The Battle For Massachusetts' 8th District

I think people are looking for a fresh face, some creativity, a bold commitment to actually solving problems for people. We are probably one of the youngest Congresses that we've had in a long, long time. I honestly think you need a mix. I'm Jane Koston, and this is Waterday, the show that will not be watching Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr..'s new food show on YouTube, where he'll be explaining how to eat well in a budget. That's in part because it's Robert F. Kennedy Jr.., but also because in the promotional materials for the show, he says that he will, quote, eat anything because, quote, I don't have a gag reflex. But, sir, I definitely do. On today's show, we dive into the Democratic battle over the future of Congress with two candidates, a 25-year veteran of the House and the man who is challenging him for his seat in Massachusetts 8th District. Before we get into the chowda of it all, here's what we're following today, Thursday, July 30th. So we're committed to furthering that maximum pressure policy. And of course, President Trump making clear to the Iranian regime that his policy is going to be ahead for an eye. If we see the Iranian regime targeting U.S. troops, targeting U.S. interests, there will be consequences. State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott joined Fox and Friends this morning to spout more totally normal language as the Iran war heats back up. The United States and Iran continue to fire barrages of missiles on Thursday, igniting fears that the war will expand further across the region. Iran's official IRNA news agency said three people were killed and two were wounded in a strike on the island of Keshem, which lies just off the Iranian mainland in the Strait of Hormuz. Jim Jordan said Thursday it intercepted Iranian missiles for the second consecutive day. Kuwait said another Iranian strike in the northern part of the country killed one person. Also this week, drones caused fires on ships at an Egyptian port and Saudi Arabia said it came under fire from Iran-backed militias in Iraq. How much messier can this get? Who knows? Shocking but true. The Iran War is the most unpopular American war since public polling began, and it's dragging down Trump's poll numbers even further. Guinepiac released a new poll on Wednesday showing that Trump's approval rating among voters has dropped to 32%, the lowest of either of his terms in the White House. That poll also found that 60% of registered voters opposed Trump's war in Iran, the highest number since the war began. And a new AP Norke poll released on Thursday measured Trump's approval at 33% while finding that 64% of Americans don't think the Iran war has been worth fighting. But besides the unpopular war, and the affordability crisis and the president enriching his friends and allies while trying to imprison people he doesn't like, I really don't understand what's going wrong for Trump. Well, I thought we were pretty close to landing the plane last night, but this morning there's been some more complications. I think if this were just between me and Todd Blanche, we would have worked this out. Ah, but that's the thing, John Cornyn, where there's a Todd Blanche?

You mentioned affordability. That's a real focus because the Boston area is very expensive. But this is something that we've been hearing a lot. What does affordability mean to you? Yeah. Well, look, I mean, it has to start with housing. I mean, we live in a community where it is just so impossible for young people in and around Boston to even think about buying a home someday in the community they grew up in. And look, there's no, I wish I had a silver bullet, but I don't have a silver bullet, but I have a bunch of ideas and a commitment to solving that issue, right? It's largely a supply problem. So we can directly finance from the federal government, the affordable construction of homes across this country. We can incentivize communities to think about zoning and density the right way. And we can help. first-time homebuyers make that down payment, right? So there's a whole suite of ideas that we can turn at this problem. This seems true with child care, right? I'm a new dad, and that child care bill is crazy. And trying to make that each month is really a problem for people. So same thing there, a supply problem that we can solve by opening up more child care centers, helping people get access to it. And then the whole healthcare thing, which we could do a whole podcast on, right? I'm sure. And you probably have. That has to do with pushing towards universal. universal health care while also doing things along the way that can get the worst parts of the private system out and stop corporate greed from adding costs onto our what is already a messy system. So we've been seeing younger candidates, mostly progressives, oustering long-term lawmakers across the country. Your district has been represented by a moderate Democrat for a very long time. So why should voters try something new with you? I mean, I think people are looking for change. They are ready for change. Range doesn't even necessarily mean occupying an ideological extreme, but they are looking for someone who's responsive that shows up in communities, that listens to what they, what they're worried about, and is going to go down to Washington and treat it like a mission and not a retirement plan, who is really ready to roll up sleeves and work hard. Look, we've had someone there for 25 years, no town halls in person since 2019, never had a leadership position. And, you know, only after that, can I tell you? about how the fact that he didn't vote for the Affordable Care Act or he votes with the Republican on the Lake and Riley bill. This has so much to do with actually just showing up here and getting things done in Washington. And that's what we're not seeing more than anything. You know, look, I'm not taking corporate PAC money. I believe in term limits. And I've got a very discrete set of issues that I want to go down there in advance for a couple of years and then hand it on to somebody else. That's how it should work. Yeah, I mean, your opponent going back to 2004 was in opposition to hate crimes legislation even more recently. He described himself as being pro-life until 2019. He's a comparatively conservative Democrat, but that's what voters kept supporting. So when you're talking to those same voters, what are you saying that is appealing to them and what aren't they seeing from your opponent that they would see from you? Well, it's really important to realize that part of that is that voters didn't have a choice, right? He's been in office for 25 years in the Congress, but there weren't, you know, fully fledged serious primary challenges throughout that time. I'm really one of the first person. You have to.

