The Foolish Optimist: Steve Schwab, candidate for Texas State House 44

Episode Transcript
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(00:05):
It chose this race.
I wanted to get rid of the MAGA Republican.
Right.
It wasn't, yeah, it wasn't anything deeper than that.
And I, I'd be lying if I, than it was that said, I do think we have to win local if we're gonna win national. 6 00:00:17,600.062929353 --> 00:00:18,800.062929353 My name is Amy McDonald. 7 00:00:18,800.062929353 --> 00:00:19,550.062929353 You know who I am. 8 00:00:19,550.062929353 --> 00:00:21,770.062929353 This is the Foolish Optimist Podcast. 9 00:00:22,40.062929353 --> 00:00:23,720.062929353 We have a really great guest today. 10 00:00:24,860.062929353 --> 00:00:26,630.062929353 We have Steve Schwab. 11 00:00:26,840.062929353 --> 00:00:32,300.062929353 He is running in Texas House of Representatives District House District 44. 12 00:00:33,650.062929353 --> 00:00:39,890.062929353 I I wanna give you an introduction, but your, your bio is like you're the most interesting person in the world. 13 00:00:39,890.062929353 --> 00:00:49,410.062929353 So how about you give me a little background on where you are, how you got to where you are today, and why you're running in, in the Texas House this year? Sure. 14 00:00:49,565.062929353 --> 00:00:52,595.062929353 And feel free to cut me off if I get, uh, too long-winded here. 15 00:00:52,655.062929353 --> 00:00:55,295.062929353 Um, I think I've had a, you know, a fairly interesting life. 16 00:00:56,15.062929353 --> 00:00:58,695.062929353 Um, so, I grew up outside of Boston. 17 00:00:58,755.062929353 --> 00:01:00,675.062929353 Um, that's pretty far from Texas. 18 00:01:00,675.062929353 --> 00:01:02,445.062929353 My dad had been in the Army. 19 00:01:02,445.062929353 --> 00:01:03,675.062929353 He was from Louisiana. 20 00:01:03,895.062929353 --> 00:01:05,155.062929353 My mom was from Massachusetts. 21 00:01:05,155.062929353 --> 00:01:06,25.062929353 My grandmother heart attack. 22 00:01:06,25.062929353 --> 00:01:06,985.062929353 We moved back there. 23 00:01:07,175.062929353 --> 00:01:08,10.062929353 When my dad got outta the Army. 24 00:01:08,590.062929353 --> 00:01:12,220.062929353 Grew up when I was 11, my dad started getting sick. 25 00:01:12,520.062929353 --> 00:01:15,190.062929353 Um, by the time I was 14 he could no longer work. 26 00:01:15,190.062929353 --> 00:01:20,150.062929353 And what came down to is my dad had, agent Orange poisoning from his service in Vietnam. 27 00:01:20,150.062929353 --> 00:01:31,590.062929353 He had been a door gunner on, a helicopter was flying through, the areas where they were dropping the The Volant, ended up getting really sick, and again, stopped working, had some other issues, health issues. 28 00:01:31,770.062929353 --> 00:01:40,170.06292935 Um, and we went from being, solidly middle class to lose, you know, very coming, very close to losing our house almost overnight. 29 00:01:40,230.06292935 --> 00:01:40,560.06292935 Right. 30 00:01:40,560.06292935 --> 00:01:45,600.06292935 And so I would say things in my life changed drastically from the time I was. 31 00:01:46,45.06292935 --> 00:01:48,560.06292935 Collectors calling the house on a daily basis. 32 00:01:48,810.06292935 --> 00:01:50,670.06292935 Um, unable to pay the bills. 33 00:01:50,670.06292935 --> 00:02:03,120.06292935 We were involved in a number of lawsuits trying to, get some money, uh, both with the government that was at that time, less likely to acknowledge Agent Orange, as well as he had been hit by a truck, at the workplace. 34 00:02:03,430.06292935 --> 00:02:05,730.06292935 Yeah, I know it was, it's a lot. 35 00:02:05,770.06292935 --> 00:02:13,840.06292935 a confluence of events of things going on, um, you know, and then trying to get some money from somebody who has no money, even though they were wrong, right. 36 00:02:13,840.06292935 --> 00:02:16,150.06292935 You just, it was all these problems. 37 00:02:16,360.06292935 --> 00:02:21,580.06292935 Um, so sort of flash forward, I'm in high school, I, you know, I want to go to college. 38 00:02:21,850.06292935 --> 00:02:24,950.06292935 I get into an expensive private school, and. 39 00:02:25,555.06292935 --> 00:02:31,795.06292935 You know, my dad or my parents really being who they were really wanted to make it work, but they just didn't have the money. 40 00:02:31,945.06292935 --> 00:02:34,675.06292935 And so I started, I got a bunch of financial aid. 41 00:02:34,675.06292935 --> 00:02:41,935.06292935 My, my first year schools like that were known for giving a bunch the first year and then sort of drawing it down thinking that you'd stay. 42 00:02:42,15.06292935 --> 00:02:49,965.06292935 So my freshman year while I'm there and I have the financial aid, I go and I join ROTC, um, reserve Officer Training Corps trained for the Army. 43 00:02:49,965.06292935 --> 00:02:53,705.06292935 They paid, a substantial portion of my tuition was good because. 44 00:02:55,130.06292935 --> 00:02:58,520.06292935 The school did in fact drop my finance, my, financial aid the next year. 45 00:02:58,670.06292935 --> 00:03:02,720.06292935 But I had the army covering it, and so I was able to afford to continue to go to school. 46 00:03:03,90.06292935 --> 00:03:05,310.06292935 At that time I was like, oh, I love politics. 47 00:03:05,310.06292935 --> 00:03:06,570.06292935 I want to go into politics. 48 00:03:06,570.06292935 --> 00:03:11,740.06292935 I studied political science, which, some viewers may not know what political science is. 49 00:03:11,800.06292935 --> 00:03:13,870.06292935 It's does not train you to go into politics. 50 00:03:14,320.06292935 --> 00:03:15,850.06292935 It's really more about philosophy. 51 00:03:16,150.06292935 --> 00:03:17,230.06292935 It's like history. 52 00:03:17,230.06292935 --> 00:03:18,490.06292935 Yeah, yeah, exactly. 53 00:03:18,980.06292935 --> 00:03:24,520.06292935 I took some pre-law classes and I just realized at the time that, a, I never wanted to be a lawyer. 54 00:03:24,700.06292935 --> 00:03:26,350.06292935 I found that incredibly boring. 55 00:03:26,680.06292935 --> 00:03:29,500.06292935 And two, politics was mostly raising money. 56 00:03:29,620.06292935 --> 00:03:32,710.06292935 And I said, you know what? I thought I wanted to go into politics. 57 00:03:32,710.06292935 --> 00:03:41,920.06292935 I still want to do stuff to help people, but this is not the way calling people every day asking for money, spending three hours on the phone does not sound like a good time. 58 00:03:42,210.06292935 --> 00:03:46,200.06292935 I put that sort of that dream behind me and was like, all right, I'm gonna do other things. 59 00:03:46,200.06292935 --> 00:03:47,970.06292935 I I'm gonna go in the Army for a while. 60 00:03:47,970.06292935 --> 00:03:49,260.06292935 I don't know what I'll do after that. 61 00:03:49,570.06292935 --> 00:03:51,940.06292935 I was working as EMT in college. 62 00:03:52,210.06292935 --> 00:03:54,730.06292935 I was like, Hey, I would like to be in the medical field somehow. 63 00:03:55,440.06292935 --> 00:04:00,230.06292935 Senior year, nine 11 hits, a senior in college getting ready to commission into the Army. 64 00:04:00,680.06292935 --> 00:04:12,410.06292935 And, biggest fear from before then was, you go spend six months in Bosnia, or Kosovo, which, you know, it's not that there's zero risk, but it's very different than, uh, what happened after nine 11. 65 00:04:12,815.06292935 --> 00:04:20,935.06292935 And I come in the army, uh, and within, year and a half of me entering the army, I am, in Baghdad, leading troops as a platoon leader. 66 00:04:20,935.06292935 --> 00:04:22,345.06292935 Ended up as a company xo. 67 00:04:22,735.06292935 --> 00:04:26,515.06292935 My first duty station was in Texas, so I sort of, that was my first acclimation. 68 00:04:26,855.06292935 --> 00:04:30,395.06292935 I go to Fort Hood, later, Fort Co Vasos, now back to Fort Hood. 69 00:04:30,615.06292935 --> 00:04:30,905.06292935 Yeah. 70 00:04:31,505.06292935 --> 00:04:31,805.06292935 Yeah. 71 00:04:32,115.06292935 --> 00:04:47,615.06292935 And, you know, almost immediately I'm, I'm deployed to Iraq and I get my first taste of, I would say, real leadership and, danger and responsibility and all those things that come with being responsible for people's lives, in that type of situation. 72 00:04:48,105.06292935 --> 00:04:53,505.06292935 I distinctly remember our first week in Ed Baghdad, we have a mass casualty situation. 73 00:04:53,805.06292935 --> 00:05:05,525.06292935 there's been some movies made about this, but Solder City was a real bad area in Baghdad where Saddam was saying it basically created slums, that you can't imagine forcing, Shiite Muslims in there. 74 00:05:05,825.06292935 --> 00:05:13,925.06292935 As you might imagine, living in those terrible conditions, some extremists were, were gaining power and they ambush a bunch of our troops. 75 00:05:13,925.06292935 --> 00:05:20,145.06292935 And we have this whole, I'm running the medical, area and we have this whole mass casualty and it's like, okay, welcome to, to war. 76 00:05:20,145.06292935 --> 00:05:21,255.06292935 Welcome to real life. 77 00:05:21,735.06292935 --> 00:05:23,745.06292935 So I served there for a year. 78 00:05:23,745.06292935 --> 00:05:28,745.06292935 I come back, I do some training and before I know it, I'm back in Iraq a year and a half later. 79 00:05:28,965.06292935 --> 00:05:30,495.06292935 I was there for 15 months. 80 00:05:30,595.06292935 --> 00:05:33,895.06292935 About halfway through I take command of a medical company. 81 00:05:34,315.06292935 --> 00:05:37,745.06292935 I end up commanding that company for a little over two years. 82 00:05:37,745.06292935 --> 00:05:38,945.06292935 Two years and a few months. 83 00:05:39,45.06292935 --> 00:05:42,15.06292935 So I was command there, come back home, did a whole train up. 84 00:05:42,255.06292935 --> 00:05:46,545.06292935 It was like 12 months in a week, and we're back in Iraq and I did another year there. 85 00:05:46,575.06292935 --> 00:05:46,965.06292935 Yeah. 86 00:05:47,385.06292935 --> 00:05:55,650.06292935 So, yeah, it was just, you know, you were was like, as soon as you get back you're like, and we need to just, you know, turn, turn it back around. 87 00:05:55,720.06292935 --> 00:05:56,10.06292935 Yeah. 88 00:05:56,325.06292935 --> 00:05:56,865.06292935 Exactly. 89 00:05:56,865.06292935 --> 00:06:00,825.06292935 I'll, I'll never forget we were getting ready to come back from our 15 month deployment., 90 00:06:00,875.06292935 --> 00:06:04,655.06292935 And so it was, we had been gone from October of oh six to January of oh eight. 91 00:06:04,655.06292935 --> 00:06:07,625.06292935 And so this is January of oh eight or like a week before coming home. 92 00:06:07,925.06292935 --> 00:06:15,600.06292935 And they announced when we were gonna come back to Iraq and we're like, could you at least like let us like have some joy? Right? Like everyone's excited. 93 00:06:16,25.06292935 --> 00:06:16,985.06292935 And then it's hi honey. 94 00:06:17,225.06292935 --> 00:06:19,145.06292935 I'm only our family? Yeah. 95 00:06:19,625.06292935 --> 00:06:24,725.06292935 And oh, by the way, in that year we do about, you know, we do a month at a training rotation out away from home. 96 00:06:24,725.06292935 --> 00:06:26,405.06292935 We do another month in the field. 97 00:06:26,825.06292935 --> 00:06:27,185.06292935 Right. 98 00:06:27,185.06292935 --> 00:06:33,25.06292935 And so really you're with your family for six to nine months, depending, with long work hours in there. 99 00:06:33,775.06292935 --> 00:06:37,75.06292935 It's, yeah, yeah, it was rough. 100 00:06:37,175.06292935 --> 00:06:38,375.06292935 I do this third deployment. 101 00:06:38,375.06292935 --> 00:06:39,455.06292935 I was still in command when I left. 102 00:06:39,505.06292935 --> 00:06:46,860.06292935 We typically try to change commands over there, so I changed, command, um, and moved on to doing, finance and logistics for brigade combat team. 103 00:06:48,345.06292935 --> 00:06:48,645.06292935 Come. 104 00:06:48,705.06292935 --> 00:06:51,855.06292935 And in this time I had prepared my paperwork to get outta the Army. 105 00:06:51,855.06292935 --> 00:06:54,495.06292935 It was like, all right, I've done eight years. 106 00:06:54,585.06292935 --> 00:06:54,855.06292935 Yep. 107 00:06:55,35.06292935 --> 00:06:55,695.06292935 It's time. 108 00:06:55,695.06292935 --> 00:07:00,555.06292935 I've been deployed basically more than I haven't been if, especially if you count like field time and other stuff. 109 00:07:00,975.06292935 --> 00:07:02,745.06292935 I basically never seen my family. 110 00:07:03,205.06292935 --> 00:07:06,715.06292935 I had missed at one point, I missed three out of four Christmases and Thanksgivings. 111 00:07:07,230.06292935 --> 00:07:10,200.06292935 Because we had left in October and did a 15 month through January. 