Guys, quite a day.Quite a day.Yeah, quite a day.I'm excited.I woke up really excited today.I know you even woke up.I went through audio security that was really surprising.
What is that like?What is that like?What is that like?
I was doing testing.Well, it was a lot of ear probing.Yeah.So all the wax is out of my both ears.Oh, finally.Yeah.Okay.I was testing my connection.Testing my connection.Testing.So.Yeah, but I feel like there's something really special coming.
Well, it sounds like you guys are really cleaned up for today.
Yeah. But you, Sean, did you do anything?
No, I was just, I got up early because I was nervous about today.
Well, you have a good right to be.It's a big, big day for us because of our listeners, because we're a place that really important folks like the Tim Walz campaign think that this might be a worthy stop.So thank you to you listeners.
made this happen, and we are really excited to talk to our next guest, so get ready.
We also want to say, I know that a lot of people, you know, come and listen to SmartList because it's a great place to kind of get away from all the noise and stuff.And giggle and snap.
But JB, you were talking, like, this is also a really good time to remind people that they need to.
They don't need to vote, but they should vote.They could vote.We happen to have our own opinions that become pretty apparent and evident just because we're on the side of common sense, but just vote.
A lot of people got hurt or killed or whatever trying to secure that right for all of us.Let's just go use it.We only get to do it once every, you know,
A few years, and I think you're right, and again, it can't be said enough, which is even if you don't agree with us, that's okay, but still get out and vote.It's still important.
We all have that right, and I respect your right to do it, and you should respect mine.
Jay, when you said common sense, do you think I have a lot of common sense?
It's an all-new Smart List. By the way, dinner was really good last night.Was it?Yeah, it was really good.
What did we have?Oh, I know what we had.Burgers, right?
Did you bring a dessert, Sean?
I brought a ton of dessert.He did.Did you really?Listen, I'm not even kidding.I brought brownies, Rice Krispie treats, banana muffins.
I'm sorry, I just want to stop and say, I thought for you, Rice Krispie cakes were for breakfast.It's breakfast.Well, this is true.
Well, that's the great thing about them.You can eat them any time of the day.
That is the great thing about them.
Isn't that right?Thank you. So, Will, you tried each one of those things.I did not have one.No, how about that?He's pretty disciplined about the no sugar right now.
And then I told you, Will, by the time I get home, I will have a bowl of ice cream and I did.
And I said to Sean, we were talking about sleep, you know, which has been a recurring theme for us.And he was talking about his poor sleep hygiene and waking up or not being able to go to bed.And I said, you're having, what are you having at night?
He goes, nothing, this will be it, this will be my meal.And I go, and when I get home, I mean, I might have some ice cream.I go, there it is.Anyway, let's get to our guest.
Yeah, whose guest is this?I've not heard of this fellow.
It's America's guest.It's America's guest.
There are only a few times, probably less than five, I don't know, on this show, this thing that we do, where the guest, all three of us know who the guest is because they're a big freaking deal.And today is one of those shows.
And I speak for all three of us when I say that this is a huge honor to have him come speak with us for a bit.
He's many things, all of which we'll get into shortly, from the Army National Guard, to teacher, to congressman, to governor, to so many other things.But to me, he's the quintessential all-American dad I never had.
Oh, and he's also a coach, something else I could probably use in my life.Currently running to be the next vice president of the United States of America. Please welcome Tim Walz.There he is.
Hello there.Well, hang on.Well, what, what, what, how, how do you like to be addressed?Just Tim.
Just Tim.I stick to that.I love you so much.I will say this though.We, uh, we did a trade mission to London and the, you know, the hello governor stuff.I just, just lived on it for the entire week. And it wasn't ironic, it was like real.
That's hysterical.It was better.Yeah, no, Tim is great.Tim, I want to get, because I saw Will last night.Jay, we missed you.You were at the Dodgers game.I know, I know.I'm sorry.
I should have skipped the Dodger game.They got waxed.
No, but we were talking about sleep.
We always talk about sleep with these guys because I've always had trouble and then I'm like you got thrown into this campaign I can't obviously late your way is going no I want to know it's a very dumb Sean smartless question is your sleep hygiene like you go 20 you seems like you go 24 hours a day just going for this and this you have to do all that's worried Tim that you're not getting enough sleep.
That's what I'm worried about That's my question.
When do the naps happen?How do you, how do you get, where the energy comes from?
Well, you know, the good thing is, is, you know, old men need less sleep or whatever, I guess.Look, I don't, I do not sleep that much.It's, uh, I've been using this saying, you know, it's kind of my catch thing.
I said, you know, we'll sleep when we're dead.And I had a woman come up to me and goes, you're taking this too literally.You look like hell, man.
She meant it well, but no, I'm trying.I'm always fascinated by that, by schedule.Like just the schedule's full all day, every day.
It's amazing.Yeah, no, well, it's a privilege to do it, but you're right.My daughter keeps me on this.She got one of these rings, you know, monitor your sleep, whatever.
She thinks I need one of those, but I think that will just tell me what I already know.I'm not getting any sleep.That's all it'll say.
Tim, let me just say this.I haven't done the ring, but I've done the Apple Watch thing or whatever.And I will say- The great Apple Watch. Sorry, the great Apple Watch.Jason wants a free Apple Watch.No, it's just because they're listening.
Don't worry, he already got it.
I think it's really good stuff.I think these Apple folks are on to something.It's great work.
Tim, by the way, we should be called, not smartly, we should be called shameless.And if there's any product out there you've got your eye on, just mention it and we'll have them send it to you.
