All About The Joy
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All About The Joy
Why Party Labels Don’t Define Your Politics - Culture & Consequences
The divide between political ideologies in America runs deeper than most realize, and in this raw, unfiltered conversation, Carmen and Andrea break down what actually defines liberalism and conservatism beyond the superficial party labels.
Using a brilliant analogy, they explain how ideologies are like phone operating systems (iOS vs Android) while political parties are just the apps running on them—helping listeners understand why someone might identify as a Democrat yet hold conservative views on certain issues. This fundamental misunderstanding about what shapes our political landscape sits at the heart of our increasingly polarized society.
The hosts don't shy away from challenging topics, tackling everything from the Jimmy Kimmel censorship controversy to the failure of trickle-down economics. They make a compelling case that America functions as a center-right nation where the Democratic Party operates largely as a center-right institution while the Republican Party has shifted toward extremes. Most provocatively, they confront how racism serves as the foundation upon which American politics has always operated, noting that defensive reactions to discussions of systemic racism often reveal more about the listener than the speaker.
Their conversation dispels common myths about government assistance programs and immigration, revealing that 37% of SNAP benefit recipients are white Americans—contradicting narratives about who receives government help. They also highlight the hypocrisy in immigration rhetoric, noting that visa overstays from predominantly white countries rarely face the same scrutiny as border crossings from Latin America.
Whether you're politically engaged or just trying to make sense of the ideological battles shaping our country, this episode offers refreshing clarity without the partisan spin. Join us each week for these candid conversations, and tune in Friday nights at 6PM Pacific/9PM Eastern for our more casual, politics-free community discussions where selected listeners can even join the conversation.
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Music By Geovane Bruno, Moments, 3481
Editing by Team A-J
Host, Carmen Lezeth
DISCLAIMER: As always, please do your own research and understand that the opinions in this podcast and livestream are meant for entertainment purposes only. States and other areas may have different rules and regulations governing certain aspects discussed in this podcast. Nothing in our podcast or livestream is meant to be medical or legal advice. Please use common sense, and when in doubt, ask a professional for advice, assistance, help and guidance.
Hey everyone, welcome to All About the Joy. This is Culture, in Consequence with Carmen and Andrea. I think one of the things that I'm starting to realize is that I want this to be more about us just having a conversation, as opposed to like I just did all this research and I'm kind of like, okay, I don't want, I don't research before I get on the phone with you. You know what I mean.
Andrea:You know what that's funny? I did too, because and of course I'd never do that before a phone call. But I do think that it's important, if we are going to talk about things and put them out there, that we do need to be factual. It's different when it's just me and you shooting the shit, right, right. You know, if I stretch the truth on something or whatever, it's not like you're going to come back and be like listen here, I mean, you might.
Carmen Lezeth:Yes, I am Like if I disagree with you, well, at least something that you agree with is like yeah, fuck that.
Andrea:Right agree with you At least something that you agree with. You're like yeah, fuck that. You know what I mean. So I do think that there is some importance to that, but also I don't want it to be like we're trying to teach a class, necessarily, you know Right.
Carmen Lezeth:Unless I was being paid to then.
Andrea:I'd be totally fine with that, but.
Carmen Lezeth:I mean, I think that's kind of where this is falling, and yet I told you we've gotten a lot of feedback. Know what I should probably start with? Um, see, this is what I mean. Like even doing that, like like welcome to all, about the joy I'm covering your host, this is culture and consequence, like I have to come up with a better way to kind of just I think I'm going to do like a stagnant part. You know what I mean. Like oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, insert it in, because I think it takes away from my flavor with you and stuff. So, yeah, that sounded stupid, but you know what I mean.
Carmen Lezeth:So so I wanted to talk about the Jimmy Kimmel thing for a minute. Yeah, uh, and I can't tell you how many people think I work for Jimmy Kimmel, which is so funny, just like I have a hat and a t-shirt and people like, do you work for Jimmy Kimmel? Um, here's the thing even if I did, I wouldn't tell you, but I really want people to go and watch the episode that Sinclair, who owns all multimedia crap, and the Trump administration are saying was like the be all end all of what he said about Charlie Kirk, and that's why they took him off the air. I I I don't normally watch Jimmy Kimmel, not because I'm working for him and see him all day. I do not work for Jimmy Kimmel. I see it the first time. I see it the first time. Right, I do not work for Jimmy Kimmel, but, um, it's like I'm winking now. I'm just kidding. I like confusing the fuck out of people. Here's the point.
