← Andy Beshear Podcast
Andy Beshear Podcast
Rob Sand, Phil Weiser and Government That Actually Works
00:49:10
Top race to watch in 2026? Don't sleep on Rob Sand running to flip Iowa blue. He's a no-nonsense guy with a passion for getting things done. Andy welcomes Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand running for governor of the Hawkeye state. Sand’s story stretches from small-town Decorah to leading major corruption prosecutions, uncovering tens of millions in misspent taxpayer dollars, and creating the popular PIE program to boost government efficiency. They explore how Sand approaches accountability, why Iowa isn't what outsiders might expect, and how transparency in government matters now more than ever. He opens up about family life, growing up rural, his busy 100-townhalls-a-year schedule, and how he takes a little break from it all. Trust us, this is a race to watch next year. 👀
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- [00:00]
Andy Beshear
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John McConnell
Hurry.
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Andy Beshear
This offer ends December 1st. Welcome to episode 33 of the Andy Beshear Podcast. Today we're going to talk to Iowa State Auditor and gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand. He's going to talk about how he intends to turn Iowa blue. Then we're going to hear from Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser. He's going to explain some of the lawsuits, including the recent snap lawsuit against President Trump. We'll talk through the issues of the day and we'll try to help you process all this news that hits you minute after minute after minute. As always, we will get beyond the what, and we'll ask people about their why, what really drives them. We'll even ask some fun questions like people's secret superpower to try to get to know these folks just a little bit better. We hope you've enjoyed the first 32 episodes. Now let's start episode 33. This week on the Andy Beshear Podcast. Our guest is Rob Sand. Rob is the statewide elected state auditor of Iowa, and he's running for governor. There's already buzz that this is the guy that could turn Iowa blue. Rob, welcome to the podcast.
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Rob Sand
Thanks for having me, Governor. Really appreciate it.
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Andy Beshear
Well, we're excited to have you on because I'm gonna get to ask you a lot of questions that people ask me. That idea that you are a Democrat running in Iowa and I know you plan to win.
- [02:08]
Rob Sand
Tell us how you know. It's pretty straightforward. I mean, number one, this state has already elected me statewide two times. Each time they have done that, it's been after the state went for Donald Trump. But there's something I think most people miss about Iowa. We are a state that doesn't really like politics. We don't really like politicians. And one of the reasons that we went heavily for Obama and then heavily for Trump is those guys are the same. They were willing to challenge their party's orthodoxy. They were willing to do things differently. And I know from hearing it on a regular basis from Trump supporters that they see that same quality in me. And I think that's why we get a lot of support from people who Are just. They're frustrated with politics. And that comes down straight even to our campaign slogan here. Not redder or bluer, but better and truer. I'm someone that I look around and I say, we can do better than this, and we ought to be focused not on, you know, a color, but it's the kind of things we tell our kids when they go to school.
- [03:09]
Andy Beshear
Right.
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Rob Sand
I mean, I tell my kids, be good, tell the truth, do your best. I don't tell them, be blue or think like a Democrat. You know, I think most Iowans, most people, that's how they look at the world, too. And I think that they just want. They want a politics that reflects the way they look at the world and doesn't reflect a food fight.
- [03:29]
Andy Beshear
I think people in politics project onto the American people that they're more political than they are. I think most people are just trying to figure out, can my job support my family?
- [03:42]
Rob Sand
Yes.
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Andy Beshear
Are the roads and bridges that I drive safe?
- [03:46]
Rob Sand
100%.
- [03:47]
Andy Beshear
So tell us if we can back up about the job of state auditor, because part of the reason you're in this position to run for governor is that you've created a body of work where people trust you and they know you work hard.
- [04:01]
Rob Sand
Well, thanks. Yeah. It's the easiest way to understand it is taxpayers watchdog. So we audit tax spenders, not taxpayers. We audit the state government. And then if local government, city, county, school district hire us for their regular audit, we will do that. But we also, under certain circumstances, can step in to do special investigations at the local level, too. Prior to that, I spent seven years as a public corruption prosecutor, Largely prosecuted violent crime, too, across the state. But I knew the state auditor's office because their investigations would land on my desk for prosecution. And in my first term, we uncovered a record amount of misspent money. At the same time, we started a government efficiency program that's been copied in two other states. And, you know, governor, the thing that really has set this apart is after we uncovered a record amount of misspent money in my first term, the legislature responded to me getting reelected by literally changing the law to make it so that state agencies can hide waste and abuse from the auditor's office. I mean, this stuff is. It's bonkers. I think it's because I was assertive in doing my job. If I had been a Democrat who was just quiet as a church mouse and so happy to just have the title, but, oh, I didn't want to upset anybody in a position of power because, ooh, they Might be upset with me, they wouldn't have felt the need to do it. It's because I was actually making a difference in doing the job that they wanted to come after us. And I think if I had been a Republican approaching the job in this way, they would have tried. But I don't know if it would have been as easy to have success because, you know, a lot of this is just this group mentality. It's easy to get legislators who don't know a lot about a bill or who don't know a lot about how auditing works to go along with this because they're just saying, hey, San's a bad guy, he's on the blue team, you know, that's right.
