1 00:00:04,879 --> 00:00:05,599 Speaker 1: What's going On? 2 00:00:05,759 --> 00:00:08,119 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for listening to this podcast. It 3 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:10,080 is heard live every day from noon to three on 4 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:13,839 WBT Radio in Charlotte. And if you want exclusive content 5 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:17,160 like invitations to events, the weekly live stream, my daily 6 00:00:17,199 --> 00:00:19,480 show prep with all the links, become a patron, go 7 00:00:19,559 --> 00:00:23,399 to dpeatclendarshow dot com. Make sure you hit the subscribe button. 8 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:26,320 Get every episode for free right to your smartphone or tablet. 9 00:00:26,359 --> 00:00:28,320 And again, thank you so much for your support. 10 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:29,320 Speaker 1: What is going on? 11 00:00:29,399 --> 00:00:32,520 Speaker 2: Everybody, Happy Thursday, Welcome to the program News Talk eleven, 12 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:38,079 ten ninety nine three WBT. Enjoy this brisk weather because 13 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:42,640 it's about to go away for like five days. Hey, 14 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:45,719 it's gonna yeah, it was a heat dome. That's the 15 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:48,799 that's the term everybody's using now. A heat dome be 16 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:52,320 over one hundred degrees through like I don't know the 17 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:57,439 rest of our lives. No, it's gonna be like Saturday, Sunday, 18 00:00:57,439 --> 00:00:59,920 Monday and Tuesday one hundred, one hundred and ten degrees 19 00:01:00,119 --> 00:01:00,840 here in Charlotte. 20 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 1: Ugh, we will get through it. 21 00:01:04,519 --> 00:01:06,840 Speaker 2: We will get through it, especially those who have opted 22 00:01:06,879 --> 00:01:09,599 out of the throttling of the air conditioning units by 23 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:14,480 Duke Power. But Anyway, let's get to the big news 24 00:01:14,519 --> 00:01:20,840 here in North Carolina, which is that number one former 25 00:01:20,879 --> 00:01:25,079 Governor Roy Cooper, my good friend Ray as I like 26 00:01:25,159 --> 00:01:27,400 to call him, because that's what Hillary Clinton called him 27 00:01:27,799 --> 00:01:30,159 when she was campaigning for him in North Carolina, called 28 00:01:30,239 --> 00:01:34,200 him Ray Cooper. So tight, those two so tight. And then, 29 00:01:34,239 --> 00:01:38,239 if I remember correctly, Kamala Harris also referred to him 30 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:41,519 as Ray Cooper at some point too early on. They 31 00:01:41,599 --> 00:01:45,439 then became very good friends, although he would not join 32 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:50,439 her ticket. But anyway, regardless, Roy Cooper expected to announce 33 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:53,799 that he is running for the Senate seat that Tom 34 00:01:53,879 --> 00:01:57,480 Tillis is not going to seek reelection. 35 00:01:57,599 --> 00:01:57,840 Speaker 1: Two. 36 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 2: This from the Charlotte Observer by Danielle Battaglia. Morgan Jackson, 37 00:02:04,159 --> 00:02:09,039 who is Cooper's advisor longtime advisor, told McClatchy, which is 38 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:11,639 the parent company of the Charlotte Observer and the Raleigh 39 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:16,319 News and Observer, and I think the Durham Herald Sun 40 00:02:16,439 --> 00:02:20,919 maybe I forget, but the McClatchy papers were told by 41 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:26,439 Morgan Jackson yesterday that quote Governor Cooper would be making 42 00:02:26,479 --> 00:02:32,680 his intentions known in the coming days. But Axios had 43 00:02:32,719 --> 00:02:37,479 already reported that Cooper plans to announce his run next week, 44 00:02:38,319 --> 00:02:43,960 and attributed its story to multiple unnamed sources. Jackson told 45 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:50,000 McClatchy that he would not confirm Axios's reporting, So it 46 00:02:50,039 --> 00:02:53,960 does appear that Cooper is getting into the race. The 47 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:56,560 twenty twenty six Senate race is expected to be one 48 00:02:56,599 --> 00:02:59,639 of the most expensive in the country and closely watched 49 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:02,280 as the swing state of North Carolina could help determine 50 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:06,360 whether Republicans maintain the majority. This is a very favorable 51 00:03:06,439 --> 00:03:10,080 map for Republicans. I'm not saying that they can lose 52 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:13,159 North Carolina and be fined, but they don't want to 53 00:03:13,159 --> 00:03:16,240 lose North Carolina. But it is going to be a 54 00:03:16,319 --> 00:03:20,120 competitive race, and it's going to be a very expensive race, 55 00:03:20,599 --> 00:03:24,800 and it will determine whether or not Republicans can expand 56 00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:27,960 their current majority, which they have a fifty three to 57 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:32,639 forty seven seat majority in the US Senate. They could 58 00:03:32,719 --> 00:03:36,360 actually expand that majority, but they would have to hold 59 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:39,159 North Carolina. They'd have to hold that seat that Tillis 60 00:03:39,199 --> 00:03:45,759 currently has. Now Republicans, well, this was written yesterday, so 61 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:52,280 they're weighing names like Laura Trump, Michael Wattley to run 62 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:58,360 in their primary Pat Harrigan, congressman, potentially as well Don Brown, 63 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:03,319 a former JAG officer. He has already declared himself a 64 00:04:03,319 --> 00:04:06,800 candidate in the Republican primary, but the filing does not 65 00:04:07,039 --> 00:04:12,159 actually open until December first, Okay, so you don't have 66 00:04:12,199 --> 00:04:16,120 to drop down the thousands of dollars to file to 67 00:04:16,199 --> 00:04:18,160 run for US Senate. You don't have to do that 68 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:22,279 until December one. So and on the Democrat side, you've 69 00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:28,800 got Representative former Representative Wiley Nickel. He's already declared multiple 70 00:04:28,839 --> 00:04:31,120 times trying to get as much media attention as he could, 71 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:35,519 so he just made his announcement like twice. He's also 72 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:38,160 declared that he wants to run for this US Senate. 