Politics For Happy People
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Politics For Happy People
Democrats Don't like Elon's Trillions or America
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In this episode of Politics for Happy People, Joseph Backholm and Ashley Vaughan tackle several of the week's biggest headlines, including the debate over Elon Musk's growing wealth and a North Carolina student who won a lawsuit after being punished for honoring Charlie Kirk. They also react to a profanity-filled political video released by North Carolina Democrats, discussing what it reveals about today's political culture and the tone of modern political discourse. Finally, as Independence Day approaches, they examine new polling on patriotism and explore why gratitude, worldview, and love of country are deeply connected.
We're rolling. Four three two. Welcome to Politics for Happy People, where we have fun conversations about serious issues. So glad that you are with us, Ashley. Good to see you.
SPEAKER_00Once again, good to see you, Joseph.
SPEAKER_03We've got a good lineup today. Get everybody ready for what we're going to talk about first. We'll ask, is it bad to be a trillionaire? And everybody probably knows why they're asking. I have recently become a trillionaire, and I'm feeling criticized for it. That's actually not why. But we are going to talk about that. Also, a uh high school girl in Charlotte has recently won a law school, a lawsuit against her school over a Charlie Kirk-themed rock she painted. We'll give you the details of that. Also, a uh profanity-filled tirade from some North Carolina Democrats in opposition to the Republicans. Interesting video. We'll talk about that. And also, we are about to have the Fourth of July and some new polling from CNN shows. For the most part, Democrats don't want to fly the flag and Republicans do. Why is it? So, Ashley, back to the top of our agenda items for today. How angry are you that Elon Musk is now a trillionaire?
SPEAKER_00I'm not angry, but a lot of people are. It was um all over my Twitter feed a couple days ago, you know, how unjust and evil it is, you know, that he has so much money when other people have so little.
SPEAKER_03Is it a fair criticism? Do you think?
SPEAKER_00Well, I mean I don't think it's a fair criticism. I do see why people feel that that is unjust. That when many are struggling to make ends meet, others have so very much.
SPEAKER_03Are those connected though?
SPEAKER_00Well maybe, maybe, but I I will say this when you have extreme wealth, you do have responsibility, I believe. It's wrong if you have this wealth and you're not a good steward of it. And I mean that that does happen, but that doesn't mean that it's just to take that wealth.
SPEAKER_03Agreed, but I even think more than that. I think Elon Musk has done more to help other people financially than nearly anyone on earth.
SPEAKER_00And so what I am And how is that like by providing jobs? Like I I mean, I just don't know. Yes, I don't know a lot about what he does philanthropically.
SPEAKER_03He's philanthropic, but that's not. I mean, uh it was um Jeff Bezos, who recently I heard in another article because uh talking about this problem, I think it was specifically in response to the new millionaires tax that has been passed in Washington State, where they have a 10% income tax on all income above a million dollars. And Jeff Bezos made the point that I've been very philanthropic, but really my greatest contributions to humanity are through what I've done in the business world. That's made a much bigger, bigger impact on the world.
SPEAKER_00For the economy and body jobs and all of that, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yes, all of the economic growth and all of the economic activity and all of the wages, and they have spin-off. You know, you when you build a company like Amazon, the number of people it employs and the industries that have that have propped up, popped up around the Amazon ecosystem and the number of you know, mom and pops that have, you know, supplemented their income or ended up making a really good income by selling stuff on Amazon, right? The things that he's created has helped so many people all over the world economically that he said that impact is is much greater than his philanthropy, because philanthropy gets lots of credit. But to the the the point about Elon here, and in a capitalist system that we live in, and I'm grateful that we do, uh, despite its many imperfections, uh it is basically impossible to become very wealthy without helping a lot of other people along the way. And that is just the reality of of Elon's uh path. And I there's many things about Elon Musk that I mean, he doesn't share my worldview as far as I know. Uh there's there's things he's done I agree with, and like every other person on earth, he's done some things that that I would do differently. Um, but it's just besides the point to this question of is it I I see no connection, I'll say it differently. No one on earth is in a worse position financially because Elon Musk became a trillionaire. He did not like take it from them, he did not gather resources at the expense of other people for himself. He created wealth that previously did not exist. And so I think the criticism uh that we are hearing about, oh, because he has that, that necessarily means other people have less is just false on its face. That's how I see it.
