A visit with former Congressman Jerry Carl.

Summary

Bubba On the Lake: A Visit with Former Congressman Jerry Carl – Episode Summary

Release Date: April 21, 2025

Introduction

In this riveting episode of "Bubba On the Lake," host Bill Bubba Bussey welcomes a special guest, Jerry Carl, the former Congressman from Alabama's District 1. Joined by his wife, Betty Lou Bussey, and other familiar voices, Bubba delves deep into Jerry's political journey, his experiences in Congress, and his perspectives on current political dynamics.

Meet Jerry Carl

Timestamp: 00:46 – 01:12

Jerry Carl reminisces about his previous appearances on "The Rick & Bubba Show," highlighting the warm reception he received from Bubba and his team. Bubba humorously recalls a memorable early morning meeting in Birmingham where Jerry was "carrying a bunch of biscuits" into the studio.

Current Endeavors and Future Aspirations

Timestamp: 01:53 – 02:24

Post-Congress, Jerry is actively involved in assisting local businesses with management issues, albeit without compensation. His sights are set on a role within Donald Trump's administration, specifically aiming for a position in the Federal Maritime Commission. Reflecting on his roots, Jerry shares, “It's called Federal Maritime Commission. There's five commissioners, and they're pretty much responsible for all import exports.”

Political Landscape and Gerrymandering Concerns

Timestamp: 07:04 – 08:24

A significant portion of the discussion centers around the redistricting challenges Jerry faced, particularly the race-based redrawing of Alabama’s District 1. Jerry explains the complexities of representing a diverse district stretching from Mobile to Dothan, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing quality representation over racial considerations. He asserts, “But you know, the NAACP money and some of the Democrats, strong Democrats will continue throwing money at it and try to get it done.”

The Capitol Riot: A Personal Account

Timestamp: 29:12 – 36:36

Jerry provides an eye-opening firsthand account of his presence during the January 6th Capitol riot. He describes the chaos, confusion, and the overwhelming sense of fear he felt. Reflecting on the events, Jerry states, “It was pure chaos. But we get in this room. So some of us take our mask off. We couldn't breathe. And the next day... Republicans using chemical warfare against Democrats because we took our mask off.”

Campaigning Strategies: Then and Now

Timestamp: 23:07 – 27:24

Jerry contrasts his grassroots campaigning approach with modern strategies. Having knocked on 15,000 doors single-handedly for his county commissioner run, he emphasizes the effectiveness of personal touch. “I knocked on 15,000 doors by myself,” Jerry shares, highlighting the challenges of contemporary campaigning dominated by media and negative advertising.

Tariffs, Trade, and Economic Policies

Timestamp: 41:37 – 45:53

The conversation shifts to economic policies, particularly tariffs and equal trade. Jerry supports Donald Trump's stance on tariffs as a means to achieve fair trade, stating, “I'm not for tariffs, but I'm for equal trade. And if it takes a tariff to get equal trade, I'm certainly in support of equal trade.” He discusses the potential repercussions of unequal trade practices and the importance of a strong military in maintaining economic stability.

COVID-19 Reflections and Management

Timestamp: 49:00 – 52:23

Drawing from his experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jerry critiques the government's handling of the crisis. He questions the aggressiveness of ventilator usage and suggests that “we’re killing people on ventilators, not knowing what was going on.” Additionally, he speculates on the origins of the virus, hinting at possible Chinese involvement: “I think China probably played around with that.”

Media, Transparency, and Political Accountability

Timestamp: 53:32 – 55:25

The discussion touches upon the role of the media and political transparency. Jerry criticizes figures like Dr. Anthony Fauci, alleging financial motivations behind his actions: “He made one and a half million dollars a year as, as a doctor his whole life of the government.” Bubba adds, “He’s one of the highest-paid government employees we have,” underscoring concerns about potential conflicts of interest.

Family and Personal Anecdotes

Timestamp: 39:32 – 65:36

Interwoven throughout the episode are heartfelt moments about Jerry’s family, particularly his daughter, Caitlin. Humorously, Jerry recounts Caitlin’s role as a designated driver, sharing amusing incidents that highlight her spirited personality. Additionally, Bubba introduces Caitlin as a "spirited child," further emphasizing the blending of personal and professional narratives in their discussions.

Closing Thoughts

Timestamp: 66:04 – End

As the episode winds down, both Bubba and Jerry reflect on the importance of bipartisan cooperation and the need for politicians to prioritize the welfare of their constituents over partisan agendas. Jerry emphasizes, “We all want to rest in peace at night. We want to die with our families around us,” advocating for unity and common goals.

Notable Quotes

1. Jerry Carl: “It's called Federal Maritime Commission. There's five commissioners, and they're pretty much responsible for all import exports.” (02:24)
2. Jerry Carl: “We have to quit being distracted by politicians that want to create stories. Let’s focus on fixing stuff, not tearing stuff up and tearing people down.” (60:55)
3. Bubba Bussey: “We still want safe neighborhoods. We want a house, we want a store we can go to and buy food.” (60:09)
4. Jerry Carl: “If I was the Democrat Party right now, I'd be looking and I'd be saying, huh, so We've got this 16 million people here illegally. Trump is going to try to send as many back as he can. We gonna need that labor.” (57:44)

Conclusion

This episode of "Bubba On the Lake" offers listeners an insightful glimpse into Jerry Carl's experiences and viewpoints as a former Congressman navigating the tumultuous waters of modern American politics. From grassroots campaigning to high-stakes political debates, Jerry provides a candid and often humorous take on the challenges facing today's political landscape. Whether you're a seasoned political enthusiast or new to the discourse, this episode delivers a rich tapestry of discussions that are both engaging and thought-provoking.

Transcript

[Bubba]

This podcast is sponsored in part by Coke AM First, Buffalo Wild Wings, Southern Immediate Care, Ann's Quilts and Central State Bank. Now back to Bubba on the lake. Hey, it's Bubba. Hey, Bubba, Bubba on the lake Bubba, Bubba on the lake. Yay's got it going on. Gotta come and check this. Talking people talking places from Bubba' Bubba, Bubba, Bubba, Bubba, Bubba on the lake hey, Bubba, Bubba, Bubba, Bubba on the lake. Let's go. Well, we're back. And Betty, we have a very special guest with us during this segment, one.

[Jerry Carl]

That I finally got to meet after all these years.

[Bubba]

You know, you, it's not every day you look up and a congressman sitting.

[Jerry Carl]

At your breakfast table or coming down the driveway in a golf cart.

[Bubba]

No, that was a little shocking too. Jerry Carl, Alabama District 1. Jerry, how are you, sir?

[Jerry Carl]

I'm doing great, Bob. I think the last time I saw you was in Birmingham. It was about 5:30 in the morning. I think I was carrying a bunch of biscuits in.

[Bubba]

You were, you were a guest on our old show several times.

[Jerry Carl]

Well, I want to tell you your, your, your studio has stepped up a notch. I mean the view from here is absolutely gorgeous. I don't know why anybody want to work with a view like that. And your staff is certainly looking much better.

[Bubba]

Yes, yes, I like the accommodations here very much. Well, welcome to the Meliella and we're glad to have you back. Like I said we'd have, you have had you on before and since then me and you both are out of a job. So here we are pretty much. But we're enjoying a better view.

[Jerry Carl]

Hey, you know, if this was what you call retired, you know, I'm pretty good with it.

[Bubba]

Because you're fishing tomorrow, right?

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah, yeah, we're up here fishing.

[Bubba]

So tell me, just catch everybody up. What are you doing now?

[Jerry Carl]

So I'm, I'm helping a little bit to some local businesses, trying to get, get some, some simple management issues straightened out. Certainly not being paid for it, but. And I'm also working, trying to get a position on Trump's administration. So been working, I tell the story and I probably shouldn't but they've, I've been offered two positions so far and I've turned those two down.

[Bubba]

Well, can you tell us what they are? Is that.

[Jerry Carl]

Well, I don't know. I probably shouldn't get into that. It was two positions that I truly did want. I just felt like it didn't fit my personality. But the third one that I'm working on now, which it we expect at Any time. Or it could go into as far as June, but it's actually going to be in maritime industry, which I'm from Mobile, obviously, and we got a huge port down there.

[Bubba]

You're all about that.

[Jerry Carl]

It's called Federal Maritime Commission. There's five commissioners, and they're pretty much responsible for all import exports. Any ship that comes into America. Oh, it's basically enforcing the laws on the waters and in the ports, so that'd be good. Yeah, I've got some maritime blood in me. My dad was a merchant marine, so I feel like I'm going full circle.

[Bubba]

You know, my. I actually threw my hat in for a position in D.C. did I tell you about.

