1 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:11,640 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to the Texas Tribune Trip Cast for 2 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:14,880 March tenth, twenty twenty six. My name is Matthew Watkins, 3 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:17,519 editor in chief of the Texas Tribune, and I am 4 00:00:17,559 --> 00:00:20,440 joined as usual by Eleanor Klibanoff, Lawn, politics reporter for 5 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:22,760 the Tribune. Hello, Eleanor, thanks. 6 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:24,239 Speaker 2: For having me, and thanks for getting the title right. 7 00:00:24,399 --> 00:00:28,039 Speaker 1: Yeah, I wrote it down. 8 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:29,199 Speaker 2: That's good. That's good. 9 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:33,560 Speaker 1: Yes, I of course missed last week's podcast. I was 10 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:37,119 in beautiful Providence, Rhode Island, where there were three feet 11 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:40,880 was three feet of snow on the ground, and I 12 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:43,119 missed it so much I heard I'm so jealous of 13 00:00:43,159 --> 00:00:48,679 y'all talking about the election results and particularly Ken Paxton 14 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:51,920 and John Cornyn that I demanded that we do it 15 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:53,119 again this week. 16 00:00:53,799 --> 00:00:54,240 Speaker 2: We love it. 17 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:56,719 Speaker 3: Honestly, we could not have fit even one more person 18 00:00:56,799 --> 00:00:59,320 on this stage. Certainly we had no more room for 19 00:00:59,799 --> 00:01:02,280 one more man, so we were maxed out. 20 00:01:02,399 --> 00:01:04,359 Speaker 2: So what it kicked you off? Anyway? 21 00:01:04,439 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 1: All right? Well, well, very good, and so joining us 22 00:01:08,239 --> 00:01:11,599 to discuss this is friend of the podcast, Mark Davis, 23 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:16,760 who is host of his self titled show on six 24 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:20,079 sixty am The Answer in Dallas, Fort Worth and a 25 00:01:20,159 --> 00:01:25,760 frequent interviewer of Texas's top Republican officials. Mark, thank you 26 00:01:25,799 --> 00:01:26,519 for joining us. 27 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:28,439 Speaker 4: Thank you guys, pleasure to be here. 28 00:01:28,519 --> 00:01:30,959 Speaker 1: It's a fun time, I think, to be in talk 29 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:31,920 radio in Texas. 30 00:01:32,879 --> 00:01:35,120 Speaker 4: To say the least, I mean, this was this was 31 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:38,959 all set up. This was frontloaded to be an amazing season, 32 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:41,680 no matter what I mean. It always is at primary times, 33 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:45,680 and it always is, especially in Republican territory of primary times, 34 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:48,599 with blood on the walls and all these bitter feuds 35 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:50,920 and all of a sudden, everybody makes nice afterwards. We 36 00:01:50,959 --> 00:01:53,519 all unite to beat the Democrats, just as the Democrats 37 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:55,680 unite to beat us. At least that's the way it's 38 00:01:55,719 --> 00:01:59,200 supposed to go. But wow, there might be some intervening 39 00:01:59,319 --> 00:02:02,599 passions that make this, if possible, even more interesting. 40 00:02:02,799 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 1: Indeed, so let me just go through a quick recap. 41 00:02:05,239 --> 00:02:07,560 I'm sure all of our listeners know this, but let's 42 00:02:07,599 --> 00:02:09,479 talk about how we got to where we are right 43 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:13,879 now in this Cornyn Paxton race. Cornan shocks me at 44 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:16,560 least and maybe some other people by emerging from election 45 00:02:16,719 --> 00:02:20,280 night as the top vote recipient forty one point seven 46 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:24,280 percent to Paxton's forty point seven percent, Mark, I will 47 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:26,520 ask you in a little bit whether that surprised you 48 00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:29,360 or not. And then, of course, James Tallerco wins the 49 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:34,599 Democratic nomination decisively. The next day, Donald Trump declares he's 50 00:02:34,759 --> 00:02:37,840 very much not worried about Tallerico, who is obviously going 51 00:02:37,879 --> 00:02:40,520 to lose, but still says he'll be endorsing in the 52 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:42,919 race and for the good of the party, the other 53 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:47,960 candidate must drop out. Everyone sort of assumes that that 54 00:02:48,039 --> 00:02:51,879 means he's going to endorse Cornan Paxton, asked about this, 55 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:56,520 declares he's not leaving the race, and then the next day, Thursday, 56 00:02:57,159 --> 00:03:00,360 says he'd consider dropping out of the race, but only 57 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:03,080 if the Senate passes the Save Act, which would require 58 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:09,759 national voter ID. Flash forward to now, and really, we 59 00:03:09,879 --> 00:03:13,639 haven't had much progress on this story. No endorsement, no 60 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:18,639 Save Act, no one dropping out of the race. So Mark, 61 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:22,840 tell me take let's take a journey into the mind 62 00:03:22,879 --> 00:03:25,719 of Donald Trump right now? What is he thinking? What's 63 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:29,840 what's what's his move right now? Why is he making 64 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:32,039 the moves he has already made. 65 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 4: At any given moment, if the president does something he 66 00:03:35,439 --> 00:03:38,280 thinks it's advantageous to his agenda. I mean, that's not 67 00:03:38,319 --> 00:03:41,479 a shocker. That's why every politician does any given thing. 68 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:46,039 The President has a capacity for being so transactional, I 69 00:03:46,039 --> 00:03:49,000 guess is the frequently used term that he can seem 70 00:03:49,039 --> 00:03:51,800 to shift on the fly, just as a real estate 71 00:03:51,919 --> 00:03:54,520 deal might be. If something looks advantageous one day, it 72 00:03:54,599 --> 00:03:57,240 might not be so advantageous the next, which is what 73 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:01,599 gets you from what looked like a continued stance of 74 00:04:01,719 --> 00:04:05,319 no endorsement, which I have considered to be an act 75 00:04:05,319 --> 00:04:07,560 of genius on his part, because as soon as he 76 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:11,120 endorses anybody corn or Paxton, the first thing he's going 77 00:04:11,159 --> 00:04:15,520 to do is enormously alienate and inflame roughly half of 78 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:19,480 his Texas base. What wisdom could there possibly be in 79 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:23,800 doing that? So, in exploring what that motivation might be, 80 00:04:24,519 --> 00:04:26,800 to go chronologically to the first thing you said, was 81 00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:32,360 their surprise in cornn finishing as he did for me. No, 82 00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:35,000 but it's not because I'm such a genius. It's because 83 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:40,120 I considered almost anything to be possible, from the MAGA 84 00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:45,079 fueled grassroots red meat conservatism of Paxton giving him a 85 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:49,839 five point lead to the absolutely unshakable incumbent power of 86 00:04:49,879 --> 00:04:53,040 Cornan giving him a five or six point lead, anything 87 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:55,639 was truly possible. So for them to wind up in 88 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:58,959 a relative dead heat and get thrown into the cauldron 89 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:02,199 of hell that is the because of Wesley Hunt's bizarre 90 00:05:02,199 --> 00:05:04,680 decision to run. That was all the list of things 91 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:07,399 that could have happened. So, to finish my overly long answer, 92 00:05:07,519 --> 00:05:10,720 what is Trump thinking right now? I can understand that 93 00:05:10,879 --> 00:05:15,519 he does not cherish the notion of a long, expensive 94 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:18,120 blood on the Walls primary going all the way to 95 00:05:18,319 --> 00:05:24,360 May twenty sixth, which may afterward leave nerves rubbed so 96 00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:29,240 raw that the losing side is loath to come back 97 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:32,040 to the polls on November third, even if it's to 98 00:05:32,199 --> 00:05:37,240 stop James Tallerico. I think that is a fear worth assessing. 