June 23, 2025 • 51 mins
Stephen J. Cloobeck talks criminal justice reform and more with Congressman Eric Swalwell.
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Stephen klum Jake lead us to a promise letter jo
get it, clue Comack just a John writ comment Welcome
(00:25):
to hard Truth. I'm Steven J. Klueback in today.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
We have a very special guest, and actually somebody more
special than special. I consider him a little brother, a
brother of mine and uh sotay.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Congressman Eric Swilwell, thanks for having me. Can we not say, Congressman,
don't comique?
Speaker 3 (00:41):
I only asked my little brothers to collic Congressman. Those
little fuckers have showed respect.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Exactly, respects important, collaboration, respect, responsibility.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
We've known each other a while, ten years, ten.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Years at Our relationship started out because I was involved
than democratic politics, but we became fast friends.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Like fast friends, taught me a lot. I hope I've
taught you a few things.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
You've taught me a couple of things too, But we've
learned a lot from each other. Our families are very close,
very very close. It's this is a very very special
time for all of us here today because you know
a lot of things, a lot of the shows that
we're doing here. First of all, everyone's a a family
friend for the most part. Because I have so many
relationships over decades and decades, so we get it's it's
(01:34):
not it's unvarnished. I don't even know where we start.
We can probably start with how fucked up things are today.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Yeah, but let me say what drew me to you
was your loyalty.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
When we first met, Harry was still alive.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Yeah, and don't make me cry.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
And you were working hard to make sure that he
was honored in the right way in the renaming of
the airport. And while everyone was like, this is a
good idea, you put your money literally where your mouth
was and you made it happen. And I just thought,
this guy gets shipped done like he's not. There's a
lot of talkers in my business. You meet a lot
(02:15):
of people who just bullshit you and they don't deliver.
And to me, one of the most important traits that
anyone can have, And it doesn't matter how much money
you have, doesn't matter how you were raised or who
you pray to. To me, like someone who keeps their
word and delivers that that's the the highest compliment I
can give somebody. And you're always someone that has kept
(02:37):
your word. And when others shrink and walk away from
the responsibility.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
You always step up.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Well, lean into a death for sure, but you too.
I mean, I know if I had a problem to am,
I can call you, Yeah, and you could do the
same with me.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Yeah, that's right, And we need to bring that back.
I mean and like it. You know, I started to
things are messed up.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Every day is a whip saw, Eric, it's whipsaw. I mean,
when are people going to wake up and be tired
of this?
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Yeah? Well, the Civil War were and we're in a
civil war. I believe it. Do you believe we're in
a civil war?
Speaker 3 (03:10):
I believe we are getting close, getting close.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
How can we not be in a civil war?
Speaker 2 (03:15):
The only reason we're in a civil war of words,
well that's been going on for years now. We don't
have guns pointed at our head. Hopefully we don't get there.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Had a security briefing earlier this week on the Sergeant
Arms and I told my colleagues on the briefing that
we're going to lose a member of Congress and probably
someone in their family. That we've never seen so many threats,
and the threat volume is as high as it's ever been,
and the resources to protect us is as low as
it's ever been, And I just I worry you also,
(03:50):
we live in a country that's armed to the teeth.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
You have almost you know.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
No limits on firearms, and I just worry that we're
we're in a summer of violence, as you alluded to.
And so I asked myself, like, what what can I
do to not accept this as normal, like what we're
in and to fight it, but also not to escalate
(04:15):
the rhetoric.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
And it's okay, Yeah, it's yeah, because everyone, everyone is
in this, in this mindset of stoking. And you know
that in everything that I've been trying to do, I
try to mediate, I try to, you know, make sure
people don't talk past each other. I want everyone to
(04:36):
do well. I mean one of the things I've you know,
I've worked with you and even your family, and it's
just how do you how do you all? How do
you do better? Selflessly? I want everyone to do well.
And I just I'm trying to find that sweet spot
in the center the way I grew.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Up, because you didn't grow up when I grew up.
I'm a little bit older at you.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
And California was just such a place of aspiration, inspiration, innovation,
where the sunshine not just Sunshine State, but people just
dreamed of coming to California, and we had the privilege
of growing up here. I mean we're born here, but
grew up here. Yeah, but grew up here because we
(05:15):
were so young. We grew up here just as native
as native can be. And that aspiration is gone. It's
not affordable, it's not livable, it's not workable, it's not
open for business, laws on laws on laws, regulations up
the wazoo, and we've.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Given everything away in California. When do you think this
failed social experiment happened? Well, how did it occur? How
do you think California got.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
To the point of being so overregulated and that forgot
about the customers in California?
Speaker 1 (05:45):
When do you think that happened?
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Well, first, let me say I'm not going to bet
against California because I think great people always come out
on top. In California has made it a lot of
great people cream rises to the top. Just you know,
people bet against you know, New York City during COVID
and you.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Know, it's as hot as ever.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
But for me, as a son of a cop, a
brother to two cops, and someone who had Diane Feinstein
as an early mentor of the first One of the
first things she told me when I got elected was
this was Eric, you may have one hundred things you
want to work on legislatively, but your primary job, your
(06:32):
most important responsibility, is for people to feel safe. And
if you don't make people feel safe, she said, you
can't work on anything else.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
And I would say.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
The local failures that I've seen were in San Francisco
and in Alameda County as it related, you know, to
public safety over the last five years. I don't live
down here, so I can't speak to LA. But going
in this direction where you're not going to prosecute crimes
(07:06):
and you're not going to let the police do their job,
and what happens is the retail centers are being overrun
by retail theft gangs. You go to the store and
you work your ass off, and you go to the
store in your community and you've got to push a
button because everything you want to buy is like behind
(07:26):
plexiglass and it's not And to me, this is what
frustrates me is you get pulled in one of two directions,
like either we have like complete criminal justice reform and
you don't prosecute anybody and and you take away the
law enforcement's ability to do their job, or you lock
(07:51):
up everybody and everyone's a suspect and you treat them
that way. And to me, like, that's there's somewhere in between.
So why not have like, why why not invest in
rehabilitative programs for people who are addicted? Why not treat
the homeless and actually give people more rights to as
family members to advocate for the homeless. But if you
(08:11):
hurt somebody, to me, like, we should bring the full
weight of the law on you. So you can do both.
You can have criminal justice reform and be sensitive to
concerns in the community, but also have police doing their
job and attacking violent crime. And what I saw in
San Francisco and Oakland was completely leaning in on taking
(08:35):
away law enforcement ability to do their job. And we
saw what happened that.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
You know, both cities, You got guess going.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
It doesn't that sound familiar, guest going, guest gones legacy
is it's okay to assault a police officer in what
world you got family members in the business. I grew
up as a yes officer, no office, sir, respect for officer.
You don't do that and you don't steal. We do
(09:09):
have an eighth commandment thatou shall not steal fifty dollars? No,
how about zero?
Speaker 3 (09:15):
So I led the recall effort in Alameda County, where
I was a prosecutor, they elected a defund the police
prosecutor who was not going to prosecute. As a policy
most misdemeanor crimes, would not charge gun enhancements, which gave
prosecutors the ability to really seek justice when somebody used
(09:37):
a firearm. She didn't across the board would not charge
a gun enhancement, would deal triple homicides for one count
of voluntary manslaughter. So someone who would face their entire
life in prison would get out in eight or nine years.
And so the community was outraged. And what frustrated me
was that almost no elected Democrats in my district. We're
(10:02):
willing to speak out against her.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Now.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
When I led the recall and I endorsed the recall,
which was successful, many of them privately were thanking me
that I did it, but they were just so afraid
that they would be attacked, as you know, against criminal
justice reform. And I was like, that's not You're not
against criminal justice reform. You're against crime.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
So you know, you know what I see it the
way I see it as this, because you know, they
have to speak out. They would actually do themselves a
service if they're speaking out, because they're representing the customers
at California, the customers of the community, and they are
they don't want to enforce misdemeanors.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Those are our laws. And we have the same thing
on the opposite side, where we've got Trump and the
mafia of Trump violating every law, I mean, violating our constitution.
We haven't changed our constitution, have we did that mean something? No?
But you know, do we still have an emoluments clause?
We do?
Speaker 3 (11:05):
And you know, I want to tell you I talked
to a friend of mine yesterday who's a judge in
the Bay area, and he just called a check in
on me to see how I was doing. He knew
about all the threats we'd been receiving, but he said
he is starting to see this trickle down effect in
his own courtroom of just everyday folks just kind of
(11:27):
flippantly not following court orders. And he's like, I can't
directly connect it to the way the president's acting, but
I can tell you that since he's come into office,
I've seen more and more people just believe, like, well,
if he doesn't have to follow the law, Like why
do I.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Wait, it was so good. I think it's both It's
both side. Eric, Okay, this is how bad it's gotten
that the Democrats on the ultraliberal side said that, hey,
don't prosecute. You know, you can push police officers, you
can have no respect for law. We can steal up
(12:05):
to nine hundred and fifty dollars. And on the opposite side,
you've got Trump.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
And his goons of.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
You know, thieves who don't want to earn a living wage.
Excuse me an honest wage. They don't want to earn
an honest wage. They just want to take Neither side
wants to serve the customer of California. There's no rule
of Law's just no rule of law whatsoever on either side.
(12:37):
And we got to get back to that hard center
where there are laws, we have laws. We have to
respect one another and collaborate with one another. I mean,
you come from a family a police officer, is really interesting.
You come up from a Republican family, So how's Thanksgiving
at your house?
Speaker 1 (12:56):
You?
Speaker 3 (12:56):
Being a Democratic mom had to implement a no hat rule.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
What's the no hat? Well, my brothers would fuck.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
With me and wear you know, maga hats at Thanksgiving,
which is fine.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
That's what brothers do. You know what, I'm gonna give
you one of my hats inclusive. You're gonna wear your
inclusive hat to the next Thanksgiving and you can wear
you know what.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
You know what I'm gonna make you you. I'm gonna
give me your give me your family's number.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
I'm a swag back. I'm sending a swag bag of
inclusive hats.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
You're gonna have to wear for Thanksgiving inclusive hats this
year and represent you.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
Know so, let me let me tell you on Just
to put a pin on my approach to criminal justice,
I also believe that like when a cop sucks up
and dishonors their oath, yep, you have to call them out.
