The Eric Metaxas Show - Senator Ted Cruz

Episode Date: October 14, 2020

Senator Ted Cruz knows a lot about choosing judges who honor and follow the Constitution and shares his insight from his new book, "One Vote Away: How a Single Supreme Court Seat Can Change History."

Welcome to the Eric Mataxis show. Please keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times. This is your final warning. Now here's your host, Mr. Thrill Ride himself. Eric Mataxis. Folks, it's the Eric Mataxis show. In a few minutes, we're going to be talking to an expert about Columbus, stuff that you have not heard. And an hour or two, we're talking to Pat Boone.

If today, however, is Wednesday, then that is not happening. On Wednesday, if today is Wednesday, in a couple of minutes, I'm talking to Senator Ted Cruz, who has a new book out, and then we're talking again to Anne, Anne McInney and Phelham McAleer, both of whom are Irish, just as my guest is now. Kristen Getty, welcome to the program, and you are very Irish. Eric, Texas. I am very Irish. I'm a bit as Irish as they come, I think.

Yeah, I think so. And I'm sitting in Northern Ireland right now. And where are you now? I am in the north coast of Northern Ireland right now. You're kidding. I, for some reason, just assumed that you were in Nashville with your current husband. What's his name? Keith.

I know, Keith, uh-huh. He is still my husband. He is here with me. Yeah, we flew back a few weeks ago with the four girls and it's been fantastic. Oh, my goodness. I am just amazed that I can do a program with somebody who's in Northern Ireland right now. Well, I want to get right to it because. You have a new album out, you meaning you and Keith, the Gettys.

It's an even song album, and it's hymns and lullabies at the close of day. And the big news to me is that it has displaced Frozen 2 as the number one kids album. I mean, that's unbelievable. Frozen 2 was on there for 36 weeks. and you guys, you, my friends, displaced Frozen 2. On behalf of the world, let me thank you. So tell us about this wonderful album you've done. I know it's a toss-up as to whether the girls know the songs from Evensong Better

or know the songs from Frozen 2. You know, but we knocked them off for one week. It was a cool thing. But yeah, so this is an album that we did just this year. During lockdown, it was pretty crazy and trying to navigate a creative process during a pandemic. but we managed to figure it out. And as you said, hymns and lullabies at the close of day.

So even song is that old traditional idea, long practiced by the church and the more traditional liturgical church, of a little service at the end of the day, finds you where you are, leads you to the Lord, and brings the calm and the peace that that would bring. So it's songs and prayers and liturgy traditionally. And these are songs just inspired by that, and particularly songs that we would have sung with our own kids at nighttime. About a few years ago, we started teaching our kids at hymn a month, a way to teach them the faith, is a way to give them comfort and peace before they went to sleep.

And that's been a fun thing to do as a family and a very important and nourishing thing. We wanted to capture some of that in this album. So it's lullabyish, it's, it's hemish, but it's meant to be calming and to bring comfort. And, of course, in a year such as this, I think it's a very much needed thing. You know what I just learned, Kristen, I just learned that in Ireland you pronounce calm, cam. I had never heard that before. You say calm. We say calm.

Calm. But how do you say it? Cam. It's unbelievable, really. I'd never heard that before. And you pronounce faith, faith. Faith and grace is another one. Faith, grace.

The god of all grace. I always tease your husband. I love the way you talk. But this is beautiful, even song, hymns and lullabies at the close of day. So what lullabies do you have? What hymns do you have? Well, we have some of the old classics, like Abide with me, one of the big British hymns that we sing over here. We have an old Irish one I heard the voice of Jesus say, softly and tenderly, which the old gospel classic that we had Vince Gill feature on.

He's duetting with us on it. He's doing with you. He's not playing guitar. He's singing with us, yeah. I was funny because I said to him, you know, you're going to be the only bloke singing on this album. And he goes, that's okay. I sign like a girl. I'll fit right in.

Ever the funny guy. but his voice is beautiful. He sings verse too on that, and then we have some lovely harmonies on it too. And a shock and farewell, beautiful violin piece right in the middle. And our good friend Deborah Clemmy played. You'll remember Deborah. I know Deborah Clemmy.

