Suddenly, Democrats Have a Path to a HUGE Senate Majority
The Next Level
The hosts discuss the intensifying immigration enforcement tactics by DHS, specifically targeting vulnerable populations in hospitals and schools.
Key takeaways
- DHS is reportedly conducting high-profile arrests in sensitive locations like schools and hospitals to maximize impact.
- Ohio focus groups suggest Sherrod Brown maintains significant name recognition, with 25% of voters still identifying him as the incumbent.
Main topics
- DHS immigration enforcement tactics
- Ohio political focus group results
Notable quotes
Happiness is... watching bad things happen to bad people.
Conclusion
The episode highlights a volatile political environment where strategi
Transcript preview
Speaker 3 (0:00) All right, we're ready to do a show. Hello, Dayton. This is JVL here with my best friend, Sarah Longwell and Tim Miller of the Bulwark. Hello, Sarah. That John Legend thing, Speaker 1 (0:20) man. Speaker 3 (0:21) It's pretty good, right? Made me Speaker 1 (0:22) cry back there a little bit. Speaker 3 (0:24) I Speaker 1 (0:24) know. Speaker 3 (0:24) It was great. Okay, so we're going to start dark, but I promise you, we're going to end happy. Speaker 3 (0:32) And I'll just tip my hand a little bit. The reason we're gonna end happy is because at the end we get to talk about people we hate. Speaker 2 (0:41) And you guys might get to do that too, so start thinking about who's on your hate Speaker 3 (0:45) list. I want to tell you guys, so Sarah and I did a show out in Seattle, and somebody brought me a present. And the present is a little sign that says, happiness is, and then underneath it says, watching bad things happen to bad people. Speaker 3 (1:02) That's a good gift. That's a thoughtful gift. I feel seen. Okay. Speaker 3 (1:08) So you guys got into Springfield today, Tim. And I saw the New York Times story about DHS announcing that they had a record amount of arrests this summer, despite the fact that they managed to stay out of the headlines. And did any of you guys see this story? Yeah. And the way they did it was by going and tracking down people where they were most vulnerable and then arresting them there. So schools, courthouses, and hospitals. This is our fucking country. Speaker 2 (1:43) Thoughts? Yeah. I mean, that's, forget going, it's the opposite of going after the worst of the worst. And it's the thing that, there are two things that make me really upset about this. And I'm just so grateful from those from the community that came out and spoke today and just listening to them and thinking about the dehumanization. And really, we're treating Haitians and immigrants of all kinds like cattle and prisoners and they did something wrong. A lot of times people that didn't do anything wrong. Speaker 2 (2:11) key point of this time story is they're identifying people that are following the rules basically right i mean they're going to places where people are either going to their check-in you know or where they're forced to get um you know where they're like forced to get medical care or you know because sometimes not when earlier today in the lobby i was talking to the chaplain is here shout out um who does um services to people at the hospital in springfield and it's like people don't come in Like some of the Haitians aren't coming in because they're scared because they know that's where they're nabbing people. So it's like, it's not like they're going to the drug dens. It's not like they're going to, you know, places, you know, where they're like, oh, there's been thefts or whatever. Or there's been, you know, they're trying to go after people that have criminal records. Like they're not doing any of that. Like the Haitians, and this is the thing that's the most galling about this whole thing and the thing that pisses me off the most about the way they treated Pierre Damas Bell. It's like... The Haitians followed, Pierre D'Amico followed every rule. Like, this would be a horrible way to treat somebody if they were illegal. Okay? But at least it would be consistent with their stated messaging. Right? Like, that's not what happened here. They came here legally under temporary protected status. And we're treating them as if they're fentanyl dealers with cantaloupe legs coming across the border. And it's sick. I want to read you. Speaker 3 (3:35) Sarah, before we go to this. Speaker 2 (3:36) Wait, Speaker 1 (3:36) I'm sorry. What is a cantaloupe leg? Speaker 2 (3:39) You don't remember that? Was that Steve King? Steve, oh, it was a Republican congressman. It was an anti-immigrant congressman that said that he was a little homoerotic, actually. He was like. You won't believe the legs on these immigrants, because they're carrying all the drugs on their back every time they go across the border. And Speaker 1 (3:59) it's, like, Speaker 2 (3:59) good for their quads. Yeah, it's like if you're doing squats all the time, you know? And so they have, like, cantaloupe. They have, like, thighs the size of cantaloupes. I Speaker 1 (4:07) aspire. Yeah. Speaker 2 (4:08) Yeah. Anyway. Speaker 1 (4:10) All right, Sarah, I want to read to you Speaker 2 (4:11) from Speaker 3 (4:11) this