Bonus Episode: Fmr. Rep. Joe Walsh in Minnesota, Kelly on Trump

[00:00:14] Welcome to The Break Down with Brodkorb and Becky, a weekly podcast that breaks down politics, policy, and current affairs. I'm Becky Scherr.

[00:00:21] And I'm Michael Brodkorb.

[00:00:22] We are coming to you on a beautiful fall day with a bonus episode for this week. We are going to start by discussing former Congressman Joe Walsh's visit to the great state of Minnesota for a Republican for Harris event.

[00:00:33] We will break down recent news shared by former former Trump chief of staff Kelly, who claims Trump praised Hitler during his term.

[00:00:43] And lastly, we will touch on a general state of the race as things stand just 10 days from the election. Thanks for joining us and enjoy the show. Man, that was a word salad.

[00:00:52] But hello, Michael. How are you?

[00:00:54] It's great to be here. Thanks for doing this today. This is, I think, good for the podcast, but also good.

[00:01:01] Just a little bit of political therapy for me, which I think I was in need of a balanced conversation about politics today.

[00:01:09] So I really appreciate you making some time to do this today.

[00:01:12] Happy to be here. So tell us a little bit about this event last night.

[00:01:16] Congressman Joe Walsh was in town. You had an event. It looked like a panel conversation.

[00:01:21] Saw Tom Horner there. Tell us a little bit about it.

[00:01:23] It was a great event. It was a Republicans and Independents for Harris event last night.

[00:01:29] As our listeners know, should know by now, I have endorsed as a Republican, Vice President,

[00:01:34] Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz's campaign.

[00:01:36] So we had a panel discussion last night in Edina.

[00:01:39] We were joined by former Congressman Joe Walsh, who's been traveling the country on behalf of Republicans for Harris,

[00:01:47] spreading the message about why Republicans should and support the Vice President and Governor Walz's ticket.

[00:01:54] And then Tom Horner was there. Tom Horner is the former chief of staff to David Durenberger.

[00:02:01] He was ran for governor in 2010 when you and I worked on a race, Becky.

[00:02:06] He we were Tom Emmer was the Republican endorsed candidate and Tom Horner ran as an independent in that race.

[00:02:13] So he represented the independent wing of the independent in Independence Day last night.

[00:02:18] And then we were joined by former United States attorney Tom Heffelfinger.

[00:02:21] I know Tom Heffelfinger, aside from his role as being a United States attorney, he didn't prosecute me or anything as a United States attorney.

[00:02:28] I knew him when we did redistricting.

[00:02:30] He was our redistricting attorney in 2000 when I did redistricting.

[00:02:35] And he served as United States attorney under George Herbert Walker Bush and George W. Bush.

[00:02:41] And it was a fantastic event.

[00:02:44] Great crowd, 50 or some people there.

[00:02:47] And, you know, let me just say this to you.

[00:02:49] I know there are a lot of people still undecided in this race.

[00:02:54] And one of the things I would say is it's been I've had a lot of great conversations with Republicans on both sides, Republicans who are supporting Trump, Republicans who are undecided, Republicans who are come on board with Harris.

[00:03:10] And one of the things that I think is important for someone like me to do is if I'm going to be identified as a Republican and yet support a Democratic ticket is I have to be open to hearing feedback and questions and criticisms.

[00:03:28] And I will say to you, Becky, that I do not believe I could have done this without having had this podcast with you over the last few years.

[00:03:34] Not because you've brainwashed me in a particular way, but we've every week, at least once a week, you and I are sitting across from each other on camera or having conversations.

[00:03:46] I have to listen to what you say.

[00:03:48] You listen to my we have to pause and have that going back.

[00:03:51] And how that's helped me is it's helped me.

[00:03:54] It's trained me to listen.

[00:03:55] It's trained me to kind of sharpen my arguments a bit, but also recognize that we don't have to agree.

[00:04:01] And so I think it was really it's really been a benefit and it was really helpful over the last few months doing this.

[00:04:07] Last night, it was a very sobering event.

[00:04:09] It was sobering from the standpoint of, first of all, a former congressman Joe Walsh is like a walking can of Mountain Dew, not the diet stuff that people are talking about.

[00:04:19] He was so energetic.

[00:04:21] He was so enthusiastic.

[00:04:23] He and his wife were there.

[00:04:24] I got to spend some time talking with him one on one.

[00:04:27] And then at the event, he's just a can of just pure energy.

[00:04:32] And and that's I think it's good to have.

[00:04:34] I'm a very enthusiastic person, contrary to what you know, but I certainly like to be in.

[00:04:40] I'm boisterous and I'm loud and I'm not necessarily quiet.

[00:04:45] And so it was nice to see someone else have that same passion about the elections.

[00:04:50] It was really great to have Tom Horner there because Tom Horner and I have disagreed.

[00:04:55] And it was interesting to hear his perspective.

[00:04:57] And even though I don't agree with him on all issues, one of the things that I respect about Tom Horner is his focus on policy.

