FM Talk 1065 Podcasts
U.S. Representative Jerry Carl - Jeff Poor Show - Wednesday 10-02-24
(upbeat music) ♪ The first thing I remember knowing ♪ ♪ Was a lonesome whistle blowing ♪ ♪ And a youngin's dream of growing up to ride ♪ - Welcome back to the Jet Poor Show with F4Talk 10065, thanks for hanging out with us on. ♪ Where I'm bound ♪ - This Wednesday morning, 2-5-1-3-4-3-0-1-0-6. Joey Clark coming up in about an hour and about two hours. The official Democrat response of the Jet Poor Show. Parker Griffith will be with us. So, hang out, don't go anywhere wants to come. But joining us now, he is our congressman, at least for the time being always appreciative of his time. Jerry Carl, congressman, good morning, how are ya? - Good morning, Jeff, it's great to be with you, buddy. - Hey, it's great having you on. I always appreciate you making time for us. It's always great to get you on. So, how you feeling about, well, how you feeling about the election in general, kind of on the day after this vice presidential debate, which very well could be the last debate of the cycle? - Yeah, I'm pretty sure that will be the last debate between the president and vice president, but I think Trump's gonna win it, I really do. I feel positive about that. I think we're gonna take the Senate back over. I hate to say about how many votes or how many seats, but I think we will take control of that. And the House has got me a little worried, but I know the members are working hard. Democrats have just raised so much money. You know, it's that Hollywood money, and it's, they've got a lot of money to push their messages out on, which I'm still working with, obviously our district too, adoption, and I'm also helping another candidate up in Idaho this week. So, we're all traveling, trying to help one another. - Well, I thought this would be your colleagues about this. It's all over the game. No, Mike Rogers, I'll just go ahead and say his name. And he thinks that much better, better, I mean, he seems very, very optimistic on this much more optimistic than a lot of people. And I don't know where that comes from, but he thinks eight, 10 seat majority, which gives you a little breathing room. And maybe you're still somewhat held hostage, you know, by the right, right flank of the party, but it's not gonna be as easy for them to get what they, what they have gotten in the past under McCarthy. - Yeah, and I certainly would lean, I would trust Mike's numbers better than my gut feeling. It's Mike's in leadership and he has, he's privy to a lot of things that, you know, that we're not, I'm not, that's okay, you don't. But I like Mike's thinking, and Mike wouldn't say it like he had something to back it up. - Yeah, and I mean, we all know where he is cut on. I mean, he's on the House Freedom Caucus and that, but he thinks Republicans do well this cycle and then we sort of go back to the old working order in the House where, you know, you don't see a Jim Jordan or somebody like that as a chairman, it's back to the old rules, back to the way we've always done things. And I don't know, I mean, I mean, it's hard for you to say, we're trying to look forward into a crystal ball or something here, but do you think that's sort of where things will wind up eventually? - Yeah, I think Jim Jordan's working the floor. He's trying to help a handful of folks out. He thinks can probably help him swing enough votes to get back to take that seat. I think Mike's done as good of a job as anybody could possibly have done. Mike Johnson, under the circumstances, that's one job. I don't think I would ever wish on my enemies because there's always two sides to everything and everybody's willing to fight for it, but I think Jim Jordan is gonna make a run at it. I think you're probably gonna see a couple more members to make a run at it, but, you know, the old school guys are not big on Jim Jordan. Jim's obviously got a strong following among the, you know, the ultra conservative group. And we'll just have to wait and see. I'm glad I won't be there for that fireworks show because that will, I'll take a couple of days. That won't be something that happens overnight. - Well, tell me this, Congressman, because my perception of the house, and if you want to be in leadership, and John Boehner's book kind of leaves us out, and I wonder if it's still this way, where you want to be in leadership. I mean, you just, you become like a fundraiser. You are willing to travel around the country. Now, now Paul Ryan kind of backed away from that because he was like the reluctant speaker at first. But I see these guys, you know, Mike Johnson, or whoever is the leader of the caucus, or ultimately the speaker, how do they do with that? I mean, like fundraising for the party, and put into party in a place where the Republicans in the house can build on majorities or in a Democrat cycle, play defense where needed. I mean, a lot of that is what gets you to leadership, and I think some of that's been lacking in the last couple of cycles. - Well, McCarthy was the best I've ever seen at raising money. He really was. Now, Mike's got a totally different personality, and I love Mike to death, and again, Mike's doing a great job. But, you know, raising money, it used to be so tiring. - Let me revise my question. Not just fundraising, but just as a political tactician, like the ability to, you know, obviously have the resources you need, but knowing, sort of like McConnell was at his prime, knowing, picking and choosing what fights to have, knowing the messaging, having the right people in the right places, like running that machine, which is a full-time job in itself, in addition to managing the house floor. But the political side of it is