She is wonderful. Wonderful in every way. And she played in this. And then we have a few new lullabies that we've written for the girls in the last few years, Hushabai Baby, consider the stars and a few new collaborations. And actually another, the old song,

His Eyes on the Sparrow, which we duetted with us. Heather Headley on. You know Heather Headley? She was the lead. She was Aida and Broadway and she was Nala and the Lion King. Wow. So Tony Award Broadway singer. She signed with us at Carnegie Hall a few years ago. I think you might have been there. She did a holy night. And she's an amazing singer. So she just had a baby this year. So I tried to find a few other moms who had had kids in the last couple of years. He were all in native lullabies to help get their kids to sleep, you know. But of course we all need lullabies, whatever age we are.

You may not believe this, but I have written a lullaby. I wrote, the lyrics to a lullaby. It became a children's book called It's Time to Sleep My Love. And I got the daughter of James Taylor and Carly Simon, who sounds like both of her parents. She wrote a song to go with my lyrics. So I can say that I have a lullaby with my name on it. And I'm, and I think lullaby, just the idea of lullabies is so beautiful. So, beautiful. So I'm amazed that you and Keith have written some lullabies and I'm dying to hear them.

Yeah. And also to hear these classic hym. So if people want to get this album, we're living in strange times. I don't even know what an album is anymore. Do I go down power records and get a vinyl album? No, I don't. How do I get these lullabies? Most people

are in the streaming world and so it's on all major digital platform, Spotify, Apple Pandora. If you want to get that, you can go to Gettymuseum.com to get the stuff as well and sheet music and things if you want to go that extra mile in terms of the resources, the songs are playing them yourself. And yeah, those are the main places that you get music, that they'll be there. Well, you and Keith have done so many different kinds of music. Of course, you're most famous for writing modern day hymns. Most people would know in Christ

alone. And it's a funny thing when our mutual friend was, wanting to introduce us, he said, oh, they've done in Christ alone. And I thought, in Christ alone, you mean someone who's alive today did that? You did such a good job of writing something, and Keith did, of something that seems so classic that it's always been around, which is what's very special about what the two of you do. What, you know, the idea that you're in Northern Ireland right now, you've done this, now this is out, it's beating frozen on the, on the billboard charge. That just, I can't tell you how happy that makes me that you knock them out for a week. But even song is the title. What are you all working on now and when do you think you're coming back

to the states or state as you would put it? The state. So we can't wait. We love our home in America. Can't wait to get back. We needed this much needed time with our family right now. We hope to come back in the new year. That's the plan right now. And we're working towards Sing Global next year. September. We just finished the global conference. We did on congregational singing in August. We have the next one coming. We've just got a minute, but tell my audience about that in case they missed that, because I've talked about that with Keith. But tell us what that is. Well, the heart of the Sing Conference. Usually it's a physical event in Nashville, but of course this year we were prevented from doing that. We hope we'll be able to meet again next year. But we're on a five-year journey

of really exploring congregational singing. We looked at the Psalms, looked at the Life of Christ. This past year, we looked at singing through the scriptures. And then this next year is going to be singing through the ages, looking at hymnody, through the last centuries and how they have transformed individuals and families and churches all over the world and in many wonderful ways. We're writing into that, writing new material. We'll have John Lennox. We'll be back with this next year.

I know you love my good old Uncle John. I can't believe that he's your uncle. It's so funny to me because he's such a character, such a super genius. and when you're when keith told me that he was the one that introduced you to keith i just laughed and i'll be laughing about that for the rest of my life i know people know him as a great scientist apologist bible teacher but we know him as a matchmaker i i know he's principally known as a matchmaker they don't give out Nobel prizes for that but they should well okay so even song uh is is out it's it's pretty new isn't it yeah it just came out actually we released it around the wake of sing

Global this year and did a special concert for it. We recorded many of the songs. This beautiful barn in Tennessee. So there is like a visual part to this too. If you wanted to find that on YouTube and also if you join the sing community online, you can see more of that. Okay. All right. We're out of time. Dear Kristen, so wonderful, especially the idea that you're in Northern Ireland, so wonderful to connect with you. Give my love to Keith and to be continued. Congratulations on Evensong. Get a copy, listen to it. I think you already know it's great.

There's a love. Preacher told to me and he smiled. Folks, welcome to the Airco Taxis Show. I always try to get interesting guests, and sometimes I succeed spectacularly. Today, lucky you happens to be one of those days. I have, with me as my guest, Senator Ted Cruz of the great state of Texas.

