Nov 8, 2026 · 1h 11m
Listen from 15:50
Listen at 15:50
Democrats debate an anti-war foreign-policy reset
How Will the Blue Wave Change US Foreign Policy? (Live from Crooked Con)
The discussion connects ending the Iran war and rebuilding U.S. credibility abroad with a broader Democratic strategy for confronting authoritarianism and corruption.
- 1Democrats should claim the anti-war mantle by pursuing funding limits, diplomacy, and a broader rollback of post-9/11 military authorities.
- 2Congressional oversight could target corruption, Pentagon abuses, conflicts of interest, and unlawful military strikes after the election.
- 3Restoring U.S. credibility requires pairing domestic accountability with humanitarian reforms, democratic solidarity, and a more ambitious foreign-policy agenda.
Don't miss
Jason Crow calls for cutting funding, releasing withheld strike footage, and pursuing accountability for alleged unlawful military killings.
The brief
Tommy Vietor and Ben Rhodes frame the election as a test of whether Democrats will own an anti-war agenda, beginning with efforts to end the Iran war.
Their proposed reset reaches beyond Iran: reduce Pentagon spending, close overseas bases, restore arms control, end the Sudan war, and rebuild USAID while confronting authoritarianism.
Representatives Yassamin Ansari and Jason Crow turn to congressional power, outlining investigations into Trump-era corruption, DOGE, Pentagon abuses, conflicts of interest, and withheld information.
The sharpest accountability debate concerns alleged illegal military strikes: Crow argues for cutting funding, releasing strike footage, and pursuing responsibility for unlawful killings.
The closing argument is political as well as institutional: oversight must tell a compelling story, deliver results, and help restore America’s credibility abroad.
What was said on this episode
49 statements · 27 positive · 20 negative · 2 neutral
The Iran War drove up gas prices and increased inflation, contributing to voter opposition.
“Voters hated it. It drove up gas prices. It led to more inflation.”
Listen at 2:46
American people want the Iran War to end.
“People want this war to end.”
Listen at 4:20
Democrats should stop funding the Iran War.
“the Democratic Party should be responsive to its voters and not provide another dollar for this war.”
Listen at 5:10
Regional actors can better negotiate reopening the Strait of Hormuz than continued U.S. war.
“People that actually know how to negotiate things will be in a better position to get a deal, to reopen that strait, than if we just continue a war.”
Listen at 5:49
The United States should leave ending the war to Middle Eastern actors.
“we will frankly leave it to people in the Middle East who have a shared stake in this to get that done.”
Listen at 6:12
J.D. Vance is preparing to run for president.
“he's clearly preparing to run for president”
Listen at 8:26
People oppose the Iran War and broader Middle Eastern forever wars.
“The one thing that is clear is that people don't want this. People don't want the war in Iran.”
Listen at 9:09
The Democratic Party should become the anti-war party.
“The Democratic Party has to be the anti-war party.”
Listen at 9:34
Democrats should dismantle the U.S. war-on-terror apparatus.
“The Democratic Party has to be the party that's going to dismantle the apparatus of the war on terror.”
Listen at 9:40
Democrats should stop spending a trillion dollars on defense.
“The Democratic Party has to be the party that's going to stop spending a trillion dollars on defense”
Listen at 9:45
Far-right victories by AfD and Marine Le Pen are not inevitable.
“there's nothing inevitable about the AFD or about Marine Le Pen”
Listen at 14:47
The Democratic blue wave can spread internationally.
“this blue wave that happened here is a wave that can spread around the entire world.”
Listen at 14:55
Lula’s Army was a WhatsApp group with about ten million people.
“built something called Lula's Army, like a 10 million person strong WhatsApp group”
Listen at 15:50
Democrats should advocate cutting the Pentagon budget.
“I would like to see a Democrat talk about cutting the Pentagon budget.”
Listen at 17:49
U.S. Middle Eastern bases are liabilities because they can be attacked.
“those bases are not powerful. They're a liability because we can be attacked.”
Listen at 18:20
The United States should reengage Russia and engage China on arms control.
“We need to reengage Russia in these conversations. We need to engage the Chinese.”
Listen at 18:38
China is substantially increasing nuclear-weapons production.
“they are drastically ramping up their production of nuclear weapons.”
Listen at 18:43
Democrats should propose ending the Sudan war.
“I want to see a Democrat make a major speech about how they would end the war in Sudan”
Listen at 18:55
The post-9/11 authorization for use of military force should be repealed.
“That should be repealed.”
Listen at 19:55
A future Democratic president should require congressional authorization for military action.
“I will not go to war or commit an act of war, a drone strike, a bombing, without a new authorization from Congress.”
