Join us on "The Enigmatic Journey of Gary Hart," a deep dive into the life and career of one of America's most intriguing political figures. From his meteoric rise as a presidential hopeful to the scandal that shook the nation, we explore the highs and lows of Gary Hart's public and private life. Through exclusive interviews, expert analysis, and rare archival footage, we unravel the complexities of a man who was poised to redefine American politics. Tune in to discover the untold stories, the political machinations, and the enduring legacy of Gary Hart. Whether you're a political junkie or a history buff, this podcast will captivate and inform, shedding new light on a pivotal moment in American history. #GaryHart #PoliticalHistory #Podcast #AmericanPolitics #Scandal #PresidentialHopeful #HistoryPodcast #UntoldStories #PoliticalIntrigue #GaryHartLegacy
Join us on "The Enigmatic Journey of Gary Hart," a deep dive into the life and career of one of America's most intriguing political figures. From his meteoric rise as a presidential hopeful to the scandal that shook the nation, we explore the highs and lows of Gary Hart's public and private life. Through exclusive interviews, expert analysis, and rare archival footage, we unravel the complexities of a man who was poised to redefine American politics. Tune in to discover the untold stories, the political machinations, and the enduring legacy of Gary Hart. Whether you're a political junkie or a history buff, this podcast will captivate and inform, shedding new light on a pivotal moment in American history.
#GaryHart #PoliticalHistory #Podcast #AmericanPolitics #Scandal #PresidentialHopeful #HistoryPodcast #UntoldStories #PoliticalIntrigue #GaryHartLegacy
Hi Friends! Our transcripts aren't perfect, but I wanted to make sure you had something - if you'd like an edited transcript, I'd be happy to prioritize one for you - please email doomedtofailpod@gmail.com - Thanks! - Taylor
Taylor Faris: Welcome to doomed to fail podcast. We are back yet again
>> Taylor: In the matter of the people of state of California v. Orenthal James Simpson, case number ba zero nine. And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.
>> Farz: And we are back yet again. I have my shitty headset, so apologies for the audio, but we're back on a sunny Wednesday day. Hi, Taylor, how are you?
>> Taylor: I'm good, how are you?
>> Farz: Good. Would you like to introduce us?
>> Taylor: Sure, I'd be happy to. Happy almost. 4 July. Welcome to doomed to fail. We are the podcast that brings you history's most notorious disasters and epic failures. Twice a week, every week. On Monday, we covered the 1972 Munich massacre at the Olympics, which was terrible. And today, Faris is going to tell us something not as terrible.
>> Farz: it's not that terrible. It's. Well, you know, it's. It's. It's interesting. It depends on what scale you grade terribleness, because if you grade it on a scale of one thing begets other things, that ultimately leads us to where we are right now. And there's ultimate planes of reality that we could have gone down, lord help us. Maybe this terrible, but someone,
>> Taylor: To talk to, just mention, mention last week, someone while we were talking on our last episode, someone who is a friend, who is someone who would. Who is a. Who is like a third party voter said, sent something mean to me on instagram. and then I got. Immediately got like, a notice that they took it back. It said, like, the person has deleted the last message. And I'm sure that they think that I didn't see it, but I definitely saw it. And I'm like, you do you, man? But you do you.
>> Farz: You do you. So, I. I mean, I'm not, like, really that passionate about many things, but, like, parts of the topic I'm discussing here, which are political in nature, I'm, like, super passionate about. And it has nothing to do with, like, party affiliation so much as it has to do with, like, establishment apparatus and how things operate and what things I feel are right and what things I feel are wrong. And in those things, if anybody feels a certain way, you're probably wrong. Like, I'm sorry, but, like, I'm, I'm. I'm very sure about very few things I say. Oh, my God.
Our beta fish passed away the other day, and we buried him this morning
>> Taylor: Also, before you get started, I have another sad thing to tell you.
>> Farz: Okay.
>> Taylor: Our fish died.
>> Farz: I saw that.
>> Taylor: His, name was Chippy. He was a beta fish. He. I think we had him for like, two years. And I really think that he listened at story time. Like, he would get really excited and, like, come up to the side of the tank, and then, like, one day, I didn't feed him, we didn't feed him, we forgot. And the next day, he yelled at me. He, like, camped me in the tank and went, whoop. Like, he opened up his mouth and, like, gave me a big bubble. And, like, I know he was talking to me. He was bad at me. And then when I got home from vacation after Japan, I, like, took him out of the tank to clean it, and he got back in, and he was so mad at me for making the tank. He was, like, doing these, like, jumps and flips, and I just, like, felt like he had a really good personality. But he was getting sick the last couple weeks, and we found him passed away the other day. And so we buried him in the. And I painted a big stone, and I wrote Chippy. He loved storytime. And we buried him this morning, and it was very sad. And I, like, took his tank, and I think this might have been a mistake, but I, like, cleaned it, and I put the plant back in it, so it's, like, in the same spot. But I keep thinking that he's there, and I'm just, like, sad. So rest in peace, chippy. You were a good betta fish.
>> Farz: Rip chippy. That's the one thing about pets, they're great, and they also just rip your heart out so bad.
>> Taylor: I know. I'm just, like, wanting to go say hi to him, and I'm like, oh, my God, he was a fish. But I'm like, I still. I still loved him.
>> Farz: I'm sorry. I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sure the kids are sad.
