WEBVTT - The Minnesota Fraud Scandal pt. 2 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:03.720 Welcome to today's podcast sponsored by Hillsdale College, All Things 0:00:03.800 --> 0:00:06.440 Hillsdale at Hillsdale dot edu. I encourage you to take 0:00:06.480 --> 0:00:08.920 advantage of the many free online courses there, and of 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:11.280 course I listener to the Hillsdale Dialogue, all of them 0:00:11.280 --> 0:00:14.560 at Q for Hillsdale dot com or just Google, Apple, 0:00:14.920 --> 0:00:17.360 iTunes and Hillsdale. 0:00:18.760 --> 0:00:19.520 Complicated. 0:00:19.600 --> 0:00:24.280 This is Kurt Schlicker and I am the guest host 0:00:24.320 --> 0:00:28.720 now on an Ole Minneapolis day here at the UUIT show. 0:00:29.040 --> 0:00:33.000 That's the Suicide Commandos with their amazing rock and roll 0:00:33.120 --> 0:00:37.480 sensation Complicated Fun one of my favorite songs. I love 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:40.760 it so much. This is great for me. I'm having 0:00:40.800 --> 0:00:42.800 a great time. What's the only thing that could make 0:00:42.840 --> 0:00:43.320 it better? 0:00:43.600 --> 0:00:46.879 Why? Being joined by my pal Jim Garretty. 0:00:47.159 --> 0:00:51.720 He is the senior political correspondent over at National Review Online. 0:00:52.000 --> 0:00:53.960 Jim, Welcome to the Hue Hewitt Show. 0:00:55.840 --> 0:00:58.680 Good afternoon, Kirk, Happy impending new year. 0:00:58.720 --> 0:01:01.720 And I got to say, Suicide Commandos is my favorite 0:01:01.800 --> 0:01:02.640 James gunnfilm. 0:01:03.200 --> 0:01:07.440 Nice Nice, oh man. Jim. 0:01:07.680 --> 0:01:09.959 You and I have been good friends for a long time. 0:01:10.040 --> 0:01:13.040 We disagree on a lot of things about Donald Trump, 0:01:13.600 --> 0:01:19.040 but let me ask you something. You know, the vibe 0:01:19.080 --> 0:01:21.120 seems to be shifting here. And I wrote about this 0:01:21.200 --> 0:01:24.000 at town Hall the other day that the economic news 0:01:24.040 --> 0:01:27.600 is good, there are great things happening in foreign policy. 0:01:27.800 --> 0:01:31.160 We may very well see Maduro go down, followed by 0:01:31.160 --> 0:01:34.080 those sobs in Cuba, of which I have a personal 0:01:34.120 --> 0:01:37.840 interest in seeing, swinging from a lamppost. And it looks 0:01:37.920 --> 0:01:41.800 like Iran, where the IRGC is now using live ammunition 0:01:41.880 --> 0:01:44.320 to try and hold onto power that may fall too. 0:01:44.560 --> 0:01:50.840 If all that falls, Trump's gonna be looking pretty good, right, Kurt. 0:01:50.880 --> 0:01:52.559 Not only would he be looking pretty good, I would 0:01:52.560 --> 0:01:55.640 say he's the greatest neo conservative president of all time, 0:01:56.240 --> 0:02:04.680 taking mantle from George W. Bush Job semi seriously. I 0:02:04.880 --> 0:02:08.799 love Democrats and Republicans had said Iran must not have 0:02:08.919 --> 0:02:12.800 a nuclear program, and you know, year by year, decade 0:02:12.800 --> 0:02:16.200 by decade, the Iranians kept inching closer and closer, and 0:02:16.240 --> 0:02:18.000 what I think was probably one of the best decisions 0:02:18.040 --> 0:02:21.160 the president made all year. We did the bombing operation 0:02:21.360 --> 0:02:23.799 and it's now been set back probably at least two years. 0:02:23.960 --> 0:02:26.520 And the Iranian nuclear program is under a giant file 0:02:26.520 --> 0:02:27.000 of rubble. 