Podcasts about nra

Today on The Ward Scott Files Podcast: We kick off the show with Coach Hog's Lockerroom, then Ward discusses local Alachua County news, The Combat Zone, the Democrat Playbook, & more!

Jason Selvig (@JasonSelvig) and Davram Stiefler (@davramdavram) join Seena and Justin to talk about their time at the NRA convention where Wayne LaPierre was reelected this year despite all...that...fraud. The series wraps without anything close to a happy ending because this episode is coming out the day after July 4th where there were multiple shootings around the country. And every time it happens, people like Wayne LaPierre and the NRA get stronger. Doing comedy around the Second Amendment and the NRA may feel tone-deafwhen, but it's how we deal with the grotesque violence of our country, and learning about the details gives us strength in the inevitable fight ahead.  Jason Selvig: http://twitter.com/jasonselvigDavram Stiefler: http://twitter.com/davramdavram 

On this midweek show, Crystal chats with Melissa Taylor about her campaign for State Representative in the 46th Legislative District - why she decided to run, the importance of stepping up in bleak moments such as now, and her thoughts on addressing issues such as housing affordability and zoning, climate change, public safety, and Washington's upside-down tax system. The two also converse about Melissa's extensive experience door-knocking both in her district and across the state, how having conversations with people with different viewpoints helps her develop better policy, the role of fundraising in politics, and what it's like to run in a race with five community-centered Democratic women. As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Find the host, Crystal, on Twitter at @finchfrii and find Melissa at @MelissaWPTaylor.   Resources Campaign Website - Melissa Taylor: https://www.electmelissataylor.com/   Transcript   [00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I'm Crystal Fincher, and I'm a political consultant and your host. On this show, we talk with policy wonks and political hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy in Washington State through the lens of those doing the work with behind-the-scenes perspectives on what's happening, why it's happening, and what you can do about it. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. Today, I am so happy to have this guest on our show, who is a long-time friend of mine and a current client of mine, actually - the candidate I'm working with - after I keep telling everyone that I'm getting out of working with candidates and politics. Every time I think I get out, you just reel me back in - it is Melissa Taylor. Thank you so much for joining us today. [00:01:05] Melissa Taylor: Well, thank you, Crystal. And thank you for letting me reel you back in one more time - I mean, we think. [00:01:12] Crystal Fincher: Well, yes - I've talked about it before on the show - not an easy thing to do, but as we all know, there is some ridiculous stuff going on, some scary and terrifying stuff going on - and political will is lacking with a lot of people, the understanding of the urgency of this situation is lacking. And so when I have the opportunity to work with someone, to observe someone over years actually walk the talk in ways that I rarely see - that's what gets me back in and that's why we're friends. But I guess I will just start off by helping other people get to know you a little bit better and just - what made you wanna run? [00:02:11] Melissa Taylor: Yeah - you summed it up really well, just there - it's the urgency of this moment. I have been doing this work on the outside for a really long time, and I am done watching as the problems we face get bigger than the solutions that people are bringing to the table. Every day I'm talking to folks at the doors who are struggling to get by in Seattle and it's not okay. They deserve better, we all deserve better - and I am ready to bring my political will, my experience, my relationships, and my commitment to this community to Olympia to fight for the solutions that fully meet the moment that we're in. [00:02:55] Crystal Fincher: Well, we're in - this moment that we're in - sometimes we record, oftentimes we record, a few weeks, couple few weeks ahead. But as we're talking, we recently got the decision that overturned Roe vs Wade, we got a decision that further just rolled back voting rights and just re-instituted really ridiculous gerrymandering - harmful, blatant gerrymandering. And we're watching our rights fall like dominoes from a Supreme Court that is eager to tear them down and more are coming - we're expecting a decision that kneecaps the EPA and others - and just such frustration that it's hard to see, at the federal level, our leaders not look like they're doing everything in their power to fight this. And understanding that the consequences that these things are going to have are real - and they're really scary for a lot of people - and we know that they're going to result in harm and death. If you're having an ectopic pregnancy, which can't be salvaged, that cannot become a viable pregnancy - the only thing it can do is endanger the life of the mother. And being forced to carry that, being forced to deal with the trauma every day, just not being able to make a decision about our health and our bodies as women, as men get to, right? It's just - it is harmful. And so, I hear frustration. I feel frustrated that more people aren't doing more. As you see these situations unfold before us and you hear frustration at the doors, what do you tell people when they're just like, look - I am sick of politicians, I am sick of watching people stand by while we're watching all of these things be deconstructed and burned down basically. What do you say? [00:05:18] Melissa Taylor: Yeah - me too, right? Me too. And - we can't give up hope. The answer can't be that there's nothing to be done. And there have been really bleak moments in history - one of the things that always keeps me going is knowing that the fight for women's rights - the women who started that fight didn't live to see it end, and the women who finished it weren't born when it started. We are standing on the shoulders of so many people who lived through so much more than what we are living through. This is terrible and we shouldn't have to live through it, and also we can persevere, we will get past this - and it requires us all chipping in and doing the piece that we can do. So for me, the piece that I can do right now is I can take all of the knowledge and experience and relationships that I've built, and I can go to Olympia and bring political will to this moment to say - No, absolutely not. At least here in this state, we can draw lines. We can say - No, we will not tolerate this. No, we're not going backwards. And in fact, this is how we're gonna move forwards. 'Cause it's not even enough - it's not like things were awesome before all of this started happening. We needed to be moving forward before. So it's no going backwards, but also - we have so many big issues ahead of us, whether it is housing or climate change. I've been working on tax reform in this state for almost a decade. So many big issues - still have to fix in this state to allow us to move forward - that we have to absolutely draw the line in the sand and say - not only are we not going backwards, but we're gonna paint a vision of what it can look like, and we're gonna show the rest of the country what it can look like when you do things right. When you take care of people, when you invest in people and you invest in communities, you take care of your environment - that everybody gets better together. That is what we can do in our state, and that's why I am so excited to be running. [00:07:35] Crystal Fincher: Well, I'm also excited for you to be running - that is a good thing. One other question you were talking about there - and just in this moment, but I think a lot of people are feeling - we're seeing a lot of conversations just looking at, Hey, what can we do? And the answer from some people is - All right, well you'd better just vote in November. Go vote. Vote blue. Is voting enough? [00:08:01] Melissa Taylor: No, it's never been enough. We have to vote - so I was on the board of the League of Women Voters for four years, I believe deeply in voting and empowering every single voter in every way we can to exercise that constitutional duty and right. And, it's not enough - democracy demands more from us all the time and especially right now. And so for me, that journey really looked like advocacy and then supporting people who are running for office - there are a lot of ways to pick up the piece of work that calls to you. But I really would encourage everyone to pick up the piece of work that calls to you. But most importantly, I would strongly encourage the people who hold the most power in our society right now to pick up the piece of work that belongs to them and do the work that needs doing in our country. The Senate, the House, the President have work that they can and should be doing to make people's lives better today. [00:09:07] Crystal Fincher: And amen to that. And I feel that deeply. So there's a lot of work that needs to be done. For you - obviously I know this, I'm asking for the listeners - what do you wanna do? What can you get done and how are you going to do it? [00:09:26] Melissa Taylor: I am really excited to work towards housing everyone - making sure that everyone has a place to live and that it is affordable and not crushing people's souls. Because what I am hearing on the doors is that rents that go up $200, $600, double - are crushing people's souls. They're making it so that they are scrambling to pay other bills, scrambling to pay for healthcare, to pay for car repairs that get them to work. We are breaking people and that's not healthy for a society. We are hollowing out our city. I'm hearing from nurses, teachers, firefighters - people I'm pretty sure we want in Seattle - that they can't afford to live here anymore. And that's not okay. And then I also mentioned climate change - there's no way to fix the number of vehicle miles being driven unless we let people live near where they work. And so to me, all these issues are also really tied together. And so my big thing going to Olympia is - we're missing 300,000 units of housing right now. We're projected to need 600,000 over the coming decades. Where is the plan that gets us there? And how quickly can we create the 300,000 we're missing right now? So really rolling up our sleeves, pulling out all the policy tools to keep people in housing if they're in it and to get people into housing if they don't have it. And just get that whole big problem on the table and then start breaking it into pieces and figuring out how we get every single person in Washington State stably housed. [00:11:05] Crystal Fincher: It's an urgent need - certainly we talk about that a lot on the program. I know you have an event coming up with Representative Jessica Bateman to talk about this soon and others, but what are some of those policy issues on the table? You say house everyone - does that mean some of the stuff that we hear from some of our local politicians - sweeps and maybe shelter, they've been offered services. Is it even possible to solve, is the visible part of homelessness the problem? What is actually the problem, and what are some of the tools that you plan to work on right away to solve them? [00:11:46] Melissa Taylor: I like to break things into pieces - big problems are easier to solve if you break it into pieces. So one of the pieces is - our lowest income folks are probably never gonna be served by the private market. We are just watching a private market gone wild. And so making sure that we have sufficient housing, that everybody can afford housing at 30% or less of their income - and especially at the lower ends of income, it probably needs to be less than that - and that it is in every neighborhood where we need people working. And so that really means investing. I love the social housing initiative that Seattle hopefully will have on the ballot and we have our Housing Trust Fund. So it means putting more money into that Housing Trust Fund. I'm also really excited by a