Latest / Paging America / Shutdown Politics, Soaring Premiums, and the Fight for Pennsylvania’s Future

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Shutdown Politics, Soaring Premiums, and the Fight for Pennsylvania’s Future · Paging America

0:15
SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Paging America,
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SPEAKER_01: where we explore the power,
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SPEAKER_01: profit,
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SPEAKER_01: and politics shaping American health care and what you can do about.
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SPEAKER_01: I'm your host today, Dr. Rob Davidson.
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And joining me today,
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to our great fortune,
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is our guest host,
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Dr.
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Kristen Lyerly.
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SPEAKER_01: Welcome, Dr. Lyerly.
0:30
SPEAKER_01: Hey, Rob.
0:31
SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
0:32
SPEAKER_03: It's so exciting.
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SPEAKER_03: Like it's the two of us doing this thing.
0:34
SPEAKER_01: I know.
0:35
SPEAKER_01: I know.
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SPEAKER_01: Two two doctors slash political folks.
0:38
SPEAKER_01: Miles has other things going on in his life right now.
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SPEAKER_01: So he got a reprieve this week.
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SPEAKER_01: I'll see if we can try to hold on for how you doing there.
0:45
SPEAKER_01: And are you in Green Bay right now?
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SPEAKER_03: I am.
0:48
SPEAKER_03: I'm home and I'm,
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SPEAKER_03: you know,
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I'm getting that vibe when somebody comes into the ED and they
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have an ectopic and
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SPEAKER_03: then there's that conversation,
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SPEAKER_03: you know,
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SPEAKER_03: you being an emergency medicine doc,
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SPEAKER_03: me being an OB.
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We're like consulting over our patient,
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which is our baby,
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which is paging America right now.
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SPEAKER_01: Right now, yeah.
1:04
SPEAKER_01: Now,
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if it was a very healthy young woman in labor having a normal
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spontaneous delivery,
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SPEAKER_01: that would not be a conversation.
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SPEAKER_01: It would be me losing my shit and saying, please get here.
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For anyone listening,
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if you happen to be an ER doc listening,
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you know what I'm talking about.
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SPEAKER_01: Trauma, sepsis, critically ill, mass casualty incident, no big deal.
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SPEAKER_01: Heart rate about 80, 90, 100%.
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SPEAKER_01: Normal,
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SPEAKER_01: healthy pregnant women having a normal,
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SPEAKER_01: healthy pregnancy,
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SPEAKER_01: delivering a baby,
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SPEAKER_01: and your heart rate spikes,
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SPEAKER_01: and you just want to get them out of the department,
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SPEAKER_01: get somebody who knows.
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SPEAKER_01: What is it?
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SPEAKER_01: Is that your experience, too, with ER docs?
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SPEAKER_03: We have complementary skill sets, I think.
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I am happy to deliver a baby,
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but all of that other stuff,
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that is,
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I need help reading the EKG.
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SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
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SPEAKER_01: No, that's cool.
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SPEAKER_01: We're happy to do that.
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SPEAKER_01: Well, so you're in Green Bay, so I'm a Detroit Lions fan.
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And so where was your allegiance when the Packers were beating
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up on Aaron Rodgers?
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SPEAKER_01: You're all in on the pack, right?
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SPEAKER_01: Aaron Rodgers, he's a goober anyways.
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SPEAKER_01: We don't like him, right?
2:00
SPEAKER_03: I was there.
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SPEAKER_03: I was in Pittsburgh watching the game.
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SPEAKER_01: It was amazing.
2:03
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
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SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
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I kind of grew up a Steelers fan back in the day because it was
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the 70s and the
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SPEAKER_03: Packers weren't that great and the Steelers were awesome.
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SPEAKER_03: And Pittsburgh is kind of like a bigger version of Green Bay.
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SPEAKER_03: It's got that real like blue collar ethnic kind of feel to it.
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So it was really and the fans were so cool and the folks in
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Pittsburgh were really neat.
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SPEAKER_03: So I loved it.
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SPEAKER_03: It was so much fun.
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SPEAKER_03: And beating up on Aaron Rodgers.
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SPEAKER_01: Well, I know the Lions and Packers faced off in week one.
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SPEAKER_01: I think we got more going on now for the next time.
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SPEAKER_01: So I guess we'll see.
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You guys got that weird little tie in there that's going to
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throw everything off at the end.
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SPEAKER_01: But we'll see.
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SPEAKER_01: I think we'll have a lot to talk about come,
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SPEAKER_01: I don't know what week it is,
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SPEAKER_01: 16 or 15 or something that they meet up again.
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SPEAKER_01: But despite that, we love having you on the show.
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SPEAKER_03: There'll be smack talking, going back and forth between the two of us.
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Despite your allegiance to that god-awful team,
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we'll have a lot to talk about today.
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So,
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yeah,
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today,
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just a little roadmap of what we're going to be talking about.
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SPEAKER_01: Shutdown politics, of course.
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SPEAKER_01: We're now over four weeks into the shutdown.
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SPEAKER_01: A lot about ACA premium spikes.
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SPEAKER_01: Open enrollment starts.
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SPEAKER_01: Today we're recording Thursday the 30th.
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So in two days,
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open enrollment starts and people have began to window shop.
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Also talk about a little bit about SNAP benefits related to the
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shutdown and what
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SPEAKER_01: may happen in the next few days.
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SPEAKER_01: Of course, RFK always makes an appearance.
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SPEAKER_01: For some reason, he's at war with the medical societies right now.
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SPEAKER_01: So we're going to get into that a little bit.
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And then in case you thought it was an off year,
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there's never an off year.
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SPEAKER_01: We got elections coming up Tuesday, November 4th.
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SPEAKER_01: Looking at Virginia,
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SPEAKER_01: New Jersey,
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SPEAKER_01: New York City,
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SPEAKER_01: California,
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SPEAKER_01: big election in Pennsylvania as well that I'll be
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SPEAKER_01: talking with Dr. Zeke Taylor.
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He's a politico slash pulmonary critical care doctor slash
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podcaster and interview
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SPEAKER_01: with him that would be bringing to you as well.
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SPEAKER_01: So kind of getting right into it, the government shut down.
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So we're seeing another poll out from Navigator shows Americans
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blame Trump and the
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SPEAKER_01: Republicans by a 10-point margin.
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SPEAKER_01: But then a separate poll came out today that looked at messaging,
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SPEAKER_01: how Democrats are talking about it,
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SPEAKER_01: how Republicans are talking about it.
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SPEAKER_01: And it said,
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SPEAKER_01: you know,
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Democrats who say that Trump and Republicans are spending
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billions on foreign aid,
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SPEAKER_01: including Trump.
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SPEAKER_01: Bail out of Argentina,
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SPEAKER_01: overseas military spending,
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SPEAKER_01: and they're doing nothing for us at home,
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keeping the government shut down and pushing to strip health
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care for millions.
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And the Democrats who basically say their budget would double
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health care costs for
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SPEAKER_01: 22 million Americans,
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SPEAKER_01: and they've already been skyrocketing.
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SPEAKER_01: So that's why they do the shutdown.
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SPEAKER_01: And by a pretty wide margin,
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SPEAKER_01: people are on the side of that Democratic messaging,
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SPEAKER_01: 57 percent to 43 percent,
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SPEAKER_01: including a 34 point margin with independents.
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SPEAKER_01: Somehow Republicans,
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SPEAKER_01: I guess the allegiance and these,
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SPEAKER_01: I think,
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SPEAKER_01: are really MAGA Republicans are 74 percent with the Republicans.
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SPEAKER_01: But still,
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SPEAKER_01: there's a significant minority of Republicans who look at it and say,
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SPEAKER_01: yeah,
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this these health care costs are too much and we should do
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something about it.
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What do you think about what's going on with the shutdown and
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the politics of shutdown?
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SPEAKER_03: I think that most people recognize the truth versus a lie.
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SPEAKER_03: And I think that's why most people agree with the Democratic messaging.
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SPEAKER_03: You can't deny that Trump is spending a bunch of money in Argentina.
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and other places and on ICE and on other things that aren't
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giving us personally
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SPEAKER_03: affordable health care.
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SPEAKER_03: So they see the truth.
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SPEAKER_03: They're feeling the truth.
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SPEAKER_03: People are getting their health insurance premium renewal information,
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SPEAKER_03: and they can't believe what they're seeing.
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SPEAKER_03: I don't know if you've been looking at the numbers,
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SPEAKER_03: but across the board,
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KFF is predicting that premiums are going to go up across the
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board for everyone.
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SPEAKER_03: By 18%.
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SPEAKER_03: And for folks on Obamacare, it's 30%.
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SPEAKER_03: And for a lot of people,
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SPEAKER_03: it's going to double and potentially even triple,
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SPEAKER_03: which means that people aren't going to be able to afford their premiums.
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SPEAKER_03: So they're not going to get health care.
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SPEAKER_03: So then they become your problem, Rob.
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SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, and that's just it.
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SPEAKER_01: Like, as an ER doc, I'm happy to see anyone.
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SPEAKER_01: I love EMTALA.
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SPEAKER_01: I love that we get to see everybody that comes in.
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SPEAKER_01: We're required to do that,
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but it kind of goes with our oath and why we went into this job
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for most of us.
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SPEAKER_01: But it's tough on patients.
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SPEAKER_01: It's not health care.
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SPEAKER_01: It's terrible.
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SPEAKER_03: It's not health care.
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SPEAKER_01: We're not we're not good at managing chronic diabetes,
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SPEAKER_01: hypertension,
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SPEAKER_01: you know,
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the risk factors for heart disease and stroke and keeping
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people out of the ER for
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SPEAKER_01: those absolute emergencies.
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SPEAKER_01: And so it's yeah, it's it's tough.
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SPEAKER_01: And it's what you said.
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SPEAKER_01: You know what?
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SPEAKER_01: People recognize the truth.
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SPEAKER_01: You know,
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I think Democratic lawmakers have had challenges staying on
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message and having a
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SPEAKER_01: cohesive message in elections past and certainly in current times.
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But when your message is just reality,
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it does make it a lot easier to stay on message,
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right?
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SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
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SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
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SPEAKER_03: Well, Democrats are kind of like us.
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SPEAKER_03: You know, we want to explain things.
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We don't we don't talk in simple phrases that are really easy
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to digest and just
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SPEAKER_03: kind of hear in the background.
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SPEAKER_03: We want to talk about the nuance.
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SPEAKER_03: Like everything is M&M for us.
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SPEAKER_03: It's morbidity, mortality.
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SPEAKER_03: Like we have to present the case.
