What on earth happened on Tuesday?
In the latest episode of ‘Two Outspoken,’ filmed in Washington DC, Mehdi and Owen sit down together and find plenty to both agree and disagree about, from the role of the economy in the Dems’ landslide defeat, to the impact of misinformation and media bias. Their wide-ranging and thought-provoking conversation comes on the heels of a headline-grabbing statement from Senator Bernie Sanders accusing the Democrats of abandoning the working class.
“The real hourly wages of most American workers are the same as they were when Richard Nixon was in the White House half a century ago. Yeah, that has political consequences,” Owen argues, agreeing with Sanders.
Mehdi pushes back, arguing that there were other factors at play.
“It depends where you start the clock. If you start the clock in September 2020 and compare it to September 2024, real wages are up… Don't forget there was a pandemic and the pandemic actually messed up all the numbers.”
The pair also discuss Harris’ failure to offer an ambitious economic agenda to the American people; the anti-incumbency effect both in the United States and across the post-pandemic democratic world; and the power of right-wing messaging and - let’s be honest - propaganda.
“The problem is a lot of Americans don't have a clue what the Democrats actually did for them,” Mehdi says. “See, Trump is a master of doing very little but exaggerating the shit out of it.”
Adversarial till the end, Mehdi even proposes a sportsman's bet with Owen about what might happen on January 20th, 2025 when it comes to Trump voters and their attitude towards the economy. Stick around to the end of the show to see what the bet is - and whether Owen accepts.
Watch the full ‘Two Outspoken’ episode above and let us know what you think in the comments! Free subscribers get a 10-minute preview.
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‘Two Outspoken’ is a monthly conversation between Mehdi and political commentator, author, and activist Owen Jones. Catch the two every month, debriefing, venting, analyzing and sometimes even grieving, really, about the news in the US and the UK. No holds barred, always outspoken.