[Jerry Carl]

No, I didn't hear about that.

[Bubba]

I was having a discussion with Senator Tuberville, and I said, there's your first problem. I said, if you need an FCC commissioner who's actually done the work that they're regulating and actually knows something about it other than a textbook, I'll do it. And I got a very blank look from him, and I don't know if he was pondering that or he thought I was joking him or I don't know. But anyway, I guess you saw that that went another direction, so I didn't have to worry about it.

[Jerry Carl]

Well, that's one less thing to worry about. You wouldn't want to live in D.C. anyway.

[Bubba]

Well, you know, I might want to visit. It was a nice place to visit. We did enjoy coming up.

[Jerry Carl]

Well, it's. It's definitely a struggle to live up there. It is for me, anyway, because I grew up in the country and, you know, I love small communities and small mentalities and. But no, coaches helped me out a lot. He's a dear friend of mine. He asked me what I was going to do. I told him I was opening up a gas station. I was going to train a monkey to wash windshield like the old days. Yeah, I remember when he had one.

[Bubba]

I do, too. Full service.

[Jerry Carl]

Tommy thinks I'm a nut.

[Bubba]

Listen, I was at. I was at a gas station C store not too long ago, and I was cleaning my windshield and I got the thing and I stricken. I flip it on the ground, you know, to get the. And then I take the. My towel and wipe it and then do another one. And there was an older guy about my age, he said, used to see that done, didn't. Yes, I sure did. That's how they did it. He said, you know, always tell if they know how to flip it and wipe it that. That they used to get full service when they were a kid.

[Jerry Carl]

Well, McDonald's figured it out. If you think about it, they've got a clown selling you hamburgers. And what do you kids want to do? They want to go talk to the clown. So they've got it figured out. So I want to do it with a monkey. You know, I want to train a monkey and put a diaper on them.

[Bubba]

So you mean a real monkey.

[Jerry Carl]

No, I'm talking about a real monkey.

[Bubba]

So it'd be almost like a zoo experience.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah. So he'll jump up on the hood of your car and a little squirt bottle and wash one of the kids, get all giggly. You know, you charge an extra 25 cents a gallon. And there you go, entrepreneurs up and going.

[Bubba]

You know what? I like that idea, Jerry.

[Jerry Carl]

Tommy thinks I'm nuts. That's what I'm getting at here. Coach. Coaches got very little tolerance for some people. But no, he. He's been. He's been a huge help to me, and I love him. Him and Katie both have just been exceptional for this state.

[Bubba]

She has been, I think, a real eye opening for a lot of folks that. How energetic she is. And of course, she had some experience on the hill working with Shelby, but she's really hit the ground running. And I'll tell you, I knew Wesley much better that played at Alabama, and I really had never met Katie till. Till they were running. And if you. If Saturday Night Live makes fun of you and they use Scarlett Johansson to portray you, you've done all right.

[Jerry Carl]

You know, that's what I told Bill. I said it was funny.

[Bubba]

It really was.

[Jerry Carl]

I said I'd be flattered.

[Bubba]

I think if I turned the TV.

[Jerry Carl]

On, that's who they had playing me. You know, it's like, wow. Yeah. Well, the value of Katie to the state of Alabama is her youth.

[Bubba]

Yeah.

[Jerry Carl]

And she can stay there a long time and build up seniority. And that's the key in Senate. Seniority. Yes. She. She stepped in some. Some incredible roles, some incredible positions. I'm sure Shelby and. And so many folks up in Washington that just love her to death helped her get there. But. But she's going to be pretty powerful, and that's important for us here in this state.

[Bubba]

Yeah. I mean, it's. I don't think people realize. I mean, in a perfect world, everybody goes there, and you vote for what's good for the country and all of that, but you really are elected to represent the people of your district.

[Jerry Carl]

That's right.

[Bubba]

And you would hope that your district and the needs of the greater government would not be in conflict. But you are there to take care of your people and bring projects and money back home. And that's how you. You get reelected. Right?

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah. And in the state of Alabama, you know, Alabama is very conservative. The mo. The district I'm in, District 1, it's. It's probably more like Dale Strong, District 5, which is a little less conservative. And that's just the nature of the beast. I mean, Mobile so influenced by New Orleans on one side and of course Florida on the other side. So it's a little bit less conservative. So it. But that doesn't have to carry over in what we bring home. What, you know, the projects, the money.

[Bubba]

But when you say less, you don't mean liberal. You just not liberal, not hard line.

[Jerry Carl]

You couldn't, you couldn't get an Alabama conservative elected in New York State.

[Bubba]

Right? Right.

[Jerry Carl]

And you can't get a New York conservative elected in Alabama.

[Bubba]

Right.

[Jerry Carl]

There's so many different degrees of that definition now in politics, and everybody wants to stamp it the way they view it, and I get that, and I understand that. But the truth is, when you get to D.C. you got to learn to work with everybody. Cause we're all in that playbox together, you know, and if you can get them to work with you, you know, and you can help them without hurting your constituents, you know, that's the way it should be.

[Bubba]

Do you. That was one of the questions I wanted to ask you, and we briefly discussed it before we started. This is it. Is the politics as diverse as what it appears on tv, or is there more working together behind the scenes now? And what I base that on, you pretty much know any nominee that Trump brings forward, every Democrats gonna vote against him no matter what. Right. But is there a time that you can ever work together with. With Schumer or AOC or any of those people? Are they just so opposed to what we believe? You can't do anything with them.

[Jerry Carl]

They don't believe everything they say. Aoc. I served on Natural Resources with aoc, and she's very nice, very polite, very easy to talk to. But when that camera's on, she's, you know, she's like a bulldog. She's coming at.

[Bubba]

I hear she makes a great margarita.

[Jerry Carl]

I don't know. I don't know. But, you know, you look at stuff like in Mobile, we've got. We've got also shipyard there and also now is beginning to build portions of the submarine and back. Congressman Courtney, Democrat out of Vermont, is the reason why we got it. And I told Ed, I said, you need to come down to the shipyard with me. I'm gonna need your help. You know, some things we need to do. And he came down, and next thing we know, we got. Sweet. We've got business coming in there out of Vermont, out of his shipyards. It's in his district. And that's how you work with Democrats. Now. He's gonna vote against everything I put on there. I don't take that personal.

[Bubba]

Right.

[Jerry Carl]

I just don't take that personal. But. But if I had to sit down in war times with somebody, he would be one of the guys I'd want in the room because he's got a little different view, a little different spin, but it's from his heart. He's not trying to get in front of a tv. He's not trying to get the headlines. He's just there to get work done.

[Bubba]

You had told me one time that if the media was not in D.C. we'd get a lot more done.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah, everybody pauses and spends a lot of time preparing for the media. They're going to stop you in the hall. This is what you need to say, or this is what we encourage you to say. You know, I had a rule of thumb. If I was walking, I wasn't talking. Give anybody an interview that came to the office. I didn't care. I really didn't care. Answer any questions you may have. I don't believe in trying to control the media under those circumstances. But when you're moving and they hit you with those. Those fireball questions, I just. You just keep walking.

[Bubba]

Well, I think the media has a very important role in a democracy to keep everybody honest, so to speak. The problem is who's keeping the media honest? And I think so many of them now are carrying an agenda. The way they. They go about their job is, gotcha. Media for one side and prop somebody up the other way. I mean, we saw the media cover for a president that was unable to do his job for no telling how long. And they hit it, hit it, hit it, told us it wasn't true. And then it became blatantly obvious and they, boy, they run for cover. You couldn't find them talking about that anymore.

[Jerry Carl]

So I saw him on TV yesterday, and he is really, even in the short length of time he's been there, he's looking weak, very weak.

[Bubba]

Well, you know, wisdom comes with age. But there's a point where you start going over the hill the other way, and you need to enjoy retirement. And unfortunately, A lot of us are getting to that part of the roller coaster, Jerry.

[Jerry Carl]

I haven't hit my peak yet, just for the record.

[Bubba]

Yeah, I start saying, I don't know.

[Jerry Carl]

Who you're talking about.

[Bubba]

Wait a minute. I'm painting myself in a corner here as I'm doing this.

[Jerry Carl]

I told somebody the other day I hadn't even hit my cruising altitude yet.

[Bubba]

Well, you do. You have a lot of energy. You've always been a go getter for people who don't know your story. Tell everybody what you did before you went to Congress.

[Jerry Carl]

So I've started and ran businesses my whole life, whether they're home health care equipment, whether they're pharmacy related, did some compound pharmacy and also specialty pharmacy, owned a bed and breakfast. I recommend anybody that you really hate, encourage them to get in the bed and breakfast business. Absolute, absolute nightmare. And did do some timber management also. So a jack of all trades and a master of none. I'm good at building businesses and getting them at a good, profitable point, selling them and moving on.