model I saw in Singapore that could be funded through our bonding capacity, and building mixed income that then pays back the bond. So I think there are a number of various tools we have to make sure that there's housing available for all of our lowest income folks. Then the folks in the middle who are feeling so squeezed right now - we need fundamentally just more housing supply and more affordable housing supply. And that's why I was so excited about Representative Bateman's middle housing bill, because I saw so much opportunity there to unlock the potential of every neighborhood to help us solve these problems. To let homeowners who want to split their house so they can afford to stay in the community where they built their life - let them split their house and create more affordable housing for their neighbors. It just - it makes so much sense to me. I'm obviously disappointed and also perplexed how we don't see the opportunity to house people as one of our number one things we should be doing. [00:13:43] Crystal Fincher: Lots of people are hoping it's the number one thing that gets done. Lot of people are counting on it being something that gets done. But it's really obvious to you - as we know very well, there are other people in your district, who are elected, who it is not obvious to. So part of that is single-family zoning - should we be upzoning single-family zoned areas? [00:14:09] Melissa Taylor: Yeah, it really - so much is in how you frame things, but single-family zoning is exclusionary. It says that a homeowner does not have the right to split their house, even if that's the only way they can afford to stay in the community where they built their lives - and that's not okay. So yes, we should end single-family zoning and give people the option to split their housing. The thing is - I go to so many neighborhoods right now throughout this district and there are multi-family units that unless you have a list in front of you, like I do, you wouldn't know that there were 2, 3, 4 units there. And so I hear people tell me - oh, I don't want a big, an ugly condo that's eight stories tall going in next to me. I'm like - I hear that, I don't want one of those either. And that's not the only - there are other ways to solve that problem. And also, I don't want a big McMansion, ugly McMansion, going in next to me. The number of people living in the building doesn't impact whether or not it's ugly. So let's make sure that we're talking about the right things. And also just having priorities. My parents - and my childhood home is really close to the Roosevelt Light Rail - and so they were actually told that their house might need to be part of a development. And is it sad when I think about my childhood home having to be part of a development? A little bit. Is it exciting when I think about who could be housed, including my parents who probably are gonna need housing that doesn't have stairs - also exciting. And so I think part of it is understanding all of the balances, but also embracing it and understand that there's also opportunity there for us to reimagine what our communities look like and how we're connected to each other. [00:16:09] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. And you talked about early on in there how so much is connected and how the way we design our communities, the way we move forward in addressing greenhouse gas emissions and climate change are involved in that. What do we need to be doing to be meeting our climate change goals? What are the biggest steps that we need to take? [00:16:36] Melissa Taylor: I mentioned the light rail stations. We are fortunate here in the 46th to have just gotten three new light rail stations with a fourth coming. One of the things that I think about is transit-oriented development around those light rail stations, because what we're building there - we're going to be living with for the next 50, 75, possibly even a hundred years. And so again, as I go back to what is the plan to make sure that everybody here has housing, part of that has to be that housing is sufficient for the next 50, 75, a hundred years. And I think that right now - if we look at it honestly, it's not. The other thing is I talk to a lot of people who would love to use light rail, and there's not a great way for them to get to light rail. So I'm excited about some of the investments that were made with Move Ahead Washington in terms of more infrastructure of various types that help us get around without cars. And there's just - there's a lot more of that that we have to invest in if we're gonna make it possible for people to move around without cars. [00:17:40] Crystal Fincher: One thing that makes it harder to invest in people moving around without cars is continuing to invest in not just the maintenance and upkeep of roads and highways, which is necessary - but the expansion of them. Should we be expanding highways? [00:17:58] Melissa Taylor: We should not be expanding highways. The thing that we've seen - and I'm a big data nerd, which, you know, but your listeners are about to learn - [00:18:08] Crystal Fincher: This is an understatement. [00:18:11] Melissa Taylor: -is if you look at the data, we put in highways to try and address traffic problems and highways don't help traffic problems, they actually create traffic problems. We're seeing a movement across the country for people to remove highways. And so for me, I look at it and I say - what are the problems we're trying to solve? We are trying to solve traffic, we're trying to solve moving people, we're trying to solve climate change, and what are the tools we have to get there? And reinvesting money that could have gone to highway expansion into other infrastructure projects that help people move around without increasing traffic and without increasing vehicle emissions - seems like it would be the natural direction we would be going. [00:19:01] Crystal Fincher: Does it? Unfortunately, not everyone has gotten that memo. So how do we get there? How do we begin to do that? If a transportation package comes in front of you, that has highway expansion in there - are you voting for it? [00:19:21] Melissa Taylor: I am not voting for highway expansion. If there are communities that come to us, and they've fully involved the entire community impacted by the highway, and that community comes and says - we have to have additional highway miles, then we need to talk about where we're gonna take highway miles out. But in general, I am very skeptical that we need any new highway miles anywhere in our state. [00:19:47] Crystal Fincher: So you're running this campaign for State Legislature - this is not a situation where you're a mayor, you're the governor, you're an executive and you can make the decisions - and should be accountable for those decisions you do or don't make locally - we have problems doing that. But in this legislative body, you've gotta get your colleagues to move along with you, you've gotta get a group of people to make this decision. And one of the frustrating things that we're dealing with federally right now is that some of the people who are supposed to be in the group that's in control of the Democrats are not all cooperating together and nothing is happening. In this situation in our legislature, where we do continue to have packages that expand highways, where we do continue to fail to move forward in ways that seem obvious - how do we make that progress when there are people who aren't there yet? How do you move your colleagues? How do we solve that problem? [00:20:54] Melissa Taylor: Yeah, I think - different for different colleagues. One of the things that I am really excited about, generally speaking, is I will have talked to more everyday people at their doors than many of my colleagues have done in years. And so I am bringing the voices of people who may never have sent a letter to Olympia, who may never have made a phone call. But they care about what's happening in their community. It's just, they're living their lives. And so I get to take all of those voices to Olympia to say - actually, the silent majority is ready for ending single-family zoning, the silent majority wants us to fix climate change, the silent majority is terrified about the future we're leaving for our children. And if you'd like to go knock doors in your district, I would love to come with you - show me that your constituents feel any differently than my constituents. Because I actually don't think that across the entire state - and I've knocked doors across the entire state - I don't think we're as far apart as people wanna think that we are. [00:21:59] Crystal Fincher: And so - this is so interesting, and this is one of the unique things about knowing you, having insight into your campaign that other people might not - it is one, you are out knocking on doors with voters literally every day for hours, rain or shine. And so you have had thousands and thousands of conversations with people who do not testify or get engaged. Some of 'em don't even vote all the time, right? But they're feeling the impacts of all of these around them. And when you knock on that door and you first start that conversation, it's not like you're welcomed with open arms all the time. You are often greeted with skepticism and - Hey, you're bringing those liberal ideas over here and you're walking past the NRA sign, you're walking past all of that, and they're almost there to challenge you up front. Yet, you're able to stay consistent with your values, you're able to do that and have conversations - I'm thinking of a few conversations that you've had on the doors. But I guess one of the things that I think is missing sometimes in politics is, and that strengthens you, is that you do talk to so many voters and you do have the chance to have conversations with people who start off disagreeing with you, who start off and who don't always end up completely agreeing with you and saying - ah, you totally have my vote. But who you're able to have conversations with and who you're able to move closer. What is your approach to that - in your conversations with real people and not insider-y insiders? When you walk up to a door and the NRA sticker is there, the door is opened, and it's just - Hey, I'm sick of all this and I'm sick of you. What is your approach and how do you have those conversations in ways that sometimes people don't know how to have, or aren't successful in having? [00:24:18] Melissa Taylor: A lot of it - this sounds so simple, but a lot of it is listening and asking questions and being curious and be able to stay curious - to say - hey, what brought you to this point? What happened that made you feel this way? And then to help connect them and say - hey, I'm your neighbor over there - I live in this community too, I'm being impacted by some of these same things. It's really terrible to have things stolen, it is really terrible to be afraid to go out. I don't think we should live that way either. And so finding those moments of - getting to somebody to tell you their story and finding the areas of common ground, and then exploring the areas of differences and saying - I came to this conclusion because I went and did research, I've talked to people, and what my research tells me, what the data tells me is that if we do this, this, and this - that's most likely to impact these things that we are both saying that we're concerned about. And I pretty often can get people nodding their head. For instance, domestic violence. One of the things I talk about is when do we want somebody with a badge and a gun? It's when it's going to make the situation better. With domestic violence, it doesn't make the situation better. And if we want to end violence, if we wanna end especially domestic violence, we really need to be studying the models of what interrupts that cycle of violence, what actually empowers the people in that family to heal their family, to heal the issues - to figure out how to move forward either as a family or separately, right? Not every family's going to stay together, although for most kids it's better if the family can solve those issues and stay together. But it's one of those things where we really need to be thinking about what actually works, what will actually solve the problems that