June 3, 2026 • 9 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Happy Wednesday listener lunch Anderson Pub and Grill. Someday maybe
we'll see donalvan Meil from Americans for Prosperity and a
listener lunch. I don't know that it's going to be
to day, and I'm not putting them on the spot,
but welcome back Donald Meil from Americans for Prosperity talking
about the Ohio Small One Small Step campaign. Could he
have you back on the show as always, Welcome back, Brian.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Glad to be back, and I'd love to do one
of those listener lunches. That would be awesome.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
First Wednesday I absent a holiday interruption or sickness or illness,
but you can always count on the first Wednesday of
the month for the listener lunch. We go all over
town and the whole point of it was to support
you know, local restaurants, mom and pop restaurants, but also
just to get people out of whatever the rut they're in,
because that's what I used to be in when I
was working at Anthem, you know and cube Land, and
every six weeks or so, we just like, let's just
(00:47):
go out of the building and have lunch sometime and
get the crew out and we'd always enjoy it was
really lighthearted. We'd all, you know, joke around. You weren't
in a business environment, so you could be a little
looser with your language, and you know, it was just fun.
It's like, we need to do that, so everybody's invited.
It's not about me. It's about getting out of your
rut and supporting a local restaurant that probably can't afford
advertising dollars, but maybe going to a place you've never
(01:09):
been to. And you know what, man, I've been I've
been on radio twenty years in December, and we've been
doing listener lunches here in the morning show for nineteen
of those years. I have just been blessed with making
so many friends, but also seeing friendships made. I walk
into the room and there are tables filled with the
same groups of people that they didn't know each other
before listener Lunch came along, and now they're just like
(01:29):
great friends. They make a point of meeting each other
and everyone has smiles on their faces. It just is
really it's one of the highlights of my day and
month and year because it gives me a boost of
I don't know, not confidence or anything, but it makes
me feel better about life. So I can walk into
one of those things feeling really blue and down about
the state of affairs in the world. I come out
feeling energized just because of the fellowship that goes on. So, yeah,
(01:51):
you're always everybody's welcome at a listener lunch.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Donovan. Oh that's awesome. I love it. Thanks man. Thanks great.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
That's the point of the concept. Has nothing to do
with me. I can't imagine anybody driving anywhere to see me.
But boy, you have a great meal and great fellowship.
That's what it's about. So maybe someday, Donovan, But you
didn't call to talk about lunch. You called talk about
the once a Small Step campaign. We talked about this
last week. Got any updates from my listening audience.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Yeah, this is you know, this is sort of what
our team's focus on right now, because what's more important
when we're it all boils down to it, other than
listener lunch. What's more important than celebrating our nation's twent
and fiftieth birthday. And as I mentioned last week to
you and your listeners, our national tourists coming to Ohio
June twenty second. We've actually locked in a few speakers.
(02:38):
I was I wanted to debut them actually announcing them
on your show. Here's on the final list, but the
initial slate of folks includes moms on a mom on
a mission, some Hispanic leaders here in the state of Ohio,
a veteran, and a veteran who has sacrificed a lot.
It's going to be a big event, Brian, and we're
just really excited to have folks be able to come
(02:59):
out and join us.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
You're gonna have any musical acts, Donovan. Of course, my
tongue is in my cheek thinking about the whole Donald
Trump effort to get musical acts together, and nobody's sort
of pulling the plug on it. Although the musical acts
that the plug was pulled on, I didn't realize those
folks were still alive or even still artists. But whatever,
we so.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
We even have been different in every state. Actually, in
all seriousness, well, what we found is people are really
there to celebrate America. In fact, you know, one of
the things we find is some of the programming actually
sort of slows down the overall vibe of the the
the the experience, and so you know, there'll be some
tunes of course playing there and I think the speakers
(03:41):
we've got are going to do a great job of
inspiring folks. But what we found, you know, I think
this will be the seventh event when it comes to Ohio.
They've done so far this year. It's actually really just
been about people showing up in patriotic garb, celebrating America,
signing the Declaration of Independence that we have on display there.
