Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to the perfunctory podcast, a series where candid conversations meet at the crossroads of politics, policy, and personal experience. Hosted by Mike Zalewski, the podcast brings together leaders, thinkers, and insiders to reflect on the decisions shaping Illinois.
Speaker: You're back on the perfunctory podcast with my good friend Ron Holmes. I call you the landmark guy because each time we've had you on, there's been landmarks in elections, and and ah you're a good landmark assessor of where we stand. I like that. it's i'd rather be like I'd rather be the nominee for you know lieutenant governor, but you know i'll I'll take that as well. Yeah, that that would also be that would also be a good fit for you.
Speaker: I always choose these timings because I think I like pent up demand in terms of what to talk about. I don't want to just stream of conscience with people. i have no idea what's going to happen on March 17th.
Speaker: And I don't know who's coming out to vote. I don't know what they care about. I don't know how they feel about incumbents versus insurgents.
Speaker: What do you think about the first voter on February 5th, which is in two days? Are they a motivated Democratic voter right now? Are they a traditional Democratic voter?
Speaker: Who's coming out to vote? Yeah, that's a great question. And, I mean, my crystal ball is about as murky as yours. What I would say, though, is that we've done such a good job expanding early voting, vote by mail here in this state,
Speaker: that the first voters that are going to you know come out you know for early voting are going be people that have voted before. right And they probably are going to have some loyalty to the person that they're coming out to vote for. yeah um We've got a lot of change in Illinois that's going to happen here.
Speaker: um Not just top of the ticket, but also local races as well. And so in my mind, this is, if you will, the most loyal of voters, both in the Democratic primary and the Republican primary.
Speaker: These are people that have not been ah fatigued or dissuaded by things that are happening nationally or things that have happened in their neighborhoods. ah Because I think even those folks that are motivated by the moment right now,
Speaker: ah don't have a uniform standard by which they're judging candidates, right? Like the the who's gonna fight for you question, I don't think anyone has a uniform answer to that, at any race, by the way, right? Because I think fighting looks very different for a lot of different folks. And so first voter out, those people that are you know casting ballots are the most loyal of the loyal men, and I suspect that they will be establishment Democrats and establishment Republicans.
Speaker: Do you happen to think that people are going to sit back because this is a saturated political market? yeah What I mean by that is Illinois 9 is yeah national race that happens to be in Evanston, Illinois.
Speaker: We have a marquee Senate Democratic primary. We have down-ballot races all over the all over the map. to i I have no sense of whether people have a handle on who's even running right now because it both built up to this and it seems like it's hitting all at once. Yeah, I mean, as we sit here on February 3rd, we're just starting to see negative campaigning and contrasts happening in races. Yeah.
Speaker: And it's a very interesting thing because I think a lot of folks are like, well, why haven't we seen contrast before in some of these races? Well, the reality is, is in most contests, the candidates are relatively unknown, right? and And these are quality public officials that have served for a long time, but the reality is,
Speaker: the electorate just does not know who they are. And I think that in many cases, not only are they introducing themselves to voters, but they're also trying to answer that I will fight for you question.
Speaker: And what does that look like? And so that's a very interesting proposition for folks. They also agree on everything. A lot of things. If you a lot of things listen to that ABC7 debate, and I'm going to be a little critical of it. And I think ABC7 is the marquee Chicago station Craig Wall is an excellent political reporter. All of it, all of the plaudits, there wasn't one challenging question in that debate.
Speaker: They got asked over and over again, tell us how great you are. Yeah. and And we're differentiating amongst, yeah do you want to abolish Trump's ICE or do you want to abolish ICE, period?
Speaker: it And then when that happens, you get personal in a hurry. yeah So I don't know. your point about negative campaigning coming, I'm worried about that as a party because it's going to be nasty because it's the only way to differentiate yourself.
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, the question is, what does Elaine look like in crowded primaries? And, I mean, specifically this U.S. Senate race, again, three people with extensive governmental experience at this point, right?