are facing us. And if we look at that data, and I talk to people about the solutions about where they've worked - go back to the homelessness. Occasionally people will talk about whether or not Housing First works. And I love bringing out this new example we have from Houston, right? Where we've got 25,000 people who are housed. If Houston, Texas can house 25,000 people successfully using Housing First, I feel like Seattle should be trying this. [00:26:53] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, and obviously - anyone slightly familiar with this program and knows that I absolutely believe we should be trying this - we should be trying a lot of different approaches, a lot of things that we're doing are not working. And you were just talking about interrupting cycles of violence - when do we want someone with a badge? Public safety is a huge concern for a variety of reasons - and different reasons for different people - but this public conversation we're having - hey, do you back the blue or do you want to defund? Do you want this, do you want that? And when you look at polling - when you look at stuff there - there is no one saying what we're doing right now is working. And really it's about - there's a lot of fear, there's a lot of being scared - but it's a tough conversation to have because it gets - we've got the police guild saying their stuff, you've got other people saying theirs. So you've got the news covering, some of the TV evening news covering things very sensationally. And so as we do have crime increasing, as we do have scary things happening on the street and in our schools, and gun violence escalating - and this past weekend in Tacoma, the amount of shootings is - this is alarming. There is justification for being scared. So with that fear out there and hearing just these scary, wild things with people being victimized and hurt - what do we do? How do we address this? People are scared - and should we be doubling down on the kinds of things that we're doing, or what do you talk to people about? What do you tell them when they're like - dude, I'm scared. I don't want my kid walking around alone outside. I just saw something really weird happen at the store. People are different these days out there. What do you say? [00:29:07] Melissa Taylor: My heart is breaking with each one of these stories. One of the doors I knocked yesterday, actually, talked about a shooting that happened a block away. And that is terrifying. And then we have these shootings across the country, we have these shootings in our neighborhoods - not to mention break-ins - it is so unsettling and so disturbing to feel like you can't be safe in your home, you can't be safe on streets, on the way to work. And I actually - I haven't talked about this much, starting to talk about it a bit more - I actually am the victim of a violent crime. I was stabbed during a mugging and it is horrible, it's not just that it hurts - it's that it impacts you for years. So there's medical issues, there's financial issues, there's mental health issues - and what I want more than anything else is for that never to happen to me or to anybody else again. And the thing that I think we are missing so often in our discussions about public safety is this concept of prevention, right? So often we're talking about what happens after a person gets stabbed, instead of talking about how do we keep people from being stabbed in the first place. And what I want is for nobody being victimized by a violent crime, or even property crime. I don't want people wondering whether or not they're going to be able to get to work in the morning because they lost their catalytic converter. That is terrible. And the thing again - data nerd - so I've spent a lot of time looking at the data of what really makes a community safe, about what really will stop crimes from happening, what will interrupt the cycle of violence. And we're not doing those things. We might do them in fits and starts, but we aren't fully funding the things that would prevent crimes. We know that we need more mental health treatment, we know we need more behavioral health treatment, we know that we have too much poverty in our state. And addressing those things is actually what most people in Seattle will tell you are the things they want their taxpayer dollars to go to because they know, like survivors of violent crime know, that those are the things that are going to create real long-term sustainable safety for all of us. And so for me - one, I wanna widen the lens of what does it take to make us safe. And then two, make sure that we are funding the things that work, the things that are deeply proven - to make sure that what happened to me doesn't happen to other people. [00:32:07] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, we've had conversations about this, about a number of things - and it is a perspective that's not being talked about. Safety is so much more than policing. And we see examples of that in so many ways and so many places. We understand, we make projections for prisons based on how people are doing early in life in elementary school and making projections on that. We know the kinds of things that put someone on a path to thriving, or to falling through the cracks. And we know when we make investments that it's helpful - we know early childhood education, we know addressing poverty - we know those things, and they're happening elsewhere. We see this happening elsewhere. And for some reason, I feel like maybe people just don't believe it's possible to get a better result. But my goodness, when you see it working elsewhere and the only difference is just policy, it does make you wanna just fight for it here. So as we move forward and we're looking at more public safety solutions, we're looking at different ones, obviously a lot of people are always talking about - okay, well, where's the money coming from to invest in these things, where do we get the revenue to address some of these very systemic problems? We do address inequality and poverty and meeting people's basic needs - where do we get this? [00:33:52] Melissa Taylor: Yeah, we fix our tax system. When we started out, I've mentioned that I've spent the better part of a decade working to fix our tax system. We have one of the most upside-down tax systems in the entire country. And what that means is that the folks at the very top of the income scale are paying a tiny percentage of their income relative to the folks at the very bottom. So it's almost 20% that folks in our lowest income brackets are paying in state and local taxes. And that creates a real burden. I was talking earlier about how rent hikes make it hard to afford healthcare and bills and transportation. State and local taxes make it hard to afford those things too. And so when I think about it, I'm excited about the capital gains tax and really hopeful that it is sustained. I am excited about the wealth tax that Representative Noel Frame brought forward. I am excited also about the reforms to the inheritance tax. And then the other thing that I am really excited about is accountability for tax exemptions. So looking at the tax exemptions that we've carved out of our tax base over the decades and saying - are they still serving us? Are we still getting what we originally intended? What were we intending? Are we getting it? And is it worth the trade-off for not funding housing, not funding education, not funding climate resilience. We are spending money on tax exemptions and we deserve to know what we're getting for it. We have more tax exemptions than any state other than New York, which has a far larger economy. We give away more in revenue through tax exemptions than we bring in. So really looking at those and creating accountability around them to say - is that where our money should best go? [00:35:46] Crystal Fincher: We absolutely need to do better and to fix our tax system - it does unlock so much more that we have. There's inequality all over the place. And this is probably a weird thing to talk about and we have not talked about this conversation - I would have it, but it is real - we try to talk about real things on this show. Especially just as a consultant and having to confront it - I don't know if you know what I'm about to bring up. But so we're in this situation. Obviously I am a political consultant - this is how I make my living. But man, politics should be more accessible to a lot more people. Running for office should be more accessible to a lot more people. You shouldn't have to be independently wealthy - and you are not independently wealthy - but a lot of people are. Or it's just really tough and you have to have flexibility and grace from your job to be able to do that, you have to have adequate childcare, you have to have all of that - it's really tough. And it's also really tough to have to raise a lot of money, or to have that demand on you. And so this is a really interesting situation and usually I try to avoid working in Seattle - as we talked about earlier on, I try to avoid candidate campaigns on the candidate side a lot - but this race that you're in in the 46th, there are actually some cool people in this race. Sometimes you have a number of cool people in the race - there are a number of cool people in this race. There are also a number of great fundraisers in this race. You are a great fundraiser and you're actually leading the pack fundraising, you're actually leading the state fundraising - which is really cool. And also I know how hard you work for that and how much time you put into it, 'cause you are not accepting PAC donations or anything like that. So these are people and your average gift is not that big. And so it's taken a lot. There are others in this race who are fundraising juggernauts and also raising a lot, but this is also a City of Seattle Democrat versus Democrat race. And there are other races across the state that are Democrat versus Republican, there are conversations about - hey, we may, it's not a given that these seats are gonna win. There are a number of battleground districts that could be tossups and that we don't know how they're gonna wind up - that are also hurting for money over there. And so how do you think about that process - that you're in a situation where you're trying to run this race and to win this race and to do what it takes. But also you want good government, you want good democracy, you want things to be accessible to a lot of people. How do you reconcile that? [00:39:11] Melissa Taylor: Yeah, I think there's really two pieces to that. One is what should we do about money and politics? And two is what should we do about the kind of money that's in this race, and what does that mean for me as a candidate and how do I think about where my responsibility is in that? On the side of money and politics, I love how much Democracy Vouchers have opened up the possibilities for candidates from various backgrounds in Seattle. And so I would love to see, and I get people asking me at the doors - Hey, can I give you Democracy Vouchers? I was like I wish you could, because then instead of spending hours every day on the phone calling donors and asking them for money, I could be out knocking more doors every day, knowing that Democracy Vouchers might come with those conversations as well. So I think that's something that we can and should continue to work on in our state - to make this system and these roles more accessible to more people. I also think we need to look at making the State Legislature full-time because it is not reasonable or practical for many people to take two or three months off of a year to be a state legislator - most jobs don't support that. Then on the other side, looking at this particular race and how much money has been raised in it, part of the reason that I've been able to raise the money I have is because I've been raising money for other candidates and other causes for years. So you and I know from our work together on Persist PAC, I raised hundreds of thousands of dollars that went towards other candidates in some of those swing districts - some of whom won and some of who didn't. So for me, I think about one, what have I done historically that helps balance what I'm doing right now. And I also think about what is