Carmen Lezeth:He didn't say anything that was not said by other people, or pretty much on point, basically. But what was amazingly profound to me was what he said about Donald Trump, like how much he is. And then I went back and watched like four or five other episodes and I was just a monologue and I was like this is what this is about. Is this thin-skinned man who can't take responsibility for his own bullshittery can't take responsibility for his own bullshittery? I mean the line that Jimmy Kimmel says and I'm paraphrasing but he's like so your really great friend has passed away and they, you know, point the camera to Donald Trump and ask about him and he starts talking about a ballroom.
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah, To look at for people who don't get it.
Andrea:He cares about no one but himself and like. Why that is so hard for people to see is an absolute mystery to me.
Carmen Lezeth:You're not talking about Jimmy Kimmel, you're talking about Trump. I am, yes, and he's just. I mean, he eviscerates him. Jimmy Kimmel eviscerates him over and over and over again. But it's almost like, isn't? I remember watching Johnny Carson with my mother and I was so young. But that's what they do Like, and the more you resist it, the more they're going to do it, like if he just brushed it off and like was I know he's not capable, I know Donald Trump is not capable of being like the bigger person and being like these are fucking comedians, right, I don't know, impressive.
Andrea:Yeah, they're. They meaning the administration, the regime, um are seeing what they can get away with and turns out, surprise, surprise, they can get away with a lot. Because, turns out, surprise, surprise, very few people are actually brave and courageous and have a backbone and even have integrity.
Carmen Lezeth:Okay, but is it brave and courageous to care about our constitution, and is that? I guess that's what it is Apparently Right.
Andrea:I mean, and I'm talking business people, right, I'm talking Okay, but isn't that about money? That's not about bravery, I'm talking about, you know um, bob eiger. Hi, I'm sure you're watching disney um or other business people. I'm talking about tim cook apple you know, yeah, all of the tech guy, I, I mean whatever those guys, but you know their interests are solely economic. So caring about the constitution, caring about democracy, caring about the economic state, frankly, of the entire planet, is a bridge too far as long as you get yours today.
Carmen Lezeth:And I think it's even evident with the whole Epstein-File debacle. I mean listening to Kash Patel, seriously, they're just all like. I have never said this before. It's a plan you know, andrea, you know me. I'm pretty humble with my talents. You know what I mean, except when it comes to like dancing, which I haven't done in so many years. But like I'm humble, right, but I am telling you right now in which case, we should all be running the government right.
Carmen Lezeth:That's what I'm saying, like I should, I could run the fbi, I could run the pentagon I could, and it's not even like a lie.
Andrea:Give me the Department of Education. I mean, yeah, imposter syndrome should be absolutely a thing of the past. Not a single person on this planet should be looking at anything and thinking like I don't know, I can't do it.
Carmen Lezeth:Right, no, kash Patel is so incompetent, I mean. But you know what, look. Anyways, I don't want to go there. But I just shooketh at that whole hearing, which I watched way too much of, because I was like this what the whole time?
Andrea:I do, I don't know, I do I, I don't know. I go in phases where I'm like, all right, I need to see some of this, just to like, see it with my own eyes. And then, like I'm in a phase right now where, like I, I can't even you know you are not feeling good, huh yeah, well, it's funny.
Andrea:Um, it's on the way out, but, yeah, all right. Um, what I've been doing recently, what I did, actually after our last call. So over the weekend I watched a documentary on Winston Churchill Problematic dude for sure, like let's just put that out there, but was a leader, had some integrity on some things. Integrity on some things, um, um, another one on roosevelt fdr. Wow, I haven't seen.
Andrea:I've been watching what I'm gonna freely admit is a very subpar documentary on, um, the roman empire and sort of the fall of the republic and the rise of the empire, and like I just felt like I need to, like, see some leadership models. I need to see what happens when Republic falls and what comes after that. You, like, I just needed to have something. So that's what I'm watching instead of the hearings and whatnot. And what did you learn? The hearings and whatnot? And what did you learn? I have learned that there are very few brave people in our midst right now. There are some, there are some, and I actually I wrote down the name of one woman that I want to highlight, since we have a platform here, that I want to highlight, since we have a platform here. This woman's name is Karina Villa. Karina Villa, she's an Illinois state rep. I saw this a few days ago. She literally ran through her district in her tacones, in her heels, with her jacket on and her pants, chasing ice out of like a residence. Oh.
