Graham Platner On Service, Messaging & the Future for Democrats | The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

Last summer, end of July, some people. came to my house. They had been in Maine. for a few months working with the AFL. CIO and a bunch of labor unions looking. for someone to run for US Senate against. Susan Collins. >> And they had found me because I did a. video a few years ago fighting against. the Norwegian salmon farm that was. trying to come into our bay. I a bunch. of us mobilized against it and I did a. video with the group. I don't know that. there's anything I've ever heard that's. more maine than this.

>> Bunch of guys come to my house. Yeah. >> Because they saw your Norwegian salmon. video. >> Yeah. And then they looked me up and. they saw I donated to Bernie Sanders and. and they were like, "Oh, well maybe this. like they were like, "We should go check. it out." So they literally came to my. house and said, "We think you should run. for United States Senate." And my wife. and I quite honestly told them to. off because that was the [laughter] It's. like the weirdest weirdest most random. thing. >> The absolute proper response.

[music]. >> Hey everybody, it's John Stewart. Welcome to the Weekly Show podcast. Uh. we have a a fine fine program for you. We're going to pivot a little bit from. the issues of the day to the candidate. of the day. Uh but boy, it's what is. today? Tuesday, April 29th. Tomorrow is. is Wednesday. Who knows what's what's. going to happen. Apparently, the. Iranians uh are begging Donald Trump uh. to be able to unconditionally surrender. and because they're collapsing. They're.

apparently completely uh collapsing uh. except for their ability to choke off. the straight of hormones. Apparently, everything is falling apart, but their. ability to keep all boats other than uh. Russian luxury yachts out of the. straight of Hormuz. It's I I don't know. about you. I I am sure you're all. exhausted by all this. Um to. have uh the White House Correspondent. Center end in gunfire and somehow that. get flipped around and uh be an assault.

on apparently Jimmy Kimmel's jokes. Uh. that's the land of absurdity we find. ourselves in in today's society. But you. know what? There is there is hope and. the hope is in the people that rise out. of you know I've always believed this. when they say make America great again. Donald Trump will make America great. again just not in the way that he. intended because the reaction to his. fragility and impulsiveness and. incompetence will uh spur people that.

you would not expect to rise above the. madness and and help to begin to rebuild. uh the very thing that we need in this. country. And and uh our guest today say. maybe one of those individuals and I'm. very excited to actually talk to him. He. is kind of came uh out of nowhere one of. those ordinary people who has suddenly. stood up and raised their hand and said, "Hey, maybe maybe I could help run this. thing." Uh he is uh from Maine, a simple.

man, a mayor, a marine, uh an oyster. farmer, and now a US Senate candidate. for the great state of Maine. Let's talk. to Graham Platner. [music]. Well, folks, we are excited today to be. talking about uh a young rising voice in. the Democratic party uh from the great. state of Maine, a Mayor Mayor. Mayish. >> Mayor. >> Mayor. >> Mayor. Yeah, Mayor's Mayor is the the.

correct term. >> Mayor is the correct term. Uh, former. Marine, Oyster, farmer, US Senate. candidate, uh, from the great state of. Maine. Grant Platner. What's happening, man? >> Uh, oh, you know, not much. >> Not much. >> Everything's real mellow. Having a real. mellow mellow existence. My my my life. is definitely on the exact path that I. thought it would be. Yeah. Everything's. chill. Very interesting. Graham, can I. just even getting started on this?

>> What what drove you this idea to to run. for for Senate in Maine to join that uh. assisted living facility that is the. Senate down in Washington? What. possessed you to to to even consider. something like that? Well, I mean, and. do you mind if I give you like the. two-minute spiel on this because I think. it's rather important. >> Give me the spiel, baby. That's that's. what we're here for. I'd love to hear. it. So after I I moved back to Maine in.

2016. Um I after my after I I deployed a. bunch in my 20s, early 30s uh in the. Marine Corps and the Army and uh when I. got back from that was very. disillusioned, was very frankly bitter. uh was was really and then was also. struggling with all the standard stuff. that one goes through after you know. multiple heavy combat deployments. And I. uh and I went to college in DC. Um I. went to George Washington. I didn't. graduate but uh but kind of went to.

school was a bartender actually. bartended on Capitol Hill which uh gave. me a look behind the curtain uh and I. realized that the wizard is in fact a. very small man [laughter]. >> and some seemingly dumb. >> and seeming well that so honestly that. there was there was part of my. disillusionment was actually living in. DC and and kind of meeting people in the. political space and realizing that like. This is it. >> Oh wow.

>> Like I went through all of that horror. I saw like my friends got killed. I saw. awful stuff because of you people. >> Oh boy. Yeah. >> You know, like there was this kind of. like deep like frustration. But um so in. 2016 I I moved back to Maine. And uh. after I moved back to Maine, things. changed significantly. I started getting. help from the VA. I moved back to my. hometown. I got into oyster farming and. I I I wanted to check out. I wanted to I.

just wanted to be left alone. I thought. the whole thing was broken. I didn't. want to have any part of it. I just. wanted to sink all my time and energy. into the place that I'm from. Started. making a living on the sea. Got into. diving. Got into oyster farming, became. the harbor master. Got really involved. in my local community. And honestly, in. that time frame, all my disillusionment. disappeared. not with the bigger system, but like I went I went from blaming like. America and Americans to because I used. to have this feeling like why did you.

make me go do this, >> right? >> Like why did you guys make us go do this. thing in Iraq and Afghanistan that like. I I for the life of me cannot figure out. what the purpose was. And when I got. back here and started really really. settling in, I realized I be I became. quite convinced that the average. American is a truly wonderful human. being. Most people are most people are. normal. The problem is we have a. political system that elevates a lot of. abnormal people. >> and [laughter].

and. >> so you get cable news you you've. watched. >> Yeah. And I've always you know I've. always been a very politically active. and interested person but not in like. electoral politics. So I really sank my. time into my into local governance. I. became chair of the planning board and. then I got really into the community. organizing around social justice and. economic justice issues. And in in all. doing all of that, I also be came to the. realization that when the system itself. is quite broken or not even broken, when.

the system itself is built to be a raid. against the average person, um you know, when you're working at the ground level, you're pretty much just putting. band-aids on things. And but I did think. that that was exactly where my life was. going to stay. I mean, I I really I. moved back here to Sullivan, Maine, where I currently live. I live on the. road I grew up on. >> Do you really you grew up on. >> I live like I live a couple houses down. from the house I grew up in. >> Oh, fantastic. >> Which is nice, you know? It's very And.

and like and I come from a I mean, my. town has thousand people in it and it's. where I grew up. So like I I know. everybody everybody's known me since I. was a kid. It's a very nice I don't. know. It's a nice feeling. Last summer, end of July, uh, some. people came to my house. Um, they had. been in Maine for a few months working. with the AFL CIO and a bunch of labor. unions looking for someone to run for US. Senate against Susan Collins. Uh, and. they were looking specifically for like.

a kind of a workingclass person on kind. of workingass economic policies. and. [clears throat]. they had found me because I did a video. a few years ago fighting against a. Norwegian salmon farm that was trying to. come into our bay. I a bunch of us. mobilized against it and I did a video. with the group. >> I don't know that there's anything I've. ever heard that's more main than this. [laughter]. >> Bunch of guys come to my house. >> Yeah. >> Because they saw your Norwegian salmon. video.

