Latest / 2 Men In Black and White: An Honest Conversation / Will Voter Restrictions Actually Trigger a Unified Resistance Movement? Only If White People Show Up
Transcript
- Mark Hayes (00:01.535) Alright ladies and gentlemen, welcome back. Crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge. That's what one group plans to do, just like they did back in the late 60s when they were marching for voting rights, marching for the ability to be saved at the, served at the same lunch counter as white Americans back when they were fighting for the right to vote. We've gone back in time and some national days of action are coming to the South. It appears that many civil rights groups have come up with their own southern strategy. Brock and Ellis joins me now on Two Men in Black and White and Honest Conversation. Brock, what do you think? How do we get all the coalitions together? Because it appears as if everybody's acting on their own. Brock Ganeles (00:57.23) Well, I'm finding it really interesting that in the South you have black voters matters, organizing a series of protests. Like you said, turn back the clock 60 years and similar protests were going on. We'll probably won't have, probably won't have the dogs out on Saturday, right? Chasing them down or too many batons out. But if this is what draws black America, I mean, this is going to be white guy talking now, right? If this is what draws black America out onto the streets, then I'm not happy it happened, but I'm happy about the reaction. Cause if we get black people on the streets now for the worst reason to have to fight for their voting rights yet again, Latinos, you still feel gotta be percolating and pissed about these ICE detention centers, which are totally out of the national consciousness right now. Right after Minneapolis, we didn't even talk about ice anymore. Never even comes up. OK. And then you have the no kings white America, the older white Americans who have been out there for Medicare, Medicaid, health care. You know, not no single reason, right. But, you know, fighting for democracy out there showing numbers. Mark Hayes (01:53.511) right? Nobody's talking Right. Right. Mark Hayes (02:22.495) Sure. Brock Ganeles (02:23.628) not not getting much done. So okay, so now we have three different factions of increasingly angry Americans, but not quite angry enough Americans. Who or what message brings these three people, three groups together was I think your question long written answer is I don't see the person or the message yet. It seems like it should be easy to stitch together. Mark Hayes (02:48.904) Yeah. Brock Ganeles (02:53.016) but it also seems very far apart. Mark Hayes (02:55.495) Yeah, and a report that I received from my 12 year old grandson yesterday, AOC was at Ebenezer Baptist Church yesterday with a message, strong message for African Americans in the South to stand up and be counted and to make your voice heard, to get to the polls. That is your voice. Use it. So AOC is coming to the South. We should have everybody down here. Our no kings folks should be joining with Black Votes Matter. Our Black Votes Matter should be joining with no kings. Everybody should be on the same page. Here's what we got going. A Let Us Vote Rally Tuesday, May 12th. The Alabama We Got Us Tour May 15th through May 19th across multiple Alabama cities. A Grassroots Day of Action Saturday, May 16th organized in response to the Supreme Court gutting of the Voting Rights Act. That starts at 9 a.m. at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. All right? And then you got a rally for representation in Jackson, Mississippi, May 20th. John Lewis, good trouble lives on, weekend of action, July 17th through 19th. So it sounds like a lot of black people are gonna be out in the street. But this is what it's gonna take. It's gonna take a real fight. a real punch in the face to Donald Trump and just like the Edmund Pettus Bridge 60 plus years ago, it's gonna be bloody. Brock Ganeles (04:34.528) What an opportunity for white America to partner and show solidarity with black people. It is being served up on a silver platter for white people to step up and reach out and show black people that they have their back. Right? The question has been asked for the last 16 months by black America. Will white people ever have a racial reckoning? Will white people actually support them if they get out and protest? Will the black people get shot while the white people just waltz along fifth Avenue? Here's an opportunity. Now these don't have to just be black people's events. White people can show up. I don't think they'd be turned away if they came out in solidarity and said, we want to march with you. What a statement would make even if just a handful of people