WHAT WAS THE REASON!!! *Cardi B Voice*

The high was real—and so was the crash. After celebrating big electoral wins and a fresh wave of optimism, we watched lawmakers fold on a shutdown fight that had voters and even unpaid federal workers urging them to hold firm. That twist didn’t just sting; it exposed how quickly trust evaporates when bold speeches turn into soft votes and “we’ll vote later” promises fade on contact with reality.

We unpack the core questions people are asking: Why were federal employees expected to work without pay while Members of Congress kept collecting checks? What did forty days of sacrifice buy if leadership accepted a deal without meaningful protections? And how do we channel anger without handing power to the very forces we fear? We break down why third-party shortcuts don’t work in a winner-take-all system, how ballot access and turnout realities tilt the field, and where energy makes the biggest difference: primaries, local races, committee pressure, and year-round organizing.

You’ll hear a frank case for structural accountability—no pay for lawmakers during shutdowns, serious conversations about term limits and age caps—and a push for younger, more progressive Democrats with enough backbone to match their words with votes. We name the choices that broke trust, and we outline a plan to keep receipts, replace dead weight, and build durable power without burning out. If you’ve felt whiplash, betrayal, or just plain exhaustion, you’re not alone. Take a breath, then join us in turning that frustration into a smarter strategy that protects workers, healthcare, and basic fairness.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs clarity, and leave a quick review—your voice helps us keep the pressure on.

Episode Transcript

Speaker (00:00):
Is this thing on?
Hello, hello.
Uh-oh.
Another yucker with a mic.
Hello everyone, and welcomeback to the Napkin In Between
Podcast.
I am your host, Daijne Jones.
I hope everyone's been having agood day except for that orange

(00:21):
drink lady.
Of course.
I feel like I've done acomplete 180 from last week's
episode to today's episode inhow I feel.
Because last week I was soexcited, you know, we had just
had the elections and Democratshad like swept everything, and
Zoran Memdani was elected mayorof New York City.

(00:41):
And I feel like we were alljust like so on a high.
Like we were so hopeful.
We were like, yes, you know,like we're gonna get some stuff
done.
The Democrats are sweeping,like this is amazing.
Only for less than a weeklater, for Democrats to shit on
our heads.
Like I feel like the Democratspulled down their pants and took

(01:03):
a huge shit on all of ourheads.
And I've been trying to likeprocess how I feel and make
sense of everything because Ifeel like I'm a very logical
person and I need things to makesense in order for me to like
be able to process them andunderstand how I'm feeling.
And I haven't been able tofully process all of this and
and understand it, but the waythat I feel about it, I feel

(01:26):
like we as the US citizens arein like an abusive, toxic
relationship with thegovernment.
Like I feel like if you've everbeen in a relationship with an
abusive partner, they'll dolittle things to like give you
hope.
You know what I mean?
Like they'll do things to makeyou feel like things are gonna
be okay and things are gonna getbetter.

(01:47):
And then out of nowhere, itjust feels like they blindside
you and everything is just blownup, and you're back to like
this feeling of like, what thefuck do I do?
And it's like just like avicious cycle.
And I feel like that's how,especially with like Democrats,
I feel like that's how I feel inthis like relationship,

(02:07):
relationship, I say in quotes,but like in this, I don't know
what to call it, that I am withDemocratic officials.
And the most recent example ofthis is with the government
shutdown.
So back on October 1st, 2025,as we all know, the government
ended up shutting down becauseCongress couldn't reach an
agreement on federal spendingand and the bill and all that

(02:28):
bullshit.
And so when the government shutdown, obviously federal workers
don't get paid.
And I think there needs to be alaw or something put in place
that if the government is shutdown, government officials
shouldn't get paid either.
Like people in in the Senate,people in the House, uh every
government official should alsonot be getting paid if the

(02:50):
government is shut down.
Because what's the point of yougetting paid?
You're not working.
Mind you, the people who arestill expected to show up to
work, they're not getting paid.
But the people who are directlyresponsible for the government
shutting down, they still getpaid.
Doesn't make sense to me.
Doesn't make sense to me atall.
If anyone should not be gettingpaid, it should be the