99 00:05:38,279 --> 00:05:41,000 Speaker 1: So one of the things I've been kind of wondering 100 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:45,600 about is what really changed on primary night? Right because 101 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:47,920 I think we all kind of knew whether or not 102 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,439 we thought that Cornyn was going to be the front 103 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:52,800 runner after primary night, we all hat a pretty good 104 00:05:52,839 --> 00:05:54,720 sense going into that night that it was going to 105 00:05:54,759 --> 00:05:58,399 be Corny and Packson in a runoff. We already knew. 106 00:05:58,519 --> 00:06:01,319 We have lots of evidence to look at that those 107 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:04,959 two guys really don't like each other, and we're going 108 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:08,920 to be lobbing bombs at each other through that entire runoff. 109 00:06:09,319 --> 00:06:10,959 We knew that it was going to be like a 110 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:13,000 you know that it's going to be a pretty tough 111 00:06:13,319 --> 00:06:16,959 election cycle for Republicans. That's generally what happens in the 112 00:06:16,959 --> 00:06:22,240 midterms for the party that holds the White House. So 113 00:06:22,439 --> 00:06:28,040 what changed between March second and March fourth that all 114 00:06:28,079 --> 00:06:30,839 of a sudden, Trump, who had taken the position of 115 00:06:32,439 --> 00:06:34,199 I'm saying out of this, is now all of a 116 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:35,879 sudden like I got to get in on this. 117 00:06:37,399 --> 00:06:39,720 Speaker 4: I think on March second, if you had asked President 118 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:41,759 Trump what you might do and what you want to do, 119 00:06:42,079 --> 00:06:44,560 he would think he would say, let me see how 120 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:47,759 the vote goes, because if either Packs nor cornyin or 121 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:51,040 obviously if somebody had won outright, then we're done here. 122 00:06:51,079 --> 00:06:53,399 I mean. And by the way, I mean, it's not 123 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:56,720 like it was thirty something, thirty something, twenty something. Both 124 00:06:56,720 --> 00:06:58,720 of them were in the forties, the low forties. Nobody 125 00:06:58,759 --> 00:07:01,800 came that close. But it's not like either Cornin or 126 00:07:01,879 --> 00:07:06,680 Paxton winning outright would have been so otherworldly crazy. And 127 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:09,000 I think the President wanted to see if maybe that happened, 128 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:12,720 so we could be spared this entire, this entire drama. 129 00:07:13,600 --> 00:07:16,839 Seeing them finish neck and neck as they did, you 130 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:20,439 might think that would leave the President in a mood 131 00:07:20,439 --> 00:07:23,079 to continue to stay out of it, which again I 132 00:07:23,120 --> 00:07:25,959 hope he still will and I kind of think he 133 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:30,720 still We'll see about that. Well, listen that corn and endorsement, 134 00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:35,839 which looked definite until it instantly wasn't. And now and look, 135 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:38,240 let's not go crazy. There are some who are floating 136 00:07:38,279 --> 00:07:42,120 the notion possibly of a Packson endorsement, what with with 137 00:07:42,319 --> 00:07:46,079 Ken's maneuvering with regard to to save act. More on 138 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:49,639 that in a moment, But I think the president is 139 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:53,160 now possibly examining and this may all change by the 140 00:07:53,160 --> 00:07:56,839 time everybody sees this point time. So there's ultimate accountability 141 00:07:56,879 --> 00:07:59,959 on tape, there's wisdom and Trump staying out of it. 142 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:03,360 And even if he does go ahead and endorse Corn, 143 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:08,759 it as a reward for loyal service during this Trump 144 00:08:08,759 --> 00:08:13,279 two point zero term, that could backfire because there are 145 00:08:13,399 --> 00:08:19,120 packs The voice of a couple of million Paxton voters 146 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:22,600 will say something like, mister President, we love you, We 147 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:25,480 thank God every day that you won. We're going to 148 00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:27,319 make up our own minds on this one. Thank you. 149 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:30,879 Speaker 3: I do think, I mean, I think part of this 150 00:08:30,959 --> 00:08:32,559 is that Trump didn't want to get into a situation 151 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:35,399 like with you know, Sid Miller, where you endorse too 152 00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:38,399 late and then you know people have already cast their 153 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:40,559 early votes and it sort of blows up in your face. 154 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:43,799 I think perhaps President Trump did not do as much 155 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:46,000 advanced planning as we did of realizing that the early 156 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:49,000 vote starts so early here and that people are you know, 157 00:08:49,039 --> 00:08:50,960 have made up their minds or even just cast their 158 00:08:51,039 --> 00:08:52,879 vote thinking that there wouldn't be an endorsement. 159 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:55,480 Speaker 2: I do think the fact. 160 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:58,600 Speaker 3: That he I was just that he was saying, you know, 161 00:08:58,679 --> 00:09:01,960 whoever I don't endure has to drop out is a 162 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:04,559 sign that there's not a clear you know, he's not 163 00:09:04,679 --> 00:09:08,879 confident that his endorsement necessarily could win this, because you know, 164 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:12,600 he doesn'tant to endorse someone and then have them lose. 165 00:09:12,679 --> 00:09:15,519 So he's saying, you know, I'll give you my endorsement, 166 00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:17,759 but you got to go if you don't get. 167 00:09:17,639 --> 00:09:21,679 Speaker 4: It, which is of course a ridiculous thing to ask. 168 00:09:22,039 --> 00:09:25,159 There is no universe in which either of those things 169 00:09:25,559 --> 00:09:28,080 was going to happen. Cornan was obviously not going to 170 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:31,840 step out. And here's my hot take of fresh for you, 171 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:36,919 no charge. Patson's not going anywhere. You phrased it with 172 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:40,000 exact precision. This is just my gut. But he said, 173 00:09:40,039 --> 00:09:42,840 Notice he did not say that if the Save Act passes, 174 00:09:42,919 --> 00:09:46,559 I will get out. He said I'll consider getting out. 175 00:09:46,879 --> 00:09:49,559 So here's you know, channeling Ken. I've known him for 176 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:52,200 a long time. This is just speculation, but I think 177 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:56,639 it's in foreign speculation. He will consider it for about 178 00:09:56,639 --> 00:09:59,679 five minutes, and in those five minutes, what he will 179 00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:03,000 con is what has happened. And the bottom line is 180 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:06,120 if the say back has passed and bears Trump's signature, 181 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:10,240 Ken Paxton can say I did that, and I'm not 182 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:13,279 even a senator yet. Yeah, So imagine the kind of 183 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:16,240 influence that I can wield if you make me a senator. 184 00:10:17,519 --> 00:10:21,480 Speaker 1: Yeah. I think you know, when Trump put out that 185 00:10:21,879 --> 00:10:24,519 truth social post where he said all these things, I 186 00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:28,759 think a lot of people, you know, immediately assumed packs 187 00:10:28,799 --> 00:10:32,320 I mean, cornan endorsement is coming. And the two reasons 188 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:35,480 for that are a because as soon as people started 189 00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:38,120 to see the results that tell Rico was going to win, 190 00:10:38,240 --> 00:10:41,519 really before tell Rico had even been declared by most 191 00:10:41,559 --> 00:10:45,360 media the winner. There was talk among well informed people 192 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:48,799 about this just huge push that's going to happen among 193 00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:53,600 you know, leadership in the Senate, leadership maybe within the 194 00:10:53,679 --> 00:10:56,679 Republican Party nationally and maybe even in Texas to try 195 00:10:56,679 --> 00:10:59,320 to push for a Cornan endorsement because of a feeling 196 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:03,840 that Sackston is much more vulnerable to defeat in the 197 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:08,559 general election than Cornyn is. We can I actually want 198 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:10,840 to discuss whether we believe that to actually be true 199 00:11:10,879 --> 00:11:12,960 here in a little bit, but we will. But the 200 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:19,159 other thing was essentially, why would Corny Why would Trump 201 00:11:19,200 --> 00:11:21,919 need to say that the person he doesn't endorse needs 202 00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:24,320 to drop out if he was going to endorse Paxton? 203 00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:27,159 Because I feel like the conventional wisdom here is that 204 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:30,799 if Trump endorses Paxston, it's game over, right, and if 205 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:33,759 Trump endorses Cornyn, then maybe it's a bit more of 206 00:11:33,799 --> 00:11:37,320 a race. Do you agree with that assessment? 