I

agree, Hogan, but I'll put a pin in this, though.

The data center attack short circuits the whole AI.

Obviously, you eliminate data centers, you control data centers.

That bottlenecks the development of AI.

Would you not agree? Yeah, sure.

So I think when Bernie or these other people say moratorium, I'm not going to call it intellectually lazy, but it is a kind of lazy way to cut off the progress of AI.

I

But that being said, what are a couple things before we go to this break that you think are the opportunities in our criticism of our party that we can use to be beyond Trump?

I, I think we, we've lost credibility with a lot of American voters, uh, based upon, you know, what, what happened in 2024 where Joe Biden decided to run for re-election with Kamala Harris stepping in.

But it, it goes back before that to how he spoke to voters.

We...

You know, bidding terms and words where the common voters feel like we're either speaking down to them or speaking at them as opposed to speaking to them.

Um, a- and also being a little bit humble about, you know, where, where we were in the past but also where we want to go in the future, and that includes bringing in new ideas.

And when I look across the Democratic establishment I haven't seen a, just a outpouring of new and bold ideas.

What are your thoughts there?

France, $6.50. How can that be? Why is there such a disparity for Americans paying these prices?

Greed, Laura.

Greed is the central theme here.

And big pharma has been the culprit.

And Americans are subsidizing the lower cost of prescription drugs that people in other countries enjoy.

And, you know, as we look on the midterms in 2028, affordability, affordability, affordability.

That's the key, right? And the rising cost of prescription drugs is a cornerstone of this affordability crisis because every single month, When Americans go to refill their prescriptions, if they do, as J.D.

But politically speaking, how can it be different now?

the solid ideas for affordability, other than maybe, like, taxing the wealthiest?

Yeah, I, I mean, look, taxing the rich, the billionaires tax, uh, in my, in my opin- opinion, uh, they're, they're, they're shortsighted and, uh, they don't really address the root of the problem, you know, the corporate greed that has infested, uh, our country.

Um, I do think it's gonna be those kitchen table issues.

And you know, you, I don't think you hear a clear vision from the Democratic Party because there's not a clear leader, you know, whereas on the Republican side you have President Trump who is speaking for the party and i- is their obvious and clear leader.

Um, but I write about this in my book, Life of the Party, the, uh, the corporations have taken over our country and, you know, I agree with President Trump on some of these issues, like getting, um, getting corporate money out of the housing market, you know? One in four homes, uh, are owned by private equity.

Um, uh, I mean, it...

The competition in the private sector has been reduced and reduced and reduced because of, uh, monopolies and companies banding together to drive down the competition, and as a result it's, you know, customers and, and consumers don't have any rights anymore.

Is this a problem for Democrats?

Congressman Cunningham, how do you feel about where the U.S. is now situated?

Not good.

As Garrett said, I mean, I can't believe we're in this same situation, Mark, going to war with the country over these weapons which may or may not exist.

I mean, we literally just did this.

just change a letter in the country's name.

But here we are again, and there's no clear and concise vision as to what we're fighting for.

I mean, what I heard today on the media is like, well, you know, we're trying to open up the strait.

You first, Cunningham.

Um, Congressman, how would you describe where the US is vis-a-vis this conflict with Iran right now?

now?Uh, I mean, uh, it's a completely self-inflicted wound here.

I, I just...

I've always viewed this situation going into Iran, and, and, um, this whole, this whole...

It's never been clear from the get-go, Mark, as to what exactly our goals are and what success looks like, and that...

I think that could have been articulated by the, the, uh, President of the United States.

But, I mean, here we are expending funds and resources and putting, um, lives of American men and women on the line for this, uh, to open up a strait that was opened up before.

Congressman, would you have voted for that bill yesterday along with Nancy Pelosi and AOC?

So, Joe, what will Senator Lindsey Graham's legacy be? What do you think his lasting impact will be on the Republican Party after such a storied career?

Well, look, I think I would echo those last comments about his wit.

I got to spend a good bit of time with him when I served in Congress, and he was always quick, witty, always had a comment to make.

