What Should Republicans Run On in the 2026 Midterms?

The Three Issues Republicans Must Run On

0:08 You're on sabbatical with Doc G and the Discussants where difficult ques - For reassurance, we suggest you call your mother. Now here's Don K. Yeah, we suggest that you give your mom a call if you can't handle it. We're not that mean. We're not that mean. We're not having people call me mommy, are we? I mean, that's your department. I'm here for affirmation. I'll say that. And reassurance. I know you are. And the rest of the crowd out there, they know you are too. Thanks for being there. Thanks for being there.

1:17 I'm not sure how much discernment the rest of the crowd possesses. Because he is a good guy. He really is. He'd be there for you. We talked on Monday about what happens now that we're deep in the heart of this season, of this midterm season, which is pivotal. It's pivotal for how the president conducts the next two years. And man, did he ever work hard to get back in the White House. He literally, I mean, it's a, I was getting ready to say minor miracle. It's not a minor miracle. It is a full blown miracle that.

1:54 Donald Trump is back in the White House. They did everything they could to bury him under a prison. They tried to take his money. They tried to convict him of multiple offenses. And here he is as President of the United States. And they tried to kill him. They tried to kill him over and over and over. Right. I mean, it is a miracle that the man is in the White House. So, if you support his agenda... and you are a person who thinks that the Trump presidency is consequential to the country, you had better get yourself to the polls and vote in November for your local GOP representative.

2:38 Here's the key to the whole thing. How in the world do you get through to those with no discernment who can't see the big picture? How do you get through? How do you penetrate that shell of ignorance and apathy and reach them. I don't know. Doc G in the discussions. Doc G in the discussions is one of those ways, I think. Good luck. They won't be listening. We're not on TikTok, right? The thesis for today is Republicans will not hold Congress by borrowing the Democrats' generic language of affordability.

3:14 I hate that. Every time I hear affordability come out of a a Republican candidate's mouth, I just cringe because those are the words that the Democrats on K Street are trying to put in their mouths and they're having a lot of luck doing that. They must tell voters exactly what is at stake. Renewed mass immigration, mass immigration, mass illegal takeover, an invasion, immigration, I don't like that word either. Energy prices that remain too high. That's a problem right now and we should be going into the election with very low Energy prices which is not going to happen and the rapid return of progressive cultural agenda items if Democrats regain congressional power so These are not three disconnected campaign planks never have been that has been what has sent Trump and Republicans They've given them power and they've sent them back several times.

4:19 Together they ask whether voters want to preserve the policy reversal that they elected Trump to deliver in the first place or return power to the people who built the previous system. Whatever system that was, I think maybe the most visible parts of that system or things like Occupy Wall Street and, you know, CHOP. What a wonderful time that was when, you know, Americans just took over parts of cities. I think they're probably still taking over parts of those particular cities in the Pacific Northwest.

4:55 Those are the kinds of things that we can look forward to. And endless lines at the border. of folks who are gonna make our nation so much more affordable. They're gonna come in and swamp our hospitals, swamp our schools, swamp all public services, and that's going to... I kind of like the ones who come in who are violent. I enjoy the violence, enjoy hearing about the rapes and the bludgeonings and the killings and all that. Thank you, Biden administration. I think that we can... lay it at the feet of not just the Biden administration, Democrat administrations going back, but some Republican administrations too, who would not shut this down.

5:39 Part of the reason why they won't shut it down is because of right -leaning organizations, one of those being the Chamber of Commerce, who's never seen an immigrant they didn't love because they're working on farms, they're providing the labor that Americans won't do, which by the way, is one of the most racist statements I think I've ever heard. Why in the world would, you know, how is it acceptable to say that there is work Americans won't do? I think that's part of the problem. We always used to say that any work worth doing was worth taking pride in and that you should put your whole heart into any job that you have.

6:24 It's been so long since I heard anything like that I can't even tell you. What I hear now is there's work Americans won't do. But there's a whole lot of Americans that don't work at all, and they're importing people to do that work. We shouldn't do that. We should make people do the work that is available to do. That's been a problem, and it's been a problem of both parties sort of saying, well, let's import a workforce that doesn't mind working hard. American people don't mind working hard if they need to work hard.

6:55 I'm not saying that there wouldn't be some adjustments. along the line and especially now, but that's a problem. Democrats helped create the inflation and cost pressures now burdening families and they're again the party of affordability. Republicans gain nothing in my opinion, nothing, by adopting the opposition's vague repair slogan and allowing the argument to begin with the premise that Trump owns the entire problem and that is exactly how they've sort of positioned themselves. which is, just makes, has, I want to pull my hair out.