>> Taylor: yeah, we're all sad now. We have a pet cemetery. Which school?
>> Farz: So I just don't bury yourself there.
>> Taylor: Or do.
>> Farz: Or do if you want to be a Stephen King character. So it depends on what you're shooting for.
The presidential debate between Biden and Trump was on Thursday
Okay, so I kind of preface this. So I was looking. I was. We're recording this on Sunday, June 30. And so the presidential debate between Biden and Trump were on Thursday. And obviously, a lot of people are talking about this kind of stuff. And it started making me think a little bit about party apparatus stuff. And one thing that I asked Chad Gbt. And again, people can feel however they want about this. It is an absolute, undeniable fact that Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Dianne Feinstein should have quit when they had chance. Things would have been, The world would have been a lot different if they had identified their flaws and quit when they were ahead of time.
Gary Hart ran for US Senate in 1974 and 1980
So I started thinking about other what if scenarios and what those downstream impacts could have been. And I landed on one that is kind of the beginning of the national political scandal in the us crisis. And that is the life and time of Gary Hart. Do you know what that is?
>> Taylor: I don't know. I think so. I don't know. Maybe. Tell me more. Okay, I'm sure I do. I literally just mentioned that I have a master's degree in political communication. So am I going to get shamed for this? Probably.
>> Farz: I think that was in the last episode. So you probably. If they don't connect the dots, fine, don't connect the dots. So Gary Hart looks like the guy who was, he looks like a type of guy who was basically born to like, either be president or play the president in a movie. He's very Mitt Romney like in that regard. he was a lawyer. Well, is he still alive? He is a lawyer, in Colorado. And in the 1970s he started getting involved in local politics. So, in 1974, well, local politics is then he was working for the McGovern campaign, like, he was working on campaigns. And then he started being involved directly himself. And in 1974 he ran for us Senate as a Democrat against a two term incumbent senator and just destroyed him in the general election, which is a challenge because usually incumbents have like, that advantage of being an incumbent and having a newcomer on the scene and doing that is pretty impressive. He actually was in luck because again, he was running as a Democrat in that time. Nixon, was, that was the year Nixon resigned office. And so Republicans were just shitting the bed left and right. And so he was able to kind of ride that wave. So typically when a rising star is found, and that's somebody who can basically mobilize donors, fundraisers, supporters on a national level, they tend to become kind of the media darling or the party darling, in this case, DNC's darling. And the way things were going with Gary, his looks, his demeanor, his attitude, the way he absolutely just crushed it in Colorado on his first race and winning a US Senate seat, which is crazy. Like, that's actually really impressive. That's like why Obama was so impressive is because he like just leapfrogged every step along the way. Like he was, there's levels. Listen, he definitely went really far, far ahead of everybody else. As a result. He basically was just rising in the ranks and Democratic Party. He wasn't at the top. He was just like. He was kind of like where, like, Gavin Newsom is right now. You know, like just somebody who's there and everybody knows he's reliable, but we don't know what we're doing with this guy sort of thing.
>> Taylor: Kevin Newsom is busy this weekend.
>> Farz: Yeah, yeah, I saw you just passed. Oh, I see what you're saying. Yeah, I thought you meant because you just passed the budget deficit. the bill in, California. But he's also on every news program out there. so in 1980, he ran for reelection, for us Senate, and he also won, although it was more narrow this time. back then, he was also operating under the wing of, basically what was going on with Jimmy Carter. And Jimmy Carter had a horrible, horrible approval rating. And so it was tough. It was tough. It's tough to be a downstream Democrat or Republican and win your office when the president is losing his office. He just doesn't work too well. So, in 1983, there was no clear and obvious democratic candidate to run against a very, very strong and dominant Ronald Reagan. So his poll numbers were through the roof. And so nobody really know, knew what they were supposed to do here. What we had on the ticket was, these are just nobodies. So, Claude Kirk, junior, Ernest Holdings, Alan Cranston, Ruben Askew, George McGovern. Okay, we heard of them. Or him and John Glenn. Okay, we've heard of John Glenn, too. So those were the basically inconsequential candidates. Then there was Carter's VP, Walter Mondale, and Jesse Jackson. And then there's Gary Hart himself. Those are really the three consequential candidates are running for the, democratic nomination in 1983, for the 84 election. So in 1983, Gary decided to throw his hat in the ring for the primary campaign. and he went from kind of like an unknown on the national stage to beating everyone but Mondale in the first primary state of Iowa, and then beating Mondale in New Hampshire, which was a huge wake up call for Mondale, going from VP name recognition, you know, all that, to, starting to. Starting to lose. As the primary season heated up, it was clear that there was only two candidates worth really talking about. Mostly everybody except Jesse Jackson had dropped out of that point. But it was mostly just the Mondale and Gary Hartley thing. Mondale, obviously, like I said, he had the good look of being a former president, which means he also had party establishment support and a ton of dollars that were backing him. But despite that advantage, they basically tied on Super Tuesday, which is kind of nuts if you think about it. So a strong Super Tuesday showing is like one of the most important ways for a campaign to cement its legitimacy for context. Going into Super Tuesday in 1992, Bill Clinton was trailing then former Massachusetts senator Paul Sangas, and then he won, and then Bill Clinton became who he was. Same story. So in 2008, Obama was trailing Hillary in the polls, until they hit Super Tuesday. He just blew it through the roof. And obviously what happened there happened. Actually, this is the part where I think people are going to have a beef with me and I don't give a shit because I'm right. This is also the case between Bernie and Hillary in 2016. So Hillary started out as a front runner and then Bernie had a super strong showing on Super Tuesday. It's a weird example because obviously Hillary went on to win the party nomination over Bernie. But again, this goes back to like, the insane amount of bullshit corruption within the DNC. I mean, I'm going to say at that time, but I'm not so surprised if it isn't the same. Ah, right now, things that we were privy to directly, Taylor was them revoking his access to the van. Like, it was just. They planted. It was crazy how much corruption happened. I didn't realize this until later was that there was a hack that happened to the DNC after this and it led to, Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigning. the DNC CEO, the communications director, the CFLA, they wiped out the entire DNC because they were so obviously trying to screw over Bernie Sanders because they thought Hillary should get the nomination. In honest opinion, if Bernie got the nomination, there wouldn't be a Trump right now.