- [05:53]
Andy Beshear
It's about putting politics ahead of the people of your state. Yeah, yeah. Which, which we see far too often, that idea that unity is about just everybody being of one party or thinking in one way as opposed to actually coming together and recognizing that the most important things aren't political at all.
- [06:15]
Rob Sand
Amen. Amen. You know, we've been. So we did 100 public town halls.
- [06:19]
Andy Beshear
This year and you did 100 public town halls.
- [06:23]
Rob Sand
Yeah, I actually, I do 100 every year, actually. Yeah, every county in every county seat, Lee County, Iowa, for whatever reason, has two county seats. And so I don't ask questions, I just go to both.
- [06:36]
Andy Beshear
So Lee county gets double the rob, Sam.
- [06:38]
Rob Sand
Yes, yes, yes, they do. I'm hopeful that not every county will split into two county seats because I'm not sure I could do 200 in a year.
- [06:46]
Andy Beshear
What, what are you getting asked about the most right now? Your town halls.
- [06:50]
Rob Sand
You know, I want to first go back to something that you said that I loved. It's about that moment of unity. You know, people like politicians think unity is about party unity. Your average voter thinks of unity as like, no, it means all of us. And at the start of every one of these town halls this year, as a candidate, we first had people raise their hand for what party they're in. We applauded the people of each political party, Democrats, Independents and Republicans. And then together we sang the first verse of America the Beautiful. And I would never kick us off. I wait for somebody else to do it. The microphone is by my side. This is about all of us singing together, coming together despite our political differences. And usually by the time that's over, you see one person in the crowd that's a little misty eyed and it just gives you this opportunity of this feeling of hope, you know, we can do things differently.
- [07:41]
Andy Beshear
Sad Idea on the Pledge of Allegiance. We pledge to a country and a flag, not one individual, but we also pledge to keep our country indivisible. That's in the actual Pledge of Allegiance.
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Rob Sand
Yeah. Yeah, that's a great point. I'm gonna steal that.
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Andy Beshear
Go right ahead. So I'm hoping you're a better singer than I am.
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Rob Sand
Well, but that's why there's no microphone. I'm not gonna comment on my own singing. It's just there's. The microphone is at my waist. I'm waiting for somebody else to lead the way. Because this moment is truly supposed to be about all of us when we do it.
- [08:12]
Andy Beshear
So you start by reminding everyone that we're Americans first and Democrats, Republicans or independents second, third, or fourth. But then when you get into it, what are you getting asked about the most right now?
- [08:23]
Rob Sand
Certainly, we get a lot of questions on higher costs. People are feeling the burn, and they're frustrated, particularly in Iowa, where our personal income growth is 48th in America, you know, if your income's skyrocketing, you can deal a little bit more easily with an issue like that. But when your income is really dragging along, that hurts. Another big issue here, like I said, is the auditor's office, the gutting of our ability to find misspent money. But then public education has a lot of people frustrated in the state of Iowa. Iowa is one of those states that just passed a school voucher program. And, Governor, there's literally one rule. So once this money is all paid as tuition, there's only one thing on God's green earth they can't do with it. They can't pay a rebate to parents, which means if this is a for profit private school, they can have a rule that all tax dollars are profit. And that would be legal. They can do that, and we're not allowed to audit them. So I don't know how we would find out. That total lack of oversight, to me, is something that we can push on and hopefully get fixed if I get elected governor.
- [09:22]
Andy Beshear
I think no matter what party you're in, the public school that your kids go to is one of the most important things in your life. And certainly we fought against voucher programs. We have a constitutional provision that thankfully protects our schools. But last year, when Donald Trump won Kentucky by 30 points, we defeated a constitutional amendment that would have allowed vouchers, that would have allowed dollars to go to private schools by 30 points, a 60 point swing from one of his positions. So I just think that shows you how powerful public education is and how important it is to people.
- [10:00]
Rob Sand
Yeah, I think you're right. And I'm sure you see this, too. I mean, you guys have got a lot of really rural areas. So do we. And a lot of places. For any listeners who aren't familiar with rural areas, I mean, your. Your community is defined by its name, and your school bears the name of that community. And that's where you come together on Friday nights for football games or volleyball games or basketball or wrestling meets, what have you. It's really a huge driver of your sense of community. And the idea that we're undermining that to take tax dollars and give them to private schools that are unaccountable to the public just. It really gets people's goat. So we got asked a lot of questions about that on the town hall tours.
- [10:42]
Andy Beshear
So we see public education, which is critical to rural America, under attack. We also now have had a big. I think it's an ugly bill that's passed that is just gonna gut rural healthcare. Tell our listeners a little bit about your thoughts on the big ugly bill.
- [10:59]
Rob Sand
That's been brutal, and it's gonna be brutal in Iowa. We're estimating a little over 100,000 Iowans that'll lose health insurance that costs. That increase everybody's costs. Because at the end of the day, what that means is they're not getting access to regular care that helps prevent big health problems. It means that they get really sick, and then they go to the emergency room where the costs are sky high and the interventions are much more expensive. And that doesn't get paid for by nobody. It just means that costs go up for everybody else. So to me, this. This bill and. Oh, my goodness. And they're adding, what, three or four trillion dollars to the national deficit? I mean, I always go around and I talk to people about one of the reasons I registered as an independent when I first registered to vote, but one of the reasons I joined the Democratic Party when I realized that you had to pick one to vote in the primary, was, I remember Bill Clinton when I was a kid, a teenager, balancing the budget and using the surplus to pay down the debt. And that, to me, was a good thing. And now here we are with a single vote. With a single vote, all these federal representatives added three or four trillion dollars to the national deficit to.
