WEBVTT - John Thomas on the state of the Governor's Race 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:03.240 And we continue at two o five in the afternoon 0:00:03.320 --> 0:00:07.360 on The John Phillips Show, broadcasting live from San Francisco. 0:00:08.160 --> 0:00:10.440 Mister Randy Wiggs in Culver City. 0:00:10.280 --> 0:00:14.800 Still hurts John. We have breaking news coming out of CNN. 0:00:15.080 --> 0:00:19.160 The former staffer who accused Eric Swalwell of raping her 0:00:19.720 --> 0:00:22.840 is cooperating with the Manhattan DA's investigation. 0:00:24.760 --> 0:00:27.280 He could end up sharing a cell with Harvey Weinstein. 0:00:27.560 --> 0:00:32.000 Oh boy, I think he's at Rikers Island, isn't he. 0:00:35.240 --> 0:00:35.760 I think so. 0:00:37.800 --> 0:00:39.240 Yeah, that doesn't sound like fun. 0:00:39.520 --> 0:00:41.640 Do you think if this thing goes to trial there's 0:00:41.680 --> 0:00:47.639 going to be artists renderings of his genitals? Well, if 0:00:47.680 --> 0:00:51.840 there is, I would imagine that some of our listeners 0:00:51.920 --> 0:00:55.000 are going to recreate it and then email it to us. 0:00:55.480 --> 0:00:58.240 I was just thinking about that with that Weinstein one 0:00:58.320 --> 0:00:58.760 was great. 0:00:59.520 --> 0:01:03.640 Well read it from Sunland and she must have come 0:01:03.720 --> 0:01:07.160 up with seven or eight drawings, and some of them, 0:01:07.720 --> 0:01:12.880 some of them I considered hanging in my house. Now. 0:01:12.920 --> 0:01:19.080 They were extremely explicit for all the wrong reasons. But 0:01:19.480 --> 0:01:26.760 art is art, Randy, and sometimes you don't argue with art. 0:01:28.120 --> 0:01:30.880 Eight hundred two two two five two two two is 0:01:30.880 --> 0:01:33.680 a telephone number one eight hundred two two two five 0:01:33.760 --> 0:01:36.520 two two two. It is our pleasure to welcome our 0:01:36.520 --> 0:01:39.560 next guest to the program. He is a Republican political 0:01:39.560 --> 0:01:42.600 strategist too. You can follow on exit the Thomas Guide, 0:01:42.880 --> 0:01:44.679 John Thomas Welcome. 0:01:45.200 --> 0:01:46.399 Hey John, great to be with you. 0:01:47.400 --> 0:01:50.160 Well, if we were chatting three weeks ago, we would 0:01:50.200 --> 0:01:53.240 be talking about Eric Swalwell being the front runner for 0:01:53.400 --> 0:01:59.600 governor in California. But oh boy, have the tides turned now. 0:02:00.320 --> 0:02:04.840 According to the buzz, Javier Bessera is the new it 0:02:05.080 --> 0:02:08.840 girl and is the new candidate that the Democratic Party 0:02:08.960 --> 0:02:13.040 establishment is considering getting behind to try to save the 0:02:13.080 --> 0:02:15.359 party from Katie Porter and Tom Steyer. 0:02:15.840 --> 0:02:20.640 Your thoughts on that, well, it's it's interesting to watch 0:02:20.720 --> 0:02:25.040 this that Swalwell, really, in any. 0:02:24.800 --> 0:02:26.960 Other competitive race. 0:02:26.960 --> 0:02:29.840 Should never have been in such a strong position. But 0:02:29.919 --> 0:02:33.799 I think the rally behind Swalwell originally John was more 0:02:33.840 --> 0:02:38.000 of a reflection of establishment Democrats like Adam Schiff and 0:02:38.040 --> 0:02:44.160 others loathing Katie Porter and distrusting Tom Steyer, and Swalwell 0:02:44.280 --> 0:02:47.600 was the only one left around. And then, of course 0:02:47.800 --> 0:02:51.440 I think all the insiders knew that he was a creep. 