>> Taylor: Yeah, they screwed over the whole fucking country.
>> Farz: They destroyed the world. These four idiots destroyed the entire world, basically.
Despite everything being said about the morals of the parties, Republicans actually were democratic
So anyways, that's where we are. So, yeah, yeah. anyways, my point, my point about how angry that makes me is that despite everything being said about, like, the morals of the parties, the Republicans actually were democratic. they let the guy that should never have gotten nominated get nominated. It's insane. Meanwhile, the democratic party is like, no, we got to bury the guy. Whatever, it doesn't matter. It is what it is.
>> Taylor: It is what it is.
Back in 1984, Walter Mondale and Gary Hart were battling for nomination
You did say alternate timeline earlier, and I do wish I was on an alternate timeline, but yeah, I started going.
>> Farz: Down this rabbit hole of like, the super delegates because I like, was like, what was going on with the delegates? I was like, oh, yeah, it was just all party elders. It was a 572 party elders that just voted for Hillary because it was just like, oh, it's her turn. It's her turn to run. It's unbelievable. anyways, so we're going back to Gary Hart. So the race come down. Comes down to Walter Mondale and Gary Hart with the, two having those block victories on super, Tuesday. one of Mondale's most popular attack ad attack lines against Gary was that his policy positions sounded good, but they lacked substance. So in what would end up being like a disastrous debate performance for Gary Hart, he was presenting himself as. I'm the younger candidate. I'm, the newer candidate. I have new ideas. Mondale's old and stodgy and all that. Mondale would turn to Gary and he would reference a wendy's fast food slogan, where's the beef? So heading into the convention, both Gary Hart and Mondale were still campaigning for president, but neither had enough delegates to kind of cinch the nomination. That's when what I mentioned before, the super delegates came into effect. Basically, that's when the candidates go and lobby to these party elders.
>> Taylor: So that's what happened with Lincoln. Yeah. Like, Lincoln was. Everyone's like, 3rd, 2nd choice, you know, and that actually won the nomination because he was like, okay, well, this guy. You guys want this guy, but like, I'll be your second. And he was. That's how he got it.
>> Farz: So that's good point.
>> Taylor: New, you know, but that's just. But it's also just like, it's all too,
>> Farz: So they don't do that anymore. They don't do that anymore because, ah, it was, it was what? One of the things that Bernie railed against the most was that this was undemocratic to have your state won, but the delegates not bound to what the voters. That is crazy. That's like.
>> Taylor: I know crazy.
>> Farz: That's so such bullshit. No, they now, it's a different version of it, which is like, it's like the first round. If it's. If it's a contested convention, then the first round, first of it has to be contested. If it is, then the first round ballot, has to go with the way their state voted. Then on a second round, some percentage are allowed to vote on their own.
>> Farz: But back then, back in 2016, that wasn't the case. It's just changed, like 2018.
>> Taylor: So I was, you know, I was president of the Manhattan Young Democrats.
>> Farz: Yeah.
>> Taylor: So the young Dems are very sweet. It's like they have good intentions, but they always end up fighting with each other, you know? But they have a nominating convention for the president. Of the young Dems. And it is fun as shit. Cause everyone's mad at each other, but you get to do this thing where you're like, state of New York. we have six votes for farmers and seven votes for whatever. It's very fun. And I like watching that part of the convention where they're like, the great state of Nevada supports Joe Biden or whatever, you know.
>> Farz: That was fun. I mean, yeah, it's very old timey. It's very cool and all that. But also, I did do, again, rail against me all you want about belief systems. The republican party does not do this. This has always been a unique feature of the democratic party. The republican party does have a concept of unbound delegates, but.
>> Farz: The way the Democratic Party works now is the way the Republican Party always operated. Yeah, like, come on.
>> Taylor: So there's also like, yeah, like someone who I know was like, the young dems always fight isn't normal. And I was like, yeah, democrats, all they do is fight with each other until he got here. I don't know.
>> Farz: So anyways, Mondale wins the argument with the super delegates. He becomes the nominee. and, oh, yeah, this is also hilarious to me. So, yeah, so Mondale wins the nominee during his nomination speech. Again, this goes back to like, dude, like, just please stop shooting yourselves in the book for no, absolutely no reason. He's quoted as saying, let's tell the truth. Mister Reagan will raise taxes and so will I. He won't tell you. I just did. And it reminded me of when Dukakis was in a debate and he was asked if he would want the death penalty if somebody raped and killed his wife. And he's like, no, and let me tell you why. It's like, dude, if you're a campaign manager, like, these are human moments. These are nothing. This is not a policy discussion that you're having. Like, have a human moment and stop being so, like, moralistic and principled. Like, just want to shake these people awake.
