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Speaker 1: I told you that there were going to be some

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Speaker 1: cases where I wanted to be spending time interviewing governor

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Speaker 1: in the big States. Just got done with one of

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Speaker 1: the candidates in California. You've heard from some Florida candidates. Well,

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Speaker 1: let's talk Texas. Right, State Representative Gina Heinosa is the

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Speaker 1: leading Democratic candidate for governor in Texas. You've heard me say,

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Speaker 1: you know, there's all this focus on on that Senate

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Speaker 1: race and yet I kind of think if Texas Democrats

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Speaker 1: are ever going to sort of break through, it may

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Speaker 1: be on state issues that particularly the issue of education,

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Speaker 1: which is exactly how Democrats broke through in Kansas. It's

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Speaker 1: exactly likely. Why what we'll explain if Democrats win the

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Speaker 1: governor's mansion in Iowa, the sort of this national move

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Speaker 1: towards privatization, voucherization, whatever you want to call it, is

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Speaker 1: one of those that there's a lot of rural conservatives

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Speaker 1: who are like, yeah, school choice sounds great. The next

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Speaker 1: school to choose from is thirty mins away type of mindset.

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Speaker 1: So it is the idea and the reality. It is

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Speaker 1: that nexus that has really opened the door in many

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Speaker 1: of these red states for potential upsets on the Democratic

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Speaker 1: side of the isle. And the issue of education is

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Speaker 1: going to be front and center in this campaign. And

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Speaker 1: Gina you know so, state representative who has been sort

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Speaker 1: of I'm gonna let her tell her origin story, but education,

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Speaker 1: the education issue, the school choice issue, in many ways

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Speaker 1: her political origin story. And she joins me, now, state

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Speaker 1: representative you know so, welcome to the podcast.

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Speaker 2: Thank you check it's great to be here, and please

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Speaker 2: just call me Gina Fair enough.

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Speaker 1: Well, Gina, let me just look. I don't I can

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Speaker 1: tell your story, but you know, you tell me what

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Speaker 1: you know? What got you active in politics is? I

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Speaker 1: love school board origin stories when it comes to politics.

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Speaker 1: It's been one of my favorite I've interviewed. I've done

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Speaker 1: all I used. I love to do exit interviews when

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Speaker 1: people to choose to retire. And I remember I interviewed

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Speaker 1: this one member of Congress, republican member of Congress from California,

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Speaker 1: and I said, so, what got you into politics? He says, well,

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Speaker 1: I didn't like that they read threw the boundaries and

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Speaker 1: I was really upset about it. So I ran, I won,

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Speaker 1: and then I found out the school board had nothing

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Speaker 1: to do with the boundaries. It was like the funniest story,

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Speaker 1: but it was sort of like, that's what made me

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Speaker 1: get active in politics, and that's it is for a

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Speaker 1: lot of people. It's your kids.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it's your first time.

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Speaker 1: That you really interact with government. So tell the origin story.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so I can sent in you just from everything

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Speaker 2: you said. An education nerd like me, and I love it, Chuck,

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Speaker 2: So I am an accidental education nerd. I just I'm

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Speaker 2: a parent, right, and I'm a parent with kids who

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Speaker 2: had kids in public schools. I still have a son

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Speaker 2: in public school. But when my first child was in kindergarten,

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Speaker 2: his school was threatened for closure. And this school was

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Speaker 2: the longest continually operating in the whole state of Texas.

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Speaker 2: Peas Elementary as stone's throw from the state's capital, a

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Speaker 2: beloved school in this community. And so when his school

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Speaker 2: was running foreclosure, along with many others, I just got mad.

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Speaker 2: And this is how much I never wanted to run

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Speaker 2: for office. So before I got married, I made my

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Speaker 2: husband promise to never run for office, because he had

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Speaker 2: been working for a senator in law school and so

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Speaker 2: we'd like to talk about it, but he said, like, no,

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Speaker 2: just make this promise, and so he did. So that's

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Speaker 2: how much I didn't want to be part of You.

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Speaker 1: Weren't going to marry somebody who was interested in politics.

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Speaker 3: That's right. So anyway, I ran and I won, and.

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Speaker 2: It was part of this grassroots effort in the community

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Speaker 2: to save our schools, and we did.

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Speaker 3: We flipped the.

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Speaker 2: School board and none of the schools were closed.

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Speaker 3: And there and I loved being on the school board.

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Speaker 2: I recommend it to people who want to serve and

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Speaker 2: who have an interest in we all in the education

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Speaker 2: of our kids. But there I understood that the reason

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Speaker 2: why our schools are threaten for closures because the state

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Speaker 2: under Greg Abbott's leadership, takes our money and then doesn't

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Speaker 2: put it back into our community needs and schools are.

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Speaker 3: The school issue.

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Speaker 2: Demonstrates better, I think than almost any other issue how

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Speaker 2: that is working. I ran for the Texas House one

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Speaker 2: and this was almost ten years ago, so this is

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Speaker 2: my first my fifth term in the Texas House, and

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Speaker 2: I've mostly focused on public schools. Though when you are

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Speaker 2: a House member, you have to know about everything, right,

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Speaker 2: kind of everything under the sun you have to vote on.

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Speaker 2: But what I have found after almost ten years in

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Speaker 2: the Texas House is that the bigger, biggest driver of

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Speaker 2: policy in Texas is corruption. And it's not necessarily illegal corruption.

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Speaker 2: It's just a friend of the governors hire as a

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Speaker 2: former lobbyist to get at our taxpayer dollars and most

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Speaker 2: of the big bills we've vote on, our vendor contracts

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Speaker 2: that go to friends of Greg Abbott, right, and it's

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Speaker 2: really gross, and especially when it comes to our.

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Speaker 1: Public school I heat it's on this cynical you know,

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Speaker 1: you're describing pretty much every part time legislator legislature situation

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Speaker 1: in the country. This is why I'm very much a

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Speaker 1: skeptic of part time legislature in general. But you're describing

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Speaker 1: very you know. I just it's funny. And more people

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Speaker 1: are getting or noticing this. Columbia, South Carolina's got a

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Speaker 1: huge sort of there. More of these stories are coming

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Speaker 1: out about how all of this has been political consultants

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Speaker 1: and vendors using the legislative process to essentially make money

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Speaker 1: off of the government.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 2: I had a former legislator sum it up this way.

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Speaker 2: Most legislators in Texas are either independently wealthy, they're supported

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Speaker 2: by their spouse, or they're on the take.

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Speaker 3: And I find that too.

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Speaker 1: It's kind of depressing.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, is depressing. So anyway, well we digress, go, Yes,

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Speaker 3: we digress.

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Speaker 2: So and it's especially gros when you think about our schools,

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Speaker 2: right because we've been an exodus of teachers leaving the classroom.

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Speaker 2: They're not paid, en up, they're not respected. We've had

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Speaker 2: in my community now there are ten schools slated foreclosure.

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Speaker 2: Two days ago, I was in Corpus CHRISTI They've got

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Speaker 2: seven schools slated for closure.

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Speaker 1: Is this due to low enrollment? What is the reasoning

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Speaker 1: for it? Is there an enrollment? Is it low enrollment?

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Speaker 1: Is this? Is it basically because people are using the

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Speaker 1: state vouchers.

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Speaker 2: To move to private The biggest reason is budget cuts.

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Speaker 2: So Greg Abbott first rolled out his voucher scam in

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Speaker 2: twenty twenty three. And you should know about Texas that

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Speaker 2: public schools are very much a part of who we

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Speaker 2: are as Texans. They are our identity. It is about

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Speaker 2: Friday night lights and many of our rural communities. It's

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Speaker 2: the samest, bigger, biggest employer. Think of it almost like

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Speaker 2: the Chamber of Commerce in these.

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Speaker 1: Rules, will can I just make one observation? It seems

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Speaker 1: like any community can declare itself an independent school district,

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Speaker 1: right like it? Yeah, there's sort of as it's a

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Speaker 1: weird I will be it. Does you know it doesn't

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Speaker 1: feel like it breaks on county lines? Right, it's suddenly right, suddenly,

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Speaker 1: Oh there's a new housing development. Welcome to the independent

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Speaker 1: school District of Frisco, you know, or something like that.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, that is true. We do have a lot of

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Speaker 3: school districts.

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Speaker 2: But what has happened since in twenty twenty three? The

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Speaker 2: governor held hostage school funding in exchange to try to

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Speaker 2: get his voucher scam passed. It didn't work, but meanwhile

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Speaker 2: our schools went without funding. And this was at a

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Speaker 2: time of record inflation. And so fast forward to today,

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Speaker 2: our schools have about ten billion dollars less in buying

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Speaker 2: power than they did in twenty nineteen because of inflation

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Speaker 2: and because we're so far behind and funding our schools.

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Speaker 2: We're one of the bottom funded states when it comes

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Speaker 2: to public education in the whole country. I think bottom

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Speaker 2: last I knew it was bottom three. So that's why

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Speaker 2: that is the biggest reason why our schools are shutting down.

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Speaker 2: And so to think that where a lot of our

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Speaker 2: money is going is these vendor contracts for nonsense that

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Speaker 2: we don't need, is really insulting. And this is an

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Speaker 2: observation that goes beyond partisanship. I had a press conference

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Speaker 2: for a bill that I filed this here to do well,

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Speaker 2: and I think, check, maybe you know this, but helped

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Speaker 2: me remember if you can to do zero based budgeting.

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Speaker 2: That was associated with the big maybe in the nineties,

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Speaker 2: maybe it was New Gingridge, I don't remember who, but

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Speaker 2: it was a big Republican policy approach to wipe the

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Speaker 2: slate clean in spending and then build what's important prioritized.

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Speaker 1: Oh, it was back when trying to like they were

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Speaker 1: pushing for balanced budget amendment nationally, and they were, of course,

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Speaker 1: I mean that debt was a huge issue to them

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Speaker 1: at that time.

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Speaker 2: And here the issue and here it fits so well,

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Speaker 2: I believe because we've had thirty years of one party

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Speaker 2: in control and so there's been no accountability when it

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Speaker 2: comes to our spending. There is so much grift that

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Speaker 2: is now baked into the system that we just need

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Speaker 2: a fresh start.

