Today on the Lean to the Left podcast we’re talking politics with a focus on the past election and what’s still ahead, and with me are my pals, Arthur Hill, from North Carolina, and Robert Thompson, from Georgia.

Arthur is communications chair of the Brunswick County, North Carolina, Democratic party. He and I both worked in PR and as freelance writers in Washington, DC. And, on Capitol Hill before that.

Robert Thompson is based in Atlanta and founded Peach News Now and its opinion podcast, Got Damn Liberals. You gotta take a listen.

Nationally, Democrats did surprisingly well, holding onto the Senate – even though the Georgia race is headed to a runoff – and minimizing losses in the House, where the Republicans will take over in January with a much thinner margin than they expected.

Trump says he’s running in 2024, a development that has been met with underwhelming approval of top Republican leaders who blame him for what they feel is pretty much an election debacle.

Whether his announcement matters much will depend on the outcome of the many investigations into his activities and whether he faces criminal charges. After all, election day 2024 is still two years away.

In South Carolina
Here in my neck of the woods in South Carolina, election night was a clean sweep -- for Republicans, who overwhelmingly reelected Gov. Henry McMaster and Sen. Tim Scott, sent a MAGA Republican to Congress, elected someone who didn’t actually meet educational requirements to be Secretary of Education, and swept three local state legislative races.

The only positive news is that the winners of the 2022 Rescue Brew “Spokesdog” and “Spokescat” contest have been chosen, with almost $82,000 raised for the Charleston Animal Society’s No Kill South Carolina initiative.

Beaux, a 10-month-old Maine Coon from Kiawah Island was picked as the “Spokescat” and Wally, a seven-year-old West Highland terrier-mix rescued during Hurricane Matthew was elected as “Spokesdog.”

So that just shows that progressives really can get things done in South Carolina, despite the odds. We just can’t elect humans to office.

In Georgia
Now in Georgia, we have that runoff going on between Sen. Warnock and Herschel Walker. So, Robert, let’s get right to it...

Listen to the podcast...

Show Notes

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Show Transcript

[00:03:36] Okay, so now, you know there's tons of stuff going on. We know that in Georgia, we've got the runoff going between Warnock and Walker on December the sixth. Hey Robert, let's get right to that. How about, tell us about what's going on. 

[00:03:55] Robert Thompson: So apparently Herschel Walker is again, how many times have I said is multiple personalities?

[00:04:02] but he has crossed the line. He is attacking Warnock for saying that Warnock doesn't keep his own kids. 

[00:04:13] Bob Gatty: What?

[00:04:15] Robert Thompson: This is a guy that has women falling outta trees and his own campaign could not keep all this under wraps. They fired a campaign worker when one of the things came out before that.

[00:04:29] But it's so unfortunate here in Georgia that it doesn't matter. Literally those, the dog and cat that won over there in South Carolina, yeah, you could put 'em on the Republican ticket here and they'd win in a landslide. 

[00:04:40] Bob Gatty: He could do that here too, but that's, Sorry. 

[00:04:44] Robert Thompson: It, is mind boggling. And even our other Senator Ossoff that is in for the full six years, he says The competence contrast between Warnock and Walker is the most dramatic in politics.

[00:04:58] You've got Walker going around the state, standing up in front of whoever will listen to him, and he is saying things like, you know that vampires are great people. He's saying that he didn't realize that there's gonna be early voting leading up to the election.. The, man in his 12 different personalities, they all live in a different world, and clearly there is a lot of support in this state for him, but it, I don't understand.

[00:05:26] I, don't get it. And yeah I, have a blood pressure cuff in front of me that I'm supposed to take my blood pressure and I'm sure it's gonna be high after this episode. 

[00:05:41] Bob Gatty: After this episode, or after the election, 

[00:05:44] Robert Thompson: which probably after this episode, . You get me all riled up? Yeah. . 

[00:05:51] Bob Gatty: Ok. I wanna know.

[00:05:55] I wanna know how it is that any sane person, I don't care if they're Republican or not, how can they possibly vote for this guy who clearly has left his brain matter on the football field? 