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SPEAKER_03: But in reality, most people can just consume that little tidbit.
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And you got to start with the tidbit and make sure that it is
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accurate and that you
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SPEAKER_03: can back it up and it is relevant.
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SPEAKER_03: And then when you need to, you can get into the nuance.
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SPEAKER_03: But when you're messaging, you have to keep it simple.
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SPEAKER_03: And Republicans have been so good at that.
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But they've also taken it to a point where I saw a tweet from
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Mike Johnson
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SPEAKER_03: yesterday,
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and I honestly don't know how he sleeps at night because it was
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just it was like
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SPEAKER_03: six bullet points and it was amazing.
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SPEAKER_03: Lie after lie after lie,
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SPEAKER_03: twisting the truth,
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SPEAKER_03: saying things that,
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SPEAKER_03: you know,
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SPEAKER_03: harm people and people believe it because he's an R.
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SPEAKER_03: It just it makes me feel so bad,
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SPEAKER_03: Rob.
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SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
7:44
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
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SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I hear you.
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Yeah,
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Mike Johnson and his motivations for this are clearly to stay
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the speaker,
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right?
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SPEAKER_01: Like he can't budge.
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SPEAKER_01: He can't in any way negotiate with Dems, right?
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Their so-called Hastert rule where a majority of the majority
8:00
has to support something.
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SPEAKER_01: And I know the frontline,
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SPEAKER_01: the vulnerable Republicans sent a letter to Johnson saying,
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SPEAKER_01: we need to do something about this,
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SPEAKER_01: right?
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SPEAKER_01: We need to deal with this because this is a huge issue.
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SPEAKER_01: They are not crazy.
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SPEAKER_01: They see what their pollsters are telling them.
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SPEAKER_01: This is a horrible issue for them, right?
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SPEAKER_01: And I mean—
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We're going to take advantage of it if they keep doing this and
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screwing over our
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SPEAKER_01: patients,
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SPEAKER_01: right?
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SPEAKER_01: They are going to pay for it in a year next year in the midterms.
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SPEAKER_01: But they recognize it.
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SPEAKER_01: But,
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SPEAKER_01: you know,
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SPEAKER_01: Johnson understands if he gives an inch,
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SPEAKER_01: he's going to go by the way of the last speaker.
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SPEAKER_01: You know,
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anytime you make a compromise and you have Democrats help you
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out of a sticky
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SPEAKER_01: situation on their side,
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SPEAKER_01: you know,
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SPEAKER_01: you're not Team R and you're going to get booted.
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SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's really challenging.
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SPEAKER_01: You said M&M there for a minute.
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SPEAKER_01: I thought you were talking about M&M,
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SPEAKER_01: the Democrats' answer to Kid Rock,
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SPEAKER_01: who's also a big Lions fan,
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SPEAKER_01: by the way.
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SPEAKER_01: Sorry, I had to bring that up.
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SPEAKER_03: You had to go back to Michigan.
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SPEAKER_01: M&M, a big eight-mile Detroit guy.
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SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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SPEAKER_01: We like that.
8:58
SPEAKER_01: Got to go back to that.
8:59
SPEAKER_01: But yeah,
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SPEAKER_01: I mean,
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SPEAKER_01: like you said,
9:00
SPEAKER_01: Washington Post reporting a 30% increase on average for ACA plans,
9:07
SPEAKER_01: just premium increases.
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SPEAKER_01: And that's not including if these ACA subsidies don't get renewed.
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SPEAKER_01: And frankly,
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Like the clock is ticking,
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you know,
9:15
at the end of this year,
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they expire.
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SPEAKER_01: But if I don't know how they're going to I mean,
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SPEAKER_01: if they don't do something about this soon,
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SPEAKER_01: it still may not be soon enough to affect 2027.
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SPEAKER_01: Anything they negotiate and agree on eventually might only impact 2027.
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SPEAKER_01: And by I mean,
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SPEAKER_01: by that time,
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SPEAKER_01: how many millions of people will will not be on their health care,
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SPEAKER_01: will not have access to a doctor,
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SPEAKER_01: a primary care doctor.
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SPEAKER_01: We'll just,
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SPEAKER_01: you know,
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SPEAKER_01: whether they afford the premiums,
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but then just can't can't actually go see someone because the
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deductibles are so
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SPEAKER_01: high.
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SPEAKER_01: You know, the plans.
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SPEAKER_01: I know Trump is out there pushing ACA plans that are bronze plans saying,
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SPEAKER_01: well,
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SPEAKER_01: you can get them for,
9:54
SPEAKER_01: you know,
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SPEAKER_01: this low price,
9:55
SPEAKER_01: $50,
9:56
SPEAKER_01: whatever the numbers they're touting are.
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SPEAKER_01: But, you know, these have, you know, 12, 13, $15,000 deductibles.
10:02
SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's like not having insurance for the vast majority of people.
10:06
SPEAKER_03: Well, we know what Trump's ultimate plan is.
10:09
SPEAKER_03: I mean, he's been transparent about it from the very beginning.
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SPEAKER_03: He wants to get rid of the ACA and there's no plan to replace it.
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SPEAKER_03: He just wants it gone.
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SPEAKER_03: This is a grudge match for him.
10:18
SPEAKER_03: And Republicans in Congress,
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SPEAKER_03: including some of our own colleagues,
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SPEAKER_03: Senator Bill Cassidy,
10:22
SPEAKER_03: has never been a fan of the ACA.
10:24
SPEAKER_03: And,
10:25
SPEAKER_02: you know,
10:25
SPEAKER_03: let's be honest,
10:26
SPEAKER_03: the ACA is not the greatest health plan out there,
10:30
SPEAKER_03: but it's what we've got.
10:31
SPEAKER_03: And I think the original plan was get your foot in the door and
10:35
SPEAKER_03: get coverage for people,
10:36
and then start working toward making it more affordable and
10:39
getting more people
10:39
SPEAKER_03: covered.
10:40
SPEAKER_03: And our foot's still in the door, but barely, it's barely cracked.
10:45
SPEAKER_03: People are losing their coverage.
10:47
They're not able to go see the doctor,
10:48
even if they have health insurance coverage.
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SPEAKER_03: And
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SPEAKER_03: Man,
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SPEAKER_03: I mean,
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SPEAKER_03: between that and drugs and finding a hospital in a rural area,
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SPEAKER_03: you also work in a rural area.
10:58
SPEAKER_03: I do, too.
10:59
SPEAKER_03: These rural hospitals are closing down their obstetrical units.
11:02
They're closing down their hospitals entirely because they
11:04
can't afford to stay open.
11:06
People are just really struggling and health care isn't working
11:09
for us in this country.
11:11
SPEAKER_01: Yeah,
11:11
SPEAKER_01: I mean,
11:11
SPEAKER_01: Bernie,
11:12
SPEAKER_01: certainly not a super fan of the ACA and he's a single payer advocate,
11:16
SPEAKER_01: has been forever.
11:17
SPEAKER_01: He's done some of the best messaging on this.
11:20
SPEAKER_01: You know, basically saying, you know, we have a system that is broken.
11:23
SPEAKER_01: We have a system that doesn't work for a lot of people.
11:25
SPEAKER_01: And the Republicans are trying to make it worse.
11:27
SPEAKER_01: Right.
11:28
SPEAKER_01: We do it.
11:29
SPEAKER_01: We can't defend the status quo.
11:30
SPEAKER_01: We can't try to kind of, you know, say that that is perfect and all rosy.
11:35
SPEAKER_01: And it's just like you said.
11:36
But,
11:36
you know,
11:37
they're actually trying to make it worse,
11:39
trying to make,
11:39
you know,
11:40
SPEAKER_01: 17 million, 20 million.
11:41
SPEAKER_01: However,
11:42
SPEAKER_01: you know,
11:42
SPEAKER_01: I mean,
11:43
SPEAKER_01: you start losing,
11:44
SPEAKER_01: I don't know,
11:45
SPEAKER_01: you lose touch with the reality of it when you start.
11:47
There's so many millions of people,
11:48
and we see it just on a one-on-one basis with our patients.
11:52
SPEAKER_01: And,
11:52
SPEAKER_01: you know,
11:52
SPEAKER_01: for me,
11:53
even one patient who avoids going to their doctor or doesn't
11:56
come in when they're
11:57
SPEAKER_01: having chest pain is way too many.
11:58
SPEAKER_01: We're talking millions around the country.
12:00
SPEAKER_01: Now, with the shutdown, you know, the healthcare premiums and all that,
12:04
SPEAKER_01: Certainly not the only thing.
12:05
I know you wanted to talk about another issue that is staring
12:09
people squarely in
12:10
SPEAKER_01: the face in the next few days.
12:12
SPEAKER_03: Hunger, SNAP benefits, losing funding for SNAP benefits affects.
12:17
SPEAKER_03: This number is unbelievable.
12:18
SPEAKER_03: It's one in eight Americans.
12:21
SPEAKER_03: It's so many children who can't, who won't be able to afford food.
12:27
SPEAKER_03: And here's the crazy thing about this.
12:29
SPEAKER_03: They don't actually have to reopen the government to do this.
12:32
There's actually a contingency fund that's sitting there to
12:36
ensure that Americans
12:37
SPEAKER_03: don't starve in a situation like this.
12:40
Trump and the Republicans are just refusing to use it because
12:43
they want to keep the
12:44
SPEAKER_03: political pressure on people.
12:46
SPEAKER_03: So here are these people.
12:47
SPEAKER_03: I'm getting calls from,
12:49
SPEAKER_03: I'm not an elected official,
12:50
but I'm getting calls from people in my area who are really
12:54
concerned that they're
12:55
SPEAKER_03: not going to be able to go to the grocery store.
12:57
SPEAKER_03: And food banks are trying to fill the gap.
13:00
SPEAKER_03: I don't know about where you are,
13:01
but there are food drives happening all over the place because
13:04
the shelves are
13:05
SPEAKER_03: bare.
13:05
But the food bank system cannot begin to fill the gap that this
13:11
SNAP problem is causing.
13:14
SPEAKER_03: People will starve.
13:16
SPEAKER_01: Yeah,
13:16
my wife volunteers at a local food pantry a couple times a
13:20
month on Fridays,
13:20
SPEAKER_01: and she said last week when she worked was,
13:22
SPEAKER_01: I mean,
13:23
SPEAKER_01: the busiest,
13:24
SPEAKER_01: by 10X,
13:25
SPEAKER_01: busiest Friday,
13:26
SPEAKER_01: busiest day she's ever worked there in the past probably,
13:28
SPEAKER_01: I think seven,
13:28
SPEAKER_01: eight years she's been doing it.