[Bubba]

Well, you've, you've been very successful and you tried to, to take that skill to D.C. and represent us. And you did a great job. And you got caught up in this crazy redistricting thing that.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah, that, that hurt. That hurt.

[Bubba]

That's. That. That is one of the more bizarre. I want everybody to be represented. Okay. I'm not, I'm not a gerrymanding person, which is a hard word to say. But while I don't think that the Republicans or the Democrats ought to stack the districts in their favor, also don't think the courts ought to be doing it. And that's, that's what happened this time.

[Jerry Carl]

So it's going back to court. It has been argued back. The state Supreme Court, they're still waiting on a ruling from it. Either way, whether it comes back. And this time they based it on race. You can't redraw it based on race. If it comes back either way, it's still going to go into the, to the Supreme Court federal system. Louisiana's got one that's about four or five months ahead of us. Everyone's watching that one. Basically the same lawsuit, some similarities, the same discussions being held on it. Supreme Court, June and July. We should have a reading. They come back and say, you can't base it on race. It's a done deal. And, but you know, the NAACP money and some of the Democrats, strong Democrats will continue throwing money at it and try to get it done. But it was a, it was an impact for The Gulf Coast. I mean, it, it really, I feel like it hurt us. And Barry's doing a good job. The guy that beat me, Barry Moore, he's doing a good job.

[Bubba]

Well, it took two conservative Republicans that we had representing us across the entire bottom part of our state and put y'all against each other and one. But this is what was strange to me. Again, we need to be. Everybody needs to be represented. I don't ha. You know, you hate somebody that complains. It doesn't have an answer. But while we do need that, the way that you can't do it is just to draw a hole and say, okay, this is an opportunity zone for minorities, which is what they did. Clarence Thomas objected to it, who is African American on the Supreme Court and said, if we start doing this, where is the Mexican, where is the Latino, where is the Asian zone? I mean, it doesn't make any sense. I don't know how you fix it. People live where they want to live or they live where they can afford to live. I don't know how you go in and make it represent the population on race. Exactly. But you want everybody to be represented. What is a proper way to fix that?

[Jerry Carl]

Well, you're looking at two districts now. District 1 and District 2. District 1 runs from Mobile all the way over to Dothan. That's two different worlds, right?

[Bubba]

The Wiregrass versus the Bay Area people over there. But it's different topography, it's different economies.

[Jerry Carl]

It'S mentality's different over there. It's a much slower lifestyle and God knows I need more of that slower lifestyle. So, you know, Barry's got a tough job representing two, right. Basically two types of districts. And he and I have had this conversation before and I would have the same struggle. Mine would be just the opposite, obviously. And then you've got the District 2, which is a quote unquote minority based district which runs from Mobile to Auburn, south of Auburn. And it's two. It's two totally different worlds. So in that splitting that up and how do you fix it is real simple. Quit worrying about the race of people and I start focusing on the quality of people. You know, the people that vote get somebody that's going to represent them. I mean, I fought tooth and toenail for the Portomobile, for the US Coast Guard, for everything in the Mobile in my district. And Barry did the same in his. But now he's got to split that same amount of attention between not just the Coast Guard but also the Army Air base over there at Rucker or Novoselle, as they call it now. So it's a tricky place to be and if we let them get away with it here and in Louisiana, they'll do it nationwide. So the line's been drawn and we're going to fight it.

[Bubba]

Well, like I said, it starts such a dangerous precedent because then you got to go back because the Latino population is going to be the majority population by last I saw 2050. So how are you going to fix all of that, you know, and who is going to. And then are you going to start going with other preferences? You know, I do this, I do that. We need our. I don't have the answer. I want everybody to be represented, but I represented. But I don't think we did it the right way.

[Jerry Carl]

Well, in Chris Pringle, house member, Pringle had a plan drawn together that worked and I wish they would go back to that one. It is different lines than what we had. And I think I take a little bit of Barry and Barry gives a little bit to myself. But it's not that striking difference that we've got now. But things happen for a reason. We'll see how it plays out. I mean, hey, I get to sit here and talk with you.

[Bubba]

That's right. That's right.

[Jerry Carl]

I'm not stuck on an airplane headed to Europe somewhere trying to put a fire out.

[Bubba]

That's always good. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be back. Jerry Carl, former Congressman, District 1 Alabama, visiting with us. Caitlin used to work for you. We haven't covered that yet and we still have a lot more to cover. And we'll be right back. It's Bubba on the Lake. Bubba on the Lake. This is Coke Zero Sugar. Could I be the best coke ever?

[Jerry Carl]

Try and taste with your ears. Hear those bubbles.

[Bubba]

Imagine them tingling on your top. Fizzy deliciousness. Listen to that cascading liquid. A mouth watering waterfall.

[Jerry Carl]

Irresistibly tasty, Zero sugar.

[Bubba]

Crisp, refreshing and ice cold. Is Coke Zero Sugar the best Coke ever? Try and decide. At Central State bank, we believe community banking is more than just transactions. It's about relationships. For over 100 years, we've been helping.

[Jerry Carl]

Neighbors grow, businesses thrive and dreams become reality. Because when you bank local, you invest in your community.

[Bubba]

Central State Bank. Large enough to serve, small enough to know you.

[Jerry Carl]

Visit us today or learn [e-mail] Member FDIC.

[Bubba]

It's Bubba on the Lake. Bubba on the Lake. We're back with Jerry Carl, former congressman, District 1 Alabama, friend of the show, friend of the Podcast and my daughter's former boss.

[Jerry Carl]

She, she is, she's a special child.

[Bubba]

Well, we call her our spirited child.

[Jerry Carl]

She is, she is every bit of that. I tell you, when she walks into a room, it, it is full of entertainment. I can't imagine that. I loved her to death. She, she. I'd scold her like her, I used to tell her, I'm gonna talk to you like your daddy. Now I scold her a little bit, but she is, she says, certainly, certainly a special, special young lady.

[Bubba]

Now, Jerry, somehow, and I don't know if this was a mistake on your part or what happened. How did she become the designated driver?

[Jerry Carl]

That's what I want to know. She had a car. Yeah, that's true. A lot of them didn.

[Bubba]

And she got that medallion on there and she'd go once.

[Jerry Carl]

I mean, if you got a car, you're stuck, you're it. I don't. And you know, we paid. I think it's 55 cents a mile, whatever the IRS rate is. Of course, she could say no, but. But he got her out of the office and she was good.

[Bubba]

She said you could get you to the airport in record.

[Jerry Carl]

Oh, yeah.

[Bubba]

Because if you're on official business, I mean, you get to let her eat.

[Jerry Carl]

I don't know, I don't know about all that, but the first time she drove me, I guess she was a little nervous. I'm in the back and I got some other stu in the car with me. And she didn't run through a stop sign. She ran through a stop sign and stopped in the middle of the intersection. There's a four way stop sign. And sat there looking around like, what do I do next? And all I'm going. All I'm saying is get out of the way. Get out of the way.

[Bubba]

Go, Go do something.

[Jerry Carl]

She's, she was a blessing. She was just fun to be around.

[Bubba]

Well, I told her when she was a little girl, she was very outgoing early on. And I said, caitlin, you can be president if you want.

[Jerry Carl]

I see that.

[Bubba]

And she's, she's always trying to talk me into running. I think she just wants to get back to D.C. to do. I said, well, why don't you run? That would be even better. But new. New power generation Katie Britt Girl power.

[Jerry Carl]

We need, we need younger people involved in politics. We truly do. But, but, you know, I love those young people up there and the staff, they just add so much energy to people like you and I. I mean, you think you're out of steam and it's time to quit. And then they come blowing in the room and it's another two hours.

[Bubba]

How do you go about hiring all those people?

[Jerry Carl]

You know, because we.

[Bubba]

We really enjoyed getting to meet a lot of your staff.

[Jerry Carl]

Had the best staff, I feel like. And they bragged about that.

[Bubba]

We were big fans of Harold.

[Jerry Carl]

Oh, everybody loves Harold. Yeah, everybody loves Harold. Harold sends my wife pictures all the time. Yeah. Of him. Does he send them to you, too? He has. He always texts me.

[Bubba]

He was quite going there in the D.C. area.

[Jerry Carl]

Oh, yeah.

[Bubba]

Harold, man about town.

[Jerry Carl]

He could charm a snake. But I had a chief of staff, Chad, Carlos, when. When I got elected, I knew that's who I wanted, so I talked to him, and the deal was is you hire, you fire.

[Bubba]

Yeah.

