Latest / ToddCast Podcast with Todd Starnes / Daily Memphian’s Otis Sanford Says Brent Taylor ‘Unfit For Congress’

Transcript

Daily Memphian’s Otis Sanford Says Brent Taylor ‘Unfit For Congress’ · ToddCast Podcast with Todd Starnes

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: From the principal Toyota studios, it's Morning in Memphis with
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Todd Starnes.
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: And hello, everybody. Welcome to the morning show here on
• 0:11
  Speaker 2: the Mighty 990. I'm Todd Starnes. Great to be back
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: with you. And a huge, huge thank you. To our
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: good friend Kristen New, we know her affectionately as one
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: of the real housewives of Germantown. She did a terrific
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: job filling in for me as I've been on the
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: road promoting my brand new book. And I am, pardon me,
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: very happy to say that as of today, this was
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: the last stop for the rest of the year. So
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: hopefully I won't be missing any more time here in
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: the mornings. And I love hanging out with you guys.
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: That first cup of coffee in the morning and getting
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: a big leg up on the news of the day.
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: And we have a lot of it. And, of course,
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: the coverage continues of this scandal, this sexting scandal involving
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: State Senator Brent Taylor. And the Daily Memphian today has
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: published a column by Otis Sanford. And I know that
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: a lot of folks... literally revere him as some sort
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: of a journalistic Jesus. But Otis Sanford is a far leftist,
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: and he has done great damage to journalism here in
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: the Mid-South as a result of his ideology and his politics.
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: And it's not so much that his ideology and his
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: politics are problematic, it's because he infuses a those ideologies
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: and politics into journalism. And more importantly, when he was
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: teaching at the University of Memphis, where he serves as
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: a professor emeritus in the journalism classrooms. So he is
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: raising up a generation of Mid-South journalists who will think
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: just like he thinks and who will also shove their
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: politics into their news stories. And that's a big problem.
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: So Sanford says that Brent Taylor's sexting scandal renders him
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: unfit for Congress. And, of course, it took him all
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: of one paragraph to invoke the New Testament and the
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: Holy Bible. The reality is very simple, ladies and gentlemen.
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: You've got two choices on Election Day. You've got Brent Taylor, who,
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: when asked, confessed to an affair he had with his
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: wife several years ago. Or you've got Justin Pearson, who
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: likes to run around with communists. He doesn't like white people.
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: He thinks all of you Republicans are a bunch of
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: white supremacists. and he prays to somebody known as Mother God.
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: So the choice is very simple. Now, there are a
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: lot of people on the Daily Memphian websites calling for
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: Taylor to step aside, and I'm curious to hear from you.
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: Is this over? Do you believe that Senator Taylor— are you
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: satisfied with his answers— This was a youthful indiscretion made
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: in his early 50s as a grown man. Or do
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: you believe that there's more to come here? And I
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: say that because nobody's talking. The governor hasn't issued a statement.
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: The lieutenant governor hasn't issued any statements of support or condemnation.
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: And we haven't heard anything from Marsha Blackburn, who, of course,
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: is running for governor, and she is the Republican nominee.
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: So anyway, our telephone number this morning, and we'll open
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: up the phone lines. Do you believe that Brent Taylor
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: should step aside or should he fight the good fight? 901-260-5926,
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: our telephone number. That's 901-260-5926. And a lot of folks
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: in the KYM listening audience and on our social media
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: pages are saying, hey, look, the guy fessed up. He
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: said he made a mistake. He apologized to his wife.
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: Case closed. And that's what A lot of our listeners
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: and a lot of our readers are telling us. Also today,
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: early voting. This is the final day for early voting.
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: The numbers have been off the charts, but you've got
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: to get out there and you've got to vote. Look,
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: if you really want to change the direction of the
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: nation and Shelby County, And Memphis, you're going to have
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: to get out and vote early voting today. That information
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: over on kwamradio.com. We do have a great show lined
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: up for you today. Steve Gill is going to be
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: along to talk statewide politics. Also, Lauren Pinkston, who is
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: one of the many independents running for governor, she participated
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: in that big debate sponsored by the Tennessee Press Association today.
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: We're going to have her joining us by phone a
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: little bit later on. And, of course, we're going to
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: be taking your calls as well.
• 4:50
  Speaker 3: 901-260-5926.
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: Got to take a quick break. We'll be right back. Steve,
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: we've got a lot of political news to talk about,
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: and really nationally, but I want to start locally because
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: we made some national news yesterday on the program. The
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: guy running for the 9th Congressional District in Tennessee, which
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: is one of those redrawn districts to favor Republicans, his
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: name is Brent Taylor, and a Nashville publication reported that
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: he had been sexting, sending nude photos to a woman
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: who And so it's a big, huge scandal. We had
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: Senator Taylor on the show yesterday, and he said, yes,
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: this is true. He apologized to his wife and to God,
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: and that's that. And he also called it a youthful indiscretion.
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: It happened when he was in his early 50s. So
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: I'm just wondering, Steve, how do you think, first of all,
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: your reaction to the scandal, do you think it's going
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: to have any impact at all on the race?