0:02:27.440 --> 0:02:28.360 So there's that. 0:02:29.480 --> 0:02:31.360 So I'll give credit and for all of this, you know, 0:02:31.480 --> 0:02:35.919 the if Maduro goes down by the way, the earlier 0:02:35.960 --> 0:02:40.160 this week, the Iranian Supreme Ayatola said that we were 0:02:40.200 --> 0:02:42.000 in a state of total war with them. 0:02:42.320 --> 0:02:46.120 Kurt, had you noticed, oh well, I think I would 0:02:46.120 --> 0:02:47.680 have noticed a state of total war. 0:02:48.080 --> 0:02:50.080 And I don't think it says. 0:02:49.880 --> 0:02:53.079 Something if like Iran has not been in the news 0:02:53.120 --> 0:02:56.440 since the bombing operation about halfway through the year. 0:02:56.960 --> 0:02:58.320 Every once in a while they come out and they 0:02:58.400 --> 0:02:59.400 rattle the saber and. 0:02:59.520 --> 0:03:00.440 And all that stuff. 0:03:00.480 --> 0:03:03.200 But really this is actually like, yeah, it is just 0:03:03.200 --> 0:03:05.440 an observation that they need to remind to the world. 0:03:05.560 --> 0:03:08.240 Oh no, we're still fighting the Great Satan. We haven't 0:03:08.240 --> 0:03:11.920 stopped that one bit. And you know, what we're seeing 0:03:12.000 --> 0:03:14.399 right now reminds me a bit of two thousand and nine, 0:03:14.600 --> 0:03:16.639 the Green Revolution, the uprising there. 0:03:16.720 --> 0:03:18.160 The president of Alma did. 0:03:18.040 --> 0:03:20.920 Not take a very particularly strong stance of and effectively 0:03:21.000 --> 0:03:22.360 save the Iranian regime. 0:03:22.919 --> 0:03:24.560 I know Trump will not be doing the same. 0:03:24.840 --> 0:03:27.960 I hope the Iranian people can topple rulers who have 0:03:27.960 --> 0:03:30.239 been abusing them for a very long time. I'm not 0:03:30.240 --> 0:03:32.000 gonna get my hopes too high about this. We've seen 0:03:32.000 --> 0:03:34.359 this sort of thing happened before. But boy, would not 0:03:34.440 --> 0:03:36.680 be a wonderful way to ring in twenty twenty six with. 0:03:36.760 --> 0:03:40.080 Oh, I would love it. And frankly, the Iranians are 0:03:40.120 --> 0:03:44.320 building bridges to America right now. We have joined forces 0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:49.120 against Canada, which the Iranians just recently declared the Royal 0:03:49.200 --> 0:03:52.560 Canadian Navy to be a terrorist organization, So you know 0:03:52.600 --> 0:03:56.160 there's a shot at unity. But Jim, let me ask 0:03:56.160 --> 0:03:59.040 you some about this Somali fraud thing, because to me, 0:03:59.080 --> 0:04:02.080 it's the gift that on giving. It's a great big 0:04:02.880 --> 0:04:07.160 cactus thorn covered suppository for our Democrat friends going into 0:04:07.160 --> 0:04:08.080 twenty twenty six. 0:04:08.320 --> 0:04:09.720 How do you think this is going to play? 0:04:11.040 --> 0:04:11.240 Oh? 0:04:11.280 --> 0:04:13.440 Well, first of all, the very first thing that I 0:04:13.480 --> 0:04:15.920 ever wrote about Tim Walls, in fact, I went and 0:04:16.000 --> 0:04:18.800 looked it up July twenty ninth, twenty twenty four, and 0:04:18.880 --> 0:04:21.400 I said that there was no way Kamala Harris was 0:04:21.440 --> 0:04:24.680 going to pick Tim Walls, because the entire Minnesota state 0:04:24.720 --> 0:04:28.760 government had had one egregiously embarrassing fraud scandal after another, 0:04:29.320 --> 0:04:31.159 and no one in their right mind would ever pick 0:04:31.200 --> 0:04:34.120 Tim Walls because he's such a he's nowhere near prepared 0:04:34.120 --> 0:04:35.920 to be the next president of the United States. At 0:04:35.680 --> 0:04:40.039 heart a heartbeat away. Well, I completely erroneously botch that one. 0:04:40.080 --> 0:04:42.000 But Kurt, how much would you have been saying if 0:04:42.000 --> 0:04:44.360 I had said to you, by the time we get 0:04:44.360 --> 0:04:46.960 to the end of twenty twenty five on the Harris 0:04:47.040 --> 0:04:50.760 Walls campaign, Harris will be perceived as the smart one. 0:04:51.120 --> 0:04:53.720 Would you have taken that bet at any point in twenty. 0:04:53.440 --> 0:04:57.480 Twenty four I would have left money on the table. 