Transcript below:
Spencer (00:00:01):
Thanks for clicking play on the latest edition of Iowa Revolution.
Spencer (00:00:04):
My name is Spencer.
Spencer (00:00:05):
He is Dr. Bob.
Spencer (00:00:06):
Dr. Bob, good to see you.
Spencer (00:00:07):
Good to see you, Spencer.
Spencer (00:00:10):
First of all, the big news, we do have Pete Buttigieg coming later on in the show.
Spencer (00:00:14):
He's in Cedar Rapids as we speak,
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or at least as we're recording,
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getting ready to speak to the Vote Vets rally tonight in downtown Cedar Rapids.
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So we got about 10 minutes to talk to Pete.
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Even had a chance to give him my top five Pete's.
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So you'll want to make sure to stick around for that later on in the show.
Spencer (00:00:30):
But first off,
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Dr.
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Bob,
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the biggest news in the state of Iowa is Rob Sand has announced that he will run
Spencer (00:00:35):
for governor,
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of course,
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as a Democrat.
Spencer (00:00:38):
He does have $8 million in his coffers right now.
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$7 million of that is from his family and extended family.
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And it is expected that we're going to be seeing some more Republicans put their
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name in the hat.
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Brenna Byrd, Pat Grassley, now Randy Feenstra has...
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explored now possibly getting into the governor's race so those are just a few
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names also mike busolo republican from ankeny he's also kind of entertained running
Spencer (00:01:04):
for governor so first of all just your thoughts on rob sand now officially in the
Spencer (00:01:08):
race
Dr. Bob (00:01:09):
Well, it's something we've suspected would happen for some time, for years.
Dr. Bob (00:01:13):
In fact, you and I have talked about it.
Dr. Bob (00:01:14):
A lot of people saw him as the likely candidate since he's the only elected official.
Dr. Bob (00:01:20):
I think he's a good man.
Dr. Bob (00:01:24):
I think he'll do a great job.
Dr. Bob (00:01:27):
Having the money is important.
Dr. Bob (00:01:29):
These races aren't going to be easy to win.
Dr. Bob (00:01:32):
I just think that he's been... I think...
Dr. Bob (00:01:37):
very balanced in his auditor position.
Dr. Bob (00:01:41):
I really think that Kim Reynolds stripping that office of its power was,
Dr. Bob (00:01:48):
I don't know,
Dr. Bob (00:01:52):
something anti-democratic.
Dr. Bob (00:01:55):
I think that we needed that office to be a watchdog.
Dr. Bob (00:01:59):
Now, why wouldn't Kim Reynolds want a watchdog?
Dr. Bob (00:02:03):
Right.
Dr. Bob (00:02:03):
You know, so you can do things that you don't want anybody to know.
Spencer (00:02:07):
And I just think that's a question that answers itself.
Spencer (00:02:10):
Yeah.
Dr. Bob (00:02:10):
Yeah.
Dr. Bob (00:02:11):
So I think Rob's done a good job.
Dr. Bob (00:02:15):
He may he may get a challenge or I think somebody is telegraphed that they may run.
Dr. Bob (00:02:22):
And I don't think that's a bad thing.
Dr. Bob (00:02:26):
I think that it will actually help him.
Dr. Bob (00:02:28):
I just worry about.
Dr. Bob (00:02:30):
primaries now in the sense that they take up so much money and that,
Dr. Bob (00:02:35):
you know,
Dr. Bob (00:02:35):
we just,
Spencer (00:02:36):
I mean,
Spencer (00:02:36):
there are diverging views on that.
Spencer (00:02:38):
And I think there's probably merit to both of them.
Spencer (00:02:41):
There's one side that says having a tough primary helps in terms of name recognition,
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then you're going to have to spend money to get ads earlier on.
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So you might get that early bump.
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So there is that side of the coin.
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But then,
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as you said,
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that also makes you burn through some money that you're not going to have then when
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you get to the governors,
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you know,
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when you get to the general race.
Dr. Bob (00:03:01):
Yeah, so we'll see.
Dr. Bob (00:03:02):
I'm forgetting the name of the candidate.
Dr. Bob (00:03:04):
I know that she's well respected, but yeah, I don't know.
Dr. Bob (00:03:10):
We'll see.
Dr. Bob (00:03:11):
I just think that,
Dr. Bob (00:03:13):
you know,
Dr. Bob (00:03:14):
Rob stands a really good chance of winning,
Dr. Bob (00:03:16):
especially against some of the people that have come forward that,
Dr. Bob (00:03:20):
you know,
Dr. Bob (00:03:20):
Brenna Byrd is just...
Dr. Bob (00:03:22):
cruel and vindictive.
Spencer (00:03:24):
Fiendstra just... To me, it seems odd that Fiendstra would even enter the race.
Spencer (00:03:28):
He's got a comfy seat for as long as he wants to stay in the Congress.
Spencer (00:03:32):
Laura Bellin did say to me off the air last night,
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but she said this on the air before when we were doing our Capital Week show,
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but that old saying of...
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when they're handing out the pieces of the pie, that's when you grab your piece.
Spencer (00:03:45):
We're probably not going to see an open governor's race for however long this new
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governor stays in their seat.
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So I guess that is the other side of it is,
Spencer (00:03:54):
hey,
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now is your chance for an open Republican primary for governor.
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Might as well see if you have a shot.
Spencer (00:04:01):
So that's really the only logic I can see in it.
Dr. Bob (00:04:05):
Well,
Dr. Bob (00:04:05):
the thing,
Dr. Bob (00:04:06):
too,
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is that if you're in Congress,
Dr. Bob (00:04:09):
there's a whole lot of people in Congress that don't do very much work.
Spencer (00:04:13):
Right.
Dr. Bob (00:04:13):
If you're a governor, you have to work.
Spencer (00:04:15):
Right.
Spencer (00:04:17):
And he doesn't go out and speak to his constituents.
Spencer (00:04:19):
He's never really debated Ryan Melton in their two races previously.
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They did have one private debate that apparently went so badly that they never
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actually scheduled a public debate.
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And that's another issue.
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He hasn't really had any kind of contested race.
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Even when he's ran in that primary against Kevin Virgil, he only won like 60% to 40%.
Spencer (00:04:40):
Nobody knew who the hell Kevin Virgil is.
Spencer (00:04:42):
So, you know, it's not like he is.
Spencer (00:04:44):
Yeah.
Spencer (00:04:45):
To me, it seems strange that he would think that he would have a shot.
Dr. Bob (00:04:49):
Yeah.
Dr. Bob (00:04:49):
And while you mentioned Ryan Melton, I'm just going to say I think he's positively courageous.
Dr. Bob (00:04:54):
I think he's a really good person.
Dr. Bob (00:04:56):
I think he really knows the district and knows what's, you know, knows how to listen.
Dr. Bob (00:05:01):
He goes everywhere.