That new 16 Pro, guys, it's really working.
So what I was gonna say about that watch, those sleep tracking things, I got into it for a while.And I think your daughter's right because you go like, okay, we'll work on it.
But then at the end of the day, what ends up happening is you start feeling bad.So I wake up and I go, I think I did okay.And then I'm like, oh my God, I only got three hours of REM.And then I got sleep panic.Yeah, yeah.
It is just the thing, I think, seeing, the one thing about this is there is an end state, if you will, on November 5th.So you just kind of put your mind into it and say, look, there will be a time when this ends.Oh, really?That's probably not true.
You think things get calm after the 5th? It's the trick I play myself.Yeah, team is good.I'm surprisingly, and you wouldn't know it by looking at me, I'm a pretty dedicated runner.I run about five times a week.Oh, that's great.How far do you go?
I go a 5k usually between three and five miles. I'm like, for an old guy, I'm kind of freakishly fast, you know, nine minute miles, little less or whatever, which is, and you know, people are like, oh my God, that's a world record for a man your age.
But now, Tim, now you can't, well, as governor, you had security detail.Were you running with, or were you on a treadmill?
I do a treadmill quite a bit of the time, but you have to get outside and my team knows like wherever we're anywhere and actually, You know, here a while back, after we finished that debate, the next morning I got to run in Central Park.Oh, nice.
We ran that reservoir route.Of course, it's just stunning.And I'm still truly, you know, the small-town guy enough, I have not spent much time in New York.It just blows me away when I'm there.Yeah, it's nice.Incredible.
And that morning, you know, so many great people, you know, kind of good for the psyche.Oh, good job, Governor.And I'm like, oh, thank goodness.And they're, of course, super surprised I'm running, too, so it was like a double positive.
I like the idea of you running in Central Park, looking around, and really, because you haven't been there a lot, taking it in, twirling around, not unlike Mary Tyler Moore did in Minneapolis.
That is surprisingly close to how it was.
I think we'll make it after all.
Now, Tim, when you're running, do you have, like, AirPods in?Are you listening to music?
Are you listening to... Rarely.Sometimes.I'm kind of zen on that.I got into it, you know, and then I got into the Garmin watch, and then I got in on the timing and, you know, how fast my miles were.
Oh, look who's looking for freebie now.
Yeah. I kind of let that go, and I kind of run by feel, trying to get into it.And I do think there's something, especially like when I'm in Minneapolis.I got a state trooper, but just pretty calm.They're running behind or whatever.Folks who run
leave their, I'm convinced of this, dog folks and runners, they leave politics out of it because they know it's your time.So it's really refreshing that people talk to you like a runner, not like you're the governor or something.
So like, you know, looking good or whatever.
Do you have a favorite subject that you do like to talk about that is not politics?Like, are you a sport?I know you're a sports guy, but like, do you love talking about,
the Vikings, or the Cornhuskers, or whatever it is, or reality television, or what do you like to talk about that's kind of nice and silly?
Yeah, I think cars.I grew up at a time, you guys are a little younger than me, this whole cars thing, we were much more into it.The Pixar movie?I remember.I apologize for him.But I just think like classic cars.
I've never really owned that many, but you know the cars you have.I watched the cars I used to own. grew up in high school and had a beautiful Camaro, you know, at the time, and then I traded it for a Honda Civic.
And now you watch these auction shows and I'm like, damn it, that car's worth $80,000 now.And I traded it for a Honda Civic worth two grand.
I had, my mom gave me this, like, I kicked and screamed in high school, I'm like, please, can I just have a car?She brought me like a $200 car, it had like rust all over it.
And my friend Raina, you know Raina, these guys know Raina, she called it greased lightning.And she's like, you're taking greased lightning to school today.
Now, what about, are you really into the sound of a combustion engine, or are you into the sound of an electric engine?
The clean power of electric.Look, whole spectrum, the whole spectrum of this.I was in Phoenix for, it was a governor's event or whatever, and there's folks there displaying their wares, and the Lucid folks were there with their...
Fastest production car ever you put any Lamborghini out there this thing and it was like inside a spaceship Oh, this thing's like 1.8 seconds in the quarter.I mean, it's Zero to 60.It's it's unbelievable.
Yeah, and it's like a whole new world and and I have never yet owned a fully electric But they are they're fascinating.
So yeah, I'm so excited that every single Every single car brand now has a fully electric car.And I don't want to throw undue shade towards Mr. Musk, but I got to tell you, his politics is, I got rid of my Tesla.
I feel like I'm driving around a Trump sticker with that car.So it's gone.And I'm now enjoying... I call it the crypto truck.It's just... Well, here's my thing.
This is for me.And I said, my thing, my prize possession is that I've had it for a long time.I got a 79 International Harvester. You know, they used to give these things away.Scout, Scout 2, there you go.Look, you guys hear that?
But yeah, these things are, you used to get it if you bought a tractor, they threw in the Scout for you.It was the original SUV.Yeah, there was a, you know, back in the late 70s.So mine was right before they went out of business.It was 1979.
No wonder they went out of business.
They were the precursors of SUVs, but here's the deal.40 years ago, at the end of October, is when they closed.They were made in Fort Wayne, Indiana.So on that date this year, they're announcing the new Scout, bringing it back fully electric.
Come on.No kidding.So an international harvester Scout, that famous name, name tape is back.Volkswagen bought it. And so they're, they're launching that thing.So that's the stuff I talk about.And yeah, it's the car stuff.