[00:06:15] Robert Thompson: He, all he has is an R next to his name. You've got still that contingent with that crook in Florida, cuz he's the one that's supporting him.

[00:06:26] All those people are following him. It, clearly does not matter. If, you lived here in Georgia, you saw all the campaign ads, you saw all the people griping on social media, when is the election gonna be over? Even Warnock himself, he went on before the last election, he says.

[00:06:43] Keep me out of Thanksgiving. So thanks to the third party candidate and the football player, we're gonna be talking about politics at Thanksgiving next week. So thanks for ruining Thanksgiving Republicans 

[00:06:58] Arthur Hill: I'm, getting three or four, at least three or four texts and emails every day from the from the Warnock campaign.

[00:07:09] Talking about just begging me for money. Oh, yeah. I am 

[00:07:12] Bob Gatty: too. 

[00:07:13] Arthur Hill: Oh yeah. They're just, they've got a prolific, they've got an incredible social media Effort going on, which is just, amazing to me. I did just literal, I literally, four or five times a day, if not more. It's amazing. The thing the, thing I'm wondering about is, I've heard that Ke is offering his good services to to Walker.

[00:07:39] Robert Thompson: Is that true? It depends on which stage they're supposed to go and stand up on. So Kemp is like another DeSantis, but people don't know the name as much as they know. Death Santas down in Florida, Uhhuh, but they're just as smart as each other. And Kemp stayed away from all the crazy Trump people.

[00:07:57] He, he wouldn't say anything about 'em. And obviously it worked. He got all these votes and he is gonna be a governor again for four years. But I don't know. It, is the strangest politics and I wish I could make heads or tails of it. 

[00:08:16] Arthur Hill: Has anybody talked about the possibility that that, looking at it from, my vantage point, that that Walker's just being exploited and it's, and it fundamentally, it's sad to see what's happening.

[00:08:32] Robert Thompson: Oh. He's a total token. And some people may take offense to that, but look, Herschel Walker is a token for the Republican. And, he was back when he played football at UGA. And he continues to be he they can prop him up on a stage. And unfortunately and I, said that when his debate, the single debate performance that he trained for, I don't know how long, but it actually probably helped us numbers.

[00:09:02] Because he was able to put some sentences together and he didn't say anything outlandish like a conspiracy theory, but it but, he had to train for that and, I guess they had to keep him on his one good personality to make sure that he could make it through that debate. It's a special kind of hot mess.

[00:09:25] I, don't know what else to say. 

[00:09:26] Arthur Hill: I'm glad I don't have to be on, if he gets elected. I'm glad I don't have to be on his. You imagine I would. 

[00:09:34] Bob Gatty: Oh man. I'm telling you 

[00:09:35] Robert Thompson: what. You've got Madison Cawthorn up there. He just abandoned his office. He just left. He's there's nothing else for me here. But if you go back to when the Republicans were in power, and you take a look at the playbook of what these indivisible groups are is you.

[00:09:53] Call you email you tweet at your elected officials and if they don't respond, you start calling 'em out for it. Most people don't know. Georgia is a one way recording state. Now I'm not a lawyer, but everything that I know about this, if you're on a phone call with another party in Georgia, you can record that phone call.

[00:10:14] And do whatever you want to with it. We have had past elections swayed over this kind of thing, so start calling up. If, he ends up in office, or even people, if Marjorie Taylor Green's office, leave an answer the phone, but record these conversations. Barry Louder Milk is another example. I, there are several examples of recorded phone calls with his staffers that they're like deer in headlights.

[00:10:37] They, have all they're told is to say these marching orders, you cannot think for yourself. And some of you guys, I think also have been staffers for these congressmen before. But call 'em out on it. If all they can do is just sit on the phone and recite talking points and they won't debate, they won't do town halls.

[00:10:56] Call 'em out for it. That they wanted to be in office so bad. 

[00:11:03] Arthur Hill: That's, I'm sorry, go ahead. That's the congressman we have here for the seventh district in North Carolina. David Rouser hasn't had a town hall in years and you just got, reelected. By a wide margin, 64 to 35.