207 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:43,639 Speaker 4: I do. But there is a poetic, classic simplicity if 208 00:11:43,679 --> 00:11:47,200 you're President Trump and saying I'm endorsing this guy, the 209 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:51,399 other guy should get out, rather than taking another sixty 210 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:53,639 seconds and a few more syllables to say, well, if 211 00:11:53,679 --> 00:11:55,879 it's one way the other guy should get out. But 212 00:11:55,919 --> 00:11:58,279 if it's this guy, there's probably not as much need. 213 00:11:58,559 --> 00:12:01,519 It seems like a very trumpy thing to do, to say, Look, 214 00:12:01,559 --> 00:12:05,080 once I anoint somebody, the other guy stands no chance 215 00:12:05,080 --> 00:12:07,039 and should probably go ahead and hit the road for 216 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:09,840 private life. It just seems like the simpler of the 217 00:12:09,879 --> 00:12:10,600 two messages. 218 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:13,120 Speaker 3: And it's so trumpy, And I think to say, you know, 219 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:15,679 I'm not going to do the behind the scenes machinations 220 00:12:15,879 --> 00:12:18,279 of you know, let's say you endorse Cornyn, you go 221 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:20,919 to Paxton's camp, you say, you know, we're here's what 222 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:22,879 I'm asking of you. You just say it on true 223 00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:26,000 social and assume that people will sort of do what 224 00:12:26,039 --> 00:12:28,799 you're asking of them. I think I will also say, like, 225 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:33,480 I think obviously Cornyn right now probably very anxiously awaiting 226 00:12:33,720 --> 00:12:36,480 news on this. I think for both Trump and Paxton, 227 00:12:37,080 --> 00:12:38,799 this is kind of I mean, for Trump, I have 228 00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:42,639 to imagine you're like everybody is courting me right now. 229 00:12:42,759 --> 00:12:45,919 I mean, this is the plot of you know, every 230 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:48,799 romance novel and the history of time. Right two people 231 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:51,279 want you and and they both are like willing to 232 00:12:51,279 --> 00:12:53,320 do anything, and then you know, you have to eventually 233 00:12:53,399 --> 00:12:55,240 choose one, and that's where it gets boring. 234 00:12:55,720 --> 00:12:56,600 Speaker 2: But but you don't. 235 00:12:56,639 --> 00:12:59,240 Speaker 4: But you don't, I mean because your analogy is park 236 00:12:59,279 --> 00:13:01,679 and he is the most popular girl at the day. Yes, exactly, 237 00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:06,799 But but he was playing this so brilliantly and may 238 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:12,519 return to the comforting genius what more, And it's not untrumpy. 239 00:13:12,559 --> 00:13:14,559 It would be very trumpy to say I like both 240 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:17,039 of these. When Wesley Hunt was in there for no 241 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:19,960 earthly reason, he said, I like all three guys because 242 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:23,559 there's a reason to like all three guys. And there 243 00:13:23,679 --> 00:13:27,679 was just such wisdom and inner peace. If they're even 244 00:13:27,720 --> 00:13:30,159 such a thing as possible in this race to have 245 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:34,759 a president who's respected by voters, for all the remaining 246 00:13:34,759 --> 00:13:38,960 candidates to say, look, I'm going to let Texans decide, 247 00:13:39,039 --> 00:13:43,279 and if President Trump rediscovers the value of that, to say, 248 00:13:43,279 --> 00:13:45,480 you know what, no matter how this works out, I'm 249 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:48,320 going to have an ally in the Senate. Let's let 250 00:13:48,399 --> 00:13:51,360 Texans decide. I'd like to think there's still a non 251 00:13:51,519 --> 00:13:53,000 zero chance of that happened. 252 00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:56,440 Speaker 1: I would just like to say if Susan Combe's former 253 00:13:56,519 --> 00:14:00,279 Texas politician and romance novelists would like to write that novel. 254 00:14:00,559 --> 00:14:03,360 Speaker 2: It's a publicity right there. Yeah, yeah, the first Texas. 255 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:05,679 Speaker 3: But I mean also Paxton, I think is playing this 256 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:08,840 very well in that he probably the longer this goes 257 00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:12,120 without an endorsement, it's sort of with this common wisdom 258 00:14:12,159 --> 00:14:14,720 that Cornyn is going to get the nod. The longer 259 00:14:14,759 --> 00:14:17,879 Trump doesn't endorse, the more it's sort of a nod 260 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:20,519 to Paxton, right of, like well maybe I'm considering maybe, 261 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:23,639 And he gets to post stuff on social media like, well, 262 00:14:23,679 --> 00:14:26,360 perhaps I can be the king maker of the Save Act, 263 00:14:26,399 --> 00:14:29,840 which is, as you said, eventual ammunition of you know, 264 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:33,320 I'm you know, I'm sort of I'm playing three D 265 00:14:33,559 --> 00:14:36,080 chess and I'm not even in the Senate yet. 266 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:41,240 Speaker 4: Completely right, Because the Cornan endorsement, I mean that that 267 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:44,759 writing was on the wall in sharpie from some people. 268 00:14:44,759 --> 00:14:47,240 I was getting text after text it's coming now. Some 269 00:14:47,279 --> 00:14:50,679 of it was wishful think coming from Cornan supporters, but 270 00:14:50,759 --> 00:14:53,120 for others it was those who either ambivalund or actually 271 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:56,240 Ken supporters who kind of went get whatever mood this 272 00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:58,919 gave them. It's like, boy, it really really looks like 273 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:03,159 a Cornan endorsement mere hours away. Then when it suddenly 274 00:15:03,399 --> 00:15:06,960 was not clearly there was a reason for that. There 275 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:09,000 would have been a reason for it to happen. There 276 00:15:09,039 --> 00:15:12,720 was an obvious reason why it did not, And the 277 00:15:12,799 --> 00:15:16,080 only possible reason for it not to happen is Trump 278 00:15:16,159 --> 00:15:20,559 had second thoughts about endorsing Cornyn, which is an absolute 279 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:23,519 great news cycle for Paxton. Now, the news cycles are 280 00:15:23,519 --> 00:15:26,200 going to come thick and fast now, and what happens 281 00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:29,799 today or tomorrow or the next could reshuffle everything. But 282 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:33,000 for this hiccup of time, you have it exactly right. 283 00:15:33,279 --> 00:15:37,519 Speaker 1: So Texas election Code says that you can, if you 284 00:15:37,559 --> 00:15:39,759 were at make a runoff, you can drop off and 285 00:15:39,799 --> 00:15:43,960 remove yourself from the ballot by three days after the canvas. 286 00:15:44,240 --> 00:15:47,200 The canvas has to happen March fifteenth, So we're talking 287 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:51,679 about really a March eighteenth deadline for an endorsement and 288 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:52,759 for someone to drop off. 289 00:15:52,919 --> 00:15:55,200 Speaker 2: And I have to imagine Donald Trump has that circled 290 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:55,639 in red. 291 00:15:56,399 --> 00:15:59,080 Speaker 3: There's no world in which he's gonna, you know, not 292 00:15:59,159 --> 00:15:59,679 factor that. 293 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:02,240 Speaker 2: My goodness, it's the Texas election Code. 294 00:16:02,399 --> 00:16:04,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, all right, So let's. 295 00:16:05,279 --> 00:16:07,600 Speaker 4: Again, and there's two things true at the same time. 296 00:16:07,679 --> 00:16:10,879 Number one, very useful information on the Texas election Code. 297 00:16:11,039 --> 00:16:16,200 Number two completely irrelevant because no one is going youwhere 298 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:19,879 On May twenty six, Cornyn will be there, Paxton will 299 00:16:19,919 --> 00:16:22,440 be there, and the following morning one of them will 300 00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:23,399 no longer be there. 301 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:25,759 Speaker 1: All right, So okay, so I want to drill into this. 302 00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:29,559 You are certain that there's nothing that Trump could do 303 00:16:29,759 --> 00:16:34,600 to get Ken Paxton out of this race, including okay, 304 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:39,799 because my my fan fiction scenario here is, oh, here 305 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:45,240 we go is Trump appoints Paxton to some confirmable position 306 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:48,360 at which point what I don't know, I don't know. 307 00:16:48,559 --> 00:16:51,600 Speaker 4: Appoints him to because live listen, I because now I've 308 00:16:51,639 --> 00:16:53,279 played this game for a couple of weeks. 309 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:53,559 Speaker 1: Yeah. 310 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:56,960 Speaker 4: Well, in fact, let's let's fill in the blanks. Hey, 311 00:16:57,320 --> 00:17:00,720 he fires Pam Bonding and makes him a jorney general. 