>> Yeah. And then they looked me up and. they saw I donated to Bernie Sanders and. and they were like, "Oh, well maybe this. like they were like, "We should go check. it out." So [snorts]. >> they literally came to my house and. said, "We think you should run for. United States Senate." And my wife and I. quite honestly told them to off. because that was the. weirdest weirdest most random thing, >> the absolute proper response. >> Yeah. >> That that you should have given. >> I mean, it was also like it was in the. morning. We're get I'm ready to get I'm.

getting ready to go out on the boat. My. we're getting like we're going to work. and we're like what the hell? But they. came back the next week. >> with a more kind of fleshed out idea. They're like, "Listen, this isn't like. they're like this isn't like a joke.". >> They're like, "We we've got someone who. can help you do small dollar. fundraising. We've got someone who can. help get your name in the papers and. we've got someone who's who can shoot a. launch video." Um which was the launch. video that got made. And at that point I. because my wife and I we have no money. and so I'm like I'm like I know how this. I know I know how these campaigns work.

right like where how is this going to. happen and essentially they were like. look we're not like we've got some. people who can help early on and that. and I'm like well. it so there was this moment where for my. wife and I we spent a lot of time being. frustrated with the larger system. We. spent a lot of time thinking that and. and ironically I've also had a theory. for years that the United States Senate. because it was set up to be a specific.

bull work against workingclass people to. protect elites that that actually makes. it a unique place of power where if we. can get a few normal people into the US. Senate. [laughter]. >> So like but I and I felt that way for. years never expecting that like I was. going to be the one. >> Right. You'd be one of the normals. No, I I it never once uh but then it this. opportunity showed up and so I mean. essentially my wife and I had to ask. ourselves, do we actually believe what we think we.

believe? Because because if if we if we. do. >> if we do then an opportunity like this. to do something of this scale and of. this visibility and and to frankly. organize. like using this as I mean because my. wife and I have been very engaged in a. lot of local community organizing and we. realized like this is a this is an. ability to do a statewide organizing. project on a scale that like we never. could have dreamed of with resources and.

visibility that we never could have. dreamed of. And so we said yes. >> So So the off became actually this. might be an opportunity to put our. principles that we've kind of been. living by. >> Yeah. >> For all these years into practice. >> Yeah. But we didn't expect it to to do. what [laughter] it. >> we didn't think it would work. We we. didn't have any idea that this would. actually work.

>> Early on there was this element of like. it was almost like things are so. bad now and people are so frustrated. including us. We're like we might. actually pull this off. I mean there was. this like but we did but we certainly. didn't expect it to explode the way that. it did. I mean I thought we we really. thought this was going to be like a. monthsl long slowly building kind of. diligently going out and getting my. name. I mean, because I'm literally a. random I mean, I'm a random oyster. farmer from Sullivan, Maine. [laughter].

>> It is. I [clears throat] have to tell. you, it's insane. >> The entire setup. >> is somewhat Disney-esque. >> or just sort of this I you know, well, first of all, there's always that. there's kind of always the the the the. fable of a Mr. Smith goes to Washington, a kind of, you know, an honest man who. has real ideals facing off against a. corrupt system uh that is fueled by uh. money and toxicity and all these. So.

there is an archetype for this, but I'm curious in in in your mind, why did the sort of Mr. Smith goes to. Washington thing catch such fire? What. what do you think you tapped into? What frustrations were it that you were. able to articulate so well early on that. people just caught on to? cuz it wasn't. you weren't if I may like you weren't. mimicking.

any other politician to my I mean there. was there's hints of Sanders in there. but like you were definitely. a bit iconoclastic when it came to what. you were putting out there and it didn't. seem focus grouped and considered or any. of the other artififices that occur with. with a lot of politicians. So what what. kind of took off. I think it's honestly I think it's two. things. The first is that I actually.

have politics, >> right? >> Like like I like I have a over the years. throughout my life through my. experiences overseas coming home my. disillusionment I I went looking for. answers and and in the looking for. answers I read a lot of books and I. developed frankly a theory of power. I. developed a deep critique of the. American, not just the political system, but like the party that the party that. I've always been a part of. I mean, I've. been a Democrat. I mean, I've always. been a registered Democrat. I've also my.

entire life been very frustrated with. the party that that I'm that I'm in. >> You you and me both, sister. >> Primarily around that theory of power. thing. I mean, I I I I honestly have. always like we we can never articulate. >> The Democratic Party has never been able. to articulate what it's trying to do, like what's the end goal, >> never really articulates a clear set of. policies that to get us there, and then. never never seems to want to wield power.

to make those policies a reality. [laughter]. >> You're you're nailing. So Graeme, are. you suggesting sir that your career is. built on principle? >> A wild concept in THIS MODERN ERA. >> WHAT what [music]. upwork? Not to be confused with uh. downwork. No, this is upwork. If you've. got a business, you're feeling, I don't. know, like, uh, I I could use some more.

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grouped and the reason that my messaging. is is because it isn't like I don't like. I write my own speeches like I give my. own opinions when people ask me them. Like I don't like I've got like. communications people. We talk about. ways to like clean it up and make it. easier. [laughter] Like well I don't. >> curse less. Come on Graham. >> Well I mean oh my god well the first two. months of the campaign I like John. literally the amount of news articles. that existed which were this man swears.

too much. [laughter]. And I was like dude I'm like I'm a. former combat marine and I work on the. ocean. What do you expect? Like it's. >> it's the only language the fish. understand. >> You got to you got to talk to them. >> You got to be rough. >> Well more importantly it's the only. language outboard engines understand. If. you don't swear at outboard engines, they won't work for you. It's a it's a. scientific fact. >> So, there's that part. There's the fact. that like I honestly think. >> people understand that I'm not full of. like like it like like because I.

actually do believe these things and and. I remember it was early on I went like. on CNN and I I you know I went on they. asked me questions and I just gave like. yes or no answers and afterwards all. these people called me and they were. like oh my god it was so real. It was so. like [laughter] like the like like it. you came across as so authentic and I'm. like what the how broken. are we? Oh, oh, oh, baby. I.

>> Oh, I know. I know. >> You're like, you're literally like a. mermaid that came out of the sea and. people are like, "What is happening?". >> So, there's that. The other part, though, is that I'm just saying the. things out loud that I've heard from my. neighbors and my friends and my. community members for years, >> right? >> I mean, something I, you know, I've gone all over Maine for. the past nine months now. We've talked. to like tens of thousands of mayors. I. hold multiple public events a week. It's.

all open to the public. We don't screen. questions. We don't screen people. Like. anybody can come. And so I've been. talking to everybody, Republicans, independents, Democrats, the whole nine. yard. People that just don't care about. politics, the whole nine yards. And if. you ask any manner, do you think you. live in a political and economic system. that has your best interest at heart? Uh. nobody says yes. And by the way, I mean, you transfer that to any state, I think. I mean, I think that's that's absolutely.

the undercurrent of I mean, Gra, I have. to tell, you know, look, I talk to. people in politics. >> all the time, and I've I've done it for. many years. This might be the longest. conversation I've had without a. platitude. with a politician. I I like it sounds. ridiculous, but I cannot tell you how. canned how often you hear the Democrats. just have to get back to those issues of. affordability. We've got to get back to. what people talk about around the.

kitchen table. And I'm like, I don't. think people actually talk around the. kitchen. I think they're eating in their. cars. Like, >> that's right. >> But but that's what I'm saying. I I. think there is a a refreshing. openness and honesty to approaching. something this way and I cannot wait to. see uh how long it takes for you to be. consumed by that system. [laughter]. Honestly, man, like that is it's. >> Do you worry about that?