Senator Cruz, welcome of this program. Eric, it's great to join you. Thank you for having me. I'm excited to talk to you about anything and everything, but you have a new book out called One Vote Away, How a Single Supreme Court seat Can Change History. Boy, is that true? Let's talk about that. What compelled you to write this book? Well, I wrote the book this spring and summer, and it was during the COVID lockdown. I was working from home in Houston, and so sat on my couch and pulled out my laptop and wrote it. Obviously, I didn't know at the time that there would be a

Supreme Court vacancy in October, but I did know, of course, that there was going to be a presidential election in November. And I believe judicial nominations and the Supreme Court in particular is the single most important issue at stake in this election. And so I sat down to write this book to really explain why that was the case. And the way the book is organized, each chapter addresses a different constitutional liberty. So there's a chapter on free speech. There's a chapter on religious liberty. There's a chapter on the Second Amendment. There's a chapter on U.S. sovereignty. There's a chapter on democracy and elections. And the book is not a theoretical or academic or abstract approach. It's rather very practical and real. Before I was in the Senate,

I was a Supreme Court litigator. What I did for a living was argue cases at the Supreme Court. And so each chapter, what I do is tell war stories and try to really bring the reader behind the curtain, behind the scenes at the court. You know, I think for a lot of folks, the court is something that they know is important, but it's confusing. It's hard to understand. exactly what's going on there. It's hard to understand what's at stake. And this book seeks to address that by telling, focusing on the big landmark cases at the court, many of which I personally helped litigate and bringing the reader inside the backstory of what's going on. And I'll tell you, Eric, it is stunning. On case after case, the big landmark cases were decided five to four,

which means we're just one vote away from losing potentially our fundamental liberties. It's a funny thing because, you know, you and I both know that there's nothing conservative about the Constitution. It's just the American Constitution. But we've taken to labeling people who are originalists or constitutionalists as somehow conservative. And I sort of wish we wouldn't do that because it makes it sound like we have parity. with the people on the other side who see it as a living document. In a sense, a living document to the point that it means nothing to them. In other words, they think that the legislators can do whatever they like and the Constitution can be shaped however they like.

It's sad to me that it's important that we make this case now, but it is so important that we make the case, which I'm so grateful for you. Did you, what did you think when you saw your name on the list of potential, Supreme Court justices to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I sort of had to laugh. I thought this would be a nightmare if you're taken away from the Senate. We kind of need you in the Senate. You're a really wonderful, vocal, articulate voice. It seems to me that you would be wasted if I can dare to say such a thing on the Supreme Court. Well, thank you, Eric. I appreciate that. That's actually something

I talk about quite a bit in the book. And so the first chapter of the book, I bring readers behind the scenes in the closing days of the 2016 presidential campaign. And those were tumultuous days. It was a hard-fought campaign. Donald Trump and I both took hard shots at each other. I take readers through the convention in Ohio, which, if you'll recall, I did not endorse the president at the convention. And that became a fairly tense scene with a number of folks booing at the time, which, you know, until you've had 20,000 people boo you on stage, it is a moment that gets your attention and

is memorable. But what I also discuss is when and why I endorsed Donald Trump, and I endorsed him in September of 2016. And the Supreme Court is the reason. And when I endorsed him, I negotiated with Trump and the campaign for an explicit promise that he would be bound by the list of potential judges he put out. And I also negotiated that he would add Senator Mike Lee to that list. And so he put out a list, committed in writing, only this list will be the group from whom he chooses Scalia's successor. And he added Mike Lee. And I endorsed within minutes of that. We coordinated those. But what I discuss in the book afterwards is for each of the three vacancies that has occurred, President Trump and I have had very serious conversations where he has asked me if I was willing to go to the court.

And the one that we had the most extensive conversations on was the first vacancy, the Scalia vacancy. And the week after the election in November 2016, I got on a plane and I flew up to New York. I went to Trump Tower. And I spent about four to half hours with the president and his senior team. And he leaned in pretty hard on me then asking if I'd be willing to go to the court. And I told him no. I said flat out, I don't want to do it. And it's something that in the weeks that followed, and I write about this in the book, I really wrestled with. I spent the next couple of weeks in November really thinking about. talking with my family about it, praying about it. And the reason I don't want to be on the court, a lot of people are surprised, given my background, given that much of my life has been litigating before the court, they're surprised why I don't want to be a justice. The reason is simple, which is a principal judge stays out of political fights, a principal judge stays out of policy fights. If I were a judge, that's what I'd do. I'd stay out of the fights.