0:04:57.560 --> 0:05:03.440 Jim Garrity of next Door Review on like, what's this 0:05:03.560 --> 0:05:07.000 strange new respect for Kamala Harris got maybe in comparison 0:05:07.080 --> 0:05:10.880 to Tim Walls, I don't understand it's leading a race. 0:05:12.080 --> 0:05:12.520 Such as it. 0:05:12.760 --> 0:05:15.120 Well, that's name recognition. I actually don't think that's a 0:05:15.120 --> 0:05:17.880 particularly a huge deal. One more point on Walls that 0:05:17.960 --> 0:05:20.800 I think was drastically undercovered, and it's not the biggest 0:05:20.839 --> 0:05:22.760 aspect of this, but I think it's a revealing one. 0:05:23.160 --> 0:05:25.960 Back in November, Minnesota's legislator has this thing called the 0:05:25.960 --> 0:05:28.360 Office of the Legislative Order, whose job is to audit 0:05:28.400 --> 0:05:31.200 state spending, and unsurprisingly it's one of the things that 0:05:31.240 --> 0:05:32.239 has found a bunch. 0:05:32.080 --> 0:05:33.000 Of these fraud scandals. 0:05:33.040 --> 0:05:36.200 Right, they did an audit of the offices of governor Walls, 0:05:36.240 --> 0:05:39.320 Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, right from twenty twenty two to 0:05:39.320 --> 0:05:42.640 the end of last year of twenty twenty four, basically 0:05:42.640 --> 0:05:44.719 looking at all kinds of spending, all kinds of basics, 0:05:44.800 --> 0:05:47.880 right and unsurprisingly, they found a whole bunch of errors 0:05:47.880 --> 0:05:49.320 and a whole bunch of things that were not taken 0:05:49.360 --> 0:05:53.240 care of in very basic stuff like keeping track of receipts, 0:05:53.839 --> 0:05:59.560 time sheets, holidayly if lee payments, adventory, reimbursements, and payments 0:05:59.560 --> 0:06:00.599 to vendors, all kinds stuff. 0:06:00.600 --> 0:06:03.520 And somebody might be like, oh, who cares about that stuff. 0:06:03.520 --> 0:06:06.720 That's you know, small potatoes compared to these billions of dollars. 0:06:06.720 --> 0:06:08.080 And I'm not going to disbute that, but I'm. 0:06:08.000 --> 0:06:11.040 Gonna observe, if you're the governor of Minnesota, how your 0:06:11.120 --> 0:06:14.960 office runs is one of the few things you absolutely control. 0:06:15.520 --> 0:06:17.080 This is not a matter of you have to work 0:06:17.120 --> 0:06:19.680 with the state legislature. This is the basic put it 0:06:19.680 --> 0:06:22.279 in terms he would understand. This is the basic blocking 0:06:22.320 --> 0:06:26.680 and tackling of management. And Tim Walls and his Lieutenant 0:06:26.720 --> 0:06:29.320 Governor Peggy flan again, who is running for Senate. 0:06:29.400 --> 0:06:30.760 Both were terrible at this. 0:06:31.360 --> 0:06:34.080 So it's not like, oh, we couldn't keep track of 0:06:34.080 --> 0:06:35.960 that stuff because you know, it was all in these 0:06:36.000 --> 0:06:37.840 office buildings far off of mini app. 0:06:38.120 --> 0:06:39.320 They couldn't keep track of. 0:06:39.200 --> 0:06:41.760 What was going on in their own office, which is 0:06:41.760 --> 0:06:44.400 like a demonstration. Like Tim Walsley, Boy, he's got that 0:06:44.520 --> 0:06:47.040 folkseness and he talks about how he knows how to 0:06:47.080 --> 0:06:48.240 fix the carburetor and all. 0:06:48.160 --> 0:06:50.280 That kind of stuff. He can't manage. 0:06:50.320 --> 0:06:52.080 And when I say he can't manage, I don't just 0:06:52.120 --> 0:06:54.280 mean he can't work with the legislature on running the 0:06:54.320 --> 0:06:57.839 executive branch. He can't manage things in his own office 0:06:58.120 --> 0:07:01.039 on Like, is everybody filling out their time sheets? Is 0:07:01.080 --> 0:07:03.960 everybody filling out the right paperwork for reimbursement? 0:07:04.040 --> 0:07:04.720 Like this is. 0:07:06.440 --> 0:07:08.640 Kurt, you're at a law firm. I am sure you 0:07:08.680 --> 0:07:10.559 had to do all this stuff. Yes, you were earning 0:07:10.560 --> 0:07:11.080 your law firm. 0:07:11.440 --> 0:07:14.760 I did, and I matched not that any fraudulate daycare 0:07:14.800 --> 0:07:16.200 centers in my general location. 