John McGinness Show July 7th

Hope you having a great day. We've got lots of things to kick around this afternoon. But I do want to start out with the story of Mr. Graham Platner. And again, this is not about him. This guy is so incredibly flawed. And obviously, he has every right to endeavor to defend himself. And he has made those efforts. But it's such an abundance of information and fodder that I think from every... Every imaginable matrix, this guy is just not suited for public office. I don't know what's going on in his head, whatever it is that's causing him to behave in the way he appears to have behaved and to make the statements that he has made, things that he personally has articulated himself. It's not just things that people have said about him, but utterances that he has made. that show so overwhelmingly the fact that this guy is extraordinarily problematic i have very serious concerns about him being among the public let alone holding office in the united states senate just a just a There's just mountains of evidence and information that shows so clearly where his shortcomings are right there in plain view. So the notion that it has taken this long, and it took a final accuser who I think does ring with a tremendous amount of credibility. She had told friends about it at the time it took place. but now he appears to be holding the democratic party hostage he's actually refusing still to drop out after this final accusation of rape unless he qualifies he gets to approve his successor to run for the senate the new york post has written about this and they say a source familiar with the campaign discussion said that Graham Platner himself as well as his campaign and political strategist morris cats are deliberating about the main democrat dropping out but only if his replacement shares his left-wing values. It's not merely left-wing. It's beyond that. And there is a time crunch here for the Democrats because there's a deadline Monday, next Monday, this alleged oyster farmer, I don't think there's even truth to that. It looks as though he's not really had a viable business at all. A lot of smoke and mirrors there, 41-year-old guy, who, again, I don't know whether he's got... whether there's been traumatic head injuries or what it is that causes him to function the manner in which he does there are all sorts of things that i'm not going to dignify that he has uttered either electronically or in the spoken word about things he would do he wanted to if somebody broke into his home for example he would want to rape them

i can understand extreme anger at the thought of somebody breaking into your home but that is a very odd way to express your anger or disdain for someone and by the way is consistent with some of the other allegations of bizarre and violent indefensible behavior that he has displayed So the expectation is that he withdraw, but he's only going to do it at this juncture. That may change. It may become inevitable to even him that it's not going to work otherwise, but he wants to have a voice in who will ultimately get the parties, his party's blessing to go on and endeavor to take out Senator Susan Collins. So there... there's a whole host of issues to luck at her you got Bernie Sanders his finally was among the last and i guess though i'm Zohran Mamdani now too has said it's time for him to go

So some anonymous sources have talked to the post. And one says, the vibes to me play like from Bernie Sanders to slide. And Troy Jackson, another source said. So that's where this is looking. Now they're looking for somebody that they can plug in at the 11th hour to try to be able to be in a position to defeat the incumbent Susan Collins. The source quip that the Graham Platner assumes that whomever might replace him. would want to rape this endorsement. That's how bad this is. They say his team is delusional. This person said, noting that Katz, a former campaign advisor to New York City mayor, Zoha Zohran Mamdani, is still recommending Graham Platner stay in the race. Zohran Mamdani also had said until fairly recently that he was staying with him, but now he has actually called for Graham Platner to drop out relatively late today. The elderly Vermont independent Bernie Sanders, who was Graham Platner's biggest backer, reportedly wants former Maine Senate President Jackson to get the Democratic nomination or run against Republican Susan Collins. That's where he's looking. That's his hope. Jackson, a logger-turned lawmaker who appeared with Graham Platner and Bernie Sanders at a fight the oligarchy rally in May recently came in third in the state's Democratic gubernatorial primary. Both Maine Democrats have backed higher taxes on billionaires and a Medicare for all, single-payer health care system, with Graham Platner leaning more into foreign policy issues and denouncing the U.S. support for Israel as shameful. So there's just so much with this guy, but my question for you is, is this really a matter of... Gee, I guess he really is bad? All the other allegations about his horrific misconduct, the Nazi tattoo, his own utterance is the fact that he has been very active on a platform that has been identified as the prime ground for pedophilic predators. Those are things that I think, you know, they should have been a pretty good sign. that this guy's really truly not ready for this office and really truly probably needs some kind of help and maybe at some point there will be enough information presentable that would indicate that he's really truly due for incarceration i don't think that's what's turning this around i don't think it's a sudden awareness of the wrongfulness of his deeds and expressions but rather a sense of inevitability that this is not going to work that the masses will not be fooled as the party leadership and others that are insiders have been they've just accepted it because they see a guy here who by the way I think there's some things about him. He does look like a rugged guy. He was a Marine. And it looks as though, and there's some information to support this, that they thought he would be a good counter to the Republicans' assertions that masculinity has been beat up too badly. And there's a place for masculinity. Well, that assumes that it's ethical masculinity, right?