my opportunity to do that in the future. I do think that Seattle Democrats have an obligation to our political system to help raise money and fund races in places that are not as resource rich. And some Seattle Democrats do that, and some don't. So being committed to being that person going forward, so having paid off some of that debt - you look backwards and then looking forward to paying it forward - is part of how I think about what that looks like to do the right thing. So similarly to having raised money across the state, I've knocked doors across the state. I have knocked doors in very, very red areas and talked to people across the entire political spectrum, because I think that is so important to making our democracy work. And it's important to me to understand the perspectives of everybody, so that - I think we make better policy that way. [00:42:11] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, we do. And one of the things I appreciate about you and that I - we've talked about on the show, I talk about it with other candidates is, I think we just had a conversation about it really with Mike McGinn - understanding how to listen, almost how to pressure test your policy but know where you stand, know where your principles are. And starting from a place where - you naturally start there - hey, you have had your windows broken, that really sucks. As have I - neither of us want that to happen. We know that's not acceptable, we know it needs to stop. And then going into - okay, so breaking it down. It's not that one person just doesn't care that windows get broken or anything. Most people are on the same page that that's an undesirable thing. Then wild stuff and rhetoric happens and people don't talk to each other and people end up with wild ideas about stuff but having those conversations is helpful and it helps build a trust with a candidate - a voter, knowing that you heard them, knowing that you're carrying their story is a really helpful and powerful thing. And the amount of people who I've run into - for you and for other candidates - you know what, okay, so I don't agree with her on every single issue, but she listened and she did her homework. And so at least I know that it's not someone going buck wild and who's not tethered to reality. I can at least see that there's a process there, and there's a thoughtfulness, and there's a caring, and there is a weighing of cost and benefit - and almost everything comes with some kind of cost - and who is better to bear that and we stand firm on that decision. I think that's really helpful and I think that's really instructive, and I hope other candidates just across the state - I know a number of them do take advantage of the opportunity to talk to voters, to talk to people at their doors, to talk to people who don't vote and to understand why they aren't voting - and the answer almost never is because they're lazy and they just don't care. And just to understand how people are actually living 'cause a lot of us just - I know a lot of people who are very online, I'm certainly a very online person - talk to a lot of people online, but then it's just like okay, so do you know your neighbor? Have you talked to your neighbor, have you talked to a person down the street and those connections, those real-life connections? And talking to people who may be coming from a different place than you are does not have to change where you are, but it can inform what path you need to take to achieve what you're set on achieving. So I guess through this experience and this is your first time running, this is an open seat, there are other candidates in here - so this is something interesting, actually - we haven't talked much about this either. Man, you're in a race with four other people. I know you told me the other day you had a good conversation, good time with another candidate in this race. How do you view this thing? 'Cause sometimes one of the reasons I dislike, generally, working in some of these Seattle races is that - yes, it's an open seat, all these Dems are running - if you're involved in politics, you're going to know several of them, you're going to have people on different teams. And sometimes it gets really contentious and sometimes people who agree on a ton of things - and we're not disagreeing about who shouldn't enjoy full rights or people's humanity and stuff, but different ways to get to the same place, right? And you have these opponents in the race, but they're also people. And then you're in some places and you're talking policy and you're listening to each other. And then sometimes you're like - oh, that actually sounds really good. What is that experience like and yeah, what is that like? [00:47:17] Melissa Taylor: I have to tell you - as I thought about running for office, I never anticipated being in a race with five Democratic women who have been working in their community for years. I feel really fortunate to live in a district that has great candidates and great options for voters. When we talk about why people vote or don't vote, not having great choices can impact that. And so, I've spent so many years recruiting and training women to run for office that I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that my success has - not necessarily exactly in this race - but I've ended up in a place with five women running, which I really think is good for democracy. And these are my potential constituents or my potential future State Rep, right? So I also - this is a long game for me. I've been doing this for many years, regardless of the outcome. I'm going to be doing this for many years and relationships matter, how you treat people matters. And so for me, I am always interested in learning. I learn sometimes from people who may be trying to teach me something, and sometimes from people who are just trying to get their way. But I got some advice coming into this that somebody who ran previously ended up being really good friends with other people running, and I can imagine that. I am excited to get to know the other folks running, probably not 'til after we're done running, but appreciated - I got a ride home from an interview from one of the other candidates and I think that's the kind of race I want to run, that's the kind of political system I want to build. So we've been talking about how people get really sick of politics. I think more people want to see politics where one candidate gives another one a ride home because it's the nice thing to do. [00:49:18] Crystal Fincher: And I think sometimes people might be surprised - I think that happens more than people think sometimes. Certainly as we talk about, especially, most of our conversations are on these nationally defined two sides to an issue, very black and white binary conversations, that it's just - well, your opponent did this or that and we can't agree and I automatically need to dislike you because you're on a different team. And I think it's 'cause I'm - I was about to say, I think it's 'cause I'm old, I am old, I've been doing this for a while, have been around for a while - but one of the first races I managed had a group of candidates that actually got along. And I think it was instructive that we can talk about policy, we can have some differences, we can do this - but we're trying, we're moving in the right direction, and that doesn't automatically make us into - caveat this - this is not a situation where we're talking about someone's humanity or rights that they get to have. We're gonna have a problem in that situation, but - Hey, I'm concerned about gentrification, I'm concerned about what I'm seeing in my community - I'm seeing that we can talk about that. We can talk about that, we want to get to a place where housing is more affordable, we want to get to a place where more people are able to stay in their neighborhoods and have their kids live near them and do that. And I think it happens more often than people think - I hope it does. I think those relationships are healthy and that those are allies and people who are doing their homework, who can be part of building the future we want to have. And I guess we've been talking for a while - we should probably wrap this up a little bit and we've got stuff to meet about later - different stuff. But as we're here and you think about building the future. What does that look like for you? What does that mean to you? [00:51:55] Melissa Taylor: Yeah, when I think about building the future, I first and foremost think about my kiddo, which I think is a pretty typical reaction from parents. And I look at my kid and all the hopes and dreams that I have, as well as all of the hopes and dreams that she has. And. How do we make those come true? And how do we make those available to every kid - starting with the kids who are struggling the most. And so for me, that vision is that we eliminate poverty, we house everyone, we make sure that when people get hurt they get the help they need to get better. So they don't hurt other people because we know that those cycles - that's where they start. And they frequently start in early childhood. And we make sure that we really are investing in people and a fair and equitable society, which means that we just don't leave people behind. We make sure that everybody gets a fair chance to build a future where they can thrive. And I don't think it's that hard. I think we can look around the country and around the world for places that have done better jobs at solving these problems. It's not like the solutions aren't out there. It's that we need to go put the data together, put the policy together, build the coalition behind it, and pass it. [00:53:20] Crystal Fincher: And you don't know Melissa, maybe, like I do, but if there's one thing Melissa's gonna do, it's build a coalition and then get after it. You are one of the - someone mentioned the other day, you didn't volunteer someone, you voluntold someone - that was the most appropriate Melissa-ism - like to man, you're such an effective team builder, recruiter - you understand coalitions and just focusing people toward a goal. You roped me into a PCO recruitment project among other things. And here I am working on this campaign. You're very talented at this. But I appreciate that you really care about this. And that you really work for this and you have worked for this. And just for people to have the opportunity that they all deserve and not one that's based on their zip code, or not one that's based on their ethnicity or immigration status or whatever, that there's no reason - it doesn't hurt us for other people to have opportunity. And - [00:54:34] Melissa Taylor: I would say, in fact, it helps us, right? It helps us. [00:54:37] Crystal Fincher: It does. [00:54:39] Melissa Taylor: It is good business. It is good society to have people thriving. [00:54:44] Crystal Fincher: I'm there. We could, we have talked for a long time, we could talk for a long time, we will be talking for a long time in the future, but as for this podcast episode, I think we'll call it here. I appreciate the time that you've taken to help people get to know you better. If people wanna learn more about your campaign, where can they go? [00:55:06] Melissa Taylor: Electmelissataylor.com [00:55:08] Crystal Fincher: That works - and they can see you out on the doors every day in the 46th legislative district. Thank you so much for being you, for being willing to step up and run, and we will talk to you all next time. [00:55:23] Melissa Taylor: Thanks, Crystal. [00:55:24] Crystal Fincher: I thank you all for listening to Hacks & Wonks on KVRU 105.7 FM. The producer of Hacks & Wonks is Lisl Stadler with assistance from Shannon Cheng. You can find me on Twitter @finchfrii, spelled F-I-N-C-H-F-R-I-I. Now you can follow Hacks & Wonks on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts - just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to get our Friday almost-live shows and our midweek show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, leave a review wherever you listen to Hacks & Wonks. You can also get a full transcript of this episode and links to the resources referenced in the show at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the episode notes. Thanks for tuning in - we'll talk to you next time.

