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Hey everyone, it's Reed. Before we get started, it's March. What? It is March. I need you to tell your friends. I need you to tell your family. I need you to tell everybody you know who cares about American democracy and politics. Follow the Lincoln Project. Go to lincolnproject.us. Sign up. Join today. Share everything you can, everybody. This is going to take every last one of us
You are the beating heart of American democracy. We cannot do it without you. We won't do it without you. Go to LincolnProject.us. Go to JoinTheUnion.us. Sign up. Get involved. And we will win this in November, gang. And now, on with the show. Welcome back to The Lincoln Project. I'm your host, Reed Galen. Today, I'm coming to you all solo. Just going to make it a quick one, guys, because there was some stuff that happened over the weekend that I think really, for me, brought...
the stakes of this election and what this election is really about into focus for me. And I spend all day every day, but once in a while it takes, it's important to take a minute, I think, to step back and really think about what's going on here. So over the weekend, Donald Trump was in Georgia at a rally. And during the course of this, he decided it would be funny
to make fun of Joe Biden and Joe Biden's performance at the State of the Union address Thursday night. So, Rob, why don't we go ahead and roll that clip? Two nights ago, we all heard Crooked Joe's angry, dark, hate-filled rant of a State of the Union address. Wasn't it? Didn't it bring us together? Remember, he said, I'm going to bring the country together. I'm going to bring it together.
No, no. He's a threat to democracy. I will tell you, he's a threat to democracy. All right. So there's a couple of things going on here. Let me start with the what I call projection. Remember that whatever an authoritarian accuses you or their opponents of is the thing that they're most worried about. So.
Joe Biden's State of the Union address was energetic. It was a little bit in your face at times, and it called out Republicans for things like January 6th, killing the border, not providing funding for Ukraine. It was not hate filled. It was not a rant. It was certainly not anti-democratic, nor is Joe Biden. But Donald Trump is all of those things. He is all of those things.
And the last piece of that you heard together was Trump doing what he loves to do, which is making fun of people who cannot control something that they have to deal with. In the case of President Biden, it was that he grew up with a stutter. This is the same thing that Trump did to a New York Times reporter back in 2016 who was handicapped. This is the worst kind of
of bullying everybody because it's bullying someone for something they didn't choose. They can't control, right? It's not criticism based on behavior. It's not making fun based on a choice somebody made, even in good naturedly. It's just to be mean. It's just to be mean. And so I want to contrast that with a piece of tape from about four years ago featuring Joe Biden. Rob, why don't we go ahead and roll that?
Hey, what's your name? Owen, this is my son, Braden. Hey Braden, how are you, man? We're here because he stutters and we wanted to hear you speak. Oh man, come on. I tell you what, don't let it define you. You are smart as hell. You really are. You can do that. Can I get a phone number for you and I can tell you what I used to do and how I would do it? Can you take his phone? Absolutely. Because there's about 25 stutterers I continue to work with.
And I can tell you the things that helped me. I know, by the way, the hardest thing is talking on the telephone. So I don't expect you to be able to. When I started, I used to talk like this. And it took a lot of practice. But I promise you, I promise you, you can do it. I promise you. And don't let it define you. You're handsome. You're smart. You're a good guy. I really mean it.
Don't let it define you. And you know, when I say I know about bullies, you know about bullies. The kids who make fun, it's going to change, honey. I promise you. All right. So that is an object lesson in humanity. That is what's at stake, everybody. I am quick to anger once in a while, but you don't hear it very much here. But when I hear the tape of Donald Trump,
Being the major league asshole, and that's not even the beginning of the disdain I have for that man. And then you hear a minute or so of Joe Biden with a young man who just wanted to meet someone who'd had incredible success in public life, overcoming a stutter.
That's leadership. That's humanity. Those are values, guys. Those are American values. Taking the time out of a busy day at a loud rally to spend a few minutes with a young man who's dealing with something. And you know what? That young man went on to speak at the Democratic Convention. I don't know where that young man's going to end up. And you know what? It doesn't matter. But that day, his life changed.