but as you noted a moment ago, Eric, I don't want to stay out of those fights. I want to be right in the middle of them. And I think the Senate's the right place to do that. I think we are desperately in need of principal leadership in the Senate. But one story I tell in the book is as I was wrestling with, particularly the Scalia vacancy, I knew Justice Scalia. I revered Justice Scalia. It was truly a legend. And to be considered, as a potential successor to him. I mean, it took your breath away. And one Sunday afternoon in November, as I was wrestling with it, my pastor came over to the house to talk with me and pray with me. And we spent the afternoon praying together. And it was interesting. My pastor, most of my friends thought I was nuts. They're like, Ted, are you out of your mind? Why would you not do this? And it was interesting my pastor's taken. And you, Eric, uniquely, will appreciate the analogy my pastor used. He said, you know, if I were given the opportunity to be the leading theologian in the world and to write theological analyses that could impact millions of people,

could have a profound impact, but he said, if I had to give up being a pastor, that I couldn't, I couldn't be a pastor to the church, I couldn't care for the members of the church. He said, you know what, I wouldn't do it because that's not my calling. My calling is to be a pastor. And as important as the other is, it's not what my calling is. And that's exactly how I felt. And so I told the president no for each of these three vacancies. Now, to be clear, he didn't offer it to me, but he talked to me very seriously about it with all three. And so in terms of the list, I describe in the book when the president called me this summer, I think it was June or July, and I was at my in-laws, visiting my in-laws in-laws in California. And we were water skiing with the girls. And so I'm standing on the boat dock. I'm wearing a swimsuit and flip-flops. And the president calls me on my cell phone. The girls are skiing on the boat behind me. And the president's, and the president's, and the president's, says, Ted, I'm thinking of expanding the list, and he said, I'd like to add you to the list. Is it okay if I add you to the list? And I told him, I said, but the president, if it is helpful

to put me on the list, if it's beneficial to have me on the list, sure, fine, that's great. And it is an honor to be considered and included, but I don't want the job, and I wouldn't take it. And I'm much happier fighting to confirm two, three, four, five principled constitutionalist than myself having to be one of the judges doing so. I'm happy that you get that because not everybody understands their calling, and I think it would be tragic. We really need your leadership in the Senate. And I'm very sorry to say that, Ted Cruz, but we really do need your leadership in the Senate. I wish there were tons like you, and I could say, you know what, we don't need you. We've got plenty heroic senators, but we don't.

We're going to be right back, folks. I'm talking to Ted Cruz. The book is one vote away how a single Supreme Court seat can change history. Limmer. Leave us less too far. We wonder. Love sweet voices calling yonder. Shine a little over. Limmer. Hey there. Hi folks. These uncertain times can cause uncertain gut slowdown. Worrying fear can wreak havoc on our digestion, making it hard to feel optimum. Bloading, less energy, and occasional constipation can slow you down in your daily activity. Try life change tea to get the tea.com. Life change tea can help get things moving so you can get that boost of energy you need.

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It's time to live. Again, gettototcom. That's get thetete.com. Get the tea.com. It is so worth it. Get the tea. E-E-A-com. Folks, I got some embarrassing news to share with you, but you know what?

This is just the kind of a show where I don't care. I'm willing to lay my heart, you know, on the line. Here's the issue. Mike Lindell with my pillow, you may notice that I have a bobble hell of him near me. He's here to remind all of us that when you go to mypillow.com, you get whopping discounts if you use the code Eric. Okay. Now, there are a lot of people who haven't done that, and we have your names here. And Chris Heim's Ann Albin pointed out to me that there's like three pages of you whose first name is Eric.

You, you're saying, I mean, that's humiliating for me that even though your name is Eric, you're still not willing to use the code Eric. I mean, if you don't want to use it because it's my name, use it because it's your name. But the point is that I see who you are. and I just feel humiliated by this. Please go to go to mypillar.com. It's okay, Mike. It's going to be okay. Go to mypillar.com. Use the code, Eric.

You're going to get whopping savings and really high quality products. Did I mention that? Thank you. Folks, I'm talking to Senator Ted Cruz. Senator Cruz, it's a joy to talk to you because many of us have watched you over the years and to see you be the voice that you are

we need more voices like you. People who seem to get it. There are a lot of people that they may be Republicans, but they don't really seem to get what's at stake. In your new book, you talk about one of the principal issues at stake right now to keep the republic. The book is titled, One Vote Away, How a Single Supreme Court seat can change history. We're looking right now at a bizarre scenario. We have an election coming up practically days away. We have a president wanting to get Amy Coney Barrett confirmed. How do you see this playing out? And what do you see the urgency of confirming her before November 3rd?