0:02:51.480 --> 0:02:54.320 I just don't think they recognized he was a rapie creep, 0:02:54.360 --> 0:02:58.680 and so that became politically problematic for them. And here 0:02:58.720 --> 0:03:02.480 and here we are. But what what an interesting rise 0:03:02.720 --> 0:03:05.960 that Bessarah is now in a position of strengths because 0:03:06.000 --> 0:03:09.040 let's not forget John he was nowhere just a couple 0:03:09.080 --> 0:03:12.680 of weeks ago, and he's done nothing to justify the rise. 0:03:13.720 --> 0:03:18.040 So I remain slightly skeptical that he's going to be 0:03:18.120 --> 0:03:22.120 the guy because let's not forget Tom. Syers dropped one 0:03:22.280 --> 0:03:25.200 hundred and thirty million so far into this race, and 0:03:25.240 --> 0:03:28.600 Besarah's at a couple of million. Seems like it's going 0:03:28.639 --> 0:03:32.000 to be a little harder to keep that stickiness that 0:03:32.400 --> 0:03:35.040 that Sarah seems having in the polls through election day. 0:03:36.280 --> 0:03:38.880 Let's talk about Tom Steier because one of the things 0:03:38.920 --> 0:03:41.520 that you do is part of your job as a strategist, 0:03:41.720 --> 0:03:45.120 is part of getting someone elected to an office that 0:03:45.160 --> 0:03:47.800 they're running for, is you have to package them in 0:03:47.840 --> 0:03:52.200 a way to voters that makes them attractive. And one 0:03:52.280 --> 0:03:55.400 of the things that the Stier campaign has done when 0:03:55.440 --> 0:03:58.720 you look at his ads is they portray him as 0:03:58.840 --> 0:04:04.000 this guy who is is swearing and cursing and bede 0:04:04.120 --> 0:04:08.800 pressing and superhero like and he's going to take on 0:04:08.840 --> 0:04:12.160 the Trump administration, and he's going to put Ice in prison, 0:04:12.680 --> 0:04:15.160 and he's going to march into Sacramento like a bull 0:04:15.240 --> 0:04:18.279 in a china shop and no one's going to stop him. 0:04:18.920 --> 0:04:21.440 And then you see him on stage at the debate, 0:04:22.160 --> 0:04:25.080 and he looks like an old man wearing tennis shoes 0:04:25.080 --> 0:04:27.719 in an old folks home. So he doesn't trip and 0:04:27.760 --> 0:04:31.279 break a hip, and he's kind of confused at times, 0:04:31.360 --> 0:04:35.040 mixing things up, and he certainly looks like a deer 0:04:35.400 --> 0:04:38.000 in the cotton the headlights at times when he's asked 0:04:38.000 --> 0:04:43.360 something he's not being expecting to be asked. It doesn't 0:04:43.400 --> 0:04:46.599 match with the packaging of the candidate. When you actually 0:04:46.640 --> 0:04:50.960 see him perform in a debate, he's quiet. He is 0:04:51.000 --> 0:04:54.520 someone who doesn't seem totally sure of himself. He is 0:04:54.560 --> 0:04:58.520 certainly not the ass kicker that they portray in the ads. 0:05:00.279 --> 0:05:02.719 That's problematic, and you're right, John, I mean, just in 0:05:02.800 --> 0:05:06.839 advertising in general, that I learned way back in my 0:05:07.320 --> 0:05:10.120 collegiate days when I was studying advertising, that a brand 0:05:10.279 --> 0:05:14.200 is a promise of consistency, and that means a consistent 0:05:15.080 --> 0:05:18.680 message and a consistent image across channels, and so that 0:05:18.839 --> 0:05:22.960 disconnect between the TV ads that they've framed stier as 0:05:23.760 --> 0:05:28.520 and the debate performances, and to the degree that Sire's 0:05:28.560 --> 0:05:31.320 on the trail, you know, the experience that real voters 0:05:31.360 --> 0:05:33.520 are having with him, there is a disconnect. But I 0:05:33.600 --> 0:05:36.200 know why that they frame Sire is this tough guy, 0:05:36.240 --> 0:05:39.440 and it's because it's the same reason Gavin Newsom is 0:05:39.440 --> 0:05:42.279 portraying himself as a tough guy. Because the number one 0:05:42.360 --> 0:05:45.159 thing that Democrats say they want right now is a fighter, 0:05:45.320 --> 0:05:48.560 a fighter against Donald Trump, and so they're trying to 0:05:48.600 --> 0:05:54.920 fit Stire into that bold and on TV it's okay, 0:05:55.480 --> 0:05:59.200 but it's not authentically true. And I think that's why 0:05:59.240 --> 0:06:02.840 you're seeing Styre kind of hovering in the teens and 0:06:02.880 --> 0:06:06.120 not running away with this race, despite the fact that 0:06:06.160 --> 0:06:07.880 he's outspent everybody tenfold. 