The Stephen J. Cloobeck Podcast - #005 Dr. Frank Luntz

Stephen welcomes American political and communications consultant/pollster Dr. Frank Luntz.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Stephen Kluban Jake Carhead lead us to the promised letter
Jo Barrio Get Blue.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
The guy Wi.

Speaker 1 (00:20):
Stephen Come Hi, Welcome to UH the latest edition of
Stephen J. Klueback my podcast, and I have again with
me today another very very dear friend. And on all
of the shows so far, we've we've had dear friends
of mine come on. We've we've known each other for
a long time. But it's one of my oldest friends.

(00:41):
And I'm privileged to have Frank Lone here today. Thanks
Frank for coming.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
So you just said Jay, your middle name is Jay.
I don't know if you know this, but I asked
Donald Trump because his middle name is Jay.

Speaker 1 (00:52):
What does it Jay?

Speaker 2 (00:53):
And Donald J. Trump stands for?

Speaker 1 (00:55):
You know?

Speaker 2 (00:56):
You tell me what genius?

Speaker 1 (01:00):
I'll get it.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
I get it.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
Well, that says everything about him.

Speaker 2 (01:03):
Let the record show that the camera guy behind there
was trying not to be heard as he was laughing.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
It's kind of true. We both know him, we all
know him. We've had experiences with DJT as he loves
to be called an interesting fella.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Yes, in both good and bad ways. Significant ways are
then having conversations with candidates like you Republicans and Democrats
about where America is going. And he's clearly probably has
the greatest impact of any individual right now in terms

(01:45):
of who we are as a country, who we are
as a people. And I know that this podcast you're
gonna ask me questions, but I'm going to ask you
to start this off since this is genuine and authentic
and random. It is you think he's having a positive
or negative force on America.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
I think he's getting America to realize and analyze who
America really is and what America should become. I think
it's a defining moment. And you know, look, Frank, you
and I have known each other at almost thirty years,
and we started off in doing business together. No, we

(02:25):
started off doing a project in Las Vegas potentially, and
then we ended up doing business together a project for
the community at the time because I was the chairman
of the Strip in Las Vegas. And we became fast friends,
and you learned my business, which you knew nothing of,
and we learned from each other. But the more I've

(02:46):
been with you, I've listened to all your great experiences
and embracing why words matter. I mean, in one of
your most prolific books, words that work. I learned a lot,
and I've learned so much from you in the way

(03:06):
I listen to people and really understanding the customer. And
I've learned now even today that I'm now involved in
politics much more so on the front facing side, not
behind the scenes, how words matter and how they're impactful.
And more importantly, you taught me in the customer business
and the hospitality business, always listen to my customer and

(03:29):
deliver what they're looking for equal or better. Now today
going back to our President DJT. Donald A. Trump for
a guy that is all about P. T. Barnum, which
I've got some of that in me too, I mean
all of us that are in the hospitality business or marketers.

(03:51):
Mister Wynn see when he's a great example of that,
and others.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
I do want to point out also, and I'm going
to do this as we go through this, there's a
level of candor that you just distributed, just demonstrated, I
should say, which you did not do when we first
met twenty nine years ago.

Speaker 1 (04:10):
I'm more secure with myself today because of my success
and the things you've taught me. No, you've taught me
a lot and You've taught me to lean into who
I really am, and I've been now said I'm unapologetically
authentic all the time, but I've warmed the compassion which

(04:31):
I embrace. I lean into that because I am, and
I'm not afraid of that, and I lead with integrity.
And what I see in our president Donald J. Trump,
he has no integrity, he has no morals, and I
think he's bankrupting America of its integrity and morals.

Speaker 2 (04:48):
So if I can, and you know that, I've been
critical of him in the past, but I was doing
an interview yesterday with the Times of London and I
realized just how successful he has been. Wise. You look
at the British government, which is where the Times publishes,
and they have a tremendous majority and they've succeeded in

(05:08):
almost nothing. You look at Donald Trump. He said he
was going to change Medicaid. He's done it. He said
he was going to rate and wasteful spending, He's done it.
He said he was going to lower taxes, He's done it.
I don't like the way he has done it, and
that's where you and I agree, and the language that
he uses. So how are you able in a state
like California that's clearly one of the worst performing states.

(05:31):
Beautiful weather, wonderful.

Speaker 1 (05:34):
Beaches, everyone's paying a toll to live here.

Speaker 2 (05:37):
And how are you going to be able to do
this without using the language that the President uses.

Speaker 1 (05:47):
By listening to the customers of California and delivering to
them equally greater value and delivering performance and results with
warmth and compassion is not going to be enough. It's
going to be enough when you couple it with growing
the great exports of this state that not have been

(06:08):
grown properly, and letting people know California is open for business.
So I've said the following that we collectively together. I'm
a wee person. I'm a unifier. I don't like to resist.
I don't want to even throw stones when people say, well,
the Republicans could do a better job because the Democrats suck,
or the stone throwing. I'm trying to rise above that

(06:31):
and go to the next hybrid higher level where we
can have difficult discussions, hard truth discussions that, as you
told me, the people want to and desire to have
and need to have and show them results and to
do it. That's a true self serving in not a

(06:56):
self serving way like the president is, but in a
form of service where you roll up your sleeves and
you do the work. You're not doing for the title
or the money or the power. You're doing it because
you're having a good time doing it, and you'd like
to see happy faces that aspired to greatness. So when
I grew up in California, people had an opportunity to

(07:16):
do whatever they wanted to do, and I did. I
want to bring that back.

Speaker 2 (07:20):
So listen, You've had an amazing company, had a tremendously
successful business career. But and this is a big butt.
We've seen some business people come into politics and they've
been unable to perform. This is a big state with
every problem known to America that is happening right here.

(07:42):
Many of them started right here. Aren't you intimidated by that?