[00:05:06] And he discussed a lot of policy last night, which I think has been missing from this discussion a lot.

[00:05:11] There's a lot of good substantive policy.

[00:05:13] And so I respect that, even though, you know, I supported Emmer in 2010.

[00:05:17] And my goodness, I hope Tom Emmer runs for governor at some point in this state or comes back here because we're certainly big fans of him.

[00:05:24] And you, of course, work with work for Congressman Emmer.

[00:05:27] I worked with when I was deputy chair and we worked together to support his campaign.

[00:05:30] But Tom Horner offered a good policy discussion last night.

[00:05:33] What I wanted to talk a bit about was Tom Heffelfinger and what he's talked about last night.

[00:05:38] But Tom Heffelfinger put in very clear, blunt terms in his mind and from his experience as the former United States attorney, what the stakes are in this election.

[00:05:51] And it was very, very sobering to listen to.

[00:05:56] I am a glass half full guy.

[00:05:58] I think it's fair to say, I mean, we've done this podcast and I always try to be positive.

[00:06:03] And I try to be enthusiastic and be as positive as I can.

[00:06:07] Horner offered the policy.

[00:06:09] Joe Walsh offered, I think, some of the rah-rah passion that we needed.

[00:06:14] But Tom Heffelfinger really laid it out there in some very sobering terms.

[00:06:19] And he talked about his role as a United States attorney under George Herbert Walker Bush and under George Bush.

[00:06:25] And he talked about how he had spoken out in the 2020 election that he, as former United States attorneys that served under a variety of Republican administrations, had raised concerns about Trump in 2020.

[00:06:40] And that 2020 election was kind of the COVID election.

[00:06:44] And I'd kind of forgotten about Heffelfinger doing that.

[00:06:47] And so when he got up and spoke last night, it was very sobering.

[00:06:52] And he put, as someone who I've worked with in the past, in 2000, and seeing him talk, it really reframed, I think, the seriousness of this election.

[00:07:04] I appreciate you sharing.

[00:07:06] I mean, it looked like certainly an interesting event.

[00:07:08] I had forgotten that I had a conflict.

[00:07:10] I had an event downtown Minneapolis also last night that kept me out way past my bedtime.

[00:07:15] But it looked like a great event.

[00:07:17] And I also will say, because I saw a lot of it on Twitter and had the same thought, I appreciate you clarifying that it was a Republican and independent event for Harris.

[00:07:28] Because like many people on Twitter, I do not attribute Tom Horner to being a Republican anymore.

[00:07:35] Although he did have a good Republican staffer resume back in the day.

[00:07:43] But yeah, I mean, I think it's always nice to see that there is a wide variety of folks coming out to share your side of things and looked like a great event.

[00:07:52] So thank you for sharing and highlighting what you heard and what you discussed.

[00:07:57] We can talk about it more in the next topic.

[00:08:02] Part of the reason I wanted to do this today was we did an interview this past week with Ryan Wilson, former candidate for state auditor.

[00:08:09] And we talked about his op-ed on supporting Donald Trump.

[00:08:14] And there was some news that broke after that, which we discussed last night and we can get into right now.

[00:08:20] Sure thing.

[00:08:21] So for those who may not be aware, former chief of staff, John Kelly claimed this week, he agreed to do a number of, I think, two or three interviews ahead of the 2024 election.

[00:08:38] And he claimed that while he was working for Donald Trump, that the former president had praised Adolf Hitler a number of times saying that he, quote, did some good things.

[00:08:51] He also said that Trump once had said that he wanted generals like Hitler said.

[00:08:57] Trump has since come out and denied it.

[00:09:01] But some pretty strong words.

[00:09:03] And I think that General Kelly has a great viewing by a lot of people in this world.

[00:09:12] I think that he is widely respected.

[00:09:15] I think that he, when he went into the Trump administration, was very surprising for a lot of folks.

[00:09:23] But I joined the chorus of folks that believed that he, among many of the chiefs of staff, tried to be the adult in the room for the Trump administration and really tried to bring some kind of common sense, rational thinking to that side of things.

[00:09:44] I'll let you start here.

[00:09:45] What were your thoughts when you heard this?

[00:09:48] I am.

[00:09:49] I have a long and consistent track record of saying that Nazi comparisons and comparisons to Hitler are wrong.

[00:09:57] And I'm and it's a conversation that I've had multiple times.

[00:10:01] I don't think that comparisons to Hitler and the Nazis are in the context of politics are politically appropriate.

[00:10:11] But the challenge I have here is usually when someone brings up a comparison to Hitler or Nazis, it's meant as a criticism.

[00:10:20] Meaning, you know, these people are the worst since A, B and C.

[00:10:24] You know, George W. Bush was the worst leader since, you know, Hitler.

[00:10:28] You know, Bush, Cheney were and stuff like that.

[00:10:29] In this particular instance, John Kelly, four star retired general who lost his son in military service, has come out and said that Trump was praising Nazis and praising the generals that were around Hitler.

