Ep. 9 When Hypocrisy Makes You Vomit

Ep. 9 When Hypocrisy Makes You Vomit

[AI VO] (0:00 - 0:31)

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[AI VO] (0:36 - 0:46)

You're listening to the public records officer podcast, where we fight for your right to know. Now, here's your host, Jamie Nixon.

[Nixon] (0:53 - 3:13)

Hello and welcome. This is the public records officer podcast. I am your host, Jamie Nixon.

This episode is a departure from our usual open government focus. Today, we are going to respond to Brandi Kruse's recent sanctimonious, shame-filled, victimhood-soaked screed she published on the Friday, September 12th episode of her show, Undivided. Brandi spent much of her latest episode attempting to create a political opportunity out of the assassination of Charlie Kirk to scold Democrats, shame the left, and worst of all, to police what her left-leaning countrymen are allowed to think or say.

This isn't really about necessarily Brandi specifically. The whole of the right-wing echo chamber has used Kirk's assassination as a political opportunity to try and silence the left in the United States. So while I will make use of Brandi's infantile arguments, they apply to anyone who thinks that she does.

It especially applies to those who for years have called others snowflakes or cucks because of the distaste many voice for the constant use of racist and misogynistic language championed by Donald Trump. My God, who are the pro-clutching snowflakes right now? According to Kruse, you can't talk about January 6th when discussing the rise of political violence in America.

She won't allow it. No, no, no. You can't call Trump authoritarian.

And conservatives are owed an apology. Brandi and I had a little beef at one point over whether or not she deserved press credentials to cover the state legislature the way journalists actually do. I'll say it again.

She is not a journalist. She's nothing more than a hot take artist. And there's nothing wrong with that as far as it goes.

More power to her. However, no one should be mistaking Brandi Kruse's sophomoric anti-free speech thought policing screed as a serious journalistic dissection of the problems driving the rise of political violence in America. Let's get into this.

[Kruse] (3:19 - 3:39)

I can offer the platitude of, oh, you know, political violence has happened on both sides, and it has. But I'm not going to sit here and act like political violence isn't a much more profound problem right now on the left. I live in Seattle, where political violence has been a normal part of life for the better part of 15 years.

[Nixon] (3:39 - 4:01)

Right. Seattle graffiti equals the national problem. Meanwhile, the 2025 DHS Homeland Threat Assessment clearly says the most persistent lethal threat in the United States is that of far right domestic extremism.

But hey, Brandi lives in Seattle, so she's the one who knows the real truth, right?

[Kruse] (4:01 - 4:20)

And you can sit here and you can go back to January 6th, January 6th. I will vomit if one more Democratic leader uses January 6th to somehow absolve themselves or make themselves feel better or distract from the political violence we have on the far left in this country.

[Nixon] (4:20 - 5:05)

Yeah. Hey, Brandi, imagine how the over 140 Capitol police officers who were injured by a right wing insurrectionist mob must feel. They didn't just hear it.

They lived it. But sure, your gag reflex is what we should all be concerned with here, right? Yeah, she's going to vomit if you mention January 6th.

January 6th was a right wing violent attempt to overthrow our democracy. Over 140 police officers injured a gallows set up outside the Capitol with Trump's MAGA sycophants chanting about hanging the vice president of the United States. And I can definitely see why she needs this to be off limits for those working to blame the left for the political violence we're all living through right now.

[Trump] (5:05 - 5:23)

Hillary wants to abolish, essentially abolish, the Second Amendment. By the way, and if she gets to pick if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don't know.

[Nixon] (5:23 - 5:44)

Nothing says law and order like hinting your fans might shoot your political opponents. Right, Brandi? Founding fathers would be so proud of your brave stance.

So we can't talk about an actual coup attempt, but Trump, hinting that gun owners might take matters into their own hands, all good. That's not the kind of violent rhetoric that anyone needs to worry about. Got it.

[Kruse] (5:46 - 6:29)

And so there's three things that have to happen. I literally wrote down three steps because I'm like, what can we take away from this, right? So first, Democrats.

So any Democrat in any position of influence or authority needs to do three things. You have to, yes, as most of them did yesterday, condemn acts of political violence immediately and unequivocally. No saying, oh, but also the other side does it, too.

No, no, no, no, focus on the individual act of political violence. Condemn it, make it very clear, whoever you are, a politician, a public figure, a member of the media, that it's completely unacceptable in your eyes.

[Nixon](6:29 - 6:47)

Here she attempts to mandate the rules of the debate. This is just amazing. Rule is Democrats must condemn violence, but can't point out patterns, can't mention right wing extremism and can't say the word fascist.