what seems to be where Republicans seem to be struggling right now. - And the reason we struggle, you have a conservative versus the ultra-conservative, and we just care one another up in the field. I mean, and it's, you know, people don't understand the word conservative is much different in the part of the country that you're in. You find a conservative in California or New York, even an ultra-conservative, and you bring them back here, and you think they're a liberal. I mean, it's just, you do become a product of your environment. We are considered ultra-conservative here in South Alabama, but we are treated that way. So it's not easy to pick those candidates up, and the RNC, there's several organizations that will reach out to these candidates that are running. They will screen them, they will grade them, and that's turned over to RNC leadership, and of course leadership would decide whether they're going to help them financially or not. You know, the biggest thing is, are they in electable? You know, have you got a seat that's, you know, a D10, or D7? You know, it's hard to get past D10 or D7. I think with Trump on the ballot this year, I think we got a strong chance of taking those D+ seats. Dobson, here's a good example. There'll be a lot of people that normally don't vote. We'll get out and vote for Trump in our area. So we've got to use what we can use, and she could certainly benefit from that. Tough thing for her is going to be next cycle. She wins this one, the real tough. Matt, she's going to be next cycle, because Trump won't be on the ballot, and those people that only vote for Trump turn out to vote for Trump won't turn out and vote. That'll be tough as far for her, I'm afraid to say. Yeah, I think, I mean, we get past 2024, but I mean, whoever wins at 26, if it's Harris, the problem for the Republican in the House is you're going to, I think, going to have a very red-hot, like Tea Party-ish cycle in 2026. And that's, you got to deal with that in the primary. However, if Trump wins, then it's kind of the opposite, right? You're playing defense. It is, I mean, midterm, and they're going to be out for blood in 26, and they're going to do what they got to do. 26 is shaping up to be whatever way you look at it, at least for my House Republican leadership perspective, going to be a very tough cycle either way. Yeah, for everybody across the board. So it's interesting to watch. I sometimes thank God I didn't win. I'm going to get to sit around and watch this play out, 'cause it's going to get a little nasty up there, especially when you get closer to swearing in and all of that, regardless who wins, who loses, it's still going to get pretty nasty. But you know, this country's always gone through some form of that, you know, obviously some more trained than others, so we'll make it. We're a strong country. We got such a strong future ahead of us. And one person is not going to change this country. They may alter it. They may steer it in the wrong direction, but the American voters are smart enough. They will turn it around. This, I think is going to be the point in history that we can say this vote turned it around. - Joy, I'm looking at the younger voters. The younger voters are coming out much more conservative here lately, especially here in South Alabama. So that's a good sign. - Joined by Congressman Jerry Carl here on the program, Congressman, but would you say that? - I always thought this about that. This conventional wisdom that certain demographics be at age, ethnicity, race, or whatever, religion, we always are told or preached at. Like, yeah, you have to court the millennials. You have to court the Gen Zs. You have to court the Gen Xs if you're old enough to remember that. And it's always the same like, tripe, right? It's always like, you got to soften your position on these issues or you'll never get to young vote, and the young vote eventually gets older and more conservative. And I find that to be more of a left thing, right? But maybe you're right. This generation is a little more jaded and a little more not as lovey-dovey with the institutional left as maybe others have. - Well, I think this generation in colleges is beginning to see the pressure that hired rocers, everything's expensive, even in their short lifetime. I mean, they've been in college for three years, for example. They've seen these spikes and all these costs, and they don't want to try something different. Everybody refers to it as a Republican or Democrat, or they'll refer to it as a conservative or liberal. And I really think it's changed in the mindset of so many of these young people. Now, once they get old enough to have full-time jobs for paying taxes, that makes a huge change in anybody. I mean, you start going, what do you mean I gave up 35% of my income for taxes? So I've got, I think the future is very bright. I truly do. And I think we got to keep doing what we're doing, leaning in on all the things we need to lean in on, and start being the conservative Republicans that we are, start speaking up. I mean, Jaynie Vance did a great job last night. He truly did. He did not get mad. He did not get out of order. But he did lean into the things that he truly believed in. And you have to commend anybody that'll do that, especially this day and age, because in the political world, you've got, even as a conservative, you've got two different sides of the conservative pulling at you at all times. One wants to see this, and then the other side wants to see something different. And it's hard. It's hard just to be a conservative Republican, with your own base, believe it or not, because they will turn on you very quickly because of social media. Social media might