SPEAKER_00Well, I'm not an expert on economic theory, but I am thankful we live in a capitalistic society. I do think that's the best way to do things, and there will always always be people that have more and always people that have less. But um, yeah, I'm thankful there are incentives for for creating things, as he has. Um so yeah.
SPEAKER_03He Elon is a super, super smart guy. If you want to get a piece of this, I and here's another, you know, here's something that we all can do. Did did you guys discuss buying SpaceX stock during the IPO?
SPEAKER_00Like my husband and I? Yes. We no, specifically, well, that's kind of his realm. I let him do it. You don't talk stock purchases with Justin? I really don't. You don't? I really don't. Well I I he I let him have fun with that. Go crazy.
SPEAKER_03Well, now you have something to talk about because you know, do you want SpaceX? Because I I mean SpaceX is um, you know, right now it's mostly theoretical, but there's all this value in the belief that he can really economize space in a way that nobody else has, and that might be true.
SPEAKER_00So you ready to go there?
SPEAKER_03I would love to go to space. I do not want to live on Mars. I would love to go to space, though.
unknownNo, I think that would be really funny. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'm I'm staying here.
SPEAKER_03The probability is I will not go to space, but if the opportunity presents itself, absolutely. Not I I think I mean, I've you know, I've read about astronauts and their experience of kind of orbiting the earth and just seeing Earth from space. I think gives you that sounds cool. An awareness of the creation and our place in the universe, and then kind of the one who made it all that has been described by many people as life-changing. Yeah. And I believe that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I believe that. So well, I took an astronomy class. That was good enough for me. But let's go from space to Charlotte.
SPEAKER_03Space to Charlotte. What happened in Charlotte?
SPEAKER_00So a after Charlie Kirk's assassination, a Charlotte High School student uh painted a rock, and it was a tribute to Charlie Kirk. She painted a heart, an American flag, and it said, Freedom 1776, long live Kirk, John 1125. And within hours, the school painted over it. And this is when I think it the story gets crazy. The principal emailed the entire school and called it vandalism and claimed that the student broke the code of conduct conduct and announced that they'd called law enforcement to open a criminal investigation into this situation.
SPEAKER_03Ashley, did you skip over the fact that she explicitly got permission to do this?
SPEAKER_00Well, I was going, I was about to say that.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_00And prior, yeah, prior to that, she actually had gotten permission and gone through the the proper channels for whatever the approval process is. A permit to paint the rock. Painting the rock. Yes. Um, so yeah, it this is yeah, this is a crazy story. And so um, yeah, the investigation evidently included pulling her out of class, having her write a confession, uh looking at her phone logs. And so her family sued Charlotte Mecklenburg schools and won. The school system was forced to pay her $95,000. So, you know, this was a bad experience, but now she can go to college debt-free.
SPEAKER_03Well, I mean, she can pay for one year if she goes to like Baylor or something. Yeah, that's true. But yeah, no, I mean, $95,000, I mean, that's that's real money in most people's world. Not Elon's world. He doesn't care, but for most of us, $95,000 is real money. I mean, what what do you think happened here? Why the is this just uh school principal freaked out because we all hate Charlie Kirk or we're supposed to, so we're not gonna honor him?
SPEAKER_00Like, sounds like it.
SPEAKER_03The facts here are outrageous.
SPEAKER_00I I I yeah, I I can't I can't get in the mindset of these people. I really can't. I really try to do that, Joseph. I really do try to understand, okay, where are you coming from and where can we meet in the middle, and how can I understand you better? But I I don't I don't understand at all why this school took the actions that it did.
SPEAKER_03I mean, to review this really quickly, the things that make this remarkable to me is, you know, the in the days after the assassination, right, people were affected in very different ways. And we knew that that was a that was a flashpoint moment culturally, and a lot of people who who respected and admired Charlie Kirk for that, you know, it was it was a real kind of political assassination, and there was real mourning, and we many of us remember the funeral that happened. It was like an all-day event, it was like six hours of of a of a national uh funeral for him. And so this is a I think she was 16 years old, and she had her own way of expressing this. And I don't know anything about this young lady, but got permission in advance, and apparently painting the rock is a thing that happens in this school, and you there is a process by which you get permission to paint the thing that you want to paint on it, and I'm sure there are rules around like what you can say, because you can't just like give high school kids complete discretion to just do whatever you want to the rock, right? So I'm sure there there were some um there there were some rules, but she painted an American flag. It said, quote, freedom 1776, and then it said, live like Kirk, John 11, 25. So a Bible reference, and that triggered them. What was most triggering? John 11, 25 or live like Kirk? Would you guess?