0:06:09.480 --> 0:06:13.039 Katie Porter seemed very shaky at the debate when she 0:06:13.240 --> 0:06:16.600 was asked about how she treated that staffer when she 0:06:16.680 --> 0:06:18.679 told the staffer to get out of a reference shod. 0:06:19.440 --> 0:06:23.479 She certainly had it in for Julie Watts of CBS News. 0:06:23.520 --> 0:06:26.360 He's going to be moderating the next debate in Claremont 0:06:26.440 --> 0:06:29.680 next week, who was the one that she didn't like 0:06:29.720 --> 0:06:32.039 the line of questioning, and she threatened to get up 0:06:32.080 --> 0:06:35.320 and walk off the set and end the interview right there. 0:06:35.920 --> 0:06:39.480 And she had a prepackaged answer clearly where she blamed 0:06:39.520 --> 0:06:43.040 Donald Trump as if Donald Trump is responsible for her 0:06:43.120 --> 0:06:46.880 having a short fuse. But whatever, that's how she decided 0:06:46.920 --> 0:06:50.960 to answer the question. There are rumors that are swirling, 0:06:51.440 --> 0:06:55.080 rumors that come from the via Goosa camp from Michael Trehillo, 0:06:55.120 --> 0:06:58.000 who's a strategist to has worked with Via Ragosa for years, 0:06:58.480 --> 0:07:02.839 that there are more tapes involving Katie Porter being abusive 0:07:03.240 --> 0:07:06.760 that are going to be released before the election. If 0:07:06.760 --> 0:07:11.160 you're Katie Porter, is that catastrophic for you? Or do 0:07:11.280 --> 0:07:15.680 you think people understanding that you're an abusive person is 0:07:15.760 --> 0:07:18.440 already baked into the cake and it's not going to 0:07:18.480 --> 0:07:20.560 move the needle much one way or the other. 0:07:22.080 --> 0:07:25.040 Well, I think the shakiness is probably a side effect 0:07:25.080 --> 0:07:28.040 of all the ozembic that she's chewing during these debates, 0:07:28.080 --> 0:07:32.200 because there's something else with that transformation. But aside from that, 0:07:33.120 --> 0:07:36.760 it is her achilles heel. And it's kind of like 0:07:36.880 --> 0:07:40.119 on the flip side of Tom Steyer in the sense 0:07:40.160 --> 0:07:44.280 of everybody knows Katie Porter does have a decent amount 0:07:44.320 --> 0:07:46.920 of name id and the ret and their suspicion and 0:07:46.960 --> 0:07:50.680 their fear about Katie Porter is that she's not like us. 0:07:50.760 --> 0:07:56.160 She's not a nice person, she doesn't care about everyday Californians, 0:07:55.280 --> 0:08:00.880 And every time something authentically pops up her screaming at 0:08:00.880 --> 0:08:06.080 a staffer, it undermines her entire brand persona and it 0:08:06.960 --> 0:08:11.360 causes the ads not to land. So one more video drop, 0:08:11.520 --> 0:08:16.040 I mean, that's about it. Although I think it's tough 0:08:16.080 --> 0:08:19.080 for Katie because she's run before and she's fairly well known. 0:08:19.400 --> 0:08:22.680 I think her ceiling for this race is pretty much 0:08:22.760 --> 0:08:25.880 what it's been in the other Democrats and the other 0:08:25.960 --> 0:08:29.880 races she's run statewide, which is probably what fifteen to 0:08:29.880 --> 0:08:35.040 seventeen percent, And so I just think she's probably not 0:08:35.080 --> 0:08:37.800 going to get there anyway. John. But if another video 0:08:38.000 --> 0:08:41.880 comes out that confirms to voter suspicions about what they 0:08:41.960 --> 0:08:44.160 think to be true, which is she's not a nice person, 0:08:44.280 --> 0:08:47.280 she doesn't care about us, that's it for Katie Porter. 0:08:49.120 --> 0:08:51.439 If you took a look at the focus groups or 0:08:51.480 --> 0:08:54.840 the snappolls, whatever you want to call them, after the debate, 0:08:55.280 --> 0:08:57.520 they all said pretty much the same thing, which is 0:08:57.520 --> 0:09:01.079 that Matt mahon performed the best. To my eye, Matt 0:09:01.080 --> 0:09:04.559 Mayheon had a very good night. What I can't figure 0:09:04.640 --> 0:09:09.240 out is where the votes are for Matt Mayheon. It 0:09:09.320 --> 0:09:12.000 seems to me like he's sticking his pull in a 0:09:12.040 --> 0:09:15.200 pond that doesn't have any fish in it. He's talking 0:09:15.240 --> 0:09:18.800 to Democrats who believe that the state of California is 0:09:18.880 --> 0:09:23.080 run very poorly, and that Gavin Newsom has failed the 0:09:23.160 --> 0:09:29.200 state in terms of homelessness and crime and inefficiency and waste, 0:09:29.360 --> 0:09:32.679 fraud and abuse and fill in the blank. I know 0:09:32.720 --> 0:09:36.040 a lot of Republicans who that argument resonates with. But 0:09:36.120 --> 0:09:38.800 Republicans are going to vote for one of the Republican candidates. 