Original Broadcaster Captioning (Enhanced). Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a quotation record.
00:00:01COMPUTECH ARE REAPING THE BENEFITS. NOW. YOU DON'T HAVE
00:00:05TAXES ON OVERTIME. IF YOU WORK A LITTLE BIT HARDER, THE FEDERAL
00:00:09GOVERNMENT OUGHT TO KEEP ITS HAND OUT OF YOUR POCKET. AND IT IS THANKS TO THE WORKING >> [APPLAUSE]
00:00:12>> FAMILIES TAX CUT
00:00:14>> [APPLAUSE]
00:00:21>> AND THIS BUSINESS IS THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE WANT
00:00:23TO SEE THRIVE. OUR VISION OF
00:00:26AMERICA IS THAT WE WANT
00:00:30BUSINESSES AND WORKERS INVESTING IN THEIR COMMUNITIES INVESTING
00:00:31IN THEIR HOMELANDS, AND THRIVING
00:00:34TOGETHER. WHERE PREVIOUS GENERATIONS OF WASHINGTON
00:00:37LEADERSHIP WOULD REWARD THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SHIPPING FACTORY
00:00:41JOBS OVERSEAS. WE ARE REWARDING
00:00:45FACTORIES AND MANUFACTURERS RIGHT HERE IN BREWER, MAINE.
00:00:49LIKE COMPUTECH.
00:00:50>> [APPLAUSE] [APPLAUSE]
00:00:54>> NOW, NOW, ONE OF THE REASONS I'M SO HAPPY TO BE HERE IS
00:00:57BECAUSE I THINK THIS FACTORY HAS
00:01:00AN AMAZING STORY, AND IT
00:01:02EXEMPLIFIES A LOT OF THE RISE
00:01:04AND FALL. AND UNDER PRESIDENT
00:01:06TRUMP, THE RISE AGAIN, OF
00:01:09AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL MIGHT. IF
00:01:11YOU VISITED THIS VERY FACILITY 16 YEARS AGO, YOU'D HAVE SEEN A
00:01:14MUCH, MUCH DIFFERENT SIGHT. IN
00:01:192010, THE PREVIOUS TENANT CLOSED UP SHOP. >> AND WE'LL LEAVE THIS HERE.
00:01:22YOU CAN FINISH WATCHING AT
00:01:24C-SPAN.ORG AS WE TAKE YOU NOW TO A SIMULCAST OF THE MICHAEL
00:01:28SMERCONISH PROGRAM, LIVE FROM
00:01:30ARDMORE, PENNSYLVANIA, HERE ON
00:01:33C-SPAN. TWO.
00:01:38>> IS >> [MUSIC] >> THIS.
00:01:40>> IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU.
00:01:46>> WELCOME TO THE MICHAEL
00:01:48SMERCONISH PROGRAM ON
00:01:50SIRIUSXM'S POTUS, CHANNEL 124.
00:01:54WE'RE INDEPENDENT MINDS COME TOGETHER. NOW. >> HERE'S MICHAEL SMERCONISH.
00:01:57>> I HAD CAMERAS ON THE BRAIN
00:01:59YESTERDAY BECAUSE C-SPAN TWO WAS
00:02:02SIMULCASTING THE PROGRAM, AS THEY'RE DOING TODAY, AND THAT
00:02:05INSPIRED THE POLL QUESTION THAT
00:02:08WE HAD YESTERDAY@SMERCONISH.COM. SHOULD CAMERAS BE ALLOWED IN
00:02:12EVERY GOVERNMENT PROCEEDING, THE PUBLIC HAS A LEGAL RIGHT TO
00:02:15ATTEND. THAT'S MY SMERCONISH,
00:02:17SUNSHINE STANDARD. I BELIEVE
00:02:20THAT ANYWHERE YOU CAN PULL UP A
00:02:22CHAIR AND WATCH THE PEOPLE'S BUSINESS BEING CONDUCTED, THERE'S A RIGHT TO HAVE A
00:02:26CAMERA THERE. IF SOMEBODY'S WILLING TO TRANSMIT IT, THEN WE
00:02:29OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO WATCH IT. THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE GET
00:02:32TO GO EVERYWHERE. WE'RE NOT GOING TO GO INTO A JURY ROOM,
00:02:35BUT YOU ARE GOING TO GO INTO A COURTROOM. BY THAT STANDARD,
00:02:38IT'S AN ONGOING THEME OF THIS PROGRAM. BUT I THOUGHT THAT I'D
00:02:41AIR IT OUT YESTERDAY IN THE FORM
00:02:43OF A POLL. QUESTION, 33,480
00:02:49VOTED, 91.93%. AGREEING WITH ME THAT, YEAH, IF YOU COULD WALK IN
00:02:53THE DOOR AND WATCH THE ZONING HEARING OR THE COUNTY
00:02:56COMMISSIONER MEETING, OR
00:02:58CONGRESS, YOU OUGHT TO BE ABLE
00:03:01OR THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES, THEN YOU OUGHT TO
00:03:03BE ABLE TO HAVE A CAMERA IN THAT
00:03:07VENUE. TODAY'S POLL QUESTION.
00:03:09IN A STATE WHERE ONE PARTY
00:03:11CAN'T WIN A SENATE SEAT, SHOULD
00:03:14THAT PARTY STEP ASIDE FOR A
00:03:16STRONG, INDEPENDENT, GO
00:03:20VOTE@SMERCONISH.COM. GO TO THE WEBSITE. THAT'S HOW YOU CAST YOUR BALLOT. YOU CAN'T DO IT BY
00:03:23CALLING THE PROGRAM. WHY AM I
00:03:27ASKING THAT QUESTION? WELL, SETH BODNAR WAS A GUEST HERE
00:03:29YESTERDAY. HE IS REALLY IMPRESSIVE, REALLY IMPRESSIVE.
00:03:33AND THE CALLERS TOLD ME SO AFTER
00:03:34HIS APPEARANCE. CENTRAL CASTING
00:03:38CANDIDATE IS HOW I DESCRIBE SETH BODNER, WEST POINT GRAD, RHODES
00:03:42SCHOLAR AT OXFORD, INFANTRY
00:03:44OFFICER IN IRAQ, GREEN BERET,
00:03:48BUSINESSMAN, MOST RECENTLY FOR EIGHT YEARS, PRESIDENT OF THE
00:03:52UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA, MARRIED TO A PEDIATRICIAN, RAISING THREE
00:03:55KIDS IN MONTANA, RUNNING FOR THE
00:03:58U.S. SENATE AS AN INDEPENDENT.
00:04:01BUT HERE'S THE THING. IN IDAHO,
00:04:04IN SOUTH DAKOTA, IN NEBRASKA,
00:04:07THERE ARE SERIOUS INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES FOR THE U.S. SENATE.
00:04:10AND IN EACH OF THOSE
00:04:12CIRCUMSTANCES, THE DEMOCRATS LOOKED AT THE MATH AND THEY
00:04:16SAID, WE CAN'T WIN HERE. BUT YOU
00:04:17KNOW WHAT? THAT INDEPENDENT HAS A SHOT AT WINNING HERE. SO WE'RE
00:04:21GOING TO STAND DOWN AND GIVE THE
00:04:24INDEPENDENT A BETTER CHANCE TO WIN THE SEAT. THAT DIDN'T
00:04:28HAPPEN IN MONTANA, DID NOT
00:04:32HAPPEN IN MONTANA. MONTANA IS THE EXCEPTION. THE DEMOCRAT
00:04:35THERE IS POLLING. THIRD, WITHOUT A REALISTIC PATH, BUT IT'S STILL
00:04:39ON THE BALLOT AND SPLITTING THE VOTES. THE VOTES THAT SETH
00:04:42BODNER NEEDS. SO DOES THIS
00:04:45STRATEGY WORK? WELL, OSBORNE
00:04:49LOST NEBRASKA IN 2024 BY SEVEN POINTS, BUT THAT'S IN A STATE
00:04:52THAT DONALD TRUMP CARRIED BY 21. SO YOU COULD, YOU KNOW, GLASS
00:04:56HALF EMPTY, GLASS HALF FULL. THE
00:04:59CASE AGAINST IS THAT NO INDEPENDENT HAS WON A SENATE
00:05:03SEAT THIS WAY. NOT ORMAN IN
00:05:04KANSAS, NOT GROSS IN ALASKA, NOT
00:05:08MCMULLEN. EVAN MCMULLIN IN UTAH. BUT JUST THINK ABOUT THE POTENTIAL PAYOFF. YOU KNOW, ALL,
00:05:12ALL OF THE POWER THAT JOE
00:05:15MANCHIN EXERCISED IN HIS LAST TWO YEARS AS AN INDEPENDENT, AS
00:05:18THE SENATOR FROM WEST VIRGINIA.
00:05:20IF YOU HAD 2 OR 3 MANSIONS, THE
00:05:23CONCENTRATION OF POWER IN THE US
00:05:24SENATE WOULD BE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT AND TAKEN AWAY FROM
00:05:29THE EXTREMES, WHICH IS WHAT I THINK IS SUCH A GOOD THING.
00:05:33ANYWAY, THAT'S TODAY'S POLL QUESTION. GO TO SMERCONISH. CAST
00:05:36A BALLOT. WHEN YOU'RE THERE VOTING, REGISTER FOR THE FREE
00:05:40AND WORTHY DAILY NEWSLETTER. MY LEAD STORY IN THE NEWSLETTER
00:05:43TODAY. AND I WENT WITH THE SCOTUSBLOG COVERAGE. I'M OFTEN
00:05:47DRAWN TO, TO AMY, HOW IT TALKS
00:05:53ABOUT WHAT'S TAKING PLACE WITH REGARD TO THE PRESIDENT'S
00:05:55EXECUTIVE ORDER, ABOUT MAIL IN BALLOTS. LET ME SAY IT THIS WAY.
00:05:58IF I WERE WRITING THE HEADLINE,
00:06:01IF I WERE WRITING THE HEADLINE ON SCOTUSBLOG, OR ANY OF THE
00:06:05OTHER PERIODICALS COVERING THIS,
00:06:07IT'S A LEAD STORY EVERYWHERE. NEW YORK TIMES, WASHINGTON POST,
00:06:10YOU NAME IT. I WOULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING LIKE A SOLUTION IN
00:06:14SEARCH OF A BIGGER PROBLEM. THAT
00:06:15WOULD HAVE BEEN MY HEADLINE, A,
00:06:18A SOLUTION IN SEARCH OF A BIGGER PROBLEM. AT ISSUE IS THE
00:06:22PRESIDENT'S EXECUTIVE ORDER,
00:06:26ONE THAT COULD IMPACT THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS. IT'S AN ORDER THAT HE SIGNED IN MARCH. IT
00:06:28GIVES THE US POSTAL SERVICE THIS
00:06:31UNPRECEDENTED ROLE IN DECIDING WHO CAN VOTE BY MAIL. AND THIS
00:06:34IS THE IMPORTANT PART. AND THIS IS WHERE THE BLANK SHOW, I
00:06:38THINK, IS ABOUT TO COMMENCE. IT
00:06:41CALLS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY TO COMPILE
00:06:45LISTS OF PEOPLE THAT IT CONSIDERS ELIGIBLE TO VOTE. THERE'S NO SUCH THING. DO YOU
00:06:48KNOW THIS? THERE'S NO SUCH
00:06:51THING AS THE CITIZENSHIP LIST. AND IT'S FUNNY, BECAUSE THE
00:06:55VERY SAME PEOPLE WHO WANT YOU TO
00:06:56PRESENT YOUR ID WHEN YOU VOTE,
00:07:00AND I'M FINE WITH THAT IN SELECT CIRCUMSTANCES, AS LONG AS
00:07:02YOU HAVE AN ID THAT PEOPLE IN THAT COMMUNITY TEND TO HAVE. BUT
00:07:06THE PEOPLE WHO WANT YOU TO PRESENT AN ID, THEY DON'T WANT THERE TO BE. THEY DON'T WANT
00:07:10THERE TO BE A NATIONAL
00:07:12CITIZENSHIP LIST, BECAUSE THAT
00:07:14SOUNDS TOO MUCH LIKE BIG BROTHER. THIS CASE FROM THE
00:07:18WASHINGTON POST COVERAGE, A
00:07:20DIVIDED SUPREME COURT ON MONDAY EASED THE PATH FOR AN EXECUTIVE
00:07:24ORDER BY PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP THAT WOULD IMPOSE SWEEPING NEW
00:07:28RESTRICTIONS ON MAIL IN BALLOTING FOR NOVEMBER'S MIDTERM
00:07:32ELECTIONS. BUT THE COMPLEX AND FAST MOVING LEGAL FIGHT IS NOT
00:07:36OVER. THE EXECUTIVE ORDER WOULD
00:07:37BAR THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE FROM
00:07:40SENDING MAIL IN BALLOTS TO
00:07:42VOTERS, NOT ON LISTS OF CITIZENS
00:07:45CREATED BY FEDERAL AGENCIES IN
00:07:48THE COVERAGE OF THE WASHINGTON POST, IT SAYS TRUMP HAS FALSELY
00:07:51CLAIMED THAT NON-CITIZENS ARE
00:07:53VOTING IN LARGE NUMBERS. THAT WORD FALSELY IS THEIRS, NOT
00:07:57MINE. HE HAS, OF COURSE, LONG
00:08:00BLAMED MAIL IN BALLOTING FOR HIS
00:08:032020 ELECTION LOSS. AND NOW, YOU KNOW, WE'RE UP AGAINST THE
00:08:06CLOCK. LABOR DAY WEEKEND IS NEXT WEEKEND, NOT THIS WEEKEND, BUT
00:08:08NEXT WEEKEND. THE UNOFFICIAL START OF THE CAMPAIGN SEASON.
00:08:11THERE'S NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT THIS CASE HEADS BACK TO THE
00:08:15SUPREME COURT, AND WILL DO SO AT
00:08:19A TIME, ARGUABLY, WHEN PEOPLE
00:08:19ARE ALREADY VOTING. UM, NORTH
00:08:23CAROLINA, I BELIEVE, IS THE FIRST. THEY'LL BE PUTTING
00:08:26BALLOTS IN THE MAIL ON SEPTEMBER 4th. SO IT THE MIDTERMS, YOU
00:08:30KNOW, OH, WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN
00:08:31IN THE 2026 MIDTERM? IT ALWAYS SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS SO FAR OFF.
00:08:35NO, IT'S IT'S HERE. AND IT'S
00:08:39NOW. THERE WAS NOT AN OPINION
00:08:42ISSUED. IT WAS AN UNSIGNED ORDER. BUT WE KNOW HOW THE VOTES
00:08:46BROKE BECAUSE THE LIBERAL MEMBERS OF THE COURT, THEY THEY
00:08:49DID WRITE OPINIONS IN THIS
00:08:50REGARD. IT WAS A 6 TO 3
00:08:54IDEOLOGICAL SPLIT. IN THE END,
00:08:57UH, THE MAJORITY WRITING, QUOTE,
00:08:59THE COURT'S DISPOSITION OF THIS
00:09:03APPLICATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT ANY MEASURE TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT TO IMPLEMENT THE
00:09:06ORDER WILL NECESSARILY BE
00:09:08LAWFUL. ON THAT SCORE. TIME WILL TELL. I THINK THEY KNOW THAT
00:09:11IT'S COMING BACK. THEY PROBABLY WANT THE LOWER COURTS TO DO
00:09:14THEIR, UH, THEIR DIRTY WORK. UM,
00:09:19AS TO THE UNDERLYING ISSUE COUNT
00:09:21ME AMONG THE CYNICS AS TO THE PRESIDENT'S OBJECTIVE. YOU
00:09:24KNOW, HE'S LONG BEEN AN OPPONENT OF MAIL IN VOTING,
00:09:28NOTWITHSTANDING THAT, JUST WHAT, A WEEK AGO WAS IT A WEEK AGO
00:09:31TODAY THAT FLORIDA VOTE? WHERE, WHERE NIXON WON AS THE
00:09:34DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST? I, I, I THINK. RIGHT, THAT WAS JUST A
00:09:36WEEK AGO. HE VOTED BY ABSENTEE. HE VOTED BY ABSENTEE. BUT THE
00:09:41PRESIDENT JUST CAN'T SEEM TO
00:09:42WRAP HIS HEAD AROUND THE IDEA
00:09:46THAT THERE IS SUCH A THING AS A RED MIRAGE AND BLUE WAVE, THAT
00:09:49WHEN DEMOCRATS CONTINUE TO
00:09:51PREFER MAIL IN BALLOTS AS COMPARED TO REPUBLICANS, THEN
00:09:55WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN ON ELECTION NIGHT?
00:09:57>> THERE'S GOING TO BE THIS
00:10:00FALSE. UH, NEED FOR REPUBLICANS BECAUSE THEY'RE VOTING BY MACHINE, AND YOU OPEN UP THE
00:10:04BACK OF THE MACHINE, AND THERE'S THE VOTE TALLY. BUT, OF
00:10:07COURSE, YOU KNOW, IN THE PRESIDENT'S MIND, IF YOU
00:10:09REMEMBER 2020, IT WAS SATURDAY
00:10:12THAT THE ELECTION GOT CALLED AFTER TUESDAY. WHY, ESPECIALLY
00:10:16IN THE MIDST OF THE PANDEMIC, BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE WERE VOTING BY MAIL, AND IT TAKES
00:10:20LONGER TO CAST THOSE BALLOTS.
00:10:22BUT HE THINKS THAT THERE ARE SHENANIGANS. HE THINKS THAT
00:10:25THERE ARE SHENANIGANS INVOLVED
00:10:26IN THAT PROCESS. IS THERE REALLY
00:10:30MAIL IN VOTING FRAUD BY NON-CITIZENS? I ASKED THAT
00:10:34QUESTION A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY. I'M SURE THAT THERE IS, BUT I
00:10:37ASK IT THIS WAY. ARE
00:10:39NON-CITIZENS VOTING BY MAIL IN
00:10:42NUMBERS THAT WOULD JUSTIFY
00:10:45REBUILDING THE WAY ROUGHLY 1 IN
00:10:473 AMERICANS CASTS A BALLOT. AND
00:10:49TO THAT QUESTION, I SAY NO. I
00:10:52SAY, STUFF HAPPENS IN OUR ELECTIONS. IT'S THE NATURE OF
00:10:56OUR ELECTIONS. I MEAN, YOU KNOW,
00:10:59WE CREATE THIS APPARATUS FOR OUR
00:11:01ELECTIONS THAT IS LARGELY DRIVEN BY VOLUNTEERS AND PEOPLE WHO ARE
00:11:05BEING PAID A VERY LOW SUM OF
00:11:07MONEY. SO WHAT DO YOU EXPECT? STUFF'S GOING TO HAPPEN? THERE
00:11:10WAS A THERE WAS A GREAT QUOTE FROM DAVID LITT IN A BOOK THAT HE WROTE WHERE HE SAID, IT'S
00:11:14LIKE WE CREATE A, A STARBUCKS EVERY TIME THAT WE HAVE AN
00:11:18ELECTION, AND THEN WE DISMANTLE
00:11:19THE APPARATUS. AND THEN WE'RE
00:11:22SURPRISED WHEN STUFF HAPPENS IN THAT CONTEXT. THINK ABOUT THE
00:11:25SCALE OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING
00:11:28ABOUT HERE IN 2024. ABOUT 29% OF ALL VOTERS VOTED BY MAIL. OUT
00:11:31WEST, IT WAS 73%. THAT'S
00:11:34ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS BUREAU
00:11:36DATA. AND NOW THE FRAUD NUMBERS.
00:11:39AND THEY COME FROM THE ADMINISTRATION'S OWN
00:11:42ENFORCEMENT. FEWER THAN 150
00:11:44NON-CITIZEN VOTERS REFERRED FOR PROSECUTION WERE REFERRED FOR
00:11:48PROSECUTION. NATIONWIDE, 41 WERE
00:11:52CHARGED 14 CONVICTIONS OR GUILTY
00:11:55PLEAS. THAT'S OUT OF 150
00:11:58MILLION VOTERS. AND THE STATE
00:12:02AUDITS, THE STATE AUDITS LINE UP WITH THAT. THE DATA THAT I'M
00:12:05ABOUT TO RATTLE OFF ALL COMES FROM THEIR BOARD OF ELECTIONS,
00:12:09OR THEIR STATE SECRETARIES, FOR
00:12:13EXAMPLE, MICHIGAN RAN ITS DRIVING RECORDS AGAINST ITS
00:12:17VOTER FILE, AND THEY FOUND THAT
00:12:2115 PROBABLE NON-CITIZENS VOTED
00:12:2315 OUT OF 5.7 MILLION BALLOTS.
00:12:28HOW ABOUT THIS? NORTH CAROLINA,
00:12:30AUDITED IN 2016, 4.8 MILLION
00:12:32BALLOTS. THEY FOUND THAT 41,
00:12:36ONLY 41. THE BOARD CONCLUDED
00:12:38THAT ABOUT 100th OF 1% OF
00:12:40BALLOTS WERE INELIGIBLE, FOR ALL
00:12:44REASONS COMBINED, AND THAT NO RACE IN THE STATE WOULD HAVE
00:12:46COME OUT DIFFERENTLY. LOUISIANA
00:12:51FOUND ABOUT 89 CITIZEN BALLOTS
00:12:54GOING BACK TO THE 1980s. OKAY.
00:12:56OUT OF HOW MANY? AN ESTIMATED 74
00:13:01MILLION. 74 MILLION. LOUISIANA SECRETARY OF STATE, A
00:13:03REPUBLICAN, SAID THIS. NON-CITIZENS ILLEGALLY
00:13:07REGISTERING OR VOTING IS NOT A
00:13:08SYSTEMIC PROBLEM IN LOUISIANA.
00:13:11HERE'S ONE THAT I FIND PARTICULARLY PERSUASIVE. KRIS
00:13:15KOBACH, THE KANSAS SECRETARY OF
00:13:18STATE, THE MOST COMMITTED BELIEVER IN THIS THEORY THAT
00:13:21THERE'S RAMPANT FRAUD BEING COMMITTED BY PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT
00:13:23CITIZENS VIA THE MAIL. TRUMP, YOU'LL RECALL, MADE HIM THE
00:13:27VICE CHAIR OF THE 2017 VOTER
00:13:32FRAUD COMMISSION. KOBACH GOT SOMETHING THAT NOBODY ELSE WAS
00:13:35ABLE TO GET. HE GOT A FULL FEDERAL TRIAL UNDER OATH, UNDER
00:13:38CROSS HIS OPPORTUNITY TO PUT THE
00:13:41EVIDENCE ON THE TABLE AND WHAT
00:13:46HE PRODUCED WAS 39 NONCITIZENS
00:13:48SUCCESSFULLY REGISTERED IN
00:13:51KANSAS. WAIT FOR IT. NOW, OUT OF
00:13:541.8 MILLION VOTERS OVER ROUGHLY
00:13:5819 YEARS, TWO THOUSANDTHS OF 1%.
00:14:01AND THE JUDGE FOUND THAT MOST OF
00:14:03THOSE WERE EXPLAINED BY ADMINISTRATIVE ERROR AND
00:14:06CONFUSION. A LINE FROM HER OPINION STANDS OUT THERE IS NO
00:14:09ICEBERG, ONLY AN ICICLE LARGELY
00:14:14CREATED BY CONFUSION AND ADMINISTRATIVE ERROR. I MEAN, I COULD GO THROUGH ALL THE
00:14:18REPUBLICAN STATES AS WELL AND
00:14:19TALK ABOUT THEIR AUDITS AND WHAT
00:14:23THEY'VE YIELDED RELATIVE TO HOW OFTEN DO NON-CITIZENS VOTE IN
00:14:26OUR ELECTIONS? TEXAS FLAGGED
00:14:30ABOUT 95,000 IN 2019. AT LEAST A QUARTER OF THEM WERE NATURALIZED
00:14:33CITIZENS. A JUDGE HALTED IT. THE
00:14:36STATE SETTLED. THE SECRETARY OF
00:14:40STATE RESIGNED. ALABAMA FLAGGED
00:14:423200 IN 51 AND 51 IN 2020. FOR.
00:14:46ABOUT 2000 OF THEM WERE CITIZENS. A FEDERAL JUDGE CITED
00:14:48WHAT SHE CALLED AN. OVER 50%
00:14:52ERROR RATE. UTAH. UTAH RAN 8836
00:14:57NAMES THROUGH THE FEDERAL
00:14:59DATABASE. THIS JANUARY. THEY
00:15:03CONFIRMED EXACTLY ONE ONE NON-CITIZEN. AND BY THE WAY, HE
00:15:07HAD NOT VOTED. I MEAN, I COULD
00:15:09GO ON AND ON AND ON. UTAH'S LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, A REPUBLICAN, CALLED THE FEDERAL
00:15:13DATABASE THAT THEY USED, QUOTE,
00:15:15NOTORIOUSLY INACCURATE,
00:15:17NATIONWIDE, NATIONWIDE, IT RAN ROUGHLY 49.5 MILLION VOTER
00:15:21REGISTRATIONS. THEY FLAGGED ABOUT 10,000. THAT'S TWO
00:15:25HUNDREDTHS OF 1%. I COULD GO ON
00:15:29AND ON AND ON AND SAYING THAT ANY TIME WITH DATA THAT ANY TIME
00:15:32THAT ANY TIME THAT THERE'S BEEN
00:15:36A SERIOUS AUDIT, A SERIOUS LOOK AT VOTER FRAUD, OF, OF NON-CITIZENS, IT HAS NOT BORNE
00:15:39FRUIT. IT'S BEEN MINUSCULE, IF AT ALL. DO YOU REMEMBER NEW
00:15:42JERSEY LAST MONTH, ABOUT 6600
00:15:47NONCITIZENS GOT REGISTERED TO VOTE BY A SOFTWARE ERROR AT THE
00:15:50MOTOR VEHICLE COMMISSION. THAT'S OFTEN HOW IT HAPPENS.
00:15:54IT'S OFTEN THE DMV OR THE BUREAU OF MOTOR VEHICLES,
00:15:57DEPENDING UPON YOUR STATE. PROPUBLICA'S SUMMARY ON THIS
00:16:00WHOLE SUBJECT WAS SIMPLE.
00:16:02NONCITIZENS OFTEN GET ON VOTER
00:16:05ROLLS BY ACCIDENT, OR WHEN
00:16:08GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS MAKE ERRORS. THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE.
00:16:12SO HERE'S THE ADDED CONSIDERATION THAT I WANT TO
00:16:14OFFER TO YOU. THE ADDED CONSIDERATION THAT I THINK IS,
00:16:17IS NOT GETTING THE ATTENTION
00:16:19THAT IT DESERVES. TODAY. ON THIS
00:16:21SUBJECT OF THE PRESIDENT'S
00:16:23EXECUTIVE ORDER AND HIM SEEKING TO, I'LL JUST SAY IT IN SIMPLE
00:16:27TERMS, MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT TO VOTE BY MAIL, SOMETHING THAT THE
00:16:31SUPREME COURT HAS SIDESTEPPED
00:16:33TEMPORARILY. I THINK THAT THE BIGGER ISSUE IS WHAT I'M ABOUT
00:16:36TO SAY. THIS IS WHAT THIS IS, WHAT OUGHT TO CONCERN YOU, EVEN
00:16:40IF YOU LOVE THE ORDER, EVEN IF PRESIDENT TRUMP WINS EVERY
00:16:44LAWSUIT THAT'S ABOUT TO UNFOLD ON THIS ISSUE, EVEN IF THE
00:16:47SUPREME COURT BLESSES,
00:16:49ULTIMATELY EVERY WORD OF WHAT HE'S SEEKING TO DO, I DON'T
00:16:53THINK THE GOVERNMENT CAN DELIVER WHAT IT'S PROMISING. I DON'T
00:16:57THINK THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS
00:16:59THE CAPABILITY OF EXECUTING WHAT
00:17:02PRESIDENT TRUMP IS DEMANDING,
00:17:04BECAUSE THE MASTER LIST OF
00:17:08AMERICAN CITIZENS, THE MASTER LIST, THAT THE ORDER DEPENDS
00:17:10UPON, IT DOESN'T IT HAS NEVER
00:17:14EXISTED. YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE
00:17:18SITS IN A COUNTY FILING CABINET, NOT IN WASHINGTON. THE FEDERAL
00:17:22GOVERNMENT ONLY HAS RECORDS ON
00:17:25NATURALIZED CITIZENS, PASSPORT HOLDERS. ABOUT HALF THE COUNTRY,
00:17:28AND A SOCIAL SECURITY FILE THAT, BY ITS OWN INSPECTOR GENERAL'S
00:17:32ESTIMATE, HAS MISCODED 3.3
00:17:34MILLION AMERICAN CITIZENS. AS
00:17:38NON-CITIZENS. SO WHAT I'M SAYING IS THAT THE GOVERNMENT NOW IS
00:17:42ATTEMPTING TO BUILD FROM SCRATCH
00:17:44A LIST OF EVERY CITIZEN IN
00:17:47AMERICA OUT OF DATABASES THAT
00:17:49WERE NEVER DESIGNED TO FIT TOGETHER. AND THEY'RE TRYING TO
00:17:53DO SO ON A 60 DAY CLOCK, WITH
00:17:56BALLOTS GOING OUT IN THE MAIL IN
00:17:58JUST TEN DAYS. AND WE'VE ALREADY
00:18:01SEEN THE PREVIEW WHEN THEY RAN 33 MILLION VOTER RECORDS THROUGH
00:18:05THE FEDERAL SYSTEM, ROUGHLY A MILLION PEOPLE CAME BACK
00:18:09UNVERIFIED. THEY WERE
00:18:11OVERWHELMINGLY CITIZENS IN SAINT LOUIS COUNTY. A THIRD OF THE
00:18:15PEOPLE FLAGGED WERE NATURALIZED AMERICANS WHO REGISTERED TO VOTE
00:18:18AT THEIR OWN NATURALIZATION
00:18:21CEREMONY UTAH RAN 9000 NAMES.
00:18:27THEY CONFIRMED EXACTLY ONE NON-CITIZEN, UTAH'S REPUBLICAN LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR. I TOLD YOU,
00:18:31THE BEST THAT HE COULD SAY IS, WELL, THOSE RECORDS ARE
00:18:34NOTORIOUSLY INACCURATE. AND WHO
00:18:36GETS LEFT OFF A LIST ULTIMATELY
00:18:38BUILT FROM THESE RECORDS? NOT
00:18:40THE FRAUDSTERS, BUT USUALLY
00:18:43IT'S THE ELDERLY. IT'S THE ELDERLY WHOSE RECORDS PREDATE
00:18:47THE GOVERNMENT. EVEN TRACKING
00:18:50CITIZENSHIP OR NATURALIZED AMERICANS WHOSE FILES WERE NEVER
00:18:54UPDATED. THE ROUGHLY 21 MILLION
00:18:56VOTING AGE CITIZENS WHO DON'T HAVE A PASSPORT OR A BIRTH
00:19:00CERTIFICATE WITHIN REACH. AND IF YOUR NAME ISN'T ON THE LIST,
00:19:04THE POST OFFICE DOESN'T DELIVER YOUR BALLOT. EVEN THOUGH THE POSTAL SERVICE ITSELF SAYS THAT
00:19:07IN THEIR OWN RULE, IT WILL PLAY
00:19:11NO ROLE IN DETERMINING WHO'S
00:19:14ELIGIBLE TO VOTE. SO, SET ASIDE THE CONSTITUTION FOR JUST A MOMENT. SET ASIDE THE LAWSUITS.
00:19:18SET ASIDE WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT
00:19:22PRESIDENT TRUMP. IN MY OPINION, IT'S A TRAIN WRECK IN SLOW
00:19:25MOTION, A NATIONAL CITIZENSHIP REGISTRY THAT AMERICA HAS
00:19:28DELIBERATELY REFUSED TO BUILD
00:19:30FOR 50 YEARS, NOW, BEING
00:19:33IMPROVISED IN WEEKS. AND YOUR BALLOTS WILL BE THE TEST CASE.
00:19:37BY THE WAY, WE COULD SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. WE COULD SOLVE THIS
00:19:39PROBLEM IF WE DECIDED AND, AND I
00:19:43SHOULD SHOULD SAY AGAIN, I'M FOR
00:19:46THE IDEA OF SHOWING A FORM OF IDENTIFICATION. WHEN YOU GO TO
00:19:49VOTE, I SHOW IT EVERYWHERE ELSE.
00:19:53I'M FINE SHOWING IT THERE TOO, JUST SO LONG AS IT'S THE FORM OF
00:19:56AN ID THAT PEOPLE IN A
00:19:59PARTICULAR COMMUNITY ARE LIKELY TO HAVE. I MEAN, I KNOW THIS, THIS SOUNDS LIKE A FOREIGN
00:20:03CONCEPT TO, TO MANY WHO ARE
00:20:06SERIOUS XM SUBSCRIBERS, YOU KNOW, PAYING FOR THAT SUBSCRIPTION AND LISTENING IN YOUR CARS. A LOT OF PEOPLE
00:20:10DON'T HAVE A DRIVER'S LICENSE. SO, SO YOU CAN'T GO INTO CERTAIN
00:20:14COMMUNITIES AND SAY, WELL, IT'S GOTTA BE X, Y, OR Z. IF X, Y, OR
00:20:17Z ARE FORMS OF IDENTIFICATION THAT PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE
00:20:20DON'T HAVE, BE REASONABLE, IS
00:20:22WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY. SURE.
00:20:25MAKE PEOPLE SHOW YOU SOMETHING. AS LONG AS IT'S TOLERANT OF THE
00:20:29COMMUNITY THAT YOU'RE SEEKING TO SERVE. I'M FINE WITH THAT. AND THE WAY THAT WE CAN MAKE THIS A
00:20:33LOT SIMPLER IS IF WE DID HAVE A FORM OF NATIONAL IDENTIFICATION,
00:20:37AND ONE WITH YOUR PICTURE ON IT.
00:20:39BUT, BUT I MAINTAIN THAT THE VERY PEOPLE WHO WANT TO IMPOSE
00:20:42THE MOST RIGOROUS STANDARDS FOR
00:20:46VOTING WILL BE MOST IN
00:20:47OPPOSITION TO THAT IDEA. THAT'S WHAT I THINK. THAT'S WHAT I
00:20:51THINK ABOUT THIS STORY. GETTING ALL THIS ATTENTION TODAY ABOUT
00:20:54THE ROLE OF THE POSTAL SERVICE
00:20:58AND HOMELAND SECURITY RELATIVE TO YOUR BALLOTS. AND DON'T
00:21:01FORGET, IN THE END, THIS IS REALLY A STATE FUNCTION AND NOT
00:21:04ONE WHERE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OUGHT TO BE INVOLVED. AND I
00:21:07DON'T THINK THAT THE GOVERNMENT CAN BUILD IT. DO YOU REMEMBER
00:21:11THE ROLLOUT OF OBAMACARE? YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I KEEP THINKING. DO
00:21:15YOU REMEMBER DOGE AND HOW INEPT
00:21:17THAT WHOLE PROCESS WAS? AND YOU'RE YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT
00:21:21THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WITHIN 60 DAYS, IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO
00:21:23DISCERN WHO'S A CITIZEN AND
00:21:25WHO'S NOT. NO WAY. BLANK SHOW
00:21:28WAITING TO HAPPEN. BUT THEN AGAIN, MAYBE THAT'S WHAT HE
00:21:31WANTS. MAYBE THAT'S WHAT HE WANTS. YOUR TURN TO RESPOND.
00:21:34CALL ME. I'M AT THE USUAL
00:21:36NUMBER. THAT MEANS YOU DIAL(
00:21:40855) 486-1776. HOW DO YOU THINK THIS SHOULD FUNCTION? SHOULD YOU HAVE TO SHOW AN IDENTIFICATION
00:21:44CARD TO VOTE? WHAT KIND OF AN ID SHOULD IT BE? DO YOU TRUST DHS
00:21:48TO NOW PUT TOGETHER WITHIN 60
00:21:50DAYS, SOME KIND OF A MASTER LIST OF CITIZENS? YOU KNOW, THERE'LL
00:21:53BE PEOPLE WHO'LL BE MISSING FROM IT. AND, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO'LL BE INCLUDED ON
00:21:57IT, JUST LIKE WHAT HAPPENED IN
00:22:01NEW JERSEY, WHEN 6600 PEOPLE NOT ELIGIBLE TO VOTE BECAUSE OF THE
00:22:04DMV GOT PUT, BECAUSE NEW JERSEY, YOU CAN GET A DRIVER'S LICENSE
00:22:08IF YOU'RE NOT A CITIZEN. THEY
00:22:09GOT ADDED TO THE ROLLS, AND 400
00:22:12OF THEM VOTED. BUT BY THE WAY, I DON'T THINK THEY SHOULD BE
00:22:15PROSECUTED. I DON'T THINK IT WAS THEIR FAULT. THEY PROBABLY
00:22:18THOUGHT THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS AUTHORIZING THEM TO CAST A
00:22:21BALLOT. I'M AT EIGHT, FIVE,
00:22:2654861776.
00:22:32>> [MUSIC]
00:22:42[MUSIC] >> THIS WEEK ON C-SPAN 2. WE'RE
00:22:46BRINGING YOU LIVE TALK RADIO SIMULCAST FEATURING VOICES FROM
00:22:49ACROSS AMERICAN POLITICS AT 9
00:22:51A.M. EASTERN. MICHAEL SMERCONISH HOSTS THE MICHAEL SMERCONISH
00:22:55PROGRAM, CHALLENGING BOTH SIDES OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM. AT
00:22:58NOON, PROGRESSIVE COMMENTATOR THOM HARTMANN HOSTS THE THOM HARTMANN PROGRAM WITH HIS TAKE
00:23:01ON THE DAY'S BIGGEST POLITICAL
00:23:04STORIES. AND THEN, AT THREE, CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST HOWIE
00:23:07CARR HOSTS THE HOWIE CARR SHOW WITH HIS TAKE ON POLITICS,
00:23:10CULTURE AND THE NEWS OF THE DAY.
00:23:12WATCH LIVE THIS WEEK ON C-SPAN.
00:23:16TWO C-SPAN NOW, OUR FREE MOBILE
00:23:18VIDEO APP, OR ONLINE AT
00:23:23C-SPAN.ORG. ALL THIS WEEK, JOIN
00:23:28C-SPAN 2 AT 6 P.M. EASTERN FOR MARATHON PROGRAMING,
00:23:31HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL, COMPELLING, AND
00:23:35MEMORABLE MOMENTS COVERED BY C-SPAN IN 2026. TODAY, A
00:23:38COLLECTION OF CONGRESSIONAL
00:23:40HEARINGS THAT SHAPED POLICY SCRUTINIZED IMPORTANT ISSUES,
00:23:43AND CAPTURED THE ATTENTION OF THE COUNTRY. WEDNESDAY. A LOOK
00:23:45AT THE EXPLORATION, INNOVATION,
00:23:48AND ACHIEVEMENT THAT HAVE PUSHED THE BOUNDARIES OF WHAT'S POSSIBLE FROM THE HISTORY OF THE
00:23:51AMERICAN SPACE PROGRAM TO ARTEMIS II. THURSDAY, WE'LL AIR
00:23:55SOME OF THIS YEAR'S MOST WATCHED, MOST TALKED ABOUT, AND
00:23:59MOST MEMORABLE C-SPAN PROGRAMING THAT CAPTURED PUBLIC ATTENTION.