SPEAKER_00I I probably did the Charlie Kirk piece. A lot of times people say, Oh, we can't talk about that. It's too political, you know? But the reality is that is curbing people's free speech um and their ability to express themselves. And also a lot of things are political these days. So if you say that someone can't talk about anything political, that's that is significantly decreasing their ability to express themselves. And and it's different to say that a person can't express themselves than an institution, for example.
SPEAKER_03How would the reaction have been if it had been a rainbow flag instead of an American flag, and it said, you know, live like Harvey Milk or something like that, right? The school would have I'm I have a high degree of confidence the school would have behaved differently. Because it wasn't just the hey, I mean, I could you could make an argument, oh, we can't say anything that's even kind of political because that is going to be a problem. But the the part about sending an email to everybody in the school referring to it as vandalism, saying she voted she broke the code of conduct, even though she got permission in advance to do so, and then tell the whole world that you have called law enforcement and opened a criminal investigation into the rock. This is to me, somebody at that school really wanted to, like, in a personal way separate themselves, saying somebody said something kind of complimentary about Charlie Kirk. They referred to him as an example of the way we ought we ought to live. I find that highly objectionable. So I'm going to respond in my official kind of professional adult leadership capacity by making sure everybody in the world knows I don't agree with that. And to me, this whole thing feels like somebody wanted to provide a rebuttal to a feeling that this 16-year-old girl expressed on the rock. And it's just childish.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I mean, I I think that's definitely possible. Honestly, I don't, I don't know enough about the situation to say whether or not they would have responded differently if it was a message that is typically identified with the political.
SPEAKER_03I don't know, but I mean I'm willing to judge that.
SPEAKER_00Okay, and that's fine. But we would have to, in order to make that claim definitively, we'd have to go back and see that they allowed some other left of leftist message like a pride flag or something like that, be on the rock.
SPEAKER_03And then they would they open any criminal investigation into a pride flag? No.
SPEAKER_00I'm not just being argumentative for no reason. I the point I'm trying to make that I'm getting to is I do think a lot of times people who are in leadership, because everyone is divided right now, we have polar opposite ends of the spectrum, you know, on certain issues. And then we've got these people in the middle who are just like, I just want to live my life. I don't really care that much. But people in leadership right now, I think a lot of times just kind of, you know, a little kerfuffle starts and they're like, and they just want to get out of it. And I think that may be what happened here.
SPEAKER_03Um well, you want to know why I don't think that's all there is to because they were awarded $95,000. That's why. I mean, I I I take your argument. I mean, I actually agree.
SPEAKER_00We could look into this more and and figure out whether they were, you know, they actually were discriminating against this viewpoint versus this one. And and maybe everyone listening can, if you're you care that much, look into it more. But the point is people should be able to express themselves. And this was way an overblown reaction, an investigation, emailing the whole school, all of that stuff. It's way over the top. And and this is like, you know, way over the top.
SPEAKER_03And and the this is the kind of school administration that is also like, you know, defying state law when it comes to facilities and saying, you know, we are gonna trans our kids even if you tell us not to trans our kids, um, because the this mindset exists in local school districts. And and again, I I respect the uh the desire to give the benefit of the doubt, and in and I generally try to do that as well. But I think for those who know these facts much better than you and I do, we're just reading summaries of this. Um, the people who were actually involved in the case decided that what they did was worth a $95,000 judgment for the student. And that tells me this is not just, you know, like somebody just trying to make sure that we're neutral on this rock. I think it was more than that. So um speaking of childish, speaking of additional childish, Ashley, um, we have you actually brought this to my attention on Instagram. So you want to like describe it and then we'll play it?
SPEAKER_00It's almost indescribable.
SPEAKER_03So should we not describe it then and just play it and let people react and just tell tell people what we're about to play?
SPEAKER_00This is a video that was released last week, I think, um, on social media. It's Sydney Batch and Vernita Alston, both members of the General Assembly, both Democrats. It is a video that is, I don't know who it's aimed towards, but the topic is Republicans' inability to pass a budget. And it's it's it's quite the video. Let's look at it.
SPEAKER_03And we'll just say that it it is an issue that the Republicans have not been able to pass a budget in the last. I mean, we we think we are weeks or days away from a budget being passed, but it's been not happening. And the Democrats have, of course, tried to make it a political issue. And uh, this is their attempt to, I guess, um, appeal to the public on this issue. Go ahead, Eli, and give that a play.