>> Taylor: Anyway, I mean. I mean, I know about a debate prep from watching the west Wing, right? And it seemed like it's very. It's stressful, you know, and like, they throw you a weird ass question like that, you know you're going to be like, oh, this is like, it's like Miss America.
>> Farz: Walter Mondale was giving his acceptance speech. It wasn't that challenging. He wrote it probably a month before.
>> Taylor: Okay, fair.
>> Farz: Okay. No, what it honestly made me think of was like, the Democratic Party wants to. Would rather lose nobly than to win.
You know, during the debate, people kept texting you about it
That's what it makes me think of.
>> Taylor: I think that that is exactly right. And that is what a lot of people who are, like, third party voters this right now are. Like, that's how they're feeling. And you're like, but all these examples of this, you know, it's really, it's, it's frustrating. I feel like also for, like, you and me are very in. We know what's going on. We spend our love, our time thinking about this. Most people don't. You know, like, during the debate the other day, I'm, texting with some people who have strong opinions one way, some that have strong opinions another way. And then one of my friends sent me something about beads, like, making jewelry, and I was like, you don't even know this is happening.
>> Farz: That's why that's true. That's actually wild.
>> Taylor: You don't know this is happening right.
>> Farz: Now, but you're like, you were texting, too. And I had that same experience where I texted somebody like, I'm not watching this. Like, wow, okay.
>> Taylor: They didn't even know what was happening. You know, it wasn't like, m, I know people who chose not to watch it, which I planned to not watch it, but then I decided to because people kept texting me. So I was like, okay, fine, I'll put it on. I appreciate how easy it was to watch online because I feel like, like I said, the Olympics are, like, nearly impossible to watch, but, like, you have to have, like, a cable subscription and all these things, but I appreciate how accessible it was for free.
>> Farz: I know. It's interesting. It's interesting because I was, I've been listening to a lot of, like, progressive voices on this because that's actually one of the reasons why I wanted to text you, because I was like, I was like, am I, am I, like, hearing things differently? Like, how is somebody that's, like, super on the progressive side hearing this? And then you were telling me your perspective on it, and so I sort of listened to the hot save America guys. I was like, these guys have to have a really good perspective on this. They know. They know Biden. They were. I don't know. I don't know. I mean, I'm, Whatever. It doesn't.
>> Taylor: No, I liked their stuff. Shows listening to them after. And. Yeah.
>> Farz: Yeah, it's gonna be rough. It's gonna be rough. Four years.
>> Taylor: I mean, I don't, I don't know. Yes. And I'm excited. For four years from now, no matter what happens, when we have two fucking 30, seven year olds who are handsome as shit, talking about debating. That's what I want.
>> Farz: Yeah. So anyways, okay, let's try. This is a long one. It's longer than I thought.
Reagan won 525 electoral votes to 13 vermondale. Literally the biggest margin ever in us history
So the outcome, of the Reagan Mondale match, it was basically what we already know happened. Reagan ends up trausing him. He actually won. I didn't know this, but this win is the biggest win in the history of presidential politics. Reagan won 525 electoral votes to 13 vermondale. It was a swing of 17 million votes, or 20% of the total electorate on the popular vote side.
>> Taylor: Wow.
>> Farz: Literally the biggest margin ever in us history. in another, like, super cute thing, given our current situation, you should do this. You should go back and watch the Mondale Reagan, debate. It will blow you away, Taylor. It was. It was. So what do you think about the earned income tax for the children? Once even talk, it was. It's incredible. It's incredible. It's cute to think about now, but I went back and I watched one of them, and, So back then, during this debate, Reagan's age was a problem. Reagan was 73 years old, and he was being called on a question for being old. And it was during one of these debates when Reagan, who was being told he's too old, he quips back, I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I'm not going to exploit political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience. And I read that Walter Mondale, he.
>> Taylor: Was, like, amazing, amazing.
>> Farz: Everybody was cackling when he said that, including Mondale. And I read that Mondale said that. Yeah, I was laughing. But if you look really close, you can see a tear coming out of my eye, because I knew at that moment, this election was over.
>> Taylor: Fuck, that is a really fucking good answer.
Dakis: Let's talk about the Nixon Kennedy debate
wait, so do you want to talk about the Nixon Kennedy debate real fast?
>> Farz: Sure.
>> Taylor: So that's the one that you always hear about. Well, like, every. The famous one for being really, having to do with, like, what a president looks like and, like, being more presidential in the debate. Because during that debate, Kennedy, like, is young as shit. He's handsome. he wore makeup. He knew how to be on tv. Nixon was sick, and he didn't want to wear makeup. So people who watched the debate thought that Kennedy won, and people who listened to it because it was still, like, heavily radio thought that Nixon wonde, you know? And that was, like, the first time where it was, like, it matters. Like, so then in school, I learned a lot about, you know, you scrutinize every debate. And like, in, like the, there's a, Clinton Bush debate where Clinton Bush just like sits and doesn't move. He's like, they're sitting on these stools for some reason. And Bush is like on his stool the whole time. But Clinton is getting up, he's looking at the audience, he's talking to them. There is an audience. He's like moving them around. Nixon, the Nixon Kennedy one. There was not an audience like this one that happened last week. There was no audience. And that changed the dynamic as well. just interesting. So, like, it matters. Like, you know, what you wear. It matters. But you're.
