The Napkin In Between

WHAT WAS THE REASON!!! *Cardi B Voice*

• Daijné Jones • Season 1 • Episode 43

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The high was real—and so was the crash. After celebrating big electoral wins and a fresh wave of optimism, we watched lawmakers fold on a shutdown fight that had voters and even unpaid federal workers urging them to hold firm. That twist didn’t just sting; it exposed how quickly trust evaporates when bold speeches turn into soft votes and “we’ll vote later” promises fade on contact with reality.

We unpack the core questions people are asking: Why were federal employees expected to work without pay while Members of Congress kept collecting checks? What did forty days of sacrifice buy if leadership accepted a deal without meaningful protections? And how do we channel anger without handing power to the very forces we fear? We break down why third-party shortcuts don’t work in a winner-take-all system, how ballot access and turnout realities tilt the field, and where energy makes the biggest difference: primaries, local races, committee pressure, and year-round organizing.

You’ll hear a frank case for structural accountability—no pay for lawmakers during shutdowns, serious conversations about term limits and age caps—and a push for younger, more progressive Democrats with enough backbone to match their words with votes. We name the choices that broke trust, and we outline a plan to keep receipts, replace dead weight, and build durable power without burning out. If you’ve felt whiplash, betrayal, or just plain exhaustion, you’re not alone. Take a breath, then join us in turning that frustration into a smarter strategy that protects workers, healthcare, and basic fairness.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs clarity, and leave a quick review—your voice helps us keep the pressure on.

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Speaker:

Is this thing on? Hello, hello. Uh-oh. Another yucker with a mic. Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Napkin In Between Podcast. I am your host, Daijne Jones. I hope everyone's been having a good day except for that orange drink lady. Of course. I feel like I've done a complete 180 from last week's episode to today's episode in how I feel. Because last week I was so excited, you know, we had just had the elections and Democrats had like swept everything, and Zoran Memdani was elected mayor of New York City. And I feel like we were all just like so on a high. Like we were so hopeful. We were like, yes, you know, like we're gonna get some stuff done. The Democrats are sweeping, like this is amazing. Only for less than a week later, for Democrats to shit on our heads. Like I feel like the Democrats pulled down their pants and took a huge shit on all of our heads. And I've been trying to like process how I feel and make sense of everything because I feel like I'm a very logical person and I need things to make sense in order for me to like be able to process them and understand how I'm feeling. And I haven't been able to fully process all of this and and understand it, but the way that I feel about it, I feel like we as the US citizens are in like an abusive, toxic relationship with the government. Like I feel like if you've ever been in a relationship with an abusive partner, they'll do little things to like give you hope. You know what I mean? Like they'll do things to make you feel like things are gonna be okay and things are gonna get better. And then out of nowhere, it just feels like they blindside you and everything is just blown up, and you're back to like this feeling of like, what the fuck do I do? And it's like just like a vicious cycle. And I feel like that's how, especially with like Democrats, I feel like that's how I feel in this like relationship, relationship, I say in quotes, but like in this, I don't know what to call it, that I am with Democratic officials. And the most recent example of this is with the government shutdown. So back on October 1st, 2025, as we all know, the government ended up shutting down because Congress couldn't reach an agreement on federal spending and and the bill and all that bullshit. And so when the government shut down, obviously federal workers don't get paid. And I think there needs to be a law or something put in place that if the government is shut down, government officials shouldn't get paid either. Like people in in the Senate, people in the House, uh every government official should also not be getting paid if the government is shut down. Because what's the point of you getting paid? You're not working. Mind you, the people who are still expected to show up to work, they're not getting paid. But the people who are directly responsible for the government shutting down, they still get paid. Doesn't make sense to me. Doesn't make sense to me at all. If anyone should not be getting paid, it should be the government officials, not the federal workers. Especially since they're still expected to show up to work, and the government officials who were directly voting and weren't able to reach an agreement, they're still getting paid. Where do I try to petition to get that into law? Because that just is fucking bullshit to me. But the government shut down, and at the beginning of the government shutdown, there was so much support behind the Democrats, and like so many people knew that the reason the government shut down was because of the Republicans. People knew that, right? People were rallying behind Democrats, people were proud of them for you know voting to protect people and their health care. And even like federal workers who, again, were not getting paid. I've seen so many of them just be so selfless and