13:30
SPEAKER_01: And people explicitly saying, boy, we're really worried.
13:34
SPEAKER_01: The SNAP benefits are,
13:35
SPEAKER_01: we're being told they're going to run out soon,
13:37
SPEAKER_01: and people are trying to stock up,
13:40
SPEAKER_01: you know,
13:40
SPEAKER_01: trying to feed their families however they can.
13:43
SPEAKER_01: And how sad is that,
13:44
SPEAKER_01: that you have an entire party,
13:46
SPEAKER_01: an entire government apparatus that has the money there,
13:48
SPEAKER_01: has the funding?
13:50
SPEAKER_01: Now, little Mike Johnson says, well, it's only temporary whatever.
13:53
SPEAKER_01: OK,
13:54
if you can put food in kids' bellies for another month or two
13:57
while you all in
13:58
SPEAKER_01: Washington figure this shit out,
14:00
SPEAKER_00: right,
14:00
and come to the table and extend the subsidies and end this
14:04
ridiculous Republican
14:05
SPEAKER_01: shutdown—
14:07
SPEAKER_01: Like, that's great.
14:08
SPEAKER_01: I mean,
14:08
a hungry kid doesn't give a shit if you if they're less hungry
14:11
for a couple of
14:11
SPEAKER_01: weeks,
14:11
SPEAKER_01: a couple of months or you tell them,
14:13
SPEAKER_01: well,
14:13
SPEAKER_01: we're cutting it off now.
14:14
I mean,
14:15
they're they're doing this on purpose and they're doing it to
14:17
inflict pain on Democrats.
14:19
But they're really inflicting pain on on people and people they
14:23
represent.
14:24
SPEAKER_01: It's really sad.
14:25
SPEAKER_03: You know what I heard when I was boarding my plane in Pittsburgh?
14:30
You know,
14:30
TSA agents are working right now for no money because the
14:33
government shut down.
14:35
SPEAKER_03: And as I was going through security,
14:37
SPEAKER_03: I said to one of the TSA agents,
14:38
SPEAKER_03: because I'm from Wisconsin,
14:39
SPEAKER_03: so I'm nice.
14:40
SPEAKER_03: So I said, how are you?
14:42
SPEAKER_03: And he looked down and he then looked me in the eye and he said...
14:47
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
14:47
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
15:06
So it's not this vision of like the welfare queen who's
15:10
standing outside wanting a handout.
15:12
I mean,
15:12
again,
15:13
this is one in eight Americans and this is entirely political.
15:16
SPEAKER_03: So come on, elected leaders, get it together.
15:19
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, get your shit together.
15:20
SPEAKER_01: And again, use the funds that are there, right?
15:23
SPEAKER_01: Use what you have.
15:23
SPEAKER_01: It's just feeding people.
15:25
SPEAKER_01: I mean, Jesus, it's just basic.
15:27
SPEAKER_01: Well,
15:27
and I was on a call last night with Senator Chris Murphy from
15:30
Connecticut talking
15:31
SPEAKER_01: to a bunch of docs about kind of staying in the fight and everything.
15:36
SPEAKER_01: And he's one of the most engaged folks on all of this.
15:39
SPEAKER_01: And
15:40
when asked,
15:40
you know,
15:41
how's this thing going to end or when's it going to end?
15:42
SPEAKER_01: He said, we don't know, you know, Republicans.
15:45
SPEAKER_01: He's not met one that has the kind of the spine to stand up to Trump.
15:51
SPEAKER_01: And yet he knows when,
15:53
SPEAKER_01: you know,
15:53
SPEAKER_01: when people talk,
15:55
SPEAKER_01: the folks on the front line are really nervous about this,
15:58
SPEAKER_01: are nervous about the increasing health care costs.
16:01
SPEAKER_01: And they can read the polls.
16:02
SPEAKER_01: I mean, they may tell Trump
16:04
SPEAKER_01: polls that aren't true.
16:05
And he may have that in his brain,
16:07
you know,
16:07
as he takes his cognitive aptitude tests.
16:11
SPEAKER_01: But they,
16:12
SPEAKER_01: you know,
16:12
the guys out there that have to get reelected next year that
16:15
are going to be in a
16:16
SPEAKER_01: tough fight,
16:17
SPEAKER_01: they see what the polls are saying.
16:19
SPEAKER_01: And so,
16:19
SPEAKER_01: you know,
16:20
SPEAKER_01: I guess let's hope,
16:20
SPEAKER_01: let's hope that some of those folks,
16:22
SPEAKER_01: either folks that are so politically at risk that it's,
16:25
SPEAKER_01: and maybe that's the answer,
16:27
or maybe some folks who actually have a heart and have a soul
16:30
and want to feed
16:31
SPEAKER_01: people and want people to afford health care,
16:33
SPEAKER_01: You know,
16:33
hoping you can cobble together a few of them to go with Dems
16:37
and get this thing
16:38
SPEAKER_01: opened up and bring down health care costs for everyone.
16:42
SPEAKER_01: But on that, we don't know.
16:43
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I imagine next week.
16:45
SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
16:45
SPEAKER_01: This could still be going on.
16:47
Well,
16:48
it just emphasizes that we fundamentally are not Democrats and
16:53
Republicans.
16:54
We are neighbors who live in communities and we want a
16:57
government and a world that works for us.
16:59
SPEAKER_03: We want to be able to buy food.
17:00
SPEAKER_03: We want to be able to get health care, all of those things.
17:03
SPEAKER_03: And in order to get that, we as individuals, as voters, have to vote.
17:09
SPEAKER_03: And man,
17:10
SPEAKER_03: there are some really important elections coming up,
17:12
SPEAKER_03: not in Wisconsin and Michigan,
17:14
SPEAKER_03: which is unusual because we're used to being the center of attention,
17:16
SPEAKER_03: but
17:17
SPEAKER_03: But in PA, in Virginia, in New Jersey, I mean, really exciting races.
17:22
SPEAKER_03: I don't know if you saw the debate in PA.
17:25
SPEAKER_03: No, it wasn't PA.
17:26
SPEAKER_03: It was Virginia with Abigail Spanberger and Winsome,
17:31
SPEAKER_03: Earl Sears,
17:32
SPEAKER_03: Earl Sears,
17:33
SPEAKER_03: where she kept,
17:35
Earl Sears kept cutting Spanberger off and Spanberger was
17:38
getting so frustrated.
17:39
SPEAKER_03: It was so hard to watch, but it was very clear that
17:43
SPEAKER_03: How laser focused Spamburger is and how prepared and ready she is.
17:49
SPEAKER_03: And it's just not the same on the other side of the aisle.
17:52
SPEAKER_01: For sure.
17:53
SPEAKER_01: Well, let's talk about that.
17:54
SPEAKER_01: The election's coming up.
17:55
SPEAKER_01: On Tuesday, right?
17:56
SPEAKER_01: So Tuesday, November 4th.
17:57
SPEAKER_01: That's five days from now.
17:58
SPEAKER_01: We're recording on the Thursday before.
18:00
SPEAKER_01: There's a lot at stake, right?
18:01
SPEAKER_01: In Virginia,
18:02
SPEAKER_01: like you said,
18:03
SPEAKER_01: the Spanberger,
18:04
SPEAKER_01: you know,
18:05
SPEAKER_01: Democrat trying to take that back from Glenn Youngkin.
18:08
There's a slim majority in the House as well for the
18:10
Republicans currently that,
18:12
SPEAKER_01: you know,
18:12
SPEAKER_01: Democrats could potentially take back.
18:14
You know,
18:14
there are things that we can do there in Virginia if they get
18:18
back these majorities.
18:19
SPEAKER_01: The Senate and the House,
18:21
SPEAKER_01: when they had both,
18:22
SPEAKER_01: did previously pass the Prescriptive Drug Affordability Board,
18:25
SPEAKER_01: which Yunkin,
18:26
SPEAKER_01: you know,
18:26
SPEAKER_01: vetoed or would not sign.
18:27
SPEAKER_01: Like, that's a possibility.
18:29
SPEAKER_01: It's a tight race.
18:29
SPEAKER_03: Are you listening, Virginia friends?
18:31
SPEAKER_03: Are you listening?
18:32
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
18:33
SPEAKER_01: Tell your friends.
18:43
So it's drawing national attention as a key political test for
18:47
both parties ahead
18:48
SPEAKER_01: of next year's midterms.
18:50
SPEAKER_01: Virginia was won by President Biden in 2020 by 10 points,
18:54
SPEAKER_01: but Vice President Harris won it by under six points in 2024.
18:58
SPEAKER_01: You know, a lot of dynamics going on in 2024.
19:01
SPEAKER_01: But I think a lot of us,
19:03
SPEAKER_01: I do,
19:03
and I think a lot of folks look to these kind of weird year
19:08
elections like this,
19:09
SPEAKER_01: these statewide elections to tell us,
19:11
SPEAKER_01: particularly in somewhere like Virginia,
19:12
SPEAKER_01: that
19:13
SPEAKER_01: you know, had been a swing state until recently.
19:17
SPEAKER_01: More blue, but kind of light blue, right?
19:20
SPEAKER_01: Not a given.
19:21
SPEAKER_01: And so I guess we'll see also a New York City mayor's race,
19:25
SPEAKER_01: you know,
19:25
SPEAKER_01: kind of progressive Mondani against who knows what you want to call him,
19:30
SPEAKER_01: And then,
19:31
SPEAKER_01: you know,
19:31
the Pennsylvania retention vote where there are three Supreme
19:35
Court justices who
19:36
SPEAKER_01: got elected 10 years ago.
19:38
SPEAKER_01: It's nonpartisan, but they all were originally elected as Democrats.
19:41
SPEAKER_01: They upheld abortion rights in the state in 2022 for poor people.
19:46
That body is critical to voting rights and to determining the
19:51
outcome of election
19:52
SPEAKER_01: related lawsuits,
19:54
SPEAKER_01: which undoubtedly will come knowing this president,
19:57
SPEAKER_01: knowing this Republican Party.
19:59
SPEAKER_01: And the court right below them is actually controlled by conservatives.
20:03
SPEAKER_01: And so they've ruled supporting Trump,
20:06
supporting sort of that Republican side on election laws and in
20:10
the abortion case.
20:11
SPEAKER_01: And the Supreme Court has then kind of, you know, kind of...
20:14
SPEAKER_01: reverse their decision in the correct direction.
20:17
SPEAKER_01: If we end up with a 2-2 tie, if those three do not get retained.