Carmen Lezeth:I know who you're talking about. I know who you're talking about.
Andrea:now Yelling at people to stay in their houses. You could see the fear and the emotion in her face when she was talking. She had her cameraman, hype man, you know, following her and I was like this. This is what the people want. Do not talk to me about tax subsidies. Chase ICE out of our goddamn neighborhoods. If your heels bitch.
Carmen Lezeth:I'm still waiting for ICE members to start realizing what they're doing is wrong. I know I'm asking way too much. You know what I mean. Like my dream, is that not my dream? But I actually think what's going to make a change is when actual people start realizing what's happening and stop doing what they're doing to aid and abet this situation. You know what I mean. So that would be ICE officers. But yeah, I don't know. But anyways, yeah, I am saddened by the lack of courage. There's no doubt about it, and I hope that Jimmy Kimmel does not apologize and, like the Sinclair group is asking, he has to apologize, he has to give the Charlie Kirk family money. You know what? Give the Charlie Kirk family money. You know what I mean To do something. Yeah, I read the whole letter. I was like what is it? And then at the end they're like and we're still not going to put him back on air. I'm like, oh, man.
Carmen Lezeth:Okay.
Andrea:Sure, you have a podcast tomorrow and blow all of these mofos out of the water. If podcast tomorrow and blow all these mofos out of the water, you know what, if we're at the point where we're upset with comedians and you know that's, we are at that point. Right, we are at that point. We are at that point and I think you know I'm not one who's like, and this is a good thing because you know, but a lot of people like Jimmy Kimmel, a lot of people like Jimmy Kimmel, a lot of people watch Jimmy Kimmel. That is the kind of thing that could potentially wake at least a few people up, wake people up.
Carmen Lezeth:Well, I mean, with Stephen Colbert being taken off the air as well, but he has to the end of his contract. That started it. But yeah, I mean, I think we're just in a really weird space and I can't believe we're not all inflamed. I just feel like I'm exhausted, you know, and it's just every day, and I'm still wondering where the fuck the Epstein files are. I'm just saying, where are the Epstein files? Like seriously, I don't even care about the Epstein files. But Kash Patel, straight faced in that meeting, was like there's nothing, there's nothing in the Epstein files, nothing at all. Well, if there's nothing, then just what's? What's the deal Then?
Andrea:just like they're not doing themselves any favors I don't even know what to say about that. Like just put them out there and whoever is in there take them down, and I literally don't care who it is yeah so we got feedback which was nice.
Carmen Lezeth:Some of it was not nice. Somebody was like please stop swearing. What the fuck I was like. You don't have to watch the show.
Andrea:I was like this is us. This is literally the way we talk to each other.
Carmen Lezeth:And if you tell someone to not swear who casually swears on a regular basis, all I'm going to do is swear more. I don't even know, and do you not know me? Is this your first?
Andrea:Is this your first? Is this your first? People who swear are more intelligent than people who aren't. This is actually fact.
Carmen Lezeth:It is. That is fact.
Andrea:I'll find it for you. I'll find it.
Carmen Lezeth:I'll put it down, not that it's a competition. Yes, it is. The other feedback was people wanted to know, and when I say people, I mean Rick Costa. Rick was like are you guys going to really talk about the differences between Republican and Democrats and you know to get more into it? But first I wanted to start with talking about what liberalism and conservatism is, and those are ideologies. People get confused. Those are ideologies. And then I was like maybe people don't know what ideology means. Let's get into it girl.
Andrea:I was a poli-sci major for two years.
Carmen Lezeth:Okay, well, I'm going to read the definition and then I'll give an example after you say okay, an ideology is a system of beliefs and values that shape how someone sees the world. That's like the easiest way to say it, and I was going to say this example because I like things to be super easy. So the way I think about it is pretend we're talking about phones. Iphones are one ideology. Android phones are another ideology, right?
Andrea:Yes, that's a very, very good example.
