Transcript
D’ya smell that? It’s the foul stench of authoritarianism (Hour 2)
The Dom Salvia Show · Wed Feb 19, 2025
Thank you so much for tuning in.
You can also be a part hit us up 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 8 5 5 7 5 civic.
It's a phone line.
It's a text line.
Got just ps work on the board got Matt Rothschild as a co-host today and don't forget at the end of the show we wrap up
Tell us something good.
We like to end the day with a cherry on top of the smile on our face and we walk out the door.
Let's end on a positive note.
Tell us something good in the five 50 segment.
Um, Matt, in this segment, a couple of things I want to get to a reference the.
that smell of authoritarianism in the air.
And it's, you know, my dad used to burn the toast all the time in the morning.
And I would wake up if I didn't hear the fire alarm going off, you know, it was like piercing like beeping sound.
I just smelled the toast and I knew, I knew it was happening.
Dad was up getting this coffee, burning the toast.
I swear to God, I don't know how he continued to always burn the toast, but it was a thing.
Maybe like this toast burnt.
it's that kind of smell and why why why do I mean what do I mean by that as I look back over the last several days of the things that Donald Trump has said no he listened to what he says and watch what he does right and it's striking to me it's almost it's like three days in a row
And, and this is what I mean.
If we go back to, I guess it was on Saturday when he truthied out that he who saves his country does not violate any law.
We didn't get to it till Monday, but you know, that's like a reference to what Napoleon or some dictators has been a lot of talk in the course of history like that, right, Matt?
Right.
Yeah, that just shows his love for, for, you know, the strong man, the authoritarian figure, Napoleon Bonaparte.
Then, Tuesday, as Donald Trump was moving to, you know, tighten his grip on the executive branch, put out an executive order.
And in that executive order, he said this, quote,
on a matter of law, including but not limited to the issuance of regulations, guidance, and positions advanced in litigation.
When I think about that, I'm like, well, what about when the court says something?
Can they listen to the court, Matt?
Yeah, it was acting like the U.S.
Supreme Court doesn't exist.
And then what is he telling, you know, the general counsel of the CIA or the general counsel of the EPA or the general counsel of any agency?
I guess those guys, maybe Elon Musk should fire all those guys because they're not going to listen to them anyway.
And then finally today Oh really burning today as the Hill reports Trump said New York is saved after his administration announced it would rescind the Biden era approval of a congestion pricing plan Here's the actual quote from his truthy social Congestion pricing is dead Manhattan and all of New York is saved
Long live the king in Cap's exclamation point.
Long
live the king.
Well, it's a weird thing to say for a number of reasons, because usually you say, the king is dead, long live the king.
So, you know, no king died yesterday that I know of.
But the fact of the matter is, when you read this, you realize just how enamored this man is of all the power that he's accumulated.
This is a guy who loves power.
He's a megalomaniac.
It's scary and it's in keeping with who Donald Trump has told us he is for a long time Of course, he said he was gonna be dictator on day one and what day are we on now and also he said About President Xi of China.
He's president for life.
Isn't that a neat thing?
Maybe we should consider that here in America He's talked about not stopping at two terms like the Constitution required, you know always, you know flirting a lot of times with the idea that maybe he's gonna want a third time so
It's not surprising.
It's a snapshot of who this guy is, what his psyche looks like.
He wants to rule like a king.
What is the, in your opinion, Matt, what is these proper response for citizens who hear this language and these terms
you know, espoused by the president of the United States and you added to it and more context of things that he said over time.
Wouldn't that be nice if I would be king for life?
That kind of thing.
In a democracy like this, what am I supposed to say to that?
You know, and all these, all these Megas that are backing them up, always doing all these great things.
What about that?
Does anybody on the Republican side, do you take offense to that?
Yeah, I'd like to hear from you know Republican leaders Either in this state or in the capital saying guess what?
We don't have a monarchy here in the United States.
We have a democracy We're supposed to be a democracy But you know everyone is running so scared.
I mean it's just it's just
I mean scared of what man?
I mean, for real, I'm like physical scared, scared for their physical safety.
Right.
Scared that they're going to lose a vote.
I mean, what are they fricking scared of?
And this is ridiculous.
You have a president and he's out there now.
We're going to talk about some of the, uh, the national stage stuff, right?