Speaker: Their records are well documented in the public ethos if someone cared to look, right? And so what you're going to see, besides the contrast, is literally just like a race for amplification, right? right And so...
Speaker: um the LG super PAC is doing a really good job trying to characterize her as basically the only person that wants to abolish ICE, right? Even though you've got kind of Raja and Robin, you know, like on a congressional, you know, resolution trying impeach Kristi Noem. But this is the game, right? Like how do you separate yourself? And I think folks are certainly hoping that money allows just like the amplification of themselves to wash away like this minuscule difference or nuance that might exist between some candidates.
Speaker: Are you surprised at Juliana Stratton's decision to come up the inside lane, which is in my mind the progressive lane? I, full disclosure, support the lieutenant governor, think she'd be a great U.S. senator. I think they're all qualified candidates.
Speaker: i If you'd have told me at the outset that that lane would be all hers and she would have cornered it and that was her path, I would have been really surprised about that. And that's not a criticism. It's given that she's a lieutenant governor to a left of center but not progressive governor in in the way he's governed the state.
Speaker: I would have been surprised that that lane was conceded to her this way. It is amazing. Yeah. what a quality consultant and a quality poll can do for a candidate.
Speaker: And what I mean by that is, again, for over two terms now, the lieutenant governor has been a very um has been very proficient at describing herself as JB's governing partner.
Speaker: And on several issues over the course of the campaign, she's done a very good job of trying to distinguish herself from him in ways that I know that his camp would normally not find to be helpful. right And so i'm not surprised at the tactic because i I think it makes a ton of sense. I think if you spend time with Roger or Robin, they have also not wanted to veer there despite the politics of Congress, right? right um
Speaker: And the Illinois House of Representatives. And so the only way, again, is a quality consultant, a quality pollster saying like, This is here. The moment is demanding this. And now is the time.
Speaker: And so, you know, for the lieutenant governor, I think the other thing to remember is like there's there's nowhere else. Like she's young, like but really like she's got to be all in on this race. Right. a lot of her political future is staked on this. And so this is where she's chosen to go.
Speaker: The Schumer question is a really good data point on what you just described. That is a no-brainer. yeah There is no scenario where, in my mind's eye, given where the party sits, given how the D.C. culture sits right now, that it isn't a ah layup to simply say we need new leadership in Washington, D.C., And as a guy who served under Mike Madigan and was questioned about, are you going to vote for Mike Madigan for speaker? Are you going to be able to vote for him for speaker in two years?
Speaker: I get, i have I understand the human element of like not wanting to be, quite frankly, a jerk in that scenario. But like I am, again, a little taken aback at the,
Speaker: the the hesitancy given where we sit in these times about saying, like, I think we need new leadership in Washington, D.C. Well, you got to remember the LG has some history in this, right? Based on her Mike Madigan experience um as she was running for lieutenant governor.
Speaker: And so, you know, that muscle memory may exist for her in a way that does not exist for Congresswoman Kelly or or Raja. Right. And so but to your point, it it is it is baffling that.
Speaker: more folks don't just give that answer. And it's not an answer, quite frankly, where you have to offer an alternative. Correct. Right? I mean, like, and literally, like, it's like, all right, cool. Like, I'm willing to vote forever on the first ballot, and then it just winds up being Schumer again. Whatever. Right? Totally agree. But, but you've drawn a line in the sand and recognized that the larger ethos believes that Washington is broken.
Speaker: Right? and And putting a face on that problem is really important over the course of a campaign. Yeah. Yeah. yeah I want to turn to Illinois 9 for a moment. yeah That race is a marquee national race, and it's got so many personalities in it and so many different components to it.
Speaker: Do you have any sort of belief in... whether voters will go with stability and people they know or will the cat abazala effect end up being more potent than people are giving it credit for she sort of came out of the gate really strong and the podcast and the dick tiktoks and all the things But like it's been an interesting for a person who's ran for public office before. And has a podcast. And And, ah you know, finds himself enjoying – his massive ego enjoys talking about this stuff.