112 00:07:10,470.06292935 --> 00:07:11,730.06292935 We're only home for a year. 113 00:07:11,880.06292935 --> 00:07:17,340.06292935 When you add all this and with some other training, it had actually been like four outta six that I had missed. 114 00:07:17,680.06292935 --> 00:07:24,130.06292935 So I was done and, I'm scrolling and just seeing options out there, trying to figure out what I want to do. 115 00:07:24,490.06292935 --> 00:07:42,600.06292935 And I see a call from the Army for, people who are in my, you know, had been in the Army for, six to eight years to go to a program with Baylor University, get an advanced degree in MBAA Master of Health Administration and either become a hospital administrator or a hospital finance person. 116 00:07:42,790.06292935 --> 00:07:43,600.06292935 We call it comptroller. 117 00:07:44,680.06292935 --> 00:07:47,670.06292935 And so I said, that sounds better than what I've been doing, right. 118 00:07:47,670.06292935 --> 00:07:54,980.06292935 So, you know, I went through this and I got offered to go become a comptroller, learn finance, get two, masters. 119 00:07:54,980.06292935 --> 00:08:02,40.06292935 I had to agree to serve,, I think it was like three or four years afterward, it's like, okay, I'll, I'll go do this. 120 00:08:02,90.06292935 --> 00:08:03,740.06292935 I went in, I got my two degrees. 121 00:08:04,70.06292935 --> 00:08:05,690.06292935 I kind of fell in love with it. 122 00:08:05,690.06292935 --> 00:08:08,570.06292935 Right? I really enjoyed being back in school. 123 00:08:08,600.06292935 --> 00:08:10,490.06292935 Esp I hadn't done super well as an undergrad. 124 00:08:10,490.06292935 --> 00:08:11,630.06292935 I wasn't very focused. 125 00:08:11,900.06292935 --> 00:08:14,30.06292935 Army changes that to some extent, right. 126 00:08:14,670.06292935 --> 00:08:17,160.06292935 As undergrads? You know, we're, we're having fun. 127 00:08:17,460.06292935 --> 00:08:19,980.06292935 We're, we're, that's like first time away from home. 128 00:08:19,980.06292935 --> 00:08:21,960.06292935 Really just enjoying it. 129 00:08:22,365.06292935 --> 00:08:23,355.06292935 Yeah. 130 00:08:23,385.06292935 --> 00:08:24,705.06292935 Yeah, exactly right. 131 00:08:24,755.06292935 --> 00:08:30,125.06292935 I would say like, I think it's for everyone but my high school, like life had been so stressful with my dad being sick. 132 00:08:30,365.06292935 --> 00:08:32,135.06292935 Like you're finally out on your own. 133 00:08:32,325.06292935 --> 00:08:37,815.06292935 Like making some money and 'cause I've worked part-time and yeah, a lot of it went home and a lot of went to school. 134 00:08:37,815.06292935 --> 00:08:39,675.06292935 But you had enough to like have some fun. 135 00:08:39,945.06292935 --> 00:08:43,35.06292935 It was just a different, regardless, I'm back to school. 136 00:08:43,35.06292935 --> 00:08:44,955.06292935 I'm enjoying and I'm enjoying learning things. 137 00:08:45,185.06292935 --> 00:08:47,825.06292935 I request to go work in research and development. 138 00:08:47,825.06292935 --> 00:08:54,365.06292935 So even though I had, I was a healthcare person, I didn't really wanna work in a hospital like a fixed hospital. 139 00:08:54,365.06292935 --> 00:08:55,925.06292935 That to me, didn't seem as interesting. 140 00:08:56,355.06292935 --> 00:09:01,195.06292935 I had been doing emergency medicine really with like the field and, so I was like, okay, let me go do this research thing. 141 00:09:01,195.06292935 --> 00:09:02,245.06292935 This seems pretty interesting. 142 00:09:02,845.06292935 --> 00:09:09,415.06292935 Uh, and so I go, my first, uh, job as a like, certified finance comptroller. 143 00:09:09,715.06292935 --> 00:09:15,85.06292935 I'm the budget officer for the medical research command for the Army, which is huge. 144 00:09:15,85.06292935 --> 00:09:16,795.06292935 It's like a $2 billion budget. 145 00:09:17,245.06292935 --> 00:09:21,265.06292935 Um, I did have somebody who, like another finance person who was in charge of me, I wasn't the CFO. 146 00:09:21,785.06292935 --> 00:09:24,935.06292935 You're seeing all like this cool, like cutting edge stuff we're financing. 147 00:09:24,935.06292935 --> 00:09:26,75.06292935 I was like, this is amazing. 148 00:09:26,495.06292935 --> 00:09:33,65.06292935 Um, while I'm there, there's a call for people to go get PhDs and I was like, I like doing this research thing. 149 00:09:33,95.06292935 --> 00:09:34,505.06292935 PhDs are mostly research. 150 00:09:34,835.06292935 --> 00:09:37,235.06292935 I had thought for a while about being a teacher. 151 00:09:37,235.06292935 --> 00:09:38,765.06292935 I was actually thinking about being an elementary teacher. 152 00:09:38,765.06292935 --> 00:09:40,715.06292935 My mom was a teacher, she was a school librarian. 153 00:09:41,45.06292935 --> 00:09:44,375.06292935 Um, later was kind of like, I really enjoy teaching. 154 00:09:44,375.06292935 --> 00:09:45,215.06292935 I like research. 155 00:09:45,245.06292935 --> 00:09:46,805.06292935 I was like, yeah, let me go do this PhD thing. 156 00:09:46,805.06292935 --> 00:09:48,65.06292935 So I applied to the Army. 157 00:09:48,455.06292935 --> 00:09:54,305.06292935 Um, they were, they send about one person in my career field each year or every other year to go get a PhD. 158 00:09:54,875.06292935 --> 00:09:57,635.06292935 Um, and so I said, okay, let me, let me do that. 159 00:09:57,635.06292935 --> 00:09:58,445.06292935 And it's a long process. 160 00:09:58,445.06292935 --> 00:10:02,910.06292935 You get selected and then you leave like a year and a And then you gotta apply to schools and get in there. 161 00:10:02,910.06292935 --> 00:10:04,380.06292935 And so it's just a long cycle. 162 00:10:04,710.06292935 --> 00:10:06,810.06292935 Um, but meanwhile I changed jobs. 163 00:10:06,810.06292935 --> 00:10:10,530.06292935 I went from being the budget officer to the CFO of a research institute. 164 00:10:10,580.06292935 --> 00:10:14,480.06292935 Um, meanwhile I'm applying to, to universities to get my PhD. 165 00:10:15,230.06292935 --> 00:10:19,250.06292935 Um, I get into Wharton, um, which was, you know, a dream come true. 166 00:10:19,760.06292935 --> 00:10:22,130.06292935 I apply thinking there's no chance they're gonna take me. 167 00:10:22,490.06292935 --> 00:10:23,840.06292935 I always say never self reject. 168 00:10:23,960.06292935 --> 00:10:24,260.06292935 Right. 169 00:10:24,260.06292935 --> 00:10:26,525.06292935 Like Right? Can't close that door. 170 00:10:27,95.06292935 --> 00:10:30,275.06292935 You can't close the door if it, you know, it's, that's crazy. 171 00:10:30,365.06292935 --> 00:10:31,655.06292935 I love, I love when people do that. 172 00:10:31,655.06292935 --> 00:10:32,615.06292935 I'm like, shut up. 173 00:10:32,615.06292935 --> 00:10:33,125.06292935 Just send it. 174 00:10:33,125.06292935 --> 00:10:33,485.06292935 Fuck it. 175 00:10:34,265.06292935 --> 00:10:34,985.06292935 Exactly right. 176 00:10:34,985.06292935 --> 00:10:38,465.06292935 Like let them close it in front of me, like I'm not gonna close it myself. 177 00:10:38,975.06292935 --> 00:10:43,170.06292935 But so I get in there, I do my, my year, it was basically a year that I was the CFO of Rare. 178 00:10:43,350.06292935 --> 00:10:43,640.06292935 Okay. 179 00:10:43,655.06292935 --> 00:10:46,985.06292935 really enjoyed it, loved one of my favorite jobs I ever had. 180 00:10:47,415.06292935 --> 00:10:49,125.06292935 I was being the CFO of a research institute. 181 00:10:49,155.06292935 --> 00:10:50,745.06292935 It was so interesting. 182 00:10:51,105.06292935 --> 00:11:00,795.06292935 You really got to use sort of your, I would say it's cre, it's not, I'm not an artist, but it's creative talent on how you've managed to, to fund part of the brain. 183 00:11:00,825.06292935 --> 00:11:01,785.06292935 Yeah, it is. 184 00:11:01,785.06292935 --> 00:11:02,505.06292935 It's nice. 185 00:11:02,955.06292935 --> 00:11:10,155.06292935 it's, um, and so learned more about costing models than like I ever thought I would know. 186 00:11:11,730.06292935 --> 00:11:14,805.06292935 The only person who's ever said fussing models are creative. 187 00:11:16,780.06292935 --> 00:11:17,770.06292935 So I go to Wharton. 188 00:11:17,770.06292935 --> 00:11:19,90.06292935 The Army gives you three years. 189 00:11:19,180.06292935 --> 00:11:27,940.06292935 Um, I've at least been told, I don't know, you know, I can't confirm this with data, but I've been told I'm the fastest person, at least in my department's history, to get through with a PhD there. 190 00:11:28,120.06292935 --> 00:11:32,380.06292935 Um, now again, part of that's your force because the Army says you only have this much time. 191 00:11:32,635.06292935 --> 00:11:33,415.06292935 Right, right. 192 00:11:33,415.06292935 --> 00:11:36,925.06292935 You're like, yeah, and then you stop paying for it, and it's fucking Wharton. 193 00:11:37,15.06292935 --> 00:11:41,215.06292935 I'm not paying for that, so I gotta, and I gotta finish it, or then they'll make me pay for it. 194 00:11:41,215.06292935 --> 00:11:43,120.06292935 Like, no Uhuh, it's Exactly. 195 00:11:43,420.06292935 --> 00:11:43,720.06292935 Yep. 196 00:11:43,780.06292935 --> 00:11:45,310.06292935 So I finished at Wharton. 197 00:11:45,360.06292935 --> 00:11:52,490.06292935 I get my PhD, so the Wharton, regardless of what department you're in, it's a managerial science and applied economics is their, is the PhD they give out. 198 00:11:52,680.06292935 --> 00:11:54,930.06292935 Mine was focused in healthcare management and economics. 199 00:11:55,230.06292935 --> 00:12:00,60.06292935 Write my dissertation on discontinuity in the patient physician relationship. 200 00:12:00,340.06292935 --> 00:12:14,580.06292935 And I get really interested in how relationships affect performance, right? I've always been, even as a leader in the army, when I didn't know any of the academic work, I always thought, well, taking care of people is really important, right? People burn out and, you know, it's my job. 201 00:12:14,580.06292935 --> 00:12:29,340.06292935 I, I always call myself the coach, right? Like, if I've got a really good left field or I don't put them at third base, and if I got a really good third baseman, I don't put them in left field, right? And so it was finding the right job for each person that they could really maximize their skills. 202 00:12:29,700.06292935 --> 00:12:32,960.06292935 Um, and so I spend, years thinking about that. 203 00:12:32,960.06292935 --> 00:12:48,405.06292935 Like, how do I get the most out of people? And now I have the opportunity to research it and understand, like a lot of this comes down to like how we're treated, right? How do we motivate people? How do we give them the resources they need to be the best version of themselves? I go back to the Army. 204 00:12:48,405.06292935 --> 00:12:51,165.06292935 I actually teach this program with Baylor for a few years. 205 00:12:51,295.06292935 --> 00:12:54,295.06292935 Then the Army being the Army says you have to go find a different job. 206 00:12:54,655.06292935 --> 00:12:59,675.06292935 I get selected to be the CFO of the military's largest hospital, Brook Army Medical Center. 207 00:12:59,675.06292935 --> 00:13:00,845.06292935 A lot of people think it's Walter Reed. 208 00:13:00,845.06292935 --> 00:13:01,385.06292935 It's not. 209 00:13:01,685.06292935 --> 00:13:02,945.06292935 It's Brooke Army Medical Center. 210 00:13:05,15.06292935 --> 00:13:06,655.06292935 But, a level one trauma center. 211 00:13:06,655.06292935 --> 00:13:07,615.06292935 See civilians. 212 00:13:07,715.06292935 --> 00:13:15,75.06292935 Very much more complicated, in many ways than other military hospitals because they have this trauma mission and they see civilians throughout San Antonio. 213 00:13:15,915.06292935 --> 00:13:24,165.06292935 And so you have to do the billing, you have to do all these other things that you would do in a sort of a traditional civilian hospital that you typically don't have to do very much in the military hospital. 214 00:13:24,535.06292935 --> 00:13:27,385.06292935 At this point I was pretty, pretty, decided I wanted to be an academia. 215 00:13:27,605.06292935 --> 00:13:29,525.06292935 I'm never gonna be complaining about my salary. 216 00:13:29,525.06292935 --> 00:13:30,815.06292935 I've got a military pension. 217 00:13:30,815.06292935 --> 00:13:32,15.06292935 I've got VA disability. 218 00:13:32,15.06292935 --> 00:13:36,205.06292935 I, as an economist, you get paid more than a history professor, I, I'm not complaining. 219 00:13:36,205.06292935 --> 00:13:40,165.06292935 There's a plenty of people I have more to complain about, but a, a hospital CFO makes a lot more than. 220 00:13:40,870.06292935 --> 00:13:47,990.06292935 Professor and so we had the conversation, right? Do we chase money or do we go do what I want to do? What I really enjoy and where I feel like I make the biggest mark. 221 00:13:48,500.06292935 --> 00:13:50,990.06292935 Uh, my wife being very, very supportive. 