The international stage, if I may, we're talking about Ukraine.
He's out there accusing Zelinsky, the president of Ukraine of starting the war, accusing Zelinsky of being a dictator.
He's out there.
saying basically Russian talking points and Vance is saying is defending Trump after Trump calls Zelensky a dictator.
Vance is admonishing Zelensky for his light criticism of Donald Trump being in the misinformation arena or something along those lines.
You know, this is-
I mean, I saw the Vance quote.
I'm just going to read it to you and to our listeners because I think it's really illustrative.
J.D.
Vance has the idea that Zelensky is going to change the president's mind by bad-mouthing him in public media.
Everyone who knows the president will tell you that's an atrocious way to deal with his administration.
Well, what J.D.
Vance is telling Zelensky there is shut up, just kiss Trump's behind.
That's the only way you get ahead with this administration is by bowing down to him and kissing up to him.
And Zelensky, you know, he's head of his country.
His country is being...
you know, ignored totally in the negotiations to end the war that his country's, you know, one of two major parties to said that Trump is in what, a disinformation bubble, which is absolutely true.
And for saying that, God forbid, you know, JD Vance tells him to, you know, shut up and send flowers to Trump, bow down to Trump.
It's disgusting.
And, and.
I mean, I didn't get it.
If you're in that situation, like Zelensky and the Ukrainians right now, you know, war with Russia who invaded them.
I mean, the facts, you know, if you have a guy like this talking about long live the king, want to be king, you know, if you, if you, if you break the laws by he who saves this country does not violate any law, these authoritarian statements and followed up by action by, by, by literally trying to rewrite the facts of history of how and when and who was responsible for the invasion of Ukraine.
How?
Those are the actions.
It's one thing to say it, man, but these are the actions.
And it's on the world stage, certainly, and certainly here at home as well.
And where are the Republicans?
We're the conservative standing up against it.
I mean, going off the rails about this.
If this was Barack Obama speaking like this, saying, oh, you know, if I save the country, I don't violate any law.
If I long live the king.
I want to be a dictator for a day.
The guy wore a tanche suit and the Republicans lost their frickin' mind.
And then this guy's up there, out there right now.
What about defending democracy and fulfilling and living up to our obligations, not only with Ukraine, but also with some of these aid, the soft power that Donald, that Doge and Donald Trump are slowly whittling away at?
that is the action those are the actions of not someone trying to save any money on the deficit or the national debt because that ain't happening because the budget they're important for they're gonna add four and a half trillion dollars to pay for the tax cuts for the rich i mean when are you people got you people megas republicans when are you gonna see this and if i'm if i'm blurry in my vision if i don't understand maybe i'm just seeing at the surface i can't read between the lines tell me
Tell me how this is any different than the man actually wants to be a king.
And the last time we had that, man, it didn't work out very well for King George, and don't even get me going on the French Revolution.
You know, the amazing thing, though, is he's so hungry for power.
that he's not satisfied to be president of the United States.
He needs to run the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and he needs to decide on traffic patterns in New York City.
I mean, it's just absurd when you look at it.
It's almost laughable, but it's not laughable because he's destroying our democracy.
And when we saw it with the pardoning of the January 6th folks, that was a real telltale sign right there.
And I think he, you know, he's going to go down in history as a traitor.
to the U.S.
Constitution and to our democracy.
And, you know, we're going to have to rally here to defeat Trump and Trumpism over these next four years.
And it's going to be one crazy day after another, like you're saying, Don, with him acting totally inappropriately for a president of the United States, to say the least, if not traitorously.
eight, five, five, seven, five, two, four, eight, four, two, eight, five, five, seven, five, civic just PS on the board.
Matt Ross trial joining me today.
Some of the textures bill.
Damn straight down.
Thank you, Bill.
Appreciate that.
Dale from Oshkosh.
Remember Louis the 14th.
Yeah, man.
That was a vague reference.
And, you know, remember when it was like cool to want to, want to have a democracy?
Remember those days, Matt, when
the French Revolution
Before that, and certainly around the world and other places, it's a really strange experiment that those with all the power and the money don't just run roughshod over the masses of the people.
And this is what we're fighting for, and this is what I get so upset about it, Matt, because the antithesis of everything that I was taught that this country was about.