00:24:02AND ON FRIDAY, SUPREME COURT
00:24:05JUSTICES DISCUSSING THEIR LIVES, THE CONSTITUTION, THE COURT, AND
00:24:08WHAT IT MEANS TO SERVE ON THE NATION'S HIGHEST COURT. WATCH A
00:24:12MARATHON OF COMPELLING
00:24:14PROGRAMING. ALL THIS WEEK ON
00:24:18C-SPAN, TWO. ON TUESDAY, HOWARD
00:24:22UNIVERSITY WILL HOST GHANA'S
00:24:24ASHANTI KING, OTUMFUO OSEI TUTU
00:24:27II FOR REMARKS ON GOVERNMENT
00:24:30LEADERSHIP AND CULTURAL PRESERVATION. THE EVENT IS HOSTED BY THE MILLENNIUM
00:24:34EXCELLENCE FOUNDATION, WHICH SUPPORTS CULTURAL EXCHANGE
00:24:37BETWEEN GHANA AND THE AFRICAN DIASPORA. WATCH LIVE AT 6 P.M.
00:24:40EASTERN ON C-SPAN C-SPAN NOW,
00:24:42OUR FREE MOBILE APP OR ONLINE AT
00:24:48C-SPAN .ORG.
00:24:54>> YOU LOOK BACK ON WHAT YOU'VE ACHIEVED IN YOUR LIFE, WHAT MAKES YOU THE HAPPIEST OF WHAT
00:24:58YOU'VE ACHIEVED SO FAR? >> THIS INTERVIEW IS THE ABSOLUTE APEX.
00:25:02>> LEADERS SEEM TO LIKE TO WEAR WIGS. HOW COME HE DIDN'T HAVE A
00:25:05WIG? PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID, I MADE A MISTAKE THE FIRST TIME. I
00:25:09SHOULD HAVE GIVEN IT TO YOU THE FIRST TIME. >> THAT ISN'T WHAT HE SAID.
00:25:11>> YOUR FIRST BOOK WAS CALLED A
00:25:13TIME TO KILL. HOW MANY PUBLISHERS TURNED THAT DOWN? >> WELL, ALL OF THEM.
00:25:17>> IT'S VERY RARE TO SEE DONALD TRUMP LAUGH. HE DOESN'T LIKE TO
00:25:20SMILE. HE HAS WHAT THEY CALL THE STARE. HOW WOULD. >> THE STARE.
00:25:23>> WHEN YOU GO TO THE OSCARS THAT EVERYBODY SAY, OH, THERE'S THE AUTHOR. >> OF ALL THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE
00:25:27GO THIS WAY, AND THEN THEY HAVE ANOTHER LITTLE PATH IN THE OSCARS, WHERE THE PEOPLE LIKE I GO.
00:25:31>> SO YOU WROTE A BOOK ABOUT SOMEBODY WHO LIVED WITH WOLVES. >> WHEN I INTERVIEWED A GUY WHO
00:25:35LIVED WITH WOLVES. >> YEAH. AND IS THAT SAFE TO DO THAT? >> ABSOLUTELY NOT.
00:25:39>> SO I KNOW YOU WERE NOT
00:25:40COMPLAINING DAVID.
00:25:45>> [MUSIC]
00:25:54>> WATCH AMERICA'S.
00:25:56>> BOOK CLUB. C-SPAN'S BOELTER
00:25:58ORIGINAL SERIES, SUNDAY WITH OUR GUEST AWARD WINNING GLOBAL NUMBER ONE BEST SELLING AUTHOR,
00:26:02DAVID BALDACCI. HIS THRILLERS HAVE SOLD OVER 200 MILLION
00:26:06COPIES WORLDWIDE. PUBLISHED IN
00:26:09OVER 45 LANGUAGES IN MORE THAN 80 COUNTRIES. DAVID, ALONG WITH
00:26:12HIS WIFE MICHELLE, ARE ALSO THE CO-FOUNDERS OF THE WISH YOU WELL
00:26:16FOUNDATION, A NONPROFIT
00:26:18ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO SUPPORTING LITERACY PROGRAMS IN
00:26:21THE UNITED STATES. HE JOINS OUR HOST, RENOWNED AUTHOR AND CIVIC
00:26:24LEADER, DAVID RUBENSTEIN.
00:26:27>> SO WHEN YOU ARE WRITING, UM,
00:26:31DO YOU EVER SAY TO YOURSELF, UH, DO YOU EVER DAYDREAM? YOU EVER
00:26:34LOSE YOUR TRAIN OF THOUGHT? YOU'RE, YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT IT, OR YOU JUST TUNNEL VISIONED
00:26:38ON WHAT YOU'RE WRITING? >> I DO BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. I
00:26:40TUNNEL VISION, AND I LET MY IMAGINATION RUN, YOU KNOW,
00:26:44BECAUSE I FOUND THAT WHEN I TRIED TO KEEP MY IMAGINATION IN
00:26:48CHECK, I MISS OPPORTUNITIES. AND I DON'T WANT TO MISS OPPORTUNITIES. PEOPLE ASK, WHERE
00:26:52DO I GET MY IDEAS FROM? I GET UP EVERY DAY AND I WALK OUT THE
00:26:54DOOR AND I SEE WHAT'S IN FRONT
00:26:56OF ME. I'M NOT ON MY IPHONE LOOKING AT MY IPHONE. I'M
00:27:00LOOKING AT PEOPLE, AND I'VE GOTTEN IDEAS FOR PLOT POINTS JUST BY WALKING DOWN THE STREET
00:27:03AND SEEING TWO PEOPLE TALKING. AND I'M WONDERING.
00:27:07>> SOUTH DAKOTA AND NEBRASKA, RELATIVE TO THE U.S. SENATE
00:27:10ELECTIONS, DEMOCRATS HAVE ALREADY WAVED A WHITE FLAG.
00:27:13THEY'VE THEY'VE STOOD DOWN. THEY'VE SAID, HEY, WE CAN'T WIN
00:27:16HERE. THE DEMOCRATIC BRAND IS
00:27:18TOO DAMAGED. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?
00:27:21THERE'S A STRONG, INDEPENDENT. AND THAT INDEPENDENT STANDS A
00:27:24SHOT OF WINNING THE ELECTION. NOW, THEY DIDN'T STAND DOWN. I
00:27:28SAY SHOULD SAY SHE DIDN'T STAND DOWN. THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE
00:27:32IN MONTANA. BUT THAT'S WHAT I'M GETTING AT WITH TODAY'S POLL QUESTION. THAT'S RO KHANNA
00:27:35.COM. I JUST CHECKED DURING THE
00:27:37BREAK, 15,507 HAD VOTED AS OF A
00:27:42MOMENT AGO, AND IT'S RUNNING
00:27:4984.05 TO 15.95. ON THE QUESTION OF IN A STATE WHERE ONE PARTY
00:27:53CAN'T WIN A SENATE SEAT, SHOULD
00:27:56THAT PARTY STEP ASIDE FOR A STRONG, INDEPENDENT. IF YOU'RE
00:28:00WATCHING ON C-SPAN 2, WE PROBABLY JUST FLASHED YOU THE
00:28:02RESULT. BUT FOR EVERYBODY WHO'S LISTENING ON POTUS, YOU KNOW, I
00:28:05DON'T LIKE TO TELL YOU WHICH SIDE IS WINNING AT THIS STAGE OF
00:28:09THE, UH, THE PROGRAM. UH, LET'S
00:28:12GO TO THE PHONES. DON. STANDING
00:28:13BY IN MAINE. HELLO?
00:28:20>> TAKING MY CALL. >> SURE. >> YOU KNOW, I THINK WHEN WE
00:28:24LOOK AT WHAT MR. TRUMP IS TRYING
00:28:26TO DO HERE WITH THE ELECTION, IT
00:28:29FITS INTO A LARGER PATTERN THAT
00:28:33DISRUPTING THE ELECTION ONE WAY
00:28:34OR THE OTHER IN NOVEMBER
00:28:40DISRUPTING EPSTEIN FILES AND DISTRACTING IN A WAR OF CHOICE
00:28:43IN IRAN. AND THE FINAL THING, THE TERM THAT NO ONE SEEMS TO BE
00:28:47USING, AT LEAST IN THE GENERAL
00:28:49MEDIA, IS THAT NOT ABOUT
00:28:51IMMIGRATION. IT IS ABOUT RAISING
00:28:55A PRIVATE ARMY THAT DOES OF THE
00:28:59PRESIDENT. AND I WAS GOING TO SAY THAT THIS IS A BLOODLESS COUP, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY NOT.
00:29:03WHEN YOU THINK OF ALEX PRETTI
00:29:06AND, UH, RENEE GOOD. AND FORGIVE
00:29:09ME, UH, I'LL BIDDEFORD. AND SO
00:29:17I WANTED TO MAKE THAT POINT,
00:29:20BECAUSE I THINK WHAT HAPPENS BY VIRTUE OF THE WAY YOU ALL DO
00:29:23YOUR BUSINESS, IS THAT WE VIEW
00:29:25EACH OF THESE THINGS SORT OF AS
00:29:28ISOLATED INCIDENTS. BUT I THINK IF YOU GO BACK AND READ PROJECT
00:29:3125, YOU CAN SEE THAT IT ALL KIND
00:29:32OF FITS TOGETHER INTO A LARGER
00:29:35PICTURE. SO, AND I WISH THAT WE COULD.
00:29:39>> SO LET ME, LET ME JUST LET ME JUST SAY, I, I APPRECIATE THE
00:29:42PHONE CALL. I, I GAVE YOU THE CONDENSED, THE CLIFFSNOTES
00:29:45VERSION OF THE DATA. I HAVE SO MUCH MORE IN FRONT OF ME. VOTER
00:29:49FRAUD EXISTS NOT ON A SCALE THAT
00:29:53WOULD WARRANT WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS SEEKING TO DO. DC SEE IF YOU CAN FIND THAT DAVID LITT QUOTE.
00:29:57I SHOULD HAVE PULLED IT MYSELF
00:29:58THAT I, I LOVE TO DAVID LITT WAS
00:30:01A, UH, AN OBAMA SPEECHWRITER. AND, AND HE WROTE SOMETHING IN,
00:30:04IN A BOOK THAT I, I LIKE TO QUOTE FROM TIME TO TIME, SUCH A
00:30:08GREAT SUMMATION. WHEN YOU FIND
00:30:11IT, YOU TELL ME AND YOU READ IT
00:30:13ALOUD OF, OF HOW WE RUN OUR ELECTIONS IN THIS COUNTRY. AND
00:30:17THEN WE'RE SURPRISED WHEN STUFF HAPPENS. OF COURSE, STUFF IS
00:30:19GOING TO HAPPEN BECAUSE HUMAN FACTORS ALWAYS KICK IN. DO YOU HAVE IT? >> I DO HAVE IT. SO. SO HERE IT
00:30:23IS. IMAGINE HEARING THE FOLLOWING PITCH ON SHARK TANK SLOWLY. >> I LOVE THIS.
00:30:28>> IMAGINE HEARING THE FOLLOWING PITCH ON SHARK TANK, A
00:30:31NATIONWIDE MEGA CHAIN WITH NO CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS, NO CEO.
00:30:34IT'LL OPERATE EIGHT TIMES AS MANY U.S. LOCATIONS AS
00:30:38MCDONALD'S, SERVING TWICE AS MANY CUSTOMERS. DESPITE HAVING
00:30:41ABOUT HALF AS MANY EMPLOYEES. EACH LOCATION WILL EXPERIENCE
00:30:44NEARLY DOUBLE THE DAILY FOOT TRAFFIC OF YOUR AVERAGE STARBUCKS. NOT ONLY THAT, BUT
00:30:48EVERY ONE OF THOSE APPROXIMATELY
00:30:521000 116,000 STORES WILL BE A POP UP, REMAINING OPEN FOR A
00:30:54SINGLE DAY, CLOSING FOR GOOD AT NIGHT. OH, AND BY THE WAY, THE
00:30:58MORE THAT 900,000 WORKERS WILL
00:31:01BE WOEFULLY UNDERPAID, THAT IS ELECTION DAY IN AMERICA.
00:31:04>> I'VE NEVER HEARD IT SUMMARIZED BETTER. THAT IS THE WAY IN WHICH WE RUN OUR
00:31:08ELECTIONS. AND, LOOK, YOU KNOW, WE CAN RUN A MORE PROFESSIONAL APPARATUS, BUT THEN YOU'RE
00:31:11GOING TO HAVE TO PAY FOR IT, AND PEOPLE AREN'T GOING TO WANT TO PAY FOR IT. THE FRAUD THAT
00:31:15EXISTS IN THIS COUNTRY, THE ELECTION FRAUD THAT EXISTS IN
00:31:19THIS COUNTRY, IS USUALLY BY
00:31:22OPERATIVES, BY OPERATIVES, FOR FOR ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER.
00:31:25THINK, THINK OF IT THIS WAY. THE
00:31:27BIGGEST CASE IN MODERN AMERICAN
00:31:29HISTORY OF VOTER FRAUD, NORTH CAROLINA'S NINTH CONGRESSIONAL
00:31:33DISTRICT. IN 2018, THE ONLY
00:31:37CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION OVERTURNED FOR FRAUD IN MODERN
00:31:39TIMES, THERE WAS AN OPERATIVE. IT WAS A REPUBLICAN OPERATIVE.
00:31:43THOUGHT HE'D WORKED BOTH SIDES
00:31:44OF THE AISLE FOR 20 YEARS, HIRED BY REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
00:31:48CAMPAIGN. THE SCHEME WAS TO COLLECT ABSENTEE BALLOTS FROM
00:31:50VOTERS, SOME OF THEM UNSEALED.
00:31:52HOLD ON TO THEM, FILL IN THE
00:31:55BLANK, FORGE THE WITNESS SIGNATURES. NOT EXACTLY ROCKET
00:31:59SCIENTISTS, BECAUSE, IN THIS CASE, REPUBLICANS WON 60% OF THE
00:32:03ABSENTEE BALLOTS IN THIS
00:32:06PARTICULAR COUNTY. WHEN ONLY 19%
00:32:08OF ABSENTEE VOTERS THERE WERE
00:32:12REGISTERED REPUBLICANS. SO, AS A
00:32:14RESULT, AS AS A RESULT, YOU KNOW, THE THE JIG WAS UP, AS
00:32:18THEY SAY. BUT THAT'S THE KIND OF FRAUD THAT WE SEE ROUTINELY.
00:32:21NOT, NOT MIGRANTS. AND, AND WHEN
00:32:24IT HAPPENS, THAT TYPE OF FRAUD, IT'S BECAUSE OF SOMETHING LIKE
00:32:26NEW JERSEY, WHERE THE DMV MADE
00:32:28THE MISTAKE. UH, THIS IS, UH,
00:32:32ROCHELLE IN UTAH. HI, ROCHELLE.
00:32:33THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PHONE CALL.
00:32:37>> MICHAEL, I APPRECIATE THIS SUBJECT SO MUCH. NEAR AND DEAR
00:32:40TO MY HEART. BEING HERE IN UTAH.
00:32:42WE HAVE VOTED SUCCESSFULLY BY MAIL FOR DECADES. THERE'S NEVER
00:32:46BEEN ISSUES WITH FRAUD. AND I WANTED TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO
00:32:48OUR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, DEIDRE HENDERSON. SHE HAS BEEN THE ONE
00:32:51THAT HAS BEEN STANDING UP TO TRUMP WHEN HE KEEPS REQUESTING
00:32:55THESE LISTS. SHE'S TELLING, THERE'S NO REASON FOR YOU TO
00:32:57HAVE THIS. VOTING IS A STATE
00:32:59ISSUE WITH OUR VOTES. AND THIS
00:33:02IS A STATE WHERE DEMOCRATS AND INDEPENDENTS HAVEN'T REALLY
00:33:06EVER HAD A VOICE. SO I'M HOPING FOR THE BLUE WAVE HERE, AND I'M HOPING THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO
00:33:10VOTE BY MAIL. >> I, I'M NOT HOPING FOR, FOR ANY KIND OF ELECTION OUTCOME.
00:33:14I'M ONLY HOPING FOR INCREASED PARTICIPATION BECAUSE I THINK
00:33:18THAT'S HOW WE WATER DOWN THE FRINGE AMONG US. AND THAT IS AN
00:33:20AGENDA THAT I, I TOTALLY BUY INTO. I'LL ASK YOU AN
00:33:24INTERESTING QUESTION, ROCHELLE.
00:33:26FAST FORWARD TO 2028, AND AND
00:33:30NOW IT'S JD VANCE, OR IT'S MARCO RUBIO, WHO IS THE STANDARD
00:33:33BEARER OF THE PARTY. WILL THEY BE AS ANTAGONISTIC TOWARD MAIL
00:33:37IN VOTING, OR DOES THIS
00:33:40OPPOSITION, FIGURATIVELY
00:33:43SPEAKING, DIE WITH WITH TRUMP? AND I THINK THE LATTER. I THINK,
00:33:47YEAH, I THINK IT'S I THINK IT'S SUCH A MISCALCULATION FOR
00:33:50THE GOP NOT TO BUY INTO THE WAY THAT INCREASINGLY, PEOPLE WANT
00:33:53TO VOTE. I MEAN, I, I KNOW I
00:33:56RELISH THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THAT BALLOT ON MY KITCHEN TABLE
00:33:59AND TO MAKE DELIBERATIVE CHOICES AND, AND MAIL THEM IN THAT.
00:34:03THAT'S WHY I APPRECIATE BEING
00:34:05ABLE TO VOTE REMOTELY, INSTEAD OF HAVING TO GO IN AND CAST MY
00:34:09BALLOT ON A MACHINE >> 100% WITH YOU THERE, MICHAEL.
00:34:12>> THANK YOU, SIR. APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH. I'LL COME BACK AND TAKE MORE OF YOUR TELEPHONE
00:34:16CALLS AT EIGHT, FIVE, FIVE,
00:34:20FOUR, 861776. RIGHT AFTER THIS.
00:34:24>> THE CONVERSATION.
00:34:29>> [MUSIC] [MUSIC]
00:34:40>> THIS WEEK ON C-SPAN TWO, WE'RE BRINGING YOU LIVE TALK
00:34:44RADIO SIMULCAST FEATURING VOICES FROM ACROSS AMERICAN POLITICS AT
00:34:479 A.M. EASTERN. MICHAEL SMERCONISH HOSTS THE MICHAEL
00:34:50SMERCONISH PROGRAM, CHALLENGING BOTH SIDES OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM. AT NOON, PROGRESSIVE
00:34:54COMMENTATOR THOM HARTMANN HOSTS THE THOM HARTMANN PROGRAM WITH
00:34:57HIS TAKE ON THE DAY'S BIGGEST POLITICAL STORIES. AND THEN, AT
00:35:00THREE, CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST HOWIE CARR HOSTS THE HOWIE CARR
00:35:04SHOW, WITH HIS TAKE ON POLITICS,
00:35:06CULTURE AND THE NEWS OF THE DAY.
00:35:09WATCH LIVE THIS WEEK ON C-SPAN
00:35:12TWO, C-SPAN NOW, OUR FREE MOBILE
00:35:14VIDEO APP, OR ONLINE AT
00:35:17C-SPAN.ORG ALL THIS WEEK, JOIN
00:35:25C-SPAN 2 AT 6 P.M. EASTERN FOR MARATHON PROGRAMING,
00:35:27HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL, COMPELLING, AND
00:35:31MEMORABLE MOMENTS COVERED BY C-SPAN IN 2026. TODAY, A
00:35:33COLLECTION OF CONGRESSIONAL
00:35:36HEARINGS THAT SHAPED POLICY SCRUTINIZED IMPORTANT ISSUES,
00:35:38AND CAPTURED THE ATTENTION OF
00:35:40THE COUNTRY. WEDNESDAY. A LOOK AT THE EXPLORATION, INNOVATION,
00:35:43AND ACHIEVEMENT THAT HAVE PUSHED THE BOUNDARIES OF WHAT'S
00:35:47POSSIBLE FROM THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN SPACE PROGRAM TO ARTEMIS II. THURSDAY, WE'LL AIR
00:35:51SOME OF THIS YEAR'S MOST WATCHED, MOST TALKED ABOUT, AND
00:35:54MOST MEMORABLE C-SPAN PROGRAMING
00:35:57THAT CAPTURED PUBLIC ATTENTION.
00:35:59AND ON FRIDAY, SUPREME COURT JUSTICES DISCUSSING THEIR LIVES,
00:36:03THE CONSTITUTION, THE COURT, AND WHAT IT MEANS TO SERVE ON THE
00:36:06NATION'S HIGHEST COURT. WATCH A MARATHON OF COMPELLING
00:36:09PROGRAMING. ALL THIS WEEK ON
00:36:13C-SPAN, TWO.
00:36:20>> [MUSIC] >> WATCH AMERICA'S BOOK CLUB
00:36:22C-SPAN'S BOLD ORIGINAL SERIES, SUNDAY WITH OUR GUEST AWARD
00:36:26WINNING GLOBAL NUMBER ONE BEST
00:36:26SELLING AUTHOR, DAVID BALDACCI.
00:36:30HIS THRILLERS HAVE SOLD OVER 200 MILLION COPIES WORLDWIDE.
00:36:32PUBLISHED IN OVER 45 LANGUAGES IN MORE THAN 80 COUNTRIES,
00:36:36DAVID, ALONG WITH HIS WIFE MICHELLE, ARE ALSO THE
00:36:39CO-FOUNDERS OF THE WISH YOU WELL
00:36:41FOUNDATION, A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO
00:36:44SUPPORTING LITERACY PROGRAMS IN THE UNITED STATES. HE JOINS OUR
00:36:48HOST, RENOWNED AUTHOR AND CIVIC
00:36:49LEADER, DAVID RUBENSTEIN.
00:36:52>> SO WHEN YOU ARE WRITING, UM,
00:36:56DO YOU EVER SAY TO YOURSELF, UH, YOU EVER DAYDREAM, YOU EVER LOSE
00:37:00YOUR TRAIN OF THOUGHT? YOU'RE, YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT IT, OR YOU JUST TUNNEL VISIONED ON WHAT YOU'RE WRITING?
00:37:04>> I DO BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. I TUNNEL VISION, I LET MY
00:37:08IMAGINATION RUN, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I FOUND THAT WHEN I
00:37:11TRIED TO KEEP MY IMAGINATION IN CHECK, I MISS OPPORTUNITIES. AND I DON'T WANT TO MISS
00:37:15OPPORTUNITIES. PEOPLE ASK, WHERE DO I GET MY IDEAS FROM? I GET UP EVERY DAY AND I WALK OUT THE
00:37:19DOOR AND I SEE WHAT'S IN FRONT OF ME. I'M NOT ON MY IPHONE
00:37:23LOOKING AT MY IPHONE. I'M LOOKING AT PEOPLE, AND I'VE
00:37:25GOTTEN IDEAS FOR PLOT POINTS JUST BY WALKING DOWN THE STREET
00:37:29AND SEEING TWO PEOPLE TALKING. AND I'M WONDERING, WHAT ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT? MAYBE I CAN
00:37:33ANSWER THAT MYSELF. OR I SEE A GUY WITH A BOX GET ON A BUS. I WONDER WHAT'S IN THE BOX AND
00:37:37WHERE IS THE BUS GOING WITH THE GUY? AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, I
00:37:41HAVE A STORY IDEA. FROM THAT. THE IDEAS ARE ALL AROUND YOU ALL
00:37:44THE TIME. IT'S JUST THAT YOU'RE NOT RECEPTIVE TO SEIZING
00:37:48OPPORTUNITIES. ONCE YOU DO THINK ABOUT SEIZING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES, AND ALL OF A
00:37:51SUDDEN YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TOO MANY IDEAS, TOO MANY THINGS TO WRITE ABOUT.
00:37:55>> WATCH AMERICA'S BOOK CLUB WITH DAVID BALDACCI SUNDAY AT 6
00:37:58P.M. AND 9 P.M. EASTERN AND
00:38:01PACIFIC. ONLY ON C-SPAN.
00:38:04>> [MUSIC]
00:38:14>> THE ROAD TO THE CAPITOL RUNS THROUGH AMERICA'S BATTLEGROUND
00:38:17STATES, AND C-SPAN IS THERE. OUR
00:38:20CAMERAS ARE ON THE GROUND FOLLOWING THE CAMPAIGNS WHERE THE TOUGHEST RACES WILL DECIDE
00:38:23THE BALANCE OF POWER IN CONGRESS. WE'RE THE ONLY
00:38:26NATIONAL TELEVISION NETWORK PROVIDING THIS LEVEL OF UNFILTERED ACCESS TO THE
00:38:30CANDIDATES, THE VOTERS, AND THE
00:38:32ISSUES SHAPING CAMPAIGN 2026. NO
00:38:35COMMENTATORS TELLING YOU WHAT TO THINK. NO PARTIZAN SPIN THE ROAD
00:38:38TO THE CAPITOL. >> ONLY ON SATURDAY. THAT GOT A LOT OF REACTION. IT'S THE STORY
00:38:42OF OF PETE PETERSON. IT'S THE STORY OF THE PETERSON
00:38:46FOUNDATION. IT'S THE STORY OF A
00:38:48CLASSIC AMERICAN SUCCESS, A GUY
00:38:51WHO HAD EXTRAORDINARY SUCCESS, UH, IN BUSINESS, IN GOVERNMENT,
00:38:54AND, AND DECIDED THAT HIS LEGACY
00:38:58WAS GOING TO BE FUNDING A
00:39:01NONPROFIT, NONPARTISAN MOVEMENT
00:39:04THAT WOULD MONITOR AND EDUCATE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ABOUT THE
00:39:08SIZE OF OUR DEBT. AND A WEEK AGO
00:39:11TODAY, WE PASSED THE $40
00:39:15TRILLION THRESHOLD. MICHAEL
00:39:17PETERSON, WHO IS THE CEO OF THE
00:39:19PETERSON FOUNDATION, WILL BE IN
00:39:21STUDIO WITH ME IN THE NEXT HOUR OF THE PROGRAM. WE'RE GOING TO
00:39:24FIND OUT WHAT DOES $40 TRILLION
00:39:26EVEN LOOK LIKE, AND HOW DOES IT IMPACT ALL OF US? BECAUSE I FIND
00:39:30THAT IT'S A SUBJECT VERY DIFFICULT TO WRAP YOUR HEAD
00:39:32AROUND. SO WE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THE NATION'S DEBT IN HOUR
00:39:36OR TWO OF THIS PROGRAM, AND I HOPE YOU'LL BE TUNED IN FOR IT.
00:39:39UH, GRACE IS STANDING BY IN
00:39:42GEORGIA WITH A COMMENT ABOUT MAIL IN BALLOTS. HI, GRACE. WHAT
00:39:44IS IT
00:39:47>> YEAH, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT
00:39:50SHE COULD DISREGARD THE MAIL IN BALLOT. BECAUSE YOU HAVE
00:39:53DISABLED, YOU HAVE THE SENIORS. >> SURE.
00:39:56>> AND, UH, I THINK THEY SHOULD LET THE STATE HANDLE THAT.
00:39:59THEY'VE BEEN HANDLING IT. AND
00:40:01DON'T MESS BALLOTS. >> WELL, I'M WITH YOU, AND I
00:40:04AGREE. I MEAN, I'M, I'M, UH,
00:40:07CURRENTLY HEALTHY AND ABLE BODIED, BUT I HAVE SYMPATHY FOR
00:40:10PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT. AND IT'S DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO GET OUT
00:40:12AND TO CAST THOSE, CAST THOSE BALLOTS. THIS IS JOHN. HE'S IN
00:40:16NEW YORK. HI, JOHN. YOUR TURN.
00:40:20WELCOME.
00:40:22>> GOOD. I JUST WANTED TO
00:40:26COMMENT. I'M AN INDEPENDENT, SO I'M JUST GOING TO. IN THIS INSTANCE, I HEARD WHAT YOU REFERENCED THE MAIL IN BALLOTING
00:40:30A LITTLE WHILE AGO WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP, AND I WAS A BIT SURPRISED. BUT YOU THINK HE'S
00:40:34SAYING IT AND HE BELIEVES IT. WHICH PART? MY OPINION.
00:40:38>> NOW WHICH PART? >> THE PART WHERE HE SAYS THAT THE MAIL IN BALLOTS AND THE
00:40:42FRAUD. I PERSONALLY JUST BELIEVE HE KNOWS EVERYTHING HE'S SAYING
00:40:45IS NOT TRUE. BUT IT'S THE OLD ADAGE, IF YOU TELL A LIE ENOUGH
00:40:48TIMES, A LARGE PORTION OF THE AUDIENCE WILL BELIEVE IT. YOU
00:40:51KNOW, I DON'T BELIEVE ANYTHING
00:40:52HE SAYS. HE BELIEVES. ALL OF IT.
00:40:55HE'S JUST SAYING IT AS NONSENSE TO JUST TRY TO DRUM UP AND, AND
00:40:59ACT AS DIVISION, TO DIVIDE PEOPLE. >> SO IT'S FUNNY THAT YOU BRING THIS UP BECAUSE ABOUT A MONTH
00:41:03AGO, AS A POLL QUESTION, I DON'T REMEMBER THE WAY THAT I
00:41:06WORDED IT, BUT IT WAS SOMETHING
00:41:08ALONG THE LINES OF, DOES DONALD
00:41:10TRUMP ACTUALLY BELIEVE HE LOST
00:41:14THE 2020 ELECTION? AND WHAT I. >> WHAT I TOTALLY BELIEVE HE
00:41:18BELIEVES HE LOST, AND HE'S JUST SAYING IT TO DIVIDE PEOPLE, RIGHT? >> YOU JUST, YOU JUST MADE, YOU
00:41:21JUST MADE THAT POINT. YOU JUST MADE, YOU JUST MADE THAT POINT.
00:41:25SO HERE COMES MY RESPONSE. YEAH.
00:41:28MY RESPONSE IS THAT THERE WERE A NUMBER OF, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF REPORTS THAT HAVE BEEN, YOU
00:41:32KNOW, CHRONICLED IN THE BOOKS THAT WERE WRITTEN AFTER TRUMP
00:41:34WON UH, AIDES WHO SAID THAT HE
00:41:37HAD SAID THINGS OFF THE CUFF,
00:41:40EVIDENCING CLOSE IN TIME, THAT HE KNEW HE LOST THE ELECTION. I,
00:41:43I, I THINK ONE OF THEM WAS
00:41:47LOOKING AT BIDEN ON TELEVISION AND SAID, CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS SOB OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? BEAT
00:41:50ME IN THE ELECTION. AND THEN I
00:41:53RAISED THE QUESTION OF WHETHER, AS YOU MADE REFERENCE TO, IT'S
00:41:55ONE OF THOSE SITUATIONS IN LIFE
00:41:59WHERE NOT JUST SOMETHING GETS REPEATED AND PEOPLE WHO HEAR IT
00:42:03END UP BELIEVING A FALSEHOOD, BUT THE TELLER, YOU KNOW, I, I
00:42:05FOUND IT, AND THIS WILL SOUND OVERLY GENEROUS, MAYBE TO PRESIDENT TRUMP, BUT I FOUND IN
00:42:09MY OWN LIFE, SOMETIMES I GET IN THE GROOVE OF TELLING A STORY.
00:42:13AND IF IT'S A GOOD STORY, I REPEAT IT. I REPEAT IT ON RADIO. I REPEAT IT OVER A PERIOD OF
00:42:17YEARS, AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I, I'M CONFRONTED BY A
00:42:21PHOTOGRAPH OR THE ACCOUNT OF SOMEBODY WHO WAS IN THE ROOM AND IT'S LIKE, OH,
00:42:24>> WAIT, IT WAS DIFFERENT THAN I IMAGINED. IT WAS SUCH A GOOD STORY.
00:42:27>> I KNOW, DON'T SPOIL MY. >> NEVER LET THE TRUTH GET IN.
00:42:31>> I STILL THINK IT'S IT. DO YOU THINK THAT TRUMP. >> SO DO YOU THINK. AUGUST 7th.
00:42:34>> OKAY, PLEASE TELL ME. >> AUGUST 7th. YOU
00:42:37ASKED@SMERCONISH.COM. DOES DONALD TRUMP REALLY BELIEVE THE 2020 ELECTION WAS STOLEN FROM
00:42:40HIM? 34,423 VOTES AND 60.89%
00:42:46SAID, NO. >> NO, THEY DO NOT BELIEVE. >> THEY DO NOT BELIEVE. 61%
00:42:50SAID, NO. I DO NOT THINK THAT HE REALLY BELIEVES IT. >> IT'S A.
00:42:54>> YOU KNOW, SORT OF LIKE IF YOU COULD GIVE HIM TRUTH SERUM, AS THEY SAY. >> RIGHT? YEAH, IT'S A GREAT
00:42:57POLL QUESTION. IT'S, IT'S, IT'S. >> STILL, NO MATTER WHAT. >> YOU ASK. >> HIM IN A CONVERSATION, OF
00:43:01COURSE HE'LL SAY THAT. BUT, AND IF YOU REALLY GOT TO THE DEPTH.
00:43:04>> AND I, I FIND IT TO BE SUCH A
00:43:06JOKE THAT THESE NOMINEES GO BEFORE A SENATE COMMITTEE AND
00:43:10THEY'RE ASKED, LIKE, WHO WON THE 2020 ELECTION? WELL, WELL,
00:43:13AND THEN THEIR, THEIR ANSWER IS ALWAYS, WELL, UH, JOE BIDEN WAS
00:43:17RECOGNIZED. THEY HAVE SOMETHING
00:43:20CERTIFIED, CERTIFIED, YOU KNOW, JUST SOMETHING LIKE BIDEN WON
00:43:23THE ELECTION. OKAY. HELLO, RITA. YOU'RE IN FLORIDA. GREETINGS.
00:43:26WHAT DID YOU WANT TO SAY TODAY?
00:43:29>> HI, MICHAEL. THANK YOU FOR TAKING MY CALL. SURE. UM, I JUST
00:43:32WANT TO REMIND PEOPLE WHETHER
00:43:34YOU'RE DEMOCRAT, REPUBLICAN, INDEPENDENT, IT DOESN'T MATTER.
00:43:38ONCE YOU DO, YOU SEND IN YOUR
00:43:40MAIL IN BALLOT. AND THE POST
00:43:42OFFICE IS REVIEWING THEM. THEY DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE
00:43:46DEMOCRATIC, REPUBLICAN, OR INDEPENDENT. THEY'RE JUST GOING TO PULL WHATEVER THEY WANT.
00:43:50WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE US? >> WAIT, WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
00:43:53THEY'RE JUST GOING TO PULL? WHAT? WAIT A MINUTE. WAIT. SEE,
00:43:56I, I, I DON'T, I DON'T WANT
00:43:58YOU, I DON'T WANT YOU FOSTERING MISINFORMATION. YOUR VOTE IS
00:44:01SECURE. AND I'LL TELL YOU SOMETHING ELSE. THE POSTAL
00:44:04SERVICE, THEY DO A HELL OF A
00:44:06JOB. THERE WAS A GUY BY THE NAME OF, UH, I HOPE I DON'T MIX THIS
00:44:09UP, LOUIS DEJOY. YOU BETTER FACT CHECK ME ON THAT. I THINK IT WAS
00:44:13LOUIS DEJOY. HE WAS THE
00:44:15POSTMASTER GENERAL. AND. AND HE.
00:44:19HE DIDN'T DO MEDIA AVAILABILITIES. >> YOU ARE CORRECT. >> BUT BUT HE HE WAS. >> HE DID. YES. HE WAS.
00:44:23>> MY GUEST. >> HE WAS GREAT. >> AND HE WAS A FABULOUS GUEST.
00:44:27AND WE WENT THROUGH ALL THE DATA
00:44:28AND IT WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW,
00:44:3198.27% OF THE BALLOTS GET THERE
00:44:33WITHIN FOUR DAYS. I CAME AWAY
00:44:37FROM THAT PRESENTATION. JUST SO IMPRESSED WITH THE ABILITY OF THE POST OFFICE, WHICH I THINK
00:44:40IS, IS SO OFTEN DERIDED IN THIS
00:44:43CONTEXT. MORE OF YOUR TELEPHONE
00:44:45CALLS
00:45:06RIGHT AFTER THIS. >> THIS WEEK, ON C-SPAN 2, WE'RE BRINGING YOU LIVE TALK RADIO
00:45:09SIMULCAST FEATURING VOICES FROM ACROSS AMERICAN POLITICS AT 9
00:45:12A.M. EASTERN. MICHAEL SMERCONISH HOSTS THE MICHAEL SMERCONISH
00:45:16PROGRAM, CHALLENGING BOTH SIDES OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM. AT
00:45:20NOON, PROGRESSIVE COMMENTATOR THOM HARTMANN HOSTS THE THOM HARTMANN PROGRAM WITH HIS TAKE
00:45:23ON THE DAY'S BIGGEST POLITICAL
00:45:25STORIES. AND THEN, AT THREE, CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST HOWIE
00:45:28CARR HOSTS THE HOWIE CARR SHOW
00:45:31WITH HIS TAKE ON POLITICS, CULTURE AND THE NEWS OF THE DAY.
00:45:34WATCH LIVE THIS WEEK ON C-SPAN.
00:45:38TWO C-SPAN NOW, OUR FREE MOBILE
00:45:41VIDEO APP, OR ONLINE AT C-SPAN.ORG.
00:45:44>> [MUSIC]
00:45:47>> ALL THIS WEEK, JOIN C-SPAN 2 AT 6 P.M. EASTERN FOR MARATHON
00:45:51PROGRAMING, HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL, COMPELLING, AND MEMORABLE
00:45:55MOMENTS COVERED BY C-SPAN IN
00:45:572026. TODAY, A COLLECTION OF
00:46:01CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS THAT SHAPED POLICY SCRUTINIZED IMPORTANT ISSUES, AND CAPTURED
00:46:05THE ATTENTION OF THE COUNTRY. WEDNESDAY. A LOOK AT THE
00:46:08EXPLORATION, INNOVATION, AND ACHIEVEMENT THAT HAVE PUSHED THE BOUNDARIES OF WHAT'S POSSIBLE
00:46:12FROM THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN SPACE PROGRAM TO ARTEMIS II.
00:46:16THURSDAY, WE'LL AIR SOME OF THIS YEAR'S MOST WATCHED, MOST
00:46:19TALKED ABOUT, AND MOST MEMORABLE C-SPAN PROGRAMING THAT CAPTURED
00:46:23PUBLIC ATTENTION. AND ON FRIDAY, SUPREME COURT JUSTICES
00:46:27DISCUSSING THEIR LIVES, THE CONSTITUTION, THE COURT, AND
00:46:30WHAT IT MEANS TO SERVE ON THE NATION'S HIGHEST COURT. WATCH A
00:46:33MARATHON OF COMPELLING
00:46:36PROGRAMING. ALL THIS WEEK ON
00:46:39C-SPAN, TWO.
00:46:45>> [MUSIC] >> C-SPAN IS AS UNBIASED AS YOU CAN GET.
00:46:48>> YOU ARE SO FAIR. I DON'T KNOW HOW ANYBODY CAN SAY OTHERWISE.
00:46:52>> YOU GUYS DO THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK FOR EVERYONE IN THIS COUNTRY.
