Democrats for Crypto

Space Summary

The Twitter Space Democrats for Crypto hosted by krassenstein. In the 'Democrats for Crypto' Twitter space led by @KrassenCast, participants engaged in insightful discussions at the intersection of AI, technology, crypto, Web3, and political commentary. The space explored the role of technology in shaping Democrat-led initiatives within the cryptocurrency realm, emphasizing the influence of political narratives on crypto trends. Conversations delved into regulatory challenges, security measures, and the potential collaborations between Democrats and the crypto community. Through nuanced dialogues, the space highlighted the complexities and opportunities arising from merging AI with political discourse in the evolving crypto landscape, offering valuable insights for tech-savvy Democrats and crypto enthusiasts alike.

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Questions

Q: How do political narratives influence cryptocurrency trends?
A: Political narratives can significantly impact public perception and regulatory decisions affecting crypto markets.

Q: What role does technology play in shaping Democrat-led initiatives in crypto?
A: Technology serves as a catalyst for innovative approaches and solutions within Democratic crypto projects.

Q: How can AI enhance the security of political commentary within the crypto space?
A: AI tools offer advanced capabilities for securing, analyzing, and optimizing political discourse in the cryptocurrency realm.

Q: What are the key challenges faced by Democrats engaging with crypto technologies?
A: Challenges include regulatory hurdles, public skepticism, and the need for effective communication strategies.

Q: In what ways can Web3 empower political movements within the Democrat community?
A: Web3 technologies enable decentralized interactions, transparent governance, and enhanced community engagement for Democrat initiatives.

Q: How can the Democrat-crypto collaboration drive innovation in the tech and political sectors?
A: Collaboration can lead to unique solutions, policy reforms, and inclusive developments at the intersection of technology and politics.

Q: What are the potential benefits of integrating political commentary into crypto discussions?
A: Political insights can add depth, context, and broader societal perspectives to crypto narratives, fostering informed decision-making.

Q: How does the Democrat perspective influence regulatory conversations in the crypto space?
A: Democrats' viewpoints shape regulatory dialogues on issues like consumer protection, financial inclusion, and ethical use of technology.

Q: What complexities arise from merging AI technology with political commentaries in crypto?
A: Challenges include algorithm biases, data privacy concerns, and the ethical implications of automated political discourse.

Q: What strategies can Democrats employ to gain trust and credibility within the crypto community?
A: Transparent communication, collaboration with industry experts, and commitment to shared values can enhance Democrats' reputation in the crypto sector.

Highlights

Time: 00:14:27
Crossroads of AI and Politics in Crypto Insights on how AI tools shape political narratives and strategies in the cryptocurrency landscape.

Time: 00:25:49
Democrat-Led Innovations in Web3 Exploring the unique initiatives and projects spearheaded by Democrats within the Web3 ecosystem.

Time: 00:35:12
Regulatory Challenges for Political Crypto Engagement Discussions on the hurdles and opportunities for Democrats working with crypto regulations.

Time: 00:45:55
Tech-Political Synergy in Democrat Crypto Ventures Unpacking how technology and political principles align to drive Democrat-centric crypto endeavors.

Time: 00:55:31
Political Commentary Influence on Crypto Adoption Analyzing the impact of political commentary on public acceptance and engagement with cryptocurrencies.

Time: 01:05:42
Future Prospects of Democrat-Crypto Partnerships Envisioning potential collaborations and innovations between Democrats and the crypto community.

Time: 01:15:19
Security Measures for Political Engagement in Crypto Strategies to ensure data integrity and privacy in political discussions within the crypto space.

Time: 01:25:37
The Democrat Perspective on Crypto Regulation Exploring how Democrat ideologies influence regulatory conversations and policy frameworks in the crypto sector.

Time: 01:35:50
AI Ethics and Political Conversations in Crypto Examining ethical considerations when applying AI technologies to political dialogues in cryptocurrency contexts.

Time: 01:45:18
Building Trust in Democrat-Crypto Interactions Key strategies for Democrats to establish credibility and trust within the crypto community.

Time: 01:55:29
Community Engagement Strategies for Political Crypto Initiatives Ways to foster inclusive participation and collaboration within Democrat-led crypto projects.

Key Takeaways

• The discussion delved into the intersection of technology and politics within the cryptocurrency realm.
• Insights were shared on the role of AI in shaping the future of crypto and Web3 innovations.
• The narrative emphasized the significance of political commentary in influencing crypto trends.
• Participants explored the evolving landscape of Democrat-led initiatives in the crypto space.
• The session offered a unique blend of AI, technology, and crypto-related perspectives with a political twist.
• Issues related to regulatory frameworks and crypto adoption in the political sector were addressed during the space.
• Conversations highlighted the synergy between technological advancements and political ideologies in the crypto sphere.
• Key takeaways included the impact of political narratives on the perception and adoption of digital currencies.
• The space provided nuanced discussions on the fusion of tech, AI, and political discourse within the crypto domain.
• Participants gained insights on the potential future collaborations between Democrats and the crypto community.

Behind the Mic

Introduction and Initial Questions

Dennis, you there? What's going on, Brian? So I see a bunch of speakers up. Did you let those people up? I was just checking. No, not me. It's weird. It wasn't me, either. Okay. When you boot sometimes at the beginning of the spaces, like, it'll. It actually let me do the same thing. It was like, do you want to be a speaker? I don't. I have not figured out why it does that. It's like, before you join, there'll be this little button, like, join. When you're setting up the space, you decide if you want to let people in when they come in, or if, you know, you want to invite them. I see. Okay. Definitely some. I mean, you know, definitely happy to have people up here with you guys. I mean, you're sort of, like, running the show, but there's already a couple people up here that I think speakers. But I'll leave it up to you to start that process.

Maintaining Space for Important Speakers

So the issue is, we're expecting some. Some bigger names here, like politicians. So I want to leave some openings here. If I bring you down, don't get offended. I'm just trying to make sure we have room for some other people that I'm expecting. And if you're in here, and I was expecting you, please raise your hand to speak. We're going to get started in a couple minutes. I am going to bring some people down, and like I said, don't get offended. Just give me a couple minutes here. If you go into settings, Brian, I found it, actually. I will. You reinvited me as a co host. I'll fix that setting. I can see how it's just letting people continue to roll in and accept the spot. I think it's adjusted, but go ahead. If you see it, go ahead, too. But, yeah, I'm waiting for will and Clay to come in. I know they wanted to start things off. I'm also waiting for Anthony Scaramucci, possibly, and also Governor Polis.

Engagement of Governor Polis

Governor. Governor Polis is here. Governor, I invited you to come up and speak. You should be able to accept that invite. Wait, now I don't see him here. Wait, there he is. I'm going to invite you again. It should pop up on your screen, and you should be able to accept it. Okay. Hey, this is Jared Polis. You guys able to hear me? Okay? I just want to make sure I'm on. Yeah, I can hear you. Okay, great. Thanks for doing this. So. So we're going to get started just in a minute. I'm just trying to get the speakers up on who I promise to be able to speak. I thought you were great. I listened to the whole hour and a half, a lot of great politicians, business leaders. I was surprised that Schumer was there. Senator Schumer, that was awesome. I think that surprised a lot of people, especially the things that he said.

Transitioning to Discussion on Crypto Regulation

But I guess we can start with you, governor, since you're here and since we're just getting off of this Zoom call or streamyard call, where I don't know how many people listened. It was over 1000, I believe. And it was something that I think a lot of democrats might not have expected only a year ago. But things are changing within the crypto space. You brought up many good points. You talked about need for regulation. You brought up mount Gox and FTX. I actually lost a lot of money in Mount Gox ten years ago, a lot of bitcoin. So that's on my mind. Right. We all need regulation, but we need sensible regulation. And how do you kind of toe that line between sensible regulation and over regulation? And how do you think we're going to do that in Congress? I know you're not in Congress, but I'm sure you have some advice. Yeah, totally. Great question.

Advocating for Innovation and Support

By the way, Brian and Ed love you guys and your breath of fresh air on x and just appreciate all you're doing and thank you. So your guys are just great, awesome voices. So I've been, as we spent, for those who don't know this, we just came off of a crypto for Kamala call. So we had a lot of great legislative leaders really showing just the excitement about unambiguously pro innovation, pro disruption, pro crypto Democrats and how we're excited about this opportunity with Kamala Harris to really elect somebody who understands innovation and gets it. And, yeah, like any tool. And let's speak about, you know, sort of, let's speak about both blockchain as a tool, but more specifically, obviously, financial tool in the case of crypto, per se. Of course, people need to have confidence in it.

Addressing Issues in the Crypto Space

And there have been, as you know, some problems, whether it's FTX or, I'm sorry to hear Mount Gox in your case, and for it to catch on, just like we have FDIC insuring bank accounts, as many of you know. Right. Like if your bank goes out of business, you don't lose your money. And that's a great thing because regular, ordinary people shouldn't have to worry about, like, losing your money in the bank. And that also prevents panics. And it's a big deal so we need to have. And, you know, unfortunately, the word regulation kind of is a negative connotation. So I don't know if there's something else we can call it or what. But, like, that's basically what we're talking about, is how we can make sure we have the financial certainty that, like, everybody's on the up and up, that our criminal laws are being, you know, enforced.

Understanding the Broader Implications of Regulation

That bad dudes. And you know what? There's nothing special about crypto. There's bad dudes in any space, right? There could be a bad dude in a dry cleaner who steals your clothes, in your wallet, if you leave it in there could be a pickpocket. It could be anybody. But, like, you know, they need to be prosecuted and held accountable. And so that's kind of what we have to do. I get the word regulation is one that, just, like you, I kind of have an inherently kind of negative reaction to that word because, like, who wants that word? But it's really about just protecting consumers from bad guys and criminals. And so I think that's the way to frame it. And it's important for crypto to catch on. For crypto to succeed, people have to have confidence in it, just like any technology.

The Importance of Confidence in Crypto

And I think we can help establish confidence in it, and promote more innovation if we get it right. I think it's important that bitcoin and crypto take off in the United States, and the United States is a leader in the innovation, because if it leaves the country, then there's absolutely no oversight whatsoever by the us government in many cases. And people can lose a ton of money to these foreign crypto run companies. Whereas if it's in the US, you are more protected, the consumer is more protected by the government of these. If they invest into these companies or if they partake in any of these cryptos, that's an advantage America has. Right. Without. You're not going to deposit your money in a random bank in Gambia.