(03:12):
government officials, not thefederal workers.
Especially since they're stillexpected to show up to work, and
the government officials whowere directly voting and weren't
able to reach an agreement,they're still getting paid.
Where do I try to petition toget that into law?
Because that just is fuckingbullshit to me.
But the government shut down,and at the beginning of the

(03:35):
government shutdown, there wasso much support behind the
Democrats, and like so manypeople knew that the reason the
government shut down was becauseof the Republicans.
People knew that, right?
People were rallying behindDemocrats, people were proud of
them for you know voting toprotect people and their health
care.
And even like federal workerswho, again, were not getting

(03:58):
paid.
I've seen so many of them justbe so selfless and be like, we
understand why the government isshut down.
Hold the line, do not cave tothe Republicans' demands, like
do what you have to do.
I understand I'm not gettingpaid, but this is important,
right?
So my I don't understand whythey thought it would be a good

(04:21):
idea to cave and to votealongside Republicans when they
had so many of us rallyingbehind them.
It's like they see our supportand they're like, oh, they're
happy, oh, they're feelinghopeful, oh, we we have them on
our side, kill it.
Disappoint them again, likesquash their hope.

(04:44):
What is the point?
I don't understand how they canhave so much support and see
all of the support that theywere getting and then just like
shit on it.
And also, like, I have suchmixed emotions, and there's no
one cookie cutter correct answerto all of this.
I understand that because atthe end of the day, federal
workers were not getting paid,right?

(05:06):
As the whole time thegovernment was shut down, they
were not getting paid.
So I'm happy that they are now,you know, the government is
open in some respects becausethey're getting paid.
But then it also frustrates meeven more because it's like they
weren't getting paid for solong.
For what?
Y'all, the last 40 some days,y'all held the line, y'all they

(05:30):
weren't getting paid, and ofcourse they weren't happy about
it.
But even again, I saw so manyfederal workers saying, as a
federal employee, I needDemocrats to hold the line,
right?
So it's like you did all ofthis for 40 days, gave people
hope, withheld pay from people,only to come out with a pinky
promise that healthcare will bevoted on later.

(05:51):
Mind you, a pinky promise frompeople who are known to lie and
who have already gone back onthat promise, on that pinky
promise, I say in close, becauseanyone who believed that was
shitting themselves.
Like you, you, you're stupid ifyou believed that they were
actually had a plan to vote onit later.
I'm so sorry.
If you truly believe that,you're a fucking idiot.

(06:14):
Like, I don't know how otherany other way to say it.
But I just don't understand,and it does not make sense to me
why they would put everyonethrough this, give some people
hope, not give some people theirtheir pay for working to come
out with nothing.
To come out with nothing otherthan now people are like, what

(06:34):
the fuck?
Like, I trusted Democrats, andonce again, they shit all over
me.
Once again, they gave me falsehope.
Once again, like we see thatDemocrats are weak, and I'm
seeing people even being like,I'm never gonna vote for a
Democrat again.
My votes are all going to I'mI'm registering independent.
I've been a Democrat my wholelife.
Now I'm registering as anindependent and voting third

(06:55):
party.
And I understand that as well.
I understand their frustration,but I I would also like to
encourage people not to act outof emotion and and do that
because that's not the answereither.
I don't I don't even reallyknow what the full answer is.
I genuinely feel like my brainis all over the place, and

(07:17):
probably this episode is too, soI completely apologize.
I like my brain and thoughtsare all scrambled.
I've been trying for the lastcouple of days to get my brain
in order so that I can recordthis episode, and it hasn't
worked, and so I was like, maybeI shouldn't even record it, but
then I'm like, I that doesn'tseem like the right answer
either.
Because like I I just feel likethis feeling of like your head

(07:40):
spinning, if anyone else isfeeling that way, it is so
fucking valid.
It truly is because last weekwe were on such a high, we were
all so happy, we were like, fuckyes, like finally, only for
them to like snatch it away, andit's like it's like what the
fuck?
And so I understand people'sfrustrations and wanting to just
never vote for a Democrat againand vote third party, but at

(08:04):
the end of the day, the way theparty system is set up right
now, that is not the solution.
This is a a very long process,and just automatically going
third party, that is not thesolution either.
Because the reality is, again,with the way that our party
system is set up right now, athird-party candidate has no

(08:26):
chance of winning.
Third party candidates aren'teven on the ballot in all 50
states.
If I if I'm rememberingcorrectly, they're not even on
the ballot in all 50 states.
Someone please correct me ifI'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure
they're not even on the ballotin all 50 states.
There's absolutely no way, theway that our party system is set
up right now for a third-partyvoter to win.