We had when I was in the office. I came
up in the alme To County DIA's office at a
pretty consequential time in Bay Area history because I was
(13:51):
there when uh a bart police officer killed Oscar gray
It and you probably remember the horrible image he was
on top of him and Grant's hand hands were behind
his back and the officer shot him in the back.
And our office prosecuted that case. And it wasn't easy,
(14:13):
you know, law enforcement officers were upset. But my boss,
who made the decision, was like, look like when they
mess up, like we have to hold him accountable. And
that's why I think like there is a great, big
center where most of us live, which is you prosecute
crimes and you hold cops accountable when they mess up,
and you can do both of that. So going back
to my family, Yeah, so my dad was a cop
(14:37):
and he got taken out to Iowa by my mom.
She had she was born in South Dakota, had an
opportunity to be a police chief a town of a
couple thousand, a police department of nine sworn officers. But
he was a police chief and he was thirty three
years old. And so my earliest memory was my mom
(15:01):
and dad at night for a couple of weeks talking
about my dad getting fired. And I didn't understand because
I was six, Like what they meant. I thought like
literally he was gonna be thrown in a fire. So
I remember being scared, and that's why it's such a
long lasting memory. But what happened is that he came
(15:23):
in and they thought they were getting this California trained
cop in this you know, kind of small town environment.
Who could He brought the nine one one system to them.
They didn't have nine one one. You didn't call, you
couldn't call anyone one. He brought new methods of training
and so he kind of upgraded the force. But what
(15:46):
he did that they didn't like was he enforced the law.
And there was this good old boys network who didn't
want that to happen. So he he told the fireman
that you can't drink at the firehouse when you're on duty,
and that they didn't like that. So that's not saying
we can't have you driving around under the influence when
you're on duty. So that he pissed off the firefighters.
(16:09):
There was a burglary ring in town and everyone wanted
him to find out who was breaking into everyone's houses.
He did, and it turned out, yeah, it was some
of the kids teenagers of the good old boy network,
and then they wanted the cases to go away. But
it all came to a head in a very Iowa fashion.
It was the Kasooth County Fair and the mayor and
(16:30):
two council members had parked in the fire lane to
get the best parking spot to go into the fair,
and another officer contacted my dad and said, hey, these
guys say they can park wherever they want. They're on
the mayor there. It's the mayor and the city council.
What do you want me to do? My dad said,
give them one more warning and if they don't move,
you got a ticket and tow them. And they wouldn't move,
(16:53):
And so my dad had them ticketed and towed. And
at the next at the next badass, that's something you do.
So at the next city council meeting, the mayor calls
my dad to the carpet and says, at an open
city council meeting, yeah, if you don't reverse these tickets, yeah,
(17:14):
I have the votes to fire you. My dad said,
I'm not reversing the tickets. So he fought him for
a couple of weeks. Refused to do it, and my
dad got fired and so we packed up our little
family we moved out west. That's how I became a Californian.
He hates when I tell the story because to him,
he's just a man who lost his job, and it was.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
No, your dad's a bad motherfucker. He's a badass. You
know what, Now I know where you get a little
that from. Now I get it.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
I get it.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
So Stephen, I've I feel guilty that I for many
years just assumed and maybe this is like the lawyer
braining me. I assumed there was like another side of
the story, right, like, yes, I'm sure he did the
right thing, but I'm sure there was another side of
the story. That's how a lawyer thinks. So when I
ran for president, I knew I'd be spending a lot
of time in Iowa, and so I researched the story
(18:04):
because I figured I might be asked about it. Yeah,
if it was like a well known story, all of
the papers that I read, including the Des Moines Register,
like the paper of record in Iowa, could not believe
how nakedly transparent the mayor and city council were and
back my dad all the way. So he told it
to me exactly how it happened, and to me, the
(18:24):
lesson there was, you have to be willing to lose
your job if it means doing the right thing, and
he was. But you're never going to be a police
officer again and it killed him.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
What's that?
Speaker 3 (18:37):
It just like kills him that he could never be
a police officer again.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
And you know what, bravo, bravo, bravo, because you have
to have integrity and he has got that. Yeah, he's
get character, he's got integrity, and you always have to
be willing to lose that job.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
To do the right thing. And I have no fucking idea.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
I think I do how we got to where we
are today because I think the candidate we Democrats are
big doubt put out. There was just so tone deaf,
no eq no iq. Because we should never have lost
to what we have before us today.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
Yeah, I mean, I also say, not ideal to have
a hundred day runway. And frankly we should have had
a primary like we I think voters are pissed off.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
I'll tell you this, and I say this, you know,
I don't know how well you knew my adopted dad, Harry.
If Harry was live, Harry would have pushed for a
contested convention and he would have had the fight of
fights to show the cream rising to the top of
our party rather than having battlefield promotion. Okay, she was
(20:02):
weak in nineteen. She really did nothing as vice president,
and you know, she couldn't even handle the border other
than going once but not getting anything done. She's never
signed the front of a check.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
But I think and.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
All she pushes putting a really hard situation. But we look,
I'm not saying anybody other than we we let it happen.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
We let it happen. We all have to take responsibility
for this, including myself. I didn't yell loud enough.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
I didn't yell enough.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
So that's what it's got to come down to now.
And we have to, as Democrats, you know, grab our
brass balls and those that don't have them get the
fuck out of the room.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
We have an opportunity to save this train wreck. Like
it's it's a bit.
Speaker 3 (20:56):
It was a major stepback losing last November, a major,
major fucking setback, right, And I see it as democracy
essentially sits on four legs as far as being protected
from fascist So you have a check by Congress, yeah,
(21:19):
that's built into the constitution. You have independent courts, yep.
You have a free press, yep, and you have the
town square full of people yep. The check by Congress
is gone.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
There's no check by Congress.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
It's a rubber stamp, it's a co signing of what
he's doing. So it's sitting on three legs, and a
table can sit on three legs the other three. The
press are still fiercely covering this guy, many of them.
The courts. He's getting his ass kicked there. Trump judges
are throwing his cases out, and the town squares are full.
The No King's Day rallies over two thousand rallies, six
(21:54):
million Americans, biggest rally weekend ever. So to me, if
those three hold, we can get to the midterms. We
need to win three seats in the midterms, get the
majority in the House, and then now you have all
four legs, and then you have to really hold on
(22:14):
type over those next two years as we go into
twenty eight.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
Well, can we just make sure we have can can
we get away from in our big party of using
just caustic language of Ola Garkt went from millionaire billionaire
to now Ola.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
Gark Can we stop this? What's wrong with?
Speaker 2 (22:35):
What is wrong with people doing well and everyone else
wanting everyone else to do well? Why is there such
this hard line in the Democratic Party of not embracing
everyone's success, why.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
We should root for success.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
And I say that as a kid who grew up
living in thirteen different houses, I went.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
To eleven in schools before I graduated high school.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
And my parents would tell anyone who said that as
Republicans they were voting against their interests. My mom would
tell you, my interest is in being is in not
being poor. My interest is in being rich. And I
think too often we're seeing as champions of the middle class,
(23:22):
but keeping you pinned in the middle class. And I
think we have a real opportunity with Trump, who is
clearly only for the billionaire bros, that we can, of
course be champions of the middle class, but have this
mindset that in a free market economy is opposed to
a free for all economy. If you work hard, you
(23:45):
should be able to do better for yourself and dream
bigger for your kids. And as my colleague Ruben Geigo says,
if that means getting the big fucking truck.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
That you want, great like that, that's if that's what
you want, you should get it, that's right. And if
you want, if you don't want, if you want to
work really really hard to send your kid to an
Ivy League school, you should be able.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
To work really hard to do that. That's the American dream.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
And if you want to buy a rolex, go buy rolex.
And if you want a second house, great, If you
want to take your kids to Hawaii, you should be
able to do that and.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
Not feel bad about it.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
No, you should embrace it. And you should then help
your neighbor do the same if they want. That's where
we serve and they want to be served. That's the
big difference between us and them. And I say us
in them. I think there's more of us in the
big center, but there's no bravado in that center where
(24:48):
there's so many of us that do believe in fiscal responsibility, okay,
knowing where the money is being spent because it's our money.
There's so many of us that believe in executing on
what you say you're.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Going to do.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
And enforcing our laws and living within our laws. Pretty
simple concepts. And you know, we are built on a
country of immigrants.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
What is just boggles my mind is the President of
the United States, you know who I've met, you know
in business, and then socially he's married to an immigrant,
I mean, and he is such a conundrum of juxtaposition
(25:41):
and this whip saw he's created. He thinks it's reality
TV every day. We've had enough of reality TV because
it's taken us decades at decades and decades to build
this great brand of the United States of America.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
He's actually the best brand in the world. Tourism is
an export.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
Tourism is an export trust But yeah, I know, you know,
I ran tourism and he wants to kill Brand USA now.