offer people alternative for them to have an alternative in the first place. And our system is constructed to make that difficult for so many reasons, corporate campaign finance and corporate PACs being number one out of all of them. But what I'm pitching to people, look, I mean, I don't actually, you mentioned age. I don't really mention my age, right? I'm 39 and the congressman's something like 71. But I think people are looking for a fresh face, some creativity, a bold commitment to actually solving problems for people. I think where you started this is where people are at. They sure they want to fight back against the administration. administration and what Trump is doing, but they want someone who gets what's going on in their community, how expensive it is to live around here, and is ready to work on that and provide a solution, not just kind of talk about the challenges. So let's say you're elected. you'd be the metaphorical new kid on the block. How do you plan on getting this done? Because I think that that's something else. It's like, you know, you hear from voters all the time. Like, we send these people to Washington. They talk about how they're not going to do politics as usual. They're going to take on the establishment. And then they just camp out for 30 years. What are you going to do differently? Yeah, well, first of all, hold me to the term limits thing. I think that's a good start. I think six terms for a House member is more than enough, 12 years, two Senate terms. First of all, in this district, it's not like we'd be losing someone who has a lot of seniority, right? Sometimes that's the case in these House districts, and you're weighing new guy versus someone with a lot of seniority, not the case with Congressman Lynch. So I think that puts a lot of people's concerns at bay. You know, and look, just ask yourself, who's setting the agenda right now? Who are people listening to about who is going to sculpt the thing that comes after Trump? party is going to look like. I actually think it has a lot to do with the people who are getting elected in these primaries, who are upsetting members. The new generation of voices that is stepping up, taking the fight to Washington, is showing up. I think that they've actually got a much more salient boat and are clearer policy priorities than the folks who've been there for 30 plus years. And I want to be part of that, right? I want to be part of that crew. And we've got an opportunity on September 1st up here to send someone else down there who has that orientation. I think that's how you get things done in Washington. I think this whole wait your turn, weighted out, seniority thing for decades is changing and it's going to change for the better. Patrick, thank you so much for taking the time to join me. Thanks so much. Great. That was my conversation with Patrick Roth, who's running to represent Massachusetts 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Next up, we're speaking with the incumbent, Massachusetts Democratic Representative Stephen Lynch. In the meantime, make sure to subscribe. Leave a five-star review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, watch us on YouTube, and share with your friends. More to come after some ads. What a Day is brought to you by OnSkin. You've probably heard me talk about One Skin before, and whether you're someone who tries every new skincare product that hits the market, or you've been using the same one or two things for years, at some point, most of us realize our skin just isn't keeping up the way it used to. That's what One Skin changed for me. It didn't just make my existing routine better. It actually works differently than anything else I've tried. As we age, some skin cells stop functioning the way they should. Longevity scientists call them zombie cells. And that's what's actually driving those visible signs of aging.