312 00:17:01,759 --> 00:17:05,119 Ken Paxton appears to be there. There must be some 313 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:07,759 golden take. Well, it's called a track record, an enviable 314 00:17:07,799 --> 00:17:10,799 track record that his fan base absolutely loves. That fan 315 00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:13,599 base does not extend to the United States Congress. Can 316 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:15,960 anybody imagine a world in which it's a good idea 317 00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:19,400 for Ken Paxton to go through confirmation hearings? Right? Please? 318 00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:22,680 So he's not going to be named, there's no ambassadorship, 319 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:25,839 there's nothing, you know, you know, ambassador to the Moon. 320 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:29,640 There's there's nothing that is as big a prize as 321 00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:31,839 the US Senate seat that he keeps. So there is 322 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:35,079 no stop that can be thrown, no side offer. It's 323 00:17:35,079 --> 00:17:37,240 not that it's not but you describe something that happens 324 00:17:37,559 --> 00:17:41,880 all the time. It's a completely worthy plot line, but 325 00:17:42,319 --> 00:17:43,880 not in this case. It's not. 326 00:17:44,039 --> 00:17:46,000 Speaker 1: All right. Well, but but what you're taking away from 327 00:17:46,039 --> 00:17:48,599 me is the decision that Cornyan would have to make 328 00:17:48,839 --> 00:17:52,960 about whether to confirm, vote to confirm Ken Paxton ory 329 00:17:53,039 --> 00:17:57,720 too clear up his his Senate seat, you know, despite 330 00:17:57,759 --> 00:18:00,039 having for the last two years calling him basically the 331 00:18:00,039 --> 00:18:00,920 worst person on earth. 332 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:04,759 Speaker 3: But hey, I mean A to B Yeah, well, let mean, Mark, 333 00:18:04,799 --> 00:18:06,160 one thing you said that stood out to me that 334 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:08,640 I do want to ask about, which is that you know, 335 00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:11,160 you're saying that President Trump, who is I mean just 336 00:18:11,319 --> 00:18:14,799 this extremely powerful figure in the Texas GOP, I mean 337 00:18:14,799 --> 00:18:18,279 the GOP nationally, that if he were to endorse Cornan, 338 00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:21,839 that there are people a subset of people who feel 339 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:25,839 more strongly about Paxton than they do about Trump, or 340 00:18:25,839 --> 00:18:28,079 they would be more loyals to Paxton than Trump. 341 00:18:28,799 --> 00:18:31,079 Speaker 4: Yeah, of course there are, and with good reason, because 342 00:18:31,279 --> 00:18:34,000 it would be so many things are kind of binary, 343 00:18:34,039 --> 00:18:38,079 switch on, switch off, all black hole white. Let's look 344 00:18:38,119 --> 00:18:44,160 at the emotional complexity for a Paxton supporter of Trump 345 00:18:44,279 --> 00:18:48,480 endorsing Cornet. Would that Paxton supporter then go, well, screw that, 346 00:18:48,559 --> 00:18:51,680 I'm done with Trump. Of course not. It would be 347 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:56,160 a triangulation in which the Paxton supporting Texans would say, 348 00:18:56,480 --> 00:18:59,319 mister President, I've kind of said this more. We love you, 349 00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:01,400 we're glad you're there, we pray for you every day, 350 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:05,960 but on this particular thing, sir, we respectfully are going 351 00:19:05,960 --> 00:19:09,119 to vote for Ken Paxton anyway. And it's for the 352 00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:12,319 same reasons that we support you and love you and 353 00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:16,880 cherish you and are glad you're there. The outsider, the fighter, 354 00:19:17,279 --> 00:19:21,799 the trailblazer, the rattler of establishment cages. It is the 355 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:24,720 same list. The list of reasons why we love you 356 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:27,480 is the list of reasons why we love Ken. So 357 00:19:27,559 --> 00:19:29,559 you go ahead and endorsed corn and all you want, 358 00:19:29,839 --> 00:19:31,599 and we'll be voting for Ken anyway. 359 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:34,160 Speaker 1: Thank you very All right, Well, let's let's consult the 360 00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:37,920 polls here. This is from Texas Public Opinion research released yesterday, 361 00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:42,440 March ninth. Admittedly, Texas Public Opinion Research is run by 362 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:42,920 a Democrat. 363 00:19:43,039 --> 00:19:45,119 Speaker 2: Luke Warford was popping off on Twitter. 364 00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:47,000 Speaker 1: Yeah who and who? Who? You know was on the 365 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:49,279 podcast a couple of weeks ago. So if you want 366 00:19:49,319 --> 00:19:51,279 to take this with a grain of salt, feel free 367 00:19:51,319 --> 00:19:52,839 to take it with a grain of salt. But here 368 00:19:53,039 --> 00:19:57,000 is what the poll said. Paxton leads Cornyan forty to 369 00:19:57,079 --> 00:19:59,680 forty one percent in a runoff. That's an eight point 370 00:19:59,680 --> 00:20:03,759 at vance with eleven percent undecided. If Trump were to 371 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:08,319 endorse Cornyan, Paxon would still lead forty four percent to 372 00:20:08,359 --> 00:20:13,079 forty three percent. A Trump endorsement of Paxton would widen 373 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:17,200 Paxton's lead from fifty eight percent to thirty two percent. 374 00:20:19,079 --> 00:20:23,799 The thing I wonder about here, though, is I don't 375 00:20:23,799 --> 00:20:27,720 think all Trump endorsements are created equally, right, Like, sometimes 376 00:20:27,759 --> 00:20:31,000 he fires off the truth social post and then you know, 377 00:20:31,119 --> 00:20:35,000 mispronounces the candidate's name at a speech, you know, and 378 00:20:35,079 --> 00:20:38,240 people can kind of credibly make the case like they 379 00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:40,279 don't know he doesn't even know who this guy is 380 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:43,039 like this, you know, someone's in his ear, but it 381 00:20:43,039 --> 00:20:45,359 doesn't actually reflect the like true belief of. 382 00:20:46,839 --> 00:20:47,200 Speaker 4: Trump. 383 00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:50,880 Speaker 1: That would not be the situation here. And if he 384 00:20:51,039 --> 00:20:54,519 were to, you know, follow through on his push to 385 00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:58,839 have a Paxton in this scenario drop out. It would 386 00:20:58,839 --> 00:21:02,759 be a situation where Packson is openly defying Trump, something 387 00:21:02,799 --> 00:21:06,000 that Trump clearly doesn't like and often causes him to 388 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:10,319 go on the attack. And so, you know, what this 389 00:21:10,359 --> 00:21:12,559 poll seems to be measuring is like, how do you 390 00:21:12,599 --> 00:21:15,960 vote if this is you know, if Trump endorses this way? 391 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:18,480 But I think there's another question of like, how would 392 00:21:18,519 --> 00:21:20,920 you vote if one of the candidates is in like 393 00:21:21,119 --> 00:21:24,240 open warfare with the sitting president of the United States 394 00:21:24,240 --> 00:21:27,079 and standard bearer for the party. Maybe that creates a 395 00:21:27,119 --> 00:21:27,880 different situation. 396 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:32,519 Speaker 4: Okay that that would not happen. Let's do that. Okay, 397 00:21:32,519 --> 00:21:34,440 you just drawn it's just not going to happen. And 398 00:21:34,440 --> 00:21:37,000 then we'll go to the very interesting poll numbers, which 399 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:38,640 I do take with a grain of salt, but it 400 00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:40,920 doesn't mean they are of no value. First of all, 401 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:45,599 let's go to that hypothetical day where Trump endorses corn 402 00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:50,279 And and essentially invites or tells Ken to get out, 403 00:21:50,559 --> 00:21:54,960 at which point Ken respectfully declines to do that. At 404 00:21:54,960 --> 00:21:58,079 that point, you think Donald Trump is going to look 405 00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:01,200 at a man who has been a loyal order for 406 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:04,039 more than a decade and go, you're terrible. I can't 407 00:22:04,039 --> 00:22:06,759 believe you disobeyed me. You're no longer a value to me. 408 00:22:06,799 --> 00:22:10,119 You're dead to me. Of course not. President Trump would 409 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:13,200 understand completely, and there's a lot of political theater. He 410 00:22:13,279 --> 00:22:15,680 will know that there has been political theater in the 411 00:22:15,839 --> 00:22:18,960 very request being made. He would also know in his 412 00:22:19,039 --> 00:22:21,559 heart of hearts that there was no way Ken was 413 00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:24,319 actually going to do it, and there would be instant 414 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:27,599 understanding and a shrug from Trump that goes, okay, hey 415 00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:30,000 I tried, and everybody would get on with their lives. 416 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:35,079 Now to the poll numbers. I don't discount Democrat polls. 