 00:05:24.209 to the courts would actually slow things down. 00:05:24.470 --> 00:05:26.850 Huh. Making it more dangerous. That's her argument, 00:05:27.029 --> 00:05:29.449 yeah. Increases public danger by adding delay. 00:05:29.930 --> 00:05:33.050 Interesting. Okay, elsewhere. Colorado's dealing 00:05:33.050 --> 00:05:35.480 with school meals funding. Yeah, they have this 00:05:35.480 --> 00:05:37.920 healthy school meals for all program, but there's 00:05:37.920 --> 00:05:41.120 a $50 million shortfall. Ouch. So the vote is? 00:05:41.860 --> 00:05:44.560 Whether to cover that gap by slightly reducing 00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:47.399 tax deductions for people earning over $300 ,000 00:05:47.399 --> 00:05:50.620 a year. It's not a new tax, just adjusting deductions. 00:05:50.699 --> 00:05:52.899 OK. And then there's minimum wage popping up 00:05:52.899 --> 00:05:54.939 again. Olympia, Washington this time. Right. 00:05:55.079 --> 00:05:57.259 They're voting on raising it to $20 an hour. 00:05:57.560 --> 00:06:00.379 Seattle's already at $20 .76. And the national 00:06:00.379 --> 00:06:03.259 angle here is? Well, if these cities can implement 00:06:03.259 --> 00:06:06.300 such high minimum wages without unemployment 00:06:06.300 --> 00:06:10.180 skyrocketing, then it could really fuel the argument 00:06:10.180 --> 00:06:12.319 for raising the federal minimum wage from its 00:06:12.319 --> 00:06:16.120 current $7 .25. Could be a big Democratic issue 00:06:16.120 --> 00:06:18.920 for 2026. Makes sense. Yeah. OK, last one in 00:06:18.920 --> 00:06:22.379 this section. Bucks County, Pennsylvania, PA01. 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:25.740 Why is this one so important? Because Bucks County 00:06:25.740 --> 00:06:29.100 is seen as the bellwether. It's a microcosm of 00:06:29.100 --> 00:06:32.259 suburban America. Crucial for the 2026 House 00:06:32.259 --> 00:06:34.540 race there between Fitzpatrick, the Republican 00:06:34.540 --> 00:06:37.019 incumbent, and Harvey the Democrat. And there's 00:06:37.019 --> 00:06:39.180 some serious history at stake in the local races 00:06:39.180 --> 00:06:42.800 too. Get this. Democrats are seriously competing 00:06:42.800 --> 00:06:44.839 for the district attorney and sheriff roles. 00:06:45.500 --> 00:06:48.839 Offices Republicans have held for over 150 years. 00:06:48.959 --> 00:06:52.639 Wait, 150 years? For both? Well, the Sheriff's 00:06:52.639 --> 00:06:54.160 Office, the source says Republicans have held 00:06:54.160 --> 00:06:57.459 it since 1682. 1682. That can't be right. Let 00:06:57.459 --> 00:06:59.519 me double check that. OK, yeah, the office dates 00:06:59.519 --> 00:07:02.000 back that far. But Republican control is only 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:04.579 150 years or so. Yeah. Still, that's incredible 00:07:04.579 --> 00:07:07.600 institutional history. Right. That kind of longevity 00:07:07.600 --> 00:07:09.879 is just staggering. It definitely raises the 00:07:09.879 --> 00:07:12.399 stakes. Yeah. The sources use that Benjamin Franklin 00:07:12.399 --> 00:07:15.040 analogy about the sun painting at the Constitutional 00:07:15.040 --> 00:07:17.579 Convention. Ah, the rising, resetting sun. Exactly. 00:07:17.639 --> 00:07:19.939 Is this a rising sun for Democrats in the suburbs, 00:07:20.279 --> 00:07:22.730 or is the Republican Institutional hold the setting 00:07:22.730 --> 00:07:25.550 sun finally fading. Bucks County is seen as that 00:07:25.550 --> 00:07:28.750 test case. Hashtag take three. High stakes, legal 00:07:28.750 --> 00:07:30.670 maneuvering and counter offense. That's a really 00:07:30.670 --> 00:07:33.329 good way to frame it actually. From local history 00:07:33.329 --> 00:07:36.310 to this. Well, this institutional warfare we're 00:07:36.310 --> 00:07:38.810 seeing in D .C. Let's talk about the Jack Smith 00:07:38.810 --> 00:07:41.709 standoff. Right. House Republicans, Jim Jordan 00:07:41.709 --> 00:07:44.949 leading the charge, demanding Smith testify behind 00:07:44.949 --> 00:07:47.720 closed doors. And Smith's response is basically, 00:07:48.220 --> 00:07:50.860 OK, but not like that. Yeah. He countered. He 00:07:50.860 --> 00:07:54.180 said he'd appear, but only if it's public. Right. 