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That's www.com. Joindelateme.com slash wad, code wad. Hi, I'm Alex Wagner. I do not need to tell you that being an American right now is a wild ride. But as a long-time journalist, I am not interested in the noise or the fear-mongering. I'm interested in the stories at the heart of the headlines. That is why every week on my show, Runaway Country, I'm joined by folks in the middle of the crossfire. from disillusioned Maha moms to newly fired immigration judges to Epstein victims themselves, to understand what it means to live through this political chaos as an actual human being. And now I'm excited to tell you that Runaway Country is available ad-free to Friends of the Pod subscribers. Friends of the Pod is the subscription that supports the work Crooked does as an independent media company and gives you a ton of great bonus and ad-free content. With the midterms approaching, you are going to need more content to keep you sane. And now you can find runaway country right there. Subscribe now at crooked.com backslash friends.

You're due for a change of scenery. So see yourself in Harford County with outdoor fun for everyone. Explore local hiking and waterways, great for fishing, kayaking and boating. Spend an afternoon at one of the 11 breweries, distilleries, and wineries, plus outdoor concerts, festivals, and events every weekend. Conveniently located just off I-95. It's time you see what Harford County has for you. Plan your trip at helloharford.com. See you soon. Now for my conversation with Massachusetts Democratic Representative Stephen Lynch. We started with the same question. Representative Lynch, welcome to what today? Thank you for having me. What is the most important forward-looking action Congress needs to take if Democrats take back the House? Not something, not hearings, not something that's a reaction to Trump, what's something Democrats should be doing on their own. I think the most important action we could be taking right now in Congress is actually passing some meaningful regulations on AI. I'm the ranking Democrat on the AI subcommittee, AI and crypto in the Financial Services Committee. And we lack any meaningful regulations on AI right now. And I just see us barreling forward with, you know, trillions of dollars being invested across that industry. My concern is that this race towards developing an artificial superintelligence is probably the greatest existential threat to not only our country, but to humanity in general. It's such a challenging industry to regulate, as you know. What would you like to see happen? Well. Ideally, what you would like to see is that these companies at the forefront of AI development would try to import preferences and guardrails that would import our democratic ideals on privacy, you know, data privacy for every human being. Also to limit the power that these AI systems and large language models are being driven toward with some of these massive data centers. I would hope that in addition to those democratic and human first preferences that we would also try to encourage China and other nations to adopt those same protocols. You first joined the House 25 years ago. And when you were running, being a more moderate Democrat, even in Massachusetts, was kind of how you won elections. But now progressives have been winning primaries across the country. There's not a lot of bipartisan work going on in Congress, as you know. Why do you think your political viewpoint and your experience is still necessary in this moment? Well, I think every member of Congress brings something unique. In my case, I grew up in public housing. My family was dirt poor. You know, having a roof on eye over our head was not a given at all. I don't think there are a lot of members in Congress who had to worry about that, that have had that experience.

It's probably why I'm one of the founders of the Affordable Housing Caucus that I serve on. In addition, you know, I was an ironworker. My dad was in the Ironworkers Union. I joined the ironworkers when I was about 17 years old. And so, you know, I'm a vice chair of the labor and working families caucus. So I'm at the forefront of that. So I think that's an important perspective for Congress to have. Especially at a moment where so many people are talking about affordability, so many people are talking about how hard it is to make ends meet. When you talk to your constituents, what costs are they struggling with? And how do you want to fix that? Well, first of all, being someone who, you know, as an eye worker for 20 years, I live paycheck to paycheck. And that's what a lot of my constituents are dealing with right now. So I think in my particular district, housing has just gone completely out of sight. We are losing talent here, even though we've got these great universities operating in my district, once they graduate, it is really, really hard unless you team up with two or three other roommates to actually, you know, to live in the city of Boston. It's unbelievable. So I would say housing is the most important part. I just cut the ribbon on 887 new units of public housing where I grew up. We knocked down those old... housing projects with about $500 million worth of federal funding that I got and rebuilt that, all those projects. You entered Congress as a moderate Democrat. You still described yourself as a moderate Democrat. But 25 years is, it's funny because 2001 to me sometimes it feels like, yeah, it wasn't that long ago. It was 25 years ago. How have your politics evolved since you were first elected? You know, I understand the big push and the media is behind, you know, the young people coming in. I get that. But 60% of the members of Congress right now on the House side have been there six years or less. We are probably one of the youngest Congresses that we've had in a long, long time. I honestly think you need a mix. It also helps to have some experience and know how to get things done and even have relationships with people on the other side. For most of my congressional time, We've been in the minority. And I think being there a while allows you to build those relationships up because you've got to get 218 votes. And if you can persuade some of your moderate Republican colleagues to come over and vote what you or even co-sponsor legislation you've got. That's how the magic happens. That's how you get to 218. And that's especially challenging when you're in the minority. But would you say when you look back, are there moments where you changed your mind on something that you would do differently now than you did then? What are some of those ideas or thoughts you have? A big one. So in the past, I opposed the idea of Medicare for all, so called, although there were several versions of that.

