Saikat Chakrabarti

It was very matter-of-fact.

It was very matter-of-fact.

They do come to you. But in the training, it was like, you know, if you're writing a bill, here are the people you can contact to get expertise, right? Similar to what you encounter in the Dean campaign. And, you know, I think it's just this complete abdication responsibility of your role to actually put out solutions that'll solve real problems.

They do come to you. But in the training, it was like, you know, if you're writing a bill, here are the people you can contact to get expertise, right? Similar to what you encounter in the Dean campaign. And, you know, I think it's just this complete abdication responsibility of your role to actually put out solutions that'll solve real problems.

Like the culture is more, we'll figure out ideas from everybody that's around us and kind of cobble it together into this Frankenstein monster. We got in trouble with the Green New Deal. Like when we put the Green New Deal out, The week before we announced it, I think it was like 70 environmental groups wrote a letter saying they're going to denounce it because we were pushing something new.

Like the culture is more, we'll figure out ideas from everybody that's around us and kind of cobble it together into this Frankenstein monster. We got in trouble with the Green New Deal. Like when we put the Green New Deal out, The week before we announced it, I think it was like 70 environmental groups wrote a letter saying they're going to denounce it because we were pushing something new.

Because at that time, the environmental groups were really focused on just keep it in the ground stuff.

Because at that time, the environmental groups were really focused on just keep it in the ground stuff.

They would probably say it was substantive. I don't think I'm going to say it wasn't, but it was more the latter, right? Like it was more that we weren't operating in the idea space that everyone else was operating in. But I'd say, you know, in general, like the pipeline example you brought up is a really interesting one, right?

They would probably say it was substantive. I don't think I'm going to say it wasn't, but it was more the latter, right? Like it was more that we weren't operating in the idea space that everyone else was operating in. But I'd say, you know, in general, like the pipeline example you brought up is a really interesting one, right?

Because I think when you abdicate responsibility from actually pushing for new ideas and solutions, what you're saying is the interest groups, which I think often, as you're pointing out, Zephyr, are the big corporate interests, they're going to fight it out. So in the case of the pipelines you're talking about, I'm sure there's interest groups on both sides.

Because I think when you abdicate responsibility from actually pushing for new ideas and solutions, what you're saying is the interest groups, which I think often, as you're pointing out, Zephyr, are the big corporate interests, they're going to fight it out. So in the case of the pipelines you're talking about, I'm sure there's interest groups on both sides.

So 20 years later, we'll come to some resolution. But in the case of natural gas pipelines, we streamlined all that, right? We put permitting under FERC. We made it happen super fast. We have 3 million miles of natural gas pipelines in this country right now. We built it super fast because there wasn't really a big enough opposing interest group.

So 20 years later, we'll come to some resolution. But in the case of natural gas pipelines, we streamlined all that, right? We put permitting under FERC. We made it happen super fast. We have 3 million miles of natural gas pipelines in this country right now. We built it super fast because there wasn't really a big enough opposing interest group.

And so that's sort of what I see happening in the Democratic Party is there's a real resistance to putting out actual solutions and putting out real ways to solve these problems and just deciding that we're going to take ideas from everyone. And I agree with Zephyr that that tends to be the corporate powers that have more influence there.

And so that's sort of what I see happening in the Democratic Party is there's a real resistance to putting out actual solutions and putting out real ways to solve these problems and just deciding that we're going to take ideas from everyone. And I agree with Zephyr that that tends to be the corporate powers that have more influence there.

It's a major problem. It's a major problem. And that's why, you know, as you get into lower levels of government, lobbyist capture is even higher. Like in California state governments, worse than it is in Congress because they have even less funding. What people actually want is not what Doge is doing. They want effective government.

It's a major problem. It's a major problem. And that's why, you know, as you get into lower levels of government, lobbyist capture is even higher. Like in California state governments, worse than it is in Congress because they have even less funding. What people actually want is not what Doge is doing. They want effective government.

And effective government happens if you have either a very well-paid civil service, as they do in Singapore or Finland or any of these countries that have effective government. But in America, the tough part of that is you're competing against Google salaries and all these high-paid salaries.

And effective government happens if you have either a very well-paid civil service, as they do in Singapore or Finland or any of these countries that have effective government. But in America, the tough part of that is you're competing against Google salaries and all these high-paid salaries.