(08:49):
So essentially, all the thirdparty vote does, because
Republicans and Trump supportersand people who are they're in a
cult, okay?
So no matter what happens,unless they want to remove
themselves from that cult, theywill be in that cult.
So they're going to vote thesame way every time.
It does not matter.
Trump literally, emails cameout showing that Trump was like

(09:15):
Epstein was emailing aboutTrump, saying like Trump knew
what Epstein was doing, andTrump supporters are still like,
it's a hoax.
It's a hoax by the DemocraticParty.
Like, they're never nothing,they have no line.
You know what I mean?
They have no line that is like,okay, this is this is my deal
breaker.
They don't have one of those.
So they're always gonna votethe exact same way.

(09:38):
So for people to vote thirdparty, that's typically only
people who would ever vote forthe Democratic Party.
So what it does is it splitsthe Democratic vote, giving the
Republicans more of a chance towin.
That's why just voting thirdparty and just like registering
as an independent or whatever,that's not the solution that you

(09:58):
think it is.
That is not the solution thatyou think it is, because at the
end of the day, that is justgoing to split the Democratic
vote, thus, giving theRepublicans more of a chance to
win.
I think what we need is youngerand more progressive Democrats.
Because genuinely, and I saidthis last week, and maybe I

(10:19):
should shut the fuck upsometimes.
Because sometimes I feel likeI'll say something, and it's
like it manifests like a littlebit after I say it.
So maybe I should shut the fuckup.
But genuinely, it does feellike Democrats are elephants in
donkey clothing.
It it feels like Democrats areliterally Republicans just

(10:40):
posing as Democrats, and sothat's why I think, and that's
why I was saying last week, likewe have to also hold Democrats
accountable.
Like, yes, vote for them, butalso hold them accountable.
And if they're not doing whatthey are supposed to be doing,
or if they're not doing thingsfor the benefit of us, we gotta
get them out of office.
But also at the same time, justvoting for them, like that puts

(11:03):
them in office.
So, like, yeah, we couldeventually vote them out
eventually, but while they're inoffice, like they could also
fuck shit up while they're theretoo.
So it's just like this is why Ifeel like I'm in an abusive
relationship because like myhead is all over the place and I
feel like I'm being gaslit, andit's like I don't know what the
solution is.

(11:23):
I think it would help if we hadmore progressive Democrats who
also had a fucking backbone,like Democrats like Jasmine
Crockett and AOC, like peoplewho won't cave or be
performative, like theperformances that some of these
Democrats put on is fuckingcrazy.
I'm looking at you, CoreyBooker.
Cause you played in my facetoo.

(11:43):
I was I when he did his Senatespeech, I'm not gonna lie, that
gave me hope.
I was so proud of him.
I was cheering for him, I waswatching the the speech, like I
it just made me feel hopeful.
And that's the thing, like, Ihate for a bitch to make me feel
hopeful or to make me feelhappy just to like turn around

(12:05):
and shit on that.
Because why what you could haveleft me alone.
You know what I mean?
You didn't have to give me thathope.
You didn't have to make me feellike something was gonna happen
only for you to turn around andnothing fucking happened.
And that's what I feel likehappened with these Democrats
with the government shutdown whothen turned and voted with
Republicans.
It's like y'all could have justdone that from the beginning.

(12:28):
Why did you give me hope?
Why did you withhold people'smoney if you were just going to
turn around and give Republicanseverything that they wanted?
Like, this was so this was suchI'm stuttering.
I fucking hate when I can't getmy thoughts right.
This is like I hate when I feellike this, when I feel like I

(12:51):
can't speak because my thoughtsare jumbled, because I'm just
like, what the fuck is going on?
I this again, I need things tomake logical sense in order for
me to be able to process themand for me to be able to talk
about them.
And this doesn't make logicalsense to me.
So I'm struggling so much toeven speak and film this episode
and talk about it because mythoughts are all fucking over

(13:13):
the place, and I apologize forfor this episode for me being so
just jumbled, but I also didn'twant to just like not say
anything because I don't thinkthat that's the solution either.
And I think that it's okay forpeople to have jumbled thoughts
during this entire thing becauseit's just like why?