• 5:59
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it is so youthful. It was so three or
• 6:01
  Speaker 3: four years ago.
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: I mean, again, I think the explanation may almost be
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: worse than the actions.
• 6:06
  Speaker 3: And I think it's shocking. And I don't think it's
• 6:08
  Speaker 3: what somebody expected.
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: We always expect October surprises and things that will kind
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: of rattle the cages. This one goes beyond, I think,
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: what people were expecting. And I think two things that
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: I'm hearing from people today, will Marsha Blackburn distance herself
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: from Senator Taylor and You know, they're having this bus
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: tour around the state of the Republican caucus. It was
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: in Gallatin earlier today. I'm going to rejoin them this
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: afternoon in Columbia. And I know they're questioning, is Senator
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: Taylor going to show up for the bus tour stops
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: that head on through the district here in the next
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: few days?
• 6:42
  Speaker 3: And will Marsha Blackburn distance herself from him?
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: Ward Baker, who is her consultant, as you know, is
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: also the consultant of for the Brent Taylor campaign. So
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: there's also these other earthquake reverberations that flow from this.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: I think the fact that this is late and early voting,
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: that Taylor probably has a lead, given the choice of
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: voting for him at this stage or voting for Justin Pearson,
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: who's an absolute disaster.
• 7:07
  Speaker 3: My guess is he still prevails.
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: It will be a closer race than people expected or
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: than he would like. But I think this definitely puts
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: Amar on the race and could cost Republicans the seat.
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: I will say this about Taylor. He was not one
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: of the guys going out there and riding the culture
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: war horse, right? So he wasn't like Mr. Born Again,
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: waving the Bible. He's not that kind of a Republican.
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: So as bad as it is, I think if you're
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: out there campaigning on those issues and you get caught,
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: it's a whole different story. You know, the other part
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: of it is that he's actually been very effective as
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: a lawmaker. And one of the things that surprised me,
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: I was listening to the KWAM morning show, and they
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: had full lines through the show. And I think only
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: one person felt like he should step aside. Everybody else said,
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: this is none of our— and most of them were women
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: calling in saying, this is none of our business. It's
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: private life. It's between him and his wife and God.
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: And this doesn't change how I feel. I was surprised
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: by that reaction, to be honest with you.
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: Well, first of all, everything that I'm hearing about this
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: is that it was consensual and that there were actually
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: an exchange of photographs. It's not like he was just
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: sending these unsolicited photographs to unsuspecting women, from what I'm
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: being told.
• 8:34
  Speaker 3: So, again, I think there is some merit today. It
• 8:37
  Speaker 3: was private. Again, it's between him and his wife.
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: Like you said, it's not like a guy who's out
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: pounding the desk screaming about LGBTQ issues, and then you
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: find out that he's a closeted gay man.
• 8:49
  Speaker 3: So I don't think you have the hypocrisy attack on him.
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: And again, if this was consensual, it was bad judgment,
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: but it doesn't necessarily mean that it was some sort of,
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: you know, enforcing himself on women if there was consent
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: and if they were exchanging photographs of each other.
• 9:09
  Speaker 3: So again, I think that this will not ultimately cost
• 9:12
  Speaker 3: him the seat. I think it'll be closer.
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: It certainly makes it a much more interesting race in
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: the closing days. And if you did not have such
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: an absolutely horrifically bad candidate in Justin Pearson on the
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: other side, it could make a difference. But I think, again,
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: given the choice between a flawed candidate Senator Brent Taylor, who,
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: by the way, has been a stand-up guy, has answered
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: the questions, came on your show, has been.
• 9:36
  Speaker 3: Talking to me. He hasn't been running and hiding. He's
• 9:38
  Speaker 3: been straight up and stand up.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: And whether you like his explanation or not, he has
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: stood up and given his side of the story. And again,
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: if it was anybody other than Justin Pearson on the
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: other side, it might be particularly harmful to his chances.
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: I will say this, Steve. Out of all the interviews
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: they've done, they said that mine was the the most severe.
• 9:59
  Speaker 3: And the harshest.
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: And, you know, that's the way I you know, that's
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: the way we do things here. You know, we're going
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: to be fair. We're going to be balanced. And, you know,
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: if you come on, you answer the questions. And, you know,
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: there were some tough questions, but I, you know, do
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: appreciate him stepping in. Also, and I don't know if.
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: You— On that point, Todd, as you know, I've said
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: it for a long time, and you and I are
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: in 100 percent agreement on this, because I'll get complaints
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: sometimes if I'm harsh on a Republican on policy.
• 10:26
  Speaker 3: Issues or they make a mistake or they do something wrong.
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: As I point out, and I know you embrace as well,
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: if you don't want me to point out stupid things
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: you do, don't do stupid things.
• 10:36
  Speaker 3: Well, exactly.
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: I do want to bend your ear on this for
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: a second. I don't think this came from the Democrats.
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: I think this was an inside-the-party hit job on Brent Taylor.
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: What do you think about that?
• 10:51
  Speaker 3: I agree 100%.