Dr. Bob (00:05:02):
You know, I've been in different kinds of things that.
Dr. Bob (00:05:05):
I was just at a meeting in Algona and I was giving a talk in Algona to the Algona Democrats.
Dr. Bob (00:05:14):
And then next thing I know is I look around and he's in the audience.
Dr. Bob (00:05:17):
So he's just everywhere.
Dr. Bob (00:05:18):
I actually really admire him.
Spencer (00:05:24):
While we're on the topic of campaigns,
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just your quick thoughts on Sarah Trone Garriott versus Jennifer Conferst in that
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race for the Democratic nomination that would go up against Zach Nunn if he decides
Spencer (00:05:35):
to stay in that race.
Dr. Bob (00:05:37):
Well, I think they're both very well qualified.
Dr. Bob (00:05:38):
I think they'd both be true representatives of the people.
Dr. Bob (00:05:44):
Again,
Dr. Bob (00:05:44):
this is one of those situations where I don't see the value of burning all that
Dr. Bob (00:05:49):
money in a primary.
Dr. Bob (00:05:50):
Yeah,
Spencer (00:05:50):
I think these are candidates,
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in terms of the Rob Sand candidacy,
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you would imagine that somebody would run certainly to his left.
Spencer (00:05:59):
Because there are certainly a lot of,
Spencer (00:06:00):
you know,
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true blue Democrats that have problems with Rob Sand,
Spencer (00:06:05):
for better or for worse.
Spencer (00:06:06):
So I think that he will probably have somebody run to his left.
Spencer (00:06:09):
But there doesn't seem to be much of a difference between Jennifer Conferst and
Spencer (00:06:14):
Sarah Trone-Garriot.
Dr. Bob (00:06:15):
No, I think Laura Bellin's gone over their records and there's not a big difference.
Dr. Bob (00:06:21):
I just think they'd both be good.
Dr. Bob (00:06:23):
Yeah.
Dr. Bob (00:06:25):
I think Jennifer's done a good job in leadership.
Dr. Bob (00:06:27):
I've really admired Sarah's efforts to try to help the refugees that were left
Dr. Bob (00:06:34):
stranded by the Trump-Reynolds administration already here and having been promised
Dr. Bob (00:06:42):
certain kinds of support and then having that be pulled away.
Dr. Bob (00:06:45):
It's just more of the cruelty of the
Dr. Bob (00:06:48):
trump uh reynolds regimes and sooner we get all the people associated with it out
Spencer (00:06:55):
the better yeah the biggest thing is hopefully whoever wins the primary wins
Spencer (00:06:59):
against zach nunn is is the biggest thing so yeah zach nunn has has you know i hate
Dr. Bob (00:07:08):
to say this but he doesn't have the courage to stand up for veterans for islands
Dr. Bob (00:07:13):
for farmers for anybody he's just a
Dr. Bob (00:07:17):
another Trump toady.
Dr. Bob (00:07:18):
Yeah, he's just been cowardly.
Spencer (00:07:24):
Let's get into some cock talk here.
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This is from CNN.
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President Donald Trump has been personally involved in discussions inside the
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administration over potentially suspending habeas corpus,
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a legal procedure that allows people to challenge their detention in court,
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two people familiar with the consideration told CNN.
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One of Trump's top aides,
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Stephen Miller,
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also looks like Nosferatu,
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confirmed publicly Friday that the administration was actively looking at
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suspending habeas corpus,
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adding that it depends on whether the courts do the right thing or not.
Spencer (00:07:53):
Both the private discussions and Miller's public comments show this is under
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serious consideration inside the West Wing.
Spencer (00:07:59):
While Trump has not explicitly mentioned habeas corpus in public,
Spencer (00:08:02):
it's what he was referencing last month when he commented on steps he could take to
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combat nationwide injunctions against his actions on deportations,
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according to one of the people familiar with the talks.
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And Trump told reporters on April 30th,
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there are ways to mitigate it,
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and there's some very strong ways.
Spencer (00:08:17):
There's one way that's been used by three very highly respected presidents,
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but we hope we don't have to go that route.
Spencer (00:08:23):
But there is one way used successfully by three presidents, all highly respected.
Spencer (00:08:27):
And hopefully we don't have to go that way, but there are ways of mitigating it.
Spencer (00:08:31):
It remains unclear whether this is something the administration will actually pursue,
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and experts say it will likely generate legal challenges.
Spencer (00:08:38):
The White House declined to comment beyond Miller's statement.
Dr. Bob (00:08:42):
Yeah,
Dr. Bob (00:08:42):
well,
Dr. Bob (00:08:42):
my only recollection of when that has happened before was during the Civil War and
Dr. Bob (00:08:47):
during World War II and the detaining of Japanese American citizens,
Dr. Bob (00:08:53):
which is a stain on our history.
Dr. Bob (00:08:56):
And it's just, I don't know the other one, maybe you do, but it's just...
Dr. Bob (00:09:00):
You are just swept away to some prison, some prison camp with no recourse.
Dr. Bob (00:09:07):
It's like you have no rights anymore.
Dr. Bob (00:09:10):
And so everybody should be afraid of this.
Dr. Bob (00:09:14):
But everybody always thinks that, oh, it's not going to apply to them.
Dr. Bob (00:09:18):
But then sooner or later, a friend will be snapped up.
Dr. Bob (00:09:20):
And it's more creeping.
Dr. Bob (00:09:24):
Well, not creeping even.
Dr. Bob (00:09:25):
It's galloping authoritarianism where it just...
Dr. Bob (00:09:29):
They're just taking control of all institutions.
Dr. Bob (00:09:31):
And Pete has some things to say on this later on.
Dr. Bob (00:09:34):
Pete Buttigieg during our interview later.
Dr. Bob (00:09:36):
But everybody should be frightened.
Dr. Bob (00:09:39):
The thing I want to say again is our MAGA friends and relatives, I watch Fox News.
Dr. Bob (00:09:46):
I look at all the MAGA media, and they don't know this is happening.
Dr. Bob (00:09:54):
Right.
Dr. Bob (00:09:55):
They don't know anything that's happening.
Dr. Bob (00:09:56):
Everything is all unicorns and rainbows on Fox News.
Spencer (00:10:01):
I've got the list of, there's only been two declared by presidents that I can see.
Spencer (00:10:06):
And this is Google AI.
Spencer (00:10:07):
So trust this as much as you can throw it.
Spencer (00:10:10):
But it was declared by Andrew Jackson in New Orleans during the War of 1812.
Spencer (00:10:14):
As you mentioned,
Spencer (00:10:15):
it was also during the Civil War,
Spencer (00:10:17):
of course,
Spencer (00:10:18):
declared by President Abraham Lincoln.
Spencer (00:10:19):
It was also declared by Governor Poindexter in Hawaii after Pearl Harbor.