Speaker: Put the metal of a campaign and the rigmarole of like being it out in L.A. and having to zoom into an indivisible Edgewater meeting and realizing that it didn't go off quite the way you wanted to.
Speaker: It sort of makes people realize how hard this all really is. Yeah, I think that's right. i to To coin a Chris Welch phrase, winners do the work, right? right And I think we have seen
Speaker: specifically in the Chicagoland area the difference between um activists and advocates and campaigning and then governing.
Speaker: And all three of those are very different skills. Correct. And so I try to also just suppose that with the notion that this is the same district that reelected Jan Schakowsky decade after decade. right And so like clearly there is room for, in the mind of that district, an experienced fighter. Right.
Speaker: Right? And so what that looks like, I think ultimately will play out with someone with elected to elected experience that can show voters that they have not only the passion to stand up on the issues that they care about, but also the experience and know-how try to move policy forward.
Speaker: And so I think that's where we're headed in nine. um Now it's easy to say that when you've got you know half the General Assembly running in the ninth congressional district. um But i think I think it's a very real thing because even as we look at like the polling trackers that we've seen publicly, we've seen some stagnation right with the cats of the world. And again, not to say that i mean we've got a long way to go.
Speaker: right And we have not seen a lot of contrast. We have not seen a lot of extra dollars to her favor right in that race. and so But for now, I think ultimately...
Speaker: like Evanstonians, those kind of voters are are very well-read, very like studious in their voting patterns. And so like I think ultimately they're going to be looking for somebody that not only shares their values but also is someone that can get folks to hell over in D.C. Well, you're right. ah Laura, lauraf the fine campaign put out a poll today having her – even with ah Daniel, and Kata Bozala kind of falls down a little bit. And it that result was everything you just described of like, okay, I've decided to pay attention now. I've got a qualified mayor who's been around for a long time, and I've got a state senator who's accomplished real things in Springfield.
Speaker: I think those are my two yeah top choices here. Are you a little taken aback by... the state of the Cook County Board President's race?
Speaker: This is a tough one. And and it's it's a tough one for me because when I look at Toni Prakwiko's body of work and what she's done to build infrastructure and build pipelines, um it is it is very surprising that we've gotten to this point.
Speaker: um And so maybe... Maybe some of this is just fatigue um of all things Cook County and Chicago. um And then maybe some of this is a reality that we aren't really talking about in terms of the economic pressures that people are feeling. And quite frankly, just looking for anyone to blame, right? Not that not that you know It's the county's fault, but like they're just looking at, oh my gosh, like another establishment person. like Things are
Speaker: things are bad like I want change. right i if you are There's a push and pull in that race between throw the bums out, my property taxes are too high, and a person that has matched the very competence you just described with the progressive values that she clearly has. yeah And I don't know who wins that tug of war. is Are people going to go to the proper the ballot box and say, i simply can't afford my property taxes anymore? And there has to be. And it goes to the KG Hines race, too. Yeah.
Speaker: I happen to think, unfortunately, unfortunately is wrong word, but however you want to view it, that the assessor is such an esoteric role in the process that the county board president's role has an outsized influence in the way voters think about the property tax bill.
Speaker: Yeah, no one understands their property tax bill. No one understands why their bill is going up at a time where they feel like they're paying more for everything. And unfortunately for Tony, again, much like how she came in on a referendum, this may be a referendum on property taxes. And, you know, to the president's
Speaker: Detriment, she's extraordinarily loyal to those that are loyal to her. 100% agree. And instead of, the easiest thing for her to do would be to throw Fritz under the bus, and she's not going to do that, right? And so instead, you know, she's going to explain to the High Parkers exactly how their bills work and and why she's not responsible for it. And I think she's hoping that enough people ultimately will understand that she's run a good county and and she'll be okay. And it's an interesting messaging question to a messaging guy.