20:21
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, it's critically important.
20:23
SPEAKER_01: And that's coming up.
20:25
SPEAKER_01: I don't know any other thoughts on that.
20:26
SPEAKER_01: You were in Pittsburgh talking with docs there just,
20:29
SPEAKER_01: what,
20:29
SPEAKER_01: last week,
20:30
SPEAKER_01: couple weeks ago,
20:31
SPEAKER_01: and talking about the retention vote.
20:32
SPEAKER_01: What are your thoughts on that?
20:34
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, just last weekend.
20:35
SPEAKER_03: Well, it was exciting.
20:36
I always love to talk politics because I know it's spicy and it
20:39
makes people a
20:40
SPEAKER_03: little uncomfortable,
20:40
SPEAKER_03: but then they want to talk about it.
20:42
It was cool to hear folks who were like electricians and just
20:46
regular people
20:48
wanting to engage in this conversation and seeing the signs in
20:51
rural PA to the
20:53
SPEAKER_03: retention signs.
20:54
SPEAKER_03: It was amazing.
20:55
SPEAKER_03: In a rural area, I wasn't expecting that.
20:58
SPEAKER_03: I was expecting maybe a little bit more conservative.
21:01
SPEAKER_03: But,
21:01
SPEAKER_03: you know,
21:01
going back to some of these places that have been strongholds
21:04
for conservatives or
21:06
SPEAKER_03: for liberals,
21:07
look at what's going on in Virginia and how many federal
21:09
workers live in Virginia
21:11
SPEAKER_03: now.
21:12
And to think about what's happening to them and how they are
21:15
feeling it right now.
21:16
SPEAKER_03: I don't think the polling reflects what we're going to see.
21:19
I think all the cool kids are frustrated and angry and they are
21:21
going to go to the polls.
21:22
SPEAKER_03: I think the same thing's going to happen in PA.
21:24
SPEAKER_03: The same thing's going to happen in New Jersey.
21:25
SPEAKER_03: There's so much pride in New Jersey.
21:28
SPEAKER_03: New Jersey feels like they are the heart of America.
21:30
SPEAKER_03: And in many ways they are.
21:32
SPEAKER_03: And I think the turnout is going to be ridiculously good.
21:35
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
21:36
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I left New Jersey out of it.
21:39
SPEAKER_01: Not notoriously a perennial swing state,
21:41
SPEAKER_01: but I think,
21:42
SPEAKER_01: you know,
21:42
SPEAKER_01: Representative Mikey Sherrill,
21:43
SPEAKER_01: I mean,
21:44
SPEAKER_01: it's a tough fight,
21:45
SPEAKER_01: right?
21:45
SPEAKER_01: That state's getting closer and closer every year.
21:48
And then,
21:49
of course,
21:49
the big single ballot initiative in California is at Prop 50.
21:55
That is going to be one answer to the gerrymandering that
21:59
they're trying to pull
22:00
SPEAKER_01: off in Texas to try to get five extra seats,
22:03
SPEAKER_01: extreme gerrymandering.
22:05
SPEAKER_01: And California is basically saying, OK, you're going to do that.
22:08
We're going to counter you and we're going to help get some
22:10
seats that Democrats
22:11
SPEAKER_01: can compete in that previously couldn't.
22:14
SPEAKER_01: And that that polling looks like it's pretty good.
22:17
SPEAKER_01: Right.
22:17
SPEAKER_01: Pretty good.
22:18
SPEAKER_03: It does.
22:19
SPEAKER_03: I think early turnout is looking strong.
22:20
SPEAKER_03: But I don't know how you feel about this.
22:22
SPEAKER_03: I mean, Michigan had a terrible problem with gerrymandering.
22:24
SPEAKER_03: Wisconsin did, too.
22:25
This feels so,
22:27
like,
22:27
wrong and evil,
22:28
but it also feels like the appropriate response.
22:31
SPEAKER_03: So I guess you got to fight fire with fire.
22:33
SPEAKER_03: And, you know, California, get out there and vote.
22:36
But I look forward to the ship being righted and for there to
22:41
be some sense of,
22:42
SPEAKER_03: like,
22:42
justice and reasonableness for norms to return at some point in
22:46
the future.
22:47
SPEAKER_01: And this doesn't take power away from that redistricting board.
22:49
This is like a temporary change in California to specifically
22:53
address what they're
22:54
SPEAKER_01: doing in Texas.
22:55
SPEAKER_01: I think Governor Newsom made that pretty clear.
22:57
SPEAKER_01: And I agree with you,
22:58
SPEAKER_01: but I was definitely one of those,
23:00
SPEAKER_01: when Texas announced what they were doing,
23:01
SPEAKER_01: thinking,
23:02
SPEAKER_01: okay—
23:03
SPEAKER_01: You know,
23:03
SPEAKER_01: if all these I mean,
23:04
SPEAKER_01: if that's what it comes down to,
23:05
SPEAKER_01: right,
23:05
SPEAKER_01: if it's going to be an arms race,
23:07
SPEAKER_01: well,
23:07
SPEAKER_01: we have to bring weapons to the arms race.
23:09
SPEAKER_01: We can't just roll because it's way too important.
23:12
SPEAKER_01: Right.
23:13
We can't let a a sort of governing minority have ownership of
23:17
our entire government
23:19
SPEAKER_01: simply because they're willing to do whatever the hell it takes,
23:23
SPEAKER_01: whether you're disenfranchising people or not.
23:25
I just think we we I don't know that the risks are way too high
23:28
for our patients
23:30
SPEAKER_01: and for everybody.
23:30
SPEAKER_03: For sure.
23:31
SPEAKER_03: I mean, look at Texas.
23:32
SPEAKER_03: Texas is so far out of the norm right now.
23:37
SPEAKER_03: Bringing a lawsuit over Tylenol labeling and pregnancy.
23:40
SPEAKER_03: Why do you care?
23:42
SPEAKER_03: You clearly don't care about pregnant people.
23:45
SPEAKER_03: You have introduced legislation.
23:47
SPEAKER_03: You've passed laws that have increased your maternal mortality.
23:51
SPEAKER_03: More people die related to their pregnancy than they did before.
23:55
SPEAKER_03: More babies die in Texas because of the abortion law there.
24:00
SPEAKER_03: Clearly, Texas doesn't care.
24:01
SPEAKER_03: And this is entirely political.
24:04
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
24:04
SPEAKER_01: Well,
24:05
SPEAKER_01: the other thing in Texas,
24:06
SPEAKER_01: Miles isn't here,
24:07
but something he said yesterday rings in my brain that what
24:10
they're trying to do
24:11
SPEAKER_01: could end up being dummimandering,
24:12
SPEAKER_01: not gerrymandering,
24:13
SPEAKER_01: because they're very much depending on Trump's results in 2024,
24:18
which had a massive increase in support from Latino folks along
24:22
the border in
24:22
SPEAKER_01: particular.
24:23
SPEAKER_01: Right.
24:23
SPEAKER_01: And some of those districts,
24:24
SPEAKER_01: I think,
24:25
like that that group of voters in polling currently is he's
24:30
he's 20 points behind
24:31
SPEAKER_01: what he was at previously.
24:33
And so they may just be creating a significant number of
24:37
competitive districts in
24:39
SPEAKER_01: districts where currently Republicans,
24:41
SPEAKER_01: you know,
24:41
are kind of cruising to victory and could end up kind of
24:44
shooting themselves in the
24:45
SPEAKER_01: foot.
24:45
I guess,
24:45
you know,
24:46
with the gun laws in Texas,
24:47
someone gets shot in the foot.
24:50
SPEAKER_00: I started doing heroin.
24:51
SPEAKER_01: I went to the top of my class.
24:53
SPEAKER_00: Wait a minute.
24:53
SPEAKER_01: I could sit still.
24:54
SPEAKER_01: What's happening right now?
24:56
SPEAKER_01: Oh, gosh.
24:56
SPEAKER_01: So, yeah, our next topic is going to be RFK Jr.
24:59
SPEAKER_01: 's war with the medical societies.
25:01
SPEAKER_01: I don't know how that video got there.
25:02
That's one of – that must be Miles,
25:04
the ghost of Miles who isn't here now.
25:06
SPEAKER_01: But, yeah, let's switch topics to RFK Jr.
25:08
SPEAKER_01: 's war with the medical societies.
25:10
SPEAKER_01: You've been on this as a co-host before,
25:13
SPEAKER_01: and you may have listened before,
25:14
SPEAKER_01: but somehow he always makes an appearance in every single pod.
25:17
SPEAKER_01: I wish it weren't so.
25:18
SPEAKER_01: But he's now at war with the medical societies.
25:21
SPEAKER_01: Political reports that RFK Jr.
25:23
's war on medical societies like the AMA and the AAP is driving
25:27
them to become more
25:28
SPEAKER_01: partisan and align with Democrats.
25:30
SPEAKER_01: Doctors in their professional associations,
25:31
such as the American Medical Association and American Academy
25:34
of Pediatrics,
25:34
SPEAKER_01: have clashed with the GOP over health policy changes.
25:37
But Kennedy has given them a leftward shove by deriding them as
25:40
pharma flunkies and
25:41
SPEAKER_01: progressive ideologues.
25:43
Republicans in Congress are piling on potentially risking the
25:46
medical profession's
25:46
SPEAKER_01: evolution into a Democratic-leaning interest group.
25:49
SPEAKER_01: In turn,
25:50
that would winnow doctors' influence on policy issues when
25:53
Republicans are in power
25:54
SPEAKER_01: and prompt big shifts in public health guidance when Democrats are.
25:58
Kennedy's broadsides have forced the leaders of physician
26:00
societies to negotiate
26:01
between an unfriendly government and many of their own members
26:04
who have demanded
26:05
greater resistance to Kennedy's plans to overhaul the public
26:07
health system.
26:09
SPEAKER_01: Senator slash Dr.
26:10
Roger Marshall of Kansas said the medical associations are run
26:13
by liberals,
26:14
SPEAKER_01: people that failed being real doctors.
26:16
SPEAKER_01: So what the hell's going on with Kennedy going after groups like the AAP,
26:19
SPEAKER_01: AMA,
26:20
SPEAKER_01: I'm sure ACOG,
26:21
SPEAKER_01: where you're a member of,
26:22
SPEAKER_01: ASAP,
26:23
SPEAKER_01: for me,
26:23
SPEAKER_01: you know,
26:24
probably are going to be in the crosshairs if they in any way
26:27
speak out against
26:28
SPEAKER_01: these policies that are killing people.
26:31
SPEAKER_01: What do we think about what he's trying to do there?