[Jerry Carl]

And that's the way it worked. He probably let a couple go out of the four years we were up there. But I want to make sure those young folks had a great experience. It was a learning experience, and I wanted them to understand it was okay to make mistakes. You learn from those mistakes and move on. That's just part of life. It's not the end of the world.

[Bubba]

That is, I think, one of the biggest things that a lot of young people don't understand. And sadly, I think all of us have learned more from mistakes than when things went right.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah.

[Bubba]

And we've all heard the story about Michael Jordan not making the basketball team. I mean, but I had a similar experience in seventh grade. I got cut, and it just crushed me. But I went and became a better basketball player after that and learned to deal with it. I. I remember my dad telling me, he said, you know that feeling you got inside right now, you don't like. He said, remember that when you're out running miles and you're tired and you need to play man to man defense. Remember that? Draw on that. And said you'll. You'll get better.

[Jerry Carl]

You look, you lose a multimillion dollar campaign, you'll feel the same way. An empty spot in your st.

[Bubba]

Jer. How about running? That's. I mean, you wanted to serve and, you know, give back with your skill set, but running a campaign, my goodness, it's a whole nother animal, isn't it?

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah. This last campaign got ugly and I didn't like it. And you know, it's like. It's like anything. Once you get it moving, it's kind of hard to change directions of it. I wish we'd have done things different. I think would add a different outcome. But, you know, hindsight's 20, 20 the next election I run is going to be positive. I'm just. We got so much negative in our lives. The Lord knows I've got enough skeletons in my closet. You know, I've done. We've all done in our life, you know, that we're fearful of people knowing because it's in our head and we think it's bad. In reality, everybody's the same. But campaigning is tough. Raising money's tough. I mean, you. The most you can get is $3,300 from a person, and you gotta raise a million and a half to 2 million. I mean, you do the math. That's a lot of phone calls.

[Bubba]

You gotta have the TV commercials. You gotta have this. Do the. Let me ask you this, because I've wondered this. Like you said, you want to run a positive campaign. But when you hire these firms that are, you know, they're experts in marketing and tagging people and getting people to be perceived this way or that, I'm sure they come to you. Even though you say you want to run a positive campaign, they want to do it a little bit different because they know negative campaigning works, at least in their own.

[Jerry Carl]

That. I mean, that's the first thing they tell you is, you know, positive doesn't work. Negative works. Negative works. Negative works. You know, if I spent a lot of money on a campaign that I was not proud of, when I got through with it, win or lose, if I'd have lost that campaign and ran it the way that now I feel, I wouldn't feel near as bad because, you know, I'm about $400,000 lighter in my pocket. Yeah, I mentioned everybody else's money.

[Bubba]

You get to share in that, don't you?

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah, I get. I get a little pain, too.

[Bubba]

And a lot of people don't know. The radio and TV people have to give what's called lowest unit pricing to politicians. So if they have a, you know, usually the bigger the advertiser, the better deal they get on spot price. Well, they. Up to the election, they have to look and say, well, you know, we had this car dealer that buys $100,000 a month, and we've got to give the politician the lowest unit. And they have to document that. It's part of the whole deal. But it's. It just takes a lot of money, doesn't it?

[Jerry Carl]

It does.

[Bubba]

What do you think works good in campaigning? Are you a sign?

[Jerry Carl]

No. You know, radio, tv, touching people. Just touching people.

[Bubba]

But it's hard to touch that many people.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah.

[Bubba]

Katie, if you touch them Too much you'll get. You know, there's laws against that.

[Jerry Carl]

So. So Kate, Katie came to me and she talked to me before she ran. She said, how can I win? I said, it's easy. Just touch as many people as you can. You got it. You got to try to touch 51% of the people.

[Bubba]

Right.

[Jerry Carl]

And there was a lot of wisdom in what I told her there and being.

[Bubba]

But you can't go door to door.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah, you door to door. That's how I won my first campaign run. County commissioner. I beat a three time incumbent, but I took a whole year off from my businesses. I had them on cruise control and I knocked on 15,000 doors by myself. And, and do people, are they receptive.

[Bubba]

To door knocking now?

[Jerry Carl]

You really be surprised how many people will open up and tell you or.

[Bubba]

Do you just try to meet them at things. They're at cookouts and all that. Or do you literally knock on the door?

[Jerry Carl]

I did. You can't now. I can't now because people know who I am. Yeah. And they'll go, you know, you voted on so and so Bill. We don't like that. Or know, you know, Katie Britt, get her a message or you know, Saturday Night Live. Yeah, it gets, it gets, it gets a little tricky. But, but just touching people, I mean, if there was more ways of doing that, I mean, I grew up under the old George Wallace era. I can remember George Wallace pulling up in a parking lot and dropping tailgate of a truck and getting on tailgate the truck. There'd be two or three hundred people in small town like Silicaga around that truck in an hour. You know, they just. Word would spread. I don't, I guess he advertised on radio. I mean, I know he didn't advertise on tv, that I remember.

[Bubba]

Right.

[Jerry Carl]

But elections have really changed. It's become a lot more commercialized. You know, they can take a bad candidate, make them look real good on the screen and you got to have.

[Bubba]

The, you know, all the, the traditional Alabama components to your commercial. You have to be in a truck, you have to have a dog, you have to show a gun over your shoulder. Standard. And you know, you punch all of that. Maybe, maybe Auburn player and an Alabama coach or vice versa. You know, you got to balance it out. And it's funny because we always laugh. Go. Okay, there's that mark. There's that.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah. Every once while you catch that candidate has got a gun pointed at somebody or, or you know, you know, they.

[Bubba]

Don'T, you don't walk around with his.

[Jerry Carl]

Finger on the trigger. You want God? I know. A gun.

[Bubba]

Yeah. So tell me, when you got to D.C. what was the. The most surprising in a positive way, and what was the most surprising to you in a negative way, in a positive way?

[Jerry Carl]

I was just such. I was struck. I was just odd at every time I walked on that floor. The history that had been determined on that floor. I mean, just, Just on that floor. World War I, World War II, I mean, the speakers that had been there. I mean, just. Just countless people. You go into the. To the. What's called the Statue hall now. You know, that's Abraham Lincoln. That was his office. That's where he would warm his feet up over in that corner. And I mean, just the pure history of our country that's in that town. If that doesn't humbleize you, nothing does. And I had an old congressman tell me, says, if you ever walk on this floor and you don't have that feeling, go home.

[Bubba]

Yeah, it's over.

[Jerry Carl]

It's time to go home. The worst thing for me is I went in the middle of COVID The Democrats were in control and they made our life a living hell. They really did. I was there January 6th. I was there on the floor when it all broke out. When they were. I thought it was gunshots coming through the glass door, but it wound up being a pole. They were poking at the door and just bust. Blowing glass out at us. I was standing by or sitting near the door. I had little Bobaert sitting next to me. And she was always famous for carrying a gun. And she got that mini skirt on.

[Bubba]

Oh, yeah.

[Jerry Carl]

That tight.

[Bubba]

We all saw her at the movie theater.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah, well, no, I don't want to go.

[Bubba]

She's.

[Jerry Carl]

She's a sweet girl. And any. Anyway, I look.

[Bubba]

Appeared to be.

[Jerry Carl]

I looked at her, you know, and I give her the have you got a gun? Sign and she just slaps her hips like, where am I going to put it?

[Bubba]

Right. Nowhere to hide one today.

[Jerry Carl]

So.

[Bubba]

So you were there. Tell us about that. Because you have one side that has portrayed this as the greatest attack on democracy since the Civil War. And you have another side that said it was sightseeing and we can't. It's kind of. I know they're trying to filter through some of the stuff now, but was some of that staged? Was Pelosi involved in letting the defense down on purpose? What did you feel? Did you feel unsafe that day?

[Jerry Carl]

Did I feel unsafe? I was mad. I'm not one to get scared. I mean, when. When when pressure like that gets put on me, I get mad and I start pushing back. I was trying to get to the door because there was a couple of members that were holding that door closed. And I was trying to get to the door and who. I don't know who it was, but somebody grabbed me and threw me into the. Through the wave of people and said, jerry, we're going to make sure you make it to week two in Congress. And away we went. But. But, you know, it was. It was. I mean, there were people. You know, we had Covid. There were some members that were sitting up in the. Up in the. The upper area. You could hear them screaming and praying in tongue and. And, I mean, it was just. Just mass confusion, and everybody was just so fearful. There's a picture somewhere. I want to find it. But they were screaming for everybody to get down, get down, because those seats are bulletproof. And I was the only one. I was standing up, looking around. You know, I'm an old redneck. I'm trying to figure out where the fight's at, where's the door, so in case. If I don't work out too well, we know where to go. But it was. It was a. It was an experience. I was embarrassed after it was over with, especially being a Republican. And obviously there were some bad people involved in that. But there was so many good people. I mean, there were so many people just walk around taking pictures.