Children's Education and Trust in Financial Systems

You don't know if that's going to be worth anything the next day. I give my kids, our kids are, I think, similar age to yours. I have a twelve year old, a ten year old, but we got these Zimbabwe banknotes that are a billion Zimbabwe dollars because they have hyperinflation, because basically their government had ridiculous, unsound monetary policy. And you can buy a them for a dollar on Amazon and you can get like a billion Zimbabwe dollars. But people need to have confidence, and that's like part of America's competitive advantages. Yeah, I mean, can you lose your money here and, like, buy a stock, it goes down. Can you buy a bitcoin and it goes down or ethereum or whatever? Sure. But we don't want it to be a scam.

Advocacy for Fair Regulations

You get what you paid for and it's on the up and up. And if there's a criminal out there, then they should be held accountable. So I guess one question I have, and I think a lot of probably people on the other side of the aisle, Republicans and maybe independents as well, have, especially those within the crypto space, how confident are you that President Harris, if she wins, which we all hope she does, I think. How confident are you that she would do a crypto reset and push more towards favoring crypto on a federal level than some of her predecessors? Yeah, I see her as somebody who's like totally pro innovation. Right. And I just use crypto blockchain. That's one example of innovation.

Expectations from Kamala Harris

She is obviously from California. She gets it. She's a different generation than Joe Biden. She has lots of friends and advisors. I'll be in her ear, many people will be in her ear to make sure that they really do the right thing on supporting pro innovation policy. So I think it's a great opportunity to reset. I don't think the Democrats need to reset. There's been Democrats like me and you saw on the call so many other members of Congress that have always been solidly pro crypto. Right. I think they mentioned, I started the blockchain caucus when I was in Congress. I think they said they got 70. Some house Democrats like to support pro crypto, you know, letter.

Reasons for Involvement

You asked why we decided to do it. I mean, I personally, while I am an industry veteran, been working in digital assets for over eight years. I started my career in politics. I was a intern on the Hill before becoming a Senate staffer, then worked on a couple presidential campaigns. And in one way, shape or form, I've been involved in every election cycle since I was almost like 1314 years old and was going to do something this cycle. And the idea struck me when three weeks ago, I was in Wilmington, Delaware, visiting my best friends who were then on the Biden campaign.

Campaign and Crypto Connections

And that was the week in between the debate and the assassination attempt on Mister Trump, when were unclear whether Biden was going to stay in the race. And as soon as he dropped, I started seeing reports online that the Kamala campaign was looking for information on crypto. This was also right after Trump made his bitcoin Nashville speech, where he came out overtly pro crypto. So I think people were trying to figure out the issue, figuring out talking points, and I saw a window here, and a lot of other people saw windows, too. I think a lot of people were reaching out, trying to get a sense of who was doing what.

Gathering Industry Leaders

And very organically, a group chat of more than 90 industry leaders came together. And will, myself, Jonathan, Amanda, and a couple others rallied them around this town hall as kind of our kickoff event. And you heard from the other organizers all the different things that we have kind of in the pipeline here in terms of policy and in terms of fundraising, in terms of actual direct voter contact initiatives that we want to do. And as I said in the closing, I think we're just getting started here.

Building Momentum and Awareness

Right? Like, I'm hopeful that this is going to increase the momentum. I hope it's going to raise awareness to this effort. And I'm committed one way or another to being part of the selection cycle. And I'm excited for the first time to be able to mobilize and do it through my community in the crypto industry. How about you, Will? Gee, is just the best gonna lead with that. It was really cool when this came together and, you know, acknowledging, Governor Paulus, you're here on this chat. Thanks for staying on.

Important Engagement

This is important engagement, which is kind of the highlight of my point here is like, you know, when the Kamala team, like, became a thing, right? I just, I looked at G and I was like, what are we gonna do? We gotta do this. There's something, there's, you know, there's something to do here. And I think obviously, were put in the spot by the collective that came together. Like, we raised our hands and everybody coalesced and we got into the work.

Building Political Capacity

And I think one of the benefits maybe, I hope that maybe it's an undercurrent that folks don't necessarily know or see yet, but we're, and this is maybe a little my personal bend, but we're out here building capacity, building political capacity, and very intentionally within the progressive side of the crypto space. And someone like G, myself, who's also been on too many campaigns to count as staffers or as principals and just have these experiences and understanding of how policy really gets done, how politics really play out.

Executing Complex Initiatives

And really, then also, what's it take to get something like we just did tonight together? It takes a village, first and foremost, and it takes, you know, real top notch, you know, chops and essentially, and grit to be able to you know, get through the finish line on a big event with lots of vip's and all this and to talk about an important issue with so many folks. So, you know, I'm just excited. I mean, I'm excited for so many reasons. But, you know, Senator Schumer just laying out, you know, an agenda is amazing.

Excitement for Future Initiatives

This is news like this is gonna. This is really big. So we're so excited about, you know, obviously the breakthrough that I think it just happened there. But, you know, I'm excited because we've got people activated. Right. And to G's point, there's many other places and spaces that will be popping up over the next couple days. Right, 80 days or whatever it is left. But we're out there. We're going to be, you know, organizing across the country, trying to do maybe smaller or maybe a bigger space like this.

Further Organizing Efforts

Again, as we get to the end, we are, you know, to put a point of like this has worked. We know that the Harris camp had some folks on the call today with us. With us. So this message was well received. And I think, you know, we. I think we putting this together over the last ten days or not even, you know, we've been seeing the press and we've been seeing the things that are coming out of and kudos to G and the others who have been hustling in the background to get this off the ground, to just stay focused and to just know that this is about taking a step forward, showcasing the big tent, rallying those in the industry and those politically who have already put themselves out there and already identified that this is an issue they care about and can't reiterate again how crucial it is that Senator Schumer has come on to the team on this effort.

Ongoing Political Engagement

This is massive. So we are right there. We are engaging on the political front. This is not a one and done by any means. There's going to be more that we're going to do. There's going to be stuff that we're going to continue to announce probably through the crypto for Harris Twitter account. We don't have an organization. We're nothing. There's no pack. There's no thing that really put this together other than I led with Ge myself, just kind of looking at each other when this all kind of came around and enough people just got with it and we're like, let's do this.

Encouraging Participation and Growth

Let's go for it. So it was amazing. It was an amazing opportunity. Super excited. I know. I'm smoked from this adrenaline packed day. Would love to maybe take, like, one question from you, Brian, or Ed. Dennis, who I've talked to. Trey, I see you there. Atticus, I see you there. Those are all great people. You should obviously platform and get them up to, you know, make the progressive voice known on this issue, too. But, yeah, this was a great day.

Exploring Future Collaboration

Yeah. Dennis, go ahead. I saw you raise your hand first, I think. Yeah. Real quickly, I just wanted to say that, you know, you guys doing this in an emergent way, in a grassroots way, bottom up is really at the, I think the ethos, within alignment with ethos of bitcoin and digital assets. And so really awesome to see the work that you've done in such a short period of time. And I can't remember who it was on the call. It might have been one of the members of the Senate who said that they were really excited with how quickly this came together and how successful it was and that you guys just work over time to make this a possibility and so really excited about just what you've done and the people that you've brought together.

Bitcoin as a Unifying Force

You know, bitcoin ultimately is a technology that brings everyone together. I think it's. It's a unity technology. And, you know, to say it how Anthony Scaramucci was about to say it, he tried to join the spaces, by the way. He was texting me and he. And he said he can't join. He was, his joke was he was trying to log into the no taxes on tips spaces. And he says that to say that, you know, the no taxes on tips was a good idea. We should all support it. And same with bitcoin digital assets.

Importance of Bipartisan Support

It's a good idea, and we should all support it. And I think that the work that you're doing is ensuring that both sides can be a part of this movement and not just make it a one sided effort in November. So thank you again for what you're doing. I just really wanted to give a big props to you and your team on putting all this together. It's not easy to put those types of events together. It's a ton of work, and nobody ever appreciates you enough. So hopefully we can do that for you here in the spaces and more and more again as time goes on.

Acknowledging Collaborative Efforts

Thanks so much, Dennis. And we know of your work that you've been doing across the country. So this is, you know, folks on this call, you're the perfect people to ping us one one, send us a message. We're real people. We're here. We are wanting to grow this. We know you guys are in the. Yeah, we're stoked. And there's a lot more to cover. Right? Like, this is a great night. There's a lot of progress, I think, that was made politically tonight.

Seizing Opportunities

And I'm excited because this will transform into opportunities for folks on this call to get in front of more folks. Right? Like, you can always back it up now and be like, hey, Senator Schumer said this bill is going to get passed by the end of the year. Right? Take that to state houses, take that to attorney generals, take that to different places across the country and say, like, crypto matters, right. This is an issue and it's not a one sided argument.

Broader Implications of Digital Assets

It's not a red team, blue team thing. This is so much more diverse than that. The impact of the future of digital assets globally is so significant. I'm sure all of us who are here are pretty deep in the space in the industry, know many people who are builders, who are founders, who are entrepreneurs, investors like, and have been in it, you know, for multiple ups and downs, bulls and winters. So, you know, this will just keep going. So thanks so much for giving us the opportunity.

Acknowledging Challenges and Opportunities

We're stoked. I don't know. GD. Want to say anything else before I'm going to dip out because my wife is kicking me out. Hey, hey. I just have a quick question. I know you said members of the Kamala Harris campaign were listening in on the call. Have you actually had contact with them and how much, how far have you gone as far as finding out, like, okay, is Kamala going to, you know, announce something before the election about crypto or at least like, say something about crypto before the election?

Progress on Harris Campaign Engagement

I would, I mean, we have done our best to reach out to folks and we have gotten responses. So, you know, to the extent that they obviously knew about tonight and we knew that folks were present on the call and we're continuing. You know, I don't want to get like, you know, ahead of anything that is hopefully coming still, but we are working on those lines. And, you know, I would just kind of point to actually, I think something Senator Gillibrand said if you didn't quite get her, like, she made a soft comment kind of in the middle of her speech there.

Strategic Discussions Ahead

But I heard it echoed by Representative Wiley and a couple other folks who are also engaging with, you know, probably the vice president's team and official capacity, but maybe the campaign side, too, where, you know, if you listen to what a lot of the speakers were saying tonight they were very confident, and there was a lot of reassurance that this issue was going to be addressed by the Harris camp and that we can expect. Also that we can expect, you know, positive reset.

Navigating Political Climate

We'll say, like a reset, I think, tonight can be, you know, despite what the Biden admin continues to do. Right. We're focusing on the Harris administration, I think, about what can be going forward. So there's the real world fud of, like, what's happening right now, which we get, and then there's, like, what we're working for a progressive, you know, push forward under a potential Harris administration. So get out organized and vote and get, you know, Harris into the presidency.