26:33
SPEAKER_03: Who goes after the pediatricians?
26:35
SPEAKER_03: They are the nicest people on earth.
26:37
SPEAKER_03: Like, leave the pediatricians alone.
26:39
SPEAKER_03: They are just trying to take care of the kids.
26:41
SPEAKER_03: Being a member of ACOG,
26:42
SPEAKER_03: I was so proud when ACOG said,
26:45
SPEAKER_03: you know what,
26:45
SPEAKER_03: we're just not going to take the federal funds.
26:47
We're going to dip into our coffers so that we can continue to
26:50
do the research and
26:51
SPEAKER_03: provide the care that we know our patients need.
26:55
And our organization is just dealing over the last few years
26:59
with some of the
27:00
SPEAKER_03: racial issues that are inherent to gynecology,
27:03
SPEAKER_03: some of the bias,
27:04
SPEAKER_03: some of the disparities and outcomes.
27:06
So we are just getting to the point where we're starting to
27:08
really acknowledge that.
27:09
SPEAKER_03: And that was a really important thing for us to do as an organization.
27:13
SPEAKER_03: So I'm a proud member.
27:14
SPEAKER_03: But man,
27:14
SPEAKER_03: when I look at the attacks on the ability to get a vaccine,
27:17
SPEAKER_03: especially if you're pregnant,
27:19
SPEAKER_03: Tylenol in pregnancy,
27:20
you hold a press conference about acetaminophen and you can't
27:23
even pronounce
27:24
SPEAKER_03: acetaminophen.
27:25
SPEAKER_03: Come on, fellas.
27:26
SPEAKER_03: Clear the room.
27:27
SPEAKER_03: Let the doctors take over.
27:28
SPEAKER_03: We are here to take care of our patients.
27:30
SPEAKER_03: And to look at this and specifically this article in Politico,
27:33
SPEAKER_03: I think they're conflating doctors and the health care system.
27:38
When Roger Marshall is talking about how people are frustrated
27:42
with their doctors,
27:43
SPEAKER_03: I don't think so.
27:44
I think people are frustrated with health care,
27:46
but their doctors are the touch point.
27:49
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
27:50
That's where they have access to the system,
27:51
but the system is failing people,
27:53
right?
27:53
SPEAKER_01: So the attacks on the AAP,
27:55
SPEAKER_01: and I kind of debated whether even elevating what these folks are doing,
27:59
but the attacks on the AAP in particular got some help from a
28:02
conservative front
28:03
SPEAKER_01: group called America's Frontline Doctors.
28:05
SPEAKER_01: If you remember,
28:05
this was a group during COVID who were out on the Supreme Court
28:08
steps in their
28:09
SPEAKER_01: white coats,
28:10
SPEAKER_01: you know,
28:10
SPEAKER_01: kind of deriding COVID,
28:12
SPEAKER_01: anything related to trying to stop people from dying of COVID.
28:15
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
28:16
SPEAKER_01: I'm on their email list because I just want to see what they're up to.
28:18
SPEAKER_01: It's not pleasant, let me tell you.
28:20
But they sent out an email recently tying sudden infant death
28:24
syndrome SIDS to
28:25
vaccines and asking recipients to sign a petition to defund the
28:30
AAP over its
28:31
SPEAKER_01: position on childhood vaccines.
28:33
SPEAKER_01: They're not mentioned on their website,
28:34
but we think it might be a way to spur sales of their leader
28:37
Simone Gold's new
28:38
SPEAKER_01: children's book entitled The Plot Against the Kids,
28:41
SPEAKER_01: A True COVID Story.
28:42
SPEAKER_01: Now, she spent a month in jail because of her part in January 6th.
28:45
SPEAKER_01: I mean, it all kind of comes full circle.
28:48
I will say for completeness,
28:49
the incidence of SIDS declined by more than 50% in the U.S.
28:54
SPEAKER_01: after physicians began to promote back to sleep.
28:56
SPEAKER_01: After the AAP, the one they're going after,
28:58
SPEAKER_01: issued recommendations for supine sleeping in 1992.
29:01
SPEAKER_01: The incidence of SIDS decreased by 50% in the next 10 years.
29:06
SPEAKER_01: Wait a minute.
29:08
SPEAKER_01: Go ahead.
29:09
I heard you specifically say that the AAP are heroes and they
29:13
save babies' lives.
29:15
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
29:16
SPEAKER_01: And promoting.
29:17
SPEAKER_01: So with that campaign, it wasn't just that they said it.
29:19
SPEAKER_01: The supine physician sleeping went from 13% to 72%.
29:23
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I had babies after that.
29:25
SPEAKER_01: 2001 was our first baby.
29:26
SPEAKER_01: And when we were both physicians, we kind of got trained this way.
29:29
SPEAKER_01: But like, absolutely, that was the thing.
29:31
SPEAKER_01: It's funny, though.
29:32
SPEAKER_01: I had a parent come in not that long ago and I was with like a...
29:35
I don't know,
29:36
it's like a 9,
29:37
10,
29:38
11 month old,
29:37
you know,
29:37
very active kid.
29:38
SPEAKER_01: And they said,
29:39
SPEAKER_01: well,
29:39
SPEAKER_01: if I go in there and they're on their belly asleep,
29:41
SPEAKER_01: should I flip them over?
29:42
SPEAKER_01: It's like, no, no, no, no, no.
29:43
You know,
29:44
start them on their back,
29:45
especially when they're really,
29:46
really little.
29:47
SPEAKER_01: But it's like, don't wake up your kid to then roll them back over.
29:50
But anyway,
29:50
that's,
29:51
you know,
29:51
if they can get their own position they're comfortable in.
29:53
SPEAKER_03: To that point,
29:54
SPEAKER_03: how dare this organization take advantage of vulnerable people,
30:00
especially people who have suffered from this condition in
30:04
their families and are
30:05
SPEAKER_03: hurting,
30:06
SPEAKER_03: to do something like this?
30:07
SPEAKER_03: It's the same thing with Tylenol in pregnancy.
30:09
SPEAKER_03: Who doesn't take Tylenol in their pregnancy?
30:11
And then to have a child with autism and your family is
30:16
managing that as they're
30:17
taking health care benefits away from you and you're thinking
30:20
to yourself,
30:20
SPEAKER_03: did I do this?
30:22
SPEAKER_03: No, the evidence doesn't show that there's any connection at all.
30:27
But they're starting to plant those little seeds that make
30:30
vulnerable people feel
30:31
SPEAKER_03: uncomfortable and uncertain.
30:33
SPEAKER_03: And it's unconscionable.
30:35
SPEAKER_03: Right.
30:35
SPEAKER_01: Right.
30:36
And then the guilt associated in someone with a kid on the
30:39
autism spectrum or
30:40
someone who suffered a loss of a child dying from SIDS who
30:44
thinks back and says,
30:45
SPEAKER_01: boy,
30:45
SPEAKER_01: did I have something to do with that,
30:46
SPEAKER_01: right?
30:46
SPEAKER_01: Did I do that to my kid?
30:48
SPEAKER_01: It's terrible.
30:49
SPEAKER_01: They don't give a shit.
30:49
SPEAKER_01: I mean, they don't give a shit.
30:51
SPEAKER_01: It's political.
30:51
SPEAKER_01: It's about winning.
30:52
SPEAKER_01: For them, winning elections, they'll do anything it takes.
30:55
SPEAKER_01: And it's about making money.
30:56
I mean,
30:57
all of these folks with America Frontline Doctors,
30:59
Simone Gold,
30:59
they have online...
31:01
SPEAKER_01: Online,
31:01
SPEAKER_01: you know,
31:02
SPEAKER_01: telehealth doctor visits you can get to go ahead and get your ivermectin,
31:05
SPEAKER_01: get your hydroxychloroquine,
31:08
and then an online pharmacy it links to that undoubtedly these
31:11
folks are profiting
31:12
SPEAKER_01: from.
31:12
SPEAKER_01: So that, I mean, that's their game.
31:14
SPEAKER_01: They're trying to make money that way.
31:16
SPEAKER_01: But,
31:17
SPEAKER_01: you know,
31:17
SPEAKER_01: again,
31:18
SPEAKER_01: like I said,
31:18
SPEAKER_01: RFK seems to somehow make an appearance every single episode.
31:21
I'm sure he'll continue to be at it and we'll keep monitoring
31:24
what he's up to.
31:26
SPEAKER_01: But now I know we talked about the elections before,
31:28
SPEAKER_01: but I'd love to kick to my interview with Dr.
31:31
SPEAKER_01: Zeke Taylor,
31:32
SPEAKER_01: critical care pulmonologist in the Philadelphia area,
31:35
talking about the upcoming Pennsylvania election on the Supreme
31:39
Court retention.
31:44
SPEAKER_01: All right.
31:44
SPEAKER_01: Welcome, everyone.
31:45
SPEAKER_01: Really excited.
31:46
SPEAKER_01: Today, I'm joined by Dr. Zeke Taylor.
31:48
SPEAKER_01: Dr.
31:48
Taylor is a Pennsylvania physician working hard to get more
31:51
Democrats elected up
31:52
SPEAKER_01: and down the ballot.
31:53
He's also the host of the Zekely podcast,
31:56
where he covers Pennsylvania politics each week.
31:59
SPEAKER_01: Dr. Taylor, welcome to Paging America.
32:01
SPEAKER_00: Thank you very much for having me, Rob.
32:02
SPEAKER_00: I really appreciate it.
32:04
Yeah,
32:04
we've been wanting to have you on and wanted to have you on
32:06
this week in particular.
32:08
SPEAKER_01: Next week,
32:09
SPEAKER_01: the first Tuesday of November in a strange year,
32:11
SPEAKER_01: 2025,
32:12
SPEAKER_01: because you've been involved in Pennsylvania politics for a while,
32:15
SPEAKER_01: but you've got a big election coming up on November 4th.
32:18
SPEAKER_01: For our listeners who aren't familiar with judicial retention elections,
32:22
SPEAKER_01: only 19 states have them.
32:23
Can you give us a brief overview of what voters will be
32:26
deciding in your state next week?
32:28
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
32:29
SPEAKER_00: So the biggest issue we have to focus on is our state Supreme Court.
32:34
SPEAKER_00: So every 10 years in Pennsylvania,
32:38
SPEAKER_00: once a state Supreme Court justice is elected,
32:40
SPEAKER_00: it's a retention vote.
32:42
SPEAKER_00: So it's literally a yes or no vote.
32:44
SPEAKER_00: There is no political affiliation listed next to their name.