Spencer (00:10:24):
And then a few other instances of riots, Cambridge, Maryland.
Spencer (00:10:29):
There was the Omaha Race Riot of 1919 and also during some natural disasters like
Spencer (00:10:34):
the Chicago Fire or the San Francisco earthquake.
Spencer (00:10:37):
So just, I mean, literally in the...
Spencer (00:10:40):
You know, 250 years of the republic, we've had a handful.
Dr. Bob (00:10:44):
Well,
Dr. Bob (00:10:44):
and I was just thinking of instances by the president,
Dr. Bob (00:10:48):
and I didn't know that local authorities had that power to say that,
Dr. Bob (00:10:51):
you know...
Spencer (00:10:52):
Correct.
Spencer (00:10:53):
I did not know that.
Spencer (00:10:54):
Yeah, because it was, yeah, like I said, it was in specifically like in the Chicago fire.
Spencer (00:10:58):
And I mean, in those instances, those are, you know, natural or just, you know, just disasters.
Spencer (00:11:02):
So it would sort of make sense just in terms of safety to keep people away from those areas.
Spencer (00:11:08):
But this is not for anybody's safety, of course, what they're talking about.
Spencer (00:11:12):
They're just talking about we want to lock people up or ship them off overseas and
Spencer (00:11:18):
not have to worry about anybody looking over our shoulder.
Dr. Bob (00:11:21):
Yeah.
Spencer (00:11:22):
And speaking of, let's get into this.
Spencer (00:11:24):
Very much related to that story.
Spencer (00:11:26):
This is from the Associated Press.
Spencer (00:11:28):
Newark Mayor Roz Baraka was arrested on Friday at a federal immigration detention
Spencer (00:11:32):
center where he had been protesting its opening this week and held in custody for
Spencer (00:11:37):
several hours.
Spencer (00:11:38):
Baraka was released shortly after 8 p.m.
Spencer (00:11:40):
and after stepping out of an SUV with flashing emergency lights,
Spencer (00:11:43):
told waiting supporters,
Spencer (00:11:45):
quote,
Spencer (00:11:45):
the reality is this,
Spencer (00:11:47):
I didn't do anything wrong.
Spencer (00:11:48):
Baraka,
Spencer (00:11:49):
a Democrat who is running to succeed term-limited Governor Phil Murphy,
Spencer (00:11:52):
has embraced the fight with the Trump administration over illegal immigration.
Spencer (00:11:56):
He has aggressively pushed back against the construction and opening of the
Spencer (00:11:59):
1,000-bed detention center,
Spencer (00:12:02):
arguing that it should not be allowed to open because of building permit issues.
Spencer (00:12:05):
Linda Baraka, the mayor's wife, accused the federal government of targeting her husband.
Spencer (00:12:09):
She said this, quote, they didn't arrest anyone else.
Spencer (00:12:12):
They didn't ask anyone else to leave.
Spencer (00:12:14):
They wanted to make an example out of the mayor,
Spencer (00:12:16):
she said,
Spencer (00:12:17):
adding that she had not been allowed to see him.
Spencer (00:12:19):
A crowd gathered to protest outside the building where Baraka was being held,
Spencer (00:12:23):
with many chanting,
Spencer (00:12:24):
let the mayor go.
Spencer (00:12:25):
Witnesses said the arrest came after Baraka attempted to join three members of New
Spencer (00:12:29):
Jersey's congressional delegation that were there.
Spencer (00:12:32):
When federal officials blocked his entry,
Spencer (00:12:34):
a heated argument broke out,
Spencer (00:12:36):
according to Viri Martinez,
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an activist with the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice.
Spencer (00:12:41):
It continued even after Baraka returned to the public side of the gates.
Spencer (00:12:45):
There was yelling and pushing, Martinez said.
Spencer (00:12:47):
Then the officers swarmed Baraka.
Spencer (00:12:49):
They threw one of the organizers to the ground.
Spencer (00:12:52):
They put Baraka in handcuffs and put him in an unmarked car.
Dr. Bob (00:12:58):
Yeah, I think this is terrible.
Dr. Bob (00:13:00):
There's no I don't know exactly what happened.
Dr. Bob (00:13:03):
I've watched some of the body cam imagery and it didn't look like he had done
Dr. Bob (00:13:06):
anything wrong to me.
Dr. Bob (00:13:09):
But it's like this is also.
Dr. Bob (00:13:12):
It's also reliant on basic human emotions and studying body language in the sense that,
Dr. Bob (00:13:21):
you know.
Dr. Bob (00:13:23):
That.
Dr. Bob (00:13:26):
Well, I mean, for example, there was a time when I, you know, well, I'm just going to say it.
Dr. Bob (00:13:32):
There was a runaway that was looking for shelter in our home.
Dr. Bob (00:13:35):
Okay.
Dr. Bob (00:13:37):
And so, well, you know, I welcomed the runaway and my family welcomed the runaway.
Dr. Bob (00:13:45):
And then, of course, I called the sheriff's office to say, here's what's going on.
Dr. Bob (00:13:48):
This kid is here.
Dr. Bob (00:13:49):
He's safe.
Dr. Bob (00:13:50):
Right.
Dr. Bob (00:13:51):
Right.
Dr. Bob (00:13:51):
And he was fearful.
Dr. Bob (00:13:52):
Right.
Dr. Bob (00:13:53):
And he didn't want to see his family.
Dr. Bob (00:13:54):
And so a young officer came in,
Dr. Bob (00:13:58):
somebody I'd known since they were a little boy,
Dr. Bob (00:14:00):
and they came in with their hands on their hips.
Dr. Bob (00:14:03):
And it walked into my living room.
Dr. Bob (00:14:06):
And what I interpreted as a threatening stance.
Spencer (00:14:09):
Right.
Spencer (00:14:10):
Hand on his gun.
Dr. Bob (00:14:11):
Yeah, hand on his gun and looking around, you know, and I understand he was looking for safety.
Dr. Bob (00:14:16):
I've known him since he was a little boy.
Dr. Bob (00:14:18):
And he came in and I
Dr. Bob (00:14:21):
interpret it as a provocation.
Dr. Bob (00:14:22):
And if I wouldn't have known him, I would have said, you're in my home.
Dr. Bob (00:14:27):
Take your hand off your gun.
Dr. Bob (00:14:31):
Yeah, I called you just to let you know.
Dr. Bob (00:14:33):
Right.
Dr. Bob (00:14:34):
That's right.
Dr. Bob (00:14:35):
And then a senior deputy came in to, you know, a dear friend.
Dr. Bob (00:14:39):
And he just walked in like, you know, I'd invited him over for a beer.
Dr. Bob (00:14:43):
But and I think it's the training that, you know, their lives are at risk sometimes.
Dr. Bob (00:14:49):
But the mere existence of a stance and if it's somebody that you don't know,
Dr. Bob (00:14:54):
And it's a threat.