[00:10:45] And so as much as I think the Hitler comparisons should be verboten and not be discussed, I am challenged by what Kelly has said because I do consider him to be a good source.

[00:11:03] I don't see any upside for him saying it other than I think his desire and willingness to warn the United States about the possibilities of what a second Trump presidency could bring.

[00:11:18] A former United States attorney, Heffelfinger, discussed it at length last night and concerns about what he thought it would mean.

[00:11:25] And he hearkened, discussed the fact, again, his letter about Trump and the rule of law that he wrote in 2020 about the concerns that he had as a former United States attorney.

[00:11:36] I am struggling a bit with, and I'll get into a specific, we have created this space on this podcast.

[00:11:44] And we've tried to have positive conversations coming from the standpoint of we're going to disagree but not be disagreeable with each other.

[00:11:52] I think it's tough to not introduce the Kelly's comments as we go forward in discussing this race.

[00:12:00] I think it's reasonable and I want to get your take on it, but from my perspective would be it's reasonable to ask people what your position is on Kelly's comments.

[00:12:11] Do you agree with him? Do you think he's a good source?

[00:12:13] Do you agree with some of that rhetoric? If it's true, do you have concerns about it?

[00:12:16] The reason why is because I don't know that it can be ignored.

[00:12:21] And I think it's a larger discussion.

[00:12:23] I think we may have next week on the podcast about, you know, how how people in the media are covering both of these candidates.

[00:12:31] But I think it should be a discussion point.

[00:12:35] And I was surprised last night, kind of the reaction I had in the room when I heard Tom Heffelfinger talk about it, because he meant he brought it up in.

[00:12:46] First of all, anytime you talk about Hitler and Nazis, someone can say the language is hyperbolic and it should be.

[00:12:52] It's powerful language.

[00:12:53] But Tom Heffelfinger brought it up in a way, brought it home that made me think, my goodness, this is a much more serious issue than I think people are giving it.

[00:13:05] Your take.

[00:13:07] No, I mean, I tend to agree.

[00:13:09] You know, I obviously, unfortunately, I've had many conversations with activists, candidates, individuals on the right, in particular post-COVID,

[00:13:22] comparing masks and regulations and actions by the government to Nazi Germany and Hitler.

[00:13:33] And the amount of times I have had to say, please stop.

[00:13:39] And nothing, hopefully nothing in our lifetime will ever be as bad.

[00:13:45] And this is not the same.

[00:13:46] And it's not going to help anything.

[00:13:50] I struggle with this for a couple reasons.

[00:13:55] We know Trump likes to say whatever he wants.

[00:14:01] This being said, behind closed doors, I think adds a layer of weight to it.

[00:14:10] Because he knows, hopefully, that he can't say it publicly.

[00:14:17] And makes me believe it a little bit more.

[00:14:21] Because I feel like it's something that he does think that there is some merit to.

[00:14:28] Not saying by any means that I believe that Donald Trump is saying that or applauding the murder of 7 million Jews in, you know, the 1940s.

[00:14:42] But struggling to find where a mind can go to applaud a person who orchestrated the death of 7 million Jews in the 1940s,

[00:14:55] how you find that glean of optimism in a person like that is concerning.

[00:15:01] I think that where there's going to be, where we will see some outrage on the right or from Trump supporters on this is the timing of it, right?

[00:15:12] It just, anytime anything comes out, the October surprise, 10 days, two weeks before the election,

[00:15:17] people want to look at it with a little extra skepticism and feel as though he's not just bringing it forward for the general good of knowledge of folks in the race,

[00:15:29] but because he wants there to be a political slam to it.

[00:15:32] He wants there to be ramifications.

[00:15:34] I don't think that that means it's not compelling and not or disqualifying by any means.

[00:15:41] But I think that that is an argument that we will see being made from any of these folks,

[00:15:47] any former Trump staffers or Trump affiliates who come out in the next two weeks,

[00:15:53] which I believe we will continue to see these sort of things, these sort of...

[00:15:59] It's not the first time that we've been seeing...

[00:16:02] I mean, this has been a theme, right?

[00:16:03] The themes of Trump being a threat to our democracy or our country and our government as we know it,

[00:16:11] the fact that people have been calling him a fascist,

[00:16:15] and this is another example of that when we look at former people of his cabinet or administration

[00:16:21] being some of the folks that are using that kind of language.

[00:16:26] I...

[00:16:27] It's just...

[00:16:28] The timing of it is what's going to get some people extra riled up, right?

[00:16:32] I mean, I think had it been a month ago, it's different.

[00:16:36] But also, is there a reason?

[00:16:39] Like, can we applaud the reason for holding it until this point where it is something that will...

[00:16:45] Voters have short memory spans.

[00:16:47] Yep.

[00:16:48] So when you want something to be remembered as they go to the poll,

[00:16:54] is there...

[00:16:54] Do you allow folks to use something that has a little bit more of a political ramifications?

[00:17:00] Because maybe it should?

[00:17:04] I'm...

