Ashley Etienne, former senior advisor to President Obama, President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, joins Mimi Brown for a round of political hot topics. Lindsey Graham's sister just got appointed to his Senate seat with zero experience. Democrats still don't have a midterm message, even in an affordability crisis. Trump is set to address the nation Thursday night; Ashley tells us what to listen for and why the war in Iran is his biggest headache. Plus, her viral Essence op-ed, "The Party We Built. The Bill Has Come Due," on why the Democratic Party invests only one percent of its money back into Black communities, and what we need to demand next.
From the Black Effect Podcast Network.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Lindsay Graham's sister just got his Senate seat.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Thank the governor for selecting me to serve the remainder
of Lindsay's term and is such an honor.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
The President is set to address the nation and the
Democrats still can't find their footing petting into the midterms and.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
They can't just run on an anti Trump platform.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
We're breaking it all down on a special political hot
topics episode with insider Ashley Ettanine. It's Wednesday, July fifteenth,
from the Black Effect Podcast Network. Imani Brown, this is
front Page. Stay with me. There's a lot happening in
Washington right now and a lot of questions about what
(00:45):
it all means. So joining me is Ashley Ettonin, CEO
of Ettonine and Saint. She's an NBC Meet the Press
contributor and former senior advisor to President's Obama and Biden,
Vice President Kamala Harris, and former House Speaker at Nancy Pelosi. Ashley,
thank you so much for joining me today. How are you?
Speaker 2 (01:05):
And well, thank you for having me absolutely so.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
You know, I wanted to jump into the news of
the week. Senator Graham passed away over the weekend, Governor
Macaster appointed Lindsay's sister to temporarily fill his seat, even
though she has no experience in elected office. How unusual
is an appointment like this.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
It's fairly unusual, but it does happen. You know, they
used to call it historians. We'll call it the widow secession.
So there's about forty seven times in both the House
and the Senate where a widow has replaced their husband
after he died, and you know, with and without experience.
But what I find most uncommon about this particular appointment
(01:48):
was that the governor was incredibly shrewd and that he
decided not to appoint someone to the seat who would
actually run for the seat. So Lindsay Graham's sister is
now saying that she's not going to run for this seed.
So she said she's going to be a caretaker of
the seat, and there's going to be a primary race
in August. So essentially, what the governor has done is
(02:08):
ensured that there's going to be a competitive Republican primary
where it's likely going to get nasty. They're going to
spend a lot of money, which is going to create
a lot of opportunity for Democrats. On the ground. He's
also running the risk that it would divide the Republican
Party in South Carolina and again cost the party a
lot of money and potent potentially a lot of damage
(02:29):
if you were called. Not too long ago, Jamie Harrison
ran against Lindsay Graham and almost beat Lindsay Graham. He
was competitive at one point, running neck and neck with
Lindsay Graham. So this creates, as I said, you know,
it creates a debacle for the Republican Party on the ground,
but creates a big opportunity for the Democrats to potentially
make this seat competitive. It's definitely more competitive today than
(02:52):
it was a week ago.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
And you know, speaking of mid terms, I know Democrats
have been looking for, you know, an issue to rally
voters around heading into the midterms. Have they found one yet?
What do you think?
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I mean? I think that's a good question. You know,
I've been arguing that the Democratic Party needs to come
up with an affirmative, proactive agenda. They need to tell
the American people what they're for layout a vision that
contrasts with what Republicans are offering. They can't just run
on an anti Trump platform, but what is winning and
working for Democrats is affordability message ninety five percent. I'll
(03:27):
say that again, ninety five percent of the nation says
that we're in an affordability crisis. So that includes a
lot of Republicans. So Republicans are operating on the defensive
right now. They're shaking in their boots about what's going
to happen in November. So Democrats have an advantage when
it comes to that. But what's going to be critical
is whether or not they can lay out a vision
(03:48):
again that draws in a broad swath of American voters
and that lays out what a proactive agenda would look
like what they'll do come November. And that's important because
you know, I, as you mentioned, used to run communications
for Speaker Pelosi when we won the House. We won
forty seats when I was in charge. And what's going
to be very important is what happens day one after
(04:09):
you win in November. If Democrats win, you got to
have momentum, So you've got to have an agenda that's
fully flushed out. You're gonna have these new Democratic socialists
that are going to be in the caucus that are
going to likely be causing a lot of problems for leadership.
