Trillbilly Worker's Party - KENTUCKY ELECTION DAY BONUS EPISODE: "TRILLBILLY SPORTS RADIO" w/ Special Guest: Matt Jones

Episode Date: November 5, 2019

Kentucky Sports Radio's Matt Jones joins us to talk politics ahead of today's election.

Matt, can you talk into your mic? One, two, three, four, five, six. You're good to go. Not if y'all don't need me. I don't need y'all. I can hear you unless you're taking calls. All right. Tom, Tanya, want to talk a little bit?

Yo, yo, yo. How do you keep your call-ins, PJ? We have a drop button. I think that's the big thing. Oh, you just drop them out. Don't get me wrong. I'm not telling you all what to do. No, I'm kidding.

This is big thing. Don't get me wrong. I'm not telling you all what to do. This is your thing. It's just, you know, your language goes a level above even what I do on the podcast. I was listening to you the other night. It was after one of the games, and this guy had called in, and he was mad at you that you were talking shit about Kentucky. You had questioned the thing. It didn't even take you 30 seconds to get out of the, to drop the cuss word.

All right, go ahead. He was mad that you had questioned that Kentucky might actually not win. Yeah. And your response was basically, that's not good radio. Why would I talk about how great Kentucky is? And I could really relate to that, Matt,

because people give us hell all the time about, you know, criticizing things. Well, I mean, my view, first of all, is that what makes a really good radio show is to just be honest and to be who you are, so to be a real human being. And unless you're, you know, Baghdad Bob or any member of the house of representatives who's a republican not everything your leader does is great right so there is a so for me i think you

just our goal is to be just like the fans and sometimes you're happy about your team and sometimes you criticize your team yeah but the great thing about that show is it's something that doesn't happen a lot in america which is every single type of human being calls it. And I mean that. Like there are federal judges who call my show. There are people from Louisville, people from the hills of eastern Kentucky. Senators.

Senators. I mean, I had Marco Rubio call in randomly one day before the Florida game. That really doesn't happen in american life anymore where people of all types come together for one thing and sports may be the only thing that can bring it together and i really like that and the post game show is the best because it's on whas which can be heard in colorado georgia so you get people who call from canada that's a really cool thing yeah yeah my all-time favorite wildcat collins show guys jeff from hazard

who says uh the best comment he ever had was when tubby was on he said now it ain't that i don't like you tubby i just don't like tubby ball thank you thank you it's amazing on the radio and this is mostly people from the mountains it's amazing what people will just say right to you. Right. You know, a guy called me today, and he goes, Matt, I just want to tell you I love you. Love you more than anything. Keep your nose out of politics.

Bye. And that's exactly what he said. And I was like, well, you know, Jeff, I think his name is Jeff, a different Jeff. I was like, you know, Jeff, I really appreciate that. Thank you very much. I was waiting to hear what you thought before I made the decision about whether or not I'm going to run. Well, let's talk about, let's just jump in right there, man. I know that there was a lot of buzz, I guess, maybe when was that 20? When was the Andy Barr race? 20? Well, I considered it in

2015. The race was 2016. Yeah. And that's what, one of the things i wanted to talk to you about is you i remember the political article that came out i don't know if it's a year ago or something we're talking about how that you went down to the to dc for the training from the democratic party and you came away from it disillusioned well it's kind of a long story if you want me to tell it but i do think it's an important story please do so in 2015 i was the mc at fancy farm they asked me to be the mc at fancy farm and basically all i did i decided i was like look if i'm gonna do that i'm roasting everybody up there because normally that's not what they did normally the people would be like judge executives who would give speeches i'm like i'm not giving an exam i want to make fun of everybody and for our

listeners fancy farm is like the iowa state fair basically that's a good analogy except except it's like people's cheering and booing so people cheer who they like they boo who they don't right so i got up there and mitch mcconnell was up there uh all the state candidates and i just roasted them make made fun of them um you know and and crushed them moscow mitch well that was pre-moscow mitch this was like saying you know matt bevin and mitchvin and Mitch McConnell didn't like each other at the time. And I said, you know, hey, Matt Bevin, Mitch McConnell's about to leave. And you may still have 99 problems, but a Mitch ain't one. Like stuff like that.

Really puns and things that can work in a big audience. So he, like a week later, I get a phone call from the National Democratic Party. And they, from the DCCC, and they say, Matt, we want you to run you to run for congress that's it i just gotta throw a couple puns out there now no i mean like and the reason was they hit and i said well that's weird why and they said we've done a bunch of polling and you're the person who can win well it's interesting because like i had heard your name mentioned for a ton of even before that like it's i guess ever since just the rise of ksr that there's always been sort of that because you've not shied away from that i guess maybe so but back then i didn't talk politics a lot i mean a little my earliest engagement with ksr politics that i was impressed

by was when you came out and took like a strong stance on some of the cold stuff like maybe to 2010 2011 i i've always felt like, since in Kentucky, I was probably one of the loudest voices from the mountains. I thought it was important to take up from the mountains. But what was interesting then is they asked me about doing it, and they never asked me what I thought. There was never a point where they said, Matt, we think your positions.

They just said, you poll better than anybody else in the district. What do you think about doing it? And I was like, I don't know. And they said, we're having congressional boot camp in a few weeks. just said you poll better than anybody else in the district would you think about doing it and i was like i don't know and they said we're having congressional boot camp in a few weeks so i don't know if people know this congressional boot camp is the democrats and i'm sure the republicans do the same it's hail they bring the 50 or 60 candidates that are in swing districts and they teach them how to run for office basically and. And they pick the people, they bring the people that they want to win. So this is like the Nike, the Adidas ABCD camp.