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: I don't think that Justin Pearson had access to this
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: sort of information. I think this shows to me somebody
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: that is sour grapes, who either their candidate didn't win or.
• 11:04
  Speaker 3: They have a bone to pick with Senator Taylor on
• 11:06
  Speaker 3: something else. I agree with you absolutely 100%.
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: That this came from from as the old horror movies
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: would say, the call is coming from.
• 11:14
  Speaker 3: Inside the house.
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: And I think this call came from inside the house.
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: So we're we're watching record turnout. I mean, well, near
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: record turnout in across many states. Georgia, well over a
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: million voters. Tennessee just surpassed a million in early voting. Texas,
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: we're watching huge numbers come out. What are you sensing?
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: And again, this is all conjecture because we do not
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: know definitively who's got the edge going into the midterms.
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: But Steve, you've been covering politics a long time. What's
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: your take here?
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: This does not feel like a wave, either a red
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: wave or a blue wave to me. And again, as
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: we've had several of these polling firms nationally, not just one,
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: but several, admit that they're basically tilting and intentionally misrepresenting
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: the poll numbers to try and help a particular agenda.
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: So I don't think we can trust some of the
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: polling clearly. And also, I think they're over-polling Democrats when
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: you look at several of the polls that are claiming
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: that the Democrats are poised to these major victories. I
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: think I've said here before, I believe Republicans still keep
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: the Senate majority by a 52-48 majority. Could be as
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: much as 53, depending on how the final tallies come in.
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: I think that the House will be very close, a
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: couple of votes one way or the other, controlling the House.
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: Because I do think Republicans have some growing momentum heading
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: into the final days. I think the Democrats sort of
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: peaked early in their attempt to take control of the House.
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: They may still get it, but I think they played
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: their hand early. And again, like the case with Brent
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: Taylor and Justin Pearson, if they didn't have such horrific
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: candidates on their side of the aisle, I think Republicans
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: would be in even worse shape.
• 12:58
  Speaker 3: And fortunately, those horrific candidates are bleeding.
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: Down to candidates who might have had a better chance
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: if they're top of the ticket guys, whether it's Mamdani,
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: whether it's If it's, you know, Tallarico, you've got a
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: lot of really bad Democrats that are getting a lot
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: of coverage that I think is going to hurt Democrats
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: who are trying to pretend to be relatively moderate.
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: Steve, I want to go to the phone lines and
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: bring in Charles from Gainesville, Georgia, listening to us on WDUN.
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: And he wanted to weigh in on the Brent Taylor issue. Charles,
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: you're on the air with Steve. What's on your mind?
• 13:33
  Speaker 4: Well, I'm just thinking you keep talking about all the...
• 13:38
  Speaker 4: Our Republican congressmen, they don't have any gonads. I think
• 13:45
  Speaker 4: a Brent Taylor photograph before they're elected should be presented
• 13:51
  Speaker 4: and to make sure that everyone that went in had gonads.
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: Charles, thank you for that.
• 13:59
  Speaker 3: Steve, I don't know. I don't want to see that picture. Heck,
• 14:03
  Speaker 3: I don't want to look at myself naked, and nobody
• 14:05
  Speaker 3: else does either. But it's an interesting point.
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: We criticize Republicans for not having cojones to go up.
• 14:13
  Speaker 3: And fight the good fight. And if nothing else, I
• 14:17
  Speaker 3: have proof.
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: That's true.
• 14:19
  Speaker 3: That's true.
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: Steve Gill joining us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line.
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: I'm curious about the Trump rallies. Fox released their power
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: poll yesterday. suggesting that these rallies are not moving the needle.
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: Do you agree with that assessment?
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: You know, they are not like they were in 2016.
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: As you know, I ran a program called pushing Christians
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: to the polls to try and get Christian voters in
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: particular to pray, discern and vote. And I went to
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: dozens of Trump rallies back when he.
• 14:58
  Speaker 3: Was first running.
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: The crowds were bigger. They were more enthusiastic than we're seeing.
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: There is some level of Trump fatigue that is a reality.
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: And a lot of these people have been to the rallies.
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: It is crowded. It's hard to get in. The traffic
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: is bad. And people kind of know that they support
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: Trump and don't necessarily have to go to these rallies.
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: They've lost some of their appeal, I think. So I
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: don't think you can judge just the sizes and the
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: enthusiasm at the rallies to indicate that Trump is less popular.
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: But I do think that there is among independents and
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: kind of the casual voters a degree of Trump fatigue.
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: And I don't think that the Trump team has made
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: their case as effectively as they should in terms of
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: the affordability issue. Now, look, I was driving around today
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: and I'm seeing gas prices drop.
• 15:43
  Speaker 3: Below that $ 4 mark.
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: It may be too little too late, but they have
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: to be emphasizing what is coming and lower gas prices.
• 15:50
  Speaker 3: We've already seen other food prices. We've already seen other
• 15:53
  Speaker 3: gains in terms of employment, in terms of wages.
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: Bringing inflation down, I don't think they've sold their case
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: as effectively as they should. And I'm not sure the
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: rallies are making that case specifically.