So it's gonna be and then you're gonna have Donald Trump.
He's going to be an outlier. He's going to be
a major force. You know, he loves to play dirty,
he loves to get in the mud with Democrats. So
(04:30):
it's gonna be it's gonna put Democrats in a position
where they're gonna have to play defense and offense at
the same time. And if you don't have your act
together about what your agenda is, you're not going to
have any momentum going after the November election, meaning passing
bills and creating a sense that you know that you're
you're you're in Washington and claiming a stake for the
(04:50):
American people and you know, and again, have your act together.
So it's going to be a challenge for Democrats if
they don't come up with a proactive agenda and give
the voters something to vote for, not something to vote against.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
You know, you made such good points right there, because
I feel like what I've been hearing is what's the
messaging coming from Democrats right now? How do they pivot
and stay on this affordability stance right now? What's the messaging?
What do they need to do well.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
I mean I think they need to you know, I
would hate, I hate to say this, but they kind
of need to model. These Democratic socialists that are out
here meeting Democratic incumbents and winning these open seats. I mean,
they're really speaking directly to the concerns of the American people,
and they're laying out a vision about how they're going
to actually address those issues. I mean, take Mundani for example.
I mean, he's a prime example of talking about how
(05:39):
life is too expensive, the rent is too high, that
people are challenged to make ends meet, and so he
laid out a vision. You know, we're going to pay
for you know, childcare, We're going to pay for bus
your bus fare, you know, all of these different ideas
that are innovative and forward leaning, but that speak directly
to the challenges that people are facing. So that's my
(06:00):
advice to the party. I've not seen yet where they're
going to do it. It seems to be a level of,
you know, a risk aversion right now. But I will
say that the issue of affordability is so potent right now.
You have Republicans running away from the President on this
particular issue that the Republicans in Congress are begging the
president to pass, for example, that housing build that he's
(06:21):
stalled out right. They're desperate to get the president to
look forward, leaning on the economy and not as though,
as he has said repeatedly that he doesn't care.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Yeah, he seems to be more concerned though with the
election and the Save America Act.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yeah, Cheating the election is I would define it. I mean,
that's really his focus, and that's because he can't win
on the issues. I mean, he's underwater on everything from
the economy to the war in Iran. People don't, you know,
lack even within the Republican Party, lack confidence in this president.
And that is an alarming that has to be alarming
for them right now, which is why Republicans are giving
(06:58):
the president a lot of pressure sure to address all
of these concerns, which is why he's going to be
addressing the nation on Thursday. It's primarily because he's in
the defensive posture and Republicans are looking toward November and
are very concerned about how many seats they're going to lose.
You know, let me, Mimi, let me just tell you.
I mean, it's so bad right now. Republicans are telling
me in the green room of Meet the Press that
(07:20):
you know, they could potentially lose places like Kansas, Nebraska.
I mean places where we're not you know that we're
never on our radar that now are competitive races. So
from Texas to Ohio to North Carolina and even deep
red states like Kansas and Nebraska, Republicans are concerned that
they could potentially lose.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
You know, you just mentioned that the president is expected
to address the nation on Thursday. So when a president's
schedule is a prime time addressed like this, what are
you listening for? What do you expect him to talk
to the American people about?
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Well, I mean, I think what he's trying to do
is really you know, and this is having worked in
the White House, I know firsthand this is what he's
really trying to do, which is control narrative. I think
he feels like the narrative has gotten away from him.