73 00:04:38,199 --> 00:04:40,600 Se don't know if he will actually do so. With 74 00:04:40,759 --> 00:04:46,519 Cooper getting in. If he stays in, that would that 75 00:04:47,519 --> 00:04:49,680 I don't know what would happen, especially then if he's 76 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:54,399 going to split, you know, depending on Cooper's positions on things, 77 00:04:54,439 --> 00:04:57,439 does he does Wiley Nickel run to the left of Cooper? 78 00:04:58,519 --> 00:05:01,279 And if he does that, is that then open up 79 00:05:01,319 --> 00:05:08,560 a lane for some other candidate, namely a bipock right, 80 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:12,360 like a black, indigenous person of color, whatever like it 81 00:05:12,399 --> 00:05:16,560 could be. You could have somebody come in and try 82 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:18,439 to take. 83 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:23,639 Speaker 1: That lane, the non white male lane. But we don't know. 84 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:27,920 Speaker 2: My suspicion, this is just a guest. The Democrats have 85 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:30,040 not told me what's going to happen. I have not 86 00:05:30,160 --> 00:05:32,959 pulled every single Democrat who could run for the seat. 87 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:36,720 But my suspicion is that Nicol bows out and they're 88 00:05:36,759 --> 00:05:41,240 just going to clear the field for Cooper. They want 89 00:05:41,279 --> 00:05:44,199 to avoid primary battle that might bloody him up a 90 00:05:44,240 --> 00:05:48,279 little bit and make him spend a bunch of money. 91 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:50,439 So I suspect they're going to clear the field for him. 92 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:55,839 Cooper has run in every election since the late nineteen eighties, 93 00:05:56,120 --> 00:06:00,000 so he is a fresh face obviously, and donelike Wiley, 94 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:03,639 he has faced multiple statewide races. You know, he was 95 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:08,480 attorney general for four terms I believe sixteen years total. 96 00:06:08,519 --> 00:06:12,519 Before that, he was in the legislature for many terms. 97 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:17,480 In fact, he helped pass the most gerrymandered redistricting maps 98 00:06:17,639 --> 00:06:21,519 in America, got sued multiple times over it. Talked about 99 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:25,720 how it's nearly impossible to comply with federal rules on 100 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:27,720 how to draw the districts and stuff. But that was 101 00:06:27,759 --> 00:06:31,759 before the Democrats lost power and then used redistricting as 102 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:36,839 a cudgel against the Republicans. He has statewide name recognition, 103 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:42,199 that is true, and that statewide profile was amplified as 104 00:06:42,199 --> 00:06:47,000 he led North Carolina through the COVID nineteen pandemic, and 105 00:06:47,079 --> 00:06:51,000 everybody's got really fond memories of that. So that's definitely 106 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:54,720 going to parlay into support for him. It will redound 107 00:06:54,720 --> 00:07:00,560 to his benefit, I am certain. And also he according 108 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:04,079 to the the McClatchy right up here, that he worked 109 00:07:04,079 --> 00:07:08,000 with Republicans to achieve Medicaid expansion. Okay, he did not 110 00:07:08,199 --> 00:07:15,120 work with Republicans to achieve Medicaid expansion. Okay, Republicans did 111 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:18,439 that on their own. Republicans did that, and then he 112 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:21,720 signed it because he needed a win. He had blocked 113 00:07:22,199 --> 00:07:25,319 every budget. He vetoed every single budget, including those with 114 00:07:25,439 --> 00:07:27,240 big pay raises for teachers. 115 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:27,759 Speaker 1: Right. 116 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:34,720 Speaker 2: He sacrificed everything in every budget cycle, vetoing every single 117 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:38,560 budget except for the very last one, which was when 118 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:42,920 Republicans expanded Medicaid, which now is probably going to be 119 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:46,680 unwound because of the big, beautiful bill that was passed 120 00:07:46,759 --> 00:07:50,800 up in Congress that did away with the little clever 121 00:07:50,959 --> 00:07:55,079 loophole that the Republicans used in order to pass the 122 00:07:55,120 --> 00:07:59,639 costs of the expansion on to the federal government, thereby 123 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:03,199 in seeing our national deficit and our crushing debt that 124 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:07,040 will be paid by generations to come. Okay, so Roy 125 00:08:07,079 --> 00:08:11,000 Cooper candidate number one, well number two if he count 126 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:11,560 Wiley Nickel. 127 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:13,560 Speaker 1: But let's be clear, no one's counting Wiley Nickel. 128 00:08:13,680 --> 00:08:17,079 Speaker 2: Okay, So it's it's Roy Cooper, and I suspect the 129 00:08:17,079 --> 00:08:20,199 field will clear for him. Nobody else will challenge him. 130 00:08:20,639 --> 00:08:22,759 And because my goodness, like, look what he did to 131 00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:27,839 fellow Democrats in the legislature when they crossed him. He 132 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:33,480 primaried them, right, he got them primaried. So I suspect 133 00:08:33,639 --> 00:08:37,480 that he will issue the same sorts of ham fisted, 134 00:08:37,559 --> 00:08:41,879 heavy handed threats against Democrats that try to run against him, 135 00:08:41,879 --> 00:08:44,600 that they will have, you know, no role in Democrat 136 00:08:44,639 --> 00:08:47,799 politics if if they challenge him, I would have no 137 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:51,120 reason to believe he would not issue a similar threat 138 00:08:51,320 --> 00:08:53,679 to his fellow Democrats like he already has in the past. 139 00:08:53,679 --> 00:08:54,799 Speaker 1: He's done him multiple times. 