- [12:10]
Andy Beshear
To what?
- [12:10]
Rob Sand
To kick off our neighbors from getting cheaper health care for all of us, from keeping them healthy, and to give tax cuts to the wealthiest people in this country that already have so much money they don't Know what to do with it now.
- [12:23]
Andy Beshear
First we saw alternative facts, and now it's like we're seeing alternative math. Talk a little bit about rural hospitals that are going to get hit so hard by the big ugly bill are the largest payroll in. In most of their communities. And that has a ripple effect on the banks and the insurance agencies and all those local businesses. How hard is that going to hit Iowa communities?
- [12:47]
Rob Sand
We've got 20 hospitals that are at risk across the state of Iowa. We are already looking at, I think, less than 20 hospitals where you can have a baby. So less than 20 counties where there's an OB unit at all. In fact, I just had a roundtable over in North Newton, and I was talking to a doctor there. She practices in Grinnell, Iowa. They are the only place from Iowa City to Des Moines and Waterloo to Pella, where you can go to have a baby. That is a huge geographic area, and there's only three doctors there.
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Andy Beshear
How far would you potentially have to drive?
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Rob Sand
You're looking at probably 100 miles if you're in one of the tightest spots there, certainly 60 miles. It's awful. And this bill is just gonna cut funding for them. And, you know, this is one of the things that is always just so frustrating. So the actual math on this sitting here as an auditor is they cut $130 billion for rural hospitals, but they added in 50. And so the Republicans that voted for the bill are running around saying, oh, no, we. We increase spending by 50. And I want to say, no, no net. Do the math. 130 minus 50 equals 80 billion less. It's 80 billion in cuts. That's a tremendous amount for hospitals that are already scrimping and saving to get by.
- [14:08]
Andy Beshear
And Rob, I think it's even more than that because I just had to submit our application for that. And you could not simply say you were sending it to rural hospitals. Dr. Oz came out and said they're not going to approve applications like that, that this wasn't a rural hospital assistance. This was a rural health transformation, which to me translates into less jobs, more telehealth, and ways that our communities, Kentucky being so rural, just getting hit hard. Tell us a little bit about your farmers, because, you know, in Kentucky, we grow soybeans and corn, and we're getting hit by both right now on these tariffs.
- [14:57]
Rob Sand
Yep. Well, and I got to say, to your point too, on the comments from Dr. Oz, I mean, this is one of the things that people don't trust about politicians. So they're having states like Kentucky and Iowa apply for this money. Oh, well, tell me, what's the rubric?
- [15:11]
Andy Beshear
Right.
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Rob Sand
We know that it's going to be some ideologically driven decision making factor or it's going to be some decision making factor that's driven by some big donor. Oh, you got to jump through these hoops and say you're going to do these things rather than just giving these funds to rural hospitals to keep them afloat. It's going to be something that, you know, is ideological errand running for people who aren't focused on serving ordinary people. They just want things to be done in a particular way, whether or not it's good for people who are struggling. And I got to say that that extends to the tariffs, too. I mean, one of the things that drives me the craziest is Donald Trump is going to do what Donald Trump is going to do. We know who he is at this point. But we've got four members of Congress and two US Senators who are elected to represent the state of Iowa. We are number one in corn. We are number one in soybeans. And this stuff is killing us. Not only that, but cattlemen are having a hard time, too. And we just did it in D.C. trump just did a bailout for Argentina beef growers and Argentina farmers. And here we're sitting in Iowa with incredibly low prices for corn and beans. We don't have the export markets that farmers want. And here's the thing that drives me crazy. The people elected to represent Iowans have nothing to say about it because they know that their job here is to serve one man, not to serve their voters. And they don't have the courage to stand up against him.
- [16:38]
Andy Beshear
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- [18:02]
Rob Sand
I mean, I think it's the same as yours. My faith is a huge motivator in my life. My. The easiest way to understand how important this is to me is when we named my second son. My wife recommended the name Axel. And for the first, no, maybe not the first. I'll give myself a little bit more credit. But I did something smart in my marriage. I thought, I don't like that name. And I kept my mouth shut. And instead I tried to do something that I encourage other people to do. I tried to be curious and not judgmental. So I went to the big book of Scandinavian names that we were using to sort of think about names, and I looked up the name Axel, the name she recommended, and it said Father of Peace. And my mind immediately went to the Sermon on the Mount. Blessed are the peacemakers. And if there's one thing I think we need right now, it's more peacemakers in this world. And so I didn't want to name him anything other than Axel at that point. This has been a tremendous. My faith has been a tremendous motivator in my life. I have an aunt that does religious artwork, an uncle that was a pastor. I mean, it's just always been there. And I know that the moments that I get the greatest clarity when I'm struggling with what I should do are the moments when I ask myself, I stop and I just think, what's the right thing to do? What would my faith teach me to do here? And that's usually where I get most comfortable. I get a lot more clarity in my decision making, but I also get a lot more comfortable in my decision, too.