417 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:39,200 I discount internal polls as being totally self serving. They 418 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:42,160 always want to please the boss. A Democrat poll has 419 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:44,960 a lot of has a lot of vested interest in 420 00:22:45,079 --> 00:22:50,039 stoking Packston enthusiasm because they think that Ken would be 421 00:22:50,039 --> 00:22:53,519 easier to beat, which may or may not be true. 422 00:22:53,559 --> 00:22:55,960 We'll get to that in a second. But even if 423 00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:59,000 the forty nine forty one is a little fat, and 424 00:22:59,039 --> 00:23:02,400 the fifty eight to thirty too is way fat, even 425 00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:05,240 if they're but a fraction of that, it still reveals 426 00:23:05,279 --> 00:23:09,200 what I think are some basically reliable things that right now, 427 00:23:09,720 --> 00:23:13,559 in a nutshell, Paxton has the advantage on May twenty 428 00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:18,559 sixth that is enjoyed by just about every grassroots friendly, 429 00:23:19,119 --> 00:23:23,119 more conservative combatant. Once it's runoff time, those are the 430 00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:26,200 voters that tend to have a higher likelihood of coming back. 431 00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:31,160 The Trump endorsement of Paxton would shut the door game over, 432 00:23:31,359 --> 00:23:34,960 We're done here. The Trump endorsement of Cornin has a 433 00:23:35,119 --> 00:23:39,160 much lesser effect for the reason I've just described. A 434 00:23:39,200 --> 00:23:43,880 Trump endorsement of Paxton is on brand. A Trump endorsement 435 00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:46,119 of Cornin would be a little curious for a lot 436 00:23:46,160 --> 00:23:51,519 of people to absorb and not as eagerly obeyed. So yeah, 437 00:23:51,759 --> 00:23:52,119 that's that. 438 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:54,319 Speaker 2: Okay, I think that makes sense. 439 00:23:54,359 --> 00:23:57,119 Speaker 3: I think that, Like again, I do just think that 440 00:23:58,279 --> 00:24:03,519 Paxton right now, I imagine that immediately upon Trump saying I'm 441 00:24:03,519 --> 00:24:06,240 going to endorse, another person has to drop out. There 442 00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:08,960 were there was back channeling where it was made clear 443 00:24:09,039 --> 00:24:11,680 that Paxson was not going to drop out, and you know, 444 00:24:12,119 --> 00:24:14,000 that suddenly makes it a lot less appealing for President 445 00:24:14,039 --> 00:24:14,799 Trump to endorse. 446 00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:16,799 Speaker 2: You know, if he can correct that. Now he's not 447 00:24:16,839 --> 00:24:18,880 the king maker. Paxton is the king maker. 448 00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:21,599 Speaker 3: And that's a you know, at that point, I do 449 00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:23,759 think there's a to your point, mark, a very real 450 00:24:24,319 --> 00:24:27,799 world in which this all just sort of like floats away, and. 451 00:24:28,079 --> 00:24:29,920 Speaker 2: All those pre rits we spend all that time on 452 00:24:30,039 --> 00:24:31,240 never get to see the light of day. 453 00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:32,200 Speaker 4: I'm so sorry. 454 00:24:32,279 --> 00:24:33,400 Speaker 2: It's devastating to me. 455 00:24:33,880 --> 00:24:36,039 Speaker 4: We're done here, you know, and for just a minute. 456 00:24:36,279 --> 00:24:38,559 That's because before I forget it, because you guys are good, 457 00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:42,640 having done a number of avenues. Let us put under 458 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:48,000 the microscope this notion that Cornyan is the stronger general 459 00:24:48,039 --> 00:24:51,160 election candidate. Tons of people were saying that most of 460 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:53,920 them named John Cornyn, and most of them in his camp, 461 00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:56,200 which is a thoroughly understandable thing. And by the way, 462 00:24:56,599 --> 00:25:00,319 using normal Earth logic, that would kind of makes sense 463 00:25:00,359 --> 00:25:03,960 that the broader, the more moderate, the guy who maybe 464 00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:08,920 the occasional Democrat might vote for, would generally be the 465 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:14,039 stronger general election candidate. I've often said I've remained confident 466 00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:18,440 that either Corner or Paxton would beat teller Eco. It 467 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:22,160 may be that Cornyn would beat him by eight and 468 00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:25,119 Paxton would beat him by four, which leads some people 469 00:25:25,119 --> 00:25:27,960 to go, why risk another beto night America? What was 470 00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:30,880 that two and a half back in twenty eighteen. Nobody 471 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:34,640 wants to revisit that again. But before we jump to 472 00:25:35,119 --> 00:25:38,599 what has been conventional wisdom about the type of candidate 473 00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:43,039 who's stronger in a general, this is no ordinary election. 474 00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:47,720 I cannot overstate to you the number of people who 475 00:25:47,759 --> 00:25:53,559 are Paxton supporters who will not vote for Cornin under 476 00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:56,920 any circumstance. Now I'm going to be arguing with those 477 00:25:56,960 --> 00:25:59,799 people from May twenty seventh to November third. I'll be 478 00:25:59,839 --> 00:26:01,880 the I'll be the great uniter. I'll try to be, 479 00:26:02,079 --> 00:26:03,319 and they are going to be people who are butt 480 00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:06,400 hurt on either side depending on whoever loses. But I 481 00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:09,680 think that the vanquished corn In people may be more 482 00:26:09,759 --> 00:26:12,160 likely to hold their noses and vote for Ken than 483 00:26:12,319 --> 00:26:16,799 some broadly dispirited Packston people will be. That they will 484 00:26:16,839 --> 00:26:21,240 have the line that says, art really you get go enjoy, 485 00:26:21,319 --> 00:26:24,240 Senator Talerico, see how that works out for you. That 486 00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:26,880 I will hate that, but I think that it will happen. 487 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:29,200 And the only reason I weave that out is to 488 00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:34,759 say that that sentiment, which is appreciable, may even out 489 00:26:34,799 --> 00:26:39,720 or cancel out the usual logic that Cornin is the 490 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:44,000 automatic stronger candidate November, he simply may not be. 491 00:26:45,079 --> 00:26:47,319 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I sort of think back to the 492 00:26:48,279 --> 00:26:53,960 twenty sixteen presidential primaries when I think about this. Right 493 00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:57,960 and on the left, you had a lot of people 494 00:26:58,039 --> 00:27:02,720 and energy behind Bernie Sanders. You had people in the 495 00:27:02,759 --> 00:27:06,359 sort of establishment area freaking out about that and really 496 00:27:06,359 --> 00:27:09,000 trying to rally around Hillary Clinton. And on the right 497 00:27:09,119 --> 00:27:12,920 you have the people behind Donald Trump and the establishment 498 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:18,720 people trying to rally around basically anyone else at various times, 499 00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:22,319 and the Democratic Party chose to go with the establishment, 500 00:27:22,359 --> 00:27:25,839 and the Republican Party chose to go with the non establishment, 501 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:30,160 the people, and that ended up working out pretty well 502 00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:31,200 for the Republican Party. 503 00:27:31,279 --> 00:27:34,880 Speaker 4: Right, absolutely right. And it's funny and characterizing that and 504 00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:37,880 taking us all, but we're all old enough to remember, Yeah, 505 00:27:38,480 --> 00:27:42,160 you made a really really valuable point there. If nobody 506 00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:43,960 puts me in a rubber room for saying there's a 507 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:47,039 similarity between Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, I think you 508 00:27:47,039 --> 00:27:49,039 know what I'm talking about. It is the same kind 509 00:27:49,039 --> 00:27:52,319 of insurgent. We're tired of the status quo appeal, just 510 00:27:52,359 --> 00:27:55,960 in very very different ways. Bernie represented burn it down. 511 00:27:56,400 --> 00:27:58,720 The status quo is not working. I'm tired of the 512 00:27:58,759 --> 00:28:01,000 go along to get along, and Trump was the version 513 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:03,240 of that on the Republican side, and we were smart 514 00:28:03,319 --> 00:28:04,079 enough to go with it. 515 00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:07,759 Speaker 1: Yeah, So okay, let's pull up another left leaning poll 516 00:28:07,839 --> 00:28:12,880 here though, because this one also came out yesterday, Public 517 00:28:12,920 --> 00:28:17,799 Policy Polling New Senate poll pulled tall Rico against Paxton, 518 00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:23,119 pulled Tallerico against Cornan, Tallerco against Paxton, Tallerco forty seven percent, 519 00:28:23,559 --> 00:28:28,000 Paxton forty five percent, Tellerrico against Cornan forty four percent, 520 00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:33,359 Cornan forty three percent. So you're talking about a lead 521 00:28:33,519 --> 00:28:37,799 in each one. A two point margin against Paxton, a 522 00:28:37,839 --> 00:28:41,920 one point margin against Cornan. Now I see your face, 523 00:28:42,599 --> 00:28:45,279 So tell me why that is a ridiculous poll. 524 00:28:45,799 --> 00:28:48,279 Speaker 4: No, No, I can only scoff so much. I can 525 00:28:48,359 --> 00:28:52,240 only scoff. There's a limit to my scoffing because I 526 00:28:52,279 --> 00:28:54,279 can't sit here in March and tell you that's not 527 00:28:54,279 --> 00:28:56,559 going to happen because of the factor that I've just 528 00:28:56,640 --> 00:29:00,799 described again, in a vacuum, there is no reason on 529 00:29:00,960 --> 00:29:06,680 God's earth for this seat to flip. None. There should 530 00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:10,559 be Republican unity. If I have breath in me, there 531 00:29:10,599 --> 00:29:15,559 will be Republican unity. But the only way that Tallerico 532 00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:19,039 becomes a senator is if Republican voters are stupid enough 533 00:29:19,039 --> 00:29:21,480 to hand it to him, if we are on our game, 534 00:29:21,519 --> 00:29:23,559 and if we can all get over ourselves and oh 535 00:29:23,640 --> 00:29:26,680 my guy lost, then this will not be all that close. 