>> Yeah, of course. >> Yeah. of and I don't look like I don't. worry about look I'll just say like I. love Bernie Sanders and and I've. developed a very nice relationship with. Senator Sanders and it is very clear to. me that Senator Sanders has maintained. his integrity because he believes. >> Yeah. And I believe in the same thing. Bernie believes like like I think I. think we have a very very similar sort. of. foundational politics which is like we. care about we care about people for like.

it's it's a politics of humanity and. it's a real polit it's not a politics of. like trying to like get into power for. your sake. It's because it's only in. it's only in these pol like I just have. a theory of power of these political. institutions that we that exist around. us. If we want to change things, we're. going to have to like use them in some. way. I I would love if we could just do. something else, but I like right now it.

doesn't seem like that's possible. Um. now I do think that cuz like I I want to. I'm not really a reformed candidate. I. don't uh I I very much like Bernie. believe in the need to have a political. revolution in this country. Like like I. I we need to restructure things. We need. systemic changes. Like it's not a. >> but it's not nihilistic. I don't I don't. find what you talk about as as. nihilistic. I think and it's something. that I think the Democratic party has.

really struggled with which is I think. they're still relying on the idea that. the New Deal was a good idea and that. was in the 30s and that was the. Democrats and so let's just figure out. ways to continue picking around that. Let's do a tax subsidy here. let's do. but they don't think broadly and. systemically in the way that I think is. necessary and and and maybe that's what. you're thinking of. >> Well, and like if I'm any kind of. Democrat, I am a New Deal Democrat,

>> right? >> But but like the New Deal wasn't picking. around the edges. >> Exactly. >> Like Social Security wasn't a tax. credit. It wasn't a block grant. It. wasn't a marginal amendment to an. existing policy. Francis Perkins and FDR. and a bunch of labor unions invented. social security out of whole cloth. and and like and and the the CCC, the. WPA, the TVA, the Rural Electrification.

Administration, all of these things. >> And listen, some of it worked and some. of it didn't, but there was a theory. behind what they were accomplishing. And. and there was also the political will. which I mean like and and and and FDR. >> had a theory of power. >> I mean for instance. mid1 1930s. supreme court is about to say that all. the new deal programs are. unconstitutional. FDR. >> yes. >> against the wishes of his own party.

>> Yes. >> Says that he's going to pack the court. Suddenly, very quickly, all those. unconstitutional New Deal programs. became constitutional overnight. Nobody changed the language. Nobody like. like FD like it's almost it's almost as. though political power goes a little bit. further than just the words on the page. It's almost as though that political. power is in fact its own unique thing.

that needs to be at times wielded. creatively. And you know like and and if. that hadn't happened then this country. doesn't get dragged out of the. depression. If that hadn't happened we we wouldn't. have set the stage to win the war. Do. you see parallels with this moment? You. know, one of the things that I think. about sometimes, you know, >> to be fair to uh, you know, the the. system, Roosevelt did have large. margins, you know, at that time because. Hoover would, you know, the Republicans.

had up at that point so grandly. >> [snorts]. >> uh that that there were margins there. that could be worked within. But even. when Democrats have margins, I can. recall when they've had the Senate and. the House and they had a super majority. for a little while, they still did that. thing that you're talking about, which. is don't let, you know, let's not go to. let's let's not push this too far. Let's. make sure that this program for health. care isn't healthcare for everybody cuz. that's going to scare people. Let's just.

give a subsidy to insurance companies so. that they will just bring more people. into this broken system that we have. >> That's I mean that's it that I mean and. which is exactly what has happened and. it didn't fix anything because the. problem isn't about the problem isn't. marginal. The problem is systemic and. systemic I mean and you know this is. like it and the reason we know it's. systemic by the way is because it's. happening everywhere. It's not like one. state has a problem with housing. It's.

not like one state has a problem with. healthcare. It's not like one state has. a problem with affordability. It's the. entire country. And and so which is very. clear to me that this is a obvious. systemic problem. But like okay, I'm. going to because we Roosevelt a little. bit. I'm going to do one more. [laughter] I'm going to I'm going to do. one more. >> How could we not Roosevelt? We had to. Roosevelt. In 1928, Roosevelt writes. that the problem with the Democratic. Party today is it has no constructive. policy and vision of the future. And.

that if you ask the average American. what the Democratic Party believed in, nobody would be able to tell you. And. that the entire theory is that we're. going to wait for the Republicans to. screw it up so much that we'll just. magically get power again. He said that. in 1928. >> Wow. >> And. >> Wow. And like like I like when. >> and at that time was Chuck Schumer the. leader of the Senate? I'm just curious. >> Uh I mean but possibly um it's.

>> same man. >> But here's the thing though and this is. what G this is why I'm not this is why. I'm not remotely hopeless. Roosevelt. writes that in 28. >> Mhm. By 1933, he is president and the nation is fully. engaged in the project of fixing itself. out of the new the the depression. >> That's right. >> Like we like the first hundred days of. his administration, right? Like the. whole there's the whole joke about the. alphabet agencies because they just.

invent like 10 new agencies just into. existence. >> and created markets where they didn't. exist before and created safeguards so. that bank runs didn't exist and created. financing for housing which didn't. exist. you know, all of those things. Did it in a racist way, but still did it. >> well like and but the thing is like the. the those New Deal programs for all and. and and and the society that they built. really in the 50s and 60s which had a. myriad of faults. I mean like faults of. of I mean of racism, faults of leaving.

out immense amounts of the nation uh for. however. what we have to understand is we can. look to that and say like we can do that. in a not bad way. >> That's right. It's a blueprint. >> Yeah. >> In fact, had we done it then in a more. inclusive manner, we probably would have. had a better society. But my the for me. the big the big lesson here is that one. things can change pretty quickly. Now.

let's I mean it's important to remember. 1929. right in the runup to the total collapse. we had full deregulation of speculative. financial markets. >> We had we had [snorts] rampant wealth. hoarding. >> where money money was no longer in the. real world. It was just being hoarded in. vast numbers. >> We had a small amount of Americans. owning pretty much all of the things and.

having all of the wealth. You know, I mean, >> none of this resonates with the modern. times at all, Graham. But it's also why I think, and this is. what's really important to me, in this. moment, we need as whether we call it. the Democratic Party, whether we call it. like a a a a I don't know, like a more. economically populist look at our. politics, either way, we need to be. ready. We need to be there with the. answers and with policies already.

written because I do think it's going to. move fast. >> No question. The Trump administration. has broken so much. The Trump. administration has destroyed so much of. the norms, so much of the kind of the. the general way of doing business. >> And in many ways, the spirit, the. emotional spirit, I think, of Americans. who are frayed at the edges by just the. the the exhaustion, the constant assault. on all of our senses.

>> Uh, and purposefully. We've had a number. of moments of um crisis for our. democracy throughout our country's. history. Right? 1770s, 1860s, 1930s, 1960s. >> Right? >> In every one of these moments, the Americans that rose to the occasion. to protect the project, they understood. that they could not just go back to what. they had. That to protect the rights of. our children, we need to extend them new. rights. that to protect freedom, we need.

to come up with new definitions of. freedom. That that it was in fact the. status quo, the system that we had. That's what brought us to the moment of. crisis. And so it isn't going to be. enough or the exploitation of those. moments. You know, the the system often. times, no matter how, as you said, they. put forth ideas that are going to. elevate people, the system tends towards. exploitation. >> always. >> and corruption. And that that tends to. lead to those moments, as you say, of.

collapse and reinvention. >> And well, I and I honestly think it's. because while we we democratized our. politics, but we never democrat. democratized our economy and and within. our political system. >> bars. Yes. >> Within our like wealth equates political. power in this system that we have. >> No question. And so without a. democratized economic system, you are. always going to eventually find yourself. with these consolidated moments of.

wealth which will inherently create. consolidated moments of political power. which we keep doing this like we keep. >> I mean you're seeing it right now play. out in in the tech world and and we can. get into this you know you talked. earlier a little off camera about the $2. million that they've flooded into Maine. uh for Susan Collins and it came from. people like Karp uh at at at Palanteer. >> But to your point and to the point of. the 1920s, there's this one industry.

where trillions and trillions of dollars. are funneling into that industry through. deregulation and through uh wealth. capture and all these other things. And. then they're turning some of that money. into political power. And it's this. cycle where they're just funneling uh. the money that they've gotten through. deregulation and the fact that capital. isn't taxed in the same way that labor. is. >> And now they're putting that back into. the system to consolidate and keep that. power at the top.

