This episode is presented by Create A Video – Bob Drach is the Libertarian candidate for North Carolina Auditor and says he is the only one running who doesn't have a conflict of interest. Plus, Madison Square Garden is now Nazi Central.
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[00:00:04] What's going on? Thank you so much for listening to this podcast. It is heard live every day from noon to 3 on WBT Radio in Charlotte. And if you want exclusive content like invitations to events, the weekly live stream, my daily show prep with all the links, become a patron, go to thepetekalinershow.com. Make sure you hit the subscribe button, get every episode for free, right to your smartphone or tablet. And again, thank you so much for your support.
[00:00:28] I want to welcome to the program Bob Drach. He is the candidate or a candidate for North Carolina's State Auditor. He's a Libertarian candidate. Bob, welcome to the program. How are you?
[00:00:41] Great, Pete. Thanks for letting me sit in. It's nice to be here.
[00:00:45] Yes, sir. So did I get the pronunciation close on your last name? Is it Drach?
[00:00:51] Yeah, that's really good. Just a quick story. My parents almost named me Johann Sebastian.
[00:01:01] Johann?
[00:01:02] Like the composer.
[00:01:03] Like, oh.
[00:01:04] Like the composer, Bach.
[00:01:05] Oh, so it's Drach.
[00:01:08] Yeah.
[00:01:09] Ah, okay.
[00:01:10] I really respond to anything, so anything's fine.
[00:01:13] So, yeah, well, I will say, Johann Sebastian Drach, that would actually, now that I won't forget it now.
[00:01:20] And that may have been helpful.
[00:01:21] Well, actually, no, that probably would not have been helpful growing up.
[00:01:25] Yeah, anyway.
[00:01:26] Yeah, as a kid, that might have been scarring for you.
[00:01:30] Not a girl named Sue, but pretty bad.
[00:01:32] Pretty bad, right, exactly.
[00:01:35] All right, so first off, I have to ask, have you ever run for any political office before, or is this your first time?
[00:01:43] This is my first time running, although I have been appointed before to the New Hanover County Board of Equalization and Review.
[00:01:50] And that's appointed by the county commission to review property tax assessments.
[00:01:56] So I've worked a little bit in county government.
[00:01:58] Okay, so this is the first, obviously, statewide run, but you have a little experience sort of in the political realm.
[00:02:06] And so was this, so did you say, I want to run for an office and then look at the auditor's race?
[00:02:13] Or was it, I want to run for, or I want to be auditor, so that prompted the run?
[00:02:18] Like, which was the, what was the animating decision?
[00:02:22] Yeah, so what brought my attention to the auditor's race is, you know, about the time that we were all decided, that we had to file for office.
[00:02:31] It was back in November of 2023.
[00:02:35] The then state auditor, a woman named Beth Woods, was forced to resign because of an ethical issue.
[00:02:42] And so it brought a lot of people's attention to the office of the state auditor.
[00:02:48] And it became an obvious place for me to run for office because of my background and experience.
[00:02:55] And a place where I could really make a positive difference for the citizens of North Carolina.
[00:03:01] So I would say, you know, probably a combination of things.
[00:03:04] But, you know, that event just prior to the filing deadline, I think created an opportunity for me and my background and experience in this role.
[00:03:14] So, and I'm going to ask you about your background, but were you aware of the auditor position or any of the, you know, like the, yeah, the, well, the, the car accident that Beth Wood was in?
[00:03:28] I called her bumper car Beth for a while because of, you know, the, the Christmas party that she smacked her car up into another one and ended up airborne almost.
[00:03:38] And so were you aware of the, of what the office, that the office existed and what it did before, before you heard in November that she was not going to run again?
[00:03:50] Yeah, I was not an avid follower of everything state government, but I was aware of the council of state offices.
[00:03:59] And, you know, as a member of the libertarian party, we, we talk about, you know, where could we individually make a difference?
[00:04:05] And, and with my background, I, I, I'd be an effective treasurer, but I'm actually a great fit for auditor.
[00:04:13] And, and, you know, I'll tell you a bit why in a minute.
[00:04:16] So, you know, a combination of my interest in, in the libertarian party, politics in general, and then this, this really good fit between this opportunity and my background.
[00:04:30] Yeah. So, all right. So let's talk about, you're a certified management accountant, a CMA, not the Country Music Awards, but a CMA.
[00:04:38] What exactly is a, what is a CMA? What is that profession?
[00:04:42] So a certified management accountant, to receive that designation, you have to take a five-part exam.
[00:04:51] And then you have to, you have to take, you have to do 30 hours of professional education, including a couple hours of ethics every year to kind of sustain your eligibility.
[00:05:03] So it's, it's very similar to some of the other accounting certifications that are out there.
[00:05:10] The main difference between that and, say, a CPA, is the CPA is very focused on attestation and, and public accounting, where the, the CMA is more management accounting.
[00:05:27] So it's financial analysis, it's strategic decision-making, it's, you know, the body of knowledge is 80% the same, but on the margin, the, the, the, the, the CMA is more focused on accounting within an organization.
[00:05:43] Right, so I, I was just going to ask, so is this like a position that a company would, would bring you in to review their books and their, their practices and operations and try to find waste or fraud or abuse or savings and stuff that, that you would be able to do for them?