536 00:29:26,759 --> 00:29:29,000 It won't even be Beto. It'll be a good, healthy, 537 00:29:29,039 --> 00:29:33,279 five six seven percent win. But I can't promise that 538 00:29:33,359 --> 00:29:35,480 because if indeed there are people, look at the Senate 539 00:29:35,519 --> 00:29:39,559 District nine things where Lee Wanskanz lost to Taylor Rimett. 540 00:29:39,880 --> 00:29:42,880 She's gonna beat him in November, one presumes, because that 541 00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:48,440 the district will reflect itself once again. But there were dispirited, 542 00:29:48,599 --> 00:29:52,680 angry John Huffman supporters. Oh she didn't reach out to us, 543 00:29:52,759 --> 00:29:56,680 what are we twelve years old? And that grudge affected 544 00:29:56,720 --> 00:29:59,640 that race and suppressed her turnout. There will be a 545 00:29:59,599 --> 00:30:04,000 support rest of effect on the turnout for either corn 546 00:30:04,039 --> 00:30:06,640 un or Passion, But because there'll be people holding grudges 547 00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:08,559 who will not come out for the other guy, I 548 00:30:08,599 --> 00:30:10,759 hope it's not many, because if it's enough, then tall 549 00:30:10,839 --> 00:30:15,319 Rico wins. I pray, I hope. I ultimately don't think 550 00:30:15,319 --> 00:30:18,079 that'll I will tell you that will make this rice 551 00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:20,160 closer than it would otherwise have been. 552 00:30:21,359 --> 00:30:24,640 Speaker 1: You say, though, that it's not going to happen. I 553 00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:28,000 think you know you have a quarter century of history 554 00:30:28,359 --> 00:30:31,960 on your side for that. But the actions of Trump, 555 00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:35,880 the actions of other power brokers, and the Republican Party 556 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:38,799 suggest that they are at least worried enough about this 557 00:30:39,039 --> 00:30:41,880 to be trying to do something, including you know, helping 558 00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:44,599 corn and spend seventy million dollars in the primary. I mean, 559 00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:49,559 there seems to be fear in the Republican Party of 560 00:30:50,079 --> 00:30:50,680 tall Rico. 561 00:30:51,599 --> 00:30:59,079 Speaker 4: Well, the Bedo phenomenon showed that you're better. It's an 562 00:30:59,079 --> 00:31:03,200 old coaching analogy. Don't ever take anything for granted. Play 563 00:31:03,359 --> 00:31:06,039 like you're ten points behind on the road, no matter 564 00:31:06,079 --> 00:31:09,160 what the situation and the opponent. It is smart to 565 00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:13,200 campaign aggressively and raise money aggressively, no matter what. You'd 566 00:31:13,279 --> 00:31:15,640 rather do that and not have to than have to 567 00:31:15,839 --> 00:31:18,920 and not do it. Nobody wants to be caught napping again. 568 00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:22,480 If you want to take a moment on what happened 569 00:31:22,519 --> 00:31:26,279 in democrat Land, there is nothing like the ascendancy of 570 00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:29,599 James Tallerico to give me an appreciation for Jasmine Crockett. 571 00:31:29,640 --> 00:31:34,319 And I am not kidding Jasmine Crockett on her worst day, 572 00:31:34,640 --> 00:31:38,160 from a conservative standpoint, was just a fire hose of 573 00:31:38,720 --> 00:31:41,799 Democrat index cards. He's Hitler, orange man, bad, you know, 574 00:31:41,839 --> 00:31:45,039 stuff I've been used to every day. This is just 575 00:31:45,119 --> 00:31:48,880 purely a Republican perspective, which I could. There are some 576 00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:51,200 things I say that are just from me, other things 577 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:53,119 that I take it at thirty thousand foot level to 578 00:31:53,160 --> 00:31:57,480 analyze what everybody's doing. But on Jasmin Crockett's worst day, 579 00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:01,359 she did not offend my sensibilities as deeply as James 580 00:32:01,440 --> 00:32:04,160 Tallerico going ahead and being for abortion, which he gets 581 00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:06,839 to do, being for opener borders, which he can do 582 00:32:07,160 --> 00:32:09,680 thinking they're six or twelve or thirty seven genders, which 583 00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:13,039 he can do. But his suggestion that Jesus agrees with 584 00:32:13,119 --> 00:32:17,680 him on these things is blasphemy. This is heresy of 585 00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:20,920 the highest order. Now it's vital that I say he 586 00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:23,680 ain't playing to me, I ain't voting for him. Will 587 00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:26,039 this be damaging to independence? And I'm going to tell 588 00:32:26,039 --> 00:32:28,559 you every day between that, I mean, there's good news 589 00:32:28,559 --> 00:32:31,000 and bad news. And having the Democrat race settled, they 590 00:32:31,039 --> 00:32:33,640 don't have to mess with with a runoff. But already 591 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:38,799 Tallarico is getting absolutely torched from in conservative media for 592 00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:41,920 just oh, I don't want to hate my neighbor. Nobody's 593 00:32:41,960 --> 00:32:45,599 telling you to hate your neighbor, dude. The continuing smears 594 00:32:46,079 --> 00:32:49,839 of more conventional Bible believers, I mean, it is, it 595 00:32:49,920 --> 00:32:52,680 is crazy. It may well be that all of this 596 00:32:52,799 --> 00:32:56,440 that I've just described doesn't hurt him at all, because 597 00:32:56,440 --> 00:33:01,640 the definition of political damage is when it loses you 598 00:33:01,960 --> 00:33:05,559 support from people who supported you yesterday. Me flaming on 599 00:33:05,680 --> 00:33:09,920 tell Rico talking about his latest bs doesn't hurt him 600 00:33:10,119 --> 00:33:14,720 at all until and unless people who are willing to 601 00:33:14,720 --> 00:33:20,799 support him no longer are, and that remains a huge, huge. 602 00:33:20,519 --> 00:33:23,240 Speaker 3: I mean, I do think tell Rico is you know, 603 00:33:23,960 --> 00:33:26,160 I think on election night, right, there was that sort 604 00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:28,599 of very common wisdom of, well, the Republicans are going 605 00:33:28,640 --> 00:33:30,920 to tear each other apart with this runoff, and he 606 00:33:30,920 --> 00:33:33,519 gets to just sort of, you know, save his pennies 607 00:33:33,559 --> 00:33:35,759 and save his attacks and all that, until the general 608 00:33:36,160 --> 00:33:38,680 and Republicans wasted no time in saying we can do 609 00:33:38,680 --> 00:33:41,000 two things at once. We can run a very competitive 610 00:33:41,359 --> 00:33:44,240 runoff and we can start flaming you. And I think 611 00:33:44,279 --> 00:33:46,480 probably if he in a fictional world where he and 612 00:33:46,559 --> 00:33:49,279 Jasmine Crockett were in some runoff for several more months, 613 00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:52,279 potentially would have saved him some of that, and it 614 00:33:52,319 --> 00:33:56,039 would have all started June first. But it was always 615 00:33:56,079 --> 00:33:57,240 going to be what it was going to be, which 616 00:33:57,279 --> 00:33:59,400 is that Republicans are going to try to chip away 617 00:33:59,400 --> 00:34:02,599 at his support among independents, among Hispanic. 618 00:34:02,240 --> 00:34:08,000 Speaker 2: Voters, among religious voters. And you know, he's to your point. 619 00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:09,920 Speaker 3: I think a lot of Democrats are not necessarily going 620 00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:11,400 to be turned off by some of that. I think 621 00:34:11,400 --> 00:34:16,199 his supporters are going to support him. It's these independence 622 00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:19,159 and particularly I think Hispanic voters that both sides are 623 00:34:19,199 --> 00:34:20,880 going to try to really court. 624 00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:24,599 Speaker 1: To the It was very clear that there were some 625 00:34:24,719 --> 00:34:27,320 clips of things he said, you know, in the twenty 626 00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:32,199 twenty to twenty twenty two range that were cued up 627 00:34:32,280 --> 00:34:34,960 for as soon as he became the nominee. And I 628 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:37,840 think we'll be seeing those clips, you know, basically every 629 00:34:37,920 --> 00:34:42,280 day between now and November. And you know, we've seen this. 630 00:34:42,400 --> 00:34:45,880 We saw what happened in the Colin all read Ted Cruz, 631 00:34:46,199 --> 00:34:49,920 you know, where basically every advertisement was Colin all Red 632 00:34:49,960 --> 00:34:54,199 wants to you know, destroy women's sports and all these things. 