SPEAKER_01Oh, hi. I'm Representative Vernetta Alston. Friends, times are tough. That's why I wanted to come here today, talk to you directly about the things that matter to you and your families. And because times are tough, Leader Batch wanted to join as well, except she's gonna be your anger interpreter.
SPEAKER_02Instead of doing their jobs, Republicans are acting like a bunch of little because they can't deliver a budget. So we don't have else to do but sit by this fireplace and wait for them to do their jobs.
SPEAKER_01Republicans have yet to bring forward a state budget. That matters because without a budget, big projects like roads, school improvements can't happen. These are things that you depend on. It's a problem.
SPEAKER_02And whatever these are saying at press conferences is a line while they're sitting there standing on their stupid little fing apple crates.
SPEAKER_01But Democrats have an agenda to help make the things that you need in your everyday life, your home, your food, your access to healthcare, easier and less stressful to afford.
SPEAKER_02There are two teams. Democrats who are trying to make sure that you're not homeless and starving, and these fing Republicans who don't give a f about you.
SPEAKER_01So, we also have a plan for our schools. Our kids deserve the best education. They should learn for the future of our economy so that they can become proud and prepared citizens of our great state and our country.
SPEAKER_02Meanwhile, these Republicans are giving $250 million a year to private schools so that rich kids could be taught history without tax dollars. And if we keep on this pace, our kids will be living in our fing basements. Okay, let's try this.
SPEAKER_01The great lyricist Kendrick Lamar once said, if you speak the good into existence, that instant, your dreams will unlock. North Carolina Democrats not only want to speak the good into existence, we want to make a great existence your reality by winning big this November.
SPEAKER_02And the great North Carolinian Jay Cole once said, I'ma pour something in my cup. I've been wanting something I can feel. November's coming and we're gonna win.
SPEAKER_03I I've seen it before, and I'm still blown away. Actually, who's that for?
SPEAKER_00I truly have no idea. I mean, who is going to vote Democrat that previously was not going to because of that video?
SPEAKER_03I I actually want to because our our Eli, do you have a mic? No, he doesn't have a mic. He doesn't have a mic with him because we're we're watching producer Eli, who's the one who he has not, yeah, he has not actually seen this before. Um, Ashley and I have both seen this before. And watching you watch this video is actually um pretty entertaining to me. And I'm, you know, I think we need another perspective on this to figure out what in the world they are hoping to accomplish with this thing. So um, Eli, you ready to roll?
SPEAKER_04That's yeah, you hear me?
SPEAKER_03So, okay, you you had this as a first impression because we've had a time to process this. Uh, what are your thoughts on that as you know, relatively normy gen X guy, casually political? What's your reaction?
SPEAKER_04Um I don't really is it supposed to is it supposed to be serious? Is it supposed to be like a joke? I'm whatever, I don't I don't really get the motive. Um I just look at it and I think it's overwhelmingly ridiculous. It was really funny, but I don't think it was funny for the way they were trying to make it funny. It was just like, really? Like what are we doing?
SPEAKER_03I'm shocked that someone is doing this.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, what are we doing here? It's more, you know, like you have a friend sometimes, they're never trying to be funny, but just kind of the way they laugh at them, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's almost like they you you could see they were trying to do this to be entertaining and to, but it just it is so funny because it missed the mark completely. Whatever their objective was, which I still don't know, they definitely didn't uh hit it, in my opinion.
SPEAKER_03Like, how did this get through the editing process? How did this get I mean, because I think they had a script and somebody thought about that.
SPEAKER_00So it's supposed to be she's supposed to be an anger interpreter. Yeah, the anger interpreter which is a I didn't know this, but it's a type, you know, like we there's a sketch on a show called Key and Peel, which I don't know that show. Oh, is it this is a But this is a type of real okay? So she's Sidney Batch is supposed to be the anger interpreter, like she's what you really want to say, but you're not saying.
SPEAKER_03I can understand that.
SPEAKER_00So it's it was supposed to be evidently like a comedy sketch. Like they're Democrats are like, oh, this was satire, but they didn't pull it off.
SPEAKER_03I don't know if they meant to actually bleep out the words and just accidentally didn't, or if they were trying to be funny by not just so people know, there they I mean, because in the version that they are hearing here, it's going to be bleeped.