[00:06:02] Yeah, so CMA is going to be more interested in best practices, internal procedures.
[00:06:09] Like early in my career, I wrote a lot of procedures for accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash application, you know, those procedures documents that we all hate when we're part of a large organization.
[00:06:21] But, of course, when you're trying to have good financial management practices, it's important that everybody understand what the proper procedures are, what, you know, there's accounting reasons for doing things, and then there's also, you know, making sure that you integrate well with the information systems of the company.
[00:06:39] So that's kind of the area that I've played in historically.
[00:06:43] So you mentioned the treasurer's race, because both of these seats are now open, so why not run for the treasurer's office if you are qualified for that one as well?
[00:06:55] Yeah, so the treasurer's office, the treasurer would really benefit from having a little bit of investment banking experience.
[00:07:02] And although I've worked in consulting and I've worked in large organizations, I've not worked for an investment bank.
[00:07:08] I have worked, however, for a company named Deloitte.
[00:07:11] You may be familiar, Deloitte is one of the four biggest accounting, audit, tax consulting firms in the world.
[00:07:20] And so my professional experience aligns better with the auditor than the treasurer.
[00:07:25] So what makes you, I mean, you're a libertarian, so obviously the deck is kind of stacked against you just right out of the gate because of the two major political parties enjoying the historical advantages that they've got.
[00:07:39] So, you know, why, I guess, I won't ask you why run as a libertarian, but why should people, you know, vote for you versus either of the other two candidates who are advantaged?
[00:07:52] Yeah, they are advantaged.
[00:07:54] I would also say that they're conflicted, right?
[00:07:58] In accounting, we've got this concept that's called the conflict of interest.
[00:08:03] Some people may describe it as a bias, right?
[00:08:07] We don't want our auditor to have a bias either for or against what they're auditing.
[00:08:14] And in the case of state government, state government is dominated by Republicans and Democrats.
[00:08:19] So really the auditor, I mean, a lot of people say the auditor should be nonpartisan.
[00:08:23] In fact, about in half of the states of the country, it's either a nonpartisan position or a nonelected position, right?
[00:08:32] Because if you're a Republican and you're auditing a Republican, there's at least the appearance of a conflict of interest there.
[00:08:39] And likewise, a Democrat auditing a Democrat.
[00:08:42] It's just a position that should not be partisan.
[00:08:46] And I would say that I'm the only independent candidate.
[00:08:50] I'm the only one that can, you know, be fair to both sides or be tough on both sides.
[00:08:57] I'll just elaborate a little bit.
[00:09:00] The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, AICPA, they say that an auditor should be independent in both fact and appearance.
[00:09:11] So I'm independent, in fact, and also in appearance.
[00:09:15] And again, my competitors, they appear to be conflicted.
[00:09:21] The website, by the way, if people want more information on Bob Drock, he is, he can be found at electdrock.org.
[00:09:28] That's D-R-A-C-H.
[00:09:29] Did I get it right?
[00:09:30] I think I got it right that time.
[00:09:31] Electdrock.org.
[00:09:32] Okay.
[00:09:33] And so is there anything else that you want to let people know that you think is, I don't know, interesting or important before we let you run?
[00:09:43] Well, kind of interesting thing in my background.
[00:09:46] We talked a little bit about my reasons for running.
[00:09:49] One of the reasons I'm running is I do believe in public service.
[00:09:53] Early in my life, I was a Peace Corps volunteer.
[00:09:56] I taught physics in East Africa.
[00:09:59] And from that time, I've always felt like my responsibility as a citizen is to give back to my community where I best can.
[00:10:08] So, again, this is an opportunity for me to apply my professional experience, my background, toward a position of vital interest to the community.
[00:10:17] And the Office of State Auditor needs to be the financial management leader and have the highest ethical standard in the state, where currently it's suffering from the problems at the top of the organization last year as the auditor had to resign.
[00:10:36] And the current auditor is a political appointee.
[00:10:38] It's just not the type of environment that can thrive, where a professional can thrive.
[00:10:45] We need an independent or qualified auditor.
[00:10:47] And that's Bob Drock.
[00:10:49] Thanks.
[00:10:50] All right.
[00:10:50] Thanks, Bob.
[00:10:51] I appreciate the time.
[00:10:52] And good luck on the campaign trail, sir.
[00:10:55] Yeah.
[00:10:56] Nice talking with you.
[00:10:56] All right.
[00:10:57] You too.
[00:10:57] Take care.
[00:10:57] That is Bob Drock.
[00:10:59] Again, the website is electdrock.org.
[00:11:02] And that's D-R-A-C-H, electdrock.org.
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[00:12:08] There are 10 Council of State seats that are on the ballot.
[00:12:12] These are the executive branch seats.
[00:12:16] They are, well, let's see off the top of my head.
[00:12:18] Let's see.
[00:12:19] Can Pete name all 10?
[00:12:20] Let me see.
[00:12:21] Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Auditor, Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction,
[00:12:31] Agriculture Commissioner, Labor Commissioner, Secretary of State, and Labor Commissioner.
[00:12:42] Yes!
[00:12:43] It's always good to run yourself through the paces, you know?
[00:12:48] He mentioned, Drock mentioned Beth Wood, and she is the now former auditor.
[00:12:54] She resigned.