7:31 So, you know, life is unaffordable according to Democrats. What have they done to make things any more affordable? We have detailed in previous shows increased energy costs, you know, a war on fossil fuels. anyone that decides they want into the country in which again burdens not just the hospitals and schools but the jails as the professors said just a little bit earlier and the court system my word there's you know 35 million of these people that are that have come into the country Get ready for it to come back, if you refuse to go out and vote.

8:12 The midterm cannot be merely a complaint about the present. It must explain what democratic control of the House and Senate would stop, investigate, defund, or restore. We did our part. As Americans here, we did our part. We said what it would cost. Did we not? I mean, I feel good about what we did. I feel good that we laid it out there. So the case here today is keep the border controlled. You can run on that. It is a winner. I personally know Democrats who have voted for Donald Trump because of that one issue alone.

8:51 And I think if they just ran ads of the caravans and the human carnage that came along with them over and over and over again, I think that leads to Republican control. Just that one issue again. Let me see, what else? Deliver on low energy prices, that's a problem. That is a problem that is a unforced error that I'm... I am disappointed that we are running in this day, at this time, with high energy... Doctor, tell me about John Thune and the Save America Act. What's going on there? I don't think that they can pass it because of the filibuster.

9:38 And so that's been a pet peeve of the presidents. He would like to end the filibuster. He may wish he hadn't done that if he loses the Senate. Not very long -sighted, in my opinion. The Save America Act mostly to make sure that people have an ID to vote, but there are other things in it that are poison pills for both parties. And there are plenty of Republicans that have serious issues with some of the things, including at one point there was the fun to go to people who had participated in the January 6th protests.

10:17 That was too much for several Republicans that then lost their seat over that particular issue. And they just couldn't do it. They thought that it would end up being a slush fund. It was meant to be a slush. I sort of agree with what might have happened there. That might have led to other unforced errors. So I can't get behind that. Let's see. Where were we at? We talked about the border, we talked about energy prices, prevent federal institutions or schools from returning to compelled ideology, gender policy, and DEI rulemaking.

10:57 That has been a extremely important part of the Trump agenda to make sure that meritocracy returns to the country that originated meritocracy. When you don't have a meritocracy, you're just a step away from communism and socialism, and I think that's part of the reason why it's so attractive to so many young people because they have grown up in this atmosphere. So the standard here is every argument must answer a very direct question. What changes in the lives of voters if Republicans lose Congress?

11:38 I don't know how much plainer we could have made it on this show. I challenge any other show to make it as plain as we have made that argument. We have said exactly what happens if they lose the House, exactly what happens if they lose the Senate, exactly what happens if they lose both, and any one of those things basically sort of means the end of Donald Trump's last two years in office, at least his ability to move his agenda. My contention is, in just a few seconds here, is that Republicans, when I'm hearing them on TV, are talking this affordability.

12:17 Is this a smart thing, folks? Professor, what do you think? I've laid out a case here. What do you think? While I go along with your discussing how the conservatives are using that term that's become associated with the DEMs, I don't like that either. I wish, I don't know. I'm kind of wondering here, should there be a term to compete with affordability, that term of theirs, or should there be an explanatory note, a more widespread examination, a description of what's going on? I'm not just a buzzword.

12:59 I don't know. The whole thing, I keep saying this, it looks dismal to me. I keep saying we're overpopulated. Nobody believes that. Elon Musk says we're underpopulated and need more babies made. I don't subscribe to that, even though Elon has a lot more money than I do. I think if there weren't so many people, we wouldn't need the EPA, for example. You wouldn't look at this video on television news of freeways in California, New York, wherever, and just see an endless snake of traffic. There wouldn't be...

13:33 like a 30 -minute wait to get out of Walmart. You wouldn't be backed up two blocks at a traffic light. I think there are more people than opportunity, and I think these people who don't see an opportunity for themselves are flailing about trying to figure some way to proceed in life. How am I going to do this? How am I going to buy groceries? How am I going to... I'm never going to... be one of these guys that you described earlier, Doc, with the house and the family, whatever. That's way out of my league.

14:05 I can't possibly do that. Things are not getting any better. All I see is kind of a dystopian landscape. Maybe these Democrats with their socialism can at least allow me to survive and subsist. Yeah, I think that that's... resonating with a lot of young people,

he Border and Energy Prices

14:30 but when we get back maybe we'll talk a little bit. We've talked before about why that is in some respects, but I think that there's a job that the Republicans aren't doing and they aren't doing a very good job of describing how lucky people are to have been born in this country.