SPEAKER_00Yes, Eli, we need it to be actually correctly all the profanity needs to be bleeped out for politics for happy people. But just so everyone knows, the original video that was uploaded online, it the bleeps are not in sync with the actual profanity. So you can still hear the profanity. And so that's a little bit like confusing about it. It's like, was this amateur hour, or did you actually want to cuss out Republicans online? And they actually are these two members are getting disciplined, at least uh in the House. By the Republicans, right? Yes. Well, House Majority Leader Brendan Jones called on Democrats in the House to discipline Alston and others involved with the video. So they're trying to like, you know, I mean, I'm sure it's all I mean, what can they actually do? What can they do? I don't know.
SPEAKER_03Not much, but it is I I continue to be blown away that these are like adults. These are these are presumably serious people. And in and honestly, before I saw this, this is so unserious. But Sydney Batch, I actually kind of like I've seen her have political discussions. She's a litigator, she's like a delivery, she's a genuinely smart person who has a really serious job outside of the legislature. And and I kind of respected her as like a like an advocate and just kind of until I saw this, and I was like, you are either just the world's worst comedian, or you just have really, really bad judgment.
SPEAKER_00I think it's both, honestly. I mean, I I agree. I've seen her deliver, you know, speeches on the floor. And while I don't agree with her, I was like, oh, you know, she's doing a good job making her argument. And she's frankly, she seemed like a dignified person in other contexts where I've seen her, but this is not really undignified. This is not dignified. I I just I I think I don't understand why people think that doing things like this is going to make them more compelling. I it's it doesn't make sense in my brain why why a person would do this. It it it you're you've kind of denigrated yourself in it such an unnecessary way. Maybe this does appeal to people. I just I think it's I think it's funny um because it's so ridiculous and I don't find it appealing, but I mean, I don't know. Maybe we should ask Eli. Do Gen Z people, like do younger people, do they think this is gonna appeal to like the younger crowd or something? Is that what this is?
SPEAKER_04I think the objective was maybe um to be relatable.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_04And like, oh hey, like we we talk the same way you do, and but when I see that, I'm like, wow, that is so in a politician, so it's like it's one thing if it's a comedian, but you know, you're you're in politics. It's just like I for me, and I think I can speak for like most of my generation, that is so highly unattractive, and it's like they're trying to relate so hard, but it's just not working.
SPEAKER_03I think my my my Gen Z children would refer to that as uh a tryhard.
SPEAKER_04Yes, cringe.
SPEAKER_00That's so funny.
SPEAKER_03That's so funny. That's the term that comes to mind. You are you are trying too hard and it's not working.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Well, I for me, I I want people in charge to be sober-minded. Like it actually gives me a lot of anxiety thinking that the people who are making decisions, who are making laws, are are so silly. Like that gives me a lot of anxiety.
SPEAKER_03Another thing about that, you know, the whole anger, what was this? Anger interpreter, right? Yes. I I want to believe that the adults making decisions in making difficult, significant decisions, aren't actually suppressing the thought that she expressed. Like if your honest internal dialogue is profanity and hate and bigotry about the people you're dealing with, I don't want you involved. Now, it's okay to have differences of opinion, but I want to believe that you are emotionally mature enough to see the issues separate from the people and you can respect the people that you're dealing with. But one of the things that that says to me is that actually what's going on internally is just absolute bigotry. And if you're spending all your time suppressing how much you loathe the people you disagree with in a personal way, like I'm way more out on you than I was just because I disagreed with you.
SPEAKER_04100%. It's like they uh their own joke went over their head, you know. Like I totally agree. Like, yeah, if people actually think that way, it's okay to have a difference of opinion, but like that that's just absolutely ridiculous. Okay, you know.
SPEAKER_03Well, we've picked on them, but I want to, you know, refer to something else that's happened really, you know, in this whole like um profanity in pub in public policy because President Trump famously sent out a tweet on Easter Sunday with the F-word in it, directed at Iran, right? And he's a guy who's used plenty of profanity in public discourse as well. And I think I want to zoom out from this particular, like embarrassing video and just acknowledge that I think profanity has become more common in our political public discourse in ways that are really unhelpful. It's not respectful, it's not professional, it's not mature, but I guess people think it's like, you know, relatable and authentic, and that's what they're going for.