[00:11:25] And and, he's going back for a sixth term and he won't do town halls. And and we spent a lot of time and effort calling him out on that, but sure didn't seem to help much. Now

[00:11:38] Robert Thompson: you have to do it consistently. It works. It happened up in New York. The invisible groups up there, they literally would go to the office every.

[00:11:46] They wouldn't do pictures, they would do video, social media, everything. And on the one visit, he just happened to be there, they ran him up on the roof and he's, on his cell phone, on the roof of his office building freaking out that these constituents that they want to talk to me again, why in the hell do you wanna get elected to office if you do not want to deal with your constituents?

[00:12:08] Arthur Hill: Yeah, good question. Which is your number one priority 

[00:12:13] Robert Thompson: for sure. Allegedly? Yeah. Yeah. 

[00:12:16] Arthur Hill: that, that should come above 

[00:12:18] Robert Thompson: all. I guess you gotta go out and, give thousands of dollars in corporate contributions to actually get a meeting with the guy. Cause heaven forbid he, meet with somebody that's not paying him under the table. 

[00:12:32] Arthur Hill: There is 

[00:12:33] Bob Gatty: Robert. Robert, you think that Stacy Abrams is done now, or. I don't know what 

[00:12:42] Robert Thompson: she's gonna do. And a lot of people are saying it was a lot of silence and everything, but you cannot discount what she did in both of the elections.

[00:12:53] And even when she was not governor the Republicans are trying to say all she's doing is flying around and meeting with celebrities. Who the hell is Donald? He's the only one that hangs out with all these delist deplorables all the time. The, talking out of the hypocrisy and all that kind of stuff I, don't know what she's gonna do, but people should not discount what she called out here in Georgia.

[00:13:22] She mobilized an amazing number of people to get on and vote. Came close and. Oh, she continues in that. I think she'll find her way, she'll find something to do. But again, in Warnock would not be in office if it were not for Stacy Abrams. I, do believe that firmly.

[00:13:45] Arthur Hill: Maybe she ought to export her skill to other states. Oh 

[00:13:48] Robert Thompson: The others have asked I've done the podcast with the guys in Iowa. They need to Stacy Abrams in Iowa. I There's all other kinds of places. She's at times, I think, better known outside the state than in the state, but it is what it is.

[00:14:04] Bob Gatty: Yeah, there's always that talk down here in South Carolina too. We need Stacy Abrams. We need Stacy Abrams. And it's true Things aren't gonna change here unless there's unless there's a some kind of a revolution. I, don't know. Yeah, it's it's really sad.

[00:14:30] I had some hopes that a couple of these young legislative candidates might have a shot, but they got crush. And it's just a matter of the R, like you say, it's the 

[00:14:41] Robert Thompson: R and the gerrymandering. Yeah, and the gerrymandering, yeah. Yeah. You've got here in Georgia, you've got a pocket down in southwest Georgia that's blue.

[00:14:49] It's a huge district down there, Sanford Bishop. And then you've got these races around metro Atlanta, but the gerrymandering is just so blatant. Yeah. And you know it every time you put it up to this popular vote, a lot of times the Republicans lose, but then they go and do the gerrymandering and. Bump up their numbers and inflate 'em.

[00:15:08] And it's, just allegedly we're democracy. But who would know? 

[00:15:14] Arthur Hill: We, had a we're gonna have an interesting two years with gerrymandering. We got pretty lucky on the congressional delegation side. We actually gained a couple. The congressional delegation is split seven to seven Democrats and Republicans.

[00:15:34] The maps that were being used for this election are gonna go away because the special master that the Supreme Court supported or appointed to, to draw up maps for this election made it clear that the legislature's gotta gotta draw up new maps for the 24 election. And now the State Supreme Court is five to two Republican and.

[00:16:00] And the appeals court is pretty much all Republican because all four of the races for the appeals court got was run by Republicans. The thinking is that there'll be new maps, Democrats will sue but they'll get knocked out of, knocked down on courts. So who knows what's gonna happen about to that seven to seven delegation two years from now.

[00:16:27] It's gonna be interesting to see. So that was so that was definitely a good news, bad news situation in, North Carolina. The, court thing was, amazing that the Republicans gotta get a little credit but the state party ran him as a slate two Supreme Court nominees and four appellate judges.