Now I favor something like that. I think we have gone so far right now that a lot of families with two incomes are still being shut out because of the cost of health care. I think we need to have a full redo of affordable care for health care in this country. And I think that probably a model that reflects Medicare for all is probably the model that we need to move to it. Representative Lynch, thank you so much for taking the time to join me. Oh, my pleasure. Thank you. That was my conversation with Massachusetts Democratic Representative Stephen Lynch. Before we go, does AI truly have the potential to leave us all jobless? On the latest episode of Offline, Andrew Yang, former presidential candidate and universal basic income advocate, joins John Favreau to talk bluntly about this new era in tech. They discuss potential policy solutions for combating AI's impact in the job market and then dive into these surprising ways independent candidates could spoil elections for Republicans. New episodes drop every Saturday. Tune it to Offline with John Favro on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review. It is not that hard to get an accurate map of the continent of Africa and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading, and not just about how the State Department had to apologize on Thursday for presenting an AI-generated map at an AIDS conference in Brazil that mislabeled every African country, like me, what a day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe. I'm Jane Koston. And it's a map, guys. You don't need AI from map. Come on. Water Day is a production of Crooked Media. Our show is produced by Caitlin Plummer, Emily 4, Erica Morrison, and Adrian Hill. Our team includes Haley Jay Jones, Greg Walters, Matt Berg, Joseph Dutra, Johanna Case, and Desmond Taylor. Our music is by Kyle Murdoch and Jim Jordan Cantor. We had helped today from the Associated Press. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East.

Hi, my name is Mitch Landrie. My name is Erin Haynes. My name is Jennifer Palmary, and we're hosting a new series called Long Play. The South is the new political epicenter of the country. Democrats are way on their heels in this region, but Republicans are going through their own reckoning in the South, too. I mean, the South has always shaped American politics. We know that. The stakes could not be hired, but to win the South, you have to understand it. People in the South feel really misunderstood, left behind, put down on, and they want to explain that to somebody. We're traveling across six southern states to explore the people, the issues, the assumptions that no longer hold, and what the rest of us are missing about a region that will shape the future of our politics and our country. From left, right, and crooked media starting July 27. Watch long play series on YouTube at YouTube.com slash long play series or listen wherever you get your podcasts. Meet Keith, loving dad, board game champ, bus driving pro. I drive 65,000 miles in my bus each year. If people knew what I know, lives could be saved. Like how there are some things I simply can't see. On my route the other day, a car tried to sneak past me and ends up right in my blind spot. I turned slowly, so accident avoided. But no car should be in the blind spot for a 40,000-pound bus. It's our roads. It's our safety. Visit www.sharethe road safely.gov. I'm Keanu and I leveled up my business with Shopify. Once I figured out that Shopify was a thing, I never turned back. I can create a site with my eyes closed. Shopify thinks ahead of us, you know, and it thinks about the customer more than anything. Every day I'm thinking about some other new business. But Shopify is doing it to me because it's so easy to use. It's like I can't stop. I'm addicted. Start your free trial at Shopify.com.