633 00:34:54,280 --> 00:34:57,320 And I think again the conventional wisdom is that that 634 00:34:57,480 --> 00:35:00,559 had an impact, you know. I mean, you can also 635 00:35:00,679 --> 00:35:07,039 argue that he pulled closer to Cruz than you know, 636 00:35:07,159 --> 00:35:10,480 outperformed the Democratic at at the top of the ticket. 637 00:35:10,599 --> 00:35:13,199 So maybe that conventional rism could be wrong. But we 638 00:35:13,239 --> 00:35:15,000 are seeing the blueprint, and I think one of the 639 00:35:15,079 --> 00:35:17,880 key questions is to whether this is a competitive race 640 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:21,039 or not will be how much does that stick on 641 00:35:21,119 --> 00:35:24,519 him and how much can he define himself as someone 642 00:35:24,559 --> 00:35:29,840 who up until relatively recently was still largely pretty unknown 643 00:35:30,360 --> 00:35:31,880 to the public. 644 00:35:32,719 --> 00:35:35,159 Speaker 4: Correct, and that is what enables him to do something. 645 00:35:35,159 --> 00:35:37,000 It's probably time for me to give brother Taller Eico 646 00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:38,639 a little bit of credit for something that he's done. 647 00:35:38,719 --> 00:35:41,280 It's very smart. Is this whole notion of I'm a 648 00:35:41,400 --> 00:35:45,000 new kind of politician, I'm tired of the old divisive 649 00:35:45,079 --> 00:35:48,360 ways that this is wickedly genius for a couple of things. 650 00:35:48,440 --> 00:35:51,960 Number one, this notion that I am a peacemaker. I'm 651 00:35:51,960 --> 00:35:55,679 not divisive, of course you are. Everyone is divisive. If 652 00:35:55,679 --> 00:35:58,320 you say there are two genders, it's divisive to people 653 00:35:58,320 --> 00:36:01,280 who think there's twelve. You say there's twelve, it's divisive 654 00:36:01,320 --> 00:36:03,440 to people it is. I'm tired of being at war 655 00:36:03,559 --> 00:36:07,039 with my neighbor, well, you know, the Republican Texas, which 656 00:36:07,039 --> 00:36:09,719 I think is still a majority, would say to mister Tallerico, 657 00:36:09,760 --> 00:36:11,840 if you're wanting to open the border as much as 658 00:36:11,880 --> 00:36:13,840 you seem to be, we are going to go to 659 00:36:13,880 --> 00:36:15,840 war with you. If you want to trans our kids, 660 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:17,800 we are going to go to war with you. So 661 00:36:17,960 --> 00:36:21,480 this notion that he's some ambivalent peacemaker is nonsense, but 662 00:36:21,559 --> 00:36:24,880 it's still very very smart for him to position himself 663 00:36:24,960 --> 00:36:30,320 as that, and in going after him. If I'm advising 664 00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:34,400 either corn or Paxton, I think I would probably spend 665 00:36:34,719 --> 00:36:37,719 less time on the stuff that I was just harping 666 00:36:37,800 --> 00:36:41,400 on a little bit ago, the heresy and the carrying 667 00:36:41,400 --> 00:36:44,559 around some curious Bible that says that God is ambivalent 668 00:36:44,599 --> 00:36:48,119 about abortion and other curious non existent passages. I would 669 00:36:48,159 --> 00:36:51,239 spend more time trying to explode the myth that he's 670 00:36:51,280 --> 00:36:53,679 all that new or all that different. I might ask 671 00:36:53,719 --> 00:36:57,559 the question, really, name one liberal view that James Tallerico 672 00:36:57,639 --> 00:37:01,719 does not hold one thing? Wait, give me one liberal 673 00:37:01,840 --> 00:37:05,440 view that brother Tallerco does not hold. And if you 674 00:37:05,559 --> 00:37:08,360 can't find one, or can't find many, then maybe it 675 00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:11,159 ain't that new Maybe he is Colin alright, maybe he 676 00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:14,480 is Mado, just in a different package, attempting to put 677 00:37:14,519 --> 00:37:17,400 biblical lipstick on the same old leftist pig. 678 00:37:18,159 --> 00:37:20,840 Speaker 1: I mean, I would say to push back against that 679 00:37:20,880 --> 00:37:22,360 a little bit. I mean, there have been some people 680 00:37:22,360 --> 00:37:25,360 I saw something a Fox News clip today this morning 681 00:37:25,400 --> 00:37:28,559 of like he's too liberal, like he wouldn't even get 682 00:37:28,559 --> 00:37:33,960 elected in San Francisco, and yeah, and like, I don't 683 00:37:34,360 --> 00:37:35,920 I'm not sure if I buy that. I mean I 684 00:37:36,239 --> 00:37:38,000 looked him up in the sort of like left to 685 00:37:38,079 --> 00:37:40,679 right rankings that Mark Jones puts out every year, and 686 00:37:40,719 --> 00:37:42,320 he's he's kind of like right in the middle of 687 00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:45,159 the Democratic Party. And I think you can credibly make 688 00:37:45,199 --> 00:37:47,519 an argument that that is far to the left of 689 00:37:47,559 --> 00:37:51,599 the Texas electorate. And I'm but I like the sort 690 00:37:51,679 --> 00:37:54,840 of painting him as like far to the left of 691 00:37:55,239 --> 00:38:01,119 Democrats feels not wholly supported by Evan here. And I 692 00:38:01,159 --> 00:38:04,199 do think that there is a difference in tone, if 693 00:38:04,239 --> 00:38:09,679 not in substance. Right the idea of like are is 694 00:38:09,760 --> 00:38:13,800 are we going to accuse our opponents of being evil 695 00:38:14,239 --> 00:38:20,199 and have the most aggressive, you know, divisive language possible, 696 00:38:20,400 --> 00:38:23,480 or are we going to you know, encircle it in 697 00:38:23,760 --> 00:38:27,920 a message of we disagree, but you know it's built 698 00:38:27,920 --> 00:38:31,519 in love. Is, I think, a different message than we've seen. 699 00:38:33,039 --> 00:38:35,400 Speaker 4: So two things. Number one, you're totally right, there's not 700 00:38:35,559 --> 00:38:38,159 really that much. There's a lot of ven diagram overlap 701 00:38:38,199 --> 00:38:40,559 between what you said when I said, yeah, I don't 702 00:38:40,599 --> 00:38:43,559 suggest that that James Salery go is AOC or is 703 00:38:43,599 --> 00:38:47,320 Bernie Sanders. But it's sort of the degree of liberalism 704 00:38:47,360 --> 00:38:49,039 that he comes in with. When I said, name a 705 00:38:49,079 --> 00:38:51,519 liberal view that he does not hold. There's some that 706 00:38:51,559 --> 00:38:54,119 he holds, but he just doesn't beat them to the 707 00:38:54,199 --> 00:38:58,400 level that maybe the squad does. This notion of the 708 00:38:58,599 --> 00:39:03,880 nice guy that is packaging on steroids. Is it nice 709 00:39:04,400 --> 00:39:11,000 to smear Bible believing Texas Christians as being homophobic, transphobic, 710 00:39:11,079 --> 00:39:15,519 everybody phobic, not liking brown people. This is the oldest 711 00:39:15,519 --> 00:39:17,840 trick in the book that this oh so sweet, oh 712 00:39:17,880 --> 00:39:20,880 so nice, oh so mannerly mister taller Eco will use, 713 00:39:21,079 --> 00:39:23,440 and that is that anybody with a scriptural belief in 714 00:39:23,519 --> 00:39:26,519 two genders, a belief that we actually need borders, that 715 00:39:26,559 --> 00:39:30,519 we are essentially racist and hateful people, that's not nice. 716 00:39:30,679 --> 00:39:33,400 Speaker 2: Well, I think this will be his the challenge he 717 00:39:33,440 --> 00:39:33,920 will face. 718 00:39:34,079 --> 00:39:37,159 Speaker 3: I think probably realistically more so if he's facing Ken 719 00:39:37,159 --> 00:39:40,239 Paxton than John Cornyn, but probably no matter who he's facing, 720 00:39:40,599 --> 00:39:43,599 which is that when you're up against Jasmine Crockett, you're 721 00:39:43,639 --> 00:39:47,119 portraying yourself as I'm you know, the sort. 722 00:39:46,840 --> 00:39:49,320 Speaker 2: Of more like more mannerly option. 723 00:39:49,440 --> 00:39:52,119 Speaker 3: I'm more like, you know, I'm the bring everybody together, 724 00:39:52,159 --> 00:39:54,960 I'm the seminarian, I'm the pastor. I'm going to be 725 00:39:55,119 --> 00:39:57,800 sort of the like, you know, kind good neighbor guy, 726 00:39:57,840 --> 00:40:00,480 whereas Jasmine Crockett, it's the big fighter, you know, that 727 00:40:00,639 --> 00:40:01,719 energy when you're. 728 00:40:01,599 --> 00:40:05,079 Speaker 2: Going up against the Republicans. I mean, does that change? 729 00:40:05,119 --> 00:40:09,159 Speaker 3: Does he stick as loyally to this framework of you know, 730 00:40:09,920 --> 00:40:13,320 I'm not going to be coming out swinging, you know, 731 00:40:13,519 --> 00:40:15,079 or does he try to move slightly more in the 732 00:40:15,079 --> 00:40:18,480 direction of Jasmine Crockett a little more fire. 733 00:40:18,639 --> 00:40:19,440 Speaker 2: It'll be interesting to see. 734 00:40:19,679 --> 00:40:22,519 Speaker 4: That is a great question. This is really the first 735 00:40:22,559 --> 00:40:25,039 time I've thought because because we're sort of turning pages 736 00:40:25,039 --> 00:40:27,519 that are down the road. If we're hanging out in 737 00:40:27,559 --> 00:40:31,400 Tallarico headquarters, what is the playbook of running against Cornan 738 00:40:31,559 --> 00:40:34,599 versus what is the playbook of running against passing? They 739 00:40:34,639 --> 00:40:37,480 differ in a couple of really key ways. Great question. 740 00:40:38,239 --> 00:40:41,960 If Tallarico is running against Cornan, he should know that 741 00:40:42,039 --> 00:40:46,480 there are a few Democrats who might be center left. 742 00:40:46,719 --> 00:40:50,119 Maybe they actually pay attention in Church easy, not really, 743 00:40:50,679 --> 00:40:52,559 And by that I mean there are a couple of 744 00:40:52,599 --> 00:40:57,320 Democrats who will vote for John Cornick, They just will 745 00:40:57,000 --> 00:40:59,440 are There are no Democrats that will vote for Kenn Paxton, 746 00:40:59,639 --> 00:41:03,639 which means that there is more cover for mister Tallerico 747 00:41:04,079 --> 00:41:07,199 to really go all in, to really go in hot 748 00:41:07,239 --> 00:41:09,519 and heavy, to go in as hot and heavy against 749 00:41:09,599 --> 00:41:12,480 Paxton as Paxton will go in hot and heavy against him. 750 00:41:12,719 --> 00:41:15,880 It is going to be If you think that the 751 00:41:15,960 --> 00:41:18,480 runoff to May twenty seven is going to be filled 752 00:41:18,519 --> 00:41:22,599 with a lot of fisticufs on the Republican side, you 753 00:41:22,639 --> 00:41:25,679 wait until you see Paxton versus tallar Eco, because that 754 00:41:25,760 --> 00:41:28,440 will be a hair match rage in the cage. 755 00:41:29,199 --> 00:41:32,800 Speaker 1: Right, Okay, I want to just before we let you go. 756 00:41:33,199 --> 00:41:34,880 I mean, you are someone who is in a lot 757 00:41:34,880 --> 00:41:40,519 of communication with the Republican grassroots, those voters. How is 758 00:41:40,639 --> 00:41:46,079 this Trump Cornyn Paxton drama playing out among them right now? 759 00:41:46,119 --> 00:41:50,199 What are people how are they responding to this dialogue? 