Well, we're going to start hearings on Monday. Senate Democrats, unfortunately, I fear they're going to try to turn the confirmation hearing into a political circus, just as they did with Justice Kavanaugh. At the end of the day, I don't believe they're going to succeed. They don't have the votes to stop, or I believe we have the votes, and I believe the Senate will confirm Judge Barrett by the end of the month before Election Day. And that's critically important because this is an election with a lot of uncertainty, and we need a fully functioning Supreme Court. You know, one of the chapters in the book talks about Bush versus Gore. And I was part of the legal team representing George W. Bush. And at the time, I was a young

lawyer. I was working down in Austin on the presidential campaign. That's actually where Heidi and I met. We were in cubicles about 20 or 30 feet apart. And if you'll remember what happened in that 2000 election, on election day, George W. Bush won. It was. was declared the winner, but the outcome in Florida was very close. And so Al Gore sent in armies of lawyers to contest the election. I jumped on a plane and flew to Florida. And so I was in Tallahassee the whole time, the entire time of the recount. And, you know, sometimes when the story is told of Bush versus Gore, some of the movies and books painted as this kind of orchestrated strategic effort, none of that is true. It was utter and completely.

chaos. The first six days I was down there, I slept seven hours. I remember we had a war room with a white board and a chart of seven different lawsuits, all of which were pending, any one of which could cost the presidency of the United States. And it was utterly unpredictable. It went to the Supreme Court twice. The first time we won unanimously, nine to nothing, the Supreme Court ruled that the Florida Supreme Court, a partisan Democratic court, got it wrong. They vacated the decision and sent it back. The second time it went to the U.S. Supreme Court, on the question of the remedy, the outcome, it was five to four. By a vote of five to four, the court said the ballots in Florida have been counted four times, each time George W. Bush has won.

enough is enough under the law the election is over. And that for 36 days, nobody in the country, nobody in the world knew who the next president was going to be. And it was finally having a Supreme Court who could resolve it that ended that. This year we could see it substantially worse. I think there is a potential, not just of litigation in one state, we could see litigation in two, three, four, five states. We're the only one I heard that.

I just want to say that. I remember when the news, you know, came out that Ruth Bader Ginsburg had passed away. And I was trying to think it through and flipping around the channels. And you were the one to say quite correctly that we probably will face all kinds of litigation. The Democrats have already been instructed by Hillary Clinton not to concede no matter what. And that was, even if you've lost decisively, assume it's been stolen and fight. which is grotesque. Nonetheless, they're planning to do that. And you were the one I remember who said that, hey, if we have a 4-4 court, it'll be the ultimate constitutional crisis. We need to confirm

a justice before the election. So you were the one that said that. And it had never occurred to me. I don't think I've heard anybody say it since you said it. But it seems to me the dispositive to use a legal term issue at stake. Well, I think that's right. And I think the, the Senate majority has been persuaded by that, which is why we're going to move forward before election day. And, you know, it's important to understand. I don't want nine justices on the court to ensure that the candidate I'm supporting wins. Listen, I'm supporting Donald Trump. I very much hope he wins. I'm campaigning for him. But it's not the Supreme Court's job to ensure that he wins. What the court's job is is to resolve any disputes that occur and make sure we follow the law. Make sure we follow federal

and follow the Constitution. And it may be that you have Joe Biden challenging some states and Trump challenging other states. And there could be conflicting rulings. And you need a non-justice court that can ensure that we are following the law and have finality and resolution. And that's one of the real differences. The left wants justices to rule for the policies they support. Conservatives, we're not looking for justices to mandate the policies we support. We're looking for justices to leave the policy decisions to the political arena and simply to follow the Constitution. And that's a very different vision of what the court's job is. Well, we're all getting a civics lesson in this, you know, time of crisis in America. I would say ever since, you know, Bush v. Gore,