00:46:56>> I LOVE C-SPAN BECAUSE I GET
00:46:57TO HEAR ALL THE VOICES. >> YOU BRING THESE DIVERGENT
00:47:01VIEWPOINTS, AND YOU PRESENT BOTH SIDES OF AN ISSUE, AND YOU ALLOW
00:47:04PEOPLE TO MAKE UP THEIR OWN MINDS. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE C-SPAN.
00:47:08>> I LOVE TO HEAR BOTH SIDES. I'VE WATCHED C-SPAN'S EVERY
00:47:11MORNING, AND IT IS UNBIASED. AND
00:47:13YOU BRING IN FACTUAL INFORMATION
00:47:16FOR THE CALLERS TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THEY ARE IN THEIR COMMENTS.
00:47:20>> THIS IS PROBABLY THE ONLY PLACE THAT WE CAN HEAR HONEST
00:47:23OPINION OF AMERICANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
00:47:25>> YOU GUYS AT C-SPAN ARE DOING
00:47:28SUCH A WONDERFUL JOB OF ALLOWING
00:47:30FREE EXCHANGE OF IDEAS WITHOUT A LOT OF INTERRUPTIONS.
00:47:33>> THANK YOU, C-SPAN, FOR BEING A LIGHT IN THE DARK.
00:47:37>> [MUSIC] >> THIS EVENING, FORMER
00:47:40SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON WILL SIT DOWN FOR A
00:47:43CONVERSATION ON DIPLOMACY, NATIONAL SECURITY, AND DOMESTIC
00:47:46POLICY. IT'S HOSTED BY GUILD HALL AND THE COMMON GOOD AS PART
00:47:49OF THEIR AMERICA 250 CELEBRATION FROM EAST HAMPTON, NEW YORK.
00:47:53WATCH IT LIVE AT 7 P.M. EASTERN
00:47:54ON C-SPAN C-SPAN NOW, OUR FREE
00:47:57MOBILE APP AND ONLINE AT C-SPAN
00:48:00.ORG. >> [MUSIC]
00:48:03>> BEST IDEAS AND BEST PRACTICES CAN BE FOUND ANYWHERE.
00:48:06>> WE HAVE TO LISTEN SO WE CAN GOVERN BETTER.
00:48:08>> DEMOCRACY DEPENDS ON HEAVY DOSES OF CIVILITY.
00:48:10>> YOU CAN FIGHT AND STILL BE FRIENDLY. >> BRIDGING THE DIVIDE IN
00:48:14AMERICAN POLITICS. >> YOU KNOW, YOU MAY NOT AGREE WITH THE DEMOCRAT ON EVERYTHING, BUT YOU CAN FIND AREAS WHERE YOU
00:48:18AGREE. >> HE'S PRETTY LIKABLE GUY AS WELL. >> CHRIS AND I ARE ACTUALLY
00:48:21FRIENDS. HE VOTES WRONG ALL THE TIME, BUT WE'RE ACTUALLY FRIENDS.
00:48:26>> THE HORRIBLE SECRET THAT SCOTT AND I HAVE IS THAT WE ACTUALLY RESPECT EACH OTHER.
00:48:28>> WE ALL DON'T HATE EACH OTHER. >> YOU TWO ACTUALLY KIND OF LIKE
00:48:31EACH OTHER. THESE ARE THE KINDS OF SECRETS.
00:48:33>> CHANNEL ON SIRIUS XM, CHANNEL
00:48:35124. AND THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE TAKING A PEEK COURTESY OF OUR
00:48:39FRIENDS AT C-SPAN 2. AND BY THE
00:48:41WAY, THOSE REGULAR SIRIUS XM LISTENERS, WE'D LOVE YOU TO
00:48:45CHECK OUT C-SPAN AND SEE THE BACK OF THE HOUSE. AND, UH, WHAT
00:48:48DID WE LEARN YESTERDAY? WATCH THE BREAD. >> OH, YES.
00:48:52>> MADE. >> WHO WAS THAT? STELLA, OR WHATEVER HER NAME WAS. SHE WAS FANTASTIC. IT WAS SUCH A GOOD
00:48:56IDEA. YOU ALWAYS SAY THE SAUSAGE BEING MADE SOMEHOW. NO.
00:48:59>> TRYING NOT. >> TO LIKE. WE'RE KNEADING. IT. SMELLS GOOD.
00:49:02>> YEAH. UH, DARRELL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PHONE CALL IN
00:49:05MASSACHUSETTS. WHAT DID YOU MOST WANT TO SAY?
00:49:09>> GOOD MORNING. MICHAEL, I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOUR OPPOSITE. I COMPLETELY AGREE
00:49:13WITH YOUR OPPOSITION ON LOGISTICAL GROUNDS TO THE
00:49:16POTENTIAL NEW EXECUTIVE ORDER RESTRICTIONS ON MAIL IN VOTING,
00:49:18BASED ON YOUR ANALYSIS OF THE LACK OF SIGNIFICANT MAIL IN
00:49:22BALLOT FRAUD IN OUR COUNTRY. BUT JUST TO BE PROVOCATIVE, I COULD
00:49:26NOT HELP OVERSEEING THE IRONY THAT YOU MINGLED PROJECT SOCIAL
00:49:29INITIATIVE LEADER, PROMOTE THE
00:49:32MAIL-IN VOTING OPTION WHEN IN-PERSON VOTING OFFERS ANOTHER
00:49:36VALUABLE COMMUNITY MINGLING OPPORTUNITY. >> IT'S SO TRUE. I MEAN, IT IS,
00:49:39IT IS. IT IS A STRONG ARGUMENT.
00:49:42UH, AGAINST WHAT I'M ADVOCATING.
00:49:44BUT I THINK ON BALANCE, I'D RATHER HAVE GREATER
00:49:47PARTICIPATION THAT I BELIEVE COMES FROM MAIL IN VOTING FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE WHO DON'T
00:49:51KNOW. AND I, DARRELL, I LOVE THE WAY YOU SAID THAT I, I LOVE THE
00:49:54WAY YOU SUMMED UP MY ADVOCACY FOR PEOPLE HAVING COMMON EXPERIENCE.
00:49:58>> WHAT WAS THAT AGAIN? THAT WAS GREAT. >> I DON'T KNOW. WELL, LISTEN TO THE TAPE AND WRITE IT DOWN. >> CLEARLY.
00:50:02>> BUT I, YOU KNOW, I CAME OF AGE POLITICALLY AS ONE WHO WOULD
00:50:06STAND OUTSIDE. IT WAS A GYMNASIUM AT THE MOUNT CARMEL
00:50:10SCHOOL, AT THE MOUNT CARMEL CATHOLIC CHURCH, NOT FAR FROM
00:50:13WHERE I WAS, YOU KNOW, BORN AND RAISED. AND I KNOW WHAT IT'S
00:50:17LIKE TO STAND AT A POLL FROM SEVEN IN THE MORNING UNTIL EIGHT
00:50:20AT NIGHT AND HAND OUT SAMPLE
00:50:22BALLOTS. AND IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO MEET PEOPLE AND
00:50:25SAY HELLO TO PEOPLE. AND YES, YOU KNOW, THAT I'M ADVOCATING
00:50:29SOMETHING THAT, UH, THAT DIMINISHES THAT. SO YOU ARE
00:50:32CORRECT TO, TO, TO NOTE THAT, TO
00:50:34NOTE THAT SHORTCOMING. UH, KEN, YOU'RE IN MIAMI. HELLO TO YOU.
00:50:38WHAT DID YOU WANT TO SAY
00:50:41>> MICHAEL. UM, I HEARD THAT WHEN TRUMP'S GOING TO BE DOING
00:50:44THE, UH, THIS, UH, THIS
00:50:47SCROLLING, THE, UH, SCRUBBING,
00:50:49THE, UH, IN THE, UH, THE STATE,
00:50:51UH, BOWLING, UH, VOTING, UH,
00:50:54ROLLS, EVEN LAWSUIT, MANY STATES
00:50:56AGAINST IT THAT HE'S GOING TO
00:50:59USE THE TO CUT DOWN ON THE
00:51:01BLACK, UH, VOTE. HE'S GOING TO
00:51:05USE, UH, EX-FELONS LAST NAMES AND THEN ACT LIKE.
00:51:09>> I HAVE NO IDEA. I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE YOU'RE GETTING THAT FROM. LIKE, YOU, YOU HEARD THAT.
00:51:13I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'RE
00:51:15HEARING THAT. THAT'S, THAT'S
00:51:18NEWS TO ME. NEWS TO ME. AND IF YOU COULD DOCUMENT IT, THEN I'D ALLOW THE, THE CONVERSATION TO PROCEED. BUT, UH, IS THERE A
00:51:22CITATION? YOU WANT TO GIVE ME A REPORT? SOMETHING?
00:51:26>> YEAH, YEAH. THE DAVID.
00:51:29>> FELDMAN SHOW UH, I DON'T, I DON'T. >> I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS. I
00:51:33DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS EITHER. SO I, I, I CAN'T HELP YOU IN
00:51:35THAT REGARD. HI, SUSAN, YOU'RE
00:51:38IN MASSACHUSETTS. YOUR THOUGHT IS WHAT
00:51:42>> HE DID NOT WIN THE 2020
00:51:45ELECTION, BUT JOE BIDEN, HOW DID
00:51:47THE GUY DON'T CAMPAIGN? UH, HE STAYS IN THE CELLAR WHILE MY
00:51:51PRESIDENT IS WORKING HIS FANNY OFF WITH RALLIES, BUT HE CAN
00:51:55JUST SIT THERE. WHERE WAS THE REPUBLICANS? WHERE WAS I? WE
00:51:59SHOULD HAVE GOT HIM OUT OF THAT HOUSE. THEY MADE IT SO EASY FOR
00:52:03HIM. AND COVID CAME IN. THESE
00:52:05STATES COULD DO ANY RULES THEY
00:52:08WANTED. RIGGED. RIGGED, RIGGED. AND, YOU. >> KNOW, AND THE, AND THE BEST,
00:52:11THE BEST THAT YOU CAN OFFER ME THAT THE 2020 ELECTION WAS
00:52:14RIGGED, RIGGED, RIGGED. IS THAT TRUMP OUTWORKED. AND I AGREE
00:52:18WITH YOU. OUTWORKED BIDEN. SO, OF COURSE, HE WON THE ELECTION.
00:52:21THE LOGIC IS, IF YOU WORK HARD,
00:52:24YOU WIN THE RACE. THAT'S NOT
00:52:28ALWAYS THE CASE. >> DEMOCRATS SO CORRUPT AND THEY CHEAT.
00:52:32>> YEAH. IT'S A GOOD. >> LIKE, COME. >> ON, COME ON. IT'S, IT'S A,
00:52:34IT'S A GOOD SOUNDBITE. THAT'S NOT THE WAY I LIKE TO PLAY. I
00:52:37LIKE TO DEAL IN SUBSTANCE AND
00:52:39SCIENCE AND DATA AND NUMBERS. THIS IS SCOTTIE'S IN
00:52:43MASSACHUSETTS. HI, SCOTT. YOUR
00:52:47TURN
00:52:50>> ARE YOU DOING? UM, FIRST TIME
00:52:54CALLING >> RIGHT. >> ANYWAYS, UM, SO REGARDING
00:52:57THE, THE, UM, ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS VOTING, I ACTUALLY DATED AN
00:53:01ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT HERE IN NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS. UM, SHE
00:53:04WAS ACTUALLY FROM THE DOMINICAN
00:53:07REPUBLIC. WOULDN'T DO ANYTHING,
00:53:10UM, TO BRING ATTENTION TO US, TO
00:53:13ATTENTION. YOU KNOW, SHE WOULDN'T DO ANYTHING ILLEGAL AND SHE, SHE WOULD ACTUALLY GET
00:53:17UPSET IF I EVEN TALKED ABOUT IT,
00:53:18YOU KNOW, UM
00:53:21>> SO WHAT IS THE POINT.
00:53:24>> THAT, UM, I, I MEAN, I, I,
00:53:29THAT THERE ARE, THERE IS QUITE, TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, THERE ARE
00:53:32ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN NEW BEDFORD, ESPECIALLY TO WORK IN
00:53:34THE FISH HOUSES. >> THERE ARE, THERE ARE ILLEGAL
00:53:38IMMIGRANTS. LISTEN, THERE ARE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. THERE ARE
00:53:41ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO HAVE CAST BALLOTS THAT THEY NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CAST. THERE IS
00:53:45NO WIDESPREAD FRAUD. EVERY ONE
00:53:48OF THESE STATES HAS DONE THE THE
00:53:50CROSS TAB OF THEIR RECORDS, AND THEY CAN'T DOCUMENT IT. IT'S,
00:53:54IT'S SO MINUSCULE AND IT
00:53:57DOESN'T WARRANT WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS NOW SEEKING TO DO.
00:54:00AND THERE'S NO WAY THAT. FROM WHOLE CLOTH, WE ARE GOING TO
00:54:04CREATE A NATIONAL CITIZENS LIST. I HAPPEN TO THINK IT WOULD BE A
00:54:08GOOD THING IF ONE WERE CREATED, BUT IT'S NOT GOING TO GET CREATED IN 60 DAYS, AND
00:54:11CERTAINLY NOT BY THIS ADMINISTRATION. IN THIS CONTEXT.
00:54:15HI, DAVE, YOU'RE IN PENNSYLVANIA. WHAT DID YOU WANT
00:54:17TO SAY
00:54:20>> HEY, MICHAEL, THERE'S A CATEGORY OF CALLED FEDERAL
00:54:23VOTERS AND FEDERAL AND STATE LAW IN PENNSYLVANIA. AND I'M
00:54:26LOOKING AT THE INFORMATION FOR MILITARY AND OVERSEAS VOTERS ON
00:54:30THE PENNSYLVANIA WEBSITE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE REGISTERED TO
00:54:33VOTE. YOU JUST HAVE TO HAVE LIVED IN PENNSYLVANIA ONCE, AND
00:54:36NOW YOU LIVE OVERSEAS. AND IF YOU FILL OUT THIS FORM, YOU'LL
00:54:40GET A BALLOT FOR JUST FEDERAL ELECTIONS. AND I THINK IT'S KIND
00:54:44OF HARD TO POLICE CAN BE
00:54:50LEGITIMATE VOTERS OVER TIME. AND OH, BY THE WAY, MY REAL DOG IN
00:54:53THE FIGHT IS THEY MAKE THE MILITARY FOLKS GO THROUGH THE
00:54:57SAME SCREENING PROCESS THAT SOMEBODY THAT MOVED TO IRELAND
00:55:00AND HAS BEEN LIVING THERE FOR 20
00:55:02YEARS AND WANTS TO JUST VOTE IN
00:55:05FEDERAL ELECTIONS, HAS TO GO THROUGH THE FEDERAL FORM, GETS
00:55:08SENT TO YOUR COUNTY ELECTION
00:55:09OFFICE, AND THE PERSON AT THE
00:55:12COUNTY ELECTION OFFICE DECIDES
00:55:15IF THIS PERSON THAT'S NOT REGISTERED TO VOTE IN THE
00:55:18FEDERAL VOTING SENSE GETS ADDED TO THE VOTER ROLLS AND SENT JUST
00:55:22A BALLOT THAT ONLY HAS. >> LOOK, THERE'S AN EASIER WAY
00:55:24TO DO THIS. I'M RUNNING. I'M
00:55:26RUNNING OUT OF TIME THIS HOUR. SO I'M JUST GOING TO CUT THIS
00:55:29SHORT WITH, THANK YOU FOR, FOR CALLING ME. UH, HOW MANY OF YOU
00:55:32DO YOUR BANKING ON YOUR PHONE?
00:55:34HOW MANY OF YOU FILE YOUR TAX
00:55:37RETURNS ELECTRONICALLY? I COULD GO THROUGH SO MANY DIFFERENT.
00:55:40HOW MANY OF YOU MAKE TRAVEL RESERVATIONS? YOU KNOW, THINGS
00:55:42WHERE YOU'RE PUTTING MONEY IN
00:55:45PLAY. WHY DON'T WE VOTE THAT WAY? OH, THAT'S A JARRING
00:55:48CONCEPT. YOU'RE NOT READY FOR
00:55:49THAT ONE YET, RIGHT? LADIES AND
00:55:56GENTLEMEN, $285 MILLION. THAT LAST HOUR WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE
00:56:00NATIONAL DEBT. I'M BACK IN A MOMENT.
00:56:02>> TO THE LEFT OF ME
00:56:12>> THIS WEEK, ON C-SPAN 2, WE'RE BRINGING YOU LIVE TALK RADIO
00:56:16SIMULCAST FEATURING VOICES FROM ACROSS AMERICAN POLITICS AT 9
00:56:19A.M. EASTERN. MICHAEL SMERCONISH HOSTS THE MICHAEL SMERCONISH
00:56:22PROGRAM, CHALLENGING BOTH SIDES OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM. AT
00:56:25NOON, PROGRESSIVE COMMENTATOR THOM HARTMANN HOSTS THE THOM
00:56:28HARTMANN PROGRAM WITH HIS TAKE ON THE DAY'S BIGGEST POLITICAL
00:56:32STORIES. AND THEN, AT THREE, CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST HOWIE
00:56:35CARR HOSTS THE HOWIE CARR SHOW WITH HIS TAKE ON POLITICS,
00:56:37CULTURE AND THE NEWS OF THE DAY.
00:56:42WATCH LIVE THIS WEEK ON C-SPAN.
00:56:44TWO C-SPAN NOW, OUR FREE MOBILE
00:56:47VIDEO APP, OR ONLINE AT
00:56:49C-SPAN.ORG ALL THIS WEEK, JOIN
00:56:55C-SPAN 2 AT 6 P.M. EASTERN FOR MARATHON PROGRAMING,
00:56:58HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THE MOST
00:57:02CONSEQUENTIAL, COMPELLING, AND MEMORABLE MOMENTS COVERED BY
00:57:06C-SPAN IN 2026. TODAY, A COLLECTION OF CONGRESSIONAL
00:57:09HEARINGS THAT SHAPED POLICY, SCRUTINIZED IMPORTANT ISSUES, AND CAPTURED THE ATTENTION OF
00:57:12THE COUNTRY. WEDNESDAY. A LOOK AT THE EXPLORATION, INNOVATION,
00:57:16AND ACHIEVEMENT THAT HAVE PUSHED
00:57:17THE BOUNDARIES OF WHAT'S
00:57:20POSSIBLE FROM THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN SPACE PROGRAM TO
00:57:22ARTEMIS II. THURSDAY, WE'LL AIR
00:57:27SOME OF THIS YEAR'S MOST WATCHED, MOST TALKED ABOUT, AND
00:57:31MOST MEMORABLE C-SPAN PROGRAMING THAT CAPTURED PUBLIC ATTENTION.
00:57:33AND ON FRIDAY, SUPREME COURT
00:57:36JUSTICES DISCUSSING THEIR LIVES, THE CONSTITUTION, THE COURT, AND WHAT IT MEANS TO SERVE ON THE
00:57:40NATION'S HIGHEST COURT. WATCH A MARATHON OF COMPELLING
00:57:44PROGRAMING. ALL THIS WEEK ON
00:57:49C-SPAN, TWO. >> [MUSIC] >> BEST IDEAS AND BEST PRACTICES CAN BE FOUND ANYWHERE. >> WE HAVE TO LISTEN SO WE CAN
00:57:53GOVERN BETTER. >> DEMOCRACY DEPENDS ON HEAVY DOSES OF CIVILITY.
00:57:56>> YOU CAN FIGHT AND STILL BE FRIENDLY.
00:58:00>> BRIDGING THE DIVIDE IN AMERICAN POLITICS. >> YOU KNOW, YOU MAY NOT AGREE WITH THE DEMOCRAT ON EVERYTHING,
00:58:03BUT YOU CAN FIND AREAS WHERE YOU AGREE. >> HE'S PRETTY LIKABLE GUY AS WELL.
00:58:07>> CHRIS AND I ARE FRIENDS. HE VOTES WRONG ALL THE TIME, BUT
00:58:10WE'RE ACTUALLY FRIENDS. >> THE HORRIBLE SECRET THAT SCOTT AND I HAVE IS THAT WE
00:58:13ACTUALLY RESPECT EACH OTHER. >> WE ALL DON'T HATE EACH OTHER. >> YOU TWO ACTUALLY KIND OF LIKE
00:58:17EACH OTHER. THESE ARE THE KINDS OF SECRETS WE LIKE TO EXPOSE. >> IT'S NICE TO BE WITH A
00:58:21MEMBER WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. >> YOU GUYS DID AGREE TO THE
00:58:24CIVILITY, ALL RIGHT. >> HE OWES MY SON $10 FROM A BET.
00:58:28>> I'VE NEVER. PAID. >> FORK IT OVER. >> THAT'S FIGHTING WORDS.
00:58:32>> RIGHT THERE. I'M NOT IN CHARGE OF IT. >> I'M THRILLED TO BE ON THE SHOW.
00:58:34>> WITH HIM. THEY'RE NOT SHOWS
00:58:36LIKE THIS, RIGHT? INCENTIVIZING THAT RELATIONSHIP.
00:58:40>> CEASE FIRE FRIDAY NIGHTS ON
00:58:45C-SPAN. >> [MUSIC]
00:58:48>> IN A DIVIDED MEDIA WORLD, ONE PLACE BRINGS AMERICANS >> [MUSIC] >> TOGETHER. ACCORDING TO A NEW
00:58:52MOGG AND RESEARCH REPORT, NEARLY 90 MILLION AMERICANS TURN TO
00:58:56C-SPAN, AND THEY'RE ALMOST PERFECTLY BALANCED. 28%
00:59:00CONSERVATIVE, 27% LIBERAL OR
00:59:02PROGRESSIVE, 41% MODERATE.
00:59:05REPUBLICANS WATCHING DEMOCRATS,
00:59:07DEMOCRATS WATCHING REPUBLICANS,
00:59:09MODERATES WATCHING ALL SIDES.
00:59:11BECAUSE C-SPAN VIEWERS WANT THE
00:59:14FACTS STRAIGHT FROM THE SOURCE.
00:59:16NO COMMENTARY, NO AGENDA, JUST
00:59:19DEMOCRACY. UNFILTERED. EVERY DAY
00:59:21ON THE C-SPAN NETWORKS
00:59:25>> SUNDAY ON C-SPAN'S Q AND A THREE TIME PULITZER PRIZE
00:59:27WINNING NEW YORK TIMES
00:59:29PHOTOGRAPHER DOUG MILLS REFLECTS ON DECADES COVERING AMERICAN
00:59:33POLITICS. HE TALKS ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHING MULTIPLE
00:59:37PRESIDENTS, INCLUDING THE 1992 CLINTON GORE CAMPAIGN, PRESIDENT
00:59:40GEORGE W BUSH ON 9/11, AND
00:59:42CAPTURING THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT TRUMP
00:59:45IN 2024, WHICH EARNED HIM HIS
00:59:48THIRD PULITZER PRIZE. >> I'VE LISTENED TO HIS SPEECH
00:59:50ON THE CAMPAIGN HUNDREDS OF
00:59:53TIMES, AND I KNEW THAT WHEN HE
00:59:56SAID SOMETHING ABOUT A CHART, I THOUGHT, WOW, THE CHART, THE
00:59:59CHARTS. TYPICALLY, AT THE END OF THE SPEECH, AND THAT REGISTERED
01:00:03RIGHT AWAY WITH ME. AND SO THEN WHEN HE GESTURED OVER TOWARDS THE CHART, THAT'S WHEN THE
01:00:07SHOTS RANG OUT. AND WHEN HE WAS GESTURING, I WAS, YOU KNOW, NOT
01:00:11AS CLOSE AS WE ARE, BUT MAYBE 4
01:00:12OR 5FT BACK. AND I HAD MY LENS ON HIM. I WAS TRYING TO GET
01:00:16SOMETHING OF HE AND THE FLAG. AND THEN WHEN HE GESTURED TO THE RIGHT AND THE SHOTS RANG OUT, I
01:00:20WAS ACTUALLY TAKING PICTURES. AND THEN I JUST KEPT MY FINGER
01:00:22ON THE SHUTTER. AS SOON AS I HEARD THE BULLETS.
01:00:25>> THREE TIME PULITZER PRIZE WINNING PHOTOGRAPHER DOUG MILLS.
01:00:29SUNDAY NIGHT AT 8 P.M. EASTERN
01:00:31ON C-SPAN'S Q&A, YOU CAN LISTEN
01:00:35TO Q&A AND ALL OF OUR PODCASTS
01:00:36ON OUR FREE C-SPAN NOW APP, OR
01:00:39WHEREVER YOU GET YOUR PODCASTS.
01:00:43ON TUESDAY, HOWARD UNIVERSITY
01:00:43WILL HOST GHANA'S ASHANTI KING,
01:00:47OTUMFUO OSEI TUTU. THE SECOND.
01:00:48FOR REMARKS ON GOVERNMENT LEADERSHIP AND CULTURAL
01:00:52PRESERVATION, THE EVENT IS HOSTED BY THE MILLENNIUM
01:00:55EXCELLENCE FOUNDATION, WHICH SUPPORTS CULTURAL EXCHANGE
01:00:58BETWEEN GHANA AND THE AFRICAN
01:01:00DIASPORA. WATCH LIVE AT 6 P.M.
01:01:03EASTERN ON C-SPAN C-SPAN NOW,
01:01:05OUR FREE MOBILE APP OR ONLINE AT
01:01:10C-SPAN .ORG.
01:01:17>> BACK ON WHAT YOU'VE ACHIEVED IN YOUR LIFE, WHAT MAKES YOU THE HAPPIEST OF WHAT YOU'VE ACHIEVED SO FAR?
01:01:21>> THIS INTERVIEW IS THE ABSOLUTE APEX.
01:01:23>> LEADERS SEEM TO LIKE TO WEAR WIGS. HOW COME HE DIDN'T HAVE A WIG? PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID, I
01:01:27MADE A MISTAKE THE FIRST TIME. I SHOULD HAVE GIVEN IT TO YOU THE FIRST TIME.
01:01:31>> THAT ISN'T WHAT HE SAID. >> YOUR FIRST BOOK WAS CALLED A
01:01:35TIME TO KILL. HOW MANY PUBLISHERS TURNED THAT DOWN? >> WELL, ALL OF THEM.
01:01:38>> IT'S VERY RARE TO SEE DONALD TRUMP LAUGH.
01:01:41>> HE DOESN'T LIKE TO SMILE. HE HAS WHAT THEY CALL THE STARE. HOW WOULD THE STARE.
01:01:44>> WHEN YOU GO TO THE. >> OSCARS, TO THE MICHAEL
01:01:48SMERCONISH PROGRAM ON SIRIUS? POTUS, CHANNEL 124, WHERE
01:01:51INDEPENDENT MINDS COME TOGETHER.
01:01:54NOW. >> HERE'S MICHAEL SMERCONISH.
01:01:58>> THE NATION IS 40 TRILLION WITH A T, $40 TRILLION IN DEBT.
01:02:02AND MY GUEST WARNED US ABOUT
01:02:04THIS. HE'S BEEN WARNING US ABOUT IT. MICHAEL PETERSON IS THE
01:02:08CHAIR AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE
01:02:10OFFICER OF THE PETER G. PETERSON FOUNDATION, AND HE'S IN STUDIO
01:02:13WITH ME. NICE TO FINALLY MEET AND SAY HELLO. YOU'VE BEEN A
01:02:16GUEST OF MINE IN THE PAST ON ON
01:02:19CNN, BUT I'M THRILLED THAT YOU'RE HERE. >> WELL, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. GLAD TO TALK ABOUT THIS
01:02:23IMPORTANT SUBJECT. >> SHAME THAT YOU'RE HERE, RIGHT, TO TALK ABOUT THIS SUBJECT. >> YOU HAVE TO BE HERE. YES.
01:02:27>> UM, I SO HERE'S THE WAY THAT I WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN, BECAUSE
01:02:29LAST SATURDAY ON, ON CNN, I DID MY BEST TO TELL THE STORY. NOW
01:02:33YOU, YOU CAN FACT CHECK ME, BUT
01:02:37IT'S A REMARKABLE STORY ABOUT
01:02:38YOUR DAD. AND IT ALL BEGINS IN
01:02:41CARNEY, NEBRASKA. WHAT HAPPENED IN KEARNEY, NEBRASKA? >> WELL, WE CAN GO BACK A LITTLE
01:02:44FURTHER. IT BEGINS IN GREECE. SO HIS HIS PARENTS, MY GRANDPARENTS WERE BORN IN GREECE. THEY CAME
01:02:48THROUGH ELLIS ISLAND. LIKE MANY
01:02:52IMMIGRANTS. UH, AND YOU'RE RIGHT. THEY SETTLED OUT IN KEARNEY, NEBRASKA. THEY CAME AS
01:02:55TEENAGERS WITH NO MONEY, NO EDUCATION, NO ENGLISH. AND THEY
01:02:59STARTED WHAT MY DAD WOULD AFFECTIONATELY CALL THE
01:03:02INEVITABLE GREEK DINER OUT IN
01:03:04KEARNEY. AND IT WAS OPEN, AS YOU
01:03:07NOTED, 24 HOURS A DAY, 365 DAYS
01:03:09A YEAR, FOR 25 YEARS IN A ROW.
01:03:12AND FOR, FOR ME, THAT EXEMPLIFIES THE AMERICAN DREAM. THEY CAME WITH NOTHING. THEY
01:03:16WORKED HARD. THEY SAVED FOR THE FUTURE. THEY INVESTED IN THE
01:03:20FUTURE OF THEIR FAMILY. THEY PUT
01:03:20MY, THEIR SON, MY DAD, THROUGH
01:03:24COLLEGE, AND IT WAS ALL ABOUT BUILDING A BETTER LIFE FOR THE
01:03:28NEXT GENERATION. AND THAT WAS THE ETHOS OF THE FAMILY AND THE COUNTRY AT THAT TIME.
01:03:31>> TRUE THAT DAD, UH, LITERALLY RANG THE REGISTER AS A YOUNG BOY.
01:03:35>> YEAH. HE WOULD CHASE PEOPLE DOWN THE STREET FOR, YOU KNOW, TO MAKE SURE THEY PAID THEIR
01:03:39BILL. AND HE WAS IN RUNNING THE CASH REGISTER. AND, YOU KNOW, MY
01:03:42GRANDFATHER WORKED EXTREMELY HARD THERE, YOU KNOW, UH, FOR
01:03:45MANY YEARS. >> DID YOUR GRANDPARENTS ON THAT
01:03:48SIDE OF THE FAMILY GET TO SEE YOUR FATHER'S SUCCESS? >> THEY DID. THEY DID NOT. ALL
01:03:52OF IT, BUT, UH, THEY LIVED TO, INTO THEIR 80s. ISN'T THAT
01:03:55GREAT? AND THEY, THEY DID SEE MY
01:03:58FATHER APPOINTED TO THE CABINET. UH, THE NIXON ADMINISTRATION. AND HE WAS THE FIRST GREEK
01:04:02CABINET OFFICER. AND IT WAS A VERY PROUD MOMENT FOR THE
01:04:04FAMILY. >> SO BEFORE HE GOES TO THE
01:04:08NIXON ADMINISTRATION, HE IS RUNNING BELL AND HOWELL FOR, FOR
01:04:11THE YOUNG AMONG US. WHAT, WHAT IS, WHAT WAS BELL AND HOWELL? IT
01:04:15MEANS SOMETHING TO ME. >> YES. WELL, THAT WAS A, THAT
01:04:17WAS A CAMERA. AND, AND CINEMATOGRAPHY COMPANY. AND, UH,
01:04:21HE, HE, UH, GRADUATED FROM NORTHWESTERN, WENT TO THE
01:04:23UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO BUSINESS SCHOOL AT NIGHT, UH, AND, UH,
01:04:28ROSE THROUGH THE RANKS AND, AND VERY QUICKLY BECAME CEO OF A, OF
01:04:31A PRETTY LARGE COMPANY IN THE UNITED STATES AT A VERY YOUNG AGE. SO THAT'S WHERE HE LAUNCHED HIS CAREER.
01:04:35>> NIXON BRINGS HIM IN TO HANDLE INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC AFFAIRS,
01:04:39AND THEN NEXT MAKES YOUR FATHER, PETE PETERSON, THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE.
01:04:43>> RIGHT, RIGHT. UH, YES. HE SPENT A COUPLE OF YEARS IN
01:04:47WASHINGTON. UH, UH, ENDED UP LEAVING THERE TO, TO, TO GO TO NEW YORK SOON THEREAFTER.
01:04:51>> GOES TO LEHMAN BROTHERS, RUNS IT FOR 11 YEARS AT LEAST. THIS
01:04:54IS WHAT I HEARD THE GUY SAY ON
01:04:56CNN. UH, AND THEN WITH STEVE
01:04:59SCHWARZMAN, HE STARTS BLACKSTONE. FOR THE UNINITIATED,
01:05:01WHAT IS BLACKSTONE? >> BLACKSTONE IS A VERY LARGE
01:05:05NOW ASSET MANAGER. UH, AND SO
01:05:07THEY DO PRIVATE EQUITY AND REAL ESTATE AND ALTERNATIVE ASSET
01:05:11MANAGEMENT. AND, AND, UH, HAVE GROWN INTO ONE OF THE MOST
01:05:14SUCCESSFUL FINANCIAL COMPANIES IN THE COUNTRY. >> AND AS IF THAT'S NOT ENOUGH, YOUR FATHER ALSO CHAIRED THE
01:05:18FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK. >> YES, HE DID, AND CHAIRED THE
01:05:22COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS. HE YOU KNOW THAT, TOO. REMARKABLY,
01:05:25HE WAS OBVIOUSLY A BIG SUCCESS
01:05:27IN BUSINESS, BUT WAS ALWAYS VERY FOCUSED ON PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND
01:05:31PUBLIC POLICY. AND HE SOMEHOW MANAGED TO EXCEL IN BOTH OF
01:05:35THOSE AT THE SAME TIME. >> OKAY. AND MEANWHILE, MOM HAD
01:05:38SOME SUCCESS OF HER OWN. WHAT DID SHE DO?
01:05:40>> SO, UH, SO MY BIOLOGICAL
01:05:43MOTHER WAS A PSYCHOLOGIST, VERY SUCCESSFUL AND, AND HAD A LOT
01:05:45OF, UH, VERY IMPORTANT PATIENTS THAT SHE SERVED. BUT I THINK
01:05:49YOU'RE REFERRING TO MY
01:05:49STEPMOTHER. SO, UH, IN 1980, MY
01:05:53DAD MARRIED JOAN GANZ COONEY, WHO WAS A CO-FOUNDER OF SESAME
01:05:57STREET. AND SO SHE, UH, CAME UP
01:05:59WITH THE IDEA WITH HER PARTNER, LLOYD MORRISETT. AND, AND THEY
01:06:03FOUNDED SESAME STREET AND
01:06:05DECIDED THAT IT WAS CRITICAL FOR EARLY EDUCATION, PARTICULARLY IN
01:06:09POORER COMMUNITIES, THAT KIDS WOULD HAVE A BETTER HEAD START
01:06:11ON, ON ENTERING THE EDUCATIONAL WORLD.
01:06:15>> HOW MANY HOW MANY PETERSON SIBLINGS ARE THERE? >> THERE ARE FIVE OF US. >> OKAY, SO I'VE INTERVIEWED
01:06:19TWO. YOU, YOU AND SISTER HOLLY.
01:06:21DO I, DO I NEED TO WORK THROUGH THE RANKS OF THE REST?
01:06:24>> I THINK YOU GOT THE BEST ONE RIGHT HERE. SO, YOU KNOW, WHY WOULD YOU? WHY WOULD YOU BOTHER?
01:06:27SO, NO, IT'S A GREAT FAMILY.
01:06:29>> SO GROWING UP, WAS DAD ALWAYS
01:06:32FISCAL PRUDENCE MINDED. >> I GOTTA SAY. YES. YOU KNOW,
01:06:35HE HE, UH, HE WAS VERY
01:06:39PASSIONATE ABOUT THE DEBT FROM, FROM FOR MANY YEARS, UH, BUT ALSO LIVED HIS LIFE PAYING
01:06:43ATTENTION TO COSTS. HE LOVED A GREAT SALE. LIKE I THINK A LOT
01:06:45OF THE ROOTS HE HAD IN NEBRASKA
01:06:47NEVER LEFT HIM. AND HE, HE WAS ALWAYS A LITTLE SURPRISED THAT
01:06:51HE GOT WHERE HE WAS. SO HE KIND OF ALWAYS HAD KIND OF THE NEBRASKA PART OF HIM CONTINUED
01:06:55ON. AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY
01:06:58WHAT LED HIM TO BE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE NATIONAL DEBT AND THE GROWTH RATE OF IT,
01:07:01UH, MORE THAN MOST PEOPLE, BECAUSE IT WAS DIFFERENT FROM HOW HE WAS RAISED. AND, AND A
01:07:05REAL, UH, AFFRONT TO WHAT HIS. >> HE HAD ENORMOUS FINANCIAL
01:07:09SUCCESS. >> HE DID. >> WAS HE, WAS HE FRUGAL?
01:07:12>> I MEAN, LISTEN, HE LIVED A
01:07:14VERY PRIVILEGED LIFE FOR SURE. UH, BUT YES, HE ALWAYS PAID
01:07:18ATTENTION TO, TO, TO WHAT HE WAS DOING WITH HIS RESOURCES. AND,
01:07:21AND, UH, YOU KNOW, TOWARD THE END OF HIS LIFE, HE HAD THIS GREAT WINDFALL WHEN BLACKSTONE
01:07:25WENT PUBLIC. AND HE MADE A VERY QUICK AND EASY DECISION TO
01:07:29DEDICATE THE VAST MAJORITY OF HIS WEALTH TO THIS FOUNDATION, BECAUSE THAT'S REALLY WHAT HE
01:07:32CARED ABOUT. SO HE WAS VERY FOCUSED ON THAT. >> $1 BILLION.
01:07:35>> YES.
01:07:38>> $1 BILLION? YES. DO YOU SAY
01:07:40TO TO YOU SAY TO HIM, DAD, THE DEBTS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT
01:07:43THING. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT
01:07:44ALL THESE KIDS AND GRANDKIDS AND. >> ALL THIS.
01:07:48>> CAN WE SCALE IT DOWN A LITTLE BIT? >> THIS WAS A VERY PROUD MOMENT
01:07:51FOR HIM AND OUR FAMILY. I THINK, UH, AMERICA WAS A GREAT COUNTRY
01:07:55TO MY GRANDPARENTS AND TO MY
01:07:56DAD. AND, UH, THE CONCERNS THAT
01:07:59WE HAVE ARE A REAL THREAT TO THE NEXT GENERATION. AND PRESERVING
01:08:02THAT DREAM IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. SO WE'RE ALL VERY
01:08:05PROUD. >> SO HE ENDOWS THE PETER G.