Growth and Momentum

And we feel really good. Yeah. That this is going to. This is going to turn our way. So I got a dip, though. I really appreciate it. I don't know, gee, if you want to stay on, but I got to go. Thank you. Thank you for having us. Please, you know, give Trey some time. Give Dennis more time. So you guys are crushing it. And, Atticus, I see you in there. Good man, too. So thank you, guys. I really appreciate it. Thanks a lot.

Advocating for Crypto Awareness

Yeah. Everybody, everybody be sure to follow crypto, the number four Harris on XDev. That's the organization that will and clay are partaking in. And I'm sure you guys are gonna have more calls in the future and more activities going on as well. Hey, really quick, this is Jonathan Padilla. I just want to answer the question that was just raised. First off, like, g and will are amazing.

Engagement with Key Stakeholders

They really did just some phenomenal work, as everybody saw. And so I want to just take it head on and say, you know, we have spoken at this point to finance and business outreach, and we're starting early conversations with policy. Those conversations have been very fruitful. And, like, the goal for tonight is really a kickoff opportunity to show the Harris campaign that we're serious. We have a large contingency in group.

Upcoming Initiatives and Actions

But I think I. Over the next ten to 15 days, you're going to see a lot of movement. And our goal is to be as aggressive and quick as possible to really make tonight a starting point for that reset. And that's not just words. We're looking at some tangible actions over the course of the next, I'd say, two to three weeks. Awesome. I do want to get to some hands. I know Trey and Attic has had their hands raised for a while. Let's get you Trey first, and then atticuse.

Addressing Technical Difficulties

I can't hear you, Trey. I don't know if it's just me, I can't either. Can't hear them either. Brian? Yeah, Trey, maybe you could drop down and I'll bring you right back up. Sorry about that. Let's go to Atticus. Absolutely. So, I mean, it was an excellent event, and I think we all know that, and I know that there's been, of course, talk of. Okay, well, where does the next steps, where do they happen?

Navigating Forward Together

What are we going to do? And I think it's really, as Jonathan said, a lot of it is on us to push this. And I think the reception has been very open and not even that. It's been much more supportive than some may think, both internally and just, outside. But to echo what the governor was saying, it does help to remind people the Trump administration was not pro crypto. This is a very recent thing.

Understanding Political Dynamics

Now, I know everybody probably knows that, but then there's the question of, why is Donald Trump doing this now, of course, the governor did talk about that. It's, well, Donald Trump does whatever makes him feel good at the time and place where he exists. And that's about the extent of his thought process on these things. There really isn't a lot of substance there. I mean, we all know that he has no idea what bitcoin is.

Assessing Leadership in Crypto Regulation

I mean, frankly, he probably doesn't even know what the Internet is, just to be frank. So the notion that he is going to guide us into a future with crypto or with how we're going to regulate this and how we're going to develop the frameworks around this is, I don't think, I think also as when there's, again, a lot of the fud that will is talking about, I don't think that's a serious position for somebody to take, either.

Analyzing Party Consistency

I think it's, I mean, it's going to be quite, you'd be quite hard pressed to find something like that. And really, when you look at it, the Democratic Party, it seems like, is very inconsistent on this issue. I don't think it's out of some evil desire to want to destroy everything and everything like that. I think we all know that a lot of it is just, well, it's ignorance.

Taking Initiative for Education

A lot of these people are focused on specific issues that got them there. It's on us to educate them. And frankly, we are doing a better job now, especially with the events that we're doing now. But were kind of a little slow at going to it. Nice enough. Trump got, I'm sure, a few people to, you know, compliment him and make him feel like he was the most important person in the world.

Understanding Trump's Influence

And, of course, that's how everybody gets to Donald Trump. That's how everybody gets him to do what they want him to do. He has nothing to do. He'll go after China one day, and then the next day he'll say, when somebody compliments something about him, he'll change his mind and do a complete 180. So trying to say that while the Republicans are making serious inroads on this now, some of them have been vocal.

Evaluating Republican Party Dynamics

I would argue that as a party that is completely captured by one person, it's not a diverse coalition of ideas and everything. It is a complete dominance of one person, and that person can turn on you in an instant. So strategically, it's, I do kind of say it is very challenging for me to seriously say that or to even think or hope that the Republican Party will do an active job or do really anything realistic to tackle crypto as well.

The Democratic Party's Potential

But on the democratic side, I think it fits with the general premise that the Democrats have stood for a long time. It makes sense for them, whether it's ideologically, as a progressive or anything around there, to support this. Again, I'm speaking, I'm saying things that we all know, but it does help to provide some context as to what Donald Trump is. And it's not that he has now seen the light of day on crypto.

Addressing Misconceptions

That's also just a crazy position. That's as crazy as saying that Gary Gensler is the best friend of bitcoin or ethereum. It's delusional. It's not a realistic position. I don't think it's anything that people can rely on. That is one thing. The governor was very clear on that and very good with it. But there is a pushback. And also, I mean, of course, personally, there's the process or the thought that, I mean, I would like to live in a world where I can enjoy crypto, and that's more of a personal things, me personally speaking, but I'd like to live in a world where I can actually enjoy the fruits of the labor as opposed to, I don't know, living in some kind of vacuum where it doesn't matter.

Beliefs in Progress

But anyway, yeah, again, it's the partisan thing. I wouldn't confuse debate with complete animosity towards crypto. I mean, Democrats like to debate a lot more. Generally speaking, we tend to be a party that is, I mean, we're a much larger tent. The number of coalitions we have to unify in order to win an election is enormous. I mean, just thinking about that, ideological differences, diversity of any type, whatever, any definition, and that's a strength when it comes to, of course, how a society should look.

Challenges within the Democratic Coalition

But it can also make it more challenging for us to win elections, and it makes it more challenging for us to build consensus on anything we have. I mean, we have Joe Manchin in our party. We have Elizabeth Warren in our party. We have Joe Biden in the party. We have, I mean, take your pick. And that's part of the, that's part of what usually makes the Democratic Party a little bit slower, to just completely unify on a specific issue.

Analyzing Party Dynamics

And I wouldn't confuse that debate or the nuance that goes into it as something where the Democratic Party is this laser focused, coordinated effort against crypto. The Democratic Party couldn't pull that off, I hate to say, even if they tried. It's just too big of a tent. It's too diverse. It's too, I mean, it's not unified in the same way that the Republicans are very skilled at coalescing around a specific issue and just marching forward, and we're seeing that now.

Opportunities for Dialogue

So it means that, a, yes, we have some work to do, but, b, it means that we have the opportunity and we shouldn't look at this and say, oh, this is just, I mean, this is just the democratic party bad, Republicans good on this issue, therefore, I should vote one way or another. I think that context can always be helpful, at least when I look at a lot of issues and kind of scratch my head, say, why? Why? Why are the Democrats acting like this?

Historical Context of Democratic Perspectives

I do remember that this is the process that the party goes through on a lot of issues, and that's why we've made a lot of progress on other issues. I mean, look at different kinds of, you know, social justice issues, non discrimination issues, all kinds of things like that. The Democratic Party was aggressive on it, and the Democratic Party took risks in elections because of it. Crypto, I think they need to see it as that kind of an issue and they will come around.

Optimism for Future Changes

I really, I'm convinced of that. But anyway, again, super excited about all this. We haven't seen this. Yeah, I think super, you know, really well spoken comments on just the process that it takes. And I've been a big proponent of talking about sort of why we are where we are with regards to the support of the various parties on the digit, on digital assets on bitcoin.

Historical Context of Bitcoin's Evolution

You know, it's very obvious when bitcoin launched, when the cypherpunks got together and launched bitcoin, the first people that heard about it and talked about it was the libertarian party. Second from there was the libertarians talking to the Republicans. But there really hasn't been anybody sort of openly talking to Democrats, at least not in the early stages. I think that's changed quite rapidly in the last two to three years.

Understanding Policy Dynamics

But I do believe that also Democrats are a little bit slower and more thoughtful about the way they approach bitcoin from a policy perspective. And also as the party in power, it is very difficult at times to just make massive shifts. So definitely agree with you on just the approach by the Democrat party on this issue. Not always true with every issue, but specifically, I think this issue especially because it's just so new and so nascent.

Addressing Misconceptions about Bitcoin

But a lot of people really get mixed up. They think like, oh, well, bitcoin as a technology is more in alignment with the right. And I just couldn't, I could not disagree with that more. There are so many issues that progressives and that liberals and that Democrats care about that are in alignment with bitcoin. I think, you know, one of the most obvious ones is that bitcoin is a money that you just simply cannot discriminate with.

Inclusivity of Bitcoin Technology

You know, it doesn't matter your age, sexual orientation, gender expression, religion, political affiliation like you, bitcoin doesn't recognize or acknowledge these things. And so anybody can join the network. It's the most inclusive monetary network on the planet. If you say that's more in alignment with Democrats than I would say with Republicans, although I think Republicans to care about those issues as well.

Bitcoin's Role in Financial Inclusion

Bitcoin as a technology is incredible for serving the underprivileged, the disadvantaged, and for banking the unbanked. In fact, when I first found bitcoin in 2017, that was one of the major reasons why I was so supportive of it. Now, I've gone on to love so many other things about the technology, but it was just that idea that people that have no access, people that are left behind, someone who doesn't have an id, doesn't have documentation, maybe someone that's not of age, maybe someone that has bad credit, maybe someone that needs a second chance, they can use bitcoin as a second chance and as a way to continue to access financial technologies that will simply, that no one can get in the way of them being able to access them.

Highlighting Bitcoin Mining and Environmental Issues

I think additionally, really important, it's going to be this conversation around bitcoin mining. Democrats have been fighting in progressives, those environmentalists that are on the left have been fighting for the energy transition for a very long time. And bitcoin mining actually makes the energy transition more realistic because the problems that are inherent in clean energy, particularly wind and solar, the fact that they're intermittent energy assets, those problems, I wouldn't say they get eliminated by bitcoin mining, but they are greatly improved by bitcoin mining's ability to be location agnostic.

Leveraging Renewable Energy through Bitcoin

You can put it anywhere in the world. You can co locate it right next to a wind farm and utilize underutilized or wasted energy that is coming from those wind and solar plants. So there's just so many things that I think people really ignore or don't want to listen to with regards to bitcoin being in alignment with Democrats. There's ways that it's alignment with Republicans, too. But I really am getting sort of frustrated because for so long, so many of us are saying, you know, bitcoin is bipartisan, it's for both sides.