>> Farz: Yeah, it all matters in the Bush Clinton one. Bush was checking his watch. Yeah, but, but it's also. So you actually called this out, in the last episode how, Obama kind of did bad against Mitt Romney. Like, he just seemed kind of flat footed and wasn't like sharp as we know him to be. and so one thing that the Pont save America guy said, washington, look, when you're an incumbent president, you're not used to being called like a lying scoundrel, you know, whatever. Like, you're used to people just listening to you and you're the boss and all that.
>> Taylor: And so you're busy, right?
>> Farz: And you're busy and there's something about like, you show up to a debate and it's like it's your first time going back into that world of being talked to like that, and you're just used to it again. so, anyways, so long story short is that Gary goes away from this loss, but he decides he's not going to rerun for Senate. Instead, he's going to wait for Reagan's term to expire and run for president again in 1988, which was totally a reasonable thing to do given how well he did in, the 83 primary season. So Gary mounts, his 88 campaign in a crowded field. this time it includes Jesse Jackson, Al Gore, Paul Simon, Dick Gephardt, and Michael Dukakis.
>> Taylor: The singer of Paul Simon.
>> Farz: No, no, I looked that up too. It was, I forget if it was Utah or something. He's, he was a former senator.
>> Taylor: That's funny.
>> Farz: so fun facts, this is also the election where David Duke campaigned for president on the democratic ticket. whoa. And then it was also Joe Biden's first run at presidente.
>> Taylor: Oh, really?
>> Farz: Yeah. He actually ended up dropping out before any primaries happened. The reason was that all these plagiarism things started popping up. Do you remember this? It came up. It came up in 2020 that he, like, plagiarized a bunch of stuff. And, this. It was during this run that. That all surfaced. So all the stuff that you heard in 2020 about him plagiarizing speeches, it was from his run in 86.
>> Taylor: Did he do that?
>> Farz: Yeah, he did.
>> Taylor: Oh, my God. Remember when Melania Trump plagiarized a speech from Barack. From Michelle Obama?
>> Farz: I m remember that. So, to Biden's credit, he credited the person whose speech he was saying, except on a specific incident. Incident which was recorded. And it was actually the Dukakis campaign who spread that, far and wide that he did this. So as soon as Dukakis is. I guess this was. It's so cute. They. They forced the campaign staff who did this to resign. Can you believe how cute that is?
>> Taylor: Yeah, that is ridiculous. And then I was also thinking, was I thinking about, oh, I can't remember. I lost it. About, plagiarizing. Continue. I don't remember.
Gary Hart developed a reputation as also being a womanizer
>> Farz: so in this case, in 88, the Dems actually had a better chance. They had an 84. The reason being they had already taken that back. The Senate in the midterms, and the Republicans were embroiled in Iran Contra, which was not a good look for them. at the start of the cycle, the overwhelming winner, according to public opinion polls, was Gary Hart. He was holding in the 30 to high 40% range, depending on the poll and when exactly was being given, which is crazy, given how many people were running for this office in the primary. So one thing to know about Gary is he didn't have the best personal reputation. He and his wife had separated twice and were living apart at the time with her raising their, their kids alone. he also was kind of considered a bit aloof with policy positions that just didn't have that much on the bone. And it was under this cloud that he had developed a reputation as also being. Of also being a womanizer. So the media was primed and ready for this, with kind of, like.
>> Taylor: So funny, because, like, I'm here, president, who isn't?
>> Farz: yeah, yeah. Biden's not.
>> Taylor: I'm gonna say Abraham Lincoln, because he was too busy reading.
>> Farz: Wasn't he gay?
>> Taylor: But no, no.
>> Farz: Which one's gay? There was one gay one.
>> Taylor: There's definitely a gay one. It's not Lincoln. I can't remember which one. Yeah. there's one who was a bachelor, you know, and had a bestie. James Buchanan.
>> Farz: Got it. Got it.
>> Taylor: He was unmarried, you know, a roommate, a roommate.
>> Farz: That's what it was. so, yeah, it was under this. It was under this cloud that he developed. This reputation is kind of, like a womanizer. And I was thinking about how this is, like, 88, and, like, it was just starting to be a thing that they would, like, start looking into your personal life. You did a whole episode of how Eleanor Roosevelt had, like, a lover, and, like, it was. It just kind of, sort of was hush whispers, like, notes that nobody really talked about. Like, if it was a. If that was today, that would be, like, all over everything. It would be, like, years of content being produced on it. So, like, m. This is, like, the impetus for that. It's, like, the beginning parts of that.
>> Taylor: Yeah. And I think also, like, I don't know if we talked about it before, but, like, for a very long time, presidents didn't campaign for themselves. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was considered, like, not cool. So, like, people would, like, you wouldn't hear from the candidate. Like, FDR didn't even go to, like, some of the conventions, and then he'd, like, get a call that he was nominated again. You know, it's pretty cool.
>> Farz: Kind of cool.
>> Taylor: That's wild to think of now when you're like, if we could just not hear from them and hear from other people, that'd be nice.