01:08:09PETERSON FOUNDATION WITH WHAT OBJECTIVE >> REALLY, TO RAISE THE ALARM
01:08:12BELL ON THE NATIONAL DEBT. SO OUR MISSION STATEMENT IS TO INCREASE AWARENESS AND
01:08:16ACCELERATE ACTION ON OUR LONG TERM FISCAL CHALLENGES. AND
01:08:20WE'VE KNOWN ABOUT THESE ISSUES FOR A LONG TIME. MICHAEL. UH, WE'VE, WE'VE GOT THE BABY BOOM
01:08:23GENERATION. WE KNEW THEY WERE GOING TO RETIRE. WASHINGTON DID
01:08:26NOT PREPARE FOR THIS MOMENT. THEY'VE ADDED INSULT TO INJURY
01:08:29WITH ADDITIONAL FISCAL IRRESPONSIBILITY. SO THE
01:08:32FOUNDATION IS REALLY DEDICATED TO, TO SOUNDING THE ALARM AND
01:08:36MAKING SURE AMERICANS, YOUNG AND OLD, UNDERSTAND THE COUNTRY THAT WE'RE LEAVING THE NEXT
01:08:40GENERATION, TOO. AND WE THINK IT'S A PROBLEM. >> IT'S NOT THAT IT WAS
01:08:42ESTABLISHED LAST TUESDAY, A WEEK
01:08:44AGO TODAY, WHEN WE PASSED THE 40
01:08:47TRILLION THRESHOLD, WHEN DAD WAS STILL WITH US, WHAT WAS THE SIZE
01:08:50OF THE DEBT? >> UH, GOSH, IN TWO. I MEAN, IT
01:08:53WAS, UH, UNDER 10 TRILLION, I THINK, WHEN WE FIRST STARTED.
01:08:56AND, UH, BUT IT WAS VERY PREDICTABLE. I MEAN, THAT, THAT
01:09:00WAS PART OF WHAT CONCERNED HIM IS HE SAW THIS TIDAL WAVE
01:09:03COMING. THIS WASN'T, UH, YOU KNOW, A FICTION THAT HE WAS
01:09:06THINKING ABOUT. THIS WAS A REALITY THAT WAS IN ALL THE PROJECTIONS. WE ALL KNEW THIS
01:09:10WAS COMING. AND SO IT WAS, FRANKLY, EASY TO PREDICT THIS
01:09:14CRISIS. >> SO WHAT IS THE APPROACH THAT THE PETER G. PETERSON FOUNDATION
01:09:17TAKES? HOW DO YOU ADVOCATE? HOW DO YOU EDUCATE? WHAT WHAT'S
01:09:21WHAT'S THE ROLE ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS? >> WE DO ALL SORTS OF THINGS.
01:09:24SO, FIRST OF ALL, ONE OF THE FIRST DECISIONS HE MADE, WE MADE
01:09:26WAS TO MAKE IT A NONPARTISAN FOUNDATION. AND THAT'S FOR TWO
01:09:30REASONS. NUMBER ONE, UH, WE GOT
01:09:33HERE AS A RESULT OF THE ACTIONS OF BOTH PARTIES. BOTH PARTIES
01:09:36HAD A HAND IN THIS. AND WE THINK
01:09:39THE SOLUTIONS NEED TO BE BIPARTISAN TO BE LASTING. SO WE
01:09:42DIDN'T WANT TO REPRESENT ANY ONE PARTICULAR IDEOLOGY. SO WE
01:09:45WORK WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE
01:09:48POLITICAL SPECTRUM. WE WORK WITH A RANGE OF DIFFERENT RESEARCH AND THINK TANK ORGANIZATIONS TO
01:09:52COME UP WITH SOLUTIONS. SO WE FOCUS A LOT ON SOLUTIONS. WE CAN
01:09:55TALK ABOUT THAT, UH, IN TERMS OF
01:09:59RAISING AWARENESS, WE SPEND A LOT OF EFFORT ON YOUNG PEOPLE. I DON'T THINK YOUNG PEOPLE IN
01:10:02THIS COUNTRY TRULY UNDERSTAND WHEN THEY SEE A $2 TRILLION
01:10:06DEFICIT, MAYBE THEIR EYES GLAZE OVER. THEY DON'T TOTALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT IS. IT
01:10:09FEELS LIKE A LOT OF MONEY. UH, BUT THAT'S REALLY $2 TRILLION
01:10:12THAT IS BEING PASSED ON TO THE NEXT GENERATION AS AN
01:10:16OBLIGATION, PLUS INTEREST. AND THIS GENERATION THINKS A LOT
01:10:20ABOUT JUSTICE, SOCIAL JUSTICE, CLIMATE JUSTICE. BUT THEY DON'T ALWAYS THINK ABOUT THIS AS A
01:10:24FORM OF INJUSTICE. AND SO WE WORK WITH YOUNG PEOPLE ON
01:10:28COLLEGE CAMPUSES. WE'RE ON SEVERAL HUNDRED COLLEGE CAMPUSES
01:10:32RUNNING LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS, FISCAL UNDERSTANDING PROGRAMS,
01:10:34UH, AND OTHER AWARENESS BUILDING
01:10:37CAMPAIGNS ON CAMPUSES. AND THESE KIDS REALLY GET INVOLVED.
01:10:40>> MICHAEL PETERSON IS THE CEO
01:10:41OF THE PETERSON FOUNDATION. WHY
01:10:44AMONG THE SIBLINGS, DID IT FALL TO YOU THAT YOU WOULD BE THE ONE
01:10:47TO, TO CARRY THE MANTLE? >> WELL, YOU KNOW, I, I, UH, I
01:10:51STUDIED PUBLIC POLICY AND ECONOMICS IN SCHOOL. I WAS ALWAYS VERY, VERY INTERESTED IN
01:10:55THESE ISSUES. I WAS SPENT MOST OF MY CAREER IN THE BUSINESS WORLD BEFORE DOING THIS. AND,
01:10:58UH, I WAS THE ONE WHO REALLY HAD THE MOST INTEREST IN THIS. AND
01:11:01IT WAS MY DAD'S MISSION. IT WAS HIS DECISION TO, TO FOCUS ON
01:11:05THESE AREAS. AND I WAS THE RIGHT ONE AVAILABLE TO, TO CARRY THE MANTLE WITH HIM.
01:11:09>> MICHAEL. I THINK IT'S DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO
01:11:12UNDERSTAND $40 TRILLION I PULLED FROM THE WEBSITE FOR THE BENEFIT
01:11:15OF THOSE WHO WILL WATCH US ON YOUTUBE OR WATCH US LIVE ON
01:11:18C-SPAN. TWO, WE'RE GOING TO RUN THROUGH A COUPLE OF THE SLIDES,
01:11:21AND I'LL JUST ASK YOU TO
01:11:24AMPLIFY 40 TRILLION IS
01:11:26APPROXIMATELY THE VALUE OF THE
01:11:28ECONOMIES OF CHINA, GERMANY,
01:11:31JAPAN, THE UNITED KINGDOM, AND
01:11:33INDIA COMBINED.
01:11:38>> IT'S A STAGGERING NUMBER. AND AND EVEN THOUGH I KNEW THIS NUMBER WAS COMING AND WE WERE PLANNING FOR THIS DAY, IT'S
01:11:42STILL HARD FOR ME TO KIND OF JUST GRASP IT. UH, YOU KNOW, I
01:11:45THINK IT'S A, IT'S, IT'S A NUMBER THAT I OFTEN DIVIDE BY
01:11:49THE POPULATION. SO IT'S ABOUT
01:11:53$117,000 A PERSON. MAYBE WE'RE GOING TO COME TO THAT. YEP. >> UH.
01:11:56>> $297,000 PER HOUSEHOLD. >> YEAH. SO FOR THE EVERY, YOU
01:11:59KNOW, FOR AVERAGE AMERICANS, THAT'S THE WAY TO THINK ABOUT THIS. THIS IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S
01:12:03NOT YOUR OBLIGATION PER SE. IT'S, IT'S A BIG NUMBER. IT'S
01:12:06THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, BUT IT
01:12:09DOES REPRESENT A BURDEN ON YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR HOUSEHOLD AND
01:12:11YOURSELF. THAT NEEDS TO BE THAT CARRIES INTEREST AND NEEDS TO BE
01:12:15PAID BACK OVER TIME. SO IT IS A REAL BURDEN OUT THERE, EVEN
01:12:18THOUGH THE NUMBERS SORT OF STAGGERINGLY LARGE TO COMPREHEND.
01:12:20>> UH, YOU AND I HAVE BEEN
01:12:23SPEAKING FOR ABOUT TEN MINUTES
01:12:26AT THE RATE OF $4.8 MILLION PER MINUTE. THAT'S HOW MUCH WE'VE ADDED TO THE DEBT DURING THE
01:12:30COURSE OF THIS CONVERSATION. 285
01:12:33MILLION. YOU'LL BE HERE FOR THE HOUR. THAT'S HOW MUCH WE'LL ADD
01:12:36TO THE DEBT. 6.8 BILLION PER
01:12:40DAY. SPEAK TO THOSE NUMBERS. >> WELL, THAT THAT'S LISTEN, WE
01:12:43COULD TALK ABOUT THE 40 TRILLION ALL DAY LONG AND HOW WE GOT HERE. AND I'M HAPPY TO GO
01:12:47THROUGH SOME OF THAT. BUT I THINK WHAT AMERICANS NEED TO
01:12:50FOCUS ON IS WHERE WE'RE HEADED ALSO. AND UNFORTUNATELY, WE'RE
01:12:53NOT AT 40 TRILLION PEAKING.
01:12:56WE'RE AT 40 TRILLION AND RISING. AND SO THE PATH THAT
01:12:59WE'RE ON WILL HAVE US AT 50 TRILLION IN ABOUT SIX YEARS. UH,
01:13:03YOU KNOW, AND IT'S GROWING AND GROWING AND GROWING. AND THAT'S
01:13:05WHY WE NEED TO GET AT THIS, NOT BECAUSE OF OUR PAST SINS ALONE,
01:13:09BUT BECAUSE WE CONTINUE TO, UH,
01:13:11TO DRIVE UP THE, THE GROWTH AND THE DEFICIT AND THE DEBT.
01:13:14>> JUST ONE, ONE MORE TO, TO TRY AND BRING SOME REALIZATION TO
01:13:19THIS. $40 TRILLION IS ENOUGH TO COVER A PUBLIC FOUR YEAR DEGREE
01:13:22FOR EVERY GRADUATING U.S. HIGH
01:13:25SCHOOL STUDENT FOR 119 YEARS
01:13:29>> YEAH. I THINK, UH, AGAIN, TO HELP PEOPLE BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT THE DEBT MEANS, YOU CAN
01:13:33THINK ABOUT WHAT WE COULD HAVE SPENT THE MONEY ON, RIGHT? AND
01:13:37INTEREST ALONE IS ABOUT $1 TRILLION A YEAR RIGHT NOW.
01:13:40THAT'S EXCEEDS WHAT WE SPEND ON NATIONAL DEFENSE. SO IMAGINE IF
01:13:42WE HAD ANOTHER TRILLION DOLLARS
01:13:45OF AVAILABLE SPENDING TO RUN VARIOUS PROGRAMS THROUGH THE
01:13:49GOVERNMENT. UH, SO WE'RE ACTUALLY SADDLING OURSELVES WITH
01:13:52A BURDEN THAT MAKES IT LESS AFFORDABLE TO DO OTHER THINGS.
01:13:55SO, OR RAISE TAXES OR CUT TAXES. I MEAN, WHATEVER YOUR CHOICE
01:13:59WOULD BE. >> PARDON MY NAIVETE, EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT THE MARKETS AND
01:14:01BUSINESS, I LEARNED FROM WATCHING TRADING PLACES 14
01:14:05TIMES. OKAY, SO BREAK IT DOWN
01:14:06FOR ME. WHEN WE SAY THAT WE OWE
01:14:09$40 TRILLION, TO WHOM? >> WELL, THERE'S A COUPLE
01:14:13DIFFERENT COMPONENTS. ABOUT 10 TRILLION OF THAT IS
01:14:16INTRAGOVERNMENTAL DEBT. SO, UM, THIS GETS A LITTLE COMPLICATED.
01:14:20BUT WHEN THE SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM WAS STARTED, WE HAD A LOT
01:14:22OF INFLOWS. AND THAT CREATED A
01:14:24TRUST FUND, QUOTE, UNQUOTE. UH, I USE QUOTES BECAUSE IT ISN'T
01:14:28REALLY A TRUST FUND. THE MONEY WAS ALL SPENT AT THE TIME, BUT
01:14:31WE DID TRACK HOW MUCH CAME INTO THE SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM. GIVEN THE WAY SOCIAL SECURITY
01:14:35WORKS, WE HAVE TO KEEP TRACK OF THAT NUMBER, AND THAT'S AN
01:14:38OBLIGATION THAT WE OWE OUT TO BENEFICIARIES. THAT RUNS DRY. BY
01:14:41THE WAY, IN ABOUT SIX YEARS. SO WE SHOULD TALK ABOUT THAT. SO A
01:14:44BIG CHUNK OF THAT IS INTRAGOVERNMENTAL DEBT. ABOUT 30
01:14:47TRILLION OF IT IS OWNED BY THE PUBLIC. SO IT'S AMERICANS,
01:14:51FOREIGN COUNTRIES, VARIOUS TREASURY, YOU KNOW, TREASURY
01:14:54BOND HOLDERS AROUND THE WORLD. >> I OFTEN HEAR THAT A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF THE DEBT
01:14:58IS, IS CONTROLLED BY OR HELD BY THE CHINESE. TRUE.
01:15:02>> YEAH. YEAH. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THESE MANY COUNTRIES AROUND THE
01:15:05WORLD HOLD OUR DEBT. AND THAT'S
01:15:08WHY ADMIRAL MULLEN, UH, MANY YEARS AGO SAID DEBT IS THE SINGLE GREATEST THREAT TO OUR
01:15:12NATIONAL SECURITY. BECAUSE WHEN ALL THESE OTHER COUNTRIES HOLD
01:15:15OUR DEBT, WE ARE SOMEWHAT BEHOLDEN TO THEM IN A WAY.
01:15:17>> COULD THEY CALL IT.? >> THEY COULD SELL IT TOMORROW.
01:15:21>> THEY COULD SELL IT. THAT THAT WOULD BE THAT WOULD BE. >> THE THEY COULDN'T CALL IT EARLY. YOU KNOW, IT MATURES WHEN
01:15:25IT MATURES, BUT THEY COULD DUMP, DUMP THEM ON THE MARKETS AT ANY AT ANY POINT.
01:15:28>> OKAY. I WANT TO TALK WITH YOU IN JUST A MOMENT ABOUT HOW DID
01:15:31WE GET INTO THIS MESS? AS WE
01:15:32CONTINUE TO EXPLORE THE SUBJECT
01:15:35OF $40 TRILLION OF NATIONAL DEBT WITH MICHAEL PETERSON, HE'S THE
01:15:39CEO OF THE PETERSON FOUNDATION.
01:15:42WE'RE BACK RIGHT AFTER THIS.
01:15:59>> THIS WEEK ON C-SPAN 2, WE'RE BRINGING YOU LIVE TALK RADIO
01:16:02SIMULCAST FEATURING VOICES FROM ACROSS AMERICAN POLITICS AT 9
01:16:06A.M. EASTERN. MICHAEL SMERCONISH HOSTS THE MICHAEL SMERCONISH PROGRAM, CHALLENGING BOTH SIDES
01:16:10OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM. AT NOON, PROGRESSIVE COMMENTATOR
01:16:13THOM HARTMANN HOSTS THE THOM HARTMANN PROGRAM WITH HIS TAKE
01:16:15ON THE DAY'S BIGGEST POLITICAL STORIES. AND THEN, AT THREE,
01:16:19CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST HOWIE CARR HOSTS THE HOWIE CARR SHOW
01:16:22WITH HIS TAKE ON POLITICS,
01:16:24CULTURE AND THE NEWS OF THE DAY.
01:16:26WATCH LIVE THIS WEEK ON C-SPAN.
01:16:31TWO C-SPAN NOW, OUR FREE MOBILE
01:16:32VIDEO APP, OR ONLINE AT
01:16:35C-SPAN.ORG ALL THIS WEEK, JOIN
01:16:42C-SPAN 2 AT 6 P.M. EASTERN FOR MARATHON PROGRAMING,
01:16:44HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THE MOST
01:16:47CONSEQUENTIAL, COMPELLING, AND MEMORABLE MOMENTS COVERED BY
01:16:50C-SPAN IN 2026. TODAY, A COLLECTION OF CONGRESSIONAL
01:16:53HEARINGS THAT SHAPED POLICY, SCRUTINIZED IMPORTANT ISSUES,
01:16:56AND CAPTURED THE ATTENTION OF
01:16:58THE COUNTRY WEDNESDAY, A LOOK AT
01:17:01THE EXPLORATION, INNOVATION, AND ACHIEVEMENT THAT HAVE PUSHED THE
01:17:04BOUNDARIES OF WHAT'S POSSIBLE FROM THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN SPACE PROGRAM TO ARTEMIS II.
01:17:08THURSDAY, WE'LL AIR SOME OF THIS YEAR'S MOST WATCHED, MOST
01:17:11TALKED ABOUT, AND MOST MEMORABLE
01:17:14C-SPAN PROGRAMING THAT CAPTURED PUBLIC ATTENTION. AND ON FRIDAY,
01:17:17SUPREME COURT JUSTICES
01:17:20DISCUSSING THEIR LIVES, THE CONSTITUTION, THE COURT, AND WHAT IT MEANS TO SERVE ON THE
01:17:23NATION'S HIGHEST COURT. WATCH A
01:17:26MARATHON OF COMPELLING
01:17:28PROGRAMING. ALL THIS WEEK ON
01:17:31C-SPAN, TWO.
01:17:37>> [MUSIC] >> WATCH AMERICA'S BOOK CLUB
01:17:39C-SPAN'S BOLD ORIGINAL SERIES, SUNDAY WITH OUR GUEST AWARD
01:17:43WINNING GLOBAL NUMBER ONE BEST SELLING >> [MUSIC] >> AUTHOR, DAVID BALDACCI. HIS
01:17:47THRILLERS HAVE SOLD OVER 200 MILLION COPIES WORLDWIDE.
01:17:50PUBLISHED IN OVER 45 LANGUAGES
01:17:53IN MORE THAN 80 COUNTRIES,
01:17:55DAVID, ALONG WITH HIS WIFE MICHELLE, ARE ALSO THE
01:17:58CO-FOUNDERS OF THE WISH YOU WELL FOUNDATION, A NONPROFIT
01:18:01ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO SUPPORTING LITERACY PROGRAMS IN
01:18:04THE UNITED STATES. HE JOINS OUR HOST, RENOWNED AUTHOR AND CIVIC
01:18:08LEADER, DAVID RUBENSTEIN.
01:18:10>> SO WHEN YOU ARE WRITING, UM,
01:18:13DO YOU EVER SAY TO YOURSELF, UH, YOU EVER DAYDREAM, YOU EVER LOSE
01:18:17YOUR TRAIN OF THOUGHT? YOU'RE, YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT IT, OR YOU JUST TUNNEL VISIONED ON WHAT
01:18:21YOU'RE WRITING? >> I DO BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. I
01:18:23TUNNEL VISION, I LET MY IMAGINATION RUN, YOU KNOW,
01:18:27BECAUSE I FOUND THAT WHEN I TRIED TO KEEP MY IMAGINATION IN
01:18:30CHECK, I MISS OPPORTUNITIES. AND I DON'T WANT TO MISS
01:18:33OPPORTUNITIES. PEOPLE ASK, WHERE DO I GET MY IDEAS FROM? I GET UP EVERY DAY AND I WALK OUT THE
01:18:37DOOR AND I SEE WHAT'S IN FRONT OF ME. I'M NOT ON MY IPHONE
01:18:41LOOKING AT MY IPHONE. I'M LOOKING AT PEOPLE, AND I'VE GOTTEN IDEAS FOR PLOT POINTS
01:18:45JUST BY WALKING DOWN THE STREET AND SEEING TWO PEOPLE TALKING.
01:18:47AND I'M WONDERING, WHAT ARE THEY
01:18:50TALKING ABOUT? MAYBE I CAN ANSWER THAT MYSELF. OR I SEE A
01:18:54GUY WITH A BOX GET ON A BUS. I WONDER WHAT'S IN THE BOX AND WHERE IS THE BUS GOING WITH THE
01:18:57GUY? AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, I
01:18:59HAVE A STORY IDEA FROM THAT. THE IDEAS ARE ALL AROUND YOU ALL THE
01:19:03TIME. IT'S JUST THAT YOU'RE NOT RECEPTIVE TO SEIZING
01:19:06OPPORTUNITIES. ONCE YOU DO THINK ABOUT SEIZING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES, AND ALL OF A
01:19:09SUDDEN YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TOO MANY IDEAS, TOO MANY THINGS TO WRITE ABOUT.
01:19:13>> WATCH AMERICA'S BOOK CLUB WITH DAVID BALDACCI SUNDAY AT 6
01:19:17P.M. AND 9 P.M. EASTERN AND
01:19:19PACIFIC, ONLY ON C-SPAN.
01:19:22>> [MUSIC]
01:19:31>> THE ROAD TO THE CAPITOL >> [MUSIC] >> RUNS THROUGH AMERICA'S
01:19:35BATTLEGROUND STATES, AND C-SPAN
01:19:36IS THERE. OUR CAMERAS ARE ON THE GROUND FOLLOWING THE CAMPAIGNS
01:19:40WHERE THE TOUGHEST RACES WILL DECIDE THE BALANCE OF POWER IN
01:19:43CONGRESS. WE'RE THE ONLY NATIONAL TELEVISION NETWORK
01:19:46PROVIDING THIS LEVEL OF UNFILTERED ACCESS TO THE
01:19:48CANDIDATES, THE VOTERS, AND THE
01:19:51ISSUES SHAPING CAMPAIGN 2026. NO COMMENTATORS TELLING YOU WHAT TO
01:19:54THINK. NO. PARTIZAN SPIN THE
01:19:56ROAD TO THE CAPITAL, ONLY ON
01:20:00C-SPAN.
01:20:01>> [MUSIC]
01:20:05>> C-SPAN IS AS UNBIASED AS YOU CAN GET. >> YOU ARE SO FAIR. I DON'T
01:20:08KNOW HOW ANYBODY CAN SAY OTHERWISE. >> YOU GUYS DO. THE MOST
01:20:13IMPORTANT WORK FOR EVERYONE IN THIS COUNTRY.
01:20:14>> I LOVE C-SPAN BECAUSE I GET
01:20:17TO HEAR ALL THE VOICES. >> YOU BRING THESE DIVERGENT
01:20:21VIEWPOINTS, AND YOU PRESENT BOTH SIDES OF AN ISSUE, AND YOU ALLOW PEOPLE TO MAKE UP THEIR OWN MINDS.
01:20:25>> I ABSOLUTELY LOVE C-SPAN. I LOVE TO HEAR BOTH SIDES. I'VE
01:20:28WATCHED THESE FANS EVERY
01:20:30MORNING, AND IT IS UNBIASED. AND
01:20:33YOU BRING IN FACTUAL INFORMATION FOR THE CALLERS TO UNDERSTAND
01:20:37WHERE. >> THEY ARE. WE ARE FOCUSED ON
01:20:40$40 TRILLION OF DEBT. I RAN THROUGH THE ILLUSTRATIONS
01:20:44PREVIOUSLY, BUT HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS IN OUR DAILY LIVES. LIKE THE NATION'S
01:20:4840 TRILLION IN DEBT. OKAY, WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN TO ME?
01:20:51>> MHM. WELL, AS I SAID BEFORE,
01:20:53THAT'S $117,000 OF DEBT OBLIGATION TO YOU. OKAY. AND
01:20:56THAT CARRIES INTEREST COSTS. SO INTEREST COSTS ARE NOW THE
01:21:00FASTEST GROWING PART OF THE BUDGET. WE SPEND MORE ON
01:21:02INTEREST THAN NATIONAL DEFENSE. INTEREST WILL DOUBLE IN THE NEXT
01:21:05TEN YEARS. WE'LL SPEND 16 TRILLION ON INTEREST ALONE. SO
01:21:09IT MEANS RESOURCES ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO EITHER LOWER THE
01:21:12REVENUES OR LOWER YOUR TAXES, OR HAVE NEW PROGRAMS AND OTHER
01:21:16SPENDING. WE COULD DO UM, IT ALSO AFFECTS OVERALL
01:21:19AFFORDABILITY. AND WE'VE BEEN POLLING THIS RECENTLY. UH,
01:21:22AFFORDABILITY IS PROBABLY THE NUMBER ONE ECONOMIC CONCERN IN
01:21:25THIS YEAR'S, IN THIS YEAR'S ELECTION CAMPAIGN. AND BORROWING
01:21:29TRILLION AFTER TRILLION TAKES US IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. FIRST OF ALL, IT'S INFLATIONARY IN
01:21:33ITSELF. WHEN YOU BORROW MONEY AND PUMP IT INTO THE ECONOMY,
01:21:35THAT'S INFLATIONARY. BUT ALSO
01:21:38THE INCREASING DEBT AND THE IRRESPONSIBILITY AND THE LACK
01:21:42OF, UH, POSITIVE FISCAL OUTLOOK RAISES TREASURY RATES. AND THAT
01:21:46HAS AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT ON ALL THE OTHER BORROWING WE DO. SO YOUR MORTGAGE, YOUR CAR LOAN,
01:21:50YOUR CREDIT CARDS. SO WHEN TREASURIES GO, GOES UP,
01:21:53TREASURIES GO UP, ALL OF THOSE OTHER INTEREST RATES GO UP AND
01:21:57YOU'RE STUCK WITH THE NEGATIVE RAMIFICATIONS OF THE 40 TRILLION.
01:22:01>> OKAY, SO WHEN I SEE THE HEADLINE A WEEK AGO THAT WE'RE NOW 40 TRILLION IN DEBT, TO ME,
01:22:05IT MEANS THAT MY MONTHLY CAR
01:22:08PAYMENT, MY CREDIT CARD BILL, MY
01:22:10MORTGAGE ON MY HOUSE, ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE BEING IMPACTED.
01:22:14>> YEAH, YEAH. AND IT'S, IT'S, UH, IT'S PROBABLY GOING TO CONTINUE TO KEEP GOING UP UNTIL
01:22:18WE HAVE A SOLUTION. >> SO SEE, I THINK THIS IS PART OF THE DYNAMIC THAT THAT NEEDS
01:22:22TO BE ADDRESSED. AND I KNOW YOU'RE WORKING HARD TO ADDRESS
01:22:24IT, BUT PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT CONNECTION BECAUSE I THINK WE HEAR IT AND
01:22:28WE'RE NOT SURE WHAT IT REALLY MEANS. >> YEAH. WELL, SEE, THAT'S WHAT
01:22:32WE'RE HERE FOR. I THINK, UH, PEOPLE DO UNDERSTAND IT AT A, AT
01:22:36A GUT LEVEL, RIGHT? I THINK THEY KNOW BORROWING 40 TRILLION DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT. BORROWING 2
01:22:40TRILLION HERE DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT. UH, THERE IS A HIGH LEVEL
01:22:43OF CONCERN ABOUT IT, BUT IT IS HARD TO SOMETIMES CONNECT THIS
01:22:46BIG NUMBER TO YOUR PERSONAL LIFE. >> WELL, WHEN YOU SAY WE ARE
01:22:49SPENDING MORE ANNUALLY ON
01:22:51INTEREST THAN WE SPEND ON THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT, THAT BRINGS
01:22:55IT HOME. YEAH, THAT'S A HELL OF A LOT OF MONEY.
01:22:57>> YEAH. UM, AND, AND, UH, I
01:23:01THINK IT'S ALSO JUST AT A HIGH LEVEL, IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WE'RE NOT INVESTING
01:23:04THE MONEY. OKAY. SO ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS WITH A, WITH A DEBT ISSUE IS NOT JUST
01:23:08THE INTEREST RATE, BUT WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THE PROCEEDS? WHAT IS YOUR, WHAT IS THE REASON
01:23:11YOU BORROWED THE MONEY? AND IF WE WERE INVESTING ALL THIS
01:23:15CAPITAL, IF IT WAS ALL IN INFRASTRUCTURE AND BRIDGES OR
01:23:18EDUCATION, AND THERE WAS A LONG RUN PAYOUT, YOU COULD ARGUE SOME OF THAT IS ACTUALLY SMART OR
01:23:21PRUDENT OR WISE, BUT A 95% OF
01:23:25THE BUDGET IS ON IMMEDIATE CONSUMPTION. AND THOSE ARE IMPORTANT PROGRAMS THAT ARE
01:23:28ESSENTIAL, BUT THEY'RE NOT INVESTMENTS IN THE FUTURE. SO
01:23:31THIS IS WHY WE CONTINUE TO IMPERIL THE NEXT GENERATION, BECAUSE WE'RE BORROWING MONEY
01:23:34FOR IMMEDIATE CONSUMPTION AND NOT INVESTING IN THINGS THAT WILL BENEFIT THEM IN THE FUTURE.
01:23:38>> RANDY, YOU'RE IN STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA. ASK A
01:23:40QUESTION QUICKLY FOR MICHAEL
01:23:44PETERSON.
01:23:49>> BELIEVE THAT THE WAY TO GET
01:23:51SOMETHING DONE IS GETTING THE ATTENTION OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. SO THEY PUT PRESSURE ON
01:23:55CONGRESS. AND THE WAY TO DO THAT
01:23:58IS MASS MARKETING. AND I WENT ON YOUR WEBSITE, COULDN'T FIND YOUR
01:24:02BUDGET FOR ANYTHING REGARDING
01:24:04ADVERTISING, MARKETING, ET CETERA.. UH, I JUST WONDER IF
01:24:07YOU COULD ADDRESS WHAT YOU'RE
01:24:09DOING, WHAT YOU THINK OF THE
01:24:13IDEA THE PEOPLE DON'T, ARE NOT
01:24:17DOING ANYTHING TO GET TO THEIR CONGRESSMEN BECAUSE IT'S NOT IN FRONT OF THEM.
01:24:20>> RANDY. RANDY, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. I REMEMBER SEEING
01:24:23PETERSON FOUNDATION COMMERCIALS. YOU HAVE USED THAT KIND OF
01:24:26MARKETING FROM TIME TO TIME. >> WE HAVE LISTEN, UM, WE HAVE A
01:24:29LOT OF RESOURCES FOR OUR FOUNDATION. WE HAVE $1 BILLION BASICALLY TO INVEST TOWARDS
01:24:33THIS. TO ME, THIS IS A $40 TRILLION PROBLEM, THOUGH. SO I
01:24:37WANT TO BE VERY CAREFUL AND WISE WITH OUR EXPENDITURES TO HAVE
01:24:40THE MOST IMPACT POSSIBLE. PHILANTHROPY IS NOT THE EASIEST
01:24:42THING. I THINK OF IT THE SAME WAY A BUSINESS DOES. WHAT IS OUR
01:24:46RETURN? HOW DO HOW MUCH IMPACT ARE WE HAVING? AND, YOU KNOW,
01:24:49THERE'S MANY BILLIONS BEING SPENT ANNUALLY ON, ON ELECTION
01:24:52CAMPAIGNS, ON OTHER ADVERTISEMENTS. SO WE'RE JUST VERY CAREFUL WITH OUR DOLLARS.
01:24:56WE DO HAVE SEVERAL DEBT CLOCKS AROUND THE COUNTRY ON
01:24:59BILLBOARDS. WE DO A LOT OF DIGITAL ADVERTISING. UH, WE DO A
01:25:02LOT OF OTHER AWARENESS BUILDING. WE WORK WITH THE MEDIA, SUCH AS
01:25:05PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELVES TO HELP THE MEDIA UNDERSTAND AND REPORT
01:25:09ACCURATELY ON THESE ISSUES. SO WE ARE DEFINITELY OUT THERE IN A MULTITUDE OF WAYS. I MENTIONED
01:25:12WHAT WE DO WITH YOUNG PEOPLE. SO WE'RE EXTREMELY ACTIVE. WE
01:25:15DON'T ALWAYS WANT TO DUMP HUGE DOLLARS INTO ADVERTISING. UH,
01:25:19BUT, YOU KNOW, AT A CERTAIN MOMENT, WE MAY NEED TO DO MORE OF THAT. LIKE IF WE'RE GETTING
01:25:23CLOSER TO A DEAL AND WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, SOME PROGRESS BEING MADE, WE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE
01:25:27CERTAINLY WILLING TO CONSIDER THAT.
01:25:28>> HOW DID WE GET HERE?
01:25:32>> WELL, I THINK IT FALLS FOR ME. IT FALLS INTO TWO BUCKETS. ONE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT, WHICH
01:25:36IS OUR STRUCTURAL PROBLEM. UH,
01:25:39BASICALLY, WE HAVE A BABY BOOM GENERATION THAT HAS BEGUN TO
01:25:42RETIRE, UH, 80 MILLION STRONG
01:25:44TEN, 000 PEOPLE EVERY DAY. TURN
01:25:4765. WE'VE KNOWN ABOUT THIS FOR
01:25:48A LONG TIME. UH, AND SO WE HAVE
01:25:52A HUGE $80 MILLION, 80 MILLION POPULATION COMING THROUGH THE
01:25:55RETIREMENT SYSTEM, NUMBER ONE. NUMBER TWO, THEY'RE ALL LIVING
01:25:58MUCH LONGER. SO LONGEVITY HAS GONE UP. WHEN SOCIAL SECURITY
01:26:02WAS STARTED, THE RETIREMENT AGE
01:26:03WAS 65, LIFE EXPECTANCY WAS 63.
01:26:06OKAY, RETIREMENT AGE HAS GONE UP VERY SLIGHTLY SINCE THEN. LONGEVITY HAS GONE UP A LOT. NOT
01:26:10FOR EVERYBODY, BUT FOR MOST PEOPLE. SO WE'VE GOT A BIG
01:26:13GROUP OF PEOPLE LIVING MUCH LONGER. THE THIRD BIG DRIVER IS
01:26:16HEALTH CARE COSTS. HEALTH CARE COSTS IN THIS COUNTRY ARE TWICE
01:26:20AS MUCH AS MOST OTHER ADVANCED NATIONS. OBVIOUSLY, THE ELDERLY
01:26:23CONSUME A DISPROPORTIONATE SHARE OF HEALTH CARE AS THEY AGE, AS THEY SHOULD. AND SO YOU TAKE A
01:26:27BIG GROUP OF PEOPLE LIVING MUCH
01:26:29LONGER IN A HEALTH CARE SYSTEM THAT'S VERY HIGH COST. AND THAT
01:26:33IS REALLY THE UNDERLYING STRUCTURAL DRIVER OF THE DEFICIT
01:26:36PROBLEM. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT, HONESTLY, FOR DECADES. SO IT'S, IT'S MOST
01:26:40IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE SOLUTIONS LAY. AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON.
01:26:43>> OKAY. CAN I JUMP IN ON THAT? YEAH, SURE. ISN'T, ISN'T THE
01:26:47FERTILITY ISSUE SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE WE'RE NOT MEETING THE
01:26:51REPLACEMENT RATE. AND SO AS THOSE FOLKS GET OLDER AND WE'VE MADE COMMITMENTS TO THEM, WE
01:26:55DON'T HAVE ENOUGH YOUNGER PEOPLE EARNING WAGES TO SUPPORT
01:26:59THAT SAFETY NET. >> YEAH. THE, THE WORKERS PER
01:27:02RETIREE RATIO HAS GONE DOWN. UH, YOU KNOW, I WOULDN'T SAY WE NEED TO GO OUT AND HAVE A BUNCH
01:27:05OF KIDS TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. THERE ARE SIMPLER AND QUICKER
01:27:09SOLUTIONS TO THAT. BUT YOU'RE RIGHT, THE, THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF
01:27:13THIS IS THE CORE OF THE STRUCTURAL PROBLEM. AND THAT'S,
01:27:16THAT'S WHY THAT LEADS TO SOME OF THE SOLUTIONS THAT INVOLVE THE RETIREMENT PROGRAMS.
01:27:19>> OKAY. UM, I FEEL LIKE I INTERRUPTED YOU. >> SO THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF
01:27:23HOW WE GOT HERE IS THE STRUCTURAL PROBLEM. I WOULD SAY
01:27:25THE SECOND PART IS, IS FISCAL IRRESPONSIBILITY IN WASHINGTON.
01:27:28SO, YOU KNOW, IN 1983, WE REFORMED THE SOCIAL SECURITY
01:27:32SYSTEM. SINCE THEN, WE REALLY
01:27:33HAVEN'T MADE ANY INROADS INTO ADDRESSING THIS LONG RUN
01:27:37PROBLEM. AND WE'VE ADDED INSULT TO INJURY, BASICALLY, WITH TAX
01:27:41CUTS UNPAID FOR WARS, OTHER PROGRAMS, AND COVID, THE
01:27:44FINANCIAL CRISIS. SO A LOT OF THINGS HAVE OCCURRED IN OUR
01:27:48BUDGET AND IN WASHINGTON, ON TOP OF THE STRUCTURAL DEFICIT, THAT HAS ONLY MADE IT WORSE AND
01:27:52ACCELERATED THE PROBLEM. >> FAIR, FAIR TO SAY THAT WE'RE
01:27:55HERE BECAUSE OF BOTH PARTIES. >> ABSOLUTELY. UH, YOU KNOW,
01:27:58BOTH PARTIES HAVE JOINED TOGETHER IN, IN KICKING THIS CAN DOWN THE ROAD FOR MANY YEARS. WE
01:28:02COULD ALL POINT FINGERS AT OUR, OUR PARTY OR THE OTHER PARTY.
01:28:06UH, IN TERMS OF SPECIFIC EXAMPLES. BUT I THINK THE RIGHT
01:28:09WAY TO LOOK AT IT IS WE'VE GOTTEN HERE TOGETHER IN THE WRONG WAY.
01:28:12>> ON CNN ON SATURDAY, THERE'S A FELLOW WHOSE LAST NAME IS PURI, AND HE WROTE A PIECE FOR
01:28:16NATIONAL REVIEW THAT CAUGHT MY EYE. AND I BOOKED HIM AS A GUEST
01:28:19YOUNG GUY. UH, BUT OBVIOUSLY
01:28:22BRILLIANT. AND HE HAD DATA
01:28:24SUGGESTING THAT, THAT THOSE
01:28:27GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES, THOSE
01:28:29EITHER TAX CUTS OR SPENDING BILLS THAT LED TO $40 TRILLION
01:28:32IN DEBT, IN PART, UH, WERE BIPARTISAN, THAT, THAT THEY HAVE
01:28:36BEEN AMAZINGLY. YOU WATCH THE INTERVIEW. WHAT WERE YOU
01:28:39THINKING WHEN. >> YOU SAW, I THINK SOMETIMES IT
01:28:42WAS ONE PARTY DOING IT. RIGHT, UH, EXCLUSIVELY. OTHER TIMES IT
01:28:45WAS BIPARTISAN. BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY IT SPEAKS TO THE POLITICAL CHALLENGE HERE.
01:28:49IT'S MUCH EASIER TO SAY, OH, I'M GOING TO BE HERE AND CUT
01:28:52YOUR TAXES, OR I'M GOING TO ADD
01:28:54THIS NEW BENEFIT. IT'S MUCH HARDER TO BE HONEST AND DIRECT
01:28:57AND SAY, WE GOT TO CONSTRAIN OURSELVES. SO, YES, BOTH PARTIES HAVE DONE IT INDIVIDUALLY AND
01:29:01TOGETHER. >> AM I RIGHT IN BELIEVING THAT
01:29:02FOR THE LAST 16 YEARS, NOT SINCE
01:29:06SIMPSON-BOWLES HAVE WE HAD A SERIOUS CONVERSATION ABOUT THE
01:29:09DEBT. >> I THINK AT A NATIONAL LEVEL,
01:29:12WE HAVE NOT. UH, BUT I THINK 40 TRILLION IS THE TIME, AND THERE
01:29:16ARE SOME BILLS IN CONGRESS TO, TO STIMULATE THAT CONVERSATION RIGHT NOW.