And this guy's allegedly in the hospitality business. And then
but when we talk about immigration, this whip saw of
those that are adding value to our agricultural system, those
that also add value in our hospitality system. He says,
(26:26):
we are going to look after these people that may
not be perfectly into their pathway of citizenship, which is
another talk.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
We'll get into it for a second. And we're going
to come after you. We're not going to come after you.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
But at the same time, we're going to have these
these these gestapoesque ice officers who were giving no protection
to no perimeter and creating just just controversy all over
the place and more of a million police state. It
reminds me of COVID A little bit where he created
the hunger games, States against states back instead of having
(27:08):
the federal government protected. How about we were at a
point where there was there was a bipartisan bill was
a year and a half ago.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
Right yep, Resources at the border.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
Resources and eighty It would have solved eighty percent of
pathway to citisens JIP problems.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Right yes, And for.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
Whatever reason, Trump hijacked that and we didn't fight hard
enough as Democrats to keep it.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
Why, Here's what I've learned. I've been in Congress for
thirteen years, and I actually think this issue is quite easy,
and we've overcomplicated.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
We complication. Look, my whole deal is simple solutions for
a better life. There are simple solutions.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
I have seen more policy papers that are written forty
to fifty sixty pages, Rip them up, throw them in
the garbage.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Is a simple solution. So tell me what you think.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Secure the border absolutely, like, there should be no question
in anyone's mind as to whether the border is secure. Correct,
Have as many barriers at the border that you need
to secure the border. Increase the number of judges who
can adjudicate the cases of the people who are here,
and then attack the workforce crisis, hospitality, agriculture. As a
(28:24):
parent of three little kids, childcare, and most Americans, if
they believe the border secure, they'll go all in with
you on legal immigration.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
And what that bipartisan bill was to do.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Yes in party, Yes, it wasn't going to be perfect.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
No, but why couldn't you know? We got this hijacked.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
Trump wanted the fiction rather than the fix. He wanted
to have the crisis as an issue rather than to
fix it. And Democrats were seen as weak and not
serious about the border.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
And and that was a problem.
Speaker 2 (28:59):
Frankly, Well, because you had a vice president didn't do shit.
I don't blame her for that idea, you know what,
because I didn't see the results. Yeah, and I have
worked with her in the past, and she's never sat
in the front of a check.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
I think the president could have.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
It's the president one hundred percent with the president, And
you know what, and the people around him didn't take
it as seriously enough and listen to what the customers
of America were talking about, right, And we lost that fight.
We lost the election there, and we lost the election
(29:35):
on affordability eggs, bread, milk, cheese, gas.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
But here's the other.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
Piece of this that I'm willing. I don't want to
say compromise. I actually think this is what a lot
of families are asking for. We have fought so hard
for a quote pathway to citizenship and Republicans and like
there's I don't know why they approach it this way.
They think we're just trying to import new citizens wh
(30:00):
will vote for Democrats, which completely ignores that, like we're
losing Latino.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
Voters by the way.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
But the truth is, if you attack the workforce crisis,
a lot of folks who want to work here, they're
not even asking for citizenship, and so you could attack
that crisis with like long term work visus. Make sure
they're paid what they deserve to be paid.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
But I think the paying into our social Security system
and they're paying into our Medicare system, and they're not
gaining the benefits of this, Okay, so they're actually added value.
We've lost the message against Democrats. They're a creative to us.
They deliver and produce our food. They are there to
(30:45):
serve us. And by the way, our president would have
probably no one working at mar Lago. Yeah you want
to check his w nins not he does, He won't
release his tax return, so I'm sure he's not going
to release his w knins, does he? I would love somebody.
I would love somebody to go in. Let's go raid
mar Lago and check W nine's. I'm gonna check all
(31:06):
the W ninees at mar Lago. Okay, I want to
know if he's ever paid cash to somebody working at
one of his golf courses.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Do you think he dips when he when he plays golf.
He cheats when he plays golf.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
I cheat, but my district, I don't know if you
knew this, you should if you're running for governor. Of
my constituents were born outside the United States. That's one
interesting data point. What's really interesting is that of the
four hundred and thirty five congressional districts in the country,
(31:41):
we are the eighth wealthiest district. No thanks to me,
I'm not contributing to.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
That wealth, but to me that now you're actually serving
and working for the people.
Speaker 3 (31:49):
But that's the straight line, right. You've got forty percent
of the constituents came here from their countries, left everything,
brought resilience, a spirit of hard work, believe that in
America like they could contribute and do better, and they
created the eighth wealthiest congression. That to me is the
argument for getting this right.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
We all do better.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
Oh, my grandfather came in the early nineteen hundreds. I
am a product of immigration. He came here when immigration,
and this is where I'm going to bring back. Can
we bringing back sanity and humanity?
Speaker 3 (32:32):
Let me ask you about I'm hearing so I'm a
again law enforcement upbringing. When I saw these ICE officers
at first roaming our communities masked, I figured they would
just say, well, that's an officer safety thing, etc. And
it occurred to me, there's no other force in America
(32:56):
that regularly is in our community doing routine operations masked.
They're not doing swat operations against like armed and dangerous individuals.
They're going to car washes, They're going in, you know,
to farm fields. And I didn't appreciate. I don't think
at first how much that bothers every day people.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
Well, let me tell you this. So I became very
very close.
Speaker 2 (33:29):
To the folks at Ice and Customs and Borders, and
I became very close to those of the State Department
when I ran tours from the United States, because I
spent the time and I toured our ports of entry
to understand what we do in America does a great
job of protecting our borders. Matter of fact, if we
find somebody that gets deported. People were under the false
(33:53):
impression that we, as Americans, paid for it. No, it
was the airlines that allowed them to come.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
In, so we did not even for it. And when
I created the Tourist Department the United States, I said
to all the officers, I said, look, I understand what
you do.
Speaker 2 (34:10):
And it gets a little mundane at times. I said,
you know, can you like smile and say welcome to
the United States. Because all of these beautiful people from
all over the world that wanted to come here, they
were spending substantial money here to see our great land.
And you know, we did an analysis where those in
(34:31):
Europe spent about a thousand dollars a week and Brazil
was two thousand a week, and in Asia they're spending
four thousand dollars a week. And when they left, and
I said to the officers, ken, you smile and say
thanks for coming. And we had to retrain the officers
because they came from a militant leadership style and we
(34:54):
had to totally work really hard on this, and we
took some officers out of duty and put them to
you know, some border psychology.
Speaker 3 (35:03):
It's called primacy and recency. People will remember the first
thing I saw.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
So we say when we develop it's the necktie, it's Disneyland,
treat everyone with respect. A customer you want something to
get more than they bargain for. And you know what,
I've talked to officers of recent and the gentleman that's
running ICE today is not the gentleman that used to
run ICE ten years ago. And everyone keys of leadership,
(35:32):
that's right.
Speaker 3 (35:34):
And what fish shots from the head down, right, I mean, that's.
Speaker 1 (35:36):
The fish always watched from the head down. And I'm
telling you this.
Speaker 2 (35:38):
There are officers today that are terrified of actually doing
their job. And you know why they are wearing masks
because they don't like doing their job. If you really
want to ask them, they are terrified of doing their job.
They don't like doing it, but they have to do it.
Speaker 3 (35:52):
You know, my dad would have done what this And
you know that's why I think if and I've told
our our democratic leadership, when we're in the majority and
we have the leverage the power of the person, we
can write laws. We have to make them unmasked. And
then the reason I say that, I don't want any
I don't want any of them to get hurt. But
(36:15):
I sincerely believe if they had to conduct themselves the
way that every other officer in America goes into the community,
they're not.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
Going to do it. So, you know what, they're actually
acting as cartel members, That's what they because cartel members
wear masks. That's what it looks like. You know what.
Speaker 2 (36:36):
But they are arresting anybody and everybody because they have
quotas because there it's being run by a quotas. You
don't run based on a quota system. Where is the
sanity of humanity? But I think, I but how can
how can we absolutely rough up American citizens everyone? You know,
(36:58):
it's funny in America you're innocent till proven guilty, and
it's different Mexico. You're guilty until proven innocent. Doesn't it
seem special?
Speaker 1 (37:10):
Well, guess what?
Speaker 2 (37:12):
Sure seems to me that people are guilty now till
proven innocent in America? When did that change?
Speaker 1 (37:18):
Did you guys chose that? Long comers, because it seems
like you did.
Speaker 3 (37:21):
Well, we have a mad king who's trying to.
Speaker 2 (37:23):
Wait, we have a mad king. But what are you
guys going to do about it? When are your Republican
brethren going to get their set of balls and start
protecting their constituents? All I forget, they won't even go
into their districts anymore because you're going into their districts.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
They won't hold Tell me how you doing that?
Speaker 2 (37:40):
How can these people not go into their districts and
you are taking Why are how many other congressional leaders
are doing this?
Speaker 1 (37:48):
What you're doing is fantastic, By the way, thank you.
Speaker 3 (37:51):
They don't have the balls to go face their constituents,
So I'm going to go do it. So I'm going
to tonight. I'll be in Mission Viejo in the fortieth
congressional district. I was in Tampa a couple months ago.
I was in Folsome in Kevin Kylie's district last month.
So I'm gonna keep doing it. I have consistent county,
that's right. You know a thing or two about that
(38:11):
Western County. I did a town hall of my district
last month, and I think I have license from my
constituents to do this because they recognize that unless we're
in the majority that all the issues they have at
our town halls can't be addressed. So I'm grateful to
them that they allow me to do this. They almost
invite me and expect me to do.
Speaker 1 (38:31):
You like the congressmen to the congressmen in California.
Speaker 3 (38:35):
And you know who shows up a lot of Republicans
and what I do in the very beginning, You know what.
Speaker 2 (38:43):
Eric, California is so unique. We're Californians. We got California values.
California is so different. This this You know when I
when I see some of the silly stuff in California,
there is like sixty eight percent of us I have
even done the poll, sixty eight percent of us. We
have California values. We got California Riz as the kids
(39:03):
call it today. And there's some of us that know
the assignment. We actually get it because we grew up
this way. We're not going to forget. But then you
got some like militant assholes like Sheriff Bianco that's running
around California running for governor in his badge emblem holster
in his cop car, and he thinks that's okay when
(39:25):
it's against California law. He even thinks he's above a law.
I mean, there's this whole group of magaism that believes
they are above the law. And then it's on, like
we said earlier, on the democratic side, where there are
some liberal democrats believe there should be no laws, free
for all, steel take.
Speaker 1 (39:47):
You know, that's just what the fuck? It's just silly.
Speaker 3 (39:52):
So let me h.
Speaker 1 (39:53):
I see, I didn't know you wrote a book. Which books?