SPEAKER_00Well, I do think that's the appeal, the authenticity piece. I think there's a craving for that in society, authenticity. Um, you know, we've got AI that just can create things that aren't authentically human. Um, we've had many years of, I think, really extreme media spin, right? We're to the point where people feel like they're being lied to uh by the media, and they are. And and I think that uh one of the currencies of our day is feeling that someone is being honest with you, feeling like they are being you're being told the truth by them, feeling that authenticity. And I think that's part of the appeal of Trump. Love him or hate him. He is who he is, he's not trying to hide it, all of that. And I was thinking about this as we were talking about this because Trump, Trump does it too, you know, he speaks in a way sometimes that is to me not. I mean, it's it's beneath the the office of president. You you do you should dignify you should be more dignified if you have that office. And yet it does it, it there is a certain appeal to it, right? Because people feel like it's real, it's real, exactly. Um, but I think I do think we need to, we should expect and demand more from our leaders. It's good to be relatable, it's good to be real, it's not good to be undignified, it's not good to be hateful and just frankly unserious. This is unserious. I want to believe that I mean, I don't, I don't know how you go from making that video to uh having some kind of a like a serious policy debate. Like I don't and and I and I want that from my elected officials. I want adults in the room.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I want you to be authentic, but I want to also believe that authentic you is an adult. And and that is the line that can get crossed. And and Trump has crossed that line for me many times. Um and that's what Batch and Alston did in in that video. So yeah, uh authenticity is good. I don't want to believe that somebody's always insincere and always uh performative, and I don't know who you actually are, but when I find out who you actually are, I want to like it. And the the and and maybe that's just the deeper issue here culturally, is we're encouraging authenticity, but we're like, oh, we're getting authenticity and it's terrible.
SPEAKER_00And uh, you know, maybe that's just the spiritual condition of we've definitely gone away from like yearning towards virtue. We're we're in a place where yeah, we're we're it the the cultural ethos is very like you be you, whoever you are is okay. Um improvement and striving towards ideals is really not a part of our our culture right now.
SPEAKER_03I don't think it's totally gone. Here's here's maybe where I I mean to to connect Trump and then this video that we just saw. I think the appeal for the base, and in both cases, I think there's an appeal to the base, is we want somebody who wants to fight the same people we fight. We want you to channel match my match my rage. What is it? It's match my rage, but yeah, it is match my vibe or whatever, whatever that term is, right? It's like I want you to share my energy. Eli, I'm what what term am I missing? There is a Gen Z term that I'm that I'm destroying right now. Nah, I think you're right. That match my vibe. It's match my vibe, right? It's like I and and honestly, this is the appeal of Trump for a lot of people, is he was angry, he was just as angry at the exact same people as a lot of middle of America who felt kind of abandoned by, and and I think that's what um Alston and Um Batch were trying to reach. Though I'm not sure that as many people actually had that much emotion about the lack of a state budget. I mean, people look at the lack of the state budget and they're like, okay, maybe you get a budget passed. But I don't think like that visceral, you know, rage is actually all the accountants are probably mad. And especially not accountants, right? Because accountants are not capable of rage by virtue of being accountants. That's it, they're they're disqualified. But yeah, that's that's where I don't that's where I don't think it works. But I think there is an attempt, um, if there is any appeal to the base, and I'm sure there's a handful of Democrats who watch that video, and I know that there's people who see Trump stuff and they're like, yeah, it's because I want you to be mad at the same people that that that I'm really angry at and that I blame for all of my problems. I don't think that necessarily means that we no longer care about goodness and we don't have an idea of I sure would like just safety for my children and a great education and some prosperity. I didn't say we don't care about goodness.
SPEAKER_00I do think though, there's no emphasis, we've lost an emphasis on striving for virtue and civility. And as you said, it's more about match my vibe, be as angry as I am. I want someone who's gonna go out there and fight for me and fight for this and fight the people that I don't like. And honestly, I would like to do a focus group with some Gen Z Democrats and see, do you like this video? Like, did this get you riled up and excited? Um, I have no idea, but I can tell you one thing those people are all gonna vote for these two, anyways, in the first place. So I just think they just did something embarrassing and they're not gonna get much out of it.
SPEAKER_03But, anyways, last story for today. Yeah, it's I don't know what the segue is, if it's connected at all. But I CNN poll on the 4th of July. We're we're heading into it here shortly. Most Democrats do not intend to fly the flag for the 4th of July. And here's the survey data: 27% of Democrats will fly the American flag compared to 64% of Republicans. Only 29% of Democrats are extremely proud to be American compared to 90% of Republicans. Ashley, what's going on?