[Bubba]

Yeah, it was so strange because you'd see one clip of video and it looked like the. The guards were showing someone through posing for pictures, and then you have somebody being shot at another door.

[Jerry Carl]

So you go to a rock concert, let's say a rock concert, and they keep you locked outside the gate for four hours. When they finally open that gate, what happens? Everybody floods in, and you got some hooligans that are going to tear stuff up and try to be cute. And then you've got some people that are respectful and they want to find their seat. And I think that's what we saw. I think the people that. That did harm our capital should be punished. But there was so many people that came in there. They were. They were literally sightseers, and they were moving us around. We didn't know what to expect. There was gunshots. We'd heard. We'd heard gunshots with the radios they had on. They were screaming. They were screaming, man down, man down. Somebody had been shot, and they were moving us around. You got to love the Democrat Party. The Democrat Party is straight out of Hollywood. I promise you They've got somebody in Hollywood writing script for them every day. So they put us in one big room together, Ways and Means Committee room. And we'd been run all over the building. We'd ran two or three miles, I mean, down all these halls. And one grava congressman from Arizona, he was in the floor. And I was grabbing the. Grabbing him, trying to drag him, you know, no man left behind.

[Bubba]

Oh, yeah.

[Jerry Carl]

I mean, it's just pure chaos. But we get in this room. So some of us take our mask off. We couldn't breathe. And the next day, you know, the headlines were, Republicans using chemical warfare against Democrats because we took our mask off in that room. But it was just in. My family was upstairs. It was in the Longworth Building. And I said, I want to go upstairs. My family. Nope, Congressman, we're getting ready to put you on bus. We're taking you to Pentagon. We're going to lock you down. The Pentagon. It's the only safe place we've got at this moment. Now all the radios are screaming, they've breached the West. They've breached the West. All these radios and all these thugs carrying weapons. I mean, there's some, some greasy guys. I don't know where they got them from. They were, they were hoodlums. They knew what they were doing. And I said, can I go to the bathroom? Said, yeah. So when I went to the bathroom, I just took the stairs, went up to. Went up to my office, and my family was up there eating pizza and watch them throwing flash grenades out the windows.

[Bubba]

Oh, my gosh.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah. So it was, it was an interesting day.

[Bubba]

So that, that's if, if the people were a threat. I guess I was caught by the fact that somebody didn't unload and stop it earlier if they were really a threat. Because I would think that you couldn't just storm.

[Jerry Carl]

Capitol Police are not trained. They are crowd control people. And I don't mean this disrespectful to them. They are not policemen. They are not. They're not the military. They are crowd control. You stop and ask them, and I've done it a thousand times. You're lost and you want to find a way to get somewhere. They're very polite. They're trained to do that. And they certainly will put themselves in the line of defense, which they proved that day. But I said it that day when I got on the radio with Sean Sullivan, and I'll say it again, something's not right. Nancy Pelosi should have had better control of that. And we have learned since then, what she didn't do intentionally, I would hope she would not have done that intentionally. If she did. I don't think she knew it was going to go that far.

[Bubba]

Well, I saw the video of her in the car, I think that her daughter was doing, which seemed to indicate that she had got out of control.

[Jerry Carl]

Oh, yeah, it got far past. You know, she was on the podium when, when all this started and when I turn around, look, she was gone. Well, they told me the one the Secret Service run up there and snatched her and, you know, physically carried her out of the room. But, but it's, it's, it was a setup, I think, in a lot of ways, but it was also, I hope it was a learning experience for this country. You know, Republicans normally don't act that way.

[Bubba]

Right.

[Jerry Carl]

You know, we don't get out, protest. We don't get out and do a lot of things and sometimes we should.

[Bubba]

Right on. I agree. We're, we're too passive.

[Jerry Carl]

We're too busy working.

[Bubba]

Yeah. You know, I, there's a lot of protests I would have liked to have gone to, but I had to go to work.

[Jerry Carl]

Well, but, but most of the protests you see are people that are either in Washington, they're being paid. That's their job. Because again, most of us are out working.

[Bubba]

It's all about the optics in it.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah. I mean, look at her. Look at your Democrat friends. I got a lot of Democrat friends that I don't get out on a Wednesday morning and protest. They're working too. You know, it's, it's, it's, it's not the best of the best that show up at a lot of these protests.

[Bubba]

Oh, yes. Well, like say you, if you're a hired gun and this is what you do, you probably, hey, maybe we can do.

[Jerry Carl]

We can start protesting.

[Bubba]

Yeah, yeah, I'm available. Hire me and I'll go protest. Yeah, jump up and down, sleep sideways, all that. We're talking to Jerry Carl, former congressman from Alabama District 1. We're going to talk with Jerry a little bit more when we come back. Thank you for being with us on Bubba on the Lake.

[Jerry Carl]

One, two, three.

[Bubba]

We'll be right back. Looking for that beautiful quilt or other fabulous gifts, check out Ann's Quilt and Country Store in Rogersville. Come see Ms. Kim for all your quilting needs. She does custom quilts, memory and T shirt quilts and will also quilt your quilt top. There are gifts for women babies and even knives for the men folk. Visit Ms. Kim at Anne's Quilts. 1614 Lee street in historic downtown Rogersville, Alabama. Call 252276 or search the store on Facebook and Google. When you need urgent care, Southern Immediate care is here for you. Illness doesn't follow a 9 to 5 schedule, so we offer support seven days a week at convenient locations throughout Birmingham and northeast Alabama. Dedicated to serving all ages, from children to adults, Southern immediate care offers occupational medicine services, including dot physicals and testing. At Southern immediate Care, your health is our top priority. Visit southern immediatecare.com or call 205-409-2794. It's Bubba on the Lake. Bubba on the lake. Our guest is Jerry Carl, former congressman from Alabama District 1, which was mobile. Jerry, I heard the other day there was some rumblings about dividing up one of the counties down there and making it a second county and would add an extra county to the state. Have you heard any of that?

[Jerry Carl]

I have not heard that.

[Bubba]

Yeah, it was part of the top part of maybe Mobile county up where the, you know, it kind of splits around the bay. Yeah, somebody had brought that up in state. I don't know what the. I never really caught why that was going on or what the big movement was.

[Jerry Carl]

I tell you the funny thing about.

[Bubba]

Maybe because of barking dogs, I don't know. That's a running theme we have here at Bubba on the Lake.

[Jerry Carl]

That's all right. It proves we're here.

[Bubba]

Yeah.

[Jerry Carl]

Tell by the bark. But you know, Baldwin County, I love tell story of Baldwin County. You know, they, nobody would take Baldwin County. And the government literally gave the Baldwin county to about five or six different farm families. You know, you had the Italians, you had the Germans, you, you had these different farm families that took Baldwin County. And look at it now. I mean, wow.

[Bubba]

Well, I get, you know, when I'm on that long bridge going down to Mobile and I see the swampy area under that, I thought, man, whoever came through here the first time, they tough. They had their work cut out for them.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah, I think about. How about coming over Cheah Mountain?

[Bubba]

Yeah.

[Jerry Carl]

How about going over the Rockies? That one of my favorite paintings at the capitol is one that is very close to the entrance. And it's a huge painting. I mean it's, it's probably a 30 by 30 painting. This thing's massive and it's, it's covered wagons crossing the Rocky Mountains and the, the wives driving it and the kids hanging on and. I mean, how would you like to be a woman nine months pregnant with two kids crossing Rocky Mountains in a, in, in a In a, in a wagon, the snow.

[Bubba]

They have, I mean, just, I mean.

[Jerry Carl]

You know that, that, but the people.

[Bubba]

Who settled this continent were not like us, but they were a different person.

[Jerry Carl]

I refused, I refuse to believe that, I refuse to believe that we're Americans and we step up when it time to step up.

[Bubba]

Well, they were tough.

[Jerry Carl]

They are tough. But you look at World War II, look how those, those folks stepped up. I mean, not, not only did we have all the males over overseas fighting, we had all the women's making the bullets and the powder and flying the planes and I mean it was a, it was all hands on day. That's that American spirit that they can, that's the world's feared of. That's what we see right now in Trump. That's what we see. What's going on with the tariffs. That's what scares the mess out of Europe when, when that, that American spirit gets stirred up.

[Bubba]

Let's, let's talk about tariffs. Just a minute. We, we did a podcast on it not too long ago. I, I compared tariffs. To someone who's carrying a gun. You hope you never have to use it, but the fact that you have it in your pocket, people have to respect you.

[Jerry Carl]

I'm not for tariffs, but I'm for equal trade.