I'm just talking with you. I know you wrote a book. Oh,
you just talk about the well you're trying to now,
you know what? You know what.
Speaker 2 (40:06):
I'm gonna tell you something if you really want to
get into it that way. Who's the bread winner in
your house?
Speaker 3 (40:14):
I'm the bread loser. You're talking to the bread loser.
My wife would say, I have a hobby, she has
a job.
Speaker 1 (40:20):
You can't even buy your wife a dice in hair dryer?
I can, I cannot. That is one hundred trip you
know what, I will? You know what? You're definitely you're
not a real man. I'm a real man. No, I
don't know about that. You can't afford a dice in
hair drying? Matter of fact, what ye wu? What is
so special hair dryer?
Speaker 3 (40:42):
Why does she keep asking for it she wants the dice.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
In hair d I would get her a goddamn you
know what if I have to buy her a dice
in hair dryer.
Speaker 3 (40:49):
Probably there's a rule that says you can't. Like Trump
can get a plane from the Qataris, but you probably
can't buy her a dice and hair dryer.
Speaker 1 (40:55):
Believe No. Yeah, yeah, you know why I can. Yeah,
just to have a pre existing reallylationship and your family.
You know why I know your family? Yeah? Because you
wear my clothes.
Speaker 3 (41:05):
I did wear I forgot to bring a coat yesterday
I had an event.
Speaker 1 (41:08):
You wear my clothes all the time.
Speaker 3 (41:12):
You wear you're going to take credit for the Canadian
tuxedo here.
Speaker 1 (41:15):
No, I wouldn't wear the ship you're wearing right now.
Speaker 3 (41:18):
That's that's your own socks. Do you need to borrow socks?
Speaker 2 (41:21):
No, because you know what, after you worked really hard
in life. If you don't want to wear socks, you
don't have to.
Speaker 1 (41:27):
There you go. It was Father's Day this past I
don't have a watch. You do you know why you're
still aspiring? Yeah, I am. I don't. I don't even
wear watches. I have no jewelry. I don't wear a watch.
I know why. Yeah, I don't weary. You don't wear
a watch. No, I don't wear a watch because I
(41:48):
have a phone that tells me the time, you know,
and I kind of know the time of day.
Speaker 3 (41:55):
Let me so, speaking of time, it was Father's Day
this past weekend. And so I have an eight year old,
six year old a four year old. You know that
my eight year old loves you, calls you mister Steven.
And I guess what impresses me is every time I'm
at your house, you are in the kitchen, like making
(42:18):
the meal for all of us, and you always tell
anyone helping that like you've done, You've gone from bus boy.
Speaker 1 (42:25):
To the boardroom.
Speaker 3 (42:27):
So thinking about like raising kids today and they're so
connected to their devices and you don't want them to
have the same struggles that you had, But like, what
are some of the what do you think are some
of the important values that young kids need to learn
it today? That are like is to use You're thrown
(42:48):
around these weird gen z terms, but like I guess
that are like evergreen, Like what's a what's the evergreen ever?
Speaker 1 (42:55):
And it's funny, yet I just try to pay attention
to it, you know, the music. I try to. You know,
I have friends my age and they are they are old.
Speaker 2 (43:05):
I mean, I even look at the governor today, he's
got over the last two weeks as hair went from.
Speaker 3 (43:10):
Have you talked to any young woman in America, they
would not say that about it.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
No. If you look at his hair, he looks good.
No he No, he had like like last two weeks
he had dark hair. Now he's got white hair. Something happened.
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (43:22):
Okay, values evergreen values, you know what.
Speaker 2 (43:25):
By the way, when he sees this, yeah, because I'm
sure he's gonna watch it. I make you a bet
after he watched this, he's gonna die his hair.
Speaker 1 (43:34):
He's gonna die his hair because you know what. I
don't know. But if you dye your hair, can you
put hair gel in your hair? I'm sure you can't.
I don't know, I don't know. No.
Speaker 2 (43:44):
What's important is this? What's important is integrity? Yeah, never
bust the trust.
Speaker 1 (43:56):
Brand? Character and you could build whatever brand or a character.
Do you want to be?
Speaker 2 (44:01):
Do you want to be a leader or part of
the ensemble? Financial responsibility? Financial responsibility and lastly, serve be
a good human to others. Always ask if you can
help serve. It's never about and this is the ethos
(44:26):
that I've tried to ingrain in my children. I would
say this to your children too, because they're close enough to.
Speaker 1 (44:31):
Be my kids. And if you lie, you die. Yeah.
This is our family name, it's your name. Actually it's
your brand.
Speaker 2 (44:41):
And you want to be a leader or part of
the ensemble financial integrity, Know your numbers, be responsible, live
within your means, aspire, do whatever you want in life,
and I will embrace it and help you get there.
Work hard, get up early, stay late, go to work
with a run.
Speaker 1 (45:00):
He knows. And you know it's important that.
Speaker 2 (45:07):
We're not helicopter parents, because it's really the last thing
I'll tell you is this, because I just had this.
Speaker 1 (45:12):
With my middle son. Yeah, he said, hey, we're equals.
I'm like, son, we are never good out to be equals.
I am your father.
Speaker 2 (45:23):
Yeah, And I was never equal with my father, and
I respected him to the day he died. Even though
I took care of him, I showed him respect. And
you will show me the same respect.
Speaker 1 (45:35):
So never cave into We are equals, and you will
raise great kids. I know this.
Speaker 2 (45:41):
You are great parents, and you and your wife, Brittany,
and you've got great children, and I'm so grateful you're
here today.
Speaker 1 (45:48):
This has been fun.
Speaker 3 (45:49):
Then you have to tell you. My son had one
of his friends over the other night and he did
this weird flex in front of his friend. He said, hey, Alexa,
who are Eric Swawell's children? And Alexa named our kids
and I pulled them aside. Once his friend went home,
(46:12):
I said, don't ever do that again. And I said, like,
you are my son, but you are your own name.
Like I do not think you're like hot ship because
you're related to me, Like you have to be your
own person.
Speaker 1 (46:30):
And yeah, you know what I would do. You're on
the INTELL He's like, what are you talking about? But
I'm trying to teach your business and unattended consequences. Yeah,
and I think through this ship because I've got you know, uh,
you know a I too. I blocked my kids on
AI doesn't even say they exist. So you're on the
(46:50):
Intel committee, I was, Yeah, you were on the Intel.
Do you know anyone at Google? Yes? Where is that
where alexis from? Yeah? On Amazon? You know anyone there?
I do? Do you know Bezos? I don't know.
Speaker 3 (47:04):
I'm not going to the wedding, Oh weekend, I think
next weekend, but keep going.
Speaker 1 (47:10):
Why don't you just call them and just block it?
Speaker 3 (47:13):
Take They don't think you was just on create all
sorts of other trump But I guess my point is
it's just just don't you wanted him to have everything?
But I also want him to You have to.
Speaker 1 (47:26):
Kick and what you did.
Speaker 2 (47:27):
You you were actually actually a good father, okay, being
a father. They don't teach you how to be a
mother or father. There's no schooling for this. And you
cannot be your child's best friend. You have to be
a leader, leader's lead, and you're gonna have to make
some tough decisions as a father, and you got to
(47:49):
hold the line.
Speaker 1 (47:50):
Hold that line. Hold.
Speaker 2 (47:52):
The minute you break that line, everything falls apart, and
you will you're not doing a service for your kids, yeah,
you know, doing a service at all.
Speaker 1 (48:02):
What are the questions to have me? I want to
ask you one last question. Yeah, so this is a question.
I don't know I've ever asked you this question. If
you could be with.
Speaker 2 (48:13):
One person on planet Earth that is no longer with us,
that's no longer with us, no longer with us, you
know it could be like George Washington, Einstein, Aristotle, a relative.
Speaker 1 (48:29):
Who would you like to be with that has passed
away and hang out for a day with? I think
I would.
Speaker 3 (48:40):
I love Teddy Roosevelt just because he was his own man.
He had high highs, low lows, picked some stupid fights,
but was kind of a political athlete. But I think
always did it from like a place of integrity. And
(49:03):
the only common thread you could connect among who his
enemies were is that they were corrupt and they were
both parties. I mean, he just he just spoke truth
to power, and I guess going back to where we started,
it just reminds me of my dad. Like if my dad,
(49:27):
I don't think I tell him enough. I mean, he's
the most influential person in my life.
Speaker 1 (49:32):
What are you going to do when your dad passes?
Speaker 3 (49:34):
Yeah, I'm trying to think about that. It's uh, it's tough.
He's almost almost eighties and good, good shape. I hope
just continue to model what he taught me, because he
he worked hard to try and give us the most
he could. But the values that he gave me and
(49:55):
my brothers, I think is you know, that's priceless. And
we'll stay with us and we passed along to our kids,
and I think I get so busy I don't reach
out to him as often.
Speaker 1 (50:09):
The Michigan you're you're thinking about this? Yeah, like deep, Yeah,
you haven't told them enough, have you? No? Absolutely not.
Speaker 4 (50:20):
So when we're done here, give him a call, tell
them more. Yeah, you're about ready to cry. It's uh, well,
he's yeah, he's.
Speaker 1 (50:31):
An impressive Look at you. You have not said this enough.
Speaker 2 (50:37):
Because I know, I just I just YEA made you
think about something, and this is something that I learned,
And this is you know how special my father was
with me, and how special Harry Reid was with me.
Speaker 3 (50:52):
They're all over the house like they're it's like they're still.
Speaker 2 (50:55):
There in my house every day and I don't make
a decision without kind of talking to them. And I
listened to them and their voice is going, you're still
out of your mind, Stephen, in a in a good way.
But so I just give you one brotherly piece of advice.
Spend more time with your dad because you're so busy
(51:17):
and there'll be day will you.
Speaker 1 (51:20):
Go, why didn't I do more? Uh?
Speaker 3 (51:23):
Huh?
Speaker 1 (51:25):
All right, man, it's been fun.