SPEAKER_00I I don't know what's going on.
SPEAKER_03Does this surprise first, does it surprise you?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, honestly, the these numbers are more dismal, frankly, than I would expect. 25% will fly the flag, and only 29% are extremely proud to be American. I mean, I love this country. With my our family, we bought a flag for America 250. I've been meaning to do it. Um, I hadn't done it. I I love it. I it makes me happy every time I pull into my house and I see the flag. I love this country. I mean, I couldn't feel any more different. I mean, sure, there are things we need to work on and improvements to be made. Uh, but I I love living here. I'm so grateful every day that I was born in this country, so happy to raise my children here. And um, these numbers make me very sad.
SPEAKER_03Well, they they don't just make you very sad, Ashley. They make them very sad. And I think there's a connection there. And, you know, here on politics for happy people, let's talk about happiness for a moment. And I think there's actually a connection here is I think these numbers are explained significantly by the fact that progressivism is inherently ungrateful, that it requires, because it's utopian, because it's it's secularism, right? Leftism comes out of a secular assumption that this is all we have. The reason why we can be happy despite all of the chaos in the world is because our hope is not ultimately in what's going to happen in Raleigh next week. We have a much longer view of our lives and and you know our value and our in our experience in the creation, right? But if this is all you have, it's not going very well. Most of the time, it the the world is just filled with challenges. And because secularists don't have anything in the future to place their hope in, all they can hope for is the fact that we are going to get control and create utopia now. And that's the best that we can hope for, and it's not going very well. And so their joy gets drained by the imperfect. They cannot focus on the good things despite the bad things, because no justice, no peace, injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere. We can't rest, we can't be happy until we've solved all the problems. And our doctrine of sin ensures us that's never going to happen. They believe the world is perfectible. And until it's perfect, we can't be grateful, we can't rest. So we can't look at America as the greatest political experiment in human history, the thing that has done more than any other political experiment ever to relieve, to lift people out of poverty and propagate human freedom. That is the reality. That's why we're happy about it. They just see all the things that are imperfect. We see the same things, but we have the freedom to be grateful for the things that are good and not obsess all the time about the things that are still needing to be improved. They be and the reason we have that freedom is because we have what I would describe as realistic expectations, because the doctrine of sin ensures us that we're never going to get rid of all the problems. So how do we be happy despite the problems? They're like, we're not gonna be happy until there are no problems. And I think that is a defining characteristic of leftism. And to me, that explains why. They're like, do we love America? Are we very proud to be America? No, because there's still poor people, there's still crime, there's still racism, there's still problems. So how could we be grateful for America? We have an answer to that. They don't. So they're not grateful for America. And also, by the way, they're just really unhappy.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, there's some research data actually that says that conservatives are happier.
SPEAKER_03Yes. So and that's why this is politics for happy people. I mean, that's it's it's coded.
SPEAKER_00It's kind of part of the reason. And we talk about that.
SPEAKER_03No, that's exactly right. It's exactly right. How do you how do you keep your joy?
SPEAKER_00It is a thankfulness issue, but there's so much to be thankful for. Yes, we want to improve. Yes, we want policies that that make sense and and that are just uh and we're working towards that, but we have so much to be thankful for here. And I just would think, I mean, I I think this position is to not be proud to be American. I mean, another poll said that the majority of Democrats would rather live in another country. I mean, to to not love this country, a simple you would think a simple just comparative analysis would would wake them up.
SPEAKER_03Cuba will take them.
SPEAKER_00I mean, I mean, really, look around look around the globe at the the levels of poverty in other nations. Look back through history at the conditions under which people lived. And it's it's this is it's just it's very in my mind, so illogical um for these people to be so down on our nation. Um, but in our family, in our household, we are very excited about America 250. We will be celebrating July 4th, and we we love this country, have so much to be thankful for.
SPEAKER_03That's right. So fly the flag. Be grateful, not because it can't be better, but because it can be much, much, much worse. And for basically everybody in all in all of human history, it has been much, much worse. So should you be grateful to be American? Absolutely, you have won the lottery. Know it, be grateful for it, continue to work to make it better. Happy 250th. That's right. That's right. America. Thanks for joining us today on Politics for Happy People. Thrilled to have you on the journey with us. New episodes every Tuesday and Friday. So look for the next one. We look forward to being with you then.