0:07:17.440 --> 0:07:18.880 Right, Yeah, this is awesome. 0:07:19.040 --> 0:07:21.480 I'm going to guess almost everybody who's ever worked in 0:07:21.480 --> 0:07:22.400 an office has had. 0:07:22.280 --> 0:07:23.240 To do you know. 0:07:23.320 --> 0:07:25.600 Yeah, you gotta fill out your time sheet. Yeah, if 0:07:25.600 --> 0:07:26.880 you're a guy to leave, you gotta fill out the 0:07:26.920 --> 0:07:28.800 right kind of all this stuff is kind of basic, 0:07:29.080 --> 0:07:30.800 and none of this was taking care of that. You know, 0:07:30.960 --> 0:07:35.080 the report is out there, I'm posted on on state website, 0:07:35.480 --> 0:07:37.000 and it just is it just kind of struck me 0:07:37.000 --> 0:07:39.480 as an example of people who are on the left 0:07:39.480 --> 0:07:42.800 side of the spectrum have these grandiose desires of how 0:07:42.840 --> 0:07:46.120 government can take care of health care. They want to do, 0:07:46.440 --> 0:07:49.000 you know, obviously a grand expansion of childcare. 0:07:49.080 --> 0:07:49.160 Right. 0:07:49.400 --> 0:07:51.960 The government should take on bigger and more extensive roles 0:07:52.000 --> 0:07:53.360 in governments to take care of things. 0:07:53.480 --> 0:07:56.040 But they can't take care of the basics. And why 0:07:56.080 --> 0:07:56.920 are you asking. 0:07:56.680 --> 0:07:58.800 For more money from me and more authority over me 0:07:59.160 --> 0:08:00.800 if you can't take care of these basics. 0:08:01.040 --> 0:08:04.120 Yeah, I think it's uh. I mean, that's the purpose 0:08:04.120 --> 0:08:07.240 of the Democrat Party to generate money for its constituents 0:08:07.280 --> 0:08:11.840 so they stay loyal. Jim, we got out thirty seconds 0:08:11.920 --> 0:08:15.600 left right now, how do you think? How do you 0:08:15.640 --> 0:08:18.760 think twenty twenty six is gonna go in the mid terms. 0:08:19.080 --> 0:08:21.680 I'm kind of optimistic. I think if the economy's kicking, 0:08:21.960 --> 0:08:25.120 the Republicans could in fact increase their margin. 0:08:27.360 --> 0:08:29.680 I think it's gonna be rough. Part of it is 0:08:29.720 --> 0:08:33.640 the high retirement rate, the redistricting wars might mitigate that 0:08:33.720 --> 0:08:34.000 a bit. 0:08:35.559 --> 0:08:38.440 I think the Democrats may over interpret Mom Damie and 0:08:38.480 --> 0:08:41.000 nominate a bunch of you know, left wing nut jobs 0:08:41.000 --> 0:08:41.480 here and there. 0:08:41.559 --> 0:08:44.160 But look, it's a midterm It very rarely goes well 0:08:44.200 --> 0:08:46.760 to the president's party. So well, I'm not as optimistic 0:08:46.800 --> 0:08:47.000 as you. 0:08:47.160 --> 0:08:49.920 Bert Well, thank you, Jim Garrity. Happy new Year to 0:08:49.960 --> 0:08:52.000 you and your family. Always great to talk to my 0:08:52.080 --> 0:08:54.040 pal Jim here on the Hugh Quit Show. 0:08:54.080 --> 0:08:57.440 And guess it is Kurt Schlickter. We'll be right back. 0:09:01.559 --> 0:09:09.719 Tell me Welcome back to the Huhuitt Show and guesso s. 0:09:09.760 --> 0:09:13.400 Kurt Schlichter, author of the new book Panama Read the 0:09:13.520 --> 0:09:18.320 Ninth and mckelly turnbull People's Republic series of conservative action novels. 0:09:18.600 --> 0:09:22.120 People love it great ratings on Amazon. Go to Amazon 0:09:22.400 --> 0:09:27.600 get Panama Read. And by the way, that music, well, 0:09:27.640 --> 0:09:31.000 we're doing all Minneapolis Bumper music. Of course, that's the 0:09:31.160 --> 0:09:37.760 greatest band ever, Dwayne the Replacements with Unsatisfied, which is 0:09:38.120 --> 0:09:44.360 arguably their best song. It is a just terrific. If 0:09:44.400 --> 0:09:46.680 you want to not be unsatisfied, you've got to do 0:09:46.760 --> 0:09:51.520 things for other people. Okay, material stuff that's not going 0:09:51.559 --> 0:09:55.439 to satisfy you. What's going to satisfy you is helping others. 