I’m a little behind on episodes but one thing I feel like is that the democrats I follow on social media are saying specific anecdotes of how these shut downs and slash/burn methods are affecting people. I’m seeing Jamie Raskin standing outside of agencies, Elizabeth Warren outside agencies and on her social media talking about what the CFPB shut down means in laymen’s terms for your banking and money or parents social security checks etc. I am seeing people talk about the specific issues of US farmers wasted crops. So perhaps this critique was valid and they’re catching up now but I think “being online” as in on Instagram is a different place to see what democrats are saying and doing. My husband doesn’t follow many democrats on instagram (he follows more on Twitter) and has a similar critique and I showed him Chris Murphy of CT and how he’s talking about xyz every day, rep Sarah Elfreth from MD is out there too. Over the weekend I saw Cory Booker share the cable news networks he was prepping to be on and clips from that on Instagram. It’s hard when we want to step away from the soul sucking world of social media … and also it does seem like democrats are there speaking out in specifics about what is happening.
And feeling the glitching. Last week I made coffee for the counter (and floor) twice! Did you know it’s helpful to put a receptacle under the coffee maker spout before turning it on? Two days later, I thought the counter needed another early morning pick-me-up and while I managed to put my to-go tumbler under the spout this time…I forgot to switch it over from “Please make a FULL pot” setting. It’s rough out here y’all. Glad I’m not alone.
Just a quick comment on Sarah's statement regarding federal workers not working on weekends etc. As a federal employee, I would like to correct your stereotyping of the federal workforce by letting you know that plenty of federal employees are Type A, hard charging, career forward workers who genuinely enjoy their jobs and the mission it is connected to. And they work hard in complicated, stressful positions. When needed, we work overtime and weekends to get the job done. I love your show and this comment hurt because this stereotype of "low productivity" (direct quote from one of those OPM resignation emails) is just plain wrong.
Just now listening to Tuesday’s episode so I apologize if this is OBE… Regarding tariffs on Chinese goods, in 2018, Trump initiated an additional tariff of 25% on most* Chinese-origin goods. That 25% additional tariff remains in place today. Trump’s recent announcement is an additional 10% tariff on most* Chinese-origin goods bringing the effective total tariff rate to 35%. *certain highly-specific commodities are excluded.
I live in the reddest of red so encouraging my reps to listen to this podcast won’t do any good but if gig are represented by a Dem please, please, please encourage them to have their staff listen to this podcast. S & B are giving them a playbook to follow & they NEED to listen or we are going to stay stuck.
I reached out to my Trumpian parents this morning and urged them to call their reps about Elon Musk’s unchecked power. I hardly ever engage with my parents on politics, but I feel so strongly that national security and American lives are at risk due to Musk’s power (see: the FAA administrator forced out shortly before the crash) that I sent them an email explaining why Musk concerns me, why I call my reps about it often, and urging them to call their reps, too. It might just be a scream into the void, but I also hope it serves as a wake-up call to them that electing Trump has massive consequences.
Really appreciate this post. And I am doing my best to not go 5 alarm fire on things that he has the legal authority to do like the pardons. Where I do feel a 5 alarm fire is warranted is what Elon is currently doing by taking over the federal computer systems and the decimating of the federal work force. I'm a former federal contractor and there are extensive rules for who is allowed access and how decisions made. All of those appear to be out the window for someone who was not elected and has no experience in how government works? And not only is what they are doing to federal workers cruel and incredibly denigrating but it shows a complete disregard for what they do and why. They are being told that their legal protections and now even their collective bargaining agreements don't mean anything.
This is really dangerous and I am not sure folks who aren't familiar with how the government works fully gets what is going on. This is basically saying that one man gets to make up the rules, stop any payments he deems "waste" and that he can't/won't be constrained by laws and is just doing what he wants to do. That is a really big deal. And yes, deserves a 5 alarm fire before it is too late.