Yeah, and the Louis 14th reference is let us are one of the state is me the state is I I mean, that's basically what Trump is saying You know, he wants to be the king.
He thinks everything he does that goes back to the Napoleon quote, too
got?
That but I mean, it's just ridiculous.
I mean that I try to call Ron Johnson's office and I got through and they I was trying to get an answer from his his desk desk person sir answer and You wouldn't answer the question of whether Ron Johnson would condemn, you know Trump's remark about it But you would answer who who actually started the war in Ukraine?
Yes You would not give an answer right didn't condemn him I just condemned, you know, Senator Johnson for not being honest enough to give the direct answer that Russia did indeed invade
cause that war I mean these guys you're talking about the social contract these guys are also opposed to the idea of natural liberty and human equality
they don't give a rip about it and for Donald Trump to stay along with the king well damn there's the stuff in our constitution that says we don't have any kings in this country don't have any princes we don't have any nobility and we got to call down Donald Trump out on this what's next is going to declare Britain like Britain's ignore and say I get all the young virgins I want
you.
Uh when you're rich, they let you do anything.
Mark A. Thanks for the call.
We'll come back more of your calls as well.
855-752-4842.
of your show eight five five seven five two four eight four two eight five five seven five civic no Kings allowed here I don't bow to any man or woman or person or God or being eight five five seven five civic that's how I roll Matt go ahead
yeah I just was googling at the break here and I caught this from Yahoo news on Wednesday afternoon after ordering his administration to intervene in New York City's
recently implemented congestion pricing model.
Trump wrote on true social, uh, congestion pricing is dead, uh, and, uh, long live the king.
Shortly after, this is the new part, White House deputy chief of staff, Taylor, Taylor Budowicz posted a screenshot of Trump's post on X alongside an AI generated image of the president.
Catch this in a crown and cape.
The White House's official ex-account also shared an image of a fake cover of Time magazine depicting Trump in a golden crown with the headline, Long Live the King.
There you go.
Now, if we're going to pay attention to what he does and what he says and what he does and make a distinction, is that, how am I supposed to interpret that other than,
the guy who wants to be a king and wipe out democracy, not only in this country, but around the world.
What would be the alternative thought and effort for this?
No, there's not an alternative explanation of it other than the implicit order bow down to the king.
Praise the king.
Give everything to the king.
That's where we're at with these White House flunkies on social media, putting them in a crowned cape.
I mean, it's absurd.
It's Orwellian.
It's certainly not what our democracy is supposed to be.
We're the opposite of a monarchy.
We fought
monarchy.
I mean, do we have to go back and listen to pain and...
Jefferson and these folks,
I think so.
If you have any sense of liberty, of individual liberty and the right to exist, and if you believe in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, well, that doesn't goal.
You cannot also have a king in that equation, because a king
It's all about the king.
That's why he's king.
It's good to be king is how petty, how petty said it's good to meet girls.
It's, it's opposite land.
And yes, I think we do need, you know, pain Jefferson and some of those, so those, the historical figures that, that talked so eloquently and fought against this.
And, and of course, certainly we looked at, you know, the course of this country and we've failed in so many ways, but we also succeeded in so many ways.
And this fragile, weird experiment that we do to allow and allow to uphold and fight for the welfare of we the people.
This is something new and strange in world history.
And we can't let some doofus like Donald Trump unwind that.
I mean, Donald Trump unwinding this democratic experiment.
It would be the greatest tragedy of all tragedies.
Yeah, that a con man can take down this 250-year tradition of democratic rule.
It's just astonishing.
It's astonishing how brittle our system of checks and balances appears to be right now.
I mean, I take heart that there is resistance across the country.
There are protests all over the place.
There are lawyers at the Justice Department resigning in prison.
and people who are being fired for no reason whatsoever are not afraid to stick their neck out and say how outrageous this all is.
And we need more of that.
And I think we're going to see more of that.
I think Trump's numbers are already going down.
And he's going to ruin the economy.
He's going to have a Trump recession.
He's going to have to answer for.
And there will be consequences at the ballot boxes.
But people are going to get hurt.
financially and immigrants are getting hurt more than financially right now.
And there is, you know, kind of sadistic postings of immigrants and chains getting on, you know, ice planes that I saw this morning that really turned my stomach.
But this is what Donald Trump is delivering
This administration and Trump specifically could not do this on his own.