Cause it's such, you gotta go do Dax, Dax Shepard's podcast.Cause he'll talk to you for three days about cars.I love these guys.And I, the guys who are so smart, tell me how to do it.Look, I'm, I'm tinker on the edges.
These are guys that can, you know, replace a transmission stuff.I love that.I said, when I get done with this, I'm gonna go back to like community college and learn like body work.
You know, just a sense of accomplishment that you can fix your own vehicle, you can put on a new quarter panel, you can paint it.
Sean, you took body work in high school, right?Like a lot of Reiki and stuff like that.
If you broke down on the side of the road, are you one of those guys that can just pop the hood and look under there and kind of look around and see like, oh, there's the problem.
Yeah, some of it.Some of it, I can't.But look, on these new ones, I don't even know how to open the hood.I will say that.I sound like I'm the old guy.
These newfangled... But the cars that you used to be able to do, my kids, it would blow their mind, like, some of the stuff we could fix.Like, my vehicle's overheating.I said, oh, it's the thermostat.
And you'd show them how to take it out, put it in boiling water, pop the thermostat.
I was gonna say, kids don't know that stuff anymore.They don't... And there's some... Jason calls his agent if he gets a flat tire.Yeah.So... So, I mean, and that's the truth, Tim.You need to know the truth about this guy.
But, I mean, he's a Hollywood elitist, liberal elitist, but... I'm on the corner of Sunset Boulevard.But honestly, if my car starts to go... I'm pulling over and I'm like, I don't know what's going on.
Makes you feel powerless.I said, I think showing my kids some of these things that you can try and repair.I like doing that.
Now, look, we all know that's also very, very dangerous because I don't know sometimes and I start taking stuff apart and then you're like, well, here's six extra screws and there's no idea where they're going.There's a bit of that.Yeah, for sure.
Now, speaking of your kids, which one of them or you or your wife gets most pissed off when somebody calls you waltz instead of walls?Yeah, my daughter probably.Yeah, it's a whole new wave of it now, right?
Like what are people's problems?Walls.
Yeah, there's no T. Yeah, there's no T. It seems pretty easy.But you know, in all fairness, probably when we immigrated from Germany, they probably dropped the T. Well, this is the last wave of it.
Like you cannot get more famous than you are now.So everyone in the South finally got it.I guarantee it.
Yes, tell me what that, I know this is like a stock answer, but I really wanna know what that feeling was like and the reaction. when you got the call from Kamala.I mean, that was so wild.
Well, you know the story.In typical me fashion, I missed the first one.Sure.I thought it was like, you know, a car warranty call coming in, so I didn't take it.And truly, no one knew.Like, this was her decision.And that Tuesday morning, no one knew.
And then I got another call and said, pick up your damn phone.And then called back.
Your warranty may be expiring.
It was overwhelming, it was an incredible privilege, but I heard you guys talking and I listened to the Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson piece about, you know, imposter syndrome.
Just trust me, when the Vice President of the United States calls you and said, you're on the ticket with me, it sinks in.Pretty cool, yeah, fast.
Have you allowed yourself to really imagine and start to build like a possible wish list of things that you would like to be given the reins to when you guys win?
Well, this is one, and I think it's just your mental health of compartmentalizing things, still focused on, you know, the final stretch that's ahead of us, still thinking about that.I trust the vice president will make her decision on that.
You know, I said I wasn't interviewing for a job when I talked to her.I said, use my skill sets.If you need to plunk me in Omaha to win one vote, send me there.Just whatever would help.
And I think she, and it feels really right to me, she talks about, you know, a kid from Oakland, a kid from Nebraska, middle-class kids, kind of complementary things.We've lived different lives, but we have the same values.
So I would assume she would know.You know, my passion is kids and teaching and education.And that's it.
We'll be right back. And now back to the show.
When something like this happens, it's almost like a thing that you can't even dream about.At least certainly I couldn't.
So it's almost like you can't get even nervous because it's so far beyond what you... I can get nervous about things that I think about doing, but if something comes that's new... No, that's a great analogy.
I mean, think of that day.This was a Tuesday morning.We got the call.Within 20 minutes, my life... changed, like, you know, I said, I'm minding my own damn business at home, and all of a sudden, it blows up.
It should be noted, Tim, I did turn it down.
I was the first call, and then Tim was the second call.I'm just being honest.
But they sweep in, you've got all these folks around you, they pack your clothes for you and tell you, you go in and get on a private plane, which is, I've never flown on a private plane to do this, so they fly you to Philadelphia.
That's funny, because Jason's never not.
Well, they take you to Philadelphia and then I also, and I told them when they were interviewing me, I said, look, I've never given a speech off a teleprompter.I speak and it, look, it has its problems.
And I told them, you'll get about 90% good and then you'll get 10% stuff you'll have to clean up.That's me.Cause that's how I talk.Um, but they sent me there.They put me in the back of a college locker room and they had mocked up
the stage I was going to go on in about an hour and put the speech on the teleprompter.And so I practiced it a little bit.
And then I'm standing at that door in Philadelphia, like 12, 15,000 people waiting to see the vice president of this announcement.She and her standing out on the curtain and she's like, you know, well, get this right.
So it opened up and that's what it was.You're right.I think your analysis is right.It was just too big to get nervous about it.I didn't have time to think about it.
When you came out, he was so terrific and it felt like, here we go.Honestly, Tim, it really felt like, here we go.We are entering into a new age and thank God Tim is the guy and Tim is here.And there are a lot of other great candidates for sure.
