Latest / Uncensored Objection / [Podcast Episode] Trump’s $90 Million Birthday Parade: A Vanity Project Dressed as Patriotism – and a Slap in the Face to Every American

Transcript

[Podcast Episode] Trump’s $90 Million Birthday Parade: A Vanity Project Dressed as Patriotism – and a Slap in the Face to Every American · Uncensored Objection

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, let's get straight into it.
• 0:01
  We're talking about President Trump's plan for a $90 million
• 0:07
  military parade.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Right, in Washington, D.C.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: on June 14th.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_01: Which is Flag Day, and also his 79th birthday.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the combination is interesting.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: It's certainly causing a stir.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_01: Definitely.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_01: We're basing this deep dive on a new piece by attorney Mitch Jackson.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_01: It's on his sub stack, Uncensored Objection.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: What's the title again?
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: It was quite pointed.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_01: It is.
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  SPEAKER_01: It's called Trump's 90 million dollar birthday parade.
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  A vanity project dressed as patriotism and a slap in the face
• 0:36
  to every American.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: OK, so no pulling punches there.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_01: Not at all.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_01: And that's really what we want to explore for you today.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_01: Why is this specific plan hitting such a nerve?
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  SPEAKER_01: What are the underlying issues here?
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: It seems like a good place to start is the timing itself, June 14th.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_01: It is Flag Day.
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  SPEAKER_01: It's also the U.S.
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  SPEAKER_01: Army's birthday.
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  SPEAKER_01: So on paper, maybe it looks patriotic.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe.
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  But Mitch Jackson's argument,
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  as you can tell from the title,
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  is pretty clear.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: He sees it mainly as serving the president's ego,
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: not really about genuinely celebrating the flag or the army.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_01: It feels different.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_01: National holidays are usually about unity, right?
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_01: This feels more like a personal event wrapped in the flag.
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  And that leads to the next point,
• 1:14
  how this fits or rather doesn't fit with American tradition.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: Big military parades like this.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_01: They're not really our thing, historically speaking.
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  We tend to do them,
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  you know,
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  after huge conflicts like WWWII to welcome troops home.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Precisely.
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  They're usually about honoring the returning soldiers,
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  the collective effort,
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  the sacrifice.
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  SPEAKER_00: Not so much about showcasing military might tied to a leader's birthday.
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  And that's where the comparison to,
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  well,
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  other kinds of governments comes in,
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  isn't it?
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: It is.
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  The article highlights the concern that these kinds of displays
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  echo what you see
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  SPEAKER_00: in more authoritarian states,
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  SPEAKER_00: where the focus is often on glorifying the leader,
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  SPEAKER_00: projecting power.
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  SPEAKER_01: I remember back in 2018 when a similar parade was floated,
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  SPEAKER_01: even a Republican senator warned it might look,
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: quote,
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  SPEAKER_01: Soviet style.
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  SPEAKER_00: That tells you something, doesn't it?
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  SPEAKER_00: That unease about the symbolism, it's not entirely new.
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  SPEAKER_01: And then there's the cost.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_01: We have to talk about the cost.
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  SPEAKER_00: The 90 million dollar figure.
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  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's a lot of taxpayer money.
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  SPEAKER_01: It's staggering.
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  SPEAKER_01: And Mitch Jackson calls it wasteful,
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  SPEAKER_01: offensive even,
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  SPEAKER_01: especially,
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  SPEAKER_01: you know,
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  SPEAKER_01: considering the national debt,
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  SPEAKER_01: the economy.
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  SPEAKER_01: A lot of people are struggling.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
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  SPEAKER_00: And the article really drives this home by listing alternatives.
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  SPEAKER_00: What else could 90 million dollars do?
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  SPEAKER_01: It's quite a list.
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  SPEAKER_01: Feeding hungry families, for one.
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  SPEAKER_00: helping lower prescription drug costs,
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  SPEAKER_00: expanding affordable housing,
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  SPEAKER_00: things that directly impact people's lives.
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  SPEAKER_01: Then there's funding for schools,
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  SPEAKER_01: school lunches,
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  SPEAKER_01: better health care for veterans,
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  SPEAKER_01: mental health services.