01:29:19>> SO I WANT TO SHOW YOU SOMETHING. AND GUYS, PUT UP THE,
01:29:22THE SLIDE OF THE POLL RESULT THAT WE HAD FROM JUST A COUPLE
01:29:24OF DAYS AGO. I, I TRIED TO
01:29:27ENCAPSULATE IN A POLL QUESTION, THE SIMPSON-BOWLES SOLUTION. AND
01:29:31I, I FOUND THE VOTING ON THIS TO BE JUST ALARMING. PARDON ME
01:29:35WHILE I LOOK HERE, IT IS. UH,
01:29:38AUGUST 21st. I ASK, WOULD YOU
01:29:40ACCEPT BOTH HIGHER TAXES ON
01:29:43YOURSELF AND REDUCED SOCIAL
01:29:46SECURITY AND MEDICARE BENEFITS IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE $40
01:29:49TRILLION NATIONAL DEBT, 35,394
01:29:53VOTED. NOT SCIENTIFIC, BUT
01:29:57INTERESTING. AND 78.39% SAID NO. YOUR THOUGHTS?
01:30:01>> WELL, I THINK LISTEN, IF YOU WALK DOWN THE STREET AND ASK SOMEONE, DO YOU WANT HIGHER
01:30:05TAXES OR DO YOU WANT TO CUT YOUR BENEFITS? THEY'RE GOING TO SAY,
01:30:07NO, OBVIOUSLY, BUT FROM, FROM
01:30:10OUR OWN EXPERIENCE, ONCE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE SCOPE OF THE
01:30:14PROBLEM, THAT THAT POLL WOULD CHANGE DRAMATICALLY. SO WE JUST DID THIS ACTUALLY, THIS SPRING,
01:30:17WE SOCIAL SECURITY, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, IS RUNNING
01:30:21DRY IN SIX YEARS. WE THINK THAT'S A SERIOUS PROBLEM. WE
01:30:23HAVE TO GET AT. WE DID SOME POLLING ON THIS, AND WE ASKED
01:30:26THEM FIRST, WHAT PERCENT, YOU
01:30:29KNOW, DO YOU FEEL LIKE WE SHOULD REFORM AND STABILIZE SOCIAL SECURITY? AND ONLY ABOUT 40%
01:30:32SAID YES. WE ASKED THEM IF THEY WERE AWARE OF THIS IMPENDING
01:30:36CRISIS, AND ONLY ABOUT 30% SAID,
01:30:38YES, WE'RE AWARE OF IT. WE THEN
01:30:40EXPLAINED THE SITUATION. WE EXPLAINED THAT 6 IN 6 YEARS
01:30:43THERE WOULD BE AN ACROSS THE BOARD, IMMEDIATE AUTOMATIC
01:30:47BENEFIT CUT OF 22% FOR ALL RETIREES, AND THAT 40% OF OF
01:30:51THOSE WHO WANTED TO REFORM THE
01:30:52SYSTEM WENT TO 80%. SO I THINK
01:30:56WE NEED TO EDUCATE THIS COUNTRY AROUND WHAT THE THREATS ARE,
01:30:59WHAT THE SOLUTIONS ARE. AND, AND, LISTEN, I HAVE A LOT OF
01:31:02FAITH IN AMERICANS THAT ONCE
01:31:04THEY UNDERSTAND THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM AND THAT SOLUTIONS ARE
01:31:07MANAGEABLE. OKAY. WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT THAT YET, BUT SOLUTIONS ARE MANAGEABLE HERE. I
01:31:11THINK THE SUPPORT WOULD BE THERE. >> I KNOW YOU JUST RELEASED NEW
01:31:14DATA TODAY. I, I HAVE IN MY HAND
01:31:16THE RESULT OF YOUR EXPANDED NEW MONTHLY SURVEY. MY TAKEAWAY IS
01:31:20THAT THAT PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES
01:31:22OF THE AISLE ARE ALARMED. 91% OF
01:31:24VOTERS ARE CONCERNED THAT THE NATION'S DEBT AFFECT ON
01:31:28INFLATION IS INCREASING. THE COST OF LIVING 89% CONCERNED
01:31:32THAT THE NATIONAL DEBT IS CONTRIBUTING TO HIGHER BORROWING
01:31:34COSTS. SOMETHING ELSE THAT I HIGHLIGHTED 86%. THIS IS
01:31:38INTERESTING TO ME, MICHAEL. 86%
01:31:41SAY A CANDIDATE HAVING A PLAN TO
01:31:44ADDRESS THE NATIONAL DEBT IS A FACTOR IN DECIDING THEIR SUPPORT
01:31:47IN THE 2020 ELECTION. AND JUST
01:31:50ONE MORE, UH, 73% SAID THAT THEY WOULD CONSIDER SUPPORTING A
01:31:54CANDIDATE FROM A POLITICAL PARTY. THEY DO NOT USUALLY
01:31:57SUPPORT. IF THAT CANDIDATE HAD A CLEAR PLAN TO ADDRESS THE DEBT.
01:32:01YOU MUST BE HEARTENED BY THAT. I'M A LITTLE DISBELIEVING. IF
01:32:05IN THE END, IT'S GOING TO CARRY THAT KIND OF SWAY. YOUR THOUGHTS? >> WELL, I THINK WE NEED
01:32:09LEADERSHIP HERE, RIGHT? I THINK THIS TELLS ME PEOPLE UNDERSTAND
01:32:12THAT IT'S A PROBLEM. OUR OTHER POLL THAT I MENTIONED, WHERE WE
01:32:16EXPLAIN THE SITUATION AND THE SUPPORT GOES UP, I THINK, TELLS
01:32:18ME THAT AMERICANS ARE CAN HANDLE THE TRUTH, ARE READY AND WILLING
01:32:22AND ABLE TO HEAR THE TRUTH.
01:32:24THERE ARE MANY EXAMPLES OVER OUR LONG HISTORY WHERE AMERICANS DID
01:32:27THE RIGHT THING FOR OUR FUTURE. UH, ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF THE
01:32:31GREENSPAN COMMISSION 83 THAT
01:32:32REFORMED SOCIAL SECURITY WERE REELECTED FOLLOWING THE
01:32:36IMPLEMENTATION OF ALL THOSE CHANGES. SO IT MIGHT BE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM. I'M NOT
01:32:39GOING TO TALK ABOUT THIS. I'M GOING TO AVOID IT. I'M GOING TO KICK THE CAN. THAT MIGHT BE THE
01:32:42EASY CHOICE, BUT I THINK THERE'S ALSO A CHOICE TO
01:32:46DISPLAY LEADERSHIP TO EXPLAIN AND EDUCATE THE TRUTH AROUND
01:32:50THESE ISSUES FOR THE AMERICANS TO UNDERSTAND. AND I THINK I
01:32:54THINK THEY WOULD SUPPORT IT. >> OKAY. LET'S USE OUR REMAINING TIME WHEN WE COME BACK
01:32:57IN JUST A MOMENT AND TALK ABOUT SOLUTIONS, AND INCLUDE SOME
01:33:00CALLER PERSPECTIVE AS WELL. MICHAEL PETERSON IS IN STUDIO
01:33:04WITH ME. HE'S THE CEO OF THE
01:33:07PETER PETERSON FOUNDATION, AND WE ARE TALKING ABOUT 40 TRILLION
01:33:10IN DEBT.
01:33:19>> THIS WEEK, ON C-SPAN 2, WE'RE BRINGING YOU LIVE TALK RADIO
01:33:23SIMULCAST FEATURING VOICES FROM ACROSS AMERICAN POLITICS AT 9
01:33:26A.M. EASTERN. MICHAEL SMERCONISH HOSTS THE MICHAEL SMERCONISH
01:33:29PROGRAM, CHALLENGING BOTH SIDES OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM. AT
01:33:33NOON, PROGRESSIVE COMMENTATOR THOM HARTMANN HOSTS THE THOM HARTMANN PROGRAM WITH HIS TAKE
01:33:36ON THE DAY'S BIGGEST POLITICAL STORIES. AND THEN, AT THREE,
01:33:40CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST HOWIE CARR HOSTS THE HOWIE CARR SHOW
01:33:43WITH HIS TAKE ON POLITICS,
01:33:46CULTURE AND THE NEWS OF THE DAY.
01:33:48WATCH LIVE THIS WEEK ON C-SPAN.
01:33:51TWO C-SPAN NOW, OUR FREE MOBILE
01:33:53VIDEO APP, OR ONLINE AT C-SPAN
01:33:56.ORG ALL THIS WEEK, JOIN C-SPAN
01:34:032 AT 6 P.M. EASTERN FOR MARATHON PROGRAMING, HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF
01:34:06THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL, COMPELLING, AND MEMORABLE
01:34:10MOMENTS COVERED BY C-SPAN IN
01:34:112026. TODAY, A COLLECTION OF
01:34:15CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS THAT SHAPED POLICY SCRUTINIZED IMPORTANT ISSUES, AND CAPTURED
01:34:19THE ATTENTION OF THE COUNTRY. WEDNESDAY, A LOOK AT THE
01:34:22EXPLORATION, INNOVATION, AND ACHIEVEMENT THAT HAVE PUSHED THE
01:34:24BOUNDARIES OF WHAT'S POSSIBLE FROM THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN
01:34:27SPACE PROGRAM TO ARTEMIS II.
01:34:29THURSDAY, WE'LL AIR SOME OF THIS YEAR'S MOST WATCHED, MOST
01:34:33TALKED ABOUT, AND MOST MEMORABLE
01:34:35C-SPAN PROGRAMING THAT CAPTURED
01:34:37PUBLIC ATTENTION. AND ON FRIDAY, SUPREME COURT JUSTICES
01:34:41DISCUSSING THEIR LIVES, THE CONSTITUTION, THE COURT, AND WHAT IT MEANS TO SERVE ON THE
01:34:45NATION'S HIGHEST COURT. WATCH A
01:34:47MARATHON OF COMPELLING
01:34:49PROGRAMING. ALL THIS WEEK ON
01:34:52C-SPAN, TWO.
01:34:56>> [MUSIC] >> BEST IDEAS AND BEST PRACTICES CAN BE FOUND ANYWHERE.
01:34:59>> WE HAVE TO LISTEN SO WE CAN GOVERN BETTER. >> DEMOCRACY DEPENDS ON HEAVY
01:35:03DOSES OF CIVILITY. >> YOU CAN FIGHT AND STILL BE
01:35:07FRIENDLY. >> BRIDGING THE DIVIDE IN AMERICAN POLITICS. >> YOU KNOW, YOU MAY NOT AGREE WITH THE DEMOCRAT ON EVERYTHING,
01:35:10BUT YOU CAN FIND AREAS WHERE YOU AGREE. >> HE'S PRETTY LIKABLE GUY AS WELL.
01:35:14>> CHRIS AND I ARE ACTUALLY FRIENDS. HE VOTES WRONG ALL THE TIME, BUT WE'RE ACTUALLY
01:35:18FRIENDS. >> THE HORRIBLE SECRET THAT SCOTT AND I HAVE IS THAT WE
01:35:21ACTUALLY RESPECT EACH OTHER. >> WE ALL DON'T HATE EACH OTHER. >> YOU TWO ACTUALLY KIND OF LIKE
01:35:24EACH OTHER. THESE ARE THE KINDS OF SECRETS WE'D LIKE TO EXPOSE. >> IT'S NICE TO BE WITH A
01:35:28MEMBER WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. >> YOU GUYS DID AGREE TO THE CIVILITY.
01:35:32>> ALL RIGHT. HE OWES MY SON $10 FROM A BET.
01:35:35>> HE'S NEVER. >> PAID. FORK IT OVER.
01:35:38>> THAT'S FIGHTING WORDS RIGHT THERE. >> I'M NOT IN CHARGE OF IT. >> I'M THRILLED. >> TO BE ON THE.
01:35:42>> SHOW WITH HIM. THERE ARE NOT
01:35:43SHOWS LIKE THIS, RIGHT?
01:35:47INCENTIVIZING THAT RELATIONSHIP.
01:35:47>> CEASE FIRE FRIDAY NIGHTS ON
01:35:52C-SPAN. >> [MUSIC]
01:35:56>> IN A DIVIDED MEDIA WORLD, ONE PLACE BRINGS AMERICANS >> [MUSIC]
01:35:59>> TOGETHER. ACCORDING TO A NEW MAG AND RESEARCH REPORT, NEARLY
01:36:0290 MILLION AMERICANS TURN TO
01:36:03C-SPAN, AND THEY'RE ALMOST PERFECTLY BALANCED. 28%
01:36:07CONSERVATIVE, 27% LIBERAL OR
01:36:10PROGRESSIVE, 41% MODERATE.
01:36:12REPUBLICANS WATCHING DEMOCRATS,
01:36:15DEMOCRATS WATCHING REPUBLICANS, MODERATES WATCHING ALL SIDES.
01:36:19BECAUSE C-SPAN VIEWERS WANT THE FACTS STRAIGHT FROM THE SOURCE.
01:36:23NO COMMENTARY, NO AGENDA, JUST
01:36:25DEMOCRACY. UNFILTERED. EVERY DAY
01:36:28ON C-SPAN NETWORKS.
01:36:31>> SUNDAY ON C-SPAN'S Q&A THREE TIME PULITZER PRIZE WINNING NEW
01:36:35YORK TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER DOUG
01:36:37MILLS REFLECTS ON DECADES COVERING AMERICAN POLITICS. HE
01:36:41TALKS ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHING MULTIPLE PRESIDENTS, INCLUDING
01:36:44THE 1992 CLINTON GORE CAMPAIGN,
01:36:46PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH ON 9/11,
01:36:50AND CAPTURING THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT TRUMP
01:36:53IN 2024, WHICH EARNED HIM HIS THIRD PULITZER PRIZE.
01:36:56>> I'VE LISTENED TO HIS SPEECH ON THE CAMPAIGN HUNDREDS OF
01:37:00TIMES, AND I KNEW THAT WHEN HE
01:37:03SAID SOMETHING ABOUT A CHART, I THOUGHT, WOW, THE CHART, THE
01:37:06CHARTS. TYPICALLY, AT THE END OF THE SPEECH. AND THAT REGISTERED
01:37:09RIGHT AWAY WITH ME. AND SO THEN WHEN HE GESTURED OVER TOWARDS
01:37:13THE CHART, THAT'S WHEN THE SHOTS RANG OUT. AND WHEN HE WAS
01:37:15GESTURING, I WAS, YOU KNOW, NOT AS CLOSE AS WE ARE, BUT MAYBE 4
01:37:19OR 5FT BACK. AND I HAD MY LENS
01:37:22ON HIM. I WAS TRYING TO GET SOMETHING OF HE AND THE FLAG.
01:37:25AND THEN WHEN HE GESTURED TO THE RIGHT AND THE SHOTS RANG OUT, I WAS ACTUALLY TAKING PICTURES. AND THEN I.
01:37:29>> JUST. THIS IS CHRIS IN TEXAS
01:37:30WITH A QUICK COMMENT. GO AHEAD,
01:37:34CHRIS. >> BE THE CYNICAL ONE HERE. I
01:37:37JUST, I, I GUESS, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE INHERENTLY SELFISH.
01:37:41AND, AND I'M CONCERNED THAT THE AVERAGE VOTER MAY NOT ENGAGE IN
01:37:45THIS. I GUESS IN MY MIND, THIS IS SO INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. IN
01:37:49MY MIND, THE, THE WAY TO FIX THIS, OR THE WAY TO EVEN HAVE A
01:37:53CHANCE AT IT IS TERM LIMITS. YOU GOT TO HAVE LEGISLATORS THAT ARE
01:37:56WILLING TO MAKE THE HARD DECISIONS, NOT BASED ON THE NEXT
01:37:59ELECTION, BUT BASED ON WHAT'S CORRECT. >> I, I HAPPEN. >> TO HANG.
01:38:03>> UP AND THANK YOU, SIR. >> I HAVE. >> TO SAY, I HAPPEN TO AGREE WITH THEM THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING
01:38:06TO TOUCH THE THIRD RAILS NECESSARY. RESPOND TO THAT, AND
01:38:08THEN TELL ME, HOW DO WE FIX THIS? >> WELL, I THINK I THINK IT'S UP
01:38:12TO AMERICANS TO MAKE IT SAFE TO DO SO. SO IT'S EASY TO BLAME
01:38:15THEM AND SAY, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE
01:38:16BEING SELFISH. AND I THINK HIS
01:38:21CHARACTERIZATION IS SOMEWHAT ACCURATE. BUT THIS IS HOW DEMOCRACY WORKS. WE HAVE TO MAKE IT SAFE OURSELVES FOR THEM TO
01:38:25MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION, AND ELECT PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO
01:38:27BE LEADERS. AND, YOU KNOW, 90 PLUS PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE ARE
01:38:30WORRIED ABOUT THIS. WE NEED TO ACTUALLY DRIVE THAT THROUGH WASHINGTON AND THE POLITICAL
01:38:34SYSTEM. >> WHAT'S THE SOLUTION? >> WELL, THAT'S THE GOOD PART
01:38:38ABOUT ALL THIS. OKAY. SO 40 TRILLION IS A SCARY NUMBER. WE
01:38:40HAVE MANY YEARS OF IRRESPONSIBILITY. IT'S VERY
01:38:43DEPRESSING IN MANY WAYS. BUT,
01:38:45UH, THE GOOD THING ABOUT THIS CHALLENGE IS IT'S SOLVABLE.
01:38:49NUMBER ONE, WE'RE IN CONTROL OF THIS. THERE'S MANY PROBLEMS
01:38:51AROUND THE WORLD. IRAN, UKRAINE, OUR CLIMATE ISSUES, WHERE WE
01:38:55CAN'T SOLVE THIS ON OUR OWN. THIS IS OUR BUDGET. WE ARE
01:38:58ENTIRELY IN CONTROL OF THIS. SO, NUMBER ONE, WE CAN DO THIS. WE
01:39:02HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO IT. NUMBER TWO, THE SOLUTIONS ARE RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF US. AND
01:39:06WE KNOW HOW TO DO THIS. AND I
01:39:07WOULD ARGUE THEY'RE NOT THAT DIFFICULT OR DRACONIAN IN REAL
01:39:11LIFE. IN POLITICAL TERMS, IT IS THE THIRD RAIL. NO ONE WANTS TO
01:39:14TOUCH IT. BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ACTUAL REFORMS AND
01:39:17UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY WOULD MEAN, I THINK THEY'RE QUITE
01:39:20MANAGEABLE, TOLERABLE, AND YOU CAN DO THEM OVER A PERIOD OF TIME IN A COMPASSIONATE WAY.
01:39:24>> OKAY, I'VE GOT MY SHARPIE OUT TO TAKE NOTES. LET'S HEAR
01:39:28IT. WHAT ARE WE DOING?
01:39:30>> SO, UM, UH, LET'S TALK ABOUT SOCIAL SECURITY FIRST, BECAUSE
01:39:33THAT'S THE ONE THAT'S LOOMING.
01:39:34UM, MOST OF THE, OF THE
01:39:38BIPARTISAN SOLUTIONS HAVE SOLUTIONS THAT INCREASE REVENUE
01:39:41AND OTHERS THAT REDUCE THE RATE
01:39:43OF GROWTH OF SPENDING. SO RIGHT
01:39:45NOW, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, YOU DON'T
01:39:48PAY SOCIAL SECURITY TAXES ABOVE $184,000 A YEAR. WHY IS THAT?
01:39:52SHOULD THAT NUMBER GO UP? UH,
01:39:56ANOTHER ONE IS THE RETIREMENT AGE. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE RETIREMENT, THE LONGEVITY HAS
01:40:00GONE UP FOR MOST PEOPLE. FOR THOSE WHO DO HAVE INCREASES IN
01:40:04LONGEVITY, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO WORK LONGER? AND AGAIN, WHEN
01:40:06YOU LOOK AT THE SPECIFICS OF
01:40:10THAT, THEY TYPICALLY, UH, THEY EXEMPT ALL CURRENT RETIREES. AND
01:40:13THEY ALSO EXEMPT PROBABLY ABOUT TEN YEARS OF FOLKS WHO ARE NEAR
01:40:17RETIREMENT. SO IT DOESN'T TOUCH ANYONE WHO IS ABOUT TO RETIRE OR
01:40:20IS ALREADY RETIRED. AND THEN IT SAYS SOMETHING LIKE, OKAY,
01:40:24LET'S INCREASE THE RETIREMENT AGE BY TWO YEARS, OVER 20 YEARS.
01:40:27SO IF YOU'RE 47 YEARS OLD, WE
01:40:30MIGHT ASK YOU TO WORK SIX MORE MONTHS. >> YOU'RE GETTING, YOU'RE
01:40:33GETTING PLENTY OF NOTICE. >> LIKE THE, THE, BUT. RIGHT. YEAH, YOU'RE GETTING PLENTY OF
01:40:36NOTICE. AND, AND IT'S NOT IMMEDIATE AND IT'S NOT
01:40:40DRACONIAN. NOW, IF YOU ASK MOST 40 YEAR OLDS, THEY PROBABLY DON'T EVEN THINK SOCIAL SECURITY IS GOING TO EXIST. SO
01:40:43IF I ASKED ONLY THAT GROUP,
01:40:44WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO WORK SIX MORE MONTHS TO STABILIZE THE
01:40:48PROGRAM? MY GUESS IS THE SUPPORT WOULD BE THERE. SO AGAIN, THESE
01:40:51CHANGES ARE IMPORTANT. THEY ADD UP, UH, BUT THEY'RE RELATIVELY
01:40:55SMALL CHANGES THAT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. AND SO WE KNOW HOW TO DO THIS AT A HIGH LEVEL. OUR
01:40:59DEFICIT NOW IS 6% OF GDP. WE
01:41:02DON'T HAVE TO BALANCE THE BUDGET TOMORROW. THAT WOULD BE GREAT IN MANY RESPECTS, BUT WE DON'T HAVE
01:41:06TO DO IT THAT QUICKLY. IF WE TOOK OUR DEBT, OUR DEFICIT, AS A
01:41:10SHARE OF GDP DOWN TO 3%, THAT
01:41:12WOULD GO A LONG WAY TO STABILIZING THIS PROBLEM. SO AT
01:41:15A HIGH LEVEL, WE NEED 3% OF OUR
01:41:17ECONOMY TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. IT'S 3%. IT'S JUST NOT IT'S
01:41:21JUST NOT OVERWHELMING. IT'S NOT IMPOSSIBLE. >> WHERE ARE WE GETTING IT BEYOND SOCIAL SECURITY?
01:41:25>> WELL, YOU'VE GOT TO LOOK AT, AT THE ACROSS THE BUDGET. SO,
01:41:28UH, IF YOU LOOK OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS ON OUR CURRENT PATH,
01:41:32WE'RE GOING TO TAKE IN ABOUT 70 TRILLION, AND WE'RE GOING TO
01:41:35SPEND 90 TRILLION. SO THAT'S GOING TO ADD 20 TRILLION TO THE
01:41:37DEBT. SO THERE'S 160 TRILLION THERE OF BOTH. IF YOU ADD THE
01:41:41REVENUES AND THE SPENDING, WE NEED ABOUT 6% OF THAT. AND THAT
01:41:44CAN EITHER MEAN A 6% INCREASE IN
01:41:46REVENUES AND A 6% DECREASE IN
01:41:49SPENDING, OR SOME COMBINATION
01:41:51THEREAFTER. NOW, 6% IS NOT A SMALL NUMBER IN WASHINGTON TERMS. FOR SURE. IN POLITICAL
01:41:55TERMS, FOR SURE. BUT, YOU KNOW, GIVEN ALL THIS COUNTRY HAS BEEN
01:41:58BEEN THROUGH OVER THE LAST 250
01:42:00YEARS, I THINK WE CAN HANDLE A 6% CHANGE IN OUR BUDGET. I
01:42:04REALLY DO. >> SO SO MUCH OF THOSE EXPENDITURES ARE BAKED IN,
01:42:08RIGHT? WE'RE COMMITTED. >> THERE'S A LOT OF IT'S ON AUTOPILOT, RIGHT? >> I MEAN, ONE OF THE REACTIONS
01:42:12THAT I HAD WHEN, WHEN MUSK, UH, PURSUED DOGE, WAS TO SAY THAT
01:42:15THEY WERE JUST ON THE MARGINS
01:42:18BECAUSE THAT, WHICH REALLY NEEDS TO CHANGE IS WHERE MOST OF THE MONEY IS BEING SPENT. I'M NOT
01:42:22SAYING IT CLEARLY. HOPEFULLY, HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M
01:42:25TRYING TO SAY. >> YEAH. >> UH, THE ENTITLEMENT COMMITMENT.
01:42:28>> ABOUT 70% OF THE BUDGET IS ON AUTOPILOT OR ENTITLEMENTS. IT'S
01:42:32LAW. IT'S NOT ACTUALLY AN ANNUAL BUDGET. IT'S LAW. RIGHT. AND IT'S MANDATORY, AS THE
01:42:35OTHER WORD OFTEN USED. AND THEN INTEREST IS ON TOP OF THAT, WHICH IS REQUIRED. SO ONLY ABOUT
01:42:3930%. >> DEFENSE IS ON TOP OF THAT.
01:42:41>> YES. RIGHT. SO THE OTHER 30%
01:42:44IS BASICALLY 50% DEFENSE AND 50%
01:42:47NON-DISCRETIONARY NON-DEFENSE DISCRETIONARY SPENDING. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ALWAYS FIGHTING ABOUT. AND THAT PART ISN'T
01:42:51GROWING. THAT PART IS RELATIVELY SMALL. AS A SHARE OF GDP. IN
01:42:55HISTORICAL TERMS, THERE'S PLENTY THERE TO, TO, TO LOOK
01:42:58INTO, LOOK AT IN TERMS OF SAVINGS. BUT THAT'S NOT THE BIG
01:43:01DRIVERS. >> STEPHEN MOORE IS AN
01:43:04ECONOMIST, AND HE POSTED SOMETHING THAT GOT A LOT OF
01:43:07TRAFFIC WHERE HE SAID, IS THE
01:43:09USA GOING BANKRUPT? THANK GOD,
01:43:12NO, THE APOCALYPTICS ARE
01:43:14SHOUTING ABOUT OUR 40 TRILLION IN DEBT, WHICH IS ENORMOUS FOR
01:43:17SURE, AND MUCH LARGER THAN IS
01:43:23HEALTHY. BUT 7.7 TRILLION IS INTERGOVERNMENTAL DEBT THAT THE GOVERNMENT OWES TO ITSELF. FEDERAL DEBT HELD BY THE PUBLIC
01:43:27IS ABOUT 32 TRILLION. THAT'S
01:43:29STILL A BIG NUMBER, BUT OUR
01:43:31NATIONAL WEALTH IS ROUGHLY 180
01:43:34TRILLION. SO OUR DEBT TO ASSET
01:43:37RATIO, WHICH HAS BEEN RISING, IS STILL LESS THAN 25% AND MUCH
01:43:41LOWER THAN AT THE END OF WORLD WAR TWO. AND THERE'S A GRAPH
01:43:45THAT WE'LL POST FOR YOUTUBE AND
01:43:49C-SPAN THAT HE ACCOMPANIED TO THE POST. U.S. DEBT LOOKS
01:43:52ALARMING AGAINST GDP, BUT FAR LESS SO AGAINST WEALTH. YOUR
01:43:56THOUGHTS? >> UH, LISTEN, THERE'S THERE'S,
01:44:00UH, A LOT OF FOLKS OUT THERE LOOKING FOR REASONS TO NOT DEAL
01:44:03WITH THIS, UH, AND BASED ON WHAT WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING TODAY,
01:44:06THIS IS AN URGENT PRIORITY BECAUSE EVERY 2 TRILLION, WE'RE,
01:44:10WE'RE BORROWING, WE'RE NOT INVESTING IN THE FUTURE. WE'RE TAKING IT FROM THE FUTURE. SO
01:44:14PUTTING ASIDE WHAT LEVEL WE'RE AT AND WHAT WOULD BE A
01:44:17APOCALYPTIC OR NOT, THIS IS NOT RIGHT FOR THE NEXT GENERATION.
01:44:21WE ARE NOT DOING THEM A SERVICE.
01:44:26AND $40 TRILLION IS GENERATING $1 TRILLION A YEAR OF INTEREST.
01:44:29UH, YOU KNOW, OFTEN YOU HEAR WASTE, FRAUD, AND ABUSE CAN MAKE
01:44:32IT GO AWAY. THE ECONOMY IS GOING TO GROW. IT WILL GROW OUR WAY
01:44:35OUT OF IT. YOU KNOW, THESE ARE ALL MYTHS THAT I THINK, UH, ARE
01:44:39JUST NOT HELPFUL TO BRING IN THE
01:44:41COUNTRY TO THE RIGHT PLACE. HE MENTIONED WORLD WAR TWO. YES.
01:44:44WORLD WAR TWO, THE DEBT WAS SOMEWHAT HIGHER AT THE END OF WORLD WAR TWO. WE'RE ALMOST AT
01:44:48THAT POINT. BUT THE DEBT
01:44:52SKYROCKETED DOWNWARD AFTER THAT POINT. WE DID NOT HAVE A DEMOGRAPHIC CHALLENGE. WE DID
01:44:55NOT HAVE THESE HIGH HEALTH CARE COSTS. THE ECONOMY GREW AT A RATE AT WHICH IT IS NOT ABLE TO
01:44:59GROW AT THIS POINT. SO THAT IS NOT A JUST BECAUSE THE DEBT WAS A LITTLE HIGHER AS A SHARE OF
01:45:03GDP IN WORLD WAR TWO, DOESN'T MEAN WE'RE FINE RIGHT NOW, AND
01:45:06WE CAN IGNORE THIS. >> OKAY. HE SAYS THAT THE BEST
01:45:09DEBT MITIGATION STRATEGY WOULDN'T BE ADDRESSING SOCIAL SECURITY AND THE PROGRAMS THAT
01:45:13THAT YOU IDENTIFIED, BUT RATHER GROWTH, PROSPERITY, AND A RISE
01:45:17IN ASSET VALUES. CAN WE I GUESS MY SIMPLE QUESTION FOR, FOR YOU,
01:45:21MICHAEL PETERSON, IS, CAN WE GROW OURSELVES OUT OF THIS?
01:45:25>> NO, UH, GROWTH IS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT FOR SURE. WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE GROW OUR
01:45:29ECONOMY, BECAUSE THAT GROWS THE DENOMINATOR OF GDP. BUT THERE'S
01:45:32NOT A PIECE OF LEGISLATION WE CAN PASS TOMORROW THAT WILL
01:45:35DICTATE WHAT ECONOMIC GROWTH IS. ECONOMIC GROWTH WILL COME
01:45:38PRIMARILY FROM THE LABOR FORCE AND PRODUCTIVITY. AND THERE'S
01:45:42LOTS OF IMPORTANT THINGS GOVERNMENT CAN DO TO STIMULATE THAT BETTER THAN OTHER POLICIES
01:45:45THAT WOULD, UH, SLOW DOWN THE GROWTH OF OUR ECONOMY. SO
01:45:48ECONOMIC POLICY IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT, BUT WE CAN'T JUST
01:45:52RELY ON SOME NOTION OF FUTURE ECONOMIC GROWTH TO SOLVE THIS
01:45:56PROBLEM. AND THE BEST WAY TO ACTUALLY STIMULATE GROWTH WOULD
01:45:58BE TO MAKE SOME INROADS TO IT, BECAUSE I THINK THE MARKETS ARE
01:46:02WATCHING. COST OF CAPITAL IS HIGHER. THE GOVERNMENT IS IS CROWDING OUT OTHER INVESTMENT
01:46:05THAT WOULD HELP THE ECONOMY. SO ACTUALLY, ECONOMIC GROWTH, IF WE
01:46:08LAID OUT A PLAN, WOULD ACTUALLY
01:46:11PROBABLY GO UP AS A POSITIVE SIGNAL TO, TO INVESTORS.
01:46:14>> IS YOUR OPINION SOLICITED BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND THEIR
01:46:17CHIEFS OF STAFF? LIKE I'M
01:46:19IMPRESSED WITH, OBVIOUSLY, YOUR COMMAND OF THE SUBJECT AND YOUR
01:46:23CONCERN OVER THE DEBT AND YOUR
01:46:26FATHER'S CONCERN OVER THE. I'D LIKE TO THINK THAT YOU'RE ROUTINELY FIELDING PHONE CALLS FROM MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND THE
01:46:30SENATE WHO SAY, YOU KNOW, GIVE ME ADVICE.
01:46:33>> WELL, I IT'S EASY TO POINT
01:46:36TO CONGRESS AND SAY THEY MESSED THIS WHOLE THING UP. BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
01:46:39WHO ARE WORRIED ABOUT THIS, WHO UNDERSTAND IT. AS I MENTIONED
01:46:42BEFORE, THERE'S A COUPLE OF BILLS. UH, BILL HUIZENGA, UH,
01:46:46AND SCOTT PETERS HAVE A BILL
01:46:48BOTH TO ESTABLISH A FISCAL COMMISSION. THEY ALSO HAVE A
01:46:52BILL TO, TO FORCE A FOCUS ON
01:46:53DEBT DEFICIT AS A SHARE OF GDP OF 3%. SO THERE'S A NUMBER OF
01:46:57LEADERS IN WASHINGTON WHO ARE READY, WILLING, AND ABLE TO TACKLE THIS. I THINK WE NEED
01:47:01LEADERSHIP. WE NEED LEADERSHIP AT THE PRESIDENTIAL LEVEL, AT THE CONGRESSIONAL LEVEL, UH, TO
01:47:05DRIVE THIS CONVERSATION FORWARD.
01:47:08>> BACK WITH OUR REMAINING
01:47:10MOMENTS WITH MICHAEL PETERSON
01:47:13RIGHT AFTER THIS.
01:47:18>> THIS WEEK ON C-SPAN 2, WE'RE
01:47:22BRINGING YOU LIVE TALK RADIO SIMULCAST FEATURING VOICES FROM
01:47:26ACROSS AMERICAN POLITICS AT 9 A.M. EASTERN. MICHAEL SMERCONISH HOSTS THE MICHAEL SMERCONISH
01:47:30PROGRAM, CHALLENGING BOTH SIDES OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM. AT
01:47:33NOON, PROGRESSIVE COMMENTATOR
01:47:35THOM HARTMANN HOSTS THE THOM HARTMANN PROGRAM WITH HIS TAKE
01:47:38ON THE DAY'S BIGGEST POLITICAL STORIES. AND THEN, AT THREE, CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST HOWIE
01:47:42CARR HOSTS THE HOWIE CARR SHOW WITH HIS TAKE ON POLITICS,
01:47:46CULTURE AND THE NEWS OF THE DAY.
01:47:48WATCH LIVE THIS WEEK ON C-SPAN.
01:47:52TWO C-SPAN NOW, OUR FREE MOBILE
01:47:54VIDEO APP, OR ONLINE AT
01:47:57C-SPAN.ORG ALL THIS WEEK, JOIN
01:48:04C-SPAN 2 AT 6 P.M. EASTERN FOR MARATHON PROGRAMING, HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THE MOST
01:48:08CONSEQUENTIAL, COMPELLING, AND MEMORABLE MOMENTS COVERED BY
01:48:11C-SPAN IN 2026. TODAY, A COLLECTION OF CONGRESSIONAL
01:48:15HEARINGS THAT SHAPED POLICY, SCRUTINIZED IMPORTANT ISSUES,
01:48:18AND CAPTURED THE ATTENTION OF THE COUNTRY. WEDNESDAY, A LOOK
01:48:22AT THE EXPLORATION, INNOVATION, AND ACHIEVEMENT THAT HAVE PUSHED
01:48:25THE BOUNDARIES OF WHAT'S POSSIBLE FROM THE HISTORY OF THE
01:48:28AMERICAN SPACE PROGRAM TO ARTEMIS II. THURSDAY, WE'LL AIR
01:48:31SOME OF THIS YEAR'S MOST WATCHED, MOST TALKED ABOUT, AND
01:48:34MOST MEMORABLE C-SPAN PROGRAMING
01:48:37THAT CAPTURED PUBLIC ATTENTION. AND ON FRIDAY, SUPREME COURT
01:48:40JUSTICES DISCUSSING THEIR LIVES, THE CONSTITUTION, THE COURT, AND
01:48:43WHAT IT MEANS TO SERVE ON THE
01:48:45NATION'S HIGHEST COURT. WATCH A
01:48:48MARATHON OF COMPELLING
01:48:49PROGRAMING. ALL THIS WEEK ON
01:48:53C-SPAN. TWO. THIS EVENING,
01:48:59HOWARD UNIVERSITY WILL HOST GHANA'S ASHANTI KING, OTUMFUO
01:49:03OSEI TUTU II FOR REMARKS ON GOVERNMENT LEADERSHIP AND
01:49:06CULTURAL PRESERVATION. THE EVENT IS HOSTED BY THE MILLENNIUM
01:49:10EXCELLENCE FOUNDATION, WHICH SUPPORTS CULTURAL EXCHANGE
01:49:13BETWEEN GHANA AND THE AFRICAN DIASPORA. WATCH LIVE AT 6 P.M.
01:49:16EASTERN ON C-SPAN C-SPAN NOW,
01:49:18OUR FREE MOBILE APP OR ONLINE AT
01:49:25C-SPAN .ORG.
01:49:30>> [MUSIC] >> WE LOOK BACK ON WHAT YOU'VE ACHIEVED IN YOUR LIFE, WHAT
01:49:33MAKES YOU THE HAPPIEST OF WHAT YOU'VE ACHIEVED SO FAR? >> THIS INTERVIEW IS THE
01:49:37ABSOLUTE APEX. >> LEADERS SEEM TO LIKE TO WEAR WIGS. HOW COME HE DIDN'T HAVE A
01:49:40WIG? PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID, I MADE A MISTAKE THE FIRST TIME. I
01:49:44SHOULD HAVE GIVEN IT TO YOU THE FIRST TIME.
01:49:46>> THAT ISN'T WHAT HE SAID. >> YOUR FIRST BOOK WAS CALLED A
01:49:49TIME TO KILL. HOW MANY PUBLISHERS TURNED THAT DOWN? >> WELL, ALL OF THEM.
01:49:53>> IT'S VERY RARE TO SEE DONALD TRUMP LAUGH. >> HE DOESN'T LIKE TO SMILE. HE HAS WHAT THEY CALL THE STARE.
01:49:57HOW WOULD THE STARE. >> WHEN YOU GO TO THE OSCARS THAT EVERYBODY SAY, OH, THERE'S
01:50:01THE AUTHOR. >> OF ALL THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE GO THIS WAY. AND THEN THEY HAVE
01:50:04ANOTHER LITTLE PATH IN THE OSCARS WHERE THE PEOPLE LIKE I GO. >> SO YOU WROTE A BOOK ABOUT
01:50:08SOMEBODY WHO LIVED WITH WOLVES. >> I INTERVIEWED A GUY WHO LIVED WITH WOLVES.