• 16:06
  Speaker 2: And that is a fair point. I think from a
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: visual standpoint, it certainly gives the impression that there is,
• 16:11
  Speaker 2: you know, the Republicans have the big mo, the momentum,
• 16:16
  Speaker 2: combating a lot of what we were seeing coming out
• 16:18
  Speaker 2: of the left and these legacy media stations. which are
• 16:23
  Speaker 2: trying to downplay all of this and trying to, I think,
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: demoralize Republican voters. I want to give you the last
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: word here, Steve. Looking at the midterms, where are you
• 16:34
  Speaker 2: going to be watching? What is one of the more
• 16:37
  Speaker 2: important races for you?
• 16:41
  Speaker 3: I'm going to be watching Michigan very carefully.
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: I do think that Mike Rogers has a great chance
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: to defeat Al Saeed. That would give Republicans a pickup.
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: We're going to lose the seat in North Carolina, which
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: is currently held by Republican Tom Tillis. So that would
• 16:55
  Speaker 1: be keeping us even, which would keep us at that 52,
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: 53 level that I'm predicting. I'm really concerned, and I'm
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: going to be watching very closely South Carolina. President Trump
• 17:06
  Speaker 1: is going to South Carolina to try and save Doreen Graham,
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: Lindsey Graham's sister, who.
• 17:12
  Speaker 3: Was a horrifically bad selection.
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: I think a lot of Republicans in South Carolina are saying, well,
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: I'm going to vote for the Democrat.
• 17:20
  Speaker 3: How much harm should she do?
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: If it was just for a two-year balance term, you know,
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: you might be able to make that case.
• 17:26
  Speaker 4: But this is.
• 17:34
  Speaker 3: All right.
• 17:34
  Speaker 2: Welcome back, everybody. Looking like another nice day here in
• 17:38
  Speaker 2: the Mid-South Chamber of Commerce weather. Rain in the forecast
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: could be a little stormy on Halloween. So that's sort
• 17:46
  Speaker 2: of like in the mood of Halloween, though. By the way,
• 17:49
  Speaker 2: speaking of that, Zubu continues tonight at the Memphis Zoo.
• 17:53
  Speaker 2: All the fun starting at 6 o'clock. The Halloween celebration
• 17:58
  Speaker 2: running through Sunday. Tickets are $ 20. And all of you
• 18:02
  Speaker 2: Monty Python fans out there, Spamalot continues at the Orpheum
• 18:06
  Speaker 2: Theater in downtown. The show starts at 7.30. Tickets about $ 45, $ 46.
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: So....
• 18:15
  Speaker 2: If you want to get tickets, just go over to
• 18:17
  Speaker 2: the Orthium website and you'll find all the information there.
• 18:20
  Speaker 2: Real quick, before we go to our special guest, let's
• 18:23
  Speaker 2: go to Germantown. Penny wanting to weigh in on Senator
• 18:27
  Speaker 2: Brent Taylor. Penny, good morning. Hope you're doing well. And
• 18:30
  Speaker 2: what's on your mind?
• 18:32
  Speaker 5: I'm doing well. Thank you for taking my call. I
• 18:34
  Speaker 5: just wanted to put my two cents worth in with
• 18:36
  Speaker 5: your last caller. And it's the woman. The woman dropped
• 18:41
  Speaker 5: this information. This is a mad female.
• 18:45
  Speaker 2: You think so? So this is retribution is what you're suggesting.
• 18:49
  Speaker 5: You can call it retribution or whatever you want to
• 18:52
  Speaker 5: call it. But, you know, this just looks to me like,
• 18:55
  Speaker 5: you know, it's an angry person, either someone in her circle, her.
• 19:00
  Speaker 5: But they dropped this information. Yeah, you know, they were angry.
• 19:06
  Speaker 5: They're very angry. Penny, do you think this disqualifies Brent
• 19:09
  Speaker 5: Taylor should he step aside?
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: No. No, it doesn't.
• 19:18
  Speaker 5: He made a mistake, obviously. You know, he doesn't owe
• 19:21
  Speaker 5: me an apology. He needs to be speaking with his
• 19:24
  Speaker 5: wife and family. Yes. But, you know, this is something
• 19:28
  Speaker 5: always happens around this time when it's the voting cycle,
• 19:31
  Speaker 5: you know, and it's a sad situation that this is
• 19:34
  Speaker 5: dropped for him. But no, it doesn't change my mind.
• 19:38
  Speaker 5: I voted last week and if I had to re-vote,
• 19:39
  Speaker 5: I'd vote for him again. So it is what it is.
• 19:43
  Speaker 2: All right. Yeah, the October surprise is what they call it. Penny,
• 19:47
  Speaker 2: thank you for the call. And again, we're taking your
• 19:50
  Speaker 2: calls on Senator Taylor this morning. Should he stay in
• 19:53
  Speaker 2: the race? Should he step aside? Do you still have
• 19:56
  Speaker 2: confidence in the state senator? 901-260-5926 is our telephone number.
• 19:59
  Speaker 3: That's 901- 260-5926.