Importance of Maintaining Bipartisanship

And then you start to see, you know, I put out a tweet about this. You start to see one side become pro bitcoin, and then they say, well, now it's just for Republicans. We don't want to see Democrats pivot on the issue. We don't want to see Harris pivot on the issue. And so I have been fighting for bipartisan bitcoin from the very beginning because I saw that it was important that we maintain that status. So just, Atticus, thank you again for the comments.

Communicating Key Messages

I think that was really important to lay out. You said it more eloquently than me, but you laid out a case for why we are where we are and also a case for why that's going to be changing moving forward. I appreciate that. And I'm going to, I guess, interrupt for a second to double on something that caught my, or that caught my mind on that. And, yeah, actually, I think you're seeing Democrats, at least I know, oddly enough, the governor Pritzker in Illinois, who is looking at bitcoin as a method of accelerating the energy transition, which I think would be an amazing example to be set for other groups, other states, other policies and everything like that.

Contrasting Perspectives

But again, sometimes the simple comparing and contrasting does help. If we're looking at energy transition, we can't forget that the party that right now is viewed as pro crypto and has taken a more aggressive stance on it thus far. I mean, the chair of the energy, they put people who are the chair of the energy committee who say that if we embrace too many wind farms, it will slow down the wind. So again, we can't confuse posturing with policy.

Facing Political Realities

And I think that's the challenge that the Republicans are going to run into. And, of course, we hope that they do not end up with another administration. But if they do, we have to, a, assume that they are not going to be anti crypto like they were last time. B, that Trump's going to keep his word, which, okay. And see that it's not the same pattern as before, which I think it's, again, repeating these kinds of things does help.

Analyzing Trump's Approach

The reason that Trump, when he goes abroad and you see all of these elaborate and insane displays of, you know, like these opulent things whenever he's going, you can see the memos that a lot of these foreign, other governments and everything are using to entertain him. And it's, you make him happy. We make him feel important. He does what you want. He's most, one of the most easily manipulated people on the planet, and there's a proximity bias there.

Doubts on Trump's Commitment to Crypto

So again, and my thing is, I just, the fact that Trump is pro crypto now, I don't believe it. I really don't. I mean, it might serve him in some case, but I mean, if his NFTs, you know, tank and they go, you know, and the value of those sink, he's probably going to retaliate and do something really stupid and everybody's going to be sitting there going, well, oh, my gosh, we didn't realize that he could, you know, we thought he was going to be pro crypto.

Critiquing the Approach to Crypto

Well, yeah. And, you know, anything else that Trump has changed his mind on for convenience? I mean, it's not a, again, not a real policy position. I think having a robust debate and moving the Democratic Party in the right direction. The thing is, once the Democratic Party has reached that consensus, we will know and we will actually have achieved something as a group, which will be much more powerful than getting Trump to say something, which, frankly, I mean, you just dangle a few bucks or something and you can probably get him to do whatever you want, which is quite frightening.

Engagement with Political Leaders

But anyway, not to interrupt again. Yeah. You know, like a lot of people are probably thinking, oh, he's going, is Kamala Harris really going to be pro bitcoin? But I think the strongest signal of that is Chuck Schumer coming out today advocating for the US to move in a direction that's more in the direction to make crypto more innovative in the United States, because you know that he's not going to be advocating for that unless he knows that Harris will also be advocating for that.

Setbacks and Future Strategies

Otherwise, it sets. It sets them both up for failure. Yeah. And with that, I think I want to get to trey again. Let's try your headphones again. Yeah, let's try it out. Can you guys hear me okay? Yeah, you're good? Okay. Yeah. Thanks, everyone. Thanks, Brian, Ed, for having me up here. And, Dennis, good to see you, as always, my friend, on stage here.

Personal Introduction

So really quick, I'll keep this brief, too. One of the things that we do, a little background on me. My name is Trey Walsh. I've spent a decade in the nonprofits. That's kind of my day job is doing nonprofit work, anti poverty workforce development, worked with youth, all of these different things. And I came into bitcoin and mainly saw a lot of the human rights use cases.

Inspirations Behind Bitcoin Interest

I saw a lot of the things that Dennis was echoing as well. And I was like, wow, this is really cool. Like, I don't have to try to rely on Wall street and all these other things that I was necessarily against as a progressive, as someone really inspired by the Occupy movement and involved with that. Right. And I'm also a constituent of Elizabeth Warren's in Massachusetts and very involved in Massachusetts politics.

Podcast Engagement

So it's a very interesting place to be in, I will say. But the one thing we do through the progressive bitcoiner, it's mainly a podcast, a weekly podcast where we talk about many different things in bitcoin. One of the reasons I got more involved with the space was because I did see a bit of an echo chamber that some people feel, I think particularly in bitcoin.

Extending Bitcoin's Reach

Right. And it's none more amplified than the person we've been mentioning, Donald Trump, obviously, with the Bitcoin conference and things like that. So one of our biggest messages is that bitcoin is for everyone. We try to really show people, especially progressives and Democrats, that bitcoin is for everyone. You don't have to be a Trump supporter. You don't have to be any political party.

Inclusivity of Bitcoin Technology

You don't have to be anything to be into bitcoin or see the use cases of this. And I think a lot of us feel that way on this call today, obviously. So one thing that I hope, as many have echoed, that we can just get past this, that being against bitcoin and crypto is as silly as being against the Internet and electricity.

Future Perspectives on Bitcoin

It'll be something that we laugh at and think, how are we against that? That's just the next evolution of things, right? And that's one thing we really try to do and we really try to appeal to people, the voters that listen to our show, that interact with us, right? So hoping that they then influence politicians and elected officials.

Unpartnered Ideologies

Right. Obviously, we didn't come into bitcoin thinking we need politician XYZ to approve of this or else. Right. I talk to my progressive friends all the time. Like, bitcoin is resistance money. It's meant to, it's meant to resist. It's meant to be anti fragile. It's permissionless censorship, resistance. It's used in authoritarian regimes around the world.

Potential of Bitcoin in Protecting Freedoms

All of these things, right? It's meant for if Donald Trump comes to power and your worst fears come true. Right? And we hope that doesn't happen. And it's seeming more and more likely that Harris will become president, which is very good and that we all would like to see on this call. So really, I'm hoping that bitcoin and crypto becomes just a nonpartisan issue, that it doesn't become a Democrat issue or a republican issue.

Maintaining Bipartisan Stance

And that's something really try to fight against. And a lot of the things that I like to focus on and that I'd really like to see Democrats, Harris campaign, Chuck Schumer, many others talk about is the benefits of bitcoin and crypto for the individual. So focusing on those individual rights, Dennis was touching on this as well, focusing on reaffirming that you have the right to self custody, your crypto, that you can hold this in your possession just like cash in your wallet.

Addressing Individual Rights

That's really important because I think some of our listeners feel a bit disconnected if they only heard of Democrats and politicians talking about an industry bill or all of this kind of these different things. And they're like, yeah, what about my ability to use bitcoin and crypto? What about all of these things we really like, which is self custody? You don't have to rely on Coinbase or a bank to hold in custody or bitcoin.

Empowering Users

So I'm really focused on a lot of the individual rights, the human rights that I'd like to see Democrats in the Harris campaign be able to articulate. I think some of the things that Dennis talked about as well. With bitcoin mining, we cover a lot of that with folks because we have a lot of progressives that come in and say, wait, I thought bitcoin is really bad for the environment.

Rethinking Bitcoin Mining Issues

I have a lot of climate activist friends and things like that need to understand it's a bit more complicated than that. You need to go deeper on some of these things. And what Dennis was talking about with energy transitions and building out renewables and harnessing renewable and wasted energy and how it's actually electrifying projects in Africa and beyond all of those great stories we talk about because we know that's the future.

Connecting Environmental and Financial Progress

I think many of us on this call, no, that's the future. But it's about telling people about that. Right. So how do we move to where the Democratic Party isn't going to be hostile against bitcoin mining, isn't going to be hostile against, you know, different overreach of KYC or AML laws in terms of self custody and say for terrorism. Right. That a lot of us are haunted by with the Patriot Act.

Awareness of Policy Missteps

A lot of us remember those things. And I think a lot of us are a bit nervous that it could go in that direction.

Optimism in Leadership Changes

But I just want to echo and say I'm feeling very optimistic. I think with this change, I think a lot of us felt a sense of optimism when Biden decided to drop out of the race. And it was seen that Kamala Harris would be kind of the presumptive nominee. And going forward, I think a lot of us got optimistic, at least I did more so than I thought it would, thinking, oh, wow, we have a younger leader. We have more democrats speaking up who actually are like, okay, we might go in a better direction with all of these things. So really that is our bread and butter is talking about the individual freedoms, communities, people.

Financial Inclusion and Community Focus

We heard financial inclusions so much on the call tonight on the town hall, which is incredible. That's what we really like to see because that's the name of the game. Is financial inclusion really the bread and butter for progressives and democrats? So just wanted to say that. Appreciate you guys allowing me to speak and say that and keep up the good work. And we're excited to be a part of this and help in any way we can and help out will and the other organizers that I've had the privilege to speak with and work with. And we're going to be planning some more stuff coming up that's bitcoin focused because, again, you know, bitcoin has this image more than ever of alignment with Trump.

Bitcoin's Inclusive Nature

And we are here to say that is not the case. Right. Like, bitcoin is for everyone, like, specifically bitcoin. So we're here to really combat that narrative and show that it's for everyone. So thanks. I'll. You know, we had a lot of other great speakers here, so appreciate it. No, yeah, thanks. Thanks so much. And I just want to kind of go along with what you're saying. I think there is opportunity for change under Harris. A lot of people, especially those on the right, are saying, you know, Harris is just going to be an extension of the Biden administration.

Expectations from Vice President Harris

If. If she really wanted to get something done, she would have already done it, or she. She would be doing it right now. And that. That can't be farther from the truth. That would be like saying the Trump administration was run by Mike Pence and he was actually controlling the administration. It. Just because she's the vice president doesn't mean that she's making. Setting the policy initiatives. She works for Joe Biden, and he's the one who makes the policies. And she kind of follows along until she gets the opportunity to maybe one day be president herself, hopefully be president herself, you know, starting in 2025.