Speaker: Every time she's talking about Tyler Technologies and about how a management consultant has failed, yeah I don't know how you convince voters yeah that that's a thing to hang your hat on, how you're fixing a management consultant's mis misdeeds yeah as a reason. like it's just um it's a loser ah It's a loser issue in terms of how you communicate it to voters. and I have a genuine empathy. for that I really yeah do. know it's tough. And the system is is really tough to understand. And
Speaker: and
Speaker: unfortunately, right now, i think the positives that she's done have don't outweigh just this burden that's happening on on people across Cook County. What's been the most impressive political ad you've seen so far?
Speaker: You're making a face. Yeah. Listen, you making a face listen Mike, I've been extraordinarily underwhelmed this cycle. um I think a lot of things have been cookie cutter.
Speaker: I think a lot of things have been, in some cases, overly dramatic as people look to prove how much of a fighter they are. um And so some of this is really gets down to the fact that I think that, and we've talked about this before,
Speaker: we are a a party in search of a message and core tenants. And right now we are seeing a mix of the standard kind of oldie, but goodie direct to camera.
Speaker: Here's my kitchen. I care about you to people in the streets with megaphones. And so like, I don't know what's going to resonate with voters. Um, but I certainly hasn't, haven't seen anything that is going to be talked about in months to come. Right. Like, We we haven't seen that ad that's going to be like, man, remember last cycle when right this you know TV firm ran this? like No, like none of that has existed. And some of that, too, is also the reality that like in many ways no one has really done the big broadcast by yet. right And so for those folks that might only be able to forward three weeks of TV, maybe that's the folks that we see the more creative creative stuff from. But I mean, honestly, like...
Speaker: The campaigns that have been on the air for the longest, in many cases, their previous ads from previous cycles have been much better than the stuff that they're running right now.
Speaker: I tend to think that. Well, I'm going ask a question this way. Would you go on broadcast TV? I don't know that I would. set my eyes. Don't tell the TV question. I know, I know. The consultants ate that question. Listen, man. There's a percentage of that buy that folks are relying on.
Speaker: No, look, man. like People are digesting the news differently. And I will say for a Democratic primary in Illinois –
Speaker: I'm not sure where the majority of the electorate gets their news today, right? I think in many cases when you talk about what happened nationally, there were national outlets that were amplifying messages.
Speaker: I don't know what those individual entities are in Illinois for a Democratic primary. I don't i don't think the infrastructure is built out. And so instead, I think you're running paid ads to people's phones, which people are glued to these days. And the question is...
Speaker: you know Are you putting something on that phone that is worth someone at least listening to it 10 seconds of? Right? And I, again, I'm just, I haven't seen the magic yet.
Speaker: And maybe it's coming, but creatively haven't seen it. I would give real pause to it. I would only do it if I... For the digital bar? No, for going on Broadway TV. yeah, yeah. I would,
Speaker: Only do it if I had a sizable economic advantage over my opponent. I would much rather be over. I would have started in December and been doing digital all the way through now. I'm going to rephrase. If the choice were posed to me, you have two weeks of broadcast or you have sustained amount of digital all the way through, i would have chosen digital. Now, mit that's the reason I'm no longer a state representative possibly. I totally acknowledge that.
Speaker: i I just feel that deep the overall holistic view right now is there are so many races. Raja is dominating the airspace. If you're not Raja, no one knows anything about who you're running for.
Speaker: That's right. Because he's so hegemonic in these ads that you have to ah you have to pray that the voter has the cognitive dissonance to understand that you're not running for the United States Senate. Right.
Speaker: where have we seen that before? Ironically enough, right? It, it's, it, it is very interesting to kind of also see that, that irony, right? That Raja is in many cases running the JB playbook of 2018 and doing it very well.