140 00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:58,759 Speaker 2: Like I said, he primaried these these other lawmakers because 141 00:08:58,759 --> 00:09:01,000 they didn't toe the line for him on every single 142 00:09:01,279 --> 00:09:04,919 veto override vote. And he did it with the HB 143 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:09,240 two debate. Oh, that's right, the HB two debate. That 144 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:12,200 might not actually be helpful to him. Now, Oh, what 145 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:17,320 a difference fifteen years makes. But also now we have 146 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:21,639 a Republican candidate. After Lara Trump said she will not 147 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:25,519 run for this Senate seat, we got Michael Watley, the 148 00:09:25,639 --> 00:09:29,919 RNC chair, the former North Carolina GOP chairman. He is 149 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:34,759 expected to run for the Republican nomination. We'll do that 150 00:09:34,879 --> 00:09:35,799 bit up next. 151 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:36,639 Speaker 1: All right, if you're. 152 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:38,279 Speaker 2: Listening to this show, you know I try to keep 153 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:40,039 up with all sorts of current events, and I know 154 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:42,519 you do too, And you've probably heard me say get 155 00:09:42,559 --> 00:09:46,519 your news from multiple sources. Why well, because it's how 156 00:09:46,559 --> 00:09:49,159 you detect media bias, which is why I've been so 157 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:52,840 impressed with ground News. It's an app and it's a 158 00:09:52,879 --> 00:09:55,720 website and it combines news from around the world in 159 00:09:55,759 --> 00:09:59,080 one place so you can compare coverage and verify information. 160 00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:02,639 You could check it out at check dot ground, dot 161 00:10:02,679 --> 00:10:05,840 news slash pete. I put the link in the podcast 162 00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:08,879 description too. I started using ground News a few months 163 00:10:08,879 --> 00:10:11,480 ago and more recently chose to work with them as 164 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:14,720 an affiliate because it lets me see clearly how stories 165 00:10:14,759 --> 00:10:18,000 get covered and by whom. The blind spot feature shows 166 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:20,879 you which stories get ignored by the left and the right. 167 00:10:21,039 --> 00:10:25,720 See for yourself. Check dot ground dot news slash Pete. 168 00:10:25,799 --> 00:10:28,480 Subscribe through that link and you'll get fifteen percent off 169 00:10:28,519 --> 00:10:31,759 any subscription. I use the Vantage plan to get unlimited 170 00:10:31,799 --> 00:10:35,120 access to every feature. Your subscription then not only helps 171 00:10:35,159 --> 00:10:37,919 my podcast, but it also supports Ground News as they 172 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:41,759 make the media landscape more transparent. News Talk eleven ten 173 00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:44,960 ninety nine three WBT seven oh four five seven zero 174 00:10:45,039 --> 00:10:47,240 eleven ten is the number dial if you'd like to 175 00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:50,159 join the program. That is also the same number as 176 00:10:50,159 --> 00:10:54,279 the WBT text line, coincidentally driven by Liberty Buick GMC 177 00:10:54,519 --> 00:10:57,799 wbt's text line. You can also email me Pete at 178 00:10:57,799 --> 00:11:00,759 the petecalnarshow dot com. You can hit MP on Twitter 179 00:11:00,799 --> 00:11:04,879 at Pete callener. We got the smoke signal reader out back, 180 00:11:06,919 --> 00:11:09,240 the telegraph wires coming through loud and clear. 181 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:10,320 Speaker 1: So yeah, we are good to go. 182 00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:14,799 Speaker 2: All right, So we've got Roy Cooper on the Democrat side, 183 00:11:15,159 --> 00:11:21,080 over on the Republican side. This from Politico Lara Trump, 184 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:25,559 who the President had previously asked to run. This is 185 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:31,879 Eric Trump's wife, so Donald Trump's daughter in law. She 186 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:35,000 has decided to remain as host of her weekly show 187 00:11:35,039 --> 00:11:39,759 on Fox News. She's expected to back Michael Wattley, with 188 00:11:39,799 --> 00:11:43,120 whom she co chaired the RNC last year, and the 189 00:11:43,159 --> 00:11:45,919 two will likely appear together in the near future. According 190 00:11:45,919 --> 00:11:48,360 to the people who were granted anonymity to discuss the 191 00:11:48,399 --> 00:11:52,519 plans in advance, public announcement is expected in the next 192 00:11:52,559 --> 00:11:55,320 week to ten days. Wattley is the chairman of the 193 00:11:55,360 --> 00:11:58,240 Republican National Committee. He's also been a key figure in 194 00:11:58,279 --> 00:12:02,639 North Carolina GOP politics and is reportedly preparing to enter 195 00:12:02,679 --> 00:12:07,159 the race. This from The Carolina Journal Wattley's anticipated run. 196 00:12:07,279 --> 00:12:08,240 Speaker 1: This is by Donna King. 197 00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:12,120 Speaker 2: By the way, Wattley's anticipated run signals a major development 198 00:12:12,159 --> 00:12:15,799 in North Carolina's political landscape. A former chair of the 199 00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:18,759 North Carolina Republican Party, I believe he held that post 200 00:12:18,879 --> 00:12:23,200 for five years, Wattley has been a close ally of 201 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:26,440 President Donald Trump and has played a central role in 202 00:12:26,519 --> 00:12:33,279 shaping the GOP's election integrity messaging. His