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Speaker 3: So I followed a bill to do that.

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Speaker 2: With our education dollars at the state level, and I

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Speaker 2: was surrounded only by mothers who had voted for Trump.

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Speaker 3: Right.

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Speaker 2: They were maga moms who understand that our money is

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Speaker 2: being wasted because of these vendor contracts with Greg Abbott's friends,

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Speaker 2: and they stood side by side with me at a

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Speaker 2: press conference at the Capitol and support. These were also

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Speaker 2: allied that I had made in this voucher fight, which

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Speaker 2: is one big grift, right. Greg Abbott in twenty twenty

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Speaker 2: three ended up pursuing vouchers for the first time ever.

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Speaker 2: It was a big shock to put the people who

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Speaker 2: have been observing politics and Texas for a long time

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Speaker 2: because it's so anti Texan and so deeply unpopular. But

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Speaker 2: he got a six million dollar check from Jeff yaz

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Speaker 2: an At, a state billionaire from Pennsylvania who was pushing

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Speaker 2: vouchers and so and now like and we've already had

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Speaker 2: stories about grift happening in this voutuer program that has

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Speaker 2: an even started. Right, So that's what this is. It's

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Speaker 2: taking our taxpayer dollars and spending them in a way

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Speaker 2: where there's no transparency, no accountability, and a lot of

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Speaker 2: Republicans are against it. To your point about how education

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Speaker 2: vouchers can be the issue that cuts through partisanship, I

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Speaker 2: saw it here in Texas in a big way.

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Speaker 1: I think the difficulty with the education issue is twofold

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Speaker 1: one is we're all experts, right, because either we have

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Speaker 1: a kid in school, I'm an expert. Right. It's the

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Speaker 1: same with healthcare. Right. Why is it so hard to

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Speaker 1: get sort of big ideas to sort of both lower

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Speaker 1: the cost of healthcare and expand coverage because it's such

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Speaker 1: a personal issue, right, just like education is so personal.

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Speaker 1: So take the school funding issue. Look, you got on

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Speaker 1: you were fighting. You were upset that money from Austin

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Speaker 1: was not staying in Austin. Now one could argue that

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Speaker 1: you want to make sure everybody has got an equal

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Speaker 1: you know, has an equal access to good education. How

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Speaker 1: do you feel about that recapture system that Texas uses

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Speaker 1: in general? Are you in favor of it or are

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Speaker 1: you not liking it right now because of how it's

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Speaker 1: currently being managed.

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Speaker 2: You are an education nerd, aren't you.

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Speaker 1: Well, it's because these are well it is. Look, I'll

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Speaker 1: just be honest. I think it's one of these. You know,

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Speaker 1: sometimes when we look at a we talk about our

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Speaker 1: national problems, like what should be our focus? Like we

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Speaker 1: have the same public school funding model and public school

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Speaker 1: model that was first developed right at the beginning of

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Speaker 1: the industrial age, and we have not modernized. You know

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Speaker 1: the reason, Like I am empathetic to people that are

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Speaker 1: pro voucher because they just have given up. They're like, well,

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Speaker 1: the system's not going to fix this, So can I

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Speaker 1: at least how can I help my kid now? Right?

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Speaker 1: So I get it right, I understand this isn't working.

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Speaker 1: I want this now. You know, when you look at

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Speaker 1: it from a big picture, you're really lies you know,

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Speaker 1: if we vaucherize everything, then we're just going to have this.

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Speaker 1: You know, we're going to gut the middle class, We're

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Speaker 1: going to gut the working class because they can't all

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Speaker 1: afford to just go find a perfect education for their kid.

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Speaker 1: So this is always why it's such I think, you know,

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Speaker 1: extraordinarily hard, and you know and and all that. So

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Speaker 1: I guess the what's a what's ah, We've got to

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Speaker 1: remodel this system. So what are your thoughts of remodeling

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Speaker 1: this system?

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Speaker 2: Okay, well let me answer it, because I don't.

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Speaker 3: I didn't know through.

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Speaker 1: Seven questions in there. Let's do recapture first.

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Speaker 2: Okay, recapture. So I'm originally from South Texas, from the

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Speaker 2: Rio Grande Valley where there is a lot of poverty.

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Speaker 2: I grew up and I went to public school in Brownsville,

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Speaker 2: right the southernmost tip of Texas. And yeah, we went without, right,

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Speaker 2: and that shouldn't happen. So I do believe conceptually in

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Speaker 2: the recaptures this equalize everybody should get a good education,

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Speaker 2: regardless of the wealth of your community. I think that

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Speaker 2: is right. Well we have now, and so I have

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Speaker 2: this jar. Can you see this star I'm gonna make

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Speaker 2: my point with this star. You should have a water bottle,

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Speaker 2: but I just have crap all over this computer right now,

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Speaker 2: and right now I have a jar. So this is

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Speaker 2: what's happening. Though with that recapture system. The state is saying,

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Speaker 2: this is only how much you can spend on public education,

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Speaker 2: so they are suppressing and the amount and we can

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Speaker 2: spend on our students. And this big jar, that's all

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Speaker 2: the money that is coming from our property taxes. So

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Speaker 2: you pour it into what can be spent on education

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Speaker 2: for everybody, regardless whether they're a property wealthy or property

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Speaker 2: poor school district, and most of it falls out and

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Speaker 2: all that money is being spent on nonsense, and it

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Speaker 2: is not education. It's spent on all sorts of other things.

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Speaker 2: Because now I'm getting really nerdy.

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Speaker 3: And into the weed.

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Speaker 2: It's which I should not do, in which my team

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Speaker 2: is going to get mad at me for. But it

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Speaker 2: is state dollars are fungible, right, So they just don't

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Speaker 2: put in the state dollars they would otherwise put into education,

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Speaker 2: and they use our property taxes instead.

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Speaker 3: And what we have is everybody.

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Speaker 2: Is struggling when it comes to our neighborhood public schools,

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Speaker 2: and schools are shutting down and teachers are leaving.

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Speaker 1: There's a conundrum here. The Texas is very low in funding,

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Speaker 1: as you've pointed out, very low in teacher salaries, but

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Speaker 1: student outcomes are good. What's your explanation. Why do you

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Speaker 1: think that is?

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Speaker 2: Well, I think it depends how you look at it, right.

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Speaker 2: I will say that when when we have looked at

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Speaker 2: the only comparitor that I know on outcomes are NATE scores,

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Speaker 2: and I I don't know that I can tell you

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Speaker 2: what NAPE stands for right now, National Assessment.

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Speaker 3: I'm making that up.

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Speaker 2: So we refer to it as NAPE scores, and it

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Speaker 2: is a kind of snapshot of different schools in different states,

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Speaker 2: and they compare them all together. Our NAPE scores have

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Speaker 2: either been have mostly been decreasing when you look at Texas. Okay,

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Speaker 2: So so I would I will say, you know, there

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Speaker 2: we have some some schools where they are achieving at

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Speaker 2: a very high level. They make some top one hundred lists.

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Speaker 2: I think that happened recently. But when you look overall

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Speaker 2: at our out at our outcomes, they're not better, and

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Speaker 2: in fact, in many areas they are worse and I

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Speaker 2: and I think we just have to get back to

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Speaker 2: the basics. And that is something where I have found

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Speaker 2: agreement with Republicans, kind of getting back to basics. What

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Speaker 2: do we know as our rocket science? What's the best

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Speaker 2: thing we can do for our kids' education? A great

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Speaker 2: teacher in the classroom, right but to pay their teachers

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Speaker 2: their worth, we have to treat them like professionals.

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Speaker 3: We just passed.

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Speaker 2: Legislation I hated about two years ago to create this

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Speaker 2: can curriculum where teachers are timed, their lesson plans are

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Speaker 2: sequenced and timed, and there's very little freedom for them

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Speaker 2: to be the professionals that we expect them to be.

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Speaker 2: Where they assess where my kids, how do I differentiate?

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Speaker 2: Where do I slow down? Where do I press on

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Speaker 2: the gas? Like we're throwing that out the window. It

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Speaker 2: was an almost billion dollar bill, a big grift.

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Speaker 3: In my opinion.

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Speaker 2: But if we gave teachers the respect they deserve, the professional,

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Speaker 2: treat them as the professionals, and the pay, that's the

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Speaker 2: single best improvement we can have in our classroom and

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Speaker 2: smaller classes right now. Class sizes are too big in

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Speaker 2: many of our schools, and that makes it harder just

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Speaker 2: to teach kids.

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Speaker 1: think any tax dollars should be used for private or

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Speaker 1: propial schools?

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Speaker 3: No, I do not.

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Speaker 2: With one exception that is already that already exists in

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Speaker 2: federal law, and a lot of people don't know about it.

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Speaker 2: There are some times when the child has some kind

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Speaker 2: of disability where the public school cannot meet the need,

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Speaker 2: and federal law requires that the school district interview that family,

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Speaker 2: understand those needs, and help place that family in a

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Speaker 2: private school and funding those to that private school. Usually

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Speaker 2: the state will flip the bill for that.

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Speaker 1: But this is if public school system can't can't deal

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Speaker 1: with it. Maybe maybe you've got a learning challenge or

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Speaker 1: you know whatever, it is a behavioral issue or something

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Speaker 1: like that, and you need special sort of special attention.

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Speaker 2: Right. Yeah, So that I think is something probably that

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Speaker 2: we should be doing more of in Texas.

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Speaker 3: I will say that a lot of.

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Speaker 2: Frustration when it comes to our public schools, and especially

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Speaker 2: in the past when it was less clear that it

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Speaker 2: was about funding, is that special education is very expensive,

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Speaker 2: and I think too often kids aren't getting what they

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Speaker 2: need because the systems are just trying to sustain themselves

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Speaker 2: and so their requests for accommodations or their requests for

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Speaker 2: help are being or not being met.