Yeah, it's like the peach jam. So they invited me and I went. And it was a three-day session on how to run. And they went through and in meetings, you know, Nancy Pelosi and all these folks would come up to me and be like, you got to run, you got to run, you got to run. And in three days, not one person ever asked me what I believed on any issue. No one. And back then I didn't speak out about a lot of issues. No one. Not only did they not ask me, I know they didn't care.

So at the end of it, Sherry Bustos, who is at the time, who at the time was, I think, the head of some part of getting people to run. She gets up and says, it doesn't matter what you believe. It doesn't matter if you visit the places. The only thing that matters is money, money, money, money. So they're explicit about this. No, she was explicit explicit i very much remembered money money money money yeah and she said that's what i want you all to take away from this go get money and i remember thinking that is the saddest thing yeah that i have ever heard and

that's when i was like well i don't want to be a part of that and that's why honestly i left there knowing i wasn't going to run basically because of the boot camp. Well, how did they treat you being from Kentucky and knowing that, like, some of the heavier hitters in Republican politics are who you would be challenging? Well, in 2014, I had interviewed Mitch McConnell. And if you go on YouTube, if you put in Matt Jones, Mitch McConnell, you can find the interview. And I really flustered him. Like, it was about 15 minutes. He stammered can find the interview. And I really flustered him. Like it was about 15 minutes. He stammered all over the place. I did something reporters don't do with him, which is

don't let him be evasive. Right. Like when he says, oh, I don't know. I say now, wait a minute. And he did his famous line, which is now quoted a lot where he said for the first time about climate change. I'm not a scientist. Right. And by the way, he was the first one to do that. Now that now if you listen lots of republicans do that but he did that on my show and i was like well you're also not a doctor but you have opinions on health care so like what do you mean you're not a scientist um so i think they had heard me do that and so they did like that i would kind of spice it up with these politicians but this process that I'm doing right now has been a lot more about Mitch McConnell. That one, they didn't care. They just said, you can beat Andy Barr and that's all that matters.

Right, right. Which is, you know, it's interesting. And I want to talk about this a little bit. And, you know, we can, if you don't want to throw this out here, that's fine too. We can cut it out. But, you know, much has been said about the person that lost to andy bar in that particular race and in particular uh in conjunction with why you're no longer the host of hey kentucky once you speak on that situation just a little bit all right so amy mcgrath who i'm not just saying i think she's a nice person. I think she has, you know, she's done,

she was in the military. I think she's a, I think she deserves to accolades for that. With that said, what in this Senate race, what they've done with Amy McGrath is exactly what they tried to do with me in the house race in 2016, which was we pick her.

Now everybody else get out of the way. And, and as such money money money oh well i mean she's raised she's raised a record she's raised more money than like all but four of the presidential candidates i think warren bernie biden and mayor peter the only people who've raised more money than her well do you think it's i mean like the thing about running against mitch mcconnell is you're going to get these massive donations, particularly from, like, you know, liberals in Los Angeles and all over the place. Like, it's going to instantly up your profile nationally. You're going to get rich off of it. Like, do you think that, like, because to me, you know, when I'm seeing her on TV or she's doing her little videos, there's nothing there.

Like, even by her own admission, that's not me talking to her. I mean, listen, I say this with all due respect she cannot win um here's my view no matter who the nominee is in the end after our primary they'll have all the money they need yeah the whole country hates mitch mcconnell so mitch mcconnell raises a ton of money but here's the other thing he does he raises a ton of money for you too right like the hatred of him is is so much so the national party thought amy can raise a lot of money but to me that's the dumbest reason to pick a candidate in this race because anybody i mean you could pick anyone and they're gonna have money people cannot stand him right so to me the question should be who's the best candidate in kentucky and so amy mcgrath so when amy mcgrath started she came out and said

i would voted for kavanaugh and then three hours later she said i would not have voted for k yeah she did that false start with like the whole pro-trump thing well then she said i will be sort of more trump than mcconnell like come on who tried to out trump nobody believes that i mean no but there's not one person that a believes that and b if somebody really wants somebody for trump they'll just pick mcconnell like they're not gonna pick you well who gave her this bad of advice is my question is this really where the democratic party is giving i think here's the literal worst advice i think what happens with there's two things i think washington democrats have no idea what we're like like we are we are foreign species to them in kentucky because they don't know any kentucky democrats except john yarmouth who i

like john yarmouth but he's not like the people in this part of the state. So that's number one. And number two, Kentucky Democrats are too scared to be for anything. They literally are. They run on a platform. And listen, I hope Andy Beshear is elected here in a couple days, and he's done better than most, to be honest with you. But most candidates, including him, their goal is to get through the election without having to take any stances they are absolute cardboard cutouts

they are it's pitiful and i think that so people told her look abortion's tough don't take a stance guns are tough don't take a stance trump's tough don't take a stance And that's just not how you, people know when you're full of it. Yeah. They know it. And so, here's what I say. 75% of my listeners are Trump fans. Like when you listen to that post game show.

Yeah. Those are mostly Trump fans. They know how I feel. They know I don't like Trump. What I say is, you like Trump. I don't. But we both don't like Mitch McConnell. So why don't like Trump. What I say is, you like Trump. I don't. But we both don't like Mitch McConnell.

So why don't we unify on that? And it works. Because people respect you if they know where you come from. I think that, well, I mean, in terms of like, I would rather take a stance that was highly unpopular and be authentic about it as opposed to doing this. Like, you know, like you said, the abortion issue, if you looked at that, the governor's primary, it was like a, like a gradient. You start, you start with Rocky, who was just like, Nope, don't believe in it. And then your Andy's like, you know, I wouldn't do it,

but you know, I didn't support a woman's right to choose. And then you finally got to Adam who was like, you know, but I think more people have respect for Rocky or Adam's position than Andy's. Totally. Totally. Totally. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which is why I think both Rocky and Adam would have had a better chance of winning this race. Well, they both have more personality.