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  SPEAKER_00: Not to mention infrastructure,
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  SPEAKER_00: fixing roads,
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  SPEAKER_00: bridges and supporting things like Social Security and Medicare.
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  It really forces you to ask,
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  like the article suggests,
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  whose America is this parade really for?
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  SPEAKER_01: Whose priorities does it reflect?
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  SPEAKER_00: And the piece argues this isn't just a one-off questionable expense.
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  SPEAKER_00: It suggests it's part of a broader pattern.
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  SPEAKER_01: A pattern of prioritizing self-interest.
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  SPEAKER_01: Is that the idea?
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  SPEAKER_00: That's the argument presented.
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  It connects the parade to,
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  say,
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  the frequent trips to private resorts like Mar-a-Lago.
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  SPEAKER_01: Yes,
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  SPEAKER_01: the golf trips,
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  SPEAKER_01: which also cost taxpayers a significant amount for security,
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  SPEAKER_01: travel,
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  SPEAKER_01: all the logistics.
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  SPEAKER_00: Millions of dollars.
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  SPEAKER_01: Millions.
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  SPEAKER_01: And the article contrasts that spending,
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  SPEAKER_01: that lifestyle,
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  SPEAKER_01: with the struggles of average Americans.
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  SPEAKER_00: There's a real disconnect there, isn't there?
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  And it becomes even more stark when you bring in the
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  president's claims about
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_01: supporting the military.
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  SPEAKER_01: How so?
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  SPEAKER_01: Well,
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  the article brings up the alleged incident of skipping a
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  ceremony for fallen soldiers,
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  SPEAKER_01: apparently because of a golf game.
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  SPEAKER_00: Right.
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  SPEAKER_00: I remember those reports.
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  And then juxtaposes that with planning to use soldiers and
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  military hardware as
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  SPEAKER_01: essentially props for a birthday celebration.
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  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
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  SPEAKER_01: The article calls that hypocrisy.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's a jarring comparison.
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  Using the military for personal celebration versus honoring
• 4:02
  their sacrifice.
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  SPEAKER_01: Which ties into another core American idea the article raises.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_01: No kings.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Ah, yeah.
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  The whole foundation of the country was rejecting monarchy,
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  rejecting unchecked power.
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  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
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  SPEAKER_01: So military parades centered on glorifying a leader.
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  They just feel fundamentally uncomfortable,
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  kind of un-American in that context.
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  SPEAKER_01: They feel like something you see elsewhere.
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  SPEAKER_00: Like in Russia or China or North Korea,
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  places where those parades are absolutely about projecting the
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  leader's personal
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  SPEAKER_00: power and,
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  SPEAKER_00: frankly,
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  SPEAKER_00: intimidation.
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  So adopting that style here,
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  what message does that send,
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  both domestically and internationally?
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  SPEAKER_00: It risks blurring that line,
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  SPEAKER_00: suggesting the presidency is more like a throne than a job,
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  SPEAKER_00: a public service.
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  And the article mentions the No Kings protest movement that
• 4:48
  sprung up around this.
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  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
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  SPEAKER_00: People who see this parade as an attempt at something like a coronation,
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  SPEAKER_00: pushing back against what they perceive as authoritarian tendencies.
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  SPEAKER_01: Which leads to the broader concern about democracy itself.
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  SPEAKER_01: Is this parade just a parade or is it a symptom of something bigger?
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  SPEAKER_00: Mitch Jackson argues it's part of a larger pattern,
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  SPEAKER_00: a disregard for constitutional limits,
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  SPEAKER_00: for democratic norms.
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  He points to things like past statements by the president about
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  having the right to
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  SPEAKER_01: do whatever he wants.
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  SPEAKER_00: Yes, claiming vast executive power under Article 2.
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  Things like that raise alarms about respecting the separation
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  of powers,
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  the rule of law.
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  SPEAKER_01: And then there are the actions attacks on the judiciary,
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  SPEAKER_01: undermining Congress,
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  SPEAKER_01: the efforts to overturn the election results.
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  SPEAKER_00: It paints a picture,
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  SPEAKER_00: according to the article,
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  SPEAKER_00: of Democratic guardrails being tested or even ignored.