Speaker: Um, to the point where against your point, like it is hard at this point to get attention. Inventory is taken up. Um, why should anyone even watch it? Because they're like, oh, he's basically the Democratic democratic nominee, right? like And thats that's where we are. And so, yeah, I mean, to your point, I also think the thing that people don't talk about enough is how many people are no longer waiting until election day to make their decision.
Speaker: And so traditional campaigns 10 years ago, you would say like, oh, yeah, like I'm going up for the last week and we're going to this big GOTV canvas operation. Now you look up and, you know, 75% of vote is in before, you know, you get to that weekend or people have done their vote by mail ballots. So people's minds are made up.
Speaker: And so to your point, yeah, I mean, maybe you you spread the wealth a little bit.
Speaker: Do you have any sort of belief that the Trump effect will eventually – I'll ask it a question this way.
Speaker: Texas just elected a state senator in a predominantly a predominantly red district that would have, like, given the demographics, it was a lousy GOP candidate. It went the other way.
Speaker: But in your mind's eye at the moment, are you anticipating a really big Democratic midterm year?
Speaker: I think by any other standard, if you ask me this question... in any other midterm, the answer would be yes.
Speaker: However, I've got a lot of hesitancy that um there's more wishing than work as it relates to like victory ah this fall.
Speaker: um A lot of folks have found the boogeyman and they're like, surely, surely this must be enough for people to elect more Democrats. But I, I really am afraid that we still haven't done the homework required see what people actually care about, what actually motivates them.
Speaker: Um, and then offering concrete solutions, uh, to make them feel better about turning out. Uh, and so I think there's a wave that we're riding right now, which is always understandable based on, you know, who's in charge at any given time. But, um,
Speaker: I've got serious pause about whether or not it's a given or not. You think there's this like disaffected malaise that people are picking up on? I do. I do. And I felt that way after Virginia.
Speaker: I mean, quite frankly, I think folks are like, oh yeah, like we we had an ad. We did it. We had an ad when kicked the table. Like this is what it means to talk about cost. And then it's like,
Speaker: we still haven't figured out, you know, how to actually relate to people in some cases. Sure. I don't know what people can say about cost of living. I saw this a tweet the other day by someone that, like, right now people are paying 25% of their income for DoorDash.
Speaker: And that's like a study. like that's like People did the did the homework on that, have the receipts that you are paying for food delivered and it is costing you 25 cents of every dollar you earn.
Speaker: That's not on the Fed. yeah That's not on, quick I'm not defending the president, but that's not on the president. That's not on the governor. That's not on the mayor, Brandon Johnson.
Speaker: we we We have sort of like decided that the government is the reason why we are paying too much for things. And I'm not entirely sure that we aren't responsible for some of that on our own.
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, consumerism is a real thing in this country. Waste is a real thing in this country. But... Ultimately, we're a capitalist nation that is selfish by nature, right? And so because of that, self-responsibility is not a ah major thing amongst the electorate.
Speaker: It just has never been, right? Just based on how our economy is built. And so folks are looking to blame somebody. And in this case, it's going to be political systems. Do you think big tech can...
Speaker: elegantly move away can make a case that they really aren't all to blame for some of that they you know scott galloway all about like this economic strike and in lieu of ice and he wants to wants to like show uber and apple and spotify who's boss i don't know how but how you're you you grew up in staff and you understand district level politics, how realistic is it to convince a laid off worker in Granite City that the way to really get to big tech is to not do renew your Apple Music subscription?
Speaker: Oh, man. I don't want to give you a pre-Trump J.D. Vance type dissertation about why people do what they do. But I i think there is a reality. And and just practically speaking, let's go back to Springfield and think about the transit bill and the revenues that were on the table, right?
Speaker: In many cases, it wasn't going to be what the backlash to constituents was going to be. it was legislators going like, wait a minute. Like, you want me to pay more for this? Right.
Speaker: Right? And so, like, you mentioned the DoorDash thing earlier. Like, there's there's a reality that folks are like, man, like, I don't have a grocery store of my choice in my neighborhood.