Carmen Lezeth:Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Andrea:Thank you, go ahead, I'm sorry. No, I mean, I think that's a great way to say it and you know, and they, they form the basis for political parties, their economic and political policies, right, that's. You know, they're based on different ideologies. The way you see the world right, they're based on different ways you see the world.
Andrea:But also I will call it thought leadership, right Academic writing. So, for example, karl Marx, rightxism. He wrote das capital, which was a criticism of capitalism and the basis for communism, which turned out to be the basis for uh you know, the russian revolution leading way too deep for people here yeah, etc.
Carmen Lezeth:But I'm just saying like it, I know because, seriously, all people heard was they didn't even make this link. But they're gonna be socialism, liberalism, that's well, I mean, but I, I.
Andrea:It is important though, to for people to understand. It's not just values and beliefs, it's actual philosophy, written by academics, and you, you know, white guys, right, it's true, it's true, it's factual, I mean so, and that is the basis for the policies that the parties then put out into the world.
Carmen Lezeth:So so the parties, let's just use Republican and Democrat. Yes, there are others, but let's just use the two party system. At the moment. Those are labels, so those are actual, like that's kind of going back to my phone analogy. I get a little deep into this. That's like the apps Instagram, spotify, whatever. I'm not promoting any of these, I'm just saying you can have any of these on either phone, so you can be a Democrat and be a conservative, you can be a Republican and be liberal. Those things cross over, so you can do those things. It's just like having those apps. You can use them on an Android phone or an Apple phone, so the apps would be the labels of the Democrat, republican. So just to give people a different way to look at it. You know not to go too deep into the app thing and the phone thing. That's the end of it, right.
Andrea:Well, I don't want to get too academic, but you know there's going to get academic, right. There's the idea of the political spectrum Right, the idea of the political spectrum right, and so on the right you have in general conservatism, and on the left you have liberalism, and the farther you go out to the sides, the more extreme it gets.
Carmen Lezeth:So on the right you have, you know, reactionary, and on the left you have radical, and then in my opinion, they meet down at the bottom in a full circle of authoritarianism where you've got fascism and all of that. So forget the bottom thing at the moment, because I know that went too hard for people. I believe that most people. This is before Trump, so just understand. This is everything we're talking about is before trumpism, because trumpism is a whole other. That's at that bottom area, that's on the bottom, that's at the bottom on that spectrum, which is great. Like these are the extremes. And some people would say I would say a lot of crazy christian people are on the far, far right. You know what I mean. Like they're, they're teetering on crazy, not all Christians. You know who I'm talking about. You know who I'm talking about, all right. And then on the left we'd be like I don't know the Bernie Sanders, what would be an extreme leftist group?
Andrea:I don't know. Well, yeah, I don't even think I'd put Bernie Sanders out there way on the end.
Carmen Lezeth:But like, um, really, Okay, you know I hate Bernie Sanders.
Andrea:I'm not a huge fan but I wouldn't put him on the list. I don't know, like, um, um, you know some of some of the like really radical, um, you know, like climate justice or something like that, pet or something like that PETA like when they were doing the blood thing and stuff.
Carmen Lezeth:They've calmed down since then. But while we're here, let me just say I did a TikTok yesterday and Antifa is not a group. I know that Trump has put on his TikTok or whatever he's doing, whatever his social media thing is, he's made Antifa. Andrea, I know you haven't heard this yet, I know I have. Oh, you have. He's made Antifa a terrorist group. It's not a group. It means anti-fascist, it's not a group.
Carmen Lezeth:And then they're like it might be an ideology. Yeah, exactly, it might be an ideology. Yeah, exactly, it might be an ideology. Yes, yeah. But that's why it's also getting confused, because they are doing everything in their power to make the American people think that they're doing something so important and so valid. You know like doing that because it sounds like a good buzzword, but, like I said on my TikTok, it's like I'm anti-bullying. You wouldn't make the group a terrorist group because I'm anti-bullying. It's the same concept. It's a thing that we believe. It's not. By the way, if you're an American, you should be anti-fascist. You should be, everybody should be, everybody should be, anti-fascist.
Andrea:Everybody should be. Fascism is not a good thing for most people.
Carmen Lezeth:It's just, it's so weird because he's having. I don't think if somebody asked Trump if he knew what fascism was, that he'd be able to answer it. Oh no, I don't think I'm being mean there. I'm sorry, I think I'm being pretty honest.