Representative Eric Swalwell took to Twitter today tweeting about the NRA and agreeing that they are a "terrorist organization." Even if they shouldn't be blamed for mass shootings, Swalwell says that's down to the Republican members of Congress who "choose killers over kids." Normally KCBS radio news anchors are joined by KCBS Insider Phil Matier at this time. Today, KCBS Radio news anchors Kurt Burkhart and Megan Goldsby are joined by Political Analyst Melissa Caen. 

From Saturday, July 2nd, 2022

In an era where civility is a rare commodity, recalling the way that Dick Swett conducted himself as a US Congressman and later as an Ambassador to Denmark is a reminder that civility, humility and conscience are still honorable and - perhaps even possible again. Dick was elected to the second congressional district seat in congress in 1990 and in 92 he was handily re-elected for another term. The turning point of Dick's political fortunes came in 1994 with the successful passage of the assault weapons ban. Despite the danger to his own career, Dick voted for the measure and it became law. He lost his reelection bid by less than a percentage point. FOLLOWING ON THE HEELS of the ban, there was a decline in gun violence but when the ban was not extended under George W. Bush we reverted to the status quo ante and we all know what that has looked like for our country. In 1998 he was named Ambassador to Denmark by President Bill Clinton a post he held until 2001. In this podcast I speak with Dick Swett about his political journey and his life journey since his act of courage led to the passage of the (temporary) assault weapons ban in 1994 and his razor close loss, fueled by the NRA, in the subsequent election.

Today I am joined by Ti Cersley from Gays Against Guns, in a bonus episode that seems more prevalent than ever following the terrorist shooting of LGBTQ+ people in Oslo last weekend. Gays Against Guns are an American organisation which basically does what it says on the tin - it's gays and allies in the US trying to break the chain of death caused by outdated constitutional gun laws. Since 2016 they've been putting pressure on corrupt politicians, making companies cut ties with the NRA, and even protesting at gun shows. Ti told me how the gun industry in the US is all about marketing, control and addiction and how living in the UK allowed him to see what a country where guns are illegal can look like. This is more relevant than ever, because it's not just happening in America. Listen and donate if you can @gaysagainstgunsny - Chris xRoe v Wade ResourcesNational Network of Abortion FundsThe BPAS (British Pregancy Advice Service)Oslo ResourcesOslo Pride

Joyce discusses the Supreme Court overturning the remain in Mexico policy. She talks about the TV show the View and Whoopi Goldberg. She discusses R.Kelly's sentence. Andrew Arthur from the Center for Immigration Studies calls in to talk about the remain in Mexico policy and the Biden administration. Joyce speaks with Star Parker of CURE about minority gun ownership and their history with the NRA, "progressive pagans," and the overturning of Roe vs. Wade.

Today on The Ward Scott Files Podcast: Ward discusses local Alachua County news, The Sword of Damocles, and more!

The history of the American National Rifle Association is completely different from what most American think it is. Award-winning journalist, Frank Smyth, gives us the full history of the NRA, and how it changed so dramatically in 1977. Further, he shows how the post-1977 NRA has re-written its history, and given it a new origin story – as the original champion of the strict interpretation of the Second Amendment to the US Constitution. This new NRA has helped create the maniacal gun culture in the United States. Episode 459