[00:12:58] Over the summer, she drew rebukes from fellow Democrats over her endorsement of Dave Bollock in the, or Bolliak, Bolliak, in the state auditor's race over Jessica Holmes.
[00:13:12] Because Jessica Holmes was appointed by my good friend Ray Cooper, the governor.
[00:13:19] When Beth Wood stepped aside and resigned because of the use of the, you know, state property.
[00:13:27] She was using a state-owned car for personal business.
[00:13:33] And this was after, you know, she ran her car into another parked vehicle after a big Christmas party.
[00:13:42] And then fled the scene.
[00:13:45] She says, it's not about party to me.
[00:13:47] It's never been about party.
[00:13:48] It's about who's the most qualified.
[00:13:50] Wood said that she decided to support Bolliak, an attorney and small business owner who has served on the UNC Chapel Hill Board of Trustees since 2019,
[00:13:58] including as the board's chair, after having multiple conversations with him that showed her he had the most relevant experience to bring to the job.
[00:14:07] And, quote, really had an understanding of what the agency should be doing.
[00:14:12] Not only does she think Holmes should not remain at the helm of the auditor's office for the next four years,
[00:14:17] she also questioned why Holmes was selected to replace her in the first place.
[00:14:22] Wood initially planned to run for another term, but later dropped out and resigned after she was indicted for,
[00:14:28] misusing her state vehicle for personal errands.
[00:14:31] She pleaded guilty to those charges and earlier in the year,
[00:14:37] two separate hit-and-run charges stemming from a crash in downtown Raleigh.
[00:14:41] After deciding to resign as auditor last year, the News & Observer reports that Wood said she recommended to Cooper
[00:14:49] that he appoint her chief deputy to finish out the remainder of her term.
[00:14:54] A certified public accountant like Wood, who she said would, quote,
[00:14:59] not have missed a beat had she stepped in until the election.
[00:15:03] So I suspect this is also why she's endorsing Boliac rather than who Cooper appointed, Jessica Holmes.
[00:15:10] Because Wood wanted to elevate her chief deputy.
[00:15:22] And Cooper did not do that.
[00:15:25] And so then she turns around and endorses the Republican.
[00:15:29] Instead, Cooper anointed or appointed Holmes, who was a lawyer and former Wake County Commissioner,
[00:15:36] who also served as the board's chair, the county commission.
[00:15:40] Holmes announced that she would be running for the full four-year term on the ballot
[00:15:44] when Cooper named her as Wood's replacement.
[00:15:46] Wood took issue with the search for her replacement,
[00:15:48] focusing on finding somebody who would run for the office,
[00:15:51] as opposed to just an interim leader who had worked within the office
[00:15:55] and could effectively manage it until voters chose an auditor in November.
[00:15:59] Which, honestly, like, that probably would have been the better thing to have done.
[00:16:03] But it is Roy Cooper.
[00:16:05] So he did not do that.
[00:16:07] Instead of being chosen based on qualifications,
[00:16:10] Wood said, quote,
[00:16:12] I think she was picked because of race and gender,
[00:16:16] hoping to make her more electable.
[00:16:19] You see, Jessica Holmes is black and Boliac is white.
[00:16:24] Holmes became the first black woman on North Carolina's Council of State
[00:16:28] when she took over as auditor.
[00:16:32] She also said Holmes is not qualified to lead the office.
[00:16:36] And she said that her concerns date back to her first meeting
[00:16:40] and interactions with Holmes during her final two weeks in office.
[00:16:45] Wood said that she offered during that transitional period
[00:16:48] to spend unlimited time with Holmes showing her the ropes,
[00:16:53] but that she was ignored, that offer was ignored.
[00:16:57] During one meeting, Wood said,
[00:17:00] during that meeting,
[00:17:01] Wood said that she was concerned to see Holmes
[00:17:05] didn't take any notes
[00:17:07] and seemed uninterested in understanding the agency.
[00:17:12] So the fact that Beth Wood would mention this as well
[00:17:16] makes me wonder
[00:17:19] if there's a little bit of pettiness going on there.
[00:17:21] I know, I know.
[00:17:24] Politicians are never petty about these kinds of things.
[00:17:28] But it is possible, right?
[00:17:30] It is quite possible that there are two reasons here.
[00:17:34] Number one, she's like,
[00:17:35] hey, I really think my chief deputy should have the job
[00:17:37] until, you know, another election,
[00:17:39] just like a placeholder candidate.
[00:17:41] And that was rejected.
[00:17:42] And then she offers unlimited time,
[00:17:45] which, by the way, that's not possible
[00:17:46] because time is finite, right?
[00:17:49] She had two weeks left on the job.
[00:17:50] She said, oh, I'll give you unlimited time.
[00:17:52] That's not true.
[00:17:53] That's a false promise right there
[00:17:55] because you got two weeks.
[00:17:57] That's all the time you got.
[00:17:58] So, but yeah, so
[00:18:00] Holmes apparently didn't take notes.
[00:18:02] And maybe Holmes has a photographic memory or something.
[00:18:05] I don't know.
[00:18:06] Well, maybe she felt like she didn't need to take any notes from Beth Wood
[00:18:10] having to have resigned in scandal and all, right?