14:50 The discussion continues in just a moment. While we take a break, go to docgandthediscussants .com. Meet the Discussants, catch another episode, support the show, visit the shop, or tell your favorite cast member exactly what's on your mind. Doc G. and the Discussants on sabbatical, back after this. If you're wondering what Doc G and the Discussance is all about, here's the short version. Interesting people, interesting ideas, interesting topics. Politics, music, sports, leadership, business, education, technology, history.

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17:10 They need coffee. At Maple House Coffee, we roast fresh, brew it strong, and leave the fancy speeches to somebody else. Hot coffee, cold brew. Fresh pastries, a comfortable chair. That's enough. Maple House Coffee. Good coffee. No meeting required.

17:31 Snakes, zombies, public speaking, the list of fears is endless. But the real danger is in your hand when you're behind the wheel. Distracted driving is what's really scary and even deadly. Eyes forward, don't drive distracted. Brought to you by NHTSA and the Ad Council. And here's Heather with the weather. Well, it's beautiful out there, sunny and 75, almost a little chilly in the shade. Now let's get a read on the inside of your car. It is hot. You've only been parked a short time and it's already 99 degrees in there.

18:02 Let's not leave children in the back seat while running errands. It only takes a few minutes for their body temperatures to rise, and that could be fatal. Cars get hot fast and can be deadly. Never leave a child in a car. A message from NHTSA and the Ad Council. or leave something for Doc in the gripe box, now come back to Doc G and the discussions on sabbatical. Just before we left for the break, the professor posed, well, it sort of let us head into the break with this in mind. Too many people, too much crowd, too much depression, and that younger people are not seeing their opportunities in this country.

18:59 I think that that is so for certain. I think it's so. We're seeing this turn up in the polls and the Democrats are certainly running on it, affordability, those sorts of things. You can live and die by the polls and I hate to see Republicans live and die by the same polls because talking to two different groups, we really are, and then there's a group in the middle. called independence, and God knows what they're thinking at any particular time. They tend to think what the popular notion is. And so I am fairly confident that they're fairly imbued with this affordability idea.

19:41 And we've talked about this in some education shows where we've seen at least two generations, I'm thinking more like three. go through school never paying for anything. They get everything provided for them. Breakfast, lunch, ride to and from school. In a lot of schools now they're doing your laundry, you can get your teeth worked on, you can get dentistry, you can get medical care. They're already living a life of basically socialism. They're never putting their hand in their pocket for anything.

20:18 And if you ask them to pay for it, there would be a minor uprising because they're so used to not paying anything for anything. So we have socialized several generations now to expect things for free. So then when we ask them on top of those things, or expect I don't know about expect. I don't expect anybody to do anything. It's their life to do what they want to do with it. I don't require that anybody have a particular mindset or have my idea of what the good life is. But we're talking about a family.

20:53 We're talking about a house. We're talking about the kinds of things that people seem to aspire to over the generations. Yes, that looks like a lot. It is a lot for any generation to, but they are not willing. to get that starter house anymore. They're not willing to take, what they want is the house that their folks live in. They want the car that their folks drive. They think that they should instantly be able to do those things and their ability to put gratification off is really not there anymore.

21:29 It's if I don't have it right now, then. my God, there's something wrong with the system and I'm going to elect people who are going to give me those things. And so, you know, the idea of working over a lifetime to accumulate things is sort of off the table anymore because I really don't know people who have worked hard that don't accumulate something if they're careful with their money. and they go to work every day. It just doesn't exist. I don't see it. They may not be the richest people in the world.

22:03 We're not all supposed to have the same level of anything. That's not what the... Oh, supposed. Supposed. Right, yes. A dangerous word. Yeah, and they're not thinking along those lines at all. they demand it. They are demanding it. And that is the sort of thing that gets you in trouble and gets gets a revolution going pretty quick. I've never ever downplayed the dangerous nature of this movement. I think it's extremely dangerous. And I think it's real. If we went back several shows, let's say some of the very first shows, I said from the beginning that this was not just an East Coast thing, the Democratic Socialist America.

22:49 I said, we named two shows, you know, it's coming to a precinct near you. It is coming to a precinct near you because they expect these things. And if they don't get them, they're going to elect people who say they will give them those things, even though they're being lied to. So, yeah, these are extremely important things. If the Republicans don't find a way to say you are lucky to be born in the country that gives you the maximum amount of opportunity, if they become Democrat socialist light, which I've seen, you know, the started to take.