Speaker 3 (51:28):
Jo
Stephen klum Jake lead us to a promise letter jo
get it, clue Comack just a John writ comment Welcome
(00:25):
to hard Truth. I'm Steven J. Klueback in today.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
We have a very special guest, and actually somebody more
special than special. I consider him a little brother, a
brother of mine and uh sotay.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Congressman Eric Swilwell, thanks for having me. Can we not say, Congressman,
don't comique?
Speaker 3 (00:41):
I only asked my little brothers to collic Congressman. Those
little fuckers have showed respect.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Exactly, respects important, collaboration, respect, responsibility.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
We've known each other a while, ten years, ten.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Years at Our relationship started out because I was involved
than democratic politics, but we became fast friends.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Like fast friends, taught me a lot. I hope I've
taught you a few things.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
You've taught me a couple of things too, But we've
learned a lot from each other. Our families are very close,
very very close. It's this is a very very special
time for all of us here today because you know
a lot of things, a lot of the shows that
we're doing here. First of all, everyone's a a family
friend for the most part. Because I have so many
relationships over decades and decades, so we get it's it's
(01:34):
not it's unvarnished. I don't even know where we start.
We can probably start with how fucked up things are today.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Yeah, but let me say what drew me to you
was your loyalty.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
When we first met, Harry was still alive.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Yeah, and don't make me cry.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
And you were working hard to make sure that he
was honored in the right way in the renaming of
the airport. And while everyone was like, this is a
good idea, you put your money literally where your mouth
was and you made it happen. And I just thought,
this guy gets shipped done like he's not. There's a
lot of talkers in my business. You meet a lot
(02:15):
of people who just bullshit you and they don't deliver.
And to me, one of the most important traits that
anyone can have, And it doesn't matter how much money
you have, doesn't matter how you were raised or who
you pray to. To me, like someone who keeps their
word and delivers that that's the the highest compliment I
can give somebody. And you're always someone that has kept
(02:37):
your word. And when others shrink and walk away from
the responsibility.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
You always step up.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Well, lean into a death for sure, but you too.
I mean, I know if I had a problem to am,
I can call you, Yeah, and you could do the
same with me.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Yeah, that's right, And we need to bring that back.
I mean and like it. You know, I started to
things are messed up.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Every day is a whip saw, Eric, it's whipsaw. I mean,
when are people going to wake up and be tired
of this?
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Yeah? Well, the Civil War were and we're in a
civil war. I believe it. Do you believe we're in
a civil war?
Speaker 3 (03:10):
I believe we are getting close, getting close.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
How can we not be in a civil war?
Speaker 2 (03:15):
The only reason we're in a civil war of words,
well that's been going on for years now. We don't
have guns pointed at our head. Hopefully we don't get there.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Had a security briefing earlier this week on the Sergeant
Arms and I told my colleagues on the briefing that
we're going to lose a member of Congress and probably
someone in their family. That we've never seen so many threats,
and the threat volume is as high as it's ever been,
and the resources to protect us is as low as
it's ever been, And I just I worry you also,
(03:50):
we live in a country that's armed to the teeth.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
You have almost you know.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
No limits on firearms, and I just worry that we're
we're in a summer of violence, as you alluded to.
And so I asked myself, like, what what can I
do to not accept this as normal, like what we're
in and to fight it, but also not to escalate
(04:15):
the rhetoric.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
And it's okay, Yeah, it's yeah, because everyone, everyone is
in this, in this mindset of stoking. And you know
that in everything that I've been trying to do, I
try to mediate, I try to, you know, make sure
people don't talk past each other. I want everyone to
(04:36):
do well. I mean one of the things I've you know,
I've worked with you and even your family, and it's
just how do you how do you all? How do
you do better? Selflessly? I want everyone to do well.
And I just I'm trying to find that sweet spot
in the center the way I grew.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Up, because you didn't grow up when I grew up.
I'm a little bit older at you.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
And California was just such a place of aspiration, inspiration, innovation,
where the sunshine not just Sunshine State, but people just
dreamed of coming to California, and we had the privilege
of growing up here. I mean we're born here, but
grew up here. Yeah, but grew up here because we
(05:15):
were so young. We grew up here just as native
as native can be. And that aspiration is gone. It's
not affordable, it's not livable, it's not workable, it's not
open for business, laws on laws on laws, regulations up
the wazoo, and we've.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Given everything away in California. When do you think this
failed social experiment happened? Well, how did it occur? How
do you think California got.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
To the point of being so overregulated and that forgot
about the customers in California?
Speaker 1 (05:45):
When do you think that happened?
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Well, first, let me say I'm not going to bet
against California because I think great people always come out
on top. In California has made it a lot of
great people cream rises to the top. Just you know,
people bet against you know, New York City during COVID
and you.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Know, it's as hot as ever.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
But for me, as a son of a cop, a
brother to two cops, and someone who had Diane Feinstein
as an early mentor of the first One of the
first things she told me when I got elected was
this was Eric, you may have one hundred things you
want to work on legislatively, but your primary job, your
(06:32):
most important responsibility, is for people to feel safe. And
if you don't make people feel safe, she said, you
can't work on anything else.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
And I would say.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
The local failures that I've seen were in San Francisco
and in Alameda County as it related, you know, to
public safety over the last five years. I don't live
down here, so I can't speak to LA. But going
in this direction where you're not going to prosecute crimes
(07:06):
and you're not going to let the police do their job,
and what happens is the retail centers are being overrun
by retail theft gangs. You go to the store and
you work your ass off, and you go to the
store in your community and you've got to push a
button because everything you want to buy is like behind
(07:26):
plexiglass and it's not And to me, this is what
frustrates me is you get pulled in one of two directions,
like either we have like complete criminal justice reform and
you don't prosecute anybody and and you take away the
law enforcement's ability to do their job, or you lock
(07:51):
up everybody and everyone's a suspect and you treat them
that way. And to me, like, that's there's somewhere in between.
So why not have like, why why not invest in
rehabilitative programs for people who are addicted? Why not treat
the homeless and actually give people more rights to as
family members to advocate for the homeless. But if you
(08:11):
hurt somebody, to me, like, we should bring the full
weight of the law on you. So you can do both.
You can have criminal justice reform and be sensitive to
concerns in the community, but also have police doing their
job and attacking violent crime. And what I saw in
San Francisco and Oakland was completely leaning in on taking
(08:35):
away law enforcement ability to do their job. And we
saw what happened that.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
You know, both cities, You got guess going.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
It doesn't that sound familiar, guest going, guest gones legacy
is it's okay to assault a police officer in what
world you got family members in the business. I grew
up as a yes officer, no office, sir, respect for officer.
You don't do that and you don't steal. We do
(09:09):
have an eighth commandment thatou shall not steal fifty dollars? No,
how about zero?
Speaker 3 (09:15):
So I led the recall effort in Alameda County, where
I was a prosecutor, they elected a defund the police
prosecutor who was not going to prosecute. As a policy
most misdemeanor crimes, would not charge gun enhancements, which gave
prosecutors the ability to really seek justice when somebody used
(09:37):
a firearm. She didn't across the board would not charge
a gun enhancement, would deal triple homicides for one count
of voluntary manslaughter. So someone who would face their entire
life in prison would get out in eight or nine years.
And so the community was outraged. And what frustrated me
was that almost no elected Democrats in my district. We're
(10:02):
willing to speak out against her.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Now.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
When I led the recall and I endorsed the recall,
which was successful, many of them privately were thanking me
that I did it, but they were just so afraid
that they would be attacked, as you know, against criminal
justice reform. And I was like, that's not You're not
against criminal justice reform. You're against crime.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
So you know, you know what I see it the
way I see it as this, because you know, they
have to speak out. They would actually do themselves a
service if they're speaking out, because they're representing the customers
at California, the customers of the community, and they are
they don't want to enforce misdemeanors.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Those are our laws. And we have the same thing
on the opposite side, where we've got Trump and the
mafia of Trump violating every law, I mean, violating our constitution.
We haven't changed our constitution, have we did that mean something? No?
But you know, do we still have an emoluments clause?
We do?
Speaker 3 (11:05):
And you know, I want to tell you I talked
to a friend of mine yesterday who's a judge in
the Bay area, and he just called a check in
on me to see how I was doing. He knew
about all the threats we'd been receiving, but he said
he is starting to see this trickle down effect in
his own courtroom of just everyday folks just kind of
(11:27):
flippantly not following court orders. And he's like, I can't
directly connect it to the way the president's acting, but
I can tell you that since he's come into office,
I've seen more and more people just believe, like, well,
if he doesn't have to follow the law, Like why
do I.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Wait, it was so good. I think it's both It's
both side. Eric, Okay, this is how bad it's gotten
that the Democrats on the ultraliberal side said that, hey,
don't prosecute. You know, you can push police officers, you
can have no respect for law. We can steal up
(12:05):
to nine hundred and fifty dollars. And on the opposite side,
you've got Trump.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
And his goons of.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
You know, thieves who don't want to earn a living wage.
Excuse me an honest wage. They don't want to earn
an honest wage. They just want to take Neither side
wants to serve the customer of California. There's no rule
of Law's just no rule of law whatsoever on either side.
(12:37):
And we got to get back to that hard center
where there are laws, we have laws. We have to
respect one another and collaborate with one another. I mean,
you come from a family a police officer, is really interesting.
You come up from a Republican family, So how's Thanksgiving
at your house?
Speaker 1 (12:56):
You?
Speaker 3 (12:56):
Being a Democratic mom had to implement a no hat rule.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
What's the no hat? Well, my brothers would fuck.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
With me and wear you know, maga hats at Thanksgiving,
which is fine.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
That's what brothers do. You know what, I'm gonna give
you one of my hats inclusive. You're gonna wear your
inclusive hat to the next Thanksgiving and you can wear
you know what.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
You know what I'm gonna make you you. I'm gonna
give me your give me your family's number.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
I'm a swag back. I'm sending a swag bag of
inclusive hats.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
You're gonna have to wear for Thanksgiving inclusive hats this
year and represent you.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
Know so, let me let me tell you on Just
to put a pin on my approach to criminal justice,
I also believe that like when a cop sucks up
and dishonors their oath, yep, you have to call them out.