I just think people want you to be honest with them. So, like, I would bet, I don't know, but I would bet all three of you have more progressive positions than I do. would bet all three of you have more progressive positions than i do but i would still say to you or a room full of people like you exactly what i think even if folks don't like it the the thing to me is if you look at who they've been running they just keep running these like sort of recycled progeny of like the democratic party kingmaker so it's like it started with Jack Conway. That was, you know, Judge. Allison Lundgren-Grimes. Jerry Lundgren-Grimes. Clinton Knight. Long-time Democratic kingmaker.

And then, you know, like the latest is Andy. And like you said, you know, it's like obviously I'd prefer Andy over, you know, Matt Bevin. I'm trying to hold it back here. But, yeah, it's just like, you, you know, who, who thinks that like people are going to get excited about those types of candidates, particularly in this time where we're at, where people kind of hate rich people at the moment. All those candidates have one thing in common. Their number one position is they just want to win.

Yeah. That's it. That's the position. And we're also, I think you hit a great point put ideology aside here's the one unifying trait in america the thing that people that elected aoc in the bronx thought and the people that elect you know whoever the craziest conservative you can find in the south they like people who are outsiders they do not like the establishment yeah and yet in kentucky we think that the way to win is to run an establishment

person right i mean you all probably i don't know what you think i'm not trying to put stuff in your head but there are people out there who think okay the way to win in kentucky would be to be a progressive who stands up for all progressive ideas i'm not sure if I agree with that but I think they would get more respect than the moderate who doesn't say anything yeah and I I just don't understand why why we do that but I also would say this the National Democratic Party encourages it because they don't know what people here are like right do you think this impacts our low voter turnout this is why so many people are just like screw it there's no reason most people don't think anything's going to change no matter who wins yeah and that's i think that's why trump in this area where we are the reason people like

trump is they think he's gonna burn it all down now i think that's nonsense i think he's going to burn it all down. Now, I think that's nonsense. I think he's actually pretty mainstream, but he's just with rough edges. But they think he's going to burn it all down, and that's what they kind of want. They want a reset on regular politics, and Democratic candidates are not really giving it to them. For better or worse, yeah.

Well, I'm just kind of surprised that um you say the majority of your callers uh on the show are trump supporters 75 at least you think it's i would assume the majority of your callers don't vote that's what the numbers are in kentucky that's a very valid point when i say supporters i don't mean that they actually vote i mean like if i asked them who are you for for president? They would say they would say Trump. But you're right. Most probably don't vote. I think that's I think that's a very good point.

I think I'm one of the very few progressives in America that sits and talks to conservatives all day, every day. We live in Wattsburg. No, no, no. I mean, on my show. Now, you're all audience. I don't know what your audience is. It's not it's mean on my show. Now you're all audience. My, I don't know what your audience is. It's not,

it's not those people. I don't mean our audience. I mean our daily. no, no, no. I mean, there are progressives in every small town and I'm saying on in a media

establishment, I'm not sure there's a progressive in America that talks to more conservative folks. And I think I know how to reach them in a way that certainly washington democrats don't so do you think uh louisville cardinal fans would vote for you i don't know well first of all i think they hate you on the rivals board i think 98 of them if it's me versus mitch and they already are a a Democrat, they'll vote for me. In a primary, though, I generally think that's a real issue.

I mean, I really do. Like, to me, sports is so different than life that I'm like, of course you shouldn't vote based on who I root for and the fact I made fun of your team for having strippers in the dormitory. But for some people, it happens. But here's what I would say. Mitch McConnell's a huge UofL fan. Kentucky conservatives have voted for him. Rand Paul went to Duke and is a Duke fan. Kentucky conservatives have voted for him.

If they can get over it, then I would assume Louisville progressives and liberals could hopefully get over me being a Kentucky guy. Well, yeah, our friend Drew, he's a stand-up comedian. He says, you know, at this point, we talk about religion. We talk about church and politics for sure. But what you really can't talk about in our mixed room are sports because it divides the audience immediately. In Kentucky, that's especially true yeah i think that most little fans though have a caricature of me as like this big evil you know i don't listen

to my show daily they just see a tweet that i said where i made fun of something but it will be i mean it'll be an issue i mean don't get me wrong it'll be and it'll especially be an issue if i run in a primary because they will play up the divide that exists in this state which in many ways is louisville and lexington and everybody else i think in the primary if i run amy mcgrath will play up the louisville part heavy it's 35 of the democratic primary vote comes from louisville wow that's crazy is that is that or that's what it was in like 2016. It doesn't surprise me though. Were you shocked to see four years ago the primary here go for Bernie? No, because I think Bernie and Trump are cut from the same burn it down cloth.

I mean, Bernie is on the other side and Bernie, I think, is much more intelligent. Bernie's more of a build it up and burn it but yeah but i mean bernie believes the system as a whole needs radical change right trump says he does but he doesn't really do that but but he says it and i think bernie does the same and i can and i can see why that would appeal i mean i people forget we still have huge amounts of this state that there are really republicans who are registered as democrats and they vote in the primary and they're going to vote for joe biden probably the reason why you know in that kentucky prime democratic primary hillary eked bernie out but like but most of though well i think hillary's a little different because i think these people i'm talking about these are people who were blue collar so these are people who are

blue collar progressives economically they're progressive on socially they're very conservative these people exist in large part in western kentucky western kentucky's full of them and there are some in eastern Kentucky, Rocky World, right? Those people hate Hillary Clinton because Fox News taught them to. They don't hate Joe Biden as much. And I think that's why a lot of those people voted for Bernie out of a protest. I think they'll end up voting for Joe Biden in this one. Yeah, I mean, I think, you know they want to smoke weed one day legally you know what i think i think donald trump is going to come out for marijuana legalization and that's going to be his push to get young people well you're