• 20:05
  Speaker 2: Well, gubernatorial race, huge debate the other night, and I
• 20:10
  Speaker 2: was listening to it as I was coming back from Georgia.
• 20:13
  Speaker 2: I want to go to the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line.
• 20:16
  Speaker 2: One of the individuals on that stage, Lauren Pinkston. Lauren,
• 20:21
  Speaker 2: running as an independent, good morning. Great to have you
• 20:24
  Speaker 2: with us today.
• 20:24
  Speaker 6: Good morning, Todd. Thanks for having me.
• 20:27
  Speaker 2: So, look, first of all, before we jump into the debate,
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: how are things going out on the campaign trail?
• 20:33
  Speaker 6: We're having so much fun. Honestly, this has been such
• 20:36
  Speaker 6: an honor and people are so excited. I am thrilled
• 20:41
  Speaker 6: to get to offer something different for voters who have
• 20:44
  Speaker 6: been really disaffected, who are frustrated, who haven't voted and
• 20:48
  Speaker 6: who had told me that they would not be voting
• 20:50
  Speaker 6: at all in this race if they didn't have an
• 20:52
  Speaker 6: option that they felt good about. So it's important that
• 20:55
  Speaker 6: we give people options in a capitalist society, right?
• 20:58
  Speaker 2: The debate last night, Lauren, or the night before last, rather,
• 21:02
  Speaker 2: Senator Marsha Blackburn, that was the sort of non-elephant in
• 21:06
  Speaker 2: the room, Republican not there. Your take on that? Do
• 21:11
  Speaker 2: you think that was a mistake from Senator Blackburn's part?
• 21:15
  Speaker 6: Not only just not showing up on the debate stage,
• 21:18
  Speaker 6: but not having a town hall since 2019, I think
• 21:21
  Speaker 6: is a problem. People are looking for authentic leadership. They
• 21:24
  Speaker 6: are looking for people who will talk and who will
• 21:26
  Speaker 6: be courageous enough to go into rooms where you might
• 21:29
  Speaker 6: not be the favorite person. People are looking for coalition
• 21:33
  Speaker 6: builders right now. And so I don't think anyone is
• 21:35
  Speaker 6: impressed by someone who doesn't show up.
• 21:37
  Speaker 2: Curious, as you're making your case to the voters in
• 21:43
  Speaker 2: this home stretch here, It seems like, at least from
• 21:48
  Speaker 2: our observations, that you're going to be pulling votes away from, say,
• 21:52
  Speaker 2: a Jerry Green, the Democrat in the race. Why would
• 21:56
  Speaker 2: Jerry Green not make a good governor in Tennessee?
• 21:59
  Speaker 6: Listen, I know that the Democrats are concerned, and they
• 22:04
  Speaker 6: have pointed a lot of heat in our direction this
• 22:08
  Speaker 6: campaign cycle. But I am talking to people, again, my
• 22:12
  Speaker 6: voter base is people who are disaffected on both sides.
• 22:16
  Speaker 6: They're tired of the Republican Party or they're tired of
• 22:18
  Speaker 6: the Democratic Party. On my campaign, I have, and in
• 22:22
  Speaker 6: my organization, I have people who were in the Capitol
• 22:25
  Speaker 6: on January 6th working for senior Republicans. I have people
• 22:29
  Speaker 6: who were Democratic activists and who are tired of watching
• 22:33
  Speaker 6: the same thing that they've seen on the Republican side
• 22:36
  Speaker 6: in the Democratic Party. I have a Libertarian. I have
• 22:38
  Speaker 6: a I have veterans. I have former Christian missionaries, people
• 22:42
  Speaker 6: who are coming from across the political spectrum. And we
• 22:46
  Speaker 6: love working together because we know that there are more
• 22:49
  Speaker 6: things that unite us than divide us. So I don't
• 22:51
  Speaker 6: know that I'm pulling anything more from Jerry Green than
• 22:54
  Speaker 6: I'm pulling from Senator Blackburn, but I know that we're
• 22:56
  Speaker 6: talking to a base of people who are just values-oriented people,
• 23:00
  Speaker 6: good people who want to see their neighbors as neighbors,
• 23:04
  Speaker 6: not as enemies.
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: So I....
• 23:07
  Speaker 6: You know, I'm disappointed in the way that Councilwoman Green
• 23:10
  Speaker 6: has run her campaign. There's been a lot of assumptions
• 23:13
  Speaker 6: made about who her base is. But since you're in Memphis,
• 23:16
  Speaker 6: I will just say that When I am in Memphis
• 23:18
  Speaker 6: and I talk to black voters, they are also tired
• 23:21
  Speaker 6: of being expected to just get in line. They are
• 23:24
  Speaker 6: tired of people not talking to them. And the Democratic
• 23:26
  Speaker 6: Party has really failed to understand that a lot of
• 23:29
  Speaker 6: black voters are deeply religious, deeply conservative in their religious values.
• 23:34
  Speaker 4: And no one's.
• 23:35
  Speaker 6: Talking to them anymore.
