Episode 195
Why Both Parties Reward Mediocre White Men
Summary:
Dr. Jim argues that both the political right and the left repeatedly elevate unqualified white candidates over more qualified Black candidates, women, and people of color.
Dr. Jim introduces the idea of “below mediocre whites” and uses it as the through-line for a broader critique of power, race, and political gatekeeping in America. He moves from members of the current Republican regime to Democratic voter behavior, arguing that mediocrity gets rewarded when it comes in the right package, while highly qualified Black women and other marginalized candidates face a completely different standard.
Chapters:
00:00 – Defining the ‘Below Mediocre White’
02:00 – Trump as the Prototype
03:27 – The Regime’s Pattern of Incompetence
05:33 – Markwayne Mullin and the Politics of Low Standards
08:43 – Howard Lutnick and the Through Line of Predation
10:00 – The Democratic Party’s Version of the Same Problem
11:31 – Jasmine Crockett vs. Mediocre Opposition
13:07 – The Maine Example and the Final Indictment
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Music Credit: Good_B_Music
Mentioned in this episode:
Left in Exile Outro
Left in Exile Intro
Transcript
[00:00:02] No, I'm not talking about the luxury vehicles made in Germany that have a questionable service record and performance record. I'm talking about the other kind of BMWs that the American population has a love affair with, and those are the below mediocre whites.
[:[00:00:39] We've heard it over and over again, whether we're talking about politics or government, where people have continuously failed upwards regardless of how terrible a job that they've done. And corporate America is famous for those. How many CEOs have you heard of that have dipped their pen in the company, Inc. Only to get a golden parachute and then resurface a couple [00:01:00] years later in another CEO role?
[:[00:01:13] And you know, who doesn't get those kind of opportunities? Brown and black people, brown and black people are held to an unreasonably high standard that even if there is a minor flaw, they don't get another shot, another bite at the apple. And you can get mad and huff and puff about what I just said. But you know that that's the truth in both corporate America and in politics.
[:[00:01:51] So now that we have the definition of what a below mediocre white is, properly defined for everybody to see, let's talk through [00:02:00] some of the examples that exist within this regime.
[:[00:02:28] Let's take a look at those business credentials. This is somebody who's been bankrupt at least six times, and this is someone who has two of his bankruptcies involving a liquor company and a casino. What kind of businessman are you when you can't keep a casino? Or a liquor company afloat that doesn't speak highly to your credentials,
[:[00:03:27] So when we're talking about below mediocre whites, we need to look at some of the people that are in his regime. Let's take a look at the Secretary of Defense. This is a guy who's more well known for being a part-time weekend, Fox News host physically and sexually assaulting women and being drunk all the time. That's what he's known for.
[:[00:04:09] Let's take a look at the Secretary of Education. Linda McMahon, has she had any experience in education? Nope. Has she ever taught? Nope. What has she done? She's been second fiddle to a sports entertainment company. And wouldn't you be surprised to learn that she got elevated into this position?
[:[00:04:51] There's more mediocrity that we need to explore. How about the Secretary of Health and Human Services? You know Robert F. Kennedy Jr. [00:05:00] He's got no experience in large agencies. He's admitted to having a brain worm.
[:[00:05:21] Oh, he's also got a track record of not only being unfaithful, he's also got a track record for assaults, against women as well. Another through line, isn't it?
[:[00:05:44] And presumably he was named Mark Wayne because his mom couldn't figure out which one of her brothers got her pregnant, and that's how you ended up with Mark Wayne as his first name.
[:[00:06:14] But what's interesting about his profile is that this is somebody that is so woefully unqualified to hold any job that it of course makes perfect sense that he's a Republican senator. He's got a background in MMA, he's got no significant career accomplishments to speak of. He owned a plumbing business that he inherited from his dad and from an education perspective, he couldn't hack it through community college.
[:[00:07:14] And Mullen is a perfect example of how the standards for white Republicans to excel are vastly different than the standards for any other demographic to do. Well compare and contrast the low standards that are considered acceptable amongst Republican standards,
[:[00:07:45] compare and contrast the discussion that was had during. Jackson's approval and nomination process and compare that to that of Brett Kavanaugh, you clearly have a difference in how those things are handled, and that speaks [00:08:00] directly to the low bar that republicans and conservatives and MAGA have established so that their quote unquote, people can succeed.
[:[00:08:31] You see a steady parade of unqualified hacks. Who wouldn't make it out in the real world unless they had connections rise up the ranks in government circles.
[:[00:08:56] On top of not being very intelligent, he's a guy that [00:09:00] G drifted off of the nine 11 tragedy and won a massive settlement and decided not to pay any of the employees that were impacted by that disaster and kept the money for himself.
[:[00:09:21] But wait, we can't forget the through line that ties all of these people together. You know what else Howard Nutley is known for hanging out with Jeffrey Epstein. So it's interesting how this guy swore up and down that he is only met him a couple times and then the Epstein files get released and what do you know?
[:[00:09:43] Now he's not on them to the degree that his boss is, but it's funny how a lot of these people in this regime have all sorts of ties to all sorts of predatory people and or have been guilty of predatory behavior themselves.
[:[00:10:14] And the perfect illustration of this is in 2024. The race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump shouldn't have been a contest. You had one of the most unqualified and disastrous candidates in the form of Donald Trump running the race, and a highly qualified black woman who was one of the most qualified when it comes to experience and government of anybody that's ever run in the last 40 years paired against each other.
[:[00:11:08] But there's a reason why so many voters decided not to get off their couches, and you have to look at the fact that they preferred a below mediocre white guy to a highly qualified black woman and decided to sit this one out. And now all of those same people are complaining about the situation that we're in.
[:[00:12:02] And that's just not by virtue of demographics. Jasmine Crockett was a civil rights attorney. She spent time in the Texas legislature and then was elected to the house and was gerrymandered out of her district. So that's somebody that's highly qualified.
[:[00:12:39] If you look at the qualifications on an objective basis, the same pattern emerges from 2020 four's presidential race and shows up in the Texas Democratic primary. As much as liberals and leftists talk. About being for civil rights and listening to black women. When the chips are down, [00:13:00] what are they? What have they shown? They've shown that they can't be counted on, but it just doesn't stop with Tower Rico versus Crockett.
[:[00:13:35] Graham Plattner. And what's the Graham Plattner story? Well, he's another below mediocre white who's got no accomplishments, no educational record, no public service record. But what he does have under his belt is a history of Nazi talking points and white supremacist talking points.
[:[00:14:18] That's all been whitewashed and papered over, and if that wasn't bad enough, this is a guy that made his money as a mercenary working for Blackwater and Blackwater type organizations in his post-military service era.
[:[00:14:52] and until and unless we start taking a merit-based approach. To who we vote for. You're [00:15:00] never gonna convince me that this country doesn't have a deep seated anti-black, anti brown, anti-woman, DNA
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