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah, so him using that as a buzzword again where are the Epstein files? I just want to throw that out there because that would have been a great tweet or whatever he was doing, if he had said by the way, here are the Epstein files, as opposed to making up all this crap. All right, back to liberal and conservative ideologies, but let's get into what they believe, right? Kind of sort of Do you want to take the liberal column, because I know it makes you sick to even think of the conservatives.
Andrea:Yeah, I mean I'm going to be general so you can fill in some specifics. But on the left liberal side is progressivism right, Advancing the public good through government action a lot of times. So I believe in more government help, in particular for government help, in particular for vulnerable groups.
Carmen Lezeth:It's really, but let's take it one at a time. I don't want to go down. I want to, like you, do that. So liberals believe in the government having more involvement with the people and helping people who are vulnerable falling through the, but also just making sure we have what we need Right.
Andrea:Right, I mean. So we're talking about healthcare, education, you know? Public goods, libraries, roads, you know?
Carmen Lezeth:yeah, that's a good one. You know that's a good one. We believe that when we pay taxes and we give it to the government, the government uses those taxes to help the greater good of all the people. When you hear it that way, I don't even know how conservatives would not agree to that. If you want to take care of your neighbor, right. But let me tell you what conservatives believe. Conservatives believe actually limited government and they believe in personal responsibility. They believe in that whole. Pull them up by your bootstraps, do it on your own. Government cannot be involved in your dealing and giving you money or helping you. It's a very weird negative idea.
Andrea:Lower taxes, less regulation. Also like very, very business friendly.
Carmen Lezeth:But here's the problem. So let's talk about the problem with these things. Because, when it comes to businesses, they give tax breaks to these big corporations, but we're still paying taxes because we have to. It's not like if you're a conservative, you're not going to pay taxes, right, you're still going to pay taxes because they want their money, but they're taking the money and, instead of giving it to people who are falling through the cracks or whatever, they give it to corporations for tax breaks and incentives.
Carmen Lezeth:Yes, the idea I believe is I was just going to say, let's give them the idea, your favorite trickle-down theory, right?
Andrea:If you have more money in your pocket as an individual or as a business owner, then more money will flow through the economy and it will trickle down to those who have less. That is not true.
Carmen Lezeth:Well, here's the thing. In theory it sounds nice. It means that people who have a lot of money would not keep it for themselves and would instead share it. I mean, if we look at it at the positive way, that's the idea. I have so much money that I'm going to turn around and I want to share it with everyone. Right, let's give it a positive spin. That would be the trickle down theory. I'm going to create jobs, I'm going to create other opportunities, I'm going to help other people Shop and buy things yeah Right Shop and buy, move the economy yeah.
Carmen Lezeth:But that's not what happens ever, because you always hear about these golden parachutes, you always hear about these buybacks, right, these share buybacks or whatever. So what ends up happening is all these rich people take all this money and they don't create new jobs.
Andrea:They hoard it.
Carmen Lezeth:They hoard it and they keep it for themselves and they they might sprinkle like, once they have so much money, they might sprinkle it into some other ideas and do a couple of you know like, oh, I'm going to give some money to blah, blah, blah, but it's never at the abundance. That's why I think we have these people who are billionaires.
Andrea:I really do 100%.
Andrea:The idea is that the private sector should fund a lot of things charitable, even some healthcare and childcare and all those kinds of things versus the government funding those things, and that it's better done that way and sort of along the lines of personal responsibility is the less taxes you pay, the more say you have in how your money is spent. Right, for example, if I pay my taxes right now, I'm not loving the way those tax dollars are being spent Right. Right, we have no say in it. Right, we don't really have a say. Once it goes, it goes and other people are deciding, you know, and that's whatever. It is what it is, but that's, I believe, that's the idea is, you know, you keep more of your money, businesses keep more of their money, and then private sector decides where that should go.
Carmen Lezeth:But in the history of this happening, it has never worked and that's not a lie. The trickle-down theory has never actually worked, which is why we do have billionaires. There would be no billionaires if they were of so much giving of their excess of monies to help build and create new jobs and stuff, but what they do is they spread it amongst their friends or their stockholders or their shareholders. I should say you know they were truly sharing and trickling down.
Andrea:You know their employees would not be on welfare.
Carmen Lezeth:Minimum wage would be easily $30 an hour. You know what I mean.