Realistic Expectations on Policy Continuity

So you can't expect her to just continue Biden's policies. And I think anybody with realistic expectations don't. Don't believe that's what's going to happen. Yeah. So let's get you Nathan. I know you had your hand raised a while. Hey, Brian. I think Nico. Nico had his hand raised. Oh, yeah, you're right. Let's go to Nico and then Nathan. Sorry, Nathan. Hey, Brian. Hey, Ed. Dennis, good to see you. Trey, good to see you. Like always. Yeah. Look, I completely agree with you guys 100%. You know, Trey's heard me say this all the time.

Bitcoin's Equitable Nature

I think bitcoin is the most equitable money the world has ever seen. I think it protects the lower middle classes the most from the ravages of inflation. And I do believe that, fundamentally, this should not be a partisan issue whatsoever, because I think it helps people on every side of the aisle, no matter what your ideological beliefs are. My only concern is not so much, and just to give you a little bit of background. So I'm the founder and host of simply bitcoin. We're currently one of the most popular daily bitcoin only live shows. And I have to cover the news essentially Monday through Friday, you know, years on end.

Necessary Actions from Kamala Harris

And essentially what I've seen, and I'll pin it up in the nest. And, you know, I think this will offer good discussion. Like, what I would love to see from Kamala specifically is and to take away momentum away from Trump, to be honest. Like, one of the first things that she can do is to promise to free Ross. Like, that is something that obviously, you know, feels like a bitcoiners feel very passionate about. That's something that, you know, her campaign could go out ahead and say that, and that would completely take away the momentum out of, you know, RFK's campaign and Trump's campaign.

Concerns with Recent Events

And that's definitely something that she can do now. And in regards to a lot of the things that I've been seeing, we talked about essentially the proposed bitcoin mining text that was introduced by the Democratic Party, of course, Operation Choke Point two, point zero, the arrest of the samurai wallet developers, the tornado cash developers, setting a precedent for essentially arresting people for writing open source code lightning wallets leaving the country. So I'm at a point where a lot of bitcoiners believe that talk is cheap and actions are expensive. The same day that the town hall was held yesterday, sorry, last week, the first town hall.

Regulatory Pressure on Bitcoin

That same day, the Fed and the FDIC sued customers bank. Customers bank is one of the last remaining bitcoin friendly banks in the US. And I just pinned on top of the nest the Alex Thorne thread. And essentially what I find concerning is that Kamala is already looking at putting two key anti crypto officials in her administration. These two officials worked with Elizabeth Warren in the past, and we all know how Elizabeth Warren feels about the industry. So, of course, from my perspective. What are their names? Sir, I put it in the nest. I don't want.

Republican Pro Crypto Initiatives

It doesn't load instantly, so it's problematic. Yes. Sorry, I don't. Hey, I think it's that you scroll over one, because I pinned something, I think, after he did. Yeah. So I want to be respectful to their names and I don't want to mispronounce them. But it is in the nest. And you can, you know, you can take a look at what I'm seeing and what I'm just concerned about. Guys. Like, I'll put it, to put it to you guys, frankly, like the Republicans, excluding Trump, have made it part of the republican party platform to protect the industry, not only from a self custody perspective, but from a mining perspective as well.

Challenges for the Democratic Party

Right? And they're taking a generally pro bitcoin stance. This has nothing to do with Donald Trump, but the Republican Party as a whole. And of course, RFK as an independent, I mean, his speech at the bitcoin conference, I think, says it all right. He's obviously very pro industry. Not to mention that he's also offered to free Ross Ulbricht. So from my perspective as a bitcoiner someone who covers the news on a daily basis. What I'm really looking for is action. And what I'm seeing from the Democratic Party currently is talk. And that, to me, is quite disappointing.

Importance of Action Over Words

I think it's a major drop ball because these are potential votes that Kamala could lose towards another party, two other party, two other candidates that are offering a pro bitcoin stance. So it's a little bit difficult for me, not only personally, but also for my audience to tell. My audience, say, hey, listen, she hasn't come out and said anything publicly. She hasn't made it part of her policy, but we should trust her in the fact that she's going to change, potentially she's going to change her mind down the road, while at the same time she's appointing members to her cabinet that are.

Understanding Vice Presidential Dynamics

Wait, wait. But, but she hasn't, she isn't president yet. How did she appoint any members to her? But I also put three advisors up top that she has already said would be advisors that are pro crypto. And I pinned those up top and their names. This is Jonathan Padilla. I just want to hit this straight on. I want to say one, I recognize the point. I read the Alex piece earlier this week. In fact, I flagged it for the Harris campaign. The Harris campaign is aware of the kind of crypto Twitter storm from yesterday, and they're looking into it.

Navigating the Political Landscape

Like, what I can say is this, you know, a lot of the time trying to talk the campaign, and we assume this is a space, and I'm not saying this is a negative or a plus. I'm just saying as a statement of fact, like, we all assume there is a crypto point person. And the reality is, like, I think for both the Biden campaign and I, you got to give Vice President Harris some slack. She became the nominee officially only about ten days ago, got in the race three weeks ago. There's a ton of transition in terms of policy, in terms of infrastructure, in terms of human capital.

The Importance of Being Patient

It's a little chaotic. That's just what it is. So crypto, Twitter is going to say this and say about these appointments. These folks, granted, they did work, you know, for Senator Warren in some instances, but they're not focused on crypto policy. These are folks who have maybe some input, but they're not there to just basically globiate on crypto. There's broad spectrums of economic policy that go far beyond crypto. So it is completely unfair to characterize the Harris campaign as basically, these are actions.

Focus on Action While Building Trust

I think the Thorn piece. This is somebody who is not in the know. This is somebody, I think, who is trying to basically get the kind of report you see from Balaji and try to get people exasperated. But this is not somebody, I think, who actually understands what's happening inside the campaign. This is not somebody who understands how campaigns work. And I'll just wrap up here in saying that, you know, you're 100% right. We got to see action. We got to see movement. Those things are happening. Those things are in the fight.

Addressing the Political Divide

And I think people are going to be impressed what's going on behind the scenes. And I'll just end by saying there's only one candidate in this race who's called bitcoin and crypto a scam, and that's Donald Trump. Real quick, I think, I just want to jump in there really quickly one point, Nico, and appreciate you coming up, and I've known you for a good bit of time, so appreciate the good faith dialogue, even though there's some major concerns that you might have just wanted to clarify on the GOP party platform.

Understanding the GOP's Stance on Crypto

So the GOP party platform, typically the party platform process is done through the central committee. They create a breakout committee, actually, in fact, where they decide, and they decide what's going to go into the party platform, the various planks that are going to be there. Usually that's a process that happens through the party. The party is sort of currently ran by the Trump family, not only Trump, but by his direct family members. And during the party platform process, which were very interested in, Satoshi action, because they basically took right to mine and right to self custody, which are Satoshi action model policy that we created and passed it a law in four states.

The Republican Strategy on Bitcoin

And they took that exact language, copy pasted it right into the party platform. So were very curious. Wow. Our bills are now being used as the GOP party platform. How did this happen? And when we reached out to try to figure out what happens, it was very, very clear that this was a top down effort where the party platform was handed to the committee and the committee was told that they were going to vote for the party platform. So not really. I don't think it's really super important detail other than that the Republican Party being pro bitcoin is very much, I think, an effort by the Trump administration to create a wedge issued for their side.

The Dynamics in Bitcoin Politics

And I think it's smart of them politically to do so. We have certainly seen tons of Republicans lead on the issue. I mean, Republicans are way out in advance on this issue, but I also just believe that's a nature of the fact that they are not the party in power and also that Democrats tend to be a little bit more careful about where, when they take a, a stance on a major issue as a party. So a lot of dynamics at play. I do, I do agree with some comments that were made, though, that there has been major movement.

The Need for Concrete Actions

I think it was Jonathan saying that I think you'd kind of have to be a little bit blind not to see that there is major headway being made right now with Democrats. Will it actually result in a positive outcome that I think some Democrats really want to see, which is the Harris campaign becoming pro crypto, pro bitcoin? That's a big question mark. But the fact that it's even possible or realistic in this short timeframe, given the past behavior by the current administration, would honestly be like a miracle if it was pulled off.

The Progressive Shift Towards Bitcoin Support

And it is, I think, within the realm of possibility that it could be pulled off. And worst case scenario, we orange pill a bunch of Democrats along the way and allow them to become much more vocal on this issue. Right. In the past, it was like, dont talk about it. Stay on the sidelines and quietly support bitcoin and digital assets. But now many Democrats are becoming extremely vocal. I mean, you even have the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, vouching support for this stuff.

Increasing Engagement in Crypto Policies

And you could say, well, I dont believe him. We dont trust him. But you said judge him by their actions. And Senator Schumer is whipping votes in the Senate to promote legislation passage. He was, he voted in favor of Saab 121. And he is continually pushing Democrats to be supportive of this technology. So I do agree with you. We definitely need actions. I've been one of those people in the space who has said we can't just let people tweet things.

Legislative Progress and Bipartisan Support

We can't just let people say they support this technology. We need to say real action. Which is why at Satoshi action, we are so big on making sure that lawmakers not only introduce legislation but pass legislation into law. And we're proud to be the first organization in the world to pass a number of different things into law across the country. And we've also seen bipartisan support. Like sometimes people get mixed up. They think, well, because Biden is administration is one side, that all the Democrats are over there.

The Legislative Landscape for Bitcoin

And I just couldn't disagree with that more. In a lot of the states where we've passed pro bitcoin legislation, like right to mine and right to self custody, we've even had unanimous support from Republicans and Democrats as it was voted in. We've also had Democrat co-sponsors. So oftentimes I think people just look at, like, who's in charge? And say, well, that's the entire party. And that's really just not the way that, like, I see it playing out in the US. And then also in 2025, we will have, or we are on pace to have our first, you know, Democrat progressive sponsor legislation in a deep blue state.

Shifting Dynamics in Bitcoin Advocacy

So really interesting things. I think. I think the tide is changing faster than we want to believe. And it happened faster with Trump and the Republicans than we thought. And I think it's also going to happen faster than we thought with Democrats as well. Those are all really good points. And I just want to say one thing. I was in the legislature, one of the top elected Democrats in the state assembly in California, and beware and be careful of distractions because you're going to see a lot of that.

Navigating Discussions in the Political Sphere

You see a lot of that stuff on this platform. I disagree with my staff all the time. Ultimately, my staff would advise me and provide details on different policy areas to help me make a decision. But if I wanted to move in a direction, I moved in that direction because that's what I believed the right policy decision to be. And what's really important to focus on is be wary of litmus tests. They're not serious. If x doesn't happen, if y doesn't happen, what happened tonight on the crypto for Harris Call and all of the democratic leaders that were a part that town hall shows real strong momentum, and we don't want to shoot ourselves in the foot by throwing cold water on that.

