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Transcript
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SPEAKER 4
Hey guys, Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark here. My buddy Tim Miller and I, we were just doing a Bulwark double feature with Nicole, talking about the polling numbers tanking on Trump's big, beautiful bill and some of the insane comments by Mitch McConnell.
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I also had the chance to talk about our new project that I'm doing with my buddy George Conway and Michael Fanone and Sarah Matthews, Susan Rice, a project called Home of the Brave, where we are soliciting real stories of the harm that people are suffering due to Donald Trump's policies. And so we got into that.
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It was great. Hope you'll go check it out. Give it a watch. See you guys. Yeah, I mean, Sarah, there's no partisan difference in the households that benefit from Medicaid. It's 62 percent identify as Republican, 62 percent of self-identified Democratic households or voters have someone in their household who has been on Medicaid or benefited from Medicaid.

Sarah and Tim: Voters Reject Trump’s Cuts

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Sarah Longwell and Tim Miller join Nicolle Wallace on MSNBC’s Deadline: White House to discuss the political fallout from Trump’s healthcare cuts, growing voter backlash, and GOP infighting. Sarah also spotlights Home of the Brave, a new campaign sharing stories of Americans harmed by Trump’s agenda.

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Discussion about this video

User's avatar
Deb W's avatar

Sarah, yes! When you first talked a few weeks ago about how we ARE the Brave, it struck me that you are right - this is our slogan! I’m so inspired to learn that you leading a new movement to hear our stories of how trump’s cuts and cruel policies are affecting us: The normal people who are not afraid to speak out!

I plan to go to the Home of the Brave website and tell my own story. Recently, I was talking to a guy who came to fix a leak about how Medicaid is the only bulwark against poverty that most of us have in old age. I pay $12,000 a MONTH for my husband’s nursing home care. Without Medicaid to pick up the tab when we run out of money, what would we do? How many families can afford that kind of expense for even a few months?

But until our parents or we ourselves are facing old age and declining health, we have no clue that Medicaid is what enables families to take care of our elders when we can no longer do it ourselves at home.

When I told the plumber that I was paying $12,000 a month, he was shocked. As a young man, whose parents are still healthy, this was not even on his radar. He thought Medicaid was allowing healthy young guys like him live in their parents’ basement and play video games all day.

Thank you, Sarah, for giving all of us, the Home Town Brave, a way to stand up and fight back.

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Meggles's avatar

Sarah, you were really on fire in this program, especially in the second half. I felt everything you were saying to my very bones. I'm just so, SO, grateful for the work you, the Bulwark gang, and so many others are doing. Really, I could spend the rest of my life expressing how much it means to me, and it still wouldn't be long enough to adequately convey that.

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Shana's avatar

Nicolle Wallace is good people. Love her. Y'all are the best!

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Meggles's avatar

That's exactly how I felt in watching this!

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Jessica's avatar

Home of the Brave sounds incredible, thank you SL. It takes only that Critical Mass of 51% listening to begin to make the radical shift.

Without any superficiality intended, Sarah you look beautiful!

Thank you All, as always, for the considerate and intelligent analysis and reporting. It is so much appreciated <3

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Shana Heartsill's avatar

What a great project to hear real people talk about real, personal consequences.

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Shana Heartsill's avatar

Wait, all of this time maybe it was ol' Mitch playing 4D chess. What a dangerous embarrassment these clowns are.

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serieux etoile's avatar

Home of the Brave is a beautiful campaign - can't wait to see more Sarah...thank you.

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Richard Yoast's avatar

Sarah - great idea for a campaign. We also need a parallel campaign -Profiles in Cowardice - that highlights those that have knelt to the golden idol and backed away from everything they've espoused in the past - Jeff Bezos stifling the Washington Post, Columbia University stifling student rights to protest, etc. Much of the coverage of those giving in to Trump has been critical but there's been a singular lack of trying to shame them and to point out what this has meant to those around them and the institutions or firms they run. SHAMING needs to be a tool used more often

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Meggles's avatar

Wow, Sarah, when do you sleep?? Super excited about the project you mentioned, though!

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Sera Bella's avatar

Sarah Longwell, Home of the Brave is real fire power! Love that you are bringing this into the fight!

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Stacey Cameron's avatar

Great idea Sarah, love this!

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Ellen Abramson's avatar

This is fabulous! Thank you for envisioning and creating Home of the Brave! I believe this can make a tremendous positive difference.

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Terence Rafferty's avatar

Here’s my question that I wish someone could answer:

Can Pam Bondi be disbarred? Why settle on mere removal from DOJ when she needs to disbarred.

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CC Wechsler's avatar

Maybe Mitch realizes his GOP is dead, SCOTUS has made the President largely immune, impeachment seems like a non starter, and just wants MAGA to lose control of the house?

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Barbara Spies Blair's avatar

How do we contact for stories on Home of the Brave@?

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Greenmatters25's avatar

How can you guys completely miss the point behind these cuts? Remember, their stated goal is to dismantle the administrative state. They want to privatize everything for profit, and let nature take its course with those too weak, old, sick or otherwise not fit to compete under unregulated capitalism. The Medicaid cuts are deliberate and only a start.

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jane diaz's avatar

Great idea, Sarah. I will def be looking at this!

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Jeff Hall's avatar

It's not just the American people, the Senate Parliamentarian also says they cannot exist in the OBBB.

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mollymoe222's avatar

I love the Home of the Brave idea. Ordinary Americans telling other Americans what the policies of this administration really look like up close and personal. We need this.

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Brendan Classon's avatar

Republican politicians fear Trump far more than they fear their voter base. The 2026 mid-terms will be very interesting...

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Elizabeth Curtin's avatar

Great job Sarah! It is so important to hear & see it all personalized. To all who shared, thank you for being so courageous.