rise to RNC 203 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:36,919 chair in twenty twenty four solidified his position as a 204 00:12:37,039 --> 00:12:41,360 national conservative leader with deep state level routs. Not deep 205 00:12:41,399 --> 00:12:45,840 state level, but deep state level roots okay. During his 206 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:49,000 time as NC GOP chair from twenty nineteen to twenty 207 00:12:49,039 --> 00:12:53,759 twenty three, Wattley helped Republicans expand their legislative majorities. Supporters 208 00:12:53,799 --> 00:12:56,840 say he positioned the party for long term success in 209 00:12:57,000 --> 00:13:06,039 statewide elections. His entry could deter other Republican hopefuls, especially 210 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:11,600 if Donald Trump offers an early endorsement, which from the 211 00:13:11,639 --> 00:13:15,679 reports I have heard from various sectors and people, that 212 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:21,360 will occur. However, conservative challengers may emerge depending on how 213 00:13:21,399 --> 00:13:25,279 the primary unfolds. So far, Andy Nilson of the Triad 214 00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:29,600 has already declared his candidacy for the primary, supporting a 215 00:13:29,639 --> 00:13:34,159 Trump hat. Also I mentioned em earlier, Don Brown. He 216 00:13:34,279 --> 00:13:36,960 ran for Congress. He ran for the seat that Dan 217 00:13:37,039 --> 00:13:41,200 Bishop vacated when he ran for Attorney General. Don Brown 218 00:13:41,279 --> 00:13:44,000 ran for that seat. He was not successful in the 219 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:48,759 Republican primary. Mark Harris won that seat, won the nomination, 220 00:13:48,840 --> 00:13:51,080 and then won the seat in the general. But Don 221 00:13:51,120 --> 00:13:53,440 Brown has declared plans to challenge till Us in the 222 00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:56,399 GOP primary, so we don't know if he will intend 223 00:13:56,759 --> 00:14:01,919 to continue that run. If Michael Wattley is the guy 224 00:14:02,919 --> 00:14:06,840 that walks into the race with a Trump endorsement in 225 00:14:06,919 --> 00:14:15,559 his pocket. Right, So back to the Politico story. Wattley 226 00:14:15,639 --> 00:14:18,279 was elected RNC chair in March of twenty twenty four, 227 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:22,000 led the party, alongside Lara Trump, to sweeping victories up 228 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:25,279 and down the ballot in last year's elections. Republicans believe 229 00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:29,080 that Wattley's connections with donors will be an asset in 230 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:31,320 what will likely be one of the most expensive races 231 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:34,639 in next year's elections. And that is true. Okay, that 232 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:38,159 is true. There's a reason why Republicans believe this. It's 233 00:14:38,159 --> 00:14:39,159 because it is true. 234 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:40,039 Speaker 1: Okay. 235 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:45,240 Speaker 2: Michael Wattley, when he was North Carolina GOP chairman, went 236 00:14:45,399 --> 00:14:51,399 all over the place and got donations from all over 237 00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:54,039 the country from all sorts of people. He brought in 238 00:14:54,159 --> 00:14:58,000 all sorts of national figures to help with various races 239 00:14:58,120 --> 00:15:00,440 up in Asheville when I was up there, he brought 240 00:15:00,480 --> 00:15:05,159 Ted Cruz to town and did a meet and greet 241 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:09,720 campaign event at the time for I'm trying to remember 242 00:15:10,600 --> 00:15:14,080 what race would that have been twenty Probably it may 243 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:18,519 have been the Well because Madison Cawthorne was there. Tim 244 00:15:18,559 --> 00:15:20,399 Moore was there, but he was still Speaker of the House. 245 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:28,360 Trying to remember who it might have been Tillis. It 246 00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:32,720 may have been Tom Tillis's last reelection. That would make 247 00:15:32,759 --> 00:15:38,320 sense because that would have been in twenty Yeah, I 248 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:42,679 think so at any rate, or maybe it was maybe 249 00:15:42,679 --> 00:15:45,879 it was eighteen, but anyway, So Wadley has a very 250 00:15:45,919 --> 00:15:50,279 thick roll ofdex and when he went to the RNC, 251 00:15:51,080 --> 00:15:54,679 now obviously the network that he is able to build 252 00:15:54,679 --> 00:15:58,639 out gets even bigger, right, and he's going. 253 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:00,039 Speaker 1: To need that. 254 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:03,120 Speaker 2: Any candidate is going to need that, and so he 255 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:05,600 would be the best positioned as far as I know, Like, 256 00:16:05,679 --> 00:16:09,799 I haven't heard any other names of any other Republicans 257 00:16:09,799 --> 00:16:13,639 in North Carolina that have expressed an interest in running 258 00:16:13,639 --> 00:16:16,279 for this seat. There's also you know, you always got 259 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:18,960 to keep in mind that it's the midterms in a 260 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:24,240 Republican presidency, and that usually does not benefit the party 261 00:16:24,679 --> 00:16:27,039 that is in power in the White House, right, The 262 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:32,559 president's party generally loses seats in the midterm elections, and 263 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:35,279 you know, maybe that changes this time. It has there 264 00:16:35,519 --> 00:16:39,120 are anomalies, right that has occurred in the past, and 265 00:16:39,159 --> 00:16:43,840 so it's possible we could see that trend break differently 266 00:16:44,279 --> 00:16:47,519 this time around. That's possible, But Watley is able to 267 00:16:47,519 --> 00:16:49,240 walk in. While he doesn't have a lot of name 268 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:54,399 ID like Roy Cooper has, he does have a huge 269 00:16:54,519 --> 00:16:58,840 fundraising donor network, not just in. 270 00:16:58,919 --> 00:17:01,240 Speaker 1: State, but out of state as well. 271 00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:05,720 Speaker 2: He's also going to likely have Donald Trump's endorsement because 272 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:10,119 Donald Trump, you know, seems to to love Michael Wattley. 