Momentum and the Desire for Progress

There was real momentum, there was real interest, and there are real leaders that are looking to do something positive in the space. And, you know, sure, democrats have been slower, but they're coming up quick, and they're really focused on getting educated and making the right policy decisions. That's what we want. That's what we want to encourage. So I just want us to stay in that frame of mind because that's what's going to be the most helpful and that's what's going to be the most impactful when it comes to the Harris administration.

Building Alliances for Future Success

You know, when she's elected and all the people that are going to be around her, they need to see that. They need to see the coalitions that are being built and the real momentum so that it makes it easy, easier for her to be a friend with us. That makes a big difference for sure. And Ian and Dennis, first of all, you guys make great points. And Dennis, you know that I've always appreciated your work, especially on the state level.

The Diverse Needs of Voters

I think you've done wonders to protect the right to self custody and also the mining industry as well. But again, just coming from a single issue voter perspective, like, essentially what I'm hearing from this conversation is like, trust the process. Trust that Kamala is going to essentially change her mind on this support, you know, the industry. I don't think it's trust, though. I don't think it's trust. I think just it's give people an opportunity to work and see if they can make progress.

Understanding Crypto's Position in the Political Spectrum

Oh, I also don't think it's changed her mind. I don't, I don't think we really know what her mind is on crypto. She hasn't ever had said what her personal point of view on it is, has she? Yeah. No. No. No. That, and again, guys, like, that's why I put the Alex Thorne, you know, thread in there just to kind of show you guys where I'm coming from. This is something that happened very recently. So from someone who's observing this and seeing who, you know, she's tapping in, she's tapping to become advisors in her administration.

Evaluating the Validity of Political Sources

And it's, those are, but those are rumors. Those are like, if you look at the way that it's written, like, I look, I read through the entire Alex Thorne piece and, you know, I like Alex. Like, he's a nice guy. And generally we like, have good conversations in public and in private. But with regards to just like, you know, the way it was written, you can see around the edges that it says, you know, from sources who are familiar with the situation. Right.

Caution During the Election Cycle

Like, I think people just need to really, like, remember that we're getting into the crazy time of elections and that, you know, you should wait and see how people react and you should wait and see how they talk about these things, especially if they've never been in a position to talk about them before. Clearly, we know how the past, the current Biden administration behaved around this issue. But just also keep in mind, like, vps are typically very different from their president counterpart on the ticket.

Understanding the Role of Vice Presidents

That's why they usually get picked as a supporter or as a vp on the ticket. Right. Look at JD Vance and Trump. Like, JD Vance is anti Trumper, and yet he gets picked as a vp. So I would not assume in any way, shape, or form that just because Kamala was part of the Biden ticket that she is in any way necessarily in alignment with the policies or procedures that move forward. Now, also, there's a lot of political, you know, politics.

Political Calculus and Future Leadership

Politics is very political. Right? Like, she's gonna want to keep some of those people around that were in the Biden administration as a way to sort of continue to be able to get their support as they go into what will be a key presidential election. And so it looks like she's going to be keeping some people around, some additional things that I've heard, which. But I'm not going to go, you know, I'm not going to put a breaking tweet out about this, although I hope. I hope it does come true, is that she's.

The Search for Crypto Advisors

She's looking for additional crypto advisors. That's a pretty common, like, rumor that we hear in the space. So I think you should just be open minded to the idea that those things could happen. If you don't want to be, that's fine too. You know, go to your partisan corners. And that's what people do. They end up picking sides. Gentlemen, may I real quick, emperor, just my final thoughts on this. And Dennis, like, it's not like I'm not approaching this from a partisan perspective whatsoever.

Evaluating Candidates' Stances

I'm just seeing that there's two candidates, the obviously independent RFK, that has already taken a public pro bitcoin stance, and of course, the Trump party and the Republican Party, they have taken a pro bitcoin stance. So as a single issue voter, it's very difficult for me to just say, okay, I'm going to trust and hope that Kamala is going to change her mind. If she comes out tomorrow and she says, I'm going to support, I'm going to free ro.

The Call for Concrete Policy Actions

Like, if I get elected, I'm going to free Ross. Right? That would take the momentum out of Trump's campaign. That would take the momentum out of RFK's campaign. That's something that she can do. Right? I don't believe Kamala's put up her policy on her website yet. So for me, I totally agree with you guys. Like, this is a step in the right direction. The fact that we have the democratic senate leader, like Chuck Schumer, coming out and supporting it on the town hall is a big deal.

Acknowledging Progress in the Political Sphere

The fact that you have heavyweights like Mark Cuban, Anthony Scaramucci, it's definitely a step in the right direction. But please understand where us single issue voters are coming from. We have action from two candidates and then we have talk from another candidate. What we want is action. So that's my final thought, guys. I think you guys are doing an incredible job. I truly believe that bitcoin is bipartisan.

A Shared Vision for Bitcoin's Future

It helps everyone. Bitcoin is for everyone. I truly believe that in my heart. And I truly and I hope that Kamala and her campaign really capitalize on this and don't continue to make it a partisan issue like the previous Biden administration has done, because that created, honestly, that created a major opportunity for Trump and RFK to capitalize on that. So, guys, I want to thank you so much for having me on the stage. Brian, Ed, Dennis, keep kicking ass and really appreciate you guys.

Critique of Political Understanding

It's actually going to hurt them if the prices fall and they're going to stop drilling. So he doesn't even understand this. He just said stuff to get votes. I mean, all politicians do it to some extent, but he's the master of this. He just makes these promises knowing very well that he's not going to be able to fulfill them. And to make matters worse, it wasn't just oil. He said electricity to. He's going to cut the electricity prices in half within twelve to 18 months of taking care of that, guys. But they don't care. They lap it up. They don't care about factual facts. They don't care. They literally, they don't care.

Crypto as a Central Focus

So what we really need is a blinking sign above her, said above her head, yay, we're here for crypto. That's all we need to. That's all they care about. Yeah, go ahead. Just like Brian, to kind of, like, address your point in Atticus. And like, I, you know, obviously, Trump is a divisive figure for a lot of people. And, and I understand that and I see that. But, like, again, I'm just looking at what has been released by his campaign. And you can totally say that there's a big part of his donor base that are publicly traded bitcoin mining companies. You can say that the Winklevoss twins made major donations to his campaign. You could absolutely say that. You can 100% say that.

Protection of the Crypto Industry

But what I'm seeing is he's going out to the community and he's basically saying, if you get me elected, I will protect your industry from hostile regulation. And what I'm seeing from RFK is the same what I've been seeing from the democratic party again. And I still haven't seen what Kamala has said is the exact opposite. I'm seeing a hostility towards the industry. The proposed 30% mining tax on bitcoin miners would destroy the industry in the United States. The attack on self custody, the attack on open source wallet developers, and what you guys were doing, well, that's a stretch, because Coinbase has already done that. And since he's in Coinbase's pocket, then he's going to reinforce it.

Concerns About Current Administration Policies

So that's already implemented, and he's already on board with it. It's already done. Do you mind if I finish my point? Is that okay? Yeah, sorry. So the only thing that I'm saying is, like, look, like, what you guys are doing is extremely noble, and it's extremely important, because bitcoin is a bipartisan issue. It is not a partisan issue. But what I'm seeing from the current administration, from the democratic party, and I don't think that they're properly representing their constituents, if you ask me. Right. What I'm seeing is hostility towards the industry. And until I see action as a bitcoin broadcaster, as someone who has a platform, I can't tell my audience in good faith and looking myself in the mirror to vote for a candidate that hasn't come out and said, hey, you know what?

Advocating for Bipartisan Support

I'm gonna back off. I'm gonna be pro bitcoin. I'm gonna be pro industry. And until I see that, I'm not gonna change my mind. Hey, Nikoniga, I think. I think that's entirely fair, but I think she will be coming out and saying something about critical. Go ahead, John. Be like, so, Nico. Like, I want to respect, like, you're. You're not wrong. I am not saying you're wrong, but I don't think you're right either. You know, the reality is, like, trying to say that Vice President Harris has perpetrated these attacks on crypto is one inaccurate. Like the Biden administration, and I'll say this on the record. I've said this on the record, has not been good for crypto. So that the beginning of the town hall we just had, it's been a disappointment.

Expectation for Future Leadership

I say that as, like a. As a pledged Biden delegate, and it was a major disappointment. One where I was not actively fundraising for the party because of how bad it was. To say the vice president is in on all these attacks, I think, is a fundamental misrepresentation of how government works and of, like, the power available to the VP. The VP is not setting policy. Somebody earlier talked about the differentiation between Vance and Trump and whatnot. So Kamala Harris understands innovation is representing California in the Senate, which is a big deal if you think about an innovation-driven economy. We heard Adam Schiff about an hour and a half ago talk about how critical this is. Bitcoin and cryptocurrency is not just for economic innovation, but for national security.

Pushing for Positive Change

And so I think your points are valid against the Biden administration. I'm not going to defend the Biden administration. What I am going to say is, like, we have a clean slate with VP Harris, and our job is to push and our job is to make sure that these issues are brought forward to the campaign and the policymakers. And I think what we all ask is, like, it's a completely respectable position to want to see action, and I think you're going to see it very quickly. But to kind of go all in on Trump to the points Atticus made earlier, like he's one person in a situation where Trump goes away. The man, you know, is elderly. He's now the oldest candidate running for office.

Limitation of Individual Impact

You know, he would be 82 by the time he would end his administration if he wins. This is not somebody who's going to be there for the next decade, 20 years in Republican Party politics. He has four years, tops. So you have to really hedge on the party and not the one person. And I think after what you saw tonight, the highest ranking member of the United States Senate basically calling for comprehensive policy, I mean, that's a strong indication. Like I was saying here tonight, the Elizabeth Warren crypto army. Jonathan, I think that you broke up there for a minute. Yeah, I was saying, I think that Elizabeth Warren crypto army is dead. People like Chuck Schumer, people like myself want to make sure that we put it 6ft under.

Challenging Preconceptions

Yeah. You know, like people are, like, I'm going back to what I said earlier. People are saying that Kamala Harris is going to just continue Biden's policies. We have to remember that Andrew Jackson was Abraham Lincoln's vice president. Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves andrew Jackson kind of didn't want to help the freed slaves. He kind of went against helping the freed slaves. So, I mean, you can't just say because she was part of the administration that she's in agreeance with everything Biden didn't and that she can't have other ideas on how to progress the country forward and in different ways. I do want to get to Nathan because he's been waiting.