And that authenticity and that genuine joy and happiness and privilege that you must be feeling, it comes through and it's just so damn refreshing.Was it hard for you to maintain that down-to-earth personality, which you clearly have?
when you got into politics where most of your fellow politicians either have to be or have learned to be overly polished and slick.Is it disheartening for you to be around so many colleagues that are like that?It's just, you're so refreshing.
Well, it's a different approach.And I always say this, that I never, and honest to God, I never thought about running for office. I have a whole life before this, teaching National Guard in my community and things like that.
But I think my life prepared me well.And so I approach like, look, you have got to be pretty self-aware and pretty humble to teach high school for a lot of years.But it's also so gratifying.
And I think one of the things is that I'm super sensitive to this idea. These are servant leadership positions.This isn't a special thing that you've been granted.Your job is to work for people.
And I try and approach it like I was hired to teach kids in school, so I need to do my best job.And I've been hired to be a representative.And I took great pride that I was very bipartisan. You know, this idea that we can't figure things out.
My staff, we always had a saying that, you know, if the facts dispute our ideology, we change our ideology.It's that simple.You're not married to it.So a lot of times I don't have an ideological dog in a fight.It's just what the facts show.
And I think trying to approach these things like problem solving, you're working with people, you're trying to do your best.I'll be the first to admit it has been really challenging with Donald Trump.You know, I won a congressional race in 2016.
Donald Trump won my district by double digits, nearly 20%.So thousands of people voted for Donald Trump and me on that.That was only a few years ago.Now, would that be true today?Probably not.They've continued to.
But I think trying to focus on what the job is, that it's a humbleness and it's not your whole identity.I watch these folks try and hang on to these jobs and things like that and everything.If the folks don't want me to do it, they won't do it.
But I'm telling you, here's what we can do.
You know, Tim, first of all, I hope, and congrats, and I really do hope that your run, as you say, you were a high school teacher and a coach, and you had no sort of political aspirations.
I hope that you deciding to do it inspires other people like you who are leaders in their community, and who aren't looking to enrich themselves, who aren't looking for anything other than to serve.
I hope that inspires other people to do what you've done, because that's what we need.
I meet hundreds every day.They won't, they won't though, because of the money, and because of what they're afraid will happen if they get into it.
And because of things like social media, and their lives will get upended.And security.
Yeah, we were speaking of the overwhelming thing on this back, During that debate, you know, they drove me through Times Square to see my picture up on those big screens And so somebody said you look nervous.No kidding.
I'm sitting there freaking out But I'm I'm honest to God before things went live I'm standing there and I'm like there's 345 million people in this country, and it's me and this dude.That is just not right.And it's true.
I mean, it's kind of overwhelming, but that kind of got rid of my imposter syndrome and said, look, I know that I know what's right.I know who I am.I'm trying to do right.
You just go back to your values, and if you leave from that... So Will's point is this, that I do hope people do this.I do hope they get out there because we need them.We need good people.
Well, so I was going to say, and then, you know, what do you think it was when you talk about having a, you know, a guy like Donald Trump getting double digits in your district.
What do you think it was that allowed people to convince themselves that he would be... You know, when I see that these top unions are deciding, like, well, we don't know if we can endorse an actual candidate this year because they're worried about their membership.
Union members.Imagine this.Union members who want to support Donald Trump, the guy who wants to do nothing, who has nothing but disregard for them.It's staggering.And I'm sure I could get a million comments back on this.
Somebody on one of our social pages, people would say, hey, F, you don't know what you're talking about.First of all, I have had lots of real jobs, so I'll say right back at you.
But also, this is a guy who doesn't have any regard for the American family. It doesn't have any regard for hard-working people.It doesn't have any regard... Would bust a union as quicker than you can imagine.
So, what is it about that, that they've been able to fool these people?
Yeah, and rank-and-file union members, one thing, look, the leadership in unions, that's more political than what I'm doing. They have to cover their butt on their things.And I'm as frustrated as you are on this, Will.
But the one thing I do think about, you wonder what happened.The first thing I think of, there's not something wrong with my constituents.These are good people trying to go to work and do things.
And like the New York Times sends somebody out every few weeks to interview a guy at a bar and figure out what happened to rural America.These are my family.I've lived there.
I do think one of the things, I always said this as a teacher, if I would give an exam or something, and a majority of students would not do well, probably had a little something to do with me in there.Was I not getting it across?
And so I think some of it is how we've messaged this.I don't, you know, I don't think that's the full blame on it.Certainly Donald Trump is a master of manipulation, a master of what new media look like.
But I do think there's some ways is what are we not doing? to appeal to those ranks.Look, I'm a union member.I think that's what I did.And I get a lot of union support, but I know there's some rank-and-file members.And so they're not monolithic.
It's not their only issue.But I say this, and I'm kind of with you on this, Will. The rest of it is you don't have to worry about all the rest of that stuff if you're not in a union, because you're not going to get paid as well.
You're not going to have a pension.You may not have health care.You better focus on the things that matter.Stay in your lane.And so they've done a good job of distracting on things that are the culture war stuff rather than the bread and butter.
It seems like if those folks were slightly more sort of Curious or discerning when it comes to news, information, facts, maybe they wouldn't make that decision and maybe they would be more prone to vote for you guys instead of him.
Can you as a teacher attract that back or attribute that to something that we're not doing right in schools to sort of, you know, cause I just feel like it's just common sense to me, it seems like there's a clear choice for everyone in this country.