>> I'm uh Okay. I I I No, I'm going to I'm. going to FDR. I'm going to FDR one last. time. >> Bring it. FDR me. So, in in 44, FDR puts out the. Economic Bill of Rights, which is this, which actually, amusingly. enough, it came out of the first real. nationwide polling that was ever done. >> Wow. >> In 42 and 43, the administration did a. massive polling effort across the.

country to ask working Americans, "What. are the things that you need?" Now, unsurprisingly, it was, "We want. security in our housing. We want jobs. that matter that pay us a working a. living wage. We want the ability to. collectively bargain and join unions. We. want access to health care. We want. access to education. 1944 FDR puts out the economic bill of. rights which essentially says we we as a. nation in order to democratize our. economy we need to provide as rights.

things like housing, health care, education, collective bargaining, all of. it. >> Right? when he kind of lays it out, he. says, and I'm going to paraphrase here, but he essentially says, look, if we do not uh. systemically change and not not allow. for this consolidation of wealth, we are. going to wind up eventually right back. where we were in the late 1920s.

And even though that this nation. defeated fascism on the battlefields. abroad, that is going that is going to. engender and create fascism here at. home. And then he dies. >> He dies in 45 and with him dies. >> What an exit letter though. >> Oh, it and with his death dies the. political will to bring that economic. bill of rights into a reality. And I. look I honestly like had we implemented. that in the late 1940s, we live in a.

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Holy I don't even like saying. this. It's such a good deal. one last time. That's 60% off your first. order, plus free shipping and free. treats for life when you head to. smalls.com/tws. [music]. Grant, let me ask you because this. everything that you're talking about I. think brings up to me. So, I want to. bring it more specific to the Democratic.

party and sort of where they have failed. to bring that broad-based thinking to. bear. We'll just go with, you know, we've got to tax the rich. You know, what you hear from Democrats a lot is we. got to we got to just tax the rich. But. if you don't connect the money that. you're getting to the value that the. voters are going to be receiving for. that money, it is a hollow pledge and. nobody gets behind it because you have.

not earned the credibility. that voters. need to have that you will be using that. money responsibly. and for programs that make sense. as you. said, not just another tax credit uh. subsidy. The Democrats seem unable to. connect. money to value in a broad way that. resonates with voters.

>> And can I tell you why I think that is? >> I would that exactly why I'm asking you. >> It's because I don't think they actually. do want to tax the rich. I I I think I think there are a lot of. people in the Democratic party who want. who want to use that language, >> right, >> in in order to try to like garner votes, but they don't really want to go through. with it because that would really piss. off their donors. >> Oh, [snorts] that's I thought you were.

going to say something else, Graham. Actually, I thought you were going to. say because they don't know what to do. with it. They don't know actually what. to do with the money. I well look I I. think that is also partially true. I I. I'm there. We have a political class. right now that exists that has really. grown up in the politics of the last 50. years. >> with corporate money and and. >> that's right. And so that system is. going to elevate certain kinds of people. with frankly certain ideologies or. certain kind of I like even just like.

emotional uh relationships which make. them not want to do something big, right? I mean it doesn't like a system. like that does not elevate people who. dream. It elevates people who are going. to be transactional. >> What do they always say Grant? They say. don't let uh perfect be the enemy of. good which I can understand systems and. you don't want to get paralyzed but you. also the the the. >> the counter to that is.

>> don't let good be the enemy of what's. possible. And too often that becomes the mantra. >> And that's been my look, I'm 41. My. entire life. >> Let me tell you something. Your voice is. 62. Your voice is my age. >> I know. Well, [laughter]. maybe it was my time in the Marine. Corps. >> Coffee and cigarettes, baby. >> Coffee, cigarettes, and and yelling when. I was in the Marine Corps. So, maybe. it's that. >> That'll do it. That'll do it. I.

ironically have had this voice even. before the coffee [laughter] and. cigarettes, but that's what it's. >> You were the kid in the little rascals. who's like, "Let's put on a show.". >> Froggy. >> It's a joke, but it's not that much of a. joke. Um the but the problem is is. people that are elevated within that. system, they're not going to want to to. like think big. And. and that's my so my whole life I've just. heard from establishment politicians. that like the best thing we can ever do. is keep electing the same people cuz. they know how the system works.

>> Mhm. >> And like that experience is somehow like. the experience that's going to uh get us. something instead of nothing. The. problem is their experience is within. the system that can't seem to do. anything. And like and I actually think that. that's a bad experience. Like I don't. think that that actually equates to a. political vision uh or even a theory of. power for that matter because it's not. about it's not about getting things done.

in the service of something. It's just. like being able to play the inside. baseball for the sake of playing the. inside baseball, not in the service of a. greater goal. And I think honestly. that's one of the biggest problems that. we have. and and like in so and like. meanwhile like this is why I think we. need a lot more normal people in. politics. because the experience of normal people. like my experience is having to fight in. deeply stupid wars and seeing the see.

seeing the the reality of that. >> Yes. Um my it's also coming home from. those stupid wars and like then not. being supported for many years and going. through like the problems. Then it's. like trying to start a small business. and going through the problems of like. dealing with all of like having the. experience of like trying to figure out. how to make life work and and all within. a system that often is kind of a raid. against you. and and like we need more.

people with that kind of experience. because when you have that kind of. experience, you're living in the. material realities of policy, not the. not the not the words. >> Write that down. You are living in the. material realities of policy. That is. dead on. But let me say too. though, Graham, and I and I think it's. important and in talking to you, uh, it's something's kind of clicking in my. head, which is because we all talk.

about, you know, normal people don't. talk like that. You've got to talk to. normal people. You got to get outside of. and all those things are correct, but we. also need kind of Rosetta Stones. We. need some people that can help translate. those lived experiences, uh, the material realities of living. through the effects of policy into those. broader kind of philosophical and policy. hierarchies that need to be structured. And I feel like that, if I may,

feels like a little bit of the magic I'm. seeing from you is that you're able to. have lived that experience and then. translate it into. Washington speak to understand how that. experience can translate into the. changes in in policy. And it's such an. important. connection. One of the weirdest thing I I actually. think my my education on this was in my.

time on planning board. >> That's interesting. Planning board in in. Sullivan. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Because like on planning board in a. small town especially, you like craft. policy, implement policy, and then see. the material outcome of that policy. sometimes within weeks. and it's. happening to your neighbors who are. going to come tell you if it's. up. And so like there's a like for like. for me that was a really incredible.

experience because like you really you. begin to like the words on the page. actually translate to an to a material. thing and you have to be very careful. about and and also more importantly. though you have to be flexible because. sometimes you'll write the words on the. page you implement it and then it does. something different than what you. thought and then you need to be willing. to revisit. >> That's really interesting. Does it make. you distrust bureaucracy or does it make. you in that instance do you do you begin.

to understand the frustrations of even. well-intentioned procedures? >> Yes. >> Right. >> Yes. And and and I don't like I I'll be. I'm not mistrustful of bureaucracy. because I I honestly bureaucracy in some. ways is necessary. It's how we keep. systems functioning. The problem is. we've resulted in like a bureaucra in. bureaucracies that cannot be flexible at. all. >> and are captured by. >> and are fully captured. >> A lot of times the complexity of.

bureaucracy is put there by moneyed. interest because they know they're the. ones that got team of lawyers. >> That's right. >> They're the ones tax loopholes aren't. put in there by poor people. >> No. I mean regulatory capture is a real. thing. I look like even in the small in. the small business food world. >> I've I've dealt with it firsthand like. there you're like the only way I could. meet this standard is if I was like a. multi-million dollar company that could. afford all this nonsense and you're like. oh that's why cuz this was written by a.