- [19:33]
Andy Beshear
I think oftentimes the Golden Rule and the parable, the Good Samaritan, give us a pretty good signal about what type of decision that we ought to be making. You think Democrats should talk more about their faith?
- [19:47]
Rob Sand
I think it matters on who the candidate is. But I also, this is a thing where I do think that no matter what your faith is, being open about it and helping people understand what your why is is a great way to illustrate it.
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Andy Beshear
Yeah. I think Josh Shapiro talks about his faith in a really positive, uplifting way.
- [20:05]
Rob Sand
And I remember. I always. I'll never forget getting a message from a guy who's. He called himself Maga. And I put up a post about being at India Day, and I remember getting a message from him saying, I saw you in the picture with these Sikhs. What a wonderful group of people that they are. Right. Because he had a little bit of an understanding of the faith. And here's a guy who says he's Maga, but he likes and respects the Sikh tradition. And I just think a lot of this has to do with just, like, acknowledging what it is that drives you as a person and drives you as a candidate to. People want to get to know who you are.
- [20:42]
Andy Beshear
Tell us a little bit about your family.
- [20:46]
Rob Sand
Mom and dad and sister. My dad, the hometown that I grew up in is the same. Same hometown. My dad had pretty much been in Winnesheek county since we got off the boat from Norway. And then my wife's. Her family's Danish. So in Iowa, the joke is that's a mixed marriage. And we got two boys. Axel, who I mentioned is 9, and then Tate's 11. And then we got the family Bernadoodle Pow. Who is just a gift. Once we got a dog, I thought, why did I not. Why did we not do this earlier? But we're having fun. My mantra is, no diapers, no naps, no teenagers. So every day, our family is basically just a little group of best friends where everybody likes each other for the time being.
- [21:29]
Andy Beshear
Yeah. I have two teenagers, so buckle up. It's coming.
- [21:32]
Rob Sand
Yeah, we're getting, like, little snippets of it here and there. Just like a flash of, oh, okay, that's what's coming.
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Andy Beshear
Tell me how they feel about the campaign.
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Rob Sand
They get it. You know, they understand why we're doing it. They understand it's important to be there for other people and that mom and dad have jobs that keep us busy. But we put in a lot of family time, too. And when one of my opponents put together a launch video, the entire second half of their launch was attacking me. We all watched it together and made fun of me.
- [22:04]
Andy Beshear
Now, that is a. A great family. So I remember when Brittany and I were thinking about whether or not I was going to run for Attorney general, we really thought about what type of example we wanted to set for our kids was simply Making more money and being comfortable doing the most we could to build the world that they deserved as opposed to the one that they were living in. Did you all have one of those moments, go through those conversations?
- [22:33]
Rob Sand
You know, my wife and I certainly have them from time to time when it seems like there's a moment where we have the presence to do it, we're not running around and there's something to say about it. The input from the kids is important, but we also recognize at the end of the day that they don't understand either the stakes or the consequences of the decision. And so we, we take their input. But we are also sort of at the end of the day, it's a much more of a decision for adults to make with kids understanding that we care what they think. But at the end of the day, you know, they know they're 9 and 11 and there's a lot left to learn, even if sometimes they think they know it all.
- [23:13]
Andy Beshear
So I'm a travel baseball dad, which means I go on all day over in the state. But I have found that I do my best campaigning when I'm not trying at Will's games. And I think it's because people don't believe that politicians are real. Yes. And it just gives an opportunity to be normal. Do you have something with your family you do like that where people can see you just being rob?
- [23:41]
Rob Sand
You know, we go out for dinner fairly often and it's just we're there like anybody else and people might come up and say, sorry to bug you while you're with your family, but you know, keep doing this, keep doing that. But the other thing that I do that's outside of my family that lets people see me as a person. I love bow hunting. I like doing gun hunting too. I usually do first season shotgun. We're gonna go pheasant hunting this weekend. I like to do duck hunting from now and then, but bow hunting is a passion of mine. I post about it a lot. I do it a lot. And that's a place where I actually this fall took a 209 inch whitetail. Just absolutely bonkers size. Once in a lifetime if you're lucky. And so I've really gotten a lot of folks asking me questions about that. And I could go on for hours about bow hunting.
- [24:32]
Andy Beshear
So I think we've learned about your secret superpower. We always ask our guests, what's that one thing that you're really good at that no one knows about?
- [24:42]
Rob Sand
You know, I'll go here. I think a lot of people know that I really enjoy live music, but I like making it, too. So to answer your question with a much more open answer, I do sing, and I also can play guitar and a little bit of piano.
- [24:57]
Andy Beshear
Now, what type of music are you playing? Are we making some 80s music with the synthesizer, or are we going more southern rock?
- [25:07]
Rob Sand
If it was on the radio in the late 90s, I probably can play it. And blues. I like to do a lot of blues. And, you know, I used to, before I was running for office and stuff like that. There was actually a bar called Blues on Grand in Des Moines that would have a jam night, and I'd oftentimes go down there and join the band for a song or two. It was fun. They had people cycle in and out of whatever they wanted to play, so it could be kind of be anything.