If you just want to take just preserving democracy alone, who to vote for, but all these, these smaller issues, it does seem like pretty easy.If you just look a little bit further than, you know,
Fox News or whatever, you would see, oh, all the facts are on the side of going this direction instead of that direction.And maybe does it start at schools?
Well, this may be, but this is where I think Vice President Harris is focusing really rightly.This idea of middle class doesn't sound like anything so groundbreaking, but this idea of
housing and down payment assistance, this idea of cost now, this idea of child tax credit.
Because the one thing I will say, Jason, on this is that these guys on the other side have created an economy which many of the people you're talking about are busting their ass just to get by.They don't have time to spend a lot on this.
They're trying to figure out how to afford childcare.They're trying to figure out how to make things work.They see inflationary prices go up, and we may say, look, inflation is higher everywhere else in the world.
They don't care about that, because that's impacting with them.They hear a guy like J.D.Vance say egg prices went up.Yeah, because a bird flew.They don't care about bird flu, they just know egg prices went up.
So, I do think there's a part, certainly discerning on media is something.My wife used to teach a course on modern media, language and logic, trying to think through that.
But I think part of it is, these guys have, as we're saying on this, they've shifted wealth to the point where the wealth gap is staggering.When you see it in a graphic, people can't believe how truly bad it is.
And what's stuck on that is a whole bunch of people trying to get through their lives.And Donald Trump has told them, you know, where to put the blame, rather than that.
The gap, the gap, the wealth gap. The wealth gap has never been bigger.And I remember saying this 10, 20 years ago, how that gap was widening.And now we're at this place.And if people think for one minute that Donald Trump and J.D.
Vance give two craps about the middle class, they're looking to do tax cut to the richest Americans, to these billionaires, to give tax cuts to those, when the people who need the tax cuts are the people right in the middle who drive this country, who have made this country what it is.
Do that.Minnesota's listed as, you know, the Republicans always say it's a high tax data.We're home to many Fortune 500 companies, high concentration.But we have what's rated as the fairest tax system.It's a progressive tax system.
If you don't make as much, you don't pay as much.If you make more, you pay more.Look what ends up happening in that.Top five business state, top three place to raise kids, top place for health care, longest longevity.Look, we're not perfect.
I mean, and it's cold as hell here in the winter.So there's things that happen.
But I thought you controlled the weather, according to Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Yeah, if we did, it would not be 40 below up here.But you're right, this idea of making the case to people that this works.And look, this isn't class, you know, they said, you know, you're engaging in class warfare.
They already won the war almost on that, the guys on the other side.
But this is about a sense of fairness and it's it's stunning to me that I thought one of the you know My killer lines in this that would the middle class would say do you think it's fair Donald Trump doesn't pay tax?
That doesn't seem fair and a lot of people like well, he's successful.He knows how to work the system.That's disappointing to me
If my dad gave me $400 million, I'd be a hell of a lot richer than Donald Trump is.I guarantee you would.Absolutely.You could have put it in a CD.
What do you think would be the best way or easiest way to penetrate that bubble that they all seem to be in? firmly inside of as far as giving them the information that they need and could sway their vote.Do you literally have to go to...
town hall meetings in some of these deep red districts.Does it mean being on Fox News a little bit more often?Like, how do you, how do you get to them?
Yeah, I think that's right.You know, we have folks as Pete Buttigieg goes on Fox News quite a bit.And he's one of our best spokespeople.Yeah.
And go on and, and just talk to folks because I don't think we can assume that, that all of them are not there.Like the vice president making that case, getting out there,
going to place they you know we're going into some of these pretty red areas and I this is another one of the vice president's things that I think when they feel this and people can see it we're getting off a bus tour in rural Pennsylvania and one side of the street has our supporters and
The other side of the street's not.I said, they always make it easy for us.They're all in the same hat, so we can see, and we know who they were.But she didn't blink, and it wasn't performance art.
The only people there were her husband and my wife and I. And she said, Tim, don't ever forget, we work just as hard for folks on this side of the street as on the other side of the street.
You start to see some of the results of that, and we're seeing it in Minnesota.It's pretty hard.The vice president's advocating for this child tax credit.We implement it on the state level, lowers childhood poverty.
Some of this stuff starts to make sense, and you have to. I'm a school teacher, so I talk Maslow's hierarchy, you know.You can't get to self-actualization about things if people are worried about their safety and their hunger and things like that.
Show people that these policies help make them more money.People are willing to tackle climate change if their lights come on and their bills don't go up.They don't care where the power comes from.
In fact, most people would rather see it come from renewables.But I think sometimes we say, well, why can't you see we have to save the planet on this?How about we just create a whole bunch of new union jobs like they did with this proposal?
A whole bunch of opportunities.
It's interesting, you know, one of the things that I noticed about you and Vice President Harris is that the way that you guys talk, that sort of antidote you gave by the Vice President talking about we work for all Americans, there is that sense on that a lot of the people who vote Republican talk about red, blue, blah, blah, blah.
You guys don't talk as much about that.You guys talk about all Americans.The divisiveness. Because, yeah, you have to, right?I mean, we're all here, we all live here, we all, you know... And I think secretly we all want to get along.
I think we all really want to... Like human survival.Yeah.
I mean, there is a sort of a fun kind of... this team, that team sort of, I mean, just speaking to you as a coach, and I'm a big sports fan too, like there's a lot of fun being on one side versus the other.