[00:16:52] And. They they ran as a slate and they wanted people to vote for 'em as a block. The Democrats tried to do the same thing but they kept emphasizing that they weren't gonna vote along party lines, that they were gonna vote according to what the merits of each case were. And I guess majority of the people in North Carolina didn't agree with that point of view.

[00:17:15] So they elected, they went with a Republican slate, but which is too bad. One of the guys who was running for the Supreme Court was Sam, i's grandson who, who's a dead ringer for his granddad boy, except he had more hair, has more hair just just an amazing, looking guy. You just look back on it and you think Watergate all over again.

[00:17:42] But but other than that, it was it, was it was a. Definitely a good night, bad night for, Democrats in North Carolina. Especially in Brunswick County, which was kinda like Horry County. Just it was a, sweep for Republicans. 

[00:18:06] Bob Gatty: Yeah. That's so dis just discouraging. Let's switch a little bit.

[00:18:13] What do you guys think about the announcement. From Pelosi that she's not going to seek the leadership position for the Democrats in the house and that it's time for new blood. Do you agree with 

[00:18:29] Robert Thompson: that? Who are the Republicans gonna bitch about now? They have victimized her for how many years now?

[00:18:35] Oh, they have. So I honestly, for the next two to three years, they could still keep saying her name and Republicans wouldn't know any. They think she's still running everything in dc. The conspiracy theories that I you know, time and time again, you hear these bullshit conspiracy theories about Nancy Pelosi.

[00:18:56] She's just another congress lady from California. I don't know who the Republicans are gonna bitch about. I guess they're gonna prop up somebody else, or maybe they're gonna go over to Schumer in the Senate. I don't know. But she, has held the party together compared to all the, how many house speakers did the Republican House go through over the past, what, 10 to 15 years?

[00:19:20] You've got some of the guys left and changed parties, so you people are crazy . 

[00:19:25] Bob Gatty: Yeah. Yeah. I think that, Pelosi did a hell of a job over over her time. And she shepherded the Obama healthcare package through through the house at a time when that was a real tough go.

[00:19:52] Robert Thompson: It's a reminder to folks, if you need healthcare, Either through that or through Medicare. You gotta sign up for that now, by the way. Just a quick plug. 

[00:20:03] Bob Gatty: Yeah, that's true thing is that now it's that it's, a time for a figuring out who is going. Become the next leader of the party in Congress in the House, of Representatives.

[00:20:26] You guys have any thought about who might be emerging, who might be the next crop of, leaders in the house? 

[00:20:35] Arthur Hill: Go ahead. Sure can. One of the candidates is gonna be Steny Hoyer. He is he's been waiting for this, waiting to, for the opportunity to, lead the Democrats in in the house for a hell of a lot longer time than McCarthy has for leading the Republicans.

[00:20:53] The only problem with Hoyer is that that he's he's, old. And and we're gonna run into the same. The same criticism that some Democrats have with with, the President about on the age issue. But he's ready to take over and he certainly is, experienced and has the same talent for organization and discipline that that Pelosi has. 

[00:21:23] Robert Thompson: I was gonna say Adam Schiff was the first guy that came to mind. We'll see but Adam is he, doesn't, he's not like a Kavanaugh. He, doesn't get upset. He, gets on tv, he has his talking points all lined up. The man can speak and he knows his stuff. . But of course he's from California, so immediately the Republicans are just gonna throw him out with the bath water just cause he is a California Democrat.

[00:21:51] But, eh, we'll see. Speaking of Katie Porter also won her election. I know she is somewhere around Arch County which, can be a hotbed of weird California Republicans, but she beat 'em out apparently. So we got two more years of Katie Porter Uhhuh. She's another one. She . She, she, wants the receipts and she will get up there and talk about what she needs to talk about.

[00:22:21] So I love Katie . 

[00:22:25] Arthur Hill: McCarthy's got his work cut out for him. He, is I, just don't know how he is gonna be able to govern that bunch. 

[00:22:32] Robert Thompson: Oh 

[00:22:32] hopefully he's meeting with McConnell. Cause McConnell somehow, I don't even know if McConnell's still alive. I The guy's got blue lips and everything else, but he, can wave a sticker or you said Bob, your cane over there.