0:09:39.080 --> 0:09:40.920 I don't know Republican is going to vote for one 0:09:40.920 --> 0:09:44.160 of the Democrats. I'm sure they exist, I don't know them. 0:09:44.640 --> 0:09:47.800 I don't know any Democrats who feel that way. The 0:09:47.840 --> 0:09:50.679 Democrats I know are all ginded up right now about 0:09:50.720 --> 0:09:54.319 Donald Trump. That's what they care about. Some of them 0:09:54.320 --> 0:09:57.040 are ginned up about Ice, but mostly a hatred for 0:09:57.120 --> 0:10:01.720 Donald Trump. And I just don't see a huge population 0:10:01.840 --> 0:10:05.480 of people out there in the Democratic Party who are 0:10:05.600 --> 0:10:08.960 furious at how the state is run and they want 0:10:09.000 --> 0:10:11.440 someone to be better than Gavin Newsom. 0:10:11.640 --> 0:10:16.480 In that regard, your analysis I think is completely correct. 0:10:16.600 --> 0:10:19.480 He's kind of caught in the middle of no man's 0:10:19.559 --> 0:10:22.640 land here. The partisans are going to take their corners 0:10:22.880 --> 0:10:25.800 and there's not a lot of room left for Matt. 0:10:25.840 --> 0:10:30.360 And let's not forget you know, in politics generally, debates 0:10:30.440 --> 0:10:34.200 you don't win elections, and debates you can only lose them. 0:10:34.360 --> 0:10:39.840 So they're really more risk mitigation exercises than opportunities to 0:10:40.480 --> 0:10:43.280 make a name for yourself. And so while Matt I 0:10:43.280 --> 0:10:45.800 think did do a good job at the debate, he 0:10:45.880 --> 0:10:50.319 needs more than a debate to catapult him into relevancy. 0:10:50.720 --> 0:10:54.040 And again, his messaging is exactly what you said, and 0:10:54.280 --> 0:10:59.640 it just doesn't fit with the anger of the average Democrat, 0:10:59.760 --> 0:11:02.960 which really is wrapped around Donald Trump. That's why, even 0:11:03.000 --> 0:11:05.040 though what you said about Sire is true, he's kind 0:11:05.040 --> 0:11:08.160 of a milktost meek guy. It's the reason his ad 0:11:08.160 --> 0:11:11.439 team is making him try to put him as a 0:11:11.440 --> 0:11:15.360 as an anti Trump crusader. It's why Eric Swollwell did 0:11:15.400 --> 0:11:17.400 as well as he did for so long, because he 0:11:17.480 --> 0:11:21.160 was authentically thought to be anti Trump and in the 0:11:21.200 --> 0:11:23.520 fight and if you don't check that box, and I 0:11:23.559 --> 0:11:27.240 think the Sarah is a wobbler at best at checking 0:11:27.280 --> 0:11:27.720 that box. 0:11:27.720 --> 0:11:29.520 But if you don't. 0:11:28.880 --> 0:11:31.880 Moderately at least check that box, you're not going to 0:11:31.960 --> 0:11:35.640 generate the intensity that you need to pop into high high, 0:11:35.880 --> 0:11:38.520 you know, into double digits to win this race. And 0:11:38.760 --> 0:11:41.520 so I just I think Matt Mayhon is kind of 0:11:41.559 --> 0:11:45.600 a tech bro billionaire's dream that's never going to see reality. 0:11:46.480 --> 0:11:50.520 If the Democratic Party walks away from this week's debate 0:11:50.600 --> 0:11:54.600 with the assessment that Bisarah just doesn't have it, that 0:11:54.679 --> 0:11:56.319 he's not going to be the guy that's going to 0:11:56.360 --> 0:11:59.920 take him to the Promised Land, do they give Anti, 0:12:00.000 --> 0:12:04.199 Toni olvir Rigosa and Tony Thurman a second look. Who 0:12:04.240 --> 0:12:07.000 are the remaining Democrats and single digits who were not 0:12:07.160 --> 0:12:10.680 invited to that debate? Or do they just accept the 0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:15.160 inevitability of either Katie Porter or Tom Steyer or Matt Mayhean. 