Speaker 1 (07:47):
Well, Frank, you've been with me long enough to know
if I was going to get intimidated. You saw it happen.
If it could have happened when I bought the most
broken company in the hospitality space nobody could fix for
twenty years, coupled with the financial collapse of the world
in eight o nine. You went through that with me,

(08:09):
they're taking my company. Everybody was coming for everybody. We
were bankrupt, but I didn't believe we were bankrupt. I
just kept my head down. You watched it happen.

Speaker 2 (08:22):
Well, I was actually in New York when it was happening.
You're with me, and it's one story that you don't tell,
and I don't understand why you don't tell it, which
is sitting down with these bank leaders in the room,
and I'm going to turn it over to you again
to tell it. But to me, of all the business
experiences I've seen, and I have no problem on this

(08:45):
podcast challenging you, but I've never seen anything like this.
They came for you that day. Can you describe what happened?

Speaker 1 (08:55):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (08:57):
Because you don't, And I don't understand. Why do you
tell it the way you saw it? That they came
for you each day saying your company is now ours,
your balance sheet doesn't work, you're going to fail, and
you never let them do it. You kept pushing and pushing,
and they would close the day by saying, okay, tomorrow,
we're taking your company. And then you come back the

(09:18):
next day and they say, look it doesn't work. We
now own you. Sign over this stuff and you said no,
And day after day you push them and push them
and push them, and you and your leaders in the end,
they decided they're not going to take your company. That
you running it is better than them taking it. And

(09:39):
through sheer, perseverance and unwillingness to give in, you won well.

Speaker 1 (09:47):
And I bring that to California. And I'll tell you this, Rick,
I'm not terrified. I'm not afraid. I'm ready to take
the keys tomorrow. I am ready. I could tonight debate
each and every candidate tonight. I need no prep. I've
done the homework, I've done the due diligence as I've
done with my company, and I will never give up,

(10:08):
and I will fight the fight and I won't let
anyone take it away from us until we win. And
I'll work countless hours and I'll roll up my sleeves
and sweep the floor if I have to, because I
build teams, I fix the most broken, and I deliver

(10:29):
a great experience to my customers.

Speaker 2 (10:31):
And this is this is what California is looking for.
I know this from the research I've done. You have
the attributes. How do Californians know you have the brains?
To do this.

Speaker 1 (10:44):
Well, how do I have the brains because I've done
the research compared to the other candidates, I've signed in
front of a check They've not.

Speaker 2 (10:52):
I actually with that, go with that, Yeah, what have
you done that they haven't? What is your experience that
they don't have? How can I say?

Speaker 1 (10:59):
All?

Speaker 2 (11:00):
At least Stephen J. Klubec can fill in the blank.

Speaker 1 (11:05):
I have created teams from this ground up. I have
fixed teams that have been broke in where the others
have not. They have leadership qualities that have teams collapse
on them all the time. I can go through each
candidates go on, because I've met them all. They've never

(11:25):
signed the front of a check. I don't know one
person that is running for office that signed the front
of a check that's made payroll or that has come
out of their pocket for payroll, or they's signed personally
on debt.

Speaker 2 (11:35):
And why does that matter?

Speaker 1 (11:36):
Because that matters because it's not my money, it's the
people's money, and they all think it's their money. They're
not stewards of other people's money. They've never been stewards
of other people's money. The question is this to the
customers California, who do you want in charge of your checkbook?
Who do you want watching your bank account? That's good.

(11:57):
Who do you want watching your bank account? Out of
every single candidate, who do you want watching your bank account?
Do you want somebody who's proven that's gone through tough times,
that's come out of their pocket for payroll, that's signed
the front of a check, that's created tens of thousands
of jobs, that also will protect and fight for you
and will never give up. You show me any other

(12:18):
candidate that has done those things. Oh, and there's a bonus.
That's also created laws to benefit society for corporate and
social profit. That's also been a regulator that understands the
other side, that's had indictment power, that's also been a judge.
It's been a good father. Let's raised great children. He

(12:39):
has that set his kids to public and private school
as he went to. Also, that's grown up in California
with California values. That was given the dream of California
and was promised to contract and the contract was delivered
and today the contract's not being delivered.

Speaker 2 (12:55):
Okay, you raised the phrase California values. What does that mean?

Speaker 1 (13:00):
California values are very unique. I mean as I've built
my company around the world, and as I was educated
in southern California, we grow up with a vibe. We
grow up with innovation and anything can be done. And
the greatest weather on planet Earth and the greatest geography
on planet Earth. We have it all in California, in
all of our fifty eight counties.

Speaker 2 (13:18):
And why are so many people leaving? Why are so
many businesses leaving?

Speaker 1 (13:22):
So many businesses are leaving and people are leaving because
the contract of the American dream is exacerbated in California.
Because you cannot afford an apartment or have the opportunity
to buy a home. You have government getting in your
way of the way you want to live. You have

(13:44):
government getting in the way of educating your children, you
have government getting in the way of you operating your business.
And it becomes to such a point where you go,
weather's great, but the contract's not filled. I'm not getting
equally greater value to what I'm paying in, but that

(14:05):
could be changed and improved.

Speaker 2 (14:07):
Are people hearing this from you? Are they getting this message?

Speaker 1 (14:10):
Well, this is the message that we are letting people
know of. And it's about letting them know what I've
done and do they want the definition of insanity the
same old, same old, or they had enough? Howard Beale,
are you mad as hell where you can't take it anymore?
I love that. One of the greatest lines ever network,

(14:32):
Howard Beal. And you know I will always fight Frank
you know me so well. When I told you about this,
I was terrified of even telling you and Mike Milkin,
you are the two folks. I'm like, oh shit, how
am I gonna tell? I'm they're going to doing this
after I interviewed every candidate, because you guys are gonna

(14:52):
shit all over me, going what are you doing? Now?
We've know you've done crazy, we know you've done very
difficul Steven he watched it.

Speaker 2 (15:02):
So tell listeners what you've learned from this process.