[00:22:46] Maybe you start waving that on the podcast some more. But he, can wrangle up some Republicans and keep 'em in. 

[00:22:56] Bob Gatty: Oh man, , I saw a piece, I saw a quote in the Post today, Washington Post, something about McConnell saying that the results of the election showed that there's a need for new blood in the Republican party, and I.

[00:23:21] You're 

[00:23:22] Robert Thompson: saying what for Madison Callthorne and Margie Taylor Green. Really? That's where you're trying to get 

[00:23:27] Bob Gatty: You, Oh, 

[00:23:30] Robert Thompson: man. Yeah. I, would like for him to actually explain what new blood in the Republican party looks like. 

[00:23:37] Bob Gatty: Yeah, that's exactly right. The

[00:23:43] Oh man. Marjorie Taylor Green, she's gonna be Trump's vice presidential nominee. Is that the 

[00:23:53] Robert Thompson: I hear that it's, being auctioned off on eBay, . Cause we, gotta start our conspiracy theories, right? His running mate's being auctioned off on eBay and I hear that rubles are really good if you want to come to the party with some money.

[00:24:09] Bring a lot of rubles. They like rubles. 

[00:24:12] Arthur Hill: Do 

[00:24:12] Bob Gatty: they? Yeah.

[00:24:16] Oh man, . 

[00:24:19] Arthur Hill: That's, gonna, that's gonna be interesting. I, just I, just can't believe it's interesting that that, the Trump movement seems to be losing steam. Not because. People all of a sudden seeing the light and, becoming a, moral evangelicals in the night 

[00:24:42] Bob Gatty: they don't have that capability.

[00:24:44] Arthur Hill: Yeah. But just because Trump's starting to appear to them to be a loser So let's dump him and, go find somebody that uh, that, we can win with. It's it's just amazing to me the, lack of moral turpitude that exists in the Republican party. 

[00:25:07] Robert Thompson: Living in the South, hopefully you'll have seen the help the movie Uhhuh.

[00:25:12] Oh yes, absolutely. To respond to that. Aren't you tired, miss Hilly ? 

[00:25:18] Bob Gatty: That was a really good movie. 

[00:25:21] Robert Thompson: Speaking. And while we're on pop culture real quick, cause both of you are actually in between this, but on hbo low Country, the Murda Dynasty, have you heard of it yet? Yes. 

[00:25:32] Arthur Hill: Yeah. Oh, the, oh not, the not the the program that, that not the series that they had.

[00:25:41] You're talking about the actual Murdock. 

[00:25:44] Robert Thompson: It, it actually explained all that cuz I know, of the low country, but I did not know their name until I saw that documentary. But I highly recommend if you're looking cuz crazy stories, but only in, where's it, so the low country would be rural South Carolina.

[00:26:01] No, I know that, I know 

[00:26:02] Bob Gatty: where the low country is, but . But where is the show? 

[00:26:08] Robert Thompson: It's based in there oh, on HBO Max. Oh, 

[00:26:11] Bob Gatty: it's on HBO Max. Okay. Okay. 

[00:26:15] Arthur Hill: Okay. Alright. We had a, we had, we almost had another Hawthorne. Situation in North Carolina. The, there was a guy running against a, sitting congressman.

[00:26:30] He was an incumbent. And he was a young guy. And he he, it was really looking and he was a Republican and it was looking like he was on his way to winning beating the incumbent and until he got on a podcast one. And and he started talking about how how critical people were of the way the government was being run and that, this country was turning into a banana republic.

[00:27:04] And he said I, think Banana Republic is a pretty well run store and there's a lot of good managers that run. Banana Republic stores. And I, just think if I were Banana Republic I'd really be upset if some in a pejorative way that, that our country is being remembered by Banana Republics.

[00:27:24] And, that thing, it caught fire, went all over the place, caught fire and social media and it and and he lost, he finally lost guy named Boo Hines . 

[00:27:35] Bob Gatty: And 

[00:27:36] Arthur Hill: he lost. And that was that was our Madison Callthorne. 