Dr. Bob (00:14:55):
I don't know if you remember or not,
Dr. Bob (00:14:57):
but Ty Rushing was escorted out of,
Dr. Bob (00:14:59):
not allowed into a Ron DeSantis event.
Dr. Bob (00:15:03):
Ty Rushing,
Dr. Bob (00:15:04):
now professor of journalism at the University of Iowa,
Dr. Bob (00:15:08):
former Iowa starting line reporter.
Dr. Bob (00:15:10):
And I watched that video and Ty handled it perfectly, but the way that everybody was standing.
Dr. Bob (00:15:17):
And it was a threat.
Dr. Bob (00:15:19):
It was a provocation.
Dr. Bob (00:15:20):
And they were looking for a reaction from Ty Rushing.
Dr. Bob (00:15:24):
And Ty didn't give them a reaction.
Spencer (00:15:25):
Yes, they were looking for any excuse to put handcuffs on him.
Spencer (00:15:29):
Right.
Spencer (00:15:29):
And I think that Baraka gave in the police's mind,
Spencer (00:15:32):
they give they he gave them their permission to now put the handcuffs on him.
Spencer (00:15:37):
That's right.
Spencer (00:15:38):
And the thing is, to me, the the legality of what Baraka did is besides the point.
Spencer (00:15:46):
We should be looking at the legality of what they're doing with this 1000 bed immigrant camp.
Dr. Bob (00:15:52):
Exactly.
Spencer (00:15:55):
What are they doing there?
Spencer (00:15:56):
And he's trying to get people to understand, hey, we need answers.
Spencer (00:16:00):
I'm the mayor of this town and I need to know who's in this building.
Spencer (00:16:05):
I need to know who the ICE agents are.
Spencer (00:16:08):
Exactly.
Spencer (00:16:09):
They're doing this illegally in his town and they're locking him up.
Spencer (00:16:15):
Right.
Dr. Bob (00:16:17):
So that's the story to me.
Dr. Bob (00:16:19):
Get used to it.
Dr. Bob (00:16:20):
They're going to continue to lock up.
Dr. Bob (00:16:21):
Democrats are going to continue to lock up anybody that they think is,
Dr. Bob (00:16:26):
you know,
Dr. Bob (00:16:27):
that Trump doesn't want.
Dr. Bob (00:16:28):
I mean,
Dr. Bob (00:16:28):
and this all fits in with that,
Dr. Bob (00:16:31):
you know,
Dr. Bob (00:16:32):
with habeas corpus discussion that we just had.
Dr. Bob (00:16:34):
He wouldn't have the right to challenge his,
Dr. Bob (00:16:37):
you know,
Dr. Bob (00:16:38):
they could ship him off to El Salvador to a brutish prison.
Spencer (00:16:42):
Yeah, no right to a lawyer.
Spencer (00:16:44):
No phone call.
Spencer (00:16:45):
Like they said, his wife wasn't even allowed to see him in jail.
Spencer (00:16:48):
How messed up is that?
Dr. Bob (00:16:51):
Right.
Dr. Bob (00:16:51):
So it's just it's more of galloping authoritarianism.
Spencer (00:16:55):
And like you said, I mean, part of that DeSantis thing, they wanted that to be public.
Spencer (00:17:00):
They wanted a reaction from Ty.
Spencer (00:17:01):
And I think it's the same situation here.
Spencer (00:17:03):
They welcome these things.
Spencer (00:17:05):
They want to publicly arrest mayors.
Dr. Bob (00:17:08):
Well, there's also a racial.
Spencer (00:17:10):
Especially black mayors.
Spencer (00:17:12):
I'm just going to say that.
Dr. Bob (00:17:14):
I was just going to say there's a racial element to it, too.
Dr. Bob (00:17:17):
And I can speak from experience that I've been to lots of protests in the last
Dr. Bob (00:17:24):
couple of months and mostly white people up to twenty five hundred people and with
Dr. Bob (00:17:31):
no police presence.
Dr. Bob (00:17:33):
and I remember going to Black Lives Matter protests, heavy police presence.
Dr. Bob (00:17:40):
So every time there was a potential for an interaction between police and any individual,
Dr. Bob (00:17:47):
I forget the statistics on that,
Dr. Bob (00:17:49):
but like 3% of all interactions with police,
Dr. Bob (00:17:52):
3% of all interactions turned violent.
Dr. Bob (00:17:59):
And so the more police you have at an event,
Dr. Bob (00:18:03):
my law officer buddies are going to be mad at me for saying this,
Dr. Bob (00:18:06):
but it's statistically a fact,
Dr. Bob (00:18:08):
the more police you have in an event,
Dr. Bob (00:18:10):
the greater the chance of a provocation.
Spencer (00:18:13):
Yeah, police themselves are an escalation, period.
Dr. Bob (00:18:17):
The existence of them.
Spencer (00:18:20):
And that's for better or worse, by the way, but police showing up is an escalation.
Spencer (00:18:25):
Yes, exactly.
Dr. Bob (00:18:27):
And then at the same time, you know, sometimes they're needed to protect us and keep the peace.
Dr. Bob (00:18:32):
And I've seen officers do a very good job, in particular at the Capitol.
Dr. Bob (00:18:37):
I've seen the Iowa State Patrol do a really good job with respect to letting a
Dr. Bob (00:18:42):
situation play out a little bit and see what happens and then handle it responsibly.
Dr. Bob (00:18:47):
I'm not saying that happens in all instances with police, but it's a statistical probability.
Dr. Bob (00:18:56):
that something is going to happen.
Spencer (00:18:59):
And it also squares police off against lawful citizens.
Spencer (00:19:04):
Right.
Spencer (00:19:05):
And people aren't criminals.
Spencer (00:19:06):
They're not showing up.
Spencer (00:19:07):
You know, I mean, that's the thing.
Spencer (00:19:09):
Eventually, sometimes that happens because a lot of that is the police are the escalation.
Spencer (00:19:14):
Like there was more about the Chicago riots and that during the Democratic Convention,
Spencer (00:19:18):
the police started the riot.
Dr. Bob (00:19:21):
Well,
Dr. Bob (00:19:22):
there was an altercation a couple of years ago at the Capitol where they tried to
Dr. Bob (00:19:26):
arrest somebody.
Dr. Bob (00:19:27):
The state patrol came in and just tried to arrest somebody.
Dr. Bob (00:19:30):
And everybody's watching it.
Dr. Bob (00:19:31):
And they're saying, hey, why are you arresting this guy?
Dr. Bob (00:19:33):
Stop.
Dr. Bob (00:19:34):
And so they were trying to arrest a guy.
Dr. Bob (00:19:36):
And the crowd's like, what's going on?
Dr. Bob (00:19:39):
And a trooper who's a friend of mine said, I said, why did that happen there?
Dr. Bob (00:19:43):
They said, well, because he had an arrest warrant out.