- [25:36]
Andy Beshear
So if you could go back in time and tell your younger self not to engage in a fashion trend, what would it be?
- [25:47]
Rob Sand
You know, I'll take this opportunity to tell this story. I really wanted the bib overalls that crisscross were wearing.
- [25:58]
Andy Beshear
I like that.
- [25:59]
Rob Sand
Yeah. And, you know, they wore them, like, backwards. And everybody would only have one of the. One of the bib's done and the other one's undone. And I begged my parents, please, please buy these for me. And they wouldn't do it. And then, like, two months later, nobody was wearing them anymore. And I learned from that. So I've never been big into having the latest thing on you in terms of clothing, because I remember my parents taught me, yeah, that stuff comes and goes. Just wear what's comfortable.
- [26:31]
Andy Beshear
I remember begging my parents for rollerblades and them saying, absolutely not. They're way too expensive. All right, so you run it for governor. Your election is next year, 2026. Give our listeners your elevator pitch that you give to voters when you just have a few minutes of their time.
- [26:49]
Rob Sand
This is a campaign about making Iowa not redder or bluer, but better and truer. It's time to say to politicians, you've had enough. Our personal income growth in Iowa is 48th, but our growth rate for cancer is number one. We need change in this state, but also, I can deliver it. I've been elected statewide twice. People in Iowa get to know me, or they do know me. They like me pretty well. And a recent poll that came out has us up by two. So we can absolutely win this thing. And we're running hard not just to win an office, but to really serve people in the state of Iowa and make government Work again.
- [27:24]
Andy Beshear
So I think people out there may think of Iowa as just red, but you look back, it wasn't that long ago that you had Democrats in all different positions in Iowa. President Obama won Iowa by 10, I believe. Was that the second time?
- [27:43]
Rob Sand
I think it was 10 the first time. I'm not sure what it was the second time, but yeah, I mean, they weren't tight races, I'll tell you that much. In 2006, Chet Culver was elected governor by a 10 point margin and that was on the heels of having two terms with Tom Vilsack as governor. So it's not, it's not. It's still fundamentally a state where people are comfortable voting for Democrats. Even in 2022, just in the last midterm here, we were 1% away from having both our AG and our Treasurer be Democrats as well. If that had happened, we would be the only state in the country that had an evenly split delegation for state level statewide offices. And the national news media could have been writing stories about, oh, how purple Iowa still is the only state in the country with three and three or four and four or whatever. So we're right there. People here are still, they're still paying attention, they're still open minded and right now in this race, they're liking what they're seeing from us.
- [28:44]
Andy Beshear
So tell our listeners how they can learn more about you and how they can get involved.
- [28:48]
Rob Sand
Yeah, you bet. Robsand.com is the easy place. R O B S A-N- and if you're on social media, so am I. Robsand IA is usually the place where you can find me, but we'd love to have as many people involved as possible. We're over 50,000 donors already for this campaign in this year and we're looking for more every day.
- [29:10]
Andy Beshear
So my last question is, how many people, when they introduce you, add an S to the end of your last name. Because they did that to me for about the first three years.
- [29:21]
Rob Sand
Interesting. Beshears.
- [29:23]
Andy Beshear
Oh, I'll take it. I mean, they were trying, they were saying my first name. That was enough for me.
- [29:28]
Rob Sand
Oh, yeah, yeah. No, I don't mind it. A good number of people do. In fact, our current governor did. I don't know if she was like trying to get a rise out of me or something, but it doesn't really make any difference to me.
- [29:41]
Andy Beshear
Rob, thanks for being on the podcast and best of luck in this race.
- [29:45]
Rob Sand
Yeah, thanks for having me, Governor. Really appreciate it.
- [29:53]
Andy Beshear
Our next segment on the Andy Bashir podcast is called Statement of the case. That's when we break down some of the lawsuits against the federal administration with an attorney general or other legal expert. Today we've got a friend of mine, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, who not only is a current AG but was dean of the law school of Colorado University. You've got to be the perfect person to break some of these down. Phil. Thanks for joining the podcast, Andy.
- [30:22]
Phil Weiser
It's great to be with you.
- [30:24]
Andy Beshear
So let's start with snap. As this episode is coming out, I think most people around the United States will now have their full benefits again because we're coming out of the government shutdown. But you and I had to go to court because the administration was refusing at first to pay any SNAP benefits, what every other administration and every other shutdown did. So explain a little bit about that lawsuit, Andy.
- [30:53]
Phil Weiser
It's even worse than what you articulated. The reality is Congress passed the law and they provided a reserve fund. And that reserve fund was for the specific purpose of ensuring that there would be funds available and people would go on. And what did this administration do? And sadly, they'd done it before. They said, we're going to ignore the law and we're going to make a deliberate and cruel decision to let people go hungry. At that point, we got to work, and we said, this administration is not above the law. It can't deliberately withhold food from people who rely on snap. And so we went to court and got a court order that they had to use the funding that Congress provided for so people wouldn't go hungry.