multi-million dollar company who's the. only one that could afford all this. nonsense and then they gave it to a. politician who made the policy uh and. that's [laughter] like you're. the time believe me that and that was. the other you I remember being down in. Washington. We were talking about it was. the Pack Act and we were talking about. burn pits for veterans and things like. that. And I remember uh a representative. coming up to us and going this is a. terrible thing that's happening. Um but. like we're really busy so could you guys. write it? >> Could you write the bill? They're asking. us like couple idiots. Like we're like.

sure we'll we'll write it. But it made. me realize like I imagine that somebody. on Wall Street, somebody in uh uh. telecom, they might go like absolutely. we'll write it. we'd be delighted. Like. >> I mean honestly that's I think that's. it's I don't even I think that is what. happens, >> right? >> I mean like that's. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean and and and. these and these are things that are. written by lawyers. I mean like you know. when a community organization writes. something. >> big and you know and then they give it. and like I don't even know what this is. Is this written I mean like I it's just.

this it's structurally a raid to b to. benefit. those with wealth and power and an army. of attorneys. Um, which is I mean I. think that's why we continue to kind of. find ourselves in the streets we find. ourselves in. >> Grab, can I ask you a question? It's. it's a slight change of topic, but like. Well, first of all, let me just say, you. know, all I heard about you for a while. was, hey, this guy's got a up. tattoo and some Reddit posts that aren't.

any good. And yet, as I talk to you, your candidacy, uh, the way that it's. resonating with with people, it couldn't. make more sense. It's logical. It has it. I can almost watch the bottom stair and. you walking up the stairs as something. that is organic and builds naturally and. makes total sense. So I imagine the. frustration and I'm not saying people's. backgrounds shouldn't also be a part of.

their story and the challenges that they. face and some of the things but I'm. saying it must have been a slightly. frustrating experience to see the story. that you're describing which feels so. organic and so grassroots and so. uh uh common senseoriented. be overshadowed by. things that you might have regretted, not done exactly right, or also have no.

real bearing. >> Yeah. I mean, it it is. it was a uniquely frustrating. experience. It still is sometimes. because it, you know, it but but to like. to see myself being framed by people who. have never met me, who know absolutely. nothing about my background really. Uh. who like just latched on to this like, oh, this guy said dumb things on the. internet 15 years ago. And and I'm like, "Yeah, man. I did." Cuz I was like a. angry young dude who got back from my.

fourth combat tour and like was isolated. and lonely and spent time bitching on. the internet, >> right? >> Yeah. But let me ask you a question, Gra. Why do you So, you just said. something really interesting, which is. angry young man. back from fourth deployment online. struggling. Why weren't you think you captured by. the alt-right? Because boy, do you sound like their.

target audience to be captured by the. anger uh of that movement because that. boy, you're in the time frame, you have. the experience of it. white guy, working class, angry vet, struggling to fit in. You are fertile soil, brother, for that. kind of recruitment. Why do you think it didn't go that way?

One is because even in high school, I. had some absolutely spectacular teachers. who sort of open who opened my eyes up. to I would like a. um. like a a a a criticism of the larger. system that wasn't that didn't require. you to like look for scapegoats in other. working people.

>> That's interesting. You didn't fall into. the like pronoun trap where you're like, "Ah, these pronoun people. I'm. voting for Trump.". >> No. And also, obviously, I have two very. loving parents who my like who very much. engendered in me this idea that like you. need to be open with other people and. you need to be like empathetic and. compassionate. And I thank my lucky. stars and I had I have two wonderful. parents that did that. Um, but I will. say the other thing is like after I when. I got back uh I I definitely.

uh oh, how do I put this? like I I. definitely was looking for like answers. and in that you know like I. >> and a community. >> and a community hence why you know hence. why the internet um because I certainly. wasn't getting it in the real world but. I was also going to college and in. school I became friends with a number of. people who had very very very different.

lived experiences than mine. And in doing that, I realized that like, oh, like the the best thing for me to do. is to like spend time around people who. have had a totally different life than I. have and understand that their life, their lived experience is just as valid. as mine and and that the more that I can. like the more that I can I can one open. myself up to those people and then also. have them open up to me, the more I get.

to learn about the human experience and. the more I get to learn about and it's. really difficult to do that and also. start thinking that you should like hate. other people. I like so like I think in. some ways it was those sort of I had I. had a good foundation honestly. >> Right. Well, it is you know the internet. is so good at reducing things to two. dimensions. whereas life is obviously you're living. in in three and from what I understand. sometimes four. But, you know, I'm.

wondering if that if that world. did you understand its appeal because I. imagine anybody who's a Marine or. anybody who served uh in Iraq and. Afghanistan knows those guys. >> Oh, totally. >> Hangs out with those guys, loves those. guys for other reasons other than some. of their politics. >> Totally. But I also imagine you. understand the siren song of exactly. what you're saying and and were you. cognizant of it when you were looking.

for community and did you ever feel its. pull in that way? >> Yeah. And the other I also got a lot of. that in the Marine Corps. >> like like like you know like the Marine. Corps is I mean if we're talking about. like people want to be part of the. community having a purpose feeling. connected uh and like and for young men. there's the whole like aggression and. violence thing like I was in the I was. the Marine Corps infantry like I mean it. doesn't get more. >> those things than that.

>> as aggressive and violent. Yeah, that's. the training. >> And I but also but I also got to the end. of it and realized that it didn't fill. any holes in me like it like it didn't. in fact it left it had left me more. alone and more isolated in many ways. And so like I so for me there was like I. I did kind of already know that looking. for more of that was not going to be the. answer. I kind of got like the maximum. version of that uh or the maximalist. version of that and it didn't it.

[laughter] didn't it didn't work. >> right. You didn't need the alt-right. You were enlisted in it so you didn't. you had lived it. >> Yeah. I mean like in like and don't me. wrong I mean like I will always be proud. of I love the Marine Corps. I still I'm. very proud of being a Marine. Um I loved. many I mean the guys I served with still. remain some of my closest friends. Uh. but it is definitely like a you know it. it's it's a hyper masculine certainly. when I was in it was all male um and and. and like all like things that are.

virtues there are definitely not virtues. in the normal world and then I had to go. out into the normal world learned that. the hard way. Uh but then also the thing. that actually made me happy. was real community. Like the thing that actually ended up. filling all the emptiness inside of me, it wasn't it wasn't rage. It wasn't. anger. It wasn't any of that stuff. It. was literally like.

just spending time with other people in. the place that I live and like and. working with people on projects to. improve all of our lives. And suddenly. in all of that, I was like, "Oh man, like I'm a like I'm a legitimately. happier person." I mean, I spent years. like really really disillusioned and. then I move then I moved back to Maine. started working on the ocean which has. another big part I mean it's it's hard. to not feel a sense of place when you're. like on the sea on your boat looking at.

the seals and the eagles and like. [laughter]. you know like wait what what ocean I'm. in Jersey man what are you talking about. >> yeah yeah Maine's Maine's pretty I mean. and that's what I mean like I like I. like I am so lucky to be where I'm from. I'm so lucky that my community when I. came home really kind of wrapped its. arms around me in some ways and like it. allowed me to come back. Like I finally. got to come home and I was lucky enough. that it actually is my home. It's the.

place I was born and raised. That has a. lot to do with it. But the big thing was. like really just engaging with human. beings and and building that sense of. like real in-person community. And it is. challenging, right? Like human beings. are still people. >> Yeah, it's complicated. >> So the thing to like it's never going to. be perfect but it is. >> I don't know how to say this. It like. >> in working with other people and. connecting with other people in real.