(13:34):
That's like my my only questionright now is just why?
Why would you do that?
Why would you give me hope justfor you to snatch it away?
Like I'm sick as fuck, I'm soirritated, I'm so confused.
I just feel honestly, I and Ifeel a little bit stupid too,
because it's like I I get it.

(13:55):
Like, why are we trustingDemocrats?
Like, I get it, but at the sametime, it's like, what else am I
supposed to do?
Like, the way our system is setup right now, what else am I
supposed to do?
Genuinely.
I can't in good faith give myvote to a third party candidate
because I know deep down thatthey don't have any chance of

(14:17):
winning.
So genuinely, what like what dowe do?
What do we do?
Like, oh, I'm just so sickbecause y'all could have left us
alone if you were just going toturn around and side with
Republicans, you could have justdone that from the beginning.
Why didn't you just do thatfrom the beginning?
What are what are these likemind games that y'all are
playing with us and why do youkeep playing them?

(14:39):
I feel like at the end of theday, they knew what they were
gonna do, so why did you notjust do it?
Why give people a sense offalse hope?
That is just like such a shittything to do, and I just don't
get it.
But it happens so often in theDemocratic Party, and this is
why, like, there needs to be agelimits, there needs to be term

(15:02):
limits.
Like, these people cannot justlike play with our lives.
Literally, that that's whatthey're doing.
They're quite literally playingwith our lives because at the
end of the day, in five years,they're gonna be fucking dead.
They're so fucking old, they'rethey're they're hy not their
hygiene.
Well, probably their hygienealso, because a lot of them are,

(15:22):
you know, you know what I'msaying.
But what am I that's not what Imeant?
I didn't mean to say hygiene.
They're their health, that'swhat I meant to say.
Their health is probablyhanging on by a thread because
they're probably not active.
So they're all gonna fuckingdie soon.
So they're just like playingwith our fucking lives and
making these laws, making thesewhatever, knowing that at the

(15:42):
end of the day, it's not gonnaaffect them, number one, because
they're gonna fucking die.
Number two, because they havethe money and it it they don't
have to worry about it, theydon't have to worry about any of
the things that they are quiteliterally making laws for us to
have to worry about, and they'renot gonna affect them in any
way.
Like that it's just so it's sodisheartening and it's so

(16:04):
disgusting, and we I just needmore progressive Democrats.
Fuck, let me let me inCongress.
They shouldn't let me inCongress, they shouldn't let me
in Congress at all.
Because oh my god, I would beso unhinged.
They think Jasmine Crockett isbad.
Bitch, my mouth would be crazy,like insane.
So I was just kidding, don'tlet me in Congress.

(16:26):
But somebody who is just moreprogressive and understands like
normal, real people like us whothese things actually affect.
That's why they're able to justbe all willy-nilly and do
whatever they want because atthe end of the day, it's not
gonna affect them.
I feel like the only way thatit would really affect them,
like a government shutdown, forexample, would affect them is

(16:46):
again if they didn't get paidduring the shutdown, which I
think is reasonable.
Like, why are you getting paid?
You're not even going to work.
Mind you, regular people arestill required to go to work and
they're not getting paid.
Like, what why why would youget paid?
Why would you get paid?
That's what needs to happen.
What we really need is forthese things that they're doing

(17:09):
and for these things thatthey're voting on.
We need it to like at somepoint also affect them.
Do you know what I mean?
Because they're so far removed,they're so detached because
they don't have to worry aboutit, that at the end of the day,
they're just like, do whatever.
They just do whatever becauseat the end of the day, it's not
gonna affect them.
So I think that's what we need.

(17:29):
I think we need moreprogressive Democrats who will
also have a backbone and and notcave.
And I think we need more peoplein Congress who are just like
regular people who like wouldactually be affected by the
things that they're that they'repassing or the things that
they're doing.
You know what I mean?
I don't know.
I feel like I'm rambling.

(17:51):
And I guess again, my brain isjust all over the place, so I
really apologize for thisepisode.
I didn't want to just notrecord.
I thought about it.
I was going back and forth alot about whether or not I
should say something, whether Ishouldn't, because I knew that
my brain was all over the place.
I knew that this episode isprobably gonna be all all over
the place.