- [32:02]
Andy Beshear
That. That decision, which I think we got in Boston, was one of two. There was also one in Rhode Island. So I think our decision said the president could either do partial or full. And thankfully, in the very least, they went ahead with the partial. We got that process quickly, but the Rhode island court said, oh, no, Mr. President, you can and must pay these fully. And a president that said, I want to do this, but my lawyers say I can't, who is also sending $40 billion to Argentina without talking to his lawyers, actually went to court, even though he said he wanted to feed people, to stop that ruling that said go ahead and pay full benefits.
- [32:49]
Phil Weiser
It's. It's hard to understand how any administration can act in a way that is more lawless and more cruel than this whole case study with Snappy, because they both ignored the law and they deliberately were working against a court ruling to withhold food from people. And it's even worse than what you said, Andy, because when some states got full benefits after the court order was entered. And then the Supreme Court had this tip for temporary stay which the administration had asked for. They went ahead and threatened to get the money back from people. You can't make this story up.
- [33:44]
Andy Beshear
That's taking food off of somebody's stable.
- [33:47]
Phil Weiser
Exactly.
- [33:48]
Andy Beshear
Phil, thanks for joining the podcast.
- [33:50]
Phil Weiser
Thanks Andy. Look forward to coming back.
- [33:52]
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- [35:22]
Andy Beshear
And now on the Andy Beshear podcast, I make a huge mistake. I open up Ask Andy to the Johns. Now I've got to think that there could be 14 or 15 other segments that posed less of a risk to me than this one. But let's see what happens. I don't know how many could be less of a risk than this.
- [35:44]
John McConnell
Well, we were giving scripted questions. I didn't know we could go off script here. This is exciting stuff.
- [35:49]
Andy Beshear
Yeah, I think it's just kind of freestyle. I think he can just go wherever. So freestyle. It's like you all are DJs here. Oh, okay.
- [35:57]
John McConnell
All right. DJ McConnell hit it on.
- [35:59]
Andy Beshear
I'll spin the record first here. So, longest relationship in high school. Oh. The thing about me and dating in high school is I didn't do a lot of it. Okay. And not by my choice. Apparently. The giant belt buckle and cowboy hat didn't go as far as I thought it would. Wait, was that it was a 1982 Chevy Cavalier that had the roof tacking that would not hold and the door handle that had pulled off and the fact that it was a standard, but, but it was pure steel. I mean, I could have been in any accident and walked out just perfectly fine. Which was probably good for a first.
- [36:40]
John McConnell
And I guess to follow that up. Where was the first date?
- [36:42]
Andy Beshear
I'd say, I'd say longest relationship in high school, three months. And that's probably pushing it.
- [36:50]
John McConnell
And first date was where, let's see.
- [36:55]
Andy Beshear
My first girlfriend lived in Elizabethtown, so about an hour away because no one closer was interested. But I was a sophomore and she was a senior and so at least I get some points for that. Yeah. So some out of town. So I want to go back to the cowboy hat. Wait, look, what was that like? An everyday like was. Oh, you know, sometimes you just got to try something new. And in high school that I think we went to, I think my, my family and I went on a trip out west. Okay. And I thought it looked good. And who would have known that decades later I'd have a friend named John McConnell who would love his cowboy hat so much. He'd make a video of how they made it for him and then make me watch it multiple times. Oh, that sounds awesome. This is really. Ask Andy about Johnny Mack.
- [37:39]
John McConnell
So let me ask you this on a serious note, but I understand obviously your dad was in politics. What got you interested in politics?
- [37:47]
Andy Beshear
When, when I look back, it was really two, two moments. You know, when I was growing up, I thought this was what I was supposed to do. And because of that, I lost every time. I wasn't running for, you know, when I was running for student council, anything in high school, I would lose. And if there were three people running, I would come in fourth. And I think it's because I didn't have my. Why I didn't have a driving reason I was, I was doing it. And I would also just take my dad's old signs and, and cut it off under Bashir and then write underneath it what I was running for, which was probably too professionally produced. And, and also, you know, I, I don't think struck people the, the right way. So. So, you know, in my life, my dad loses a governor's race in 1987 when he was the rising star, that he probably should have won and he's out of politics for 20 years. I'm a 30 year old lawyer and he calls Me and tells me he's going to run for governor. And so I help. I did more free legal work for that man in that year than I think most people do in a lifetime. But I got to help a dad achieve a dream he thought was dead. I got to help him win that race. And my plan was just to be in private practice. But I'm in an elevator one day with them. I think we're in downtown Lexington in the financial center and a woman walks on the elevator and just bursts into tears. And when she can finally control the tears and sobbing, she looks at him and says, I'm alive today because of you. So the Affordable Care act had passed in Congress. My dad had been governor and implemented it. He'd expanded Medicaid. She had cancer and they kicked her off her coverage claim claiming her cancer was a pre existing condition, which I'm not sure how that's possible. And so she's going to die. But that legislation goes through, it's implemented, she's able to get her treatments and she's cancer free and alive in that elevator. And that just struck me as government can do some really important things that matter. And then it was the birth of my kids. Now they tell you the birth of your kids are a miracle. It really was to me and I just, I felt so blessed. Like how what had I done to where I deserved something that gave me so much purpose in my life. And as they're growing up, I keep talking to Brittany about what are we doing to leave a better world for them? Is it just being comfortable and that's okay, that provides opportunity for them but if I had this chance, shouldn't I take it so that they grow up in the best place, that they have the best opportunity to stay if they want to. I was just so moved by, by both of it. I think I made a couple promises to God that I'm still trying to keep today.