0:09:55.520 --> 0:09:56.240 And I've done it. 0:09:56.800 --> 0:09:58.199 I went out and I. 0:09:58.120 --> 0:10:02.040 Took the generous payment that I receive for doing these 0:10:02.080 --> 0:10:04.680 Guesso slots there on the Hu Huege Show, and I 0:10:04.800 --> 0:10:09.800 donated at all to Angel Tree. And now I'm going 0:10:09.840 --> 0:10:11.840 to ask you to do the same. We are in 0:10:11.880 --> 0:10:13.959 the last few days of the final week of twenty 0:10:14.000 --> 0:10:16.000 twenty five, so please take. 0:10:15.800 --> 0:10:16.360 A moment to. 0:10:18.640 --> 0:10:22.440 Think about helping with a generous gift to Angel Tree 0:10:22.520 --> 0:10:25.560 Christmas campaign. This year, men and women just like you, 0:10:25.600 --> 0:10:29.640 have donated enough for all of our Salem Radio Network 0:10:29.679 --> 0:10:32.400 talk shows to blest over sixteen thousand boys and girls 0:10:32.440 --> 0:10:35.840 on Christmas Morning, Kids with a mom or dad in prison. 0:10:36.640 --> 0:10:39.280 But remember the work of Prison Fellowship goes on all 0:10:39.360 --> 0:10:43.080 year round helping children are prisoners through their Angel Tree 0:10:43.160 --> 0:10:47.240 Camp program, Angel Tree Sports clinics, and other outreaches that 0:10:47.400 --> 0:10:51.840 your gifts make possible, helping to break the psycho of crime. 0:10:52.760 --> 0:10:55.120 If you'd like to make a donation, and I'd like 0:10:55.160 --> 0:10:57.520 you to make a donation, heck, I did you know. 0:10:57.559 --> 0:10:59.120 I'm a colonel. I don't ask you to do anything. 0:10:59.160 --> 0:11:02.120 I'm not doing, so go ahead and do it. You 0:11:02.160 --> 0:11:06.400 can land a great year in tax deduction. Just head 0:11:06.400 --> 0:11:09.600 over to the Hugh Hewitt dot COM's website click the 0:11:09.640 --> 0:11:12.160 angel Tree banner. It's right at the top. It's so simple. 0:11:12.880 --> 0:11:15.040 Anybody can do it. You don't even have to be tech. 0:11:15.080 --> 0:11:18.400 Satamy Huewitt dot com Angeltree banner right at the top. 0:11:19.840 --> 0:11:20.640 This Christmas. 0:11:20.840 --> 0:11:23.920 This Angeltree Christmas campaign is always a special project on 0:11:23.960 --> 0:11:27.280 our calendar. And we have such a heart for helping 0:11:27.400 --> 0:11:30.360 children with moms or dads in prison, and I know 0:11:30.440 --> 0:11:33.319 the audience does too. Thank you all for helping to 0:11:33.400 --> 0:11:35.880 show the love of Christ through your generous gifts to 0:11:35.960 --> 0:11:38.600 our friends at Prison Fellowship by going to Hugh Hewitt 0:11:38.640 --> 0:11:43.760 dot com clicking the Angeltree banner and also score yourself 0:11:43.760 --> 0:11:46.240 a year in tax deduction. You just got to do 0:11:46.280 --> 0:11:49.480 it before midnight tomorrow. Angeltree. I did it. 0:11:49.840 --> 0:11:55.120 You can do it too. Welcome back. 0:11:55.240 --> 0:11:57.959 I am guest host Kurt Schlickter, and I am joined 0:11:57.960 --> 0:12:00.480 here on the Huewit Show by David Drucker, the senior 0:12:00.520 --> 0:12:02.120 political writer at The Dispatch. 0:12:02.160 --> 0:12:03.800 You can follow him at David M. 0:12:03.920 --> 0:12:08.880 Drucker. David, Welcome to Hugh Hewitt Show. Good to see it, Kurt, 0:12:10.240 --> 0:12:16.840 I am positively giddy over this smally fraud ring thing 0:12:16.960 --> 0:12:23.319 that's happening up in Mogadisha, I mean Minneapolis. It validates 0:12:23.320 --> 0:12:28.080 the Republicans on immigration, on government corruption, on the inability 0:12:28.240 --> 0:12:34.480 of Blue officials to adequately manage government. It is a 0:12:34.520 --> 0:12:37.920 win win win for Republicans. Do you think I'm overplaying it? 0:12:39.760 --> 0:12:39.840 Well? 0:12:39.840 --> 0:12:41.520 