23:30 Let's say responsibility. The government is responsible for how you live your life and what you end up with. It's game over. We're headed there one way or another. I need to lay it out like, you know, you have the opportunity for, you have the pursuit of happiness. You're not guaranteed it. And if you work hard and you do the things that necessary. You know, you cannot go wrong. You cannot go wrong in this country. If you decide at a fairly young age that you want to become a medical doctor, if you decide at a fairly young age that you want to become a veterinarian, if you want to become a lawyer, if you want to become a great car mechanic, if you put your nose to the grindstone and walk that way, that's what you will get.

24:18 If you do not, you will not. And there is no sugar coating that, but that's what they're looking for out of the socialists. And that's what they're likely to get. What do we do with this election? What do we do with this? Well, the one thing I don't want to see is Democrats have typically ran by fear -mongering, you know, and I don't want Republicans to start doing that. I mean, I want it to be positive. I want it to be like you were talking about, but the fear -mongering stuff is typically a Democrat thing.

25:03 And I don't want it. We will never out fear -monger, fear -mongers. We will never do that. If you're looking for the real fear -mongers and those that are causing jealousy to grow in your heart and envy to grow in your heart, it's not this party. I'm hearing a lot of this affordability issue, and it's because it's turning up in polls. You know, go ahead and elect some Democrats and see how affordable things are. And I'm not hearing that argument. It's like, hey... Under during the pandemic and during the last administration, inflation skyrocketed because they put a river of money out to states for everything that they could think of every pet project.

25:50 They use that as an excuse to turn loose. billions of dollars to the state. I saw it firsthand. The states have spent that money. They thought that they would have that money in reserve forever. They do not. Even after just a few years, those reserves are gone. That's how quickly the public will take a free program. And it's not just the Democrats that have offered the free programs. In many, many red states, the spending went off the chart. Guess how come? Because I get to go home and tell my constituents that I did this for you.

26:27 So it's put us in sort of a tough spot here. But I don't think it has to be. They need to run on three things. The border. Because if another flood of people come in here, those people have to be taken care of with tax money. That's not going to be more affordable for anybody. If they continue to run on the Green New Deal, which is a scam and always has been a scam, it's elect us or the world is going to end. That's basically the long and short of it. We will pay higher energy prices for the foreseeable future.

27:09 Unfortunately, we didn't prosecute this war correctly at all, and that's a third leg of a stool that was very important to this midterm election. then it is the DEI, woke policies, transgenderism, men and women's sports nonsense that put Republicans, they can run on all those three of those things again, plus they can run on affordability, couched in Republican terms in that, if you think things are high now, put them in power back for another eight years and see how much more unaffordable things are.

27:49 We're halfway through trying to straighten up the mess that they've made. I'm going to step out of the way. Professor, what do you think? Well, I think you're right. We're trying to straighten up the mess they made. But I can just hear these guys, as I said, the ones that are lacking the discernment, the ones that feel like Everything looks bleak. They hear you. They say, yeah, don't give me any more of your bull crap, Doc G. You're sitting pretty. I imagine you're living in a mansion. You probably have five or six cars, probably a couple of exotic European cars of some sort.

28:28 And you have no worries about the checkout line when you send a staff member to do your grocery shopping. Don't give me this crap. about capitalism, how well it works and how it can work for me if I bear down and exercise a little self -discipline. Self -discipline, yeah. I don't want to hear any more of your crap, Doc G. Government, give me a handout. I'm never, I'm never gonna, we're never gonna have that guy. That guy is never going to be a voter until he gets to be about 35, 40 years old, gets his first good job and sees how much of his check is gone.

29:00 Then they're permanent conservatives. But up until that point, I'm going to elect whoever will give me the most money back. They'll just take somebody else's money and give it to them. Here was Darlene Graham on immigration not very long ago. He said, and I quote, We've got to have a pathway for illegal immigrants. I believe there's a word for what Ralph Norman is describing, amnesty. My position is simple. If you are here illegally, your pathway is to go back. Just that simple, just that simple.

29:46 And Darlene Graham, not. You know, she likes to act like she's just, you know, a newbie to this. She's sat at her brother's knee for 40 years. She's a politician for certain, but... She's very clear -eyed on this issue. This is a winning issue. And let's go back to some things that the professor said about crime and about thuggery in the country led by people who shouldn't be here in the first place. That's a winner for the Republicans all day long. You're listening

The Case for American Opportunity

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33:37 Attention, please. You're on sabbatical with Doc G and the Dispessence. We're talking point...