273 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:13,000 He's he's always touting him. He's always pointing him out 274 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:14,880 and saying Watley did a great job. So, like, I 275 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:17,640 got to believe that Trump would make that endorsement. He 276 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:21,640 Trump is expected to announce Wattley's replacement at the RNC 277 00:17:22,720 --> 00:17:27,519 around the time that he announces his Senate campaign. So 278 00:17:29,799 --> 00:17:33,039 I made some notes to just kind of, you know, 279 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:36,640 handicap the race a little bit. I'm not making a prediction, don't. 280 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:38,279 I think anybody would be a fool to make a 281 00:17:38,319 --> 00:17:43,200 prediction on this Senate race now, especially now, but even 282 00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:46,839 you know, going into the election, because North carol these 283 00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:51,160 races are always super close, these US Senate races, They're 284 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:56,240 always very very close, you know, two points one to 285 00:17:56,319 --> 00:18:00,440 two points, that's what we're talking about. Democrats are targeting 286 00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:04,039 North Carolina as a potential pickup opportunity in a map 287 00:18:04,039 --> 00:18:07,799 that otherwise favors Republicans. This is from the political article, 288 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:11,640 and that's true. The overall national map for the Senate 289 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:14,440 races that are open this time around or in twenty 290 00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:17,160 twenty six. Those you know, there are a lot of 291 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:19,799 seats that are solid Republican seats. There are a lot 292 00:18:19,799 --> 00:18:21,680 of Republican seats that they don't have to defend this 293 00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:24,400 time around, a lot of Democrat seats they do have 294 00:18:24,480 --> 00:18:29,079 to defend, and states that are purple or voted for 295 00:18:29,119 --> 00:18:33,720 Trump with a Democrat US senator that's giving them some adjita, 296 00:18:33,839 --> 00:18:36,279 you might say. So they've got some challenges. The map 297 00:18:36,319 --> 00:18:40,319 favors Republicans. We'll go over some of the handicapping notes 298 00:18:40,359 --> 00:18:43,559 here in a moment. Here's a great idea. 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Call or text eight two eight three 318 00:19:47,599 --> 00:19:50,680 six seven seventy sixty eight or check out all there 319 00:19:50,720 --> 00:19:53,599 is to offer at cabins Offashville dot com and make 320 00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:57,000 memories that'll last a lifetime. Just talk eleven ten ninety 321 00:19:57,039 --> 00:20:00,759 nine three WBT seven oh four five seve eleven ten. 322 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:04,599 Email is Pete at the Pete calendershow dot com. Here 323 00:20:04,680 --> 00:20:09,880 is one email from David If the North Carolina Senate 324 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:12,960 race ends up becoming a battle of Wattley versus Cooper, 325 00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:16,519 with Wattley having the Trump war machine behind him, Cooper 326 00:20:16,559 --> 00:20:18,400 will get his butt handed to him on a silver 327 00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:21,680 platter multiple times. Well you only have one butt, David, 328 00:20:21,799 --> 00:20:26,799 so it will be like an old school wrestling match, 329 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:30,039 no holds barred, loser leave town. 330 00:20:30,759 --> 00:20:31,000 Speaker 1: Yeah. 331 00:20:31,039 --> 00:20:36,319 Speaker 2: I again, I don't make predictions on election outcomes any longer, 332 00:20:36,440 --> 00:20:40,039 not since twenty sixteen. I don't make these predictions. I'll 333 00:20:40,079 --> 00:20:41,279 just wait and see what happens. 334 00:20:41,319 --> 00:20:41,759 Speaker 1: Just like you. 335 00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:46,079 Speaker 2: People can believe, you know, and hope and think that 336 00:20:46,119 --> 00:20:47,920 they can, you know, read the tea leaves, and maybe 337 00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:50,559 they're right sometimes, but nobody's right one hundred percent of 338 00:20:50,559 --> 00:20:53,039 the time. So and then of course you never hear people. 339 00:20:52,839 --> 00:20:55,680 Speaker 1: Say I was wrong. I was totally wrong. Listen to 340 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:57,039 me for future predictions. 341 00:20:57,039 --> 00:21:02,920 Speaker 2: You know. This is from somebody on the text line 342 00:21:04,359 --> 00:21:07,480 regarding Roy Cooper. Not only am I opposed to his 343 00:21:07,519 --> 00:21:11,160 political decisions, most of which were simply vetoing legislation, but 344 00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:14,759 I really dislike his condescending way of communicating with the public. 345 00:21:14,799 --> 00:21:17,880 He sounds like mister Rogers addressing a group of kindergarteners. 