Bacon Turns Attention from Frei to Vargas

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Incumbent Nebraska Congressman District two and goingfor his fifth term now after a successful
primary run against challenger Dan Fry yesterday. Pretty decisive win for all three of
Nebraska's GOP congressional candidates, and CongressmanBacon joins us from Washington this morning.

(00:21):
Don, good morning, Hey,good morning, Rien, And I thank
the voters last night. Appreciate thesupport, and I appreciate a great team
that helps us win. We knockon forty thousand, seven hundred and seventy
one doors this primary, so wehave a great team. I'm grateful.
Yes, you and I chatted lasttime. You were here in the building,

(00:45):
and you suspect and then on aphone, and you suspected that the
margin would be about like it wasyou're polling, and the outside polling apparently
was pretty accurate. How confident wereyou going into yesterday? I was confident.
However, you know, I don'tI don't know. I guess I'm
always a pessimist when it comes toelections. I always act like I'm five

(01:08):
points behind, and that's just mynatural. I did end the military too,
you know, I deployed, youknow four times, I commanded five
times and I guess I always worriedabout all the details and always worried that
maybe I forgot something. So Ithink I'm always want to underestimate in reality
and just try to work hard andleave no stone unturned. But in the

(01:30):
end, we have a great team, and I appreciate the voters. Yeah,
did you hear from Dan Fry?I did not. It's going to
be unders Asked last night by media, why don't you call him? I
said, it's customary for the personwho loses to call. That's the But
I know we've lost all the customary, all the normal things in this contra,

(01:51):
which is a shame, you know. It's Uh. I feel like
we could do better and being respectfuland treating and treating you know. In
the end, we got to pulltogether and win big. We got a
bigger election than November exactly. Andyou know what if if the Democrats control
the House, the son of thepresident, they'll get rid of the filibuster,
they'll pack the Supreme Court. Soit's time for Republicans to pull together

(02:14):
and win. Well, it's crucial, uh, just for whether you're on
the Republican side or not. Everybodycan look at this and see uh,
you know, and this is thisis going to be the purple district that
it is, and it was.I bet you the Donald Trump will come
in here. Now I know thatyou guys aren't buddy buddy, but he

(02:35):
knows that this is a big districtfor the elector for the electoral vote.
If nothing else, would you welcomehim? I will? You know,
we align on the key issues.We want to secure the border. We
want to get a strong Supreme Court. We want a strong economy where the
bureaucracy's a stuffing out. You know, are are small businesses with all the
regulations. We support israel I.Just on the key issues, we align,

(03:02):
and I think people look back.We had a strongery economy, we
had a secure border. We didn'thave we didn't have this turbo pull out
of Afghanistan. Russia didn't invade invadeUkraine under the you know, under President
Trump. I think people look backand we had a we were better off.
Yeah. It's it's kind of aHobson's choice, isn't it whether or

(03:24):
not whether or not he'd help youor hurt you if he came in for
a rally in Omaha and campaign foryou rather than just for himself. I
don't know if that would be helpful. I guess I don't worry about that.
I just worry about what I whatI do, what I could do.
It's hard to second guests what otherpeople are doing, and you just,

(03:46):
well, I can't control. Idon't worry about. All I try
to do is do the right thing, say the right things, and do
what's right. And the voters haverespected that, and that's what I'll continue
to do. Congressman Don Bacon,this is a funky dynamic because it may
very well boil down to this districtwho gets the two hundred and seventieth electoral

(04:08):
vote. If you do the math, that is a very distinct possibility.
Probability check back in three months,but possibility for sure. You have outpolled
Donald Trump twice in this district,meaning you've literally gotten more votes than he
has in this district. To whatdo you attribute that? I think this

(04:29):
district it's conservative, but also itwants someone that can work with other people
and get things done. That's apragmatic conservative district. And so I also
I think the saying Nebraska nice,it's true. Nebraska's want to be respectful.
Even if you disagree. They wantrespectful dialogue, and they want you

(04:51):
to find areas where you can worktogether and make progress. And I feel
like I embody that. I thinkpart of us my military background. In
the end, I never when Iwas in the Multary, I didn't ask
who's Democrat or who's Republican. We'reAmerican. We're gonna get things done and
make progress. So this district alignswith my personality of fighting areas of agreement

(05:14):
and making progress. So in theend, I'm a conservative who wants to
get things that I want to govern. I want to I want our country
to be stronger. We live inthe greatest country in the world. You
know, we're lucky to be theland of land, land of the free,
the land of opportunity, the ruleof law, and I and I
love our country. So I justfeel like my personality aligns with most most

(05:35):
of the district. And they don'tlike all the name calling, they don't
like all the brash behavior. SoI think, I don't know, I
think that's what it comes down to. I think that was Rosy asked the
question. Yeah it was, Yeah, it was, But it's it will
be a fascinating construct because you know, how Trump is when it comes to

(05:57):
people he doesn't like. He doesn'tjust take the high road. He makes
fun of you, ridicules you,says unkind things. But he he is
going to have to make a visitto this district. The way things are
shaping up, it seems inconceivable thathe won't. And that would put you
two guys on the same stage.Yeah, well, in the end,

(06:19):
what'sbus for our country? And you'reright though about you know, this district
and particularly suburban voters generally they don'tcall the name calling. If you know,
I just would you know, Iwould always ask the president be wise
focus on the issues. Because thePresident Trump focuses on the issues, he

(06:40):
will win. I think that's true. And by the way, I've noticed
that I ended up on the studioemail and my and my work email here,
I ended up on the Tony Varguscampaign mail list, So I see
there's stuff. And they're already uhtrying to paint you as a maga.
They say the Don Bacon Don's magamasters of it. Well, you have

(07:03):
never been uh fairly described as megaif that if that means one of Trump's
true believers. Honesty is one ofthe casualties at part. What's that?
Don? To one of the mostdeceitful guys out there, And I appreciate
you. You've routinely quoted his hisemails out there, and I think it's

(07:25):
pretty funny. Yeah, I'll justhave to play back Dan fries Commas the
whole time to Tony Fargus two debates. Yeah, well, I don't know
about you, but to me,somebody who wants to make America great again,
I don't see how that's a pejorativeterm. But I don't know,
but they do, they do,those lefts. If you just read the
Maga Bill of Rights, it prettymuch says everything in the Constitution. So

(07:47):
if you don't like people who areMAGA, that means you don't like the
Constitution, which means you need tomove to another country. Don Macon going
for term five onward to the Novemberelection. Congress been thank you very much,