seeing i mean you're not genuinely you're seeing this you're seeing like you're seeing these reactionary far-right conservatives doing things like criminal justice reform and giving like i think he's here's why i think he's going do it donald trump's gotta win the presidential election comes down to three states 47 states honestly are irrelevant i know people don't want to say that but it's the truth michigan pennsylvania wisconsin that's the election if we win north carolina georgia texas even better but really we need to win michigan pennsylvania wisconsin the people in those states there are no new trump voters in those states like who didn't vote for trump that now will vote for him nobody right so the only way trump can create new voters is to pick some issue that people don't

already hate him on so it's not gonna be immigration it's not gonna be abortion like people who like him for that already do. I think it's marijuana. I think he will look at the young people out there that think Donald Trump's crazy, maybe mean, maybe not what they like, and he'll say, I'll legalize weed, and I think that'll be the way he believes he can win. That's my prediction. the way he believes he can win. That's my prediction.

On that same tip, too, I also think that there's a chance, particularly because you see the outgoing... Who's the bureaucrat that sold for the student loans? What's his name? Betsy DeVos? No, no, not Betsy DeVos. I forget his name. Anyway, the news this week that the guy that's like...

I guess he might be the undersecretary of the department of education or something recommended that they abolish student loans i think that is another way well the new head of the dea who just got sworn in i think this week or got just got confirmed by the senate like this week has in the past come out and said we need to relook at marijuana no so i mean, I just think, I think they are building towards, because he's the one Republican that can do it, because none of the other Republicans

will criticize him for it. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah, I think I see what, I could see a situation where that all, like all the Trump Republicans give all these concessions that some younger people want, the marijuana, the student loan forgiveness, and all that,

so they can just have the cover to keep making money disappear into their own pocket. If you asked Mitch McConnell, would you trade marijuana legalization for another tax cut for the wealthy, he'd say yes. 100%. Because that's all he cares about. I mean, Mitch McConnell, I think he only cares about yeah i mean mitch mcconnell i think he only cares about really from an issue standpoint two things judges and tax cuts and to be honest the reason he won't call trump out for anything is he cares about judges and tax cuts and those

are the two things he's got because those equal money for him but also i think they equal the mitch mccon McConnell's base is not in this state. Mitch McConnell's base are the rich people of this country. And that's what they care about. He has no base in Kentucky. I mean you guys are here. You know anybody in Letcher County that likes Mitch McConnell? No.

I don't. People here hate him. We've traveled all over this state and I have tried to find people who like Mitch McConnell and it is hard. I feel the same way about Bevin. I don't know. But religious people like Bevin. Bevin at least has the base of the church.

Mitch doesn't even have that. True. Religious people hate Mitch. Religious people, because they, I mean, Mitch, I don't know if he goes to church or not, but he's not outwardly religious. He was booed at CPAC a few years ago. Yeah, so, I mean, Bevan at least has the church, folks. I don't know. Mitch's base.

So let's pivot and talk about that for a little bit, about our gubernatorial election. Next line. I can't believe it's next week. What's our predictions? Bevan said he's going to win by 6 to 10 points. Did he? When did he say that?

A couple days ago. Sorry, yeah, maybe a couple days ago. Well, he was caught. I think the biggest development of the election, or in the last few days, is that he was caught in a lie saying, I guess in the third debate, Bashir had accused him of saying that people were i think killing themselves on the floors of casinos said on a radio station in in katie's kentucky that people that every day at some

casino in america someone commits suicide right because they've like ruined their life in that casino yeah he said every day and bashir called him out on it right and bevin said i didn't say that and he goes yes you did and he said show me the tape and the next day they released the tape He said every day. And Bashir called him out on it. Right. And Bevin said, I didn't say that. And he goes, yes, you did. And he said, show me the tape. And the next day they released the tape. Right. But it doesn't matter, really.

Bevin was just. I feel like he lies constantly. He lies about things that there's no reason to lie about. Totally. Because he thinks that that's why people like Trump. Like it's on a Trump kick. What Bevin doesn't realize like i i don't like trump i'm sure you all do but to but trump has to the people that like him a likable personality it's not to me no but to the people that like him i don't think bevin's personality is likable to anyone and he doesn't realize that if he doesn't realize that he has no charm yeah

he doesn't have an ounce of the charisma that trump has i mean superficial charisma but he doesn't have even have that so i just i i think he thinks i'm gonna be like trump and like be all you know wear the suit yeah i'm gonna be like trump and i'm gonna call him out and say fake news but the thing is when he says it it's sort of like a joke from chris rock works but then when your dad tells it, it's not as funny when he's like, you know, this is his this is his whole act. You can see him trying to replicate Trump, but he's just not good at it. And I think that's I think Bashir wins. But I wouldn't bet any money on it. And I'm against it.

I mean, if you made me pick, I'd say Bashir by three. But if it was Bashir by six or Bevan by eight or anywhere in between, I wouldn't be shocked. Yeah. Jesus. I go back and forth. For the longest time, all year, I've said Bevan's for sure going to win. I've kind of wavered in the last –

Well, what's going to happen in the ledger count? Because, honestly, if Bashir's going's gonna win the mountains have to come through like so people say to me matt how could you beat mitch mcconnell here's the answer back when we won democrats in kentucky we won by winning louisville lexington and eastern kentucky that's how we won louisville's become more democratic than it was i mean it used to be like 55-45 Democrat. Now it's like 75-25. Lexington's become a little less democratic, but it's still democratic. Eastern Kentucky's where we lost.