be like, we understand why the government is shut down. Hold the line, do not cave to the Republicans' demands, like do what you have to do. I understand I'm not getting paid, but this is important, right? So my I don't understand why they thought it would be a good idea to cave and to vote alongside Republicans when they had so many of us rallying behind them. It's like they see our support and they're like, oh, they're happy, oh, they're feeling hopeful, oh, we we have them on our side, kill it. Disappoint them again, like squash their hope. What is the point? I don't understand how they can have so much support and see all of the support that they were getting and then just like shit on it. And also, like, I have such mixed emotions, and there's no one cookie cutter correct answer to all of this. I understand that because at the end of the day, federal workers were not getting paid, right? As the whole time the government was shut down, they were not getting paid. So I'm happy that they are now, you know, the government is open in some respects because they're getting paid. But then it also frustrates me even more because it's like they weren't getting paid for so long. For what? Y'all, the last 40 some days, y'all held the line, y'all they weren't getting paid, and of course they weren't happy about it. But even again, I saw so many federal workers saying, as a federal employee, I need Democrats to hold the line, right? So it's like you did all of this for 40 days, gave people hope, withheld pay from people, only to come out with a pinky promise that healthcare will be voted on later. Mind you, a pinky promise from people who are known to lie and who have already gone back on that promise, on that pinky promise, I say in close, because anyone who believed that was shitting themselves. Like you, you, you're stupid if you believed that they were actually had a plan to vote on it later. I'm so sorry. If you truly believe that, you're a fucking idiot. Like, I don't know how other any other way to say it. But I just don't understand, and it does not make sense to me why they would put everyone through this, give some people hope, not give some people their their pay for working to come out with nothing. To come out with nothing other than now people are like, what the fuck? Like, I trusted Democrats, and once again, they shit all over me. Once again, they gave me false hope. Once again, like we see that Democrats are weak, and I'm seeing people even being like, I'm never gonna vote for a Democrat again. My votes are all going to I'm I'm registering independent. I've been a Democrat my whole life. Now I'm registering as an independent and voting third party. And I understand that as well. I understand their frustration, but I I would also like to encourage people not to act out of emotion and and do that because that's not the answer either. I don't I don't even really know what the full answer is. I genuinely feel like my brain is all over the place, and probably this episode is too, so I completely apologize. I like my brain and thoughts are all scrambled. I've been trying for the last couple of days to get my brain in order so that I can record this episode, and it hasn't worked, and so I was like, maybe I shouldn't even record it, but then I'm like, I that doesn't seem like the right answer either. Because like I I just feel like this feeling of like your head spinning, if anyone else is feeling that way, it is so fucking valid. It truly is because last week we were on such a high, we were all so happy, we were like, fuck yes, like finally, only for them to like snatch it away, and it's like it's like what the fuck? And so I understand people's frustrations and wanting to just never vote for a Democrat again and vote third party, but at the end of the day, the way the party system is set up right now, that is not the solution. This is a a very long process, and just automatically going third party, that is not the solution either. Because the reality is, again, with the way that our party system is set up right now, a third-party candidate has no chance of winning. Third party candidates aren't even on the ballot in all 50 states. If I if I'm remembering correctly, they're not even on the ballot in all 50 states. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure they're not even on the ballot in all 50 states. There's absolutely no way, the way that our party system is set up right now for a third-party voter to win. So essentially, all the third party vote does, because Republicans and Trump supporters and people who are they're in a cult, okay? So no matter what happens, unless they want to remove themselves from that cult, they will be in that cult. So they're going to vote the same way every time. It does not matter. Trump literally, emails came out showing that Trump was like Epstein was emailing about Trump, saying like Trump knew what Epstein was doing, and Trump supporters are still like, it's a hoax. It's a hoax by the Democratic Party. Like, they're never nothing, they have no line. You know what I mean? They have no line that is like, okay, this is this is my deal breaker. They don't have one of those. So they're always gonna vote the exact same way. So for people to vote third party, that's typically only people who would ever vote for the Democratic Party. So what it does is it splits the Democratic vote, giving the Republicans more of a chance to win. That's why just voting third party and just like registering as an independent or whatever, that's not the solution that you think it is. That is not the solution that you think it is, because at the end of the day, that is just going to split the Democratic vote, thus, giving the Republicans more of a