0:12:17.280 --> 0:12:19.640 I think they accept the inevitability. I mean, you can't 0:12:19.679 --> 0:12:23.000 breathe life into a campaign that's sitting at one percent 0:12:23.160 --> 0:12:26.199 or two percent. It's just there's almost no amount of 0:12:26.720 --> 0:12:29.959 sheer will that'll get that done. So I think the 0:12:30.280 --> 0:12:32.680 real tell of the establishment is that they if they 0:12:32.760 --> 0:12:36.320 start kind of cozying up to a Tom Styer, I 0:12:36.360 --> 0:12:40.199 think that that starts to become like an I'm sorry coalition. 0:12:40.720 --> 0:12:42.959 Try to make sure that they're not heads, aren't on 0:12:43.000 --> 0:12:46.160 the chopping block if Tom's the guy. But I just 0:12:46.280 --> 0:12:51.000 struggle to see a path if you're sitting at one 0:12:51.080 --> 0:12:53.400 or two percent. I mean, Antonio is really such a 0:12:53.440 --> 0:12:58.040 fascinating character, because you know, he's had a pretty distinguished 0:12:58.080 --> 0:13:02.200 elected career, and yet no one cares about him in 0:13:02.280 --> 0:13:03.319 this race for governor. 0:13:04.800 --> 0:13:08.240 Let's move on to the Republicans, because I thought that 0:13:09.120 --> 0:13:14.000 Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County, was magnificent when 0:13:14.040 --> 0:13:18.319 the subject was public safety, when the subject was law 0:13:18.440 --> 0:13:22.320 enforcement oriented, he knew more than anyone else on that stage, 0:13:22.320 --> 0:13:25.520 and he should He's worked in that industry his entire life. 0:13:25.920 --> 0:13:28.720 But he had a real knowledge, he had a real passion, 0:13:28.880 --> 0:13:31.880 and I thought that that came through he was shakier 0:13:31.920 --> 0:13:36.080 on other subjects. He certainly is conservative, he certainly knows 0:13:36.280 --> 0:13:39.840 how he sees the world, but in terms of the details, 0:13:40.440 --> 0:13:42.600 you could tell he was more of a big picture 0:13:42.679 --> 0:13:46.760 guy on issues that don't involve law enforcement. Steve Hilton 0:13:47.040 --> 0:13:49.720 was more of a policy wonk than the other candidates. 0:13:49.720 --> 0:13:52.960 He certainly had more details in his answers to the 0:13:53.040 --> 0:13:55.880 questions that were asked of him. But if you were 0:13:55.920 --> 0:13:58.679 to ask me which one of them did better than 0:13:58.720 --> 0:14:02.320 the other, I would say they pretty much battled it 0:14:02.360 --> 0:14:06.200 out to a draw, which, if you're the California Republican Party, 0:14:06.440 --> 0:14:09.640 is exactly what you want because you want your voters 0:14:09.679 --> 0:14:12.200 to split their vote fifty to fifty between the two. 0:14:14.160 --> 0:14:17.559 Yeah, that's that is right. I think from an electoral standpoint, 0:14:18.320 --> 0:14:20.160 I thought Steve Hilton was a little bit more on 0:14:20.200 --> 0:14:22.560 a performative level, a little bit better. You know, he 0:14:22.600 --> 0:14:24.120 had a little bit more. You can see he has 0:14:24.160 --> 0:14:27.720 more experience and TV time, But there certainly was no standout, 0:14:28.440 --> 0:14:30.960 which you're right, it will the race will kind of 0:14:31.120 --> 0:14:35.440 continue to be split. I think that the biggest thing 0:14:35.480 --> 0:14:39.680 that might not split the race is Trump's endorsing Hilton. 0:14:39.800 --> 0:14:42.480 I mean, that's that's a pretty big hand on the 0:14:42.600 --> 0:14:46.720 lever to low information Republican voters. I guess the question is, 0:14:46.760 --> 0:14:49.000 you know, can stee can Steve does he have the 0:14:49.080 --> 0:14:53.560 resources to message Republicans loudly enough to let them know 0:14:53.600 --> 0:14:57.240 If he doesn't, it might still remain kind of a 0:14:57.280 --> 0:14:59.920 perfect storm as we see this kind of milk till 0:15:00.120 --> 0:15:02.920 crew that there's just no standout at this point. 