in Alabama come out and make that statement. They'll be the ones that get interviewed, right? They'll be the ones that get the microphones in front of them. They'll get the, they'll get the megaphone. They'll get the chance to make big statements. Mark Hayes (05:36.093) Yep. Mark Hayes (05:43.027) Yeah. Hey Brock, what's that term we used to always hear in sports? You're only as good as your weakest link. Remember some of those scrimmages we had at Walter Panis High School, your junior year, my senior year with that second five? I mean, some of those were very contentious and it made us better, right? When those guys got tired of us not working hard enough in their eyes, they tried to put it on us. Right? And I'll never forget those scrimmages. And it made us better as a team. It made us closer as a team too. Because I think we developed a newfound respect for those guys because they worked hard. Because they wanted everybody to be better. Because they wanted to play. Right? And so we felt better about who we were and the brand we were representing across the front of our chest. So. My question to you, doesn't white America understand that you're only as good as your weakest link? If black and brown people are your weakest link, why would you not try to uplift them? Get them to a position where we're all, Brock, again, look, all I have to do is point to PPP to let us know that there's enough to go around for everyone. Think about how much money was wasted at PPP. Think about how much money had. Did we even print any money? No, we just started writing checks for millions of dollars to people who didn't even need, to many people who didn't even need it. There's enough to go around for all of us, bro. Brock Ganeles (07:24.622) Out there you're going to go a different direction with it because I'm sitting here thinking the weakest link right now is complacent white America. Black people aren't the weakest link. Latinos aren't the weakest link. It's the complacent white America that is the weakest link right now. That's the group that has the biggest numbers and knows the other side better. We know the other side better. We've lived with the other side. more the other sides in our family, the other sides, the people we yucked it up at work with when we weren't talking about politics and we just talk about sports and how much money everyone made that day on wall street, right? We know who they are. We know how they think. We have it in us. We have some of that thinking in us. So we know we're the weak link. I, that's why I want to see white people out there in the South at these rallies. I think they would, any white person would have an exponential impact of their own presence being there. It's almost like, you know, those donations where you put a dollar in and someone's going to match it 10 to one, a white person at one of these Alabama marches is like 10 white people, maybe a hundred white people marching down fifth Avenue. That's how big the impact would be of just a few people to get out there. Mark Hayes (08:35.232) Yeah. Mark Hayes (08:44.712) What brings him out? Brock Ganeles (08:49.77) It's just the weak link is white America that's been complacent and stayed home and hasn't supported or brought the other groups into the fold. It's where no Kings has fallen down. It hasn't figured out how to get diversity into the ranks. Mark Hayes (09:09.267) Brock, I would say white America came out in Minneapolis, but you don't have many other, you don't have a lot of diversity in Minneapolis or in the state of Minnesota. Brock Ganeles (09:14.562) They did. Brock Ganeles (09:22.05) but they came out for the few minority neighbors that they do have. They did. We have it in us. It took a couple of white people being gunned down in broad daylight on video, but they came out. They chased ice for the most part out of Minneapolis and they changed the dynamic on the entire Mark Hayes (09:45.725) right up out of there. Brock Ganeles (09:51.563) immigration discussion in America, it's why it's not in the press anymore because it's so being done on the down low now. It's so unpopular that even Trump doesn't want to talk about it anymore. Mark Hayes (09:56.275) Yep. Mark Hayes (10:04.359) Right. So we know the response to black America is going to be much different than it is to Minnesotans. So we need the shield, if you will. We need cover from white America to get our message across. Will they provide it? That's the question. Brock Ganeles (10:31.33) hope Doug Jones is out there. He's a white Alabama who, you know, I think he's running for Senator or governor again, right? He's a leader, right? He's a leader, a white leader in Alabama, you know, a democratic white leader, which is rare, right? Cause no one ever wins down