This is a completely different character. But I lament the fact that this does not seem to be a true recognition of the fact that this is somebody they never should have supported, not because of the wrongfulness of his deeds and expressions, but because of the fact that he is now becoming, I think, in focus that he cannot win. So, interesting to look at the various Democratic Party bosses to actually exert more information to see what they want to do, how they can influence this. One such person is James Carville, who's always an interesting person to hear from. The Post asked him, how does this happen? And his response was, how can they do this? They don't have any control. Well, I don't know. Right now, they have propped this guy up. He's been their choice, and they've persuaded the voters in Maine to select him to confront the Republican incumbent.

So it's tough. And then Carville said, referring to Michael Bennett, he says, if you look at what happened to my dear friend Michael Bennett, referring obviously to the moderate Democratic senator from Colorado, the gubernatorial candidate there, who just got beaten in the primaries, he says the idea that there's some controlling entity in the Democratic Party, there's a council of elders. That's just absurd. Well, then who's making the decisions? Who's calling the shots? Right now. This guy is holding on until he gets a deal that he can put his stamp of approval on whomever it is that may succeed him as the party's choice. So I think there's more to it. And by the way, I do think it happens on both sides. I look at the state of Texas, and I think I don't care for either one of the Senate candidates there that have come through the primaries. You've got Talariko, who I think is an absolute bizarre guy, just extremely bizarre. He makes the most absurd decisions. But then you look at Ken Paxton, the attorney general now running for Senate, who bested John Cornyn in the primary. He's got character issues that are overwhelming. So I couldn't force myself to vote for James Talarico no matter what if I lived in a lone star state, but it would be difficult for me to vote for Ken Paxton. So I guess we find ourselves with increasing frequency in positions where we have to select the lesser of two evils. But it's a very, very regrettable set of circumstances and state of affair. But at what point you'll look at people right out of the gate and say, look, the evidence of character flaws that are too overwhelming. for me to be able to support this person are there and therefore I cannot in good conscious vote for this person versus just simply becoming a matter of practicality and recognizing that they can't prevail. And I understand the Democratic Party leadership and wanting to rid themselves of this burden that is Graham Platner that they have embraced and created. Because somewhere along the line, they had, I guess, consultants that said, no, he's ruggedly handsome and he can win. He's what we as Democrats need. Well, they missed out on a lot there. And now you have, I think, all of this crashing and burning. I don't know exactly where this will go. But it is, I think, just a sad illustration of... I guess how tribal we've gotten, because if you're a Democrat in Maine, I don't know how you could have that much disdain for Susan Collins. To say she's moderate is not even accurate. She's gone left on a lot of things. I think she's probably the most conservative person that Maine can elect to statewide office. But she's not a bomb thrower. She doesn't seem like she's a hard person to like at all. And for them to embrace this character or this person who is a voice. of character, more accurately stated, because he will put another win column for the Senate map. I think it's, by the way, it does appear on both sides of the political divide, but this is just the most clear illustration of it that I can see, and it looks very much as though the rejection of him is just simply based on the fact that the inevitability of his...

