We're going to turn the page folks and we've got to talk a little politics because holy cow that was an interesting debate last night and I couldn't think of anybody better to talk about it with today.
Then Sarah Spain, she is the director of strategic communications at Emily's list.
Prior to coming to Emily's list, she managed the reproductive rights of vertical at Berlin.
She has frozen a communication consulting firm. She also worked as a fellow for Hillary for America. Welcome Sarah. Thanks so much for spending some of your post debate time with us here on the Maggie don't show.
Thank you for having me.
What were your initial impressions because I immediately had a few.
As the debate began, what were you what were you thinking and feeling where to start on this debate, you know, I think a lot of feelings, it was good to see Tim walls up there against JD Vance.
I think they just offered a very clear contrast to one another, which I think most people watching would agree with.
Yeah, I mean, starting right off JD Vance, you know, is getting in using eloquent language, but saying a lot of lies right off the bat. And I think we saw that throughout the entire debate.
And I think his strategy really was speak eloquently while saying these lies a little bit different than Trump in his debate.
And so it did look a little bit different as we went through it, but again, the same lies that we saw on the stage with Trump just presented a little bit differently.
We were maybe, I don't know, 15, 20 minutes into the debate and I'll tell you what I was experiencing was a deep sense of anxiety, like a sick pit in my stomach because watching JD Vance, that is what authoritarianism religious oppression inequality racism and misogyny looks like when it's dressed up and packaged correctly.
We have been, I think, offered an opportunity with Donald Trump because he's so unpracticed, so unvarnished and frankly so bad at making the completely unpalatable and frankly disgusting.
He can't make it seem anything other than disgusting in many ways. JD Vance can.
That's what I was thinking like we're looking at if I think if we are unable to sort of turn the page definitively in this election cycle.
That's the next incarnation of a post democratic United States.
I mean, whether we're talking about JD Vance's bizarre brand of Christian alt-right nationalism, his bowing of the knee to the billionaire bros or his embrace of these complete wing knots that think we need to literally burn our government to the ground he talks about this post republic idea and what he means there is not post republican in terms of party he means the end of our democratic republic as we've known it.
I was scared but then I was heartened by this regular man this regular guy who happens to be a politician that's what I felt about governor walls like here's a regular person who happens to be a politician not a professional politician not a professional snake oil salesman right I thought those differences were so stark.
Here in Wisconsin, of course, we've got a different incarnation of this mega version or view of the world in in Senate candidate era, and the commonality between him and JD Vance is they've apparently forgotten all of the times that they have said that they want abortion banned.
They have this great amnesia Sarah your thoughts on this because the truth of the matter here is that these guys have extreme opinions on reproductive freedom and and the individuals right to choose their health health care and in consultation with their family religious leaders and doctors.
Yeah, no, thank you for bringing that up and I think you're absolutely right that the version of JD Vance that we're seeing kind of dressed up and hiding away some of these extremist racist, you know, anti women ideals is almost more dangerous than what we see with trump words very apparent.
So I absolutely agree with you and I think we are seeing this with JD Vance we're seeing it with Eric have you were seen it up and down the ballot across the country and it all started after row is overturned and you know we've had these elections where voters have come out in red states in blue states in swing states saying we care about abortion we want to protect it and it's the majority of voters and so Republicans aren't stupid.
They can read a poll and so they've been reading these polls realizing that abortion for this election is going to be fought in one on abortion and so they're out here hiding their, you know, very anti abortion.
Stances and very anti abortion records from voters so that they can get the vote but the reality is once they're in office, we know exactly what they're going to do and I think for us we're lucky that we have the records of President Trump from his first administration we have the records from JD Vance in senate and they're very clear where they stand and so I think for us especially at Emily's last we have 34 days until the election.
And we want to remind voters it doesn't matter what they say on this debate stage it doesn't matter what they're saying you know when they're talking about where they stand on abortion look at their records they're very clear and I think that's kind of what we want to continue reminding voters.
It's so important again I encourage people to check out Emily's list you can you can avail yourself of some of the information that you all have gathered so that you can review candidates records on reproductive freedoms one of the tax that they've taken Sarah is to sort of spin this as well of course we don't oppose fertility treatments.
Of course because we're pro family and they're they're sort of trying to put this really nice bow on all of this but that's all garbage too I mean the courts are can are reaching conclusions that are inevitable and in the inexorable outcome of the declaration that life begins at conception.
Your reactions to this sort of not just dressing up with nice words because it's JD Vance right the Ivy League version of magnetism right but this particular attack that we're pro family and that means we want to support fertility treatments they weren't talking about that five years ago at all.
No they weren't talking about that and you know I think my reaction is same as yours that's pure BS it's not true it's not real and I was at a watch party last night where when JD Vance on the stage said I want to be pro family I want to be pro fertility everyone screamed and the reason being he for the first time when it was in senate voted against the IVF bill and the second time didn't even show up for the vote and the second time was when you know he was already on the ticket as the vice president and so.