[Bubba]

Right.

[Jerry Carl]

And if it takes a tariff to get equal trade, I'm certainly in support of equal trade.

[Bubba]

Right. Well, we want it fair. If you're going to have 5% on our imports, we need to have 5% on yours and let it fall where it might.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah. And being on Armed Service Committee and being on some of the committees I was on, I'm privy to a lot of information that, you know, we will, we just don't share. But, you know, China's in a position that, that they could control us pretty easy. You know, they could, they could through our pharmaceuticals, whether it's through our electronics. Yeah. I mean, it goes on and on. So what point do we say enough's enough and America stands up and Donald Trump's a person that does it, whether you like him or not. I'm telling you, in four years this will be a different country. And we've got hard times we're getting ready to go through. You're going to see interest rates fluctuate, you're going to see stock markets fluctuate. You're going to see some of his supporters that probably will get a little weak kneed. But I understand where he's going, I truly do. And all we're asking for is equal trade. That's all we're asking for.

[Bubba]

And it hasn't been equal for a long time. If you look at the history of it, a lot of it come out of World War II because we, our economy was so strong and everybody else was in shambles. So we tried to help them out.

[Jerry Carl]

Right? Yeah.

[Bubba]

But they don't need that protection now.

[Jerry Carl]

Well, they think they don't. I mean, you look at some of these countries that, that are, that are panicking right now because of the tariffs. They need us and they know they need us.

[Bubba]

Right.

[Jerry Carl]

You know, Canada. Canada. They need our military powers.

[Bubba]

Yeah.

[Jerry Carl]

Oh, yeah, yeah. They need us and we need them. We need them, too. Same with Mexico. Same with so many other countries. So I think what Trump's doing is correct. But it's going to be painful and a lot of people are going to get aggravated when you can't go get that $2 piece of plastic throw away. That's one things. You know, my mother was a product of World War II and, you know, she made gunpowder or powder plant there in Chilzburg. They made big round balls of powder that actually they'd shove in those cannons and shoot with.

[Bubba]

But did you know some of the Manhattan Project was done Sylacauga, Childersburg area? I had no idea.

[Jerry Carl]

I didn't. I knew some of it was done in Auburn and I knew there was a lot of.

[Bubba]

There was a lot more of it done there than I thought.

[Jerry Carl]

I did not know that. I have check on that one. But. But, you know, the world changed after World War II.

[Bubba]

Yeah.

[Jerry Carl]

I mean, all the soldiers went over there and they, they understood there was a world outside their small community. And instead of marrying within their community, they started venturing out. And it's become a one world system here now. But we as a society can't function that way. We have to take care of our own. And I've been screaming this from the very beginning. I was one of the first ones down to Panama Canal. I was the first one screaming about China, myself. And Coach Tuberville, he and I went down there together. And when everything down there is interpreted into Chinese, you know, there's problems. Yeah, yeah, big problem.

[Bubba]

We have a thing called the Monroe Doctrine that, you know, we're taught in eighth grade that people act like doesn't exist anymore. We're not supposed to have foreign influence in our hemisphere to that level.

[Jerry Carl]

Well, there's a lot of things that some our leaders in Washington never read. Ten Commandments being one.

[Bubba]

Yeah, that's a good start.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah. But it's a. It's a crazy world out there, and I'd love to tell you that I know it's going to work out perfect. I don't know that. But. But I like the idea of the change of direction. And let's. Taking care of our own first.

[Bubba]

We got to.

[Jerry Carl]

And whatever we have left over, we will be more than glad to share.

[Bubba]

We've always done that. I don't think Americans have a problem with that, but, like, it's. It's much like. And I hate to keep referring to this Caitlin's budget plan. We can't just, you know, we can't just stomp the accelerator to where it's zero and then that. That be the end of the. You know, we got to plan a little better than that. Right.

[Jerry Carl]

Well, I think she kind of goes along with a lot of people that we know. I don't. I don't think she's the only person that has that mentality. We love her. She. She's special.

[Bubba]

She is. She is. She's. I'm. I'm. I'm anxious to see what God has in plans for her and Hunter.

[Jerry Carl]

I want to. I'm looking to see which plan she's got for God.

[Bubba]

You know, you could probably argue the point. So we were. We were talking earlier, too, about the Smithsonian, which was one of my Favorite places in D.C. the Enola Gay is hanging there, which is something very interesting to me in history, because my dad was in World War II, was supposed to invade Japan, did not have to. Was already told they're going to have casualty rate of about 50%. So we were very glad of that decision, even though it was very, very bad for the folks of those cities. But. But have you ever seen the guy that was in both cities?

[Jerry Carl]

No.

[Bubba]

There is a guy that was in Hiroshima who was from Nagasaki and survived the bombing, went home and got bombed again. He's the only guy was in both bombings.

[Jerry Carl]

What was his name? Lucky to call him.

[Bubba]

But, you know, at the Smithsonian, I thought this was strange. There's a lot of talk going on. You know, you got the SR71 Black Birds, and you've got the space shuttle and you've got all these warplanes and all of this. Some captured, some ours. And you get over to the Enola Gay and it is quiet. No one is talking. It's just such a somber thing to think about what that plane did, and not only for those people, but how it changed the way we perceive. I mean, my dad, we talked about it. He said, you know, when they told us we had seen how the Japanese fought island to island hopping. And he said, when we heard they surrendered after one bomb dropped on two different cities, we thought, well, that can't be real. You know, how can that be?

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah. Now you think about the bombs and the capabilities we have now just dwarf those bombs.

[Bubba]

So those are triggers.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah, yeah. Those are little things. So.

[Bubba]

And you know, that's, that's scary for a lot of people that that exists, but it's, it's kept the peace Since World War II for the most part, and we hope that, that it continues to do that. But it is scary, the possibility.

[Jerry Carl]

Well, I'm a firm believer in strength through peace. Peace. You know, we've got to keep a strong military. Yeah, I had that backwards. That's why I hesitated.

[Bubba]

But something like that.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah, something like that. But it, you know, our military in the last four years have really just gotten beaten up, beaten down. And I'm. And, you know, and I want to sit here and be the pounding the drum here, but it's just so different, the attitude in the military right now. My son got out of the military because he'd had enough. All the politics, you know, the Marine Corps, they'd get shot on. They'd have to call in, get permission to return fire. Yeah, that's no way to fight. That's no way to defend yourself.

[Bubba]

No, and I've heard the same thing, too. I talked to a recruiter the other day and he was telling me the difference. That happened literally the night that Donald Trump was elected. It went from, we can't make our totals, we can't, you know, and to people calling again, wanting to sign up, said he'd never seen anything like it.

[Jerry Carl]

So, you know, that's how I got involved in politics, is my son going into active combat in Afghanistan and me thinking, what can I do? So I went and tried to recruit. I tried to join Marine Corps, and the guy died laughing. He go, he goes, he goes, mister, how old are you? And I don't know, I was like 51 or something. He goes, well, the cutoff age here is 50. I said, man, I can drive a truck. I could do something.

[Bubba]

Yeah, I know. Put us old white hairs to work doing something. We just don't have to do that. PT training.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah, I don't, I don't care.

[Bubba]

I don't need to be able to sprint to drive a truck.

[Jerry Carl]

I do something.

[Bubba]

I know I got to know how to fill up the gas.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah. You know, thing. But of course, that led into the politics. But yeah, my son serving in the Marine Corps changed a lot of things in my mind. Truly did.

[Bubba]

Jerry, let me ask you this. Since you were there when this was happening, the whole Covid thing, what have you learned now versus what we were told then did? What changes should we make if we're ever faced with that again? And do you think we're going to be faced with that again? Because I don't think this was a accidental situation as much as what it's been portrayed in the media.

[Jerry Carl]

I think China probably played around with that. They certainly did not have any intentions of it spreading around the world. It's just my thoughts.

[Bubba]

Right. Got away from it.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah. And it.

[Bubba]

We had replacement was careless, what, two years prior to that. Right.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah. So. But. But if you look, there's always a disease of some type every so many years.

[Bubba]

Right.

[Jerry Carl]

I think a lot of the people that died during COVID was our reactions. My pastor, I named five people that passed away. They all similar situations. Diabetes. They had. They had some organ that was weak in some way, and the first thing they did was put them on ventilators. So I had a pulmonologist I was having dinner with in the middle of COVID and he told me, he says, I think we're killing people on ventilators, you know, not knowing what was going on. And they have come out and said that ventilators was a lot of the problems.

[Bubba]

Maybe too aggressive.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah, too aggressive.