[00:18:14] I don't want to know anything from this woman
[00:18:17] who had to resign in scandal.
[00:18:19] But that's how that endorsement came to be made.
[00:18:27] Regarding that, before I get to the news here,
[00:18:29] let me just do, do, do, do, do.
[00:18:31] Bob Druck had said,
[00:18:33] as if resigning for an ethical lapse was not enough,
[00:18:36] the ex-auditor comes back to poison the well further.
[00:18:40] She criticized her replacement
[00:18:41] and endorses the other poorly qualified candidate.
[00:18:44] Completely inappropriate.
[00:18:46] One ethical lapse after another.
[00:18:48] Rich Lowry at National Review says,
[00:18:51] to listen to Democrats,
[00:18:52] you would think nothing has ever happened
[00:18:54] with any political salience
[00:18:55] at Madison Square Garden
[00:18:57] except for a big Nazi rally in 1939.
[00:19:04] I was not even aware this occurred.
[00:19:06] I did not know that there was a Nazi rally
[00:19:09] at Madison Square Garden in 1939,
[00:19:11] which, by the way,
[00:19:14] if I recall correctly,
[00:19:17] Madison Square Garden, where it is now,
[00:19:19] is not where it was in 1939.
[00:19:22] It's like a whole new building.
[00:19:24] So it actually wasn't even in...
[00:19:28] It wasn't even in the garden.
[00:19:30] These people are insane.
[00:19:33] But there's an explanation behind this.
[00:19:36] There's a psychology behind it.
[00:19:37] Let me get back to Lowry's point.
[00:19:39] That skips over FDR's consequential speech
[00:19:42] in this arena in 1936,
[00:19:44] JFK's birthday party in 1962,
[00:19:46] as well as the Democratic conventions
[00:19:49] in 1976, 1980, and 1992.
[00:19:54] Also, George W. Bush's convention
[00:19:57] was in 2004 there.
[00:20:00] That the garden is an inherently fascistic venue
[00:20:03] is among the dumbest things
[00:20:05] we have heard in this campaign,
[00:20:06] which, to be fair,
[00:20:08] has been full of a lot of dumbassery.
[00:20:11] Amazingly enough,
[00:20:13] Hillary Clinton has repeated this line,
[00:20:15] apparently assuming
[00:20:16] that it will never be brought
[00:20:18] to the attention of MSNBC viewers
[00:20:20] that multiple Democrat conventions
[00:20:21] have been held there, too,
[00:20:23] including 1992,
[00:20:26] the one where her husband won nomination.
[00:20:32] These people think you're stupid.
[00:20:36] There's no other explanation.
[00:20:37] Well, there is another explanation.
[00:20:39] The psychology here.
[00:20:41] I learned this over the weekend.
[00:20:42] I was listening to Andrew Clavin.
[00:20:45] Andrew Clavin used to,
[00:20:47] and he's a writer,
[00:20:48] he's got a book,
[00:20:50] and he mentions it
[00:20:51] like about every 30 seconds.
[00:20:53] I'm kidding,
[00:20:53] but he does it as a bit.
[00:20:54] But he's very funny,
[00:20:56] and he's a cultural commentator,
[00:20:59] but he used,
[00:21:00] I did not know this,
[00:21:01] but he used to do some writing
[00:21:02] for television.
[00:21:04] And he said that
[00:21:06] when he started doing it,
[00:21:08] he was advised by people
[00:21:09] in the industry,
[00:21:10] they were talking about
[00:21:11] what motivates the audience.
[00:21:13] And he says,
[00:21:14] the thing you need to keep in mind
[00:21:15] with television specifically,
[00:21:17] television shows,
[00:21:18] is that the audience
[00:21:20] is predominantly female.
[00:21:22] And so when you are trying
[00:21:24] to do a show
[00:21:25] that attracts
[00:21:27] and retains
[00:21:28] female viewers,
[00:21:30] who again,
[00:21:32] make up the bulk
[00:21:32] of the audience
[00:21:33] for television shows,
[00:21:35] you appeal to emotions.
[00:21:40] And with men,
[00:21:41] you appeal to anger.
[00:21:45] And so that's why
[00:21:48] like if you watch
[00:21:48] any of these shows,
[00:21:49] he started naming them
[00:21:50] like the Chicago Fire
[00:21:53] or the 911 shows,
[00:21:55] like all the hospital shows
[00:21:58] and the police procedurals
[00:22:00] and all of that stuff.
[00:22:02] There's always this,
[00:22:03] there are always storylines running
[00:22:05] about who's in love
[00:22:07] with somebody
[00:22:07] and the relationships,
[00:22:09] like all of that,
[00:22:10] like the soap opera
[00:22:11] kind of elements
[00:22:12] of those stories
[00:22:12] are enmeshed inside of the,
[00:22:15] oh my gosh,
[00:22:15] look at the fire,
[00:22:16] you know.
[00:22:17] You get the fire stuff
[00:22:19] and the special effects
[00:22:20] and the heightening,
[00:22:21] oh my gosh,
[00:22:22] you know,
[00:22:23] the risk and all that.
[00:22:24] You get the guys
[00:22:24] hooked with that,
[00:22:25] but then you have to cater
[00:22:27] to the female audience
[00:22:28] as well.
[00:22:28] And I suspect
[00:22:29] that's what this is about.