• 23:36
  Speaker 2: Are you saying that that Councilman Green is is not
• 23:40
  Speaker 2: is not doing a good job or an effective job
• 23:42
  Speaker 2: reaching out to the black community in Memphis?
• 23:45
  Speaker 6: I'm saying that the Democratic Party as a whole makes
• 23:48
  Speaker 6: a lot of assumptions about their base, and they use
• 23:51
  Speaker 6: the same fear-mongering tactics that the Republican Party does.
• 23:54
  Speaker 3: Like what?
• 23:55
  Speaker 2: Give me an example of that.
• 23:57
  Speaker 6: That if you don't vote blue no matter who, then
• 24:00
  Speaker 6: Marsha Blackburn is going to be our governor, and the
• 24:03
  Speaker 6: whole world is going to end, and everything is going
• 24:06
  Speaker 6: to be over, right? They've been talking to their base as,
• 24:10
  Speaker 6: close your eyes, and if you see something unethical, just
• 24:13
  Speaker 6: ignore it, because... too much is on the line here, right?
• 24:16
  Speaker 6: That's been the message, that if you vote for Lauren,
• 24:20
  Speaker 6: you are voting for something that you hate, and that
• 24:23
  Speaker 6: is just not true, right? So people who are immigrants,
• 24:28
  Speaker 6: people who are Latino, people who are religious Black voters,
• 24:34
  Speaker 6: they still hold a lot of very traditional values, and
• 24:37
  Speaker 6: the Democratic Party has left them behind.
• 24:39
  Speaker 2: On the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line, Lauren Pinkston joining us.
• 24:42
  Speaker 2: She is an independent running for governor. Of course, the
• 24:45
  Speaker 2: other independent that's getting a lot of airtime, and you
• 24:48
  Speaker 2: may have just heard the commercial that aired on KWIN,
• 24:50
  Speaker 2: the Blackburn campaign, is they are very concerned about the
• 24:54
  Speaker 2: David Hatley campaign. And very concerned. So much so, most
• 24:59
  Speaker 2: of their campaign advertising has been reminding people that he
• 25:03
  Speaker 2: is a convicted felon. Why do you think that Hatley...
• 25:06
  Speaker 2: is connecting with voters, especially on the Republican side of
• 25:11
  Speaker 2: the aisle?
• 25:12
  Speaker 6: Well, he's running as a conservative, a conservative independent, and
• 25:16
  Speaker 6: he's pulling a lot of money for his voters in,
• 25:18
  Speaker 6: for sure. He also has a lot of money, right,
• 25:21
  Speaker 6: to spread his message. And so, obviously, Republicans are concerned
• 25:25
  Speaker 6: because they've flown our president into Tennessee twice in the
• 25:28
  Speaker 6: last month. But what we're watching across the Republican Party
• 25:31
  Speaker 6: is the same kind of fracturing going on. And I
• 25:35
  Speaker 6: don't know if it is the president to blame. I
• 25:37
  Speaker 6: don't know if it's the economy. I don't know if
• 25:38
  Speaker 6: it's Scott Golden as the GOP director here in Tennessee.
• 25:43
  Speaker 6: I don't know. I think there's a lot of factors
• 25:44
  Speaker 6: here at play. But I think about traditional Republicans. And
• 25:50
  Speaker 6: I just don't know, Todd, what it means to be
• 25:51
  Speaker 6: conservative anymore, because the party that's I knew growing up
• 25:55
  Speaker 6: is not the party that exists right now. I just
• 25:58
  Speaker 6: talked to a voter this morning who said that he
• 26:00
  Speaker 6: walked in, he's voted for Trump three times. He walked
• 26:03
  Speaker 6: into the polls the other day, he voted for me
• 26:05
  Speaker 6: and he voted for the amendment and he voted for
• 26:08
  Speaker 6: no one else on the ballot. He said, I'm not
• 26:10
  Speaker 6: happy with where the Republicans are, but I'm not ready
• 26:13
  Speaker 6: to vote for a Democrat. And I think that that's
• 26:16
  Speaker 6: a story I've heard over and over and over this year.
• 26:19
  Speaker 6: And so Hatley is spreading a message similar to that,
• 26:23
  Speaker 6: that if you are not happy with where the Republican
• 26:25
  Speaker 6: Party is, you have an option.
• 26:29
  Speaker 2: I was curious about the debate. It really wasn't a debate.
• 26:33
  Speaker 2: It was more of, I guess, a forum. Questions were asked,
• 26:36
  Speaker 2: questions answered. The Memphis Safe Task Force, and I was
• 26:40
  Speaker 2: curious about your reaction to that because you've been opposed
• 26:44
  Speaker 2: to the Memphis Safe Task Force. I'm just wondering what
• 26:47
  Speaker 2: you would say to the nearly 200 moms and dads
• 26:52
  Speaker 2: who had their child back as a result specifically of
• 26:56
  Speaker 2: the Memphis Safe Task Force and their work.
• 27:00
  Speaker 6: I'm not opposed to address the crime on the streets.