I mean, I think it depends on how you're looking at. 0:12:41.600 --> 0:12:44.280 I mean, could it cause problems for Governor Walls in 0:12:44.320 --> 0:12:46.880 his re election in twenty twenty six. I mean, it's 0:12:46.880 --> 0:12:49.880 the kind of thing that should right. Whenever you're the 0:12:49.920 --> 0:12:54.040 chief executive in this level of corruption or fraud happens 0:12:54.040 --> 0:12:55.880 on your watch, you should be held. 0:12:55.720 --> 0:12:59.320 Responsible, responsible by the voters. That doesn't always happen these days. 0:12:59.320 --> 0:13:03.000 But we will see doesn't have legs beyond the many 0:13:03.200 --> 0:13:07.480 the Minnesota governor's race. I'm doubtful, but you know, we'll 0:13:07.480 --> 0:13:08.920 have to see. 0:13:09.840 --> 0:13:15.600 Well, David Drucker, I'm feeling a vibe shift here. I 0:13:15.600 --> 0:13:19.040 wrote that at town Hall on my Monday column. We 0:13:19.120 --> 0:13:24.400 have a Trafalgar report out polling fifty percent approval forty 0:13:24.480 --> 0:13:28.280 four percent disapproval for Trump. The Morning Console just came 0:13:28.320 --> 0:13:32.079 out with a poll has the economic indicators that the 0:13:32.360 --> 0:13:37.000 most optimistic numbers in five years. Gas prices are down, 0:13:37.040 --> 0:13:40.679 egg prices are down, meat price is still high. I 0:13:41.720 --> 0:13:44.600 think things are getting better for the Republicans. Is Trump's 0:13:44.600 --> 0:13:47.560 economic policies get online again? 0:13:47.640 --> 0:13:49.160 Am I lost? Am I misguided? 0:13:50.360 --> 0:13:50.480 Well? 0:13:50.520 --> 0:13:50.800 I don't know. 0:13:50.800 --> 0:13:51.679 Any We're gonna have to see. 0:13:51.720 --> 0:13:52.640 I mean, look, I'm polling. 0:13:53.200 --> 0:13:55.920 I pay attention to the averages, not any particular poll, 0:13:55.960 --> 0:13:57.880 whether you know, whether you like the poll or hate 0:13:57.880 --> 0:14:01.560 the poll. I just wouldn't pay attention to any one 0:14:01.640 --> 0:14:04.480 particular poll. But the averages, the real clear politics average 0:14:04.520 --> 0:14:06.240 is something to pay attention to. 0:14:07.000 --> 0:14:07.560 That's number one. 0:14:07.600 --> 0:14:09.040 I think number two just we're going to have to 0:14:09.080 --> 0:14:12.320 see in the polling how people feel about the economy. 0:14:12.360 --> 0:14:16.400 The indicators are less important than how people feel. They're 0:14:16.440 --> 0:14:19.640 important in that if the indicators are good, then you know, 0:14:19.760 --> 0:14:23.800 theoretically eventually people will feel good about the economy. But 0:14:23.880 --> 0:14:27.840 we've often seen the macro indicators at odds with people's 0:14:27.960 --> 0:14:30.760 you know, current lived experience. I mean that's that was 0:14:30.800 --> 0:14:33.720 true in twenty twenty four, when a lot of the 0:14:33.760 --> 0:14:36.840 macro indicators were good but people were unhappy about inflation, 0:14:37.560 --> 0:14:40.080 and that's one of the reasons why President Trump is 0:14:40.080 --> 0:14:40.960 back in the White House. 0:14:42.040 --> 0:14:43.880 So we're just going to have to see. 0:14:43.920 --> 0:14:48.600 I mean, from everything that we're seeing broadly, Democrats are 0:14:48.600 --> 0:14:51.040 still in a good position for the midterm elections, but 0:14:51.080 --> 0:14:54.600 it's very early. Things can change, and so let's see 0:14:54.640 --> 0:14:58.080 how voters feel about the president's handling of the economy, 0:14:58.440 --> 0:15:01.280 how they feel about the cost of living broadly, which 0:15:01.320 --> 0:15:03.880 is a bigger issue than just inflation and the price 0:15:03.920 --> 0:15:08.000 of groceries. It's been the biggest issue that they care 0:15:08.040 --> 0:15:10.680 about in every poll we've seen this year. But let's 0:15:10.720 --> 0:15:13.320 see how twenty twenty six looks. 