The Real Reason Democrats Caved

Nov 12, 2025

Ari Berman, national voting rights correspondent at Mother Jones, dives into alarming plans for the 2026 elections, revealing how Trump aims to manipulate voting processes. He discusses the impact of recent pardons, signaling potential election interference, and warns against complacency regarding these threats. Berman highlights the rise of administrative roadblocks like voter ID laws and the misuse of federal power to create false fraud claims. The conversation emphasizes the necessity for community activism and strategic responses to protect voters' rights.

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ADVICE

Set Up Mutual Aid Before Holding The Line

Build mutual aid and support systems before using shutdown tactics.
Protect frontline workers and families with funds and nonprofits during prolonged fights.

INSIGHT

Shutdown Shifted The Political Conversation

The shutdown elevated health care and affordability as top voter issues.
Poor messaging and lack of outreach dulled Democrats' political gains from the fight.

ADVICE

Pressure Vulnerable Republican Senators

Target the most vulnerable GOP senators with focused pressure campaigns.
Mobilize volunteers, ads, and local calls to make dissent unbearable for those senators.

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On episode 105 of Native Land Pod, hosts Tiffany Cross, Angela Rye, Andrew Gillum, and Bakari Sellers recap the end of the government shutdown.

Moderate Democrats in the Senate caved and passed a temporary budget without getting their demands met to continue funding health care subsidies. What the heck happened and what was the point of this record-breaking standoff that saw federal workers furloughed and the poorest Americans lose food assistance? It is not Democrats who “lost” the government shutdown, it is us, the American people, but it has made the Democrats look like losers.

MAGA is teeing up to rig the 2026 election. Reporter Ari Berman wrote an article this week about Trump's pardons for high-profile attorneys and others involved in his plot to overturn the 2020 election–but it’s not just about 2020. Ari’s reporting outlines what Trump’s likely path toward rigging 2026 will be, and the under-the-radar efforts by the Trump administration to fill the voting process with red tape (voter ID, ban voting machines, etc.), which Ari says the administration will use as a pre-text to claim that “millions of Americans voted illegally” in 2026.

Ari Berman is the national voting rights correspondent at Mother Jones. Read Ari’s article here: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/11/trump-martin-fake-electors-pardon-2020/

And of course we’ll hear from you! Our episode with Charlamagne elicited some strong emotions from y’all in all kinds of directions. Our hosts respond to two of your video comments about it.

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We are 356 days away from the midterm elections. Welcome home y’all!

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Native Land Pod is brought to you by Reasoned Choice Media.

Thank you to the Native Land Pod team:

Angela Rye as host, executive producer, and cofounder of Reasoned Choice Media; Tiffany Cross as host and producer, Andrew Gillum as host and producer, Bakari Sellers as host and producer, and Lauren Hansen as executive producer; LoLo Mychael is our research producer, and Nikolas Harter is our editor and producer. Special thanks to Chris Morrow and Lenard McKelvey, co-founders of Reasoned Choice Media.

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