Right.
So it's not just the people around him in his organization and in his administration, it's the voters that voted for him.
It's the other branches of government that refuse to uphold their co-equal status with the executive branch.
It's the Supreme Court that gave him essentially a blank check.
Right.
There's a lot going into it.
It's the media billionaire owners who are rolling over and playing dead.
That's a whole nother topic.
855-752-484-2855-75, civic Brian from Milwaukee.
So Ukraine just invaded itself, like Poland invaded itself in 1939.
Question mark, when will the mega supporters wake up?
Smell the coffee.
Trump is lying to taking advantage of you.
Thank you, Brian from Milwaukee.
Let's get a couple of callers in here while we have time.
Tom from LA, you're up.
Welcome, Tom.
What do you got for us?
Yeah, I think what we're going to see speaking of authoritarianism is that there's now 56 cases of measles in Texas.
I'm sure Trump's next move is going to be to close the border and demonize and say that's all the Latinos that have come across the border that are actually giving people measles.
Exactly.
That's, that's the, uh, you watch, I'll be the next playbook.
I
that's what we're going to see.
But, um, yeah, I just, you know, again, I just appeal to the magas and the Republicans out there.
Do we really need to go up to the school of hard knocks to figure this all out?
I mean, go and get, pick up a history book.
It's all there.
We don't have an FDR coming.
I don't think at this point, or at least we have no Democrats.
I want to say that they're FDR Democrats, which I think is really sad.
But I think that we definitely need to read our history because we've been here before, but we haven't, Germany has.
And I think that we need to be aware.
Yeah, we do need to be aware, but you got to have some general curiosity about things and you have to understand history and be able to read the tea leaves a little bit.
And oh yeah, that's right.
You got to be a little curious and know how to read 855-752-4842.
Come back more of your calls, 855-755-CIVIC.
Salvia show eight five five seven five two four eight four two eight five five seven five Civic you may now refer to me as his highness or your majesty from now on if this is how we're gonna do it I'm just kidding I declare myself king I am the king
eight, five, five, seven, five civic.
Got a couple of the textures and some colors.
We're going to get to you as well.
Matt Ross trial.
Joining me today, of course, remember next segment, tell us something good.
You got to tell us something good to wrap up the day on a positive, happy, smiley note, you know, puppies with snow on their nose, kind of a ending.
Some of the textures are chiming in let me share with you a few of those Uncle Tony says Hitler also said Hitler is Deutschland and Deutschland is his Hitler Mm-hmm Scott from Madison points out.
I think you're forgetting that the Republicans think this is awesome Yeah, it's a great time
You know, Nero fiddle when Rome burn, man.
Everyone's dancing.
Larry chimes in good show history lesson Munich 1938.
Western leaders sought to appease Hitler by giving him a free pass to invade and take territory of a sovereign European country, Czechoslovakia.
The negotiations between Western parties and Nazi Germany were conducted without Czechoslovakia present.
Chamberlain promised the concessions would deliver peace in our time.
Remember that.
peace in our time.
Of course, we know how that worked out.
Larry goes on lots more, but I'm not going to read that.
Thank you, Larry, for your contribution.
Andrew from Maine.
He points out for the Trump supporters who think we should allow him to be king.
Will they be a supportive of Barack Obama doing the exact same actions?
Yes, of course, Andrew.
That is the hypocrisy of those folks.
Tim from Wales points out they could have been joking around.
I mean, I'm on the X site right now.
This is, as Matt mentioned, the White House site at White House.
And there is the fake trick picture of Donald Trump with New York skyline behind him with a crown on his head.
And it says long live the king.
It's a, you know, take off of the Time magazine with a red border around it and Trump where it says would have been time.
It'd be a joke.
Larry, I'm sorry, Tim from Wales.
If it were you.
You know, if you put it out there and you put it on your site, you say, okay, King, King, King Trump, you know, but this is the official White House site, man.
This is the White House at White House.
It's, it's, it's not funny.
It's not a joke.
And what if, what if other people start jumping on the bandwigs?
Hey, what, what about this?
Okay, here, what happened to, what do we say?
Louis the 16th, right?
Not the 14th, Louis the 16th, the guillotine, man, the French Revolution, guys had ended up in a bucket.
Right he was murdered murder.