Andrea:Like, there you have like, um, uh, the Walton family right, Multi-billion, you know, multi, multi-billionaires, and, um, you know, one of the biggest retailers on the planet and their workers can't, you know, can't afford life, right, but here they are living high on the hogs. So they are not espousing or living. You know, people with the Walpins. The Walgreens Walmart.
Carmen Lezeth:They own Walmart.
Andrea:That's just one example of it doesn't trickle down. They keep it for themselves and they, you know, create family trust and all kinds of things. Hey look at, I wish it worked.
Carmen Lezeth:I would love the idea that Amazon, jeff Bezos, had so much money that he was actually paying his Amazon drivers enough money so that people could have medical care and have. You know what I mean. Like it would be great if that actually worked, because then we'd all be working a livable wage. But isn't it interesting how we've been told, how we've been taught not to make that connection Right?
Andrea:And like no one is saying put yourself in the poor house, right. Like you do not have to go and live in a hut on a mountain with one pair of shoes, you know what I mean. Like you can still have your yacht, bro. You can still, you know, like have your crazy ass wedding in italy or whatever it is that was so funny, right? But like you don't have to hoard it. There's, they have more money than they could ever possibly spend. Like they really could not.
Carmen Lezeth:That is a weird. That is a weird part of what I hate about the wealth in the United States. I mean, I guess it's around the world, but you know cause I always think about like Saudi Arabia, whatever, like how, but that's all about being in control, right? It's a different kind of power. If it's all about money, you know it's not authentic power. I mean, as far as I'm concerned, you know what I mean.
Andrea:Like it's not real power, it's not. And like I mean not to put too fine a point on it, but like you have more money than God, but you're still up there kissing donald trump's ass. So how powerful are you, yep? Like you have what they call fuck you money. Like you don't ever have to deal with any of this, ever, but you choose to go and kiss the ring it's weird because it's a fake kind of power.
Carmen Lezeth:Right, it's a, because to me, real power going to like we'll have like two viewers after this, but like real power are people that walk with such brilliance that you like, I think Barack Obama has a lot of power. You know, I think Robert Redford may he rest in sweet peace a lot of power. You know people who are so respected. You know I don't care what you feel about Jane Fonda Tons of power People who are solid in themselves, who walk their talk and don't hurt other people.
Carmen Lezeth:I can, I'll even say people, and of course I feel like I'm only naming liberal, but like I think about, even like Warren Buffett, or I'm trying to think of other people who have power that might be. He's not conservative, he has a lot of money. Mark Cuban is also more on the left, so all the good people are on the left. I don't know, I don't know. I'm trying to think of a Republican or a conservative that I think yields a lot of kind of power because they're a good. Oh, I can name one. I know you're going to disagree. May he rest in peace. But John McCain was, I know, I know, but I'm just saying he had honor and dignity, whether you agreed with him or not, but he died.
Carmen Lezeth:I, I know, and he also brought us sarah palin, I know, but that's when he lost some power. But I'm glad I said had okay had right right right, I'm looking, I'm struggling here.
Andrea:I know, I know he is a name that popped up for me too, he isn't but you refuse to say it.
Carmen Lezeth:You were like, wait, I just want to tell everyone the other day that I don't think we were on screen. No, no, because I didn't leave it in. But you were like, how bad is it that I wish Chaney was back. I wanted to capture that moment. You actually said that Chaney yeah, that's how bad we're at right now that Andrea is. That moment you actually said that Chaney yeah, who we love that's how bad we're at right now that Andrea is wishing we had the problems of the Bush-Chaney era.
Andrea:Yeah, look at she won't even admit it. I know I'm not. I will not, I will not repeat.
Carmen Lezeth:So it's just a tough time. So it's just a tough time, um, I I think that it's hard for people to understand that they're more to the middle than not. That's kind of what we were saying. We said most people think they're republicans, um, but I'm gonna say.
Andrea:Here's what I, I personally believe. I believe that the United States is a center-right country, so mostly center, but like just to the right, not like too far over, but you know, a fairly conservative country. Happen to believe that the democratic party is a center right party. The republican party veers in between like conservative and reactionary, at least, at least I'm going to say, for most of our lifetime. That's where I believe they lived. Now it's something completely different. But so when I say that I believe most people are not Republican, number one it's a fact, you know, borne out by the numbers. But number two, it's based on that. I, like I said, I think United States is center right and I believe that the democratic party is primarily a center right Party.