Jersey Jews and Old Coots Turns out I'm a pecker. Things are getting a little passive aggressive at the Target checkout… but then again, who am I to tell you what kid of day to have? Missy buys all the baked goods from the local farmer's market, and discovers a secret horde of faithful challah bakers and septuagenarian sages all volunteering for the common good. Helpful public service? Intrusive and unsolicited judgement? You decide.  Amy travels to Annapolis, breaks up a human trafficking ring, keeps calm on the sidelines and starts to unravel her deepest fears (spoiler alert, it's just clothes). Are you ready for the Chicken List?  Plus doing things the wrong way, stealing other people's toiletries and lying, but only to yourself. All this and VERY LITTLE DISCUSSION OF REALITY, because, who can stand it.    We stand for universal bodily autonomy, separation of church and state, common sense gun reform and crunchy crescent almond cookies. To more deeply engage about any of these topics, please join our Facebook group, BillObsSquad .   Want some swag? Buy stickers, tees, totes and m'goats at TeePublic. Or, just support us with your cold hard cash at Patreon. It really does make a difference.   Love this episode? Share it with a friend via text message, social media or word of mouth. Sharing is caring, folx. Find us everywhere as @ListenBrilliant.    Like what you hear? Rate us five stars on RateThisPodcast Find and share all our episodes on ApplePodcasts,  GoodPods, Spotify,  Audible,  YouTube,  Stitcher and everywhere else you likah-ta listen. Looking for a few likeminded souls to complain I mean CONNECT with? Join our Facebook Group at BillObsSquad and follow our show page @ListenBrilliant  (Facebook,  Instagram,  Pinterest). Feeling old school? Send us an email at BrilliantObservations@gmail.com. Or visit our show pages on podpage.com/brilliant-observations.com  or brilliantobservations.com .   If You Love Brilliant Observations Comedy Podcast, you might also like… If you laugh along and relate to Brilliant Observations, chances are you'll love these likeminded, strong female centric podcasts, too: She Podcasts, Libsyn's The Feed, You Are That, Mouse and Weens, I Shake My Head with Lisa and Sam, Momtourage, Comedy Bang! Bang!, BitchSesh, Bertcast, Hello Seven, Podcast that Pays, Dear Chelsea, Office Ladies, Call Her Daddy, And That's Why We Drink, Girls Gotta Eat, The Morning Toast, The Bald and the Beautiful with Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamo, WHOREable decisions, Brilliant Idiots, Dying for Sex, In Bed with Nick and Megan, Trash Tuesday w/ Annie, & Esther, & Khalya, Guys We F****d, Business Fabulous with Bonny Frank, Big Happy Money with Serena Hicks, Unverified with Coral Trigger, Hello Flow with Dr. Julia Colangelo, Mouth Feelings, Guilty Pleasure, Sweaty and Pissed, Almost 30 Podcast, Terrible Thanks for Asking, Women of the Hour, Boobies and Newbies, Podbroads, and dozens of others.   Find and follow them all in the Girl Got Mic group on Twitter or on the GoodPods app. And if you don't see a show you should, by all means, ADD IT.    Penny for your Thoughts?Full disclosure: there is no penny. If you've got four minutes to kill, we'd love for you to waste it taking our Listener Demographic Survey. We'll use this data to fashion hand-crafted macaroni scultures of historic female librarians. And possibly to appease our soon-to-be sponsors. It's all anonymous, kids, so please be honest.  You can find the survey here:https://bit.ly/BrilliantObservations Want even more Brilliant Observations?Join our newly formed email list by sending the word SERIOUSLY to BrilliantObservations@gmail.com. We promise not to sell or spam. Or to sell spam. Because that's just gross.    Did you miss the part where you can contact us? Here is it again, just in case you want to join the nonsense online @ListenBrilliant, @BrillObsSquad, www.BrilliantObservations.com, or BrilliantObservations@gmail.com. Find swag at TeePublic.com/BrilliantObservations, or support us at patreon.com/BrilliantObservations.    Our goal this month is to add one new subscriber each day. Will that be you Dear Listener? If you have an iPhone just ask Siri to “subscribe to Brilliant Observations podcast for free.” Or preserve the economy for human jobs and do it yourself. Visit Apple iTunes and search Podcasts for Brilliant Observations, then under the show graphic, click Subscribe.   And now, we tag: January 6 committee, Roe v Wade, SCOTUS reversal, SCOTUS overturned, separation of church and state, bodily autonomy, reproductive freedom, NRA now, Peleton, comedy, podcast for women, podcasts for women, friends, girlgotmic, ladypodsquad, podern family, podcast movement, podfest, sex, relationships, chat, unfiltered, radio, fun, happy, happiness, boobs, dogs, marriage, midlife, kids, parenting, college, goals, brillobssquad, BrillObSquad, brilliant, observations, podcast, comedy, funny, women, lady, girlfriends funny, happiness, almost30podcast, 50af, love, Angie Jordan, Podcast That Pays, Goaldigger podcast, Glennon Doyle, Brene Brown, Brené Brown, Libsyn, menopause, midlife, Michelle Obama, Brilliant Idiots, Mouse and Weens, She Podcasts, She Podcasts Live 2022, I Shake My Head with Lisa and Sam, Outlanderpod, Chat 10 Looks 3, Sweaty and Pissed, Shonda Rhymes, writing, amwriting, writer, lfg, travel lacrosse, beach life, Jersey shore, middle age, teens, call me daddy, 2 bears 1 cave, Jessica Kupferman, John Bukenis, Bad Friends, Girls Gotta Eat, Rayna Greenberg, Ashley Hesseltine, And that's why we drink, Whoreable Decisions, Las Culturistas   Connect with Brilliant Observations Podcast Facebook Group: /BrillObsSquad Facebook:  @ListenBrilliant  Instagram:  @ListenBrilliant  Twitter: @ListenBrilliant  Email: BrilliantObservations@gmail.com Web Site: BrilliantObservations.com   Episode 253 Jersey Jews and Old Coots Brilliant Observations Comedy Conversation Podcast with Melissa Brilliant and Amy Fugazi  

Today on The Ward Scott Files Podcast: Ward discusses local Alachua County news, Schedule F, and more!

Today on The Ward Scott Files Podcast: Ward discusses local Alachua County news, The Hysterical left, and more!

This week Seena and Justin continue exploring the inner-workings of the NRA and Wayne LaPierre was able to consolidate power while getting private planes, trips to the Bahamas, and safaris around the world all paid by the NRA or gifted by NRA vendors... who were also paid by the NRA.

Francesca Fiorentini hosts. Former Gun Executive Ryan Bausse talks about how the NRA became extremely radicalized to sell more guns. The Intercept's Austin Ahlman explains the recent controversy surrounding New York's redistricting. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today on The Ward Scott Files Podcast: We kick off the show with Coach Hog's Lockerroom, then Ward discusses local Alachua County news and more!

Gary and Mark connect to give a bite sized update on all that was one of the busiest legal weeks in recent memory. Watch Beyond A Reasonable Doubt on YouTube at YouTube.com/ReasonableDoubtPodcast and subscribe while you're there.

From Saturday, June 25, 2022

In this episode we interview Matt Deitsch, artist, journalist, organizer and former founder and director of March For Our Lives.  This episode is a bit different from many of ours. Rarely have we engaged with the politics of gun control, or with an area so tightly situated and controlled within the arena of electoral politics and non profit organizing. But we felt that interviewing Matt offered a unique opportunity to examine the politics of gun control in the so-called United States, and the relationship between movements against gun violence and mass shooters and the Democratic Party, their think tanks, well funded non profit organizations and the ruling class.  Matt presents a specifically interesting perspective, as someone who was activated by the devastating gun violence in Parkland Florida, and politicized through the organizing efforts they and others undertook through their organization March For Our Lives. Also as someone who provides a highly critical reflection around the work they and others undertook in relation to that movement, but who also believes they learned valuable lessons for mass organizing. Along other things Matt talks about organizing as youth, the strengths, limitations and contradictions of that, discusses moments of dialogue with other organizers and youth, particularly ones from different class and racial backgrounds and how these relationships and discussions altered their own political viewpoint around the scope of issues of violence. As someone who has spent much of the last 4 years deeply involved in electoral organizing, Matt cautions against the amount of energy put into it and highlights some of the forces most invested in that use of organizer time and effort. Ultimately Matt argues for the essential work of political education, of building power outside of the electoral arena, and holding a political horizon based in anti-imperialism, abolition, and socialism. They draw out linkages of different forms of violence and highlights the bipartisan influence of the police state and the military industrial complex on the politics of gun control reform as an antidote to violence, within the politics of either dominant party. Just as a note, this episode was recorded prior to the new bipartisan gun legislation or the court's recent decision around concealed carry restrictions, which would likely have had minimal impact on the discussion. It was also recorded before the courts officially gutted Roe. But there are many cautionary perspectives and suggested approaches that we think warrant consideration and are relevant to a new generation of people hopefully pushed into action by the violence of all aspects of the US state. Lastly just want to thank all of our patrons for your support. These are difficult times for everyone with rising costs, and our show is totally dependent upon your support. So if you like what we do and want to contribute to our work please become a patron at patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism

Today on The Ward Scott Files Podcast: Ward is joined by The Investigator!

Ben Stein and co-host Judah Friedman are joined by Carol Roth the author of The War On Small Business, The Entrepreneur Equation and CarolRoth.com to discuss; the malaise that can be felt across the country. From main street to the markets people might have shiny objects but are they happy. With belief at an all time low this can not be a coincidence. Plus a few serenades from Ben Stein, and Carol talks about her amazing company futurefile.com

All Local Morning for 06/24/22

Dems: Stop blaming Latinos for Democratic losses. Reassess before it's too late: Latinos should not take the blame for Democratic losses. Arturo Dominguez makes it clear why as we dissect his article. REALLY! Fox News exposed former GOP Rep. Devin Nunes as he lied about Jan 6th ratings: Former GOP Rep. Devin Nunes thought he could continue his lying ways on Fox. Unfortunately, Howard Kurtz exposed his lie about Fox News ratings. Critics Say New Supreme Court Ruling Gives Gun Lobby ‘Just What It Paid For': “Today, the Supreme Court made it clear that it cares more about protecting the interests of the gun lobby than American lives.” The National Rifle Association's decades-long campaign against even the most basic and popular firearm regulations scored another victory Thursday when the right-wing U.S. Supreme Court struck down a key New York state gun control law, a ruling that could spell doom for similar statutes across the country. The NRA has spent big in recent years to fill state and federal courts—including the Supreme Court—with judges that are hostile to gun regulations. In 2017, the gun lobby dropped $1 million on ads supporting former President Donald Trump's nomination of Justice Neil Gorsuch, a successful campaign that it repeated in subsequent years to ensure the confirmation of Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/politicsdoneright/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/politicsdoneright/support