We have a booth set up where people talk about
(04:03):
what it is that they love about America. You believe
that Brian people actually going on camera testifying about what
it is that they love about this great nation. And
it just you get that and you get that energy,
and you know, you refill that cup that is you know, patriotism,
and you leave there we're renewed with it, like a
renewed commitment to go out and help, you know, either
(04:25):
achieve your own American dream or help make it possible
for others to achieve that. It's it's powerful stuff and
we're I'm honored that our state's one of twelve that
gets to have this happen.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
It just said just breaks my heart so much. Dominan,
I know, see people just disparaging America and never ever
focusing on all of the wonderful accomplishments that this the
most wildly successful nation the planet has ever seen, has
been able to bring to the world. Instead, we focus
on the warts and the scabs, and and and the
the ills and evils that, yes, we the United States
(04:57):
of America, have engaged in. But I'd like to think
we've a lot and that we are a better nation
each and every day. And you can point to all
of those improvements in our nation from its founding two
hundred and fifty years ago to today. We're not the
same place, but it was the founding principles that allowed
us to achieve this level of greatness and evolve and
become better. You know, people don't want to focus on
(05:18):
the fact that we have corrected so many of the
ills of the past. They just cling to them. And
what is the nefarious reason for that? I mean, why
do we want to dwell on something that happened so
long ago when we have so much success and improvement
that we can point to and say, see, we're better
than we can point to a million countries around the
world overstatement, I know, and talk about how they've never
improved their situation and things are still miserable for their
(05:40):
own populations. It's heartbreaking to me.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Donovant, Well, you can't make everybody happy. I liken it
to you know, I don't want to get confusing here
with faith. And not all your listeners I know are
probably people of faith, but to me, it's a faith element,
right you. You know, if you're like me, I've had
experiences where you get those of my faith and further
from my faith right. But I think when you, for me,
(06:04):
at least going to church, recommitting to my faith and
reconnecting to some of those core tenets you know, has
an impact on me in a positive way and moves
me closer to where I think, not only do my
does my mom want me to be, but probably where
I know as a person, I need to be right,
same thing with our same thing, with our country right,
and that you can fall away from it. You can
(06:26):
you feel this distance or you see something or hear
something in the news, or God forbid to read something
on social media and say, say, grasses greener on the
other side, I just don't you know, maybe I'm not
as proud as I think I am of the nation
that I'm I'm blessed to be born in but you
know when you come to again a plug in this event,
you come to an event like this, or you know,
you get involved like we see volunteers and activists do
(06:47):
every day at AFP. They come out of that experience
knocking doors, going to a rally, attending an event like
this with that sort of renewed spirit for seef, duty,
for being involve And so I would challenge folks to
use this opportunity because they're feeling that way weeks out
from our nation's birthday, to make that commitment drive an
(07:08):
hour and a half north of In fact, we have
a bus that we're put together for southwest Ohio that
even bring you up if you can't drive up, but
gives you that event, can give you that opportunity to
feel that we're an in spirit for our nation, and
we'd love to be the you know, be able to
have many of your listeners join us up there. June
twenty second.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
It's that shot of patriotism you get when you go
to the honor fly tri State return Home celebration. That's
one of those kind of things renewed sense of patriotism,
and Lord knows we could all use it and it's
something we should regularly try to find in our lives
because we do have the best country the world has
ever seen. Well, you talked about the what, which is
the two hundred and fiftieth? What about the where and
the when? Don it?
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Than and Neil? Yeah, it's going to be in Columbus
at Scott's Miracle Grow Turf Field. That's the Columbus Crew
Soccer Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, five o'clock Monday June twenty second,
five pm Monday June twenty second. We'll have it a
bent up there. We do have buses coming in. In fact,
George Brunneman for more Store Liberty started promoting some of that.
(08:06):
So if any of your listeners know George, reach out
to George Bunnman, reach out to your friends at Restore Liberty,
let them know you want to get on the bus
to the AFP of America to fifty event. We're putting
it together. We'll have about fifty five seats available for
that for that group out of Southwest Ohio, so we
can make it easy for you to get there.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Even fantastic and I appreciate you doing that and shout
out to George. He's an outstanding guy, and let us
remind my listening audience Donovan, how important it is to
rally the troops to get into the polls in November.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Oh, without a doubt. I mean that is so you
know you renew that spirit for America and then do
your American duty get out and vote better. Yet, we
know your listeners are going to vote, Brian, they need
to get involved in the campaign alongside AFP Action inside
our team to make sure to remind people, their friends
and neighbors in the community to go vote. It's this
(08:58):
country is too important to let it slip through and
not put an hour of your own time into your
civic duty.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Here, Lord knows it's worth getting off your bottom and
get into the polls just to keep Amy Acting from
being our next governor because I don't want to go
through another lockdown. Donovan and the Americans for Prosperity, mister
patriot himself get a renewed sense of patriotism June twenty second.