222 00:13:51,170.06292935 --> 00:13:53,60.06292935 We decide I'm just gonna stay in academia. 223 00:13:53,60.06292935 --> 00:13:55,550.06292935 Like we have a very comfortable life. 224 00:13:55,980.06292935 --> 00:14:03,150.06292935 I was about, say my mom's, my mom teaches outta college now, and like even just as a teacher, there was a lot of flex. 225 00:14:03,150.06292935 --> 00:14:05,700.06292935 Like, I didn't understand other people's parents weren't home during the summer. 226 00:14:05,700.06292935 --> 00:14:07,465.06292935 I was like, what do you mean? Mm-hmm. 227 00:14:07,500.06292935 --> 00:14:08,990.06292935 I don't, I was like, I, I don't get it. 228 00:14:08,990.06292935 --> 00:14:13,220.06292935 I was like, so it's, it is, it's very helpful and you can actually be there for the events. 229 00:14:13,640.06292935 --> 00:14:16,940.06292935 that's exactly it, right? I would say you have to put in your hours, but you can put in the hours whenever you want. 230 00:14:16,940.06292935 --> 00:14:22,310.06292935 'cause I can just come sit in my home office and do it, right? It's not like I need to be on when other people are on for the most part. 231 00:14:23,300.06292935 --> 00:14:23,720.06292935 Mm-hmm. 232 00:14:23,765.06292935 --> 00:14:23,885.06292935 it. 233 00:14:24,125.06292935 --> 00:14:24,995.06292935 So it was great. 234 00:14:24,995.06292935 --> 00:14:26,315.06292935 Right? It's very flexible. 235 00:14:26,615.06292935 --> 00:14:30,755.06292935 Uh, it's, it makes me much more present for my family than I could ever be when I was in the Army. 236 00:14:30,875.06292935 --> 00:14:33,365.06292935 It's, you know, just honestly loving life. 237 00:14:33,605.06292935 --> 00:14:34,745.06292935 Um, yeah. 238 00:14:35,105.06292935 --> 00:14:38,285.06292935 Uh, I enjoyed my time in the Army, but I really enjoyed being a retiree. 239 00:14:39,400.06292935 --> 00:14:41,110.06292935 It's, right. 240 00:14:41,340.06292935 --> 00:14:42,470.06292935 Yeah, for sure. 241 00:14:42,545.06292935 --> 00:14:42,905.06292935 Yeah. 242 00:14:43,745.06292935 --> 00:14:56,585.06292935 And I'm working and I'm at UTSA and then, 2000, November of 2024 happens, right? So Trump is reelected and, I should go back and say that I, I was a typical, like sometimes vote Republican, sometimes vote Democrat. 243 00:14:56,825.06292935 --> 00:15:07,255.06292935 I was registered as a Republican up through 2016, and then when, when Trump took over the party never stood, didn't stand for anything that I stood for, right? So I'm fiscally conservative. 244 00:15:07,255.06292935 --> 00:15:08,35.06292935 It was, right. 245 00:15:08,35.06292935 --> 00:15:12,985.06292935 I'm a ardent capitalists free trade, right? And we can talk about some of those issues. 246 00:15:13,255.06292935 --> 00:15:22,560.06292935 But I just felt okay, all of a sudden the, the Trump Republican Party MAGA is, socially conservative, fiscally liberal, where I come so weird. 247 00:15:22,845.06292935 --> 00:15:24,300.06292935 It, it doesn't make any sense. 248 00:15:24,360.06292935 --> 00:15:35,950.06292935 Like literally I'm like, oh, you're the small government people get out of my uterus, get like, you know, it's so many, like, there's so many contradictions and like, it is not, I, I try to explain this to people. 249 00:15:35,950.06292935 --> 00:15:38,50.06292935 I'm like, it's not a Republican, it's not the Republican party anymore. 250 00:15:38,50.06292935 --> 00:15:45,955.06292935 It's, it No, it's not in, it hasn't been officially in like 10 years, but like realistically, it started with the tea party kind of starting to a hundred percent. 251 00:15:45,970.06292935 --> 00:15:46,540.06292935 pull, pull. 252 00:15:46,540.06292935 --> 00:15:47,50.06292935 Yeah. 253 00:15:47,50.06292935 --> 00:15:47,350.06292935 percent. 254 00:15:47,380.06292935 --> 00:15:47,650.06292935 Yep. 255 00:15:47,650.06292935 --> 00:15:48,520.06292935 Ever since the Tea party. 256 00:15:48,520.06292935 --> 00:15:56,995.06292935 I mean, look, I, and I think, you know, now with eyes Wide open, you can go back to You go as far back Reagan and find things Oh, for sure. 257 00:15:57,70.06292935 --> 00:16:06,750.06292935 really now, but you can do the same thing with Democrats, right? Like, I've got tons of problems with our Democrat, uh, electeds do you mean they're perfect? yeah. 258 00:16:07,155.06292935 --> 00:16:07,665.06292935 I'm sorry. 259 00:16:07,995.06292935 --> 00:16:08,715.06292935 Couldn't even get it. 260 00:16:09,105.06292935 --> 00:16:10,5.06292935 I was, I was like, oh. 261 00:16:10,5.06292935 --> 00:16:10,635.06292935 Almost threw up. 262 00:16:10,965.06292935 --> 00:16:11,745.06292935 Not, yeah, exactly. 263 00:16:11,745.06292935 --> 00:16:13,635.06292935 It's like, it's, it's fucking politics. 264 00:16:13,935.06292935 --> 00:16:15,105.06292935 Everybody kind of sucks. 265 00:16:15,165.06292935 --> 00:16:22,440.06292935 You gotta be the best version of yourself and you gotta like, bring out the best version of each party or change it from the inside out, you know? Exactly right. 266 00:16:22,500.06292935 --> 00:16:24,30.06292935 And so I had gone back and forth. 267 00:16:24,30.06292935 --> 00:16:33,450.06292935 I get annoyed with something from one, and I'd go to the other, and then I get annoyed something there, and I go back and, traditional median voter independent, um, that I make a decision on each race. 268 00:16:34,110.06292935 --> 00:16:34,170.06292935 Um. 269 00:16:35,625.06292935 --> 00:16:41,25.0629294 And then, you know, again, then 2016 happens and I say, I'm done with that party until all of these people are out. 270 00:16:41,85.0629294 --> 00:16:46,215.0629294 Like I just cannot support, it's the complete opposite on every angle of what I support. 271 00:16:46,305.0629294 --> 00:16:49,615.0629294 it is, it really And so I changed the Democrat. 272 00:16:49,795.0629294 --> 00:16:58,45.0629294 Still very centrist, very, I would say, small, see conservative Democrat, in that I,, I'm on the part of the, you know, I am very fiscally conservative. 273 00:16:58,45.0629294 --> 00:17:00,835.0629294 I, I am very worried about the debt and the deficit. 274 00:17:01,405.0629294 --> 00:17:04,525.0629294 But I'm also socially like libertarian, right? Like you said, standard uterus. 275 00:17:04,525.0629294 --> 00:17:08,755.0629294 Like, I just don't think the government has a place with any sort of this kind of, right. 276 00:17:08,755.0629294 --> 00:17:10,165.0629294 These are personal decisions. 277 00:17:10,765.0629294 --> 00:17:17,485.0629294 Uh, and so, uh, I, I become a Democrat, so, okay, so flash forward now, it's 2024. 278 00:17:17,575.0629294 --> 00:17:18,295.0629294 like, let's go. 279 00:17:18,295.0629294 --> 00:17:19,855.0629294 We gotta, it's been 22 minutes. 280 00:17:19,855.0629294 --> 00:17:25,915.0629294 You gotta get I'm, I'm gonna cut it and I'm gonna put it at the beginning, but tell me, Sorry. 281 00:17:26,395.0629294 --> 00:17:29,215.0629294 Yeah, I know I told you I could be long-winded with my story. 282 00:17:29,315.0629294 --> 00:17:29,825.0629294 Yeah. 283 00:17:30,665.0629294 --> 00:17:37,265.0629294 I was worried when you started, when you were 10, and I was like, I know it's an important part of the story, but I, I was like, oh no, we've got a ways to go. 284 00:17:37,265.0629294 --> 00:17:44,345.0629294 So tell me why you're running for office this year right okay, so 2024, November, 2024 happens. 285 00:17:44,475.0629294 --> 00:17:49,545.0629294 And I remember like talking with friends and, and they were very worried. 286 00:17:49,545.0629294 --> 00:17:52,5.0629294 And I was the one saying, look, we've been through this before. 287 00:17:52,395.0629294 --> 00:17:53,385.0629294 It'll be okay. 288 00:17:53,595.0629294 --> 00:17:55,515.0629294 Yes, it's gonna, it's gonna hurt people. 289 00:17:55,545.0629294 --> 00:18:00,495.0629294 Right? No doubt in my mind that like, people will die because of his policies. 290 00:18:01,155.0629294 --> 00:18:04,845.0629294 But we've been through this before, like, we're just gonna have to fight from the inside. 291 00:18:04,845.0629294 --> 00:18:08,355.0629294 We're gonna have to do what we can and take it back. 292 00:18:09,45.0629294 --> 00:18:13,535.0629294 And, and I was sort of accepting that, right? This was, this is what happens. 293 00:18:13,835.0629294 --> 00:18:14,525.0629294 And then. 294 00:18:15,170.0629294 --> 00:18:30,830.0629294 By January, like after the inauguration, it was very clear that this was not gonna be a repeat of the first term, and that he had now surrendered himself with syco offenses, with yes men, with people that have basically no morals. 295 00:18:30,830.0629294 --> 00:18:31,190.0629294 Right. 296 00:18:31,410.0629294 --> 00:18:33,510.0629294 Just, just completely amoral. 297 00:18:33,940.0629294 --> 00:18:39,140.0629294 You got things like, Elon Musks saying that empathy is a, is a negative and Right. 298 00:18:39,170.0629294 --> 00:18:44,500.0629294 The opposite of, of everything I stand in and now I start to be like really worried about the future of our country. 299 00:18:45,160.0629294 --> 00:18:53,590.0629294 And so I'm, you know, doing the typical scrolling, social media, getting angry and I, but it was beyond that, right. 300 00:18:53,590.0629294 --> 00:19:02,920.0629294 I wasn't sleeping well because I was just so angry and my wife looked at me one night, probably like early February and was like, you can't do this for four years. 301 00:19:03,445.0629294 --> 00:19:03,745.0629294 Right. 302 00:19:03,835.0629294 --> 00:19:04,705.0629294 You're gonna die. 303 00:19:04,765.0629294 --> 00:19:06,115.0629294 Sleep deprivation will kill you. 304 00:19:06,505.0629294 --> 00:19:06,835.0629294 Yeah. 305 00:19:07,225.0629294 --> 00:19:13,225.0629294 You might have a heart attack, like Um, and she worries a lot about my stress levels, so this, right. 306 00:19:13,525.0629294 --> 00:19:17,245.0629294 Um, and so I just sort of said, you know what? You're right. 307 00:19:17,245.0629294 --> 00:19:20,965.0629294 I can't, I can't just sit here and scroll social media and be angry. 308 00:19:21,355.0629294 --> 00:19:22,315.0629294 We gotta do something. 309 00:19:22,435.0629294 --> 00:19:30,55.0629294 And so started talking, figuring out, okay, like how do we want to get involved? What's my skillset? I'm very used to being in front of people. 310 00:19:30,55.0629294 --> 00:19:32,65.0629294 I'm very comfortable talking. 311 00:19:32,65.0629294 --> 00:19:34,135.0629294 I think I have a lot of policy ideas. 312 00:19:34,345.0629294 --> 00:19:38,965.0629294 The thing that had kept me outta politics, because I'd always been very interested in it, was just the fundraising. 313 00:19:38,965.0629294 --> 00:19:44,665.0629294 And so I just made that decision and we made the decision as a team that, you know what? We'll suck it up. 314 00:19:44,925.0629294 --> 00:19:50,835.0629294 I'll have to go fundraise and it's not the fun part, but we're not gonna change things if we don't try and do this. 315 00:19:51,105.0629294 --> 00:19:52,155.0629294 And so we looked. 316 00:19:52,385.0629294 --> 00:19:56,75.0629294 I am represented by a democrat in the US Congress. 317 00:19:56,225.0629294 --> 00:20:02,855.0629294 Don't love him, but we're represented by a Democrat, who's also under indictment for corruption and things. 318 00:20:03,470.0629294 --> 00:20:03,830.0629294 Yeah. 319 00:20:04,160.0629294 --> 00:20:06,290.0629294 And so I didn't know that when I was making this decision. 320 00:20:06,290.0629294 --> 00:20:11,170.0629294 I'm, but, but I'm, I'm represented by a Republican in the Texas house. 321 00:20:11,590.0629294 --> 00:20:16,930.0629294 And so we said, well, our first, the first priority is getting a MAGA Republican out of office. 322 00:20:17,250.0629294 --> 00:20:23,565.0629294 And the, I am, I am represent, and I use the term represented very, uh, loosely because Yeah. 323 00:20:24,30.0629294 --> 00:20:25,650.0629294 he does not represent our district. 324 00:20:25,680.0629294 --> 00:20:35,320.0629294 He was bought and paid for by Abbott and, and dark money that came in from, New Jersey billionaires through Abbott's path in order to get school vouchers passed yet. 325 00:20:35,990.0629294 --> 00:20:48,725.0629294 So last cycle, he had primaried our fairly moderate traditional Republican representative who was, again, like I could disagree on policy, but he was trying to represent our like a decent person. 326 00:20:49,330.0629294 --> 00:20:49,540.0629294 Yeah. 327 00:20:49,690.0629294 --> 00:20:50,920.0629294 Very decent person. 328 00:20:50,920.0629294 --> 00:20:52,390.0629294 Even if we have like. 329 00:20:52,990.0629294 --> 00:20:55,0.0629294 You know, specific policy differences. 330 00:20:55,320.0629294 --> 00:20:55,410.0629294 Right. 