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Madeleine Soloway's avatar

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼Sarah! Excellent project!!! I shared far and wide. Hoping this breaks through!!! Congratulations!

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Christine Lewis's avatar

I love this new I initiative which will highlight people’s stories. I pray it puts a face to these cuts, for people to hear how they are being affected.

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John's avatar

I read a Wall Street Journal article about Senate leadership betting that opposition to the big beautiful bill is squishy. I would have to bet on that also. They are working hard to get around obstacles the parliamentarian has thrown up to block parts of it. They will still be writing it even as the voting proceeds.

All of them really have a single constituent to please. Probably we will see this huge turd passed into law by a single vote margin in both houses, and signed by a President that got less than half the vote.

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Tessa Romita's avatar

I was underwhelmed and disappointed with The Bulwark’s coverage of the No Kings protest … and haven’t been listening to The Bulwark. Glad I caught this one. WOW, love this project! Nice work!!

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DonnaD's avatar

This is why you can't 'leave' spaces when you have a little bit of disagreement about something. I do not know the source of this, but I have a copy of this hanging in my office: "Strong relationships don't need agreement. They need alignment. - Agreement is having identical opinions. Alignment is having shared values. - Agreement is taking the same path. Alignment is heading in the same direction. - Closeness is a matter of commitment, not consensus." STAY THE COURSE!

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jane diaz's avatar

love this!

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Chiara's avatar

Sarah is kicking some ass!!!

I love this new project. It is needed. It is necessary. I will support and promote it from my tiny corner of this universe. I know other listeners will do the same.

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Laurie LaPlante's avatar

I was watching Nicolle Wallace yesterday and (per usual) was thrilled when Tim and Sarah were guests. I was equally thrilled when my Home of the Brave video was suddenly on the screen. What a surprise!! Thank you, Sarah, for launching this campaign! It’s been great working with your team these past few months (shout out to Rylee Boyd and Kase Cronin). Good luck with the project, it was an honor to be a part of it! Laurie LaPlante

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Cara's avatar

You’re both great on MSNBC.

I thought I couldn’t like and admire Sarah Longwell more but then, this new project https://ofthebrave.org/about-us/ . BRILLIANT! THANK YOU!

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Steven Insertname's avatar

Go Sarah!

Also thought there was a non-zero chance that Nicolle would slip up and let an f-bomb fly, like when she's on this channel.

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Mary Barr's avatar

This campaign sounds like a will be very effective. Thanks, Sarah, for your contribution to the struggle.

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Ruth K's avatar

What resonated for me was Nicolle's comment that those who are most exposed and have the most to lose by speaking out are speaking out anyway, whereas powerful people like Jeff Bezos are mostly caving to Trump.

Edit: I just read about another instance that illustrates what Nicolle said about people who have everything to lose being braver than powerful people who are just caving. A young California man, just 20, was fired from his job at Walmart and charged with a felony after intervening when ICE confronted a janitor at his work. Meanwhile, the tech bros and many big corporations are vying to be trump’s BFF.

But I love the idea of Sarah's "Home of the Brave" campaign. People need to hear from other people just like them about how this administration's actions have already hurt people in numerous ways.

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Lore S's avatar

OMG I wanted to tap on the heart icon 5 times for this video! Sarah, you are amazing, and what a wonderful idea and great people who are joining together--I can't wait to hear the stories on the Home of the Brave site. I recently finished Who Is Government by Michael Lewis and others, focusing on stories of people in public service jobs and felt the same mixture of pride at hearing people's stories mixed with sadness of what is happening in our country. Thank you so much to all those at The Bulwark for your hard work keeping us informed, and bringing a little humor to the chaos (looking at you, Tim).

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Steven Insertname's avatar

So Trump is going to pardon all the people that got arrested, right? I mean... right?

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Steven Insertname's avatar

Mitch McConnell's bet way to torpedo the BBB is to support it.

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Flavia de Oliveira's avatar

Love the new "Home of the Brave" campaign Sarah. I think it will be impactful.

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Corrie Lapinsky's avatar

I really wish responsible media would stop using Trump's language and reinforcing his narrative. H.R. 1 is Trump's bloated, ugly, deadly bill, and I think that's what it should be called.

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Jazzaloha's avatar

To me, the "big beautiful bill" isn't about Trump so much as wealthy individuals and corporations trying to protect their money. Taxes, big government spending, and regulations are the biggest threats to their money, and their dream has been to significantly cut all three. Just to be clear, the rationale isn't the country's well-being (i.e., less taxes will turbo-charge the economy and fill gov't coffers as a result). The wealthy are just trying to protect their money.

With Rs controlling all three branches, they may feel this is a rare opportunity. The goal may be so seductive, they don't care if it costs R seats in Congress, or they're not thinking straight.

Maybe this is wrong, but I do think the one driving force behind the GOP is protecting the rich. And they will sacrifice democracy, national security, even human lives (Trump's handling of COVID and RFK Jr appointment were not deal-breakers) to protect their money.

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Lisa Churinskas-Hulit's avatar

I LOVE this idea! Of course, they MAGAsphere will say they are on the Soros payroll or some such bullshit, but people will relate because likely they at least know someone who has been negatively and often devastatingly harmed by this malevolent clown, his cruel and incompetent cabinet, and the failure of Republicans to protect the people they serve.

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Diana Shellenberger's avatar

So many Republicans, rank and file, have given up on being good people.

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0:39
It was great. Hope you'll go check it out. Give it a watch. See you guys. Yeah, I mean, Sarah, there's no partisan difference in the households that benefit from Medicaid. It's 62 percent identify as Republican, 62 percent of self-identified Democratic households or voters have someone in their household who has been on Medicaid or benefited from Medicaid.