there. God, I don't even know who else could come out. Mark Hayes (10:37.887) You're welcome. Mark Hayes (10:42.301) Mm-hmm. Mark Hayes (10:48.831) Nice! Brock Ganeles (10:57.228) You know, could just be rank and file, right? It doesn't have to be a big name. I'm just thinking of what big name could come out, but it just, it just needs to be everyday people who have to say, yeah, this is, there are no Kings rally, right? They just got to be willing to be out there with black people. Mark Hayes (11:08.851) Imagine if we could get it. Yeah, imagine if you could get Kirby Smart or the head coach of the Georgia State football team. I don't even know who that is now. Or if you could get Lane Kiffin, right? Or Nick Saban. Nick Saban has already proclaimed his allegiance to Donald Trump. He's gone to kiss the ring. Yeah, what if that could happen? Brock Ganeles (11:26.924) Nick Saban. Brock Ganeles (11:41.964) It can. Mark Hayes (11:42.161) And it's not, well it can, but it's not likely. And that's the frustration with black folk like me, who have been around for a long time and heard the hypocrisy. Hey, you gotta remember, I was a news reporter, television news reporter in the deep south in 1991, 92, when it all started, right? Rodney King, OJ Simpson, right? Gerrymandering. the redrawing of districts, right? To give yourself an unfair advantage. The very definition of political corruption. Using public office to elicit private gain. It's exactly what they're doing. But I think they may shoot themselves in the foot. Remember Tennessee, that seat took a 25 % swing. You can't out-Jerrymander that. Brock Ganeles (12:37.89) Yeah, they're diluting districts. They're making some districts reachable if the turnout is huge and there's the end and we fought through the voter suppression. Mark Hayes (12:47.367) Right, right. Speaking of voter suppression, Trump is already tipping his hand in the middle of the night talking about sending ICE agents and his election army to the polls. Well, we already know that there is no such thing as election interference from illegal citizens in America, illegal persons in America. The purpose of the ICE agents at the polls is to scare my grandmother and to scare the little old black lady away and scare the little old Latina lady who's been here for 67 years away. It's about intimidation. Just like it was in the 50s and 60s. Bro, we are turning back the hands of time in our meanwhile, China, high speed rail, know, green energy. all kinds of technological advancements and we're going backwards because we're Brock Ganeles (13:48.419) Yeah, I mean, we're going to we're going to have to barrel through that intimidation because like they can't stop you from walking into the doors as much as they want to try to look menacing. You know, the white guy in me immediately was like, good. I hope there's a bunch of fucking ICE agents in front of the polling station where I'm going, because I'm walking right right through them, right? Because I'm an entitled white guy and I can't even imagine like someone fucking stopping me. Yeah, not that no one's going to fuck, you know, that they won't fuck with the white guy. But my immediate response would have been like, you know, dope. Mark Hayes (14:08.489) Well you're not going to get body slammed. Brock Ganeles (14:18.158) Don't be a brawl. Fucking, it's gonna try to stop you from voting. But I get it. People may have to vote in groups and with partners and there's gonna have to almost have to be like, you know, a buddy system. If that's the case. Mark Hayes (14:31.613) Right, right. Brock, what do you make of Trump's late night rants and then constantly falling asleep on the job in front of the camera guy? can't stay awake to save his friggin life. Brock Ganeles (14:45.752) Just like I was about to ask you whether you thought the media, if there is any kind of media left anymore, would cover the protests in Alabama over the weekend, and I think the answer would be no, it's, Trump's idiocy, Trump's dementia, Trump's fall into mental discapacity is the most under-reported story in America. His late night rants, because the... Mark Hayes (14:52.638) There is. Mark Hayes (14:56.584) Nope. Mark Hayes (15:11.198) Sure. Brock Ganeles (15:13.762) done so often they just get played off as if it's a part of it's like when we were kids opening the local newspaper and reading the comic strip that's what Trump's late-night rants are like they're just a daily thing that everyone peruses gets a chuckle out of and moves on from it's been so normalized and it's so out of bounds for anyone in a leadership position that it's fucking absurd We don't report enough about the fact that Trump's and mental decline and falling asleep. He can't get through any meeting in the oval