He was killed.
He was he was announced He was convicted a traitor and they chopped his head off now if the memes start going out there right now of King Trump with showing King Trump's head in a bucket and memes like that would that be appropriate?
I don't think so But what are you inviting and what is a king and how how offensive is this?
How does an absolute monarchy?
jive with democracy and individual rights
Explain that one to me.
Where do where do where does that blend in it doesn't?
The fact that this picture is out there from the White House is as offensive as is somebody else on the Democratic side putting a Trump's head in a bucket in front of a guillotine Same thing.
That's not acceptable an absolute monarchy is is everything against what this country is about and they're putting it out there like it's funny like it's a joke
In worse than the Republicans who think this is awesome
Are the Republicans who know this is disgraceful and are saying absolutely nothing about it?
Nothing, right?
We're the silence.
I mean, you know pick your Republicans anybody anybody check check one two one two.
Is this okay?
Is this okay?
Do you want you want?
It's it's a downward spiral from here because of course you cannot have a democracy and an absolute monarchy those things do not go together and You know the our American revolution was fought over such things as was the French Revolution,
you know Chief Justice Roberts
How does that go along with the at White House picture of Donald Trump in a crown?
It doesn't, folks.
And you should be offended if you see this.
855-752-4842.
Tim, they could be joking, but it ain't funny.
What else we got here?
Let's get to the lines.
855-752-4842-855-757.
Ross Crawford County, you're up.
Welcome, Ross.
What do you got for us?
Matt, Jeff, and your highness.
Okay, just three points, hopefully they're quick.
The other day, Don, you had Harvey K. on and he brought up this idea of a road show of getting some Democrats that are out there.
He almost made it sound like it's already too late.
We as Democrats and others need to hear this alternative voice and a road show would be really good.
Just a bus with four, five,
people that are willing to sort of speak their minds at the time and go from city to city and can start to talk about these alternatives because the news is there isn't really any focus for the for the office opposition in terms of you guys like talking about like this came Trump I mean it shows
who these magas are.
It's really kind of embarrassing.
It shows who, as America, kind of shows this part of America.
It's like, oh goodness, this is kind of embarrassing.
But it's a cult.
It's a cult of personality.
I mean, we call it a king, but it's just a cult.
And these guys that used to be Republicans that are now just, their mouths are shut.
They're just like little vassals.
They're little, you know, they're just followers.
If we can get a good voice, if we can get a good opposition, if we could put in the next election, obviously we're talking four years, but it takes a while to build up momentum, we could have a strike, and what I mean by a strike is embolling.
If we can knock Trump out, then we can knock the whole party out, because there isn't really any alternative voices within the Republican Party.
So the only way that happens is if the Trump administration
You know, people are just going to kind of go along with this until it doesn't work, until the economy falters, until he mishandles a crisis, until people just kind of look at him and realize he's insane.
But I guess the last thing I'd like to say is we need, I think we're, as Democrats, we might need to be prepared to have a
a primary, a conversation in which we all try to get along, in which we're not all trying to be friendly.
We're going to have to hear different voices.
The voice of Democrats that speaks maybe for union workers is not necessarily going to be the same voice as people who are like maybe like...
you know, like maybe like what do you want to call the university or the academic jet set?
We're going to really need a vigorous debate and we may not all be on the same sheet of music so that the person who prevails has an authentic voice and people will look to him and say, this person's for real.
Yeah.
And Ross, I'm very eager to find out who that may be.
I thank you for your call, your thoughts and your contribution, Ross.
you know, Harvey K, and we talked about a little bit, you know, talk about Thomas Paine and those folks.
And I think it is important to, you know, kind of rekindle some of those, those thoughts because, you know, we're spoiled, man.
You know, we're spoiled.
We haven't had to go through this kind of thing.
You never, if you've never been under the thumb of an authoritarian person, being a king of old, I mean, hell, there's some, some countries that I forget which ones, but if you, if you insult the king, they throw you in jail.
If you insult the royal family, I'm like, what?
You got to be kidding me.
Because this attitude does not go along.
It cannot exist at the same time with individual liberties, Matt.
Absolutely not.
I was just glancing at the Declaration of Independence.
Here's the line that popped out of me.
A prince whose character is marked by every act that defines a tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
There it is in the declaration.
But, you know, I agree with Ross.