So what I say is I'm from here. We haven't had a senator from Eastern Kentucky in 80 years. I win the mountains. I spend all my time in the mountains. If Beshear can win in places like Letcher County, or at least keep it really close, he will win. If he doesn't, I think Bevin wins. Because Bevin's going to win Western Kentucky by a lot.

He's going to win Southern Kentucky by a lot. He's going to lose Louisville by a lot. He's going to lose Lexington by a lot. This decides it. I feel like there was a lot of support in the mountains for rocky that's some what for that reason but also the teachers everybody in eastern kentucky has a teacher in their family or like you know whatever is connected to teachers nurses and uh the organizing the teachers did over the past two years um got has gotten a ton of attention and their whole their whole their whole shtick the

whole all the messaging around it was bevin's got to go they've put they've blamed bevin on everything which but the pension problem's been long it's a long once he keeps repeating this line that he's the only governor in kentucky that ever fully funded the pension is that that's just complete well there's a little bit of truth to it he's the only governor and legislature because the democrats did it the first time with him then they lost in 2016 he's the only duck governor uh governor that did it but he did it by robbing their health care right so he so he took from their health care and moved it to the pension so he is right it's the first time it's been fully funded but he did it by taking away from teachers health care so he doesn't add that caveat to it i just think it could it should have been hung on how much rocky got out and campaigned for

brashere and i don't know he said he was going to but he does it up he does it in northeast kentucky so if you go up to moorhead around ashland moorhead even up to pikeville he's out a lot i haven't gotten since he's done it as much down here yeah we've not really i mean people know people who listen to this all over the country don't know that eastern kentucky is all the same we feel companionship but there is a difference between Northeast and Southeast. Yeah. And I think Northeast Kentucky, Democrats are in better shape than they are in Southeast Kentucky. And I think Rocky spent most of his time in Northeast Kentucky.

But see, I'm from Southeast Kentucky, like you all, and so it's a little different. You all are in this little heaven, though, of Whitesburg, which is a little different than everywhere else. We're basically from Tennessee. I just did a tour of that Apple shop. Oh did you?

I don't need to tell you all but like there's not many places like that in the country. Much less in eastern Kentucky. You guys have a base here of progressivism that isn't everywhere else. Yeah.

We had the folks from Means TV come in who did all of AOC's campaign ads and everything, and they were like, yeah, this just doesn't exist. Do you know AOC's press secretaries from East Tennessee? Yeah, Morristown. Yeah. Yeah. Totally. First time I talked to him on the phone, and I was like, you sound like me.

Wait a second. There's no way you're doing this. But so I think Bashir wins, but, you know, we'll see. I hope so. You know what I like about this podcast? One of your three hosts just gets up and uses the restroom in the middle of it. Like, you don't hear that a lot. Like, there's not – like, you don't see, and he didn't even say.

We won't cut it out either. He was like, you know what, I'm just going to go pee right now, and that's what happens because this is a Bernie podcast. This is what we do. I mean, we're in a cabin. Everything's covered in cat hair. I just pulled a cat hair out of my mouth because it was on the microphone. This is a real high-budget operation we got here.

No, let me say, let me kiss up to you just a second. budget operation we got here let me say let me let me kiss up to you just a second i think what you all have done in terms of this is a very cool thing like i came from the podcast world i mean i i had 15 years ago if it wasn't the first podcast in kentucky it was one up like i i heard the word let me tell you i heard the word podcast i think the first time it was said, Adam Curry, you know who Adam Curry is? He was one of the first MTV VJs. Adam Curry. He's shaking his head. Adam Curry went on Sirius XM radio and he created the term podcast.

He, and he, I don't know if he had the first podcast, but he was the first person to call digital audio a podcast. He and he, I don't know if he had the first podcast, but he was the first person to call digital audio, a podcast. And I remember hearing him and going, man, that's a brilliant idea. Maybe I'll do one of those on UK sports. And I did before iTunes. I mean, you had to like download it from my site and all this stuff. And you guys are like what podcasting really is about, And you guys are like what podcasting really is about, which is grassroots given a voice that nobody else has. Like there is nobody that sounds like you three talking progressive politics that I know of. And that takes guts.

And I think it's, it's awesome. I mean, I don't agree with everything you all say, but I think it's awesome that you do it. I appreciate that. Thank you. That's mighty decent of you.

Yeah. I heard today that people listen to podcasts on double speed, so they get through them quicker. They do it with me. That horrified me, that there are people out there listening to me on double speed. And they listen to mine on half speed, so I sound drunk. That's a big thing on KSR is that people do it at half speed to to see if i sound how drunk i can oh my god let me ask you all a question i want do you think if i ran do you

think i could beat mitch in eastern kentucky because i'd have to i'll say this i'll say this i think that the urinator's back i don't i'm all empty i don't necessarily i don't i don't necessarily agree with the and we and we had talked about this on the twitter dms about this idea of these moderate republicans that vote democrats sometimes and i admit up front i might be wrong about that and my only body of evidence is is eastern kentucky that's my only reference point. But I do think that if such a thing is real, then I think that you're one of the people that could not only pull some votes, a lot of votes in eastern Kentucky, but also sort of slim those margins in western Kentucky and southern Kentucky

and the places where the Republicans, you know, and maybe that's just by virtue of what you do. And you don't just have to get Republicans to vote Democrat in Kentucky. You have to get people who registered Democrat, who voted Democrat their whole life to vote Democrat. So remember, still today, 58% of all registered voters in Kentucky are Democrats. Still today, 58%. are Democrats. Still today, 58%. And of the actual people that show up to vote,

