As President John Pudner traveled to Florence, South Carolina, so too did he continue his radio tour analyzing the Democratic party picking Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as their next vice presidential candidate following Vice President Kamala Harris’ ascendency to the top of the ticket, President Biden’s fall from grace and dropping out from the race, and deep divisions throughout the nation continue to effect elections up and down the ticket.
More than anything else, however, both sides of the aisle are currently knee-deep in disunity as our Republic inches closer to the contested election season this November. Democrats continue to grip with the ever-growing "Uncommitted", pro-Palestinian movement within the party, siphoning hundreds of thousands of votes in protest and influencing key decisions, such as the aforementioned pick of Tim Walz over Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. At the same time, Republicans grapple with former President Trump's continued attacks on Georgia Governor Brian Kemp over his handling of the 2020 presidential election - attacks against a popular governor in an increasingly swing state that will be key if either presidential hopeful wishes to attain the highest office in the land.
With these divisions in mind, Pudner and former Lt. Governor Ken Ard analzye the current trends within both candidacies and parties, how both should address them, and why staying on the meaningful, kitchen-table issues will define who ascends to the presidency.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Trump, Kemp, Josh Shapiro, Israel, pick, unforced error, election, issue
SPEAKERS
Ken Ard and TBOR Action President John Pudner
Ken Ard 00:00
We have with us this morning the President of Take Back Our Republic Action, was a Bush 2000 aide, and the only person in US history to run a campaign defeating a majority leader in a primary. He's been with us before and he's with us again, John Punder. John, good morning, how are you?
John Pudner 00:14
Good morning! Thanks for having me.
Ken Ard 00:17
Let's talk a little bit about her choice. There was a lot of conversation when Trump chose JD Vance as, to me, a kind of doubling down on America first. There was a lot of anticipation about Harris potentially picking Josh Shapiro, a popular governor in a very important swing state, but instead, she picks Governor Walz from Minnesota. What do you make of that?
John Pudner 00:42
They had to make a choice between playing for the middle, which would have been a Josh Shapiro, more pro-Israel, etc, and they instead decided, apparently, to worry about their base, which had kind of come together after Biden dropped out, but they went with a base pick who is very liberal certainly. You can go from any issue from abortion to any others, and I think they got away from anything that was pro-Israel as much as they could without being associated with thr Squad. I mean, you went with a guy who's sat there and listened to people say Minnesota need to divest completely from Israel, etc, so they went as far left as they could, maybe trying to find a little more grandfatherly-type figure, as opposed to a member of the Squad, but they're still concerned about their base, even though it's come together certainly these couple of weeks and since the switch in the top of the ticket.
Ken Ard 01:31
John, if I wanted to get in the weeds and try to outsmart myself, I would say that they didn't want to debate, within this election, about the war in Gaza and the anti-Israel sentiment, or even antisemitic sentiment, within the party. They would rather it be on what I'll call kitchen table issues, but when you look at polling, the last thing the Democrats want this election to be is about inflation, immigration, and the economy. They find themselves in bit of a quandary, as they pick this person that they believe can talk to the working class or the Rust Belt, but the polling clearly shows that voters trust Trump more on these kitchen table issues.
John Pudner 02:10
They do and they didn't go for their messaging. I think when you get into the weeds on campaigns, they have so many non-profits paying tons of progressives to be out just knocking on doors and doing logistics, I mean, there's just endless money on the left from Soros and everyone else. They need those people fired up. They wanted those people, who are going to knock on millions of doors, excited about the pick. This is the kind of stuff that is not the TV part of campaigns. It's working on how effective are they being getting their ballots in the box, and that's what they went for, so they wanted their army fired up, and they're appealing to the base. You know, in campaigns, you can either try to swing voters in the middle, or you can focus more on making sure as many of your people with you as possible vote, and they clearly thought they still had to do the latter, and it does give Trump an opportunity, I think.
Ken Ard 03:04
John, do you share my concern that the Democrats are so superior at turnout than Republicans pre-Trump and post-Trump?
John Pudner 03:14
Yes. As someone who heads up big door to door efforts, they just have so much. They have so much more money, they can pay people so much more to hit doors because of the endless money, and they're just good. They are very focused on chasing ballots to get them in the box however we can and that's where they they do just have an edge. They've always kind of had that over the years. It used to be an old flushing operation, where we need a lot of vans to pick people up, and obviously, that's changed, but that is always a concern, and they've certainly shown that edge the last few years of being able to just get the ballot in the box.
Ken Ard 03:49
So, if the Republicans know that's a concern, why has that not been a priority? Why have we not internally, within the ranks of of those who make big, fundamental decisions, why are we not addressing that and making up some of the difference?
John Pudner 04:02
I think we have made up some of the difference. I mean, the good news is, I've also got a C3, Wisconsin Faith and Freedom, and the Faith and Freedom groups are doing huge turnout operations, Turning Point is, they're different groups who really are going out and doing it and and putting a real focus on it. I think the party is too, so the gap has been closed, I think that's the encouraging thing, but there's just so much money on the left, and so much infrastructure because of that money, that they're going to have that edge. But the difference has been caught, I don't want to be a wet blanket on this. It will be better this year than four years ago.
Ken Ard 04:44
Last question, Trump gets in somewhat of a tussle in Georgia with Brian Kemp. We thought it was an unforced error here at Wake Up Carolina. We didn't see the need for it, the sense in it. I mean, to me, it's all about achieving political objectives. That means winning Georgia, and if Trump can't win Georgia, I don't see a path to the presidency. What do you make of Trump being his old, undisciplined self, and was that a big deal or not?
John Pudner 05:10
I mean, I'm glad it didn't happen within three weeks of the election. No, definitely an unforced error. Trump ran an opponent against camp, he certainly can do it, but Kemp won by 51 points. He's a popular governor in Georgia, and you don't need those unforced errors. As you said, Georgia is an absolute, he has to have Georgia, and I think you're right. I don't see the math for a win if Georgia would have slipped by a point.
Ken Ard 05:40
Is there ever an eventual reconciling of the America First movement that is so dominant in the Republican Party, as they try to reorient what we were and what we will be, is there any chance at reconciliation between, what I'll call the neo-conservative, status-quo wing of the party, and the America Firsters?
John Pudner 06:02
I think so, but you're right, it's tough. You go to a local Republican meeting and, you know, you see there's still friction there. But, one of the old adages is the other side has problems too. I mean, the left fight over Israel, and whether or not they're going to condemn Israel or do a more traditional Israel is good stance, I mean, they've got an even bigger issue right now to reconcile. But no, it's a tough one to work through, and these things don't get reconciled over a couple of days, but I think there's light at the end of the tunnel.
Ken Ard 06:35
Well said. Thanks, John. Appreciate your time.
コメント