00:07:54.680 --> 00:07:56.980 And he wants access to all his files, including 00:07:56.980 --> 00:07:59.160 that volume two of his report they haven't released. 00:07:59.519 --> 00:08:01.980 Exactly. So why would a public hearing be better 00:08:01.980 --> 00:08:05.360 for him? Seems risky. Well, the sources suggest 00:08:05.360 --> 00:08:07.500 it's his best shot to control the narrative. 00:08:08.259 --> 00:08:11.399 It's the closest he might get to, quote, try 00:08:11.399 --> 00:08:13.500 Trump in absentia in the court of public opinion. 00:08:13.600 --> 00:08:16.360 Oh, OK. So he can lay out the evidence directly. 00:08:16.439 --> 00:08:18.660 Yeah. Think about it. The classified documents, 00:08:18.800 --> 00:08:20.800 the Mar -a -Lago security tape showing boxes 00:08:20.800 --> 00:08:23.360 being moved, that whole flooded room incident. 00:08:23.540 --> 00:08:26.000 And he gets to present his side. And push back 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:29.139 against the attacks he's facing. Precisely. Especially 00:08:29.139 --> 00:08:31.540 since some Senate Republican Schmidt, grassly, 00:08:31.660 --> 00:08:33.639 are trying to undermine him, like digging up 00:08:33.639 --> 00:08:36.059 old news about call log subpoenas. Right, trying 00:08:36.059 --> 00:08:38.539 to paint it as wiretapping. Even though the logs 00:08:38.539 --> 00:08:40.879 were known about for ages and didn't contain 00:08:40.879 --> 00:08:43.919 actual conversations, just numbers called, it 00:08:43.919 --> 00:08:46.820 feels like a smear tactic, using old information. 00:08:46.960 --> 00:08:50.320 Definitely seems that way. And speaking of pushback, 00:08:50.740 --> 00:08:53.559 look at what two of Smith's fired prosecutors 00:08:53.559 --> 00:08:56.779 are doing. Molly Gaston and J .P. Cooney. What 00:08:56.779 --> 00:08:58.919 are they up to? They're starting their own firm 00:08:58.919 --> 00:09:01.519 specifically to help state and local governments 00:09:01.519 --> 00:09:04.080 investigate corruption. Interesting. Why now? 00:09:04.190 --> 00:09:08.250 Because the sources argue the main DOJ unit for 00:09:08.250 --> 00:09:10.350 this, the public integrity section, has been 00:09:10.350 --> 00:09:12.850 basically gutted. It's been hollowed out. So 00:09:12.850 --> 00:09:15.230 they're stepping in to fill that gap at the state 00:09:15.230 --> 00:09:18.049 and local level. Exactly. Using their expertise 00:09:18.049 --> 00:09:20.169 where it's needed. Since the federal capacity 00:09:20.169 --> 00:09:22.830 is diminished, it's a direct counteraction. We're 00:09:22.830 --> 00:09:25.149 seeing a similar dynamic, maybe, with the attempt 00:09:25.149 --> 00:09:28.330 to go after New York AG Letitia James over that 00:09:28.330 --> 00:09:30.730 second home mortgage in Virginia. Yeah, the Perrone 00:09:30.730 --> 00:09:33.929 property case. The accusation was mortgage fraud 00:09:33.929 --> 00:09:36.629 getting a lower rate for a secondary residence, 00:09:36.710 --> 00:09:38.710 but really using it as an investment property. 00:09:39.029 --> 00:09:41.590 OK, break that down. What's the core issue? It's 00:09:41.590 --> 00:09:44.190 about the interest rate difference. You typically 00:09:44.190 --> 00:09:47.190 get a slightly better rate if you declare a property 00:09:47.190 --> 00:09:49.610 a secondary home, meaning you live there sometimes, 00:09:50.149 --> 00:09:52.330 versus an investment property you just rent out. 00:09:52.570 --> 00:09:54.710 And they accused her of lying to get that better 00:09:54.710 --> 00:09:57.909 rate. Right. Claiming she submitted fraud to 00:09:57.909 --> 00:10:03.139 save. Get this. less than $20 ,000 over the life 00:10:03.139 --> 00:10:06.740 of the loan. Doesn't sound like a massive conspiracy. 