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Speaker 1: Well, this is where the federal This is the one

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Speaker 1: place where federal government has tried to be involved in

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Speaker 1: the public schools, is that in theory they were to

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Speaker 1: try to at least share the burden. If you've got

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Speaker 1: a you know, severely autistic student who just you know,

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Speaker 1: I've got this in my family, you know, they just

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Speaker 1: need five extra years in the school system, five or

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Speaker 1: six extra years and then over time they you know,

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Speaker 1: I think what we're learning the good news is the

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Speaker 1: more we learn about these about autism, the more is that,

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Speaker 1: you know, you just need longer to process. Sometimes you

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Speaker 1: need not everybody is going to get through the system

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Speaker 1: in twelve years. But that's where the federal government was

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Speaker 1: supposed to backstop with the Department of Education.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and I agree with that. And in Texas it

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Speaker 2: got so bad. The special education system was so bad

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Speaker 2: that even Betsy Devas had to step in and hold

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Speaker 2: Texas accountable under Greg Abbott because we were cutting The

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Speaker 2: state under Abbot, under his tea commissioner was cutting corners

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Speaker 2: and not identifying kids who deserved more legally entitled to

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Speaker 2: a special education because it's expensive. Right, So when Betsy

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Speaker 2: Devas has to come into your state and say your

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Speaker 2: special education system is broken, I mean there were real

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Speaker 2: problems and there still are big problems.

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Speaker 1: Where are you on charters in magnets And I say this,

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Speaker 1: I grew up in Miami and I hate what's happened

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Speaker 1: to the Miami Dade school system. It is now a

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Speaker 1: four tiered system. There's there's privates, there's those that can

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Speaker 1: navigate to find out if their kid belongs in a magnet,

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Speaker 1: you know, a specialization program. There's your charters, and then

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Speaker 1: there's those that can't figure out the system. And you

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Speaker 1: go to your local school and you and you hope

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Speaker 1: you've hit the the geographic lottery. And it's a mess.

435
00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:30,199
Speaker 1: It's really hard to navigate. But all these charter schools

436
00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:32,960
Speaker 1: are most of them are started with in good faith

437
00:25:33,560 --> 00:25:36,640
Speaker 1: right there there, there are good you know, and they're

438
00:25:36,840 --> 00:25:40,080
Speaker 1: kind of quasi public. Where are you on that system?

439
00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:42,720
Speaker 1: And I think Houston has done a lot of this right.

440
00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:46,920
Speaker 2: Right, And you know, the Houston Independent School District was

441
00:25:46,960 --> 00:25:51,159
Speaker 2: taken over by Greg Abbott and that's others another can of.

442
00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:53,560
Speaker 3: Worms, congregization and serious.

443
00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:58,760
Speaker 2: So probably nobody has been a grade at our champion

444
00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:02,840
Speaker 2: and holding charter schools accountable than I have in the legislature.

445
00:26:03,880 --> 00:26:07,560
Speaker 3: But I wouldn't. But this is what my concern is.

446
00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:10,480
Speaker 2: But my concern is to your point, it is a

447
00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:17,440
Speaker 2: parallel school system that is taking resources from our neighborhood

448
00:26:17,480 --> 00:26:19,600
Speaker 2: public schools, but it doesn't take all kids.

449
00:26:19,920 --> 00:26:20,639
Speaker 3: Is the problem?

450
00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:23,040
Speaker 1: Right and right?

451
00:26:23,240 --> 00:26:26,480
Speaker 2: And so what happened, what has been happening in Texas

452
00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:30,200
Speaker 2: is that the charter schools will take the kids who

453
00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:35,440
Speaker 2: don't have disciplinary problems. They take the easier who don't

454
00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:38,520
Speaker 2: need a special education, the kids who are easier to educate.

455
00:26:38,840 --> 00:26:38,959
Speaker 1: Right.

456
00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:41,720
Speaker 2: Well, I'll tell you that both of my sons have

457
00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:44,280
Speaker 2: been to the principal's office because I am their mother

458
00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:48,320
Speaker 2: and I had it coming. And so there are charter

459
00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:51,920
Speaker 2: schools that would not take these kids who had been

460
00:26:52,760 --> 00:26:55,639
Speaker 2: even just going to the principal's office and they were

461
00:26:55,720 --> 00:27:00,320
Speaker 2: denied admission. I got past this year legislation. I said

462
00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:04,440
Speaker 2: you cannot discriminate against kids because of their disciplinary records.

463
00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:08,320
Speaker 2: But that's just one example. There's also we need to

464
00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:11,359
Speaker 2: make sure there is that same accountability when it comes

465
00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:15,600
Speaker 2: to transparency for decision making, when it comes to parents' rights,

466
00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:19,840
Speaker 2: when it comes to spending, when it comes to nepotism.

467
00:27:19,320 --> 00:27:19,720
Speaker 3: We've had it.

468
00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:22,879
Speaker 2: We have had a nepotism problem in charter schools that

469
00:27:23,040 --> 00:27:25,480
Speaker 2: I don't think tax pay dollars should be a part of.

470
00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:29,240
Speaker 2: So it's these kind of accountability measures. I will say overall,

471
00:27:29,320 --> 00:27:35,080
Speaker 2: big picture, we have had just a boom in charter

472
00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:39,399
Speaker 2: school growth in Texas and there's no strategic plan as

473
00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:43,520
Speaker 2: to why. It is just the spending of more taxpayer dollars,

474
00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:46,439
Speaker 2: and I think we need a time out. Let's assess

475
00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:47,360
Speaker 2: the big picture.

476
00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:50,639
Speaker 1: What it is the plan here, let me put a

477
00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:52,840
Speaker 1: pin in this and let's move on to other issues

478
00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:57,560
Speaker 1: with it. This way, is the education problem in Texas

479
00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:01,600
Speaker 1: funding issue or more of an allocation issue?

480
00:28:03,280 --> 00:28:03,760
Speaker 3: Allocation?

481
00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:07,280
Speaker 1: Yeah, so you're not sitting here saying we need more

482
00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:10,879
Speaker 1: dollars yet got to maybe raise revenue here or something

483
00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:13,600
Speaker 1: like that. Right now you view it as this is

484
00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:16,960
Speaker 1: an allocation challenge. Maybe there's a funding challenge down the road,

485
00:28:17,359 --> 00:28:19,800
Speaker 1: but right now it's an allocation issue.

486
00:28:20,920 --> 00:28:24,639
Speaker 2: So education is paid for in large part by our

487
00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:29,240
Speaker 2: property taxes. Our property taxes has skyrocketed under Gregg Abbot.

488
00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:31,960
Speaker 2: I mean, everybody's angry, rightfully.

489
00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:34,840
Speaker 1: So if you don't want state income taxes.

490
00:28:34,520 --> 00:28:40,640
Speaker 3: And you're, well, that's taxes, that's another conversation. But we pay.

491
00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:43,760
Speaker 2: We are a high tax state because our property and

492
00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:44,880
Speaker 2: taxes are so high.

493
00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:45,880
Speaker 1: And so.

494
00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:50,520
Speaker 2: I do believe the money is there to deliver the

495
00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:54,440
Speaker 2: solid education that our kids need. But the way I

496
00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:56,320
Speaker 2: refer to it is we are all paying the Greg

497
00:28:56,360 --> 00:29:02,440
Speaker 2: Abbot corruption tax. And I mentioned the under contracts this

498
00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:05,880
Speaker 2: governor is so out of control when it comes to corruption.

499
00:29:06,280 --> 00:29:09,160
Speaker 2: And by the way, just kind of also a big

500
00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:13,680
Speaker 2: picture point. I think a lot of the terrible things

501
00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:17,760
Speaker 2: we see in DC, they're incubated here in Texas. And

502
00:29:17,920 --> 00:29:19,840
Speaker 2: I'll give you an example of one of them that

503
00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:25,320
Speaker 2: ties into this corruption. So there was an independent watchdog group,

504
00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:28,840
Speaker 2: Public Citizen, that found and released a report about two

505
00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:31,960
Speaker 2: or three months ago that found Greg Abbott's given almost

506
00:29:32,160 --> 00:29:37,360
Speaker 2: a billion dollars in no bit contracts to his donors, right,

507
00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:40,240
Speaker 2: And you can't even make this stuff up, the largest

508
00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:44,360
Speaker 2: of which is one called Gotham Gotham Corporation.

509
00:29:44,920 --> 00:29:45,040
Speaker 1: Right.

510
00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:50,400
Speaker 2: And so what he has done since twenty twenty he

511
00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:56,480
Speaker 2: started with COVID. He started signing an emergency executive order

512
00:29:56,600 --> 00:30:01,080
Speaker 2: every month waiving competitive bidding loss. And that was right,

513
00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:03,240
Speaker 2: I mean, it was COVID, we needed ppe, there was

514
00:30:03,560 --> 00:30:07,920
Speaker 2: you know, we needed things fast. But he just got

515
00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:11,880
Speaker 2: fat and happy of that kind of power and continues

516
00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:14,840
Speaker 2: it to this day. And as a result, many of

517
00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:18,880
Speaker 2: his friends are getting contracts. There was a an Egle pass.

518
00:30:19,080 --> 00:30:23,239
Speaker 2: One of the emergency sided has been border security, right

519
00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:28,160
Speaker 2: that that's one of the excuses to do non competitive bidding.

520
00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:31,480
Speaker 2: I think that's what's happening in Washington right now as well.

521
00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:34,120
Speaker 1: By the way, well, you know it's funny about pay

522
00:30:34,200 --> 00:30:38,800
Speaker 1: to play. Yeah, you know, I think your challenge on

523
00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:43,120
Speaker 1: this issue is yeah, they all do it. You know,

524
00:30:43,440 --> 00:30:45,880
Speaker 1: like there's like, you know what I mean, the electorate.

525
00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:48,640
Speaker 1: I'm sure you're you're you've seen this in some of

526
00:30:48,680 --> 00:30:52,520
Speaker 1: your research, which is they believe your challenge, your your

527
00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:55,440
Speaker 1: charge against Abbitt, but they think this is how it

528
00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:58,520
Speaker 1: all works, that they're all and I've just got to

529
00:30:58,560 --> 00:31:02,080
Speaker 1: decide which corrupt side am I picking from? Right, Hey,

530
00:31:02,560 --> 00:31:07,200
Speaker 1: how do you how do you convince these swing voters

531
00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:09,120
Speaker 1: who might be skeptical of Ariight, we're just going to

532
00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:12,280
Speaker 1: go with from one political party getting you know, playing

533
00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:18,719
Speaker 1: favoritism to another. How can you what's your accountability promise? Right?