Speaker: And so, by default, I'm going to DoorDash this. Or, I live in a transit desert and so ride share is a feasible option for me. And so,
Speaker: i I don't know the answer to this, but there has to be some middle ground between the electorate at large and corporations that are serving the electorate to say, like, hey, like there's room for partnership here.
Speaker: But what that elasticity looks like, I don't know. Yeah, I don't either. i don't... know if, you're you're touching on something that I think is real, which is, law making is starting to turn into a very real exercise in, first we check what's passable, and then we go to whether it's good policy, as opposed to, we know it's good policy, let's find out if it's passable. yeah that that yeah That is a reversal.
Speaker: yeah And it's happening in D.C., it's happening in Springfield, where we just throw everything out there and we find out later if we can sort it out. That's right. It's crazy. Yeah.
Speaker: The amount of pollsters that that that exist right now is is crazy. The amount of spin documents that we see on blogs and newsletters right now makes things extraordinarily difficult, to your point, um to pass major changes in Springfield.
Speaker: Because inherently, some interest group is going to disagree. Well, let's turn a little bit to Springfield. Yeah. Do you, I anticipate a very quiet year. I'd like to think that between and an election year and some of the big things that have been tackled recently, that there is going to be probably a push to keep it as simple as possible. Do you see it the same way?
Speaker: I mean, the whopping 30 lobbyists that were in the building today did not see it the same way. No, it it's it is a... You and I among them. Yes, you and I live from Springfield. Look, i it is hard to imagine that anything overly ambitious gets done.
Speaker: Again, given the economic constraints that we're currently under, the amount of unknowns economically as well coming from Washington as well. And then just, yeah, I mean, again, you've got this election happening where I think in many cases folks want to run a do not harm strategy. Yeah.
Speaker: I always you know worry about that from a blind spot analysis. like Are we going to give the electorate enough as we leave here in May to say, like hey, here's how your legislature has worked for you. Please send them back to Springfield. Do people care? like These days, yeah if I came home and I got a mini capital bill done. Maybe I did a transit cleanup that got some more money into infrastructure.
Speaker: Maybe I did something on autonomous vehicles to ensure that if there's a Waymo in Chicago, that it's being safely driven and that we've got adequate consumer protections.
Speaker: Or do I care that I voted for seven resolutions, uh, condemning ICE? I don't know. i i clearly, um'm I'm a dinosaur and with respect to that kind of lawmaking, but I also don't know if the leaders are sitting in rooms with members and and are asking what's important to them and are being told, i really don't know If there's much I need to do legislatively, i just need to know that you need my voters back home need to me to be perceived as fighting, fighting. yeah that's I'm going to leave it there. yeah
Speaker: Fists up. The F word, right? um and And what does it look like? And again, i mean, I think there's probably a calculation, and I've said this for a while, like in many cases, we probably passed too many bills at Springfield each year.
Speaker: Because you're not explaining 95% of them to the public. Right. um And so maybe the calculation is to swing the completely different way, which is, hey, cut up your clips for YouTube and your Facebook with you on the floor and in a you know shirt and tie and show people that you care about the issue that's important them.
Speaker: Right. I don't know that there's a right answer on this. um Again, I think we're searching a little bit ah as a party at large to kind of figure out what that looks like. Tell us a little personal stuff. ah New sort of role, new opportunities for you. You want to give us a little commercial on what you're up to these days? Yeah, no, I've had a professional change. So Ron Homes Consulting has merged with ah what used to be called Casper Nottage.
Speaker: And so I am now a partner at Casper Homes and Drink. Congratulations. Which is... Through its iterations, and I didn't fully appreciate this until post-merger, like one of the oldest firms really in Springfield that's always had a bipartisan reach. And so excited to create additional capacity to do ah hopefully some special projects down the line.
Speaker: And how running going? but You know, it's it's weird. I... ah I'm now in this mode where I don't enjoy training, but I enjoy a race. Okay.