chance to win. I think what we need is younger and more progressive Democrats. Because genuinely, and I said this last week, and maybe I should shut the fuck up sometimes. Because sometimes I feel like I'll say something, and it's like it manifests like a little bit after I say it. So maybe I should shut the fuck up. But genuinely, it does feel like Democrats are elephants in donkey clothing. It it feels like Democrats are literally Republicans just posing as Democrats, and so that's why I think, and that's why I was saying last week, like we have to also hold Democrats accountable. Like, yes, vote for them, but also hold them accountable. And if they're not doing what they are supposed to be doing, or if they're not doing things for the benefit of us, we gotta get them out of office. But also at the same time, just voting for them, like that puts them in office. So, like, yeah, we could eventually vote them out eventually, but while they're in office, like they could also fuck shit up while they're there too. So it's just like this is why I feel like I'm in an abusive relationship because like my head is all over the place and I feel like I'm being gaslit, and it's like I don't know what the solution is. I think it would help if we had more progressive Democrats who also had a fucking backbone, like Democrats like Jasmine Crockett and AOC, like people who won't cave or be performative, like the performances that some of these Democrats put on is fucking crazy. I'm looking at you, Corey Booker. Cause you played in my face too. I was I when he did his Senate speech, I'm not gonna lie, that gave me hope. I was so proud of him. I was cheering for him, I was watching the the speech, like I it just made me feel hopeful. And that's the thing, like, I hate for a bitch to make me feel hopeful or to make me feel happy just to like turn around and shit on that. Because why what you could have left me alone. You know what I mean? You didn't have to give me that hope. You didn't have to make me feel like something was gonna happen only for you to turn around and nothing fucking happened. And that's what I feel like happened with these Democrats with the government shutdown who then turned and voted with Republicans. It's like y'all could have just done that from the beginning. Why did you give me hope? Why did you withhold people's money if you were just going to turn around and give Republicans everything that they wanted? Like, this was so this was such I'm stuttering. I fucking hate when I can't get my thoughts right. This is like I hate when I feel like this, when I feel like I can't speak because my thoughts are jumbled, because I'm just like, what the fuck is going on? I this again, I need things to make logical sense in order for me to be able to process them and for me to be able to talk about them. And this doesn't make logical sense to me. So I'm struggling so much to even speak and film this episode and talk about it because my thoughts are all fucking over the place, and I apologize for for this episode for me being so just jumbled, but I also didn't want to just like not say anything because I don't think that that's the solution either. And I think that it's okay for people to have jumbled thoughts during this entire thing because it's just like why? That's like my my only question right now is just why? Why would you do that? Why would you give me hope just for you to snatch it away? Like I'm sick as fuck, I'm so irritated, I'm so confused. I just feel honestly, I and I feel a little bit stupid too, because it's like I I get it. Like, why are we trusting Democrats? Like, I get it, but at the same time, it's like, what else am I supposed to do? Like, the way our system is set up right now, what else am I supposed to do? Genuinely. I can't in good faith give my vote to a third party candidate because I know deep down that they don't have any chance of winning. So genuinely, what like what do we do? What do we do? Like, oh, I'm just so sick because y'all could have left us alone if you were just going to turn around and side with Republicans, you could have just done that from the beginning. Why didn't you just do that from the beginning? What are what are these like mind games that y'all are playing with us and why do you keep playing them? I feel like at the end of the day, they knew what they were gonna do, so why did you not just do it? Why give people a sense of false hope? That is just like such a shitty thing to do, and I just don't get it. But it happens so often in the Democratic Party, and this is why, like, there needs to be age limits, there needs to be term limits. Like, these people cannot just like play with our lives. Literally, that that's what they're doing. They're quite literally playing with our lives because at the end of the day, in five years, they're gonna be fucking dead. They're so fucking old, they're they're they're hy not their hygiene. Well, probably their hygiene also, because a lot of them are, you know, you know what I'm saying. But what am I that's not what I meant? I didn't mean to say hygiene. They're their health, that's what I meant to say. Their health is probably hanging on by a thread because they're probably not active. So they're all gonna fucking die soon. So they're just like playing with our fucking lives and making these laws, making these whatever, knowing that at the end of the day, it's not gonna affect them, number one, because they're gonna fucking die. Number two, because they have the money and it it they don't have to worry about it, they don't have to worry about any of the things that they are quite literally making laws for us to have to worry about, and they're not gonna affect them in any way. Like that it's just so