You know, there's you know, more than sixty percent of
the nation disapproves of the war in Iran. As I mentioned,
ninety five percent of the country thinks we're in an
affordability crisis. So if I am the president, I'm going
(08:14):
to talk about everything from the war in Iran to
the economy. Those are the two most pressing issues that
the American people are concerned about. And so I think
what I'm going to be listening for is whether or
not he can finally piece together a coherent strategy on
how to you know, what's the offer ramp, how are
(08:35):
we going to get how's he going to get the
nation out of this out of this war? You know,
he claimed weeks ago that we claimed months ago. We're
now four months and he claimed four months, four months
ago that this war was only going to take a
matter of weeks, and now we're seeing that it's cost
upwards of one hundred billion dollars four months later. You know,
(08:55):
the war, you know, there's no end in sight. We've
got thousands of troops on the ground, and you've got
a situation where both Democrats and Republicans have voted against
the President on this particular issue, a vote sort of
no confidence when they voted in favor of the War
Powers Act. So there's a lot of anxiety within the
(09:16):
Republican party about this particular issue, and the President is
on his back heels. He underestimated their Iranians. I've been
saying that for months, he thought that it was going
to be as easy as Venezuela. And the reality is
they've shown a level of resolve that I don't think
the President was prepared for. And he just had no
strategic vision. I mean, at one point we were talking
about nuclear weapons and then we were talking about the
(09:38):
straighta horror moves, So what is it? And the President
can't answer any of those questions. And then the reality
of all of this in terms of what we've lost,
not just one hundred billion dollars, not just the lives
of our troops, but we've lost our allies. This is
the first time in American history our allies are the
most distrustful of the United States. So we're going at
(10:01):
this alone. So the President owes the American people in
an explanation. He needs to reassure Republicans and his party,
and I think he's also going to speak to again
how to separate the war from the economy and speak
directly to what he's going to do on the economy.
But you know, the President is not a disciplined person,
not a disciplined man, So I can imagine that midway
(10:24):
through any speech he's going to lose focus and you know,
and it would probably devolve into, you know, something that
they're going to have to clean up tomorrow or Friday.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
And Ashley, before we let you go, you recently wrote
an op ed for Essence that really caught people's attention.
What was the message that you wanted readers to take
away from that?
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Yeah, the title of my op ed is the party
that we've built, the bill has come due. And so
the thrust of the op ed is that we as
black people, have repeatedly cycled after cycle, made the difference
for the Democratic Party. We've delivered for the Democratic Party.
The Democratic Party recently released its twenty autopsy of the
(11:04):
twenty twenty four election, and what they release was insanely alarming.
And what it was is that we invest in this
party and it doesn't invest back in us. So the party,
over its entire ecosystem, from the presidential election to the
congressional elections and the senatorial elections, spends about eight billion
dollars and only one percent one percent of that money
(11:29):
is invested in black people. And so I argue that
if we're boycotting Target and all these other places, we
should take that same spirit to the Democratic Party. Because
if target fails, I can go get my toilet paper anywhere.
But when the Democratic Party fails, four hundred thousand black
people are out of a job, seven point five percent
(11:49):
unemployment we're experiencing right now, and our Voting Rights Act
has been completely dismantled. So the party owes us an
explanation as to how it spends its money, not just that.
You know, I make three recommendations. One is that the
money needs to be spent more equitably. We need to
invest that money back into building black infrastructure on the ground.
(12:11):
Every dollar that goes through the Democratic Party is an
opportunity to invest it in building black infrastructure. That's black media,
that's black organizing on the ground, that's black firms. And
the reason why this matter is is not because it's
to save the Democratic Party, but it's to build black
power on the ground. You know, Georgia is the north Star.