This feels helpful … in the sense of the confirmation that even if nothing permanently(or long term) bad happens from this (that’s a big if) this happening at all is really bad. I think you are getting at the specificity of what is bad and why and I do think for things like this- that matters. I am really thinking about that part of the conversation today- coupled with what I’m feeling and why- linking those so it’s more than a this is so chaotic and feels bad but a this feels bad for these specific reasons. I talked in circles here- but your comment helped me feel less crazy for being so freaked out!
That's what I am worried about. That the decimating of the federal workforce is being talked about & understood in mostly abstract terms. The scale of what is going on and the details of how it is being done, not to mention the cruelty and disrespect, are not being fully appreciated. Basically, their place of employment (our government!) is actively attacking and threatening their workers - denigrating their work, threatening immediate termination if they don't comply with orders that go against previous policies & rules, creating artificial and immediate deadlines that don't allow for any kind of transition, managers who have no idea what is going on or who is actually in charge.
Government workers were already stretched thin and the idea that you can cut 70% of them and still have a functioning government is ludicrous. And even if they figure this out the hard way and realize they do need hire more people, the skills and expertise that are going to be lost will take generations to replace. This is creating real harm, not just to the employees but to the country. And it is all self-inflicted.
For an administration that talks so much about merit, they sure seem to love across the board quotas that don't take into account what job is actually being done (do we really want to reduce the amount of VA doctors & nurses, food & safety inspectors, etc?) But they are just taking a sledgehammer to the federal workforce and don't even care about the consequences that come with that. And there will absolutely be consequences.
I cannot remember which episode it was, but recently Beth said, “there is importance in the pause.” This has been my mantra for the last several weeks. Reading the news- pause. Annoying coworkers- pause. Needy kids- pause. I can’t tell you how helpful this has been.
Gosh, I thought I was glitching because I have a cross-country house hunting trip and then movers coming to my house for three days before I jump in a car and drive from one coast to the other in winter weather on the last day of February. Turns out, I could be glitching just because it's 2025! Whatever the reason, it's good to have company in the glitch. Thanks for the resources, ladies. I just might get that thinking book on audio for the drive.
Oh, and the car we are to drive across the country is now in the shop to replace the battery. It's an electric car, so this is not a small and simple thing. And our dishwasher needs service, following the microwave and washing machine. I just want to get this house on the market before every last thing breaks down! *Glitch*
Great episode. To make myself a teency bit calmer I logged into the Social Security Administration website today. It’s still up. Exhale. It let me log in. Inhale. My payment and payout info was still there. Exhale. I saved a pdf. Inhale.
Democratic Party comms people or strategists need to be hearing this reframe, they need a concise and consistent strategy and message. Just having a few of them speak out here and there barely makes a blip in the news cycle these days. As much as I don't want a government shutdown, I do agree that if they strategized their messaging there it could prove effective at getting the attention on them using their power. They need to do something to break through to the low information public. Right now, they look powerless and I get that things are happening fast and its chaotic, but there has got to be some professional media/comms people thinking of strategies like the ones Sarah and Beth are suggesting. I wish they would get it together!
They are nearly all temperamentally ill-suited to ruthlessness. Every Democrat for whom this is true must recognize this about themselves and get the heck out of the way.
One of the dumbest things about the trade war is Canada and Mexico literally promised things they had already agreed to and he thinks he won some major concessions. As far as I know the only new thing is Canada appointing a “fentanyl czar.”
I’m a little behind on episodes but one thing I feel like is that the democrats I follow on social media are saying specific anecdotes of how these shut downs and slash/burn methods are affecting people. I’m seeing Jamie Raskin standing outside of agencies, Elizabeth Warren outside agencies and on her social media talking about what the CFPB shut down means in laymen’s terms for your banking and money or parents social security checks etc. I am seeing people talk about the specific issues of US farmers wasted crops. So perhaps this critique was valid and they’re catching up now but I think “being online” as in on Instagram is a different place to see what democrats are saying and doing. My husband doesn’t follow many democrats on instagram (he follows more on Twitter) and has a similar critique and I showed him Chris Murphy of CT and how he’s talking about xyz every day, rep Sarah Elfreth from MD is out there too. Over the weekend I saw Cory Booker share the cable news networks he was prepping to be on and clips from that on Instagram. It’s hard when we want to step away from the soul sucking world of social media … and also it does seem like democrats are there speaking out in specifics about what is happening.