Pfizer suggests an annual COVID shot, Republican senator John Cornyn comes out against the NRA, and DeSantis leads Trump in a New Hampshire presidential poll. Watch our new Summer blockbuster “Terror on the Prairie” with Gina Carano: https://utm.io/ueFOe   Watch Matt Walsh's new Daily Wire original documentary “What Is A Woman?” at whatisawoman.com, and pick up your copy of the “What Is A Woman?” book here: https://utm.io/ueFMe.   Join us for Backstage Live At The Ryman on June 29th. Get your tickets now: https://utm.io/uezFr  — Today's Sponsors: Shop auto and body parts from hundreds of manufacturers. Visit www.RockAuto.com and enter "KNOWLES" in the 'How Did You Hear About Us' Box. Beam is one of the world's most innovative functional wellness brands, with unique products for everything from Sleep to Focus. Get up to 35% OFF at shopbeam.com/knowles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Ward Scott Files Podcast: Ward is joined in studio by Beatriz Póvoas, ballerina for Dance Alive National Ballet.

The Bipartisan Safe Communities Act proves that the NRA and Donald Trump are responsible for the Republican Party's gun control betrayal.

Today on The Ward Scott Files Podcast: Ward discusses local Alachua County news, State of Florida news, national news, the recession, and more!

Gun control legislation has been introduced by the Senate. The NRA is asking for people to contact their Senators to vote no on the bill.

Gun control legislation has been introduced by the Senate. The NRA is asking for people to contact their Senators to vote no on the bill.

Ben Stein and Judah Friedman are joined once again by American Greatness Managing Editor Ben Boychuk to discuss the airline pilot shortage, how the nation's economy is strong despite Joe Biden's inept policies, the Republicans' bad compromise on guns, and the reasons and possible remedies for black inequality. Plus: the folly of Kamala Harris leading the White House's new task force to combat online harassment.