Dr. Bob (00:19:46):
I said, you know where the guy lives.
Dr. Bob (00:19:47):
You don't have to arrest him at the Capitol building amongst a crowd of 500 people.
Dr. Bob (00:19:53):
That arrest in that situation resulted in a fight.
Dr. Bob (00:19:59):
Right.
Dr. Bob (00:19:59):
Lots of bad stuff happened.
Dr. Bob (00:20:01):
Nobody was killed, fortunately, but they knew where the guy lived.
Dr. Bob (00:20:04):
Why would you not just go to where he lived instead of doing it publicly in front
Dr. Bob (00:20:08):
of hundreds of protesters at the Capitol?
Dr. Bob (00:20:11):
And the state patrolman didn't understand why I thought that was not a good idea.
Spencer (00:20:17):
That's embarrassing, embarrassingly dumb.
Spencer (00:20:21):
to not understand that.
Spencer (00:20:22):
Let's get into some AIOA because this is very interesting.
Spencer (00:20:25):
This is from also the Associated Press.
Spencer (00:20:27):
Pope Leo XIV laid out the vision of his papacy Saturday.
Spencer (00:20:31):
By the way, I'm not Catholic.
Spencer (00:20:32):
Dr. Bob is not Catholic.
Spencer (00:20:34):
He identified artificial intelligence as one of the most critical matters facing
Spencer (00:20:38):
humanity and vowing to continue with some of the core priorities of Pope Francis.
Spencer (00:20:42):
Leo,
Spencer (00:20:43):
the first American pope,
Spencer (00:20:44):
told the Cardinals that he was fully committed to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council,
Spencer (00:20:48):
the 1960s meetings that modernized the church.
Spencer (00:20:51):
He identified AI as one of the main issues facing humanity,
Spencer (00:20:54):
saying it poses challenges to defending human dignity,
Spencer (00:20:57):
justice,
Spencer (00:20:58):
and labor.
Spencer (00:20:59):
Leo referred to AI in explaining the choice of his name.
Spencer (00:21:02):
His namesake,
Spencer (00:21:02):
Pope Leo XIII,
Spencer (00:21:04):
was Pope from 1878 to 1903 and laid the foundation for modern Catholic social thought.
Spencer (00:21:10):
He did so most famously with his 1891 encyclical,
Spencer (00:21:14):
Rerum Noverum,
Spencer (00:21:15):
which addressed workers' rights and capitalism at the dawn of the Industrial Age.
Spencer (00:21:20):
The late Pope criticized both laissez-faire capitalism and state-centric socialism,
Spencer (00:21:24):
giving shape to a distinctly Catholic vein of economic teaching.
Spencer (00:21:28):
In his remarks Sunday,
Spencer (00:21:29):
Leo said he identified with his predecessor,
Spencer (00:21:32):
quoting him,
Spencer (00:21:33):
"...in our own day,
Spencer (00:21:33):
the Church offers everyone the treasury of its social teaching in response to
Spencer (00:21:37):
another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial
Spencer (00:21:41):
intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity,
Spencer (00:21:44):
justice,
Spencer (00:21:45):
and labor."
Spencer (00:21:45):
Toward the end of his pontificate,
Spencer (00:21:47):
Francis became increasingly vocal about the threats to humanity posed by AI and
Spencer (00:21:52):
called for an international treaty to regulate it.
Dr. Bob (00:21:57):
Well, he's absolutely right.
Dr. Bob (00:21:59):
You know, I just think this was a very interesting pick.
Dr. Bob (00:22:04):
I mean, we've talked about AI before and there's lots of threats from it.
Dr. Bob (00:22:07):
And I think that it's good for him to get ahead of it.
Dr. Bob (00:22:11):
But I think one of the more interesting things of,
Dr. Bob (00:22:14):
you know,
Dr. Bob (00:22:15):
his rise is,
Dr. Bob (00:22:17):
as our friend Matt Russell wrote in a recent piece of his sub stack,
Dr. Bob (00:22:24):
Growing Rural Leaders,
Dr. Bob (00:22:26):
is that
Dr. Bob (00:22:28):
Everything that we've seen,
Dr. Bob (00:22:30):
many of the big kinds of elections that we've seen are statements against Trump.
Dr. Bob (00:22:36):
The Australian elections,
Dr. Bob (00:22:38):
repudiation of Trump,
Dr. Bob (00:22:40):
the Canadian election,
Dr. Bob (00:22:41):
the not conservative,
Dr. Bob (00:22:43):
their MAGA kind of Trump wannabe was leading by 30 points and he ended up losing,
Dr. Bob (00:22:49):
you know,
Dr. Bob (00:22:50):
because Trump so pissed off the Canadians.
Dr. Bob (00:22:52):
And now here, the appointment of Pope Theo is,
Dr. Bob (00:22:58):
is also a reaction to Trump and Trump's authoritarian desires.
Dr. Bob (00:23:05):
And so it's really interesting.
Dr. Bob (00:23:07):
Trump could ignore a pope anywhere else.
Dr. Bob (00:23:10):
For an American pope, when there's a confrontation over Trump policies, J.D.
Dr. Bob (00:23:16):
Vance policies and the pope, and the pope speaks out,
Spencer (00:23:22):
And we know that this Pope is not afraid to lock horns with J.D.
Spencer (00:23:25):
Vance.
Spencer (00:23:25):
He's called him wrong on Twitter before.
Dr. Bob (00:23:27):
Yeah.
Dr. Bob (00:23:28):
Yeah, absolutely.
Dr. Bob (00:23:29):
So I'm looking forward to this and, you know, we'll see how it plays out.
Dr. Bob (00:23:33):
We'll see how diplomatic the Pope is.
Dr. Bob (00:23:36):
We'll see if he gets into everything, which would be a mistake.
Dr. Bob (00:23:39):
But the serious issues,
Dr. Bob (00:23:41):
I would guess that he's preparing now to address lots of issues that,
Dr. Bob (00:23:47):
you know,
Dr. Bob (00:23:48):
with the atrocities of the Trump administration.
Spencer (00:23:51):
Well, this is especially in terms of calling for an international treaty to regulate it.
Spencer (00:23:57):
That wasn't this pope.
Spencer (00:23:58):
That was the last Pope Francis.
Spencer (00:23:59):
But I would imagine Pope Leo XIV would be on board with this as well.
Spencer (00:24:04):
They're looking for that international treaty to regulate artificial intelligence.
Spencer (00:24:08):
And J.D.
Spencer (00:24:08):
Vance,
Spencer (00:24:08):
when he went on his European tour a couple months ago,
Spencer (00:24:11):
told everybody that we should not have any regulation.
Spencer (00:24:15):
for artificial intelligence and this new technology,
Spencer (00:24:18):
that that would be putting shackles on this technology.
Spencer (00:24:21):
So right there, the guy named himself Leo XIV because of artificial intelligence.