Get the details at AFP Action, correct, Donovan.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Actually a two fifty Ohio like America to fifty Ohio,
a two fifty Ohio dot com.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
A two fifty Ohio dot com.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
But
Happy Wednesday listener lunch Anderson Pub and Grill. Someday maybe
we'll see donalvan Meil from Americans for Prosperity and a
listener lunch. I don't know that it's going to be
to day, and I'm not putting them on the spot,
but welcome back Donald Meil from Americans for Prosperity talking
about the Ohio Small One Small Step campaign. Could he
have you back on the show as always, Welcome back, Brian.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Glad to be back, and I'd love to do one
of those listener lunches. That would be awesome.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
First Wednesday I absent a holiday interruption or sickness or illness,
but you can always count on the first Wednesday of
the month for the listener lunch. We go all over
town and the whole point of it was to support
you know, local restaurants, mom and pop restaurants, but also
just to get people out of whatever the rut they're in,
because that's what I used to be in when I
was working at Anthem, you know and cube Land, and
every six weeks or so, we just like, let's just
(00:47):
go out of the building and have lunch sometime and
get the crew out and we'd always enjoy it was
really lighthearted. We'd all, you know, joke around. You weren't
in a business environment, so you could be a little
looser with your language, and you know, it was just fun.
It's like, we need to do that, so everybody's invited.
It's not about me. It's about getting out of your
rut and supporting a local restaurant that probably can't afford
advertising dollars, but maybe going to a place you've never
(01:09):
been to. And you know what, man, I've been I've
been on radio twenty years in December, and we've been
doing listener lunches here in the morning show for nineteen
of those years. I have just been blessed with making
so many friends, but also seeing friendships made. I walk
into the room and there are tables filled with the
same groups of people that they didn't know each other
before listener Lunch came along, and now they're just like
(01:29):
great friends. They make a point of meeting each other
and everyone has smiles on their faces. It just is
really it's one of the highlights of my day and
month and year because it gives me a boost of
I don't know, not confidence or anything, but it makes
me feel better about life. So I can walk into
one of those things feeling really blue and down about
the state of affairs in the world. I come out
feeling energized just because of the fellowship that goes on. So, yeah,
(01:51):
you're always everybody's welcome at a listener lunch.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Donovan. Oh that's awesome. I love it. Thanks man. Thanks great.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
That's the point of the concept. Has nothing to do
with me. I can't imagine anybody driving anywhere to see me.
But boy, you have a great meal and great fellowship.
That's what it's about. So maybe someday, Donovan, But you
didn't call to talk about lunch. You called talk about
the once a Small Step campaign. We talked about this
last week. Got any updates from my listening audience.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Yeah, this is you know, this is sort of what
our team's focus on right now, because what's more important
when we're it all boils down to it, other than
listener lunch. What's more important than celebrating our nation's twent
and fiftieth birthday. And as I mentioned last week to
you and your listeners, our national tourists coming to Ohio
June twenty second. We've actually locked in a few speakers.
(02:38):
I was I wanted to debut them actually announcing them
on your show. Here's on the final list, but the
initial slate of folks includes moms on a mom on
a mission, some Hispanic leaders here in the state of Ohio,
a veteran, and a veteran who has sacrificed a lot.
It's going to be a big event, Brian, and we're
just really excited to have folks be able to come
(02:59):
out and join us.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
You're gonna have any musical acts, Donovan. Of course, my
tongue is in my cheek thinking about the whole Donald
Trump effort to get musical acts together, and nobody's sort
of pulling the plug on it. Although the musical acts
that the plug was pulled on, I didn't realize those
folks were still alive or even still artists. But whatever,
we so.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
We even have been different in every state. Actually, in
all seriousness, well, what we found is people are really
there to celebrate America. In fact, you know, one of
the things we find is some of the programming actually
sort of slows down the overall vibe of the the
the the experience, and so you know, there'll be some
tunes of course playing there and I think the speakers
(03:41):
we've got are going to do a great job of
inspiring folks. But what we found, you know, I think
this will be the seventh event when it comes to Ohio.
They've done so far this year. It's actually really just
been about people showing up in patriotic garb, celebrating America,
signing the Declaration of Independence that we have on display there.
