Heroes in Business - Senator John McCain is interviewed by David Cogan of Eliances Heroes radio show amfm.

Episode Date: March 1, 2024

Senator John McCain is interviewed by David Cogan of Eliances Heroes radio show amfm. McCain talks about the most significant period in his life, his time a Vietnamese war prison, and which superhero he would be if he could. The Senator made a presidential campaign against current president Obama in 2008.

Welcome back to Alliances Heroes, where heroes in business align. To be part of our super community and find out more about Alliances, visit www.alliances.com. Now, back to our super host, David Kogan, founder of Alliances. That's right. Good morning again. It's Saturday morning, and this is David Kogan, founder of Alliances. That's right. Good morning again. It's Saturday morning and this is David Kogan with Alliances. Unmasking our heroes. Right. What is a hero? Heroes are starting, expanding companies, creating jobs, leaving their mark on society. And this morning we've had the top female executive for the largest employer in Phoenix, Noreen Bishop with Chase Bank. Another hero who is the owner of a CPA firm and has clientele around the world. And next, someone that needs no introduction.

He is a military hero and U.S. Senator. A real icon of American and Arizona politics, Senator John McCain. Good morning, Senator. Hey, good morning. It's good to be with you. I am so excited to be able to speak with you and have Money Radio listeners hear you. And I've got so many questions for you, but I want to know is, what is the most significant moment in your life? You've been so successful at what you've done. What would you say is the most significant moment in your life? Oh, I would guess that probably the most significant

moment was the day that I came home from prison, that I got on an airplane in Hanoi and flew to the Philippines, making me a free person for the first time in five and a half years. I think you'd probably make that argument that that was certainly the most exhilarating moment. And thank you, too, for serving our country and for everything that you've done. And let's talk from there. When did you know that you wanted to go into politics? Well, I think probably when I was in prison. And actually, when I was in prison, my first ambition was to get out.

And my first ambition was to get out. But the second probably is that when I got out, I saw American gross disarray. A lot of people don't remember or were not around. The post-Vietnam War era was a very chaotic one. The anti-war movement had splintered America. Drugs were on the upswing. There was a lot of civil disobedience. There was a lot of problemsed America. Drugs were on the upswing. There was a lot of civil disobedience. There's a lot of problems in America, and a lot of it was bred by the divisions over the Vietnam War. I might tell you that our Vietnam veterans were not well treated

by their fellow citizens that were against the war. So I saw a lot of issues. I saw a lot of problems. And I thought I had the ability to continue to serve the country. And at some point, my old injuries caught up with me. I couldn't remain on flying status. So I left and then was fortunate enough to come to Arizona. And the opportunity arose to run for a congressional seat. I've been remarkably fortunate all my life. Yes, you've certainly. I mean, in fact, too, advice maybe you have for others on how to live such a fulfilling life like you have yourself. Oh, I think there's a lot of maxims here.

I would say that one of them is, of course, that you need to have faith. In my view, I think that's an important part of a successful life. But I also want to specific is that life is always full of decisions, decisions to make every day in our lives. to make every day in our lives. And every time I've made a decision that was out of pure political reasons or pure ambition, it's been wrong. And every time I've done it because I knew what the right thing to do was, so I did it even though there might be a penalty to pay, then it turned out to be the right thing. So I guess the point is, do the right thing rather than the most expedient thing. Second, third of all, there is nothing more invigorating and more rewarding than serving a cause greater than yourself. You don't have to join the military. You don't have to join the Peace Corps. But just spend some time doing something for your neighbors,

for your fellow Americans, for those around the world, and your life will be enriched. And for those of you tuning in, I have Senator John McCain on the Alliance's Hero Show. That's E-L-I-A-N-C-E-S dot com. And Senator McCain, where do you see small businesses going in America? What's your view on small businesses, and where do you see it going in America? Small business, as you well know, as you say all the time, David, that it's the heart of our economy that it's the heart of our economy. It's the pulse of our economy. It's the small businesses that turn into big businesses. It's the small businesses that give Americans the first hand in the last eight, seven years, actually since 2008, that's going on more than eight years, and that is that the government regulation, taxation, the burden that government imposes on small businesses, whether it be taxes or regulation or lack of opportunity.

And so I think that the next president of the United States ought to spend a great deal of time working to help the small businesses in America. By the way, I might also add what you have also talked a lot about, David. This is a great chance for minorities. A lot of the Hispanic-owned small businesses, a lot of Native Americans do. A lot of African Americans do. This is their chance. And they ought to have at least a level playing field, don't you think? Absolutely.

I sure do. And for those of you tuning in, you're listening to Alliance's Heroes on Money Radio, AM 1510 and FM 99.3. Are you a hero in business? Go to alliances.com, that's E-L-I-A-N-C-E-S.com. And to reach Senator John McCain, go to johnmccain.com. That's J-O-H-N-M-C-C-A-I-N.com. I've got just so many things. You're responsible for so many citizens in Arizona. I've got to ask you this. What keeps you up at night?

What do you worry about right now is the deterioration of led to this rise of a radical Islam, which is dedicated to attacking the United States, and they will attack the United States. They're the first terrorist organization to have a geographic base. You have the Russians now slaughtering innocent people in Syria. You have the Russians dismembering Ukraine. You have the Chinese now merging as taking, violating international law and filling in islands where a great portion of the world's economy moves in the South China Sea, and you have a total lack of strategy to cope or to respond to any of it. The next president of the United States is going to have a huge, huge burden to carry, which is going to be handed down by this president, whose feckless foreign policy have put us at a point where the director of

national intelligence testified before the armed services committee that there would be further attacks like san bernardino on the united states of america that certainly wasn't the case back in 2008 my friend right right certainly certainly in fact let's talk about some of that you know your position is extremely stressful, Senator John McCain. With every decision, there are people who will like what you do and some that may not. What would you say is the best way to handle stress? And really, what do you do to decompress? Sports are a great outlet for all of us. I was a mediocre high school athlete, so I love all

athletics and I love to spend time watching and admiring these brave young Americans that excel so much. But I think the other thing is that you have to have an underpinning of knowledge and information and study to the point where you are very sure of your positions. I spend many waking hours on issues of national security. Unfortunately, Lindsey Graham and I have been right every time predicting what has happened in Iraq, what's happened in Syria, the deterioration in Afghanistan, China, Ukraine, et cetera. And so you've got to have the confidence when you are attacked, which can only be countered by knowledge. And if you want to acquire knowledge, you've got to work at it. Senator, absolutely. Senator, I've got one last question for you.

Who is your favorite hero? I think my, I have several. One of them is Teddy Roosevelt, of course, the man in the arena. Another one was my favorite when I was growing up, Ted Williams, the famous baseball player. Another one, probably in many respects, was a fictional character, and that is the hero in Hemingway's great American novel called For Whom the Bell Tolls. And he was a man who left his home and went to fight in a war in a place he didn't know because he believed in a cause.

And even when he found out that that cause was hopeless, he continued to fight. That's always inspired me. Thank you, Senator John McCain, on the Alliance's Show of Heroes. Thank you so much. Thank you, David.