And you kind of watch the scoreboard and then like, you know, the standings throughout the year, like, but that people are bringing this now into politics is literally dangerous at this point.
And so like, if they could just get a little bit more into their local team, and stop being so sort of tribal and competitive and just think about this unity a little bit more.
I'll tell you, Jason, I'm a geographer by training.I love maps, except one. whoever built the red-blue map did more damage than you would ever imagine.
Because you look at that map and you look at South Dakota and say, oh, South Dakota's all red or whatever.That's not true.That is not true.There's a mix.Or even you look at an urban area and say, well, that's blue, everybody in there.
That's not true either.And they created this false mindset for us because it's very visual.
Yeah, it's a good note for the newscasters.They should, instead of having that big map during election time, they should literally split each, each state into blue and red just to show the percentages, rather than color it one color.
I just want to go on the record as saying, just out of deference to you, Tim, and what you're doing in the office that you're seeking, that I have withheld a really good joke because it was in really poor taste.We'll get it in the wrap-up, Will.
I'll do it in the wrap-up, but I just wanted you to know that that's how much respect I have for you.
Yes, of course. But it could be, but I could also make it about Jason too.I could, I could.There's plenty there.There's plenty.
We'll be right back.And now back to the show.
You know, for me, one of the issues that I want to get to, and sorry if this seems very abrupt, but I think the issue for me that needs to be taken head on and we need to talk about, and I can't believe that there's any debate in talking about it, considering that it's 2024.
is women's health care.For me, it is number one this year.Women's health care, and we... The fact that it's even up for debate is absolutely ridiculous.
I couldn't agree more.Look, there's...
There's household names now of women who should have been able to have their own private healthcare kept to themselves, who are thrust into the national light because they had to go through horrific situations that should have been as simple as healthcare being delivered.
And look, this is something that's taken a while, and I think for all of us on here, men need to know how to talk about it. Men need to know, you know, how women's bodies work and how doctors understand that.
And I think that's something that has changed.I agree with you.I said, you know, a while back in the debate, it took a long time for them to get around to two most important issues, the issue of women's bodily autonomy and the democracy.
Seems like those would have been two questions to come out of the chute with.
Yeah, what's that great quote or question from Kamala Harris to one of the Supreme Court people about, can you think of a law that does the same for a male body?And it's like, there it is.
It's all in that question.It is that simple.And everything stems from that.And these guys are not going to stop.I talk about it the whole. You know, they're all over us.
I don't want to have to talk with my wife and I in fertility issues and trying to use IUI.
And there isn't a person out there, there isn't a woman out there who's seeking health care who's doing, who wants to talk about it or is in a position who feels good about doing it.Nobody's going out there.That's the other thing.
It's like, you know, abortion, right, or whatever.Do you think people are, this is something that everybody's looking for, that this is a place that people are in a great place in their life?
I'm with you, Will. Who's asking for this agenda?Who's asking for tax cuts for billionaires?Who's asking to repress women on this?
I said this, dude, you think the guy said, so they go, well, you think they're sitting around in the bar in Wisconsin saying, you know what we really need to do?
We need to ban Orwell's books and we need to give billionaires a tax cut and we need to repress women.Let's hope not.Let's hope not.I hope they're talking about, we need better jobs.We need to make sure, you know, I can't afford to pay for daycare.
Tackle these issues.And I think we as, you know, this is what Kamala's putting out. Let's really tackle the issues and show them that we're going after these things.
But you know, when we start to do that, they don't want to talk about it because they got no plan.Listening to them talk about health care, listening to Donald Trump ramble about protecting pre-existing conditions, it's terrifying to me.
If you want to be president of the United States or vice president, you should at least have a working knowledge how insurance works and how health care works.And they don't.
You should have a working knowledge of how anything works.It's absurd.If we ever wanted to have a real conversation, and you had to remove the word salad, and you were like, no, the moment you deviate from the question, you're out.
Or that an injection of bleach is just not a real good remedy for anything that ails you. You know, that should be pretty simple.
But it is why I have alabaster skin.Listen, I want to ask you something.You know, just as a sidebar, Tim, when you first came on the scene, you started talking about that program you started in Minnesota about free lunches in schools.Yeah.
That blew my mind because my mom raised five kids by herself.I was the youngest and I would go to school and I wouldn't have lunch.I just wouldn't eat.That's right.We didn't have the money.Pretty hard to learn.
It's pretty hard to learn.You're all caught up, Sean.
Pump it.It's just crazy.We don't come in and ask them, where's your money for the heat today?We put new windows in the schools.Where's your money, kid?So this idea, and look, it's that simple philosophy of the investing.
Every dollar you invest in early childhood, you get 12 back.
Yes, I love that. Where did you get all that growing up?Like, where did you get this drive to be this servant of like, and by the way, thank you for all your public service.
Well, I think about it and I, you know, when you're older, it's a lot of things that come in, certainly from parents and small community, but I gotta be honest with you.
I grew up Catholic and at that time, it was about service and the Catholic nuns, you know, you get the little thump in the back of the head thinking you're too big for your own britches.And it really was,
New Testament to the least amongst us type of stuff.I don't talk about, you don't need people to give you a sermon in elected office, but try and live one a little bit, you know, try and do something.And I think it was from that.
I feel very blessed by that.And it's, you know, it's different now.My wife converted me to Lutheranism, which is basically Catholicism with more singing, but that's about the difference. I'm in, I'm in.But it's the same type of principle.
So I think that's what it was.And again, we have a saying, we have a great senator who died way too early in Paul Wellstone, who said, we all do better when we all do better.