This episode was so helpful.
And feeling the glitching. Last week I made coffee for the counter (and floor) twice! Did you know it’s helpful to put a receptacle under the coffee maker spout before turning it on? Two days later, I thought the counter needed another early morning pick-me-up and while I managed to put my to-go tumbler under the spout this time…I forgot to switch it over from “Please make a FULL pot” setting. It’s rough out here y’all. Glad I’m not alone.
Just a quick comment on Sarah's statement regarding federal workers not working on weekends etc. As a federal employee, I would like to correct your stereotyping of the federal workforce by letting you know that plenty of federal employees are Type A, hard charging, career forward workers who genuinely enjoy their jobs and the mission it is connected to. And they work hard in complicated, stressful positions. When needed, we work overtime and weekends to get the job done. I love your show and this comment hurt because this stereotype of "low productivity" (direct quote from one of those OPM resignation emails) is just plain wrong.
Just now listening to Tuesday’s episode so I apologize if this is OBE… Regarding tariffs on Chinese goods, in 2018, Trump initiated an additional tariff of 25% on most* Chinese-origin goods. That 25% additional tariff remains in place today. Trump’s recent announcement is an additional 10% tariff on most* Chinese-origin goods bringing the effective total tariff rate to 35%. *certain highly-specific commodities are excluded.
I live in the reddest of red so encouraging my reps to listen to this podcast won’t do any good but if gig are represented by a Dem please, please, please encourage them to have their staff listen to this podcast. S & B are giving them a playbook to follow & they NEED to listen or we are going to stay stuck.
I reached out to my Trumpian parents this morning and urged them to call their reps about Elon Musk’s unchecked power. I hardly ever engage with my parents on politics, but I feel so strongly that national security and American lives are at risk due to Musk’s power (see: the FAA administrator forced out shortly before the crash) that I sent them an email explaining why Musk concerns me, why I call my reps about it often, and urging them to call their reps, too. It might just be a scream into the void, but I also hope it serves as a wake-up call to them that electing Trump has massive consequences.
Why do we believe them that they actually care one iota about efficiency?
Did anyone else start singing “loathing” every time Beth talked about asking herself the question “what is this feeling?”…..just me??
Seriously, thanks again for your wisdom again and again, week after week
1000%
Yep!!
On repeat in my house/head these days, so yes I was singing too!!
Mine too! It’s been a constant obsession since November
Really appreciate this post. And I am doing my best to not go 5 alarm fire on things that he has the legal authority to do like the pardons. Where I do feel a 5 alarm fire is warranted is what Elon is currently doing by taking over the federal computer systems and the decimating of the federal work force. I'm a former federal contractor and there are extensive rules for who is allowed access and how decisions made. All of those appear to be out the window for someone who was not elected and has no experience in how government works? And not only is what they are doing to federal workers cruel and incredibly denigrating but it shows a complete disregard for what they do and why. They are being told that their legal protections and now even their collective bargaining agreements don't mean anything.
This is really dangerous and I am not sure folks who aren't familiar with how the government works fully gets what is going on. This is basically saying that one man gets to make up the rules, stop any payments he deems "waste" and that he can't/won't be constrained by laws and is just doing what he wants to do. That is a really big deal. And yes, deserves a 5 alarm fire before it is too late.
This feels helpful … in the sense of the confirmation that even if nothing permanently(or long term) bad happens from this (that’s a big if) this happening at all is really bad. I think you are getting at the specificity of what is bad and why and I do think for things like this- that matters. I am really thinking about that part of the conversation today- coupled with what I’m feeling and why- linking those so it’s more than a this is so chaotic and feels bad but a this feels bad for these specific reasons. I talked in circles here- but your comment helped me feel less crazy for being so freaked out!