32:48
And then the people of Pennsylvania decide,
32:51
will they be able to serve another 10-year term?
32:53
SPEAKER_00: Now,
32:53
SPEAKER_00: it's important to note that in Pennsylvania,
32:55
SPEAKER_00: you cannot serve on the PA Supreme Court after your 75 years of age.
32:59
SPEAKER_00: So there is an end date to someone serving on the PA State Supreme Court,
33:04
but none of the people that we would reelect or retain have met
33:08
that marker yet.
33:08
So these three State Supreme Court justices,
33:12
Justices Donna,
33:13
Hugh,
33:13
Doherty,
33:13
and Wecht,
33:15
SPEAKER_00: Between the three of them have over 50 years of judicial experience,
33:19
and they also help build a Democratic majority on our state
33:22
Supreme Court.
33:23
SPEAKER_00: We have a five Democratic majority,
33:25
SPEAKER_00: and they protected a lot in the last 10 years in Pennsylvania.
33:29
SPEAKER_00: Reproductive rights,
33:31
SPEAKER_00: voting rights ensure that our public schools are fairly funded,
33:34
environmental rights and all the partisan gerrymandering going
33:37
on in Texas.
33:39
SPEAKER_00: They shut that down in Pennsylvania.
33:41
SPEAKER_00: So all those are on the line.
33:42
SPEAKER_00: And if we don't retain them, we will have a split court for two years.
33:47
And that would throw the entire judicial system in Pennsylvania
33:50
into complete disarray.
33:51
SPEAKER_00: We have midterms next year.
33:53
SPEAKER_00: It's all on the line.
33:54
SPEAKER_00: That is the most important race to focus on in Pennsylvania now.
33:58
SPEAKER_00: are those three state Supreme Court seats.
34:00
We have seven statewide judges,
34:02
honestly,
34:03
that everyone can vote for in Pennsylvania.
34:05
SPEAKER_00: Three are state Supreme Court.
34:06
SPEAKER_00: Two are also retention for the Commonwealth and Superior Court.
34:10
And we have two new judges we can put on the Superior and
34:13
Commonwealth Court.
34:14
SPEAKER_00: So, you know, up and down the ballot is the most important thing.
34:17
SPEAKER_00: But for these retention races,
34:19
they're super important just to maintain the integrity of our
34:22
state Supreme Court
34:23
SPEAKER_00: system because we see what's happening in D.C.
34:26
SPEAKER_00: It's a mess.
34:27
SPEAKER_00: And the only the only reason why Trump did not overturn the 2020 election
34:32
successfully in Pennsylvania was because of these three state
34:36
Supreme Court
34:36
SPEAKER_00: justices.
34:38
SPEAKER_01: So these three were elected 10 years ago.
34:40
SPEAKER_01: So they're now at their 10 year mark.
34:42
SPEAKER_01: And this would allow these three to serve for 10 more years.
34:46
SPEAKER_01: And they're part of that 5-2 majority.
34:47
SPEAKER_01: Are they are they partisan?
34:49
SPEAKER_01: Are they labeled Democrats?
34:50
SPEAKER_01: You said they're Democrats.
34:51
Are they liberal or they're I know endorsed by or supported by
34:54
the Democratic Party?
34:55
SPEAKER_00: So they are endorsed by the Democratic Party in Pennsylvania.
34:59
They all come highly recommended by the PA Bar Association,
35:02
which is a nonpartisan organization.
35:04
SPEAKER_00: On the ballot, they will not have Democrat next to their names.
35:08
SPEAKER_00: When they ran for office 10 years ago, they all ran as Democrats.
35:12
But this time they will not have it'll just literally say their
35:15
name and it will have yes or no.
35:18
SPEAKER_00: And we all must vote yes for all three of them.
35:20
SPEAKER_00: But they they are they make part of the Democratic majority.
35:24
SPEAKER_00: They do.
35:25
And we're both fellow docs,
35:26
but you're very much involved in Pennsylvania politics,
35:29
I know.
35:30
And just wondering if you get a sense of how familiar the
35:33
voters in Pennsylvania
35:34
SPEAKER_01: are with this type of election.
35:35
SPEAKER_00: I hope that they're informed.
35:37
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's all I can hope for.
35:38
SPEAKER_00: You know, we have a billionaire who lives in Pennsylvania.
35:42
SPEAKER_00: He's the wealthiest man in PA ever.
35:45
SPEAKER_00: Jeffrey S., he is worth $70 billion.
35:48
SPEAKER_00: He's the Elon Musk of Pennsylvania,
35:51
SPEAKER_00: and he is dumping money into this campaign,
35:54
SPEAKER_00: a misinformation campaign.
35:55
SPEAKER_00: He's sending out mailers to confuse people, to tell people to vote no.
36:01
SPEAKER_00: You know, we cannot allow billionaires to buy our state Supreme Court.
36:04
SPEAKER_00: So...
36:05
The Republican politicians and the conservatives in
36:08
Pennsylvania are doing their
36:09
SPEAKER_00: best to muck up this election.
36:12
But,
36:12
you know,
36:12
I know that the PA Democrats are putting out their mailers.
36:15
SPEAKER_00: There are billboards going up.
36:17
SPEAKER_00: Barack Obama yesterday tweeted out about this race in Pennsylvania.
36:22
SPEAKER_00: So,
36:22
SPEAKER_00: you know,
36:22
SPEAKER_00: it's getting national attention as well,
36:24
because aside from the fact that it protects Pennsylvania from
36:27
the extremism of the
36:28
SPEAKER_00: Republican Party,
36:30
SPEAKER_00: we have the midterms next year.
36:31
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
36:31
SPEAKER_00: OK, there are congressional seats on the ballot next year.
36:35
And if we don't have a Democratic state Supreme Court majority
36:38
and there are any
36:39
contested races and they would work their way up to the state
36:41
Supreme Court,
36:42
SPEAKER_00: those races could be thrown into the balance.
36:44
SPEAKER_00: So this doesn't just affect Pennsylvania.
36:47
SPEAKER_00: This affects the whole country.
36:49
SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
36:50
SPEAKER_01: So,
36:50
SPEAKER_01: yeah,
36:50
I think there are at least four Republican incumbents in
36:53
Congress in Pennsylvania
36:55
SPEAKER_01: who voted for the big bill.
36:56
I know at the Committee to Protect Healthcare,
36:57
we've eyed those particular districts.
37:00
SPEAKER_01: I'm sure you have your eye on those as well.
37:03
SPEAKER_01: That could potentially,
37:04
SPEAKER_01: you know,
37:05
particularly with what's going on in Texas and potentially
37:07
other states on
37:08
SPEAKER_01: gerrymandering,
37:09
SPEAKER_01: you know,
37:09
SPEAKER_01: those four seats could be critical in Democrats winning back the House.
37:13
SPEAKER_01: And so that's really important.
37:14
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
37:15
SPEAKER_00: And for anyone who says that,
37:17
SPEAKER_00: you know,
37:18
SPEAKER_00: Democrats gerrymander too,
37:19
SPEAKER_00: and it's,
37:20
SPEAKER_00: you know,
37:20
SPEAKER_00: both sides are the same.
37:21
SPEAKER_00: Look, Pennsylvania has some of the fairest maps in the entire country.
37:26
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
37:27
And it's true because in 2025,
37:30
we lost two Democratic seats to Republicans.
37:34
SPEAKER_00: Right.
37:34
SPEAKER_00: We lost...
37:35
SPEAKER_00: So this is not,
37:36
SPEAKER_00: I mean,
37:36
there were very poorly gerrymandered districts before our state
37:41
Supreme Court
37:42
SPEAKER_00: justices threw those maps out.
37:44
SPEAKER_00: But we have very fair maps in Pennsylvania.
37:47
And that is only because of the current Democratic majority on
37:49
our state Supreme Court.
37:51
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so now it's 5-2 now.
37:52
SPEAKER_01: So you said if they don't get retained, it's a 2-2.
37:55
SPEAKER_01: It's basically a tie, Democrats and Republicans.
37:57
Do you know where those tie decisions might go if we're
38:01
deciding on how a race goes
38:03
SPEAKER_01: or in a particular district?
38:04
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that is like worst case scenario.
38:08
SPEAKER_00: We would have the split court because the court that's right below—
38:13
SPEAKER_00: The PA Supreme Court is the Commonwealth Court.
38:16
SPEAKER_00: OK,
38:16
that is the court that sees a lot of election law disputes
38:20
before it would get up
38:21
SPEAKER_00: to the state Supreme Court.
38:22
SPEAKER_00: And the Commonwealth Court in Pennsylvania has a conservative majority.
38:26
SPEAKER_00: OK, it is a Republican majority on the Commonwealth Court.
38:31
SPEAKER_00: And a lot of
38:52
SPEAKER_00: It drops back down to the lower court.
38:54
SPEAKER_00: It would be an absolute disaster for Pennsylvania.
38:57
SPEAKER_00: Judicial law would grind to a halt in many ways.
39:00
No precedent would be set at the state Supreme Court level if
39:03
it wasn't a full four zero vote.
39:06
SPEAKER_00: I mean,
39:07
SPEAKER_00: we just it sends shivers through my entire body,
39:09
SPEAKER_00: you know,
39:09
SPEAKER_00: to think about what would happen.
39:11
SPEAKER_00: So I just have to hope that Pennsylvania is going to get it right.
39:14
SPEAKER_00: I think I think that we will.
39:16
SPEAKER_00: I do.
39:17
But it doesn't mean I'm going to stop talking about it until
39:19
the polls close on November 4th.
39:21
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
39:21
Yeah,
39:21
we were talking before we started recording and it's about
39:24
flooding the zone,
39:25
right?
39:25
It's just about continuing to get the real information out
39:28
there in any way,
39:29
shape or form.
39:30
SPEAKER_01: You can do that.
39:31
SPEAKER_01: So, I mean, I know you're a political junkie.
39:33
SPEAKER_01: I know you're deeply involved in politics outside of being a position.
39:36
SPEAKER_01: But this race has something to do with also with health care, right?
39:40
I mean,
39:41
this Supreme Court was instrumental in health care decisions
39:44
and could be in the future.
39:45
SPEAKER_01: Can you kind of talk to folks about that a little bit?
39:48
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, sure.
39:49
SPEAKER_00: So up until 2022 in Pennsylvania,
39:53
SPEAKER_00: if you were poor and you couldn't afford to get an abortion,
39:57
SPEAKER_00: then you were shit out of luck.
39:59
SPEAKER_00: You just that was it.
40:00
You had to,
40:00
I guess,
40:00
travel to a different state or you had to have a child.