[00:22:32] That this,
[00:22:33] which is weird
[00:22:34] as a political strategy
[00:22:36] because you've already
[00:22:38] got this demographic
[00:22:39] in the bag.
[00:22:41] Why,
[00:22:41] like,
[00:22:42] why do you keep
[00:22:43] hammering away at this?
[00:22:44] It's just all fear,
[00:22:45] fear,
[00:22:46] fear,
[00:22:46] fear,
[00:22:46] fear,
[00:22:47] fear,
[00:22:47] make,
[00:22:48] make the female population
[00:22:50] very afraid
[00:22:50] that Trump is going
[00:22:52] to have a rally
[00:22:53] at Madison Square Garden,
[00:22:55] which I can tell you
[00:22:56] being,
[00:22:56] you know,
[00:22:57] born and spent
[00:22:58] my first 18 years
[00:22:59] or 17
[00:23:00] in New York,
[00:23:02] Madison Square Garden
[00:23:03] is like the pinnacle
[00:23:04] for New Yorkers.
[00:23:06] That's where you want,
[00:23:07] well,
[00:23:07] okay,
[00:23:08] fine,
[00:23:08] Carnegie Hall too.
[00:23:09] But it,
[00:23:10] like,
[00:23:10] that's where you want
[00:23:11] to play.
[00:23:12] That's where you want
[00:23:13] to go.
[00:23:13] It's the Garden.
[00:23:15] That's where the Knicks play
[00:23:16] who are apparently
[00:23:17] Nazis also.
[00:23:18] I did not know
[00:23:19] that either.
[00:23:22] This is just absurd.
[00:23:23] They,
[00:23:24] like,
[00:23:24] do you really believe
[00:23:25] half the country
[00:23:26] are Nazis?
[00:23:27] No,
[00:23:28] no,
[00:23:28] no,
[00:23:28] but Donald Trump,
[00:23:29] he knows what happened
[00:23:30] there in 1939.
[00:23:31] That's why he picked
[00:23:32] this venue.
[00:23:33] That's just absurd.
[00:23:35] He's a New Yorker.
[00:23:36] It's the Garden.
[00:23:38] You guys are nuts.
[00:23:40] Ed,
[00:23:41] welcome to the program.
[00:23:42] Hello,
[00:23:42] Ed.
[00:23:44] Yes,
[00:23:44] sir,
[00:23:44] Pete,
[00:23:44] I've been listening
[00:23:45] to you for about
[00:23:46] three months
[00:23:46] and I got thinking
[00:23:47] you might just be able
[00:23:49] to help me tie this
[00:23:50] thing down.
[00:23:51] I'm a man
[00:23:51] and words have
[00:23:53] to have meaning.
[00:23:54] Ah,
[00:23:54] you're such a throwback,
[00:23:56] Ed.
[00:23:56] Words don't have meaning
[00:23:58] anymore.
[00:23:58] Come on.
[00:24:00] I don't struggle
[00:24:01] with things like
[00:24:02] woman or man
[00:24:03] or male or girl,
[00:24:05] but I struggle
[00:24:06] with things like
[00:24:07] fascism,
[00:24:08] and it's actually
[00:24:09] something I've given
[00:24:10] a lot of thought to.
[00:24:11] And you tell me
[00:24:13] if you think
[00:24:13] I'm in the ballpark
[00:24:14] and I definitely
[00:24:15] want to hear
[00:24:15] what you think
[00:24:16] fascism is.
[00:24:18] But to me,
[00:24:19] fascism is not
[00:24:20] too much different
[00:24:21] than communism.
[00:24:22] They're totalitarian
[00:24:23] in nature.
[00:24:24] It puts the state
[00:24:26] above the individual.
[00:24:28] And I know
[00:24:29] people break them
[00:24:30] up on left
[00:24:30] and right.
[00:24:31] Communism on the left,
[00:24:33] fascism on the right.
[00:24:34] Yet,
[00:24:35] I tend to put
[00:24:36] both of them
[00:24:36] on the left
[00:24:37] and put America
[00:24:38] and its ideologies
[00:24:40] or its traditional
[00:24:41] founding ideology
[00:24:42] on the right.
[00:24:45] So,
[00:24:46] communism seems
[00:24:47] to have a
[00:24:48] world agenda.
[00:24:51] Fascism seems
[00:24:52] to be more
[00:24:53] nationalistic.
[00:24:55] I would think
[00:24:57] that I probably
[00:24:58] fit the term
[00:24:59] of fascism
[00:25:00] as it's being
[00:25:01] used today
[00:25:03] because it seems
[00:25:03] like all you have
[00:25:04] to do to be
[00:25:05] a fascist
[00:25:05] is to stand
[00:25:06] for the flag
[00:25:07] and kneel
[00:25:08] for the cross.
[00:25:09] And that seems
[00:25:09] to be all it takes
[00:25:10] to be a fascist
[00:25:12] these days.
[00:25:13] Yeah,
[00:25:14] that's pretty close
[00:25:15] to the modern
[00:25:15] definition.
[00:25:16] So,
[00:25:17] fascism
[00:25:17] is on this...