Listen at 20:00
The U.S. should dismantle its wartime mass-surveillance apparatus.
“you dismantle the wartime mass surveillance apparatus of the U.S. government”
Listen at 20:42
The United States should stop arms sales to governments committing war crimes.
“you would not sell a single weapon to a government that is committing war crimes with those weapons right now.”
Listen at 21:11
A Democratic administration should recognize a Palestinian state immediately.
“How about we recognize a Palestinian state at the beginning of a democratic administration?”
Listen at 21:17
A Democratic administration should sanction illegal West Bank settlements.
“How about we say that we're going to sanction illegal settlements in the West Bank?”
Listen at 21:24
The United States should pursue AI safeguards instead of competing in an AI race with China.
“Instead of a race with China, we should be working to put in place safeguards on artificial intelligence.”
Listen at 21:46
The United States should rejoin global efforts to transition to clean energy and phase out fossil fuels.
“The United States needs to rejoin a global effort that is taking seriously the need to have a clean energy transition and phase out fossil fuels”
Listen at 22:03
Democratic administrations should hire more Democrats for national-security positions.
“We should hire Democrats.”
Listen at 22:38
The United States should improve its treatment of Canada.
“We should be nice to Canada.”
Listen at 22:52
The United States should end its policy of starving Cuba.
“How about we stop starving the island of Cuba to death”
Listen at 22:56
A rebuilt State Department and USAID should hire more diverse personnel.
“we're going to hire different types of people than we have before so that there's a different face that we're showing to the world”
Listen at 23:28
Jared Kushner should be investigated for foreign financial and policy conflicts.
“Jared Kushner is top of the list for somebody who needs to be investigated.”
Listen at 29:36
Pete Hegseth has removed over 10% of top U.S. generals and admirals.
“10% of our top generals and admirals are gone, over 80”
Listen at 32:23
Pete Hegseth’s incompetence and corruption put U.S. service members at risk.
“these young men and women are at great risk because of the incompetence and the corruption of Pete Hegseth and his cronies.”
Listen at 33:10
The United States should bring over 50,000 Middle East service members home.
“let's start by bringing those 50,000 plus service members in the Middle East in this war home.”
Listen at 33:28
Democratic committees will issue subpoenas to the Trump administration.
“We're going to start issuing subpoenas to the administration.”
Listen at 35:06
- Yassamin Ansarion DOGE personnelNegative37:15
DOGE personnel should testify before Congress and face investigation and accountability.
“Every single one of the Doge bros or whatever they were called need to come before Congress and need to be investigated and need to be held accountable.”
Listen at 37:15
- Yassamin Ansarion DOGE-related federal firingsNegative37:34
DOGE-related firings disrupted VA and Social Security services.
“services are not operating as usual from the VA to Social Security because of that.”
Listen at 37:34
Congress can ban its members from trading stocks by rule.
“We can ban members of Congress by rule. from trading stocks.”
Listen at 42:58
Congress can ban members and staff from prediction-market participation by rule.
“We can ban members of Congress and their staff from engaging in prediction markets.”
Listen at 43:02
Congress should cut funding for Iran operations and boat strikes.
“we need to stop it by cutting off funding.”
Listen at 46:05
The cited boat strike lacked legal or factual justification.
“There is no justification for that particular strike and others.”
Listen at 47:26
Officials responsible for unlawful killings should face accountability.
“If you committed murder, there needs to be accountability.”
Listen at 47:39
Impeachment of Pete Hegseth should remain available.
“It is on the table and it should be on the table.”
Listen at 49:57
The Trump administration’s current policies will end quickly.
“It's coming to an end fast.”
Listen at 57:10
A rebuilt American democracy that delivers for citizens will emerge.
“we've built a new country and a new democracy that actually delivers for folks, which I think is going to happen.”
Listen at 57:50
- Yassamin Ansarion ICE detention systemNegative59:41
ICE detention abuses will damage U.S. reputation internationally.
“the way that the United States is quite literally torturing people physically and psychologically inside these for-profit prisons is going to have reverberating consequences for our reputation around the world.”
Listen at 59:41
- Yassamin Ansarion U.S. immigration detention centersNegative59:59
About 65,000 people are held in detention centers.
“65,000 people are inside a detention center.”
Listen at 59:59
- Yassamin Ansarion ICE and for-profit prisonsPositive1:01:32
The United States should dismantle ICE and end for-profit prisons.
“We need to dismantle ice. We need to prosecute people. And we need to end for-profit prisons in this country once and for all.”
Listen at 1:01:32
Congress should document and publicize the Trump administration’s harms.
“we do need to, in our roles in Congress through every committee, tell each and every one of these stories of the damage that was done.”
Listen at 1:07:44
Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.
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