346 00:21:18,759 --> 00:21:23,640 This was one of my biggest beefs with Cooper and Cohen, 347 00:21:24,160 --> 00:21:27,519 C and C during the I call them the C 348 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:31,599 and C music factory. But anyway, during their COVID briefings, 349 00:21:31,960 --> 00:21:34,680 they talked to us like we were children, and it 350 00:21:34,759 --> 00:21:37,839 was infuriating. Now, I don't know if people enjoy being 351 00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:40,640 spoken to like that, And I'm just the outlier here, 352 00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:43,160 but I don't think I am. You know, I don't 353 00:21:43,160 --> 00:21:46,920 think I am. And I don't know if that's going 354 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:51,720 to play as well with a like a national kind 355 00:21:51,759 --> 00:21:55,000 of audience. Maybe it does, but it doesn't really matter 356 00:21:55,039 --> 00:21:57,599 because they don't vote in our state elections. And maybe 357 00:21:57,599 --> 00:22:00,720 there are enough North Carolinians that to be talked to 358 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:01,200 like this. 359 00:22:02,799 --> 00:22:07,480 Speaker 1: We'll see another text. 360 00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:12,480 Speaker 2: Wiley Nickel is the womp candidate, white upper middle class 361 00:22:12,519 --> 00:22:17,599 progressive womp whose base will be suburbs of places like Raleigh, Charlotte, 362 00:22:17,599 --> 00:22:20,720 and Nashville. Cooper, coming from Nash County, is the remnant 363 00:22:20,799 --> 00:22:23,319 of the rural white Democrat and has had to evolve 364 00:22:23,359 --> 00:22:27,720 to survive. Don Davis would be the BIPOC candidate if 365 00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:29,759 he chose to get in right, and I don't think 366 00:22:29,799 --> 00:22:30,640 he is getting in. 367 00:22:31,599 --> 00:22:35,079 Speaker 1: He might. I would be surprised if he does. And 368 00:22:35,119 --> 00:22:35,680 here's the thing. 369 00:22:35,799 --> 00:22:40,759 Speaker 2: Roy Cooper has enjoyed that Nash County origin story and 370 00:22:40,799 --> 00:22:44,680 that you know, the super syropy southern drawl that he has, 371 00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:47,839 the you know that makes him sound like mister Rogers 372 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:51,559 talking to kindergartners. And is that going to be enough 373 00:22:51,559 --> 00:22:56,000 to get people to vote for him in this kind 374 00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:58,680 of a scenario. I don't think so. The governor's race 375 00:22:58,759 --> 00:23:01,640 and a Senate race are different and kinds of races. 376 00:23:02,799 --> 00:23:05,880 In fact, let me jump over here and do This 377 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:09,559 is from our buddy Andrew Dunn at long Leaf Politics, 378 00:23:10,319 --> 00:23:13,039 who spent a lot of time with Michael Wattley during 379 00:23:13,079 --> 00:23:16,039 the twenty twenty campaign when he was in charge of 380 00:23:16,039 --> 00:23:18,799 the North Carolina GOP. And in twenty twenty, that's when 381 00:23:18,839 --> 00:23:23,640 Dan Forest was running against Roy Cooper, and Dunn worked 382 00:23:23,640 --> 00:23:28,519 for Cooper or worked for Forrest, and he says what 383 00:23:28,559 --> 00:23:31,200 I saw wasn't just a sharp strategist. I saw one 384 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:35,079 of the hardest workers in North Carolina politics, methodical, focused, 385 00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:39,799 and tireless. The US Senate, as opposed to the governor's race, 386 00:23:40,400 --> 00:23:44,000 the Senate is a nationalized race. By its very nature, 387 00:23:44,559 --> 00:23:49,400 voters care less about personality and more about direction. Who 388 00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:53,400 controls the chamber, what's at stake for the country. That's 389 00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:56,720 the arena that Wattley is built for. He's got deep 390 00:23:56,799 --> 00:24:00,279 ties to national donors as well as conservative groups. He 391 00:24:00,359 --> 00:24:03,240 knows how to assemble a campaign team, and he knows 392 00:24:03,279 --> 00:24:07,759 how to message with discipline. Most importantly, he understands what 393 00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:11,440 this race will be about, which is a referendum on 394 00:24:11,599 --> 00:24:15,400 Trump era conservatism and whether North Carolina still supports it. 395 00:24:16,119 --> 00:24:19,359 Wattley is not a flashy guy, but he is aligned 396 00:24:19,359 --> 00:24:21,880 with the current moment, and that gives him a real 397 00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:26,119 shot to win. Republicans need someone who can turn out 398 00:24:26,119 --> 00:24:30,599 the base without hemorrhaging swing voters, someone who can run 399 00:24:30,599 --> 00:24:35,559 a focused, disciplined, and well financed campaign. Wattley very well 400 00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:39,759 might be that person. Don't underestimate him. I think that's 401 00:24:40,119 --> 00:24:47,160 sound analysis. Michael Wattley will not scare off suburban voters. 402 00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:49,920 Speaker 1: He won't. 403 00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:54,759 Speaker 2: He comes across as a nice guy, right, I mean, yes, 404 00:24:54,839 --> 00:24:59,279 he's a Republican, He's a Trump Republican, and so you 405 00:24:59,319 --> 00:25:01,920 know he's going to be a to defend the issues 406 00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:03,000 and the philosophy and. 407 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:03,400 Speaker 1: All of that. 408 00:25:03,559 --> 00:25:08,400 Speaker 2: But he's not like a fire breather like along the 409 00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:10,680 lines of say Mark Robinson, He's not that kind of 410 00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:13,160 a candidate. He's not that kind of a person. So 411 00:25:13,319 --> 00:25:17,640 he's going to be much more palatable for a lot 412 00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:20,640 of these voters that you know, I don't want to 413 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:24,599 feel icky when I pull the lever, you know. So 414 00:25:24,680 --> 00:25:27,640 let's take a look real quick at Roy Cooper. Actually, 415 00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:29,759 hang on, he's going to take more time, So let 416 00:25:29,799 --> 00:25:31,440 me do this for These are some of the notes 417 00:25:31,440 --> 00:25:32,359 I made about Wattley. 418 00:25:33,039 --> 00:25:34,599 Speaker 1: It's true he's never been a candidate. 