We have a booth set up where people talk about
(04:03):
what it is that they love about America. You believe
that Brian people actually going on camera testifying about what
it is that they love about this great nation. And
it just you get that and you get that energy,
and you know, you refill that cup that is you know, patriotism,
and you leave there we're renewed with it, like a
renewed commitment to go out and help, you know, either
(04:25):
achieve your own American dream or help make it possible
for others to achieve that. It's it's powerful stuff and
we're I'm honored that our state's one of twelve that
gets to have this happen.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
It just said just breaks my heart so much. Dominan,
I know, see people just disparaging America and never ever
focusing on all of the wonderful accomplishments that this the
most wildly successful nation the planet has ever seen, has
been able to bring to the world. Instead, we focus
on the warts and the scabs, and and and the
the ills and evils that, yes, we the United States
(04:57):
of America, have engaged in. But I'd like to think
we've a lot and that we are a better nation
each and every day. And you can point to all
of those improvements in our nation from its founding two
hundred and fifty years ago to today. We're not the
same place, but it was the founding principles that allowed
us to achieve this level of greatness and evolve and
become better. You know, people don't want to focus on
(05:18):
the fact that we have corrected so many of the
ills of the past. They just cling to them. And
what is the nefarious reason for that? I mean, why
do we want to dwell on something that happened so
long ago when we have so much success and improvement
that we can point to and say, see, we're better
than we can point to a million countries around the
world overstatement, I know, and talk about how they've never
improved their situation and things are still miserable for their
(05:40):
own populations. It's heartbreaking to me.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Donovant, Well, you can't make everybody happy. I liken it
to you know, I don't want to get confusing here
with faith. And not all your listeners I know are
probably people of faith, but to me, it's a faith element,
right you. You know, if you're like me, I've had
experiences where you get those of my faith and further
from my faith right. But I think when you, for me,
(06:04):
at least going to church, recommitting to my faith and
reconnecting to some of those core tenets you know, has
an impact on me in a positive way and moves
me closer to where I think, not only do my
does my mom want me to be, but probably where
I know as a person, I need to be right,
same thing with our same thing, with our country right,
and that you can fall away from it. You can
(06:26):
you feel this distance or you see something or hear
something in the news, or God forbid to read something
on social media and say, say, grasses greener on the
other side, I just don't you know, maybe I'm not
as proud as I think I am of the nation
that I'm I'm blessed to be born in but you
know when you come to again a plug in this event,
you come to an event like this, or you know,
you get involved like we see volunteers and activists do
(06:47):
every day at AFP. They come out of that experience
knocking doors, going to a rally, attending an event like
this with that sort of renewed spirit for seef, duty,
for being involve And so I would challenge folks to
use this opportunity because they're feeling that way weeks out
from our nation's birthday, to make that commitment drive an
(07:08):
hour and a half north of In fact, we have
a bus that we're put together for southwest Ohio that
even bring you up if you can't drive up, but
gives you that event, can give you that opportunity to
feel that we're an in spirit for our nation, and
we'd love to be the you know, be able to
have many of your listeners join us up there. June
twenty second.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
It's that shot of patriotism you get when you go
to the honor fly tri State return Home celebration. That's
one of those kind of things renewed sense of patriotism,
and Lord knows we could all use it and it's
something we should regularly try to find in our lives
because we do have the best country the world has
ever seen. Well, you talked about the what, which is
the two hundred and fiftieth? What about the where and
the when? Don it?
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Than and Neil? Yeah, it's going to be in Columbus
at Scott's Miracle Grow Turf Field. That's the Columbus Crew
Soccer Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, five o'clock Monday June twenty second,
five pm Monday June twenty second. We'll have it a
bent up there. We do have buses coming in. In fact,
George Brunneman for more Store Liberty started promoting some of that.
(08:06):
So if any of your listeners know George, reach out
to George Bunnman, reach out to your friends at Restore Liberty,
let them know you want to get on the bus
to the AFP of America to fifty event. We're putting
it together. We'll have about fifty five seats available for
that for that group out of Southwest Ohio, so we
can make it easy for you to get there.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
Even fantastic and I appreciate you doing that and shout
out to George. He's an outstanding guy, and let us
remind my listening audience Donovan, how important it is to
rally the troops to get into the polls in November.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Oh, without a doubt. I mean that is so you
know you renew that spirit for America and then do
your American duty get out and vote better. Yet, we
know your listeners are going to vote, Brian, they need
to get involved in the campaign alongside AFP Action inside
our team to make sure to remind people, their friends
and neighbors in the community to go vote. It's this
(08:58):
country is too important to let it slip through and
not put an hour of your own time into your
civic duty.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Here, Lord knows it's worth getting off your bottom and
get into the polls just to keep Amy Acting from
being our next governor because I don't want to go
through another lockdown. Donovan and the Americans for Prosperity, mister
patriot himself get a renewed sense of patriotism June twenty second.
Get the details at AFP Action, correct, Donovan.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Actually a two fifty Ohio like America to fifty Ohio,
a two fifty Ohio dot com.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
A two fifty Ohio dot com.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
But
Brian Thomas News
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