534
00:31:18,840 --> 00:31:21,040
Speaker 1: You know, it's sort of the trust but verified mindset,

535
00:31:21,080 --> 00:31:23,320
Speaker 1: because I think this is I think the corruption issue

536
00:31:23,400 --> 00:31:27,160
Speaker 1: is both ripe everywhere and at the same time, it's

537
00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:30,120
Speaker 1: a very cynical electorate that exists these days, who just

538
00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:31,480
Speaker 1: assume everybody's on the take.

539
00:31:32,600 --> 00:31:33,600
Speaker 3: Yeah, and that's fair.

540
00:31:33,840 --> 00:31:38,840
Speaker 2: And look, I think most people recognize that politics as

541
00:31:38,920 --> 00:31:42,440
Speaker 2: usual as broken Democrats. So there are plenty of blame

542
00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:47,520
Speaker 2: when it comes to that sense amongst the electorate, and

543
00:31:48,200 --> 00:31:51,800
Speaker 2: we for too long have defended as Democrats systems that

544
00:31:51,880 --> 00:31:55,400
Speaker 2: are not defensible, systems where they're using our own I mean,

545
00:31:55,600 --> 00:32:00,280
Speaker 2: what's happening in Texas is Greg Abbas using our own

546
00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:02,280
Speaker 2: money against us with the system.

547
00:32:02,480 --> 00:32:04,640
Speaker 3: And that's why my.

548
00:32:04,760 --> 00:32:09,320
Speaker 2: Proposals are clean slate, fresh start, zero based budgeting. Right,

549
00:32:09,720 --> 00:32:13,800
Speaker 2: you have you hide in a zero based budgeting approach

550
00:32:14,440 --> 00:32:18,120
Speaker 2: to government. I mean we're saying we're going to wipe

551
00:32:18,120 --> 00:32:21,080
Speaker 2: the slate clean and let's build this budget. That's teacher pay,

552
00:32:21,160 --> 00:32:24,560
Speaker 2: small class size, at school, safety, special education, that's it.

553
00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:25,040
Speaker 3: Right.

554
00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:31,320
Speaker 2: So we're proposing approaches that are not traditional democratic approaches

555
00:32:31,760 --> 00:32:34,760
Speaker 2: to just good government. And that's why to this day

556
00:32:34,960 --> 00:32:38,480
Speaker 2: I will I do have maga moms who will send

557
00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:43,120
Speaker 2: me tips and information to try to help me in

558
00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:47,200
Speaker 2: this race because they see everything is broken right now.

559
00:32:47,560 --> 00:32:51,800
Speaker 2: And in fact that on Greg Abbott's side in the primary,

560
00:32:51,960 --> 00:32:55,920
Speaker 2: he's got ten opponents right now. That's never happened before,

561
00:32:56,440 --> 00:32:59,440
Speaker 2: and it is their number one talking point. His corruption

562
00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:03,520
Speaker 2: is their number one talking point. So I do think

563
00:33:03,560 --> 00:33:06,800
Speaker 2: to your point, people think they have a sense that

564
00:33:06,920 --> 00:33:11,040
Speaker 2: government is corrupt. But when we talk about Greg Abbot,

565
00:33:11,160 --> 00:33:15,760
Speaker 2: it's just a new level of corruption. And the way

566
00:33:15,840 --> 00:33:18,240
Speaker 2: we tie it to people so that they care is

567
00:33:18,320 --> 00:33:21,280
Speaker 2: we talk about, you're paying the price. You're paying the

568
00:33:21,280 --> 00:33:24,840
Speaker 2: Greg Abbot corruption tax, and let me you know, and

569
00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:29,880
Speaker 2: I can give you some examples of that. So when

570
00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:33,960
Speaker 2: it comes to, for instance, our electric bills in Texas.

571
00:33:34,280 --> 00:33:39,000
Speaker 2: In Texas, we spend about forty dollars more a month

572
00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:42,720
Speaker 2: on electric bills since winter Storm Mury hit in twenty

573
00:33:42,800 --> 00:33:43,240
Speaker 2: twenty one.

574
00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:45,040
Speaker 3: Why did that happen?

575
00:33:45,960 --> 00:33:52,000
Speaker 2: That happened because at that time we had gas companies

576
00:33:52,080 --> 00:33:56,680
Speaker 2: holding the fuel that our grid needed while Texans were freezing,

577
00:33:57,040 --> 00:34:00,880
Speaker 2: literally freezing in their homes. I went with electricity for

578
00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:05,800
Speaker 2: four days in my home. Texans died in that winter storm.

579
00:34:06,480 --> 00:34:10,239
Speaker 2: The gas companies waited until the price was high up

580
00:34:10,280 --> 00:34:14,279
Speaker 2: that they could make billions in minutes. Right now, that

581
00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:17,680
Speaker 2: price that our utilities have to pay is being socialized

582
00:34:17,680 --> 00:34:20,080
Speaker 2: to mix. Now we're all paying the price for that.

583
00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:24,680
Speaker 2: And that is an example of the Greg Abbot corruption tax.

584
00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:28,000
Speaker 2: Because Greg Abbott got a million dollar check after that

585
00:34:28,160 --> 00:34:32,560
Speaker 2: legislative session that gave these gas companies a pass and

586
00:34:32,719 --> 00:34:36,040
Speaker 2: passed the cost on to rate payers and consumers.

587
00:34:37,680 --> 00:34:40,160
Speaker 1: One of your big challenges is not going to be

588
00:34:40,200 --> 00:34:42,399
Speaker 1: the issues you're talking about. It's going to be where

589
00:34:42,840 --> 00:34:46,920
Speaker 1: where you're from. There's an Austin liberal, right, And I

590
00:34:47,040 --> 00:34:50,960
Speaker 1: say this, this is true with Colorado and people that

591
00:34:51,080 --> 00:34:53,600
Speaker 1: ran from Boulder. This was true for most of my

592
00:34:53,719 --> 00:34:57,239
Speaker 1: life until Jeb Bush won people that ran from Miami. Right.

593
00:34:57,280 --> 00:34:59,880
Speaker 1: Part of it is whatever the big blue city is

594
00:35:00,160 --> 00:35:03,040
Speaker 1: or whatever the big city is. Their skepticism took over

595
00:35:03,160 --> 00:35:06,760
Speaker 1: two hundred years before Amya Philadelphia ever got elected governor

596
00:35:06,960 --> 00:35:09,400
Speaker 1: of Pennsylvania. So in some ways this is sort of

597
00:35:09,480 --> 00:35:13,880
Speaker 1: a not unique. But you know that's the card Abbot's

598
00:35:13,920 --> 00:35:19,839
Speaker 1: going to play. You're essential Austin Liberal, the crazy Austin progressives.

599
00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:23,319
Speaker 1: What does she know about Abilene? How are you going

600
00:35:23,360 --> 00:35:24,920
Speaker 1: to respond to those attacks?

601
00:35:26,040 --> 00:35:29,160
Speaker 2: So I'd like to see Abbott come after me as

602
00:35:29,320 --> 00:35:34,200
Speaker 2: being from Austin as an attack, because there's nobody who's

603
00:35:34,239 --> 00:35:37,000
Speaker 2: more from Austin than Greg Abbott. He has been in

604
00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:40,280
Speaker 2: statewide office for more than a quarter of the century

605
00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:43,440
Speaker 2: living in Austin. He's lived in Austin longer than I have,

606
00:35:43,680 --> 00:35:47,240
Speaker 2: look I don't have. I am honored to have served

607
00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:51,080
Speaker 2: the community of Austin in the Texas House. I'm originally

608
00:35:51,120 --> 00:35:53,359
Speaker 2: from the Rio Grand Valley and we've been back there

609
00:35:53,360 --> 00:35:56,160
Speaker 2: about six or seven times since we launched. We launched

610
00:35:56,719 --> 00:36:02,120
Speaker 2: in Brownsville, the real Grand Valley went for last election cycle,

611
00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:07,480
Speaker 2: Trump won it. And so what's your explanation why do

612
00:36:07,560 --> 00:36:10,080
Speaker 2: you believe it is battleground? Well, I think a big

613
00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:13,640
Speaker 2: one was border security. So at the time I was

614
00:36:13,760 --> 00:36:17,359
Speaker 2: chair of the House Campaign Committee. I was appointed by

615
00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:21,120
Speaker 2: our Democratic Caucus chair to lead up that effort. So

616
00:36:21,920 --> 00:36:25,520
Speaker 2: I went to the valley for campaign purposes. We had

617
00:36:25,560 --> 00:36:29,239
Speaker 2: a House seat in play, and people were so angry

618
00:36:29,280 --> 00:36:31,480
Speaker 2: about border security. But remember at the time, there were

619
00:36:31,520 --> 00:36:35,359
Speaker 2: the caravans coming over. It was chaotic. People were living

620
00:36:35,480 --> 00:36:38,400
Speaker 2: under bridges. Biden was mums. I mean, he did not

621
00:36:38,520 --> 00:36:41,440
Speaker 2: show the leadership we needed and we all paid it.

622
00:36:41,520 --> 00:36:43,720
Speaker 1: They blew it. Do you feel like Biden really harmed

623
00:36:43,800 --> 00:36:45,800
Speaker 1: the Democratic brand on border security?

624
00:36:46,800 --> 00:36:50,200
Speaker 3: Absolutely? Absolutely, and there was no reason for it.

625
00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:54,160
Speaker 2: I will tell you that about a month before his

626
00:36:54,360 --> 00:36:57,719
Speaker 2: last year in office, so December before this last year

627
00:36:57,760 --> 00:36:59,279
Speaker 2: in office, I got a call from one of my

628
00:36:59,360 --> 00:37:03,640
Speaker 2: members in Eagle Pass who was in a swing district,

629
00:37:03,680 --> 00:37:06,480
Speaker 2: and he said, Gina, it is shut down the border

630
00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:11,000
Speaker 2: and it's the week before Christmas, and this is not

631
00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:13,960
Speaker 2: We cannot this cannot continue.

632
00:37:14,520 --> 00:37:15,319
Speaker 3: So we called and.