419 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:37,519 Speaker 2: Okay, he's never run for any office before, which is 420 00:25:37,519 --> 00:25:39,559 a pro and a con. The pro is that he's 421 00:25:39,599 --> 00:25:41,680 sort of a blank slate. He doesn't have any votes 422 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:46,400 attached to his name, right, But as head of the party, 423 00:25:46,519 --> 00:25:48,920 he's made a lot of public statements. He knows a 424 00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:52,119 lot about campaigns. He's done a lot of media, so 425 00:25:52,319 --> 00:25:54,519 he knows how all of this stuff works. He's good 426 00:25:54,519 --> 00:25:57,559 on TV and that's important. He also has a vast 427 00:25:57,599 --> 00:26:00,640 network of donors to help him. He's going to have 428 00:26:00,680 --> 00:26:03,519 a lot of people that owe him. As former North 429 00:26:03,559 --> 00:26:08,319 Carolina GOP chairman and the former RNC chairman, right, there 430 00:26:08,319 --> 00:26:10,079 are a lot of people that he has helped win 431 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:13,240 election and so he's going to be able to call 432 00:26:13,279 --> 00:26:15,960 them up and say can you help me, and they will, 433 00:26:16,839 --> 00:26:20,559 you know, feel obliged and want to do so. 434 00:26:20,599 --> 00:26:21,480 Speaker 1: Now the flip. 435 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:24,559 Speaker 2: Side is he's going to be tied to everything Trump 436 00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:28,119 and GOP because of those roles. Right, They're going to 437 00:26:28,119 --> 00:26:30,319 be able to say he was the GOP chairman when 438 00:26:30,319 --> 00:26:37,720 the GOP did everything right. Here's another thing. He knows 439 00:26:37,799 --> 00:26:43,200 firsthand Roy Cooper's record here in North Carolina. So unlike 440 00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:47,519 say Lara Trump, Michael Wattley was here. 441 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:48,039 Speaker 1: For all of this. 442 00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:51,319 Speaker 2: He was, you know, boots on the ground during all 443 00:26:51,359 --> 00:26:54,720 of Cooper's term, and so he knows the stuff that 444 00:26:54,759 --> 00:26:58,279 Cooper did. He is well acquainted with the issues and 445 00:26:58,319 --> 00:27:01,839 the weaknesses and strengths that Cooper brings to the table. Now, 446 00:27:01,880 --> 00:27:04,119 one of the things Democrats are already trying to do 447 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:09,160 is to tie Wattley to Mark Robinson. Because Wattley was 448 00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:12,640 the chair and because as chair you're trying to get 449 00:27:12,680 --> 00:27:15,839 all of your candidates elected. He came out in favor 450 00:27:15,880 --> 00:27:19,519 of Mark Robinson. He was defending Mark Robinson, he for 451 00:27:19,599 --> 00:27:22,119 Lieutenant governor. He helped to get him elected. In all 452 00:27:22,119 --> 00:27:23,680 of this, and they're going to try to hang Mark 453 00:27:23,759 --> 00:27:29,000 Robinson around Wattley's neck. So there's that one final point 454 00:27:29,039 --> 00:27:34,519 real quick on Lara Trump. Thank you and kudos to 455 00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:38,759 Lara Trump for coming out as soon as she did 456 00:27:38,799 --> 00:27:41,480 when the writing was on the wall and the reports 457 00:27:41,519 --> 00:27:45,000 broke yesterday that Cooper was going to be getting in. 458 00:27:45,039 --> 00:27:47,960 Her initial statements prior to yesterday were that she was 459 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:51,079 going to make a decision by Thanksgiving because the deadline 460 00:27:51,079 --> 00:27:54,759 defile is December one, and that would have completely crippled 461 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:57,960 any Republican if she decided not to run. That would 462 00:27:57,960 --> 00:28:02,240 have been four months wasted for a potential Republican candidate 463 00:28:02,319 --> 00:28:05,319 to start their race. But by immediately coming out and 464 00:28:05,319 --> 00:28:07,920 saying I'm not running for this, it now cleared the 465 00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:11,920 field because everybody was waiting for her to say whether 466 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:14,240 she would or would not run. And I said last 467 00:28:14,240 --> 00:28:17,599 time on my live stream, she needs to come out asap, 468 00:28:18,119 --> 00:28:21,039 and I woke up this morning and she had. And 469 00:28:21,119 --> 00:28:25,079 so thank you because you have not handstrung the Republican 470 00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:29,559 Party and their potential to get a nominee on the 471 00:28:29,599 --> 00:28:32,559 ground and running very quickly. You know, stories are powerful. 472 00:28:32,640 --> 00:28:35,759 They help us make sense of things, to understand experiences. 473 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:38,279 Stories connect us to the people of our past while 474 00:28:38,279 --> 00:28:41,720 transcending generations. 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I'm afraid not enough people agree with me, though. 495 00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:50,599 The thought of him in the Senate scares me to death. Yeah, 496 00:29:50,599 --> 00:29:54,319 he will be a reliable vote for the left on everything. 497 00:29:56,200 --> 00:29:58,799 Steve in Indian Trail says, I like Laura Trump, but 498 00:29:58,839 --> 00:30:01,359 I'm glad she's not running, at least not now. Maybe 499 00:30:01,400 --> 00:30:03,839 she will run after Trump's presidency is over, which I 500 00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:06,759 would support. All Right, so let me go over some 501 00:30:06,799 --> 00:30:11,319 of the notes I've I jotted down here about Roy Cooper. 502 00:30:12,039 --> 00:30:15,960 Number one, he is popular, right, he won reelection. He's 503 00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:18,839 won all of his statewide races. He is perceived at 504 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:23,240 least to be a moderate. Okay, people think he's a moderate, 505 00:30:23,400 --> 00:30:27,559 but he votes progressive leftists on all sorts of stuff. 506 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:30,799 He has won every state wide race he's ever run in. 507 00:30:31,519 --> 00:30:33,920 He won in twenty sixteen, he won in twenty twenty, 508 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:37,640 even when the state went for Trump. He can point 509 00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:40,319 to this is according to WRAL, they were correct. He 510 00:30:40,359 --> 00:30:43,000 can point to North Carolina's booming economy during his two 511 00:30:43,079 --> 00:30:47,559 terms as governor, even though the Republican led legislature is 512 00:30:47,599 --> 00:30:48,759 responsible for that. 513 00:30:48,839 --> 00:30:51,319 Speaker 1: Boom, but he will point to it. 514 00:30:51,519 --> 00:30:54,039 Speaker 2: But Michael Wattley can say, well, that was the Republican 515 00:30:54,079 --> 00:30:56,240 legislature that you vetoed everything that they tried to do. 516 00:30:57,559 --> 00:31:04,160 We boomed in spite of you. Roy Cooper has been 517 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:10,079 able to tap into outside money and out of state interests, 518 00:31:10,759 --> 00:31:13,559 which he cultivated first in his HB two fight back 519 00:31:13,559 --> 00:31:18,240 in twenty sixteen against Pat McCrory. And speaking of HB two, 520 00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:21,640 that was a long time ago, a long time ago. 521 00:31:21,720 --> 00:31:27,240 The politics of that issue, transgender, bathroom access, boys on girls, teams, 522 00:31:27,279 --> 00:31:29,680 all of that stuff that has now changed. We were 523 00:31:29,680 --> 00:31:32,480 the canary in the coal mine on that. He was 524 00:31:32,559 --> 00:31:35,359 wrong on that issue. He was on the wrong side 525 00:31:35,359 --> 00:31:38,680 of that issue at the time, but he was rewarded 526 00:31:38,720 --> 00:31:44,240 for it because of the outside influences of money and media. 