331 00:20:55,685.0629294 --> 00:20:55,805.0629294 I. 332 00:20:56,220.0629294 --> 00:21:01,680.0629294 but this guy comes in, he gets an almost million dollar check from the Governor's pac, so he doesn't have to raise any money. 333 00:21:02,310.0629294 --> 00:21:10,520.0629294 Primaries, this moderate wins a fairly close election in the primary and then coasts because we're in a pretty red district. 334 00:21:10,920.0629294 --> 00:21:13,710.0629294 And the Democrats, right? Like put up. 335 00:21:14,145.0629294 --> 00:21:18,555.0629294 Nice people, but not resourced in order to win these elections. 336 00:21:19,125.0629294 --> 00:21:20,505.0629294 Um, right. 337 00:21:20,565.0629294 --> 00:21:22,155.0629294 And so he wins. 338 00:21:22,155.0629294 --> 00:21:36,245.0629294 And I, I say, you know what? This cannot be, uh, I think that my biography, my military service,, my PhD in economics from Morton is gonna play better and potentially make this a closer race. 339 00:21:36,435.0629294 --> 00:21:39,885.0629294 And so yes, Trump, this is a Trump district by 30 points. 340 00:21:39,945.0629294 --> 00:21:42,440.0629294 It's a, it is an uphill race for me to Right. 341 00:21:43,5.0629294 --> 00:21:44,385.0629294 There is no sugarcoating that. 342 00:21:45,45.0629294 --> 00:21:47,835.0629294 At the same point, I don't think Democrats have really run a race. 343 00:21:47,835.0629294 --> 00:21:52,155.0629294 So even though we say 30 points, We have no fucking idea. 344 00:21:52,800.0629294 --> 00:21:54,60.0629294 That's what kills me. 345 00:21:54,60.0629294 --> 00:21:56,850.0629294 So like I am, I'm like died in the wall. 346 00:21:56,850.0629294 --> 00:21:59,220.0629294 I'm, I, this podcast is named after something. 347 00:21:59,220.0629294 --> 00:22:09,270.0629294 FDR said, like, I am so far left that I'm not represented on the spectrum, but I'm still like, deeply rooted in capitalism, right? People, people make that mistake constantly. 348 00:22:09,270.0629294 --> 00:22:10,290.0629294 They're like, you're a leftist. 349 00:22:10,290.0629294 --> 00:22:12,0.0629294 I'm like, you don't know what that means? And that's fine. 350 00:22:12,210.0629294 --> 00:22:14,850.0629294 But like, I'm like, no. 351 00:22:14,850.0629294 --> 00:22:17,70.0629294 I'm like, I'm like big L liberal. 352 00:22:17,70.0629294 --> 00:22:18,540.0629294 Like I'm a big L liberal. 353 00:22:19,110.0629294 --> 00:22:21,480.0629294 Just you haven't seen one in a long time. 354 00:22:21,780.0629294 --> 00:22:26,940.0629294 Uh, but like we've given up, the Democratic party has given up on so many down ballot races. 355 00:22:27,660.0629294 --> 00:22:32,700.0629294 And now your house district, your state house district is getting millions of like a million dollars for a state house. 356 00:22:33,240.0629294 --> 00:22:34,500.0629294 It, the money is insane. 357 00:22:35,475.0629294 --> 00:22:36,930.0629294 It is completely insane. 358 00:22:37,30.0629294 --> 00:22:39,265.0629294 I chose this race because I wanted get rid of a MAGA Republican. 359 00:22:39,325.0629294 --> 00:22:39,565.0629294 Right. 360 00:22:39,565.0629294 --> 00:22:42,475.0629294 It wasn't, it wasn't anything deeper than that. 361 00:22:42,475.0629294 --> 00:22:49,175.0629294 And I, I'd be lying where I said it was that said, I do think we have to win local if we're gonna win national. 362 00:22:49,535.0629294 --> 00:22:49,835.0629294 Right. 363 00:22:49,835.0629294 --> 00:22:51,970.0629294 So It all rolls up. 364 00:22:52,485.0629294 --> 00:22:53,145.0629294 Exactly. 365 00:22:53,385.0629294 --> 00:22:58,305.0629294 Um, and so I think it's really, really important that we invest in these local races. 366 00:22:58,365.0629294 --> 00:23:08,715.0629294 I think, you know, especially a state like Texas, which is, it's, if you look at like what's being elected, it looks like it's very far red, but the state itself is much more purple. 367 00:23:09,255.0629294 --> 00:23:10,485.0629294 It's so purple. 368 00:23:10,845.0629294 --> 00:23:13,305.0629294 exactly, we have the second most Democrats to California. 369 00:23:13,845.0629294 --> 00:23:14,295.0629294 Yeah. 370 00:23:14,445.0629294 --> 00:23:15,735.0629294 It drives me insane. 371 00:23:15,765.0629294 --> 00:23:18,945.0629294 It literally, people, people refuse to do that one extra step. 372 00:23:18,945.0629294 --> 00:23:19,305.0629294 Right. 373 00:23:19,665.0629294 --> 00:23:24,735.0629294 So I, I live in Brooklyn now, but I grew up in North Carolina and people, Asheville happened. 374 00:23:24,735.0629294 --> 00:23:31,875.0629294 We're gonna, I'm gonna ask you about the, the Texas floods here in a minute, but I, Asheville happened and like everyone was like, that's what they voted for. 375 00:23:31,875.0629294 --> 00:23:34,935.0629294 I'm like, it was 51 to 49%. 376 00:23:35,355.0629294 --> 00:23:41,445.0629294 What do you mean? That's what they voted for? What are you fucking smoking? And can I have some? It sounds like fun. 377 00:23:41,445.0629294 --> 00:23:48,165.0629294 Like it just, it it, nobody does that extra level of, like, we look at this map and we say, oh, Texas is red. 378 00:23:48,165.0629294 --> 00:23:54,15.0629294 Texas has always been red, but it's, there's so many, so many blue voters there and so many independents as well. 379 00:23:54,15.0629294 --> 00:23:59,565.0629294 I mean, realistically that could go, they, they swim back like you, like you, Exactly right. 380 00:23:59,715.0629294 --> 00:24:02,715.0629294 And honestly, Texas was blue for a long time. 381 00:24:02,715.0629294 --> 00:24:06,555.0629294 Now granted the whole southern south and like, you know, you go. 382 00:24:06,555.0629294 --> 00:24:17,545.0629294 We and all dive into, dive into political history, political party history But I mean, there, like even into the eighties, like Ann Richardson, right? Like we had a democratic governor here, sorry Anne Richardson. 383 00:24:17,995.0629294 --> 00:24:23,535.0629294 But, um, uh, like there is there is room for this, the state. 384 00:24:23,535.0629294 --> 00:24:28,455.0629294 And if we used turn state Texas blue, like there is no path to victory for Republicans without Texas. 385 00:24:29,355.0629294 --> 00:24:33,885.0629294 Right? And so getting people that will stop the gerrymandering that will Right. 386 00:24:33,945.0629294 --> 00:24:37,755.0629294 Make sure that we're not disenfranchising people, which we are. 387 00:24:37,755.0629294 --> 00:24:41,630.0629294 Right? Like, they're shutting down voting booths so that you have to wait in a longer line if you live in Houston. 388 00:24:42,575.0629294 --> 00:24:45,425.0629294 yeah, it's literally so apparent. 389 00:24:45,430.0629294 --> 00:24:49,535.0629294 And it's es and then again, and then people are like, well, this is what they voted for. 390 00:24:49,535.0629294 --> 00:24:59,15.0629294 I'm like, have you read one headline? One headline, just one headline? You'll know that they're actively, they're suppressed to the n extent. 391 00:25:00,35.0629294 --> 00:25:08,455.0629294 yeah, it's, I also just don't like that this is what they voted for, right? I, it makes me wanna like throat punch somebody Yeah. 392 00:25:08,515.0629294 --> 00:25:09,565.0629294 No, that's a hundred percent. 393 00:25:09,895.0629294 --> 00:25:13,555.0629294 Uh, and you you mentioned the floods, like I saw some of that there and it's like, well, I got news for you. 394 00:25:13,555.0629294 --> 00:25:15,565.0629294 None of these kids voted for that. 395 00:25:15,565.0629294 --> 00:25:16,615.0629294 And for shit. 396 00:25:16,675.0629294 --> 00:25:19,615.0629294 'cause they're 13, they're nine like. 397 00:25:19,855.0629294 --> 00:25:20,185.0629294 Right. 398 00:25:20,725.0629294 --> 00:25:22,310.0629294 And I can disagree with your vote. 399 00:25:22,340.0629294 --> 00:25:24,50.0629294 That doesn't mean I think you stop the death penalty. 400 00:25:24,110.0629294 --> 00:25:29,990.0629294 Like, come on, That it's, it's, it is the, that's it. 401 00:25:30,380.0629294 --> 00:25:44,990.0629294 For a long time in this country, many people, many people younger than I do, don't remember this, but there was a time where there was like a respectable version of like, we, we disagree on everything, and yet we're still, we still respect each other. 402 00:25:45,680.0629294 --> 00:25:46,610.0629294 What a concept. 403 00:25:46,940.0629294 --> 00:25:47,210.0629294 Yeah. 404 00:25:47,210.0629294 --> 00:25:48,380.0629294 I know what a concept. 405 00:25:48,830.0629294 --> 00:25:51,590.0629294 I always say reasonable people can disagree, right? We can. 406 00:25:52,130.0629294 --> 00:25:52,790.0629294 Have disagree., 407 00:25:52,790.0629294 --> 00:26:06,580.0629294 And I know every once in a while, well, people are dying and it's not untrue like it is, but like, even taking like usaid, like how much money should we be putting to other countries, right? It's a reasonable policy discussion to say like, we have needs at home, there's needs abroad. 408 00:26:06,910.0629294 --> 00:26:09,910.0629294 How should we be distributing these things? Now, don't get wrong. 409 00:26:09,910.0629294 --> 00:26:14,290.0629294 I think the Trump administration is just sort of doing what they can to be cruel. 410 00:26:14,725.0629294 --> 00:26:18,445.0629294 I feel like they have a crayon and they're just like, TA, yay. 411 00:26:18,565.0629294 --> 00:26:19,255.0629294 Cut that out. 412 00:26:19,315.0629294 --> 00:26:19,945.0629294 We're done. 413 00:26:20,20.0629294 --> 00:26:25,300.0629294 that's a hundred percent true, but in general, right? Like the one thing I'll say is like, Trump is not a smart man. 414 00:26:25,570.0629294 --> 00:26:27,160.0629294 And I know people don't like me to say that. 415 00:26:27,460.0629294 --> 00:26:30,940.0629294 Like Trump is not a smart man, but what he, he's really good at is manipulation. 416 00:26:31,645.0629294 --> 00:26:40,855.0629294 It's, he is, and he's been doing it since the fucking seventies, like he's been doing it for over 50 years, and I think he's getting a little bit less good at it right now. 417 00:26:40,855.0629294 --> 00:26:43,515.0629294 I think, you know, I think in his old age, he, I, I don't Yeah. 418 00:26:43,520.0629294 --> 00:26:43,780.0629294 Yeah. 419 00:26:43,795.0629294 --> 00:26:49,825.0629294 in like severe cognitive decline like everyone else is saying, but there's a, there's something happening where he's losing his edge. 420 00:26:50,155.0629294 --> 00:27:00,495.0629294 But literally from the seventies till like the mid two thousands, even into the aughts, like that man was slick for like, and he still, he still was into 2016. 421 00:27:00,930.0629294 --> 00:27:01,260.0629294 Yeah. 422 00:27:01,290.0629294 --> 00:27:02,250.0629294 No, he is slick. 423 00:27:02,280.0629294 --> 00:27:06,240.0629294 He has built this so people believe him when he says things that he lies to them. 424 00:27:06,240.0629294 --> 00:27:09,750.0629294 So when you blame people, their vote, like you have to understand that they're believing what he's telling them. 425 00:27:10,575.0629294 --> 00:27:16,920.0629294 Yeah, And even like some of the things that, like, I've like the deportations, which I am so far against. 426 00:27:16,920.0629294 --> 00:27:21,120.0629294 Like I, I can't even put into words how much I, how wrong I think these are. 427 00:27:21,975.0629294 --> 00:27:22,35.0629294 yeah. 428 00:27:22,80.0629294 --> 00:27:23,880.0629294 That's not to say I don't think we should secure borders. 429 00:27:23,910.0629294 --> 00:27:25,500.0629294 I think we do have to have secure borders. 430 00:27:25,860.0629294 --> 00:27:29,430.0629294 I just think the people who are already here, you've gotta f find a pathway. 431 00:27:29,490.0629294 --> 00:27:33,570.0629294 Like just sending people who've been here for years back who are not violent criminals. 432 00:27:33,570.0629294 --> 00:27:34,380.0629294 Not the violent criminals. 433 00:27:34,470.0629294 --> 00:27:34,620.0629294 Yeah. 434 00:27:34,650.0629294 --> 00:27:43,320.0629294 Again, But, I don't even know where I was going with this, right? Like, it is just, there are so it's just people, people have been lied to, right? The average voter has been lied to. 435 00:27:43,530.0629294 --> 00:27:43,980.0629294 Yeah. 436 00:27:44,205.0629294 --> 00:27:51,55.0629294 I mean, if I say, Hey, do you wanna get dangerous criminals outta the country? Who is gonna say no to that? Right? Like actually, I really like that they're here. 437 00:27:51,225.0629294 --> 00:27:51,795.0629294 Yeah. 438 00:27:52,65.0629294 --> 00:27:52,365.0629294 Right. 439 00:27:52,365.0629294 --> 00:27:54,105.0629294 Like, like everybody wants to do that. 440 00:27:54,105.0629294 --> 00:27:59,575.0629294 And so it's, it's creating these sort of like third grade, you know, Right, right. 441 00:28:00,15.0629294 --> 00:28:06,735.0629294 Um, playground type questions that there is no right answer to, because obviously we want to get rid of dangerous criminals. 