359. Jaime Harrison. Why Do The Democrats Suck So Much? Who Is Leading the Opposition Party? Can The Failocrats Stop Trump on ANYTHING? The Graham Platner Case Study. Friday Football (and NBA) Picks.

Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

Righteous Media | Bleav

Daily News, Veteran, News, Politics, News Commentary, National Security

4.6 • 907 Ratings

🗓️ 24 October 2025

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Episode 359 of Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff) delivers an unflinching look at the crisis facing the Democratic Party and the state of American politics. Former DNC Chair Jaime Harrison joins Paul for an urgent, candid, and often funny conversation about the future of the Democrats, the failure of leadership on both sides, and how to fight back against extremism without losing our humanity. From the toxic culture of cable news to the erosion of civility in Washington, Paul and Jaime cover it all—authenticity, fatherhood, faith, and what it means to model leadership for the next generation. Harrison opens up about his time running the DNC, the frustration of rule-followers in an age of chaos, and why the Democratic brand is in real danger. They dig into strategy, messaging failure, rising independent voters, and the crucial fight for 2028. And because it’s Friday, the conversation closes with sports—NBA predictions, college football picks, and why being a Knicks fan feels an awful lot like being a Democrat in 2025. This must-listen conversation is sharp, thoughtful, and necessary for anyone trying to make sense of American politics right now. Stay vigilant, America. -WATCH video of this episode. -Learn more about Independent Veterans of America and all of the IVA candidates. -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power. -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers. And share yours. -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us. And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch. -Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel - The OG of Weed and B Dorm. Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media. Ways to listen: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0F1lzdRbTB0XYen8kyEqXe Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff/id1457899667 Amazon Podcasts: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/49a684c3-68e1-4a85-8d93-d95027a8ec64/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff Ways to watch: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@independentamericans Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/IndependentAmericansUS/ Social Channels: X/Twitter: https://x.com/indy_americans BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/indyamericans.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IndependentAmericansUS/

Transcript

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0:00.0	Powered by righteous media.
0:16.7	Welcome to Independent Americans. Welcome to episode 359.
0:22.2	It is Friday, October 24th.
0:25.0	Happy Friday.
0:26.3	Trump is continuing to destroy the White House.
0:29.1	There are new strikes on alleged narco boats off the coast of Venezuela.
0:33.3	Trump is headed to China, and Hegseeth might start a new war while he's gone.
0:38.0	Thankfully, the NBA is back and we've got football coming up, and now is most definitely a time to stay vigilant.
0:51.4	And joining us today, as we have moved to the new daily format, I am very happy to bring a man and a friend and a leader who I have admired for a long time.
0:59.9	I've known from a distance for a long time who's been very generous to join us.
1:04.1	The former chair of the DNC, a thoughtful public leader, a dedicated father and big NBA fan.
1:13.5	The great and powerful Jamie Harrison is joining us on Independent Americans. Welcome, Jamie. Happy Friday. Thank you, Paul. Happy Friday to you,
1:18.5	man. And thank you so much for the invitation to be on. Well, we are paths recrossed on the
1:25.2	toxic shark tank of a shit show that is CNN in the 10 o'clock hour a couple of, I think two weeks ago maybe, right? Yeah, a few weeks ago, Abby Phillips show. And, uh, yeah, I love Abby. I do too. I do too. I have a love-hate relationship with her show. I actually, I want to ask you about that, and I want to talk about
1:44.3	the state of the Democratic Party, talk about Graham Pletner in Maine, talk a little bit about
1:49.5	your thoughts on leadership and fatherhood. But a question I ask everybody, Jamie, where are you
1:54.5	in the world? And how are you on this Friday? So right now, I'm home, Columbia, South Carolina,
2:00.0	you know, since I am no longer chair, I'm spending a whole lot more time back home in the great state, the great Palmetto state of South Carolina.
2:07.6	And, you know, Paul, as it relates to how I am, man, I am, you know, I'm stressed a lot.
2:15.8	And my blood pressure is up because I hate to see what is happening to our country.
2:22.4	I really do.
2:23.9	But, you know, the norms that you could count on, regardless if it was a Democrat or Republican in the White House or in control of the House or the Senate, those aren't the norms of today. And I think that's just
	...

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