633
00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:17,360
Speaker 2: Said, hey, can we get a meeting. We called the

634
00:37:17,400 --> 00:37:19,480
Speaker 2: Biden administration, can we get a meeting with your top

635
00:37:19,560 --> 00:37:22,400
Speaker 2: border people, because we got real problems. We had all

636
00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:25,520
Speaker 2: our border members on there, and they heard an earfold.

637
00:37:25,560 --> 00:37:28,000
Speaker 2: The next week they sent a delegation to Mexico so

638
00:37:28,080 --> 00:37:31,640
Speaker 2: that Mexico would start enforcing for security on their side.

639
00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:35,759
Speaker 2: And at the time crossings plummeted, it happened. I'm telling you,

640
00:37:35,960 --> 00:37:36,879
Speaker 2: like within a week.

641
00:37:37,760 --> 00:37:40,399
Speaker 1: Oh no, I I look. I have spent some time

642
00:37:40,480 --> 00:37:43,680
Speaker 1: with people that worked at DHS, and you know they

643
00:37:43,760 --> 00:37:45,920
Speaker 1: were they knew what they needed to do, they just

644
00:37:46,080 --> 00:37:50,080
Speaker 1: didn't they were they were handcuffed by the west point, by.

645
00:37:49,960 --> 00:37:51,960
Speaker 3: The last point. It did hurt us.

646
00:37:52,040 --> 00:37:54,040
Speaker 2: But I will tell you when I go now, it's

647
00:37:54,080 --> 00:37:57,359
Speaker 2: a one to eighty on that issue, because everybody knows

648
00:37:57,480 --> 00:38:01,560
Speaker 2: someone who's been detained or poured in, some beloved member

649
00:38:01,800 --> 00:38:05,200
Speaker 2: of their community who's been there twenty years, who runs

650
00:38:05,239 --> 00:38:09,600
Speaker 2: the banandaria, the bakery down the street, And that's what

651
00:38:09,880 --> 00:38:12,640
Speaker 2: nobody had in mind, and in fact, last week we

652
00:38:12,719 --> 00:38:17,560
Speaker 2: were meeting with the executive director of the Builders Association

653
00:38:17,920 --> 00:38:21,600
Speaker 2: and all their members, most of a lot of their

654
00:38:21,680 --> 00:38:25,120
Speaker 2: members that a Republican, and they're not there anymore because

655
00:38:25,280 --> 00:38:29,600
Speaker 2: what ICE is doing is waiting until those job sites

656
00:38:30,360 --> 00:38:33,520
Speaker 2: are they've poured the concrete, and then they'll go around

657
00:38:33,560 --> 00:38:38,160
Speaker 2: and everybody up. They even had an American detained because

658
00:38:38,880 --> 00:38:42,839
Speaker 2: they asked they take you first, and they ask questions later, Yeah,

659
00:38:43,440 --> 00:38:44,200
Speaker 2: why are you on ICE?

660
00:38:44,400 --> 00:38:48,080
Speaker 1: Is is is the Ice? Is ICE something that needs

661
00:38:48,120 --> 00:38:50,960
Speaker 1: to do? You know, there's a whole abolish ICE movement.

662
00:38:52,160 --> 00:38:54,560
Speaker 1: And then you know, the other argument is ICE isn't

663
00:38:54,560 --> 00:38:57,320
Speaker 1: the issue. It's the leadership, it's the training. It's you know,

664
00:38:57,920 --> 00:39:02,920
Speaker 1: you need to have an you know, an law enforcement

665
00:39:03,040 --> 00:39:07,880
Speaker 1: agency to enforce border security and and monitor, you know,

666
00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:10,359
Speaker 1: foreigners that are coming in out of the country. At

667
00:39:10,360 --> 00:39:13,760
Speaker 1: the same time, I don't think anybody believes they're getting

668
00:39:13,840 --> 00:39:17,600
Speaker 1: the proper training that the way that it's being used.

669
00:39:17,600 --> 00:39:21,080
Speaker 1: So I guess the question is I can understand both arguments.

670
00:39:21,200 --> 00:39:24,480
Speaker 1: I can understand that said I just gotta go. We

671
00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:27,880
Speaker 1: need to rethink the entire agency, so start from scratch

672
00:39:28,040 --> 00:39:30,840
Speaker 1: versus no, this is a leadership issue. This is this

673
00:39:30,960 --> 00:39:34,880
Speaker 1: is a Christy Nome Tom Homan issue, and if we

674
00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:36,680
Speaker 1: had better training, we could have a better ICE.

675
00:39:38,520 --> 00:39:40,320
Speaker 3: So here's what I know.

676
00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:42,880
Speaker 2: I know that what Ice is doing right now is

677
00:39:43,040 --> 00:39:48,680
Speaker 2: terrorizing communities, hurting Americans, and he needs to stop now.

678
00:39:49,680 --> 00:39:49,920
Speaker 1: It is.

679
00:39:53,120 --> 00:39:56,520
Speaker 2: Let's just start even setting this aside. The fact that

680
00:39:56,640 --> 00:39:58,919
Speaker 2: an American mom was shot in the face and killed.

681
00:39:59,120 --> 00:40:01,440
Speaker 2: Let's set at aside.

682
00:40:01,239 --> 00:40:02,840
Speaker 1: And the hard to set that aside. But yes, I

683
00:40:02,920 --> 00:40:03,399
Speaker 1: take your point.

684
00:40:03,520 --> 00:40:06,319
Speaker 2: Yeah, and that there's no investigation in it. And there's

685
00:40:06,480 --> 00:40:10,799
Speaker 2: nobody in leadership in the Trump administration who will say

686
00:40:10,800 --> 00:40:14,480
Speaker 2: they are even concerned about what we all witness as

687
00:40:14,560 --> 00:40:19,360
Speaker 2: an atrocity. Right, just let's start with the fact that

688
00:40:19,400 --> 00:40:23,800
Speaker 2: we've masked law enforcement on the streets I'm in America.

689
00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:25,880
Speaker 1: That should be illegal, right, That should.

690
00:40:25,600 --> 00:40:28,480
Speaker 2: Be illegal because none of us are safe when that happens,

691
00:40:28,480 --> 00:40:32,839
Speaker 2: because you can't have accountability when somebody does you wrong.

692
00:40:32,920 --> 00:40:33,680
Speaker 3: And this happens.

693
00:40:33,800 --> 00:40:36,040
Speaker 2: We all know this is not the first time that

694
00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:40,799
Speaker 2: an American has been hurt or even killed by law

695
00:40:40,880 --> 00:40:45,360
Speaker 2: enforcement or harassed. But we have to hold those people accountable,

696
00:40:45,520 --> 00:40:48,640
Speaker 2: and you can't do it when you have masked agents

697
00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:50,439
Speaker 2: who are doing this work.

698
00:40:54,320 --> 00:40:57,960
Speaker 1: Having good life insurance is incredibly important. I know from

699
00:40:58,000 --> 00:41:01,080
Speaker 1: personal experience. I was sixteen when my father passed away.

700
00:41:01,120 --> 00:41:03,480
Speaker 1: We didn't have any money. He didn't leave us in

701
00:41:03,560 --> 00:41:07,880
Speaker 1: the best shape. My mother, single mother, now widow, myself

702
00:41:08,040 --> 00:41:09,800
Speaker 1: sixteen trying to figure out how am I going to

703
00:41:09,840 --> 00:41:12,960
Speaker 1: pay for college and lo and behold, my dad had

704
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Speaker 1: one life insurance policy that we found wasn't a lot,

705
00:41:16,600 --> 00:41:19,239
Speaker 1: but it was important at the time, and it's why

706
00:41:19,400 --> 00:41:22,520
Speaker 1: I was able to go to college. Little did he

707
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Speaker 1: know how important that would be in that moment. Well,

708
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Speaker 1: guess what. That's why I am here to tell you

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712
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713
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714
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715
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Speaker 1: can get a quote in as little as ten minutes,

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718
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Speaker 1: your home. You can get up to three million dollars

719
00:42:00,680 --> 00:42:02,839
Speaker 1: in coverage, and some policies start as low as two

720
00:42:02,880 --> 00:42:06,000
Speaker 1: dollars a day that would be billed monthly. As of

721
00:42:06,080 --> 00:42:09,200
Speaker 1: March twenty twenty five, Business Insider named Ethos the number

722
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Speaker 1: one no medical exam instant life insurance provider. So protect

723
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724
00:42:17,080 --> 00:42:21,320
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726
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727
00:42:29,280 --> 00:42:32,480
Speaker 1: insurance is something you should really think about, especially if

728
00:42:32,520 --> 00:42:39,200
Speaker 1: you've got a growing family. You are your father was

729
00:42:39,239 --> 00:42:41,719
Speaker 1: the longtime chair of the state party, so you've had

730
00:42:41,760 --> 00:42:46,719
Speaker 1: a front row seat this sort of this the of

731
00:42:46,960 --> 00:42:49,280
Speaker 1: the transition in Texas. You know, when I first started

732
00:42:49,280 --> 00:42:51,800
Speaker 1: covering politics, I think you and I are about the

733
00:42:51,800 --> 00:42:56,400
Speaker 1: same age. You know, Texas was you could see it

734
00:42:56,560 --> 00:42:58,920
Speaker 1: shifting to the right. But you know, I'm old enough

735
00:42:58,920 --> 00:43:01,040
Speaker 1: to remember what a big deal at to Republicans When

736
00:43:01,120 --> 00:43:04,080
Speaker 1: Kate Billy Hutchinson won right, it was like, Wow, they

737
00:43:04,200 --> 00:43:08,480
Speaker 1: broke through on that front, and then you saw it

738
00:43:08,600 --> 00:43:10,239
Speaker 1: go We've seen it go all the other way. Now.