We had when I was in the office. I came
up in the alme To County DIA's office at a
pretty consequential time in Bay Area history because I was
(13:51):
there when uh a bart police officer killed Oscar gray
It and you probably remember the horrible image he was
on top of him and Grant's hand hands were behind
his back and the officer shot him in the back.
And our office prosecuted that case. And it wasn't easy,
(14:13):
you know, law enforcement officers were upset. But my boss,
who made the decision, was like, look like when they
mess up, like we have to hold him accountable. And
that's why I think like there is a great, big
center where most of us live, which is you prosecute
crimes and you hold cops accountable when they mess up,
and you can do both of that. So going back
to my family, Yeah, so my dad was a cop
(14:37):
and he got taken out to Iowa by my mom.
She had she was born in South Dakota, had an
opportunity to be a police chief a town of a
couple thousand, a police department of nine sworn officers. But
he was a police chief and he was thirty three
years old. And so my earliest memory was my mom
(15:01):
and dad at night for a couple of weeks talking
about my dad getting fired. And I didn't understand because
I was six, Like what they meant. I thought like
literally he was gonna be thrown in a fire. So
I remember being scared, and that's why it's such a
long lasting memory. But what happened is that he came
(15:23):
in and they thought they were getting this California trained
cop in this you know, kind of small town environment.
Who could He brought the nine one one system to them.
They didn't have nine one one. You didn't call, you
couldn't call anyone one. He brought new methods of training
and so he kind of upgraded the force. But what
(15:46):
he did that they didn't like was he enforced the law.
And there was this good old boys network who didn't
want that to happen. So he he told the fireman
that you can't drink at the firehouse when you're on duty,
and that they didn't like that. So that's not saying
we can't have you driving around under the influence when
you're on duty. So that he pissed off the firefighters.
(16:09):
There was a burglary ring in town and everyone wanted
him to find out who was breaking into everyone's houses.
He did, and it turned out, yeah, it was some
of the kids teenagers of the good old boy network,
and then they wanted the cases to go away. But
it all came to a head in a very Iowa fashion.
It was the Kasooth County Fair and the mayor and
(16:30):
two council members had parked in the fire lane to
get the best parking spot to go into the fair,
and another officer contacted my dad and said, hey, these
guys say they can park wherever they want. They're on
the mayor there. It's the mayor and the city council.
What do you want me to do? My dad said,
give them one more warning and if they don't move,
you got a ticket and tow them. And they wouldn't move,
(16:53):
And so my dad had them ticketed and towed. And
at the next at the next badass, that's something you do.
So at the next city council meeting, the mayor calls
my dad to the carpet and says, at an open
city council meeting, yeah, if you don't reverse these tickets, yeah,
(17:14):
I have the votes to fire you. My dad said,
I'm not reversing the tickets. So he fought him for
a couple of weeks. Refused to do it, and my
dad got fired and so we packed up our little
family we moved out west. That's how I became a Californian.
He hates when I tell the story because to him,
he's just a man who lost his job, and it was.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
No, your dad's a bad motherfucker. He's a badass. You
know what, Now I know where you get a little
that from. Now I get it.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
I get it.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
So Stephen, I've I feel guilty that I for many
years just assumed and maybe this is like the lawyer
braining me. I assumed there was like another side of
the story, right, like, yes, I'm sure he did the
right thing, but I'm sure there was another side of
the story. That's how a lawyer thinks. So when I
ran for president, I knew I'd be spending a lot
of time in Iowa, and so I researched the story
(18:04):
because I figured I might be asked about it. Yeah,
if it was like a well known story, all of
the papers that I read, including the Des Moines Register,
like the paper of record in Iowa, could not believe
how nakedly transparent the mayor and city council were and
back my dad all the way. So he told it
to me exactly how it happened, and to me, the
(18:24):
lesson there was, you have to be willing to lose
your job if it means doing the right thing, and
he was. But you're never going to be a police
officer again and it killed him.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
What's that?
Speaker 3 (18:37):
It just like kills him that he could never be
a police officer again.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
And you know what, bravo, bravo, bravo, because you have
to have integrity and he has got that. Yeah, he's
get character, he's got integrity, and you always have to
be willing to lose that job.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
To do the right thing. And I have no fucking idea.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
I think I do how we got to where we
are today because I think the candidate we Democrats are
big doubt put out. There was just so tone deaf,
no eq no iq. Because we should never have lost
to what we have before us today.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
Yeah, I mean, I also say, not ideal to have
a hundred day runway. And frankly we should have had
a primary like we I think voters are pissed off.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
I'll tell you this, and I say this, you know,
I don't know how well you knew my adopted dad, Harry.
If Harry was live, Harry would have pushed for a
contested convention and he would have had the fight of
fights to show the cream rising to the top of
our party rather than having battlefield promotion. Okay, she was
(20:02):
weak in nineteen. She really did nothing as vice president,
and you know, she couldn't even handle the border other
than going once but not getting anything done. She's never
signed the front of a check.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
But I think and.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
All she pushes putting a really hard situation. But we look,
I'm not saying anybody other than we we let it happen.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
We let it happen. We all have to take responsibility
for this, including myself. I didn't yell loud enough.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
I didn't yell enough.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
So that's what it's got to come down to now.
And we have to, as Democrats, you know, grab our
brass balls and those that don't have them get the
fuck out of the room.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
We have an opportunity to save this train wreck. Like
it's it's a bit.
Speaker 3 (20:56):
It was a major stepback losing last November, a major,
major fucking setback, right, And I see it as democracy
essentially sits on four legs as far as being protected
from fascist So you have a check by Congress, yeah,
(21:19):
that's built into the constitution. You have independent courts, yep.
You have a free press, yep, and you have the
town square full of people yep. The check by Congress
is gone.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
There's no check by Congress.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
It's a rubber stamp, it's a co signing of what
he's doing. So it's sitting on three legs, and a
table can sit on three legs the other three. The
press are still fiercely covering this guy, many of them.
The courts. He's getting his ass kicked there. Trump judges
are throwing his cases out, and the town squares are full.
The No King's Day rallies over two thousand rallies, six
(21:54):
million Americans, biggest rally weekend ever. So to me, if
those three hold, we can get to the midterms. We
need to win three seats in the midterms, get the
majority in the House, and then now you have all
four legs, and then you have to really hold on
(22:14):
type over those next two years as we go into
twenty eight.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
Well, can we just make sure we have can can
we get away from in our big party of using
just caustic language of Ola Garkt went from millionaire billionaire
to now Ola.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
Gark Can we stop this? What's wrong with?
Speaker 2 (22:35):
What is wrong with people doing well and everyone else
wanting everyone else to do well? Why is there such
this hard line in the Democratic Party of not embracing
everyone's success, why.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
We should root for success.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
And I say that as a kid who grew up
living in thirteen different houses, I went.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
To eleven in schools before I graduated high school.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
And my parents would tell anyone who said that as
Republicans they were voting against their interests. My mom would
tell you, my interest is in being is in not
being poor. My interest is in being rich. And I
think too often we're seeing as champions of the middle class,
(23:22):
but keeping you pinned in the middle class. And I
think we have a real opportunity with Trump, who is
clearly only for the billionaire bros, that we can, of
course be champions of the middle class, but have this
mindset that in a free market economy is opposed to
a free for all economy. If you work hard, you
(23:45):
should be able to do better for yourself and dream
bigger for your kids. And as my colleague Ruben Geigo says,
if that means getting the big fucking truck.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
That you want, great like that, that's if that's what
you want, you should get it, that's right. And if
you want, if you don't want, if you want to
work really really hard to send your kid to an
Ivy League school, you should be able.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
To work really hard to do that. That's the American dream.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
And if you want to buy a rolex, go buy rolex.
And if you want a second house, great, If you
want to take your kids to Hawaii, you should be
able to do that and.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
Not feel bad about it.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
No, you should embrace it. And you should then help
your neighbor do the same if they want. That's where
we serve and they want to be served. That's the
big difference between us and them. And I say us
in them. I think there's more of us in the
big center, but there's no bravado in that center where
(24:48):
there's so many of us that do believe in fiscal responsibility, okay,
knowing where the money is being spent because it's our money.
There's so many of us that believe in executing on
what you say you're.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Going to do.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
And enforcing our laws and living within our laws. Pretty
simple concepts. And you know, we are built on a
country of immigrants.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
What is just boggles my mind is the President of
the United States, you know who I've met, you know
in business, and then socially he's married to an immigrant,
I mean, and he is such a conundrum of juxtaposition
(25:41):
and this whip saw he's created. He thinks it's reality
TV every day. We've had enough of reality TV because
it's taken us decades at decades and decades to build
this great brand of the United States of America.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
He's actually the best brand in the world. Tourism is
an export.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
Tourism is an export trust But yeah, I know, you know,
I ran tourism and he wants to kill Brand USA now.