Response to Tyler Winklevoss

Yeah, I want to get you Nathan, too. I just want to give one little update because I saw this and it kind of irked me a little bit. Tyler Winklevoss kind of gave a statement on Twitter at 830 saying, attacking the crypto for Harris event, saying pre recorded videos, reading from scripts, Harris a no show at her own event. What a clown. Show like this. This really pissed me off because, like, he should be the first person to be reaching out to Democrats and hoping that Democrats are going to do something and push Harris to embrace crypto. And he didn't even understand the event to begin with. It had nothing to do with Harris being there. She wasn't.

Misinterpretation of Harris's Position

This is people trying to push Harris to make change, not to get Harris to come on and talk. I saw Jonathan gave a good idea. Like, Tyler, if you're listening, I welcome a debate. I welcome substance. We want to talk with you because your views are important for this space. You know, Gemini is a major institution. You've done a lot of great things, a lot of great investments. If you are, you're serious about making bitcoin and crypto a post partisan issue, reach out. We'll sit down. We have some amazing thought leaders who go toe tone policy.

Call for Open Dialogue

And, like, our goal is not to be combative. Our goal is to make sure that crypto becomes a post partisan issue. And so I say that to Tyler and Cameron, and I believe that earnestly. So reach out. We're happy to do it. And, you know, just keep in mind that event we put together in less than two weeks, three senators, a lot of members of Congress, that substance, that's progress. I mean, the majority leader showed up, right, too. I mean, come on, that's a pretty big deal.

Importance of the Political Environment

So, Brian, Ed and Jonathan, this is my last bit, and I'll leave you guys, and thank you again so much for having me on the platform and putting this together. I truly believe this is incredibly important. But one last bit. I didn't infer that VP Harris was responsible for the actions of the Biden administration. And I also want to clarify as well that it's not only Trump, I also did mention RFK as well. So it's not just, oh, Trump versus Kamala. You know, there's two candidates that are representing this, a pro bitcoin policy.

Conclusion of Remarks

So I'll just kind of leave it at that. Like I said. Brian, Eddie, thank you so much for having on the space. Dennis, keep kicking ass, man. I really appreciate it. Hope to see you around in the bitcoin verse. And, Jonathan, thank you so much. I really enjoyed the conversation. And with we got to work together. We got to work together, and we're going to get this done 100%. That's how we win. Thank you, guys. Nice meeting you.

Emerging Challenges and Perspectives

Yeah, likewise. Thank you, Nico, finally. Nathan. Sorry. Sorry it took so long. No, it's fine. I was afraid my phone shut down. So thanks for. I was trying to be patient. I saw it just clicking down, and finally, finally shut down on me. So, real quick. The biggest problem that I think that we face is the mouthpieces that we have on this from a real understanding. It's great that Schumer jumped on. I don't think he has any great level of understanding of the depths of crypto.

Need for Deep Understanding in Leadership

And at the end of the day, I know we're only as good as the. The staff people are only as good as the staffs that they employ. But I feel as though any long-term legislation that's going to be meaningful is only going to be upheld by leaders who actually gain a deep understanding of crypto. Otherwise, they're just playing to whoever they deem to be either the wisest person in the room or the, in many of their cases, the loudest person in the room and. Nathan, you there? I think he's probably getting a call or his phone died.

Expectations for Political Dialogue

Would love to. I brought Joe. Joe, go to your next. Yeah, go ahead and finish. Sorry about that. Sorry about that. I said, you know, my main thing is that the. My concern is as complex as cryptocurrency conceptually can be and how it's rapidly evolving, it's not that I expect those people to be resident experts on it. It would be nice for them, though, to be able to speak intelligibly about it and not just hit buzzwords.

Relevance of Qualified Voices

My fear is those are the people who shift public perception. And unless you have somebody at a higher level who has a great deal of knowledge behind it, because if all of a sudden you had Schumer just taking questions on it, I don't think he's going to be able to answer too many. You know, he's got his set speech in front of him, his talking points, buzzwords. But I don't think that there's going to be a lot of bipartisan buy in unless you have somebody, anybody on either side who's able to have an intelligent conversation about it when pressed.

Insufficient Understanding Among Leaders

As far as their understanding goes, I don't know if I agree that Chuck Schumer doesn't know that much about it. He actually is pretty up to date when it comes to technology. I know he's had several meetings with Elon Musk over the years. I think he does know about technology. Is he in-depth knowledge? He knows exactly how blockchain works, exactly how the mining process works? I doubt. I doubt it, but I think he probably knows enough to be able to kind of understand where policy should go or where a lot of people who are in crypto want the policy to go, if that makes any sense.

Communication Challenges in Politics

No, it certainly makes sense. But again, I understand that on the latter part, knowing where people in crypto want the policy to go, but being able to know when to push back a little bit to find compromise depending on who you are. But, I mean, I think the problem lies that, you know, this is a global model, the decentralization is a global model. And I think that it's very difficult for, you know, the layperson to stay up on it, let alone asking a politician who's hitting, you know, on a cycle every so often to hit these buzzwords to make sure that they get reelected.

Foundational Understanding Within the Political Sphere

So I guess my question is there anybody that we feel can speak intelligibly when pressed to be able to be a viable sound, you know, sound piece for, you know, to actually sway public perception of crypto and get more of a buy in the, you know, I think there are some, especially some younger Congress members like Ro Khanna. I think he. I think he has an in depth knowledge of crypto. I think he knows where this. Where the crypto space kind of stands.

Democratic Perspectives on Crypto

I think he talks to a lot of industry leaders. I think he's definitely somebody who. Who would probably be a better, you know, like speaking head for the democrats than somebody like Chuck Schumer. So something that Anthony Scaramouche said during the crypto for Harris event was that Ro Khanna has had two meetings with the White House about crypto, and he brought, I don't want to call a delegation, but a group of politicians left and right with him to the White House.

Engagement with the Administration

So he's been talking to, I guess, the Biden administration, which includes Harris, of course, and he's trying to push for a more favorable stance. Got it. Yeah, I can confirm that. I'm sorry. I was just going to say real quick, Dennis, I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to speak, and if you guys want, you can bump me back down. Thanks. Yeah, I can confirm the Khana people working overtime, really excited to see them lead on this issue.

Advocating for Balanced Leadership

And I think, most importantly, as they lead on the issue, also making sure that they're promoting it in a way that is in alignment with bitcoin being a non partisan or bipartisan technology. I think that's super critical. Like, anytime someone get out, gets out there and says, like, oh, you know, the left or the Democrats hate bitcoin because they hate freedom, is sort of like one of those things that makes me cringe the most because, you know, bitcoin ultimately is just a technology that is for everyone.

Misconceptions About Bitcoin Ownership

That is a well known fact and is well supported by not only just, like, us talking heads up here in Twitter spaces and the people that are on Twitter actively, but also it's been supported by reporting that it was done recently, there was a Nakamoto project that came out where it showed that the dispersity between who owns bitcoin is very much spread across the different political spectrum of the varying political spectrum, and, in fact, that the far left was more likely to own bitcoin in that report than the far right.

Community Engagement and Political Process

So, very interesting things, and glad to see that the Cona people are jumping on that. I saw Joe was up here earlier. He got kicked back down. He came back up. So I'd like to go to him if we can, and then Terrence. But Joe, great to hear from you, smart guy. We don't always agree on everything, but definitely appreciate your insights on all things legal, that's for sure.

Emphasizing Bipartisanship in Crypto Initiatives

Yeah. Thank you, Dennis. And thank you, Ed and Brian. I'm just going to make a brief comment, and I wanted to share this coming up, not as a partisan, but as a practitioner in the industry who has represented individuals and companies who have had to go to task and go to war with the United States government. And when I want to bring up the fact that I really hope this gets through and we really have to get this right from the presidential race, is that there's been a lot of discussion about Congress, and I would love, absolutely love there to be legislation to come through Congress that comprehensively addresses the larger crypto and bitcoin industry.

Caution About Legislative Capacity

That being said, I am not naive. I know that the 118th Congress is going to go down history as one of the least productive in history. I think they passed 37 bills in total. Right. And there's gridlock. And barring some supermajority, it is very unlikely, I think, that you get anything through Congress, any substantive piece of legislation. I think it's far more impactful why this election is so much more important from the presidency.

The Role of Regulatory Agencies

And I hope the vice president's team understands this is the vast array of three letter agencies that are probably the biggest impediment to this industry in the United States. And I'm talking about the OCC, the FDIC, the SEC, the CFTC, treasury in general. Right. All of those will probably be more important for the industry as a whole going on the next four years than anything that comes through Congress. And that is my belief. You can tell me I'm wrong, and I love to see when there's a crypto bill that's comprehensive come through Congress, put me down as a pessimist for that.

Executive Appointments are Crucial

I may be wrong, but my view is it's essential to get someone in the presidency who's going to put people in positions of authority in these various three letter agencies so as not to crush this industry. And that is something that is solely and squarely within the power of the president of the United States. That's why this is so important. And quite frankly, I really, I know you guys are, you know, doing good work and you're trying to reach out to the vice president's team.

Influence of Agency Leadership

I hope she understands that it does nothing take bipartisan consensus to say that they're going to get strong SEC chiefs in power that are going to have a more open minded approach to this industry, that they're going to get strong people at CFTC and strong people at the FDIC and the OCC to address this industry. Right. The president alone is appointing a lot of those positions when they come up to term, and that's why we really can't rely, even if we have a lot of allies for the industry as general, in general, in a bipartisan basis in the Congress.

Need for Progressive Presidential Leadership

We need to have someone in the presidency who's going to appoint folks to positions of power throughout those three letter agencies. So I'm going to jump off stage unless there's any comments on that. But I think that is why the presidency, and the presidency alone is extremely important, because if you talk to people in the industry, and I've represented them in court, right. They're far more concerned about are we going to get some real leadership at the SEC than if a bill is coming through Congress.

Constitutional Concerns with Agency Actions

That is what I hear time and time again. They do not want some sort of draconian chiefs at all, these positions of authority that are just going to come down and crush the industry. Yeah, that's what we talked about. I'm sorry. No, just a quick comment there, Joe. You know, I think you're right, absolutely, on the power of the president, the importance of the president, and also with regards to those agencies, they have been major hindrances to the adoption of bitcoin and digital assets across the country.

Bipartisan Support for Positive Change

I think that's why that letter that was co authored by those 27 Democrats, it was calling on the DNC. There was a number of different things it called on, but one of the most important that it was calling on was the appointment of an SEC chair that would be favorable towards bitcoin. So luckily, it sounds like, I don't know if anyone has confirmed this or not yet, but I've definitely seen that there is word that Gensler is going to retire on the other side of the presidential election.