Look at what we did in Georgia. Stacy Abrams ran
(12:34):
in a program where she invested in black voters, went
and found them and ruled Georgia and invested, you know,
across the entire year, and it made the difference as
state went from red to potentially flipping it to blue,
and that's a possibility of what can happen all over
the country when you invest in black voters. So we
need to demand that the party pays us like it
(12:56):
owes us. The second thing I argue is that we
need power sharing any place where black voters are critical.
We need to be at the table and not in
no representation type role, but I'm talking about a role
of authority where we make budgetary decisions. And then the
last point I make is we've got enough money in
our own community where we need to be inward facing
(13:17):
in this moment and invest in ourselves. We need to
build what I'm calling a Black Innovation Lab where we
can come up with black agenda and a new playbook
on how to engage black voters. So that's really the
thrust of the piece. I wish people could go out
and you know, please pick it up, read it. It's
a powerful piece and it really makes a lot of
(13:39):
exceptional points, which is that we invest more in this
party than it invests back into us. That we have
become essentially a tool of this party and not a
partner to it, and we need to demand more and
our leadership. Black leaders need to demand more from the
Democratic Party because it has an outsize impact on our freedom,
our economics, and our political power.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
You know, Ashley, this has been such a helpful conversation.
I've read your op ed. It is wonderful and congratulations
on that it's called thank you, Uh the party we built.
The bill has come due. It's already sparking important conversations
about black political power and accountability. And you know, I
just appreciate you sharing your insight with us today and
(14:22):
just you know, just study shutting some light on you know,
some of the topics that that we've been covering and
just really breaking those down for us. So thank you
again for your time.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Well, thank you for having me. We have to do
this again.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
We will do this again. We will do this again.
This was this was amazing and so but yeah, so
think and tell us how how can they find you?
How can we follow you?
Speaker 2 (14:42):
So I'm on Instagram, I'm on TikTok when when I can,
when I can, I'm on ex and I and all
of my handles are my name, So Ashley Ettien.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
And big thank you to Ashley et Tien for pulling
up and having this conversation with us. From Graham's Senate
c shake up in South Carolina, to what to listen
for in Trump's Thursday night address, to why the Democratic
Party needs to invest in black communities the same way
we invest in it. It was a masterclass. This is
the kind of conversation that you share and send to
(15:15):
the group chat I Mimi Brown. That was your front page.
This podcast was brought to you by the Black Effect
Podcast Network.
Lindsay Graham's sister just got his Senate seat.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Thank the governor for selecting me to serve the remainder
of Lindsay's term and is such an honor.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
The President is set to address the nation and the
Democrats still can't find their footing petting into the midterms and.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
They can't just run on an anti Trump platform.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
We're breaking it all down on a special political hot
topics episode with insider Ashley Ettanine. It's Wednesday, July fifteenth,
from the Black Effect Podcast Network. Imani Brown, this is
front Page. Stay with me. There's a lot happening in
Washington right now and a lot of questions about what
(00:45):
it all means. So joining me is Ashley Ettonin, CEO
of Ettonine and Saint. She's an NBC Meet the Press
contributor and former senior advisor to President's Obama and Biden,
Vice President Kamala Harris, and former House Speaker at Nancy Pelosi. Ashley,
thank you so much for joining me today. How are you?
Speaker 2 (01:05):
And well, thank you for having me absolutely so.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
You know, I wanted to jump into the news of
the week. Senator Graham passed away over the weekend, Governor
Macaster appointed Lindsay's sister to temporarily fill his seat, even
though she has no experience in elected office. How unusual
is an appointment like this.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
It's fairly unusual, but it does happen. You know, they
used to call it historians. We'll call it the widow secession.
So there's about forty seven times in both the House
and the Senate where a widow has replaced their husband
after he died, and you know, with and without experience.
But what I find most uncommon about this particular appointment
(01:48):
was that the governor was incredibly shrewd and that he
decided not to appoint someone to the seat who would
actually run for the seat. So Lindsay Graham's sister is
now saying that she's not going to run for this seed.