we've been getting civics lessons that, you know, I wish we didn't need. But to really understand how these things work and what is at stake and what our role is in voting. Folks, I'm talking to Ted Cruz. Senator Ted Cruz, his book is One Vote Away. We'll be right back. Hey there, folks. I'm talking to Senator Ted Cruz. He has a new book out called One Vote Away. I have to ask you, Senator Cruz, you strike me as somebody who is genuinely good-natured because the president did attack you in a way that people,

me, it bothered me at the time. But the fact that you were able to, in a sense, wave it away, put your country first and behave as the way you've been as an ally to this president. It means a lot to people like me. So first of all, I want to thank you for that because we don't have, we don't have everyone in your position who is similarly principled. So I think that that's very important. I would never by name, for example, mention anyone like Mitt Romney. I'm just not going to do that on this program. I won't dignify it by mentioning Mitt Romney's name. But it has dismayed me tremendously when I saw, for example, John McCain do what he did. It struck me as vindictive and horrifying. How do you see this president right now in history?

what do you think he will do if he gets a second term? And specifically, do you think he will succeed in draining the swamp, quote unquote? Look, I hope so. And I hope the president is reelected and has an even more successful second term than the first term. You know, politics is a rough and tumble business. There's an old saying, it ain't beanbag. And 2016, he took some hard shots at me. and to be fair, I took some hard shots at him. I mean, it was a contested election and a close election, and ultimately he prevailed. I had a choice to make them. I could have chosen to be offended and have my feelings hurt and go take my marbles and go home. And if I'd been a private citizen, that would have been a choice that might have been quite reasonable. But I have a job to do. I was elected

to represent 29 million people, 29 million Texans. And that's a responsibility. And that's a responsibility. I take very seriously. And if I'm going to do my job, I can't simply say, okay, I'm not going to work with the president. I'm going to just just stand there and throw rocks at him. And so that's why from day one, when I sat down with the president after he was elected, I said, listen, we have an historic opportunity. This happens very rarely. I want to do everything I can to lead the fight for us to deliver on our promises. And so I talked to the president yesterday. I talked to the president probably about once a week. And one of the roles I've tried to play in this administration is encourage the president to do good things and discourage him from doing bad things. Now, he doesn't always follow my advice, but he has frequently followed my advice. And look, President Trump is a unique individual. He says a lot of things I wouldn't say. He tweets a lot of things I wouldn't say. I suspect you wouldn't say or talk. tweet either. But on substance, as you look to what's been accomplished the last four years, I think we have won enormous policy victories. And so what I try to do is I praise him for the things that are praiseworthy, and I encourage him to do more of them. And I don't defend things that are not defensible. And that's the balance I've tried to find that I think makes sense, I think is principled. And I will say, I think, President,

Trump's greatest attribute is that he's got a backbone. And all of us are frustrated with Republican politicians who are Mamby, Pambi and don't stand for anything and run the instant there's a fight and don't have a fraction of the dedication, it seems the Democrats have to their agenda. And the president, he is willing to stand and fight. He has a backbone. That is a great characteristic and a president and one I'm grateful for. And so I'm going to continue. You look at the legacy on the courts where we've had over 200 judges nominated the federal courts and confirmed. I've been able to work very closely with them on that. That's a great legacy. And it's an important legacy if we want to preserve free speech, religious liberty, the Second Amendment, all of our fundamental rights.

I hope in the second term we do that. And I also hope we bring back the economy, bring back jobs, let small businesses open up again, we've got to come back from this huge body blow we've taken from this pandemic and get the economy booming again. And Joe Biden's high taxes, high regulation, assault on small businesses is not the way to do it. Senator, we're both evangelical Christians

and we both support this president rather strongly. What do you say to those? of our tribe who have kind of gone woke and who are bitterly, bitterly opposed to this president. Even people not of our tribe, like Carly Fiorina, someone I thought tremendously highly up, very, very disappointing to see serious Christians and people I considered actual conservatives

seem to be unable to get over whatever it is that they can't get over. We've only got, you know, 45 seconds, but just what would you say to those folks? To focus on the substance, I understand not liking some of the rhetoric and some of the things the president says, but I'm not willing to destroy the country over it. I'm not willing to give up the Constitution and Bill of Rights over it. The stakes are too high. Far better to work closely with them and produce results. And I'd say one other thing. If you're struggling on that, if you have don't like some of the things he said. I would encourage you to actually go on to Amazon or Barnes and Noble or wherever you get your books, order the book, one vote away. It became the number one

national bestseller in the country on Amazon. And it'll help give you really the background to understand why this election matters so much. What it means to you in terms of your fundamental liberties being taken away if we don't prevail. And this book, if you want to understand, the stakes of the Judge Barrett confirmation hearing. If you want to understand the stakes of the election, I think this book is a very helpful tool. You don't have to be a lawyer to enjoy it. It's accessible. It's interesting. It gives you the behind-the-scenes information to really understand what's at stake. Well, the book is one vote away. We've just got actually a few more seconds. Just want to say that one thing that has dismayed me tremendously is the level of desperation I've seen on the Democratic side.