[00:17:04] Again, I'm a little all over the place and, you know,

[00:17:08] just trying to kind of formulate my thoughts as I'm saying them out loud.

[00:17:12] But it's...

[00:17:15] I...

[00:17:16] I have a hard time believing Trump's denial of this.

[00:17:20] I...

[00:17:20] I tend to believe...

[00:17:23] I mean, if I'm looking at somebody, two individuals,

[00:17:27] and they are Donald Trump and General Kelly,

[00:17:31] I think there is just a different level of magnitude when it comes to

[00:17:35] who I believe is a more respectful, unlikely to lie,

[00:17:39] more person that I would put up on a pedestal and that would be John Kelly.

[00:17:46] I don't want to...

[00:17:48] One other thing that was said last night,

[00:17:50] and I think it factors in a little bit,

[00:17:52] which is Heffelfinger discussed the risk that people have in speaking out,

[00:17:56] the risk that people have in speaking out.

[00:17:58] And he articulated it in pretty clear language.

[00:18:01] Language that when I got home later that night,

[00:18:04] my children asked me about because they were in the room when he said it.

[00:18:07] And it was some pretty profound language.

[00:18:09] One of the things that I will say is,

[00:18:12] I normally would...

[00:18:15] And I still do a little bit,

[00:18:17] Maggie, look at the timing of it and say,

[00:18:20] boy, oh boy, it's suspect.

[00:18:23] What I also will say is,

[00:18:24] I think that I've seen more people

[00:18:29] slowly understanding the stakes in this election

[00:18:31] and those that can and feel comfortable speaking out

[00:18:35] are coming to that decision.

[00:18:36] I will say to you,

[00:18:38] one of the things that I've had,

[00:18:40] I want people to vote.

[00:18:42] I don't...

[00:18:42] I want...

[00:18:43] It's the most...

[00:18:43] That's where this...

[00:18:44] The conversations with me always start with,

[00:18:46] I want you to vote.

[00:18:47] Okay?

[00:18:48] And then,

[00:18:49] if you're open to it,

[00:18:50] the conversation,

[00:18:50] let's discuss about it.

[00:18:52] The ballot box is private.

[00:18:53] And I think that one of the things that is...

[00:18:56] One of the things that I've reacted to a bit

[00:19:01] is there's been a lot of...

[00:19:02] I've faced...

[00:19:03] For all of the positive conversations

[00:19:05] I've had with people,

[00:19:06] there are also people who are judgmental,

[00:19:09] who are shaming,

[00:19:10] who are angry,

[00:19:10] who are upset,

[00:19:11] who are bringing up my religion

[00:19:13] and questioning whether I can do it,

[00:19:15] trying to lecture me on Catholicism

[00:19:18] or my political beliefs

[00:19:19] and all this type of stuff,

[00:19:21] which is just preposterous.

[00:19:22] I also have to recognize

[00:19:25] that people don't have to wear their politics

[00:19:29] on their sleeves

[00:19:30] and they can vote privately.

[00:19:32] The ballot box,

[00:19:34] my vote for being public

[00:19:36] doesn't count any more than someone

[00:19:38] who chooses to vote privately.

[00:19:40] So I respect and appreciate

[00:19:43] and understand

[00:19:44] probably more than I ever have before

[00:19:46] someone not choosing to speak out

[00:19:49] in this election.

[00:19:50] I have no fault

[00:19:52] with someone who's like,

[00:19:54] I know what I'm going to do

[00:19:55] or I don't know what I'm going to do

[00:19:56] or it's none of your damn business, Broad Corp,

[00:19:58] and I'm going to vote.

[00:19:59] And I'm okay with that.

[00:20:01] I understand it.

[00:20:02] The only rub I've had recently

[00:20:04] has been, I think,

[00:20:05] with people that I know

[00:20:07] are not supporting Donald Trump

[00:20:10] and are...

[00:20:12] They're not supporting Donald Trump.

[00:20:13] They're probably going to write someone in

[00:20:15] and they have...

[00:20:18] They, I think, are being far too

[00:20:21] acceptant and tolerant

[00:20:22] of some of the language

[00:20:24] that Donald Trump has used and said.

[00:20:27] And last night,

[00:20:28] and it's part of the reason

[00:20:29] I wanted to have this podcast,

[00:20:31] in the friendly confines

[00:20:33] of that room last night,

[00:20:34] I got a real splash

[00:20:36] of cold water in the face

[00:20:38] as to what,

[00:20:40] from the perspective

[00:20:40] of a former United States attorney,

[00:20:42] what could happen

[00:20:44] in that type of scenario?

[00:20:45] I don't want to be too hyperbolic,

[00:20:47] but I enjoy kind of

[00:20:48] the contemporaneous nature

[00:20:50] of this podcast

[00:20:51] that we can come on,

[00:20:52] we're close to the election,

[00:20:54] and I can just offer my observations.

[00:20:56] Absolutely.

[00:20:57] The message I want to say to people is this.

[00:20:59] Number one, vote.

[00:21:00] Vote, vote, vote, vote.