40:05
It was not fair at all for people who just don't have access to
40:08
that type of
40:09
SPEAKER_00: reproductive health care.
40:10
SPEAKER_00: And as you and I both agree.
40:12
Reproductive health care is health care and health care is a
40:14
human right.
40:15
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
40:16
SPEAKER_00: So in 2022,
40:17
the state Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional per
40:22
the PA Constitution
40:24
SPEAKER_00: to allow that to hold.
40:26
SPEAKER_00: So essentially now, since 2022, Medicare...
40:31
has to help or Medicaid has to pay for reproductive access for
40:36
people who can't afford it.
40:38
SPEAKER_00: And that was not the case before 2022.
40:41
SPEAKER_00: So if we were if we were to lose the Democratic majority,
40:45
SPEAKER_00: it's going to come back to the state Supreme Court.
40:47
SPEAKER_00: And even more embarrassingly,
40:50
Our attorney general in Pennsylvania,
40:52
David Sunday,
40:52
who I did not vote for.
40:54
SPEAKER_00: He was endorsed by the Republicans.
40:56
SPEAKER_00: Eugene DiPasquale was running for that seat,
40:59
SPEAKER_00: who is actually the chair of the Democratic Party now.
41:01
SPEAKER_00: He's wonderful.
41:02
He is bringing a case back to the Commonwealth Court in
41:06
December to try and
41:07
SPEAKER_00: overturn that decision that the state Supreme Court made in 2022.
41:11
SPEAKER_00: The attorney general in Pennsylvania.
41:14
is trying to overturn access to reproductive health care in
41:18
Pennsylvania.
41:19
SPEAKER_00: So this is not going away.
41:21
SPEAKER_00: They're never going to stop.
41:23
SPEAKER_00: And when the Republicans had control of the state Senate and state House,
41:27
they were just one session away from having a ballot measure
41:31
that would have
41:32
changed the state constitution in Pennsylvania to make abortion
41:35
essentially illegal
41:37
SPEAKER_00: and nothing Josh Shapiro could do about it.
41:39
SPEAKER_00: And there was nothing that the state Supreme Court could do about it.
41:41
SPEAKER_00: So
41:42
SPEAKER_00: This is going to be a never ending battle for the foreseeable future.
41:45
And I'm sure many states that have Republican majorities,
41:48
they're just not going to stop.
41:50
SPEAKER_00: And so we have to remember that the state Supreme Court,
41:53
SPEAKER_00: our courts are the backstop to our rights.
41:56
SPEAKER_00: This is not a joke.
41:58
SPEAKER_00: This is not a drill.
41:59
If you care about your rights,
42:00
you need to get out the vote this November 4th and vote yes.
42:03
SPEAKER_01: Yeah,
42:04
SPEAKER_01: I know at the Committee for Health Care,
42:05
we were deeply involved in the Wisconsin Supreme Court races of
42:09
the last couple of
42:09
SPEAKER_01: cycles.
42:10
And you mentioned the billionaire in Pennsylvania that is
42:13
Pennsylvania's Elon Musk.
42:14
SPEAKER_01: I know Elon Musk in the last Supreme Court election dropped,
42:17
SPEAKER_01: I don't know how many,
42:18
SPEAKER_01: millions of dollars.
42:19
SPEAKER_01: And it totally backfired.
42:20
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think it was...
42:23
an election a lot about the abortion cases because they had
42:27
overturned or they
42:28
eventually overturned an abortion ban that had been there since
42:31
the 1800s.
42:32
The election became about pushing back against Elon Musk and
42:36
sort of billionaires
42:37
SPEAKER_01: trying to decide elections.
42:39
SPEAKER_01: A month ago,
42:39
the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that around $7 million had
42:42
been spent on the
42:43
SPEAKER_01: retention election.
42:44
SPEAKER_01: Probably, I mean, I'm sure that's significantly higher now,
42:47
Do you have any sense of which groups are spending money on
42:49
this election?
42:50
SPEAKER_01: I know that billionaire is one thing,
42:52
SPEAKER_01: but do you know which side maybe has an advantage that you know of?
42:56
I think that the Republican politicians and the conservative
42:59
side always has an
43:00
SPEAKER_00: advantage because I think that
43:02
SPEAKER_00: You know, they were the ones who gutted the Voting Rights Act.
43:04
SPEAKER_00: You know,
43:05
Citizens United and wanted to make it a free-for-all for money
43:08
in this country for
43:09
SPEAKER_00: politics.
43:10
And in Pennsylvania,
43:11
people might not know,
43:12
there's no limit to spending on state races.
43:16
SPEAKER_00: There are limits to federal races.
43:19
SPEAKER_00: But in Pennsylvania,
43:20
if you want to run for school board and you want to be a school
43:23
board member real
43:24
SPEAKER_00: bad,
43:25
SPEAKER_00: you can spend $20 million making a school board member.
43:27
SPEAKER_00: OK, so and that is because of Republican policies.
43:31
SPEAKER_00: So I think they will always have the edge on spending with the PACs.
43:35
SPEAKER_00: You know, 1776 project is probably pumping out money into these races.
43:39
SPEAKER_00: Jeffrey Yaz is doing it as well.
43:41
SPEAKER_00: But.
43:42
SPEAKER_00: I think the majority of Democratic fundraising is either unions,
43:47
SPEAKER_00: you know,
43:47
SPEAKER_00: union funding or grassroots fundraising.
43:51
SPEAKER_00: You know, that's all we're doing.
43:52
It's local committees that are printing out postcards and,
43:56
you know,
43:56
knocking doors.
43:57
SPEAKER_00: That's how we're trying to get the information.
43:58
SPEAKER_00: And again,
43:58
you do see billboards going up across Pennsylvania at the PA
44:02
Democratic Party is
44:03
SPEAKER_00: doing.
44:04
SPEAKER_00: But the Democratic Party is not a billionaire corporation.
44:07
They don't have millions of dollars sitting in a bank just
44:09
generating interest that
44:10
SPEAKER_00: they can just put out all this information.
44:12
So,
44:13
you know,
44:13
I think Democrats are always behind the eight ball on statewide
44:17
funding.
44:18
SPEAKER_00: But I think that we're going to be OK just on how we're doing it now.
44:22
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we rarely outspend, but I think we can outorganize.
44:25
SPEAKER_01: Right.
44:25
SPEAKER_01: And I guess when the message is true,
44:28
SPEAKER_01: right,
44:28
SPEAKER_01: when the message,
44:29
SPEAKER_01: it's not that hard to say the right thing.
44:31
SPEAKER_01: It's just getting it out to enough people in the right places.
44:33
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
44:34
SPEAKER_00: Just like you said, flood the zone.
44:36
SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
44:37
So I know and kind of I know a poll taken earlier this month
44:40
showed that all three
44:41
SPEAKER_01: justices had double digit leads among likely voters.
44:44
SPEAKER_01: That's great.
44:44
But huge chunks of people polled said they were undecided or
44:48
kind of weren't aware.
44:50
You said you got into this a little bit,
44:51
but maybe,
44:52
you know,
44:53
I don't know.
44:53
SPEAKER_01: What are your feels?
44:54
SPEAKER_01: What are your vibes?
44:55
SPEAKER_01: How are you feeling about this five days out?
44:57
SPEAKER_00: I mean, look, I have to be hopeful.
44:59
SPEAKER_00: There's no other choice but to be hopeful.
45:02
SPEAKER_00: I'm optimistic based on what's been happening across the country.
45:06
Even in Pennsylvania,
45:07
Democrats have been overperforming in special elections.
45:10
I don't like the pendulum effect of having to ping pong back
45:14
and forth like this in
45:16
SPEAKER_00: America or Pennsylvania,
45:17
SPEAKER_00: but...
45:17
SPEAKER_00: If we're going to swing, I'd rather us swing back in a blue direction.
45:21
SPEAKER_00: So I think we're going to be okay.
45:23
SPEAKER_00: You know, shout out to everyone who's running in Pennsylvania.
45:27
SPEAKER_00: You know,
45:27
SPEAKER_00: these justices,
45:29
these judges have been driving all over the state while they're
45:33
still working.
45:34
SPEAKER_00: They are still going back and hearing cases and doing their jobs.
45:38
SPEAKER_00: And,
45:38
SPEAKER_00: you know,
45:39
SPEAKER_00: they care very much about doing what they do best,
45:43
SPEAKER_00: interpreting the law,
45:44
SPEAKER_00: protecting Pennsylvanians from extremism.
45:47
You know,
45:48
after this election,
45:49
you're not going to hear from these judges for another 10
45:51
years.
45:52
SPEAKER_00: Judges do not have blogs.
45:53
SPEAKER_00: They don't go on social media.
45:55
SPEAKER_00: They don't make TikTok videos.
45:56
SPEAKER_00: You know, they don't talk about their opinions.
45:59
They literally are in a very confined space where they take
46:02
their jobs very
46:03
SPEAKER_00: seriously and their pens determine the lives of all Pennsylvanians.
46:07
SPEAKER_00: But they're doing all this work now and they are tired.
46:11
SPEAKER_00: They're very tired because they know what's at stake.
46:15
SPEAKER_00: I'm very proud.
46:16
SPEAKER_00: of the fact that I was able to interview all statewide candidates.
46:19
SPEAKER_00: It's on my website at thezeeklypodcast.com.
46:22
SPEAKER_00: And it's really a testament,
46:24
SPEAKER_00: I think,
46:24
to the grind that they have and the caring that they have for
46:28
our state of
46:29
SPEAKER_00: Pennsylvania.
46:29
So,
46:30
you know,
46:31
after this is over,
46:31
I know that these candidates have put everything on the field.
46:35
And now it's up to the people of Pennsylvania to do the minimum
46:39
and to show up and
46:40
SPEAKER_00: vote to protect our rights.
46:42
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
46:42
SPEAKER_01: Well, that's great.
46:43
SPEAKER_01: That's hopeful.
46:44
SPEAKER_01: I mean, we're all keeping an eye on what's going on there.
46:46
SPEAKER_01: I guess since I have you here,
46:48
and Pennsylvania perennially is such a critical state in
46:51
deciding kind of the
46:53
makeup of Congress and sort of the balance of power in this
46:56
country between sort of
46:58
SPEAKER_01: progressive-minded folks,
46:59
SPEAKER_01: folks who...
47:00
SPEAKER_01: In our case,
47:00
SPEAKER_01: you would want to expand health care,
47:02
SPEAKER_01: health care and reproductive health care,
47:04
SPEAKER_01: accessible and affordable.