You'd be surprised how many people inside the gun world actually think we need better laws around guns. But they won't ever speak up. Why?! Prop talks about it with Robert Evans. For Behind the Bastards listeners, check this episode out for more context on Harlon Carter and the NRA.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You'd be surprised how many people inside the gun world actually think we need better laws around guns. But they won't ever speak up. Why?! Prop talks about it with Robert Evans. For Behind the Bastards listeners, check this episode out for more context on Harlon Carter and the NRA.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to a special edition of The Texan's Voices of Texas podcast. Our team spent most of last week covering the Texas GOP Convention, and chatted with dozens of elected officials, candidates, and insiders. We'll be releasing a series of podcasts with those conversations, so stay tuned. This first installment is a conversation with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). We chat about gun control proposals in D.C., his decision to speak at the NRA convention despite many other Texas Republicans bowing out, chances for GOP congressional candidates in South Texas, and why school choice is the litmus test for his endorsement in state-level Republican primaries.  MT: This is McKenzie Taylor here with Senator Ted Cruz. Senator, thank you so much for joining us. We so appreciate your time. TC: McKenzie, it's great to be with you. Thanks for having me. MT: Absolutely. I would love to talk about the various gun control proposals that are floating around DC right now. We just saw Senator Cornyn, you know, a few hours ago. He's on stage here at convention, the delegates had a lot to say, they booed him there. Walk us through what is on the table in DC, and kind of what you could see happening with these proposals. TC: Well, it's not clear what's on the table. And I've said I'm going to wait and actually see the text of something that is submitted, that I'm not going to judge a bill till I see the details. At this point we have a one page list of bullet points, and on something as fundamental as our constitutional rights, the devil's in the details. I think there's a lot Congress can and should do when it comes to violent crime. I was in Uvalde the day after that horrific shooting. MT: Oh, wow. TC: And I've been in too many of these. I was there in Santa Fe, I was in Sutherland Springs, I was in El Paso, I was in Midland, Odessa, I was in Dallas. It is horrific that we have monsters, that we have homicidal maniacs who commit these kind of terrible crimes. I think there's a lot we can and should do. The problem is whenever there's a mass murder, inevitably there are a bunch of voices of Democrats and the corporate media who all say do something, do something, do something. Well, it might surprise them to know I agree we should do something, but the something we should do really matters. And what works, what's effective, is targeting bad guys, targeting criminals, targeting felons and fugitives, and those with serious mental illness who try to illegally buy firearms, prosecuting them, putting them in jail, getting them off the street before they commit those crimes. That's that's how you stop these kind of horrific murders. And then on top of that, it is also making our vulnerable targets safer and more secure, in particular schools, enhancing the security at schools. And the most effective tool to do that is putting armed law enforcement in our schools so that if a lunatic comes and tries to hurt our kids, the first thing that lunatic encounters is an armed police officer who stops them before they hurt a child. Those are the steps that if we really wanted to stop these crimes, we would focus on doing. And I've repeatedly introduced legislation to do exactly that, to target the bad guys, to prosecute the felons and fugitives, to make our schools safer. And sadly, over and over again, the Democrats have filibustered that legislation, they block that legislation. Their approach is consistently to try to go after the right to keep and bear arms for law abiding citizens, and that doesn't work. Just as a matter of effectiveness it is incredibly ineffective in stopping violent crime. You look at the jurisdictions with the toughest gun control laws, almost without exception they have the highest crime rates and the highest murder rates. And gun control doesn't work 'cause when you disarm law abiding citizens, the criminals still have their guns but nobody can defend themselves. And so I don't know what Congress is going to do, if anything. If we are focusing on criminals and stopping bad guys and making schools safer, I am enthusiastically in favor of it. But if instead we have Republicans teaming up with Democrats to undermine the Second Amendment and take away the constitutional right to keep and bear arms of law abiding citizens, then I'll fight tooth and nail to stop it. MT: So speaking of law abiding citizens, the NRA convention. You were one of the only Texas Republicans who still opted to go to convention when so many others bowed out. What was behind your decision? TC: Look, I thought that was actually a very easy choice. I've spoken at a lot of NRA conventions, and I have to admit I'm tired of the cynicism. Whenever there's a mass murder, Democrats and the corporate media immediately begin demonizing the NRA, begin treating it as if the men and women of the NRA are responsible for the psychopathic mass murderer. And that's a lie, it's an absolute lie. And it's not just a lie in that nobody there is a violent criminal committing acts like that, but it's even worse than that because it is the men and women at the NRA, it is law abiding citizens, it is good guys with a gun who inevitably stop these lunatics. You know, I was in Sutherland Springs the day after that church shooting. I stood in that sanctuary while the pews were still thrown to the sides, while there was shattered glass everywhere covered with blood. I saw a cell phone shattered and covered with blood. I saw where an 18-month-old child was murdered by that evil bastard. And I'm sorry, anyone that murders an 18-year-old child, there is no other word for it but evil. That monster was stopped because an individual citizen, a guy named Stephen Willeford, a plumber, lived right down the street, he heard the shooting that Sunday morning. He didn't go to the church, he was just at home. He heard the shooting. He went to his gun safe, he brought out his AR-15, and he ran down to the church barefoot, didn't take time to put on his shoes. And he got behind a truck and he engaged the shooter. He called out and engaged the shooter. The shooter was wearing body armor and he was systematically executing the people in that church. The shooter came out to engage Stephen Willeford. And Stephen is an NRA rifle instructor, he knows how to handle a firearm and he put two rounds in the shooter. If Stephen Willeford hadn't been there, that monster would have killed many more people that morning. Now, the Democrats and the corporate press are liars when they blame law abiding citizens exercising their Second Amendment rights for the conduct of homicidal maniacs. And so I wish everyone had made the decision to come to the convention. Donald Trump came and I came, and I saw President Trump, and I pulled him aside and said, thank you, thank you for being here. It mattered that you came, it mattered that you didn't back out. You didn't give in to the heat, to the criticism, because I think giving in to that gives credence to the lies of the Democrats and the corporate media. MT: Absolutely. So earlier on stage you shouted out three South Texas Republican candidates, Cassy Garcia, Mayra Flores and Monica De La Cruz. What do you expect to see in November for these candidates? TC: I hope to see all three win. Mayra Flores obviously just won this week, and it's a big, big deal. The district she won in South Texas, it has not gone Republican in over 100 years. I mean, it has been a Democrat bastion. And I gotta say, national Democrats are freaking out. They're terrified. I think Cassy Garcia is a fantastic candidate. I think Monica De La Cruz is a fantastic candidate. I think the most likely outcome in November is we win all three. And if that happens, all three of those districts all along the Rio Grande, they had been Democrat for more than a century. And if we come out of November with three Republican members of Congress representing them, not just Republicans, but Hispanic women, conservatives. Look, Cassy I know incredibly well. Cassy was part of my staff for about 7 years. She was my South Texas director, she was my deputy state director. I've already done multiple rallies with Cassy. I'm going to be down in the valley helping all three, helping Mayra, helping Monica, helping Cassy, 'cause I think we win all three races. And it is a sea change. We're seeing Hispanic voters in South Texas, across Texas and across the country, galloping towards Republicans because the policies of Democrats are failing them. Look, it is Hispanic working families who are seeing inflation skyrocketing or paying 100 or 150 bucks to fill up their truck or their minivan, who are seeing the cost of food, the cost of electricity, the cost of rent, the cost of homes, the cost of lumber, every cost going up. It's Hispanic families and every family across Texas that's dealing with crime and the rising crime rates because of the Democrats' soft on crime policies. And the single biggest driver of South Texas turning is the chaos at the southern border. You know it's easy for Chuck Schumer to sit in Manhattan and say an open border is great. Doesn't impact him. You cannot be down in the Rio Grande Valley, you cannot be down in South Texas and see firsthand the human misery that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' open border policies have cost. You can't see the prisons that are overflowing, the hospitals that are full, the schools that are overflowing, that the infectious disease rates that are going up. You can't see the little boys and little girls who've been horribly assaulted by human traffickers, physically assaulted, sexually assaulted, young girls brutalized. You can't see that human tragedy and defend the policies of this administration. I've done multiple roundtables down in South Texas. I remember one prominent Democrat elected official said at the roundtable, listen, if my party is the party of open borders, I can't support that. Nobody who is seeing this disaster can defend it. So Chuck Schumer can from Manhattan, Nancy Pelosi can from San Francisco. But one of the things I'm really excited about, I'm looking forward to in January, seeing Cassy and Monica and Mayra standing up and arguing with Pelosi and AOC and all the rest of them about the disaster their policies are producing. MT: You said school choice is probably the largest, you know, the biggest issue you look at when endorsing candidates, specifically here in Texas. Why among all the conservative issues that are important to Republican voters is that the litmus test for you? TC: I think school choice is the civil rights issue of this next century. You know, if you think about all the problems we've got in society, whether it's poverty, whether it's crime, whether it's healthcare issues, if kids get an education, many of those crimes largely take care of themselves. Many of those problems are much more likely to be solved. On the other hand, if kids don't get an education, if they drop out of school, if they don't learn, we know the poverty rate is going to be much, much higher. We know the crime rate is going to be much, much higher. We know that healthcare issues are going to be much more severe. You know, in my family, like most people's families, education was the gateway to the American Dream. My mom was the first one in her family ever to go to college. She went to Rice in 1956, studied math, became a pioneering computer programmer in the 1950s. My dad, as you know, he came from Cuba in 1957, went to the University of Texas. Came here with nothing, was washing dishes making $0.50 an hour, but he was able to get an education and was able to climb the economic ladder, to work towards and achieve the American dream. And the Democrats… Look, there's a political failure. Today's Democrat Party is bought and paid for by the teachers' unions. They are irrevocably opposed to choice because the teachers' union bosses demand it of them. Now this is at the same time that just about every poll that is done of African American communities and Hispanic communities show anywhere from 60, 70 to even 80% support for choice. The Democrats who claim they give a damn about those communities are willing to leave those kids trapped in failing schools. I point it out a lot of times. I've said, listen, school choice, the rich and middle class have always had it. If you're wealthy, you're going to be able to get a good education for your kids. If you're wealthy, the school down the street that you send your kids to, if it had a 50% dropout rate, if of those kids that graduated 70% couldn't read at grade level, if you had drug dealers walking the halls and little girls getting sexually assaulted in the bathrooms, if you have resources, your kid would be gone the next day. You wouldn't leave your kid in a school like that. You would either pay the money for tuition for a private school, or you'd pick up and move to another neighborhood that had a better public school. But you would use the resources you have to give your kid hope and a chance. School choice is about saying you know what, low income kids deserve that same right. If you've got the right to save your kid, don't tell the single mom in the inner city that her children, her babies have no hope, her babies have no escape, her babies have no chance at the American Dream. I think this issue matters fundamentally and profoundly. And I gotta say, you know, my approach, virtually every US senator stays out of state elections and stays out of state primaries. Frankly, if you're an elected statewide official on the federal level, it is stupid to get into primaries. So every time I do this, I am hurting myself.  MT: Yeah. TC: If you make an endorsement in a primary, here's the typical pattern you have. You get half their friends and all their enemies, so whoever you endorse against, they hate you forever. There's a reason that you don't see any other senators doing this, because you make a lot of people mad when you stick your nose into a contested primary in your state. I usually stay out of issues in Austin. I figure I got enough battles fighting Biden and Harris and Pelosi and Schumer that I don't need to be in the middle of every battle in Austin too. The one big exception I make is for school choice, and I engage in a lot of primaries in Texas state races. And my team literally makes an Excel spreadsheet of every vote on school choice. And it's real simple. If you have voted against choice, the chances that I will support you are essentially zero. If you voted for it and you otherwise have a reasonable and conservative record, the chances that I'll support you are pretty good. And there are a whole bunch of contested primaries where I've engaged on that basis. And this last cycle we saw a bunch of champions who had the courage to defend choice win. Now, I'm glad that we're going to have more champions in the legislature in January. But I also hope that this becomes an encouragement even to those folks in whose race I didn't get involved. I hope it is a carrot and a stick. I hope that we'll see some Republicans saying, you know what, maybe I wasn't going to vote for choice before but I'm not sure I want to pick that fight. I'm okay with that. I'm okay with folks deciding, let's do the right thing, let's actually make a lasting difference for kids. I can tell you before I ran for Senate, I told several people, I said if I am dead and gone, if my tombstone says that I made a meaningful difference in bringing about school choice for the kids of Texas and the kids of this country, I'll die a happy man. That is a legacy to be proud of. It matters for the future of our state and the future of our country.  MT: Senator, thank you so much for taking the time. It's a busy week, we so appreciate it.  TC: It's great to be with you.

Today on The Ward Scott Files Podcast: Ward discusses local Alachua County news, State of Florida news, A Summer of Anxiety, and more!

It can be tough to understand how so many in the United States are on the 'pro-gun' side of the gun debate.  For many, the issue seems simple - "guns are bad, and we should do everything we can to limit them".  But what is the background of gun legislation?  What is the perspective of many people who support gun rights yet also share the same goal of lowering crime rates in the United States?  Trevor Burrus of the Cato Institute joins the podcast to shed some light on this complicated issue.

Robert is joined again by Matt Lieb for the final part of our series on Harlon Carter and the NRA. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosts: Amanda, Sami, Emily Amick Topics: Emily Amick, the brain behind @EmilyInYourPhone and former counsel to Senator Chuck Schumer, joins to unpack the progress on gun safety legislation Why this moment – and these Republicans – were able to break the inertia on legislation with a compromise bill worth fighting for Why Congress doesn't need the NRA to fall prey to misogynistic tropes that could threaten closing the boyfriend loophole The reason Emily tells you to call your members of Congress every single day

Today on The Ward Scott Files Podcast: We kick off the show with Coach Hog's Lockerroom, and then Ward discusses local Alachua County news and Juneteenth.

In this hour: - Former NRA board member Rocky Marshall lays out the case for replacing NRA head Wayne LaPierre - Ruger No. 1 rifles are just as accurate as most hunting rifles. - What's the advantage of a gain twist rifle? Tom Gresham's Gun Talk 06.19.22 Hour 3