it's so disheartening and it's so disgusting, and we I just need more progressive Democrats. Fuck, let me let me in Congress. They shouldn't let me in Congress, they shouldn't let me in Congress at all. Because oh my god, I would be so unhinged. They think Jasmine Crockett is bad. Bitch, my mouth would be crazy, like insane. So I was just kidding, don't let me in Congress. But somebody who is just more progressive and understands like normal, real people like us who these things actually affect. That's why they're able to just be all willy-nilly and do whatever they want because at the end of the day, it's not gonna affect them. I feel like the only way that it would really affect them, like a government shutdown, for example, would affect them is again if they didn't get paid during the shutdown, which I think is reasonable. Like, why are you getting paid? You're not even going to work. Mind you, regular people are still required to go to work and they're not getting paid. Like, what why why would you get paid? Why would you get paid? That's what needs to happen. What we really need is for these things that they're doing and for these things that they're voting on. We need it to like at some point also affect them. Do you know what I mean? Because they're so far removed, they're so detached because they don't have to worry about it, that at the end of the day, they're just like, do whatever. They just do whatever because at the end of the day, it's not gonna affect them. So I think that's what we need. I think we need more progressive Democrats who will also have a backbone and and not cave. And I think we need more people in Congress who are just like regular people who like would actually be affected by the things that they're that they're passing or the things that they're doing. You know what I mean? I don't know. I feel like I'm rambling. And I guess again, my brain is just all over the place, so I really apologize for this episode. I didn't want to just not record. I thought about it. I was going back and forth a lot about whether or not I should say something, whether I shouldn't, because I knew that my brain was all over the place. I knew that this episode is probably gonna be all all over the place. But I didn't want to just like not say anything or not it it it felt like I wasn't being real, you know what I mean? Like it felt like I was just like, oh, I don't I'm not in a good space, so I'm not gonna talk about it because like everything isn't put together in here. And you know what? Sometimes I'm not all put together. You know what I mean? Like sometimes my thoughts all are all over the place, and I I stutter and I don't know how to put my thoughts into words. And this is one of those times because I just don't understand it. I just don't I don't understand what all of this was for. What were all of these theatrics for if y'all were just gonna end up voting the way the Republicans wanted you to? What was all of this for? Like what I just And don't think that I don't know that that shit was strategic as fuck. Cause we we know that that shit was strategic as fuck. Because every single Democrat who ended up voting yes, and I'm gonna I'm gonna name them because I feel like saying their names is important, but I just want to say this first. Every Democrat who voted yes is not up for re-election anytime soon. All the ones who voted no are up for re-election soon. And Chuck Schumer, his fucking bitch ass. I no matter how it happened that the Democrats voted yes, it still reflects so poorly on him. Because either he orchestrated it to where the Democrats who voted yes aren't up for re-elections soon, and then he could vote no to save his face for the optics, or as he said, some of the Democrats just went rogue. I don't know if that's like the actual terms that he used, but essentially he said, like, some of the Democrats went behind his back and voted yes. That's fucked as well because you, as the majority leader, why are people going behind your back? Why are you not able to lead them as the majority leader? Hello? Like, what the fuck? This is all so fucked. Either one is is terrible because what the fuck do you mean they just went behind your back? Because as the majority leader, why are you not able to lead effectively? Why are people going rogue? Why are people going behind your back? Honestly, I don't know which is worse. If you orchestrated it or if people are just going behind your back. I don't know which one is worse, but I both of them tell me that you're not very good at your job and you you don't need that job. Like, let's be so for real. But at the end of the day, like whether they really did go rogue, whether he orchestrated it, fuck all of them. And let me list their names so that y'all know exactly who who caved to the Republicans and voted yes on this bill. So I would just like to extend the biggest of fuck you've to Senator Tim Kane, Senator Gene Shaheen, Senator Dick Durbin, Senator John Fetterman, who I've seen in person. Like I used to live in Pittsburgh, and I swear I would see him walking around in Pittsburgh. And I swear he wasn't in the Senate at this point, it was in like 2019, 2020, somewhere around there when I lived in Pittsburgh. Anyway, he's like super big, like tall, I mean, and it's like all that stature for you to be a little bitch waste of a build. Anyway, big fuck you to Senator Maggie Hassan, Senator Angus King, Senator Cortez Masto, and Senator Jackie Rosen. Fuck y'all, because we there was so much support and rallying behind the Democrats, and now people, rightfully so, are feeling blindsided and cheated and hopeless because people wanted you to hold the line, people wanted to see that y'all would genuinely stand up to Republicans, and