So she said she's going to be a caretaker of
the seat, and there's going to be a primary race
in August. So essentially, what the governor has done is
(02:08):
ensured that there's going to be a competitive Republican primary
where it's likely going to get nasty. They're going to
spend a lot of money, which is going to create
a lot of opportunity for Democrats. On the ground. He's
also running the risk that it would divide the Republican
Party in South Carolina and again cost the party a
lot of money and potent potentially a lot of damage
(02:29):
if you were called. Not too long ago, Jamie Harrison
ran against Lindsay Graham and almost beat Lindsay Graham. He
was competitive at one point, running neck and neck with
Lindsay Graham. So this creates, as I said, you know,
it creates a debacle for the Republican Party on the ground,
but creates a big opportunity for the Democrats to potentially
make this seat competitive. It's definitely more competitive today than
(02:52):
it was a week ago.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
And you know, speaking of mid terms, I know Democrats
have been looking for, you know, an issue to rally
voters around heading into the midterms. Have they found one yet?
What do you think?
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I mean? I think that's a good question. You know,
I've been arguing that the Democratic Party needs to come
up with an affirmative, proactive agenda. They need to tell
the American people what they're for layout a vision that
contrasts with what Republicans are offering. They can't just run
on an anti Trump platform, but what is winning and
working for Democrats is affordability message ninety five percent. I'll
(03:27):
say that again, ninety five percent of the nation says
that we're in an affordability crisis. So that includes a
lot of Republicans. So Republicans are operating on the defensive
right now. They're shaking in their boots about what's going
to happen in November. So Democrats have an advantage when
it comes to that. But what's going to be critical
is whether or not they can lay out a vision
(03:48):
again that draws in a broad swath of American voters
and that lays out what a proactive agenda would look
like what they'll do come November. And that's important because
you know, I, as you mentioned, used to run communications
for Speaker Pelosi when we won the House. We won
forty seats when I was in charge. And what's going
to be very important is what happens day one after
(04:09):
you win in November. If Democrats win, you got to
have momentum, So you've got to have an agenda that's
fully flushed out. You're gonna have these new Democratic socialists
that are going to be in the caucus that are
going to likely be causing a lot of problems for leadership.
So it's gonna be and then you're gonna have Donald Trump.
He's going to be an outlier. He's going to be
a major force. You know, he loves to play dirty,
he loves to get in the mud with Democrats. So
(04:30):
it's gonna be it's gonna put Democrats in a position
where they're gonna have to play defense and offense at
the same time. And if you don't have your act
together about what your agenda is, you're not going to
have any momentum going after the November election, meaning passing
bills and creating a sense that you know that you're
you're you're in Washington and claiming a stake for the
(04:50):
American people and you know, and again, have your act together.
So it's going to be a challenge for Democrats if
they don't come up with a proactive agenda and give
the voters something to vote for, not something to vote against.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
You know, you made such good points right there, because
I feel like what I've been hearing is what's the
messaging coming from Democrats right now? How do they pivot
and stay on this affordability stance right now? What's the messaging?
What do they need to do well.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
I mean I think they need to you know, I
would hate, I hate to say this, but they kind
of need to model. These Democratic socialists that are out
here meeting Democratic incumbents and winning these open seats. I mean,
they're really speaking directly to the concerns of the American people,
and they're laying out a vision about how they're going
to actually address those issues. I mean, take Mundani for example.
I mean, he's a prime example of talking about how
(05:39):
life is too expensive, the rent is too high, that
people are challenged to make ends meet, and so he
laid out a vision. You know, we're going to pay
for you know, childcare, We're going to pay for bus
your bus fare, you know, all of these different ideas
that are innovative and forward leaning, but that speak directly
to the challenges that people are facing. So that's my
(06:00):
advice to the party. I've not seen yet where they're
going to do it. It seems to be a level of,
you know, a risk aversion right now. But I will
say that the issue of affordability is so potent right now.