life, not on the internet, but in real. life. That is kind of what rebuilt all of my. hope and it's what rebuilt all of my. positivity and and it was it was and I. didn't have any of that when I was. looking for it on the internet. I didn't. have any of it when I was really I mean. like I like the military kind of fills. that hole for a little while when you're. doing it, but the moment you leave it, it all goes away and now you're alone. And so it doesn't actually fix it. It's.

not like a long-term sustainable version. of community and and and long-term. sustainable community is the thing that. like actually is I mean that's why I'm. doing this like. >> but see this is why Grant I feel like. what's so different about what you're. talking about is that it lacks the. platitudes of somebody viewing something. from above. You're viewing everything from within. You you're talking about roots. You're.

talking about I was a drift and I went. back and and I planted these roots in my. community and here's how I did it and. here's how I rebuilt my sense of self. and my sense of purpose. It is a story. grounded in lived experience. And I do. think that, you know, it it certainly. resonates with me even though my. experience in the world is so different. than yours because I can touch it. It.

feels really tangible to me. It feels uh really grounded in uh a kind. of hierarchy of needs that I can grasp. rather than cable news platitudinous. nonsense. >> Yeah. >> And that is what is so missing from our. politics. It's also this is the part that gets me. It's not how rape it's not how people.

interact. Like I mean like that's the thing that. gets me about this whole experience and. like like I always get the question like. from journalists. They're like what do. you think explains the fact that you a. random guy from Eastern Maine is is now. is now like beating we're you know I'm. like up 40 points on a two-term elected. sitting governor and and you I'm pulling. far ahead of Susan Collins. I mean and. so they're all they always call they're. like how do you explain this? And I'm.

always like, you know, honestly, it's. because. I I I I think because I just like talk. like a regular human being. And in many. ways, I I'm coming at this very much. from like this space of just being down. here in the real world and seeing what's. going on, which is And the other thing, too, is like I also don't think that. voters are well, mostly because I I I am. one too. Like I don't think we're this. like mass of people to be manipulated,

right? Like there's and the Democratic. party is still really bad at this by the. way. There's still this like idea that. we got to like there's like these magic. words. We're like, "Oh, we didn't use. the magic word last time that would have. made people think we give a about. them without actually giving a shit.". Like it's you're like, "No, dude. People. are smart. >> People like they don't like when they're. being li they don't like the magic. words. They want you to say things like, "No, we want you to have healthare.

That's why we have this universal health. care policy, >> and here's the plan that we have that's. going to connect the money we're talking. about to the value you might receive.". You know, the frustration with the. Democratic party is always kind of this, which what they'll say is this. The. strategy is authenticity. And you're. like, "Right, that's not a strategy. That's. >> not a strategy. >> That's just a thing." And then you can. smell the thing that really rubs me the. wrong way is you can smell the meeting.

on them when they talk. The meeting. where they went Donald Trump's uh. resonating with them because he curses. sometimes. So the next day Chuck Schumer. is out there. I will this. I. will pass this. And you're like. it's it it you smell. the the marketing. You smell the. strategy. You smell the PR on them uh. almost at all times.

>> Yeah. >> Has there been any connection, Graham? Have they You know, look, the Democratic. establishment has certainly put their uh. Khi money and their polyarket money on. Janet Mills and that, you know, >> is there have you felt any sense of any. curiosity? Has there been any, "Hey, Graham, I'm I'm a more establishment. guy. You seem to be resonating. What do. you think is going on?" Or do they view. you again through the prism of uh.

insurgent, this insurgent must be. stopped? >> As of late, past few months, there's been a lot more reach out from. like individual people kind of in the. like like senators honestly. Um I think. there are a lot of senators now. Great. There are a bunch of senators like. Bernie, Elizabeth Warren, Chris Van. Galand, uh that whole crew who Martin. Martin Heinrich in New Mexico um who. like I've been they they reached out. early on and have been big supporters.

really the whole time. >> They felt a fellow progressive who they. thought okay I understand where this. fell is coming from. >> Totally. So like so that's been going on. since the beginning. Past couple months. though there has been more reach out. from I would say more kind of like. establishment folks. Um, however, however, and this is the important part, not from like the not from like the DSC, not from the DNC, like the like nobody. in the places of power remains. interested, >> but they're lost, dude. Like they're.

>> It's so bad. >> They're lost. >> And the thing that bothers me the most. isn't like I'm not I'm not asking for. you to like be my friend. I'm just But. you should be curious because I'm. pulling 40 points ahead, >> right? >> Like you like at least at least just. reach out and be like, "Hey, uh, what. are you actually?" Because we've never. they've never they've never spoken ever. I've never gotten a phone call. Like no. one's ever reached out. I've never.

talked to anybody in leadership. I've. like no one's ever been interested and. ever which is like kind of baffling. >> I think it's because they only know two. stories. The two stories are this. you're either a mod a moderate Democrat. or you're uh a a left-wing firebrand. And so what they're saying is, oh, sure, the leftwing fire brand that that does. well in the primary, but that'll never. travel. You know, there is that idea. that well, electability and there's. something crazy about this as though you.

are the equivalent of a you're the. democratic equivalent of a MAGA loyalist. who has come out with wildly. controversial uh positions and then you. talk to you for five minutes, you go, "Oh, no. This is based in historical. precedent. It has a very literate and. literary foundation to it. It has a. foundation of lived experience like they. should be again viewing this as a. Rosetta stone that can help them.

translate. And here's the trick and. maybe this is what we can kind of talk. about and I'm cognizant of your time and. because. >> oh it's okay. >> of your lived experience your your rural. internet connection. [laughter]. >> That's the issue actually. >> That is the issue. How do you translate. that lived experience? You talked about. it a little bit earlier, you know, being. on the planning board and understanding. that, oh, sometimes the the wording and. the intention, you know, had unforeseen.

consequences and and those kinds of. things. How do we translate. those experiences to create that new. deal for a more modern America. where we do get that value, where we do. change the incentives of government, the. way that that money is spent? How do we. make that transition? >> This is honestly the hardest question to. answer. And and and my and my and my. answer is going to be insufficient. I'll.

just tell you that right off the bat. The the answer to it is that we need to. build political power through getting. people like me into the US Senate into. the into Congress. And we also need to. do it while building organizational. power outside of the system. There has. never been a moment in American history. where where we've gotten good things. just because the institutions or people. in power decided to do it. They needed.

to be pressed. I mean, this is honestly. why this is why this country has killed. the labor movement. We did it on. purpose. We did it because the labor. movement is a foundation of power that. can like actually like push back against. the system. We need to so like on this c. on our campaign this is a above all else. this is an organizing project because I. firmly believe that while me getting. elected to the US Senate that's a big. part of it but that needs to be in.

tandem with a fully organized. broad-based coalition here in the state. of Maine that can put pressure on. frankly other members of our delegation. if need be because that it's not going. to be enough to just rely on the systems. But. the the big thing is is that it's that. building that kind of outside power. that's also how we're going to identify. more people like me and then have the. resources to get them elected because.

the biggest issue right now is that I. mean I think you you probably saw there. was an article recently about how uh. like majority democrats which is this. kind of like pack group has been. essentially curating uh with a lot of. money these these ch these these. candidates to push forward. And they're. all it's all built around this idea that. we're doing the like the proc corporate. pro business moderate types. We need to build the opposite of that.

We need to build the infrastructure. So, like for me, the only reason this ever. happened is because on day one, people. who could shoot a launch video, who. could help with small dollar. fundraising, and who could get my name. in the papers, those three things, th. those were those were assets that I had. access to because some, frankly, labor. unions had pitched in some support to. for the project to make that happen. We. got to find other people from the normal. world like me and they're all going to.

they're going to look different. They're. going to sound different. They're going. to be from different communities and. that's all what it's supposed to be. But. it's a matter of infrastructure because. if we don't have that infrastructure to. give them that early support then like. if I woke up one day and said I want to. be a US senator, I would have walked out. of the boat launch. I would have told. that to the guys that I fish next to. We. all would have laughed about it over. coffee and then we all would have moved. on with our lives, right? like it like. like it's it just would not there's no. way that it it would have materialized.