you didn't. Big fuck you to all y'all. Big fuck you. And we will not forget. We will not forget your names, we will not forget what you've done. You might not be up for re-election soon, or you might be retiring, because again, like I said, at the end of the day, they know that this isn't gonna affect them, so they make all these fucking plans, and then they're like, oh, okay, peace out. I destroyed destroyed everything. My work is done here, like fucking bitches. We won't forget this though. We won't forget if you are up for re-election, not soon, we won't forget. Because I said this last week. I said this last week. We voted these people in, and if they're not doing what we we need them to do, if they're not there to protect us, they gotta go. They have got to go. There's there's no more of this. This shit is so fucking old and it's so tired to continue to play in people's faces. I feel like if you run for Congress or whatever, based off of a set of promises or whatever, and then you don't do those things, you should lose your job immediately. If I were to apply for a job and say, Yeah, I'm gonna do A, B, and C, and then I show up to the job and I don't do A, B, and C, I would be fired immediately. So, like, why are they just able to continue to play in our faces? It's fucking insane. Like, I don't understand how people can be shit at their jobs and still keep their jobs. I don't understand how people can shut down a government and not have to work but still be paid. Our the entire government needs to be just like revamped, honestly. And I know obviously, again, that takes a lot of fucking work. There is no just like one direct answer or one quick fix to that. But I do feel like we like if we're not getting what we need, if the government is not working for us, because again, that is how the government is supposed to work, it's supposed to be for the benefit of the people. We gotta get these people out. We like we can't, we gotta primary them. We they have to go because this shit, like, we can't keep doing this. I'm so sick, and I'm it's making me so upset because I'm also seeing people saying like they'll never vote Democrat again, they're now independents, they're gonna, you know, whatever. And it's like I understand that frustration, but again, that's not the answer either. And I just hate that people that we've elected, the democratic officials are are making people go to these just drastic measures. But I do want to encourage people again to just like think before you do things like that, because again, the the answer is just not that simple, it's not that clear of an answer. It's it's a process, and just like jumping to third party, that is not the answer. That is only going to in the way that our system is set up right now, that is only going to make things worse. So think that through. I understand the frustration. I too am very frustrated. My brain is all over the place, and I don't have the the answer, and again, there is no just one answer. This is a very complex situation, right? But I do think that we need more progressive Democrats and Democrats who can actually stand up to the Republicans and people who will genuinely work for the people because, like, at the end of the day, the things that they're voting on are also going to affect them. I don't know how we get all that into office, but I think that that would might be a good start. But I can say that just jumping to third party, I don't think that is the correct answer. So let's just all breathe. I don't know. I'm gonna go like color. That like heals me, low-key. But for the Democrats who played in our face, for the Democrats who caved, we will not forget. We will not forget. You were elected to help the people. That is how the government is supposed to work. And if you're not doing that, you gotta go. You gotta you don't you don't gotta go home, but you gotta get the fuck out of here, okay? Oh I don't know. I guess I wanted to just say to anyone who might be feeling all over the place and scrambled, that is a completely valid response to again what feels like a very abusive relationship, and you're valid in those feelings. I feel that way so much right now, too. I feel like I'm dissociating right now. Um but I do want to try to also encourage everyone to to think and to try and stop and regulate in any way that you can and not make any rash decisions. I know how frustrated we all are, but making a rash decision in a state of frustration at the end of the day could only make it worse for yourself. So I understand this, like this 180 from how we felt last week to how we feel now is just fucking insane. Try and take some time, self-regulate, turn on some music. No J Lil, of course, I would only make it worse, and just try to like ground yourself because we can't be rash, right? We can't be rash, we have to rally and we have to form a plan and organize and go into this with a clear plan, not one that is based off of frustration, just like a clear plan that would actually benefit us. So take some time, read a book, take some time outside, unplug for a little bit if you have to. Because, like, it is okay to, you know, I know we all want to be informed and and keep up, but it is also okay to take a break sometimes and shut it out, tune it out for a little bit, and just get your mind right. That is so important too. So, y'all go do that. I'm gonna go do that. I hope we all have a good week except for that orange drink lady, and I will talk to you in the next episode. Peace and love. Talk to you later. The napkin in between, hosted by Daijne Jones, produced by Daijne Jones, post production by Daijne Jones, music by Sam Champagne, and graphics by Isma Vidal. Don't forget to like and subscribe. See you next episode.