anymore. He can't get through a night without some narcissistic, random vitriol angry rant, right? He has a massive anger management problem and he has no grasp of any topic. So it's almost laughable that he's representing the Amer American people or the United States. Mark Hayes (15:51.932) It's terrible. Brock Ganeles (16:10.452) on a trip to China to meet with Chairman Xi. He's a guy who has no grasp over any topic. I don't even know if he can stay awake through a meeting with Xi. We won't see it, but what are the odds of him being able to stay awake for a couple hours? Mark Hayes (16:14.143) Yeah. Mark Hayes (16:18.718) Nice. Mark Hayes (16:22.621) Yeah. Mark Hayes (16:27.187) What's he gonna talk about with Xi? Can't talk about geopolitical strategy. Can't talk about the economy. Xi knows he's full of shit. I mean, what's he gonna talk about? What are they going to find? Where are they gonna find common ground? know, Donald Trump doesn't wanna be in a room with an Asian guy who's smarter than he is, right? He looks down on others, right? And she's one of the smartest global leaders out there. Trump is in way over his head. That's why he's taking Tim Cook and Elon Musk with him. Brock Ganeles (17:06.338) Yeah, so we got a bunch of businessmen going with them all looking out for their own personal interests of their corporate interests, which is tied to their personal wealth. Who's looking out for the interests of the American people? I just want to know what are the goals of the meeting? What is Trump even going in there trying to accomplish that has anything to do with us? Mark Hayes (17:14.388) Yup. Mark Hayes (17:20.116) Yeah. Mark Hayes (17:29.095) Nothing. You know why? Because Trump's getting a piece of the action from whatever Cook is able to negotiate, from whatever Musk is able to negotiate. Trump gets his finder's fee. Right? That's all he cares about. He doesn't care about us. He doesn't care about us. Brock Ganeles (17:44.879) Yeah, his kickback. Yeah. He doesn't care. But the press is going to get on that plane and cover it as if like this is a real diplomatic event and there's a normalcy to it. And I'm curious to see how Trump handles the travel because he's getting so he's in such physical and mental decline. I wonder how he's going to able to handle the travel and the time zone change and all of that. I mean, it's it can be tricky. Mark Hayes (17:53.998) yeah! yeah! Rock, heat, Mark Hayes (18:10.685) Yeah. Yeah, yeah, oh, too bad, too bad. Get him some O2, right? I really don't care how it impacts his health because he doesn't care how a $4 gas, $4.50 gas impacts our wallets. He doesn't care. about us being less healthy as a nation. He doesn't care about the measles outbreaks. When have we heard him address any of the ongoing health issues in America? Quite simply, he hasn't, because he has all those issues. I the guy eats McDonald's and drinks Diet Coke by the liter during the course of the day. But here's the thing, though, Riddle me this. Why in the world is MAGA still here? Why are people still triple trumping? Why are people going along with what, you know, dumb? Why are reporters, because you were asking about the media, and I lost my train of thought here, but you were asking about the media. Let me get right back to that. He called Rachel Scott the B-word on television and none of the other. people in the reporter press pool stuck up for her and she asked a perfectly honest question, perfectly relevant question to the discussion. And he uttered the B word like. Mark Hayes (19:48.671) Like it wasn't anything. Brock Ganeles (19:51.257) The N word is coming. The N word is coming. That's what that polymarket should have bets on is what is the day that Trump actually blurts out the N word in the oval. It is coming. It's on the tip of his tongue. Mark Hayes (19:55.09) You knew it! Mark Hayes (20:00.13) and it comes, yeah. Yep. Mark Hayes (20:08.093) Yes, yes, and Rachel Scott should keep coming at him and keep going at him harder and harder. Speak truth to power. If no one else is willing to do their jobs, doesn't mean you don't have to do yours, right? And I'd like to see ABC try to fire her for doing her job, right? Because they know, I'm sure Trump was on the phone 15 minutes later to headquarters at ABC saying, get her out of here. Brock Ganeles (20:13.048) Keep coming at them. Mark Hayes (20:37.053) Right? Because that's all he wants. