DON’T SEE AN END TO IT ANYTIME
SOON.
SEAN: HERE NOW IS REPUBLICAN
SENATE CANDIDATE AND "HILLBILLY
ELEGY" AUTHOR J.D. VANCE.
I TELL YOU WHAT, I AM SO
STEAMING MAD, ONE OF THE PEOPLE
THAT YOU SAW, HER NAME IS
MICHELLE.
SHE’S FROM MILWAUKEE, SHE’S A
SINGLE MOM, AND SHE’S FEED OR
HER KIDS POTATOES BECAUSE SHE
DOESN’T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO BUY
MEAT.
SHE CAN’T AFFORD THE GAS FOR, I
THINK, A GRUBHUB JOB.
IF PEOPLE ARE GETTING CRUSHED
OUT THERE.
I KNOW YOU KNOW THAT.
BUT DO YOU THINK WASHINGTON,
D.C. FEELS THE PAIN OF MY OF
THESE AMERICANS WHO CAN’T
NAVIGATE THE FINANCES TODAY?
>> NO, I DON’T.
IF YOU HEAR THE WAY THAT PEOPLE
TALK ABOUT IT, THEY ALMOST SOUND
LIKE THE SUFFERING IS VIRTUOUS.
THEY ALMOST ENCOURAGE IT.
JUST SUFFER A LITTLE BIT MORE SO
THAT YOU CAN HELP OTHER PEOPLE.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, A LOT
OF AMERICANS ARE SAYING WHO’S
HELPING AMERICAN CITIZENS?
WHO’S MAKING IT EASIER FOR US TO
LIVE OUR LIVES AND OUR DREAMS?
I KNOW THIS STORY VERY
PERSONALLY, SEAN, PEOPLE LIKE MY
GRANDMA WHO HAD TO TAKE CARE OF
GRANDCHILDREN THEY WEREN’T
EXPECTING.
THINK ABOUT THE PERSPECTIVE OF
WIDEN’S CURRENT -- BIND’S
CURRENT POLICIES. -- BIDEN’S
CURRENT POLICIES.
A LOT OF GRANDPARENTS LIVING ON
FIXED INCOMES ARE PICKING UP THE
SLACK, TAKING CARE OF GRANDKIDS
THEY WEREN’T EXPECTING TO TAKE
CARE OF, AND BIDEN’S ECONOMIC
POLICIES ARE MAKING IT POSSIBLE
FOR THEM TO PUT FOOD ON THE
TABLE, JUST A TOTAL DOUBLE
WHAMMY AND, UNFORTUNATELY, OUR
LEADERS DON’T SEEM TO CARE.
SEAN: ID HAD SOMEONE ON
YESTERDAY WHO WAS RETIRED, I
THINK HER MAIM WAS ZAHN -- HER
NAME WAS SANDRA.
SHE SAID I DON’T WANT TO GO BACK
TO WORK, I BY THINK ONE OF US,
ME OR MY HUSBAND, IS GOING TO
HAVE TO GO BACK TO WORK BECAUSE
WE CAN’T AFFORD TO LIVE ON THE
MONEY WE HAD SET ASIDE BECAUSE
OF INFLATION.
IF.
>> YEAH.
AND THESE POLICYMAKERS AND I
THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO COVER
THIS STUFF IN THE MEDIA, THEY
THINK ABOUT IT IN PRIMARILY
FINANCIAL TERMS.
BUT THERE’S ALSO, OF COURSE, A
HUGE HUMAN STORY BEHIND THE
FINANCIAL DECISIONS OF THIS
TERRIBLE INFLATION FOISTED ON
PEOPLE.
YOU’RE EXACTLY RIGHT, A RETIREE
WHO CAN’T RETIRE, THINK ABOUT
GRANDPARENTS WHO ARE EXPECTING
TO SPEND A COUPLE OF MONTHS WITH
NEW GRAND BABIES THAT CAN’T DO
IT BECAUSE THEY CAN’T AFFORD TO
TRAVEL.
THINK ABOUT TWO-PARENT FAMILIES
WHERE ONE PARENT HAS CHOSEN TO
STAY HOME, NOW MOM OR DAD HAS TO
GO TO WORK9 WHICH THE KIDS LOSE
ACCESS TO THAT FULL-TIME PARENT
AT HOME.
THERE’S STILL A LOT OF MISERY
AND SUFFERING.
OF COURSE, IT’S TERRIBLE THAT
PEOPLE ARE PAYING MORE FOR
STUFF, BUT THE HUMAN COST BEHIND
IT IS MUCH, MUCH WORSE.
YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IT’S
HEARTBREAKING, AND IT’S ENRAGING
THAT OUR LEADERS LOOK AT AND
DON’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
THEY’RE NOT OFFERING ANY RELIEF,
THEY’RE NOT OFFERING SOLUTIONS.
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION JUST
SEEMS TO PURSUE THE IDEA THAT
THIS SUFFERING SHOULD GO ON
INDEFINITELY.
YOU KNOW, THE BEATINGS WILL
CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE
IMPROVINGS.