And it's the sense of servant leadership, the sense of putting back in, and you benefit.And we keep talking about this school meals piece of it. you get better achievement, you get better students in school.
And so even if you remove the moral aspect of feeding a child, you actually save money.So if you're just heartless and don't want to pay higher taxes, you save, you get $12 return on that.
And so I said the simplification is you can buy school buses and school meals or you can buy prison buses and prison meals.You make the decision where you want to invest and it's much better.
Yeah, well, of course it makes so much sense to invest in the future, to invest in ourselves, to invest in our kids.
That's what's going to help us, because otherwise if it rots beneath, you know, if that doesn't get supported, then there is no future, right?
That's right, and public schools for all of us are it, and this is in rural areas I keep thinking about, these folks who want to voucherize. So you're going to have your voucher.So here's your voucher.
You get a small tax credit or whatever, but your public school closes.Where are you going to send them?Where's that private school when you're out in a town like I was at 400?
The idea that the community invested, and I had wonderful public school teachers who were teaching in a small school with 20 kids in a class, coming every day prepared to do that. what a sense of investment they all made.
And I think, you know, from that kind of servant leadership, but watching the people around me, you know, the old Mr. Rogers thing, when you need somebody, find the helper.The helpers were all over and they were doing this.There's some of that.
I love that.I used to, you know, just talking to you, like Jason said earlier, you're just so... I can see you as a teacher.I mean, I didn't have you as a teacher, but you remind me of like... I love you as a teacher.
You seem like the greatest teacher ever, where all the kids just effin' love you.
Well, it's a privilege of my life.Now, my wife said... I was the fun teacher and she's the teacher that kids came back 10 years later and say, thank you for teaching me English.
And so, Mr. Walsh was a barrel of fun, but I learned English.Do you guys have a similar dynamic in parenting?Is she the disciplinarian and you're kind of the fun guy?Yeah, she's amazing.
If you've seen her and she can do anything, she is just the quintessential Lutheran Minnesota woman, yeah. She's great.We're partners in this.I feel blessed that we got together.But, you know, just to be clear,
She was much more political than me early.She would watch the conventions.I'm like, I'm not watching the conventions.It's summer.I'm going golfing or something.She paid attention.She knew it all.I didn't.She knew who people were.
I'm like, I don't know who the senator from North Carolina is.And she would know them all.So great.
So Tim, let me ask you this.You're a coach.You're a teacher.But you're a coach.And I love the idea that you're coaching teams.And so I just think you'd be awesome. It's, you know, we're looking at the clock.We got two minutes left in this election.
And the team, which is America, is at the sideline.What are you saying?What are you saying to us?What do we need to do to kind of, you know, to get a W here for our country?Yeah, I've been given— Not just in the election, but in general for America.
Look, it's a privilege.I mean, I wish we weren't in this situation.I wish this thing were a blowout.It's not going to be.It's going to come down to the hard work.But the sense of privilege here, this isn't about the next four years.
This is about the next 40.And you're hearing from your people you know around the world.The rest of the world's looking for us to do the right thing here.
And I think to be a part of that and everybody to be the little things they can do, whether it's door knocking, whether it's going on and giving what little they have, you know, donations that people give, 10 bucks, that's a lot for a lot of people.
They do something else and they give the help.I think it's this idea that you can be part of something bigger and that's what people want.That's the whole thing about teams.Like the kids who enjoyed being on football teams were the most.
is the kid who got in on kickoffs, because you're going to play everybody.He wasn't the best athlete, maybe, but that kid was there because he was with his buddies.He was with his team.And I think for Americans, this idea, we can be in this.
We don't have to agree.And I'm not naive.This is tough.There's folks that don't agree on anything.But I think the vast majority of people realize it doesn't need to be this way.And I give Kamala Harris full credit.
This idea of joy, and I watch the Wall Street Journal poo-poo joy.I'll take joy over being like crabby and awful and no one wants to be around you.Me too.That's what she's doing and politics can be that way.
Look, Donald Trump wants to make it, it would be easier I guess he's saying is just elect one person forever and let them make the decisions.This democracy stuff is hard.It's messy.
It's difficult and it's frustrating, but it's the best that's been devised.
Yeah, and it's the best path towards community and we'll let you go, but I want to ask you, sort of building on that notion of community and everybody coming together and after you guys win,
What do you think might possibly be a big give that you and Kamala could possibly offer to the folks who didn't vote for you guys?
That would get them so happy or so comfortable that they would feel good about uniting with the rest of the country, getting back to a bit more... Other than they'll get more jobs and they'll save more lives.
Right, but that notion of kind of becoming one big happy family and like not just a standard speech about, you know, I want to be president for all, but something maybe taken directly from the Republican platform or their agenda that would be felt as that give or that offer that would come across and, you know, and have the effectiveness of like an olive branch, you know, have you thought about that?
Well, she said it and I agree with her.She needs to appoint a Republican to the cabinet. I do think it matters, to a position of authority.And look, there's a lot of them out there.
These folks who are coming out and speaking on behalf of these Republicans, I disagree with many of them.Their values are there.I served with these people.
People like Jeff Flake, the senator from Arizona, super conservative, but that man is as honest as anything.I've dealt with him.Jim Langford, who wrote the big piece of the immigration bill, I served with him.
That guy is the most conservative person I ever met, but he's also one of the most honorable.
Some of these people need to be put in a position where they truly have the ability to influence things because they are ethical and they care about this country.