442 00:28:07,275.0629294 --> 00:28:09,225.0629294 It's, but you, I can't remember the name. 443 00:28:09,225.0629294 --> 00:28:13,370.0629294 There's, there's names for these sort of like, arguing, Well, and it's, it's reducing nuance. 444 00:28:13,370.0629294 --> 00:28:16,10.0629294 It's, it's bringing it down to like the bottom line. 445 00:28:16,10.0629294 --> 00:28:19,100.0629294 And, and I've had this conversation with so many people. 446 00:28:19,100.0629294 --> 00:28:26,660.0629294 Like I am so mentally prepared to give people the average voter a soft place to land. 447 00:28:26,720.0629294 --> 00:28:31,40.0629294 You know, they're gonna come out with this like very big cult of personality and it's gonna be fucking rough. 448 00:28:31,580.0629294 --> 00:28:32,510.0629294 And I'm fine with that. 449 00:28:33,410.0629294 --> 00:28:41,150.0629294 The leaders who are in office right now who have bent over backwards to kiss Donald Trump's ass, do not get a soft place to land. 450 00:28:41,240.0629294 --> 00:28:42,185.0629294 I'm, yeah. 451 00:28:42,920.0629294 --> 00:28:44,690.0629294 I'm going to give them a slab of concrete. 452 00:28:44,720.0629294 --> 00:28:46,70.0629294 Like, I'm so mad at them. 453 00:28:46,370.0629294 --> 00:28:50,620.0629294 'cause they literally will say in closed doors, we know this is bad, but we still have to vote for it. 454 00:28:51,85.0629294 --> 00:28:51,625.0629294 Oh, totally. 455 00:28:51,655.0629294 --> 00:28:51,865.0629294 Yeah. 456 00:28:51,865.0629294 --> 00:29:13,350.0629294 I, again, I think there's, if you think about the spectrum, right? There's the 15 to, I don't know,, I don't know exactly what it's, today's 15, 20% that are so maga that there is no coming back, right? Like, I mean, they're, I'm not saying obviously they're still part of the country and we can't just rule them out, but, but Oh, we can't just throw 'em out 'cause we don't like Yeah. 457 00:29:13,800.0629294 --> 00:29:15,780.0629294 Yeah, I know, right? Crazy. 458 00:29:16,90.0629294 --> 00:29:34,150.0629294 But there's no, like, they're always gonna be sort of voting in this way and they're just hateful, racist, whatever you want to call, right? I don't like the way Hillary Clinton talk about deplorable, but those are the people that they just buy in and they'll lie and they'll cheat and they'll steal Do whatever it yep. 459 00:29:34,450.0629294 --> 00:29:37,150.0629294 Right? And, and maybe it's less than two, maybe it's 10%, I don't know. 460 00:29:37,570.0629294 --> 00:29:41,290.0629294 But those are sort of the, you know, I'll say the JD vs. 461 00:29:41,290.0629294 --> 00:29:50,635.0629294 Of the world, right? The Pam Bondi, the people that will just, The, the, there's no Epstein list Pan Bondy, even though there was one five days ago. 462 00:29:51,490.0629294 --> 00:29:51,820.0629294 yeah. 463 00:29:52,690.0629294 --> 00:30:02,160.0629294 Uh, but beyond that, right? The sort of, whatever, if we take it, let's take the country as 50 50, which is, you know, the elections are pretty close. 464 00:30:02,640.0629294 --> 00:30:07,80.0629294 The, this next like 30% are people that are been, have been manipulated. 465 00:30:07,575.0629294 --> 00:30:07,875.0629294 Yep. 466 00:30:08,85.0629294 --> 00:30:12,135.0629294 Or thought it was a lesser of two evils, or, however they decided. 467 00:30:12,415.0629294 --> 00:30:17,305.0629294 I've got, I mean, I've got good friends who said, you know what? I just, there's no way I could vote for Harris, so I voted for Trump. 468 00:30:17,845.0629294 --> 00:30:18,805.0629294 I don't agree with that. 469 00:30:18,925.0629294 --> 00:30:25,765.0629294 And I think a lot of it's because they're watching this ultra conservative media that's like lying about Harris. 470 00:30:25,815.0629294 --> 00:30:34,120.0629294 Yeah, yeah, beyond that, right? They're, they still made that, that decision, but it wasn't like, oh no, we really like what Trump's doing. 471 00:30:34,120.0629294 --> 00:30:37,930.0629294 It was, we think it's the better than the alternative. 472 00:30:38,230.0629294 --> 00:30:38,530.0629294 Okay. 473 00:30:38,680.0629294 --> 00:30:40,330.0629294 Like we can work with that. 474 00:30:40,900.0629294 --> 00:30:55,670.0629294 Right? And then you go on the left and you've got, 30, 40% whatever, that are a different level of how progressive you want to be, or, you know, and then you've got this like extreme sort of, you know, Which is like the smallest percentage ever. 475 00:30:55,670.0629294 --> 00:30:59,480.0629294 And people are always like, oh, but there's people on your side that are super extreme. 476 00:30:59,480.0629294 --> 00:31:01,730.0629294 I'm like, yeah, it's like 15 of them. 477 00:31:01,730.0629294 --> 00:31:12,470.0629294 There's so few and far between that like you just hear them 'cause they're fucking loud and it's so annoying to me because then they'll be then, then that same breath, people are like, like Bernie Sanders. 478 00:31:12,470.0629294 --> 00:31:18,260.0629294 And I was like, Bernie Sanders is, you put, you drop Bernie Sanders in Europe. 479 00:31:18,320.0629294 --> 00:31:20,540.0629294 He is center fucking Right. 480 00:31:20,540.0629294 --> 00:31:21,410.0629294 Like calm down. 481 00:31:21,740.0629294 --> 00:31:23,900.0629294 I, it's, it's mind boggling to me. 482 00:31:24,80.0629294 --> 00:31:25,610.0629294 My degree is in international affairs. 483 00:31:25,640.0629294 --> 00:31:27,290.0629294 So you've got your political science. 484 00:31:27,290.0629294 --> 00:31:32,930.0629294 I've got, my specific degree is between France, great Britain and the us. 485 00:31:32,930.0629294 --> 00:31:37,130.0629294 And like you're talking about far left, we go to France, Yeah. 486 00:31:37,940.0629294 --> 00:31:38,75.0629294 Yeah. 487 00:31:38,75.0629294 --> 00:31:46,520.0629294 I think, who knows, right? If we had a proportional representation versus, you know, the system that we have, it might look different, but, um, Yeah. 488 00:31:47,525.0629294 --> 00:31:48,710.0629294 uh, you're, you're right. 489 00:31:48,740.0629294 --> 00:31:53,720.0629294 The vast majority of us are in the middle, like almost probably like 85. 490 00:31:53,720.0629294 --> 00:31:55,220.0629294 90% are in the Right. 491 00:31:55,730.0629294 --> 00:31:56,0.0629294 Right. 492 00:31:56,60.0629294 --> 00:31:58,940.0629294 And we're allowing the both political parties are doing. 493 00:31:58,940.0629294 --> 00:32:05,520.0629294 Now, again, I, I think the Republican has gotten so far down under Trump, that I don't think it's like both sides, right. 494 00:32:05,700.0629294 --> 00:32:12,570.0629294 But I do say to some extent both sides do this, right? They take the most extreme of the other side and try to portray everybody as being like that. 495 00:32:12,570.0629294 --> 00:32:19,830.0629294 And when you're in a sort of media vacuum, that's what you see and what you hear and what you read, Right, right. 496 00:32:19,920.0629294 --> 00:32:20,520.0629294 No, exactly. 497 00:32:20,520.0629294 --> 00:32:38,820.0629294 I mean, it's, and it's, and it's, uh, the nature of these algorithmic apps that we are on, and it's so frustrating because this is all kind of looping back into who is in the administration right now, but also how we've treated this new tech for the last 30 years where it's like. 498 00:32:39,480.0629294 --> 00:32:41,730.0629294 There were probably, you know, I was a baby. 499 00:32:41,820.0629294 --> 00:32:46,20.0629294 I wasn't there, I wasn't in the room in Washington DC but I'm certain there were people talking about this. 500 00:32:46,20.0629294 --> 00:32:48,120.0629294 Like, Hey, this is what algorithms do. 501 00:32:48,120.0629294 --> 00:32:56,850.0629294 Like very smart people who probably went to a school like Wharton or Stanford who were like, as these algorithmic apps come up, as they get better, it's going to cause problems. 502 00:32:56,850.0629294 --> 00:32:57,180.0629294 Right. 503 00:32:57,180.0629294 --> 00:33:07,450.0629294 Especially as we have less, we don't have the fairness doctrine people, we have no regulations on cable or cable prices, so nobody's watching cable news anymore., 504 00:33:08,350.0629294 --> 00:33:09,280.0629294 They're like, oh shit. 505 00:33:09,280.0629294 --> 00:33:14,500.0629294 Like we have, we've, we've created the problem and now we are a little bit stuck in it. 506 00:33:14,500.0629294 --> 00:33:31,360.0629294 So, um, talk to me a little bit about the Texas State House, because I was talking to somebody else from Texas, and I don't think most of our listeners are gonna understand how the Texas State House works, right? Because you guys have session time. 507 00:33:31,810.0629294 --> 00:33:33,970.0629294 I mean, realistically it is not a full-time job. 508 00:33:33,970.0629294 --> 00:33:35,680.0629294 This is, uh, you're. 509 00:33:36,370.0629294 --> 00:33:37,780.0629294 Like you have to keep your regular job. 510 00:33:37,840.0629294 --> 00:33:38,980.0629294 There's no way you yeah. 511 00:33:39,40.0629294 --> 00:33:39,460.0629294 Yeah. 512 00:33:39,460.0629294 --> 00:33:44,610.0629294 So, So Texas legislature meets has one session every other year. 513 00:33:44,640.0629294 --> 00:33:50,490.0629294 So when you get voted for a two year session, you're really only in session once for, around a hundred days. 514 00:33:50,620.0629294 --> 00:33:52,690.0629294 So it's just under four months that you're in session. 515 00:33:52,870.0629294 --> 00:33:55,90.0629294 Now the governor can call special session. 516 00:33:55,90.0629294 --> 00:33:58,450.0629294 So like this summer we're having a special session of the legislature. 517 00:33:58,450.0629294 --> 00:34:01,660.0629294 It ended, I wanna say beginning of June, it ended. 518 00:34:01,660.0629294 --> 00:34:04,250.0629294 Its, its Like just recently, right? Yep. 519 00:34:04,370.0629294 --> 00:34:04,700.0629294 Yep. 520 00:34:04,760.0629294 --> 00:34:08,210.0629294 So the elections are in, or, so in odd years is when it meets. 521 00:34:08,270.0629294 --> 00:34:16,160.0629294 So it meets basically January, like late January to end of May in odd years. 522 00:34:16,580.0629294 --> 00:34:21,100.0629294 But then the governor, because of, a number of things that didn't get passed or Right. 523 00:34:21,100.0629294 --> 00:34:22,750.0629294 Just unfinished business. 524 00:34:22,870.0629294 --> 00:34:27,220.0629294 Unfinished business called a special session, uh, starting in July. 525 00:34:27,490.0629294 --> 00:34:42,370.0629294 Um, and so for special session, it's the governor has to say, you can specifically talk about these topics, right? So he has to call for specific things that you're allowed to discuss during a I am, I'm giggling because it sounds like he's like policing, you know, teenagers in middle school. 526 00:34:42,370.0629294 --> 00:34:49,960.0629294 It's like, talk about focus on the topic, you know, Well, if you know our house, that's probably not so wrong. 527 00:34:50,185.0629294 --> 00:34:50,385.0629294 off. 528 00:34:50,455.0629294 --> 00:34:50,745.0629294 Yeah. 529 00:34:50,950.0629294 --> 00:34:51,430.0629294 yeah. 530 00:34:51,970.0629294 --> 00:35:06,700.0629294 Um, and so, you know, what's, what's interesting about Texas is that like you think about, um, the US where the house gets these sort of extremes and the Senate is sort of a little bit more of the center and tends to hold things. 531 00:35:07,150.0629294 --> 00:35:09,730.0629294 Um, you know, Texas is the opposite. 532 00:35:10,120.0629294 --> 00:35:19,60.0629294 The Senate is like, can be the more extreme, and the house is the one that tends to be more centrist, um, or more moderate to keep things sort in line. 533 00:35:19,210.0629294 --> 00:35:20,680.0629294 And part of that's because there's like. 534 00:35:22,15.0629294 --> 00:35:31,435.0629294 If you think about like life as a circle, the things that, um, a lot of times the sort of mago Republicans want will hurt the rural areas. 535 00:35:31,495.0629294 --> 00:35:41,5.0629294 And so you have the urban areas that are strongly Democrat, but these things also tend to really hurt rural areas where you have, you know, smaller districts, um, with these reps. 536 00:35:41,35.0629294 --> 00:36:10,345.0629294 And so things like school vouchers, which just passed here, um, after Abbott, I think it was 12 different reps that he, uh, funded primaries against, um, to get more extremists in, again, billionaire dollars coming in to, Yeah, yeah, Um, but the house tends to be the thing that, that, that holds things, you know, closer to center than the Senate here, which is a little bit, again, opposite from, you know, the, the rest of the country. 537 00:36:10,645.0629294 --> 00:36:12,295.0629294 Um, but yeah. 538 00:36:12,295.0629294 --> 00:36:15,955.0629294 So we have one, one regular session every other year. 539 00:36:16,165.0629294 --> 00:36:17,515.0629294 You have a biennial budget. 540 00:36:17,515.0629294 --> 00:36:19,975.0629294 You are supposed to keep your day job. 541 00:36:20,815.0629294 --> 00:36:25,765.0629294 It is, you know, a part-time job and all this is in the Texas constitution. 