And so to turn all of this stuff into. reality through policy, frankly, we need. to build the political power to make it. happen. That's why it's a kind of an. insufficient question because it's not. actually about like it or it's an. insufficient answer because the what we. have to do first before doing any of. that is. seize political power. and and and to do. that, we're going to have to create the. infrastructure to get normal people into. places of power, which is hard when all.

of the money is like you mentioned. I. mean, yesterday, Alex Karp and the CEO. of Blackstone, that's Palunteer and. Blackstone for those following at home. >> Palanteer and Blackstone unleashed $2. million of negative ads against me. yesterday. Just out of curiosity, what. does Palanteer have against you? Uh well. I have I have actively said that I think. that co companies that steal everyone's. data should be broken up and [laughter]. so you know it's uh.

>> so they're in the pro- steal everyone's. data camp and so that. >> fair play to them but. >> you're you're talking about building. this political movement and and the. power and I can tell you at least from. my experience of talking people the. thirst is out there and you see from. these sort of pro there there is a. general undercurrent of energy for. something different. I almost think. there's a a kind of a funny chicken and. the egg thing here. in that, you know, to get more people. like you and to get more infrastructure,

we also need more specificity. We almost. >> we need the outline of that new deal. People, I think, need to know what. they're signing up for. >> And right now, they don't have a sense. that they're signing up for anything. different. They might be signing up for. different people and and they might be. like, "Well, that person is pro-choice, so I'm assuming there's going to be. more, but they don't know economically. the specifics. What do you mean by we.

all need healthcare?" Like, what is. that? What does that mean? We What does. it mean that, you know, labor is getting. its ass kicked by capital? It's almost like if you could put those. parallel uh on parallel tracks, one can build the other, but I think you. can't build the one without the other. >> Does that make sense? >> Oh, 100%. I like and this is the it's a. and that's the struggle honestly. I mean.

that's the ch that's the challenge that. especially when we are a raid against. such a vast amount of wealth that is. going to try to push back. Mhm. >> But here's the thing. We need to like we. we need to try. Like if we don't fight. back, I mean these these lunatics want. us to own absolutely nothing. Turn our. lives into subscription models. Turn. like all of our being into some. commodified avatar in data that they. sell. >> Be replaced by uh. >> be replaced by robots.

>> by robots and autonomous intelligence. Like that's. >> Yeah. No. Like this is like that like. that's what they want. And we can't we. we literally cannot let them win. I. mean, if they if they win, that is a. bleak future indeed. And and we need and. I but they're not going to. The pro that. we are in this very unique moment where. the system itself has been built to. benefit them. The average person has. been sold this story for a long time.

that power is not for them. Power is for. special smart people. power is for. people who come from the system itself. which is all nonsense. It's a. story. It always has been but it's a so. where we are right now is we are in this. moment of we have to change the the the. narrative around it. We have to change. the way people think about power. We. have to talk about the fact that it's un. universal healthcare isn't nebulous. It's Medicare for all. It's an existing.

Senate bill. >> That's right. >> It's not it's not magic. It's Senate. Bill 1506. It's a real thing. We just. need the political will to pass it. We. need to strengthen labor. We need to. pass things like the PRO act. >> and the connection to people to. understand why it's not scary and how it. would work and and how we could do it. But again, it's it's that double track. of but then people have to be convinced. that the government has the credibility. to be able to cases need to be made so.

that uh people begin to trust that the. money that they're sending in which is. significant for most people is being. utilized in you know one of the things I. think people you know we talk so much. about the system of government that we. have and the way that it was designed. and it was designed as a compromise with. slave owning states let's be honest. that's how the electoral college and. that's how that's how all that stuff. exists. >> But I think in general what people I. think hopefully begin to understand is. >> there's also this fourth branch of.

government which is corporate power and. that government's really the only. organization strong enough large enough. to offset some of the corrosive effects. of corporate power. And the government. has to be able to use that and not be. held hostage to it and captive by it. >> It's my it's my critique of. libertarianism. >> Yeah. Because you could have ended up in. that camp, >> right? >> Your your resume is libertariancoded, if. I may say. >> And I've got look I've got some.

libertarian I mean I live in Eastern. Maine. I do want to be left alone. So. like I like I there are there there are. elements of it that [laughter] I that I. totally understand. >> Yeah. Yeah. But but like but my I mean. I'll be it's mostly just the fact that. like I read a lot of history books and. right and in my reading of history large. like consolidated capital the only. really effective way of going after it. is with governmental power and and when.

we don't do it that's when corporate. power the power of capital captures. government. and and the answer to that like the. answer to bad government isn't no. government it's good government. >> and good government is possible. I swear. to you, I will die on that hill. Good. government is possible. >> All the all the northern European. countries show us that there are better. ways of doing this, >> right? >> Um and and you can make different. choices about what you prioritize in. your society, where you put your.

productivity, where you put where you. put your capital. I mean, does it go. towards making people's lives better or. does it go towards somebody hoarding the. wealth? I mean, we've and we've made. we've cho we've chosen option B as of. late and it's just a bad option. But the. only way for us to get that stuff back. is to harness the power of government. like because otherwise. I mean multin multinational corporations. >> Yeah. will will be consumed by the. other. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Uh Graham, I I I can't tell you how.

pleased I am to have been able to have. this conversation with you. um you have. been caricatured in many ways in the. national media and so to be able to. spend uh you know uh an hour or so just. getting to know you and getting to know. your story uh you really make you make a. lot more sense to me now uh after. spending some time with you about what. this is is all about. Uh, I just assumed.

that you were the sum total of your. three Reddit posts that were kind of. odd, [laughter]. but uh, >> I really do appreciate and and I also. know that for a guy who likes to spend. time alone on the ocean and with his. family and with his community in in. Maine, this is a um, it's a sacrifice. I. I I do believe that. I believe in the. same way that you signing up to to serve. and fight for this country was a. sacrifice and a commitment. And I feel. like you're continuing that legacy of.

service and sacrifice in this. It's not. easy to face down the forces that are. arrayed against you. And I I appreciate. you, man. I I just wanted to say that. >> and uh and it was really lovely to to to. get to know you and I I wish you the. best here. >> Thanks, John. And and I just before we. get off, I just want to say I've I mean. I mean you're like uh you've been an. inspiration for a very long time. So. you're very kind. >> No, I really I appreciate it.

>> Uh Graham Platner, Mayor, ocean sailor, oyster farmer, marine, US Senate. candidate for for the great state of. Maine. Thanks for spending time with us, Graham. >> Thank you, John. Appreciate it. >> I I'm just going to say this. I didn't. feel. maybe for the first time in a while that. I was talking to a politician and I. understand look he's got to get elected. >> Yeah. >> But that was dare I say.

an actual convers it almost felt more. like it was a mix between talking to. Heather Cox Richardson and uh the. Gorton's fisherman. I'm going to put. [laughter] those two things together. >> The FDR references. But what was so. interesting to me is there's he's built. a political campaign on the scaffolding. of lived experience. and philosophical principle based in.

historical precedent. >> Yeah, I feel it was one of the most. refreshing conversations we've had on. this podcast. I've heard him talk elsewhere about just. how integral organizing is and we've. we've heard that from, you know, so many. candidates who have gone on to do well. and that is it. You need people who. believe in you to also take up the. message and be spreading it. One person. can't really do everything on their own. >> No question. >> And I think he knows that and he'll.

admit that. But he's also like, "This is. me and if you guys like it, great. This. is what I'm trying to do. This is what I. believe in. and I hope you do too and. let's do it. >> And it's just he's not trying to be. real. It's just like this is who I. am, dude. >> No, it it seemed very clear. You know, it's it's funny sometimes you wonder. like how the hell is this guy in the. position that he's in and then you talk. to him and go, "Oh, I can see how when. you go to different town halls and you. talk about your life and the planning. board and your experience in the work,

but it's not just about the experiences. It's what those experiences represent to. him. >> Yes. >> How he's processed them, how he's. filtered them. And. after you talk to him, it's kind of. astonishing that the whole story is like. up tattoo guy. And you're like, "Oh, I think we I think we might have. missed the main I think we may have. buried the lead on this one.". >> Yes. Purposely. You know, people are not. just the mistakes they make.