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. So Brock, where are we going now? How do we get white America and black America on the same page? How do we get us protesting together? How do we get that protective shield out there? Remember, we had a very similar circumstance back in the 60s with white America working with black America. Just stick that past you, bro. Brock Ganeles (20:37.154) He had forgotten about Kimmel for 15 minutes. Right now he had a different target. Brock Ganeles (21:03.446) I want to see some big leaders and some big voices down there. I want to see some people who can help get the media coverage and get the attention down to the South for these events. And maybe that does mean AOC. I think you told me that you thought that she was down in Georgia speaking recently. Maybe it's AOC. I don't know who else is big enough. I'd like to, you know, I mean, maybe I'd love to see Jasmine Crockett go there, but of course she's black, so she doesn't necessarily check the box that I'm looking for. Maybe I'd like to see Asaf head over there. He's a white guy who's become an increasingly good speaker and harsh critic. I mean, I think his political star is rising, so maybe Asaf can get over there and create some noise. I mean, I would love to see one of the mainstream, well, who's still left mainstream anchors, whether it be Maddow or Nicole or I mean, Lawrence O'Donnell, maybe too old to get off out of his office to go down there and cover it. But somebody who can get somebody to cover it. I just, I just need, we just need news, newsmakers to get down there and generate more buzz. Mark Hayes (22:30.429) Yeah. Wow. I wish it could happen. I don't think it would. I would love to see the Jane Fondas of the world. I'd love to see Taylor Swift, who was in the media this weekend talking about how unfit Donald Trump is. I mean, if she bought the Swifties, imagine how things would change. If she urged the Swifties to keep their vote out, Brock Ganeles (22:54.594) Well, you know, and Tennessee, Tennessee is our home state. We know she hates Marsha Blackburn. Mark Hayes (23:01.065) Yep, yep. It's a good reason. It's a good reason. Hey, and Hollywood has every reason to be on edge with AI and, you know, the ability now of people to computerize movies and make movies in 30 minutes. You can make a whole two and a half hour movie in 30 minutes and you can star Kevin Costner, Richard Gere, Sidney Crawford and every other A-list star in the flick. And you know what? They don't even have to show up to shoot one scene. Brock Ganeles (23:37.891) Look, voting rights is the easiest thing for white people to get on board with. First of all, the fights already been won. They've already seen the people that were supportive of voting rights the first time coming out as heroes. So it's actually, you know, you know, you're gonna be on the right side of history, but it's not even like, it's not a give. It's not like DEI where it's, you know, hurting white people and taking jobs away from white people. It's not like, you know, money going to education. that all white people should get that black people are not getting. This is a pretty basic, simple right that everyone, every citizen, one man, one vote, pretty easy thing to argue for, for your fellow citizens without even wading into controversial waters. It's a, it's a fucking easy one. And that's why white people sit on the sidelines in this one. Like they're just, they're just not willing to be in the fight. Mark Hayes (24:25.181) Right. Yeah. Brock Ganeles (24:33.394) and in my mind they're fucking useless or they're raiders or they're Mark Hayes (24:36.197) or they're racist and don't want to be in the fight. All right, quick hit. I got a question for you, Mike, quick hit. Big headline today about the CEO of Nike who bought $2 million worth of Nike shares at a low point for the company. Why'd he do it? Brock Ganeles (24:56.926) in general, an executive buying his own company stock is one of the most bullish signs that can ever come for the likelihood of future profits. It's what you always want to see someone in leadership actually putting their own money where their mouth is. Cause if you're a shareholder, you're like, okay, this guy's actually putting his own money into this. He's a real believer. He thinks he's got something or he thinks this stock has been way oversold. Usually it's a bullish sign. He must think that he's got some sort of plan to turn things around. Cause the stock's been in the f****g tank recently, right? No one's buying sneakers anymore. and they've had some shitty ads which used to be the thing that they were the best at. That's why it's usually a ball of sign. White people putting their own skin in the game. Not scooping the company money. We're not talking about stock options which you kind of get for free. This is taking two million out of his own bank account. Mark Hayes (25:44.959) Right. Okay, okay. Mark Hayes (25:54.751) Bye! Mark Hayes (25:59.401) Yeah. Brock Ganeles (26:04.608) and buying the stock just like anyone else could buy the stock in the open market at the exact