56% of all voters are Democrat. That's why the polls here are always so skewed, because they, when they poll people, make sure that they get 56% Democrats, because that's the turnout on election day. The problem is not all Democrats are created equal in Kentucky. So if you poll all Louisville Democrats, you're going to get a twisted view of what the electorate is going to be on Election Day. But if a candidate could just get the people whose families voted Democrat and they voted Democrat, but something changed their mind, whether it be Reagan, Obama or Trump, just get them to do what they've already done and what they do in their local races to do it in a national race. You can win. Yeah, I think so too. I think the other part too is, and, and, and this is what I say when I'm out there stumping or whatever all the time, but there is such, and granted it's a much older generation, but I feel like there's such a um sort of visceral tie to the democratic party of like the fdr new deal era yes still if fdr ran here again tomorrow he'd be

popular yeah he went no doubt about that and i think that style of politics is i mean if you could just sit in sort of bernie's popularity amongst young people is something that you could get a younger generation that might not have the same proximity as that older generation to sort of come around and you get a strong coalition off of those type deals i think and and if you look at it's like say what you want about bernie but medicare for all is almost a mainstream well it is a mainstream democratic position now. I think I'm not only a mainstream democratic position, but a mainstream American position right now is everybody should have

healthcare. Yeah. I don't think that was true. Even 10 years ago, but I think it's true now. I, I, I, I, I judge this based on my 75% Trump audience. So I can, I message test every day. I judge this based on my 75% Trump audience. So I message test every day. One of the reasons I don't make the mistakes Amy makes is I've message tested all this for a decade. Because if I say something and they don't like it, I hear about it.

Clinton-level focus grouping. It's not, but it's not. I just say what I think. And if the wording isn't what they think is good i'll know doesn't mean i'll change my mind but i'll know i've been talking about everybody should have health care for a decade when i say it now nobody bats an eye yeah well before we put a bow on this matt i i gotta get i well I have an audience with you, I have to get the record set straight on a couple of Kentucky basketball-related items. All right.

Okay. I'm curious if you've ever heard this. Did you ever hear, and I don't know if there's ever been anything written about this. I don't know if this is like just some apocryphal, like East Kentucky, like folklore. But did you ever hear, or is there like a Bell County analog to this, that Sam Bowie hurt his leg in Maynard Hogg's coal mine? You know, I've heard that. I don't know if it's true, but Oscar Combs, I think, has said that to me,

that Sam Bowie was visiting it. Joe B. Hall would take his players and show them coal mines to show them where the fans came from, and he tripped or something and hurt because he was trying to get down. I don know if that's true but i've heard that story so that's sorry because we've there's like a million different versions one it might not be in that coal mine but i've always heard it was a coma right yeah but i don't know if that's true that's a good i hadn't heard i hadn't thought about that in a long time but you're right that is a story my favorite version of it is that uh sam bowie was riding on the back of a three-wheeler

that Dinner Bell Mel Turpin, God rest his soul, was on, and they flipped it. And then it landed on his leg. I don't believe I heard that. I think any coach that allowed Mel Turpin and Sam Bowie to get on the same four-wheeler. On a coal mine. In a coal mine. They would not be the coach very long. What's your other one so there's that and then the other thing i was wanting to to uh bring up

was the billy clad era some of the stuff like the pop tarts like what's the most outrageous thing that you've ever confirmed okay so confirmed is the key i mean there are outrageous things i mean i can tell you a story that you would not even believe is plausible that i am 98 true but the two percent is a lawsuit if i'm right you know what i mean um but you know the the josh harrelson stuff and the player stuff i mean the worst thing billy did that i is to the players, is at the SEC tournament, Jody Meeks twisted his ankle during the game. Right. And could barely walk. And Billy thought he was faking it because he hated Jody Meeks.

And they were, the arena was like two miles from the hotel. And they got on the team bus and he looked at Jody and said, get out, you're walking. And again, he could barely walk because of his ankle. And he was going to make him walk back to the hotel. And he had already done similar things in the past, not with people hurt, but like he made Josh Harrelson ride home

on the equipment bus because he didn't play well at a game. And he said to the bus driver, go. And Patrick Patterson went and kicked the door, and all the players got out and were going to walk with him. And so then Billy had to back down. But here was his problem. All of the players' families had rented a big mansion in Tampa

to spend the SEC tournament together. So the story quickly got back to the house, and it became a cauldron of Billy Gillespie is awful, and the next day they went to Mitch Barnhart and demanded he be fired. And that was really the end of it. Wow. So that was what ushered in the calendar. I mean, I think he was probably headed for that anyway,

but to whatever extent there was still a chance, I think that SEC tournament did it in. So, you know, for people, for your listeners in la and new york they're like who's billy clive and what's uk basketball yeah these are a little hyper specific but let me ask you about that okay i i know this is your show but i i'm curious you were telling me that a lot of your listeners are over the country when i've listened to you you're talking kentucky stuff why do you think they're interested in that that's a good question a lot of people are just stuck on they're like kind of lost i think they're like i don't know who jim ward is but i hate him no we really have heard that i don't know who jim ward is but that's a

great answer to that so yeah i don't know i think yeah go for it well i think a lot of the things that we talk about and deal with are things a lot of people do universal yeah i mean i think the most accurate description of our show i've ever seen is that um it's just a really good account of young people living through late capitalism just trying to survive and i think that like the things that we deal with on a day-to-day basis are just things that are pretty applicable to a lot of people's lives. One minute. Does it bother you?

This is what bothers me, being from the mountains. I'd be interested to hear what you, especially you two because you're from the mountains. Does it bother you that when well-meaning people come to town to talk about us how bad they screw it up and how bad they make us look. That's the whole premise of Apple shop.

What's the whole reason it started. And yes, really. It's honestly the reason this podcast started. Our first episode was about JD Vance and his ridiculous telling of what life here is like. And normally we wouldn't care about some. That was your first episode?