[00:21:01] Everyone needs to vote.

[00:21:03] You're a Democrat.

[00:21:04] You're a Republican.

[00:21:05] If you're going to write somebody in,

[00:21:06] just go vote.

[00:21:08] And I want to embrace and respect that.

[00:21:10] I want to let people,

[00:21:11] remind people that the ballot box

[00:21:12] is private,

[00:21:13] and you can vote your conscience

[00:21:15] and vote how you do it.

[00:21:16] And I want to encourage people

[00:21:17] to do that.

[00:21:18] I'm not going to shame

[00:21:19] or judge anyone

[00:21:21] as long as they're voting

[00:21:22] because that's something

[00:21:23] that people need to do.

[00:21:24] And that's the most important vote.

[00:21:26] And again, Becky,

[00:21:27] there's no,

[00:21:27] someone that votes privately

[00:21:29] for a Republican

[00:21:31] or an independent

[00:21:31] that votes privately

[00:21:32] for Kamala Harris

[00:21:34] or Tim Walz

[00:21:35] counts just as much

[00:21:36] as my vote.

[00:21:37] A Democrat

[00:21:37] who decides to vote

[00:21:39] for Donald Trump

[00:21:40] counts just as much

[00:21:42] as a Republican does.

[00:21:43] And so,

[00:21:44] but I think

[00:21:45] the framework

[00:21:46] of this election

[00:21:48] got a bit more serious

[00:21:50] the last couple days

[00:21:52] with some of those comments

[00:21:53] from Kelly.

[00:21:54] And I knew that

[00:21:55] you and I could have

[00:21:56] kind of a,

[00:21:58] in essence,

[00:21:58] for lack of a better phrase,

[00:22:00] kind of a discussion

[00:22:00] on rules of engagement

[00:22:02] going forward

[00:22:03] and discussing it

[00:22:04] because I think it's,

[00:22:05] I think it's tough

[00:22:06] not to talk about it.

[00:22:07] And,

[00:22:07] and I want to be consistent

[00:22:09] and true

[00:22:10] to who I am

[00:22:11] in saying,

[00:22:12] generally,

[00:22:13] when someone's made

[00:22:14] a Nazi comparison,

[00:22:15] that's kind of

[00:22:16] when I shut down.

[00:22:17] But in this context,

[00:22:18] it's a little different.

[00:22:20] Is that fair for me

[00:22:21] to say?

[00:22:22] Do you kind of get my point?

[00:22:23] Absolutely.

[00:22:24] Got it.

[00:22:24] Um,

[00:22:26] I think

[00:22:27] it will be interesting

[00:22:29] to see if we see

[00:22:30] additional folks

[00:22:31] come out with

[00:22:32] sharing similar stories

[00:22:33] or sentiments

[00:22:34] from their time

[00:22:36] surrounding Donald Trump.

[00:22:37] I think these next

[00:22:39] 10 days

[00:22:40] are certainly going

[00:22:41] to be

[00:22:41] action-packed.

[00:22:43] I don't expect

[00:22:44] there to be

[00:22:46] any lull

[00:22:47] in new information

[00:22:48] or criticism

[00:22:50] on either side.

[00:22:51] And we'll be here

[00:22:52] to chat about it.

[00:22:54] Do you think it's,

[00:22:55] can I just ask you

[00:22:55] one last question?

[00:22:56] I know I want to be sure

[00:22:57] whether time today.

[00:22:58] I think that this is

[00:22:59] the craziest election

[00:23:00] that I've been a part of.

[00:23:01] Yeah.

[00:23:02] Not saying it's the most

[00:23:02] important election

[00:23:03] to you or others,

[00:23:04] but where are you

[00:23:06] on like the craziness

[00:23:07] of this election?

[00:23:08] Is this

[00:23:08] the most amped

[00:23:10] it's been,

[00:23:10] you think?

[00:23:11] Yeah.

[00:23:11] I mean,

[00:23:12] it just,

[00:23:12] it seems,

[00:23:14] it's just wild

[00:23:15] on both sides.

[00:23:16] And I think next week

[00:23:17] we'll chat a little bit

[00:23:18] more about

[00:23:19] what we're seeing

[00:23:20] accepted

[00:23:21] or ridiculed

[00:23:23] by voters,

[00:23:24] by the media

[00:23:25] from each candidate.

[00:23:28] But it's been wild.

[00:23:29] I mean,

[00:23:30] it,

[00:23:30] it,

[00:23:31] I know I,

[00:23:32] like I mentioned,

[00:23:32] I am rewatching Veep,

[00:23:34] but it's,

[00:23:34] it's,

[00:23:35] it's like a sitcom.

[00:23:36] Sometimes it's,

[00:23:38] it's insane

[00:23:39] to be perfectly frank.

[00:23:42] Veep,

[00:23:42] a Veep is very therapeutic

[00:23:44] right now

[00:23:44] and so is Schitt's Creek.