And I think that's something that really sets her apart, to make a high-profile appointment to the cabinet.Or two, or three.Yes, bring them.Folks who care about the country and let us... Look, I don't want to be surrounded by people.
In my organization, my folks know that I'll say something, they say, you know, with all due respect, Governor, that is a horrible idea and we should not do it. And I'm like, okay, good.Thank you for stopping me from doing that horrible idea.
I think I need to know... Like giving away SUVs with every tractor.That was a horrible idea.
I need to know before you leave what kind of snacks are on the plane or the car or the truck.
Yeah, this just irritates and I don't do it to irritate my pescatarian daughter.Beef jerky is my thing.Sure.
I'm a homemade beef jerky and Pete Buttigieg's in-laws made some and he brought me some and I like the idea of a friend bringing you homemade beef jerky and know that that pleases you more than anything.That's my thing.That's great.
All right, well, listen, we just can't thank you enough for the trust to sit with us and your time.We're such big fans and we wish you the best of luck and safety out there on the trail.
and bring us that W. We're gonna do everything we can and just couldn't be thrilled, more thrilled that you're a part of this.
We are really honored and your authentic self just shines through and that authenticity is just so refreshing and great.
Yeah, this was big deal for me, you guys.Thank you for having me on.Big, big, big fan and appreciate all you're doing.Yeah, likewise, likewise.Thank you, Tim.Thanks, guys.Have a great day. That was great, thank you.You guys are the best.
Hey, I didn't get in on this.I heard you guys often when you're talking, you're talking the golf stuff.This is a thing, honest to God, I don't know if you know this.So I grew up in that really small town.Yeah.Sand Green Golf, three block Greenfield.
You know it?I do know about it.What is Sand Green Golf?Oh, you got to hear this.
So set it up again so people know.
Yeah, so you grew up in Nebraska.
I did.Small town.And you played golf there?Played golf.And like everybody played golf.Farmers, everybody.And it wasn't country club golf.It was sand green golf.And what it is is the greens are made out of sand and they're oiled with vegetable oil.
Well, in the old days, they were oiled with oil, which was not I think this is what they do in the Middle East.In Australia.You rake the green with a path, and then you putt, and then you rake it again to put ridges in it.
And they're little, like, postage stamp-sized greens, but it's a whole different game.But I hear you guys talk a lot about golf.You got to get on a sand green golf course.I can't wait.
Listen, once you've won and you want to take a little break, Jason and I will meet you in Nebraska.Let's go play some sand green golf. I'm working even harder now.
We gotta win.We're gonna find you.All right.Thanks, fellas.
Boy, that fella, I mean, he gives politicians a good name, in my opinion.
Yes, in my opinion as well.He's the dad I always wanted.
And I know that there are a lot of people out there who don't want... So I get you saying, in my opinion, but the one thing you can't knock is the guy's authenticity.He's just such an authentic, real person, and it's great talking to him.
Like, how can you not like that guy?I'm sure you can disagree with some of his policies, I'm sure.But I'm so excited about the prospect of simply just having somebody represent me and the country I love.
that I'm not sort of worrying about them saying something mean, nasty, offensive.I just, he's just like a guy I like to call my representative.I'm just, I would be proud of that.
And also not a guy who's out there to enrich himself or protect himself and use the office as a way to avoid prosecution.
Truly, it's just so not self-serving, it's the opposite.It's public service, right?Yeah, the truth.
Yeah, it's pretty... I think the most jarring thing was seeing Mike Terry there at the end, who works with us, our producers, that he was actually in the room.
Yeah, that he was there with Tim Wells. Huh, interesting.Very interesting.But I like him a lot.Did you guys have any questions that you didn't get to that you wanted to?
I wanted to mention this thing that there have been some fake fundraising emails that were going out.This is true.
Yes.Yeah, because we all get those.But we get these fake ones that are coming from them and they wanted to address them that I think they're working on it.
Yeah. It's gotta be hard to track.
There's a lot of awful people out there.
I want to know what bad TV shows he watches.I wanted to know if he has a little game on his phone that when he has a little quiet moment like we do with Wordle or something, I bet he's got something fun in there.Something really silly.
Yeah, I feel like he's got a pretty full plate these days.
I know, but you've got to, like... You've got to have, like, two minutes to, like... You have to be able to... Yeah, exactly.Like, even if it's just, like, going into the bathroom and, like, just sitting down, you know?
Like, not even, like, taking your pants down, but just, like, hiding in a stall somewhere just to get some quiet.Yeah, yeah.
Right, right.I know.I know how he feels.I can't go anywhere.I know it, sweetheart.
Oh, but isn't that a good idea though, you guys, to do, to, you know, Fox, CNN, it doesn't matter who you are, to split, instead of showing a map of this is all red, this is all blue state, just cut it in half and show us the percentages of each state.
Well, they do actually, the great Steve Kornacki will go in there and he will zoom in and it will expand and you will see sort of the micro of each of these districts and states.
And you will see that how it is sort of, you know, split up inside there.All right, fine.
Yeah, it's true.Also, those maps are so deceiving because when you look at, when you put it up against population... Yeah, it's always different....where population is centered.
It's centered on the Electoral College.Yeah, yeah.How are we going to get rid of that Electoral College?
Yeah, we can't do it here from our stupid-ass podcast.You know, we need some more votes... I know, we can't.And they're a button....in the government, and we're on our way, hopefully.
You know what I want to say to the Electoral College?
Uh-oh, here it comes, Willie.Bye!Bye!
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