His life changed for the better because the man that would go on to become president United States took the time to spend with him to say it's going to be OK. I've been there. I've dealt with it. I've dealt with the bullies. I know you are, too. I'm going to help you guys. I don't know.
in modern history that there has been 60 to 75 seconds of more humanity from a president of the United States individually than that moment. And I'll tell you, that's what this is all about, everybody. This race, it's not going to be about the economy. It's not going to be about the border. You know what it's going to be about? It's going to be about values. Who are we?
Are we Donald Trump who stands in front of a crowd and makes fun of someone who contended with a stutter all their life to raise themselves up to the highest office in the land, the most powerful office humanity has ever created, and has a crowd that laughs along with him? Is that who you are?
Do you sit with those people that laugh at that? If that was your kid, how would you feel? There were people in that crowd. There were people in that crowd who either stuttered themselves or had a kid or some family member that did. One percent of Americans have dealt with a stutter. That's three million people. Donald Trump has said to these people, just the stutterers in our midst, you're worthy of ridicule and scorn.
That's what you're worthy of. You have no place in my mind of any positivity. You know why? Because his mind is a dark place. It will never be a light place. It will always be darker and darker in there. What that empty cavernous cranium holds is nothing but ugliness and hate. And it's disgusting. And we should, as a country, want nothing more to do with this man. Nothing.
And let's broaden it out a little bit. We talk about Ukraine. Is Ukraine about bullets and bombs? You know, militarily it is. But why do Americans overwhelmingly support Ukraine? Because it's a reflection of who we are as a country.
Most Americans love the United States and they love to be Americans and they see the United States as a beacon of hope and liberty. And even if we have not shown as brightly as we should have, we can and we will under four more years of Joe Biden. That light goes out in the world, not just in the United States, but in the world with Donald Trump returning to the presidency.
Do you believe in democracy? Do you believe that the United States does have a place in this time to be a leader or don't you? Support for the Lincoln Project podcast comes from Odoo. If you feel like you're wasting time and money with your current business software or just want to know what you could be missing, then you need to join the millions of other users who've switched to Odoo. Odoo is the affordable, all-in-one management software with a library of fully integrated business applications,
They help you get more done in less time for a fraction of the price. To learn more, visit odoo.com slash Lincoln. That's O-D-O-O dot com slash Lincoln. Odoo. Modern management made simple. Let's talk about the Dobbs decision and more recently this decision with IVF. Those are medical procedures. But really what's it about?
It's about the idea that someone you don't know, maybe you probably haven't voted for, maybe no one has voted for in the context of the Supreme Court of the United States or the Alabama Supreme Court, telling you and your family how you have to live.
That is a fundamentally anti-democratic way of thinking. That's an authoritarian way of thinking. And I would tell you this, too. It's also an anti-Republican way, at least in the Republican Party I grew up in. That's not the Republican Party I grew up in, the one of individual liberty, that what happened in your home was your business. The decisions you made for your family were the ones that you determined to be best for you, not for unelected judges or Republicans.
politicians thousands of miles away because it's just the starting point of them saying they want to control your life. And we should remember, too, that voters in very conservative states in places like Kansas and Kentucky and Ohio have rejected this kind of overarching state power. And remember that in the context of 2024, this is the value, the right to live your life as an
Or the ability for Donald Trump and his Christian nationalist overlords to determine the kind of life you're going to live and the kind of school your kids are going to go to and the kind of things that you can or can't do based on your religion, your race, your gender, your beliefs. Right. These are the values that are at stake, guys. Which side are you on? I know which side I'm on.
I go to bed every night thinking I've done as well as I can for that day. And I get up every morning saying, you know what? At least I'm on the right side of history. This fight isn't going to be easy. But I'll tell you what. Go back to those clips at the beginning of the show. Do you stand with someone like Donald Trump who makes fun of those, the least of us, right? Who sits at a table?
With Nazis who says there are good people, quote, on both sides who just hosted Victor Orban. Right. Who, if he isn't in the employ of the Russian intelligence services, he's certainly their friend.
who has to pay off half a billion dollars worth of fines for things that he did. Everybody remember, Donald Trump is no victim, no matter what he says, no matter what his supporters say, no matter what the right wing media says or how the mainstream media tries to talk about how he's been prosecuted. The things that Donald Trump gets in trouble for are his doing. No one told him to steal files from the White House. No one told him that he should instruct an insurrection.