0:15:03.840 --> 0:15:07.000 It seems like the Democrats I know are scared to 0:15:07.160 --> 0:15:10.800 death that the Republicans will lock the Democratic Party off 0:15:10.840 --> 0:15:13.920 the November ballot, and that that is something that they 0:15:13.960 --> 0:15:17.200 are legitimately concerned about, not just the party itself, the 0:15:17.240 --> 0:15:21.840 California Democratic Party and its chairman Rusty Higgs, but Democratic 0:15:21.920 --> 0:15:26.800 voters seem to legitimately be terrified of that result. When 0:15:26.800 --> 0:15:30.520 I talked to Republicans, it seems like the Republicans I 0:15:30.560 --> 0:15:33.680 know think that's a pipe dream that's never going to happen. 0:15:34.040 --> 0:15:36.960 Stop talking that way. We're never going to get a 0:15:37.040 --> 0:15:40.680 Republican governor in California in our lifetime. We're certainly never 0:15:40.680 --> 0:15:43.160 going to get two on the ballot in November. Just 0:15:43.280 --> 0:15:46.000 accept the inevitability that it's going to be a Republican 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:49.920 versus a Democrat. It's so strange to me that the 0:15:49.960 --> 0:15:53.960 Republicans I talk to are so pessimistic of that happening, 0:15:54.480 --> 0:15:57.880 and the Democrats, who are also pessimistic and think it's 0:15:57.920 --> 0:16:01.360 absolutely going to happen. Less they step in and whack 0:16:01.400 --> 0:16:03.000 another one of their own candidates. 0:16:04.640 --> 0:16:09.480 It is a really interesting dynamic. I think it might 0:16:10.000 --> 0:16:12.840 speak to more like the core traits between the parties. 0:16:13.080 --> 0:16:16.040 Democrats seem to kind of get in line, you know, 0:16:16.200 --> 0:16:19.240 for the good of the party a little bit faster 0:16:19.440 --> 0:16:22.920 than Republicans kind of march to their own dramas. It 0:16:23.000 --> 0:16:26.880 reminds me, John of how all the Democrats overnight coalesced 0:16:26.960 --> 0:16:29.880 around Kamala Harris and Joe Biden need to you know, 0:16:30.360 --> 0:16:32.560 stepping down, and yet there was not a peep of that, 0:16:33.080 --> 0:16:36.560 you know, until after the debate performance, and they kind 0:16:36.560 --> 0:16:40.160 of got in line, whereas Republicans kind of remain a 0:16:40.200 --> 0:16:43.240 little bit more skeptical and they're going to do what 0:16:43.320 --> 0:16:45.640 they want to do. And look, if you're a Republican 0:16:45.680 --> 0:16:47.600 in the state of California, John, you know, you have 0:16:47.680 --> 0:16:51.040 you have PTSD from not winning any statewide elections for 0:16:51.320 --> 0:16:54.280 so many years. It's just kind of like labor at 0:16:54.320 --> 0:16:58.440 this point. But I wish Republicans would actually sit there 0:16:58.480 --> 0:17:00.760 and figure out how do we electioneer this thing, because 0:17:01.240 --> 0:17:06.440 although not terribly likely, it is possible that two Republicans 0:17:06.520 --> 0:17:09.679 go to the next round, and that is the only 0:17:09.800 --> 0:17:13.679 pathway to a Republican taking that office. If it is 0:17:13.680 --> 0:17:15.360 an R and a D go on in the next round, 0:17:15.440 --> 0:17:18.879 there is just no way that did a Republican survive. 0:17:19.000 --> 0:17:21.560 So if Republicans really wanted it, I'm sure. And if 0:17:21.560 --> 0:17:24.320 you ask a Republican would you take a Bianco or 0:17:24.359 --> 0:17:28.160 would you take a Hilton over any Democrat? Of course 0:17:28.160 --> 0:17:32.879 they would say yes. So I wish the State Republican 0:17:32.920 --> 0:17:35.680 Party did a better job messaging that, but that they 0:17:35.680 --> 0:17:36.720 really haven't at this point. 0:17:37.480 --> 0:17:41.120 Let's talk about the dog that didn't bark. Had Kamala 0:17:41.160 --> 0:17:44.320 Harris jumped into this race, I do not believe this 0:17:44.359 --> 0:17:47.160 would be a competitive race that anyone was talking about 0:17:47.240 --> 0:17:50.639 right now. Yet she took forever to decide that she 0:17:50.800 --> 0:17:53.600 wasn't going to run, and that's in part why we 0:17:53.680 --> 0:17:56.040 have the mess that we have on our hands today. 