of the outcome of his race, should he stay in, is coming into undeniable focus. And he is trying to extort now his ability to help choose his successor. And as an anonymous source told the New York Post, it's ironic that he believes that the voters will be persuaded by the endorsement of a rapist. Well, they were pretty good with him until this final nail. And again, it's just so much here, I think, in terms of human behavior to look at and consider. Your thoughts, 800-834-1530. Sean is patiently waiting in beautiful Wilton, California. Sean, good afternoon, sir. Welcome to the conversation. Thanks for holding on. Thank you. My comment is this. If I was a Democratic voter in Maine, I would be highly irritated at the fact that not only was my opportunity to choose the presidential candidate, i.e. Kamala Harris, back when she was growing for office. But now, once again, in their state, they have had the... the choice to be able to pick who they want to be their senator taken away from them by having the deep democratic states step in and decide on who they can vote for. There is some common denominator there, is there not? It is people who I think asserted that they know best, trust us, this is who we're putting forth with some pretty powerful endorsements from within their party. And then when the lemmings went for it, and I understand what you're saying, if you're a Democratic voter in Maine, you're exercising your free will, and that was your choice, and he got the nod to have that now taken away from you. And an abbreviated campaign, oh, when has that happened before with an outcome that was not favorable to their party or that candidate? There is some ring of familiarity there. Very well stated. Again, it's hard for me to really fathom people of reason embracing this guy in the first place. So I have to be honest with you. It took me a while to get to where you got already, and that is to be for the idea of being offended by the fact that they've taken their choice away from them now because it looks as though their choice is so bad. So indefensibly bad. But your point's well taken. Yeah, and what they're doing is akin to total socialism. They decide on who you get to vote for. Yeah, yeah. And by the way, And I always feel a need to offer this qualifier. Our nation is not a true democracy. It is a constitutional republic, but they oftentimes invoke the term democracy or democratic, small D democratic principles. And look who denies that portion of how we select leaders and sometimes make law through referendum. It seems to be people who are calling the shots within that party. So valid observation, Sean.

Just like Gavin Newsom's doing right now with the education. Absolutely. 100% true. And again, you think of the high profile, the bully poll he has and the way he has criticized the lack of democracy in immigration enforcement. Well, I understand people who have issues with some of the details, some of the fine points, and some of the messaging on immigration enforcement, but it is codified and statutory law created by Congress. It's funded by Congress. It's in the U.S. Constitution. And it was the people's choice when they voted in 2024 for a candidate who said that immigration... enforcement was at top concern. So how does that deviate or how does that violate the small D democratic principles of our governance? So very valid observation, Sean, I appreciate the call, sir. This is, again, something I find very interesting in terms of... of human behavior. I hope that, yeah, there's always the possibility of writing in a candidate if you find yourself in a position where both choices that have gotten through a primary or so reprehensible, maybe at some point that will grow and give people different options. But I hate this, these kinds of situations where... because it's so overwhelmingly for the purpose of having a purely political partisan, I should say, outcome, that they'll go to these levels, and only when it's obvious that that plan, that scheme will not work, do they abandon it in the interest of theoretical, and with a claim, I suppose, of saying that the person has lacked credibility. Continuing the conversation here, and again, I don't want to just limit this to Graham Platner because he happens to be the subject of this particular discussion. But the phenomenon is much bigger than him. And I'll tell you very candidly, I'm a tried and true lifelong Republican, never been registered in any other party in my entire life. But, of course, there was no Republican in this particular contest to which I refer. uh diane feinstein who i i had a respectable relationship with way way way back when she got very sick long before her passing she her mental faculties were just not what they had been and i never would have been inclined to vote for her notwithstanding the fact that we had some degree of relationship and i think mutual respect But ultimately, she was challenged by somebody who would like to be called Kevin De Leon, for whom I had zero respect. His real name, by the way, is Kevin Leon. He fabricated that De Leon because he thought it was more political appealing. And he's disgraced now. I lost the city council race in Los Angeles after he lost the race to Diane Feinstein. But I did vote for and endorse Diane Feinstein in that contest, even though she was not a match for my...