Got it. No, no, no. She sounds less like a journalist and more like a malfunctioning Roomba.

[Trump] (6:47 - 6:51)

I'd like to punch him in the face, I'll tell you. No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[Nixon] (6:51 - 6:55)

Sure, Trump can daydream about punching protesters in the face, but Democrats better mind their metaphors.

[Kruse] (6:55 - 6:56)

I will vomit.

[Nixon] (6:56 - 7:00)

Yeah, nothing de-escalates political violence like fantasizing about punching people in the mouth.

[Kruse] (7:00 - 7:21)

No, no, no, no, no, no. Number two, you have to make your future actions match those words in everything you do and say. So Nick Brown cannot come out and say, I condemn political violence and we have to lower the temperature and then turn around tomorrow and call Donald Trump a fascist, because then it negates this entirely.

[Trump] (7:21 - 7:36)

She's a Marxist. She's a fascist. She's a Marxist, communist, fascist, socialist.

We have a fascist person running. There's a radical left Marxist, communist, fascist. She's a Marxist, communist, fascist.

[Kruse] (7:37 - 7:38)

No, no, no, no, no, no.

[Trump] (7:38 - 7:54)

We pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists, and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country that lie and steal and cheat on elections.

[Nixon] (7:54 - 7:56)

She wants Democrats to stop saying the word fascist?

[Kruse] (7:56 - 7:57)

No, no, no, no, no, no.

[Nixon] (7:58 - 8:02)

Ah, yes, the First Amendment, free speech for everyone except the people Brandi disagrees with.

[Trump] (8:02 - 8:04)

She's a Marxist, communist, fascist.

[Nixon] (8:04 - 8:10)

So Democrats can't say fascist, but Trump can break out the Nazi thesaurus and call our fellow countrymen vermin.

[Trump] (8:11 - 8:15)

Marxists, fascists, and the radical left thugs that live like vermin.

[Nixon] (8:15 - 8:36)

For someone who fancies himself as a proprietor of common sense, Brandi's running a clearance sale on nonsensical hypocrisy right here. This isn't balanced. This isn't an honest, authentic look at the political landscape and an effort to tone down the rhetoric.

That's Brandi carrying water and creating a permission structure for dear leader Trump to remain the lone, unassailable voice of violent rhetoric.

[Kruse] (8:37 - 9:23)

And step three, and this is the most important one, because if you don't do it, then all of that means nothing. You owe us an apology. And not us, not conservatives.

You owe the people who you are supposed to serve an apology for your past failures to condemn political violence and for the rhetoric that you have used in recent years that has contributed to it. If you do not make things right with a sincere acknowledgment of where you have personally fallen short, then nothing else you do from today moving forward matters one bit.

[Nixon] (9:23 - 9:36)

Yeah. Bob, on behalf of Democrats everywhere, please submit your written apology to Mar-a-Lago. God, Brandi.

I bet Bob will get those apologies out right after Trump writes his apology to Paul Pelosi.

[Trump] (9:36 - 9:38)

I'd like to punch him in the face, I'll tell you.

[Nixon] (9:38 - 9:51)

Trump mocked Nancy Pelosi's husband, who was violently attacked by a right-winger who went into their home to kill the former Speaker of the House. But Democrats are the ones who need to apologize. You can't make this shit up.

[Kruse] (9:52 - 9:53)

I will vomit.

[Nixon] (9:53 - 10:03)

The right wing in America demanding apologies in this manner is like an arsonist demanding an apology from the fire department. This is victimhood-driven, hypocritical nonsense.

[Trump] (10:03 - 10:14)

This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we're seeing in our country today. And it must stop right now.

[Kruse] (10:14 - 10:15)

You owe us an apology.

And not us, not conservatives. You owe the people who you are supposed to serve an apology for your past failures to condemn political violence and for the rhetoric that you have used in recent years that has contributed to it.

[Trump] (10:39 - 11:15)

For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world's worst mass murderers and criminals. It's long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable way possible. She's a Marxist, communist fascist.

[Kruse] (11:15 - 11:33)

And you can sit here and you can go back to January 6th, January 6th. I will vomit if one more Democratic leader uses January 6th to somehow absorb themselves or make themselves feel better or distract from the political violence we have on the far left in this country.

[Nixon] (11:33 - 12:41)

Let's zoom out again. DHS's 2025 threat assessment calls far-right domestic violent extremists the most persistent lethal threat in America. The Anti-Defamation League finds that over the past decade, three out of four extremist murders came from the right.

And this year, Congress heard testimony that more than 80% of extremist murders in recent years were committed by white supremacists and related far-right actors. Those are receipts based on facts and study, not Brandi Seattle anecdotes, not vibes, receipts.