01:50:11>> YEAH. AND IS THAT SAFE TO DO THAT? >> ABSOLUTELY NOT. >> SO I KNOW YOU WERE NOT
01:50:15COMPLAINING. YOU WHICH IS WHY WE
01:50:18LOVE YOU, DAVID.
01:50:21>> [MUSIC]
01:50:30>> WATCH AMERICA'S BOOK CLUB.
01:50:33C-SPAN'S BOLD ORIGINAL SERIES, SUNDAY WITH OUR GUEST AWARD
01:50:37WINNING GLOBAL NUMBER ONE BEST
01:50:38SELLING AUTHOR, DAVID BALDACCI.
01:50:41HIS THRILLERS HAVE SOLD OVER 200 MILLION COPIES WORLDWIDE.
01:50:44PUBLISHED IN OVER 45 LANGUAGES IN MORE THAN 80 COUNTRIES.
01:50:48DAVID, ALONG WITH HIS WIFE., >> HASSAN FOUNDATION. SAM, YOU'RE IN MICHIGAN. QUICKLY,
01:50:52PLEASE. FOR MY GUEST
01:50:58>> THEY CAN'T DISCIPLINE THEMSELVES. AND IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT IT MIGHT MAKE SENSE TO
01:51:01DELEGATE TO THE FEDERAL RESERVE
01:51:02BANK. UH, IN ADDITION TO
01:51:06MONETARY POLICY, ESTABLISHING THE DEBT CEILING THAT THE CONGRESS HAS TO ABIDE BY. I WAS
01:51:10CURIOUS IF THE IF YOUR GUEST. >> MICHAEL, ANY, ANY REACTION TO
01:51:14THAT IDEA? >> I THINK THERE ARE SOME
01:51:17MECHANISMS. I MEAN, IT'S HARD TO CHANGE THE WAY THE CONSTITUTION WORKS, CERTAINLY. AND THE
01:51:20CONGRESS IS IN CHARGE OF OUR BUDGET, SO WE CAN'T AVOID IT
01:51:23ENTIRELY. BUT ONE OF THE IDEAS THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER IS
01:51:27ESTABLISHING A BIPARTISAN COMMISSION, AND THAT TAKES THE PROCESS SORT OF OUT OF THE DAY
01:51:30TO DAY. YOU WOULD FILL IT WITH A
01:51:34BIPARTISAN RANGE OF EXPERTS. THEY WOULD COME UP WITH RECOMMENDATIONS. AND, UH,
01:51:38SIMPSON-BOWLES WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL IN THE VERY END, BUT THEY WERE VERY SUCCESSFUL IN MANY WAYS IN BRINGING SOME
01:51:42CONSENSUS AROUND IT. >> DO THEIR CONCLUSIONS AGE WELL? COULD WE JUST DUST OFF WHAT THEY HAVE IN MIND?
01:51:46>> A LOT OF THEM DO. I MEAN, SADLY, WE'D HAVE TO DIAL IT UP
01:51:49A LITTLE BIT IN TERMS OF THE INTENSITY OF, BUT, UH, BUT YEAH,
01:51:53A LOT OF THOSE SOLUTIONS WOULD STILL WORK TODAY.
01:51:57>> CHARLES. MEDIA QUICKLY FOR MY GUEST. GO AHEAD.
01:52:00>> UH, SOCIAL SECURITY IS
01:52:03CURRENTLY SELF-FUNDED. CORRECT.
01:52:06IT'S BEEN A LENDER, AND THEY HOLD U.S. DEBT SECURITIES AS
01:52:10IOUS, SO THEY'RE NOT A CURRENT
01:52:15DRIVER OF THE $40 TRILLION. CORRECT.
01:52:18>> WELL, THEY, THEY THAT REPRESENTS A LONG TERM OBLIGATION THAT WE NEED TO DEAL
01:52:21WITH. UH, I DON'T THINK IT MAKES SENSE FOR SOCIAL SECURITY TO
01:52:24HAVE A 22% CUT IN SIX YEARS ACROSS THE BOARD IMMEDIATELY TO
01:52:28ALL BENEFICIARIES. SO, UH, YOU'RE RIGHT, IT HAS BEEN
01:52:32LENDING IN A WAY TO THE, TO THE
01:52:33BUDGET THROUGH THE, UH, TO THE
01:52:36INFLOWS. BUT, UH, IT REPRESENTS A LONG TERM SUSTAINABILITY QUESTION THAT WE THINK IS CRITICAL.
01:52:40>> KEN, WISCONSIN, QUICKLY FOR
01:52:43MY GUEST. >> WHEN INDIVIDUALS AND
01:52:47BUSINESSES GET IN OVER THEIR HEAD FINANCIALLY, THEY CAN DECLARE BANKRUPTCY. WHAT WOULD
01:52:51HAPPEN IF WE WOULD DEFAULT ON, UH, ALL OF THE NOTES THAT THE
01:52:54CHINESE AND THE JAPANESE AND
01:52:57OTHERS HAVE, UH, US.
01:53:00>> UH, NOTHING GOOD. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, ALL OF THE
01:53:03INTEREST RATES THAT WE ALL PAY IN MORTGAGES, CAR LOANS, CREDIT
01:53:06CARD LOANS, ET CETERA., ARE BASED ON THE U.S. TREASURY. IF
01:53:09WE WERE TO DEFAULT, THE RATE ON TREASURIES WOULD GO UP
01:53:13SIGNIFICANTLY, AND THAT WOULD OBVIOUSLY HAVE DOWNSTREAM EFFECTS ON THE COST OF BORROWING
01:53:16ACROSS THE ECONOMY. SO THAT'S THAT'S NOT A SOLUTION. >> OUR CREDIT RATING HAS
01:53:20SUFFERED IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. TRUE. >> YEAH. >> ALL THREE. >> RATING AGENCIES HAVE
01:53:24DOWNGRADED US. I THINK. >> WHAT DOES WHAT DOES THAT MEAN BY THE WAY.
01:53:26>> WELL BOND BOND RATING AGENCIES, UH, PUT RATINGS ON
01:53:30VARIOUS BONDS. AND THE US GOVERNMENT HAD BEEN AT THE VERY,
01:53:32VERY HIGHEST LEVEL, AAA, AND
01:53:35THEY LOOKED AT OUR FISCAL SITUATION. THEY LOOKED AT THE
01:53:38OUTLOOK FOR THE FISCAL SITUATION. THEY LOOKED AT THE
01:53:42EFFECTIVENESS OF CONGRESS IN TACKLING THIS. AND I THINK THEY
01:53:45GOT CONCERNED THAT THE LONG RUN OUTLOOK WAS NOT SUPPORTIVE OF
01:53:48THAT RATING. SO ALL THREE OF THEM IN THE LAST FEW YEARS HAVE DOWNGRADED IT ONE NOTCH.
01:53:52>> BRIAN, YOU'RE IN DETROIT FOR
01:53:53MICHAEL PETERSON. GO AHEAD.
01:53:57>> BY MY RESEARCH, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS IN A SIMILAR
01:54:00POSITION TO GREECE, ARGENTINA,
01:54:02VENEZUELA, CYPRUS, OR THE WEIMAR
01:54:05REPUBLIC. IN GERMANY IN THE 1920s. CAN YOU TELL US WHY A
01:54:09FINANCIAL COLLAPSE IS NOT IMMINENT? >> WELL, OBVIOUSLY, I'M
01:54:13CONCERNED ABOUT IT, AND I THINK WE NEED TO DEAL WITH THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THE UNITED
01:54:16STATES IS IN A STRONGER POSITION THAN MOST OF THOSE COUNTRIES
01:54:20WERE. WE HAVE OUR OWN CURRENCY. WE HAVE A FEDERAL RESERVE. UH,
01:54:23WE HAVE A FAST, A SIGNIFICANTLY
01:54:26LARGE AND GROWING ECONOMY. SO PEOPLE STILL WANT TO INVEST IN
01:54:29THE UNITED STATES, BUT WE CAN'T PUSH THAT. AND, UH, IT WILL LEAD
01:54:33TO OUR DEMISE IF WE DON'T DEAL
01:54:35WITH THIS SITUATION. SO I'M LOOKING TO AVOID SUCH A CRISIS.
01:54:38BUT, UH, THAT'S WHY WE HAVEN'T HAD ONE TO DATE.
01:54:40>> BRIAN. THANK YOU. THIS IS SAM
01:54:42IN ATLANTA. SAM, QUICKLY. GO
01:54:46AHEAD. >> WHEN I WHEN I LOOKED INTO IT,
01:54:49THE BIGGEST HOLE OF OUR DEBT WAS THE FEDERAL RESERVE. I DON'T
01:54:52UNDERSTAND THAT DYNAMIC. UH, IF
01:54:57WE OWN OURSELVES, IT GETS TO BE LESS OF A PROBLEM BECAUSE WE
01:55:00CONTROL MOST OF THAT. IS THAT CORRECT? >> WELL, THERE'S, THERE'S A
01:55:04CHUNK OF THE 40 TRILLION THAT WE MENTIONED EARLIER THAT IS INTRAGOVERNMENTAL. UH, AND
01:55:08YOU'RE RIGHT, WE OWE THAT TO OURSELVES. IT COUNTS AS AN OBLIGATION BECAUSE THE SOCIAL
01:55:12SECURITY SYSTEM IS OBLIGATED TO PAY THAT OVER TIME. UH, THE LARGEST SHARE OF THAT IS IN THE
01:55:16SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM. SO YOU'RE RIGHT, THAT IS NOT A
01:55:19THIRD PARTY IN A WAY, BUT WE STILL HAVE ABOUT 32 TRILLION OF
01:55:22OTHER DEBT, THAT IS, TO THIRD PARTIES. AND THE TRILLIONS THAT
01:55:26WE HAVE AS INTERGOVERNMENTAL DEBT REPRESENT FUTURE
01:55:30OBLIGATIONS THAT WE NEED TO HAVE IN CONSIDERATION.
01:55:33>> PG&E DOT ORG. IF YOU SIMPLY
01:55:37PUT INTO A SEARCH ENGINE THE
01:55:39PETER PETERSON FOUNDATION, IT'S
01:55:41EASILY FOUND. IT'S WELL
01:55:44PRESENTED, AND IT'S A GOOD STOP. THANK YOU. CAN'T THANK YOU
01:55:48ENOUGH FOR BEING HERE IN STUDIO TO ADDRESS THIS, TO TAKE CALLS
01:55:51AND SHINE A LIGHT ON OUR $40 TRILLION OF DEBT. MICHAEL
01:55:55PETERSON IS THE CEO OF THE PETER
01:55:56G. PETERSON FOUNDATION. I'M BACK
01:56:02IN JUST A MOMENT.
01:56:02>> HOW
01:56:08>> THIS WEEK ON C-SPAN 2, WE'RE BRINGING YOU LIVE TALK RADIO
01:56:12SIMULCAST FEATURING VOICES FROM ACROSS AMERICAN POLITICS AT 9
01:56:15A.M. EASTERN. MICHAEL SMERCONISH HOSTS THE MICHAEL SMERCONISH
01:56:18PROGRAM, CHALLENGING BOTH SIDES OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM. AT
01:56:22NOON, PROGRESSIVE COMMENTATOR THOM HARTMANN HOSTS THE THOM HARTMANN PROGRAM WITH HIS TAKE
01:56:25ON THE DAY'S BIGGEST POLITICAL
01:56:27STORIES. AND THEN, AT THREE, CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST HOWIE
01:56:30CARR HOSTS THE HOWIE CARR SHOW, WITH HIS TAKE ON POLITICS,
01:56:34CULTURE AND THE NEWS OF THE DAY.
01:56:37WATCH LIVE THIS WEEK ON C-SPAN.
01:56:40TWO C-SPAN NOW, OUR FREE MOBILE
01:56:42VIDEO APP, OR ONLINE AT
01:56:48C-SPAN.ORG. >> [MUSIC]
01:56:53>> ALL THIS WEEK, JOIN C-SPAN 2 AT 6 P.M. EASTERN FOR MARATHON PROGRAMING, HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF
01:56:56THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL, COMPELLING, AND MEMORABLE
01:56:59MOMENTS COVERED BY C-SPAN IN 2026. TODAY, A COLLECTION OF
01:57:03CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS THAT SHAPED POLICY SCRUTINIZED IMPORTANT ISSUES, AND CAPTURED
01:57:07THE ATTENTION OF THE COUNTRY. WEDNESDAY, A LOOK AT THE
01:57:10EXPLORATION, INNOVATION, AND ACHIEVEMENT THAT HAVE PUSHED THE BOUNDARIES OF WHAT'S POSSIBLE
01:57:14FROM THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN SPACE PROGRAM TO ARTEMIS II.
01:57:18THURSDAY, WE'LL AIR SOME OF THIS YEAR'S MOST WATCHED, MOST
01:57:21TALKED ABOUT, AND MOST MEMORABLE
01:57:25C-SPAN PROGRAMING THAT CAPTURED PUBLIC ATTENTION. AND ON FRIDAY,
01:57:28SUPREME COURT JUSTICES DISCUSSING THEIR LIVES, THE CONSTITUTION, THE COURT, AND
01:57:32WHAT IT MEANS TO SERVE ON THE NATION'S HIGHEST COURT. WATCH A
01:57:36MARATHON OF COMPELLING
01:57:38PROGRAMING. ALL THIS WEEK ON
01:57:41C-SPAN, TWO.
01:57:48>> [MUSIC] >> WATCH AMERICA'S BOOK CLUB
01:57:50C-SPAN'S BOLD ORIGINAL SERIES, SUNDAY WITH OUR GUEST AWARD WINNING GLOBAL NUMBER
01:57:54>> [MUSIC] >> ONE BEST SELLING AUTHOR,
01:57:56DAVID BALDACCI. HIS THRILLERS HAVE SOLD OVER 200 MILLION
01:58:00COPIES WORLDWIDE. PUBLISHED IN
01:58:02OVER 45 LANGUAGES IN MORE THAN 80 COUNTRIES, DAVID, ALONG WITH
01:58:06HIS WIFE MICHELLE, ARE ALSO THE CO-FOUNDERS OF THE WISH YOU WELL
01:58:09FOUNDATION, A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO
01:58:12SUPPORTING LITERACY PROGRAMS IN THE UNITED STATES. HE JOINS OUR
01:58:16HOST, RENOWNED AUTHOR AND CIVIC
01:58:17LEADER, DAVID RUBENSTEIN.
01:58:20>> SO WHEN YOU ARE WRITING, UM,
01:58:23DO YOU EVER SAY TO YOURSELF, UH, YOU EVER DAYDREAM, YOU EVER LOSE
01:58:27YOUR TRAIN OF THOUGHT? YOU'RE, YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT IT, OR YOU JUST TUNNEL VISIONED ON WHAT
01:58:30YOU'RE WRITING? >> I DO BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. I
01:58:33TUNNEL VISION, I LET MY
01:58:35IMAGINATION RUN, YOU KNOW,
01:58:38BECAUSE I FOUND THAT WHEN I TRIED TO KEEP MY IMAGINATION IN
01:58:41CHECK, I MISS OPPORTUNITIES. AND I DON'T WANT TO MISS OPPORTUNITIES. PEOPLE ASK, WHERE DO I GET MY IDEAS FROM? I GET UP
01:58:45EVERY DAY AND I WALK OUT THE DOOR AND I SEE WHAT'S IN FRONT
01:58:49OF ME. I'M NOT ON MY IPHONE. LOOKING AT MY IPHONE. I'M
01:58:52LOOKING AT PEOPLE, AND I'VE GOTTEN IDEAS FOR PLOT POINTS
01:58:56JUST BY WALKING DOWN THE STREET AND SEEING TWO PEOPLE TALKING.
01:58:57AND I'M WONDERING, WHAT ARE THEY
01:59:00TALKING ABOUT? MAYBE I CAN ANSWER THAT MYSELF. OR I SEE A
01:59:03GUY WITH A BOX GET ON A BUS. I WONDER WHAT'S IN THE BOX AND WHERE IS THE BUS GOING WITH THE
01:59:07GUY? AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, I HAVE A STORY IDEA FROM THAT. THE
01:59:11IDEAS ARE ALL AROUND YOU ALL THE TIME. IT'S JUST THAT YOU'RE NOT
01:59:14RECEPTIVE TO SEIZING
01:59:16OPPORTUNITIES. ONCE YOU DO THINK ABOUT SEIZING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TOO
01:59:20MANY IDEAS, TOO MANY THINGS TO WRITE ABOUT. >> WATCH AMERICA'S BOOK CLUB
01:59:24WITH DAVID BALDACCI SUNDAY AT 6
01:59:26P.M. AND 9 P.M. EASTERN AND
01:59:29PACIFIC ONLY ON C-SPAN.
01:59:32>> [MUSIC]
01:59:41>> THE ROAD TO THE CAPITOL RUNS
01:59:42THROUGH AMERICA'S BATTLEGROUND
01:59:45STATES, AND C-SPAN IS THERE. OUR
01:59:47CAMERAS ARE ON THE GROUND FOLLOWING THE CAMPAIGNS WHERE
01:59:50THE TOUGHEST RACES WILL DECIDE THE BALANCE OF POWER IN
01:59:54CONGRESS. WE'RE THE ONLY NATIONAL TELEVISION NETWORK PROVIDING THIS LEVEL OF
01:59:57UNFILTERED ACCESS TO THE CANDIDATES, THE VOTERS, AND THE
02:00:01ISSUES SHAPING CAMPAIGN 2026. NO COMMENTATORS TELLING YOU WHAT TO
02:00:04THINK. NO PARTIZAN SPIN THE ROAD
02:00:06TO THE CAPITOL. ONLY ON C-SPAN.
02:00:11>> [MUSIC]
02:00:14>> C-SPAN IS AS UNBIASED AS YOU CAN GET. >> YOU ARE SO FAIR. I DON'T
02:00:18KNOW HOW ANYBODY CAN SAY OTHERWISE.
02:00:20>> YOU GUYS DO. THE MOST
02:00:25IMPORTANT WORK FOR EVERYONE IN THIS COUNTRY. >> I LOVE C-SPAN BECAUSE I GET TO HEAR ALL THE VOICES.
02:00:28>> YOU BRING THESE DIVERGENT
02:00:29VIEWPOINTS, AND YOU PRESENT BOTH SIDES OF AN ISSUE, AND YOU ALLOW
02:00:33PEOPLE TO MAKE UP THEIR OWN MINDS.
02:00:36>> I ABSOLUTELY LOVE C-SPAN. I LOVE TO HEAR BOTH SIDES. I'VE WATCHED THESE FANS EVERY
02:00:40MORNING, AND IT IS UNBIASED. AND
02:00:42YOU BRING IN FACTUAL INFORMATION
02:00:45FOR THE CALLERS TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THEY ARE IN THEIR
02:00:48COMMENTS. >> THIS IS PROBABLY THE ONLY PLACE THAT WE CAN HEAR HONEST
02:00:51OPINION OF AMERICANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
02:00:53>> YOU GUYS AT C-SPAN ARE DOING
02:00:55SUCH A WONDERFUL JOB OF ALLOWING
02:00:59FREE EXCHANGE OF IDEAS WITHOUT A LOT OF INTERRUPTIONS. >> THANK YOU, C-SPAN, FOR BEING
02:01:03A LIGHT IN THE DARK
02:01:05>> [MUSIC]
02:01:09>> BEST IDEAS AND BEST PRACTICES CAN BE FOUND ANYWHERE. >> WE HAVE TO LISTEN SO WE CAN
02:01:12GOVERN BETTER. >> DEMOCRACY DEPENDS ON HEAVY
02:01:16DOSES OF CIVILITY. >> YOU CAN FIGHT AND STILL BE FRIENDLY.
02:01:19>> BRIDGING THE DIVIDE IN AMERICAN POLITICS. >> YOU KNOW, YOU MAY NOT AGREE WITH THE DEMOCRAT ON EVERYTHING,
02:01:22BUT YOU CAN FIND AREAS WHERE YOU AGREE. >> HE'S PRETTY LIKABLE GUY AS WELL.
02:01:26>> CHRIS AND I ARE ACTUALLY FRIENDS. HE VOTES WRONG ALL THE TIME, BUT WE'RE ACTUALLY
02:01:30FRIENDS. >> THE HORRIBLE SECRET THAT SCOTT AND I HAVE IS THAT WE ACTUALLY RESPECT EACH OTHER.
02:01:34>> WE ALL DON'T HATE EACH OTHER. >> YOU TWO ACTUALLY KIND OF LIKE EACH OTHER. THESE ARE THE KINDS
02:01:37OF SECRETS WE LIKE TO EXPOSE. >> IT'S NICE TO BE WITH A MEMBER
02:01:40WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. >> YOU GUYS DID AGREE TO THE
02:01:43CIVILITY, ALL RIGHT. >> HE OWES MY SON $10 FROM A
02:01:46BET. >> I'VE NEVER. >> PAID. FORK IT OVER.
02:01:50>> THAT'S FIGHTING WORDS RIGHT THERE. >> BUT I'M NOT IN CHARGE OF IT. >> I'M THRILLED TO BE ON THIS SHOW.
02:01:54>> WITH HIM. THEY'RE NOT SHOWS
02:01:55LIKE THIS, RIGHT? INCENTIVIZING
02:01:59THAT RELATIONSHIP. >> BECAUSE I CHOOSE NOT TO SEE
02:02:02MY GUEST INITIALLY. >> I CAN ATTEST TO THAT. YOU HAVE NOT LOOKED AT YOUR MONITOR. >> AND THE REASON, THE REASON
02:02:06THAT I DON'T WANT TO SEE MY GUEST IS BECAUSE I'VE HEARD HIS
02:02:11VOICE SO MANY TIMES. >> SO MANY TIMES.
02:02:14>> THAT I HAVE A VISION IN MY HEAD. I IMAGINE THAT THE PEOPLE WHO'VE LISTENED TO MY PROGRAM
02:02:18ON AN ONGOING BASIS, AND MAYBE NEVER HAVE WATCHED MY CNN
02:02:22PROGRAM, HAVE A VISION IN THEIR HEAD OF WHAT I LOOK LIKE.
02:02:25>> I ONCE MET SOMEONE WHO SAID, OH MY GOSH, I THOUGHT YOU WOULD
02:02:29BE BLOND AND BLOUSY. AND I'VE
02:02:32NEVER UNDERSEA BLOUSY. WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN? >> ONE CAN HOPE. ONE CAN HOPE.
02:02:36>> I'M NEITHER. >> SO I, I DON'T, I DON'T WANT TO LOOK AT HIM YET UNTIL I,
02:02:40UNTIL I TELL YOU. >> OKAY. >> TELL US THE DESCRIPTION IN MY
02:02:43HEAD OF MY GUEST. BUT BEFORE I
02:02:46DO THAT, HOW DID WE GET HERE?
02:02:48REMIND ME BECAUSE I, I SOMEHOW I
02:02:51REFERENCED HIS NAME. HIS NAME IS
02:02:54CHUCK MCDOWELL, AS IN CHUCK MCDOWELL.
02:02:58>> CHUCK MCDOWELL. >> CHUCK MCDOWELL, AND HIS
02:03:00FRIEND KENNETH IN BLACK RIVER FALLS, WISCONSIN. WELL, QUESTIONS ABOUT HIM, TOO.
02:03:04>> THAT'S HOW WE CAME TO IT, BECAUSE WE HAD A CALLER CALL
02:03:08INTO THE PROGRAM ABOUT REMIND
02:03:10ME. AND THE CALLER SAID SOMETHING ABOUT A LAWYER, BUT A
02:03:14NICE LAWYER. >> OH, AND I SAID, YOU REMIND ME OF CHUCK MCDOWELL. >> EXACTLY.
02:03:18>> BECAUSE CHUCK MCDOWELL IS NOT A LAWYER. AND HE HOPES LAWYERS
02:03:20DON'T TAKE OFFENSE. DON'T GO SUING HIM FOR THIS. >> AND THEN YOU AND I BOTH
02:03:24STARTED QUOTING HIS COMMERCIALS VERBATIM, HAVING NEVER DISCUSSED
02:03:28THIS BEFORE, BUT WE BOTH KNEW THAT VERBATIM.
02:03:30>> I THINK MY RADIO SHOW IS THE ONLY ONE IN THE COUNTRY. HE
02:03:33DOESN'T ADVERTISE ON. I'M NOT SURE. I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T, I'M GOING TO LOOK INTO IT.
02:03:37AFTER YOU LOOK INTO IT. I DON'T WANT TO GET JAMMED UP ON THAT. SO.
02:03:40>> BUT NO. SO YOU AND I ARE BOTH LITERALLY QUOTING HIS
02:03:44COMMERCIALS VERBATIM, AND THEN STARTED TALKING ABOUT TIMESHARES. >> I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT HIS
02:03:47BUSINESS MODEL. CORRECT. BECAUSE THE QUESTION THAT I HAVE ABOUT
02:03:51HIS BUSINESS MODEL IS, HOW CAN
02:03:53THERE BE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO WANT
02:03:55TO GET OUT OF A TIMESHARE SO AS
02:04:00TO SUSTAIN HIS ADVERTISING BUDGET? >> WE'RE GOING. >> TO FIND OUT, BECAUSE THE MAN SPENDS A BOATLOAD ON
02:04:04ADVERTISING. A SIMILAR QUESTION I HAVE ASKED ABOUT THE PILLOW
02:04:08GUY, BECAUSE I HAVE SAID BY NOW,
02:04:10HASN'T EVERYONE WHO'S GOING TO
02:04:13BUY A MIKE LINDELL PILLOW ALREADY BOUGHT ONE?
02:04:17>> YOU ALWAYS CAN. PILLOWS. YOU ALWAYS NEED TO GET OUT OF TIMESHARES. COME ON NOW.
02:04:20>> CAN WE WELCOME MR. CHUCK
02:04:23MCDOWELL FROM WESLEY FINANCIAL? HEY, CHUCK, THANK YOU FOR BEING
02:04:26HERE. I STILL HAVEN'T LOOKED AT
02:04:28YOU, BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY TALK.
02:04:31>> BROTHER, I APPRECIATE YOU. I'VE WATCHED YOU FOR YEARS, SO
02:04:33IT IS AN HONOR TO BE ON YOUR
02:04:36SHOW. IT WAS HILARIOUS LAST WEEK WHEN I GOT A PHONE CALL THAT, UH, THAT Y'ALL WERE TALKING
02:04:40ABOUT ME, AND GLAD I COULD SEE
02:04:43YOU FACE TO FACE. AND, UH. WELL, YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ME FACE TO FACE. >> WELL, HERE'S. OKAY, HERE'S
02:04:47THE DEAL. SO WE'RE ALSO LIVE ON
02:04:49C-SPAN 2 THIS WEEK, AND THEIR MONITOR IS OFF TO MY SIDE. I'M
02:04:53NOT LOOKING THERE EITHER. SO I'M JUST GOING TO TELL YOU, HERE'S HOW I HAVE YOU PEGGED.
02:04:56YOU READY? AND I KNOW PART OF
02:04:58THIS BECAUSE I, I HEARD, OKAY, SO I FIGURE YOU'RE LIKE A 60
02:05:01YEAR OLD GUY. HOW AM I DOING?
02:05:05>> YOU'RE CLOSE. YEAH. >> OKAY. AND I, I'VE GOT YOU.
02:05:07AND I SAY THIS IN A GOOD WAY. I,
02:05:10I'VE GOT YOU PEGGED FOR, LIKE, A FIREPLUG GUY, LIKE A, LIKE A
02:05:13GUY WHO, WHO PHYSICALLY. LOOK,
02:05:15YOU'RE NOT A HUGE GUY, BUT YOU'RE LIKE A FIT GUY FOR A 60
02:05:19YEAR OLD. SO FAR, SO GOOD. YEAH.
02:05:22>> YEAH, THAT'S, UH. YEAH, THAT'S CORRECT. >> ALL RIGHT, NOW I'M REALLY,
02:05:25NOW I'M REALLY GOING OUT ON A
02:05:27LIMB. I'VE GOT YOU AS A GUY WHO
02:05:31HAS A MUSTACHE. YAY OR NAY ON THE MUSTACHE
02:05:34>> NO, NO, KNICKS NAY ON THE MUSTACHE.
02:05:36>> ALL RIGHT, WELL THEN PEOPLE KNOW THIS IS NOT A SHTICK. LIKE,
02:05:40THIS IS REALLY HOW I ENVISION YOU. I GOT YOU WITH A MUSTACHE. MAYBE YOU'LL DECIDE TO GROW ONE
02:05:44AS A RESULT OF THIS. AND NOW?
02:05:46NOW, THE BIGGEST RISK OF ALL I
02:05:48HAVE. MR. CHUCK MCDOWELL, AS A
02:05:52REDHEAD. YAY! OR NAY?
02:05:55>> UH, NO. MY HAIR WAS BROWN UNTIL I. DAMN. >> ALL RIGHT, LET ME LOOK AT.
02:05:59LET ME LOOK AT YOU. YOU'RE
02:06:02HANDSOME GUY, HUH? >> I APPRECIATE THAT. YEAH. MY
02:06:05WIFE THINKS SO. >> CHUCK, WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH
02:06:09THESE TIMESHARES? AND AND ARE THERE, LIKE, IS EVERYBODY DYING
02:06:12TO GET OUT OF THEIR TIMESHARE?
02:06:15>> WELL, I WILL SAY THAT ONE THING I'VE LEARNED SINCE I'VE
02:06:18BEEN DOING THIS NOW FOR 15
02:06:20YEARS. UM, WOW, 15 YEARS. BUT I WOULD SAY HALF OF THE PEOPLE
02:06:24THAT OWN A TIMESHARE USE IT,
02:06:27LOVE IT. UH, EVEN IF THEY'VE REALIZED THAT THEY WERE HUSTLED WHEN THEY BOUGHT IT, THAT, BUT
02:06:31THEY USE IT. AND, AND, AND THEN
02:06:33IN THE HALF ARE CAN'T SLEEP AT
02:06:36NIGHT AND CAN'T BELIEVE THEY DID IT. AND WHAT DO I DO TO GET
02:06:38OUT OF IT? AND, UM, YEAH, THAT'S THEIR PRODUCT STARTED
02:06:42OFF AS A REALLY GOOD PRODUCT AND IT'S TURNED INTO SOMETHING
02:06:45THAT'S NOT A GOOD PRODUCT. AND
02:06:47HOW THEY SELL IT IS NOT HOW
02:06:49ANYTHING SHOULD BE SOLD. UH, AND
02:06:52I DIDN'T THINK THIS WOULD BE A
02:06:54BUSINESS. UH, I THOUGHT I'D DO THIS FOR SIX MONTHS OR A YEAR
02:06:57AND HELP A FEW PEOPLE. AND THEN IT'S JUST SLOWLY JUST KEPT CRANKING. AND YOU SAID WE SPENT
02:07:01A LOT OF MONEY IN THE LAST ONE. NUMBER ONE, WE NEED TO START
02:07:04ADVERTISING ON YOUR SHOW. UH,
02:07:06AND WE SPENT $135 MILLION IN THE
02:07:09LAST FIVE YEARS JUST ON MARKETING. >> WHAT.
02:07:13>> 135 MILLION JUST ON MARKETING. SO THERE'S GOTTA BE A
02:07:17LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE DYING TO GET THAT TIMESHARE TO SUSTAIN.
02:07:20THAT'S GOTTA BE MORE THAN THE PILLOW GUY.
02:07:23>> UH, I HOPE SO. UM, UH, I THINK WE DO SOMETHING A LITTLE
02:07:27BIT MORE IMPORTANT THAN PILLOWS, BUT, HEY, WE ALL NEED GOOD PILLOWS, AND I'VE NEVER. YOU
02:07:31KNOW WHAT I HAVE ABOUT THE PILLOW, I THINK. HAVE YOU ON THE PLANET?
02:07:34>> IS.
02:07:35>> YEAH, A BUYER. >> OKAY. SO, SO I, I'M A
02:07:39STUDENT. I'M A STUDENT OF
02:07:41MARKETING. WHOSE IDEA WAS IT TO
02:07:43BOTTLE YOU? RIGHT. LIKE HE'S GOT CHUCK MCDOWELL'S GOT THIS REALLY
02:07:48UNIQUE VOICE. AND LET'S JUST LET HIM TELL IT. WHOSE IDEA WAS
02:07:51THAT? >> WELL, UH, IT WAS A FRIEND OF MINE HERE IN NASHVILLE,
02:07:55TENNESSEE, AND I HIRED HIM TO DO MY MARKETING IN THE VERY
02:07:58BEGINNING. AND I WANTED TO HAVE
02:08:01CHARLIE DANIELS, UH, BE THE FRONT MAN, BECAUSE CHARLIE
02:08:04DANIELS, WHEN CHARLIE DANIELS WOULD OPEN A SHOW, HE WOULD SAY, WE'RE THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND
02:08:08FROM MOUNT JULIET, TENNESSEE. I GREW UP IN MOUNT JULIET,
02:08:11TENNESSEE, PROUD. AND, UH, OF
02:08:14THAT. AND I THOUGHT HE WOULD BE A GREAT SPOKESPERSON. AND, AND,
02:08:18UM, MY, MY FRIEND KEPT SAYING, CHUCK, IT'S GOTTA BE YOU. IT
02:08:22NEEDS TO BE YOUR, YOU HAVE A
02:08:24VOICE AND YOU HAVE, UH, YOU HAVE THE PERSONALITY. YOU WOULD BE
02:08:28PERFECT AT THIS. SO YEAH, THAT'S WHERE IT STARTED.
02:08:31>> THAT IS, THAT IS AMAZING. SO
02:08:33I GOTTA BELIEVE IN YOUR DAY TO
02:08:36DAY LIFE BEFORE YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF, THAT PEOPLE HEAR THAT
02:08:40VOICE AND THEY SAY, WAIT A MINUTE, ARE YOU THAT GUY?
02:08:44>> UH, I MEAN, UH, YEAH, WE TOUCHED ON A LITTLE BIT BEFORE
02:08:47WE CAME ON THE AIR, BUT I WAS LAST WEEK IN MONTEREY,
02:08:50CALIFORNIA, AND I'M ON THE
02:08:52TRAIN TALKING. AND I HAD A, I HAD A HAT THAT SAID, I NORMALLY
02:08:55WEAR A HAT THAT SAYS TIMESHARE SUCKS. SO THAT'S A WHOLE 'NOTHER
02:08:58STORY. BUT, AND, AND, AND SO I
02:09:03PLAYED WITH THE, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FROM WEST VIRGINIA AND ATTORNEY GENERAL FROM FLORIDA.
02:09:06AND WE'RE PLAYING GOLF. WE'RE TEXTING ABOUT WHAT WE'RE GOING
02:09:10TO WEAR BECAUSE IT'S, YOU CAN ONLY WEAR CERTAIN COLORS, SHOES. YOU HAD TO. YOU CAN'T TAKE, YOU
02:09:14GOTTA TAKE YOUR HAT OFF WHEN YOU WALK IN. AND YOU GOTTA OBVIOUSLY
02:09:18WEAR SLACKS, NO SHORTS. AND I SAID, THIS PLACE MAY BE JUST A
02:09:22TOUCH TOO STUFFY FOR. AND WE WERE ALL THREE GOING TO WEAR IT,
02:09:24WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN HILARIOUS.
02:09:26AND, AND THEN WE GOT THERE. WE
02:09:28MET PEOPLE. AND THEN THE MAN SITTING BESIDE ME ON THE RANGE, I SAID SOMETHING TO HIM. I
02:09:32DON'T REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS. AND
02:09:35EVERYBODY STOPPED. AND IT WAS LIKE EVERYBODY THERE, THEY WENT
02:09:38LIKE, EVERYBODY THERE KNEW MY VOICE STOPPED. AND ARE YOU THAT
02:09:42TIMESHARE GUY? SO, UH, AND THEN THEY WERE ON THE OTHER END OF
02:09:46THE RANGE, AND THAT NOBODY KNEW THAT THEY WERE ATTORNEY
02:09:49GENERALS, AND THEY WERE LAUGHING AND SAYING, UH, THERE WAS PEOPLE
02:09:52DOWN THERE. AND ONE GUY SAID, UH, I WANT TO GO DOWN AND GET MY
02:09:56>> PICTURE MY WORDS. AND YOU THINK IT WOULD BOTHER HIM? AND ANOTHER GUY SAID, WELL, I'VE GOT
02:10:00AN ISSUE WITH A TIMESHARE I NEED TO TALK TO HIM ABOUT, BUT I
02:10:02DON'T WANT TO GO. SO THEN WE WISH WE'D ALL WORE OUR HATS,
02:10:06BECAUSE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BIT FUNNIER. BUT I WAS IN
02:10:10A THE CRAZIEST PLACE. I WAS IN A LITTLE MARKET WITH MY WIFE IN
02:10:13AFRICA. I THINK IT'S RWANDA.
02:10:16AND, UM, AND THERE WAS THREE COUPLES, SIX HUMANS IN THERE BESIDES THE LADY THAT WORKED
02:10:20THERE. AND I'M TALKING TO MY WIFE, THIS GUY FROM SAN FRANCISCO COME AROUND THE
02:10:24CORNER, AND HE KNEW MY COMMERCIAL WORD FOR WORD. HE SAID, I HEAR IT EVERY MORNING.
02:10:28AND SO LITERALLY. YEAH. SO WE'RE
02:10:31JUST IN ABOUT TWO MONTHS, WE'RE GOING TO BE HITTING TV JUST AS MUCH AS RADIO.
02:10:35>> ARE YOU GOING TO BE WAIT A MINUTE, ARE YOU GOING TO BE THE FACE OF THAT?
02:10:39>> WELL, I CAN'T CHARLIE DANIELS
02:10:41IS NOT HERE ANYMORE.
02:10:45>> ALL RIGHT, I GOT ANOTHER QUESTION. TELL ME ABOUT KENNETH
02:10:48IN BLACK RIVER FALLS, WISCONSIN.