My politics, because I found him to be so reprehensible in terms of who he was. So my question is, at what point do we put bigger issues over simply a headcount in a legislative body? Your thoughts? 800, 834, 1530. Patrick is patiently waiting in Granite Bay. Patrick, good afternoon, sir. Welcome to the conversation. Thanks for holding on. Sure, but, yes. Thank you for taking my call. You bet. Great to hear from you. I look at this, you know, we saw the dirt here in California come out, right, with Eric Swalwell. And that had been, like, suppressed, even though I have, you know, I heard about it from some friends that were retired officers down in his area that knew him and said this was, this was no secret what he was all about. They put him in. All of a sudden, you know, I'm thinking Nancy Pelosi has to know his troubles. And now we have Graham Platner, and I'm thinking, you know, residents of Maine, they can do better than this. I mean, this man, if he's, if he's, if he's, he's been accused of horrific things right now, rape to me, John, go straight to jail, go to prison. Yeah. So if they put him in. How is he going to do his job behind the bars? Well, you raise a good point. What could still be coming? And by the way, the statute of limitations on rape in Maine is 20 years. This most recent allocation by this woman, Jenny, I believe it's Rassikot, is the pronunciation of her name, is in 2021. So that's five years ago. What her desires are, what evidence could be amassed at this point is another question in terms of a prosecutable case there. but your points well taken what else might be there that would take him out of the ability to serve or even eligibility to serve based on his prior conduct and he's not been convicted of anything but i don't just base my concerns about him on what others have said about him But I do see credibility in many of his accusers, including this Ms. Racicod. She rings true to me. But what I do see as even more powerful, more persuasive, is what has come from his own mouth or his own electronic communication. He has clearly shown, I think, that by my estimation, that he is a person who is not suitable for public office has very, very, very serious troubles. And in the greatest interest of all, I think he needs to be dealt with in terms of the threat that he may still pose to others and even himself. So that would probably be the ideal outcome. But it looks very much to me, and I sense you're seeing it the same way, Patrick, that... It really didn't get to be an issue until the inevitability of his political liability and failure came into focus. And it's the exact same thing with Mr. Eric Swalwell. And again, innuendo and rumors are out there. So I don't want to convict anybody on that.

But in the case of Mr. Eric Swalwell, I had heard many of the same things. Now, his background, he was much more of a mainstream guy back as a younger man. He was on the local council in, what was it, Concord or Walnut Creek, one of those East Bay cities. He was a prosecutor in Alameda County and seemed to be, you know, left side of the aisle, but a more mainstream kind of a guy. And then he just went off the rails and I think had a little bit of self-infatuation. I think there's this complex that comes along when they get to a point that they can get away with everything. And sure enough, some of the people who are in a position to influence their political future seem to see it the same way. And I guess the good news out of this is eventually the... the political realities will uh will serve the purpose that a moral compass should have served originally so i it's a sad commentary and i i think the message to all is to try to look for uh for people who are more holistically suited for leadership and representative office positions rather than somebody who can just check a box and get a victory for a particular team. That's where we find ourselves today. I agree. He's... He's dangerous. This man is scary. Yeah, I don't know how anybody could argue that. And again, don't forget, he volitionally put this Nazi tattoo on his body. It's not merely a swastika. It's a symbol that represents something much worse than even the swastika unto itself. So these are things he has done, not merely things that others have said about him. Appreciate the call, Patrick, very much. Let's check in with Michael, patiently waiting in beautiful Folsom, California. Michael, good afternoon. Welcome to the conversation. Thanks for holding on. Hey, thank you, Sheriff. I wonder with Bernie Sanders, is the bar for oligarch is just anyone that has more money than him? You know, that's an interesting. He's an oligarchy. I don't own three homes or spend $500,000 to travel on a year. Yeah, yeah, a flight on a private jess, a pretty nice luxury, a rare occasion for even the very wealthy, even some of the oligarchy. Unbelievable. Yeah, well stated. You wonder, regardless of party, where is the moral compass come from anyone that's in politics right now that it takes four women to come forward and say that they were sexually assaulted? So it's not the Nazi tattoo, which I love that you brought up, that it's not just that symbol. It's 10 times more horrific what he got tattooed. Oh, yeah. We're talking about the ultimate of evil. Yeah, yeah. And then, you know, and everyone says he's a Marine. He's also the same person on social media that says horrific things about the armed forces. Absolutely. So, I don't know, the piling on effect, just the fact that the Nazi thing was okay.