>> No, it's a headline. I mean, like that. was the thing. Like we all saw the. headlines about him, right? >> But like you actually just listen to. conversations he has and you're like, >> you get a sense of who he is. >> exactly. >> I was curious that he wasn't captured by. the alt because I got to tell you like. he he would have been a fertile person. for the alt-right to have influence. >> Oh, yeah. You know, when he was talking. about his upbringing, I had done some. reading on him and someone who was his. former high school classmate did a write. up on him and apparently he ran for.

student body president and lost, but was. nominated for most likely to start a. revolution. So, I have a feeling. he's like always been this guy. [laughter]. >> I didn't know that that was a. superlative you could have in your high. school yearbook. I think we had like. best smile. I didn't. >> I won't tell you mine. only a m. Did you. have one, Britney? You got a. superlative. What'd you get? >> So embarrassing. It's most likely to be. famous. >> Really? >> Here you are. >> And here you are. [laughter].

>> I don't tell many people. >> A podcast extraordinary. I didn't. Did. your high school have superlatives, Lauren? >> Yeah, but I was not a cool kid. I was. doing my own thing. >> Most likely to do her own thing. >> There you go. Here I am. >> And here you are doing your own thing. We all we all end up together. I. actually I was very uh pleased. I got. best sense of humor. >> Oh man. >> But not class clown. >> Oh, you classy version of it. >> You know who who did do it? Because um.

in this article I read, she was like, "Oh, class president wound up being a. chiropractor." I loved that detail. [laughter]. >> Makes sense. That makes that makes that. makes total sense. Uh what else do the. kids want to know uh this week, Britney? Okay, John, they used to say only. Richard Nixon could go to China. Are we. at the point now where only Jared. Kushner could go to Iran? Uh, it really. depends on if they're looking to build a. series of malls. You know, Jared Kushner, he can go. anywhere. Anywhere that there is land.

that can be developed for either a. Barnes & Noble or a Macy's, Jared. Kushner can go as long as there's also a. condominium aspect to it. and then a. kind of throwing a bone to affordable. housing in that there will also be two. units. So really, he's available any. country uh that that that can be. I. can't tell you how many mall. developments there are near where I live. where you're like, "Oh, what's going up.

over there?" And they're like, "Uh, I. believe the Kushners are building.". >> Oh my god. >> So, >> underground bunkers perhaps. This is a. bit tangential, but it has been. interesting to me how few articles have. been mentioning his conflicts of. interest when talking about all of these. negotiations that he's been a part of. And I get we're like desensitized a bit. to it. And I get that there's so much. news, >> but that is a really big deal. >> Oh my god, it's wild. Imagine going into. peace talks where Saudi Arabia, you have.

$2 billion from the sovereign wealth. fund of that and you're in there trying. to uh broker a deal between Iran and the. United States and pretending that like. your investments from the Saudi kingdom. have no bearing on any of that. This is. just a volunteer gig for me. It's not a volunteer gig. It's what they. used to call cold calling. like you're. going to a place to establish a. relationship so that you can extract. wealth and money out of it later. That's.

the whole motus operendic of that entire. family. And I would doubt there. is no peace deal that they make in any. country that doesn't involve they also. get a golf course and a hotel uh you. know. >> 100%. >> development. >> for the whole thing. Look at us going. after the man. [laughter] We're. inspired. >> Fight the power. All right. >> Yes. How gram of us. >> How gram of us is a That's a great. little bumper sticker. How grammous. >> I'm gonna make them.

>> Yeah. >> John, a few weeks ago on Sean Hannity's. podcast, he called you and Bill Maher. funny and clever. >> Would you like to return the compliment? >> No. Why would he do that to me? [laughter]. >> That is so not fair and not nice. >> Which part of it? >> All of it. [laughter] lumping me in with. Mah and then saying something nice. >> You're trying to You know what. he's trying? He's trying to wreck my. business. That's what he's doing. >> He's trying to ruin your brand. >> He's playing the long game. That's that.

martial arts training he's been doing. on. Yeah, that's I think I can Listen, I. could I could do Yeah, that's. >> Would you like to return the compliment? >> Uh, yes. He is Bill Maher. [laughter]. done. Yeah. I don't trust anything that. comes out of their mouths that isn't. strategic. There's some strategy in. there. I I can't necessarily figure out. what that is. Why was he asked that? Or. were they Oh, I bet it was Was it a.

conversation like late night sucks. It's. all. >> Well, he gave you guys a good lob, but. then uh said Co Bear, Kimmel, and. Fallon, he doesn't understand. They are. no They are not funny and should not be. on air. >> Oh, how brave of him. [laughter] Yeah. Uh, listen, knowing that he is the. arbiter of humor in this country, that. he is the grand pooha of I think most. people look to him for uh, hey, what. what kind of humor do you like? Cuz you.

seem hilarious. >> Did he mention Gutfield or forgot? >> That's the only one that does it right. >> Yeah. >> Apparently, anybody else who's partisan, that's turning off half the audience. They gota they got to learn how to do it. like Greg who's really you know equal. opportunity [laughter] apparently. Yeah. So that's the way that goes. Yeah. Uh. thank you. Please do not compliment me. again. [laughter]. >> Next. >> The last one is a riddle.

>> Oh, come on. Do I need to write this. down? >> No, it's short. >> Okay. >> I am so fragile that if you say my name, you break me. What am I? I am so fragile. If you say my name, you break me. What do you break when you. talk? Is there something that you What. do you break when you talk? >> That was That was pretty close. >> It is. But yeah, I don't know what the. name of that would be. I was I was.

trying to come up as clever like I'm so. fragile. I was like Trump. Like I was. just I was just gonna keep going Trump. Uh I'm so fragile. >> You're really close. Uh. air. What is it that you break when you. s when you make a sound? Quiet. >> Silence. Silence. >> You break silence. Okay. Yeah. Okay. >> You got it. You got it. >> Yeah. But not quick enough to be. qualified as those are. Is that one of. those things that like 60% of geniuses.

or you know 30% of people who get this. right are considered geniuses. >> and that's why you got most likely to be. funny. >> That sense of humor. class clown would. have gone with something very different. Bunch of sounds and all that sorts of. stuff. Um guys, once again, uh obviously. we look forward to having our our. partner in arms, uh Jillian here, uh. next time, but uh truly enjoyed. Britney, how do they how do they stay in. uh stay in touch with us? >> Uh Twitter, we are Weekly Showad, Instagram threads, Tik Tok Blue Sky, we. are weekly show podcast, and you can.

like, subscribe, and comment on our. YouTube channel, The Weekly Show with. John Stewart. >> Fantastic guys. Thank you so much. Uh, fascinating conversation today. Lead. producer Lauren Walker, producer Britney. Metic, producer Jillian Spear, video. editor and engineer Rob Bullah, who was. doing yman's work on today's uh, rather. spotty connections that were going on. through the uh, and our audio editor and. engineer Nicole Boyce doing the same. And executive producers Chris McShane. and Katie Gray. Uh, we will see you guys. next week.

Boy, [music] the weekly show with John. Stewart is a Comedy Central podcast. It's produced by Paramount Audio and Bus. Boy Productions. [music].