34:09 As we left the last segment, I was taking a tongue lashing for, I don't know, having a European luxury car. Actually a stable of them that I was accused of by the socialists that I guess they're going to come and sell those and give them to somebody else because... Hey man, distribute the wealth. Distribute the wealth. Yeah, it just, it gripes me. no end to hear those sorts of comments in this country. We fought so hard against communism in several wars, several conflicts. That's what's so infuriating.

34:51 People have lost limbs. I mean, maybe four limbs. They've lost eyesight. And I mean, many have died, of course. I think I'd prefer death over the idea they aforementioned. But all that in the name of keeping this communist crap out of here. Now we have these Democrats. running on it. They want to bring it in right in your face. And I don't think it's I don't think it's as fringe as some of the mainstreamers. James Carville. I don't know who else has lately sort of come out and said well this is ridiculous.

35:23 Several have. A couple of candidates in old places like Iowa have suggested that it's really time for new leadership and they're sort of distancing themselves from this sort of rhetoric but it is there. It is there in every corner of that party. Believe you me, that's where they're at. Their heart is in redistribution. It really is. They believe that, you know, a guy like Elon Musk didn't get his money by working. He got it by take advantage of everybody else, all these little people, which is BS from the get -go.

36:05 He has, you know, we've talked about this before, he owns a space company. He owns an extremely successful car company. That was no easy feat to put an electric car in service. This country likes gasoline cars. Starlink, who knows, we're talking about neurological chips that he's developing. When you develop the kind of products that people love and can't live without, as have Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, people are going to clamor to get those things and they pay ungodly amounts of money for them. And then when you take them, scale them worldwide, you're going to get rich.

36:48 So. uh... it's it's it's just something that they've sold people that you don't have a chance you have a chance you you know i think this communist rep is i think it's seditious isn't there something we can do about this i mean i wish we could deport all the communists but i think at the very least it is sedition yeah and at the extreme it's it's tough because our our most cherished right is freedom of speech and freedom of assembly and freedom of political affiliation those sorts of things and so this particular thing is maybe the the biggest hardest challenge for this country is ideology that would basically destroy us and The president's been quite clear on this.

37:38 I think he's clear -eyed about the the danger here We were talking a little earlier about how did they run? They must run on keeping that border shut. The minute that the Democrats can, they'll open it up again. They see them as voters. They don't care what they do once they get in the country. That as exhibited by crime. Some of the things that we saw hearing the other day where Democrats were challenged to share condolence to a father who's lost, didn't lose a daughter, but was horribly injured by a truck driver that was here illegal.

38:17 And they couldn't even offer her much condolence. They just want the voters. They just want the voters. And so that has to stay that way. That border must... remain shut down. If it's not shut down, at some point they form the majority that they want to keep them perpetually in power. Energy prices is what we're going to talk about right now again, and we have talked about those things. This is a pet peeve of mine. really upsets me. Regular gasoline right now, somewhere around four bucks a gallon, that's about a dollar higher than it was last year.

38:56 And the bigger thing is it's a failure to deliver on a Trump promise to lower energy costs, which he was doing everything he could to take care of. And then this war that just was not thought out the way it should have been thought out, and especially right before a midterm election that means two years of the president's agenda. At more than $4 nationally for a lot of places, regular gasoline, the promise has not reached the pump. Republicans should acknowledge that. And I think they are. They're starting to acknowledge it.

39:31 But this idea, well, it's a small price to pay for a denuclearized Iran. That hasn't materialized yet. Right. And they were promised that, and a lot of people who used to vote Democrat voted for Trump. And that was one of the reasons why. And that's a glaring... problem for them in this election and it's feeding into the affordability narrative that the Democrats like or are really running. Realize that a country that sets death to America and they're getting close to having nuclear warhead missiles that can reach us.

40:17 They don't seem to perceive any fear there. The ones that are not not discerning what's going on in reality just want the communist to take office. Well, I don't know that one equates to the other, but it's certainly, it's a problem. So the Democrats are going to try to make high prices a verdict on Trump, which is crazy if they actually are able to turn it that way. Republicans must make this a choice between an unfinished low cost energy program and a return to the restrictions and mandates and climate regulation as a Democrats.

40:54 They need to run on The low prices are indeed coming. We're going to clean up this thing, and I hear them saying this in some ways, but it's always sort of intermingled with this affordability language that they just need to stay away from.