[00:25:19] So,
[00:25:19] I think I went
[00:25:20] over this last week
[00:25:21] where if you
[00:25:22] think of politics
[00:25:23] or political
[00:25:24] ideology
[00:25:25] and size
[00:25:26] and scope
[00:25:26] and role
[00:25:27] of government,
[00:25:28] instead of a
[00:25:29] left-right,
[00:25:30] meaning,
[00:25:31] you know,
[00:25:31] Democrat-Republican,
[00:25:33] if you look
[00:25:34] at the scale
[00:25:35] or, you know,
[00:25:35] just a linear scale,
[00:25:37] left is total
[00:25:38] government
[00:25:38] or tyranny
[00:25:40] and the right
[00:25:41] is zero
[00:25:42] government
[00:25:43] or anarchy.
[00:25:44] Right?
[00:25:44] That's the...
[00:25:45] Those are your
[00:25:46] endpoints
[00:25:47] on that continuum.
[00:25:48] And you want...
[00:25:50] Well, I want
[00:25:51] and the founders
[00:25:51] wanted to be
[00:25:52] closer to the
[00:25:53] anarchy side.
[00:25:55] That's a limited
[00:25:56] smaller government.
[00:25:58] Right?
[00:25:58] Versus total
[00:25:59] control of government.
[00:26:00] And so,
[00:26:00] in my view,
[00:26:03] communism,
[00:26:04] socialism,
[00:26:04] fascism
[00:26:05] is all on the
[00:26:06] authoritarian side
[00:26:07] of that spectrum.
[00:26:08] And the fascism
[00:26:10] is different
[00:26:12] from communism
[00:26:13] in so much
[00:26:14] as rather
[00:26:15] than the state
[00:26:16] controlling the
[00:26:17] means of production,
[00:26:19] right,
[00:26:19] where the government
[00:26:20] owns the factories.
[00:26:21] You still have
[00:26:22] private ownership
[00:26:23] of the factories,
[00:26:24] but the state
[00:26:25] commands
[00:26:26] those factories
[00:26:28] operate
[00:26:28] in certain
[00:26:30] ways.
[00:26:31] And so,
[00:26:32] that's sort of
[00:26:33] an economic
[00:26:33] or...
[00:26:34] Yeah,
[00:26:34] an economic
[00:26:36] fascism.
[00:26:37] So, Pete,
[00:26:38] would you say
[00:26:39] that would be
[00:26:40] like Biden
[00:26:41] demanding that
[00:26:42] Ford make
[00:26:43] electric cars
[00:26:44] as opposed to
[00:26:45] what their
[00:26:45] customers are demanding?
[00:26:46] Right.
[00:26:47] And this is the
[00:26:47] problem with
[00:26:48] a nationalized
[00:26:49] government,
[00:26:50] supposed to be
[00:26:51] a federal government,
[00:26:52] not a national
[00:26:52] government,
[00:26:53] right,
[00:26:53] a federation
[00:26:54] of the states
[00:26:54] that get together
[00:26:55] and say,
[00:26:56] this is how,
[00:26:56] you know,
[00:26:57] interstate commerce
[00:26:57] should be regulated
[00:26:58] and that sort of thing.
[00:27:00] When you have a
[00:27:00] national government
[00:27:01] that sets rules
[00:27:02] for every state,
[00:27:03] then you end up
[00:27:04] with this
[00:27:05] encroaching government
[00:27:07] onto everyone
[00:27:09] and the states
[00:27:10] unable
[00:27:11] to sort of
[00:27:12] opt out,
[00:27:13] right?
[00:27:13] They don't want,
[00:27:14] you know,
[00:27:14] if California
[00:27:15] wants to mandate
[00:27:15] every single car
[00:27:16] in their state
[00:27:17] is electric vehicle,
[00:27:18] that's authoritarian,
[00:27:20] but it is limited
[00:27:21] to that state.
[00:27:22] When you've got
[00:27:22] the national government
[00:27:23] telling everybody
[00:27:24] they've got to do
[00:27:25] the same thing,
[00:27:25] well,
[00:27:26] that doesn't work
[00:27:26] for all states.
[00:27:28] They don't want it
[00:27:29] to be the case
[00:27:29] for all states.
[00:27:30] So, yeah,
[00:27:31] I would say that,
[00:27:32] yeah,
[00:27:33] it's an authoritarian
[00:27:34] model of government
[00:27:36] and ideology,
[00:27:37] and that's how
[00:27:38] the left
[00:27:39] uses it against Trump.
[00:27:41] Trump,
[00:27:41] they equate it
[00:27:42] with authoritarianism,
[00:27:45] and they make
[00:27:46] no distinction
[00:27:46] because that would
[00:27:47] require nuance,
[00:27:48] and they just
[00:27:49] don't do that.
[00:27:50] I appreciate the call,
[00:27:51] Ed,
[00:27:51] good to hear from you.
[00:27:52] Thanks for listening.
[00:27:54] Greg,
[00:27:55] welcome to the program.
[00:27:56] Hello, Greg.
[00:27:57] Thank you so much,
[00:27:57] Pete.
[00:27:59] First of all,
[00:27:59] I love your show.
[00:28:00] Thanks, sir.
[00:28:01] Thank you so much
[00:28:01] for all the work you do.
[00:28:02] I appreciate it.
[00:28:03] Okay, here's the thing.