>> Farz: Yeah, if only.
Jeb Bush dropped out of the presidential race in 1987 amid alleged affair controversy
so, in 1987, a woman named Donna Rice was the former Miss South Carolina beauty pageant winner, and she was doing as you do when you are that type of person. she was in aspen with her boyfriend at his house for New Year's Eve party. Her boyfriend was co vocalist and lead guitarist for the Eagles Don Henley, which is, like, pretty, pretty hard, pretty awesome. So, obviously, when that kind of guy drops a party, the movers and shakers in town come. Here comes the former us center for Colorado, Gary Hart. So they meet, and I. They end up kind of striking up, like, a friendship, whatever you want to call it. I have no idea what they actually struck up, and we still don't know what they struck up. But during all this, the media was playing up on his reputation that he's a womanizer. So Gary challenged them to stalk out his life to find out how boring he really is, which is, like, a horrible move. So, according to an anonymous tip, reporters ended up staking out his DC townhouse, and they observed Don and Gary arriving at the house together, and nobody walking out the front door the next. Until the next day. So we don't know if Gary would later say that she left out the back door. We don't know what happened. We don't know if they actually.
>> Taylor: He's divorced over Mary, but separated. Separated, yeah.
>> Farz: the New York Times magazine published a story about this and basically stirred up all this alleged affair stuff, and it led to, basically, the media just all kind of piling on, essentially. So his poll numbers started to tank, and he started losing popular appeal, specifically to Michael Dukakis, who was, like, second up, the runner up to him. So literally, a week after the story came out, the Washington Post also told the campaign that they have another story about a woman who said she's, like, in an affair with him. Like, horrible. And at that point, he decided it's gonna be too much. And so he dropped out of the race on May 8. So literally a week after all this broken, he dropped out of the race for president while he was ahead.
>> Taylor: Wow.
>> Farz: He would ditch everyone and basically abscond to a small cottage he rented in Ireland and just presumably write and walk the countryside, which sounds absolutely delightful.
>> Taylor: No. 100%. That sounds way better than being president.
>> Farz: Yeah, no kidding. Yeah, just go do that. something happened to him. I don't know what got up his ass about this, but in December of 1987, he decided to return back to the campaign and keep running for president. So he would obviously go forward and get destroyed by Michael Dukakis. and Dukakis would then go on to lose, in the 13th biggest landslide history to George Hw Bush, 426 to 111. Stop being principled. Like, this is, I don't even care about the policy anymore. It's like, just try to run a real campaign.
>> Taylor: I know. I mean, people to see and, like, be a part of and, like, be around. I don't know. That'd be super exciting.
>> Farz: Yeah. Yeah. I, Given how long I've been in politics, like, at this stage, I, Zero hope democratic party. I've seen absolutely no signs that there's any interest in trying to win.
>> Taylor: I know. Yeah, it's crazy. It's scary. I don't know.
>> Farz: So crazy anyways, because people don't remember this, but in 2015, the Republicans were shitting themselves. They were so terrified. This guy's gaining traction. He's literally beating all of our, like, institutional Republicans. There goes Jeb. There goes Marco. There goes, like, those are the people who are supposed to get elevated to the presidency. And there was all this talk that we're going to try and block him at the convention, and they literally let him go forward. I'm not saying it's good. I'm not happy about it, but it's at least democratic.
>> Taylor: No, totally. Do you, do you know how that Jeb's name is initial and they make fun of him in rest of development because, like, job is like George something Bluth. And that's what, That's what Jeb is. That's his initials.
>> Farz: 0000. You're right. Yeah. Because they call him Gob.
>> Taylor: Yeah, exactly. Which is really funny and stupid. I know he was like. You were like, I feel like he's. I mean, he's fine, but I'm feeling he's like that. That was shitty.
>> Farz: Yeah, well, yes. Yeah. So here's the thing. Like, what I've learned about him is, like, since then, he was one of the main people who was running around trying to alert. So basically, in 1998, Bill Clinton put him on a commission to study, like, terrorism, counterterrorism measures and stuff like that. he was responsible for that whole project, that whole program. And it was like the, it was like September 2 and then third and then fifth and then 6th and then 8th. He was having all these backpack meetings, like Condoleezza Rice and the, cabinet. No, Gary.
>> Taylor: Okay, Gary.
>> Farz: Yeah. He was having all these back to back, meetings with the cabinet of George. H he was saying, a. Ah, terrorist attack is about to happen. Like, it is literally imminent to happen. It was like, he did this up until, like, September 8, I think was like, the last meeting.
Taylor: I don't see a road out of this, essentially
He did this 2001, right before 911.
>> Taylor: I, that also happened in, in Munich. They were like, there is going to. Something terrible is going to happen at a big international event in Europe. And people were like, meh, what could it possibly be? You know, you're like, whose job is it?
>> Farz: Who's supposed to care?
>> Taylor: It's obviously. Obviously this, you know?
>> Farz: Yeah, I don't know. so anyways, I I would say this. I would say if you are on the Dem, on the democratic side of the aisle, ask more of the people that you are giving money to. Ask more of the people who are in control of the committees that you are giving money to, ask more of the DNC, ask more of your state party, ask more of, like, your county party, ask more. It's just like, again, like, nothing has changed. Even this conversation we're having today about Joe Biden, it is all based on party elder logic of, like, we can't supers this turn.