SEAN: I DON’T THINK IT A HAD TO
BE THIS WAY.
I THINK THESE ARE POLICY ERRORS
THAT, ONE, GO BACK 10-12 YEARS,
BUT ALSO THE POLICY ERRORS OF
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION.
BUT MAYBE ONE LIFELINE COULD BE
MAYBE PEOPLE COULD MAKE MORE
MONEY, RIGHT IN AND LOOK AT THE
ENERGY INDUSTRY THAT I KNOW YOU
HAVE IN OHIO.
WEST VIRGINIA, WHETHER IT’S COAL
OR PIPELINES OR OIL, THESE ARE
GOOD PAYING JOBS.
AND IF WE ACTUALLY INVESTED IN
OIL, IT WOULD BRING DOWN THE
COST OF FUEL.
BUT ALSO IT WOULD GIVE GOOD JOBS
TO PEOPLE SO THEY COULD NAVIGATE
THE BIDEN INFLATION.
>> THAT’S EXACTLY RIGHT.
AND, OF COURSE, ENERGY AFFECTS
EVERYTHING TOO, RIGHT IN THE
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY, A LOT OF
CONSTRUCTION JOBS LOST BECAUSE
OF OUR LACK OF ENERGY IF
INDEPENDENCE.
OF COURSE, TRUCK DRIVERS ARE
RELY ON ENERGY, BUT MOST
IMPORTANTLY OR DIRECTLY, I
SHOULD SAY, IS THE PEOPLE
GETTING THIS STUFF OUT OF
GROUND.
FORCED OUT OF WORK BECAUSE OF
BAD POLICIES.
AND OF YOU HAVE TO WONDER WHO
DOES THIS SERVE?
WHO BENEFITS FROM IT?
WE KNOW A LOT OF BIDEN, SILICON
VALLEY DONORS BENEFIT WHEN THESE
INDUSTRIES ARE DRIVEN OUT OF
BUSINESS; BUT PEOPLE ON THE
GROUND WHO NEED TO DRIVER TO
WORK IN THE -- DRIVE TO WORK IN
THE MORNING, MOST AMERICANS, IN
OTHER WORDS, HAVE REALLY
SUFFERED.
AND YOU’RE EXACTLY RIGHT.
THIS WAS A POLICY CHOICE TO.
IF WE MADE DIFFERENT POLICY
CHOICES, IF WE MADE DIFFERENT
PRIORITIES AND SET DIFFERENT
PRIORITIES, WE COULD SOLVE THIS
PROBLEM, RIGHT?
WE’RE SHOOTING OURSELVES IN THE
FOOT, AND THE WHOLE TIME THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
SEEMS NOT TO CARE ABOUT IT.
SEAN: I KNOW YOU’RE A SUCCESSFUL
GUY, BUT YOU CAME FROM FROM
REALLY, REALLY HARD UPBRINGING,
AND I LOVE THAT, TO HAVE ELECTED
LEADERS WHO UNDERSTAND HOW
CHALLENGING IT IS.
YOU WIN THIS SENATE RACE.
YOU’RE IN THE SENATE.
WHAT ARE THE FIRST THINGS YOU DO
TO MAKE THIS BETTER FOR PEOPLE?
>> YOU KNOW, LOOK, I THINK OUR
ENERGY AND OUR BORDER POLICIES
ARE THE NUMBER ONE AND NUMBER
TWO THINGS THAT NEED TO GET
FIXED BECAUSE IT’LL MAKE PEOPLE
HAVE MORE MONEY, LESS MISERY,
LESS DEATH, LESS DRUGS COMING
INTO THE COMMUNITY.
BUT YOU’RE EXACTLY RIGHT.
I THINK ABOUT MY GRANDMA, AND
YOU KNOW WHO REALLY BENEFITED
FROM TRUMP’S FOUR YEARS WHERE
YOU SAW WAGES GROWING FASTER
THAN THE COST OF GOODS?
THE PEOPLE THAT HAD TO BUY --
PEOPLE LIKE MY GRANDMA, PEOPLE
WHO WERE ACTUALLY LIVING
PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK.
WHAT WE’VE SEEN IN THE LAST TWO
YEARS IS THAT THE COST OF GOODS
HAS COMPLETELY OUTRAN THE WAGES
THAT PEOPLE ARE EARNING.
THEY’RE GETTING POORER AS THEY
STAND THERE.
EVEN IF THEY’RE WORKING A LITTLE
BIT HARDER, EVEN IF THEY’RE
TRYING TO SAVE.
THEY’RE GETTING POORER JUST FROM
LIVING IN COUNTRY.
WHAT A HERBAL LESSON, WHAT A
TERRIBLE STANDARD TO SET AND THE
MOST PROSPEROUS AND FREE COUNTRY
IN THE WORLD, THAT IF YOU WORK
HARD AND PLAY BY THE RULES,
YOU’RE GOING TO GET POORANYWAY.
WE’VE NOT TO TURN THIS AROUND
FOR GOOD PEOPLE WHO DEPEND ON
US.
SEAN: YOU’RE RIGHT, IT’S