[00:27:41] Bob Gatty: I like Banana Republic. Matter of fact, I have a pair of pants on right now. I bought it.

[00:27:46] Banana Republic . They have good managers and run well. I'd be honored to, to have the 

[00:27:53] Arthur Hill: United States run like Banana Republic, . 

[00:27:56] Robert Thompson: I tell republicans wanna run everything like a business, right? 

[00:27:59] Bob Gatty: I'll, tell you another thing about Banana Republic is they have this, they have these jeans, the fabric's a little.

[00:28:07] Stretchy just a little stretchy but, when you're when you're like at my age, and sometimes your, belly gets a little bigger than you want it to be and, everything you can still, get the damn things shut.

[00:28:32] Robert Thompson: priorities it's a thing. 

[00:28:35] Bob Gatty: I really like those jeans. I bought five pair of them.

[00:28:42] Oh man. Alright, what else do we have to talk about? 

[00:28:48] Robert Thompson: So where's inflation? You had all of these ads running from the Republican side. Oh my god. Don't vote for Democrats because of inflation. Now the election's gone. Nobody's talking. That's because that's did, so did inflation go away?

[00:29:04] I 

[00:29:06] Bob Gatty: You know what? The Democrats did a crappy job of laying, inflation at the feet of the Republicans because really that's where it belongs inflation was, is really caused by the, huge price increases that big companies have taken in order to generate record profits. And, Biden and the Democrats got blamed for that.

[00:29:34] These companies, they're mostly Rebo Republicans. Yep. It's just all freaking greed. 

[00:29:43] Robert Thompson: That's all it is. And interest rates should have never been as low as they were for as long as they were. Democrats were the only ones with the balls to actually go out and do what had to be done. It's painful as hell.

[00:29:54] You've got layoffs everywhere, but interest rates are go up to 7%, but it had to do that. You cannot continue for decades. To allow cheap money like that. Yeah. But of course, the Republicans have amnesia and they know that their base cannot comprehend this. Yeah. And, here we are, the three elite guys talking down and trying to 

[00:30:17] Bob Gatty: I wanna know why it is, this is way off topic, but what the hell?

[00:30:22] I wanna know why it is. Like I, I refinanced. Year and a half ago or so, when rates were really, low, I refinanced my mortgage and I got two point something percent. Now my mortgage company keeps sending me stuff, wanting me to refinance. Why in the hell would I refinance when rates are at least.

[00:30:49] What I'm currently 

[00:30:50] Robert Thompson: paying. See, this is a actual educated conversation. Yeah. If you were not so in that same boat, you've got someone that maybe has some equity in their house. Yeah. And all they're looking at is just getting a check to pay some other bills off or something like that. It doesn't make sense, but it makes no sense to, cash out 10, 20, 30 grand, but your interest rate's gonna jump.

[00:31:16] Yeah, 

[00:31:17] Bob Gatty: it's really not 

[00:31:19] Arthur Hill: a lot. Get, you get a bigger tax deduction on your return next year 

[00:31:24] Robert Thompson: and for the, if and if you're rich. I, wish I were to itemize, but Republicans took that away too. 

[00:31:31] Arthur Hill: Yeah, they did. They did. I'm you, I'm with you, Bob. I don't understand. I, don't understand why the Democrats in, the last six.

[00:31:42] Didn't didn't pass some anti gouging measures because all I can remember happening was Biden was trying to jawbone the oil companies to lower the price of gas. Yeah. But that's all I can remember. I can't remember any legislation or any, effort in Congress to, try to don't for gouge.

[00:32:03] Bob Gatty: No, I don't either. And it was mostly just hand ringing and, defensive talk. Yeah. They, the Republicans put 'em on on the defensive and they allowed that to happen, and they didn't need to do that. They, had control of both chambers of the, of Congress. They could have at least introduced legislation and pushed it and held hearings and there could have been hear hearings about price gouging.

[00:32:36] Absolutely. There could have. 

[00:32:40] Arthur Hill: I guess one reason might be that the guys who were doing the gouging were also they were being generous with Democrats and their campaign contributions as much as they were Republicans. There's a lot of 

[00:32:49] Robert Thompson: that going on. Oh, you bet. Oh, you bet. Get a toe board.