542 00:36:26,65.0629294 --> 00:36:32,695.0629294 The challenge for me is because I work for a public university, so I'm a, I cannot keep my job if I get elected. 543 00:36:33,410.0629294 --> 00:36:33,700.0629294 Okay. 544 00:36:34,105.0629294 --> 00:36:41,515.0629294 there are rules against working for the state and being in the state legislature, so I'll be, Honestly, I love my job. 545 00:36:42,415.0629294 --> 00:36:43,765.0629294 It does, right? Like Yeah. 546 00:36:43,765.0629294 --> 00:36:43,915.0629294 Yeah. 547 00:36:43,915.0629294 --> 00:36:50,125.0629294 That seems legit, right? Like that does, you could hurt, there could be some conflict of interest there could be, yeah. 548 00:36:50,455.0629294 --> 00:36:50,815.0629294 and stuff. 549 00:36:50,815.0629294 --> 00:36:51,85.0629294 Yeah. 550 00:36:51,865.0629294 --> 00:36:52,285.0629294 Yeah. 551 00:36:52,495.0629294 --> 00:37:10,105.0629294 It, there could be, um, I'm a little bit more skeptical on like, like if I were an administrator, if I were a dean or something, I would say that, like, as a regular professor, You're like, not I do? Like, like, we're gonna actually vote to just increase, uh, the professor's salary for this very yeah. 552 00:37:10,255.0629294 --> 00:37:11,815.0629294 I was like economists. 553 00:37:11,935.0629294 --> 00:37:12,235.0629294 Yeah. 554 00:37:12,235.0629294 --> 00:37:15,805.0629294 In UTSA, whose name starts with s like, get up. 555 00:37:15,925.0629294 --> 00:37:16,345.0629294 that one. 556 00:37:16,345.0629294 --> 00:37:20,860.0629294 We're gonna double, everyone else is Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. 557 00:37:21,220.0629294 --> 00:37:22,540.0629294 Uh, but that's the rule. 558 00:37:22,540.0629294 --> 00:37:25,150.0629294 I mean, it, it, it, it stinks for me because I love my job. 559 00:37:25,540.0629294 --> 00:37:27,310.0629294 Um, but that is what it is. 560 00:37:27,310.0629294 --> 00:37:29,800.0629294 Like we'll deal with that when, when we come to it. 561 00:37:29,800.0629294 --> 00:37:30,100.0629294 Right. 562 00:37:30,100.0629294 --> 00:37:34,90.0629294 Right now I'm focused on, on winning the election, and then I'll, I'll worry about that piece of it. 563 00:37:34,420.0629294 --> 00:37:37,840.0629294 Um, but yeah, Texas, we really should probably meet every year. 564 00:37:37,840.0629294 --> 00:37:38,830.0629294 I think there's enough. 565 00:37:39,220.0629294 --> 00:37:40,630.0629294 It's a big enough fucking state. 566 00:37:40,660.0629294 --> 00:37:42,370.0629294 It's the second right after yeah. 567 00:37:42,370.0629294 --> 00:37:42,820.0629294 It's second. 568 00:37:42,820.0629294 --> 00:37:47,50.0629294 It's the, depending on the rankings, it's somewhere around the eighth largest economy in the world. 569 00:37:47,390.0629294 --> 00:38:03,890.0629294 But yeah, I mean that's then maybe they should be, and maybe that's something you could bring to the floor when you guys, this new class goes, because for the amount of people you have, the amount of economy you have, the, the amount of colleges and universities you have, I mean, these are all things that are funded by, partially funded by the state. 570 00:38:03,890.0629294 --> 00:38:07,790.0629294 Like these are all things that need to, flowers that need to be tended to you in Yeah. 571 00:38:07,790.0629294 --> 00:38:08,390.0629294 It's huge. 572 00:38:08,390.0629294 --> 00:38:10,370.0629294 Right? I Yeah. 573 00:38:10,370.0629294 --> 00:38:16,640.0629294 the eighth largest economy in the world, only having a part-time legislature? No, no, I can't. 574 00:38:16,700.0629294 --> 00:38:26,990.0629294 Actually, it's in, that's why it's when I heard the other person I was interviewing from Texas, I was like, what? Like, I think you could tell that I was very confused. 575 00:38:27,20.0629294 --> 00:38:29,780.0629294 'cause I just, you know, I live in New York, we, I don't understand. 576 00:38:29,780.0629294 --> 00:38:32,570.0629294 I cannot, it's, that's a full-time job. 577 00:38:32,600.0629294 --> 00:38:36,470.0629294 Our state assembly and our reps though, they're full, Yeah. 578 00:38:36,475.0629294 --> 00:38:37,610.0629294 As it as it should be. 579 00:38:37,610.0629294 --> 00:38:46,340.0629294 And again, I understand the sort of impetus to be like, okay, you're still part of the people, but the, the bottom line is the money in politics has already ruined that. 580 00:38:46,430.0629294 --> 00:38:56,640.0629294 Right? And the fact that you need to spend so much time fundraising means if you don't have a very flexible job, or you're not retired, or you're not independently wealthy, you can't really do this. 581 00:38:56,640.0629294 --> 00:38:56,850.0629294 Right. 582 00:38:56,850.0629294 --> 00:38:58,445.0629294 I'm fortunate that my job is very flexible. 583 00:38:59,415.0629294 --> 00:39:08,640.0629294 Because I don't see if this was, if I worked a nine to five where I had to be somebody where every day, I mean, we wouldn't be able to record this right now, I know exactly like class. 584 00:39:08,640.0629294 --> 00:39:11,970.0629294 We're recording at noon in the middle of well Eastern. 585 00:39:12,0.0629294 --> 00:39:12,510.0629294 But yeah. 586 00:39:13,440.0629294 --> 00:39:15,795.0629294 Um, it's, mm-hmm. 587 00:39:16,380.0629294 --> 00:39:17,130.0629294 it's harmful. 588 00:39:17,280.0629294 --> 00:39:21,840.0629294 It really is harmful for people who are average, regular. 589 00:39:22,50.0629294 --> 00:39:24,800.0629294 And, and I talk about this with almost every candidate that I've interviewed. 590 00:39:24,800.0629294 --> 00:39:27,890.0629294 It's the barriers to entry are absolutely bonkers. 591 00:39:27,890.0629294 --> 00:39:34,835.0629294 And then you're competing with PACS that are dropping a million dollars into a house, state House House race. 592 00:39:34,865.0629294 --> 00:39:35,195.0629294 Yep. 593 00:39:35,360.0629294 --> 00:39:36,710.0629294 Like, that's insane. 594 00:39:36,710.0629294 --> 00:39:37,160.0629294 Right. 595 00:39:37,430.0629294 --> 00:39:43,960.0629294 Like your district, I was looking at your district, like the number of people, and I don't know if this is exactly right 'cause I couldn't find it on Texas Department of State. 596 00:39:43,960.0629294 --> 00:39:44,830.0629294 I couldn't find it there. 597 00:39:45,190.0629294 --> 00:39:48,205.0629294 But I mean, it's, you know, it's a couple hundred thousand Yeah. 598 00:39:48,205.0629294 --> 00:39:48,565.0629294 It's 200. 599 00:39:48,565.0629294 --> 00:39:50,125.0629294 It's, it's almost exactly 200,000. 600 00:39:50,260.0629294 --> 00:39:50,770.0629294 Yeah. 601 00:39:50,860.0629294 --> 00:39:53,320.0629294 Like it's not $1 million for that rate. 602 00:39:53,320.0629294 --> 00:39:55,810.0629294 And I think last time I saw it was somewhere around like. 603 00:39:56,260.0629294 --> 00:40:00,880.0629294 88,000 showed up to vote for the last election, and that was during presidential year. 604 00:40:01,510.0629294 --> 00:40:03,325.0629294 Um, I Yeah, yeah, yeah. 605 00:40:03,385.0629294 --> 00:40:07,105.0629294 Uh, it was like 98, uh, so 88 actually voted in my race. 606 00:40:07,165.0629294 --> 00:40:08,35.0629294 98 showed up. 607 00:40:08,35.0629294 --> 00:40:11,455.0629294 But some people, they only vote for president and then they don't vote for anything else, so. 608 00:40:11,710.0629294 --> 00:40:12,100.0629294 gotcha. 609 00:40:12,130.0629294 --> 00:40:12,370.0629294 Okay. 610 00:40:12,370.0629294 --> 00:40:13,345.0629294 That Yeah. 611 00:40:13,495.0629294 --> 00:40:13,765.0629294 Yeah. 612 00:40:13,915.0629294 --> 00:40:15,85.0629294 Um, but no, that's right. 613 00:40:15,85.0629294 --> 00:40:20,970.0629294 So we've got about a, so it's 200,000 people if you count like children right? It's everybody but yeah, that's everybody. 614 00:40:21,240.0629294 --> 00:40:25,920.0629294 Uh, 150,000 that are like theoretically voter eligible. 615 00:40:25,950.0629294 --> 00:40:26,220.0629294 Yeah. 616 00:40:27,50.0629294 --> 00:40:33,630.0629294 yeah, and of that 150,000 in a presidential year, you'll get somewhere close to a hundred thousand. 617 00:40:33,630.0629294 --> 00:40:35,580.0629294 So about two thirds of people show up to vote. 618 00:40:36,210.0629294 --> 00:40:39,225.0629294 Um, it'll be less than that in a off Off the air. 619 00:40:39,285.0629294 --> 00:40:40,380.0629294 Right, Right. 620 00:40:40,380.0629294 --> 00:40:42,585.0629294 So we're expecting about can I ask you. 621 00:40:42,870.0629294 --> 00:40:43,530.0629294 65. 622 00:40:43,710.0629294 --> 00:40:43,950.0629294 Yeah. 623 00:40:43,980.0629294 --> 00:40:44,370.0629294 Sorry, go ahead. 624 00:40:45,300.0629294 --> 00:40:48,360.0629294 5,000 fucking blows, man. 625 00:40:48,660.0629294 --> 00:40:55,655.0629294 Can I ask you what your plan is to combat this super PAC money? Like big, big money coming for this opponent that you have? Yeah. 626 00:40:55,655.0629294 --> 00:40:55,944.0629294 Yeah. 627 00:40:55,974.0629294 --> 00:41:22,14.0629294 It's just about getting out and talking to people, right? So, so I am doing a lot of fundraising and I'll put a plug here to people come in, you know, throw $25 into my campaign because, thousand, $25 is $25,000, right? Like we, as a comptroller, we always say pennies make dollars, right? So if you can afford more, I mean, I will certainly take more, but just come in and gimme $25 to help us, really turn the state, to support everybody. 628 00:41:22,854.0629294 --> 00:41:28,354.0629294 So I am doing fundraising, in order to be able to combat it, but a lot of it is just getting out and talking to people. 629 00:41:28,354.0629294 --> 00:41:32,674.0629294 One of my complaints about the Democratic Party is that we've largely ignored. 630 00:41:33,319.0629294 --> 00:41:35,689.0629294 People that like are races that we don't think we can win. 631 00:41:35,689.0629294 --> 00:41:38,29.0629294 We've largely ignored rural America. 632 00:41:38,279.0629294 --> 00:41:39,299.0629294 We haven't gotten out right. 633 00:41:39,299.0629294 --> 00:41:51,54.0629294 And said, oh, those are Republicans and we just go away and assume that they're gonna vote for, MAGA or R and knock on haven't given them an opportunity to vote for fucking anybody else. 634 00:41:51,54.0629294 --> 00:41:52,224.0629294 That's what drives me insane. 635 00:41:52,734.0629294 --> 00:41:57,384.0629294 I'm like, why are so many people running un unopposed? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. 636 00:41:57,384.0629294 --> 00:41:58,584.0629294 There's all that problem. 637 00:41:59,184.0629294 --> 00:41:59,454.0629294 Mm-hmm. 638 00:42:00,84.0629294 --> 00:42:04,884.0629294 And then there's the, like, we've allowed the Republicans to just sort of, set who we are. 639 00:42:04,944.0629294 --> 00:42:05,244.0629294 Right. 640 00:42:05,244.0629294 --> 00:42:10,374.0629294 We let them to establish our image rather than going out and letting people decide for themselves. 641 00:42:10,524.0629294 --> 00:42:10,824.0629294 Right. 642 00:42:10,824.0629294 --> 00:42:19,524.0629294 So they, you know, Republicans are out there saying, Democrats hate America and we're traitors and we're treasonous, and like we're communists and whatever other thing they wanna throw at us. 643 00:42:19,704.0629294 --> 00:42:34,794.0629294 And if we're not there to debate it, what is, like, what is the average person who is not partic, particularly politically in tuned, who's worried about paying their bills, gonna, and they hear on the news about Democrats burning flags and this and that, right. 644 00:42:34,794.0629294 --> 00:42:41,454.0629294 Like, and riots in LA and like, If you don't have someone standing up saying, Hey, actually let's have a Yeah. 645 00:42:42,294.0629294 --> 00:42:43,104.0629294 What? You're right. 646 00:42:43,314.0629294 --> 00:42:45,894.0629294 It's, it's, it's something that drives me insane as well. 647 00:42:46,374.0629294 --> 00:42:47,814.0629294 It's So I, yeah. 648 00:42:47,904.0629294 --> 00:42:51,234.0629294 So I spend just a lot of time going out and talking to people, going to bars. 649 00:42:51,234.0629294 --> 00:42:51,624.0629294 Right. 650 00:42:51,624.0629294 --> 00:43:01,304.0629294 And you know, specifically the maga, right? Like where, like the sort of old town Texas, district tell, tell me a little bit about like the physically physical location. 651 00:43:01,304.0629294 --> 00:43:10,434.0629294 It's, it is exactly where guys, for our future listeners, we're recording this on July 10th, so it's exactly where, pretty much downstream from where the floods were. 652 00:43:10,794.0629294 --> 00:43:20,124.0629294 So it's a little bit east, east of San Antonio, yeah, so if you think about the floods are on the Guadalupe River, I'm in Guadalupe County. 653 00:43:20,244.0629294 --> 00:43:20,544.0629294 Right. 