Speaker 1 (15:06):
I have learned that Californias are hurting. The customer of
California's not getting what they bargained for. The contract has
not been fulfilled by government. Government has become too cumbersome.
There are too many regulations. And don't call me a Republican.
I'm a Democrat. I've gone up as a Democrat my
whole life, a conservative Democrat. But the Democrats I grew

(15:29):
up with that have mentored me understand how to balance
a budget, know how to deliver equal a greater value.
Bill Clinton one oh one balance budget and got rid
of four hundred thousand jobs at the federal level. It
was called reinventing government. So don't tell me I can't
be who I am. I am a Democrat. You know what,

(15:51):
I've done really well in my life, and I'm leaning
into it because I worked really hard and I am
proud that I succeeded, and I want everyone else to
succeed whatever their aspiration is.

Speaker 2 (16:02):
So why this conversation is so interesting for me is
that this is a journey for you, and you're only
at the beginning phase of that journey one hundred percent.
And it's always great to put into the can that
someone can go back and look at this ten years
from now. A journey like this begins with the first step,
and you've taken the first step and the second and

(16:23):
the third, but you're still only at the beginning. It's
going to change as you move forward. Do you feel
different now than you did six months ago?

Speaker 1 (16:34):
I feel much more confident. I feel as if I
could take the keys tomorrow. I have learned enough now
where I know, compared to the other candidates that are running,
I am more qualified than capable of taking the keys tomorrow.
Or I'm still terrified if any one of the other
candidates get elected, because I fear for the benefit of

(16:59):
my children in their future and how much worse it
could really get. Because right now the whole needs to
be plugged and we need to fix the problems within California.

Speaker 2 (17:13):
Okay, then I'm going to do it in a way
that normally people don't do, which is I'm going to
give you examples of people, and I want you to
explain why you're the right person at the right time
to do the job. Well, I'm an eighteen year old,
just graduate from my school, preparing to go to college.

(17:34):
I'm an adult for the first time, I can cast
a vote, and I have no savings. I have a
lot of dreams and no way to make them happen.
Why should I pay more attention to Steven J.

Speaker 1 (17:46):
Kluberg Because I'm going to ask you this question. Is
I just had this a very similar conversation with the
gentleman that was working for the summer and he said,
should I go to secondary school law or business school?
And I said, I don't know. Let's find out what
you'd like to do in life, because there's two ways
of learning. There's academic learning or in the street on

(18:08):
the job learning. Where you're going to get the best
return for your time and the amount of money you
are going to have to borrow or get from your
parents or figure out how you're going to finance it
through financial aid. What are you going to do? Let's
talk about that. What's the return on investment? So I
would say to the eighteen year old, do you really

(18:29):
need to go to college? What would you like to
do in life? Because college is not a requirement to
be successful in life. Do you have people around that
can teach you what you'd like to do? Is there
a better way, more efficient way of you becoming who
you'd like to become? What do you want to achieve

(18:49):
in life? Where do you want to live? Do you
want to own a home? I want to travel the world.
What are your goals? How do I help you achieve
your goals?

Speaker 2 (18:58):
Okay, that's great, because you're doing it from their perspective
rather than your perspective.

Speaker 1 (19:04):
My perspective does not make a difference. Frank and I've
learned this in this campaign no different than me handling
any of my customers in the hospitality business. I am
there to deliver memories for them on that holiday they
have that is irreplaceable in their life, and I cannot
muck it up. The same thing is true with every
single customer in California. I need to know what their dreams, desires,

(19:28):
and goals are and make sure government is off their back.
So I have their back and delivered to them what
their aspirations are. And listen, let's.

Speaker 2 (19:38):
Make it more difficult. Seventy two year old.

Speaker 1 (19:42):
Widow.

Speaker 2 (19:44):
She can't go back to work. She's retired, yep. She's
living on a fixed income, and that challenge is that
she wants to stay in her home and it's becoming
so expensive to maintain it with property taxes and the like.
What you are for this seventy two year old so
she can spend her remaining years in a place that

(20:05):
she knows, in a life that she's become accustomed to.
When all around her everything's going to hell.

Speaker 1 (20:12):
We gotta make sure she's safe. First. We got to
make sure she keep her lights on, going to make
sure she's got heat and air conditioning, and she's got food,
and she's around those that love her. Okay, got to
figure it out. Solve four the issue. Each issue is bespoke,

(20:35):
and I've learned that my journey talking to people all
over California. It's not one size fits all. We're country
in California. We're not a state. We've been operating as
a state. When I grew up here, we were the
bully pulpit of the United States. And as California's innovation
and manufacturing went, California had the best education in the
United States. Bank were the fiftieth today.

Speaker 2 (20:56):
Who do you blame for that? Oh?

Speaker 1 (21:00):
I blame for that all of us, all of us California.
Who elected these folks over the last couple of decades.

Speaker 2 (21:06):
Well, there's some people who try to bring about change.
So can you really blame everyone? And I truly do
not know the answer to this.

Speaker 1 (21:17):
I'm trying to give you a very very agnostic answer
here after talking to everyone, because everyone wants to throw
stones and I'm above that now, No more stones, no
more yelling and screaming. There are issues, there are hard
truths that need to be told, and there are issues.

Speaker 2 (21:37):
Okay, then let's focus on that. The word is enough
all caps, basta exclamation. Enough and I'm gonna ask you
about the Latino population in a moment, How would you
fill in that blank? Enough? Blank enough? What are the
three things that you would end? And we all hear about?
What all the stuff you want to do? What would

(21:58):
you stop?

Speaker 1 (21:59):
Enough of the lack of execution, enough of the lack
of accountability, and enough of the lack of enforcement, Have
some responsibility, have some respect for everyone, and show results.

Speaker 2 (22:13):
There you go, And why can you do that? And
nobody else can?