[00:28:05] Kamala Harris
[00:28:06] makes it sound like
[00:28:08] she is going
[00:28:08] to reinstitute abortion.
[00:28:09] Can a president,
[00:28:11] or could she as president,
[00:28:13] sign an executive order
[00:28:14] to institute abortion
[00:28:16] across the country?
[00:28:17] I can't imagine that.
[00:28:18] Well,
[00:28:19] I couldn't imagine
[00:28:20] that the president
[00:28:21] could just wipe away
[00:28:22] billions of dollars
[00:28:23] in student loan debt either,
[00:28:24] but here we are.
[00:28:26] I would think,
[00:28:27] no,
[00:28:28] that's not constitutional,
[00:28:30] but if she tries to do it
[00:28:32] or does it,
[00:28:34] like signs it,
[00:28:35] then it gets litigated,
[00:28:37] and then they get to
[00:28:38] beat up on the Supreme Court.
[00:28:39] And undermine confidence
[00:28:41] in the Supreme Court
[00:28:42] and convince half the country
[00:28:44] that the Supreme Court
[00:28:45] is corrupted
[00:28:46] because they're actually,
[00:28:47] you know,
[00:28:48] holding her to the Constitution.
[00:28:49] So it's a win-win for her,
[00:28:51] even if she can't get it done.
[00:28:53] Yeah,
[00:28:54] maybe.
[00:28:55] The only legitimate way
[00:28:56] to do this
[00:28:57] is through a constitutional convention
[00:28:58] to amend the Constitution.
[00:29:00] To amend the Constitution,
[00:29:02] if a fellow in the government
[00:29:03] is one guy out there
[00:29:05] who has to call
[00:29:05] all the states
[00:29:06] that say,
[00:29:06] vote for this amendment,
[00:29:08] or vote for however you want to vote,
[00:29:10] but you've got to vote.
[00:29:11] Two-thirds of states
[00:29:12] have to pass that.
[00:29:13] Well,
[00:29:14] right now,
[00:29:14] one-half of the states
[00:29:15] have got restrictions
[00:29:16] against abortion.
[00:29:17] So that's not going to happen.
[00:29:18] The only other way
[00:29:19] is for three-quarters
[00:29:20] of Congress
[00:29:21] to vote
[00:29:21] on a constitutional amendment,
[00:29:23] and that's not going to happen
[00:29:25] because they can't even make,
[00:29:26] you know,
[00:29:26] they're so evenly divided up there
[00:29:27] that, you know,
[00:29:29] there's just no way
[00:29:29] it's going to happen.
[00:29:30] I think she is faking it.
[00:29:32] Oh, yeah, well, no.
[00:29:34] You know,
[00:29:34] legally,
[00:29:35] no,
[00:29:35] she cannot,
[00:29:36] she cannot,
[00:29:37] she cannot issue
[00:29:38] an executive order
[00:29:39] to legalize abortion.
[00:29:41] She cannot do that.
[00:29:43] Now,
[00:29:43] Congress could just pass a law.
[00:29:45] It would not require
[00:29:46] a constitutional amendment.
[00:29:47] She's saying codify it.
[00:29:49] In other words,
[00:29:49] put it into law,
[00:29:51] and that would just require,
[00:29:52] if Democrats control all,
[00:29:54] you know,
[00:29:54] the House and the Senate
[00:29:56] and the presidency,
[00:29:56] they could do that.
[00:29:58] They could write a law,
[00:30:00] and then she would sign
[00:30:01] that into law,
[00:30:02] but the problem with that
[00:30:03] is that it could be then undone
[00:30:05] if Republicans take over
[00:30:07] the House, Senate,
[00:30:08] and presidency
[00:30:09] in the future,
[00:30:10] and they could repeal that law.
[00:30:11] So it doesn't have to be
[00:30:12] a constitutional amendment.
[00:30:14] I don't think she knows
[00:30:15] what she's doing.
[00:30:16] Oh, well, that, yes.
[00:30:17] I don't think she has a plan.
[00:30:18] That is true.
[00:30:19] She has a concept of it.
[00:30:22] Yeah.
[00:30:23] Yeah, she has no plan.
[00:30:25] No, well,
[00:30:26] I don't think she has a plan.
[00:30:27] No, no,
[00:30:28] she doesn't have a plan.
[00:30:28] She's just saying
[00:30:29] if a bill comes to my desk,
[00:30:31] she says she'll sign it.
[00:30:32] So she doesn't have to do anything
[00:30:33] or say anything other than that
[00:30:35] because there's no work
[00:30:37] on her part involved.
[00:30:38] She's going to,
[00:30:39] what she's saying is
[00:30:40] get Congress to do it
[00:30:42] and I'll sign it.
[00:30:43] So I don't know.
[00:30:45] I've not heard her say
[00:30:46] that she would do
[00:30:47] an executive order.
[00:30:48] I have heard that she would sign a bill
[00:30:50] if it came across her desk,
[00:30:51] which really makes sense
[00:30:53] because she now is just
[00:30:54] punting it over
[00:30:55] to the Congress
[00:30:56] to do the work
[00:30:57] as she should,
[00:30:58] by the way,
[00:30:59] because that's where
[00:31:01] a law
[00:31:01] should originate,
[00:31:03] you know.