>> Taylor: It's this. They've been doing this for so long, dude.
>> Farz: And then you start playing out the logic of, like, what else could be done so what if you contested the convention? Like, what's wrong? So if you put Gavin Newsom up there, the starkest contrast, like, Donald, Trump, then the problem is that you're putting another straight white guy up, right? Like, you gotta. Like, the party politics won't let you win. Like, it is not designed. God, it's so stupid. and so because of that, we're gonna keep having. We're gonna keep having this. Like, that's. That's. I don't see a road out of this, essentially.
>> Taylor: Yeah. I don't know. I mean, like, I hope there's something, but, like, I also don't know. And that's why I feel so, like, everything local and all the committees in the states, like, that's important. Like, I'm so fucking grateful that I live in the great state of California, dude.
>> Farz: But that's the thing. That's the thing, Taylor. Like, when, like, what I literally just mentioned about the 84 and 88 elections is that when the top of the ticket doesn't inspire turnout, then m the bottom of the ticket loses.
>> Taylor: Yeah.
>> Farz: So I'm not talking about Trump just winning in November. It is the Senate, it's the House. It is your school board, while your school board technically should be nonpartisan. We all know it's not like it's governor. It is all of it.
>> Taylor: Because all that's really important. No, yeah, that's what I'm saying, too.
>> Farz: But then you have to eat it, because nobody will just say the hard thing at the highest level and do what it takes to actually win.
>> Taylor: Mm
Shades: I get why people want to vote third party
>> Farz: Anyways, I'm rambling.
>> Taylor: No, I mean, yeah, no, I know. I feel like the third party people, I'm always like, okay, then give me a third party fucking governor or a senator. Like, whatever. Like, what is happening, dude?
>> Farz: But this thing, like, here's something. Like, I'm at this. I'm at the point in my, like, understanding all this stuff where I'm like, dude, I get it. I get it. I get why you want to vote third party. I, Like, yes, there's, like, a greater good logic to it, but there's also. How many times do you have to get punished before you want to punish back? And part of punishing back is.
>> Taylor: But to what end? Like, isn't this a bad place? Are we not there yet?
>> Farz: Dude, this is going to continue. That's what I'm saying.
>> Taylor: I mean, it seems to get worse. I don't think I'm in a good place. No, no.
>> Farz: And that's what I'm saying, I'm saying, like, the 15 plus years that you and I have been involved in this way in politics, it's never not been like this on the democratic side, it's always been like this. That's the reason why our last company or CEO started his company was because there was kingmakers and you had to go to the kingmaker said, and he was right. And that's where we are right now. And anyways, it's super. Yeah, it's super bad. but, and there's no solution. There's absolutely no solution.
>> Taylor: No, I think that the solution is aliens. Come, we have to decide, do we kill them or do we let them tell us what to do? Either way, I think we'd be better off. I'm going to say, what do they want us to do? Do they want us to use our natural resources better and not have nuclear war? I say yes to those things.
>> Farz: Yeah, maybe, maybe they'll make Trump and Biden hug each other and, oh, God.
>> Taylor: Do they want to just, like, take all of our resources? I'm also like, yeah, we don't deserve them. But also, if they got here, if they got here, they already figured out how to harness their son. So, like, they don't really need our, like, oil, but maybe they want to, like, hang out. Honestly, they're not coming because, we're too stupid. I'm going to switch back to that because, like, yeah, we are quintessential.
>> Farz: Don't deserve nice things.
>> Taylor: We don't deserve nice things. We don't. And that's what we learned through history, what we learned through politics, we learned through all these things is like, we're never going to all, we're not going to figure it out. Certainly not ever. Maybe. No. In no one's lifetime, we can't do it. We don't want to. We don't want world peace or country peace or anything.
>> Farz: You want.
>> Taylor: People want to be like, oh, I'm going to be a billionaire. So, blah, blah, blah. You're like, you're not. So why would you not want to give kids food?
>> Farz: There's something about, like, the smugness of, we, know better.
>> Taylor: That's like, man, God, and meanwhile, everybody has to try to, like, live, you know, and survive. And, like, that's what always happens. It's like during the fucking roman empire, people are back and forth, back and forth, and there's like, most of the people are just like, I'd love to have some bread today. That'd be great.
>> Farz: Yeah, but you don't I would love for, like I said when, I would love for our listeners to, like, write us in, after hearing this, because, I mean, I don't know if any of this, like, inside baseball, like, it probably isn't that inside baseball might just be something we'll have forgotten about Orlando, haven't read in a while or whatever. m but I would love to just catch different perspectives on this, like, whatever your belief system is. I don't care. Like, I don't. Like, nobody's wrong and nobody's right. Like, yeah, we all just have different.
>> Taylor: Shades and we all want similar things. You know? I don't think. I don't think that there's anyone who, like, doesn't want good things. I don't know. You don't want people to, like, yeah.
>> Farz: It's just varying interpretations of how to do certain things. But I'd be really curious for anybody who. Who cares about this stuff to write into us and let us know what you think. Because, like I said, when this debate was happening, I was texting all my friends left, right and center, because I was like, I want to know what you think is happening. Like, what's your perspective on this? That's why I've been listening all these podcasts. I'm trying to get a sense, like, what is. What is the overall arching narrative on this, and where does it fit with my worldview of what I understand about the Democratic Party?