739
00:43:10,320 --> 00:43:13,359
Speaker 1: It feels like I always tell my friends who don't

740
00:43:13,400 --> 00:43:15,399
Speaker 1: quite understand Texas. I said, it's kind of a three

741
00:43:15,480 --> 00:43:17,960
Speaker 1: party state right now. You do have sort of two

742
00:43:18,000 --> 00:43:21,680
Speaker 1: different Republican parties and you have a Democratic Party and

743
00:43:22,080 --> 00:43:24,880
Speaker 1: you witnesses look at your I point people to the

744
00:43:24,960 --> 00:43:28,919
Speaker 1: state House, which is just a fascinating development we've watched

745
00:43:28,960 --> 00:43:33,399
Speaker 1: over the years where you've had these coalition majorities, which

746
00:43:33,440 --> 00:43:37,120
Speaker 1: frankly I find kind of healthy, right because I think

747
00:43:37,160 --> 00:43:41,160
Speaker 1: if we had more coalition politics and more political parties,

748
00:43:41,400 --> 00:43:44,719
Speaker 1: you know, we might we might be less polarized. How

749
00:43:44,800 --> 00:43:48,560
Speaker 1: do you describe the state and what's your recipe for

750
00:43:48,680 --> 00:43:51,040
Speaker 1: growing the Democratic Party so that it's not just a

751
00:43:51,160 --> 00:43:54,920
Speaker 1: third but that it is truly the alternative.

752
00:43:56,520 --> 00:43:58,560
Speaker 3: What I have seen in the.

753
00:43:58,640 --> 00:44:02,440
Speaker 2: House, and I so I work with these Republics. I mean, actually,

754
00:44:02,480 --> 00:44:04,000
Speaker 2: I think we would all be better off when you

755
00:44:04,120 --> 00:44:07,160
Speaker 2: have to work. We're forced to work with people in

756
00:44:07,280 --> 00:44:11,200
Speaker 2: one room from every part of the state, of every mindset.

757
00:44:11,480 --> 00:44:16,560
Speaker 2: It helps to create understanding of relationships. And so it's

758
00:44:16,840 --> 00:44:20,279
Speaker 2: been an area of growth for me just to get

759
00:44:20,320 --> 00:44:23,080
Speaker 2: to know Republicans right and work with them.

760
00:44:24,719 --> 00:44:28,640
Speaker 1: Oh, I'm a believer that if you force people, you know,

761
00:44:28,680 --> 00:44:32,520
Speaker 1: if it takes you know, if it takes a coalition

762
00:44:32,719 --> 00:44:35,640
Speaker 1: to get a majority, then you're more likely to compromise

763
00:44:35,680 --> 00:44:36,560
Speaker 1: when you're legislating.

764
00:44:37,760 --> 00:44:38,920
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know.

765
00:44:39,160 --> 00:44:45,560
Speaker 2: Well here's the problem though, the problem is that now

766
00:44:46,200 --> 00:44:50,759
Speaker 2: those maybe I guess you would think of as more

767
00:44:52,840 --> 00:44:55,600
Speaker 2: country club or chamber type republicity.

768
00:44:55,440 --> 00:44:57,399
Speaker 1: I refer to you. I guess I just now refer

769
00:44:57,480 --> 00:45:01,080
Speaker 1: to them the Bush republic. I joke my son's at

770
00:45:01,200 --> 00:45:03,560
Speaker 1: SMU and I'm like, yeah, you're the You're in the

771
00:45:03,640 --> 00:45:07,040
Speaker 1: last Romney precinct of Dallas over there, probably, ok, right,

772
00:45:08,320 --> 00:45:11,239
Speaker 1: but they're John Cornan voters and they're always going to

773
00:45:11,280 --> 00:45:12,400
Speaker 1: be John Cornan voters, right.

774
00:45:12,520 --> 00:45:14,200
Speaker 3: Yeah, But here's the problem.

775
00:45:14,640 --> 00:45:17,719
Speaker 2: The problem is that they're not free to vote their

776
00:45:17,840 --> 00:45:21,680
Speaker 2: districts anymore much less than conscience. What happened, and the

777
00:45:21,760 --> 00:45:26,120
Speaker 2: voucher fight exemplifies it better than any other fight. We

778
00:45:26,360 --> 00:45:29,399
Speaker 2: beat vouchers in twenty twenty three because we had rural

779
00:45:29,440 --> 00:45:33,480
Speaker 2: Republicans with us, and we had some some Bush are

780
00:45:33,640 --> 00:45:34,759
Speaker 2: Republicans with us.

781
00:45:36,640 --> 00:45:37,600
Speaker 3: Greg Abbott put in a.

782
00:45:37,640 --> 00:45:40,239
Speaker 2: Million dollars against each of them in their primaries and

783
00:45:40,360 --> 00:45:44,360
Speaker 2: most of them won. He took at nine, and since

784
00:45:44,480 --> 00:45:49,640
Speaker 2: then they've been very reluctant to not toe the party line.

785
00:45:49,719 --> 00:45:54,000
Speaker 2: The party line at this point is Trump's line, because

786
00:45:54,040 --> 00:45:57,360
Speaker 2: Abbott is the enforcer for Trump. So, I mean, on

787
00:45:57,560 --> 00:46:02,160
Speaker 2: the day of the vote for vouchers last year, Trump

788
00:46:02,239 --> 00:46:04,759
Speaker 2: called in and talked to all the Republican legislators and

789
00:46:04,840 --> 00:46:07,600
Speaker 2: he said, I'll come down there if I have to, Right,

790
00:46:08,000 --> 00:46:09,680
Speaker 2: he said, I need you to vote for this voucher,

791
00:46:09,719 --> 00:46:11,080
Speaker 2: and I'll come down there if I have to.

792
00:46:12,440 --> 00:46:13,800
Speaker 3: So they are not freaking.

793
00:46:14,640 --> 00:46:17,840
Speaker 2: I have had several Republican colleagues say I hope you

794
00:46:17,960 --> 00:46:18,239
Speaker 2: win this.

795
00:46:19,920 --> 00:46:22,600
Speaker 3: They they have.

796
00:46:22,760 --> 00:46:25,719
Speaker 1: Lost they feel trapped by the politics. Yeah.

797
00:46:26,400 --> 00:46:28,640
Speaker 2: Yeah, they've lost control of their party. They don't agree

798
00:46:28,680 --> 00:46:33,120
Speaker 2: with what's happening. They don't have the courage to risk

799
00:46:33,840 --> 00:46:36,960
Speaker 2: their primary by stepping out of line and doing what

800
00:46:37,040 --> 00:46:42,120
Speaker 2: they know is right, because they they tell themselves that, well,

801
00:46:42,280 --> 00:46:45,480
Speaker 2: it would be worse if I weren't here, Right.

802
00:46:49,560 --> 00:46:55,080
Speaker 1: If you're running your race without the national environment, I

803
00:46:55,080 --> 00:46:59,000
Speaker 1: imagine you would feel like your challenge, my guess, is

804
00:46:59,040 --> 00:47:01,839
Speaker 1: one of your challenges not to let them nationalize this race.

805
00:47:02,440 --> 00:47:02,919
Speaker 1: Is that fair?

806
00:47:05,200 --> 00:47:07,640
Speaker 2: Well, let me say I don't even see it like that.

807
00:47:08,480 --> 00:47:11,839
Speaker 2: Our issues, our biggest challenges are so Texas. I mean, look,

808
00:47:12,320 --> 00:47:16,120
Speaker 2: running frost governors, Like I mean, it's like ready for president.

809
00:47:16,440 --> 00:47:19,120
Speaker 2: This is a big, diverse state. We are a world

810
00:47:19,280 --> 00:47:23,920
Speaker 2: economic powerhouse. Our issues we got enough to deal with

811
00:47:24,080 --> 00:47:28,960
Speaker 2: here in Texas. And so that is what I focus on.

812
00:47:30,760 --> 00:47:34,640
Speaker 2: And at the same time, I know that what happens

813
00:47:34,680 --> 00:47:38,360
Speaker 2: in this midterm election will affect every single American and

814
00:47:38,480 --> 00:47:39,680
Speaker 2: that's because.

815
00:47:40,160 --> 00:47:41,200
Speaker 3: Because of our size.

816
00:47:41,640 --> 00:47:44,880
Speaker 2: So I don't know if you have heard this, but

817
00:47:45,840 --> 00:47:49,960
Speaker 2: about three years ago I first learned from a national

818
00:47:50,120 --> 00:47:53,480
Speaker 2: and kind of political player, a donor who came to

819
00:47:53,680 --> 00:47:57,440
Speaker 2: talk to a few of us and said, Texas is

820
00:47:57,480 --> 00:47:59,520
Speaker 2: going to gain four to five more congressional seats by

821
00:47:59,520 --> 00:48:02,440
Speaker 2: the end of the day decade. That's been the Brennan Center, right.

822
00:48:03,760 --> 00:48:06,880
Speaker 2: And then that's just because we're growing faster than everybody.

823
00:48:07,000 --> 00:48:09,480
Speaker 2: And so that if Texas doesn't flip before the end

824
00:48:09,520 --> 00:48:12,960
Speaker 2: of the decade, there cannot be democratic control of Congress.

825
00:48:13,200 --> 00:48:17,160
Speaker 2: Math doesn't work, and because congressional seats a quoite to

826
00:48:17,200 --> 00:48:20,160
Speaker 2: electoral votes, there cannot be democratic control of the White

827
00:48:20,200 --> 00:48:23,040
Speaker 2: House and the ended. And this was like after like

828
00:48:23,160 --> 00:48:26,160
Speaker 2: my fourth special session fighting this voucher, and I was

829
00:48:26,200 --> 00:48:28,719
Speaker 2: like Leary, I and I was like, what is this

830
00:48:28,840 --> 00:48:31,920
Speaker 2: meaning I'm going into And he said, and so the

831
00:48:32,040 --> 00:48:34,760
Speaker 2: way we see it, the fate of the Union depends

832
00:48:34,880 --> 00:48:37,880
Speaker 2: on Texas. And I was like, you got to be

833
00:48:38,040 --> 00:48:43,040
Speaker 2: kidding me, But that is a motivator for me. We

834
00:48:43,239 --> 00:48:47,200
Speaker 2: have an opportunity in Texas, yes, to save ourselves and

835
00:48:47,320 --> 00:48:51,880
Speaker 2: to deliver real results for Texans, but we also have

836
00:48:52,000 --> 00:48:56,160
Speaker 2: an opportunity in this race to be the difference for

837
00:48:56,280 --> 00:49:00,560
Speaker 2: this country. And because the state legislature and the governor

838
00:49:00,640 --> 00:49:04,120
Speaker 2: has veto power over the next maps that will be drawn,

839
00:49:04,800 --> 00:49:08,440
Speaker 2: what happens in these state races is huge.