654 00:43:20,544.0629294 --> 00:43:24,234.0629294 So the, the river goes right through us now. 655 00:43:24,234.0629294 --> 00:43:25,644.0629294 It didn't flood where we are. 656 00:43:25,824.0629294 --> 00:43:26,724.0629294 It was, it was, yeah. 657 00:43:26,754.0629294 --> 00:43:33,744.0629294 Upstream this time it has, I mean, there are, Because I, I was looking at, is it Sgu? How do you say that? Town name? Sgu. 658 00:43:35,154.0629294 --> 00:43:40,914.0629294 Seinen, Texas' website has a full timeline of all the times their portion of the Guadalupe River has overflowed. 659 00:43:40,914.0629294 --> 00:43:42,924.0629294 And it's, it's wild, man. 660 00:43:42,924.0629294 --> 00:43:44,424.0629294 It happens way too often. 661 00:43:44,844.0629294 --> 00:43:51,54.0629294 I Yeah, I mean there's, there's a lake I run around like 10 minutes from my house, um, sometimes. 662 00:43:51,414.0629294 --> 00:43:54,594.0629294 And that lake wasn't there 30 years ago. 663 00:43:54,594.0629294 --> 00:43:55,914.0629294 It was a huge flood. 664 00:43:56,94.0629294 --> 00:44:04,284.0629294 And like you can see like where there was like houses there that are no longer like there because the flood just took an entire knocked at everything. 665 00:44:04,284.0629294 --> 00:44:04,824.0629294 Yeah. 666 00:44:05,724.0629294 --> 00:44:06,84.0629294 Yeah. 667 00:44:06,84.0629294 --> 00:44:08,664.0629294 It, I mean it's pretty wild, right? I know. 668 00:44:08,664.0629294 --> 00:44:09,264.0629294 I was looking at it. 669 00:44:09,264.0629294 --> 00:44:14,544.0629294 I mean, it's like 20 20, 20 21, 2010 80, uh, 2002 96. 670 00:44:14,544.0629294 --> 00:44:16,284.0629294 80 87, 72. 671 00:44:16,314.0629294 --> 00:44:18,654.0629294 I mean, it's just like every, like 10 years or less. 672 00:44:18,984.0629294 --> 00:44:20,34.0629294 Uh, it's crazy. 673 00:44:21,174.0629294 --> 00:44:21,684.0629294 It is. 674 00:44:21,744.0629294 --> 00:44:29,124.0629294 Um, which brings up whole things with like, we should be able, like we should be investing in how you plan and prepare and, right. 675 00:44:29,274.0629294 --> 00:44:33,24.0629294 feels like it's happening enough that we should know it's going to happen again. 676 00:44:33,699.0629294 --> 00:44:34,269.0629294 Exactly right. 677 00:44:34,269.0629294 --> 00:44:38,799.0629294 And that's why we've had, um, things that haven't passed, but looking at better alarm systems. 678 00:44:38,799.0629294 --> 00:44:40,869.0629294 And, you know, what happened was a tragedy. 679 00:44:40,869.0629294 --> 00:44:46,269.0629294 Like, I, I think anyone who wants to say this is, you know, someone's fault is out there. 680 00:44:46,569.0629294 --> 00:44:48,9.0629294 Like, it was just a tragedy. 681 00:44:48,39.0629294 --> 00:44:54,879.0629294 But that doesn't mean there's things that we couldn't do that would've either lessened the tragedy or it at least prevent it for next time. 682 00:44:54,879.0629294 --> 00:44:58,209.0629294 Like, I can't, we can't go back and pass a bill that didn't pass before. 683 00:44:58,719.0629294 --> 00:45:08,874.0629294 But we can certainly look at like, what was the argument against it and like, what should we doing in the future? And I think it just needs to be positioned as we're gonna fucking save lives. 684 00:45:09,504.0629294 --> 00:45:13,584.0629294 If you vote against this bill, if you vote against this bill, you're killing people. 685 00:45:13,674.0629294 --> 00:45:16,14.0629294 And I'm gonna tell every single person. 686 00:45:16,764.0629294 --> 00:45:17,694.0629294 That that's what you did. 687 00:45:18,24.0629294 --> 00:45:20,34.0629294 Uh, like, like straight up. 688 00:45:20,34.0629294 --> 00:45:23,364.0629294 And, and that's crass and terrible, but that's the fucking truth. 689 00:45:23,364.0629294 --> 00:45:32,784.0629294 Like children are gone, families, entire family, like, you know, I like entire couples like mom and dad, couples who are on their family vacation are gone. 690 00:45:32,784.0629294 --> 00:45:36,249.0629294 So now there's orphans all like, Oh, it's awful. 691 00:45:36,249.0629294 --> 00:45:37,434.0629294 I fucking sucks. 692 00:45:37,434.0629294 --> 00:45:41,139.0629294 It just live in this area, everybody knows somebody who's affected. 693 00:45:41,799.0629294 --> 00:45:42,69.0629294 Right. 694 00:45:42,639.0629294 --> 00:45:43,889.0629294 It's just, so sad. 695 00:45:44,114.0629294 --> 00:45:44,444.0629294 yeah. 696 00:45:44,444.0629294 --> 00:45:47,804.0629294 It's, you know, it's about an hour from where I live that these floods took place. 697 00:45:48,54.0629294 --> 00:45:51,924.0629294 So we're trying to get out and, and, you know, help with the recovery efforts and. 698 00:45:52,279.0629294 --> 00:46:06,259.0629294 Do everything we can, but, um, so we are, you know, going back to where I am, so we are northeast of San Antonio, so I start in, uh, cities of shirt cilo, uh, which are on the right on the I 35 corridor just outside the city. 699 00:46:06,619.0629294 --> 00:46:10,789.0629294 And then it goes east from there for, I don't know, a hundred miles, right. 700 00:46:10,789.0629294 --> 00:46:12,49.0629294 Takes an hour. 701 00:46:12,109.0629294 --> 00:46:19,219.0629294 If I want to go to Gonzales County, which is the other county to their city c Gonzales City, it's about an hour drive from my house to get there. 702 00:46:19,499.0629294 --> 00:46:23,729.0629294 So it's geographically, it's a fairly large area. 703 00:46:24,629.0629294 --> 00:46:25,79.0629294 Yeah. 704 00:46:25,109.0629294 --> 00:46:27,569.0629294 Um, and again, we have it's Texas baby. 705 00:46:27,569.0629294 --> 00:46:37,349.0629294 Everything's, everything is like, What I will say is like, you know, if you look at Iowa or Kansas, right? They're, you know, their districts for their house is like 5,000 people. 706 00:46:37,769.0629294 --> 00:46:39,599.0629294 Our district is 200,000 people. 707 00:46:39,599.0629294 --> 00:46:41,639.0629294 Like it's, And it's an hour and a half. 708 00:46:41,639.0629294 --> 00:46:44,794.0629294 Like that's, it's big, but you know, there's a lot of people to talk to at least. 709 00:46:45,149.0629294 --> 00:46:46,320.0629294 yeah, yeah, yeah. 710 00:46:46,325.0629294 --> 00:46:46,919.0629294 Exactly. 711 00:46:46,979.0629294 --> 00:46:49,559.0629294 Um, I will say, so, um. 712 00:46:49,949.0629294 --> 00:46:51,779.0629294 The, the more suburban areas. 713 00:46:51,779.0629294 --> 00:46:58,319.0629294 So shirt, selo, sein, uh, even the parts of New Braunfels, the majority of the people live there. 714 00:46:58,379.0629294 --> 00:47:04,889.0629294 So about half are in these suburban areas, then the other half are just sprinkled throughout the rural areas, going for a long ways. 715 00:47:05,189.0629294 --> 00:47:10,679.0629294 Um, and so that creates a challenge of like, if you're gonna represent an area, you represent everybody in that area. 716 00:47:10,709.0629294 --> 00:47:17,879.0629294 You don't just represent the people that live in the suburbs, even though from a like political like strategy might be like, well let's go where the people are. 717 00:47:17,934.0629294 --> 00:47:18,324.0629294 Right, right. 718 00:47:18,324.0629294 --> 00:47:19,674.0629294 You're like, no, I gotta get to everybody. 719 00:47:20,19.0629294 --> 00:47:20,319.0629294 Yeah. 720 00:47:20,319.0629294 --> 00:47:25,989.0629294 But you try to get to everybody because I think it's really important that we go to the rural farmers in Gonzalez County. 721 00:47:26,169.0629294 --> 00:47:33,339.0629294 Um, now of my voters, it's like, you know, 90% are in Guadalupe County, which is where the suburbs are. 722 00:47:33,579.0629294 --> 00:47:36,669.0629294 It's like 20,000 total in Gonzales County. 723 00:47:36,729.0629294 --> 00:47:37,89.0629294 Right. 724 00:47:37,89.0629294 --> 00:47:39,414.0629294 Like same get out there. 725 00:47:39,414.0629294 --> 00:47:40,614.0629294 Have a couple events. 726 00:47:41,19.0629294 --> 00:47:41,859.0629294 Yeah, exactly. 727 00:47:41,859.0629294 --> 00:47:42,99.0629294 Right. 728 00:47:42,234.0629294 --> 00:47:43,74.0629294 Go say hi. 729 00:47:43,239.0629294 --> 00:47:43,989.0629294 people. 730 00:47:44,529.0629294 --> 00:47:50,679.0629294 That like, okay, they're worried about water because a lot of these are ranchers and the water is running low here. 731 00:47:50,919.0629294 --> 00:47:56,949.0629294 They're worried about making sure that they can afford their houses and the property taxes that keep going up. 732 00:47:57,159.0629294 --> 00:47:58,869.0629294 They're worried about their school systems. 733 00:47:58,869.0629294 --> 00:48:03,189.0629294 'cause these vouchers, right, are pulled out of every school system in order to fund it. 734 00:48:03,339.0629294 --> 00:48:09,399.0629294 But if you live in Gonzales County, the closest private school is pretty far away, Like two hours probably. 735 00:48:09,549.0629294 --> 00:48:10,59.0629294 Yeah. 736 00:48:10,59.0629294 --> 00:48:10,419.0629294 Right. 737 00:48:10,419.0629294 --> 00:48:12,249.0629294 Like, yeah, maybe an pretty much. 738 00:48:12,854.0629294 --> 00:48:16,599.0629294 Yeah, you know, you're not getting the benefits of these things. 739 00:48:16,599.0629294 --> 00:48:20,919.0629294 And so you've got a lot of these sort of issues that people need to be represented. 740 00:48:20,949.0629294 --> 00:48:27,249.0629294 And like the whole balance,, think about like the Federalist papers, right? This whole country is built on that. 741 00:48:27,249.0629294 --> 00:48:32,559.0629294 We represent people, right? So representative democracy and leaving a portion of your people out. 742 00:48:33,99.0629294 --> 00:48:37,269.0629294 Because political strategy says go where the people are, I'm not really comfortable with. 743 00:48:37,639.0629294 --> 00:48:47,284.0629294 And so we try to go out and talk to everybody, but that's, you know, I, I know this is, again, a long-winded answer to your question about how am I gonna win in this area? no, it's a good, it's a good answer. 744 00:48:47,329.0629294 --> 00:48:49,379.0629294 Right, it's going out and talking to people. 745 00:48:49,529.0629294 --> 00:48:49,859.0629294 Right. 746 00:48:50,999.0629294 --> 00:48:52,469.0629294 But I will say that again. 747 00:48:52,559.0629294 --> 00:48:52,949.0629294 Yeah. 748 00:48:53,219.0629294 --> 00:48:56,99.0629294 You can't do that unless you have enough money to be able to do it. 749 00:48:57,554.0629294 --> 00:48:59,969.0629294 You can donate to Yes. 750 00:49:00,74.0629294 --> 00:49:05,409.0629294 where, where can they donate? So if they go to www.schwabfortexas.com, 751 00:49:05,409.0629294 --> 00:49:06,369.0629294 there's a link to donate. 752 00:49:06,369.0629294 --> 00:49:07,659.0629294 I also have an act blue. 753 00:49:07,969.0629294 --> 00:49:10,129.0629294 I, I don't know if it's, if you have show notes, I can send it. 754 00:49:10,129.0629294 --> 00:49:11,74.0629294 You can put out Yeah. 755 00:49:11,74.0629294 --> 00:49:11,284.0629294 Yeah. 756 00:49:11,284.0629294 --> 00:49:12,664.0629294 We'll put everything in there. 757 00:49:12,934.0629294 --> 00:49:18,64.0629294 And, and we'll tag all of your, all of your socials and stuff as we, as we get through everything. 758 00:49:18,484.0629294 --> 00:49:35,4.0629294 Um, I have one more question and then, I mean, I have a bunch of questions, but we are running outta time so we're, my question for you is how to get, how to get things done in Texas, texas has a trifecta of government, right? Everything is one party. 759 00:49:35,364.0629294 --> 00:49:38,724.0629294 And that is due in part to Governor Abbott's superPAC. 760 00:49:38,784.0629294 --> 00:49:39,354.0629294 Clearly. 761 00:49:39,714.0629294 --> 00:50:12,774.0629294 If that trifecta remains, but you win this district, how can you help get things done or may haves not get things done that could help Texas, uh, citizens and, and dwellers, Texas dwellers? So I'll, I'll tell you like one thing I learned in the military is how to work with people that you may not personally agree with all the time, right? So in the Army I would say like you were given a mission and it wasn't like, well I don't like sergeant, whatever, right? Smith like, no, you go, yeah. 762 00:50:13,44.0629294 --> 00:50:28,194.0629294 You go and you figure it out and you, you figure out where you have common ground, right? There is like for almost anybody and I I, there are extremists who you're just never gonna compromise with, right? But for most people there's some sort of a Venn diagram where there's overlap in in what you want. 763 00:50:28,824.0629294 --> 00:50:38,634.0629294 And you know, this is my complaint on some of the more progressive parts of the Democratic party is it always seems like it's all or nothing, right? Either you pass this or we're never gonna compromise. 