They seem to have pulled out all the stops. It's a scorched earth policy. I'd like to think that that will backfire for them. Just 10 seconds left. But are you surprised to see some of your colleagues in the Senate behaving the way they behaved? You know, I think they're filled with anger. The Democratic Party right now is defined by hatred for Donald J. Trump. And it is the extreme left that's driving the agenda. It's an agenda that is socialism on the economic side, high tax. is high regulation, destroying jobs. Forgive me, we're out of time. A privilege to have you. The book is one vote away. Thank you, Ted Cruz. Thank you, Eric.

Hey, the folks. Welcome back. Guess what? Yes, I'm going to ask you a question now. And the answer is either yes or no, and I want you to be honest with me. I try to be honest with you, folks. Oh, I fail.

I know I fail, but I try. Here's my question to you. We're doing a campaign with the Alliance defending freedom. We're begging every one. of you to give something, anything, a small amount, a non-small amount, either will do. And the question is, have you done that? Yes or no? Wait, wait, wait, wait.

Yes or no? Those are the two? Okay, yes or no. Those are the two. Okay. It's multiple choice. A, yes, B, no. Now, if the answer is B, and I want you to be honest, now you have something to do today.

And I say this very sincerely. When we say we want you to give any amount, it means we want you to give any amount. So if you've got $5 burning a hole in your pocket, $20, $100, it doesn't matter. We want everyone to participate because when they come for you or your friend or your teacher or the guy down the street who runs a bakery or someone else and they start giving him grief, you can say, Well, I gave to the lines defending freedom and maybe my friend or whoever can contact the lines defending freedom because this is what they do. They defend people who are being wrongly attacked. They defend them in the court of law for free. So, you know, if you, somebody comes into your store and says, I know, I know that you're very pro-Jewish, but I've got a cake that I'd like

you to bake. And it is, it's for the PLO. We're raising money for the PLO. By the way, I hate Jews. Oh, well, you're going to be able to say, I can't do that. It goes against my conscience. I can't bake a Jew-hating cake. I hope you don't mind. We're in America and I don't have to bake your vile cake. Somebody else could come in and say, I want you to create a cake for me that has demonic images on it because it's Halloween and I really love demonic sick images, ghoulish stuff. And you could say to them, well, you know, I'm a Christian and I feel uncomfortable with that. And there are other bakers down the street or across town. I'm sure they'd be willing to do that for you.

But you know what? I don't want to do that. In America, you can say that. In America, you can say all kinds of things. People can disagree. It is our right to say things. It is our right to disagree, but it is not our right to force people to agree with us. That's what's happening around America.

And I want to tell you, folks, if we don't step up now, as in now, giving to the Alliance Defending Freedom now, something, you're going to have yourself to blame when this stuff gets uglier and uglier. Now is the time to fight back. I write about it in my Bonhofer book. If you've read that book, you know that the German Christians didn't speak up at first. They were very shy, very polite, very sweet. And then their rights were taken away and they couldn't speak up. I say this to you from the bottom of my heart. This is the right thing to do. So I'm saying please give to the lines defending freedom. The one way you can give is you can just

go to our website metaxis talk.com at mettaxistococic.com. You'll see the banner for ADF. If you'd rather pick up a phone, I'd love for you to do that. And again, any amount, folks, We don't care. We're going to enter you in a grand prize drawing to win a ton of stuff, sign books, including my new 10th anniversary, Bonhoffer Edition. Oh, that's handsome. And we are going to enter you no matter how much you give. So you can call this phone number right now.

I hope you will. Please, we need you to help. We need everybody to do something. The number is 855-547-53. That's 855-5-47-53-33. I'll say it again. 855-5-447-53-33-33. We really need your help.

America needs your help. Your fellow Americans need your help. It doesn't matter where you stand politically. This is the right thing to do, and any amount would be swell. So if you answered no to that question, please do that. God bless you.