Yep. You know, I had J.D. Vance on. And when I first read the book, the same things that annoyed you all annoyed me. But I did like that it was making people care one way or the other. And I interviewed him and i actually think he means well but doesn't get it and that's a whole different conversation we could have the road to hell paved i actually think that with good intention i mean you you're right i criticized

him the other day on twitter and he sent me this message. He was very upset because I'd had him on before, but that's a perfect example of even people who are thinking they're helping sometimes aren't. Well, I mean, I, I think, you know, when he's being mulled to be the head of the American enterprise Institute and talking about, you know, birth rates in white America, there's a little, well, that's true. Institute and talking about, you know, birth rates in white America. There's a little. Well, that's true. That's the way I get off it.

So how do you deal with the fact that you're in an area that I presume you love? I would assume all three of you love this area, right? You love the area. You love the people. But the people are slowly every day moving farther from us politically. I think, you know know i don't know i speculate about this all the time about like and i don't go for it let me get my thought well i think people with power maybe are moving because they think they have to to get votes but i mean just like we just talked about health care, like everyone in my family, even who I agree with on very little, usually holidays are very tense in my house, usually because it's not just me.

It's, you know, a lot of my age cousins. We all have similar views, me and my sisters. And then I have my mom's one of six. And so I have like just my mom's one of six. And so I have like, just on my mom's side, I have 30 some cousins. So it's just always a big weird mix. And just like you said, every, it takes a pretty sick person at this point, even if they have good health insurance to say that other people don't deserve care yeah like that is just it's I mean it's completely inhumane absolutely and even if you think that in inside which I think

is rare it's becoming less and less socially acceptable to say it out loud you know it's like I've always found you can get people to agree with you on ideas, just not people. So, for instance, I can give almost any position I have outside of maybe one or two, and I can get most people to agree with me. That's why I say 90% of Kentuckians agree on 90% of the issues. But once you then switch it from healthcare care to trump then that's a fight but on the issue i think people will listen and talk about it do you agree with that well yeah and it's like tom said most people are united and i think that's a big um what people a big thing

people like about our show is that most people are united against billionaires. Like these just people who we know that you can't earn that much money. You steal it or you get it inherited from someone who stole it. Like there's no, you know, that you don't earn that much money. You're not able to earn that much money, especially anywhere. And in America, you don't earn that money. It's stolen from workers. And even my mom who works at Food food city she works four 10-hour shifts and because she can't get overtime she goes and clocks out and goes back and finishes her job

i've argued with her about this for years and it's insane thing to do because she feels like she should yeah because she finished because she has this like insane work ethic and she's got to finish her job and then once and when it's her time to clock out she goes and clocks out and finishes whatever she was doing it's it's crazy anyway um even though she will even agree even though we have we you know i feel like every uh most families have like one person that's kind of like is a boot is like a bootstrapper and uh it causes um what I most of my narrative about the world it shakes it up because they can say well look at her she worked her way up blah blah blah well we I have one of those cousins and my mom can at least see now that she that their money is just making money like it's her cousin it's my second cousin and even though they work hard mom knows they don't work harder than she does yeah these

people do not work harder than my mom. There is no way that none of these rich people work harder than my mom works. And she will never be out of debt. She'll never have all the things that she needs working where she works. Well, I feel bad. I mean, I agree with you. You know, people say to me, sometimes they talk like about, because I have like three or four

different jobs like oh you work so hard and i say i do work hard but there's a lot of people working harder than i am and there's a lot of people working harder than i am for a lot less reward and that really is a problem and i agree with you that people actually do feel like that that's why i think you want to win Kentucky. You want to beat Mitch McConnell. Whether it's me, whether it's Amy McGrath, whether it's Rocky Atkins, whether it's Mike Breuer. Tom Sexton. Whether it's Tom Sexton, whether it's Charles Booker, I mean, whoever's thinking about running.

The Trillbilly Party. You want to beat Mitch McConnell? Base it on workers' rights. I think that is where, in places like Kentucky, the Democrats have lost their way. Because I think that is where in places like Kentucky, the Democrats have lost their way. Because I think if you focus on the working man and woman, you will find a lot of agreement. Because I think if every person in Kentucky that works believes they should be able to work hard and provide a living for their family and make it for the next generation.

And it's either not easy or in some places impossible. And if you make that the focus, then I think you can, you can, you can win. I really do. And Trump, for all his awfulness, he gave lip service to that idea. He gave lip service to the idea of you folks have been screwed. And they have. And the thing is, nobody said that before. That was a mate that was in the final race. You know, Bernie said, I mean, people have said it, but nobody said it. That was one of the two final candidates. And he got up and said, you folks have been screwed by trade deals, by corporations, not caring about you by the end of unions. You folks have been screwed by trade deals by corporations not caring about you by the end of unions you folks have been screwed now of course his policies haven't helped and haven't been interested continue to screw people but he said it right and i think if you say it

and then actually do the policies and live it i think people people will come through. That's why I think Mitch McConnell's beatable. I would argue Mitch McConnell's more beatable than the average Republican in Kentucky. People say to me all the time, how are you going to beat him? I think it would be easier to beat him than it would be to beat Jamie Comer or Brett Guthrie or

Hal Rogers because those guys are kind of likable even if you don't agree with their politics. Mitch is awful. Yeah, there's just nothing. I would actually argue he is easier for the Democrats to beat than anybody else. So what's holding you back? So you saw I walked in here with Eli.