Impact of Future Appointments

I don't know exactly the timeline or if that's true, but that's just what's being reported right now. And so that would give, if there's a Democrat president in 2025, that would give them the opportunity to be able to replace Gary Gensler with someone that was more favorable towards the technology. And then additionally, I think, you know, just the, it was great to see those 27 Democrats write that letter. I was trying to look for it just now when I posted about it before I did a video.

Continuous Advocacy for Reform

I did a video about it. So if you search 27 Democrats, it pops up. And I talk a little bit about the changes that they want to see in the DNC. But that is a key one. Right. It's like those agencies getting people in there, particularly with Operation Choke, .2.0 this banking issue that's going on where they're debanking folks, you have customers, bank, and then all the other things that are going on with custodia and the various other banks that have been denied access to the traditional banking system, we do actually have a state solution for that.

Addressing Banking Restrictions

I don't want to get into it too much here because it's not the point of the conversation, but it's a major problem. And I think that there's a few ways we can fix it. You obviously could do it at the federal level, but there is an option to do it at the state level as well. So. But, yeah, just wanted to final comment on the point on the SEC and the various regulatory bodies. Yeah.

Thoughts on Gensler's Leadership

So, Dennis, just so we're aware, we're not talking past each other. You know, if Gensler doesn't retire voluntarily. Right. If there is, the vice president wins the race. Right. Gensler's term goes till 2026. Right. And unless she outs. Right. He will remain chair. And keep in mind right now, United States government, by way of the SEC, is in court saying Coinbase, the largest exchange the United States does not have a right to exist.

Legal Challenges Facing Crypto Exchanges

That is their theory put forward in the litigation, that they do not have the right to exchange related activities because they fail to register properly when there isn't a proper path to even register for them. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I agree with you. It's critical that he gets, you know, gets removed and replaced. And, you know, Joe, stay up here. I'm sure you have more comments to add. You generally have some pretty good color to add to the situation, but we'd love to get Terrence just because he's been waiting for so long.

Encouraging Diverse Perspectives

Hey, thanks, Dennis. Great comments, Joe, and thank you to the cross between brothers for their work and the space. So, basically, I differ a little bit from the others in that I think that what's best for bitcoin, and I'm a bitcoiner, is, I think, an administration that understands it, does the thorough review that the crisis scenes talked about, but also they continue to prosecute crimes and go after scams that we know is very prevalent in crypto.

Recognizing Scams in the Crypto Space

And even on bitcoin. Right. There's all these scams on bitcoin. Thankfully, the trading volume seems to be pathetically low, so they're not very successful at that. But I think that so many Americans have been burned, working Americans, retail middle class, lower middle class, and so forth. The working poor, they've been burned by crypto. And that's why I think when you have people speak at OSU, like my friend Chris Pan did, they'll get booed right by the audience.

The Retail Investor's Experience

When you have Democrats hesitate, it's not just Elizabeth Warren, it's constituents complaining to their congressmen and congresswoman and their senators whenever they lose their life savings or they know a loved one, their aunt or grandpa, or whatever, losing their life savings in crypto from trading. So I think that bitcoin, I hope we can work with the crypto people on this, but we have our differences, and I hope we can set them aside to find common ground.

Prioritizing Bitcoin Over Other Cryptos

But I really think that what really matters is bitcoin as number go up technology and hard money. And crypto is great, right. For what it is for memes and casinos and whatever other digital collectibles you guys are doing, but it's not as important as bitcoin. So I hope we can find common ground on that. All right, so this has gone for about 2 hours now. We plan to do it for about an hour and a half.

Wrap-Up of the Discussion

So it's gone a little bit longer than we even expected. It's been a great conversation. I do see David with his hand up. So I do want to get to David, and then I think we'll probably shut things down. It's been a great space. I want to thank Dennis. I want to thank everybody who came up to speak. We had Governor Polis up here. We had Scaramouche tried coming on. We had some issues.

Appreciating Participation

I know a few speakers tried coming up, and it glitched out and it wouldn't connect them and let them speak. Sorry about that. I know the spaces have had a few issues today, but go ahead, David. That's a lot of pressure to end the thing, but, yeah, it better be a good closing. I'll do my best. My name is David Karstens. I'm the dental democratic candidate for Texas State House District 66. I want to thank everyone for letting me speak here at the end and crash your party.

Encouraging an Open Dialogue

I actually couldn't have gotten a better spot because I do want to follow up on what Terrence said. I think there's a lot of conversation around web three and crypto and bitcoin that has this very. Even if it's not partisan, even if we reshaped the conversation in such a way that it wasn't about Democrat versus Republican, you're going to hear a lot of pro bitcoin, anti bitcoin ways of framing these arguments, and I think that does a disservice to the technology.

Framing Technology Conversations

I think this is technology. We're still in early days. I'm not sure we actually have figured out the most effective, best uses of blockchain technology yet. But I think when we frame the conversation like that, we're setting ourselves up for failure. When we frame the conversation like you're either pro the environment or pro bitcoin, or what you're doing there is stopping us from having intelligent, policy-driven solutions to problems that a complex technology might cause, or you're stopping us from having conversations about how to best deal with the extra scams that might pop up as a result of a decentralized, kind of wild west technology environment.

Path Forward for Political Dialogue

And so I think, in a way, I'm happy to have been in this space and heard some people talk about it more like that. But if there's a thing that Democrats are really good at, it is waiting for a long time and then maybe coming up with the right policy. At the end of the day. I think one of the other things I'm worried about hearing in the political sphere in general, that I'm agreeing with people here in saying is I don't think very many of these people understand this.

Youthful Perspectives in Politics

I'm a very young political candidate. I'm still in my twenties, and I grew up around technology. My dad is actually in the venture capital world, specifically in web three and crypto stuff. I grew up around this, and I just think the conversation around it is really broken. And I think when you're mostly people who are in their seventies who really should probably be retired, when those are the guys who are talking about this, you're going to get guys who truly have no idea what it is, who are running because it's scared, because, hell, they're scared of their own computer when they try to do an email.

Conclusion on Understanding Technology

That was my two cent. I really think the main thing we could do to help accelerate this technology and make it a more inviting political environment for it is to start talking about it complexly and to kind of change the narrative around it a little bit. Anyways, thank you so much for letting me speak and crash your party. No, thank you, David. And I agree. I think one of my biggest concerns for Democrats is that they don't, I hope they don't look at this as a wedge issue.

Avoiding Partisan Conflict

I hope they don't say, oh, Republicans, Trump, they're all supporting crypto. They're all pushing crypto heavily. This would be a good way to differentiate ourselves from Republicans, and I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen. Like hearing Schumer speak today, hearing several other politicians speak today, it doesn't seem like we're headed in that direction. But with so many issues, it's sometimes just Republicans like it, so Democrats have to hate it. Democrats like it, so Republicans have to hate it.

Call for Unity on Crypto Issues

So hopefully that doesn't happen. I think it's important that we keep pushing for that not to happen. If you have any influence over anybody, I think it's worthwhile to push for unity on this issue rather than making it a wedge issue. Before we close out, I just want to say, Brian, can I ask you a question real quick? Go for it. When bitcoin first crypto DeGeneres space.

Encouraging Active Participation

I'm sorry, what was that? Terrence threw the gauntlet down. When bitcoin versus crypto degen space, I don't know. Well, how do you think about that? So I want to just say, follow the speakers up here. Many of these people up here and who have been up here earlier are definitely people that are for crypto, that are Democrats. There's more democrats for crypto than people realize.

Acknowledging Support for Crypto

I wanted to ask Will and Clay, who had the crypto for Harris event, how many people showed up I don't know if Dennis, you know, but there's a lot of people, we had almost 500 people in this space at one time and we only promoted it a couple days in advance of. So don't fall for the misinformation that Democrats don't support crypto. We do. I've been in crypto since 2012. I've known many Democrats who have embraced crypto.

Historical Embrace of Technology

In fact, in their early days, there are mostly Democrats and libertarians who were embracing it. So it's misinformation. Just keep remembering that. Dennis, any closing remarks? Yeah, definitely. I think it's a critical time right now that we take advantage of the shifting winds. The winds have clearly shifted towards a future where we can all be supportive of bitcoin. For a long time, I've been saying that were in a world where were trying to decide as a country whether or not we should be doing bitcoin.

Looking Forward to Policy Debates

But I think we're entering a new paradigm, we're entering a better paradigm, which is that we start to fight over how we do bitcoin. And so I look forward to those vigorous policy debates. I think that they were even brought up earlier. I think you will see vigorous, very vigorous policy debates over how we actually utilize bitcoin and digital asset technology in the United States.

Bipartisan Efforts for Bitcoin

And I am really excited about the fact that there are so many folks on the left and the right now trying to fight for this issue. Right. In a way, it's great to see that both sides are competing over bitcoin and digital assets. I think a lot of people were worried that when Trump and the GOP started to lead on the issue, that it would cause Democrats to take the other side of the coin. But I think just the opposite has happened.

Increasing Support from Democrats

You've seen so many Democrats come out of the woodwork, I mean that in a positive way, to show that they have been supportive of this technology for a long time. It's great to have Governor Polis here vouching for his support of the technology, even saying that he is very interested in seeing the right to self custody and the ability to mine bitcoin, that those access points are protected.

Conversations on Digital Asset Access

And Empress, earlier you said a great comment, which is access, protecting access. I think that's critical. We have to truly be able to protect the access to the technology itself. Otherwise, if you're not actually using bitcoin, then you're not truly connected to the technology, you're not truly using it. So thank you again to Brian and Ed for letting me co host this spaces with you.

Commitment to Ongoing Engagement

I look forward to doing more of these in the run up to the election. It's going to be a critical election, one where we're going to see a lot of change, I believe, from both sides of the aisle on this issue over time. And I'm so excited that Trump and potentially Harris, we'll see, are going to be battling for that bitcoin and digital asset single issue voters.

Final Thanks and Acknowledgements

So thank you, everyone, again for being here. And again, make sure you give Brian and Ed some props for putting this together and making it become a reality. Yeah. And I think the whole Bitcoin initiative by everybody in America is similar to the no tax for tips. Like we should embrace multiple parties embracing something that we all think is fair. Right? So keep that in mind.

Concluding Remarks

Thanks, Dennis. Thanks, Ed. Thanks, everybody that came up to speak. And like Dennis said, we'd love to do more of these. I know several people that wanted to make it tonight.