>> Taylor: And this is the answer.
>> Farz: this. Well, literally, everybody said that that was an unmitigated disaster, and then the next thing was, how did they replace him? And then that led me to the DNC. As much as they're saying we're freaking out privately and we're doing this privately and this, that what they should be doing is going out publicly and saying something.
>> Taylor: Yeah.
>> Farz: Putting it out there the way the New York Times editorial board did, the way that CNN did, and saying something publicly so that there's a shot in hell for somebody to be able to stand up and do something. And somebody's got to figure out this FEC stuff, because I don't even know what, what. What happens there. Like, if he donated to the ticket, where's that money go if he isn't the top of the ticket? I don't, I don't know. But. But somebody high up, instead of just being a sycophant about this stuff, it's guaranteed, unequivocally.
Doom asks readers to weigh in on upcoming presidential debates
It's a foreign collision. Trump wins the presidency. Foregone conclusion. Like, there's absolutely zero, zero doubt they just generated ten years worth of, of ad content during that one debate. So anyways, I would love for folks to write in Doom to followpod@gmail.com and let us know what you think, what your perspective on this stuff is. And if there's things around this that you think maybe like I or Taylor can provide context on, m happy to do it. Obviously it's a topic that we both care deeply about.
>> Taylor: I know it's a wild time to be alive, but every time is a wild type to be alive.
>> Farz: Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's.
>> Taylor: What are you gonna do?
>> Farz: Researching these old presidential races? Like, dude, like, yeah. Even when that was the biggest thing in the world, remember we thought what George Lee Bush was being elected, like, this is the end of the world.
>> Taylor: Like, I mean, could you imagine like the Nixon stuff, Watergate happening, you know, and like the president resigning and like all those things. And like, there's a whole part of the Nixon story where he goes on tv and tells everybody his financials, like, exactly. And there's a part where he talks about how his wife Pat has won for a coke too.
>> Farz: Like, hey, what do you know? Why? Do you know what happened that made M. Nixon resign?
>> Taylor: Tell me.
>> Farz: The republican party went to him and said, you have to resign because the party, the man is an extension of the party. The party is not an extension of the man. Anyways, that's it. I gotta go have dinner.
>> Taylor: I know exactly what you're saying. no, it's crazy. And I hope, I hope that anyone who is listening to this, who didn't watch the last debate, watches the next one. Because whatever we're doing now, whatever, it's always important for you to watch them. Like, this is what people are going to talk about forever. Watch it anyway, who knows what's going to happen? You just have to keep, you know, pushing forward and hopefully no one does.
>> Farz: Go watch Mondale and Reagan. You will be aghast. The depth of knowledge, it's just like they're like talking about detailed statistics and percentages, like in the most minutia way possible. Like, what is this?
>> Taylor: I mean, do you have the lowest common denominator, your debate skills to like who you're talking to? Also, like, I don't know. anyway, go. You have to go eat dinner. I know.
If you are traveling, keep your stuff very, very close
I do have one. more note from a listener. oh, I just talked to Nadine, our friend Nadine. She was traveling in the UK and she had her purse stolen, so she wanted to just share a public announcement that, like, if you are traveling, keep your stuff very, very close, especially your passport. Put it inside your shirt, cross body bag. If your bag breaks, don't put your crossbody bag in your backpack. Just be very careful out there because that is a constant of the world is be careful if you're traveling, just in general. So. I'm so sorry, Nadine, but thank you for bringing that up. And she also had some really fun stories that she heard on a ghost tour, when she was over there. And I'm like, that sounds really nice to tell a ghost story, so maybe I'll do that after this.
>> Farz: Nice. I like that.
>> Taylor: Yeah, I feel heavy, so I'm like, silly.
>> Farz: Ghosts are fun. Ghosts are fun.
>> Taylor: So fun. Who cares? I did watch, oh, my last thing to tell you, under Paris was not terrible. You made it sound like it was, like the worst movie you've ever seen. I thought it was fun. I don't feel like it was the best movie I've ever seen, but there's definitely seen worse horror movies. Like, there's Sci-Fi movies that are really bad. I don't think it wasn't bad. I recommend it. I wouldn't not watch it. I, watched it again.
>> Farz: It's definitely fun.
>> Taylor: It was like deep blue sea, you know? I loved the ending. The ending was super fun. We watched one Christmas, we watched a movie called Santa Jaws, which is literally about a shark that has a Santa hat on its finnish. Did you watch it? Yeah.
>> Farz: Where the kid draws a Santa hat and then he, like, drops water.
>> Taylor: That was the dumbest movie I've ever fucking seen. And in that one, you were like, just don't go by the water. Like, it's like, really easy not to get eaten by a shark. But under Paris, it was, like, super fun to see how people accidentally get eaten by a shark. I liked it.
>> Farz: There you go. Full recommend. I mean, technically, I recommended it to Taylor, so it was, you said, drink.
>> Taylor: Three bottles of wine and then watch it. I don't, I don't recommend that. I think you should watch it.
>> Farz: Swatch it sober.
>> Taylor: okay, cool. Thank you. Doom to fail pod on all the socials. Doomdefellpod.com. send us an email. Doomdefellpod@gmail.com.
>> Farz: Awesome. Thanks, Taylor.
>> Taylor: Thanks for us.