(18:11):
But I didn't want to just likenot say anything or not it it it
felt like I wasn't being real,you know what I mean?
Like it felt like I was justlike, oh, I don't I'm not in a
good space, so I'm not gonnatalk about it because like
everything isn't put together inhere.
And you know what?
Sometimes I'm not all puttogether.
You know what I mean?

(18:32):
Like sometimes my thoughts allare all over the place, and I I
stutter and I don't know how toput my thoughts into words.
And this is one of those timesbecause I just don't understand
it.
I just don't I don't understandwhat all of this was for.
What were all of thesetheatrics for if y'all were just

(18:52):
gonna end up voting the way theRepublicans wanted you to?
What was all of this for?
Like what I just And don'tthink that I don't know that
that shit was strategic as fuck.
Cause we we know that that shitwas strategic as fuck.
Because every single Democratwho ended up voting yes, and I'm

(19:13):
gonna I'm gonna name thembecause I feel like saying their
names is important, but I justwant to say this first.
Every Democrat who voted yes isnot up for re-election anytime
soon.
All the ones who voted no areup for re-election soon.
And Chuck Schumer, his fuckingbitch ass.
I no matter how it happenedthat the Democrats voted yes, it

(19:39):
still reflects so poorly onhim.
Because either he orchestratedit to where the Democrats who
voted yes aren't up forre-elections soon, and then he
could vote no to save his facefor the optics, or as he said,
some of the Democrats just wentrogue.
I don't know if that's like theactual terms that he used, but
essentially he said, like, someof the Democrats went behind his

(20:01):
back and voted yes.
That's fucked as well becauseyou, as the majority leader, why
are people going behind yourback?
Why are you not able to leadthem as the majority leader?
Hello?
Like, what the fuck?
This is all so fucked.
Either one is is terriblebecause what the fuck do you

(20:23):
mean they just went behind yourback?
Because as the majority leader,why are you not able to lead
effectively?
Why are people going rogue?
Why are people going behindyour back?
Honestly, I don't know which isworse.
If you orchestrated it or ifpeople are just going behind
your back.
I don't know which one isworse, but I both of them tell

(20:44):
me that you're not very good atyour job and you you don't need
that job.
Like, let's be so for real.
But at the end of the day, likewhether they really did go
rogue, whether he orchestratedit, fuck all of them.
And let me list their names sothat y'all know exactly who who
caved to the Republicans andvoted yes on this bill.

(21:06):
So I would just like to extendthe biggest of fuck you've to
Senator Tim Kane, Senator GeneShaheen, Senator Dick Durbin,
Senator John Fetterman, who I'veseen in person.
Like I used to live inPittsburgh, and I swear I would
see him walking around inPittsburgh.
And I swear he wasn't in theSenate at this point, it was in

(21:29):
like 2019, 2020, somewherearound there when I lived in
Pittsburgh.
Anyway, he's like super big,like tall, I mean, and it's like
all that stature for you to bea little bitch waste of a build.
Anyway, big fuck you to SenatorMaggie Hassan, Senator Angus

(21:52):
King, Senator Cortez Masto, andSenator Jackie Rosen.
Fuck y'all, because we therewas so much support and rallying
behind the Democrats, and nowpeople, rightfully so, are
feeling blindsided and cheatedand hopeless because people

(22:12):
wanted you to hold the line,people wanted to see that y'all
would genuinely stand up toRepublicans, and you didn't.
Big fuck you to all y'all.
Big fuck you.
And we will not forget.
We will not forget your names,we will not forget what you've
done.
You might not be up forre-election soon, or you might

(22:34):
be retiring, because again, likeI said, at the end of the day,
they know that this isn't gonnaaffect them, so they make all
these fucking plans, and thenthey're like, oh, okay, peace
out.
I destroyed destroyedeverything.
My work is done here, likefucking bitches.
We won't forget this though.
We won't forget if you are upfor re-election, not soon, we
won't forget.
Because I said this last week.