You have Republicans running away from the President on this
particular issue that the Republicans in Congress are begging the
president to pass, for example, that housing build that he's
(06:21):
stalled out right. They're desperate to get the president to
look forward, leaning on the economy and not as though,
as he has said repeatedly that he doesn't care.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Yeah, he seems to be more concerned though with the
election and the Save America Act.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yeah, Cheating the election is I would define it. I mean,
that's really his focus, and that's because he can't win
on the issues. I mean, he's underwater on everything from
the economy to the war in Iran. People don't, you know,
lack even within the Republican Party, lack confidence in this president.
And that is an alarming that has to be alarming
for them right now, which is why Republicans are giving
(06:58):
the president a lot of pressure sure to address all
of these concerns, which is why he's going to be
addressing the nation on Thursday. It's primarily because he's in
the defensive posture and Republicans are looking toward November and
are very concerned about how many seats they're going to lose.
You know, let me, Mimi, let me just tell you.
I mean, it's so bad right now. Republicans are telling
me in the green room of Meet the Press that
(07:20):
you know, they could potentially lose places like Kansas, Nebraska.
I mean places where we're not you know that we're
never on our radar that now are competitive races. So
from Texas to Ohio to North Carolina and even deep
red states like Kansas and Nebraska, Republicans are concerned that
they could potentially lose.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
You know, you just mentioned that the president is expected
to address the nation on Thursday. So when a president's
schedule is a prime time addressed like this, what are
you listening for? What do you expect him to talk
to the American people about?
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Well, I mean, I think what he's trying to do
is really you know, and this is having worked in
the White House, I know firsthand this is what he's
really trying to do, which is control narrative. I think
he feels like the narrative has gotten away from him.
You know, there's you know, more than sixty percent of
the nation disapproves of the war in Iran. As I mentioned,
ninety five percent of the country thinks we're in an
affordability crisis. So if I am the president, I'm going
(08:14):
to talk about everything from the war in Iran to
the economy. Those are the two most pressing issues that
the American people are concerned about. And so I think
what I'm going to be listening for is whether or
not he can finally piece together a coherent strategy on
how to you know, what's the offer ramp, how are
(08:35):
we going to get how's he going to get the
nation out of this out of this war? You know,
he claimed weeks ago that we claimed months ago. We're
now four months and he claimed four months, four months
ago that this war was only going to take a
matter of weeks, and now we're seeing that it's cost
upwards of one hundred billion dollars four months later. You know,
(08:55):
the war, you know, there's no end in sight. We've
got thousands of troops on the ground, and you've got
a situation where both Democrats and Republicans have voted against
the President on this particular issue, a vote sort of
no confidence when they voted in favor of the War
Powers Act. So there's a lot of anxiety within the
(09:16):
Republican party about this particular issue, and the President is
on his back heels. He underestimated their Iranians. I've been
saying that for months, he thought that it was going
to be as easy as Venezuela. And the reality is
they've shown a level of resolve that I don't think
the President was prepared for. And he just had no
strategic vision. I mean, at one point we were talking
about nuclear weapons and then we were talking about the
(09:38):
straighta horror moves, So what is it? And the President
can't answer any of those questions. And then the reality
of all of this in terms of what we've lost,
not just one hundred billion dollars, not just the lives
of our troops, but we've lost our allies. This is
the first time in American history our allies are the
most distrustful of the United States. So we're going at
(10:01):
this alone. So the President owes the American people in
an explanation. He needs to reassure Republicans and his party,
and I think he's also going to speak to again
how to separate the war from the economy and speak
directly to what he's going to do on the economy.
But you know, the President is not a disciplined person,
not a disciplined man, So I can imagine that midway
(10:24):
through any speech he's going to lose focus and you know,
and it would probably devolve into, you know, something that
they're going to have to clean up tomorrow or Friday.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
And Ashley, before we let you go, you recently wrote
an op ed for Essence that really caught people's attention.