That's what I am worried about. That the decimating of the federal workforce is being talked about & understood in mostly abstract terms. The scale of what is going on and the details of how it is being done, not to mention the cruelty and disrespect, are not being fully appreciated. Basically, their place of employment (our government!) is actively attacking and threatening their workers - denigrating their work, threatening immediate termination if they don't comply with orders that go against previous policies & rules, creating artificial and immediate deadlines that don't allow for any kind of transition, managers who have no idea what is going on or who is actually in charge.
Government workers were already stretched thin and the idea that you can cut 70% of them and still have a functioning government is ludicrous. And even if they figure this out the hard way and realize they do need hire more people, the skills and expertise that are going to be lost will take generations to replace. This is creating real harm, not just to the employees but to the country. And it is all self-inflicted.
For an administration that talks so much about merit, they sure seem to love across the board quotas that don't take into account what job is actually being done (do we really want to reduce the amount of VA doctors & nurses, food & safety inspectors, etc?) But they are just taking a sledgehammer to the federal workforce and don't even care about the consequences that come with that. And there will absolutely be consequences.
I know we have had a lot of discussion about what Dems should be doing and how they should be talking. I feel like this is a good example. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFtFLOXBJqs/?igsh=MWpwNDB4dTdmc2g1cQ==
I cannot remember which episode it was, but recently Beth said, “there is importance in the pause.” This has been my mantra for the last several weeks. Reading the news- pause. Annoying coworkers- pause. Needy kids- pause. I can’t tell you how helpful this has been.
Gosh, I thought I was glitching because I have a cross-country house hunting trip and then movers coming to my house for three days before I jump in a car and drive from one coast to the other in winter weather on the last day of February. Turns out, I could be glitching just because it's 2025! Whatever the reason, it's good to have company in the glitch. Thanks for the resources, ladies. I just might get that thinking book on audio for the drive.
Oh, and the car we are to drive across the country is now in the shop to replace the battery. It's an electric car, so this is not a small and simple thing. And our dishwasher needs service, following the microwave and washing machine. I just want to get this house on the market before every last thing breaks down! *Glitch*
Oh!!! I think the moving would do me in! Take care!!! I hope you get everything and everyone safely to their final destination!
Oh Yvette!!! That's so much on top of the big move! Hoping the car gets fixed quickly and easily and the move goes smoothly. ❤️
Great episode. To make myself a teency bit calmer I logged into the Social Security Administration website today. It’s still up. Exhale. It let me log in. Inhale. My payment and payout info was still there. Exhale. I saved a pdf. Inhale.
Is there anyway to convince Democrats to do what Sarah and Beth mentioned in this episode?
Democratic Party comms people or strategists need to be hearing this reframe, they need a concise and consistent strategy and message. Just having a few of them speak out here and there barely makes a blip in the news cycle these days. As much as I don't want a government shutdown, I do agree that if they strategized their messaging there it could prove effective at getting the attention on them using their power. They need to do something to break through to the low information public. Right now, they look powerless and I get that things are happening fast and its chaotic, but there has got to be some professional media/comms people thinking of strategies like the ones Sarah and Beth are suggesting. I wish they would get it together!
That’s what I was wondering. Who do we call?! Who do we email? DNC? Straight to Schumer?
This is a interesting perspective: why didn't Dems do this when they had power. https://open.substack.com/pub/kirstenpowers/p/why-didnt-democrats-do-this?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2c2wq
They are nearly all temperamentally ill-suited to ruthlessness. Every Democrat for whom this is true must recognize this about themselves and get the heck out of the way.
One of the dumbest things about the trade war is Canada and Mexico literally promised things they had already agreed to and he thinks he won some major concessions. As far as I know the only new thing is Canada appointing a “fentanyl czar.”