0:15:13.080 --> 0:15:18.160 Well, David Drucker, you know, personnel, everything starts with people. 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:22.480 In twenty twenty six. In the midterms, it all starts 0:15:22.480 --> 0:15:24.520 with candidates. We have kind of an odd dynamic. We 0:15:24.560 --> 0:15:28.360 have a lot of Republicans, and not all of them, 0:15:28.760 --> 0:15:32.200 you know, the kind of soft establishment Republicans that drive 0:15:32.200 --> 0:15:35.560 me up a wall, but some harder ones are retiring. 0:15:36.640 --> 0:15:40.400 We were in the process of selecting some candidates. Democrats 0:15:40.400 --> 0:15:44.360 are too, but you know, it doesn't look like you know, 0:15:44.440 --> 0:15:46.880 it looks like they just threw away the Texas opportunity. 0:15:46.920 --> 0:15:49.680 I mean, Jasmine Crockett gets crushed no matter who wins 0:15:49.680 --> 0:15:53.720 in the primary there. How do you think the Propublicans 0:15:53.880 --> 0:15:57.120 are going to do as things start getting better with 0:15:57.280 --> 0:16:00.000 candidates selection? And how do you think the Democrats are 0:16:00.120 --> 0:16:02.120 going to do when they have pressure from the left 0:16:02.320 --> 0:16:04.680 with this Mondamie fascination. 0:16:06.440 --> 0:16:09.200 Yeah, look, you know from what we've seen so far, 0:16:09.400 --> 0:16:10.920 and here's what I would say. First of all, I 0:16:10.920 --> 0:16:15.560 wouldn't rule out James Tallerico in the Texas Democratic primary. 0:16:16.280 --> 0:16:19.040 He's definitely going to be more competitive than Jasmine Crockett. 0:16:19.400 --> 0:16:23.920 In my view, It's still a really tough race for Democrats. 0:16:24.720 --> 0:16:27.240 Whether the atmosphere is good for Democrats or bad for 0:16:27.960 --> 0:16:30.400 it's just a tough race for them in Texas. But 0:16:30.440 --> 0:16:32.880 Talla Rico certainly makes it a little bit more interesting. 0:16:33.440 --> 0:16:35.840 So let's see how that primary plays out. There are 0:16:35.840 --> 0:16:39.680 a lot of primaries coming up, and I'd say both parties, 0:16:39.800 --> 0:16:41.960 you know, have some good candidates, they have some clunkers. 0:16:42.040 --> 0:16:45.320 Let's see who wins these primaries, and that's going to 0:16:45.360 --> 0:16:48.320 tell us a lot about some of these races. In 0:16:48.360 --> 0:16:51.920 twenty twenty six, the Democrats managed to nominate some really 0:16:51.920 --> 0:16:54.680 good candidates for governor in Virginia and New Jersey in 0:16:54.760 --> 0:16:59.800 twenty twenty five. Right, And Mam Donnie is this is 0:16:59.840 --> 0:17:02.840 this odd bird in that he was a perfect fit 0:17:02.920 --> 0:17:07.240 for liberals in New York. We haven't yet seen replicas 0:17:07.240 --> 0:17:11.080 of him elsewhere. Both parties are going to face pressure 0:17:11.119 --> 0:17:13.680 from their wings. They always do, and so it's just, 0:17:13.800 --> 0:17:16.640 you know, it's just a matter of where these people win. Right, 0:17:16.680 --> 0:17:20.520 If you nominate somebody like Maundani in Virginia New Jersey, 0:17:20.560 --> 0:17:22.720 you have problems. If you nominate him in New York City, 0:17:22.800 --> 0:17:24.800 not a problem. And I could say that about you know, 0:17:25.400 --> 0:17:28.040 center right candidates as well. There are certain red states 0:17:28.080 --> 0:17:31.320 or red districts where you can have everything as a 0:17:31.440 --> 0:17:33.919 you know, conservative or a populist that you ever wanted 0:17:33.960 --> 0:17:36.400 in somebody. But in a swing district you want somebody 0:17:36.440 --> 0:17:38.080 who's broad a repeal. We're just gonna have to see 0:17:38.119 --> 0:17:38.800 how it plays out. 0:17:38.960 --> 0:17:41.879 Well, David Drucker, I'm actually a little concerned about one 0:17:41.880 --> 0:17:44.720 of the points that you raised. I don't think that 0:17:44.920 --> 0:17:49.960 the governor candidates in New Jersey or Virginia were particularly 0:17:50.000 --> 0:17:54.439 exceptional at all, and they just crushed the Republican was 0:17:54.480 --> 0:17:57.840 that part of the zeitgeist at the time. Was it 0:17:57.880 --> 0:18:00.400 that they face bad candidates? And I don't think the 0:18:00.480 --> 0:18:03.080 New Jersey candidate was bad. I think the Virginia candidate 0:18:03.119 --> 0:18:06.080 was bad. I'm kind of worried. 