[00:31:03] So, Greg,
[00:31:04] I appreciate the call, buddy.
[00:31:05] Thanks.
[00:31:07] All right, Dean.
[00:31:08] Hello, Dean.
[00:31:09] Welcome to the show.
[00:31:10] Hi, Pete.
[00:31:11] Hey.
[00:31:11] What's up?
[00:31:12] I just recently voted
[00:31:14] and when I went in there
[00:31:16] for the president
[00:31:17] and vice president offices,
[00:31:19] there were like seven candidates
[00:31:21] to choose from
[00:31:22] and five I've never heard of.
[00:31:25] Honestly,
[00:31:25] I apologize for that.
[00:31:26] But the five,
[00:31:29] I wonder,
[00:31:29] and I don't have a hidden statement
[00:31:32] or anything,
[00:31:33] but how do they get on the ballot
[00:31:35] and then disappear?
[00:31:36] Or is there,
[00:31:37] is that a process
[00:31:39] that happens all the time?
[00:31:40] Yes.
[00:31:41] There's always,
[00:31:41] there are always candidates
[00:31:43] on the ballot
[00:31:44] besides the Republicans
[00:31:46] and the Democrats.
[00:31:47] There are usually
[00:31:48] libertarian candidates,
[00:31:50] like in this case,
[00:31:51] Chase Oliver,
[00:31:53] and he's running for president
[00:31:55] as a libertarian.
[00:31:56] Jill Stein,
[00:31:57] the Green Party candidate.
[00:31:58] You got the Constitution Party,
[00:32:01] Randall Terry,
[00:32:03] and Cornel West
[00:32:04] is the Justice for All party.
[00:32:07] How do they get on it?
[00:32:09] What's the qualifier
[00:32:10] and do they just run out of money
[00:32:12] or something
[00:32:13] or do they just want to be there?
[00:32:15] A little bit of both.
[00:32:16] So these are called,
[00:32:17] some of these candidates
[00:32:18] are called,
[00:32:19] they're called vanity campaigns.
[00:32:22] And so you got to,
[00:32:23] you know,
[00:32:23] you got to raise money
[00:32:24] and you got to be
[00:32:26] certified as a candidate
[00:32:27] on the ballots
[00:32:29] in the different states
[00:32:30] and all the states have,
[00:32:31] you know,
[00:32:32] various rules
[00:32:33] that govern that sort of thing.
[00:32:35] You got to pay a bunch of money
[00:32:36] to get on the ballot
[00:32:37] as a filing fee.
[00:32:39] And that's for any office.
[00:32:41] And so,
[00:32:42] yeah,
[00:32:42] they just,
[00:32:43] so you got to have like
[00:32:44] state apparatus
[00:32:46] running in the states
[00:32:47] in order to get yourself listed.
[00:32:49] Now,
[00:32:49] they're listed on our ballots
[00:32:50] in North Carolina,
[00:32:51] but all of those candidates
[00:32:53] may not be on the ballots
[00:32:55] in every state.
[00:32:57] So,
[00:32:58] like,
[00:32:58] I doubt Cornel West
[00:33:00] is on the ballot
[00:33:00] in every state.
[00:33:01] He might have gotten there
[00:33:02] by now.
[00:33:03] I have not followed it.
[00:33:04] He's a long shot candidate,
[00:33:06] but
[00:33:07] I don't know if he's,
[00:33:08] I would be,
[00:33:09] I would be surprised
[00:33:10] if he's on every state ballot.
[00:33:13] Well,
[00:33:14] would that be,
[00:33:15] and they're like
[00:33:15] a media negative
[00:33:16] once they're on there?
[00:33:18] I mean that
[00:33:18] people shut off the radio
[00:33:20] if they're on
[00:33:21] and listen to what
[00:33:22] they have to say?
[00:33:23] No,
[00:33:24] I think that there's
[00:33:25] very little,
[00:33:26] coverage?
[00:33:26] No,
[00:33:27] I think there's
[00:33:27] very little chance
[00:33:28] that they win.
[00:33:29] And so,
[00:33:30] that's why
[00:33:30] they don't get
[00:33:32] a lot of media attention
[00:33:33] is because
[00:33:34] they don't have
[00:33:35] campaigns
[00:33:36] that have
[00:33:37] the wide appeal
[00:33:39] as the two
[00:33:41] legacy
[00:33:42] parties have.
[00:33:44] This is the
[00:33:44] quote,
[00:33:45] two-party system
[00:33:45] that people are
[00:33:46] always lamenting.
[00:33:47] All right,
[00:33:47] that'll do it
[00:33:48] for this episode.
[00:33:49] Thank you so much
[00:33:50] for listening.
[00:33:50] I could not do the show
[00:33:51] without your support
[00:33:52] and the support
[00:33:53] of the businesses
[00:33:54] that advertise
[00:33:54] on the podcast.
[00:33:55] So,
[00:33:56] if you'd like,
[00:33:56] please support them too
[00:33:57] and tell them
[00:33:58] you heard it here.
[00:33:59] You can also become
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[00:34:00] Patreon page
[00:34:01] or go to
[00:34:03] thepetecalendorshow.com.
[00:34:04] Again,
[00:34:04] thank you so much
[00:34:05] for listening
[00:34:06] and don't break
[00:34:07] anything while I'm gone.