Eli's been working with me a couple weeks. This is my staff right here. Like, we're it. Mitch McConnell's got the greatest campaign machine in the history of the united states and that's not an exaggeration he's got a war chest it's not even just about the war chest although that's important it's about the they're smart they are they've got all of the tools and they've got the best republican minds he is able to get literally the best republican minds well he's really the only reason their policies have gotten any traction like the republican party owes a great debt to mitch mcconnell no doubt and so because of that

taking on him you have to be ready to go full board you have to as i say take out darth vader all right now imagine you want to take out darth vader all right now imagine you want to take out darth vader before you get there the jedi force aligns against you too because this national democrat party doesn't want me either right they want amy mcgrath so imagine to get to darth vader you've got to beat all them in the first place and money matters in that race because they're the other candidate has 10.7 million and i got to start from scratch and i'm a sports radio host who walks around in hooded sweatshirts and has got to find a way to do it and has had 15 years of speaking on the record every single day.

Mitch McConnell's people are going to listen to this podcast for an hour. They're going to try to take everything I say and turn it around. Sure, you have plenty of content. Oh, they've tried the R.A. McGrath episode. We ripped Amy on that. Their little staffers were, yeah, like, thanks. And now I've got 15 years of shows and 15 years of tweets. And I'm not the same person I was today. Like what I was 12 years ago, I was kind of a lame, fratty goober.

And I'm going to have to answer for all that stuff. So, you know, you have to ask yourself, do I have it to do it? And I go back and forth all the time. It's not easy. And then I'm going to get attacked from both sides. There's going to be things that people will find. I've said that the left is going to get really upset. A lot of which I don't believe anymore, but I said, and you got to deal with, and then there's going to be things that my Christian listeners are going to be like, man, I can't believe you believe that. And you just got to decide, do you have it in you? And Mitch McConnell's sitting over there and nothing he does matters.

Right. Exactly. Yeah. So that's why. It could just like. But don't. But let me say this. It could ruin your whole life.

It could ruin my. It literally could ruin. And unlike a lot of people, if you're a lawyer and you run and you lose, guess what you can go do again? Go. Be a lawyer. Right. But if your whole career is based on popularity if you don't have popularity anymore what are you going to do but

with all that said eli i think said this the other day it's jumping off a cliff and you don't know what's going to be on the other side of the cliff but mitch mcconnell is the worst detriment to democracy in my lifetime if we could beat him it would change the united states of america literally no election you can't really say that about many elections that it would change you beat mitch mcconnell it changes the united states of america it just does and in my of hearts, I believe I'm the person that can do it. And so when you have that burden, how do you say no? Well, when someone like Mayor Pete says that running for president or whatever office is, what did he say, Terrence? It's low risk.

Right, low risk. Low risk. But Mayor Pete doesn't have my life exactly I mean like like well people are deranged I had a I had a national democratic figure say to me no one running for senate has really ever seen their life get worse after but not many people run for senate that have a pretty daggone good existence as it is. I mean, look, people listening around the country, Kentucky basketball is pretty awesome. It's the biggest thing in this state. And most people see me as the voice of it.

Right. And you just give that up. Right. And then just get a year of you are the worst human being on earth. Yeah. It's tough. Yeah. I mean i mean really probably the most the best candidate in kentucky is coach cow run coach cow against beth i kind of like him in

his current job you know coach cow coach cow well i'm gonna be careful saying this but coach cow is following this closely because coach cow i think would love to do this. I mean, I think Coach Cal cares about – Coach Cal and I talk politics all the time. That's the one little news tidbit I'll give you here. Coach Cal – I'm the one person Coach Cal calls and talks about politics. So when there's something big going on, he'll call me and say, now what do you think about this? Because he knows I care about it. Here's what I want to say to Coach Cal because one of his refrains out there he goes you know this isn't socialism here it could take this isn't socialism

and yet that is one of the things he loves to say is that that 2012 team anthony davis and mkg were the lowest scorers on that team that was for the benefit for everybody i mean there's nothing more socialist than kentucky basketball coach well listen if do it, I hope you let me come back. Sure. And I'd be glad to talk with you all. And again, keep up the good work. I'm proud of you. You'll be our first Senate candidate.

I think if I run, I will be the first Senate candidate to do a lot of things. I will be a lot different than most people have ever done it for good and bad. Well, you said Mitch McConnell's the most, what did you say? He was the biggest threat to democracy or the most undemocratic. The Senate is the most undemocratic. And Mitch is the cherry on top of it. It will be a different Senate if he's gone. You think?

Oh, yeah. He's, you know why? First of all, he's good. Like, he's good. Like, imagine you take Coach cow out of uk i don't care who they get after that ain't gonna be as good as coach cow i'm crying for the day when he's so don't talk about it so he's good at what he does take him out it won't be as effective and but in the senate i genuinely believe you take out mitch mcconnell and here's the other thing

if we take out mitch mcconnell McConnell, imagine the platform Kentucky actually gets because whoever took him out can actually be a senator for Kentucky. One of the things I'm writing this book, I'm going to plug it real quick called Mitch, please comes out in March. I go to all 120 counties. And what I'm doing is trying to find out what is Mitch McConnell done or not done for Kentucky. I go to every county and I say, show me something in here that Mitch McConnell made happen. Nobody can. I found one. Where have y'all been so far?

I'm almost done. This is County 98. Wait, Letcher County? Number one in your hearts, though. It's my 98th to visit. i've got another week and a half of travel it'll get me to 120 but um it's amazing for a man that's had that much power how little he's done for this state you know i say this all the time when mitch mccollum became the head of the republican party in the senate the two most important economic engines in kentucky were coal

and tobacco 20 years later they're both, and he replaced them with nothing. Yeah. Yeah. I think Alex Perrine of the New Republic said that he's the errand boy of an errant billionaire class. And other than just being a good sentence, I think that's pretty good. Yeah, really. That's a great sentence.

Pretty good summation of what he's done. I've got to get back to Lexington. Thank you, guys. Hey, Matt. Thanks, man. Thanks, man. Thanks, man. Bye. That was good.