(22:55):
I said this last week.
We voted these people in, andif they're not doing what we we
need them to do, if they're notthere to protect us, they gotta
go.
They have got to go.
There's there's no more ofthis.
This shit is so fucking old andit's so tired to continue to
play in people's faces.
I feel like if you run forCongress or whatever, based off

(23:17):
of a set of promises orwhatever, and then you don't do
those things, you should loseyour job immediately.
If I were to apply for a joband say, Yeah, I'm gonna do A,
B, and C, and then I show up tothe job and I don't do A, B, and
C, I would be firedimmediately.
So, like, why are they justable to continue to play in our
faces?
It's fucking insane.
Like, I don't understand howpeople can be shit at their jobs

(23:38):
and still keep their jobs.
I don't understand how peoplecan shut down a government and
not have to work but still bepaid.
Our the entire government needsto be just like revamped,
honestly.
And I know obviously, again,that takes a lot of fucking
work.
There is no just like onedirect answer or one quick fix
to that.
But I do feel like we like ifwe're not getting what we need,

(24:01):
if the government is not workingfor us, because again, that is
how the government is supposedto work, it's supposed to be for
the benefit of the people.
We gotta get these people out.
We like we can't, we gottaprimary them.
We they have to go because thisshit, like, we can't keep doing
this.
I'm so sick, and I'm it'smaking me so upset because I'm
also seeing people saying likethey'll never vote Democrat

(24:22):
again, they're now independents,they're gonna, you know,
whatever.
And it's like I understand thatfrustration, but again, that's
not the answer either.
And I just hate that peoplethat we've elected, the
democratic officials are aremaking people go to these just
drastic measures.
But I do want to encouragepeople again to just like think

(24:43):
before you do things like that,because again, the the answer is
just not that simple, it's notthat clear of an answer.
It's it's a process, and justlike jumping to third party,
that is not the answer.
That is only going to in theway that our system is set up
right now, that is only going tomake things worse.

(25:03):
So think that through.
I understand the frustration.
I too am very frustrated.
My brain is all over the place,and I don't have the the
answer, and again, there is nojust one answer.
This is a very complexsituation, right?
But I do think that we needmore progressive Democrats and
Democrats who can actually standup to the Republicans and

(25:25):
people who will genuinely workfor the people because, like, at
the end of the day, the thingsthat they're voting on are also
going to affect them.
I don't know how we get allthat into office, but I think
that that would might be a goodstart.
But I can say that just jumpingto third party, I don't think
that is the correct answer.
So let's just all breathe.

(25:47):
I don't know.
I'm gonna go like color.
That like heals me, low-key.
But for the Democrats whoplayed in our face, for the
Democrats who caved, we will notforget.
We will not forget.
You were elected to help thepeople.
That is how the government issupposed to work.
And if you're not doing that,you gotta go.

(26:07):
You gotta you don't you don'tgotta go home, but you gotta get
the fuck out of here, okay?
Oh I don't know.
I guess I wanted to just say toanyone who might be feeling all
over the place and scrambled,that is a completely valid
response to again what feelslike a very abusive
relationship, and you're validin those feelings.

(26:27):
I feel that way so much rightnow, too.
I feel like I'm dissociatingright now.
Um but I do want to try to alsoencourage everyone to to think
and to try and stop and regulatein any way that you can and not
make any rash decisions.
I know how frustrated we allare, but making a rash decision

(26:50):
in a state of frustration at theend of the day could only make
it worse for yourself.
So I understand this, like this180 from how we felt last week
to how we feel now is justfucking insane.
Try and take some time,self-regulate, turn on some
music.
No J Lil, of course, I wouldonly make it worse, and just try

(27:11):
to like ground yourself becausewe can't be rash, right?
We can't be rash, we have torally and we have to form a plan
and organize and go into thiswith a clear plan, not one that
is based off of frustration,just like a clear plan that
would actually benefit us.

(27:32):
So take some time, read a book,take some time outside, unplug
for a little bit if you have to.
Because, like, it is okay to,you know, I know we all want to
be informed and and keep up, butit is also okay to take a break
sometimes and shut it out, tuneit out for a little bit, and
just get your mind right.
That is so important too.

(27:52):
So, y'all go do that.
I'm gonna go do that.
I hope we all have a good weekexcept for that orange drink
lady, and I will talk to you inthe next episode.
Peace and love.
Talk to you later.
The napkin in between, hostedby Daijne Jones, produced by
Daijne Jones, post production byDaijne Jones, music by Sam
Champagne, and graphics by IsmaVidal.

(28:14):
Don't forget to like andsubscribe.
See you next episode.