What was the message that you wanted readers to take
away from that?
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Yeah, the title of my op ed is the party
that we've built, the bill has come due. And so
the thrust of the op ed is that we as
black people, have repeatedly cycled after cycle, made the difference
for the Democratic Party. We've delivered for the Democratic Party.
The Democratic Party recently released its twenty autopsy of the
(11:04):
twenty twenty four election, and what they release was insanely alarming.
And what it was is that we invest in this
party and it doesn't invest back in us. So the party,
over its entire ecosystem, from the presidential election to the
congressional elections and the senatorial elections, spends about eight billion
dollars and only one percent one percent of that money
(11:29):
is invested in black people. And so I argue that
if we're boycotting Target and all these other places, we
should take that same spirit to the Democratic Party. Because
if target fails, I can go get my toilet paper anywhere.
But when the Democratic Party fails, four hundred thousand black
people are out of a job, seven point five percent
(11:49):
unemployment we're experiencing right now, and our Voting Rights Act
has been completely dismantled. So the party owes us an
explanation as to how it spends its money, not just that.
You know, I make three recommendations. One is that the
money needs to be spent more equitably. We need to
invest that money back into building black infrastructure on the ground.
(12:11):
Every dollar that goes through the Democratic Party is an
opportunity to invest it in building black infrastructure. That's black media,
that's black organizing on the ground, that's black firms. And
the reason why this matter is is not because it's
to save the Democratic Party, but it's to build black
power on the ground. You know, Georgia is the north Star.
Look at what we did in Georgia. Stacy Abrams ran
(12:34):
in a program where she invested in black voters, went
and found them and ruled Georgia and invested, you know,
across the entire year, and it made the difference as
state went from red to potentially flipping it to blue,
and that's a possibility of what can happen all over
the country when you invest in black voters. So we
need to demand that the party pays us like it
(12:56):
owes us. The second thing I argue is that we
need power sharing any place where black voters are critical.
We need to be at the table and not in
no representation type role, but I'm talking about a role
of authority where we make budgetary decisions. And then the
last point I make is we've got enough money in
our own community where we need to be inward facing
(13:17):
in this moment and invest in ourselves. We need to
build what I'm calling a Black Innovation Lab where we
can come up with black agenda and a new playbook
on how to engage black voters. So that's really the
thrust of the piece. I wish people could go out
and you know, please pick it up, read it. It's
a powerful piece and it really makes a lot of
(13:39):
exceptional points, which is that we invest more in this
party than it invests back into us. That we have
become essentially a tool of this party and not a
partner to it, and we need to demand more and
our leadership. Black leaders need to demand more from the
Democratic Party because it has an outsize impact on our freedom,
our economics, and our political power.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
You know, Ashley, this has been such a helpful conversation.
I've read your op ed. It is wonderful and congratulations
on that it's called thank you, Uh the party we built.
The bill has come due. It's already sparking important conversations
about black political power and accountability. And you know, I
just appreciate you sharing your insight with us today and
(14:22):
just you know, just study shutting some light on you know,
some of the topics that that we've been covering and
just really breaking those down for us. So thank you
again for your time.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Well, thank you for having me. We have to do
this again.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
We will do this again. We will do this again.
This was this was amazing and so but yeah, so
think and tell us how how can they find you?
How can we follow you?
Speaker 2 (14:42):
So I'm on Instagram, I'm on TikTok when when I can,
when I can, I'm on ex and I and all
of my handles are my name, So Ashley Ettien.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
And big thank you to Ashley et Tien for pulling
up and having this conversation with us. From Graham's Senate
c shake up in South Carolina, to what to listen
for in Trump's Thursday night address, to why the Democratic
Party needs to invest in black communities the same way
we invest in it. It was a masterclass. This is
the kind of conversation that you share and send to
(15:15):
the group chat I Mimi Brown. That was your front page.
This podcast was brought to you by the Black Effect
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