I think he'll also be remembered in South Carolina.

He was a hardworking senator.

I mean, he was always on the go and always working for South Carolina, specifically, you know, our military installations and bases down here, whether it be in Charleston or Beaufort or Fort Jackson.

Senator Graham understood that our state has a heavy military footprint.

For instance, Representative Nancy Mace, could she be a contender to run and win the seat despite her falling out with the president?

Like, how do you help people do that?

Well, you know, I've seen a lot of permutations in the business because I've been doing this for almost 40 years now.

You know, when I first started, I was working with technicians who had been in the field since, oh, for 20 years, 25 years then.

And I started in 1988 or 1989 working with distributors and manufacturers.

That means some of these guys go back into the 60s as to when they started.

So the differences in the business were huge.

And as we looked at all these businesses and different manufacturers and distributors asked me to help their contractors grow because they saw what I did.

This is

As you survey that field, is there somebody who jumps out to you that you say, "You know what? This is somebody who could possibly rekindle this relationship between the Democratic Party and working-class America"?

Uh, to me personally, uh, Scott, I think, I think we have a, a lot of talent on the bench.

Um, I, I think there's probably more to come as well.

Y- you know, in the wake of 2024, um, I think it's about earning back Democrats' trust because of what happened with President Biden, but not only that, but the coronation of Kamala Harris and putting her in place.

So there is that to address, but also, I think there are new issues on the horizon.

I mean, the Democratic Party has to talk about something else other than saving democracy.

We gotta get back to the econo- economic needs of, um, of Americans.

Do you get into sort of the gender splits in your book at all? And as a former male Democratic office holder, what do you make of this recent polling, and what do you make of the Democrats' struggles, uh, with male voters?

Did you get the answers you wanted from your interviews with all these various Democratic leaders?

No, look, I think the autopsy report was pretty blank and void of the reasons for the things that you mentioned.

Most of these answers are in my new book, Life of the Party, and people can get it at lifeofthepartybook.com.

I would say, Wolf, there's good news and there's bad news for Democrats.

The good news is they do have a 11-point generic ballot advantage this fall.

The bad news is our favorability is still at 20%.

And look, as a lifelong Southern Democrat, I wrote this book.

Who do you believe, Joe, is the current leader of the Democratic Party?

Mm-hmm.

The district that I won in South Carolina, SC1, was a district that President Trump had carried by 13 points.

That's, so that's the spread we're looking at.

That was in 2018, okay, when the economy was doing fairly well.

This is a completely different cycle.

People are pissed.

People are angry about the economy, about affordability.

With Ken Martin as the head of the DNC?

Why are you someone people should listen to about a question of how the Democratic Party can come back, particularly in, in re- i- in what are now red states?

Yeah.

Um, well, I, first of all, I, I'm a lifelong Democrat from the South.

I grew up in, uh, Tall, Kentucky.

It's a town that boasts a population of about 500 people.

It was a dry county when I was there.

Uh, I moved away from Western Kentucky to come down to Charleston to go to college down here.

Raised, raised in a lake, log cabin you built yourself.

Where do you think this goes there?

Well, look, I, first of all, Phil, I wanna say that gerrymandering is one of the biggest threats to our democracy, full stop.

And it's terrible no matter who does it.

It's important to note this, uh, mid-decade, um, redistricting arms race was started by Republicans in Texas, and then moved to California and Virginia, and it's making its way throughout every single state.

Um, and every single state is different.

You know, Tennessee is different than South Carolina.

But what I can tell you right now, if they carry through with their promise to split up Congressman Jim Clyburn's district, his voters don't just disappear.

Joe, Joe, go ahead.

Joe, explain.

That's true, Nancy.

And these cases are some of the most emotionally tough cases that I deal with.

They follow a similar pattern and a similar script, and the results are always just shattering.

I mean, I'm a parent, you're a parent, and I got to commend you, Nancy, for ringing the bell on this issue today.

so early on.

And it still amazes me how many parents have no idea about these sextortion schemes that are going on and how just how evil they are as well.

They trick children into mutilating, cutting themselves?