Speaker 1 (22:17):
Well, I've done it. They haven't. They've talked about it.
They've been legislators. And if they did such a good job,
why haven't they gotten better jobs in life? Why are
they career politicians that have only signed the back of
a check? Why why have they been toned deaf to

(22:39):
the customers of California? I call it no IQ, no EQ.
You know they each have uniqueness. Why can they not
keep staffs? Why are they bouncing around from consultancy to
consultancy looking for another job? They've never signed a personal guarantee?

Speaker 2 (22:59):
You know thing much of professional politicians?

Speaker 1 (23:02):
Do you?

Speaker 2 (23:03):
No?

Speaker 1 (23:03):
Because they've changed over the last decade decade and a
half I used to revere politicians as I grew up. Lieberman, Clinton,
joeye Read, Harry Reid, bro John Dodd, Christodd Kennedy.

Speaker 2 (23:20):
Ted Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, John Kennedy. You gotta give the
full names, but go ahead.

Speaker 1 (23:26):
I know I've been involved so long that it's just
the last name to me, but it usually it's you know,
more on the Senator, President, ambassador.

Speaker 2 (23:37):
So let's take it now eight years from now, as
the next set of people are coming up, what do
you want Californians to think of their state.

Speaker 1 (23:47):
I want to know that they feel the following. You
elect the next governor of this state a person that
can educate the future leaders. A good governor of this
STATEE should be able to teach and educate through their experiences,
which none of these folks have. What are they going

(24:08):
to teach the Assembly and the Senate.

Speaker 2 (24:09):
Are you angry at this moment?

Speaker 1 (24:11):
No, I'm excited. I'm so excited. I'm not angry at all.
I want the next leader of this state, which I
know I could be. I came to this revelation if
I'm a good governor, which I know I can be,
I know I can fix the balance sheet, the income statement,
deliver performance and results. I can respect the customers of

(24:33):
California because I've done it.

Speaker 2 (24:35):
I know that.

Speaker 1 (24:38):
I can execute because I fix the most broken. I'm
highly accountable because I paid back all my bankers and
investors and they've done very well. No other candidate can
say that. And I've been a judge. I've enforced the
law and lived by the law. I don't believe in
stealing zero, not nine hundred and fifty bucks, but of

(25:01):
truly a great leader Governor, I will have created leadership
that goes well beyond my term.

Speaker 2 (25:08):
Can I make a suggestion, Yes, you've been very active
in something I care about a lot, which is West Point. Yeah,
and you've made the dreams of some West Point cadets
come true with the Seat of Shining Seat foundation and
your support for.

Speaker 1 (25:24):
So what people need to know there? Frank and I
have done a project together where he's the professor and
they're called Kluebec Scholars at West Point. And how many
how many cadets do we have in the program?

Speaker 2 (25:37):
There are twenty eight in the program. Ten of them
went to the Middle East, twelve of them went to Europe,
and ten of them went to discover America. We just
finished that trip last week. But there's a cadet code,
and I want to make a suggestion to you, which
is knowing your support of the west Point Military Academy,

(26:02):
the idea of adopting the west Point Code for the
California government. A cadet cannot lie, cheat, or steal or
tolerate anyone who does.

Speaker 1 (26:15):
I love it, Frank, because I live that. Because I
have a saying, integrity is the only thing I got
with my brand. Brand. We can talk about brand in
a minute, and how the President of the United States
ruined the brand of the United States. He's allegedly a
brandy guy. I don't think so, but I don't know.
You below the best brand in the world. I know

(26:38):
how be trained by Roy Cohne. Lie deny, I lie deny,
I lied deny. He loves to be served. Integrity is
so important, Frank. And look, you don't lie, cheat and steal.
You don't do it. That's my brand, okay. And I

(27:02):
have a saying, don't bust the trust. You bust my trust,
You're done, You're not come back. And you got to
take care of people. You got to serve, not be served,
And these cadets are serving. I serve. I That's what
I love the most about this new gig I got.

(27:23):
First of all, I need a job, but I'm begging please,
I'm really good at this. I'm begging give me a job.
I like serving, I have fun. But these cadets. I
have never been philanthropically involved because I've been doing philanthropy
for decades. This is probably the greatest gig you and

(27:46):
I got working together with these cadets, because I have
sat with these cadets numerous times and I watch you
interact with them, and you have never been happy in
your life. I have watched you because we talked about
doing some other things that kind of didn't worked out,
and that was kind of weird. But we ended up
in the right place because you always do. Sometimes takes
a little longer to be patient, and we were both

(28:09):
patient and it happened, and you ended up in the
best possible play. I've never seen you happier. I've never
been happier as a philanthropist. And every time I meet
with the cadets rank, I'm inspired there is hope in
America because that is the future, and you know what,
it makes me work harder and want to become the
next governor of California and serve because I watched these cadets.

Speaker 2 (28:32):
But is that to be blunt and direct? Is that California?
Because I've been to USC and that's not USC, that's
not UCLA, that's not Stanford. Right now, that there's too
much among the next generation who believes in performance, who
believes in how will you say what you say, rather

(28:55):
than how you do what you do? And it's frightening
to me because as these young people have learned how
to look good in front of each other, but they
haven't learned how to do good for society. Am I
too harsh?

Speaker 1 (29:12):
Well, I don't know. It sounds like Gavin newsrom to
me because he looks good, he's pretty. Has he done good?
You tell me, well, you tell me you want to
have an open discussion. I don't know. We wouldn't be
having this discussion. I would not be running for office
if he did such a great job. I would not

(29:32):
be running for office unless the people I interviewed did
such a good job. I would I am so unintended
to do this, Frank, it was not on my bucket list.
If the state of California was in a better position
than it is today, I would not be doing this job.
I would not be interviewing for this job. I would

(29:54):
not be involved in trying to help change the system
for my kid's future and their friends. Would not be
going really deep and put myself out there because I
am way out there now.

Speaker 2 (30:07):
Bash me as you wish.