It's really clear where he stands and to just put these words into the atmosphere of oh I'm pro fertility treatment I think Trump has been doing the same because he sees how important this is to people after the case in Alabama but we know that that's not the truth they've had the opportunity Vance specifically to vote on it and didn't and so again you know the records so essential in these cases yeah we're worried JD when we were trying to protect fertility treatments.
You didn't take that vote we've got more coming up with Sarah Spain the director of strategic communications at Emily's list because we're in the 230 block we are always talking to Emily's list if it is a Wednesday you can mark your calendars by that I'm Maggie Dawn we'll be back in just a brief moment here on the Maggie Dawn show on the civic media radio network join us eight five five seven five civic eight five five seven five two 48 42 what was your most infuriating moment of the night I had a few.
Back in just a bit.
Welcome back Wisconsin and beyond I'm Maggie Dawn you're listening to the Maggie Dawn show here on the civic media radio network I'm joined this half hour by Sarah Spain director of strategic communications at Emily's list by the way she also went to the Ohio State University is a proud buckeye so she knows a thing or two about politicians from Ohio welcome back Sarah folks if you would like to voice some of your reactions perhaps.
Frustrations with the snake oil that was being struck on the stage last night by JD Vance the senator from Ohio eight five five seven five two 48 42 Sarah and I want to hear from you.
There were a lot of lies there was a lot of politeness to in the debate right the tone wasn't attacking each other they attacked you know top of the ticket.
How do you just as a political question Sarah aside from the specific the specifics specific oh my gosh specifics I can speak I swear.
Even radio show host sometimes stumble over their words aside from the specifics of the reproductive freedom debate on the overall tone and and frankly.
politeness of the debate what was your reaction that I personally thought that that worked very well for the Harris walls ticket I think given to him walls is sort of self acknowledged challenges in debating for him to actively engage in fact check checking would have been really challenging for him.
And I just don't think he's the right personality type to do a tack dog in that sort of a setting what was your reaction to just the overall center of the debate yeah I mean I think we're not used to polite debates like I think we have seen Trump debate all of these years and so coming back to this theme of a polite debate it almost was startling.
And I think you know some people liked that JD Vance was being polite and it's a reminder that just because we're seeing politeness in a debate doesn't mean that their values aren't anti democratic aren't anti women aren't racist sex so I think when I was watching I was just thinking it's been so long since we've seen this and I hope in the future we continue to see these more polite debates between candidates.
But agree I think it was a bit startling at the beginning.
Weird I mean since Trump blasted onto the scene or road down his golden escalator onto the scene in a real formal way debates especially on the Republican side in 2016 and even in this primary cycle things have been so ugly it was sort of like these people actually being respectful to one another boy this is strange.
And the oddity of that moment itself was notable to me the fact that it was striking me as so strange that there was such again at least the veneer of respect and politeness seemed again depressingly odd to me let's take a caller cam from apple tin you say what say hello to Sarah and what were your thoughts about the debates are.
Hello Sarah and hello Maggie I watched all of it last night and I think for people that aren't familiar with Tim Walt you can throw meme after meme around about him being the average dad the normal guy and it's I got to tell you guys it's really not a meme it's like it is legit he is a human being it's I describe him as like one of the first politicians.
That gives me no lizard vibes in any any politics and he he may have misdepped and he said that he was he's a knucklehead I don't blame him for misremembering a 35 year ago trip to a country that he's been multiple times he's like so what who cares.
The entire debate though you ordered it so well Maggie the hit in the stomach because I can admit when someone I hate is doing something that I think is done well and JD was talking he was talking a lot better than Trump does and that was damn near and creating and last thing before before I go.
Oh my god like after the selection cycle can we please talk about a way to figure out how to get men to understand that women and misperiod they can have late periods they can have early periods.
It's like everyone just failed basic sex ed I it's good to agree with you work out how about this is a starting point women are not merely vessels for carrying children and after we bear children we are not simply humanoids.
It's designed to provide caretaking for men and children that women have legitimately different aspirations that include motherhood that can be stay at home mothers but I can include every single thing that a man does they seem to have not gotten that message I mean for crying out loud some of the guys that JD Vance follows and listens to and subscribe to want to repeal the 19th amendment like they literally do not want women voting.
There are how do you think that the democratic strategy around reproductive freedoms are is playing out.
Yes that is an awesome question.
I thought that Tim Walls did really well in reproductive rights last night and it shows I mean he's fought for reproductive rights in Minnesota I think it's shown truly how much he cares about this issue it wasn't just something that he was saying to voters he cares about this and has fought for it and I thought
it was a very clear on stage that this is an issue that matters I the F birth control abortion he talked about it all and I think it's something we've seen him fight for in his state and it's a very clear that he's going to fight for it.
For the country as well so I think what we've seen is that Democrats are running on an issue that they care about we believe it there that's Sarah Spain.
The senior communications director for strategic comms and Emily's list I'm Maggie Dawn you're listening to the civic media radio network.