0:18:07.560 --> 0:18:10.280 I was in New Jersey and then the Republican nominee 0:18:10.320 --> 0:18:12.920 there was a good candidate that the Republican nominee in 0:18:12.960 --> 0:18:15.600 Virginia was particularly weak. But I would say span Burger 0:18:15.640 --> 0:18:18.280 and Cheryl were both exceptional candidates who have a lot 0:18:18.280 --> 0:18:21.200 of real life skill. They talked about the number one 0:18:21.240 --> 0:18:24.040 thing that voters wanted to talk about, and that was 0:18:24.080 --> 0:18:28.200 affordability and their concerns and pressures about the cost of living. 0:18:28.840 --> 0:18:30.399 They did a very good job. 0:18:30.640 --> 0:18:33.480 Doesn't mean that they would make stellar presidential candidates, I 0:18:33.520 --> 0:18:36.440 don't know, but they were very good gubernatorial candidates. 0:18:36.440 --> 0:18:37.879 I've covered them for quite a while. 0:18:38.359 --> 0:18:40.959 I covered Spanburger's first race for the House of Representatives 0:18:40.960 --> 0:18:44.480 in twenty eighteen. A lot of good political instincts, a 0:18:44.480 --> 0:18:48.520 lot of broad appeal to swing voters and soft partisans. 0:18:48.800 --> 0:18:53.320 They ran really solid races. I had some criticisms of 0:18:53.400 --> 0:18:55.920 span Burger in terms of how she handled the trans 0:18:56.720 --> 0:19:00.720 trans women and women's sports issue, but they ended up 0:19:00.800 --> 0:19:03.679 running strategically the race they needed to run, and she 0:19:03.720 --> 0:19:06.359 didn't just win, she crushed. But I'd say that she 0:19:06.480 --> 0:19:08.760 deserves some of the credit there. Cheryl deserves a lot 0:19:08.760 --> 0:19:11.360 of the credit. So don't feel that bad. 0:19:11.400 --> 0:19:12.399 I guess that is what I'm saying. 0:19:14.000 --> 0:19:16.879 Well, David M. Drunker, Happy New Year. It is always 0:19:16.920 --> 0:19:19.120 great to talk to you. When I Kurt Schlicker get 0:19:19.119 --> 0:19:21.919 to guest. Ho's here on the Hugh Hewitt Show. I 0:19:21.960 --> 0:19:23.800 want you to stick around. We have a lot more 0:19:23.800 --> 0:19:28.720 to come. Welcome back to Hugh Hewitt Show. I'm guest 0:19:28.760 --> 0:19:32.280 Hos Kurt Schlicker. Yeah, I was an Army colonel. I'm 0:19:32.280 --> 0:19:35.040 a senior commentence at town Hall dot com and the 0:19:35.119 --> 0:19:38.800 author of Panama Red, which you should go get at Amazon. 0:19:39.160 --> 0:19:40.840 And of course for about thirty years I was a 0:19:40.840 --> 0:19:45.200 trial lawyer. But you know, when I had a First 0:19:45.240 --> 0:19:47.360 Amendment case, I wasn't going to take on myself. 0:19:47.480 --> 0:19:48.200 Who did I call? 0:19:48.840 --> 0:19:52.919 I called the best First Amendment best political lawyer I 0:19:53.040 --> 0:19:57.280 knew anywhere, and that's har Meat Dylan. Harmeat Dylan is 0:19:57.400 --> 0:20:01.920 now the Assistant Attorney General for so Rights and she's 0:20:01.960 --> 0:20:03.360 joining us on the Hugh Hewitt Show. 0:20:03.440 --> 0:20:04.520 Hi, Harmy, how are you doing. 0:20:05.840 --> 0:20:07.080 I'm great, Thanks for having me. 0:20:07.160 --> 0:20:08.919 Kurt, Well, I have to ask you. 0:20:09.000 --> 0:20:11.679 I keep seeing on Twitter all these people who have 0:20:12.080 --> 0:20:15.320 your wonderful knit caps, and I'm wondering what I have 0:20:15.400 --> 0:20:19.240