Speaker 1 (30:09):
I'm doing it for the good of my children and
their friends. To make sure you don't just look good.
Frank show results, so you know me. I'm on to
sit in the back of the theater and clap for
my team so they get a trophy, and I'll take
the incoming shots. Okay, I'll take all the shit, and
I'm good with it because I've done it. You've seen

(30:31):
that at all my resorts. My team was built on
me taking the incoming shots and then get them get
the trophies. I'm not up for the trophy. The problem
is everyone wants to look good. So go to the
leadership of this state. And I know. I love you, Gavin.
You're a great guy. You're a really good human. Okay
you are. I love you, But you always want to

(30:52):
look good. And you've done such a great job of
recent listening to some of the things we've talked about,
and I've said, and you've found your set of balls.
I like that, And you're now fighting instead of resisting,
and you're willing to listen to the other side, which
I now admire because I like to unify. I'm always
a unifier. So look, everyone, if that's okay. Everyone grows differently,

(31:17):
we all have journeys. I've just, you know, realized you
don't always have to look good. You've got to show
the results, and you always don't need the goddamn trophy.

Speaker 2 (31:24):
Okay, So let's look at the issue that matters the
most right here in Los Angeles.

Speaker 1 (31:28):
Yeah, the fires. Let's talk about that.

Speaker 2 (31:31):
How would you have done it differently?

Speaker 1 (31:33):
Well, I'm critical of all sides right now on the
fires because I see the failures and I've rolled up
my sleeves from day one. Franc I wasn't on the news.
I was taught to you don't politicize a disaster. You
roll up your sleeves and get in the field and help.
And that's all I did. You didn't see them ant TV.
Some others that went on TV. They like to talk
a lot created charities. What have they done. They're not

(31:59):
holding people aca auntable. They've taken people's money, they've created charities,
they've gotten a lot of airtime. Where are the results?
And by the way, they're SC folks.

Speaker 2 (32:08):
Huh.

Speaker 1 (32:10):
I love SC. I went to SC one year, but
then I went on to brandeis okay where we were
judged on results. SC's pretty So what would you do?

Speaker 2 (32:21):
What would you do?

Speaker 1 (32:22):
I would hold the count I would look you. The
city and the County of Los Angeles have failed the
customers of Los Angeles and they're still failing the customers
Los Angeles. They're talking a lot no results. I don't
see permits being pulled. I still see lots that have
debris on them. There was a reservoir in Altadena that
was not fixed that Cheun Penn and I got fixed
in five days.

Speaker 2 (32:42):
It's not done.

Speaker 1 (32:45):
Only because the county couldn't do it.

Speaker 2 (32:46):
We just did it.

Speaker 1 (32:49):
No trophy for me other than the fact that when
I go back to Altadena Pasadena, which I did last week,
I have forgotten about the people. And until the last
house is rebuild built, and the last school is rebuilt,
and the last business that's not opened is opened, you
can't stop it's not just a TV moment. Where's all

(33:12):
the fire aid money? Frank, allegedly one hundred million dollars
raised and you go to the promoters of the fire
Aid and they said, oh, yeah, we gave it to
this foundation you know who you are. And they say,
oh yeah, yeah, we gave it to twenty other foundations
and they all say they kind of pushed and kicked

(33:33):
the can. Frank. But let me tell you something. I
talked to a group of folks that are part of
one hundred and twenty people in the Palasades and they
haven't seen one time that sucks. And you know what,
They've given up hope. And I talked to them over
the weekend. I said, don't you give up hope. They
want you to give up hope. The insurance companies want
you to give up hope and accept sixty three cents

(33:55):
on the dollar. No, you get what you bargained for
because you have a contract. I like to see more
of these leaders on both sides D and R do
the right thing and show results.

Speaker 2 (34:05):
Is anyone doing it?

Speaker 1 (34:06):
No, no one, No, it's a shit show all the
way around. I'm called bullshit on everybody. Equal Opportunity equal opportunity,
so they're looking for their trophy instead of rolling up
their sleeves and just doing the goddamn work. Be selfless

(34:29):
and do the work, show people value, show people that results.
You told me one thing right here, right now. I
didn't really think about it that I want to look
good instead of showing results. And that's the difference at
West Point. Pretty impactful.

Speaker 2 (34:51):
It changes the way I think, changes the way I
behave causes me this to call people out in ways
that I would not have done. I get your frustration.

Speaker 1 (35:03):
Oh, it's my passion, not my frustration, Frank, it's my
passion because I don't need to do it. I want
to do it because I want to be the Papa
bearon the fighter for my kids.

Speaker 2 (35:16):
Okay, if I'm Karen Bass, mayor Karen Bass, and I'm
sitting in this chair right.

Speaker 1 (35:21):
Now, what do you say to me your failure?

Speaker 2 (35:25):
You're going to be that strong, that outspoken, you'd say
to her, You're a failure.

Speaker 1 (35:33):
One hundred percent. You have failed, Mayor Bass. You get
an f You tell untruths? Have they?

Speaker 2 (35:44):
Just for the record, the camera guy's been on his
phone for most of the interview. He's not on his
phone right now. He's got kind of a smile on
his face as he's listening to you. Why is no
one saying that because.

Speaker 1 (35:58):
They don't have brass balls, Frank, because they're compromised. I'm
not compromised. I don't need this job. I need a job.
I'm enjoying what I'm doing. I'm just trying to push
the ball forward and think. And I don't think. I
know I'm the right person for the job because i
will fight and I'm passionate, and I'm doing it selflessly

(36:21):
because i want everyone to have a smile on their
face and a live in in California that I grew
up in.

Speaker 2 (36:25):
So I'm going to ask you a question that I
ask every candidate and that I believe is the reason
why Vice President Harris did not defeat Donald Trump because
she never answered this question. She had days, weeks, months,
She said she didn't have enough time. I actually thinks
she had too much time when she entered the race.
She erased the deficit with Joe Biden. When she did

(36:48):
her debate with Donald Trump, she won clearly and she
went ahead of him, but she never told people what
she would do in the very first hour as president
in the very first day, in the very first week,
very first month, and very first year. How would you
answer that question? As governor? You can pick any one

(37:09):
of those.