And let's not forget, this isn't new.

It's not limited to Trump. Rush Limbaugh compared Obama's policies to Hitler's big lie. Mike Huckabee said Obama would, quote, march Israelis to the oven, unquote.

Steve Bannon expressed open fascination with Mussolini. And they have every right to say those things. I'm not trying to silence them.

I think they suck. I think they're stupid. But that's free speech.

What Brandi is doing is demanding silence from Democrats while giving a megaphone to the worst voices on the right.

[Trump] (12:41 - 12:55)

For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world's worst mass murderers and criminals. She's a Marxist, communist, fascist.

[Kruse] (12:55 - 13:00)

But I'm not going to sit here and act like political violence isn't a much more profound problem right now on the left.

[Nixon] (13:00 - 13:04)

Let's not forget, Donald Trump suggested that General Milley should be executed.

[Kruse] (13:04 - 13:06)

You owe us an apology.

[Nixon] (13:06 - 13:09)

He called for shoplifters to be shot on sight.

[Kruse] (13:09 - 13:14)

But I'm not going to sit here and act like political violence isn't a much more profound problem right now on the left.

[Nixon] (13:14 - 13:17)

He said migrants are poisoning the blood of our country.

[Kruse] (13:17 - 13:33)

You owe the people who you are supposed to serve an apology for your past failures to condemn political violence,

[Nixon]

execution fantasies, mocking hammer attacks, summary shootings, blood purity talks straight out of 1930s Europe.

[Kruse] (13:34 - 13:35)

You owe us an apology.

[Nixon] (13:35 - 13:45)

But remember, the real danger is Democrats saying the word fascist.

[Trump]

She's a Marxist, communist, fascist. I thought we were all supposed to be able to call a spade a spade.

[Nixon]

Clutch those pearls.

[Kruse] (13:46 - 13:46)

I will vomit.

[Nixon] (13:53 - 14:26)

Brandi Kruse's September 12th show wasn't journalism in any way. It was simply an attempt to police speech, police thought, all while ignoring fact-based receipts. Political violence in America is real.

It's on the rise and it is unacceptable wherever it comes from. But the data show the political right is the biggest source of lethal extremist violence in this country. Pretending otherwise or demanding we not only ignore those facts, but scold those who might bring them up doesn't solve the problem.

At best, it buries it. At worst, it inflames it.

[Trump] (14:26 - 14:45)

President Obama, he is the founder of ISIS. He's the founder of ISIS. He's the founder.

You owe us an apology. He founded ISIS. And I would say the co-founder would be crooked Hillary Clinton.

[Nixon] (14:46 - 15:10)

And this does not mean the left is without responsibility. We all share this nation and we are all responsible to do what we can to make it the safe, prosperous place we all know it can and should be. However, when those like Kruse say Democrats must stop calling Trump authoritarian, that they must stop mentioning January 6th and start apologizing to conservatives, while letting those on their side of the aisle completely off the hook.

[Trump] (15:11 - 15:15)

Communists, fascists, and the radical left thugs that live like vermin.

[Nixon] (15:15 - 15:31)

They're not lowering the temperature or trying to make things better. They're raising the stakes by demanding silence where there must be truth. They're creating a permission structure that says it's okay to hold the American left responsible for what ails America's political discourse while ignoring the orange elephant in the room.

[Kruse] (15:31 - 15:33)

You owe us an apology.

[Nixon] (15:33 - 15:46)

Brandi Kruse is anointing herself as the arbiter of allowed opinions, the referee of acceptable debate, democracy's nun with a ruler smacking your knuckles if you say the word fascist, threatening detention if you bring up January 6th.

[Kruse] (15:46 - 15:47)

No, no, no, no, no, no.

[Nixon] (15:47 - 16:34)

She's not a truth teller. She's a sanctimonious hall monitor. Let's be clear.

No one should be silenced by this kind of victimhood-soaked, shame-filled nonsense. Because here's the thing. The hypocrisy is naked.

It's so obvious and so glaring that it collapses under its own weight. You don't need to bow to it. You don't need to apologize to it.

You don't even need to dignify it. What you need to do, what we need to do is to keep speaking plain. If you see fascism on the rise, speak up.

Don't quiet down. She's a Marxist, communist, fascist. Keep naming what you see.

Keep holding up the receipts because the antidote to shame-driven, victimhood-soaked sanctimony is not silence. It is truth. And while it might make Brandi vomit, the truth does not need her permission to be spoken.

[AI VO] (16:35 - 17:54)

That's it for this episode of the Public Records Officer podcast. A quick note before you go. Every episode has a full transcript at thepublicrecordsofficer.com.