02:10:50OBVIOUSLY, I KNOW THE SCRIPT BY
02:10:53BY HEART TO >> YEAH, THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST
02:10:56STORIES EVER. SO, UH, I RAN A
02:10:59COMMERCIAL WITHOUT KENNETH. SO THE TIMESHARE INDUSTRY AT THAT
02:11:03PARTICULAR MOMENT WAS IN FRONT OF A FEDERAL JUDGE. I'VE BEEN
02:11:07SUED, I THINK, 11 TIMES IN 2024,
02:11:10I HAD FOUR LAWSUITS, UH, SPENT $11 MILLION THAT YEAR JUST ON
02:11:13LEGAL FEES. TO GIVE YOU A HINT OF, UH, THE HELL THAT I'VE BEEN
02:11:17THROUGH. WE RAN A COMMERCIAL
02:11:20ABOUT. I'M NOT AN ATTORNEY. THEY'RE TRYING TO SAY THAT I'M
02:11:24BREAKING THE LAW PRACTICE LAW, THAT I ACT LIKE AN ATTORNEY. AND
02:11:28I DON'T KNOW WHAT ACTING LIKE OR LOOKING LIKE AN ATTORNEY
02:11:31MEANS, BUT SO I SAID, WELL, LET'S DO A COMMERCIAL AND LET
02:11:34THE JUDGE, MAYBE THE JUDGE, WILL HEAR IT. I'M NOT AN ATTORNEY. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE AN
02:11:37ATTORNEY TO CANCEL TIMESHARE. WELL, I GET A LETTER AND I GET
02:11:41LETTERS ALL THE TIME. SOME GOOD, SOME BAD. AND I OPEN THE LETTER
02:11:45SITTING HERE, RIGHT HERE AT MY DESK AND READ IT. AND IT WAS FROM KENNETH. I NEVER TALKED TO
02:11:49KENNETH. KENNETH WENT ON AND ON AND ON ABOUT HIM AND HIS
02:11:52BUDDIES. THEY MEET EVERY MORNING
02:11:53IN BLACK RIVER FALLS, AND THEY
02:11:56HAVE COFFEE, AND THEY TALK ABOUT
02:11:58EVERYTHING. UH, A BUNCH OF THEM ARE ATTORNEYS. THEY, THIS MAN,
02:12:02KENNETH, THAT SAID THAT HE'D
02:12:03SENT ME 10 TO 15 CLIENTS. AND WE
02:12:07DID A GREAT JOB. WE'RE VERY PROFESSIONAL. WE GOT THEM ALL
02:12:09OUT OF THEIR TIMESHARE. AND HE
02:12:12LOVES ME FOR THAT. BUT HE SAID, I'M AN ATTORNEY. AND YOUR
02:12:16COMMERCIAL IS IT MAKES ME VERY UNHAPPY IF I IF I DIDN'T LIKE
02:12:20YOU, I WOULD BE ON YOU LIKE WHITE ON RICE. AND I THOUGHT
02:12:23THAT WAS JUST A THING I DIDN'T KNOW. IN WISCONSIN, THEY SAY
02:12:26THAT THEY GET LIKE MY TEAM. I
02:12:30WENT, I'VE GOT A GREAT IDEA.
02:12:33LET'S DO ANOTHER COMMERCIAL. LET'S SAY ATTORNEYS. THIS WAS
02:12:36SUPPOSED TO BE FUNNY. PLEASE DON'T SUE ME. ESPECIALLY MY
02:12:39BUDDY KENNETH IN BLACK RIVER FALLS, WISCONSIN. SO I WAITED
02:12:42THREE WEEKS. I DIDN'T TELL HIM I
02:12:43WAS GOING TO PUT LAST NAME, BUT,
02:12:48UM, AND THREE WEEKS LATER, I'M SITTING RIGHT HERE AT MY DESK,
02:12:51PHONE RING. IT'S HIM. I DIDN'T KNOW HIS NUMBER. I JUST ANSWERED
02:12:55THE PHONE, AND HE JUST. HE LOVED IT. I THOUGHT HE WAS. I THOUGHT
02:12:58HE WAS GONNA GET MAD AND SUE ME.
02:13:01AND, UH, HE, HE CALLS ME AT
02:13:03LEAST ONCE A MONTH AND THANKS ME FOR HELPING PEOPLE. AND HE
02:13:07REALLY WANTS TO BE IN ONE OF MY COMMERCIALS BADLY, SO I'LL PROBABLY HAVE TO BRING HIM DOWN
02:13:11AND PUT HIM IN A COMMERCIAL AT SOME POINT.
02:13:13>> I GOT A BUDDY OF MINE THAT I,
02:13:15I WOULD LOVE TO INTRODUCE TO CHUCK MCDOWELL. HIS NAME IS
02:13:18STEPHEN SINGER, AND HE'S A JEWELER, AND HE'S A WONDERFUL
02:13:21GUY. AND, AND HE, HE SPENDS A LOT ON ADVERTISING. HE'S BEEN
02:13:25WITH ME 30 YEARS. UM, AND HIS
02:13:28WHOLE TAG, IF YOU WERE IN THE NORTHEASTERN PART OF THE COUNTRY, YOU WOULD SEE
02:13:32BILLBOARDS FOR HIM THAT SAY, I
02:13:34HATE STEPHEN SINGER. AND THERE'S A WHOLE BACKSTORY. AND
02:13:38THE PREMISE, THE PREMISE IS THAT THE PEOPLE WHO HATE HIM ARE LIKE
02:13:40THE GUYS BECAUSE THEY'VE GOT NO OUT, BECAUSE THE WOMEN WANT A
02:13:44DIAMOND. THEY WANT IT FROM STEPHEN SINGER. BUT, BUT HE'S,
02:13:46HE'S, HE'S A MARKETING GENIUS.
02:13:49AND HE STARTED WITH HOWARD STERN AT A TIME WHEN STEPHEN WOULD TELL YOU HE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF
02:13:53MONEY, THAT, YOU KNOW, HE BEGGED, BORROWED, AND STOLE JUST
02:13:55SO HE COULD GO ON. HOWARD'S
02:13:57SHOW WENT HEAVY ON RADIO WITH HIS WHOLE I HATE STEPHEN SINGER
02:14:01BRAND. AND. AND IT JUST TOOK
02:14:03OFF. AND ULTIMATELY, I WAS A BENEFICIARY AS A HOST WHO GOT TO
02:14:07READ HIS STUFF. BUT LIKE THE TWO OF YOU SEE AROUND CORNERS, YOU
02:14:10KNOW WHAT I MEAN >> MY. THAT'S WEIRD. SO MY
02:14:14MENTOR, A GUY NAMED JAY ABRAHAM, UM, HE TELLS ME THAT A LOT.
02:14:18CHUCK, HE SAID, YOU'RE ONE OF THE FEW CEOS THAT I KNOW THAT
02:14:20CAN SEE AROUND A CORNER. AND, UH, SO I APPRECIATE YOU SAYING
02:14:24THAT BECAUSE MY BUDDY JAY ABRAHAM SAYS THAT, BUT I WOULD
02:14:27LOVE TO MEET HIM. ANYBODY RIGHT NOW, I'M ON, UH, I REALLY WANT
02:14:30TO SIT DOWN WITH JOHN MORGAN, AND, UH, AND.
02:14:34>> HE'S GOT IT GOING ON. HE, I, I AGREE, I MEAN, THE GUY HAS IT
02:14:37GOING ON. HE'S, HE'S IN PHILLY, HE'S EVERYWHERE. HE'S,
02:14:40HE'S EVERYWHERE. >> YEAH. YEAH. I'M, I THOUGHT ABOUT SLIPPING AND FALLING JUST
02:14:44SO I CAN CALL. >> HIM.
02:14:48>> UH, LET ME TELL YOU, IT'S A PLEASURE TO MEET CHUCK. HEY,
02:14:51CHUCK. CHUCK, WE'RE WE'RE WE'RE
02:14:53BEING SIMULCAST ON C-SPAN 2, WHERE IT'S ALL POLITICS. AND,
02:14:57LIKE, RIGHT NOW, THEY'RE WONDERING, WHAT THE HELL IS
02:14:59THIS? WE TOOK THIS RO KHANNA SHOW. WE FIGURED HE'D BE
02:15:03TALKING NOT ONLY ABOUT THE NATIONAL DEBT, BUT IRAN AND WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE
02:15:06MIDTERMS. AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, HE'S HOBNOBBING WITH CHUCK
02:15:10MCDOWELL. SO I'M SURE IT'S CAUSING A LOT OF HUMOR AND
02:15:13ANGST, BUT IT'S A PRIVILEGE. >> TO MEET YOU, TO TALK POLITICS
02:15:17TALK POLITICS AT SOME POINT ALSO. >> YEAH. >> WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE SHORT
02:15:21VERSION OF HOW YOU SEE THE WORLD?
02:15:24>> UH WELL, I THINK IT'S, UH, IT'S A MESS, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?
02:15:27UH, IT'S ALWAYS A MESS. UM, AND
02:15:30I REMEMBER MY GRANDMOTHER AND GRANDFATHER TALKING ABOUT, OH,
02:15:33YOU KNOW, HOW THE WHOLE WORLD IS
02:15:36GOING DOWN THE TUBES AND, UM,
02:15:40UH, I'VE ALWAYS, I'VE BEEN A REPUBLICAN MY ENTIRE LIFE. I'VE
02:15:43JUST NOT SOMEBODY THAT IS A FAN OF A MAN THAT DOESN'T PAY HIS BILLS AND CAN'T TELL THE TRUTH.
02:15:47UH, AND THAT, THAT, THAT'S, THAT SCARES ME. UM, BUT I'LL SAY, AND
02:15:51I'LL SAY, THIS IS, UH, BE
02:15:53CAREFUL, MAGA FANS, BECAUSE AS
02:15:56FAR AS IT SWINGS, RIGHT, IT ALWAYS SWINGS BACK LEFT.
02:16:00>> AND I WANT TO KEEP IT AT THE CENTER. >> I WANT TO KEEP IT AT THE CENTER. CHUCK. THAT'S WHERE I'M
02:16:04COMING FROM. >> YEAH, YEAH. >> NORMALLY GOES TO LITTLE ROCK, LITTLE LEFT, LITTLE ROCK, LITTLE
02:16:08LEFT. AND THAT'S OKAY. WE KEEP DOING THAT. UH, BUT WHEN WE GO
02:16:11SO FAR, RIGHT, IT'S GOING TO GO
02:16:13SO FAR LEFT THAT IT'S THAT PART SCARES ME.
02:16:16>> ME, TOO. HEY. >> ME, TOO. >> HEY, YOU KNOW, WHEN I. >> SAY SCARES ME, POLITICS ARE
02:16:20SCARED US FOR MANY YEARS. >> HEY, BY THE WAY, ONE LAST
02:16:23THING, AND I'LL LET YOU GO. I
02:16:26SAID 60, BUILT LIKE A FIREPLUG
02:16:29RED HAIR, MUSTACHE, BOURBON.
02:16:34THAT WAS ON MY LIST AS WELL. BOURBON. >> YEAH. LET'S JUST STICK WITH
02:16:38GOOD OLD TENNESSEE.
02:16:40>> WHISKEY. DANIEL.
02:16:42>> GOOD OLD TENNESSEE >> THANK YOU. CHUCK. I, I HOPE,
02:16:46I HOPE WE MEET IN THE FUTURE. THANK YOU.
02:16:49>> HONORED TO BE ON YOUR SHOW. >> HONORED, HONORED TO HAVE YOU.
02:16:52THANK YOU, THANK YOU. THERE YOU GO. TK CHUCK MCDOWELL. >> I JUST LOVE PUTTING A NAME TO
02:16:55A FACE. IT'S SO FUNNY. AND I, I DO THINK. >> YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T CHEAT.
02:16:59>> YOU DEFINITELY DID NOT CHEAT. NO, YOU DEFINITELY DID NOT CHEAT. BUT IT JUST. I'VE BEEN
02:17:03WITH YOU SO MANY TIMES. WHEN PEOPLE MEET YOU IN PERSON AND
02:17:06THEY'RE SO EXCITED AND SO DISAPPOINTED. NO, NO, SO
02:17:09DISAPPOINTED. WHEN WE MEET SOMEONE THAT WHOSE VOICE WE'VE HEARD SO MUCH, SO OFTEN, I JUST.
02:17:13>> WONDER WHAT. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? >> I'M. BUT BY THE WAY, IF YOU
02:17:15WANT TO GET OUT OF A TIMESHARE, OBVIOUSLY IT'S BIG BUSINESS. >> I'M NOT GETTING IN A
02:17:19TIMESHARE. OKAY. >> I KNOW, PEOPLE ARE IN TIMESHARES. THAT'S THE. THAT IS MY TAKE HOME MESSAGE THAT A LOT
02:17:23OF PEOPLE. >> I WAS THINKING SOMETHING ELSE. >> WHAT WERE. >> YOU THINKING? WHICH IS, I'M
02:17:26GLAD WE. WE INVITED HIM NOW.
02:17:30WHY? BECAUSE HE MADE NEWS. HE'S ABOUT TO GO TELEVISION. >> AND YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED?
02:17:33>> AND THEN EVERYBODY WOULD SEE HIM. RIGHT. AND THEN, AND I WOULD IT WOULD RUIN THE VISION.
02:17:37>> IT WAS SPECIAL TODAY. >> IT WOULD RUIN THE VISION.
02:17:40YES. UH, WE WILL COME BACK AND
02:17:42RETURN TO POLITICAL FAIR RIGHT
02:17:46AFTER THIS.
02:17:50>> THIS WEEK ON C-SPAN 2, WE'RE BRINGING YOU LIVE TALK RADIO
02:17:52SIMULCAST FEATURING VOICES FROM
02:17:54ACROSS AMERICAN POLITICS AT 9 A.M. EASTERN. MICHAEL SMERCONISH
02:17:58HOSTS THE MICHAEL SMERCONISH PROGRAM, CHALLENGING BOTH SIDES
02:18:01OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM. AT NOON, PROGRESSIVE COMMENTATOR
02:18:05THOM HARTMANN HOSTS THE THOM HARTMANN PROGRAM WITH HIS TAKE ON THE DAY'S BIGGEST POLITICAL
02:18:09STORIES. AND THEN, AT THREE, CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST HOWIE
02:18:12CARR HOSTS THE HOWIE CARR SHOW WITH HIS TAKE ON POLITICS,
02:18:15CULTURE AND THE NEWS OF THE DAY.
02:18:19WATCH LIVE THIS WEEK ON C-SPAN. TWO C-SPAN NOW, OUR FREE MOBILE
02:18:23VIDEO APP, OR ONLINE AT
02:18:26C-SPAN.ORG ALL THIS WEEK, JOIN
02:18:33C-SPAN 2 AT 6 P.M. EASTERN FOR MARATHON PROGRAMING,
02:18:36HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL, COMPELLING, AND
02:18:38MEMORABLE MOMENTS COVERED BY
02:18:41C-SPAN IN 2026. TODAY, A
02:18:43COLLECTION OF CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS THAT SHAPED POLICY
02:18:47SCRUTINIZED IMPORTANT ISSUES, AND CAPTURED THE ATTENTION OF
02:18:51THE COUNTRY WEDNESDAY. A LOOK AT THE EXPLORATION, INNOVATION, AND
02:18:53ACHIEVEMENT THAT HAVE PUSHED THE BOUNDARIES OF WHAT'S POSSIBLE
02:18:56FROM THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN
02:18:58SPACE PROGRAM TO ARTEMIS II. THURSDAY, WE'LL AIR SOME OF
02:19:02THIS YEAR'S MOST WATCHED, MOST TALKED ABOUT, AND MOST MEMORABLE
02:19:06C-SPAN PROGRAMING THAT CAPTURED PUBLIC ATTENTION. AND ON FRIDAY,
02:19:09SUPREME COURT JUSTICES DISCUSSING THEIR LIVES, THE
02:19:13CONSTITUTION, THE COURT, AND WHAT IT MEANS TO SERVE ON THE
02:19:15NATION'S HIGHEST COURT. WATCH A MARATHON OF COMPELLING
02:19:19PROGRAMING. ALL THIS WEEK ON
02:19:23C-SPAN, TWO. THIS EVENING,
02:19:28HOWARD UNIVERSITY WILL HOST
02:19:29GHANA'S ASHANTI KING, OTUMFUO
02:19:32OSEI TUTU II FOR REMARKS ON
02:19:36GOVERNMENT LEADERSHIP AND CULTURAL PRESERVATION. THE EVENT IS HOSTED BY THE MILLENNIUM
02:19:39EXCELLENCE FOUNDATION, WHICH SUPPORTS CULTURAL EXCHANGE
02:19:42BETWEEN GHANA AND THE AFRICAN DIASPORA. WATCH LIVE AT 6 P.M.
02:19:45EASTERN ON C-SPAN C-SPAN NOW,
02:19:50OUR FREE MOBILE APP OR ONLINE AT
02:19:54C-SPAN.ORG. SUNDAY ON C-SPAN'S Q
02:20:00AND A THREE TIME PULITZER PRIZE WINNING NEW YORK TIMES
02:20:04PHOTOGRAPHER DOUG MILLS REFLECTS
02:20:06ON DECADES COVERING AMERICAN POLITICS. HE TALKS ABOUT
02:20:10PHOTOGRAPHING MULTIPLE PRESIDENTS, INCLUDING THE 1992
02:20:14CLINTON GORE CAMPAIGN, PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH ON 9/11, AND
02:20:18CAPTURING THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT TRUMP
02:20:21IN 2024, WHICH EARNED HIM HIS THIRD PULITZER PRIZE.
02:20:24>> I'VE LISTENED TO HIS SPEECH ON THE CAMPAIGN HUNDREDS OF
02:20:27TIMES, AND I KNEW THAT WHEN HE
02:20:31SAID SOMETHING ABOUT A CHART, I THOUGHT, WOW, THE CHART, THE
02:20:34CHARTS. TYPICALLY AT THE END OF THE SPEECH. AND THAT REGISTERED
02:20:37RIGHT AWAY WITH ME. AND SO THEN
02:20:38WHEN HE GESTURED OVER TOWARDS
02:20:41THE CHART, THAT'S WHEN THE SHOTS RANG OUT. AND WHEN HE WAS GESTURING, I WAS, YOU KNOW, NOT
02:20:45AS CLOSE AS WE ARE, BUT MAYBE 4
02:20:47OR 5FT BACK. AND I HAD MY LENS ON HIM. I WAS TRYING TO GET
02:20:51SOMETHING OF HE AND THE FLAG. AND THEN WHEN HE GESTURED TO THE
02:20:53RIGHT AND THE SHOTS RANG OUT, I WAS ACTUALLY TAKING PICTURES.
02:20:56AND THEN I JUST KEPT MY FINGER ON THE SHUTTER. AS SOON AS I HEARD THE BULLETS.
02:21:00>> THREE TIME PULITZER PRIZE
02:21:01WINNING PHOTOGRAPHER DOUG MILLS.
02:21:04SUNDAY NIGHT AT 8 P.M. EASTERN ON C-SPAN'S Q&A. YOU CAN LISTEN
02:21:08TO Q&A AND ALL OF OUR PODCASTS
02:21:10ON OUR FREE C-SPAN NOW APP, OR
02:21:14WHEREVER YOU GET YOUR PODCASTS.
02:21:16>> [MUSIC]
02:21:19>> BACK ON WHAT YOU'VE ACHIEVED IN YOUR LIFE, WHAT MAKES YOU THE
02:21:22HAPPIEST OF WHAT YOU'VE ACHIEVED SO FAR? >> THIS INTERVIEW IS THE
02:21:26ABSOLUTE APEX. >> LEADERS SEEM TO LIKE TO WEAR WIGS. HOW COME HE DIDN'T HAVE A
02:21:29WIG? PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID, I MADE A MISTAKE THE FIRST TIME. I
02:21:33SHOULD HAVE GIVEN IT TO YOU THE FIRST TIME. >> THAT ISN'T WHAT HE SAID.
02:21:37>> YOUR FIRST BOOK WAS CALLED A TIME TO KILL. HOW MANY PUBLISHERS TURNED THAT DOWN?
02:21:41>> WELL, ALL OF THEM. >> IT'S VERY RARE TO SEE DONALD TRUMP LAUGH.
02:21:44>> HE DOESN'T LIKE TO SMILE. HE HAS WHAT THEY CALL THE STARE. HOW WOULD THE STARE.
02:21:48>> WHEN YOU GO TO THE OSCARS THAT EVERYBODY SAY, OH, THERE'S THE AUTHOR. >> ALL THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE GO
02:21:51THIS WAY. AND THEN THEY HAVE ANOTHER LITTLE PATH IN THE OSCARS, WHERE THE PEOPLE LIKE I GO.
02:21:55>> SO YOU WROTE A BOOK ABOUT SOMEBODY WHO LIVED WITH WOLVES.
02:21:58>> I INTERVIEWED A GUY WHO LIVED WITH WOLVES.
02:22:00>> YEAH. AND IS THAT SAFE TO DO THAT? >> ABSOLUTELY NOT.
02:22:04>> SO I KNOW YOU WHICH IS WHY WE
02:22:07LOVE YOU, DAVID.
02:22:10>> [MUSIC]
02:22:17>> THE ROAD TO THE CAPITOL RUNS >> [MUSIC] >> THROUGH AMERICA'S
02:22:21BATTLEGROUND STATES, AND C-SPAN IS THERE. OUR CAMERAS ARE ON THE
02:22:23GROUND FOLLOWING THE CAMPAIGNS WHERE THE TOUGHEST RACES WILL
02:22:27DECIDE THE BALANCE OF POWER IN CONGRESS. WE'RE THE ONLY
02:22:30NATIONAL TELEVISION NETWORK PROVIDING THIS LEVEL OF UNFILTERED ACCESS TO THE
02:22:34CANDIDATES, THE VOTERS, AND THE
02:22:36ISSUES SHAPING CAMPAIGN 2026. NO COMMENTATORS TELLING YOU WHAT TO
02:22:40THINK. NO PARTIZAN SPIN. THE
02:22:42ROAD TO THE CAPITOL. ONLY ON C-SPAN.
02:22:45>> OF THE PETERSON FOUNDATION AND MR. CHUCK MCDOWELL.
02:22:48>> I MEAN, COME ON NOW, IS THAT
02:22:51NOT CRAZY? >> IS THAT NOT A FUN BARROOM CONVERSATION?
02:22:54>> A FUN BARROOM CONVERSATION? NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. WHAT A WEEK.
02:22:58>> AND I'LL TELL YOU SOMETHING ELSE. I'LL TELL YOU SOMETHING ELSE, BECAUSE I MENTIONED MIKE
02:23:01LINDELL, AND I MENTIONED HIM
02:23:03ONLY INSOFAR AS THESE ARE TWO ENTREPRENEURS. YES. SPENDING
02:23:07LIKE STEPHEN SINGER. >> YES. >> WHO ARE SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY AND LIKE JOHN MORGAN.
02:23:11>> AND THEY, THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT THEIR OWN COMPANY. THAT'S NOT A HIRED GUN, YOU KNOW.
02:23:14>> NO, BUT I, I WANTED TO SAY THIS, OBVIOUSLY, WE LOVE STEPHEN
02:23:18AND STEVE. STEPHEN IS STEPHEN IS OUR FRIEND. I MEAN, HE'S NOT
02:23:20OUR SPONSOR. HE'S OUR HE'S OUR FRIEND.
02:23:22>> I SAY THAT OFTEN. >> BUT MIKE LINDELL AND I KNOW
02:23:26PEOPLE ARE. OH, YOU KNOW, THE TRUMP DENIAL. BUT HE WAS A GREAT
02:23:29RADIO GUEST BECAUSE HE WAS HERE WHEN HE WROTE A MEMOIR. >> MHM.
02:23:33>> AND HE TOLD HIS STORY. AND HIS STORY WAS ONE OF ADDICTION
02:23:37AND OVERCOMING STRUGGLE. >> RIGHT. >> AND I REALLY APPRECIATED HAVING.
02:23:40>> HIM, FOR SURE. >> SO I'M JUST, I'M DRAWN TO. >> CHARACTERS.
02:23:44>> CHARACTERS, AND CHARACTER IS A, IS A GOOD THING. LIKE PHILLIES, A CITY WITH A LOT OF
02:23:47CHARACTERS. IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE A CHARACTER, IT'S, IT'S A TERM
02:23:51OF ENDEARMENT. OKAY. UM, I'VE BEEN WANTING TO DO THIS. AND IF
02:23:54I DON'T DO IT TODAY AND I DON'T DO IT LIKE NOW, THEN I'M
02:23:57NOT GOING TO DO IT AT ALL. BUT THERE'S SOMETHING VERY SPECIFIC
02:24:00THAT I WANT TO ASK OF THE POTUS
02:24:02AUDIENCE TODAY IS ELECTION DAY
02:24:06IN SOUTH CAROLINA, AND THE LATE
02:24:09LINDSEY GRAHAM'S SISTER, NOW
02:24:12SENATOR DARLINE GRAHAM, IS RUNNING AND RUNNING AGAINST, UH,
02:24:15RALPH NORMAN, WHO IS A VERY CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN. AND THE
02:24:19TWO OF THEM, YOU KNOW, DUKING IT
02:24:20OUT IN THIS IN THIS PRIMARY,
02:24:23PRESIDENT TRUMP HAVING REALLY PUT IT ON THE LINE FOR SENATOR
02:24:27LINDSEY GRAHAM'S SISTER,
02:24:29DARLINE GRAHAM. AND I ASSUME
02:24:33THAT YOU SOPHISTICATED POTUS LISTENERS, ARE ALREADY AWARE OF
02:24:37THE FLUB THAT SHE MADE. WAS IT A
02:24:38FLUB IN THE DEBATE? AND I HAVE A
02:24:42VERY SPECIFIC QUESTION FOR YOU.
02:24:43AND IT'S THIS WOULD IT BE A
02:24:48DEAL BREAKER FOR YOU IF YOU WERE VOTING? AND I HOPE A LOT OF
02:24:51FOLKS IN THE LOW COUNTRY AND OTHER PARTS OF SOUTH CAROLINA
02:24:54WILL CALL ME IN A MOMENT AFTER I FRAME THIS A LITTLE BIT BETTER.
02:24:57BUT IS IT A DEAL BREAKER THAT A
02:25:02POLITICAL NEOPHYTE GETS ASKED A
02:25:03QUESTION ABOUT FOREIGN POLICY?
02:25:06IT WAS THE STRATEGIC AMBIGUITY QUESTION THAT SHE WAS BEING ASKED ABOUT TAIWAN AND CHINA.
02:25:09AND, AND HER ANSWER IS TO SAY, LOOK, I MEAN, FOREIGN POLICY IS,
02:25:13IS REALLY NOT MY STRONG SUIT,
02:25:15WHICH IS QUITE A CONTRAST FROM LINDSEY GRAHAM, BECAUSE THAT'S
02:25:19HOW HE SOUGHT TO DISTINGUISH
02:25:21HIMSELF. BUT I'VE BEEN GOING ROUND AND ROUND AS TO WHETHER,
02:25:24IN MY OWN MIND, AS TO WHETHER THIS THIS IS A LIABILITY,
02:25:28BECAUSE, HEY, COME ON, YOU WANT TO BE IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE, YOU BETTER KNOW
02:25:32SOMETHING ABOUT FOREIGN POLICY.
02:25:33OR IS THERE SOME VIRTUE IN HER
02:25:39HONESTY? BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT ANY NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF THE
02:25:42MEMBERS OF THE SENATE AND THE
02:25:44HOUSE, IF ASKED A QUESTION ON
02:25:46THIS ISSUE, COULD GIVE YOU. IN
02:25:49FACT, I COULD PROBABLY. IF FOR
02:25:50ALL THE TIME THAT I SPEND READING AND DISCUSSING AFFAIRS,
02:25:54IF. IF SOMEONE CALLED ME COLD AND ASKED ME A QUESTION ABOUT
02:25:58CHINA AND TAIWAN, I WOULD RATTLE
02:26:00OFF A COUPLE OF SENTENCES ABOUT
02:26:04STRATEGIC AMBIGUITY. WHAT DOES THAT REALLY MEAN? IT MEANS THAT
02:26:06WE'RE NEVER FULLY COMMITTED
02:26:08PUBLICLY TO SAYING THAT WE WOULD DEFEND TAIWAN, SHOULD WE DEFEND
02:26:12TAIWAN? DO WE REALLY WANT TO
02:26:14TAKE ON ANOTHER RESPONSIBILITY IN A FOREIGN POLICY REALM? IF
02:26:18CHINA SHOULD EVER ACT AGAINST TAIWAN, WHAT ARE THE STAKES FOR JAPAN? I MEAN, A LOT OF
02:26:22DIFFERENT THINGS. WOULD I I'D
02:26:23HAVE A GOOD SOUNDBITE. HOW MUCH
02:26:27SUBSTANCE WOULD I REALLY BE ABLE
02:26:29TO OFFER? LIMITED. LIMITED.
02:26:32COULD I SPEAK TO THE HISTORY? I COULD GIVE YOU A SOUND BITE OR
02:26:35TWO, BUT THAT'S IT. SO WHO AM I
02:26:38TO SAY THAT SHE IS PRECLUDED FROM SERVING IN THE SENATE
02:26:41BECAUSE OF THAT? THAT ANSWER. THEN AGAIN, I'M NOT RUNNING FOR
02:26:44THE SENATE. AND SHE IS. HERE'S
02:26:47WHAT WENT DOWN. I'M GOING TO DO TWO THINGS. ONE, I'M GOING TO
02:26:50PLAY FOR YOU. THE QUESTION THAT WAS PUT TO DARLINE GRAHAM, IT
02:26:53WAS BY GRETA VAN SUSTEREN. AND
02:26:54THEN I'LL COME BACK AND THEN
02:26:57I'M GOING TO ALSO PLAY WHAT GRETA VAN SUSTEREN SAID
02:27:01THEREAFTER. FIRST, HERE'S THE DEBATE EXCHANGE. ROLL IT.
02:27:04>> SENATOR, OUR TAIWAN AND THE SOUTH CHINA SEA. NATIONAL
02:27:08SECURITY ISSUES FOR THE UNITED
02:27:09STATES. IF SO, WHY? I'M SORRY,
02:27:13COULD YOU REPEAT THE QUESTION? IF OUR TAIWAN AND THE SOUTH
02:27:16CHINA SEA. NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES FOR THE UNITED STATES,
02:27:20AND IF SO, WHY OR HOW? I'M JUST
02:27:23GOING TO BE HONEST HERE. I'M NOT
02:27:25ON NATIONAL SECURITY, THAT I'M
02:27:27NOT THAT INFORMED ON NATIONAL
02:27:32SECURITY. SO. >> OKAY. A COUPLE OF BOOS, YOU
02:27:34KNOW, IN, IN, IN THE AUDIENCE. YOU THINK THAT SHE WOULD HAVE AT
02:27:37LEAST BEEN ABLE TO SAY SOMETHING? WELL, I'VE ALREADY TOLD YOU WHAT I THINK SHE SHOULD
02:27:41HAVE SAID. NOW, GRETA VAN SUSTEREN FOLLOWS UP ON HER OWN
02:27:45PROGRAM AND, AND SAYS, HEY, I'M SURPRISED BY ACTUALLY, I WATCHED
02:27:49HER WHOLE COMMENTARY. I'M NOT GOING TO PLAY ALL OF IT. BUT TO
02:27:52SUM IT UP FAIRLY WOULD BE TO SAY THAT SHE CRITICIZED THE MEDIA
02:27:55FOR GLOMMING ON TO, YOU KNOW,
02:27:592.5% OF THE ENTIRE DEBATE. LIKE, WHY IS THE MEDIA MAKING A HUGE
02:28:02DEAL OUT OF THIS? AND THEN SHE SAID, YOU KNOW, I KIND OF REGRET
02:28:06HAVING ASKED THE QUESTION. ROLL IT.
02:28:09>> SO IN HINDSIGHT, WHILE THE SOUTH CHINA SEA IS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE FOR OUR NATION, I WISH I
02:28:12HADN'T ASKED THAT QUESTION. I DON'T KNOW THAT IT WAS FAIR TO
02:28:16ASK, WHEN OUR OWN GOVERNMENT, GOING BACK 47 YEARS, CAN'T FIGURE IT OUT, SO HOW COULD I
02:28:19EXPECT SENATOR DARLINE GRAHAM OR CONGRESSMAN NORMAN TO ANSWER IT
02:28:23AND ANSWER IN ONE MINUTE?
02:28:26>> OKAY, THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID.
02:28:27SO I PUT IT TO YOU. IF YOU'RE
02:28:31VOTING TODAY OR HAVE ALREADY VOTED TODAY IN SOUTH CAROLINA,
02:28:33HOW BIG OF A DEAL? AND FOR
02:28:36EVERYBODY ELSE, IS THAT A DEAL
02:28:38BREAKER? IS THAT A DEAL BREAKER? THAT A QUESTION CATCHES A CANDIDATE RUNNING FOR THE
02:28:42SENATE? BIG JOB, ONLY 100 OF
02:28:44THEM JUST CATCHES THEM COLD? OR DO YOU FIND IT ENDEARING ON SOME
02:28:48LEVEL THAT SHE DOESN'T HAVE THE ANSWER? I MEAN, MAYBE IT
02:28:51ACTUALLY, MAYBE IT ACTUALLY
02:28:54BOOMERANGS AGAINST HER OPPONENT, RALPH NORMAN, BECAUSE I WAS
02:28:58THINKING THIS AS WELL. I FRANKLY, HAVE THOUGHT MUCH TOO MUCH ABOUT THIS ONE DEBATE
02:29:02QUESTION. BUT ONE OTHER OBSERVATION THAT I HAD IS LIKE,
02:29:04MAYBE IT UNDERSCORES, OH, YEAH,
02:29:09SHE'S THE OUTSIDER. SHE, YOU KNOW, SHE'S THE ROOKIE IN A GOOD WAY. AND LIKE HIM, HE'S BEEN
02:29:12THERE FOR A HUNDRED YEARS. I DON'T KNOW, JUST WONDERING.
02:29:15CALL ME, BUT DO IT IMMEDIATELY.
02:29:20I'M AT EIGHT 554861776. AND
02:29:22ANSWER THAT QUESTION OF WHAT SIGNIFICANCE WAS DARLINE
02:29:25GRAHAM'S INITIAL RESPONSE TO
02:29:27THE DEBATE QUESTION? I'M BACK
02:29:29AFTER THIS.
02:29:37>> [MUSIC] [MUSIC]
02:29:51>> THIS WEEK ON C-SPAN 2, WE'RE BRINGING YOU LIVE TALK RADIO
02:29:55SIMULCAST FEATURING VOICES FROM ACROSS AMERICAN POLITICS AT 9
02:29:58A.M. EASTERN. MICHAEL SMERCONISH HOSTS THE MICHAEL SMERCONISH
02:30:01PROGRAM, CHALLENGING BOTH SIDES OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM. AT
02:30:04NOON, PROGRESSIVE COMMENTATOR THOM HARTMANN HOSTS THE THOM HARTMANN PROGRAM WITH HIS TAKE
02:30:08ON THE DAY'S BIGGEST POLITICAL STORIES. AND THEN, AT THREE,
02:30:12CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST HOWIE CARR HOSTS THE HOWIE CARR SHOW,
02:30:14WITH HIS TAKE ON POLITICS,
02:30:17CULTURE AND THE NEWS OF THE DAY.
02:30:19WATCH LIVE THIS WEEK ON C-SPAN.
02:30:22TWO C-SPAN NOW, OUR FREE MOBILE
02:30:24VIDEO APP, OR ONLINE AT
02:30:27C-SPAN.ORG ALL THIS WEEK, JOIN
02:30:34C-SPAN 2 AT 6 P.M. EASTERN FOR MARATHON PROGRAMING, HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THE MOST
02:30:38CONSEQUENTIAL, COMPELLING, AND
02:30:40MEMORABLE MOMENTS COVERED BY C-SPAN IN 2026. TODAY, A
02:30:43COLLECTION OF CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS THAT SHAPED POLICY,
02:30:48SCRUTINIZED IMPORTANT ISSUES, AND CAPTURED THE ATTENTION OF
02:30:51THE COUNTRY. WEDNESDAY, A LOOK AT THE EXPLORATION, INNOVATION,
02:30:54AND ACHIEVEMENT THAT HAVE PUSHED THE BOUNDARIES OF WHAT'S
02:30:56POSSIBLE FROM THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN SPACE PROGRAM TO
02:31:00ARTEMIS II. THURSDAY, WE'LL AIR SOME OF THIS YEAR'S MOST
02:31:03WATCHED, MOST TALKED ABOUT, AND
02:31:06MOST MEMORABLE C-SPAN PROGRAMING THAT CAPTURED PUBLIC ATTENTION.
02:31:08AND ON FRIDAY, SUPREME COURT
02:31:12JUSTICES DISCUSSING THEIR LIVES, THE CONSTITUTION, THE COURT, AND
02:31:14WHAT IT MEANS TO SERVE ON THE NATION'S HIGHEST COURT. WATCH A
02:31:18MARATHON OF COMPELLING
02:31:20PROGRAMING. ALL THIS WEEK ON
02:31:22C-SPAN, TWO.
02:31:28>> WATCH AMERICA'S BOOK CLUB
02:31:31C-SPAN'S BOLD ORIGINAL SERIES, SUNDAY WITH OUR GUEST AWARD
02:31:35WINNING GLOBAL NUMBER ONE BEST SELLING >> [MUSIC] >> AUTHOR, DAVID BALDACCI. HIS
02:31:39THRILLERS HAVE SOLD OVER 200 MILLION COPIES WORLDWIDE.
02:31:43PUBLISHED IN OVER 45 LANGUAGES IN MORE THAN 80 COUNTRIES,
02:31:46DAVID, ALONG WITH HIS WIFE MICHELLE, ARE ALSO THE
02:31:49CO-FOUNDERS OF THE WISH YOU WELL FOUNDATION, A NONPROFIT
02:31:53ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO SUPPORTING LITERACY PROGRAMS IN
02:31:56THE UNITED STATES. HE JOINS OUR
02:31:58HOST, RENOWNED AUTHOR AND CIVIC LEADER, DAVID RUBENSTEIN.
02:32:02>> SO WHEN YOU ARE WRITING, UM,
02:32:05DO YOU EVER SAY TO YOURSELF, UH, YOU EVER DAYDREAM, YOU EVER LOSE
02:32:09YOUR TRAIN OF THOUGHT? YOU'RE, YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT IT, OR YOU JUST TUNNEL VISIONED ON WHAT
02:32:13YOU'RE WRITING? >> I DO BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. I TUNNEL VISION, AND I LET MY
02:32:17IMAGINATION RUN, YOU KNOW,
02:32:20BECAUSE I FOUND THAT WHEN I TRIED TO KEEP MY IMAGINATION IN
02:32:23CHECK, I MISS OPPORTUNITIES. AND I DON'T WANT TO MISS OPPORTUNITIES. PEOPLE ASK, WHERE
02:32:27DO I GET MY IDEAS FROM? I GET UP EVERY DAY, AND I WALK OUT THE DOOR AND I SEE WHAT'S IN FRONT
02:32:31OF ME. I'M NOT ON MY IPHONE LOOKING AT MY IPHONE. I'M
02:32:35LOOKING AT PEOPLE, AND I'VE GOTTEN IDEAS FOR PLOT POINTS JUST BY WALKING DOWN THE STREET
02:32:38AND SEEING TWO PEOPLE TALKING. AND I'M WONDERING, WHAT ARE
02:32:42THEY TALKING ABOUT? MAYBE I CAN ANSWER THAT MYSELF. OR I SEE A
02:32:45GUY WITH A BOX GET ON A BUS. I WONDER WHAT'S IN THE BOX AND
02:32:48WHERE'S THE BUS GOING WITH THE GUY? AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, I
02:32:51HAVE A STORY IDEA. FROM THAT. THE IDEAS ARE ALL AROUND YOU ALL
02:32:55THE TIME. IT'S JUST THAT YOU'RE NOT RECEPTIVE TO SEIZING
02:32:58OPPORTUNITIES. ONCE YOU DO THINK ABOUT SEIZING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES, AND ALL OF A
02:33:02SUDDEN YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TOO MANY IDEAS, TOO MANY THINGS TO WRITE ABOUT.
02:33:05>> WATCH AMERICA'S BOOK CLUB WITH DAVID BALDACCI SUNDAY AT 6
02:33:09P.M. AND 9 P.M. EASTERN AND
02:33:11PACIFIC. ONLY ON C-SPAN.
02:33:15>> [MUSIC]
02:33:27>> C-SPAN IS AS UNBIASED AS YOU CAN GET. >> YOU ARE SO FAIR. I DON'T KNOW
02:33:30HOW ANYBODY CAN SAY OTHERWISE.