840
00:49:09,160 --> 00:49:10,880
Speaker 1: Let me get to the business community because you know,

841
00:49:10,960 --> 00:49:12,960
Speaker 1: one of the other things press releases you get all

842
00:49:13,000 --> 00:49:15,680
Speaker 1: the time from Greg Abbott is you know some new

843
00:49:15,760 --> 00:49:18,160
Speaker 1: survey Texas is the best place to do business or

844
00:49:18,200 --> 00:49:20,920
Speaker 1: a new place is moving to Texas. So he is

845
00:49:21,040 --> 00:49:24,279
Speaker 1: going to tout that record, right, the record of you know,

846
00:49:24,800 --> 00:49:27,759
Speaker 1: job growth in the state. You know, every day there's

847
00:49:27,760 --> 00:49:30,240
Speaker 1: a new headline of another new company moving to Plano

848
00:49:30,360 --> 00:49:32,960
Speaker 1: or Frisco or you know even at some play Not

849
00:49:33,040 --> 00:49:35,439
Speaker 1: everything's North Texas, though a lot of it is these days.

850
00:49:35,480 --> 00:49:37,640
Speaker 1: Are I love I love the story of it? Is

851
00:49:37,680 --> 00:49:40,800
Speaker 1: it San Angelo? The halfway point between San Antonio and

852
00:49:40,880 --> 00:49:44,440
Speaker 1: Austin that is now becoming its own megapolis. Right, you know,

853
00:49:44,840 --> 00:49:45,480
Speaker 1: do I have it right?

854
00:49:46,320 --> 00:49:47,960
Speaker 3: Are Sa Marcus? Maybe sant Marcus?

855
00:49:48,000 --> 00:49:50,920
Speaker 1: That's what I'm thinking of San Marcos. My apologies, but

856
00:49:51,160 --> 00:49:53,000
Speaker 1: it's like every day you turn, it's like there's a

857
00:49:53,040 --> 00:49:54,719
Speaker 1: whole new city like rising up.

858
00:49:54,800 --> 00:49:54,920
Speaker 3: Right.

859
00:49:59,000 --> 00:50:02,440
Speaker 1: How do you how do you get the I don't

860
00:50:02,480 --> 00:50:04,400
Speaker 1: want to say support of the business community. You may

861
00:50:04,480 --> 00:50:07,680
Speaker 1: not get the support. You know, maybe it takes a term.

862
00:50:08,160 --> 00:50:08,239
Speaker 2: But.

863
00:50:10,440 --> 00:50:12,360
Speaker 1: You know, how do you get the business community not

864
00:50:12,520 --> 00:50:14,279
Speaker 1: to be antagonistic to what you're doing.

865
00:50:16,440 --> 00:50:19,279
Speaker 3: The business community's pissed right now, let me tell you.

866
00:50:21,080 --> 00:50:27,920
Speaker 2: Because of tariffs, because of immigration raised right, builders, builders

867
00:50:27,960 --> 00:50:33,719
Speaker 2: who have typically been Republicans in this state, contractors, They

868
00:50:33,960 --> 00:50:38,360
Speaker 2: are very angry at Republicans. It just politics is broken

869
00:50:39,360 --> 00:50:44,000
Speaker 2: and it creates opportunities. I will say my response to

870
00:50:44,120 --> 00:50:48,560
Speaker 2: Abbot touting his business record is that the people of

871
00:50:48,680 --> 00:50:54,440
Speaker 2: Texas are not benefiting from our economic power in this way.

872
00:50:54,520 --> 00:50:58,120
Speaker 2: We have the highest uninsured rate for working Texans of

873
00:50:58,280 --> 00:51:02,880
Speaker 2: any other state, highest uninsured veterans kids, That goes on.

874
00:51:03,520 --> 00:51:10,040
Speaker 2: We have more people making below fifteen dollars an hour

875
00:51:10,160 --> 00:51:14,239
Speaker 2: than everywhere else we work longer hours than anyone when

876
00:51:14,320 --> 00:51:19,360
Speaker 2: you look at national average for hours work. We work really,

877
00:51:19,520 --> 00:51:21,919
Speaker 2: really hard and we don't get the benefit of that work.

878
00:51:21,960 --> 00:51:25,399
Speaker 2: And that's because Greg Abbott basically hands over the keys

879
00:51:25,440 --> 00:51:29,080
Speaker 2: to the castle. An example of that, he's become big

880
00:51:29,200 --> 00:51:34,520
Speaker 2: buds with Elon Musk. Elon Musk now has his star

881
00:51:34,719 --> 00:51:39,440
Speaker 2: base in South Texas. He just gave Elon Musk the

882
00:51:39,560 --> 00:51:44,359
Speaker 2: ability to open our and shut our public beach Bookachika Beach.

883
00:51:44,760 --> 00:51:47,960
Speaker 2: This is a beach that in the Texas Constitution says

884
00:51:48,360 --> 00:51:50,759
Speaker 2: shall be free and open to the public. It is

885
00:51:50,800 --> 00:51:53,640
Speaker 2: our constitutional right to have access to that beach. It

886
00:51:53,760 --> 00:51:56,600
Speaker 2: is being bought in state court right now, but it

887
00:51:56,719 --> 00:51:59,879
Speaker 2: is predicted that they will shut down this beach about

888
00:52:00,040 --> 00:52:03,480
Speaker 2: three months out of the year. My word, so you know,

889
00:52:03,560 --> 00:52:06,600
Speaker 2: it's those kinds of deals that are raw deals for

890
00:52:06,719 --> 00:52:11,279
Speaker 2: the people of Texas at the exp and only really

891
00:52:11,400 --> 00:52:17,399
Speaker 2: benefit fitting these CEOs of global corporations. My business approach is, look,

892
00:52:17,480 --> 00:52:21,920
Speaker 2: we say we value our small business owners, Let's give them.

893
00:52:23,400 --> 00:52:23,880
Speaker 3: A lega.

894
00:52:24,200 --> 00:52:27,359
Speaker 2: So cut sales taxes for our small business owners. Let's

895
00:52:27,360 --> 00:52:32,080
Speaker 2: have a tax free small business Saturday, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Right,

896
00:52:32,480 --> 00:52:37,440
Speaker 2: are small business owners in Texas may below the average

897
00:52:37,640 --> 00:52:41,600
Speaker 2: for profits for small business owners and this nation have

898
00:52:41,680 --> 00:52:46,000
Speaker 2: a harder time getting access to debts. So again, it

899
00:52:46,160 --> 00:52:49,960
Speaker 2: is a clean slate, a fresh start to build an

900
00:52:50,000 --> 00:52:53,800
Speaker 2: economy that actually works for Texans, including small business owners

901
00:52:53,840 --> 00:52:57,480
Speaker 2: who have this bold ambition that we are proud of

902
00:52:57,640 --> 00:53:01,080
Speaker 2: in Texas to create their own business, provide for their family,

903
00:53:01,120 --> 00:53:02,600
Speaker 2: and create good jobs in our community.

904
00:53:03,120 --> 00:53:04,640
Speaker 1: Let me get you out of here on this, which

905
00:53:04,760 --> 00:53:08,759
Speaker 1: is that grid You're electric grid, which I feel like

906
00:53:09,160 --> 00:53:15,040
Speaker 1: is a ticking time. It's you know, every time there's this,

907
00:53:15,360 --> 00:53:18,480
Speaker 1: you know, you know, whether it's super heat or super cold. Right,

908
00:53:18,600 --> 00:53:20,279
Speaker 1: You're like, is it going to hold? Is it going

909
00:53:20,360 --> 00:53:25,600
Speaker 1: to hold? Is it as simple as saying that deregulation

910
00:53:25,800 --> 00:53:26,360
Speaker 1: was a mistake.

911
00:53:29,200 --> 00:53:36,400
Speaker 2: So here's what I think was deregulation a mistake. I

912
00:53:36,520 --> 00:53:40,240
Speaker 2: think that there are some pros to deregulas, to deregulation,

913
00:53:40,640 --> 00:53:44,520
Speaker 2: but definitely we have had big problems when it comes

914
00:53:44,640 --> 00:53:48,520
Speaker 2: again to the corruption question. I mentioned the issue of

915
00:53:48,640 --> 00:53:55,960
Speaker 2: letting the gas providers get away with basically price gouging Texans.

916
00:53:56,800 --> 00:54:00,439
Speaker 2: We also have the new big concern frankly for our grid.

917
00:54:00,640 --> 00:54:03,279
Speaker 2: Are these data centers that are popping up all over

918
00:54:03,600 --> 00:54:05,719
Speaker 2: this state. Greg Abbas said, We're going to have more

919
00:54:05,800 --> 00:54:08,840
Speaker 2: data centers than any other state in the nation, and

920
00:54:08,920 --> 00:54:10,200
Speaker 2: it's going to cost any better.

921
00:54:10,560 --> 00:54:13,000
Speaker 1: You guys better start four to one k electric.

922
00:54:12,719 --> 00:54:15,000
Speaker 2: Bills or something, you know, I mean, right, I mean,

923
00:54:15,080 --> 00:54:15,920
Speaker 2: it's so it is.

924
00:54:16,080 --> 00:54:18,600
Speaker 1: I'm in northern Virginia and we're already feeling the impact.

925
00:54:18,760 --> 00:54:22,120
Speaker 1: Are electric bills of skyrocketed over the last six months,

926
00:54:22,320 --> 00:54:27,080
Speaker 1: and it is you know, this is this sensitivity is out.

927
00:54:26,960 --> 00:54:28,760
Speaker 3: There in Texas.