New York Times piece. On the morning of August 20th, Grace Calero, 39, and her daughter, Juliana Cariel, 19, were rushed to a hospital after a car crash south of Orlando, Florida. As medical staff treated them for injuries, a federal agent entered the emergency ward and began questioning Grace's sister, Gia, about the woman's immigration status, the sister said. He remained in the room, joking with nurses. It wasn't until hours later, after Grace's neck brace was removed, that the officer announced that he was with ICE. In a dramatic scene captured on a cell phone camera, five deputies from Polk County Sheriff's Office arrived. They handcuffed Grace as Juliana wailed on a bed, clinging to her mother and begging them not to take her. Speaker 1 (4:57) Yeah, okay. So... Answer for Cletus. Is that, that's the thing? You know, actually, I will answer for Cletus. Okay. Because I don't know if you have noticed, but immigration was the reason that Donald Trump became the Republican nominee. It has always been one of his strongest approval ratings with voters. He's underwater on immigration right now by like 14 points. Speaker 1 (5:29) Speak up just slightly for the American people because look, they definitely voted for a secure border. That is a thing that people want. People do not like what is happening and it is I understand that it was always known They held up mass deportation signs at the rallies, but I also know that a lot of voters They just heard what they wanted to hear. They were like, okay Well, they're just gonna deport criminals and I'm okay with that like we're gonna go after the ms-13 And you know the polling against gangs is quite high people don't like murderous gangs and so That you know people were on board with that what is happening now, and I think this is important And it's why we're here It's what we're doing is the country has to live in the excess now We have to show people that what they are doing now is un-American and it is like I know there's a lot sometimes um this is always something I just kind of want to get off my chest because people say well you guys were Republicans Did you just laugh because we've already made bra jokes is that why? Speaker 1 (6:37) Anyway, back on it. As people are always like, well, you guys were Republicans, and so back then, how could you have done this? I can't tell you. Ronald Reagan used to have this whole bit about, and H.W., they talked about immigration. It was never like this coming up. When you would listen to Republicans, Ronald Reagan would say, the greatest thing about America is that you can go to China. and you'll never be Chinese. You can go to France and you'll never be French. But anybody who has freedom in their heart can come to the United States and become an American. Like, that's who we are. And I still think there's a lot of that in there. And so we have to show them what they're doing and the Stephen Miller of it all, the masked thugs of it all. Like, that exactly. Speaker 1 (7:24) Let them keep putting that ghoul on Fox News. Like, that guy's not mainstream. And so we have to show them people. This is where you can start to turn Americans who even voted for Trump, but people of good conscience against what is happening here. This, Speaker 2 (7:39) though, is why... We can clap. Please clap for Sarah. That's Speaker 1 (7:45) a good job, Joe. Speaker 2 (7:47) Love me, love me. That's kind of John Legend aspiring. Here's the thing, though. Here's why I have to be here, why I have to keep doing this and talking about this and putting the pedal on the gas and where I get a little frustrated with the Democrats is that they're adjusting. The fascists are adjusting. The whole point of this article is... well, why are they doing it like this? Because they didn't like the backlash. They didn't have the stomach for it. You know, Stephen Miller didn't mind it. And J.D. probably didn't mind it. And Kristi Noem didn't mind it. But a lot of these other girls... Susan Speaker 3 (8:21) Collins sent a very strongly worded letter. Speaker 2 (8:24) Susie Wiles. Ivanka doesn't want to see the chains on TV. Like, she calls Daddy and is like, Daddy, you're being mean to these people, right? And so you have to do it with more subterfuge. You have to do it in other ways. And that is... kind of working, right? I mean, like part of it is that there's a lot of other stuff happening in the news right now. We did a stupid war and a bunch of other stuff we're about to talk about. But part of it is that the scenes aren't as dramatic as they were when we went to Minnesota, right? And so they are kind of bragging in this New York Times. The New York Times story is hitting on them, but the administration's bragging. They're like, we're hitting our record numbers. And the outrage is tamped down. And like that is why it is like absolutely critical to highlight every instance possible like that situation in the hospital and continue to talk about this because you know this better than anybody, Sarah. If it's out of the news for a while, his numbers will start to come back around on this. There is an out of sight, out of mind. You know, people don't have object permanence, particularly swing