Spencer (00:24:28):
He told us that.
Spencer (00:24:30):
And JD Vance is going across the world championing the progress that artificial
Spencer (00:24:37):
intelligence could afford us.
Dr. Bob (00:24:40):
Yeah, and it's just getting worse and worse.
Dr. Bob (00:24:42):
I've sort of stopped using it.
Spencer (00:24:45):
To me, it doesn't really do anything.
Spencer (00:24:49):
Here's a good example of AI that helps.
Spencer (00:24:52):
We'll have a transcript of this Zoom meeting,
Spencer (00:24:56):
and we'll be able to have that for people that just want to read along or whatever.
Spencer (00:25:00):
And I was thinking last night even, but that's not even really artificial intelligence.
Spencer (00:25:03):
We've had that sort of transcribing technology for however long.
Spencer (00:25:08):
But it's like real artificial intelligence, all it does is steal from humans.
Spencer (00:25:13):
It's just that.
Dr. Bob (00:25:15):
Well,
Dr. Bob (00:25:16):
yeah,
Dr. Bob (00:25:16):
I think I mentioned to you that at least 52 of my scholarly papers were used by Facebook.
Dr. Bob (00:25:27):
Right.
Dr. Bob (00:25:28):
And it was pirated.
Dr. Bob (00:25:29):
Exactly.
Spencer (00:25:30):
And you got no money, no recognition.
Spencer (00:25:32):
Right.
Dr. Bob (00:25:33):
Nothing.
Dr. Bob (00:25:33):
I mean, it's millions of scholars work has been appropriated to train the Facebook AI model.
Dr. Bob (00:25:40):
No compensation whatsoever.
Dr. Bob (00:25:42):
And so, you know, it's a serious deal.
Dr. Bob (00:25:46):
Yeah, it's just.
Spencer (00:25:46):
Yeah, just imagine.
Spencer (00:25:47):
I mean, you're just one of many people that have written books, have have taught that.
Spencer (00:25:53):
I'm sure that happens all the time in colleges and universities across the country
Spencer (00:25:56):
of professors seeing their work spit back out at them.
Spencer (00:26:01):
from ChatGPT or one of these artificial intelligence chatbots.
Dr. Bob (00:26:06):
Yeah,
Dr. Bob (00:26:06):
and I ran into a friend the other day who's worked at the Knoxville VA,
Dr. Bob (00:26:10):
you know,
Dr. Bob (00:26:11):
as a counselor,
Dr. Bob (00:26:12):
you know,
Dr. Bob (00:26:14):
psychologist.
Dr. Bob (00:26:15):
And,
Dr. Bob (00:26:15):
you know,
Dr. Bob (00:26:16):
most of his work was just helping people,
Dr. Bob (00:26:19):
treating people,
Dr. Bob (00:26:19):
not doing the scholarly articles.
Dr. Bob (00:26:21):
But, you know, he said, hey, I did a couple of scholarly articles.
Dr. Bob (00:26:24):
Will you look them up for me?
Dr. Bob (00:26:25):
And sure enough, they'd stolen his scholarly work, too.
Dr. Bob (00:26:28):
This is just a friend at the coffee shop.
Spencer (00:26:30):
Right.
Spencer (00:26:31):
Right.
Spencer (00:26:32):
Yeah.
Spencer (00:26:32):
So, yeah, I mean, that's going on all across the world at an unbelievable scale.
Spencer (00:26:36):
And yeah, they're just stealing money from us.
Spencer (00:26:39):
Stealing money, stealing knowledge.
Spencer (00:26:41):
So that's just about it.
Spencer (00:26:42):
By the way,
Spencer (00:26:42):
I do have one last factoid of the week before we get to that interview with Pete Buttigieg.
Spencer (00:26:46):
Of course, he is getting ready to speak in Cedar Rapids with Vote Vets tonight.
Spencer (00:26:50):
Do you want to hear my factoid of the week, Dr. Bob?
Spencer (00:26:52):
It is Pete Buttigieg related.
Spencer (00:26:54):
Well, of course.
Spencer (00:26:55):
So Pete Buttigieg's father, Joseph, emigrated to the U.S.
Spencer (00:26:59):
from Malta, and Buttigieg roughly translates to Lord of the Poultry.
Spencer (00:27:05):
Wow.
Spencer (00:27:06):
Yeah, Lord of the Poultry.
Spencer (00:27:08):
And from Malta.
Spencer (00:27:09):
So it's kind of a small world,
Spencer (00:27:10):
but my cousin,
Spencer (00:27:12):
Ben,
Spencer (00:27:13):
and his family actually lived in Malta for a while.
Spencer (00:27:16):
So maybe they crossed paths with the Buttigieg clan at some point.
Dr. Bob (00:27:21):
So would you rather be...
Dr. Bob (00:27:24):
And what was it called?
Dr. Bob (00:27:25):
The what of the pole?
Spencer (00:27:27):
The lord of the poultry.
Spencer (00:27:29):
The chicken king, turkey king.
Dr. Bob (00:27:32):
So what would you like to be?
Dr. Bob (00:27:33):
Would you like to be the lord of the hogs?
Dr. Bob (00:27:36):
The lord of the frog?
Spencer (00:27:37):
We do live in Iowa,
Spencer (00:27:38):
so I think we could probably both get away with calling ourselves the lord of the hogs.
Spencer (00:27:42):
And I actually kind of like that.
Dr. Bob (00:27:43):
I'd rather be lord of the cattle.
Spencer (00:27:46):
Okay, fair enough.
Dr. Bob (00:27:47):
Lord of the steers, maybe?
Spencer (00:27:49):
Of the what?
Spencer (00:27:50):
Steers.
Spencer (00:27:50):
Steers.
Dr. Bob (00:27:52):
not the steers yeah cattle or lord yeah lord of the frogs would be okay too that'd
Spencer (00:28:00):
be fun lord of the flies is kind of scary yeah that'd be bad that would be bad lord
Spencer (00:28:06):
of the eagles so anything else before we oh that's a good one yeah lord of the
Spencer (00:28:10):
eagles uh anything else before we get to to pete budigich oh lost to say um but
Dr. Bob (00:28:17):
it's more important for people to listen to pete now
Spencer (00:28:20):
For sure.
Spencer (00:28:20):
Make sure you follow us on Substack.
Spencer (00:28:22):
We're iowarevolution.substack.com.
Spencer (00:28:25):
Dr. Bob also has two Substacks.
Spencer (00:28:27):
He's got Cedar Creek Nature Notes, Taking a Walk in the Woods with Dr. Bob, more nature related.
Spencer (00:28:31):
And then, of course, a little bit more along the lines of what we do here on Iowa Revolution.
Spencer (00:28:35):
He has Deep Midwest Politics and Culture.
Spencer (00:28:38):
So make sure you follow there as well.