- [40:34]
John McConnell
So as a Vandy undergrad, Virginia law, but pretty much in between Louisville and Lexington, who are your teams for football, basketball, who do you cheer for? And like, I guess it's easy. Vandy's finally having a good year. So maybe you're a V football fan a little bit.
- [40:55]
Andy Beshear
So. So Vanderbilt was really good to me, as was Virginia. But I ain't the governor either. Amen. So when you're governor of Kentucky you have two jobs to root for your in state schools and to root against Duke. And today I got some new special shoes thanks to John McConnell. Yes, well, thanks to I've got the Murray states on again in state school and guess how they made the College World Series? They knocked out Duke. Look at that.
- [41:23]
John McConnell
These are really nice shoes, by the way.
- [41:25]
Andy Beshear
Yes, thank you, Murray State.
- [41:27]
John McConnell
John, did you play basketball there?
- [41:29]
Andy Beshear
Me?
- [41:30]
John McConnell
Yeah.
- [41:30]
Andy Beshear
I mean, obviously the tallest guy on the team. You know that. So with friends like this.
- [41:37]
John McConnell
So if you weren't the governor and you weren't practicing law, what other career do you think you might have looked at or taken on?
- [41:47]
Andy Beshear
That's a great question. So, so I'm fascinated with business as, as an attorney, I did both litigation and provided advice and counsel to business. You know, being governor has shown me that I, I like operations leading big teams. So currently, you know, we've got about a 17 billion dollar budget in the state. 30 something thousand employees. And, and I'm a guy that thinks about efficiency and how to do things better all day long. I mean when I am brushing my teeth, I am thinking about from the flossing to the brushing to the mouth, if I could do it more efficiently and better. And I know that that sounds strange, but that's just how my brain works. How do we do something a little bit better the next time? What have we not thought of in different areas that can, that can make it better? You know, I'm, I'm, I'm interested in higher education.
- [42:44]
John McConnell
Yeah.
- [42:44]
Andy Beshear
And I think the, the right university could provide a real opportunity in the future. Or maybe that would have been, that would have been interesting.
- [42:52]
John McConnell
Yep. Also like a CEO role.
- [42:55]
Andy Beshear
So, so, but, but going back in time, when I'm in college, I'm deciding in between being an archeologist and going to law school. So I, I have a degree in both political science and anthropology and, and had an opportunity to, to go on a dig or would have had the opportunity to go on a dig in the Mayan rainforest. Oh, wow. Yeah. So life's a little bit different. Took the lsat. Also was interested in the FBI at the time. But then got a score on it that I never expected. And, and it was going to provide me opportunities to, to go places and possibly do some things that I'd never thought of before. So that was a real blessing though. Though I still remember.
- [43:38]
John McConnell
I guess he did well in that score.
- [43:40]
Andy Beshear
I still remember.
- [43:41]
John McConnell
That's a subtle brag.
- [43:42]
Andy Beshear
Some of your points for have your names don't write. But if you, if you, if you want to know how quickly I was knocked down, this was the time where you had to call in and you got to call in once for free and like the second time was 50 bucks or something like that. That's how the LSAT ripped you off. And, and I hear it and I'm home for some reason and I walk downstairs to tell my, my parents and my dad won't believe me.
- [44:07]
John McConnell
That's great.
- [44:07]
Andy Beshear
So he call, he calls in and pays the 50 bucks because he doesn't believe me. Well, let's see, one other one I've got. So I've been to some baseball games and the walk up song. I know that Wills is what was yours? Had you continued on your baseball career? Yes. So my baseball career, I was going.
- [44:29]
John McConnell
To say did you play in high school?
- [44:30]
Andy Beshear
Did not last all through high school.
- [44:32]
John McConnell
Okay.
- [44:33]
Andy Beshear
I still remember my baseball coach looking at me and saying, Andy, maybe you should focus on academics. And I said coach, I have the highest GPA on the team. And he said I know, son, I know. But my walk up song on so many of the events I'm doing right now is Universal Sound by Tyler Childers. Every time I'm running up on stage and there's always several hundred people. I was just in Nebraska and there are four or five hundred people and it just gives you chills because it feels so Kentucky when it's going on. And I may walk the stage and wave a little too much because I'm listening to the song and I don't want it to stop.
- [45:16]
John McConnell
So little doubt that Will's athleticism comes.
- [45:19]
Andy Beshear
From his mom a hundred percent. Now I was fundamentally sound, but that doesn't get you terribly far. Yeah, his. So Brittany was a really good gymnast. She was California state gymnastics champion twice in high school and then broke a vertebrae in her back which prevented her from being a college athlete. But yes, all of that coordination and skill from both Brittany and Lila is, is from her mom. From them we knew it.
- [45:52]
John McConnell
I'm just wanted it on the record.
- [45:54]
Andy Beshear
I'm all good set up. Oh, I, I have come to terms with that. That she was the better athlete. Yeah, I can live with that.
- [46:01]
John McConnell
What about.