00:10:07.220 --> 00:10:09.340 And then evidence came out. Yes, Politico got 00:10:09.340 --> 00:10:11.559 hold of a document, part of the mortgage agreement 00:10:11.559 --> 00:10:15.379 itself, that explicitly allowed her to have exclusive 00:10:15.379 --> 00:10:18.360 control over the occupancy, including short -term 00:10:18.360 --> 00:10:20.779 rentals. So she was allowed to rent it out? Pretty 00:10:20.779 --> 00:10:22.720 much. The only restriction seems to have been 00:10:22.720 --> 00:10:24.940 using a third -party management firm to handle 00:10:24.940 --> 00:10:27.580 the rentals. Okay, so for the prosecution to 00:10:27.580 --> 00:10:30.360 actually prove fraud here. Yeah. What would they 00:10:30.360 --> 00:10:32.919 need? It's a really steep climb. First, they'd 00:10:32.919 --> 00:10:34.820 have to prove she did use a forbidden management 00:10:34.820 --> 00:10:37.000 firm. Second, prove she knew she was breaking 00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:39.440 that specific rule, which is tough with mountains 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:41.759 of mortgage paperwork. Right. Intent is hard 00:10:41.759 --> 00:10:44.960 to prove. And third, argue that this relatively 00:10:44.960 --> 00:10:47.919 minor alleged infraction, saving maybe 20 grand, 00:10:48.440 --> 00:10:50.960 warrants severe punishment. It just, it looks 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:53.899 weak. So the sources basically suggest this is 00:10:53.899 --> 00:10:56.059 more political theater. Yeah, the phrase used 00:10:56.059 --> 00:10:59.190 is performing for an audience of one. Suggesting 00:10:59.190 --> 00:11:01.190 it's more about scoring political points than 00:11:01.190 --> 00:11:03.850 a solid legal case, it really seems to fall apart 00:11:03.850 --> 00:11:06.370 under scrutiny. Okay, let's shift back to pure 00:11:06.370 --> 00:11:09.370 electoral strategy. The move by Representative 00:11:09.370 --> 00:11:12.610 Chewy Garcia in Chicago. That's a fascinating 00:11:12.610 --> 00:11:14.769 example of modern political maneuvering. Oh, 00:11:14.809 --> 00:11:17.389 absolutely. He's 69, been in politics for ages, 00:11:17.830 --> 00:11:19.730 nearly 40 years. He'd already filed to run again. 00:11:19.809 --> 00:11:21.950 And then suddenly retires. Suddenly retires. 00:11:22.250 --> 00:11:25.169 But it's the timing that's key. How so? He announced 00:11:25.169 --> 00:11:27.750 he was withdrawing just one hour before the official 00:11:27.750 --> 00:11:31.000 deadline for candidates to declare. Wow. That's 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:33.700 cutting it close. Deliberately close. Because 00:11:33.700 --> 00:11:36.679 his chief of staff, Patty Garcia, was ready and 00:11:36.679 --> 00:11:40.139 waiting. She filed immediately. Ah. So it effectively 00:11:40.139 --> 00:11:42.639 cleared the path for her. Almost certainly spared 00:11:42.639 --> 00:11:45.340 her a contested primary in that district, which 00:11:45.340 --> 00:11:49.179 is heavily Democratic D plus 17. Meaning the 00:11:49.179 --> 00:11:51.980 Democratic primary winner is virtually guaranteed 00:11:51.980 --> 00:11:54.450 to win the seat. Exactly. So it keeps the seat 00:11:54.450 --> 00:11:57.330 within his preferred political circle, avoids 00:11:57.330 --> 00:12:00.889 a messy primary fight. Very calculated. That 00:12:00.889 --> 00:12:03.870 kind of inside baseball calculation, it connects 00:12:03.870 --> 00:12:06.309 to a broader critique of democratic strategy 00:12:06.309 --> 00:12:07.950 that comes up in the source material, doesn't 00:12:07.950 --> 00:12:10.549 it? Particularly looking at the NYC mayoral race. 00:12:10.970 --> 00:12:13.710 It does. There's a sharp critique reported. It 00:12:13.710 --> 00:12:16.470 contrasts someone like Zawan Mamdani, who focuses 00:12:16.470 --> 00:12:19.269 on, you know, actual neighborhood campaigning, 00:12:19.570 --> 00:12:22.299 talking about what people need. Boots on the 00:12:22.299 --> 00:12:25.759 ground. With