527 00:31:44,359 --> 00:31:46,799 Could he pay the price for it now? It's possible, 528 00:31:47,839 --> 00:31:51,039 Maybe he changes his stance on some of these trans 529 00:31:51,119 --> 00:31:57,160 related issues, right, that's possible now too. Cooper has never 530 00:31:57,200 --> 00:32:01,720 faced the kind of ad blitz and attacks that he's 531 00:32:01,759 --> 00:32:06,720 now going to face. Okay, the interest from out of 532 00:32:06,839 --> 00:32:12,160 state national money is it will be unlike anything he 533 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:15,279 has ever experienced, because it's just not the same when 534 00:32:15,279 --> 00:32:19,559 you're running for governor in a weak governor state. And 535 00:32:20,519 --> 00:32:24,559 you know, Mark Robinson's candidacy like Josh against Josh Stein 536 00:32:24,680 --> 00:32:26,480 is a good example of it. People you know, started 537 00:32:26,559 --> 00:32:28,599 moving money towards the race and then you know, things 538 00:32:28,799 --> 00:32:30,920 were like, oh, we don't want anything to do with that, 539 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:35,599 and then all the money dried up for Robinson and 540 00:32:37,960 --> 00:32:40,359 Cooper had all of the Cooper had a thick roll 541 00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:43,640 of decks as well, because he had cultivated that with 542 00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:48,359 HB two on the trans issue in twenty sixteen to 543 00:32:48,440 --> 00:32:53,400 defeat Pat McCrory. He has a weakness. I would submit 544 00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:57,119 in all of the vetos, of all of the budgets 545 00:32:57,440 --> 00:33:00,720 and all the teacher pay raises. Right, he can't claim 546 00:33:00,759 --> 00:33:03,920 credit for getting Medicaid expansion done, although he will try. 547 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:08,000 But that wasn't him that did it. The big one, 548 00:33:08,039 --> 00:33:11,519 one of the big ones, the COVID lockdown policies, right, 549 00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:16,559 and the fact that he marched with BLM around the 550 00:33:16,559 --> 00:33:20,319 Governor's mansion with his fist in the air like the 551 00:33:21,119 --> 00:33:25,599 COMI fist and the mask dangling off of his face. 552 00:33:26,079 --> 00:33:29,720 He took his mask off during COVID. You're going to 553 00:33:29,799 --> 00:33:34,359 see that photo all over the place. That's my prediction. Okay, 554 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:37,599 you're going to see that photo of him walking around 555 00:33:37,640 --> 00:33:40,519 with the mask because it's the perfect encapsulation of the 556 00:33:40,720 --> 00:33:44,599 elite right. I set all these rules, I lock you down, 557 00:33:44,839 --> 00:33:47,000 but then BLM comes to town and I'm going to 558 00:33:47,079 --> 00:33:49,799 march in solidarity with BLM, and I'm going to ignore 559 00:33:49,839 --> 00:33:54,319 my own mask rules because it serves a political purpose. 560 00:33:56,079 --> 00:34:01,400 Also major problem for him his disastrous respet to disasters, 561 00:34:02,279 --> 00:34:05,920 going back to the very first term twenty sixteen, Hurricane Matthew, 562 00:34:06,160 --> 00:34:10,400 Hurricane Florence, and then Hurricane Helene. They are going to 563 00:34:10,599 --> 00:34:13,559 tag him on all of that. You got people down 564 00:34:13,679 --> 00:34:17,039 East that are still not back in homes a decade 565 00:34:17,079 --> 00:34:21,760 after Hurricane Matthew, and that's on him. A recovery office 566 00:34:22,159 --> 00:34:26,159 that was so bad that Josh Stein had to set 567 00:34:26,239 --> 00:34:29,199 up a brand new office and just start from scratch. 568 00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:34,840 Where what's his position on ice? Does he have vetoes 569 00:34:34,920 --> 00:34:40,079 there that hamstrung ice? Does he have any foreign policy 570 00:34:40,079 --> 00:34:41,039 positions laid out? 571 00:34:41,079 --> 00:34:41,519 Speaker 1: He does not. 572 00:34:41,920 --> 00:34:45,840 Speaker 2: What's his stance on Gaza, because as a member of 573 00:34:45,880 --> 00:34:48,639 the Senate, you're going to have to talk about that. 574 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:53,599 It's foreign policy related. So what are his foreign policy aims? 575 00:34:54,079 --> 00:34:57,079 Is he pro Israel? Is he anti Israel. Does he 576 00:34:57,119 --> 00:35:02,840 go full radical? What does Roy Cooper do on these issues? 577 00:35:03,039 --> 00:35:06,440 It's going to be difficult, yeah, because he may very 578 00:35:06,480 --> 00:35:09,000 well alienate his base, and if he does it early enough, 579 00:35:09,280 --> 00:35:11,920 maybe some people do end up voting for a candidate 580 00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:16,360 that's more radical progressive, left wing than Roy Cooper. Not 581 00:35:16,519 --> 00:35:18,440 enough to make him lose the primary, of course, but 582 00:35:19,480 --> 00:35:21,440 do they stay home in the general. These are all 583 00:35:21,519 --> 00:35:24,760 questions that we will be watching. All right, that'll do 584 00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:25,920 it for this episode. 585 00:35:25,960 --> 00:35:27,320 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for listening. 586 00:35:27,440 --> 00:35:29,559 Speaker 2: I could not do the show without your support and 587 00:35:29,639 --> 00:35:32,320 the support of the businesses that advertise on the podcast, 588 00:35:32,679 --> 00:35:34,760 so if you'd like, please support them too and tell 589 00:35:34,800 --> 00:35:36,519 them you heard it here. You can also become a 590 00:35:36,559 --> 00:35:41,239 patron at my Patreon page or go to thepetecallanershow dot com. Again, 591 00:35:41,480 --> 00:35:44,000 thank you so much for listening, and don't break anything 592 00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:49,039 while I'm gone.