And this guy's allegedly in the hospitality business. And then
but when we talk about immigration, this whip saw of
those that are adding value to our agricultural system, those
that also add value in our hospitality system. He says,
(26:26):
we are going to look after these people that may
not be perfectly into their pathway of citizenship, which is
another talk.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
We'll get into it for a second. And we're going
to come after you. We're not going to come after you.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
But at the same time, we're going to have these
these these gestapoesque ice officers who were giving no protection
to no perimeter and creating just just controversy all over
the place and more of a million police state. It
reminds me of COVID A little bit where he created
the hunger games, States against states back instead of having
(27:08):
the federal government protected. How about we were at a
point where there was there was a bipartisan bill was
a year and a half ago.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
Right yep, Resources at the border.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
Resources and eighty It would have solved eighty percent of
pathway to citisens JIP problems.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Right yes, And for.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
Whatever reason, Trump hijacked that and we didn't fight hard
enough as Democrats to keep it.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
Why, Here's what I've learned. I've been in Congress for
thirteen years, and I actually think this issue is quite easy,
and we've overcomplicated.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
We complication. Look, my whole deal is simple solutions for
a better life. There are simple solutions.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
I have seen more policy papers that are written forty
to fifty sixty pages, Rip them up, throw them in
the garbage.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Is a simple solution. So tell me what you think.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Secure the border absolutely, like, there should be no question
in anyone's mind as to whether the border is secure. Correct,
Have as many barriers at the border that you need
to secure the border. Increase the number of judges who
can adjudicate the cases of the people who are here,
and then attack the workforce crisis, hospitality, agriculture. As a
(28:24):
parent of three little kids, childcare, and most Americans, if
they believe the border secure, they'll go all in with
you on legal immigration.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
And what that bipartisan bill was to do.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Yes in party, Yes, it wasn't going to be perfect.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
No, but why couldn't you know? We got this hijacked.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
Trump wanted the fiction rather than the fix. He wanted
to have the crisis as an issue rather than to
fix it. And Democrats were seen as weak and not
serious about the border.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
And and that was a problem.
Speaker 2 (28:59):
Frankly, Well, because you had a vice president didn't do shit.
I don't blame her for that idea, you know what,
because I didn't see the results. Yeah, and I have
worked with her in the past, and she's never sat
in the front of a check.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
I think the president could have.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
It's the president one hundred percent with the president, And
you know what, and the people around him didn't take
it as seriously enough and listen to what the customers
of America were talking about, right, And we lost that fight.
We lost the election there, and we lost the election
(29:35):
on affordability eggs, bread, milk, cheese, gas.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
But here's the other.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
Piece of this that I'm willing. I don't want to
say compromise. I actually think this is what a lot
of families are asking for. We have fought so hard
for a quote pathway to citizenship and Republicans and like
there's I don't know why they approach it this way.
They think we're just trying to import new citizens wh
(30:00):
will vote for Democrats, which completely ignores that, like we're
losing Latino.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
Voters by the way.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
But the truth is, if you attack the workforce crisis,
a lot of folks who want to work here, they're
not even asking for citizenship, and so you could attack
that crisis with like long term work visus. Make sure
they're paid what they deserve to be paid.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
But I think the paying into our social Security system
and they're paying into our Medicare system, and they're not
gaining the benefits of this, Okay, so they're actually added value.
We've lost the message against Democrats. They're a creative to us.
They deliver and produce our food. They are there to
(30:45):
serve us. And by the way, our president would have
probably no one working at mar Lago. Yeah you want
to check his w nins not he does, He won't
release his tax return, so I'm sure he's not going
to release his w knins, does he? I would love somebody.
I would love somebody to go in. Let's go raid
mar Lago and check W nine's. I'm gonna check all
(31:06):
the W ninees at mar Lago. Okay, I want to
know if he's ever paid cash to somebody working at
one of his golf courses.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Do you think he dips when he when he plays golf.
He cheats when he plays golf.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
I cheat, but my district, I don't know if you
knew this, you should if you're running for governor. Of
my constituents were born outside the United States. That's one
interesting data point. What's really interesting is that of the
four hundred and thirty five congressional districts in the country,
(31:41):
we are the eighth wealthiest district. No thanks to me,
I'm not contributing to.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
That wealth, but to me that now you're actually serving
and working for the people.
Speaker 3 (31:49):
But that's the straight line, right. You've got forty percent
of the constituents came here from their countries, left everything,
brought resilience, a spirit of hard work, believe that in
America like they could contribute and do better, and they
created the eighth wealthiest congression. That to me is the
argument for getting this right.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
We all do better.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
Oh, my grandfather came in the early nineteen hundreds. I
am a product of immigration. He came here when immigration,
and this is where I'm going to bring back. Can
we bringing back sanity and humanity?
Speaker 3 (32:32):
Let me ask you about I'm hearing so I'm a
again law enforcement upbringing. When I saw these ICE officers
at first roaming our communities masked, I figured they would
just say, well, that's an officer safety thing, etc. And
it occurred to me, there's no other force in America
(32:56):
that regularly is in our community doing routine operations masked.
They're not doing swat operations against like armed and dangerous individuals.
They're going to car washes, They're going in, you know,
to farm fields. And I didn't appreciate. I don't think
at first how much that bothers every day people.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
Well, let me tell you this. So I became very
very close.
Speaker 2 (33:29):
To the folks at Ice and Customs and Borders, and
I became very close to those of the State Department
when I ran tours from the United States, because I
spent the time and I toured our ports of entry
to understand what we do in America does a great
job of protecting our borders. Matter of fact, if we
find somebody that gets deported. People were under the false
(33:53):
impression that we, as Americans, paid for it. No, it
was the airlines that allowed them to come.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
In, so we did not even for it. And when
I created the Tourist Department the United States, I said
to all the officers, I said, look, I understand what
you do.
Speaker 2 (34:10):
And it gets a little mundane at times. I said,
you know, can you like smile and say welcome to
the United States. Because all of these beautiful people from
all over the world that wanted to come here, they
were spending substantial money here to see our great land.
And you know, we did an analysis where those in
(34:31):
Europe spent about a thousand dollars a week and Brazil
was two thousand a week, and in Asia they're spending
four thousand dollars a week. And when they left, and
I said to the officers, ken, you smile and say
thanks for coming. And we had to retrain the officers
because they came from a militant leadership style and we
(34:54):
had to totally work really hard on this, and we
took some officers out of duty and put them to
you know, some border psychology.
Speaker 3 (35:03):
It's called primacy and recency. People will remember the first
thing I saw.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
So we say when we develop it's the necktie, it's Disneyland,
treat everyone with respect. A customer you want something to
get more than they bargain for. And you know what,
I've talked to officers of recent and the gentleman that's
running ICE today is not the gentleman that used to
run ICE ten years ago. And everyone keys of leadership,
(35:32):
that's right.
Speaker 3 (35:34):
And what fish shots from the head down, right, I mean, that's.
Speaker 1 (35:36):
The fish always watched from the head down. And I'm
telling you this.
Speaker 2 (35:38):
There are officers today that are terrified of actually doing
their job. And you know why they are wearing masks
because they don't like doing their job. If you really
want to ask them, they are terrified of doing their job.
They don't like doing it, but they have to do it.
Speaker 3 (35:52):
You know, my dad would have done what this And
you know that's why I think if and I've told
our our democratic leadership, when we're in the majority and
we have the leverage the power of the person, we
can write laws. We have to make them unmasked. And
then the reason I say that, I don't want any
I don't want any of them to get hurt. But
(36:15):
I sincerely believe if they had to conduct themselves the
way that every other officer in America goes into the community,
they're not.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
Going to do it. So, you know what, they're actually
acting as cartel members, That's what they because cartel members
wear masks. That's what it looks like. You know what.
Speaker 2 (36:36):
But they are arresting anybody and everybody because they have
quotas because there it's being run by a quotas. You
don't run based on a quota system. Where is the
sanity of humanity? But I think, I but how can
how can we absolutely rough up American citizens everyone? You know,
(36:58):
it's funny in America you're innocent till proven guilty, and
it's different Mexico. You're guilty until proven innocent. Doesn't it
seem special?
Speaker 1 (37:10):
Well, guess what?
Speaker 2 (37:12):
Sure seems to me that people are guilty now till
proven innocent in America? When did that change?
Speaker 1 (37:18):
Did you guys chose that? Long comers, because it seems
like you did.
Speaker 3 (37:21):
Well, we have a mad king who's trying to.
Speaker 2 (37:23):
Wait, we have a mad king. But what are you
guys going to do about it? When are your Republican
brethren going to get their set of balls and start
protecting their constituents? All I forget, they won't even go
into their districts anymore because you're going into their districts.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
They won't hold Tell me how you doing that?
Speaker 2 (37:40):
How can these people not go into their districts and
you are taking Why are how many other congressional leaders
are doing this?
Speaker 1 (37:48):
What you're doing is fantastic, By the way, thank you.
Speaker 3 (37:51):
They don't have the balls to go face their constituents,
So I'm going to go do it. So I'm going
to tonight. I'll be in Mission Viejo in the fortieth
congressional district. I was in Tampa a couple months ago.
I was in Folsome in Kevin Kylie's district last month.
So I'm gonna keep doing it. I have consistent county,
that's right. You know a thing or two about that
(38:11):
Western County. I did a town hall of my district
last month, and I think I have license from my
constituents to do this because they recognize that unless we're
in the majority that all the issues they have at
our town halls can't be addressed. So I'm grateful to
them that they allow me to do this. They almost
invite me and expect me to do.
Speaker 1 (38:31):
You like the congressmen to the congressmen in California.
Speaker 3 (38:35):
And you know who shows up a lot of Republicans
and what I do in the very beginning, You know what.
Speaker 2 (38:43):
Eric, California is so unique. We're Californians. We got California values.
California is so different. This this You know when I
when I see some of the silly stuff in California,
there is like sixty eight percent of us I have
even done the poll, sixty eight percent of us. We
have California values. We got California Riz as the kids
(39:03):
call it today. And there's some of us that know
the assignment. We actually get it because we grew up
this way. We're not going to forget. But then you
got some like militant assholes like Sheriff Bianco that's running
around California running for governor in his badge emblem holster
in his cop car, and he thinks that's okay when
(39:25):
it's against California law. He even thinks he's above a law.
I mean, there's this whole group of magaism that believes
they are above the law. And then it's on, like
we said earlier, on the democratic side, where there are
some liberal democrats believe there should be no laws, free
for all, steel take.
Speaker 1 (39:47):
You know, that's just what the fuck? It's just silly.
Speaker 3 (39:52):
So let me h.
Speaker 1 (39:53):
I see, I didn't know you wrote a book. Which books?