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  SPEAKER_01: And the divisive rhetoric definitely doesn't help foster unity.
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  SPEAKER_00: Quite the opposite.
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  SPEAKER_00: The concern is that this parade could turn Flag Day,
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  SPEAKER_00: a day meant for unity,
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  SPEAKER_00: into another point of conflict and division.
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  SPEAKER_01: What about how this looks to the rest of the world?
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  SPEAKER_01: Our allies, our adversaries.
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  While allies might see it with unease as a departure from
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  traditional American values,
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  SPEAKER_00: adversaries might interpret it differently,
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  SPEAKER_00: perhaps as a sign of internal division or misplaced priorities.
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  SPEAKER_01: It really underscores the need,
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  SPEAKER_01: as the article suggests,
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  SPEAKER_01: to not just normalize these things,
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  SPEAKER_01: to stay vigilant about democratic norms.
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  SPEAKER_00: Because erosion can happen slowly, piece by piece.
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  SPEAKER_01: Now,
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  SPEAKER_01: to provide full context,
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  SPEAKER_01: Mitch Jackson's piece also delves into,
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  SPEAKER_01: well,
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  SPEAKER_01: the character of the individual planning the parade.
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  SPEAKER_01: He's the second mention of Mitch Jackson's name.
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  SPEAKER_00: Right.
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  It lists a number of controversies and legal issues surrounding
• 6:28
  President Trump.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's quite a list.
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  The two impeachments,
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  the multiple indictments,
• 6:32
  91 felony counts mentioned the arrests.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_01: The recent conviction on 34 felonies in New York.
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  SPEAKER_00: Plus,
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  SPEAKER_00: the civil court finding him liable for sexual assault,
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  SPEAKER_00: the appellate decision,
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  SPEAKER_00: use the word rape,
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  SPEAKER_00: and a history of infidelity.
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  SPEAKER_01: The article also mentions the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic,
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  SPEAKER_01: the downplaying of its severity.
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  SPEAKER_00: And the ongoing criminal cases he faces, even as he seeks re-election.
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  SPEAKER_00: Plus,
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  SPEAKER_00: the huge financial judgments against him,
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  SPEAKER_00: the E.
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  SPEAKER_00: Jean Carroll case,
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  SPEAKER_00: the New York civil fraud case.
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  And things like pardoning January 6th participants,
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  the alleged involvement in a crypto scheme.
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  The overall point the article makes is that this background
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  paints a picture of an
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  SPEAKER_00: individual who,
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  SPEAKER_00: in Jackson's view,
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  SPEAKER_00: has fueled division and chaos.
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  So seeing the parade through that lens reinforces the argument
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  that it's more about
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  SPEAKER_01: personal validation than national interest.
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  SPEAKER_00: That seems to be the core assertion.
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  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so let's try to pull this together.
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  SPEAKER_01: The main concerns swirling around this proposed $90 million parade are...
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  SPEAKER_00: The timing,
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  SPEAKER_00: mixing national symbols with a personal birthday celebration,
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  SPEAKER_00: the intent,
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  SPEAKER_00: whether it's patriotism or a vanity project.
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  The massive cost,
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  obviously,
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  and all the other urgent needs that money could address.
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  The break from American tradition and the uncomfortable echoes
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  of authoritarian
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  SPEAKER_00: displays of power.
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  And ultimately,
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  the potential damage to democratic norms and national unity.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's a lot for you, the listener, to consider.
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  It really highlights the importance of looking critically at
• 7:59
  these kinds of events,
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: asking what they truly represent.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
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  SPEAKER_01: And if you want to read the original analysis and arguments yourself,
• 8:07
  we definitely recommend checking out Mitch Jackson's Uncensored
• 8:09
  Objections substack.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_01: That's the third and final mention.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah,
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: please do subscribe if you find it interesting,
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: share his work,
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: and definitely leave comments engaged with the ideas there.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_01: It's important to have these conversations.
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  SPEAKER_00: It leaves us with a final thought, really.
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  SPEAKER_00: When a nation decides how to spend its money and what symbols to elevate,
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  SPEAKER_00: what does that choice say about its real values and priorities?
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: Something to think about.