• 27:02
  Speaker 6: I'm not opposed to making our community safer. I'm opposed
• 27:05
  Speaker 6: to using tax dollars irresponsibly. And so what the Memphis
• 27:10
  Speaker 6: Safe Task Force has done is use $ 221 million of
• 27:14
  Speaker 6: our tax dollars that we sent to the federal government
• 27:16
  Speaker 6: to send 14 federal agencies into one hotel and to
• 27:20
  Speaker 6: pay that bill for a year alone. when that money
• 27:23
  Speaker 6: could have been spent to retain and recruit new police
• 27:26
  Speaker 6: officers in Memphis city. The Memphis city police department was
• 27:29
  Speaker 6: already down 50% of its officers and they need our help.
• 27:33
  Speaker 6: And that's a more sustainable way to keep our community safe. And,
• 27:37
  Speaker 6: you know, I, I, So I know exactly what it
• 27:45
  Speaker 6: takes to keep children safe and I care deeply about that.
• 27:49
  Speaker 6: But I'm also more committed to long-term sustainable investments rather
• 27:54
  Speaker 6: than using our tax dollars for headlines. And so what
• 27:57
  Speaker 6: we're watching in Memphis is important, and I think addressing
• 28:00
  Speaker 6: crime in Memphis is important. But I will say that
• 28:02
  Speaker 6: sending the Tennessee Highway Patrol officers to Memphis, while it
• 28:06
  Speaker 6: might have been helpful, and this is where I differed
• 28:08
  Speaker 6: from Councilwoman Green on stage the other night, it may
• 28:11
  Speaker 6: have been helpful for Memphis, but it's been detrimental to
• 28:14
  Speaker 6: the rest of the state because we're watching vehicular homicides
• 28:18
  Speaker 6: and car crashes and deaths in those crashes continue going
• 28:21
  Speaker 6: up in other parts of the state because our Tennessee
• 28:24
  Speaker 6: Highway Patrol officers are not there to watch speeds on
• 28:27
  Speaker 6: other roads.
• 28:28
  Speaker 2: Lauren, I'm curious about the data centers. That has been
• 28:32
  Speaker 2: a big topic of conversation. It was a big issue
• 28:35
  Speaker 2: there at the forum the other night, sponsored by the
• 28:37
  Speaker 2: Tennessee Press Association. Where do you stand on Elon Musk
• 28:40
  Speaker 2: and the work he's doing here in Memphis and the Mid-South?
• 28:45
  Speaker 6: We have let billionaires run away with us. And I
• 28:49
  Speaker 6: was the first candidate in this governor's race to call
• 28:52
  Speaker 6: for a statewide moratorium because we haven't set the rules
• 28:55
  Speaker 6: in Tennessee to make sure that the energy grid that
• 28:58
  Speaker 6: has to be expanded with data centers, that the water
• 29:01
  Speaker 6: infrastructure that has to be expanded with data centers, we
• 29:04
  Speaker 6: haven't ensured that that infrastructure growth is not going to
• 29:08
  Speaker 6: be paid for by the working class. And I'm really
• 29:11
  Speaker 6: tired of watching large corporations coming into Tennessee to benefit
• 29:14
  Speaker 6: from our tax haven and then expecting the middle class,
• 29:17
  Speaker 6: the working class, to foot the bill for that. We
• 29:21
  Speaker 6: are looking at the new Gilded Age here. And what
• 29:24
  Speaker 6: I see is seven companies owning a third of the
• 29:26
  Speaker 6: stock market. And again, we're in the new Gilded Age,
• 29:30
  Speaker 6: and the whole middle class is going to crash if
• 29:33
  Speaker 6: we don't use our Attorney General's office as an offensive
• 29:36
  Speaker 6: weapon to go against the businesses that are exploiting Tennessee.
• 29:40
  Speaker 6: and exploiting the taxpayers here.
• 29:42
  Speaker 2: And I hear what you're saying and the whole exploitation
• 29:45
  Speaker 2: part of that. But when you look at the other
• 29:48
  Speaker 2: part of what's happening here, Elon Musk has donated $ 50
• 29:53
  Speaker 2: million to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. He has donated
• 29:58
  Speaker 2: over $ 350, 000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs. He has
• 30:01
  Speaker 2: spent millions of dollars out of his own pocket to
• 30:05
  Speaker 2: repair a Fairleigh High School and John P. Freeman Optional School.
• 30:11
  Speaker 2: He is partnering with a Baptist church, Mount Vernon Baptist Church,
• 30:15
  Speaker 2: to build a new community center. It sounds like this,
• 30:19
  Speaker 2: you know, this guy, you know, and you can agree
• 30:22
  Speaker 2: or disagree on the on the data centers, but he's
• 30:26
  Speaker 2: trying to be a good citizen here, it looks like
• 30:27
  Speaker 2: to me. How do you look at it?
• 30:31
  Speaker 6: My statements are not about Elon Musk specifically. My statements
• 30:34
  Speaker 6: are about the larger issue at play, right, is the
• 30:38
  Speaker 6: consolidation of corporations that are choking out the working class.