I'm just talking with you. I know you wrote a book. Oh,
you just talk about the well you're trying to now,
you know what? You know what.
Speaker 2 (40:06):
I'm gonna tell you something if you really want to
get into it that way. Who's the bread winner in
your house?
Speaker 3 (40:14):
I'm the bread loser. You're talking to the bread loser.
My wife would say, I have a hobby, she has
a job.
Speaker 1 (40:20):
You can't even buy your wife a dice in hair dryer?
I can, I cannot. That is one hundred trip you
know what, I will? You know what? You're definitely you're
not a real man. I'm a real man. No, I
don't know about that. You can't afford a dice in
hair drying? Matter of fact, what ye wu? What is
so special hair dryer?
Speaker 3 (40:42):
Why does she keep asking for it she wants the dice.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
In hair d I would get her a goddamn you
know what if I have to buy her a dice
in hair dryer.
Speaker 3 (40:49):
Probably there's a rule that says you can't. Like Trump
can get a plane from the Qataris, but you probably
can't buy her a dice and hair dryer.
Speaker 1 (40:55):
Believe No. Yeah, yeah, you know why I can. Yeah,
just to have a pre existing reallylationship and your family.
You know why I know your family? Yeah? Because you
wear my clothes.
Speaker 3 (41:05):
I did wear I forgot to bring a coat yesterday
I had an event.
Speaker 1 (41:08):
You wear my clothes all the time.
Speaker 3 (41:12):
You wear you're going to take credit for the Canadian
tuxedo here.
Speaker 1 (41:15):
No, I wouldn't wear the ship you're wearing right now.
Speaker 3 (41:18):
That's that's your own socks. Do you need to borrow socks?
Speaker 2 (41:21):
No, because you know what, after you worked really hard
in life. If you don't want to wear socks, you
don't have to.
Speaker 1 (41:27):
There you go. It was Father's Day this past I
don't have a watch. You do you know why you're
still aspiring? Yeah, I am. I don't. I don't even
wear watches. I have no jewelry. I don't wear a watch.
I know why. Yeah, I don't weary. You don't wear
a watch. No, I don't wear a watch because I
(41:48):
have a phone that tells me the time, you know,
and I kind of know the time of day.
Speaker 3 (41:55):
Let me so, speaking of time, it was Father's Day
this past weekend. And so I have an eight year old,
six year old a four year old. You know that
my eight year old loves you, calls you mister Steven.
And I guess what impresses me is every time I'm
at your house, you are in the kitchen, like making
(42:18):
the meal for all of us, and you always tell
anyone helping that like you've done, You've gone from bus boy.
Speaker 1 (42:25):
To the boardroom.
Speaker 3 (42:27):
So thinking about like raising kids today and they're so
connected to their devices and you don't want them to
have the same struggles that you had, But like, what
are some of the what do you think are some
of the important values that young kids need to learn
it today? That are like is to use You're thrown
(42:48):
around these weird gen z terms, but like I guess
that are like evergreen, Like what's a what's the evergreen ever?
Speaker 1 (42:55):
And it's funny, yet I just try to pay attention
to it, you know, the music. I try to. You know,
I have friends my age and they are they are old.
Speaker 2 (43:05):
I mean, I even look at the governor today, he's
got over the last two weeks as hair went from.
Speaker 3 (43:10):
Have you talked to any young woman in America, they
would not say that about it.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
No. If you look at his hair, he looks good.
No he No, he had like like last two weeks
he had dark hair. Now he's got white hair. Something happened.
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (43:22):
Okay, values evergreen values, you know what.
Speaker 2 (43:25):
By the way, when he sees this, yeah, because I'm
sure he's gonna watch it. I make you a bet
after he watched this, he's gonna die his hair.
Speaker 1 (43:34):
He's gonna die his hair because you know what. I
don't know. But if you dye your hair, can you
put hair gel in your hair? I'm sure you can't.
I don't know, I don't know. No.
Speaker 2 (43:44):
What's important is this? What's important is integrity? Yeah, never
bust the trust.
Speaker 1 (43:56):
Brand? Character and you could build whatever brand or a character.
Do you want to be?
Speaker 2 (44:01):
Do you want to be a leader or part of
the ensemble? Financial responsibility? Financial responsibility and lastly, serve be
a good human to others. Always ask if you can
help serve. It's never about and this is the ethos
(44:26):
that I've tried to ingrain in my children. I would
say this to your children too, because they're close enough to.
Speaker 1 (44:31):
Be my kids. And if you lie, you die. Yeah.
This is our family name, it's your name. Actually it's
your brand.
Speaker 2 (44:41):
And you want to be a leader or part of
the ensemble financial integrity, Know your numbers, be responsible, live
within your means, aspire, do whatever you want in life,
and I will embrace it and help you get there.
Work hard, get up early, stay late, go to work
with a run.
Speaker 1 (45:00):
He knows. And you know it's important that.
Speaker 2 (45:07):
We're not helicopter parents, because it's really the last thing
I'll tell you is this, because I just had this.
Speaker 1 (45:12):
With my middle son. Yeah, he said, hey, we're equals.
I'm like, son, we are never good out to be equals.
I am your father.
Speaker 2 (45:23):
Yeah, And I was never equal with my father, and
I respected him to the day he died. Even though
I took care of him, I showed him respect. And
you will show me the same respect.
Speaker 1 (45:35):
So never cave into We are equals, and you will
raise great kids. I know this.
Speaker 2 (45:41):
You are great parents, and you and your wife, Brittany,
and you've got great children, and I'm so grateful you're
here today.
Speaker 1 (45:48):
This has been fun.
Speaker 3 (45:49):
Then you have to tell you. My son had one
of his friends over the other night and he did
this weird flex in front of his friend. He said, hey, Alexa,
who are Eric Swawell's children? And Alexa named our kids
and I pulled them aside. Once his friend went home,
(46:12):
I said, don't ever do that again. And I said, like,
you are my son, but you are your own name.
Like I do not think you're like hot ship because
you're related to me, Like you have to be your
own person.
Speaker 1 (46:30):
And yeah, you know what I would do. You're on
the INTELL He's like, what are you talking about? But
I'm trying to teach your business and unattended consequences. Yeah,
and I think through this ship because I've got you know, uh,
you know a I too. I blocked my kids on
AI doesn't even say they exist. So you're on the
(46:50):
Intel committee, I was, Yeah, you were on the Intel.
Do you know anyone at Google? Yes? Where is that
where alexis from? Yeah? On Amazon? You know anyone there?
I do? Do you know Bezos? I don't know.
Speaker 3 (47:04):
I'm not going to the wedding, Oh weekend, I think
next weekend, but keep going.
Speaker 1 (47:10):
Why don't you just call them and just block it?
Speaker 3 (47:13):
Take They don't think you was just on create all
sorts of other trump But I guess my point is
it's just just don't you wanted him to have everything?
But I also want him to You have to.
Speaker 1 (47:26):
Kick and what you did.
Speaker 2 (47:27):
You you were actually actually a good father, okay, being
a father. They don't teach you how to be a
mother or father. There's no schooling for this. And you
cannot be your child's best friend. You have to be
a leader, leader's lead, and you're gonna have to make
some tough decisions as a father, and you got to
(47:49):
hold the line.
Speaker 1 (47:50):
Hold that line. Hold.
Speaker 2 (47:52):
The minute you break that line, everything falls apart, and
you will you're not doing a service for your kids, yeah,
you know, doing a service at all.
Speaker 1 (48:02):
What are the questions to have me? I want to
ask you one last question. Yeah, so this is a question.
I don't know I've ever asked you this question. If
you could be with.
Speaker 2 (48:13):
One person on planet Earth that is no longer with us,
that's no longer with us, no longer with us, you
know it could be like George Washington, Einstein, Aristotle, a relative.
Speaker 1 (48:29):
Who would you like to be with that has passed
away and hang out for a day with? I think
I would.
Speaker 3 (48:40):
I love Teddy Roosevelt just because he was his own man.
He had high highs, low lows, picked some stupid fights,
but was kind of a political athlete. But I think
always did it from like a place of integrity. And
(49:03):
the only common thread you could connect among who his
enemies were is that they were corrupt and they were
both parties. I mean, he just he just spoke truth
to power, and I guess going back to where we started,
it just reminds me of my dad. Like if my dad,
(49:27):
I don't think I tell him enough. I mean, he's
the most influential person in my life.
Speaker 1 (49:32):
What are you going to do when your dad passes?
Speaker 3 (49:34):
Yeah, I'm trying to think about that. It's uh, it's tough.
He's almost almost eighties and good, good shape. I hope
just continue to model what he taught me, because he
he worked hard to try and give us the most
he could. But the values that he gave me and
(49:55):
my brothers, I think is you know, that's priceless. And
we'll stay with us and we passed along to our kids,
and I think I get so busy I don't reach
out to him as often.
Speaker 1 (50:09):
The Michigan you're you're thinking about this? Yeah, like deep, Yeah,
you haven't told them enough, have you? No? Absolutely not.
Speaker 4 (50:20):
So when we're done here, give him a call, tell
them more. Yeah, you're about ready to cry. It's uh, well,
he's yeah, he's.
Speaker 1 (50:31):
An impressive Look at you. You have not said this enough.
Speaker 2 (50:37):
Because I know, I just I just YEA made you
think about something, and this is something that I learned,
And this is you know how special my father was
with me, and how special Harry Reid was with me.
Speaker 3 (50:52):
They're all over the house like they're it's like they're still.
Speaker 2 (50:55):
There in my house every day and I don't make
a decision without kind of talking to them. And I
listened to them and their voice is going, you're still
out of your mind, Stephen, in a in a good way.
But so I just give you one brotherly piece of advice.
Spend more time with your dad because you're so busy
(51:17):
and there'll be day will you.
Speaker 1 (51:20):
Go, why didn't I do more? Uh?
Speaker 3 (51:23):
Huh?
Speaker 1 (51:25):
All right, man, it's been fun.
Speaker 3 (51:28):
Jo
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