[Bubba]

I mean, when you don't have your oxygen level in your blood, you have to do something. But maybe bipaps or CPAP type machines is.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah, but if you've got a bad heart or you got bad lungs or you got a bad liver or you got, you know, sugar diabetes, I mean, you're, you're, you're a time bomb anyway, right?

[Bubba]

It's pressing.

[Jerry Carl]

And for something like Covid, a whole new disease. I mean, we're getting Covid today. You and I get it. I mean, now it's like the common flu, right. To some people it's not, but to us it is.

[Bubba]

Well, the flu can be deadly.

[Jerry Carl]

Sure it is.

[Bubba]

We have a lot of people die from the flu every year. It just doesn't make headlines.

[Jerry Carl]

I think what, what I hope we have learned is how to deal with mass fear. I hope is, I guess, the biggest thing I'm looking for. Don't, don't be less as a government or as leaders. Let's don't jump on the fearful side. We can still be positive and try to figure this situation Out.

[Bubba]

Well, the public was demanding something be done, and then you guys hear it, and you want to respond to that. You want to be a good representative. But when you're dealing with something that's got to have herd immunity, it ain't gonna happen in two days.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah, but it's not gonna happen in your house locked down either. You can get out and get some fresh air.

[Bubba]

Right, Exactly.

[Jerry Carl]

Common sense applies.

[Bubba]

At some point, the lockdown probably prolonged.

[Jerry Carl]

Of course it did.

[Bubba]

You know what? You know what finally ended? It was college football. People said, to heck with it. We're going to stadium. And we had another little outbreak after that, but then it was gone. Yeah, you know, leave it to college football to solve problems.

[Jerry Carl]

It's created a lot of problems, too, in the years, especially between us Auburn Alabama fans.

[Bubba]

So let me ask you this. Fauci has been praised on one side of the aisle and demonized on the other. I don't think he was forthcoming the way he should have been. He knew that lab was working with COVID type germs. The reason it was done there is because it was illegal in the United States because it was too dangerous. We were helping to fund it with our own tax dollars. But he still rode this somebody ate a bat out at the wet market story when he. I think he should have said right away, we were doing research here. It could have come from that lab. I think that would have helped light years in the prevention and, you know, moving our response forward. But he sit on it because he thought it looked bad on him.

[Jerry Carl]

I've said it a thousand times. I'll say it again. My grandfather used to tell me his two motivators, Sex and money. So I'm riding down airport Boulevard, thinking during the middle of all this, thinking about Fauci, and I'm going, okay, how does this fit into Fauci's life? How does this silly thing my grandfather told me fits into Fauci's life? And I went, wait a minute. He made an announcement that only that 3m mask was the only one that would actually filter that germ out. I wonder how much stock he bought day before he made that announcement.

[Bubba]

Yeah, did we ever check?

[Jerry Carl]

We can't. He's a private citizen. We can't do it because I brought it up in Congress. I mean, I started pounding the drum of, this guy's making money off of this, you know, then he comes out, you know, he. He could change the direction of little things and make a fortune in the market. He's got one of the largest houses outside of D.C. now this thing's an estate. It's huge. And he made one and a half million dollars a year as, as a doctor his whole life of the government.

[Bubba]

He's one of the highest paid government employees we have.

[Jerry Carl]

I'm not saying that's chicken feed, but you can't, you can't afford a 200 acre farm in Virginia on that type of salary. So I've always linked it back to money.

[Bubba]

Well, you know, we learned too. I thought it was interesting, like research grants that the government give these people millions of dollars and then if they come up with something that they can patent, the government doesn't get the money on it, they do.

[Jerry Carl]

I never knew that. I learned that from what came out.

[Bubba]

Of COVID Yeah, that's. I thought that was interesting. I thought at least it ought to be a shared. I mean as a taxpayer we ought to get part of the benefit and of course the person. I don't want to take away the driving factor for them to burn the midnight oil, you know, to come up with these things but, but it should be shared. I didn't know they were getting away with it.

[Jerry Carl]

I love Elon Musk attitude. I'm not going to take time to get a patent. I'm moving on.

[Bubba]

He's unusual guy. Have you met him before?

[Jerry Carl]

No, I've been in a room with him a couple times and of course I've seen him at some of the meetings, but I've not met him. No.

[Bubba]

One of my favorite podcast is called Everyday Astronaut and it's a guy that takes him and literally just walks around the Starbase, Texas talking about things. I don't know if you saw one episode, the guy, he's, he's like recording it on an iPhone. And he asked Elon why they're doing something the certain way and why couldn't they do it another way. And Elon stops and he scratches his head and he goes, you know, that's really a good idea. We need to, we need to look at that. And they changed it based off what that guy. But his whole design concept of it's better to fly, you know, get the data, blow it up than it is to just continually run computer simulations till the finished product is already outdated. You know, I think it's. He's a very interesting. Now he, A lot of people don't like him now because he's come in and suggested that we're wasting money.

[Jerry Carl]

And that confuses me too. Nobody's arguing the fact that he's found wasted money. They're arguing the fact that he's not an elected official doing that.

[Bubba]

Well, neither was Fauci. He changed our lives a lot, didn't he?

[Jerry Carl]

Great point, great point.

[Bubba]

Well, that's one of my questions. If I was advising the Democrats, which they're probably not going to ask my advice, but. And I hear people now, bubba, don't tell me secrets. I would say it appears that they oppose anything Trump's for right out of the gate. It's just dead on arrival. If Trump's for it, I'm against it. Why not pick and choose your battles? Why not go, you know, we don't need 10 million illegal, unvaccinated people coming into our country. That's going to buckle our social programs that are already in trouble. Why don't we, why don't we get on board with that? Why don't we get on board with, you know, giving people a choice in vaccinations? Why don't we. It just seems to. Or in, in the Doge case, why don't we get on board with them on getting rid of waste? That would be more money they could spend on something else they wanted to do. Why do they oppose things that appear to be common sense?

[Jerry Carl]

That's all they got. That's all I've got. They've got nothing else. I mean, it's. You throw a dirt clot, not throw one back. I mean, that's about the mentality that we're dealing with. And, and, but, but, but if I was Democrat Party right now, I'd be looking and I'd be saying, huh, so We've got this 16 million people here illegally. Trump is going to try to send as many back as he can. We gonna need that labor. We truly will need that labor in the, in the workforce. How can we improve this system so we can keep them here or at least let them stay here to work? That's what I'd be looking at. And I've had this silly idea for years. Real simple. You want to come to work in America, you buy a $2,500 card, we run a background check on you. You can come in for nine months and work. You got to go home for three months, and then you come back. Long as you're still in good standings, you can do that. There is not a person in the world. You have bypassed all the, all the, all the border people is what you've done. You've made a clean because they're paying five or six thousand dollars for the coyotes to bring them across anyway. So it makes sense. And then we've got a workforce that we can, can work with on an as needed basis at that point, because they're not going to pay $2,500 and try to come across and find a job. They're going to pay the $2,500 and have jobs already lined up. Be a whole new industry that some young American can do and do that. If I was the Democrats, I'd be focused more on that. How can we take what Trump's doing? Because we can't stop it, because we know the majority of America is in behind Trump. How can we add to that, look like we're the heroes? That's what I'd be looking at. How can we plug into that and not agree with him, but actually influence it in a positive way? That's what America wants. That's what America's flustering.

[Bubba]

They're not, they're not doing that. They're going the opposite.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah, the American, American voters, they're frustrated because they're not seeing anything out of anybody. And it does get frustrating. And people fuss at you about not doing anything. And, you know, you want a 435 voices up there. You know, we've got to come together as Americans. We've got, regardless of our race, our religion, any, any label you want to stick on, we've got to come together as Americans. Like I talked about earlier, we've still got that in our blood.

[Bubba]

We still want safe neighborhoods. We want a house, we want a store we can go to and buy food.

[Jerry Carl]

Democrats are no different.

[Bubba]

And, and we got to figure out the commonality to get to that point.

[Jerry Carl]

We all, we all want to rest in peace at night. We want to die with our families around us, and we won't be able to provide for our families. Simple as that. Everybody, Everybody, everybody. So we got to, we got to quit being distracted by politicians that want to create stories. I'm telling Democrats Hollywood other night, when, when, when that. When Trump made the announcement of changing the tariffs and it spiked up, you know, and I told my wife right then I went, hmm, they're fist. No. Accused him of selling and trading stocks off of this. I knew it was coming just, just from watching that. We got to quit that. Let's quit, you know, let's, let's focus on fixing stuff, not tearing stuff up and tearing people down.

[Bubba]

You know, I've got a new stock advisor now. I just do whatever Nancy Pelosi husband does, and I seem to do real good in the market.