The assaulting women was okay. And all the bear hugs, when you see Bernie and Warren and the other people giving him these giant hugs and you're our man. What happened to when Brett Kavanaugh was running? The fact that he jumped on a bed with a gal allegedly made him the devil. Yeah. But apparently the not, I don't know, it's just a weird thing of where we are now. Maybe it was always there, and we just didn't know. I don't know. My suspicion is that it was not always this way, and I find it troubling. And I'm probably not impressing people or winning friends when I talk about Ken Paxton, because I don't care for his character either. And I would be hard-pressed to vote in this Senate race in Texas if I were a resident of the Lone Star State because the choices are so terrible. He's too much, his mind is just too far off. I think Ken Paxton is a reasonably smart guy, but his character is clearly lacking. It's a very, very difficult position for the voters to be in. But in this case, it far exceeds any of that. And it's, I appreciate the fact that you referenced the four women coming forward, but also so much of the. The reprehensible element of his character actually does not come from others. It comes from himself. Really, all you need is to read his own words. Exactly, exactly. Very sad reality. Appreciate the call. Very much, Michael. Yeah, I appreciate his analysis of it because he looks at the things that Mr. Graham Platner has said and otherwise expressed, and that's where I see it problematic. So as I look at all the players on this Graham Platner situation, It's interesting to see. You've got the, you have Bernie Sanders. Obviously, he's got to be at some point, I think, stepping into the final lap of his political career because of it just his time on the planet. And I will say he's robust. He seems to, I can't say work hard. He plays hard. He takes his mission seriously. Seems to be high energy for his age. But I look at others who may be jumping into high-profile advocacy on certain campaigns because they're looking to... to enhance their own political futures and their standing. And one such person in this particular case has been Ro Khanna, Northern California Democrat Congressman. And it's interesting that he really jumped into this thing very, very, very significantly, hardcore. And I have some observations about Mr. Ro Khanna. I did initially see him as somebody who... Again, whose politics, political decisions and philosophy I did not share and never would. But I saw him as a person who maybe had a bit of a personality or an attitude that might possibly be beneficial to public discourse. But I think he has damaged himself, not just in this regard, but across the spectrum because he is somebody who has...

been very outspoken on pushing back against insider trading. Very, very, very, very loud and clear on that. And now he's facing scrutiny because his family trust remains one of the most active in Congress, despite his public advocacy for banning congressional stock trading. So there's kind of an issue of his public stance versus the activity. He has frequently pushed for legislation to ban lawmakers and their families from trading stocks, arguing that politicians should not invest in industries they oversee. And then the congressman, well, he does not personally, his fingerprints are not on it. but his family trust managed by his wife and their third-party trustees has been very active and reports show thousands of household trades totaling tens of millions of dollars and he is living in extraordinarily lavish lifestyle on a congressional pay of what is an hundred and eighty ninety thousand dollars a year so his disclosed profits analysis of the disclosures have labeled mr Ro Khanna a top congressional stock performer and data from pro-crap insights highlighted by financial figures like anthony Pompilano show household AI-focused investments delivering 112% excess return over the S&P 500. That is a powerful. I mean, this is a guy who should get out of the House of Representatives and get in the... the financial management business because that's just an extraordinary degree of success and seems so highly improbable that that could be done without seizing the opportunities of some inside information that comes from knowing what the government's going to be doing. so there is an ethics complaint against him a two hundred thirty nine page ethics complaint was filed against Ro Khanna alleging massive market beating profits and conflicts of interest tied to his committee assignments which include by the way the house armed services committee And he does, to play fair, he has stated publicly his denial of involvement in the trades, claiming they are independent and that his household investments have actually underperformed the S&P 500 in recent years, which does not comport with what the analysis tells. So there's a lot there, and I just look at somebody who could have been and perhaps was viewed by many as a rising star.

in politics as maybe getting out a bit too far on some things. And I would like to see people get to a point where they say, okay, some things are more important than simply checking a box on the makeup of a legislative body. Hey, that is it for me, but stick around because the afternoon news is coming up next. I don't even know who's in for the lovely and talented Kenny O'Neill. Oh, Joe Michaels is back again today. And I will not see you back here tomorrow. I'm out on other business, but I'll see you back here Thursday. Have a great evening.