764 00:50:38,664.0629294 --> 00:50:44,904.0629294 And the MAGA Republican and they're like rhino, right? Republican and name only have really tried to push this as well. 765 00:50:45,84.0629294 --> 00:50:53,574.0629294 But I think most people, um, and even if you look at most of the Republican reps, I say most, again, not all. 766 00:50:54,59.0629294 --> 00:50:54,349.0629294 Yeah. 767 00:50:54,519.0629294 --> 00:50:57,399.0629294 There's enough bipartisan, right? We're worried about water something. 768 00:50:58,359.0629294 --> 00:50:58,689.0629294 Yeah. 769 00:50:58,794.0629294 --> 00:50:58,917.0629294 Yeah, there's something there. 770 00:50:59,499.0629294 --> 00:51:05,899.0629294 And so what can we do? Right? So we wanna talk about health insurance, right?, I'm a big believer that everybody should have access to affordable healthcare. 771 00:51:06,289.0629294 --> 00:51:10,429.0629294 Whether it's through a CA Medicaid expansion or some other policy. 772 00:51:10,709.0629294 --> 00:51:13,79.0629294 I, I do believe we should just expand Medicaid. 773 00:51:13,289.0629294 --> 00:51:29,439.0629294 That seems like the, the straightforward way to The logical, But if you wanna come up with another idea, I'm willing to talk about it, right? Like, I'm willing to sort of have those conversations that how do we get people access? And I, I, I'll go back to the, the bootstraps example. 774 00:51:29,659.0629294 --> 00:51:31,819.0629294 I wrote this in a substack, and then I've heard a couple other places. 775 00:51:31,819.0629294 --> 00:51:34,39.0629294 So I guess I'm not the only one who came up with this. 776 00:51:34,159.0629294 --> 00:51:40,639.0629294 But it the idea, right, that like if we want people to pull 'em up with their bootstraps, they have to have boots, Boots have to exist. 777 00:51:40,729.0629294 --> 00:51:41,539.0629294 They have to exist. 778 00:51:42,169.0629294 --> 00:51:43,369.0629294 They can't not exist. 779 00:51:43,429.0629294 --> 00:51:43,939.0629294 Yeah. 780 00:51:44,239.0629294 --> 00:51:48,499.0629294 And, and so I think right now the policies are like, pull yourself up by your bootstraps, but I'm taking your boots away. 781 00:51:49,129.0629294 --> 00:51:53,719.0629294 Right? So give them the boots, give them some bootstraps, and let 'em use them to pull themselves up. 782 00:51:54,19.0629294 --> 00:52:01,879.0629294 And so I think, you know, it's not about like, are we gonna increase the number of handouts? It's, you know, we want to be smart with this. 783 00:52:02,89.0629294 --> 00:52:06,49.0629294 And yet I think there is enough overlap from people that are trying to represent their districts. 784 00:52:06,289.0629294 --> 00:52:27,274.0629294 Um, now these are not the extreme maga sort of Republicans, but I do think that Texas has enough, like common ground that we can do this, but we've gotta, we've gotta have those conversations, right? We've gotta find Again, it's a, we're we're coming full circle, right? Because we're, we're talking about shutting, uh, shutting the door on yourself. 785 00:52:27,304.0629294 --> 00:52:27,754.0629294 Right. 786 00:52:28,54.0629294 --> 00:52:29,614.0629294 And I think the Democrats do that all the time. 787 00:52:29,614.0629294 --> 00:52:33,64.0629294 They're like, well, this person couldn't possibly have this conversation. 788 00:52:33,64.0629294 --> 00:52:39,334.0629294 And they just walk away and you're like, yeah, but did ask, Exactly you check? yeah. 789 00:52:39,424.0629294 --> 00:52:42,394.0629294 And again, we don't have to be best friends, right? Like Yeah. 790 00:52:42,394.0629294 --> 00:52:51,954.0629294 Like, did you even make sure, like yeah, I, I, um, you and I have very similar, anger and frustration with the Democratic party. 791 00:52:51,984.0629294 --> 00:52:58,674.0629294 'cause like, I feel like we are, we shut the door on ourselves all the time and, and it's just so, so frustrating. 792 00:52:59,24.0629294 --> 00:53:06,464.0629294 Okay, so before we wrap up here, give, give me one more time where people, your website and maybe a social handle. 793 00:53:06,464.0629294 --> 00:53:08,984.0629294 And then I'm gonna ask you 10 rapid fire questions. 794 00:53:08,984.0629294 --> 00:53:11,744.0629294 And they are meant to be rapid fire, so no long answers. 795 00:53:13,379.0629294 --> 00:53:15,239.0629294 I love that you had to, had to tell me that. 796 00:53:15,449.0629294 --> 00:53:15,779.0629294 Okay. 797 00:53:15,779.0629294 --> 00:53:23,789.0629294 So go to www dot Schwab, my, my last name, S-C-H-W-A-B, for FOR texas.com. 798 00:53:24,239.0629294 --> 00:53:25,649.0629294 Um, links to volunteer. 799 00:53:25,649.0629294 --> 00:53:27,419.0629294 Links to donate are all on there. 800 00:53:27,659.0629294 --> 00:53:31,709.0629294 I do have a secure act blue, um, which I can give you that one. 801 00:53:31,709.0629294 --> 00:53:32,759.0629294 I don't know off the top of my head. 802 00:53:32,999.0629294 --> 00:53:35,189.0629294 Uh, We can put that one in the show notes. 803 00:53:35,309.0629294 --> 00:53:36,89.0629294 yeah. 804 00:53:36,149.0629294 --> 00:53:37,919.0629294 But go to Schwab for texas.com 805 00:53:37,919.0629294 --> 00:53:41,999.0629294 and, and you can get involved, donate, follow the campaign, do all the fun things. 806 00:53:41,999.0629294 --> 00:53:43,889.0629294 See what, see what else I believe in. 807 00:53:45,89.0629294 --> 00:53:45,689.0629294 All right. 808 00:53:46,49.0629294 --> 00:53:46,499.0629294 Amazing. 809 00:53:46,499.0629294 --> 00:53:49,529.0629294 So Rapid Fire Mm-hmm. 810 00:53:50,294.0629294 --> 00:53:52,289.0629294 Coffee or Tea? Coffee. 811 00:53:52,704.0629294 --> 00:53:53,124.0629294 Coffee. 812 00:53:53,524.0629294 --> 00:53:53,684.0629294 Fabulous. 813 00:53:53,939.0629294 --> 00:54:03,479.0629294 Um, what was the last book you read, cover to cover? The last book I read cover to cover was, um, the Economics of Trust by Ben Ho. 814 00:54:04,934.0629294 --> 00:54:05,714.0629294 Oh, that's a good one. 815 00:54:05,804.0629294 --> 00:54:06,734.0629294 I'm writing that one down. 816 00:54:07,64.0629294 --> 00:54:08,399.0629294 Um, do you have a I'm sorry. 817 00:54:08,399.0629294 --> 00:54:11,999.0629294 It's called Why? It's called Why Trust Matters, and then The Economics of Trust. 818 00:54:12,59.0629294 --> 00:54:13,109.0629294 But Ben Ho, very good. 819 00:54:13,454.0629294 --> 00:54:14,594.0629294 Why? Trust matters. 820 00:54:14,624.0629294 --> 00:54:15,134.0629294 Great. 821 00:54:15,594.0629294 --> 00:54:19,149.0629294 Do you have a favorite movie? Uh, the Princess Bride. 822 00:54:21,174.0629294 --> 00:54:22,14.0629294 Great answer. 823 00:54:22,314.0629294 --> 00:54:23,664.0629294 10 outta 10 no notes. 824 00:54:23,874.0629294 --> 00:54:36,699.0629294 Um, um, if you had to eat one thing, like one meal for the rest of your life, every, like, at least once a day, maybe it's breakfast, maybe it's lunch, maybe it's dinner, but one meal, would it be, do you have one? Do you have a Yes. 825 00:54:37,209.0629294 --> 00:54:41,769.0629294 Thanksgiving meal, Turkey mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, green beans. 826 00:54:41,904.0629294 --> 00:54:42,414.0629294 cheating. 827 00:54:42,894.0629294 --> 00:54:43,854.0629294 That's everything. 828 00:54:43,854.0629294 --> 00:54:45,534.0629294 I, I get it though. 829 00:54:45,804.0629294 --> 00:54:48,24.0629294 You know, it's like, it's really good. 830 00:54:48,24.0629294 --> 00:54:48,384.0629294 It is. 831 00:54:48,384.0629294 --> 00:54:53,754.0629294 There's a lot of, I like the, I like the next day I like the Turkey sandwiches, you know, with the gravy on. 832 00:54:53,754.0629294 --> 00:54:55,284.0629294 That's, that's my mo. 833 00:54:55,974.0629294 --> 00:54:57,294.0629294 I could eat, I could eat that. 834 00:54:57,294.0629294 --> 00:54:58,644.0629294 Like for months. 835 00:54:59,274.0629294 --> 00:55:02,214.0629294 Well, and you would have to if you're eating it every single day, right. 836 00:55:02,604.0629294 --> 00:55:02,994.0629294 Yeah. 837 00:55:04,494.0629294 --> 00:55:08,539.0629294 Um, do you still make a wish when you blow out your birthday candles? I do. 838 00:55:09,234.0629294 --> 00:55:09,834.0629294 Nice. 839 00:55:10,14.0629294 --> 00:55:11,94.0629294 Okay, final question. 840 00:55:11,94.0629294 --> 00:55:15,759.0629294 What is your favorite thing about your district? This can be more long-winded Okay. 841 00:55:16,139.0629294 --> 00:55:20,394.0629294 Um, so I, I'll start by saying this is gonna be, I, lemme see if I can bring it down. 842 00:55:20,424.0629294 --> 00:55:22,344.0629294 'cause I, I love where I live, right. 843 00:55:23,34.0629294 --> 00:55:23,934.0629294 I love Texas. 844 00:55:24,414.0629294 --> 00:55:26,664.0629294 I, again, I was not born here, I was not raised here. 845 00:55:26,664.0629294 --> 00:55:30,174.0629294 I've lived here I think at this point longer than I've lived anywhere else. 846 00:55:30,844.0629294 --> 00:55:33,724.0629294 When I retired from the military, we chose that this is where we wanted to stay. 847 00:55:33,784.0629294 --> 00:55:34,864.0629294 We built a house here. 848 00:55:35,194.0629294 --> 00:55:36,334.0629294 We love our community. 849 00:55:36,364.0629294 --> 00:55:37,834.0629294 I've got great neighbors. 850 00:55:38,44.0629294 --> 00:55:45,334.0629294 One of the things that I love about where I live that's different than many other areas I lived is just the level of integration. 851 00:55:45,364.0629294 --> 00:55:45,694.0629294 Right. 852 00:55:45,694.0629294 --> 00:55:46,684.0629294 And that sounds. 853 00:55:46,729.0629294 --> 00:56:00,259.0629294 I, I don't know how that sounds, but you know, like I go out and there's people from all different backgrounds here, and I grew up in Boston and Boston, you know, for, for all the great things about Boston is a very, like, It's still pretty segregated city. 854 00:56:00,259.0629294 --> 00:56:01,699.0629294 Yeah, segregated city. 855 00:56:01,999.0629294 --> 00:56:10,549.0629294 I've lived a number of other places that always felt that way, right? Whether it was sort of overt or, or not, or historical. 856 00:56:11,39.0629294 --> 00:56:12,59.0629294 It always felt that way. 857 00:56:12,299.0629294 --> 00:56:20,549.0629294 And when I got here, and, and maybe it's because I live near military bases where, which tend to be more integrated, but like the school system's great. 858 00:56:20,549.0629294 --> 00:56:39,659.0629294 And my kids are around all different people from all different backgrounds, and we've got rich and poor and black and white and Latino, whatever it is, right? Um, you know, everyone sort of, you know, handles together and I felt like this is not an area where, um, I. 859 00:56:39,974.0629294 --> 00:56:50,904.0629294 I'm worried that, you know, I don't agree on this, right? We can have a conversation and we've got sort of the local bars and the library and the coffee shops that you can go hang out with and I love that. 860 00:56:51,554.0629294 --> 00:56:52,64.0629294 Yeah. 861 00:56:52,274.0629294 --> 00:56:58,354.0629294 And so I just, you know, and then you get into like the nature and there's places to run and I love the weather and yeah. 862 00:56:58,354.0629294 --> 00:57:17,984.0629294 I just, um, and, and honestly I love the, the Texas mentality of like sort of independence and we're going to, we're gonna do what needs to get done, right? So you are gonna see this with the floods, right? And you see this in a lot of places when tragedy hits, it's not just here, but I know specifically here people who are willing to roll up their sleeves and go help. 863 00:57:18,444.0629294 --> 00:57:19,794.0629294 To, to make things better. 864 00:57:19,794.0629294 --> 00:57:27,804.0629294 So, um, if I could change, you know, if I could choose anywhere to live, which honestly I can, I choose right where I live because I love it. 865 00:57:28,14.0629294 --> 00:57:30,534.0629294 Um, and I'm super dedicated. 866 00:57:31,29.0629294 --> 00:57:39,789.0629294 Making this place as good as it can be because,, like anywhere nothing's perfect and there are things that we need to do to make this place better. 867 00:57:40,29.0629294 --> 00:57:48,129.0629294 Um, and that's why I wanna stand up and say, Hey look, I have a certain skillset, I've got certain experiences, and I think I'm a person that can help us. 868 00:57:48,369.0629294 --> 00:57:49,359.0629294 Take us to the next level. 869 00:57:51,54.0629294 --> 00:57:52,674.0629294 That's a perfect spot to end guys. 870 00:57:52,734.0629294 --> 00:57:54,504.0629294 This is Steve Schwab. 871 00:57:54,534.0629294 --> 00:57:59,454.0629294 He's running for House District in Texas and House District 44. 872 00:57:59,694.0629294 --> 00:58:00,444.0629294 You can check him out. 873 00:58:00,504.0629294 --> 00:58:06,114.0629294 I will put all of his information in the show notes and obviously we'll tag him on all of our socials as we go through this. 874 00:58:06,419.0629294 --> 00:58:07,249.0629294 Thank you so much. 875 00:58:08,84.0629294 --> 00:58:08,514.0629294 Thank you. 876 00:58:08,694.0629294 --> 00:58:09,354.0629294 It was a great time.

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