[Jerry Carl]

So some of my staff was sitting up in the balcony one day, and of course, they can't take phones up there. And they come back and they said, boss, you're not gonna believe this. We sit and watch Nancy trading stock on her phone on the floor, which you can do that. There's none, says you can't do it. But they're looking down on her phone as she's sitting there trading stocks. And I never heard anything that I would. I mean, I'd intentionally. To set myself up where I wouldn't ever be caught in that situation.

[Bubba]

Yeah, well, you can, you can have a blind trust. I mean, what is the technical name of it when you have a stock?

[Jerry Carl]

It's mutual funds where I'm from.

[Bubba]

Right, right.

[Jerry Carl]

I just did all. I tied all mine up. Mutual funds. I have nothing to do with it. But. But there's a blind trust, you're right. And some of the.

[Bubba]

And you see the numbers of what you're making, you don't see how you made it.

[Jerry Carl]

You don't pick the stock. Yeah, you don't pick stock. But. But, you know, I think that's a sensitive area up there right now. I think there's a. The problem with Washington is either you're a millionaire or you're not going to get elected up there. You can't live up there. Right. You know, especially folks in Alabama, they say, well, you made $174,000 a year. Yes, I did. And I paid taxes in New York, I paid taxes in Washington, paid taxes in Alabama, paid federal taxes, as well as I had to keep my apartment, my housing in D.C. as well as home. So you got two. Two dwellings.

[Bubba]

And that was probably a pay cut for a successful business man to start with.

[Jerry Carl]

Well, I knew that was going to happen. I mean, that, that goes without saying, but the average person that lives from paycheck to paycheck, they can't afford to become a congressman. They really can't. And that Congress was designed for the average person to actually go in and serve.

[Bubba]

Right. Carry their talents, give back, go back home and do whatever you did, carpentry, farming, whatever.

[Jerry Carl]

You get on that floor and you meet, you know, you meet a lady that has her hairdresser. I think one of them was a hairdresser. You got farmers, you got bankers. I mean, it's just one of everything on that floor. And I think that's so unique.

[Bubba]

And they bring their expertise because I may not know the banking industry, but they would know the insides and could, you know, educate us as to where the problems are how they can't serve their customers and how we as the government can help that or fix it or get out of the way in a lot of cases.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah. Federal government get out of the way especially.

[Bubba]

Yeah, It's a whole lot better.

[Jerry Carl]

Everybody says the federal government needs to fix it. I'm going, you know, you know who tore it up.

[Bubba]

Right, right, right. Arsonist with a fire hose.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah. It's like your kids breaking the glass, you know, tell them to fix it. They broke it. Start with they don't know how to fix it.

[Bubba]

Well, Jerry, thank you for coming by and.

[Jerry Carl]

My pleasure.

[Bubba]

Here in the Mellow Yellow studio and sitting down with us, and I hope you'll do this again.

[Jerry Carl]

I tell you, Mellow Yellow must pay a lot of money for you to have a studio like this.

[Bubba]

It's the. I tell you, of all the. The studios I've worked in, by far the best View.

[Jerry Carl]

My gosh, the View, it is breathtaking. For those of y'all that can't see, is absolutely gorgeous in your wife, My gosh, she's glowing.

[Bubba]

And she.

[Jerry Carl]

We haven't given her time to talk or say.

[Bubba]

Betty, you got anything you want to ask the congressman?

[Jerry Carl]

I was just enjoying listening. Now, how did you put up with Caitlyn, like, for two years or. How long did you. Yeah, it's a couple years. She's easy to get along with. You just do whatever she tells you to do.

[Bubba]

Yeah, that's how it works.

[Jerry Carl]

Yeah. I mean, I never. I never. It's never a dull moment around that child. I treat her like my own daughter. And. And she.

[Bubba]

And we appreciate that.

[Jerry Carl]

Well, I know that. But I try to treat.

[Bubba]

Because there's, you know, you hear horror stories. I mean, you know, I'm old enough that you. We've heard all kind of intern horror stories in D.C. yeah, yeah, I've heard them, too.

[Jerry Carl]

And. And I did. I just don't like labels. I think that's. That's wrong. But, you know, those young people, they. They run Washington, D.C. they truly do. And it takes Caitlin's and it takes Carlos. I mean, it takes one of everything on your staff to get it done.

[Bubba]

Can I tell you one of my other favorite things? There was Embassy Row. To go up through there and see all those flags and buildings. Some are fancy, some are not. And of course, the Russians sitting up there on the Hill so they can monitor it, everything in D.C. who let them have the heel? Jerry, that was a terrible. They bought it from an RF engineer. That was a terrible mistake.

[Jerry Carl]

They bought it they bought it. We'll have to do this again. I'd give you all my Russia stories.

[Bubba]

Oh, God. You got Russia stories?

[Jerry Carl]

I have Russia stories. It's a great Russian restaurant there. You just have to be careful what you talk about. Oh, no.

[Bubba]

A lot of microphones, I'm sure. I'm sure. Our guest has been Jerry. Carl. Jerry. Thank you for coming by. We've enjoyed it and we will definitely do it again.

[Jerry Carl]

Oh, God bless you and thank you so much.

[Bubba]

It's Bubba on the Lake. Bubba on the Lake. The perfect checking account does not exist, at least not at a bank. At AMF, first, you can get no minimum balance or monthly fees, an instant issue debit card, and free checks with unlimited check writing. But who doesn't want more? Like a rewards program you'll actually use, and convenient digital tools that make it.

[Jerry Carl]

Easy to manage your account from anywhere.

[Bubba]

That's what you'll find at AmFIRST. Only available for qualifying members, AmFIRST is.

[Jerry Carl]

Federally insured by the NCUA. Attention business owners, print buyers and production managers.

[Bubba]

Guaranteed Labels is here to help you.

[Jerry Carl]

Focus less on your printing labels and decals and more on growing your business.

[Bubba]

Guaranteed Labels, your dependable printer for all types of industries.

[Jerry Carl]

Quality on time shipments and stock programs set us apart. If you're needing to focus less on.

[Bubba]

Your printing and more on your business, Trust guaranteed labels. 800-741-7055 or guaranteed labels.com guaranteed labels still sticking since 1988. Where's Bubba? I'll tell you where. He's on the lake. Well, that is going to do it. For this edition of the podcast, I want to thank all my guests for for being on and thank you for spending time with us in the Melayella studio. Remember, our website is bubbaonthelake.com and our message line is 308-244-5253 or as I like to say, 308- Big Lake. And we always ask you to subscribe, follow turn on notifications and all that stuff that we need so that we can make this podcast more bigger and better for you folks. Thank you again. We appreciate you being a part of it. Until we sail into port again. Next time, remember, God's greatest blessing is that you're not praying for a miracle today. Take care. You know one thing I love about Buffalo Wild Wings, you can get wings with any of their 26 sauces and dry rubs for takeout and delivery. That's like bringing an entire B dubs home with you, which you can't do. I tried. I'VE knocked down so many walls only to then be told to halt construction because I'm not zoned to be a sports bar. Kind of just looks like a big pergola or something. Because of the lack of walls, at least these 26 sauces and dry rubs are available. To go. Buffalo Wild Wings. Let's go Sports bar. This is Coke Zero Sugar. Could I be the best Coke ever?

[Jerry Carl]

Try and taste with your ears. Hear those bubbles.

[Bubba]

Imagine them tingling on your top. Fizzy deliciousness. Listen to that cascading liquid. A mouthwatering waterfall. Irresistibly tasty. Zero sugar. Crisp, refreshing and ice cold.

[Jerry Carl]

Is Coke Zero Sugar the best Coke ever?

[Bubba]

Try and decide. This podcast is brought to you by Coke. Am First Buffalo Wild Wings, Southern and Medium Immediate care. Anne's Quilts, Guaranteed labels, Central State bank and Sunrise Docs. Where's Bubba? I'll tell you where. He's on the lake. What is the Bubba on the Lake podcast? It's about defying peer pressure. I mean, let's face it, everybody's doing a podcast. They are. I mean, if you ain't doing one, you're the oddball out. I mean, it's like not having having a tattoo now, you know, I don't.

[Jerry Carl]

Have a tattoo or a podcast.

[Bubba]

I mean, I'm just left out in.

[Jerry Carl]

The dark and overcoming adversity.

[Bubba]

I don't know.

[Jerry Carl]

My mom is pretty funny.

[Bubba]

She's 93. She can cut loose. Yeah. So she does stand up for us at family events and she can't stand up. That's what's even funny. I mean, she can, but it's with a walk.

[Jerry Carl]

She does a semi stand up.

[Bubba]

Yeah. You ever seen a comedian with a walker? And I may really need it. It's not a prop. Download episodes now at bubbaonthelake. Com. Bubba on the Lake. Let's.