760 00:41:50,239 --> 00:41:54,280 Speaker 4: So far I am. I'm very lucky and blessed and 761 00:41:54,400 --> 00:41:58,480 fortunate that here I am as a pretty staunch Republican. 762 00:41:58,840 --> 00:42:02,880 Well pretty staunch Republican. There are people who are less 763 00:42:02,960 --> 00:42:05,519 staunch who are glad to be in touch with me, 764 00:42:06,079 --> 00:42:08,239 and they're actual Democrats. There are people who listen to 765 00:42:08,239 --> 00:42:10,400 the show and call me who think I'm wrong about 766 00:42:10,440 --> 00:42:13,360 absolutely everything, and I am blessed to hear from them 767 00:42:13,360 --> 00:42:15,880 and glad to have those conversations, because we don't have 768 00:42:16,199 --> 00:42:19,480 enough of those kind of conversations. So in navigating that, 769 00:42:19,639 --> 00:42:24,840 especially in mccornyan versus Paxton, the world as a Trump 770 00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:29,039 loving Republican and as a voter in this primary whose 771 00:42:29,079 --> 00:42:32,280 politics are a little bit closer to Kens than Cornyn's, 772 00:42:32,880 --> 00:42:34,920 let me add is to make that sentence even longer, 773 00:42:34,920 --> 00:42:37,920 if that's even possible, that I believe Cornin is over criticized. 774 00:42:38,360 --> 00:42:41,400 I think he has done a masterful job of portraying 775 00:42:41,440 --> 00:42:44,400 himself as a Trump ally during Trump two point zero, 776 00:42:44,760 --> 00:42:47,599 and I asked him directly, I said, Senator, everybody's concern 777 00:42:47,719 --> 00:42:50,079 is that when Trump's not president anymore and you're still there, 778 00:42:50,519 --> 00:42:52,159 that you're going to go back to being a Mitch 779 00:42:52,239 --> 00:42:55,559 mcconough clone, will you be as MAGA friendly when Trump's 780 00:42:55,599 --> 00:42:59,159 not there as you are now? And he said absolutely 781 00:43:00,159 --> 00:43:03,760 calls from people who say he's live, and I'm not 782 00:43:03,880 --> 00:43:05,840 prepared to say that. I don't know if I can 783 00:43:06,199 --> 00:43:10,719 totally believe it, because establishment clothes are hard to put 784 00:43:10,719 --> 00:43:12,800 in a second hand drawer. But I think I have 785 00:43:12,880 --> 00:43:15,280 a lot of good things to say about centertor Cornyn 786 00:43:15,440 --> 00:43:17,800 and his loyal service and et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. 787 00:43:18,000 --> 00:43:20,960 But I probably lean and I probably present, I represent. 788 00:43:21,000 --> 00:43:23,679 I identify as more of a Paxton voter now, to 789 00:43:23,679 --> 00:43:27,760 answer your question, in taking questions, in establishing a landscape 790 00:43:27,760 --> 00:43:32,559 where everybody can come, bring me anything. The Cornyn camp, 791 00:43:33,239 --> 00:43:38,039 the cornn portion of Republican Texas, I think is more 792 00:43:38,039 --> 00:43:40,880 scared of losing than they are at Paxton winning. Obviously, 793 00:43:41,519 --> 00:43:44,320 they have bought into this notion that only Cornyn can win, 794 00:43:44,920 --> 00:43:48,280 and thus their vote for Cornyn is partly a show 795 00:43:48,320 --> 00:43:51,679 of support appreciation for everything that he has done. It's 796 00:43:51,679 --> 00:43:54,800 a show appreciation and support for everything that he has represented, 797 00:43:55,559 --> 00:43:58,119 but it's also a desire to keep the seat above 798 00:43:58,119 --> 00:44:03,000 all else, keep the seat. And the Paxton portion of 799 00:44:03,039 --> 00:44:08,679 Republican Texas is ready for change in the way that 800 00:44:08,719 --> 00:44:11,679 the Trump voters were ready for change in coming away 801 00:44:11,679 --> 00:44:16,519 from the establishment of the Republican Party. The Paxton vote 802 00:44:16,559 --> 00:44:18,719 is a vote for term limits, it's a vote for change. 803 00:44:18,760 --> 00:44:21,880 It's a vote for having somebody in that Senate seat 804 00:44:22,000 --> 00:44:23,760 who you don't have to wonder about. I had a 805 00:44:23,800 --> 00:44:27,079 caller say it was a really great call who said, Mark, 806 00:44:27,079 --> 00:44:29,559 I've heard you interview Senator Cornyn. It has made me 807 00:44:29,800 --> 00:44:32,159 like him more. It has made me it has given 808 00:44:32,199 --> 00:44:35,280 me a higher opinion of Cornan than the average Paxton 809 00:44:35,400 --> 00:44:39,559 voter has. But all other things being equal, once Trump 810 00:44:39,679 --> 00:44:44,079 is gone, I would hope that Senator Cornyn would continue 811 00:44:44,159 --> 00:44:47,519 to be as MAGA friendly as America first. But with 812 00:44:47,599 --> 00:44:50,599 Ken Paxton, I don't have to wonder, and that is 813 00:44:50,639 --> 00:44:53,159 the passion of the Paxton voter. So now we get 814 00:44:53,199 --> 00:44:57,519 to figure out which is the larger number, And I 815 00:44:57,559 --> 00:44:59,639 have no idea which it is. I know what the 816 00:44:59,679 --> 00:45:03,320 poll indicate, I know what past history indicates that it 817 00:45:03,599 --> 00:45:07,000 and listen, I recognize and stipulate that it is. It 818 00:45:07,079 --> 00:45:11,880 is an advantageous landscape for Ken. But what lies ahead 819 00:45:13,559 --> 00:45:19,159 is eleven weeks whatever of cornin and a ton of 820 00:45:19,199 --> 00:45:25,519 money identifying Ken as a loathsome human being that can't 821 00:45:26,039 --> 00:45:30,400 not have some effect? Will will? Will that be damaging 822 00:45:30,440 --> 00:45:33,239 to Ken in some way? Yes, it might be just 823 00:45:33,280 --> 00:45:36,840 a sliver that takes away one or two percentage points. 824 00:45:36,880 --> 00:45:39,280 It may be worse. I will tell you that if 825 00:45:39,360 --> 00:45:42,840 Ken is able to take this Save Act moment, this 826 00:45:42,960 --> 00:45:46,159 Save Act chapter and make that case I made more 827 00:45:46,159 --> 00:45:48,880 toward the beginning of our chat, or he's able to say, yeah, 828 00:45:49,039 --> 00:45:52,559 remember that, especially if it passes. Yeah, what's that Save 829 00:45:52,639 --> 00:45:54,920 Act thing? I did that, and I'm not even a 830 00:45:54,920 --> 00:45:57,519 senator yet, make me a senator and watch what happens. 831 00:45:57,719 --> 00:46:02,960 That is enough to subsume any corn and attack. It's 832 00:46:03,079 --> 00:46:07,239 enough to enable Ken to continue to overcome what is 833 00:46:07,280 --> 00:46:12,239 a steamer trunk full of oppo research on things from 834 00:46:12,239 --> 00:46:16,079 the relatively recent past. Is the most amazing example of that. 835 00:46:17,880 --> 00:46:19,280 In a word about that, A lot of people come 836 00:46:19,320 --> 00:46:21,360 after me, and I'm sure you've heard this. Hey, you 837 00:46:21,440 --> 00:46:24,920 Republicans are supposed to be about values. We would all 838 00:46:25,159 --> 00:46:27,719 like for our standard bearers to be choir boys and 839 00:46:27,800 --> 00:46:31,559 boy scouts and have completely blemish free backgrounds, and the 840 00:46:31,559 --> 00:46:35,880 wise philosopher Kings that's the ideal. It doesn't always happen 841 00:46:36,400 --> 00:46:39,159 ultimately in the modern era, and I mean modern going 842 00:46:39,280 --> 00:46:42,960 back fifty years. What the kind of president you will be, 843 00:46:43,239 --> 00:46:45,480 the kind of senator you will be, the kind of 844 00:46:45,559 --> 00:46:49,719 represent matters more than things in your personal past. And 845 00:46:49,760 --> 00:46:53,239 for people thinking that's just a wilful blindness from Republicans, 846 00:46:53,480 --> 00:46:56,400 I give you Bill Clinton, who engaged in sex acts 847 00:46:56,440 --> 00:46:59,519 in the actual oval office and went on to become 848 00:46:59,559 --> 00:47:03,239 a continuing respected elder statesman of the Democrat Party. It's 849 00:47:03,239 --> 00:47:05,719 not a Republican thing or a Democrat thing, It's a 850 00:47:05,840 --> 00:47:09,880 human thing. Probably more urgently now, what matters most of all. 851 00:47:10,119 --> 00:47:13,039 John Corny is going to be talking about character, character, character, 852 00:47:13,360 --> 00:47:14,920 and that's fine. I would be too if I were 853 00:47:14,920 --> 00:47:17,960 in his position. But the character that voters probably care 854 00:47:17,960 --> 00:47:21,519 about the most is promising to do things and actually 855 00:47:21,559 --> 00:47:23,639 doing them. Well. 856 00:47:23,639 --> 00:47:28,480 Speaker 1: It's going to be an exciting few weeks looking forward 857 00:47:28,519 --> 00:47:29,719 to seeing how this plays out. 858 00:47:30,320 --> 00:47:35,320 Speaker 4: I'm exhausted already. I'm totally kidding. That's totally satirical. It 859 00:47:35,400 --> 00:47:37,920 is energizing, and in fact, I think it's possible to 860 00:47:38,000 --> 00:47:41,920 overstate how exhausting and so much money I'm not worried 861 00:47:41,920 --> 00:47:44,000 about the money at all. I think that seemed to 862 00:47:44,039 --> 00:47:45,800 be a big Trump concern. Well, after this, you know, 863 00:47:45,840 --> 00:47:48,000 one hundreds of millions of dollars what like, there won't 864 00:47:48,000 --> 00:47:53,519 be any money left for Trumps, for Paxton versus Tellerico 865 00:47:53,639 --> 00:47:56,360 or Cornyn versus to We'll we'll find the money. 866 00:47:56,639 --> 00:47:56,960 Speaker 2: All right. 867 00:47:57,000 --> 00:47:59,599 Speaker 1: Well, it's time for us to get this up before 868 00:47:59,639 --> 00:48:01,679 any the truth socials. 869 00:48:01,320 --> 00:48:03,719 Speaker 2: And the other friends changes completely. 870 00:48:03,280 --> 00:48:08,159 Speaker 1: Change the situation. Thank you so much for joining us, Mark, 871 00:48:08,159 --> 00:48:10,679 thanks Eleanor, and thank you to our producers, Rob and Chris. 872 00:48:10,679 --> 00:48:11,840 We will talk to y'all next week.