02:33:32>> YOU GUYS DO THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK FOR EVERYONE IN
02:33:36THIS COUNTRY. >> I LOVE C-SPAN BECAUSE I GET TO HEAR ALL THE VOICES.
02:33:39>> YOU BRING THESE DIVERGENT VIEWPOINTS, AND YOU PRESENT BOTH
02:33:43SIDES OF AN ISSUE, AND YOU ALLOW PEOPLE TO MAKE UP THEIR OWN MINDS.
02:33:47>> I ABSOLUTELY LOVE C-SPAN. I'D LOVE TO HEAR BOTH SIDES.
02:33:51I'VE WATCHED THESE FANS EVERY MORNING, AND IT IS UNBIASED. AND
02:33:54YOU BRING IN FACTUAL. >> PRIVILEGE HERE AND GO OUT OF
02:33:58THE NORMAL ORDER AND TRAVEL TO COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA,
02:34:01BECAUSE, BOB, YOU'VE GOT A STAKE IN THIS OUTCOME. SO HAVE
02:34:05YOU ALREADY VOTED? AND TELL ME, HOW DID YOU INTERPRET DARLINE
02:34:08GRAHAM'S ANSWER TO THAT DEBATE?
02:34:12QUESTION? >> I VOTED ABOUT AN HOUR AGO.
02:34:15AND AND I VOTED FOR RALPH
02:34:17NORMAN. AND, UH, I SAW THE
02:34:20DEBATE AND, AND I THOUGHT HER, HER RESPONSE OR LACK THEREOF
02:34:24WAS, WAS VERY IMPORTANT. I
02:34:26ACTUALLY WAS, WAS AGHAST. I
02:34:30WATCHED IT AND I WAS, I WAS
02:34:31THINKING THIS IS SHE, A COLLEGE
02:34:35SENIOR TRYING TO GET A, GET A
02:34:37GRADE. IS IT IT LOOKED IT, IT
02:34:41DIDN'T LOOK LIKE. >> THERE WAS OKAY. THERE WAS, THERE WAS NOTHING IN DEER. THERE
02:34:45WAS NOTHING ENDEARING, BUT RATHER IT WAS SOMEONE
02:34:49UNINFORMED. THAT'S THE WAY YOU READ IT.
02:34:53>> WELL, ENDEARING WAS, WAS
02:34:54APPOINTING HER TO THIS ROLE.
02:34:58YEAH. UNTIL THE ELECTION. RIGHT. HER TAKING IT THE NEXT SIX
02:35:01YEARS. NO, THAT'S NOT ENDEARING.
02:35:05SOMEBODY NEEDS TO DESERVE THAT. >> I, I AGREE, I AGREE LIKE I HAVE, I HAVE. >> TO.
02:35:09>> I HAVE TO SAY AS, AS SORT OF
02:35:12AN HONORIFIC TO THE LATE LINDSEY GRAHAM, THE IDEA THAT HIS SISTER
02:35:15WOULD BE A CARETAKER FOR A
02:35:18PERIOD OF MONTHS. I'M FINE WITH THAT. I'M FINE WITH THAT.
02:35:21>> I AM. >> TOO. UM, ABSOLUTELY. BUT YOU. >> AND THAT'S GOOD, RIGHT?
02:35:25>> IT'S BUT, BUT YOU GOTTA KNOW YOUR LIMITS. >> YOU GOTTA BE A SENATOR.
02:35:29QUALITY. >> YEAH. >> OKAY. AND I DON'T THINK SHE IS.
02:35:32>> OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THAT PHONE CALL. HAPPY THAT YOU VOTED. APPRECIATE YOU WEIGHING
02:35:35IN. PAM. YOU'RE IN. I BELIEVE, THE STATE OF WASHINGTON. I THINK
02:35:39WITH A DIFFERENT TAKE. HOW DID YOU READ THE WHOLE DARLINE
02:35:42GRAHAM SITUATION? >> WELL, SHE DEFINITELY COULD HAVE ANSWERED THAT QUESTION
02:35:46BETTER BY EITHER JUST SAYING, I
02:35:48NEED TO BE, UM, I NEED MORE INFORMATION. I NEED TO STUDY UP
02:35:52ON THAT. BUT SHE SOUNDED JUST IGNORANT. BUT MY PROBLEM WAS.
02:35:56LATER, I SAW AN INTERVIEW WITH TRUMP SAYING HOW GREAT SHE WAS,
02:35:58AND SHE'LL DO WHATEVER I SAY,
02:36:02RIGHT? SO HE A PUPPET AND, AND SHE'S LOOKING TO HIM FOR
02:36:05ANSWERS. AND THAT WOULD THAT'S REALLY DISTURBING TO ME.
02:36:09>> WELL, I MEAN, I THINK IT'S
02:36:12DISTURBING. IT'S PROBABLY ALSO
02:36:14ACCURATE AND MAYBE NOT JUST FOR HER. SO MANY OF THEM, I THINK,
02:36:17ARE JUST GOING TO VOTE, WHATEVER
02:36:19THAT PARTY LINE MIGHT BE FOR OR
02:36:22AGAINST TRUMP. YOU KNOW, I THINK PUPPETRY EXTENDS TO PUPPETRY.
02:36:26PUPPETRY IS I'M GOING TO SUPPORT ANYTHING THAT TRUMP
02:36:28WANTS. PUPPETRY IS ALSO, I'M
02:36:31GOING TO OPPOSE ANYTHING HE'S
02:36:33FOR
02:36:36>> THAT'S TRUE. YEAH. BUT IT WAS JUST BLATANT. SHE'S DEFINITELY NOT. SHE'S PROBABLY
02:36:39A LOVELY LADY, BUT SHE'S JUST NOT, UH, EQUIPPED RIGHT NOW TO
02:36:43BECOME A, YOU KNOW, A UNITED STATES SENATOR.
02:36:47>> WELL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PHONE CALL. I APPRECIATE IT VERY
02:36:48MUCH. LARRY, YOU'RE IN FORT LAUDERDALE. GOOD FOR YOU. WHAT
02:36:52DID YOU MOST WANT TO SAY, MICHAEL?
02:36:56>> IT'S VERY SIMPLE. THE LADY SAID SOME REALLY. HONEST THINGS.
02:36:59BUT AS A RESULT OF WHAT SHE SAID, I WOULD NEVER VOTE FOR
02:37:03HER. I NEED 100 OF THE FINEST
02:37:06CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES OF
02:37:09AMERICA TO BE IN MY SENATE, WORRYING NOT ONLY ABOUT MY
02:37:13AFFORDABILITY, BUT ABOUT THE
02:37:15FUTURE OF OUR COUNTRY,
02:37:17INTERNATIONALLY, AND REGARDING
02:37:20GRETA, GRETA, SAYING THAT THE MEDIA IS PICKING ON HER. WELL,
02:37:23GRETA PICKS ON EVERYBODY SHE
02:37:25WANTS TO PICK ON WHEN SHE HAS A DIFFERENT OPINION.
02:37:29>> HER TAKE, ACTUALLY, WAS THAT THE MEDIA. LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT, THAT THE MEDIA WHO ARE
02:37:33PICKING ON HER THEMSELVES HAVE MADE PLENTY OF MISTAKES FOR
02:37:37WHICH THEY DESERVE TO BE PICKED
02:37:38ON. THAT IS A VERY LOOSE
02:37:41PARAPHRASING BY YOURS TRULY. THIS IS HAROLD IN KANSAS.
02:37:45GREETINGS TO YOU. IT'S YOUR
02:37:49TURN. >> FANTASTIC TO BE ON YOUR SHOW. I DON'T WATCH MUCH CNN, BUT I
02:37:52DO TURN IN SATURDAYS TO SEE YOU.
02:37:54THANK IT. I DO CONCRETE WORK. MY
02:37:59SISTER IS A BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD EXECUTIVE. I KNOW I
02:38:02CAN'T DO HER JOB JUST BECAUSE
02:38:05I'M HER SISTER OR BROTHER. DOESN'T MAKE ME QUALIFIED TO DO
02:38:09IT. AND I'M A REPUBLICAN AND A
02:38:11LINDSEY GRAHAM FAN. SO I JUST
02:38:14DON'T REALLY THINK SHE'S QUALIFIED FOR THE POSITION.
02:38:17>> I WILL NOT BE SURPRISED. DESPITE PICKING UP THE PRESIDENT'S ENDORSEMENT IN A
02:38:21VERY RED STATE, I WON'T BE SURPRISED IF IF NORMAN DEFEATS
02:38:24HER TONIGHT, IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHICH WHICH WAY IT GOES. HAROLD, THANK YOU
02:38:28FOR TUNING IN TO ME ON CNN. I HAVE TO TELL A FUNNY STORY.
02:38:30YESTERDAY, CHARLES BARKLEY WAS HERE IN THE THIRD HOUR OF THE
02:38:33PROGRAM, AND HE WAS A FABULOUS GUEST. AS A MATTER OF FACT,
02:38:37THERE'S A CARPOOL. GIVE ME, GIVE ME MICHAEL PETERSON.
02:38:40>> OH, YEAH. >> CHUCK MCDOWELL. AND CHARLES BARKLEY.
02:38:44>> IN THE SAME A LOT OF COMMON SENSE, RIGHT FROM DIFFERENT
02:38:47AREAS, YOU KNOW.
02:38:48>> SO, SO CHUCK, IN THE CONVERSATION YESTERDAY.
02:38:52>> CHUCK OR CHUCK NOW CHARLES, CHARLES BARKLEY. CHUCK. SO
02:38:55PEOPLE DO.
02:38:57>> SIR CHARLES, SIR CHARLES
02:38:59YESTERDAY MAKES A COMMENT ABOUT CNN. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE COMBATIVE NATURE.
02:39:04>> WHY? YES, HE DID.
02:39:05>> AND SO. HE WAS HERE. HE WAS
02:39:08HERE FOR 45 MINUTES. FOR 45. >> MINUTES TO. >> SAY, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT
02:39:11OF CONTENT GENERATED. I THOUGHT FOR SURE THAT HE WAS MAKING NEWS
02:39:15WITH WHAT HE SAID ABOUT THE WNBA. >> OF COURSE.
02:39:18>> BUT LO AND BEHOLD, THE ONE NUGGET THAT THEN GETS CIRCULATED
02:39:21AND VIRAL IS HIM CRITICIZING CNN
02:39:25TO THE CNN HOST. THAT WAS WHY THAT WOULD BE ME. CORRECT. UM,
02:39:28BUT I WASN'T GOING TO OBJECT TO WHAT HE SAID, BECAUSE SOME OF
02:39:31THE, THE COMBATIVENESS THAT HE WAS ADDRESSING. I FEEL THE SAME
02:39:34WAY. I KNOW YOU DO YOU RUN YOUR SHOW A DIFFERENT WAY. BUT, YOU KNOW, LIKE, I DIDN'T EVEN IT'S
02:39:38NOT LIKE HE EVEN ASKED A QUESTION. I, I DIDN'T PITCH ANYTHING. HE JUST, HE JUST LIKE
02:39:41SAW ME AND WANTED TO DELIVER THAT MESSAGE. >> HE HAD A LOT TO SAY. HE HAD A
02:39:44LOT TO SAY. HE HAD A LOT TO SAY ABOUT WEIGHT. HE HAD A LOT TO
02:39:47SAY ABOUT AGE AND GOLF AND WNBA
02:39:50LOT TO SAY. >> YEAH, BOBBY, HELLO TO YOU IN MISSOURI. APPRECIATE YOUR PHONE
02:39:54CALL. YOUR TURN.
02:39:57>> HEY, MICHAEL. THANKS. >> SURE.
02:40:00>> I THINK I THINK THE MEDIA IS
02:40:03MISSING THE POINT OF WHAT TOOK
02:40:05PLACE. AND. YES. UM, SHE'S
02:40:07UNINFORMED. THE REALITY IS WHAT
02:40:10SHE SAID TO HANNITY ABOUT ALL OF THE DIFFERENT ISSUES. SHE NAMED
02:40:14FIVE DIFFERENT ISSUES THAT CAROLINIANS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT.
02:40:17THE SAY THAT, UH, AFFORDABILITY,
02:40:20THE PRICE OF FOOD, THE PRICE OF
02:40:22GAS, AND NO ONE PICKED UP ON
02:40:25HERE'S A SENATOR THAT'S SAYING WHAT NONE OF THE OTHER SENATORS ARE SAYING. AND THAT'S
02:40:29IMPORTANT. >> YOU KNOW, IN OTHER WORDS, SHE MAKES UP FOR IT BY DISCUSSING
02:40:32THAT, WHICH REALLY IS IMPORTANT.
02:40:36>> EXACTLY, EXACTLY. BUT AND
02:40:38NONE OF THE OTHER REPUBLICANS ARE TALKING ABOUT IT ON THE AIR.
02:40:42AND HANNITY SAID NOTHING. IT'S VERY INTERESTING. >> YEAH.
02:40:46>> THANKS FOR TAKING. >> MY CALL. YEAH, I'M HAPPY TO. I, I LOVED, UH, DIVERSE
02:40:49VIEWPOINTS. I WANT TO HEAR WHAT EVERYBODY'S SAYING. LARRY,
02:40:51YOU'RE IN TORONTO. HI
02:40:55>> YOU MIGHT FEEL IT'S KIND OF STRANGE FOR A CANADIAN TO BE CALLING IN ON THIS SUBJECT, BUT.
02:40:59>> NO, NOT
02:41:02>> THAT THE, UH, THE FIRST CALLER, UM, REALLY, I APPRECIATE
02:41:06WHAT HE SAID. UM, BECAUSE IT
02:41:08KIND OF THREW A LOOP INTO WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY. AND THAT IS THAT I THINK A LOT OF THE
02:41:12SOUTHERN STATES, A LOT OF THE RED STATES, LIKE SOUTH CAROLINA
02:41:15OR, OR KENTUCKY, OR THOSE KIND
02:41:18OF STATES, THEY DON'T REALLY
02:41:19KNOW THEMSELVES WHAT'S GOING ON
02:41:23INTERNATIONALLY. THEY'RE NOT AS EDUCATED AS, AS SOME OF THE BLUE STATES. AND SO I'M GENERALIZING HERE.
02:41:27>> YOU SURE. >> ARE. THEY WOULD HOLD AGAINST HER. >> WOW. YOU SURE ARE.
02:41:30>> I'M, UH. >> WELL, WE WILL WE WILL FIND, WE WILL FIND OUT TONIGHT. WE
02:41:33WILL, WE WILL FIND OUT TONIGHT. BUT I, I CAN'T, I MEAN, I CAN'T JUST PUT IT IN THE
02:41:36CATEGORY OF. WELL, THEY'RE FROM THE SOUTH, AND NONE OF THEM KNOW
02:41:40ANYTHING ABOUT TAIWAN. I ASSURE YOU THAT IF I WERE TO QUIZ MY
02:41:43NEIGHBORS ABOUT OUR STRATEGIC
02:41:48AMBIGUITY POLICY RELATIVE TO TAIWAN AND CHINA, THEY THEY'D SAY THE SAME THING. >> BUT THEY DON'T WANT TO BE SENATORS. COME ON.
02:41:51>> NO, BUT HIS POINT WAS THAT THE VOTERS ARE NOT GOING TO HOLD HER ACCOUNTABLE BECAUSE THEY'RE
02:41:55IN THE SAME BOAT. OH, LOOK, THAT'S WHY I ASKED THE QUESTION
02:41:56OF WHETHER THIS WAS WHETHER THIS
02:41:59WAS ENDEARING AT AT SOME POINT,
02:42:00UH, LARRY IS IN TORONTO, AND IT
02:42:04REMINDS ME TO SAY THAT THIS
02:42:06SUBJECT ABOUT THE TARIFF WAR
02:42:09WITH CANADA, THAT WE INITIATED
02:42:11IS GOING TO GET GREAT TREATMENT
02:42:15ON THIS PROGRAM. THURSDAY. THURSDAY, IN THE SECOND HOUR OF
02:42:18THE PROGRAM, IN STUDIO WITH ME
02:42:21IS THE FORMER UNITED STATES
02:42:23AMBASSADOR TO CANADA, ONE DAVID L. COHEN.
02:42:26>> HEY, BRILLIANT. HAVE HIM JOIN THE CARPOOL.
02:42:28>> SO WE GOT COHEN, AND WE'VE
02:42:31GOT SIR CHARLES, AND WE'VE GOT MICHAEL PETERSON AND CHUCK
02:42:34MCDOWELL. YEAH. AND I CAN I HAVE A FEW MORE SURPRISES FOR
02:42:38TOMORROW, BUT I, I, I BEST NOT GET AHEAD OF MYSELF. WE'LL COME
02:42:40BACK WITH OUR REMAINING MOMENTS OF THE PROGRAM AND YOUR PHONE
02:42:44CALLS RIGHT AFTER THIS.
02:42:51>> THIS WEEK ON C-SPAN 2, WE'RE BRINGING YOU LIVE TALK RADIO
02:42:55SIMULCAST FEATURING VOICES FROM ACROSS AMERICAN POLITICS AT 9
02:42:58A.M. EASTERN. MICHAEL SMERCONISH HOSTS THE MICHAEL SMERCONISH
02:43:01PROGRAM, CHALLENGING BOTH SIDES OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM. AT
02:43:04NOON, PROGRESSIVE COMMENTATOR THOM HARTMANN HOSTS THE THOM
02:43:07HARTMANN PROGRAM WITH HIS TAKE ON THE DAY'S BIGGEST POLITICAL
02:43:11STORIES. AND THEN, AT THREE, CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST HOWIE
02:43:14CARR HOSTS THE HOWIE CARR SHOW, WITH HIS TAKE ON POLITICS,
02:43:17CULTURE AND THE NEWS OF THE DAY.
02:43:20WATCH LIVE THIS WEEK ON C-SPAN.
02:43:23TWO C-SPAN NOW, OUR FREE MOBILE
02:43:25VIDEO APP, OR ONLINE AT
02:43:29C-SPAN.ORG. ALL THIS WEEK, JOIN
02:43:35C-SPAN 2 AT 6 P.M. EASTERN FOR MARATHON PROGRAMING,
02:43:37HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THE MOST
02:43:39CONSEQUENTIAL, COMPELLING, AND MEMORABLE MOMENTS COVERED BY
02:43:43C-SPAN IN 2026. TODAY, A COLLECTION OF CONGRESSIONAL
02:43:46HEARINGS THAT SHAPED POLICY, SCRUTINIZED IMPORTANT ISSUES,
02:43:49AND CAPTURED THE ATTENTION OF
02:43:51THE COUNTRY WEDNESDAY, A LOOK AT
02:43:54THE EXPLORATION, INNOVATION, AND ACHIEVEMENT THAT HAVE PUSHED THE BOUNDARIES OF WHAT'S POSSIBLE
02:43:57FROM THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN
02:44:00SPACE PROGRAM TO ARTEMIS II. THURSDAY, WE'LL AIR SOME OF THIS
02:44:03YEAR'S MOST WATCHED, MOST
02:44:05TALKED ABOUT, AND MOST MEMORABLE C-SPAN PROGRAMING THAT CAPTURED
02:44:09PUBLIC ATTENTION. AND ON FRIDAY, SUPREME COURT JUSTICES
02:44:12DISCUSSING THEIR LIVES, THE CONSTITUTION, THE COURT, AND
02:44:16WHAT IT MEANS TO SERVE ON THE NATION'S HIGHEST COURT. WATCH A
02:44:19MARATHON OF COMPELLING
02:44:21PROGRAMING. ALL THIS WEEK ON
02:44:24C-SPAN, TWO. >> [MUSIC]
02:44:28>> BEST IDEAS AND BEST PRACTICES CAN BE FOUND ANYWHERE.
02:44:31>> WE HAVE TO LISTEN SO WE CAN GOVERN BETTER.
02:44:33>> DEMOCRACY DEPENDS ON HEAVY DOSES OF CIVILITY.
02:44:36>> YOU CAN FIGHT AND STILL BE FRIENDLY. >> BRIDGING THE DIVIDE IN
02:44:40AMERICAN POLITICS. >> YOU KNOW, YOU MAY NOT AGREE WITH THE DEMOCRAT ON EVERYTHING,
02:44:42BUT YOU CAN FIND AREAS WHERE YOU AGREE. >> HE'S PRETTY LIKABLE GUY AS WELL.
02:44:46>> CHRIS AND I ARE ACTUALLY FRIENDS. HE VOTES WRONG ALL THE
02:44:48TIME, BUT WE'RE ACTUALLY FRIENDS. >> THE HORRIBLE SECRET THAT SCOTT AND I HAVE IS THAT WE
02:44:52ACTUALLY RESPECT EACH OTHER. >> WE ALL DON'T HATE EACH OTHER.
02:44:56>> YOU TWO ACTUALLY KIND OF LIKE EACH OTHER. THESE ARE THE KINDS OF SECRETS WE LIKE TO EXPOSE.
02:45:00>> IT'S NICE TO BE WITH A MEMBER WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. >> YOU GUYS DID AGREE TO THE
02:45:04CIVILITY. >> ALL RIGHT. HE OWES MY SON $10
02:45:06FROM A BET. I NEVER PAID. FORK IT OVER.
02:45:10>> THAT'S FIGHTING WORDS RIGHT THERE. >> I'M NOT IN CHARGE OF IT. >> I'M THRILLED TO BE ON THE.
02:45:14>> SHOW WITH HIM. THEY'RE NOT
02:45:16SHOWS LIKE THIS, RIGHT? INCENTIVIZING THAT RELATIONSHIP.
02:45:19>> CEASE FIRE FRIDAY NIGHTS ON
02:45:24C-SPAN. >> [MUSIC]
02:45:28>> IN A DIVIDED MEDIA WORLD, ONE PLACE BRINGS AMERICANS TOGETHER >> [MUSIC].
02:45:31>> ACCORDING TO A NEW MOGG AND RESEARCH REPORT, NEARLY 90
02:45:34MILLION AMERICANS TURN TO C-SPAN.
02:45:38>> WELL
02:45:41>> CAROLINA, OUR NEIGHBOR. YEAH. AND THAT'S REALLY A TOUGH ONE.
02:45:43YOU KNOW, I HAD MY MIND MADE UP
02:45:47LISTENING TO SOME OF YOUR
02:45:49CALLERS. AND IN ON, ON HER, BUT
02:45:55I THINK SHE'S QUALIFIED. AND
02:46:04I'M AFRAID THAT SHE IS GOING TO
02:46:07FOLLOW HER TO DO. AND I THINK WE HAVE. THAT'S PART OF THE
02:46:11PROBLEM WE HAVE IN >> WELL. LET'S ON THAT. LET'S
02:46:15LET'S SEE HOW IT. LET'S SEE HOW IT RESOLVES TONIGHT. I GOTTA KEEP MOVING, MARK, ONLY BECAUSE
02:46:19I'M TRYING TO SQUEEZE LOTS OF PEOPLE IN. IN OUR REMAINING
02:46:21MOMENTS. RICHARD, YOU'RE IN
02:46:23PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA. HI
02:46:30>> THE GUESTS LATELY, JUST TEN OUT OF TEN.
02:46:32>> THANK >> UM, I'M A I'M A TRUCKER,
02:46:35ACCOUNTANT, A SALESMAN, AND
02:46:43>> WAIT, YOU MEAN CHARLES BARKLEY OR CHUCK MCDOWELL? >> WELL, BOTH. CHUCK'S, IF YOU
02:46:47DON'T GO VIRAL FOR BOTH OF THOSE, YOU SHOULD JUST FIRE YOUR
02:46:50SOCIAL MEDIA PERSON. YOU SHOULD BE VIRAL WITH THOSE TWO INTERVIEWS. MICHAEL.
02:46:54>> YEAH, I, I'M, I GUESS WHAT
02:46:56I, WHAT, WHAT WAS THE, UH, THE
02:46:58WORD I'M LOOKING FOR, NOT VIRALITY. NO, I'M, I'M NOT,
02:47:01I'M TONGUE TIED IS ACTUALLY, I'M, I, I JUST ENJOYED THE
02:47:05CONVERSATIONS. YEAH. NO, I, I.
02:47:08>> HAD MICHAEL, I OWN A MYPILLOW
02:47:14BROTHER.
02:47:14>> ARE THEY
02:47:18>> ACTUALLY WASH AND DRY. >> IT
02:47:19>> I MY KING LIKE 50% OFF. BUT.
02:47:25>> UH, I WONDER, I WONDER HOW MANY, I WONDER HOW MANY PILLOWS
02:47:30GET SOLD IN BLUE STATES FROM
02:47:34MIKE LINDELL
02:47:40>> BOUGHT WHEN I WAS IN TENNESSEE. >> HERE'S WHAT WOULD, HERE'S WHAT WOULD DETERMINE WHETHER I
02:47:44WOULD BUY A MYPILLOW, WHETHER IT'S A GOOD PILLOW THAT WOULD.
02:47:48THAT WOULD BE MY, THAT WOULD BE MY, MY DETERMINING FACTOR. THANK YOU, RICHARD, FOR THE
02:47:51COMPLIMENT. I APPRECIATE IT VERY
02:47:54MUCH. TODD IS, I BELIEVE IN
02:47:56CALIFORNIA. HI
02:48:00>> YEAH. HI, MICHAEL. I'M CALLING BACK WEEK. DO YOU
02:48:04REMEMBER?
02:48:08>> YOU'RE THE HOMELESS GUY?
02:48:09>> I BOUGHT AN RV, AND I TALKED
02:48:13TO RO KHANNA. YOU KNOW RO
02:48:15KHANNA? YEP. YOU KNOW WHO HE IS?
02:48:17>> SURE. SACRAMENTO. THE
02:48:21NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CONGRESSMAN >> AND TOM PIKE. SAID WE CAN'T
02:48:25HELP YOUR WIFE. WE'RE FEDERAL. >> OKAY, I DON'T I DON'T KNOW
02:48:29WHO TOM PIKE IS. AND PLEASE LEAVE NAMES OUT OF THE THE
02:48:33STORY, BUT JUST GIVE ME THE GIST
02:48:34OF MY, MY RECORD. MY RECOLLECTION IS.
02:48:38>> HE'S HE'S RO KHANNA OFFICE MANAGER.
02:48:42>> I KNOW, BUT I, I, I KNOW, BUT I'M JUST OKAY, OKAY. FINE.
02:48:45DIMENSION. RO KHANNA. >> PAHLAVI IN FRONT OF MR.. I, I
02:48:49WAS PARKING MY RV IN FRONT OF
02:48:52MR.. CONNOR'S PLACE, HIS OFFICE. SO HE'LL HELP MY WIFE.
02:48:55>> I UNDERSTAND. OKAY, YOU ARE HOMELESS, AND NOW YOU'RE IN AN
02:48:58RV. AND, AND WHERE ARE YOU AS WE
02:49:00SPEAK
02:49:05>> OF THE EXTENDED STAY. AMERICA, WHERE I WAS PAYING
02:49:08$48,000 A YEAR. THE RV WAS ONLY 37.
02:49:12>> GOT IT. I HOPE YOU LAND ON YOUR FEET, AND YOU'LL KEEP US
02:49:15ABREAST OF. OF HOW? NO. >> NO, NO, THERE'S ONE MORE
02:49:19THING. GO AHEAD. >> OKAY. >> UM, WE'RE BUILDING FOR
02:49:22PROFIT PRISONS. WHY CAN'T WE BUILD A FOR PROFIT HOME FOR
02:49:26HOMELESS
02:49:28>> I BELIEVE IN THAT. I'M ALL FOR THAT. THANK YOU. I WISH, TODD, THAT I HAD MORE TIME, AND
02:49:32I. I HOPE THAT THINGS TURN. THINGS TURN AROUND FOR YOU.
02:49:35BRENT IN VIRGINIA. HI. BRENT.
02:49:39>> YOU DOING, MICHAEL? THANKS FOR TAKING MY CALL. >> SURE.
02:49:42>> UH, I JUST WANTED TO SAY ON
02:49:44THE, ON THE DARLINE GRAHAM, UH, QUESTION THAT YOU POSED. I MEAN,
02:49:48TO ME, THAT'S A SHINING EXAMPLE
02:49:51OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE REPUBLICANS DEFINITION OF
02:49:54MERITOCRACY. SHE HAS NO BUSINESS, OBVIOUSLY, BEING A
02:49:56SENATOR IF SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW
02:49:58HOW TO ANSWER A SIMPLE QUESTION
02:50:00ABOUT, UH, PRETTY WIDELY KNOWN FOREIGN AFFAIRS, UH, ISSUE, EVEN
02:50:04IF WE DON'T KNOW THE PARTICULARS AND, YOU KNOW,
02:50:08CALLING IT GENTEEL OR HONEST TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, SHE, SHE HAS
02:50:12NO INFORMATION OR NO OPINION ON
02:50:17THAT, JUST REALLY DISQUALIFIES HER AS A, AS A, FOR A LEADERSHIP POSITION, PARTICULARLY IN THE
02:50:20SENATE. >> IF SHE HAD THE GIG AS A
02:50:24CARETAKER AND DECIDED NOT TO RUN, I DON'T THINK ANYONE WOULD HAVE HAD A PROBLEM. RIGHT. IT
02:50:28WOULD HAVE HAD A MUCH DIFFERENT ENDING. AND I, I SUSPECT IT
02:50:30MIGHT NOT END WELL FOR HER,
02:50:33POLITICALLY SPEAKING, TONIGHT, UH, WHICH IS UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE THEN SHE'LL BE DEALING WITH THE
02:50:37PASSING OF THE PASSING OF HER BROTHER, AND ALSO THE LOSS OF AN
02:50:40ELECTION THAT A FEW WEEKS AGO, SHE NEVER THOUGHT SHE'D BE
02:50:44COMPETING IN. GLORIA. HI. YOU'RE
02:50:45IN CALIFORNIA. WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND?
02:50:48>> HI, MICHAEL. CAN I JUST SAY I'VE BEEN FOLLOWING. I FIRST
02:50:51SAW YOU ON CHRIS MATTHEWS SHOW. UM, RIGHT BEFORE THE 2008
02:50:55ELECTION. WOW. I THINK YOU WERE STILL ON THE RADIO, AND I THINK
02:50:58YOU WERE STILL A REPUBLICAN. I'VE BEEN FOLLOWING YOU SINCE. SO I WANT YOU TO KNOW. THANK
02:51:01YOU. A LONG. >> TIME IN OH EIGHT, FOR WHAT
02:51:04IT'S WORTH, IN, IN OH EIGHT, I
02:51:06WAS STILL A REPUBLICAN. I WAS A REPUBLICAN FROM 1980 UNTIL 2010.
02:51:10AND FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW,
02:51:13FOR FIVE YEARS, I GUEST HOSTED,
02:51:15UH, CHRIS MATTHEWS HARDBALL WHENEVER HE WOULD BE ON VACATION. AND THE FUNNY PART OF
02:51:19THE STORY IS THAT IN THAT, IN
02:51:23THAT SAME FIVE YEARS, I ALSO GUEST HOSTED BILL O'REILLY'S
02:51:26RADIO SHOW AND WOULD WALK FROM THE FOX NEWS BUILDING ON THE
02:51:29AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS TO 30
02:51:32ROCK, WHICH IS WHERE MATTHEWS PROGRAM WAS LOCATED. AND, AND
02:51:35TRY TO, YOU KNOW, TRAVERSE THOSE
02:51:37TWO WORLDS, UH, WHICH WAS NOT ALWAYS EASY. I'M SORRY THAT,
02:51:40UH, YOU KNOW, I INTERRUPTED YOUR
02:51:42TIME. GO AHEAD.
02:51:45>> OF TODAY THAT YOU. I KNOW NEVER HAPPEN. I KNOW, I WANT TO
02:51:47SAY, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S VERY, SHE'S VERY SWEET, BUT SHE'S WAY
02:51:51OUT OF HER LEAGUE AND IT'S JUST
02:51:55UNACCEPTABLE TO HAVE SOMEBODY WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT FOREIGN POLICY. IT'S NOT REALLY ABOUT NATIONAL SECURITY. IT TIES INTO
02:51:59IT, BUT UNACCEPTABLE AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED. BUT I'M IN CALIFORNIA. >> YOU KNOW WHAT'S FUNNY,
02:52:03GLORIA, IS, IS YOU THROW MSNBC
02:52:05INTO MY INTO MY MEMORY WHILE TALKING ABOUT DARLINE GRAHAM.
02:52:09SIT BACK AND LISTEN TO THIS. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PHONE
02:52:12CALL. IT REMINDS ME OF SHOOTING
02:52:16A PILOT, SHOOTING A PILOT AT
02:52:19MSNBC, LONG TIME AGO, BEFORE
02:52:22MSNBC MOVED TO 30 ROCK. I THINK THEY'VE MOVED OUT, BUT I DON'T
02:52:24EVEN KNOW. BUT THIS WAS WHEN
02:52:29MSNBC WAS WAS IN SECAUCUS. THIS
02:52:31WAS THE IMUS ERA. THIS WAS IMUS
02:52:33IN THE MORNING. AND ONE DAY I
02:52:37WAS INVITED TO DO A PILOT WITH
02:52:41TUCKER CARLSON, WHO WAS STILL IN
02:52:45HIS BOW TIE PHASE. AND A WOMAN WHOSE NAME I AM NOT PLACING. DAMN. BUT IN THE COURSE OF THE
02:52:49PILOT. AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE GAME CONDITIONS WHEN YOU'RE
02:52:51SHOOTING A PILOT, THERE'S A SET, THERE'S A DIRECTOR, THE LIGHTS, THE CAMERA, THE ACTION,
02:52:55EVERYTHING, BECAUSE THEY WANT TO GET A LOOK AT CAN. THIS CONCEPT
02:52:59WORK? AND WHEN THE QUESTION CAME TO THE THIRD PANELIST, THE
02:53:03FEMALE, HIS HER NAME WILL OCCUR TO ME. IT'LL OCCUR TO ME IN
02:53:07SEVEN MINUTES WHEN I'M NO LONGER BEHIND A LIVE MIC, AND
02:53:09I'LL REGRET IT. BUT WHEN IT
02:53:12CAME TO HER, SHE SAID, YOU KNOW, I'VE NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT THAT
02:53:15QUESTION IN THE CONTEXT OF WHAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A ROBUST,
02:53:19YOU KNOW, THING. CROSSFIRE,
02:53:21POLITICAL CON. AND I REALLY APPRECIATED IT. I LIKE, YOU
02:53:25KNOW, I'LL HAVE WHAT SHE'S HAVING. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WAS AN OPTION. I DIDN'T KNOW. AND
02:53:29I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT IT BECAUSE,
02:53:32YOU KNOW, DARLINE GRAHAM IS SEEKING ELECTIVE OFFICE. THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN A MEDIA
02:53:36PERSONALITY. BUT TAKE IT FROM ME, MANY OF THE PEOPLE THAT
02:53:40YOU'RE WATCHING ON THESE PROGRAMS, THEY WISH THEY COULD
02:53:44EXERCISE THE DARLINE GRAHAM
02:53:45BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW A THING
02:53:48ABOUT THE QUESTION THAT HAS JUST BEEN PUT TO THEM. IN MANY INSTANCES. AND ALL THEY'RE DOING
02:53:52IS GIVING YOU A WIND UP
02:53:56SOUNDBITE. THINK ABOUT THAT JOHN
02:53:59IS IN, UH, MASSACHUSETTS. HI, JOHN. YOUR TURN. WHAT DID YOU
02:54:02MOST WANT TO SAY
02:54:05>> WANT TO SAY, WHEN MARK KELLY TOOK OVER FOR GABBY GIFFORDS, WHO DIDN'T KNOW WHAT SHE WAS
02:54:09DOING TO BEGIN WITH, HE HAD NO
02:54:11QUALIFICATIONS FOR ANY OF OUR DOMESTIC POLICIES, AND NOBODY WAS WORRIED ABOUT THAT.
02:54:15EVERYBODY LET HIM GO ON. AND THEN HE HE CONTINUED ON. HE DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT OUR
02:54:19AGRICULTURE. HE A PERFECTLY
02:54:25QUALIFIED PERSON. I MEAN, THESE
02:54:34THIS CRYING ABOUT THIS IS THE PROBLEM WITH REPUBLICANS. THAT'S HOW THEY GO. >> YEAH, I HAVEN'T, I HAVEN'T
02:54:38HEARD ANYBODY PUT IT IN, IN PARTIZAN TERMS. BUT BUT LOOK, I,
02:54:41I THINK YOUR POINT IS WELL MADE THAT THERE HAVE THERE HAVE BEEN
02:54:44PEOPLE, ALTHOUGH MARK KELLY IS A SMART GUY. UH, I NOT SURE WHY
02:54:48YOU SAID WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT GABBY GIFFORDS, BUT MARK KELLY IS A SMART GUY. AND I THINK A
02:54:52VERY, UH, VERY QUICK LEARNER.
02:54:54CHRIS, YOU'RE IN CONNECTICUT.
02:54:56QUICKLY, TELL ME ONE THING >> REAL QUICK.
02:54:59>> AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED. >> DEBBIE. UH
02:55:03>> HER NAME? DARLENE. GRAHAM.
02:55:05>> GRAHAM. >> I CAN'T ANSWER THAT QUESTION
02:55:09RIGHT NOW. HOWEVER, IF A BILL
02:55:11COMES UP, I PROMISE YOU I WILL
02:55:13READ IT, AND I WILL VOTE
02:55:15ACCORDINGLY. THAT'S MANCHIN DID WHEN HARRY REID ASKED HIM TO
02:55:19VOTE IN A PARTY LINE VOTE. AND GUESS WHAT? HE READ THE BILL AND
02:55:22SAID, NO, I CAN'T SUPPORT THIS
02:55:26>> LIKE IT. LET'S ALL SEE WHAT HAPPENS TONIGHT IN THAT
02:55:29ELECTION. AND, UH, PERHAPS WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT TOMORROW. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IF YOU'VE NOT
02:55:32ALREADY VOTED, GO TO
02:55:35SMERCONISH.COM RIGHT NOW. AND ANSWER TODAY'S POLL QUESTION.
02:55:38IN A STATE WHERE ONE PARTY
02:55:40CAN'T WIN A SENATE SEAT, SHOULD
02:55:42THAT PARTY STEP ASIDE FOR A
02:55:46STRONG, INDEPENDENT, NEARING
02:55:4825000 VOTES, IT'S RUNNING 8515
02:55:51ROUND NUMBERS, 85% SAYING YES,
02:55:56YES, THE PARTY SHOULD STAND DOWN
02:55:58AND GIVE THE INDEPENDENT A SHOT.
02:56:00AND I'M ALL FOR THAT. SEE YOU >> [MUSIC]
02:56:04>> BOUNCE WITH YOU. YES, I'M
02:56:22>> AND MORE SIMULCAST TALK RADIO COVERAGE. NOW, AS WE TAKE YOU
02:56:24LIVE TO PORTLAND, OREGON, FOR THE THOM HARTMANN PROGRAM TO
02:56:28HEAR HIS TAKE ON THE DAY'S
02:56:30BIGGEST POLITICAL STORIES, THIS
02:56:33IS LIVE COVERAGE.
02:56:52>> AND SPECIAL GREETINGS TO OUR C-SPAN AUDIENCE. UH, WE.
02:56:55>> WILL BE HERE ALL WEEK.