41:11 They haven't arrived yet though, have they? I think that's the best they can do though with this situation. I think that's the best they can do. The congressional role here, Congress controls taxes, leasing rules, infrastructure laws, appropriations and the statutory reach of regulations. It cannot set tomorrow's pump price, of course, but it can make abundant energy easier, which is part of the Trump agenda. So there's the argument right there. If you want any chance of low energy costs, you certainly don't want to put the Democrats in office because they're going to give you the Green New Deal.

41:51 Just ask AOC, who might be coherent with an answer depending on the day. So this was Trump. I mean, he knows what's going on out there with this. Tiny little bit more for your gasoline. Just remember, you're doing it so that a very evil country cannot have a country. Really, it's the number one state sponsor of terror in the world. We don't want to have them have a nuclear weapon. So remember that when you have to pay a little bit more, you're at four dollars. It's OK. I mean, it's I'm not. I'm not, I'll never apologize.

42:24 I did the right thing. But the problem here is when he says a little bit more of your four dollars, that's the thing that the professor pointed out earlier about Doc G with his exotic car, when I hear that come out of Trump's mouth, so what, you gotta pay a little bit more for your, let me try to put it like a professor, so what, you gotta pay a little bit more for your four dollar gas? What the hell? Well, you're sitting pretty there, Mr. Trump, aren't you? I mean, geez, you don't have any problem paying four dollars for gas.

42:56 Isn't that how it would go? I pretty much, yeah, that's it. That's how I think it's going to sound to people. And we watched what happened when other candidates have sort of been slow to acknowledge the pain of the American people. I think that's... I think he's right. But I think he needs to... Well, their acknowledging the pain has to be an intellectuality. Right. They're not living it. They don't feel it. It doesn't affect them. So it's clearly an intellectuality. And intellectualities don't necessarily breed any emotion, i .e.

43:34 empathy. I think that's what needs to happen here. So to insulate the American people and to sort of keep opinion polls high, they haven't been really talked into this war at all until recently. This is a really important thing. We need to keep their nuclear weapons out of their hands, you know, to some degree here and there. I think we need to lean into patriotism here, and I think the President and his people are starting to do that a little more, but then he has to deliver. He just has to deliver where this is concerned, or it's going to continue to be a thorn in his side and a thorn.

44:17 And now we're talking about an election in two years for the presidential election, which is going to be real consequential to see the things that... Trump has built if they continue to survive because day one of the new Democrat administration I predict 200 at least 200 executive orders stacked up and signed to reverse some of these things that have not been done through legislation. They are just executive orders and they go away as quickly as they were signed. They can just go away and you can see them queueing up for

The Woke Agenda Republicans Cannot Ignore

44:54 that. We've got one segment left and when we come back, the financial issue is one Democrats hope Republicans will stop discussing. returns to schools and federal agencies if the old coalition regains power. You're listening to Doc G and the Discussants. At the intersection of policy, politics and culture, you're on Symbatical with Doc G and the Discussants. Let's step aside for a few brief messages. At Maple House Coffee we roast fresh, brew it strong, and leave the fancy speeches to somebody else.

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49:23 Have a question for your favorite discussant? Well, please visit us on the World Wide Web at thediscussants .com. The Doctor is in. So we've been talking for the last hour, at least this last hour, and we sort of opened this up on the Monday show about the midterm elections and sort of what we see as challenges and how we hope, I hope, Republicans will run. Now I'm starting to see this. I've commented several times on shows we're watching where we're starting to see this, and it makes perfect sense.

50:06 We've got a three -pronged stool here. There's more policies than this, but it is immigration. It really is. It was horrifying to see those rivers of people coming into the country. Any country that wanted a force of people here for whatever purpose should have one here at this point. There's no reason why there can't be foreign actors here from any country that wants them here because they just come on in. That happened for years and years and years. It really strained the resources of the country.

50:47 It strained the resources of many cities. I think you're talking about Tallarico. I think he said there should be a welcome mat at the southern border. Yeah, I think it was he added a little something to them, basically a welcome. Well, there was, you know, the Joe Biden said this should be the way it is. And it was the way it was. So I have no doubt that those caravans are probably getting fired up right now. I can see the cartel advertisements as we speak on telephone poles in the windows of convenience stores wherever.

51:24 Get your place now because starting in November. We're going to start doing it again You know they are they made a ton of money doing this then the second leg Energy prices we talked about that. That's a problem right now Sure like to see that get cleaned up a little bit. They're doing all they can they're getting Energy from Venezuela. That's a separate issue as much as they can They've opened up as much refining as they can. They're really trying to do as much as they can to keep that down. And they are starting to explain this issue, I think, better.