[00:23:45] I'm actually rewatching

[00:23:46] both of those

[00:23:46] and they're,

[00:23:47] they're something

[00:23:48] that is really helpful

[00:23:49] at this time.

[00:23:51] One last subject

[00:23:51] before we go.

[00:23:52] State of politics

[00:23:53] in Minnesota.

[00:23:54] Where do you think

[00:23:54] things are at right now?

[00:23:56] Yeah,

[00:23:56] you know,

[00:23:57] I wanted to chat

[00:23:57] a little bit about this

[00:23:58] because we,

[00:24:00] you know,

[00:24:00] in some conversations

[00:24:01] with colleagues

[00:24:02] and friends

[00:24:02] and former coworkers,

[00:24:05] been chatting a lot

[00:24:06] about how things look

[00:24:07] here in Minnesota.

[00:24:08] And I think,

[00:24:10] I don't know,

[00:24:12] I still don't feel

[00:24:13] super strongly

[00:24:15] that Donald Trump

[00:24:17] is going to flip

[00:24:17] the state red.

[00:24:19] But I do think

[00:24:20] that there might be

[00:24:20] more implications

[00:24:21] on how the top

[00:24:22] of the ticket

[00:24:23] reflects down the ticket.

[00:24:25] I have been having

[00:24:27] a lot of conversations

[00:24:28] and I'm curious

[00:24:28] to get your take

[00:24:29] about how,

[00:24:30] in particular,

[00:24:31] having Donald Trump

[00:24:33] and Royce White

[00:24:34] at the top of the ticket,

[00:24:36] having some of those

[00:24:38] independent

[00:24:38] or maybe

[00:24:39] moderate Republicans

[00:24:41] who don't feel comfortable

[00:24:42] casting a ballot

[00:24:43] for Donald Trump,

[00:24:44] who certainly

[00:24:45] don't feel comfortable

[00:24:46] supporting Royce White

[00:24:47] for Senate.

[00:24:48] So,

[00:24:49] might be bouncing

[00:24:50] over to the left

[00:24:51] side of the ticket.

[00:24:53] And then,

[00:24:54] what that looks like

[00:24:54] down ballot

[00:24:55] because I think

[00:24:56] that both in

[00:24:57] Senate District 45

[00:24:58] where we have

[00:24:59] a special election

[00:24:59] from Kelly Morrison

[00:25:00] who's running

[00:25:01] for the 3rd

[00:25:02] Congressional District,

[00:25:04] I think right now

[00:25:05] folks are looking

[00:25:06] at that.

[00:25:07] I mean,

[00:25:07] $3 million spent,

[00:25:08] it's a wild race

[00:25:10] in amount of money

[00:25:11] that has been spent

[00:25:12] for a single state

[00:25:14] legislative seat.

[00:25:16] I think that

[00:25:17] there is possibility

[00:25:18] that with the top

[00:25:20] of the ticket,

[00:25:21] with some folks

[00:25:23] that vote for the left

[00:25:25] and Minnesotans

[00:25:26] we know

[00:25:26] traditionally really like

[00:25:28] to bounce back

[00:25:28] and forth

[00:25:29] on that ballot,

[00:25:31] I'm really interested

[00:25:32] to see how that plays

[00:25:33] in 45

[00:25:34] in the state

[00:25:35] House races

[00:25:35] because I think

[00:25:37] it could bode

[00:25:38] pretty well

[00:25:38] for Republicans

[00:25:39] down ballot.

[00:25:40] I think that there

[00:25:41] is a potential

[00:25:41] that voters go

[00:25:43] and they cast their

[00:25:44] ballot for Harris-Walls,

[00:25:46] they cast their

[00:25:47] ballot for Amy

[00:25:48] Klobuchar

[00:25:48] and they realize,

[00:25:50] I want a little bit

[00:25:51] of balance.

[00:25:52] We've had the

[00:25:52] single party rule,

[00:25:53] let's get Republicans

[00:25:55] back at the state

[00:25:56] legislature

[00:25:56] and vote right.

[00:25:58] Right.

[00:25:58] And I'm saying this

[00:26:00] just purely out of

[00:26:01] my own conversations

[00:26:03] and what I've read

[00:26:05] and seen.

[00:26:05] There's no polling,

[00:26:07] there's no facts

[00:26:08] or figures

[00:26:09] or studies

[00:26:10] that I'm pointing

[00:26:11] to or have read

[00:26:12] or can,

[00:26:12] you know,

[00:26:13] have been done

[00:26:13] on this.

[00:26:14] You're an expert.

[00:26:15] You're an expert.

[00:26:16] I like to think so.

[00:26:17] You are.

[00:26:18] You're an expert.

[00:26:18] But I'm curious

[00:26:19] of what your take

[00:26:20] is on that

[00:26:20] and the implications

[00:26:21] and how this might

[00:26:23] benefit Republicans

[00:26:24] in, again,

[00:26:25] that special election

[00:26:27] seat

[00:26:27] and in the

[00:26:28] state house races.

[00:26:30] I've been pretty

[00:26:31] consistent on this

[00:26:32] and I stand by it,

[00:26:34] which has been this.

