Stephen A. Smith

Oh, the Democrats, they're not on the same page. You got Al Green out there screaming. You got Alyssa Slotkin giving, you know, which approach is right? Both churches are right. Okay. Good for Al Green for standing up to Donald Trump and saying, you're a liar. And on January 6th, you besmirched the very institutions that you're asking me to come here and respect.

Good for him making that point forcefully. And good for Alyssa Slotkin for clearly, articulately, in a measured way, laying out an agenda that a broader group of... It's got to be everybody. We've got this fight. No, you've got to scream louder. No, I guess it depends on the circumstances. So you've got to pull all that together.

Good for him making that point forcefully. And good for Alyssa Slotkin for clearly, articulately, in a measured way, laying out an agenda that a broader group of... It's got to be everybody. We've got this fight. No, you've got to scream louder. No, I guess it depends on the circumstances. So you've got to pull all that together.

But I also come back, and this is where – and I've spoken with Ezra Klein a couple of times. We've got to govern better. We just have to get things done. We're in California. We feel that one. Yeah. And I'm Washington State, the Seattle King County area. We are drowning in process and inclusion. We're not building housing. We're not building roads. We're not building high-speed rail.

But I also come back, and this is where – and I've spoken with Ezra Klein a couple of times. We've got to govern better. We just have to get things done. We're in California. We feel that one. Yeah. And I'm Washington State, the Seattle King County area. We are drowning in process and inclusion. We're not building housing. We're not building roads. We're not building high-speed rail.

We're not governing effectively because we've fallen in love with too much process and too much inclusion as opposed to getting things done for people. Now, there's a lot of blame to go around here. And I'm dragged into this world of, are you a centrist or are you on the left? And I went through those battles. In the 80s and 90s, I was New Democrat, part of the DLC.

We're not governing effectively because we've fallen in love with too much process and too much inclusion as opposed to getting things done for people. Now, there's a lot of blame to go around here. And I'm dragged into this world of, are you a centrist or are you on the left? And I went through those battles. In the 80s and 90s, I was New Democrat, part of the DLC.

Early 2000s, Simon Rosenberg, who's a good friend of mine, and I sort of, Felt like the New Dem movement was losing its way to some extent. And I concluded that what we need is we need the center and the left. It's not, okay, which side is right? We got to figure out how to work better together going forward. No doubt.

Early 2000s, Simon Rosenberg, who's a good friend of mine, and I sort of, Felt like the New Dem movement was losing its way to some extent. And I concluded that what we need is we need the center and the left. It's not, okay, which side is right? We got to figure out how to work better together going forward. No doubt.

But my frustration in the Seattle King County area is that a lot of left-leaning policies have proven ineffective. And that's fine. This is a complicated, very difficult business. What are a couple of examples? Criminal justice, housing, homelessness, drug abuse.

But my frustration in the Seattle King County area is that a lot of left-leaning policies have proven ineffective. And that's fine. This is a complicated, very difficult business. What are a couple of examples? Criminal justice, housing, homelessness, drug abuse.

Correct. But also just basic insistence on competency, accountability, and personal responsibility in addition to helping people. We've set up organizations based more on identity and lived experience than competency at the task. So as a consequence, a lot of the money that we've poured into homelessness hasn't been well spent.

Correct. But also just basic insistence on competency, accountability, and personal responsibility in addition to helping people. We've set up organizations based more on identity and lived experience than competency at the task. So as a consequence, a lot of the money that we've poured into homelessness hasn't been well spent.

It's gone to organizations who don't know how to run a business, don't know how to build housing or run housing. So we haven't been as focused on efficiency and effectiveness in what we've been spending. And also, I think that the balance – we needed criminal justice reform. I'm 100 percent opposed to mass incarceration. I think we've made progress on that.

It's gone to organizations who don't know how to run a business, don't know how to build housing or run housing. So we haven't been as focused on efficiency and effectiveness in what we've been spending. And also, I think that the balance – we needed criminal justice reform. I'm 100 percent opposed to mass incarceration. I think we've made progress on that.

But can we have accountability in the alternatives to incarceration programs? We don't have that accountability in King County. And the other aspect of it, which we've alluded to earlier is, so I noticed this like four years ago, five years ago, and I started having conversations.

But can we have accountability in the alternatives to incarceration programs? We don't have that accountability in King County. And the other aspect of it, which we've alluded to earlier is, so I noticed this like four years ago, five years ago, and I started having conversations.

And the resistance to any changes to trying to make it better, every time I asked a question, I was like, well, you're just, you know, you're in favor of mass incarceration. You're citing Republican talking points. I'm just trying to fix a problem, trying to make us work better. So I think the ideological rigidity and that came out a lot in the opposition to Gaza.

And the resistance to any changes to trying to make it better, every time I asked a question, I was like, well, you're just, you know, you're in favor of mass incarceration. You're citing Republican talking points. I'm just trying to fix a problem, trying to make us work better. So I think the ideological rigidity and that came out a lot in the opposition to Gaza.

I mean, using threats and intimidation to try to silence people who disagree with you should not be a progressive value. And I've had that happen. I had a town hall meeting last June and could not conduct the meeting because it was just – insults were screamed. I wouldn't let anybody else talk. And the entire civic discourse broke down because of that approach.