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah, I. I mean, I know you want me to fight with you. I'm not going to fight with you on that, because I've always called myself a conservative Democrat, so I'm not going to. I've always like, that's where you and I've had our battles. I'm I've always been. I'm like over there in radical territory. He's in Lulu land, right, and that's cool. I think if I have to jump on a bandwagon, I'm certainly not going that way.
Carmen Lezeth:But you know, even like and people will freak out like, people think like, oh, barack Obama is so liberal? No, he's not. Neither was definitely Hillary Clinton, was not. You know. So that that is not an off basis analogy or whatever you just said definition. I should say I just think more people think that they are republican or trump people. I know people gonna be mad, but trump is not even a republican when it comes right down to it, he's just doing what he's doing for money. And um, you know, like, even the emollients clause is that how you say it? Emollients clause, the clause that says that when you're president, you cannot be taking money and making money off of the presidency. I think that's what that? I think it's emoluments, but I could be wrong. Emoluments maybe. I could be wrong. Whatever it is, I'll put it down at the bottom, but he has become a billionaire while being in office he's selling like coins and shit and bibles.
Andrea:Just want to put this in perspective.
Carmen Lezeth:Jimmy carter had to sell his peanut farm his peanut farm, yeah to be in office, and yet everyone's okay. Okay with Donald Trump doing what he's doing as far as making money off of the presidency, which is incredible.
Andrea:I believe that a lot of people believe they are Republican or whatever, because Republicans are better at marketing and scaring people, and so you create some big scary thing that's like oh, the radical left, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You know death panels right. Remember that whole thing.
Carmen Lezeth:Death panels. I'm going to say it's something different. I think they believe that being a Republican makes you closer to God.
Andrea:Oh, interesting. Yeah, you know what I mean, right.
Carmen Lezeth:You know, because if we go into the whole conversation of pro-choice and pro-life and they think they're saving the babies and they can't have any other concept, like they can't have any other thought process, and there's this whole idea that to be Republican means to be closer to God and Christianity or whatever you believe in, and that way it makes you a better person. And then when you say things to people like, pull yourselves up by your bootstraps. That sounds amazing, like yeah, I don't want to have to. You know, I'm doing everything on my own and I'm struggling and I'm having a hard time. Why do I have to help somebody else who's lazy or stealing from us? Or you know, I had a conversation the other day and I was going to find a way to bring this up about snap benefits. Like you would think you would think that the right, if we're talking about Christianity and we're talking about people on the right believing in no government interference and blah, blah, blah you would think that those would be the least amount of people that are taking from our government right, 37% of white people are the people who take SNAP benefits and welfare in this country. I guess they only call it SNAP now, they don't call it welfare. 26% of Black people use SNAP benefits and 17% of Hispanic people use and there's other statistics. But let me just say this People who are not eligible, just to get this right undocumented immigrants are not eligible for SNAP benefits at all. Daca recipients not eligible for SNAP benefits or welfare of any kind. Temporary visa holders not able to at all get SNAP benefits. So I think it's really important for people to know that, and that statistic comes from the global statistics and the SNAP center organization themselves.
Carmen Lezeth:The other thing I want to point out that has nothing to do with anything. I just want to point out some countries of I'm going to point out all the countries that have people who have overstayed their visas, and none of these people are really afraid of ice. I want you to see if you can figure out what the through line might be. The United Kingdom, france, germany, italy, spain, ireland, sweden, poland, australia, new Zealand and Canada is not on the list, but they, because of the way in which they can just walk over the border or whatever. You know what I mean. None of these people have not these people, but these countries have people who have come by visa to this country and have overstayed and I've spoken to about five different people from five different of these countries. None of them worried at all about ICE. I wonder why. I wonder what that would be. What's?
Andrea:the comment Curious. Yeah, you know visa overstays are, I believe you know it's at least equivalent to people crossing the border.
Carmen Lezeth:You know Percentage wise it's a little bit lower, but the difference is and this is where we get into this you know your Christianity, your heart, are you? Let me see? I wrote it down. You know what, I'll just go with it. Do we want to help people who are leaving a murderous country or a pained country, or an economically you know disadvantaged country, or people who are trying to have a better life? Do we want to help people have a better life or are we just more interested in being mean and cruel to brown and black folk? Because I think we know what the answer is Like. I'm not being very Christian if I don't want to help the people who are struggling.
