11 05 25 Kings Smoke and Vape Shop owner Mike Wing on Denver's flavored tobacco ban

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
We're joined by our im AK duo, Mike Dino and
Dick Wadhams to discuss some of the local and some
of the national election results and the implications that we're
seeing coming down the pike.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Good morning, Dick and Dino. Appreciate you guys as always. Mike,
I think I want to start with you. We'll start
with some of the local ballot measures that we saw.
Obviously Denver voters agreeing to pass the vibrant Denver ballot initiatives.
We saw the flavored tobacco band remain in place, and
also possible shake ups in the Aurora City Council. Were
there any major outcomes on some of the local ballot

(00:34):
measures that came as a surprise to you, Mike.

Speaker 3 (00:38):
Well, I think the only surprise was the margin. Certainly,
being a Denver right, you hear a lot of grumbling
about the favorability of the mayor. You know, has he
made the right spending decisions, Is he on the up
and up with what he's you know, with his agenda?
And you know, I think it was an overwhelming victory
for the city and for him to affirm that, hey,

(01:01):
we want to keep investing in our community. These are
important projects, and we're going to keep charging forward.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
Dick. We saw where the former mayor of New York City,
and we'll talk about the Big Apple in a bit,
But Michael Bloomberg apparently gave five million dollars in support
of this flavored tobacco band just for the city and
County of Denver. Your thoughts, and I'm sure you have
plenty on how much out of state money is spent
these days in Colorado elections. It sounds like we're kind

(01:32):
of a test for the rest of the country for
some of these initiatives.

Speaker 4 (01:39):
It does seem that way, and largely is coming from
the left. I mean, I'm not saying that conservative money
doesn't come into Colorado, but they clearly invested a great
deal of money and the issues and candidates in Colorado
in this election. And it's even going on right now, David,

(02:00):
in the US state race that Bloomberg has given five
hundred thousand dollars to Michael Bennett for his campaign for
an independent expenditure committee. So it's already starting to bleed
into next year's elections in twenty twenty six in Colorado,
and I anticipate he'll probably give more and of course
that's corporate money. There's no other way to look at it.

(02:20):
And well, just they're going to play a big role
in those elections as well.

Speaker 2 (02:28):
Take another question for you real quick, because I know
we've talked about this at length of Republican Councilwoman Danielle
Darinsky and a lot of her say and her support
with President Trump and the anti immigration measures that we've
seen as of late, actually trailing right now in the
Aurora City Council race, the at large race top two
vote getters, she is in third. Does this surprise you.

Speaker 4 (02:50):
Well, yes, there was no indication. Frankly, there wasn't a
lot of money that was going into that Aurora City
Council situation. But I do think we now know that well,
clearly Aurora had a gang problem that they're still dealing with.
When President Trump came to Aurora and said the entire

(03:10):
city was dominated by gangs, it didn't go over well,
very well. And remember that Mayor Mike Kaufman pushed back
on that idea. I'm perplexed by what happened in Aurora
because Aurora, the Aurora City Council has done a great
job getting addressing as stolen vehicles in Aurora, dealing with

(03:31):
the homeless problem, and to put the same crowd back
in power in Aurora that was not dealing with those issues.
It does perplex me.

Speaker 1 (03:43):
Let's go to New York City now and Mike, we
have a new mayor elect there in Zorn, Mam Donnie,
and just looking at some of the things that he
has proposed and wants to do, more grocery stores that
are public across the five boroughs, making public buses free,
adding a two percent tax for New Yorkers who make

(04:03):
more than a million dollars a year, and raising the
city's minimum wage is currently sixteen fifty up to thirty
dollars an hour by twenty thirty. And the first thing
that came to my mind is will the city council
there support these kinds of initiatives? And yet I looked
at it and fifty one city council seats within the
five boroughs, forty four are Democrat. Can Mom Donnie get

(04:27):
done these types of initiatives?

Speaker 3 (04:30):
Well, you know, I do think people view some of
those as very extreme, and you know, he may get
part of the way, But David, one of the exit
polls showed that fifty two percent of the people who
voted for them do not consider themselves democratic socialists. They
consider themselves as average Democrats. And the Democrats didn't turn
out last night. You know, I think they wanted you know,

(04:53):
they took a big step toward getting their groove back,
and it is you know, I think in the euphori
of it all, people think, Hey, this guy's gonna run
rap shot over New York City. But by and large,
he's going to have to moderate himself to be successful.

Speaker 2 (05:11):
Dick, I'll ask you a similar question of that, saying,
moderating himself in order to be successful. Do you see
that happening in New York City.

Speaker 4 (05:19):
I don't see that happening, Gina. This guy is a
true believer. He is so far to the left, he
really believes in this stuff, and he will probably have
I think he'll have a compliant to a New York
City Council to push through what he wants, and there
will be an exodus of New York by people who

(05:39):
will experience the effects of the Donny agenda. Listen, He's
not a Liberal Democrat. Liberal Democrats are far to the
rights of him, and he is now going to become
the symbol of the National Democratic Party. And there were
two Democratic governors who elected last night, big victories for
Democrats in Virginia and in New Jersey. But nobody's going

(06:02):
to remember their names tomorrow morning. But Ma'm Donnie is
going to be in the national headlines day in day out.
He is going to be a big problem for Democrats
going into the twenty twenty sixth election.

Speaker 2 (06:13):
Closing thoughts for both of you, Dick, We'll start with
you first, going off that with the blue wave and
a lot of Democratic victories that we saw President Trump
posting on truth social saying that well, Trump wasn't on
the ballot and the shutdown were the two reasons that
Republicans lost elections tonight. Do you see it the same way?

Speaker 3 (06:31):
I don't.

Speaker 4 (06:33):
Frankly, I think President Trump and listen, I like a
lot of things he's doing, promisey wise, but the brutal
truth is is that there is a rejection right now
among swing voters across the country. I think it happened
here in Colorado as well. And as he is such
a dominant personality that he defined some of the elections

(06:56):
last night.

Speaker 1 (06:58):
My same question to you.

Speaker 3 (07:01):
Yeah, well, I'm not worried about who we have on
the Democratic side. As long as Trump's in the White House,
that is a huge burden for Republicans going into the
twenty twenty six campaigns. You know, he is a reason
why this Democratic Party has researched in twenty twenty five,

(07:22):
and I think that it's going to continue to be
a problem for the party. We're also seeing the Maga
movement fracture. They're fighting in fighting with each other, so
you know, they've got some soul searching to do. I
think the Democrats have a lot of win behind their back,
and it's good to win twenty twenty five and onto
twenty twenty six.

Speaker 2 (07:43):
On to twenty twenty six. Lots of unpack in the
year ahead. Our favorite GOP political strategist, Dick Wadhams and
Democratic strategist Mike Dino. Dick and Dino, we appreciate your
time and insight on this. As always, many talks ahead
as we look ahead to the next year.