Spencer (00:28:40):
And yeah, without further ado, here's us with Pete.
Spencer (00:28:45):
We now welcome former Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg to Iowa Revolution.
Spencer (00:28:49):
Pete, thanks for joining the show.
Spencer (00:28:51):
Yeah.
Spencer (00:28:53):
So first of all, you are in Cedar Rapids right now.
Spencer (00:28:55):
That's actually where I am originally from.
Spencer (00:28:58):
I grew up in the Marion area.
Spencer (00:28:59):
So welcome to Cedar Rapids.
Spencer (00:29:01):
You were invited by VoteVets to be at their town hall that's gonna be taking place
Spencer (00:29:04):
in downtown Cedar Rapids this evening at five.
Spencer (00:29:07):
So first of all,
Spencer (00:29:07):
how's it back to be in Cedar Rapids again and participate in this event with VoteVets?
Pete Buttigieg (00:29:12):
It's great.
Pete Buttigieg (00:29:13):
It feels really good to be back in Iowa,
Pete Buttigieg (00:29:15):
obviously a state that I spent a lot of time in when I was running for president.
Pete Buttigieg (00:29:18):
But also the last time I was in Cedar Rapids was when I was at the Department of
Pete Buttigieg (00:29:22):
Transportation and we launched a major investment to improve the airport.
Pete Buttigieg (00:29:26):
And so it felt really good stepping off the plane,
Pete Buttigieg (00:29:29):
seeing that the progress looks like it's almost done in that great new terminal and
Pete Buttigieg (00:29:34):
remembering why we work so hard to make sure that those kinds of improvements could
Pete Buttigieg (00:29:37):
happen across the country.
Pete Buttigieg (00:29:38):
So excited to be back and
Pete Buttigieg (00:29:41):
I'm really excited to be spending time talking to fellow veterans because I think
Pete Buttigieg (00:29:45):
with the country up against everything we're up against right now and the chaos and
Pete Buttigieg (00:29:50):
the disruption,
Pete Buttigieg (00:29:52):
veterans I think are especially vulnerable to some of these things that are happening,
Pete Buttigieg (00:29:57):
but also I think a big part of the solution because veterans know how to solve
Pete Buttigieg (00:30:02):
tough problems and have a different relationship to just the whole concept of trust
Pete Buttigieg (00:30:08):
than I think anybody else does.
Pete Buttigieg (00:30:09):
And I think
Pete Buttigieg (00:30:11):
restoring trust in our country is one of the biggest things we have to do to get
Pete Buttigieg (00:30:13):
out of the political and societal mess that we're in.
Dr. Bob (00:30:18):
Well, can you tell us, let's just start right there.
Dr. Bob (00:30:21):
Can you give like a mini two-minute State of the Union address?
Dr. Bob (00:30:27):
Where are we?
Dr. Bob (00:30:27):
I mean,
Dr. Bob (00:30:27):
it seems like we're in a terrible place,
Dr. Bob (00:30:30):
ushering in a right-wing Christian ethnostate,
Dr. Bob (00:30:33):
lots of oppression of people,
Dr. Bob (00:30:36):
minorities of all kinds.
Dr. Bob (00:30:38):
People tell me that I'm sort of overreacting.
Dr. Bob (00:30:42):
Where do you see our nation now?
Pete Buttigieg (00:30:45):
I think in a lot of ways, we may all still be underreacting.
Pete Buttigieg (00:30:47):
Look,
Pete Buttigieg (00:30:48):
I think of everything in terms of freedom,
Pete Buttigieg (00:30:50):
security,
Pete Buttigieg (00:30:50):
and democracy,
Pete Buttigieg (00:30:51):
and we are clearly less free,
Pete Buttigieg (00:30:53):
less secure,
Pete Buttigieg (00:30:54):
less democratic than we were just a few months ago.
Pete Buttigieg (00:30:56):
We're less free in a country where people can be stuffed into a van or detained
Pete Buttigieg (00:31:01):
based on an op-ed that they wrote or a protest they attended.
Pete Buttigieg (00:31:04):
We are less secure when the US Secretary of Defense can randomly text classified
Pete Buttigieg (00:31:09):
information to the wrong guy on his phone.
Pete Buttigieg (00:31:12):
We are less democratic when a court of law orders the president to do something and
Pete Buttigieg (00:31:17):
he says no,
Pete Buttigieg (00:31:19):
which is basically what has happened.
Pete Buttigieg (00:31:21):
The other thing I would say is that we're less prosperous economically.
Pete Buttigieg (00:31:25):
People are paying higher prices.
Pete Buttigieg (00:31:27):
And the president's answer is, hey, maybe you get fewer toys this Christmas.
Pete Buttigieg (00:31:31):
What's the big deal?
Pete Buttigieg (00:31:32):
Even while he's getting ready to accept a jumbo jet as a gift from a foreign government.
Pete Buttigieg (00:31:37):
So yeah, things are pretty messed up.
Pete Buttigieg (00:31:39):
But I also wouldn't be here if I didn't believe that we can come through this and
Pete Buttigieg (00:31:44):
change the direction of this country.
Pete Buttigieg (00:31:46):
Not to the old status quo that we used to have,
Pete Buttigieg (00:31:48):
because that wasn't getting the job done either,
Pete Buttigieg (00:31:52):
but to one where all of the
Pete Buttigieg (00:31:54):
the wealth and technological development that's happening in this country can
Pete Buttigieg (00:31:58):
actually be harnessed to make people better off instead of propelling the
Pete Buttigieg (00:32:03):
incredibly extreme inequality that we're seeing right now in this country.
Spencer (00:32:08):
So Pete, you are Episcopalian.
Spencer (00:32:10):
Just wanted to ask you a quick question about this.
Spencer (00:32:13):
You're obviously not a spokesperson for the Episcopal Church,
Spencer (00:32:15):
but you may have seen news that they have decided not to help resettle these new
Spencer (00:32:21):
Africana refugees,
Spencer (00:32:22):
people from South African,
Spencer (00:32:23):
white South Africans,
Spencer (00:32:25):
who Donald Trump has now let in,
Spencer (00:32:27):
the first refugees that he's let into the country.
Spencer (00:32:29):
Just your thoughts on the Episcopalian Church declining to help these refugees.
Pete Buttigieg (00:32:34):
I'm not as familiar with that particular case,
Pete Buttigieg (00:32:37):
but I do know that when I go to church every Sunday,
Pete Buttigieg (00:32:41):
I hear a gospel of welcome and decency and one that prioritizes the least among us
Pete Buttigieg (00:32:48):
and instructs us to sympathize with the oppressed.
Pete Buttigieg (00:32:52):
And that is not just part of the Christian faith that I belong to,
Pete Buttigieg (00:32:56):
but I think a consistent moral teaching across humanity.