Speaker 1 (37:10):
What's done First, I'll be transparent. How I will tell
you everything I plan on doing and give you a
report card on our progress. I will be a good
steward of your money. I will immediately ask you what
impedes you from doing good business in California and try

(37:32):
to eliminate those obstacles.

Speaker 2 (37:34):
I'm going to push you on this, please, but what
would you do? I'm asking you how you would do it.
I'm asking you what you would do well.

Speaker 1 (37:43):
I would do the following. I would make sure that
all the first responders have plenty of money to do
the job they need to do to provide life safety
in this state. Tip detail, because life safety is what
we pay for the most. Are we safe? Second, I
would clean up the streets of our homeless crisis and
use the Supreme Court action that was granted. And if

(38:05):
the cities and counties aren't willing to do it, I'm
going to do it at the state level and back
charge them at back charge them. Those are two things
day one. Two things, Day one I'm going to provide
life safety and clean up the streets, and then I'm

(38:25):
going to work on everything else to make sure everyone
can aspire in California. I'm going to ask the customers
of California what impeed you from doing good business? Tell me,
let me try to fix every one of those situations,
the most important first for the greatest majority of us,
and work through that list and show you the report card.

(38:49):
And in addition to that, show up with performance and
results in California. The California Department of Performances and Results
known as CPR, receuscitate us and be able to show
the savings. Look at the reporting that we do. Make
sure we're can become digital because we're still analog in
the greatest country in the world, use our resources efficiently

(39:13):
and grow our great exports. Become the greatest educational system
in the United States. Once again, it's all easy to do,
but you've got to execute, You've got to be accountable.
And when I know, just like our federal government, as
you heard you found out the Treasury departments, just like
sending checks out, we're it's based on an invoice. Where's

(39:36):
the backup, where's the two party signatures on the backup. Well,
that's how I created brand USA Frank at the federal level,
and those standard operating procedures are still in place today
because I set it up, because I have been that
executive and I've fixed broken and no other candidate has
fixed broken.

Speaker 2 (39:56):
Okay, I accept that. Tell me why you can't get
it done. Tell me something about you that would others
may say that explain the full picture. They give us
the full picture of who you are and what you're about.

Speaker 1 (40:18):
Why I couldn't get the job done?

Speaker 2 (40:20):
Yes, what is your concern is? What is your weakness?
Everyone has one, Nobody talks about it. You say this
is authentic.

Speaker 1 (40:28):
I'm going to tell you what my weakness is that
I don't give myself enough downtime to take care of myself.
I'll run too hard and I get, you know, burnt
after a period of time, but it takes me like
a day to recharge. So you know, I'm used to

(40:49):
working in twenty four time zones Frank, three hundred and
sixty five days a year, twenty four seven. Not working
one time zone pretty easy, So I've kind of trained
when it comes to that, and you know, I'm going
to push myself for real hard because I'm having the
most fun I've ever had my life. And as this

(41:11):
process has continued, I fit the wall because I'm push
it so hard. I'm going to push myself so hard.
I'm gonna hit the wall. It's going to make sure
always take care of my health. I have to have
people around me to take care of my health. Do
you want to get into that one, Frank.

Speaker 2 (41:25):
No, I do not. Okay, you call me early enough.
I'm on the East coast, you're on the West coast.
She's still calling me at six forty five am, and I.

Speaker 1 (41:33):
Got up at five five point thirty because I'm just
so happy. I'm used to working. I love working hard.
So you ask me what I'm going to outwork everyone?
The question is, you know, I'm gonna end up hitting
the wall every now and again in little downtime, So
don't expect me to beat three six, five, twenty four
seven like I used to be when I was in
my forties. I could do that making phone calls three

(41:56):
four in the morning around the world, talking to customers.
But I'm gonna need a little downtime. I'm getting up
sixty three, you know, But I could keep up with
the best of a Frank, I'm burning out the thirty
six year olds. I gotta have two teams now on
my campaign.

Speaker 2 (42:12):
Well, the other thing I saw on you that really
impressed me stay with me forever is how you placed
your owners, your customers, as you says, above everything. Whatever
they said to you, they were right. If the food
wasn't hot enough, then it wasn't. If the room wasn't ready,

(42:35):
then it wasn't. If they wanted a newspaper, you got
it for them. Everything they asked of you. And I
never saw this in hospitality, and as you know, and
the listeners and viewers would not. I've worked for many
of these companies.

Speaker 1 (42:51):
Yes you did.

Speaker 2 (42:52):
Nobody was as committed to the satisfaction of the customer
like you were.

Speaker 1 (42:59):
I've committed. We created the meaning of yes. You remember that,
the meaning of yes? And I why don't you talk
about that an more with the meaning of yes, because
I actually sold the mark to Hilton they own it today.

Speaker 2 (43:10):
But I can talk about it what you created it.

Speaker 1 (43:13):
I know I created it. But the meaning of yes,
I talk about that. The customer is always right, okay,
unless they're rude to one of my team members. And
then they're not right. Then they got to apologize because
I won't stand for you know, non civil behavior, you know,
calling one of my team members something irreverent. I will

(43:33):
protect my team, but if my team makes a mistake,
I'm the person who took it. I had a housekeeper
that made a mistake in Mexico and one of my hotels,
and I called the guests in the room and apologized,
and the guests went, well, why are you apologizing? It
was the housekeeper in Mexico. And I said, yeah, I apologize,

(43:56):
and they go, no, is the housekeeper. I go, I
am the housekeeper. I'm every job. I become governor of
the state of California, I'm every job in California. I'm
every job. I'm your DMV clerk behind the counter.

Speaker 2 (44:13):
I'm not sure you want to be that.

Speaker 1 (44:15):
No, I have no problem being that, Frank, because when
you're the true leader of a state, you are every
single job.

Speaker 2 (44:22):
Yes, but that is the most hated person.