[00:26:35] I think that

[00:26:36] two things,

[00:26:37] two kind of

[00:26:38] independent thoughts,

[00:26:39] but somewhat connected.

[00:26:41] I think it's tough

[00:26:43] for Republicans

[00:26:43] to have Donald Trump

[00:26:44] and Royce White

[00:26:45] at the top of the ticket

[00:26:46] because I think

[00:26:47] that there's,

[00:26:47] that's problem number one.

[00:26:49] And one of the questions

[00:26:50] I've consistently

[00:26:51] said to people is,

[00:26:53] how does Donald Trump

[00:26:54] and Royce White

[00:26:54] help Republicans?

[00:26:56] I will say,

[00:26:57] though,

[00:26:57] to you this,

[00:26:57] is that I think

[00:26:58] Tim Walls being on the ticket

[00:27:00] has energized Republicans.

[00:27:02] I think that,

[00:27:03] and it's energized them.

[00:27:06] I do think you make

[00:27:07] a really good point

[00:27:08] about split tickets

[00:27:11] and can Republicans

[00:27:14] get some of those people

[00:27:16] on having there be

[00:27:18] some partisan balance

[00:27:19] in office.

[00:27:20] I am someone

[00:27:21] who has spoken

[00:27:22] a lot about,

[00:27:23] I know you have too,

[00:27:24] we've,

[00:27:24] on this podcast,

[00:27:25] we've spoken about

[00:27:26] there being balance

[00:27:26] in politics.

[00:27:28] And so I,

[00:27:28] I honestly don't know.

[00:27:30] I mean,

[00:27:31] this is probably

[00:27:32] the first election

[00:27:33] that I don't know,

[00:27:35] I have as little,

[00:27:36] I just don't know

[00:27:37] what's going to happen

[00:27:38] down ballot.

[00:27:39] I do,

[00:27:40] let me say this to you,

[00:27:40] there is,

[00:27:41] I think there is

[00:27:43] zero chance

[00:27:44] that Donald Trump

[00:27:44] wins the state.

[00:27:46] Donald Trump

[00:27:46] and J.D. Vance

[00:27:47] win the state.

[00:27:47] If they believed

[00:27:48] that they could win

[00:27:48] the state,

[00:27:49] they would be coming back.

[00:27:50] There is no evidence

[00:27:51] to believe that they're

[00:27:51] coming back.

[00:27:52] And I think

[00:27:53] all polling indicates

[00:27:54] that they're going

[00:27:55] to win,

[00:27:56] that Vice President

[00:27:57] Harris and Governor

[00:27:58] Walz are going

[00:27:58] to win this state.

[00:28:00] Senator Klobuchar

[00:28:01] is cruising to victory

[00:28:03] in this election.

[00:28:05] She has been able

[00:28:06] to spend time

[00:28:07] off the ticket.

[00:28:08] I mean,

[00:28:08] not focused on a race

[00:28:10] and helping down ballot.

[00:28:11] I do believe though,

[00:28:12] and I've had some

[00:28:13] conversations with Democrats

[00:28:14] and they think I'm crazy,

[00:28:16] but I've said this.

[00:28:17] I said,

[00:28:17] look,

[00:28:17] I think that

[00:28:18] wall's being picked

[00:28:19] as the VP

[00:28:20] gives Republicans

[00:28:21] an opportunity,

[00:28:22] is energized

[00:28:23] Republicans in a way

[00:28:24] much more than

[00:28:25] what happened

[00:28:25] in 2022

[00:28:26] in the governor's race

[00:28:27] where I think

[00:28:28] Republicans were

[00:28:28] more fractured.

[00:28:30] And I think that

[00:28:31] there is

[00:28:32] a real opportunity

[00:28:33] that Republicans

[00:28:34] could make some gains.

[00:28:35] We'll see.

[00:28:36] It's going to come out

[00:28:36] to get out the vote

[00:28:37] and the DFL's operation

[00:28:39] and we'll see.

[00:28:40] But I honestly,

[00:28:41] I'm probably going

[00:28:42] to lean more

[00:28:43] into listening

[00:28:44] to our guests

[00:28:45] and your perspective

[00:28:46] because I do think

[00:28:47] you're an expert.

[00:28:48] I do think you're following,

[00:28:49] you understand

[00:28:50] the dynamics

[00:28:51] better than I do.

[00:28:52] And I'm kind of

[00:28:53] more focused

[00:28:53] on the national stuff

[00:28:54] and the presidential race.

[00:28:56] I'm real curious.

[00:28:57] I think we should

[00:28:57] spend some time

[00:28:58] talking about it

[00:28:58] more the next couple

[00:28:59] episodes before election

[00:29:01] because I think

[00:29:02] there's a lot

[00:29:02] of good races

[00:29:03] out there

[00:29:03] and I honestly

[00:29:05] need to be

[00:29:05] a bit more informed

[00:29:06] on how those

[00:29:08] down ballot races are

[00:29:09] and I think

[00:29:09] your framing

[00:29:10] makes a lot of sense.