0:17:59.000 --> 0:18:02.080 I totally agree with that. Well, Kamala would have won 0:18:02.160 --> 0:18:04.959 this in a walk. I mean, it wouldn't even been close. 0:18:05.040 --> 0:18:07.280 Her name, her name, I d she would have put 0:18:07.320 --> 0:18:12.159 together the endorsements, she checks the kind of identity politics box, 0:18:12.200 --> 0:18:16.919 and of course she's a proven strong fundraiser, so she 0:18:16.960 --> 0:18:19.000 would have sucked all the auction out of the room 0:18:19.240 --> 0:18:21.359 as it relates to money, and it would have just 0:18:21.359 --> 0:18:25.359 been a coronation. So she completely screwed the Democratic Party 0:18:25.600 --> 0:18:29.879 by selfishly waiting, and quite frankly, John, she screwed herself 0:18:30.359 --> 0:18:33.920 because the governor's race, I believe was their only pathway 0:18:33.920 --> 0:18:37.480 to electoral politics again. She will never be president, she 0:18:37.520 --> 0:18:39.840 will never be appointed as a vice president again. 0:18:40.160 --> 0:18:40.560 So if she. 0:18:40.600 --> 0:18:44.439 Wanted back in the game, why not take you know, 0:18:44.520 --> 0:18:48.119 the brass ring, which is the governor of California. And 0:18:48.160 --> 0:18:50.320 it just made no sense. The only reason I could 0:18:50.359 --> 0:18:53.840 figure she didn't want it is because she's just too 0:18:54.000 --> 0:18:56.880 dumb to realize she can't hand or maybe she's too 0:18:56.880 --> 0:19:00.240 wise to recognize that that's a real job and she's 0:19:00.280 --> 0:19:04.359 not ready for that responsibility. Ah, It's it's befuddling to me. 0:19:04.560 --> 0:19:06.399 But it would have been hers in a walk had 0:19:06.440 --> 0:19:07.080 she wanted it. 0:19:08.440 --> 0:19:12.119 John Thomas, Republican political strategist. You can follow him on 0:19:12.560 --> 0:19:15.880 x at the Thomas Guide. John Thomas, thanks so much 0:19:15.920 --> 0:19:17.760 for stopping by, Have a wonderful weekend. 0:19:18.359 --> 0:19:18.960 Thanks again. 0:19:19.800 --> 0:19:22.800 Eight hundred two two two five two two two is 0:19:22.840 --> 0:19:26.240 the telephone number one eight hundred two two two five 0:19:26.320 --> 0:19:29.000 two two two If you'd like to email the show, 0:19:29.040 --> 0:19:31.280 you can do so at Johnny don't like show at 0:19:31.320 --> 0:19:34.920 gmail dot com. That's Johnny. Don't like show at gmail 0:19:35.080 --> 0:19:37.600 dot com. And Randy, if you want to listen to 0:19:37.680 --> 0:19:39.960 us all weekend long, that's easy to do too. 0:19:40.440 --> 0:19:42.919 You can download all the podcasts of this show, like 0:19:43.000 --> 0:19:45.920 the twelve o'clock hour we talked about. Pamela Price is 0:19:46.080 --> 0:19:50.400 Eric Swawell hotline. I'm really proud of the description. In 0:19:50.440 --> 0:19:54.200 her latest desperate attempt to stay relevant, recalled DA, Pamela 0:19:54.280 --> 0:19:58.240 Price wants to exploit sexual abuse survivors to get attention 0:19:58.400 --> 0:20:00.760 for her ill fated bid to get her job back. 0:20:02.680 --> 0:20:05.760 Eight hundred two two two five two two two is 0:20:05.880 --> 0:20:09.320 telephone number one. Eight hundred two two two five two 0:20:09.440 --> 0:20:11.919 two two. If you'd like to email the show, you 0:20:11.960 --> 0:20:14.360 can do so at Johnny don't like show at gmail 0:20:14.440 --> 0:20:18.600 dot com. That's Johnny. Don't like show at gmail dot com. 0:20:19.040 --> 0:20:20.719 Let's go to Joe and Zanta Monica. 0:20:20.960 --> 0:20:25.320 Joe, Hello, Hey, Thanks, I want to thank you and 0:20:25.840 --> 0:20:31.960 Randy and Susan Shelley and John Capaul and I get 0:20:32.119 --> 0:20:35.160 kind of emotional about this that I'm so happy that 0:20:35.160 --> 0:20:39.919 that petition to help save Proposition thirteen or help to 0:20:40.040 --> 0:20:44.560 strengthen it and keep it vital as it is, is 0:20:44.640 --> 0:20:46.240 going to be on the ballot. 