52:01 Then the last leg is what we're getting ready to talk about now. Now, we did several shows, quite a few shows, about transgender surgery, men and women's sports, those kinds of things. This woke ideology that is really It's really interesting to watch them walk this back. What was it, AOC, just a little while ago saying, well, woke 1 .0 is sort of over with. My jaw almost hit the ground. She actually said it was crazy. Yeah, I guess you saw that. What was your impression of that, Professor? Well, just let's ignore the past.

52:46 I didn't say that. I'm a new person. I agree. That was crazy. I'm not like that anymore. Elect me. Yeah, it was amazing to me that because she built her career on that. That is her constituency and she is willing. She's running, no doubt. She is running for president when those are the kinds of things she's trying to move to the middle and then say. that the things that put her in office to begin with are just crazy. Forget it. Nothing to see here. That's not going to work, Alexandria, but I guess it's worth a try.

53:23 So what we're talking about is gender ideology in schools. Ridiculous, completely ridiculous, and especially at the, well, at any level. I'm not going to parse very much here, but at the elementary level, my gosh, males and women's sports. on its face ridiculous, secrecy from parents in those situations, medical transition of minors that we've talked about, ad nauseum, DEI preferences, which are clearly un -American, they're not based on merit, compelled speech, and federal pressure on institutions that dissent because they refuse to do those things.

54:03 That was on steroids under the Biden administration. And so what was reversed when Trump came into office? Well, he used executive orders and agency authority to reverse federal gender identity, DEI, and school policies. Those actions show both the reach of the federal government and how quickly policy can change again. So, you know, what are we doing in November, discussions? Go to the polls. You must go. You must vote. The warning is here. If Republicans lose, the cultural program does not return as a campaign slogan.

54:43 It returns through appropriations, hearings, confirmations, civil rights enforcement, grant conditions, and pressure on schools and hospitals and employers. to comply with all the nonsense they were told to comply with before. So can you imagine the whiplash in HR departments? What do you think Sarah? So we had one set of rules in HR departments under Biden. Trump basically smashed them against the wall and now they're back. I don't know how much they actually changed in HR departments. I think that the wording might have changed, but I don't think the actions really changed.

55:24 I think that's a wise, wise response to that. So let's go to the president again. He was very specific about this. So and the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life. We will forge a society that is colorblind and merit -based. As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female. I think it's a crying shame that a President of the United States has to explain that the policy of the United States will be there are two genders.

56:23 A crying shame. Two genders? I thought there were six. Oh, and they're more than that? Isn't that another telefreco thing? Well, I think that's kind of a short count. I think this is, well, it is. It's along the lines of our conversation. It was, I don't know, two, three years ago, we became aware of a policy in San Francisco about the time we were thinking of taking advantage of the policy that will allow us to, I don't know, steal $1 ,000 a day if we went to the coast. And we decided, boy, wouldn't it make some great shows just to go out and steal $1 ,000 a day and, you know, videotape it and see how it went.

57:01 And even if we're arrested and stuff, it'd be great. Kind of like the kind of thing that... Oh, you know, Nick Shirley is doing now, you know, this to expose its complete ridiculousness. I almost wish we would have done it. I don't need the rap sheet, but in California, they would have burned that anyway. So I don't know. I don't want to be arrested. Yeah, it's not. But anyway, at about the same time, they had a policy in San Francisco. And all you had to do was sign up as a member of the LGBTQIAXYZ.

57:35 I mean, it was across the board. And I think all we had to do was say that we wanted the money and they would send us the money basically. And what was it for exactly again? I mean, it was just for you being you. And identifying as something other than you were. Yeah, I'm here. I'm queer. Give me some money. And San Francisco was doing it. And again, we thought as a test, well, let's just send in for it and see if they'll send us the money. I happened to be employed in the legislature at the time.

58:06 So I thought, well, that might not be good. Actually, we actually pulled up the application. Yeah. And there was nothing on it. There was really nothing on it. Nothing on it. deter you from actually being able to do it. If we would have decided to send it in as a test and make a show about it, it would have been extremely interesting, because I think we'd have had a check in about three weeks just for attesting that we're here, we're queer, and we're happy about it. Those sorts of programs. Those are the sorts of things that people just can't stand.