Speaker 1 (44:24):
No, it shouldn't be. It should be the hot It
should be the necktie of who we are hospitality, Frank.
So the services in California should be customer friendly. Elect
a leader that's been in the hospitality business. All the
services will become hospitality oriented. I mean, elect somebody who

(44:47):
used to doing every job or is done every job.
So I have no problem putting my business card at
every front desk in my hotel business Frank with my
live email and life cell number. I do that in California.
Tell me what's going on, I'll talk to you. I'll
pick up the phone because I love people. I've noticed

(45:09):
too that all the politicians I've run into, which I'm
not one of, they don't like people. They actually hate people.
The politicians hate people, and they have thin skin. You
would think the political business is knock down, drag out,
which it is, but they are a buzzo whims. You
just poke them like that and they start crying. They
couldn't last the damn business. That's why I just find

(45:32):
it fascinating because what I grew up in politics, when
you and I grew up younger, they were tough, they
were stoic, they were assassins. Smart. Today they're week compromised.
They pander. They tell you what you want to hear,
not deliver what you need. They'll tell you something, but

(45:55):
you know they forget about you. Do they leave the conversation.
I will never forget about my customer, and that's what's different.
I'm going to ask you a question because I asked
you know all my guesses friends, not guests. You're not
a guest, you're a friend. If there's one person on
planet Earth. You're very well read, and you know people

(46:17):
all over the world, and you have people that have
passed away in your life, people you've read about in history.
If you could have one day with somebody who's passed
away one day on planet Earth. Somebody asked me this
question a long time ago. I don't know if it's
ever been asked of you. M It's funny because a
lot of my friends we've never had this chat, and

(46:38):
we're friends. We spent a lot of time together. You
and I. If there's one day on planet Earth that
you could have with somebody who's passed away, Socrates, Plato, well,
George Washington. I don't know who'd you want to spend
a whole day with.

Speaker 2 (46:52):
And we gave you two answers.

Speaker 1 (46:53):
No, I don't want two answers. I want one answer.

Speaker 2 (46:55):
There are two answers.

Speaker 1 (46:56):
Why they're two answers, I asked.

Speaker 2 (46:58):
One of them is for my intellectual. The other ones
from my heart, and it will be very hard to
get through this. The intellectual is Ben Franklin. Ben Franklin
the actual father of our country. Literally, he had a
very active social life, much more active than Bill Clinton
ever could have dreamed of. How about mine and I

(47:22):
we're saying, I'm Ben Franklin, We're not coming back to you.
And he was so good at every jo He was
so good at everything that he did. He was brilliant.
He's a brilliant philosopher, he's a brilliant scientist. He was
a brilliant teacher.

Speaker 1 (47:36):
He was a brilliant writer.

Speaker 2 (47:38):
Everything about him and he understood life and living and
he celebrated freedom and opportunity. And to be able to
spend a day with him would be brilliant.

Speaker 1 (47:49):
What question would you ask of him?

Speaker 2 (47:52):
What would you do sing America today versus what you expected?
What would you have done differently in seventeen eighty seven
so that the impact on America maybe you could have
avoided eighteen sixty, Maybe we could have avoided nineteen twenty nine.
What would you have done differently then? Knowing what we've
become today? But if you put Ben Franklin in the

(48:15):
other individual. I probably use the other individual, which is
my dad.

Speaker 1 (48:20):
Oh my God, tell me about your dad, because you
and I really haven't talked about this. Let me talk
to me up.

Speaker 2 (48:24):
It's hard because no, I want to know. He gave
me everything that I am. My mom was the disciplinarian, right.
She gave me persistence and intensity. But my dad gave
me joy and happiness. He just wanted to be around
his son. He didn't care. I could be covered in mud.

(48:49):
I could give my mom a diamond and she would say,
what are you doing? Put that money back in the
bank and don't spend it. Give my dad a rock
and be the best rock he ever had. I could
do no wrong with him. Death when I was thirty,
And what was sad about thirty one? What was is
that he never really saw what I became. He got

(49:12):
a few pieces of it. He saw maybe a year
of it. But he would have enjoyed it so much
he would have moved to West Point. He gave me
the love of the military. You respect these people. If
someone's in uniform, you step aside. If someone's in uniform
and you have you're in a nice seat on a plane,
you give them your seat, because they've given you their freedom,

(49:33):
your freedom, and you say thank you to them, and
you cheat them with respect and dignity, and you always
say thank you. There was so much a part of him,
and I would love damn it, you know what. I
would love him to see what I'm doing at West Point.

Speaker 1 (49:49):
Yeah, what would you what do you think he'd be
the most? What would you just if you just like
lose it what he saw.

Speaker 2 (49:57):
He'd move, he'd moved to me.

Speaker 1 (49:58):
He'd say, my mom, would you let him come to
class every day with you? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (50:04):
Because one of the coolest moments for me was the
first time I taught. Yeah, it was night. It was
nineteen eighty nine at American University. I was twenty seven,
twenty six, twenty seven, and he comes into my office
and I sit in the front of the desk. I

(50:25):
tell him to sit behind it. He said, what are
you doing? That's your seat? Go sit there? And I said,
I don't want to. I don't want to, that's your seat.
He said, no, you sit there. Yeah, and he was

(50:45):
so happy. Yeah, it's just such a great choice for me.

Speaker 1 (50:49):
Yeah, would you let up to ease twenty year classes?

Speaker 2 (50:53):
Of course?

Speaker 1 (50:54):
What do you think he'd what do you think he'd
talk about?

Speaker 2 (50:56):
He would talk about DM all identification. He would talk
about CHIP that I have sorry for the language, but
I have no interest in whatsoever. And he would.

Speaker 1 (51:03):
Make an He was a dentist.

Speaker 2 (51:06):
He was a dentist. He was a conversationalist. He played
the He would sit down at the piano and the
hands would just go and everyone would gather. He had
no voice, but he would sing. He had no professional training,
but he could play the piano. He was just everyone's
great friend. And I realized this only a year ago.