have posted about you, and boom, you've lost 3% of your vote because of something somebody posts on social media. That's not even true. But that doesn't make any difference. They read it and they believe it. So it's a very fine line, and it's a tough business to be in politics. But some of us choose to do it. I did it, you know, I did it because I want this, my west serving the country. - Well, right, wrong, or indifferent. - What's the next for you? Do you want to run for mayor? - You know, we're looking at that, Jeff, and I know it sounds strange, but I've laid some things out that I was taught by a preacher how to do this, but I've laid some things out that I want to see, and only God can fulfill those things, and it's not money, it's not what most people would think. And if those things fall in the place, you'll see me get on board. If they don't fall in place, you will not see me get on board. It's that simple. So my job right now is just to sit tight, pray, keep my mind open, keep doing my job in Washington. Let's see where God wants us to go, 'cause there are so many opportunities for me in the private sector and in the political sector. So we're just going to wait, see where God wants us, because if I don't go where I think God wants me, I'm going to be miserable, and I don't want to be miserable the rest of my life. I want to enjoy it. - Well, I'll tell you what, Congressman, though, you got history kind of, well, your last two predecessors have gone on to tape. I would say like big, screaming public roles, but the president of the University of South Alabama, Congressman Bonner and Congressman Bern, they're at the Chamber of Commerce. I mean, there's a-- - Those are both big things in this community. - There's a template there to go, it's not like running for president, I guess is what I was kind of leaning into or governor or something, but those are big deals. Don't want to minimize that. - But in this nick of the woods, there seems to be sort of a legacy there. - I'm trying to find a place I can serve. Yes, there's never been about money in my life that I've always managed to do well. My life and I both. But it's not about money, Jeff. It's about where I can serve and where I can serve. I mean, Chamber of Commerce, that's a great job for Bradley. That is a beautiful job for this city, and have somebody that knows the road flight Bradley does. Joe Bonner at University of South Alabama, my gosh, it doesn't get a better match than that. I don't know where I fit in this big world. If it's an elected position as a mayor, or if it's something bigger, or if it's a private sector, I really don't know. But I'm just going to sit and be patient, and time runs out, that tells me exactly what God wanted me to do, which is nothing. - Well, I do have an unpaid position for you to fill. You could always be a political analyst for the Jeff Porsche on FM Talk 10065. If you associate-- - Brother, you know I'm always here for you. I enjoy both you and Shawn, so anytime you need me, I'm here for you. - Hey, I'm not trying to, this is kind of an odd transition here, but from that to this, this Iranian attack on Israel, and Israel looking to strike back. I mean, is this just these tit-for-tat things, what it looks like, or do you think this is the beginning of something bigger? - I think this is something, the beginning of something bigger, and I'll tell you what I base it on, and I'm not privy to any of the intel there, so I can tell you what I think. But when you see Saudi Arabia, when you see those Saudi-based countries around Saudi Arabia go quiet, that means that they've already had a conversation with the A to United States and B Israel, and they're gonna let Israel have their way. Those people and Iran are terrorists to everyone in that region, not just to the Israelis. So the Israelis, and I've said it a thousand times, you do not mess with guys chosen people. If you don't believe that, they'll buy you a picture and wear it around, and you think, I mean, that brilliant stuff, and these people have had enough, and they're gonna defend themselves, and I hope as the United States, we do everything in our power to help them win this, because Iran is the threat to the world, not just to Israel, but to the world, but by the EUE being silent on this, that tells me that that's the permission they need to go in and do what they need to do. What do they do? They check out, first thing you do is cut money off, which is petroleum. You cut all their exports off, blow up ports, you blow up tankers, you blow up everything you blow up. The second thing is that nuclear facility they got. That thing would be a policy on when I got through with it. Now, I don't know nuclear energy. That may be the worst thing to do, for somebody judges me on that, but we've got to stop the development of nuclear weapons there. - Hey, real quick, 30 seconds. - Doc, work your strike, does this get resolved sooner or later? - You know, my dad was a longshoreman in that union also. I understand I can appreciate anybody wanting to make more money. I think the amount that they're talking about might be a stretch. You know, I think it's going to go to maybe three weeks. I mean, the union itself is just taking a beating on social media and being labeled as greedy. So I think they'll get something to work out. The President's got to get more involved. - Yeah, I agree. - I mean, the President, I mean, we started talking the President two months ago through channels and they're doing nothing. - Congressman, we appreciate it. Thanks for making time for us, let's do it again soon. - Thanks, Jeff. God bless, take care. - Jerry Karlage, yeah, but we'll be right back. This is FM Talk, 106.5. (upbeat music)