928
00:54:28,800 --> 00:54:32,920
Speaker 2: It's predicted we will have to pay about six hundred

929
00:54:33,080 --> 00:54:38,040
Speaker 2: more dollars a year with the cost of electricity, right,

930
00:54:38,080 --> 00:54:42,320
Speaker 2: because they want to socialize the expense and then and

931
00:54:42,440 --> 00:54:47,440
Speaker 2: then privatize the profits. These are data centers that are

932
00:54:47,480 --> 00:54:49,640
Speaker 2: owned by the richest men in the world, and they

933
00:54:49,719 --> 00:54:54,000
Speaker 2: should pay for themselves. So there are the whole data

934
00:54:54,040 --> 00:54:56,960
Speaker 2: center AI thing is something that we're all struggling to

935
00:54:57,440 --> 00:55:01,759
Speaker 2: get ahead of. But at big basic bare minimum, they

936
00:55:01,800 --> 00:55:04,799
Speaker 2: should pay for themselves. There are but there are big

937
00:55:04,920 --> 00:55:07,439
Speaker 2: challenges with how are grid is going to be able

938
00:55:07,560 --> 00:55:12,120
Speaker 2: to meet the energy needs of these data centers. And

939
00:55:12,400 --> 00:55:15,040
Speaker 2: also I will say that there is in Texas a

940
00:55:15,160 --> 00:55:20,360
Speaker 2: big problem that we have partisins who are in the

941
00:55:20,440 --> 00:55:27,320
Speaker 2: legislature who are insistent that renewable energy should not be

942
00:55:27,440 --> 00:55:30,680
Speaker 2: part of the equation. Renewable energy has been essential to

943
00:55:30,920 --> 00:55:34,000
Speaker 2: keeping this grind going and Texas, renewable energy has been

944
00:55:34,120 --> 00:55:37,600
Speaker 2: essential to helping with the cost of electricity in Texas.

945
00:55:38,200 --> 00:55:44,400
Speaker 2: But on so many issues, it's the ideology, the ideological

946
00:55:44,520 --> 00:55:47,960
Speaker 2: kind of true believers on when it comes to fossil fuels,

947
00:55:48,040 --> 00:55:51,440
Speaker 2: who are just opposed and who threaten the viability of

948
00:55:51,480 --> 00:55:52,040
Speaker 2: our grid.

949
00:55:51,920 --> 00:55:57,239
Speaker 1: To where are you on nuclear energy? Just curious, that's

950
00:55:57,280 --> 00:55:59,800
Speaker 1: a that's a I get it, you know, but you

951
00:55:59,880 --> 00:56:01,920
Speaker 1: know it could be the it could be the solution

952
00:56:02,040 --> 00:56:03,560
Speaker 1: to clean energy. Yeah.

953
00:56:03,840 --> 00:56:06,560
Speaker 2: Look, I'm not against it. I know there are concerns,

954
00:56:06,600 --> 00:56:08,520
Speaker 2: and I think we need to make sure that we're

955
00:56:09,080 --> 00:56:12,480
Speaker 2: addressing any externalities. Any going to fall up fall out

956
00:56:12,520 --> 00:56:14,560
Speaker 2: to the wrong word. So I shouldn't use that any

957
00:56:16,480 --> 00:56:22,160
Speaker 2: any kind of externalities that come from it. It's my understanding. Also,

958
00:56:22,239 --> 00:56:27,840
Speaker 2: water intensive. We have a severe water challenge in Texas.

959
00:56:28,120 --> 00:56:30,520
Speaker 2: We're running out of water, and so these are all

960
00:56:30,560 --> 00:56:32,279
Speaker 2: things that need to be looked at. Look, I'm not

961
00:56:32,520 --> 00:56:34,640
Speaker 2: an expert on it. I don't have all the answers.

962
00:56:34,920 --> 00:56:38,480
Speaker 2: But I can always promise the voters of Texas that

963
00:56:38,600 --> 00:56:41,440
Speaker 2: I will make sure we evaluate it all and that

964
00:56:41,600 --> 00:56:45,640
Speaker 2: whatever we do is about putting Texans first and not industry.

965
00:56:46,560 --> 00:56:48,560
Speaker 1: All right, I'll get you out on it here on this,

966
00:56:48,719 --> 00:56:55,520
Speaker 1: So give me your favorite sort of it's you know,

967
00:56:56,800 --> 00:57:01,960
Speaker 1: it's nine o'clock, you're campaigning. Are you looking for a tacorea?

968
00:57:02,239 --> 00:57:05,719
Speaker 1: Are you looking for barbecue? What's the what's the road,

969
00:57:05,800 --> 00:57:10,200
Speaker 1: what's your campaign road trip? Food to refuel? And and

970
00:57:10,520 --> 00:57:13,120
Speaker 1: you know, do you have any specific favorites You're like, boy,

971
00:57:13,120 --> 00:57:16,120
Speaker 1: I hope we're running late, you know, in Fort Worth

972
00:57:16,200 --> 00:57:18,400
Speaker 1: because I love this place, you know, or something like that.

973
00:57:18,880 --> 00:57:22,520
Speaker 2: So like my favorite and like with that exception where

974
00:57:22,600 --> 00:57:26,880
Speaker 2: we land is always tacos. And because any mom and

975
00:57:26,960 --> 00:57:29,040
Speaker 2: pop and those are the best tacos you can get

976
00:57:29,120 --> 00:57:33,560
Speaker 2: at some mom and pop, little not well known Mexican restaurant.

977
00:57:33,680 --> 00:57:36,520
Speaker 2: You can always it's good to go food, right you can.

978
00:57:36,920 --> 00:57:39,840
Speaker 1: If you don't recognize the name of the restaurant, it's

979
00:57:39,920 --> 00:57:40,480
Speaker 1: going to be good.

980
00:57:40,840 --> 00:57:41,520
Speaker 3: That's that's it.

981
00:57:42,000 --> 00:57:45,280
Speaker 1: You got it, Jack, I love that. No, it's by

982
00:57:45,320 --> 00:57:47,000
Speaker 1: the way, it's true of fried chicken in the South.

983
00:57:47,440 --> 00:57:51,040
Speaker 1: The best fried chicken is usually the family that runs

984
00:57:51,080 --> 00:57:53,960
Speaker 1: the local gas station who has the fryer in the back.

985
00:57:54,040 --> 00:57:56,720
Speaker 1: And it's like you think gas station fried chicken. Trust me,

986
00:57:56,960 --> 00:57:58,480
Speaker 1: it's the best fried chicken you're going to find in

987
00:57:58,480 --> 00:58:01,160
Speaker 1: the state of Georgia, you know, or the state of Alabama.

988
00:58:01,520 --> 00:58:04,000
Speaker 1: And I believe that in Texas, you know it's by

989
00:58:04,000 --> 00:58:06,600
Speaker 1: the way, this is true in Iowa. You go up

990
00:58:06,640 --> 00:58:09,640
Speaker 1: I thirty five and the best place to eat is

991
00:58:09,760 --> 00:58:15,400
Speaker 1: usually a first generation Mexican owned restaurant, Is that right?

992
00:58:15,960 --> 00:58:18,400
Speaker 1: And you will get the best best home made mole

993
00:58:18,520 --> 00:58:20,320
Speaker 1: I've ever had was in Carroll County, Iowa.

994
00:58:21,000 --> 00:58:22,240
Speaker 3: Oh my god, I don't know.

995
00:58:23,240 --> 00:58:26,920
Speaker 1: I'm sure I'll find better, but if I go to

996
00:58:27,160 --> 00:58:30,400
Speaker 1: I'm not denying that, but I think what the point

997
00:58:30,480 --> 00:58:33,960
Speaker 1: being is, you know, the less known, the more authentic.

998
00:58:34,080 --> 00:58:38,240
Speaker 3: Right, Yeah, I agree, that's right.

999
00:58:38,400 --> 00:58:41,600
Speaker 1: Amen, All right, we'll be safe from the trail. You uh,

1000
00:58:42,400 --> 00:58:44,560
Speaker 1: do you have a preference in that Senate race or

1001
00:58:44,680 --> 00:58:49,520
Speaker 1: you just or are you gonna stay out of that primary?

1002
00:58:49,680 --> 00:58:55,920
Speaker 3: I'm check. I'm team Jazzeriko. They have both endorsed me,

1003
00:58:56,040 --> 00:58:57,800
Speaker 3: and I wish them both the best.

1004
00:58:59,600 --> 00:59:02,440
Speaker 1: At all or I assume you just look forward to

1005
00:59:02,520 --> 00:59:05,480
Speaker 1: running against Ken Paxton. Is that the h that he

1006
00:59:05,600 --> 00:59:07,400
Speaker 1: helps your messaging more than anybody else.

1007
00:59:08,920 --> 00:59:12,480
Speaker 2: Well, there's certainly a corruption issue there, so yeah, I

1008
00:59:12,560 --> 00:59:16,560
Speaker 2: mean he would be Yes, I think that's right. But look,

1009
00:59:16,600 --> 00:59:19,280
Speaker 2: I think no matter who, there's more than one way

1010
00:59:19,280 --> 00:59:21,680
Speaker 2: to win a race, and no matter who it is,

1011
00:59:21,800 --> 00:59:25,720
Speaker 2: I think Democrats just have a great opportunity this election cycle.

1012
00:59:26,080 --> 00:59:28,040
Speaker 1: Well, we'll see if the National Party, the National Party

1013
00:59:28,120 --> 00:59:31,280
Speaker 1: kicking in, you know, the Texas is always next cycle

1014
00:59:31,320 --> 00:59:31,720
Speaker 1: they're going.

1015
00:59:31,640 --> 00:59:33,440
Speaker 3: To invest, isn't that right?

1016
00:59:33,640 --> 00:59:37,840
Speaker 2: Well, you know I mentioned the national implications of this race.

1017
00:59:38,080 --> 00:59:40,680
Speaker 2: I've talked about them to Ken Martin. He seems to

1018
00:59:40,720 --> 00:59:42,400
Speaker 2: get at it and he seems to be on board.

1019
00:59:42,920 --> 00:59:45,960
Speaker 2: It's like the future is now in Texas and we.

1020
00:59:46,040 --> 00:59:47,000
Speaker 3: Need to make this happen.

1021
00:59:47,600 --> 00:59:49,840
Speaker 1: All right, Well, we'll be watching Gina. You know, it's

1022
00:59:49,840 --> 00:59:51,280
Speaker 1: a be saved for the trail.

1023
00:59:51,560 --> 00:59:53,920
Speaker 2: All right, all right, great, thank you appreciate it.