same price. Usually a good sign. Why, what were you thinking? Mark Hayes (26:14.821) Okay, alright. I thought it was something nefarious. Well, I thought he was... Brock Ganeles (26:17.004) What was your thought on it? You thought he might have something up his sleeve? I don't know. Mark Hayes (26:25.501) Yeah, it's Elliot Hill. Brock Ganeles (26:25.824) I'll check, I'll go look at the stock now. I'll go look at the stock now. I know it's been doing horrendous. Mark Hayes (26:33.437) Yeah, yeah. I thought he was behind it just to make a ton of money. Brock Ganeles (26:34.22) So, you know, buy low, sell high. He's making this statement that he's buying low. I think that's usually the statement being made. I'll see if there's anything else behind it, but there's usually nothing nefarious that can come out of someone putting their own money into something. Mark Hayes (26:50.003) Sounds good. All right. All right. me of little faith. What do you got for me? Brock Ganeles (26:55.022) Okay, my favorite thing of the day was the legislators in Utah getting booed out of the room over that fucking data center with Kevin O'Leary. But my quick hit of the day is my question for you is talk a little bit of sports, talk a little international here. Maybe it's black and white. Do you think, have you seen Victor webinar as elbow to the throat of a timber wolves player that got him kicked out of the game last night and Mark Hayes (27:01.791) Woo! Yes. Mark Hayes (27:17.714) Suck. Mark Hayes (27:22.855) You're outta here. Brock Ganeles (27:24.088) Do you think he should be suspended for a game? Mark Hayes (27:27.271) I think he should be suspended for a game. I thought the elbow was flagrant. Can't lose your cool like that, young man. I mean, hey, there's consequences to bad acts. Now he's not a guy who has a reputation of that, but somehow they got under his skin. Just like they did to Jokic in the previous series. The Timberwolves were able to, you know, get him off his game. It's part of it, hey. bad boys were great at doing it back in the 90s. You know, they had the Jordan rules, they did it to Magic, they did it to Kareem, they were gonna, they did it to the Celtics, they were gonna do it to whoever let them get under their skin. So, hey, Wembee, you know, maybe you oughta go watch some 90s basketball, some late 80s basketball. Brock Ganeles (28:15.436) Okay, so you're in the camp of he should be suspended for a game. So if we're talking in black and white, the black guy wants there to be rule of law that he should be pay the price. Don't do the crime. Can't do the time. White guy here. I've been on text with all my white friends all day saying, come on, absolutely not. Mark Hayes (28:19.71) Yes. Mark Hayes (28:27.294) Yes. Mark Hayes (28:32.447) if you don't want to it now. Brock Ganeles (28:42.862) I like did they suspend Kevin McHale when he clothesline Kurt Rambis? Did they suspend Dr. J when and when he was choking Larry Bird? Did they suspend Mo Lucas and Daryl Dawkins when they literally got in a fistfight in the 1977 NBA championships? I'm like, OK, through an elbow, caught the guy in the throat, got kicked out. Let's move on to game five. There doesn't need to be any punishment here. This is like the white judge talking to the the white kid who just drove drunk, right? Hey, we don't want anything that's going to hurt his reputation or his future. We're going to let this one slide. He's a good kid and we wouldn't want anything to mark his future. So I have definitively been in the let it slide camp all day long. Mark Hayes (29:22.633) No. Mark Hayes (29:28.763) A different era. It's a different era. You asked this question back in the 80s and we say, what? It's basketball. You ask that question now, you're out of here for a game. So, you know, times change. The game has changed. I mean, the Knicks couldn't buy a call against the Sixers. They were out there getting tackled. Brock Ganeles (29:53.144) But the the ruling from the league is that he's not going to be suspended. So things change and everything changes except for the league wants the ratings and it's better ratings if he plays game five. So the sponsors, the sponsors may have chimed in. Mark Hayes (30:02.228) That's that part right there. Hope you got the money. Mark Hayes (30:11.806) Mm-hmm. And the NBA has a tough enough time with television ratings. So, you know, they can't have one of the biggest stars in the world, you know, not playing. So, not surprised there. All right, buddy, good stuff. Always keeping it black and white. We're racking up and doing it again tomorrow. Revolution. It's underway, and it shall not be televised. Brock Ganeles (30:24.118) Okay. Brock Ganeles (30:27.63) All right, Mark, always a pleasure. Mark Hayes (30:39.999) You