Speaker: And so ah for whatever reason, was – the other day – so this is a really weird anecdote, but I'll i'll go there. So the other day i was leaving church.
Speaker: After finishing a Daniel fast. So it's a four week fast of, you know, no meats, no sugar, all these things. No way. all right. Let's go through that. Yeah. No meats, no sugar, no sugar, no alcohol, like nothing. Right. called date and daniel Daniel fast. Okay.
Speaker: Um, what do you eat? A lot of chickpeas. I found myself, I found myself eating that a lot of, a lot of Indian food here in Springfield okay as a result of that fast. Um,
Speaker: Because you would be amazed at the lack of dietary options or dietary diversity is what I would call it yeah here in Springfield. And so, um you know, i'm I'm like, all right, cool. I've just done this thing for 28 days.
Speaker: Right. Like, I don't know what I quite what I want to eat is my first meal out of jail, if you will. And I see a friend of mine that that, you know, had been training for half marathons last fall. he's like, hey, are you running the the in this half marathon next week?
Speaker: I'm like, dude, like, no, I haven't run, like, since the 4th of January. It's like, oh, you got it. Like, not really. yeah So then I see another guy in my church, and he's like, hey, man, it's me and you.
Speaker: I'm like, what what are you talking about, dude? I'm like, where's all this beef coming from? Like, what weird, like, curbing your enthusiasm episode am I And he's like, no, I saw you on the church-wide fitness app. Oh, wow. And he's like, I see you're at the top of the list, but, like, I'm right there with you.
Speaker: And I'm like, ah what are talking about? mandates that. We settle this right now. It crazy. And so ah basically, like we there's ah evidently this month, there's a church fitness challenge. So now I've had this guy challenge me.
Speaker: This is gross. Right? and And despite all the spiritual growth that I've had over those 28 days, I've got a guy that just challenged me to a fitness challenge. And then I've got this guy that just basically called me out for not running. yeah And so what do i do? i I go home and I run eight and a half miles. Oh, my God.
Speaker: And so the running is going well. I mean, I feel fine. And so it is still a a nice way to clear my head and quite frankly, a nice way to prove to myself that I'm not as old as I feel like on some days as I kind of roll out the bed here in Springfield. Well, I too have tried to run and I've actually been convinced by my spouse and my wife that I need to do the strength training thing. Like, yeah, I, I, I never thought about it too much and I didn't really have a weight in and now I've found a guy that helps me out with it and I really enjoyed it. So, um, I'm hoping to run a lot this year. Nice. All right. I want to go back to one thing you said though, like 28 days, yeah Daniel fast,
Speaker: First meal, first day out of jail, what is your go-to? You eat anything, do anything. So it ended on Sunday. Okay. And because I was coming here, I didn't grocery shop. Okay. And so I technically – I think I – I'm trying to remember. Have I had anything that would not be fast approved? I think I had a Snickers bar in the capital today because I didn't eat lunch. Yeah. And so that that was my first non-fast meal. Yeah.
Speaker: um And now I'm drinking iced tea. And so, like, I wasn't allowed to have that either. But, like, what will you do when you get to actually let loose? Yeah, I'm going to be in Springfield tonight. So chances are it will be something soaked in pork and yeah and fried is my guess. And so, yeah, we'll see what it looks like. All right. Well.
Speaker: I appreciate you as always coming on. You're a fan favorite among the 12 fans I have. Thank you. Thank you. Congratulations on the new kiddie. My name idea amongst your actual listeners. It's It's It's right there. it's like right It's like the late night show talks when they're like, they don't have a ton of viewers, but the viewers they do have, they dominate the market. you That's you. That's you. But we very much appreciate your time, Ron.
Speaker: Thanks for coming on. Good luck in the new venture and good luck this session. Thanks, man. See you soon. Take care.
Speaker: Alright, Bug, what do you go on for the rest the night? I'm going to Valley.
Speaker: The only establishment worth going to. I'm...