We need to get out there.
We need our leaders in the Democratic Party elected officials to get out there and lead.
Only two people who have been talking loud enough for me to hear who are elected are Bernie Sanders and AOC.
And I think they've been great.
But there's been a silence from Kamala Harris, Gretchen Whitmer, Pete Buttigieg.
Newsome in California, you know the want to be next candidates for president And if ever there was a time for you guys to find your voice, you know get over your laryngitis We need to hear
You're trying to troll this is coming from the White House.
I mean listen, it's working
If your example of trolling the Libs is being and doing and saying all the things that we accuse you and suggest that you actually are, and you come up and show that you are, I'm not sure you're actually owning the Libs.
You're just admitting your faults.
And those faults do not jive with what this country is about in any way, shape, or form.
You cannot have an absolute monarchy and a constitutional republic at the same time.
I mean,
maybe they're being infantile adolescents there and trying to own the libs with this goofy picture of Trump
king, but he said long live the king
I mean, you know, what is their excuse?
They're just, you know, they're just spoofing us.
Like when Elon Musk said, I bet you did not see this coming, NAZI.
Those are things not to joke about too.
eight five five seven five two four eight four two eight five five seven five Civic up they lower the bar and that's something you know So they lower the bar than we engage and lower the bar even more.
I mean, I just I try try not I know that's I shouldn't do that But it's really really tempting eight five five seven five two four four two.
Let's go Paul.
You're up Paulie.
Welcome.
What do you got for us?
Hey, good afternoon boys in 2016 the Demsha felt the burn I did I think Bernie would have
Pete Trump, but that's that's hindsight.
You know, Trump did pardon his Gestapo and the Republicans are scared to death for more.
That's one reason, I think.
And the media does lean right, no matter what they say.
It's the right wing leading media.
But I think there's three things here that Democrats can die on the Hill floor.
I think to warn Ukraine, I mean, you can't side with Russia.
I think that's a big deal.
And the other two are Social Security and Medicare.
If you start messing with those three things, that's when the Democrats need to charge up the hill, because that'll be the end of Trump in my mind, and probably the Republican Party.
So that's just my two cents.
Thanks for taking my
four, two, uh, lots of emotion on this.
Uh, but I do want to throw something else out there before we talk about, you know, and the day at a positive note by telling us something good in the next segment of the New York times met their, their headline.
Doge claimed it saved $8 billion in one contract.
It was actually eight million.
What the
Yeah, what a big error.
They're claiming all 16 billion in savings itemized on a wall of receipts website.
Now I haven't gone to it yet.
They have a link on the New York Times article.
We'll put it in the show notes for you folks.
As the Times points out, almost half of those line item savings can be attributed to a single $8 billion contract for, for ice.
But those, the low dose list vastly overstated the actual value.
It was eight million, not eight billion, a larger total savings number published on the site, 55 billion.
and lack specific documentation.
So when people say, well, you know, how do you, he's doing all these things.
And we talk about credibility.
You know, do you have credibility?
If you say you, you saved $8 billion and it was really eight million.
And it wasn't even eight million.
That was the contract.
They only spent like $2.5 million of it.
And then, and then they, they, they,
What?
They didn't update it?
Then he eventually updated it?
The $8 billion loss in savings represents nearly 15% of the total savings claimed by DOES.
And there's no, apparently according to the times, limited detail on the other $55 billion.
You wonder why I don't believe it, because they're making mistakes like this.
And he was out there.
He was like, oh, we're gonna make mistakes.
Yeah, what?
An $8 billion mistake?
Come on.
I mean, is this, is this crazy time?
Is everyone taking crazy pills?
How is this okay, man?
It is crazy time
8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 the good news is we're all crazy We'll have fun come back with us tell us something good
back to the Dom salvia show last segment of the day.
If you got something to say, if you want to be legendary, tell us something good, eight, five, five, seven, five, two, four, eight, four, two, wrapping up just PS on the board.
Matt Ross child on in studio, formerly of the progressive and the Wisconsin democracy campaign.
Matt, thank you so much for joining us today.
You always come up with some really, really good.
Tell me something good.
What do you got today, Matt?
Well, one good thing happened to me.
I saw a purple finch outside my window today Springs not far away purple love the purple finch.