Pete Buttigieg (00:33:01):
And the
Pete Buttigieg (00:33:05):
I don't think God belongs to a political party,
Pete Buttigieg (00:33:07):
but I do believe that we are called to live out our values at a time like this.
Pete Buttigieg (00:33:11):
And I'm going to keep talking about the implications,
Pete Buttigieg (00:33:15):
as has,
Pete Buttigieg (00:33:16):
by the way,
Pete Buttigieg (00:33:16):
you know,
Pete Buttigieg (00:33:17):
I'm not a Catholic,
Pete Buttigieg (00:33:18):
but seeing how the new pope has spoken about the stakes in immigration and the
Pete Buttigieg (00:33:24):
treatment of vulnerable people.
Pete Buttigieg (00:33:26):
in our time,
Pete Buttigieg (00:33:26):
as well as the need for more peace in our time,
Pete Buttigieg (00:33:28):
reminds us that there are universal values at stake and they matter,
Pete Buttigieg (00:33:34):
especially at a time when some of the most vulnerable and weak among us are being
Pete Buttigieg (00:33:38):
targeted by the most powerful people in the world.
Dr. Bob (00:33:43):
What do you think is the Democrats' path forward?
Pete Buttigieg (00:33:46):
Well,
Pete Buttigieg (00:33:46):
I think we need to be very focused in everyday life,
Pete Buttigieg (00:33:49):
both how everyday life is getting worse,
Pete Buttigieg (00:33:51):
because this administration is increasing the prices you pay and diminishing the
Pete Buttigieg (00:33:55):
freedoms that you enjoy,
Pete Buttigieg (00:33:56):
but also how it could be better if we lived in a world where we made sure that more
Pete Buttigieg (00:34:00):
Americans were dealt into the wealth being created by technology.
Pete Buttigieg (00:34:03):
And if we had more, not less freedom and reestablished a woman's
Pete Buttigieg (00:34:08):
Freedom to choose in this country and secured,
Pete Buttigieg (00:34:11):
fully secured people's freedom to be who they are and to marry who they love.
Pete Buttigieg (00:34:15):
And so many other things that most Americans already agree with us on.
Pete Buttigieg (00:34:20):
But it's been hard to hear because of the noise in the information space that we're in.
Pete Buttigieg (00:34:25):
Look, we need to get back to basics as a party, is my view.
Pete Buttigieg (00:34:29):
And that means getting back to the basics of a policy message that reminds people
Pete Buttigieg (00:34:34):
why historically we have earned the support,
Pete Buttigieg (00:34:39):
especially of working Americans,
Pete Buttigieg (00:34:42):
union members,
Pete Buttigieg (00:34:44):
and also poor and low wealth Americans.
Pete Buttigieg (00:34:47):
And if we don't re-earn that political support, it calls into question why my party exists.
Dr. Bob (00:34:56):
So based upon your experience,
Dr. Bob (00:34:57):
can you fill us in with what's wrong with the flight,
Dr. Bob (00:35:04):
the air control system,
Dr. Bob (00:35:07):
and especially,
Dr. Bob (00:35:07):
I don't know,
Dr. Bob (00:35:08):
I would want to fly into Newark.
Pete Buttigieg (00:35:11):
So, yeah, the system's been under strain for a long time.
Pete Buttigieg (00:35:15):
It was a constant frustration when I was secretary.
Pete Buttigieg (00:35:17):
We faced technology issues, staffing issues.
Pete Buttigieg (00:35:19):
We fought through them and made them better than they were when I got there.
Pete Buttigieg (00:35:23):
But when I left, there was still more work to be done.
Pete Buttigieg (00:35:27):
I'm concerned,
Pete Buttigieg (00:35:27):
obviously,
Pete Buttigieg (00:35:28):
about layoffs and cuts to people who are working on some of the very technologies
Pete Buttigieg (00:35:33):
that are now
Pete Buttigieg (00:35:34):
causing all of these issues.
Pete Buttigieg (00:35:36):
But I'm not out there to be partisan about this either.
Pete Buttigieg (00:35:39):
My successor claims to want to improve this technology.
Pete Buttigieg (00:35:44):
He's put forward a plan that consists of a lot of the things that we were doing on
Pete Buttigieg (00:35:48):
my watch and claims that he can do them more quickly.
Pete Buttigieg (00:35:51):
If he can,
Pete Buttigieg (00:35:52):
I will be rooting for him to succeed because as a member of the traveling public,
Pete Buttigieg (00:35:57):
we all want the U.S.
Pete Buttigieg (00:35:58):
Department of Transportation to succeed.
Dr. Bob (00:36:02):
Well,
Dr. Bob (00:36:02):
Spencer has a special segment that we always do,
Dr. Bob (00:36:05):
and he was hoping that you would do it with us.
Spencer (00:36:08):
I have top five Pete's.
Spencer (00:36:09):
So I typically do top five lists to close out every show.
Spencer (00:36:13):
So I've got my top five Pete's, if you've just got a minute to humor.
Spencer (00:36:19):
So outside looking at, we've got OLI, outside looking in.
Spencer (00:36:23):
Do you remember the show Pete and Pete?
Spencer (00:36:25):
Oh, yeah.
Spencer (00:36:25):
Nickelodeon, of course you do.
Spencer (00:36:26):
Okay, that's outside looking in.
Spencer (00:36:28):
Here's number five, Pete Sampras.
Spencer (00:36:30):
Okay.
Spencer (00:36:31):
Tennis legend.
Spencer (00:36:32):
Number four, Pete Rose.
Pete Buttigieg (00:36:34):
Yeah.
Spencer (00:36:35):
Probably would be higher without the cheating and the gambling.
Spencer (00:36:37):
Number three is you.
Spencer (00:36:38):
One of the greats.
Spencer (00:36:39):
Oh, God.
Spencer (00:36:40):
Wow.
Spencer (00:36:40):
I beat Pete Rose.
Spencer (00:36:41):
Yes.
Spencer (00:36:42):
Ahead of Pete Rose, Pete Buttigieg.
Spencer (00:36:44):
Number two is Pete Rock.
Spencer (00:36:45):
Not sure if you're familiar, rapper, producer, CL Smooth.
Spencer (00:36:49):
Look him up.
Spencer (00:36:49):
Google him.
Spencer (00:36:50):
You'll like him.
Spencer (00:36:51):
And number one is Pistol Pete Maravich.
Spencer (00:36:54):
Pistol Pete, number one, of course.
Pete Buttigieg (00:36:56):
Gosh.
Spencer (00:36:56):
All right.
Spencer (00:36:56):
Well, that puts me in pretty great company.
Spencer (00:36:59):
You've got room to move up.
Spencer (00:37:00):
Pete, it was really a pleasure to have you on.
Spencer (00:37:05):
Have fun tonight in Cedar Rapids and hope to see you again.
Pete Buttigieg (00:37:09):
Thank you.
Pete Buttigieg (00:37:10):
Great talking to you.
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