- [46:01]
Andy Beshear
Oh, but me and softball later? I can't do that.
- [46:04]
John McConnell
What about food wise, favorite food?
- [46:08]
Andy Beshear
Well, I was a big steak guy, but right now I think I got the, the tick bite. And, and thus can't, can't eat is.
- [46:16]
John McConnell
A. I've heard three or four people now say that this is a thing.
- [46:19]
Andy Beshear
It. It is. And so right now what do I really like? Italian. I like pasta a whole lot. It's hard to. To. To beat pizza. Which do you remember? It may have been. I don't remember which quarterback it was, but it was about eight years ago. A quarterback signed one of the biggest, richest contracts ever in the NFL and they said what'd you do? And they went through the Pizza Hut drive thru and. And somebody showed. I don't know if it's an MRI of the brain when you've had pizza and it just lights up.
- [46:57]
John McConnell
Well that's not shocking.
- [46:58]
Andy Beshear
Pretty good. Pretty good. No, no. They serve pizza and Versailles. Oh we do the station restaurant again. Listen, ask Andy. Should have been ask Andy about Johnny Mack. And then listen to the gratuitous plug of the Anon.
- [47:14]
John McConnell
Well we also here we have a really nice bourbon bar next door if you haven't been there called the Infant Bourbon Bar. John.
- [47:21]
Andy Beshear
Really the only thing he hasn't done is read in the address 106 Court Street.
- [47:27]
John McConnell
But it's just weird. I know that. Any other questions John?
- [47:33]
Andy Beshear
I think, I think, I think he survived some answered. Yeah.
- [47:36]
John McConnell
How about. Actually one thing we were talking about favorite place to vacation outside of Kentucky.
- [47:44]
Andy Beshear
I like the beach and I like going to quieter beaches and so I don't want to say them into the microphone because I'm worried they won't be as quiet afterwards. Gotcha. But just a chance to. I really love going when other folks aren't there. You know, after major elections when you're just as sick as you can be and you're tired and, and you know you're just emotionally spent. Brittany and I spent five or six days at a beach with nobody else there. Totally different thing with birds, the fish. You actually get to see nature. It's pretty special.
- [48:23]
John McConnell
What about in state? I know you get to visit all our state parks. What are a few places you really like to visit in state?
- [48:29]
Andy Beshear
Oh, Kentucky Lake is hard to beat in State. John McConnell and I have done a little water skiing and, and, and boated down there. Oh yes, both. Both impressive and unimpressive video. Nice on. On that. I love Red River Gorge. Just. I mean it's beautiful and there's just so much that. That you can do. Eastern Kentucky in general is just spectacular. Love going up. Northern Kentucky's got so much to offer right now and you can go across to. To Reds game but stay and spend your money in northern Kentucky.
- [49:09]
John McConnell
Yeah, I thought was cool. We remember one time a couple years ago we saw a concert in Mammoth Cave that was pretty.
- [49:14]
Andy Beshear
That was. I actually just did an interview for the documentary on that today that you we so Mammoth Cave first of all you can't. It's hard to describe how huge it is to people but you walk down there and you know you're in a. A place unlike any other on earth. And that's the special part about Mammoth Cave. You just know there's only one and it's in Kentucky. But we saw Yo Yo Ma play and in Mammoth Cave with Teddy Abrams and the Louisville Orchestra. And none of us knew exactly what was going on, but we knew it was artistic. We knew it had probably never been done before. And so a pretty special opportunity, I.
- [49:53]
John McConnell
Think my last question is, growing up in central Kentucky, were you a Browns fan, a Bagels fan, a Colts fan? If you had one of those teams, who, who did you support?
- [50:06]
Andy Beshear
So I grew up the Bengals, Reds, which was pretty tough way to grow up, sports wise. Yep. Now I did get to go to, I think it was game two of the World Series in 1990 where the Reds won in extra innings. I think it was Jody Reed. It was the catcher, the backup catcher, I think that hit an extra inning single for the Reds to beat the Oakland a's with Mark McGuire and Jose Canseco and Ricky Henderson and. And they ended up sweeping that series. So I got to see my team in my youth win one World Series championship. It's been a little rough since, though. We made the playoffs for a minute this year and watching Ellie is pretty fun. Then the Bengals, you know, we, we got pretty good at losing to the Niners in Super Bowls or in playoffs. And then we just stopped going to the playoffs for a long time.
- [51:00]
John McConnell
A lot. But you came back a few years ago. You were back in the Super Bowl.
- [51:04]
Andy Beshear
We just need a healthy Joe Burrow.
- [51:06]
John McConnell
That is the truth.
- [51:07]
Andy Beshear
Or, you know, Tyler Schuck.
- [51:10]
John McConnell
Let's keep him in New Orleans for now.
- [51:13]
Andy Beshear
That's a wrap on another episode of the Andy Beshear Podcast. If you like what you've heard, talk to a friend, send more people to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Make sure that you're spreading the word, that this is a place that you can come and you can process all the craziness of the world around you. Hope you feel a little bit better. I hope you feel a little bit lighter. And I hope you'll join us next time on the Andy Beshear Podcast, A designer shoe warehouse. We believe that shoes are an important part of, well, everything from first to.
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