[00:32:52] Just start counting the number of times you call that you email and it is guys, you put it on social media, call 'em 

[00:33:00] Bob Gatty: out. Sometimes you gotta wonder about the. 

[00:33:04] Arthur Hill: Yeah, that's one respect for the system really has to change. There's gotta be some, way of overturning Citizens United. There's gotta be some way to do that.

[00:33:15] Gotta happen for sure. I would think that, I would think that even after all, even the Republicans would get tired of being called crooks because they're taking legal bribes all the 

[00:33:23] Robert Thompson: time. No, that's like halfway in the middle of the white lines for Republicans. You gotta take Bris . 

[00:33:33] Arthur Hill: Even, 

[00:33:34] I think it was Justice Chief, justice Roberts said at one point that we might have made a mistake with Citizens United.

[00:33:43] Robert Thompson: Imagine that, right? Yeah. Now you 

[00:33:46] Bob Gatty: tell us. Yeah, but 

[00:33:49] Arthur Hill: that's gotta change. 

[00:33:50] Bob Gatty: Yeah. Okay guys, we got anything else? Nope. 

[00:33:56] Robert Thompson: I just, unfortunately what we're gonna look forward to, Republicans allegedly taking over the house investigations of Hunter Biden. This is what we're all gonna be bitching about for two years.

[00:34:10] And, but I, remember, I'm gonna say it again. Hold these people, account. Corporations are not holding them accountable. They're in the pockets of corporations. It's up to us to call 'em out get on social media, write those letters and call 'em out

[00:34:31] Bob Gatty: and vote. Good advice. Good advice.

[00:34:35] Arthur Hill: We'll keep pushing our values for the, Two years and, taking pot shots whenever we can. And trying to keep trying to keep, the faith in our little pocket of North Carolina. And I hope that somebody pays attention. I think we can get, I think we, I think what we can do is.

[00:35:00] There there's a disparity between, there's a number of Republicans and they'd lead the they'd lead in terms of totals. Then there's then there are the unaffiliated that are in second place, and then the Democrats in Brunswick County are in third place. But there's no telling how many of those unaffiliated voters.

[00:35:21] Would come over and vote democratic if, you appeal to them in the right way. So the trick is gonna be figuring out how to do that. And that's what we're gonna be working on. Yeah. Trying to get the, to come over to our side. 

[00:35:35] Robert Thompson: Maybe our friend in Florida can join us to help some of that messaging.

[00:35:38] Cause 

[00:35:41] Bob Gatty: That's, always the trick is coming up with the right, messaging. Yep. And, the right format and so on. I know that, we're trying to do the same thing here in in Horry County, South Carolina. We have a huge influx of new people moving in here all the time.

[00:36:10] Many coming from what should be democratic. They should be Democrats coming from the northeast new England. And so on to retire. And somehow or another, we need to appeal to those people and let them know that there really are Democrats here in this area, and that they're not alone and they don't need to be afraid to vote.

[00:36:38] Lots of times I, believe the attitude is. The place is run by Republicans. There's not much point in us doing anything, so they, don't bother. And and somehow or another the, Democratic Party here in this area needs to reach out to these folks and in a meaningful way and let them know that that's not true.

[00:37:11] Robert Thompson: And back on November 9th, I actually put this on social media. Once some old white people reach a certain age, why do they suddenly feel entitled to move to Florida and stop paying taxes?

[00:37:25] Bob Gatty: That's a good question. Is a good question. Yeah, I know one thing. I've taken Florida off my list in terms of any place I want to go. 

[00:37:37] Robert Thompson: Oh, it's successful. We're gonna start calling it the Orange Republic down there. Yeah. 

[00:37:41] Arthur Hill: Yeah. That's a good idea. That's a great name. Yeah. Not paid anymore. 

[00:37:47] Robert Thompson: Okay. And who loves oranges with ketchup?

[00:37:51] Bob Gatty: Damn. I hope we have some more positive things to talk about over the next year. I really do. We'll keep working on it. Yeah, we'll keep working. Yeah. Okay guys. Thanks a lot. Being with us on this one, and we'll come back at you next time. 

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