47:06
SPEAKER_01: How are you feeling sort of looking a year ahead into the midterms there?
47:10
And like I said,
47:11
at least four districts that are likely to be very contested.
47:17
SPEAKER_01: I think there's a governor's race up, Shapiro.
47:19
SPEAKER_01: Is Shapiro termed out or is he?
47:21
SPEAKER_00: He's going to he's going to run for another term.
47:23
SPEAKER_00: OK, OK.
47:24
SPEAKER_00: He has he has one more term that he's good for.
47:27
SPEAKER_01: How are you feeling about what's to come?
47:31
SPEAKER_00: Look, I need to get through November 4th first.
47:34
SPEAKER_00: You know,
47:35
SPEAKER_00: I think it's very in vogue to,
47:37
SPEAKER_00: you know,
47:37
SPEAKER_00: jump to 2028 and think about like,
47:40
SPEAKER_00: well,
47:40
SPEAKER_00: who's going to be the nominee?
47:41
SPEAKER_00: You know, every election is the most important election.
47:45
SPEAKER_00: And I think
47:46
that in order to not lose your mind,
47:49
you have to just focus on what's in front of you.
47:52
SPEAKER_00: And, you know, we have this race on November 4th.
47:54
We have judges,
47:55
we have school boards,
47:56
we have commissioners,
47:56
we have sheriffs.
47:57
SPEAKER_00: We have to get more Democrats elected on a ballot.
48:00
SPEAKER_00: It all matters.
48:01
So after this election is over,
48:02
I'm sure we're going to get back in there.
48:04
SPEAKER_00: I have to take a breather and figure out a plan for 2026.
48:08
But,
48:09
you know,
48:09
we just have to keep the faith and keep hoping and working
48:12
together.
48:12
SPEAKER_00: You know, we got into this mess
48:14
SPEAKER_00: And we have to get ourselves out of it.
48:16
SPEAKER_00: I think what upsets me the most
48:20
SPEAKER_00: is when people don't take responsibility for taking care of democracy.
48:24
SPEAKER_00: You know, the buck, as always, will always stop with the voter.
48:29
SPEAKER_00: It's the voters.
48:30
You know,
48:30
if we would have voted a different way last year,
48:33
we wouldn't be here this year.
48:35
SPEAKER_00: So if people want to see the change in the world that I want to see,
48:39
SPEAKER_00: you have to show up and engage and vote.
48:42
SPEAKER_00: And in Pennsylvania, there are two elections every year.
48:44
SPEAKER_00: There's a primary and a general every single year.
48:48
SPEAKER_00: So you have to show up, you know, it's a marathon.
48:51
SPEAKER_00: And I know that's exhausting for people.
48:53
It's hard when you're getting bombarded with misinformation and
48:56
people telling you
48:57
SPEAKER_00: that both sides are the same.
48:58
SPEAKER_00: It doesn't matter.
48:59
You know,
49:01
you cannot ever let anyone tell you that your vote doesn't
49:04
matter.
49:04
SPEAKER_00: You cannot fall into apathy.
49:06
SPEAKER_00: You cannot fall into hopelessness.
49:08
SPEAKER_00: Take a break, unplug.
49:10
SPEAKER_00: Lord knows I don't do enough of it.
49:12
SPEAKER_00: But when you have the strength to keep moving forward,
49:15
SPEAKER_00: you just got to,
49:16
SPEAKER_00: you know,
49:16
SPEAKER_00: there's too many people that count.
49:17
SPEAKER_00: You know, we're doctors.
49:18
SPEAKER_00: You know, our patients count on us to work exhausted.
49:21
SPEAKER_00: They don't care if we've been up for 24, 36 hours.
49:25
SPEAKER_00: When we come into that room,
49:27
they expect us to take care of that patient as much as we would
49:30
any other time of
49:31
SPEAKER_00: the day.
49:32
SPEAKER_00: We have to treat democracy like that.
49:33
SPEAKER_00: You know, there's millions of people who count on democratic policies.
49:37
SPEAKER_00: There are millions of people who are losing their SNAP benefits,
49:40
SPEAKER_00: who are going to be hungry,
49:42
SPEAKER_00: who are going to have a difficult time getting jobs.
49:44
SPEAKER_00: You know, everything matters.
49:46
SPEAKER_00: So I would just say rest if you must, but do not give up hope.
49:51
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, I really appreciate that.
49:52
And I,
49:53
you know,
49:54
I appreciate your message discipline focusing on Tuesday.
49:56
I know all of us around the country are going to be looking at
49:59
New Jersey,
50:00
SPEAKER_01: Virginia,
50:00
SPEAKER_01: Pennsylvania,
50:02
SPEAKER_01: California,
50:03
SPEAKER_01: New York,
50:03
SPEAKER_01: you know,
50:03
SPEAKER_01: mayors,
50:04
SPEAKER_01: right?
50:04
All of this as sort of a reading the tea leaves into what may
50:08
come a year from now.
50:10
I feel like in a lot of places it's feeling pretty good right
50:14
now,
50:14
including Pennsylvania.
50:15
SPEAKER_01: It sounds like you having that optimism.
50:17
SPEAKER_01: So, yeah, I guess...
50:20
SPEAKER_01: Hoping for a good outcome is one thing,
50:21
SPEAKER_01: but all the work that you and others have put in there in the state,
50:24
SPEAKER_01: I think,
50:25
takes that hope and makes it a very strong likelihood that
50:28
we're going to see some
50:30
SPEAKER_01: positive results there.
50:31
SPEAKER_01: So looking forward to that.
50:32
Hey,
50:33
you mentioned it briefly,
50:34
but where can people find more from you and more about you?
50:38
SPEAKER_00: So I have a website, thezeekleepodcast.com.
50:42
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
50:42
SPEAKER_00: And it's a one-stop shop for Pennsylvania politics.
50:45
SPEAKER_00: I mean, you can watch the podcast, you can listen to the podcast, you can
50:49
SPEAKER_00: learn about all of the PA Supreme Court candidates and judicial races.
50:54
SPEAKER_00: I have links so that you can find your local Democratic committee,
50:58
SPEAKER_00: links to make sure you're registered,
50:59
SPEAKER_00: to find your polling location.
51:01
SPEAKER_00: It's all there.
51:02
SPEAKER_00: You know, this is my contribution to Pennsylvania.
51:04
SPEAKER_00: I knocked a shit ton of doors last year and I was devastated.
51:08
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I was devastated.
51:09
We got punched in the face,
51:11
not just nationally,
51:12
but also in my own state of Pennsylvania.
51:14
SPEAKER_00: We lost a lot of ground.
51:15
SPEAKER_00: Luckily, we kept the state house.
51:17
SPEAKER_00: Thank God.
51:18
SPEAKER_00: But I didn't realize how powerful the podcast space was.
51:22
And I think I can reach a lot of people and build
51:24
relationships,
51:25
trusting relationships.
51:27
SPEAKER_00: And I hope that's what I'm trying to do with the podcast.
51:29
SPEAKER_00: So that's what I'll keep doing for now.
51:31
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to still door knock.
51:32
SPEAKER_00: Don't get me wrong.
51:33
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
51:34
But I think that,
51:35
you know,
51:35
I can reach more people when they want to be reached.
51:39
SPEAKER_00: And everyone's on this these days, right?
51:41
SPEAKER_00: Everyone's on their phones these days scrolling through.
51:43
SPEAKER_00: So I just have to meet them where they are.
51:46
So folks in Pennsylvania,
51:47
that's where you're going to go to know what's going on there.
51:49
SPEAKER_01: Folks everywhere else, just like take a lesson.
51:51
SPEAKER_01: Dr. Taylor, you know, anesthesia critical care doc.
51:54
SPEAKER_01: You know,
51:54
doing all this work and then doing all of this on the side to
51:59
help defend what's
51:59
SPEAKER_01: going on in Pennsylvania and really helping us all.
52:01
SPEAKER_01: Because just like here in Michigan, where I am, it was a shocker.
52:04
SPEAKER_01: Last year, Michigan was as well.
52:06
SPEAKER_01: I was I knocked doors.
52:08
SPEAKER_01: I worked my ass off here.
52:09
SPEAKER_01: And, you know, at least in the presidential didn't turn out the way.
52:12
SPEAKER_01: We had all hoped.
52:13
And so I think it's a good message to folks everywhere not to
52:16
let up and to stay involved.
52:18
But appreciate your passion for Pennsylvania politics for this
52:21
election and all the
52:22
SPEAKER_01: work you've done and will continue to do.
52:25
And really appreciate you taking time out of your day to join
52:27
me here today.
52:28
SPEAKER_01: Thanks again, Dr. Zeke Taylor.
52:30
SPEAKER_00: Thanks for what you're doing in Michigan.
52:31
SPEAKER_00: Keep up the fight.
52:32
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
52:34
SPEAKER_01: Thanks.
52:38
SPEAKER_01: Okay, we're back.
52:39
SPEAKER_01: Boy, that guy's impressive.
52:40
SPEAKER_01: I love Zeke.
52:43
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I love Zeke, and he's a great communicator.
52:45
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
52:46
SPEAKER_01: Go give him a follow and go check out his podcast.
52:49
SPEAKER_01: But with that, I think I'll go ahead and read us out.
52:51
Today's episode was written by Chris Savage,
52:53
Miles Baker,
52:54
and me,
52:54
Dr.
52:54
Rob Davidson.
52:55
SPEAKER_01: It was produced by Amelia Dillenschneider, Joel Bryson, and Chris Savage.
53:00
SPEAKER_01: It was edited by Darian Battigan.
53:02
SPEAKER_01: Our music is by Annette Somerset at Duneflower Productions.
53:05
SPEAKER_01: If you enjoyed today's show,
53:06
SPEAKER_01: please subscribe and leave us a rating on YouTube,
53:09
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53:09
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53:10
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53:12
SPEAKER_01: Your support helps others discover the podcast.
53:14
SPEAKER_01: You can also follow Paging America on Substack.
53:17
SPEAKER_01: Physicians, your voice matters.
53:19
Join the fight for better American health care by becoming a
53:21
member of the
53:22
SPEAKER_01: Committee to Protect Health Care.
53:23
SPEAKER_01: Visit committeetoprotect.org to learn more.
53:26
SPEAKER_01: All right, Dr. Lyarly, thanks again for joining.
53:29
SPEAKER_01: I'm sure I'll see you again, and we'll talk soon.
53:31
SPEAKER_02: Thanks, Dr. Davidson.
53:33
SPEAKER_02: Have a good weekend.
53:34
SPEAKER_02: Go Pack Go!