(51:26):
And you don't know this, but I realized that my
father is perfect, actually perfect as a husband. He loved
his wife so much and there's nothing that he would
do for her. As a father. He loved his kid
so much that he would gladly sacrifice. I the story
that I tell to explain, This is coming to California,

(51:51):
and I'm coming here to spend Christmas, and I forgot
which car company I rented my car from. This is
before Uber and Lyft and all this, and there are
thirty one car companies in LA and he started to
call each one to figure out and my mother said,
let him have no car, let him get stuck, let

(52:13):
him take a cab. He's irresponsible. And my father said, yeah, whatever,
and then went quietly to the bedroom clo and he
had to call. He got it within the sixth try.
It was Alamo. But the fact that he would bail
your ass up, yes, and he wanted to.

Speaker 1 (52:33):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (52:34):
I say to people loved you that if I had
gone to West Point, which I didn't because I couldn't,
And on day one, I would have tried to quit,
and my mother would have said, you're not leaving anywhere.
I don't raise quitters. A day two, I would have
tried to quit. My father would have tried to come
get me, but she would have taken the keys away
from him. On the day three, I would have walked
out and walked to New York City. I couldn't do it.

(52:56):
My father, this should be his heaven. This is the
field of dreams. For him is West Point. And I
try not to think about it because it makes me
sad that he's not there to experience it. But I
do know that if he was here, he'd be so happy.

Speaker 1 (53:17):
Well, you met my dad a lot, I know, you
know how close I was. You know when he died
almost killed me. Saw that too, was traumatic.

Speaker 2 (53:29):
It's important for you to show that to people.

Speaker 1 (53:31):
It was traumatic. I did when I was with Corey
Brooker on the first I was crying. He asked to
be the question and people who have seen it. It
was Corey Booker and me and we're both crying because
there was our parents. It was like talk about my dad.
I just lose it.

Speaker 2 (53:49):
It's amazing how impactful they are, both good and bad,
that the best things in us. That some parents do
so much damage and other parents do so much good.
And I'd not be sitting here talking to you. I
never would have worked for you. I never would have
done any of this if it wasn't for her perseverance

(54:12):
and his celebration of life. And I'm a little bit
of each.

Speaker 1 (54:18):
Well, we are the product of who raises us and
who teaches us. I mean I people say to me,
you know, when younger, they're like, you just sound like
you know Steve Wynn. I'm like, no, I'm my own person.
I'm different. I'm Stephen. And others have said, you know,

(54:38):
you're a better version of him, And others have said, well,
you sound like Harry Reid or you know, you sound
like the business of Mike Milk, and I said, yeah,
I'm the product of them. I'm proud of that. I
am Stephen, I'm Stephen J. Kluback, I'm my son, my
own person. You are your own person, but we are

(54:59):
the and I am proud that I'm a product of
the people that have taught me. And I've learned to
take the good part of what i want to choose
to go forward with, and I've tried to see some
of their failings and not choose to do that with
the product of that. So we should be proud of it.

Speaker 2 (55:21):
So what I do wish that in the debates, because
they always ask people what they will do, I want
to know what they want do. I want to know
what line they draw when they say I'll be unpopular.
I'm never going to lie to you, Frank, that's the
That's easy.

Speaker 1 (55:39):
No, that's not easy, because that's not easy because you've
got to prove that you've never done it. Okay, You've
got to prove that you give people their money back
if you made a mistake. You got to go on
record saying you made a mistake.

Speaker 2 (55:56):
That's harder.

Speaker 1 (55:57):
And I've done that, but I've already done it. If
you ask me, how do I know, well, I could
point to when I've done it, and the others can't.
I'm comfortable and confident. I'm having the best time. Frank,
you've watched this. I mean you said at the beginning,
you know you got like a chance in hell doing this,

(56:18):
along with buying Sntera and changing the name of an
airport and creating the Tourism Department of the United States.
Everyone said, you have a chance in health clubec but
a fight. I have fun doing it. I don't know
what everything's gotten done. So the journey continues.

Speaker 2 (56:40):
I will tell you I'm glad to be a part
of that journey. And I appreciate what you bring to California.
I think we have too much focus on partisanship and
not enough on decency.

Speaker 1 (56:58):
You know that I prescribed all those things, and I
walked the talk and you said to me something really,
really impactful. A couple months ago, he said, you said
to me, you've grown so much in this journey that
you've watched me go on in this gubernatorial journey. And

(57:20):
you said, you know what, You're really making huge strides.
You've improved. You could be ready soon. And I take that. Seriously,
that's a big compliment coming from you.

Speaker 2 (57:33):
Listeners won't know that. I don't give compliments.

Speaker 1 (57:36):
You don't And I was like, damn, he just gave
me a compliment. He didn't beat the crap out of me,
which she normally does. And I take it all the time.
I fight with you sometimes, but I mean, I just
thought that was such a huge compliment. And Mike Milkan too, Mike.
Mike goes like, oh my god, you're ready. You're ready
to become governor.

Speaker 2 (57:54):
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (57:54):
I guess something happens when you go through these journeys.
I've heard this when even Clinton was running for president,
when he was governor was aspiring to come president, people
saw a difference in him where something changed. You become
more attentive or more accepting of the role and acting differently.

(58:17):
I think you'll find that true when somebody hits that
pivot point or at the top of the mountain, they
start to go down the other side. I know that
from the two strokes. I know that from where I
am in life, and that's very true.

Speaker 2 (58:31):
I else know that the average individual does not want
to spend more than fifty five minutes on the podcast
so my guess is that we're very close to that
right now.

Speaker 1 (58:41):
Well, we can talk forever, and I appreciate you coming today,
so you can always find us Stephen J. Klubeck podcast
on iHeartRadio or the other affiliates. Frank, thank you again.

Speaker 2 (59:00):
Send the share. This is a true See the comment
with a B stir the l

Speaker 1 (59:08):
Se