• 30:43
  Speaker 6: And so I would fully expect that someone who is
• 30:46
  Speaker 6: the wealthiest man in the entire world would put that
• 30:49
  Speaker 6: kind of chump change into our communities. So at a minimum,
• 30:53
  Speaker 6: we should be expecting that. But that doesn't mean that you–
• 30:56
  Speaker 6: Chump change?
• 30:57
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 30:58
  Speaker 4: $ 300, 000.
• 31:00
  Speaker 6: For Elon Musk is chump change.
• 31:05
  Speaker 2: I'm just curious, how much of your salary have you
• 31:09
  Speaker 2: donated to help the community?
• 31:12
  Speaker 6: I'm not the wealthiest woman in the entire world. I'm
• 31:15
  Speaker 6: just making the point that When you have that kind
• 31:18
  Speaker 6: of wealth, you should be investing in the communities where
• 31:21
  Speaker 6: you are expanding jobs, but that doesn't mean that you
• 31:24
  Speaker 6: get to go around the city ordinances and continue to
• 31:27
  Speaker 6: grow the infrastructure where you are outside of the rules
• 31:31
  Speaker 6: and the zoning codes that your local government has defined.
• 31:35
  Speaker 6: So I'm not speaking against Elon Musk here. I'm talking
• 31:38
  Speaker 6: about the larger things at play with these tech companies
• 31:43
  Speaker 6: that own, again, a third of the stock market. They're
• 31:46
  Speaker 6: not going to be able to just come in and
• 31:47
  Speaker 6: buy our land. They're going to be able to buy
• 31:49
  Speaker 6: our entire communities if we don't set stronger policies in
• 31:53
  Speaker 6: place for who's coming in and who can build here.
• 31:56
  Speaker 3: All right.
• 31:56
  Speaker 2: Lauren, we're going to have to leave it there. We
• 31:58
  Speaker 2: are super late for a break. Lauren, where can people
• 32:00
  Speaker 2: go if they want to see more about your campaign?
• 32:03
  Speaker 2: Read your platform.
• 32:05
  Speaker 1: Sure.
• 32:05
  Speaker 6: Pinkston4TN. com. It's pink like the color S-T-O-N-S-O-R-T-N.com. Over 100 policy
• 32:12
  Speaker 6: positions there. And I'm so proud of everyone for getting
• 32:14
  Speaker 6: out to vote. Over 80% of the state still has
• 32:16
  Speaker 6: yet to cast a ballot. So this is anybody's race.
• 32:19
  Speaker 2: Pretty remarkable numbers. Last day of early voting. Get out
• 32:22
  Speaker 2: there and vote, ladies and gentlemen. That is your job
• 32:25
  Speaker 2: as a citizen of the great state of Tennessee. Lauren,
• 32:28
  Speaker 2: good luck to you.
• 32:29
  Speaker 6: Thank you, Todd.
• 32:30
  Speaker 2: All right, Lauren Pinkston. And say what you will, folks, but.
• 32:35
  Speaker 2: I love it when people decide they're going to run
• 32:37
  Speaker 2: for office. You may agree with them. You may disagree
• 32:40
  Speaker 2: with them. And that's OK. And that's why we have debates.
• 32:43
  Speaker 2: And I have been pretty open about this. Yes, I
• 32:46
  Speaker 2: have endorsed Marsha Blackburn. Did that early on because she
• 32:50
  Speaker 2: asked for my support, and I think she deserves it.
• 32:53
  Speaker 2: That being said, I am very disappointed that my senator
• 32:57
  Speaker 2: did not go and debate. Because I want to see
• 33:00
  Speaker 2: Republicans standing up and debating and showing what we believe
• 33:04
  Speaker 2: in is that that argument is always going to win
• 33:08
  Speaker 2: the day. Got to take a break.
• 33:10
  Speaker 1: 901-260-5926.
• 33:10
  Speaker 2: We'll be right back.
• 33:18
  Speaker 1: All right.
• 33:18
  Speaker 2: Coming up at 11 o'clock today, the Todd Stern Show
• 33:21
  Speaker 2: exclusively here on the Mighty Dine. 93 hours of great
• 33:24
  Speaker 2: conservative conversation on more than 140 radio stations around the country.
• 33:29
  Speaker 2: And we're going to have a great, great time as
• 33:32
  Speaker 2: we head into the midterms. And there are a lot
• 33:35
  Speaker 2: of shenanigans. We're going to get into the very latest
• 33:38
  Speaker 2: on what's happening in Alaska, where the Democrats, there is
• 33:42
  Speaker 2: now evidence and investigations, federal investigations underway. after the Democrats
• 33:48
  Speaker 2: recruited a candidate who had the exact same name as
• 33:53
  Speaker 2: the Republican running. Insane story. We're going to get to that. Also,
• 33:57
  Speaker 2: great news. Theater Memphis adding new shows. You guys sold
• 34:02
  Speaker 2: out performances for Million Dollar Quartet. You can get those
• 34:06
  Speaker 2: tickets over at Theater Memphis. Been a great day. Have
• 34:09
  Speaker 2: a good one, everybody.