opponents who the source argues 00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:29.120 rely more on stoking fears and just running as 00:12:29.120 --> 00:12:32.000 not Trump. So the argument is that some Democrats 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:34.190 aren't really making their case. The argument 00:12:34.190 --> 00:12:36.730 presented is that some high level Democrats have 00:12:36.730 --> 00:12:39.730 maybe over focused on chasing quote rural white 00:12:39.730 --> 00:12:42.610 or white working class voters. OK. And in doing 00:12:42.610 --> 00:12:44.830 so, they kind of take voters of color for granted, 00:12:45.169 --> 00:12:47.750 treating them like votes they need and earn simply 00:12:47.750 --> 00:12:50.110 because the Republican alternative is seen as 00:12:50.110 --> 00:12:52.490 worse. And the source basically says that's not 00:12:52.490 --> 00:12:54.679 a sustainable strategy. Yeah, the quote is something 00:12:54.679 --> 00:12:57.620 like, we will oppress slightly fewer people isn't 00:12:57.620 --> 00:13:00.639 exactly a winning message. It's a call for more 00:13:00.639 --> 00:13:04.379 proactive engagement. And that gap between messaging 00:13:04.379 --> 00:13:06.820 and maybe what voters are actually experiencing 00:13:06.820 --> 00:13:10.029 ties into that. weird crime paradox in New York 00:13:10.029 --> 00:13:12.789 City. It really does. You have NYPD statistics 00:13:12.789 --> 00:13:15.889 showing crime is way down, like 50 -year lows. 00:13:15.970 --> 00:13:18.409 Right. Statistically safer. But political candidates 00:13:18.409 --> 00:13:21.730 are still hammering on public safety, which suggests, 00:13:21.929 --> 00:13:24.169 according to the source, that maybe people's 00:13:24.169 --> 00:13:26.570 feeling of being unsafe isn't always about crime 00:13:26.570 --> 00:13:29.230 rates. But maybe conflated with other visible 00:13:29.230 --> 00:13:31.809 issues. Like seeing more homeless people, perhaps. 00:13:31.850 --> 00:13:34.309 It points to a real disconnect between the data, 00:13:34.730 --> 00:13:37.029 the lived experience, and the political narratives 00:13:37.029 --> 00:13:40.950 being hashtag tag outro wow we've covered a huge 00:13:40.950 --> 00:13:44.090 amount today from you know the deep legacy of 00:13:44.090 --> 00:13:47.360 someone like Chaney to the really intense institutional 00:13:47.360 --> 00:13:49.500 fights around Jack Smith and Letitia James. Right, 00:13:49.519 --> 00:13:51.559 that high -level warfare. All the way down to 00:13:51.559 --> 00:13:54.259 these critical local battles. Prop 15, California, 00:13:54.480 --> 00:13:56.539 Bucks County, the grassroots stuff. Yeah, and 00:13:56.539 --> 00:13:58.440 if you try to tie it all together, what you see 00:13:58.440 --> 00:14:01.440 in the sources is this real tension. On one hand, 00:14:01.440 --> 00:14:03.519 you've got these long -term forces, like the 00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:05.779 kind Cheney unleashed. On the other, you have 00:14:05.779 --> 00:14:09.539 these very immediate, specific decisions on ballots 00:14:09.539 --> 00:14:11.360 right now. So here's the final thought we want 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:12.899 to leave you with, something to chew on from 00:14:12.899 --> 00:14:15.216 all this material. What happens when national... 00:14:15.210 --> 00:14:18.710 figures like Newsome with Prop 50 start using 00:14:18.710 --> 00:14:22.389 those really intense, polarized, almost culture 00:14:22.389 --> 00:14:25.090 war style messages that used to be mainly for 00:14:25.090 --> 00:14:27.169 local fights. Does that nationalize everything? 00:14:27.490 --> 00:14:30.009 Does it basically accelerate the very divisiveness, 00:14:30.230 --> 00:14:32.610 the chaos that figures like Cheney help start? 00:14:32.929 --> 00:14:35.009 Does it make every local vote feel like some 00:14:35.009 --> 00:14:37.149 kind of national emergency? Yeah. That's the 00:14:37.149 --> 00:14:37.929 question to consider.