[00:29:13] Yeah,

[00:29:13] I'm excited.

[00:29:14] It's just,

[00:29:15] and it's so hard

[00:29:15] to also,

[00:29:17] like you said,

[00:29:18] I think this year

[00:29:19] it's,

[00:29:19] we can have

[00:29:20] all of these

[00:29:20] thoughts and opinions

[00:29:21] but we also have

[00:29:22] zero idea

[00:29:23] with the strategy

[00:29:24] that Trump

[00:29:25] and the Republicans

[00:29:26] nationally

[00:29:26] have been

[00:29:28] employing

[00:29:28] of low propensity

[00:29:29] voters

[00:29:29] what the falloff rate is.

[00:29:31] are there going

[00:29:31] to be a large

[00:29:32] chunk of Minnesota

[00:29:33] voters that come

[00:29:34] and just cast

[00:29:35] their ballot

[00:29:35] for Donald Trump

[00:29:36] and ignore

[00:29:37] down ballot?

[00:29:38] That has yet

[00:29:38] to be determined.

[00:29:40] So many different

[00:29:41] things in play.

[00:29:42] It's starting

[00:29:43] to finally,

[00:29:44] I think last episode

[00:29:45] or in the last

[00:29:46] week or two

[00:29:47] I didn't feel

[00:29:47] like the energy

[00:29:49] of being three

[00:29:50] weeks out

[00:29:51] from the election

[00:29:52] was there.

[00:29:52] I'm feeling it now.

[00:29:54] It's very exciting.

[00:29:56] I have no idea

[00:29:57] what's going

[00:29:57] to freaking happen

[00:29:58] which I don't

[00:29:59] think we ever

[00:30:00] do

[00:30:01] but this

[00:30:02] in particular

[00:30:04] just seems

[00:30:04] a little wild.

[00:30:05] I think everything

[00:30:06] is changing.

[00:30:07] I think we see

[00:30:08] the ebbs and flows

[00:30:10] with every

[00:30:11] interview

[00:30:12] and conversation

[00:30:13] and news

[00:30:15] we hear

[00:30:15] so I don't

[00:30:16] think that

[00:30:16] that's going

[00:30:17] to change.

[00:30:17] I'm really excited

[00:30:18] for what the next

[00:30:18] 10 days come

[00:30:19] and bring.

[00:30:21] I'm going to be

[00:30:21] watching a lot

[00:30:22] of what has

[00:30:23] happening in CD2

[00:30:24] as well

[00:30:24] I think that

[00:30:25] that's going

[00:30:25] to be really

[00:30:26] really interesting

[00:30:28] and potentially

[00:30:29] reflective of

[00:30:29] what we see

[00:30:30] nationally

[00:30:30] with some

[00:30:31] of these

[00:30:32] battleground states

[00:30:32] and red wave

[00:30:33] or blue tsunami

[00:30:34] or whatever

[00:30:35] is coming

[00:30:36] through

[00:30:37] but we're

[00:30:38] 10 days out

[00:30:39] and man

[00:30:39] it's heating up.

[00:30:40] It is heating up

[00:30:41] and I gotta tell you

[00:30:43] if you don't

[00:30:44] know what's

[00:30:44] happening

[00:30:45] I can't imagine

[00:30:46] what the average

[00:30:47] person is

[00:30:47] because I was

[00:30:48] hoping you'd

[00:30:49] give the answers

[00:30:50] but we still

[00:30:51] got to figure

[00:30:51] it out apparently.

[00:30:52] They haven't

[00:30:52] been given

[00:30:52] to me yet

[00:30:53] so I'll let you

[00:30:54] know if

[00:30:54] somebody mails

[00:30:55] me those

[00:30:55] answers.

[00:30:56] Well good

[00:30:57] let me know

[00:30:57] before we air

[00:30:58] them.

[00:30:58] Becky thank you

[00:31:00] for doing this

[00:31:00] quick bonus

[00:31:01] episode and

[00:31:02] we want to

[00:31:03] thank everyone

[00:31:03] for listening

[00:31:04] to this bonus

[00:31:04] episode of

[00:31:05] The Breakdown

[00:31:05] with Broadcom

[00:31:06] and Becky

[00:31:06] before we go

[00:31:07] show some love

[00:31:08] for your favorite

[00:31:08] podcast by

[00:31:09] leaving us

[00:31:10] a review on

[00:31:10] Apple Podcast

[00:31:11] or on the

[00:31:12] platform where

[00:31:12] you listen

[00:31:13] you can also

[00:31:13] check out our

[00:31:14] website and

[00:31:15] us across all

[00:31:16] social media

[00:31:17] platforms at

[00:31:18] at BB

[00:31:19] Breakpod.

[00:31:20] The Breakdown

[00:31:20] with Broadcom

[00:31:21] will return

[00:31:22] next week.

[00:31:22] Thank you so

[00:31:23] much.

[00:31:23] Bye.