On January 6th, he did that because he didn't want to leave. He didn't want to leave power. And now a reminder of the values once again. What are the values Joe Biden brings? Decency, honesty, competence, calm, a desire to do the right thing on a daily basis for as many Americans as possible, and understanding that he is a bridge to the future. A new generation will take over after Joe Biden. And frankly, if Donald Trump gets elected,
I don't know what takes over. If Donald Trump goes, it could be years, it could be decades before we get any semblance of normalcy. But what values does Donald Trump bring? He brings none. You know, he brings selfishness and ugliness and the ability to say, I can do whatever I want to do and you can't do anything about it. Is that what you see in a leader? Let me ask you this.
If you showed those videos, those clips to your kids, which person, Donald Trump or Joe Biden, would you want your children emulating as a parent or a grandparent? Which one would you emulate? The one that makes fun of people for no reason other than because you can and because it's fun to be ugly in their minds or the person who takes a knee?
and talks to a young man about something he's struggling with. Is that how you see yourself? So let's bring it to the personal. Look in the mirror. Who are you? Who am I? Who do we stand with? What do we stand for? What are we going to stand up for in the next, hard to believe, less than eight months? Because I'll tell you this, I don't disdain individual Republican voters.
I disdain Donald Trump and the people around him who have consistently gone out of their way to create a dystopian vision that tens of millions of Americans have glommed onto.
And you know what? The only way to break the fever is to beat this guy and to beat him badly in November. And I think that the numbers are setting up for that. Remember, guys, that Donald Trump's not going to be better between now and November. You know why? Because, A, he's not capable of it. B, he doesn't want to be. And C, he's only running for president for one reason, to stay out of prison.
That's it. To stay out of prison and ultimately make himself rich again because he's broke because of his actions. So this is what I need you to do, everybody. Go and ask your friends and your family those same questions. You can be impassioned. I love passion. But you can also ask calmly like, hey, so I saw this thing over the weekend. Like, what do you think about that? What do you think about that? Is that like is that a lesson you teach your kids?
Is that how you do it? My guess is most people are going to be embarrassed by the question if they have to think about it and they're not going to want to answer. Oh, no, no. I think it's great to make fun of kids who stutter or those who are disabled. I think that's really fun. My guess is most people are going to want to do that. But that's where we need to start. Not angry, impassioned. Yes, not necessarily angry, but asking these questions. Let's ask some questions of our Republican friends, our independent friends.
Even our Democratic friends who might not really understand the stakes yet or might not want to believe the stakes. Right. We're all in this together, everybody. We're all in this together because it's not just a fight for who's going to win an election. Right. That's the logistical outcome. That's the electoral outcome. This is a battle for values. What are the values we're fighting for? And I think that what Donald Trump said and did over the weekend in less than a minute
And that tape I played you of Joe Biden are as clear an indication and demonstration of what it is we're fighting for. And all I can say to you, everybody, as I wrap up my rant here, my coffee-fueled rant here, is say thank you to everybody that listens. I hope that you'll rate us five stars. I hope you share.
This show, and I hope in particular this episode, because I'm trying to make this as simple as I can for all of our friends who need to listen, who need to hear, maybe not listen. They need to hear what this is about. It's not about Republicans versus Democrats. It's about who and what we are as a country, not just lines on a map, but as a people. Who are we as Americans?
I think that I know who I am, and I think that most people that listen to this show know who they are too. Let's start spreading that good word, everybody. As always, you can find me on Twitter and TikTok, at Reed Galen, on threads and Instagram, at Reed underscore Galen underscore LP, and over at Substack, the home front. Thanks as always, everybody, for everything you've done, and I'll see you next time. Thanks again to everyone for listening.
Be sure to follow and subscribe to The Lincoln Project on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, or however you listen. Don't forget to leave a five-star review. To connect with us, follow us on Twitter, at Project Lincoln. And for more information on our movement, to join our mailing list, subscribe to our newsletter, or make a contribution to our efforts, visit lincolnproject.us.
If you want to message the podcast directly, please send an email to podcast at LincolnProject.us. And if you want to personally join the fight to save our nation's democracy, visit JoinTheUnion.us. For The Lincoln Project, I'm Reid Galen. I'll see you on the next episode.
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