0:20:46.480 --> 0:20:49.199 And I just want to thank you for that. The 0:20:49.320 --> 0:20:56.159 only I think I went around trying to get petitions 0:20:56.200 --> 0:21:02.959 to take for Proposition nine team to remove that the 0:21:03.000 --> 0:21:10.520 property tax problem where if your parent died, the property 0:21:11.320 --> 0:21:14.399 tax would be based on the time when your parent 0:21:14.640 --> 0:21:19.000 died if you were to inherit that instead of the 0:21:19.000 --> 0:21:23.000 way Proposition thirteen had it, where it would just continue 0:21:23.040 --> 0:21:28.119 to go on. When I did that petition, people would 0:21:28.119 --> 0:21:33.720 look at me and they couldn't believe. They the glassy eye. 0:21:33.800 --> 0:21:36.879 They couldn't believe that there was such a law that 0:21:36.960 --> 0:21:43.800 would do that. And I just know that I'm glad 0:21:43.840 --> 0:21:46.840 it's on the ballot, but there are people out there 0:21:46.880 --> 0:21:50.240 that don't even know what Proposition thirteen is, and we 0:21:50.359 --> 0:21:54.159 just need to continue to pound it out there and 0:21:56.440 --> 0:22:02.480 just make people aware of the ballot initiative so it passes. 0:22:02.920 --> 0:22:05.840 So thanks for listening, and thanks for all you do. 0:22:06.960 --> 0:22:09.040 Well, thank you so much for the call. And Randy, 0:22:09.080 --> 0:22:11.080 you and I were out in Long Beach, we were 0:22:11.119 --> 0:22:15.399 in Sherman Oaks. We went all over collecting signatures for 0:22:15.480 --> 0:22:19.680 this initiative to protect Prop thirteen, and it is exciting 0:22:19.720 --> 0:22:21.840 to know that we have an opportunity to do that 0:22:22.080 --> 0:22:23.320 on the ballot November. 0:22:23.640 --> 0:22:26.000 It qualified for the ballot, so you're going to be 0:22:26.000 --> 0:22:27.560 able to vote on it. And in case you need 0:22:27.560 --> 0:22:30.600 a refresher on what this does, it makes it so 0:22:30.960 --> 0:22:35.359 there's no longer such thing as a citizen initiative tax 0:22:35.480 --> 0:22:39.280 increase that you only need fifty one percent support to pass. 0:22:39.800 --> 0:22:42.639 The whole thing is Prop thirteen made it. If you 0:22:42.720 --> 0:22:47.040 increase any taxes, you need two thirds approval from the voters. 0:22:47.080 --> 0:22:50.320 You need real buy in, and they came up with 0:22:50.359 --> 0:22:53.280 this loophole through the courts called well if the government 0:22:53.320 --> 0:22:56.080 doesn't put it on the ballot, but a union does, 0:22:56.560 --> 0:22:59.879 it cuts a different threshold. This would restore that, but 0:23:00.119 --> 0:23:05.960 it would also repeal and refund any real estate transfer 0:23:06.080 --> 0:23:11.960 taxes like Measure ULA, the initiative passed in twenty twenty 0:23:12.000 --> 0:23:14.920 two that was billed as the Mansion Tax that turned 0:23:14.960 --> 0:23:18.240 out to also give a five percent tax on all 0:23:18.320 --> 0:23:22.320 multifamily dwellings, which has actually made it almost impossible to 0:23:22.359 --> 0:23:25.840 build apartment buildings in the city of Los Angeles. If 0:23:25.880 --> 0:23:30.639 that passes, not only does ula get immediately repealed, But 0:23:30.760 --> 0:23:35.400 the City of LA will owe people millions and millions 0:23:35.400 --> 0:23:38.040 of dollars that they will have to refund and it's 0:23:38.160 --> 0:23:40.680 not going to look good for them at all. That's 0:23:40.680 --> 0:23:42.679 a reason to vote yes right there. 0:23:43.520 --> 0:23:47.280 In addition to having the opportunity to protect Proposition thirteen 0:23:47.960 --> 0:23:51.000 will also be asked to vote on initiatives that involve 0:23:51.160 --> 0:23:52.840 Uber and ride share companies. 0:23:53.920 --> 0:23:58.520 That initiative is something that you're going to see a 0:23:58.560 --> 0:24:03.080 couple of right share initiatives, because there's one to regulate 0:24:03.160 --> 0:24:05.959 Uber and there's one that Uber's putting on the ballot 0:24:06.000 --> 0:24:09.200