Yeah, it's
Roger Torrey Peterson, the great ornithologist who I grew up, I grew up with his book about birds.
He said it was a finch dipped in raspberry sauce.
So, this was a female though, it was just brown and striped.
It wasn't gorgeous, but it was still a good place.
Not gorgeous,
bowl, right?
Yeah, but it was, it's always a nice bird to see and it's a sign that...
things aren't going to be so cold.
So I'm happy the cold is going.
Yeah.
I'm also happy to see a purple fincher waiting for the more birds to
What can you tell me about this?
Yeah, it's by June Jordan.
June Jordan was a great poet and activist.
She was in Madison.
That's where I first heard her read about, it must have been 30 years ago when I was a young editor.
I was to make that 35 years
ago when I was a young editor
at the Progressive and she was giving a speech on campus and it just blew me away and I bought all her books right there at the table after her talk in the next morning.
told Irwin Noll, the editor of the press, we gotta get this woman to write for us.
And she has this poem called Poem About My Rights, which is a poem of defiance.
And I just wanted to give a sample of that poem of defiance to our listeners.
I'm about my rights.
Even tonight.
And I need to take a walk and clear my head about this poem about why I can't go out without changing my clothes, my shoes, my body posture, my gender identity, my age, my status as a woman alone in the evening, alone on the streets, alone not being the point, the point being that I can't do what I want to do with my own body because I am the wrong sex, the wrong age, the wrong skin.
And suppose it was not here in the city, but down on the beach,
or far into the woods and I wanted to go there by myself thinking about God or thinking about children or thinking about the world all of it disclosed by the stars and the silence I could not go and I could not think and I could not stay there alone as I need to be alone because I can't do what I want to do with my own body and who in the hell set things up like this?
Who in the hell set things up like this?
Powerful.
June Jordan.
What a voice.
I miss her.
A great deal.
And it was a tremendous honor to work with her at the Progressive.
But I want to encourage people to read June Jordan, a poem about my rights, a poem about South African women, where she came up with the line, we are the people we've been waiting for.
That was
a June Jordan line.
You know, it's still Black History Month.
Read some June Jordan, get that defiant spirit that we're going to need to survive Trump.
I we got a couple of textures in here.
We'll get them out there first something good from Andrew
Dunkin Donuts, brownie batter donut.
Yo.
Yeah.
And Lady just working hard on the board, making it sound so easy.
Yes.
Thank you.
Thank you, Jess.
You're welcome.
Oh, Larry, he jumps in poems and birds.
Yeah.
See?
All right, Larry.
Loving it.
And this, a story about AJ must.
who in his 80s musty during the who during the civil war stood in front of the White House night after night with a candle sometimes alone a reporter interviewed him one evening as he stood there in the rain Mr. Musty the reporter said do you really think you're going to change the policies of this country by standing out here alone at night with a candle AJ responded oh I don't do this to change the country I do this so the country won't change me damn
Right on.
All right.
I got a quick one here.
Um, my mother is in a memory care unit up in Appleton and we have these quarterly, monthly, whatever every few months we have a check in with the staff and we all assumed in my brother and, and my sisters in Florida and a bunch of the staff at the, at the place and talking about mom, how she's doing.
And you know, she's pretty stable, waits good.
You know, she's, she's, but she's still a little feisty of my mom.
And part of that was she was like, you know, sometimes that night when she gets tired, she gets a little, you know, a little verbally abusive with the staff.
Damn, no, no, growing up.
I mean, I get it.
I was, I was not, I was not a great kid growing up sometimes.
I'll
So during, I reflected on that during this zoom meeting with about six or seven other people.
And I chimed him like, Hey, you know, just for the record next time, next time she does that.
Is there a charge to wash your mouth out with soap?
No extra charge for that.
I won't come up and do it.
I'm gonna see her this weekend.
I love you.
It was great.
I saw her in the back.
She's there as well.
They got a little chuckle out of her as well.
So I love you, Miles.
See you this weekend.
Love you, Jess.
Thank you for everything you do.
Love you, Matt Ross, child from formerly the progressive Wisconsin democracy campaign, a friend of ours.
Love our fair audience.
Thank you for hanging out with us today.
We'll do it all again tomorrow.
James Santel is going to join me now.
Stick around.
Pete Schwab, a nightlight coming up next.
Have a great night.