Carmen Lezeth:People come to this country over the border. They save whatever money they can. They go to a coyote A coyote is the person who helps. Bring them over here and I don't mean help in a good way, I mean in a bad way. They take all their monies, they dump them in the United States after walking them through, and these people have nothing and they come from nothing. Isn't that the whole like? Let me help people who are struggling.
Andrea:Talk about pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. That's what I'm saying. I'm sorry, but like there you will not find more dedicated, harder workers, people who are willing to literally walk through fire to be here and contribute not only to this country but, yes, to their family back home. Family values, Hello, that's the whole reason they come. It's so weird.
Carmen Lezeth:You would think that would be the Republican party, who would be like let me help my fellow human being because it's christ-like, it's jesus-like, it's yeah, but it's not any of that, it's racism. You would actually believed.
Andrea:They were like real christians. And I, you know, like I'm sure, okay, we're gonna lose all the watchers, you know what I mean. But like you can talk about christianity in your bible verses and you're this and you're that all you want, but like I literally don't care if you're not walking the talk, shut the fuck up.
Carmen Lezeth:It's so true and it's funny to say we're going to look at, then we'll just be having these conversations, I don't know Like it's okay, this is what we, this is what we talk about.
Carmen Lezeth:This is really what we talk about. Like we don't usually do it face to face, although sometimes but it's really funny Like we will do like and again, I'm not, I'm not hating on any religion, I just don't know where along the way. I mean, I do know where it happened, but you know this separation between church and state, you know like and how, how we've just kind of infused all of that into our politics so easily. Now and again. It's the contradiction. You would think that Republicans would be the ones who would want to fix the immigration situation and go after corporations who are allowing people to work these jobs under the table right. Imagine if there were no jobs. If there were no jobs for people to come here for, they wouldn't come here.
Andrea:Yeah, well, this makes me think of the one thing that we didn't talk about when we talked about the different ideologies and the political spectrum and all of that, which is sort of the foundation upon which all of this is built, that permeates wherever you are on that spectrum racism.
Carmen Lezeth:It's always going to be racism. It's always going to be racism.
Andrea:This country was founded, literally founded on the backs of human beings who were seen as property, in the midst of genociding the human beings that already lived here and I'm gonna say something.
Carmen Lezeth:I didn't come up with this verse. Somebody put it on tiktok I have. I wish I knew his name because I didn't realize we wouldn't come up with this. But if I say racism and you hear white people, that's a you problem, that's not a me problem. You know what I mean? Because that's what happens. People hear the word racism and they get all offended and it's like so racism.
Andrea:I'm tired of hearing about that. Okay then I guess you don't want to deal with the problem. You don't want to deal with the problem. You don't want to deal with the problem. If you cannot face it head on, admit it and figure out, how do we move forward?
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah, and think about that too. If you're not racist for real, then why can't you just hear it, see the problem and want to fix it Right? Why do you get so offended? People who get offended tend to actually be part of the problem, like they tend like whatever, it is right. When you see a kid I didn't, I didn't steal it, I didn't steal no gum, I didn't do it All of a sudden you're like that child stole the gum, that little kid stole the gum. You know what I mean? Right, kids told about right, it's kind of the same thing.
Carmen Lezeth:Wow, we were all over the place today, but I think that was good, because that's usually how it goes. Yeah, that is how it goes. Yeah, all right. Well, hey, everyone, thank you for listening. We appreciate you being here and, uh, yeah, keep sending your comments. Please be kind and nice, and or not, it's okay, because I have someone deleting them now. So, no, no, it's totally fine, cause you know what this is what we do and I think it can only help people. So, yeah, remember, we have our Friday night shows at 6 PM Pacific, 9 PM Eastern. You can come and join in. It really is a relaxed, chill, kind of no politics, no religion, kind of conversation between friends, and we'll even invite you up if you're cool and vetted. I have to vet people, but remember, at the end of the day it really is all about the joy. Thank you everyone. Bye, we'll see you next week. Bye, thanks for stopping by. All About the Joy. Be better and stay beautiful folks, have a sweet day.