58:43 And a lot of Democrats crossed over, voted for Trump because of these things. Where are we at with this now, Professor? We're getting close to election time. I don't know why in the world any man would want to sodomize another man. Can someone explain that to me? It seems like the Duck Dynasty guy, he's dead now, the older man, had some statement on that, like what appeal is there for a man to want to involve himself in that activity? when there's gorgeous women available. Well, I tried to explain that a little earlier.

59:21 I could get a check. I mean, I could actually get a check if I, you know, identified myself as such a person and, you know, just because I'm me. So there you go. Just a little incentive.

59:37 It didn't explain it at all, but that was as close as I get. I do have a question with how you feel about Trump's poll numbers are are pretty low. We know that. Yeah. Well, I think it's the war more than anything else. Right. And the gas prices. Yeah. And I also think that, you know, the Democrats do what they do. They drive his numbers down. They do that. The second that they write. And so, you know, it has its effect. And the, you know, the traditional media. doesn't really have anything good to say and never does about a Republican administration between those two things.

1:00:12 And then, you know, there have been some unforced errors. There's talk now that, you know, Hegsteth may be on his way out, probably needs to be on his way out. Yeah. And, uh, uh, you know, the, the Christy Noam stuff, the, you know, there's been a few things that have But every administration has this. Every administration has its moments and it has its turnovers. So I don't see that as, but it's the war, I think, more than anything else at this point. So when he goes out and campaigns for everyone, How is that going to affect?

1:00:52 He's usually had pretty good luck. I think that his instincts are sterling when it comes to what people need to hear. And I think that a lot of people, if it were anyone else, would probably say, no thank you Mr. President, I'm doing just fine with his numbers. But I think the president can explain his agenda better than anybody else. I think he can make believers out of people he has before. So I think it's their most effective route, because Donald Trump is not going to hide from his agenda. He's not going to mealy -mouth it at all.

1:01:28 And I think that's exactly what's needed here. Professor, do you have any ideas on that? Let me ponder that a moment. I don't... Let me use the Kamala line on the view. Nothing comes to mind. A show that we have coming on successive Fridays. This Friday's show, The Culture Show, is going to feature the Ozark Music Festival that took place in 1974 in Missouri. A very, very unreported, very unreported event. Geez, an under -reported event. I knew it. I knew you were some kind of druggie hippie freak in disguise.

1:02:20 Yeah, that's me. And so we're going, the professor was there. How many days were you there? Three. And the night before, really the Thursday, when the traffic was backed up for jillions of miles and people were having campfires beside the highway and sleeping there, that would make a total of four if you counted that first evening, which was almost like being there. Not quite. And not only was he there, he was there as a cultural observer for certain. He's a wonderful photographer. Participant? Well, maybe that too.

1:02:56 I was there photographing it and I was stone cold sober. Yeah. Oh. So he, you know, he was looking at it through the eye of a journalist and somebody to... you know document this thing he has one of the journalist and a and a rock and roll connoisseur right and so he's seeing it through all the right lenses i mean all the right lenses the lenses that you really want to see this thing through this thing if you haven't heard before made woodstock look like well you know i won't say kindergarten and i won't say a walk in the park but it did pale in comparison in some ways in what happened in the middle of Missouri in 1974.

1:03:41 So if you're unaware of this, this is one of the One story in rock and roll, I mean we've heard these things and ad nauseam. Woodstock, Altamont, a couple of concerts that The Who did when people got trampled because of festival style seating that then festival style seating just went away. This is really... probably will never happen again. I was thinking that the other day, but then we had the fire festival not too long ago, which was a complete disaster where a guy made off with a bunch of money and, you know, there was, and we've seen some problems with Burning Man too.

1:04:19 So I don't know if it's a thing of the past, but maybe it's. what happened here is probably not going to be because of the communication issues, those sorts of things. It's going to be a fascinating program and we hope that you'll hang around and join us on Friday because the professor had a front row seat and it is a interesting topic and there's no one who probably can speak on it with you know more genuine knowledge about how it went down. But just to close this up a little bit. Republicans do not need a democratic slogan to win this election.

1:05:02 They need their slogans. They need their talking points, which we don't do here, but we'll let them have them. They need to defend the mandate they were given, secure the border, make American energy abundant and inexpensive, and keep ideological government out of schools, families, and institutions. Until next time, I'm Doc G for Sarah and the Professor.

1:05:42 Discussance. If we've ruined you for ordinary podcasts, mission accomplished. For more episodes, the latest from The Discussance, and a few other surprises, visit thediscussance .com. Until next time, for Doc Key and The Discussance, I'm Megaphone Mike.